My 1001 Albums Journey

122

Albums Rated

3.39

Average Rating

11%

Complete

967 albums remaining

Rating Distribution

Rating Timeline

Taste Profile

1960

Favorite Decade

Folk

Favorite Genre

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5-Star Albums

1-Star Albums

Breakdown

By Genre

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By Decade

By Origin

Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
No Other Gene Clark	5	3.19	+1.81
The Soft Bulletin The Flaming Lips	5	3.28	+1.72
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector Various Artists	5	3.29	+1.71
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco	5	3.31	+1.69
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden	5	3.41	+1.59
Amnesiac Radiohead	5	3.42	+1.58
Play Moby	5	3.45	+1.55
The Clash The Clash	5	3.53	+1.47
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) Wu-Tang Clan	5	3.6	+1.4
Dire Straits Dire Straits	5	3.72	+1.28

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
New York Dolls New York Dolls	1	3.12	-2.12
Shadowland k.d. lang	1	2.88	-1.88
...Baby One More Time Britney Spears	1	2.69	-1.69
Heaux Tales Jazmine Sullivan	1	2.67	-1.67
Hotel California Eagles	2	3.59	-1.59
Blackstar David Bowie	2	3.48	-1.48
Reggatta De Blanc The Police	2	3.44	-1.44
En-Tact The Shamen	1	2.43	-1.43
Ellington at Newport Duke Ellington	2	3.42	-1.42
Metal Box Public Image Ltd.	1	2.42	-1.42

5-Star Albums (17)

View Album Wall

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Popular Reviews

Green Onions

Booker T. & The MG's · 1 likes

3/5

Please sir, may I have less organ?

4-Star Albums (46)

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

1-Star Albums (6)

All Ratings

Electric Ladyland

Jimi Hendrix

4/5

Brothers

The Black Keys

4/5

Reggatta De Blanc

The Police

2/5

Eliminator

ZZ Top

3/5

Ellington at Newport

Duke Ellington

2/5

I appreciate the skill and talent on display here but jazz just isn’t for me. The songs all sound pretty much the same to my untrained ears.

Aqualung

Jethro Tull

4/5

Dire Straits

5/5

Fantastic album on first listen. Amazing that this was a debut album. Really enjoyed it.

Fetch The Bolt Cutters

Fiona Apple

2/5

For some reason I just don't "get" Fiona Apple and this album didn't help, at all. The first song ends with shrieking and it didn't really get any better for me. There were a couple of decent songs but overall this was a tough listen for me.

Gorillaz

4/5

Stephen Stills

4/5

With The Beatles

Beatles

4/5

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Various Artists

5/5

Phil Spector is obviously a bad person, but this is obviously an incredible album. Just skip the last "song" which is basically just Spector speaking. Everything else is fantastic.

3 Feet High and Rising

De La Soul

4/5

School's Out

Alice Cooper

3/5

I think the only Alice Cooper song I heard before listening to this album was School's Out, which is the first track. I wasn't prepared for the rest of the album to veer into concept album/musical territory. Not my thing, but interesting album.

Mr. Tambourine Man

The Byrds

3/5

Impressive musicianship for sure, but a bit bland and too little variation for me. A 2.5 that becomes a 3 because we have to vote with whole numbers.

The Colour Of Spring

Talk Talk

4/5

Astral Weeks

Van Morrison

4/5

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

Aretha Franklin

5/5

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

Dead Kennedys

3/5

The Renaissance

Q-Tip

4/5

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

Simon & Garfunkel

4/5

Toys In The Attic

Aerosmith

2/5

Vivid

Living Colour

2/5

Cult of Personality is a great song. The rest didn’t do anything for me. Not a fan of that particular style of rock.

Shadowland

k.d. lang

1/5

I agree with the folks who said this sounds like music you expect to be playing in a hotel. K.D. has a fantastic voice, no question about it, but this style does nothing for me. Hate to give out a one but I literally didn’t like any song on the album.

#1 Record

Big Star

4/5

Was only familiar with Thirteen before listening to this one. Really enjoyed the whole album. Can definitely see how this influenced so many other pop/rock artists.

White Ladder

David Gray

3/5

I feel torn on this album. I like David Gray a lot and this is almost certainly his best album. However, it definitely isn't an album I would say someone needs to hear before they die. It's pretty normal singer-songwriter pop music overall. For nostalgia reasons it is a 5/5 for me, but if I'm being honest it is more of a 3/5 in reality. It starts incredibly strong with "Please Forgive Me" and "Babylon" which are genuinely great pop songs, and it ends fairly strongly with "This Year's Love", "Sail Away", and a great (if perhaps a bit long) cover song, "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye", but if I take my nostalgia goggles off I have to admit that the middle of the album doesn't maintain the momentum of the beginning or rise to the same level as the final group of songs. So, 3/5 it is.

En-Tact

The Shamen

1/5

1/5 only because 0/5 isn't an option. That was an absolutely brutal listen. Just the most generic sounding dance music possible. Nothing stood out.

Music for the Masses

Depeche Mode

3/5

I consider Depeche Mode's next album "Violator" to be one of my all-time favorites, but this one doesn't quite reach the same heights for me. 3/5

Your New Favourite Band

The Hives

2/5

Feels a bit like an album that might play nonstop at Hot Topic. Pop/punk without any bite.

Odessey And Oracle

The Zombies

4/5

At Mister Kelly's

Sarah Vaughan

3/5

Amazing voice, impressive skills from the players, still just don't like jazz.

Time Out

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

4/5

So maybe it's not that I don't like jazz, it's that I don't like jazz vocals. Instrumental jazz isn't too bad. Really enjoyed this album.

Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

3/5

Was only familiar with Relax before listening to this album, and never really cared for it. Surprisingly the album was better than I thought but kind of all over the place and definitely a few songs too long. Was anticipating a 1 or 2 for the album but it was more like a 3 for me.

Atomizer

Big Black

3/5

I'm a bit torn on this album. On the one hand the lyrics seem like they were written by a middle school boy who is just trying to get attention by saying shocking or obscene things. On the other hand, I like the punk / early industrial sound a fair bit. Just based on the sound of the album I would give it a 4, but I have to lower it at least a little bit for the immature lyrics so it is a 3 for me.

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

4/5

Movies

Holger Czukay

3/5

If I never hear "Cool in the Pool" again I will be very happy. The rest of it was fine, but nothing really stood out in a positive way. I appreciate the inspiration this album seems to have had on future electronic music, so I'm bumping it up a bit to a 3.

No Other

Gene Clark

5/5

Fantastic album. Shocked by how much I liked it. I didn't particularly enjoy the album "Mr. Tambourine Man" by The Byrds (gave it a 3) and so I went into this one expecting it to have a similar sound and feel. However, that is not the case. This was a much more musically interesting album and had a cohesive feel to it despite the songs touching on multiple genres. Will definitely revisit this one more often in the future. My first 5 that I was truly surprised by.

Planet Rock: The Album

Afrika Bambaataa

4/5

Wasn't sure what to expect going in. This genre is outside of my normal listening habits but I really enjoyed the album.

C'est Chic

CHIC

3/5

Viva Hate

Morrissey

3/5

New York Dolls

1/5

I absolutely cannot stand this type of rock. I'm sure many enjoy it but I'm not one of them. Couldn't wait for this album to end.

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin

5/5

Solid Air

John Martyn

2/5

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill

4/5

In The Wee Small Hours

Frank Sinatra

3/5

What's Going On

Marvin Gaye

5/5

Skylarking

XTC

2/5

Olympia 64

Jacques Brel

3/5

Songs Of Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

4/5

Casanova

The Divine Comedy

2/5

I love the Flight of the Conchords but had a hard time making it through this "comedy" album.

Drunk

Thundercat

3/5

Adele

4/5

Graceland

Paul Simon

4/5

Tidal

Fiona Apple

4/5

I went into this one fully expecting to give it a 1 or 2 after how much I disliked "Fetch the Boltcutters". However, this album was fantastic. I knew "Criminal" was a great song going in, but the rest of the album was suprisingly good.

The Clash

5/5

I'm biased as I have loved The Clash for years, but this gets a 5 for sure. Great album, particularly for a debut, and clearly highly influential.

Amnesiac

Radiohead

5/5

Radiohead is one of my favorite bands of all-time so this is an easy 5 for me. I love every song on here except Pulk / Pull Revolving Doors.

Seventeen Seconds

The Cure

3/5

Space Ritual

Hawkwind

3/5

Green Onions

Booker T. & The MG's

3/5

Please sir, may I have less organ?

Strangeways, Here We Come

The Smiths

4/5

16 Lovers Lane

The Go-Betweens

3/5

Feels like a very straightforward and sort of basic album in modern times, but I guess it was somewhat influential in its era.

Sticky Fingers

The Rolling Stones

4/5

Harvest

Neil Young

5/5

Mama's Gun

Erykah Badu

3/5

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

3/5

Another overloaded double album that would have been a great single album.

Giant Steps

The Boo Radleys

2/5

I have no idea why this album was included on this list. Also, it needed to be about 5 songs shorter.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wilco

5/5

Wilco is one of my all-time favorites and this is their masterpiece. Easiest 5 for me so far.

Bummed

Happy Mondays

2/5

The Stranger

Billy Joel

4/5

Joan Armatrading

4/5

So Much For The City

The Thrills

2/5

Tical

Method Man

4/5

Fleet Foxes

4/5

Moon Safari

Air

4/5

Go Girl Crazy

The Dictators

4/5

Arc Of A Diver

Steve Winwood

2/5

I like the more experimental 80's music. This style is not for me. Just boring, similar sounding soft rock/pop.

Thriller

Michael Jackson

5/5

The New Tango

Astor Piazzolla

2/5

Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs

Derek & The Dominos

3/5

Is This It

The Strokes

5/5

Absolutely incredible debut album. Lived up to the pre-release hype.

Throwing Muses

3/5

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Coldplay

4/5

Screamadelica

Primal Scream

2/5

Hotel California

Eagles

2/5

You Are The Quarry

Morrissey

3/5

Heaux Tales

Jazmine Sullivan

1/5

I absolutely hated every second of this. I'm not the intended demographic, and I get that, but man did I really not like this one. Basically it just comes off as if the girl referenced in Kanye West's "Gold Digger" wrote an entire album about her life. I don't want to hear this many details about anyone's sex life, regardless of whether it is a female or male artist. I have to imagine that this album will be near the top of my most hated list when/if I complete the full 1089 album journey.

My Generation

The Who

4/5

Live And Dangerous

Thin Lizzy

2/5

Live albums shouldn't be on the list, in my opinion. They just aren't the same as an actual album. Also, live albums with extensive studio overdubs are not really live albums. So, with those issues this goes from a 3 to a 2 for me.

Play

Moby

5/5

The Soft Bulletin

The Flaming Lips

5/5

Polarizing band for sure, but I love them, particularly this album and Yoshimi.

Appetite For Destruction

Guns N' Roses

4/5

Virgin Suicides

Air

3/5

Metal Box

Public Image Ltd.

1/5

Easily twice as long as it needed to be. Also, just boring to me overall.

Iron Maiden

5/5

Absolutely shocked by how much I liked this album. This is not my genre at all but I really enjoyed this. I had never listened to Iron Maiden before but this was much more melodic than I expected based on my impressions of them.

Sea Change

Beck

4/5

The Who Sell Out

The Who

3/5

Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Wu-Tang Clan

5/5

Remain In Light

Talking Heads

4/5

Frampton Comes Alive

Peter Frampton

3/5

Sheer Heart Attack

Queen

4/5

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

5/5

Another Green World

Brian Eno

3/5

Ray Of Light

Madonna

3/5

Would be a surprising 4 for me if the songs were shorter and a few cut from the album. Drops to a 3 for those reasons. I hope I never hear Shanti / Ashtangi again as long as I live. Truly terrible song.

Axis: Bold As Love

Jimi Hendrix

4/5

Music Has The Right To Children

Boards of Canada

4/5

Take Me Apart

Kelela

4/5

Debut

Björk

4/5

Smokers Delight

Nightmares On Wax

2/5

Konnichiwa

Skepta

2/5

Life's Too Good

The Sugarcubes

3/5

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey

4/5

California

American Music Club

3/5

...Baby One More Time

Britney Spears

1/5

There are two ways to approach reviewing these albums. Some seem to score albums based on their historical impact or influence on future artists, while others score the albums based on their personal feelings about it. I fall into the second category, but I do try and listen objectively and not let my preconceived notions affect my score too much. That being said, this is basically what I expected it to be. Obviously this was a hugely influential album, but that doesn't make it a good one. It's trite lyrically (there are 3 songs with "heart" in the title for goodness sake) and musically. It's just a very difficult listen for me. I make it through all of it but didn't enjoy it at any point. Britney has a great voice, but I really can't stand the way she sings most of the album. At times she sings in a way that I can only describe as someone trying to hiccup seductively. It's incredibly annoying and occurs frequently. This is a 1.

Bat Out Of Hell

Meat Loaf

4/5

Expected to hate it but somehow it kind of won me over. It's almost as cheesy as it can possibly be but despite my expectations I enjoyed it.

Unhalfbricking

Fairport Convention

4/5

Come Away With Me

Norah Jones

3/5

Norah has a great voice and Come Away With Me and Don't Know Why are great songs, but overall this is a 3 for me. The album would definitely benefit from being a few songs shorter and outside of the two hit singles the rest of the songs on the album sound incredibly similar. As many others have mentioned this album feels tailor made to be played on repeat in a coffee shop.

Aftermath

The Rolling Stones

3/5

Paint it Black and Under My Thumb (despite its lyrics) are fantastic songs musically. The rest of the album was disappointing. I’ve never understood how this band was compared to The Beatles.

Court And Spark

Joni Mitchell

4/5

Legalize It

Peter Tosh

4/5

At Newport 1960

Muddy Waters

4/5

Back At The Chicken Shack

Jimmy Smith

4/5

Blackstar

David Bowie

2/5

I simply have never understood David Bowie's status as a rock legend and this album didn't help my perception of him. The backstory to the album is very interesting, but musically and especially lyrically the album did not impress me. I know there are a bunch of Bowie albums on the list so perhaps one of the others will help me understand how he came to be considered among the all-time greats, but for now I remain as confused about it all as ever.