The 1001 Album Generator Project Thread

Should we do a group project

  • Total voters
    22
  • Poll closed .
avecigrec said:
That was gruelling.

First thing first: this album is at least half an hour too long.

Second thing second (and maybe most important): this is just an "okay" rap album.

Third thing third: this album hasn't aged well. (Kanye himself has aged LESS well.)

Lastly (kind of): it's ludicrous that Ludacris was probably paid good money for a bad feature.

I remember hearing so much hype for this album for the year or so between its release and me picking a copy of the CD to see what the fuss was about. And even that dozen and a half years ago I did not understand why people were raving about it so much. It's not that great. It's not horrible either, but I think it's quite unspectacular. There are a couple of good hooks, a solid handful of sweet beats and all the requisite and expected features of the era, but Kanye's emceeing isn't revolutionary or particularly exciting and his lyrics ain't really that deep.

I came into this prepared to eat crow and maybe find out I'd been wrong about my assessment of this back in '05 and really did my best to set aside my feelings about present-day Kanye while listening, but I still just can't fuck with it.

2/5. If it were 25-35 minutes shorter it would be a solid 3
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Kanye overall isn’t a great rapper but he has his moments. His production has always been the thing that has set him apart. His first two albums are fantastic IMO from an 2000s Hip-Hop place it’s definitely of it’s time but I would say most rap as a genre rarely feels timeless. I don’t think any of his first 3 albums are bad and the first 2 are great within the context of 00s hip-hop. Kanye doesn’t become a an all timer until A Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy.

Also, it’d be an easy cut 30 minutes off this album from the age of iPods. Cut all the skits, and the last 9 minutes of “Last Call” and you’d probably be close.

I do love a lot of the singles off this album too bad I can’t enjoy them anymore.

Fuck Kanye
 
I hate the there aren't timeless rap arguments. Yes there are. Most of it is quite literally date stamped, but Tribe, De La, most of Common's work, Beasties, Pharcyde, hell Biggie, most of Jay Z's output, etc... are not even remotely anything less than timeless, they don't sound dated today and some of it sounds better than stuff being produced today. Just like there is stuff today that seems like it came from the future - RTJ, Clipping. etc.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
I am the exact opposite. Since I Left You is really the only proper Avalanches album I connect with. I do enjoy their After The Goldrush mixtape that came out in 2008. Worth checking out if you’re looking for a nice mix.
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I love all three of their records but they're all so different. I was surprised that when I looked at my last.fm stats that We Will Always Love You is my second most-played album of the 20's so far.
 
Lee Newman said:
I hate the there aren't timeless rap arguments. Yes there are. Most of it is quite literally date stamped, but Tribe, De La, most of Common's work, Beasties, Pharcyde, hell Biggie, most of Jay Z's output, etc... are not even remotely anything less than timeless, they don't sound dated today and some of it sounds better than stuff being produced today. Just like there is stuff today that seems like it came from the future - RTJ, Clipping. etc.
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Calm down. I said most and most every artist you named has some albums that were very of their time. That doesn’t mean they can’t be still enjoyed. The reason a lot of hip hop doesn’t have a timeless quality it that as a genre, hip hop is always pushing things forward and rarely rest on its laurels. Jazz and Rock music are more likely to have a timeless quality because both genre are often reflecting on their past.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
Calm down. I said most and most every artist you named has some albums that were very of their time. That doesn’t mean they can’t be still enjoyed. The reason a lot of hip hop doesn’t have a timeless quality it that as a genre, hip hop is always pushing things forward and rarely rest on its laurels. Jazz and Rock music are more likely to have a timeless quality because both genre are often reflecting on their past.
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I WILL YELL AT KIDS ON MY LAWN WHEN I WANT TO DAMN IT.
 
22/1001
Beth Orton - Central Reservation
220px-Beth_Orton-Central_Reservation_%28album_cover%29.jpg

First time listening. Wow, what a special one.
Extremely soft, it's rich with smooth and nice melodies. Most songs take their time but almost all of them reward with substantial dividends. There's an icy, mournful and timeless quality to Orton's voice, particularly when the tracks are more natural sounding. I don't think there was a weak moment, save for my opinion of the ending of "Devil Song" being slightly unfulfilling.
Beth fits my tastes, and I blame my ignorance for letting her early efforts pass me by. For the record, I really enjoyed last year's Weather Alive; it was in my top50.

Personal highlights: "Couldn't Cause Me Harm," "Pass in Time," "Stars All Seem to Weep," "Central Reservation (The Then Again Version)" but wow I loved almost all of it!
Rating: 4.5/5 [Outstanding]

In time, I might raise this to a five. Stellar foray.
 
Lee Newman said:
Well, it's noisey...

I'm about halfway through this and I do not like thing.
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This has to be what my mom and dad thought all that stuff they said was noise sounded like.

I have always found it odd that the Clash thought they couldn't play very well. This is a band that appears to not play very well.

1/5
 
avecigrec said:
(the body count on which would put most gangsta rap albums to shame - yet somehow never caught any of the same media, political, parental or religious furor as the hip hop did, hmm.....)
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While race does play a part in this I’d say profile does too. Nick Cave has always been firmly In the alternative firmament. If he hadn’t done a duet with Kylie I doubt anyone’s parents would have a clue who he was. And Kylie definitely doesn’t have the same profile stateside as here. Gangster rap was a huge mainstream success. Plus heroin addicts weren’t exactly the poster boys for mid nighties middle class parents either.
 
Day 26

Day 0026.jpeg

This is a great palate cleanser after the Kanye album and pairs well with the group project as far as fully-formed and fantastic debuts that stand the test of time. An 80s album that doesn't sound like the 80s. A birthing ground for neo-soul. Smooth without being saccharine. Beyond tasteful: it's delicious. 5/5
 
Time to give these cats another try:
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Beach House - Teen Dream


Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music. Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music. Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music. Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music. Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.Please don't be Hawaiin Funeral music.
 
85a912b2d21c4f675db6b7fa7bfdf7ad152e67ab


no idea what this was before i listened. khaled is algerian, and pretty much every album overview calls his primary genre rai , blending sounds of traditional algerian/islamic music with modern instrumentation and techniques. what this album is at its core, though, is a straight up modern pop record. immediately i was reminded of sting's desert rose, and sure enough that song features a rai singer and is pretty much a clear example of rai music. reading a bit about the genre's more recent history, it's a form of music that expresses modern themes, themes that often go against fundamental religious beliefs, and this has obviously not sat well with those fundamentalists in power- khaled had to move to france and another popular rai singer living in algeria was outright murdered because their music challenged those beliefs. it seems to me this record is on the list less for the music itself - sleekly produced 90s pop r&b with african rhythms that might not stand out all that much were it sung in english (though the success of desert rose obviously tests this hypothesis), plus a cover of imagine - than for the wider meaning and social importance of its own existence. sometimes it takes a large amount of testicular fortitude to make and release a record you know could get you killed and, as you can see in the image above, khaled here might need help getting out of his car since he must be weighed down by his giant balls.
 
AndySlash said:
85a912b2d21c4f675db6b7fa7bfdf7ad152e67ab


no idea what this was before i listened. khaled is algerian, and pretty much every album overview calls his primary genre rai , blending sounds of traditional algerian/islamic music with modern instrumentation and techniques. what this album is at its core, though, is a straight up modern pop record. immediately i was reminded of sting's desert rose, and sure enough that song features a rai singer and is pretty much a clear example of rai music. reading a bit about the genre's more recent history, it's a form of music that expresses modern themes, themes that often go against fundamental religious beliefs, and this has obviously not sat well with those fundamentalists in power- khaled had to move to france and another popular rai singer living in algeria was outright murdered because their music challenged those beliefs. it seems to me this record is on the list less for the music itself - sleekly produced 90s pop r&b with african rhythms that might not stand out all that much were it sung in english (though the success of desert rose obviously tests this hypothesis), plus a cover of imagine - than for the wider meaning and social importance of its own existence. sometimes it takes a large amount of testicular fortitude to make and release a record you know could get you killed and, as you can see in the image above, khaled here might need help getting out of his car since he must be weighed down by his giant balls.
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He gained a lot of weight, oh that doesn't say DJ... lol
 
AndySlash said:
85a912b2d21c4f675db6b7fa7bfdf7ad152e67ab


no idea what this was before i listened. khaled is algerian, and pretty much every album overview calls his primary genre rai , blending sounds of traditional algerian/islamic music with modern instrumentation and techniques. what this album is at its core, though, is a straight up modern pop record. immediately i was reminded of sting's desert rose, and sure enough that song features a rai singer and is pretty much a clear example of rai music. reading a bit about the genre's more recent history, it's a form of music that expresses modern themes, themes that often go against fundamental religious beliefs, and this has obviously not sat well with those fundamentalists in power- khaled had to move to france and another popular rai singer living in algeria was outright murdered because their music challenged those beliefs. it seems to me this record is on the list less for the music itself - sleekly produced 90s pop r&b with african rhythms that might not stand out all that much were it sung in english (though the success of desert rose obviously tests this hypothesis), plus a cover of imagine - than for the wider meaning and social importance of its own existence. sometimes it takes a large amount of testicular fortitude to make and release a record you know could get you killed and, as you can see in the image above, khaled here might need help getting out of his car since he must be weighed down by his giant balls.
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Yeah, 1. this is what I hope to get from the project... stuff I'm not familiar with and insight as to why it was included. 2. I feel like Songhoy Blues was present for very much the same reason. Makeba too. These might not be the best examples of the music to those that are more deeply entrenched in the genres and musical spheres, but made an impact on the writer and thus are here to also bring a light to those genres and musical spheres.
 
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