Illinois (studio album) by Sufjan Stevens

Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
Year: 2005
Release date: 2005-07-04
Overall rank: 42nd   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
86/100 (from 1,845 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Best album of 2005 (1st)
Award Top 10 albums of the 2000s (5th)
Award Top 50 albums of all time (42nd)
Product Details
Availability

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Stevens, Sufjan - Illinoise - Stevens, Sufjan CD PWVG The Fast Free Shipping
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Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche (Outtakes & Extras From The Illinois Album) CD
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SUFJAN STEVENS ILLINOIS NEW LP
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Sufjan Stevens bestography

Illinois is ranked as the best album by Sufjan Stevens.

Sufjan Stevens album bestography « Higher ranked This album (42nd) Lower ranked (67th) »
-IllinoisCarrie & Lowell

Upcoming concerts

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Smokey Robinson: Soulfully Yours
The Venetian Theatre at The Venetia, Las Vegas, United States. United States
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11
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Southall With special guests, The Glorious Sons & Them Dirty Roses
House of Blues Dallas , Dallas, United States. United States
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26
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Nate Smith
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Illinois track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 83 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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5.
Rating: 88 (390 votes)Comments: 3
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9.
Track pick
Rating: 92 (572 votes)Comments: 8
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Track pick Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Illinois rankings

Illinois collection

Illinois ratings

Average Rating: 
86/100 (from 1,845 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 1,845 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
95/100
 Report rating
03/11/2024 02:20 imacgill  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,51080/100
 
100/100
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03/10/2024 21:32 RadioGraaah  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 46878/100
 
95/100
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03/10/2024 04:21 thepurplemartin  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2599/100
 
85/100
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03/07/2024 12:04 II  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2686/100
 
85/100
 Report rating
02/29/2024 16:36 DriftingOrpheus  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 62081/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 86.1/100, a mean average of 84.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 86.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.1.

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Illinois comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 166 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First | Longest Comments First
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From 02/27/2023 17:03
Need to give this more listens
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 10/11/2022 05:37
Sufjan Magnus Opus, an artist that is one of the greatest since the 21st century started
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 08/31/2022 03:24
Great album
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 04/13/2022 17:21
What Sufjan Stevens manages to show and achieve here is that not only can folk music be brought into the 21st century but that you can be even more creative with the genre than people have attempted before. What this makes for is an odyssey of fun and enjoyable brilliant songwriting with moments of great introspection.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 02/07/2022 13:30
This is a composition of true musical genius that you fall in love with the more times you listen to it. The wide range of instruments you are treated to is immense and each one is performed so beautifully which creates this wall of fantastic noise that engulfs you right from the opening track. From there it only gets better and you reach the true peak of the album in the two tracks of Chicago and Casimir Pulaski Day which are two of the greatest modern songs ever recorded. It doesn't end there though as there are so many phenomenal songs on this record that are all unique and so different, making it a real challenge for anyone to get bored of this record. The balance of this record in terms of tempo and style is amazing, with the short tracks coming just at the right time to give the listener a little breather before he kicks back into full gear on a longer track. The lyrics are so rich and fun to delve into and the underlying themes that run through the record are so well maintained and explored by Stevens. This record really is a conceptual, lyrical and sonic masterpiece. However, it isn't a flawless record and that is mainly due to the length which means I can see the criticism of it dragging a bit. Also, I understand why people think the short songs are unnecessary but I believe they are essential and add to what makes this album so easy to come back to. Overall, this is a true landmark in musical composition and is one of the greatest albums ever recorded and it is a real pleasure to be able to experience this stunning piece of art.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 02/04/2022 08:02
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Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -4 votes (0 helpful | 4 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 12/07/2021 19:38
A bit more like the recording collection from a musical genius than a truly great record. Sufjan is talented and a wonderful lyricist. The John Wayne Gacy song is one of the best reflections on the nature of humanity I’ve ever heard.

But the songs are often too busy, too jumpy. As though there were a flood of ideas that he just had to get onto the track.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 11/11/2021 04:46
I could gone on for hours about how magnificent this album is.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (1 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 11/02/2021 23:23
Unpopular opinion for sure, but I actually think this is the greatest album of all time. It is brilliant from front to back, with the theatrical bits and interludes holding the piece together. I wish the 50 states project was real because this album is just outstanding.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
5/100
From 09/17/2021 02:46
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -6 votes (0 helpful | 6 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 2005
1. Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
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