planetneutral's Master Rating Log 2021- - Music Diaries

planetneutral · 2020-12-30T14:04:16-05:00

Sometime in the era of 2009ish, my wife gave me a copy of the original edition of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Like so many foolhardy list-obsessed music enthusiasts, I began an endeavor to listen my way through it. You've heard a similar story in this forum many times before I'm sure. It didn't start well. In August of 2009, a mere eight albums into my effort, the library I work in flooded completely, burying my office in liquid sewage and putting an end to my new practice of sitting in my office listening to CDs. In 2010, I started to keep a rating log on RYM, combining my general listening and half-assed effort to work through the book. - https://rateyourmusic.com/list/planetneutral/planetneutrals-master-rating-log (I stopped using this list for a while. I'm working on catching it up.) I also kept a log specifically related to the 1001 Albums book. - https://rateyourmusic.com/list/planetneutral/chronicle-of-the-1001-albums-you-must-hear-before-you-die (This is up-to-date.) And I picked up a copy of 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die, which had enough parallels with the 1001 Albums book that I figured I might as well track my progress through both. https://rateyourmusic.com/list/planetneutral/chronicle-of-1_000-recordings-to-hear-before-you-die (Up-to-date.) The 2010 listening effort only lasted until April, the travails of library flood recovery dominating my attention. And it was totally backburnered until 2016, when I started really focusing on the original Dimery 1001 Albums book, using a spreadsheet list and a random number generator to make selections. By this point, I was also tracking revisions to the Dimery list. My current spreadsheet lists all 1,076 albums that I know that have been included in at least one edition. I had two good runs of listening between Jan. 2016 and Apr. 2018. But I was starting to have real problems with the Dimery book, namely that it was almost comically Anglophile. Could I really justify listening to three Dexys Midnight Runners albums? Did I really need to commit to three Blur albums? Or every single thing Brian Eno ever touched? Was I giving too much of my limited lifespan to this guy's musical worldview? I decided that the answer to the last question was yes and so I just stopped, 380 albums into my effort. The last album I reviewed in 2018 was Tanto Tempo by Bebel Gilberto, which I described as "Deeply unremarkable." And I thought that would be the end of the story. I shifted my hobbyist attention away from album listening and into building out Spotify playlists, like my 770+ song 1980s A-Z playlist. But then something unanticipated happened, when my friend announced he was going to listen to the new 2020 edition of the Rolling Stone 500 album countdown. He started at #1, which I completely bristled at, especially since he didn't seem very inspired by the top ten. ("It's all downhill from here!" I protested fruitlessly.) But I realized it was someone close to me, who was taking on my kind of project. So I decided to join him and, in so doing, continue with the other two book-driven lists that I had been tracking. So I am currently about 2/3 of the way through the Rolling Stone list (which my friend abandoned around #50 :o) and, with the new year, thought I'd try to start chronicling my listening here at BEA. I'm a little intimidated since the people in this space take their chronicling and rating and reviewing seriously and I'm kind of a doofus with really mainstream taste and a limited attention span (courtesy of three tech-enabled children, age 10-15). I generally like things and generally listen to things I expect to like. At the time of this post, my mean rating is 75 over 650+ ratings, with 70 being the mode. But part of the fun is that I'm growing a little impatient with the Rolling Stone list as we head toward the bottom, so this ride could get a little bumpy! The reviews I post as "comments" on BEA tend to be terse (despite the logorrhea of this intro post) and, if consensus of the BEA audience is any guide, unhelpful/unpopular. I will probably use this diary context to offer more informal commentary and notes from my listening experience. We'll see. Just wanted to try keeping track of stuff here and see what happens. I'm not especially thoughtful, attentive, or critical. I'm not looking to be convinced not to like something that I find joy in, but I'd love to have people encourage me to reconsider my negative takes. I mostly want to have motivation to keep going. And the reality for me is that documentation is a double-edged sword as it fuels my hobbyistic tendencies, but keeping up with a diary does increase the overhead of the actual listening. My current overall chart: Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by planetneutral Here's one attempt-in-progress to put words to my ratings, which I switched to BEA's scale relatively early on: 100 - Beyond objective consideration. Either basically flawless or containing so much 100+ material that it overcomes any shortcomings. 95 - Important to me, but just slightly out of the 100 league or flawed in some way I can't overlook. 90 - Generally speaking, the highest rating an album will receive if it has no personal resonance for me. Would have to be a significant first experience for me to rate an album of new-to-me music higher than this. 85 - The flawed version of 90. 80 - Genuinely compelling to me. (I consider anything at this score or above worth your time to listen to at least once.) 75 - I liked it+ 70 - I liked it 65 - OK+ 60 - OK 55 - A hint of something redeeming. 50 - Meh. 45 and below - Increasing levels of dislike. I have yet to rate anything below 15. I claim no consistency and surely go through periods where I am more or less enthusiastic in general. Rating is always about how the material meets the mood. This log only chronicles first listens, but it is rare for me to change rating on a re-listen. Thanks for actually reading this far. I intend to start using this diary on 1/1/2021, although I might tinker with a test post or two before then.

planetneutral Profile

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Tha Carter II by Lil Wayne
Year of Release: 2005

planetneutral Master Rating Log ID#: 00684
Rating Date: 2021-01-17

Included in...
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums (2003/2012/2020)? #370
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005/2013/2017/2018)? N
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (2008)? N
planetneutral's music collection? N

Rating: 55

Posted comment: Not good through the first half. There's a redeeming stretch in the middle, right after Wayne reminds you what album you're listening to...because it's so long.

Notes:

Rating metadata
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2020 rating order: #388 of 500 (77.6% of all items rated - avg. 78.0)
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2003/2012/2020 Combined List rating order: #413 of 686 (60.2% of all items rated - avg. 77.5)
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 2005/2013/2017/2018 Combined List rating order: n/a of 1,076 (50.8% of all items rated - avg. 74.2)
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die rating order: n/a of 1,000 (19.5% of all items rated - avg. 80.0)

planetneutral Profile

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Anthology by The Temptations
Year of Release: 1973

planetneutral Master Rating Log ID#: 00685
Rating Date: 2021-01-17

Included in...
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums (2003/2012/2020)? #371
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005/2013/2017/2018)? N
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (2008)? Y (Note: The book entry is only for the song "Ain't Too Proud to Beg.")
planetneutral's music collection? N

Rating: 85

Posted comment: What a remarkably strong collection of singles they had in a relatively short time, evolving seamlessly from a pop soul outfit to funky R&B beasts.

Notes:

Rating metadata
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2020 rating order: #389 of 500 (77.8% of all items rated - avg. 78.0)
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2003/2012/2020 Combined List rating order: #414 of 686 (60.2% of all items rated - avg. 77.5)
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 2005/2013/2017/2018 Combined List rating order: n/a of 1,076 (50.8% of all items rated - avg. 74.2)
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die rating order: #196 of 1,000 (19.6% of all items rated - avg. 80.0)

planetneutral Profile

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Cheap Thrills by Big Brother And The Holding Company
Year of Release: 1968

planetneutral Master Rating Log ID#: 00686
Rating Date: 2021-01-18

Included in...
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums (2003/2012/2020)? #372
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005/2013/2017/2018)? Y
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (2008)? N
planetneutral's music collection? N

Rating: 85

Posted comment: Janis is untouchable and the song material is almost as consistently great, though the half-assed effort to make it seem like a live album feels like the cheapest thrill.

Notes: Janis has been part of my musical DNA since high school, but I owned the Janis box set and hadn't ever really listened to this track list. I keep thinking it would be a useful exercise to try to map out my musical influences in a rough chronology, ranging from the few palatable LPs that my parents owned to my first cassettes, my first CD player, my since-high-school relationship with live music, all the way to the new discoveries I make here and in my pursuit of lists. Might help someone reading this know where I'm coming from and why I might be more forgiving of certain artists and genres. Maybe someday...

Rating metadata
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2020 rating order: #390 of 500 (78.0% of all items rated - avg. 78.0)
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2003/2012/2020 Combined List rating order: #415 of 686 (60.5% of all items rated - avg. 77.5)
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 2005/2013/2017/2018 Combined List rating order: #548 of 1,076 (50.9% of all items rated - avg. 74.2)
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die rating order: n/a of 1,000 (19.6% of all items rated - avg. 80.0)

planetneutral Profile

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Hot Buttered Soul by Isaac Hayes
Year of Release: 1969

planetneutral Master Rating Log ID#: 00687
Rating Date: 2021-01-18

Included in...
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums (2003/2012/2020)? #373
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005/2013/2017/2018)? Y
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (2008)? N
planetneutral's music collection? N

Rating: 75

Posted comment: You feel the creative freedom here and, while it's not the most cohesive result, I appreciate the ambition and grooves.

Notes:

Rating metadata
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2020 rating order: #391 of 500 (78.2% of all items rated - avg. 78.0)
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2003/2012/2020 Combined List rating order: #416 of 686 (60.6% of all items rated - avg. 77.5)
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 2005/2013/2017/2018 Combined List rating order: #549 of 1,076 (51.0% of all items rated - avg. 74.3)
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die rating order: n/a of 1,000 (19.6% of all items rated - avg. 80.0)

planetneutral Profile

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

King Of The Delta Blues Singers by Robert Johnson
Year of Release: 1961

planetneutral Master Rating Log ID#: 00688
Rating Date: 2021-01-18

Included in...
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums (2003/2012/2020)? #374
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005/2013/2017/2018)? N
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (2008)? N
planetneutral's music collection? N

Rating: 80

Posted comment: It would be an understatement to call these recordings merely influential on the music I care about.

Notes: I'm discovering that there are certain items that might not be on the combined Rolling Stone list that I'm working with (e.g., The Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson). So I'm undertaking a more thorough reckoning with the older lists. End result should be more total items and lower percent of completion on the RS500 Combined List line item below.

Rating metadata
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2020 rating order: #392 of 500 (78.4% of all items rated - avg. 78.0)
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2003/2012/2020 Combined List rating order: #417 of 686 (60.8% of all items rated - avg. 77.6)
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 2005/2013/2017/2018 Combined List rating order: n/a of 1,076 (51.0% of all items rated - avg. 74.3)
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die rating order: n/a of 1,000 (19.6% of all items rated - avg. 80.0)

planetneutral Profile

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Dookie by Green Day
Year of Release: 1994

planetneutral Master Rating Log ID#: 00689
Rating Date: 2021-01-18

Included in...
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums (2003/2012/2020)? #375
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005/2013/2017/2018)? Y
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (2008)? N
planetneutral's music collection? CD

Rating: 70

Posted comment: Not at all revelatory, but good energy and catchy songs beyond the ones you already know.

Notes: It would be more accurate to say this was in my wife's CD collection, but those boundaries no longer exist.

Rating metadata
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2020 rating order: #393 of 500 (78.6% of all items rated - avg. 78.0)
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2003/2012/2020 Combined List rating order: #418 of 686 (60.9% of all items rated - avg. 77.5)
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 2005/2013/2017/2018 Combined List rating order: #550 of 1,076 (51.1% of all items rated - avg. 74.2)
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die rating order: n/a of 1,000 (19.6% of all items rated - avg. 80.0)

planetneutral Profile

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Fever To Tell by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Year of Release: 2003

planetneutral Master Rating Log ID#: 00690
Rating Date: 2021-01-18

Included in...
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums (2003/2012/2020)? #377
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005/2013/2017/2018)? Y
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (2008)? N
planetneutral's music collection? N

Rating: 65

Posted comment: Karen O is definitely the best thing about this, but also sometimes the worst.

Notes: I keep discovering albums that I've already rated that I somehow missed in looking over the Rolling Stone list initially. It means I'm closer to the end than I think, but it also keeps obsoleting my rating metadata in previous posts. It's one of the great librarian paradoxes that the more information you manage, the more opportunity you have to be managing bad information. But I'm practicing letting go, in the places where I can in life...

Rating metadata
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2020 rating order: #395 of 500 (79.0% of all items rated - avg. 78.0)
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2003/2012/2020 Combined List rating order: #420 of 688 (61.0% of all items rated - avg. 77.5)
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 2005/2013/2017/2018 Combined List rating order: #551 of 1,076 (51.2% of all items rated - avg. 74.2)
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die rating order: n/a of 1,000 (19.6% of all items rated - avg. 80.0)

Mercury Turn your back on the pay-you-back last call Profile
St. Louis

planetneutral wrote:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Cheap Thrills by Big Brother And The Holding Company
Year of Release: 1968

planetneutral Master Rating Log ID#: 00686
Rating Date: 2021-01-18

Included in...
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums (2003/2012/2020)? #372
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005/2013/2017/2018)? Y
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (2008)? N
planetneutral's music collection? N

Rating: 85

Posted comment: Janis is untouchable and the song material is almost as consistently great, though the half-assed effort to make it seem like a live album feels like the cheapest thrill.

Notes: Janis has been part of my musical DNA since high school, but I owned the Janis box set and hadn't ever really listened to this track list. I keep thinking it would be a useful exercise to try to map out my musical influences in a rough chronology, ranging from the few palatable LPs that my parents owned to my first cassettes, my first CD player, my since-high-school relationship with live music, all the way to the new discoveries I make here and in my pursuit of lists. Might help someone reading this know where I'm coming from and why I might be more forgiving of certain artists and genres. Maybe someday...

Rating metadata
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2020 rating order: #390 of 500 (78.0% of all items rated - avg. 78.0)
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2003/2012/2020 Combined List rating order: #415 of 686 (60.5% of all items rated - avg. 77.5)
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 2005/2013/2017/2018 Combined List rating order: #548 of 1,076 (50.9% of all items rated - avg. 74.2)
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die rating order: n/a of 1,000 (19.6% of all items rated - avg. 80.0)

Loving this idea. also enjoying the diary, even if sometimes I disagree with you on music, its fun seeing your simple and direct little comment on the album. I have a tendency to write a lot (understatement) even if the contents of the written words aren't great.

Glad to see proper reverence to the man, the myth, the legend, the musical god, Robert Johnson.
_________________
-Ryan

ONLY 4% of people can understand this chart! Come try!

My Fave Metal - you won't believe #5!!!

planetneutral Profile

Mercury wrote:

Loving this idea. also enjoying the diary, even if sometimes I disagree with you on music, its fun seeing your simple and direct little comment on the album. I have a tendency to write a lot (understatement) even if the contents of the written words aren't great.

Thank you. I appreciate people who have more to say than I do. I think that my brevity reflects two things:

1. Adoption of what I felt was meant by the word "comment" as opposed to "review" on this site, which is where I was really first compelled to post something beyond just a rating.
2. A class on Middle Egyptian language (read: hieroglyphics) that I took as a freshman. My professor, the esteemed Leo Depuydt, was talking about the remarkable effectiveness of pictograms to communicate and said "Anything can be expressed more clearly using fewer words." Even to the extent that this proves to not entirely track in every situation, it's still a guiding principle in my process of expressing myself.

The reality is that it's an ongoing battle. But forcing myself to "comment" as opposed to "review" makes it possible to move forward rather than obsess over any one album's writing. I do that more than I should anyway.

planetneutral Profile

Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus
Year of Release: 1959

planetneutral Master Rating Log ID#: 00691
Rating Date: 2021-01-18

Included in...
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums (2003/2012/2020)? #380
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005/2013/2017/2018)? N
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (2008)? Y
planetneutral's music collection? N

Rating: 75

Posted comment: Sounds great, but having been exposed to Black Saint in college, I was surprised by how comparatively conventional this feels, released only four years prior.

Notes: No one should take my opinions seriously, but especially not about jazz. I know too little, often don't really connect (except live), and can never seem to move past that combination. I keep trying though. I happen to be watching the Ken Burns thing while it's on Amazon Prime, but it's no substitute for guided listening and I'm sure it's problematic in its own right.

Rating metadata
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2020 rating order: #396 of 500 (79.2% of all items rated - avg. 77.9)
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2003/2012/2020 Combined List rating order: #421 of 688 (61.0% of all items rated - avg. 77.5)
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 2005/2013/2017/2018 Combined List rating order: n/a of 1,076 (51.2% of all items rated - avg. 74.2)
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die rating order: #197 of 1,000 (19.7% of all items rated - avg. 80.0)