Best Albums of 2001

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Listed below are the best albums of 2001 as calculated from their overall rankings in over 58,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 6 hours ago).

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2001 year summaryThe best artists of 2001 were The Strokes, Radiohead, Daft Punk, Björk, Tool, The Microphones, Phil Elverum, Muse, System Of A Down and The White Stripes.

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131.

Pneumonia

Whiskeytown

""When you need someone to be there for you, I won't be one who will help you out" cries a heart-broken Ryan Adams on Pneumonia's twangy opener, "The ballad of Carol Lynne". Whiskeytown was an alt-country band and, sonically, this album is heavier on the "alt" than any of their previous efforts (T..."""When you need someone to be there for you, I won't be one who will help you out" cries a heart-broken Ryan Adams on Pneumonia's twangy opener, "The ballad of Carol Lynne". Whiskeytown was an alt-country band and, sonically, this album is heavier on the "alt" than any of their previous efforts (Timmy Stinson of The Replacements and James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins make appearances), though the country influences still ring strong and define the mood of the album. The melancholic purr of the slide guitar and the cry of Caitlin Cary's violin (Cary also delivers superb backing vocals on many songs) do much to underscore Adams' lonesome, sorrowful rasp. Adams, only in his mid-twenties, sounds like an old man beaten down by an unsatisfying life of failed romances, cigarettes, and escapist alcoholism. "sometimes I wish I were deaf, then I wouldn't hear the words you say the words you say under your breath", he weeps on "Under your breath", a mid-album highlight. Engaging throughout, Pneumonia finishes with its best track, "bar lights", a barstool vignette sung to a catchy violin part over a harmony of guitar and bass. The song fizzles out into a genuine scene of playful studio chatting and laughing, which ends appropriately with Adams telling his band "alright, I'm going to the bar, fuck this". A few minutes of silence is followed the sound of the band warming up and bantering about steel drums, which leads into a stellar hidden track, shrouded in honesty, which begins with "to be evil is to be scared, withholding all the things to sacred to be shared", builds up to the climax, shouted by the full band "L-O-V-E is gonna be the death of me" and ends quietly with "I'm not evil; I'm just scared". The two songs combine into a single ten-minute track. The whole thing evokes a strong feeling of intimacy, which is perhaps the most appealing element of the album. For the entirety of the album, the listener is effectively transported into the abandoned church in which Pneumonia was (quite appropriately) recorded, and on the last track, Whiskeytown takes this a step further; for a few minutes the listener feels like a member of the band. Whiskeytown isn't just the music you listen to when you're sad, they're also some of your closest friends. You could discuss all of your most personal problems over a few drinks these people, because they have shared everything about themselves with you. All this makes Pneumonia feel like a pure country album, even if the sound is more rock oriented than Stranger's Almanac or Faithless Street. It's a triumphant finale for perhaps the finest band of the alt-country movement." [+] Reply

- mikeaaron | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

45 charts

Rank Score:

179

Rank in 2001:

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Average Rating:

Comments:

132.

The Moldy Peaches

"Has a undeniable charm.If toned down on the dick/turd jokes, this would be something i would revisit often." Reply

- newbands1 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

41 charts

Rank Score:

170

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133.

Bridge Across Forever

Transatlantic

"Amazing that anyone could produce 2 x 30 min tracks and not be bored. These guys managed it. Wonderful album." Reply

- stevengnz | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

37 charts

Rank Score:

169

Rank in 2001:

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134.

Recordings
Compilation

Porcupine Tree

"Despite being comprised of songs that were left off of Porcupine Tree's 'Stupid Dream' and 'Lightbulb Sun', 'Recordings' is constructed just as well as either of the two, is more interesting, and has just as good a production value. Here the band well and truly establish their own unique brand of..." [+] Reply

SquishypuffDave | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

27 charts

Rank Score:

169

Rank in 2001:

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135.

Magnification

Yes

"Probably the best of their latter day stuff! Just very solid all through." Reply

- 70proglodyte | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

36 charts

Rank Score:

167

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136.

Invincible

Michael Jackson

"The album' average rating is 62, while the tracks' is 80. I haven't listened to the whole album, but what I get from those numbers is that it seems to get way more hate than it truly deserves." Reply

9999 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (7 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

51 charts

Rank Score:

166

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137.

The Coast Is Never Clear

Beulah (US)

"There's a period during early romance when butterflies flutter around your stomach and intoxicate you with both anxiety and joy." Reply

meccalecca | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

34 charts

Rank Score:

166

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138.

Songs From The West Coast

Elton John

"Finally Elton gets his act together and produces some great music after a 25 year hiatus" Reply

- SSDBPEARL | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

45 charts

Rank Score:

165

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139.

Tales Of The Inexpressible

Shpongle

"This music opened up the world to me in a new way. Someone played it for me when I was 18. Not just a new world of sound and timbre, but a new world of life experience - meeting new and different people, artists, dreamers…" Reply

- goodhumourman | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

14 charts

Rank Score:

160

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140.

Read My Lips

Sophie Ellis-Bextor

"A killer record that takes nu-disco and house into a space journey with Sophie's killer vocals. Underrated pop record!" Reply

- Luigii | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

18 charts

Rank Score:

157

Rank in 2001:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 14 of 100

Best Albums of 2001 composition

Artist	Albums	%

Various Artists	15	1%
King Crimson	3	0%
Paul McCartney	2	0%
Gravitar	2	0%
Jim O'Rourke	2	0%
Venetian Snares	2	0%
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O.	2	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	464	46%
	181	18%
	42	4%
	40	4%
	36	4%
	28	3%
	26	3%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	932	93%
Yes	69	7%

Live?	Albums	%
No	963	96%
Yes	38	4%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	983	98%
Yes	18	2%

« View best albums of 2000View best albums of 2002 »

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