Best Albums of 2001

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

Explore the best albums of 2001, based on over 2 million album rankings across 61,000 charts. Last updated: 3 hours ago

Best albums by year or decade

Decade:

Year:

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

View chart at point in time

Share this chart

Collector's summary (top 1,000) Log in or create an account to discover the great albums that are missing from your music collection!

Sort by

Safe Mode: On

Is This It

The Strokes

"This album was hyped as bringing back rock n roll. I don't know that it ever left, but it certainly was an extremely influential album, as the number of "The" bands skyrocketed after this one hit. Equal credit must also be extended to The White Stripes, for sure. This has been on regular rotation..." Reply

drivebytornado | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 18

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

2,512 charts

Rank Score:

26,677

Rank in 2001:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"One of the best electronic albums of all time and maybe the best feel good album of all time." Reply

- | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 7

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

1,090 charts

Rank Score:

10,010

Rank in 2001:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"a lot of themes from OKC are expanded upon here. I don't think it's technology that Thom's railing against though, I think it's always been society - its systems and the pointless ladder climb, but most of all Parliament and the royal family of the UK. technological themes are probably only used ...""a lot of themes from OKC are expanded upon here. I don't think it's technology that Thom's railing against though, I think it's always been society - its systems and the pointless ladder climb, but most of all Parliament and the royal family of the UK. technological themes are probably only used b/c technology doesn't exist in the natural state of things, the perfect target to subtly and indirectly attack government and other artificial systems through. Dollars & Cents is a clear denouncement of even the currency system - and there isn't a system we've set up that doesn't get spit on by this era of RH albums. from Life in a Glass House, "don't talk politics and don't throw stones/your royal highness says." in other words, the queen would like for you to just keep running the rat race, ignoring what the gov is doing, not thinking about alternative political systems, and the implied question is, are you going to do as she says? if you don't do as she says, you'll be killed: the phrase "ppl in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" is an old one, and means that if you're so easily attacked, you can't afford to attack, presumably b/c retaliation from them would lead to your end. you're in a disadvantageous position. think about it, if you're standing at a window in a glass house, would you throw a stone at someone from there, when they could so easily throw one back and cut you to pieces as the house shatters over you? why would the title of the song be Life in a Glass House if he didn't want to throw stones, but can't? who is Thom afraid to throw stones at, if not the government? and if not the gov, why would the "ROYAL HIGHNESS" be the one to say "don't throw stones" in the song? and why would the message of the chorus be, "I'd love to talk, but can't" if those stones weren't symbols for words? and what words would be so dangerous to say about our "royal highness" as to compare to throwing stones from a glass house? translation, the royal family controls the political world and to intervene would be suicide. to imply that you live in a glass house and would love to speak about politics from it, but can't, is to cleverly say that you have some pretty violent political ideas that could get you killed if expressed. it's simple logic really but I'm prob going to get a lot of downvotes from stupid people for calling Thom out as this nihilistic anarchist, but seriously just look at him and tell me that doesn't fit. the chorus of this song is likely all about how Thom would love to get his messages across more directly, but unfortunately can't publicly promote a coup d'etat. "I'd love to chew the fat, but someone's listening in." taken into context of the previous verse, the hopelessness/anger of previous tracks on the album, and the violent imagery found in tracks like Knives Out and Morning Bell (which I believe to be an attack on the system of marriage and related laws - specifically divorce laws), it simply can't be seen as anything else. he sounds so defeated in the song too. he knows he'll never get what he wants. it sounds like a funeral dirge, like he's preparing for burial. "There are many things to talk about/be constructive/there are weapons we can use/be constructive with your blues/even when it's only warnings/even when you talk the war games" - this, from Dollars and Cents, just a few tracks b4 Life in a Glasshouse. apply that same logic and knowledge to this verse, from the mindset of someone like Thom, do you understand what he's saying here? his "blues," his problems with all of the artificial systems, can be used as weapons to fight his perceived war. how can his words accomplish what he wants? indirectly of course, through you.... he argues with himself through the chorus, at once telling himself to be quiet, but he wants "peace" and a "promised land," presumably a land without the systems - like currrency. "we are the dollars and cents," "we'll crush your little soul." he tells himself to be quiet while repeating this as well. if it was as simple as an anti-corporate message, to restrain himself would not be necessary. it's about what he's NOT explicitly saying. he had even more balls in OKC though, I think in Paranoid Android he shows his true colors. the "unborn chicken voices" in his head are the seeds (eggs) of ideas he's trying to suppress - megalomaniacal, dictatorial fantasies of being in control and taking everything down. "when I am king you will be first against the wall." he's trying to fight it though, it's really sad actually, "ambition makes you look pretty ugly." he knows he's crazy, "I may be paranoid." but he's not artificial and won't be part of the machine, "but not an android." he knows anarchy would suck as well if he did take it all down though, "the dust and the screaming," "the panic, the vomit." but it's better than the alternative and the BS that comes with it, the following line, the scornful and sarcastic spitting of "god loves his children," brings to mind the worst man-made thing of all and perhaps reveals the root of his hatred... he's obviously not too keen on religious systems. he often sounds obnoxious and punk, like Sid Vicious or Iggy Pop, and all of these albums are probably what an anarchist like Sid Vicious would create if he was as intelligent and sophisticated as Thom. I used to think Thom sounded whiny, but he's really just extremely disgusted, bitter, and dissatisfied. I think, at least subconsciously, most ppl feel the same way, even if their network of friends and family keep them from doing anything extreme about it. he's a crazy, brilliant anarchist, and much less subtle on No Surprises from OKC - "bring down the government, they don't speak for us." also from that same song, "a heart that's filled up like a landfill/a job that slowly kills you/bruises that won't heal." I don't think he likes the job system very much either, lol. he has contempt for everything unnatural. I think he feels crushed by the artificial soundscapes of a lot of the songs from the RH albums of this era, it's in his voice, but he does this to himself for a reason. it certainly draws a lot of emotion to work with, and may be an attempt to get others to see things the way he does. I don't think the claustrophobic themes are literally a fear of small spaces either though, but the artificial systems that make him feel trapped. I wonder what goes on in his head? this is just speculation, educated guesses, but he probably believes that he's working to change ppl's attitudes until they collectively decide to revert back to the natural state that every other species is in. it's over 20 years later and he's still driven.... by what? I believe that some part of him feels that what he's doing is important, he's not just making sound waves, he's on a mission. maybe he fantasizes about hopefully getting into just 1 person's head, to influence some man's decision to assassinate members of Parliament or start burning churches down. either Thom and I have a lot of ideas in common, or I've just seen the things that are in my own head in the music. I hope I'm not that nuts, but I know I wouldn't be the only one to hear RH music and think I understand them while being way off... unfortunately whenever someone else explains to me what RH music means to them, I think, "WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" so feel free to drop me a line if that's the way you feel about what I'm saying, but I see no other way to translate, "bring down the government, they don't speak for us" or the ego driven Paranoid Android. I don't think any realist/nihilist/anarchist would see their music any other way, and an intelligent, realistic psychologist with experience would probably agree that my prediction of Thom's end goals has a good chance of being accurate. what was the title of his first solo album again? oh and Greenwood, being a close friend of Thom's and composing the soundtrack to the brilliant, nihilistic, anti-religious film "There Will Be Blood" leads me to believe he's in much the same boat, whether Thom steered him there or their mutual feelings brought them together in the first place, or their similar surroundings and shared experiences just naturally brought them to the same conclusions, I won't guess. but he's probably in the same "crazy" boat by whichever means and if you google "radiohead 2016" and see the rest of the band, it probably wouldn't surprise you to learn that all of them thought like this. anyway... I basically typed this in hopes ppl will take the album more seriously and move it up in their charts so that it reaches the top 100 and eventually top 50 where it just simply belongs. this is far more than just music, this is a war." Reply

- jackbrown8786 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 7

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

1,363 charts

Rank Score:

9,501

Rank in 2001:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

Björk

"I can't even bear to imagine how difficult it must be to create a follow-up to the unbelievable masterpiece that is "Homogenic", but Björk successfully managed to put out a brilliant record that continues the trend of sounding nothing like its predecessor. This album is beautiful beyond words. It..." Reply

- | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 6

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

857 charts

Rank Score:

9,244

Rank in 2001:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

145

Average Rating:

83 (1,023 votes)

Comments:

Lateralus

Tool

"Pitchfork's review for this makes the least amount of sense. It confuses me. Lemme take some lines out of it saying positive things about it, and let yourself know that they gave it a 1.9. Part of me thinks that they meant to give it a 9.1, and it was a typo (a typo that i don't even know how hap..." Reply

Pegasus | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 9

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

826 charts

Rank Score:

8,247

Rank in 2001:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

172

Average Rating:

82 (1,108 votes)

Comments:

Origin Of Symmetry

Muse

"When will everyone realise the absolute brilliance of Megalomania, Space Dementia and Micro Cuts? And when will Citizen Erased become, rightfully, the highest rated song on the album?" Reply

Dingerbell | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 11

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

841 charts

Rank Score:

7,313

Rank in 2001:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"I listened to this album a few times about a year ago, but I couldn't completely get into it. Shows how much my taste has changed, as now it seems miles better than what I remember. Really loving it now." Reply

pearljammer13 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 7

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

668 charts

Rank Score:

7,079

Rank in 2001:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"One of those rare albums that when you first get it you need to play it over and over again. Crazy tempo changes, great harmonies, strong lyrical content and moments of soft beauty followed immediately by intense agression. It actually kind of shocked me that this album got so much radio airplay,..." Reply

Decurso | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 5

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

752 charts

Rank Score:

6,451

Rank in 2001:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"This is just about as good as music got in the 2000s. Music matters here." Reply

Captain_Dude | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 4

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

939 charts

Rank Score:

5,659

Rank in 2001:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

285

Average Rating:

81 (1,391 votes)

Comments:

10.

The Blueprint

Jay-Z

"Jay-Z is that first-person shooter game that only has going for itself that it has slightly better graphics. Yes, his flow flows, but that's all. And then to hear his rapping go over snippets of The Doors' "Five to One" even borrowing the bass and percussion, I'm like what's the point? Like a lot..." Reply

Boltzmann | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 1

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

547 charts

Rank Score:

3,334

Rank in 2001:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

518

Average Rating:

78 (735 votes)

Comments:

« prev
1
2
3
4
...
99
100
next »
Goto Page:

Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of 2001 composition

Artist	Albums	%

Various Artists	15	2%
King Crimson	3	0%
Paul McCartney	2	0%
John Williams	2	0%
Jim O'Rourke	2	0%
Mogwai	2	0%
Modest Mouse	2	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	460	46%
	180	18%
	42	4%
	41	4%
	37	4%
	27	3%
	27	3%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	932	93%
Yes	68	7%

Live?	Albums	%
No	959	96%
Yes	41	4%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	982	98%
Yes	18	2%

Best Albums of 2001 chart changes

Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month
Up 25 from 111th to 86th Blue Screen Life by Pinback
Up 3 from 102nd to 99th Tenacious D by Tenacious D
Up 3 from 99th to 96th Laundry Service by Shakira

Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month
Down 4 from 84th to 88th To Record Only Water For Ten Days by John Frusciante
Down 3 from 97th to 100th Everywhere And His Nasty Parlour Tricks by Modest Mouse
Down 2 from 92nd to 94th Rock Steady by No Doubt

New entries New entries in top 100 since last month
Up 25 from 111th to 86th Blue Screen Life by Pinback
Up 3 from 102nd to 99th Tenacious D by Tenacious D

Leavers Leavers from top 100 since last month
Down 5 from 98th to 103rd Break The Cycle by Staind
Down 1 from 100th to 101st How I Loved You by Angels Of Light

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

Best Artists of the 1960s

1. The Beatles

2. The Velvet Underground

3. Jimi Hendrix

4. Bob Dylan

5. The Beach Boys

6. The Rolling Stones

7. Led Zeppelin

8. The Doors

9. John Coltrane

10. King Crimson