I've been talking
about doing this list for years and finally I'm
making it happen. I'm making it happen. This list is comprised
of albums that for one reason or another I have grown to love
over the years. Some of them date all the way back before I
was born. I was a child of the 80's. So most of the 80's entries
are kind of nostalgic.
Many
of these albums I dare to consider some of the best
ever written. I hope you enjoy the list and maybe even
feel drawn to check out a few that you are unfamiliar with.
30.
Bob
Dylan-
Bringing It
All Back Home
(Subterranean
Homesick Blues)
With "Bringing it All Back Home" from
1965 Bob Dylan changed limits for when music should be called pop, folk,
beat or blues. After releasing four excellent acoustic albums filled with
clever original songs, Dylan here took the step into electric music, by
allowing one side of the album to be accompanied by electric guitars, bass
and drums.
Dylan is back in his usual music approach
with his acoustic guitar, harmonica and his own characteristic vocals.
Dylan has moved himself, towards the more
surreal and refined. Also here we have some of his greatest classics.
29. Hall & Oates- Big Bam Boom
(Possession
Obsession)
"Big Bam Boom" was the last major Hall and Oates album, and this BMG's
version improves the sound of the CD from its last reissue in 1996. While
each LP from the duo's Eighties output on RCA used modern technology to some
degree, this album put even heavier emphasis on drum machines, keys and
sampling. The electronics seems to write the songs, rather than complement
them.
album review--->
28. The Beatles- Revolver
Recorded at
Abbey Road
studios between April and June 1966, Revolver stands up to repeated scrutiny
and exposure, fully deserving its exalted reputation and high-ranking
position in Greatest Albums Of All Time lists. The Beatles' transition from
a gigging unit to studio band was sealed with this record; a mature,
complex, frequently witty work. There simply is no filler here; Paul
McCartney is a man aflame. Many writers would struggle to manage just one
piece of music the caliber of "Eleanor Rigby"," For No One", "Here, There
and Everywhere", "Got To Get You Into My Life" or "Good Day Sunshine". Here,
McCartney effortlessly delivers all five.
album review--->
27. U2- How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
(Miracle
Drug)
New U2 albums are never quite what I expect them to be. I generally consider
that a good thing. Every second or third release from this band seems to
represent a landmark of sorts in the evolution of their sound. Case in point
are the likes of War,
Joshua Tree,
Achtung Baby and
All That You Can't Leave Behind all
highly successful, defining entries in U2's discography
album review--->
26. Monarch- The Grandeur That Was Rome
(Turn
Around)The latest band with atmospheric and melodic tendencies deserving of an ear from the discerning listener is Monarch. From Pittsburgh, the band recently signed to Northern Records where they have released their debut album. The band members are still in college, but one listen is all it takes to understand that good music transcends age.
album review--->
25. Red Hot Chili Peppers- Stadium Arcadium
Perhaps it was because of the long withstanding association with George Clinton that gives me the outlook on Red Hot Chili Peppers as more of a funk band than a rock one. That doesn't of course mean that I dislike rock. In fact this album is very obviously going for the similarly sprawling double album statement that The Clash were going for with London Calling or that James Brown was going for with albums such as Hell. Actually, this seems to adopt aspects of both of those albums in many ways. It would seem that the band were going for something of a more polished alternative rock light on their previous couple albums to this. It was almost as if their funk oriented beginnings had been some type of fashionable embrace of the genre on their part. It wasn't as it turned out. And in many ways funk, a music that requires a level of focus to do it well would be a good way to bridge an album trying to do as much as this one does together.
24. Lovedrug- Wild Blood
Right from the opening guitar notes of the anthemic title track, Lovedrug's "Wild Blood" is a record that will grab your attention. The band, a Canton, Ohio outfit that just celebrated their tenth anniversary last year, has put out three other albums and about a dozen EPs. The band's sound is defined by big, often almost grungy guitars, as well as by the distinctive voice of frontman Michael Shephard, equally adept at delivering softly haunting verse lines and huge, rousing choruses. "Wild Blood" generally tilts toward the latter, channeling classic rock and arena rock influences into a record full of the hopes, dreams, and endless opportunities of youth.
album review--->
23. Lassie Foundation- Face Your Fun
Most of us thought The Lassie Foundation had released it's last album with El Dorado. So when I heard a few months back that they had decided to head into the studio and record another album, I about lost it. For those of you are unaware of the Lassie Foundation, you should be ashamed of yourselves. They are by far one of the best pop/shoegaze bands you will ever lay your ears on. Listening to Face Your Fun, I find it hard to believe the band has once again topped themselves.
album review--->
22. Beastie Boys- Check Your Head
In this grand melting pot of a decade, we've come to value originality more than ever. The artists we love the most are those who uniquely express themselves, rising above the ever-growing masses to do their own thing. And when it comes to being original, the most adept artists in popular music over the last quarter of the century are New York City's Beastie Boys.
album review--->
21. Kings Of Leon- Come Around Sundown
(Pyro)
album review--->
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