Since I haven't written anything substantive since God knows when, I thought I would come back with a really long post on a favorite topic of mine that I don't often write about: music. With that in mind, I'm prepared to unveil my favorite studio albums of all-time. Now this is a list of my personal favorites, not some objective best or anything like that. Hopefully you'll find it educational, thought-provoking and inspirational. Or maybe you'll just use it to kill five minutes. Either way, feedback is always appreciated. Some disclaimers are in order.
Disclaimer #1: I'm defining "studio album" as one where more than half of the tracks were composed in a studio specifically for this particular album. Thus, greatest hits albums, live albums, and soundtracks do not qualify.
Disclaimer #2: I am certainly not a music expert and I often recoil at the sound of what someone defines as "good music." Furthermore, my knowledge of indie bands and lesser known artists is spotty at best, so please forgive me if I didn't include the incomparable Red Blue Boa by Square 65 or anything like that.
With that out of the way, we must move on to the countdown.
#10: Country Grammar, Nelly. I know I'm probably gonna get a lot of crap for this selection, but this is my list and not yours, so come up with your own or shut up. As far as R&B/Rap/Pop goes, this is the absolute pinnacle. You can't do it any better than Nelly and his boys do. While it lacks the degree of gravity that many of the later selections possess, I don't know that I have ever heard a better mindless party album. And that right therre is worth something.
Top tracks: "Greed, Hate, Envy," "Ride Wit Me," "St. Louie"
#9: Inside Job, Don Henley. We'll see more from Don later in the list, but his most recent effort cracks my top ten because I absolutely love the top tracks. Henley is a master of accomplishing what he wants through both lyrics and instruments and this album is prime evidence. The only thing preventing it from rising higher is that a couple of tracks were essentially throwaways for me. However, at his best, Henley is the best. (For further evidence, see my fiancee, who I successfully wooed thanks to "Everything is Different Now."
Top tracks: "Everything is Different Now," "Taking You Home," "My Thanksgiving"
#8: Well-Deserved Obscurity, The Warren Brothers. Another disclaimer belongs here, as I've only owned this CD for a little more than a week, but I have already fallen in love with it. As my love of country music has grown over the past few years, I've become attracted to a certain sort of bluegrass-homegrown sound, and these guys enbody better than I could have imagined. From wistful memoirs to dark ballads to rocking drinking songs, The Warren Brothers really have everything in this album.
Top tracks: "Between the River and Me," "Change," "Comeback"
#7: Lucky Ones, Pat Green. Another recent country selection cracks my top ten. My favorite Pat Green album is actually Three Days, but as half of the songs on that album were previously recorded, I've declared it ineligible. With that being said, this CD is certainly a worthy addition to the list, as Pat has refined his down-home Texas sound and rolled out one good song after another.
Top tracks: "Lucky Ones," "Some where Between Texas and Mexico," "It's Time"
#6: The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem. There are a lot of good rap albums but very few great ones. No one can create creative lyrics like Eminem, and this is simply a great album. Creatively, it's much more advanced than his first release, and it his act had not begun to grow stale at all. He really revitalized hip-hop and helped forge a new generation for rap. For my money, "The Way I Am" is the second greatest angry rap song ever created, falling slightly behind Tupac's "Hit 'Em Up."
Top tracks: "The Way I Am," "Marshall Mathers," "I'm Back"
#5: Weezer, Weezer. Affectionately known as The Blue Album, Weezer absolutely hits a home run with their first major album. Interestingly, I don't like much of their other stuff, but I love almost every song on this CD. Crisp guitars really drive the album and I really enjoy how the songs range from quirky ("Undone") to soulful ("Say it Ain't So"). As a sidenote, I really love their old videos, which hold a special place in my heart since I really started watching MTV just as they were becoming popular. It hearkens me back to a better time, when MTV actually showed music videos...
Top Tracks: "Say it Ain't So," "In the Garage," "Buddy Holly"
#4: Thriller, Michael Jackson. Either the top-selling album of all-time or number two, depending on where you look (The other is The Eagles' Greatest Hits: 1971-1975). This album catapulted Michael Jackson into the King of Pop stratosphere for great reason. Great music, catchy beats, and slick videos allowed Jackson to become an icon, and part of me is saddened by his current state. However, all I need to do to remember MJ the way he should be remembered is to think of the first few notes of "Billie Jean." For me, his place in history is secured.
Top Tracks: "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Thriller"
#3: Second Helping, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Lynyrd Skynyrd is a unique band in that it's first two album releases were by far the best they ever produced. That's not meant to be an insult; it's just a tribute to how amazing their first two albums really are. I rated this one over their first because I like the hard rock edge that's more prevalent in this album. Skynyrd is the quintessential southern rock band, and they can never be duplicated. If you want a CD to jam out to during a road trip, this is certainly the one.
Top tracks: "Sweet Home Alabama," "Workin' for MCA," "Call Me the Breeze"
#2: The End of the Innocence, Don Henley. It was actually I really tough choice between this and the number 1 album, because I really love both of them. The only difference I could really find is that while I lovealmost all the tracks equally on my top choice, on Innocence, there are a few that I think are really good as opposed to great. With that being said, I absolutely love the sound of this album and I think it's one of the more underappreciated albums I've ever heard. Plus, it gets bonus points for being released in 1989. Anyone who could ignore all the crap that was coming out at that time and churn out an album as great as this one is a musical genius.
Top tracks: "The End of the Innocence," "The Heart of the Matter," "New York Minute"
#1: Hotel California, The Eagles. Simply put, the greatest album top to bottom that I have ever heard. Every single song holds up 25 years later, and I could listen to it over and over again all day. This really was the peak of the Eagles both musically and creatively, and after they released this album, the drugs and rivalries really overtook them. However, there is not another CD I'd rather listen to every day for the rest of my life than this one.
Top tracks: "Hotel California," "Life in the Fast Lane," "Victim of Love"
So there you have it. One man's opinion on the greatest music ever made. As I always say, comments are welcome. Remember, you're the reason I do this, so if you think I'm an idiot, be sure to let me know. Everyone else does.
Disclaimer #1: I'm defining "studio album" as one where more than half of the tracks were composed in a studio specifically for this particular album. Thus, greatest hits albums, live albums, and soundtracks do not qualify.
Disclaimer #2: I am certainly not a music expert and I often recoil at the sound of what someone defines as "good music." Furthermore, my knowledge of indie bands and lesser known artists is spotty at best, so please forgive me if I didn't include the incomparable Red Blue Boa by Square 65 or anything like that.
With that out of the way, we must move on to the countdown.
#10: Country Grammar, Nelly. I know I'm probably gonna get a lot of crap for this selection, but this is my list and not yours, so come up with your own or shut up. As far as R&B/Rap/Pop goes, this is the absolute pinnacle. You can't do it any better than Nelly and his boys do. While it lacks the degree of gravity that many of the later selections possess, I don't know that I have ever heard a better mindless party album. And that right therre is worth something.
Top tracks: "Greed, Hate, Envy," "Ride Wit Me," "St. Louie"
#9: Inside Job, Don Henley. We'll see more from Don later in the list, but his most recent effort cracks my top ten because I absolutely love the top tracks. Henley is a master of accomplishing what he wants through both lyrics and instruments and this album is prime evidence. The only thing preventing it from rising higher is that a couple of tracks were essentially throwaways for me. However, at his best, Henley is the best. (For further evidence, see my fiancee, who I successfully wooed thanks to "Everything is Different Now."
Top tracks: "Everything is Different Now," "Taking You Home," "My Thanksgiving"
#8: Well-Deserved Obscurity, The Warren Brothers. Another disclaimer belongs here, as I've only owned this CD for a little more than a week, but I have already fallen in love with it. As my love of country music has grown over the past few years, I've become attracted to a certain sort of bluegrass-homegrown sound, and these guys enbody better than I could have imagined. From wistful memoirs to dark ballads to rocking drinking songs, The Warren Brothers really have everything in this album.
Top tracks: "Between the River and Me," "Change," "Comeback"
#7: Lucky Ones, Pat Green. Another recent country selection cracks my top ten. My favorite Pat Green album is actually Three Days, but as half of the songs on that album were previously recorded, I've declared it ineligible. With that being said, this CD is certainly a worthy addition to the list, as Pat has refined his down-home Texas sound and rolled out one good song after another.
Top tracks: "Lucky Ones," "Some where Between Texas and Mexico," "It's Time"
#6: The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem. There are a lot of good rap albums but very few great ones. No one can create creative lyrics like Eminem, and this is simply a great album. Creatively, it's much more advanced than his first release, and it his act had not begun to grow stale at all. He really revitalized hip-hop and helped forge a new generation for rap. For my money, "The Way I Am" is the second greatest angry rap song ever created, falling slightly behind Tupac's "Hit 'Em Up."
Top tracks: "The Way I Am," "Marshall Mathers," "I'm Back"
#5: Weezer, Weezer. Affectionately known as The Blue Album, Weezer absolutely hits a home run with their first major album. Interestingly, I don't like much of their other stuff, but I love almost every song on this CD. Crisp guitars really drive the album and I really enjoy how the songs range from quirky ("Undone") to soulful ("Say it Ain't So"). As a sidenote, I really love their old videos, which hold a special place in my heart since I really started watching MTV just as they were becoming popular. It hearkens me back to a better time, when MTV actually showed music videos...
Top Tracks: "Say it Ain't So," "In the Garage," "Buddy Holly"
#4: Thriller, Michael Jackson. Either the top-selling album of all-time or number two, depending on where you look (The other is The Eagles' Greatest Hits: 1971-1975). This album catapulted Michael Jackson into the King of Pop stratosphere for great reason. Great music, catchy beats, and slick videos allowed Jackson to become an icon, and part of me is saddened by his current state. However, all I need to do to remember MJ the way he should be remembered is to think of the first few notes of "Billie Jean." For me, his place in history is secured.
Top Tracks: "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Thriller"
#3: Second Helping, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Lynyrd Skynyrd is a unique band in that it's first two album releases were by far the best they ever produced. That's not meant to be an insult; it's just a tribute to how amazing their first two albums really are. I rated this one over their first because I like the hard rock edge that's more prevalent in this album. Skynyrd is the quintessential southern rock band, and they can never be duplicated. If you want a CD to jam out to during a road trip, this is certainly the one.
Top tracks: "Sweet Home Alabama," "Workin' for MCA," "Call Me the Breeze"
#2: The End of the Innocence, Don Henley. It was actually I really tough choice between this and the number 1 album, because I really love both of them. The only difference I could really find is that while I lovealmost all the tracks equally on my top choice, on Innocence, there are a few that I think are really good as opposed to great. With that being said, I absolutely love the sound of this album and I think it's one of the more underappreciated albums I've ever heard. Plus, it gets bonus points for being released in 1989. Anyone who could ignore all the crap that was coming out at that time and churn out an album as great as this one is a musical genius.
Top tracks: "The End of the Innocence," "The Heart of the Matter," "New York Minute"
#1: Hotel California, The Eagles. Simply put, the greatest album top to bottom that I have ever heard. Every single song holds up 25 years later, and I could listen to it over and over again all day. This really was the peak of the Eagles both musically and creatively, and after they released this album, the drugs and rivalries really overtook them. However, there is not another CD I'd rather listen to every day for the rest of my life than this one.
Top tracks: "Hotel California," "Life in the Fast Lane," "Victim of Love"
So there you have it. One man's opinion on the greatest music ever made. As I always say, comments are welcome. Remember, you're the reason I do this, so if you think I'm an idiot, be sure to let me know. Everyone else does.
posted by Rico at 2:10 AM
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