posted
You remember around the end of 1999, everybody was giving specials about "Most Important (X) of the Century/ Millenium"? I didn't pay much attention to most of them, but VH1 did a poll of professionals and came up with the Top 100 Albums. It's a very interesting list. Some of it is good. I had a lot of the albums when I saw the list, and I've picked up some good recommendations from it (i.e. "Superfly" and "Mothership Connection"). They included a wide variety of genres, including jazz, which is nice. No 20th century classical, world music, new age, or instrumental soundtracks, but I'd have been surprised if they'd had that much sense.
Other parts of it I can't understand. For example, Led Zeppelin I and II are good albums, but they're very similar to other blues rock albums before them. I can't believe that they would make the list and IV (a.k.a. ZOSO or Runes) would not, as it was more influential and original. Also, I've tried to get into Prince and Liz Phair, but I can't seem to do it. And I can't believe there's no Frank Zappa on the list, as he is one of the greatest composers of the century.
Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone else sees anything on there that shouldn't be, anything left out that should be on there (not personal favorite albums, but albums that really have been influential/ groundbreaking), or albums in the wrong part of the list (for example, I can't believe that Nirvana's "Nevermind" was #2 and Dark Side of the Moon was #51, and I personally like "Abbey Road" better than "Rubber Soul").
This topic may seem out of date, but I've gone back to this list regularly for the past few years to review its contents. Maybe I'm weird, but I'd trust the opinion of the people on this forum more than most of the record executives that put this list together.
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Intersting list. I wonder what the criteria were for rankings. What those consulted personally liked? What they felt was most influential? Was it decided that certain people had to be on the list because of who they are/were?
It is hard for me to comment on the list as a whole, since I don't know all the albums on it. I think there are some things missing - The Doors Morrison Hotel comes to mind immediately. Also, there needs to be some Metallica here. And there is too much Stevie Wonder on the list for my taste, as well as a bit too much David Bowie. And, I can't figure out why Saturday Night Fever is here at all. But, if I had to construct a top ten based solely on the albums on the list, I think I would to it this way:
1. U2 - The Joshua Tree 2. Beatles - Abbey Road 3. The Who - Who's Next 4. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young - Deja Vu 5. The Doors - The Doors 6. The Eagles - Hotel California 7. Prince - 1999 8. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run 9. Police - Synchronicity 10. Van Morrison - Moondance
Well, that's my two cents.
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I own more of those then I thought I would. I was surprised but impressed to see the Replacements on the list. And really disappointed to see Nirvana at #2. But I have a different perspective on Nirvana than most.
Also pleased to see Kraftwerk.
But I think there should've been some Black Sabbath on the list. And a little more Motown.
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I much preferred this listing of the top albums, put together by Q magazine .(but then again, the Brits do have much more refined taste.) The main reason I appreciated it is that it ranked Achtung Baby above Joshua Tree. Sure, Joshua Tree was great in an American marketable-capitalist sort of way (side note: only the first three songs are this way; the entire album, including "Exit," "Bullet the Blue Sky," and "Mothers of the Disappeared" is much deeper and artsier, but how many American listeners make it past track 3?) but Achtung was so monumental and decade-defining that it's a shame to rank it lower. Bono described Achtung as "the sound of four men chopping down the Joshua tree." As far as landmark albums, Q definately does a better job of capturing the real art amidst the good sellers.
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Same thing with other artists - VH1 seems to have picked the biggest commercial successes, not necessarily the best albums: case in point - the Police's Synchronicity is catchy, but Ghost in the Machine is their real success. Bowie's Ziggy Stardust is memorable, but Station to Station is really where it's at. I was glad to see some early Santana on the list, and I'm glad Joni Mitchell ranked so highly.
And of course, the Beatles are way overrated. But that's just because the majority of the population is deceived about their genius.
(comments keep coming) I think Saturday Night Fever was important to include - it was the seminal Disco work, and Disco is the grandmammy of all that is beautiful about techno.. Which is also why I'm glad Kraftwerk made it.
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I don't know. Synchronicity was when the Police were the biggest band in the world. Maybe you're too young to remember, but they were huge. Huge like...Journey huge.
Funny how there's no Journey on the list. They and REO Speedwagon gave us the rock ballad. I guess no one wants to think about that. Can't blame them!
Do you guys think Nirvana deserves to be number 2?
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Synchronicity is the first album I ever owned. I got it when I was about 8 years old. I still have that tape, although I've replaced it to CD long since, and I still love it. But I would have to agree with Annie. Ghost in the Machine is a better album. Not as dark, but more diverse and creative, with a lot of world music influences. They started to break out of the punk mold in Zenyatta Mondatta, but this is the first album they made that really, fully realized the unique "Police" sound. And it includes the best songs that Stewart Copeland or Andy Summers wrote while they were with the band. I don't know if it was as "important" or "influential" as Synchronicity was, but I do think it was superior.
And no, I can't see any reason that "Nevermind" should have been #2. Boggles the mind.
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Man, the more I think of this, the more faults I find with the list. Here's some more:
The VH1 list includes "Paul's Botique" and Annie's list includes "Ill Communication." But I always thought "Check Your Head" was by far the best Beastie Boys album. They play their own instruments and include all the rap/ sampling elements from their other albums with this really cool punk-fusion groove that makes it unique. I never get tired of that album.
I'd like to see some Neil Young on the list.
I don't know what the criteria were, but I've always considered America's self-titled album good enough to give it a secure place on any top-100 list I'd create.
I'm sure you know this without hearing it from me, but I don't think anyone's ever done the jazz-fusion-rock genre nearly as well as Steely Dan (although Sade and The Crusaders have both come pretty close).
No Dire Straits self-title album? Are they high?
I'm glad Joni Mitchell and S&G made it. But I can't think of folk music without thinking of Peter Paul & Mary's self-title, or Cat Stevens. I personally also really like Lightfoot, but I can see him not making the list.
I'd really like to see Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick" on one of these lists. Not only is it a 45-minute album consisting of a single song, but it's so incredibly well-done and original that it never gets nearly as boring as most 15-minute numbers.
As much as I like Hendrix, I think including all three of his "Experience" albums was overkill, especially when there was only one Pink Floyd album on the list. I'd have left off "Axis" and added "The Wall" or "Animals".
The Phish album "A Picture of Nectar" is ten times better than anything Madonna has ever listened to, let alone written.
I'd like to have seen some Creedence, Tom Waits, Yes, ELP/King Crimson, Rush, and They Might Be Giants (or at least "Gordon" by Barenaked Ladies) on there, but I know they only had 100 slots, so it's okay.
That's some of the big problems that I had with it. I have more, but they would be considered nit-picking. I am happy that they put Kraftwerk and Van Morrison on the list. And I never would have listened to Television if that hadn't been included. I don't know if it's "Top 100" material, but it's very good.
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Yes, Achtung Baby is an amazing album, but I had to rate The Joshua Tree above it simply because I like all the songs on The Joshua Tree to a much greater extent than I like all the songs on Achtung Baby. And, I have to say that although I love all of The Joshua Tree, I have to say that "Exit" is my favorite song on the album; yeah, it is really dark, but it just left me speechless the first time I heard it. Not many songs do that.
Edited to add: Yeah, I noticed no Journey on the list, and I wasn't surprised considering that they get no respect. However, as pointed out, they did invent the power ballad. Also, personally I think Steve Perry is one of the most underrated vocalists in rock. I love the passion with which he sings.
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I'm gonna name ten, not in terms of "influence" but in terms of "wow, I like that!" and limit myself to one per band.
Rush - Permanent Waves quintessencial album by my favorite group
Dave Matthews Band - Before These Crowded Streets "The Dreaming Tree" may be the best song ever. Add in "Stay", "Rapunzel", "Crush", "The Stone"... and keep going
Yes - 90125 My college roomate and I had over 500 CDs between us and loved them all. This was the only duplicate.
Peter Gabriel - Us "Blood of Eden". Wow.
Tonic - Lemon Parade Great album, front to back. What pop/rock should be. "Mountain" is an all time great.
Live - The Distance to Here Raw, emotive, powerful, and sensual. Yum.
Aha - East of the Sun, West of the Moon If you like U2, check this album out. Yes, these are the euro-pop guys who did "Take On Me".
U2 - Hard to pick, but I'm gonna say The Joshua Tree Have always hated "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" but "Bullet the Blue Sky" tips the balance
Dream Theater - Images and Words "Take the Time" has an all-time great odd-time signature groove.
Eric Johnson - Ah Via Musicom Musical Chameleon. Country fingerpicking, to staright Rock Guitar Hero Work, to a silky tribute to Jazz great Wes Montgomery. Neat Album.
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Wow, Analog, great list. I love Permanent Waves , but I might have to choose Signals or 2112 first.
And I love 90125 . However, I'd have to think long and hard to decide between that and The Yes Album . Everyone always says Fragile is their best, but there are enough seriously pretentious tracks on that album to take it out of the running for me. I have to admit, though, Drama is my favorite guilty pleasure. Yes + The Buggles = freaked-out progressive/new wave wackiness that is just brilliant. And I love not having Jon Anderson on a Yes album (he ruins the band for me.)
Good call on the Eric Johnson. Have you ever heard any Steve Morse? If you like Johnson, you must pick up High Tension Wires or maybe The Dixie Dregs' Freefall . Just a suggestion.
[edit: And I'm glad I'm not the only person in the world that will admit that I like A-Ha.]
Edit to add that I must be the only one on Earth who Prefers Trevor Rabin to Steve Howe... have you heard Talk?
Oh Geez! I forgot one... Van Halen's last Album with Sammy Hagar, Balance is also outstanding, with, again, a bunch of different styles well diplayed through out.
[ June 24, 2003, 04:22 PM: Message edited by: T. Analog Kid ]
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Are you kidding, I love Trevor Rabin. Steve Howe is a great performer, as is Trevor (in a totally different way), but as composers, Steve is lucky to have ever spoken the name of Trevor Rabin. I haven't heard Talk. But I do have "Don't Look Away", which is very good, and I love 90125 and Big Generator, which, as far as I'm concerned, are Trevor Rabin solo albums. I also have the Steve Howe solo album "Turbulence", which is boring and derivative.
By the way, I happened to see Yes in concert in 1990 on the day that Trevor Rabin got his American citizenship. Everyone else left the stage, he unfurled a huge American flag, sat on a stool in front of it, and played the best solo of the concert. It was amazing.
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I saw Yes on the Talk tour. Brilliant work. Trevor's last album before he went to score-writing. Get it if you can find it. Don't Look Away is quite cool, too.
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That's a decent list. I'm glad Van Morrison got on there a couple of times, but where's Veedon Fleece ? It's easily his best album, and one of the best albums of all time, IMO.
Edit: to add that I don't think Exile on Main Street belongs that high on the list.
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I'm glad you agree with me on the Police, Speed. Ghost in the Machine is where they first successfully fuze reggae and rock to become (in one of my all-time most hairbrained theories) the first ska band. Definitely.
I also like Q's list better than VH1's because it includes Lou Reed and not just the Velvet Underground, who he so transcended.
It'd be great to see some TMBG and BNL on there just because they were both so fresh, but I don't know that they really defined rock as much as took their own little side track off of rock.
I don't think more than one Prince album was neccessary - much less three. And I really wish Madonna's Ray of Light was there instead of Like a Prayer. It was truly brilliant - through no fault of her own, of course. William Orbit is brilliant.
And the White Stripes? Yeah. That, I swear, is rock's new revolution and the salvation of everything that was beautiful about punk. I don't care that they're new - they're already classic.
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I don't know, Annie. I agree that there are some inequities in the VH1 list that Q rectifies. But I've gone over them both, and I have to say, I like the VH1 list better. I think part of it is from the fact that they polled a huge number of people in many different positions. The list came out as a bit more diverse. The Q list seemed to me to include a lot more of what was popular at the time. For example, of the top 10 albums, 8 were from the '90s or later. And they put on the Red Hot Chili Peppers' last two albums. If they made it on the list at all, it should have been for Blood Sugar Sex Magik. And two Eminem albums?
They had no folk (not even Simon & Garfunkel/ Paul Simon, and where's Joni Mitchell's "Blue"?). There was no jazz. Even if you know nothing about jazz, including the two Miles Davis albums like VH1 did is just common sense. They put on a heck of a lot of newer techno, but left off Kraftwerk. They had very little funk/disco and blues compared to the loads of select other genres. And how did TLC end up anywhere near that list?
Like I said, there are things I liked about the Q list. They put on Led Zeppelin IV and Neil Young and left off Tina Turner and the Jackson Five. But on the whole, I think that VH1 came up with a more diverse and fairly representative list.
[edit: And on the earlier discussion: There was no Police at all on the Q list. How did they miss that?]
someone picked me! probably just to be used as "player to be named later" in a trade with someone... but STILL!
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Sorry, but no way were the Police the first ska band! That honor goes to The Skatalites. (1960's!)
And while I love BNL as much as the next guy (I really do) I can easily find 100 albums that deserve to make this list more than Gordon does.
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Speed-"I'm sure you know this without hearing it from me, but I don't think anyone's ever done the jazz-fusion-rock genre nearly as well as Steely Dan (although Sade and The Crusaders have both come pretty close)."
Has anyone heard their new album? I like it alot but I think Two Against Nature was a little bit better.
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I loved their new album. I liked Two Against Nature also, but I thought it was a little over-produced. "Jack of Speed" and "West of Hollywood" were great songs, and most of the others were pretty good. But I thought Everything Must Go was more consistent, and the performances sounded more natural. That's just in comparison, though. The day Steely Dan makes an album I don't absolutely love, I'll stop listening to music.
96-100 just seemed to be thrown on when everybody was ready to go home.
5 Beatles albums in the top 11? I love the Beatles, but even I can admit that that's not right.
More Pink Floyd is definitely needed. At the very least, "The Wall".
I second the call for some Live. "Secret Samadhi" and "Throwing Copper" both deserve to be on this list.
I love The Who, also. Apparently, these guys love them way too much to be objective.
I second some Journey, too...but while I love them, I can't think of any single album that could be on the list. Maybe "Escape". Unless we can include greatest hits albums.
"Ten" only at #79? If ever there's an album without a single weak spot, it's that one.
A couple modern personal favorites I probably would've thrown on: Cake-Prolonging the Magic and Hootie & the Blowfish-Fairweather Johnson.
Also, I give an emphatic "NO!" to America, a big thumbs up to "The Allman Brothers Band", and an incredulous "No Aerosmith or Metallica?! Surely you can't be serious." to the makers of the list.
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Hey. Just wanted to resurrect this thread and add something incredibly cool that I just found. Apparently while the icons of pop culture were deciding on their lists, there was a brain trust associated with NPR doing something similar. But their list came out more balanced in my opinion, and far more eclectic as a matter of undisputable fact. It's a list of top musical works of the century in whatever format they deemed appropriate (song, album, work, etc). It's here in case anyone's interested. Well worth a look. By the way, for people like me who read all the top 100 lists and wonder what would have been number 101 if it went that far, there's a link in the corner to a list of 300 albums that was whittled down to the final form.
Oh, and Annie and like-minded music critics will notice that many "over-rated" artists were made less of on this list than any other I've seen. I skimmed through it, and I found no mention of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, or Bob Dylan. No U2 either, but you have to make some sacrifices somewhere. Read and enjoy.
[edit: Dylan did get in there. Oops! At least it was "Like a Rolling Stone", one of his few songs that actually lived up to the hype. I'm happy with that.]
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The sheer genius of the NPR gods continues to overwhelm me. Everything that made that list was vital. It's like a basket of perfectly ripe tomatoes - not a single green spot in there.
And the lack of my Irish boys? You'll notice the list was the most important American musical works of the 20th century. I'm thoroughly at peace with that.
Fiddler on the Roof, Graceland, Oye Como Va, I've Got Rhythm and Light My Fire? How much more harmonious can it get?
Thanks for the diligence, Speed. Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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Oh, right. I guess that explains the lack of Beatles and Stones, too. I guess I should read the title of the list before shooting my mouth off. Thanks for pointing that out. Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
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Born to Run - this is the song that makes me crank the volume every time I hear it.
Coal Miner's Daughter - I'm not the biggest country fan in the world, but this is a wonderful song. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my grandfather was a coal miner?
Gone With the Wind soundtrack - Sometimes I watch the movie just for the music.
Grand Canyon Suite - this is the first classical piece of music that really caught my attention when I was a child, and I still love it.
Light My Fire - Despite all of Jim Morrison's various dysfunctions, he was a magnificent writer when he wanted to be. For my money, the Doors were, are, and always will be the greatest American rock and roll band ever.
Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin's version is one of my favorite songs. Ever.
Oye Como Va - Santana's version is perfection.
Purple Haze - Well, of course, Jimi Hendrix is here.
Respect - Again, perfection.
Rhapsody in Blue - So evocative, but there are not adequate words to describe it.
Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay - Again, one of my top favorites (but whoever let Michael Bolton record a cover of it should never be let near a recording studio again).
This Land is Your Land - Despite the political baggage that goes along with this song, I still maintain that it should be the national anthem.
What's Going On - A list like this without Marvin Gaye on it would have no validity whatsoever. (Has anyone here ever read Cornel West's short piece on Marvin Gaye that is part musical tribute and part theological meditation? I wish I could remember the title of the book it is collected in, so that I could recommend it properly. It is a gem.)
Over the Rainbow (from The Wizard of Oz soundtrack) - Judy Garland's voice is so pure on this song that no one else should ever be allowed to sing it.
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I found this list just before I wrote about it last night. The more I go over it, the more I love it. Unlike the other lists, I can't think of a single song on this list that doesn't deserve to be on it. There are some other things I'd like to see, but I could never push one of these songs off to make room. Some of my personal favorite are:
Appalacian Spring: If ever there was a single artist to capture the spirit of America in orchestral music, it was Aaron Copeland. This is a beautiful piece that I never get tired of listening to.
Crazy: I love Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline. Proof that there's more to country music than the garbage it's become today.
Drumming: Anyone that knows me knows how much I love minimalism. It's a form of music that doesn't get nearly enough credit for its influence on practically everything played today. Steve Reich is an absolute prodigy, and one of the most original and unique musical minds that's ever lived.
Graceland: Come on. Who doesn't absolutely love every second of this album?
Hello Dolly: American jazz wouldn't be what it is without Louis Armstrong. A giant of American culture.
I Got Rhythm/ Rhapsody in Blue/ Porgy and Bess: Gershwin was the master of all musical forms, from pop to orchestral to opera. I've never heard a bad song written by him, his music never fails to make me happy, and his life is The American Dream incarnate. His music has been performed by everyone from Miles Davis to Janis Joplin to Ella Fitzgerald to Sting. It's so timeless that it can be easily arranged for musical genres that Gershwin could never have imagined, and it's so well written that I've never heard a bad version of his songs, even when performed by mediocre artists. As was once said about sex and pizza, even when it's bad, it's still kind of good. And when it's done well, the music of Gershwin will change your life. Amazing stuff.
In the Mood: An instantly recognizable jazz-pop classic.
Kind of Blue: Possibly the perfect jazz album. It's the best selling jazz album of all time, and if you've heard it, it's hard to dispute that it absolutely deserves the distinction. One of Miles Davis' many musical revolutions, a complete change in the way music was thought about, composed and performed, and it bears an infinite number of listens without growing old.
Let's Stay Together: I've never heard a voice so perfectly expressive as Al Green's in this song. Unlike many singers of the genre who think that they have to go spastic to express soul, Al's beautifully understated performance makes every tiny vocal inflection meaningful. It makes me want to crawl out of my skin with the emotion he invokes. Al puts the soul in soul music.
Light My Fire: Yes, Jim Morrison was fairly overrated, but the band that played with him were perhaps the most powerful rock trio ever assembled, and this 7+ minute anthem features some of the most blistering instrumentals to ever come out of the psychedelic-rock genre. A '60s time capsule in a song.
Once In a Lifetime: The fact that this song was played so heavily on MTV belies its groundbreaking brilliance. Byrne and Eno, two of the greatest musical minds of the century, did the exact opposite of what was considered necessary to write a pop song, and made a serious piece of experimental music that people mistook for another hit single. It stands on the shoulders of Reich, Glass and world music, and makes a fine centerpiece to one of the most important albums ever recorded.
Oye Como Va: Carlos Santana is latin rock. He plays guitar as though it were an extension of his soul, and is a flawless example of what a musician should try to be, whether vocalist or instrumentalist. I love this song.
Papa's Got a Brand New Bag: Everything that is good about hip-hop comes from funk, and everything that was ever good about funk is a direct result of the music of James Brown. I hope no one ever listens to an album by Nelly or Snoop Dogg without offering up a silent prayer of thanks for sending the Godfather of Soul.
'Round Midnight: Monk was the Beethoven of jazz. Inconcievable intricacies in musical structure that result in the flawless capturing of a feeling. I don't care where you grew up or what you're doing. Put this song on any time of the day or night, and you'll know what it's like to be in an empty bar at midnight. Few people have ever expressed an idea through music so perfectly.
Sing, Sing, Sing: I played the clarinet in middle school and high school, and I hated it until I heard Benny Goodman. I've never heard anyone play any intstrument more effortlessly than Benny. His music changed my whole point of view about my instrument, and this piece will always be special to me. By the way, on the Top 100 list, they cite the Benny Goodman version. But in the rough top-300 list they list the Louis Prima version. They're both excellent. If you've never heard any Louis Prima (or if you think you haven't--he's King Louie from The Jungle Book, so you probably have), go pick up an album immediately. this would be a good starter, and it has Sing, Sing, Sing. You won't know how you lived without it.
Symphony of Psalms: I love Stravinsky. That's all I'll say.
Take Five: Another example of a genius who hid the brains of classical music in the swing of a pop-jazz number. One of the most intelligent and original offerings to have ever come out of the genre, it is apparently the #1 selling jazz single of all time, and deservingly so.
Talking Book: Stevie Wonder is brilliant. One of the few whole albums to have made the list, and with good reason.
Like I said, all the songs on the list are great, but these are some of the ones personally important to me. I wish some of the pieces from the top-300 list would have made it, such as Airmail Special, Born on the Bayou, Einstein on the Beach, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, The Pat Metheny Group self-title, Star Wars, This Train, When The Saints Go Marching In, and a few others. But I wouldn't want to be responsible for kicking any of the other songs out to make room for these, so I'll just have to enjoy them without having them on the list.
By the way, my favorite thing about this list is a link with each song to a documentary made about the piece originally broadcast on NPR. I can't stop listening to them. My favorite so far is the piece about 4:33 by John Cage. I'd heard of this piece before. I'd never actually heard it (although I guess I wouldn't need to). But I always thought of it as the stunt of a cocky musician. I never realized how significant it was until I heard the documentary. Well worth a listen.
There are so many live bands out there that will never get the accolades >cough<Donna the Buffalo<cough> but at least Widespread Panic and Dave Matthews made it.
I just don't get the Bob Dylan live thing, though, i just don't. He has a good band, but he is the only one of my favorite performers I would rather not see live.
I agree with U2. I also agree with Phish, but must add this Onion link:
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Thank you, Annie, I am glad you appreciated the article. I think it is on of my all time favorite fake articles.
I saw Donna the Buffalo last night in Woodstock. Beautiful night, beautiful music, and beautiful people. I took my groupie son. I start work tomorrow, but when I told him we weren't going, he busted out crying, so off we went. He boogied the whole time in the front, ear plugs and all. I am so glad I went! What was I even thinking not going?
Annie, they are coming your way in a few weeks. You should try to go. I think you would appreciate seeing them. It is the first time in four years that they are heading west. They are going to play their hearts out.
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Rush, Signals. Hard choice to not pick Moving Pictures, but wow... The album that let a million awkward teens know they weren't alone.
Pink Floyd, Delicate Sound of Thunder. Some of the most beautiful work of their storied career (On the Turning Away makes my heart clutch and tremble).
U2, The Joshua Tree. Every album by the band up to then had been working up to Great, this transcended straight to Legendary.
Van Morrison, Veedon Fleece. Every copy I have ever owned has been taken away by the girl friend of that time. After a great meal and a little wine, this album will always, always lead to the bedroom. A masterwork by one of the old Masters.
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, UFOTOFU. Inspiring, mind bending, glorious. Last album as a quartet and probably their free-flowingest work ever.
Jethro Tull, A Little Light Music. A live album that features some of the greatest instrumental work and songwriting to be found anywhere.
The Waterboys, Fisherman's Blues. Sometimes a band just has that singular moment in time when everything hits perfectly. This is what happens when that moment hits in the recording studio. Spectacular.
Paul Kelly, Words and Music. An Australian song-writing legend sings of age, regret, hope and How to Make Gravy (one of the world's great songs). A must have.
Billy Joel, The Stranger. Some of his most personal and enjoyable songs. Separated itself from the blah crap of the late 1970s and made a singer into a legend.
The Who, Tommy. So hard to pick from Pete Townsend's many masterworks. I love the story and the audacity of the rock opera concept. Astounding. Entwhistle and Moon lay one of the soundest foundations ever and Daltry's vocals drive this from an attempt to a success.
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Salt Lake, though normally my closest concert venue, is still quite a haul during the school year. I will give them a listen, though, since they come so highly recommended. Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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I'm glad to see Billy Joel finally mentioned, though I consider The Nylon Curtain to be a better album.
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Check this out. There's yet another list out this week, from Rolling Stone. Top 500 albums of all time. I guess it was just because they knew that suckers like me will buy their crappy magazine because of the gimic.
It looks a lot like the VH1 list, but it includes greatest hits compilations, which is kind of a cop-out. And I'm beginning to understand why most lists limit themselves to 100. The first 100 albums on this list is reasonably solid, but when you poll a small enough number of people, all it takes is Britney Spears putting some junk in her top 10 and the next thing you know you've got all of Janet Jackson's albums in your list. And TLC, Def Leppard, ZZ Top, Hole, LL Cool J, and of course every steaming pile of crap that Bob Dylan ever got high and recorded. Not that all of these are horribly bad (although some are), but among the best ever? Please.
That being said, the top 100 is a decent list. I've got my computer hooked up to the stereo at work, and yesterday I programmed in a Rolling Stone top 100 marathon for about 12 hours. It was a good time.
Thought I'd share this one with the Hatrack music lovers.
posted
Man...these lists usually have too much new stuff in the top slots. This one has too few.
Not a bad list, though. Except that Pink Floyd got shafted in the respect department...like they always do. Dark Side at #43? Please...
Posts: 5264 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
I agree. Dark Side is one of the five, maximum, best albums ever made. I mean, I like the Beatles and everything, but there's too much mysticism attached to them. They need to move some of their albums down a couple pegs to make way for the really good stuff. Like Dark Side. And 2112, which wasn't anywhere in the 500. Any list which includes George Michael and no Rush has got some re-tooling to do.
Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
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Thanks for pointing that out. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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