411 Top 100 Albums: 60 to 51
Posted by on 08.13.2007
The Who do you think will just miss out on the elite 50? Oops. One Click Away
Welcome back to ye of exceptional taste. I hope you haven't acquired substantial headaches from reading this list thus far. I know, I know. Numbers 100 to 61 weren't exactly how you wanted them to be. Oh no! What are you going to do?
Just keep reading and take an Anadin or three……..
Week Five shall begin in 3…..2…..1…….
PART FIVE
The Beatles - Rubber Soul
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Pop: #1
Singles:
"What Goes On" Pop: #81
Rutherford: The brave new world. Jettisoning the sound they rode to world wide fame, The Beatles set about staking their own turf in the studio and this was the first sign that they really meant business. "Norwegian Wood" showed we were in for something special when George Harrison introduced us to the world of Indian music while John Lennon introduced us to his dark side with the haunting "In My Life", which stands as one of the Beatles best ever songs. Highly essential to say the least.
Helm: While many regard The Beatles as the greatest band of all time, their evolution from pop wunderkinder to challenging rock artistes holds an important place in that claim. As part of that study, among The Beatles' many albums, Rubber Soul stands as one of the points where the paradigmatic shift begins from pop to neo-alt-rock – if such a term can be used in the mid ‘60s. Proving its importance, Rubber Soul features the use of instruments new to pop and rock, most significantly the sitar ("Norwegian Wood"); increased orchestration and production from The Beatles unheralded collaborator George Martin ("It's Only Love," "I'm Looking Through You"); and even influences not found in the genre, like Russian melodies ("Girl"). Add to those developments the classic Lennon-McCartney sensibilities – most prevalent on tunes such as the bilingual "Michelle" and the sweetly sentimental "In My Life" – and Rubber Soul proves its worth among The Beatles' canon and all albums as well.
Berry: This is the first absolutely essential Beatles album, starting a string of amazingly inventive pop-rock albums and serving as Brian Wilson's inspiration for The Beach Boys classic Pet Sounds. Rubber Soul is a more mature album than their previous work, both in lyricism and in music. This was the first time the boys toyed with music of other cultures and also where the lyrics of a McCartney song could be differentiated from a Lennon track. Highlights include "Nowhere Man", "I'm Looking Through You", and "In My Life".
U2 - Achtung Baby
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Billboard 200: #1
Singles:
"Mysterious Ways" Billboard Hot 100: #9 Mainstream Rock: #1 Modern Rock: #1 Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #42 Hot Dance Music: #29
"Zoo Station" Billboard Hot 100: #10 Mainstream Rock: #1 Adult Contemporary: #24 Hot Dance Music: #44
"Even Better Than The Real Thing" Billboard Hot 100: #32 Mainstream Rock: #1 Modern Rock: #5 Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #27 Hot Dance Music: #35
"Whose Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" Billboard Hot 100: #35 Mainstream Rock: #2 Modern Rock: #7 Top 40 Mainstream: #28
"The Fly" Billboard Hot 100: #61 Mainstream Rock: #2 Modern Rock: #1 Hot Dance Music: #44
"One" Modern Rock: #1 Canadian: #19
"Until The End Of The World" Mainstream Rock: #5 Modern Rock: #4
Rutherford: U2 had become one of the biggest bands in the world and burnt themselves out in the process. So they headed back into the studio and embraced everything they shouldn't if you were a rock act (samplers, drum machines, digital effects etc) and got nothing short of a musical reinvention. It's clear from the open guitar blast of "Zoo Station" that this was going to be a wild ride and long after this album finishes you KNOW that the musical landscape changed for the better.
Mitch Michaels: Never has there been an about face as successful as U2's Achtung Baby. While some 80's rockers tentatively dipped their toes into the 90's, U2 catapulted themselves into a new decade, ditching their punk rock/arena rock tendencies in favor of a pre-techno distortion right out of the UK club scene. Even more amazing is that the gamble paid off, as 80's U2 fans not only enjoyed the music, but other fans embraced the sound as well. And while U2 will always be remembered more for their straight rock music, it was Achtung and their subsequent electronic and sonic experimentation that kept the band vital at a time when most bands simply fall off the map.
Eagles - Hotel California
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Pop: #1
Country: #10
Singles:
"New Kid In Town" Pop: #1 Country: #43 Adult Contemporary: #2
"Hotel California" Pop: #1
"Life In The Fast Lane" Pop: #11
Rutherford: While considered almost easy listening these days, the Eagles were an integral ingredient in developing and popularizing the "west coast sound", which was a smooth mix of pop, country and blues with a heaping help of melody and harmony. You can't go past the title track in terms of all time classic songs, but the whole album is full of the type of music that brings back memories of sunnier times.
Mitch Michaels: It's hard to believe the best country-rock band in history had this album in them, but I'll be damned if the late-70's (and a little Joe Walsh) didn't teach the Eagles how to rock. Hotel California finds the Eagles exploring their rocking guitar side, but it also finds Don Henley getting comfortable as a curmudgeon, writing songs about the fall of the west and of love itself. Add in the cryptic title song and its funky bassline and you have yourself a hit.
Marsicano: This album is absolutely classic rock. The title track is an absolutely epic track with an ending two minute solo that goes all over the place. Of course, nobody can forget "Life In The Fast Lane" and "Wasted Time". Hotel California was the longest time that the Eagles spent on an album and it showed. They went into the studio looking for a classic album and made it. Even after thirty years, Hotel California is still the pinnacle of the Eagles career.
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Pop: #10
Singles:
"Good Times Bad Times" Pop: #80
"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" Pop: #73
Rutherford: This is the third Zep album and we are only halfway in. Really, what more can you say? The bastard child of The Yardbirds managed to not only eclipse their lofty legend, but redefine what the relationship between blues and rock could be. While still a great album, Zeppelin would do better in the years to come. Still, a casual listen to "Dazed & Confused" would let you know the greatest was there from the start.
Helm: The drawing of the Hindenburg disaster on the cover of Led Zeppelin I only hinted at the explosiveness present on the album and possessed by the band itself. As a spectacular debut release, Led Zeppelin I lays the groundwork for one of the greatest bands of all time by showcasing their fortes and influences throughout the album. The collection contains only two true rockers over its nine track expanse ("Good Times, Bad Times" and "Communication Breakdown") and is instead dominated by moody blues tunes both original and redone as well as the centerpiece, the darkly disturbing "Dazed and Confused." In total, Led Zeppelin I resides as a stunning first chapter in the history of one of the greatest rock bands ever.
Melchor: Man, did Led Zeppelin have their shit together coming out of the starting gate or what? Psychadelia? Check ("Dazed And Confused"). Folksy power-ballads? Check ("Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", perhaps one of the saddest and most impassioned break-up songs ever). Bluesy shuffles? Check ("How Many More Times"). Flat-out rock goodness? Check ("Good Times Bad Times"). They had it all - and this was only the beginning of what they would bring to rock music.
The White Stripes - Elephant
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Billboard 200: #6 Canadian: #5
Internet: #6
Singles:
"Seven Nation Army" Billboard Hot 100: #76 Mainstream Rock: #12 Modern Rock: #1
"The Hardest Button To Button" Modern Rock: #8
"I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" Modern Rock: #25
Helm: As, perhaps, The White Stripes' finest fifty minutes, Elephant condenses everything that made them successful and builds on it to a greater height. While the band's first three releases contained proof of The White Stripes' influences of garage rock and blues, Elephant ties those elements together with a ribbon of pop sensibility making an album as listenable as it is progressive. Of course, opening the album with one of the best rock songs of recent memory ("Seven Nation Army") never hurt either. That's not to say the rest of the album pales in comparison to the opener; Jack White's clever wordplay and musical tastes are fully on display, in addition to "sister" Meg's haunting vocals on "In the Cold, Cold Night." Though probably lambasted by a few, Elephant is, in my mind, one of the best releases of this decade and definitely one of the top albums of all time.
Mitch Michaels: How does an unassuming indie rock duo follow-up major commercial success? By bringing their A-Game, of course. Jack and Meg White didn't bow to the pressure when working on a follow-up to White Blood Cells. Instead, they crafted together a darker, more challenging record that featured more intricate musicianship, more clever writing and, oh, the bad-ass thunder that is "Seven Nation Army". Elephant was by no means as accessible as WBC, but it was definitely more interesting.
James Munson: Jack White plays a troubadour who fuses the bastard sons of Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, and Robert Johnson into an electrifying blusey-rock hybrid. Meg White pummels the most ferocious, simple drumbeats since AC/DC and takes her turn at singing the Nico-esque "In the Cold, Cold Night". All of the equipment used to record this album is older than I am (mid-twenties, if you're asking) and the breakthrough single ("Seven Nation Army") features the catchiest bass guitar line not played by a bass guitar at all. Elephant is the name of this 2003 record and it stomps out most other albums that came out in 2003.
The Who - Tommy
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Pop: #4
Singles:
"Pinball Wizard" Pop: #19
"I'm Free" Pop: #37
"See Me, Feel Me" Pop: #12
Melchor: Ahh, an album near and dear to my heart. The first one to attempt to tell a story, it's certainly flawed in that department. Seriously, you try to follow what's going on without a scorecard. Outside of that, The Who put together a great work on a sweeping scale - storytelling be damned. Besides, Townsend would go on to perfect that, anyway.
Rutherford: And thus was born the rock concept album. What makes this one so great is that while most other are born out of some need to grow musically and all that crap, Pete Townsend and company wanted to raise the level of rock but use good, honest power chords to do it. From the opening chords of "Overture" and through the strains of the classic single "Pinball Wizard" you can tell this band is something special and you are listening to something new and fresh.
Helm: Ah . . . the most famous album by my favorite band. As a "rock opera," Tommy is conceptually confusing and loses a lot as a recording and not as a performance. The songs making up the album, however, raise the work to the greatness it readily deserves. Featuring a multitude of genres and sounds, Tommy mixes these seemingly discordant parts into a rock album of great musical skill. Everyone knows hits like "Pinball Wizard" or "The Acid Queen," but greatness also lies in the most obscure – and often short – other tracks on the album, like the sadly sentimental "1921" or the wryly mocking "Sally Simpson." Of course, it doesn't hurt that every New York Rangers fan holds a special place in their heart for "I'm Free," thanks to ESPN.
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Billboard 200: #3
R&B/Hip-Hop: #1
Singles:
"Nuthin' But A "G" Thang" Billboard Hot 100: #2 Rap: #1 R&B/Hip-Hop: #1 Rhythmic Top 40: #2 Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #22 Hot Dance Music: #3 Hot Ringtone: #30
"Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')" Billboard Hot 100: #8 Rap: #13 R&B/Hip-Hop: #6 Rhythmic Top 40: #6 Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #29 Hot Dance Music: #1
"Let Me Ride" Billboard Hot 100: #34 Rap: #3 R&B/Hip-Hop: #34 Rhythmic Top 40: #21 Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #45
Phil Watts, Jr.: This album symbolized a period where the West Coast's dominance in hip-hop was at its peak. Dre's life after leaving Ruthless Records looked to be bright, as not only has his beats caught on with the mainstream, he'd introduced a whole slew of talent that many thought would have a bright future ahead of them. With MC's like Snoop Dogg, Daz & Kurupt, RBX, and The Lady Of Rage, it looked like the movement would NEVER stop. And then Suge had to open his his big-ass mouth...
Berry: Disregard the macho, misogynistic swagger of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg and listen to The Chronic at least one time JUST FOR THE BEATS. Dr. Dre's self-coined "G-Funk" sound mashes together Parliament/Funkadelic samples, synth notes stolen from a funeral procession, live instrumentation, and talented female backing vocals to create the most inventive production in gangsta rap. While the lyrics are often weak, Dr. Dre's tough guy, bassy vocal delivery is well complimented by the nasally, speak-singing of Snoop Dogg.
Melchor: Yo, yo, yo, yo! Pop a 40 and check your rollies - it's...oh, it's the album that kick-started that gangsta aesthetic into the mainstream in the first place. And what a way to do it - Dre's already-familiar laid back audaciousness with the most effortless sounding flow arguably ever in the form of Snoop Dogg. Add to that some classic beats and even more classic rhymes and you have the reason we all love Cryme Tyme as well as many other inspired "gangstas" that have come down the pike since.
Arcade Fire - Funeral
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Billboard 200: #131 Heatseekers: #3
Independent: #4
Singles:
"Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" European Hot 100 Singles: #30
"Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" European Hot 100 Singles: #26
"Rebellion (Lies)" European Hot 100 Singles: #13
"Wake Up" European Hot 100 Singles: #29
Wright: There's been something really exciting happening in Canadian music for the past few years, with wonderful records coming out of there on a pretty regular basis. This majestic album tops the pile. Addressing the loss of loved ones while sounding incredibly life affirming, it's probably the most stirring album released since the turn of the century and is my personal pick for the best debut album ever made.
Berry: Released in 2004, Funeral is the youngest album on our Top 100 list. At its core, this is a concept album about death, created out of losses the band members experienced prior to recording. In expressing this subject matter, The Arcade Fire have created a dark, chamber pop record that is equally indebted to The Talking Heads, Joy Division, and The Pixies while maintaining a singular sound that ranks with their predecessors' best work. The opening cut, "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)", might be one of the greatest songs of the rock ‘n roll era.
Derek & The Dominos - Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Pop: #16
Singles:
"Layla" Pop: #10
"Bell Bottom Blues" Pop: #78
Rutherford: You want to know why Clapton is God? This is your one stop shop for all your blues psalms on emotional torment and a man in love with the unobtainable woman. Clapton had fallen hard for George Harrison's wife Patty and the title song was him digging into the hurt to scream his torment. You may think I'm overstating the fact but seriously, you go listen to that album and tell me that isn't the sound of a man on the edge of madness.
Helm: Never has there been a better blues rock album recorded or released than Derek & the Dominos' Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. In some ways, Layla could be considered an anti-concept album as the subject matter fuelling every single song on the album is painfully, heart wrenchingly real. Every song, every note carries with it Eric Clapton's unrequited love for Patti Harrison, George Harrison's then wife. This is an album all about sharing Clapton's pain with the listener, from soulful tracks like "Bell Bottom Blues" or "Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?" to the legendary title track, with its rocking first act and sorrowful, haunting second act. This is an album about real love, not just a concept.
Mitch Michaels: Eric Clapton just couldn't hide behind Derek And The Dominos, and when this album hit, it hit full force. It doesn't hurt that it also features God's gift to slide guitar, Duane Allman himself. The title tune is by far one of rock's best moments, but the entire album is a keeper, featuring Clapton playing and SINGING with a passion that he'd never found before or since. The back story of the EC/Patti Boyd/George Harrison love triangle only furthers the myth of this rock classic.
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Jazz: #10
Rutherford: If you aren't a jazz fan, you still need to buy this album. Davis assembled perhaps his greatest studio band ever (John Coltrane motherfuckers!!) and put down some of the most moving and stark music in history. They told stories with notes and not words and Kind Of Blue stands as one of the enduring legacies of any genre of music. If you aren't moved by the mood of this album, you have no soul.
Nagle: The greatest jazz record ever made. There were great records made before and after Kind of Blue, but Davis was able to make a record that appealed to the general public and jazz aficionados alike; a nearly impossible feat. Kind of Blue also has the greatest band ever recorded on vinyl: Miles, Coltrane, Cannonball, Adderly AND Bill Evans. Forget Cream, Miles Davis had the first supergroup.
Credits
Creator / Host:Tim O'Sullivan
Sub Editors:Mitch Michaels and Brian Berry
List Counters:Tim O'Sullivan and Brian Berry
Disc Artwork:Scott Rutherford
Design and Production:Mitch Michaels
Writers who contributed lists: Tim O'Sullivan, Brian Berry, Scott Rutherford, Leonard Hayhurst, Tollah, Mitch Michaels, Morgan Marx, Ian Wright, Will Helm, Jared McGuckin, Frank Estrada, Matt Shoemaker, Scott Slimmer, Phil Watts Jnr, Dusty Godwin, Korry Hill, Jamie Buttineau, Marques Furumoto
Writers who contributed blurbs: Tim O'Sullivan, Scott Rutherford, Ian Wright, Will Helm, Mitch Michaels, Michael Melchor, Phil Watts, Jnr., Brian Berry
Matt Shoemaker, Tollah, Frank Estrada, Jason Chamberlain, Jesse Coy, Dan Marsicano, John Nagle
