411 Top 100 Albums: 40 to 31
Posted by on 08.27.2007
This list reminds me of Blood Sugar Sex and indeed Magic. One Click Away.
Welcome, welcome, and even to you with Windows 95, I say welcome.
Week Seven shall begin in 3…..2…..1…….
PART SEVEN
Nas - Illmatic
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Billboard 200: #12
R&B/Hip-Hop: #2
Singles:
"It Ain't Hard To Tell" Billboard Hot 100: #91 Rap: #13 R&B/Hip-Hop: #57 Hot Dance Music: #3
"Half Time" Rap: #8
"One Love" Rap: #24 Hot Dance Music: #6
"The World Is Yours" Rap: #27 R&B/Hip-Hop: #67 Hot Dance Music: #6
Phil Watts, Jr.: Nothing summed up the greatness of this album better than ?uestlove did: "[Illmatic] was one of the rare albums in which production and performance were at their creative zenith. If you look throughout the history of most classic records, sometimes one will outdo the other. [While] there were definitely some filler cuts on Eric B and Rakim products as there were some beats that over exceeded the rhymes on various Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth records, Illmatic is an album that balanced both perfectly."
O'Sullivan: There are a few better rappers on the mic in the history of hip-hop, but even those few can't claim to have produced a set of music as good as this. A lot of good people would argue the case for Ready to Die and a lot of bad people will argue the case for, well, something that's not very good – but for me, this is the greatest solo hip-hop album of all-time. From start to finish its just insanely good.
Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Billboard 200: #45
Heatseeker: #1
Rutherford: FUCK YOU I WANT DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!!!! The defining statement from a band full of them. While rap/rock is the norm now these guys did it better because 1) They believed what they peddled 2) They had a motherfucking genius guitar player who was part DJ, Eddie Van Halen and Frankenstein. The combination of the two was lethal and their renewed presence today only serves to deepen the legacy they started here.
Melchor: Hard rock and rap had always had a crush on each other (Anthrax & Public Enemy's "Bring Tha Noize"; Aerosmith & Run-DMC's "Walk This Way"). In 1991, the pair finally consummated their long-standing passions with some knock-down, drag-out, heavy, hot, headboard-smashing, wake-up-the-neighbors fucking. The child came to be named Rage Against The machine, a sonic manifesto and political powerbomb in one package that has yet to be duplicated despite many attempts by others - as well as Rage themselves - to do so.
Mitch Michaels: This album is how you make protest music. This album is how you make HEAVY music. Hell, if you wanna blow your speakers out, just crank up RATM and watch the fucking things shred to pieces under its power. Everything comes together on this album so well, it's hard to believe it's a band's debut. Zack de la Rocha sings with the fury of a rumbling tornado, and the band (especially guitar virtuoso Tom Morello) show why rap and rock were always meant to be. Don't forget, no samples, keyboards or synthesizers were used in the making of this record. And fuck you, I won't do what you tell me! Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me! Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me! Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me! Motherfucker!
R.E.M. - Automatic For The People
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Billboard 200: #2
Singles:
"Drive" Billboard Hot 100: #28 Mainstream Rock: #2 Modern Rock: #1 Top 40 Mainstream: #23
"Everybody Hurts" Billboard Hot 100: #29 Modern Rock: #21 Top 40 Mainstream: #13
"Man On The Moon" Billboard Hot 100: #30 Mainstream Rock: #4 Modern Roc: #2 Top 40 Mainstream: #9
"Ignoreland" Mainstream Rock: #4 Modern Rock: #5
"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" Mainstream Rock: #28 Modern Rock: #24
Rutherford: Against all common sense of music industry wisdom, the more unconventional R.E.M became the more popular they got. No more evident is this than on this release. This is about as far a left turn a pop/folk band could take with its almost baroque, chamber orchestra feel and songs about death and passage and it stands as their highest selling album ever…only fucking R.E.M could so that. As for the best songs on their best album, I'd pimp Nightswimming, the classic Man on the Moon and the tremendous album closer Find The River as required.
O'Sullivan: EVERYBODY HURTS…………blurb over.
Mitch Michaels: Their IRS years firmly behind them and following the release of the poppy Out Of Time, R.E.M. found themselves transitioning from an alternative college rock band to one of the biggest bands in the world. This is where Automatic For The People fits into the R.E.M. canon. It finds the band at their emotional height, quietly accepting their turn as THE band to hear by incorporating lush instrumentation and quiet sonic detail into their already weighty material. It helped that Michael Stipe was one of the best pure vocalists (and most lonesome sounding) in the rock world. While R.E.M. has made more fun records (look no further than the melancholy hit single "Everybody Hurts" if you wanna understand what this record is all about), none are more full than Automatic.
Radiohead - Kid A
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Billboard 200: #1 Canadian: #1
Internet: #15
Singles:
"Optimistic" Modern Rock: #10
Munson: I can't think of a record more people are torn over when it comes to their opinions. Some argue its importance as an experimental exercise in blips, bleeps, and minimalism that still sounds like Radiohead, just less song-oriented. Others argue that the musicality that made The Bendsand OK Computer so phenomenal is lost among the dull, inaccessible mood that winds its way through Kid A. What many don't consider is that Radiohead made a challenging, yet unpretentious record that requires multiple listens and has a few staggeringly good tracks. "Idioteque" is the prettiest rapidly-building dance track Radiohead have ever recorded and "The National Anthem" is a blaring, bass guitar and horn-driven track that sounds more ominous than the title suggests. It's not the easiest album to get into, but far worth it when you do.
Berry: What the fuck happened to our beloved Brit outsiders who delivered a Pink Floyd-esque, loosely conceptual masterpiece three years prior on OK Computer? All of the sudden they shape shifted into an avant-garde electronica band and they sound…well…fucking amazing! If you're looking for a hook or a sing along number you won't find it here. This was Radiohead's most abrasive album to date; pushing away many of its "rock" supporters who looked for radio hits, a la "Creep", "High and Dry", and "Fake Plastic Trees", to bring them back to the basics of Pablo Honey and The Bends. While "Everything In Its Right Place" and "National Anthem" were very minor Modern Rock hits stateside, none of the tracks on this album are mainstream cuts. Radiohead are true artists, not afraid to take a chance with their craft. If only more acts followed this model (and the public listened), popular music would be far more interesting.
Rutherford: Unpopular opinion as this is, this album sucks and I believe it's totally valid and true statement. Just because a band discovers Pro-Tools and all its tricks doesn't suddenly make their music better. Sure they tried to think outside the box but Radiohead pulled the wool over peoples' eyes with this release because the songs themselves, the shit that's supposed to be what music is all about, suck balls. No amount of backward masking, auto tune vocal trickery and sudden lack of the rest of the band can hide that.
Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Pop: #1
Singles:
"D'Yer Mak'er" Pop: #20
"Over The Hills And Far Away" Pop: #51
Helm: All things considered, Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy could very well be regarded as a greatest hits album unto itself. Containing some of Led Zeppelin's most famous and most played songs – and a rarity or two - Houses of the Holy reigns as one of the greatest recordings from one of the greatest bands of all. Showing the maturity of the band as it shook off its blues-rock roots, Houses of the Holy features a little something for everyone: reggae ("D'yer Ma'ker"), rock ("Over The Hills And Far Away," "The Ocean"), darkness ("No Quarter"), and even funk ("The Crunge"). This varied approach to the album solidifies its greatness and its place on this list.
Tollah: I really can't believe this is the second highest Zeppelin album on the list. I mean sure, it's good (obviously - it's Zep), but beating out I - III is pretty questionable. Anyway, it does contain "Over The Hills And Far Away" which is probably their most underrated gem.
Mitch Michaels: Jesus, Tollah, stop giving away future entries, no matter how obvious. And stop your fucking bitching. Houses Of The Holy is one of Led Zep's greatest albums because it dares to expand beyond the blues-rock genre into more experimental fare. After four albums of more of the same, Jimmy Page stretched out here to rely on new influences and, in the process, created some of Led Zeppelin's most enduring material. And the band followed. "Dancing Days" is the closest you get to a rock song here, but tracks like "The Rain Song" and "No Quarter" developed the mythos of Led Zeppelin and has helped them be remembered as more than a great blues-rock band, a la everybody from Frampton to the Moody Blues, to something completely unique.
The Who - Who's Next
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Pop: #4
Singles:
"Won't Get Fooled Again" Pop: #15
"Behind Blue Eyes" Pop: #34
Helm: If Tommy is the most famous work by The Who, that is a sad slight to what is their greatest work, Who's Next. Stemming, legendarily, from the ashes of a concept album . . . or soundtrack . . . or something, Who's Next shows The Who working on all their cylinders as a band and as individual members. This is another of those rare "solid" albums that lack a truly bad song as every tune on the album brings something to the work as a whole. In addition, Who's Next most importantly features the point and counterpoint of two of The Who's greatest songs: the power ballad "Behind Blue Eyes" and one of the ultimate rock tracks, "Won't Get Fooled Again." This is The Who at their best and one of the best of The Who and of all time.
Melchor: Easily the best pure Who album ever recorded. You have two timeless anthems right off the bat ("Baba O'Reilly" and "Bargain") and two more classics at the end ("Behind Blue Eyes" and "Won't Get Fooled Again"). Everything in between is The Who at the peak of their powers, redefining how we would view rock ‘n' roll from then on.
Rutherford: While "The Singing Fuckstick" Fred Durst from Limp Biscuit destroyed "Behind Blue Eyes" for many of us we still have the rest of the amazing album to listen to when we want to remember when Pete Townsend and Roger Daltry knew what they were doing. Just for Baba O'Reily and Won't Get Fooled Again does this album have classic status and that's all you need to know.
Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Pop: #1
Singles:
"Tangled Up In Blue" Pop: #31
Mitch Michaels:Blood On The Tracks will forever be hailed by critics as one of Dylan's greatest masterpieces, but the timing of the album is what really propelled it. After Dylan's late-60's flirtation with country music, his career hit a real low point beginning with 1970's Dylan. After a few albums, it was becoming clear that Dylan's new, more rock influenced sound was not what people were wanting to hear. Boom. Here comes Blood On The Tracks, a record that not only found Bob returning to the sound that folks associated most with him, but it also found the deeply private artist writing his most expressive, personal material to date. Sure, the lyrics are oblique enough that Dylan scholars will be debating their meaning for years to come, but you can hear the heartache, nostalgia and sentimentalism in merely the delivery. This acoustic based set isn't heavy on Dylan's hits, but it is no doubt his best.
Rutherford: I've only come into the "Cult of Bob" in the last few years and this album was pretty much the catalyst for that. Tangled Up In Blue is about as good as it gets and before people get on the "he can't sing" high horse, it's his voice that makes it so appealing. He sounds like an everyman who's seen everything and is telling you the secrets of life. Blood on the Tracks is highly essential and one of the defining moments in music. Period.
Pearl Jam - Ten
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Billboard 200: #2
Heatseeker: #2
Singles:
"Jeremy" Billboard Hot 100: #7 Mainstream Rock: #5 Modern Rock: #5
"Black" Mainstream Rock: #3 Modern Rock: #20
"Even Flow" Mainstream Rock: #3 Modern Rock: #21
"Alive" Mainstream Rock: #16 Modern Rock: #18
Melchor: The album that, above all, proved there was more coming out of Seattle in the 90's than wall-of-noise angst. Dirt was its own brand of heavy despair, but Ten provided that and much more. To hell with "grunge" - Pearl Jam exploded out of the gate with a solid pedigree in rock ‘n' roll. Whether or not they have topped - or ever will top - it remains to be seen, but their place in history is secure even if they don't.
Mitch Michaels: While Nirvana championed obscure punk rockers, Pearl Jam were unabashed rock fans, which made it odd that those two bands would become the forerunners in grunge. Ten, Pearl Jam's debut, roared with a metal-influenced fury and a hook-minded sensibility that made it perfect for radio and MTV, a pissed off sound that was still rooted in the music of rock icons like Neil Young and the Rolling Stones. In 1991, Pearl Jam were not only the face of alternative, but they were also innovators and the future of hard rock.
Rutherford: An album that's almost out of time for them these days. While Pearl Jam take a more lo-fi course for recordings now, their first album was anything but the grunge music they supposedly help foster into the mainstream. Clean, crisp and clear, it was about Eddie Vedder's voice and the songs Stone Gossard created for them to work with and it was inspired. Black still stands a song of true beauty that would never have had the same impact if done with their current production aesthetic. Remarkably stands up well today compared with some of the albums that followed (I'm looking at you Vitalogy) and still worth your time.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Billboard 200: #3
Singles:
"Under The Bridge" Billboard Hot 100: #2 Mainstream Rock: #2 Modern Rock: #6
"Give It Away" Billboard Hot 100: #73 Modern Rock: #1
"Suck My Kiss" Modern Rock: #15
"Breaking The Girl" Mainstream Rock: #15 Modern Rock: #19
Rutherford: As stylistic rebirths go this wasn't say…U2's Achtung Baby, but it was a huge leap forward for the Chilli's that turned them from underground darlings to mainstream heavies. Subbing out the punk guitars for a more slinky fun approach and a marked restraint of bass pyrotechnics from Flea gave them a more mature (and yes, mainstream) sound that appealed to everyone. While Under The Bridge was an atypical song that launched them to stardom, their talent and continual development showed they turned it into a career rather than a albatross.
Mitch Michaels: When RHCP finally, deservedly broke into the mainstream with Blood Suger Sex Magik in 1991, older fans may not have been surprised by the funk/metal hybrid that RHCP had been grooving to for years by that time, but it sure shocked the hell out of the uninitiated. Following the death of Hillel Slovak, BSSM can be considered the real introduction of the "new" Peppers, with John Frusciante's hot guitar work, Anthony Kiedis' very personal, very trippy lyrics, and Rick Rubin's steady hand behind the production board. This is a classic.
Tollah: My only complaint about this album is that it's got too many songs. The thing is, though, that most of them are great and just hell of fun. Flea and Frusciante have never sounded better.
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
CHART HISTORY:
Album:
Billboard 200: #71
Singles:
"The Boy With The Thorn In His Side" Hot Dance Music: #49
Berry: Interested in getting familiar with The Smiths? Avoid the best of sets (i.e. Singles 1 & 2) and head straight for their 1986 classic. Besides holding some of Morrissey's most clever singing, this album also features some of guitarist Johnny Marr's brightest moments. Album highlights include the touching tune "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out", a stab at the press (?) in "Bigmouth Strikes Again", and the neo-rockabilly of "Vicar In A Tutu". The Smiths were never as tight as they were here and this album is deservedly their most well received. Above all else, The Queen Is Dead's popularity helped shift the UK's focus from synth-heavy pop over to guitar rock.
Melchor: The Cure brought the make-up and pop sensibilities, but Morrissey and Marr brought the aching and emasculation. Normally, that would be the kiss of death, but Marr knew how to write and play a lament, and Morrissey damned sure knew how to sing one. With this, they turned the volume up just a gair and turned the melancholy and pop up to the proverbial 11, letting us all know how fucked up we were.
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
