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 | Rank: 251 Album: 1 of 50 Artist: David Bowie Title: Low Released: 1977-01-14 Tracks: 14 Duration: 50:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Speed of Life (02:47) 2 Breaking Glass (01:52) 3 What in the World (02:23) 4 Sound and Vision (03:03) 5 Always Crashing in the Same Car (03:33) 6 Be My Wife (02:56) 7 A New Career in a New Town (02:53) 8 Warszawa (06:23) 9 Art Decade (03:47) 10 Weeping Wall (03:28) 11 Subterraneans (05:41) 12 Some Are (03:14) 13 All Saints (03:38) 14 Sound + Vision (David Richards remix 1991) (04:40) |
| Low : Allmusic album Review : Following through with the avant-garde inclinations of Station to Station, yet explicitly breaking with David Bowies past, Low is a dense, challenging album that confirmed his place at rocks cutting edge. Driven by dissonant synthesizers and electronics, Low is divided between brief, angular songs and atmospheric instrumentals. Throughout the records first half, the guitars are jagged and the synthesizers drone with a menacing robotic pulse, while Bowies vocals are unnaturally layered and overdubbed. During the instrumental half, the electronics turn cool, which is a relief after the intensity of the preceding avant pop. Half the credit for Lows success goes to Brian Eno, who explored similar ambient territory on his own releases. Eno functioned as a conduit for Bowies ideas, and in turn Bowie made the experimentalism of not only Eno but of the German synth group Kraftwerk and the post-punk group Wire respectable, if not quite mainstream. Though a handful of the vocal pieces on Low are accessible -- "Sound and Vision" has a shimmering guitar hook, and "Be My Wife" subverts soul structure in a surprisingly catchy fashion -- the record is defiantly experimental and dense with detail, providing a new direction for the avant-garde in rock & roll. | ||
 | Rank: 252 Album: 2 of 50 Artist: Jay‐Z Title: The Blueprint Released: 2001-09-11 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:04:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Ruler’s Back (03:51) 2 Takeover (05:16) 3 Izzo (H.O.V.A.) (04:02) 4 Girls, Girls, Girls (04:37) 5 Jigga That Nigga (03:26) 6 U Don’t Know (03:19) 7 Hola’ Hovito (04:35) 8 Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love) (03:47) 9 Never Change (04:00) 10 Song Cry (05:06) 11 All I Need (04:30) 12 Renegade (05:38) 13 Blueprint (Momma Loves Me) (12:10) |
 | Rank: 253 Album: 3 of 50 Artist: Bruce Springsteen Title: The River Released: 1980-10-10 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:23:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Ties That Bind (03:34) 2 Sherry Darling (04:03) 3 Jackson Cage (03:04) 4 Two Hearts (02:45) 5 Independence Day (04:50) 6 Hungry Heart (03:19) 7 Out in the Street (04:18) 8 Crush on You (03:10) 9 You Can Look (but You Better Not Touch) (02:37) 10 I Wanna Marry You (03:30) 11 The River (05:00) 1 Point Blank (06:06) 2 Cadillac Ranch (03:03) 3 I’m a Rocker (03:36) 4 Fade Away (04:46) 5 Stolen Car (03:54) 6 Ramrod (04:05) 7 The Price You Pay (05:29) 8 Drive All Night (08:33) 9 Wreck on the Highway (03:54) |
| The River : Allmusic album Review : After taking his early urban folk tales of cars and girls as far as he could on Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen took a long, hard look at the lives of those same Jersey street kids a few years down the line, now saddled with adult responsibilities and realizing that the American Dream was increasingly out of their grasp, on 1978s Darkness on the Edge of Town, an album that dramatically broadened Springsteens musical range and lyrical scope. With 1980s The River, Springsteen sought to expand on those themes while also offering more of the tough, bar-band rock that was his trademark (and often conspicuous in its absence on Darkness), and by the time it was released it had swelled into Springsteens first two-LP set. The River was Springsteens most ambitious work to date, even as the music sounded leaner and more strongly rooted in rock & roll tradition than anything on Darkness or Born to Run, and though the album wasnt the least bit short on good times, the fun in songs like "Two Hearts," "Out in the Street," and "Cadillac Ranch" is rarely without some weightier subtext. As the romantic rush of "Two Hearts" fades into the final break with family on "Independence Day" and the sentimentality of "I Wanna Marry You" is followed by the grim truths of the title tune, nothing is easy or without consequence in Springsteens world, and the albums themes of youthful ideals buckling under the weight of crushing reality are neatly summed up as Springsteen asks the essential question of his career, "Is a dream a lie if it dont come true?" Like many double albums, The River doesnt always balance well, and while the first half is consistently strong, part two is full of songs that work individually but dont cohere into a satisfying whole (and "Wreck on the Highway" is beautiful but fails to resolve the albums essential themes). But if the sequencing is somewhat flawed, Springsteen rises to his own challenges as a songwriter, penning a set of tunes that are heartfelt and literate but unpretentious while rocking hard, and the E Street Band were never used to better advantage, capturing the taut, swaggering force of their live shows in the studio with superb accuracy (and if the very 80s snare crack dates this album, Neil Dorfsmans engineering makes this one of Springsteens best-sounding works). The River wasnt Springsteens first attempt to make a truly adult rock & roll album, but its certainly a major step forward from Darkness on the Edge of Town, and he rarely made an album as compelling as this, or one that rewards repeat listening as well. | ||
 | Rank: 254 Album: 4 of 50 Artist: Otis Redding Title: Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul Released: 1966-10 Tracks: 12 Duration: 36:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) (02:43) 2 I’m Sick Y’All (02:57) 3 Tennessee Waltz (02:54) 4 Sweet Lorene (02:31) 5 Try a Little Tenderness (03:50) 6 Day Tripper (02:35) 7 My Lover’s Prayer (03:10) 8 She Put the Hurt on Me (02:37) 9 Ton of Joy (02:54) 10 You’re Still My Baby (03:49) 11 Hawg for You (03:29) 12 Love Have Mercy (02:29) |
| Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul : Allmusic album Review : Recorded and released in 1966, Otis Reddings fifth album, Complete and Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul found the rugged-voiced deep soul singer continuing to expand the boundaries of his style while staying true to his rough and passionate signature sound. Reddings ambitious interpretations of "Tennessee Waltz" and especially "Try a Little Tenderness" found him approaching material well outside the traditional boundaries of R&B and allowing his emotionally charged musical personality to take them to new and unexpected places, and while his cover of "Day Tripper" wasnt his first attempt to confront the British Invasion, his invigorating and idiosyncratic take on the Beatles cynical pop tune proved Reddings view of the pop music universe was broader than anyone might have expected at the time. While Reddings experiments with covers on this set were successful and satisfying, it was on his own material that he sounded most at home, and "My Lovers Prayer" and "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" are deep Southern soul at its finest, with Reddings forceful but lovelorn voice delivering an Academy Award-worthy performance. And once again, the Stax house band (centered around Booker T. & the MGs and the Memphis Horns) prove themselves both thoroughly distinctive and remarkably adaptable, fitting into the nooks and crannies of Reddings voice with their supple but muscular performances. With the exception of his duet album with Carla Thomas, Complete and Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul was the last studio album Redding would fully complete before his death, and it proves his desire for a broader musical statement didnt begin when he encountered "the love crowd" at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. | ||
 | Rank: 255 Album: 5 of 50 Artist: Metallica Title: Metallica Released: 1991-08-12 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:02:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Enter Sandman (05:32) 2 Sad but True (05:24) 3 Holier Than Thou (03:47) 4 The Unforgiven (06:27) 5 Wherever I May Roam (06:44) 6 Don’t Tread on Me (04:00) 7 Through the Never (04:04) 8 Nothing Else Matters (06:29) 9 Of Wolf and Man (04:16) 10 The God That Failed (05:08) 11 My Friend of Misery (06:49) 12 The Struggle Within (03:53) |
| Metallica : Allmusic album Review : After the muddled production and ultracomplicated song structures of ...And Justice for All, Metallica decided that they had taken the progressive elements of their music as far as they could and that a simplification and streamlining of their sound was in order. While the assessment made sense from a musical standpoint, it also presented an opportunity to commercialize their music, and Metallica accomplishes both goals. The best songs are more melodic and immediate, the crushing, stripped-down grooves of "Enter Sandman," "Sad but True," and "Wherever I May Roam" sticking to traditional structures and using the same main riffs throughout; the crisp, professional production by Bob Rock adds to their accessibility. "The Unforgiven" and "Nothing Else Matters" avoid the slash-and-burn guitar riffs that had always punctuated the bands ballads; the latter is a full-fledged love song complete with string section, which works much better than might be imagined. The song- and riff-writing slips here and there, a rare occurrence for Metallica, which some longtime fans interpreted as filler next to a batch of singles calculated for commercial success. The objections were often more to the idea that Metallica was doing anything explicitly commercial, but millions more disagreed. In fact, the bands popularity exploded so much that most of their back catalog found mainstream acceptance in its own right, while other progressively inclined speed metal bands copied the move toward simplification. In retrospect, Metallica is a good, but not quite great, album, one whose best moments deservedly captured the heavy metal crown, but whose approach also foreshadowed a creative decline. | ||
 | Rank: 256 Album: 6 of 50 Artist: Kraftwerk Title: Trans Europa Express Released: 1977 Tracks: 7 Duration: 42:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Europe Endless (09:40) 2 The Hall of Mirrors (07:54) 3 Showroom Dummies (06:13) 4 Trans-Europe Express (06:52) 5 Metal on Metal (06:43) 6 Franz Schubert (04:26) 7 Endless Endless (00:55) |
| Trans Europa Express : Allmusic album Review : Although Autobahn was a left-field masterpiece, Trans-Europe Express is often cited as perhaps the archetypal (and most accessible) Kraftwerk album. Melodic themes are repeated often and occasionally interwoven over deliberate, chugging beats, sometimes with manipulated vocals; the effect is mechanical yet hypnotic. Thematically, the record feels like parts of two different concept albums: one a meditation on the disparities between reality and image ("Hall of Mirrors" and "Showroom Dummies" share recurring images of glass, reflection, illusion, and confused identities, as well as whimsical melodies), and the other the glorification of Europe. There is an impressive composition paying homage to "Franz Schubert," but the real meat of this approach is contained in the opening love letter, "Europe Endless," and the epic title track, which shares themes and lyrics with the following track, "Metal on Metal." The song "Trans-Europe Express" is similar in concept to "Autobahn," as it mimics the swaying motion and insistent drive of a cross-continent train trip. What ultimately holds the album together, though, is the music, which is more consistently memorable even than that on Autobahn. Overall, Trans-Europe Express offers the best blend of minimalism, mechanized rhythms, and crafted, catchy melodies in the groups catalog; henceforth, their music would take on more danceable qualities only hinted at here (although the title cut provided the basis for Afrika Bambaataas enormously important dancefloor smash "Planet Rock"). | ||
 | Rank: 257 Album: 7 of 50 Artist: Whitney Houston Title: Whitney Houston Released: 1985-02-14 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:19:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You Give Good Love (04:36) 2 Thinking About You (05:26) 3 Someone for Me (05:01) 4 Saving All My Love for You (03:57) 5 Nobody Loves Me Like You Do (03:48) 6 How Will I Know (04:36) 7 All at Once (04:29) 8 Take Good Care of My Heart (04:21) 9 Greatest Love of All (04:58) 10 Hold Me (06:01) 11 Thinking About You (12‐inch dance remix) (07:16) 12 Someone for Me (12‐inch dance remix) (07:25) 13 How Will I Know (acappella) (04:00) 14 How Will I Know (12‐inch dance remix) (06:32) 15 Greatest Love of All (live from Radio City Music Hall, 1990) (07:06) |
| Whitney Houston : Allmusic album Review : As big a hit as it was -- and it was a multi-platinum blockbuster, spinning off several chart-toppers -- it’s not easy to think of Whitney Houston’s 1985 debut as the dawning of a new era, but it was. Arriving in the thick of MTV, when the slick sounds of yacht-soul were fading, Whitney Houston is the foundation of diva-pop, straddling clean, cheery R&B and big ballads designed with the adult contemporary audience in mind. Houston’s background lay in the former -- actually, it was even riskier, encompassing a stint with the experimental Bill Laswell outfit Material -- and her benefactor Clive Davis knew all about selling records to the masses. Appealing as this album is, Davis may never have imagined how Whitney Houston would shift tastes, pushing toward skyscraping ballads where the singer’s affectations, not the songs, were paramount -- a move that later led to hollow records, but on Whitney Houston the songs were as important as the immaculate productions. Certainly, the showstopping “Greatest Love of All” provided the blueprint for decades of divas, but it’s the only overblown moment here, with the rest of the ballads -- notably “Saving All My Love for You” and “You Give Good Love” -- burning slowly and seductively, but what really impresses some 20-plus years on are the lighter tracks, particularly the breakthrough single “How Will I Know” and the unheralded “Thinking About You,” a dance/R&B hit co-written by Kashif that remains one of Whitney’s purest pop pleasures. These joyful, rhythmic moments faded away from Houston’s later work -- and also rarely surfaced on the records of those who followed her -- but their presence on this debut turns this into a fully rounded record, the rare debut that manages to telegraph every aspect of an artists career in a mere ten songs. [The 2010 25th anniversary edition of Whitney Houston is expanded with five bonus tracks -- remixes of “Thinking About You,” “Someone for Me,” “How Will I Know,” a live version of “Greatest Love of All” from 1990, and a superfluous a cappella mix of “How Will I Know” -- and a bonus DVD containing music videos from the album, new interviews, and -- best of all -- Whitney’s star-making 1983 performance on The Merv Griffin Show.] | ||
 | Rank: 258 Album: 8 of 50 Artist: The Kinks Title: The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society Released: 1968-11-22 Tracks: 15 Duration: 39:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Village Green Preservation Society (02:50) 2 Do You Remember Walter? (02:27) 3 Picture Book (02:39) 4 Johnny Thunder (02:32) 5 Last of the Steam‐Powered Trains (04:13) 6 Big Sky (02:53) 7 Sitting by the Riverside (02:24) 8 Animal Farm (03:01) 9 Village Green (02:11) 10 Starstruck (02:22) 11 Phenomenal Cat (02:39) 12 All of My Friends Were There (02:25) 13 Wicked Annabella (02:44) 14 Monica (02:17) 15 People Take Pictures of Each Other (02:11) |
| The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society : Allmusic album Review : Ray Davies sentimental, nostalgic streak emerged on Something Else, but it developed into a manifesto on The Village Green Preservation Society, a concept album lamenting the passing of old-fashioned English traditions. As the opening title song says, the Kinks -- meaning Ray himself, in this case -- were for preserving "draught beer and virginity," and throughout the rest of the album, he creates a series of stories, sketches, and characters about a picturesque England that never really was. Its a lovely, gentle album, evoking a small British country town, and drawing the listener into its lazy rhythms and sensibilities. Although there is an undercurrent of regret running throughout the album, Davies fondness for the past is warm, making the album feel like a sweet, hazy dream. And considering the subdued performances and the detailed instrumentations, its not surprising that the record feels more like a Ray Davies solo project than a Kinks album. The bluesy shuffle of "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" is the closest the album comes to rock & roll, and Dave Davies cameo on the menacing "Wicked Annabella" comes as surprise, since the album is so calm. But calm doesnt mean tame or bland -- there are endless layers of musical and lyrical innovation on The Village Green Preservation Society, and its defiantly British sensibilities became the foundation of generations of British guitar pop. | ||
 | Rank: 259 Album: 9 of 50 Artist: Janet Title: The Velvet Rope Released: 1997-10-04 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:15:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Interlude: Twisted Elegance (00:42) 2 Velvet Rope (04:55) 3 You (04:42) 4 Got ’til It’s Gone (04:01) 5 Interlude: Speaker Phone (00:54) 6 My Need (03:44) 7 Interlude: Fasten Your Seatbelts (00:19) 8 Go Deep (04:42) 9 Free Xone (04:57) 10 Interlude: Memory (00:04) 11 Together Again (05:01) 12 Interlude: Online (00:19) 13 Empty (04:32) 14 Interlude: Full (00:12) 15 What About (04:24) 16 Every Time (04:17) 17 Tonight’s the Night (05:07) 18 I Get Lonely (05:17) 19 Rope Burn (04:15) 20 Anything (04:54) 21 Interlude: Sad (00:10) 22 Special (07:53) |
| The Velvet Rope : Allmusic album Review : Where janet., Ms. Jacksons third blockbuster album, implied sexuality with its teasing cover and seductive grooves, its sequel, The Velvet Rope, is sexually explicit, offering tales of bondage, body piercing, and bisexuality. Not that youd necessarily know that from listening to The Velvet Rope, since the album sags with endless interludes, murmured vocals, and subdued urban grooves. Working with her mainstays Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jackson essentially reworks the hushed atmosphere of janet., neglecting to put a new sonic spin on the material -- for an album that wants to push the limits, it sounds surprisingly tame. Similarly, Jacksons attempts to broaden her sexual horizons frequently sound forced, whether its the references to piercing or her recasting of Rod Stewarts "Tonights the Night" as a lesbian anthem. Furthermore, the album is simply too long, which means the best moments sink into the murk. And thats unfortunate, because there are good moments on The Velvet Rope, but at its running time of 70-plus minutes and 22 tracks, its hard to work up the patience to find them. | ||
 | Rank: 260 Album: 10 of 50 Artist: Willie Nelson Title: Stardust Released: 1978 Tracks: 26 Duration: 37:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Stardust (03:53) 2 Georgia on My Mind (04:21) 3 Blue Skies (03:37) 4 All of Me (03:55) 5 Unchained Melody (03:51) 6 September Song (04:38) 7 On the Sunny Side of the Street (02:39) 8 Moonlight in Vermont (03:26) 9 Don’t Get Around Much Anymore (02:37) 10 Someone to Watch Over Me (04:02) 1 What a Wonderful World (?) 2 Basin Street Blues (?) 3 Im Confessin (That I Love You) (?) 4 Im Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter (?) 5 The Gypsy (?) 6 Mona Lisa (?) 7 AC-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive (?) 8 Old Buttermilk Sky (?) 9 That Lucky Old Sun (?) 10 Little Things Mean a Lot (?) 11 Cry (?) 12 Youll Never Know (?) 13 Tenderly (?) 14 Stormy Weather (?) 15 One for My Baby (And One More for the Road) (?) 16 Angel Eyes (?) |
| Stardust : Allmusic album Review : At the height of outlaw country, Willie Nelson pulled off perhaps the riskiest move of the entire bunch. He set aside originals, country, and folk and recorded Stardust, a collection of pop standards produced by Booker T. Jones. Well, its not entirely accurate to say that he put away country and folk, since these are highly idiosyncratic interpretations of "Georgia on My Mind," "All of Me," "Moonlight in Vermont," and "Dont Get Around Much Anymore," blending pop, country, jazz, and folk in equal measures. Its not that Willie makes these songs his own, its that he reimagines these songs in a way that nobody else could, and with his trusty touring band, he makes these versions indelible. It may be strange to think that this album, containing no originals from one of Americas greatest songwriters, is what made him a star, and it continues to be one of his most beloved records, but its appropriate, actually. Stardust showcases Nelsons skills as a musician and his entire aesthetic -- where there is nothing separating classic American musical forms, it can all be played together -- perhaps better than any other album, which is why it was a sensation upon its release and grows stronger with each passing year. | ||
 | Rank: 261 Album: 11 of 50 Artist: Grateful Dead Title: American Beauty Released: 1970-11-01 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Box of Rain (05:18) 2 Friend of the Devil (03:24) 3 Sugar Magnolia (03:19) 4 Operator (02:25) 5 Candyman (05:12) 6 Ripple (04:09) 7 Brokedown Palace (04:09) 8 Till the Morning Comes (03:09) 9 Attics of My Life (05:12) 10 Truckin’ (05:06) |
| American Beauty : Allmusic album Review : With 1970s Workingmans Dead, the Grateful Dead went through an overnight metamorphosis, turning abruptly from tripped-out free-form rock toward sublime acoustic folk and Americana. Taking notes on vocal harmonies from friends Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Dead used the softer statements of their fourth studio album as a subtle but moving reflection on the turmoil, heaviness, and hope Americas youth was facing as the idealistic 60s ended. American Beauty was recorded just a few months after its predecessor, both expanding and improving on the bluegrass, folk, and psychedelic country explorations of Workingmans Dead with some of the bands most brilliant compositions. The songs here have a noticeably more relaxed and joyous feel. Having dived headfirst into this new sound with the previous album, the bandmembers found the summit of their collaborative powers here, with lyricist Robert Hunter penning some of his most poetic work, Jerry Garcia focusing more on gliding pedal steel than his regular electric lead guitar work, and standout lead vocal performances coming from Bob Weir (on the anthem to hippie love "Sugar Magnolia"), Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (on the husky blues of "Operator"), and Phil Lesh (on the near-perfect opening tune, "Box of Rain"). This album also marked the beginning of what would become a long musical friendship between Garcia and Dave Grisman, whose mandolin playing adds depth and flavor to tracks like the outlaw country-folk of "Friend of the Devil" and the gorgeously devotional "Ripple." American Beauty eventually spawned the bands highest charting single -- "Truckin," the greasy blues-rock tribute to nomadic counterculture -- but it also contained some of their most spiritual and open-hearted sentiments ever, their newfound love of intricate vocal arrangements finding pristine expression on the lamenting "Brokedown Palace" and the heavenly nostalgia and gratitude of "Attics of My Life." While the Dead eventually amassed a following so devoted that following the band from city to city became the center of many people’s lives, the majority of the bands magic came in the boundless heights it reached in its live sets but rarely managed to capture in the studio setting. American Beauty is a categorical exception to this, offering a look at the Dead transcending even their own exploratory heights and making some of their most powerful music by examining their most gentle and restrained impulses. It’s easily the masterwork of their studio output, and a strong contender for the best music the band ever made, even including the countless hours of live shows captured on tape in the decades that followed. | ||
 | Rank: 262 Album: 12 of 50 Artist: Crosby, Stills & Nash Title: Crosby, Stills & Nash Released: 1969-05-29 Tracks: 10 Duration: 40:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (07:24) 2 Marrakesh Express (02:37) 3 Guinnevere (04:39) 4 You Don’t Have to Cry (02:44) 5 Pre‐Road Downs (02:57) 6 Wooden Ships (05:27) 7 Lady of the Island (02:38) 8 Helplessly Hoping (02:41) 9 Long Time Gone (04:17) 10 49 Bye‐Byes (05:13) |
| Crosby, Stills & Nash : Allmusic album Review : The Crosby, Stills & Nash triumvirate shot to immediate superstardom with the release of its self-titled debut LP, a sparkling set immortalizing the groups amazingly close, high harmonies. While elements of the record havent dated well -- Nashs Eastern-influenced musings on the hit "Marrakesh Express" now seem more than a little silly, while the antiwar sentiments of "Wooden Ships," though well-intentioned, are rather hokey -- the harmonies are absolutely timeless, and the best material remains rock-solid. Stills gorgeous opener, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," in particular, is an epic love song remarkable in its musical and emotional intricacy, Nashs "Pre-Road Downs" is buoyant folk-pop underpinned by light psychedelic textures, and Crosbys "Long Time Gone" remains a potent indictment of the assassination of Robert Kennedy. A definitive document of its era. | ||
 | Rank: 263 Album: 13 of 50 Artist: Tracy Chapman Title: Tracy Chapman Released: 1988-04-01 Tracks: 11 Duration: 36:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Talking About a Revolution (02:40) 2 Fast Car (04:56) 3 Across the Lines (03:24) 4 Behind the Wall (01:49) 5 Baby Can I Hold You (03:14) 6 Mountains o’ Things (04:39) 7 She’s Got Her Ticket (03:56) 8 Why? (02:06) 9 For My Lover (03:12) 10 If Not Now… (03:01) 11 For You (03:09) |
| Tracy Chapman : Allmusic album Review : Arriving with little fanfare in the spring of 1988, Tracy Chapmans eponymous debut album became one of the key records of the Bush era, providing a touchstone for the entire PC movement while reviving the singer/songwriter tradition. And Tracy Chapman is firmly within the classic singer/songwriter tradition, sounding for all the world as if it was recorded in the early 70s -- that is, if all you paid attention to were the sonics, since Chapmans songs are clearly a result of the Reagan revolution. Even the love songs and laments are underscored by a realized vision of trickle-down modern life -- listen to the lyrical details of "Fast Car" for proof. Chapmans impassioned liberal activism and emotional resonance enlivens her music, breathing life into her songs even when the production is a little bit too clean. Still, the juxtaposition of contemporary themes and classic production precisely is what makes the album distinctive -- it brings the traditions into the present. At the time, it revitalized traditional folk ideals of social activism and the like, kick starting the PC revolution in the process, but if those were its only merits, Tracy Chapman would sound dated. The record continues to sound fresh because Chapmans writing is so keenly observed and her strong, gutsy singing makes each song sound intimate and immediate. | ||
 | Rank: 264 Album: 14 of 50 Artist: Grateful Dead Title: Workingman’s Dead Released: 1970-06-14 Tracks: 8 Duration: 35:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Uncle John’s Band (04:45) 2 High Time (05:15) 3 Dire Wolf (03:15) 4 New Speedway Boogie (04:06) 5 Cumberland Blues (03:18) 6 Black Peter (05:44) 7 Easy Wind (05:00) 8 Casey Jones (04:26) |
| Workingman’s Dead : Allmusic album Review : As the 60s drew to a close, it was a heavy time for the quickly crumbling hippie movement that had reached its apex just a few years earlier in 1967’s Summer of Love. Death and violence were pervasive in the form of the Manson murders, fatalities at the Altamont concert, and the ongoing loss of young lives in Vietnam despite the best efforts of anti-war activists and peace-seeking protesters. Difficult times were also upon the Grateful Dead, unofficial house band of San Francisco’s Summer of Love festivities and outspoken advocates of psychedelic experimentation both musical and chemical. The excessive studio experimentation that resulted in their trippy but disorienting third album, Aoxomoxoa, had left the band in considerable debt to their record label, and their stress wasnt helped at all by a drug bust that had members of the band facing jail time. The rough road the Dead were traveling down seemed congruent with the hard changes faced by the youth counterculture that birthed them. Fourth studio album Workingmans Dead reflects both the looming darkness of its time, and the endless hope and openness to possibility that would become emblematic of the Dead as their legacy grew. For a group already established as exploratory free-form rockers of the highest acclaim, Workingman’s Deads eight tunes threw off almost all improvisatory tendencies in favor of spare, thoughtful looks at folk, country, and American roots music with more subdued sounds than the band had managed up until then. The songs also focused more than ever before on singing and vocal harmonies, influenced in no small way by a growing friendship with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The band embraced complex vocal arrangements with campfire-suited folk on "Uncle Johns Band" and the psychedelic cowboy blues of “High Time.” Before they blasted off into hallucinatory rock as the Grateful Dead, several founding members had performed as Mother McCrees Uptown Jug Champions, a group that played traditional jug band music with earnest, heartfelt appreciation. Those early influences came into sharp focus on the bluegrass rhythms and hillbilly harmonies of "Cumberland Blues" and the glistening pedal steel and shuffling drums of "Dire Wolf." The more rocking songs add to the albums brooding feel with "New Speedway Boogie" directly addressing the violence at Altamont, and "Casey Jones," which appeared at first to be a lighthearted celebration of cocaine, but was really a lament for troubled times that felt like they were spinning off the rails. The abrupt shift toward sublime acoustic sounds on Workingmans Dead completely changed what the Grateful Dead meant to their listeners at large. The enormous risk they took in changing their sound entirely resulted in a heartbreakingly beautiful, unquestionably pure statement and one of the more important documents of its time. They’d continue this trend on the even more roots-minded American Beauty, recorded later the same year, but the limitlessness, fearlessness, and true power of the band began here. | ||
 | Rank: 265 Album: 15 of 50 Artist: Ray Charles Title: The Genius of Ray Charles Released: 1959 Tracks: 12 Duration: 38:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Let the Good Times Roll (02:52) 2 It Had to Be You (02:44) 3 Alexander’s Ragtime Band (02:54) 4 Two Years of Torture (03:25) 5 When Your Lover Has Gone (02:51) 6 ’Deed I Do (02:28) 7 Just for a Thrill (03:24) 8 You Won’t Let Me Go (03:22) 9 Tell Me You’ll Wait for Me (03:25) 10 Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Cryin’ (03:45) 11 Am I Blue (03:39) 12 Come Rain or Come Shine (03:41) |
 | Rank: 266 Album: 16 of 50 Artist: Blood, Sweat & Tears Title: Child Is Father to the Man Released: 1968-02-21 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:03:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Overture (01:32) 2 I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know (05:57) 3 Morning Glory (04:15) 4 My Days Are Numbered (03:19) 5 Without Her (02:41) 6 Just One Smile (04:38) 7 I Can’t Quit Her (03:38) 8 Meagan’s Gypsy Eyes (03:24) 9 Somethin’ Goin’ On (08:00) 10 House in the Country (03:04) 11 The Modern Adventures of Plato, Diogenes and Freud (04:12) 12 So Much Love / Underture (04:47) 13 Refugee From Yuhupitz (instrumental) (November 11, 1967 audition version) (03:45) 14 I Love You More Than Youll Ever Know (November 11, 1967 audition version) (05:54) 15 The Modern Adventures of Plato, Diogenes and Freud (November 11, 1967 audition version) (04:47) |
| Child Is Father to the Man : Allmusic album Review : Child Is Father to the Man is keyboard player/singer/arranger Al Koopers finest work, an album on which he moves the folk-blues-rock amalgamation of the Blues Project into even wider pastures, taking in classical and jazz elements (including strings and horns), all without losing the pop essence that makes the hybrid work. This is one of the great albums of the eclectic post-Sgt. Pepper era of the late 60s, a time when you could borrow styles from Greenwich Village contemporary folk to San Francisco acid rock and mix them into what seemed to have the potential to become a new American musical form. Its Koopers bluesy songs, such as "I Love You More Than Youll Ever Know" and "I Cant Quit Her," and his singing that are the primary focus, but the album is an aural delight; listen to the way the bass guitar interacts with the horns on "My Days Are Numbered" or the charming arrangement and Steve Katzs vocal on Tim Buckleys "Morning Glory." Then Kooper sings Harry Nilssons "Without Her" over a delicate, jazzy backing with flügelhorn/alto saxophone interplay by Randy Brecker and Fred Lipsius. This is the sound of a group of virtuosos enjoying itself in the newly open possibilities of pop music. Maybe it couldnt have lasted; anyway, it didnt. | ||
 | Rank: 267 Album: 17 of 50 Artist: The Who Title: Quadrophenia Released: 1973-11-16 Tracks: 30 Duration: 2:08:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Am the Sea (02:09) 2 The Real Me (03:21) 3 Quadrophenia (06:14) 4 Cut My Hair (03:49) 5 The Punk and the Godfather (05:11) 6 I’m One (02:39) 7 The Dirty Jobs (04:30) 8 Helpless Dancer (02:35) 9 Is It in My Head? (03:46) 10 I’ve Had Enough (06:17) 1 5:15 (05:02) 2 Sea and Sand (05:02) 3 Drowned (05:28) 4 Bell Boy (04:56) 5 Doctor Jimmy (08:39) 6 The Rock (06:39) 7 Love, Reign O’er Me (05:53) 1 The Real Me (demo) (04:26) 2 Quadrophenia – Four Overtures (demo) (06:20) 3 Cut My Hair (demo) (03:30) 4 Fill No. 1 – Get Out and Stay Out (demo) (01:23) 5 Quadrophenic – Four Faces (demo) (04:04) 6 We Close Tonight (demo) (02:43) 7 You Came Back (demo) (03:18) 8 Get Inside (demo) (03:11) 9 Joker James (demo) (03:42) 10 Punk (demo) (04:56) 11 I’m One (demo) (02:37) 12 Dirty Jobs (demo) (03:47) 13 Helpless Dancer (demo) (02:16) |
| Quadrophenia : Allmusic album Review : Pete Townshend revisited the rock opera concept with another double-album opus, this time built around the story of a young mods struggle to come of age in the mid-60s. If anything, this was a more ambitious project than Tommy, given added weight by the fact that the Who werent devising some fantasy but were re-examining the roots of their own birth in mod culture. In the end, there may have been too much weight, as Townshend tried to combine the story of a mixed-up mod named Jimmy with the examination of a four-way split personality (hence the title Quadrophenia), in turn meant to reflect the four conflicting personas at work within the Who itself. The concept might have ultimately been too obscure and confusing for a mass audience. But theres plenty of great music anyway, especially on "The Real Me," "The Punk Meets the Godfather," "Im One," "Bell Boy," and "Love, Reign oer Me." Some of Townshends most direct, heartfelt writing is contained here, and production-wise its a tour de force, with some of the most imaginative use of synthesizers on a rock record. Various members of the band griped endlessly about flaws in the mix, but really these will bug very few listeners, who in general will find this to be one of the Whos most powerful statements. | ||
 | Rank: 268 Album: 18 of 50 Artist: Paul Simon Title: Paul Simon Released: 1972-03 Tracks: 11 Duration: 34:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mother and Child Reunion (03:06) 2 Duncan (04:43) 3 Everything Put Together Falls Apart (02:01) 4 Run That Body Down (03:54) 5 Armistice Day (03:57) 6 Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard (02:43) 7 Peace Like a River (03:23) 8 Papa Hobo (02:35) 9 Hobo’s Blues (01:20) 10 Paranoia Blues (02:58) 11 Congratulations (03:43) |
| Paul Simon : Allmusic album Review : If any musical justification were needed for the breakup of Simon & Garfunkel, it could be found on this striking collection, Paul Simons post-split debut. From the opening cut, "Mother and Child Reunion" (a Top Ten hit), Simon, who had snuck several subtle musical explorations into the generally conservative S&G sound, broke free, heralding the rise of reggae with an exuberant track recorded in Jamaica for a song about death. From there, it was off to Paris for a track in South American style and a rambling story of a fishermans son, "Duncan" (which made the singles chart). But most of the album had a low-key feel, with Simon on acoustic guitar backed by only a few trusted associates (among them Joe Osborn, Larry Knechtel, David Spinozza, Mike Manieri, Ron Carter, and Hal Blaine, along with such guests as Stefan Grossman, Airto Moreira, and Stephane Grappelli), singing a group of informal, intimate, funny, and closely observed songs (among them the lively Top 40 hit "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard"). It was miles removed from the big, stately ballad style of Bridge Over Troubled Water and signaled that Simon was a versatile songwriter as well as an expressive singer with a much broader range of musical interests than he had previously demonstrated. You didnt miss Art Garfunkel on Paul Simon, not only because Simon didnt write Garfunkel-like showcases for himself, but because the songs he did write showed off his own, more varied musical strengths. | ||
 | Rank: 269 Album: 19 of 50 Artist: The Jesus and Mary Chain Title: Psychocandy Released: 1985-02 Tracks: 15 Duration: 42:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Just Like Honey (03:02) 2 The Living End (02:17) 3 Taste the Floor (02:57) 4 The Hardest Walk (02:40) 5 Cut Dead (02:47) 6 In a Hole (03:02) 7 Taste of Cindy (01:41) 8 Some Candy Talking (03:18) 9 Never Understand (02:58) 10 Inside Me (03:10) 11 Sowing Seeds (02:51) 12 My Little Underground (02:31) 13 You Trip Me Up (02:26) 14 Something’s Wrong (04:02) 15 It’s So Hard (02:36) |
| Psychocandy : Allmusic album Review : Arguably Psychocandy is an album with one trick and one trick alone -- Beach Boys melodies meet Velvet Underground feedback and beats, all cranked up to ten and beyond, along with plenty of echo. However, what a trick it is. Following up on the promise of the earliest singles, the Jesus and Mary Chain with Psychocandy arguably created a movement without meaning to, one that itself caused echoes in everything from bliss-out shoegaze to snotty Britpop and back again. The best tracks were without question those singles, anti-pop yet pure pop at the same time: "Just Like Honey," starting off like the Ronettes heard in a canyon and weirdly beautiful with its bells, "You Trip Me Up" and its slinking sense of cool, and most especially "Never Understand." Storming down like a rumble of bricks wrapped in cotton candy and getting more and more frenetic at the end, when theres nothing but howls and screaming noise, its one hell of a track. However, at least in terms of sheer sonic violence and mayhem, most of the other cuts were pretty hard to beat, as sprawling, amped-up messes like "The Living End" (which later inspired both a band and a movie title) and "In a Hole." "My Little Underground" is actually the secret gem on the album, with a great snarling guitar start, an almost easygoing melody and a great stuttering chorus -- not quite the Who but not quite anything else. What the Reids sing about -- entirely interchangeable combinations regarding girls, sex, drugs, speed, and boredom in more or less equal measure -- is nothing compared to the perfectly disaffected way those sentiments are delivered. Bobby Gillespies "hit the drums and then hit them again" style makes Moe Tucker seem like Neil Peart, but arguably in terms of sheer economy he doesnt need to do any more. | ||
 | Rank: 270 Album: 20 of 50 Artist: The Rolling Stones Title: Some Girls Released: 1978-06-09 Tracks: 10 Duration: 40:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Miss You (04:48) 2 When the Whip Comes Down (04:21) 3 Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) (04:38) 4 Some Girls (04:36) 5 Lies (03:11) 6 Far Away Eyes (04:23) 7 Respectable (03:07) 8 Before They Make Me Run (03:25) 9 Beast of Burden (04:25) 10 Shattered (03:47) |
| Some Girls : Allmusic album Review : During the mid-70s, the Rolling Stones remained massively popular, but their records suffered from Jaggers fascination with celebrity and Keiths worsening drug habit. By 1978, both punk and disco had swept the group off the front pages, and Some Girls was their fiery response to the younger generation. Opening with the disco-blues thump of "Miss You," Some Girls is a tough, focused, and exciting record, full of more hooks and energy than any Stones record since Exile on Main St. Even though the Stones make disco their own, they never quite take punk on their own ground. Instead, their rockers sound harder and nastier than they have in years. Using "Star Star" as a template, the Stones run through the seedy homosexual imagery of "When the Whip Comes Down," the bizarre, borderline-misogynistic vitriol of the title track, Keiths ultimate outlaw anthem, "Before They Make Me Run," and the decadent closer, "Shattered." In between, they deconstruct the Temptations "(Just My) Imagination," unleash the devastatingly snide country parody "Far Away Eyes," and contribute "Beast of Burden," one of their very best ballads. Some Girls may not have the back-street aggression of their 60s records, or the majestic, drugged-out murk of their early-70s work, but its brand of glitzy, decadent hard rock still makes it a definitive Stones album. | ||
 | Rank: 271 Album: 21 of 50 Artist: The Beach Boys Title: The Beach Boys Today! Released: 1965-03-08 Tracks: 12 Duration: 28:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Do You Wanna Dance? (02:21) 2 Good to My Baby (02:18) 3 Don’t Hurt My Little Sister (02:09) 4 When I Grow Up (to Be a Man) (02:04) 5 Help Me, Ronda (03:10) 6 Dance, Dance, Dance (02:03) 7 Please Let Me Wonder (02:48) 8 I’m So Young (02:32) 9 Kiss Me, Baby (02:37) 10 She Knows Me Too Well (02:30) 11 In the Back of My Mind (02:09) 12 Bull Session With the “Big Daddy” (02:13) |
| The Beach Boys Today! : Allmusic album Review : Brian Wilsons retirement from performing to concentrate on studio recording and production reaped immediate dividends with Today!, the first Beach Boys album that is strong almost from start to finish. "Dance, Dance, Dance" and "Do You Wanna Dance" were upbeat hits with Spector-influenced arrangements, but Wilson began to deal with more sophisticated themes on another smash 45, "When I Grow Up," on which these eternal teenagers looked forward to the advancing years with fear and uncertainty. Surf/hot rod/beach themes were permanently retired in favor of late-adolescent, early-adult romance on this album, which included such decent outings in this vein as "She Knows Me Too Well," "Kiss Me Baby," and "In the Back of My Mind." The true gem is "Please Let Me Wonder," one of the groups most delicate mid-60s works, with heartbreaking melodies and harmonies. Be aware that the version of "Help Me, Rhonda" found here is an inferior, earlier, and slower rendition; the familiar hit single take was included on their next album, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!). [Today!/Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!), a Capitol two-fer CD, combines this and Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) onto one disc, adding alternate takes of "Dance, Dance, Dance," "Im So Young," and "Let Him Run Wild," as well as a previously unreleased studio version of "Graduation Day." Most significantly, it also adds the non-LP single from late 1965, "The Little Girl I Once Knew," which looked forward to Pet Sounds in its studio experimentation and lyrical themes.] | ||
 | Rank: 272 Album: 22 of 50 Artist: Sleater‐Kinney Title: Dig Me Out Released: 1997-04-08 Tracks: 13 Duration: 36:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dig Me Out (02:40) 2 One More Hour (03:19) 3 Turn It On (02:47) 4 The Drama You’ve Been Craving (02:08) 5 Heart Factory (03:54) 6 Words and Guitar (02:21) 7 It’s Enough (01:46) 8 Little Babies (02:22) 9 Not What You Want (03:17) 10 Buy Her Candy (02:02) 11 Things You Say (02:56) 12 Dance Song 97 (02:49) 13 Jenny (04:02) |
| Dig Me Out : Allmusic album Review : Having reinvented the girl-punk wheel with Call the Doctor, Sleater-Kinney continues to expand the boundaries of the form with the stunning Dig Me Out. Leaner and more intricate than its predecessor, the record is remarkably confident and mature; instead of succumbing to the pressures of "next big thing" status, the trio finds vindication in all of their critical adulation -- the vocals are even more ferocious, the melodies are even more infectious, and the ideals are even more passionate. | ||
 | Rank: 273 Album: 23 of 50 Artist: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles Title: Going to a Go-Go Released: 1966 Tracks: 12 Duration: 34:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Tracks of My Tears (02:57) 2 Going to a Go-Go (02:49) 3 Ooo Baby Baby (02:45) 4 My Girl Has Gone (02:54) 5 In Case You Need Love (02:41) 6 Choosey Beggar (02:37) 7 Since You Won My Heart (02:20) 8 From Head to Toe (02:28) 9 All That’s Good (03:16) 10 My Baby Changes Like the Weather (02:50) 11 Let Me Have Some (03:12) 12 A Fork in the Road (03:29) |
| Going to a Go-Go : Allmusic album Review : Though its title track ignited a nationwide fad for go-go music, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles Going to a Go-Go LP certainly wasnt just a cash-in effort. Its one of the best records the group put out, and the first six songs make for the best side of any original Motown LP of the 60s (granted, all but one are also available on dozens of Miracles compilations). The four biggest hits were among the best in a set of Miracles archetypes: the throwback to the aching 50s doo wop ballad ("Ooo Baby, Baby"), the flashy up-tempo dance song ("Going to a Go-Go"), the dancing-with-tears-in-my-eyes jerker ("The Tracks of My Tears"), and the mid-tempo orchestral epic ("My Girl Has Gone"). "Choosey Beggar" is one of the sweetest of all Robinsons lead vocals, with stunning background work by the rest of the Miracles. Even the album tracks shine, with "All Thats Good" and "Let Me Have Some" working as excellent additions to the program. | ||
 | Rank: 274 Album: 24 of 50 Artist: LaBelle Title: Nightbirds Released: 1974 Tracks: 10 Duration: 36:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Lady Marmalade (03:56) 2 Somebody Somewhere (03:25) 3 Are You Lonely? (03:11) 4 It Took a Long Time (04:03) 5 Don’t Bring Me Down (02:48) 6 What Can I Do for You? (04:02) 7 Nightbird (03:09) 8 Space Children (03:02) 9 All Girl Band (03:50) 10 You Turn Me On (04:36) |
 | Rank: 275 Album: 25 of 50 Artist: Eminem Title: The Slim Shady LP Released: 1999-02-23 Tracks: 20 Duration: 59:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Public Service Announcement (00:33) 2 My Name Is (04:29) 3 Guilty Conscience (03:20) 4 Brain Damage (03:46) 5 Paul (00:15) 6 If I Had (04:05) 7 ’97 Bonnie & Clyde (05:16) 8 Bitch (00:19) 9 Role Model (03:26) 10 Lounge (00:46) 11 My Fault (04:01) 12 Ken Kaniff (01:16) 13 Cum on Everybody (03:39) 14 Rock Bottom (03:34) 15 Just Don’t Give a Fuck (04:02) 16 Soap (00:34) 17 As the World Turns (04:25) 18 I’m Shady (03:32) 19 Bad Meets Evil (04:13) 20 Still Don’t Give a Fuck (04:11) |
| The Slim Shady LP : Allmusic album Review : Given his subsequent superstardom, culminating in no less than an Academy Award, it may be easy to overlook exactly how demonized Eminem was once his mainstream debut album, The Slim Shady LP, grabbed the attention of pop music upon its release in 1999. Then, it wasnt clear to every listener that Eminem was, as they say, an unreliable narrator, somebody who slung satire, lies, uncomfortable truths, and lacerating insights with vigor and venom, blurring the line between reality and parody, all seemingly without effort. The Slim Shady LP bristles with this tension, since its never always clear when Marshall Mathers is joking and when hes dead serious. This was unsettling in 1999, when nobody knew his back-story, and years later, when his personal turmoil is public knowledge, it still can be unsettling, because his words and delivery are that powerful. Of course, nowhere is this more true than on "97 Bonnie and Clyde," a notorious track where he imagines killing his wife and then disposing of the body with his baby daughter in tow. There have been more violent songs in rap, but few more disturbing, and its not because of what it describes, its how he describes it -- how the perfectly modulated phrasing enhances the horror and black humor of his words. Eminems supreme gifts are an expansive vocabulary and vivid imagination, which he unleashes with wicked humor and unsparing anger in equal measure. The production -- masterminded by Dr. Dre but also helmed in large doses by Marky and Jeff Bass, along with Marshall himself -- mirrors his rhymes, with their spare, intricately layered arrangements enhancing his narratives, which are always at the forefront. As well they should be -- there are few rappers as wildly gifted verbally as Eminem. At a time when many rappers were stuck in the stultifying swamp of gangsta clichés, Eminem broke through the hardcore murk by abandoning the genres familiar themes and flaunting a style with more verbal muscle and imagination than any of his contemporaries. Years later, as the shock has faded, its those lyrical skills and the subtle mastery of the music that still resonate, and theyre what make The Slim Shady LP one of the great debuts in both hip-hop and modern pop music. | ||
 | Rank: 276 Album: 26 of 50 Artist: Parliament Title: Mothership Connection Released: 1975 Tracks: 8 Duration: 41:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up) (07:41) 2 Mothership Connection (Star Child) (06:14) 3 Unfunky UFO (04:24) 4 Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication (05:04) 5 Handcuffs (04:03) 6 Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker) (05:47) 7 Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples (05:10) 8 Star Child (Mothership Connection) (promo radio version) (03:08) |
| Mothership Connection : Allmusic album Review : The definitive Parliament-Funkadelic album, Mothership Connection is where George Clintons revolving band lineups, differing musical approaches, and increasingly thematic album statements reached an ideal state, one that resulted in enormous commercial success as well as a timeless legacy that would be compounded by hip-hop postmodernists, most memorably Dr. Dre on his landmark album The Chronic (1992). The musical lineup assembled for Mothership Connection is peerless: in addition to keyboard wizard Bernie Worrell; Bootsy Collins, who plays not only bass but also drums and guitar; the guitar trio of Gary Shider, Michael Hampton, and Glen Goins; and the Brecker Brothers (Michael and Randy) on horns; there are former J.B.s Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker (also on horns), who were the latest additions to the P-Funk stable. Besides the dazzling array of musicians, Mothership Connection boasts a trio of hands-down classics -- "P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)," "Mothership Connection (Star Child)," "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" -- that are among the best to ever arise from the funk era, each sampled and interpolated time and time again by rap producers; in particular, Dr. Dre pays homage to the former two on The Chronic (on "The Roach" and "Let Me Ride," respectively). The remaining four songs on Mothership Connection are all great also, if less canonical. Lastly, theres the overlapping outer-space theme, which ties the album together into a loose escapist narrative. Theres no better starting point in the enormous P-Funk catalog than Mothership Connection, which, like its trio of classic songs, is undoubtedly among the best of the funk era. | ||
 | Rank: 277 Album: 27 of 50 Artist: Janet Jackson Title: Rhythm Nation 1814 Released: 1989-09-15 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:04:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Interlude: Pledge (00:47) 2 Rhythm Nation (05:30) 3 Interlude: T.V. (00:21) 4 State of the World (04:48) 5 Interlude: Race (00:04) 6 The Knowledge (03:53) 7 Interlude: Let’s Dance (00:03) 8 Miss You Much (04:12) 9 Interlude: Come Back Interlude (00:21) 10 Love Will Never Do (Without You) (05:50) 11 Livin’ in a World (They Didn’t Make) (04:41) 12 Alright (06:26) 13 Interlude: Hey Baby (00:09) 14 Escapade (04:45) 15 Interlude: No Acid (00:05) 16 Black Cat (04:50) 17 Lonely (04:59) 18 Come Back to Me (05:33) 19 Someday Is Tonight (06:01) 20 Interlude: Livin’… in Complete Darkness (01:07) |
| Rhythm Nation 1814 : Allmusic album Review : After shocking the R&B world with 1986s Control -- a gutsy, risk-taking triumph that was a radical departure from her first two albums -- Michael and Jermaine Jacksons younger sister reached an even higher artistic plateau with the conceptual Rhythm Nation 1814. Once again, she enlists the help of Time graduates Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (one of the more soulful production/songwriting teams of 1980s and 90s R&B) with wildly successful results. In 1989, protest songs were common in rap but rare in R&B -- Janet Jackson, following raps lead, dares to address social and political topics on "The Knowledge," the disturbing "State of the World," and the poignant ballad "Living in a World" (which decries the reality of children being exposed to violence). Jacksons voice is wafer-thin, and she doesnt have much of a range -- but she definitely has lots of soul and spirit and uses it to maximum advantage on those gems as well as nonpolitical pieces ranging from the Prince-influenced funk/pop of "Miss You Much" and "Alright" to the caressing, silky ballads "Someday Is Tonight," "Alone," and "Come Back to Me" to the pop/rock smoker "Black Cat." For those purchasing their first Janet Jackson release, Rhythm Nation would be an even wiser investment than Control -- and thats saying a lot. | ||
 | Rank: 278 Album: 28 of 50 Artist: Various Artists Title: Anthology of American Folk Music Released: 1997-08-19 Tracks: 27 Duration: 1:28:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Henry Lee (03:28) 2 Fatal Flower Garden (02:58) 3 The House Carpenter (03:16) 4 Drunkard’s Special (03:16) 5 Old Lady and the Devil (03:05) 6 The Butchers Boy (03:05) 7 The Wagoner’s Lad (03:05) 8 King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki‐Me‐O (03:09) 9 Old Shoes and Leggin’s (03:01) 10 Willie Moore (03:16) 11 A Lazy Farmer Boy (03:00) 12 Peg and Awl (02:59) 13 Ommie Wise (03:12) 14 My Name Is John Johanna (03:13) 1 Bandit Cole Younger (02:57) 2 Charles Giteau (03:05) 3 John Hardy Was a Desperate Little Man (02:56) 4 Gonna Die With My Hammer in My Hand (03:26) 5 Stackalee (03:02) 6 White House Blues (03:27) 7 Frank Hurt (03:24) 8 When That Great Ship Went Down (02:58) 9 Engine 143 (03:17) 10 Kassie Jones (06:16) 11 Down on Penny’s Farm (02:50) 12 Mississippi Boweavil Blues (03:09) 13 Got the Farm Land Blues (03:17) |
 | Rank: 279 Album: 29 of 50 Artist: David Bowie Title: Aladdin Sane Released: 1973-04-13 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Watch That Man (04:30) 2 Aladdin Sane (1913–1938–197?) (05:08) 3 Drive‐In Saturday (04:31) 4 Panic in Detroit (04:27) 5 Cracked Actor (03:01) 6 Time (05:14) 7 The Prettiest Star (03:31) 8 Let’s Spend the Night Together (03:10) 9 The Jean Genie (04:07) 10 Lady Grinning Soul (03:53) |
| Aladdin Sane : Allmusic album Review : Ziggy Stardust wrote the blueprint for David Bowies hard-rocking glam, and Aladdin Sane essentially follows the pattern, for both better and worse. A lighter affair than Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane is actually a stranger album than its predecessor, buoyed by bizarre lounge-jazz flourishes from pianist Mick Garson and a handful of winding, vaguely experimental songs. Bowie abandons his futuristic obsessions to concentrate on the detached cool of New York and London hipsters, as on the compressed rockers "Watch That Man," "Cracked Actor," and "The Jean Genie." Bowie follows the hard stuff with the jazzy, dissonant sprawls of "Lady Grinning Soul," "Aladdin Sane," and "Time," all of which manage to be both campy and avant-garde simultaneously, while the sweepingly cinematic "Drive-In Saturday" is a soaring fusion of sci-fi doo wop and melodramatic teenage glam. He lets his paranoia slip through in the clenched rhythms of "Panic in Detroit," as well as on his oddly clueless cover of "Lets Spend the Night Together." For all the pleasures on Aladdin Sane, theres no distinctive sound or theme to make the album cohesive; its Bowie riding the wake of Ziggy Stardust, which means theres a wealth of classic material here, but not enough focus to make the album itself a classic. | ||
 | Rank: 280 Album: 30 of 50 Artist: U2 Title: All That You Can’t Leave Behind Released: 2000-10-30 Tracks: 11 Duration: 49:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Beautiful Day (04:08) 2 Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of (04:32) 3 Elevation (03:48) 4 Walk On (04:56) 5 Kite (04:26) 6 In a Little While (03:39) 7 Wild Honey (03:46) 8 Peace on Earth (04:48) 9 When I Look at the World (04:17) 10 New York (05:30) 11 Grace (05:30) |
| All That You Can’t Leave Behind : Allmusic album Review : Nearly ten years after beginning U2 Mach II with their brilliant seventh album Achtung Baby, U2 ease into their third phase with 2000s All That You Cant Leave Behind. The title signifies more than it seems, since the group sifts through its past, working with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, all in an effort to construct a classicist U2 album. Thankfully, its a rock record from a band that absorbed all the elastic experimentation, studio trickery, dance flirtations, and genre bending of Achtung, Zooropa, and Pop -- all theyve shed is the irony. U2 choose not to delve as darkly personal as they did on Achtung or Zooropa, yet they also avoid the alienating archness of Pop, returning to the generous spirit that flowed through their best 80s records. On that level, All may be reminiscent of The Joshua Tree, but this is a clever and craftsmanlike record, filled with nifty twists in the arrangements, small sonic details, and colors. U2 take subtle risks, such as their best pure pop song ever with "Wild Honey"; theyre so self-confident they effortlessly write their best anthem in years with "Beautiful Day"; they offer the gospel-influenced "Stuck in a Moment," never once lowering it to the shtick it would have been on Rattle and Hum. Like any work from craftsmen, All That You Cant Leave Behind winds up being a work of modest pleasures, where the way the verse eases into the chorus means more than the overall message, and this is truly the first U2 album where that sentiment applies -- but there is genuine pleasure in their craft, for the band and listener alike. | ||
 | Rank: 281 Album: 31 of 50 Artist: Mary J. Blige Title: My Life Released: 1994 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:05:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Intro (01:03) 2 Mary Jane (All Night Long) (04:39) 3 You Bring Me Joy (04:13) 4 Marvin Interlude (00:36) 5 Im the Only Women (04:30) 6 K. Murray Interlude (00:22) 7 My Life (04:17) 8 You Gotta Believe (05:02) 9 I Never Wanna Live Without You (06:17) 10 Im Goin Down (03:42) 11 My Life Interlude (01:15) 12 Be With You (04:26) 13 Marys Joint (05:02) 14 Dont Go (04:59) 15 I Love You (04:31) 16 No One Else (04:14) 17 Be Happy (05:49) |
| My Life : Allmusic album Review : Perhaps the single finest moment in Sean "Puffy" Combs musical career has been the production on this, Mary J. Bliges second proper album. The production is not exactly original, and there is evidence here of him borrowing wholesale from other songs. The melodic sources this time around, though, are so expertly incorporated into the music that they never seem to be intrusions, instead playing like inspired dialogues with soulsters from the past, connecting past legacies with a new one. This certainly isnt your parents (or grandparents) soul. But it is some of the finest modern soul of the 90s, backing away to a certain extent from the hip-hop/soul consolidation that Blige introduced on her debut album. The hip-hop part of the combination takes a few steps into the background, allowing Bliges tortured soul to carry the album completely, and it does so with heartwrenching authority. My Life is, from beginning to end, a brilliant, wistful individual plea of desire. Blige took a huge leap in artistry by penning almost everything herself (the major exception being Norman Whitfields "Im Going Down") in collaboration with co-producers Combs and multi-instrumentalist Chucky Thompson, and everything seems to leap directly from her gut. Bliges strain is sleekly modern and urban, and the grit in it comes from being streetwise and thoroughly realistic about the travails of life. My Life, nevertheless, emanates from some deep, dark place where both sadness and happiness cohabitate and turn into one single, beautiful sorrow. | ||
 | Rank: 282 Album: 32 of 50 Artist: Muddy Waters Title: Folk Singer Released: 1964 Tracks: 11 Duration: 40:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 My Home Is in the Delta (04:00) 2 Long Distance (03:32) 3 My Captain (05:12) 4 Good Morning School Girl (03:14) 5 You Gonna Need My Help (03:07) 6 Cold Weather Blues (04:41) 7 Big Leg Woman (03:28) 8 Country Boy (03:28) 9 Feel Like Going Home (03:53) 10 You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had (02:58) 11 The Same Thing (02:44) |
| Folk Singer : Allmusic album Review : Muddys "unplugged" album was cut in September of 1963 and still sounds fresh and vital today. It was Muddy simply returning to his original style on a plain acoustic guitar in a well-tuned room with Willie Dixon on string bass, Clifton James on drums, and Buddy Guy on second acoustic guitar. The nine tracks are divvied up between full rhythm section treatments with Buddy and Muddy as a duo and the final track, "Feel Like Going Home," which Waters approaches solo. What makes this version of the album a worthwhile buy is the inclusion of five bonus tracks from his next two sessions: An April 1964 session brings us Willie Dixons "The Same Thing" and Muddys "You Cant Lose What You Never Had," while the October 1964 session features J.T. Brown on sax and clarinet on "Short Dress Woman" and "My John the Conqueror Root," as well as "Put Me in Your Lay Away," another strong side. Folk Singer offers both sides of Muddy from the early 60s. | ||
 | Rank: 283 Album: 33 of 50 Artist: Barry White Title: Can’t Get Enough Released: 1974-08 Tracks: 7 Duration: 31:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mellow Mood, Part I (01:52) 2 You’re the First, the Last, My Everything (04:33) 3 I Can’t Believe You Love Me (10:21) 4 Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe (04:30) 5 Oh Love, Well We Finally Made It (03:51) 6 I Love You More Than Anything (In This World Girl) (04:59) 7 Mellow Mood, Part II (01:22) |
| Can’t Get Enough : Allmusic album Review : The third in Whites mostly stellar run of albums on the 20th Century label, Cant Get Enough finds the bedroom alchemist coming up with another solid batch of lush, proto-disco gems. White went from strength to strength during the 70s, collaborating with co-arranger Gene Page on some of the most sophisticated and seamless charts in popular music (Philly soul architects Leon Huff, Kenny Gamble, and Thom Bell also deserve recognition in this regard). And thanks to an amazing succession of hits, White not only impressed the music cognoscenti, but repeatedly scored with the radio faithful, too -- Cant Get Enough features two of his biggest chart toppers, "Youre the First, the Last, My Everything" and "Cant Get Enough of Your Love, Babe." And besides the hits, its not just all padding here: "I Cant Believe You Love Me" and "Oh Love, Well We Finally We Made It" qualify as two of Whites most fetching slow burners, while "Mellow Mood (Pts. 1 & 2)" shows off his knack for layered instrumentals. Another highlight from Whites prime. | ||
 | Rank: 284 Album: 34 of 50 Artist: The Cars Title: The Cars Released: 1978-06-06 Tracks: 9 Duration: 35:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Good Times Roll (03:45) 2 My Best Friend’s Girl (03:43) 3 Just What I Needed (03:45) 4 I’m in Touch With Your World (03:31) 5 Don’t Cha Stop (03:03) 6 You’re All I’ve Got Tonight (04:13) 7 Bye Bye Love (04:13) 8 Moving in Stereo (05:15) 9 All Mixed Up (04:17) |
| The Cars : Allmusic album Review : The Cars 1978 self-titled debut, issued on the Elektra label, is a genuine rock masterpiece. The band jokingly referred to the album as their "true greatest-hits album," but its no exaggeration -- all nine tracks are new wave/rock classics, still in rotation on rock radio. Whereas most bands of the late 70s embraced either punk/new wave or hard rock, the Cars were one of the first bands to do the unthinkable -- merge the two styles together. Add to it bandleader/songwriter Ric Ocaseks supreme pop sensibilities, and you had an album that appealed to new wavers, rockers, and Top 40 fans. One of the most popular new wave songs ever, "Just What I Needed," is an obvious highlight, as are such familiar hits as "Good Times Roll," "My Best Friends Girl," and "Youre All Ive Got Tonight." But like most consummate rock albums, the lesser-known compositions are just as exhilarating: "Dont Cha Stop," "Bye Bye Love," "All Mixed Up," and "Moving in Stereo," the latter featured as an instrumental during a steamy scene in the popular movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. With flawless performances, songwriting, and production (courtesy of Queen alumni Roy Thomas Baker), the Cars debut remains one of rocks all-time classics. | ||
 | Rank: 285 Album: 35 of 50 Artist: Stevie Wonder Title: Music of My Mind Released: 1972-03-03 Tracks: 9 Duration: 47:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Love Having You Around (07:23) 2 Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You) (08:07) 3 I Love Every Little Thing About You (03:55) 4 Sweet Little Girl (04:59) 5 Happier Than the Morning Sun (05:18) 6 Girl Blue (03:36) 7 Seems So Long (04:22) 8 Keep On Running (06:40) 9 Evil (03:33) |
| Music of My Mind : Allmusic album Review : With a new contract from Motown in his hand, Stevie Wonder released Music of My Mind, his first truly unified record and, with the exception of a single part on two songs, the work of a one-man-band. Everything he had learned about musicianship, engineering, and production during his long apprenticeship in the Snakepit at Motown Studios came together here (from the liner notes: "The sounds themselves come from inside his mind. The man is his own instrument. The instrument is an orchestra.") Music of My Mind was also the first to bear the fruits of his increased focus on Moog and Arp synthesizers, though the songs never sound synthetic, due in great part to Stevies reliance on a parade of real instruments -- organic drumwork, harmonica, organs and pianos -- as well as his mastery of traditional song structure and his immense musical personality. The intro of the vibrant, tender "I Love Every Little Thing About You" is a perfect example, humanized with a series of lightly breathed syllables for background rhythm. And when the synthesizers do appear, its always in the perfect context: the standout "Superwoman" really benefits from its high-frequency harmonics, and "Seems So Long" wouldnt sound quite as affectionate without the warm electronics gurgling in the background. This still wasnt a perfect record, though; "Sweet Little Girl" was an awkward song, with Stevie assuming another of his embarrassing musical personalities to fawn over a girl. | ||
 | Rank: 286 Album: 36 of 50 Artist: Al Green Title: I’m Still in Love With You Released: 1972-10-23 Tracks: 9 Duration: 35:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I’m Still in Love With You (03:13) 2 I’m Glad You’re Mine (02:56) 3 Love and Happiness (05:07) 4 What a Wonderful Thing Love Is (03:37) 5 Simply Beautiful (04:11) 6 Oh, Pretty Woman (03:21) 7 For the Good Times (06:27) 8 Look What You Done for Me (03:06) 9 One of These Good Old Days (03:15) |
| I’m Still in Love With You : Allmusic album Review : Im Still in Love With You shares many surface similarities with its predecessor, Lets Stay Together; from Al Green and Willie Mitchells distinctive, sexy style to the pacing and song selection. Despite those shared traits, Im Still in Love With You distinguishes itself with its suave, romantic tone and its subtly ambitious choice of material. Green began exploring country music with this album by performing a startling version of Kris Kristoffersons "For the Good Times," as well as a wonderful, slow reinterpretation of Roy Orbisons "Oh Pretty Woman." And the soul numbers are more complex than they would appear -- listen to how the beat falls together at the beginning of "Love and Happiness," or the sly melody of the title track. There isnt a wasted track on Im Still in Love With You, and in many ways it rivals its follow-up, Call Me, as Greens masterpiece. | ||
 | Rank: 287 Album: 37 of 50 Artist: X Title: Los Angeles Released: 1980-04 Tracks: 14 Duration: 39:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Your Phone’s Off the Hook, but You’re Not (02:25) 2 Johny Hit and Run Paulene (02:50) 3 Soul Kitchen (02:25) 4 Nausea (03:40) 5 Sugarlight (02:28) 6 Los Angeles (02:25) 7 Sex and Dying in High Society (02:15) 8 The Unheard Music (04:49) 9 The World’s a Mess; It’s in My Kiss (04:43) 10 I’m Coming Over (demo) (01:24) 11 Adult Books (Dangerhouse rough mix) (03:21) 12 Delta 88 (demo) (01:28) 13 Cyrano De Berger’s Back (rehearsal) (03:01) 14 Los Angeles (Dangerhouse version) (02:14) |
| Los Angeles : Allmusic album Review : By the late 70s, punk rock and hardcore were infiltrating the Los Angeles music scene. Such bands as Black Flag, the Germs, and, especially, X were the leaders of the pack, prompting an avalanche of copycat bands and eventually signing record contracts themselves. Xs debut, Los Angeles, is considered by many to be one of punks all-time finest recordings, and with good reason. Most punk bands used their musical inability to create their own style, but X actually consisted of some truly gifted musicians, including rockabilly guitarist Billy Zoom, bassist John Doe, and frontwoman Exene Cervenka, who, with Doe, penned poetic lyrics and perfected sweet yet biting vocal harmonies. Los Angeles is prime X, offering such all-time classics as the venomous "Your Phones Off the Hook, but Youre Not," a tale of date rape called "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene," and two of their best anthems (and enduring concert favorites), "Nausea" and the title track. While they were tagged as a punk rock act from the get-go (many felt that this eventually proved a hindrance), X are not easily categorized. Although they utilize elements of punks frenzy and electricity, they also add country, ballads, and rockabilly to the mix. | ||
 | Rank: 288 Album: 38 of 50 Artist: Grateful Dead Title: Anthem of the Sun Released: 1968-07-18 Tracks: 5 Duration: 39:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 That’s It for the Other One: I. Cryptical Envelopment / II. Quadlibet for Tender Feet / III. The Faster We Go, the Rounder We Get / IV. We Leave the Castle (07:40) 2 New Potato Caboose (08:26) 3 Born Cross‐Eyed (02:05) 4 Alligator (11:20) 5 Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks) (09:30) |
 | Rank: 289 Album: 39 of 50 Artist: The Kinks Title: Something Else by The Kinks Released: 1967-09-15 Tracks: 13 Duration: 36:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 David Watts (02:39) 2 Death of a Clown (03:13) 3 Two Sisters (02:02) 4 No Return (02:02) 5 Harry Rag (02:17) 6 Tin Soldier Man (02:51) 7 Situation Vacant (03:16) 8 Love Me Till the Sun Shines (03:22) 9 Lazy Old Sun (02:46) 10 Afternoon Tea (03:23) 11 Funny Face (02:27) 12 End of the Season (02:58) 13 Waterloo Sunset (03:16) |
| Something Else by The Kinks : Allmusic album Review : Face to Face was a remarkable record, but its follow-up, Something Else, expands its accomplishments, offering 13 classic British pop songs. As Ray Davies songwriting becomes more refined, he becomes more nostalgic and sentimental, retreating from the psychedelic and mod posturings that had dominated the rock world. Indeed, Something Else sounds like nothing else from 1967. The Kinks never rock very hard on the album, preferring acoustic ballads, music hall numbers, and tempered R&B to full-out guitar attacks. Part of the albums power lies in its calm music, since it provides an elegant support for Davies character portraits and vignettes. From the martial stomp of "David Watts" to the lovely, shimmering "Waterloo Sunset," theres not a weak song on the record, and several -- such as the allegorical "Two Sisters," the Noël Coward-esque "End of the Season," the rolling "Lazy Old Sun," and the wry "Situation Vacant" -- are stunners. And just as impressive is the emergence of Dave Davies as a songwriter. His Dylanesque "Death of a Clown" and bluesy rocker "Love Me Till the Sun Shines" hold their own against Rays masterpieces, and help make Something Else the endlessly fascinating album that it is. | ||
 | Rank: 290 Album: 40 of 50 Artist: Al Green Title: Call Me Released: 1973-07-18 Tracks: 9 Duration: 35:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Call Me (Come Back Home) (03:05) 2 Have You Been Making Out O.K. (03:46) 3 Stand Up (03:28) 4 Im So Lonesome I Could Cry (03:13) 5 Your Love Is Like the Morning Sun (03:11) 6 Here I Am (Come and Take Me) (04:15) 7 Funny How Time Slips Away (05:35) 8 You Ought to Be With Me (03:19) 9 Jesus Is Waiting (05:37) |
| Call Me : Allmusic album Review : Al Green reached his creative peak with the brilliant Call Me, the most inventive and assured album of his career. So silky and fluid as to sound almost effortless, Greens vocals revel in the lush strings and evocative horns of Willie Mitchells superbly intimate production, barely rising above an angelic whisper for the gossamer "Have You Been Making Out O.K.." With barely perceptible changes in mood, Call Me covers remarkable ground, spanning from "Stand Up" -- a call to arms delivered with characteristic understatement -- to renditions of Hank Williams "Im So Lonesome I Could Cry" and Willie Nelsons "Funny How Time Slips Away," both of them exemplary fusions of country and soul. Equally compelling are the albums three Top Ten hits -- "You Ought to Be With Me," "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)," and the shimmering title cut. A classic. | ||
 | Rank: 291 Album: 41 of 50 Artist: Talking Heads Title: Talking Heads: 77 Released: 1977-09-16 Tracks: 11 Duration: 38:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Uh‐Oh, Love Comes to Town (02:49) 2 New Feeling (03:09) 3 Tentative Decisions (03:08) 4 Happy Day (03:55) 5 Who Is It? (01:44) 6 No Compassion (04:49) 7 The Book I Read (04:10) 8 Don’t Worry About the Government (03:01) 9 First Week / Last Week… Carefree (03:21) 10 Psycho Killer (04:20) 11 Pulled Up (04:28) |
| Talking Heads: 77 : Allmusic album Review : Though they were the most highly touted new wave band to emerge from the CBGBs scene in New York, it was not clear at first whether Talking Heads Lower East Side art rock approach could make the subway ride to the midtown pop mainstream successfully. The leadoff track of the debut album, Talking Heads: 77, "Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town," was a pop song that emphasized the groups unlikely roots in late-60s bubblegum, Motown, and Caribbean music. But the "Uh-Oh" gave away the groups game early, with its nervous, disconnected lyrics and David Byrnes strained voice. All pretenses of normality were abandoned by the second track, as Talking Heads finally started to sound on record the way they did downtown: the staggered rhythms and sudden tempo changes, the odd guitar tunings and rhythmic, single-note patterns, the non-rhyming, non-linear lyrics that came across like odd remarks overheard from a psychiatrists couch, and that voice, singing above its normal range, its falsetto leaps and strangled cries resembling a madman trying desperately to sound normal. Talking Heads threw you off balance, but grabbed your attention with a sound that seemed alternately threatening and goofy. The music was undeniably catchy, even at its most ominous, especially on "Psycho Killer," Byrnes supreme statement of demented purpose. Amazingly, that song made the singles chart for a few weeks, evidence of the groups quirky appeal, but the album was not a big hit, and it remained unclear whether Talking Heads spoke only the secret language of the urban arts types or whether that could be translated into the more common tongue of hip pop culture. In any case, they had succeeded as artists, using existing elements in an unusual combination to create something new that still managed to be oddly familiar. And that made Talking Heads: 77 a landmark album. | ||
 | Rank: 292 Album: 42 of 50 Artist: Bob Dylan & The Band Title: The Basement Tapes Released: 1975-06-26 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:17:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Odds and Ends (01:47) 2 Orange Juice Blues (Blues for Breakfast) (03:39) 3 Million Dollar Bash (02:33) 4 Yazoo Street Scandal (03:30) 5 Goin’ to Acapulco (05:29) 6 Katie’s Been Gone (02:45) 7 Lo and Behold! (02:47) 8 Bessie Smith (04:18) 9 Clothes Line Saga (02:57) 10 Apple Suckling Tree (02:49) 11 Please, Mrs. Henry (02:34) 12 Tears of Rage (04:12) 1 Too Much of Nothing (03:03) 2 Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread (02:15) 3 Ain’t No More Cane (03:57) 4 Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood) (02:05) 5 Ruben Remus (03:15) 6 Tiny Montgomery (02:47) 7 You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (02:42) 8 Don’t Ya Tell Henry (03:14) 9 Nothing Was Delivered (04:24) 10 Open the Door, Homer (02:50) 11 Long Distance Operator (03:40) 12 This Wheel’s on Fire (03:50) |
 | Rank: 293 Album: 43 of 50 Artist: The Velvet Underground Title: White Light/White Heat Released: 1968-01-30 Tracks: 30 Duration: 3:08:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 White Light/White Heat (02:47) 2 The Gift (08:19) 3 Lady Godiva’s Operation (04:56) 4 Here She Comes Now (02:05) 5 I Heard Her Call My Name (04:38) 6 Sister Ray (17:31) 7 I Heard Her Call My Name (alternate take) (04:38) 8 Guess I’m Falling in Love (instrumental version) (03:33) 9 Temptation Inside Your Heart (original mix) (02:32) 10 Stephanie Says (original mix) (02:49) 11 Hey Mr. Rain (version one) (04:39) 12 Hey Mr. Rain (version two) (05:24) 13 Beginning to See the Light (previously unreleased early version) (03:39) 1 White Light/White Heat (02:47) 2 The Gift (08:17) 3 Lady Godiva’s Operation (04:55) 4 Here She Comes Now (02:03) 5 I Heard Her Call My Name (04:37) 6 Sister Ray (17:31) 7 White Light/White Heat (mono single mix) (02:48) 8 Here She Comes Now (02:03) 9 The Gift (vocal version) (08:07) 10 The Gift (instrumental version) (08:16) 1 Booker T. (06:45) 2 I’m Not a Young Man Anymore (06:16) 3 Guess I’m Falling in Love (04:09) 4 I’m Waiting for the Man (05:27) 5 Run Run Run (06:57) 6 Sister Ray (19:03) 7 The Gift (10:24) |
| White Light/White Heat : Allmusic album Review : The world of pop music was hardly ready for The Velvet Undergrounds first album when it appeared in the spring of 1967, but while The Velvet Underground and Nico sounded like an open challenge to conventional notions of what rock music could sound like (or what it could discuss), 1968s White Light/White Heat was a no-holds-barred frontal assault on cultural and aesthetic propriety. Recorded without the input of either Nico or Andy Warhol, White Light/White Heat was the purest and rawest document of the key Velvets lineup of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker, capturing the group at their toughest and most abrasive. The album opens with an open and enthusiastic endorsement of amphetamines (startling even from this group of noted drug enthusiasts), and side one continues with an amusing shaggy-dog story set to a slab of lurching mutant R&B ("The Gift"), a perverse variation on an old folktale ("Lady Godivas Operation"), and the albums sole "pretty" song, the mildly disquieting "Here She Comes Now." While side one was a good bit darker in tone than the Velvets first album, side two was where they truly threw down the gauntlet with the manic, free-jazz implosion of "I Heard Her Call My Name" (featuring Reeds guitar work at its most gloriously fractured), and the epic noise jam "Sister Ray," 17 minutes of sex, drugs, violence, and other non-wholesome fun with the loudest rock group in the history of Western Civilization as the house band. White Light/White Heat is easily the least accessible of The Velvet Undergrounds studio albums, but anyone wanting to hear their guitar-mauling tribal frenzy straight with no chaser will love it, and those benighted souls who think of the Velvets as some sort of folk-rock band are advised to crank their stereo up to ten and give side two a spin. | ||
 | Rank: 294 Album: 44 of 50 Artist: MC5 Title: Kick Out the Jams Released: 1969 Tracks: 8 Duration: 40:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Ramblin Rose (04:15) 2 Kick Out the Jams (02:52) 3 Come Together (04:29) 4 Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa) (05:41) 5 Borderline (02:54) 6 Motor City Is Burning (06:04) 7 I Want You Right Now (05:22) 8 Starship (08:24) |
 | Rank: 295 Album: 45 of 50 Artist: Leonard Cohen Title: Songs of Love and Hate Released: 1970 Tracks: 8 Duration: 44:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Avalanche (05:01) 2 Last Year’s Man (05:59) 3 Dress Rehearsal Rag (06:05) 4 Diamonds in the Mine (03:50) 5 Love Calls You by Your Name (05:40) 6 Famous Blue Raincoat (05:09) 7 Sing Another Song, Boys (06:12) 8 Joan of Arc (06:21) |
| Songs of Love and Hate : Allmusic album Review : Songs of Love and Hate is one of Leonard Cohens most emotionally intense albums -- which, given the nature of Cohens body of work, is no small statement. While the title Songs of Love and Hate sums up the albums themes accurately enough, its hardly as simple as that description might lead you to expect -- in these eight songs, "love" encompasses the physical ("Last Years Man"), the emotional ("Famous Blue Raincoat"), and the spiritual ("Joan of Arc"), and the contempt in songs like "Dress Rehearsal Rag" and "Avalanche" is the sort of venom that can only come from someone who once cared very deeply. The sound of the album is clean and uncluttered, and for the most part the music stays out of the way of the lyrics, which dominate the songs. Thankfully, Cohen had grown noticeably as a singer since his first two albums, and if he hardly boasts a range to rival Roy Orbison here, he is able to bring out the subtleties of "Joan of Arc" and "Famous Blue Raincoat" in a way his previous work would not have led you to expect. And while Bob Johnstons production is spare, its spare with a purpose, letting Cohens voice and guitar tell their stories and using other musicians for intelligent, emotionally resonant punctuation (Paul Buckmasters unobtrusive string arrangements and the use of a childrens chorus are especially inspired). And Songs of Love and Hate captured Cohen in one of his finest hours as a songwriter, and the best selections (especially "Famous Blue Raincoat," "Joan of Arc," and "Love Calls You by Your Name") rank with the most satisfying work of his career. If Songs of Love and Hate isnt Cohens best album, it comes close enough to be essential to anyone interested in his work. | ||
 | Rank: 296 Album: 46 of 50 Artist: The Smiths Title: Meat Is Murder Released: 1985-02-11 Tracks: 9 Duration: 39:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Headmaster Ritual (04:53) 2 Rusholme Ruffians (04:20) 3 I Want the One I Can’t Have (03:13) 4 What She Said (02:42) 5 That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore (04:58) 6 Nowhere Fast (02:37) 7 Well I Wonder (04:00) 8 Barbarism Begins at Home (06:57) 9 Meat Is Murder (06:12) |
| Meat Is Murder : Allmusic album Review : With their second proper album Meat Is Murder, the Smiths begin to branch out and diversify, while refining the jangling guitar pop of their debut. In other words, it catches the group at a crossroads, unsure quite how to proceed. Taking the epic, layered "How Soon Is Now?" as a starting point (the single, which is darker and more dance-oriented than the remainder of the album, was haphazardly inserted into the middle of the album for its American release), the group crafts more sweeping, mid-tempo numbers, whether its the melancholy "That Joke Isnt Funny Anymore" or the failed, self-absorbed protest of the title track. While the production is more detailed than before, the Smiths are at their best when they stick to their strengths -- "The Headmaster Ritual" and "I Want the One I Cant Have" are fine elaborations of the formula they laid out on the debut, while "Rusholme Ruffians" is an infectious stab at rockabilly. However, the rest of Meat Is Murder is muddled, repeating lyrical and musical ideas of before without significantly expanding them or offering enough hooks or melodies to make it the equal of The Smiths or Hatful of Hollow. | ||
 | Rank: 297 Album: 47 of 50 Artist: The Mothers of Invention Title: We’re Only in It for the Money Released: 1968-01 Tracks: 19 Duration: 39:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Are You Hung Up? (01:24) 2 Who Needs the Peace Corps? (02:34) 3 Concentration Moon (02:22) 4 Mom & Dad (02:16) 5 Telephone Conversation (00:48) 6 Bow Tie Daddy (00:33) 7 Harry, You’re a Beast (01:21) 8 What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body? (01:03) 9 Absolutely Free (03:24) 10 Flower Punk (03:03) 11 Hot Poop (00:26) 12 Nasal Retentive Calliope Music (02:02) 13 Let’s Make the Water Turn Black (02:01) 14 The Idiot Bastard Son (03:18) 15 Lonely Little Girl (01:09) 16 Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance (01:32) 17 What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body? (reprise) (01:02) 18 Mother People (02:26) 19 The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny (06:25) |
| We’re Only in It for the Money : Allmusic album Review : From the beginning, Frank Zappa cultivated a role as voice of the freaks -- imaginative outsiders who didnt fit comfortably into any group. Were Only in It for the Money is the ultimate expression of that sensibility, a satirical masterpiece that simultaneously skewered the hippies and the straights as prisoners of the same narrow-minded, superficial phoniness. Zappas barbs were vicious and perceptive, and not just humorously so: his seemingly paranoid vision of authoritarian violence against the counterculture was borne out two years later by the Kent State killings. Like Freak Out, Were Only in It for the Money essentially devotes its first half to satire, and its second half to presenting alternatives. Despite some specific references, the first-half suite is still wickedly funny, since its targets remain immediately recognizable. The second half shows where his sympathies lie, with character sketches of Zappas real-life freak acquaintances, a carefree utopia in "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance," and the strident, unironic protest "Mother People." Regardless of how dark the subject matter, theres a pervasively surreal, whimsical flavor to the music, sort of like Sgt. Pepper as a creepy nightmare. Some of the instruments and most of the vocals have been manipulated to produce odd textures and cartoonish voices; most songs are abbreviated, segue into others through edited snippets of music and dialogue, or are broken into fragments by more snippets, consistently interrupting the albums continuity. Compositionally, though, the music reveals itself as exceptionally strong, and Zappas politics and satirical instinct have rarely been so focused and relevant, making Were Only in It for the Money quite probably his greatest achievement. | ||
 | Rank: 298 Album: 48 of 50 Artist: Kanye West Title: The College Dropout Released: 2003-07 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:11:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 We Don’t Care (04:00) 2 Graduation Day (01:22) 3 All Falls Down (03:44) 4 Spaceship (05:24) 5 Jesus Walks (03:14) 6 Never Let Me Down (05:24) 7 Get Em High (04:49) 8 The New Workout Plan (05:23) 9 Through the Wire (03:41) 10 Slow Jamz (05:16) 11 Breathe In Breathe Out (04:07) 12 School Spirit (03:02) 13 Two Words (04:26) 14 Family Business (04:39) 15 Last Call (12:41) |
| The College Dropout : Allmusic album Review : Producer Kanye Wests highlight reels were stacking up exponentially when his solo debut for Roc-a-Fella was released, after numerous delays and a handful of suspense-building underground mixes. The week The College Dropout came out, three singles featuring his handiwork were in the Top 20, including his own "Through the Wire." A daring way to introduce himself to the masses as an MC, the enterprising West recorded the song during his recovery from a car wreck that nearly took his life -- while his jaw was wired shut. Heartbreaking and hysterical ("Theres been an accident like Geico/They thought I was burnt up like Pepsi did Michael"), and wrapped around the helium chirp of the pitched-up chorus from Chaka Khans "Through the Fire," the song and accompanying video couldnt have forged his dual status as underdog and champion any better. All of this momentum keeps rolling through The College Dropout, an album thats nearly as phenomenal as the boastful West has led everyone to believe. From a production standpoint, nothing here tops recent conquests like Alicia Keys "You Dont Know My Name" or Talib Kwelis "Get By," but hes consistently potent and tempers his familiar characteristics -- high-pitched soul samples, gospel elements -- by tweaking them and not using them as a crutch. Even though those with their ears to the street knew West could excel as an MC, he has used this album as an opportunity to prove his less-known skills to a wider audience. One of the most poignant moments is on "All Falls Down," where the self-effacing West examines self-consciousness in the context of his community: "Rollies and Pashas done drive me crazy/I cant even pronounce nothing, yo pass the Versacey/Then I spent 400 bucks on this just to be like N*gga you aint up on this." If the notion that the album runs much deeper than the singles isnt enough, theres something of a surprising bonus: rather puzzlingly, a slightly adjusted mix of "Slow Jamz" -- a side-splitting ode to legends of baby-making soul that originally appeared on Twistas Kamikaze, just before that MC received his own Roc-a-Fella chain -- also appears. Prior to this album, we were more than aware that Wests stature as a producer was undeniable; now we know that hes also a remarkably versatile lyricist and a valuable MC. | ||
 | Rank: 299 Album: 49 of 50 Artist: Weezer Title: Weezer Released: 1994-05-10 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 My Name Is Jonas (03:24) 2 No One Else (03:04) 3 The World Has Turned and Left Me Here (04:19) 4 Buddy Holly (02:40) 5 Undone – The Sweater Song (05:05) 6 Surf Wax America (03:06) 7 Say It Ain’t So (04:18) 8 In the Garage (03:55) 9 Holiday (03:24) 10 Only in Dreams (07:58) |
| Weezer : Allmusic album Review : Even if you lived through it, its hard to fathom exactly why Weezer were disliked, even loathed, when they released their debut album in the spring of 1994. If you grew up in the years after the heyday of grunge, it may even seem absurd that the band were considered poseurs, hair metal refugees passing themselves off as alt-rock by adapting a few tricks from the Pixies and Nirvana songbooks and sold to MTV with stylish videos. Nevertheless, during alt-rocks heyday of 1994, Weezer was second only to Stone Temple Pilots as an object of scorn, bashed by the rock critics and hipsters alike. Time has a way of healing, even erasing, all wounds, and time has been nothing but kind to Weezers eponymous debut album (which would later be dubbed The Blue Album, due to the blue background of the cover art). At the time of its release, the groups influences were discussed endlessly -- the dynamics of the Pixies, the polished production reminiscent of Nevermind, the willful outsider vibe borrowed from indie rock -- but few noted how the group, under the direction of singer/songwriter Rivers Cuomo, synthesized alt-rock with a strong 70s trash-rock predilection and an unwitting gift for power pop, resulting in something quite distinctive. Although the group wears its influences on its sleeve, Weezer pulls it together in a strikingly original fashion, thanks to Cuomos urgent melodicism, a fondness for heavy, heavy guitars, a sly sense of humor, and damaged vulnerability, all driven home at a maximum volume. While contemporaries like Pavement were willfully, even gleefully obscure, and skewed toward a more selective audience, Weezers insecurities were laid bare, and the bands pop culture obsessions tended to be universal, not exclusive. Plus, Cuomo wrote killer hooks and had a band that rocked hard -- albeit in an uptight, nerdy fashion -- winding up with direct, immediate music that connects on more than one level. Its both clever and vulnerable, but those sensibilities are hidden beneath the loud guitars and catchy hooks. Thats why the band had hits with this album -- and not just hits, but era-defining singles like the deliberate dissonant crawl of "Undone - The Sweater Song," the postironic love song of "Buddy Holly," the surging "Say It Aint So" -- but could still seem like a cult band to the dedicated fans; it sounded like the group was speaking to an in-crowd, not the mass audience it wound up with. If, as Howard Hawks said, a good movie consists of three great scenes and no bad ones, it could be extrapolated that a good record contains three great songs and no bad ones -- in that case, Weezer is a record with at least six or seven great songs and no bad ones. That makes for a great record, but more than that, its a great record emblematic of its time, standing as one of the defining albums of the 90s. | ||
 | Rank: 300 Album: 50 of 50 Artist: Black Sabbath Title: Master of Reality Released: 1971-07-21 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:15:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sweet Leaf (05:05) 2 After Forever (05:27) 3 Embryo (00:28) 4 Children of the Grave (05:17) 5 Orchid (01:31) 6 Lord of This World (05:26) 7 Solitude (05:02) 8 Into the Void (06:13) 1 Weevil Woman ’71 (02:59) 2 Sweet Leaf (studio outtake featuring alternative lyrics) (05:03) 3 After Forever (studio outtake – instrumental) (05:19) 4 Children of the Grave (studio outtake featuring alternative lyrics) (04:35) 5 Children of the Grave (studio outtake – instrumental) (06:01) 6 Orchid (studio outtake – with Tony count-in) (01:40) 7 Lord of This World (studio outtake featuring piano & slide guitar) (05:37) 8 Solitude (studio outtake – intro. with alternative guitar tuning) (03:45) 9 Into the Void “Spanish Sid” (studio outtake – alternative version) (06:23) |
| Master of Reality : Allmusic album Review : The shortest album of Black Sabbaths glory years, Master of Reality is also their most sonically influential work. Here Tony Iommi began to experiment with tuning his guitar down three half-steps to C#, producing a sound that was darker, deeper, and sludgier than anything theyd yet committed to record. (This trick was still being copied 25 years later by every metal band looking to push the limits of heaviness, from trendy nu-metallers to Swedish deathsters.) Much more than that, Master of Reality essentially created multiple metal subgenres all by itself, laying the sonic foundations for doom, stoner and sludge metal, all in the space of just over half an hour. Classic opener "Sweet Leaf" certainly ranks as a defining stoner metal song, making its drug references far more overt (and adoring) than the preceding albums "Fairies Wear Boots." The albums other signature song, "Children of the Grave," is driven by a galloping rhythm that would later pop up on a slew of Iron Maiden tunes, among many others. Aside from "Sweet Leaf," much of Master of Reality finds the band displaying a stronger moral sense, in part an attempt to counteract the growing perception that they were Satanists. "Children of the Grave" posits a stark choice between love and nuclear annihilation, while "After Forever" philosophizes about death and the afterlife in an openly religious (but, of course, superficially morbid) fashion that offered a blueprint for the career of Christian doom band Trouble. And although the alternately sinister and jaunty "Lord of This World" is sung from Satans point of view, he clearly doesnt think much of his own followers (and neither, by extension, does the band). Its all handled much like a horror movie with a clear moral message, for example The Exorcist. Past those four tracks, listeners get sharply contrasting tempos in the rumbling sci-fi tale "Into the Void," which shortens the distances between the multiple sections of the bands previous epics. And theres the core of the album -- all thats left is a couple of brief instrumental interludes, plus the quiet, brooding loneliness of "Solitude," a mostly textural piece that frames Osbournes phased vocals with acoustic guitars and flutes. But, if a core of five songs seems slight for a classic album, its also important to note that those five songs represent a nearly bottomless bag of tricks, many of which are still being imitated and explored decades later. If Paranoid has more widely known songs, the suffocating and oppressive Master of Reality was the Sabbath record that die-hard metalheads took most closely to heart. | ||