#47. Lady in Satin - Billie Holiday

47. Lady in Satin - Billie Holiday (1958) 80/100.  I am brand new to Billie Holiday and from what I read, this album was not universally considered her best work which makes me wonder why it was the only one chosen for the 1001 albums (but this isn't the first album that I have called the list a little skewed).  I can appreciate it for what it is but don't see myself listening to this too often.  I blame that on my own ignorance to this genre of music that hopefully I can gain an appreciation.  She is a helluva musician with a gorgeous voice.  I rated it more on her voice and the musicians than my personal preference for it.  Listened: 1/25/2011.
Favorite Tracks: I'm a Fool to Want you, You Don't Know what Love is, Glad to be Unhappy  

#46. Rio - Duran Duran

46. Rio - Duran Duran (1983) 72/100.  I knew Rio and Hungry like the Wolf from the 80's and appreciated them for what they were but that was about as far as my Duran Duran experience went so I was curious to hear the whole album.  To be honest, it didn't do much for me.  It was ok, pretty much the songs kind of all sounded the same and were repetitive and dull.  I didn't even realize that the album had ended, it just sort of kept going and going.  The whole synth thing just isn't me.  Listened: 1/24/2011

Favorite Tracks: Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf, Hold Back the Rain

#45. Tragic Songs of Life - The Louvin Brothers

45. Tragic Songs of Life (1956) - The Louvin Brothers 91/100.  This was just cool.  My Grateful Dead/Phish love introduced me to bluegrass and this was one of the first full blown bluegrass albums I've ever really sat down with.  I like the combination of guitar and mandolin.  They are seen in some circles as one of the best bluegrass artist of all time and, while I don't have a whole lot of experience with this genre, it is hard to disagree.  Being a big Nirvana fan, I have to give props to In the Pines.  I don't know if this is something I will listen to all of the time but a good pick and has been added to the list of albums I need to buy and not just listen to on Grooveshark.  Listened: 1/24/2011

Favorite Tracks: Mary of the Moor, My Brother's Will, In the Pines

#44. Machine Head - Deep Purple

44. Machine Head (1971) - Deep Purple 90/100.  Machine Head features two of the most popular tracks from Deep Purple - Highway Star and Smoke on the Water.  Outside of those, this is a solid rock & roll album (often credited as a major influence of the heavy metal movement that would follow shortly).  Pictures of Home is a great track musically and I can see how this track may have influenced the likes of Iron Maiden (who would come around a few years after this album was released).  Also, Never Before has a nice groove thing going on.  What can you say about Smoke on the Water besides it's one of the most popular guitar riffs of all time.  Lazy is a great instrumental.  Overall the whole thing is good.  Listened: 1/21/11

Favorite Tracks: Lazy, Pictures of Home, Highway Star

#43. Moving Pictures - Rush

43. Moving Pictures (1981) - Rush 88/100.  There are people that LOOOOVVVVEEE Rush.  I am not one of them.  I don't dislike them either, I am more or less indifferent.  I actually saw them in 1991ish with Eric Johnson and they put on a helluva live performance.  I'm not going to knock Moving Pictures, it was a good album.  It fell into (like so many of these) an album that I knew a great deal of the songs since they have been staples on rock radio stations since the early 80's.  They are great musicians.  YYZ was a definite favorite as an instrumental.  The longer tracks such as Red Barchetta and The Camera Eye were pretty damn complex.  Radio classics Tom Sawyer and Limelight were welcoming to the ears.  TIL, James Hetfield admitted stealing the riff to Welcome Home (Sanitarium) from Tom Sawyer.  Listened: 1/20/11

Favorite Tracks: Tom Sawyer, YYZ, Limelight

#42. Exodus - Bob Marley & The Wailers

42. Exodus (1977) - Bob Marley & The Wailers 93/100.  To reiterate my Catch a Fire review, I love Bob Marley.  Exodus is a great album that helped to make my work day go by a little bit faster.  The history of the album with Marley's assassination attempt, exile, and its making just adds to the enjoyment of a deep album that comes off surprisingly upbeat seeing the events that led up to its creation.  It had been a long time since listening to Exodus and usually Legend ends up getting more play time so tracks like Jamming, Waiting in Vain, Three Little Birds, One Love/People Get Ready were as good as always but tracks that didn't make Legend such as Natural Mystic, Guiltiness, and Turn Your Lights Down Low (and its Barry White feel).   I would recommend the version with the bonus tracks as they are fantabulous as well.  I enjoyed Catch a Fire but think that Exodus is a more complete album that I enjoyed just a little more.  Listened: 1/20/11

Favorite Tracks: Jamming, Three Little Birds, Natural Mystic

#41. Pearl - Janis Joplin

41. Pearl (1971) - Janis Joplin 94/100.  I have heard Pearl on multiple occasions so I was pretty well versed in it.  This listen around, I paid special attention to the music of Full Tilt Boogie Band.  Joplin is a legendary singer and shined throughout the album and the band was fantastic.  I have to say I am a bigger fan when she was with Full Tilt Boogie than Big Brother and the Holding Company.  Also, having Paul Rothchild (from The Doors fame) produce paid dividends.  It is a solid album throughout with the classics like Me and Bobby McGee and Mercedes Benz being as good as ever and gems like A Woman Left Lonely and the instrumental Buried Alive in the Blues nice deep tracks.  Listened: 1/19/11

Favorites: All of it

#40. The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails

40. The Downward Spiral (1994) - Nine Inch Nails 90/100.  After listening to Johnny Cash's version of Hurt, I thought I would go ahead and follow it up with the original from Nine Inch Nails - talk about apples and oranges, and I can't decide which one I prefer.  To a certain extent, I think that Cash's is more heartfelt than the original, but that is not to say that Reznor's isn't a phenomenal track.  Anyway, to end that rant, I was stunned that Pretty Hate Machine wasn't on the list but Downward Sprial was.  Overall, IMHO, I thought Pretty Hate Machine was a better album.  That being said, The Downward Sprial is good.  I love Hurt, Ruiner, and March of the Pigs.  Reptile and Eraser stand out as well.  Closer mad Reznor a lot of money and was a huge hit in the 90's but I always just felt it was just ok and Piggy I can do without.  Listened: 1/19/11

Favorite Tracks: Hurt, March of the Pigs, Ruiner

#39. American IV: Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash

39. American IV: Man Comes Around (2002) - Johnny Cash.  93/100.  I finally decided to get back into this and put in some Johnny Cash today.  Overall, this was a good listen since I really wasn't expecting much.  I like Johnny Cash, he always had a Clint Eastwood-esque, don't mess with him kind of attitude.  But, this album, from the outside, just looked like a bunch of covers and wasn't too into it.  That was, until I heard it.  I knew that he had won a Grammy for this album and it was well deserved.  The remake of Nine Inch Nails Hurt was good as was Bridge Over Troubled Water.  Being a huge fan of Pink Floyd's The Wall, hearing him do We'll Meet Again was really fun.  Also, enjoyed Give My Love to Rose and In My Life.  Listened: 1/19/11

Favorite Tracks: Give My Love To Rose, In My LIfe, Bridge Over Troubled Water

#38. The Stranger - Billy Joel

38. The Stranger (1977) - Billy Joel 92/100.  I had the Billy Joel "Greatest Hits" since my roommate gave it to me in 1993 so I was relatively versed in most of the songs.  On side 1 of The Stranger, every single track was on the greatest hits.  Anyway, this is considered the best Billy Joel album and it is hard to argue with that.  Most of the credit seems to be split between Joel's songwriting and Phil Ramone's production of it but, whoever deserves the credit, each of the songs are finely written, produced, and played.  Vienna and Everybody Has a Dream were new (and good) listens.  I love Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, The Stranger, and Vienna.   Listened - 12/15/10

Favorite Tracks: The Stranger, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

#37. Nick of Time - Bonnie Raitt

37. Nick of Time (1989) - Bonnie Raitt 85/100 This one definitely falls into the 80's hex because it is overly synthesized.  That being said, a good album. One of my wife's favorites so I had to give it some special attention.  What angered me most is that each track's ending had to fade out...maybe a pet peeve but let a song end naturally don't just fade it at the end.  Nobody's Girl is a great track.  I dug the reggae feel to Have a Heart.  Nice guitar work - when the producers actually allowed for guitar...stupid 80s.  Listened - 12/11/10

Favorite Tracks: Nobody's Girl, Have a Heart

#36. American Idiot - Green Day

36. American Idiot (2004) - Green Day 94/100.  When I did my review for Dookie, I mentioned that I had heard American Idiot and liked it.  What I should have said was, "I had heard it at a party one time and thought it sounded good but never really listened to it."  That would have been much more appropriate.  I finally sat down with it and I have to say, this is the first album (I hadn't really head before) that I have listened to numerous times before moving on to the next album.  Being a rock opera sucker, I was blown away by Green Day's attempt at it.  Not that the story was really that good (or even made sense at times) but that they made it work.  It was more melodic than their past work and yet kept to their "punk" roots.  I really couldn't come up with a bad song and will listen to it at least one more time, just because I enjoyed it so much, before I can move on.  Perhaps growing up as a suburbanite generation-xer just had this album speak to me more than I would have anticipated but I actually found myself enjoying the (somewhat hard to swallow) characters.  I have to say it was just a fabulous discovery that will be around in my collection probably forever (a discovery apparently the entire rest of the world had already made seeing as it went platinum a good bijillion times and won a Grammy (but who watches the Grammy's)).  Listened - 12/2/10

Favorite Tracks: All of it.

#35. Bridge over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel

35. Bridge over Troubled Water (1970) - Simon and Garfunkel 89/100.  After the stomach flu, time to get back to work.  Listened to Bridges Over Troubled Water last week but didn't get to writing it up until today due to the strange black plague that had been partying in my stomach for the last four days.  It was a good album with some common tracks that I had heard before including Bridge Over Troubled Water, Cecilia (she was kind of a whore), The Boxer, and The Only Living Boy in New York.  I enjoyed Keep the Customer Satisfied and was confused by the, out of nowhere, live version of Bye Bye Love.  Again, overall, a good album.  Not too much to say other than that.  Good folk music.  Listened - 12/2/10

Favorite Tracks:  Bridge over Troubled Water, Keep the Customer Satisfied, The Only Living Boy in New York

#34. Catch a Fire - Bob Marley & The Wailers

34. Catch a Fire (1973) - Bob Marley & The Wailers 92/100.  The debut album for Bob Marley is one of my favorites and one of, I believe and am too lazy to look it up this moment, three of Bob's that I will have to sit through (with a sarcastic shucks and a snap of the finger).  I like reggae but my experience is limited, pretty much Bob Marley and Peter Tosh (hopefully this little project will change that).  That being said, this is one album that has made its rounds in my collection since my college days when I was introduced to it by the very large hippie (both in size and scale) living next to me.  As a matter of fact, I still have his copy that he refused to take back, "share the love brother...share the love."   Anyway, a bunch of classics on here.  How 400 Years didn't make it on Legend is beyond me.  Good, good reggae-y goodness. Listened - 12/1/10

Favorite Tracks: 400 Years, Baby We've Got a Date (Rock it Baby), Stir It Up   

#33. Doggystyle - Snoop Doggy Dogg

33. Doggystyle (1993) - Snoop Doggy Dogg 94/100,  This morning, on the drive in to work, I pulled the Office Space's Michael Bolton while listening to Doggystyle in traffic (given no one tried to sell me flowers forcing me to turn down my stereo).  I believe I am just as white and nerdy (gotta love the Weird Al reference), but with much less hair.  I have been trying to be consistent with a lot of these albums by not putting one above the other.  Can I say that this album is better than Raising Hell or License to Ill and eventually even The Chronic?  Probably not and I don't think that the point of this is to have my 1001 favorite albums in order at the end.  This is a classic hip-hop album.  Each track on it is good (with maybe an exception of Doggy Dogg World, it always seems weak compared to the others - but still a good track that would probably be one of the best on any other album).  Top notch album all around.  I dig the G-Funk style (yep, I am no where near hip enough to pull that last statement off). Listened - 12/1/10

Favorite Tracks:  All of it (even Doggy Dogg World even though I dogged it (did you see what I did there)) 

#32. Wildest - Louis Prima

32. Wildest (1957) - Louis Prima 80/100. This was one of those albums where I knew all of the songs before I even heard a single note.  I just never knew who sang them.  Between the late 90's brief swing revival, David Lee Roth, and every other movie since the 70's - these songs are pretty damn mainstream.  It was good.  Kind of nice to hear it all together instead of as background music where the film's main characters are talking over the tunes.  I especially liked the instrumentals like Body and Soul and Night Train.  Not necessarily my cup of tea but a nice change of pace. Listened - 12/1/10

Favorite Tracks: Just a Gigolo/I Ain't got Nobody, Body and Soul, Oh Marie, Night Train

#31. Birth of the Cool - Miles Davis

31. Birth of the Cool (1956) - Miles Davis 85/100.  "If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis."  Now that I got my obligatory Billy Madison quote out of the way, first time listen for me.  Overall, I am new to jazz.  I have listened to some jam bands take their own stab at it but haven't sat down with an album like Miles Davis.  I did already listen to Machito's Kenya and it was interesting to hear the difference between Latin jazz and Miles Davis.  This had more of a sitting in a nice restaurant bar vibe as opposed to Machito who had more of a Carribean thing going on.  Anyway, to the album itself, I thought it was great.  Again, not being a musician myself, there are many an intricacy that I am sure is wasted on me but overall the playing was cool, some fantastically talented musicians worked on this.  Not necessarily an everyday listen for me but I could see myself in a mood to give this another listen.  Good mood music when you sit and program all day.  Listened - 11/30/10

Favorite Tracks: Move, Moon Dreams

#30. John Prine - John Prine

30. John Prine (1971) - John Prine 90/100.  First thing I learned, John Prine (who I had never heard of) was born in Maywood, IL which is about 5 minutes from where I grew up.  Second thing I learned, Roger Ebert (a prominent movie critic in Chicago) wrote the first review of him.  From the first words, I knew I was going to like this.  This was a great folk album with hints of country and bluegrass thrown in.  A nice surprise throughout.  I couldn't even pick a track that I could say was weak.  Great folk musician.  I am embarrassed to know that I never heard of him seeing as he is from my home state and plays a lot of shows here (dropping everything to call my parents and yell at them for not exposing this to me when I was younger).  This will be the second album that will go from a Grooveshark listen to a purchase (the first being Elivs Presley's first album).  Listened - 11/30/10

Favorite Tracks:  Spanish Pipedream, Sam Stone, Quiet Man, Flashback Blues

#29. Dare - Human League

29. Dare (1981) - Human League 70/100.  More British New Wave.  This is considered synthpop which, via a little Wikipedia searching, is a genre of music where synthesizer is the dominant instrument (learn something new each day).  Again, I am trying to not rip an album simply because I freaking hate the type of music.  That being said, I really am finding I don't like that synthesizer infused New Wave thing.  It just isn't my thing.  So, what I have to do is compare it to other New Wave that I have heard thus far which is Soul Mining by The The.  I found Dare! to be a much better album than Soul Mining.  I liked Don't You Want Me and its male/female duet.  I actually remember that track from the 80's and never minded it (I know I enjoyed a pop hit - I'm a heathen).  As for the other tracks on the album, none really stood out other than The Things That Dreams Are Made.  Overall, I would consider this to be relatively forgettable for a non-New Wave fan.   Listened - 11/30/10

Favorite Tracks: The Things That Dreams Are Made, Don't You Want Me 

#28. Are You Experienced - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

28. Are You Experienced (1967) - The Jimi Hendrix Experience 96/100.  Some may think that this is a greatest hits album but it is not...it is just that damn good.  I have heard it a good 200,000 times and it is just as good now as the first time.  An absolute must for anyone new to Jimi (is there anyone in the world who is new to Jimi and if there is, there is a lot of other things that you may be happy to know exists outside of your cave like Ben & Jerry's ice cream, indoor plumbing, and this new thing called the "Internet" (even though the latter may just be a phase)).  Anyway, great album from beginning to end.  I am not even going to bore you with details, if you need convincing then do me a favor and put the car in park, make sure the ignition is on, and close the garage door tightly.  Listened - 11/29/10

Favorite Tracks: All of it

#27. Van Halen - Van Halen

27. Van Halen (1978) - Van Halen 94/100.  Thought I would go ahead and close out the Van Halen.  1984 was good but Van Halen I is the quintessential Van Halen album.  In fact, this was the first CD I ever owned.  And it was that CD, purchased in 1986, slightly scratched but still played, that I relived one of my favorite albums from my tween ages.  It held up good.  Better than most.  The whole band meshed so well together.  It is too bad the eventual turmoil and drama that would erupt (get it, erupt - Van Halen I, erupt...get it...).  To quote Casino's Nicky Santoro, "but in the end, we fucked it all up."  Great album from beginning to end.  I am quite certain every song on here ended up on a mix tape for my Walkman (for anyone under the age of 20, a Walkman was an iPod before we had iPods) over the years.  Enjoyed thoroughly and a good way to end my day!  Listened - 11/29/10

Favorite Tracks: All of it  

#26. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn - Pink Floyd

26. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967) - Pink Floyd 82/100.  A friend of mine joked that Pink Floyd made one album with Syd Barrett and wrote a whole bunch more talking about him.  This is the first Pink Floyd album and the only one with Barrett at the helm of the band.  If you are a fan of other Pink Floyd (Darkside of the Moon, Wish you were Here, The Wall) you may find this to be, well...different than what you are accustomed.  For one, it isn't a "story" piece like later albums.  It is poppy.  Nicholas Schaffner's Saucerful of Secrets (fabulous read if you are a Floyd fan) discusses Barrett's affliction for The Beatles and there are definite overtones throughout the album.  There are also some really trippy and crazy effects that made the album fun.  But, I am not sure how often I would put the album back in my CD player to listen to the whole thing.  I will gladly listen to Astronomy Domine, The Gnome, Bike, and Interstellar Overdrive but can't see myself sitting down with Pow R. Toc. H, Chapter 24, and Scarecrow again.   Listened - 11/29/10

Favorite Tracks:  Astronomy Domine, The Gnome, Bike, and Interstellar Overdrive  

#25. Real Thing - Faith No More

25. Real Thing (1989) - Faith No More 88/100.  I am already angry with the people who compiled the 1001 albums.  Not that I have really found an album that shouldn't have been on the list (yet) but the fact that they don't have Angel Dust by Faith No More is a damn travesty.  They do have Real Thing and, don't get me wrong, it is a good album.  But, in my humble (and worthless) opinion, Angel Dust was a more complete and riskier album.  But, Real Thing did break through some new trends in the late 80's that helped to change the direction of popular music.  In my mind, they were one of the first 'alternative' bands that went mainstream (followed shortly after by Jane's Addiction).  They weren't hair metal and they weren't thrash, they were an alternative (get what I did there) to that.  A musically solid album throughout.  I dug Woodpecker from Mars.  I have never been a huge fan of their rendition of War Pigs.  Listened - 11/29/10

Favorite Tracks: Falling to Pieces, Zombie Eaters, The Real Thing  

#24. In Utero - Nirvana

24. In Utero (1993) - Nirvana 94/100.  There is a big argument of which is the better Nirvana album, Nevermind or In Utero,  I am a fan of both so I am not going to get into it, at least not in this post.  Who knows my mood come time to listen to Nevermind.  Anyway, regardless which album you feel is better, you have to give In Utero its required props.  Hard to believe the people over at Geffen considered the songwriting of this "not up to par" and the sound "unlistenable".  Guess that is why record execs shouldn't be a part of the creative process.  Dumb, Rape Me, Pennyroyal Tea, the list goes on - just a great album (even though this is the 10,000th time I have heard it).  Listened - 11/28/10

Favorite Tracks: Serve the Servants, Rape Me, Dumb, Pennyroyal Tea, All Apologies

#23. Paranoid - Black Sabbath

23. Paranoid (1970) - Black Sabbath 96/100.  "Cause smoking and tripping is all that you do."  I have to be honest, I love Black Sabbath and I only have We Sold Our Souls to Rock & Roll (greatest hits).  This was the first time that I listened to an "album" that wasn't the greatest hits so there was a couple of tracks that were new to me.  They were freaking fabulous as expected.  The whole album from beginning to end is out of this world.  If you are a jackass, like me, and have not experienced the whole thing and like rock - stop what you are doing and fire it up!   Listened - 11/27/10

Favorite Tracks: All of it

#22. Dookie - Green Day

22. Dookie (1994) - Green Day 80/100.  Confession time.  When Dookie came out in the 90's, I freaking hated it.  I hated Green Day.  Not really sure why, perhaps it was the pseudo-punk aura that they claimed that I never bought into - not really sure.  So, fast forward...oh, 16ish years and give it another try.  I do like American Idiot so I thought I would give them a fair shake.  It was an ok album.  Not nearly as good as Ten by Pearl Jam or Siamese Dream by the Pumpkins (I know it is differnt types of music but they all cut from the same early/mid 90's alternative 

cloth).  Overall, I will listen to a few of the tracks again but the album will never end up in the rotation.     Listened - 11/27/10

Favorite Tracks: Having a Blast, Welcome to Paradise, She

#21. Sea Change - Beck

21. Sea Change (2002) - Beck 90/100.  First time listen for me.  I don't have too much experience with Beck so was a little reluctant to put this in.  I was pleasantly surprised, I was expecting, "I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me" and what I got was a melodic, mellow masterpiece.  Great guitar work throughout, interesting lyrics, and well laid out melodies.  Great, great, album that I will be putting in again real soon.  Listened - 11/27/10

Favorite Tracks: End of the day, Already Dead

#20. Ten - Pearl Jam

20. Ten (1992) - Pearl Jam 94/100.  This is another album that falls into the Jagged Little Pill and Siamese Dream realm of nostalgia for me.  In 1993, when I was a young lad, you could not walk into a kegger within fifteen miles of campus without this album having to be put on at some point in the evening.  It was a necessary evil like having to wearing flannel and drinking Icehouse (which I recently discovered they still make - buying me a six pack tonight just to relive the early 90's).  Anyway, this is one of my favorites from that time and a great album altogether.  Solid tracks throughout.  It does fall into Metallica's Black and AC/DC's Back in Black albums where so many of the tracks have been beaten to death by the radio.  But, I can't complain about ever having to listen to it.  Is it possible to listen to Black without singing in your best Eddie Vedder voice, "yeah...yeah...uh, yeah yeah"?  Listened - 11/27/10

Favorite Tracks: Porch, Black, Release, Jeremy 

#19. Surrealistic Pillow - Jefferson Airplane

19. Surrealistic Pillow (1967) - Jefferson Airplane 84/100.  Anyone that knows me knows I have a predilection for hippie, 60's, trippy music so sitting down with Surrealistic Pillow (at last) seemed to be a great way to spend my Saturday morning.  I had heard the popular tracks but never listened to the whole album from beginning to end.  I don't want to say I was disappointed because that isn't really fair.  It was a good album.  My expectations were simply too high and the word underwhelmed seemed to be the best way to describe the experience.  I was expecting 12 tracks of White Rabbit and was given some good songs but not classics.  The guitar work of Embryonic Journey was a stand out.  Listened - 11/27/10

Favorite Tracks: My Best Friend, White Rabbit, Embryonic Journey

#18. The Slim Shady LP - Eminem

18. The Slim Shady LP (1999) - Eminem 89/100.  Eminem before Eminem was Eminem is actually really refreshing.  Don't get me wrong, I like Eminem.  But some of his albums have a tendency of being a bit narcissistic where the The Slim Shady LP doesn't really have that, or at least not as blatant.  It is hard for me to decide where this goes among my favorite Eminem albums.  I am a big fan of Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show so I would put this with them as his best albums (I don't have the new album yet and didn't like Encore at all).  Solid throughout.  Some parts are still pretty funny and some are a bit overly timely.  I Just Don't Give a Fuck and Rock Bottom stand out.  Either way, worth a listen.  Listened - 11/24/10

Favorite Tracks: If I had, Rock Bottom, Just Don't Give a Fuck

#17. Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumpkins

17. Siamese Dream (1993) - Smashing Pumpkins 94/100.  Back in a quieter and more tranquil time, 1993, I went and saw the Smashing Pumpkins on their Siamese Dream tour after Today hit MTV and enough people came to the conclusion that they were a good band.  Again, being from Chicago, I knew of the Pumpkins before most of the country saw them painting up the ice cream truck in the video and was happy that they were getting some credit in the blooming alternative scene.  Anyway, I have added another early-90's alternative album to my list since I have a lot of those in my collection and it doesn't require a trip to the library or busting out Grooveshark.  What is to say about this album that hasn't been said?  A great album from start to finish.  A great raw alternative sound, great lyrics and melodies.  Guess Corigan's nervous breakdown was our gain.  And, to ask a simple question, why wouldn't they release Spaceboy as a single?  Pretty much everyone I have ever met who likes that album always puts that song as one of their favorites.  Listened - 11/24/10

Favorite Tracks: Hummer, Soma, Spaceboy, Silvefuck  

#16. Soul Mining - The The

16. Soul Mining (1983) - The The  64/100.  The The is what this whole list is about.  I have never heard of them.  Not stupid enough to think it was a misprint but wouldn't know better if it were.  Brand new to British New Wave as a whole so this is my introduction to it.  I am sure those who are into that type of music would tell me that this is not a good introduction but I am going at this blindly.  That being said, I have a feeling that this genre of music is an acquired taste, like drinking beer. In high school, the first few times I thought the taste was nasty but by college nothing tasted better (except for whiskey...wait).  It is possible that I may be able to get more into this genre as this little project progresses.  If that is the case then The The is given the short end of the stick since I wasn't a huge fan of this album.  I would consider it ok.  It had a few moments, the piano in Uncertain Smile comes to mind and some of the ambient melodies were calming but overall, I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it again.  Listened - 11/24/10

Favorite Tracks: This is the Day, Uncertain Smile, Soul Mining 

#15. Licensed to Ill - Beastie Boys

15. Licensed to Ill (1986) - Beastie Boys 94/100.  I wish that I would have been older in the 80's, and been remotely hip enough to pull off using 'illin' as an adjective - let alone have a license to it.  The Beastie Boys were a staple of my record (vinyl) collection in the 80's.  Fight for your Right was a huge song that made them a relative household name.  Ironically, that track is my only complaint about the album - it angers me.  Anyway, great album from beginning to end (with the exception of Fight for your Right).  "Cause I am most ill and I'm rhymin' and stealin'."  Nope, not remotely cool enough to pull it off now.   Listened - 11/23/10

Favorite Tracks: The New Style, She's Crafty, Paul Revere (of course), Brass Monkey

#14. Kenya - Machito

14. Kenya (1957) - Machito 80/100.  I am brand new to latin jazz so this was completely new to me.  Well, let me rephrase that, I am sort of brand new to latin jazz.  You can easily hear it in Santana and other latin musicians plus it is prevalent in several jam bands that I frequent.  It is hard for me to rate this but I will do my best.  I am not a musician.  In fact, I have about as much musical talent as the keyboard I am typing on.  I am quite certain there are a great deal of intricacies that are happening while I listen to this that are lost on me that a musician would pick up on.  That being said, I didn't dislike this.  In fact, it was a nice change of pace and a good way to end my day after Van Halen, Tori Amos, Dire Straits, and Elvis Presley.  Just a mellow, happy vibe comes from it.  I blame this album for me going home and having a cocktail, probably something fruity with an umbrella - just got me in that type of mood now.  Listened - 11/23/10

Favorite Tracks:  Kenya, Holiday   

#13. Little Earthquakes - Tori Amos

13. Little Earthquakes (1992) - Tori Amos 92/100.  The early/mid 90's saw a lot of powerful alternative women artists. I mentioned Alanis Morisette and Liz Phair already on this list.  Of course you could easily put Sarah McLachlan, Juliana Hatfield, Kim Gordon, Courtney Love, the Breeders ladies, Ani DiFranco, and countless others but for me, the one that really got me into that niche of music, was Tori Amos.  Actually, it was Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos to be more precise.  What was great about this list is getting to go back and listen to a lot of albums I haven't heard in forever and this was one that had me saying, "damn, this is still a great album."  A great portion of the album is just Amos and a piano.  Powerful lyrics and interesting arrangements make this whole album stand out.  Listened - 11/23/10

Favorite Tracks:  Silent All These Years, Precious Things, Winter, Me and a Gun 

#12. Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley

12. Elvis Presley (1956) - Elvis Presley  90/100.  To quote Eddie Murphy, "really I give credit where credit is due. When Elvis was young, he was a bad motherf*cker."  I never thought of myself as someone that would actually dig Elvis. I'm not really sure why, maybe it was the stigma of cheesiness that seemed to follow Elvis but, either way, this was a fantastic album.  I was really blown away by this album from beginning to end.  This is the first from the list that I have heard that has gone from a checked out item from the library to a purchase.  I am now looking forward to more Elvis, which I am sure I will get as I go through this list.  Listened - 11/23/10

Favorite Tracks: Blue Suede Shoes, One Sided Love Affair, I'm Gonna Sit Right Dowwn and Cry (Over You), Money Honey   

#11. 1984 - Van Halen

11. 1984 (1984 - duh) - Van Halen  88/100.  Of the Van Halen albums I would put this in the top five behind Fair Warning, Van Halen I, and Van Hallen II.  It is good and has some classics.  I am a big fan of Drop Dead Legs, Hot for Teacher, and Panama.  Girl Gone Bad and House of Pain are average.  1984, the song not the whole album, is very 80's synthesizer as is I'll Wait and Jump.  It is hard to fault the album when that was the "sound" of the time but to me it just sounds very 80's.  Overall still a good album - a lot of great Eddie Van Halen guitarwork and David Lee Roth shrills.  Listened - 11/23/10

Favorite Tracks: Drop Dead Legs, Hot for Teacher, Panama

#10. Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits

10. Brothers in Arms (1985) - Dire Straits  78/100.  I chuckled while thinking that if this album was to be written in the last decade-and-a-half, the blockbuster hit from the album wouldn't have been written since it isn't possible to, "play the guitar on the MTV".  You can play Real World/Road Rules Challenge on the MTV, or be Engaged and Underage on MTV, but not too many guitars being played.  That being said, first time listen for me.  I found a couple of the songs to be a little 80's-ish and a little slow for my taste.  Yet, very melodic and well suited to be played in a doctor's office. The popular tracks Walk of Life, Money for Nothing, and So Far Away were as good as they always had been.  A couple of the deeper tracks like Why Worry, Ride Across the River, (melodically both could easily work as a video game soundtrack which, if you have ever read anything on this blog, is a big selling point for your's truly) and One World were treats.  Listened - 11/23/10

Favorite Tracks: Money for Nothing, Walk of Life, Ride Across the River

#9. Blood On The Tracks - Bob Dylan

9. Blood On The Tracks (1975) - Bob Dylan  97/100.  When asked about Blood on the Tracks, Dylan was quoted as saying, "A lot of people tell me they enjoy that album. It's hard for me to relate to that. I mean, it, you know, people enjoying that type of pain, you know?"  I for one am one of those people that absolutely loves this album.  It probably ends up either on my mp3 player or CD player at least once a month.  Just a great album from beginning to end.  I could listen to Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts pretty much any time and it will put a smile on my face.  Great, personal (even though Dylan claims he didn't write "confessional songs" - which the tracks on here obviously were), prophetic album.  Listened - 11/22/10

Favorite Tracks: All of it. 

#8. Raising Hell - Run D.M.C.

8. Raising Hell [Explicit]  (1986) - Run D.M.C.  94/100.  The last time that I listened to this I was probably around 12 or 13 playing Nintendo in my cousin's basement.  Overall, this is a classic hip-hop album.  Of course, Walk This Way, It's Tricky, and My Adidas are classics, I enjoyed Dumb Girl, Hit it Run, and Perfection more since they were pretty much brand new to me.  Bring back the beat-box!  Listened - 11/22/10  

Favorite Tracks: It's Tricky, My Adidas, Hit it Run

#7. Back in Black - AC/DC & #6. In The Wee Small Hours

7. Back in Black (1980) - AC/DC.  90/100.  Yes, I followed up Frank Sinatra with Back in Black.  It probably had been high school since I listened to Back in Black from start to finish.  Given, Shook Me All Night Long, Back in Black, and Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution have been staples in my constant merry-go-round of music in the last couple of decades but listening from beginning to end does give a different enjoyment for the album.  That being said, I like Back in Black.  It was a good album.  Do I think I could listen to it with the same reverie as say Exile on Main Street or Rubber Soul?  Probably not.  It does have the same issues as say, Metallica's Black album where every single song has been playing nonstop on the radio for the last three decades so listening to this in its entirety without having the desire to fast forward through songs heard two million times was tough, I'm looking at you Shake a Leg.  But, a good album nonetheless.  Listened - 11/22/10

Favorite Tracks: Rock & Roll Ain't Noise Pollution, Back in Black

6. In The Wee Small Hours (1955) - Frank Sinatra. 85/100. After listening to albums I had heard hundreds of times, I thought I would try an album I hadn't heard before and took the first album on the list, the 1955 In The Wee Small Hours. While not into this type of music, I didn't mind this album. I really wished that I hadn't listened to it at work since throughout I had to fight the overpowering urge to throw on a suit, turn down the lights, and pour a tall glass of scotch. In the end, I enjoyed listening to this but don't see myself ever going out of my way to put it on again - it just isn't my type of music. I have a feeling a lot of the 50's stuff is going to be like that for me. On the other hand, I am sure I will hear these songs again since I dine out enough and pretty much every Italian restaurant has Sinatra playing as ambiance music. Listened - 11/22/10
Favorite Tracks: Deep in a Dream

#5. Rubber Soul - The Beatles

5. Rubber Soul -  The Beatles (1965)  96/100.  I know what you are thinking, how can I give Rubber Soul only a 96, it is one of the best albums of all time.  The answer, one word - Michelle.  I can't stand that damn song.  While the rest of the album is as close to perfect as any album can be, it is the fact that I had to listen to Michelle without being able to fast forward.  It was like a sore tooth that you wish would just get pulled.  Even Norwegian Wood and In My Life (two favorites) could not make up for Michelle.  Listened - 11/20/10

Favorite Tracks: All but Michelle.  Norwegian Wood, In My Life

#4. Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morisette

It's hard to believe this album from a bitter woman is about this guy.


4. Jagged Little Pill (1995) - Alanis Morisette 76/100.  As a college student in the mid-90's I have mixed feelings about Jagged Little Pill.  For one, it was impossible to go anywhere in the vicinity of a member of the female species in 1995 without the album being on.  It was THE women's lib album of the 90's.  That being said, I knew it pretty well when I re-listened to it again today.  However, it had been a long time since I had heard and have to say that it didn't stand the test of time like Phair's Guyville (and I don't think I would be going too far out on a limb to say that Guyville had strong influences on this album).  In fact, I would say it greatly regressed.  Rather dull throughout, hell even the sexual overtones were boring.  You Ought To Know is still ok just because I dig me some Flea.  But, most of the other tracks come off as incessant whining instead of music.  Listened - 11/20/10

Favorite Tracks: You Ought to Know, Right through You, Not the Doctor

#3. Metallica (aka the black album) - Metallica

3. Metallica (aka the black album) (1991) - Metallica. 90/100.  This was the quintessential album for me in high school so I tried as hard as I could to listen to it as if I were a virgin to the material but it was impossible.  Of the Bob Rock era Metallica, this is probably their best album but still pales in comparison to Master/Lightning/Justice.  On top of that, I had to fight everything in my inner-core to not turn off Enter Sandman. Being a longtime Metallica fan makes listening to Enter Sandman like listening to the sound of the dentist's drill - painful.  On the other hand, Sad But True and The God that Failed still are amazing tracks.  Listened - 11/19/10

Favorite Tracks: Sad but True, The God that Failed, My Friend in Misery

#2. Exile on Main Street - Rolling Stones.

2. Exile on Main Street  (1972) - Rolling Stones.  98/100.  I would easily put this in my top 10 favorite albums of all time so it wasn't any trouble to have to spend my afternoon listening to it again at my desk.  Perhaps the ship left and I missed the boat, but I didn't really hear any of the song-by-song response that Liz Phair claimed.  In fact, I really didn't find much comparison between the two albums at all.  Maybe some melodies but that is about it.  Anyway, if you never listened to either Exile, worth your time.  Rocks Off, Sweet Virginia, Loving Cup, hell, the whole album is good.  Listened - 11/19/10

Favorite Tracks: All of it*2.

#1. Exile in Guyville - Liz Phair

1. Exile in Guyville (1994) - Liz Phair.  90/100.  One of my favorites of Liz Phair and a good album to start with seeing as I haven't heard it in forever.  Being from Chicago, I have heard Liz Phair around local radio stations before she ended up on MTV and these were the songs that they would play.  Great album, I am trying to go directly to an all-time favorite of mine - Exile on Main Street to see if I can hear the supposed, "song-by-song response" that Phair claims is in her Exile to the Stones Exile.  While consciously trying to hear it this listen to Guyville, I really couldn't, sorry Liz.  Listened - 11/19/10

Favorite Tracks: Mesmerizing, Fuck and Run, Johnny Sunshine