I'm using the following guidelines Norbizness set for himself:
- One album per artist.
- No greatest hits packages, compilations, or boxed sets.
- No artists that would make me look hip or cool.
- I must own the LP, CD, or cassette tape of every one of these entries. No mp3s.
Here's 25-11:
25. Poison Look What the Cat Dragged In (1986)I'm really surprised no one guessed this as my #1 record.
Laugh all you want, but this is a fun record full of songs about sex and partying. This album contained such greats as Cry Tough, I Want Action, Look What The Cat Dragged In, Let Me Go To The Show, I Won't Forget You (their first ballad), and the GREATEST HAIR BAND SONG OF ALL TIME, Talk Dirty To Me.
24. Tori Amos Under The Pink (1994)Little Earthquakes was an awesome album. But Under The Pink was a much more adventurous affair, lyrically and musically. Topics tackled included God (God), masturbation (Icicle (I can't believe I forgot about this one on my masturbation mix tape)), and homicidal fantasies (The Waitress).
But the album's nowhere near as trite as I just made it out to be. Favorite track: Past The Mission.
23. Rancid ...And Out Come the Wolves (1995)Yeah, I know they copied The Clash. But hell, hasn't every musical artist ripped off another somewhere down the line? And sometimes, the imitators are better than the real thing (yeah, I said it and meant it).
Rancid puts on an amazing live show. They also put out amazing albums. This is one of those albums that you want to blast in your car with the windows down on a hot summer day.
Favorite tracks (all of them, really): Junkie Man, Ruby Soho, Olympia WA, and As Wicked.
22. Hooters Nervous Night (1985)This is one of the greatest synthpop albums from the 80s. I was hooked on this band the moment I saw the video for And We Danced.
Damn, I miss MTV.
This album had many other great songs in addition to the aforementioned And We Danced: Day By Day, Nervous Night, Where Do The Children Go?, and my favorite, Blood From A Stone. I bought all of their albums over the years and finally got a chance to see them live in the early 90s.
Trivia: The Hooters took their name from a slang term from the melodica, which is a handheld keyboard that you blow into which produces a harmonica-like sound.
And would you like to know how to make a musical instrument store manager's day? Call up and ask, "Do you sell hooters?" They'll even put you on speakerphone so the whole damn store can laugh at you. Trust me, I know from experience.
21. Ben Folds Five Ben Folds Five (1995)This is the first of two albums in this batch that contains no guitar. But who needs guitar when you've got Ben Folds on the keys?
There are so many great songs on this album, amazing ballads and fast-paced numbers (something sorely lacking on his solo work) with bitter and cynical lyrics. Favorite tracks: Underground (the one that started it all), Philosophy, The Last Polka, and Best Imitation Of Myself (a song I totally relate to).
If your knowledge of Ben Folds begins and ends with Brick, you need to do yourself a favor and discover his other songs. You will not be disappointed.
20. Ween Chocolate And Cheese (1994)Of all the albums on my list, this one is probably the closest representation of my overall taste in music. It sounds like a mix tape made by an insane person with little regard for musical or genre flow.
But insanity's cool.
On Chocolate And Cheese, you can find the following genres: old-school country (Drifter In The Dark), soul (Freedom Of '76), sappy guitar ballads (the extremely bitter Baby Bitch), funk (Voodoo Lady), and demented circus music (The HIV Song). Throw in I Can't Put My Finger On It and the faux-Spanish ballad, Buenas Tardes Amigo (a little tale of revenge (or is it?)), and you've got yourself an amazing album (or an amazing headache, depending on your taste).
And it's got one of the coolest album covers ever!
19. Celebrity Skin Good Clean Fun (1991)THIS IS THE GREATEST HAIR BAND ALBUM EVER MADE.
I saw LA Guns in concert once. Celebrity Skin was the opening act and I was completely blown away. Imagine Poison's Look What The Cat Dragged In crossed with a Broadway musical, only without songs about sex. They even had horns on some of their songs! Favorite tracks: Introduction, Hello, Evicted, Visible Man, and Dog Race.
Sadly, this band is probably best known for threatening to re-release their album and naming it Hole after Hole released the Celebrity Skin album.
I repeat, THIS IS THE GREATEST HAIR BAND ALBUM EVER MADE.
18. Faith No More Angel Dust (1992)Those expecting The Real Thing Part II were probably disappointed with the much heavier and much weirder Angel Dust. Favorite tracks: Midlife Crisis, RV (a hilarious mumbled-word number from a disillusioned trailer park dweller), Everything's Ruined (some of the most creative lyrics you'll find), A Small Victory, and Be Aggressive, which might be the best song ever recorded. Why?
- It's about oral sex.
- It has some killer organ.
- It has cheerleaders singing the chorus.
- It's about oral sex.
17. They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (1986)I know most would pick either Flood or Lincoln as their favorite They Might Be Giants album, but the self-titled debut will always hold a special place in my heart. This album was less polished than the other two and, in my opinion, much funnier and stranger. Do not underestimate the power of the accordion!
I still remember the day I saw the video for Don't Let's Start on MTV. I had never seen or heard anything like it and was instantly hooked.
And you don't need to buy their children's CDs. Play this CD for your kids!
16. Prince Purple Rain (1984)You own it. You love it. What am I going to add? There's a reason this album sold forty-two trillion copies: it rocks!
Favorite tracks: The Beautiful Ones and the one-two punch of I Would Die 4 U and Baby I'm A Star (really, I could list all of them except Computer Blue).
15. Atom And His Package Atom And His Package (1997)Punk rock with no guitars! This is another purchase I made after hearing it over a record store's speaker system.
Atom And His Package is just one man and his sequencer. It's also a band that you either love or hate; there is no in-between. This album has its fair share of covers (The Misfits' Where Eagles Dare, AC/DC's You Shook Me All Night Long, and Geto Boys' Mind's Playin' Tricks On Me (go ahead, try to imagine all-synth versions of these songs)) and instrumentals (with titles like After School Special Stands For ASS and Tim Allen Is Not Very Funny), but his originals are what really stand out.
Favorite tracks: Avenger (a song about taking a huge crane and dumping all the people that aggravate him on an island (if I had such a crane, it would need to be a really B-I-G island)), Head (She's Just A) (a song about a girl that has no body), Books My Dog, The Box, Brian Sokel, & Me, and his theme song.
She's In The Bathroom & She's Shaking Me Until Tomorrow was one of the hidden tracks on my wedding CD. If you would like to hear some of Atom's music, visit his site (I suggest I'm Downright Amazed At What I Can Destroy With Just A Hammer and If You Own The Washington Redskins, You're A Cock).
14. R.E.M. Document (1987)This is the album where Michael Stipe learned to E-N-U-N-C-I-A-T-E.
I had bought Life's Rich Pageant when I was sixteen and thought it was pretty decent but it was nothing compared to Document. Favorite tracks: Finest Worskong, Exhuming McCarthy, King Of Birds, and It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).
It's a shame the band broke up soon after this album's release and never recorded another album. I would have liked to have seen them continue in this direction.
13. Concrete Blonde Bloodletting (1990)Johnette Napolitano has one of the most powerful voices in rock 'n' roll. Most of the ballads on this album have a creepy, almost otherworldly feel to them. Favorite tracks: The Sky Is A Poisonous Garden, Days And Days, The Beast, and Tomorrow, Wendy, which is one of my favorite songs ever. The weakest song on this album is also the band's most popular, Joey.
12. Too Much Joy Cereal Killers (1991)Maybe it was just me, but I could wholly relate to any album that began, "So she said, 'Fuck this town. Nothing's ever going' down.'" This is an incredible album and it's a shame so few people are aware of its existence.
The music was catchy and the lyrics were bitter but funny. Favorite tracks: Susquehanna Hat Company, Good Kill, William Holden Caufield, King of Beers, and Theme Song.
When I was a DJ, there was a copy of Besides (a promotional album by the band that contained the unreleased Drum Machine) in our stacks. I ended up playing it so frequently that the station manager put a big sticker on the front of it that read "EVERYONE BUT CHAG IS FREE TO PLAY THIS ALBUM." Now that I look back on it, I think that bastard hated me.
If you are a fan of the band, we can be best friends for life. Seriously.
11. Pink Floyd The Wall (1979)This album was the soundtrack during my teen years. Alienation? Check. Building walls? Check.
Previously:
40-26
55-41
70-56
85-71
100-86
