I'm finally nearing the end of this baby! Only 25 to go after this one. Woo-hoo!
Who's happier, me or you?
As always, 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 40-26:
40. AC/DC Back In Black (1980)This. Album. Kicks. Major. Ass.
You've got great songs like Hells Bells, Have A Drink On Me, Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution, and the anthems Back In Black and You Shook Me All Night Long. You've got Angus Young's guitar (and his schoolboy uniform). You've got Brian Johnson's nails-on-a-chalkboard voice (seriously, shouldn't that man have permanent laryngitis by now?). There's no wonder you can't go an hour without hearing one of these tunes on your local classic rock station.
39. The White Stripes Elephant (2003)I had never heard of the White Stripes until I saw the Legotastic video for Fell In Love With A Girl. I immediately went out and
A year or so later, I heard Seven Nation Army. I was instantly a fan. I played this CD so much that Ella hid it from me. Favorite track: There's No Home For You Here.
38. The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet (1968)Want to know where I stand on the Stones v. Beatles debate? I am a Beatles guy. While I like a greater number of Stones songs than I do Beatles songs, I enjoy the Beatles songs more. Quality beats quantity every time.
I know most pick Exile On Main Street as their favorite Stones disc, but I prefer Beggars Banquet. It boasts one of the greatest songs in the history of rock 'n' roll, Sympathy For The Devil (which Guns N' Roses massacred on the Interview With The Vampire soundtrack), as well as Street Fighting Man and Salt Of The Earth (love the vocals on this track).
37. Hole Live Through This (1994)I realize my top 100 has very few female artists on it. Does that make me a musical sexist? Probably.
Courtney Love is a train wreck, but the girl can
Favorite tracks: Violet (Go on take everything, take everything, I want you to -- did I mention this girl can SCREAM?), Miss World, Doll Parts, Credit In The Straight World, and Olympia (or Rock Star).
36. The Cure Disintegration (1989)Dark. Gloomy. No one mopes like Robert Smith. Not only was Disintegration the Cure's best album, it was also their darkest and had a much fuller sound than their early works. I find it amazing that this is the album that followed the poppy Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. Favorite tracks: Plainsong, Pictures Of You (which never should've been used in that commercial), and Fascination Street.
35. Beck Odelay (1996)I love Beck. When I first heard Loser, I immediately went out and snatched up Mellow Gold, Stereopathetic Soulmanure, and One Foot In The Grave. Beck amused me with his folksy, distortion-laden raps. And then the extremely genre-bending/blending Odelay came out and blew everything else out of the water. Favorite tracks: Devil's Haircut and Hotwax.
34. Van Halen Van Halen (1978)Why the hell doesn't David Lee Roth have his own Vegas show? If people will go see "talent" like Celine Dion, don't you think they would pack the house nightly to see Diamond Dave perform (Hard Rock, I'm looking at you)? Or is it just me?
This album not only introduced the world to Roth but to the guitar skillz of Eddie Van Halen (listen to Eruption if you have any doubts). Favorite tracks: Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, Janie's Cryin', and Ice Cream Man (which is a must for his Vegas show).
33. U2 Achtung Baby (1991)This is the album where Bono told the world, "I AM A ROCK STAR!" Not as preachy as their earlier efforts, Achtung Baby showcased a totally different U2 (dance music!). Favorite tracks: One (some of the best lyrics ever) and Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.
32. Beastie Boys Licensed To Ill (1986)If you grew up during the 80s and don't know every single lyric of this CD by heart, I hope you rebelled against your Preacher Papa when you went away to college. I misspoke earlier when I said Raising Hell was the CD that brought rap music to Middle America. Licensed To Ill holds that title.
31. Green Day Dookie (1994)Green Day did not break any new ground with their pop-nosed punk Dookie, but they did with a sense of humor. And even though I enjoy a lot of dark, depressing music, I also like music with a good deal of humor. This CD had it in spades, from the masturbation ode Longview to the help-I'm-locked-in-the-basement-of-a-psycho Pulling Teeth (my favorite song). I know it's cool to hate Green Day, but they're still putting out great music ten years later (American Idiot).
30. Weezer Pinkerton (1996)Rivers Cuomo is a music nerd. I read somewhere that he has written hundreds of songs and organizes them in an Excel spreadsheet. A man after my own heart.
I know a lot of people hate this album, as it was a dramatic departure from their debut album. But with tracks like The Good Life, El Scorcho, and Tired Of Sex, I thought this album buried the first one.
I still buy every Weezer CD that hits the shelves (I can't say that for many artists, including the artist responsible for my #1 album (big hint, guys -- my #1 artist is still making music)).
And why wasn't Pink Triangle the theme song for Chasing Amy? Was it just too obvious?
29. Faster Pussycat Faster Pussycat (1987)You didn't think I'd go through a block of fifteen without mentioning at least one hair band, did you? This is another one of those hair bands that didn't receive the exposure they deserved. This is sleazy rock 'n' roll at its finest. The songs were about sex (Bathroom Wall), sex (Don't Change That Song), and sex (Cathouse). I love every song on this album except Babylon, their failed attempt at rap. Let's pretend that never happened, shall we?
28. Ramones Rocket to Russia (1977)If I allowed greatest hits, the Ramones would be much higher on my list. But truth be told, this is almost a greatest hits album (Sheena Is A Punk Rocker, We're A Happy Family, Teenage Lobotomy, Cretin Hop, and my all-time favorite Ramones song, Rockaway Beach, can all be found on this album).
Yeah, the Ramones' lyrics and music were the equivalent of a big dumb jock. But they were also fun as hell.
Unlike the jock.
27. Camper Van Beethoven Telephone Free Landslide Victory (1985)I'll be honest. I had never heard of Camper Van Beethoven until I saw the video for Eye Of Fatima. It was then that I became a lifelong fan of David Lowery.
I have seen him play live countless times. With Camper Van Beethoven. With Cracker. Acoustic. You name it.
This is Camper Van Beethoven's debut disc and contains such classics as The Day That Lassie Went To The Moon, Ambiguity Song, and Take The Skinheads Bowling (which was featured in Michael Moore's documentary Bowling For Columbine (because how many songs about bowling are there?)).
26. The Dead Milkmen Beelzebubba (1988)Like I said before, I like music with a sense of humor. Favorite tracks: Life Is Shit (which actually becomes quite sweet near the end), The Guitar Song, and my favorite, Stuart (trailer parks + carnivals + conspiracy theories + burrow owls = pure genius).
Previously:
55-41
70-56
85-71
100-86
