Tweet
I did this somewhere else and there have been some interesting responses. What with the greater international community here, I thought it'd be really interesting.
There'll be no listing of "Best of" or collection albums, as that's cheating.
Here go mine:
10. Digital Underground - Sex Packets A truly groundbreaking rap album. Drawing heavily upon P-Funk in the form of sampling, with raps that are both inventive and funny, this album features very few duds. I always kept this tape in my backpack for play on my Walkman during my freshmen year of high school. Favorite songs: "Sex Packets," "Freaks of the Industry" and of course, "The Humpty Dance."
9. Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill The first album I ever bought. At one time, I had the lyrics to the entire thing memorized. This album is a standard bearer in the rap world and would be sampled and drawn upon for years to come. Who'd have thought that three Jewish whiteboys from NYC would have made such an impact on an overwhelmingly black industry? Too many good songs to list. I love the metal on "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" and the Led Zeppelin sampling on "She's Crafty" in particular.
8. Def Lepard - Hysteria Yay for Brit rock! I always loved how a bunch of guys from the UK could make music that mullet-wearing dudes across America would love. You've got to love the catchiness and power behind the songs on this album. "Pour Some Sugar On Me" will go down in history, but "Armageddon It," "Hysteria" and "Rocket" are standouts. Another album that I always kept in my backpack.
7. Jodeci - Diary of a Mad Band I'll come off as somewhat prissy in my frankness here, but this album is sexy. While working at Target my senior year, we in the electronics department requisitioned this album for play on the various stereos. I bought it soon after. The album has a few genuine love songs, but in large part it's about one thing: sex. In my modesty, I will give this album (along with my 12" JBL subwoofers in the trunk) a lot of the credit for the, uh, love, that I got. So many good songs, but my favorites have to be: "Alone" & "Ride and Slide."
6. Metallica - Metallica ("The Black Album") It was pretty uncool to like this album in the 90s. You know what? I didn't and don't care. I like almost every track, and never tire of them. Hard stuff, ballads, the use of a sitar! I really like "Unforgiven," "Don't Tread On Me" and "Sad But True."
5. Prince - Dirty Mind I'm a big fan of Prince, so it was tough choosing my favorite album of his. I went with Dirty Mind because it was his third album and he'd hit his stride by then, making pop hits with a touch of soul. The title track, "Head" and "When You Were Mine" are all standouts. Like most of his albums, sex is the dominant topic.
4. The Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle This album was released the same year that I was born. Steve Miller has to be the king of chorus. The title track, "Take the Money and Run," and "Rock'n Me" get you with their catchy hooks. This album is very eclectic in the selection of styles. You got country, blues, and of course plain rock and roll music. I love Miller's vocals and the guitar work.
3. Zakk Wylde - Book of Shadows Zakk Wylde's first official solo album, after doing some southern style rock in Pride & Glory. Amazingly beautiful acoustic songs, all written by Zakk. Even the piano is used. "Throwin' It All Away," "Between Heaven and Hell" and "Road Back Home" are my favorites.
2. Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears Ozzy's second album with Zakk Wylde, his second guitarist after the death of Randy Rhoads. Zakk fucks it up on the guitar and Ozzy has some beautiful vocals on "Mama, I'm Coming Home" and "Time After Time." "Desire," "Hellraiser" and "S.I.N." feature classic Ozzy and "I Don't Want to Change the World" has an irresistible glam feel to it. And finally, there is the title track, which is one of my favorite songs ever, and which features my definite favorite Zakk guitar solo ever.
1. John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra - Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Soundtrack) For me, at least 15% of the greatness of the original Star Wars movies is due to the wonderful soundtracks. John Williams knew how to perfectly compose the music to match the mood of the movies. He does an especially exceptional job with the ESB soundtrack. Just imagine watching the Star Destroyer fleet shots near the beginning of the movie sans the powerful and fascist-sounded "Imperial March." They'd lose a huge amount of impact without the blaring rhythmic horns that tell you "THESE ARE THE BAD GUYS' SHIPS." The anxiety expressed in "The Asteroid Field" and the wonderment conveyed in "Yoda's Theme" (as he raises the X-wing from the swamp) are also excellently composed. The music in the latter half of the film is rightly somber and dark. I love it! I hope this one goes down as a classic for the ages to enjoy, as the movie itself is sure to.
There'll be no listing of "Best of" or collection albums, as that's cheating.
Here go mine:
10. Digital Underground - Sex Packets A truly groundbreaking rap album. Drawing heavily upon P-Funk in the form of sampling, with raps that are both inventive and funny, this album features very few duds. I always kept this tape in my backpack for play on my Walkman during my freshmen year of high school. Favorite songs: "Sex Packets," "Freaks of the Industry" and of course, "The Humpty Dance."
9. Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill The first album I ever bought. At one time, I had the lyrics to the entire thing memorized. This album is a standard bearer in the rap world and would be sampled and drawn upon for years to come. Who'd have thought that three Jewish whiteboys from NYC would have made such an impact on an overwhelmingly black industry? Too many good songs to list. I love the metal on "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" and the Led Zeppelin sampling on "She's Crafty" in particular.
8. Def Lepard - Hysteria Yay for Brit rock! I always loved how a bunch of guys from the UK could make music that mullet-wearing dudes across America would love. You've got to love the catchiness and power behind the songs on this album. "Pour Some Sugar On Me" will go down in history, but "Armageddon It," "Hysteria" and "Rocket" are standouts. Another album that I always kept in my backpack.
7. Jodeci - Diary of a Mad Band I'll come off as somewhat prissy in my frankness here, but this album is sexy. While working at Target my senior year, we in the electronics department requisitioned this album for play on the various stereos. I bought it soon after. The album has a few genuine love songs, but in large part it's about one thing: sex. In my modesty, I will give this album (along with my 12" JBL subwoofers in the trunk) a lot of the credit for the, uh, love, that I got. So many good songs, but my favorites have to be: "Alone" & "Ride and Slide."
6. Metallica - Metallica ("The Black Album") It was pretty uncool to like this album in the 90s. You know what? I didn't and don't care. I like almost every track, and never tire of them. Hard stuff, ballads, the use of a sitar! I really like "Unforgiven," "Don't Tread On Me" and "Sad But True."
5. Prince - Dirty Mind I'm a big fan of Prince, so it was tough choosing my favorite album of his. I went with Dirty Mind because it was his third album and he'd hit his stride by then, making pop hits with a touch of soul. The title track, "Head" and "When You Were Mine" are all standouts. Like most of his albums, sex is the dominant topic.
4. The Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle This album was released the same year that I was born. Steve Miller has to be the king of chorus. The title track, "Take the Money and Run," and "Rock'n Me" get you with their catchy hooks. This album is very eclectic in the selection of styles. You got country, blues, and of course plain rock and roll music. I love Miller's vocals and the guitar work.
3. Zakk Wylde - Book of Shadows Zakk Wylde's first official solo album, after doing some southern style rock in Pride & Glory. Amazingly beautiful acoustic songs, all written by Zakk. Even the piano is used. "Throwin' It All Away," "Between Heaven and Hell" and "Road Back Home" are my favorites.
2. Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears Ozzy's second album with Zakk Wylde, his second guitarist after the death of Randy Rhoads. Zakk fucks it up on the guitar and Ozzy has some beautiful vocals on "Mama, I'm Coming Home" and "Time After Time." "Desire," "Hellraiser" and "S.I.N." feature classic Ozzy and "I Don't Want to Change the World" has an irresistible glam feel to it. And finally, there is the title track, which is one of my favorite songs ever, and which features my definite favorite Zakk guitar solo ever.
1. John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra - Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Soundtrack) For me, at least 15% of the greatness of the original Star Wars movies is due to the wonderful soundtracks. John Williams knew how to perfectly compose the music to match the mood of the movies. He does an especially exceptional job with the ESB soundtrack. Just imagine watching the Star Destroyer fleet shots near the beginning of the movie sans the powerful and fascist-sounded "Imperial March." They'd lose a huge amount of impact without the blaring rhythmic horns that tell you "THESE ARE THE BAD GUYS' SHIPS." The anxiety expressed in "The Asteroid Field" and the wonderment conveyed in "Yoda's Theme" (as he raises the X-wing from the swamp) are also excellently composed. The music in the latter half of the film is rightly somber and dark. I love it! I hope this one goes down as a classic for the ages to enjoy, as the movie itself is sure to.
Comment