OK, so all this list is likely to get me is criticism. It's not like someone'll say, "Man, you've got great taste in music. Those are my top 15 albums of all time, too!" But whatever. I'm a fan of lists, and I've been compiling this one (if for no one else, then for myself) for weeks. Yeah, I'm that awesome.
These are my favorite albums of all time. Why 15? Because I just didn't feel right posting the top 10.
The criteria: I can listen to these all the time. They never get old. They have some kind of meaning to me, or some story behind them.
Keep in mind, this is not a list of my favorite artists. Some of my favorite artists/groups aren't even on this list. Take Outkast, for example. Maybe my favorite rap group of all time. But I don't feel that they have one specific album that stands out above the others. I appreciate their body of work more than any particular album. Same with Taking Back Sunday.
Update: Preash to Levi and Colin for introducing me to and/or hooking me up with some of the newer rock bands' albums.
Anyway, let's get to the list!
#15 Mae - Destination Beautiful (2003)
The laid-back, upbeat, slightly electronica rock band's debut album.
I downloaded this my sophomore year of college having never heard of them before. It was just a spur-of-the-moment download based on the album name catching my attention. Ever since then, I try to make it a point to download an album by a band I've never heard of, hoping that I can somehow randomly find another winner.
Favorite Track: "This Time is the Last Time"
#14 Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die (1994)
The grimey freshman album from the greatest storyteller in rap.
As a Houston kid, we got quite a bit of West Coast rap on the radio but very little East Coast. It took me a little while to get into this one. It's been my experience that a lot of albums I'm not really feeling at first end up being some of my favorites.
Favorite track: "Gimme the Loot"
#13 The Used - The Used (2002)
The self-titled debut from hard-rockin', often melodic, screamo band.
A standard go-to album when working out. Get's me pumped! Their drums have a really unique sound to me. And whenever a talented rock band can incorporate a strings section without it sounding forced, I'm hooked.
Favorite track: "On My Own" (or the hidden bonus track "Choke Me", if that counts.)
#12 Led Zeppelin - I (1969)
Another debut album. This from one of the most popular rock bands of all time.
OK, granted, this album is one big plagiarism. 8 of the 9 tracks are rip-offs. (Click here to hear a classic rock expert play the Zeppelin rip-offs and the originals back-to-back on the Howard Stern Show.) Still, it's an awesome album. Whodo thunk some white guys from the UK could make the blues sound so good? And to think they formed in '68, then made this classic the very next year. Many fans hail II as their favorite album, but I'm partial to this I.
Favorite track: "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You"
#11 2Pac - All Eyez on Me (1996)
The West Coast classic from arguably the greatest rapper of all time.
I would have ranked this one higher if it hadn't been a double album. Unfortunately, I felt like a few of the tracks were kinda weak and should have been cut. Still, so many great songs. And the history behind the genesis of it is fascinating. 2Pac was serving a one-and-a-half year sentence for sexual abuse. Suge Knight, CEO of Death Row Records, told 2Pac he'd post the $1.4 million bail if he joined Death Row. And the rest is history. If 2Pac hadn't been (wrongfully?) accused of sexual abuse, this album never would have come about.
Favorite track: "No More Pain"
#10 Eminem - The Slim Shady LP (1999)
Eminem's classic first commercial album.
I've been known to brag about how I "discovered" Eminem even before Dr. Dre did. When I first started listening to him, I pronounced him e-MINE-um and assumed he was a black dude. It's tough to beat Em's multi-syllabic rhymes. Anyway, the reason I think this album is so great is that a majority of the tracks were done before he even hooked up with Dre. I find the pre-Dre production to be better, personally. For example...
Favorite track: "Just Don't Give a F-ck"
#9 Rage Against the Machine - The Battle of Los Angeles (1999)
The final original album by the politically-conscious anti-establishment L.A. rock band.
I didn't get into Rage until after their time had come and gone, so maybe that's why this one is my favorite while most others prefer Evil Empire. This one's another automatic go-to on the iPod when working out. I feel like every track has it's own feel, whereas many of the Evil Empire songs kinda blend together in my mind. Badass album.
Favorite track: "Calm Like a Bomb"
#8 Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)
The most famous gangsta rap album ever.
I remember where I heard this album the first time. My buddy Matt Yurkanin and I got into his older brother's car and listened to it. I was awestruck by the amount of profanity and obscenity.
Favorite track: "B-tches Ain't Sh-t"
#7 Brand New - Deja Entendu (2003)
The sophomore album from the slightly-emo alternative New Jersey rock band.
Have you ever noticed that alot of their songs have a nautical theme. Just sayin'. Anyway, this album is chock-full of awesome songs, many of which start off really quiet and minimalistic and end up loud and raging. My friend Dave McCarl once called it "the best CD ever." It's up to whether or not to take the word of an Irishman.
Favorite track: "Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't"
#6 Incubus - Make Yourself (1999)
The first major-label release from the quasi-psychadelic West Coast alternative rock band.
The first rock band I got into. Believe it or not, before this album was purchased for me by a loopy female friend, I only listened to rap and R&B. Nothing else. This was another one that I wasn't that into at first. Catchy ballads and rockin' jams. Plus, a DJ on the 1's and 2's. And as John Stewart's character would say in Half Baked, "Yeah, but have you ever listened to Incubus...when you were high!?" Reminds me of freshman year of college. Also, Valenza does a killer impression of the band introducing their home on Cribs.
Favorite track: "Stellar"
#5 Death Cab for Cutie - Plans (2005) 
The first major-label release from the indie Seattle band.
As fruity as this may sound, every song is beautiful and moving. A very polished, well-produced album full of somber, yet somehow uplifting, songs. The combination of the lyrical imagery and the melodious music still manages to give me goosebumps (even just now, listening to my favorite track). I seriously doubt that anyone with half a brain could not be blown away by the genius of this album. Listen to the lyrics of "What Sarah Said" and try not to be wowed.
Favorite track: "What Sarah Said" barely beats out "Brothers on a Hotel Bed"
#4 Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle (1993)
Snoop's first album combines gangsta rap with g-funk soul
While Dre's album was aiming to be strictly gangsta, Snoop's album reflected his own personal style by adding a little bit of a laid-back soul/funk twist. Somehow, I convinced my dad to buy me this album. Then I made the stupid decision to read the comic that came with the CD at the kitchen table. My dad saw me reacting to what I was reading, took it from me, read it himself, and took the CD away. After that, I wasn't allowed to have albums with explicit lyrics. He once said, "If we're gonna let him listen to that filth and have it in my house, we might as well just paint the f word all over the walls!" I never understood that logic. Regardless, I found my ways.
Favorite track: "Who am I (What's My Name)?"
#3 Dashboard Confessional - The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most (+ So Impossible EP) (2001)
A full album plus an EP from the most successful emo "band" ever
OK, so I guess I'm cheating a little here, but so what? It's my list. The Places is so good, but I'm just gonna pretend that the four tracks on So Impossible were hidden bonus tracks. I mean, c'mon, I can't count an EP! Plus they came out the same year. Dashboard was my introduction to emo, and one of the early emo bands to emerge and gain popularity. The epitome of emo - a higher-pitched voice, lyrics about love and loss, occasional screaming, and an emphasis on the acoustic. This album is a must whenver I've come to the end of a relationship. Gay, I know.
Favorite track: "Remember to Breathe" "For You to Notice"
#2 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - E. 1999 Eternal (1995)
The first full album from the Cleaveland quartet that gangsta rap with G-funk harmony.
Incredibly dark, thuggish beats from DJ U-Neek combine with Bone's signature sing-songy flow to create my favorite rap album ever. Another album on which every track is a winner. Plus, it's important to point out they each song has a feel of its own, which is rare for a rap album with only one producer. I got an older kid down the street named Roger to buy this for me at Target after the fallout from the whole Doggystyle incident. Probably the wisest act of rebellion I ever performed. When I finally got around to reversing the Intro on my computer and realized it was the lyrics to "Thuggish Ruggish Bone," it was like disovering the Holy Grail. I jammed the ever-loving sh-t out of this album back in the day, and I still put it on when I need to get pumped up for a good ol'-fashion drive-by.
Favorite track: "Mo Murda" barely beats out "Down '71 The Getaway"
#1 Say Anything - Is a Real Boy (2004)
The first widely-released album indie rock band from L.A. that can do pretty much any genre and make it sound brilliant
My favorite album of all time, by my favorite band of all time. Maybe the reason I'm still so devoted is that they haven't really blown up to the mainstream teeny boppers yet. Thankfully. They say the crazy ones are the most creative. Max Bemis, the lead singer and mastermind behind Say Anything, is bi-polar. That probably accounts for the sheer brilliance of this album. Every song sounds different. Some light, some dark, some slow, some fast, some hard rockers, some ballads. Max let's it all out on this album as he struggles with his condition. I will never get enough of this album.
Favorite track: "I Want to Know Your Plans"
So there you have it. My top 15 albums of all time. Let me know what you think.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Preash: My Top 15 Albums of All Time
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8 comments:
Hey, I give you mad props for even posting a top 15 albums. The number one thing people like to do with music is criticize and talk shit - which is gay. Not sure if I could even put together a list such as that.
Although, I am slightly disappointed that I did not get a shout out on the list anywhere. No biggie though.
I thought about doing that...lemme fix that for you.
First, I'm very glad you took on this endeavor. I find posts like these to be the most interesting especially given your musical biography (from Michael Jackson home videos, to 102.1 The Jam when it was still rap, Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, Kris Kross, the explicit lyrics prohibition, Swishahouse, DJ ONE SIX SCREWTAPES!, a short stint in Texas country, until finally arriving at an ever expanding horizon of punk/emo/rock/rap). I'm sure there are a few gaps within there I missed but that seems like the majority of your defining moments. All that just to say, big ups for compiling this list.
#2: I thought the story behind you getting that CD was that you bought a new stereo and they were giving away a free promo CD with it. When you bought yours, though, they were out of that free promo CD so they allowed you to pick another. When you picked Bone Thugs mom was apprehensive because of the explicit content but the clerk told mom that they rap so fast you can't understand them anyways. Fact or fiction? Great pick! I think they still have one of the most unique sounds in the history of rap music. Do you remember how you discovered them?
#3: I remember listening to this CD in the living room when you were home from college. We were listening to "Bitter Pill" and at the exact moment Chris Carraba begins his almost guttural wailing towards the end of the track, mom walked in and was entirely taken back, and almost frightened, by his emotional breakdown. Beautiful! You should post the story of the group suicide away message. "For You To Notice" is my fav too! A great CD for educing or encouraging girl-problem depression.
#5: Your favorite tracks on this pick are mine as well! Great pick. I must say, though, I do prefer Transatlanticism. Although not apart of your criteria, I think this album should have been rated higher based on the genius writing and mature musical composition.
#7: Awesome pick. Brand New has a very original sound. I also remember you being home from college repeatedly singing the lyrics, "I am heaven sent!."
#10: I remember the e-MINE-um buzz that you created. Great find. I feel like this could have been ranked higher as well had the criteria been different. Again, very original music. That seems to be a common thread amongst your picks.
Well, that's all I've got. This compilation was great idea. I find it interesting that a good number of your picks separate themselves because of their originality. I am a huge fan of originality, especially in the days of ringtone music and cookie cutter garbage. I would love to see more content like this. Good work.
#2 That's right! Thanks for reminding me of that and calling me out on making up a story. Must have been another CD I was thinking of that Roger bought me.
The first time I heard them was when our cousin Brad brought Creepin' on ah Comeup over to our house. But I don't think I really got into them until "First of the Month" hit the radio.
#3 I don't remember the group suicide away message. Enlighten me.
Death Cab's Plans should have been higher? #5 is pretty high, brotha.
Preash for your extensive analysis.
First off: "loopy female friend"??!!! How about the best friend I will ever have! I really enjoyed this list and your synopsis of each one. The Incubus album always takes me to your freshman year dorm room, as the sun is setting, experiencing a euphoria that I will never experience again... College.
You went to the Dashboard and Weezer concert and on your AIM away message you posted something to the effect of, "Dashboard concert then group suicide." Mom saw this and went coo coo. C'mon, you have to remember that. It was one of her classic freak outs. Anymore lists in the works?
I've already started compiling favorite movies and favorite internet videos of all time.
This comment thread is priceless. Anyway, I decided to buy the two Dashboard albums (or whatever it can be classified as) on emusic and try them out, since I'm trying to broaden my music consumption away from just rap. I personally would've put the All Eyez on Me higher, but yeah. I've got no complaints about the list except that I don't think this emo stuff is really for me.
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