20 May 2008, 16:19
by 6:00
Simply my favourite albums of all time, regardless of genre. If I were on a sinking ship with these records, I’d likely drown trying to save them all. Comments are, of course, welcome.
100.
King Crimson –
Thrak – 1995
Artful, playful, dark and angular modern music from the kingpins of classic prog.
99.
Fugazi –
The Argument – 2001
The controlled fury of Fugazi’s classic hardcore attack meets the washed-out moody ambience of post-punk, with awesome results.
98.
The Raconteurs -
Consolers Of The Lonely – 2008
An instant, eclectic classic from can-do-no-wrong composer Jack White and Co.
97.
Judas Priest –
Unleashed in the East – 1979
The best live record of the 70’s, from one of metal’s all-time greatest innovators.
96.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse –
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere – 1969
Young’s finest hour, this album is a repository for both his wildest studio jamming and some of his best songwriting ever.
95.
Bruce Cockburn –
Life Short Call Now – 2006
Canada’s rock poet laureate brings forth a life-affirming late-career masterpiece.
94.
DJ Shadow –
Endtroducing..... – 1996
Breathtaking new music assembled from the scraps of the old; as post-modern as music gets.
93.
Scorpions –
Taken by Force – 1978
Germany’s finest metallic spawn reach their apogee, well before success warped them beyond all recognition.
92.
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth –
Mecca & The Soul Brother – 1992
Thoughtful and inventive art is the order of the day on this soulful jazz-rap essential.
91.
Wintersleep –
Untitled – 2005
Unfairly overlooked post-grunge classic from Nova Scotia’s finest.
90.
Soundgarden –
Badmotorfinger – 1991
An arty, difficult album of teeth-kicking metal from the most talented band in grunge.
89.
Emperor –
IX Equilibrium – 1999
A whirlwind masterwork of earsplitting black metal.
88.
Peter Gabriel –
Up – 2002
Repeat listening yields incredible rewards from this, the enigmatic Gabriel’s latest.
87.
The D.O.C. –
No One Can Do It Better – 1989
Verbal dexterity, awesome production and pure unadulterated swagger make The D.O.C.’s debut the best west coast rap album ever made.
86.
Talking Heads –
The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads – 1982
Everyone’s favourite paranoid post-punks come alive on this drop-dead-fun live offering.
85.
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists –
The Tyranny of Distance – 2001
Brash punk indulges in his love of all things indie and Thin Lizzy, produces his finest record yet.
84.
Carcass –
Heartwork – 1993
Simply the most badass death metal album ever cut.
83.
Def Leppard –
High 'n' Dry – 1982
Ace AC/DC-worship from the burgeoning pop metal superstars.
82.
Chroma Key –
You Go Now – 2000
Minimalist electro masterpiece for those who’d rather mope than move it.
81.
Santana –
Abraxas – 1970
The sound of the cosmically stoned, speaking to the cosmos with only his axe.
80.
Megadeth –
Rust in Peace – 1990
A delicious musical meal, with riff after sautéed riff piled high as the eye can see.
79.
Thin Lizzy –
Black Rose – 1979
The best harmony guitars in rock history were never better than this heartfelt tribute to their Irish homeland.
78.
Tool –
Lateralus – 2001
The term ‘magnum opus’ exists to describe this endlessly rewarding prog treasure.
77.
The Beatles –
Rubber Soul – 1965
Everyone should have a favourite Beatles record, and this one is mine.
76.
Green Carnation –
Light of Day, Day of Darkness – 2001
An unequivocally affirmative answer to the oft-asked question, “Can one song be over an hour long?”
75.
Cynic –
Focus – 1993
In twenty years the world might be ready for this futuristic vial of liquid-flowing jazz metal.
74.
Radiohead –
The Bends – 1995
The flesh-and-blood essence of Radiohead, before they allowed their experiments to obscure their remarkable emotional power.
73.
Pain of Salvation –
Remedy Lane – 2002
A haunting evocation of lost love that endures in the heart long after the last song has played.
72.
Elton John –
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – 1973
A panoramic pop masterpiece, from a time when there was no sound Elton couldn’t master with ease.
71.
Thought Industry –
Black Umbrella – 1997
Acidly bitter and hilarious alt-rock from the chameleon kings of Kalamazoo, MI.
70.
Max Webster –
High Class In Borrowed Shoes – 1977
Somewhere between goofy as hell and canny as can be sit Canada’s best party band, Max Webster.
69.
Anathallo –
Floating World – 2006
An impossibly ornate art rock symphony from the inimitable Anathallo; surely the next big thing in weirdly beautiful underground music.
68.
Genesis –
Wind & Wuthering – 1976
Main brain Peter Gabriel lopped himself off this beast, but the Hydra-like Genesis prove four heads are better than one with this sly progressive classic.
67.
Ulver –
Blood Inside – 2005
Ulver reverse the jets on their increasingly esoteric trajectory and deliver their most accessible effort in a decade.
66.
The Roots –
Things Fall Apart – 1999
The incendiary sprawling socially-conscious hip-hop/jam rock opus from a band who truly know no other way.
65.
Savatage –
The Wake of Magellan – 1998
Savatage finally nail down the perfect fusion of heartstring-tugging rock opera and skullcrushing heavy metal, to glorious effect.
64.
Run-D.M.C. –
Run-D.M.C. – 1983
Run-D.M.C. drag hip-hop out of the block party and onto the mean streets on this seminal rap classic.
63.
Rush –
Permanent Waves – 1980
An invigorating celebration of life itself from the wise old fathers of prog metal.
62.
Fates Warning –
Awaken the Guardian – 1986
Is it the musical embodiment of spiritual transcendence, or just a wild headbang from a bunch of masters at the top of their gang? I’ll get back to you when I figure it out.
61.
Agalloch –
The Mantle – 2002
An album too grim and beautiful to listen to outside, for fear of finding myself inexplicably buried alive in a snowdrift by the record’s end.
60.
Coroner –
Mental Vortex – 1991
A head-spinning thrash master class from Switzerland’s technical wizards.
59.
Explosions in the Sky –
The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place – 2003
A reassuring grip on your hand, promising that you will never be alone.
58.
King’s X –
Dogman – 1994
In a just world, this is what 90’s popular rock would have sounded like.
57.
The New Pornographers –
Challengers – 2007
The world’s best power pop band indulges their more melancholic side, with fabulous results.
56.
Spoon –
Girls Can Tell – 2001
The ultimate after-hours record to fill the emptiness of another wasted night at a shitty club.
55.
Earth –
The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull – 2008
Out of the strong came forth sweetness.
54.
Queensrÿche –
Operation: Mindcrime – 1988
Reagan-era paranoia set to a note-perfect post-Maiden soundtrack.
53.
Eminem –
The Eminem Show – 2002
Shady the angry young man gives way to Marshall the maverick pop impresario… and improves tenfold.
52.
Diamond Head –
Lightning to the Nations – 1980
The stars aligned and for one brief, shining moment Diamond Head was the best metal band in the world. And this record proves it.
51.
Corrosion of Conformity –
Deliverance – 1994
Like kerosene with a whisky chase, this southern-fried sludge classic is nothing but pure power.
50.
David Bowie –
Hunky Dory – 1971
Bowie’s had good records before this one, and some great ones after, but this is my heart’s fav.
49.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions –
Trust – 1981
Elvis ‘Can-Do-It-All’ Costello does… uh… well, does it all quite frankly.
48.
The Trews –
Den Of Thieves – 2004
My favourite Canuckistani roots rockers put out an album that matches Sloan in scope and early Black Crowes in fun and vigour.
47.
Mercyful Fate –
Don't Break the Oath – 1984
In which the angel from the cover of Judas Priest’s
Sad Wings of Desiny plunges further into the flames, and emerges…
pissed.
46.
OSI –
Free – 2006
Icy submersion therapy for catatonic victims of fried nerve-endings.
45.
The Decemberists –
The Crane Wife – 2006
Colin Meloy and Co. embark on their most grandiose journey yet, and in every regard achieve their aims.
44.
Vàli –
Forlatt – 2004
The great unknown neo-folk classic of the last coupla hundred years.
43.
The Who –
Tommy – 1969
In which Pete Townshend demonstrates once and for all that no concept is so ridiculous that pop brilliance cannot render a masterwork.
42.
Alice in Chains –
Jar of Flies – 1994
Melancholy, thy name is
Jar of Flies.
41.
Amorphis –
Eclipse – 2006
Timeless pounding melodic metal from Finland’s greatest musical treasure.
40.
Queensrÿche –
Rage for Order – 1986
Queensryche move from the castle to the nightclub, bring forth a fearless masterpiece of high-minded art metal and inject shivery sex appeal into the nerdiest of forms.
39.
Peter Gabriel –
III – 1980
An album that will always sound modern, composed using synths with as much computing power as a calculator.
38.
De La Soul –
3 Feet High and Rising – 1989
Sunny, joyous sample-collages form the background for one of the most inventive rap albums ever cut.
37.
Talk Talk –
The Colour of Spring – 1986
With one leg in pop and the other in post-rock, Talk Talk produce an album of gentle beauty and incredible grace.
36.
AC/DC –
Highway to Hell – 1979
The soundtrack to the greatest party you’ll never be invited to.
35.
R.E.M. –
Reckoning – 1984
R.E.M. already sounded grandfather-wise on this, their second effort, and zenith of the peerless I.R.S. years.
34.
Sigur Rós –
Agaetis Byrjun – 1999
The sound of life itself, rendered audible in all its fragility and bombast.
33.
Blue Öyster Cult –
Secret Treaties – 1974
One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.
32.
Judas Priest –
Sin After Sin – 1977
And in the lull between revolutions, Judas Priest try to capture something like the essence of
art… and succeed almost in spite of themselves.
31.
Black Star –
Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star – 1998
So penetrating and wise that, by record’s end, you realize the world would probably be a better place if it were run by Mos and Talib.
30.
Warren Zevon –
Sentimental Hygiene – 1987
Rising from the ruins he himself had wrought, Zevon recruits R.E.M. to be his backing band and rips out the toughest, punchiest album of his career.
29.
The Shins –
Oh, Inverted World – 2002
Quite possibly the most perfectly crafted pop album of this century.
28.
Atheist –
Elements – 1993
Immaculately crafted on every level, Atheist take their music to new heights while revealing new depths of poetic inspiration.
27.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds –
Let Love In – 1994
The most vivid and accomplished work of Leonard Cohen’s profoundly dark reflection.
26.
The Mountain Goats –
The Sunset Tree – 2005
The summation of insanely prolific years in the indie wilderness,
The Sunset Tree is almost certainly the best 35th release by any band ever.
25.
Chroma Key –
Dead Air For Radios – 1999
Kevin Moore strips away the layers of prog pretension that obscured him in Dream Theater, and the pure songwriting chops revealed are a gem of unsurpassed worth.
24.
TV on the Radio –
Young Liars – 2003
Unclassifiable, unquantifiable and incomparable. Some of the most concentrated greatness ever to grace these ears.
23.
Boston –
Boston – 1976
A sound so pure and perfect that listening to it might actually qualify as detox therapy.
22.
Savatage –
The Dungeons Are Calling – 1984
So metal your blood will turn to mercury upon listening.
21.
Neutral Milk Hotel –
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea – 1998
Whether the lyrics are genuinely artistic or merely pretentious, the real appeal of the thing lies in the incredibly unique, ragged melodicism of the music.
20.
Metallica –
Ride the Lightning – 1984
Metallica always thought they were the best metal band in the world, and lo and behold that became emphatically true here on their sophomore LP.
19.
Black Sabbath –
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath – 1973
Black Sabbath were ever an idiosyncratic beast, and their unique charms became only more pronounced on this brave attempt at progressive rock.
18.
Alice in Chains –
Dirt – 1992
Dominated by dismal and jarring angst-scapes, AiC force you to live for the glorious shafts of light that pierce the gloom.
17.
The Clash –
London Calling – 1980
The Clash do so much and do it so well that it’s impossible to begrudge them their few missteps.
16.
The Who –
Quadrophenia – 1973
One of the most consistent double LPs ever released. Practically every track is The Who at their brainy, electric best.
15.
George Harrison –
Brainwashed – 2002
A dark horse classic from the soul of the Beatles. Criminally underrated given its posthumous release.
14.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions –
Blood & Chocolate – 1986
The perfect fusion of Costello’s acerbic songwriting, electric toughness and incomparable melodic sense.
13.
Amorphis –
Elegy – 1996
A tribute to Finland’s folk tradition that feels as mythic and mystic as its source material.
12.
Thought Industry –
Short Wave on a Cold Day – 2001
Only divine inspiration could’ve produced such an immense work of gorgeous art-pop.
11.
The Decemberists –
Her Majesty, the Decemberists – 2003
By stripping away many of their musical affectations, The Decemberists produce a roots-y folk-pop classic. Their most touching and emotive work to date.
10.
AC/DC –
Powerage – 1978
AC/DC’s most warm and full-bodied work, a blues-slurred record for drinking with the lads when the lights have gone down.
9.
Bruce Springsteen –
Born to Run – 1975
The record where Springsteen finally succeeded in rendering his vision on the mythic scale he had always envisioned them. An unimaginable high in rock history.
8.
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band –
Live Bullet – 1975
It took Seger almost ten years to finally become a break out star, and he did it with this monumental live classic. A great introduction to his superb early work.
7.
King’s X –
Ear Candy – 1996
King’s X are one of the ultimate hard luck stories in rock, but you’d never know it from this life-affirming album; pristine melodic rock at its finest.
6.
Stevie Wonder –
Innervisions – 1973
Not since Milton has a blind man so captivatingly communicated his impressions of the world around him.
5.
Metallica –
Master of Puppets – 1986
The anchor and anvil of 80’s metal, and the standard by which the genre is judged. Long live the kings.
4.
Thought Industry –
Outer Space Is Just a Martini Away – 1996
Somewhere between the caustic thrash/hardcore of the early years and the literate alternative that followed sits
Outer Space…, the summary of all this wonderful band was and would be.
3.
Warren Zevon –
Warren Zevon – 1976
One of the all-time great songwriters reflects upon the nature of Los Angeles and America. The results are savagely funny, deeply moving and even haunting, often all at once.
2.
Mos Def –
Black on Both Sides – 1999
One of the most singular talents in pop music history faces the daunting task of crafting his first solo LP. The result is nothing short of perfection. Not only the best rap album ever made, but also one of the most impressive albums ever made by anyone, in any genre.
1.
R.E.M. –
Automatic for the People – 1992
I have no words for this, an album that means more to me than any other. Truly sublime.
1965
1969 - 2
60s - 3
1970
1971
1973 - 4
1974
1975 - 2
1976 - 3
1977 - 2
1978 - 2
1979 - 3
70s - 19
1980 - 4
1981
1982 - 2
1983
1984 - 4
1986 - 5
1987
1988
1989 - 2
80s - 21
1990
1991 - 2
1992 - 3
1993 - 3
1994 - 4
1995 - 2
1996 - 4
1997
1998 - 3
1999 - 5
90s - 28
2000
2001 - 6
2002 - 6
2003 - 3
2004 - 2
2005 - 3
2006 - 5
2007
2008 - 2
00s - 29
1972 & 1985: The only years from 1969 - 2008 with no albums making this list.
2001/2002: The years with the most albums on the list (6).
Metal: The most oft-listed genre, at just over 1/3 (36) of the list. It was followed by alternative rock (28), pop (12) and rap (9).
Thought Industry: Band with most albums on the list (3)
Brent Oberlin, Kevin Moore, Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills: Individual musicians with the most appearances on this list.
The Last Album Eliminated:
101.
Polyrhythm Addicts –
Rhyme Related – 1999
Three insanely talented MC's come together and create one of the best underground rap albums of the past ten years.
Bruce Cockburn
7 8 9 by Barenaked Ladies