(2/6)
[9] Boston - Boston
The guitar on this album is so sexy. The sound is unique and clean. My favorite song out of the bunch would be
Foreplay/Long Time.
[8] Leftoverture - Kansas
Kansas has such a unique sound about them, some of their songs are almost cheesy but you have to appreciate the epic nature of most of their progressive compositions. The singles are great too. Some of my favorite tracks include
Carry on Wayward Son and
Cheyenne Anthem.
[7] The Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd
Dark Side has an overall gloomy and dark feel to it. Yes, an overrated album at times, but still it's undeniable musical gold. Dark Side was the first CD I bought as a kid and I still listen to it on a regular basis.
Time has one of the most memorable guitar solos and how can you not love the rototoms?
[6] Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
This album is an ode to a previous lead singer, Sid Barret. One of those albums where every track is gold and you're never left disappointed or let down. Notable tracks include the philosophical
Wish You Were Here and the stab at the music industry,
Have a Cigar.
[5] (pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd) - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Southern rock at its best, this album definitely comes off as crisp. Pronounced really does have it all, catchy songs like
Gimme Three Steps plus long drawn out affairs like
Tuesday's Gone. Not to mention the epic and iconic
Free Bird. The one dissatisfaction with this album is the fillers in between the classic hits.
[4] Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One - The Kinks
A diamond in the rough that is their discography, The Kinks hit it out of the park with this album. It's a concept album so if you don't like one song, chances are you won't like most of them. The majority of the lyrics are geared toward feeling cheated by record companies, which
can get old at times. The standouts for me are
Lola,
This Time Tomorrow,
Get Back in Line, and
Apeman.
[3] The Wall - Pink Floyd
The longest album for Pink Floyd, this album has a plethora of themes. The Wall has a more hard rock feel to it than previous albums, which is a nice change for the band. The majority of this album, like most Pink Floyd albums is depressing. Although this one happens to have it's lighter more optimistic tracks. There are more good tracks than I could name, so I'll just name a few:
Young Lust,
Run Like Hell,
In The Flesh (Part II), and
Comfortably Numb.
[2] Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin
The top three of this list really was a toss up, this album could have just as easily been at the top spot. Every song is solid, you get rocking treasures like Rock and Roll and you get epic songs like
Stairway to Heaven and
The Battle of Evermore. The last of the album, especially
When the Levee Breaks was spot on. The first three (Of the second half of the album) have an incredible feel to them, they could almost be one long epic song if so chosen. But the last one, When the Levee Breaks is just terrific jam, so bluesy, dirty, and rusty.
[1] All Things Must Pass - George Harrison
All Things Must Pass is the remnants of rejected Harrison songs while he was with The Beatles. Just imagine if this material was used with The Beatles. This album is very Sgt. Peppers like with out the strings and horns in some songs. The first two-thirds of the album are filled with catchy songs and rockin' jams like
My Sweet Lord,
Wah-Wah,
The Art Of Dying, and
All Things Must Pass. The last third of the album is a set of studio jams with guest artists like Eric Clapton.
[0] Animals - Pink Floyd
The darkest and gloomiest of the Pink Floyd albums this one was almost a story of sorts. Questioning society and the inherent flaws in human nature. The album opens and closes with two parts of
Pigs on the Wing. It seems to be saying that although society is a death trap of immoralities and although evil might be lurking behind every corner, together we can make it through it.
Dogs comes in, epic in every sense of the word. This song reminds me of traveling on empty two lane highways late at night with only the moon to brighten the night sky. Then comes
Sheep, the most jamming song on the album, a song about mindless pawns.
-Honorable Mentions-
Who's Next - The Who
