The Top 100 Albums of All Time
Rules: Only one album per artist, which makes things a lot harder than it looks. No compilations or 'best ofs', which ruled out a lot of old blues/country/R&B artists. I own all of these, so if there are glaring omissions, perhaps you can hook me up. This was composed in under 45 minutes in dim lighting. About a third of these were released this decade, which means it's a great time to be alive I guess. The order can be argued on a couple of these, especially near the end (I spent most of my time on #90-100)... but for the most part I think I got everything that belongs. Feedback is encouraged.
1. The Beatles - Revolver
2. Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
3. R.E.M. - Murmur
4. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
5. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
6. Radiohead - Kid A
7. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
8. Elvis Costello - This Years Model
9. Silver Jews - American Water
10. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing...
11. Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
12. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
13. Olivia Tremor Control - Black Foliage
14. Outkast - Stankonia
15. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
16. Guided by Voices - Bee Thousand
17. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
18. The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
19. Spoon - Kill the Moonlight
20. Weezer - Weezer (the blue album)
21. The Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed
22. Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
23. The Pixies - Doolittle
24. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
25. Beck - Odelay
26. Mates of State - Team Boo
27. Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump
28. Stereolab - Dots and Loops
29. The New Pornographers - Electric Version
30. Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn
31. Michael Jackson - Thriller
32. Wu Tang Clan - Enter the Wu Tang: 36 Chambers
33. Television - Marquee Moon
34. Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
35. The Strokes - Is This It (UK version)
36. Elliot Smith - either/or
37. U2 - The Joshua Tree
38. Built to Spill - There's Nothing Wrong With Love
39. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
40. Sleater-Kinney - One Beat
41. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
42. The Clash - London Calling
43. The Gossip - That's Not What I Heard
44. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Tyranny of Distance
45. Mirah - Advisory Committee
46. Hot Hot Heat - Make Up the Breakdown
47. Led Zeppelin - IV
48. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
49. Super Furry Animals - Guerilla
50. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
51. Massive Attack - Mezzanine
52. Cat Power - You Are Free
53. Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
54. Bjork - Homogenic
55. Apples in Stereo - Fun Trick Noisemaker
56. Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West
57. Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
58. Beulah - When Your Heartstrings Break
59. The Stooges - Raw Power
60. Madvillain - Madvillainy
61. Le Tigre - Le Tigre
62. Saturday Looks Good to Me - Every Night
63. Handsome Boy Modeling School - So... How's Your Girl?
64. Death Cab for Cutie - We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes
65. Beat Happening - Jamboree
66. Big Star - #1 Record
67. The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
68. Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime
69. Kanye West - The College Dropout
70. The Streets - Original Pirate Material
71. The Fiery Furnaces - Gallowsbird's Bark
72. Galaxie 500 - On Fire
73. All Girl Summer Fun Band - 2
74. Mercury Rev - Deserter's Songs
75. Wire - Pink Flag
76. Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast
77. Flying Burrito Brothers - Guilded Palace of Sin
78. The Arcade Fire - Funeral
79. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
80. Blur - Parklife
81. Jay-Z - The Blueprint
82. Dirtbombs - Ultraglide in Black
83. Slint - Spiderland
84. The Beta Band - 3 EPs
85. Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers
86. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
87. Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
88. The Black Keys - Thickfreakness
89. Nirvana - Nevermind
90. The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace
91. Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow
92. Nick Drake - Pink Moon
93. Minor Threat - Complete Discography
94. Von Bondies - Lack of Communication
95. The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2
96. Gang of Four - Entertainment!
97. Greenhornes - Dual Mono
98. The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts
99. Brendan Benson - Lapalco
100. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
11 comments:
while the collective jo-na might only have 5 or 6 of those albums, we figure we've pretty much got it covered with the high fidelity soundtrack...
I'd say you're missing Liz Phair's "Exile in Guyville," but then I only own like 12 of these (and the High Fidelity soundtrack! Does that mean i'm cool?) and am hardly a musical authority.
given your rave reviews of them, i'm surprised to see the fiery furnaces as low as they are (although i personally would have put them lower---just could never get into their stuff, too put-on, it always sounded to me...but more power to ya, bro). also, while i don't argue with the beasties cracking in the top 100, i think you have the wrong record. 'ill communication' is one of my faves, and while paul's botique shows more of their talent and shows a greater range of stuff, i think 'ill' is just better to listen to, more fun. it defines their sound, to me anyway. i know people say paul's is such a great party album, and it is, but i think paul's and ill communication are a tie, at worst, for their best album to listen to.
Exile in Guyville is sitting on the (collective) CD shelf. Heard parts of it, may have rolled eyes.
The fiery's first record is better than the second, and I think deserves mention. Granted a lot of stuff from the last couple years will slide off this list as time goes by, but i've been listening to that one for 18 months without getting sick of it. no singles, granted.
Ill communication certainly has more 'highs' than any other b-boys album, but for me the second half falls pretty flat. Pauls Boutique is a little dated, sure, but is more consistant.
The high fidelity soundtrack? I know the 13th floor elevators, stereolab, and velvets are on there, but not much else of note. That's not making anyone's list.
Let me see your lists, haters!
I'd have to go with Big Daddy Tron on the whole Beastie Boys album. When I think Beastie Boys, I can't help but identify them with Ill Communication. Paul's Boutique was an excellent album, but, personally, I prefer Ill Communication, which, of course, gets massive props for containing Sabotage.
I'd also swap out the Pink Floyd album you've got in there. I simply can't get enough of Dark Side of the Moon. As a total album, I love it from start to finish and, personally, I'd have a hard time keeping it out of the top 5 albums of all time. (Although I haven't listened to Piper in a long time so I've decided to flip it on for a good listen - thanks for reminding me its coolness.)
I'd also include Green Day in there, somewhere, with American Idiot, and, for blues, Keb' Mo's self titled album in '94 is the shiz. There's just something about a dude that probably lives in a mansion singing about not having a dime to his name that gets a guy...*sniff*...right here...*sniff*
hmmm... I thought I'd create more noise by picking Kid A over OK Computer at #6 than Paul's Boutique at # freaking 100.
And 'dark side' of the moon' is going to be stuck in my head forever from years of classic rock radio, so no need to ever listen to the album again.
...I figure only a couple more hours until I get the comment that says:
"Wow, I never even heard of (insert Pavement, Neutral Milk Hotel, Silver Jews, Olivia Tremor Control or etc. here), but upon reading this list, I went and bought the album and it has changed my life. You, sir, are a golden god.
p.s. It should be Ill Communication at #100"
anytime now...
yeah, i noticed kid A was there, i don't think thats wrong. i mean, as much i personally love ok computer, kid A definately is more rich, far reaching, and ultimately satisfying album. the sonic range is sweet, and while if i have the two in my hand and i need to show someone the awesomeness of radiohead, i would give them ok computer, i would be quite pleased to take kid A back with me for a listen. i got no beef with that. a highly underrated album.
also, blonde on blonde belongs above stankonia, not below. have you not learned from the 'best of 2003'!? no 'interpol - turn on the bright lights'? maybe i'm alone on that one
Wow, I never even heard of (Gang of Four), but upon reading this list, I went and [read about] the album and it has changed my life. You, sir, are a golden god.
Interpol, blah, I wasn't that high on them during 2003, they barely made the cut there. I just never felt the magic with them.
As for blonde on blonde, it loses some points with 'sad-eyed lady of the lowlands' and loses more points with my negative association of my 'bob dylan period' of spring 1998 with certain confidence-crushing girl trouble I had around the same time. (just like sonic youth, modest mouse, and especially big star were affected by my crippling depression of summer-fall 1998)Plus, stankonia is a grower.
I love OK computer too brah, but Kid A is the perfect album for: driving at night, campfires, robots. 'nuff said.
Public Enemy--It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Liz Phair--Exile in Guyville
The Replacements--Let It Be
P.E. is #39.
I have 'let it be', i'm kind of 'meh' about it.
Hey, are these the albums you love the most, or would that be a different list?
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