10 Great Albums that didn’t make the “Most Essential,” but you probably still should own. (752 hits)
Category: Sound & MusicRating: 0.12 on 16 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by calbearspolo (View user info) at 2005-10-21 15:10:09 EDT
In no particular order:
Van Morrison - The Best of Van Morrison vol. 1
It's been said that it can be hard to judge a great album that is only a compilation of an artist's best work, but there have to be exceptions like Van Morrison. Every song on this album is enjoyable, combining rock, rhythm and blues and some of the best music around. Van Morrison is a wildly private man, which is to be commended in this day of bravado artists with little talent and big production. "Moondance," "Wild Nights," "Domino," and "Brown Eyed Girl" all grace this album, among many other notables, and are arguably some of the most memorable in American music.
********************
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
Bananas aside, this album set a new pace for female lead rockers and had a slew of kick-butt songs too. Aside from the dripping sex that front woman Gwen Stefani lets loose, the power driven vocals add a raw and clearly emotionally vested performance when she records. "Just a Girl" and "Don't Speak" were clearly stand-outs from this collection, but the truth is that many of their other tracks held a lot of weight. Good news for those who were disappointed by the bands hiatus, is that they will be back in the studio to release a new album in 2006.
********************
Chuck Berry - The Great Twenty Eight
There really is no one artists that oozes the rock and roll spirit like Chuck Berry. The original guitar master, boozer, and womanizer, he used to tour by himself with only his Gibson and the confidence that he could hire a band on site that already knew his music. He was right, and was backed by legends Bruce Springstein and Steve Miller at different points. Other musical greats like Keith Richards and John Lennon also credit Berry for their love and style of music. All of that, and everybody knows the story of the boy "who could play the guitar like he was ringing a bell."
********************
AC/DC - Back in Black
A controversial choice for dyed-through Bon Scott fans, but this album has stood the test of kick-assitude far tot long to not be included. High energy, head banging, foot thumping, vocal tearing songs just explode out of the speakers driven by two screaming words: Angus Young. While Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols gives Scott credit for a lot of his style and music, Def Leppard and Saxon were clearly influenced by the Brian Johnson era rockers. Classics like "You Shook Me" make this album memorable, but what can be more immortal than a tribute song that rocks as hard as "Back in Black?"
********************
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Jazz mastery. "Kind of Blue," aside from being one of the most successful jazz albums ever recorded, is an enduring testament to how influential jazz can be. Credited in part with ending the "big band" style of music, Davis was one of the pioneers of using musical modes to find an emotional center to his work. He also had such confidence in his band members, like Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, John Coltrane, and Paul Chambers that he recorded every song, save "Flamenco Sketches," in one take.
********************
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
He didn't invent hip-hop or rap, but Dr. Dre pioneered west coast rap into what it is today. While there will be numerous critics as to why Dre gets top honors in this list, most have to admit that Dre's contribution to many of today's rappers and breaking the doors open for Tupac, Snoop, Eminem, Warren G, and many other artists. The songs were catchy ("Nothin' but a 'G' Thing"), the style was cool, and the attitude was where many people wish rap still was. True to his roots, Dre never forgot that is was the struggle, born from the New York hip-hop scene, that needed to be emotively communicated.
********************
Paul Simon - Graceland
You know all the words, just admit it. When that synthesizer comes on and the lyrics to "You Can Call me Al" come over the speakers of you car radio, you are singing along. No list of "must have" albums would be complete without the force behind "Sound of Silence," and Graceland is Simon's self-admitted best work. Working with group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, he broke through apartheid barriers and creates masterpieces like "Under African Skies" and "Dimonds on the Soles of Her Shoes."
********************
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Yes, yes, there have been lots of great Pink Floyd albums, but few transgress time, art, and music in quite the way that DSotM has. Aside from being simply aurally pleasurable, it's a melodic journey through themes of money, power, mental sickness and death. Concept music has never been so powerful. This is also the famed album that syncs up with the movie "The Wizard of Oz," giving weight to the myth "The Dark Side of Oz." Movies aside, the album is great and the themes are elegant.
********************
Dire Straights - Brothers in Arms
More British music, you ask? Most definitely. This album is great—leave you sitting alone in a dark room, tearing up, contemplating the joys and sorrows of life after having broken up with you two-bit cheating girlfriend great. Wait, what? "Money for Nothing" raised the bar on what made a "video" worthy song (being the first in England), and the whole album would qualify with the track "Brothers in Arms" alone. Mark Knopfler's voice can be powerful and, there really is no other word for it, haunting as he explores the concepts of war, destruction, life, and the brotherhood of common man through adversity.
********************
Sublime - Sublime
"Santaria," "What I Got," and "Wrong Way," aside from being staples of nearly every jukebox in every college town across America, are just a few standouts in one of the greatest Long Beach group's lineup. Blending ska, punk, and rock beats, the late Bradley Nowell added both mystery and depth to what could have been just another skate park punk band that barely was ever coherent enough to perform at live shows. Every song on this album is done well, leaving as one of the few that can be played the entire way through, with no "throw away" songs. While other band members have gone on to other groups, "Sublime" still stands as the pinnacle of their success.
User Reviews
Submitted by lucid (user info) at 2005-10-21 19:23:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
"Shit Sandwich"
Submitted by peternorth (user info) at 2005-10-21 17:52:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
I'd rather be a fat dog on a Korean life boat than listen to a No Doubt song.
Submitted by NerfHerder (user info) at 2005-10-21 17:45:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
Meh.
Submitted by calbearspolo (user info) at 2005-10-21 16:10:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by electrictoothsyndrome (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:58:46 (#)
Ranking: 2
There are some good picks here. I see you filled the jazz and rap gap that I left, plus you gave Chuck Berry his fair shake. I can't argue with that.
Back in Black - you have to hand it to that album, it's right up there near the top of highest selling albums of all time, and I agree it's their best.
Dire Straits: you could also make an argument for The Police 'Synchronicity' perhaps.
No Doubt: I actually liked that album. There is a marked void in the female representation on my list that has not escaped me, and this would serve to plug that, but I don't know... "Spiderwebs" was always my favorite song on that album. It had some really neat changes in it that you just were not hearing at that time in any music. I also liked the Hole album 'Live Through This' alot. Argue all you want about Courtney and whether or not she should be breathing, but that album was good. It's often rumored that Kurt Cobain had a large hand in that one, but unfortunately, dead men don't talk.
__________________________________________________________________________
I'll admit, I did intentionally work to include a female fronter. I might be the only one with you, but I did really enjoy this album when it came out. I am not a particular fan of the newer stuff, especially by Gwen, but that's not what this list was about. Hole was actually another possibility for me, but I don't actually own the album anymore (stolen) and I didn't want to attribute any Cobain greatness to Courtney (as your comments suggest).
I also appreciate your comments on the other selections. There was recently a 885 top albums list that came out for some radio station, and there was controvesy about what wasn't included in that! a top 20, or 30, list is certainly going to have some gaps.
Police could have been added, for sure. So could have Rolling Stones and Kiss--but there had to be as much cross section, I though, as well as depth possible.
Submitted by turbo3000 (user info) at 2005-10-21 16:09:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
No Doubt: I actually liked that album. There is a marked void in the female representation on my list that has not escaped me, and this would serve to plug that,
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There's a void of female representation on most band lists cause 99% of female singers suck balls. Except for maybe Lita Ford. hahahahah.
Submitted by electrictoothsyndrome (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:58:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
There are some good picks here. I see you filled the jazz and rap gap that I left, plus you gave Chuck Berry his fair shake. I can't argue with that.
Back in Black - you have to hand it to that album, it's right up there near the top of highest selling albums of all time, and I agree it's their best.
Dire Straits: you could also make an argument for The Police 'Synchronicity' perhaps.
No Doubt: I actually liked that album. There is a marked void in the female representation on my list that has not escaped me, and this would serve to plug that, but I don't know... "Spiderwebs" was always my favorite song on that album. It had some really neat changes in it that you just were not hearing at that time in any music. I also liked the Hole album 'Live Through This' alot. Argue all you want about Courtney and whether or not she should be breathing, but that album was good. It's often rumored that Kurt Cobain had a large hand in that one, but unfortunately, dead men don't talk.
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:55:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
Netao! Another list that sucks!
Submitted by calbearspolo (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:38:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
It is sounding more and more like I should have called this "Top 9 Albums that didn't make 'Most essential' but you should still own and this other one that 17 million people thought rocked but whatever."
Submitted by turbo3000 (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:36:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Van Morisson is dead on. But No Doubt? WTF?
Submitted by joedaddy (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:32:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Turn it up, turn it up, little bit higher, radio
Turn it up, that's enough, so you know it's got soul
Radio, radio turn it up, hum
La, la, la, la...
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:21:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
"I don't practice Santeria, I ain't got no crystal ball, well I had a million dollars but I, I spent it all. If I could find that heina, and that sancho that she found, I'd pop a cap in sancho and I'd slap her down" is probably the best lyric ever written.
Submitted by RaineLark (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:19:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
Submitted by Mike00295 (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:14:03 (#)
Ranking: -1
I can't believe you put a No Doubt album on here.
Choke on your own semen please.
Submitted by calbearspolo (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:18:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Mike00295 (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:14:03 (#)
Ranking: -1
I can't believe you put a No Doubt album on here.
Choke on your own vomit please.
____________________________________________________________
You may not like it, and I can understand why, but you can't argue it's impact--especially among female rockers of current.
Submitted by Mike00295 (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:14:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
I can't believe you put a No Doubt album on here.
Choke on your own vomit please.
Submitted by fudgepacker (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:13:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Similar, but mine is awesome-er
http://www.ubersite.com/m/76916
Submitted by Viciousriffs (user info) at 2005-10-21 15:12:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
You have some good music on here, but I disagree with a bit of it as well. Can't argue the Floyd, though- Meddle's my favorite album by them, followed by Wish You Were Here and then Dark Side... but still some of their best.