I like about 1/2 of it.Quoting megladon8 (view post)
The first 1/2 is great, but I don't care for the rest.
I like about 1/2 of it.
The first 1/2 is great, but I don't care for the rest.
Of SY's four albums that I own, I'm still most partial to Sister. The beauty of "Schizophrenia" is just awe-inspiring. That said, I do think that DN was the album of theirs that clicked the easiest. Solid tracks, especially the opener, as you've noted.
The Boat People - 9
The Power of the Dog - 7.5
The King of Pigs - 7
The Burning Spear is one of the greatest debut album opening tracks ever. I'm also not sure how you can like Sister but not Evol. They're like twins.
My album rankings ATM:
Murray Street
Sonic Nurse
A Thousand Leaves
Daydream Nation
NY Ghost & Flowers
Last 10 Movies Seen
(90+ = canonical, 80-89 = brilliant, 70-79 = strongly recommended, 60-69 = good, 50-59 = mixed, 40-49 = below average with some good points, 30-39 = poor, 20-29 = bad, 10-19 = terrible, 0-9 = soul-crushingly inept in every way)
Run (2020) 64
The Whistlers (2019) 55
Pawn (2020) 62
Matilda (1996) 37
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976) 61
Moby Dick (2011) 50
Soul (2020) 64
Heroic Duo (2003) 55
A Moment of Romance (1990) 61
As Tears Go By (1988) 65
Stuff at Letterboxd
Listening Habits at LastFM
"Teenage Riot" is one of my favorite songs.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
This post is so full of fail.
You can't handle this. This truth.
43. Meat Beat Manifesto - Subliminal Sandwich
Jack Dangers eats most other electronic-music producers for breakfast. The Chemical Brothers, The Orb, Moby, Underworld, Kool Keith, DJ Shadow: these guys are merely the snacks on which Dangers dines while crafting some of the most infectious, inventive, and energetic electronic music ever heard. He deftly mixes industrial, dub, and trip hop with enough psychedelic pyrotechnics to blow anyone's mind, and Subliminal Sandwich is his masterpiece. Sprawling over 2 CDs, SS is a groundbreaking work of electronica. My only complaint is that the album can feel a bit too long. It's like an epic movie, one that really needs an intermission between its two parts.
While Dangers is a master beat-smith, he is also a master craftsmen of song and melody. He creates haunting compositions that are memorable for more reasons than simply having great grooves and hooks. By incorporating interesting samples, awesome vocals and lyrics along with head-bobbing beats and ass-shaking riddims, Dangers covers the entire spectrum of the sonic field.
Best Tracks:
1979
She's Unreal
Asbostes Lead Asbestos
Cancer
United Nations (E.T.C.) - this is the mother f'n jam right here.
42. Weezer - The Blue Album
For some reason I feel as though I have to defend my decision to place this album on my top 50, but the truth is simple: the music defends itself. The Blue Album is, song for song, one of the strongest pop-rock albums ever recorded. Every single song on the album contains enough hooks, memorable lines, and awesome moments for an entire album; many other bands would consider themselves lucky to write 10 songs this strong throughout their entire career - Weezer did it on their first album.
Like I am with Tortoise, I cannot claim to be a fan of Weezer. While I also like Pinkerton, I haven't liked anything else they've done (except for the Christmas album they put out last year). However, I cannot deny the brilliance of their initial release. Luckily, this came out before Rivers became a big jerk, and before the band was crowned the kings of irony. The album remains a genuine relic of its time; it was ironic before irony was hip, nerdy before nerd-core was cool, and retro before retro became new again.
I don't know what the general consensus on this album is these days, and I don't care. I love every song on the Blue Album, and I've listened to it countless times since its initial release. As a matter of fact, I had to replace my original tape with a CD because I wore it out, and I recently replaced my scratched up CD with a new purchased download of the remastered album.
There are only a few albums I've purchased three times.
This album rules, haters be damned.
Best Tracks:
In the Garage
Buddy Holly
The World Has Turned and Left Me Here
Only in Dreams
I never got into the Weezer craze, but Meat Beat Manifesto gets thumbs up from me!
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
Me neither, but the Blue Album is an undeniable masterpiece of pop-rock.
First album I've heard so far. I dig it, but top 50?
The music speaks for itself.
Melodic, hooks to spare, great lyrics, and totally memorable.
And remember, these are albums that I still listen to on a regular basis. I listen to The Blue Album at least once a month.
If Pet Shop Boys' Very-album isn't on this list, then... I'll assume it's number 51. :P
"Listen man, it might be hard to understand, but
Don't mourn the dead,
Celebrate the life they gave"
- Kashmir "Seraphina"
They've got one coming up soon, but it's not "Very."
Oh well, they've got a handful of excellent albums, so it's all good. :P
And I might as well declare myself a lover of Weezer's Blue Album. Great pop songs.
"Listen man, it might be hard to understand, but
Don't mourn the dead,
Celebrate the life they gave"
- Kashmir "Seraphina"
I'll say this, without giving anything away: the PSB album I chose was very easy for me to choose, not even a question really.
41. Duran Duran - Duran Duran - 1981
I started playing bass in 1989. One time, my first bass teacher asked me if I liked Duran Duran. I said that I used to, and that Seven and the Ragged Tiger was the first cassette I ever bought. But that had been a long time ago. He told me to listen to them again, but this time with the ears of a musician; he told me to pay special close attention to the bass lines.
I did, and I was blown away.
Duran Duran were a unique band; a handsome, teeny-bopper boy-band that could play their own instruments (incredibly well) and write amazing songs. They had it all: good looks and insane amounts of talent.
Their self-titled album is still my favorite. It has a raw energy not found on their other albums. It's also a perfect mix of danceable-disco and edgy new wave. The first two tracks, "Girls on Film," and "Planet Earth" are among my most favorite songs. Each of these tunes makes me want to dance around the room in a bad '80s way. And what guy can forget the first time he saw the 'X-rated' video for "Girls on Film?"
The album is more than just a couple of good singles, though; it continues to be strong throughout. "Careless Memories," is a great track, and "Night Boat" shows a darker side of the band. "Sound of Thunder" is also amazing, and I'm actually surprised that this was never a single in the U.S. The only sore spot is the album's closer, "Tel Aviv;" it just doesn't do anything for me. It sounds awkward and unappealing.
Listening to this band with musician's ears reveals a mature quality running deeper than the airbrushed, new wave surface. These boys were writing songs full of satire, tunes with a darker edge, disguised as flashy, danceable pop. At one time they had it all.
Meeting you...
With a view...
To a kill
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
40. Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me - 1987
"Little Furry Things" begins with a quick drum roll before unleashing a sonic onslaught of distorted, wah-wah guitar and a series of primal screams. The song then settles down a bit as lead singer J Masics's unique, soft, drawn out singing is introduced; his vocal style has always been in sharp contrast to the music surrounding it. The song is barely over three minutes, and in this short amount of time it perfectly sets the stage for one of indie rock's great freak outs.
Your Living All Over Me is full of such powerful tunes. Dinosaur Jr. excel at crafting these firecracker-like songs, melding their punk and metal influences with a new breed of laidback indie aloofness. However, these dudes are no slackers, especially when the instrumentation is concerned. Mascis is an impressive guitarist, to say the least, and even today he continues to be awesome. He's also a great song writer, although baassist Lou Barlow may be a bit better in this department, as evident on the many great tunes he wrote for Sebadoh. And while drummer Murph is the least known of the group, he is still an incredibly solid drummer.
It's hard to pick just one Dino Jr. album for this list. I am constantly going back to Green Mind, and their newest reunion album, Beyond, is also fantastic. But at the end of the day, I have to give the nod to Your Living All Over Me. Track for track I've listened to this the most, and it is their strongest album from start to finish.
Best Tracks:
Little Furry Things
Raisans
Tar Pit
Sludgefest
good job with Subliminal Sammich - Jack Dangers at the peak of his powers. Frickin' great album I played to death back in '94. Still sounds years ahead of just about everything put out these days, 15 years later.
The thing I like most about this album is not the beats, not the grooves, but the atmospherics. They're lush, ethereal, otherworldly, and completely enveloping.
Losing is like fertilizer: it stinks for a while, then you get used to it. (Tony, Hibbing)
Great album.
39. The Specials - The Specials - 1979
The Style: three button dress coats, tapered pants, white creepers or black Doc Martins, pork pie hats, bracers, and short-cropped hair.
The Sound: a mix of rocksteady, Jamaican ska, new wave, and punk rock.
The Culture: a coming together of whites and blacks during a time of change in societal norms and pop-culture.
The Band: The Specials.
For a band that only released two complete, original albums, The Specials were an undeniably strong force, one that shaped the very contours of pop-culture. Their record label, 2 Tone Records, started by Jerry Dammers, The Special's keyboardist, became the icon for an entire movement, and the music on that label continues to be influential today. The Specials lead the charge for the second-wave ska attack. They were at the vanguard of a movement; yes, they were one of those bands. A band that was just as important culturally as they were musically.
Their first album contains a number of awesome tunes, songs that mix the energy and social messges of punk rock, the infectious hooks of pop, and the rocksteady riddims of reggae and Jamaican ska. I cant imagine being in Londond in 1979 and hearing this music for the first time. It must have been one of those rare musical moments in which a band introduces an audiance to a completely new thing, a new aesthetic, a new style, and a new attitude.
Checkmate, the ska band I was in during the 3rd wave, covered a number of the songs on this album - The Specials were a great influence during my early musical journey.
Best Tracks:
A Message to You Rudy
Do the Dog
Blank Expression
Little Bitch
Sweet! I saw the Specials about ten years ago, during the resurgence of ska in the mid 90s. Great show, that was. My problem with most ska shows is that it all starts to sound the same after about half an hour, but such was not the case with these guys.
Losing is like fertilizer: it stinks for a while, then you get used to it. (Tony, Hibbing)
They're one of the only 2 Tone band I never saw live. We even played with bands like The Selector and Bad Manners. That's awesome that you saw them.
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