Accelerando's Top 50 Albums v. COMPLETED

[Accelerando]

I am more than thrilled to be sharing my personal favorite albums with you all. Ever since I joined DTF in 2007, I have discovered new music and new ideas of my music listening experience. That being said, I am not a prog/metal head by any means. I love various different types of music. I hope with my list that it will generate comments, feedback, and more importantly discussion.

Just to give a brief background of my tastes, I was born in 1987 – the same year Guns N Roses gave us an Appetite For Destruction, U2 grew The Joshua Tree, and Michael Jackson became Bad. I never really had the chance to expand my own personal musical tastes. Mom was really strict on what I should be listening to.  I do remember listening to a lot of Michael Jackson in which that love for that artist has never faltered.

My mom listened to a lot of adult contemporary music when I was growing up. In fact, I still remember drives in her car where she was playing and singing Celine Dion’s The Colour of My Love , which is a fantastic record, for the record, or Linda Ronstadt’s Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind. Then the boy band craze happened in the middle of the 90’s, and so my sister was all over that like ants of sugar, and I was forced to listen to it because it was safe. I hated it. N’Sync, Hanson, 98 Degrees, O Town. However. That being said, I actually like and tolerate The Backstreet Boys.

That was probably the least metal/prog paragraph ever written in the history of DTF, and just lost the attention of more than half the prog heads here.

I turned to the radio stations before AOL came into existence and there was no Pandora yet. I enjoyed listening to the hits in mid 90’s from Usher to Third Eye Blind. I don’t think it wasn’t until 1999-2000 that I turned to genre radio.
Rock and Hip-Hop was really never an option for me until middle school when I was making more friends and incorporated myself in extracurricular activities like sports and after school clubs. The more I listened to new music, the more I realized I wanted to explore more, so I clicked into the rock stations and rap/r&b stations. Then I checked out the oldies stations. I then realized that I couldn’t just listen to rock, metal, or hip/hop. I had to check out the blues. I had to check out jazz music. Like Queen, I wanted it all, and I wanted it now.

My list is diverse. Some may scratch your head thinking “how the hell did you go from x to y?” I don’t believe my music listening experience should be one sided. I learned that music is creativity and to let it all fall in, and thus I appreciate the wonderful world of music in all of its forms. Some of the music I am listing is from during my 27 years of life. Some music is from way before my time. Some music are new stuff I discovered the past 5 years.

With that being said, through several rewrites, I realized my Top 50 will be ever changing. What has not been so ever changing are my top 10. I feel like these ten albums are my absolute favorites. They are always the first ten that come to my mind when I get asked about my favorite albums of all time. These ten albums directly reflect my tastes and the diversity of the music you will see in the top 50.



10/10/14

Here is my completed list of my 50 albums, accompanied by the page number where you can find my write-ups and sample songs of each album!

Page 1

50. Faith No More - Angel Dust
49. Kamelot - The Black Halo
48. The Heavy – The House That Dirt Built
47. A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step
46. Pearl Jam - Ten
45. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast

Page 2

44. The Who - Tommy
43. Mastodon - Laviathon
42. Outkast - Stankonia
41. Van Halen - 5150
40. Beastie Boys - Check Your Head
39. Coldplay - Parachutes, A Rush of Blood Through The Head
38. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
37. Childish Gambino - Camp
36. Queen - Sheer Heart Attack
35. P.O.D. - Satellite
34. Rob Dougan - Furious Angels

Page 3

33. The Robert Glasper Experiment - Black Radio
32. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland
31. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
30. Dream Theater - Octavarium
29. Creed - My Own Prison, Human Clay
28. The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
27. Radiohead - OK Computer
26. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
25. Pink Floyd - The Wall
24. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
23. Alter Bridge - One Day Remains
22. Dream Theater - Images and Words
21. Radiohead - In Rainbows
20. Oysterhead - The Grand Pecking Order

Page 4

19. Daft Punk - Discovery
18. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
17. Daft Punk - Alive 2007
16. The Mayfield Four - Second Skin
15. Led Zeppelin - II
14. Alter Bridge - Fortress
13. Queen - A Night At The Opera
12. U2 - The Joshua Tree
11. Michael Jackson - Thriller
10. Jeff Buckley - Grace
9. Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
8. Peter Gabriel - So
7. Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
6. Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

Page 5

5. Queen - Innuendo
4. Michael Jackson - Dangerous
3. P.O.D - The Fundamental Elements of Southtown
2. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
1. Alter Bridge - Blackbird






So without further ado, I will like to present the trailers before the main feature. Here are a few of my honorable mentions for my Top 50 thread:


 Countdown To Extinction
Megadeth
1992


A lot of people say Countdown To Extinctionwas Megadeth's answer to Metallica's Black Album, but truthfully, I like this album a hell of a lot more. Despite it being more "commercial", it has a lot of well written songs and melodies, and the solos and aggressiveness attained their style. This is a pure Megadeth album with less speed but tons of heavy riffage. From "Skin O My Teeth" to "Ashes In Your Mouth," this is album is a fantastic listen from the beginning to end.

Favorite Tracks: Ashes In Your Mouth Captive Honor  Symphony of Destruction Psychotron


As some of you know I work in the film/tv production industry, and I just worked a 16 hour day on an commercial shoot, so I'm dead tired at the moment and can hardly open my eyes typing this. I will continue my honorable mentions list tomorrow!

[Scorpion]

Following! Countdown is great, though I do think there are some fillers there. Ashes in Your Mouth, however, might just be my favourite Megadeth song... certainly Top 5.

[King Postwhore]

Following!  Symphony is a top song from Megadeath for me!

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Hm... I wonder if there is gonna be any Alter Bridge/Mark Tremonti in this list

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Great introduction! Gonna follow this for sure.

[jingle.boy]

That was probably the least metal/prog paragraph ever written in the history of DTF, and just lost the attention of more than half the prog heads here.

You obviously didn't read my OP in the Zeppelin discography discussion!    Color Of My Love was actually one of my wedding songs - chosen by mrs.jingle of course.

Never been into Megadeth, but I'm interested in following your list.

My list is diverse. Some may scratch your head thinking “how the hell did you go from x to y?”

As such, guaranteed I will have more than a few moments

[Sacul]

Following

[Accelerando]

Time for some more Honorable albums

All I Was
Tremonti
2012

All I Was is the debut solo record from Mark Tremonti, and it was an album he had been working on for several years. Some of his heavy, speed metal ideas didn't seem to gel with either Alter Bridge or Creed (although after Alter Bridge's Fortress, his idea could have been showcased in an Alter Bridge record), and so it was all in a matter of time that he took those ideas, wrote them into songs, and created this awesome, heavy riff driven album. I don't think anyone doubted his songwriting or guitar playing ability; he's a god in modern rock guitar playing. I think people questioned whether he could front his own band with vocals. Then suddenly he drops "You Waste Your Time", and jaws dropped. He pulls off lead vocals like it was second nature to him. The presence in his voice is just commanding! The album is chalk full of heavy and brutal riffage, but offers a nice touch of melody, combined with INCREDIBLE drumming by Garrett Whitlock. I was very impressed by this album, but I also felt Tremonti took a step back with guitar solos. It's one of his main strengths as a ridiculously talented lead guitarist, and he writes tailored solos for songs. Hopefully his next solo record which is being written currently will take it up a notch!

Favorite Tracks: Wish You Well, All I Was, Leave It Alone, So You're Afraid

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
1973

This is a blockbuster of an album if there ever was. This album strikes the beginning of Elton John's career as a glommed, spangled entertainer. Prior to this album, John had some massive hits like "Crocodile Rock" and "Rocket Man", and he was an established pop-piano player/singer. However, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road transformed him to this:

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road touched on everything John did before, and suggested ways he'd move on to near-future that was delightful and entertaining; a testament to Elton's '70s power as a star and a musician.

Favorite Tracks: Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock N Roll),I've Seen That Movie Too

AB III
Alter Bridge
2010

With AB III, the follow up to the masterpiece album that is Blackbird, the band promised a darker album, and they delivered. AB III is dark, brooding, and consistently uses Drop A guitars and more pessimistic lyrics than anything the band has written before. It is the general consensus that AB III is their weakest album. I agree to an extent, but to me, some of Alter Bridge's best moments shine on that album. The bridge to "All Hope Is Gone" is beautiful eerie, and epic. That song, and "Slip To The Void", are easily a top 5 Alter Bridge song. I also love the darkness of "Show Me A Sign". It reminds me of Black Sabbath's "Black Sabbath." The darkness is in the music, not necessarily in the lyrics. Very demonic and evil in that sense. The songs after "Show Me A Sign" are the weakest of that album, but highlights like "Coeur d'Alene" and "Words Darker Than Their Wings" keep me interested. Given the consistently excellent songwriting and musicianship (and of course the great vocal work by Myles Kennedy) displayed here, AB III is a solid rock album.

Favorite Tracks: All Hope Is Gone, Slip To The Void, Show Me A Sign, Ghosts of Days Gone By

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Iron Maiden
1988

Ok, I'm going to say it: Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is the most consistent Iron Maiden album, from the first track to the last. I love it more than Powerslave and Piece Of Mind. It's an album where the band confidently are firing up on all four cylinders, even though they don't have tracks like "The Trooper" or "Run To The Hills," and it's beautiful. It shows you don't need those big bracing tracks to create a masterful album. It also has the most commanding vocal performance by Bruce Dickinson in his career, in my opinion. While I like the lyrical concept of this album, to me, it is the musical elements that have the emotional weight. The way the album flows from song to song is incredible. "Moonchild" is one of my all time favorite Maiden songs, along with "The Evil That Men Do."

Favorite Tracks: Moonchild, The Evil That Men Do, Infinite Dreams, The Clairvoyant


A few more honorable mentions to come soon before the top 50 countdown!

[jjrock88]

I agree with your Maiden pick; it's my favorite from them.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Still have yet to check out that Elton John album, but Seventh Son is just wonderful.

[Zantera]

Will be following!

[wolfking]

That Tremonti album is so good, can't wait for the follow up.

[King Postwhore]

I own all the HM except Tremonti.  I heard great thing and very heavy and heard a few songs but I never picked it up.  I need to get it.

[wolfking]

I own all the HM except Tremonti.  I heard great thing and very heavy and heard a few songs but I never picked it up.  I need to get it.

Yeah man, it's really solid.

[King Postwhore]

I can't tell you why, I keep a list of albums to buy as well!

[Accelerando]

Clearly, I highly recommend it! Some of the riffs Tremonti comes up with in that album are fucking 



Alrighty folks here are the last batch of Honorable Mentions, and then we'll crack into the top 50

Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
1979

I find it interesting that there is a lot of folks out there that think that Michael Jackson’s first solo album was Off The Wall. I can’t blame them. While Michael did have quite a few good solo albums prior, including Got To Be There and Ben, Off The Wall was his breakthrough album that established him as an artist with tremendous range. Off The Wall is a beautiful tapestry of ballads, r&b and soul, and soft rock. Ever since MJ emerged with The Jackson 5, he was always considered a talented vocalist, but there was something about his delivery in Off The Wall that opened eyes. There’s pure emotion along side the gripping delivery on those great dance tracks. In “She Out Of My Life,” you can actually hear MJ break down and cry in the studio. Whether you can dance or not, there’s something about “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” that makes you want to move.

Favorite Tracks: Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, She's Out Of My Life, Working Day And Night, Rock With You

Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
2000

This was one of the soundtracks to my middle school years, and it still holds up pretty well fourteen years later. I did give Linkin Park’s new sound a chance, but the songs started to sound so samey….erm…or Transformers-ry, that I kinda gave up on them. However, Hybrid Theory changed the perception of the nu-metal genre. At that time, their blend hip/hop, hard rock, and electronica were unique and original. Most nu-metal bands were relying on detuned guitars to create their sound. Linkin Park came out with “One Step Closer,” with a clean, heavy, and sharp sound. The music was well put together with technique. The chord progressions and tones at times were brilliant. Chester Bennington’s vocals were one of the bands stongest points. I rediscovered this album while creating my list, knowing how much I loved it back then. I still thoroughly enjoy it to this day.

Favorite Tracks: One Step Closer, Crawling, Papercut, With You

Innervisions
Stevie Wonder
1973

Innervisions is probably one of the greatest works of the 70’s that I have ever listened to. And get this: Stevie Wonder was only 23 when he made this record. Obviously, it was impressive how a blind man could have achieved so much, and especially at that age. He was already a seasoned artist with several albums under his belt. This album certainly showed his maturity into adulthood as he tackled social issues of drug addiction, sex, political issues, urban life, and spirituality. However, this record is as jazzy and funky of a record as he’d written before. Not only did Stevie had the gift of writing excellent music, but his narration and lyrical content was on par. “Living for the City” is an incredible 8 minute masterpiece illustrating the dream of a young black male living in Mississippi in the 60’s. I do enjoy his attack on President Nixon on how he destroyed America’s faith in “He’s Misstra Know-It-All.” Wonder beautifully and masterfully used his talents to make this social commentary of an album one of the most effective and entertaining records I have ever listened to.

Favorite Tracks:Higher Ground, He's Misstra Know-It-All, Living For The City, Too High

Lightbulb Sun
Porcupine Tree
2000

I didn't discover Porcupine Tree until I heard that some band named their album Fear of a Blank Planet, which obviously was played towards and nodded to Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet, which I love. That album blew me away, and I wanted to dig into their stuff more. Now that I think about it, I believe I got some recommendations from you good folks here on DTF. One of those was Lightbulb Sun. This is a wonderful album. It's definitely the most accessible PT album. The band seemed to have taken a step towards a mainstream approach, but that doesn't dilute the album. If anything, it may be their most consistent album. There are lots of variety too, from a melodic rock title track to the ambient piano playing in "How Is Your Life Today." Lightbulb Sun represents exactly why Porcupine Tree are so loved, the unexpected turns, the constant change of tempo and the melodic but intelligent lyrics.

Favorite Tracks: Lightbulb Sun, Hatesong, Four Chords That Made A Million, The Rest Will Flow

S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
Incubus
1997

Incubus is another band whose sound drastically changed throughout their career, and it made me lose interest. Mainly because their music just started to sound samey and boring; something that S.C.I.E.N.C.E is not. This record is an explosion of hard rock, punk, jazz, and funk, and it pleasing to the ears. Sometimes you hear these different sounds in the record and you wonder if they were suppose to blend together, but I like the experimentation and the risks this band took in their early years. Brandon Boyd's vocals hit a various of ranges, from fast funky rant to quite whispers to animal like screams. This is also Incubus's first record with a DJ, and the turntable scratches and effects worked perfectly, especially on the song "Idiot Box." Dirk Lance, their original bassist and co-founder, really tears it up wit his bass playing in this record. This is the best Incubus album thus far. I'm not saying all of their other albums are bad. I did especially enjoy Morning View, but there is something uncontested on the rawness and purity of S.C.I.E.N.C.E. that the albums after it's release were missing, especially the last few they dropped.

Favorite Tracks: Redefine, Idiot Box, Vitamin, Glass

[wolfking]

That Incubus album is amazing.

[Accelerando]

That Incubus album is amazing.

It really is! I bought it after Morning View was released, and upon my first listen I was like, "This is such a better record."

[Accelerando]

That was probably the least metal/prog paragraph ever written in the history of DTF, and just lost the attention of more than half the prog heads here.

You obviously didn't read my OP in the Zeppelin discography discussion!    Color Of My Love was actually one of my wedding songs - chosen by mrs.jingle of course.

I just read it man  That's great

[Accelerando]

I also have been posting the links to my favorite tracks on each album I post, so feel free to check them out!

#50
Angel Dust
Faith No More
1992

I was once an ignorant fool, thinking that Faith No More was only a one-hit wonder because of their massive hit, “Epic”, and nothing more. This was during a time when I didn’t explore much because radio at that time was the only thing that was accessible to me. Some years later, a buddy of mine in college and I were talking about one-hit wonder bands and I said Faith No More. He then proceeded to flip his shit as if I said they were the worst fucking band on the face of the planet. After telling him to chill and that “Epic” was the only thing I ever heard from them, he then busted out his iPod and played a track called “Land of Sunshine”, the kick in the face opener of Angel Dust.

It was the best kick in the face I ever had.

Angel Dust is a roller coaster of an album. It’s nonsensical, no bullshit anarchy if I ever heard of it. There is just an amazing atmosphere and tone set to the entire album that I think is set first by the vocal performance of Mike Patton. A few can match the ADHD he has on the mic. He goes from soaring falsettos to grunting to rapping to growling. His vocals definitely will please the listener, but it’s also the funky bass lines, guitar riffage, groovy drumming, and idiosyncratic keyboard playing that aurally elevate the album.

If “Caffeine”, “Smaller and Smaller”, and “****lobber” are great examples of their aggressiveness, then “RV” show how fucking weird and interesting this band can be. It’s a humor track featuring southern blues feel and trailer trash vocals from Patton. “Kindergarten” is a their lightest song but it also has my favorite bass lines in any Faith No More record.

This is fantastic record. If their previous album, The Real Thing, was a commercial success, then this is an artistic success.

Favorite Tracks: A Small Victory, Caffeine, Everything’s Ruined, Smaller And Smaller, Land of Sunshine

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Mike freaking Patton.

That is all.

[Accelerando]

One of my heroes, and Billy Gould on bass!

[wolfking]

Love FNM.  I'd probably take King For A Day over Angel Dust, but amazing nevertheless.

[Accelerando]

#49
The Black Halo
Kamelot
2005

Power Metal and I have a love/hate relationship. On one hand, I love the epic compositions and great melodies. On the other hand, the operatic vocals and synths can be so cheesy that I think mice would even turn it down. I do love me the works by Ronnie James Dio and Iron Maiden.

I discovered Kamelot through Epica, and it encompassed everything I wanted in Power Metal music. That being said, Epica is an honorable mention from me. It was beautifully composed music in a concept album. Then I found out they were releasing a second part to Epica in a few months, and I thought, well, if it’s half as good as Epica, I’ll be pleased.

This album, entitled The Black Halo, delivered beyond my expectations.

I’ll go as far and say it’s one of the best overall metal albums of the past ten years. It’s such a powerful album from start to finish. It’s a bit more streamlined than Kamelot’s previous work, but it has the right amount of complexity with accessibility to perfectly summarize the bands evolution from their previous work. This is an album with giant hooks, driven with foreboding dynamics. The album starts with “March of Mephisto” a dark song with pounding riffage, but it also shows off the layering of sounds effects present in the entire album. Then you have “The Haunting (Somewhere In Time)”, their likeable ballad on the album that has a catchy chorus and a nice duet with Simone Simmons, but “Abandoned” is where I get all the feels, especially from Roy Khans vocal performance. You can’t mention this album without mentioning its gem, “Memento Mori” which is a stunning song with riffs and melodies that are just stacked.

Roy Khan’s vocals are done with such charisma and grace. His delivery is absolutely captivating. He has one of the best voices in the business, and it’s a shame he’s not using it for Kamelot any longer. Thomas Youngblood’s guitar playing should also be noted, because he carries the album through melodic riffs. Kamelot’s The Black Halo is a crafted masterpiece

Favorite Tracks: Memento Mori, March of Mephisto, When The Lights Are Down, Serenade, Abandoned

[wolfking]

Classic album that one, love it.

[jingle.boy]

Kamelot's magnum opus for sure.  Stellar album.  Though the first time I heard anything from it (March) I was caught a little off-guard - expecting something different.  Great tune.

[wolfking]

I'd actually take Epica over TBH, but it's close.

[Evermind]

I'd actually take Epica over TBH, but it's close.

I agree, always loved Epica more. Both are stellar though.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Awesome album. Incidentally, I just listened to it today.

[Accelerando]

#48
The House That Dirt Built
The Heavy
2009

During a study abroad trip to New York City, studying media, my classmates and I decided to snatch tickets to the David Letterman show. I think Kristen Bell was the big guest. We didn’t know who the guest artist was, but I quickly wikipediaed them on my phone and saw they were a neo-soul indie group from the UK. Ok, they could be good.

So David introduced the band, and they hit us with this groovy brass and bass rhythm. The drums kicked in, and the singer started singing with a James Brown influence in his voice. Suddenly the build up to the main chorus, he quietly said “How you like me now…how you like me now? How me like now…how you like me now?” Then there was this monster of a hook into the chorus that got my head bobbing. Man, that song just got everyone in the audience was dancing in their seats. Audience Control had to tell a few to sit down (typically on these types of tapings, the audience has to sit down at all times during filming). Song is done, and we gave them the applause of their life. David Letterman was laughing and had this look like he couldn’t believe what just heard. He then asked for an encore of the song. The first and only time he has ever done that in his long history with that show. After we left the theater, all I had in my head was that song, "How You Like Me Now?" I immediately had to check out these guys, and ended up really loving the album that the song was on, The House That Dirt Built.

The House That Dirt Built is funk n roll. It is a groove consisting of punk, funk, old fashion R&B, and a dash of swag. The opening song is the shortest, but it sets up for the album. The following song is "How You Like Me Now?" I don’t know how you can listen to that song and not dance. Unfortunately, now it’s overused in a lot of movie and TV show ads. I wish this wasn’t the case, because the song is too good for someone to be like “Of that’s the song from Borderlands 2 and Suits!” Kevin Swaby, the vocalist, is James Brown reincarnated in that song, warbling the chorus over that thick bass line and horns with tremendous swagger. The band spreads their various talents throughout the rest of this album. “Sixteen” and “Love Like That” charms you with oldies song writing. “No Time” is a fun flash of gritty 70s rock in which in the finer moments reminisce Hendrix.

My personal favorite song on the album, “Short Change Hero” is an epic spaghetti western. Literally. It starts with an Ennio Morricone inspired theme into a soulful and melancholy tune.

The only complaint I have about this album it that it’s only a notch over 35 minutes long. I want more! The follow up album was good, but not comparable to this gem. The Heavy’s The House That Dirt Built is James Brown meets 60’s rock n roll.

Favorite Tracks: Short Change Hero, How You Like Me Now, What You Want Me To Do?, No Time, Sixteen


Here's that The Heavy performance that I was talking about on David Letterman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQKsKbXN1A4

[Accelerando]

#47
Thirteenth Step
A Perfect Circle
2003

Probably the first few years that I had this album, I did not pay attention to the lyrics enough to make out the concept of this record. I originally thought that the title Thirteenth Step was just a cool sounding generic title for the album. It probably wasn’t until I started listening to Dream Theater’s 12 Step Suite that after revisiting Thirteenth Step I realized that it was full of addiction and recovery undertones. All of the songs really contribute to this meaning.

I think I like this album more than Mer De Noms. Thirteenth Step feels more of a cohesive effort, which Mer felt like it was written for a quick Tool side project. Thirteenth Step is just bombastically beautiful in every conception. You can just sit back, close your eyes, and be immersed. With the dark atmosphere are tracks that rock to kick your teeth in.  The album start with “The Package”, the longest song on the album that nearly overstays it’s welcome until the guitar rips into a heavy riff and Maynard utters “Mine!” The song does start the whole the stages of recovery in a powerful way though. If “The Package” is about denial, the certainly the “Weak and Powerless” is about addiction. It was one of the singles off the record. It has a catchy chorus, but probably is the weakest overall song on the album.

The strength of the record comes from the third track, onward. “The Noose” is a gorgeous and impactful track that to me is the shining star in A Perfect Circle’s gallery of music. It’s ambient feel builds to a beautiful climatic cascade of powerful songwriting. The emotional string play matches well to the Maynards plea to overly righteous, “Your halo’s slipping down to choke you now.”

“The Outsider” is the angriest song and stays true to the alt. rock format, and has some really creative drum work. Besides this, and “Pet”, the album pretty mellow for the most part. “Blue” is a nice break from the bleak tone of the album with upbeat songwriting. “Vanishing” is another dark ambient track that took awhile to grow on me, but it ended up becoming one of my favorite tracks on the album. “A Stranger” is a slow paces acoustic song, and “The Nurse Who Loved Me” utilizes very little instruments.

It’s A Perfect Circle best work, but it also takes a few listens to truly appreciate what they accomplished here. Moody and mellow, some people may have to be in the right mood to listen to it, but the overall album is fantastic.

Favorite Tracks: The Noose, Vanishing, The Outsider, Blue, Weak And Powerless

[Accelerando]

Ok, next few....hopefully will get some chatter going

#46
Ten
Pearl Jam
1991

I am not a huge fan of Pearl Jam, and I never got why people swore by them. I mean, I don't think they are terrible, but they are completely unoriginal and epitomized. I never got all the praise Eddie Vedder has received as a vocalist because I cannot understand a damn word he says at all. He sounds like he is gargling marbles drunk. It took me a long time to realize that he was saying "Jeremy spoke in class today", not "Jeremy broke the glass mane." That being said, I don't hold them no ill-will. They work hard and love making music. I've given albums like Vs. and Vitalogy a shot, but the flat riffs and uninspired songwriting just didn't do it for me.

All that being said, I love Ten enough to have it on my top 50 list. It's a great album with intricately layered guitars and harmonies. Even though Vedder cannot enunciate to save his life, I do enjoy his vocal performances on this album, especially "Black." His lyrics were just as impressive, and one of the strongest points of the album. There are lots of heavy topics that are covered on this album, such as gun violence, broken heart, and abortion. However, with those topics comes anthemic quality that reminds me of 80's U2, in retrospect. "Jeremy" is one of the most pat Freudian psychodrama I have ever listened to, and it's a fantastic song. "Alive", one of their biggest hits, touches on some serious transgressive topics like, I don't know, incest and a dead father?

The music definitely makes the album for me, more than Vedders singing, because I have read the lyrics to understand what he's talking about. If Stone Gossard wasn't a member of Pearl Jam at the beginning of their career, they would have gotten no where. He was the main songwriter for this album, perfectly painting Vedder's lyrics into beautiful crafted melodies with fantastic two guitar play. Nothing against Mike McCready, but when Gossard left the band, they didn't have what it takes to even remotely channel the songwriting on Ten.

Favorite Tracks: Black, Why Go, Jeremy, Once, Alive

#45
The Number of the Beast
Iron Maiden
1982

I truly do love this Iron Maiden record. If I claimed that Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, track for track, is their best record, then the anthem quality to all of the tracks just made The Number of the Beast a more appealing for me. There’s a sheer stylistic variety to all of the tracks. Each track stands alone much like all the tracks on Led Zeppelin’s IV stand to their own. Bruce Dickinson is undeniably a heavy metal legend, and I think it was his incomparable vocal performance on Number of the Beast that set his status to stone. His operatic flamboyance is awe inspiring, especially with “Children of the Damned” and my personal favorite Iron Maiden song, “Hallow Be Thy Named.” Just how he delivers the lines, like “The sands time for are running low;” Wow. I can listen to that for days and onward out.

Obviously, with Steve as the primary songwriter, I think he came into his prime with this record. I feel like he wrote for Bruce, especially with “Run To The Hills”, which complimented the theatrical vocal talent of Bruce and made a kick ass song that embraced the power and the menace of the band. Also, Adrian Smith’s contributions to the songwriting to me made an impact, especially with “The Prisoner.” There is such a great flair for melody and groove with his songwriting that it’s very hallmark.

Number of the Beast definitely set up the band for a long successful career. The album is the catalyst, and the pinnacle of the bands career.

Favorite Tracks: Hallowed Be Thy Named, Run To The Hills, Children of the Damned, The Number of the Beast, The Prisoner

[King Postwhore]

Two stellar choices that I played the crap out of to this day.

[jjrock88]

always nice to see Maiden in a list!

[wolfking]

Love both those albums.