WebRaider's Top 50 Albums - v. Breaking All The Rules

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Love Cowboys to death!

[WebRaider]

Love Cowboys to death!

YES! Definitely  .... It makes me miss Dime bad though 

[obscure]

mmm I'm intrigued... this thread something for me.... following mister....

Awww shucks.    Thank ya! I hope you like some of the stuff and maybe find something to look into as well. I'm all over the board but generally like everything everyone else around here enjoys.

hey you bet.. we have very similar tastes....  this is gonna be fun....

Love Cowboys to death!

YES! Definitely  .... It makes me miss Dime bad though 

I'll join you too.... 

Saw Black Label Society gig last year.... you know they were like best friends... Zack paid a tribute do Dimebag... it gave me the chills....

[Jamesman42]

There is no Incubus thread. O_O

[Nekov]

Iron Maiden, Pantera, Tool, Dio


All of those are fantastic albums.

[WebRaider]

[

Love Cowboys to death!

YES! Definitely  .... It makes me miss Dime bad though 

I'll join you too.... 

Saw Black Label Society gig last year.... you know they were like best friends... Zack paid a tribute do Dimebag... it gave me the chills....

Yeah, they were like brothers for sure. The thing about Dime was how much people responded to him in the way people did to Dio as well. They were both just very good people who were exceptionally talented musicians. Missing them both.

[jjrock88]

great choices with Dokken, QR, Iron Maiden, and DIO!!

[obscure]

[

Love Cowboys to death!

YES! Definitely  .... It makes me miss Dime bad though 

I'll join you too.... 

Saw Black Label Society gig last year.... you know they were like best friends... Zack paid a tribute do Dimebag... it gave me the chills....

Yeah, they were like brothers for sure. The thing about Dime was how much people responded to him in the way people did to Dio as well. They were both just very good people who were exceptionally talented musicians. Missing them both.

Yes those two and Chuck... miss them loads....

[WebRaider]

There is no Incubus thread. O_O

Kinda surprised. I've seen a few other folks on the board who seem to enjoy them. The band is really good and I particularly enjoy guitarist Mike Einziger's work.

great choices with Dokken, QR, Iron Maiden, and DIO!!

Thanks! Really glad to see some love for Dokken. They don't tend to get the respect they deserve. And yeah your avatar looks familiar for some reason 

[WebRaider]

30. Mad Season - Above [1995]




Mad Season is a supergroup of sorts with Layne Staley (Alice in Chains) on vocals, Mike McCready (Pearl Jam) on guitar, Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees) on drums along with John Baker Saunders on bass. Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens Of The Stone Age, etc.) also makes two appearances here.


The resulting sound is kind of like Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam jumped in a time machine and became a unified early 70's hard rock band. Staley's vocals are so unique that the music can't escape the Alice sound to some extent, however McCready and Martin take the music in a different direction. It's very dark throughout, very mellow and jazzy at times, excessively psychedelic bluesy at others (which I love). McCready is given space to work his magic on guitar and there are times that I could swear John Bonham is on drums with Martin's powerful playing.

If you're a fan of stuff like Zeppelin, bluesy Sabbath, Cream and enjoy Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam you should really give this a listen. The real gems of the album take a little longer to get into but give them time and you'll find the magic.



Check out: "Wake Up", "River of Deceit", "Artificial Red", "Long Gone Day", "November Hotel" 








29. Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf [2002]




For me this is "stoner rock" at its perfection. Your invitation to the desert trip Odyssey that is “Songs for the Deaf” begins with the buzz of a radio tuner, and a few moments of scrambling through various distant channels sent from the Mexican border.These radio transmissions carry you through the album.

Most know that Songs For The Deaf was recorded with Dave Grohl on drums and he did an exceptional job here. Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan both have unique voices and the pair never fail to keep me on my toes waiting to see what they put together. Band leader Homme has a knack for tricking you into you into thinking the songs are only about their great chugging fuzz-laden riffs and bashing drums but they manage to meld a superb sense of melody into heavy music with a groove. Two of their bigger hits are on this release and "Go With The Flow" is a personal all-time favorite of mine, though I've heard it hundreds of times.



Check out: "No One Knows", "First It Giveth", "The Sky Is Fallin'", "Hangin' Tree", "Go with the Flow"









28. Megadeth - Rust In Peace [1990]




Rust In Peace is well thought of by most throughout the metal scene.It took me a while to get used to Dave Mustaine's singing style. I actually didn't come around to the sound till the Countdown To Extinction album (which I also like). Marty Friedman is a magician on the guitar and he clearly helped elevate Mustaine's game here. The vicious riffs and electric solos throughout Rust In Peace are astounding and the songs are very well composed and produced.

Even though I grew up through the peaks of Megadeth and Metallica I never got in the middle of the conflict between the bands fans. Personally I think it'd be hard for either group's fans to deny the two groups best efforts at least. Rust In Peace to me is Megadeth's best, a true thrash classic.



Check out: "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due", "Hangar 18", "Tornado of Souls", ""Rust in Peace... Polaris""   









27. Black Sabbath - Sabotage [1975]




Sabotage is what I'd consider the Sabbath's angriest sounding album. Ozzy's vocals on this album are probably better than at any time in his career. Where some of the other Sabbath albums generally had a couple clunkers among the classics; Sabotage for me is clunker free. Yes even "Am I Going Insane (Radio)" works for me especially the creepy laughing/screaming at the end that fades into "The Writ". This album also features another likely metal foundation from Black Sabbath in "Symptom of the Universe", which many people feel is the first legit thrash metal song.



Check out: "Hole in the Sky", "Symptom of the Universe", "Megalomania", "The Writ"











26. Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime [1988]




Another classic, especially to many on these forums. What can I say about this amazing album that isn't already known or already been combed over a thousand times? Although I had heard many great things about the album I didn't come around to give it a serious listen till after Empire had been released. It's clearly among the top concept albums ever but its even more than the sum of it's parts, as many of the songs are great even as stand alone tracks. Superb thematically, lyrically, and musically. Operation Mindcrime was perfect execution and a serious game changer. A defining moment in metal and progressive music.



Check out: "Revolution Calling", "Speak", "I Don’t Believe in Love", "Eyes of a Stranger"

[The King in Crimson]

Wow, holy shit what an update.

RiP, Sabotage, and Mindcrime... spooge.

[obscure]

Cool update! made me realise that actually not alone

[jjrock88]

Operation Mindcrime rules.  End of story.

[jingle.boy]

Operation Mindcrime rules.  End of story.

+1

[contest_sanity]

Nice to see some love for Mad Season.  I was just listening to them a few days ago

[WebRaider]

Wow, holy shit what an update.

RiP, Sabotage, and Mindcrime... spooge.

 



Seriously those are some killer albums to listen to back to back to back

[WebRaider]

Nice to see some love for Mad Season.  I was just listening to them a few days ago

Very cool. The band really was overlooked. Seems like the album was out a few years before many people even really heard about them.

[WebRaider]

25. Stone Temple Pilots - Purple [1994]




Stone Temple Pilots is a great hard ROCK band. Due to the time they hit it big, they were another band that was lumped into the Grunge era (likely due to the record companies and radio stations). Purple's varied elements helped clarify and establish their place. There is acoustic guitar, lots of interesting percussion and more melodic parts than in their debut album Core; while maintaining some of the dark and gloomy atmosphere. Dean DeLeo is a superb guitarist who reminds me a good bit of Jimmy Page in that he is never overly technical but just puts together some great sounding riffs and leads. His brother Robert on bass and Eric Kretz on drums always offer some nice driving grooves and Scott Weiland's vocals are at their peak here.

Purple offered some quality hits like "Interstate Love Song" "Big Empty" and "Vasoline" which are great but the addition of lesser known songs like "Still Remains", "Silvergun Superman", "Army Ants" and "Kitchenware & Candybars" are what make this album very good.



Check out: "Lounge Fly", "Still Remains", "Silvergun Superman", "Kitchenware & Candybars"









24. Mastodon - Crack The Skye [2009]




Crack The Skye opened the doors for me to Mastodon. I'd never even attempted to give them a chance due to their vocals on prior releases. I just couldn't get past it initially. Once I heard "Oblivion" and was able to hear their approach with three singers it slowly ensnared me. At first I'd listen to "Oblivion" over and over and skip through the rest of the album seeing what else was there. I could hear the amazing music but was hesitant.  Finally I just cranked the volume up and unleashed the beast!

Most here are likely aware that CTS is Mastodon's most prog-like release, if that is important to you. For me it's just superb music wise and is very powerful throughout. CTS sends you on a journey of blistering riffs, dynamic melody, and doomy grooves only letting you get settled in the music before taking you to another place in the astral plane... or at least that's what it seems like to me sometimes...lol



Check out: "Oblivion", "The Czar", "Ghost of Karelia", "The Last Baron"









23. Soundgarden - Down on the Upside [1996]




I'm a HUGE Soundgarden fan and love their whole catalog. Their early work was very raw and aggressive and Superunknown was a classic all around album. Down on the Upside offered less polished production featured on Superunknown and explored their experimental side a bit more than before. In the writing process they sought to bring a greater variety of material to the album and it's certainly evident in the finished product.

DotU is not as dark as Superunknown (which I usually prefer) but it's so all over the place that you never know what to expect next and it easily keeps my interest. The songs vary in tempo throughout the course of the album, with Thayil describing the album as having a "dual nature." He explained, "It keeps listeners on their toes and lets them know they're not getting the same album over and over." Features one of my favorite songs ever in "Tighter & Tighter".



Check out: "Zero Chance", "Blow Up the Outside World", "Burden in My Hand", "Tighter & Tighter"








22. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours [1977]




The soundtrack to my early childhood. I have very faint and vague memories tied to songs from this album almost as if it were played quite frequently while I was in the crib which is quite probable. It was also played everywhere on the radio for years through the 80's; and for good reason.

This is yet another album from a band at it's pinnacle musically. However most are familiar with the stories of the band members relationships falling apart around the time of the recording which obviously served to drive them to write some hauntingly bittersweet songs. The production of this album is universally lauded and it really is beautiful. It sounds amazing sitting at my computer with my headphones on or on my stereo throughout the house. I recommend giving this album an honest listen with no notions of your preferred types of music. Just put it on and listen and it'll likely seep into your being somewhere.



Check out: "Dreams", "Never Going Back Again", "The Chain", "Gold Dust Woman"









21. Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence [2002]
 



A Dream Theater sighting! I'll avoid wasting everyones time attempting to describe the album as anyone who is on this forum should have heard it and if not.. stop reading now and go listen! 6DoIT is one of the higher regarded DT albums yet it took me the longest of my favorite DT releases to click. I could have also listed a couple other DT selections here as well. I love the heavy and somewhat experimental nature of Six Degrees.



Check out: "The Glass Prison", "Blind Faith", "Misunderstood", "The Great Debate"

[Dr. DTVT]

 

 

[jingle.boy]

Rumours is criminally mis-represented in DTF land.  Absolutely brilliant album!

[Zydar]

Crack The Skye + Rumours + SDOIT =

[WebRaider]

Getting ready to head into the top 20. Thanks to everyone for following along or just stopping in and looking over the list!

Rumours is criminally mis-represented in DTF land.  Absolutely brilliant album!

It really is a great album. I can understand some of it has been played to death on the radio for years but I find it hard to detract from music based on that.

[WebRaider]

20. The Black Crowes - The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion [1992]




Vocalist Chris Robinson sings with so much passion and conviction, there are times I literally find myself holding my breath listening to him. His brother Rich and lead guitarist Marc Ford combined to form a killer guitar duo. When Ford and keyboardist Eddie Harsch joined the Crowes after the bands debut, it cemented a magical line up. The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion is much more venomous than their very successful debut. It's nature lies in scalding power blues roots and fiery yet extremely soulful singing.



Check out: "Remedy", "Thorn in My Pride", "Sometimes Salvation", "Black Moon Creeping", "My Morning Song"









19. Van Halen - Fair Warning [1981]




Fair Warning is probably the darkest and most aggressive album from Van Halen. At this point in their career singer David Lee Roth had pushed for more pop influenced tunes while Eddie Van Halen wanted more complex guitar oriented material. The tensions building within the band seemed to make their way into the recording. Roth's vocals/lyrics here seem edgier and Eddie's playing seems to have more bite, somehow. What is certain is that all the members were on top of their game. "Mean Street" and "Unchained" are absolute monster classic VH tunes and this album features one of the sexiest guitar solos ever in "Push Comes To Shove".



Check out: "Mean Street, "Sinner's Swing!", "Unchained", "Push Comes To Shove"









18. Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine: Biomech [1997]




I think the first song that convinced me to check out Devin was "Deadhead" from Accelerated Evoloution and once I get interested in a band or artist I usually start from the beginning and just work my way through. That's what I did here. Ocean Machine: Biomech was the perfect introduction for me album-wise. Devin gives us his great production, big layered sounds, ambiance, heavy riffs, and goes through all his vocal ranges brilliantly. I just put this on and was jamming away from the beginning, got to the famous 3 song run of "Funeral", "Bastard", and "The Death of Music" and my jaw was on the floor.



Check out: "Seventh Wave", "Regulator", "Funeral", "Bastard", "The Death of Music"









17. The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium [2003]




The first time I heard music from The Mars Volta my jaw hit the floor, as I could not believe what I was hearing. From a simplistic perspective it was something like an alien Led Zeppelin from the future. Outside of that, the band sort of defies explanation. While The Mars Volta have gone on to produce more quality music I love De-Loused most of all because I think it fully represents and expresses what the band wants to do. Furious guitar riffs, exploding vocals, haunting and eerie melodies, unpredictable rhythms; all of these are found here on De-Loused. I love this thing from start to finish!



Check out: "Inertiatic ESP", "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)", "Eriatarka", "Cicatriz ESP"









16. Alice in Chains - Dirt [1992]




Dark, angry, gloomy, eerie, heavy, melodic, emotional, bleak - all of these are descriptions of Dirt. This is certainly with reason as the band were facing their demons during the writing and recording of this release. Vocalist Layne Staley was spiraling into his heroin addiction head-on and the rest of the band were helpless to help him as they also were going through their own issues and what you have on record is a brutal truth, a portrait of the dire state they were all in. Being able to create such an exceptional album through all of these tribulations was proof of the great band they were/are.

I'm a big fan of Layne's vocals and how he harmonizes with guitarist Jerry Cantrell who's vocals are pretty good as well. The bands vocal strengths and Cantrell's superb guitar attack set them apart from the grunge crowd (much like Soundgarden).



Check out: "Them Bones", "Rain When I Die", "Down in a Hole", "Rooster", "Would?"   

[WebRaider]

Maybe the cute kitty will draw a little more interest...lol






Seriously, I'll have the next 5 up real soon and the Top 10 is done already so I'll be finished in no time....

[jingle.boy]

Fair Warning wouldn't be my top Halen choice ... I was always a bigger fan of Hagar era stuff.

Black Crowes is some great blues-rock.  I knew a few songs from that album, but never did have the whole thing.

[Dr. DTVT]

The inclusion of Ocean Machine depends on what other Devin you got left.  I would have it between 3rd and 5th among Devin albums, not including SYL or project.

I loved Alice In Chains when I was younger.  Still have all their stuff pre-2000, most of it on cassette.  With the exception of Queensryche, I don't listen to much music I discovered before before October 27, 1998 because it doesn't interest me as much.

[Elite]

Ocean Machine is awesome, but I don't think it's Devin's best.

[WebRaider]

15. Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream [1993]




Billy Corgan was not afraid to use his guitars when writing the angsty tunes of the 90's and I love him for it. He layered guitars making them HUGE and used lots of distortion and fuzz and along with the superb drumming of Jimmy Chamberlain and excellent songwriting created Siamese Dream, the anti-grunge/grunge album. A lot of what makes music great and personal is the emotion involved and what the songs pull out of each of us... Siamese Dream is full of emotion from beginning to end it pulls and pulls and pulls it out of me every time I listen. Siamese Dream is a collage of moods and feelings as well as music, one moment lashing out at someone in fuzz-ridden rage, the other embracing that same person romantically in dreamy atmospheres.



Check out: "Cherub Rock", "Hummer", "Geek U.S.A.", "Mayonaise", "Silverfuck"









14. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing [2005]




And the flood gates opened up... Deadwing is the album that is responsible for my transition to the world of Porcupine Tree. I had listened to individual songs from the band off and on for several years. I could hear the obvious talent of the band, but when I sat down to listen to the albums I'd get lost somewhere along the way. I would really dig a song or two and then the album would lose me.

Luckily I was intent on discovering the bands magic. I think I was so focused on the experimental aspect of the band that I heard initially years back that I couldn't grasp that there was much more to the band. I love how heavy, melodic, atmospheric, spacy, or straight up rocking the band can be as well and they showcase all of that here on Deadwing. Wow!



Check out: "Deadwing", "Shallow", "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here", "The Start of Something Beautiful"









13. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here [1975]




Just put this album on sit back and instant chill mode. After the enormous success of DSOTM the Floyd were faced with the task of trying to maintain the brilliance they had come to create. Where DSOTM focused on the world Pink Floyd saw around them, Wish You Were Here is a good bit more personal.

Most people are aware that "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and largely "Wish You Were Here" are a tribute to their original frontman Syd Barrett. I think to a great extent once they had hit the big time the band felt guilty that Syd wasn't a part of it all and had literally gone off the deep end in the process of the bands progression. The band also expresses their resentment and anger towards the record industry, the pressures they faced, the shmucks in the press etc. with "Welcome to the Machine" and "Have a Cigar".

As usual their musicianship shines throughout. A classic album by an amazing band.



Check out: "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", "Welcome to the Machine", "Wish You Were Here"









12. Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti [1975]




Another classic from 1975 with Zep's double album Physical Graffiti. For me part of what made Led Zeppelin so great for so long was their ability to change up their sound and styles and do it in such a quality manner that not many could match it. What I like so much about this album is how diverse it is. Whether it be funk, folk, rock, psychedelic, Arabian, country, swing, bop or any combination of them, Led Zeppelin weld and juxtapose lots of different influences and genres to make Physical Graffiti. I absolutely could have listed any of their classics here but I love that this double album provides a showcase for the band to explore the many elements of their music.



Check out: "The Rover", "Kashmir", "In The Light", "Ten Years Gone", "The Wanton Song"








11. Metallica - ...And Justice for All [1988]




(IMO)The last great album from Metallica and for me it was their best. I know some prefer Master of Puppets or Ride The Lightning but this album has always been my favorite from them. The guitar riffs and solos throughout are blistering and I don't think James' vocals were ever better.
 
Justice is filled with pure rage. I believe the band really were fueled by Cliff's death and pissed off at the world and it just bleeds through in the performance of the songs. From beginning to end the band goes to war with the injustice in this life and it just rips! I still remember blowing the speakers in my brother's car just blaring this album everywhere.



Check out: "Blackened", "...And Justice for All", "One", "Harvester of Sorrow", "Dyers Eve"

[Ravenheart]

Great to see some love for Siamese Dream. That album is magical.

[ReaperKK]

Siamese Dream is awesome and I enjoy Deadwing however it's in the lower tier of PT albums for me.

WYWH is great as well, top 50 for me also.

[jingle.boy]

Now we're talking!  Physical Grafitti just missed my Top 50, WYWH is in a lot of people's, and AJFA is metal bliss.

Good update.

[WebRaider]

The inclusion of Ocean Machine depends on what other Devin you got left.  I would have it between 3rd and 5th among Devin albums, not including SYL or project.

I loved Alice In Chains when I was younger.  Still have all their stuff pre-2000, most of it on cassette.  With the exception of Queensryche, I don't listen to much music I discovered before before October 27, 1998 because it doesn't interest me as much.

Personally just about anything Dev is cool. If I wasn't limiting so hard I'd have very few artists and much more albums from certain bands.

I actually have the hardest time getting into a whole lot of music past 2000 and I'm right about the same age as you. I don't know why this is. Thankfully for me the last few years have been great for me with music; 2009 going forward.

[WebRaider]

Great to see some love for Siamese Dream. That album is magical.

Siamese Dream is awesome and I enjoy Deadwing however it's in the lower tier of PT albums for me.

WYWH is great as well, top 50 for me also.

Yes Siamese Dream is spectacular. I intend on buying the new remastered set soon. I seem to have connected with Deadwing most as a whole album. I love a lot of  individual songs off the rest of the PT catalog though.

[WebRaider]

Now we're talking!  Physical Grafitti just missed my Top 50, WYWH is in a lot of people's, and AJFA is metal bliss.

Good update.

some people would lose it at me listing AJFA and not Master of Puppets but as I stated I've always preferred AJFA. I do still enjoy MOP very much though.

[Nekov]

You have lots of great stuff here. Led Zep, Pink Floyd, PT, Sabbath, Metallica. There's also lot's of stuff I haven't heard. Your top 10 should be very interesting