When I signed up to do the second edition of my Top 50, I figured I'd be starting in early 2013. Nailed that timing perfectly, and now I'm back for another taste (which by the way is a pretty good album from Helix ... For the 80s/90s pure rock enthusiasts – Coz, you’d dig it). But I digress already. Squirrel!
Much like Mason's top 50 (
would you finish the fucking thing already?!?) this list is going to be (to some extent) on the unknown/obscure side of the tracks. What this list is going to be is my top 50 albums by BANDS that I discovered because of, or after joining, DTF - which was just before the release of Octavarium in early 2005. So for instance, the fact that Clockwork Angels came out after I joined DTF is irrelevant, since I already knew Rush. However, because I discovered Spock's Beard after joining DTF, any album of their's is fair game. Got it? If not, who the fuck cares? Not I, and you shouldn't either.
I will point to five specific DTF members that have heavily influenced this list - they are directly responsible for over half (29 to be specific) of this list. Two of them I often spend my Wednesday evenings with, one is in a time zone 15 hours apart from mine, so I don’t get a lot of direct interaction (
), one never fails to impress me with musical recommendations (and cook up something new for me on a regular basis) and one I have forged a musical bond with to the extent that I have discovered new heights to what music means to me.
Like my first top 50, there ain't a lot of variety here – this list will be about as diverse as a ‘60s Klan convention. I know what I like, and I stick to it. I said it to open my first Top 50, and it's worth repeating. You won't find any bands/albums that require the words "post" or "core" to describe their style/genre. This time around, the only thing missing is classic and glam rock. It's gonna be pretty much Melodic and Prog ... Ranging from pure prog, to some pretty heavy metal. If that kinda music doesn't float your boat, no sweat. Just want everyone to know what they’re in for.
That said, here be 50 awesome albums that - for those with my similar musical tastes - you should know, or know of. If you don't know an album, I hope you give a song or two a try ( I’m gonna list my ‘Tracks to Try’ right off the bat with one of them linked to either Grooveshark or YT. Have a listen in the background as you read the writeup if it’s something new to you.). Some of these albums and bands get a decent amount of discussion/appreciation already, but most are unheralded around here. I tried to keep it to 1 album per band (as Mason did), but there were a few acts that had albums just too damned good to leave off.
Hopefully this generates questions, comments, feedback and discussion - that’s the best part about these lists. And you know me... every thread is a chat thread. I’m going to try and keep my write-ups crisp and concise (at least until the top 20 or so where I start to get a little verbose), so if I don’t address something you may be interested in knowing, feel free to ask a question.
Later, my honorable mentions, and the real deal starts tomorrow to kick off 2013.