PuffyPat's Top 50 Albums v WE DID IT!

[Mladen]

That Weezer album is good.

Yeah, not my favorite one but still really cool album with quite a few classic Weezer songs on there. That reminds me, does anyone know what's going on with these guys? They haven't released an album in three years.

[PuffyPat]

I lost part of my laptop charger, so I wasn't able to update yesterday because my list in on it. I should have one later today despite Thanksgiving and what not.

[PuffyPat]

I'm back. FINALLY. Crazy week this week, so let's get to it.

38.   Portugal. The Man – Censored Colors (2008)



Shortly after getting Gorilla Hands, Portugal. The Man, were thrust into my life, and I was super glad it was. The first record of theirs I had was 2011’s “In the Mountain in the Cloud,” but this was not far behind, and while that record is great, this one is just amazing. Every time I listen to this band I just feel like I’m in a very, very strange dreamland. This album isn’t as out there as their early stuff, but it’s not as tame as their newer stuff. I see it as a bridge from their experimental beginnings to their now more mainsteam vibe, but it got the best of both worlds, and, to me, is their best offering to date, although I haven’t given “Evil Friends” a fair listen yet, I don’t see it dethroning “Censored Colors.”

Favorite Song(s): Out and In and In and Out, 1989, Salt, Lay Me Back Down


37.   Count Basie – April in Paris (1957)



This is the first jazz record that I ever remember listening to. My dad used to have a copy of it in his car, and we would listen to it ALL the time. I loved it. Me and my brother loved it. We would be sitting in the back seat of the little silver Saturn that we used to have, and my dad would put the CD (we used to have those you know) in and it would be such a good car ride. We could be going on a quick trip to the store, or a road trip across the country, it didn’t matter, we always wanted to hear it. No matter what. I wouldn’t end up getting really into jazz until many years late, but this record remains as one of the best jazz records I’ve heard while having the special place of being the first jazz I ever listened to.

Favorite Song(s): Corner Pocket, April in Paris, The Midgets



36.   The Strokes – Room on Fire (2003)



I love this band; even with the member not really liking each other all that much. My first run-in with The Strokes was the single from this record “12:51” and from there I was a fan. I hadn’t really looked into them all that much, which is why a few years later I was shocked to hear that they had basically broken up (all that hiatus stuff is bull shit, just tell us the truth), but I decided to listen to them some more, and I kept coming back to this record. It’s not as garage-rock like as there first record, and uses many elements of electronic music, but the band was able to keep their garage feel that so many people loves from “Is this It?”, and expand on it in a very enjoyable way. For me, it’s the best blend of electronic and their standard instrumentation that they’ve done, even with “Angles” doing a very good job. Also, driving to “Reptilia” is never a good idea.

Favorite Song(s): 12:51, Reptilia

I'll try to have this updated more regularly than it has been, and it may just happen. Who knows. I won't forget about this, though, just stick with me here.

[Onno]

I should give a listen to that Count Basie album, jazz is always fun.

[PuffyPat]

I'M BACK! Sorry about the long wait guys. I've been struggling with some sleep problems the last few days, and have just been absolutely miserable, but I've gotten a handle on it (I think) for the time being, so let's get this back on track.


35.   Avenged Sevenfold – Waking the Fallen (2003)



I was, and still am a huge Avenged fan. They are one of those bands that I just keep coming back to when I feel as though I need a change in whatever I’m listening to. Their music continues to feel fresh to me, and allows me to come back to it so often. This album, in particular, continues to blow me a way. There were able to blend a lot of genres together and produce what I feel is their best work. The Revs drumming really sticks out to me, and is what really got me into drumming, so this record did a lot for me as a musician even though I don’t really play this style all that much anymore, it made me really focus on just being a better a drummer. I really miss when Avenged were more about hardcore than southern rock. Their new stuff is okay, but none of it even comes close to being as intense and fun as Waking the Fallen.

Favorite Song(s): Second Heartbeat, Eternal Rest, Clairvoyant Disease, And All Things Will End


34.   Dave Brubeck Quartet – Time Out (1959)



The man himself, Dave Brubeck. This is, be far, his most well-known album because of “Take Five” (which he didn’t even write), but it is much more than one 5/4 song. Dave and his quartet set out to make a record with odd time signatures being in the forefront of all the compositions, and boy did they achieve this, and in doing so, released one of the best jazz albums of all time. Me and my dad just put it on and listen to it, and it seems that we’re always able to find something that we’ve never heard before. It’s really a monumental achievement in jazz as far as I’m concerned.

Favorite Song(s): Blue Rondo a la Turk, Take Five


33.   Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters (1973)



The opening riff to Chameleon is forever ingrained in my head. Whenever I hear I need to stop and smile. Herbie is one of those guys who has a mountain of great work, and this is my favorite of it (from what I’ve heard so far). This is one of the first records I got into when I really started to get into jazz on my own my senior year of high school. My English teacher taught a class called Jazz and Poetry which I took right when I saw it, and part of the class was just listening to jazz. One of the first albums he played for us was Future Shock, which I liked, but he recommended Head Hunters, and when I listened to it for the first time, I knew that I was going to love it forever. The avant-garde jazz funk vibe may be a bit much for some, but for me it was perfect at the time. It was soulful, but still full of rebellion, and I definitely needed it at the time.

Favorite Song(s): Chameleon, Watermelon Man

I'll try to get another update in tonight to make up for this past weekend of nothing.

[Mladen]

I keep hearing about that Herbie Hancock album, hopefully there will come a time for me to check it out.

[PuffyPat]

I keep hearing about that Herbie Hancock album, hopefully there will come a time for me to check it out.

It's a good one. Strange, but good.

[Outcrier]

Headhunters is one of my favorites as well 

[Big Hath]

oh yeah!  Nice update.  Time Out was my #15 and that Herbie album is quite funky!

[Onno]

Nice update, Head Hunters is amazing! I'll go and have a listen to Time Out too

[Lolzeez]

Some awesome jazz albums right here.

[SoundscapeMN]

some regard Headhunters as an essential fusion record.

[PuffyPat]

some regard Headhunters as an essential fusion record.

I would agree with that. It was in an era without a lot of great fusion stuff happening, but it really stood out.

[PuffyPat]

Taking a break from my final prep to keep this train on it's tracks.

32.   Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)



Kanye West may not be the most popular person on the Forum, but man do I love this guy’s music. This record in particular is an achievement in modern hip-hop. I remember sitting on my couch December of 2010 listening to Kid Cudi Pandora, and “Runaway” came on, and I was absolutely blown away, leading me to purchase the whole thing immediately, and the rest of the songs did not disappoint. The instrumentation is lush with strings, horns, and everything in between, and the list of guest performers is longer than Les Miserables: Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Rick Ross, Sir Elton John, Kid Cudi, Rhianna, Beyonce, Big Sean, Jay Z, Nikki Minaj, and SO MANY MORE. It is, by far, his best album to date, and there are not many other hip-hop records out there that can even pretend to come close to how magnificent this record is. Kanye really pulled out all the stops, and took some risks, but, man, did it work out for him. If you think Kanye isn’t worth your time, give it a second thought and check out this record.

Favorite Song(s): Lost in the World, Runaway, Monster, See Me Now (bonus track)


31.   Red Hot Chili Peppers – Stadium Arcadium (2006)



When this album came out, my brother got it, and almost immediately lost “Jupiter,” so for a long time I was much more familiar with “Mars,” but recently, I got a copy of the second disc, and the album finally came together for me. It’s like a greatest hits record with all new songs. They were able to capture all of their sounds giving this album an extremely diverse track listing, while having it all sound like all the songs belong together. I wish my brother had not lost one of the discs so I could have heard the entire album much sooner than last year because the performances on this one are out of this world. Anthony’s vocals are fantastic, Flea’s bass lines are far out as usual, Chad funks it up one beat at a time, and John, well, John is the best guitar player alive, so it’s almost expected that his work on everything is just untouchable.

Favorite Song(s): Especially in Michigan, Ready Made, Snow (Hey Oh), Hump De Bump, 21st Century


30.   Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)



CLASSIC INDIE ROCK ALBUM ALERT! PLEASE STAY CALM! This record seems to be a cornerstone in most indie fans’ record collection. I can’t think of a friend of mine who doesn’t own a copy of this album in some form or another. Jeff Mangum is a legend when it comes to indie music, and this is his crowned jewel. The song writing is fantastic and at times can make your skin crawl. I had the pleasure of seeing Jeff perform a year or two ago, and while it was just him, he was able to give even more life to the songs on this record (he played every single one). His vocals are, in my opinion, the best part. His ability to hold a note for seemingly ten minutes really jumps out over the strange, almost off, sound that this record has. The songs just flow together really well, and although the album is extremely lo-fi, it has a sense of majesty (at least I think so) that really elevates the album, and it deserves every single bit of praise that it gets.

Favorite Song(s): Holland 1945, King of Carrot Flowers, Pt 1, King of Carrot Flowers, Pt 2 & 3


Starting to get to the REALLY good stuff. I'm liking this so far, hope you all feel the same way.
 

[Outcrier]

MBDTF... great album, haters Lolzeez gonna hate

[ColdFireYYZ]

Bit late, but cool list so far. Head Hunters is the only Herbie Hancock album I'm familiar with, but it's really good. Time Out is great too.

I still haven't listened to that Neutral Milk Hotel album, but I'm going to check it out sometime as I've heard a lot of good things about it.

[PuffyPat]

Bit late, but cool list so far. Head Hunters is the only Herbie Hancock album I'm familiar with, but it's really good. Time Out is great too.

I still haven't listened to that Neutral Milk Hotel album, but I'm going to check it out sometime as I've heard a lot of good things about it.

Also, not late at all my friend. All are welcome at any time!

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is, at least the way I see it, a must listen. While it may not be for everybody, it's one of those records that people should hear at least once in their lifetime.

[Big Hath]

Kanye West may not be the most popular person on the Forum

this is actually the fourth time Kanye has been mentioned in a top 50 list

[Mladen]

Always good to see NMH. 

[PuffyPat]

Kanye West may not be the most popular person on the Forum

this is actually the fourth time Kanye has been mentioned in a top 50 list

I'm genuinely shocked  by this.

[Big Hath]

yeah, second time for this album (Marvellous G).  Graduation has also been mentioned twice (ReaperKK and Volk).

[PuffyPat]

yeah, second time for this album (Marvellous G).  Graduation has also been mentioned twice (ReaperKK and Volk).

I do love Graduation, and I almost put it on the list instead, but MBDTF is just so good.

[sneakyblueberry]

MBDTF is a masterpiece, and I'm sure if more people here listened to music with an open mind, it'd make a lot more lists.  Lost in the World is probably one of my least favourite tracks So Appalled and Devil in a New Dress murder me.  Fantastic choice Pat, props.

[PuffyPat]

MBDTF is a masterpiece, and I'm sure if more people here listened to music with an open mind, it'd make a lot more lists.  Lost in the World is probably one of my least favourite tracks So Appalled and Devil in a New Dress murder me.  Fantastic choice Pat, props.

Thanks, man. It's nice to know people are actually looking at this.

[Outcrier]

So Appalled and Devil in a New Dress murder me.

My favorites too, along Power, Monster and All of the Lights.

[PuffyPat]

So Appalled and Devil in a New Dress murder me.

My favorites too, along Power, Monster and All of the Lights.

I'm so appalled by how much you guys like So Appalled. It's definitely a good song, just one of the weaker songs on the record.

[sneakyblueberry]

No way!!! CyHi's verse is so killer 'I met this girl on valentines day, f**ked her in May, she found about April so she chose to March" makes me lol errytime.  Pretty much everyone kills it on that track, don't be ridickaless.  I'd take it over LITW, Gorgeous and Hell of a Life anyways. 

[sneakyblueberry]

So Appalled and Devil in a New Dress murder me.

My favorites too, along Power, Monster and All of the Lights.

This cover of Power is pretty sweet: https://soundcloud.com/c2aye/power-kanye-west-cover 

[Outcrier]

Manfred Mann's Earth Band sample in So Appaled is badass (the song could be shorter though).

[PuffyPat]

No way!!! CyHi's verse is so killer 'I met this girl on valentines day, f**ked her in May, she found about April so she chose to March" makes me lol errytime.  Pretty much everyone kills it on that track, don't be ridickaless.  I'd take it over LITW, Gorgeous and Hell of a Life anyways.

I don't know, it just seems really silly, five star dishes/made with exotic fishes/man this shit is/ fuckin' ridickaless. That part just doesn't fit in with the rest of the record. And Kanye sounds like he has a cold. I didn't realize it was him on the track until earlier this year, and I had this record a week or so after it came out, and have listened to it many a times. I still do like the song, though.

[sneakyblueberry]

Yeah, it took me ages to realise it was Kanye first up.  And, I agree with you on the stupid hook, but the verses save it for me.  I just wish it had more RZA.

[PuffyPat]

29.   The Black Keys – Attack and Release (2008)



I’m such a fan of the guitar and drums duo that’s it’s literally not funny at all. I wasn’t that into the Black Keys when I first was out on to them, but that was right before El Camino came out, and I was immediately a fan. I always wanted to like them, but I had only heard their really early stuff which can be hard to get into if you’re not really familiar with them, but after El Camino came out, I decided to go through their discography reverse chronologically, and after Brothers I got to Attack and Release, and was blown away by everything about it. It was originally going to be the Ike Turner comeback album with The Black Keys as a backing band and Danger Mouse producing, but when Ike died, they had to scrap the project. However, they decided to keep things going and rewrite the material and add some new stuff and got this record, and man, am I glad they kept it going because this record is their best effort. Their music was good before this, but the production was a bit lacking (which makes sense for a bluesy, garage rock band), and Danger Mouse seems to have the magic touch, and this was no different. This brought the band from Ohio favorites to rock stars, and they haven’t looked back.

Favorite Song(s): Strange Times, I Got Mine, All I Ever Wanted



28.   Ted Leo & the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks (2010)



My first formal introduction to Ted Leo was seeing him live on my brother’s birthday, and being witness to one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. His brand of poppy indie music is something that pretty much anyone can get into, and I was hooked from the first song. When I finally listened to this record all the way through the next day, I knew this guy was going to be more of a legend than he already is in the indie community. His high vocal cut through the fantastic instrumentation creating the quintessential indie rock sound that many artists set out to achieve. I’ve been listening to his albums a fair amount lately, and this one still sticks out as his best to me. There is one song that is not as good as the others, but even that one is actually pretty good in context with the others (it was the only song from this record he didn’t play when I saw them). Overall, it’s got everything that you could ask for from an indie record, and does it on a level that most bands can’t even come near.

Favorite Song(s): Woke Up Near Chelsea, Even Heroes Have to Die, Bottled in Cork, Where Was My Brain, Gimme the Wire, Last Days



27.   Beastie Boys – Ill Communication (1992)



Every album the Beastie Boys have ever done is a classic. From their first exposure with License to Ill, all the way to The Hot Sauce Committee: Part 2, they always come out with a record that seems to blow people away. This one came out when they were back to using their instruments again, so the instrumentals (their most underrated aspect in my opinion) are the best part. However, many of the songs on this record (Sabotage, Get it Together) are now regarded as classics, and I can’t disagree. Another new aspect of this record was them going back to their punk roots and it really added to the diversity of the Beastie Boys. Not only are these dudes the masters of hip-hop and sampling, but they can be as punk as anyone who was doing it in the 90s. Many people thought that they were kind of joke when they first came out, but it had since been proved that they were here to stay, and by the time Ill Communication was released they were well on their way of being in talks for the Greatest of all Time discussion, and personally, there are the apex of hip-hop, and really just music in general.

Favorite Song(s): Sabrosa, Sabotage, Get it Together, Root Down, Sure Shot

[PuffyPat]

Sorry about the lack of updates. It's finals week, and I've spent a lot of time studying and writing papers, so I haven't had a lot of time for write-ups, but I'll try to get one up as soon as possible. Stick with me, folks, this is going to get done whether you like it or not.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

You're lucky to have all these friends who have ItAOtS. I don't even know anyone who knows who NMH is.

[PuffyPat]

You're lucky to have all these friends who have ItAOtS. I don't even know anyone who knows who NMH is.

I guess I'm friends with the right people. Both my brother and sister, my band, and my other good friends have at least listened to it if they don't already own it.