Mladen's Top 50 albums v. #1 "Sorry, but it's time to go."

[Big Hath]

Sorry man. I like some stuff from The Wall, but nothing else I've heard from them has interested me in the slightest.

it's not that you don't care for them.  That doesn't bother me in the slightest.  It's the fact that you've somehow managed to avoid hearing any of these albums when they are so ubiquitous.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Oh.   Well, I'm generally much more of a metal guy than a prog guy, so that may be part of it.

[jingle.boy]

I don't really care for Pink Floyd, outside of a few songs.

AMOLD is a good album, not my fave of the reunion era, but it's good.  WYWH... it's a staple of these Top 50s for sure.

broski, you just said you hadn't heard Mastodon. That deserves a just as much.

I was gonna give you a 'touche', but there's just a slight difference between the prog-epicness of PF vs Mastadon.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

I've been meaning to get into Camel's stuff for a while now.

Both Floyd albums are phenomenal. Probably not a single weak second in either of them. And AMOLD is great too, though not my favorite since Bruce's return.

[Mladen]

OK, this update will be slightly more obscure, I guess...

29. Van der Graaf Generator - Still life (1976)



Still life is highly appreciated by the more dedicated prog rock fanbase, yet relatively obscure for the casual fan of the genre. It took me such a long time to get into it, probably because it shows the band at their most complex and least accessible. I’ve always been impressed by the saxophone on here, because it fits both in the wild songs and the gentle ones. This album is also a good example of why Peter Hammil is one of my favorite singers. His voice is so calm and beautiful at times, but on the other hand, his shrieks and screams capture such an insane level of intensity that many metal singers can only dream of. 

Favorite songs: Childlike faith in childhood’s end, La Rossa, My room (Waiting for wonderland)

28. Weezer – Pinkerton (1996)



The fans hated it back when it was released, but about a decade later it started to be called a classic. The reason for the initial negative reviews might be that it was much angrier and more desperate than their highly acclaimed debut. It is very loud and dynamic, and even the couple of ballads are fierce and powerful in their own way. There’s so much pain and frustration in the singer’s voice, as well as in lyrics, which will either throw the listener off or pull him in. Some people would even call Pinkerton an emo album, so I guess I could say there is one emo album out there that I like.

Favorite songs: Falling for you, El Scorcho, The Good life

27. Blaze Bayley – Promise and terror (2010)



Since he parted ways with Iron Maiden, Blaze Bayley has been leading a surprisingly consistent solo career, putting one solid album after the other. The band changed members from time to time, but remained true to the sound. This particular one is slightly heavier than his earlier solo stuff, it’s also a bit more progressive and modern sounding. The man himself lays down some of his most thought provoking and inspiring lyrics, I’ve always considered him a very talented lyricist. He wears the heart on his sleeve on the last four songs, which he dedicated to his wife who passed away two years earlier.

Favorite songs: 1633, Faceless, Letting go of the world

[ColdFireYYZ]

Still Life is magnificent, and Hammill is also one of my favorite singers for the reasons you mentioned. Nice choice!

[wolfking]

That Weezer is great.

Holy shit, love seeing Blaze Bayley here.  That album was hard to get into for me, but it really grew into a monster of an album.  Those last four are incredible.  I prefer The Man Who Would Not Die, but this one is porbably more complete and consistent.  Amazing metal album.

[jjrock88]

Cool to see Blaze on a list!

[rickhawk80]

Totally agree that Wish You Were Here deserves to be ranked higher than Dark Side.  Love them both, but WYWH is epic!!

[Mladen]

26. Silverchair - Young modern (2007)



Silverchair started off as a pretty much your typical grunge band, proudly wearing the Nirvana influences, but as years went by and as Daniel Johns became more artistic and eccentric, their music became more interesting as well. Young modern is, in my opinion, the peak of their creativity and experimentation. There is less focus on the distorted guitars, and the vocals are significantly warmer in comparison to their early stuff. Musically, the album is all over the place, covering so many different styles that I would be hard put to say what genre it is. It’s a shame the band disbanded recently and we never got more music like this.

Favorite songs: If you keep losing sleep, Young modern station, Reflections of a sound

25. Dream Theater – Awake (1994)



Awake is very different from any other Dream Theater album. Most of the songs are fairly short by their standards, but still remain technical and progressive. It’s also quite heavy in terms of the guitar sound, but unlike their later stuff, it somehow doesn’t capture that modern metal sound that is supposedly typical for bands of early 2000s, and that makes it even more unique. The album also contains my favorite vocal performance by James LaBrie, he absolutely shines here. Especially notable is his more aggressive singing style which I truly love. It’s a very special record in so many ways.

Favorite songs: Scarred, Caught in a web, Space-dye vest

24. Iron Maiden - The X Factor (1995)



It's no wonder so many fans passionately hated this record back in the day. I discovered it 12 years late and had a problem with it even so, because everything on it is so different from what the band normally does - the musical style is dark, the lyrics are even darker, the production is raw, and there's this unusual vocalist whose strength is in his lower and middle register and whose dark voice contributes to the mood of the album. After a while, I fell in love with everything I initially couldn't care less for. The X Factor is amazing, and so is Blaze Bayley. The amount of originality, progressiveness and inspiration here is unbelievable.

Favorite songs: Sign of the cross, The Unbeliever, Man on the edge

[jjrock88]

awesome, more Blaze!!!

[sneakyblueberry]

Yes! The single most underrated album in the Maiden catalogue by far.  Except maybe No Prayer.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

A tad surprised to see TXF above Powerslave previously in this list. Though it is great and underrated in regards to most of the Maiden fanbase.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

The only Silverchair I've heard is Diorama, but it's quite good.

[Big Hath]

A tad surprised to see TXF above Powerslave previously in this list. Though it is great and underrated in regards to most of the Maiden fanbase.

wolfking also had TXF higher than Powerslave (although they were at #3 and #4 on his list)

[sneakyblueberry]

A tad surprised to see TXF above Powerslave previously in this list. Though it is great and underrated in regards to most of the Maiden fanbase.

wolfking also had TXF higher than Powerslave (although they were at #3 and #4 on his list)

I'd rank TXF over Powerslave, if for consistency than anything else.  Powerslave has some CLASSIC tracks, but X Factor isn't weighed down by 'less-than classic' tracks like The Duellists, Losfer Words, Back in the Village etc.  Which are still awesome songs, just not on par with the rest of the album.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

A tad surprised to see TXF above Powerslave previously in this list. Though it is great and underrated in regards to most of the Maiden fanbase.

wolfking also had TXF higher than Powerslave (although they were at #3 and #4 on his list)

I'd rank TXF over Powerslave, if for consistency than anything else.  Powerslave has some CLASSIC tracks, but X Factor isn't weighed down by 'less-than classic' tracks like The Duellists, Losfer Words, Back in the Village etc.  Which are still awesome songs, just not on par with the rest of the album.

Back in the Village perhaps, but I think The Duellists and Losfer Words are underrated Maiden classics and well up to par with the rest of the album. That's why I love Powerslave so much. To me, it's actually pretty consistent in pumping out great track after great track and nothing really weighs it down at all.

[SoundscapeMN]

26. Silverchair - Young modern (2007)



Silverchair started off as a pretty much your typical grunge band, proudly wearing the Nirvana influences, but as years went by and as Daniel Johns became more artistic and eccentric, their music became more interesting as well. Young modern is, in my opinion, the peak of their creativity and experimentation. There is less focus on the distorted guitars, and the vocals are significantly warmer in comparison to their early stuff. Musically, the album is all over the place, covering so many different styles that I would be hard put to say what genre it is. It’s a shame the band disbanded recently and we never got more music like this.

Favorite songs: If you keep losing sleep, Young modern station, Reflections of a sound

very good record. I would say there's a chance some of what Daniel Johns does with his solo music may share some similarities to Young Modern and Diorama. For one, he spent time with Van Dyke Parks again.

[wolfking]

Yeah, interesting to see Silverchair.  I never checked that album out as I had lost interest in them by then.  Great to see an Aussie band getting some props.

Incredible to see TXF in someone else's list.   

[Mladen]

Back in the Village perhaps, but I think The Duellists and Losfer Words are underrated Maiden classics and well up to par with the rest of the album. That's why I love Powerslave so much. To me, it's actually pretty consistent in pumping out great track after great track and nothing really weighs it down at all.

I think Back in the village is absolutely up to par with the rest of the album. 

For those that haven't heard Young modern but like a bit of Silverchair, I hope you'll check this album out at some point. Fingers crossed that Daniel's solo works sound like this...

[wolfking]

Silverchair were groundbreaking here in Oz.  It's a shame Daniel has so many issues, they had potential to have a lengthy and productive career.

[Ruba]

The Duellists and Back in the Village are my two favourite songs on Powerslave.

Can't go wrong with Awake, and The X Factor is great. The Unbeliever is a great song, probably their most experimental one.

[sneakyblueberry]

The Duellists and Back in the Village are my two favourite songs on Powerslave.

Back in the Village perhaps, but I think The Duellists and Losfer Words are underrated Maiden classics and well up to par with the rest of the album. That's why I love Powerslave so much. To me, it's actually pretty consistent in pumping out great track after great track and nothing really weighs it down at all.

I think Back in the village is absolutely up to par with the rest of the album. 

Oh, don't get me wrong, they're great songs.  But as far as living up to the standard of Aces High, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Powerslave or Rime of the Ancient Mariner???  Forget about it. 

Silverchair were groundbreaking here in Oz.  It's a shame Daniel has so many issues, they had potential to have a lengthy and productive career.

I live in NZ and Frogstomp was a pretty big deal when I was growing up, back in the 90's.  Some great rock songs on that album.  Never got much into them after that save for the radio hits they had. 

[TAC]

Silverchair were groundbreaking here in Oz.  It's a shame Daniel has so many issues, they had potential to have a lengthy and productive career.

I actually saw them back in 1995 opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.


Promise & Terror is a great album. So emotional after the death of his wife..
The Trace Of Things That Have No Words.

[Mladen]

23. Led Zeppelin - In through the out door (1979)



Some people don’t enjoy this record that much because the keyboards play quite a prominent role. However, I for one really like the style of the album, because it sounds like John Paul Jones was having so much fun laying down the keyboard parts. The odd sounds are all over the place, which makes it very interesting. However, it’s not like the album is a complete departure from the band’s classic style. The riffs are still there, as well as some of their early bluesy influences and Plant’s powerful singing, although his voice does sound like it aged a bit, but that gives the album another touch of originality.

Favorite songs: I’m gonna crawl, Carouselambra, All my love

22. Genesis - Nursery cryme (1971)



Whereas the later Genesis albums took me a while to get into, this one was the first one I checked out and it clicked immediately. There was something irresistible about its style, probably the warmth and joyful sound of most of the songs. In terms of stories being told, there’s some humor on the album as well, which makes it pretty funny while still being a challenging listen. I’ve always liked Peter Gabriel’s delivery, and this album is no exception. The guitar work by Steve Hackett is another highlight of the record, he has to be one of my favorite prog rock guitarists.

Favorite songs: The Musical box, The Fountain of Salmacis, Harold the barrel

21. Slipknot - Vol. 3: Subliminal verses (2004)



I got this album in early 2005 and it was my first metal album ever. I remember being completely struck by the ability of musicians to grasp some of the most horrible human emotions and let them out creatively. Never had I heard music this angry, and on top of it all, it sounds absolutely real to me, which is something not a lot of metal bands can brag about. The riffs on the album are killer, the songs are complex, and there’s also much more balance in terms of mood and musical style compared to the previous two albums. If I had to pick an album that changed my life forever, this is it, without a doubt.

Favorite songs: Vermilion, Duality, Opium of the people

[TAC]

ITTOD is an excellent album.

[jjrock88]

ITTOD is an excellent album.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

I haven't listened to Slipknot in quite a while. It doesn't sport the same charm it used to on me but they're still quite good here and there.

[jingle.boy]

ITTOD is an excellent album.

In the lower tier when ranking Zeppelin's albums, but it's still an excellent album.  Hey, it's Zeppelin!  Carouselambra is soooooooo good and under-appreciated.  It almost compensates for the final two tracks.

[wolfking]

That Slipknot album is actually really good.  Their best album by far.

[sneakyblueberry]

Nursery Cryme, excellent choice.  I'd probably go Selling England by the Pound as my favourite 'classic' Genesis, but you can't really go wrong with any of them tbh.  Did not see In Through the Out Door coming!  I like what I've heard from Vol 3.  Great update 3/3 A++ would trade again.

[ColdFireYYZ]

ITTOD is great, and Carouselambra and Fool in the Rain are two of my favorite Zeppelin songs. Nursery Cryme is great too!

[Mladen]

Alright, getting in the top 20:

20. The Beatles - Rubber soul (1965)



An all time classic, filled with hits. I’ve learned only recently that this album was done in about a month, which is a remarkable achievement when you realize the album doesn’t sound rushed or forced at all. Every member of the band sounds inspired and at the top of their game, there is a lot more experimentation in comparison to their earlier stuff, although not as much as on the subsequent albums, but it's still a sign of things to come. The songs rock as much as they deliver some adorable melodies. It’s also one of the very few albums where I find myself singing along to the bass lines.

Favorite songs: In my life, Nowhere man, Michelle

19. Symphony X - Twilight in Olympus (1998)



Here’s a band that combines the beauty of huge symphonic, orchestral passages, with high pitched vocals, heavy riffs and wild solos trading back to back. Even though there are many bands that manage to pull off this musical style, Symphony X is the one that works especially well for me. One of the things that makes this album interesting is the fact that every song is completely different. It covers pretty much every aspect of their music and does it in the best way possible. Another thing that helps its flow and solid structure is its length, which is perfect. Just a strong and very representative album of the genre.

Favorite songs: Through the looking glass, Smoke and mirrors, Lady of the snow

18. Metallica - Ride the lightning (1984)



Metallica sure fooled me the first time I listened to this record. I put on this essential thrash metal album, wanting to get familiar with a new style of music. It started off with one of the most gorgeous acoustic melodies I’ve ever heard, and I honestly had no idea why I expected some insane heaviness. Then the riff kicked in, and my jaw hit the floor. For the next hour, I was immersed in this new world, knowing I’m listening to something that will definitely stick with me for time to come. I still find it to be an incredibly consistent album, filled with timeless classics that every metal fan is familiar with.

Favorite songs: Fight fire with fire, Ride the lightning, For whom the bell tolls

[Onno]

RTL is absolutely amazing; I remember when I actually started out listening to music, I started with Metallica, and I think Kill 'Em All and RTL were the first two albums I ever bought. I'm not too big of a fan of The Beatles or SX.

[wolfking]

Love Twilight.