Indeed, one of the best electronic albums of the Nineties and of all time. Favorites are Telephasic Workshop, Sixtyten, Turquoise Hexagon Sun, Roygbiv, Rue the Whirl, Aquarius & Happy Cycling.

Everything is broken, am I really sinking this low? I bet you think that's pretty clever, don't you boy? My fake plastic love, I don't want to be crippled and cracked. The sea would electrocute us all and that's what really hurts; a total waste of time. I wish that I was bulletproof, sometimes you sulk, sometimes you burn. Immerse yourself in love.

Damon and Jamie, Jamie and Damon. Who could have thought that an agreement to live in an apartment after breakups in their relationships, ranting about the state of the music business and plasticity on TV, would lead into one of the more consequential and influential groups on music history. Never before had their been a virtual group (shrouded in mystery before the jig was up) making music as though the 22nd Century was on their front door and have it be the basis for complete and utterly eclecticism. It shouldn't have worked (in lesser hands, it wouldn't have) but, thankfully, it did and provided its creators a new springboard for their creativity after years of being acknowledged (rightfully) for who and what they were. Their albums would get more ambitious, more hit-laden, more guest-starring but this is where it starts and what a start it is.

Yet another seminal electronic album, this time from the 70s. Six parts, all sublime. Utterly good stuff. Favorite is Oxygene, Pt. 5.

Who says a jazz band can't play dance music? Who says a rock band can't play funk? Who says a funk band can't play rock? Real simple, real groovy, real funky. Fantastic Funkadelic music from front to back.

Split into two parts, a greatly enjoyable collection of songs. Favorites are Get Ready for Love, Hiding All Away, Breathless, Babe, You Turn Me On, Easy Money, Supernatually, Carry Me & O Children.

Indeed, one of the best electronic albums of the Nineties and of all time. Favorites are Telephasic Workshop, Sixtyten, Turquoise Hexagon Sun, Roygbiv, Rue the Whirl, Aquarius & Happy Cycling.

Everything is broken, am I really sinking this low? I bet you think that's pretty clever, don't you boy? My fake plastic love, I don't want to be crippled and cracked. The sea would electrocute us all and that's what really hurts; a total waste of time. I wish that I was bulletproof, sometimes you sulk, sometimes you burn. Immerse yourself in love.

Actually waited until Wednesday to listen to this. Was only familiar with Pet Shop Boys through West Side Girls and Always on My Mind. This is a really good 80's pop record. Favorites include What Have I Done to Deserve This?, Shopping, It's a Sin, Heart and King's Cross.

Yet another seminal electronic album, this time from the 70s. Six parts, all sublime. Utterly good stuff. Favorite is Oxygene, Pt. 5.

Fitting that I get this considering that the tenth anniversary of the album's release has passed. Very cool sounds all around. Favorites include Desire Lines, Helicopter, Fountain Scene and He Would Have Laughed.

Very exceptional stuff from the Youth, a precursor of monumental things to come. Favorites include Schizophrenia, Catholic Block, Tuff Gnarl and Pacific Coast Highway.

I Wanna Destroy You and Insanely Jealous are pretty good songs.

It's a pretty good album, you could hear the Stones come onto their own here. It could do without the poorly aged songs like Stupid Girl and Under My Thumb but the fact that they sound great is what makes them Stones classics. The boldest thing for them to do is to add an 11 minute track in the middle of the album and it pays off. Pretty good all around. Favorites: Going Home and Out of Time.

Having been aware of Cult of Personality for half of my life this far, I went into this album with high expectations and they were exceeded. Elements of this album remain relevant and impactful thirty plus years on and is thus essential listening. Favorites: Cult of Personality, I Want to Know, Desperate People, Broken Hearts and Glamour Boys.

One of the most enthralling, exhilarating, refreshing and outright rollicking hard rock albums of the 80s. Guns n' Roses put all of their eggs in one basket here and it produced brilliant results. No wonder why we all go back to it time and time again. Favorites: Welcome to the Jungle, Mr. Brownstone, Paradise City, Sweet Child o' Mine, Rocket Queen.

A terrific tour-de-force of bright, bubbly, colorful sound, The Lips did no wrong with this album, yet another smash after The Soft Bulletin. Favorites: Fight Test, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Pts. 1 and 2), In the Morning of the Magicians, Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell, Are You a Hypnotist??, Do You Realize?? and Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon.

As I think back to the summer of 2012, I believe that it would have been utterly bleak if it weren't for this album. I don't remember much from this period of time but, what I do remember, this was the soundtrack. A path down the rabbit hole ensued with this band (I never ventured into the third album) and they are forever engrained, in my mind, in these sublime sounds they created. Thank you Stone Roses, you are adored indeed.

Whenever I come across the album and its title, I feel bad because I'm complicit in the death of these succulent creatures. The music, however, doesn't make me feel so bad. This is quite great from front to back, no filler. When the album features songs like The Headmaster's Ritual, This Joke Isn't Funny Anymore and Barbarism Begins at Home, there is no point in feeling that there's a wrong. Everything's just right here.

If there is a Mount Rushmore for live albums (and I'm assuming that there is), At Fillmore East by The Allman Brothers Band should very well be in it. The second half of the album is among the most fiery and magnetic moments in not just rock, but music, history. No wonder this shot up the charts rapidly unlike their previous efforts. Favorites: Hot 'Lanta, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Whipping Post.

I would listen to this album all day, every day and never get tired of it. A top three R.E.M. album, flawless from top to bottom.

From start to finish, a wonderful collection of songs made by John. I was actually aware of this record for quite some time, but this is my first full listen and I enjoyed it throughout.

Always polarizing, always enthralling, always relevant. Startlingly precise on one hand (Stan, That's What I Am, Drug Ballad) and horribly dated on the other (I'm Back, Marshall Mathers, the skits), The Marshall Mathers LP is the quintessential Eminem album with cultural touchstones and an insight into the life and times of the soon to be Rap God. An essential listen. P.S., Kim is not for the fainthearted. Favorites: Stan, That's What I Am, The Real Slim Shady, Remember Me?, Drug Ballad, Amityville, Bitch Please II.

A fine selection of songs from one of Americana's most important singers. Favorites: The Pearl, Michelangelo, I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now, Tragedy, Bang the Drum Slowly.

Smooth, soothing rock with hidden layers of groove underneath. When it gets to you, it can get to you and you become more impressed as the album rolls on. Good stuff, don't underestimate it. Favorites: Setting Me Up, Six Blade Knife, Sultans of Swing, In the Gallery, Wild West End.

One of the most beautiful and powerful listening experiences from start to finish, an hour of sheer bliss and brilliance. If you want to hear the album as it was intended to be heard, listen to the Zomba promo version. It has one more song (With My Baby) and Extra Kings is fully realized as the streaming version is sorely lacking. Regardless, amazing album all the way.

Having been acquainted with the opening notes of the first part of Tubular Bells, I was quite surprised by the twists and turns the songs undertake. And the bonus tracks are rather special as well. Favorites: Tubular Bells (Pt. 2), Mike Oldfield's Single.

A new era for The Temptations as they dive into the freethinking, freewheeling psychedelic era of the late Sixties. They tackle far more serious topics like abuse and estrangement from families, alongside the standard love songs that put them on the map. This album is not an overt embrace of psychedelia, though (that comes later) and it can prove frustrating after the first three songs, but the love songs are top notch as well. Good stuff all around. Favorites: Cloud Nine, Runaway Child, Running Wild, Hey Girl, I Need Your Lovin'.

One of the more quintessential blueprints for what would be known as hip-hop/b-boy culture and it is perfect condensed and understood in the four minutes and fifty-four seconds of the first track (which I've just learned was a cover of a two decade old song). This is a pretty good collection of innovative songs and intriguing covers (the aforementioned Apache, In a Gadda da Vida, Satisfaction) and it's worth the time. Bongos have never sounded so funky.

English and French language versions of, quite frankly, my favorite album of the year that it was released. Chris found Christine and the Queens (and its focal point, Héloïse Letissier) at peak form, bending pop music to its absolute will with sheer technical ability and unmistakable brilliance in cultivating emotions from within. I love this album, I have great memories attached to this. It's nice to once again come across such wonderful sounds that stick to you and endears you to the point to going back to it again and again. Long may Chris reign!

A fine album from Elton that contained elements of what would carry him to his imperial phase later on in the decade. The first four songs load the album with consistent hooks and catchy melodies, the middle portion is a little forgettable and the last two songs end the album out with great ease. One of the few worthwhile introductions to Elton around this time if you want to get ahold of what he was about. Favorites: Tiny Dancer, Levon, Razorblade, Madman Across the Water, All the Nasties.

Whereas the rock bands of 1967 were submitting themselves to the bold, colorful psychedelic style of the Swinging Sixties, The Kinks were busy doing... Something Else. Remaining in their increasingly character driven world while others were exploring tantalizing terrains, The Kinks showed that they could still keep up with taut, often impressionistic compositions that highlighted the normal people that were left behind in the psychedelic boom. As the album cover suggests, they made quite the usage with the gray, drab lives led by those who were either idolized or sympathized and often wonders whether or not they deserved better. As an alternative to the much heralded Aquarian age, Something Else shines as an example of The Kinks' obvious greatness. Favorites: David Watts, Death of a Clown, Two Sisters, Harry Rag, Tin Soldier Man, Situation Vacant, Love Me Till the Sun Shines, Afternoon Tea, Waterloo Sunset.

Well, what can I say about this album that hasn't been said before....? If you haven't heard it before (which is implausible at this point), do so now. And, when you do, I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.

Energetic folk-rock that sounds as if it came out yesterday. Emotive and revelatory in its approach to standard folk songs, Unhalfbricking sets the standard for what was to come for the genre in the 70s. Favorites: Genesis Hall, Autopsy, A Sailor's Life, Who Knows Where the Time Goes?, Percy's Song.

Innovative for the time, still sublime for any time, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music provided a blueprint that showcased that it was okay for black musicians to dip their toes in other facets of music, music that was (and, in some cases, still is) closed to them. And, as always, Ray Charles displays magnificent singing efforts towards some of the most melancholic material lain upon him and he does them justice. A recommended album for those who want to experience not just the brilliance of Ray but the often neglected stories in the songs.

An unrelenting bop fest from start to finish (apart from Elegia, a tribute to the late Ian Curtis). To those who say that this was the first proper New Order album whereas the first two were a collection of singles: I have to agree. The tracklist makes for a cohesive experience and everything clicks in the long run. Great album.

A little rough going at first (some sections of Brighton Rock) but eventually the album finds its swing with hard rocking familiarity (Killer Queen, Now I'm Here, Stone Cold Crazy) and unexpected gems (Flick of the Wrist, In the Lap of the Gods, Stormtrooper in Stilettos). A pivotal step forward for Queen as they get closer to legendary status. Favorites: Killer Queen, Flick of the Wrist, Now I'm Here, In the Lap of the Gods, Stone Cold Crazy).

Who says a jazz band can't play dance music? Who says a rock band can't play funk? Who says a funk band can't play rock? Real simple, real groovy, real funky. Fantastic Funkadelic music from front to back.

Following up the most important and powerful album in then-recent memory would be a daunting task but Marvin turned this album into an ode for sexual magnetism and raunchy good times. Yet another step in the right direction in a decade where R&B and Soul found its footing and stamped its legacy. Essential listening.

Set in the middle of the prosperous Soulquarian era (a moment in time that included the likes of Common, D'Angelo, The Roots, J Dilla, etc.), Mama's Gun finds Erykah at the peak of her powers and fulfilling the use of her abilities (and that of the musicians on the album) to the maximum. Great sounds all around and a fine example of one of the many facets of soul in the beginning of the 21st Century. Favorites: Penitentiary Philosophy, Didn't 'Cha Know, ...& On, Booty, In Love With You, Bag Lady.

I think it's safe to say that the 70s belonged to Stevie Wonder. Whereas any and all genres and trends and bands came, dominated, mutated and went, Stevie was that one nucleus that everyone relied on and said that he was worth the time spent listening to. After five albums in six years of sheer, relentless creativity unparalleled and unmatched in R&B/Soul, Songs in the Key of Life more than lives up to its title. There is hardly a bum note throughout the near two hours of audio bliss that is contained here. This album is ecstatic, triumphant, bold, colorful and even educational at points. If musicians listened to this album on the day of its release and realized that it wasn't worth matching up to or surpassing, therefore quitting their industry of choice, they wouldn't be blamed. If I had to give this ten stars, I would. Five doesn't do it justice. Spectacular album.

When I was first recommended this album, I had to turn my nose up a bit. Given Eric's idiocy as of late (and past display of racism), I wasn't looking forward to this album. And I also wasn't looking forward to how good this is. I went into this thinking that this is the start of a inevitable decline and that Eric's beat days were behind him; turns out that this is his best solo outing. Plenty of toe tapping and head bopping songs here, with moments of genuinely moving songs. Real good stuff. Favorites: Motherless Children, Give Me Strength, Willie and the Hand Jive, Get Ready, Please Be With Me, Let It Go.

Wasn't expecting to bump into Ray again after the goodness that was Modern Sounds but I can't complain. This is a fine collection of songs assembled here, not exactly genius level as portrayed in the title of the album but it's still Ray Charles in his element and that's always a good thing. Favorites: It Had to Be You, Alexander's Ragtime Band, Deed I Do, Just for a Thrill, Am I Blue.

I thought that, after Take on Me, this album was gonna slide down a slippery slope with songs that don't catch up to that wondrous song but no this album has some good songs. I want to shout out The Sun Always Shines on T.V.; that's the best song on the album. There is definitely some mid 80s material but it's not that bad; definitely something to sink your teeth into if you want to hear more from a-ha. Favorites: Take on Me, The Blue Sky, Living a Boy's Adventure Tale, The Sun Always Shines on T.V., I Dream Myself Alive.

An intriguingly eclectic batch of songs from the aftermath of the grunge boom in 1993. Sebadoh bring the goods as well as the strange and it should be appreciated for just how well-woven it can be. Favorites: Soul and Fire, Two Years Two Days, Happily Divided, Elixir is Zog, Homemade, Forced Love, No Way Out.

Energetic, insatiable, enjoyable electro-pop from some of the most enigmatic musicians around today. As a debut, they couldn't do worse and they bring about plenty of emotions and feelings to the tracks. All around pretty great album. Favorites: VCR, Crystallized, Islands, Heart Skipped a Beat, Basic Space, Infinity.

The first time I got around to listen to this album, I couldn't give it my full attention because I was distracted. The second go around, things began to click. I've avoided Bob Marley for quite a long while, seen his documentaries but never listened to his music. He was just a poster adorning college campuses and a shining beacon for good vibes. The deep cuts here in Natty Dread showcase the Bob Marley I'd like to encounter with more often, someone who possessed a need to tell about the happenings around him and it was makes Natty Dread a pivotal piece in the reggae puzzle. Favorites: Lively Up Yourself, Them Belly Full (But We Hungry), Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock), Natty Dread, Bend Down Low, Talkin' Blues.

From the title and album cover down, you may think that this is The Kinks at their most San Francisco in 1967 and you wouldn't be blamed. You also wouldn't be blamed if you think this is The Kinks at their absolute finest. One listen to the title track and you are transported into a time when things were simple and not even that description does this album justice. The Kinks' greatest forty minutes and forty minutes well spent.

Outside of Revolver, perhaps the greatest transitional album of all time. The Thin White Duke, in route from Philly to Berlin, throwing darts into the eyes of those who dare to question or call into doubt anything he could do. Ready to shake the scheme of things, indeed. Bad enough he couldn't remember making it.

A rather intriguing album from Queensland-via-Isle of Man's finest, just a few years before their disco heyday. The Brothers Gibb's songwriting chops are in full effect and they give plenty of good to great songs that brim with excellence. Favorites: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Israel, The Greatest Man in the World, It's Just the Way, Somebody Stop the Music, Trafalgar, Lion in Winter.

Delicate, exquisite, soulful, stirring, eloquent, elegant and a chock full of diamonds. No wonder why the first track was called smooth, hehe. Favorites: Smooth Operator, Your Love is King, Frankie's First Affair, When I Am Going to Make a Living, Cherry Pie.

The artifact of what could have been had Britpop not evolved (or degenerated) into Union Jack waving, lager swilling, anthemic anthems for the sake of anthemic anthems. Suede (or The London Suede 🤮) quite possibly made the thorniest, horninest, debauched, depraved album of 1993. Various songs on this album sounds as if it could have originated yesterday and the roughed up glam nature should still be seen as a blueprint for how to make a statement.

Dabbling into subject matters such as racial injustice, drug abuse, hypocritical leaders, empowerment and, of course, love, Innervisions stands as perhaps Stevie Wonder's answer to What's Goin' On; equally as immersive and innovative musically, Innervisions captures Stevie in the turning point of his career as he completes the transformation from prodigy to prolific genius. An incredible chapter in his incomprehensible 70s era.

Quintessential progressive rock. Not a bad place to start if you want to understand the fascinating world of Rush. Favorites: 2112 Melody, A Passage to Bangkok, Something for Nothing.

A pretty solid outing from Bob Marley & the Wailers until it falls off a cliff with two of the most annoying (and misrepresentative) songs in their discography. The fact that it actually ends the original release (not including the two bonus tracks) is mind boggling in and of itself. Good thing Punky Reggae Party exists in the bonus edition. Favorites: Everything except One Love/People Get Ready and Three Little Birds.

What more can be said other than it's some good ol' fashioned rock and roll? It's some good ol' fashioned rock and roll! Favorites: Twice as Hard, Jealous Again, Sister Luck, Could I've Been So Blind, Seeing Things, Stare It Cold.

Thin Lizzy live up to the live album's name with some of the most ferocious, flat out rocking tunes that came out of 1970s Ireland. The live cut of Rosalie/Cowgirl's Song is stupendously great and the segue from Cowboy Song to The Boys Are Back in Town is godly. Good times abound here! Favorites: Southbound, Rosalie/Cowgirl's Song, Still in Love With You, Cowboy Song, The Boys Are Back in Town, Warrior, Sha-La-La.

Perhaps the most danceable album I've come across on this list. Forget language barriers, this transcends all. If this won't get you moving, what will? Favorites: Plástico, Buscando Guayaba, Dime, Siembra.

When Karma Chameleon hit the eardrums, I suspected that the rest of the album will hit the same lane: poppy, accessible, carefree. And it is that, but it can also reach areas that you wouldn't expect Culture Club to talk about. Maybe I'm dumb, maybe I'm ill informed about this band, maybe I should do more research. But this album is great. Culture Club can be more than expected. Favorites: Karma Chameleon, Black Money, Changing Every Day, That's the Way - I'm Only Trying to Help You, Church of the Poison Mind, Miss Me Blind, Stormkeeper, Victims, Colour by Numbers, Romance Revisited.

Serviceable post-Britpop tunes from the end of the decade with some songs that are better than expected or anticipated. Favorites: Comedy, Pull Together, Streets of Kenny, Re-Instated, I Want You, Cornish Town.

Quite frankly the best entry point to Metallica and their music. What more can be said about this excellent display of riffage, sheer tenacity, brute force and one of the four pillars of thrash metal being at their early, hungry best? A must listen for anyone who either love and hate Metallica and understand what they mean to not only the genre of metal but music as a whole. Excellent.

The first of what would be many of Miles' groundbreaking stylistic changes in jazz, leading the genre through some uncertain yet inevitable shifts that would eventually lead to it being the status quo for music. Don't miss out on the Royal Rooster live set from this time period as well, it captures the songs too well in its warm, steady quality.

One of a few brief forays into a joyous, jovial yet biting Family Stone, this is one of the more impactful albums that came of the late Sixties and most of the blueprint that soul and funk offered in the eventual decade can be traced to this album. Indispensable.

One of the main architects of this thing called rock and roll comes forth with a relentlessly raucous album filled with some of the most important songs in music history. Be sure to also check out the bonus tracks that delve into how the songs become shaped into what they would eventually sound like, the demo version of Baby, take 8 of Can't Believe You Wanna Leave and takes 1 to 6 of Long Tall Sally are worth the listen.

With neverending gusto, chutzpah and bravado, Too-Rye-Ay is home to Dexy's Midnight Runners' most endearing hit and several of hidden gems that does more than expected in sweeping the listener off their feet. While not their greatest hour (that would be Don't Stand Me Down), it's perhaps their most assured and finest. Favorites: Let's Make This Precious, All in All (This One Last Wild Waltz), Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile), Plan B, Until I Believe in My Soul, Come on Eileen, Reminisce (Pt. 1)

A concept album of sorts about New York in regards to contemporary life, the four essences of hip-hop and punk rock lifestyles amid the surfaces of electronic music (samples of James Bond's theme abound in Radio 7). One of the more imaginative cinematic albums of its time period. Favorites: Let's Get Killed, Gritty Shaker, Radio 7, Slashers Revenge, Don't Die Just Yet.

A really pleasant listening experience that unleashes its penchant for standout moments in every song, therefore making them memorable. A necessary step forward from the impossible to follow Astral Weeks and is thus an essential part in the story of Van the Man. Favorites: And It Stoned Me, Crazy Love, Caravan, Into the Mystic, These Dreams of You, Brand New Day.

Perhaps the most consequential album in the metal genre in the past thirty years and for Metallica. While not every song hits the mark, for the most part it is a solid, neverending barrage of peak Metallica; the everlasting hour in which the band took the reins and dominated the landscape for all eternity. As always, an essential listen. Favorites: Enter Sandman, Holier Than Thou, The Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam, Through the Never, Nothing Else Matters, Of Wolf and Man, My Friend of Misery.

Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'? Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'? Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'? Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'?

Some of the most depraved, diseased, disorienting pieces of Aussie rock and roll from what would eventually be one of the country's greatest bards of the last forty plus years. And you wonder why they named the band The Birthday Party..... a junkyard indeed. Favorites: Blast Off, She's Hit, Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow), Big Jesus Trash Can, Kiss Me Black, 6" Gold Blade, Kewpie Doll, Junkyard.

Beep beep.... Missy Elliott's debut album is a perfect introduction for those who want to dig into why she remains a influential figure in pop, R&B and hip-hop nearly twenty-five years on. Apart from the Busta Rhymes stuff and the spoken word outro, almost every song here is a banger from the hits to the deep cuts. An essential listen all around. Favorites: Hit 'Em With da Hee, Sock It 2 Me, The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly), Beep Me 911, Pass da Blunt, Best Friends, Don't Be Comin' (In My Face), Why You Hurt Me, I'm Talkin'.

Although the mood of the album can feel interminably conservative to the point of bleeding and blurring into each other, 25 showcases Adele doing what Adele does best: conveying heart, soul, emotion and regalia in her music. One can understand why this became a smash once it dropped six and a half years ago. Favorites: Hello, Send My Love (To Your New Lover), Remedy, River Lea, Love in the Dark, A Million Years Ago.

A respectable set of songs from The Cardigans that includes their biggest hit and some better than expected material like Happy Meal II and Great Divide, not to mention a reimagined Black Sabbath cover. Favorites: Your New Cuckoo, Happy Meal II, Step on Me, Lovefool, Losers, Great Divide.

The precursor to Love Forever Changes roars with all the might of its proto-punk attitudes and the rollicking saga of its 19 minute long Revelation. Do not overlook this part of Love if you want to understand how they came into being what they were on their way towards their masterpiece. Favorites: Stephanie Knows Who, Orange Skies, Seven and Seven Is, She Comes in Colors, Revelation.

I didn't listen to the album recommended to me. Instead, I listened to a Greatest Hits compilation called Walking to New Orleans, which includes the majority of the songs from this album. Going through the record, you can sense and hear the self-proclaimed Fat Man's influence on what would eventually be rock and roll. Despite the majority of the songs containing a set formula, that formula is consistent and gives off an aura of genuine greatness throughout; thus that can give the listener a song or two from his catalog to cherish. Favorites: The Fat Man, Going to the River, Please Don't Leave Me, Ain't That a Shame, I Can't Go On (Rosalie), Don't Blame It on Me, Blue Monday, I'm Walkin', I Want to Walk You Home, I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday, Walking to New Orleans.

A delightful, utterly charming set of covers that would make you believe that they were Willie originals. On an impeccable run during his immersive outlaw country era, Stardust finds Willie at the top of his game. Seek this out when you have the chance. Favorites: Stardust, Georgia on My Mind, Blue Skies, All of Me, Unchained Melody, September Song.

Rod Stewart's energetic and electric vocal performance is what makes this album throughly great. From the title track on down, it is an unrelenting showcase of passion, inspiration and fusing of the past and then present. There is a reason why most people consider this Rod's highest creative peak, listen when you can. Favorites: Every Picture Tells a Story, Seems Like a Long Time, That's All Right, Maggie May, Mandolin Wind.

A neverending rush of bombastic, jangly, at times serious early alternative rock that deserves its distinction as the Femmes' best. Favorites: Blister in the Sun, Please Do Not Go, Add It Up, Confessions, Prove My Love, To the Kill, Gone Daddy Gone, Gimme the Car.

If you love (this album) less, you deserve to have love (in your life) less. Easily the most influential independent album of the last thirty years. Play it loud.

When this album came across the generator, I hadn't listened to it in a while. I was initially excited but then worry crept in. What if this album wasn't as good as I remember? Was the hype and adoration overblown? Is this album a victim of the pandemic, where the uncertainty of everything in our lives and the abrupt upending of plans have tainted our views of various aspects of media? Well, despite all of those factors creeping in, this album remains an excellent viewpoint of Fiona Apple and what she means to us. Songs that were seen as been somewhat grating in retrospect (Shameika, Ladies, Heavy Balloon) hit even harder than before and songs that weren't given space to be remembered suddenly galloped with an intensity and fervor that sticks after it ends (Newspaper, Cosmonauts, Drumset). Is the album as good as I remember? Yes. Was the hype and adulation overblown? Yes, but it was deserved. Is it a victim of the early pandemic? For me, not anymore.

Respectable African guitar music from Ali, you wouldn't tell that this was his final effort. The minimal arrangements in the songs makes it stand out at times. Favorites: Erdi, Beto, Soya, Soko Yhinka.

"The news today will be the movies for tomorrow..." One of, if not the, greatest documents of 60s psychedelia. Nearly fifty-five years on, this album remains as seductive, influential, impactful, memorable and vital as ever. Even some of the more forgettable songs on here, which there aren't much of, maintain a punch that lasts past its last second. Never has the ugliness of the flower power era been illustrated with such beauty. If you haven't come across this album, that needs to be rectified. Love Forever Changes.

Don't let the peeled banana fool you, this is a divine collection of songs that do not guarantee spoiling upon neglect. Leonard works surprisingly well with the synth sounds, rather bending it to his will as opposed to the other way around. Is he our man? With this album, he sure is. Favorites: First We Take Manhattan, Ain't No Cure for Love, Everybody Knows, Jazz Police, Tower of Song.

Leaping into a new record label after over a decade in others, 3+3 finds The Isley Brothers finding themselves tangled with some of their most recognizable songs and most effective hidden gems. You may find them pointless, but the interviews tacked at the end helps get The Isleys and their impact on music across and serves as an insight to their trajectories and progress. 3+3 indeed. Favorites: Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight, You Walk Your Way, Listen to the Music, Sunshine (Go Away Today), Summer Breeze (Pts 1& 2), The Highways of My Life.

With one foot out the punk door and one foot in what would become the alternative scene, The Replacements provided a template for what would happen when a band gets captured not in the throes of dissolution but in the moment where things begin to look up. 33 minutes of pendulum swinging punk ferocity and pensive perspective that's rightly regarded as one of the best examples of 80s rock. Favorites: I Will Dare, Androgynous, Black Diamond, Unsatisfied, Seen Your Video, Sixteen Blue.

Critics didn't know what to do in regards to Duran Duran. Did they not expect them to be utterly influential to the point of being considered one of the first standard bearers of a nascent music video channel? I don't know about you but this album is a good example of not believing everything you read. Favorites: Rio, Lonely in Your Nightmare, Hungry Like the Wolf, Push Back the Rain, Last Chance on the Subway.

Mods and Rockers assemble! Actually Rockers, just go away because the last thing you want is to get pummeled at the beach! This is the kind of Who that I like: short, concise, powerful, meaty songs that pack the punch. Sure, some of these are covers (Please, Please, Please, I Don't Mind and I'm a Man) but the originals are enough to convince someone that 60s Who were a genuine, honest to God special breed of madness that was put together at the proper moment. They'd improve and they'd get better and bigger and bouncier but man, what a way to make a impressionable debut. Favorites: Out in the Street, The Good's Gone, La-La-La-Lies, My Generation, The Kids Are Alright, A Legal Matter, The Ox.

Seems fitting that this came out in 1989 along with the other great hip-hop records from the period. Done by the Forces of Nature showcases the Native Tongues movement at its brightest and ceaselessly innovative, giving us a glimpse of what was to come with hip-hop in the 90s. Favorites: Beyond This World, Feelin' Alright, Sunshine, What U Waitin' 4, U Make Me Sweat, Acknowledge Your Own History, Good Newz Comin', Tribe Vibes, Black Woman, Doin' Our Own Dang.

Alluring folk music that could have undoubtedly scratched a persistent itch in the time that it came out, mediating between short guitar noodling and thoughtful, lyrical performances. Favorites: Strolling Down the Highway, Needle of Death, Do You Hear Me Now, Running From Home, Courting Blues, Casbah, Angie.

When this album was first announced almost ten years ago, I took notice but a very, very long time to listen. The open letter, I'm ashamed to admit, drove me away. I wasn't prepared to face the fact that there were changes in the way musicians openly detailed relationships with the same sex and that it would inevitably, eventually, change the way we view ourselves. Channel Orange is the nucleus of which the way music (and Frank Ocean) is viewed upon as a beyond comprehensible experience. It's near hour odyssey is worthy of being considered the abundance of accolades it's been given. An essential listen. Favorites: Thinkin Bout You, Sierra Leone, Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Pilot Jones, Crack Rock, Pyramids, Bad Religion, Forrest Gump.

At times danceable and at times reflective, It's Blitz! sees Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the precipice of a change in their careers, with an album cover that's representative of the sounds inside. Favorites: Zero, Heads Will Roll, Soft Shock, Skeletons, Dull Life, Shame and Fortune, Runaway.

Coming off the tail end of the Britpop wave, Urban Hymns operates as some sort of final scene before the end credits. All of The Verve's history was captured and crystallized with this album, keeping one foot in the populist, swaggering sounds of the moment while keeping the other foot in the psychedelic universe they once solely occupied. While this album does feel a bit bloated with the album length, there are moments where the songs prop up the album with its immediacy and accessibility. It may not be anyone's cup of tea but this is still something to go out of one's way to listen to if there is any particular interest in where British music was in 1997. Favorites: Bitter Sweet Symphony, Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work, Catching the Butterfly, Space and Time, Lucky Man, This Time, Come On.

Short, concise, sweet and precise: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers makes their mark upon the music world with this all killer, no filler collection of songs that uses its strengths to the best of their ability. Thirty minutes was all they needed to get their point across and they didn't waste any second of it. Delightful stuff, wonderful.

Undoubtedly The Smiths finest moment. The Queen is Dead is where they go balls to the wall with their sound and ambition. Just when you think they have peaked with one song or two (the title track, Never Had No One Ever), they go ahead and whack you with another set of songs (Bigmouth Strikes Again, The Boy With the Thorn in His Side, There is a Light That Never Goes Out) that just obliterates whatever your preconceptions are of what's possible. This is rightly considered to be the absolute best album The Smiths ever made and it's an essential album of the 80s.

With rather bizarre topics and angular, bombastic and boisterous instrumentation, it's no wonder why Pixies became darlings in the late 80s. They were a breath of fresh air yet a precursor of what was to come in the coming decade. With songs that wiggle around your brain with such ease, Surfer Rosa marks Pixies' ascent up the influential sphere of indie/alternative rock. Favorites: Bone Machine, Break My Bones, Broken Face, Gigantic, River Euphrates, Where is My Mind?, Tony's Theme, Vamos (Surfer Rosa).

Refugees from a war-torn country, the words Music in Exile has never felt more apt here as the talents of Songhoy Blues are on full display, showcasing what they are capable of. Favorites: Soubour, Irganda, Nick, Wayei, Jolie, Mali.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall (or an audience member in attendance) at the time of this performance. Apparently the last show of the trio to include bassist Scott LaFaro, this live set gave us two albums and plenty of stellar moments sprinkled throughout (from the takes of Alice in Wonderland, All of You, My Man's Gone Now, Porgy, etc.) Go out of your way to listen to whatever variation you prefer (Sunday, Waltz for Debby and/or the Complete) and immerse yourself in one of the more important nights (out of many) in jazz history.

This is where the mythologizing of Bob Dylan begins. In only fifty minutes, he conveys the spirit of an upcoming tidal wave of deep seated unrest, rebellion and questioning of authority figures and anointed deities. This album is just one of the cracks in the facade that was the conceived aura of the then-present, Bob's voice being the thundering sensation that roused the generation that venerated him. Essential listening.

The first album from the soon to be kings of sophisticated rock music. While it's not a wholly Donald Fagen sing-along (some of the vocals are done by other singers), it obtains characteristics that would soon define the Dan as a polarizing band in the decades to come. One shouldn't look at this album and steer clear, it's still worth a listen; just know that the best is yet to come. Favorites: Do It Again, Dirty Work, Only a Fool Would Say That, Reelin' in the Years, Changing of the Guard, Turn That Heartbeat Over Again.

Fela Kuti and Ginger Baker were both on the cusp of something when they paired up for this seismic album back in 1971. One of the many shining gems in a discography full of them, Fela and his Africa 70 showcases the euphoric yet political pull of Afrobeat with Ginger more than holding his own. If only we knew then what would come next.... Favorites: Let's Start, Black Man's Cry, Ye Ye De Smell.

Have you ever encountered a track that, while great, makes you wonder when it will end? Makes you wonder how long the track actually is as it is going on? Then you see and it's beyond ten minutes and you don't mind it at all as the song is rather great from start to finish. That was me with Street Life. The other songs are good too, those aren't to be missed as well. Favorites: Street Life, Rodeo Drive (High Steppin'), Carnival of the Night.

With increasingly sprawling and sparkling efficiency and effectively (and a mega dose of inventiveness), the last album from The Jimi Hendrix Experience went all out to capture the moods and turbulence of the year 1968. Fire red moon and skies, burned down houses, temperature shifting seasons, strange women, the epochal cover of an essential Dylan classic and alliances with voodoo all coagulate to form what is, perhaps, the quintessential album from the groundbreaking British/American trio. Don't let the extended jams placed at the start and middle of the album scare you, they are just as part of the, uh... experience as well. In fact, they enhance it and are the best parts of the album. One listen, five listens, a thousand listens and you'll come to understand why it's a classic of not only it's era but for future generations.

Featuring some of the most memorable riffs and drum fills in heavy metal history, Paranoid is nothing more than a relentless, balls to the wall masterwork. And to believe that this is Black Sabbath's second record! They continued to define and refine what would be the heaviest and most impactful genre in rock and influence many bands in their wake.

Teenager of the Year is too much long for it's own good. There are songs strewn throughout the album where there are moments that stick long enough to be memorable and where songs can be utterly forgettable. If this were split into two albums, maybe it could be a better overall achievement by Frank Black but, as one whole, it's okay. Favorites: Whatever Happened to Pong?, (I Want to Live on an) Abstract Plain, Calistan, Freedom Rock, Fiddle Riddle, Olé Mulholland, I Could Stay Here Forever, Pure Denizens of the Citizens Band.

There had been bits of pieces here and there (collabs with Robert Fripp, Discreet Music, the majority of Another Green World) but this is it. The start of the main chapter of Brian Eno's career and the main thing that most people associate him with. This is the perfect collection for unwinding, mellowing out after a tough day. It seems quite ironic that this was considered made for airports, given the rather chaotic nature of those places. Maybe that was what Eno envisioned. I don't know but what I do know is that this is essential to the Brian Eno discography. It would be incomplete without it. Favorites: 1/1, 2/2.

Perhaps the absolute best representation of the jazz fusion era of Frank's career. He was an enigma, a one of a kind talent. He could dabble in many genres and could produce stellar albums in those styles. This is one of them. From Peaches en Regalia onwards, Hot Rats is a relentless force that sounds as fresh now as it did in 1969. There are plenty of memorable moments throughout, peaking at The Gumbo Variations: twelve minutes of some of the finest playing Zappa ever did. Highly recommended. Favorites: Peaches en Regalia, Son of Willie the Pimp, The Gumbo Variations, It Must Be a Camel.

The start of the third act in Green Day's saga and their finest hour, American Idiot serves as a particularly potent and relevant source of musical ferocity, intensity, inspiration and passion the likes of which wasn't expected from the band back in 2004 but is now seen as a modern classic. Fusing together elements of bombastic rock operatics with simplistic punk force, it's no wonder why Green Day returned to being a beloved cornerstone of the rock genre after a steady downward slope and that things weren't going to be the same from here on out. A new kind of tension, indeed. Favorites: American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Are We the Waiting/St. Jimmy, Wake Me Up When September Ends.

Digging through the ditch can have a effect on somebody, especially when that person has experienced trauma whilst flying close to the sun. It isn't pretty. That was probably intentional. One can come out of it only one way, not the way that can be associated with clarity and optimism. That way can only be relentlessly bleak weariness. Many artists have looked towards this ditch and can gleam various things to attach to their art, but they don't go in; there's no reason to. Only one had done the work for them, they just need to learn. Favorites: Tonight's the Night (Pt. 1 & 2), Borrowed Tune, Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown, Mellow Mind, Roll Another Number (For the Road), Tired Eyes.

A harbinger of what was to come in the chaotic year that was 1968, White Light/White Heat remains not only the antithesis of the Summer of Love but a crucial turning point in the world of The Velvet Underground. With John Cale one foot out the door and Nico and Andy Warhol completely gone, Lou, Sterling and Moe paint a wholly bleak picture of grisly proportions; death via good intentions, botched entries into a more comfortable being and a seventeen minute romp whose most memorable refrain refers to fellatio. Sgt. Pepper's, Majesty's Request and whatever The Monkees' latest was this was not. The punk movement had arrived early and White Light/White Heat was the first of the few flag bearers.

One listen to The Score by Fugees and you would immediately understand why. Why, for the past twenty-five plus years, fans of hip-hop and all genres of music essentially clamor for any crumb of material from the trio that turned everything upside down with their sophomore masterstroke. In a time where alienation, coastal divide and violence reined supreme, three MCs took it upon themselves to not only step up to the best of them but obliterate any doubt in the process. The Score is, perhaps, the prime example of lightning in a bottle; a moment in time that can neither be duplicated nor repeated. And, with that, you will understand why.

Hey, this is the album that birthed Elastica! But, in all seriousness, I struggle to classify Wire as a full on punk band. More like an art rock group that saw the punk explosion as an opportunity to get their foot in the door and get their foot in the door they did. Mixing short songs with harbingers of what they would later come up with, Pink Flag remains Wire's defining statement forty-five years on through sheer invention and aplomb. Yet another example of 1977 being a sublime year for music. Favorites: Reuters, Three Girl Rumba, Ex Lion Tamer, Lowdown, Pink Flag, Strange, Fragile, Mannequin, Feeling Called Love, 12 X U.

From pleasant start to ghostly end, Richard Hawley takes the listener through trips of life in Sheffield in Coles Corner. What sticks out is the numerous nods made towards the pre-Sixties era of music such as traditional pop and country and it keeps the album interesting from beginning to end. Do not ignore this collection. Favorites: Coles Corner, Just Like the Rain, The Ocean, I Sleep Alone, Tonight, (Wading Through) The Waters of Times, Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Feet?, Last Orders.

The electronic dream starts here. There have been fits and starts, promising beginnings and premature ends but this is where it starts to solidify itself. Before the suits, the haircuts, the dummies, cycling obsessions, etc., Kraftwerk focused on the joys of the road and the beauty of the automobile as they wax sonic miracle that continues to enliven and enlighten nearly fifty years on. Fahren! Fahren! Fahren!

Whenever there is a phase in Madonna's career, no matter how brief and noteworthy, it all serves a use for a section of the fanbase to hang their hats on. Ray of Light is the culmination of a return to the public's good graces that began with Bedtime Stories and peaked with her starring role in Evita. Crafting compositions about enlightenment and motherhood, this is Madonna's most mature outing; a record that positions her as a sage for all things groundbreaking and revelatory (not that she wasn't beforehand). Sooner or later, she'll slide back down into dangerous waters of irrelevancy but, for a while, Madonna became someone to love again. This album is proof.

Marvin Gaye had asked "What's Goin' On"; a few months later, he had his answer. With a few exceptions, this is perhaps the murkiest, most drug-addled, most fucked up form of pop music in the 70s. No depth of hell would or could equate to whatever hell Sly Stone had conjured up from thin air (or whatever air that involved drugs). A defining statement that also became the beginning of the end, There's a Riot Goin' On is Sly's masterpiece.

The calm before the storm, Selling England by the Pound features Genesis at a moment of transition. While there are ferociously awesome progressive noodling permeating the album, there are also moments of accessibility that forecasts what would eventually happen to the group in the ensuing years. An essential album in the prog rock era of Genesis' career. Favorites: Dancing with the Moonlit Knights, I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe), Firth of Fifth, The Battle of Epping Forest, The Cinema Show.

A heartfelt rumination on the very thought of comes with living in America, Bookends finds Simon & Garfunkel at their reflective, pensive and innovative best. Scouring many lifetimes in under half an hour, Bookends accomplished more at that timespan in tugging at the minds and heartstrings of those looking for meaning in where their futures lie. Favorites: Save the Life of My Child, America, Overs, Old Friends, Fakin' It, Mrs. Robinson, A Hazy Shade of Winter, At the Zoo.

One thing listeners tend to learn about Bob Dylan is to never count him out. When he seems to be at his lowest ebb creatively, to the point of no return, he would come back with something so potent, so pure, so reaffirming that it would seem ridiculous to have ever doubted him. On Time Out of Mind, Bob (with the help of Daniel Lanois) once more turns all perceptions upside down and begins keeping up with a wave that hasn't subsided since, offering a continuation of the ever mystifying path taking that makes Bob Dylan well... you know. One of the more intriguing, interesting yet under the radar comebacks in music history.

At first, I went into this record genuinely curious and was left feeling that this was mostly okay. Sounds samey at points but don't discard the craft that went into this album; the bright sounds that come out of this are worth the listen. Favorites: Papa Bonheur, Désespoir, Koweït, Rive Gauche.

A spirited, fun collection of songs that aims and succeeds at targeting the every day comings and goings of love, gossip, heartbreak and the minutia of life. Favorites: More Songs About Chocolate and Girls, There Goes Norman, See That Girl, The Way Girls Talk, Hard Luck, My Perfect Cousin, Wednesday Week, What's With Terry?

"Sam brought you cake and ice cream, and he called you cherry pie. Ray Charles called you his sunshine, but you never mind. I ain't let nobody let love you, like I'm loving you right now. 'Cause they don't know how, to love you like I do...." Favorites: Cry to Me, Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye), Can't Nobody Love You, Hard, Ain't It Hard, You Can't Love 'Em All, Beautiful Brown Eyes, He'll Have to Go.

What's fascinating about Private Dancer was the overall unlikelihood of Tina Turner ever being a household name in the 80s. She was seen as someone who didn't have a good track record and was largely described as being better off with her abusive husband; not one to be taken seriously as a long overdue solo juggernaut. Private Dancer changed that. It is a little strange hearing cover versions of songs that sound good in it's original configuration being tooled up for 80s showcasing and some of it works (Let's Stay Together) while others are best left untouched (I Can't Stand the Rain, Help!). Overall, while not a perfect record, Private Dancer gives insight into how Tina became the rock legend she is today and beyond. Favorites: I Should Have Been Queen, What's Love Got to Do With It, Show Some Respect, Private Dancer, Let's Stay Together, Better Be Good to Me, Steel Claw.

With one foot in the psychedelic soil and one foot out the folksy door, Sunshine Superman showcases Donovan coming into the potential of his musical strengths. While of its time in some respects, it comes armored with fanciful tales and a song that would come to define him more or less; yet it doesn't mean it isn't a good collection of material. More would come from Donovan soon and he'll get better. Favorites: Sunshine Superman, Legend of a Girl Child Linda, Bert's Blues, Season of the Witch, The Fat Angel, Celeste.

I was curious when this was recommended to me: an album I've never heard of, that apparently sold a boatload of copies in the U.K. and became part of the zeitgeist. And, guess what? I can understand why. This album is fantastic, every song on here sounds as though it would have been a single. I was actually a bit sad that this album ended with the last track, as I would have wanted it to continue. It seems crazy to me that it took only a few years for it to completely take off but it was worth it. This is worthy of a repeat listen somewhere down the line.

1969 was a great year for Elektra Records and the rumblings of punk rock in a state largely known at that point for Motown. With one record, MC5 grabbed the collars of every and any prude that stood in front of them and shook their foundations with only five words: words that everyone knows by heart but is unfortunately edited out here. It's not all woeful here, though, as the rest of the music contained here is flat out incendiary in its approach to rock and roll and bits of jazz; one could see and hear where they would end up in a year's time. MC5 were a rock and roll band at heart, they just so happened to provide the blueprint for one of the more consequential genres of music to come. Kick out the jams, motherfuckers! Favorites: Ramblin' Rose, Kick Out the Jams, Come Together, Rocket Reducer No. 62, Motor City is Burning.

Pop goes the Sixties. The doves weren't the only things that flew up the uncertain skies that July afternoon in Hyde Park after Brian Jones passed the mortal coil. Gone were the hopes and dreams of a generation who designated themselves to the ones who changed things, whose dalliances with all the things that had served to lift them up had come to warp and muddy their senses. It was time to get real. This is as real as it gets when it comes to The Rolling Stones, who had come to their senses a year beforehand and began digging deep into the ditches in the quest for gold. Bookending Let It Bleed with two of the most prescient songs of their career, the Stones seem to know what was coming in the decade ahead and the decade that was about to end. Let It Bleed, indeed. Shelter won't be found here. An essential album, one of the Rolling Stones' greatest.

The beginning of the mid-life 90s renaissance of one of Britain's more compelling singer-songwriters. Seemingly taking his trajectories (the failure of what was to be The Style Council's early 90s Madchester album) to heart, Paul Weller looked inward and turned up with a collection that ruminated on his prior and then-present fusions of his musicality. One can see where he would go with his next record, the timely and rollicking Stanley Road and one can't help but become entrenched by the ambition that some of the songs on Wild Wood inhabits, if they let it. A nice new chapter in a career full of them. Favorites: Can You Heal Us (Holy Man), All the Pictures on the Wall, Has My Fire Really Gone Out?, 5th Season, The Weaver, Foot of the Mountain, Shadow of the Sun, Moon on Your Pyjamas.

Damon and Jamie, Jamie and Damon. Who could have thought that an agreement to live in an apartment after breakups in their relationships, ranting about the state of the music business and plasticity on TV, would lead into one of the more consequential and influential groups on music history. Never before had their been a virtual group (shrouded in mystery before the jig was up) making music as though the 22nd Century was on their front door and have it be the basis for complete and utterly eclecticism. It shouldn't have worked (in lesser hands, it wouldn't have) but, thankfully, it did and provided its creators a new springboard for their creativity after years of being acknowledged (rightfully) for who and what they were. Their albums would get more ambitious, more hit-laden, more guest-starring but this is where it starts and what a start it is.

One of the more important proto-emo albums of all time; with every hook that a guitar riff would bring and the yearning and screaming that comes from the vocal, Yank Crime should be considered as one of the greatest punk albums of the 90s. If there was one album to end things on and plant a flag into the ground of what was to be the future of punk, this is the one.

75 years ago, an aspiring bandleader assembled a band to provide joy and happiness to those who needed it. Twenty years after that, a world conquering pop group (in need to reinvent themselves and be something else for a change) took that bandleader's ambitions and turned it into Technicolor. The music world hasn't been the same since. As Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles gave the world a whole new vision as they fully transitioned out of the mop-top era into a being more mystical and surreal than anything they conjured up beforehand. This is where most hats are tipped as the moment where The Beatles became, if they weren't already, the nucleus of a generation whose dreams are dayglo and that nothing would ever stop them on the path for fulfillment of a better, more wonderful world. Of course, like most things in life, things didn't turn out that way but Sgt. Pepper's didn't forsee that time. Neither did anyone else but the then-future is not important. What is important is the impact that this album made on the Fab Four, fellow musicians, aspiring musicians and the world over. A splendid time has been guaranteed when it comes to the album and it has been for the past 55 years. Whether it is the greatest album of all time or not, there is no denying that Sgt. Pepper had set the benchmark for what is possible then, now and forever. An eternal classic.

Like a simultaneous breath of fresh air and a bolt of lightning, Sheffield's Arctic Monkeys blazed their way towards the well travelled roads of British indie and added new perspectives in dizzying wordplay and tightly constructed instrumentation, whilst using the novel advantage of the internet to the lexicon of how to create lasting impacts. What followed is a career that has led towards twists and turns that only the Monkeys can take, with the aplomb and ambition that few groups of their ilk could muster and master and they wouldn't have gotten there if they hadn't made this album. What a stellar debut album, what a band they'll be.

As polarizing as Michael Jackson may be at the moment (when is he not be such?), you cannot deny that his music has become part of our DNA. The very idea of popular culture is centered around the then-living King of Pop and three albums support that theory very much. Off the Wall is the first of those albums. Made during the height of the disco era, Off the Wall finds Michael honing and refining his skills after years of maturing under the spotlight. This album is all killer, no filler from beginning to end and it is a effective teaser for what was to come later on. If we only knew...

This is where the buck stops here. This is it. The crystallization of the aura that Steely Dan were hoping to possess is on here. Aja would make most bands careers but for Steely Dan, not only was it a Tuesday but yet another stop on their road to glory. Phenomenal album, best listened to with either quality headphones or a quality sound system. As probably best intentioned.

New York, 2001. So many so-called kings of the borough but only one looked as if he needed something to prove. And, for that, he laid out the blueprint and wound up making history. Not even the world shifting, beyond tragic events of the album's release date could halt JAY Z's inevitable trajectory as the true successor of Biggie's throne. Some may call this his greatest album (though others before or since have the right to assume that position) and it cannot be denied that The Blueprint set in motion a chain of events that would end up defining its makers and its genre for better or for worse.

A dub and reggae album with flourishes of the then-contemporary sounds; this is a rather ambitious and auspicious debut album from 1997, a year chock full of ambitious albums that looked toward the future rather than mine from the past. Maverick A Strike seems to have gone under the radar, which is a shame seeing as though it is looking to be re-discovered and re-evaluated as it should. A hidden gem, for sure. Favorites: Ultra Stimulation, It's Great When We're Together, Sunday Shining, The Way of the Explosive, Your Love Gets Sweeter, Sweet and Loving Man.

This is rather timely for me, seeing as how the Elvis biopic is coming out soon (or is out? I don't know, I only keep tabs on arthouse films). It had to be him. You know how things were in the 50s when it came to nascent rock and roll. The prime originators of the genre, who happened to be Black, wouldn't get the most out of the notoriety that Elvis put forth. So he had to be the blueprint. Rock and roll had to be molded in his image and it's an image that still captivates in these two centuries, from album cover on down. Sure, the songs are all covers but there is also conviction and purpose and Elvis had that in spades. If it wasn't for this album, who knows how the next several years would turn out. Maybe it'd be dismal, maybe nothing would change. We'll never know because the path forward only takes less than thirty minutes.

"People talk about this trilogy of Modern Life is Rubbish, Parklife and The Great Escape... we didn't plan it that way" - Graham Coxon "It was, kind of, the birth of what became known as the modern Blur" - Dave Rowntree Getting rid of the baggy aesthetic that was forced upon them by their record label, Blur looked forward whilst looking back in the creation of their first great album. Anglophile musings and seething resentment of the downtrodden grunge movement spurred Blur to craft pop songs that dealt with esoteric characters and everyday dealings of life and that path would sustain (and define) them as they became the biggest band in Britain. Modern Life is Rubbish? It still is.

Impending death has never sounded this hectic, manic, romantic; Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds offered ten songs of grisly demise in the ways that only they can, finding new routes towards these ironically called ballads and giving them new life. This is, also, perhaps the only album that contains the talents of Kylie Minogue and PJ Harvey either on the same or different track. The only way for this band to go after this is up and up they will go. Favorites: Stagger Lee, Henry Lee, Lovely Creatures, Where the Wild Roses Grow, The Curse of Millhaven, O'Malley's Bar, Death is Not the End.

The victory lap in a golden race, Exile on Main Street is generally considered by most music fans as the last all time great Rolling Stones album; the one with the most mythical status, a most gargantuan collection of songs so bountiful it had to be split into two records. Here is where the band were at their most boisterous, most rollicking like true outlaws. There are moments where they could have veered down a strange path but always find a way to get back up to where they excelled best. It can't all be loved, which is what makes it still appealing fifty years on. Essential listening. Favorites: Rocks Off, Shake Your Hips, Tumbling Dice, Sweet Virginia, Torn and Frayed, Loving Cup, Happy, Let It Loose, All Down the Line, Shine a Light.

The album that made America get bit by the Blaxploitation bug. Despite not getting the part of the suave, cooler than cool John Shaft, Isaac Hayes still embodied the spirit and swagger that the character had in spades. A blueprint for how Black music would sound throughout the 70s and what it would mine through and pine to recreate in the decades afterward, Shaft is stellar as a standalone but one would need to see the original movie to full assess its impact. Favorites: Theme from Shaft, Café Regio's, Early Sunday Morning, Be Yourself, A Friend's Place, No Name Bar, Do Your Thing.

It was slow at first but, then, it began to open up. The National's High Violet continues the band's seamless path towards indie rock glory that began with Alligator as they churned out some of their most impassioned and revelatory performances. Songs that don't look like much at first glance would soon consume you and turn you inside out the more it advances towards the finish line and unveils its layers that it is capable of making. The expanded version of the album builds upon this as well, with extra tracks that flow from one to the next with seemingly no end. High Violet is deserving of high praise. Favorites: Anyone's Ghost, Afraid of Everyone, Bloodbuzz Ohio, Lemonworld, Conversation 16, England, Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks, Terrible Love (alternate version), Wake Up Your Saints, Sin-Eater.

At this point, what needs to be said about this album that hasn't already been said? Miles knew where he was going to go, where the future of jazz was going to go and gave us an album so chock full of uncharted waters that, to this day, sounds futuristic and forward thinking despite it being made in the age of Aquarius. The first great album of the 70s, Bitches Brew gave us a cinematic worldview of who and what Miles would become in this electric era and we would be all the worse off if he didn't go down this route and get loose. We all need to thank Betty Davis for this one.

By the fall of 1995, the smoke of the Battle of Britpop had yet to fade out properly and there was plenty more where that came from on the Blur and Oasis sides. But if you were tired of it all and were looking for something a little more stimulating, then Pulp were ready to sweep you away. They'd always been ready, they were looking for the proper time to strike and 1995 was that time. First with Common People, the Britpop anthem and Pulp's brightest moment and then Different Class, Pulp's finest hour. Horny escapades, kitchen sink tales of moments and memories past and present, the possibilities that come from connections. They're all laid out here. The minds were definitely at work here and millions were blown away by the suave swagger of Jarvis and Co. They just wanted a right to be different and, for fifty-one minutes, they showed us how.

Folk at it's most freakishly psychedelic, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter sees The Incredible String Band beginning to assemble the pieces of what would be intriguing and enticing puzzle, taking the once barren soundscapes of a tired sound and dousing it in mythology and spiritualism. An important part of the story of what would become "freak folk" in the years to come. Favorites: Koeeoaddi There, The Minotaur's Song, A Very Cellular Song, Waltz of the New Moon, The Water Song, There is a Green Crown.

In the hunt for a climate where his muses can be indulged without question and judgment, before he tilted down the drift where mediocrity reigned, the final album in the Scott tetralogy sees the Boy Genius start paving the road that would lead down to what would become wicked, demented and all together unlikely brilliant. War heroes, European art films and invasions of countries coalesce in an album that sees the 30 Century Man operate at his finest. A fine album to understand who Scott was and who he would become. Favorites: The Seventh Seal, On Your Own Again, The World's Strongest Man, Boy Child, Hero of the War, The Old Man's Back Again, Get Behind Me.

Sound affects? Haven't really come across any on this album. But what was evident was the fact that The Jam were riding a wave that nobody knew was coming to a stop, and it is particularly noticeable to hear them fire on all cylinders on what was to be their penultimate record. Dreaming of Monday, dreaming of Monday.... Favorites: Pretty Green, Monday, Set the House Ablaze, Start!, That's Entertainment, Man in the Corner Shop, Scrape Away.

Van the Man's all time greatest statement, the back story of which is one of the wildest and most batshit insane in all of music. That shouldn't detract from the beauty that still emanates from this album almost fifty-five years on. From the first verse uttered to the last verse sung, Van's voice flows with such grace and effortlessness that one can only wonder... and listen in awe. I still do.

One of the more lesser known but integral albums of the East Coast Rap Renaissance of the 90s, The Sun Rises in the East builds and lives up to its title with its minimal yet impactful instrumentation and potent rhymes from the original Dirty Rotten Scoundrel. Although overshadowed by what came before and afterward, this is an album that's not to be ignored and does more than it's required to hold its own. Favorites: D. Original, Brooklyn Took It, Mental Stamina, Da Bichez, You Can't Stop the Prophet, Ain't the Devil Happy, Mind Spray.

The last hurrah of the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis, and perhaps the progressive rock era in general, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway never settles for less; a continual bombast of epic proportions involving a street kid named Rael and his kaleidoscopic adventures along the way. Perhaps the band's greatest outing, they grab the listener through the twists and turns that the story requires, soaring with the highs and rumbling with the lows. But, as mentioned, all good things must come to an end and both Peter and the band set off toward different paths. At least we have this to hold on to. Favorites: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Cuckoo Cocoon, In the Cage, Back in NYC, Counting Down Time, The Carpet Crawlers, The Chamber of 32 Doors, Lillywhite Lilith, Anyway, Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist, Ravine, The Light Dies Down on Broadway, In the Rapids, It.

The bobbysoxers had to stop the screams at some time. The jubilence and hysteria couldn't last forever. Hearts were made to be broken, as the soon to be Ol' Blue Eyes found out on the path to making In the Wee Small Hours. Sixteen tracks of sheer, unrelenting sadness, backed up by a ready and game orchestra, can seem daunting but Frank does what he can to give his all with each track. Of course, we have this album to thank for not only popularizing the 12" record but also concept albums; separate entities that would come together in greater detail in ensuing decades. As for Frank, he had finally found a niche and a formula to cultivate and refine from time to time. Favorites: In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, Mood Indigo, Glad to be Unhappy, I Get Along Without You Very Well, Can't We Be Friends?, I'll Be Around, Ill Wind, This Love of Mine.

The older I get, the more love I have for this album. It seems to be of a place and no place simultaneously. Fully leaving post-bop behind but not yet caught up in the funky, mythical and mystical chaos of Bitches Brew, In a Silent Way seems like a transitional effort. But it isn't, it's it's own thing; it's own special oasis. To me, this is the perfect Miles Davis album. Just short of forty minutes, two tracks that just whisks you into its orbit and a bonafide classic album cover on top of it. A relentless, endless cool that still radiates to this day. Yet another defining touchstone and turning point in the jazz genre, of course one of many and not the last.

After years of waiting, I jumped in the river and what did I see? Barn doors, revolving doors, sliding doors, secret doors and trap doors. Come on, come on Holy Roman Empire! Have yourself a good time, there's nothing at all. If you'd been a dog, they would have drowned you at birth. Cut the kids in half, be constructive with your blues. This just feels like spinning plates, that's a strange mistake to make.

The essential follow-up to Paul's Boutique (granted it was made with The Dust Brothers), Odelay showcases Beck's ascension from post-grunge slacker idealism to something far more eclectic and less predictable. Without this album, it becomes somewhat strange to envision a music atmosphere where indie rock musicians wouldn't pivot to two turntables and a microphone and remain complacent with their guitars and drums. We'd be doing sad hot dog dances in Houston at the thought of it. Good thing we don't have to. Favorites: Devils Haircut, Lord Only Knows, The New Pollution, Novacane, Jack-Ass, Where It's At, Minus, Sissyneck, High 5 (Rock the Catskills).

An eclectic multi-cultural, multilingual experience, Clandestino is a tour-de-force of rambunctious ideas that, regardless of the language barrier, burst through with vigor and intrigue. Manu Chao's patchwork of sounds benefit from never staying past its welcome and largely blends from one song to the next and keeping the listener attentive with each step. Favorites: Clandestino, Bongo Bong, Je ne t'aime plus, Mentira, Mama Call, Welcome to Tijuana, Malegìra, La ve à 2.

Regardless of the album's title, The Last Broadcast sees Doves approaching their peak, with optimistic sounding singalongs that signaled their powers which led them to the top of the British charts. There are plenty of moments on this album that captures ones interest and doesn't let go and that attention becomes rewarded throughout. If this is considered Doves' best album, there's a reason why. Favorites: Words, There Goes the Fear, M62 Song, N.Y., Satellites, Last Broadcast, Caught by the River.

Fisherman's Blues shall be in consideration for one of the all time greatest albums of the 1980s. Apparently it is also one of the best artistic reinventions for a band, given that The Waterboys were a full on rocking band. That fully rocking band still exists, it is now welding Irish jigs and poets as opposed to what came before. One will soon find themselves swayed by the passion and creativity that possessed the band on its quest to create this masterpiece. Favorites: Fisherman's Blues, We Will Not Be Lovers, Strange Boat, Sweet Thing, And a Bang on the Ear, When Will We Get Married, The Stolen Child, Killing My Heart, You in the Sky, Rattle My Bones and Shiver My Soul, Let Me Feel Holy Again, Meet Me at the Station, Soon as I Get Home.

2009 was a very beneficial year for the ever changing indie landscape and Grizzly Bear was one of the many bands that saw their fortunes change with Veckatimest. Rock and baroque collide to make a never ending kaleidoscope of experimental genre blending. This comes highly recommended.

On White Light, Gene Clark provides further proof that he was the backbone of the revolutionary Byrds immersion into country music, as he uses his compositional skill to good use and hone his craft on the road to making his masterpiece No Other. Favorites: The Virgin, White Light, One in a Hundred, For a Spanish Guitar, Tears of Rage.

What was, until Voyage forty years later, the last curtain call for ABBA remains a masterclass in bowing out with grace and integrity without looking and sounding as if they're running on fumes. The Visitors will always be ABBA's gloomiest album, as encapsulated by the spaces inhabited in the album cover by the once happily in love, now separated duos of Agnetha and Björn and Anni-Frid and Benny and the topics of the songs being sung for the first and, perhaps, only time. The Visitors shall be welcome without prejudices and fear, they shall do as they please and leave you wondering how they'd remain silent, having allowed the music to speak, for over forty years. Favorites: The Visitors, Head Over Heels, When All is Said and Done, Soldiers, I Let the Music Speak, One of Us, Two for the Price of One, Slipping Through My Fingers, Under Attack.

Yesterday I woke up sucking on a lemon, standing in the shadows at the end of my bed. Everyone is so near, I'm not here. I'd really like to help you man, I'm on your side. We're not scaremongering, this is really happening. I wanted to tell you but you never listen, so I'll keep walking. I will see you in the next life.

It wasn't just the doves that flew out in Hyde Park on that fateful July day in 1969. With them went the blueprint of a genre that would come to define, for better or worse, the sounds coming from Britain in the ensuing decade that was pouring out of many aspiring bands that favored complex time signatures, ambitious concepts and grandiose statements. And, if it weren't for King Crimson and their epochal debut In the Court of the Crimson King, I surely believe that progressive rock wouldn't have had the headstart that it needed to produce the Yes's and Genesis's and Emerson, Lake and Palmer's of the world. Sure, those bands would arrive eventually but they would have Robert Fripp and his mad genius to thank for the heads up. Perhaps one of the all time greatest debuts to have an all time great opening track, it's incredible to think that we allowed one band (or one man) to have all that power. But we did and we're thankful for that. By the way, Godspeed Barry Godber and thank you for an immortal album cover. Never has a sleeve defined a sound so well.

For those who have been Mailered, Taylored, O'Hara'd, McNamara'd, Stoned, Beatled, Ayn Randed, Spectored, Adlered, Sadlered, Jaggered, silver daggered and Garfunkeled all while being nearly branded a left-handed Communist for learning the truth from Lenny Bruce and mixing up Dylan's Bob and Thomas, this album is for you. For close to half an hour, Simon & Garfunkel command your attention with their ever flawless vocal combination and attention to musical detail all the while combing through the increasingly complex and challenging landscape that was America in the mid to approaching late Sixties. To think that they would continue peaking all the way to troubled waters is quite captivating stuff.

Jane says she had a dad who would sing a mountain song while standing in the shower... thinking about pigs in zen. She would say Ted, just admit it... idiots rule. Summertime rolls up the beach as an ocean sized thumbs up is given to this album. Thank you boys. In other words, as good enough of a wake up call as a cup of coffee. Favorites: Up the Beach, Ocean Size, Ted, Just Admit It..., Summertime Rolls, Mountain Song, Jane Says.

Amongst some of the great "what could have been" musical events of the 20th Century, Smile exceeds its expectations simply by finally being created. One can wonder what would have happened had Brian Wilson been given the encouragement and the proper support needed to see Smile through and gave the world its "teenage homage to God" in the year of Sgt. Pepper and Surrealistic Pillow. Instead, all that was showcased was blueprints and scattered songs across their later discography and visions of the supposed masterpiece that never came. Good thing Brian finally found the courage, support and care necessary to finally bring this monument to it's most complete structure; for its existence does bring about a smile amongst this listener. Favorites: Heroes and Villains, Roll Plymouth Rock, Cabin Essence, Wonderful, Song for Children, Child is the Father of the Man, Surf's Up, Vega-Tables, Mrs. O'Leary's Cow, In Blue Hawaii, Good Vibrations.

A Seat at the Table arrived at a neverending turning point in the discussion of what it means to be Black in America, especially a Black woman. Featuring poignant stories told by relatives and out of the box narrators (No Limit's Master P), A Seat at the Table serves as Solange's long overdue coming out party as an artist whose merits and credentials are worthy of appraisal, appreciation and anticipation for what comes next. Favorites: Rise, Weary, Cranes in the Sky, Don't You Wait, Interlude: Tina Taught Me, Don't Touch My Hair, F.U.B.U., Junie, Don't Wish Me Hair, Scales.

All it takes is one guitar riff to turn a band into rock royalty and that's what The White Stripes became with Elephant. A searing, boisterous collection of 21st Century blues and pure rock and roll, Elephant sees the Stripes approach the peak of their powers with the aura of a confident tag team ready to take home the championships. Perhaps if one needs a proper introduction to Meg and Jack, this is the best bet for a good choice; a moment in time where they became the best American rock band in the world. Favorites: Seven Nation Army, Black Math, There's No Home for You, Here, I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself, In the Cold, Cold Night, You've Got Her in Your Pocket, Ball and Biscuit,The Hardest Button to Button, Little Acorns, Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine.

Fuck it, here we go. It's time. I've avoided this album for a while now. I've read the reviews, I've read all the accolades, I've read most of the accounts of what happened. Yet, when it was time for me to dig into the Mac, I've avoided this album. I mostly dig head over heels for its successor and it's become one of my all time favorite albums. And, yet, this album still rang its ubiquitous cultural bell. It seemed easy to steer clear from yet it never went away. So, when it came time to finally listen to this, I grabbed onto the chain. I didn't think I'd cling on this hard. I finally get what the fuss is all about. Rumours is the preparation for, and confirmation of, everything that is the complex nature of love and relationships. Even since its creation, its impact upon the creators and its listeners can be (and should be) studied on for however much time we have (even though it's not rocket science). So the rumours are true, I guess.... this is a fantastic album.

The Pharcyde make their mark upon hip-hop with this aptly titled album, taking strange twists and turns through subjects and soundscapes that serve as a calm before the storm that would soon infiltrate the genre for the next couple of years. Favorites: Oh Shit, It's Jiggaboo Time, 4 Better or 4 Worse, Soul Flower, Officer, Ya Mama, Passin' Me By, Otha Fish, Return of the B-Boy.

A pop punk masterstroke, a true demonstration of all killer and no filler. With sheer exuberance and ebullient charisma that blasts throughout, Dookie sees Green Day come to terms with their potential and its use to fill in a vaccum that was occupying the alternative scene. Every note was played perfectly and its positions were well crafted as some songs transitioned into another with ease. No wonder why Green Day took off with this era and career defining album, one of the best of the 90s.

So... this is where it all begins, huh? Not as bombastic as I was expecting it to be, but it still does the job well. Question, though: Where does the rot start? Is this, truly, Coldplay's best album? Should I go ahead and delve into the rest of their discography to find out? Plenty of potential to be seen and heard here. Favorites: Don't Panic, Shiver, Sparks, Yellow, High Speed, Everything's Not Lost - Life is for Living.

If the remainder of Disraeli Gears had been a shambolic shitshow following the colossal one-two punch of Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love, it wouldn't be remembered as fondly as it is now. Thankfully the eight songs (nine if you want to count Mother's Lament) that follow Sunshine does more than what's required to uphold its weight and become equally memorable and quality songs that justify its position as the absolute peak of the sweet yet sour, shortlived lather of guitar/bass/drum combo that was Cream.

Manchester had proven itself to be the nucleus for innovative music by the late 70s and its status was further confirmed by the release of one of the all time greatest debut albums and one of the more essential pillars of the post-punk sound, Unknown Pleasure. Almost 45 years on, it's still providing the blueprint on how to execute ice cold emotion and abstract, unconventional rhythms that convey meaning that goes beyond t-shirts and thousands of notes of the album cover gif on Tumblr. Regardless, if the band had never made another album they would still be classified as one of the most important bands that ever came out of Manchester. Godspeed Ian Curtis, Godspeed Martin Hannett and Godspeed Tony Wilson.

Like a refreshing sip of iced cool water, an immense breath of fresh air, a much needed sigh after undergoing a repetitious round of heavy lifting. No amount of language barriers can contain the musical synchronicity present in this album, a complete blessing from a country that was once forbidden and sequestered. No club is cooler than the Buena Vista Social Club.

Breezy, inoffensive sophisticated pop from one of the 80s more understated yet substantial bands. Crazy to think that, within a couple of years, they'd be instrumental in the rise of emotive dance music but we've all got to have a head start somewhere. This could have a bit more variety but, overall, not a bad thing. Favorites: I Don't Want to Talk About, Love is Here Where I Live, These Early Days, Oxford Street, The Night I Heard Caruso Sing, Goodbye Sunday, Shadow on a Harvest Moon, Lonesome for a Place I Know.

Boasting some of the soon-to-be biggest icons in rock, Jeff Beck's Truth is a good representation of where the blues was heading towards at the end of the 60s, with passionate vocal performances and attention grabbing instrumentals that does the songs that contain them justice. Favorites: Shapes of Things, Let Me Love You, Morning Dew, Ol' Man River, Beck's Bolero, Blues Deluxe.

The thin, wild mercury sound.... the culmination of a year and a half that changed not just Bob Dylan's trajectory but the face of rock music. Never has it become so literary, so surreal, so grounded in it's New York meets Nashville trek. A undeniable peak on a mountain that would contain many peaks, Blonde on Blonde is one of the few descriptors of the year 1966 that can be seen as accurate; such was the sprawling scenes shown in the songs that felt lived in from the moment it was heard. Bob may have been hopped up on whatever poppers that came his way but even that version of Bob was miles and leagues ahead of almost anybody in the ever changing rock and roll landscape. I hate to say that it was a good thing that he crashed his motorcycle and retreated into the radical world of homespun sparseness because, if he hadn't, we would have been treated to a world of diminishing returns in the follow-up to Blonde on Blonde. Change was imminent but nobody knew it at the time, not even Bob, which was why he gave us his then-best. Nearly sixty years and we remain in awe. Everybody must get stoned!

Quite a comforting route down the ever expanding worldview of one John Martyn. With this listen, I can see what the fuss is all about whenever this record was concerned and its dive into proto-dub experimentation is an all together worthwhile experience. Solid, indeed. Favorites: Solid Air, Over the Hill, Don't Want to Know, Go Down Easy, Dreams by the Sea, May You Never, I'd Rather Be the Devil (Devil Got My Woman) - Live.

Upon first glance, a funk album made by a troubled folk rock troubadour screams all sorts of thoughts: an act of artistic desperation, an awkward attempt to fit in with then-prevailing trends, a curious case of cashing in. Yet, when one come across Greetings From L.A., one finds Tim Buckley once again finding a genre and making it fit on his terms. Yeah, he helps and grovells and becomes frankly sexual in a strange fashion but at least he is honest about where he is. A missive from one of the more curious musicians of his era, this is a postcard that shall be reexamined and reevaluated in due time. Favorites: Move With Me, Get on Top, Sweet Surrender, Devil Eyes, Hong Kong Bar.

As a huge U2 fan, and as someone who would go out of the way to defend them whenever possible, revisiting this album has caused a reckoning. I respect this album for propping U2 back into the good graces of the record buying public who were disillusioned with the dizzying yet complex experimentations of the mid-late 90s, but that facet of U2 is sorely missing here. After twenty years of constant searching for sonic diversity that took them from post-punk to Eurodance, U2 chose to settle and the results are mixed. There are moments throughout where the band approach their best but would soon become weighed down by mediocre musings that sound simplistic. Which was probably the point of the album but it would be more palatable if the material were executed better. A strange album for me, a U2 album that doesn't improve on where they left off and where they become complacent, which is what they've been ever since. Favorites: Beautiful Day, Kite, In a Little While, Peace on Earth, When I Look at the World, The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

With Janis' passing prior to the album's release, it felt as though the continuing descent of the Sixties Aquarian Dream had revised its apogee (Jimi had passed not long before her). Which is a shame because, with Pearl, Janis sounded ready to break through and plant herself throughly into the mainstream (if she wasn't already). We would never have a chance to live out what she would have done or would have been like had she continued to live on but this is a pretty good representation of what could have been. Favorites: Move Over, Cry Baby, A Woman Left Lonely, Buried Alive in the Blues, Me & Bobby McGee, Mercedes Benz, Get It While You Can.

If one comes off of, perhaps, the first great three album run in hip-hop then chances are it's time for the steep decline in quality to commence. That's not what happens here. With Apocalypse '91, Public Enemy continue to refine their revolutionary political message and heart on sleeve mottos that propelled them towards legendary status and they remain a bulldozer of bombastic sonic innovation, regardless of what others may have thought at the time given other members' exploits. Although not as memorable as the first three albums, Apocalypse '91 stands on its own either way. Favorites: Lost at Birth, Nighttrain, Can't Truss It, I Don't Wanna Be Called Yo Nigga, By the Time I Get to Arizona, 1 Million Bottlebags, Shut Em Down, Get the F... Outta Dodge, Bring Da Noize.

Although he had several albums under his belt, Either/Or is considered to be Elliott's true breakthrough; a genuine introduction to a talent that was allowed only a decade or so to shine but who looked and sounded as though he was up there already with the greats. Favorites: Speed Trails, Ballad of Big Nothing, Between the Bars, Pictures of Me, Rose Parade, Punch and Judy, Angeles, 2:45 AM, My New Freedom - Live, Pictures of Me - Live, I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out, I Figured You Out, Bottle Up and Explode - Alternate Version.

Gang of Four saw what was happening with the ever evolving musical landscape and thought "Maybe there shall be movement". Entertainment sees the band brandish their mission statement with intent and the urge to groove, with the angular spike of post-punk mingling with the funk flavors that flow through them. An essential album of the era and a statement only they could make. Favorites: Ether, Natural's Not In It, Not Great Men, Damaged Goods, I Found That Essence Rare, Contract, At Home He's a Tourist, Love Like Anthrax.

Unceremoniously and unfairly thrown away and underappreciated by the record buying public, No Other is Gene Clark's rightful masterpiece. This is the perfect example of letting it all hang out and letting your muses take you to your greatest potential. If only everyone had seen what Gene had seen and embraced this record for what it was and what it is; an incredible tapestry of sound that would have been weakened if left to lesser hands. The power of perfection, indeed.

When this album came up on the generator, I knew what rating I had to give it. A quintessential classic in the hip-hop genre and a all time classic album of the 90s. Being introduced to this record all those years ago whilst confused about my musical tips (hehe) was the push I needed to not only get into hip-hop but into jazz as well, as Tribe's cutting up, sampling and incorporating of various jazz legends (Ron Carter is on the bass!) does more than the work necessary and required for the album. From the 91 decade to the 2000 decade and beyond, The Low End Theory remains a significant part of the Tribe lore and one of the greatest albums of all time.

On their way to see the light, The Velvet Underground had found a way forward, however short-lived. On their third, perhaps most straightforward, outing Lou, Sterling, Moe and new recruit Doug Yule shed the skin of their avant-garde, Warholian past and began to paint their corners into somewhat brighter colors (thus, this being The Gray Album). Gone were the transgressive songs about prostitutes, drug users and dealers, grisly deaths via well intended acts of love and sucking on ding-dongs. What we're dealing with here is a set of songs whose most shocking attribute is that you can hum to them; that it's accessible and approachable. That it didn't tilt the world on its axis, as most VU records didn't, is mostly the worlds' fault; as it always is. But maybe it's best that it didn't, that it didn't garner the infamy that the first record did. Maybe it's better that way? It's quite loaded but there are plenty of people that feel the same as me.

With a mixture of short tales and epic tomes, Red Headed Stranger is a exploration of infidelity, murder and desertion in a manner made sparsely and simply that can only benefit Shotgun Willie; any minute longer and it would have been sabotage. It is not surprising to know how this became a beloved album in Willie's canon and an enduring hallmark in country. The complex feelings of the outlaw, encapsulated by the songs that expresses his feelings that flowed through his heart; a tale as old and well told as time.

1976 was a weird place, musically; disco was tightening its grip, punk was an inconceivable thought, hip-hop was still in its nascent phase and the lone rock representative to conquer the world was a guitar player with dashing good looks that, after many trials and errors, gave us an album that was a greatest hits album in live performance mode. It had to be Peter, for Frampton Comes Alive! is the perfect capsule into who and what he stands for as a musician. Deep cuts and pop gems combine to make a tantalizing package that leaves little to the imagination when it came to its slow but eventual dominance. Favorites: Doobie Wah, Show Me the Way, It's a Plain Shame, All I Want to Be (Is By Your Side), Baby, I Love Your Way, I Wanna Go to the Sun, (I'll Give You) Money, Do You Feel Like We Do.

For a short period of time, everything Otis Redding did was perfect. Regardless of the song topics that occupied an album titled Otis Blue, the music within it is some of the more boisterous and euphoric of the entire mid to late era of Sixties soul. From the track that held the key to Aretha's longevity to the honored yet wholly redefined covers of already bonafide classics as well as songs that can guarantee a movement or two on kitchen floors, Otis Blue seems as though it were a misnomer yet it is indicative of what we, sadly, briefly had to bare witness when it came to the overwhelming power of the man himself.

From the slums of Shaolin, Wu-Tang Clan's back again. The RZA, the GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, U-God, Ghostface Killah and the Method Man.... a seismic shift occurred in hip-hop when the Killa Bees were on the swarm. We've seen solo rappers, duos, trios and quartets but never a ennead. Nine hungry dudes, some of whom were burned by the industry beforehand, storming through with innovative soul samples, endless nods to kung-fu movies of the 70s and a keen eye out for the the bigger picture. One of the most consequential, influential and greatest albums ever.

It is, perhaps, the most appropriate introduction of perhaps the four most important contributors to the rock genre of the upcoming decade. Whereas John, Paul, George and Ringo were winding down, Robert, Jimmy, John Paul and John usurped the mantle and, along the way, became the standard bearers of a multitude of genres that would be refined and perfected; at times by them too. This is where it all begins and what all the fuss is about. A perfect blend of blues, hard rock and folk that caused an explosion not unlike one on the album cover. Tremendous!

PJ Harvey, rock trio and PJ Harvey, rock goddess, barreled through the senses with reckless abandon on this epochal debut. Thirty years on and this is still a searing, full on showcase for who would become one of the more chameleonic and captivating musicians of her era. No wonder why she thought this would be her only album and dared to go all out. May I say that the gambit worked pretty damn well.

The thrill of it all is just so overwhelming. It came out of the blue, my enjoyment of this record. I cannot rate this from anything between three and nine. There was no way they would have stopped their prior triptych but they did. It was bittersweet knowing that it had to end, for Country Life made this casanova had a really good time and I ended up feeling as though I were a prairie rose. I would be more than happy to tell one of the ladies on the cover that "all I want is you", even if it takes all night.

Indian representation had a fleeting thing in the British music scene since the 60s yet hardly any Indians were making waves that could be considered equals to the groups that were poaching their sounds. That's were Cornership come in. Their 1997 masterstroke When I Was Born for the 7th Time sees them rise up to the now 60s fawning Britpop gauntlet and not only turn it on its head but give it new textures and shapes unmistakable in its originality. They cap it off with a faithful cover of a song that kickstarted the raga influenced craze of decades before. Hopefully people would familiarize themselves with this album when they get ahold of it, it's worth it. It'll make you feel born for the 7th time.

A modest effort from a band on the way towards greatness. Despite teetering off towards the end, The Seldom Seen Kid has plenty of gems throughout. Kind of front loaded with memorable songs but those songs are worthwhile. Seek this one out when you can. Favorites: Starlings, The Bones of You, Mirrorball, Grounds for Divorce, Weather to Fly, The Fix, One Day Like This.

My first exposure to Gil Scott-Heron was on the documentary about Weather Underground, as Winter in America soundtracked the downfall of the movement and its ideals as the 70s progressed. And while the song isn't featured on the album, the titular project isn't lacking in interesting soundscapes. As much of it is Gil's album, the backbone of it is Brian Jackson, who serves as the integral piece of the Scott-Heron puzzle and whose absence from the eventual later records becomes too pronounced. But here the duo are operating at the peak of their powers and it is a pretty solid album to dive into. Favorites: Rivers of My Fathers, Back Home, The Bottle, Your Daddy Loves You, H20 Gate Blues.

The only album truly recorded in Berlin, "Heroes" is David Bowie at his most inspired and inspiring. From hopeful lovers up against the wall to denizens of a bygone film era, leading us down the road of Krautrock inspired instrumentals that forecasted the ambient wave that would soon come, there's a reason why "Heroes" remains amongst Bowie's absolute greatest efforts. There's Old Wave, There's New Wave and there's....

Coming across this album, I had low expectations. Turns out I was plenty surprised by how consistent the band were throughout. It's not the greatest album in the world but Incubus did good with what they had to offer. Never judge a book by its cover, I guess! Favorites: Privilege, Nowhere Fast, Consequence, The Warmth, Make Yourself, Drive, I Miss You.

If John Lennon thinks your milk is safe enough to be placed on his fridge doors, then it's good enough for the rest of us. Safe as Milk provides a plentiful introduction into the madness that occupied the brain of one Don Van Vliet; a madness that would coagulate into creating one of the most infamous albums ever recorded. But that had yet to be seen as this album fits into neat pockets of R&B musings and fledgling psychedelic rock, showcasing that the Magic Band can remain in the game while being simultaneously out of it. This milk is safe enough for me. Favorites: Sure 'Nuff 'n' Yes, I Do, Zig Zag Wanderer, Call on Me, I'm Glad, Abba Zaba, Where There's Woman, Grown So Ugly, Autumn Child, Safe as Milk - Take 5, On Tomorrow, Trust Us - Take 9.

Wilco! The story of one of America's premier 21st Century bands begins at earnest with this once single album priced double album and no corner is left untouched, making the best out of their adopted scenario. At times it can be sprawling and a bit bloated for it's own good but, when one has the gumption to let the world know of their abilities, just being there will be worth it. Favorites: Misunderstood, Far, Far Away, Outtasite (Outta Mind), I Got You (At the End of the Century), What the World Got in Store, Say You Miss Me, Sunken Treasure, Outta Mind (Outta Sight), Kingpin, Why Would You Wanna Live, Dreamer in My Dreams.

About time I come across the 'Kast and what an album to listen to! A confirmation of their peak as well as the beginning of the end, these two solo albums rolled into one album is Outkast flexing the biggest flex they can and flaunting capabilities either anticipated or unexpected. One may like Speakerboxxx more than they like The Love Below and vice versa but what is certain is that this is Outkast at their most culturally powerful and they chose the perfect moment to bow out. Speakerboxxx: full listen. The Love Below: Love Hater, Happy Valentine's Day, Spread, Prototype, She Lives in My Lap, Hey Ya!, Roses, Behold a Lady, Love in War, My Favorite Things, Vibrate, A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre (Incomplete).

From band name on down, Dead Kennedys thrive on confrontation. How apt is it that their battleground would be 1980s California, the once home of a former acting couple that governed the state and who would soon be President and First Lady. Not only them, but targets would include authority figures of all kind and all corners would be fought in the way only the band would fight. Fresh fruit for rotting vegetables indeed. Favorites: Kill the Poor, Let's Lynch the Landlord, Drug Me, Your Emotions, Chemical Warfare, California Uber Alles, I Kill Children, Holiday in Cambodia, Kill the Poor (single version).

A cornerstone in psychedelic rock of the mid to late Sixties, Surrealistic Pillow is Jefferson Airplane at its most indelible. With a hard edged sound mixed with folkish tendencies, it is hard to envision 1967 without this album and it is hard to imagine the Airplane without this album in their repertoire. Perhaps one of the plenty examples of what defined the oft-cited and pined after Summer of Love, this is a great spectacle to behold. Favorites: She Has Funny Cars, Somebody to Love, Today, 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds, How Do You Feel, Embryonic Journey, White Rabbit, Plastic Fantastic Lover.

Four combustible egos combine to craft an album of the ages that served to embody the times; a generational work showcasing stars both past, then-present and future tense and a chronicle of what was and will never be again. Favorites: Carry On, Helpless, Woodstock, Déjà Vu, Our House, 4+20.

If I would find a way to be speechless when it comes to describing an album, I would be. But I can't. I can see why this is the most heralded album in the history of music, not just of its genre. An essential peak of a monumental career, with players as essential as the music contained who would go on to make legendary albums in their own right. No wonder why Miles wouldn't make diminishing returns of this sound for eternity, for he had new terrain to roam and bigger fish to fry. 1959, what an incredible year.

It is best that you are maintaining focus while listening to this album, because once distraction can throw you off balance and it'll take some time to get back in the thick of things. This is Public Enemy at the absolute peak of their powers creatively and culturally, with Fear of a Black Planet being their most audacious, inventive, innovative, dense, confrontational and controversial. It is not a stretch to suggest that this is hip-hop's Sgt. Pepper, laced with the kind of social commentary that not only defined the 90s but of the present day. One would be a fool and not feel a heavy chest and chills down the spine in regards to the album's title, for that fear still persists. Favorites: Brothers Gonna Work It Out, 911 is a Joke, Welcome to the Terrordome, Meet the G That Killed Me, Burn Hollywood Burn, Who Stole the Soul?, Fear of a Black Planet, Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya, Man, B Side Wins Again, Fight the Power.

Tom Waits' voice is not for the fainthearted but, when one comes to terms with it, it can lead to some pretty drastic reconsideration. On Heartattack and Vine, there are several moments of upturned expectations when it comes to the songs that seem to not bring about greatness; yet when Tom belts with the passion and conviction, it's those two things that sends the songs into a place the listener doesn't expect them to be, like with Downtown, Jersey Girl and On the Nickel. Tom Waits is an acquired taste and may not be for everyone but, when he gets his hooks onto you, it's a enthralling ride.

Mott the Hoople in the game of life.... yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.... in all seriousness, this is some stellar stuff and way more than I was anticipating. Whether this was at the zenith of the glam rock zeitgeist or at the beginning of the end, Mott is pure glamorous swagger throughout, from album cover on down. Don't dismiss the more soulful songs that are on the album too, Hymn for the Dudes and Ballad of Mott the Hoople!

Without Run-D.M.C., hip-hop would probably never reach the heights it eventually would and it all starts with this album. With minimalist beat blasting from one of the genre's finest ever DJs (R.I.P. Jam Master Jay), a venture into rock that serves as a precursor for grander statements and the everlasting chemistry of the group's namesakes, this debut is proof that hip-hop has the ability to scale greater heights. Favorites: Hard Times, Rock Box, Jam Master Jay, Hollis Crew, It's Like That, Wake Up.

For my money, the greatest album of the 90s. This is where that decade began in earnest. No more outlandishly voluminous hair with spandex and girly looks, it's time to get real and get gritty. Sure, it sounds polished but it's the sound of a generation ready for a revolution. And this is the band to entertain them and us from beyond. I wish there would be more for me to say but oh well... whatever, nevermind.

Whether they were Irish or not Irish, The Pogues place their hearts on their sleeves with this aptly titled album, where the band and their layout are on full display with unmistakable passion and conviction that serves to overturn any negativity that dares to step forward. Favorites: The Old Main Drag, Wild Cats of Kilkenny, I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day, A Pair of Brown Eyes, Jesse James, Billy's Bones, The Band Played Waltzing Matilda.

This is the stuff that future Pulitzer Prizes are made of. Often hilarious, bleak and just plain exhilarating, good kid, m.A.A.d city sees King Kunta approach the genesis of his ascension to the top of the rap throne with all the confidence of his then youthful ability. Hard to believe that we are nearing ten years of listening to this m.A.A.d brilliance. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Did he put enough work in? Not just yes but there will be much more to come.

A most disarming collection of then-lesser known material and deep cuts; a brilliant subversion of a format that was at its peak, Unplugged in New York stands as Nirvana's final statement prior to the death of Kurt Cobain as they go about highlighting bands and artists integral to their sound and forgoing the hits for paths less paved, leaving a tantalizing glimpse into what could have been had they continued on.

Goddamn, this noise inside Trent's head. The first of his soon to be many magnum opuses, The Downward Spiral has become something of a vessel whose blood still flows with increasing speed nearly thirty years after its release. Regardless of the place that housed its gestation, shock over some of the lyrical features of the songs contained and the surprising grip it held over some of America's most revered musicians, this was the beginning of a bountiful road for Trent Reznor as he rose from respectable industrialist to one of the most acclaimed composers of our time.

In the aftermath of the Tropicália movement came a sprawling yet consequential album that helped the Brazilian music scene remain fresh and forward-looking. For Clube da Esquina, and its iconic album cover, vividly captures the imaginations of Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges and ensures that they are also worthy of consideration after the wildly creative deluge (and forced defections) of Velsoso, Gil, Costa, Zé, et al. It may feel overlong at points and the language barrier is insurmountable but this is still essential listening regardless.

Oh boy... here we go... My perspective of The Eagles has largely been based on negative opinions from music fans. Maybe it was their omnipresent hold on the psyche of the culture and their admittedly surprising accolades and achievements and the cantankerous nature of the band members towards themselves and later musicians who would attempt to interpolate their sounds with theirs; to make a long story short, The Eagles aren't seen as cool. So, in coming across this album, I was expecting something of a farce; a confirmation of the preconceived notions of blandness and overratedness. I was wrong. This album is great. Sure some of the foreign yet familiar songs threatens to make the album teeter towards the emergent dad rock that'll come but, thankfully, that doesn't happen and what I came across was an album that wore its aesthetic and influences on its sleeve (the Dillard & Clark cover was a pleasant surprise) and pinpointed its intentions for future success. Cosmic country posers or not, The Eagles couldn't be denied on their first go around. Put down all preconceptions and give this a try.

The legendary first album from the band started by the brothers whose last name lends the band's identity is a whole blast of fun throughout its thirty-five minutes, unrelenting in its debt to the hard rock that fuses together soon to be touchstones and honorable covers of already classic standards. No wonder why the David Lee Roth era is fondly beloved by fans and it all starts here. Favorites: Runnin' With the Devil, You Really Got Me, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, I'm the One, Jamie's Cryin', Feel Your Love Tonight, Ice Cream Man.

Blending jazz influenced hip-hop with Parisian charm, MC Solaar's Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo is a throughly engaging effort that would fit in seamlessly with the equally jazz indebted sounds of Gang Starr and A Tribe Called Quest. A vibe that remains consistent throughout its fifty-two minutes, Qui sème le vent... is a under-heralded 90s classic outside of France. Do seek this out. Favorites: Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo, Matière grasse contre matière grise, Armand est mort, Quartier nord, Caroline, Bouge de là (Pts 1 & 2), Ragga Jam.

Moving with cinematic precision, Portishead's Third (and, so far, latest) album pulsates with ever intriguing and fascinating moments. The Bristol trio keeps things going as they turn towards new sounds unlike any they've come across before, thus shedding their trip-hop skin yet maintaining their identity. Favorites: Silence, Nylon Smile, The Rip, Machine Gun, Small, Magic Doors, Threads.

"It makes you sick listening to this rubbish now.... Bob Dylan was a bastard in the second half." The wild mercury sound that hit the tips of the tongues of those who were not amused by Bob Dylan's full blown affair with rock and roll must have been beyond too much for them, as the man who was positioned to be the spokesman for his generation not only turned inward but became strung out and strange in the process. What was concession and halfassed compliance in the first half soon turned into a battering ram of ferocious velocity that was the "bastard" in the second half. These times were not only tumultuous but significant, as it was a document of what the worlds of folk and rock were and were about to become in the year 1966, and there was only one voice to tell those how it was going to be. The only question that remained was: Would you let him follow you down?

Despite my score for this album, I chose not to listen to it as an indictment of what and who Kanye has become as of late. The act of separating the art from the artist is an increasingly blurry line, given that the art the artist provides us all with has helped enrich our lives for the better and gives us meaning to which we shall adhere to; and Kanye has done that for close to twenty years of his career, which makes his trajectory into the MAGA hat donning, White Lives Matter shirt wearing anti-Semite that he has become all the more saddening. There is no way, no way in which the current Kanye and this Kanye are the same guy. The College Dropout Kanye was someone whom we all saw as being part of us, someone who did not adhere to what was the status quo of hip-hop at the time. Someone who made us feel okay with wearing polo shirts and backpacks and being a mama's boy. In spite of the seeds of his megalomania sprouting and spreading, he kept his toes on the ground and stayed a relatable figure all the while changing the face of not just hip-hop but of music for the next decade. At this point, the old Kanye is pretty much gone and we might have to face the facts that this latest version of Kanye is going to end us all. Jokes on us, indeed.

Where does one go after Tommy? Facing indifference from audiences and managers alike in regard to the next step, Pete Townshend took one look into the future and decided to marry it with the now monolithic maximum rock The Who became known for. Who's Next is as appropriate of an album title as it is the next phase of the bands career. Everyone is firing on all cylinders; Roger Daltrey with his distinctive vocals, Keith Moon never not transcendent on the drum kit, John Entwistle being the reliable foundation on the bass and Pete being the visionary guide to see things through. It is not a stretch to say that The Who dominated 70s rock until the wheels fell off and, with Who's Next, it's impossible to see why not.

Infusing the virtuoso vocal performances of his father Tim and his own passionate yet gritty style, Jeff Buckley possessed a talent that was ready to take over when he unexpectedly died. Grace, the only album released in his lifetime, is the complete document of what could have been had he refined and perfected his style further. With the 1-2-3 punch of the first three tracks and the most consequential cover of a Leonard Cohen song ever, Grace was just the beginning of a story that never got the chance to be told.

After years of encountering songs from this album on various playlists, I get to hear this album in full. It was worth whatever preconceptions I had for it, which is to say is pretty good. As one of the many pillars of 80s left-on-the-dial rock, Dinosaur Jr. encapsulates the feeling that permeated the time before the early 90s boom and You're Living All Over Me stands as evidence of more innocent times. Favorites: Little Fury Things, Kracked, Sludgefeast, The Lung, In a Jar, Lose.

When you're the son of one of the most revolutionary musicians of the second half of the 20th Century, it's best to be aware of the massive sized shoes that would hopefully be filled but Femi Kuti's self-titled does all that and then some. Bringing, and refining, his father's penchant for lengthy jams about societal and personal issues into the 90s (atrocious album cover aside), this over an hour long collection gives the listener an understanding of who Femi is and what he could be capable of, regardless of the knowledge of who preceded him. The songs may be long but the grooves are undeniable and the pedigree beyond worthwhile.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a strange title for an album, given that it's not only a symbol for the promised land but the pinnacle of Elton John's creative and commercial streak in the 70s. It had to be huge, it had to be bombastic, it had to be yearning for the plights of those who didn't have things easy. Sure, he would go on to achieve a few more smashes before things started to go haywire but Goodbye Yellow Brick Road served as the moment where Elton can firmly place his name in the hat amongst those who came before him and establish himself as a legend in the process.

It's quite hard to think that, when this came out, the detractors came through with full force. Two albums of tectonic plate shifting, blues-indebted rock and roll could have enabled Led Zeppelin to head down that route forever, with no changes to be expect. Instead, they decided to hunker down and seek new sounds. And all the better for it. What was a good indication of the same ol' same ol' later turns into a tapestry of often wonderous tunes that leaves one wondering how they'd become capable of making such music. Without this, we probably wouldn't have had IV or Houses of the Holy or any other Zeppelin albums that came after it. Loving Led Zeppelin III? Well, that's the way.

The final missive of a man before he heads off into the dark side, Me Against the World is 2Pac at his most introspective and reflective. He knows that his time is limited (only a year and some change before his death) and he's taking his time planting his footprint into hip-hop, crafting some of the most enduring and (at times) endearing tracks in the genre's history. The snarl and cynicism that is prevalent feels foreboding in its anticipatory nature, given what's to come later and it makes the balance of this album intriguing. The world may have been against him when he was alive, but that very world will soon see how it benefited having him in it. Favorites: if I Die 2Nite, Me Against the World, So Many Tears, Temptations, Young Niggaz, Dear Mama, It Ain't Easy, Can U Get Away, Death Around the Corner, Outlaw.

In the midst of band upheaval and turmoil, The Byrds churned out one of their two classic albums of 1968, starting with this notorious set of songs. Featuring one of the first forays into the Moog synthesizer, along with their typical folk-rock excursions and Indian ragas melding with topics on threesomes and all. A very intriguing set that doesn't leave any crumbs for what may come later, but still worth the time. Favorites: Artificial Energy, Goin' Back, Draft Morning, Wasn't Born to Follow, Old John Robinson, Tribal Gathering, Moon Raga, Triad.

With arms swinging right out the gate, Alice in Chains brings us to a hell unfathomable and unceasingly catastrophic with this grunge masterpiece. It is not hard to understand why this is frequently heralded as a classic of its era and beyond, what with very few concessions to the mainstream and a neverending quest to delve deep into the grotesque centers that they've become very accustomed to. A 1990s cornerstone and a essential listen.

Taking cues from the most hedonistic of 70s hard rock, Superunknown is Soundgarden at their most evolved stage. Trudging and pummeling, whilst keeping their guards slightly down, this over an hour long work remains as compelling today as it did when it came out, ensuring that grunge's time in the spotlight would be ongoing despite happenings that thought otherwise. Favorites: Let Me Drown, My Wave, Fell on Black Days, Superunknown, Head Down, Black Hole Sun, Spoonman, Limo Wreck, The Day I Tried to Live, Fresh Tendrils, 4th of July.

Despite straddling the line between authenticity and accessibility, Jurassic 5 maintain the quality control that made them household names with Power in Numbers, perhaps the most apt description of their overall appearance and talents. Some of their guests (Big Daddy Kane, Kool Keith and Nelly Furtado) do not sound out of place amongst them and are often elevated due to the 5's rhyming prowess and brilliance and ability to conjure up one earworm after another. Pretty stellar stuff. Favorites: Freedom, If You Only Knew, Break, React, A Day at the Races, What's Golden, Thin Line, After School Special, Sum of Us, One of Them, Hey, I Am Somebody.

First half of this positively rips and the second half trails off a bit but, overall, ZZ Top's immersion into the popular consciousness can be considered a success, with some of the most ubiquitous songs on here still maintaining their kicks and the other tracks getting a shine. Risks do end up turning into rewards after all. Favorites: Gimme All Your Lovin', Got Me Under Pressure, Sharp Dressed Man, I Need You Tonight, Legs, TV Dinners.

With arms outstretched like a ghost from blues' past, John Lee Hooker gets into the collaborative spirit with The Healer. While some collabs work more than others, this album ultimately gets the job done in letting Hooker do what he does best, which is demonstrating the blues and allowing his legendary talent to shine through. Favorites: I'm in the Mood, Baby Lee, Think Twice Before You Go, Sally Mae, Rockin' Chair, My Dream.

A twee masterpiece from one of Scotland's more supreme bands. They don't come fully formed these days, an aesthetic that is assured and automatically iconic from the moment eyes were lain on them. Of course, Belle & Sebastian's music is the focal point (and always will be, they would get better and better) and they provide taut and sophisticated songs that would form the backbone of a influential indie scene.

Before they journeyed down through the suburbs, reflecting on their statuses whilst questioning the pervasive consequences of technology on life, love, society and families, Arcade Fire were looking down the neon bible, plotting one foot in the mainstream and one foot out of the increasingly acknowledged indie world. In an age where earnest, bombastic rock was seen with a sneer and some eye rolling, Neon Bible sees the band unapologetically wear their hearts on their sleeves and make the move to become the most ambitious band of their generation. Could either be the peak of the bands career or the near-peak.

From the other side of the coin that was the druggy decadence of the Aquarian dream, The Stooges hit the nail on the head of the increasingly artful, psychedelic style of rock, reveling in the blood oozing from the temple and dancing around it. With its tapestry of proto-punk freakouts and drone influenced meditations, this debut from four Detroit kids served as the catalyst of what would become of downright dirty rock and roll in the coming decades, being as prescient in this day and age as it did back in 1969.

With At San Quentin, Johnny Cash zeroes in on a newfound, unexpected second wind in his career, seeing himself elevated as a sage and a seer amongst the downtrodden weary souls discarded by life. Along with The Carter Family, Carl Perkins and The Statler Brothers, the Man in Black indulges the prisoners (and us) with some of country music's most enduring and popular songs, mixing it up with contemporary dwellings from Shel Silverstein and Bob Dylan. Whether listening to the original single album version or the Legacy edition, this is about as full of an live experience as we could possibly get and we'd be much worse off if none of this happened.

The fresh start after the initial fresh start, Paul Simon shows the music world how unencumbered he has become with these observational, nostalgic songs that not only continue the skills honed prior but expands and refines it. Only onwards and upwards from here for Rhymin' Simon. Favorites: Duncan, Run That Body Down, Armistice Day, Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, Peace Like a River, Papa Hobo, Congratulations.

Awash with political overtones and instrumentation indebted to the mid-80s, Infected is The The is the band at their most straightforward and to the point. While not as epochal as their debut, there are still moments where you are reminded of why The The were one of the more underrated and fascinating bands of their era. Not too long and full of noteworthy bangers, seek it out. Favorites: Infected, Heartland, Angel's of Deception, Slow Train to Dawn, The Mercy Seat.

"Maureen's got five sisters, they all got ass. One of them has eyes as big as Jolly Ranchers. Beautiful girl, she's a beautiful girl. Mhm." To say this album was foundational to my understanding and eventual love for hip-hop would be an understatement. For a little over an hour, DJ Shadow crafted a atmosphere that weaved quotes from television shows and obscure films with the trip-hop and downbeat/breakbeat sounds that were popular for the time. Even twenty-five plus years on, Endtroducing..... remains a pivotal moment in a time where hip-hop was not just fractured amongst territorial forces but also commercially motivated for crossover appeal. A sensational turning up the nose and a magnificent tribute to what once was.

I've been trying to come up with something in regards to Definitely Maybe but, what more can be said about this? A perfect storm of Mancunian circumstances that was ready to torpedo any and everything that moved, regardless of whether or not one was ready. A vastly different facet of Britpop that cared less about post-punk/new wave reminiscing and more about pummeling, piledriving good old fashioned rock and roll, Oasis were ready to pick up a new baton for those who were more inclined to having a good time and forgetting your ills. One of the greatest albums of the 90s? Oh, definitely maybe.

For a time, CTRL seemed primed to become The Miseducation of our generation; in that, with one mission statement, SZA had the culture at the palm of her hand, signaling that she was the one in the driving seat (it didn't hurt that her label mate Kendrick was also there, along with a few other passengers...) taking us where we needed to go. The near fifty or so minutes of this masterwork is the epitome of 2017, yet another highmark for Black female musicians offering tantalizing and beyond valuable music that speaks for themselves and for the listeners who will keep flocking to it (and have been) in the present and near future. Bring on the new album... whenever that may be!

A respectable collection of songs that live up to the cohesion of genres represented here and the blueprint for what became the bossa nova craze. Favorites: Desafinado, Samba Triste, Samba de Uma Nota Só, Bahia.

A brief, breezy and energetic album from one of Africa's finest musicians of the late 20th Century, packed to the brim with a neverending barrage of synths fusing with Afrobeat. It doesn't overstay its welcome and deserving of further attention. Favorites: Taaw, Immigrés.

A throughly enjoyable, rocking set that doesn't overstay its welcome and leaves plenty of marks along the way, with one foot out the grunge door and another foot in the post-grunge one. A pity this was the last one, for they could have done greater albums if they went down this route. Favorites: All I Know, Look at You, Dying Days, Sworn and Broken, Traveller, Gospel Plow.

Approaching death's door, The Man in Black showed us the beauty in finality with the fourth installment of what brought his name back to legendary status, giving us his interpretations of modern classics and having them be shown in a whole new light, thus forever changing how they'd be perceived by those who wouldn't take a second look beyond the first. A hell of a way to go out.

With horns and and exuberance aplenty, this sophisticated early 80s pop album from Haircut 100 is a mighty fine collection that not only captures the British music scene before the full blown invasion of the synths, but it shimmers and radiates with all the youthful optimism that was captured. One of the more accomplished yet underrated albums/bands of the era. Favorites: Favorite Shirt (Boy Meets Girl), Love Plus One, Lemon Firebrigade, Milk Film, Fantastic Day, Love's Got Me in Triangles, Surprise Me Again, Boat Party.

Quite surprised to know that this was Steve's debut album, for this feels and sounds as worn and lived out as many lives. A sign of things to come, as the saying goes. Short, sweet and solid. Favorites: Guitar Town, Goodbye's All We've Got Left, Hillbilly Highway, My Old Friend the Blues, Someday, Fearless Heart, Little Rock 'n' Roller.

It was time to put away the surfboards, for the time being anyway. Today! was Brian Wilson fleshing out ideas and soundscapes that would soon engulf his psyche and end up changing the course of music forever. Despite the songs being taut, it is packed with intent for a different kind of listening experience; songs for the interior space as opposed to the beaches that were once roamed and eternally romanticized. Today! is the blueprint for what was to come. Do not skip out.

From the first note to the last, Hot Fuss commands one's attention, maintaining its grip for eternity with a song that, to this day, is The Killers' signature song. That doesn't mean that every other song is lacking, with Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, Somebody Told Me and All These Things That I've Done being highlights in particular. Hot Fuss was an album that came at a formative yet increasingly dimly lit time and gave us one more band to take notice of. Favorites: Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, Mr. Brightside, Somebody Told Me, All These Things That I've Done, Believe Me Natalie, Midnight Show, Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll.

Amongst the first to arrive to the nascent grunge movement, Ten was the beginning of Pearl Jam's ascent to a ongoing acknowledgment from supposedly opportunistic vultures to the natural successors of the classic rock icons they've always looked up to. From start to finish, the album refuses to let up with the intensity brought by Eddie Vedder's vocals and storytelling lyricism and the musical contributions of Stone Gossard, Mike McCready and others; lighting up a slow fuse that would soon ignite into one of the most ferocious and consequential of the 90s Seattle scene and beyond.

Finding Kenza on streaming services proved elusive, so I listened to Khaled's self titled album from 1991. It's around fifty minutes of hip-hop and dance infused Arabian music that leaves no stone unturned in regards to listenable grooves that are provided. Favorite songs include Didi, Ragda, El Ghathi, Braya and Ne m'en voulez pas.

Many of the hallmarks that made Loretta Lynn one of country music's most beloved singer/songwriter's is out on full display in this short and sweet album. Coming out the gate swinging with a heed and a warning to those who are too inebriated for a little action, Loretta keeps the momentum running with tales that delve into any topic that's worth singing: love, heartbreak, cheating, sinning, a good night out; you name it, she's got it down. Loretta Lynn shall be missed. Favorites: Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind), Tomorrow Never Comes, The Shoe Goes on the Other Foot Tonight, The Devil Gets His Due, Makin' Plans, I Got Caught.

There is such a thing as 1D chess, 2D chess, 3D and 4D most well known. But The Byrds were out here playing 5D chess, way back in 1966! From beyond far out, they proved themselves to be less interpreters of the increasingly mercurial Dylan but as the more consistent American rock band of their age (Beach Boys notwithstanding), giving us indelible gems that not only became emblematic of their era but also stood the test of time. Fifth Dimension is an important step forward.

It was in late 2015 when I heard that David Bowie was premiering a video for his newest song in various cinemas. I took my Mom to what had become rare trips to Brooklyn where we saw a ten minute video for Blackstar. We thought of it as an intriguing experience, yet another artistic achievement from someone whose not known for resting on his laurels; a further confirmation of his ongoing brilliance and ability to keep us wanting more and giving more. Only we didn't know that this was to be the last album he'd release in his lifetime.... Of course we'd all know about the fallout of his unexpected death and the outpouring of grief that came with it and is still coming and I find it utterly fascinating that he'd leave us with something that encapsulates where he was willing to go in spite of impending death; an uncompromising stance of forward-thinking forays into avant-jazz and ruminations of his life with knowing nods to his sterling legacy. The last works of artists being the thing that would define them as much as any other in their repertoire is nothing new, it's been here forever, but Blackstar gave new credence to such statements; that of the established artist who is still looking for newer terrain and, in the process, furnishes a different land than what was before. It probably set off the motions of not only what would the year the album came out would entail but the unprecedented kind of love, adoration and admiration that Bowie would receive after death in the way that he would have had in life, but on a vastly different scale. It would probably be no surprise to see this album as one of those good starting points for David in the way that Hunky Dory or Ziggy Stardust or Let's Dance is and perhaps rightly so, for it remains a spellbinding listening experience, knowing what is known now. He really made the grade.

The landscape was about to change rapidly in 1994 and I bet that no one had counted The Offspring to be a part of it. As one door closed, they had burst the other one open with this ceaselessly fun breakthrough album, thus cementing themselves (however briefly) as the vanguard of pop punk. Favorites: Nitro (Youth Energy), Bad Habit, Something to Believe In, Come Out and Play, Self Esteem, Killjoy Powerhead, What Happened to You?, Smash w/hidden track

Before she was commanding audiences and scenes on the silver screen, Queen Latifah was commanding the microphone and audiences on wax. Her appropriately apt All Hail the Queen is the most perfect document of a time period where women were beginning to experience their rocky ascent up the rap ladder after years of stop/start trajectories. Queen Latifah more than holds her own, this is her album after all, weaving back and forth between rap, house and dub reggae with the likes of De La Soul, Daddy-O from Stetsasonic and Monie Love; a very worthy addition to the rap canon. Favorites: Dance for Me, Come Into My House, Latifah's Law, Wrath of My Madness, The Pros, Ladies First, A King and Queen Creation, Inside Out.

In defiance of the oncoming psychedelic style that would soon infiltrate rock and roll (regardless of album art), The Kinks burrowed deep into a new terrain of composing and songwriting with Face to Face, a consistent collection of material that would prove to become the catalyst for much more ambitious albums that would transform the band thoroughly and laying the groundwork for future bands and artists in the decades to come. Favorites: Party Line, Rosy Won't You Please Come Home, Dandy, Session Man, Rainy Day in June, A House in the Country, Holiday in Waikiki, Most Exclusive Residence for Sale, Little Miss Queen of Darkness, Sunny Afternoon.

For most, the sound of 2011, 21 captures Adele solidifying into a formidable household name of the industry, capturing hearts and minds with songs that could have been sung in another time period; such was the well worn feel of the music and feelings expressed on this epochal album. For an album called 21, it sounds beyond its years. Favorites: Rolling in the Deep, Rumour Has It, Turning Tables, Set Fire to the Rain, I'll Be Waiting, Someone Like You.

Screamadelica came along at an interesting time. When Madchester and the Summer of Love '89 Redux gave way to dwindling fortunes and diminishing returns, Primal Scream came out with a snapshot of their transformation from twee C86 inspired rockers to paint-splattered ecstacy riddled hedonists. Gospel infused rockers, ambient dub fusions, reinterpretations of 60s psych rock classics and bombastic declarations of feeling are brilliantly displayed throughout a triumphant hour. Their most popular and important record by a long mile, this remains their magnum opus and endlessly listenable from start to finish.

A bombastic showcase of the orchestrated sophisticated pop of the early 80s from the band that starts with the first three letters of the alphabet. Beginning with proclamations and ending with a collage of album tracks as though it were the end credits, The Lexicon of Love ebbs and flows as though it were a movie. Pretty good album all around. Favorites: Show Me, Poison Arrow, Many Happy Returns, Tears Are Not Enough, The Look of Love (Pt. 1), All of My Heart, 4 Ever 2 Gether.

The notion of selling out (a frequent topic of the 90s) was given the final nail in the coffin with Moby's Play, the soundtrack of a million commercials and movie sequences. A farewell that turned into a celebratory affair filled with riches and notoriety, Play is as apt of an album title as possible, with album cover to match. Not only danceable but reflective and emotive to boot. Favorites: Honey, Find My Baby, Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, South Side, Bodyrock, Natural Blues, Run On, If Things Were Perfect, The Sky is Broken.

For a duo fresh out of the imperial phase, Pet Shop Boys sure do have a knack for remaining dignified and composed as opposed to looking in complete shambles. Behaviour is Chris and Neil at their most reflective, their most vulnerable and their most (for lack of a better term) mature. Remaining as ambitiously baroque as ever, but with loss and melancholy on their tails, the duo would enter the 90s not as kings of their field but as astute observers of an increasingly changing landscape. Favorites: Being Boring, This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave, To Face the Truth, How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?, So Hard, Nervously, Jealousy.

With this apocalyptic album, Killing Joke become anything but as they, with an industrial post-punk sendup, provide the blueprint for what would become a defining sound for various inspired bands of the late 80s and early 90s. Favorites: Requiem, Wardance, Bloodsport, Complications, S.O.36, Change.

Lou Reed isn't one to placate the listener's imagination. As the Bowie sprinkled, roughed up glam of Transformer became the de-facto go-to album, one would assume that he would gain more momentum by ploughing the same field and reaping more plentiful results. That's not how he worked. He made Berlin instead. Centering on the doomed couple Jim and Caroline, peaking at the harrowing and heartbreaking one-two punch of The Kids and The Bed, this uncompromising study of hopeless love is Lou at his most unforgiving and yet most empathetic. To hell with this not being what anyone wanting to hear in 1973, it is still gripping, unsettling and unrelenting almost fifty years on. Oh, what a feeling.

It's hard not to be sad when one thinks of what Amy Winehouse could have been. Had she not been caught up in the whirlwind of the sleazy and seedy underbellies that bellies stardom and fame. Had she not been pigeonholed into a idealism that celebrated debauchery and decadence and a downward path towards death. Seeing this album cover, and the music contained within it, is a reminder of who she was and what she was; a disciple of the jazz and hip-hop woven tapestry that enabled her to express herself in ways that felt real, that felt unencumbered by media expectations and fuckery, that felt... well, frank. A stark example of not knowing what we had until it was gone and not knowing what to do with it when we had it. She was an incredible talent who should still be making music today, who should still be alive today.

Hip-Hop was a rapidly mutating beast in the early 80s and this metamorphosis is depicted in this album, with its forays into late 70s funk, Kraftwerkesque electro and endearingly odd ballads dedicated to their idols. While these shifts are surprising, they don't hamper the album overall, as they are anchored by some of the most innovative songs in the genre, providing the backbone for what it would become and increasingly referenced in the decades that followed. Favorites: She's Fresh, It's Nasty, Scorpio, The Message, The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheel of Steel.

Coming out the gate running with a song that lampoons Southern tropes and frequently uses the N-word, Good Old Boys is Randy Newman at his most historical and illustrative; mapping out the South with his fascinating character studies and stories that would doubtless garner perspective from the listener. If one chooses to get past Rednecks, Good Old Boys will prove itself to be a gem worth hearing. Favorites: Rednecks, Birmingham, Marie, Guilty, Kingfish, Naked Man, A Wedding in Cherokee County, Back on My Feet Again.

Centered around a twenty minute opening salvo that combines glitchy electronica, ECM jazz and muted post-rock, Millions Now Living Will Never Die sees Tortoise take their place amongst the ever changing landscape of alternative rock (or whatever remained of it) and forging fertile ground in the process.

PJ Harvey had nothing more than good intentions on her mind when she wanted England to shake. Yet another masterwork from one of Dorset's finest, this gentle forward-thinking reminiscing of her home country unveils layers that showcased Polly Jean's unceasing need for musical and lyrical exploration; a kind of sound that would feel right at home along with the Canterbury music of the early 70s and more rustic folk corners. A classic. Favorites: Let England Shake, The Glorious Land, The Words That Maketh Murder, All & Everyone, On Battleship Hill, England, Hanging on the Wire, The Colour of the Earth, The Big Guns Called Me Back Again, Written on the Forehead.

ECM really brought the absolute best out of Keith Jarrett and The Köln Concert is the prime example of this. For over an hour, Keith brings the essence of jazz (and piano music) into its core emotional center, with expressive playing and the surprisingly high-spirited yelps emanating from Keith himself as he (and the audience) loses sense of self in the music. The perfect introduction to his many a recorded concerts.

Jay Z on a bad day and Shakespeare on a worse day, Little Simz allows us to explore her grey area and see what makes her tick. One of the most enigmatic rappers around today, she uses her thirty-five minutes wisely and without any intention to waste, getting her point across and passing further heights with her illustrative world building.

I read that this album saved Sub Pop from financial ruin. If so, then good on Mudhoney for not biting the big league bullet and staying loyal to the indie world. There could have been many different avenues that the band could have taken and many million selling albums to hang their hats on but EGBDF is evidence of the band being fine with where they were and being better off than most. Favorites: Good Enough, Something So Clear, Broken Hands, Who You Drivin' Now?, Shoot the Moon, Fuzz Gun '91, Don't Fade IV, Check-Out Time.

Chrissie Hynde got to live out most Anglophile's dream by putting together a band with British musicians and banging out an album full of out there phone calls, pop hooks, instrumental adventures and whatever suited their fancy. Not exactly pretending when it comes to conjuring up stellar statements, huh? Favorites: Precious, Tattooed Love Boys, Space Invader, Stop Your Sobbing, Private Life, Brass in Pocket, Mystery Achievement.

While not as immediate and groundbreaking as his prior efforts were, the muse that Curtis Mayfield willfully followed in this album provided him to continue dishing out wallops as hard hitting and rattling today as it did back in the year of its release. From first glimpse to final listen, There's No Place Like America Today remains a indictment of the reality that allows itself to plague hopes and perceptions. It's not for everyone yet, like most bitter pills, it needs to be digested in order to understand. Favorites: Billy Jack, When Seasons Change, Jesus, Hard Times.

"Peel slowly and see". Four words have never conjured up so much mystery, so much intrigue and so much mystique quite like those. When Andy Warhol stamped his name on an album cover that, belatedly, became one of the most iconic of the last half-century, it became both a blessing and a curse. For Lou, Moe, Sterling, John and Nico, it formed a whole world within forty-eight minutes; forty-eight minutes of which has served as the basis of a million other worlds that have turned on the world's axis ever since. And a world that, more or less, has come to define them for better or for worse. After this, Nico, Andy and John Cale would be gone and the VU painted themselves black, gray and bright colors that suggested organic and logical progressions that wouldn't have been possible had they stayed in The Factory. But, if they had, and this album never became known to the public, they might have been better off. Yet it'd be a travesty for us. European sons and femme fatales, may this be your mirror, your wife and your life; with your shiny shoes of leather, just run run run. Watch out, though, for the world is behind you and what costume shall you wear for all tomorrow's parties? Absolute classic.

Starting off with a classic like Freddie's Dead is a bold move and it would have been the most memorable part of Truth and Soul had the rest of the album been inessential. Thankfully, it isn't and Fishbone spend their time wisely providing us with their talent that proves the album's title to be apt. Favorites: Freddie's Dead, Ma and Pa, Pouring Rain, Bonin' in the Boneyard, One Day, Subliminal Fascism, Slow Bus Movin' (Howard Beach Party), Ghetto Soundwave.

After two albums of attempting to be Sheffield's answer to Kraftwerk, Philip Oakley and his Human League had to undergo dramatic changes (Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh leaving to form Heaven 17) and conjure up what would become one of the more defining synth-pop sounds of the early 80s and beyond. With Dare!, Human League not only revitalized itself but assimilated themselves into what would become the juggernaut of music consumption with the sound that could only be absorbed wholeheartedly by the crowd. These are the things that dreams are, indeed, made of. Favorites: The Things That Dreams Are Made Of, The Sound of the Crowd, Do or Die, I Am the Law, Seconds, Love Action (I Believe in Love), Don't You Want Me.

Rarely has solace been found when hitting rock bottom. It typically means one has approached the lowest ebb of life imaginable; a point where the point of no return has come upon them and seeks to immerse itself. That may have been the case for Robert Wyatt had he not seen the light that got him through the other side. Rock Bottom, for him, is the turning of a new leaf; a declaration of a new creative life that allows him to wander as freely as possible regardless of the physical limitations that defined his life, for better or worse. It could have been full of self-pitying misery, chock full of ruminations of a life left unrealized; instead it marked the beginning of a quest altogether new, exhilarating and thrilling.

When people think of AC/DC, they typically think of them as a one trick pony; a devoid of depth rock and roll band with a guitar player wielding a Gibson SG who's dressed as a schoolboy. And maybe there is some truth to that. But they know their strength and acknowledgment of that strength leads to no weaknesses and weaknesses aren't to be found in this highway to hell. The band's last album to feature Bon Scott, a most perfect interpreter of the rollicking roll this band plays, AC/DC sounds as though they were heading towards brighter lights rather than the darkest depths they could envision. The ends of the world may have been on fire but they were dancing in it and, not only that, it was their oyster too. A heavy metal landmark, for sure.

Bombs away, Mr. Basie! Regardless of the apocalyptic nature of the album cover, this is a perfect soundtrack for winding down your day and sailing off into the night, bopping around as though no one is watching with nary a care in the world and not having to worry about time, place, et al. From my experience, anyway.

The album cover makes me feel shivers down my spine. Am I supposed to be watching something or become the focus of something as I'm being swallowed whole by a set of teeth? Is that a camera or a portal into something otherworldly soundtracked by this Leftfield tapestry marauding my ears? Too many questions that don't have many answers but, quite frankly, this album is really good. Favorites: Release the Pressure, Afro Left, Melt, Song of Life, Original, Black Flute, Space Shanty, Open Up.

I only know Digital Underground for two things: The Humpty Dance and that Tupac Shakur was once in the group. So, when this album came up in the generator, I was perplexed. Was there more to Humpty than meets the eye that justified this album placement here? Yes and no. Yes because, at times, the album's attempts at diversifying their sound (whenever it comes) are a bit admirable and no because parts of the album (Doowutchyalike and its blink-and-you-miss advocating for sexual assault in particular) haven't aged well. Everything about it feels interminable and a good twenty minutes too long and the album's goofiness brings it down a couple of pegs. I wish I can understand why it's on this list when it's really not that essential. P.S. Gutfest '89 would have been the most awesome festival ever had it actually happened. P.P.S. Thanks generator for giving me this on Hump Day. Favorites: The Humpty Dance, The Way We Swing, Rhymin' on the Funk, Underwater Rimes, Gutfest '89.

Apparently this is the edited version that I listened to, which can be distracting and overall limiting to the artist's intentions and listener's perception of this record. Because The Soul Machine, while a bit bloated at points, is (despite the meddling of songs) an imaginative record that outlines Cee-Lo Green's aspiring superstardom (which wouldn't be that far away) and his role in the cultivation and popularization of Southern hip-hop. Favorites: Soul Machine, Livin' Again, My Kind of People, I Am Selling Soul, All Day Affair, Evening News, Scrap Metal, Glockapella, Sometimes, Die Trying.

Revolutions aren't usually this gentle yet, upon first listen, one eases themselves into the assuring confidence that Tracy Chapman exudes on her first record; a at-times stark, and unadorned collection of songs that sounds as timeless today as it did almost thirty-five years ago. Talkin' Bout a Revolution and Fast Cars still obtain their accessible power while Behind the Wall remains as gripping and saddening as ever. Whatever plaudits that comes this album's way, then and now, is deserving.

This is an album about grief. Grief for what once was and has been lost, grief for what currently was and is to be and grief for the future that can't promise anything. What once was is obviously Syd, whose there-but-not-there presence provided an eternal blueprint to be followed and a tragic cautionary tale about what it's like to fall down the well. What currently was and is is mainly Pink Floyd's venomous ire for the machine that they occupy; a seething place in which they would angrily document in ever more epic and colossal ways. The future that couldn't promise anything is the band's overall reliance towards each other, a bond that had mutated and transformed into someone altogether unsustainable in the long run; thus leaving us with what was and will never be again. Wish You Were Here is Pink Floyd's most important album, the likes of which they will never make again. One final collective thrust for the common goal, that is to honor their friend and to damn the industry that chewed him up and spat him out. Grief comes in many forms and this is their way of expressing it. Shine on.

The exacting expectations of perfection are often unattainable yet, within close reach, it still becomes a tantalizing source for those who believe they can grasp it. Hearing the only album from Liverpool outfit The La's after reading, for only a decade, Lee Mavers' quest for flawless musicianship allows that belief to be shone in the clearest light. While some songs may fall off the mark and are not what it seems to be (the majority run for less than three minutes, the longest being almost eight), the ones that do make an impression showcase what Lee was hoping to obtain: the key that opens the door to greater possibilities. Unfortunately for him, and for his fans, further burrowing down the rabbit hole became the norm as there hasn't been any new material since then. But we can take what we can get with this, a rather good album that could have been really great had those around Lee seen what he could see. Favorites: Timeless Melody, Liberty Ship, There She Goes, Doledrum, Feelin', Way Out, I.O.U., Failure, Looking Glass.

When one sells their soul for rock and roll, one usually doesn't expect to part with a limb to do so. Death maybe but to lose an arm and somehow live to tell the tale? Unfathomable. Even more unfathomable is to have enough faith in the potential of your band that you press on, remain in the band and do your duty with one arm. Hysterical. Serious matters aside, if there was an honest answer to the question of what is the most excessive rock album of the 80s, it would have to be this. Def Leppard just grabs your by the sides of your face and takes you on a hour long thrill ride that, towards its end, you wish would go on and on and on. Front loading an album with hit after hit is nothing new but it is utterly apparent here. Every song sounds like it could have been a world-conquerer (some of which were), which was probably the point. It is hard to envision the 80s and Def Leppard's trajectory if this didn't come to fruition. Three years of stop/starting, hardworking craft went into this and it shows and it was probably worth losing an arm over. Pour some sugar on someone in the name of love... for this album.

Upon first glance, I thought I had what I needed to say about Marquee Moon. Further listening has shifted my perspective completely. I hesitate to call this a punk rock album, for punk rock was about dismantling deities, wrecking the past and glorifying the lack of a future; anthems for Year Zero. Marquee Moon, to my ears, isn't that. It's much more forward-looking, almost euphoric in a way. Sure, Television came up around the same time as the New York denizens of the Year Zero ideology yet they feel somewhat out of place. They feel and sound as though they came from the future, a future where all the things that made them who they were were mined for eternity and came to beyond comprehensible light. Looking at the four men on the covers tells me everything I need to know about the remaining forty plus years of rock that lain ahead. Perhaps they knew it all? Who knows. All intent remains unknown.

While not bad to me, this didn't leave much of an impact in regards to making any sort of impression. Maybe some Bad Company was what was needed in the landscape of rock and roll when this album came out and it may have succeeded in whatever goals it was looking to obtain. Favorites: Can't Get Enough, Don't Let Me Down, Bad Company, Movin' On.

The thing about onions are that they have layers, layers that could reveal whatever hidden truth or gem that's ready for one or more to get their hands on. As far as Booker T. & The MG's were concerned, when it came to Green Onions, not only were they equipped with truths (their impeccable talents) but gems as well. Whether it will later soundtrack some million or so car treks in the next several decades or be uncovered as some waiting to be noticed dance exercise that would help get the body moving, Green Onions would stand as the epitome of not only R&B but popular music of its time.

My first memory of T. Rex was in the opening scene of Billy Elliot, where the titular character was jumping in front of a yellow background with Cosmic Dancer playing in the background. A little later, Bang a Gong soundtracked the scene where Billy steals a book whilst the librarian got distracted from a striking laborer. These songs are on Electric Warrior, the album in which T. Rextacy was fully fleshed out. Marc Bolan had all the tools to be a star and he used those tools to completely overhaul the British music scene that was still reeling from The Beatles' breakup and herald a whole new, glammed up era. White swans were rode majestically into the sun as, for a good few years at least, T. Rextacy was in full swing. Life's a gas, indeed!

Coming right out of the gate with one of his tell-tale anthems, this titular album from Buck Owens & His Buckaroos is some short and sweet country music that well covers every facet that butters the genre's bread: acquired love, lost love, mischievous troublemaking, tall tales about various towns and a tiny glimpse of the tour life that ends with their most enduring song that was covered by The Beatles. Allow this man and his Nudie suit and his gentle smile in front of a wooden backdrop ease you in gently, for good times are to be had here. Favorites: I've Got a Tiger by the Tail, Trouble and Me, Let the Sad Times Roll On, We're Gonna Let the Good Times Roll, Streets of Laredo, Memphis, Act Naturally.

1998. The bloom of Britpop has faded. The main characters are either in hiding or falling apart. Princess Diana is dead. Cool Britannia is officially on ice. Jarvis Cocker is aware of this. At one point, Pulp were one of biggest bands in Britain after years of being under the radar. His N' Hers and Different Class had propped and pushed them into stardom. Yet this is different. This is altogether new. This is exhilarating. This is suffocating. This is sleazy. This is uneasy. This is offensive. This is hardcore. Pulp's highest of highs were complimented by the lowest of lows. Long sojourns towards the deepest depths of despair and debauchery were allowed. The lonely and sexually frustrated housewives were replaced by distant fathers, forgotten lovers and memories of a golden age. Pulp were no longer playing things safe (and never did, to be honest), they had gone off the deep end. And it was for the best, for their penultimate album is perhaps the best statement they have made. What exactly would we do for an encore? It's best that we shall not know.