My Top 20 Albums

METALMAN · February 1, 2009

So, after the sad demise of my Top 100 Songs project I have decided to do albums cause that's what everyone else seems to be dong. For this project I've chosen to take on a more manageable 20 albums, rather than the 100 of the last topic. However, that means I had to tearfully cut 50 beloved albums, so here they are in my honourable mentions bit:

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Spoiler: Click here to view

METALMAN · February 2, 2009

And so we kick off:

20. Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

Bob Dylan

Despite me liking Bob Dylan very much and having fourteen of his albums, all of which I am fond of, this will be his only appearance in the top twenty. Still, a thoroughly deserving appearance it is.

At the time, this album stirred up quite a lot of controversy among his fans as Dylan moved away from the likes of the acoustic "The Times They Are A Changin'" and "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" towards the more rock orientated sound of "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and the famous "Like A Rolling Stone" which would be found on his next album, "Highway 61 Revisited."

"Bringing It All Back Home" is an album made up of two parts, which accents the transition from acoustic to electric instruments, with side one being backed by a rock band and side two being made up of acoustic songs. One thing that the two sides have in common however, is that the quality of the music is constantly top notch.

The album kicks off with the aforementioned "Subterranean Homesick Blues" which has subsequently become one of Bob Dylan's most celebrated songs. It is an excellent song that is both lively and raw, a sound that can also be found on "Outlaw Blues" and "Maggie's Farm", possibly my favourite song on the album.

The acoustic side of the album opens with the delightful melody of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and closes with the downbeat "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". Just before this is the lengthy and moody "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" which has some of the finest lyrics I have ever heard.

Altogether it is a fantastic album and it amazes me that despite Bob Dylan's massive back catalogue, five of the songs from this album regularly make his Greatest Hits compilations, those being "Subterranean Homesick Blues", "Maggie's Farm", "Mr. Tambourine Man", "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" and "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)".

Best songs: Maggie's Farm, Mr Tambourine Man, It's All Over Now, Baby Blue, She Belongs To Me, Subterranean Homesick Blues...all of it really

Oh and I am going to a little musing bit here like IAceI does. Please don't sue me.
I'm a massive fan of Bob Dylan in general so I was quite surprised that only one of his albums made the final twenty of this countdown, especially with me having fourteen. However, if I was counting Greatest Hits albums The Essential Bob Dylan would very likely be number one of this list. I feel that despite Bob Dylan having a large number of very good albums(Bringing It Back Home, Blonde On Blonde, Blood On The Tracks, Desire, Highway 61 Revisited and Love & Theft in particular) his best songs are still the standards regularly included in his compilations. The likes "Don't Think Twice It's Alright", "Like A Rolling Stone", "You Ain't Goin Nowhere", "Tangled Up In Blue" and above all "Hurricane" are some of my favourite songs ever and I would recommend picking them up, and indeed "The Essential Bob Dylan" to anybody unfamiliar with his music.

Next up...

Is a modern classic from way back in 2001!

Edited February 2, 2009 by metalman

METALMAN · February 2, 2009

19. Origin of Symmetry (2001)

Muse

This was the first Muse album I ever heard and it is still my favourite. From the point of view of someone that had been following them since "Showbiz" however, I feel that I would have found the album a bit patchy, but in songs like "Hate This & I'll Love You" and "Sober", a sign of great things to come. This is the album where Muse fulfilled that potential.

This is yet another album I cannot pick a bad song from and the variations in dynamics are sublime. Some songs are very loud and some are very quiet, while some are very loud and very quiet. One thing they all have in common is that they are instantly catchy and after listening to this album so many times I'm still not bored of it.

My favourite song on this album, "Megalomania", comes right at the end. Some may find this odd but I think it is a fantastic song. All haunting and eerie until one of the best drumfills ever kicks the song into life. This album excels as far as slow haunting songs are concerned though, as the likes of the underappreciated "Screenager", "Citizen Erased" and "Space Dementia" will attest.

However, the slow songs are easily matched by the excellent faster songs on the album. The likes of "Bliss", "Plug In Baby" and most of all "Hyper Music" are outstanding. I know some may point towards the well known single "New Born" but, while I do like it, it is probably my 2nd least favourite song on the album, with my least favourite being "Dark Shines", which is still pretty good.

Add all that to the falsetto wailing and punchy bass of "Micro Cuts" and an inspired cover of "Feeling Good" and you have a fantastic album on your hands.

Best songs: Megalomania, Hyper Music, Bliss, Space Dementia

This is far and away my favourite Muse album. I know Absolution has a pretty dedicated following on this forum due to it flowing better as an album. I'm not going to deny this but on a personal level, I don't think the quality of the songs is anywhere near that of Origin of Symmetry, and that is the most important thing to me. I mean "Time Is Running Out" and "Falling Away With You" are great, and there are many other good songs on this album, but there are also quite a few poor songs. I chose Origin of Symmetry because I find it to be Muse's only album that is consistently good all the way through. I've already said that I find Absolution to be a bit hit and miss, while the otherwise enjoyable "Showbiz" is party to a couple of dreadful songs. Also, Black Holes & Revelations was the very definition of patchiness. I loved "Map Of The Problematique", "Starlight" and "Supermassive Black Hole" but on the other hand I found myself hating "Knights of Cydonia", "Soldier's Poem" and "Invincible". So yeah...personally I think Muse have four good albums, but Origin of Symmetry is their only great one.

Next up...

Is another album by a folk singer. This time he's Canadian!

Edited February 2, 2009 by metalman

METALMAN · February 22, 2009

18. After The Gold Rush (1970)

Neil Young

Over the past year this album has become the soundtrack to my Saturday mornings. It's relaxed, tuneful and just pretty much awesome, making it the ideal LP to put on after a late - and more often than not messy - Friday night. I've nursed a number of hangovers with this album playing in the background. With Saturday morning also being my time for cleaning up before heading home for the weekend I've also folded my clothes, cleaned the sink and washed the dishes on a number of occasions with this album playing.

Anyway, it's all about the music rather than my cleaning anecdotes isn't it? And it's all fantastic too. Neil Young has made a splendid career for himself by always keeping his music simple, which all the more effectively allows his amazing gift for medlody to shine, as it does on every tune here. "Tell Me Why", "After The Gold Rush" and "Don't Let It Bring You Down" are three of the most evocative songs I have ever heard. Obviously I've never been in California in the early 70s, but those songs especially conjure up such a vivid image of it. They're all lovely songs and I've listened to them any number of times.

Besides the more folky vibe of the aforementioned three songs the album also has a more rocky side. "Southern Man" is a song that is rightfully recognised as one of his classics, built around CSNY style harmonies and a gritty guitar line. "When You Dance You Can Really Love" is another gritty riffy harmony filled classic.

With the short "Cripple Creek Ferry" and "Till The Morning Comes" Young ventures every so slightly into whimsy, yet the results are still excellent. This could be said for any of this albums eleven tracks.

Best songs: After The Gold Rush, Don't Let It Bring You Down, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Southern Man, Tell Me Why

I'm quite in love with the California folk scene of the early 70s, possibly more so than any other musical period throughout history. You had the amazing talents of Joni Mitchell, Nils Lofgren, James Taylor, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Steven Stills and my favourite - Neil Young - all hanging out and writing excellent music. Whenever I hear an album by any of them from that period, I really do feel like I'm part of it. With this album Neil Young was just beginning a streak of consistently brilliant material that would stay true for the whole duration of the decade, whether he was in Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young or going it alone. I really do urge anyone unfamiliar with his work to pick up this album, as well as Déja Vu by CSNY. Also get his "Decade" compilation too.

Next up...

Is a post-rock masterpiece from Iceland!

Thanks for reading!

Lowerdeck · February 23, 2009

I see a whole bunch of Ryan Adams on the honorable mention list. I have Easy Tiger and Cardinology.

Any other recommendations based on those two?

METALMAN · February 23, 2009

Well I like all his albums really but if I had to recommend one album it would be "Gold" as it is the closest to those two stylistically. I'd also recommend Heartbreaker and Love Is Hell.

If I was to rank his albums I'd go for something like:

1. Gold

2. Heartbreaker

3. Love Is Hell

4. Cardinology

5. Cold Roses

6. 29

7. Easy Tiger

8. Rock n Roll

9. Jacksonville City Nights

10. Demolition

Then there's the three Whiskeytown albums of course.

Lowerdeck · February 26, 2009

Alright. I picked up a copy of Gold today. Was just over five bucks, can't go wrong.

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