Friday, October 23, 2015

Jack Willowbee's Top 100 Albums Of All Time (91-100)

So like I said before, we all know what a great album is and what it takes to make it one. With that in mind, remember... This is not necessarily what I think is the definitive top 100 list of all time, but rather what my personal favorite 100 albums are. Feel free to comment on what you like, what you didn't like and what you would change. But just remember... MY list. You can tell a lot about a person by the music they associate themselves with. So without further ado, I present you with my top favorite 100 albums of all time. So if you wanna be the cool kid in school that listens to tons of cool ass, off the wall music... Check back every Friday from now till Christmas day for the next 10 on my list!

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#100 - TOOL - LATERALUS (2001)



While this album didn't quite bring the same fire that "Ænima" did, it was still destined to become an instant classic. It also brought with it the most memorable bass line from the 2000's and possibly of all-time in "Schism". You couldn't walk into a music store without hearing someone attempting to play it. It was just one of those lines that played over and over in your head. My favorite track on Lateralus however was definitely the title track, "Lateralus". There's just something about the guitar line in the beginning of the song that makes me happy every time I hear it. Overall this album was pretty good. Not as groundbreaking as "Ænima", but pretty good.

SUGGESTED LISTENING (#9 - Lateralus)

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#99 - THIRD EYE BLIND - BLUE (1999)



Third Eye Blind was one of those guilty pleasures for me. There in the span from 1997-1999 they were truly an awesome band. It was hard to go anywhere without hearing one of their songs playing somewhere you were at. When this cd came out in 1999 I was working at Media Play. The internet was coming ahead full speed and a new millenium coming sure was exciting. Around this time I became obsessed with trying to find rare tracks from artists I loved. Upon my search I came across the song, "Slow Motion" with lyrics. "With lyrics???", I thought to myself. If any of you reading know this song with the lyrics, you'll know how dark of a song it truly is. Out of all of Third Eye Blinds songs, this one will stick in your head the most. It's nothing like anything else you've heard from them. If you're not lucky enough to find the album with that song, then don't fret... you're still in for an hour of great music! Obviously "Slow Motion" is my favorite, but the first track, "Anything" has become one of my favorites as well. All of the tracks are pretty good and just like the album before this, you will be humming these songs before you know it!

SUGGESTED LISTENING (#13 - Slow Motion - W/ Lyrics)

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#98 - METALLICA - RIDE THE LIGHTNING (1984)



I must say I was torn between this and "Master Of Puppets". Overall though, I think there was just something a little more special about "Ride The Lightning". The first time I ever heard "For Whom The Bell Tolls" was in my brothers room around 1988. I was 5. Heavy stuff for a 5 year old. But I loved the shit out of it. I can remember running down the hall going, "DUH NUH DUH NUH DUHHHHHHHHHH!" Haha. It's funny how some memories never fade. Then they used it in Zombieland and I was happy about it all over again. It would also feature one of my favorite all time Metallica songs... "Fade To Black". Words can't express how much I love that song. Overall, "Ride The Lightning" is another classic album from a band just hitting their stride. 31 years later, it's just as relevant then, as it is now. "DUH NUH DUH NUH DUHHHHHHHHHH!" Yep. Still funny.

SUGGESTED LISTENING (#3 - For Whom The Bell Tolls)

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#97 - Queen - News Of The World (1977)



"We Will Rock You & We Are The Champions" is possibly the greatest back to back songs on an album in rock & roll history. You can't play one without the other immediately following. It's become a staple for any and all arenas to play these songs on a daily basis. Not only were most of the songs excellent, but the albums art taken from an issue of "Astounding Science Fiction" was a great choice for the listener to look at while listening to this awesome record. I can only imagine what it was like to be growing up in the late 60's and early 70's with all of this great music coming out. But hey, I had the 90's so "I Ain't Mad At Cha".

SUGGESTED LISTENING - (#1 & 2 - We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions)

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#96 - Lil Wayne - The Carter III (2008)



To me "The Carter III" was a great album. Not only did it usher in a new generations rap music but it set a standard for which I measure all modern rap albums too. Nothing will ever come close to rap in the 90's. But this album sure was a nice break from everything else that was coming out. I truly believe this was Lil Wayne's shining moment. This was the album where he discovered his own style and owned it. 2008 was a weird year for me. I can remember my friend, Anthony liking this album so much that he decided to put it on repeat all day while we were working so I heard it like 8 times straight. That's when I fell in love with it.

SUGGESTED LISTENING (#7 - Phone Home)

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#95 - The Eagles - Hotel California (1976)



The guitar solo in "Hotel California" is by far the greatest guitar solo in history. Period. It's hard to deny that. If you do, sit down, smoke a doob & listen. It's magical. It will take you to faraway lands. Joe Walsh really outdid himself on this track. Literally. Nothing he has recorded since has come even close to how great his solo is in this song. Add that song, along with "New Kid In Town & Life In The Fast Lane" and you can see why this album makes alot of peoples lists! Definitely a great album to drive around to on a cool October night.

SUGGESTED LISTENING (#1 - Hotel California)

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#94 - Godsmack - Godsmack (1998)



When this cd came out in 1998, we had just gotten a Circuit City in my neighborhood. For awhile they had awesome deals on cds and some were around $7.99. I remember this being one of them. I bought it cause of the song, "Whatever". But after listening to it, I realized how much better they were than that song. "Bad Religion" was my favorite track on this cd. Something about that intro man. That's something you'll learn about me in the coming years... I am a SUCKER for intros. I'll be honest though. I HATE "Voodoo". There was just always something about that song that irked me. Overall though it was a great album that I don't think they ever touched again through any of their other 6 or so albums. "DUN DUN DUNDUN DUN DUNDUN GET BACK!!!" Seeing a pattern yet? Haha.

SUGGESTED LISTENING (#5 - Bad Religion)

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#93 - Radiohead - The Bends (1995)



My introduction to Radiohead, was the same as most of yours with the song "Creep". However, being the MTV fiend that I was, I remember seeing the video for "High & Dry" one day. I loved it instantly but it wasn't until years later when my friend Rob played me the song "Just" that I truly sat down and listened to it in it's entirety and realized how great this album is. I also didn't realize that the guitar breakdown in "Just" was one of the songs used on MTV promos back in the day. See, when I was a kid, I loved everything on tv. There were some cds I listened to all the way through, but not many. I wish I had listened to this one though. And like I said, the guitar break down in "Just"... WOW.

SUGGESTED LISTENING (#7 - Just)

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#92 - Boyz To Men - II (1994)



When this came out in 1994 I was 11. I can honestly pinpoint this being the cd that made me want to sing. I can remember sitting alone in my room trying to harmonize and learn every lyric from every song. There was just something about how smooth they sounded that made me want to do what they were doing. Still to this day I listen to it every now and then. Their cover of "Yesterday" by The Beatles is still almost as haunting as the original. Definitely one of the greatest R&B / Pop / Overall albums of all time.

SUGGESTED LISTENING (#13 - Yesterday)

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#91 - Deftones - Around The Fur (1997)



One of the first full songs I ever learned how to play on guitar was "My Own Summer (Shove It)". To this day if i'm ever in Drop D tuning, it's always a go to jam that's always fun to play. It was a hard band to escape in the late 90's and every high school had that one girl who was always OBSESSED with Chino. You can find a neat video of the song "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" on Youtube from a Little Nicky promo. It also featured a young Brandon Boyd & Mike Einziger from Incubus & Adam Sandler. That video was one of the main reasons I checked this album out in the first place. I was always late to finding cool bands when I was younger.

SUGGESTED LISTENING (#3 - My Own Summer (Shove It))

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Well there you have it, the first of a many weekly installments leading up to my music review blog in 2016! Once again check back every Friday as more of my top 100 albums of all time are revealed!

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