MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Well, Ladies & Gentleman... this is it! We have reached the end of my top 100 favorite albums of all time list! But, don't think of this as the end... think of this as the beginning!!! Starting January 1st I will be doing weekly reviews every Friday on new albums! Most will be rock, but I will be open to listening and reviewing anything. We will have some surprises along the way and it will be fun to watch this blog grow as the year progresses! It will be interesting to see how many new faces I will know come this time next year. Well, without further review I present you with my top ten favorite albums of all time!!!
This was Dredg's SPECTACULAR debut release! The songs on this album helped pave the way for what would become a very successful underground music career. Though they have enjoyed a degree of mainstream success, they never quite broke it big like many of the other bands from their era did. But that's fine with me. They have became one of my favorite bands over the years and this was the album that made it happen. Their instrumentation and Gavin's vocals make for beautiful, wonderful music that needs to be listened to, over and over and over and over again.
The Foo Fighters have become one of the best, most iconic bands of our era. When this album came out in 2011 it felt like 1997 all over again. It had the same iconic power as their, "The Colour And The Shape" album. It was the return of the great PAT SMEAR! For those of you who don't know who he was... look up Nirvana towards the end of their career. He was their "unoffical" 4th member. He would have found a permanent spot with them, had it not been for the untimely death of Kurt. This album was FANTASTIC from start till finish. It brought the raw energy back that they so desperately needed and in some sense, brought the Foos storming into a new decade. This album is simply put, a MASTERPIECE.
In the spring of 2000, I had just moved and started school in a new city, with a bunch of new kids I had never met before. It was weird at first but it's something you get used to. Anyways, as the summer approached I got a job at a lazer tag place and it was AWESOME. I had heard, "Pardon Me" and wasn't extremely impressed, I was still pretty big into Limp Bizkit and Incubus never really caught on to me. Now, one day while playing lazer tag with my friends after hours, a guy I worked with, Adam, decided that I NEEDED to hear this album. We could play cds while we played lazer tag so we popped it in and began what would become one of the most important moments in my life. As we played, I listened and as the album got to track 4, "The Warmth" something inside of me clicked. I finally realized I wanted to be a musician. I wanted to write music and it was because of THIS album, that I pursued it. This is one of those albums that is life-changing. It should be listened to by every human being born on Earth.
This album came at what I consider to be the end of my childhood. After this album came out I grew up pretty quick. My dad died the following year and that's life-changing for anyone. That may be the reason I liked this album so much, but nevertheless... it was AMAZING! 3EB was huge as soon as this album came out! With "Semi-Charmed Life" being the anthem of 1997, it was one of those songs that was and still is inescapable. If you've never listened to the album, do so. Most of the songs that received no air play, are the ones that were the best!
#06 - Foo Fighters - The Colour And The Shape (1997)
With the Foo's coming off of the success of Dave Grohls recorded demo album of 1995, the follow up was nothing short of SPECTACULAR. "TCATS" has become one of their most iconic works and to many, including myself, considered to be their greatest achievement. This is one of those infectious albums that can get stuck in your head for weeks, with just one listen. The songs on this album have been used in countless mediums, in everything from football games, to tv shows and movies. This is easily one of the best rock albums ever written.
Any true Incubus fan will tell you why this is their best album. This was the album that set them up for the mainstream success they've achieved nowadays. The musicianship and vocal ability of Brandon Boyd blended together magically to form one of the best musical works of the 1900's. The sad part about it, is how underrated this album is. Brandons quirky, well thought out lyrics, not only make you think deeply, they seduce and rape you. But in the most gentle, subtle way possible.
In 1991, Nirvana made themselves a household name. MTV played, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" non-stop, as well as the radio. From the opening riffs of that song, we knew something big was about to happen. The sheer power of Daves drum intro to that song, crushed our puny minds. It was devastating and it forever changed the way we listen to rock music today. Countless people have tried to create a song that powerful and EVERYONE has failed. This wasn't simply a song, this was a song written by the gods themselves and handed to Nirvana to perform. IT was that powerful. Shit... it's STILL that powerful.
This album is LITERALLY the best selling album of ALL TIME. It just hit 30 times platinum in the US. That's 30,000,000 copies sold in the US alone. With those numbers in mind, that's roughly 1 in every 10 Americans owning a copy of it. This album is ICONIC. I mean, 7 out of the 9 songs on it became chart topping singles. That is UNHEARD of. The video for Thriller was like a mini movie. And EDDIE VAN FREAKING HALEN played the guitar on "Beat It". This album WAS the 80's. Pretty cool for an album that came out the same year I was born! Below, I leave you with the "Thriller" video in it's entirety!
#02 - Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
"Dark Side Of The Moon" has become one of the most well known, most treasured albums of all time. Pink Floyd became instant LEGENDS and catapulted themselves into a household name. This album and it's lyrics are just as relevant now more than ever. If you have never heard it, you're probably under 13 and you should do so immediately. This album spent 741 weeks on the Billboard charts from 1973 to 1988. That is insane.
"Ahhhhhh, it's time to relax and you know what that means." At this point it should come as no surprise that my favorite album ever came from 1994. "Smash" was something special. There was just something about it that made me get all ADHD every time I heard it. I wanted to throw things and mosh with the couch in our living room. I can remember being home alone and putting our stereo speakers up to our screen door and blaring "Bad Habit" as long as it would go so all of my neighbors who were outside could hear, "You stupid, dumbshit, god damn, mother fucker" as loud as stereoly possible. =0) If you were one of said neighbors, i'm not sorry. That album ROCKED and 21 years later it's still MY FAVORITE ALBUM EVER.
Thanks for reading and keeping up every week as I shared with you my favorite albums of all time. Now the reviews will begin! Get ready for some shitty and awesome music being fed to you! Who knows, maybe some new favorites will emerge from this blog. Expect new things such as a layout and links to where you can find these great and shitty albums for cheap! Thanks for reading and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Now you can go spend some time with the relatives you HATE!!! Or just click share and share this page with everyone you know!!! Till next year, i'm Jack Willowbee and this has been AWESOME! Remember to check back every FRIDAY in 2016 for a new review!
#70 - Bone Thugs N' Harmony - E. 1999 Eternal (1995)
Any rap album that begins with backmasking and a devilish voice has to be GOOD! After the intro is over this album does nothing but impress. In 1995 rap was really just starting to become mainstream and artists like Bone, Tupac & Biggie were bringing it out of the 80's and into the 90's. I can remember my brother having the cassette and this being on nonstop blast on MTV & THE BOX. Their breakout hits "Tha Crossroads & 1st Of The Month" are arguably 2 of the top rap songs from the 90's and if you were alive, inescapable. Everyone KNEW who Bone was and this is the album why. But to me it's the songs that weren't as mainstream that made me a fan. Songs such as "E. 1999, Me Killa & Mo Murda", are some of my favorites to this day.
This album is classic Van Halen at their best! Opening with one of the greatest album intros of all time, "Runnin With The Devil", you knew it was going to be BAD.. ASS. To be honest, this album may have the best 4 track opening sequence of all time. Immediately followed by "Eruption", that track set a standard for 80's guitarists everywhere. They literally took The Kinks song, "You Really Got Me" and completely made it their own. "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love", is the shining moment on this album and to this day is one of the songs that made me want to play the guitar in the first place. The guitar riff in that song alone is enough to make angels cry.
#68 - N.E.R.D. - In Search Of... (2001 & Re-Released In 2002)
Man. Who would have thought that Pharrell would come as far as he has? This album was AMAZING. Either version too. Yeah, they initially released this in 2001 in Europe using I believe Fruity Loops to record most of the music. Then, in 2002 hired the band "Spymob" to re-record the music live giving it a more rock & roll feel to it. I remember the song "Rock Star" and being completely amazed by it. Here was this guy literally rocking out to a rap song. It was like nothing I had ever seen. And the fact that he was running over cop cars in the process... well, it was AWESOME. Randy Quaid being in the music video didn't hurt at all either. I had the pleasure of seeing these guys twice back in the days of the "Sprite Liquid Mix Tour" for $5 bucks a ticket. I miss those concerts. But I revel in the memories of a young Pharrell rocking the fuck out!
SUGGESTED LISTENING (#13 or #11 - Bobby James) (Depends on which release.)
There was just something about the music released in 1994. That may have been the most magical year for music since the glory days of classic rock. This was STP's 1994 offering. 4 tracks stand out on this album as instant classics... "Vasoline, Lounge Fly, Interstate Love Song & Big Empty". Yeah, "Lounge Fly"... all I gotta say is, "MTV News". My favorite track is and always will be "Interstate". There was just something about that song that I always loved. To this day it is still my favorite STP song.
I can still remember hearing this album for the first time during my senior year of high school. The track "Polyamorus" was blowing the radio up and my friend Jimmy, yeah the Team Sleep guy, told me they had written a song about The Wizard Of Oz called, "Home". HOLY SHIT. That song is awesome on so many levels. This is going to be the first song I embed into my reviews because if you have never heard it, you need to. By far my favorite song of theres. This song showcased what this band was to become.
I listed both of these albums together because in essence, they are the same album. "Greatest Hits" was their unoffical debut, while "ANThology" was the official major label debut. My introduction to them was the same as everyone else's, "Smooth Criminal". While I LOVED their rendition of it, it was another song however that made me a fan. And that would be because of "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3" playing their song "Wish". It still takes me back to grinding rails everytime I hear that song, it's funny how music can take you back like that. A great album, it was only recently that I finally found the time to go back and relisten to it all over again. And I must say, "Universe" was to me, their finest moment.
#64 - Limp Bizkit - Three Dollar Bill, Yall (1997)
Man I loved the 90's. There was so much GREAT music coming out when I was in my teens. Limp Bizkit was one of those bands that you either loved or hated. And you did one or the other PASSIONATELY. This album though, this was the one that stood out from the rest. This was just... to put it simply, out of this world. Not many rock bands could take a George Michael song and make it a smash hit. And Wes Borland was Buckethead weird. He would just stare out of his cold black contacts and it would pierce your soul. It's a shame they went downhill so much, because this album showed so much potential. Oh well. At least they gave us this.
When "In Utero" came out, none of us were aware of how deep Kurt had went down the rabbit hole that was heroin. This was their final studio release and while it wasn't their most impressive work, it left us with one last glimpse of the late Kurt Cobains, dark, twisted mind. "I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black". I mean, wow. That's some dark shit. Filled with many, many, great songs... this album will go down as one of the greatest albums of all time. Even though Kurt would have probably disagreed. That was one of the great things about Kurt though, his modesty.
#62 - What About Frank? - March Of The Elephants (2005)
Hahahahah! This is one of those albums that i'm guessing NONE of you have ever heard. And that is sad, very sad. "What About Frank", went on to become "The Parlor Mob", but before that this was their debut release. I had the pleasure of hanging out with David from the band "Borealis". (Probably another band you've never heard of.) He told me about these guys about a year before this album came out and I was lucky enough to obtain a copy of it years later online. They were completely different from anything I had ever heard and to this day, remain one of my favorite unknown bands.
What else is left to say about Led Zeppelin that hasn't been said a billion times over already? One of the GREATEST ALL TIME BANDS EVER, this was one of their best, if not their best, album. The song "No Quarter" was easily one of their most hauntingly beautiful songs and was easily missed when album listeners just honed in on their hits. Songs on this album have been covered by TONS of bands ranging from "Tool" to the "Stone Temple Pilots".
Well, check back next week as we near the halfway point already! This has been fun so far and it's great to see this slowly building new followers and views. I have noticed a TON of people from Russia checking it out so for all of you, Здравствуйте! I hope that translated right and doesn't say, fuck you or something like that. Haha.
So it looks like everyone is stuck with me yet again! This will be my third week straight! Ok. So we've went through 81-100 and now we're really starting to get into my true favorites. It started to get really hard around here but i'm pretty sure i've got it mostly figured out now. It really is hard to come up with your favorite 100 list. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself! So here we go again! 71-80!
Not many people watched MTV as much as I did. At least, no one I knew did. At one point in 2000, they had a special called "MTV's Ultimate Cover Band Battle". There was a band I took notice to named, "Strangers With Candy". They did a cover of A-Ha's "Take On Me". It blew me away. I was an instant fan and waited for their cd to come out from that day forth. Well, it never came... or at least I thought. For 2 years I waited and waited. One day in the Napster era of music, I downloaded one of their songs from that show. Well. It brought back some other results with a new name... "Lifer". Oh my GOD, I thought to myself as I listened... IT WAS THEM!!! So that's why I didn't know. They changed their name. I wondered why everyone always thought I was talking about the lady on the Comedy Central show. Haha. So here we are, #80 on my list. Lifer has always been that band for me that I rediscover every 5 or so years and it makes me happy everytime! Check them out, maybe you'll like them too!
#79 - Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair (1985)
Tears For Fears was quite possibly one of my top five favorite bands in the 80's growing up. They were always on the radio and some of their songs were the first songs I memorized every lyric to. This was the cd that really did it for them. It had so much great music and that music still follows me to this day. Anytime I hear, "Shout" or "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" I always still sing along. I'm willing to bet most of you do too. However... I never listened to the whole album until my friend Justin told me to watch "Donnie Darko". I heard this song playing and completely missed it in the 80's!!! Easily one of the best, overlooked 80's songs, if you don't know it, Youtube it immediately!
2006 was a weird, transitional year for me. I had just landed a new job, I released my debut personal album, "The Rise And Fall Of Jack Willowbee" and I finally started to embrace adulthood. I was 23 and social media was beginning to flourish. Around this time I started to search out new bands from all over the world. I stumbled onto this band accidentally looking for archived "Pink Floyd" concerts I had never heard. I sat down and checked them out. I was HUGE into songs that lasted 15 minutes plus and here I was presented with a brand new band to me from England. I was captivated by them. Their music was so hauntingly beautiful. They were almost like a medicine to me in 2006. Their cd "Lights" was just coming out and I may have been one of the first people in America to know about it. I love that about me. I have always been one to not dismiss someones music after first listens and because of that, I have been rewarded tenfold. If you have never heard of Archive... I suggest you check them out. They may change your life. Seriously. If you ever feel down and out, listen to "Lights". It always makes the day brighter for me.
#77 - The Butterfly Effect - Final Conversation Of Kings (2008)
I just found out about these guys last year! I was hanging out on Youtube, as usual... and BAM! Suggested videos on the right hand side pointed me the way! So I heard one song, liked it and decided to burn a cd of theirs. Me & my wife listened to it for a good month straight. This cd was easily likable and had us singing along in no time. It truly is a great album. It's just a shame that these guys broke up. This cd had a magical feel to it. I never realized these guys were Australian either! Besides "Men At Work", I couldn't tell you another Australian band. Very good album. I don't say this disrespectfully but it kind of gives you a Richard Marx rocking out kinda vibe.
SUGGESTED LISTENING - (#5 - Window And The Watcher)
With The Doors, it can be hard to narrow it down to a favorite cd of theirs, all were great, but this one really sticks out more to me than the others. It could be "The Lost Boys" fault for introducing them to me in 1987 with the song, "People Are Strange". But even though that is my favorite song of theirs, "The Doors" is by far my favorite album. After watching the Val Kilmer movie based on them, I have grown a huge love for the song "The End". Once again, a song clocking in at almost 12 minutes long! Songs like that have the power to take you to another world. All you have to do is close your eyes, relax and just clear your mind.
#75 - Rage Against The Machine - Evil Empire (1996)
Everyone who listens to rock music, likes at least ONE Rage song. For me that songs is, "Bulls On Parade". There was just something about Tom Morello's guitar playing style along with Zach's vocals that made them a band to remember. This album was EVERYWHERE in 1996. Produced by one of the greats, "Brendan O' Brien" and released on the Epic label. This album was destined to be GREAT from the start. Not to mention, "Bulls On Parade", turned out to be the first song I got 100% on expert in Guitar Hero. HAha.
In 1998, NO ONE, knew what to think of this band. They weren't even on the Frank Zappa weirdness level. But for some reason, "Sugar" hit and they became HUGE. One of my favorite bands to this day, System Of A Down are quite possibly the weirdest rock band in the history of rock. This album was their debut and was loaded with great, short masterpieces. "Spiders" was the sleeper track here and has always been my favorite song of theirs on this album. This however, is an album you have to have an open mind with while listening. It's different from everything else that came out in the mainstream 90's.
This was the prequel to their "Back To The Future" success. This was the album they released right before "Back To The Future" made them the success they are internationally today. "Heart & Soul" & "If This Is It" are easily 2 of the greatest 80's songs ever recorded and they just happened to be on the SAME CD! If you grew up in the 80's you know how inescapable this band was. They were in one of our favorite movies, they owned the radio & our parents liked them. This to me, is the album that catapulted their career. "Back To The Future" would not have been the same without this album being made first. Very important album.
When I heard about Muse in 2002, they were still virtually unknown. I happened along the song, "New Born" and saw the fire in their live performance and saw another "Nirvana" unfolding right before my eyes. Unfortunately as of late they have went more electronic, but this cd shined. It was a masterpiece and in my opinion their best work. "Feeling Good" was written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley for the 1964 musical "The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd" but made famous by the legendary jazz singer Nina Simone. Their version is by far better and on this cd, it shined. If you like Muse and have not heard this album, what are you doing with your life? Seriously?
In 1997, when MTV still played music videos, "Paranoid Android" was given to the world. The music video was as weird as Tool's and it made me a true Radiohead fan. "Karma Police" was equally as important and both remain in heavy rotation on radio stations around the world. Radiohead bust onto the scene in 1992 with their hit, "Creep" but this was the album that really showcased their talent. One of it's greatest praises came this year when it was declared to be, "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for inclusion in the National Recording Registry". Pretty high honors if you ask me.
70 albums to go and it feels like were still just getting started. I'd love to know what everyone thinks so far! Don't be afraid to comment, like, share or follow me! I could use some more eyes and it all starts with all of you! So happy reading and until next time, i'm Jack Willowbee.
So I decided to scrap all of my old music reviews and begin this page all over again with the hope of it actually taking off this time. Let me start by telling you a little about myself and why I feel like I can help you find new and exciting music you've never heard of. I am a musician and music has flowed through my bones since I was a child. I breathed it. I watched it on MTV & The BOX. I listened to every cassette, cd and radio I could get my hands on. Sometimes I would just sit in the dark with my walkman and turn it up as loud as humanly possible and sing along at the top of my lungs. When I was 10 it was 1992-1993. LOTS of great music was coming out. Nirvana, The Offspring, Green Day, The Smashing Pumpkins, the list could go on for paragraphs.
Throughout my years as a music lover I have listened to TONS of different styles and artists. With my favorite artists I can tell you their album discography, the track numbers, the lyrics and the year it came out. That's how you truly define a great album. One that takes you so deep within it, that you literally remember EVERYTHING about it. Everyone has their own favorites and that's just another great part of it all.
I'm mainly a rocker at heart but I love everything. Really... everything. I can name you songs by everyone from Kenny G to Master P. I have listened to so much music in my lifetime that it would be hard to put an hour count on it. I have went to a lot of live performances and one of my favorite things to do is just sit back and take in everything going on around me. I love to people watch and it was fun seeing how other people react to the same music I like. I'm 32 now so I have definitely heard a LOT of music.
On this page I will be doing reviews of both new and old music. I think to start things off i'm going to compile my top 100 albums of all time and review 10 a week until Christmas. This will require some deep thought but I feel that after you see what I like and what i'm about, you will be able to determine how much my opinion is worth to you.
So check back every Friday night from the 23rd until the end of the year as I present you with my personal top 100 albums of all time. I look forward to talking to all of you in the coming months and can't wait to hear all of your feedback and recommendations. Hey, you or me might even find a new favorite band!
Sincerely,
Jack Willowbee
