Jack Willowbee's Top 100 Albums Of All Time (11-20)

ALL RIGHT! 20 to go! This is where you really get to know me and what albums I truly love! These were the easiest 20 albums to come to a conclusion on, because I have listened to the songs on these albums, hundreds upon thousands of times. That is no exageration. I LOVE MUSIC. I breathe it. I AM MUSIC. Well, friends... here is numbers 11-20. Get ready!

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#20 - HoobUstank - They Sure Don't Make Basketball Shorts Like They Used To (1998)

FORGET everything you think you know about Hoobastank. This is HoobUstank. Same band, but before they became the megastars they are today. They used to have a saxophonist & a good bass player. This album is WAY different than anything they followed it up with. Because this was an independently released album, most people never even had a chance to hear it. Once again, my good friend Nate introduced me to these guys in 2000. This was a year before their huge self-titled album came out and went platinum. It was HUGELY inspired by Mr. Bungle, Faith No More & Incubus. Unfortunately, they transitioned out of this style, lost the saxophonist, Jeremy Wasser and became more "commercially" acceptable. This album will always be one of my favorites and you should check it out all the way through at least once. If you've ever heard one of their songs, you definitely owe it to yourself!



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#19 - Fingersmith - The Annexe (2009)

NONE of you have ever heard of this band... and that's a FUCKING shame. This may just be the best unheard of album of ALL TIME. I mean... this album is better than 99% of the albums i've ever heard. It is that good. Oh, and they're from Ireland. Cork to be exact. So let me tell you how I heard about them. You deserve a story on this one!

Back around 2007 or so I was on a musician website called "Garageband". No not the apple program either. It was a site where musicians could earn credits to have their music reviewed by reviewing other artists or by paying a small fee for the credits. Well, anyways... one of the bands I reviewed was these guys. I got a song called "Sub" and back then they were called "Silo". I WAS BLOWN AWAY! I found the Fingersmith version and you can hear it below.



So after hearing this song, I was an INSTANT fan. I needed more! It was extremely hard to find, but I managed to find a demo with 4 songs on it. Soon after I lost it and forgot about them for a couple of years. One day I had the urge to look them up again and what do ya know! They changed their name to "Fingersmith" and had just released "The Annexe"! I was thrilled when I managed to get a copy of it. It was LITTERALLY one of the best albums I have ever heard. Earlier this year I got in contact with the singer and he told me they had broken up. What a shame. But out of our conversation, he did lead me to a site where I could find some unreleased songs I had never heard! Wwll, now you can hear them too! LISTEN TO ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!! You can thank me later!



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#18 - Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters (1995)

This was probably the best album put out in 1995. A lot of people instantly wrote this off when it came out because it was recorded by Nirvana's former drummer, "Dave Grohl". It's kind of funny 20 years later to see how famous they have gotten over the years. The best thing about this album is the fact that Dave wrote, recorded & produced everything by HIMSELF! In a sense, this is the best solo rock cd to ever be recorded! We lost a great musician when Kurt died, but we gained an even better one in Dave Grohl. Think about it. Erase all of Dave's accomplishments since Nirvana & bring Kurt back from the dead and replace Nirvana for all of those years instead. Rock music would have been completely different. This album started it all for the Foos!



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#17 - Tool - Aenima (1996)

This is Tool's "Magnum Opus". Nothing they have ever written or will write in the coming years will ever compare to this. There was a dark kinda magic to this cd that made you just wanna mosh in your living room. When it came out, I wasn't a fan. Not even remotely. Around 8th grade in 98, when me and my friends started drinking, my friend Dustin would put it on when his mom was working nights and we would get drunk and mosh around his living room listening to this. Haha. SEE!!! I never listened to the lyrics until I was in my early 20's but this album was dark! You probably have already heard it... if not, look below!



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#16 - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik (1991)

When this album came out in 1991 I was 8 years old. I remember my brother loving this album and like so many of his albums, I took it and listened to it as well. BLOWN AWAY. The funk that came out of my Sony Walkman penetrated my ears and made me love the Peppers even to this day. Those guys are like the "Rolling Stones" of my generation. They've been through some serious shit, but still continue on as a BAND. It's cool to still hear new stuff from these guys every couple of years and everytime, it still sounds as fresh as ever. However, this album is where most of my favorites reside.




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#15 - Pink Floyd - The Wall (1977)

This album was destined to become an instant classic. Quite possibly the greatest double disc album ever written, this album is SUPERB! It's a shame that Roger Waters is such a dick and runs this album into the ground. I don't feel I need to explain why I love this album. You probably do to and this is widely considered one of the greatest rock albums in the history of rock music. I would link to it, but Roger Waters is a douchebag and has the videos on Youtube blocked. Go buy the album instead. WELL worth it!


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#14 - Metallica - The Black Album (1991)

In 1991, Metallica was on top of the world! They were the biggest band in rock and you couldn't listen to the radio without hearing one of these songs on. My brother bought it when it came out but for once, that wasn't where I heard it for the first time. In the second grade our music teacher, Mrs. Wade, had a music hall pass she gave out for good behavior, for you and a friend to go out in the hall and listen to the music of your choice on her cassette player. Well, a kid named "David Beckman" invited me to come listen to Metallica with him. My life was forever changed. =0)



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#13 - System Of A Down - Toxicity (2001)

The first album of theirs was weird. This one was weird too but HOLY SHIT! This is the ultimate head-banging album! This album solidified them as being one of the best, most exciting rock bands of their era. This album made me scream meaningless lyrics for no apparent reason, other than screaming them. HAha. Every song on this album is amazing and holds special meaning to me. I now even judge how good a drummer is by the measure of how well he can play "Toxicity" on the drums and if he can't... well... can he even be considered a drummer?



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#12 - The Mars Volta - De-Loused In The Comatorium (2003)

This was an album that made me super excited! As a fan of "At The Drive-In" I didn't know what to expect. This album beats the shit out of you from the intro to the closing notes. IT was not only an adventure, it was an inspiration to countless musicians to come. This album defined 2003 and brought hope back to music enthusiasts everywhere! If you have not heard it, you need to. If you do not own it, you need to. If you dislike it, well... I don't want you reading this blog anymore! Hahaa.



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#11 - Faith No More - King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime (1995)

This album should have and would had been released in 1994, if it weren't for the death of Kurt Cobain. With close ties to Nirvana, Faith No More were dealing with the loss of a close friend and prolonged the release of this album a year. This is my favorite FNM album and easily one of the most underrated. Funny, it was only this year I sat down and listened to it and already it's number 11 on my list. I shame myself for not listening sooner, but who knows... maybe younger me wouldn't have appreciated it as much. Nonetheless, this album is PURE GOLD. This album is pretty much responsible for anything that came out of the "Nu-Metal" scene and none of those bands are afraid to admit it. FNM was years ahead of their time, it's just a shame this album didn't get more play.


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Well. 10 left. Hard to believe it! The next 10 are going to be EXTREMELY fun to write about. Any guesses? This is the point where you can click follow and start commenting by the way!!! See ya next Friday!

Jack Willowbee's Top 100 Albums Of All Time (31-40)

Well, with only 40 more albums left, now you will begin to see my absolute favorite albums ever! These are the ones I have listened to 100's of times... literally. I know the words to just about every song on every one of these albums from here on out. On a side note... today I heard that one of my favorite vocalists of all time, Mr. Scott Weiland, has passed away. It is a shame, but I can't say that I am shocked. R.I.P. Scott... for the life you lead, you need it.

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#40 - Incubus - A Crow Left Of The Murder (2004)

Incubus has been my favorite band since 2000, when the album "Make Yourself" came out. For the true fans out there you know that this was the first album with new bassist, "Ben Kenney" of "The Roots". This album came with the departure of one of the founding members of Incubus, "Dirk Lance". You can definitely hear the difference if you listen closely. To me, this was Incubus' last GREAT album. After that, they became just another shit band with a handful of good songs on each album. I feel that when Dirk left the band, Incubus lost their edge and became more or less, "hipster". It saddened me to see my favorite band, stray away from what made them my favorite band in the first place. Oh well, maybe he'll be back one day and they will actually put out a decent heavier album again. Till then, i'll still take a handful of songs. This album as a whole is pretty good, there are a couple of songs that previewed the shit that was to come, but there are some real gems on this album as well. Overall, I give it a 7/10.

SUGGESTED LISTENING (#6 - Sick Sad Little World)

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#39 - Bush - 16 Stone (1994)

Hmmmm... Another album from 1994. I really have to count out how many albums from 94 are on my list. I'm guessing at least 12 or more. Bushs' debut album was HUGE. Closing out the year being released at the beginning of December, they were instantly catapulted into fame. This album was loaded with hits! I will never forget the first time I heard "Machine Head" on the radio. There was just something about the intro to that song that captivated me. To be a kid in the 90's was GREAT, you really had to be there. Looking back, I wish I would have been even more receptive like I am now, cause i'm still finding albums I managed to miss. I did not however, miss this one!

SUGGESTED LISTENING (#7 - Machine Head)

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#38 - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californiacation (1999)

This was one of those albums that showed you just how good the "Chili Peppers" were. Here we were, 16 years into their career and they showed absolutely no signs of slowing down. This band is my era's "Rolling Stones". I have a good feeling, they'll still be touring another 16 years from now. 1999 was a great year. We were on the cusp of a new millennium and no one knew quite what to expect. It was albums like this that showed us where the future of rock music was going and the future looked bright. Despite all that's happened in the 16 years since it's release, I still have faith in rock music. You just have to know where to look.

SUGGESTED LISTENING (#2 - Parallel Universe)

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#37 - The Police - Synchronicity (1983)

You could not escape this band in the 80's. One of, if not perhaps the best band of the era, this was their last album before breaking up as a band. To go out while you're on top and walk away from such a successful band, baffles me. But I guess it was better that way than running into the "Incubus Effect". "Synchronicity" is one of those albums that EVERYONE has heard at least one song from. It was that powerful. They used it in movies, it still gets played on the radio non stop & you can hear it just about anywhere you go to shop. It had HUGE success and to this day, is still my favorite "Police" album.

SUGGESTED LISTENING - (#6 - Synchronicity II)

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#36 - Mr. Bungle - Mr. Bungle (1991)