| 5.0 classic |
| Charles Mingus The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady |
| Mingus was the coolest dude around, even though he was a dick. Probably the best jazz album ever. |
| DJ Shadow Endtroducing..... |
| Despite only using samples, Shadow has crafted an incredibly deep, detailed and sophisticated melange of horror-movie piano, slithering guitar and those oh-so-perfect drum breaks. If I may utilize an old cliche, it works best listened to as a whole, the tracks segueing into each other perfectly, from the flying breakbeats and organ of 'The Number Song' to the poignant, beautiful 'Midnight in a Perfect World'. If that wasn't enough, you get plenty of leavening humor (mostly stemming from the interludes) and some great vocal samples thrown into the mix. Shadow would never better this - but then, neither has anyone else since. |
| Fugazi The Argument |
| Legendary post-hardcore band decides to make guitar rock album. Genius ensues, in the shape of the raging guitar and jaw-dropping breakdown of 'Epic Problem', the driving, fleet footed drums of 'Ex-Spectator', and the stunning, haunting 'Strangelight'. The best album from one of the most consistently great bands ever |
| Miles Davis A Tribute to Jack Johnson |
| The best album of Miles' electric period features just two tracks. 'Right Off' is 25 minutes of relentless jazz-rock awesomeness, with John McLaughlin's guitar kicking up a storm, Herbie Hancock being badass on a toy organ, and Miles unleashing the most monumental, unhinged solo of his career. 'Yesternow' is an ambient comedown in the vein of 'In a Silent Way'. Flawless. |
| Radiohead OK Computer |
| One of the few albums I've heard that actually lives up to the hype, with fantastic, often heart-wrenching songs backed by distinctive guitar and nimble drumming. Paranoid Android is prog re-tooled for the 90s, and Lucky is one of the most devastatingly beautiful songs I've ever heard. You know it's a great album when the worst track is the opener... |
| Talk Talk Laughing Stock |
| Best rock album ever made. Nothing more to see here, move along |
| Television Marquee Moon |
| Famous mostly for the godlike guitar work, but it wouldn't be the classic is if the songs weren't fantastic. Friction and See No Evil are concise blasts of ultra-cerebral punk, and the monumental title track takes the genius and inventiveness of prog whilst stripping away the pretentiousness and every other extraneous element |
| The Wrens Meadowlands |
| 4.5 superb |
| ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Source Tags & Codes |
| Amon Tobin Supermodified |
| Andrew Lloyd Webber Jesus Christ Superstar: Original Cast |
| Arctic Monkeys Favourite Worst Nightmare |
| Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am... |
| Art Blakey Moanin' |
| one of the best and most accessible post-bop records around. the title track is a classic |
| Ash Intergalactic Sonic 7s |
| Big Boi Sir Lucious Left Foot |
| Black Sabbath Paranoid |
| Bonnie 'Prince' Billy I See a Darkness |
| Built To Spill Keep It Like A Secret |
| Can Ege Bamyasi |
| Can Tago Mago |
| Charles Mingus Epitaph |
| Charles Mingus Mingus Ah Um |
| Second best Mingus = better than 99.9% of everyone else's discographies |
| Charles Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus |
| Charles Mingus Let My Children Hear Music |
| stunning. |
| Charles Mingus The Clown |
| Charles Mingus Pithecanthropus Erectus |
| Charlie Parker Bird And Diz |
| Charlie Parker Ken Burns Jazz: Charlie Parker |
| Cursive The Ugly Organ |
| Daft Punk Random Access Memories |
| Danny Brown XXX |
| dEUS In a Bar, Under the Sea |
| dEUS The Ideal Crash |
| one of the most consistent albums ever released |
| Duke Ellington The Far East Suite |
| Duke Ellington Money Jungle |
| Dusty Springfield Dusty in Memphis |
| Eric B and Rakim Paid in Full |
| fIREHOSE Flyin' The Flannel |
| Fugazi In on the Kill Taker |
| Fugazi 13 Songs |
| Fugazi Repeater |
| Future Of The Left Travels With Myself And Another |
| Intelligent and manly post-hardcore? With hilarious/genius lyrics? From Wales?rCOUNT ME IN |
| Future Of The Left The Plot Against Common Sense |
tracks on this album include 'City Of Exploded Children', 'Sheena Is A T-Shirt Salesman' and
'Robocop 4: Fuck Off Robocop'. need i say more? |
| Gang Of Four Entertainment! |
| Gang Starr Step in the Arena |
| where it all came together. a hip hop classic |
| Goat World Music |
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas... |
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada |
| Gorillaz Demon Days |
| Grandaddy The Sophtware Slump |
| Grizzly Bear Shields |
| GZA Liquid Swords |
| Herbie Hancock Maiden Voyage |
| Husker Du New Day Rising |
| Isaac Hayes Hot Buttered Soul |
| J Dilla Donuts |
| James Blake Overgrown |
| Jeff Beck Wired |
| John Coltrane Giant Steps |
| John Martyn Solid Air |
| Joy Division Closer |
| Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy |
| Kate Bush Hounds of Love |
| Kate Bush Aerial |
| King Crimson Larks' Tongues in Aspic |
| Living Colour Vivid |
| Madvillain Madvillainy |
| Magazine Real Life |
| Manic Street Preachers The Holy Bible |
| The spectre of Richey Edwards haunts this album, from the harrowing '4st 7lb' to the blacker-than-black 'Archives of Pain'. James Dean Bradfield's committed vocals and spellbinding guitar only add to the sonic maelstrom. Pure horror, but with strangely hummable tunes ('Die in the Summertime', 'Faster', 'Yes'). |
| Metallica Master of Puppets |
| Miles Davis E.S.P |
| Miles Davis Agharta |
| Miles Davis Milestones |
| Minutemen Double Nickels On the Dime |
| Mogwai My Father My King |
| Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus |
| Outkast Aquemini |
| Outkast Stankonia |
| Pavement Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain |
| Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us |
| Queens of the Stone Age Songs for the Deaf |
| Radiohead In Rainbows |
| Radiohead The Bends |
| Refused The Shape of Punk to Come |
| Richard Thompson Mock Tudor |
| Soft Machine Third |
| Sonic Youth Daydream Nation |
| Sonic Youth Goo |
| Sonny Rollins Saxophone Colossus |
| Sonny Rollins Freedom Suite |
| Stan Getz Focus |
| Steve Reich Music for 18 Musicians |
| Oh jesus, you haven't heard this until you see it live. Seriously, you haven't. Go see it. now. I SAID NOW |
| Stiff Little Fingers Inflammable Material |
| Swans Soundtracks for the Blind |
| Talk Talk Spirit of Eden |
| Talking Heads Remain in Light |
| The Afghan Whigs 1965 |
| The Allman Brothers Band At Fillmore East |
| The Clash The Clash (US) |
| The best band the UK punk scene ever spawned, and for me their debut is its best album. Consistently stunning songwriting, in the form of 'What's my Name' , 'Complete Control', and the welcome reggae influences abound in 'White Man in Hammersmith Palais'. Not a bad song on the album, which just so happens to be one of the most visceral, thrilling end-to-end listens of any record. Musical anger, distilled with melody. rAlso better than London Calling, for my money. |
| The Fall This Nation's Saving Grace |
| The Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs |
| The National Alligator |
| The Notwist Neon Golden |
| The Replacements Let It Be |
| The White Stripes White Blood Cells |
| Thelonious Monk Brilliant Corners |
| TV on the Radio Dear Science |
| Viktor Vaughn Vaudeville Villain |
| Wayne Shorter Speak No Evil |
| Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot |
| Wilco Summerteeth |
| Perfect, amazingly melodic and often chilling pop from Tweedy and crew. Kicking off with 'Can't Stand It', a supreme piece of bouncy rhythm & blues with a desperate chorus, there's not a loser in the batch- from the pounding 'Shot in the Arm', the heartbroken, heartbreaking ballad 'Just Friends', and most of all the harrowing centerpiece, 'Via Chicago'. Depression never sounded more inviting than this. |
| Wire Chairs Missing |
| Wolves in the Throne Room Two Hunters |
| Wynton Marsalis Wynton Marsalis |
