| 5.0 classic |
| A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory |
| Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion |
| Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks |
| Bruce Springsteen Born to Run |
| Bruce Springsteen Nebraska |
Who'd have thunk a demo tape consisting of little more than guide vocals and acoustic guitars could be one of an artists greatest albums, particularly one who had already released two masterpieces? Nebraska was released when Bruce (as well as some members of the E Street Band) believed that the acoustic basement tapes sounded better than the full band equivalents they were rehearsing.
Stark, spacious, and haunting, it shows Bruce at his folky best with mini-epics like "Atlantic City" and "Johnny 99." With only a few upbeat songs ("Used Cars" and "Mansion on the Hill"), it's the darkest album in the Springsteen canon and also contains some of his finest lyrics. A must buy for Bruce fans, folkies, or anyone who likes the darker side of Johnny Cash. |
| Charles Mingus The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady |
| Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables |
| Devin Townsend Ocean Machine: Biomech |
| Elvis Costello This Year's Model |
| Faith No More Angel Dust |
| Possibly the best metal album of the 90s (only Pantera could offer any serious competition in that regard), Angel Dust is a triumph of randomness: a combination of sarcasm, every genre you could think of, and Mike Patton's astonishing vocal range into one idiosyncratic whole. Choosing highlights would be impossible: from Patton's sudden operatic tenor on "Land of Sunshine" to the Chinese-sounding instrumentation of "A Small Victory" to the all out metal assault of "Crack Hitler" and "Jizzlobber," the entire package is flawless. Out of the countless albums Patton has lent his voice to, this is unquestionably at the top of the heap. Funky bass, riffy guitars, frenzied keyboards, killer drumming, and off-the-wall vocals and lyrics make this an album for the ages. |
| James Brown Live At The Apollo |
| King Crimson The Great Deceiver |
| Mahavishnu Orchestra Birds of Fire |
| Metallica Master Of Puppets |
| Miles Davis Bitches Brew |
| Miles Davis The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions |
| Modest Mouse The Moon & Antarctica |
| Neil Young Rust Never Sleeps |
| Prince Sign o' the Times |
| Public Enemy It Takes A Nation (...) To Hold Us Back |
| Radiohead OK Computer |
| Sleepytime Gorilla Museum Of Natural History |
| Sonic Youth Daydream Nation |
| The Beatles Abbey Road |
| The Clash London Calling: Legacy Edition |
| The Rolling Stones Exile on Main St. |
| The Who Quadrophenia |
| The Who Live at Leeds (Deluxe Edition) |
| Tom Waits Rain Dogs |
| Van Morrison Astral Weeks |
