Favorite Albums: 108 - 107

108. Nonsuch by XTC (1992)

This is an album that I go months and months without listening to, then throw it on, and I'm like, "Damn, forgot how good this is." While most of the music on this album is kind of poppy, it would never really be considered pop. The opening song, "The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead," was a minor hit for the band, but other than that nothing from this album made it onto the airwaves. There are a few very low key songs, namely "Rook," "Humble Daisy," "Wrapped In Grey" and "Bungalow," but they are spaced out nicely through the album so they don't bog it down or mess with the flow too much. Other than that... Nothing is overly spectacular about this album, yet as a whole, it's a pretty spectacular album. Other than "Peter Pumpkinhead" nothing really stands out that much because by this time XTC had pretty much figured out their sound and were just perfecting it instead of experimenting with it. This was their 10th album over 14 years, and while there was nothing as catchy as "Making Plans For Nigel" or "Mayor Of Simpleton," there was also nothing as controversial as "Dear God." "The Smartest Monkeys" and "War Dance" try to make statements but end up being a bit too preachy to be effective. Overall, it is just a really solid album, something to listen to when you just want to chill. Good stuff.
5 Best Songs:
5. "My Bird Performs"
4. "Books Are Burning"
3. "Then She Appeared"
2. "Dear Madam Barnum"
1. "The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead"

"Then She Appeared"


"Dear Madam Barnum"


"The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead"


107. UHF/Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff by Weird Al Yankovic (1989)

Even though I am a huge Weird Al fan, this is his only album on the list because it's really the only one I ever listen to all the way through, although Straight Outta Lynnwood is also pretty damn good, and probably could have been on here instead of one of the million Greatest Hits albums at the back end of the list. As usual, this album contains a fair balance of parodies and original material, as well as the obligatory polka medley. This time around it's the "Hot Rocks Polka" which instead of being a mish mash of random artists of the same style is devoted solely to Rolling Stones songs. And believe me, you haven't lived until you've heard polka versions of "Ruby Tuesday" and "Sympathy For the Devil." Classic. The parodies on this album are pretty good for the most part, except for "She Drives Like Crazy," a parody of "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals. It is just as annoying as the original. One of his most famous parodies ever is here, "Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies," and it is still as entertaining now as it was then. "Spam" is a send up of R.E.M.'s "Stand" that is pretty good, and "Isle Thing" talks about Gilligan's Island to the tune of "Wild Thing" by Tone Loc. The originals on this album are also pretty good, except "Attack Of the Radioactive Hamster From a Planet Near Mars," which is just as bad as its title and is probably one of the worst songs he's ever written. "UHF" is a pretty rocking song, obviously the theme to the movie. "Fun Zone" is an infectious instrumental that is just shy of 2 minutes and has opened every Weird Al concert since this album came out. "Generic Blues" is hilarious, just the tedium of day to day life sung to the standard blues riff. "The Biggest Ball Of Twine In Minnesota" is one of the few Al songs that goes over 6 minutes, and it could easily have gotten boring and repetitive, but instead is very funny. There are also a couple commercials from the movie thrown in for shits and giggles, "Gandhi II" and "Spatula City" but without seeing the visuals they kind of lose effect. All in all, this is just a fun album. Nothing to write home about, sure, but also nothing you really have to think about or get emotionally involved with to enjoy. Just fun.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Spam"
4. "Generic Blues"
3. "Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies"
2. "Hot Rocks Polka"
1. "The Biggest Ball Of Twine In Minnesota"

"Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies"


"Hot Rocks Polka"


"The Biggest Ball Of Twine In Minnesota"

Favorite Albums: 110 - 109

110. Automatic by The Jesus and Mary Chain (1989)

I know that Psychocandy is their best album, but I don't own it, so Automatic gets the nod. I've loved this album since it came out, even if it is, at times, a bit repetitive and monotonous. The drums are all done by drum machine, and the bass is all done on keyboards, somewhat limiting the sound throughout the album. I mean, you can only use the same exact beat on so many songs before it starts getting old, right? Regardless, it is still a pretty good album. "Here Comes Alice" is a nice opener, giving a good idea what the rest of the album is going to sound like. "Coast To Coast" and "Blues From a Gun" are both great songs, two of the best on the album. "Between Planets" and "UV Ray" are decent, but not great. "Her Way Of Praying" is... I don't know. Sometimes I like that song, other times can't stand it. Just depends on my mood, I guess. "Head On" is probably the only Jesus & Mary Chain song a lot of people have heard, one of the few singles they ever released, plus the Pixies did a pretty bad ass cover version of it a few years later. "Take It" is the only song on the album that feels like filler, but it's an okay song, so it's not too out of place. "Half Way To Crazy" is a stellar song, and should have been in my favorite songs list. Just yet another one I forgot about. "Gimme Hell" is another decent but nothing special song. "Drop" is absolutely gorgeous, a great great song. "Sunray" closes out the album on a pretty brief but chaotic note. All in all, I think this album doesn't get the credit it deserves. It got compared to Psychocandy so much that it ended up not having a prayer of being successful, but it really is a good album.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Blues From a Gun"
4. "Head On"
3. "Coast To Coast"
2. "Half Way To Crazy"
1. "Drop"

"Coast To Coast"


"Halfway To Crazy"


"Drop"


109. The Top by The Cure (1984)

This is probably one of the most uneven albums on this list. It was recorded while Robert Smith was bouncing back and forth between The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees, plus he and Laurence Tolhurst were pretty much the only two actual members of The Cure at the time. Throw in lots of drugs and alcohol on top of a shit load of stress, and this is what you get. As much of a mess as it was, though, The Top served as a bridge between the "goth" depressing music of Pornography, Seventeen Seconds, and Faith, to the more pop focused radio friendly The Head On the Door and Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me. It had elements of both styles of the band - what they were and what they were becoming - and it actually turned out a lot better than it should have. "Shake Dog Shake" kicks things off, one of the most aggressive songs The Cure has ever recorded. It doesn't let up at all from start to finish, just assaulting you with guitars the whole way. "Bird Mad Girl" follows, and could not be much more different, very keyboard driven and poppy. "Wailing Wall" is a very somber and atmospheric song, and it is one of the most unappreciated Cure songs ever, I think. It could have fit in on almost any Cure album ever released. "Give Me It" is another aggressive song, and one of my favorite from this era of the band. Just a good tune. "Dressing Up" is next, and is another keyboard heavy song, just a fluffy little "I love you" type song. "The Caterpillar" is next, and I've already said a bunch about this song in both lists, so moving forward... "Piggy In the Mirror" is a pretty groovy tune, another one that may be a bit under appreciated. "The Empty World" has one of the cooler drum beats in any early Cure album, and the drums pretty much take center stage, with the other instruments being somewhat toned down. "Bananafishbones" is a bit reggae influenced, but not really. Kind of a weird song. "The Top" closes out the album, a slow methodical song that just drips with emotion. Very good song. This album really had no right being as good as it was, nor did it have any right being as ignored as it was. The Top and Pornography are the only two Cure albums ever that have only produced one single each, and in both cases there were at least one or two other songs that could have been hits. I really dig this album, and am going to go throw it on, since I haven't listened to it in a while. Peace out.
5 Best Songs:
5. "The Empty World"
4. "Shake Dog Shake"
3. "Wailing Wall"
2. "Give Me It"
1. "The Caterpillar"

(I am putting the videos for songs 2 - 4 since "Caterpillar" was already on the singles collection entry a couple entries ago.)

"Shake Dog Shake"


"Wailing Wall" (Plus "The Empty World". It's the best version of "Wailing Wall" I could find, so... Bonus!)


"Give Me It"

Favorite Albums: 112 - 111

112. Mixed Up by The Cure (1990)

This was basically a filler album, killing time between Disintegration and Wish. It is just remixes of ten songs, plus one new song, "Never Enough." Four of the remixes are from Disintegration ("Lullaby" "Pictures Of You" "Lovesong" and "Fascination Street") and none of the four are that ambitious, compared to the rest of the songs. They are basically just extended versions, no major changes. "Pictures Of You" gets a new funky beat, "Lullaby" just gets a bit repetitive, and "Lovesong" nearly becomes an instrumental. "Fascination Street" is the most radically reworked of the four, and is actually a bit more interesting on Mixed Up than on Disintegration. The real value of this album comes in the reworking of the older material. "Close To Me (Closer Mix)" is the first of the older songs to appear, and while it isn't significantly different from the original version, the new drums added in, as well as the addition of a horn section, give it a much different feel than the original. "The Walk (Everything Mix)" is almost a disco song, with a little bit of attitude thrown in. "A Forest (Tree Mix)" has some extra bits thrown in that make it pretty fun and interesting, extra keyboards and drums and such. "Hot Hot Hot!!! (Extended Mix)" Doesn't change much from the original either, just gets some longer instrumental sections added and, again, new drum parts. "The Caterpillar (Flicker Mix)" is amazing, easily the best song on the album. The original was very peppy and up beat (see the last post for a live version.) The "Flicker Mix" is completely different, extremely slow and somber. The lyrics are exactly the same, but they completely change tone and feeling between the two versions. "In Between Days (Shiver Mix)" becomes almost unrecognizable from the original. The original version was one of the best pop songs The Cure ever recorded. The remix is a techno laced near instrumental that just begs to be danced to. "Never Enough" closes out the album, a nifty new song that has become a staple in The Cure's live shows. While this is definitely not a "must have" album, it is good for what it is. It also started a trend where every Cure single released for Wish and Wild Mood Swings ended up having remixes on them, some of which ("Just Like Heaven" and "Primary" especially) should have gone on this album.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Pictures Of You (Extended Dub Mix)"
4. "Close To Me (Closer Mix)"
3. "Never Enough (Big Mix)"
2. "A Forest (Tree Mix)"
1. "The Caterpillar (Flicker Mix)"

"Never Enough (Big Mix)"


"A Forest (Tree Mix)"


"The Caterpillar (Flicker Mix)" (pretty quiet... turn it up)


111. Songs From the Big Chair by Tears For Fears (1985)

This was one of the first cassettes I ever bought, and I still have the original copy. My cousin had it when he was living with us, and when he moved out, I had to have it. Now, twenty some years later, I still have to have it. This is just a really great album, start to finish. It kicks off with "Shout," one of the great '80s anthems. "The Working Hour" follows, a beautiful saxophone driven tune. Next is "Everybody Wants To Rule the World," which you all know. "Mothers Talk" is next, and should have been a single as it is one of the best songs n the album. "I Believe" is the only song on the album that I don't care for. It's just a little too much, and really doesn't go well with the rest of the album. "Broken" is next, and is basically a two minute intro to "Head Over Heels." Both songs play off each other, and "Broken" is even reprised in a live version at the end of "Head Over Heels." The final song, "Listen," is just a nice mellow tune to kind of wrap everything up in a nice neat package. Unlike Mixed Up, this is a "must have" album. It is one of the signature albums of the '80s, and for good reason.
5 Best Songs:
5. "The Working Hour"
4. "Everybody Wants To Rule the World"
3. "Head Over Heels"
2. "Mothers Talk"
1. "Shout"

"Head Over Heels"


"Mothers Talk"


"Shout"

Favorite Albums: 114 - 113

So, yeah, I said in the last post that the Greatest Hits and singles collections and stuff were going to be farther apart. There was one in the last post, two in this one. Go me.
I am still amazed that Bat Out Of Hell got zero comments, by the way. Amazed.

115. Standing On a Beach - The Singles (And Unavailable B-sides) by The Cure (1986)

This collection included all The Cure's singles from Three Imaginary Boys through The Head On the Door. The cassette version was called Standing On a Beach, and included all the b-sides to all the singles. Every other version was called Staring At the Sea and only had the singles. I am going with the cassette version, because some of the b-sides are just as good as a lot of the singles.
All the singles are here, in chronological order, from "Killing An Arab" through "Close To Me." It is a pretty definitive collection of The Cure's first decade, with nothing at all missing. Throwing the b-side collection in just makes it that much more fulfilling. "Happy the Man," "The Exploding Boy," "New Day," "Stop Dead" and "A Few Hours After This," all b-sides, rival many of the songs The Cure ever put on any album up to this point. I'm really not going to get into much detail about the singles, because most of the albums the songs are off of appear in this list at one point or another, so it would be a bit redundant. Just... Go get this album. It is well worth it.
5 Best Songs (Singles):
5. "Primary"
4. "A Night Like This"
3. "10:15 Saturday Night"
2. "Boys Don't Cry"
1. "The Caterpillar"

5 Best Songs (B-sides):
5. "Happy the Man"
4. "New Day"
3. "Stop Dead"
2. "The Exploding Boy"
1. "A Few Hours After This"

"10:15 Saturday Night"


"Boys Don't Cry"


"The Caterpillar"



113. Who's Better, Who's Best by The Who (1988)

This is, for some reason, the only Who album I own. But damn is it good. I used to listen to this all the time, but kind of burned myself out on it, and haven't listened to it in nearly a year. Basically every Who song worth a damn is on here. The only real complaint I have is the version of "Won't Get Fooled Again" that is on here. It says it's the "extended version," yet there are parts completely cut out, and it is shorter than the actual album version by a full 5 minutes. I can understand not wanting to put an 8 minute song on here, but it ends up being so chopped up that it's annoying as hell. Actually, I do have one other complaint, and that is that "Behind Blue Eyes" isn't on here. Love that song. There are a few songs on here, like "I'm a Boy" and "See Me, Feel Me" that I would have put "Behind Blue Eyes" in place of, but for the most part this is a really good collection. They got all the main hits on here, so that's what matters most in the end, right?
5 Best Songs:
5. "Magic Bus"
4. "Squeeze Box"
3. "Happy Jack"
2. "You Better, You Bet"
1. "I Can See For Miles"

"Happy Jack"


"You Better, You Bet"


"I Can See For Miles"

Favorite Albums: 116 - 115

Only 6 more "Best Of" or "Singles collections" or whatever left, and luckily they are more spread out, not bunched together. Here's the first.
116. In Time: The Best Of R.E.M. (1988 - 2003) by R.E.M. (2003)

This is not a comprehensive Best Of, for the record. It only covers the years the band was signed to Warner Bros. Records, and it was released as the last album of their contract just so they could get out of the contract. In fact, it isn't even comprehensive of their time with Warner Bros. "Drive," "Shiny Happy People" and "Bang and Blame" are just three of the 17 singles not included in this collection, and yet there are three new songs. So right from the start it's incomplete. The bonus edition of the CD includes 15 tracks made up of b-sides and live tracks, plus songs like "Fretless" (which Bill Berry admits in the liner notes should have been included on Out Of Time, but for whatever reason wasn't) and "It's a Free World Baby" that were album outtakes appearing on an R.E.M. album for the first time. And yet, even this disc feels incomplete because there are some b-sides that are missing that are really good, such as the band's covers of "Tom's Diner" "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" "Love Is All Around" and "Dark Globe," plus a few of their instrumentals. And yet, even with all these omissions, it's still a decent album. Ideal? Absolutely not. But decent.
5 Best Songs:
5. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"
4. "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite"
3. "At My Most Beautiful"
2. "The Great Beyond"
1. "Bad Day"

(I suggest hunting down the official videos for "At My Most Beautiful" and "Bad Day" because they are pretty amusing.)

"At My Most Beautiful"


"The Great Beyond"


"Bad Day"


115. Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes (2005)

I know Elephant is most people's choice for best White Stripes album, and if not that then White Blood Cells, but for me Get Behind Me Satan is the shit. I love that every song has its own feel and personality, and the fact that it sounds like a jumbled mess is actually appealing. "Blue Orchid" kicks things off with a bang, and is actually pretty misleading as an intro to the album, as nothing else on the album is as heavy, really. There are points here and there, but nothing consistent. "The Nurse" follows, with a nice simple tune played on the marimbas and some random drum and guitar outbursts throughout. "My Doorbell" is without a doubt the most "pop" White Stripes song to date.
Sorry... I'm just not that into this today. Too much crap going on around the house. Next post will be better, I promise.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Wild Orchid"
4. "Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)"
3. "Little Ghost"
2. "My Doorbell"
1. "The Nurse"

"Little Ghost"


"My Doorbell"


"The Nurse"

Favorite Albums: 118 - 117

118. Mirrorball by Sarah McLachlan (1999)

Pretty much the biggest problem with this album is that it is too formulaic. It basically plays as a greatest hits album, not really taking any risks and not adding in lesser known songs for the benefit of the more loyal fans. Over half the songs were radio hits, and it just seems like she played it too safe with the other songs, relying on the standards instead of throwing in one or two lesser known songs. The other problem, although not as big, is that for most of the album you can't really tell it's a live album, other than the applause at the end of a song. The one major exception would be "Ice Cream," where the audience does a pretty large amount of singing. Not surprising that it's one of best songs on the album, if not the best. The album starts off with "Building a Mystery" which actually ends up being one of the more up tempo songs on the album. "Hold On" and "Good Enough" follow, completely changing the mood of the album, followed by more safe songs, "I Will Remember You" and "Adia." And so on and so on. "Angel" is the closer, and it doesn't really get more predictable than that, does it? Personally, while I do like this album, it just annoys me sometimes. I would have liked more than one song from Solace, which I still think is her best album, but hey, that's why I'm not a record exec right? Ah well.
5 Best Songs:
5. "The Path Of Thorns (Terms)"
4. "I Will Remember You"
3. "Good Enough"
2. "Hold On"
1. "Ice Cream"

"Good Enough"


"Hold On"


"Ice Cream"


117. Bat Out Of Hell by Meat Loaf (1977)

Go ahead and laugh, I'll wait.
Better? Okay.
On one web site, they use the word "ridiculous" twice and the word "silly" four times when reviewing this album - all in one paragraph. And that's from a site that gave it a favorable review. The best word I can think of to describe the songs on this album is "epic." There are only seven songs, but none are shorter than 4 minutes 21 seconds, and three of them are over 8 minutes. And yet, with how long the songs are, the album never drags. Every song on Bat Out Of Hell is a classic, even if "Paradise By the Dashboard Light" ended up dominating the album and overshadowing the much better songs off the album. (Which, in my opinion, would be all of them. "Paradise" is easily my least favorite song on this album.) Yes, the music on this album just sounds like pure '70s and is extremely dated, but that isn't really a bad thing in this case. "All Revved Up With No Place To Go" is full of over done horns, but in the end it works because it's an good, quite catchy song. "Heaven Can Wait" and "For Crying Out Loud" are two of the best songs that no one has heard. "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad" is the classic "I want you but can't have you" song of teenage angst. "Bat Out Of Hell" is the quintessential Meat Loaf rock opera, the precursor to "I Would Do Anything For Love." Finally, "You Took the Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Nights)" should have been a huge hit, but for whatever reason it wasn't. Overall, this album is consistent from start to finish, and in the end that's really all anyone should ask for from their music, isn't it?
5 Best Songs:
5. "For Crying Out Loud"
4. "All Revved Up With No Place To Go"
3. "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad"
2. "You Took the Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Nights)"
1. "Heaven Can Wait"

"Two Out Of Three Aint Bad"


"You Took the Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)"


"Heaven Can Wait"

Favorite Albums: 120 - 119

120. Hysteria by Def Leppard (1987)

Laugh all you want, but this album is seriously a classic and doesn't get the respect it deserves. There are 12 songs on this album; seven of them were charting singles. If that doesn't scream consistency, I don't know what does. Yes, it may have caused a resurgency in late '80s hair metal. Yes, some of the songs may sound extremely silly and outdated now. But that's okay, because at one point or another almost everybody I've ever known has owned this album. And most of them will even admit it. So, to the album... "Armageddon It," and "Hysteria," and "Rocket," and "Animal," and "Women," and "Love Bites," and "Pour Some Sugar On Me." Do I really need to say any more?
5 Best Songs:
5. "Animal"
4. "Rocket"
3. "Love Bites"
2. "Hysteria"
1. "Pour Some Sugar On Me"

"Love Bites"


"Hysteria"


"Pour Some Sugar On Me"


119. No Line On the Horizon by U2 (2009)

For me, this is U2's best album since Pop. All That You Can't Leave Behind was considered their "third masterpiece," but it really wasn't that great after a few listens. I think calling it that was more a response to the band getting away from the electronica influences on Pop and Zooropa more than anything. How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was surprisingly inconsistent, and seems to get worse with each play. No Line On the Horizon, however, just works. Every time I listen to this album I remember why I started liking U2 in the first place. The opening track, "No Line On the Horizon," is one of my favorite album openers ever. Love the driving guitars and unrelenting beat. "Magnificent" is decent, but I don't think it's as great as some music sites would have people believe. The next two songs, however, are spectacular. "Moment Of Surrender" and "Unknown Caller" have already become two of my favorite U2 songs ever, and I can't even really explain why. From the first time I listened to this album I've loved them both. "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" may be a silly title, but it's a pretty good song. "Stand Up Comedy" and "Breathe" are both pretty excellent as well.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Breathe"
4. "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"
3. "No Line On the Horizon"
2. "Moment Of Surrender"
1. "Unknown Caller"

"No Line On the Horizon"


"Moment Of Surrender"


"Unknown Caller"

Favorite Albums: 122 - 121

This is late, I know, and I apologize. Been having major problems with the computer, plus Holley's been sick so I've been on Sebastian duty, plus the basement had butt loads of water in it Saturday night through Monday morning. So... I may not be as into this one as usual. Sorry in advance.

122. American Idiot by Green Day (2004)

In one article on one website, in the review for this album, Green Day is compared (favorably, I might add) to each of the following bands for one reason or another: The Who, Husker Du, Queen, Meat Loaf, The Clash and "all the anti-Reagan American hardcore bands of the '80s." Well then. Obviously, everyone knows this album by now, whether you like it or not. This was such a monumental album in Green Day's career, pretty much forcing people to suddenly take them seriously. I am really not going to get into the story of the album, or how it's all anti-Bush and all that. That info's readily available all over the place. While I do think this was a pretty kick ass album, I personally don't think it's their best. But hey, what do I know? It is a good album to listen to when I'm painting though. For some reason it just puts me in that "zone" where I can just paint for hours. So that's something, right?
5 Best Songs:
5. "Wake Me Up When September Ends"
4. "Letter Bomb"
3. "Jesus Of Suburbia"
2. "Holiday"
1. "Are We the Waiting"

"Jesus Of Suburbia"


"Holiday"


"Are We the Waiting"


121. Tapestry by Carole King (1971)

Although King wrote or co-wrote everything on this album, several of the songs were already hits for other groups or singers. She finally started singing her own songs, and this album became one of the biggest selling albums of all time. The songs that had already been hits for other people include "You've Got a Friend," "(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman" and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" The latter song, especially, takes on a whole new life under King's arrangement and performance, going from somewhat up tempo to very slow and sad. "I Feel the Earth Move" and "It's Too Late" both shine, but the best new song here by far is "So Far Away," one of the sappiest songs ever, but painfully sincere in its sappiness. Definitely a must have album.
5 Best Songs:
5. "You've Got a Friend"
4. "I Feel the Earth Move"
3. "It's Too Late"
2. "So Far Away"
1. "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"

"It's Too Late"


"So Far Away"


"Will You Love Me Tomorrow"

Favorite Albums: 124 - 123

124. The Innocents by Erasure (1988)

This was the album that took Erasure out of the clubs and on to the radio. "A Little Respect" and "Chains Of Love" became huge hits, and deservedly so, as both songs are still good over 20 years later. While this is without question Erasure's most popular and best selling album, it isn't necessarily their best. There are too many songs (namely "Ship Of Fools," "Hallowed Ground," "Sixty-Five Thousand," and "Heart Of Stone") that just aren't that good. Then there are songs such as "Witch In the Ditch" and "Phantom Bride" that are good, but only if you don't listen to them too often. There are some good tunes on here besides the two huge singles, though. "Yahoo!" is a gospel-turned-pop song that is ridiculously catchy. "Imagination" and "Weight Of the World" are fun little tunes, great music, good lyrics, good songs. The two bonus tracks at the end of the album are two of the best songs on the album. The first, "When I Needed You," is absolutely beautiful and extremely sad at the same time. The lyrics are just great, I think: "I could be most anything/ There is so much to see/ I'd live a different story/ If you were next to me. Where (where)/ Where were you/ When I needed you most/ When I needed a friend?" Great stuff. The other bonus song, which ends the album, is a cover of the Ike and Tina Turner song "River Deep, Mountain High." It has a great build up at the beginning, a nice intro that, while having a quick tempo musically, takes its time building up to the main song. It kind of drags a bit at the end, getting a little repetitive, but other than that it's a good tune. Overall, a very decent album, but it was not the classic some music sites make it out to be. The follow up, Wild!, was much better in my opinion, but didn't do nearly as well critically or commercially.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Imagination"
4. "Chains Of Love"
3. "A Little Respect"
2. "Yahoo!"
1. "When I Needed You"

"A Little Respect"


"Yahoo!"


"When I Needed You"


123. Hooray For Boobies by Bloodhound Gang (2000)

And then we have one of the more ridiculous albums around. Bloodhound Gang don't pretend (or even try, really) to be great musicians or lyricists. Instead, it's really all about the cringe factor. "How much can we get away with before someone say that's enough?" On this album, the answer seems to be "As much as you want." It starts off with "I Hope You Die" which is all about, well, wanting some asshole to get what's coming to him, basically. Personally, I love the line about the prison cellmate and his fun little quirk: "While he masturbates to photos of livestock/ He does the 'Silence Of the Lambs' dance to Christian rock." Ha. "Three Point One Four" is about a quest to find, well, "I need to find a/ New vagina/ Any kinda/ New vagina/ It's hard to rhyme a/ Word like vagina/ Kevin Cline kinda/ North Carolina." Childish? Absolutely. But also funny. "Mope" uses clips of "Rock Me Amadeus" and "Relax" to basically... well.. not sure what that song's about. At one point Pac Man is trying to get them to smoke crack or something, I dunno, weird. ""Yummy Down On This" is all about blow jobs and wanting one. "The Ballad Of Chasey Lain" is all about a stalker wanting to meet the porn star and... yeah... wanting to eat her ass. "The Bad Touch" is the one song on this album that most people have heard. ("You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals/ So lets do it like they do on the Discovery channel.") "Hell Yeah" is funny as shit, wondering what kind of stuff he would do if he were God. "If I were God, thou shalt not wear tube socks with flip flops" and "If I were God thou shalt not worship false Billy Idols, and thou shalt add the book of Flava Falv to the Bible" are lovely. "Right Turn Clyde" seems like a sequel to "I Hope You Die," or maybe more of a prequel, I guess, and has one of the best choruses ever: "All in all you're just a 'nother dick with no balls" sung to the tune of "Another Brick In the Wall." One of the funnier parts of the album is "The Ten Best Things About New Jersey." It's not a song, it's ten seconds of silence. Took me a couple times to figure out what the joke was (I was stupid back then) but once I got it it was funny. The rest of the album is just basically filler, 4 or 5 more songs and a couple little clips. Definitely more of a 14 year old boy album than anything else, it's still fun to have on as background music at a party or something, if for nothing else than at least to see reactions to certain songs.
5 Best Songs:
5. "The Ballad Of Chasey Lain"
4. "I Hope You Die"
3. "The Bad Touch"
2. "Three Point One Four"
1. "Hell Yeah"

"The Bad Touch"


"Three Point One Four"


"Hell Yeah"

Favorite Albums: 126 - 125

126. Live Baby Live by INXS (1991)

So, it's kind of funny. One of the websites I use as reference for this list really hates this album. They call it "lifeless" and "a thoroughly unengaging affair and the worst record INXS have recorded." Ringing endorsement, that one. Apparently, they would have been happier had the band missed half the notes musically and gotten most of the words wrong. I dunno, call me crazy, but I'd rather hear the songs and actually be able to sing along with them. Not getting into this one too much either, because like the Greatest Hits album this one leans heavily on Kick and X for material, especially since it was recorded during the tour for X. Recorded live at Wembley Stadium for the video, the album included versions of songs from Rio as well.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Mystify"
4. "New Sensation"
3. "Devil Inside"
2. "The Stairs"
1. "Need You Tonight/Mediate"

"Devil Inside"


"The Stairs"


"Need You Tonight/Mediate"


125. Some Great Reward by Depeche Mode (1984)

This was pretty much Depeche Mode's breakthrough album in the U.S., mostly because of the song "People Are People." It includes one of the band's most beautiful songs ever, "Somebody," as well as one of their most cynical, "Blasphemous Rumours." "Somebody" is all about wanting somebody to love, and at points is almost too sweet, but in the end is just a great song. "Blasphemous Rumours," on the other hand, is a very bitter song about a girl who tries to kill herself and fails, then once she embraces life and finds Jesus (didn't know he was lost - ha ha), gets hit by a car and dies. "Master and Servant" is a lovely little S & M tune, filled with sexual tension from start to finish. "Something To Do," the album's opener, is a pretty aggressive song for Depeche Mode, at least at this stage of their career. The four lesser known tracks on this album ("Lie To Me" "It Doesn't Matter" "Stories Of Old" and "If You Want") do well to keeping the flow of the album moving pretty steadily, and are all pretty solid songs in their own right. Definitely the best Depeche Mode album prior to Music For the Masses.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Stories Of Old"
4. "Somebody"
3. "If You Want"
2. "Something To Do"
1. "Blasphemous Rumours"

"If You Want"


"Something To Do" (The intro part is actually music from "Master and Servant")


"Blasphemous Rumours"


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Favorite Albums: 128 - 127

128. Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge by My Chemical Romance (2004)

I wasn't too much of a fan of this album until seeing them in concert on tour for The Black Parade. My wife had this CD, and other than "Helena" and "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" I wasn't really interested in hearing it. I liked The Black Parade, just not this one as much, for some reason. It has definitely grown on me though over the last couple years, and now, well, here it is among my favorite albums, even if it is toward the rear. "Helena" starts the album off with a bang, just an absurdly cool song. The next two songs, "Give 'Em Hell, Kid" and "To the End," are a double shot of anger and adrenaline. "You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison" is a jazzy little number with one of the best titles ever. "I'm Not Okay" is awesome, and it's impossible to think about "The Ghost Of You" without visualizing the cool ass video. After that, though, the rest of the album just kind of steadily goes downhill. "Thank You For the Venom" is pretty much the only good song out of the whole second half of the album. Overall, this is an okay album. Not bad for a major label debut. And after hearing this, there was no way to expect the awesomeness that would follow on The Black Parade. But that's all right. Sometimes those little surprises are pretty pleasant.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Give 'Em Hell, Kid"
4. "To the End"
3. "The Ghost Of You"
2. "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)"
1. "Helena"

"The Ghost Of You"


"I'm Not Okay (I Promise)"


"Helena"


127. James by James (1991)

This album was originally released in the U.K. as Gold Mother, then released in the U.S. in a slightly altered arrangement (but still the same songs) as James after "Sit Down" became a surprise hit on college radio stations. "Sit Down" starts the album off, an insanely catchy song about all the misfits and outcasts coming together for comfort. It is easily the best song on the album, which isn't easy since there really aren't any weak spots on this disc, other than "Government Walls," which is a pretty sad attempt at a protest song. "God Only Knows" is a pretty brilliant song, a very biting attack on televangelists. "Come Home," "You Can't Tell How Much Suffering (On a Face That's Always Smiling)" and "Lose Control" are all pretty standard James songs in that they don't try to be anything that they're not. "Gold Mother" is kind of a weird song, but very interesting. It's basically about a child being born, but at varying points, as well as some overlapping points, singer Tim Booth is singing from the points of view of the mother, father, and baby. I love the line from "Gold Mother" that is basically asking how the baby is going to fit out of the woman: "How do you sail the ship from the bottle?" Ha ha. "How Was It For You?" is a pretty stellar tune as well, a nice upbeat song that in essence is calling the song's subject a jack ass, more or less. The two ballads on this album are awesome. "Walking the Ghost" is about a ghost (obviously) trapped in her former home and being upset with the changes the new residents have made and how generally sad she is. "Top Of the World" closes the album and has an air of... reluctant optimism, I guess? Not really sure how to describe this one. Just let it be known it's an awesome beautiful song.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Gold Mother"
4. "How Was It For You?"
3. "God Only Knows"
2. "Top Of the World"
1. "Sit Down"

"God Only Knows"


"Top Of the World"


"Sit Down"

Favorite Albums List: 132 - 129

I am breezing through these 4 because I really want to be done with these damned Greatest Hits collections. So, not anywhere near as in depth as they could (should?) be, sorry. Just really really really want to get these over with.

132. The Hits by Garth Brooks (1994)

The only country album on this list, and actually the only country album I own. (Sorry, I don't consider Johnny Cash country. More rockabilly than anything, for the most part, except for his gospel albums.) There are 18 songs here, and 14 of those 18 were #1 on the Billboard country chart. Don't really know what to say about it... I really like this album, but as far as his regular albums go, I think there was only one that I could actually listen to. He also put on one of the coolest concerts I've ever been to, so I guess that counts for something?
5 Best Songs:
5. "The River"
4. "Shameless"
3. "The Dance"
2. "Standing Outside the Fire"
1. "Unanswered Prayers"

"The Dance"


"Standing Outside the Fire"


"Unanswered Prayers" (Video is cheesy, so I suggest just listening, not watching.)


131. The Best Of INXS by INXS (2002)

I am definitely not getting into this one too much because the two albums that are featured most prominently, Kick and X, both appear later in the list. Really the only song that I can think of that is missing from this CD is "The Stairs." Other than that, every big INXS song is here. (Not that "The Stairs" was a huge hit, it was just one of their better songs.) The only bad thing about this CD is the jumbled order. Would have been a lot better going chronologically, although I can understand opening with "Need You Tonight." Great compilation, though.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Not Enough Time"
4. "Devil Inside"
3. "By My Side"
2. "Disappear"
1. "Never Tear Us Apart"

"By My Side"


"Disappear"


"Never Tear Us Apart"


130. Greatest Hits by James Taylor (1976)

This is a great album to fall asleep to. Not because it's boring, which I don't think it is, but just because it's so peaceful. From start to finish it is a very solid collection of Taylor's early work, except for the final track, "Steamroller," which is just a piece of crap. Taylor is without question one of the great songwriters, and this was pretty much him at his best.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Mexico"
4. "Something In the Way She Moves"
3. "Sweet Baby James"
2. "Shower the People"
1. "Fire and Rain"

"Sweet Baby James"


"Shower the People"


"Fire and Rain"


129. Substance by New Order (1987)

Technically, this is a singles collection, not Greatest Hits, but it pretty much passes for both. This is basically 24 of the best club songs of the '80s all in one spot, all by one band. This one took a while to grow on me, I must admit. But once it did, I really learned to appreciate it. The opening track, "Ceremony," is a beautiful song, and was actually written while the band was still Joy Division. The four most well known New Order songs are here, of course, and they all sound just as good now as they did back then. (Those would be "Blue Monday" "Perfect Kiss" "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "True Faith.") Most of the songs are a bit on the long side, with 18 of the 24 being over 5 minutes long, but surprisingly the album doesn't really drag on at any point. Granted, for a lot of people a lot of the songs sound the same, but the vast majority of the album is very good.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Blue Monday"
4. "Confusion"
3. "True Faith"
2. "Ceremony"
1. "Bizarre Love Triangle"

"True Faith"


"Ceremony"


"Bizarre Love Triangle"

Favorite Albums: 134 - 133

My computer is running slower than molasses today, so I am a little annoyed, so sorry in advance for being pissy if it happens.

134. Until the End Of the World Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Various Artists (1991)

Easily my favorite soundtrack to any movie. The movie itself... I thought I remembered it being a lot better than it was. Rented it from the library a few weeks ago, and yeah... It's decent, but nothing special. It's too cluttered and telling too many stories, and the music ends up taking focus away from the storytelling. The music in this movie is absolutely outstanding. Just look at the list of artists involved: U2, Depeche Mode, R.E.M., Talking Heads, Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Patti Smith, Daniel Lanois, k.d. lang... Plus a few lesser known (or less noteworthy) artists, like Neneh Cherry, Julee Cruise, Can, Jane Siberry, Crime and the City Solution, and T-Bone Burnett. "Days" by Elvis Costello is a cover of an old Kinks song. "Sax and Violins" by Talking Heads was one of the last few songs the band recorded together. "Fretless" by R.E.M. is one of my favorite songs ever, if you remember from the favorite songs list, as is "Calling All Angels" by Jane Siberry and k.d. lang. "Until the End Of the World" by U2 and "What's Good" by Lou Reed are both pretty solid songs, but what else would you expect from either of them? For me though, the two biggest highlights (other than "Calling All Angels" and "Fretless" that is) are "The Adversary" by Crime and the City Solution and "(I'll Love You) Till the End Of the World" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Both of these songs are absolutely amazing, both in and out of the context of the movie. The only song that is missing from the movie is "Blood Of Eden" by Peter Gabriel. It's a more unpolished version than the one that would later end up on his album Us but it is just as beautiful. Really wish it would have been on here.
5 Best Songs:
(I am excluding "Fretless" and "Calling All Angels" since they are in the favorite songs list already.)
5. "What's Good" by Lou Reed
4. "Days" by Elvis Costello
3. "Until the End Of the World" by U2
2. "The Adversary" by Crime and the City Solution
1. "(I'll Love You) Till the End Of the World" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

And naturally I can't find any videos whatsoever of the top 2 songs, so I'm only putting the U2 one, I guess. If you want to hear the other 2 (well worth it) let me know and I'll burn them and e-mail them or something.

"Until the End Of the World"


133. Best Of Bowie by David Bowie (2002)

So, according to one of the websites I use to help reference stuff on this list, there were 16 different versions of this album released for different countries around the world. I didn't look at them to see how different they are from each other, but really, what's the point? Are there really that many ways to make a greatest hits album? No. But there are apparently that many ways to make a buck.
Anyway.
As far as the album goes, well, it's Bowie, what else needs to be said? "Space Oddity" is the opener, serving two purposes: Get one of the best known songs by him out there up front, and get the longest song on the album out of the way right off the bat. Of the 4 songs on the album that are duets, only the horrible "Dancing In the Streets" with Mick Jagger is a miss. "Fame" with John Lennon, "Under Pressure" with Queen, and "I'm Afraid Of Americans" with Trent Reznor are all pretty bad ass. And in the end, "Dancing In the Streets" is the only weak song on the album.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Let's Dance"
4. "Rebel Rebel"
3. "Fame"
2. "Modern Love"
1. "Under Pressure"

"Fame"


"Modern Love"


"Under Pressure"