Favorite Albums: 62 - 61

So... This entry took me 9 days to finish, and with school starting in a week and a half, it's not going to get much better. So, after this, I am going to be very quick about the entries, until the top 20 or so. Sorry, but my free time is about to get filled with medical terminology and algebra.

62. Zooropa by U2 (1993)

This album gets ripped on more than just about any other U2 album. It's a shame, because it really is a decent album. It was only intended as a quick EP before they went back on tour, but ended up becoming a full 10 song album. While some of it is bad, there are many really good spots. It starts off with "Zooropa", a pretty good opening track. Slowly gathers itself, builds to a nice solid finish, and lets you know right off the bat that this is a very keyboard driven album. Like it. "Babyface" is next, one of the prettiest U2 songs that nobody has heard. Pretty sure it was even a single, but not positive. Good tune. "Numb" is next, one of the few songs The Edge gets to sing lead vocals on. Love love love this song, even now. Then comes "Lemon", which I can't stand. Not really a fan of any of the songs Bono sings in that falsetto of his, but this one's probably the worst. Just annoying. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" is one of the most beautiful U2 love songs ever. Just an outstanding song. "Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car" is one of those songs that I used to hate but now appreciate and enjoy. Groovy beat, somewhat menacing yet silly lyrics, good vocals. Good tune. "Some Days Are Better Than Others" is just kind of lazy. It is extremely repetitive, and gets pretty boring. Pass. "The First Time" is bad ass. Absolutely love this song, and have from the first time I ever heard it. Just a great song. "Dirty Day" is okay, but for me it's just filler between the two best songs on the album. "The Wanderer" closes the album with one of the most awesome pairings ever - U2 with Johnny Cash on vocals. Absolute awesomeness. I don't even care if it's not the best song in the world, it is still extremely cool. All in all, there is a lot of good music on this album. It really didn't deserve the bashing it took from both critics and fans, and I think if more people gave it a shot, they'd be surprised how good it really is.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Babyface"


4. "Numb"


3. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"


2. "The Wanderer"


1. "The First Time"


61. Sugar Tax by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1991)

So, OMD started off as a duo, then over the years they added other musicians. Then, the two founding members, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, got into a bit of a spat, and the band split. McCluskey continued on under the OMD name, and this was the first release after the split. It's not that bad of an album, even though it pretty much got ripped to shreds. It starts off with "Sailing On the Seven Seas", a pretty thumping tune, and one of the best on the album. Instant hook. "Pandora's Box (It's a Long, Long Way)" was the only single off this album that got any attention whatsoever, and it's a pretty decent song. "Then You Turn Away" and "Speed Of Light" are both pretty good, the former being an especially moody song. "Was It Something I Said" is one of the greatest break up songs ever. It's basically about the break up of the band, but it can be applied to relationships of damn near any kind pretty easily. Awesome tune. "Big Town" is okay, a nice fluff piece after the emotion of the preceding song. "Call My Name" sounds like it was written specifically for a dance club. Good stuff. "Apollo XI" is a funky little piece that uses broadcast clips from different moon landings for the "lyrics". Not much substance, but interesting. "Walking On Air" has a very odd feel to it compared to the rest of the album. Kind of a jazzy thing going, not quite sure how else to describe it. "Walk Tall" is another bad ass break up song, but it's more defiant, basically saying the other person isn't going to break his spirit. Great. "Neon Lights" is another filler type song. Not great, not terrible, just there. "All That Glitters" closes the album on a pretty down note. It's a good song, just very pessimistic. Overall, this is a pretty decent album, especially for what amounts to a solo work. Not just solo vocally, but he did all the music, too. Is it the best O.M.D. album? Probably not. My favorite, though.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Then You Turn Away"


4. "All That Glitters"


3. "Walk Tall"
(No versions available)

2. "Pandora's Box (It's a Long, Long Way)"


1. "Was It Something I Said"

Favorite Albums: 106 - 105

So, I completely forgot to post these 2 on Friday. Had too much crap going on. So the plan right now is to post these two now, then the next two either tonight or tomorrow, to keep on schedule. I know I'm letting down my loyal fan base when I don't post on time. I'll try not to let it happen again.

106. Sam's Town by The Killers (2006)

For a while I liked this album more than their debut, Hot Fuss. Not so much any more. It is an interesting album, but it just seems like they are taking too many ideas from too many '80s bands and trying unsuccessfully to mash them all together. It's a good album still, I'm just not as in love with it as I was when it first came out. There aren't really any stand out songs on this album, except for the extremely over played "When You Were Young" I suppose. It just feels like an album full of good ideas gone wrong. Like "Bones" for instance. It sounds like they're trying to mix New Order keyboards with Def Leppard guitars and Tom Petty vocals. Not necessarily a bad song, just a weird mix of influences. "For Reasons Unknown" almost sounds like a lost Talking Heads track, but is still good. "My List" feels like a Depeche Mode reject, but is still good. "Why Do I Keep Counting?" seems like the bastard child of David Bowie and Peter Gabriel, yet is still good. And that's probably the biggest problem with this album. Through the whole thing, they sound like they are trying to sound like anyone but The Killers. It's a good album, and worth having, but, like I said, just not as into it as I was when it first came out.
5 Best Songs:
5. "This River Is Wild"
4. "Bones"
3. "Read My Mind"
2. "My List"
1. "For Reasons Unknown"

"Read My Mind"


"My List"


"For Reasons Unknown"


105. Pop by U2 (1997)

For a lot of people this is U2's worst album. For me, that distinction is shared by October and Boy. Never been able to enjoy either of those albums. The thing that bugs me most about critics of this album is how they bitch that it was too different, that it was too experimental. Should they have gone out and made another Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby? Sure, that would have been the safe predictable money making way to go, but it would have been boring, in all honesty. Okay, enough bitching.
I must admit, I didn't care for this album that much at first. Not because it wasn't Achtung Baby part 2, just because U2 doing electronica seemed... wrong. But really, other than "Discotheque" and "Mofo" it's not that far off from a standard U2 album. It's probably their most ballad heavy album, and even some of the non-ballads seem like ballads almost. It's also one of their most relaxing albums. "If God Will Send His Angels" was also featured on the City Of Angels soundtrack (which would have been on this list if I still had a copy. I should go get it again.) and is just an absolutely beautiful song. The three songs that end the album are just bad ass. "If You Wear That Velvet Dress" drips sex, "Please" is about a suicide bomber, and "Wake Up Dead Man" is a plea to have Jesus re-enter the narrator's life. All three are pretty slow, and they are among some of the prettiest songs U2 has ever done, I think. "Gone," "Miami," and "The Playboy Mansion" are also pretty good songs, another nice 1-2-3 strike. Overall, I think this is a pretty balanced album, and doesn't deserve the label it's gotten as being a mistake. It's more enjoyable the older it gets, and really should be up in the second level of great U2 albums where (for me) Rattle and Hum, Zooropa, and No Line On the Horizon reside. Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby it's not, but it's also not How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, Boy, or October.
5 Best Songs:
5. "The Playboy Mansion"
4. "Mofo"
3. "If God Will Send His Angels"
2. "Gone"
1. "Please"

"If God Will Send His Angels"


"Gone"


"Please"

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: 142 - 141

142. The Unforgettable Fire by U2 (1984)

This is probably one of U2's more forgotten albums, which is understandable, since it was sandwiched between two of their most well known, War and The Joshua Tree. Obviously, everyone knows "Pride (In the Name Of Love)" but that's probably the only song on this album that a lot of people know. The lead track, "A Sort Of Homecoming," is one of the better openers on any U2 album. Pretty much "Sunday Bloody Sunday" from War and "Where the Streets Have No Name" from The Joshua Tree are the only two I personally would consider better. This album was where U2 first started falling in love with American pop culture. Two songs about Martin Luther King, Jr. ("Pride" and "MLK"), "Elvis Presley and America," "4th Of July." While some of the songs on this album are somewhat, well, forgettable, there are also some of the best songs of U2's early years. "A Sort Of Homecoming" and "The Unforgettable Fire" have more texture than anything on any of the three preceding albums. "MLK" is just beautiful. "Pride" and "Wire" come out attacking. And "Bad" is one of my absolute favorite U2 songs. It basically became the blueprint for a lot of their later work - slowly build up from a sweeping understated beginning to a concise and explosive climax, then quickly pull back again to the sweeping understated end. Just a stellar song.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Pride (In the Name Of Love)"
4. "The Unforgettable Fire"
3. "MLK"
2. "A Sort Of Homecoming"
1. "Bad"

"MLK"


"A Sort Of Homecoming"


"Bad"


141. Synchronicity by The Police (1983)

The fifth and final album by The Police, Synchronicity was also their most successful and, well, best. I mean, just look at the songs on this album: "Synchronicity II," "Murder By Numbers," "Wrapped Around Your Finger," "King Of Pain," and, oh yeah, a little known tune called "Every Breath You Take." Is it a perfect album? Of course not. "Mother" is one of the worst songs I've ever heard, and "Walking In Your Footsteps" is barely any better. "Miss Gradenko" is so-so at best, and "Synchronicity I" and "Tea In the Sahara" are decent but not great. But really, when it comes down to it, the five classics mentioned above more than make up for the rest of the album being average. "Synchronicity II" is a pretty bad ass song, but can get kind of old kind of quick, especially if you listen to a certain Cleveland radio station that has decided it needs to be played at least 8 times a day. "Murder By Numbers" is kind of the same, but it takes a lot longer for it to get annoying since it's a bit better of a song. "Every Breath You Take," the ultimate stalker song, is the obvious choice for "masterpiece" on pretty much any music site I've ever visited, not just when it comes to this album, but when talking about The Police in general. And while it is, indeed, a great song, personally I like "Wrapped Around Your Finger" and "King Of Pain" better. Not sure why really. Probably just because they've never been played as much as "Every Breath You Take." And while this is a decent album, for most people the singles collection would be better to get than this album.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Synchronicity II"
4. "Murder By Numbers"
3. "Every Breath You Take"
2. "Wrapped Around Your Finger"
1. "King Of Pain"

"Every Breath You Take"


"Wrapped Around Your Finger"


"King Of Pain"