#76.



Steely Dan - Aja
(811 Points, 12 Votes)

Year: 1977

US Chart Position: #3

UK Chart Position: #5

Charting Singles: "Peg" (#11 US), "Deacon Blues" (#19 US), "Josie" (#26 US)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #15 (year), #101 (decade), #280 (all-time)

AMG Says: "A coolly textured and immaculately produced collection of sophisticated jazz-rock, Aja has none of the overt cynicism or self-consciously challenging music that distinguished previous Steely Dan records. Instead, it's a measured and textured album, filled with subtle melodies and accomplished, jazzy solos that blend easily into the lush instrumental backdrops. But Aja isn't just about texture, since Becker and Fagen's songs are their most complex and musically rich set of songs -- even the simplest song, the sunny pop of "Peg," has layers of jazzy vocal harmonies. In fact, Steely Dan ignores rock on Aja, preferring to fuse cool jazz, blues, and pop together in a seamless, seductive fashion. It's complex music delivered with ease, and although the duo's preoccupation with clean sound and self-consciously sophisticated arrangements would eventually lead to a dead end, Aja is a shining example of jazz-rock at its finest."

Ranked Highest By: Tracy Jacks (#4)

Amazon Link

"The River" is in the bushes in front of my house right now after a spur-of-the-moment re-enactment of Shaun of the Dead the other day. For real.

#75.



Bob Dylan - Desire
(815 Points, 14 Votes)

Year: 1976

US Chart Position: #1

UK Chart Position: #3

Charting Singles: "Hurricane" (#33 US), "Mozambique" (#54 US)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #7 (year), #141 (decade), #405 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #202

AMG Says: "If Blood on the Tracks was an unapologetically intimate affair, Desire is unwieldy and messy, the deliberate work of a collective. And while Bob Dylan directly addresses his crumbling relationship with his wife, Sara, on the final track, Desire is hardly as personal as its predecessor, finding Dylan returning to topical songwriting and folk tales for the core of the record. It's all over the map, as far as songwriting goes, and so is it musically, capturing Dylan at the beginning of the Rolling Thunder Revue era, which was more notable for its chaos than its music. And, so it's only fitting that Desire fits that description as well, as it careens between surging folk-rock, Mideastern dirges, skipping pop, and epic narratives [...] This may not add up to a masterpiece, but it does result in one of his most fascinating records of the '70s and '80s -- more intriguing, lyrically and musically, than most of his latter-day affairs."

Ranked Highest By: David Ortiz (#2)

Amazon Link

#74.



Cheap Trick - Live at Budokan
(854 Points, 11 Votes)

Year: 1978

US Chart Position: #4

UK Chart Position: #29

Charting Singles: "I Want You to Want Me" (#7 US, #29 UK), "Ain't That a Shame" (#35 US)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #19 (year), #202 (decade), #594 (all-time)

AMG Says: "While their records were entertaining and full of skillful pop, it wasn't until At Budokan that Cheap Trick's vision truly gelled. Many of these songs, like "I Want You to Want Me" and "Big Eyes," were pleasant in their original form, but seemed more like sketches compared to the roaring versions on this album. With their ear-shatteringly loud guitars and sweet melodies, Cheap Trick unwittingly paved the way for much of the hard rock of the next decade, as well as a surprising amount of alternative rock of the 1990s, and it was At Budokan that captured the band in all of its power."

Ranked Highest By: Pookie (#2)

Amazon Link

Dr. Jimmy said it, not me.


No one told me Broooce was dead. Now I'm almost sorry I made fun of him.

Almost.

#73.



Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Get Happy
(855 Points, 15 Votes)

Year: 1980

US Chart Position: #11

UK Chart Position: #2

Charting Singles: "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" (#4 UK), "High Fidelity" (#30 UK), "New Amsterdam" (#36 UK)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #6 (year), #45 (decade), #286 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #198

AMG Says: "As it furiously flits through 20 songs, Costello's cynicisms, rage, humor, and misanthropic sensibility gel remarkably well. Some songs may not quite hit their targets, but that's part of the album's charm -- it moves so fast that its lesser songs rush by on the way to such full-fledged masterpieces as "New Amsterdam," "High Fidelity," and "Riot Act." Get Happy!! bursts with energy and invention, standing as a testament to how Costello, the pop encyclopedia, can reinvent the past in his own image."

Ranked Highest By: Bobzilla (#2)

Amazon Link

#72.



XTC - Black Sea

Year: 1980

US Chart Position: #41

UK Chart Position: #16

Charting Sinlges: "Generals and Majors" (#32 UK), "Towers of London" (#31 UK), "Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)" (#16 UK)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #45 (year), #402 (decade), #1920 (all-time)

AMG Says: "XTC continue on with the big drum sound of Drums and Wires, adding more polish and an even heavier-hitting approach for Black Sea -- their arrangements are fuller and they rock harder than ever before. Where Drums and Wires implied social commentary, Black Sea more directly addresses sociopolitical concerns, handling them not strictly in a theoretical sense, but rather showing a human response to the circumstances. Of course, the band's skewed outlook and mid-'60s pop sense keeps things from becoming too heavy -- included are some of their finest songs, like "Respectable Street," "Generals and Majors," and "Towers of London," as well as the thoroughly enjoyable pop fluff throwaway "Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)" to keep the mood light. All in all, there isn't a bad song in the bunch -- Black Sea is their most consistent album to date -- and although XTC always operated on the fringes, the album is their most commercial-sounding, fitting in perfectly with the new wave of the late '70s/early '80s."

Ranked Highest By: Citizen (#9)

Amazon Link

One of my all time favorite albums, I just don't think of it with that cover but with that funky green paper covering that it came in. They were fantastic live on that tour.

I've said this before & I'll say it again: The cover of this album, let alone the contents of it, is more influential to my musical development than anything Prince or Michael Jackson ever did.

No kidding. And it must be played loud!



Urghh, wtf! You guys are so arbitrarily anal sometimes. 5things, now the symbols used in names? I can read it just fine, and it's interesting to look at. Shouldn't be a problem.

You beat me to it.

Yeah, I wasn't being serious about wanting the mods to change his name. It still looks stupid though.

Absolutely great album, but I can't resist: pretty old, Freddie?

Also, on the Devo debate: I was going to really like them... til I heard the album. I wouldn't say it's 'bad' (mainly because I'm usually too subjectivist for that), but I found little of benefit to me in it.

#71.



Rush - Moving Pictures
(901 Points, 14 Votes)

Year: 1981

US Chart Position: #3

UK Chart Position: #6

Charting Singles: "Tom Saywer" (#44 / #8 Mainstream Rock US, #25 UK), "Limelight" (#55 / #4 Mainstream Rock US)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #33 (year), #370 (decade), #1775 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #292

AMG Says: "Not only is 1981's Moving Pictures Rush's best album, it is undeniably one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time. The new wave meets hard rock approach of Permanent Waves is honed to perfection -- all seven of the tracks are classics (four are still featured regularly in concert and on classic rock radio). While other hard rock bands at the time experimented unsuccessfully with other musical styles, Rush were one of the few to successfully cross over [...] Rush proved with Moving Pictures that there was still uncharted territory to explore within the hard rock format, and were rewarded with their most enduring and popular album."

Ranked Highest By: Bobandbob (#3) (also ranked #5 by The Luscious Phil)

Amazon Link

#70.



The Smiths - The Smiths
(907 Points, Ten Votes)

Year: 1984

US Chart Position: #150

UK Chart Position: #2

Charting Singles: "This Charming Man" (#25 UK), "What Difference Does it Make" (#12 UK)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #3 (year), #30 (decade), #203 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #405

AMG Says: "Arriving in an era dominated by synth pop and gloomy post-punk, the Smiths' eponymous debut was the bracing beginning of a new era. On the surface, the Smiths' sound wasn't radically different from traditional British guitar pop -- Johnny Marr's ringing, layered guitars were catchy and melodic -- but it was actually an astonishing subversion of the form, turning the structure inside out. Very few of the songs followed conventional verse-chorus structure, yet they were quite melodic within their own right. Marr's inventive songwriting was made all the more original and innovative by Morrissey's crooning and lyrics [...] While the production of The Smiths is a little pristine, the songs are vital and alive, developing a new, unique voice within pop music. Though the Smiths continued to improve over the course of their career, their debut remains startling and exciting."

Ranked Highest By: Diesel (#3)

Amazon Link

#69.



Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Imperial Bedroom
(916 Points, 15 Votes)

Year: 1982

US Chart Position: #30

UK Chart Position: #6

Charting Singles: n/a

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #4 (year), #38 (decade), #247 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #420

AMG Says: "Having gotten country out of his system with Almost Blue, Elvis Costello returned to pop music with Imperial Bedroom -- and it was pop in the classic, Tin Pan Alley sense. Costello chose to hire Geoff Emerick, who engineered all of the Beatles' most ambitious records, to produce Imperial Bedroom, which indicates what it sounds like -- it's traditional pop with a post-Sgt. Pepper production. Essentially, the songs on Imperial Bedroom are an extension of Costello's jazz and pop infatuations on Trust. Costello's music is complex and intricate, yet it flows so smoothly, it's easy to miss the bitter, brutal lyrics [...] Imperial Bedroom remains one of Costello's essential records because it is the culmination of his ambitions and desires -- it's where he proves that he can play with the big boys, both as a songwriter and a record-maker."

Ranked Highest By: Throughsilver (#8)

Amazon Link

^the only Elvis Costello album that is worthy

#68.



Van Halen - Van Halen
(925 Points, 17 Votes)

Year: 1978

US Chart Position: #19

UK Chart Position: #34

Charting Singles: "You Really Got Me" (#36 US), "Runnin' With the Devil" (#84 US)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #10 (year), #115 (decade), #322 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #291

AMG Says: "Van Halen's self-titled 1978 debut is undoubtedly one of the all-time best debuts by a hard rock/heavy metal band. All of the components for a classic are represented -- excellent songs and high-octane performances (the excitement of their live show was captured perfectly by producer Ted Templeman) are used to create an invigorating, original sound. Like other acclaimed debuts (Led Zeppelin, Are You Experienced?), Van Halen has a raw edge since it was recorded quickly, and every single song is a winner. It's also become one of the ultimate party albums over the years, since the overall mood is excited and celebratory [...] Van Halen proved to be the ultimate coming-of-age soundtrack to many a teenager since its release, resulting in sales of over ten million in the U.S. alone. Everyone on the planet should own a copy of this landmark release."

Ranked Highest By: Throughsilver (#14)

Amazon Link

Not on the album.

My copy doesn't seem to glow in the dark either! Seems about right though for the album. Who want's the Troy Tate version?



Still a few left as well, no idea which will be top.

#67.



Metallica - Ride the Lightning
(929 Points, 12 Votes)

Year: 1984

US Chart Position: #100

UK Chart Position: n/a

Charting Singles: n/a

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #28 (year), #275 (decade), #1345 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #262

AMG Says: "Kill 'Em All may have revitalized heavy metal's underground, but Ride the Lightning was even more stunning, exhibiting staggering musical growth and boldly charting new directions that would affect heavy metal for years to come. Incredibly ambitious for a one-year-later sophomore effort, Ride the Lightning finds Metallica aggressively expanding their compositional technique and range of expression. Every track tries something new, and every musical experiment succeeds mightily. The lyrics push into new territory as well -- more personal, more socially conscious, less metal posturing. But the true heart of Ride the Lightning lies in its rich musical imagination. There are extended, progressive epics; tight, concise groove-rockers; thrashers that blow anything on Kill 'Em All out of the water, both in their urgency and the barest hints of melody that have been added to the choruses [...] Basically, in a nutshell, Metallica sounded like they could do anything. Heavy metal hadn't seen this kind of ambition since Judas Priest's late-'70s classics, and Ride the Lightning effectively rewrote the rule book for a generation of thrashers. If Kill 'Em All was the manifesto, Ride the Lightning was the revolution itself."

Ranked Highest By: Throughsilver (#3)

Amazon Link

no way did I vote for this No. 4. Hell, I bet it wasn't in my top 100 at all. Did you just combine votes for Hatful of Hollow and The Smiths?

whoops

Hope not, Hatful was my #1

I don't have my list-- my hard drive crashed a few weeks ago and I lost it-- but I bet I had Hatful at 4.

I didn't combine votes, just misread Scott's list. Hatful is yet to come.

I also put Hatful of Hollow at #5, not The Smiths.

So what difference does it make?

#66.

/

Michael Jackson - Off the Wall
(978 Points, 17 Votes)

Year: 1979

US Chart Position: #3 / #1 R&B

UK Chart Position: #5

Charting Singles: "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" (#1 US, #3 UK), "Rock With You" (#1 US, #7 UK), "Off the Wall" (#10 / #5 R&B US, #7 UK), "She's Out of My Life" (#10 / #4 Adult Contemporary US, #3 UK)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #3 (year), #43 (decade), #108 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #432

AMG Says: "Michael Jackson had recorded solo prior to the release of Off the Wall in 1979, but this was his breakthrough, the album that established him as an artist of astonishing talent and a bright star in his own right. This was a visionary album, a record that found a way to break disco wide open into a new world where the beat was undeniable, but not the primary focus -- it was part of a colorful tapestry of lush ballads and strings, smooth soul and pop, soft rock, and alluring funk [...] its success is due to the sound constructed by Jackson and producer Quincy Jones, a dazzling array of disco beats, funk guitars, clean mainstream pop, and unashamed (and therefore affecting) schmaltz that is utterly thrilling in its utter joy. This is highly professional, highly crafted music, and its details are evident, but the overall effect is nothing but pure pleasure. Jackson and Jones expanded this approach on the blockbuster Thriller, often with equally stunning results, but they never bettered it."

Ranked Highest By: Midnite Vulture (#2)

Amazon Link

#65.



Prince - Dirty Mind
(983 Points, 16 Votes)

Year: 1980

US Chart Position: #45 / #7 R&B

UK Chart Position: n/a

Charting Singles: "Uptown" (#5 R&B US), "Dirty Mind" (#65 R&B US)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #9 (year), #58 (decade), #374 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #132

AMG Says: "Neither For You nor Prince was adequate preparation for the full-blown masterpiece of Prince's third album, Dirty Mind. Recorded in his home studio, with Prince playing nearly every instrument, Dirty Mind is a stunning, audacious amalgam of funk, new wave, R&B, and pop, fueled by grinningly salacious sex and the desire to shock. Where other pop musicians suggested sex in lewd double-entendres, Prince left nothing to hide -- before its release, no other rock or funk record was ever quite as explicit as Dirty Mind, with its gleeful tales of oral sex, threesomes, and even incest. Certainly, it opened the doors for countless sexually explicit albums, but to reduce its impact to mere profanity is too reductive -- the music of Dirty Mind is as shocking as its graphic language, bending styles and breaking rules with little regard for fixed genres."

Ranked Highest By: Midnite Vulture (#6)

Amazon Link

Look you can see some of his pubes on that album cover

#64.



Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
(989 Points, 14 Votes)

Year: 1976

US Chart Position: #18

UK Chart Position: #10

Charting Singles: "The Boys are Back in Town" (#12 US, #8 UK), "Cowboy Song" (#77 US), "Jailbreak" (#31 UK)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #18 (year), #260 (decade), #817 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #303

AMG Says: "On Thin Lizzy's third album with new guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson, Jailbreak, the band perfected their hard-rocking, storytelling, guitar-laden style and were rewarded with worldwide breakthrough success. It also marked the first album where the band finally realized they were a true hard rock band, and put a stop to the soft rock that plagued such albums as 1974's Night Life. Although vocalist/bassist Phil Lynott was unfairly criticized as being a Bruce Springsteen soundalike at the time, it was on Jailbreak that he came into his own, perfecting his storytelling lyric-writing and becoming a true poet in the process."

Ranked Highest By: Ted Falconi (#2)

Amazon Link

I've been listening to this a lot lately. Flawless album.

First post back from vaca....haven't looked at all the entries....but GDB has a new avatar?! Is nothing constant in this crazy world?

#63.



Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel III
(1000 Points, 15 Votes)

Year: 1980

US Chart Position: #22

UK Chart Position: #1

Charting Singles: "Games Without Frontiers" (#48 US, #4 UK), "No Self Control" (#33 UK), "Biko" (#38 UK)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #12 (year), #77 (decade), #482 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #425

AMG Says: "Generally regarded as Peter Gabriel's finest record, his third eponymous album finds him coming into his own, crafting an album that's artier, stronger, more song oriented than before. Consider its ominous opener, the controlled menace of "Intruder." He's never found such a scary sound, yet it's a sexy scare, one that is undeniably alluring, and he keeps this going throughout the record. For an album so popular, it's remarkably bleak, chilly, and dark -- even radio favorites like "I Don't Remember" and "Games Without Frontiers" are hardly cheerful, spiked with paranoia and suspicion, insulated in introspection [...] He wound up having albums that sold more, or generated bigger hits, but this third Peter Gabriel album remains his masterpiece."

Ranked Highest By: Hector Gilberto (#2) (also ranked #5 by Bobzilla)

Amazon Link

#62.



Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food
(1019 Points, 17 Votes)

Year: 1978

US Chart Position: #29

UK Chart Position: #21

Charting Singles: "Take Me to the River" (#26 US)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #6 (year), #83 (decade), #227 (all-time)

AMG Says: "If the band's sound seems more conventional, the reason simply may be that one had encountered the odd song structures, staccato rhythms, strained vocals, and impressionistic lyrics once before. Another was that new co-producer Brian Eno brought a musical unity that tied the album together, especially in terms of the rhythm section, the sequencing, the pacing, and the mixing. Where Talking Heads had largely been about David Byrne's voice and words, Eno moved the emphasis to the bass-and-drums team of Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz; all the songs were danceable, and there were only short breaks between them."

Ranked Highest By: Brent D (#4)

Amazon Link

#61.



Michael Jackson - Thriller
(1019 Points, 14 Votes)

Year: 1982

US Chart Position: #1

UK Chart Position: #1

Charting Singles: "Billie Jean" (#1 US, #1 UK), "Beat It" (#1 US, #3 UK), "The Girl is Mine" (#2, #1 Adult Contemporary US, #8 UK), "Thriller" (#4 / #3 R&B US, #10 UK), "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (#5 US, #8 UK), "Human Nature" (#7 / #2 Adult Contemporary US), "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (#10 US, #11 UK)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #1 (year), #3 (decade), #32 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #203

AMG Says: "This was a record that had something for everybody, building on the basic blueprint of Off the Wall by adding harder funk, hard rock, softer ballads, and smoother soul -- expanding the approach to have something for every audience. That alone would have given the album a good shot at a huge audience, but it also arrived precisely when MTV was reaching its ascendancy, and Jackson helped the network by being not just its first superstar, but first black star as much as the network helped him. This all would have made it a success (and its success, in turn, served as a new standard for success), but it stayed on the charts, turning out singles, for nearly two years because it was really, really good [...] And, although this is an undeniably fun record, the paranoia is already creeping in, manifesting itself in the record's two best songs: "Billie Jean," where a woman claims Michael is the father of her child, and the delirious "Wanna Be Startin' Something," the freshest funk on the album, but the most claustrophobic, scariest track Jackson ever recorded. These give the record its anchor and are part of the reason why the record is more than just a phenomenon. The other reason, of course, is that much of this is just simply great music."

Ranked Highest By: Artem, Midnite Vulture, and Wh1tepony (#4)

Amazon Link

Thriller above Off The Wall. I would say something but hey, I'm a lover not......

#60.



Pink Floyd - The Wall
(1021 Points, 12 Votes, One #1 Vote)

Year: 1979

US Chart Position: #1

UK chart Position: #3

Charting Singles: "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" (#1 US, #1 UK), "Run Like Hell" (#53 Pop)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #7 (year), #62 (decade), #170 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-TIme Albums List: #41

AMG Says: "Roger Waters constructed The Wall, a narcissistic, double-album rock opera about an emotionally crippled rock star who spits on an audience member daring to cheer during an acoustic song. Given its origins, it's little wonder that The Wall paints such an unsympathetic portrait of the rock star, cleverly named "Pink," who blames everyone -- particularly women -- for his neuroses. Such lyrical and thematic shortcomings may have been forgivable if the album had a killer batch of songs, but Waters took his operatic inclinations to heart, constructing the album as a series of fragments that are held together by larger numbers like "Comfortably Numb" and "Hey You." Generally, the fully developed songs are among the finest of Pink Floyd's later work, but The Wall is primarily a triumph of production: its seamless surface, blending melodic fragments and sound effects, makes the musical shortcomings and questionable lyrics easy to ignore. But if The Wall is examined in depth, it falls apart, since it doesn't offer enough great songs to support its ambition, and its self-serving message and shiny production seem like relics of the late-'70s Me Generation."

Ranked Highest By: Agrimorfee (#1) (also ranked #2 by Bobandbob, Elemeno P.T., Montana, Rocks and Blows)

Amazon Link

Sweet! That's really high for SOMB. At one point, only the Beatles had two of the best selling years in less than a decade. With the Wall, the Floyd became the second rock band to do that.

Also, this record was designed with a live show in mind, first and foremost.

#59.



The Pretenders - The Pretenders
(1059 Points, 16 Votes)

Year: 1980

US Chart Position: #9

UK Chart Position: #1

Charting Singles: "Brass in Pocket" (#14 US, #1 UK), "Stop Your Sobbing" (#65 US, #34 UK)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #4 (year), #25 (decade), #138 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #410

AMG Says: "Few rock & roll records rock as hard or with as much originality as the Pretenders' eponymous debut album. A sleek, stylish fusion of Stonesy rock & roll, new wave pop, and pure punk aggression, Pretenders is teeming with sharp hooks and a viciously cool attitude. Although Chrissie Hynde establishes herself as a forceful and distinctively feminine songwriter, the record isn't a singer/songwriter's tour de force -- it's a rock & roll album, powered by a unique and aggressive band [...] It's a deep, rewarding record, whose primary virtue is its sheer energy. Pretenders moves faster and harder than most rock records, delivering an endless series of melodies, hooks, and infectious rhythms in its 12 songs. Few albums, let alone debuts, are ever this astonishingly addictive."

Ranked Highest By: Rob Gordon (#4)

Amazon Link

#58.



Prince - 1999
(1082 Points, 18 Votes)

Year: 1982

US Chart Position: #9 / #4 R&B

UK Chart Position: #30

Charting Singles: "Little Red Corvette" (#6 US, #2 UK), "1999" (#12 / #1 Dance, #2 UK), "Delirious" (#8 US), "Let's Pretend We're Married" (#52 US)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #3 (year), #27 (decade), #159 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #119

AMG Says: "With Dirty Mind, Prince had established a wild fusion of funk, rock, new wave, and soul that signaled he was an original, maverick talent, but it failed to win him a large audience. After delivering the sound-alike album, Controversy, Prince revamped his sound and delivered the double album 1999. Where his earlier albums had been a fusion of organic and electronic sounds, 1999 was constructed almost entirely on synthesizers by Prince himself. Naturally, the effect was slightly more mechanical and robotic than his previous work and strongly recalled the electro-funk experiments of several underground funk and hip-hop artists at the time. Prince had also constructed an album dominated by computer funk, but he didn't simply rely on the extended instrumental grooves to carry the album -- he didn't have to when his songwriting was improving by leaps and bounds."

Ranked Highest By: Slackmo (#2) (also ranked #4 by jjh and #5 by yPaul)

Amazon Link

Yeah, I used to have a digipak import with the original cover, but it didn't sound too good. Anyone know why they omitted the torso-half of the cover in the U.S.? (A painful reminder of what a freak Michael's become?)



Possibly the worst track in this poll.

Wow, definitely in 'good albums' phase (well, apart from The Wall, but what can you do). And a run of me being top voter! Nice one.

#57.



The Smiths - Hatful of Hollow
(1082 Points, 14 Votes, Two #1 Votes)

Year: 1984

US Chart Position: n/a

UK Chart Position: #7

Charting Singles: comp

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #9 (year), #90 (decade), #550 (all-time)

AMG Says: "Several months after releasing their first album, the Smiths issued the singles and rarities collection Hatful of Hollow, establishing a tradition of repackaging their material as many times and as quickly as possible. While several cuts on Hatful of Hollow are BBC versions of songs from The Smiths, the versions on the compilation are nervy and raw -- and they're also not the selling point of the record. The Smiths treated singles as individual entities, not just ways to promote an album, and many of their finest songs were never issued on their studio albums. Hatful of Hollow contains many of these classics, including the sweet rush of "William, It Was Really Nothing," and the sardonic "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now," the tongue-in-cheek lament of "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want," the wistful "Back to the Old House," "Girl Afraid," and the pulsating, tremolo-laced masterpiece "How Soon Is Now?" With such strong material forming the core of the album, it's little wonder that Hatful of Hollow is as consistent as The Smiths and arguably captures the excitement surrounding the band even better."

Ranked Highest By: MitchellStirling and Tracy Jacks(#1) (also ranked #3 by Slackmo and Voodoodaddy, #4 by Falling and Laughing and #5 by Bobthesquid)

Amazon Link

I know this is the wrong thread for this, but will someone y'all send the thing hatful of hollow? I haven't heard it since I had it on cassette during high school.

He haven't got a Y$I thread for this poll have we, someone should start a thread with an non obvious title like Potato and only people who have read this thread know about it.

and I can do that as it's my #1, Also will put up the Troy Tate stuff as threatened before.

Yeah I wouldn't mind hearing it either.

This is an excellent suggestion. Especially the potato part.

#56.



Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes
(1088 Points, 17 Votes)

Year: 1979

US Chart Position: #2

UK Chart Position: n/a

Charting Singles: "Don't Do Me Like That" (#10 US), "Refugee" (#15 US), "Here Comes My Girl" (#59 US)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #14 (year), #147 (decade), #423 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #288

AMG Says: "Amazingly, through all the frustration and anguish, Petty & the Heartbreakers delivered their breakthrough and arguably their masterpiece with Damn the Torpedoes. Musically, it follows through on the promise of their first two albums, offering a tough, streamlined fusion of the Stones and Byrds that, thanks to Jimmy Iovine's clean production, sounded utterly modern yet timeless [...] there are purpose and passion behind the performances that makes Damn the Torpedoes an invigorating listen all the same. Few mainstream rock albums of the late '70s and early '80s were quite as strong as this, and it still stands as one of the great records of the album rock era."

Ranked Highest By: Abpos (#8)

Amazon Link

#55.



Brian Eno - Before and After Science
(1102 Points, 16 Votes)

Year: 1977

US Chart Position: #171

UK Chart Position: n/a

Charting Singles: n/a

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #21 (year), #171 (decade), #503 (all-time)

AMG Says: "Before and After Science is really a study of "studio composition" whereby recordings are created by deconstruction and elimination: tracks are recorded and assembled in layers, then selectively subtracted one after another, resulting in a composition and sound quite unlike that at the beginning of the process. Despite the album's pop format, the sound is unique and strays far from the mainstream. Eno also experiments with his lyrics, choosing a sound-over-sense approach [...] The music on Before and After Science at times resembles Another Green World ("No One Receiving") and Here Come the Warm Jets ("King's Lead Hat") and ranks alongside both as the most essential Eno material."

Ranked Highest By: Cereberal Caustic (#2) (also ranked #4 by The Eyes)

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