ONE hundred
TWO hundred


#13.



U2 - The Joshua Tree
(2258 Points, 30 Votes, Two #1 Votes)

Year: 1987

US Chart Position: #1

UK Chart Position: #1

Charting Singles: "With or Without You" (#1 US, #4 UK), "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (#1 US, #6 UK), "Where the Streets Have No Name" (#13 / #11 Mainstream Rock US, #4 UK), "In God's Country" (#44 / #6 Mainstream Rock US), "Bullet the Blue Sky" (#14 Mainstream Rock US)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #2 (year), #6 (decade), #39 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #109 (woah, how the hell did this miss our top 100? Awesome)

AMG Says: "Using the textured sonics of The Unforgettable Fire as a basis, U2 expanded those innovations by scaling back the songs to a personal setting and adding a grittier attack for its follow-up, The Joshua Tree. It's a move that returns them to the sweeping, anthemic rock of War, but if War was an exploding political bomb, The Joshua Tree is a journey through its aftermath, trying to find sense and hope in the desperation. That means that even the anthems -- the epic opener "Where the Streets Have No Name," the yearning "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" -- have seeds of doubt within their soaring choruses, and those fears take root throughout the album, whether it's in the mournful sliding acoustic guitars of "Running to Stand Still," the surging "One Tree Hill," or the hypnotic elegy "Mothers of the Disappeared." So it might seem a little ironic that U2 became superstars on the back of such a dark record, but their focus has never been clearer, nor has their music been catchier, than on The Joshua Tree. Unexpectedly, U2 have also tempered their textural post-punk with American influences. Not only are Bono's lyrics obsessed with America, but country and blues influences are heard throughout the record, and instead of using these as roots, they're used as ways to add texture to the music. With the uniformly excellent songs -- only the clumsy, heavy rock and portentous lyrics of "Bullet the Blue Sky" fall flat -- the result is a powerful, uncompromising record that became a hit due to its vision and its melody. Never before have U2's big messages sounded so direct and personal."

Ranked Highest By: Qwerty and Turd Ferguson (#1) (also ranked #3 by Musicgurl and #4 by Bobandbob)

Amazon Link

glad that's out of the way

Couldn't agree more, I would say "Hey Ladies" is among the weaker tracks. "Shake your Rump" is such a better choice for a single.

same pretty much, talk about top heavy. Great top but there's nothing going on downstairs at all. Achtung suffers from similar problems but much less so, deserves to be higher.

Now you're just talking nonsense. All of the Joshua Tree's singles may be on Side A, but Side B has great songs: "In God's Country," "One Tree Hill," "Exit," "Mothers of the Dissapeared."

I third that.

I blame Kirsty MacColl.

and you giiiiiveee yourseelffff awayyyyy

There's a guy down the chip shop swears he's Bono.

"Shadrach" could've been a hit. DAMN fine track.

Yeah, I don't get that at all either. I listened to Nevermind this morning and it holds up just fine, thanks. In Utero is good but there's a reason Nevermind was the instant classic, not a bad song on it and it still sounds great.

I would like to see a steel-cage match between Bono and Bob Geldof to determine who is more charitable. To the death, please!

The mix is a tad too shiny, but Nevermind's a better collection of songs. In Utero could've been better in that regard had "Sappy" and "I Hate Myself And Want To Die" (or even "Talk To Me" or one of their better B-sides) made the cut..."Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" is funny conceptually, but it ain't fun to listen to.

OK here's my Rockin' Eye Movement mix. It's short because I got lazy, but this is all you need. The live songs are because they rocked more live back in the day.

1. Second Guessing
2. Little America
3. Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)
4. Just a Touch
5. Auctioneer (Another Engine)
6. Hyena
7. Moral Kiosk
8. Sitting Still
9. Pretty Persuasion
10. 9-9
11. Radio Free Europe

hxxp://www.youstipeit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=0556BEB171780722

sorry, those aren't great songs.

I also couldn't disagree more. I'll be happy to never hear I Still Haven't Found and With Or Without You ever again. But I LOVE Running to stand Still, Trip Through Your Wires and In God's County.

But really, One Tree Hill would probably top 10 songs of all time. I try to avoid listening to it in public.

"One Tree Hill" is a great song.

Huh? My favorite song on the album.

Too bad it lent its name to a crappy TV show.

Seconded. However, it's blown away by the live version.



No it didn't.



There's no TV show called One Tree Hill.

Thanks bro! I will d/l tonight, and be back with a review soon after.

Love when the song just stops near the end, and Bono goes through those squeals of intestinal pain ....euchhh, probably their most pretentious song... no wonder they decided to go all roots rock on Rattle & Hum.

Prove it to the WB

I had a really bad dream
It lasted 20 years, seven months and 27 days


#12.



The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
(2346 Points, 29 Votes, Two #1 Votes)

Year: 1986

US Chart Position: #71

UK Chart Position: #2

Charting Singles: "The Boy With the Thorn in His Side" (#49 Dance US??????? / #23 UK), "Bigmouth Strikes Again" (#26 UK)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #1 (year), #4 (decade), #33 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #62

AMG Says: "Meat Is Murder may have been a holding pattern, but The Queen Is Dead is the Smiths' great leap forward, taking the band to new musical and lyrical heights. Opening with the storming title track, The Queen Is Dead is a harder-rocking record than anything the Smiths had attempted before, but that's only on a relative scale -- although the backbeat is more pronounced, the group certainly doesn't rock in a conventional sense. Instead, Johnny Marr has created a dense web of guitars, alternating from the minor-key rush of "Bigmouth Strikes Again" and the faux rockabilly of "Vicar in a Tutu" to the bouncy acoustic pop of "Cemetry Gates" and "The Boy With the Thorn in His Side," as well as the lovely melancholy of "I Know It's Over" and "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out." And the rich musical bed provides Morrissey with the support for his finest set of lyrics. Shattering the myth that he is a self-pitying sap, Morrissey delivers a devastating set of clever, witty satires of British social mores, intellectualism, class, and even himself. He also crafts some of his finest, most affecting songs, particularly in the wistful "The Boy With the Thorn in His Side" and the epic "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out," two masterpieces that provide the foundation for a remarkable album."

Ranked Highest By: Scarymuppet and SuckeredYou (#1) (also ranked #2 by Rob Gordon and #3 by Films Camera, MitchellStirling, Voodoodaddy and Wh1tepony)

Amazon Link

Then someone ought to alert the deluded (possibly schizo) fools running this website:

http://www.onetreehillonline.com/

Did I miss ParkLife along the way?

I had the same dream. I was listening to the Smiths.

I'll refrain from piling on the singles > album talk re: Sign O the Times only because it features one of my favorite Prince songs ever: "Starfish & Coffee." That alone keeps me from bitching about its high placement.

fuck yeah it is

oh yeah!!

I should probably listen to the Smiths one of these days.

Still to come, it gives me a sense of enormous well-being.

I do hope that's a joke

A woman needs a man
Like a fish needs a bicycle


#11.



U2 - Achtung Baby
(2357 Points, 31 Points, One #1 Vote)

Year: 1991

US Chart Position: #1

UK Chart Position: #2

Charting Singles: "Mysterious Ways" (#9 / #1 Modern Rock US, #13 UK), "One" (#10 / #1 Modern Rock US, #7 UK), ""Even Better Than the Real Thing" (#32 / #1 Mainstream Rock US, #12 UK), "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?" (#35 / #2 Mainstream Rock US, #14 UK), "The Fly" (#61 / #1 Modern Rock US, #1 UK), "Until the End of the World" (#4 Modern Rock US)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #4 (year), #7 (decade), #70 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #53

AMG Says: "Reinventions rarely come as thorough and effective as Achtung Baby, an album that completely changed U2's sound and style. The crashing, unrecognizable distorted guitars that open "Zoo Station" are a clear signal that U2 have traded their Americana pretensions for postmodern, contemporary European music. Drawing equally from Bowie's electronic, avant-garde explorations of the late '70s and the neo-psychedelic sounds of the thriving rave and Madchester club scenes of early-'90s England, Achtung Baby sounds vibrant and endlessly inventive. Unlike their inspirations, U2 rarely experiment with song structures over the course of the album. Instead, they use the thick dance beats, swirling guitars, layers of effects, and found sounds to break traditional songs out of their constraints, revealing the tortured emotional core of their songs with the hyper-loaded arrangements. In such a dense musical setting, it isn't surprising that U2 have abandoned the political for the personal on Achtung Baby, since the music, even with its inviting rhythms, is more introspective than anthemic. Bono has never been as emotionally naked as he is on Achtung Baby, creating a feverish nightmare of broken hearts and desperate loneliness; unlike other U2 albums, it's filled with sexual imagery, much of it quite disturbing, and it ends on a disquieting note. Few bands as far into their career as U2 have recorded an album as adventurous or fulfilled their ambitions quite as successfully as they do on Achtung Baby, and the result is arguably their best album."

Ranked Highest By: Musicgurl (#1) (also ranked #5 by BobtheSquid, Ronald Reagan and Scarymuppet)

Amazon Link

A bit shocked that Parklife has beaten The Queen Is Dead to be honest, still pleased to see them both in the top 15 though.

Still no clue on #1 though. Something is telling me Doolittle though.

No, I really should.

That's two in a row I've never made it all the way through. I'll try again, though, I promise.

Damn. Should have broken the top 10. And it came out in '91, not '89.

Sticking by my bound to be wrong, foolish predictions.





SPOLIERS





10. It Takes A Nation of Millions...
9. Parklife
8. Nevermind
7. Slanted and Enchanted
6. Daydream Nation
5. Loveless
4. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
3. Automatic For The People
2. Weezer
1. Doolittle

If this means you've never really listened their albums.....and.....ummmm....you say that music is your life?! I'd stop jumping on these new trends...ie. some too gorgeous boy from Sweden and stop griping about what should and shouldn't be on all time best of lists...and give the shit a listen.

[/puke]

Whoops! There went Rob's happy-go-lucky open mind. I could say you haven't lived if you haven't heard Mr. Bungle's catalog, but I guess it isn't quite old enough to be automatically good yet.

Does this sound simple?
Fuck you


#10.



Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
(2363 Points, 29 Votes, Three #1 Votes)

Year: 1988

US Chart Position: n/a

UK Chart Position: n/a

Charting Singles: "Teen Age Riot" (#20 Mainstream Rock US)

Acclaimed Music Ranking: #2 (year), #15 (decade), #82 (all-time)

Rank on Our All-Time Albums List: #17

AMG Says: "By refining the song-oriented breakthroughs of Sister and developing their fascination with noise and alternate tunings, Sonic Youth created a masterpiece of post-punk art rock with the double-album Daydream Nation. Though the self-conscious sprawl of the album might appear self-indulgent on the surface, Daydream Nation is powered by a sustained vision, one that encapsulates all of the group's quirks and strengths. Alternating between tense, hypnotic instrumental passages and furious noise explosions, the music demonstrates a range of emotions and textures, and in many ways, it's hard not to listen to the record as one long piece of shifting dynamics. But the songs themselves are remarkable, from the anti-anthem of "Teen Age Riot" and the punky "Silver Rocket" to the hazy drug dreams of "Providence" and the rolling waves of "Eric's Trip." Daydream Nation demonstrates the extent to which noise and self-conscious avant art can be incorporated into rock, and the results are nothing short of stunning."

Ranked Highest By: Animals and Men, Mouthbreather and Simulated Stereo (#1) (also ranked #3 by Dark Heat and Undo, #4 by SuckeredYou and The Good Dr. Bill and #5 by Films Camera)

Amazon Link

Stop me if you think you've heard this one before.

God I hope Nevermind is ahead of Loveless...

I hate to disappoint Rob G, but I've never listened to them either. I have a comp of theirs and I'm not really a fan. They seem like I should like 'em. I just don't.