Ska punk with a level of musicianship and sophistication that very few bands ever achieve. Oh, and don’t forget the energy energy energy.
Category: Best 1,000 Albums Ever
Sly & The Family Stone – Greatest Hits: #744 of best 1,000 albums ever!
There are very few bands that have better expressed the pure joy, the pure jubilation of music.
Madonna – Bedtime Stories: #745 of best 1,000 albums ever!
The secret’s out on this one.
ABBA – The Definitive Collection: #746 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Join us on the journey to become a proud card-carrying Phase IV ABBA fan.
Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend: #747 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Matthew Sweet is a power pop master craftsman.
Wipers – Over the Edge: #748 of best 1,000 albums ever!
An early ‘80s gem with a super unique sound from the gloom of the Pacific Northwest.
Gorillaz – Demon Days: #749 of best 1,000 albums ever!
It will, I suppose you could say, make you (sha, sha-ba-da) feel good.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: #750 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Is the movie Swingers and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy partially responsible for my moving to the west coast from NYC? It’s a long story…
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – The Message: #751 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Don’t push me, ‘cause I’m close to the edge.
Sneaker Pimps – Becoming X: #752 of best 1,000 albums ever!
For that uniquely trip-hoppy, moody, atmospheric, and posh-sounding vibe.
Sarah Vaughan – After Hours: #753 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Transportive as though to be whisked back to a very specific scene and mood and vibe in 1955.
Jethro Tull – Aqualung: #754 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Without pretension, this album deserves best 1,000 albums ever list retention.
Fiona Apple – Extraordinary Machine: #755 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Playful and orchestral, bombastic and pulsing, trippy and sultry.
Jane’s Addiction – Ritual De Lo Habitual: #756 of best 1,000 albums ever!
A delivery of a strange and wonderful musical experience.
Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee (Pt. 2): #757 of best 1,000 albums ever
Still making some noise, still hilarious, still the Beastie Boys.
Catch 22 – Keasbey Nights: #758 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Day in day out and on and on and on, *this* is the version of Keasbey Nights you’ve been looking for.
Various Artists – Say Anything: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: #759 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Amazing soundtrack from an amazing movie… almost too amazing? Nah.
Patsy Cline – The Ultimate Collection: #760 of best 1,000 albums ever!
I don’t think it’s crazy at all to say that this is one spectacular musical collection.
The Yardbirds – For Your Love: #761 of best 1,000 albums ever!
It’ll get stuck in your head and make you go wild.
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Through the Looking Glass: #762 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Not your typical album of cover songs. Just ask Alice, I think she’ll know…
Idles – Ultra Mono: #763 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Points to the future of aggressive music generally in some small but important way.
Allah-Las – Allah-Las: #764 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Garage rock with the perfect concoction of indie, moody, and psychedelic influences.
Killarmy – Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars: #765 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Hip hop that’s low key yet aggressive, gritty yet groovy, heavy yet accessible.
Teleman – Brilliant Sanity: #766 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Intelligently lucid hook-driven, guitar rock. But, you know, also fun.
Black Sabbath – Master of Reality: #767 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Heavy metal is bestowed upon We Mere Mortals. And it is good.
Cornershop – When I Was Born For the 7th Time: #768 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Record scratches, catchy pop hooks, and Indian influences that will butter the soul.
Beck – Modern Guilt: #769 of best 1,000 albums ever!
It grooves and clicks and jumps like a fanciful anxious thought, beautiful and foreboding.
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Live and Let Die: #770 of best 1,000 albums ever!
A hardcore underground gem from hip hop’s golden age.
Hüsker Dü – New Day Rising: #771 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Listen to this on a battered cassette player for maximum effect.
10,000 Maniacs – MTV Unplugged: #772 of best 1,000 albums ever!
The magic of the live and acoustic setting shines through for Natalie Merchant and crew.
Ritchie Valens – Ritchie Valens: #773 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Simply classic late 1950s rock n’ roll and simply great. Come on, let’s go.
Pet Shop Boys – Please: #774 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Chic, posh, and pulsing synth pop are tops for the lads of the furry, fluffy, feathered and/or aquatic creature shop.
Jamiroquai – Emergency on Planet Earth: #775 of best 1,000 albums ever!
When you gonna learn?
Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes: #776 of best 1,000 albums ever!
It’s gorgeous and piercing and moving all at once.
Aretha Franklin – Lady Soul: #777 of best 1,000 albums ever!
The Queen of Soul delivers some sweet impressions.
Sonic Youth – Rather Ripped: #778 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Do you believe in this sweet sensation? You should.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Let’s Face It: #779 of best 1,000 albums ever!
The impression that I get is that this is a rock solid collection of highly enjoyable alternative rock and pop- and punk-infused ska.
The Replacements – Let It Be: #780 of best 1,000 albums ever!
From jangle pop to post-punk to quiet ballads, this one has great range (and each range is great).
GZA – Words from the Genius: #781 of best 1,000 albums ever!
A genius by the name of GZA emerges on the scene.
The Bangles – Different Light: #782 of best 1,000 albums ever!
I mean, just ask any police officer who happens to be at a local fried carbohydrate treat market.
Dilated Peoples – Expansion Team: #783 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Worst come to worst… actually, that’s best come to best.
Dolly Parton – Coat of Many Colors: #784 of best 1,000 albums ever!
This coat expertly spans country and pop.
The Black Keys – El Camino: #785 of best 1,000 albums ever!
This one trucks (vans?), hammers and stomps.
Various Artists – Empire Records: The Soundtrack: #786 of best 1,000 albums ever!
A highly pleasurable mix of mid-‘90s tuned and one absolute stunner.
The Swinging Blue Jeans – The EMI Years: Best of the Swinging Blue Jeans: #787 of best 1,000 albums ever!
The grooviest, swinging, British Invasion-est music that most people these days have not (yet!) heard.
Beck – Morning Phase: #788 of best 1,000 albums ever!
What eludes easy definition becomes a core strength.
Moby – Play: #789 of best 1,000 albums ever!
It’s the ambient techno stuff, the delicate downtempo stuff, the use of strings and subtle vocals with electronic backbeats.
Pearl Jam – Ten: #790 of best 1,000 albums ever!
The pinnacle of Pearl Jam’s output. At least so far.
Buddy Holly – 20 Golden Greats: Buddy Holly Lives: #791 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Not fade away, indeed. That says it all for one of the early rock n’ roll greats.
Blues Traveler – Four: #792 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Even upon a midnight eerie, you’re not gonna want to give this album a run-around.
Chuck Berry – The Great Twenty-Eight: #793 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Endlessly timeless, infinitely rock n’ roll.
Ace of Base – The Sign: #794 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Can an album be “too pop”? Please refer to the sign that says, “We’re gonna go with nope.”
Curtis Mayfield – Curtis: #795 of best 1,000 albums ever!
If there is a hell below, at least we’ve got Curtis in the meanwhile and the here and now.
Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour: #796 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Here’s how I’ll describe it: it’s just flipping gorgeous.
System of a Down – Toxicity: #797 of best 1,000 albums ever!
A genuinely unique, truly eclectic (oddball?), moving, memorable, alternative (nu?) metal rollercoaster.
Descendents – Cool To Be You: #798 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Houston, we have a problem indeed. But not with this record.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!: #799 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Heads will rock n’ roll to this one.
Supersuckers – La Mano Cornuda: #800 of best 1,000 albums ever!
It rocks out while having run rocking out while letting YOU know that they’re… oh, just keep on reading for more.
Everlast – Whitey Ford Sings the Blues: #801 of best 1,000 albums ever!
We knew that Everlast could make us jump around, but that was just for starters as it turns out.
Sarah McLachlan – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy: #802 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Much more than a standard issue album handed out at my undergrad college dorms.
Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms: #803 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Now that IS workin’, that’s the way you do it.
The Pointer Sisters – Break Out: #804 of best 1,000 albums ever!
You might just say that I’m so excited and yet I’m encountering a great deal of difficulty with regard to the prevention of obfuscating that emotional state.
Kraftwerk – The Man-Machine: #805 of best 1,000 albums ever!
These dudes out of Germany ain’t messing around with normal sounds. Oh no.
Catch 22 – Alone in a Crowd: #806 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Don’t point the blame – just check out this frantically upbeat ska punk album.
Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal: #807 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Hits that perfect sweet spot between alt rock and garage rock.
Bad Brains – Rock for Light: #808 of best 1,000 albums ever!
You (and you) might be able to survive without this album, but why (and why)?
Bikini Kill – The Singles: #809 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Fantastic, aggressive, riot grrrl punk rock.
Men at Work – Business as Usual: #810 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Who can it be now? Why, it’s the band from down under, of course.
The Brian Setzer Orchestra – The Dirty Boogie: #811 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Tremendous energy and jumping rockabilly bluesy swing vibes abound.
The Ronettes – Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes: #812 of best 1,000 albums ever!
It makes you feel like you’ve walked into the world of a Martin Scorsese movie. There are much worse things.
Funkadelic – Maggot Brain: #813 of best 1,000 albums ever!
A work of psychedelicized funk/soul/rock bizarro-genius that you may choose to hit and/or quit.
James Horner – Glory: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: #814 of best 1,000 albums ever!
It’s a time machine to a little study lounge near the back of Johnson Hall at Binghamton University.
Elton John – Too Low for Zero: #815 of best 1,000 albums ever!
If you’re already standing, you might just remain so after listening to this one.
Porno for Pyros – Good God’s Urge: #816 of best 1,000 albums ever!
An album to dig one last time under the Tahitian moon.
Le Butcherettes – Cry Is for the Flies: #817 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Wildly and gloriously weird punk-y art-meets-garage rock. Just dig it.
Aretha Franklin – Aretha Now: #818 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Let your mind go, let yourself be free.
Brother Meat – Extraordinarily Moist and Delicious: #819 of best 1,000 albums ever!
You want it, you need it, you got it… you got it!
RJD2 – Magnificent City Instrumentals: #820 of best 1,000 albums ever!
To not dig this one would be mad, man.
Generation X – Generation X: #821 of best 1,000 albums ever!
One hundred wild youth punks agree: this one is ready steady go.
Plumtree – Mass Teen Fainting: #822 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Inviting, energetic, and catchy pop punk.
Swell Maps – International Rescue: #823 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Incredible raw energic punk that sounds both of its time and timeless.
Descendents – Everything Sucks: #824 of best 1,000 albums ever!
So much that is so great (and so right) about punk rock.
Unit 4+2 – Greatest Hits: #825 of best 1,000 albums ever!
It’s fun and rock and pop and a little quirky and very British Invasion.
Belly – Star: #826 of best 1,000 albums ever!
A pop grunge vibe that completely works.
Donna Summer – Bad Girls: #827 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Why, it’s hot stuff.
Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley: #828 of best 1,000 albums ever!
It’ll make you want to adorn yourself with footwear of a particular color and material and… go cat go!
The Suicide Machines – Steal This Record: #829 of best 1,000 albums ever!
May the record show that The Suicide Machines have stolen their way into my heart (and another entry on the best 1,000 albums ever list).
Alice in Chains – Facelift: #830 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Lots of AiC in slower-paced grunge mode? Yes please.
Rush – Moving Pictures: #831 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Great hard rock with just the right touch of prog rock-y flair.
Hootie & The Blowfish – Cracked Rear View: #832 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Mellow, optimistic roots rock with perfect vocals from Darius Rucker.
The Doors – Other Voices: #833 of best 1,000 albums ever!
“Ray, Robbie, and John did Doors stuff post-Jim?” Yep, and this one’s really good!
Southern Culture on the Skids – Dirt Track Date: #834 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Loose, fun, and fresh sounds from SCotS… down at the dirt track.
Britney Spears – Blackout: #835 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Britney at her darkest, sleekest, pulsing synth-est best. Best-est?
Roxy Music – For Your Pleasure: #836 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Shmaltzy, glammy, proto-punk? Yeah, this is one unique album.
Tommy Roe – Tommy’s 22 Big Ones: #837 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Come on everybody, it’ll get you feeling dizzy.
Dusty Springfield – Dusty in Memphis: #838 of best 1,000 albums ever!
A sweet talkin’ – not to mention singin’ – pop-soul gem.
The Mike Flowers Pops – A Groovy Place: #839 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Groovy and swinging (and clever and funny).
The Streets – Everything Is Borrowed: #840 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Mike Skinner lets the sun in.
Arctic Monkeys – AM: #841 of best 1,000 albums ever!
I’ll call it up when I’m… in any number of states.
Mitski – Be the Cowboy: #842 of best 1,000 albums ever!
What’s difficult to define and describe becomes essential to why I’m drawn to it.