OK, here is the third batch of my favorite albums of all time. This one has a good deal of classics. Enjoy.
30-21
30. Graceland (Paul Simon) – I haven’t appreciated Paul Simon as much as I should. He really is a tremendous song writer. Almost everything he does is gold. My favorite song on Graceland is “Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes.”
29. Eldorado (ELO) – I was raised on Electric Light Orchestra. On the Third Day might be a better album, but I love more songs from Eldorado. “Laredo Tornado” is definitely one of my favorites. It’s one of those under-heard songs that I would like to put on a soundtrack if I ever make a movie.
28. Aqualung (Jethro Tull) – I once asked a friend of mine what he thought of Jethro Tull. He said, “Isn’t that the rock group where the lead singer dances around with a flute?” He made it sound like Jethro Tull came straight from a Renaissance fair. Yes, Ian Anderson dances around with a flute, but they are more than that. Aqualung dealt heavily with the concept of God and religion and differences between the two. That spoke very loudly to me. Rather that explain how I feel about organized religion and what it does to people’s relationship with God, I could just put on this cd.
27. Fight for Your Mind (Ben Harper) – A friend of mine, Dustin Stovall, first introduced this to me. Before that, I knew Ben Harper as the “Always Have to Steal My Kisses from You” guy. I didn’t really like that song. But Fight For Your Mind is great. It ranges from political stuff to religious messages to dainty little numbers about the joy of pot. Really good stuff.
26. Hunky Dory (David Bowie) – “Oh, You Pretty Things” is a great song. And, of course, “Life on Mars” is superb. I can relate to it. It’s like reading the observations of human life from some kind of alien notebook. I feel like that sometimes.
25. Revolver (The Beatles) – I love “And Your Bird Can Sing” and “Tomorrow Never Knows” but it’s “Eleanor Rigby” that does it for me every time.
24. Document (REM) – I remember listening to Document on my Walkman while walking to school everyday in Junior High. I would yell out the scream of consciousness bit from “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” as loud as I could and people thought I was a freak. I knew, no matter how shitty the rest of the day was (and I had A LOT of shitty days in Junior High) the morning always started well.
23. Kid A (Radiohead) – The day this came out, I was living in Kansas City. I was working on a musical that I helped create. It wasn’t going well. The work itself wasn’t my finest piece of artistic badassity and everyone knew it. Kid A simultaneously inspired me and bummed me out. I appreciate how good it was and was glad that someone was making something SO GOOD. I was just pissed that it wasn’t me.
22. Magical Mystery Tour (The Beatles) – MMT kind of gets lost in the shuffle of The Beatles works. I think it’s usually disregarded. That’s a shame. I won’t go over every song, but if you have the chance, just look at the collection on it. Great, great music. I particularly love “Baby You’re a Rich Man.”
21. A Ghost is Born (Wilco) – I really like Wilco and I don’t listen to them enough. This one is my favorite though. I’ve been able to download “Hummingbird” into my brain so that, when I need a quick moment of joy, it’s right there.
