OK, here is my fourth bundle of favorite albums. I think this one the most eclectic group of all. Enjoy.
20-11
20. The Stranger (Billy Joel) – If “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” was the only song on this album and it just played over and over, it will still be one of my favorite albums of all time.
19. A Night at the Opera (Queen) – Yeah it has “Bohemian Rhapsody” which is, let’s say a tad over-played, but it also has “The Prophet’s Song” which should have been the single that everybody knows.
18. Weezer/Blue Album (Weezer) – Honestly, I got over “Buddy Holly” after hearing it 4o or 5o times on the radio. But I LOVE ”My Name is Jonas” and “Undone” and “Say it Ain’t So.”
17. Ben Folds Five (Ben Folds Five) – This is the soundtrack of my best years. The 1995-1997 years. The years that found me making all the right decisions. I relate to “Best Imitation of Myself” and “Last Polka” and ”Boxing” are so sad and beautiful.
16. All Things Must Pass (George Harrison) – “My Sweet Lord” is the steering wheel of the album, but I love “What is Life” and “Wah-Wah.” It’s a great album and it proved that Harrison was as talented as his more popular Beattle brethren.
15. Blizzard of Ozz (Ozzy Osbourne) – This was one my dad’s favorite albums. It makes me sad to listen to it. I think people would be surprised by how moralistic it is. “Crazy Train” is about the Cold War. “Suicide Solution” is about recovery from alcoholism. I particularly love the sadness in “Goodbye to Romance.”
14. Animals (Pink Floyd) – Maybe the best “story album” of all time.
13. Murmur (REM) – Murmur is a big “just because I love you” gift from GOD. Here is a brilliant band in their infancy. And a hint at what they would become.
12. Doolittle (The Pixies) – At one point in my life, I actually knew how to play “Here Comes Your Man” on the guitar. This was my first introduction to weird. I had listened to Frank Zappa before, but this was something different. Something angrier. A pissed of mutant, throwing love and hate and indifference at anyone who dared to enter the room.
11. Sweet Baby James (James Taylor) – I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to Sweet Baby James. Anyone who thinks JT is just a kind of folksy, “aw shucks” guy hasn’t listened hard enough. They should start here.
