Fantaverse Top 100 Albums Of All Time (Thread #9) #20-#11

[Geezer]

I think the key there is that we don't have to listen to them all. I think this high up, with how good I find these albums, its just so damn difficult to pick songs, because they all have multiple upper echelon tracks.

[silversurfer19]

Album No.19

englishozzy
Blur, "Parklife", 1994



Blur went a bit off the tracks with their previous effort, Modern Life is Rubbish, but came back with a bang with Parklife. An alt-rock band from the UK this remains one of the most influential albums in the 90's.

"Parklife"

"Bad Head"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6BaZrbWKVg

Geezer
Against Me!, "Reinventing Axl Rose", 2002



1.Pints of Guinness Make You Strong – 5 stars
2.The Politics of Starving – 3 stars
3.We Laugh at Danger and Break All the Rules – 5 stars
4.I Still Love You Julie – 4 stars
5.Scream Until You're Coughing Up Blood – 3 stars
6.Jordan's First Choice – 2 stars
7.Those Anarcho Punks Are Mysterious – 5 stars
8.Reinventing Axl Rose – 5 stars
9.Baby, I'm an Anarchist – 5 stars
10.Walking is Still Honest – 5 stars
11.8 full Hours of Sleep – 4 stars

The best studio album from the best band working today. It's their debut, it's raw, it's real, it's in your face. It is everything that I love about Against Me! The title track just explains everything that music should be. Not everything on the album is perfect, but the highs are some of my all time favorites songs. I can't decide between them, so I'll leave you with four options. If this doesn't sell you on the band, I don't know what will.

"Reinventing Axl Rose"

"Pints of Guiness Make You Strong"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wkZGMktFCw
"Walking is Still Honest"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-atPgNwFP10
"Baby, I'm An Anarchist"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ScFU0UxKWA

JohnErle
Pure, "Generation 6-Pack", 1994



This band was huge on Vancouver radio when I moved here in the mid 90s. That was my first experience of living in a big city and having a local band I loved. I never quite understood why they weren't bigger outside of Vancouver. Maybe it's because lead singer Jordy Birch always looked and sounded like a stoned sissy, which was perfectly normal on the West Coast but might have seemed a bit flaky to the rockers in Saskatoon. And maybe it's because their sound changed pretty radically from album to album, from the Britpop sound of their early albums to the monster guitar hooks of Generation 6-Pack. And if NSpan doesn't fall in love with the song Primajuana, then I don't know him as well as I think I do.

A beloved live venue called The Town Pump closed down shortly after I saw Pure play a gig there. I strongly suspect it's because Pure blew the roof off the place.

"Anna Is A Speed Freak"

"Denial"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmoUqlVYBrA
And I'm going to cheat a little bit by posting this third video. It was originally a single from their previous album, Pureafunalia, but it was also included on international versions of Generation 6-Pack. Listen closely to the samples in the intro and the breakdown and you'll get an idea of how their sound changed from one album to the next.
"Blast"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIaBiLGZTVg

Leestu
Sonic Youth, “Daydream Nation”, 1988



“The Sprawl”

“’Cross the Breeze”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEQkeL-G47g

NSpan
To Be Added At A Later Date

numbersix
Sufjan Stevens, “Ilinoise”, 2005



The press were hysterical about this record when it came out. At the time folk wasn’t really on my radar so the use of such a term never drew me in. But at a friend’s behest I gave it a go, downloading it in its entirety (don’t worry, I ended up buying it as gifts for friends). And what a magnificent album it is. One that deserves the over-used adjective “epic”.

The opening track elicits the very best way to experience Sufjan’s music… with a complete sense of wonder, as the echoing piano is accompanied by wind instruments and a story of a UFO sighting. The album was of course marketed as one of his 50 State projects, with each album dealing with a US state (Michigan was his first attempt). Of course, he never made another state album (and never intended to), but the approach is still a rewarding one. Sufjan would laboriously study everything from the state, from its history to its geography to the seemingly most insignificant fluff articles and then imbue each song with moving stories. He did this to ensure the songs he wrote weren’t interpreted as autobiographical, even though they appear to be very personal (such as The Predatory Was, about the discovery of young homosexual love).

This album is a medley of creativity, bursting at the seams with large and small ideas, often overwhelming a new listener. Yet Sufjan knew when to play big and boisterous (like single Chicago), and when to be soft and gentle (like The Seer’s Tower and the heart-breaking Casimir Pulaski Day). I once said Sufjan was the new Young Dylan, making songs about the world that we could relate to and emote with. But he’s the new Mid-Era Dylan, crafting beautiful songs that are painfully personal yet utterly universal.

"The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is out to Get Us!"

"The Seer’s Tower"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA_Fa1hmAFg

Ron Burgundy
The Beatles, "Abbey Road", 1969



"I Want You (She's So Heavy)"

"Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/ The End/ Her Majesty"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qP4Ye15J0Y

silversurfer
The Jesus And Mary Chain, "Psychocandy", 1985



I can still recall that first time I heard Psychocandy. I had only really known the band prior for their cover of Pixies 'Head On', though this record had long been on my to get list. I picked it up during my late teens, I think I was seventeen, and was astonished at just how amazing the record was. With their obvious Velvet Underground influence worn firmly on their sleeves but bringing it right up to date, and drenching their soft pop in a haze of feedback, their signature sound was so unique and iconic for its time, it has led to pretty much every indie band on the planet trying to replicate it ever since. How the Reid brothers and co. managed to marry their acute melodic sense with such searing noise from their amps into something which is balanced, coherent and the definition of pure pop is masterful. This record became a staple during my university years, and still gets plenty of airplay a good 14 years later. Some bands and sounds go in and out of fashion, but this record continually sounds fresh and relevant. Maybe it's because so many other bands try to replicate them, but I reckon it's just because the music is just perfect pop.

"Never Understand"

"The Hardest Walk"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89X18FWMSI4

transformers
Children of Bodom, "Follow the Reaper", 2000



"Kissing the Shadows"

"Northern Comfort"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq7-rIx_7LI

[JohnErle]

Lots of classic albums this round. My favourite pick that wasn't mine: Parklife. It was on my unfinished list around #35. This is one of the few albums I ever bought CD singles from, in addition to the album.

Sometimes I miss the mid 90s. Lots of great music and I had more disposable income.

[silversurfer19]

Album No.19

englishozzy: Blur, "Parklife" - This was certainly a consideration for my list, along with both their self titled record and 13, but ultimately, despite all being great records in their own right, I just don't really listen to them all that much anymore. Parklife is the sound of my growing up though, it was released just as I really started to take music seriously and along with The Bends, Definitely Maybe, The Holy Bible and Dog Man Star, it really marked a year in which British music was coming back to the fore of pop. Favourite songs from the record are probably This Is A Low, Bank Holiday and End Of A Century.

Geezer: Against Me!, "Reinventing Axl Rose" - Consider me unconverted, by this record at least. Still much prefer their later records, this to an extent just sounded like a pub singalong (I know that may sound offensive, just the singalong vocals have that impression), especially the second song. Think I'll probably just stick to New Wave.

JohnErle: Pure, "Generation 6-Pack" - Another band I've never heard of, but I loved this. Certainly has that 90s Alt Rock sound with the big choruses and killer hooks. Will look out for more of their work.

Leestu: Sonic Youth, “Daydream Nation” - Made my own list, and I knew it was only a matter of time before it made yours. Gre3at record, and great picks, I love The Sprawl.

numbersix: Sufjan Stevens, “Ilinoise” - I too remember when this was released it was all over the press. For some reason I didn't get the record despite going through an alt-folk revival of my own in Bright Eyes, The Decemberists and listening to a lot of Nick Drake around this time. And in doing so I kinda forgot of the record. Indeed I think I only own Michigan of his, which has it's moments but generally I don't find myself listening to very often. These were very nice though. I loved how everything kind of came together into a cohesive chorus on the first track, with all the instrumentation (vocals included) giving it this grand majesty. Second song reminded me a little of Bonnie Prince Billy, a real sombre, haunting and eerie sound. Chilling stuff.

Ron Burgundy: The Beatles, "Abbey Road" - Haven't listened to this record very much, but I picked these songs as they were the particular stand outs. The aggression of I Want You is different to much of The Beatles material, but at the same time familiar. The suite at the end of the record is great too, particularly the first three sections. Really ended their body of work on a strong note (I know this wasn't their last release, but it was their last recorded material). Need to listen to this album a little more.

transformers: Children of Bodom, "Follow the Reaper" - Some cool instrumentation, didn't like the vocals at all though.

[numbersix]

Ozzy: I prefer later Blur more than early Blur (and I fucking hated Country House), but I do like the song Parklife as well as This is a Low.

Geez: Unlike SS, I think this is their best material. Yep, it does have a sort of Dropkick Murphys pub-rock feel to it, but at least it's catchy. I still maintain that Guiness does not make you strong. In fact it makes you unabel to stand up after a while.

John E: Another episode in the trawl through John's memory. Never heard of these guys, and while a cynic could say they're just another post-grunge band of the era, those songs did demonstrate some awesome hooks. Perhaps it was the mix, but they also sound very loud, and bet they were even better on stage.

Leetsu: Good pick with Cross the Breeze, possibly my favourite Yoof song. Just picked up Thurston's new record, Chelsea Light Moving. If you like Goo and Dirty you should dig it.

SS: I will be buying this record very shortly, considering they're playing Primavera. I love everything I've heard from it so far.

Ron B: One of the few Beatles records I've heard in its entirety. You know, a lot of the music on this sounds like prog. Is that a fair assessment or am I going Boosch-like on my prog bashing? Anyway, I enjoyed the medley song more, and Come Together is a cool song.

Tranny: Like SS I enjoyed the music a bit.

NSPAN: SHAME ON YOU

[silversurfer19]

Chelsea Light Moving is one of my favourite records released this year (alongside new Yo La Tengo, Suuns, Foals, Mogwai, Foxygen and of course MBV). Really captures that classic Sonic Youth sound but still sounds very fresh.

[Geezer]

Not sure how being able to sing along to your favorite songs would be offensive, Surfer. I kinda thought that was the point of music. But yeah, no offense taken. I'll be listening to the selections tomorrow when I have some free time.

[silversurfer19]

Singing along to your favourite songs is fine, I'm sure we all do it. Do I want to listen to a recorded version of people singing along in this manner? Not really. I suspect live it may be great, but on record, it just doesn't work for me.

[silversurfer19]

Album No.18

englishozzy
To Be Added At A Later Date

Geezer
The Beatles, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", 1967



1.Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – 5 stars
2.With A Little Help From My Friends – 5 stars
3.Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds – 5 stars
4.Getting Better – 5 stars
5.Fixing a Hole – 3 stars
6.She's Leaving Home – 4 stars
7.Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite – 5 stars
8.Within You Without You – 4 stars
9.When I'm Sixty-Four – 4 stars
10.Lovely Rita – 4 stars
11.Good Morning Good Morning – 4 stars
12.Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) – 4 stars
13.A Day In The Life – 5 stars

An album, touted by many as the best ever, or at the very least, the most important. An album that changed the way albums were conceived and produced. On top of that, it's the best album from the most influential band of all time. Of all the albums by The Beatles, this one has always stood out as my favorite.

"With a Little Help From My Fiends"

"A Day In The Life"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Q9D4dcYng

JohnErle
Crowded House, "Woodface", 1991



I remember being worried about Tim Finn joining the band for this album because I didn't know much about Split Enz but I hadn't liked anything I'd heard, so I was worried he would ruin the dynamic that had worked so well on Crowded House's first two albums. Instead, he helped them record their masterpiece. Chocolate Cake was banned in many American markets and that hurt the band commercially, so maybe that was Tim's fault. I don't think Neil Finn ever would written anything as nasty as “The excess of fat on your American bones/Will cushion the impact as you sink like a stone.” Neil was more of a smooth talking, sensitive, ladies' man. “I want you to know/I feel completely at ease/You read me like a book/That's fallen down between your knees/Please let me have my way with you.” And you know a band is firing on all cylinders when they let the drummer write a song and it not only doesn't suck, it becomes a fan favourite (“Italian Plastic”).

"Fall At Your Feet"

"It's Only Natural"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVSFz6KFkaM

Leestu
Modest Mouse, “Good News for People Who Love Bad News”, 2004



Like a lot of music from the 21st century Modest Mouse skipped me by, so I only started listening to them a few years ago but from the first listen of this album I became obsessed with them unlike anything since the Smiths, Pixies, and Nirvana. They are the band I listen to more now, and over recent years, than anyone else. I suspect in a few years this album will be even higher….and Moon and Antarctica, and This Is A Long Drive….will probably make my list. In fact thinking about it now - why didn’t they?

“The World at Large”

“Bukowski”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpDabdSo9FQ

NSpan
To Be Added At A Later Date

numbersix
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, “No More Shall We Part”, 2001



This album was 4 years in the making, and the music world waited with baited breath for it to come out. Many were disappointed by the results, but I was elated by what I feel is the songwriter’s greatest record. It’s an album of frustration, born out of writer’s block (that’s what you get for living in rural Ireland, Nick) and an expression of traversing through it.

But why I love it most is because it managed to straddle both sides of Cave seamlessly. The more sombre, delicate Cave of The Boatman’s Call is still there, but he utilises his Bad Seeds well in more explosive moments, such as My Sorrowful Wife. Most particularly violinist Warren Ellis of Dirty Three is brought to the fore to inject a sense of rural aggression, and often deep sorrow. Nick is too smart a songwriter to see himself as so lofty an artiste, and includes plenty of humour (like the small-town satire God is in the House) into the record. And for the first time we see him try to grapple with modern life (Darker With the Day), something he held on to for all following records.

"My Sorrowful Wife"

"As I Sat Sadly by her Side"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeTYL_cKGyI

Ron Burgundy
Digitalism, "I Love You, Dude", 2011



"Blitz"

"2 Hearts"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHNfesQGmtM

silversurfer
Joy Divison, "Unknown Pleasures", 1979



This iconic record is still astonishing today as it was when it first graced my ears back in the mid 90s. I knew of Joy Division for a long time, mainly due to their links to New Order, but when I finally got around to hearing this brooding, atmospheric record penetrated by sonic explosions of guitars and a pulsating bassline, I was awestruck and amazed. But of course you can't get passed THAT VOICE. Full of dread and sounding like all his inner demons were being evicted through the vibrations of his tongue, Ian Curtis sounds like a man possessed. It's quite the startling change in direction from some of the punkier snarls when the band were Warsaw. Only a couple of those early tracks remain on this record, but they sound like a band which have fully matured in that short space of time, taking post-punk into a new world, a world which at first appears bleak and doomed, though there are moments of optimism. Once heard, never forgotten, Unknown Pleasures is atmospherically charged from the first note of Disorder to the ominous marching beat of I Remember Nothing, and music rarely gets better.

"Disorder"

"New Dawn Fades"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbeNRHtpgOk

transformers
Metallica, "Master of Puppets", 1986



"Battery"

"Master of Puppets"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m99ybtk4QNs

[Geezer]

Singing along to your favourite songs is fine, I'm sure we all do it. Do I want to listen to a recorded version of people singing along in this manner? Not really. I suspect live it may be great, but on record, it just doesn't work for me.

It is MOST CERTAINLY better live.

[englishozzy]

#18

Muse, "Black Holes and Revelations", 2006



Black Holes brought Muse commercial success and I remember this album being played everywhere at the time. Like most of my favourite band's, Muse hadn't rested on their morals with Absolution and continued to evolve their sound with this album.

Supermassive Black Hole


City of Delusion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmkj4mzUtrk

[englishozzy]

#19

Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose
- You first introduced me to Against Me! in the singles countdown which forced me to check out some of their catalogue. I prefer New Wave as evidenced in my countdown earlier on but this was a very impressive debut from this band. I would love to see them live one day.

Pure - Generation 6-Pack
- Again, I quite enjoyed this album and wouldn't mind checking out some more material. Is there anything else you recommend??

Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
- Iv'e never really got the hype with these guys and Joy Division but I quite enjoyed The Sprawl.

Sufjan Stevens - Illnoise
- The album cover looks too familiar but I have never heard of this guy or his project. I preferred the second song to the first but nothing that will make me listen to it in it's entirety.

The Beatles - Abbey Road
- Not a fan of The Beatles and never will be, I admit that some of their songs are OK though.

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
- I quite enjoyed both of the songs you posted and immediately went to Spotify to listen to the rest of the album. Definitely the pick of the round for me.

Children of Bodom - Follow the Reaper
- Listened to these guys for a bit during college but they were a bit too inconsistent for me. My favourite album would have to be Hate Crew Deathroll.

[silversurfer19]

Another really good round, I suspect this may become a trend...

Album No.18

englishozzy: Muse, "Black Holes And Revelations" - A good album I pretty much had it on repeat for a good month when I first purchased it. It's a nice evolution in style from Absolution, harnessing a little more electro, but still just enough rock to keep me interested. Indeed, this was the last Muse record I actually care about, they went too far into electro with their later records and I just lost interest. Starlight is a great pop song, while Take A Bow and Supermassive Black Hole really rock out. Standout has to be Knights Of Cydonia though, with it's almost Leone-esque rhythm and pummeling guitars, great stuff. Just wished they stuck with this instead of getting even more pompous than they already were!

Geezer: The Beatles, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - A very good record. I haven't owned it all that long (probably only a couple of years), though I did already know most tracks from the record. As a piece of production is right up there with Pet Sounds for how it advanced music, while musically I tend to think it's just not quite as good as Revolver, though I can certainly understand why you prefer this. Great songs and a great pick.

JohnErle: Crowded House, "Woodface" - Yeah, I was always a bit more, well a lot more, of a Split Enz fan. This group just never did anything for me. And did you have to include "It's Only Natural"? As well as being a rather turgid song, it will forever in my life now be the song which forces me to recall being physically sick on a Virgin flight to the US. I had to suffer with 13 hours of vomiting in the bathroom to the wails of that damn song. I know vomiting is a natural part of the human body, but you don't need to keep reminding me, Virgin! Damn you Aussie based airline thinking it a good idea to play Crowded House all flight!

Leestu: Modest Mouse, “Good News for People Who Love Bad News” - Another record that made my own list. It's just one of those albums that I can play at any time, I love the vocals and the harmonies are fantastic, working with such radical shifts of songs.

numbersix: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, “No More Shall We Part” - I keep disregarding Nick Cave, I think I have this impression he's overly dramatic and theatrical without the music to back it up. Yet continually on this countdown I've been proved wrong. Loved the first song with it's slow, tender beginnings until it exploded into a raging, bile attack. Fascinating stuff. Second track didn't quite have the same impact, though it was still a compelling listen with a nice piano line running through it. I think after the countdown I need to sit down and replay many of these tracks and work out which records to pick up first.

Ron Burgundy: Digitalism, "I Love You, Dude" - Not usually my type of music but it had a good beat and I enjoyed listening to it. Reminded me obviously of Daft Punk. Second track was cool too with the added vocals, dare I say reminded me of what the natural 21st century progression of New Order... Good stuff.

transformers: Metallica, "Master of Puppets" - Again, not had this record long, but it has always impressed me on each listen. Battery is probably my favourite song from the record, who can't help but join in with that chorus line! Very heavy and aggressive, but still very melodic at the same time. This is the type of metal I can appreciate.

[JohnErle]

Pure - Generation 6-Pack
- Again, I quite enjoyed this album and wouldn't mind checking out some more material. Is there anything else you recommend??

They only had three albums and a couple of EPs before they called it quits. "Generation 6-Pack" is definitely my favourite, and the heaviest, but I also really like "Feverish" which has a lot of great hooks but is a bit more laid back overall and the guitars aren't as prominent. "Pureafunalia" has two or three great songs, but the rest doesn't have much appeal for me. It has a very early 90's dance-rock feel, much like EMF or early Blur, but not as memorable as "There's No Other Way". I'm guessing their stuff will be hard to track down, but I saw a few good songs like "Blast" and "Drugs, Guns, And Booze" as free downloads on Last.FM.

And Surfer, I'm beginning to understand your deep-seeded and highly illogical hatred of Crowded House. You obviously have deep psychological scars from that flight which have somehow transerrfed onto Crowded House, which is a shame. Don't blame the band, blame the shellfish.

[Geezer]

19

Ozzy - Just never really gotten the whole Blur fascination.

JohnErle - Not bad. Not something I'd actively seek out, but worth a listen.

Leestu - Sonic youth have some good elements to them, but overall, they just let their songs drag on and on into the realm of noise.

Six - I distinctly remember you playing Casimir Pulaski day in the song countdown and I loved it. This wasn't quite as impactful.

Ron - Great album that was a contender for my list.

Surfer - The music sounds like its all just noise to me.

Tranny - just not my style, I'm afraid.