Fantaverse Top 100 Albums of All Time (THREAD #5): #60-#51

[Ron Burgundy]

Who the fuck is Rev theory? Sorry SS, my bad, the music i meant was J.U.S.T.I.C.E. Nice choice for Metallica though
When do we kick this thing off again, my workload has softened so im super keen to start comments on each and every song. I cant wait to hear what the top 50 IS.

D.A.N.C.E

[numbersix]

SS is back in the UK and probably has no access to the net at the moment. Guess we'll hear from him a few days? Gives us time to write up our complete Top 50 including links to songs.

[Buscemi]

I hope he went to the Mary Poppins UK and not the Harry Brown UK.

[numbersix]

I think the UK where he went is somewhere in between.

So it's the Sweeney Todd UK.

[Buscemi]

Or the Fish Tank UK. Chavs and older men, chavs and older men everywhere.

[JohnErle]

He must be thrilled to be back home in Four Weddings And A Funeral UK.

[silversurfer19]

Hey guys, I got back a couple of days ago but jet lag and no desire to be near an internet have kept me away. I'll try and be online a little more over the next few days but I won't start the countdown again until I have a fixed broadband line set up early next week. If you all want to start sending me your picks then it would be appreciated, but if not just make sure I have your next pick with me by next Monday at the latest.

And by the way I'm pretty sure it's a This Is England UK, though I often like to make believe it's closer to a Brief Encounter UK...

[silversurfer19]

Okay guys, I'm looking to start up the countdown again tomorrow, I have no.57 picks from everyone bar Geezer, Nspan and Alyson (who I've almost given up on the countdown, I still hold out a little hope she'll return though...), so if you guys could get your next pick to me at least I'd appreciate it. Let's hope the next part of this countdown continues to be as fun as that which preceded it, and hopefully my time away hasn't dampened the momentum. Looking forward to seeing a few more selections...

[Geezer]

I'll get that to you tonight Surfer.

[NSpan]

Sent!

[silversurfer19]

And we're back. Man it feels like an age...

Album No.57

Alyson
To Be Added At Later Date

englishozzy
Against Me!, "New Wave", 2007



"Up the Cuts"

"Animal"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQWUqO_VSj4

Geezer
The Gaslight Anthem, "American Slang", 2010



1.American Slang – 5 stars
2.Stay Lucky – 5 stars
3.Bring It On – 4 stars
4.The Diamond Church Street Choir – 4 stars
5.The Queen of Lower Chelsea – 4 stars
6.Orphans – 5 stars
7.Boxer – 4 stars
8.Old Haunts – 4 stars
9.The Spirit of Jazz – 5 stars
10.We Did It When We Were Young – 3 stars

I adore this band. Probably only second to Against Me! as far as bands still working today. This is their third outstanding effort. Everything they've ever done is just amazing. Still relatively new, this album has nowhere to go but up.

"The Spirit of Jazz"

"American Slang"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAqbnTKQBIY

BleedBlackandGold
Stiff Little Fingers, "Inflamable Material", 1979



Often refered to as an Irish Clash , SLF is a highly underrated punk band.

"Wasted Life"


Leestu
Stiff Little Fingers, "Inflamable Material", 1979



I do like the punk genre from this era but I’ll admit that it did have its problems. The main one being the albums tended to sound a bit sameish, or have one or two decent songs and the rest just fillers. But this debut album from this Northern Ireland punk band is an example of not suffering from that problem. It has enough variety to maintain interest throughout the album, and every song is great, with Johnny Was making my top 100 songs. Other standouts are their signature song Alternative Ulster, the catchy Suspect Device, their anti-racism song White Noise which cleverly sounded similar to the racist skinhead songs of the time, the anti-war Wasted Life and the anti-police Law and Order, the lyrically witty and atypical Closed Groove, their punk doo wop song Barbed Wire Love, and their song about the dishonesty of the music industry Rough Trade. There really is so many great songs on this album it was hard to choose, but that’s probably going to be a common complaint from me for the remainder of this countdown.

“Barbed Wire Love”

“Rough Trade”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaiLnld8wuk

NSpan
Adam Green, "Gemstones", 2005



1) Gemstones
2) Down On The Street
3) He's The Brat
4) Over The Sunrise
5) Crackhouse Blues
6) Before My Bedtime
7) Carolina
8) Emily
9) Who's Your Boyfriend
10) Country Road
11) Choke on a Cock
12) Bible Club
13) Chubby Princess
14) Losing on a Tuesday
15) Teddy Boys

The bastard child of Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Jonathan Richman, and Lou Reed (...don't ask me how the biology works out on this one), Adam Green is a tragically under-appreciated singer/songwriter of the 21st century. As one-half of The Moldy Peaches, Adam Green didn't get the same career boost as Kimya Dawson did from the Juno soundtrack. But, for those who have explored both discographies, it becomes pretty apparent that Green was responsible for the Peaches' best moments. It's also Green who has fulfilled the potential that his previous band's sole official LP promised. As with that album, Gemstones obscures bitingly sardonic lyrics behind a facade of intentionally-juvenile humor and (seemingly) simple melodies.

"Crackhouse Blues"

"Who's Your Boyfriend"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X_7_1p3u9c
"Choke On a Cock"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbZfYgQ_YRI
"Losing On a Tuesday"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeOFo5-4aSE

(Note: the average track-length on this album is under two minutes... so I didn't feel too bad about sharing more than usual. If you have a spare minute, listen to them all!)

numbersix
Suicide, “Suicide”, 1977



This is the only album in my list that I don’t technically own. Rather I’ve listened to it from start to finish enough times in Youtube to know it deserves its place. It’s safe to say that Suicide were one of those acts that were highly influential but never popular. They are a direct inspiration for the post-punk movement (they were actually the first ever band to refer to their music as punk, in 1970), and pretty much pushed electronic music into the world of rock. They have been name-checked by everyone from Spaceman 3, Radiohead, REM, Nick Cave, MIA, Henry Rollins, to Bruce Springsteen himself.

Their debut album is minimalism at its most extreme. It’s all tone and posture. The music hammers down on your ears, the robotic rhythm pulsating and dotted by Alan Vegas rock n’roll yelps. It is saturated with intensity. Perhaps it truly is punk.

"Ghost Rider"

"Cheree"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzZNPyixNJQ

Ron Burgundy
Crowded House, "Woodface", 1991



"Fall At Your Feet"

"Weather With You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag8XcMG1EX4

silversurfer
Queens Of The Stone Age, "Songs For The Deaf", 2002



How on earth do you follow up a record as good as "Rated R". Well, apparently, add Dave Grohl on drums and you're pretty much there it seems. I never for once anticipated QOTSA could come close to matching their breakthrough album, but so good is this assault of a record, it came very close to eclipsing it even. Weaving through a mix of hard rock, americana, blues, surf and even a little glam, its all held together through a recurring theme of discern for the mundanity of college radio and with Mark Lanegan now taking on more senior duties in the band, and Grohl proving once again why he is such a great drummer, their sound develops more than ever previously into a band which is truly unique, never a clone of anything, while still maintaining that classic Queens sound. Catchy as hell, Songs For The Deaf was part of the soundtrack of my early relationship with Helena, and to this day even beyond the obvious singles "No One Knows" and "Go With The Flow", it still sounds just as fresh.

"Hanging Tree"

"You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ8uTxWO7Yw

transformers
Queens Of The Stone Age, "Lullabies to Paralyze", 2005



"Little Sister"

"Burn the Witch"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjDrC7FcNG

[numbersix]

Great to see this make a return.

And bizarre to see the same album picked by two subsequent people (and neither choosing the same song) and two others pick the same band. And they're all great! Time to get listening...

[numbersix]

Ozzy: While not bad, I definitely think the other albums of theirs that Geez posted was better.

Geez: You know, you'd think a band that aims to sound like a mix of Bruce Springsteen and The Strokes would be right up my alley. But while it wasn't too bad it certailny didn't stick with me. Perhaps it's because those two songs feel very consciously anthemic, whereas The Boss is more effortless. When he takes a dump it's an anthem.

John L and Leetsu: Awesome pick, both of you. And at the same place too. One of my favourite punk albums with a surprising amount of variety. Suspect Device is one of my favourite songs of all time, but all of the tracks here are catchy and raw.

NSpan: Sure it's intentionally puerile, but does that make it in any awy better? I don't know, the songs feel a little gimmicky to me, almost like a comedy record. Interestingly, my friends who dug Jonathan Richman also dug this guy, so there's definitely a connection.

Ron B: I've never been able to see CH as any more as easy-listening.

SS and Tranny: I actually have Lullabies. It's not a bad album. Your picks were the highlights, and there's a bit of padding (plus I saw them at a music festival around that time and they surprisingly sucked). I really should check out their previous two records, though, as I really love the songs I've heard. "...Millionarie" was new to me but it was awesome.

[NSpan]

NSpan: Sure it's intentionally puerile, but does that make it in any way better?

Just the opposite. I think it works in spite of that. Musically, I suppose some comparisons could include Ween and Steely Dan. Both of these bands have a sound that borders on parody... but the songwriting itself is genuine--even when the lyrics are dripping with sarcasm.

Interestingly, my friends who dug Jonathan Richman also dug this guy, so there's definitely a connection.

Makes perfect sense. Very similar approaches.

[silversurfer19]

Album No.57

englishozzy Against Me!, "New Wave", 2007 - I think I mentioned earlier in the countdown that I was pleasantly surprised by this record after discovering it through Geezer's recommendation during the song countdown. These were decent songs, though not any of my particular favourites from the record.

Geezer The Gaslight Anthem, "American Slang", 2010 - Again, a band you directed me to in the song countdown, but on that occasion while the individual song was great I haven't been able to get into these guys. I think I referenced The Hold Steady when I first heard the song you played, but while they wear their Springsteen influences firmly on their sleeves, I think they take in a few other influences to and make their sound their own. I don't think these guys do, and so I just haven't found them as accessible as maybe you do. Not bad, just doesn't really grab me like I'd hope.

BleedBlackandGold & Leestu Stiff Little Fingers, "Inflamable Material", 1979 - And ANOTHER band I was intrigued to hear more of following the song countdown. Great record, I've only owned it a couple of years and already it's become a firm favourite. Out of the three tracks I can say while I enjoy them all for completely different reasons, and like Leestu mentioned it only emphasises the variety of their sound, Barbed Wire Love is probably my favourite of the three, and Suspect Device is now a classic punk anthem for me.

NSpan Adam Green, "Gemstones", 2005 - I keep hearing I should like this guy, and sure some of his songs are catchy enough I guess, but there's just never anything more substantial for me to cling on to. And hearing Choke On A Cock just confirmed this, it's comedy rock most definitely with it almost bordering on cabaret. I guess I'm supposed to get the satire and enjoy it, but much in the way I quickly got bored of Tenacious D, I just don't see any sort of long term appeal which would have me going back for more. He can sing, his lyrics at times are intriguing, and Losing On A Tuesday was nice, but I can't get past the, as you call it, juvenile humour, and in the end there's just not enough to really keep me interested.

numbersix Suicide, “Suicide”, 1977 - At first I wasn't sure I liked this at all, but then on listening to Cheree it kind of clicked, and so I listened to the first track again. I can hear a lot of today's synth driven music here, but it has that pulsating rhythm that drives their music in such a smooth way, almost a little like The Jesus And Mary Chain or MBV without the feedback. I really liked it.

Ron Burgundy Crowded House, "Woodface", 1991 - I know you're Aussie so it's almost law to love these guys, just as it is for Kiwis to adore anything Neil Finn touches, but man, I hate Crowded House. I hated "Weather With You" when it was released when I was a kid, it just felt so twee, and my feelings towards them have never mellowed. Very much music for your mother to listen to, and the thought of that drives me up the wall.

transformers Queens Of The Stone Age, "Lullabies to Paralyze", 2005 - I remember being totally disappointed when this was released, I'd enjoyed their previous two records so much perhaps I over hyped this record, but man it was such a let down. In hindsight it isn't nearly that bad, and I gave the whole record another listen today, and it starts out so great: from This Lullaby to Everybody Knows That You Are Insane and Little Sister, but soon after the midway point it does seem to lose it's way and I found myself drifting again. Such a shame as it certainly had the potential to be a much darker but equally impressive record, but I think this was definitely the end of the great QOTSA.