TIPs Top100 Albums of All-Time!!!!

 

:dance: :yahoo: :cheer: :dance:

 

To celebrate the purchase of my 1000th album in my record collection this week (Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly, Angry Mob), I feel it is time to produce my Top100 Albums of all-time over the next few weeks (when I have the spare time, etc).

 

I hope you enjoy looking at this thread as much as I've enjoyed producing & compiling this.

 

So Far:

 

100 Peter Gabriel - So 1986

99 Prodigy - Fat Of The Land 1997

98 Kinks - ...Village Green Preservation Society 1969

97 Blondie - Parallel Lines 1978

96 John Lennon - Imagine 1971

95 Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club 1993

94 No Doubt - Return Of Saturn 2001

93 Supergrass - In It For The Money 1997

92 Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run 1974

91 Fiona Apple - When The Pawn 1999

90 Prince - Purple Rain 1984

89 KT Tunstall - Eye Of The Telescope 2005

88 Amy Winehouse - Back To Black 2006

87 Jellyfish - Spilt Milk 1993

86 Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots 2002

85 Alicia Keys - Songs In A Minor 2001

84 Morrissey - Vauxhall & I 1994

83 TLC - Crazy Sexy Cool 1994

82 Stone Roses - Stone Roses 1989

81 Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks 1975

80 Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure 1973

79 Eagles - Hotel California 1976

78 Portishead - Dummy 1994

77 Michael Jackson - Off The Wall 1979

76 Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation Of 1998

75 Robbie Williams - Rudebox 2006

74 XTC - Skylarking 1986

73 Who - Who's Next 1971

72 Pet Shop Boys - Actually 1987

71 Joanna Newsom - Ys 2006

70 David Bowie - Station To Station 1976

69 Robbie Williams - Life Thru A Lens 1997

68 Suede - Dog Man Star 1994

67 Depeche Mode - Violator 1990

66 Verve - Urban Hymns 1997

65 Kirsty Maccoll - Tropical Brainstorm 2000

64 Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain 2000

63 Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes 1991

62 Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 1973

61 Beach Boys - Pet Sounds 1966

60 Smiths - Strangeways Here We Come 1987

59 Joan As Police Woman - Real Life 2006

58 Madonna - Ray Of Light 1998

57 La's - The La's 1990

56 Stevie Wonder - Talking Book 1972

55 Joni Mitchell - Blue 1971

54 Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible 1994

53 Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street 1972

52 Velvet Underground - Velvet Underground & Nico 1967

51 Pulp - Different Class 1995

50 Crowded House - Woodface 1991

49 Keane - Hopes and Fears 2004

48 Air - Moon Safari 1998

47 Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti 1975

46 K.D. Lang - Ingenue 1992

45 Kate Bush - The Dreaming 1982

44 Nirvana - Nevermind 1991

43 Dubstar - Disgraceful 1995

42 Beatles - The White Album 1968

41 Carole King - Tapestry 1971

40 David Bowie - Low 1977

39 Badfinger - Straight Up 1982

38 Aimee Mann - Whatever 1993

37 Arcade Fire - Funeral 2005

36 U2 - Achtung Baby 1991

35 ABC - The Lexicon Of Love 1982

34 David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust 1972

33 Blur - Parklife 1994

32 Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York 1994

31 Duran Duran - Rio 1982

30 Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill 1995

29 Beatles - Revolver 1966

28 Oasis - What's The Story Morning Glory 1995

27 Kate Bush - Aerial 2005

26 Clash - London Calling 1979

25 Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band 1967

24 Radiohead - The Bends 1995

23 Prince - Sign O' The Times 1987

22 Primal Scream - Screamadelica 1991

21 Rufus Wainwright - Want One 2003

 

20 Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life 1976

19 Nerina Pallot - Fires 2006

18 Oasis - Definitely Maybe 1994

17 Marvin Gaye - What's Going On 1971

16 Jeff Buckley - Grace 1994

15 Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head 2002

14 Aimee Mann - Magnolia ost. 2000

13 Madonna - Like A Prayer 1989

12 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (2007)

11 Pixies - Doolittle 1989

10 REM - Automatic For The People 1992

9 Crowded House - Together Alone 1993

8 Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon 1973

7 U2 - Joshua Tree 1987

6 Smiths - The Queen Is Dead 1986

5 Radiohead - OK Computer 1997

4 Led Zeppelin - IV (Four Symbols) 1971

3 Beatles - Abbey Road 1969

2 Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love 1985

1 David Bowie - Hunky Dory 1971

 

100 Peter Gabriel - So (1986)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Peter_Gabriel's_So.jpg

 

This album was the former Genesis lead singer biggest blockbuster of an album (UK#1/US#2) of his career.

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (AMG)

4 Stars

 

Peter Gabriel introduced his fifth studio album So with "Sledgehammer," an Otis Redding-inspired soul-pop raver that was easily his catchiest, happiest single to date. Needless to say, it was also his most accessible, and, in that sense it was a good introduction to So, the catchiest, happiest record he ever cut. "Sledgehammer" propelled the record toward blockbuster status, and Gabriel had enough songs with single potential to keep it there. There was "Big Time," another colorful dance number; "Don't Give Up," a moving duet with Kate Bush; "Red Rain," a stately anthem popular on album rock radio; and "In Your Eyes," Gabriel's greatest love song which achieved genuine classic status after being featured in Cameron Crowe's classic, Say Anything. These all illustrated the strengths of the album: Gabriel's increased melodicism and ability to blend African music, jangly pop, and soul into his moody art rock. Apart from these singles, plus the urgent "That Voice Again," the rest of the record is as quiet as the album tracks of Security. The difference is, the singles on that record were part of the overall fabric; here, the singles are the fabric, which can make the album seem top-heavy (a fault of many blockbuster albums, particularly those of the mid-'80s). Even so, those songs are so strong, finding Gabriel in a newfound confidence and accessibility, that it's hard not to be won over by them, even if So doesn't develop the unity of its two predecessors.

 

 

Sledgehammer video

 

Don't Give Up USA video (duet with Kate Bush)

 

In Your Eyes video

 

Red Rain video

99 The Prodigy - Fat Of The Land (1997)

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf600/f621/f62195uetqz.jpg

 

The third album by Liam Howlett's seminal techno dance act was a trans-atlantic number 1(UK#1/USA#1).

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

4.5 Stars

 

Few albums were as eagerly anticipated as The Fat of the Land, the Prodigy's long-awaited follow-up to Music for the Jilted Generation. By the time of its release, the group had two number one British singles with "Firestarter" and "Breathe" and had begun to make inroads in America. The Fat of the Land was touted as the album that would bring electronica/techno to a wide American audience; in Britain, the group already had a staggeringly large following that was breathlessly awaiting the album. The Fat of the Land falls short of masterpiece status, but that isn't because it doesn't deliver. Instead, it delivers exactly what anyone would expect: intense hip-hop-derived rhythms, imaginatively reconstructed samples, and meaningless shouted lyrics from Keith Flint and Maxim. Half of the album does sound quite similar to "Firestarter," especially when Flint is singing. Still, Liam Howlett is an inventive producer, and he can make empty songs like "Smack My b**ch Up" and "Serial Thrilla" kick with a visceral power, but he is at his best on the funky hip-hop of "Diesel Power" (which is driven by an excellent Kool Keith rap) and "Funky $h!t," as well as the mind-bending neo-psychedelia of "Narayan" (featuring guest vocals by Crispian Mills of Kula Shaker) and the blood-curdling cover of L7's "Fuel My Fire," which features vocals by Republica's Saffron. All those guest vocalists mean something — Howlett is at his best when he's writing for himself or others, not his group's own vocalists. "Firestarter" and all of its rewrites capture the fire of the Prodigy at their peak, and the remaining songs have imagination that give the album weight. The Fat of the Land doesn't have quite enough depth or variety to qualify as a flat-out masterpiece, but what it does have to offer is damn good.

 

Firestarter video

 

Breathe video

 

Smack My b**ch Up video

 

Climbatize (unofficial documentary video)

 

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98 The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society (1968)

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf500/f556/f55620panv0.jpg

 

This concept album of all things English from days gone by, failed to chart in either the UK or the USA at the height of psychedelia & the Vietnam war.

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

5 Stars

 

Ray Davies' sentimental, nostalgic streak emerged on Something Else, but it developed into a manifesto on The Village Green Preservation Society, a concept album lamenting the passing of old-fashioned English traditions. As the opening title song says, the Kinks — meaning Ray himself, in this case — were for preserving "draught beer and virginity," and throughout the rest of the album, he creates a series of stories, sketches, and characters about a picturesque England that never really was. It's a lovely, gentle album, evoking a small British country town, and drawing the listener into its lazy rhythms and sensibilities. Although there is an undercurrent of regret running throughout the album, Davies' fondness for the past is warm, making the album feel like a sweet, hazy dream. And considering the subdued performances and the detailed instrumentations, it's not surprising that the record feels more like a Ray Davies solo project than a Kinks album. The bluesy shuffle of "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" is the closest the album comes to rock & roll, and Dave Davies' cameo on the menacing "Wicked Annabella" comes as surprise, since the album is so calm. But calm doesn't mean tame or bland — there are endless layers of musical and lyrical innovation on The Village Green Preservation Society, and its defiantly British sensibilities became the foundation of generations of British guitar pop.

 

Village Green Preservation Society (1973 live)

 

Days (1969 TOTP performance)

 

Starstruck (1968 promo video)

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97 Blondie - Parallel Lines (1978)

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd200/d237/d23761d361l.jpg

 

This was the new wave album that turned Debbie Harry into an icon (UK#1/US#6).

 

Review by William Ruhlmann

5 Stars

 

Blondie turned to British pop producer Mike Chapman for their third album, on which they abandoned any pretensions to new wave legitimacy (just in time, given the decline of the new wave) and emerged as a pure pop band. But it wasn't just Chapman that made Parallel Lines Blondie's best album; it was the band's own songwriting, including Deborah Harry, Chris Stein, and James Destri's "Picture This," and Harry and Stein's "Heart of Glass," and Harry and new bass player Nigel Harrison's "One Way or Another," plus two contributions from nonbandmember Jack Lee, "Will Anything Happen?" and "Hanging on the Telephone." That was enough to give Blondie a number one on both sides of the Atlantic with "Heart of Glass" and three more U.K. hits, but what impresses is the album's depth and consistency — album tracks like "Fade Away and Radiate" and "Just Go Away" are as impressive as the songs pulled for singles. The result is state-of-the-art pop/rock circa 1978, with Harry's tough-girl glamour setting the pattern that would be exploited over the next decade by a host of successors led by Madonna.

 

Heart Of Glass video

 

Sunday Girl TV performance

 

Picture This TOTP performance

 

Hanging On The Telephone video

 

One Way Or Another live performance

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96 John Lennon - Imagine (1971)

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd900/d967/d96730c4e8s.jpg

 

The late John Lennon's most commercial & successful album (UK#1/US#1).

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

5 Stars

 

After the harrowing Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon returned to calmer, more conventional territory with Imagine. While the album had a softer surface, it was only marginally less confessional than its predecessor. Underneath the sweet strings of "Jealous Guy" lies a broken and scared man, the jaunty "Crippled Inside" is a mocking assault at an acquaintance, and "Imagine" is a paean for peace in a world with no gods, possessions, or classes, where everyone is equal. And Lennon doesn't shy away from the hard rockers — "How Do You Sleep" is a scathing attack on Paul McCartney, "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier" is a hypnotic antiwar song, and "Give Me Some Truth" is bitter hard rock. If Imagine doesn't have the thematic sweep of Plastic Ono Band, it is nevertheless a remarkable collection of songs that Lennon would never be able to better again.

 

Imagine (live 1974)

 

Jealous Guy video

 

How Do You Sleep video

 

Crippled Inside video

95 Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club (1993)

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf600/f647/f64721upmgs.jpg

 

The debut album from one of America's most successful singer/songwriters of the last 15 years. (UK#8/USA#3)

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

3.5 Stars

 

Sheryl Crow earned her recording contract through hard work, gigging as a backing vocalist for everyone from Don Henley to Michael Jackson before entering the studio with Hugh Padgham to record her debut album. As it turned out, things didn't go entirely as planned. Instead of adhering to her rock & roll roots, the record was a slick set of contemporary pop, relying heavily on ballads. Upon hearing the completed album, Crow convinced A&M not to release the album, choosing to cut a new record with producer Bill Bottrell. Along with several Los Angeles-based songwriters and producers, including David Baerwald, David Ricketts, and Brian McLeod, Bottrell was part of a collective dubbed "the Tuesday Night Music Club." Every Tuesday, the group would get together, drink beer, jam, and write songs. Crow became part of the Club and, within a few months, she decided to craft her debut album around the songs and spirit of the collective. It was, for the most part, an inspired idea, since Tuesday Night Music Club has a loose, ramshackle charm that her unreleased debut lacked. At its best — the opening quartet of "Run, Baby, Run," "Leaving Las Vegas," "Strong Enough," and "Can't Cry Anymore," plus the deceptively infectious "All I Wanna Do" — are remarkable testaments to their collaboration, proving that roots rock can sound contemporary and have humor. That same spirit, however, also resulted in some half-finished songs, and the preponderance of those tracks make Tuesday Night Music Club better in memory than it is in practice. Still, even with the weaker moments, Crow manages to create an identity for herself — a classic rocker at heart but with enough smarts to stay contemporary. And that's the lasting impression Tuesday Night Music Club leaves.

 

Run Baby Run (live 1996)

 

I Shall Believe (live 2003)

 

The Na Na Song (live 1994)

 

Strong Enough (FFX made video)

 

Most Sheryl Crow videos have been removed at the moment. :(

Ooh some pretty big names so far. ^_^ I don't have any of the albums, but like quite a few of the songs - the Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush song is very good. :D

94 No Doubt - Return Of Saturn (2000)

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/dre000/e099/e09968k0dkv.jpg

 

Easily the best album that Gwen Stefani has sung on (UK#31/USA#2)

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

4.5 Stars

 

Return of Saturn is an almost defiantly mature record about two things: Stefani's exploration of a troubled romance and her own romantic ideals, plus a serious attempt by the group to not only keep new wave alive, but to make that adolescent music relevant to an older audience. It's a high concept, but Return of Saturn is filled with satisfying contradictions. It's melodic, but deceptively complex; it can seem frothy, but it's never frivolous. No Doubt's desire to expand the emotional template of new wave is the perfect match for Stefani's themes — she may be writing about love, but she's not writing adolescent love songs. Fragments of her teenaged romantic fantasies remain, but she's writing as a woman in her late 20s. She's tired of being another "ex-girlfriend" — she wants to fall in love, get married, and have a family. It's a subject that's surprisingly uncommon in pop music, which would alone make Return of Saturn an interesting album. What makes it a successful one is that the band delivers an aural equivalent of Stefani's lyrical themes. They also begin with their adolescent musical ideals, adding depth and detail to their pop-ska foundation. They balance their non-ironic love of new wave with contemporary production and a sensibility borrowed from classic rock: that albums are greater than the sum of their parts. Surprisingly, they pull it off — it's a far stronger record than Tragic Kingdom, even if the catchiest numbers don't have the same swagger and punch as their previous hit singles. So be it. With Return of Saturn, No Doubt have made a terrific, layered record that exceeds any expectations set by Tragic Kingdom. Not only have they found their voice, they know what to do with it.

 

New video

 

Simple Kind Of Life video

 

Ex-Girlfriend video

 

Bathwater video

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93 Supergrass - In It For The Money (1997)

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drc900/c903/c90361a0s36.jpg

 

The superb second album from one of the most underrated Brit-Pop acts from Oxford (UK#2)

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

4.5 Stars

 

Supergrass' debut album, I Should Coco, rushed by at such a blinding speed that some listeners didn't notice the melodic complexity of its best songs. On its second album, the cleverly titled In It for the Money, Supergrass brought the songs to the forefront, slowing the tempos considerably and constructing a varied, textured album that makes the band's ambition and skill abundantly clear. From the droning mantra of the opening title track, it's clear that the band has delved deeply into psychedelia, and hints of Magical Mystery Tour are evident throughout the album, from swirling organs and gurgling wah-wahs to punchy horn charts and human beatboxes. In fact, Supergrass has substituted the punky rush of I Should Coco for such sonic details, and while that means the band only occasionally touches upon the breakneck pace of its debut (the hard-driving "Richard III"), it also deepens its joyful exuberance with subtle songs and remarkably accomplished musicianship. There might not be a "Caught by the Fuzz" or "Alright" on In It for the Money, but that's not a problem, since the bright explosion of "Sun Hits the Sky" and the nervy "Tonight" are just as energetic, and the album features introspective numbers like the gorgeous "Late in the Day" and "It's Not Me" that give it substantial weight. And even with all this musical maturity, Supergrass hasn't sacrificed its good-natured humor, as the detailed production and the bizarre closer, "Sometimes I Make You Sad," make abundantly clear. Sometimes, maturity turns out to be everything it's supposed to be.

 

Going Out video

 

Richard III video

 

Sun Hits The Sky video

 

Late In The Day video

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92 Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run (1973)

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf800/f858/f85884y35wt.jpg

 

Macca's most successful & best post-Beatles album (UK#1/USA#1).

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

4.5 Stars

 

Neither the dippy, rustic Wild Life nor the slick AOR flourishes of Red Rose Speedway earned Paul McCartney much respect, so he made the self-consciously ambitious Band on the Run to rebuke his critics. On the surface, Band on the Run appears to be constructed as a song cycle in the vein of Abbey Road, but subsequent listens reveal that the only similarities the two albums share are simply superficial. McCartney's talent for songcraft and nuanced arrangements is in ample display throughout the record, which makes many of the songs — including the nonsensical title track — sound more substantial than they actually are. While a handful of the songs are excellent — the surging, inspired surrealism of "Jet" is by far one of his best solo recordings, "Bluebird" is sunny acoustic pop, and "Helen Wheels" captures McCartney rocking with abandon — most of the songs are more style than substance. Yet McCartney's melodies are more consistent than any of his previous solo records, and there are no throwaways; the songs just happen to be not very good. Still, the record is enjoyable, whether it's the minor-key "Mrs. Vandebilt" or "Let Me Roll It," a silly response to John Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?," which does make Band on the Run one of McCartney's finest solo efforts. However, there's little of real substance on the record. No matter how elaborate the production is, or how cleverly his mini-suites are constructed, Band on the Run is nothing more than a triumph of showmanship.

 

Band On The Run (live 1976)

 

Jet (live 1976)

 

Let Me Roll It (live 1976)

 

Helen Wheels video

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91 Fiona Apple - When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King... (1999)

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd700/d752/d75239mm300.jpg

 

A fantastic sophomore jazz-pop album by a superb US female singer songwriter talent (UK#46/USA#13)

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

4.5 Stars

 

Fiona Apple may have been grouped in with the other female singer/songwriters who dominated the pop charts in 1996 and 1997, but she stood out by virtue of her grand ambitions and considerable musical sophistication. Even though her 1996 debut Tidal occasionally was hampered by naiveté, it showcased a gifted young artist in the process of finding her voice. Even so, the artistic leap between Tidal and its long-awaited 1999 sequel When the Pawn Hits... is startling. It's evident that not only have Apple's ambitions grown, so has her confidence — few artists would open themselves up to the ridicule that comes with having a 90-word poem function as the full title, but that captures the fearless feeling of the record. Apple doesn't break from the jazzy pop of Tidal on Pawn, choosing instead to refine her sound and then expand its horizons. Although there are echoes of everything from Nina Simone to Aimee Mann on the record, it's not easy to spot specific influences, because this is truly an individual work. As a songwriter, she balances her words and melodies skillfully, no longer sounding self-conscious as she crafts highly personal, slightly cryptic songs that never sound precocious or insular. With producer Jon Brion, she created the ideal arrangements for these idiosyncratic songs, finding a multi-layered sound that's simultaneously elegant and carnival-esque. As a result, Pawn is immediately grabbing, and instead of fading upon further plays, it reveals more with each listen, whether it's a lyrical turn of phrase or an unexpected twist in the arrangement; what's more, Apple has made it as rich emotionally as it is musically. That's quite a feat for any album, but it's doubly impressive since it is only the second effort by a musician who is only 22 years old.

 

Fast As You Can video

 

Paper Bag video

 

Limp video

 

Get Gone (live 1999)

thisispop - No Doubt ABOVE a classic album like Blondie's Parallel Lines?

 

After all, No Doubt's early act was based entirely on Blondie... :o

thisispop - No Doubt ABOVE a classic album like Blondie's Parallel Lines?

 

After all, No Doubt's early act was based entirely on Blondie... :o

 

Don't get fooled by the relative rubbish that the solo Gwen Stefani is coming up with now on the very mediocre Sweet Escape - Return Of Saturn is by a long distance No Doubt's best album - it is far better than Tragic Kingdom & Rock Steady and I regard it as a better album than Parallel Lines. Probably because it sounds like a superior cross between Pink & Avril Lavigne before they existed with a very strong selections of songs. :lol: