18 Oasis - Definitely Maybe (1994)

 

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The greatest debut album by a British Rock Band ever (UK#1, USA#58)

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

5 Stars

 

Definitely Maybe manages to encapsulate much of the best of British rock & roll — from the Beatles to the Stone Roses — in the space of 11 songs. Oasis' sound is louder and more guitar-oriented than any British band since the Sex Pistols, and the band is blessed with the excellent songwriting of Noel Gallagher. Gallagher writes perfect pop songs, offering a platform for his brother Liam's brash, snarling vocals. Not only does the band have melodies, but they have the capability to work a groove with more dexterity than most post-punk groups. But what makes Definitely Maybe so intoxicating is that it already resembles a greatest-hits album. From the swirling rush of "Rock 'n' Roll Star," through the sinewy "Shakermaker," to the heartbreaking "Live Forever," each song sounds like an instant classic.

 

Live Forever video

 

Cigarettes & Alcohol video

 

Supersonic (live 1994)

 

Rock'n'Roll Star (live 1995 Glastonbury)

 

Slide Away (live 1996 Knebworth)

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17 Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (1971)

 

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Arguably the greatest soul record of all-time (UK# did not chart!, USA#6).

 

Review by John Bush

5 Stars

What's Going On is not only Marvin Gaye's masterpiece, it's the most important and passionate record to come out of soul music, delivered by one of its finest voices, a man finally free to speak his mind and so move from R&B sex symbol to true recording artist. With What's Going On, Gaye meditated on what had happened to the American dream of the past — as it related to urban decay, environmental woes, military turbulence, police brutality, unemployment, and poverty. These feelings had been bubbling up between 1967 and 1970, during which he felt increasingly caged by Motown's behind-the-times hit machine and restrained from expressing himself seriously through his music. Finally, late in 1970, Gaye decided to record a song that the Four Tops' Obie Benson had brought him, "What's Going On." When Berry Gordy decided not to issue the single, deeming it uncommercial, Gaye refused to record any more material until he relented. Confirmed by its tremendous commercial success in January 1971, he recorded the rest of the album over ten days in March, and Motown released it in late May. Besides cementing Marvin Gaye as one of the most important artists in pop music, What's Going On was far and away the best full-length to issue from the singles-dominated Motown factory, and arguably the best soul album of all time.

 

Conceived as a statement from the viewpoint of a Vietnam veteran (Gaye's brother Frankie had returned from a three-year hitch in 1967), What's Going On isn't just the question of a baffled soldier returning home to a strange place, but a promise that listeners would be informed by what they heard (that missing question mark in the title certainly wasn't a typo). Instead of releasing listeners from their troubles, as so many of his singles had in the past, Gaye used the album to reflect on the climate of the early '70s, rife with civil unrest, drug abuse, abandoned children, and the spectre of riots in the near past. Alternately depressed and hopeful, angry and jubilant, Gaye saved the most sublime, deeply inspired performances of his career for "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)," "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)," and "Save the Children." The songs and performances, however, furnished only half of a revolution; little could've been accomplished with the Motown sound of previous Marvin Gaye hits like "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" and "Hitch Hike" or even "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." What's Going On, as he conceived and produced it, was like no other record heard before it: languid, dark and jazzy, a series of relaxed grooves with a heavy bottom, filled by thick basslines along with bongos, conga, and other percussion. Fortunately, this aesthetic fit in perfectly with the style of long-time Motown sessionmen like bassist James Jamerson and guitarist Joe Messina. When the Funk Brothers were, for once, allowed the opportunity to work in relaxed, open proceedings, they produced the best work of their careers (and indeed, they recognized its importance before any of the Motown executives). Jamerson's playing on "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" functions as the low-end foundation but also its melodic hook, while an improvisatory jam by Eli Fountain on alto sax furnished the album's opening flourish. (Much credit goes to Gaye himself for seizing on these often tossed-off lines as precious; indeed, he spent more time down in the Snakepit than he did in the control room.) Just as he'd hoped it would be, What's Going On was Marvin Gaye's masterwork, the most perfect expression of an artist's hope, anger, and concern ever recorded.

 

What's Going On/What's Happening Brother? video

 

Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler) video

 

Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) video

 

 

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16 Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)

 

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The only album released by this fantastic, mercurial talent who died too soon (UK#44, USA#42).

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

4.5 Stars

 

Jeff Buckley was many things, but humble wasn't one of them. Grace is an audacious debut album, filled with sweeping choruses, bombastic arrangements, searching lyrics, and above all, the richly textured voice of Buckley himself, which resembled a cross between Robert Plant, Van Morrison, and his father Tim. And that's a fair starting point for his music: Grace sounds like a Led Zeppelin album written by an ambitious folkie with a fondness for lounge jazz. At his best — the soaring title track, "Last Goodbye," and the mournful "Lover, You Should've Come Over" — Buckley's grasp met his reach with startling results; at its worst, Grace is merely promising.

 

Last Goodbye video

 

Grace video

 

So Real video

 

Hallelujah (live)

 

Eternal Life (live)

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15 Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002)

 

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A stunning second album that took me and a lot of the world by surprise regarding how good it turned out (UK#1, USA#5).

 

Review by MacKenzie Wilson

4.5 Stars

 

After touring in support of their debut album, Parachutes, Coldplay was personally and professionally exhausted. Frontman Chris Martin insisted he was dry; by the time they closed their European tour in summer 2001, he hadn't written a song in months. The U.K. music press immediately pounced on the idea of Coldplay calling it quits, but somewhere lurked the beauty of "In My Place." The spirit and soul of this ballad allowed Coldplay to pull it together to make a second album. What came from such anguish and inquisition was A Rush of Blood to the Head. Coldplay has surely let it all go on this record. Acoustics are drowned out by Jon Buckland's riveting guitar work, and vocally, Martin has sharpened his falsetto, refining his haunting delivery. It's a strong album; you can feel, hear, and touch the blood, sweat, and tears behind each song, and that's exactly what Coldplay was going for. Co-producer Ken Nelson and mixer Mark Pythain (the team behind the blissful beauty of Parachutes) allowed Coldplay to make an album that's initially inaccessible, but that's what makes it intriguing. Lush melodies and a heartbreak behind the songs are there, but also a newfound confidence. From the delicate, shimmery classic "In My Place" to the piano surge of "The Scientist," Coldplay exudes an honest passion. The disco haze of "Daylight" and the love-drunk ballad "Green Eyes" are divine examples of solid lyrical arrangements, but "Politik" and the stunning guitar-driven "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" project a nervy edge to the band. Echoes of early post-punk showcase Coldplay's ballsy musicianship. Don't fret — it's not exactly rock & roll, but Radiohead, Echo & the Bunnymen, and the Smiths aren't exactly rock & roll either, and they're well loved. "Yellow" didn't follow the rock formula, but it sold well, and similarly A Rush of Blood to the Head might not instantly grab listeners, but it's not tailored that way. It pushes you to look beyond dreamy vocals for a musical inner core. Regardless of the band still being in their mid-twenties, they've made an amazing record, and if it ends up being their last, A Rush of Blood to the Head didn't sugarcoat anything. It's a bittersweet design no matter what.

 

In My Place video

 

The Scientist video

 

Clocks video

 

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face video

 

Warning Sign (live acoustic performance)

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14 Aimee Mann - Magnolia ost. (2000)

 

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After over a decade of acclaim from music critics and her peers (including Elvis Costello, Difford & Tilbrook, Andy Partridge & Neil Finn), Aimee finally had some commercial success with a soundtrack album (UK# did not chart, USA#8) taken from Tom Cruise's best movie.

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

5 Stars

 

For Aimee Mann, the soundtrack to Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia was her first opportunity to release new material since 1995's I'm With Stupid. True, some of the songs are a few years old, but this is their first release, and each of her nine songs for the film seamlessly fit together, achieving a perfect blend of musical and lyrical tone. They feel like a miniature album, and while some of these tracks are on Bachelor No. 2, the way they flow and play off of each other makes Magnolia feel like a unique, individual work. Of course, it helps that Mann is at a peak in her craft, creating songs that are not only beautifully melodic, but musically and lyrically rich. Sonically, they're of a piece - even her cover of Nilsson's "One" fits perfectly — but there's a lot of variety here, from the bouncy, irresistible "Momentum" to the gorgeously melancholic "Deathly." Mann has shined before, but never quite so consistently. It's easy to get lost in her music, which is why it comes as a bit of surprise to hear a gameshow bell ring at the conclusion of "Save Me," cleanly dividing Mann's songscore from the oldies that are also used in the film. Essentially, the two Supertramp songs ("Goodbye Stranger," "Logical Song"), Gabrielle's "Dreams," and Jon Brion's theme for the film act as a bonus EP after Mann's mini-LP. They don't sound out of place, but rather act as a reminder that Magnolia is not a proper Mann album, but a soundtrack. It's a testament to Mann's strengths as a songwriter and pop craftsman that during those first nine songs, it's hard to think of Magnolia as anything other than a Mann album, and her best one to date, at that.

 

Wise Up video

 

Save Me video

 

Calling It Quits video

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13 Madonna - Like A Prayer (1989)

 

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An album that took critics by surprise nearly 20 years ago because it was so adventurous in comparison to her earlier work (UK#1, USA#1).

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

5 Stars

 

Out of all of Madonna's albums, Like a Prayer is her most explicit attempt at a major artistic statement. Even though it is apparent that she is trying to make a "serious" album, the kaleidoscopic variety of pop styles on Like a Prayer is quite dazzling. Ranging from the deep funk of "Express Yourself" and "Keep It Together" to the haunting "Oh Father" and "Like a Prayer," Madonna displays a commanding sense of songcraft, making this her best and most consistent album.

 

Like A Prayer video

 

Express Yourself video

 

Cherish video

 

Oh Father video

 

Promise To Try (Truth or Dare promo)

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12 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (2007)

 

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Quite simply the best album of the 21st Century (so far), recorded by the best Band of the 21st Century (so far) about the 21st Century (so far). Stunning (UK#2, USA#2).

 

Review by James Christopher Monger

4.5 Stars

 

When Montreal's Arcade Fire released Funeral in 2004, it received the kind of critical and commercial acclaim that most bands spend their entire careers trying to attain. Within a year the group was headlining major festivals and sharing the stage with U2 and New York City's "two Davids" (Bowie and Byrne), all the while amassing a devoted following that descended upon shows like sinners at a tent revival, engaging in the kind of artist appreciation that can easily turn to a false sense of ownership. On their alternately wrecked and defiant follow-up, Neon Bible, one can sense a bit of a Wall being erected (Win Butler's Roger Waters/Bruce Springsteen/Garrison Keillor-style vocal delivery notwithstanding) around the group. If Funeral was the goodbye kiss on the coffin of youth, then Bible is the bitter pint (or pints) after a long day's work. The brooding opener, "Black Mirror," with its sinister "Suffragette City"-inspired groove and murky refrain of "Mirror, Mirror on the wall/Show me where them bombs will fall," sets an immediate world-weary tone that permeates that majority of Neon Bible's Technicolor pages. As expected, those sentiments are amplified with all of the majestic and overwrought power that has divided listeners since the group's ascension to indie rock royalty, but despite a tendency toward midtempo balladry and post-fame cynicism, they're anything but dull. It's the triumphant orchestral remake of live staple "No Cars Go" and the infectious "Keep the Car Running" — the latter sounds like a 21st century update of John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band's "On the Dark Side" — that will most appeal to Funeral fans, and when the bottom drops out a minute and a half into the pipe organ-led "Intervention" and Butler wails "Who's gonna reset the bone," it's hard not get caught up in all of the dystopian fervor. "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations" and "The Well and the Lighthouse" continue the band's explorations into progressive song structures and lush mini-suites, the thunder-filled "Ocean of Noise" is reminiscent of Bossanova-era Pixies, and the stark (at first) closer "My Body Is a Cage" straddles the sawhorse of earnest desperation and classic rock & roll self-absorption so effortlessly that it demands to be either turned off or all the way up. Neon Bible takes a few spins to digest properly, and like all rich foods (orchestra, harps, and gospel choirs abound), it's as decadent as it is tasty — theatricality has never been a practice that the collective has shied away from — but there's no denying the Arcade Fire's singular vision, even when it blurs a little.

 

No Cars Go (live)

 

Keep The Car Running (live)

 

Intervention (live)

 

Neon Bible video

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11 Pixies - Doolittle (1989)

 

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The most influencial American rock band since the the Velvet Underground (UK#8, USA#98).

 

Review by Heather Phares

5 Stars

 

After 1988's brilliant but abrasive Surfer Rosa, the Pixies' sound couldn't get much more extreme. Their Elektra debut, Doolittle, reins in the noise in favor of pop songcraft and accessibility. Producer Gil Norton's sonic sheen adds some polish, but Black Francis' tighter songwriting focuses the group's attack. Doolittle's most ferocious moments, like "Dead," a visceral retelling of David and Bathsheba's affair — are more stylized than the group's past outbursts. Meanwhile, their poppy side surfaces on the irresistible single "Here Comes Your Man" and the sweetly surreal love song "La La Love You." The Pixies' arty, noisy weirdness mix with just enough hooks to produce gleefully demented singles like "Debaser," — inspired by Bunuel's classic surrealist short Un Chien Andalou — and "Wave of Mutilation," their surfy ode to driving a car into the sea. Though Doolittle's sound is cleaner and smoother than the Pixies' earlier albums, there are still plenty of weird, abrasive vignettes: the blankly psychotic "There Goes My Gun," "Crackity Jones," a song about a crazy roommate Francis had in Puerto Rico, and the nihilistic finale "Gouge Away." Meanwhile, "Tame," and "I Bleed" continue the Pixies' penchant for cryptic kink. But the album doesn't just refine the Pixies' sound; they also expand their range on the brooding, wannabe spaghetti western theme "Silver" and the strangely theatrical "Mr. Grieves." "Hey" and "Monkey Gone to Heaven," on the other hand, stretch Francis' lyrical horizons: "Monkey"'s elliptical environmentalism and "Hey"'s twisted longing are the Pixies' versions of message songs and romantic ballads. Their most accessible album, Doolittle's wide-ranging moods and sounds make it one of their most eclectic and ambitious. A fun, freaky alternative to most other late-'80s college rock, it's easy to see why the album made the Pixies into underground rock stars.

 

Monkey Gone To Heaven (live 2005)

 

Here Comes Your Man video

 

Debaser video

 

Gouge Away (live 1989)

 

Dead & I Bleed (live 1989)

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10 REM - Automatic For The People (1992)

 

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America's answer to The Smiths showed the world what can be achieved by staying together and reaching your potential with this melancholy album in the Generation X era of the early 1990s (UK#1, USA#2).

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

5 Stars

 

Turning away from the sweet pop of Out of Time, R.E.M. created a haunting, melancholy masterpiece with Automatic for the People. At its core, the album is a collection of folk songs about aging, death, and loss, but the music has a grand, epic sweep provided by layers of lush strings, interweaving acoustic instruments, and shimmering keyboards. Automatic for the People captures the group at a crossroads, as they moved from cult heroes to elder statesmen, and the album is a graceful transition into their new status. It is a reflective album, with frank discussions on mortality, but it is not a despairing record — "Nightswimming," "Everybody Hurts," and "Sweetness Follows" have a comforting melancholy, while "Find the River" provides a positive sense of closure. R.E.M. have never been as emotionally direct as they are on Automatic for the People, nor have they ever created music quite as rich and timeless, and while the record is not an easy listen, it is the most rewarding record in their oeuvre.

 

Drive video

 

Man On The Moon video

 

Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight video

 

Everybody Hurts video

 

Find The River video

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9 Crowded House - Together Alone (1993)

 

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Neil Finn's band team up with the producer Youth, produced this magical album, the last of their four studio albums with the late Paul Hestor (UK#4, USA#73). I can't wait for their fifth album "Time On Earth" out in June.

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

4 Stars

 

More experimental and musically varied than any of their previous releases, Together Alone finds Crowded House branching out into traditional Maori music and heavy guitars, as well as the shining pop songcraft that is Neil Finn's trademark. Picking up a new guitarist and adding the production skills of ex-Killing Joke member Youth, Crowded House energize their sound without losing sight of Finn's classic pop songwriting, as "Locked Out" and "Distant Sun" prove.

 

Distant Sun video

 

Private Universe video

 

Nails In My Feet video

 

Locked Out video

 

Fingers Of Love (Later with Jools Holland)