265. The Ozzman Cometh: Greatest Hits - Ozzy Osbourne (1997)
In junior high and early high school, I was all about Ozzy. Working out, mowing the lawn, practicing my soccer skills, jogging, playing air guitar, going to bed...EVERYTHING I did for a while was in tune to the soundtrack of Oz. I understood the act and, of course, thought all that evil devilish crap was pretty cool, but that wasn't what sold me. The Yardbirds are the only other band I can think of that went through 3 line-ups and each time got the most incredible guitarist you'd ever heard. Randy Rhodes, Jake E. Lee, Zakk Wylde, they're all here in their "holy shit, did you hear that?" glory. There's even a few from the Black Sabbath days. Overall, way more songs that you do want then you don't, a great Greatest Hits album. Ozzy appears twice more on the list, but this is the only studio album of his as a solo project listed.
264. Swoon - Silversun Pickups (2009)
If Smashing Pumpkins (I mean the original line-up, the only line-up that counts) and My Bloody Valentine got together and decided they wanted to write some semi-radio friendly songs....they would rip each others' throats out and nothing good would come of it. BUT if that COULD work, this album is what you would have. Swoon is the band's second album and is another under-appreciated gem. Although the muddy distortion of the guitars is it's calling card, this band has a great rhythm section and vocal harmonies to match. My faves are There's No Secrets This Year, Substitution, Catch And Release and Surrounded. One of the great rock albums to come out in the past few years.
263. Gimme Fiction - Spoon (2005)
Spoon has been a disappointing band to me. Not because they're a bad band, obviously. This album has some of their best, most evolved songs: The Beast And Dragon Adored, I Turn My Camera On, I Summon You, it does sound like a modern day circa late 60's/early 70's Stones album (not quite that good, though). They had just begun to expand their sound and take more time with their layering of a track from the shorter, rapid fire, killer hook driven songs of their previous albums, one of which is higher on the list. And then...they started to suck. Two albums of suckage with a good track here and there. I don't care if they sold more, they really do suck. Listen to Gimme Fiction and hear how great this band could've been.
262. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco (2002)
I know nothing of this band. Honestly. Jeff Tweedy is their lead songwriter/singer. That's it. I've been lectured I should know more about them, claiming to be the music freak that I am. I've heard the three albums prior to this one, and it's always....meh. That should be viewed as a testament to how great this album truly is. I know less about this band than any other on the list, but, damn, what a great album. It is very critically acclaimed and was Wilco's best seller, so don't just take my word for it. Listen to Kamera, Jesus Etc. and I'm The Man Who Loves You for some immediate gratification, but give this whole album a listen and just try not liking it. I dare ya.
261. Gorillaz - Gorillaz (2001)
The first band to have 2 albums on the list (see #290), this was the debut and thus-far greatest album from Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, A.K.A. Gorillaz. Never mind that the band was formed under the premise of being an animated band that (originally) would only appear as such in videos/performances. That's awesome, but that was the visual aspect, always a major component within the band. Aurally this album had some of the sickest, coolest beats to come out early in the decade. You want genres? We're talking hip hop, rock, punk, reggae, latin...you name it, it's here. An amazing album from a consistently ground-breaking band.
Here's a few questions from good ole Matt. I'll do my best to come close to answering them.
**Jay do you count skits and anything with its own track # as a track? Because if you do that's silly:) no new rap album will ever make your list b/c it would lower their good to bad track ratio. Plus, some of the connecting filler tracks you talk about on albums could just be added to the next or previous track. Then, the track its added to might have a slightly lower rating by a number or two. But, that would still be better than getting a 1 out of 5 rating as a track on its own. I think your focusing too much on the overall score and not enough on number of great songs on the album. By your system more tracks tends to equal lower ranking. Which seems odd. Most rap albums are 10 good songs with 7 skit/intro/outro songs. That's gonna give them just over a 50% rating, even if the other ten got perfect scores. So does a new track number equal a new track? Just questions I have for you.
Good questions, my man. First, I do count skits, intros and any 'song' labeled as a track individually. My feeling is if it was engineered to be a stand-alone track, it should be judged as one. Otherwise it would've been tacked onto another song, as you say. I make exceptions for intros of bands on live albums that are around 30 seconds or less. Otherwise, it counts. It's not always a bad thing. There are some Outkast skits, for example, that are damn funny or creative and contribute to the greatness of an album. Biggie has one of the greatest intros to an album ever, in my humble opinion, and it clocks in at about 1:30. Other albums by artists like Eminem and Tool worsen great albums with dumb sketches or 2 minutes of static or voice mails. Filler is filler, and I want less of it.
Second, you're right, some percentages are slightly askew due to the length on an album. I've noticed that especially with the handful of boxed sets on the list. But, again, the point system is just a method to categorize groups of albums to listen to a third/fourth/fifth time for eventual ranking. I do not rely solely on that, far from it. It's also easy to see when an album I love has a percentage a little higher than an album I love more and rank accordingly. I promise you, no shortage of time has been attributed to any part of this project.
We'll hear more from Matt in other posts. This review is from a friend who listens to much of what I don't hear about or catch. Luckily, I get mixes and garage listening nights to catch up on what he's already caught. Here's a review of the latest from one of my favorite new hip hop artists, introduced to me by one of his biggest fans, Ryan...
His name is Childish Gambino and he's here to take over. You may know him as Donald Glover, the actor who plays Troy on NBC's Community, but he is much more than that. Stand up comedian, writer, and the best new hip hop artist in the game. And for the last time, no, he is not related to actor Danny Glover
With three full length albums, an EP, and a pair of mixtapes under his belt, not to mention two seasons on Community, and three seasons writing for 30 Rock, Donald is a very busy man. Thankfully, his work has not suffered.
Gambino's latest full length album, Culdesac, is one hell of an album. Produced by Donald himself, with assistance from friend and Community composer Ludwig Goransson, Culdesac has something for everyone. From smooth, lovey tracks like "Got This Money" and "So Fly", to gritty confessional tracks such as "Fuck It All," "I'm Alright," and "The Last." Culdesac also has its share of bass bumping, feel good tracks.
The thing that sets CG apart from other rappers is the content of his songs. He may talk his share of money, women, clothes and cars, but its lines like "and this next part sounds like nonsense/ but I swear to God Tina Fey gave me confidence/ taught me everything that is good comes from honesty/ everybody's gotta voice you just gotta follow it" that keep fans coming back for more. If more rappers were as accessible as Mr. Glover, more people would understand what Hip Hop is really about. Name dropping Tina Fey certainly doesnt hurt.
Must have tracks: "Do Ya Like" "Freaks and Geeks" "Not Going Back" "I Be On That"
You can download Culdesac for free at CULDESAC-ALBUM.COM
Thanks, Ryan. Excellent stuff, readers, you should check him out. I'll post again when I can. Don't forget to check the new poll in the top right corner, and, as always, REVIEWS! COMMENTS! RAGE! I'll take them all, in written form only, please. Don't come ragin' up my driveway. That's not cool.
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