Sac's Top 125 Albums of the Last 25 Years

[Saccopoo]

In mirroring Spin's recent list, here's mine:

The Cult – “Love” (1985)
Tom Waits – “Rain Dogs” (1985)
Dire Straights – “Brothers in Arms” (1985)
Tears for Fears – “Songs from the Big Chair” (1985)
Kate Bush – “Hounds of Love” (1985)
The Smiths – “Meat is Murder” (1985)
The Jesus and Mary Chain – “Psychocandy” (1985)
Pre-Fab Sprout – “Two Wheels Good” (1985)
John Mellencamp – “Scarecrow” (1985)
Slayer – “Reign in Blood” (1986)
Robert Cray - "Strong Persuader" (1986)
Run-DMC – “Raising Hell” (1986)
Paul Simon – “Graceland” (1986)
Metallica – “Master of Puppets” (1986)
XTC – “Skylarking” (1986)
The Smiths – “The Queen is Dead” (1986)
Bon Jovi – “Slippery When Wet” (1986)
Peter Gabriel – “So” (1986)
Megadeth – “Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?” (1986)
Depeche Mode – “Music For the Masses” (1987)
Guns and Roses – “Appetite for Destruction” (1987)
John Hiatt – “Bring the Family” (1987)
The Cure – “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” (1987)
U2 – “The Joshua Tree” (1987)
Sonic Youth – “Sister” (1987)
New Order – “Substance” (1987)
Prince – “Sign of the Times” (1987)
REM – “Document” (1987)
The Smiths – “Strangeways, Here We Come” (1987)
Jane’s Addiction – “Nothing Shocking” (1988)
Public Enemy – “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” (1988)
NWA – “Straight Outta Compton” (1988)
The Pixies – “Surfer Rosa” (1988)
Enya – “Watermark” (1988)
Sonic Youth – “Daydream Nation” (1988)
Tracy Chapman – “Tracy Chapman” (1988)
Cowboy Junkies – “The Trinity Sessions” (1988)
Nine Inch Nails – “Pretty Hate Machine” (1989)
Faith No More – “The Real Thing” (1989)
De La Soul – “Three Feet High and Rising” (1989)
Beastie Boys – “Paul’s Boutique” (1989)
The Cure – “Disintegration” (1989)
The Stone Roses – “The Stone Roses” (1989)
The Pixies – “Doolittle” (1989)
Tom Petty – “Full Moon Fever” (1989)
Soundgarden – “Louder Than Love” (1989)
Social Distortion – “Social Distortion” (1990)
The Black Crowes – “Shake Your Money Maker” (1990)
Garth Brooks – “No Fences” (1990)
My Bloody Valentine – “Loveless” (1991)
Massive Attack – “Blue Lines” (1991)
Primal Scream – “Screamadelica” (1991)
Nirvana – “Nevermind” (1991)
Pearl Jam – “Ten” (1991)
Metallica – “The Black Album” (1991)
Matthew Sweet – “Girlfriend” (1991)
U2 – “Achtung Baby” (1991)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Blood Sex Sugar Magic” (1991)
De La Soul – “De La Soul is Dead” (1991)
Smashing Pumpkins – “Gish” (1991)
Fishbone – “Reality of My Surroundings” (1991)
Pavement – “Slanted & Enchanted” (1992)
REM – “Automatic for the People” (1992)
Los Lobos – “Kiko” (1992)
Pantera - "Vulgar Display of Power" (1992)
Rage Against the Machine – “Rage Against the Machine” (1992)
k.d. Lang – “Ingenue” (1992)
The Orb – “U.F.Orb” (1992)
Lyle Lovett – “Joshua Judges Ruth” (1992)
The Melvins - "Houdini" (1993)
Bjork – “Debut” (1993)
Nirvana – “In Utero” (1993)
Tiamat – “Wildhoney” (1994)
Portishead – “Dummy” (1994)
Jeff Buckley – “Grace” (1994)
Green Day – “Dookie” (1994)
Live – “Throwing Copper” (1994)
Ben Harper – “Welcome to the Cruel World” (1994)
Oasis – “Definitely Maybe” (1994)
Tricky – “Maxinquaye” (1995)
Oasis – “What’s the Story Morning Glory” (1995)
Alanis Morissette – “Jagged Little Pill” (1995)
Radiohead – “The Bends” (1995)
Beck – “Odelay” (1996)
Tool – “Aenima” (1996)
DJ Shadow – “Endtroducing” (1996)
Steve Earle – “I Feel Alright” (1996)
16 Horsepower – “Sackcloth & Ashes” (1996)
Sublime – “Sublime” (1996)
Radiohead – “OK Computer” (1997)
Shania Twain – “Come on Over” (1997)
Air – “Moon Safari” (1998)
Lucinda Williams – “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road” (1998)
Massive Attack – “Mezzanine” (1998)
Neutral Milk Hotel – “In The Aeroplane Over the Sea” (1998)
The Beta Band – “Three EP’s” (1998)
Refused – “The Shape of Punk to Come” (1998)
The Flaming Lips – “The Soft Bulletin” (1999)
Moby – “Play” (1999)
Radiohead – “Kid A” (2000)
PJ Harvey – “Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea” (2000)
Coldplay – “Parachutes” (2000)
Goldfrapp – “Felt Mountain” (2000)
Opeth – “Blackwater Park” (2001)
Daftpunk – “Discovery” (2001)
The Strokes – “Is This It?” (2001)
The Shins – “Oh, Inverted World” (2001)
Wilco – “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” (2002)
Jurassic 5 – “Power in Numbers” (2002)
Johnny Cash – “American Recordings IV: The Man Comes Around” (2002)
The Flaming Lips – “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” (2002)
The White Stripes – “Elephant” (2003)
OutKast – “Speakerboxxx” (2003)
Michael Franti – “Songs From the Front Porch” (2003)
Radiohead – “Hail to the Thief” (2003)
Arcade Fire – “Funeral” (2004)
Green Day – “American Idiot” (2004)
The Killers – “Hot Fuss” (2004)
LCD Soundsystem – “The Sound of Silver” (2007)
The National – “Boxer” (2007)
Blonde Redhead – “23” (2007)
Okkervil River – “The Stage Names” (2007)
Iron & Wine – “The Shepards Dog” (2007)
Animal Collective – “Merriweather Post Pavilion” (2009)
Florence & the Machine – “Lungs” (2009)

[lewdog]

John ****ing Hiatt!?!?!?

Oh hellz yes. One of the most underappreciated songwriters in music. I love his stuff.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

This post is a massive pile of fail. Not only do you completely misunderstand the recording, editing and production process and fail to recognize I've the sheer brilliance of this record, you state that the song "suck", despite the fact they connected with tens of millions (if not hundreds of million) of people

Don't get pissy because I left off David Lee Roth's "Skyscraper."

And I do think that Hysteria is good. From a studio perspective. (I'll save "brilliant" for studio albums like "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Boston.") I don't like it from a musical perspective. If you and hundreds of millions of people think it's the cat's ass, that's great. I don't.

[Coochie liquor]

That's a retry good list. My only complaints are there is a very wide variety of music in there yet only one reggae album. And while I love Sublime with every ounce of my existence, 40 oz to Freedom is their best work IMO.
And Portishead.... Their music still gives me chills when I hear it. Dummy is such a great album.

A few I would add to the list would be:
Slightly Stoopid-Closer to the Sun
Buju Banton-Til Shiloh
Rebelution-Bright Side of Life
10 ft Ganja Plant-Bass Chalice

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

Don't get pissy because I left off David Lee Roth's "Skyscraper."

And I do think that Hysteria is good. From a studio perspective. (I'll save "brilliant" for studio albums like "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Boston.") I don't like it from a musical perspective. If you and hundreds of millions of people think it's the cat's ass, that's great. I don't.

You're completely missing the point.

What I think about the songs or complete album as a whole is irrelevant. What is relevant is that Mutt and Def Leppard had an incredible vision, which took years to complete due to the limitations of the technology at that time.

Today, that same vision could be completed in a few months or less. But they were the forefathers of sampling, envisioning parts months, if not years, before they were recorded and comped. It brought about a completely new way to think about production and songwriting, not to mention completely different recording devices themselves.

You're completely overlooking the genius in this creation and instead focusing on your like or dislike of the music, which is irrelevant.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

You're completely missing the point.

What I think about the songs or complete album as a whole is irrelevant. What is relevant is that Mutt and Def Leppard had an incredible vision, which took years to complete due to the limitations of the technology at that time.

Today, that same vision could be completed in a few months or less. But they were the forefathers of sampling, envisioning parts months, if not years, before they were recorded and comped. It brought about a completely new way to think about production and songwriting, not to mention completely different recording devices themselves.

You're completely overlooking the genius in this creation and instead focusing on your like or dislike of the music, which is irrelevant.

Okay, I'll buy that.

Apparently I wasn't getting what you were intending earlier, but now that you've explained your reasoning, I agree.

I know that Lange was the producer for all their albums and you can see the continued build up, especially as you go from their big three of "High and Dry" to "Pyromania" to "Hysteria."

Brilliant from a production standpoint. Groundbreaking as you say.

[Halfcan]

No Rush-automatic fail!

[Coochie liquor]

Also 311, a least the self titled cd should have made it. IMHO.

[frankotank]

wow....Stone Roses!
I forgot all about them. I LOVED Second Coming. used to listen to it all the time. gotta drag the CD out ASAP.

Driving South, Love Spreads.....but Begging You was my shizzle......

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by frankotank

wow....Stone Roses!
I forgot all about them. I LOVED Second Coming. used to listen to it all the time. gotta drag the CD out ASAP.

Driving South, Love Spreads.....but Begging You was my shizzle......

A friend of mine had a CD hanging from his rear view mirror for about 2 years in the 90's.

I finally asked him what it was and if I could have it. He hated it and only used it as a prop piece in his civic.

I'll admit I liked it for "I wanna' be adored" and ended up liking the whole album. It never went anywhere or got popular and to this day (and by that I mean 8 years ago the last time I saw him) he gave me $#it about liking that album and trying to sell him on it...

[Halfcan]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

You're completely missing the point.

What I think about the songs or complete album as a whole is irrelevant. What is relevant is that Mutt and Def Leppard had an incredible vision, which took years to complete due to the limitations of the technology at that time.

Today, that same vision could be completed in a few months or less. But they were the forefathers of sampling, envisioning parts months, if not years, before they were recorded and comped. It brought about a completely new way to think about production and songwriting, not to mention completely different recording devices themselves.

You're completely overlooking the genius in this creation and instead focusing on your like or dislike of the music, which is irrelevant.

Not to mention all the addiction problems and personal tragedies hitting the band at that time. It is amazing they ever finished it.

[frankotank]

Originally Posted by Rausch

A friend of mine had a CD hanging from his rear view mirror for about 2 years in the 90's.

I finally asked him what it was and if I could have it. He hated it and only used it as a prop piece in his civic.

I'll admit I liked it for "I wanna' be adored" and ended up liking the whole album. It never went anywhere or got popular and to this day (and by that I mean 8 years ago the last time I saw him) he gave me $#it about liking that album and trying to sell him on it...

music is a strange thing. it is so....uniquely perceived by each individual. I know a guy who simply HATES Stevie Ray. each time an SRV song comes I know he's out there! hating SRV! and I simply can't understand how ANYONE wouldn't get into his grooves. I mean COME ON MAN! but to each his own. Stone Roses have some songs I just hate....but I could probably say that about all bands I like.

now...using a CD you hate as decoration for you car...that's a new one on me!

[Molitoth]

Originally Posted by frankotank

music is a strange thing. it is so....uniquely perceived by each individual.

I used to argue music all of the time, now I just lump it into categories such as religion and politics. Arguments and judgement based on opinions are silly.

I like what I like and you like what you like. Cheers, and stay positive.

[frankotank]

Originally Posted by Molitoth

I used to argue music all of the time, now I just lump it into categories such as religion and politics. Arguments and judgement based on opinions are silly.

I like what I like and you like what you like. Cheers, and stay positive.

it IS interesting though to listen to others thoughts on music. my CD collection would be considered very bizarre by most because it contains a VERY wide variety. I can get into Prince, Metallica, Janes Addiction, Kid Rock, Janet Jackson, Parliament, Stevie Ray, Stevie Wonder Kiss, Little Big Town....

if I think it's good....I'll dig it....I just don't care what box society put that particular groove into. good music is good!