while we are on the subject – a top fifteen

i submit for your perusal, the current top fifteen of the best albums that i can think of right at the moment. please feel free to submit your own at your leisure, or attempt to derail my own choices as you see fit, though i should warn you… these are the near and dear and they will be defended mightily, i assure you.

June 26, 2002 – 1:00 am | By Thomas | Posted in Reviews | Comments (11)
  • JO

    OK..and I like that also. I would definately agree with The The/Depeche Mode/Radiohead…Right now though I am stuck in an Ivy,Sigur Ros,and Cocteau Twins world..ONCE again I state I was not making fun of I was enhancing..I should stay quiet mouse..

  • http://www.romanlily.com Grace

    (Kid A over OK Computer?! Are you nuts?…)

    There’s a notable absence of super-mega-rockers on your list. U2′s “Joshua Tree” album is one of my top two or three discs of all time. Pompous blowhards that they are, U2 did something right on that CD.

    It’s right up there with Over the Rhine’s “Patience.” Hurrah.

    Seeing “Violator” listed on your top 15 got me thinking. I have very good memories of that album. I just wandered on over to Amazon and found a used copy for $1.95. Ah, I’ll soon be taking a walk down memory lane.

  • http://www.changingthestory.com Janice

    Without hours of thought – here is my top 5 in no particular order – they are all equal in my brain.
    Sarah McLachlan – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (just a gorgeous gorgeous album), Jamiroquai – Return of the Space Cowboy (before they went all disco-y even though I still like them), Barenaked Ladies – Gordon (that will be the soundtrack to my high school years), Peter Gabriel – Shaking The Tree (okay – it’s a greatest hits compliation – but its amazing), REM – Automatic For The People (probably the best album they ever produced).

    I’ll add more if I think of em.

    **Oh – and The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band because I love every single song on that album. Every single one.

  • Zip

    Heh heh heh….you’ll get no such list from me.

  • http://www.grabbingsand.org Thomas

    “kid a” over “ok computer” — it makes no sense, but i associate kid a with the fall of 2000, playing claudius in an outdoor production of hamlet. the weather during those rehearsals was perfect for the play and perfect overall, just a bit more chilly than usual. so “kid a” feels like a good fall evening to me, right after the sun has dropped behind the trees and wind is picking up.

    u2 is missing. i know. probably because the perfect u2 album would be a melding of “the joshua tree” and “rattle & hum” (you can’t get much better than “hawkmoon 269″ or “all i want is you”).

    barenaked ladies “gordon” will always have a sweet spot in my heart, especially since the boys have gained popularity at the expense of their geeky charm. one of my fondest memories of theatre at berry is hanging out in the dressing room before shows, harmonizing the strangely dark “wrap your arms around me” with pete graham.

  • Darrell

    It was always a little weird when you guys were walking around in your underwear, singing, and putting on makeup.

  • natalie

    Elvis Costello-My Aim is True (the new album When I Was Cruel is really good as well)
    Morphine-Cure for Pain
    Dar Williams-Out There Live
    Flemming and John-The Way We Were
    Joni Mitchell-Blue
    Soul Miners Daughter-Hallelujah
    Ani Difranco-Dilate
    Tori Amos-Little Earthquakes
    Jeff Buckley-Grace
    The Cure-Galore
    Leonard Cohen-The Best Of
    Stevie Wonder-The Music of My Mind
    The Innocence Mission-self titled
    Carole King-Tapestry
    Frente-Marvin The Album

  • http://www.changingthestory.com Janice

    Okay – adding 3 more. Moxy Fruvous – Bargainville (yet another high school staple), Rufus Wainwright – Poses ( I LOVE RUFUS!), and Aerosmith – Toys In The Attic (when, of course, they were still cool)

  • Kathryn

    Ok, at the risk of being totally uncool (not the first, or last time I’m sure), I have to point out a few of the classics from our generation that have been overlooked thus far.

    1) Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill–sounds as cool today as it did when it came out (and you’ll be depressed when you see what year that was—was it REALLY that long ago?) The Beasties are pure genius and true innovators in their genre.

    2) Guns n Roses, Appetite for Destruction. I know it’s not cool to admit that you were a metalhead in the 80′s, but that really was one of the best rock n roll albums ever made! I STILL love to listen to it!

    3)And, last but not least, Prince, Purple Rain. You know and love every song on that CD, admit it!!

    Kudos to Natalie for listing Ani. I love her, but might have picked Living in Clip instead of Dilate for the full Ani flavor. Prodigy’s Fat of the Land is also a great disc. And since I noticed a Jennifer Nettles/Soul Miner’s Daughter fan or two out there, her new album is great! Check it out: http://www.jennifernettlesband.com I just wish that she would do some of the old SMD stuff in her live sets. I must say that I didn’t like her first solo album, but this new one does a good job of making up for it. Also, through the rumor mill, I heard that Corey Jones is working on a solo project, FINALLY! Anyone else heard this?

  • Natalie

    Yes he is working on some solo stuff! I saw him live in Athens last weekend. I was impressed. As for Jennifer Nettles, I love the first solo album, but it took a while to grow on me. The new album is in the growing process, but neither of them has grabbed me like SMD did. She does do some old stuff in her live sets, but more would be better. :)
    If you pick living in clip then you loose “Done Wrong” and “Superhero”. However I will agree that living in clip captures HER. Actually just close your eyes and pick an Ani album, your hand will land on beauty. Thanks for your comment. It is so nice to run into someone who shares your musical tastes. :)

  • http://psycht.net jason

    look here for my list (its generic, but oh well).