Top Ten Albums of All Time

Here are the top 5 albums ever made according to a Rolling Stone poll. 1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles 2. Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys 3. Revolver, The Beatles 4. Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan 5. Rubber Soul, The Beatles
I will give it to them, they are truly amazing albums. And as a Beatles fan, I am not surprised that the Beatles held court over the top 10. In fact, The "White Album" ("The Beatles") rounds out the top 10. 6. What's Going On, Marvin Gaye 7. Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones 8. London Calling, The Clash 9. Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan 10. The Beatles ("The White Album"), The Beatles It is a tough thing to pick the top albums, but we all have an opinion. Although I love everyone of these LPs, I have a few others that I pick as the top 10 LPs of all time. Some were further down on the list while others were not. I would exclude any collection form a list of top LPs. If they are included, then a band's "best of" ought to top their list of entries, right? A "Best of" is immediately disqualified from any list of top albumns.
No doubt, some LPs are monumrental and trend setting, such as "Sgt. Pepper" and maybe I am being blasphemus by not making it my #1, even though I would be considered a huge Beatles fan, but I don't consider it the best Beatles LP. Funny that Rolling Stones' top Beatle selections (Sgt Pepper, Rubber Soul and Revolver) all come at the end of their touring days in '66 and '67. here are my top ten 1. The Beatles "Abbey Road" 2. The Who "Tommy" 3. George Harrison "All Things Must Pass" 4. Neil Young "Harvest" 5. Queen "Queen II" 6. Derek and the Dominos "Layla and Other LOve Songs" 7. Led Zepplin "IV" (Zoso) 8. Pink Floyd "dark Side of the Moon" 9. Yes "Close to the Edge" 10. Todd Rundgren "Soemthing Anything" "Abbey Road" was the LP that the Beatles managed to pull it together for a great finish. They had recorded "Let It Be" or "Get Back" as it was originally intended, and then shelved the project, ready to break up and frift apart. After a few months, under McCartney's encouragement, the Fab Four pulled together for a classic beatles collection. The side two medley finishing with "The End" is a orgasmic musical treat that left you exhausted.
Later, Apple would try to salvage the "Let It Be" project with an LP and movie. The movie showed the last live performance of the Beatles on the rooftop at Saville Row. The sadness felt by a Bealtes fan watching the movie was undeniable in the fact that you could see thew band drifting apart. It is a shame that this image is what we are left with as a finale and not the triumphant "Abbey Road" which in truth was their last best effort.
Pete Townshend is a genius. He drove rock music to operetic heights with "Tommy", "Quadrophenia" and the aborted "Lifehouse" that became the "Who's Next" LP. Pete has written so many athems of rock music they are hard to lsit. But, in 1968, when "Tommy" was released, it was an awakening in the fairly young world of rock and roll. "Pinball Wizard", the so called 'deaf, Dumb and Bliand Boy" who reached enlightenment and fortune.. and fall.
Townshend's own philosophical being is evidenced in hsi rock operas. pete is a long time follower of Guru Bab Meher. "Tommy" illustrated the person cut off from the truth and his sudden enlightenemnet. That theme would resurface again in Townshend's offerings in "Lifehouse." The song "Pure and Easy" was "OM". The story followed a universal blending of sound into a one-ness. 'Lifehouse' became a 20 plus year effort through his solo career, but he started that move in "Tommy."
Although I believe that the solo Beatles have produced many great albums, such as Lennon's "Plastic Ono Band," McCartney's "Band on the Run" and "Ringo" by Ringo (obviously), george Harrison's 3 lp set after the Beatles breakup was a masterpiece. harrison, who always felt stymied by the song writing strengths of Lennon and McCartney was unleashed on this LP.
The LP features a star studded cast, including Eric Clapton, teh Dream Weaver Gary Wright, Ringo Star, members of Badfinger, etc. It was produced by Phil Spector's wall of Sound. Spector was also working a lot with Lennon. Harrison's songs were dynamic! He struck top 10 gold with "My Sweet Lord," and was finally able to truly express his religious self on the solo LP.
George would soon assemble a acst of rock stars as had never been seen before, playing hits form his new LP at madison Square Garden in a charity show for banla Desh disaster vistims. Dylan, Leon Russel, Ringo, ravi Shankar and Clapton all pitched in for the effort. I is probably one of the most poignant concert movies ever made.
Neil Young is as prolific and unpredicable as any musician on the charts. He might play the blues (On TH e Beach), go Country Coems a Time). be electronic (Trans) or rock the roof off (Sleeps With Angels). He is both the innovator and Grand daddy of grunge. Young has his hands in so many things ranging form developing a new digital music format to eletric car innovation. But, "Harvest," a masterpiece of the heart. .. because who can not feel the song "Old Man" or "Herat of Gold?" His lyrics and acoustic guitar mesmorize you. In the Neil Young concerts I have been to, he manages to captivate the crowds with his acoustic, a harmonica and that strianed unmistakeable voice. Everyone should own "Harvest."
Queen II would not have existed without "Abbey Road." Nor would My Chemical Romance's "The Black parade" have existed without Queen II. "The Ogre battle," "The Fairy Fellow," "Nevermore" and etc... all woven together in a medley that at once is mystical and fanciful, but then roars with eletric gi=uitars and Queen ahrmonies.
I remeber the first time I heard this LP, bought on a whim, it was like a baby tasting ice cream for the first time! I felt like the Monster in "Young Frankenstien" heraing the violin for the first time. It made me a Queen fan.
ERic Clapton mad ethis group, Derek and the Dominos. It featured a couple guys who would play with Clapton for the next several years, including Carl Radle of Tulsa. Radle had been introduced to Clapton by Leon Russell. IT contains the seminal rock song "Layla," which would later be revealed to eb the love song Clapton wrote for George Harrisons's wife Patti. Eventually, Eric and Patti would end up together, but like all of the bands Eric was a part of, this band and his marriage to Patti had an expiration date. Clapton was still dealing with a heroin addicition which would result in taking a year off after DErek and the Dominos faded. He would later have a career revived at the uring of Pete Townshend, gin=ving us the 1973 "rainbow Concert" followe dby one of my favorite solo LPs, "461 Ocean Blvd."
Clapton is still palying a hot guitar. He may be called "Slowhand" but the straings wail for him No, Clapti=on hosts guitar festivals to raise money for his charity organization, "Crossroads," for additon sufferers.
In the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," one guy confides to another, the best make out music is side 2 Led zepplin 4. Now, as far as making out to this piece of music, I am dubious of that claim. But, it does contain one of the most well known of 70's album oriented rock tunes "Stairway to heaven." The album was also a marked change in Zepplin style and included several "Lord of the Rings" rferences throughout the lyrics. The album also became the target for the back-masking preachers in the 80's. There were supposed demonic messages when the LP was played backwards illustrating Zepplin's worship of Satan. That, like the other preposterous claims of media seeksing ministers disappered, btu the LP and its songs live on.
My 8th and 9th LPs have one thing in common.. I mean besides their 70's release date, progressive rock genre, etc...I first heard them sitting on a bean bag chair, a pair of cushy headphones on my head at my friend Jerry reale's house. Jerry and I were collectors, searching used LP stores, pawn shops, yard sales, etc. for the musical nugget given up by someone. We dealt in bootlgs, traded imports and chased elusive out of print music.
Pink Floyd grw into this LP with the addition of David Gilmore and the slow painful departure of Syd Barrett. In 1973, "dark Side of the Moon" was released, and stayed on the top 200 charts longer than any other LP. It is one of the best selling LPs worldwide. ranging form rock guitar oriented "Money" to the eclectic "Drak Side of the MOon" and "Brain Damage," this lp is made for hearing through great head phones. Anything by Yes is complex and imaginative.
"Close to the Edge" set a standard for later Yes works that were more symphonic in their structure than rock. The LP was basically 3 songs with various movements that combined the intricate guitar of Steve Howe, the wall of sound from the keyboards of Rick Waheman and Jon Anderson's soaring voacals. The previous LP, "Fragile" paved the way for this with tunes like "Roundabout."
Yes was the epitome of the progressive rock era. They still continue to make music, tour and sell out, but like many other artists of the refused, have never been recognized by the Rock Hall of Fame. This is another LP I would love to make the people who nominate Hall of fame inductees sit down and listen through those cushy, padded headphones. Yes would make it on the next ballot.
Todd is Godd. Todd is the Wizard, a true star. He is one of the true renaissance men of pop music, He shares a quality with Neil Young of innovation and a variety of styles and genres. He prodced someof the best seeling LPs (Meatloaf's "Bat out of Hell" for example) and constantly toors and reimagines music.
Anyone who likes pop music should own a copy of "Soemthing Anything." Released as a double album set, Todd plays all the instruments on 3 sdiea and then uses dome buddies to amke the cuts, icluding one of his best known songs in pop circles ("Hello Its Me") on side four. The LP contains seberal songs that are still standards of his performances such as "Couldn't I jsut tell You" and "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference."
No one writes a pop song like Todd, but at the same time, he has gone through stages of progressive rock (early Utopia music), eletronic ('No World Order"), Blues ("Todd Rundgren's Johnson") and appearances with bands, such as the Nazz, Utopia and even fronting the New Cars on a tour and LP. Todd is also among the SArtists of the Refused. Despite his enormous contributions to rock music, he sits on the sidelines awaiting the call from the coach to eneter the Hall. Now these are m top 10 choices, and at times, I may think, well.. this one should be in there... but this is pretty close.
You can see the Rolling Stone list at this address http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231