My Top 666 Albums Ever Part 36

36) Alice In Chains - Dirt (1992)

By 1992, the public were lapping up anything that came out of Seattle thanks to Nirvana's 'Nevermind' and Pearl Jam's 'Ten' both being released the previous year and becoming the first "grunge" records (as stupid as the term is) to break through to the mainstream. So, 'Dirt' by Alice In Chains had a distinct advantage when it came to the success it achieved. Luckily, however, it's an album that's every bit deserving of said success, and the best thing to bear the Alice In Chains name. The songs written by Layne Staley are some of the darkest of the period, based upon his experiences with heroin addiction. These songs are kind of structured like a concept album, so 'Junkhead' is about the arrogant attitude drug users adopt when they first start taking them ("you can't understand a users mind, but try with your books and degrees. If you let yourself go and open your mind, maybe you'll be doing like me, and it ain't so bad"), but by the time of 'Hate To Feel' and 'Angry Chair', the effects of heroin abuse have taken their toll and the result is deeply depressing. Jerry Cantrell's slow-paced, chugging riffs compliment this to make one of the thematically heaviest albums ever to achieve mainstream rotation.
Best Songs: Down In A Hole; Hate To Feel; Would?

35) Tool - Ænima (1996)

With the replacement of original bass player Paul D'Amour with Justin Chancellor, Tool took a turn for the ambitious. Ænima is defined by its odd time signatures and tunings, as well as its scope, with several songs approaching 10 minutes in length (and the final track, 'Third Eye' coming close to 15). The band's lyrics also took on more diversity, with the albums theme being stated as Egyptian mythology in a seven-pointed star symbolizing Babalon, and sacred geometry in dividing the planet into grids related to chromosomes. Pretentious? Yes... but when the music on offer is this good, it doesn't matter. There are also attacks on popular culture in LA (the title track), L. Ron Hubbard and Jesus Christ ('Eulogy'), and elitist music snobs ('Hooker With A Penis'), as well as an ode to the sexual art of fisting ('Stinkfist'), so it's not all existential crap and mythology.
Best Songs: Stinkfist; Eulogy; Forty Six & 2

34) Bumblefoot - Abnormal (2008)

'Abnormal' is Bumblefoot's first solo album since joining Guns N' Roses in 2006, and I believe the influence of that band's music really shows at some points here. What also shows through is the lyrics that sound like they reference some of the negative elements of being in a big rock band... in fact, many of the lyrics (including "When the whole world looks at me, they see some other guy. It doesn't matter what I say, they've all made up their minds"), sound like they could have been written by Axl Rose himself. It's also a sequel to his previous album, 'Normal', and this time is based upon his life away from antidepressants, which might also explain the generally angrier tone to be found throughout, which is echoed with some of the hardest riffs that he has ever written.
'Dash' is a notable exception, and it has one of the most interesting themes I've heard... it's based upon going to a funeral of a friend of his and looking at the gravestone. He saw the years and thought, "everything that this man was, all of the important parts... his entire life, were reduced to a dash between the two years". The lyrics are pretty life-affirming, with the message of making that dash mean as much as possible. It's a positive note to go out on, considering a lot of the rest of the record.
Best Songs: Abnormal; Glad To Be Here; Dash

33) Red Hot Chili Peppers - One Hot Minute (1995)

John Frusciante temporarily left the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the 90's, to be replaced by former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro. This line-up of the band only released one album together, which has since been savaged by the band, fans and critics alike. You'll never hear a song from this album at a Chili Peppers gig nowadays. I actually think it's the most underrated album of the band's catalogue, with some fantastic songs. It gets a bit strange with songs suddenly changing direction at the halfway point, and the music does sound closer to Jane's Addiction than anything else in the Chili Peppers catalogue, but it's a nice little oddity. 'My Friends' is among my favourite of their songs.
Best Songs: Aeroplane; My Friends; Shallow Be Thy Game

32) Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania (2012)

Seemingly abandoning the 'Teargarden By Kaleidyscope' concept (though there's a possibility that may resume at some point), Billy Corgan and his new line-up of Smashing Pumpkins (guitarist Jeff Schroeder, bassist Nicole Fiorentino and drummer Mike Byrne) went into the studio in 2011 to record a full-length, conventionally released album. Early buzz was positive, and with good reason, as the first album to feature the full current line-up of the band since 'Machina' is the best album that the band have released since their mid-90's peak. Corgan appears to have achieved the feat that Trent Reznor is so good at... making an album that is familiar enough for old fans to be able to enjoy, yet different enough to take them into a whole new direction. It's taken him half a decade to do it, but he seems to have finally found a place in the band in which he is happy.
Best Songs: Quasar; Panopticon; Pinwheels

31) Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication (1999)

John Frusciante returned to the Chili Peppers in 1998, and the band immediately hit the studio to record what would become the best album of the band's career. Some people say that 'BloodSugarSexMagik' is better, or any of their albums from the 80's (two of which were absolutely awful), but the level of songwriting on display in 'Californication', along with Anthony Kiedis delivering his finest vocal performances (both rapped and sung) show all the hallmarks of a band at the top of their game. Personally, I believe it's a kind of elitist thing... the Chili Peppers exploded when this album was released, so naturally people decided that they were sell-outs.
Best Songs: Parallel Universe; Scar Tissue; Emit Remmus

30) Metallica - Ride The Lightning (1984)

Metallica's second album was an infinite improvement on the samey 'Kill 'Em All'. Several songs incorporate acoustic guitar intros before kicking in with the band's trademark thrash metal riffs.
Best Songs: For Whom The Bell Tolls; The Call Of Ktulu

29) Soundgarden - Louder Than Love (1989)

The second full-length album by Soundgarden shows a band that has grown into its sound. 'Ultramega OK' was a bit of a sloppy mess when compared to the previously released EP, 'Screaming Life', so they really had to prove that they were capable of producing a great full-length album, and this album proved it in spades. Soundgarden were already the first band from the Seattle scene to sign to a major label, and after this was released they were hugely tipped to be the first of those bands to break into the mainstream. Their follow-up, breakthrough record was beaten to the punch by less than a month, however.
Best Songs: Ugly Truth; Loud Love; Big Dumb Sex

28) Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power (1973)

'Raw Power' opens with one of the best opening tracks of any record ever. 'Search And Destroy' introduces you to the record at a breakneck pace and lets you know exactly what you're in for over the next 34 minutes. Raw, unbridled garage rock, with the centrepiece being Iggy Pop's voice which jumps between low-pitched singing, to demented howling at will. This is probably the root of the tradition that "if you want to be a great rock singer, you need an impressive scream". Personally, I usually prefer a sleek production on a record, but if there's ever an album that required the bare-bones, keep all the mistakes in approach, 'Raw Power' is it.
Best Songs: Search And Destroy; Raw Power

27) Metallica - Master Of Puppets (1986)

'Master Of Puppet's is practically a remake of 'Ride The Lightning'. It follows the exact same formula with it's tracklist (eight tracks, start short heavy, follow with the longer title track, incorporate an acoustic guitar as a brief respite from the barrage before resuming, and have an instrumental which features an extended bass solo). The biggest difference being that 'Master Of Puppets' is a far better executed album, with Metallica perfecting their sound. If they carried on like this (which a lot of their fans seem to think they should have), it would have gotten very boring, very fast, though.
Best Songs: Master Of Puppets; Orion

26) A Perfect Circle - Mer de Noms (2000)

If there's any album that you wouldn't expect to be connected to Guns N' Roses, the debut gothic metal album from A Perfect Circle would probably be it. But here's the story... guitarist and primary songwriter was working as a technician for Guns N' Roses during the early days of recording for 'Chinese Democracy' (probably brought in by Robin Finck who had worked with him before whilst on tour with Nine Inch Nails). One of the things he requested from Axl Rose was his own studio so that he would be able to write and record his own demo's. Howerdel's flatmate at the time happened to be Tool's Maynard James Keenan, who heard some of these demo's and immediately fell in love with them. Howerdel had no intention at the time of making his songwriting a career and considered it a hobby he did on the side whilst working behind the scenes. Keenan and Howerdel eventually played some shows together with Danny Lohner, Paz Lenchantin and drummer Tim Alexander under the name A Perfect Circle. However, it was the current Guns N' Roses drummer Josh Freese who Keenan turned to when he wanted to help convince Billy to record an album.
The three of them recorded 'Mer de Noms' together, with both Howerdel and Freese eventually leaving work on 'Chinese Democracy' to go on tour in support of Nine Inch Nails (joined again by bass player Paz Lenchantin - who played violin on several songs on the album, and guitarist Troy van Leeuwen). The album itself shows a melodic side of Maynard James Keenan rarely seen in Tool, with him showing off the versatility of his voice with the tender and beautiful '3 LIbras' (another of my favourite songs of all time), and showing off his more aggressive side with 'Judith' - questioning his mother's continued faith despite her spending most of her life paralysed... ("It's not like you killed someone. It's not like you drove a hateful spear into his side. Praise the one who left you broken down and paralysed. He did it all for you"). It's a shame that now that the band have returned from hiatus (with a new line-up consisting of former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, bassist Matt McJunkins and drummer Jeff Friedl), it's unlikely that we'll hear any new material from them, as I believe Maynard's full potential is fulfilled by A Perfect Circle, in a way that it is rarely utilised in his other projects.
Best Songs: The Hollow; Judith; 3 Libras

25) Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)

What can be said about Nirvana's breakthrough album that hasn't already been said before. Cobain's combination of punky songwriting, combined with an incredible ear for hooks, and deceptively simple guitar-playing, the amazing power of new drummer Dave Grohl, the driving bass of Krist Novoselic (the band's unsung hero, without which Nirvana's song would just never have worked), combined with the expert production of Butch Vig created an album that helped define a generation that still stands up over two decades later. Compared to Nirvana's other material, 'Nevermind' is a very pop-oriented commercial record which has led to something of a backlash amongst Seattle's purists, and for a long time I considered 'In Utero' to be superior. But upon listening to them all again recently, I realised just how great 'Nevermind' is. It's a fantastic album that can never and should never be replicated.
Best Songs: In Bloom; Stay Away; Something In the Way

24) Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)

Michael Jackson's second collaboration with legendary producer Quincy Jones is the biggest selling album of all time. The combination of funk, soul and rock practically invented modern pop music (not necessarily a good legacy to leave, but an impressive one, nonetheless), and if you haven't heard it, there's a good chance you don't have ears.
Best Songs: Beat It; Human Nature

23) 10 Minute Warning - 10 Minute Warning (1998)

Before moving to LA, partly to kick-start his music career, and partly to (ironically, as it would turn out) escape the heroin epidemic that had begun to plague his home city, Guns N' Roses' bass player Duff McKagan was involved in the sowing the seeds in Seattle that would grow in a big way. Notable early bands that McKagan played in (he learned a variety of instruments so that he could play whatever was needed) were The Vains, The Fastbacks (as one of that band's myriad drummers) and hardcore punk band The Fartz. Eventually, after several line-up changes, The Fartz evolved into 10 Minute Warning, with McKagan playing guitar along with the local legend Paul Solger on lead guitar, Greg Gilmore (who would eventually join Mother Love Bone) on drums, and vocalist Steve Verwolf.
For two years, 10 Minute Warning earned an impressive reputation in Seattle, landing an opening slot for The Replacements at one point (in case you haven't been reading prior to this, that band's bass player would end up replacing Duff in Guns N' Roses), and even inspiring Stone Gossard to pick up a guitar for the first time. The band's sound was also ahead of its time, slowing down the hardcore punk riffs to create a dark, slow-paced dirty sound that would become a hallmark of later Seattle bands. Despite recording demo's and contributing tracks to a few compilations released by independent labels, the band never actually released an album.
In 1997, after leaving Guns N' Roses however, a meeting with Stone Gossard convinced 10 Minute Warning to reunite (minus Verwolf who was in prison for a bank robbery at the time. His replacement was Christopher Blue) and record this self-titled album that was released on Sub Pop Records in 1998. The album consists of rearranged versions of tracks written in their first incarnation, with lyrics slightly rewritten by Blue, whose voice I would describe as like a gritter version of Chris Cornell's, just without such an impressive range.
By the time the album was released, however, the band had broken up again, and so they are still an almost unheard-of, yet highly important band in the history of music. Steve Verwolf was attempting to find all of the recordings made whilst he was in the band to release himself a few years ago (myself and my wife helped him track a few down), but it wasn't to be as in 2008 he sadly passed away after a heroin overdose.
Best Songs: No More Time; Is This The Way?

22) The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed (1969)

'Gimme Shelter' is possibly the greatest song ever written by Richards and Jagger. And as any fan of Martin Scorsese will tell you, including it in your movie automatically makes for a cool scene. Up until this point, 'Let It Bleed' as a full album was the greatest collection of songs in their catalogue. They would one-up themselves with the release of their next album, but this remains the greatest album released in the 1960's (unless you're a Beatles fan, of course).
Best Songs: Gimme Shelter; Live With Me

21) Bash & Pop - Friday Night Is Killing Me (1993)

The end of The Replacements in 1991, led to bass player Tommy Stinson (who had been a member of that band since he was 11 years old in 1979) switching up to guitar and vocals for his new band, Bash & Pop. The band struggled to find a consistent line-up, and 'Friday Night Is Killing Me' was their only album, which suffered from disappointing sales. But it's a great bit of Faces-influenced blues-rock which showcases Stinson's unique voice. Other than this, there were a couple of promo singles, as well as the track 'Making Me Sick' which was featured on the soundtrack to Clerks, but ultimately the band fell apart, leaving Tommy to form Perfect.
Best Songs: Never Aim To Please; First Steps

20) Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (1995)

A two hour double CD (or triple vinyl) album is a tricky thing to pull off at the best of times. When you're a band who being asked to follow-up your breakthrough album that got almost unanimously fantastic reviews, and became one of the biggest hits of the 90's, going down that route could probably be considered an unecessary risk. But Billy Corgan is nothing if not ambitious, and that's exactly the route that he decided to take. 'Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness' is the definition of an epic album, with 28 tracks that take you on one of the greatest rollercoaster rides in the history of rock music. There's music on this album that is reminiscent of 'Siamese Dream', but that's only the jumping off point, with lavish string arrangements ('Tonight, Tonight'), screamy heavy metal ('X.Y.U.'), dreampop ('Farewell And Goodnight'), slow-burning epics that explode in bursts of grandiose genius ('Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans'), and seemingly every other type of song on display here. I can't listen to this album without experiencing seemingly every emotion at once. The Pumpkins (and nobody) have ever managed to release anything quite like this ever since.
Best Songs: Zero; Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans; Thru The Eyes Of Ruby

19) The Dresden Dolls - The Dresden Dolls (2003)

Introducing punk cabaret. Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione combine pre-Nazi German theatre music with their own rock sensibilities to create something that sounds like nothing else in the world. It's hard to believe that with only piano and drums, you manage to get an album every bit as heavy as some bands with a full rock set-up of guitar, bass and drums, but The Dresden Dolls pulled it off with this debut album. Lyrically, the album deals with things like gender identity ('Half Jack'), being reminded of an ex every time you see the kind of car they drive ('Jeep Song'), child abuse - both traditional ('Slide'), and with the child as seductress ('Missed Me'), and Palmer's ADHD (the gloriously schizophrenic 'Girl Achronism', that can't seem to stick to any one subject before jumping onto something else, though all of the strands relate to feeling out of place). The Dresden Dolls are one of those love-it or hate-it deals, but whichever way you swing, you can't deny that they're pretty damn unique.
Best Songs: Girl Anachronism; Missed Me; Half Jack

My Top 666 Albums Ever Part 35

Because I was away again yesterday, I'm playing catch-up here... so here's my second lot for today.

54) Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)

Black Sabbath's second and still their greatest album. With the exception of 'Hand Of Doom' and 'Rat Salad', every track on here is among the band's all-time greats.
Best Songs: War Pigs; Iron Man

53) Muse - Absolution (2003)

'Absolution' is Muse's album, and it marked the point in which the indie rockers evolved into some a lot more grandiose. It's also the album in which they finally became as huge as I knew they were going to be the first time I heard 'Plug-In Baby'. 'Butterflies And Hurricanes' is another one that is high up on my list of the greatest songs of all time.
Best Songs: Butterflies And Hurricanes; The Small Print; Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist

52) Guns N' Roses - Lies (1988)

'Appetite For Destruction' had just hit the stratosphere, and the touring commitments for Guns N' Roses were rapidly mounting up, preventing them from returning to the studio to record a full follow-up at that point. So instead, the band's first EP, 'Live Like A Suicide' was re-packaged along with four new acoustic tracks and released as 'Lies'. Those new tracks showed a different side to Guns N' Roses than had previously been displayed, especially on the tender ballad, 'Patience'. Unfortunately, allegations of racism and homophobia (due to lyrics in the track, 'One In A Million', which tells the story of Axl's leaving rural Indiana for the first time and travelling to the city... I'd say it was supposed to show how ignorant he was at the time and he had since learned his lesson, and therefore is justified in the same way it's justified in Django Unchained, though there has been much debtate about this over the years), and misogyny (due to the jokey 'Used To Love Her', for which he didn't even write the lyrics but still was the target of hatred) mired the release the album in controversy. None of that stops this from being a great record. The semi-acoustic version of 'You're Crazy' found on this record is far superior to the faster-paced electric version found on 'Appetite For Destruction'.
Best Songs: Patience: Used To Love Her

51) Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile (1999)

The follow-up to the breakthrough album 'The Downward Spiral' is a vast, epic double album. Trent Reznor's experiments in soundscapes, electronic beats and ambient noise along with a greater emphasis on melody sets this album apart from the far more abrasive, distorted industrial music of 'The Downward Spiral'. With nearly two hours of music that goes through melancholic piano instrumentals, soothing ballads, the band's industrial metal, and in instrumental 'Complication' even plays a little with dance music, 'The Fragile' is Reznor's most sprawling, ambitious recording to date. In fact, so stubborn is its refusal to be pigeon-holed into a particular sound, listening to the full record in one setting can try the patience of some listeners. For this reason the album received mixed reviews upon release, and the man himself has commented on how he never wants to make an album like this again. It's a fascinating record, and a thing of beauty that is the most underrated in NIN's catalogue, though.
Best Songs: The Day The World Went Away; Just Like You Imagined; Starfuckers, Inc.

50) Duff McKagan's Loaded - Sick (2009)

In 2008, Velvet Revolver fell apart with Scott Weiland announcing on stage that the people there were witnessing the "last ever Velvet Revolver tour", taking fans and the rest of the band (who insist they were already planning to fire him) by surprise. And as far as I'm concerned, it's a good thing, because as great as Velvet Revolver were for a while, their "hiatus" (which is looking more and more like a plain old break-up all the time) freed bass player Duff McKagan up to restart Loaded. Another band called Loaded threatened a lawsuit, however, so they were forced to rename themselves Duff McKagan's Loaded. It's ironic that adding his name to the band and thus making it sound like a solo project came at this point, because it was also the point where Loaded officially became a band in their own right. Duff, along with guitarist Mike Squires, bassist Jeff Rouse and drummer Geoff Reading spent a few months in 2008 recording, 'Sick', their first album since 2001's 'Dark Days', before embarking on a UK tour and an EP consisting of tracks from the album that Autumn in which they struck up a rapport with their fans that it's all but impossible for band's the size of Velvet Revolver or Guns N' Roses to achieve. The full album came the following Spring, and it's one of the most enjoyable slices of hard rock to have been released in quite some time. The title tracks was a song performed by the band when they were touring for 'Dark Days', but everything else was brand new, including the incredibly catchy 'Sleaze Factory', 'Translucent' - featuring vocals from Jeff Rouse, and the 'Exile On Main St.' era Stonesy ballad, 'Wasted Heart' - Duff's ode to his wife, Susan. Records like this prove that there's no need to reinvent the wheel when there are so many spokes left to discover on the ones already existing.
Best Songs: Sick; Sleaze Factory; Translucent

49) Nirvana - Bleach (1989)

Nirvana's first album is a raw and ugly combination of punk and metal, with none of the pretense that band's in those genres had been displaying in the previous decade. Cobain was a banshee of emotion, screaming at the top of his lungs with distorted guitar. And in amongst this, the Beatles-esque 'About A Girl' showed the commercial sheen that would be exploited to its full extent for 'Nevermind'. No one could have foreseen at this point how big Nirvana would become. But listening to this nowadays, it should have seemed inevitable.
Best Songs: About A Girl; Negative Creep

48) David Bowie - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (1972)

David Bowie created Ziggy Stardust - a supernaturally talented rock star from Mars - for what is still the best album he has ever recorded. Every single track, from 'Five Years' to 'Rock 'n' Roll Suicide' would deserve its own entry. 'The Man Who Sold The World' and 'Hunky Dory' were enough to plant the seeds of glam rock, but 'Ziggy Stardust' saw them grow into something far greater.
Best Songs: Lady Stardust; Ziggy Stardust

47) Aerosmith - Rocks (1976)

Aerosmith's fourth album sees the band at the peak of their talents and is among the most influential rock albums of all time.
Best Songs: Back In The Saddle; Rats In The Cellar

46) The Cure - Disintegration (1989)

'Disintegration' marks both the commercial and artistic peak of The Cure's career. The second part of their "trilogy" of dark gothic rock albums isn't an easy listen, by any means, but it's a highly rewarding one.
Best Songs: Pictures Of You; Lovesong; Lullaby

45) Lacuna Coil - Dark Adrenaline (2012)

Since Lacuna Coil became a commercial hit after the release of 'Karmacode', they seemed to have lost their way for a little while, resulting in the disappointing 'Shallow Life'. Luckily, they managed to find their way back again with 'Dark Adrenaline', which is a stunning album from start to finish. The best thing the band have ever recorded, even if it is still lacking the atmospherics of their earliest releases.
Best Songs: Trip The Darkness; Against You; I Don't Believe In Tomorrow

44) Smashing Pumpkins - Gish (1991)

The debut album from Billy Corgan and co. was financed and released by the band themselves, becoming the biggest selling independent release of all time (I may be wrong, but I think it may still hold that record). So strong was the buzz around the Smashing Pumpkins that they were immediately snapped up by Virgin Records and the album was reissued on that label, reaching an even larger audience.
We were a long way from the multi-layered lush production of future releases, with this album being more of a straight hybrid of heavy metal and shoegaze/dreampop, but it showed a major songwriting talent in Billy Corgan, even if his lyrics did (and still do) often fall into insipid spiritualism.
Best Songs: Siva; Snail

43) Pearl Jam - Vitalogy (1994)

Pearl Jam's third album.
Best Songs: Spin The Black Circle; Nothingman; Better Man

42) Soundgarden - Superunknown (1994)

By 1994, many of the band's caught up in the "grunge" phenomenon (something, that considering the sheer diversity of sounds you could hear in the different bands of this era is just a horrible pigeon-holing of bands that really shared nothing but geographical location and - sometimes - dress sense) were expanding upon the sound that made them famous. The sludge-like riffing of Soundgarden's 'Badmotorfinger' for example, weren't completely abandoned for 'Superunknown', but were less prominent with elements of psychedelia (something that really showed in the video's for songs on this album) and at times even Middle Eastern influences finding their way into the recordings. Alternative tunings came into play for the guitars on many tracks, and the dark subject matter made this a distinctly early 90's record (I called it once, an album for the Twin Peaks generation due to the weird feeling you get listening to it). It's hard to categorise, but it's not hard to know that you're hearing a great band performing one of their best albums.
Best Songs: Fell On Black Days; Limo Wreck; The Day I Tried To Live

41) Foo Fighters - The Colour And The Shape (1997)

After the first album was a surprise hit, Dave Grohl went back into the studio with his touring Foo Fighters (including Pat Smear, Nate Mendel and William Goldsmith) line-up for the first time to record the cover-up. Goldsmith left the band partway through recording, leaving Grohl to play drums on almost every track, but 'The Colour And The Shape' has since gone down in rock history as one of the best albums of the 1990's. Pretty much every track is pure pop-rock perfection.
Best Songs: Monkey Wrench; Hey, Johnny Park!; Everlong

40) The Replacements - Tim (1985)

'Tim' is the first major label release from The Replacements. Produced by Tommy Ramone (of The Ramones), the album shows the diversity of Paul Westerberg's influences. This album in turn has gone on to influence many bands (among them Green Day) over the years. One of the best album's of the 1980's.
Best Songs: Bastards Of Young; Here Comes A Regular

39) Stone Sour - House Of Gold & Bones Part 1 (2012)

The first part of Stone Sour's concept album was released last year. The second greatest album of the year (after another album that I'll be talking about in Monday's entry). If the second part (due out in April) lives up to the standard set by this, it'll be amazing.
Best Songs: Tired; Taciturn

38) Foo Fighters - Wasting Light (2011)

Dave Grohl, Chris Shiflett, Nate Mendel, Taylor Hawkins and the returning Pat Smear went into the studio in 2010 with the legendary Butch Vig (producer of Nirvana's 'Nevermind'), which resulted in the best Foo Fighters album ever. Most band's don't sound this good seven albums in. Flawless.
Best Songs: Bridge Burning; Walk

37) Korn - Issues (1999)

If 'Wake Up' (chorus: "I can't take no more. What are we fighting for. You are my brothers, each one I would die for. Please just let this go. All our heads are blown. Let's take the stage and remember what we play for") had existed a few years before, I can think of a certain band I'd've wanted to have listened to it and taken its message on board. But as well as that, 'Issues' is consistently Korn at their very best.
Best Songs: Falling Away From Me; Make Me Bad; Wake Up

My Top 666 Albums Ever Part 34

72) Alice In Chains - Facelift (1990)

The first album from Alice In Chains showcasing the impressive harmonised vocals of Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell. At this point, AIC were still more of a traditional metal band, with the darkness finally taking over their music on their next album.
Best Songs: We Die Young; Man In The Box; Real Thing

71) Aerosmith - Get A Grip (1993)

In the early 90's, no one wrote the anthemic power ballad like Aerosmith, and 'Get A Grip' features three of their best and most well-known in 'Cryin'', 'Crazy', and 'Amazing'. Naturally, opinion is divided about whether or not this is a good thing, but I think they're fantastic.
Best Songs: Cryin'; Crazy; Amazing

70) Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer (2008)

The Dresden Dolls went hiatus after the release of 'No, Virginia...', and the duo's pianist, singer and songwriter Amanda Palmer went into the studio with Ben Folds. As opposed to the simple set-up of piano and drums for the Dolls, 'Who Killed Amanda Palmer' features far more complex instrumentation. There is a photobook that was released as a companion to this album, showing Palmer dead in various ways, with writing from Neil Gaiman. Fast forward a few years after this first meeting, Amanda and Neil are now happily married.
Best Songs: Runs In The Family; Ampersand; Oasis

69) Green Day - Insomniac (1995)

Less than a year after the release of 'Dookie', Green Day returned with 'Insomniac', an album that mainly retained the style of the previous record, but far heavier and darker lyrics. 'Panic Song' deals with bassist Mike Dirnt's panic attacks, and the album title and 'Brain Stew' deal with Billie Joe Armstrong's insomnia. Green Day's best work.
Best Songs: Armatage Shanks; Panic Song; Walking Contradiction

68) Smashing Pumpkins - Machina II/The Friends And Enemies Of Modern Music (2000)

Long before the likes of Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails were giving their albums away for free, the Smashing Pumpkins came up with the idea. After their record label, Virgin - disappointed with sales of the original 'Machina' - refused to release part two of the band's concept album, Billy Corgan secretly sent vinyl prints of the album (along with three EP's, featuring alternate versions of tracks, and others that didn't make the final tracklist) to a number of fans in the online community with the instructions to distribute the music online free of charge. Fans of the band immediately began to hail it as the band's best album since 'Mellon Collie...' and a return to form for the band after they had been disappointed by 'Adore' and the original 'Machina'. It is definitely the best of those three albums, featuring music ranging from the trashy 'White Spyder', to the melancholy 'If There Is A God' and almost everything in between. The album is due to receive it's first full release this year, where it will be packaged with a reissue of 'Machina/The Machines Of God'.
Best Songs: Dross; Real Love; If There Is A God

67) Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality (1971)

Black Sabbath's third album, in which the blues influences aren't as evident (though they are still there), and the distinctive sound of 'heavy metal' became fully realised for the first time. Not only that, but this album would eventually go on to inspire the band's that started the 'stoner metal' sub-genre.
Best Songs: Sweet Leaf; Children Of The Grave

66) Lacuna Coil - In A Reverie (1999)

Lacuna Coil's first full-length album.
Best Songs: Circle; To Myself I Turned

65) System Of A Down - System Of A Down (1998)

System Of A Down - with their schizophrenic loud-soft-loud-soft-LOUDER brand of metal - emerged in 1998 with their self-titled debut album, leaving many people not knowing what they'd just listened to. It's one of those moments when people realise that they had never heard anything like this before. Serj Tankian's vocals (which could go from growling, to screaming, to singing in the space of a few seconds), and their political lyrics inspired by their Armenian heritage (Armenian folk music is also a big influence on the band's sound), struck a chord with people. They didn't really hit the big time until the release of 'Toxicity', but this is one of those cases in which the first album really is the best.
Best Songs: Suite-Pee; Sugar; War?

64) Red Hot Chili Peppers - Mother's Milk (1989)

The early years of the Red Hot Chili Peppers saw the line-up constantly fluctuating, with the only consistent elements being Anthony Kiedis and Flea. With the departure of drummer Jack Irons, and the death of guitarist Hillel Slovak (another victim of heroin), the band went through many temporary replacements until finally settling on what would become the most consistent line-up of the band. John Frusciante was brought in to play guitar, and drummer Chad Smith would eventually fill Irons' shoes. That this was the line-up that would bring the band more attention is evident from the first notes of 'Good Time Boys', as the band's trademark funk is combined with a more traditional hard rock sound. There are some good tracks on 'The Uplift Mofo Party Plan', but on 'Mother's Milk', for the first time the band sound confident in their abilities, which really helps the music... particularly on their cover of Stevie Wonder's 'Higher Ground'.
Best Songs: Higher Ground; Knock Me Down; Johnny, Kick A Hole In The Sky

63) Michael Jackson - HIStory: Past, Present And Future, Book I (1995)

Disc One of this double album from the "King Of Pop" is a Greatest Hits collection consisting of material from throughout his solo career until that point. But ignore that, as it's not relevant to this list... Disc Two, however, is an album of all-new material. As well as the usual MJ fare (like 'Earth Song'), there are also far more aggressive-sounding songs on this album, with lyrics taking aim at the media's portrayal of him, the police and District Attorney Tom Sneddon (that particular song is called 'D.S.' and the lyric sheet says 'Dom Sheldon', but it's obvious that's not what he's singing), who attempted to make his name by pressing to prosecute him on child abus allegations. Most critics of the album seem to centre on these lyrics with the "aww... the rich man feels violated" kind of response, as if if you have a successful career and money you should just quietly take all of the ugly things that are said about you without complaining. I personally think that all the money in the world can't make you happy when you're in the kind of situation he was in.
Best Songs: Scream; Stranger In Moscow; Earth Song

62) Korn - Korn III: Remember Who You Are (2010)

It seems like every time Korn attempt to experiment with their sound they are met with mixed to negative reviews... and often with good reason. And every time their response is a short-lived "back-to-basics" approach. This was the case with the follow-up to the band's patchy untitled album, with the band going so far this time as returning to their original producer Ross Robinson. Returning to the kind of music that could be found on their debut album, the band actually managed to improve on that original formula. It's surprising just how good this album is from start to finish. As much as I like 'The Path To Totality' (their latest album, which experiments with dubstep), I would have preferred them to carry on with things like this, because the band are just so much better when they are a straight-forward nu-metal band with no pretense of experimentation.
Best Songs: Oildale (Leave Me Alone); Holding All These Lies

61) Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast (1983)

After firing Paul Di'Anno, Iron Maiden brought Bruce Dickinson into the fold and recorded 'The Number Of The Beast'. This album is the crowning achievement in a long (completely unvaried) career for the UK heavy metal band. Never again would Iron Maiden sound this great, though (although as you should know by now, they have released other albums that I've liked since then). One of the best UK albums of all time.
Best Songs: Run To The Hills; Hallowed Be Thy Name

60) Social Distortion - Social Distortion (1990)

1988's 'Prison Bound' was the album in which Social Distortion first played in what has become their trademark "country punk" style. But this album (their first on major label, Epic), is where the band took that sound, ran with it and perfected it. In fact, I can pinpoint the exact song in which Mike Ness and co. had perfected it, and that is 'Story Of My Life' - even if it feels like it will never end in Guitar Hero III.
Best Songs: So Far Away; Story Of My Life

59) Smashing Pumpkins - Teargarden By Kaleidyscope Vol. 2: The Solstice Bare (2010)

The second part of Billy Corgan's 'Teargarden By Kaleidyscope' project. After easing into the project with the first part, Corgan seems to have some idea of where he wanted this to go by this point, and the result is a far superior release than the last, with 'Tom Tom' being one of the best songs written by him in some time. After this, two tracks of Volume 3 were released, utilising the full then-current line-up of the band to record together since the earliest recordings for 'Machina' (with 'Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness' being the last full album recorded by a full line-up of the band), and then he seemed to abandon the idea instead taking the band into the studio to record a conventionally released full-length album.
Best Song: Tom Tom

58) Muse - Showbiz (1999)

Long before they were the UK's most prominent purveyors of conspiracy theory-obsessed, epic, OTT space rock, Muse were just an indie-rock band from Devon being unfavourably compared to Radiohead. This comparison was never really fair (with the only real similarity being that Matt Bellamy sings in the same kind of range as Thom Yorke... just better). 'Showbiz' a great debut from the then-young band, showcasing the band at their most straight-forward.
Best Songs: Sunburn; Unintended; Hate This And I'll Love You

57) Tool - Opiate (1992)

Tool's debut EP, which is in a similar style to their album from the next year, 'Undertow'.
Best Song: Jerk-Off

56) Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell (1980)

Listen to Black Sabbath's catalogue with Ozzy Osbourne, and there's a noticable fall in quality by the time they get to 'Technical Ecstasy', though all albums up to that point, including that one are good records. The biggest turning point though comes in 'Never Say Die!', which it would be generous to call a poor album. It was obvious that not all was well with the band, and by the end of 1979, Osbourne had been fired.
His replacement was former Rainbow singer, Ronnie James Dio, and together they recorded a Black Sabbath album that was not only a return to form for the ailing band, but one of the best albums the band has ever produced. It's obviously a very different kind of record to the type they had done with Ozzy up until that point, with the band now having a lot more in common with some of their more recent contemporaries at the time. It's a shame that this line-up of the band would be relatively short-lived, as in comparison none of the other non-Ozzy singers the band have had have been able to compare to Dio.
Best Songs: Neon Knights; Heaven And Hell

55) Temple Of The Dog - Temple Of The Dog (1991)

Soundgarden's Chris Cornell was a flatmate of Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood, and after the latter's death, Cornell wrote two songs in tribute to his friend, 'Say Hello 2 Heaven', and 'Reach Down'. He took them to Wood's MLB bandmates, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, and along with Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron and guitarist Mike McCready Temple Of The Dog were born. Together they wrote a further eight tracks, and they released their only album. Stylistically, Temple Of The Dog is far lighter than Soundgarden, so Cornell for the first time made full use of the soulful side of his voice. You could hear every ounce of emotion in the tracks written for Wood.
The best song, though, features a duet between Cornell and a young singer from Illinois who had auditioned for a new band featuring Gossard, Ament and McCready named Eddie Vedder. 'Hunger Strike' is in my opinion, one of the greatest songs ever written. And nowadays (with Matt Cameron a member of both Soundgarden and Pearl Jam) it is pretty much Pearl Jam featuring Chris Cornell... a great combination.
Best Songs: Say Hello 2 Heaven; Hunger Strike