In which the California band got their funk back. This 2006 release was a great improvement over 2002's mega-successful but not very good 'By The Way', and the fact that the quality rarely dips over two discs is a testament to how prolific the Chili Peppers can be when they put their mind to it. John Frusciante really shines here, taking the lead more than he had done for a very long time. It's a shame that this became the last Chili Peppers album with him as a member.
Best Songs: Dani California; She's Only 18
503) Green Day - Nimrod (1997)
Following up 1995's 'Insomniac', 'Nimrod' marks the moment Green Day began to veer away from the punk sound that fans had grown accustomed to. And it's all the better for it. My opinion of a band that stays in one place with one sound for the entirety of their careers is not a good one (even if I like the music), and as far as I'm concerned, as the band grew older and started branching out in new directions, they improved dramatically. That doesn't mean that I prefer this to the likes of 'Dookie' and 'Insomniac', but this is a noticeable first step in the band becoming the behemoth's they are today.
Best Songs: The Grouch; Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
502) Rage Against The Machine - Renegades (2000)
This covers album shows not only the versitility of Rage Against The Machine, but also the eclectic music taste the band possess. Featuring songs by diverse artists such as Eric B. & Rakim, MC5, Devo, Bruce Springsteen and Cypress Hill, the quartet waste no time in putting their own stamp on each and every track. Unfortunately, the release of the album was overshadowed by the band falling out with vocalist Zack de la Rocha and breaking up a few months before the album hit stores. Despite them since patching things up enough to go out on tour with each other, new music is still very unlikely, so Rage fans will have to accept that at least this swansong was worthy of them.
Best Songs: Microphone Fiend; Kick Out The Jams
501) The Rolling Stones - Some Girls (1978)
If you asked what Rolling Stones album was the most successful, I think most people would answer something along the lines of 'Exile On Main St.' or 'Sticky Fingers'. They'd be surprised to learn that the moment when the Stones were at their biggest was with the release of this, their first to feature new guitarist Ronnie Wood as a full member of the band (he was a guest musician on the previous album 'Black And Blue'). A lot of people call 'Some Girls' a disco album, and whereas it's easy to hear the influence of that genre in the songs presented here, I still prefer to think of it as a rock 'n' roll album. 'Miss You' is one of my favourite Stones songs of all time.
Best Songs: Miss You; Some Girls
500) The Runaways - The Runaways (1976)
The Runaways were a band manufactured by their manager - Kim Fowley - in a rather cynical and disturbing marketing ploy to make rock stars out of underage girls using sex. Not literal sex... just the image of sex. Their unsavoury genesis doesn't stop their debut album from being genuinely fun, though. Very rarely do they venture into greatness, but the opening track is undoubtedly a classic of the era.
Best Songs: Cherry Bomb; Dead End Justice
499) Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection (1970)
The third album by Elton John is one of the few to not feature any hits that most people would recognise. Based on country/Americana themes, John and lyricist Bernie Taupin nonetheless produced a strong collection of songs, but the best was yet to come.
Best Songs: Ballad Of A Well-Known Gun; Burn Down The Mission
498) Dropkick Murphys - The Meanest Of Times (2007)
Yet more Celtic punk from the boys from Boston. This album follows the familiar pattern of originals with a few traditional Irish (or Irish-American) songs thrown in and played in their own unique style.
Best Songs: The State Of Massachusetts; (F)lannigan's Ball
497) Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3 (2009)
I'm not sure how many blueprints Jay-Z needs to make before he's happy, but if they produce music of the quality of 'Run This Town' and 'Empire State Of Mind', then I don't mind. This is the first album to establish the trend of me only really liking Rihanna when she's singing on other people's songs (continued by Eminem). Somewhat ironically for someone who's such a close collaborator with Kanye West, this album also features 'D.O.A.: Death Of Autotune', which is about how autotune is crap.
Best Songs: Run This Town; Empire State Of Mind
496) Nirvana - Incesticide (1992)
A collection of B-Sides and rarities released as a way to keep fans happy whilst waiting for the follow-up to 'Nevermind'. Whilst there isn't really a bad track on the album, you do get the sense that most of them weren't released before for a good reason. However, you then get a track like 'Aneurysm' which is something of a hidden gem among Nirvana's catalogue.
Best Songs: Dive; Aneurysm
495) My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (2006)
Yes. I like this album. I don't care for the anti-Emo backlash myself, the fact is there are actually some really good tunes on 'The Black Parade'. And if anything gives people who feel out of place in the world something to find solace in, that's positive as far as I'm concerned. God knows, that's what a lot of my favourite music did for me as a teenager.
Best Songs: The Sharpest Lives; Famous Last Words
494) The White Stripes - Icky Thump (2007)
I may upset people here, because I believe this is the only White Stripes album to have made it onto this list. There were tracks that I liked by them, and it's obvious that Jack White is a great musician, but I just never really connected with them the way a lot of people have. The exception being 'Icky Thump'.
Best Songs: Icky Thump; You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)
493) Black Label Society - Mafia (2005)
Zakk Wylde and his ever-rotating band's sixth metal album. Once again, only for people with a high tolerance for pinch harmonics (for non-guitar players, the loud squealy noise that seems to happen during every riff and solo Wylde plays).
Best Songs: Fire It Up; Suicide Messiah
492) At The Drive-In - In/Casino/Out (1998)
The second full-length album by the Texan "post-hardcore" band is where they really began to show their full potential which would eventually be unleashed with their final album a couple of years later.
Best Songs: Alpha Centauri; Transatlantic Foe
491) The Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards (2010)
Jack White of The White Stripes' second album with his third band. This one features lead vocals from the amazing Alison Mosshart and is a far dirtier, bluesier rock 'n' roll than White's other bands.
Best Songs: Hustle And Cuss; Jawbreaker
490) Apocalyptica - Inquisition Symphony (1998)
More string quartet covers from the Finnish group. This, their second album, though includes songs by the likes of Faith No More, Sepultura and Pantera as well as the Metallica covers they'd become known for and a couple of original tracks. After this album, they would become a full-time metal band with distortion effects and more original tracks.
Best Songs: From Out Of Nowhere; Nothing Else Matters
489) The Replacements - Let It Be (1984)
The third album from the Minneapolis rockers, this tones down the hardcore punk sound they had had previously, making them more a regular punk band, with occasional hints at the band they would become, including Paul Westerberg's ode to a couple that looked like each other called 'Androgynous'. The overall reason for this was because the band had grown tired of the punk rock scene, and the restraints that were imposed by punk fans (who believe there are no rules, but cry sell-out every time someone does anything different).
Best Songs: I Will Dare; Gary's Got A Boner
488) The Distillers - Coral Fang (2003)
The third and final album from The Distillers is also their most commercially successful and their best. Though it invited more comparisons to Hole than ever before, it was a nice slice of punk rock combined with better production values.
Best Songs: Drain The Blood; Coral Fang
487) We Are The Fallen - Tear The World Down (2010)
Formed by former members of Evanescence, and featuring an Amy Lee lookalike on vocals, We Are The Fallen made it obvious that they were attempting to set themselves up as rivals to their previous band. Surprisingly, their album was actually worth listening to, better than Evanescence's debut, 'Fallen', but not as strong as that band's follow-ups. Hopefully this band go on to do better things and become more than just Evanescence with a different singer.
Best Songs: Bury Me Alive; St. John
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