The second album from Evanescence, features a new line-up and a less calculatedly commercial sound than their debut, 'Fallen'. Other than lead single, 'Call Me When You're Sober', Amy Lee took them into new directions that were by turns heavier, softer, and more experimental before. 'Lacrymosa' is a notable track in that it is a song built around a movement from Mozart's Requiem Mass in D Minor. All in all, it was enough to prove to the world that Lee isn't just a one trick pony.
Best Songs: Cloud Nine; Lacrymosa
341) The Vandals - Hollywood Potato Chip (2004)
More from the pop-punk band, only on this album they seem to have abandoned the pop and gone straight for the punk. Their cover of Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' is more like the style they helped popularise, though.
Best Songs: Don't Stop Me Now; Atrocity
340) Black Label Society - Shot To Hell (2007)
Some more Black Label Society... if you don't know what you're getting by now, I don't know what to tell ya.
Best Songs: Concrete Jungle; Sick Of It All
339) The Presidents Of The United States Of America - The Presidents Of The United States Of America (1994)
A band from Seattle that proves the people who think that everything in Seattle being far too serious wrong. PUSA are a light-hearted power-pop trio, who seem to be able to write songs about anything, no matter how mundane. Something as simple as a cat purring until they stroke it and it lashes out at them, for instance. 'Peaches' was a minor UK hit when first released.
Best Songs: Lump; Peaches
338) Elton John - Madman Across The Water (1971)
This album includes what is probably my favourite Elton John song ever - 'Tiny Dancer'. The rest of the album is strong, too, but the main reason this album is so high is that song... also provides one of the most memorable scenes in Almost Famous.
Best Songs: Tiny Dancer; Levon
337) Bad Meets Evil - Hell: The Sequel (2011)
A hip hop duo consisting of Royce da 5'9" (rapper names are really getting desperate nowadays, aren't they) and Eminem. The music on this record is far more hardcore in style than Eminem's solo material which is more commercial. This record seemingly came out of nowhere and impressed me a lot more than I thought it would do.
Best Songs: Fast Lane; Loud Noises
336) Rodrigo y Gabriela - Rodrigo y Gabriela (2006)
The second studio album from the Mexican flamenco duo. This record includes a fantastic flamenco version of Metallica's 'Orion'.
Best Songs: Ixtapa; Orion
335) The Cure - Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987)
The first Cure album to hit big in the US.
Best Songs: How Beautiful You Are...; Just Like Heaven
334) Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes (1972)
This is the album that saved Mott The Hoople. After struggling for years, they were just about to break up as they couldn't afford to be a full-time band any more when David Bowie came to them with what became the title track of this album. It became a huge hit all over the world, and gave the band's career a well-needed jump-start. The rest of the album is strong, too. I haven't heard all of their music, but so far it's actually the only decent album of their's I've heard.
Best Songs: All The Young Dudes; One Of The Boys
333) Jane's Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual (1990)
The second studio album from Jane's Addiction. This album features some of the strongest bass lines I've ever heard, especially in the 11 minute epic 'Three Days', which begins as a single bassline, and builds slowly to a huge crescendo with one of the greatest guitar solos Dave Navarro has ever written. They broke up soon after this record... but it didn't last.
Best Songs: Stop!; Three Days
332) Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You (2011)
The latest album from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the first to feature Josh Klinghoffer, replacing John Frusciante on guitar. Unfortunately, the guitar is by far the weakest part of this record, with the slack having to be picked up by long-time members Anthony Kiedis, Flea and Chad Smith. It's not the disaster that it has been painted as, though.
Best Songs: Monarchy Of Roses; Even You, Brutus?
331) Metallica - Load (1996)
Another album which isn't the disaster it's been painted as. Metallica followed up their classic self-titled "black" album by slowing down, incorporating more elements of classic rock and in the case of James Hetfield, learning to sing. Metal fans tend to be like punk fans in that if any of their bands dare to anything different in the slightest, they're labelled as sell-outs and reviled, and Metallica were subject to this irrational disgust. I myself like that they decided to vary their sound, because let's face it... there's only so much you can do with basic palm-muted open E-string riffs.
Best Songs: Hero Of The Day; Mama Said
330) Soul Asylum - Let Your Dim Light Shine (1995)
This album wasn't as well-received as 'Grave Dancer's Union', but it's my favourite of Soul Asylum's catalogue. The song 'Misery' provides another memorable movie moment in the finale of Kevin Smith's Clerks 2.
Best Songs: Misery; Caged Rat
329) The Cult - Sonic Temple (1989)
The fourth album by The Cult, and the last to feature original bass player Jamie Stewart.
Best Songs: Fire Woman; Sweet Soul Sister
328) Michael Jackson - Blood On the Dancefloor (1997)
Okay, I will admit to cheating on this one. It's technically a remix album featuring mixes of songs from 'HIStory' that happened to have five all-new tracks. But I've just treated it as a five-track EP with a bunch of bonus tracks that I don't care about. Sue me. Other than the title track, the new songs show Jackson going in directions nobody ever expected from him. It's kind of like an 'industrial-pop' record, where some of the music wouldn't sound out of place on a Nine Inch Nails release. This is best shown in the track 'Morphine', but 'Is It Scary' features some of the most personal lyrics he ever wrote, dealing with people treating him like a freak or a monster because of his plastic surgery. I can understand why a lot of fans wouldn't like it, but I found it an interesting detour in the career of someone far more versatile than a lot of people realise.
Best Song: Morphine
327) Social Distortion - Prison Bound (1988)
The second album from Social Distortion sees the band find their trademark sound, combining punk rock with Johnny Cash-style country and rock and roll. This sound would be perfected with their following release, the self-titled album that everyone thinks is their first.
Best Songs: It's The Law; Prison Bound
326) Jane's Addiction - The Great Escape Artist (2011)
It seems like Jane's Addiction have been killed and resurrected more times than Jean Grey from the X-Men. After their first two reformations, they released 'Kettle Whistle' and 'Strays' respectively, that both showed moments of brilliance, but were generally disappointing. Thankfully, this isn't the case with 'The Great Escape Artist', the first fruits of their third and current reformation. Without original bass player, Eric Avery, there will never be another 'Three Days', but that doesn't stop this being a great listen.
Best Songs: Ultimate Reason; Broken People
325) Gosling - Gosling EP (2004)
An EP from the rechristened band (they originally released records under the name Loudermilk). Whichever name they went by, though, if their music was all as strong as this, they're one of the most under-appreciated rock bands of recent years.
Best Song: Mr. Skeleton Wings
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