My Top 666 Albums Ever Part 6

576) The Black Crowes - Three Snakes And One Charm (1996)

The fourth album from The Black Crowes.
Best Song: Blackberry

 

575) Vermilion Lies - What's In The Box? (2008)

Twin sisters Zoe and Kim Boekbinder's second album of eclectic cabaret songs, using unconventional instruments (such as a typewriter) that they pull from a box - hence the title.
Best Song: Global Warming

 

574) Shakira - Oral Fixation Vol. 2 (2005)

Second English language album from the Colombian singer.
Best Song: Costume Makes The Clown

 

573) Brad - Best Friends? (2010)

Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam's other band, featuring fellow Seattle musicians Regan Hagar and Shawn Smith, the latter which has a rich soulful voice that helps make Brad a distinctly different beast from Stone's day-job. This is their fourth album.
Best Song: Runnin' For Cover

 

572) Green Day - Kerplunk (1992)

Another band whose breakthrough album is often mistaken for their first, this actually predates Dookie by two years, and is Green Day's second album.
Best Song: Welcome To Paradise

 

571) Jamiroquai - Rock Dust Light Star (2010)

The return of Jay Kay and his "funk" group.
Best Song: White Knuckle Ride

 

570) Garbage - Version 2.0 (1997)

Second album from Shirley Manson's band. And their last decent one until last year.
Best Song: I Think I'm Paranoid

 

569) R.E.M. - Automatic For The People (1992)

The record that made R.E.M. stars, featuring some of their best known songs.
Best Song: Everybody Hurts

 

568) Guns N' Roses - "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993)

Punk covers album by Axl and co. What was intended to be a stop-gap between albums ended up being the band's last album featuring Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, and their last album at all until 2008. It's got some interesting tracks in there, and does a good job of introducing people to songs they may not have heard of otherwise (this is one of two covers albums that brought the Misfits into the public consciousness), but it's a disappointment considering what came before.
Best Song: New Rose

 

567) Nas - God's Son (2002)

Despite the sheer arrogance of this album's title, this is actually a stand-out in the world of hip-hop.
Best Song: The Cross

 

566) Stiff Little Fingers - Guitar And Drum (2004)

The latest album from the legendary socially-conscious Irish punks.
Best Song: Still Burning

 

565) Ryan Adams - Love Is Hell Part 2 (2003)

Until recently, I never thought I'd like Ryan Adams, but this is one of the records that changed my mind. Not exactly a fan, but I do enjoy his music.
Best Song: My Blue Manhattan

 

564) Green Day - Shenanigans (2002)

Collection of B-Sides from 1994-2000, is actually a fairly strong album in its own right.
Best Song: Desensitized

 

563) Dropkick Murphys - Blackout (2003)

More Celtic Punk from the Boston band.
Best Song: Kiss Me, I'm Shitfaced

 

562) Tarja - My Winter Storm (2007)

Tarja Turunen's first solo album after being fired from the Finnish symphonic metal band, Nightwish.
Best Song: I Walk Alone

 

561) The Ramones - Ramones (1976)

Debut studio album from the legendary New York punks.
Best Song: Blitzkrieg Bop

 

560) Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - III/IV (2010)

Recorded in 2006, this album wasn't released until 2010 after Adams decided to disband The Cardinals.
Best Song: Breakdown Into The Resolve

 

559) Alter Bridge - AB III (2010)

Three quarters of Creed continue to prove that Scott Stapp is the main reason that band suck with the third album with their other band featuring Myles Kennedy. Kennedy is now best known as the singer in Slash's solo band, but whereas his voice with Slash is whiny and annoying, with Alter Bridge it's fantastic.
Best Song: Slip To The Void

My Top 666 Albums Ever Part 5

594) Pendulum - In Silico (2007)

Surprisingly good attempt at merging dance music with hard rock.
Best Song: Propane Nightmares

 

593) The Black Crowes - Shake Your Money Maker (1990)

The debut album from Chris Robinson and co.
Best Song: She Talks To Angels

 

592) Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies (1973)

At the time, this was Alice Cooper's most successful album, and for good reason.
Best Song: No More Mr. Nice Guy

 

591) R.E.M. - Reckoning (1984)

Second album from the North Carolina "college rockers".
Best Song: Pretty Persuasion

590) Queen - The Game (1980)

One look at the tracklist should tell you what you need to know. There are more classics on this one album than most bands produce in their lifetimes.
Best Song: Save Me

 

589) Lacuna Coil - Halflife EP (2000)

5 track EP from the Italian gothic metal group, fronted by the absolutely gorgeous Cristina Scabbia.
Best Song: Senzafine

 

588) Social Distortion - Sex, Love And Rock N' Roll (2004)

Social Distortion's first album in eight years, and it was like they'd never been gone.
Best Song: Reach For The Sky

 

587) Pixies - Trompe le Monde (1991)

The final album from Black Francis and his group that inspired a generation.
Best Song: Letter To Memphis

 

586) Stone Gossard - Bayleaf (2001)

The Pearl Jam guitarists solo album is more mellow than fans of his full-time job may be used to.
Best Song: Pigeon

 

585) Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds - Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds (1992)

Less than a year after leaving Guns N' Roses, Izzy Stradlin and his new band released this album, sounding like a cross between The Rolling Stones and The Faces.
Best Song: Shuffle It All

 

584) Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - Love Their Country (2006)

The pop-punk covers band recreate country music classics in their style.
Best Song: Jolene

583) Love Spit Love - Love Spit Love (1994)

Richard and Tim Butler from Psychedelic Furs team up with future Guns N' Roses members Richard Fortus and Frank Ferrer to create this band, which had some modest success in the mid-90's.
Best Song: Am I Wrong

582) The Distillers - Sing Sing Death House (2002)

The second album from the 21st century punks.
Best Song: Seneca Falls

 

581) The Cure - Wish (1992)

The follow-up to 1989's 'Disintegration' doesn't reach the heights of that album, but did produce one of the band's most popular songs.
Best Song: Friday I'm In Love

 

580) Lynyrd Skynyrd - God & Guns (2009)

Of all the bands from the 70's to make a pretty strong come-back, I'd never expect it to be Lynyrd Skynyrd. Unfortunately, the genuinely enjoyable music is ruined by the ridiculously right wing, gun-nut lyrics in some of the songs.
Best Song: Still Unbroken

 

579) Robert Plant - Band Of Joy (2010)

The Led Zeppelin legend resurrected his Band Of Joy and released their first album in 2010.
Best Song: Angel Dance

 

578) The Damned - Damned, Damned, Damned (1977)

Forget the Sex Pistols. This is the first full-length album to be released by a UK punk band. Unfortunately, The Damned didn't swear on TV, so don't get the recognition they deserve.
Best Song: New Rose

 

577) Elton John & Leon Russell - The Union (2010)

Elton John's attempt to resurrect the flagging career of one of his heroes. This is the best thing either musician has produced in years.
Best Song: Monkey Suit

My Top 666 Albums Ever Part 4

612) Elf - Elf (1972)

Debut album from an early band featuring Ronald Padanova, who would later be better known as Ronnie James Dio.
Best Song: I'm Coming Back For You

 

611) Coal Chamber - Chamber Music (1999)

Second album from the California alternative metal band.
Best Song: Not Living

610) Dropkick Murphys - Do Or Die (1998)

Debut album from the Boston Celtic punks, featuring original vocalist Mike McColgan.
Best Song: Finnegan's Wake

 

609) The Stooges - The Stooges (1969)

Debut album from the hugely influential garage rockers, featuring one of the most enduring songs of the era.
Best Song: I Wanna Be Your Dog

 

608) Stereophonics - Performance & Cocktails (1999)

The Welsh small town rockers return with a second album of observations about life Cwmaman.
Best Song: The Bartender And The Thief

 

607) Sixx:A.M. - The Heroin Diaries (2007)

I hate Motley Crue. I think there's not a single redeeming feature in any of their songs, and it's clear that as people the music meant nothing more than a means to money and women. So when I say their bassist, Nikki Sixx's latest side-project is actually well worth a lesson, and shows that there is at least one member of the band with talent, you know that I'm not lying. Also features singer James Michael, and guitarist Dj Ashba.
Best Song: Van Nuys

 

606) Weezer - Maladroit (2002)

Weezer's second album in as many years was actually an improvement on the already strong Green Album.
Best Song: Dope Nose

 

605) Green Day - !Dos! (2012)

The second, and least of Green Day's three albums from last year. Would be higher up in this list if it wasn't for the awful 'Nightlife' featuring a terrible rapper called Lady Cobra.
Best Song: Amy

 

604) Jack White - Blunderbuss (2012)

The debut solo album from the leader of The White Stripes (though really of all of the White Stripes albums were pretty much solo albums anyway).
Best Song: Sixteen Saltines

603) Alice Cooper - Flush The Fashion (1980)

A more new-wave style compared to what people were used to from Alice at the time.
Best Song: Clones (We're All)

 

602) Ray Charles - Rare Genius: The Undiscovered Masters (2010)

Posthumous release featuring remixed versions of recently discovered demo's from the 70's, 80's and 90's.
Best Song: Wheel Of Fortune

 

601) Crosses - EP1 (2011)

First of two (so far) EP's from Chino Moreno of the Deftones' side-project. More electronic than Deftones.
Best Song: This Is A Trick

 

600) The Wailers - Burnin' (1973)

This classic reggae record was the last before the band became known as Bob Marley & The Wailers.
Best Song: Get Up, Stand Up

599) Joe Perry - Have Guitar, Will Travel (2009)

The Aerosmith guitarist's fifth solo album. Joe handles around half of the vocals, but the other half are handled by young Steven Tyler soundalike, Hagen Grohe.
Best Song: Scare The Cat

 

598) The Cult - Dreamtime (1984)

Debut album from the gothic rock legends.
Best Song: Spiritwalker

 

597) The Offspring - The Offspring (1989)

Debut album from the pop-punk behemoths. Listening to it, it's striking just how little they've changed over the years (except for production).
Best Song: Jennifer Lost The War

 

596) Black Label Society - The Song Remains Not The Same (2011)

A collection of acoustic versions from the band's previous album 'Order Of The Black', and covers. If you ever thought Zakk Wylde never knew restraint, give this a listen.
Best Song: Bridge Over Troubled Water

 

595) Ozzy Osbourne - Ozzmosis (1995)

And if you want some good, old-fashioned Zakk Wylde riffing, complete with far too many pinch harmonics, listen to this one from the Black Sabbath legend.
Best Song: Perry Mason