…Like Clockwork (Queens of the Stone Age)

…Like Clockwork
Queens of the Stone Age (2013)

Top Tracks: “My God is the Sun”, “If I Had a Tail”, “Smooth Sailing”

While Songs for the Deaf may be my favorite QOTSA album, this one is super close. This was their sixth album, and Josh Homme has never shied from going with the flow of his need to evolve as a songwriter and performer, which in my book is often the hallmark of an admirable creative wellspring. The version of QOTSA that was assembled for this album has ended up being the most steady; seven years later, the lineup remains unchanged (May 2020).

(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd)
Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973)

Top Tracks: “Free Bird”, “Simple Man”, “Tuesday’s Gone”

What is Southern Rock? I mean, you know it when you hear it. When the Allman Bros began their shift from blues jams toward more focused rock songs was likely the start, but when Skynyrd put out their debut, I think was when this really became a genre of its own. Do I need to hear this album ever again? Probably not, but I know for a fact that it held a level of importance to me while discovering different styles of guitar playing, and I respected all three guys — Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, and Ed King — as players (May 2020).

II (Unknown Mortal Orchestra)

II
Unknown Mortal Orchestra (2013)

Top Tracks: "From the Sun”, "Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)”, "So Good at Being in Trouble”

I discovered UMO through the song "Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)”, but not via the album it’s on. I was digging through various indie compilations on a Saturday morning and came across this tune and it hit me like a blast of cool air on a miserably hot day. Refreshing and interesting, this was one of the songs that spurred my previously long-formant interest in new indie music, and after I went and got the II album, I found the whole thing to be brilliant and always re-listenable. I've been a fan ever since (May 2020).

1984 (Van Halen)

1984
Van Halen (1984)

Top Tracks: “Jump”, “Hot for Teacher”, “Panama”

I distinctly remember the day in January 1984 when this album was released. I’d been a VH fan for a long time, going back to my discovery of their first album in middle school, and this was obviously the commercial peak of the original lineup. MTV was huge at the time, and a band like Van Halen was made for the visual format. “Jump” was a massive hit, and I recall having that annoying music elitist sensation of having all these people jump on the bandwagon of a band to whom I’d been listening for years and years. All of those first six VH albums had some meaning to me (as did the following album 5150, first one with Sammy Hagar), though not all of them made this list (May 2020).

1999 (Prince)

1999
Prince (1982)

Top Tracks: “1999”, “Little Red Corvette”, “Automatic”

If I could go back in time, I’d do many things. One of them would be to be a little more open about how much I enjoyed Prince during the 1999 era. My friends and I were little rocker kids, and Prince was just too pop to be cool among my immediate peers. I’d been spending most of my time listening to Van Halen and AC/DC and the like, and now here was this incredibly groovy funk/R&B/rock stuff that I loved at the time, and love much more openly now. Prince was a genius and he stayed that way throughout his life. Special memory: playing as the band for our high school’s Jazz Chorale and doing “Little Red Corvette” on synth and vocals with Mike Burns on a very out-of-tune guitar. Good times (May 2020).

2112 (Rush)

2112
Rush (1976)

Top Tracks: “2112”, “A Passage to Bangkok”

A huge album for me. Like a lot of people my age, I discovered Rush when Moving Pictures became huge and songs like “Tom Sawyer” were dominating the radio. But then as is the case with many bands, my interest in them moved into their older catalog and 2112 was the one that grabbed me the hardest. At a point where intricate musicality and progressive compositions were what enthralled me as a fellow musician, I learned 2112 front to back on both guitar and bass (May 2020).

52nd Street (Billy Joel)

52nd Street
Billy Joel (1978)

Top Tracks: “Big Shot”, Zanzibar”, “Rosalinda’s Eyes”

This was still at a point where I was getting a lot of my musical exposure through my parents, and 52nd Street was an album that was on in my house a lot in 1978 and 1979. I probably got a big interest in songwriting based on this album’s influence, and I performed “Honesty” at my first guitar recital in December 1980. Note: the most popular track on this album, “My Life”, is probably my least favorite (May 2020).

90125 (Yes)

90125
Yes (1983)

Top Tracks: “Owner of a Lonely Heart”, “Changes”, Hold On”

Much like a number of other bands, I had already been into the music of Yes and was lucky enough to live in a time where they were still releasing very relevant new music as I grew into being my own person. This was a new and yet still very innovative sound for the band, reflecting as much about the production of Trevor Horn as it did with the more straightforward rock compositions of Trevor Rabin. But I bought 90125 on vinyl and played the shit out of it when I was s sophomore in high school. It was a big hit not only for my MTV generation but older fans of the band. It all worked (May 2020).

Abacab (Genesis)

Abacab
Genesis (1981)

Top Tracks: “Abacab”, “No Reply at All”, “Dodo/Lurker”

Since this album came out when I was still in middle school, it was my first real exposure to Genesis. It was awhile later that I went back in time to familiarize myself with (and enjoy) the older Gabriel-era stuff. I absolutely loved the title track when it became a big hit; I was just starting to really get into synthesizers and keyboards, and this Tony Banks riff of fifths also made me reach for the volume dial (May 2020).

Abbey Road (The Beatles)

Abbey Road
The Beatles (1969)

Top Tracks: “Come Together”, “Here Comes the Sun”, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”

Funny thing that the first Beatles entry on this list (alphabetically) is also perhaps my least favorite. There are points where it feels contrived and that the band is functioning more as a collection of individuals than a cohesive unit (because that’s exactly what was happening). That being said, can I do a Top Albums list and leave off Abbey Road? No, of course not. That would be stupid. Personal note: it was the first Beatles album to come out after I was born (May 2020).

Admiral Fell Promises (Sun Kil Moon)

Admiral Fell Promises
Sun Kil Moon (2010)

Top Tracks: “Ålesund”, “Half Moon Bay”, “Third and Seneca”

I have mixed feelings about how I perceive Mark Kozelek as a person, and in more recent years he’s taken a direction with his songwriting and performance that would not have been my preference. But I doubt he gives a shit, so back on topic, Admiral Fell Promises is one of the best albums I’ve ever heard in every way. Incredible lyrically but even more impressive musically, it’s just Mark and his nylon-string guitar and that’s all it needs to be. If I could do an album like this, as in, if I had that ability, I promise I would use it (May 2020).

After the Gold Rush (Neil Young)

After the Gold Rush
Neil Young (1970)

Top Tracks: “When You Dance I Can Really Love”, “Don’t Let It Bring You Down”, “Southern Man”

Neil’s an interesting guy. Some think of him as not being willing or able to make commitments, but to me, he’s a guy that wanted to try everything. I mean, who does this? He puts out a great solo album, then gets together with a band and does a remarkable album with them, and then immediately after mostly abandons them for the third album, which doesn’t sound much like the first two albums at all. And it’s all great. I felt like ATGR is an illustration of a man in transition, but that was kind of always the case with Neil, so it’s was just another step on a path (May 2020).

Aja (Steely Dan)

Aja
Steely Dan (1977)

Top Tracks: “Peg”, “Aja”, “Black Cow”

Picking “Top Tracks” for Aja is ridiculous. What, “Josie” isn’t good enough? This was the album more than any other that taught me what could be done with music. I mean, sure, I had Mozart and Beethoven, I was kinda starting to experience jazz, but in 1977, Aja was on the stereo while my parents through swanky parties for their fashion industry friends, and could there be a better soundtrack for that era while growing up in Southern California? I can still listen to it front-to-back today and be as in awe of it as I was when I was eight years old (May 2020).

All The Best Cowboys have Chinese Eyes (Pete Townshend)

All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
Pete Townshend (1982)

Top Tracks: “Slit Skirts”, “The Sea Refuses No River”, “Face Dances, Pt. 2”

I was, and remain, a huge Who fan, and I was deeply into this Townshend solo album when it was released just as I was going into high school. He was always a massive influence on me musically; definitely one of the musicians who made me want to push my own music into further levels of complexity than typical rock and pop would have permitted (May 2020).

American Beauty (The Grateful Dead)

American Beauty
The Grateful Dead (1970)

Top Tracks: “Box of Rain”, “Sugar Magnolia”, “Ripple”

Nothing against previous Dead albums — Workman’s Dead is exquisite, for example — but American Beauty is really where the Dead began to allow themselves a higher quality of musicality in their recorded work, putting more effort into vocal harmonies and arrangements. The classic "country and bluegrass Americana combined with rock and roll psychedelia vibe” that became their hallmark is in full force here. Good stuff (May 2020).

Animals (Pink Floyd)

Animals
Pink Floyd (1977)

Top Tracks: “Dogs”, “Pigs (Three Different Ones), “Sheep”

This definitely held the position of “my favorite album” for some time in my late teens and early 20’s. It’s the height of the middle era of Pink Floyd, with all the outstanding musicianship, cynical songwriting, and mind-blowing progressive production that I loved about the band. It’s a real band project, with deep contributions by all four members. Still fun to listen to now and then (May 2020).

Appetite for Destruction (Guns N' Roses)

Appetite for Destruction
Guns N' Roses (1987)

Top Tracks: “Welcome to the Jungle”, “Mr. Brownstone”, “My Michelle”

Kinda of like Nirvana would do a few years later, Appetite was an album that made a huge impact and changed the direction of popular music for awhile. There had been plenty of other bands out there epitomizing the Sunset Strip sound, look, and lifestyle… Motley Crue and others come to mind. But GNR took it even further, making it grittier and more druggy and rock and roll than the purely image-based hair metal bands that preceded them. I just thought they sounded like an edgier version of old Aerosmith at the time, and I wasn’t wrong (May 2020).

Aqualung (Jethro Tull)

Aqualung
Jethro Tull (1971)

Top Tracks: “Aqualung”, “Cross-Eyed Mary”, “Locomotive Breath”

One of the most interesting and unique bands on this list, Jethro Tull can be deeply cerebral and oddly prurient, with bizarre lyrical themes that paint uncomfortable pictures. This was a band that I definitely got into on my own as part of my youthful exploration of progressive rock. As improbably as this sounds, I remember that MTV actually aired an hour-long prog rock special that featured bands like ELP, King Crimson, Genesis, and Tull, and I taped it on VHS and rewatched it many, many times (May 2020).

Are You Experienced? (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)

Are You Experienced?
The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

Top Tracks: “Purple Haze”, “Foxey Lady”, “Are You Experienced?”

The importance this album had on me as a young guitar player cannot be overstated. I owned it on vinyl in middle school, and once the purple haze got in my brain, I never looked back, and explored this man’s short but incredibly influential musical career in high detail. There’s almost no hard rock guitar playing involving a deep level of expression that doesn’t owe its roots to Jimi, and this was the album that put him on the map (May 2020).

Aviary (Julia Holter)

Aviary
Julia Holter (2018)

Top Tracks: “Words I Heard”, “Voce Simul”, “Les Jeux to You”

One of the more recent additions to my list, Julia Holter is truly an art pop genius who approaches composition and music production so uniquely that I can’t help but notice her standing out from the crowd. The music is not always easy to digest, but has a transcendent beauty that reminds me of nature and philosophical exploration. A great album to have on while cruising through the surreality of the Mojave Desert, I should note (May 2020).

Axis: Bold as Love (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)

Axis: Bold as Love
The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

Top Tracks: “Spanish Castle Magic”, “If Six Was Nine”, “Castles Made of Sand”

So, seven months after Jimi stuns the world with Are You Experienced?, he kicks out Axis. You can already hear him progressing quickly as a composer and guitarist, with more inventive lyrical themes and even deeper and more unique musical output. It’s simply astonishing that he was doing this kind of stuff in 1967 (May 2020).

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b’lieve i’m goin down (Kurt Vile)

b’lieve i’m goin down
Kurt Vile (2015)

Top Tracks: “Pretty Pimpin”, “That’s Life Tho (Almost Hate to Say)”, “Life Like This”

You gotta love KV. It’s not easy to follow up such a strong record as Wakin on a Pretty Daze, but Kurt doesn’t seem to try too hard at anything, and that’s why his albums are consistently great. Maybe Kurt’s lackadaisical vibe is more contrived than we are led to believe, but the tunes are what matter, and b’lieve is a fun listen all the way through (May 2020).

Back in Black (AC/DC)

Back in Black
AC/DC (1980)

Top Tracks: “Hells Bells”, “Back in Black”, “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”

Another album that was just massive for me. My parents were not at all into hard rock, so the discovery of AC/DC while I was in middle school was some of my earliest rebellion music that grabbed me (along with early Van Halen at the time). It was music of my own. As was the case for me with many bands, I first got into AC/DC in the middle of their career, and had to go back and discover the entire Bon Scott era, which I gleefully did. I should note, for the record, that this is the second best selling album of all time, behind only Thriller (May 2020).

Badmotorfinger (Soundgarden)

Badmotorfinger
Soundgarden (1991)

Top Tracks: “Outshined”, “Rusty Cage”, “Jesus Christ Pose”

Look, I loved Nirvana as much as any decent Gen-X’er ever did, okay? But my personal favorite band that ever came from Seattle in that era was unquestionably Soundgarden. I had more of a rock and metal background in my blood, and listening to Badmotorfinger was a head banging adventure while also sounding innovative and thought-provoking. I loved them from the first sludgy moment of “Outshined” (May 2020).

Band on the Run (Paul McCartney and Wings)

Band on the Run
Paul McCartney and Wings (1973)

Top Tracks: “Band on the Run”, “Jet”, “Bluebird”

It’s funny that both John Lennon and George Harrison beat Paul McCartney to the punch for a really good post-Beatles album. But Band on the Run is very solid and definitely was a huge forerunner to the mellow sounds of the early/mid-70s (May 2020).