I was able to do a rough 100 by limiting it to one per artist. Obviously, with 100, there are several left out that belong just as much as what was put in and it would change upon mood. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory Abyssinians - Satta Massa Gana Alice Cooper - Love It To Death AMM - the Crypt Art Ensemble Of Chicago - People In Sorrow Juan Atkins - 20 Years Albert Ayler - Spiritual Unity David Axelrod - Songs Of Innocence Bartok - String Quartets 1-6 Joey Beltram - Classics Jorge Ben - S/T Luciano Berio - Sinfonia Berliner Philharmoniker _Karajan - 9 Symphonia Big Youth - Screaming Target Black Sabbath - Sabotage Glen Branca - Lessons Anthony Braxton - Quartet Santa Cruz Cedric IM Brooks and the Lights Of Saba James Brown - Love Power Peace - Live At the Oympia Paris 1971 Marion Brown - Sweet Earth Flying Jerry Butler - The Iceman Cometh Donald Byrd - Fancy Free John Cage- Concert For Piano and Orchestera; Credo in Us; Imaginary Landscape No. 1, Rozart Mix; Suite for Toy Piano; Music for Carillon Pablo Casals - Six Cello Suites Ornette Coleman - Complete Science Fiction Session John Coltrane - Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Sessions Congos - Heart Of the Congos Gal Costa - India Tony Conrad - Four Violins Culture - Two Sevens Clash Dadawah - Peace and Love Miles Davis - Complete On the Corner Sessions De La Soul - Is Dead Debussy - Orchestral Music J Dilla - Donuts DJ Shadow - Entroducing Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch Earth Wind and Fire - That's The Way Of the World Duke Ellington - Blanton Webster Band Eric B and Rakim - Paid In Full Morton Feldman - Crippled Symmetry Luc Ferarri - Presce Rien Funkadelic - S/T Marvin Gaye - What's Going On Gladiators - Trenchtown Rebellion Al Green - Call Me Herbie Hancock - Sextant Coleman Hawkins - Rainbow Mist Jimi Hendrix - Songs For Groovy Children Pierre Henry - Polyphonies Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay Keith Hudson - Playing It Cool and Playing It Right Isley Brothers - Live It Up King Tubby - Dub Like Dirt Antonio Carlos Jobim - Wave Frankie Knuckles - House Party Rahsaan Roland Kirk - I Talk With the Spirits Fela Kuti - Zombie Yuseff Lateef - Eastern Sounds La Salle Quartet - Neu Weiner Schule: Die Streichquartette Gygory Ligeti - Clear Or Cloudy Warne Marsh - Ne Plus Ultra Curtis Mayfield - Superfly Les McCann - Invitation To Openness Mighty Diamonds - Right Time Charles Mingus - The Great Concert Of Charles Mingus Thelonious Monk - Genius Of Modern Music Moondog - S/T Nas - Illmatic Milton Nascemento/Lo Borges - Clube de Esquina Ken Nordine - How Are Things In Your Town Ol Dirty Bastard - Return To the 36 Chambers Pauline Oliveros - Alien Bog/Beautiful Soop Charlie Parker - Complete Savoy and Dial Sessions Lee Scratch Perry - Arkology Wilson Pickett -The Exciting Wilson Pickett Prince Far I - Cry Tuff Dub Encounter III Saints - (I'm)Stranded Moacir Santos - Coisas Satie - Early Piano Works Pierre Schafer - L' Oeuvre Musicale Raymond Scott - Manhattan Research Inc Sinatra/Jobim Anthony Shake Shakir - Frictionalism Sly and the Family Stone - There's A Riot Going On Karlheinz Stockhausen - Mikrophonie 1&2, Telemusik Stooges - Raw Power Sun Ra - Lanquidity Horace Tapscott - The Dark Tree Howard Tate - Get It While You Can McCoy Tyner - Sahara Phillip Upchurch - Darkness Darkness Marcos Valle - Previsa0 do Tempo Caetano Veloso - Transa Iannis Xenakis - Persepolis War - All Day Music Wipers - Youth Of America Stevie Wonder - Innervisions Yabby You - Jesus Dread Lester Young - Kansas City Sessions
During the pandemic times, I decided to compile my 100. I may have an advantage as I make a list every year of my top records and in order. So I have found that handy. I am only up to 60 in order, but I reckon I should revisit. Naturally there will already be change, but that's a given. My problem is I keep discovering a lot of music.
Can't take the time for a top 100, but these are what comes to mind for a top 5: Charles Mingus - Ah Um Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby Miles Davis - In a Silent Way Stravinsky - Right of Spring
41. The Juliana Theory - Emotion Is Dead 42. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five 43. Alvvays - Antisocialites 44. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones 45. Sting - Dream of the Blue Turtles 46. Keane - Under the Iron Sea 47. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife 48. The Strokes - Is This It 49. Metallica - Ride the Lightning 50. Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
You and I may be the only people to have this in their top 100 albums and yours is in the top 10. I'm not sure where it would fall in my list. I'm more of a songs person than an albums person, so I don't know if I can create a top 100 albums list. I might try.
My list isn’t ranked; just alphabetical. I figure it’s hard enough to make such an elite list that I’m not going to quibble over the ranking.
I like several of your Hip Hop Selections. The only reason I did not fit any Eric B and Rakim, Public Enemy, Whodini, Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow, Run DMC, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nas, De La Soul, 2Pac, Biggie Smalls, Wu-Tang Clan, Eminem, OutKast, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Tyler the Creator, etc. into my Top 100, is that a lot of Hip Hop Songs(especially from the 1990s) used Samples and I prefer the Original Songs that they were taken from, so I selected several FUNK and R & B Albums on my own Top 100 List, as built up a large collection in the 1990s/2000s of Albums from those Genres, which despite were apparently released between 1975-1984, fortunately were given a release on CD over various years. I own over 50 CDs just based off of P-FUNK Music Artists alone(Parliament, Funkadelic, George Clinton,, Bootsy’s Rubber Band/Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, P-FUNK All Stars, Brides of Funkenstein, Parlet, Eddie Hazel, Junie Morrison, a few Bill Laswell Projects with Bootsy Collins, and a few others I am temporarily forgetting. Oh yeah, the George Clinton Family Series Set of 5 Titles, which seemed liked a Collection of B-Sides). For Michael Jackson, I would have selected Off the Wall over Thriller, although could not even find enough room to include OTW.
I’ll give you 20. Radiohead - OK Computer R.E.M. - Automatic for the People The Beatles - Rubber Soul Velvet Underground & Nico Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden Enya - Watermark Lana Del Rey - Norman ‘*******’ Rockwell Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon The National - High Velvet Michael Jackson - Bad The Beatles - Revolver George Michael - Older The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Blur - 13 Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks The Cure - Disintegration David Bowie - Station to Station Howlin’ Wolf - The Definitive Collection The Who - Quadrophenia The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
Top-20 (in no particular order) Xymox - Twist Of Shadows (1989) The Wild Swans - Bringing Home The Ashes (1988) David Sylvian - Secrets Of The Beehive (1987) Peter Murphy - Should The World Fail To Fall Apart (1986) Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche `85 (1985) Dalis Car - The Waking Hour (1984) White Door - Windows (1983) Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (1982) The Human League - Dare (1981) John Foxx - Metamatic (1980) Ultravox - Vienna (1980) Gary Numan - Dance (1981) Siouxsie & The Banshees - A Kiss In The Dreamhouse (1982) The Creatures - Feast (1983) The Cocteau Twins - Treasure (1984) Yello - Stella (1985) The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (1986) Dead Can Dance - Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun (1987) Marc Almond - The Stars We Are (1988) The Cure - Disintegration (1989)
Ten, not necessarily a "top 10" (though all would be in my top 100) and not necessarily in order: 1. REM - Automatic for the People 2. Dire Straits - Love Over Gold 3. Godspeed You Black Emperor - Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven 4. Toni Childs - Union 5. Jason Isbell - Southeastern 6. Alejandro Escovedo - Street Songs of Love 7. Sinead O'Connor - The Lion and the Cobra 8. Big Star - Third / Sister Lovers 9. Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town 10. Pink Floyd - Animals
The next 20 (alphabetically) (A-F) ABC - The Lexicon Of Love (1982) All About Eve - All About Eve (1987) Alphaville - Forever Young (1984) Arcadia - So Red The Rose (1985) Bauhaus - Burning From The Inside (1983) Big Country - Steeltown (1984) Bill Nelson - The Love That Whirls (The Diary Of A Thinking Heart) (1982) Blancmange - Mange Tout (1984) Bronski Beat - The Age Of Consent (1984) Cabaret Voltaire - The Covenant, The Sword And The Arm Of The Lord (1985) Curve - Doppelganger (1992) DAF - 1st Step To Heaven (1986) Deacon Blue - Raintown (1987) Depeche Mode - Black Celebration (1986) Dexys Midnight Runners - Too-Rye-Aye (1982) Duran Duran - Rio (1982) Echo & The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain (1984) Fashion - Fabrique (1982) Fields Of The Nephilim - Nephilim (1988) Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe - Barcelona (1988)
Here's twenty to start... King's X - Faith Hope Love Fishbone - Truth and Soul Iron Maiden - Powerslave Faith No More - Angel Dust Metallica - Ride The Lightning Zappa - The Yellow Shark Opeth - Blackwater Park Peter Gabriel - Passion Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin' Bill Frisell - Quartet Mr. Bungle - Mr. Bungle Naked City - Naked City Zappa - Waka Jawaka Hedningarna - Kaksi Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate MAchine Sugar - Copper Blue Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shicking Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger Zorn/Lewis/Frisell - News For Lulu Paul Simon - Graceland
The next 20 (alphabetically) (G-M) Gazebo - Gazebo (1983) George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1 (1990) Haircut 100 - Pelican West (1982) Heaven 17 - The Luxury Gap (1983) Howard Jones - Human`s Lib (1983) Imagination - Scandalous (1983) Japan - Tin Drum (1981) Jesus Jones - Doubt (1991) Joy Division - Closer (1980) Kajagoogoo - White Feathers (1983) Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love (1985) Killing Joke - Brighter Than A Thousand Suns (1986) Kraftwerk - The Man Machine (1978) Love & Money - A Strange Kind Of Love (1988) Lush - Spooky (1991) Manic Street Preachers - This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours (1998) Mansun - Attack Of The Grey Lantern (1997) Mick Karn - Dreams Of Reason Produced Monsters (1986) Midge Ure - The Gift (1985) Muse - Absolution (2003)
Another 10 of my top 100, still not in order: 11. Julian Cope - Peggy Suicide 12. Camel - The Snow Goose 13. Steve Earle - El Corazon 14. Patti Smith Group - Easter 15. Warren Zevon - S/T 16. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream 17. Radiohead - OK Computer 18. Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville 19. Mary Gauthier - The Foundling 20. Richard and Linda Thompson - Shoot Out the Lights
The next 35 (alphabetically) (N-Z) Nick Heyward - North Of A Miracle (1983) OMD - Architecture & Morality (1981) Pet Shop Boys - Behaviour (1990) Propaganda - A Secret Wish (1985) Recoil - Liquid (2000) Sharpe + Numan - Automatic (1989) Shriekback - Oil And Gold (1985) Sisterhood - Gift (1986) Soft Cell - Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (1981) Spandau Ballet - Journeys To Glory (1981) Steven Wilson - Insurgentes (2008) Suede - Dog Man Star (1994) Suicide - Suicide (1977) Talk Talk - Its My Life (1984) Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair (1985) The Art Of Noise - Who`s Afraid Of The Art Of Noise (1984) The Associates - Sulk (1982) The Blue Nile - A Walk Across The Rooftops (1984) The Chameleons - Script Of The Bridge (1983) The Cult - Love (1985) The Kane Gang - The Bad And The Lowdown World Of.....(1985) The Lotus Eaters - No Sense Of Sin (1984) The Mission - God`s Own Medicine (1986) The Silencers - A Letter From St.Paul (1987) The Sisters Of Mercy - Floodland (1987) The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses (1989) The Style Council - Cafe Bleu (1984) The Teardrop Explodes - Wilder (1981) The The - Infected (1986) The Triffids - Calenture (1987) The Waterboys - This Is The Sea (1985) This Mortal Coil - It`ll End In Tears (1984) U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987) Visage - Visage (1980) Working Week - Working Nights (1985) 5 ambient albums Lustmord & R.Rich - Stalker (1995) Mathias Grassow & Klaus Wiese - Mercurius (2001) Yen Pox - Blood Music (1995) Steve Roach - Slow Heat (1998) Alio Die - Password For Entheogenic Experience (1998)
(in no particular order, numbered for count) 1.)Time Out—Dave Brubeck Quartet, 1959 2.) Songs for Distingué Lovers—Billie Holiday, 1958 3.) Lady Sings the Blues—Billie Holiday, 1956 4.) Masterpieces by Ellington—Duke Ellington, 1951 5.) Ellington Uptown—Duke Ellington, 1953 6.) Ellington at Newport—Duke Ellington, 1956 7.) The Quintet : Jazz at Massey Hall—Charlie Parker, 1953 8.) Catalogue : Live in East Germany—Ganelin / Tarasov / Chekasin, 1979/1981 9.) Blues Shout—Leo Wright, 1961 1O.) Hum Dono—Joe Harriott-Amancio D'Silva Quartet, 1969 1-1O /1OO
I'm always impressed that folks are able to do an exercise like this and come up with a top 100. If someone asked what my favorite album is, I couldn't give them a straight answer.
I confess my answers today might not precisely match my answers in 6 months! (they mostly will though, the first 4O-or-so titles have been favourites for a number of years now). Every once in a while I will recall a forgotten (by me) title and swap something out. Picking a number #1 is impossible, just as you said. Rounding up 1OO titles that are currently topping the love-heap seems a bit easier, since I can just say they're in no particular order, thus avoiding ranking within the group.
Great list ! I think this is a good way to appreciate and not forget a lot of great albums from the past .
