Awesome Albums, Part I

In the spirit of rehashing old subjects, I got to thinking about music. What albums do I think are awesome? Then I realized: Wait, I’ve never actually DONE an entry like this before. It’s not deep, it’s not awe-inspiring, I just haven’t done it before. Sooo, here we go!

This is a completely subjective list. For the most part, these are albums that I can listen to entirely without skipping any tracks. That may seem stupid, but in an age where we can just download individual songs and make our own setlists, the concept of a “album” as a unit unto itself is slowly fading away. So, at some point or another, I’ve listened to these albums on repeat ad nauseum without skipping tracks. Concurrently, most of the albums have some sort of personal meaning to me. Don’t ask me for lyrics and shit. You can easy associate music with events even if the lyrics have absolutely nothing to do with what’s going on.

Also, this is not a “ranking” list. So there will be no numbers and no saying why such and such album is “better” than another.

Let’s get it on.

“Dookie” – Green Day

Yes, before they were selling millions of albums and making “rock opera”, Green Day actually made decent music. Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve listened to it. Nonetheless, whenever I think of “complete” albums that I like, this comes to mind. What’s-his-face’s voice still kind of gets to me, but there’s a number of really good songs on this album.

“This Time Around” – Hanson

Wrestling with this one, as Middle of Nowhere is the stronger album to me. Nonetheless, unless you don’t know what good music is, Hanson is fucking awesome. I mostly associate this album with 2002. Good music if you’re not afraid to put away your scowls and your angry face, and actually smile. “This Time Around”, “If Only”, “Can’t Stop”, good times.

“Steal This Album!” – System of a Down

Screw everybody else. THIS is my favorite System of a Down album. I first heard the openning to “Innervision” when I was in a hot topic in the Mall of America. I was just listening to random albums while I was waiting for some girls I was meeting up with. (True story.) They spotted me and I had to put down the headphones, but not before thinking “Holy shit, this song is awesome”.

I know the subject matters are very serious at times, but this album has a very upbeat and silly manner to it. “Chic`n`Stu” used to be my favorite song to wake up. PEPPERONI, ANGRY PEPPERS, MUSHROOMS, OLIVES, CHIVES! What’s-his-face was totally just making up things that sounded funny. Don’t tell me about the meaning of talking about goddamn pizza toppings. Music can be hard AND fun, too!

To me, this album doesn’t hit its stride until “Nüguns”. Just when you think you have the album figured out, there’s a solo. A GODDAMN SOLO. I can’t even pick out what instrument, it sounds like a mexican guitar, but it’s just fucking AWESOME. There’s a song literally called “I-E-A-I-A-I-O”, entirely because that’s the refrain. What the hell else would it be called? So on and so forth. Love this album.

“The Unquestionable Truth” – Limp Bizkit

Unless you’ve been browsing amazon.com in the past six years, you’ve probably never heard of this album. This album was on my list of things to get for a long time, and I only got around to buying it recently.

HOLY SHIT. I should have gotten this album years ago! Imagine Limp Bizkit without Fred Durst’s self-hype, self-referencing, or ego. The result is unpretentious straight-up metal. I realize this is technically an EP, but this is seriously one of the best albums I’ve ever heard. (Hence why it’s on this list, duh.) When I read other reviews, they refer to their first album as if it’s flawless. Don’t know what albums they were listening to, but three dollar billz, and Significant Other were both inconsistent efforts to me. Some good songs, but not solid “albums” to me that I could listen to without skipping tracks.

The Propaganda. The Truth. The Priest. The Key. The Channel. The Story. The Surrender, which is a goddamn BALLAD. Limp Bizkit released a good album and nobody bought it. True story.

“Follow The Leader” – KoRn

Hey, there’s going to be that album or two that you listened to ad nauseum when you were a depressive teenager. Still a solid album, in my opinion. The songs on Issues were stronger to me, but that album seemed more inconsistent.

“Middle of Nowhere” – Hanson

Everybody has that album that they’re ashamed to admit they like until they come out of the closet about it. I bought this album before realizing it was, gasp, “uncool” to like Hanson. So it sat in my collection for a couple years. Then I rediscovered it and said to myself, “This album is still pretty awesome.”

If you scoff, just listen to Yearbook.

“Master of Puppets” – Metallica

Need I say anything else? Just about every song on this album has hit heavy rotation for me at some point or another.

“Joshua Tree” – US

I first listened to this album as a teenager. My sister had a copy. I was under the impression it was a really good album. I.. didn’t get it. I listened to it, and put it back in her collection.

I didn’t listen to it again until ten years later. I got it. I completely got it. A very quiet, almost cerebral album. This isn’t an album that will get you through a struggle. This is what you listen to after you’ve won the struggle.

“Chronicle II” – Creedence Clearwater Revival

If you’ve never heard of John Fogerty or Creedence Clearwater Revival, you’re missing out on some of the best music ever written. There’s a good chance you’ve heard their music, anyway. Rolling on a River? Proud Mary? Heard It Through The Grape Vine? Hell, I’ve heard “Who`ll Stop The Rain” at arenas.

Like a tease, those songs aren’t on this album.This is essentially the second half of a best-of collection. While I was exposed to Chronicle I a long time ago, I didn’t hear this until far more recently. (Six years ago still sounds recent.) It’s like listening to the rest of an album and saying “Huh, this isn’t as good as what I heard before, but it’s so awesome to hear MORE!”

“Beaucoup Fish” – Underworld

For lack of a better way to describe this category of music, this was my introduction to techno. Before I was introduced to Fatboy Slim, let alone Daft Punk, there was Underworld. It was spring 2000, and a girl in the grade above me was RAVING about how awesome this album was. What she failed to mention what genre of music it was. I recall my first listen. “Cups” was, at the time, completely unlike anything I’d ever heard before. I’d describe most of the song as trance at best.

The way all the music was layered, my brain couldn’t help but pick apart how things followed together. Upon relistens, I could hear the music that wasn’t being played yet. While it doesn’t have the stereotypical club feel of the song “Cowgirl“, or the ultra-indie sound of “Second Toughest in the Infants” album, this is their most solid album to me.

If nothing else to pick out, there is “King of Snake“. I do remember Erin saying how this guy was older, but he could DANCE.

“Nevermind” – Nirvana

Contrary to popular belief, this isn’t a particularly angsty album. In fact, this is an extremely upbeat, poppy album. Most of the songs have gotten some form of radio airplay over the years. This is an album best listened to in your car, with the windows rolled down.

Hrm. I could save this for another time to finish, but I think I’ll just post this now and go to bed. PART DEUX TO COME!