50. Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home

People started getting pissed off at Dylan around this time because he *gasp* started playing electric guitar. He also wrote some more personal songs here about getting away from the whole folkie/activist scene. People whined about it which pretty much makes me agree with this move. Anyone who gets pissy about someone evolving as a person or artist deserves to be left behind in a puddle of their own tears. I like Dylan more at this point simply because the songs are even greater than his earlier work. Here we get "Subterranean Homesick Blues", "Maggie's Farm", and "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)". Plus there's inspired craziness like "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream". It's a good place to start if you're looking to get into Dylan.

51. Otis Redding - Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul

Here's another album that's mostly covers. I didn't know this but Otis Redding wrote "Respect", the one the Aretha Franklin made her own. He does a good version here, but it doesn't live up to Arefa's woman-empowerment anthem. Listening to Otis, I picture a dude sweating a lot. He wasn't smooth like Sam Cooke or sexed-up like James Brown. He was more bluesy and tormented. I liked a lot of the different arrangements he tried on some of the songs, especially how he stripped all traces of Whitey out of "Wonderful World" and made it a much more confident love song.

52. The Beach Boys - Today!

I have never liked the Beach Boys. They bother me enough that singing "Kokomo" in my presence will earn you a punch in the teeth. Basicially, there's too much Whitey here, the kind that Otis Redding could've stripped out if he had the chance. Yeah, the harmonies and melodies can be nice, but I hate that squeaky falsetto and the Chinos and penny loafers wholesomeness of it all. I can tolerate individual songs. The opening version of "Do You Wanna Dance?" sounds awesome, and I can handle "Help Me Rhonda", but "When I Grow Up to Be a Man" is a direct kick to the balls. Early on, there aren't many examples of Brian Wilson's genius, but one comes at the end when he makes everyone else shut up and takes a song by himself and plays with music effects. Hopefully there's more of that on Pet Sounds.

Up next: John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

53. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

This is another jazz album that's considered one of the best of all time. I liked what he did here in making it one huge piece, and apparently it has a spiritual theme. However, I can't really comment on it after only one listen. This is a piece that needs to be studied and interpreted. Terd made a point about this earlier, and it certainly applies to this album. I'll keep it around for more listens later.

54. BB King - Live at the Regal
I don't understand why this guy has such a great reputation as a bluesman. I think it's because he's always smiling and seems friendly and therefore white people don't feel threatened by him. He benefits from the same crowd that turns to Eric Clapton for their blues. Robert Johnson and Howlin' Wolf are too scary so they listen to Smiling Black Guy instead. Most blues guys from the mid-20th century were fucked up. They were hooked on drugs. They beat their women; did time in jail. Most died far too early. Their troubles, and by extension their blues, were real. BB King kept himself clean and opened up a series of theme clubs. I'm all for a guy having a good life, but this is all built on phony money. The album kicks off with "Every Day I Have the Blues" which is as jazzy and upbeat as it's title suggests it shouldn't be. He runs through some other slower blues songs but he's always too happy to be up there. He ain't feeling it, if you ask me. His chops aren't that great either. He knows maybe three chords, and he just bends them so you don't notice. If you want blues, go elsewhere. You do not need to listen to this album before you die.

55. The Beatles - Rubber Soul
Another great album from these guys and another big step forward. Here, they begin experimenting some with a little sitar here and some harpsichord-sounding piano there. Ringo gets to bang on some different types of percussion. The other three harmonize to a nearly transcendent level on some songs. They wrote their first non-love song ("Nowhere Man"), took a unique twist on another love song ("Norwegian Wood"), and got strangely introspective for a bunch of guys in their 20's ("In My Life"). This album hits all marks. They even let Ringo sing a song and it's not half-bad. In my opinion, the weakest song is the opener and arguably most popular song, "Drive My Car". Nothing particularly wrong with it. It's sounds like something held over from the previous year and just not as good as everything that comes later. By this point, these guys had already mastered pop music and it was time to begin experimenting.

Up next: Bert Jansch

In My Life is my #1 Beatles song. May be a little gay, but whatever.

Not at all.

Mine too

ok, now it's gay

56. Bert Jansch - Bert Jansch

Supposedly, this guy is the Scottish Bob Dylan. If you're making that comparison because they both play solo acoustic guitars, then yeah. Otherwise, it's kind of a lazy comparison. This guy is more musical and less lyrical than Dylan, as evidenced by several instrumentals on this album. He's a pretty good player, too. Unfortunately, over the course of 15 songs, this style of music gets repetitive and wears out it's welcome. It's good to have some of the tracks occasionally shuffled into your mix, but the whole album isn't necessary.

57. The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man

I'm not sure what to think of the Byrds. I'm not a big folkie to begin with, but these guys were such a huge influence on all the 80's college and 90's indie rock I listen to that it's unfair to dismiss them. I haven't listened to them outside of what's been played on the radio, but after hearing a full set, I'll concede that they're a damn fine pop band. Here they take a few Dylan songs, add Beatlesesque harmonies, and shorten the songs to pop song length. It's a toss-up on whether the impact of the songs are lessened by their brevity or strengthened by not dragging on so friggin' long. But the harmonies sure make for a pleasant listen, and that jangly 12-string is huge. There's another four albums by these guys coming up and I'm looking forward to seeing how they grow.

Up next: Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited, but first I'm gonna listen to the new Wilco.

58. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

This is probably my favorite Dylan album. Not that I'm a scholar or anything. I don't know what he's talking about most of the time. I just dig the songs a whole bunch. He goes full electric here with the exception of the 11-minute closer "Desolation Row". It's got "Like a Rolling Stone", but it's mostly bluesy the rest of the way with "Tombstone Blues", "Highway 61 Revisited", and "Tom Thumb Blues". Best might be "Ballad of a Thin Man", which is a nice, slow, vicious burn. Fantastic album. You should listen to it before you die.

Up next: The Who - My Generation

overrated

It's no St. Anger.

59. The Who - My Generation

I'm on the fence with the Who. I like them, but they're also overrated. They're simply not good enough to keep being dragged out for yet another reunion tour. In my opinion, all you need from them is Who's Next and a Greatest Hits collection. However, I'll give them credit for kicking ass on their first album. They had a nice, big, full, rockin' sound right out of the gate. Most credit goes to the rhythm section. Keith Moon was a well-documented maniac and John Entwistle showed the bass could be used for more than one or two notes per measure. These guys were simply a lot heavier than their contemporaries, and a lot more skilled at playing their instruments. The songs aren't bad. There are some classics here, but nothing else has been overlooked. It's just a standard set, but it sounds really good.

60. The Beatles - Revolver

The deeper you get into the Beatles catalog, the less likely you'll hear the songs on oldies radio. That's because they got more and more out there and experimental. By this point, they couldn't play live shows because anything less than a stadium gig would in trampled white girls. And at the time, technology couldn't broadcast to an entire stadium with any sound clarity. With no point in playing live, they retreated into the studio and recorded songs designed to sound good on record. That's how they ended up with songs like "Tomorrow Never Knows" which probably scared the crap out of some people in 1966. They were able to break new ground by recording "Eleanor Rigby" with just a string quartet. George got to do a full Indian song. Then they wedged a creepy song like "She Said She Said" between "Yellow Submarine" and "Good Day Sunshine". Anyone who wasn't already tripping was probably ready to. Revolver was the perfect prep for what was about to come.

61. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

Again, the Beach Boys...ugh. This is supposed to be one of the greatest albums of all time, and I can kinda see it. It sounds huge, and, unlike Phil Spector's stuff, it also sounds clean. There's a lot happening here with sound effects and layers of vocals and production. Unfortunately, it serves a bunch of Beach Boys songs. I can handle "Sloop John B", and I think both "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows" are among the greatest pop songs ever written. But I can't get excited about much more of it. It's a bunch of songs that sound great, but aren't particularly memorable. It's a landmark in sound and production I suppose, but it means nothing more to me.

Up next: some dude named Fred Neil

I am a fan of God Only Knows. Solid reviews.

Rubber Soul > Revolver

Yellow Submarine is a beating.

I know you like Petra Haden. Ever heard her a cappella version of it?

I like Petra, but sometimes her backup singers are a kick to me gut.

Nevertheless, they pioneered the cause of Christian metal in the 80's.

i went to a concert during my youth group times.

Oh really?

Then he discovered pot.

I think pots are good

62. Fred Neil - Fred Neil

Turns out Fred Neil is a folk singer guy who never made it big on his own. He wrote a couple songs that other people turned into big hits, but he never had one on his own. He released a few albums then quit to work with dolphins or someshit. It probably wasn't a bad idea. Aside from some neat tinkering with reverb, this is standard stuff. The songs seem more personal than political. It caught my attention twice. First was his version of "Everybody's Talkin'", which he wrote and Harry Nilsson later recorded for Midnight Cowboy. It's a great song. Then he closes the album with an 8-minute instrumental raga that's pretty cool. Other than those, nothing stuck. Maybe the dolphins liked it better.

63. The Byrds - Fifth Dimension

The Byrds show a lot of growth here. It maybe isn't as catchy as Mr. Tambourine Man, but at least it was their own songs this time. They showed a lot more confidence in their song writing, both musically and lyrically here. I got some serious flashbacks to early 90's indie rock, and I'm wondering if bands like the Connells or that band who did "Hey Jealousy" listened to anything other than the Byrds.

Up next: Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde

I didn't know that Fred Neil wrote "Everybody's Talkin'." That is a cool song. I don't remember the exact way it was done, but somehow it was made into a jingle for Braniff Airlines shortly after the song came out.

64. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde

This album finds Dylan in a more country mode and instead of political tunes, everything seems a bit more personal. The songs are more folky though he was still using a band. It was mostly recorded in Nashville which probably explains the sound. It's considered the first double album in rock music. I don't know how fair that is when the last song takes an entire album side but is only 11 minutes long. I remember vinyl and you could fit more than 11 minutes on one side. They could've thrown some extra tracks on there. Anyway, this album has that "everybody must get stoned" song on it, as well as "Visions of Johanna" and "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again". It's really good.

65. The Monks - Black Monk Time

These guys were weird. They were 5 American GIs stationed in Germany in the mid-60's, and they shaved the tops of their heads and dressed in black robes for their shows. People in Germany ate it up. It's standard 60's garage rock, really sloppy and a pre-cursor to punk. Another oddity is they had one guy playing an electric banjo. It added a cool, creepy sound to the songs, which are more chaotic than melodic. It's very unclean. It reminded me of the Hives.

Up next: The Kinks - Face to Face

Time for some catch-up.

66. The Kinks - Face to Face

I am the foremost Kinks geek in this hemisphere, so naturally I think this album is awesome. For non-geeks, it's still a really good album. They took a huge step forward here in both production and songwriting. While they weren't matching The Beatles, they were still showing a high level of creativity. The biggest leap was in subject matter. With a couple of exceptions on a 14-song album, gone are the standard songs about love and longing. When the subject is approached, it's usually a lighted-look at the aftermath ("Sunny Afternoon", "Most Exclusive Residence for Sale"). We also get songs about session men, randy bachelors ("Dandy"), rich assholes ("House in the Country"), and moody pre-Goth chicks ("Little Miss Queen of Darkness"). Musically, we get some harpsichord, a little Hawaiian boogie, and what some consider the first Eastern Indian music in a pop song ("Fancy"), though they only tuned their guitars to sound like sitars. George Harrison or Brian Jones were the first to use actual sitars, but I don't feel like looking it up. Anyway, this is a great place to start if you're looking to get into The Kinks. It has a great amount of progression while still sounding like 60's pop music.

67. The Mamas & the Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears

So sunshiney, yet so wheels off. This is one of the few groups my parents listened to that I could agree with. "Monday Monday" and "California Dreamin'" are both on here, and they're great. Otherwise, it's a lot of pretty melodies and harmonies. Some people say Cass Elliott had an amazing voice, but I can't tell the difference between the women here, I mean aside from one's hot and the other's fat.

68. Paul Revere & the Raiders - Midnight Ride

I don't remember a thing about this album. Standard 60's pop/rock group singing songs.

69. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!

No one could've been expecting this album or the turn it takes. It's a double LP with the first half being fairly straightforward. Zappa loved doo-wop and it shows on the first record with some white nerd vocal harmonies ("Go Cry on Someone Else's Shoulder", "Wowie Zowie"). The songs are funny in that he knows to poke some slight parody into an otherwise straight song. The vocals are always just slightly over the top, and no one was that great of a singer anyway. Mix that in with a few more rockin' tunes and you have a nice, if somewhat silly album. The second half is where it gets crazy. First is "Trouble Every Day", a serious song about the Watts riots. It's a good commentary about the times, but not preachy or whiny. Then for the folks who just dropped a tab, there's "Help I'm a Rock" and "It Can't Happen Here" which pretty much give the album its name. They give the first glimpse into the crazy arrangements Zappa would become famous for starting with his next album. This is a good place to start with Zappa as it shows a few different sides of him at once. Crazy, man.

70. The Rolling Stones - Aftermath

The Stones made a big jump here, as well. Everything is original (I think) and they show strong enough songwriting to make their first really good/great album. "Paint It Black" kicks it off, and it's simply one of their best songs, showing off their bad side to The Beatles's good. Brian Jones made a bigger contribution here. He wasn't much of a songwriter, but he could play nearly any instrument you handed him. Some think his contributions are overrated, but he added a lot to their sound with extra instrumentation. He probably would've been a great producer had he lived longer. Other highlights are "Stupid Girl", "Flight 505", "Under My Thumb", and "I Am Waiting". It's also got the 11-minute closer "Going Home", which is awesome.

71. Simon & Garfunkel – Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme

Please don't call me a candyass because I like Simon & Garfunkel. I simply can't understand how one wouldn't appreciate a song like "Homeward Bound". Ok, "Scarborough Fair" is kind of a beating, I'll give you that. And I'm still not sure about Garfunkel's role aside from singing harmony. But Paul Simon was not only a great songwriter, but a terrific guitarist. He doesn't get to show that off on the hits, but you hear it in the deep tracks. In fact, in the deep tracks is where a lot of the fun is. They have a Bob Dylan parody in there that's right on target, and then they close the album by singing Silent Night over a newscast. Weird, yeah, but I like it.

More coming...

I was hoping I'd get a twirl.

How could anyone hate Simon and Garfunkel.

72. The 13th Floor Elevators - Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

This one goes out to TxWriter who always championed Roky Erickson. Turns out he was right. This is some good stuff. It's psychedelic, but it doesn't have that it's-the-60's-all-we're-all-trying-something-new vibe. It sounds more natural, like it's played by a bunch of guys who've been there and know how to communicate a feeling. Best are the longer instrumental tracks where the band can just find a groove and jam. It never sounds forced, and doesn't sound like they just added an extra layer of somethingness onto an old blues track. Plus they had a dude who played the electric jug. I can't imagine how that was done, but it sounds cool. It's like an extra higher-pitched bass sound. This is cool stuff and I enjoyed it a lot.

73. John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers - Bluesbreakers

I didn't like this much at all, and that's not just because Eric Clapton was in on it. I could barely tell he was there, in fact. This was regular old bar blues. You do not need to listen to this album before you die. Instead, go down to Wizards or any other working-class bar hosting a bring-in-the-weekend party and listen to the band they hired for the night. They'll play Pride and Joy for you or maybe a song about pushing a plow and it'll sound like what you get from Messrs. Mayall and Clapton.

74. The Yardbirds - The Yardbirds or 1st Album or Roger the Engineer

Best part of this album is Eric Clapton wasn't on it. He left the group and Jimmy Page stepped in to play alongside Jeff Beck. Sounds awesome, right? It's just okay. Neither guy gets to show off much. The band was still in garage mode. The singer sounded like he was in another room. That's the problem with these old mono recordings that now are played in stereo. It might be best to listen to this on original vinyl somewhere, but it didn't leave enough of an impression to drop money on a turntable.

75. Nina Simone - Wild Is the Wind

That's no woman. That's a man, baby! At least she sounds like one most of the time. I've heard great things about Nina Simone, but this was my first time with her, and I didn't know what to think. She can sell a song, but she's scary as hell. Not in a Big Mama Thornton "I'm-a kick yo ass" way, but more of a "love me or I'll shit on your pillow and put another pillow on top of it and then you'll lay down on it and feel the squish then smell it and jump up and scream you disgusting bitch" kinda way. She's up to no good and in a weird way is all I'm sayin'. Just kinda got that vibe.

76. Astrud Gilberto - Beach Samba

This is a chick who sang "The Girl from Ipanema". They brought her in to sing that when she had no singing experience or vocal training. It became a huge hit so she got to record her own albums. This album is more light Latin pop. Oddly, I liked this one enough that I'm keeping it in rotation. More importantly, I get no weird vibes from her. I found her and the album as a whole rather charming.

77. Nico - Chelsea Girl

If you've heard The Velvet Underground, chances are you're familiar with Nico. She's the German chick who sings like a more masculine Elmer Fudd. She's an acquired taste that I've never fully grown used to. With VU, she at least had Lou Reed's awesome songs to sing. The songs aren't as strong here and she grows rather tiresome before long. Apparently, she wasn't a fan of this album as she wanted more guitar and drums and the producers put in more strings and flutes. The rule should be if the artist doesn't like the album, it shouldn't be on the list.

78. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

I don't know what to say about this one except it's fantastic and you absolutely need to listen it. It's odd that an album that arguably has some shitty songs can work so well from start to finish. You never queue up "Within You Without You" on a whim so you can rock out to it, but it fits perfectly in the middle of the album. It's way too long and threatens to grind things to a halt, yet it sounds so right coming between "Mr Kite" and "When I'm 64". "Mr Kite" is crazy enough to prep you for it and "64" is silly enough to pick you up afterward. My favorite moment is when the 3rd verse of "A Day in the Life" starts, right after Paul's bridge. It's all about to wind down and we get one final verse before the sound builds up and dissolves into infinity. At the beginning of that verse, I get a moment of reflection on how perfect the whole performance has been. I only get it when I hear the entire album straight through. It's difficult to describe, but when I reach that point after 45 minutes, I feel like I've just witnessed mastery. I'll stop talking out of my ass now.

79. Country Joe and the Fish - Electric Music for the Mind and Body

If stuff like this that makes me think that Baby Boomers think too fondly of their youth. There is nothing special going on here, but these guys were political in the late 60's, so all you assholes today should listen to it. Well, it's standard blues and no one gives a shit about Vietnam anymore, so can we please stop overrating every band who played at Woodstock? You know who else played at Woodstock and gets no love? Sha Na Na. Why don't they get an album on here? Greasy guys in gold lame > acoustic douche activists in need of a flea dip.

One more then we'll be caught up...

That's ok

I'm doing this for somey. You shouldn't cross him.

A Day in the Life is my favorite Beatles song.

Top 10

80. Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield Again

This band had Neil Young and Stephen Stills. Both are super-talented, but they did better stuff. Buffalo Springfield was together for a couple years, released 3 albums, and had one hit "For What It's Worth". They should've been a minor footnote in the history of rock music as the band who had Stills and Young in it before Crosby and Nash came along, but somehow these guys made it into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame based on two so-so albums and one good song. I'm no fan of Rush, but how do they not even get considered when Buffalo Springfield is in with such a paltry resume. Fuck Jann Wenner is all I'm saying.

81. Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Safe As Milk

Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica is the one album often considered a classic that most people couldn't sit through. I've listened to it a few times and while I feel like there's something there, I still can't make heads or tails of it. But more on that at a later date. Safe As Milk is their first album and it's not all that weird. It's more of a slight twist on the blues and pretty cool. I liked hearing where they started. It's a bit unusual, but not crazy. They saved that for later.

82. Moby Grape - Moby Grape

Really? Moby Grape? That's all you kids could come up with? Sometimes you guys didn't do enough drugs. I can't remember anything about the music and I just listened to it yesterday.

83. Love - Da Capo

This total hippie band was better than you'd think. They had their moments of aggression culminating in the great song "Seven and Seven Is". The 18-minute epic "Revelation" is a cool freakout that doesn't become overbearing. Then I discovered I recognized one song from a cover on a Hooters album in the mid-80's. So I'm admitting I owned a Hooters album in the mid-80's. Sue me.

84. The Beau Brummels - Triangle

Another hippie folk band who neither impressed me nor raised my ire. I deleted it after listening.

85. The Monkees - Headquarters

Yes, they were a band formed by auditions for a TV show. The show was dumb, but the band wasn't bad at all. Lots of good songs, mostly written and played by themselves. It's all teen heartthrob stuff, but it's catchy and inoffensive. And call me gay, but "Daydream Believer" is a top 5 song for me. Yeah, the guy who loves Ween also loves "Daydream Believer". It's a perfect pop song. I even like the Anne Murray version. One last thing, I got to hear on this album where that "Mr. Dobalina, Mr. Bob Dobalina" bit came from on that Del tha Funkee Homosapien track. I like finding where the samples come from.

Ok, I'm finished...for today.

86. Tim Buckley - Goodbye and Hello

This guy first popped onto my radar about 20 years ago when someone gave me a book about rock music and he got a bit of ink. I was intrigued by the album covers they showed which made him come across as an early-70's Smiling White Guy soft rock wimp. He was much more acclaimed than that, but I never caught up with his music. Closest I came was checking out his son, Jeff Buckley's album, which was a minor hit in the mid-90's and has grown in stature since. Daddy Tim released 9 albums during his career before he died of drug/alcohol overdose at 28. That's a lot of music to release by such a young age. This one came out when he was only 20 and he was already a mature singer and songwriter. The music is largely acoustic, but it's not soft rock wimpiness. He stretched out his songs to epic length at times and made some crazy arrangements. The title track especially is all over the place, but in a cool way. I liked some of the simpler tunes best like "Pleasant Street" and "Once I Was". I look forward to hearing more from this guy.

87. Love - Forever Changes

I've listened to this album a few times before. It's always on these Best Of lists, so I finally made it a point to check it out. Da Capo was the other one here, and I liked it maybe a bit more than this one at first, but I think it's just more accessible. On Forever Changes, they built on the experimentation of the crazy 18-minute closer on the previous album. There are a lot of strings used here as they did away with typical instrumentation. It starts slowly with a lot of the slower, melodic tunes bunched at the front, but it makes for a cool buildup toward the climax at the end. I don't know about the best album of all time, but it's growing on me over time. It's worth a listen, preferably before you die.

88. Cream - Disraeli Gears

Here's an oddity: An Eric Clapton album I can tolerate. That's mostly because it's a harder rock album built off of blues instead of merely mimicking the blues. Clapton doesn't show off so much and let's himself be part of the band, which is a good idea because it's a pretty damned good band. Ginger Baker was a hell of a drummer, and one of those rare players who knows how to add to the sound without making it all about himself. (Think John Bonham and not Keith Moon.) This is a cool, heavy album, and it's got "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine of Your Love" on it, which aren't as big of beatings as you think.

Up next: Trippin' with Pink Floyd, selling out with The Who, and shootin' drugs with The Velvet Underground

way to keep the forum alive.

I keep it alive by posting here and not --->

yea, somey