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Okay, my favorite 20 albums in the past 20 years:
Radiohead:Kid A After OK Computer you just knew their next album was gonna suck . . . and it didn't . . . amazing!
Beck:Sea Change Cools me down in the summer, warms me up in the winter.
Eazy-E:Eazy duz it Summer. 1990. Blowing up stuff at the golf course. And listening to Eazy-E.
Oasis:What's the Story Mornin' Glory - Anthemic, cheesy, derivitive. Call it what you will, I'm "mad fer it!"
Nirvana:Nevermind The Nirvana "phenomenon" was the first time I understood how my parents felt about music in the 60's.
Weezer:Pinkerton Brilliant lyrics, unique production quality, not a single on the album.
G'n'R':Appetite for Destruction Axl kept the tapes rolling while he banged some chick in the studio. Her "vocal track" made the album. I was 13 when this all happened. How cool is that?
Martin Finke:Untended Stories Irish singer songwriter that we discovered in our favorite pub in Cambridge, MA. Never seen him play to a crowd larger than about 30 people. Bought this CD out of his backpack. It makes me forget that I don't believe in a soul.
Massive Attack:Mezzanine Sexy, scary, beautiful.
Stereolab:Mars Audiac Quartet They put out so many goddamned CD's it's hard to pick one, but this CD defined a good year and 1/2 of my life.
Wu-tang Clan: Enter the 36 Chambers Shaolin shadowboxing, and the Wu-Tang sword style: If what you say is true, the Shaolin and the Wu-Tang could be dangerous:Do you think your Wu-Tang sword can defeat me?
Weezer:Blue Album I had never heard a song by Weezer but knew I'd like them just from the album cover. I've been a sucker for their marketing and pop rock ever since.
Beastie Boys:Pauls Boutique Boys will be boys and boys will paint their neighbors windows with a combination of paint, motor oil, and apoxy just for kicks.
Smashing Pumpkins:Siamese Dream Holds up over time better than "Nevermind" . . .I think. Still listen to this one often. Best "grunge-alt-rock-pre-1994-album?" yeah, maybe.
Sonic Youth:Daydream Nation My first thought was "Yeah! Daydream Nation!" But then I realized that I liked Sister and EVOL better and they were both out in time to make this list. But then I had too many albums and couldn't choose between the two. So, I don't think I can go wrong with this pick.
The Cure:Disintegration Head on the door was too early to make the list, and though Kiss me kiss me kiss me is just epic, Disintegration taught me how to mope, my favorite passtime. Plus I dressed up as Robert Smith for halloween once . . .un-ironically.
Tribe Called Quest:Low End Theory Scenario blew my mind. The rest of the album taught me that hip-hop was about more than just funky-cold-medina and spanish fly.
PiXies:Surfa Rosa There was a rumor he was into field hockey players . . .
Green Day:Dookie I had never played guitar before, but one day I went out and bought a shitty stratocaster copy, got home, put on Dookie, and was able to play through the entire album after about 1/2 an hour.
Radiohead:OK Computer God I hated "Creep." And I hated those pretensious Irish college student assholes playing that song on their acoustic guitar in a pub in Limerick. And I hated that asshole's goddamned lazy eye. Now, Radiohead is my favorite band and this is my favorite album.
AND THEN . . .
Here's the last five that got cut as I was culling down my list:
Postal Service
Get up Kids: Something to Write Home about
Jeff Buckley:Grace
Liz Phair:Exile in Guyville
NoFX:Punk in Drublic
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