Friday, March 30, 2007

Adrian Denning: Top 100 All-Time Albums

Adrian Denning:

Top 100 All-Time Albums

Adrian Denning was (he passed away in 2021) a British music critic who maintained his own personal website (launched in 2001) with album reviews. The list below comes from his site. The links on this page go to DMDB pages devoted to those albums, but if you go to Denning’s original page, you can click on his reviews for each album.

Check out other best-of album lists by individuals/critics here.

1. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
2. The Beatles Revolver (1966)
3. The Stone Roses The Stone Roses (1989)
4. The Smiths The Queen Is Dead (1986)
5. The Who Who’s Next (1971)
6. The Byrds The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968)
7. Joy Division Closer (1980)
8. Pixies Doolittle (1989)
9. Radiohead OK Computer (1997)
10. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band Trout Mask Replica (1969)

11. Yes Fragile (1971)
12. The Beach Boys Sunflower (1970)
13. The Divine Comedy Promenade (1994)
14. Nick Drake Five Leaves Left (1969)
15. The Wedding Present Seamonsters (1991)
16. Tom Waits Alice (2002)
17. Brian Wilson Smile (2004)
18. Nick Cave The Boatman’s Call (1997)
19. The Kinks Muswell Hillbillies (1971)
20. Yes Relayer (1974)

21. Randy Newman Sail Away (1972)
22. George Harrison All Things Must Pass (1970)
23. Frank Zappa 200 Motels (1971)
24. David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
25. The Beach Boys Friends (1968)
26. Denim Back in Denim (1992)
27. Scott Walker Scott 4 (1969)
28. Yes Close to the Edge (1972)
29. Bob Dylan Desire (1976)
30. Nick Drake Pink Moon (1972)

31. Neil Young Tonight’s the Night (1975)
32. Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention We’re Only in It for the Money (1968)
33. Pink Floyd The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
34. The Boo Radleys Giant Steps (1993)
35. The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
36. Van Morrison Astral Weeks (1968)
37. Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
38. The Byrds Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)
39. Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (1966)
40. Fairport Convention Full House (1970)

41. The Fall Extricate (1990)
42. Genesis The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)
43. Pixies Trompe le Monde (1991)
44. The Kinks Something Else (1967)
45. Joe Meek & the Blue Men I Hear a New World: An Outer Space Music Fantasy (1960)
46. The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers (1971)
47. Sparks Kimono My House (1974)
48. Van Der Graaf Generator The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other (1970)
49. The Cure Disintegration (1989)
50. Joy Division Unknown Pleasures (1979)

51. Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti (1975)
52. The Libertines The Libertines (2004)
53. Tori Amos From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998)
54. XTC Skylarking (1986)
55. Stereolab Dots and Loops (1997)
56. My Bloody Valentine Loveless (1991)
57. Pink Floyd The Wall (1979)
58. Richard & Linda Thompson I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974)
59. Velvet Underground & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
60. Sparks Lil’ Beethoven (2002)

61. Augustus Pablo King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (1976)
62. Tindersticks Tindersticks (1993)
63. U2 Achtung Baby (1991)
64. Erykah Badu Baduizm (1997)
65. Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2 (1994)
66. The Auteurs New Wave (1993)
67. The Beach Boys Surf’s Up (1971)
68. Belle & Sebastian If You’re Feeling Sinister (1996)
69. Frank Black Teenager of the Year (1994)
70. Band of Bees Sunshine Hit Me (2002)

71. Bellowhead Burlesque (2006)
72. Broadcast Haha Sound (2003)
73. David Bowie Hunky Dory (1971)
74. Nick Cave Tender Prey (1988)
75. Eliza Carthy Red/Rice (1997)
76. David Bowie Diamond Dogs (1974)
77. Cocteau Twins Heaven or Las Vegas (1990)
78. Ani DiFranco Educated Guess (2004)
79. Polvo Today’s Active Lifestyles (1993)
80. The Fall Dragnet (1979)

81. Felt Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death (1986)
82. T-Rex Electric Warrior (1971)
83. Tom Waits Small Change (1977)
84. Wire Chairs Missing (1978)
85. Eric Dolphy Out to Lunch! (1964)
86. Eric B. & Rakim Paid in Full (1987)
87. The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin (1999)
88. The Fall Hex Education Hour (1982)
89. Paul McCartney & Wings Band on the Run (1973)
90. Fairport Convention Liege and Lief (1969)

91. Felt Forever Breathes the Lonely Word (1986)
92. The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
93. Felt Poem of the River (1987)
94. The Kinks Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
95. King Crimson Red (1974)
96. The High Llamas Hawaii (1986)
97. Ride Nowhere (1990)
98. Ron Sexsmith Ron (1995)
99. The Velvet Underground White Light/White Heat (1967)
100. Ramones End of the Century (1980)


Resources and Related Links:


First posted 12/12/2021.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver released

Sound of Silver

LCD Soundsystem


Released: March 20, 2007


Peak: 46 US, 28 UK


Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.1 UK


Genre: electronica/dance punk


Tracks:

Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.

  1. Get Innocuous! (James Murphy, Tyler Pope) [7:11]
  2. Time to Get Away (Murphy, Pope, Patrick Mahoney) [4:11]
  3. North American Scum [5:25] (2/28/07, 40 UK)
  4. Someone Great [6:25] (10/22/07, --)
  5. All My Friends (Murphy, Mahoney, Pope) [7:37] (5/28/07, 41 UK)
  6. Us v. Them (Murphy, Mahoney, Pope) [8:29]
  7. Watch the Tapes [3:55]
  8. Sound of Silver [7:07]
  9. New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down (Murphy, Mahoney, Pope) [5:35]
Songs written by James Murphy unless noted otherwise.


Total Running Time: 55:55


The Players:

  • James Murphy (vocals, synthesizers, drums, percussion, bass, programming, etc.)
  • Tyler Pope (guitar, bass, etc.)
  • Patrick Mahoney (drums, percussion)
  • Nancy Whang (vocals)

Rating:

4.034 out of 5.00 (average of 21 ratings)


Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album:

“James Murphy had proven his kung fu as the most badass electro-punk producer in clubland. But not even fierce fans dreamed he’d make a masterpiece like Sound of Silver.” RS’20 “Every track sounded like a different band’s greatest hit.” RS’20 “Compared to the first LCD Soundsystem album, Sound of Silver is less silly, funnier, less messy, sleeker, less rowdy, more fun, less distanced, more touching. It is just as linked to James Murphy’s record collection, with traces of post-punk, disco, Krautrock, and singer/songwriter schlubs, but the references are evidently harder to pin down; the number of names dropped in the reviews published before its release must triple the amount mentioned throughout ‘Losing My Edge.’ There’s even some confusion as to which version of David Bowie is lurking around.” AMG

“One clearly evident aspect of the album is that Murphy has streamlined his sound. All the jagged frays have been removed, replaced by a slightly tidier approach that is more direct and packs more punch. Murphy comes across as a fully naturalized producer of dance music – especially on Get Innocuous! – as opposed to a product of ‘90s indie rock who has made a convincing switch-up.” AMG

“And yet, the album’s best song is sad, should not be played in any club, and it at least matches the work of any active songwriter who has been praised.” AMG Someone Great is a “synth-pop breakup lament” RS’20 “built on swelling synthesizers and a dual vocal-and-glockenspiel melody, could definitely be about a devastating breakup (‘To tell the truth I saw it coming / The way you were breathing’), at least until ‘You’re smaller than my wife imagined / Surprised you were human,’ which could mean the song either took a turn for the absurd or is about the death (and funeral) of a loved one. Either way, it is the most moving song Murphy has made, and it only helps further the notion that he should be considered a great songwriter, not simply a skilled musician with a few studio tricks and the occasional clever quip.” AMG

“The closer, New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down, seals it: ‘New York, you’re perfect, oh please don’t change a thing/ Your mild billionaire mayor’s now convinced he’s a king/ And so the boring collect – I mean all disrespect/ In the neighborhood bars I’d once dreamt I would drink.’ If he keeps it up, he’ll be writing songs for Pixar by 2020.” AMG

The album also includes the “political punk goof North American ScumRS’20 andAll My Friends, a “song for the ages…[with] huge, sweeping, ferociously emotional, with disco keyboards and rock guitars pulsing as Murphy looked back on a youth of killer parties and silent mornings.” RS’20

Resources and Related Links:


First posted 3/30/2010; last updated 4/27/2022.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame/NARM’s Definitive 200 Albums

First posted 3/6/2007; updated 8/12/2020.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame/NARM:

The Definitive 200

On March 6, 2007, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame revealed their Definitive 200 “list of 200 albums and soundtracks that should be in every music collection.” NP “The albums and their rankings…were determined by a committee comprising a cross-section of NARM member music retailers.” MW Established in 1958, NARM “is a not-for-profit trade association that serves the music retailing community in the areas of networking, advocacy, information, education and promotion…[Members] operate 7,000 storefronts that account for almost 85 percent of the music sold in the U.S. market.” DN

1. The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
2. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
3. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)
4. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
5. U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)
6. The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street (1972)
7. Carole King Tapestry (1971)
8. Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
9. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
10. Nirvana Nevermind (1991)

11. Pearl Jam Ten (1991)
12. The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)
13. Santana Supernatural (1999)
14. Metallica Metallica (aka “The Black Album”) (1991)
15. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975)
16. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984)
17. AC/DC Back in Black (1980)
18. The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed (1969)
19. The Doors The Doors (1967)
20. The Grateful Dead American Beauty (1970)

21. Shania Twain Come on Over (1997)
22. The Who Who’s Next (1971)
23. Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
24. Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977)
25. Pink Floyd The Wall (1979)
26. Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill (1995)
27. Norah Jones Come Away with Me (2002)
28. Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
29. OutKast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
30. Dr. Dre The Chronic (1992)

31. Beastie Boys Licensed to Ill (1986)
32. Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)
33. Dixie Chicks Wide Open Spaces (1998)
34. Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959)
35. Eagles Hotel California (1976)
36. Def Leppard Hysteria (1987)
37. Various Artists (Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta, et al) Grease (soundtrack, 1978)
38. Marvin Gaye What’s Going On (1971)
39. The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
40. Various artists (Bee Gees et al) Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 1977)

41. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967)
42. The Beatles Revolver (1966)
43. Boston Boston (1976)
44. Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet (1986)
45. U2 Achtung Baby (1991)
46. Whitney Houston Whitney Houston (1985)
47. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II (1969)
48. Dave Matthews Band Crash (1996)
49. The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers (1971)
50. Green Day Dookie (1994)

51. Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy (1973)
52. Joni Mitchell Blue (1971)
53. Elvis Presley The Sun Sessions (archives: 1954-55, released 1976)
54. Aerosmith Toys in the Attic (1975)
55. Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
56. Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
57. 50 Cent Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ (2003)
58. AC/DC Highway to Hell (1979)
59. The Notorious B.I.G. Life after Death (1997)
60. Van Halen Van Halen I (1978)

61. Green Day American Idiot (2004)
62. Black Sabbath Paranoid (1970)
63. Eminem The Eminem Show (2002)
64. Jewel Pieces of You (1995)
65. Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
66. Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell (1977)
67. Usher Confessions (2004)
68. Kid Rock Devil Without a Cause (1998)
69. George Harrison All Things Must Pass (1970)
70. Billy Joel The Stranger (1977)

71. Eagles Hell Freezes Over (live/studio, 1994)
72. Van Morrison Moondance (1970)
73. R.E.M. Automatic for the People (1992)
74. Phil Collins No Jacket Required (1985)
75. Metallica Master of Puppets (1986)
76. Faith Hill Breathe (1999)
77. Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison (1968)
78. John Coltrane A Love Supreme (1965)
79. Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here (1975)
80. Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979)

81. Marvin Gaye Let’s Get It On (1973)
82. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band Night Moves (1976)
83. Paul Simon Graceland (1986)
84. Linkin Park Hybrid Theory (2000)
85. Prince 1999 (1982)
86. Def Leppard Pyromania (1983)
87. Janet Jackson Control (1986)
88. Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
89. Dire Straits Brothers in Arms (1985)
90. Tupac Shakur (2pac) All Eyez on Me (1996)

91. Matchbox 20 Yourself or Someone Like You (1996)
92. Red Hot Chili Peppers Californication (1999)
93. Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti (1975)
94. Nelly Country Grammar (2000)
95. Creed Human Clay (1999)
96. The Clash London Calling (1979)
97. Celine Dion Falling into You (1996)
98. Neil Young Harvest (1972)
99. Various Artists Dirty Dancing (soundtrack, 1987)
100. Dixie Chicks Home (2002)

101. Tom Petty Full Moon Fever (1989)
102. Van Halen 1984 (1984)
103. James Horner (composer) Titanic (soundtrack, 1997)
104. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Déjà Vu (1970)
105. TLC Crazy Sexy Cool (1994)
106. Beck Odelay (1996)
107. Kenny G Breathless (1992)
108. N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton (1989)
109. Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
110. The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965)

111. Radiohead OK Computer (1997)
112. Simon & Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
113. Dixie Chicks Fly (1999)
114. Metallica …And Justice for All (1988)
115. Michael Jackson Dangerous (1991)
116. Mariah Carey Daydream (1995)
117. Various Artists Top Gun (soundtrack, 1986)
118. Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
119. The Police Synchronicity (1983)
120. No Doubt Tragic Kingdom (1995)

121. The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet (1968)
122. R. Kelly R. (1998)
123. Tool Lateralus (2001)
124. Oasis What’s the Story Morning Glory (1995)
125. Bob Marley & the Wailers Exodus (1977)
126. Journey Escape (1981)
127. Christina Aguilera Christina Aguilera (1999)
128. Jay-Z The Blueprint (2001)
129. Alicia Keys The Diary of… (2003)
130. Various Artists O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack, 2000)

131. The Cars The Cars (1978)
132. Enya A Day without Rain (2000)
133. Natalie Cole Unforgettable…With Love (1991)
134. Various Artists: Footloose (soundtrack, 1984)
135. Lionel Richie Can’t Slow Down (1983)
136. Sarah McLachlan Surfacing (1997)
137. Bonnie Raitt Nick of Time (1989)
138. Metallica Ride the Lightning (1984)
139. Sheryl Crow Tuesday Night Music Club (1993)
140. Frank Sinatra In the Wee Small Hours (1955)

141. Earth, Wind & Fire Gratitude (1975)
142. ZZ Top Eliminator (1983)
143. Willie Nelson Red Headed Stranger (1975)
144. John Lennon Imagine (1971)
145. Toni Braxton Toni Braxton (1993)
146. Etta James At Last (1961)
147. Elvis Presley Elvis Presley (aka Rock ‘N’ Roll) (1956)
148. Cat Stevens Tea for the Tillerman (1970)
149. Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)
150. Dave Brubeck Time Out (1959)

151. Janet Jackson janet. (1993)
152. Queen A Night at the Opera (1975)
153. Ozzy Osbourne Blizzard of Ozz (1980)
154. Will Smith Big Willie Style (1997)
155. Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987)
156. Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
157. Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975)
158. George Michael Faith (1987)
159. Boyz II Men Cooleyhighharmony (1991)
160. Destiny’s Child The Writing’s on the Wall (1999)

161. Jay-Z The Black Album (2003)
162. Avril Lavigne Let Go (2002)
163. The Fugees The Score (1996)
164. Madonna Like a Virgin (1984)
165. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin I (1969)
166. Stevie Ray Vaughn Texas Flood (1983)
167. Stone Temple Pilots Core (1992)
168. Original Cast Phantom of the Opera (Highlights)
169. Jethro Tull Aqualung (1971)
170. Tupac Shakur (2pac) Me Against the World (1995)

171. David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
172. Shakira Laundry Service (2001)
173. Various Artists Forrest Gump (soundtrack, 1994)
174. Al Green Call Me (1973)
175. Curtis Mayfield Superfly (soundtrack, 1972)
176. Live Throwing Copper (1994)
177. George Benson Breezin’ (1976)
178. The White Stripes White Blood Cells (2001)
179. Lynyrd Skynyrd Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd (1973)
180. Sade Diamond Life (1984)

181. Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac (1975)
182. Paul McCartney & Wings Band on the Run (1973)
183. Beyoncé Dangerously in Love (2003)
184. Anita Baker Rapture (1986)
185. Nas Illmatic (1994)
186. Barbra Streisand A Star Is Born (soundtrack, 1976)
187. Earth, Wind & Fire That’s the Way of the World (soundtrack, 1975)
188. Anita Baker Rhythm of Love (1994)
189. Jay-Z In My Lifetime Vol. 1 (1997)
190. Ll Cool J Mama Said Knock You Out (1990)

191. Steely Dan Aja (1977)
192. Willie Nelson Stardust (1978)
193. Aretha Franklin Sparkle (1976)
194. Andrea Bocelli Andrea (2004)
195. Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
196. Luther Vandross Never Too Much (1981)
197. U2 All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)
198. Rush 2112 (1976)
199. OutKast Aquemini (1998)
200. Grand Funk Railroad We’re An American Band (1973)


Resources and Related Links:

Arcade Fire released sophomore album Neon Bible

First posted 8/17/2010; updated 9/8/2020.

Neon Bible

Arcade Fire


Buy Here:


Released: March 6, 2007


Peak: 2 US, 2 UK, 11 CN, 7 AU


Sales (in millions): 0.44 US, -- UK, 1.06 world (includes US and UK)


Genre: alternative rock


Tracks: (Click for codes to singles charts.)

  1. Black Mirror (1/22/07, –)
  2. Keep the Car Running (3/19/07, #32 MR, 56 UK, 41 CN)
  3. Neon Bible
  4. Intervention (5/21/07, #81 UK)
  5. Black Wave/ Bad Vibrations
  6. Ocean of Noise
  7. The Well and the Lighthouse
  8. Antichrist Television Blues
  9. Windowsill
  10. No Cars Go (8/6/07, #85 UK)
  11. My Body Is a Cage


Total Running Time: 47:03

Rating:

4.243 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings)


Quotable:Neon Bible takes a few spins to digest properly, and like all rich foods…it’s as decadent as it is tasty.” – James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide


Awards:

About the Album:

“When Montreal’s Arcade Fire released Funeral in 2004, it received the kind of critical and commercial acclaim that most bands spend their entire careers trying to attain. Within a year the group was headlining major festivals and sharing the stage with U2 and New York City’s ‘two Davids’ (Bowie and Byrne), all the while amassing a devoted following that descended upon shows like sinners at a tent revival, engaging in the kind of artist appreciation that can easily turn to a false sense of ownership.” JM

“On their alternately wrecked and defiant follow-up, Neon Bible, one can sense a bit of a Wall being erected (Win Butler’s Roger Waters/ Bruce Springsteen/ Garrison Keillor-style vocal delivery notwithstanding) around the group. If Funeral was the goodbye kiss on the coffin of youth, then Bible is the bitter pint (or pints) after a long day’s work.” JM

“The brooding opener, Black Mirror, with its sinister ‘Suffragette City’-inspired groove and murky refrain of ‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall/ Show me where them bombs will fall,’ sets an immediate world-weary tone that permeates that majority of Neon Bible’s Technicolor pages.” JM

“As expected, those sentiments are amplified with all of the majestic and overwrought power that has divided listeners since the group’s ascension to indie rock royalty, but despite a tendency toward midtempo balladry and post-fame cynicism, they’re anything but dull. It’s the triumphant orchestral remake of live staple No Cars Go and the infectious Keep the Car Running – the latter sounds like a 21st century update of John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band’s ‘On the Dark Side’ – that will most appeal to Funeral fans, and when the bottom drops out a minute and a half into the pipe organ-led Intervention and Butler wails ‘Who's gonna reset the bone,’ it’s hard not get caught up in all of the dystopian fervor.” JM

Black Wave/ Bad Vibrations and The Well and the Lighthouse continue the band’s explorations into progressive song structures and lush mini-suites, the thunder-filled Ocean of Noise is reminiscent of Bossanova-era Pixies, and the stark (at first) closer My Body Is a Cage straddles the sawhorse of earnest desperation and classic rock & roll self-absorption so effortlessly that it demands to be either turned off or all the way up.” JM

Neon Bible takes a few spins to digest properly, and like all rich foods (orchestra, harps, and gospel choirs abound), it’s as decadent as it is tasty – theatricality has never been a practice that the collective has shied away from – but there’s no denying the Arcade Fire’s singular vision, even when it blurs a little.” JM

Resources and Related Links:


Related DMDB Link(s):