100 Greatest Rock Albums: #1-20

I just started a new job selling insurance at Allstate (shameless plug: Call me if you need an auto/home/renters/life/etc. quote. I'll save you some money. 432 682 3472. Ask for Brad). With this new desk job came the ability to listen to music while I work. I wanted to school myself on some of the greatest albums ever written, so I used Rolling Stones' Top 100 Albums as a reference. 

I've been writing short reviews of the albums - nothing super critical, ground breaking, or in depth - just my basic opinion and recommendation. I started at #1 and I'm working my way down the list to #100. The Beatles' albums are not available on Spotify, so I am skipping over those. Here's my reviews of the top twenty.

#1 The Beatles, "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - Beatles albums are not available on Spotify.

#2 The Beach Boys, "Pet Sounds" - Regarded as the most widely influential album of all time, "Pet Sounds" is one you have to listen to start to finish.

#3 The Beatles, "Revolver"

#4 Bob Dylan, "Highway 61 Revisited" - "Ballad of a Thin Man" is an unbelievably cool song. The best thing I've hear so far on the two albums.

#5 The Beatles, "Rubber Soul"

#6 Marvin Gaye, "What's Going On?" - So, the Beatles have 3 of the top 5 albums. On to #6: Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On." This one is fantastic!!! Gaye is the King of Cool.

#7 Rolling Stones "Exile on Main Street" - Just finished this Rolling Stones' album - #7 on the list. I can see why its the highest rated Stones' record. Absent of any huge radio hits, but filled with great song after great song. Heavy blues/rock stuff here. A real winner.

#8 The Clash "London Calling" - At first I didn't see the appeal of this album or this genre. I just don't like punk or ska. But being a historian, I looked up the history of the band and the album. It all makes sense now. The band recorded the album in desperation. The Clash were battling with their record company and in serious debt. England's unemployment numbers had reached an all time high, and drug abuse, overdoses, and poverty were rampant in the streets of London. Out of this social and economic darkness comes a pounding, grungy sound that is always moving forward, gaining momentum. It's hope in the future without ignoring the present. I still don't like it, but I can appreciate where it came from and what its saying.

#9 Bob Dylan "Blonde on Blonde" - Didn't like this Dylan album as much as the first one. The highlights were "Rainy Day Woman #12 and 35" (Everybody Must Get Stoned) and "Obviously Five Believers." The Beatles' "White Album" is #10, so I'll be skipping to #11.

#10 The Beatles "White Album"

#11 Elvis Presley "The Sun Sessions"

#12 Miles Davis, "Kind of Blue" - #11 was an Elvis album that wasn't available on Spotify, so I moved on to Miles Davis at #12. This one is really genius. Davis gave the band a rough idea of what he wanted each song to sound like and they pretty much improvised the entire album. John Coletrane on sax is amazing too. You really need to take some time and listen to this one.

#13 The Velvet Underground, "The Velvet Underground & Nico" - This album was a total flop when it first came out. Now its considered the most forward thinking album of all time. It defined sounds of rock and roll that wouldn't surface until the early 90s. Will be tough for casual rock fans to listen to, but I liked it a lot. Produced by Andy Warhol himself, this album is freakin' nuts.

#14 The Beatles, "Abbey Road"

#15 The Jimi Hendrix Experience, "Are You Experienced?" - This is one of my favorite albums ever. 'Hey Joe' is one of the coolest songs on the face of the earth. Fo' realz though... if you haven't ever listened to this one, give it a try. As you listen, think of the guitar and drums as dueling solos.

#16 Bob Dylan, "Blood on the Tracks" - This has been my favorite Bob Dylan album so far. Lots of heartbreak in this one.

#17 Nirvana, "Nevermind" - Growing up as a child of the '90s, no other album has made more of an impact on my life than Nirvana's "Nevermind." Cobain, Noveselic, and Grohl shaped a generation's musical taste, and this album was the cornerstone of the new rock and roll sound.

#18 Bruce Springsteen, "Born to Run" - The Boss. The amount of instrumentation and production on every song is impressive. Overall I didn't care for it. I wouldn't recommend this album.

#19 Van Morrison, "Astral Weeks" - Two not-so-great albums in a row. Astral Weeks started really strong with the title track jumping the album off. Then it all went downhill. Didn't really enjoy this one either.

#20 Michael Jackson, "Thriller" - Masterpiece. Enough said.

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