In my life, I’ve listened to a lot of music spanning many decades and genres. Some good, some bad, but, through it all, I’ve always enjoyed sitting back and listening to a good album. If you ask anybody if they like music or not, a good chunk of us will say that our lives wouldn’t be the same without it. Many of us love to rattle off a few of our favorite bands and songs.
I would like to share some of my favorite albums. As a disclaimer, I’ve set a few basic rules to making this list.
Top Ten Greatest Albums of All Time
BY DANIEL LOPES
In my life, I’ve listened to a lot of music spanning many decades and genres. Some good, some bad, but, through it all, I’ve always enjoyed sitting back and listening to a good album. If you ask anybody if they like music or not, a good chunk of us will say that our lives wouldn’t be the same without it. Many of us love to rattle off a few of our favorite bands and songs.
I would like to share some of my favorite albums. As a disclaimer, I’ve set a few basic rules to making this list. 1.) I am only allowing one album per artist, otherwise this list would be dominated by one or two artists. 2.) No greatest hits collections for the same reason as the first rule, and 3.) I understand where my likes and dislikes in music differ from most, so I am prefacing this list by saying that these are my top 10 albums of all time, not the definitive 10 best albums of all time. With that out of the way, lets get on with the list!
#10: Van Halen, “1984” (1984)
I only recently got around to listening to this album while on my run through of most of the iconic bands of the 1980’s. But as an album, it did not disappoint at all. From the hits like “Jump” and “Panama”, to the lesser known songs like “Top Jimmy” and “Drop Dead Legs”, this album was pure energy and a joy to listen to throughout. From Eddie Van Halen’s mind blowing guitar solos to David Lee Roth’s signature high energy and loaded with talent performance, this album is a great listen from tracks 1-9. Favorite Track: “Panama”
#9: Jack White, “Lazaretto” (2014)
In Jack White’s second full length excursion into his solo career, he brought a great mixture of fast paced, bluesy rock, to more slower paced, country-esque songs. Some songs tend to drag on (Hence why it’s number 9 and not higher) but most songs are an absolute joy to listen. Jack White gave his A Game on this album and it was noticeable. Favorite Track: “That Black Bat Licorice”
#8: Jason Mraz, “Waiting For My Rocket to Come” (2002)
Jason Mraz is an incredibly talented songwriter/performer. In my opinion, this album is the height of his talent. He gives a great mix of funky guitar licks and a great vocal performance throughout the whole album. This would be higher on the list, but like Lazaretto, there are some slower songs that drag on. But other than that, it’s a terrific album.
Favorite Track: “The Remedy”
#7: The Bad Larry’s, “No Deal” (2012)
Coming in at number 7 is a bit of an unknown classic from a bit of an unknown band. The Bad Larry’s are actually a ska band from Rhode Island who unfortunately broke up in recent years. But in their time together, they produced this great album. A high energy ska album filled with great guitar riffs, fast paced drums and even some trumpets. This is a great album and what makes it even better is that it was produced from a local band.
Favorite Track: “Someday, Everything”
#6: Rush, “Moving Pictures” (1981)
Rush is a classic progressive rock band that was loaded with talent. This album was one of their best showcases of this talent. With hit tracks like “Tom Sawyer”, “Limelight”, “Red Barchetta” and my personal favorite “YYZ”, this album was a great mix of vocals, guitar solos, and an unrealistically good performance throughout by drummer Neil Peart. Every track on this record is great and it’s definitely worth the listen. Favorite Track: “YYZ”
#5: The Beatles, “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” (1967)
This may come as a shock to some people reading, considering most Beatles fans would choose Abbey Road as their favorite. However, I think that this album was better. This album included some of my absolute favorite Beatles tracks like “When I’m Sixty-Four”, “A Little Help From My Friends” and “Getting Better”. Along with Abbey Road, this is one of their most iconic albums, and my personal favorite Beatles album. Favorite Track: “When I’m Sixty-Four”
#4: Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Californication (1999)
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of my favorite bands. I love their on stage energy, songwriting, and great mix of rock with some funk roots. They’ve also produced a lot of incredible albums in their 30+ year career. This, in my opinion, is their best. From track 1 to track 15, this album is loaded with some of their best work, including the title track “Californication”, “Scar Tissue” and “Otherside”. But what really helps this album out is the support it gets from the lesser known tracks. They have other really good songs on this album like “Emit Remmus” (my personal favorite), “Easily” and “Purple Stain”. This album has just under an hours worth of content, but it’s incredibly enjoyable throughout.
Favorite Track: “Emit Remmus”
#3: Linkin Park, “Living Things” (2012)
Linkin Park was the first band I ever considered to be my favorite, so it was only right they got a spot on this list. But the biggest question was, which album? It came down to this album, Meteora and their most recent, The Hunting Party. It came down to this one because it was simply the best album of theirs in my opinion. This was their bounce back from their critically average album A Thousand Suns, and it sounded like they improved on their criticisms. Increasingly better song writing, the perfect mix of rock and techno, and Chester Benning gives another A+ effort on the vocals in this album. This is truly from front to back one of my favorite albums. Favorite Track: “Castle Of Glass”
#2: The Black Keys, “El Camino” (2011)
I recently saw the Black Keys live at the TD Garden. After that show, I made it a point to listen through a good majority of their stuff again. While going through it, I came across this incredible piece of work. Every track on this album is worth mentioning, as the Black Keys truly bring back a style of blues rock modernized like never before. Each track has it’s own certain vibe to it, and every track is a joy to listen to. Along with my favorite song from the album “Nova Baby”, this album produced many of my other favorite Black Keys songs, like “Little Black Submarines”, “Lonely Boy” and “Dead and Gone”. If anybody is ever looking to get into the Black Keys, this is the album I would recommend right away. It’s truly terrific.
Favorite Track: “Nova Baby”
#1: Foo Fighters, “The Colour and the Shape” (1997)
I’m a big Foo Fighters fan. I love their high energy hard rock vibe with tons of guitar, drums, and of course, amazing Dave Grohl vocals. In 2014, they released their newest album Sonic Highways which was very good to the point where after a few months of listening to it, it’s already an honorable mention on this list. However, it will never be able to top this. The Colour and the Shape is truly an incredible album, and a bit of a surprise, considering it was only their second studio release. But this album brings a countless amount of joy to listen through. Whether it’s my favorite song “Monkey Wrench”, or two of their critically acclaimed best songs “My Hero” and “Everlong”, everybody in this band gives an A+ worthy performance. The main highlight of this album is the dual talents of Dave Grohl (guitarist and lead vocals) and Taylor Hawkins (drummer and main backup vocals),
both giving great performances throughout. This album is simply without a doubt, my favorite album of all time.
Favorite Track: “Monkey Wrench”
Honorable Mentions:
It was incredibly hard making this list, and there were a lot of albums I had to leave out. So here are some of the best that just barely didn’t make the cut:
Nirvana, “Nevermind” (1992)
Queen, “Jazz” (1978)
Aloe Blacc, “Lift Your Spirit” (2014)
Quiet Riot, “Metal Health” (1983)
Foo Fighters, “Sonic Highways” (2014)
LEAVE ME SOME COMMENTS! Which albums would make your top ten of all time list and why?
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