This ought to spark some conversation These are not my picks, but an interesting list, nonetheless. Obviously, it's alphabetical, not heirarchical (?). The Rough Guide to Rock: 100 Essential CD's ---------------------------------------- 1 AC/DC Back In Black 2 Aphex Twin / The Richard D James Album 3 Bad Brains / Bad Brains 4 Bauhaus / Press The Eject And Give Me The Tape 5 The Beach Boys / Pet Sounds 6 The Beatles / Revolver 7 Beck / Odelay 8 Chuck Berry/ The Great 28 9 Big Brother And The Holding Company / Cheap Thrills 10 Bikini Kill / The CD Version Of The First 2 Records 11 The Birthday Party / Junkyard 12 Bjork / Debut 13 Black Sabbath / Vol IV 14 David Bowie / Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars 15 James Brown / Star Time 16 Jeff Buckley / Grace 17 Buzzcocks / Singles Going Steady 18 John Cale / Fear 19 Can / Tago Mago 20 Captain Beefheart / Trout Mask Replica 21 Chemical Brothers / Exit Planet Dust 22 The Clash / London Calling 23 Elvis Costello / My Aim Is True 24 Cure / Mixed Up 25 Dead Kennedys / Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables 26 Dexys Midnight Runners / Searching For The Young Soul Rebels 27 The Doors / The Doors 28 Nick Drake / Bryter Later 29 Bob Dylan / Bringing It All Back Home 30 Echo And The Bunnymen / Crocodiles 31 Brian Eno / Here Come The Warm Jets 32 Marianne Faithfull / Broken English 33 The Fall / Grotesque (After The Gramme) 34 Gang Of Four / Entertainment! 35 Happy Mondays / Pills'n'Thrills and Bellyaches 36 Jimi Hendrix / Are You Experienced? 37 Hole / Live Through This 38 HŸsker DŸ / New Day Rising 39 Jane's Addiction / Nothing's Shocking 40 The Jesus and Mary Chain / Psychocandy 41 Joy Division / Unknown Pleasures 42 King Crimson / In The Court Of The Crimson King 43 Kraftwerk / Trans-Europe Express 44 Led Zeppelin / III 45 Leftfield / Leftism 46 John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band 47 Little Richard / 22 Classic Cuts 48 Love / Forever Changes 49 Madonna / Like A Prayer 50 Massive Attack / Blue Lines 51 Minutemen / Double Nickels On The Dime 52 Joni Mitchell / The Hissing Of Summer Lawns 53 Van Morrison / Astral Weeks 54 Neu! / Neu! 55 New York Dolls / New York Dolls 56 Nirvana / Nevermind 57 Oasis / Definitely Maybe 58 The Orb / The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld 59 Pavement / Slanted And Enchanted 60 Pere Ubu / The Modern Dance 61 Pet Shop Boys / Very 62 Pink Floyd / The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn 63 Pixies / Trompe Le Monde 64 PJ Harvey / Dry 65 Iggy Pop / Lust For Life 66 Elvis Presley / Sunrise: The Sun Sessions 67 Pretenders / Pretenders 68 Primal Scream / Screamadelica 69 Prince / Sign O' The Times 70 Prodigy / The Fat Of The Land 71 Public Image Limited / Second Edition/Metal Box 72 Pulp / Different Class 73 Radiohead / The Bends 74 Ramones / Ramones 75 Lou Reed / Transformer 76 R.E.M / Murmur 77 Rolling Stones / Exile On Main Street 78 Roxy Music / For Your Pleasure 79 Sex Pistols / Never Mind The Bollocks 80 Jane Siberry / When I Was A Boy 81 Sleater Kinney / Call The Doctor 82 Patti Smith / Horses 83 The Smiths / Hatful Of Hollow 84 Sonic Youth / Daydream Nation 85 Spiritualized / Ladies And Gentlemen 86 Steely Dan / Pretzel Logic 87 The Stone Roses / The Stone Roses 88 The Stooges / The Stooges 89 Suicide / Suicide 90 T Rex / Electric Warrior 91 Talking Heads / Remain In Light 92 Television / Marquee Moon 93 Tortoise / Millions Now Living Will Never Die 94 Tricky / Maxinquaye 95 The Velvet Underground / The Velvet Underground 96 Tom Waits / Rain Dogs 97 The Who / Who's Next 98 Wire / Pink Flag 99 Robert Wyatt / Rock Bottom 100 Young Neil / Tonight's The Night
Madonna Sucks and Like A Prayer isn't even her best Album. Her 1st Album is. No Bruce. Bjork: a weird beoach yes. A rock star I think not. In the immortal words of Jim Carrey, Would it KILL ya to play a little FOGhat ever now and then? Amended in lue of the velvet underground spot.
Velvet's on there. I missed the fact that Bruce is ignored. That's pretty bad. "Darkness On The Edge of Town" is arguably his high-water mark and deserving of a spot. Like Madonna's inclusion, Oasis' being on the list is a dirty crime. But at least she was a significant influence on American culture and the music business. The list is heavily weighted towards the last 15 years. It's fun to analyze....
I agree, she's a little odd. But she's also *terrifically* talented. That Homogenic album... f*cking great... better than Debut, I think. So ******* boring to have My Aim is True as the Elvis album. Come on, the Attractions aren't even on it! 'Well, usually the first album is the best, so let's list that one!' Lazyasses.
weird list. the beatles with only one album? acutally it looks like there's no artist with more than one. led zeppelin III over II or IV? not for me at least. anyways good to see my fave album: oasis- definitely maybe.
I agree that the Beatles deserve more than one. They did so well as an "album" band. I don't understand Led Zep III - I've got a bunch of their albums and I would choose I or IV or Houses of the Holy. Also, somebody explain to me how "Exile on Main Street" deserves a spot over "Let it Bleed?" I own them both, plus other Stones albums....I've never understood the cult of Exile on Main Street.
Definitely, Imperial Bedroom over My Aim is True but I also dig the compilation "Girls, Girls, Girls." Maybe the list makers didn't want to include compilations.
Any top rock list that doesn't have Guns N' Roses' "Appetite for Destruction" automatically loses credibility and is ranked as tabloid.
Was this list created by a Brit? Who else would include Oasis, Primal Scream, the Happy Mondays and Dexy's Midnight Runners instead of U2, Soundgarden and (even though I'm not a big fan) Bruce Springsteen? Also, what is up with all the non-rock selections (Madonna, Massive Attack, Tricky)?
No Master of Puppets, no Ride The Lightning, no Quadrophenia, no Ten... no Love, by The Cult?!? given the bands that are on the list, then I would think Songs in The Key Of Life could be included too. Nice to see Husker Du get some props.
Interesting list....I have 34 of these albums. Rock is such a broad term and to include Tricky, Kraftwerk (pleasantly surprised to see them on the list), Leftfield (them too), Bjork, and Massive Attack is really "stretching" it. A couple of comments on some things: 1) I'm sorry but "The Richard D. James Album" by Aphex Twin is NOT his best album! "I Care Because You Do" along with "Selected Ambient Works 85-92" and "Selected Ambient Works, Vol II" are better. 2) "The Bends" are great but you have to have "OK Computer" on there somewhere! 3) Where is "Blonde on Blonde" or "Blood on the Tracks"? 4) "Led Zeppelin III" was one of LZ's weaker albums I thought. 5) "All Mixed Up" by The Cure?? Are you f*cking kidding me?? That is a damn REMIX album!!!! "Disintegration" is the obvious choice to replace that choice and any other Cure CD like "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" and "p*rnography" (hell all of them for the most part) are better than a goddang remix album. 6) "Louder Than Bombs", "The Queen Is Dead", and "Meat Is Murder" are all better albums by The Smiths than "Hatful of Hollow" (although that is still a good CD). 7) Where was U2 and most importantly, Smashing Pumpkins?? Also, Nine Inch Nails and New Order probably should have made this list when you look at some of the other artists that did.
Ah, hell, I should have put this in earlier, but here is a link (5 separate ones) to what I feel are my 250 best albums:
That list is a load of **** These are good albums but ROCK? This isn't even the Pixies best album. Looking back at the list it's close to alphabetical order. Someone looked at their CD's and decided to make a Top 100 list.
You are exactly right, VP. I cannot believe that anyone would think that album is better than "Surfer Rosa" or "Doolittle".
Among other exclusions, I think the biggest is Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", Peter Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive", and anything from Supertramp ("Paris") or Styx ("Pieces of Eight").
