Favorite music
Sort by:
Showing 1-50 of 186
Rating:
List Type:

TOP 20
This was only supposed to be 100 albums, but it clearly ballooned from there. Here are 200 of my favorite albums from across the decades, genres, and the world. Why 200? I donât have a particularly good answer other than if itâs good enough for Rolling Stone, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Uncut, and various others to do, then it is good enough for me.
Any album was up for inclusion, and I didnât want to limit it to just studio albums, so thereâs a healthy smattering of EPs, live albums, and compilations. I tried to stick to one solid rule throughout: only one album per artist. That doesnât mean that several people donât appear twice, but their work as a solo artist and their original band arenât the same thing. A loophole? Probably.
I did try to keep the live albums, EPs, and compilations to a minimum, but sometimes thatâs the best showcase for an artist. Be it Johnny Cash performing for inmates and cohering his persona, Motown divas the Supremes delivering a string of perfect singles in various incarnations, or Ronnie Spector flirting with punk on her best solo work; you canât argue with great music just because it doesnât fit a prescribed form.
Every album has one song highlighted as its âcrown jewel.â The only exception is the Top 10, which have two songs highlighted. Why? Because theyâre my best of the best of this expansive list.
Enjoy your reading!
TOP 20
As it stands right now, think of these as my "desert island discs." The indispensable, the ones that made the biggest emotional impact on my life, the ones that I can return to at any point in time.
Any album was up for inclusion, and I didnât want to limit it to just studio albums, so thereâs a healthy smattering of EPs, live albums, and compilations. I tried to stick to one solid rule throughout: only one album per artist. That doesnât mean that several people donât appear twice, but their work as a solo artist and their original band arenât the same thing. A loophole? Probably.
I did try to keep the live albums, EPs, and compilations to a minimum, but sometimes thatâs the best showcase for an artist. Be it Johnny Cash performing for inmates and cohering his persona, Motown divas the Supremes delivering a string of perfect singles in various incarnations, or Ronnie Spector flirting with punk on her best solo work; you canât argue with great music just because it doesnât fit a prescribed form.
Every album has one song highlighted as its âcrown jewel.â The only exception is the Top 10, which have two songs highlighted. Why? Because theyâre my best of the best of this expansive list.
Enjoy your reading!
TOP 20
As it stands right now, think of these as my "desert island discs." The indispensable, the ones that made the biggest emotional impact on my life, the ones that I can return to at any point in time.
Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
During the earliest writing sessions for Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson turned to his then-wife and said, âIâm gonna make the greatest album! The greatest rock album ever made!â Inspired by the Beatlesâ Rubber Soul, a record that he believed to have no-filler, Wilson wanted to top it, to bring a new maturity and depth to pop song craft. I like to think he accomplished all of his goals, and that quote is true for me.
I firmly believe that Pet Sounds is the greatest album ever made, a work of exquisite artistry and beauty. The type of immaculate artwork that comes along once in a generation, if youâre lucky. Listening to this album is the closest I ever get to prayer, it touches me that deeply.
I distinctly remember my first listening experience with Pet Sounds. Having been a casual fan of their work, I knew of the Beach Boys mostly as surf-pop enthusiasts with song after song about girls, cars, and the mythology of California, and I wanted to check out more of their work. I knew this was frequently thrown around as their best album, and one of the all-time greats.
READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE
Download: âGod Only Knows,â âIâm Waiting for the Dayâ
I firmly believe that Pet Sounds is the greatest album ever made, a work of exquisite artistry and beauty. The type of immaculate artwork that comes along once in a generation, if youâre lucky. Listening to this album is the closest I ever get to prayer, it touches me that deeply.
I distinctly remember my first listening experience with Pet Sounds. Having been a casual fan of their work, I knew of the Beach Boys mostly as surf-pop enthusiasts with song after song about girls, cars, and the mythology of California, and I wanted to check out more of their work. I knew this was frequently thrown around as their best album, and one of the all-time greats.
READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE
Download: âGod Only Knows,â âIâm Waiting for the Dayâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Purple Rain - Prince & the Revolution, Prince
Prince, the diminutive sex god of rock, led a varied and long musical career, but no moment capture the zeitgeist quite like Purple Rain, both the semiautobiographical film and the corresponding soundtrack. 1999 primed Prince for his launch into the stratosphere and out from the critical and cult following, and Purple Rain delivered the goods over nine songs of impeccable musical dexterity, hooks upon hooks, and instantaneous pop classics. Here is an album that contains no less than âBaby, Iâm a Star,â âI Would Die 4 U,â âThe Beautiful Ones,â and âLetâs Go Crazy,â any other album would be lucky to have just one of those, and these arenât even the biggest and brightest songs in this exquisite jewel of an album. If nothing else, Purple Rain proved that Prince was the greatest of all-time, most notably though his guitar wizardy like the ending flourish of âComputer Blue.â This is one of those rare albums that never feel long enough, that you just want to keep going so you let it finish then start it over again and again happily getting lost in the sustained luxury of the Purple Oneâs towering artistic genius.
Download: âPurple Rain,â âWhen Doves Cryâ
Download: âPurple Rain,â âWhen Doves Cryâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Low - David Bowie
The Berlin Trilogy: Low, Heroes, Lodger
David Bowieâs career is astonishing not just for its sheer output but for the consistently high-quality of his material, and no period better demonstrates his full range as a pop cultural mover and shaker than the Berlin triptych. As if recording these albums wasnât enough, he also managed to appear in films (Just a Gigolo), television specials (the infamous Christmas duet with Bing Crosby), and produce albums (Iggy Popâs one-two punch of The Idiot and Lust for Life). The trilogy begins with Low, an album thatâs half fractured avant-rock and half chilly electronic instrumentals that pointed towards previously unexplored territories for what a rock song/album could be. He followed that up with Heroes, the only part of the trilogy recorded entirely in Berlin, which contains what is arguably his greatest song in the sweeping, stormy, triumphant love story of the title track. And closes it out with Lodger, an album that has been destined for a critical re-evaluation since the moment of its release with material thatâs some of the most glorious (âBoys Keep Swingingâ) and obtuse (âYassassinâ) pop heâs ever recorded.
Download: âHeroes,â âSound and Visionâ
David Bowieâs career is astonishing not just for its sheer output but for the consistently high-quality of his material, and no period better demonstrates his full range as a pop cultural mover and shaker than the Berlin triptych. As if recording these albums wasnât enough, he also managed to appear in films (Just a Gigolo), television specials (the infamous Christmas duet with Bing Crosby), and produce albums (Iggy Popâs one-two punch of The Idiot and Lust for Life). The trilogy begins with Low, an album thatâs half fractured avant-rock and half chilly electronic instrumentals that pointed towards previously unexplored territories for what a rock song/album could be. He followed that up with Heroes, the only part of the trilogy recorded entirely in Berlin, which contains what is arguably his greatest song in the sweeping, stormy, triumphant love story of the title track. And closes it out with Lodger, an album that has been destined for a critical re-evaluation since the moment of its release with material thatâs some of the most glorious (âBoys Keep Swingingâ) and obtuse (âYassassinâ) pop heâs ever recorded.
Download: âHeroes,â âSound and Visionâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Parallel Lines - Blondie_III
Producer Mike Chapman found Blondie to be sloppy in their execution but knew a diamond in the rough when he heard it, and itâs his tough love that propelled Blondie from downtown art-pop into the purveyors of New Wave to the masses. Equal credit goes to lead singer and icon Debbie Harry as she fused glamourous indifference to a tough punk ethos, and Parallel Lines is a testament to her artistic fearlessness. Her vocal range runs the gamut from one-woman-girl-group sweetness (âSunday Girlâ) to riotous snarl (âOne Way or Anotherâ) with a few pit stops at garage rock dominatrix (âJust Go Awayâ) and untouchable pop goddess (âPretty Babyâ) along the way. Matching her is a group of musicians that lay down tracks just as smart, sexy, and ironic as Harryâs vocals and lyrical ruminations effectively launching the New York demimonde into the mainstream. The pop genius of Parallel Lines provided the roadmap that countless artists have followed ever since, just look at the careers of Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Shirley Manson, and others too numerous to count.
Download: âHeart of Glass,â âFade Away and Radiateâ
Download: âHeart of Glass,â âFade Away and Radiateâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Rock Steady - No Doubt
Blender described Gwen Stefani as âJean Harlow on a skateboardâ during this era, and it remains one of my favorite summaries of her personality to date. No Doubt always aimed for the musical polymath style of forefathers like Blondie, the Police, and the English Beat, and no album proved their potential to live up to those lofty goals better than Rock Steady. The colorful, sunny personality of the group dominates as Rock Steady reveals itself as a collaborative effort, far more carefree and unconstrained than prior albums and all the richer for it. Where else could you hear William Orbitâs Eurodisco (âMaking Outâ), Sly & Robbieâs reggae (âUnderneath It Allâ), Steely & Clevieâs dancehall (âStart the Fireâ), Nellie Hooperâs moody sounds (âHella Goodâ), Ric Ocasekâs twitchy New Wave (âPlatinum Blonde Lifeâ), and a surprise appearance from the GOAT Prince (âWaiting Roomâ) jammed together on one album? Thatâs the genius of Rock Steady, it encompasses all of the bandâs various styles and influences then spits them back out in a fun party album thatâs drunk on ocean waves and rum.
Download: âDonât Let Me Down,â âRock Steadyâ
Download: âDonât Let Me Down,â âRock Steadyâ
JxSxPx's rating:

London Calling - The Clash
London Calling is the moment the Clash took the punk scene from the grimy underground and shot it into the stratosphere â artistically, critically, even got a Top 30 hit in the States with âTrain in Vain.â Made in dire financial straits and under incredible personal duress, London Calling can easily play like a pirate radio station beaming out from the post-apocalyptic world, but that doesnât entirely account for that seed of optimism within the fury. From the cover referencing Elvis Presleyâs first album to the general aura and belief in the power of rock and roll to battle back the darkness, the Clash make their claim for legendary status throughout. They succeeded by sticking their punk sound through a musical prism and seeing what genre experiments emerged: multilingual rock (âSpanish Bombsâ), reggae (âRudie Canât Failâ), chant-worthy near-pop (âLost in the Supermarketâ), and boozy pub-rock (âDeath or Gloryâ). âClampdownâ positioned a question â âWhat are we gonna do now?â â and the Clashâs answer was to make punk rockâs variation of Pet Sounds, now thatâs daring.
Download: âLondon Calling,â âHatefulâ
Download: âLondon Calling,â âHatefulâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Like a Prayer - Madonna
From her self-titled debut straight through to True Blue, Madonna had used each of her prior albums as a building block towards complete musical and cultural dominance, and then she got deeply personal, cohesive, and confessional on Like a Prayer, an album thatâs basically a blueprint for the modern pop star. She infamously told Rolling Stone that she âliked the challenge of merging art and commerce,â and Like a Prayer was proof-positive that she knew what she was doing and doing it exceptionally well. For all of her vocal limitations, few other singers could match her intensity of feeling on âPromise to Try,â soulfulness on âKeep It Together,â call to arms on âExpress Yourself,â or reveal the cracks and vulnerabilities as candidly as she does on âSpanish Eyes.â She meets up with Prince (yes, THAT Prince) on âLove Songâ and the 80s biggest cultural provocateurs marry their volcanic sensuality and tortured spirituality on one of the albumâs strongest hidden gems. And in the title track she crafted her greatest artistic statement, a song that works on multiple levels: the sacred, the heartfelt, the profane, and the celebratory.
Download: âLike a Prayer,â âLove Songâ
Download: âLike a Prayer,â âLove Songâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Specials - The Specials
The Specials are the eternal torch bearers of 2-Tone ska music, the pivot point at which punkâs aggression and the jaunty beat of reggae merge into something completely unique and unexpected. At once as danceable as it is likely to incite a mosh-pit, The Specials is a ferocious blast of youthful disenchantment and aggravation funneled into bouncy beats, high-octane energy, and several bits of political sloganeering. And this biracial group has a lot of energy, check the way they blast through originals (âNite Klub,â âStupid Marriageâ) and a bevy of covers (âDo the Dog,â âToo Hotâ) like theyâre the Clash, and a lot of antiracist sentiment (âDoesnât Make It Alrightâ). Thank producer Elvis Costello for being smart enough to merely kick back and observe the recordings, offering a few helpful tidbits but mainly sitting back and letting the wild, manic energy of their live shows bound out of the speakers. The drabness, ennui, and madness of Thatcherite England skanks the night away on the Specials debut album.
Download: âToo Much Too Young,â â(Dawning of a) New Eraâ
Download: âToo Much Too Young,â â(Dawning of a) New Eraâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Los Angeles - X
The Los Angeles-based junkyard Beat poets John Doe and Exene Cervanka married seedy, deadpan tales of the lost souls of the City of Angels to a breakneck rockabilly beat, effectively bolting country musicâs romantic distress to hard-hitting punk rock into something fresh and dangerous. Los Angeles comes thundering out the gate with âYour Phoneâs Off the Hook, But Youâre Not,â a perfect demonstration of everything X has to offer: Billy Zoomâs frantic guitar, DJ Bonebrakeâs pile-driving drums, and Doe and Cervanka trading barbs and spiky harmonies. Hollywood sleaze has never sounded quite as deadly as it does on âNauseaâ and âSugerlight,â nor has romantic melodrama ever sounded as corrosively funny as it does during âSex and Dying in High Society.â We may never get a coherent answer to Cervankaâs intonations on âThe Worldâs a Mess; Itâs in My Kiss,â but it is abundantly that she wants to take you on a trip to hell, beyond and back. A standard bearer for the West Coast scene, and one of the all-time greatest punk albums.
Download: âThe Worldâs a Mess; Itâs in My Kiss,â âLos Angelesâ
Download: âThe Worldâs a Mess; Itâs in My Kiss,â âLos Angelesâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me - The Cure
Grandiose mopey pop theatrics that shake the rafters as often as they weep into the ocean, the Cure catapulted themselves into the major leagues with this gargantuan album of tortured love songs. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is the rare case of more actually being better with catchier hooks, more sonic experiments, louder guitars, and more long musical introductions or breakdowns that give these songs more thorns and snap than would otherwise be present. Just when you think you have got a handle on where the songs are going, youâll get smacked with a sharp left turn either lyrically or sonically that keeps you guessing as to where Robert Smith is trying to take you. Donât worry baby, just kick back and enjoy the pictures that heâs painting as the various views are so wonderfully, wonderfully pretty. Of course, it all comes to a dizzying head on âJust Like Heaven,â the song that even Smith admits is âthe best pop song the Cure has ever done,â and thatâs no small feat considering this album alone contains âCatch,â âThe Perfect Girlâ and âHow Beautiful You Are.â
Download: âJust Live Heaven,â âOne More Timeâ
Download: âJust Live Heaven,â âOne More Timeâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Blue - Joni Mitchell
A song cycle, primarily written on a European vacation, reflecting on Joni Mitchellâs love labors lost and won (mostly lost) and still somehow even more intimate than that summary may suggest. The minimalist approach reflects the confessional nature of her lyrics, and the simplicity of the music hits you hardest when Mitchell is at her most tender, both lyrically and vocally. With nary a stray note or unnecessary syllable, Blue is a towering achievement and proof positive of the power of poetic economy, and it remains one of the most profoundly moving and personal listening experiences youâll ever encounter.
Download: âAll I Wantâ
Download: âAll I Wantâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
Itâs the underlining tension between the glossy harmonies and the interpersonal dramatics on display throughout Rumours that give it its particular energy and spiky pop grandeur. My personal favorites are the Stevie Nicks songs, but Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVieâs contributions are just as ecstatically ornate and groovy, further proof that theyâre better as a dynamic, combustible group than they are as individuals. Look at âThe Chain,â the gangâs-all-here composition about betrayal where the fury of the performances rubs against the sunny Californian production in delirious friction.
Download: âGold Dust Womanâ
Download: âGold Dust Womanâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Back to Black - Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse looked like a tattooed Ronnie Spector and sang like Sarah Vaughan over a jukebox banging out retro-soul and pop ditties, but this is no pastiche album. Back to Black drips with Winehouseâs heartache and pain, style and sass, and her humor and attitude shine bright throughout, but itâs that combination of her unique voice and musical muscularity thatâs at once forward-thinking and backwards-leaning that was so special. We lost someone really unique and gifted, yet this album remains burning brightly as a testament to her genius.
Download: âBack to Blackâ
Download: âBack to Blackâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Radio City - Big Star
Power popâs supreme band is the missing link between the British Invasion and New Wave, and they accomplished this by finessing their pop inspirations to their Memphis roots and adding a dash of early-rock and roll varnish. âWhatâs Going Ahnâ and âIâm in Love with a Girlâ are teenage anthems filled with bliss and heartache, while âO, My Soulâ and âBack of a Carâ are addictive blasts of eccentric rock. Big Star didnât sell during their heyday, but their inspired take on rock and roll has proved seminal with Radio City being the definitive power pop album.
Download: âSeptember Gurlsâ
Download: âSeptember Gurlsâ
JxSxPx's rating:

...Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica... - The Ronettes
When you hear the Ronettes sing it paints a picture in your mind of a trio of young girls harmonizing on a neon lit street corner, hair piled high atop their heads, wearing too tight black dresses with spike heels, and their winged eyeliner like a switchblade. Super-producer Phil Spector builds his Wall of Sound brick-by-brick around Ronnie Spectorâs powerful belts and deeply sensual phrasing, her voice a thing that combines New Yawk sass and kittenish glee into sweet-tart bliss on immortal songs like âWalking in the Rainâ and âBaby, I Love You.â This is what pop perfection sounds like.
Download: âBe My Babyâ
Download: âBe My Babyâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Pretenders - The Pretenders
From the opening snarl of âPreciousâ to the final pounding of âMystery Achievement,â the self-titled debut from the Pretenders remains a forceful and hit filled experience. But the true allure of the Pretenders remains Chrissie Hynde, a biker-chick tough exterior wrapped around a tender heart and deep vulnerability. For all her Johnny Rotten-like scowls (âUp the Neck,â âThe Phone Callâ), and there are a lot of them on this record, there is also a clear sense of melody and song craft that owes a tremendous debt to pop music (âBrass in Pocket,â âLovers of Todayâ).
Download: âTattooed Love Boysâ
Download: âTattooed Love Boysâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Beautiful Garbage - Garbage
Shirley Manson had this to say about the bandâs most divisive record: âI have a soft spot for Beautiful Garbage â I think we all do in the band, actually.â Same Shirley, and it is in the way that the robotic sadomasochism of the prior records, the overwhelming sense of threatening sexuality, alienating depression, and oppressive darkness thaws into something approximating human warmth, tenderness, and honesty. The band (and Mansonâs vocals in particular) demonstrate a versatility here thatâs quite astonishing, accomplished, and, yes, beautiful.
Download: âCherry Lips (Go Baby Go)â
Download: âCherry Lips (Go Baby Go)â
JxSxPx's rating:

This Year's Model - Elvis Costello
The Attractions were the secret ingredient to really make Elvis Costelloâs acidic songs sting, and they prove an indispensable backing band on everything from spongy reggae (â(I Donât Want to Go to) Chelseaâ), bristly punk (âPump It Upâ), and twitchy New Wave (âYou Belong to Meâ). Itâs a skinny tied bludgeoning with Costelloâs disgusted lyrics sharpened to such a fine point you wonât even notice when he goes in for the kill. This Yearâs Model is the thinking manâs punk album with its richness of lyrical dexterity, musical assault, and pervading sense that itâs all so nasty and pitched at such a gallop itâll combust at any moment.
Download: âRadio, Radioâ
Download: âRadio, Radioâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Give Up - The Postal Service
Ben Gibbard, with his soft, sensitive voice, sounds right at home on this album of retro synthpop that swirls, pulsates, and sounds like it was beamed in directly from 1985. The romantic yearning of âClark Gableâ recalls a more literal-minded Roxy Music, while âNothing Betterâ is a forlorn Human League tribute, and âNatural Anthemâ sounds like something Talk Talk would have cooked up in their more experimental years, but itâs not all 80s appropriation and reverie. Itâs for the best that the Postal Service only managed to produce one perfect album as its alchemical magic of Gibbardâs warble, whimsy, and retro synth burbles walks such a tightrope that performing the trick twice would only dim this ensemble of bright, shiny pop masterpieces.
Download: âWe Will Become Silhouettesâ
Download: âWe Will Become Silhouettesâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Celebrity Skin - Hole
It doesnât matter how much pop finish is plastered over these metal-leaning and punk-annex guitar riffs, thereâs no repressing a hellion like Courtney Love from wailing in anger and anguish. The production gives her the chance to live out her Stevie Nicks fantasies on sunny pop songs like âHeaven Tonightâ and âAwful,â while her trademark Dorothy Parker-like acidic wit and rage is evident in blistering songs like âBoys on the Radioâ and âCelebrity Skin,â and she gets downright tender on âNorthern Star.â This isnât a sellout record by any stretch of the imagination, this is what it sounds like when Loveâs wild child id successfully marries her Top 40 aspirations.
Download: âMalibuâ
Download: âMalibuâ
JxSxPx's rating:


All the rest
Here are the 180 albums that have also made a lasting imprint on my life. So many of these came close to cracking the Top 10, but tough choices had to be made.
20th Century Boy: The Ultimate Collection - Marc Bolan, T. Rex
Marc Bolan and T. Rex released several great albums (T. Rex, Electric Warrior, The Slider, Tanx), but nowhere was the power and might of their glammed out guitar licks and androgyne, boa-accented fae allure better displayed than in their singles. Bolanâs lyrics are often obtuse empowering his gibberish with emotive heft through sheer charisma and a sexuality that wafted out the speakers. Crafting a coherent single-disc collection of their biggest hits is a daunting task, but this one succinctly sums it all up in 75 glorious minutes.
Download: â20th Century Boyâ
Download: â20th Century Boyâ
JxSxPx's rating:

20th Century Masters â The Millennium Collection... - The Waitresses
They burned out fast after only two studio albums, but the Waitresses left behind a series of dry, bratty, snarky New Wave classics that are indelible to the genre and the popular lexicon. This has got everything you need: their masterpiece (âI Know What Boys Likeâ), their sitcom theme (âSquare Pegsâ), holiday staple (âChristmas Wrappingâ), and plenty of feminine tales spiked with punk-adjacent attitude (âWise Up,â âWasnât Tomorrow Wonderful,â âA Girlâs Gotta Doâ). Patty Donahueâs playful voice, capable of being aggressive, sexual, disaffected, sometimes all at once, gives these songs the extra punch necessary to go from âenjoyableâ to âearworm.â
Download: âBruiseologyâ
Download: âBruiseologyâ
JxSxPx's rating:

21 - Adele
Everyone know that Iâm a sucker for a tortured love song, for practically performing an autopsy on a failed romance and trying to explain to myself just where it all went wrong and why. Clearly, Adele is a kindred spirit if these ten original compositions and complete reworking of a beloved Cure staple is any indication. 21 is a collection of fiery, stubborn, heartbroken songs that build organic instrumentation around her voice, a big, emotive thing that blisters in fury before wavering in deep ache and melancholy.
Download: âRumour Has Itâ
Download: âRumour Has Itâ
JxSxPx's rating:

25 All-Time Greatest Hits - The Shirelles
They transitioned from schoolgirls doing doo-wop harmonies to pop sophisticates armed with songs by the likes of Goffin/King and Bacharach/David all the while being the architects of the girl group sound and look, so all hail the Shirelles. Their sound, a mixture of naivety and girlish innocence with a rich inner emotional life, kept the rock and roll fires burning in the period between Elvisâ initial explosion and the eventual British Invasion. All their colossal hits and several lesser-known greats, itâs an indispensable hour of vulnerable, tender, sweet, and warmly rich pop music.
Download: âWill You Love Me Tomorrowâ
Download: âWill You Love Me Tomorrowâ
JxSxPx's rating:

40 Greatest Hits - Hank Williams
Hank Williamsâ special brand of no bullshit Americana breathed with a folksy, meditative sound that was a blend of honky tonk, gospel, blues, and an early, primitive form of rock and roll that blazed the path for others to walk through. 40 Greatest Hits reveals the poetic simplicity of Williams as a writer, and demonstrates all of his thematic obsessions from heartache (âWhy Donât You Love Meâ) to ramble rousing (âMove It on Overâ) to a raw emotional state (âIâll Never Get Out of This World Aliveâ) that underscores the hint of danger throughout. He died before the advent of the full-length album, but this set collects all of the killer material for your enjoyment.
Download: âYour Cheatinâ Heartâ
Download: âYour Cheatinâ Heartâ
JxSxPx's rating:

40 Oz. to Freedom - Sublime
Sublimeâs debut album works perfectly as a soundtrack to a day hanging out at the beach and/or the skate park. It is the sound of days spent driving along the southern Californian coast, drinking too much, smoking even more, and hanging out with friends lazily making music in the living room or garage. But the true genius of the album is how Sublime merges together hardcore punk, ska, dub, reggae, and hip-hop to create something unique and it is my choice for their greatest sonic document.
Download: âDJsâ
Download: âDJsâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Aaliyah - Aaliyah
Aaliyahâs self-titled third, and final, album found the hip hop and soul starlet drafting the meeting point between the sensuality of Marvin Gaye, the pop dynamics of Janet Jackson, and the sonic cosmos of Missy Elliott and Timbaland and essentially staking her claim for eventual pop dominance. Aaliyahâs vocals are both dulcet and lithe gliding on top of the snaking, glitching beats and exploring darker, more mature, self-possessed, and sensual themes than what she had been previously known for and marked a towering artistic triumph. The sound and aura of the album has made a lasting impression as it can be heard in the likes of Solange, Tinashe, and Kelela.
Download: âRock the Boatâ
Download: âRock the Boatâ
JxSxPx's rating:

America's Sweetheart - Courtney Love,Patty Schemel,Linda Perry_IV,Samantha Maloney,Jerry Best,Chris Whitemyer,Emilie Autumn
Reaction to Courtney Loveâs first (and only, so far) solo album was a decidedly mixed affair with Spin giving it a rave, Rolling Stone a pan, and NME landing squarely in the middle, just to give a brief overview. And itâs no surprise as the album sounds like a battered, bruised hooker teetering down the Sunset Strip, strung out on coke and pills, and raving about the hell sheâs been through before finding herself alone as the dawn rises over the remnants. Loveâs ethos has always been something of a contradictory âbe the bitchâ and âgirl power,â and Americaâs Sweetheart from its title on down is a pure distillation of her fragmented, disastrous, entirely surviving persona.
Download: âBut Julian, Iâm a Little Bit Older Than Youâ
Download: âBut Julian, Iâm a Little Bit Older Than Youâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Anthology - Diana Ross & the Supremes
Three girls from Detroit took the baton from the Shirelles and became an assembly line of hit singles, rivaling only the Beatles for chart dominance during the 60s, and finessing the girl group look and sound into a form that numerous others are still trying to emulate. When Diana Ross coos the word âbabyâ on these songs, and it is quite often, itâs one of the most sublime moments in pop music. 50 songs of glamour and heartbreak from three girls from the Detroit ghetto that batted super-sized eyelashes while dressed as untouchable pop goddesses â this is essential listening.
Download: âBaby Loveâ
Download: âBaby Loveâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Arkology - Lee "Scratch" Perry
One phrase comes up repeatedly when looking into Lee âScratchâ Perryâs legacy and influence: reggaeâs mad-scientist producer, and the honorific is entirely earned. Not only is he one of the pioneers of the dub sound, but his habit of sampling and remixing clearly paved a path towards hip-hopâs infancy and eventual ascendancy. Perryâs looping, hallucinatory grooves flint between mysticism and socio-political pronouncements, and he could draw out masterful performances from the various musicians spread across Arkology all while flirting with cartoony spirituality, danceable beats, and haunting roots music.
Download: Junior Murvinâs âPolice & Thievesâ
Download: Junior Murvinâs âPolice & Thievesâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Arular - M.I.A.
The rumor goes that M.I.A. couldnât get a visa to record her follow-up, Kala, in the United States based on the fiery polemics and provocations found on Arular. In-between world beats and sound effects that resemble a Super Nintendo going on the fritz, M.I.A. stands in the middle of it all chanting her slogans into a megaphone while a party thrashes all around her. The music is every bit as defiant as her lyrics, and the entire thing is a genre-defying experience thatâll turn your head inside out.
Download: âSunshowersâ
Download: âSunshowersâ
JxSxPx's rating:

At Folsom Prison - Johnny Cash
At Folsom Prison is the sound of country musicâs one-man Mount Rushmore fully embodying his own personal mythology alternately playing defiant, mean, mischievous, spiritual, and deeply poignant, sometimes all within the same song. This wasnât merely a career comeback, but the sonic document that launched Johnny Cash from musical great into a legend for all-time. What really lasts is the profound sense of empathy and connection he provides to his audience, as if this rabble-rousing troubadour was paying penance for his misdeeds and giving them a sense of hope in the process.
Download: âCocaine Bluesâ
Download: âCocaine Bluesâ
JxSxPx's rating:

The B-52's - The B-52's
Cosmic surf rock for your intergalactic luau, served up with a healthy portion of kitsch asides, Pop Art colorfulness, and Dadaist-like inventive humor. New Wave has never been quite as eccentric as it was on the B-52âs debut, an album that is practically perfect in every way. The silliness culminates in âRock Lobster,â a song thatâs a microcosm of the vibrantly weird world of the B-52âs and remains just as bizarre today as it was back then.
Download: âDance This Mess Aroundâ
Download: âDance This Mess Aroundâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Bad Brains - Bad Brains
A group of African-American Rastafarians delivered one of the hardest, fastest punk albums of all-time and spliced in some chilled reggae grooves in-between just because they could. Bad Brains is a foundational document for eventual fusion bands like Sublime, No Doubt, Fishbone, and countless others who married reggae grooves to a rock sound. Sixteen songs at thirty-four minutes, Bad Brains is a perfect introduction to the bands PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) ethos and one hell of a punky reggae party all in one.
Download: âSailinâ Onâ
Download: âSailinâ Onâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Beat This! The Best of the English Beat - The English Beat
They started life as ska-revivalists (âBest Friendâ) before experimenting with something approaching punk (âTwist and Crawlâ) and later on moved towards a more New Wave sound (âI Confessâ) but kept it all going with a certain bouncy, striking pop element. The English Beat are a band thatâs both genre defying as they are genre defining and Beat This! captures fifteen jewels of party-orientated ska/punk rhapsody. What you hear on this compilation is the wellspring of ska/punk ever flowing.
Download: âMirror in the Bathroomâ
Download: âMirror in the Bathroomâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Beauty and the Beat - The Go-Go's
They could snarl with punk fervor and throw down some serious surf rock guitar licks, but they wrapped it all up in a girl-group power pop package that was just too good to ignore. Sure, âWe Got the Beatâ is magic in three minutes, but songs like âThis Townâ and âLust to Loveâ are full of as much snarl as any of the riot grrrls. The Go-Goâs became New Wave icons and major pop players thanks to the strength of this album, and it hasnât gained a pound since.
Download: âOur Lips Are Sealedâ
Download: âOur Lips Are Sealedâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Before and After Science - Brian Eno
Electronic/ambient music pioneer, glam rock weirdo, and art-school brainiac all rolled into one slightly pervy, incredibly weird package, behold the apex of Brian Enoâs days as an avant-pop songwriter. Before and After Science was released as the teenage/young adult burnouts who listened to Roxy Music records took his lessons and launched the punk and new wave scenes, and one cannot help but think of this as his (not so gentle) reminder of who wears the crown. He would go onto to become a super-producer for bands like the Talking Heads and U2, and a hero to the concept of the DJ-as-artist, but he was never better than on this obtuse, horny set.
Download: âKingâs Lead Hatâ
Download: âKingâs Lead Hatâ
JxSxPx's rating:

The Best Of Buddy Knox - Buddy Knox
He was a contemporary of Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly, even performing on a 1956 radio show with Orbison, yet he never quite achieved their level of acclaim and prominence in the popular culture despite having a pleasing collection of rockabilly and pop records that mark him as an underrated act from the era. The Best of Buddy Knox collects 18 of his hits and some solid lesser-known cuts, including âParty Doll,â the song he is perhaps best remembered for. But keep an ear out for the likes of âStorm Clouds,â âI Think Iâm Going to Kill Myself,â and âThe Girl with the Golden Hairâ which prove Knox deserves a reevaluation as a rabblerousing yet pop friendly musician.
Download: âParty Dollâ
Download: âParty Dollâ
JxSxPx's rating:

The Best of Darlene Love - Darlene Love
That voice hits you with all the strength of a thunderbolt in its unique combination of church-soaked power and abject longing, and it is no wonder that super-producer Phil Spector was in love with it. Shame that he rarely bothered to properly credit her or release her stellar material with the same flair he used to launch the Ronettes and the Crystals, but no matter. Here are fifteen times where Loveâs immaculate vocal prowess, credited alternately as Bob B. Soxx and the Blues Jeans, the Crystals, and herself, threatened to topple Spectorâs Wall of Sound like the walls of Jericho.
Download: âChapel of Loveâ
Download: âChapel of Loveâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Best of Miss Peggy Lee - Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an incomparable artist. She wrote much of her material, was a tremendously gifted and talented vocal stylist, and could use her instrument in a variety of ways preferring to act out her material instead of just singing it. Here sheâs romantic, playful, alluring, tough-talking, and proto-feminist providing the type of wide-range that many female artists of her era rarely touched upon.
Download: âWhy Donât Ya Do Right?â
Download: âWhy Donât Ya Do Right?â
JxSxPx's rating:

The Best Of The Girl Groups, Vol. 1 - Skeeter Davis, The Jelly Beans, Evie Sands, The Shangri-Las, The Chiffons, The Dixie Cups, The Ad Li
Forsaking the obvious (read: no Motown, no Phil Spector), these two volumes contain the best of the rest of the girl group sound. Between the acknowledged classics (the Shirelles, the Shangri-Las) and the lesser-known era-specific acts (the Cookies, the Honeys), The Best of the Girl Groups, Volumes 1 & 2 contain some of the greatest pop music ever recorded. Thirty-six songs combining a potent blend of alluring innocence and weary experience all wrapped up in the feminine mystique â this is aural bliss.
Download: The Jaynettsâ âSally Go âRound the Rosesâ
Download: The Jaynettsâ âSally Go âRound the Rosesâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Blank Generation - Richard Hell & the Voidoids
CBGBâs matinee idol, punk fashionâs founding father, and outside of Patti Smith, one of rockâs greatest poets, Richard Hell threw down this underappreciated album of urban malaise and post-modern romantic entanglements in the earliest days of punkâs golden years. The nihilism of Hellâs lyrical content is reflected in his vocal style as he does away with things like coherent timbre or sticking to a key, and he tweaks out over ever-shifting guitar grooves from Robert Quine and Ivan Julian. While fellow scene makers like Television and progeny like the Sex Pistols have been heralded, Blank Generation unfairly doesnât quite get as much attention or prominence within the canon, and that needs to change.
Download: âBlank Generationâ
Download: âBlank Generationâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Blink-182 - Blink-182
The Bart Simpsons of mall-punk matures on their fifth album, a pop-punk fusion of earnestness, artsy swings, and continuing their lyrical tradition of turning the mundane things of everyday life into the mythical stuff of a great rock song. Blink-182 is a more experimental affair than any of their previous efforts, which swung towards juvenilia more often than not, and finds the band aping the new wave of their youth for inspiration, including a Robert Smith cameo on âAll of This,â perhaps the stormiest song they have ever written. To date, this is still their best release because it keeps their melodic sense without getting lost in the heaviness of the material.
Download: âAlwaysâ
Download: âAlwaysâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Body Talk - Robyn
This Swedish pop moppet released the best electronic album of the 2010s by refusing to let the record industry dictate what her pop music would sound like. Rather than chase trends, Robyn infuses Body Talk with a sense of glee and sardonic humor that is refreshing and the ability to sound like the past and the future at the same time. Leave it to a spunky Swede to deliver one of the biggest ear worm records in recent memory while walking away with an album that is essentially an instantaneous greatest hits collection.
Download: âDancing On My Ownâ
Download: âDancing On My Ownâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Born This Way (Special Edition) - Lady Gaga
Pop maximalism at its finest as the Lady named Gaga careens the guitar crunch and stomp of glam into the dancefloor while making by turns like sheâs fronting the E Street Band or marrying Liza Minnelliâs jazz-hands verve to David Bowieâs arch stylization, sometimes itâs all of the above. Her statement of purpose is crafting a world covered in glitter, queer friendly, a hint of grimy sex, and haute couture, and she has never reached that promised land as often or as well as did on Born This Way. She stomps around the arena like it is her Thunderdome, and there is not one minute that would qualify as dull during the holy bombast of this journey.
Download: âYoĂź and Iâ
Download: âYoĂź and Iâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Bringing It All Back Home - Bob Dylan
Bob Dylanâs heralded 60s output is an embarrassment of riches, and most would loudly proclaim Highway 61 Revisited or Blonde on Blonde as the greatest achievements of his halcyon days. Solid choices but Iâm throwing down for Bringing It All Back Home, Dylanâs semi-electric/mostly acoustic response to the British Invasion and containing songs as wonderful as âMr. Tambourine Man,â âSubterranean Homesick Blues,â and âItâs Alright, Ma (Iâm Only Bleeding).â This is the sound of Dylan in transition, away from folk and protest songs towards a more abstract yet personal writing style and rock sound, and it is positively electrifying.
Download: âItâs All Over Now, Baby Blueâ
Download: âItâs All Over Now, Baby Blueâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Broken English - Marianne Faithfull
One of rockâs original good girls-gone-bad, Marianne Faithfull was known as a beautiful chanteuse before winding up a heroin addict, and Broken English was her triumphant, battle-scarred return to prominence. From the junkie confessionals (âBrain Drainâ) to the sympathetic character portraits (âThe Ballad of Lucy Jordanâ), from the lacerations (âBroken Englishâ) to a John Lennon cover (âWorking Class Heroâ), Faithfull presides over an album thatâs clearly indebted to the modern sounds of punk and New Wave. Faithfull has described this as her âmasterpiece,â and itâs a powerful document of one womanâs rock and roll resurrection.
Download: âWhy Dâya Do It?â
Download: âWhy Dâya Do It?â
JxSxPx's rating:

The Buddy Holly Collection - Buddy Holly
In a recording career that lasted a little under two years, Buddy Holly released a collected body of work that placed him among the essentials, proving an indelible artist with a shadow that looms large to this day. From the country origins (âDown the Lineâ) to first big successes (âThatâll Be the Dayâ) to the steady stream of classics (âItâs So Easyâ) and the earnest ballads (âWords of Loveâ), The Buddy Holly Collection is eclectic and invigorating highlighting Holly as one of rockâs first great singer/songwriters. Elvis might be the king, but these fifty songs, complete with his twangy hiccup, nerdy swagger, and heartfelt openness show that Holly was and remains the best.
Download: âPeggy Sueâ
Download: âPeggy Sueâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Cadence Classics: Their 20 Greatest Hits - The Everly Brothers
Phil and Don Everly warred backstage but harmonized with such piercing clarity and beauty that the profound sadness of many of their best songs went down so sweet you hardly noticed. These songs, recorded largely between 1957 and 1960, stripped the musical parts down to the bare essentials, which was all the better to highlight that Southern flavor of vocal harmony that went on to influence the likes of the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel. This provides the perfect introduction to their sound, one that moved and motored to the burgeoning rhythms of rock and roll by combining them with country-roots and pop to groove into something uniquely their own.
Download: âWhen Will I Be Lovedâ
Download: âWhen Will I Be Lovedâ
JxSxPx's rating:

Load more items (136 more in this list)