Favorite Albums of All Time

(1964)

"I've got a chip on my shoulder that's bigger than my feet

I can't talk to people that I meet

If I could see you now, I'd try to make you sad somehow

But I can't, so I'll cry instead."

My dad bought this when I was a little kid (the American version with muzak versions of a few of the songs). But it's not on this list for mere sentimental reasons; it's a great album with some of the tightest, most finely crafted pop/rock 'n roll songs ever.

(1967)

”I’d love to turn you on…”

This is when the Beatles showed the world how a record album could take you on a journey, with a coherent sequence of songs that was no mere collection of singles. While it’s not a concept album per se, it does call for listening from start to finish, from the murmured anticipation of the audience awaiting Sgt. Pepper’s band to take the stage, to the apocalyptic finale of “A Day in the Life.”

(1968)

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life, you were only waiting

for this moment to arise."

Being a double album, the Beatles had the freedom to stretch out, experiment, take risks, and have fun. Yes, some of the songs are skips (“Wild Honey Pie,” “Don’t Pass Me By,” “Revolution 9”), but that’s easily forgivable on an album with a generous THIRTY songs lasting 93 minutes.

(1969)

"Fear is the lock and laughter the key to your heart..."

When we were teens, my sister had their So Far Best-Of album, which I had assumed was a compilation from several albums. Turns out the songs were taken from only TWO albums (this one and Deja Vu) and a single. And this album includes familiar classics that didn't even make that Best-Of compilation.

(1969)

"Sickness will surely take the mind where minds can't usually go

Come on the amazing journey and learn all you should know..."

Forget that this was the first so-called "rock opera;" forget that it's been made into a movie and a successful Broadway musical. It's a great collection of songs that have stood the test of time!

(1969)

”And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

As tensions were rising within the band, the Beatles reunited with George Martin and pulled it together for one last hurrah.

Here’s just one example of how listening to a good album in its entirety can be more satisfying than listening to individual random songs:

Everyone on the planet knows “Here Comes the Sun,” but its message and mood is even more uplifting when heard within the context of the entire album. The prior song, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” keeps ratcheting up its torturous distortion until there’s finally an abrupt cutoff that sounds like death itself. But then, coming out of the subsequent silence, we hear the reassuring opening strums of “Here Comes the Sun,” which in this context sounds like a resurrection, or a flower emerging from rubble.

The rest of the album only gets better. The next song, "Because," has the most sublime harmonies they ever recorded. The rest of Side Two proceeds with a mishmash of partial songs and stitched-together musical ideas that still somehow manages to work. It’s as if they knew they would never get the chance to finish developing these songs together, so they just had to use up all the musical ideas they had on hand, whether they were complete or not. (Like when you’re going on vacation the next day and you scrounge together a dinner consisting of the random items remaining in your fridge in order to use them up!)

It finally culminates with "The End" which features Ringo's drum solo, the other three trading off dueling guitar solos, the closing lyric quoted above, and that glorious ending note. It would have been such a satisfying closing to the album, but then comes the surprise 23-second "Her Majesty," as if to say, "Gotcha!"

Tricksters to the end.

(1970)

”And all the good you've done will soon get swept away

You've begun to matter more than the things you say.”

This album of my sister’s was the first rock album I ever listened to repeatedly (and yes, it's legitimate rock for its era, featuring Deep Purple's lead singer and Joe Cocker's band.) I listened to it so much as a kid that it became permanently etched in my brain, so when I hit the teen years I put it on hiatus. Then 40 years later I started to appreciate it all over again and found that it still holds up. I consider this the definitive version and don't even like watching the various staged versions.

(1970)

“Keep you doped with religion, sex and TV

And you think you're so clever and classless and free

But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see

A working class hero is something to be.”

John's "primal scream therapy" album. Sparse, bleak, depressing, and powerful. While none of these songs would have belonged on a Beatles album, I agree with the critical consensus that it’s Lennon’s best solo album, and tied with Band on the Run as the best solo Beatle album.

(1971)

"The pain of war cannot exceed

The woe of aftermath

The drums will shake the castle wall

The ringwraiths ride in black..."

This makes the list despite the fact that every track has been played incessantly on classic rock radio for the past 53 years. There’s a good reason for its massive popularity and staying power. Classic Rock at its best.

(1972)

"Femme fatales emerged from shadows to watch this creature fair

Boys stood upon their chairs to make their point of view

I smiled sadly for a love I could not obey

Lady Stardust sang his songs of darkness and dismay..."

There are Bowie snobs who will try to tell you that Bowie’s best album is “Hunky Dory” or “Low,” but they’re just being contrarian. Everyone knows this is his best! This is that rare album that picks up steam as it goes along: all of the rockers are on Side 2. The entire album is great, though - not a skip in the bunch!

(1973)

“Tell me, holy roller

Are you standing like a soldier?

Are you standing for everything you talk about?”

This was the second album I ever bought with my own money. That beginner's luck spoiled me into thinking every album should be this good, with no skips! His pioneering use of synthesizers showed that electronics could be funky. No drum machines, either — it’s Stevie behind the drums, as well as ALL the instruments and backing vocals on several tracks. A staggering talent.

(1973)

“So the next time you see rain it ain't bad

Don't complain, it rains for you and me.”

McCartney's charm, character, and whimsy shine through on his best solo album, arguably the best Beatles solo album, and definitely as good as a Beatles album!

"Why do I have to move with a crowd of kids that hardly notice I'm around?

I work myself to death just to fit in..."

A relentless rock 'n roll onslaught spanning two albums. When they were at the top of their game as they are here, the Who were one of the best rock BANDS around, with John Entwistle and Keith Moon among the best rock bassists and drummers ever. Not to mention Pete Townshend's guitars and his pioneering, painstaking synthesizer work.

(1973)

"Hey kids, shake it loose together

The spotlight's hitting something that's been known to change the weather

We'll kill the fatted calf tonight so stick around

You're gonna hear electric music, solid walls of sound..."

Elton at his peak. From the atmospheric wind and tolling bell of "Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding" (on the short list of my all-time favorite songs) to the glorious closing chorus of "Harmony," this double album has many deep cuts that are far better than any of his latter-day singles.

(1973)

”’Forward!’ he cried from the rear

And the front rank died

The general sat, and the lines on the map

Moved from side to side…”

There's a good reason this album spent a total of over 17.5 YEARS on the Billboard album chart (and not just because it's a trippy stoner album!) This is one of the earliest and best examples of the effective use of sound design on a music album, which contributes to it feeling like a mini movie. This album is to sound design in recorded music what 2001: A Space Odyssey was to special effects in movies. There are so many iconic sounds (the heartbeat, the clocks, the spacy journey of “On the Run,” the interview snippets, the cash register), but there are classic musical performances as well: the choir, the sax, Clare Tory’s incredible wordless vocal solo, and David Gilmour’s soaring guitar solos. A towering classic.

(1974)

”Who are these men of lust, greed and glory?

Rip off the masks and let's see

But that's not right - oh no, what's the story?

Look! There's you and there's me

That can't be right...”

I read somewhere that producer Ken Scott spent several weeks with the band painstakingly working out the intricate arrangements of the songs before they even started recording, and it shows. One of the best produced and arranged rock albums of all time.

(1975)

"...Well, you can't have that, but, if you're an American citizen you are entitled to:

A heated kidney shaped pool, a microwave oven, a Dyna-Gym (I'll personally demonstrate it in the privacy of your own home), a king-size Titanic unsinkable Molly Brown waterbed with polybendum, a foolproof plan and an airtight alibi, real simulated Indian jewelry! a Gucci shoetree!..."

The Tubes are more remembered for their outrageous, over-the-top (and hilarious) live act, but this album stands on its own as an outrageous, over-the-top (and hilarious) rock debut.

(1975)

"Running into the darkness, some hurt bad, some really dying

At night sometimes it seemed you could hear the whole damn city crying..."

Any real Springsteen fan will tell you that this is their favorite album of his (as opposed to Born in the USA!) This is the album that landed Bruce on the cover of Newsweek and Time the same week. Epic, dramatic, and rocking!

(1976)

"The face in the water looks up

and she shakes her head as if to say

that it's the last time you'll look like today."

Genesis carried on just fine for a few albums after Peter Gabriel's departure, with Phil Collins rising to the occasion to take over lead vocals. Sad to think of how only five years later he would lead them down the road of pop rock schlock!

(1976)

"Hey baby I ain't ashamed

Of being turned down

I hope you've got the same strength

You're going to need it now."

I won this album from my local rock radio station and have been a Graham Parker fan ever since. He was always a critics’ favorite but he never achieved the commercial success enjoyed by peers like Elvis Costello. This is a solid album of ten solid songs that continue to grow on me after all these years.

(1976)

"Without music, or an intriguing idea

Color becomes pallor

Man becomes carcass

Home becomes catacomb..."

The man who helped create the sound design for Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon gives us the first album I'm aware of where the producer is the credited artist. Immaculately produced and recorded, this is a truly cinematic journey that demands attentive listening from start to finish.

(1976)

"Tryin' your best to bring the water to your eyes

Thinking it might stop her from whoopin' your behind!"

Stevie’s magnum opus. There’s so much more to this album than the overly-familiar hits — the deep cuts run deep indeed. He was so prolific during this timeframe that this double album even included a bonus 45 with four extra songs!

(1976)

"People walking hand-in-hand

Everybody's singing to the band

I wanna be where the stars shine bright

And hear sweet music on a summer night..."

Adherents of Punk, Grunge, and Metal would have you believe that rock music must be angry and aggressive to be any good. Who says it can’t be catchy, melodic, and FUN? Didn’t the Beatles teach you anything? Jeff Lynne is rock’s most underrated tunesmith, and this album is a joy from start to finish. Even in the “sad” closing song when he sings, “My Shangri-La has gone away, fading like The Beatles on ‘Hey Jude,’” you sense he’s singing it with a wink.

(1977)

"Like a heartbeat drives you mad

in the stillness of remembering what you had

and what you lost..."

What can be said about this album that hasn't already been said? Forget the behind-the-scenes soap opera that went on during its writing and recording, it's just a near-perfect collection of songs by three gifted songwriters who were each at the top of their game. Their output was so good at this point that they relegated Stevie Nick's "Silver Spring" to the B-side of "Go Your Own Way" when the album came out!

(1977)

"Anthems to glory and anthems to love

and hymns filled with early delight

Like the songs that the darkness

composes to worship the light..."

It's a shame that Dan Fogelberg is best remembered for the string of hit singles from his inferior 1981 album The Innocent Age, and his schmaltzy hit "Longer." This album is one of the best singer-songwriter albums of the decade, but it’s been overlooked because it didn’t have any hit singles.

(1977)

"They got a name for the winners in the world

I want a name when I lose

They call Alabama the Crimson Tide

Call me Deacon Blues"

With this album, Steely Dan made high fidelity recording a key element of the album, as significant as the actual songs, the production, vocals, and musicianship (all of which are top-notch). This album became the benchmark for audiophiles everywhere, and to this day is still often used to demo high-end audio equipment.

(1977)

"Sold - said the man to the many

Work for me, I'll only steal your time

I will count my money out, there's no doubt

I'll sell my soul..."

Beautiful and majestic symphonic rock, capped by Annie Haslam’s five-octave classically trained voice. I’m convinced they could have found a larger audience if they had more exposure, but 9+minute songs don’t lend themselves to radio airplay.

(1978)

"Fifty cents rent goes pretty far

when you live in a subway car

One stop's the same as another

Even Son of Sam sees her sleeping

She's not worth the bother..."

As with most of his albums, Rundgren wrote the music and lyrics, sang all the vocal parts, and played all the instruments (with no drum machines!) His overdubbed vocal parts on “Can We Still Be Friends” are an astounding achievement that to this day has never been adequately recognized.

(1978)

"Daddy worked his whole life for nothing but the pain

Now he walks these empty rooms looking for something to blame

But you inherit the sins, you inherit the flames..."

When this album first came out, the music press was raving about it as if it were the Second Coming. Of course I resisted the hype, to the point of writing “B.S.” on the cassette I used to record it from the radio. After the hoopla died down I was finally able to reassess it objectively, and came around to appreciating it as a great album.

(1978)

"I'm down in the tube station at midnight

I first felt a fist, and then a kick

I could now smell their breath

They smelt of pubs and Wormwood Scrubs

And too many right wing meetings..."

No, the Clash weren’t “the only band that mattered” in the punk/New Wave era. The Jam served up songs that were just as angry, just as British, and just as rocking as their more-successful peers.

(1979)

"Got a long black face; Who goes there?

All the reefer madness put a poor kid in jail

And it's just another night..."

The man who sang "All The Young Dudes" and the original "Once Bitten Twice Shy" assembled a rock 'n roll dream band consisting of David Bowie's Spiders From Mars guitarist Mick Ronson, plus the E Street Band's drummer, bassist, and pianist. “Cleveland Rocks” became the theme of The Drew Carey Show and “Ships” was covered by Barry Manilow (!), but these aren’t even the best songs.

They don't make rock 'n roll like this any more.

(1980)

“You can blow out a candle

But you can't blow out a fire…”

After leaving Genesis, Peter Gabriel showed that Progressive Rock could truly progress beyond the stale genre it had become by the late 70s. Always a trend setter vs. a follower, the sounds and effects on this album still sound cutting-edge to this day. This was the album to first use the booming “gated reverb” drum effect which would become the defining sound of the 80s, for better or worse (mostly worse!) But Gabriel’s innovation with technology and effects was always used as an enhancement, not as a crutch.

(1980)

"I remember the way he groaned

and moved with an animal skill

I rubbed my face in the sweat that ran down his chest

It was all very run of the mill..."

This album put Chrissie Hynde on the all-too-short list of important women in rock. More accessible than Patti Smith, more punk/New Wave than Heart, more successful than Fanny or The Runaways, harder rocking than Blondie or the Go-Go’s, and more badass than Joan Jett!

(1981)

"The music there, it was hauntingly familiar

When I see you doing what I try to do for me

With the words of a poet and a voice from a choir

And a melody, and nothin' else mattered..."

There were high expectations for Stevie Nick’s first solo album, and she delivered. This is better than any of Fleetwood Mac’s post-Rumours albums, and better than her later solo albums after jumping on the “80s Sound” bandwagon.

(1981)

“When he pulled off the road

Step in a waltz of red moon-beams

Said he fit an APB, a robbery nearby

And he go for his wallet and they thought he was going for a gun

And the cops blew Bird away…”

I think of this album as the last hurrah of the singer-songwriter genre which flourished in the 70s but was killed off in the early 80s by synth-pop and MTV. It's musically and emotionally dynamic, displaying a wide range of moods (often within the same song). The recording, production, engineering, and musicianship are Steely Dan caliber.

(1982)

“The rhythm is around me

the rhythm has control

the rhythm is inside me

the rhythm has my soul..."

This album is as moody, atmospheric, scary, suspenseful, and affecting as a movie. It's not something to simply have on in the background; you must experience it in a darkened room, preferably on a good stereo to fully appreciate the power of the tribal drums. I didn't like it at first, but once I listened to it "properly" it became one of my favorite albums of all time.

(1984)

”He's loved in seven languages

Diamond nights and ruby lights

High in the sky

Heaven help him when he falls…”

This album was a breath of fresh air amidst the synth pop of the 80s, and it has aged better, too. Smooth, sultry, sophisticated-sounding music for grownups.

(1986)

"In your eyes

The light, the heat, I am complete

I see the doorway to a thousand churches

The resolution of all the fruitless searches..."

While best known for the hits "In Your Eyes," "Sledgehammer," "Big Time," and "Red Rain," the songs "That Voice Again" and "Mercy Street" are among his best as well.

(1991)

“You miss too much these days when you stop to think.”

U2 could have followed up their 1988 monster hit The Joshua Tree with a sequel or a rehash, but instead they reinvented themselves and their sound, creating the sound of rock for a new decade. Well, until damn Grunge came along the same year. [Note the absence of any other 90s albums on this list!]

(2002)

"My hi-fi is waiting for a new tune

My glass is waiting for some fresh ice cubes

I'm just sitting here waiting for you

To come on home and turn me on.”

The perfect album for when you’re in a quiet mood, or need help getting to a quiet mood.

(2002)

”Lost track of how far I've gone

How far I've gone, how high I've climbed

On my back's a sixty pound stone

On my shoulder, a half-mile line…”

This was Bruce’s comeback and reunion with the E Street Band, after laying low for most of the 90s. As the story goes, shortly after 9/11 a driver spotted Bruce and called to him out the window, “We need you now.” Bruce answered the call with this 9/11-themed album. I will never forgive the Grammys for giving the Album of the Year award to Come Away With Me (as good as that album was) instead of this.

(2005)

Sara Tavares is my favorite musical discovery of this century. She’s based in Portugal, but her ancestry is from the island nation of Cape Verde, and her music reflects that mixed heritage.

The love and joy in her voice transcends any language barrier. Her upbeat songs will lift your soul, and her ballads will soothe it.

(2006)

”Bona fide is the old deal

Fake is the new real.”

It’s impossible to categorize this genre-hopping album, but the thing holding it all together is Smith's powerful and soulful voice. The arrangements are packed with quirky interludes and unexpected twists and turns. It's a shame her career never went anywhere after this impressive debut. It's probably because they didn't know how to market her, since she wouldn't fit in a box.

(2008)

I discovered this album after hearing a track on the UnderCurrents radio program (www.undercurrentsradio.net) and then listening to the rest of the album on Spotify. The app’s "related artists" feature led me on a journey of discovery of other modern Latin artists, most notably Sara Tavares. This album has modern takes on genres such as samba, bossa nova, jazz, and reggae, combining traditional acoustic instrumentation and percussion with spacy state-of-the-art (for 2008) production and effects.

(2009) If there was one unknown artist I could recommend the most highly, it would be Sara Tavares. After discovering these two albums I wanted to hear more, but as late as 2017 I was disappointed that she hadn’t released any new music. It turns out that the reason for her lack of output was that she was battling a brain tumor, which she finally succumbed to last year. She has now joined the ranks of artists whose flame burned bright for much too short of a time. My hope is that perhaps now her music might be finally discovered by the English-speaking world.

(2011)

"Two tours served never once has he cried

The same can't be said for his brand new bride

Bills pile up with no hand to hold

It takes a lot of lovin' comin' out of the cold."

This is by far my favorite Singer-Songwriter album of this century. Even Sweet Baby James himself never made an album this consistently good from start to finish.

(2011)

"When the thunder calls for me

Next time, I'll be braver

I'll be my own savior

Standing on my own two feet..."

The great songs just keep coming one after another. THIS is the Adele album that deserved its Album of the Year Grammy, not the one before or after!

(2015)

”How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a

Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten

spot in the Caribbean by providence,

impoverished, in squalor,

grow up to be a hero and a scholar?”

Here's what I posted on Facebook after first listening to it in November 2015. I maintain that the cast album stands as classic on its own, without even needing to see the stage show.

"Listened to the soundtrack to Hamilton from start to finish on our drive to Boston yesterday, all 2.5 hours of it. Believe the hype. Believe the superlatives. IT'S THAT GOOD...It's so dense, so ambitious, so audacious, but it WORKS. I've never liked rap, or even most hip-hop, but it all works. I was only able to follow a fraction of the story, the words, the references, etc. so it is definitely a work that requires repeated listenings to fully digest. I say 'listenings' because tickets to see the show will be unobtainable for years to come."

(2016)

"I break chains all by myself

Won't let my freedom rot in hell

Hey! I'ma keep running

'Cause a winner don't quit on themselves!"

Beyoncé took the awful experience of being cheated on, channeled that pain into art, and created a concept album that was the most acclaimed of her career. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons!

(2022)

”I've just one more song to sing

One more story to tell…”

Yes, this is the same duo that had all those hits in the mid-80s. This was their first album in 18 years, after having been in development for ten. But this is no exercise in mere nostalgia: it has ten solid songs, the production is state-of-the-art without being trendy or gimmicky, and their voices are still in fantastic shape. This is worth checking out whether you liked their 80s hits or not.