Listed below are the overall rankings for the best albums in history as determined by their aggregate positions in over 59,000 different greatest album charts on BestEverAlbums.com! (Chart last updated: 4 hours ago).
"With their rich combination of Steve Reich-style minimilism, dub, electronic music, funk, progressive Canterbury-style jazz-rock and rhythmic experimentation, Tortoise have invented a music that is closer to classical and jazz than rock."Reply
"I still have the original tape! It plays great and sounds superb through my recently acquired Denon tape deck, Rega amp and B & W speakers, a damn site better than it ever sounded in my tinny car stereo some years ago. It is like listening to a new album through decent audio kit and has re-awaken...""I still have the original tape! It plays great and sounds superb through my recently acquired Denon tape deck, Rega amp and B & W speakers, a damn site better than it ever sounded in my tinny car stereo some years ago. It is like listening to a new album through decent audio kit and has re-awakened me to the fact that it was a reasonable album. I really like 'Zooropa' and 'Lemon', 'Babyface' is a bit weak, musically and lyrically. 'Numb' would quite happily sit on a Radiohead album so must have sounded way ahead of its time in 1993. Bit of a mixed bag really."[+]Reply
"You love to see it. An album that I enjoyed enough to write two pages of the track by track breakdowns on. All my favorite songs: This song could’ve flown under the radar in the grander scheme of Weezer tracks but the orchestration is really what pulls everything together. The complex chords are ...""You love to see it. An album that I enjoyed enough to write two pages of the track by track breakdowns on.
All my favorite songs: This song could’ve flown under the radar in the grander scheme of Weezer tracks but the orchestration is really what pulls everything together. The complex chords are so emotional and gosh dang those horns in that last section of the song are amazing. Lyrically it also does a really good job of just prepping you for the theme of the album. This is the only song that examines the idea of people being draining so you look for a way to escape them which is actually really interesting in the larger scheme of the album.
Aloo Gobi: This song sort of takes a look at the monotony of daily life and the anger that comes from wanting your life to be something greater than it is. The song starts with the bombastic orchestra but throughout the songs, the strings pop in and out. Notably on the second verse you really just have piano and vocals to sort of capitalize on the minimalism of daily life. And that refrain of “What is happening to me” speaks volumes from the delivery to the way the instruments accompany it. SMOOTH TRANSITION INTO
Grapes Of Wrath: Now knowing that Rivers is tired of the monotony of his life it makes perfect sense that he would like to take a route of escapism. In this case, that’s through listening to audiobooks. You think he cares? He just don’t care.
Numbers: The heaviest hitter on this album for me. Starting off with really somber strings as Rivers sings about being too short for the team and having an IQ too low for poetry. An obvious knock at his critics that as recently as last week when my favorite songs came out, shot at Rivers for rhyming “bad, sad and mad”. As this line is read our man Pat comes in clutch with the drums to give the song some more drive that is really fitting. After the refrain of “numbers are out to get you”, we are greeted to an amazing soaring chorus reflecting the pain of these criticisms but countering them by seeking solace in others and I think that’s the beautiful message of this song. In the end, the critics are just numbers in a machine and they can’t do anything to come between real feelings between real people.
Playing My Piano: Once again returning to the idea of escapism but this time through music. It’s hard to tell if this is a romanticizing of getting lost playing music for days or a criticism of himself for wishing he could spend more time with his family. Honestly, I don’t see why it can’t be both. It’s a great thing to lose yourself in what you love but you can’t lose sight of the other things that are important in your life. However, this song does a great job of showing what that journey of playing music is really like. It starts off with slow, really heartfelt melodic lines but shifts into a more forward and driving direction as the chorus kicks in and the lyrics reflect just how much he’s getting into playing. “Pounding out the bass singing out the tune, never see the sun like I’m living in my room” incredibly relatable lines for anyone who’s gotten lost in music. The second verse is more of a reflection of once you’re already in that groove as opposed to the start of your sessions.
Mirror Image: This one is a pretty straightforward love song but I think placing it after Playing My Piano makes a ton of sense especially with my theory of that song being a criticism of himself. That’s not even taking into consideration the last few seconds of THIS song where Rivers says something to the extent of being shut out of heaven. That’s a pretty heavy statement to make just once for a few seconds on this album and I honestly don’t want to speculate too much as to why he’d say this but it’s interesting nonetheless.
Screens: The opening piano and strings are instantly catchy and help get the ball rolling for this track. I do like what they were trying to do lyrically on this track but I don’t think it lands as much as the other tracks do. Rivers takes more of “my mate is going through this thing” when actually he’s talking about himself and really everyone I guess. I just don’t think the idea of losing yourself to your phone is shown as great as it is on the rest of the album and this track is especially over before you know it. I like it but it doesn’t make as much of an impact as it could’ve with some more length and personal lyrics.
Bird With A Broken Wing: Along the lines of Eulogy For A Rock Band, we’re taken on a retrospective journey through the musical career of Weezer. I believe the broken wing referring the multiple critical failures the band has had behind them. The cat also is a reference to those same critics who put them down. Through all these experiences though, Rivers hasn’t lost his drive to sing what he has for the world, and I’m so grateful for that. The world is a better place because of his drive to create music for us. I think this song also would’ve been stunning as a closer but I don’t mind that they chose a different one.
Dead Roses: I honestly don’t know what to say about this one. It’s a little more abstract lyrically than the other songs or maybe I’m just stupid. I’ve got some ideas about the lyrics but it’s all very speculative. I do really like the line “beat you until you beg to live” but I’m not confident enough about its meaning to say anything other than, it’s a good track but it could’ve been longer.
Everything Happens For a Reason: I don’t know why this had to be its own song especially since it leads straight into here comes the rain but hey…. Everything happens for a reason.
Here Comes The Rain: A really happy go lucky song about how even after a bad day, good things will come your way. Very fun but once again, not as heavy-hitting as other tracks.
La Brea Tar Pits: A really bitter-sweet way to end the album. Sonically it’s got a resolute and accomplished sound to it but the lyrics reflect a recurring fear of fading into obscurity. This is shown the best at the chorus as the lyrics describe himself sinking to his death and desperately asking for help, yet the strings sound as if there’s nothing to be scared of and that everything will be alright in the end (where have I heard that before) As he continues to sink though we return to the idea of getting help from others. Asking to be thrown a rope as he’s sinking and how the skills of someone else can help him get farther. Then as the album closes we are left with just the orchestra slowing down and resolving into a beautiful chord.
Conclusion: When this album is acting at its most concise it’s insanely touching. The ideas of taking a step away from your obsessions to spend time with those you love and learning to balance the two is an eternal idea that we need to hear. Sometimes life is boring, sometimes people are difficult, and sometimes you get kicked down, but there’s always something or someone good that will come along. Sometimes it’s the love of your life, and sometimes it’s just a really good book. The flow of this album is also something to commend. Everything feels in its right place and while other tracks shine much brighter than others, that doesn’t make the weaker ones bad at all. Also, orchestra and Weezer were meant to be.
"[+]Reply
"There's this suaveness, this snarky edge, but undeniably boyishness to it. I'm reminded of Pip living in London, learning to be a gentleman. There's a high class presence, but there's still the fragile, infinitely endearing charm and sincerity to Dear Catastrophe Waitress that makes this an essen...""There's this suaveness, this snarky edge, but undeniably boyishness to it. I'm reminded of Pip living in London, learning to be a gentleman. There's a high class presence, but there's still the fragile, infinitely endearing charm and sincerity to Dear Catastrophe Waitress that makes this an essential Belle & Sebastian listen. "[+]Reply
"When Richard Thompson released this album, his first with his wife Linda, he had already a relatively long recording career behind him. As a founder member of Fairport Convention he was the group on their first five albums. His characteristic guitarplaying style can also be heard on Sandy Denny's...""When Richard Thompson released this album, his first with his wife Linda, he had already a relatively long recording career behind him. As a founder member of Fairport Convention he was the group on their first five albums. His characteristic guitarplaying style can also be heard on Sandy Denny's early solo albums and he had released his own soloalbum "Henry the Human Fly" in 1972.
During his time with Fairport Convention Thompson matured a lot as a songwriter and many of the band's early favourites were either written or co-written by Thompson. His inspiration by traditional British music also became still more clear. Many of the songs on "Henry" and "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" actually sound like they were traditional folk-songs.
His collaboration with Linda lasted for 8 years and resulted in 6 great albums. This their first is often regarded as the strongest with Richard's songwriting extraordinary inspired and varied, and his distictive voice blends beautifully with Linda's on these great songs.
The terrific opener "When I Get to the Border", sung by Richard, is catchy with optimistic lyrics. A little unsual for Thompson, whose lyrics often are dark and sad. Equally catchy ( and optimistic ) is the title track which deserved to be hit beautifully sung by Linda. Heartbreakingly beautiful is also the sad ballad "Withered and Died", sung by Linda in way that makes you think of her friend Sandy Denny.
The dark side of Richard's songwriting become apprent on songs like "Down Where the Drunkards Roll", "Has He Got a Friend For Me" and especially "The End of the Rainbow" . Even the catchy "We'll Sing Hallelujah" has some pretty dismal lyrics. The budget for this album was supposedly very limited, but it does show anywhere. Great arrangements, crisp sound and best of all strong songwriting and palying from first track till the closer "The Great Valerio".
The bonus-tracks found on some versions are three 1975 live-recordings - nice to have but some may find that they disturb the very consistent feel of the original album, which I won't hesitate to call a masterpiece. "[+]Reply
"What do you need to provide the energy needed for a song ? Nowadays it seems to be easy , but imagine doing this in the 60s. Where a concept of fierce but very fast song almost did not exist. The answer is screaming with your voice , to cheer everyone at the beginning of each song, and believe yo...""What do you need to provide the energy needed for a song ? Nowadays it seems to be easy , but imagine doing this in the 60s. Where a concept of fierce but very fast song almost did not exist. The answer is screaming with your voice , to cheer everyone at the beginning of each song, and believe you will be infected every time that he shouts.I always liked the name of this band ... The Sonics . They reminded me of "Sonic Youth" but I did not believe that the material they produced could be compared to something that I love ,made in later years. "The Witch" can bewitch anyone with its unforgettable beat and its strange-movement guitar that looks bluesy but closely deludes the people who say that it is simple. And in the middle of the song when everything looks calm The Band accelerates everything coming next to tenuous line of punk. This acceleration lasts only a few seconds , but believe this was the best 23 seconds of the band, when the drums decide to stop playing and the song starts to be serious , not really, and in the first song you are already beginning to be infected.Other songs (Do you love me , Roll Over Beethoven) make you want to dance , they are quite simple however can lead anyone to madness when the band shows its Unforgettable ability and geniality to transform this to a wonder machine. And those screams at the beginning of the song, that add a lot of energy to every song, only give you ever more desire to get up from the chair and dance, not a formal dance, but the dance of madness and dance of evolution. "Psycho" is my favorite of that album, also came very close to punk, and divided the three chords with "Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan. And its unforgettable lyrics (although not so smart) sticks in your memory, taking you from the boredom of the day the most boring moments.ending the album "Strychine" leads the band to a new progression, a new style of music that was to come, already showing what the following bands would bring. Known by few this album was (for me) the first step toward punk, and an evolution in rock. Don't stop screaming bro."[+]Reply
"ZZ Top acending to the top of their carreer with a mix between blues and rock. This album contains the top hits "Sharp Dressed Man", "Gimme All Your Lovin" and "Legs". 9 good songs from 11 tracks provide a good listening experience. (album rating: 68,64 %)"Reply
"Younger people say, "The bootleg series is the proper version." Older people say, "Oh it was all on bootleg, anyway, everybody had already heard it." Not if you were 14 when this came out on LP, and didn't know what a bootleg was. This was like finding some sort of occult text from another world....""Younger people say, "The bootleg series is the proper version." Older people say, "Oh it was all on bootleg, anyway, everybody had already heard it."
Not if you were 14 when this came out on LP, and didn't know what a bootleg was. This was like finding some sort of occult text from another world. I used to pour over every second of this version, trying to figure out exactly what it all meant, making up my own meanings, playing along on my acoustic. This is the version that brought Dylan to the teens of the 70s, along with Blood on the Tracks and Desire.
It's like the Memphis Jug Band came back to life in the late 60s. What an album.
"[+]Reply
CellarDoor | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Keatownrodriguez | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
HoldenM | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Antonio-Pedro | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (6 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
nocturnaldelight | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
