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).
"This is my favorite Leonard Cohen album. It is my favorite for many of the same reasons the self titled Townes Van Zandt album is my favorite Townes album or why Nebraska is the best Springsteen album, or Pink Moon is my fave Nick Drake, or or or etc. Its one of the most starkly grim albums I've ...""This is my favorite Leonard Cohen album. It is my favorite for many of the same reasons the self titled Townes Van Zandt album is my favorite Townes album or why Nebraska is the best Springsteen album, or Pink Moon is my fave Nick Drake, or or or etc. Its one of the most starkly grim albums I've ever heard. This album has shadows and pits of blackness so deep, when I listen to this record I am transported to some sort of bleak world with brief flashes of wonder and humanity. This album takes me on a surreal tour through the more shadow lands which exists right before me but is never seen or fully confronted, and my guide is a grizzled wiseman who has seen it clear and has charted and documented all its byroads and ramifications.
I don't know how to talk about this album without getting lost in some ethereal goo. Leonard Cohen was such an accomplished writer and artist by this point. A relatively "old" and very wise 35, already a published and respected Poet. He had more questions and insights than maybe any songwriter at the time of this album. Yet, this album isn't just some scholarly exercise. There is such a depth of feeling in this album which is unleashed in waves of pain and awe due, i think, to the fact that the words are so carefully chosen and so spot on that it strikes a very deep and up that point sleeping nerve.
The opener "Bird On The Wire" is truly one of the very few sacred moments in music history for me. The hugeness of its simple verses, the sheer pain of it, the emotion which that song wells up for me, is something I can't fathom. The sorrow, the need for forgiveness, the brittle vocal delivery, everything....oh man.
The album from that stunning opener, continues to hit you with bleak, austere portraits of friends lost to suicide (Seems So Long Ago, Nancy), of biblical visions of the darkest side of human beings (Story of Isaac), of the immutable devotion to freedom and the endless struggle to overcome evil no matter how futile and no matter what the cost (The Partisan), andof the mysteries of long nights of transient liberty and romance (Lady Midnight), etc.
Musically, there are eccentric touches. The sound backing Cohen on "The Old revolution" (i've no idea what that is, but its cool), the dirgey, low end chug of the acoustic guitar in "The Butcher", hell there is a similar strange effect on "A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes" and "Lady Midnight as on "The Old Revolution"(can someone smarter than me explain to me what that rattly effect is? I am ignorant, but I like it.) also that sweet, far-off electric guitar is freaking awesome, the women speaking french in the most angellic and doomed way on "The Partison,
the organ in "Lady Midnight", etc. There are a lot of little moments on here which push this album, somehow, to new heights.
And finally the closer "Tonight Will Be Fine" is such a great closer. Its by far the least bleak moment on the album, Cohen humsa sweet childish tune, he makes funny rhymes, he talks sex, he whistles, and the bass line is a playful bounce. If I am thinking of this album as a tour through the darkness, then this is the moment toward the end of the tour when the wise man, seeing you are really shook up takes pity, gives a soft smile, shakes you out of your glossy-eyed horror and looks you straight in the eyes and says in his deep, baritone voice "It's okay, there is much beauty and there is some hope and there are reasons to love and to live and to care. It will be fine for awhile.".
"It seems so long ago,
Nancy was alone,
a forty five beside her head,
an open telephone.
We told her she was beautiful,
we told her she was free
but none of us would meet her in
the House of Mystery,
the House of Mystery.
And now you look around you,
see her everywhere,
many use her body,
many comb her hair.
In the hollow of the night
when you are cold and numb
you hear her talking freely then,
she's happy that you've come,
she's happy that you've come." - Leonard Cohen
Rating: 9.8/10"[+]Reply
"During the mid-nineties, Wilco inevitably seemed to be in a kind of competition with Son Volt, the band of Jeff Tweedy's former Uncle Tupelo collaborator Jay Farrar. The acrimonious relationship between the two was well documented, and the two bands always seemed to release new albums within a fe...""During the mid-nineties, Wilco inevitably seemed to be in a kind of competition with Son Volt, the band of Jeff Tweedy's former Uncle Tupelo collaborator Jay Farrar. The acrimonious relationship between the two was well documented, and the two bands always seemed to release new albums within a few months of each other, so the comparisons became inevitable. Being There was the album where Wilco established its dominance in the imaginary competition (whereas Son Volt released the relatively lackluster Straightaways that same year), and the band hasn't let up since. This is a terrific rock album with traces of the experimentation that was to come. The wordplay in "Red-Eyed and Blue" shows Tweedy in a creative mood, one that was to become ever more expansive and brilliant as his career has gone along."[+]Reply
"I like Phil Collins but like many in the 80's got sick of seeing him as he inundated the album charts with solo albums, Genesis work, on other artists records, movies (Buster), Live Aid (both UK and US), etc. you get the drift. I haven't recovered from this saturation decades later. I only own th...""I like Phil Collins but like many in the 80's got sick of seeing him as he inundated the album charts with solo albums, Genesis work, on other artists records, movies (Buster), Live Aid (both UK and US), etc. you get the drift. I haven't recovered from this saturation decades later. I only own this record and Hello I Must Be Going, by the time Sussudio came out I was done. Face Value is the exception, I still listen to this album on a regular basis. It balances the arty prog style with Phil's more pop side and works better than most of the pop oriented Genesis material - I prefer it to Abacab, Genesis, or any of their later albums. Its a diverse collection of songs that I don't tire of, a shame he moved towards more pop and ballads."[+]Reply
"New Review. I love this all the more... Due to laziness, I will just include this review of sorts I have on my as-of-now-nonpublic Dylan chart. I wrote this 4 years ago! (Time flies, love all you BEA buddies I've had for 5 years now) "Beautiful, charming, short-and-sweet, countrified, humble, and...""New Review. I love this all the more...
Due to laziness, I will just include this review of sorts I have on my as-of-now-nonpublic Dylan chart. I wrote this 4 years ago! (Time flies, love all you BEA buddies I've had for 5 years now)
"Beautiful, charming, short-and-sweet, countrified, humble, and fantastic album through and through! What I love about this album is it just manages to make me feel happy. It's so optimistic. It is so clearly a huge change away from serious or overly introspective elements of his music. It's amazing to me that Dylan could switch off to a whole new zone and genre of music and pull it off so perfectly.
The lyrics are simple, direct country-style nuggets of beauty. It ain't hard to pick up what is being expressed here. The musicians that back him up here sound great.
Man, there ain't much I dislike about this album at all. I will say I don't like the first track featuring Cash. It just doesn't sound too good. But after that track it rolls so well. It's 24 minutes of solid fun!
The greatest tracks here are "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You", "Nashville Skyline Rag" (what a smokin' instrumental to really kick this album off!), "Lay Lady Lay" (sexy as hell) and of course the very tragic-sounding "I Threw It All Away".
It is hard for me to say how this album compares to other Dylan favorites because it is so different in mood and style and theme and even in the way his vocals are delivered...
On its own terms this album is an essential release in Dylan's discography. I really love it. And it is a great way to end off the 60s! I look at these first 16 albums I've listened to for this chart and it blows my mind how much music he made from 62-69 and it astounds me how consistently great it was. He was just on fire for so long!"
Okay, now present-day Ryan again: Has my love for this album remained? Yes! As a matter of fact its increased greatly! I now LOVE that first Cash track now. Still not my fave track here, but its soooo warm and sweet. Also, Cash + Dylan = automatic good.
Now, compared to that Vince Martin album, its amazing how starkly different this is. Dylan had a clear plan, a short sweet statement delivered in perfectly constructed 2 or 3 minute songs. Martin took the same great band and just said "Let's see where this takes us.".
And as I listen yet again to this classic, I am indeed feeling joyeous, and optimistic again! Dylan is the closest thing to a sonic best friend I have ever had. I mean, that sounds lame, so let me dig the whole deeper with an explanation: Ever since I was a lad o' 12 I have always looked to Dylan's music and words and interviews and story as inspiration, or as a sort of reference point to my life. He has been a constant "friend" and presence. And I truly get emotional thinking about what he has meant for me in my life. So there, I reached the required 6 feet into the ground, kill me now. lol.
I had this album at 12, then moved up to 8 then 9 then 10 on this list...then as I wrote this and listened again, i came to and was like "WHAT?! Are you crayzy!? Get Dylan back on his rightful pedestal, fool!" So up to a (perhaps still too low position ) of #7 it goes!
Oh, and I would like to thank Gram Parson, Chris Hillman, Gene Clark, Doug Dillard, The Byrds in general, and Dylan of course, for showing the rock kids that Country was cool back in 1968 and 1969. That 4-peat statement of "Sweetheart of the Rodeo", "The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark", "Gilded Palace of Sin", and "Nashville Skyline" has been an inspiration for a huge percentage of my favorite music ever. Thanks, you fine geniuses all for doing what was right! (I suppose the Grateful dead, somewhat the Band, and many others deserve credit as well, so thanks Danko, Garcia, Robertson, and all you fine people too.)
Rating: 9.5/10
Oh and damnit! I forgot to mention this... The cover of Nashville Skyline is a miracle. Its awesome in general, Dylan looks so happy and handsome and all... but look at that nearly perfect triangle! How cool is that?!? Okay, bye. "[+]Reply
"I used to compare Phil Elvrum's works as the musical equivalent of Lars Von Trier's movies. The Boldness is combined with a sense of creativity that spills emotion all over the listener, He/She is ripped out from the comfort zone and thrown out in the middle of a hurricane without any clues of ho...""I used to compare Phil Elvrum's works as the musical equivalent of Lars Von Trier's movies. The Boldness is combined with a sense of creativity that spills emotion all over the listener, He/She is ripped out from the comfort zone and thrown out in the middle of a hurricane without any clues of how he got there, and how Elvrum decides to treat us is insanely weird, he quietly comes closer and closer until we can listen to him breathing, so close that we can hear his blood moving through his veins, so close that we can see that wilderness that is covered behind his eyes. He appears alone to calm down the disorder that is established in "The Sun", and inserts us in some kind of stellar ritual, with the moon and the sun as witnesses, the abstract glow is now swallow by a big mass of vacuum and negative energy coming from a big black hole. What I most love in Phil's works is how much it seems personal and how much it represents the chaos that is the human mind, our pessimism personified in trumpets and nymphs' voices, inducting you to be weaker and weaker. "Solar System" is the perfect ode to the myth of the eternal return, The troubadour that interacts with his loneliness and outside forces to wish his lover comeback, The continuous use of "I Know you're out there" reinforces the feeling of how much he has waited and will wait for her to be back, let it rain, let there be sun, the world will end and his dreams will still be floating in the ether. In "universe I" the band join its multi-instrumental magic to give life to the fragility of human conscience and confidence, from the lonely guitar that follows Elvrum through the glow of the moon, going through reflexes in mud puddles with her curves drawn, until our hero down to his knees offers himself to the force that moves the universe, and we are brought then to a weird journey that is mount eerie, a force that purifies and devours each piece of your soul. The eclipse starts, his eyes are burnt, he is tilting towards the sun, and the mount eerie wakes from his thrones and begins to drain any light that remains in the listener's hope. This has been a hell of an adventure huh? When I first completed Mount Eerie I got myself theorizing all night and dawn, what the hell did I just passed through? Is this some kind of metaphor to the trifling human emotions and feelings? That's why I consider this record to be so great, it explores the outside world of music, it's not just about listening to something, but rather taking a philosophical walk to somewhere, we are humans and overall we should know how soulless we have become in the last years. We have stars and galaxies inside us, we are a whole universe of deception and loneliness, love and hate, we are a big avalanche of synesthesia, we are a big mess of sense. And In the end we will be all swallow and superb about how deep our night is, how coloured our supernovas are, how enormous our soul is."[+]Reply
"If you take away 13 and Parklife, I see this as Blur's best album. Very weird, experimental, melancholy, pretty, and sometimes silly fun. Blur's swan song is truly special and people overlook it since Coxon's not in it. Also, Sweet Song is absolutely beautiful and should have more recognition in ...""If you take away 13 and Parklife, I see this as Blur's best album. Very weird, experimental, melancholy, pretty, and sometimes silly fun. Blur's swan song is truly special and people overlook it since Coxon's not in it.
Also, Sweet Song is absolutely beautiful and should have more recognition in Blur's dense catalogue."[+]Reply
"Released in the same year Black Sabbath released Heaven and Hell and Saxon released Wheels of Steel. The metal scene at the time was sizzling with new talent and this album with its iconic timeless cover was timed perfectly. Rob Halford's voice has taken me a while to gravitate to but there is no...""Released in the same year Black Sabbath released Heaven and Hell and Saxon released Wheels of Steel. The metal scene at the time was sizzling with new talent and this album with its iconic timeless cover was timed perfectly. Rob Halford's voice has taken me a while to gravitate to but there is no denying the power that this album delivers. Now that I have the vinyl version I enjoy it much more."[+]Reply
"I picked up guitar when I first heard In A Little While, and I haven't looked back since. I've always had a special place in my heart for this album for that reason, and I hope one day I can thank the Edge for changing my life."Reply
"Walking down a quiet city street at night, feeling the cool air flow by as you watch the last lights from the surrounding apartment buildings flicker out, losing yourself in your own introspection, contemplating love, loss, and heartbreak before realizing you've been walking for hours, full circl...""Walking down a quiet city street at night, feeling the cool air flow by as you watch the last lights from the surrounding apartment buildings flicker out, losing yourself in your own introspection, contemplating love, loss, and heartbreak before realizing you've been walking for hours, full circle, all the way back to your residence; the sun is just starting to come up. You walk inside, still heartbroken, but perhaps with a bit of serenity now about you. Things will be alright in the end."[+]Reply