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: 2 hours ago).
"I'M ALIVE!!!! Bruce Springsteen is back on a rocking album full of nostalgia and the celebration and thrill of being alive. Recorded entirely live, a few overdubs aside, it is the sound of the E street band on stage and firing on all cylinders. "One minute you're gone" kicks off the record on a c...""I'M ALIVE!!!! Bruce Springsteen is back on a rocking album full of nostalgia and the celebration and thrill of being alive. Recorded entirely live, a few overdubs aside, it is the sound of the E street band on stage and firing on all cylinders. "One minute you're gone" kicks off the record on a contemplative note but things really get going on the title track and especially the adrenaline rush of "Burnin' train", a storming track. "Janey needs a shooter" is the first of three studio recordings of songs written pre-1973 and it's a belter.
It has a feel of "Backstreets" to it. It's a brilliant song. "Last man standing" refers to Springsteen himself as he contemplates the reality of being the only surving member of his first band, The Castiles. A good track. "The Power of prayer" and "House of a thousand guitars" are also fine, albeit two of the lesser tracks, and "Rainmaker" is excellent. "If I was the priest" is the second of the old tracks and is very good, a bit Dylanish, but that was where Bruce was at in the early seventies. "Ghosts" is a powerhouse of a song, perfect for those big stadiums, if that ever happens again. Then we have "Song for Orphans". If "I was the priest" was a bit Dylanish then this one takes the crown. It honestly could be Bob in his Highway 61/Blonde on Blonde period, and it has a harmonica solo too. I was actually laughing through it because it was so Dylan. It's great by the way. The record closes with the enjoyable "I'll see you in my dreams". And there we are. It's nothing particularly new, nothing we haven't heard before from Bruce, although this one is much more personal and carries more emotional weight, but it's another solid addition to the Springsteen canon and his most rocking since "The Rising". He's still the boss. "[+]Reply
"Really good, track for track, but you could cut three or four songs here without missing anything. Otherwise, terrific songwriting--if a little samey--and even better production."Reply
"During Big Pun's unfortunately short lifetime, he released only one album, 1998's "Capital Punishment," and with this one release he amassed the reputation of one of New York's greatest MCs ever. Listening to this album, it's not hard to see why. Pun shows simply amazing technique, lyricism, and ...""During Big Pun's unfortunately short lifetime, he released only one album, 1998's "Capital Punishment," and with this one release he amassed the reputation of one of New York's greatest MCs ever. Listening to this album, it's not hard to see why. Pun shows simply amazing technique, lyricism, and versatility on the album that made him the first Latino rapper to go platinum."[+]Reply
"This album was their highest selling album. I first heard a little of it in 6th Form when teacher played it in her room on one of the days coming up to Christmas. We had been learning about 'Oh What A Lovely War' and 'Journey's End' at the time. I think I got album from HMV at 'The Fort' (sadly t...""This album was their highest selling album. I first heard a little of it in 6th Form when teacher played it in her room on one of the days coming up to Christmas. We had been learning about 'Oh What A Lovely War' and 'Journey's End' at the time. I think I got album from HMV at 'The Fort' (sadly they closed that HMV down a few years ago now). Best song here is the first one. I remember watching brother and stepbrothers play Fifa 2003 a lot and this song was always on when starting up. Elsewhere there is 'American English' which is like 'The Bronze Medal' on the last album but so improved. They had completely embraced their softer side in this moment and no longer those guys who screamed about seeing shapes. They are a band who did so much while not steping into territory too far out there. It is all wonderful messy guitar music meeting with pop thing bands like Snow Patrol and Coldplay got. 'A Modern Way of Letting Go' still shows their past and Out of Routine and Tell Me Ten Words reach for the future. Amazing amazing amazing indeed. Plus '(I Am) What I Am Not'. Othello reference? I did Othello in English class mentioned at the top!"[+]Reply
"Ah yes the "Christian Years". This is generally regarded as a bad time in Bob Dylan's career. Musically the music became very dramatic, religious, overbearing, clean and kind of self-righteous. And this is the album where it all got kicked off. I'm not a big fan of the new thematic direction Dyla...""
Ah yes the "Christian Years". This is generally regarded as a bad time in Bob Dylan's career. Musically the music became very dramatic, religious, overbearing, clean and kind of self-righteous. And this is the album where it all got kicked off.
I'm not a big fan of the new thematic direction Dylan went with this album. I'm not anti-Christian but I just don't count myself as someone who likes hearing his idol preach da gospel. However, one of the best things about this album is the production is so great most of the way through that it manages to distract me from the lyrics. I mostly find myself marveling at the beauty of the keyboards, singers, horns, organ and guitar so much the words jut pass me by. Really, I just can't get enough of the organ work on here. It adds so much beauty to even the most overwhelmingly preachy song.
But in the end the thing is, this is a Bob Dylan album. Lyrics, in the main, are pretty much a huge deal with the man. No matter how great the production is, the general displeasure at the song lyrics and vibes of the album turns me off a good bit.
"Gotta Serve Somebody", works as an opener to not just this album but this era. It serves as a mission statement, a religious, somewhat dogmatic, warning to the masses. It works as those things, but it annoys me. I don't like the lyrics, the song and much of anything else about it.
The album does get much more enjoyable from there. I really love track 2, "Precious Angel". It just possesses a certain carefree, breezy, classic rock element that just really works here. And I love the vocals. Dylan just seems to turn back the clock to '66 vocally and it sounds so glorious!
Track 4 - "Slow Train" is SEXYYYY and funky and absolutely amazing! Love those loud, biting guitar leads and riffs and those organ lines and those back up singers! OMG! What a beauty! Wexler killed it here and really captured the slinking, paranoid, dark aspects of the song without taking out the groove and fun of it.
Another stand out is "Man Gave Names To All The Animals". Its totally cool! The big surprise is it is totally Reggae-fied and really well done really. The song itself, the lyrics, are really uninspired and quite annoying. But the coolness of the track does it's densest to make up for it.
Overall, for all Jerry Wexler's and Barry Becket's best efforts this album doesn't really live up to the production and the tracks. The lyrical content just feels wrong. The vocals are delivered with a mostly bombastic, preachy feel that turns me off more than I'd like. But, outside of those 2 main gripes, the album is really quite pleasant.
Grade: 70/100"[+]Reply
"To me, Daisy is the best Brand New album. One may argue that it is because of my slight bias towards post-hardcore over emo, but after listening to Deja Entendu, TDAGARIM and Daisy many times I've come to the conclusion that this album is the best. Deja Entendu, to begin with, completely blew You...""To me, Daisy is the best Brand New album. One may argue that it is because of my slight bias towards post-hardcore over emo, but after listening to Deja Entendu, TDAGARIM and Daisy many times I've come to the conclusion that this album is the best.
Deja Entendu, to begin with, completely blew Your Favourite Weapon out of the water. YFW was not necessarily a bad album, but lacked any real exploration or originality. Deja Entendu was much braver, and as an emo record I'd go as far as to say it's quintessential.
Then we had TDAGARIM which once more moved ahead of their previous album. The alternative rock they incorporated did wondrous things to one's ears, specifically with riffs to Sowing Season, Degausser and Luca. One of my favourite tracks of all time, Welcome To Bangkok, is a must-listen and will melt your face off. However, contrary to the opinion of some, a few of the tracks seemed to be holding the album back a bit, which some may argue added to how it affected the genre - however I see Jesus Christ, Handcuffs and maybe slightly The Archers Bows Have Broken as hindrances to the direction of the band.
Then along came Daisy. Cropping up in the album is "Number 99, Just As You Are", a strange thing to include that somehow emphasizes the manic, animal tone Daisy has. It's filled with thrashy, murderous guitars that coincide with the expressively deep lyrics. Interestingly, Jesse Lacey discussed the meaning of the album at a gig once and said there wasn't really one at all. The album was all impulsive, as if they weren't trying to prove anything to anyone. Brand New had left behind all traces of the emo/punk music they were associated with.
It's just a goddamn amazing album. Let it sink its teeth into your flesh and rip out your tendons like a mad fox."[+]Reply
"There are some great moments, and some boring moments, on this one. At 70 minutes, this could've been shaved into a much tighter album, not necessarily cutting songs, as they all have their moments, but trimming down the excess a bit. But then it wouldn't exactly be a Dave Matthews Band album, wo...""There are some great moments, and some boring moments, on this one. At 70 minutes, this could've been shaved into a much tighter album, not necessarily cutting songs, as they all have their moments, but trimming down the excess a bit.
But then it wouldn't exactly be a Dave Matthews Band album, would it?"[+]Reply
""Brush past a myriad of scenes a homeless vet crashed on wall street, A single mom of three, a TV personality" gushes the lead singer on the opener. The bizarre imagery of 'Chamber The Cartridge' is all about the world ready to explode and collapse on itsown weight. So a typical Rise Against albu..."""Brush past a myriad of scenes a homeless vet crashed on wall street, A single mom of three, a TV personality" gushes the lead singer on the opener. The bizarre imagery of 'Chamber The Cartridge' is all about the world ready to explode and collapse on itsown weight. So a typical Rise Against album. Album 4 precisely. By this point they know there stuff and this is as heavy and riff laden as the biggest pariah's of the stage. 'Bricks' is an example of the direction they could have gone, releasing one and a half minute songs which sound twice as long. The transitions are perfect as they plead for you to change the world with them. Band has a conscious too. 'Prayer Of The Refugee' is about the plight of refugees and forgotten ones to the sound of metallic anti-product. Who can't head bang to that? That's quite a compliment for them, this is a band who's main strength relies in the lyrics after all. Being able get these words across with great music easily makes this one of the best Rise Against if not the best. For something completely different how about 'The Approaching Curve', a spoken word narrative. A road lashed with wind and rain, conflict and stream of conscious confessions by the narrator. Pulled off with excellence! And that line with the female vocalist... that's magic moment for me! Love it! A band eons ahead of their contemporaries and at a peak. Ahh... and Roadside. You don't get them as good as that from this group no more."[+]Reply