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: 3 hours ago).
"Listening to this is like entering one of those weird antique shops that smells of incense and it's full of religious imagery and wooden statues and there's some creepy old hippy woman at the counter."Reply
"On December 28th, 1998, enigmatic frontman Shinji Sato gazed upon a vigilant crowd gathered lovingly at the Akasaka Blitz in Minato, Tokyo. It was here that his band, Fishmans, was prepared to bid adieu to their bassist, Yuzuru Kashiwabara, who was set upon leaving the group. Little did anyone kn...""On December 28th, 1998, enigmatic frontman Shinji Sato gazed upon a vigilant crowd gathered lovingly at the Akasaka Blitz in Minato, Tokyo. It was here that his band, Fishmans, was prepared to bid adieu to their bassist, Yuzuru Kashiwabara, who was set upon leaving the group. Little did anyone know, the amount of finality and reverence this performance would carry would forever bathe the band in a balmy luster of posthumous praise. As the first reverberations of guitar are heard, a docility seems to rain over the multitude, almost entranced in a spiritual, reverent manner. Such things happen without warning, yet, when they do, they have the tendency to stifle the passing of time and render the present moment motionless. What happened on that December evening in Tokyo is exalted for the transcendent-nature of the musicality and Sato's passing in the months that would follow. What many don't perceive, is that it wasn't just Sato's passage that galvanized those proceedings. Every single soul on stage and in attendance would take part in the ascension to a higher state of musical consciousness, now permanent, invisible residents of both the Akasaka Blitz and another heavenly dimension.
Sato and company begin with the pleasantries and with 'Oh! Slime', which bestows respective introductions to each of the band's players. This preamble progressively evolves from a spacey, serene whirring into a bouncy declaration of jubilee. It's clear that the forthcoming ceremony isn't going to be colored by solemnity, despite it being Kashiwabara's swan song. The chants of "Are you feel good?" further blur the collective reality and affix the qualities of a fragmented dream. The band slips back into serenity with the arrival of their legendary cut, 'ナイトクルージング (Night Cruising)'. This 'Night Cruise' is more tranquil than its studio album doppelganger, exercising more force and dramatic heft. Sato's presence seems to emanate like vapor through the bright, twinkly guitar chords. The track unfurls at a measured tempo, conjuring images of summer-swept, evening car rides with the windows at half mast. Distorted guitar clangs charge into Sato's banshee wail which fuels the burgeoning sense of grandiosity as the track fades from view. Next in queue, is a revisitation of the band's sophomore effort, 1992's King Master George. The cosmic, percussive 'なんてったの (What Was It)', materializes in a form seemingly untethered and which could fly away at a moment's notice. It's Honzi's work at the keys that colors and elevates the track, as her exploits attach a perceptible sense of melancholy to the song. The bittersweet sensations persist as Fishmans slip into 'Thank You', a explicit championing of life and an unbridled expression of gratitude for its peaks and valleys. The track's somber essence is one of hindsight, as Sato's screeches of life pre-date the ending of his own just months thereafter. It, at times, seems like a conscious goodbye, adding to the mystical gravitas of the band's live farewell.
The band ceases to drag their feet as they decide to live within the present with 'Shiawase-mono (A Happy Person)', a bassy, simmering concoction of placid guitar tones which are ushered away gracefully by Honzi's egressing, endearing keys. The pace lounges more evidently with 'Tayorinai Tenshi (Unreliable Angel)', which shimmers like a calm before a storm, despite its aesthetic allure. Carrying distinct reggae and ska sheens, Fishmans re-enliven their dub roots with pastoral, matured sensibilities. The velocity does resurface, however, the piquancy remains with 'Hikōki (ひこうき; Airplane)', a noticeably more rosy affair fit with phosphorescent guitar and jovial vocals. The infectious guitar solo marks a triumphant break within the track, providing a raucous, screeching wall which firmly divides the two melodic sections. After a brief exchange, the mood swells, the crowd loosens and the stage at the Blitz is now shrouded. The band recrudesces with a signature composition, 'In the Flight', off of 1997's 'Uchū Nippon Setagaya (Space Japan Setagaya)'. The track is rife with gradual escalation, with a dream pop alpha flowing into a brief but elastic, omega. Often cooing as gently as a dove, Sato's vocals on the track are befittingly avian, fragile and susceptible to a soft breeze. Honzi's violin passage weeps softly and elegantly acting as the perfect placeholder and compliment to Sato's own delicate offerings. An arresting symbiotic relationship carries 'In the Flight' into the ether. With a pivot from one legacy-defining track to another, 'Walking in the Rhythm' manifests. This 'Rhythm' is not as melodramatic as it dutifully chugs along before cascading overtop of itself with an assortment of varying guitar sections. The eponymous chants have never sounded so weighty as the track spirals into a cosmic cauldron of intergalactic synth and dueling guitar before crescendoing with labored exaltations from all parties. It's an incredible, stream-of-consciousness adaptation of the band's original masterpiece.
Another trans-dimensional odyssey takes place with the subsequent, 'Smilin' Days, Summer Holiday'. This voyage is powered by guitars that swirl and circulate like maelstroms, but without carrying a semblance of menace or ill-will. They gleam brightly from portion to portion as a cluster of voices flow out, tucked in snugly beneath the ever-advancing strings. After a particularly upbeat, punchy rendition of 'Melody' off of 1994's 'Orange', the stage darkens once more and the disposition becomes one of voiceless consideration. Fishmans begin to perform 'Yurameki in the Air (Flickering in the Air)', a composition that brandishes the same genetic makeup of slow-developing staples such as 'Night Cruising' and 'In the Flight', but stretched out to infinity. It's here that they return to music so gauzy and ethereal that, if you adjust your gaze or shift too brashly, it may flee from view, like innocent fauna of the forest. This intimate mind-meld between artist and audience for 16 unbroken minutes is pure bliss. Penultimate effort, "Ikareta Baby (いかれた Baby; Crazy Baby)", uncoils in a very disparate fashion than its studio counterpart. Here, the piece prefers to wander amidst the expanded acoustics of the Blitz and ride a persistent tempo into the final act of Fishmans' final hour.
So, Fishmans and Shinji Sato offered their parting gift to the world and it began with a cosmic whirl which bleeds into the unforgettable keyboard centerpiece. 'Long Season' was now in full swing, and experiencing it in its fully-realized form makes it easy to forget that the project was once a microscopic idea. This idea continued to propagate from the original six-minute version to the now towering, 41-minute monolith of musical perfection. Albeit tragic, it seems utterly apt that this composition would be the last thing the first iteration of the band would perform. Sato's guitar solo creates the proverbial shriek of a imploding star, a ball of gas which burns so bright that it collapses in on itself by way of its own brilliance. This final 'season' is one which seemingly endures the changing of the leaves, the shifting of tectonic plates and causes the earth, for a brief moment, to cease its rotation and stand still.
The Akasaka Blitz was closed in 2020, now a musical tomb, further painting a picture of a night more reminiscent of a mirage than a historical event. Its memory remains eternally imprinted upon the site and in the hearts and minds of those who witnessed this performance. Until recently, few outside Japan knew of the majesty Fishmans could conjure, but their creative tree fell in the woods in December 1998. Few heard it's alluring reverberation then, but now, finally, all can take part in its auditory luster. You see, as the tree collided with the Earth below, its descent and demise fertilized a beautiful garden which blooms more vividly each day and remains an idyllic place to sit, listen and ponder the radiance of life itself.
"I hope you don't fade away today"
- ゆらめき in the Air
Standout Tracks:
1. Long Season
2. ゆらめき in the Air
3. ナイトクルージング (Nightcruising)"[+]Reply
"There is no doubt that this is their most accomplished album, in my mind, and as has been said already the track flow seems almost, if not, perfect. Individually all the tracks are 85-95, apart from "Dying", but as a whole it comes into its own and is an album everyone should try. Having said tha...""There is no doubt that this is their most accomplished album, in my mind, and as has been said already the track flow seems almost, if not, perfect. Individually all the tracks are 85-95, apart from "Dying", but as a whole it comes into its own and is an album everyone should try. Having said that I don't love it quite as much as I do their debut album, two totally contrasting styles, the best of their melodic pop versus the best of their punk pop, and, old bloke that I am, my heart goes with the early one."[+]Reply
"I'm never sure about this album. Sufjan Stevens, previously a melodic, mostly acoustic christian folk song writer takes a five year hiatus and then comes out with this cacophony of an album. Bizzarre detours, mad orchestration and unpredictable electronics all barge at you at once as Sufjan Steve...""I'm never sure about this album. Sufjan Stevens, previously a melodic, mostly acoustic christian folk song writer takes a five year hiatus and then comes out with this cacophony of an album. Bizzarre detours, mad orchestration and unpredictable electronics all barge at you at once as Sufjan Stevens, for the first time, really screams his most personal and effective lyrics yet - even exclaiming multiple times in "I Want To be Well", 'I'm Not Fuckin' Around' - when that's exactly what he's doing on this album. What this album suffers from is filler. At least 20 minutes of the album is barely cohesive and not enjoyable - when the madness comes together magic is really created, but it doesn't always happens. It makes me smile though, when at the end Sufjan Sings solemny - almost returning to his previous style "Boy, we made such a mess together" - you sure did Sufjan, you made a complete mess of an album that no sane person would call music, and that's why it's so fantastic.
"[+]Reply
"It's very difficult to describe "Van Halen" (1978) via precedents: there's the unselfconscious attitude of The Ramones and virtuosic musicianship of Led Zeppelin, but it's filtered through blaxploitation films, Southern California skateboarding culture, and P.T. Barnum's Circus. The bottom line i...""It's very difficult to describe "Van Halen" (1978) via precedents: there's the unselfconscious attitude of The Ramones and virtuosic musicianship of Led Zeppelin, but it's filtered through blaxploitation films, Southern California skateboarding culture, and P.T. Barnum's Circus.
The bottom line is: "Van Halen" sounds like nothing that came before it. Its impact on rock and roll (particularly on rock guitar and the role of the frontman) is seismic, but to this day, misunderstood. Blame a generation of hapless imitators, (which is not the "sincerest form of flattery" when the imitators adopt the trappings rather than the substance;) or a decade of high profile music released under the name "Van Halen" that bears only slight resemblance to innovative original songwriting team's; or spandex made out of women's' undergarments. Regardless, "Van Halen" is one of rock n' roll history's game-changing debuts, indelibly - on par with the influence of "The Ramones," "Led Zeppelin," or "Are You Experienced?""[+]Reply
"I'm seventeen, and I've cried four times in the last five years that I can remember. Twice was over girlfriend stuff, once was when my dog died, and once was the first time I heard Glosoli."Reply
"What an incendiary listen. It’s as much a great album as it is a blueprint to the present and nearly next decade of popular music. In this record I hear influence on Yes, Genesis, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Steve Miller.... the list could go on. This is a great album held up by the pillar of sound cr...""What an incendiary listen. It’s as much a great album as it is a blueprint to the present and nearly next decade of popular music. In this record I hear influence on Yes, Genesis, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Steve Miller.... the list could go on.
This is a great album held up by the pillar of sound crafted by those damn harmonies, and lets not forget some memorable melodies and thought-provoking lyrical content. "[+]Reply
"My favourite Kraftwerk album. The man machine, features beautiful soundscapes combined with a pop mentality. The model, even became a no:1 hit in the U.K. a few years down the line. Perfect late night chill out music. They were so ahead of their time."Reply
"It really warms my heart to see how quickly this album has risen on the 2016 list. This is my first "new" Nick Cave album as I'm still not two years into him. I bought as soon as it came out last Friday, have listened to it at least a dozen times and I still have barely any words. When Nick Cave ...""It really warms my heart to see how quickly this album has risen on the 2016 list. This is my first "new" Nick Cave album as I'm still not two years into him. I bought as soon as it came out last Friday, have listened to it at least a dozen times and I still have barely any words. When Nick Cave lost his son I knew the next album would be the most heartbreaking yet. While it most certainly is that, it is also the most devastatingly beautiful album of the year. And while I think its somber tone and personal lyrics may not turn on a non-fan, people like me who think this is the greatest band of all time know that Saint Nick has churned out another masterpiece. Album of the year. "[+]Reply