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).
""Countdown to Ecstasy" was the follow-up to Steely Dan's very successful debut album "Can't Buy a Thrill." The album was partially recorded during rapid studio sessions between live performances and the group was initially not fully satisfied with all of the performances on the record. The album ..."""Countdown to Ecstasy" was the follow-up to Steely Dan's very successful debut album "Can't Buy a Thrill."
The album was partially recorded during rapid studio sessions between live performances and the group was initially not fully satisfied with all of the performances on the record.
The album contains the two singles "Show Biz Kids" and the "My Old School", which both made it close to number 60 in the charts. Especially "My Old School" is an unforgettable classic, which still appears on the group's live sets. So does the fast blues / rocker "Bodhisattva", which despite some energetic guitar has never been among my favorites - the melody is simply too monotonous
In contrast, the album contains one of my alltime biggest Steely Dan favorites, namely the beautiful melodic ballad "Pearl of the Quarter".
A little in the same vein are "The Razor Boy" and "Boston Rag", both songs that help making this album an undeniable classic.
The long funky and slightly monotonous "Your Gold Teeth" have some great improvisational piano and guitar, and its a number that is likely to grow on you.
The final number is "King of the World" sounds a bit like an outtake from the first album - a slight funky disco style - but a nice track, too."[+]Reply
"Raw, edgy garage with a queasy, malevolent psychedelic gleam. A glorious atmosphere and great, robust songs throughout. I personally love the electric jug, but I see it's not to everyone's taste! A crucial record for more reasons than just being the first to have the word "Psychedelic" in the tit...""Raw, edgy garage with a queasy, malevolent psychedelic gleam. A glorious atmosphere and great, robust songs throughout. I personally love the electric jug, but I see it's not to everyone's taste! A crucial record for more reasons than just being the first to have the word "Psychedelic" in the title. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys 60s "garage" and the more provocative underground limb of early psychedelic rock."[+]Reply
"Until 1992, I thought there would never be another rock album that would blow me away like Moving Pictures did in 1981. DT came out and absolutely rocked my world. This album was an absolute musical revelation, with complex composition, incredible musicianship, refreshing songwriting, and outstan...""Until 1992, I thought there would never be another rock album that would blow me away like Moving Pictures did in 1981. DT came out and absolutely rocked my world. This album was an absolute musical revelation, with complex composition, incredible musicianship, refreshing songwriting, and outstanding personnel at every position who all somehow still come out better than the sum of their parts. Every last song is not just a keeper, but of the very highest order. No matter how many times I listen to this album, it seems fresh and is always welcome. "[+]Reply
"A little inconsistent, but it's first and last third are nothing short of stellar. The second third is rather good, but for what Kendrick would come up with next, it doesn't fit into his master-class catalogue that would come after Section.80. Key Cuts: A.D.H.D, Hiiipower, Rigamortis"Reply
"It has to be one of the all-time best albums ever in my book. The anthemic quality of the songs from start to finish might be derivative of U2, but that is where the similarity ends. The imagery of Mike Scott's lyrics, particularly on "The Whole Of The Moon" and the title cut, are completely capt...""It has to be one of the all-time best albums ever in my book. The anthemic quality of the songs from start to finish might be derivative of U2, but that is where the similarity ends. The imagery of Mike Scott's lyrics, particularly on "The Whole Of The Moon" and the title cut, are completely captivating. How many times did I repeatedly listen to this album for nearly twenty years? Innumerable. I was somewhat disappointed with the slight change of direction on their follow-up album "Fisherman's Blues" which veered away from the stadium pleasing tunes featured here. GET THIS ALBUM!"[+]Reply
"The run from Sex on Fire till Revelry is a relentless flawless streak of mad genius. I dont know how/why i ended up loving those 4 songs so much, but they havent aged a day after all this time and i only love them more with every listen. The rest of the album has eventually grown on me, notion an...""The run from Sex on Fire till Revelry is a relentless flawless streak of mad genius. I dont know how/why i ended up loving those 4 songs so much, but they havent aged a day after all this time and i only love them more with every listen.
The rest of the album has eventually grown on me, notion and closer are fine songs, but i am mostly here for those 4 songs. "[+]Reply
"This album is one of the most haunting experiences of my life. It's like listening to a secret, intensely alien conversation between inanimate objects, and being driven mad by the omnipresent vibrations of the universe. "The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human...""This album is one of the most haunting experiences of my life. It's like listening to a secret, intensely alien conversation between inanimate objects, and being driven mad by the omnipresent vibrations of the universe.
"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age."
- H.P. Lovecraft"[+]Reply
"Mos Def - Black on Both Sides is an album I' ve always had the impression that it has achieved an "almost classic" status, which is a shame, as I don't think there is anything that separates it from the widely accepted classics. I was browsing through various relevant online articles/lists etc. a...""Mos Def - Black on Both Sides is an album I' ve always had the impression that it has achieved an "almost classic" status, which is a shame, as I don't think there is anything that separates it from the widely accepted classics. I was browsing through various relevant online articles/lists etc. and sadly my suspicion was confirmed for the most part. Maybe it has to do with what babyBlueSedan pointed out, that it's hard to include it in a sub-group inside the hip hop umbrella, maybe it has to do with the course of his career further down the road and his acting shenanigans, or maybe his music is just "too black" to be universally acclaimed. Anyway, not much needs to be said about the defining attributes of this album. The production is top notch, his delivery is practically flawless, but the main function both of these aspects serve is that they allow his lyrics to come through, so that the message can reach the audience loud and clear. Fear Not of Man is an ideal example of this - and of my two favorite moments of the album. It's a case of more speaking than rapping and gives us some of his best -and not only his, to be honest -lyrics. He begins by wondering about the future of hip hop and I really like the way he explains it is closely tied to the future of our civilisation/society and how humans have lost their focus, no matter if they are hip hop artists or regular citizens ("tell em, "You know what's gonna happen with hip-hop? Whatever's happening with us" If we smoked out, hip-hop is gonna be smoked out If we doin' alright, hip-hop is gonna be doin' alright People talk about hip-hop like it's some giant livin' in the hillside Comin' down to visit the townspeople We are hip-hop Me, you, everybody, we are hip-hop So hip-hop is going where we going So the next time you ask yourself where hip-hop is going Ask yourself: where am I going? How am I doing? Till you get a clear idea So if hip-hop is about the people And the hip-hop won't get better until the people get better Then how do people get better? (Hmm) Well, from my understanding people get better When they start to understand that they are valuable And they not valuable because they got a whole lot of money Or 'cause somebody, think they sexy"). Also noteworthy is the use of a sample from Nigerian Afrobeat artist Fela Kuti. Then comes Hip Hop , where he expands on the same theme and further reflects on the duty of the artist to communicate his ideas and raise the political awareness of his audience ("Young man, where you from? Brooklyn number one! Native son, speaking in the native tongue I got my eyes on tomorrow (there it is) While you still tryin to find where it is I'm on the Ave where it lives and dies, violently but silently Shine so vibrantly that eyes squint to catch a glimpse Embrace the bass with my dark ink fingertips"). Love changes the scenery a little bit with a jazzy/bluesy tune and -as expected- stresses the important of love -not only its romantic side, any kind of love. A minor complaint would be that the outro drags unnecessarily. Ms. Fat Booty is another huge track, though I sometimes feel that the tremendously powerful and captivating Aretha Franklin vocal sample overshadows anything else that's going on in this song. By no means does this make it any less enjoyable, I mention it mostly because it's one of the few occasions where the lyrics may remain into the background. Speed Law is a song with a rockier vibe. Lyrics-wise it's not one of my favorites, as it comes dangerously close to becoming one of those typical self-praising songs -but it keeps the balance, as it's more substance than style, while in this kind of songs it's usually the other way around -, plus the outro felt somewhat repetitive. Do It Now features Busta Rhymes, a great guest ("Take the arch rivalry stance up on the podium And give the flavor to niggas but keep it low on sodium Possess shit that got you wondering how we holdin em Things that'll lay you out like a piece of linoleum") and his chemistry with Mos Def is on a very high level. Got is my least favorite song of the album, it gets annoyingly repetitive. Not much to comment on UMI Says, he says it best himself ("Put my heart and soul into this song I hope you feel me From where I am, to wherever you are I mean that sincerely Tomorrow may never come For you and me, life is not promised Tomorrow may never appear You better hold this very moment very close to you Very close to you, so close to you So close to you, don't be afraid, just let it shine"). It's almost impossible not to be moved by his passion. New World Water is a song about water -thank you captain obvious- that can be interpreted in different levels, either directly related to environmental consciousness or to the underlying sociopolitical causes of water pollution and how the transformation of the human nature leads to the deterioration of our natural environment ("Used to have minerals and zinc in it (New World Water) Now they say it got lead and stink in it (New World Water)"). In Rock N Roll I'm not sure if the concept is flawed to begin with , or if it has to do more with the execution. However, the last minute frenzy was great. Know That begins with a Star Wars reference -can't go wrong with one of those. It is one of the funkiest tunes and features Talib Kweli ("Intellectual property I got the title and the deed I pay for rent, with the tears and sweat and what I bleed MCs imitate the way we walk, the way we talk You cats spit lyrical pork with no spiritual thought Plus your flow a little bit off You come across soft Back in the days niggas like that on stage got tossed off Need to get crossed off the guestlist It's like you gotta be disrespected and thrown out the exit To get the message"). Along with the opening track they are my two favorite moments of the album. Considering the competition, that's quite an achievement. Climb might seem weird or even a bit off as a standalone song, but in the context of the album provides a welcome change of pace, relaxing the listener after the highly energetic previous track and makes for a smooth transition to Brooklyn, which also has a chill jazzy atmosphere. Habitat takes another stab at tackling the problem of social injustice and inequality ("Partner, all that's left to want is more While these cats that's less privileged is just more raw Less space cause the projects laced with more flaws Less sleep cause the nights ain't peace, it's more war The can is raw like thirsty, rainy season thunder claps On the block with your old pop pleading number act To the spot with the red top fiends is huddled at To the crib where the little kids spend their summers trapped"). Mr. Nigga is a creative way to show the impact of race based prejudices ("One problem; even with the Os on his check The po-po stop him and show no respect "Is there a problem officer?" Damn straight, it's called race That motivate the jake (woo-woo) to give chase Say they want you successful, but that ain't the case You living large, your skin is dark, they flash a light in your face"). Mathematics is the epitome of classic, full of quotable lines ("The universe expands length The body of my text possess extra strength Power-lift the powerless up out of this towering inferno My ink so hot it burn through the journal I'm blacker than midnight on Broadway and Myrtle Hip-Hop passed all your tall social hurdles Like the nationwide projects-prison-industry complex Working-class poor, better keep your alarm set Streets too loud to ever hear freedom ring Say evacuate your sleep, it's dangerous to dream"). May-December, the closing track, is an instrumental that gives you some room to breathe and try to comprehend what you' ve experienced.
To sum it up, nothing short of a classic. (The review got bigger than I'd have liked, but it's mostly because I've quoted so much stuff. His lyrics are phenomenal, I couldn't resist the temptation.)"[+]Reply
"Just like any popular radio band, Sublime seems to attract an unforgivably annoying, loyal fan base. I can't tell you how many girls I've bumped into since the mid-90's who've lived their lives with this album as a soundtrack. Yikes. In all honesty, I hate listening to Sublime around humans becau...""Just like any popular radio band, Sublime seems to attract an unforgivably annoying, loyal fan base. I can't tell you how many girls I've bumped into since the mid-90's who've lived their lives with this album as a soundtrack. Yikes. In all honesty, I hate listening to Sublime around humans because of how they respond to it. It can ruin Sublime for me for MONTHS. But... if I'm by myself, driving & I haven't heard it for awhile, I LOVE IT. It makes me really happy and inspires Office Space/Michael Bolton-esque moments in my car. I love everything except "Santeria" (due to excessive radio play). You can take your Radiohead. I'll take my Sublime. Buy this album and sing along!!! The whole things gels!!!"[+]Reply
Fischman | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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TheDude85 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Vatsal | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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SquishypuffDave | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +17 votes (17 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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