Listmeister Listens - My Top 106: The Fame

[Listmeister]

So, I'm going through my top 100, rearranging as I go, counting down from number 106. Why 106? Because there are 6 albums, one from each decade (60's through 10's) that just missed the top 100, and I want to give them another listen, and see if they can get over the threshold.

It won't be like my Electric Light Orchestra reviews, where I try to be exhaustive. This is just a quick summary, with occasional quotes from BEA members.

As I said, I'll be rearranging. Here's how they've shaken out:

29. Rocky Horror Picture Show
30. Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi
31. Nightflight to Venus - Boney M.
32. Flood - They Might Be Giants
33. Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf
34. The ArchAndroid - Janelle Monae
35. Brill Bruisers - the New Pornographers
36. Help! - the Beatles
37. The Fame - Lady Gaga
38. Up! - Shania Twain
39. Kimono My House - Sparks
40. Kick - INXS
41. Lonely and Blue - Roy Orbison
42. On the Threshold of a Dream - the Moody Blues
43. Moody Blue - Elvis Presley
44. Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We - the Cranberries
45. In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson
46. Past Masters Volume One - the Beatles
47. Long Distance Voyager - the Moody Blues
48. Reflektor - Arcade Fire
49. Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs - Marty Robbins
50. An Innocent Man - Billy Joel
51. Summertime Dream - Gordon Lightfoot
52. The Who Sell Out - the Who
53. To Our Children's Children's Children - the Moody Blues
54. Hi Infidelity - REO Speedwagon
55. Bella Donna - Stevie Nicks
56. L.A. Woman - the Doors
57. Nightfall in Middle-Earth - Blind Guardian
58. Traveling Wilburys Vol 1 - the Traveling Wilburys
59. Secret Messages - Electric Light Orchestra
60. Jazz - Queen
61. Agaetis Byrjun - Sigur Ros
62. Different Light - the Bangles
63. One Of These Nights - the Eagles
64. Watermark - Enya
65. The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
66. Pyromania - Def Leppard
67. Who Are You - the Who
68. 3:47 EST - Klaatu
69. An Evening With John Denver
70. Sun Structures - Temples
71. The Cars - the Cars
72. Discovery - Electric Light Orchestra
73. A Day at the Races - Queen
74. Switched-On Bach - Walter Carlos
75. Live at the BBC - the Beatles
76. Surrealistic Pillow - Jefferson Airplane
77. Songs About Jane - Maroon 5
78. Parallel Lines - Blondie
79. Now & Then - the Carpenters
80. The Resistance - Muse
81. The Stone Roses - the Stone Roses
82. Alright, Still - Lily Allen
83. Having a Rave Up - the Yardbirds
84. Incense and Peppermints - Strawberry Alarm Clock
85. Xanadu Soundtrack - Olivia Newton-John / Electric Light Orchestra
86. Fly Like an Eagle - Steve Miller Band
87. Very - the Pet Shop Boys
88. Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt
89. The Life Pursuit - Belle & Sebastian
90. One Step Beyond... Madness
91. Breakfast in America - Supertramp
92. Book of Dreams - Steve Miller Band
93. Actually - the Pet Shop Boys
94. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - the Flaming Lips
95. Revolution Radio - Green Day
96. American Woman - the Guess Who
97. Use Your Illusion II - Guns 'n' Roses
98. London Calling - the Clash
99. Don Quixote - Gordon Lightfoot
100. American Graffiti Soundtrack
101. The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga
102. Eldorado - Electric Light Orchestra
103. I Walk the Line - Johnny Cash
104. The Visitors - ABBA
105. Rocky Mountain High - John Denver
106. Use Your Illusion I - Guns'n'Roses
107. On the Third Day - Electric Light Orchestra
108. Pure Heroine - Lorde
109. Alice's Restaurant - Arlo Guthrie
110. Lonely Teardrops - Jackie Wilson
111. Aquarium - Aqua
112. Mirage - Camel
113. Bustin' Out - Pure Prairie League

[Listmeister]

106. On the threshold from the 2010's.

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Pure Heroine by Lorde

BEA Rank: 14th from 2013; 85th from 2010's; 1104th of All Time
Ranked highest by thatbeatleskid1 (7th of all time)

"Great dream pop with some electronic elements." --landaleswift
"This album gave me a new-found love for music... This is what a songwriter/singer should strive to work towards. " --brxndan
"If pop is to be taken seriously, it must follow Lorde's lead." --yonstein414

In the fall of 2013, the song Royals hit the radio. Many thought it was overplayed. The reason it was overplayed was that it was sooo much better than anything else in the top 40 at the time. (I myself listed it the best song of 2013). A few more hits from the album followed (Team and Tennis Courts). I remember listening to the album on the first day it came out. It was during the "Best Debut Album" tournament and I asked if I could swap it out for one of my selections that was coming up soon in the tournament.

Her voice is smooth as honey, and the lyrics present a teenager's perspective but with a very mature writing style. The harmonies in this album (wherever they come from) are ethereal.

[Listmeister]

105. The 1960's threshold

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Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie

BEA Rank: 87th of 1967, 598th of 1960's, 9113th of all time.

Ranked highest by greatson, 72nd of all time

"Nobody tells a tongue-in-cheek yet politically biting yarn like Arlo." --junodog4

Side One of the album is "The Alice's Restaurant Massacre." (That last word is pronounced, "MASSakree"), a long yarn about a guy who went to visit his friend, Alice (she owned a restaurant), decided to help her out by taking out her garbage. This led to a series of adventures, which I will not spoiler here, but I will say, really funny stuff. And then, side two is folk songs in the more traditional sense, with some humor and folksy guitar pickin'.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I worry that it might get old after repeated listenings, so I'm going to have to drop it below Pure Heroine, which moves up to #105.

[Listmeister]

104. The 2000's threshold

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The Life Pursuit by Belle And Sebastian

BEA Ranks: 17th of 2006, 195 of the 2000's, 974th all time.

Ranked highest by LevonTostig, 6th All Time

" Fine songwriting, beautiful melodies, great lyrics, they are simply one of Britain's greatest ever bands. Classic stuff." --garycotter

"The progression from one track to the next seems perfect on this record, a really easy to listen to, enjoyable album from start to finsh. This is my preferred Belle & Sebastian (over the more acoustic style)." --Rich150

"fantastig first half" --martinho

Six out of the first seven songs are amazingly awesome. The first four may be the best "first four" of any album. "The Blues are Still Blue" and "White Collar Boy" were minor hits in the UK (top 50 but not top 20).

But the harmonies, Lennon's Glasses, the harmonies! Boy-girl harmonies are rare enough in pop music that they should be treasured, and these voices blend like pizza sauce and provalone cheese. (I'm not good at similes).

The best so far.

[Listmeister]

103. The 1990's threshold

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Aquarium by Aqua

If "The Life Pursuit" had amazing boy-girl harmonies, "Aquarium" has amazing contrast between the feminine (Lene Nystrom) and the masculine (Rene Dif).

I'm sure you've heard "Barbie Girl", one of those love-it-or-hate-it songs from 1997. I loved it, I was dazzled by it's campy kitsch, and wanted to hear the album. I was not disappointed.

However, it's not as good as the other ones so far, so I'm going to have to move it to the bottom of the pile.

[Listmeister]

102. The 1980's threshold

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The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses

BEA Rank: 2nd of 1989; 3rd of the 1980's. 30th of All Time.

Forty users ranked The Stone Roses as the Best of All Time. Four (Graeme2, Dayved00, WillyMac, and fractaljazz) have it at the top of a list of 100. Graeme2 has it at the top of his All-Time (with 100), 80's (with 100 listed), and 1989 (with 52 listed)

"They managed to get the perfect sound, opened the door for so many other great British bands." --marazico

"Even at it's lowest moments, The Stone Roses never dip below a certain level of quality, with the worst tracks being no worse than solid." --RichardSauce

"By God, it's an album that transcends expectations and has one of the most robust, well crafted and well sculpted sounds of anything I've ever heard. And if you need any confirmation of how good their debut was, just listen to how modern it still sounds. This is the definition of 'ahead of its times'." --DeusExMakia

"A quick spin and I am filled with the joys of youth again! Perfect happiness on a 12" disc!" --LadyGodiva

"Really fun listen. The representation of a fantastic Summer holiday." --HazeyTwilight

"Probably one of the few albums I think the internet gets pretty damn right when ranking. Shame they couldn't really repeat the trick." --PunctureRepair

My tastes do not match BEA's for the most part. There are less than 10 from BEA's top 100 in my own top 100, not including this one until I move it into the top 100. I should not have let it drop out of the top 100. It has been floating around the bottom of the list since I first discovered the album. I discovered it, in fact, by plowing through BEA's top 100 soon after I joined the site. (So, thank you for that, BEA).

Nothing I can say about it could add to it's accolades, a few of which are listed above. Every time I listen to it, I enjoy it more, and it is over too soon.

[Listmeister]

101. The 1970's threshold

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Mirage by Camel

BEA Ranks: 16th of 1974, 214th of 1970s, 913th of all time.
Ranked highest by Kaiser, 2nd of All Time.

"A criminally underated album by a criminally underated band" --discojets1

When I listen to it, I enjoy it, but it does not seem to get a foothold in my brain. Soon after I've listened, I forget any of the music. Maybe I just don't have an ear for instrumental music.

But that doesn't mean the album is not worthy of my top 100. It only recently dropped off the end of the list. I like the album, I remember some great guitar work, but it fades quickly from my memory. I think I better move it to the bottom of the pile for now; maybe next time I hear it I will remember more about it, and it will move up.

So after the thresholds, here's where we are:
101. Stone Roses
102. The Life Pursuit
103. Pure Heroine
104. Alice's Restaurant
105. Aquarium
106. Mirage

[Listmeister]

100. Great album by a band you've never heard of

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Bustin' Out by Pure Prairie League

BEA Rank: 113th of 1972; 1053rd of the 1970s; 6,023rd of All Time
Ranked highest by Jasonslipstream (12th of All Time)

"Perhaps the best Country Rock album of all time." --Jasonslipstream

Pure Prairie League formed in Southern Ohio, started playing in Columbus, and gained a following in Cincinnati in the early 1970's. This was a little before my time. But Cincinnati DJ's loved the band, and kept their music on the radio. Shout-out to Jim LaBarbara, the Music Professor, on 700 WLW in the late 70's.

The song that I remember them playing was called "Amie", with an infectious chorus "Amie, what you want to do? I think I could stay with you for awhile, maybe longer, if I do" (I've always liked that name, and, in fact, I married an Amy). Occasionally, they'd play the song right before it on the album, "Falling In and Out of Love", which leads right in to the song.

Time passed, and technology advances. When I found myself in the future, defined as "a time when you can listen to any music ever recorded", I looked it up. The whole album is good.

Unfortunately, except for "Falling In and Out of Love" and "Amie", which are brilliancies, the rest of the album is just good country rock. The album will have to drop out of the top 100.

So we have:

100. Stone Roses
101. The Life Pursuit
102. Pure Heroine
103. Alice's Restaurant
104. Aquarium
105 Mirage
106. Bustin' Out

That means that Stone Roses moves into the top 100, and out of the Threshold. We need a new 1980's threshold album.

[Listmeister]

107. The next 1980's threshold album.

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Actually by Pet Shop Boys

BEA Ranks: 31st of 1987; 273rd of the 1980s; 1633rd of All Time

Ranked highest by franktalus, Best of All Time

"Fantastic pop. Has more depth than many of their contemporaries." --junodog4

The Pet Shop Boys are one of my favorite bands from the 1990's, and their "Discography" (a greatest hits compilation) was in heavy rotation before I switched from tapes to CD's. That means, unfortunately, their albums kind of blend together for me, and it's hard for me to rank one as opposed to another.

But this album has three of my favorite songs. "It's a Sin" (obvious earworm), "Rent", (fantastic backbeat), and especially "What Have I Done To Deserve This", which I affectionately call the "Whataveye Song".

In 1988, I was in college, and my taste in music was the "oldies" radio stations, so I was familiar with Dusty Springfield's amazing body of work. But by the 1980's, she'd been forgotten by the music industry. When she sang the Whataveye Song with the Pet Shop Boys, I noticed. Loved the song. Damn, it was good to hear her voice again. But that was my introduction to the Pet Shop Boys.

I'm going to put this album at the 102 spot, just after The Life Pursuit.

100. Stone Roses
101. The Life Pursuit
102. Actually
103. Pure Heroine
104. Alice's Restaurant
105. Aquarium
106 Mirage
107. Bustin' Out

[Listmeister]

99. If Rocks Could Sing

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I Walk The Line by Johnny Cash

BEA Ranks: 38th of 1964; 576th of the 1960s: 8788th of All Time

Ranked highest by crs, 33rd of All Time.

"A great album from a true poet." --Coconut

"This sounds like a compilation; the track selection is just that strong..." --junodog4

That voice. That beautiful gravelly baritone. That wink in his eye as he sings every line. "I Walk The Line" and "Folsom Prison Blues" are masterpieces.

Mathematically, as we go up the chart, most albums are going to drop a bit on the first re-ranking, which is a problem for albums near the 100 mark.

99. Stone Roses
100. The Life Pursuit
101. Actually
102. I Walk the Line
103. Pure Heroine
104. Alice's Restaurant
105. Aquarium
106 Mirage
107. Bustin' Out

So that will put The Life Pursuit at number 100. So, we will need another 00's threshold album.