Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
Romanelli 
With production credits (because producers are important, too). Also track listings, label info and short reviews written by yours truly. I hope this chart is helpful, entertaining, and at least interesting.
- Chart updated: 04/12/2024 14:15
- (Created: 06/01/2012 04:29).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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1988-WILBURY
Produced By OTIS WILBURY & NELSON WILBURY
1. Handle With Care
2. Dirty World
3. Rattled
4. Last Night
5. Not Alone Any More
6. Congratulations
7. Heading For The Light
8. Margarita
9. Tweeter And The Monkey Man
10. End Of The Line
11. Maxine
12. Like A Ship
Without question the greatest lineup for a supergroup ever assembled. The question remains, why is this not the greatest album ever made? The Wilburys, as is well known, was not just a collection of greats, it was a collection of legends. George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne was an unbelievable lineup, and Vol. 1 was going to be superb. So…why isn’t it? The album has moments of absolute glory, but it also has severe lows that defy logic. The easiest explanation is this: supergroups of this caliber simply do not work. How many top grade front men can you have on one stage at the same time? How do you relegate these guys to being backing musicians for each other, no matter how strong their friendships? But there are other reasons why this never rises above a certain level. They approached the project in more of a “let’s have some fun” manner rather than “let’s make some phenomenal music”. The anonymity of the Wilbury name was thin (they put their pictures on the front cover). And no one was going to really bring their “A” material to a project like this one.
The high points are magical. “Handle With Care”, by Harrison, is their best track by far…the perfect vehicle for five lead singers. “The Closer, “End Of The Line”, is almost as strong. The Dylan contributions, “Dirty World” and “Tweeter And The Monkey Man” are excellent, as is “Last Night”. From there, the fall is mighty. The other five tracks (and the two bonus tracks) are poor and forgettable filler, especially given the pedigree of the performers. What we ultimately have here is an uneven album with some truly magical moments and lots of disappointment…but it’s still a lot of fun, especially if you remember that that’s what the Wilbury’s were going for. The liner notes by Michael Palin are also worthwhile…”The original Wilburys were a stationary people, who, realizing that their civilization could not stand still forever, began to go for short walks…”. Not long after this was released, Orbison died, and although there was one more album (Vol. 3), the fun was over. But this is always worth putting on once in a while. Because the Wilburys were ultimately what they set out to accomplish: they were a lot of fun. [First added to this chart: 05/31/2012]
Produced By OTIS WILBURY & NELSON WILBURY
1. Handle With Care
2. Dirty World
3. Rattled
4. Last Night
5. Not Alone Any More
6. Congratulations
7. Heading For The Light
8. Margarita
9. Tweeter And The Monkey Man
10. End Of The Line
11. Maxine
12. Like A Ship
Without question the greatest lineup for a supergroup ever assembled. The question remains, why is this not the greatest album ever made? The Wilburys, as is well known, was not just a collection of greats, it was a collection of legends. George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne was an unbelievable lineup, and Vol. 1 was going to be superb. So…why isn’t it? The album has moments of absolute glory, but it also has severe lows that defy logic. The easiest explanation is this: supergroups of this caliber simply do not work. How many top grade front men can you have on one stage at the same time? How do you relegate these guys to being backing musicians for each other, no matter how strong their friendships? But there are other reasons why this never rises above a certain level. They approached the project in more of a “let’s have some fun” manner rather than “let’s make some phenomenal music”. The anonymity of the Wilbury name was thin (they put their pictures on the front cover). And no one was going to really bring their “A” material to a project like this one.
The high points are magical. “Handle With Care”, by Harrison, is their best track by far…the perfect vehicle for five lead singers. “The Closer, “End Of The Line”, is almost as strong. The Dylan contributions, “Dirty World” and “Tweeter And The Monkey Man” are excellent, as is “Last Night”. From there, the fall is mighty. The other five tracks (and the two bonus tracks) are poor and forgettable filler, especially given the pedigree of the performers. What we ultimately have here is an uneven album with some truly magical moments and lots of disappointment…but it’s still a lot of fun, especially if you remember that that’s what the Wilbury’s were going for. The liner notes by Michael Palin are also worthwhile…”The original Wilburys were a stationary people, who, realizing that their civilization could not stand still forever, began to go for short walks…”. Not long after this was released, Orbison died, and although there was one more album (Vol. 3), the fun was over. But this is always worth putting on once in a while. Because the Wilburys were ultimately what they set out to accomplish: they were a lot of fun. [First added to this chart: 05/31/2012]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,228
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
29
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1989-MCA
Produced By JEFF LYNNE
1. Free Fallin'
2. I Won't Back Down
3. Love Is A Long Road
4. A Face In The Crowd
5. Runnin' Down A Dream
6. Feel A Whole Lot Better
7. Yer So Bad
8. Depending On You
9. The Apartment Song
10. Alright For Now
11. A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own
12. Zombie Zoo
I think at some point, everyone has owned this album. Recorded during the short career of the Traveling Wilburys, Petty's debut solo album features all but one of them...only Bob Dylan is missing. ELO leader Jeff Lynne contributes heavily with production, bass, and songwriting. Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench are also present. The songs are catchy and memorable, and Petty sounds like he is truly having fun. "Free Fallin'", "I Won't Back Down", and "Runnin' Down A Dream" are the highlights, but don't sleep on "The Apartment Song" and "A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own", either. Overall, a solid effort from Petty & friends.
Roy Orbison makes an appearance on "Zombie Zoo", recorded before his death but released afterwards. George Harrison plays on "I Won't Back Down". [First added to this chart: 05/31/2012]
Produced By JEFF LYNNE
1. Free Fallin'
2. I Won't Back Down
3. Love Is A Long Road
4. A Face In The Crowd
5. Runnin' Down A Dream
6. Feel A Whole Lot Better
7. Yer So Bad
8. Depending On You
9. The Apartment Song
10. Alright For Now
11. A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own
12. Zombie Zoo
I think at some point, everyone has owned this album. Recorded during the short career of the Traveling Wilburys, Petty's debut solo album features all but one of them...only Bob Dylan is missing. ELO leader Jeff Lynne contributes heavily with production, bass, and songwriting. Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench are also present. The songs are catchy and memorable, and Petty sounds like he is truly having fun. "Free Fallin'", "I Won't Back Down", and "Runnin' Down A Dream" are the highlights, but don't sleep on "The Apartment Song" and "A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own", either. Overall, a solid effort from Petty & friends.
Roy Orbison makes an appearance on "Zombie Zoo", recorded before his death but released afterwards. George Harrison plays on "I Won't Back Down". [First added to this chart: 05/31/2012]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,458
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1981-MODERN
Produced By JIMMY IOVINE
1. Bella Donna
2. Kind Of Woman
3. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
4. Think About It
5. After The Glitter Fades
6. Edge Of Seventeen
7. How Still My Love
8. Leather And Lace
9. Outside The Rain
10. The Highwayman
A very underrated album. Stevie Nicks had spent her career up to 1981 in situations where she was one of the songwriters: as part of the duo Buckingham Nicks, and then with two other writers in Fleetwood Mac. Stevie was, in a way, the George Harrison of Fleetwood Mac to Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham’s Lennon and McCartney. So when the chance for a solo debut came about, Stevie had no shortage of songs at all. The biggest surprise is that she didn’t have a sudden flood of solo albums come out in a short time. But, there is Bella Donna. And, while it was very well received by fans and helped solidify Nicks’ career, it has somehow slipped under the radar of great albums. It’s been written off as good, but nothing special by critics over the years, and her solo career will always be seen as secondary to what she did with Fleetwood Mac. Thus, since the last fadeout of Leather And Lace, Bella Donna has been an almost forgotten classic.
It’s better than you remember. “Edge Of Seventeen” her rocking harder than ever or since. “After The Glitter Fades”, “Kind Of Woman” and the title track show strong growth as a writer. She was also wise enough to surround herself with the strongest of supporting casts: Don Henley is perfect as her duet partner on “Leather And Lace”. Tom Petty and Mike Campbell add their expertise to the album, particularly on “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”, the only song Nicks didn’t write. Members of The Heartbreakers, the E Street Band, and some of the best California session players make this very solid. But the album belongs to Stevie, and Bella Donna is strong all the way through. Listen to it now…it’s much better than you remember it being. By far her best solo effort, and a very strong overall album. [First added to this chart: 02/09/2014]
Produced By JIMMY IOVINE
1. Bella Donna
2. Kind Of Woman
3. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
4. Think About It
5. After The Glitter Fades
6. Edge Of Seventeen
7. How Still My Love
8. Leather And Lace
9. Outside The Rain
10. The Highwayman
A very underrated album. Stevie Nicks had spent her career up to 1981 in situations where she was one of the songwriters: as part of the duo Buckingham Nicks, and then with two other writers in Fleetwood Mac. Stevie was, in a way, the George Harrison of Fleetwood Mac to Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham’s Lennon and McCartney. So when the chance for a solo debut came about, Stevie had no shortage of songs at all. The biggest surprise is that she didn’t have a sudden flood of solo albums come out in a short time. But, there is Bella Donna. And, while it was very well received by fans and helped solidify Nicks’ career, it has somehow slipped under the radar of great albums. It’s been written off as good, but nothing special by critics over the years, and her solo career will always be seen as secondary to what she did with Fleetwood Mac. Thus, since the last fadeout of Leather And Lace, Bella Donna has been an almost forgotten classic.
It’s better than you remember. “Edge Of Seventeen” her rocking harder than ever or since. “After The Glitter Fades”, “Kind Of Woman” and the title track show strong growth as a writer. She was also wise enough to surround herself with the strongest of supporting casts: Don Henley is perfect as her duet partner on “Leather And Lace”. Tom Petty and Mike Campbell add their expertise to the album, particularly on “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”, the only song Nicks didn’t write. Members of The Heartbreakers, the E Street Band, and some of the best California session players make this very solid. But the album belongs to Stevie, and Bella Donna is strong all the way through. Listen to it now…it’s much better than you remember it being. By far her best solo effort, and a very strong overall album. [First added to this chart: 02/09/2014]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
694
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1989-4AD
Produced By GIL NORTON
1. Debaser
2. Tame
3. Wave Of Mutilation
4. I Bleed
5. Here Comes Your Man
6. Dead
7. Monkey Gone To Heaven
8. Mr. Grieves
9. Crackity Jones
10. La La Love You
11. No. 13 Baby
12. There Goes My Gun
13. Hey
14. Silver
15. Gouge Away
Hard to believe that the Pixies happened in the 80’s. Heavy influences on bands like Nirvana and Weezer, Pixies were a dynamic and exciting, albeit short lived band that set the standard for almost all of the indie rock bands that have followed to this day. Led by Black Francis, the band scored with two amazing albums, Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa, that remain classics to this day. By the time of Doolittle, however, cracks were beginning to show. The working relationship between Francis and bassist Kim Deal (known as Mrs. John Murphy) had deteriorated to the point of the band going on hiatus for a year after the album, then breaking up for eleven years in 1993. Doolittle is a very emotional album, and a very good album, although it is somewhat overrated in that it’s not of the same caliber as the first two releases. Influencial? Very much so. Perfect? Not nearly so much.
Doolittle was much bigger in the UK than in the States, a consistent throughout their career. “Here Comes Your Man” and “Monkey Gone To Heaven” are standouts, as are “Debaser” and “Wave Of Mutilation”, which worked much better later on in a slowed down version. The subject matter is pretty dark (death, torture, etc.) and the songs are vividly dynamic with the loud to soft to loud approach that Kurt Cobain later found huge success with. The album is haunted by the infighting between Francis and Deal, but despite some inconsistencies in the writing, it still sounds pretty great. The band never reached near this level again, as evidenced by the poor albums that followed. But, for a two year period, Pixies were a monster of a band. Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa and Doolittle are their important trilogy, and all three are worth having. [First added to this chart: 11/13/2018]
Produced By GIL NORTON
1. Debaser
2. Tame
3. Wave Of Mutilation
4. I Bleed
5. Here Comes Your Man
6. Dead
7. Monkey Gone To Heaven
8. Mr. Grieves
9. Crackity Jones
10. La La Love You
11. No. 13 Baby
12. There Goes My Gun
13. Hey
14. Silver
15. Gouge Away
Hard to believe that the Pixies happened in the 80’s. Heavy influences on bands like Nirvana and Weezer, Pixies were a dynamic and exciting, albeit short lived band that set the standard for almost all of the indie rock bands that have followed to this day. Led by Black Francis, the band scored with two amazing albums, Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa, that remain classics to this day. By the time of Doolittle, however, cracks were beginning to show. The working relationship between Francis and bassist Kim Deal (known as Mrs. John Murphy) had deteriorated to the point of the band going on hiatus for a year after the album, then breaking up for eleven years in 1993. Doolittle is a very emotional album, and a very good album, although it is somewhat overrated in that it’s not of the same caliber as the first two releases. Influencial? Very much so. Perfect? Not nearly so much.
Doolittle was much bigger in the UK than in the States, a consistent throughout their career. “Here Comes Your Man” and “Monkey Gone To Heaven” are standouts, as are “Debaser” and “Wave Of Mutilation”, which worked much better later on in a slowed down version. The subject matter is pretty dark (death, torture, etc.) and the songs are vividly dynamic with the loud to soft to loud approach that Kurt Cobain later found huge success with. The album is haunted by the infighting between Francis and Deal, but despite some inconsistencies in the writing, it still sounds pretty great. The band never reached near this level again, as evidenced by the poor albums that followed. But, for a two year period, Pixies were a monster of a band. Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa and Doolittle are their important trilogy, and all three are worth having. [First added to this chart: 11/13/2018]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
37,371
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1987 – ISLAND
Produced By DANIEL LANOIS & BRIAN ENO
1. Where The Streets Have No Name
2. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
3. With Or Without You
4. Bullet The Blue Sky
5. Running To Stand Still
6. Red Hill Mining Town
7. In God’s Country
8. Trip Through Your Wires
9. One Tree Hill
10. Exit
11. Mothers Of The Disappeared
Since the mid 1980’s, it’s been “cool” to hate U2. Why? Because they’re “pretentious”. Because Bono is a “douche”. Because they take themselves too “serious”. Insert any other reasons here…there are many. The truth is that U2 started off by working hard and doing it their way. Then, when they got big, they refused to give in and continued to do it their way. For almost a decade, between 1984 and 1993, they were the biggest band in the world. You can hate Bono all you want to for whatever reasons you may have, but the music that U2 made in that time period changed rock and roll, and brought us some of the most memorable songs of the time. And albums. What U2 has been able to do peaked on The Joshua Tree, released among the death throes of classic rock, the height of New Wave, and the strange rise of hair metal. It’s the album where absolutely everything came together for the band, and it’s a brilliant piece of work. One of the best ever made.
The running order of the album (which was selected by Kirsty MacColl) hits you between the eyes with four of the best tracks of the decade. One of the best opening 20 minutes of any album ever made. These four songs, along with “In God’s Country”, kept U2 on the radio during 1987-88 pretty much non stop. But it was well deserved…these are all excellent songs. Add to that the excellence of the lesser known songs: “Running To Stand Still” addresses drug addiction, and the rest are just as good as the hits. That you can get this list of songs on one album is amazing…so if you do happen to have a hatred of U2, for whatever reason, it’s best to put that aside for fifty minutes and enjoy The Joshua Tree for what it really is: one of the best albums of the 80’s, and one of the best albums ever made. For me, the pinnacle of the great career of U2, and always a great listen. Credit where credit is due: U2 made a great album. Time to appreciate it. [First added to this chart: 09/04/2017]
Produced By DANIEL LANOIS & BRIAN ENO
1. Where The Streets Have No Name
2. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
3. With Or Without You
4. Bullet The Blue Sky
5. Running To Stand Still
6. Red Hill Mining Town
7. In God’s Country
8. Trip Through Your Wires
9. One Tree Hill
10. Exit
11. Mothers Of The Disappeared
Since the mid 1980’s, it’s been “cool” to hate U2. Why? Because they’re “pretentious”. Because Bono is a “douche”. Because they take themselves too “serious”. Insert any other reasons here…there are many. The truth is that U2 started off by working hard and doing it their way. Then, when they got big, they refused to give in and continued to do it their way. For almost a decade, between 1984 and 1993, they were the biggest band in the world. You can hate Bono all you want to for whatever reasons you may have, but the music that U2 made in that time period changed rock and roll, and brought us some of the most memorable songs of the time. And albums. What U2 has been able to do peaked on The Joshua Tree, released among the death throes of classic rock, the height of New Wave, and the strange rise of hair metal. It’s the album where absolutely everything came together for the band, and it’s a brilliant piece of work. One of the best ever made.
The running order of the album (which was selected by Kirsty MacColl) hits you between the eyes with four of the best tracks of the decade. One of the best opening 20 minutes of any album ever made. These four songs, along with “In God’s Country”, kept U2 on the radio during 1987-88 pretty much non stop. But it was well deserved…these are all excellent songs. Add to that the excellence of the lesser known songs: “Running To Stand Still” addresses drug addiction, and the rest are just as good as the hits. That you can get this list of songs on one album is amazing…so if you do happen to have a hatred of U2, for whatever reason, it’s best to put that aside for fifty minutes and enjoy The Joshua Tree for what it really is: one of the best albums of the 80’s, and one of the best albums ever made. For me, the pinnacle of the great career of U2, and always a great listen. Credit where credit is due: U2 made a great album. Time to appreciate it. [First added to this chart: 09/04/2017]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,874
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1984-COLUMBIA
Produced By BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, JON LANDAU, CHUCK PLOTKIN & STEVE VAN ZANDT
1. Born In The U.S.A.
2. Cover Me
3. Darlington County
4. Working On The Highway
5. Downbound Train
6. I'm On Fire
7. No Surrender
8. Bobby Jean
9. I'm Going Down
10. Glory Days
11. Dancing In The Dark
12. My Hometown
The biggest seling and most successful of Springsteens albums is also my least favorite. Not that it's bad...it's not. Maybe it's because before this album's 15x Platinum, Grammy winning, 7 top ten singles, Courteney Cox and MTV oversaturation of The Boss, being a fan of Bruce was something special...kind of like a really cool secret that no one else knew about. There seem to be 2 views of Bruce. If you were a fan of his first 6 albums, you were a fan for life. If you discovered him on Born In The U.S.A., you just didn't seem to get it.
As much as the album was obviously designed to make Springsteen a huge pop success, the album also contains some brilliant songs. Lyrically, the songs are powerful and visionary in the way only Bruce can do it. And there are hooks everywhere you turn. The synthesizers sounded bad in '84, and they still do. It sounds and feels like a sellout, but it's not.
I still wish it wasn't Springsteen who had made it. It is a great album. But I'll still take almost any of his other work over this. [First added to this chart: 05/31/2012]
Produced By BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, JON LANDAU, CHUCK PLOTKIN & STEVE VAN ZANDT
1. Born In The U.S.A.
2. Cover Me
3. Darlington County
4. Working On The Highway
5. Downbound Train
6. I'm On Fire
7. No Surrender
8. Bobby Jean
9. I'm Going Down
10. Glory Days
11. Dancing In The Dark
12. My Hometown
The biggest seling and most successful of Springsteens albums is also my least favorite. Not that it's bad...it's not. Maybe it's because before this album's 15x Platinum, Grammy winning, 7 top ten singles, Courteney Cox and MTV oversaturation of The Boss, being a fan of Bruce was something special...kind of like a really cool secret that no one else knew about. There seem to be 2 views of Bruce. If you were a fan of his first 6 albums, you were a fan for life. If you discovered him on Born In The U.S.A., you just didn't seem to get it.
As much as the album was obviously designed to make Springsteen a huge pop success, the album also contains some brilliant songs. Lyrically, the songs are powerful and visionary in the way only Bruce can do it. And there are hooks everywhere you turn. The synthesizers sounded bad in '84, and they still do. It sounds and feels like a sellout, but it's not.
I still wish it wasn't Springsteen who had made it. It is a great album. But I'll still take almost any of his other work over this. [First added to this chart: 05/31/2012]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,267
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 08/18/2019]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,156
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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[First added to this chart: 02/11/2024]
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1987-MCA
Produced By TONY BROWN & LYLE LOVETT
1. If I Had a Boat
2. Give Back My Heart
3. I Loved You Yesterday
4. Walk Through The Bottomland
5. L.A. County
6. She's No Lady
7. M-O-N-E-Y
8. Black And Blue
9. Simple Song
10. Pontiac
11. She's Hot To Go
How does a guy who looks more like Eraserhead than Buck Owens fare with the country music community? Not very well. But Lyle Lovett has strong enough material and enough talent to overcome even that. Pontiac is his 2nd album, and while it almost completely seperated him from Nashville, it was too good to be ignored. Mixing elements of country, jazz, and some kind of interplanetary swing music with a razor sharp sense of humor, Lovett swings though "Give Back My Heart" and "She's Hot To Go", get's deep on "Black And Blue", and sounds terrific on everything else.
Most of Lovett's catalog is great, but this is a great place to start. This is the one that will really get you hooked. This is how country music should sound...not like another stupid Ford commercial. [First added to this chart: 08/12/2012]
Produced By TONY BROWN & LYLE LOVETT
1. If I Had a Boat
2. Give Back My Heart
3. I Loved You Yesterday
4. Walk Through The Bottomland
5. L.A. County
6. She's No Lady
7. M-O-N-E-Y
8. Black And Blue
9. Simple Song
10. Pontiac
11. She's Hot To Go
How does a guy who looks more like Eraserhead than Buck Owens fare with the country music community? Not very well. But Lyle Lovett has strong enough material and enough talent to overcome even that. Pontiac is his 2nd album, and while it almost completely seperated him from Nashville, it was too good to be ignored. Mixing elements of country, jazz, and some kind of interplanetary swing music with a razor sharp sense of humor, Lovett swings though "Give Back My Heart" and "She's Hot To Go", get's deep on "Black And Blue", and sounds terrific on everything else.
Most of Lovett's catalog is great, but this is a great place to start. This is the one that will really get you hooked. This is how country music should sound...not like another stupid Ford commercial. [First added to this chart: 08/12/2012]
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1982-4AD
Produced By HUGH JONES & MODERN ENGLISH
1. Someone’s Calling
2. Life In The Gladhouse
3. Face Of Wood
4. Dawn Chorus
5. I Melt With You
6. After The Snow
7. Carry Me Down
8. Tables Turning
Between 1980 and 1984, Modern English had a fair degree of success in their native country, the UK. In the United States, they are known as a one hit wonder. “I Melt With You” from their second album, After The Snow”, put the band on the map in America in 1983, and made them stars on the New Wave scene. Having the song featured prominently in the film Valley Girl didn’t hurt, either. “I Melt With You” was the perfect song for 1983, upbeat, danceable, and moody with its acapella hummed break near the end. The song was inescapable for about a year, but nothing more was ever heard from the band. Despite a couple of short breakups, Modern English continues on today, with seven studio albums…three of which contain different recordings of “I Melt With You”. Milk that hit, baby! But actually, the people who did bother to buy After The Snow and who played more than just the one song were treated to a pretty good album. There are plenty of guitars woven around the New Wave keyboards, and the songwriting is really very good. Modern English weren’t after hits, they claimed…they were artists.
The first single from the album was actually “Life In The Gladhouse”, and it’s excellent…a shame that it never caught on. “Someone’s Calling” is also a high point. The most interesting song is the title track, which noticeably changes speeds twice in strange places…not known if this was intentional or not. Overall, After The Snow stands not only as a great period piece of the 80’s New Wave scene because of “I Melt With You”, but also as a reminder that there was plenty of good enough music that didn’t get heard during the decade. The follow up album, Ricochet Days, did well in England and barely dented the American top 100, and then Modern English slipped away unnoticed. Resurrected on VH1 shows like 100 Greatest Songs Of The 80’s (where it ranked #80), and 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders Of The 80’s (it made it to #7 on that list), modern English and “I Melt With You” never quite goes away. Which is a good thing. Check out the rest of After The Snow. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. [First added to this chart: 02/05/2016]
Produced By HUGH JONES & MODERN ENGLISH
1. Someone’s Calling
2. Life In The Gladhouse
3. Face Of Wood
4. Dawn Chorus
5. I Melt With You
6. After The Snow
7. Carry Me Down
8. Tables Turning
Between 1980 and 1984, Modern English had a fair degree of success in their native country, the UK. In the United States, they are known as a one hit wonder. “I Melt With You” from their second album, After The Snow”, put the band on the map in America in 1983, and made them stars on the New Wave scene. Having the song featured prominently in the film Valley Girl didn’t hurt, either. “I Melt With You” was the perfect song for 1983, upbeat, danceable, and moody with its acapella hummed break near the end. The song was inescapable for about a year, but nothing more was ever heard from the band. Despite a couple of short breakups, Modern English continues on today, with seven studio albums…three of which contain different recordings of “I Melt With You”. Milk that hit, baby! But actually, the people who did bother to buy After The Snow and who played more than just the one song were treated to a pretty good album. There are plenty of guitars woven around the New Wave keyboards, and the songwriting is really very good. Modern English weren’t after hits, they claimed…they were artists.
The first single from the album was actually “Life In The Gladhouse”, and it’s excellent…a shame that it never caught on. “Someone’s Calling” is also a high point. The most interesting song is the title track, which noticeably changes speeds twice in strange places…not known if this was intentional or not. Overall, After The Snow stands not only as a great period piece of the 80’s New Wave scene because of “I Melt With You”, but also as a reminder that there was plenty of good enough music that didn’t get heard during the decade. The follow up album, Ricochet Days, did well in England and barely dented the American top 100, and then Modern English slipped away unnoticed. Resurrected on VH1 shows like 100 Greatest Songs Of The 80’s (where it ranked #80), and 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders Of The 80’s (it made it to #7 on that list), modern English and “I Melt With You” never quite goes away. Which is a good thing. Check out the rest of After The Snow. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. [First added to this chart: 02/05/2016]
Total albums: 13. Page 1 of 2
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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|
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| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 12 | 12% | |
| 1970s | 22 | 22% | |
| 1980s | 13 | 13% | |
| 1990s | 26 | 26% | |
| 2000s | 21 | 21% | |
| 2010s | 6 | 6% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The Beatles | 4 | 4% | |
| The Band | 3 | 3% | |
| Drive-By Truckers | 3 | 3% | |
| Nirvana | 2 | 2% | |
| Wilco | 2 | 2% | |
| Jason Isbell | 2 | 2% | |
| Lynyrd Skynyrd | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 5 from 66th to 61st Music From Big Pink by The Band |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 61st to 62nd All Things Must Pass by George Harrison |
| Down 1 from 62nd to 63rd Being There by Wilco |
| Down 1 from 63rd to 64th At Last! by Etta James |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
89/100 (from 174 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 174 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 100/100  | 03/29/2024 22:06 |  CassidyInc | | 100/100 |
| 90/100 | 06/11/2023 18:03 |  pedro1976 | | 84/100 |
| 100/100 | 06/03/2023 12:17 |  Schribes | | 99/100 |
| 80/100 | 03/06/2023 07:30 | Moondance | | 84/100 |
| 90/100 | 11/16/2022 17:06 | conallmalone | | 88/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 6% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.6/100, a mean average of 87.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 12.5.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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100/100
From CassidyInc 03/29/2024 22:06
CassidyInc 03/29/2024 22:06
Neat chart, but the write ups and historical perspective you've included for many of these albums make it something special. I had a good chuckle when I finally arrived to Loveless, the album I was most excited to hear your thoughts on, and there was nothing there!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From Moondance 03/06/2023 07:40
What I found most intriguing is where you actually argue in your comments why an album isn't that great - which is an unusual way to create a greatest 100 chart. A bit too US-orientated for my liking and too many so-so bands. Good to see one album each from Australia & New Zealand.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From samora 10/25/2022 14:15
Great chart, with impressive comments; very inspirational!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From leniad 07/12/2022 00:28
would appreciate more variety from coutries, genres
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From Albumlover6789 02/03/2022 23:20
Lots of new music to discover here
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From 
rockbluesfolkjaz 10/19/2021 18:18
rockbluesfolkjaz 10/19/2021 18:18
There's a lot of excellent choices here. Many of which I'll be listening to as well. Thanks for this list!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From Johnnyo 07/18/2021 16:41
Stunning chart. I own 83 of the albums in your chart so it's inevitable that I'm going to love it. Also love the notes. Great addition.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From henrygreen0203 05/04/2021 18:55
Nothing but great records here!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
KitchenSink 01/19/2021 23:03
KitchenSink 01/19/2021 23:03
perfect soundtrack to being the only guy left in the rural middle-of-nowhere bar at 4AM (this may sound backhanded but I assure you it's high praise)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
Mercury 01/14/2021 02:55
Mercury 01/14/2021 02:55
Still Crazy (good) after all these years.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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