Check Out These CDs

I'm posting below my favorite CDs of all time (in alphabetical order). These are CDs that if you do not know of you need to check out immediately.

1. Abandoned Pools-Humanistic, This is one of the BEST (yes I said best) debuts I've ever heard. This band isn't really well known, but gained some attention when their song "Goodbye Song" off of their sophomore effort "Armed to the Teeth" appeared on Laguna Beach. The CD kicks off with "The Remedy", a post-grunge pop effort that satisfies on all levels. The rest of the CD remains on this superb level. It features some kick-ass rock numbers such as "Mercy Kiss", "Fluorescein" and "Monster", ballads such as "Start Over", "Never", "Blood", and "Suburban Muse", and even a lounge-style number "Ruin Your Life". Tommy Walter is one hell of a songwriter (he actually writes all of the songs and plays most of the instruments). His voice recalls a less whiny Billy Corgan. Even though the sophomore effort "Armed to the Teeth" failed to remain on Humanistic's level, it doesn't take away from the brilliance of "Humanistic."



2. Ben Folds-Rockin' the Suburbs, I was devestated when the Five broke up. "Ben Folds Five", "Whatever and Ever Amen", and "The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner" were all fantastic CDs. The first solo CD, "Fear of Pop, Vol. 1" disappointed on so many levels. It seemed like the end of Ben's career, but then came "Rockin' the Suburbs". This is his best record (including the releases from the 5). Musically, Ben has never been stronger and there isn't an ounce of filler among these 12 tracks. "Fred Jones Pt. 2" and "The Luckiest" are two amazing ballads that rank among Ben's best work. "Still Fighting It" sounds like the perfect theme song to a sitcom, and even the should be out of place title track rocks out and fits in with the rest of the CD. The subsequent releases failed to establish the high mark set by "Rockin' the Suburbs", but thats a task almost impossible to do when a CD this great has been released.



3. Coldplay-A Rush of Blood to the Head, This is the best British CD since "Ok Computer". "Parachute", which was a very good CD and an especially great debut, established Coldplay as a force to be reckoned with. Coldplay took their Brit-indie-pop lovability and stretched it to its maximum on "A Rush of Blood to the Head". "Politik" kicks off the CD and lures you in with its string section. "Clocks", which became a huge success on the radio, takes a simplistic piano hook and turns it into gold. The rest of the CD satisfies on the same level. Its sad to see a band reach its peak two LPs in, but that doesn't take away from the brilliance of "A Rush of Blood to the Head".



4. The Dissociatives-The Dissociatives, The side project by Silverchair lead singer Daniel Johns and electronica mastermind Paul Mac is a suprisingly fresh and innovative work. After listening to Silverchair's latest release "Young Modern", it is easy to see the influence Paul Mac has on Daniel John. This CD is an equal 50/50 collaberation, this is not another Silverchair release. "We're Much Preferred Customers" kicks off the album and can easily be classified as a knock off of Radiohead's "Everything In It's Right Place". That doesn't mean it doesn't mean it doesn't push your pleasure buttons in it's own unique way. The single, "Somewhere Down the Barrel" is the highlight of the album offering a chorus so irresistably catchy that you can't resist it. It's unfortunate that this band doesn't seem to be making any more CDs because I can honestly say that it wouldn't surprise me if these two geniuses couldn't have changed the face of music together.



5. Green Day-American Idiot, The latest installment by Green Day is a surpisingly well-written, catchy, and succesful rock opera. A very bold and daring relase by the threesome, but one that is rewarding. In fact, this CD is the best release by Green Day since "Dookie".



6. Green Day-Dookie, Who didn't see this coming after reading the last review haha. This CD literally changed the fact of music. Many punk bands today might claim The Ramones or the Clash as their influences, but it was "Dookie" that got them to where they were. "Longview" is one of the best songs of the 90s offering a simple, but insanely catchy bassline with an addictive chorus that doesn't resort to by the book measures. "Kerplunk", while a very good CD, could not have prepared anyone for the sheer brilliance of "Dookie".



7. Green Day-Nimrod, "Dookie" might be their best CD, but "Nimrod" is Green Day showing their true sound. Their prior release, "Insomniac", was Green Day's response to criticism by the Berkley community for supposedly selling out with "Dookie". They responded with "Insomniac" by rocking out harder then they ever had which resulted in an ironically increasingly catchy CD. "Nimrod" is the band basically not giving two shits while honing their sound at the same time. What more can you ask for?



8. Guster-Goldfly, Before there was the success of "Lost and Gone Forever" there was the sophomore effort by Guster entitled "Goldfly", easily the darkest CD in the band's catalog. Based entirely on a cult, "Goldfly" contains the catchiest number of the band's career "Great Escape" while showcasing other brilliant numbers such as the building "Airport Song" (a live favorite), the mellow closer "Rocketship", and the ballad "Perfect".



9. Incubus-Make Yourself, The CD that broke Incubus into the mainstream is also their best. "A Crow Left of the Murder" and "Light Grenades" might define the band's sound better, but "Make Yourself" contains better material overall. NOBODY was doing what Incubus was doing and it was probably because nobody could come close to this magnificent CD.



10. Jimmy Eat World-Bleed American, This is one of the best punk pop CDs ever created. Jimmy Eat World, although categorized with bands such as New Found Glory and Blink-182, are many steps ahead of their peers. "The Middle" has one of the best riffs in the past 3 years, while "Sweetness" is so irresistably catchy you can't help, but sing along. A great follow up to "Clarity".



11. Jimmy Eat World-Clarity, Just like "Bleed American" is one of the best punk pop CDs ever created, "Clarity" is one of the best emo CDs ever created and boasts their all time best song "Lucky Denver Mint". "Static Prevails" contained a lot of MOR numbers, but "Clarity" has zero filler. "Just Watch the Fireworks" is 7 minutes of pure heaven that you can listen to over and over again, while "Blister" and "Crush" offers some fun punk tunes by the band. The best CD in J.E.W.'s career.



12. Led Zeppelin-Led Zeppelin I, The bluesy debut by one of rock's greatest bands, offers a variety of great songs that will no doubt please any fans of good rock 'n roll music. Features the band's best ballad, "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You".


13. Led Zeppelin-Led Zeppelin IV, There is a reason why this CD is considered Led Zeppelin's best. I-III were all great records, but contained some awkward moments (although I contained very little). IV however, contains absolutely ZERO filler. "Stairway to Heaven", the band's most popular song, is also their best. It is the king of rock songs and yet to be challenged. "Goin' to California'" rivals "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" for Zeppelin's best ballad and "Rock 'N Roll" and "Black Dog" are just great..well..rock songs. Again, any fan of rock music needs to pick up this release.



14. Live-Throwing Copper, Nirvana's "Nevermind" produced the post-grunge scene where there were many immotators of Nirvana and Zeppelin. A lot of those releases, got lost in the clutter, but Live's "Throwing Copper" ended up being the best one released. When looking at subsequent releases it is puzzling to see how a band could have released such a brilliant CD such as this (Check out the horrid "Birds of Prey", Songs from Black Mountain" or "V"), but this CD has truly stood the test of time.



15. Muse-Absoultion, Many people are quick to criticize Muse. People claim they are a Radiohead and Black Sabbath wannabe band, but Muse has their own original sound that they display proudly throughout this CD. Honestly can you imagine Thom Yorke or Ozzy singing these songs? You just can't. "Butterflies and Hurricanes" is the song of the year displaying a slow build up to an Earth shattering chorus and a piano interlude that will send chills down your spine. Elsewhere, "Time is Running Out" and "Hysteria" are catchy little rock numbers, and "Apocalypse Please" has a great minor key piano intro. If you like over the top dramatic rock music pick up this CD.


16. Nirvana-In Utero, The last studio release by a group that changed the face of music. This is a depressing CD to listen to because Nirvana were in their prime and who knew what they could have released after this CD (check out the song "You Know You're Right" which is the last song he recorded for furthere proof). People don't consider this CD as much of a success as "Nevermind", but that is only because it didn't have as much of an impact on the music world. That doesn't mean it is not just as good.

17. Nirvana-Nevermind, The song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" literally changed the face of music as we know it. Bands like Guns 'N Roses just couldn't survive the sheer rockability of "Nevermind". This CD is not only excellent, it paved the way for bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden while allowing a whole new genre "Post-Grunge" to follow. Bands like Bush, Stone Temple Pilots, and Days of the New would not have existed without this CD.

18. Oasis-(What's the Story) Morning Glory, They might sound like a 90s version of the Beatles, but thats a good thing. Oasis takes their influence and mold it into 10 fantastic pop numbers on their sophomore effort. "Definitely Maybe" was an excellent debut, but that was just a stepping stone for this CD. If you're not singing along after multiple listens then you hate pop music.

19. Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon, This is my favorite classic rock CD of all time and I'm sure it is a lot of other people's. This is the CD that defined their sound and established David Gilmour as a guitar hero. While the singles, "Time", "Money", and "Breathe" are all fantastic tracks, the lesser known ones are just as good. "The Great Gig in the Sky" is so damn irresistable with an erie piano riff and a female vocalist that will leave you frozen in your place. "Us and Them" is Pink Floyd chill-out music at its best and there is no better way to end a CD than "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse".

20. Pink Floyd-Wish You Were Here, Only four tracks on this CD, but all of them rank among Pink Floyd's best work. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a twenty minute + masterpiece showing the quartet in top form. "Wish You Were Here" ranks among their best songs of all time and "Have a Cigar" and "Welcome to the Machine" are signature Pink Floyd. Dark Side of the Moon might have received more attention, but this CD is just as good.

21. Radiohead-Kid A, Realizing they couldn't top the brilliant guitar-based "Ok Computer", Radiohead did a complete 180 and made a CD that boasts music unheard of in the music world. "Kid A" is easily the best electronica CD produced by a rock band ever. This CD could have been a disaster, but Radiohead's talent doesn't allow that to ever happen. "Idioteque" is the highlight here with a drumbeat and singalong verse/chorus that will make you want to dance.

22. Radiohead-Ok Computer, This is the best British CD created in the last 25 years. "The Bends" was a CD that was very hard to top, but Radiohead did it and produced in the process the best song of the 90s (and my favorite song of all time) "Paranoid Android". Any music lover needs this in their collection. There is so much to rock out to, so much to chill out to, and so much to analyze here.

23. Radiohead-The Bends, "Pablo Honey" in no way could have predicted the success of "The Bends". While an above average debut, "Pablo Honey" suffered from repitition and a lot of mediocre songs. "The Bends" is practically flawless from the "Planet Telex" all the way to "Street Spirit". Anyone who is a fan of guitar rock needs to pick this up.

24. Sigur Ros-(), This is not a CD you can get into from the first listen. This is a kind of CD that grows on you with each repeated listen, but ultimately rewards you. This also is a CD that is supposed to be listened to as a whole instead of by individual tracks although "Track 8", "Track 4", "Track 1", and "Track 3" all sound just as good on their own. This, in my opinion, is an improvement over "Agaetys Bryjun" and established Sigur Ros as one of the most unique talented bands out there.

25. Sigur Ros-Takk, Mainstream and Sigur Ros in the same sentence? Not quite, but this is the closest that Sigur Ros has come to the mainstream out of their 4 releases. It is also their best release.

26. Silverchair-Diorama, One of the best, if not the best, CDs of the 21st Century. Silverchair were doomed to be lost in the post-grunge scene when "Frogstomp" was released. "Freak Show", while a big improvement, did little to quite critics of this theory. "Neon Ballroom" was much more experimental, but Silverchair were still slaves to their influences. "Diorama" is the band completely forming their own identity and it is one that will probably be replecated for years to come. "Across the Night" kicks off the album with a full orchestra that couldn't have been composed better if Beethoven wrote the score himself. The last minute of the song will send chills down your spine. The only misstep is "One Way Mule", an above average grunge piece that doesn't quite fit the mold of the rest of the CD, but still is good nonetheless. Fans of past Silverchair CDs and non-fans need to pick this up.

27. Sublime-40oz to Freedom, The debut album from Sublime is one of the most underrated CDs I have ever heard. While not as diverse as "Sublime" or "Robbin' the Hood" it does the reggae/ska thing a thousand times better than most of their peers. It is consistent from beginning to end and even though it boasts a whopping 22(!) tracks, it never feels like it is dragging.

28. Sublime-Sublime, Critics say the success of Sublime was solely based on the lead singer, Bradley Nowell's, death prior to its release. While there is little doubt that his death did put Sublime in the spotlight, it was the quality of the music that kept them there. This CD draws influence from Reggae, Hip Hop, Alternative, Ska, Punk, Rock, and other genres, but ultimately forming a unique sound for the threesome.

29. U2-The Joshua Tree, Easily the best album U2 has ever released. Tracks like "With or Without You" and "Where the Streets Have no Name" showcase a band at the top of their game. It is unfortunate that subsequent U2 releases fell prey to their consideration of "popular music" in the 90s, but it does little to take away from the epic-status of this CD.

Other Highly Recommended CDs:

1. Alanis Morrissette-Jagged Little Pill
2. Ataris-Blue Skies, Broken Hearts, Next 12 Exits
3. Beatles-Magical Mystery Tour
4. Beatles-Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
5. Beatles-White Album
6. Ben Folds Five-Ben Folds Five
7. Bob Marley-Babylon By Bus
8. Clash-London Calling
9. Coolio-Gangsta's Paradise
10. Dave Matthews Band-Under the Table and Dreaming
11. Death Cab For Cutie-Transatlantacism
12. Dispatch-Bang Bang
13. Doors-The Doors
14. Doors-The Soft Parade
15. Eagles-Hotel California
16. Elliott Smith-Either/Or
17. Elliott Smith-XO
18. Fall Out Boy-From Under the Cork Tree
19. Flaming Lips-The Soft Bulletin
20. Flaming Lips-Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
21. Format-Dog Problems
22. Format-Interventions and Lullabies
23. Fugees-The Score
24. Gorillaz-Gorillaz
25. Green Day-Insomniac
26. Guns 'N Roses-Appetite for Destruction
27. Guns 'N Roses-Use Your Illusion I
28. Guster-Keep it Together
29. Guster-Lost and Gone Forever
30. Incubus-A Crow Left of the Murder
31. Incubus-Light Grenades
32. Incubus-S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
33. Jellyfish-Spilt Milk
34. Jethro Tull-Aqualung
35. Jimi Hendrix-Are You Experienced
36. John Lennon-Imagine
37. Kings of Convenience-Riot on an Empty Street
38. Kinks-You Really Got Me
39. Led Zeppelin-Led Zeppelin II
40. Led Zeppelin-Led Zeppelin III
41. Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti
42. Muse-Black Holes and Revelations
43. Muse-Showbiz
44. Nas-Illmatic
45. Nas-Stillmatic
46. No Doubt-Tragic Kingdom
47. Notorious BIG-Life After Death
48. Ours-Precious
49. Outkast-Stankonia
50. Paul McCartney-McCartney
51. Pearl Jam-Ten
52. Pearl Jam-Vitalogy
53. Phantom Planet-The Guest
54. Pink Floyd-Meddle
55. Pink Floyd-The Wall
56. Radiohead-Hail to the Thief
57. REM-Automatic for the People
58. REM-New Adventures in Hi-Fi
59. REM-Out of Time
59. Sigur Ros-Agaetys Bryjun
60. Silverchair-Freak Show
61. Silverchair-Young Modern
62. Smashing Pumpkins-Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
63. Smashing Pumpkins-Siamese Dream
64. Snow Patrol-Final Straw
65. Straylight Run-Straylight Run
66. Sublime-Robbin' the Hood
67. System of a Down-Mezmorize
68. Talking Heads-Talking Heads
69. Third Eye Blind-Third Eye Blind
70. Tonic-The Lemon Parade
71. U2-War
72. Van Morrison-Astral Weeks
73. Van Morrison-Moondance
74. Violent Femmes-Violent Femmes
75. Wallflower-Bringing Down the Horse
76. Weezer-Weezer (Blue Album)
77. Weezer-Weezer (Green Album)
78. White Stripes-Elephant
79. White Stripes-Icky Thump
80. Wyclef Jean-The Carnival
81. Zebrahead-Waste of Mind
82. Zoo Story-Come Out and Play




Enjoy...