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Read Shane’s follow up article, Top Canadian Albums.
I have always felt that I had an above average knowledge of popular music, and regularly got my kicks at always being the guy who knew all the answers to those obscure questions you’d sometimes get from people. So at social functions, I was the “go to” guy for any tidbits of musical information someone needed to know to win a bet, or just to prove to someone that they were right about something.
I wore this personal badge of honour proudly, albeit with total humility I might add, and took great personal satisfaction at being such a smarty pants. But every gunslinger meets his/her match, and mine came in the form of a good friend/ fellow drummer (and an extremely good drummer) who amazes me with his musical knowledge.
Amazes me so much, that when it came time to compile my choice for the top ten rock albums of all time, I immediately knew that I had to get my friend, Chris, to give me his thumbs up before I submitted them to Swanktrendz, lest I completely embarrass myself once again.
Method to my madness - if I get universal condemnation from the readership, I can merely point to my pal Mr. Bryen and lament,“Well he said it looked all right, and he’s the man!” Yes, 'true' friends. I can be a real conniving bastard at times.
Anyway, back to the task at hand. I have always wanted to compile a list of the top albums for years, and after many conversations with musically minded friends; discussing the necessary criterion for a piece of work to be considered as the 'best'; I finally have a list that I feel comfortable with.
The criteria for making this list is as follows:
1.) Album must have been critically and/or commercially successful
2.) Must have innovative qualities that changed popular music
3.) Musicianship is so good, it can not be denied as being truly
'exceptional' and 'extraordinary'.
So, without any further delay. My top ten albums of all time.
1.) Revolver The Beatles
This masterpiece of diversity and innovation gave birth to progressive rock and set the standard for true, musical brilliance that these lads had in abundance. R.I.P. John Lennon and George Harrison
2.) Are You Experienced Jimi Hendrix Experience
Jimi was to hard rock what the Beatles were to progressive rock. This album was revolutionary at the time, and so much so that it still stands the test of time. R.I.P. Jimi Hendrix and Noel Redding
3.) Led Zeppelin IV Led Zeppelin
This album would set the standard for rock/hard rock music for the ‘70s and beyond. It’s not my personal favourite Zep work, but it still remains one of the most popular albums of all time. Oh, and by the way. Most critics hated it just as they hated Zeppelin for being a rip off band (Whole Lotta Love-Willie Dixon), and that is why this work doesn’t meet all criterion. But who cares? This album is an absolute monster. R.I.P. John Henry Bonham
4.) Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band The Beatles
Revolver opened up the door of progressive rock, and this album took it to the moon. A perfect body of work in every way, and one of (if not the most) the most influential albums of all time.
5.) Dark Side Of The Moon Pink Floyd
This is another example of Pepper’s-like perfection. The artwork. Packaging. Oh, and I nearly forgot! The music. It still sounds fresh and relevant 35 years later. R.I.P. Syd Barrett
6.) The Joshua Tree U2
Not only was this album commercially and critically successful, it was the most innovative of it’s time. Even to a die-hard fan like myself, I was confused the first couple of listens as it was so different from any contemporary work. But it definitely grows on you.
7.) Boston Boston
This is where I can hear the groans from some of the readership, but think about it for a minute. I remember when this album came out, and it was a monster for a year or longer. Musically, it was as close to perfection as you could possibly get, thanks to Tom Scholtz and his manic determination to “get it right.” R.I.P. Brad Delp
8.) Nevermind Nirvana
Many times in musical history, one album stands out from the collective pack. This is that album. There were a lot of similar bands from the Seattle scene, but Nirvana kicked the grunge door wide open with ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, and set the standard for the rest of the decade. R.I.P. Kurt Cobain
9.) Never Mind The Bollocks The Sex Pistols
Oh, oh! Is that more groaning I hear? Again, let’s look back at the time and think about what these silly little buggers did. There were a lot of punk bands all over the place, but this band is regarded by many as “the definitive English punk band” (BBC) and is credited with kick-starting the movement in Britain. I think they might have even killed Disco! R.I.P. Sid Vicious
10.) Saturday Night Fever The Bee Gees
Okay!!! Stop laughing so hard. I know you’re shaking your collective heads and relishing in the fact that I’ve obviously lost it for real this time. But again, I ask you to consider what a profound impact this album had when it was released. I remember clearly as a hard rock disciple that simply loathed the shallowness and superficial qualities of the Disco era. And I remember clearly that these guys were responsible for it. But whether anyone likes it or not, this album was a masterpiece and was very influential and successful. I know many will argue that it is not entirely a Bee Gee’s record, but who’s kidding who here? This was their baby. R.I.P. Maurice Gibb
As a footnote, I’d just to say that I hope you find this list insightful, interesting, and even entertaining. For all the great bands and artists that didn’t make the list but gave us years of great music. Thanks! And for those artists that have left us, you will not be forgotten as you’re still a big part of our daily lives and give much substance and pleasure to it.
John Lennon is without a doubt one of the most influential persons in my life, and quite possibly in the lives of an entire generation. I remember as a kid watching A Hard Days Night on TV and being utterly mesmerized by his humour and wit, as well as by his amazing musical talents and abilities as leader of the biggest musical phenomenon of the twentieth century.Because the Beatles were Lennon’s show, especially in the pre Fab days when they played the raunchy stripper clubs in Hamburg; where they refined their musicianship to the level that would propel them to the type of fame, fortune, and influence that was previously unheard of, except maybe in the case of Elvis. The movie Backbeat is one of the finest biographies of any band or individual I’ve ever seen, and it shows a realistic and truthful account of just how driven John was to reach the heights he succeeded in reaching, in his too short existence.As a lifelong fan of the Beatles, I was devastated when he was gunned down by a deranged individual at the young age of 40, although sadly at the time I thought he had lived a fairly long life. (I was 18 at the time). I couldn’t listen to his music for years, because it saddened me to think that he was gone, and taken in such a senseless way.But as you get older and experience more of the up and down realities of this world, you come to realize that life can be tragically unfair to everybody, regardless of their stature or position of wealth and accomplishment. John Lennon did not deserve to die the way he did, but the sad reality is that the same can be said for a great number of public figures or regular Janes and Joes of the world.So as time went by, I would occasionally listen to the old albums, and eventually the sense of enjoyment did return. When their catalogue was eventually released on CD, it didn’t take me long to buy everything they had produced, so I could hear it like new again, without the skipping and scratching that was on my overplayed and abused vinyl copies.And while as a kid I loved his music simply for what it was (because it was so damn amazing) later, as a somewhat mature adult I discovered that the message found in many of those songs was equally extraordinary. It could be debated forever whether the Beatles led or followed the social and cultural movements of the time, but it can never be denied that they were more than just a profound musical influence. And while in subsequent years, ‘tell-all’ books written by the likes of Albert Goldman would try to portray Lennon in the most unflattering or hypocritical ways, the true fans didn’t care either way. Anyone who’s lived long enough to observe human personality understands we are all capable of transgression and less than perfect behaviour. One of John’s rare traits was his willingness to publicly discuss his past indiscretions and errors, and freely admit that he could be a prick and a bastard at times. And that’s what I loved the most about John Lennon, and I recognized it immediately as a young child watching a magical movie about the day in the life of the world’s biggest rock band. He could be the consummate joker and great entertainer, but he was also painfully honest and self-depreciating, sometimes to a fault. Although outwardly he could appear tough and brash, especially in the early days, just beneath the surface lay an intelligence, compassion, and vulnerability that defined who he was: one of most special human beings who ever walked the planet.Thank you John for everything you gave us all during your too brief existence. You are still sorely missed by millions - for your music… and your message.
