Okay, Chris did this and then it inspired me to do the same. Because a good idea is a good idea.
Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures (15th)
It’s hard to explain now how much hype surrounded this album; perhaps the most anticipated supergroup of my lifetime. And yet, not too long after it was released, the album slid quietly into the ether, to the point where it’s almost an afterthought now. What a strange cycle it was, some of that likely owing to the fact that the album was a critical darling, but was not exactly packed with accessible toe-tappers. Either way, this one stands out for how large it was in the moment. My wife still picks it for just about every road trip we go on together, so that’s got to count for something.
Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue (15th)
In the grand pantheon of great Alice in Chains moments, this represents both the last one, and the one that also will get swept under by the enormity of the band’s more recognizable catalogue. The record is still as raw and emotional as it was then – the rare album about pain that’s hard to apply to a listener’s own plight, because the pain it speaks of is so obviously centered around the band. This record served two purposes, one intentional and one maybe not – the final farewell to Layne Staley, and the true final statement of the entire grunge movement.
Clutch - Blast Tyrant (20th)
This was my favorite album for a long time, and remains the greatest achievement of Clutch’s storied career. As another writer one opined – only Clutch could make a non-political political song, and Blast Tyrant, released in the fervor surrounding the invasion of Iraq the year prior, is in that same vein. This is the gold standard for Clutch.
Dr. Dre – 2001 (25th)
I still can’t hear someone say “hold up” without thinking of the way it is said on this album’s most famous single. Man, this album is a case study in rap history – a true genre luminary releases an instant classic, launches the career of another genre hero, and is simultaneously hugely impactful on rap for both all the right and all the wrong reasons. There are, I’m sure, several aspects of this album worthy of examination by way of a doctoral thesis (no pun intended.)
Soundgarden – SuperUnknown (30th)
An all-time classic. One of the last globally radio-popular albums that I truly loved. It both perfectly encapsulated everything grunge was, and concurrently showed what it could be. Not much more to say.
Offspring – Smash (30th)
Chris and I have differing opinions about how well this album has aged, and while I agree with him that the music sounds very much of its era, I think the message of the album withstands the test of time. Now, is some of that because it speaks in broad, widely applicable generalities? Sure, I’ll cede that point. But that doesn’t make them any less poignant, and perhaps even more important in the image-driven, social-media era. Except for that song about how angry Los Angeles traffic can make you. That’s neither here nor there.
Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (35th)
In thinking about this record, I was mentally stuck on the number 35 – that can’t be right, this album didn’t come out before I was born…then I remembered that I turned 40 this past summer. Crap. Anyway, the older this album gets, the more ahead of its time it seems, even if the production doesn’t quite stand up to the more modern industrial advances. Either way, to have this album transcend during the sunrise of the grunge era, and also launch a genre more or less all on its own, is a unique and profound accomplishment.
Metallica - Ride the Lightning (40th)
Still, to my mind, Metallica’s best album. And yes, I recognize that there’s some gray area here because large portions of it were written by Dave Mustaine. Whatever. That doesn’t make it any less outstanding.
AC/DC - Highway to Hell (45th)
This isn’t AC/DC’s best album. Depending on how I feel about “The Razor’s Edge” on a given day, it might not even be the band’s second best album. But it does have the best single they ever wrote (“If You Want Blood,”) and there’s just something about it. For all the quality of the two records that had become before, this was the first real statement by a band who would be my favorite band all through my teenage years.
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II (55th)
As my memory serves, the first album in my collection as I came of age that I could really just hit ‘play’ and let it ride. Although I should mention that I openly loathe “Whole Lotta Love.” Even with that though, the solo at the end is cool, and then everything from that point forward is Led Zeppelin, and indeed all of classic rock, at its finest.
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