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toddolson's Favorite 10 Albums of All Time

James Brown - 20 All-Time Greatest Hits!

James Brown

What can you say. The man who started it all. He didn't just play modern music, he invented it. Countless genres grew from his work. R+B, soul, funk, disco, hip hop, fusion, ect. The baddest MFer to walk the planet... and he did all as a poor ass black dude during segregation.

Overall Rank: 42

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Paul's Boutique

Beastie Boys

This is record that connects me to almost all my best friends. And thats what music is about... sharing and connecting with others. This was the first hip hop record to explore the 70's funk sensation that eventually took over the hip hop sound. It has incredible mash up production from the dust brothers and owes everything to soul brother # 1.

1989 beastie boys paul's boutique

Overall Rank: 6

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Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO)

Led Zeppelin

The greatest hard rock band of all time. They gave rise to hard rock, metal, grunge, and are ripped off and sampled almost as much as the Godfather of Soul.

1971 led zeppelin led zeppelin iv (...

Overall Rank: 3

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Warehouse: Songs and Stories

Hüsker Dü

Most Husker Du fans might not rate this as their favorite. For me it is either Metal Circus or this album. This was their last and most commercial, but the improved production and coherent song writing gave birth to some of the biggest alternative acts of the 90's and today. Bob Mould pretty much invented the alternative rock style of playing guitar.

1987 hüsker dü warehouse: songs ...

Overall Rank: 258

This album only appears on this list

Goo

Sonic Youth

1990: Sonic Youth and the Jesus Lizard at Center Stage Theater in ATL with my man Clayton. Goes down as one of the best shows ever + one groovy, cool record. This show and this album changed my perspective of music forever. Controlled chaos, noise, and edgy guitar driven grooves can be a beautiful thing.

1990 goo sonic youth

Overall Rank: 85

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clayton's

Surfer Rosa

Pixies

The hardest, rawest of all pixies albums. Taunt, tight, controlled chaos that was beauty and adrenaline. A huge influence on all alternative rock that followed. Everyone wanted Steve Albini after this one.

2003 pixies surfer rosa

Overall Rank: 62

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Goat

The Jesus Lizard

The greatest punk rock and live band of all time. Incredible talent and showmanship. These guys made rock and roll dangerous again. Going to a JL show was liking going to battle in the middle of a riot.

1991 goat the jesus lizard

Overall Rank: 422

This album only appears on this list

Nevermind

Nirvana

This album is still very uncool to openly like. It may not even be my favorite Nirvana album, but it changed mainstream rock and roll forever. It is the confluence of my #s 3,4,5,6,7 + Beatles. This album was a moment when everything changed in popular music and the music industry. It killed hair-metal and Paula Abdul pop, but gave rise to bad 90's alt-radio and a decade of terrible imitators.

1991 nevermind nirvana

Overall Rank: 20

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Odelay

Beck

The man who brought it all together. Mr Fusion. He took everything on this list and more, and has turned out the freshest, funkiest, rock music and made it his own. Punk, blues, hip hop, classic rock, noise, jazz, acoustic... he can put it all in one tune and make it sound great. This album rocks, yet is funky and fun all at the same time.

1996 beck odelay

Overall Rank: 56

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10.

Kid A

Radiohead

I love this record because they threw all conventional concepts of modern rock out the window to make this record. Where Beck synthesized everything on my list, Radiohead turned their backs on it. I saw a Pixies documentary where Johnny Greenwood confessed they could no longer rip off the Pixies so they made a record with no guitars. A testament to both bands. The only band moving Rock forward.

2000 kid a radiohead

Overall Rank: 21

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Last updated by toddolson on Mar 07, 2008 07:25 AM

Comments

Just to appease all you haters... Black Cesear was not available, as was almost all JB albums, Only 3 selections and 2 don't meet your criteria. The search engine is fairly limited. Just another example of the man keep'n a brotha down. For that matter, maybe ya'lls are just a bunch of KKK racists?

Updated by toddolson on Mar 20, 2008 08:27 PM

Agree with your assessment of Warehouse. Highly underrated album. Metal Circus is also vastly ignored, even though it was brilliant. In my opinion, the worst LP was Zen Arcade, but I'm also crazy.

Posted by bsd987 on Mar 11, 2008 11:06 AM

Or live albums for that matter.

Posted by stevemc on Mar 07, 2008 09:14 AM

I think by that measure, soundtracks shouldn't be allowed to be on f10 lists either.

Posted by vin on Mar 07, 2008 07:39 AM

While I have (and love) the James Brown album - I have to say that I don't agree with its place in the list because it's a greatest hits record. To me - a greatest hits collection isn't really an "album" but rather a compilation or "mix tape".

Posted by stevemc on Mar 07, 2008 06:31 AM

Life's Rich Pageant is a solid album. Begin the Begin, Fall on Me, Cuyahoga, Underneath the Bunker, What If We Give It Away, Swan Swan H? Damn good tracks. Surprised this isn't on more lists.

I'm a little unsure of a greatest hits album being in the top slot though...

Regarding Nevermind - I'm glad the whole fad of putting a hidden track 20 mins after the last song has passed.

Posted by vin on Feb 18, 2008 08:26 PM

Sweet list, and great recap of why each album belongs here.

I thought I was pulling something unheard of by putting Life's Rich Pageant in my Favorite 10 Albums of All Time. Looks like I'm in good company though!

Updated by superflav on Feb 18, 2008 12:11 PM

Vin - make no mistake - it IS uncool to like Ten.

Regarding Nevermind - I agree it was the moment where everything changed. I think it is considered uncool amongst music snobs like us, because we shouldn't like something that became so very popular. Speaking of music snob stereotyping - - I haven't seen Slint on anybody's list.

Todd - Great List! Totally agree w you about your choice of Husker Du and Radiohead. I wanted to put AC/DC Back in Black or Aerosmith's Greatest Hits on my list for the same reasons you cite for Zeppelin. Tried to get Rush's 2112 in there too.

You totally surprised me with your number one though!

Posted by clayton on Feb 17, 2008 06:44 AM

Why is it uncool to like Nevermind? The album is historic and complete from start to finish. I thought it was uncool to like Ten.

Kid A is a bold choice. I would rank it somewhere around 3rd or 4th on my Radiohead list.

Updated by vin on Feb 12, 2008 06:39 PM

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