The Top 20 …
Posted By Paul on March 19, 2004
Well, sorry for being AWOL for a few days, just been a really busy week here. Anyways, today brings us to the final top 20 on my list of the top 100 albums; Andrew released the final official countdown yesterday.
I do want to thank Andrew for inviting me to be a part of this countdown, it certainly was fun, and it kept me away from that darn penguin for awhile! But do stop by and check out Andrew’s list and leave your comments over there too.
And so, let the final countdown begin…
20. Live Bullet - Bob Segar & The Silver Bullet Band
The man is finally getting his due by being inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, and one listen to this album is all the reason you need to know why he deserves that honor. A live classic, Turn The Page is still so incredible, but I do wish that classic rock dj’s would realize that it is not the ONLY song on this album; there are 13 other terrific rock classics on this album.
19. Led Zeppelin I
Probably should have been higher on my list, but this top 20 was hard to fit everything in. This one spent many hours in my 8-track player, and if you’re too young to remember 8-tracks, don’t worry, you didn’t miss anything. Blues and heavy metal, rock and roll, this is just a kick butt album start to finish.
18. Who’s Next - The Who
One of the defining albums of 70s hard rock from one of the 60s most successful bands, this album includes some of The Who’s best-known work, such as the anthemic Baba O’Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again.
17. Rides Again - James Gang
Funk#49 and Walk Away are the real gems here, and although most people think of them as Joe Walsh songs, they are indeed James Gang tunes.
16. Hotel California - The Eagles
The California sound perfected…the best original studio album by the Eagles.
15. No Reservations - Blackfoot
Far and away the best Blackfoot album…from the opening bluegrass version of ‘Railroad Man’ w/ Shorty to the final closing track - the smokin’ rock and roll version of ‘Railroad Man’, this album kicks. ‘I Stand Alone’ deserves to be a classic rock standard, unfortunately most classic rock DJ’s have never even heard of this album.
14. Fire On The Mountain - Charlie Daniels
Charlie Daniels is one cool dude; one of the few in this countdown that I have had the privilege to hangout with. This album truly defined his sound. Long-Haired Country Boy and South’s Gonna Do It Again have been a couple of my anthems for almost 30 years now (man it don’t seem that long!) And Orange Blossom Special showcases his trademark fiddle-playing that will set even the slowest feet to moving.
13. Street Survivors - Lynyrd Skynyrd
The final studio album by the original Skynyrd lineup, this album is the best studio southern rock album, and was the big breakthrough release that brought southern rock into the international mainstream. From here, the future was…. On October 20, 1977, three days after the release of Street Survivors, Ronnie Van Zant (vocals) and Steve Gaines (guitar) were killed when the chartered aircraft the band was using ran out of fuel near Gillsburg, MS.
12. White Album - The Beatles
We’re down the final stretch, and this is the first of 3 Beatles albums from here to the finish. An eclectic mix and match collection of styles here, everything is good or great, but it is easy (especially in retrospect) to see that McCartney and Lennon were going in different directions with their songwriting.
11. Exile On Main Street - The Rolling Stones
The Stones, hot and nasty, tearing it up…the drugs hadn’t consumed Keith yet, and this is a great album start to finish.
10. Are You Experienced? Jimi Hendrix Experience
Oh the things Jimi could do with that guitar….this is his personal magnum opus…hard to pick any one standout song, they’re all that good. It is cool that the CD now has the songs from the original UK and US release combined into one disc.
9. Concert For Bangladesh
This was the original benefit type concert, long before Live Aid, Farm Aid, or any others. George Harrison and Ravi Shankar organized this, invited some friends to come play with them, and the result is this outstanding album with Harrison, Shankar, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Badfinger, and Billy Preston. The Dylan songs are outstanding, and were a surprise - at this point in time (1971) he was extremely reclusive and didn’t appear much. But my favorite highlight has always been Leon Russell’s kicking version of Jumping Jack Flash.
8. Live At Fillmore East - The Allman Brothers
The Allman Bros. at their absolute best. This transcends southern rock, this is great rock and roll.
7. Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd
A classic for the ages, and also a pretty cool alternative soundtrack to Wizard of Oz
6. War - U2
Another outstanding classic from U2, and just as relevant, indeed perhaps even more so, today than when released.
5. Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band - Beatles
What else can be said about this album? Even though it is #5 here, I certainly have no argument with it’s top ranking on the Biglist (or any other list, for that matter).
4. London Calling - The Clash
I was way too redneck to really get into the whole punk scene but this album is just way cool. And besides, Andrew said if I didn’t include it in my top 5 he was going to change my number one to William Shatner’s Transformed Man!
3. One More From The Road - Lynyrd Skynyrd
In my mind, the #2 rock band of all time, but then my neck’s always been red, and my collar’s always been blue…
2. Joshua Tree - U2
OK, they’re tied with Skynyrd as my #2 band of all time, and this is their masterpiece.
1. Revolver - The Beatles
The greatest rock and roll band ever, and this is my favorite album of theirs, and besides everybody picks Sgt Pepper as #1; I always got to be different!
Change your No. 1 to Shatner’s Transformed Man? Heh. I’d never do that to you — his cover of MacArthur Park, maybe, but never Transformed Man.
What, no Tom Jones?
WHAT! NO Eagles?? This list is defective . . . you had better take it back . . . do you still have the receipt . . .. I bet you end up with a store credit . . .
Relax, David, I was wondering the same thing as I weeded my way through the list, and I was
prepared to call down curses had Hotel California not been there…but alas, ’tis; look again (15).
Sorry, 16.
One glaring omission — Little Feat’s Waiting for Columbus. Widely regarded as one of the best live albums ever recorded, WFC still sounds fresh more than 25 years after the fact.