John's top 500 albums of all time (#496 down)

[Dean Winchester]

well, I am doing this on UKMix (a place where a lot of music fans make charts and post them, so I figured it'd be fun to paste it over here as well)

I figure a great all-time list would be albums, not singles, as there is no way possible I could ever rank my all time 5000 or so songs since so many tastes change that my #3626 song might be #2119 or #4754 by the time I posted it. So instead, considering I have been a music consumer for almost 25 years now (my sister and mother bought me tons of albums before I was old enough to have my own money) and have owned definately several thousand albums in my lifetime, widdling down to my top 500 albums ever would be a fun task. One thing you will notice is that there are relatively few albums from the mid-late 90's (especially considering there will be a lot of albums from the past five or so years), I was generally really busy with school and work and doing other things at that period that I usually had very little time cut out to listen to music... that was before the days of iPods and Windows Media Player where you could amass a large quantity of music and just listen through that. So in many ways, the past few years have been my way of making up for all the lost time in the 90's. Some rankings will surprise you, some you may have forgotten. The cutoff release date for my list was December 31, 2006. I use that as a cutoff because while there were a number of cd's I loved in 2007, I think a little time needs to pass before they can assume their "all time" placings.

[Dean Winchester]

500. Prince - Come

While not among the strongest albums in his catalog, 1994's Come certainly is one of Prince's most unfairly overlooked. The first studio album released after the infamous name-change, Come may be better known for it's cryptic artwork pronouncing the "death" of Prince in 1993. While even the man himself considered this album a throwaway (at this time, his heart was in trying to get Warner to release the superior The Gold Experience instead of this album), upon deeper listen is actually a good effort and perhaps Prince's most musically diverse package since Lovesexy, mixing up 90's r&b jams, rock, techno and hip hop. It proved that even when Prince is trying to "suck" to tick his label off, he actually still could give some good music.
favorite single: Letitgo
favorite non-single: Papa

499. Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue

1980's Emotional Rescue has acquired a reputation over the years as a "bad" album, but it's actually far from the truth. It's a decent album sandwiched in between their two greatest post-1972 albums, Some Girls and Tattoo You. The main problem is that there is mediocre material sandwiched in between some fantastic tracks. The artwork is quite original.
favorite single: She's So Cold
favorite non-single: Let Me Go
watch the Emotional Rescue video
watch the She's So Cold video

498. Pat Benatar - Wide Awake In Dreamland

After taking a break after becoming a mother, Pat returned in 1988 her heaviest album since Precious Time. Wide Awake In Dreamland gave Benatar her last major hit single with "All Fired Up". While being her weakest 1980's album, it was still a good effort from her since it was good to see her getting back to her roots after slowly turning Adult Contemporary in the mid-80's.
favorite single: One Love
favorite non-single: Suffer The Little Children
watch the All Fired Up video
watch the One Love video

497. Yoko Ono - Starpeace

While being one of her most commerciall successful efforts (the "Hell In Paradise" video was a hit on MTV), Starpeace ranks as one of Yoko's most horribly average albums. There are a few great tracks off the album, but some of the songs sound like Nickelodeon jingles. Despite "Hell In Paradise" being a success (and it's one of her best songs), the reaction to this album made Yoko take a break until returning with a vengeance in 1995 with Rising
favorite single: Hell In Paradise
favorite non-single: Remember Raven
watch the Hell In Paradise video

496. David Bowie - Black Tie White Noise

By 1993, David Bowie was facing something he never had to worry about before.... irrelevance. After several flop pop followups to Let's Dance and two ill-fated Tin Machine albums, Bowie needed to do something quick and fast, and he did just so with Black Tie White Noise. Recollaborating with Nile Rodgers, who produced Let's Dance a decade prior, Bowie explores jazz, r&b and neo-soul in a way he hadn't since Young Americans. The album is nowhere near his best, but did give him that injection of caffeine that his career needed badly by the time the early 90's rolled around. The album is a wedding present to Iman of sorts, and definately gave fans hope that Bowie wasn't a thing of the past for good.
favorite single: Miracle Goodnight
favorite non-single: I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday
watch the Miracle Goodnight video
watch the Jump They Say video
watch the You've Been Around video

[Dean Winchester]

495. Aerosmith - Nine Lives

Sales were quite disappointing for Aerosmith's 1997 return to Columbia Records after a very successful stint on Geffen. However, Nine Lives was musically interesting for the band, although it was rather by-the-numbers for them by this point in time.
favorite single: Hole In My Soul
favorite non-single: Taste Of India
watch the Hole In My Soul video
watch the Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees) video
watch the Pink video

494. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better

Franz Ferdinand's self-titled debut from 2004 was one of my favorite albums of the past few years, however the soundalike followup felt as rushed as it really was. There are some good tracks here, but even some of the b-sides off the original album were superior to 2/3 of the tracks on this album. I have higher hopes for their next album, which is going to take them into a new direction.
favorite single: Walk Away
favorite non-single: Eleanor Put Your Boots On
watch the Do You Want To video
watch the Walk Away video

493. Janet Jackson - All For You

A mammoth artistic disappointment following the phenomenal The Velvet Rope as well as Janet's weakest album since before hooking up with Jam and Lewis, All For You still manages to make the list on the strength of it's strengths. Unfortunately, the suite of "baby making songs" knocks the album down many notches.
favorite single: All For You
favorite non-single: Trust A Try
watch the All For You video
watch the Son Of A Gun video

492. Barbra Streisand - Emotion

While well-known for eluding trends, this 1984 effort by Babs is a bit of an oddity in her career. This was her (somewhat failed judging how poorly it sold) attempt at marketing herself to the MTV pop market with a sexed up image and a few flashy music videos. The result was decidedly not-Streisand, but you couldn't fault the lady for trying. While none of the tracks have made it to hits collections, as a fan of 80's pop, I enjoy this excursion. The big hits here were her Jim Steinman "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" knockoff "Left In The Dark" and the title track, a dance-pop collaboration with the Pointer Sisters. Not one of Babs' bigger selling albums, but well worth a listen anyways.
favorite single: Emotion
favorite non-single: You're A Step In The Right Direction
watch the Emotion video
watch the Left In The Dark video

491. Donna Summer - Cats Without Claws

Despite being a huge commercial disappointment upon it's initial release in 1984, I've always enjoyed Donna's followup to She Works Hard For The Money even more than it's more successful predecessor. Donna's best days were behind with her Moroder out of the picture, but she still found a decent sound with Michael Omartion as well. I believe this albums lack of success had more to do with the ugly rumor of her making homophobic comments than the music, since I think this album was loaded with "should've been" hits.
favorite single: There Goes My Baby
favorite non-single: Oh Billy Please
watch There Goes My Baby live
watch the Supernatural Love video

[Dean Winchester]

490. Van Halen - Diver Down

The penultimate Roth-era album came out in 1982. Unfortunately, a rushed effort that was obviously an attempt at regaining commercial clout lost with the Fair Warning, but the covers off this album are great. "Pretty Woman" was one of their biggest hits ever. However, for the most part, I think the album is a stopgap in between the far superior Fair Warning and 1984 albums.
favorite single: Pretty Woman
favorite non-single: Where Have All The Good Times Gone
Pretty Woman video

489. Madonna - I'm Breathless

This 1990 album was a detour for Madonna, as it was a collection of songs from and inspired by Dick Tracy. 90% of the album was her interpreting music from the 20's and 30's, but what pushed the album past double platinum and to #2 on the album chart was the inclusion of "Vogue". While perhaps my least played Madonna album, it's still got an interesting spot in her catalog.
favorite single: Vogue
favorite non-single: Something To Remember
Vogue video

488. Prince - Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic

Originally intended to be the man's big comeback in 1999 on Arista Records, Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic did not quite live up to expectations, but regardless deserved to be heard more. This was his last album before reverting back to Prince as well as his final album of a rather tumultuous decade for him. The album suffered from being a little too long (fortunately Prince has released shorter and tighter albums in recent years) but there's some very interesting stuff here. You get a funky rendition of one of Sheryl Crow's biggest hits ("Every Day Is A Winding Road") as well as collaborations with Gwen Stefani and Eve.
favorite single: The Greatest Romance Ever Sold
favorite non-single: The Sun, Moon & Stars
The Greatest Romance Ever Sold video

Prince albums on the list so far
500. Come
488. Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic

487. David Bowie - Hours

Bowie's final album for Virgin, 1999's ...hours represents a back-to-basics feel for him. As a whole, the album isn't one of Bowie's most memorable but it did give him a few nice additions to his canon, especially "Thursday's Child", which was perhaps his greatest 90's song.
favorite single: Thursday's Child
favorite non-single: Seven
Thursday's Child video
Seven live

David Bowie albums on the list so far
496. Black Tie White Noise
487. Hours

486. KISS - Unmasked

1980's Unmasked is an album that continues to divide Kiss fans almost three decades after it's release. Following the massive success of the disco-tinged Dynasty, Kiss moved away from hard rock to a power-pop direction. However, for power pop, this is primo. Unmasked also coincides with the departure with Peter Criss (who appears in the video for Shandi, as well as the album cover, but doesn't play one note here) and a huge downturn in popularity in the states, where the album reached #35 after a string of top 10 hits. However, the music on this album is worth a second look
favorite single: Shandi
favorite non-single: Naked City
Shandi video
Is That You live
Naked City (unofficial) video

[Dean Winchester]

485. Depeche Mode - Speak And Spell

Depeche's very first album from 1981 was unlike anything they recorded afterwards, because of Vince Clarke's involvement. While the band went on to far greater things in the 80's and beyond, the debut was a fantastic slice of immaculate synth-pop. These guys were practically right out of high school when this album came out, which makes it more impressive, but compared to the greatness that the years 1984-1990 would bring them, this is only a decent album.
favorite single: Just Can't Get Enough
favorite non-single: Nodisco
New Life from Top Of The Pops, 1981 (note the emcee pronouncing their name "Depech-ay Mode")
Just Can't Get Enough video
Dreamin' Of Me video

484. Elton John - Songs From The West Coast

After a long gap of forgettable adult contemporary pap, Elton returned to form with this 2001 release. Gone were the Bolton-ish ballads catered to the housewife market and back was the singer-songwriter. The sales were modest but it was the album Elton fans had waited decades for.
favorite single: I Want Love
favorite non-single: Ballad Of The Boy In The Red Shoes
I Want Love video (with Robert Downey Jr.)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore video (with Justin Timberlake)

483. Tina Turner - Twenty Four Seven

After the blockbuster success of Private Dancer, Tina's album streak has been mixed at best, this ranks up with Break Every Rule on the high end of her albums. Twenty Four Seven may be better known as the vehicle for her blockbuster farewell tour of 2000, but the album itself is a fine return to form for Tina.
favorite single: When The Heartache Is Over
favorite non-single: All The Woman
When The Heartache Is Over video
Whatever You Need video

482. Eurythmics - Revenge

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart teamed up and were one of the strongest, most consistant albums artists of the 1980's. However, 1986's Revenge felt the least inspired following several great albums (and being the predecessor to the 1987 opus Savage). However, despite being half-filler, that also leaves five fantastic tracks (the first side). They took the soul/rock from Be Yourself Tonight and went deeper in that direction to mixed results. While perhaps their least essential album until We Two Are One from 1989, it's still worth checking out for the great first half.
favorite single: Thorn In My Side
favorite non-single: The Last Time
Missionary Man video
Thorn In My Side video
When Tomorrow Comes video

481. Fall Out Boy - From Under The Cork Tree

While I think just about anybody with sanity is over the emo trend now, Fall Out Boy's album from 2005 represented everything good about the genre and was loaded with catchy songs. Take the "emo" or "TRL" out of the equation and you're left with the fact that "Dance Dance" and "Sugar We're Going Down" are just great songs.
favorite single: Dance Dance
favorite non-single: Get Busy Living Or Get Busy Dying
Dance Dance video
Sugar We're Going Down video

[Dean Winchester]

480. Pat Benatar - Seven The Hard Way

Although Pat had given birth early in 1985, Chrysalis Records still demanded a new album to be released in time for the Christmas market that year (which led to Pat and Neil severing ties with the label when their contract was up). Seven The Hard Way definately felt rushed but the material was still quite strong. The big hits from this album were "Invincible" and "Sex As A Weapon", but some of the album cuts are well worth a lesson, especially "Run Between The Raindrops", which was written for her then infant daughter.
favorite single: Invincible
favorite non-single: Run Between The Raindrops
Invincible video
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnr4N5Q9CZg]Sex As A Weapon video/url]

479. Def Leppard - Adrenalize

After two 1980's albums of almost mythic proportions, the odds were against Def Leppard from the moment they came back into the studio for this album. Early on during the recording process, Steve Clark died of alcohol poisoning, leaving the future of Def Leppard in doubt. While the album felt like an inferior replica of Hysteria (which in many ways it was), Def Leppard still were able to pull through. While there is nothing on the album as classic as "Photograph" or "Love Bites", the album was regardless loaded with hits upon it's release in 1992. Nonetheless, an end of an era.
favorite single: Tonight
favorite non-single: White Lightning
Let's Get Rocked video
Tonight video
Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) video

478. Paul McCartney - Tug Of War

After dissolving Wings, the 80's looked very promising for McCartney, and 1982's Tug Of War, reuniting him with producer George Martin, was one of the finest works of the decade. Unfortunately, the album suffers from a stigma because the most famous track was "Ebony And Ivory", but don't let that bother you, this album is primo McCartney and loaded with what he does best.
favorite single: Take It Away
favorite non-single: Dress Me Up Like A Robber
Take It Away video
Tug Of War video

477. Cher - Believe

Every few years, there's a comeback that is totally unexpected, in the late 1990's, it was Cher's turn (and her eighteenth comeback). While the title track became the biggest single of her forty plus year career, the album as a whole felt rather lacking and samey, mainly due to Metro's production. Huge selling album upon it's release but rather inessential now that the singles have found their way on various hits collections.
favorite single: All Or Nothing
favorite non-single: The Power
Believe video
Strong Enough video
All Or Nothing video

476. Spice Girls - Spice

In 1997, Spice Girls were it in the pop zeitgeist. The first album remains their best album. Granted, they were ridiculed for being pop fluff, but regardless, it was catchy fluff. Currently the girls are back together on a successful reunion tour, but as Sade once put it, it's never as good as the first time.
favorite single: Say You'll Be There
favorite non-single: Something Kinda Funny
Wannabe video
Say You'll Be There video

475. Boy George - The Martyr Mantras

Despite a polarizing hit-and-miss solo career, 1991's The Martyr Mantras certainly ranks on the "hit" side. While his solo debut Sold felt like Culture Club outtakes and High Hat was an ill-fated attempt at relaunching himself as a US based r&b artist, for his third go-round, George lets the music take him instead of vice versa. With his newfound spirituality (sound like a certain one-named female from Detroit?) and a renewed interest in dance music, George released his finest solo effort. Sadly, most people view Boy George as a trainwreck and hasbeen and won't listen to anything he did after 1984, but this album proved there was in fact life after Culture Club.
favorite single: Generations Of Love
favorite non-single: I Specialize In Loneliness
Generations Of Love video
Bow Down Mister video

474. Prince - Diamonds And Pearls

After the massive disappointment of 1990's (far-superior I may add) Graffiti Bridge, Prince did something he rarely does, he commercialized himself with a new unit to get back in the good graces of the mainstream. While the album did become his biggest seller in the US in a good half-decade, the album felt calculated. Outside of a now-disowned soundtrack he did for the caped crusader, this was without a doubt Prince's weakest album up to the point of it's release. But even despite it's weaknesses, there are several great additions to his canon, such as "Cream", "Gett Off" and "Thunder"
favorite single: Gett Off
favorite non-single: Strollin'
Gett Off video
Cream video
Diamonds And Pearls video
Money Don't Matter 2Nite video

Prince albums on the list so far
500. Come
488. Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic
474. Diamonds And Pearls

473. Laurie Anderson - Home Of The Brave

Laurie was one of the most intriguing and unpredictable artists of the 1980's. This 1986 set consisted of studio recordings of tracks she performed live during her 1985 one woman show Home Of The Brave (also released as a feature film to coincide with this album). The album was both Laurie at her very best and very worst because while there are several great tracks here, there are a few other brief songs that were basically just experimentation and nothing more, which would work much better on film than on album. Regardless, an interesting work from an extraordinary woman.
favorite single: Language Is A Virus
favorite non-single: Smoke Rings
Smoke Rings excerpt from the Home Of The Brave movie
Language Is A Virus video

472. Good Charlotte - The Young And The Hopeless

Say what you want about the Madden twins. Regardless of being marketed as a punk band with a lead singer who's dated Hilary Duff and knocked Nicole Richie up (how underground is that? lol), the truth is that Good Charlotte has given us some catchy music over the past half-decade. This album, the 2002 smash The Young And The Hopeless represents the band at the peak of their powers. No matter how much you resisted, "The Anthem" and "Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous" were stuck in your head for months back then.
favorite single: Girls And Boys
favorite non-single: The Story Of My Old Man
Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous video
The Anthem video
Girls And Boys video

471. John Lennon/Yoko Ono - Milk And Honey

Posthumously released in 1984, Milk And Honey is a collection of demos that John recorded in late 1980 in the early stages planned followup to Double Fantasy to be released in 1981. While many of these tracks are in primitive form (and we also have a number of tracks recorded by Yoko in 1983-84), Lennon still was on a roll in his final days. I only wonder how good this album could've turned out if the maniac who doesn't merit his name mentioned hadn't gunned down one of rocks greatest icons on that fateful day in December 1980.
favorite single: Nobody Told Me
favorite non-single: (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess [John]/You're The One [Yoko]
Nobody Told Me video
Grow Old With Me video

[Cactus Jack]

WHy are The Spice Girls there?

[Dean Winchester]

Originally Posted by TheMuppetFromtheFutu

WHy are The Spice Girls there?

because I did kind of like them when they first came out. But don't worry, #476 is their highest placing, and there are no Terry Jacks albums coming

[Cactus Jack]

Originally Posted by Dean Winchester

because I did kind of like them when they first came out. But don't worry, #476 is their highest placing, and there are no Terry Jacks albums coming

LOL so did I,now I hate em. ah,ok AWESOME!