My 50 Favorite Albums (continued)

It's friday night.  Time to add another record to my top 50 all-time list.

The Gotham Gal and I debated what should come next.

The Beatles' Rubber Soul?

Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville?

Jimmy Cliff's The Harder They Come Soundtrack?

Van Morrison's Moondance?

They will probably all make the list at some point.  I love every one of those records.

But it's time to put the Ramones on the list.

Rocket To Russia is their greatest record.

And my trip to Rockaway Beach last weekend sealed the deal.

Welcome to the Top 50 Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy!

Comments

[jackson]

It would have to come down to 'Rocket To Russia' or the first record. It is a tough call, but I think you made the right choice, though there's something about 'Ramones', maybe the purity, anyway, good call.

[Peter]

If I might add a suggestion for the list:

Radiohead, OK Computer

A lot of people put this among their top albums, but here's my rationale of why it belongs here: Radiohead is the Pink Floyd of my generation- the band is accessible enough to have a popular following, yet complex, daring, compositionally huge, and experimental. In my opinion, OK Computer represents a brilliant crossroads in the band's career. This album combines the radio-friendly hooks of Pablo Honey and The Bends with a taste of the electronic sonic landscapes that Radiohead would come to rely more strongly upon with Amnesiac. I think that one the greatest compliments to the album was given by one of my favorite jazz musicians, Brad Mehldau, when he covered "Paranoid Android" on Largo- when you hear this tune in a jazz format, you come to realize how involved Radiohead was in conceiving each song.