In a world filled with iTunes and other various tools to download songs, the idea of an album is lost on most people. They forget that a band took time to not only create these songs, but choose the order in which they go on a particular album. That was the idea, at least back in the day. Put out a song or two, people buy the album and hear the rest of the music. Now, people are more apt to just download their favorite song and ignore the rest. But, the following are the top 10 albums (and one honorable mention) in my opinion.
Those of you that know me, know how much I love music. From Deicide to D12 and everything in between. The criteria that I used to decide on this list, is just my general opinion, how many times I’ve bought the album (due to overuse or loss) and how well it flows from beginning to end.
At #11 (the honorable mention), is E-Town Concrete with their 2003 album, The Renaissance. From the solid metallic hip-hop beat on Mandibles to the old-school soundbites in Metroid, to the last lick on In The Heart Of Wolves, you can tell that these guys mean business. Formed in 1995, right around the same time as Limp Bizkit, these guys came from Elizabeth, New Jersey and had passion. There was something special about these guys and people who heard their music knew it. I saw them live and as soon as I heard their style, I knew it was something magical. They released a couple of albums after this one, but nothing captured the same magic as The Renaissance.
Must-have downloads : Mandibles, Metroid, Appetite For Distinction
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Coming in at #10, at the bottom of the list, is Pantera with “Vulgar Display Of Power.” This incredible album is what started what is affectionately known as “groove metal.” Groove-based playing intermixed with thrash metal. These guys started out as a hair metal band in the late 80’s, but left that behind with their debut album, Cowboys From Hell. That launched their sixteen year career, eventually breaking up in 2001. Vulgar Display Of Power, in my opinion, was their most solid album. They knew what they wanted and while most bands struggle with their sophomore album, Pantera put their proverbial nose to the grindstone and slammed out a spectacular record.
Must-have downloads : Walk, Fucking Hostile, This Love
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In the early to mid 90’s, a punk-like band came out that nobody ever heard of. There was something catchy about them and even though all of them had post-graduate degrees from Ivy League universities, they still decided to play music. Coming in at #9 is The Offspring with their debut album, Smash.
These guys put together an album that literally flows like warm butter from beginning to end. There is no downtime, but there isn’t any feeling of being overwhelmed with each song when it comes up. From beginning to end, you lose yourself in the music. You don’t notice that you’ve been listening for the hour-plus, but when it’s finished…you want to listen to it again. There is no stand-out song here, the entire album is worth it.
Must-have downloads : Just get the whole damn album.
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Coming in at #8 is a band out of Florida. One of the many death metal bands to come from our most southern state in the continental United States. I think because it’s just so fucking hot down there, they feel the need to stay angry…all the time. But, this band is something more than that. They may sing about death and such, but I can tell you from personal experience, that these are the nicest bunch of guys you’ll ever meet. They do this, because they think it’s funny and they enjoy shocking people. #8 is Cannibal Corpse with The Bleeding.
I debated whether I wanted to put this one on here or not, but it’s such an incredible album, that I couldn’t help but to add it. If you take this sort of music seriously, there are plenty of other bands out there to fulfill that neck-snapping head moshing you feel the need for. These guys just have fun and it shows on their album, as well as at their shows. They were also portrayed in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (where I saw them for the first time). Since then, I’ve been a huge fan…
Must-have downloads : Stripped Raped & Strangled, The Exorcist
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At #7 is a guy out of Detroit, but not the first one that may come to mind, though he is on this list. I saw him originally at a show at the Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia when he was opening for Monster Magnet. He loved playing music and it came out in the live show as well. While he knew that he wasn’t selling out arenas, he and the rest of the band put on one hell of a show. In at #7 is Kid Rock with “Rock N’ Roll Jesus”
This album is the embodiment of all that is Kid Rock. From his start in Detroit, to his country swagger, to his re-invention as a superstar, this album takes you to all of those places. There were a couple of other albums of his that I considered putting on here, but I thought that this was the best compilation of Kid Rock as an artist. It’s sad that the world lost Joe C. at such a young age, but I remember smoking some weed with him behind the Masquerade twelve years ago.
Must-have downloads : Amen, So Hott, Blue Jeans And A Rosary
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Rounding out the last one in part 1 is another gentleman from Detroit. This one, however, is the center of controversy wherever he goes. From a duet with Elton John to his well-publicized fights with his ex-wife (wait…are they married again? I can’t keep up), Eminem comes in at #6 with “The Eminem Show.”
A lot of people consider either “The Marshall Mathers LP” to be his best work. I, personally, think that he grew as a person with The Eminem Show. He was still strung out on drugs, but he had his daughter come around and he was learning what was important in his life. He had a better idea of what he was doing and he was no longer the angry kid that came out of Detroit and was simply looking to start some shit up. With The Eminem Show, he became a superstar. Now that he’s clean, I’m interested to see where he goes with his music…
Must-have downloads : Sing For The Moment, Say Goodbye Hollywood, When The Music Stops, My Dad’s Gone Crazy
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That’s it for part 1. The top 5 will be posted some time tomorrow afternoon after I get home from work. If you haven’t heard any of these albums, I suggest finding them and downloading them. I love music almost as much as I love writing and this blog is actually going to be a tool for me to bring them together. I hope that I’ve entertained you, as well as inspired you to check out some bands that you may not have ever thought about listening to. Until next time…
~The Dirty Llama~
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