#Sgt pepper,#top20 albums
Now that we’ve listened to all the hype over the 50 -year anniversary of the Beatles’ classic album, it’s time to count down the 20 albums that have changed my creative and/or personal life in some way. These are strictly personal picks based on subjective experiences, not on what others think. They may also represent something that has altered the society/culture around me.
Here are albums 20 to 11.
20. Culture Club — kissing to be clever
There is no doubt that Boy George changed the way we viewed gay and trans people way before most people knew what the word trans meant.
The great easy jazzy dance beats make this album easily likeable. It is also very light and harmonious with songs that emit emotions in a nostalgic and romantic. Beautiful album.
Favourite song: Time (Clock in my Heart)
19. The White Stripes—White Blood Cells
I had never heard of The White Stripes and a friend gave me this album. This is classic blues and rock. There are cute ballads, lots of guitar riffs, and you can tell Jack White was influenced by Led Zeppelin and has added his harder edged style to the album. The lyrics vary from simple to multidimensional, leaving us knowing full well White locked himself in a dark room for a few days with perhaps some interesting drugs.
This album is a modern take on Zeppelin riffs and Pink Floyd anti hipsterism.
Favourite Song : A Martyr For My Love For You
18. Alanis Morissette—Jagged Little Pill
This album empowered every woman who listened to it. Excellent progressive pop tunes with a message.
The message of lost love, abandonment, and pain are felt here, as are nicer feelings like love and happiness. It’s a perfectly bittersweet album full of sorrow, angst, and hope.
Favourite Song : Head Over Feet
17. Simon and Garfunkel—Bridge Over Trouble Water
I listened to this album after watching The Graduate and liking the nice folk tunes in the movie. I like this for its comfortable feel. For its numbness and hope at the same time. When listening to the blend of the beat and the lyrics, we realize this is a genius album. A great example of perfect simplicity.
Favourite Song : Scarborough Fair
16. The Doors—The Doors
The Doors were a great blues band. Perhaps the greatest of the 1970s. Their love songs mixed with tragic lyrics hit a psychedelic schism and schizophrenic fears. The Doors also take you on a psychedelic trip with no drugs of any sort required. Masters of their genre.
Favourite Song : Alabama Song
15. REM— Automatic For The People
This is the first REM album with heartfelt blues about betrayal, solace, and reconciliation. I can envisage a movie built around this solid album. Michael Stipe shows his incredible voice here. It is the maturation of a group that no longer cares if they’re popular.
Favourite Song: Drive
14. Fine Young Cannibals—The Raw and The Cooked
This group only had 2 official albums and this is their swan song. Their blues and jazz beats within an modern urban setting makes them unique as they take us back to the 60s in a modern setting. Their music is raw and their lyrics cooked. Roland Gift has a high voice opposite to the baritone of Stipe for REM. It is sort of the yang of REM.
Favourite Song : I’m Not The Man I Used To Be
13.House of Pain —Fine Malt Lyrics
My introduction to relatable hip hop /rap. Raw and in your face and lyrics that would be criticized these days for their racy content, this album is very catchy on the dance floor and your head.
Favourite Song : Shamrocks and Shenanigans
12. The Police—Synchronicity
Great album from beginning to end. The Police could never match this again. It was a step above their previous work. There are many genres in this album taken from the uniqueness of their previous albums. They also delve into hard rock with the impeccable Synchronicity II, one of my favourite all-time songs.
This album shows the genius of the 3 musicians in a perfectly edited compact album that will be revered by many progressive rock bands in the future. A breakthrough for the genre of what I call Postmodern Pop.
Favourite Song : Synchronicity II
11. Public Enemy—Fear of a Black Planet
Even though The House of Pain helped me relate to hip hop /rap, my favourite rap album by far is this one. Fight The Power is the greatest rap song of all time. This song empowered everyone listening to it, because “black” refers to all the underprivileged and abandoned. The songs are still great to this day. With a bit of a remix, this album will always remain topical.
Favourite Song : Fight The Power
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