10. Jay-Z
Genres: East Coast Hip Hop
Hip Hop was a long and difficult road for me to get into, and favorites were rare for me. Then came along Jay-Z, who gave me everything I could ever want in a hip hop album on multiple occasions. Scattered among his lower-grade and underdeveloped sellout albums are also works of pure hip hop genius. The hip hop attitude that everyone loves is pretty much his entire personality. If anyone deserved to be called the "hip hop god," then I'd say Jay-Z's self-proclaimed title isn't far off.
The Blueprint: 100
Reasonable Doubt: 100
Black Album: 100
Unplugged: 98.5
American Gangster: 97
Score: 99.1 / 5
Staying Score: 100
9. Tim Buckley
Genres: Folk, Singer/Songwriter, Psych Folk, Avant-Folk
A lot of Bandcamp.com jokers try the whole "surreal folk" thing like that suddenly makes them arteests, but none of them even came close to Tim Buckley, let alone Nico. But no matter how weird Buckley's music gets, he stays true to the form of personal, emotional and soulful folk music that everyone loves. Buckley's music is folk beauty in all of its forms.
Dream Letter: Live in London 1968: 100
Starsailor: 100
Happy Sad: 100
Blue Afternoon: 99
Goodbye and Hello: 97
Score: 99.2 / 5
Staying Score: 100
8. Frank Zappa
Genres: Exp. Rock, Jazz-Rock, Jazz Fusion, Comedy Rock
When I was first getting into albums, Freak Out was my first venture into experimental rock, and I loved every effed-up second of it. That raw level of boldness in Zappa's music is justified by his absurd personality. The guy knows how to write what's potentially the worst music on Earth, and make it more fun than a drunken night out on the town. And why? Why did we need Zappa? Simple. Sometimes, we just need to let loose.
Freak Out!: 100
Hot Rats: 100
Apostrophe: 100
Over-Nite-Sensation: 99
Joe's Garage, Act I: 97
Score: 99.2 / 5
Staying Score: 100
7. John Williams
Genres: Cinematic Classical, Symphony, Romanticism
Williams' music has practically defined the histories of moviegoers worldwide. Tell me. When you read that name, did the Star Wars theme NOT blast in your head? Or was it the Indiana Jones theme? Jurassic Park maybe? Or maybe it's just... baaaa-DUM. Baaa-DUM. Baaa-DUM da DUM da DUM. And on an artistic note, even his lesser known pieces for movie soundtracks drive entire albums with incredible cinematic flair, transitioning both ends perfectly.
Star Wars: 100
Return of the Jedi: 100
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: 100
The Empire Strikes Back: 98
Raiders of the Lost Ark: 98
Score: 99.2 / 5
Staying Score: 100
6. The Beatles
Genres: Pop Rock, Psych Pop, Psych Rock, Merseybeat
Even though you've got enough great songs between the debut and Help to put together a damn good best of comp, The Beatles kept getting better as they went along. They're exactly my kind of pop rock band: the type that's willing to try and create dozens of different types of pop not just for the fun of it, but because they have that serious passion. Now, the Beatles themselves considered their band to be overrated, and I'd say that's only slightly true.
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: 100
Abbey Road: 100
Revolver: 100
The White Album: 99
Magical Mystery Tour: 97
Score: 99.2 / 5
Staying Score: 100
5. Beach Boys
Genres: Baroque Pop, Pop Rock, Surf Rock, Sunshine Pop
The Beach Boys are at the top of pop for me. No "pop" acts beyond radio bands will appear anymore. They're basically the American equivalent to the Beatles IMO. While the Beatles were rocking merseybeat before their heyday, Beach Boys were in charge of the surf scene. And then they became ARTISTS, and they could flow easily within various kinds of pop by just being themselves.
Pet Sounds: 100
Smile Sessions: 100
Surf's Up: 100
Today: 99
Smiley Smile: 97
Score: 99.2 / 5
Staying Score: 100
4. Vangelis
Genres: Electronic, Prog Electronic, Ambient, New Age
Vangelis is a very rare breed here. While I typically list genres that this artists are merely good at, very few of them remain at the "top" of each genre save the one I list first. But Vangelis is different. He is my choice for the best electronic artist, ambient artist and new age artist period. All three of these are essential components to his mastery of music. This is why I put Oceanic in with his other albums, because it's a perfect album to showcase what he's capable of.
Blade Runner: 100
1492: 100
Oceanic: 100
Albedo 0.39: 100
Voices: 97
Score: 99.4 / 5
Staying Score: 100
3. Pink Floyd
Genres: Art Rock, Prog Rock, Psych Rock
An awe-inspiring debut and several classic 70's works gave them five perfect albums to put up here. Floyd is just as easy to enjoy at the workplace for sing-along songs or bangers by bands like Deep Purple and as they are the kind of musical act that you just have to absorb, like Coil. While all the other prog bands in Britain and Germany were messing around with pianos and time signatures, Floyd separated themselves from them with a fixation on astral atmospheres, and kept enough melody intact to become overplayed radio staples.
The Dark Side of the Moon: 100
Wish You Were Here: 100
Pulse: 100
The Wall: 100
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn: 100
Score: 100 / 5
2. Miles Davis
Genres: Cool Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Jazz-Funk, Modal Jazz
I know, I know, Miles is a pretty typical choice for a number one jazz act. But let's be real here: this guy put all of the effort he could into perfect every jazz genre he touched. And even though some stand out much more than others, his large body of works makes it difficult to pick favorites. There are even many these days that say Kind of Blue is no more than an excellent introduction into jazz rather than the jazz standard itself. Me, my ideal choice for the jazz standard is In a Silent Way, an album that reinvented jazz with ambient, classical and rock influences in the same way After the Rain did with blues.
In a Silent Way: 100
Kind of Blue: 100
'Round About Midnight: 100
Dark Magus: 100
Sketches of Spain: 100
Score: 100 / 5
And now, we're finally at my number one.
1. Led Zeppelin
Genres: Hard Rock, Blues Rock, Folk Rock
Led Zeppelin had a five-album run of total brilliance, even though the early stuff was unofficial remakes in the same illegal manner of A Fistful of Dollars. But damn, did everything they touched turn to gold. They reinvented blues rock by introducing heavy metal to the mix with Dazed and Confused, took a further step into playing with genres a la Beatles with number 2, created a folk rock AND hard rock staple with 3, and with IV they created what I've considered the greatest album ever made for the last 12 years. And finally, they just went wild with Houses of the Holy (I even like The Crunge) where they had a reggae song and a Floydian knockoff, both of which were INCREDIBLE. The only blemish on this amazing five-album run is Moby Dick, and that blemish is easily healed with the inclusion of my favorite live album of theirs, BBC Sessions.
Led Zeppelin IV: 100
Led Zeppelin: 100
Houses of the Holy: 100
BBC Sessions: 100
Led Zeppelin III: 100
Score: 100 / 5
Thank you everyone, for following along with my top 100.
