We’re taking a little break from our Undisputed Top Albums Ever countdown during this busy holiday week. Instead, we are going to share with you a few albums that didn’t make the cut and a few albums that we’ve declared ineligible for selection. When we were first tasked with making these lists, we decided to limit our top 100 albums to proper releases. This meant no soundtracks, no live albums, no compilations etc. Some great material had to be omitted. Take a look at what didn’t make the cut. Your favorite record could be in there somewhere.
Don’t worry, the countdown continues next week with #20-16.
Chris’ 5 That Missed The Cut
Alice in Chains, Dirt
INXS, Kick
Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti
Nine Inch Nails, The Downward Spiral
Van Halen, 1984
A CLOSER LOOK AT…
INXS, Kick
Once I realized that Kick was not in my top 100 albums, I nearly chucked all of my analysis out the window. Not sure how this one landed at #102, given how much I worshipped this album growing up. I swear my friend Jeff and I listened to this album 800 times one year, doing SWEET DANCE MOVES more often than not (and changing the lyrics to fit our ridiculous sense of humor…we won’t go into that here). I even bought an INXS t-shirt (and it was tie-dye, naturally).
This was a more overall satisfying disc compared with Listen Like Thieves or The Swing, with song after song tailor made for modern radio but dissimilar from one another as well. “New Sensation” sounded nothing like “Devil Inside,” which sounded nothing like “Need You Tonight,” and then there was the one with the strings (“Never Tear Us Apart”). And then you had the leadoff track, “Guns in the Sky,” which is probably a bit flimsy as far as political commentary goes but sounded pretty kick-ass back then. And that monotone rhyming thing on “Mediate” was pretty cool…
Anyway, listen to my favorite song from the album below.
Chris’ 5 Ineligible Albums, Soundtracks or Live Albums
Descendents, Liveage!
Ramones, Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!: The Anthology
Wings, Wings Over America
Various artists, Pulp Fiction soundtrack
Various artists, No Alternative
A CLOSER LOOK AT…
Descendents, Liveage!
One of the albums that created the era known as BMCJMMC (Before My Cousin Josh Made Me Cooler) was this wonderful 20-song blast of live ’80s punk by Descendents. (You can’t go wrong with the studio compilation, Somery, either.) Now, granted, my 13-year-old ears perked right up once opening track* “I’m Not a Loser” unleashed an avalanche of profanity (the last four lines or so are right in the wheelhouse of a junior high kid). But once I finally stopped laughing and rewinding that song (yep, cassette era), I discovered some of the greatest punk/pop moments from a band that had street cred.
(* – technically, the first track is the one word/one note blast called “All”)
The music is tight, lean, and full of wonderful lyric topics like suburban homes and funky vans that function as homes and silly girls and not being a cool guy anymore and wanting time to woo a woman and, um, dumb stuff like “I Wanna Be a Bear” and “Weinerschnitzel.” I remember Josh and I figured the singer, Milo, was probably lying in a drug-induced coma in some gutter somewhere, when it turns out he holds a doctorate in biochemistry. Milo Goes to College, indeed. Listen to “Silly Girl” below…
Todd’s 5 That Missed The Cut
Frank Ocean, Nostalgia Ultra
U2, Achtung Baby
Massive Attack, Protection
Pixies, Bossanova
M83, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
A CLOSER LOOK AT…
Frank Ocean, Nostalgia Ultra
I had two issues with this record being on the list.
Issue #1. It was too new. I have a very hard time ranking an album that is only a year old in my top 100. I need time to really decide if it is worthy. Check with me in two years and I bet it will make the cut. In the meantime, watch out Bjork, Frank is coming to take your spot.
Issue #2. That fucking “American Wedding” catastrophe near the end of the album. It’s basically him singing over the music of The Eagles “Hotel California.” A song I loath. Don Henley threatened to sue Frank Ocean if he didn’t quit sing the song. I think the world should threaten to sue Don Henley if he doesn’t stop singing it.
Here’s an example of a good song from the album.
Todd’s 5 Ineligible Albums, Soundtracks or Live Albums
Guns N’ Roses, Live Era ’87-’93
Fleetwood Mac, The Dance
Various Artists, Grosse Pointe Blank Soundtrack
Various Artists, Once (Music from the Motion Picture)
Various Artists, Singles Soundtrack
A CLOSER LOOK AT…
Gross Point Blank Soundtrack
I know this soundtrack is really just an ’80s music playlist but I love it. So many great artists on it. Violent Femmes, Guns N’ Roses, The Clash, Queen with David Bowie. How can you go wrong? Not only are the artists great but the songs they chose by those artists are some of my all time favorites. Examples: Queen’s “Under Pressure”(Not Rob Van Winkle’s “Ice Ice Baby”), The Clash’s “Rudy Can’t Fail” and one my top five favorite songs ever “Pressure Drop.” Many people have covered this Toots and the Maytals classic. The Clash actually have an A+ cover version that I love. My favorite version is on this soundtrack and it is done by legendary ska band The Specials. Check it out below.
Previous installments:
Music or Space Shuttle? 