159)Black Sabbath- Paranoid

[img:$uid]http://www.soulstrut.com/images/uploads/reviews/black_paraf.jpg[/img:$uid]

160.) A Tribe Called Quest: The Low End Theory

161. LL Cool J- Mama Said Knock You Out

162) Peter Gabriel - So

163) Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds

164. GUNS N ROSES - CHINESE DEMOCRACY

165. Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney- Ram

166. Tricky - Maxinquaye (1995)

167. Marvin Gaye I Want You

168. Luther Vandross- Never Too Much

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Acts by number of albums included:

Michael Jackson/Jacksons=6

Stevie= 4

Tie:

Beatles=3

George Michael=3

Guns N’ Roses=3

Tie:

Led Zeppelin= 2

Marvin=2

Miles Davis=2

Janet Jackson=2

Bruce Springsteen=2

D’Angelo=2

Madonna=2

Elton John=2

James Brown=2

Bjork=2

Sam Cooke=2

Pink Floyd=2

[Edited 8/28/12 15:22pm]

Damn, it's hard scrolling through here trying to see if one isn't posting a duplicate.

Anyway maybe it hasn't been mentioned yet , idk.

169.

morningsong said:

Damn, it's hard scrolling through here trying to see if one isn't posting a duplicate.

Just look at the 2nd post

aardvark15 said:

morningsong said:

Damn, it's hard scrolling through here trying to see if one isn't posting a duplicate.

Just look at the 2nd post

Ah, thank god, that's even easier. My poor little finger's got a cramp scrolling through here.

and Thank You.

[Edited 8/28/12 15:41pm]

170. In Search Of... - N.E.R.D. (2001)

CrabalockerFishwife said:

156) Radiohead - In Rainbows

170) Living Colour- Vivid

[img:$uid]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Living_Colour-Vivid.jpg[/img:$uid]

172) Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire

Only about a year old, but it was a classic on first listen, imo, and still one of the most beautiful albums I've heard.

[Edited 8/28/12 22:11pm]

And more people really need to start posting... How hard is it to come in here and post a great album? This list isn't going to be as good having only about a half-dozen main contributors.

[Edited 8/28/12 22:07pm]

173) John Mayer - Continuum

174) R.E.M. - Murmur

175. Eurythmics - 1984: For the Love of Big Brother

[img:$uid]http://www.silverdisc.com/images/04/077778672722.jpg[/img:$uid]

Some albums add up to more than the sum of their parts. Some artists understand this and craft a cohesive album accordingly, and Eurythmics are one of those artists. Nowhere in their catalogue is this more apparent than on the unheralded but brilliant soundtrack 1984: For the Love of Big Brother. Having become pop stars rapidly with the previous two smash albums Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and Touch, it would have been easy for them to crank up the synths are record another album in the same vein, pandering to their rapidly growing fanbase, but the only thing that they retained was the experimental aesthetic edge that made their previous albums such thoroughly enjoyable lessons. This soundtrack would prove to be a big risk for the band, and while it may not have been commercially wise, it certainly succeeded in legitimizing their legacy.

What makes this album work so well is that it was created with a clear understanding of its source material. George Orwell's paranoid dystopia stands as a classic novel, gradually building the suspense over an extended period, slowly sinking its teeth into the reader's psyche. This album works in much the same way, utilizing its icy soundscapes and Annie's voice to capture the hollow horror depicted in the novel rather than to merely recite pop melodies. In fact, the album only contains three songs that could be deemed "conventional", but even those aren't exactly representative of the musical landscape in 1984. The first was the album’s main single and arguably the most “normal” song therein: the jittery, industrious synth pulse of “Sexcrime (1984)”, which summarizes the claustrophobic and controlling governmental control ubiquitous in Orwell’s nightmare vision. Much like Orwell’s novel, lyrics such as “leave a big hole in the wall just where you are looking in” allude to the terror rather than directly address it. Meanwhile, “For the Love of Big Brother” slowly sways through the speakers, coupling chilling lyrics with an even more chilling sound. Lines such as “faces seem like fingerprints, like skeletons of leaves upon the lawn” and “I still hear the sound of conversation in the hall, Look to see who’s coming but it’s nothing and there’s no one there at all” reveal that the group hasn’t lost any of its knack for making such bleak horror sound so inviting as first displayed on In the Garden. Lastly, the album’s heart and soul rests in the lilting ballad “Julia”, whose repeated, mournful synth refrain gives the song a powerful and poignant palate for the ultimate struggle between humanity and oppressive conformity, represented both by the contrast of pleading piano trills fighting against a threateningly descending bass line and by Annie's twinned vocals - one dejected and human and the other emotionless and electronically treated. Utilizing the advent of winter as the impetus for questioning our very existence, the result is masterful and “Julia” holds its own among the very best of the Eurythmics catalogue.

If one thing sets apart 1984 from the rest of their surrounding material, it is the synthesis of Annie’s vocals into the mix of the songs rather than the traditional setup of Lennox’s vocals acting as the focal point. In this way, the album recalls their long-forgotten debut In the Garden, and perhaps this is why it didn’t garner the same level of commercial success. Nevertheless, this approach is no less affecting, which is especially evident in the opener, “I Did It Just the Same”. A gentle synth comes in an out of focus before Annie Lennox joins in with some gentle humming. Before long, however, a heavily sequenced and foreboding bass is met with a hefty drum machine to make the song positively bounce while Annie’s soulful scatting grows increasingly paranoid and insistent. Elsewhere, the shivering beauty of “Ministry of Love” (where the characters in the book and film go to be forcefully “re-educated”) permeates an aura of wonder and mystique and is punctuated by abrupt male vocals shouting “A-ha!” as Annie’s electronic voice repeats the title and eventually breaks out into rabid chants of “Giavanno, donna neva”. On “DoublePlusGood”, it is not Annie’s voice but rather a sample of a detached female reporter from the film reciting an array of statistics and “news” of impending victory in an unending war. The title refers to “Newspeak”, a contraction of the English language enforced by the regime to further simplify thought. While on paper such a sonic endeavor may sound like a bad idea, a soaring synth line and a rhythmic incantation of “plusgood, doubleplusgood” definitely keep the toes tapping. Particularly effective is the play on the word “attention”, first used to ask “your attention please”, then truncated to “tension, tension” before shrinking further to the number ten, initiating a countdown that never quite gets to one.

If the whole album sounds cold and detached from this description, it should. The only reprieve comes in the form of the minute and a half glow of “Winston’s Diary”, in which it is clear that Dave and Annie were truly creating a score for the film as opposed to a collection of pop songs. A lonely harmonica seems to represent the lonely pages of the illegal diary in question, as Winston’s thoughts are poured out as a sole sound in the distance. However, this moment of tranquility is quickly vanquished by the succeeding industrial chug of “Greetings from a Dead Man”, the title of which refers to a diary entry Winston writes as the realization of his horror begins to take shape.

As the door slams shut on “Room 101”, this powerful soundtrack leaves an indelible mark, expertly fomenting the machination and dehumanization described in the novel. Despite the dispute between Eurythmics and the director who claimed that this soundtrack was “foisted” upon him, there is no disputing its impact. Indeed, Dave’s star as a producer was growing by the minute, and this contribution as the soundtrack of a high-budget film paved the way for future opportunities to come. It seems clear that few other artists of the early 80s were capable of producing a soundtrack as fitting and memorable. However, times were changing. The brand of experimental synth pop that had catapulted Eurythmics into the stratosphere had gone out of fashion with the mainstream public. The duo was quick to seize upon the moment by redefining themselves as a stadium rock band with a penchant for Motown, and it seems appropriate that the culmination of their synthesized glory is framed by the notion of death. Nevertheless, 25 years later, 1984: For the Love of Big Brother remains a compelling and vital listen.

176. Florence + The Machine- Ceremonials

Just released last year(her second album), but Florence Welch is a great young talented lady with an incredible voice, and she's also a great songwriter. the songs are just EPIC. definitely one of the, if the not the best act(s) of the last 5 years. if you don't know any of her stuff yet.. check it out!

177. Antony & the Johnsons - The Crying Light

178 Metallica - Metallica (The Black Album)

179. KATE BUSH - AERIAL

181) David Bowie - Diamond Dogs

183. Herbie Hancock - Blow Up

184. AEROSMITH - ROCKS