Part one of two.
The album was a product of the rock revolution, which might be summed up as the idea that popular music could be legitimate artistic expression. The Beatles became emblematic of this change, and they set the standard for rock. Artists should write their own songs and play their own instruments, in contrast to the production mill-Brill Building approach that had dominated the music business previously.
The idea of composing a group of thematically related songs, that worked together as-a-set, brought the album to its' pinnacle of cultural currency around 1980. Shortly thereafter, new formats like CDs and 12" singles began to erode the album format, and today it may be truly an anachronism, because of itunes and the prevailing pattern of consumption; people just grab their favorite songs.
Artists of course continue to create albums. Any group of music files in a folder constitutes 'an album', but the era of the album as a distinct art form is over. 'Rock' was the dominant idiom during the ascendency of the album, and so dominates this list. House music, as important and creative as it was, was a form not productive of great albums, due to its' intended-for-the-dancefloor nature and the prevalence of the 12" single format.
This list is, of necessity, a simple expression of my own personal taste, albeit a taste informed by a lifetime of heavy listening and obsessive collecting, and a background in art history.
Love.
Part two of this article is HERE.
50. Lee Perry and The Upsetters Super Ape 1976
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51. Bob Dylan The Basement Tapes 1968 (unreleased)
53. Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow 1967
55. Happy Mondays Pills Thrills and Bellyaches 1990
58. The Byrds Younger Than Yesterday 1967
60. Led Zeppelin
1971
65. The Smiths The Smiths 1984
67. KLF Chill Out 1990
72. Malcolm McLaren Duck Rock 1983
76. Echo and the Bunnymen Ocean Rain 1984
78. The The Soul Mining 1983
79. Throbbing Gristle D.o.A. The Third and Final Report 1978
80. The Beatles Abbey Road 1969
81. Book of Love Book of Love 1986
82. John Lennon Plastic Ono Band 1970
83. Rolling Stones Exile On Main St. 1972
84. Vektroid Neo Cali 2011
85. Death In June The World That Summer 1986
87. New Order Brotherhood 1986
88. Memoryhouse The Years (original 'bedroom' version) 2010
89. Steely Dan The Royal Scam 1975
90. Orchestral Manoeuveres in the Dark (OMD) Architecture and Morality 1981
91. Lou Reed Transformer 1972
92. The Stooges The Stooges 1969
93. Current 93 Swastikas For Noddy 1987
95. Suicide Suicide 1977
98. Cabaret Voltaire The Conversation 1993
100. Blackbird Blackbird Summer Heart 2010
PART TWO
The album was a product of the rock revolution, which might be summed up as the idea that popular music could be legitimate artistic expression. The Beatles became emblematic of this change, and they set the standard for rock. Artists should write their own songs and play their own instruments, in contrast to the production mill-Brill Building approach that had dominated the music business previously.
The idea of composing a group of thematically related songs, that worked together as-a-set, brought the album to its' pinnacle of cultural currency around 1980. Shortly thereafter, new formats like CDs and 12" singles began to erode the album format, and today it may be truly an anachronism, because of itunes and the prevailing pattern of consumption; people just grab their favorite songs.
Artists of course continue to create albums. Any group of music files in a folder constitutes 'an album', but the era of the album as a distinct art form is over. 'Rock' was the dominant idiom during the ascendency of the album, and so dominates this list. House music, as important and creative as it was, was a form not productive of great albums, due to its' intended-for-the-dancefloor nature and the prevalence of the 12" single format.
This list is, of necessity, a simple expression of my own personal taste, albeit a taste informed by a lifetime of heavy listening and obsessive collecting, and a background in art history.
Love.
Part two of this article is HERE.
50. Lee Perry and The Upsetters Super Ape 1976
.jpg)
51. Bob Dylan The Basement Tapes 1968 (unreleased)
52. Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires 1981
53. Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow 1967
54. Psychic TV Allegory and Self 1986 (unreleased, unexpurgated version)
55. Happy Mondays Pills Thrills and Bellyaches 1990
56. The Clash The Clash 1977
57. Paul McCartney Ram 1971
58. The Byrds Younger Than Yesterday 1967
59. Nurse w/ Wound The Sylvie and Babs Hi-Fi Companion 1985
60. Led Zeppelin
1971
61. The Doors L.A. Woman 1971
62. Coli Horse Rotorvator 1986
63. The League Unlimited Orchestra Love and Dancing 1982
64. Toro Y Moi Causers of This 2009
65. The Smiths The Smiths 1984
66. Steely Dan Can't Buy A Thrill 1972
67. KLF Chill Out 1990
68. The Pop Group Y 1979
69. Throbbing Gristle 20 Jazz Funk Greats 1979
70. Washed Out Life of Leisure 2009
71. Fleetwood Mac Rumours 1976
72. Malcolm McLaren Duck Rock 1983
73. The Orb Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld 1991
74. Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy 1973
75. Tears For Fears Songs From the Big Chair 1985
76. Echo and the Bunnymen Ocean Rain 1984
77. Chris and Cosey Techno Primitiv 1986
78. The The Soul Mining 1983
79. Throbbing Gristle D.o.A. The Third and Final Report 1978
80. The Beatles Abbey Road 1969
81. Book of Love Book of Love 1986
82. John Lennon Plastic Ono Band 1970
83. Rolling Stones Exile On Main St. 1972
84. Vektroid Neo Cali 2011
85. Death In June The World That Summer 1986
86. Various Artists This Is Acid New Beat 1988 (Belgian)
87. New Order Brotherhood 1986
88. Memoryhouse The Years (original 'bedroom' version) 2010
89. Steely Dan The Royal Scam 1975
90. Orchestral Manoeuveres in the Dark (OMD) Architecture and Morality 1981
91. Lou Reed Transformer 1972
92. The Stooges The Stooges 1969
93. Current 93 Swastikas For Noddy 1987
94. Teen Daze Four More Years 2010
95. Suicide Suicide 1977
96. Various Artists North; The Sound of the Dance Underground 1988
97. Van Halen Van Halen 1978
98. Cabaret Voltaire The Conversation 1993
99. David Bowie (with Brian Eno) Heroes 1978
100. Blackbird Blackbird Summer Heart 2010
PART TWO
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