(In No Particular Order, Mind You)
Paul Simon's "Graceland" - You gotta respect Paul Simon, first of all. But after I respect him, I totally jam this album. It's got some great lyrics. And while it DOESN'T have my favorite Paul Simon song ("Hearts and Bones") it DOES have a lot of killer tracks. It's a must-have.
U2's "Joshua Tree" - Hello, do you live in the WORLD? This album just plain rocks. You've got it all. It's mournful and melancholy and they bust out the guitars. There's something about it that just reaches into your heart and starts punching buttons of... Okay, what the hell is Bono doing in my chest cavity?
Peter Gabriel's "Us" - It's been a close race, folks. "So" held the top spot for years and years. But "Us" has finally won out. I think that "Washing Of The Water" was what really pushed it over the edge. But if you want to talk more about respect, you have to have it for Peter Gabriel. I rank him as my all-time favorite musical artist. And with good reason. He's amazing. But if you really want to get down inside and on top of a funk, but still feel hope (this will be covered later - it seems to be an ongoing theme - comfort songs in times of angst and depression) then you should DEFINITELY check out this album. Especially if you're down with that whole "loved and lost" bit. He's good at that one. He makes it true.
Tori Amos' "Under The Pink" - This was the first Tori album I ever bought. I'm glad it was, because... I still listen to it. Not that I don't listen to my OTHER Tori albums. "Little Earthquakes" is a close second, but it has duds like "China" that just don't do it for me. I dig the older Tori. The lilting piano and more solo sound. Some of her new stuff just plain pisses me off.
Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" - I know that there's a lot of Floyd fans out there. And I know they hold a lot of different opinions of what the "best" album is, but in my book, it's this one. This album possesses one of the few instrumental tracks that I can listen to without getting bored. (If you're bored, it's hard to sit through the first 12 minutes of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". But GOD, when they suddenly break out the vocals, it's like a musical orgasm and all you want to do is.. Hmmm.)
Blind Melon's "Nico" - This is another tough call. Nico was the first Blind Melon album I ever bought. WHY, GOD, WHY did Shannon Hoon have to die? It is Blind Melon's third and final album. I have since purchased them all. "Soup" is a VERY close second, but I have rules, and Nico is the one that I can listen to all the way through without getting even a LITTLE bored. This album has one of my favorite songs of all time on it, "Soup". You're saying, "Hey, that's the name of the second album." Good call, Einstein.
Counting Crows' "August and Everything After" - I may have to re-evaluate this selection. I recently acquired "This Desert Life" and... Damn, that album rocks. But Counting Crows has the history to back it up. I bought this album in 1993 and listened to it for almost a year straight. I've seen Counting Crows twice in concert, and I just need to say one thing.. Adam Duritz, will you marry me?
The Eels' "Daisies of the Galaxy" - A friend of mine recently introduced me to this band. And after just a few mp3's (THANK YOU, NAPSTER!) I fell absolutely in love... I bought this album and listened to it non-stop for a few weeks. I later purchased "Electro-Shock Blues", which is ALSO a good album, but not QUITE as good as this one.
Portishead's "Dummy" - Sometimes... You find yourself in need of a mood.. And when you find yourself in that place, you should be putting in this album. If you're in THAT mood, anyhow. Or THIS mood. Whichever you feel to be most appropriate. If you need a track to convince you, find yourself a copy of "Glory Box" or "Wandering Stars". Damn, baby.
Baxter's "Baxter" - One night, I was talking bands with a friend and I introduced him to Morcheeba. (I'll give a shout out in a moment.) He responded in kind and asked if I'd heard of Baxter. I downloaded a single track, "Possible" and found myself entranced. I bought the full album the next day. And it is amazing. They're Swedish. (And not in the Tom Green sense.) I went to their web site and wrote an e-mail to one of the band members. He wrote me back. Because they rule like that.
Morcheeba's "Big Calm" - This is another amazing mood album. It's got some kickin' vocals and amazing music. You should DEFINITELY check it out.
Dave Matthews Band's "Under The Table and Dreaming" - This is probably the darkest of all their albums. You get a sense of darkness forom it that you just don't take away from "Crash" or "Across These Crowded Streets". But underneath the darkness is hope and a little piece of love...
And that's all I can think of for right now. I'm sure there's got to be some more, but I can't think of them. That means that in this day and time, they do not exist. So, there it is. Take it or leave it.