Author: mike b.

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I remember the day this album came out, because for the first time in my life I knew I needed to buy an album. I was still learning about the power of music, the importance of some music in history, and that there was more to life than classic rock and new wave (I was still about 2 years from really learning about hip-hop, funk and soul), but this album pushed me head-first into my love of music in a way that isn’t easily described…

And still, other albums, bands and songs have come along and obscured this one’s place in my personal musical development. Obscured, but never replaced. This one album really started it all for me. An amazingly solid record, front to back, that made U2 into the biggest band of an era, really. Look at just a portion of the track listing and see for yourself:

“Where The Streets Have No Name”

“With Or Without You”

“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”

“Bullet In The Blue Sky”

“In God’s Country”

“One Tree Hill”

Amazing… and still, only half of the album’s tracks. One of the best selling albums of all time from one of the best bands of all time.

And as I get ready to post, amazingly, the radio just started playing “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For…”

Mike B.

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C’mon, you know you love “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat).” This album blends jazz and hip-hop and made the Digable Planets a household name for, like, a year. Funny thing is, this album still holds up today. Smoked out and soulful, funky and abstract- I still like a dark room, a bottle of wine, and a listen to this one from front to back.

Mike B.

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How do you pick just one David Bowie album? I mean, it would be easier to just buy his greatest hits CD, but then are you really getting Bowie by just listening to his greatest hits? Does anyone really get Bowie anyway?

This concept album was released in 1972. It tells the story of Ziggy Stardust, an alien spreading a message of hope at the end of the world… or something. I think. The point is, listen to the music and make up your own story, if you want. Just know that at the end of the album “Suffragette City” will rock your socks off. There is some really good stuff going on here.

Mike B.

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Hello, guilty pleasure. This is one of those albums that makes you say two things upon listening:

“Hey, I know this song!”

“Holy cow, this album was released how many years ago?”

I know what you are thinking, and you are right. There’s not a lot of groundbreaking stuff happening here. But what is happening is you are tapping your feet, singing at the top of your lungs (“LET ME GO ON!”), and having a good time. This album makes me think happy thoughts about being young again and just knowing that I’m the only person cool enough to listen to stuff like this.

Mike B.

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The Beatles will be the first band to have multiple albums appear on this blog, but for good reason… they are the GREATEST BAND OF ALL TIME!!!

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Now that that’s out of the way, let me just say that this is one of the greatest albums ever made. Some of the studio techniques and sounds that appear on this album paved the way for a lot of musicians and producers, and made albums like “Sgt. Pepper’s” (which was already on this blog) possible. There is so much cool stuff happening on this album, I don’t even know where to start! Backwards guitars, horn (!) and string arrangements, sitar, great lyrics, psychedelia, and references to Tibetan beliefs, British politicians and drugs… and that doesn’t even begin to cover everything that is going on on here!

This album is consistently referred to as their finest work in the studio, and if you take the time to learn a little bit about the history behind the album before giving it a listen, you will be thoroughly rewarded.

Mike B.