MIKEB
The King Of Rationality
Posts: 4,536
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Post by MIKEB on Oct 14, 2006 16:14:56 GMT -5
I've finally compiled my list and have begun putting it into HTML. As I count them down here, I will post the coinciding list on my website! chart.themaxonline.netFor the first set, I'll count down #78-#71. Why 78? Well, I had 100 CDs picked out but the lower numbers really were CDs that I felt didn't fit in an all-time list because I didn't listen to them as much. 78 was the cutoff of CDs that I listened to enough to be able to say I liked the entire album. I'll probably do a revised version in a few months anyhow.
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MIKEB
The King Of Rationality
Posts: 4,536
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Post by MIKEB on Oct 14, 2006 16:29:53 GMT -5
Now, let me clarify that this list doesn't go beyond what I don't own or have never heard before. Therefore, because I tend to lean toward music of the current time, and because I became a fan of music in 1994, most of this list is from 1994 onward. Even though my CD collection is over about 300 right now, unfortunately most of my CDs I'm not 100% familiar with. Although I can say I listened to 99% of them all the way thru at least twice, the ones that didn't click right away after 1 or 3 or 10 listens, I gave up on. So this list contains CDs that I do know and like most of the entire thing. I will note, however, that I decided not to allow albums that I haven't owned for a year on this list. My reasoning is that if I'm still listening to a CD after a year on a somewhat regular basis, and still enjoying that CD, then chances are it will remain a favourite of mine to some extent. Anything less than a year is still under survellience and may not pass the test of time, which I set at a year. As for my reviews of the CDs, they may be redundent and repetative and stuff. I really don't know what I'm talking about with these and like to sound like I do. I'd like to be able to give good music reviews. Aw well. These are my essentials...! #78Various Artists Dance Mix '94(1994) This was the very first CD I ever got back in Christmas of '94 and I was so excited. I haven't listened to it in years but it was non-stop airplay for this while my CD-collection was still in the single digits. A definate classic and worthy of a position on my all-time-favourite CDs list. favourite tracks More & More (Captain Hollywood), Rhythm Of The Night (Corona), Show Me Love (Robin S.), Finally (CeCe Peniston) #77Amanda Marshall Amanda Marshall(1994) Amanda Marshall's debut CD was one where it seemed she didn't really have full control over the recording, but being new to the biz that's to be expected. The album still had an incredible seven radio releases in Canada, that's 70% of the album, and each song was worth the airplay. Her followup albums didn't seem to have as lasting impact as this one did and I think Amanda's debut will remain a Canadian classic from the 90s. favourite tracks Beautiful Goodbye, Let It Rain, Fall From Grace, Birmingham #76Simon Wilcox Smart Function(2004) This album was always on the backburner for me from the time I picked it up until now. I never really gave it a lot of attention after its first couple initial listens until about mid-2005 when I put it on again. It's a very nice light-pop album with a slight hint of beats, almost jazzy. Her voice is similar in style to Sarah McLachlan but the music differs. Songs like 'Kissed' rely heavily on its trip-hop beat while 'Come Over' is more of a light-pop ballad. favourite tracks White Suit, Kissed, Come Over, Right Ride #75Cranberries No Need To Argue(1995) I believe this was the third CD I picked up for my personal collection. Another mid-90s classic from the Cranberries, who were at the height of their career with this album. Now, earlier compiled versions of my all-time-favourite CDs list would put this album a lot higher but now I realize that only half of the CD really appeals to me. Some of the songs, mostly in the second half of the album, never really caught on to me, but the rest of them did and I still love them. Dolores' voice was definately one of the most distinct of the 90s. favourite tracks Ode To My Family, Ridiculous Thoughts, Zombie, I Can't Be With You #74Gwen Stefani Love Angel Music Baby(2004) Gwen's solo effort from No Doubt really gave her career a boost but one would have to wonder what it will do for her credibility in the long run. 'LAMB' as an album is definately catchy. You can't deny that. But it's certainly not up to par with some past No Doubt material. She explores a lot of the urban, hip-hop, and pop side of music with the record and it's good but sometimes I have to tell myself that it's all in good fun. So then I realize that the CD is a good one and it's fun to put on once in a while. 'Hollaback Girl' makes an awesome downtown song and 'The Real Thing' is great european-dance pop. favourite tracks Hollaback Girl, The Real Thing, What You Waiting For, Cool #73Whigfield Whigfield(1995) Whigfield was a bubblegum dance singer from the mid-90s who, as I just recently found out, is still involved in writing and music. Her most recent album came out in 2003 entitled 'Whigfield IV' or something. Now, for me, she was a one-album-wonder because I really doubt any of her other ones would even come close to matching the enjoyment I got out of this CD. Maybe the 8th CD in my collection, it was my favourite for quite a while. I know if she were new to the scene now I wouldn't even give her half a glance but being 11 years old, she was a star to me! favourite tracks Think Of You, Another Day, Close To You, Big Time #72New Pornographers Twin Cinema(2005) A more recent album in my collection but that doesn't diminish the excellence of it. I love the stylings of some of the songs on here and the harmonies of the male/female vocalings, such as the end of 'The Bleeding Heart Show'. The instrumentation on the tracks is very interesting and really makes you listen to the detail of how the individual sounds work together. Sometimes I find the music itself to be somewhat humourous, without taking into account the lyrics that go over them. This is what alternative music should be. favourite tracks These Are The Fables, Twin Cinema, The Bleeding Heart Show, Sing Me Spanish Techno #71Madonna Something To Remember(1996) Madonna's collection of ballads throughout her career were all put into one album in 1995. For me, I think Madonna's best songs from the 80s were her ballads so this compilation was definately a good idea. It included everything from 'Crazy For You' and 'Live To Tell' to 'Rain' and 'This Used To Be My Playground', plus one of my favourite songs from Madonna, 'I'll Remember'. favourite tracks I'll Remember, You'll See, Live To Tell, Rain
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Oct 14, 2006 16:41:53 GMT -5
So far, only got Gwen Stefani... but I like what I've heard from Amanda Marshall, the Cranberries and Madonna ;D
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Post by jt40 on Oct 14, 2006 16:45:45 GMT -5
I have Madonna, her album is good. I HAVE THE CRANBERRIES, PROUDLY ;D ;D ;D I've heard some from Gwen's album and it sounds good.
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Post by qnx100 on Oct 14, 2006 19:34:57 GMT -5
Gwen Stefani and Madonna ;D
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I Got Soul.
Mr. Brightside
All this work keeping people from having sex. Now I know how the catholic church feels. ZING!
Posts: 10,836
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Post by I Got Soul. on Oct 15, 2006 11:23:54 GMT -5
Dance Mix 94 love!
Nice to see you recognizing New Pornographers.
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Post by banet2001 on Oct 15, 2006 14:02:09 GMT -5
It is great to see the New Pornographers making your list. AC Newman and company have a great ability to create perfect power pop songs.
I love Neko Case's performance on songs like The Bleeding Heart Show, Bones of an Idol and These Are The Fables.
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MIKEB
The King Of Rationality
Posts: 4,536
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Post by MIKEB on Oct 15, 2006 16:32:29 GMT -5
These are the Fables is definately among my favourite songs from this year... well, from last year but that I really got into this year. I really love their harmonies together.
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MIKEB
The King Of Rationality
Posts: 4,536
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Post by MIKEB on Oct 15, 2006 23:50:56 GMT -5
#70Sarah McLachlan Fumbling Toward Ecstacy (1995) Sarah's major breakthrough in Canada was her third CD 'Fumbling Toward Ecstacy'. Comparing this album to the two that came after it ('Surfacing' and 'Afterglow'), it's very down-low in its production but her talent shines on here more than ever. I think if any album released in the 90s should be considered a Canadian classic, it's this one. Sarah is a very important woman in the music biz and this album is a very important one for fans of female alternative rock. The songs on here take a few listens to get themselves lodged in your memory but for me, it was the casual hearing of the songs from my sister to get me hooked. 'Mary' and 'Good Enough' are the two that come to mind usually. favourite tracks Mary, Possession, Good Enough, Hold On #69Soundtrack Dumb and Dumber (1995) My fourth CD. LOL! I really wanted this because of the Crash Test Dummies song 'The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead'. I was obsessed! I later became quite entranced in a lot of the other tracks on the soundtrack including the Proclaimers' remake of 'Get Ready', the Primitives' song 'Crash' and 'Insomniac' by Echobelly. The songs definately have that mid-90s Toad the Wet Sprocket lite-rock feel to them which makes it feel somewhat dated but can be very retrospective all the time. This CD is full of classics for me. favourite tracks The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead (Crash Test Dummies), If You Don't Love Me (Pete Droge), Too Much Of A Good Thing (The Sons), Where I Find My Heaven (Gigilo Aunts), Crash (Primitives) #68Sondre Lerche Faces Down (2002) The debut album from Sondre Lerche I won from my university in late 2002. I didn't give the CD much of a thought until I eventually got around to giving the one song 'Modern Nature' a chance. That song is catchy as hell! Then I got into a lot of the other tracks, 'You Know So Well', 'Sleep On Needles', 'On And Off Again' and others. Sondre has a very different sound but coming from Iceland with no real intention of having an American pop sound, it's pretty awesome! favourite tracks Modern Nature, Dead Passengers, On And Off Again, Sleep On Needles #67Our Lady Peace Spiritual Machines (2001) Our Lady Peace have never really been an albums band for me. Even though I do own all of their releases, I've never been big on their full-length records. Why do I keep getting them? Maybe to keep up with tradition. Their CDs usually do have a few gems that don't make it onto the radio though. 'Happiness Is A Fish...' has 'Annie', for example, this album has 'Are You Sad', 'Everyone's A Junkie' and 'All My Friends'. And the theme they have going on with this one definately adds to the record. favourite tracks All My Friends, Are You Sad, Everyone's A Junkie, Life #66Soundtrack Men with Brooms (2002) This soundtrack was right up my alley when I got it. It had a brand new track from Chantal Kreviazuk on it, as well as some hits from Big Sugar, Matthew Good Band, Our Lady Peace and Sarah Harmer. An all-Canadian lineup. Awesome! It also helped me discover some other artists that otherwise I may have passed over. The soundtrack had a track by new artist Kathleen Edwards and a new track from Holly McNarland, who I never really thought of listening to before this song. I'm a big fan of soundtracks but this is probably my favourite one. favourite tracks Watching Over You (Holly McNarland), Leading Me Home (Chantal Kreviazuk), Hockey Skates (Kathleen Edwards), Silver Road (Sarah Harmer) #65Corrs Forgiven Not Forgotton (1997) I remember hearing 'Runaway' on Casey's Top 40 in 1995 and I liked it a lot. I didn't hear it again until I finally got their CD in 1997 after also hearing a few more minor hits from it. It's great irish-pop music. The harmonies of the three Corrs' sisters go a long way and the instrumentals were jammin'. I always thought it a shame that they got as big as they did because with that their roots went away and they lost their charm. I got their next two albums as well but after 'In Blue', my interest went away. At least I have their debut to fall back on. favourite tracks Runaway, The Right Time, Leave Me Alone, Love To Love You #64David Usher Little Songs (2003) I got David's debut solo album after I got his amazing second CD. Recorded in his kitchen, this CD is actually pretty good. Contains some risqué lyrics in a few tracks, some of which can be thought provoking. He certainly has a way with words and how he uses them. I like the beats in 'Trickster' and I find it odd how 'Jesus Was My Girl' has the entire vocal tracks audio coming only from the left. Makes listening to it in headphones really awkward. The album contains a lot of the songs that David is known for as a writer and solo artist. favourite tracks St. Lawrence River, Trickster, Forestfire, Babyskin Tattoo #63Mariah Carey #1s (1999) I think the idea of releasing a #1s CD for Mariah was an awesome one because at the time, she did have enough chart-toppers to make a full-length CD, and the compilation carried a theme of having actual authentic Billboard #1 singles. Too bad she switched labels so much since because she has gained four of five more after that. The only downside to this CD was that some of Mariah's best singles didn't hit #1. I'd have love to have had 'Anytime You Need A Friend' and 'Without You' on this, for sure. Either way, the idea behind this was a great one. favourite tracks Always Be My Baby, Fantasy, Dreamlover, Honey #62Madonna Ray Of Light (2000) Some have said this was Madonna's best album of the 90s. I can see that. At the time it was a whole new step for her, experimenting with new producers, new dance-derived productions, new spirituality and whatnot. She was at the top of her game with this record and I think probably the best song of her career came out of this. Of course I'm talking about the title track. She made all the right moves with this disc. favourite tracks Ray Of Light, Frozen, The Power Of Goodbye, Swim #61Holly McNarland Home Is Where My Feet Are (2002) I remember being obsessed with the song and video for 'Beautiful Blue', so much so that I HAD to have Holly's CD. After knowing 'Watching Over You' from the Men With Brooms Soundtrack was on it as well, I thought there was no way this album would disappoint me. I even dreamt that I went in to buy it too for $9.99, which was the price it was at the time. LOL! Well, I got it and at first I loved it but after awhile it wore out on me. The album is good but not GREAT. Still, each song isn't bad at all. I'd say the CD is consistantly average, it has its ups but doesn't really have anything below the middle. favourite tracks Beautiful Blues, Watching Over You, Losing My Face, Dallas, Voices
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Post by jt40 on Oct 15, 2006 23:53:38 GMT -5
Sarah, Mariah, Madonna ;d
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MIKEB
The King Of Rationality
Posts: 4,536
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Post by MIKEB on Oct 18, 2006 23:37:24 GMT -5
#60Jewel 0304 (2003) While I think this is a good CD, at the same time I think if it were someone other than Jewel, I wouldn't like it. I thought it was a bold move for Jewel to do a record like this even though she had a point for it but some people still aren't able to see that and will still call the album a sellout for her. Her career hasn't really been the same since. About half of this CD could have worked well in the usual acoustic-sounding Jewel form. 0304 was a good experiment but one she didn't really need to do. All the same, it's Jewel and I love her and the CD isn't as bad as people make it out to be. favourite tracks 2 Find U, Stand, Fragile Heart, 2 Become 1 #59Eminem The Eminem Show (2002) My opinion of Eminem is that he's a genius. I'm not sure if he actually is but I think his way of holding his career is great. His ability to put rhymes into his raps and the songs he's written are amazing. The Eminem Show is the album of his that I've gotten to know the most and I do really like it. At this point he's still rapping about his mother and devotes an entire song to his daughter while even featuring her in another track. He samples Aerosmith, brings in Obie Trice. He pretty much does it all. I'd like to see Marshall return with an album that mixes his serious talent with his humourous side in an equal match on a new album soon. Until then, I'll suit myself with this disc. favourite tracks Superman, Hailie's Song, My Dad's Gone Crazy, Drips #58Sarah McLachlan Afterglow (2003) I think 'Fallen' may be one of Sarah's best recordings. It's a very nice song about her messups in the relationship. The album as a whole is quite nice. Very mellow. I'd almost say it's too mellow but it's what we've come to expect from Sarah. She's not usually upbeat unless it comes to a remix of one of her songs, which happens quite often. This album has a lot of highlights, from the three singles to most of the other album tracks. I personally like it more than 'Fumbling' though but that's probably because I allowed myself to become much more familiar with this album as a whole. favourite tracks Fallen, World On Fire, Train Wreck, Time, Answer #57Melanie Doane You Are What You Love (2003) Melanie Doane's first indie record after splitting with Sony was this very playful album. I don't consider Melanie really an exceptional artist but just an average singer/songwriter but that isn't a bad thing in the least. This CD contains a lot of great upbeat pop music and some wonderful ballads. She doesn't quite take herself as serious as the last album this time around on songs like 'Bionic' and 'Wilma Or A Betty Man'. It's good to let go and have some fun once in a while, even as a listener. favourite tracks Way Past Blue, Here I Am, As I Am #56Madonna Bedtime Stories (2003) I think Madonna's best singles came from her Bedtime Stories CD. 'Secret' is an awesome R&B-sounding track, 'Take A Bow' is probably her best ballad and her biggest hit of the 90s, 'Human Nature' is only slightly controversial but still incredible and 'Bedtime Story' is an incredible trance-like beat-based Bjork-written track. I LOVE it! I find it hard to choose between that song and 'Ray Of Light' as my favourite Madonna song. I do try to fit 'Bedtime Story' into any playlist I can. favourite tracks Bedtime Story, Human Nature, Secret, Take A Bow #55Jason Mraz Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Lives at the Eagles Ballroom (2004) Jason has a style that's all his own. He has mad freestyling skills and can rap better than the rest of us but he does acoustic guitar rock music. They can blend well on some songs. His CD/DVD live collection shows that very well. Some of his vocal abilities are impressive on here. Not his range but his actually abilities to skat and use syllables at a rapid speed. I actually had to watch the DVD to make sure he was actually doing it live. This collection contains about half unreleased songs and the other half are tracks from his album 'Waiting For My Rocket To Come'. It's great to hear those tracks as a live setting such as this. Most times I don't agree with an artist doing a live album so early in their career but Jason has enough of a following to make it a good idea. favourite tracks Tonight, Not Again, Sleeping To Dream, Curbside Prophet, The Remedy #54Maroon 5 Songs About Jane (2004) It took a short while for me to get into this CD. It mixes rock with pop and a touch of blues, R&B and jazz. I think the unfortunate thing is that the album got too successful for its own good because even I got sick of it from listening to it so much. But I can still appreciate the great tracks on here. And I can still remember the time when I absolutely loved 'She Will Be Loved' before the radio got its grubby paws into it. I'm really wondering where they can go from here though because I don't think there's really much higher for them to go. favourite tracks She Will Be Loved, Must Get Out, Sunday Morning, The Sun #53Our Lady Peace Clumsy (2000) This album was released back when Raine wasn't political, back when OLP was all about making rock music and back when they were the band everybody talked about. Even the slowest song on here '4am' is a rockin' song. Now, I got nothing against Raine helping to save the world by doing what he can. His contributions with Warchild have surely gone a long way and his voice is making him Canada's Bono, but at the same time, I think their music and his good-work have mixed alittle too much. And that's why OLP may never top Clumsy as their best record. This is Canadian rock at its best! And they still put on an awesome rockin' show! favourite tracks Clumsy, 4am, Superman's Dead, Automatic Flowers #52Mitchell Hunter People Will Believe Anything If You Whisper It (2004) This CD is an indie release from Halifax' Mitchell Hunter. It was written when he was between 16-18 I think and while you can tell by the lyrics of the songs that he still had some growing up to do, he still did a great job protraying what he had to say. I think it's a shame that a lot of artists can't make a debut album as great as this one because this really is a great CD from start to finish. Really really makes me wish I could play the piano. favourite tracks If It Ever Was, My New Beginning, Wait For You, They Might Say #51Jann Arden Living Under June (1994) Jann Arden struck gold with this CD. Well, Diamond in Canada as it sold over 1,000,000 copies in Canada. That's one copy per every 31 people (1:27 at the time of its release). Not bad! There are some true classics on this album including 'Could I Be Your Girl' and 'Good Mother' but there are some songs that got buried beneath the popularity of 'Insensitive' that I think should be dug up, dusted off and played again. Put on 'Wonderdrug' and 'Unloved' one more time and bring back the memories of 1995 for me. favourite tracks Wonderdrug, Could I Be Your Girl, Unloved, Good Mother
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2006 23:41:32 GMT -5
AFTERGLOW!!!! AWESOME album!!
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Oct 18, 2006 23:47:07 GMT -5
Good to see Jewel, Eminem, Sarah McLachlan, Maroon 5 and Our Lady Peace in there ;D
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I Got Soul.
Mr. Brightside
All this work keeping people from having sex. Now I know how the catholic church feels. ZING!
Posts: 10,836
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Post by I Got Soul. on Oct 19, 2006 10:11:08 GMT -5
Sarah McLachlin, Jason Mraz, and OLP! Excellent choices.
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Doctor Blind
Danny's #1 : Hooray For Earth "No Love" [1 week at #1]
Posts: 3,530
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Post by Doctor Blind on Oct 19, 2006 12:02:27 GMT -5
Some fantastic albums so far, especially the New Pornographers', "Twin Cinema", Madonna's "Ray Of Light", and Sarah McLachlan's "Afterglow". ;D
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