Top 5 Albums

In the first of many High Fidelity-inspired "Top 5" lists, I will detail what I consider to be the five greatest musical albums of all time. The criteria is simple: the five that I like the most. I am not taking into account lasting influence, historical impact of any sort, album sales, musical coherence, creative originality, or anything else that would typically be considered to qualify an album as an objective "best ever". In fact, the intent is belligerent subjectivity. In other words, this is a list of my five favorite albums of all time. In random order:

London Calling, The Clash
Not only is there not a bad song on the entire track list, but from the time I bought this album, I believe only 3 months had passed before I owned all five Clash studio releases. The Clash didn't leave rotation in my car for at least 6 months, save for the occasional break for Joe Strummer and the Masceleros. And in all that time, I don't think there were ever two consecutive days in which LC didn't find its way into the CD player at some point. From the first not of the title track until the last note of "Train In Vain", there is not a dull moment here. Catchy tunes, great lyrics, diversity of style, and generally an album that is difficult to get tired of hearing. Plus, it's hip to like the Clash. And who doesn't want to be hip?

The Red-Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson
I don't think that there is any album that I have purchased more times than this one. I have owned it on cassette, vinyl, and CD, and have replaced it multiple times on each medium (and by "each" I mean cassette and CD, since the vinyl version was basically only bought so that I could frame it). It is the first album that I have vivid memories of listening to when I was a small child, and not just in a toe-tapping, "pleasant sound" kind of way that a 5-year-old might, but rather in the sense that I actually followed along with the story line as it progressed from one song to the next. As of this post, the album has been in my Top 5 for at least 20 years, and I don't even like country music! That's how good it is!

Wildflowers, Tom Petty
Maybe it's just because this record came into my possession at a crucial moment of my cultural and social growth and stuck with me ever since, but I truly feel that the track list has at least one song that can speak to your soul for any mood that you will ever find yourself in... especially if that mood is directly related to a relationship. Unless the mood in question is one of maniacally raging aggression. In that case, something a little more Soulfly-ish might be up your ally...

Sing Proud, Sing Loud!, Dropkick Murphys
This album has probably had a more profound affect on my musical tastes than any other individual album I've ever heard. I didn't think that there was really any punk that I liked until I started listening to DKM. Granted, the first song that I ever heard of theirs ("Boys on the Docks") isn't on this album, but while BOTD lured me in, Sing Loud hooked me. From here, I began exploring tons of other stuff that Hell-Cat Records had to offer, and even eventually led me into the aural streams of The Clash (which I admit I was very, very slow in discovering for myself, despite the constant praise and good word of Marc VL).

That's 4 of 5. I'm going to have to think more about my pick for number five. Since it's the last spot, I feel I have to make it count. There are several candidates, including White Zombie's Astro-Creep 2000, The Refreshments' Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy, and several more. I'm going to need to think about this one for a bit more, then return. Stand by.