39. Pink Floyd
Years active: 1960s-2010s
Genre: Prog Rock, Art Rock, Psychedelic
Five to start you off: “See Emily Play”, “Bike”, “Eclipse”, “Wish You Were Here”, “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2”
Comment: Like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd are one of those bands with a huge mythology and a massive, devoted following – I like them without being one of said devotees – so again I’ll try to keep it relatively short. I am one of those who likes the bonkers Syd Barrett stuff on Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967) and Saucer Full of Secrets (1968), and the clutch of singles before that. I have less time for the early 70s prog wank-at-thons like Atom Heart Mother (1970) or Meddle (1971) with their endless studio trickery on endless instrumental tracks. I do rate Dark Side of the Moon (1973), but don’t really see it in “all-time best ever album” sort of range. I think Wish You Were Here (1975) is probably their best album and masterpiece. Animals (1977), based loosely on George Orwell’s Animal Farm, is so 70s and so Pink Floyd in almost every way, that listened to today it feels almost self-parodic. Exactly the same is true, of course, of that bloated-masterpiece, The Wall (1979) – where Roger Waters’s writing finally becomes didactic, over-wrought and lacking entirely in self-awareness, and yet, perhaps because of that, it works on its own terms, wrapped in its own obsessions behind ‘the wall’. I think it’s probably been attacked and criticized so relentlessly, that it might be time for it to come out the other end again: I mean, I can still enjoy “The Trial” and the writing is no less adolescent than even the best John Lennon solo stuff.
38. The Mississppi Sheiks
Years active: 1930s
Genre: Country Blues
Five to start you off: “Sitting on Top of the World”, “The Jazz Fiddler”, “Still I’m Traveling On”, “Please Don’t Wake It Up”, “That’s It”
Comment: Coolest band name ever? These guys were a guitar and fiddle band in the 30s and that fiddle really makes them stand out among their contemporaries. They are also marked by a willingness to traverse a lot of musical terrain ranging beyond the constraints of blues in interesting ways. When I first discovered “Sitting on Top of the World”, I must have listened to it over a hundred times in a week. The Sheiks are just awesome and they made a lot of great recordings. Their version of “Stop and Listen Blues” is probably the best. “I’ve Got Blood in My Eyes for You” is a great original. “That’s It” almost sounds like Russian folk music. The little skit before “Sales Tax” is amazing. Undoubtedly one of the greatest outfits ever to record.
37. Depeche Mode
Years active: 1980s-present
Genre: New Wave, Synth
Five to start you off: “Everything Counts”, “Master and Servant”, “The Things You Said”, “Behind the Wheel”, “Personal Jesus”
Comment: If we were giving out awards for “most 80s band ever”, Depeche Mode are very 80s. Pure synth from the start, there’s something intrinsically seedy (and 80s) about them in the confluence of money, sex, and power. When Johnny Cash sings “Personal Jesus”, it sounds biblical, when Dave Gahan sings it, you can’t help but feel transported to some urban underground club scene – it becomes almost unambiguously a song about drugs. Consider “Behind the Wheel”:
Sweet little girl
I prefer
You behind the wheel
And me the passenger
Drive
I’m yours to keep
Do what you want
I’m going cheap
TonightYou’re behind the wheel tonight
Such is the sound that one can only imagine he’s talking about sex … she’s on top tonight. Early Depeche Mode, especially the more industrial-sounding Construction Time Again (1983) and Some Great Reward (1984), are slept on a bit, but they shouldn’t be: great albums that capture in music the transition Thatcher was forcing the United Kingdom to make, from being an industrial power to a service-based consumer culture. They really hit their stride then, as the music becomes as dark as black satin on Black Celebration (1986), Music for the Masses (1987), which is my own personal favourite, and Violator (1990). They are still good after that, but when I think of Depeche Mode, I think primarily of those five albums.
36. Paul McCartney
Years active: 1970s-present
Genre: Rock, Pop
Five to start you off: “Maybe I’m Amazed”, “Too Many People”, “Jenny Wren”, “Mr. Bellamy”, “Early Days”
Comment: I hate posturing. Let me tell you what posturing is: it’s anyone that tells you the best Beatles solo album is All Things Must Pass (1970) or that John had a better solo career than Paul. It’s undeniable that McCartney’s output has been patchy – in some places extremely patchy. But his best albums – McCartney (1970), Ram (1971), Band on the Run (1973), Tug of War (1982), Flaming Pie (1997), and his amazing ‘late-career trilogy’: Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (2005), Memory Almost Full (2007), and New (2013) – are enough to blow his former bandmates out of the water. For the record, I’d happily declare Chaos and Creation in the Backyard one of the best albums of the 00s – and yet somehow, despite being made by one of our true icons, it seems to have escaped attention. It didn’t get the kind of mainstream adulation that greeted Bob Dylan’s Modern Times (2006) a year later. The same was true of New (2013), which was a really good record, kind of ignored while Dylan’s The Tempest (2012) got all sorts of coverage. It’s kind of a strange phenomenon the way people don’t like Paul or don’t want to be seen to like Paul. I think my girlfriend summed up why it is: “he’s not cool, but he thinks he is”. That’s basically it in a nutshell, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s the finest writer of melodies in modern living memory, and across all of these albums there are songs that give you genuine glimpses into that greatness. And the real question is: what do you really want from a McCartney album? You know you aren’t going to get any real grit or substance or great lyrics, but you might get some tremendous tunes. I’ve picked out five songs above and would seriously argue that they are all at Beatles-level and he’s got at least another twenty or so in his locker. Of all my picks, I feel reasonably strongly about defending this one.
35. Outkast
Years active: 1990s-present
Genre: Hip-hop
Five to start you off: “Wheelz of Steel”, “Da Art of Storytellin’ Part 2”, “B.O.B.”, “Roses”, “Church”
Comment: I remember getting Aquemini the week it came out in 1998 after it had received the coveted “five mics” in The Source – ah actual magazines, remember them? Outkast were always the critics’ favourites, and for this reason I’d never imagined then that they would find a mainstream crossover audience a couple of years from then. If you take out the aberration of the Idlewild soundtrack (2006), there’s an argument to say that each of Outkast’s five albums proper – Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994), ATLiens (1996), Aquemini (1998), Stankonia (2000), and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) – are all utterly essential five-star efforts. Outkast not only succeeded in breaking through the stranglehold of East / West Coast hegemony in hip-hop thereby practically inventing a new sub-genre (Southern hip-hop), but also innovated on a scale and speed that is rare in a genre that is marked by adherence to formula. Of their five albums, only the debut sounds derivative and “of its time” – there’s that distinct G-Funk Chronic sound all over it – and therefore it’s probably the least of their achievements. ATLiens is a sort of playas-in-space concept album which really doesn’t sound like anything else from 1996, witness the supreme chill of a song like “Wheelz of Steel”. On Aquemini, Dre and Big Boi grew up and produced a mature classic before the sonic assault on the mainstream that was Stankonia on which they push the frantic speed of their rapping to breaking point and turned to more political material; listen to “War”, a real indictment on the George W. Bush administration. And then on Speakerboxx/The Love Below they did something truly unusual: released what was basically two solo albums as a double LP. On The Love Below Andre 3000 is allowed the space to channel Prince to great effect, while on Speaakerboxx Big Boi got to flex muscle on some more hardcore shit – both really good, innovative albums, although I think it’s actually the latter that stands up better today. Why are – or rather were (no signs of them getting back together) – Outkast so good? Well the first thing is that both are phenomenal rappers who combine a lightning flow with intelligent, personal lyrics. Second, you have two distinct, unique personalities with some hidden depths: ostensibly Big Boi is more of the gansta, but you quickly learn he’s a socially-conscious committed father who has experienced life’s ups and downs; Andre 3000 is more of a madcap genius, like a sort of hip-hop Willy Wonka, but you still get real glimpses of the real man and his relationships underneath. Even if they never make another record, one of the all-time great hip-hop acts.
34. Harry Nilsson
Years active: 1960s-80s
Genre: Pop, Rock
Five to start you off: “Good Old Desk”, “One”, “Bath”, “Mournin’ Story Glory”, “Gotta Get Up”
Comment: If you’ve never heard Harry Nilsson, think of The Beatles at their most twee and most Paul – the more child-like numbers on Sgt. Pepper or something like “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” on Abbey Road, in a nutshell, that’s Nilsson. And it’s no surprise to learn that The Beatles loved him. Aerial Ballet (1968) is probably the best Beatles album that wasn’t by the Beatles – it might be too twee for some, almost pathologically wed to sing-song melodies and themes of childhood, but almost every song could get stuck in your head for days. It’s a refinement of the style he established on his debut Pandemonium Shadow Show (1967), and the next album Harry (1969) continues in that vein with stuff like “The Puppy Song”. Harry finds Harry at perhaps his most overtly Beatles-y, his version of “Mother Nature’s Song” arguably surpasses the original, and “Mournin’ Glory Story” sounds almost exactly like “For No One”. The next album Nilsson Sings Newman (1970) is a change of tone as Harry sings a selection of Randy Newman’s songs mostly accompanied only by Newman himself on piano – it shows off both Nilsson’s power as a vocalist and Newman’s strength as a lyricist. There is the curiosity of the kid’s film soundtrack The Point (1971), an album with some charming narrated passages. Then, probably his second-best album, and a masterpiece of smart pop in its own right, Nilsson Schmilsson (1971) which starts with the phenomenal single “Gotta Get Up” and features the novelty song “Coconut” (“put the lime in the coconut”) – incidentally, I once bought some limes and a coconut just to see what it would be like! Son of Schmilsson (1972) is a decent follow-up, and features the slightly alarming “You’re Breaking My Heart” – Nilsson is the last guy you’d expect to come out with “You’re breaking my heart / You’re tearing it apart / So fuck you”. He sort of lost his way a bit after that, as drugs took their toll, and his recordings became a bit more ramshackle, his voice more ragged, and the sound rockier. Knilsson (1977) was a brief return to form. If you don’t know his work already: I think you will either love Nilsson, or he won’t be for you.
33. Run the Jewels (Killer Mike and El-P)
Years active: 2000s-present
Genre: Hip-hop
Five to start you off: “Go!”, “JoJo’s Chillin’”, “Banana Clipper”, “Blockbuster Night Part 1”, “Early”
Comment: This probably looks like a monster rating for these two, but for my money they’ve been the best thing in rap for the past decade. El-P is a great producer who showed what he could do in the 90s with Company Flow before harnessing a really hard throw-back sound in the 00s which culminated in the superb Cure 4 Cancer (2012) on which he showed he’s a decent rapper too. Killer Mike, meanwhile, had cut his teeth impressing in numerous guest spots for Outkast but only really delivered on his great promise when El-P produced R.A.P. Music (2012), one of the best hip-hop albums of the past twenty years. They soon formed into a duo and made Run the Jewels (2013) and its follow-up Run the Jewels 2 (2014). Taken as a four album run, this is as hard-hitting and impressive as anything in hip-hop. The combination of El-P’s relentless production style and Killer Mike’s politically-conscious lyrics (not to mention his dope Southern-fried flow) will take some beating. It’s pure underground hip-hop, no concessions made to the mainstream, no punches pulled.
32. The Beach Boys
Years active: 1960s-present
Genre: Rock, Pop, Surf
Five to start you off: “Barbara Ann”, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, “Heroes and Villains”, “Feel Flows”, “Sail On, Sailor”
Comment: The Beach Boys can be curiously hard to get into. Everyone goes on about Pet Sounds (1966) which has the twin effect of overshadowing their earlier work and later work. This can be a barrier, especially if Pet Sounds doesn’t fully click with you. For me, a key way of getting into them more was starting to understand the different personalities in the group and how they manifest themselves. It’s not ALL about the genius of Brian Wilson: the nominal leader of the group was Mike Love (the more chirpy upbeat vocalist as heard on “Surfin’ USA”), the guitarist was Carl Wilson, who has a smoother, more laid-back voice (as heard on “God Only Knows”), Al Jardine played rhythm guitar and occasionally took lead vocals (e.g. “Vegetables” or “Help Me Rhonda” – basically just sounds like “a Beach boy” to my ears, but a great vocalist nonetheless), and the drummer Dennis, who has a lower voice and sometimes takes slower tracks (e.g. “Forever”). While I sometimes still struggle to tell Brian and Al apart, once you have the basic personalities down, The Beach Boys become more interesting. I especially like the late 60s / early 70s era when Carl comes to the fore a bit more. Surf’s Up (1971), for example, is a really good album and “Feel Flows” is probably my favourite Beach Boys song period – it is made by a sensitive, soulful lead performance from Carl. In fact, as a vocalist and songwriter in general, Carl Wilson might be one of the most underrated guys to emerge from the 60s period. It’s basically impossible to sum up this wide corpus of work in one paragraph. The early surfer years are probably best dealt with via compilation, you probably know almost all the singles from that period already just through cultural osmosis; Pet Sounds, obviously; but really it’s the albums after that which make for more interesting exploration: especially Smiley Smile (1967) and Wild Honey (1967), then skip ahead a little bit to the Carl era for Sunflower (1970) and Surf’s Up (1971). There are gems here and there on other albums too: “Sail On, Sailor” from Holland (1973), for example. Incidentally, don’t get me wrong: Brian Wilson is a genius.
31. Randy Newman
Years active: 1960s-present
Genre: Pop, Rock
Five to start you off: “Mama Told Me (Not to Come”, “Dayton, Ohio – 1903 “, “God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind)”, “Rednecks”, “You Can’t Fool the Fat Man”
Comment: Randy Newman produced one of my favourite trilogies of albums by any artist comprising 12 Songs (1970), his masterpiece Sail Away (1972), and Good Old Boys (1974). The albums either side – Randy Newman (Creates Something New Under the Sun) (1968) and Little Criminals (1977) aren’t half bad either, and that’s a decade of being really rather good for Newman. In my hypothetical top albums of the 1970s – and it is a field of stiff, stiff competition – Sail Away is assured of a top-five birth. I’m not sure that there is another songwriter who has utilised biting sarcasm more effectively.
In America you’ll get food to eat
Won’t have to run through the jungle
And scuff up your feet
You’ll just sing about Jesus and drink wine all day
It’s great to be an American. (“Sail Away”)
He is definitely the most astute and articulate skewerer of American hubris, arrogance, and isolationism. His sound is easy, piano-led, his voice never great but perfect for what he wants to do. The only criticism one could draw at Newman is that he more or less gave up on his solo career to make soundtracks for Pixar and Disney. “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story (1995) is surely a great song for a musical, but one can’t help but feel it is a waste. Harps and Angels (2008) suggested that he’s lost nothing of his wit or ability to deliver a killer line, but for one of America’s greatest ever songwriters, his body of work is relatively slim. Oh and “Dayton, Ohio – 1903” is the greatest sub-two-minute song ever recorded.
30. Notorious BIG
Years active: 1990s
Genre: Hip-hop
Five to start you off: “Warning”, “Juicy”, “Kick in the Door”, “Hypnotize”, “Victory”
Comment: He only made two albums during his lifetime, but if you asked me who’s the greatest rapper of all time the answer then, now, in ten years or twenty, thirty, fifty years will always be Biggie Smalls. His flow is unreal, and his capacity to ring every last drop of rhyme-potential from every syllable simply unparalleled. More than any other artist on the top 100, Notorious BIG is here primarily by virtue of his mad skills. Ready to Die (1994) of course is a towering classic of gangsta rap telling brutal tales of drug deals and ghetto life. But it’s marked by just how many sides of its protagonist we see. Of course, braggart and a cheat, on “One More Chance” we hear about just how many girls he’s slept with after listening to a string of messages from different women on his answering machine, but then we get a profound sense of guilt and self-awareness on “Suicidal Thoughts”:
All my life I been considered as the worst
Lying to my mother, even stealing out her purse
Crime after crime, from drugs to extortion
I know my mother wished she got a fucking abortion
She don’t even love me like she did when I was younger
Sucking on her chest just to stop my fucking hunger
I wonder if I died, would tears come to her eyes
Forgive me for my disrespect, forgive me for my lies.
Hip-hop seldom gets as dark as this. Also, got to mention before moving on, the conversation between Biggie and his younger self on “Gimme the Loot” or the dialogue between him and “Pop” on “Warning” is genius. On Life After Death (1997), he truly mastered commercial hip-hop (“Hypnotize”, “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems”) but it has harder moments when he just absolutely kills it too, especially the DJ Premier-produced “Kick in the Door” (a personal fave), and “Niggas Bleed”. Ranging beyond those two albums, we really need also to consider Puff Daddy’s No Way Out (1997) on which BIG murders the beat on “Victory”, and then looms over the coolest flipped beat in the history of rap on “All About the Benjamins”. Of course, then there’s the cash-in post-humous stuff: I really rather like Born Again (1999) – almost all the verses from Biggie himself are really good, and who can’t like the idea of using Duran Duran’s “Notorious” as the beat for a song about the great man himself (“Notorious B.I.G.”)? “Dead Wrong” featuring Eminem is pretty good too. Anyway, there it is, the greatest rapper who ever lived: he didn’t live long enough.
