Appetite for Destruction By:
Guns N' Roses
APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION was a shot in the arm for the sorry state of hard rock in the 80's. All the other big bands of the era were more into looks than music, while the musically sound bands didnt get their due. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE kicks off the
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The Ultimate Collection By:
Diana Ross & Supremes
The title is a bit of a misnomer: The Supremes are anthologized in more comprehensive fashion on Motown's three-volume Greatest Hits series, while this package is denser, and has a higher hit-per-track ratio. But if you'd rather pick up one collectio
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Fit To Be Tied: Great Hits By Joan Jett & The Blackhearts By:
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
It's only recently that Joan Jett has received her due as a seminal figure, an uncompromising female rocker whose first allegiance is to rock & roll rather than feminist dogma. First as the spiritual center of ahead-of-their-time teen femme-rockers T
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Ride The Lightning By:
Metallica
Don't let that classical-guitar-ish opening to "Fight Fire with Fire" fool you--Ride the Lightning packs a heavy-metal wallop. While not as ambitious as the subsequent Master of Puppets, this early Metallica album is indubitably one of their best. Th
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Led Zeppelin IV [Original Recording Remastered] By:
Led Zeppelin
Jimmy Page was a top London studio guitarist before he got rich and famous as the musical leader of Led Zeppelin. The group's fourth--and arguably their finest--album is as much a tribute to his technique as a monument to his versatility. Page produc
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Stranger Than Fiction By:
Bad Religion
Bad Religion, one of the last bands you'd expect to join the ranks of major-label rockers, makes the leap from its own Epitaph Records to Atlantic for its eighth album, Stranger Than Fiction. The quintet doesn't compromise its integrity or its aesthe
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Back In Black By:
AC/DC
After the untimely death of lead singer Bon Scott, AC/DC was in complete disarray. No one expected much of the new album or from the new lead singer, Brian Johnson. Now "Back in Black" is one of the best selling albums of all time. It is full of ener
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Perect From Now On By:
Built to Spill
Built to Spill's three previous indie releases (on C/Z, Up, and K) established a new pop standard, born from lo-fi experimentation, carefully crafted hooks, plaintive vocals, and brilliant, snaky guitar lines. For their major label debut, Perfect fro
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Who's Next By:
The Who
To put it in the simplest terms possible, this is the ultimate Who album. Although not my personal favorite (Tommy will always hold that record in my book), this is, in my opinion, the band's best all-around release. Although not a concept album befo
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Sublime [Explicit Lyrics] By:
Sublime
For all his tattoos and bulked-up frat-boy persona, singer Bradley Nowell had real soul, which made his fatal heroin overdose even more tragic. There's more to this Long Beach, California, trio's debut, released shortly after Nowell's death in 1996,
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Dark Side of the Moon By:
Pink Floyd
Dark Side of the Moon, originally released in 1973, is one of those albums that is discovered anew by each generation of rock listeners. This complex, often psychedelic music works very well because Pink Floyd doesn't rush anything; the songs are mai
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Fumbling Towards Ecstasy By:
Sarah McLachlan
Pre-Lilith Fair, McLachlan had critical acclaim and a cult following but was otherwise just another hard-working female singer/songwriter--one who wasn't blasting down doors with overt sexuality or popping along in front of a male Svengali. Similar i
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Fashion Nugget [EXPLICIT LYRICS] By:
Cake
The twisted cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" is a statement of intent, while the cool jazz riffs from the band's trumpet player are part of what makes tracks like "Daria," "It's Coming Down," and "Frank Sinatra" so original. "The Distance" i
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The Moon and Antartica By:
Modest Mouse
With their interstellar (really!) lyrics and angular song structures, Modest Mouse tend to defy their self-deprecating band name. In truth, the trio's got some lofty ambitions, and The Moon and Antarctica indulges their grand dreams with pristine pro
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Greatest Hits By:
Billy Idol
Billy Idol's secret is one that he shares with, of all people, Trent Reznor--the ability to take a pop base and disguise it with layers of other genres, most notably hard rock. His adaptability is on display throughout this 16-song career retrospecti
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Tenacious D By:
Tenacious D
Biting, sometimes base satire and humor populates this 21-cut comedy-rock debut from actor-musician Jack Black and his band, Tenacious D. Sort of like a trashier, more casual and less musical Beck, vocalist-guitarist Black and guitarist-vocalist Kyle
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Audioslave By:
Audioslave
The debut of thundering supergroup Audioslave--featuring members of Rage Against the Machine post-Zack de la Rocha with ex-Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell--is as much curio as fascinating blend of visions. Cornell might be outnumbered, but his unmis
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Give Up By:
The Postal Service
Give Up, the debut release by this indie supergroup composed of Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie and Jimmy Tamborello from Dntel, is a smart, quaint, and often transcendent little pop record. The roots of the album lie in "(This Is) The Dream of
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The Colour and the Shape By:
Foo Fighters
Probably the best album to ever be released by the Foo Fighters, "The Colour & The Shape" further solidified Dave Grohl stepping out of grunge's shadow and making peace with the ghost of Kurt Cobain. Just about all the songs here on this album are ca
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With Teeth By:
Nine Inch Nails
Trent Reznor has always been a one-trick-pony, but it's a damn good trick: sunny melodies filtered through ferocious electronics. Unfortunately, the trick's impact was often watered down by a tendency toward petulance and self-absorption. Still, almo
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