Top 200 Albums of All Time: S Artists part 1

Never Mind the Bullocks: The Sex Pistols (1977)
The Sex Pistols took punk confrontation to its logical conclusion in 1977. The combat boot wearing spike haired band defined the movement socially, musically, and cosmetically. The band professed anarchy and dissed the queen scaring some record companies and fans. The punk music as a whole confused most people. After all, why would fans want to be spit on?

Key Tracks:
God Save the Queen
Anarchy in the U.K.
Pretty Vacant

Graceland: Paul Simon (1986)
Hard to believe Graceland is 25 years old. The album includes South African influences essentially merging Simon’s personal beliefs, humor, and South African culture. It also provided the classic “You Can Call Me Al.”

Key Tracks:
Graceland
You Can Call Me Al
All Around the World of the Myth of Fingerprints

Bridge Over Troubled Water: Simon and Garfunkel (1970)
Simon and Garfunkel released one of the last albums to close the sixties and open the seventies. They captured a time and place on vinyl, which is why it connected. Like the next entry does for 1992, Bridge Over Troubled Water provides a time capsule to 1970.

Key Tracks:
Bridge Over Troubled Water
El Condor Pasa (If I Could)
Cecilia
The Boxer

Singles: Soundtrack (1992)
If you want to understand 1992, then listen to the Singles soundtrack. The album is loaded with so-called grunge artists as well as classic rockers like Hendrix and Heart. Singles explains disillusionment, youth, and hope that permeated the period and Bill Clinton tapped.

Key Tracks:
Would? (Alice in Chains)
Breath (Pearl Jam)
Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns (Mother Love Bone)
State of Love and Trust (Pearl Jam)
Waiting for Somebody (Paul Westerberg)
Nearly Lost You (Screaming Trees)

Reign in Blood: Slayer (1986)
In 1986, Slayer released the Trash Metal classic Reign in Blood. The album lasts about a half an hour, but fills the listener with Slayer’s brutality. This is the album to listen to if one wants to understand thrash and compare it to classic metal or hair metal.

Key Tracks:
Angel of Death
Raining Blood

Top 10 Battlestar Galactica episodes

No television show captured the zeitgeist of the 2000s like the re-imaged Battlestar Galactica. Humanity experienced a 911 on an unprecedented scale resulting in a flight from home to escape the Cylons. The show dealt with issues ranging from military tribunals to the role of democracy in a crisis. Every episode resulted in an exploration in the human condition. The focus on humanity in unimaginable circumstances made the show great.

Here are my top 10 episodes in no particular order:

The Miniseries (2003):
Ron Moore reimaged the old 1970s Battlestar Galactica giving it a grittier up-to-date look. He reworked the mythology and made the Cylons a human creation. Rather than a Pearl Harbor-esque attack, the Cylons use a computer virus to disable human defenses. They launch the attack hoping to exterminate humanity. The show echoed events of 911 and took it to a genocidal level.

33 (2005):
The fleet has fled the colonies and the Ragnar Anchorage for deep space. Despite being thoroughly defeated, the Cylons are bent on exterminating the humans and relentlessly attack the fleet forcing them to jump every 33 minutes. The crew has to battle not only the Cylons, but lack of sleep as well. In the end, they are forced to destroy a civilian ship not knowing if it had been hijacked by Cylons or not. The episode won a Hugo and is one of the best, most intense television episodes I have ever seen.

Kobol’s Last Gleaming (2005):
In part one, the fleet discovers Kobol. A survey team crashes on the planet while Roslyn sends Starbuck back to Caprica to find the Arrow of Apollo. In the second part, Adama overthrows Roslyn, Starbuck fights Six, and Boomer admits to being pregnant. The episode ends with Adama being shot by another Boomer.

Flight of the Phoenix (2005):
In a wonderful episode that provided some relief and hope to the beleaguered fleet, Chief Tyrol creates a ship from scratch. The so-called Blackbird is a stealth ship later dubbed Laura in honor of the president. However, before they can celebrate, the fleet has to ward off a major Cylon attack, which they do with Boomer’s help. After she reversed a virus, the Cylon fleet lay defenseless allowing the Viper pilots to destroy them at will.

Scar (2006):
Scar was a Cylon pilot that killed many colonial pilots. The title also represents Starbuck’s unhealed wounds. Starbuck is the best pilot in the fleet when functional. However, pressures and guilt turned her into a shell of her former self. She makes bad choices and is called out for it by Kat. The episode recounts the struggles of some war vets who return home and are never quite the same. In the end, Kat destroys Scar, who is also brandishing his own issues.

Lay Down Your Burdens (2006):
Starbuck is given permission to return to Caprica to rescue Anders and other survivors. Along the way, they discover a planet capable of supporting human life. Once on Caprica, they find Anders and are almost immediately attacked by the Cylons. They eventually escape to the fleet where Cavil is discovered to be a Cylon. Meanwhile, Baltar defeats Roslyn in an election after Gaeta discovers attempts to rig the election Chicago-style.


Exodus (2006):

Humanity fled to what they believed was a safe harbor. The Cylons discovered them and an outnumbered Galactica and Pegasus flee. Colonel Tigh is forced to lead a resistance against the occupation and discovers his wife is a traitor. He poisons her to save humanity. Later, Galactica returns to rescue the survivors in an amazing sci-fi rescue. Unfortunately, Lee is forced to sacrifice the Pegasus to save Galactica and the fleet.

Crossroads (2007):
Tory, Tigh, Anders, Tyrol can’t get “All Along the Watchtower” out of their heads! At the end, they discover they are actually Cylon. Meanwhile, Baltar is tried and acquitted for treason. The music usage could have been cheesy, but Moore and the producers handled it perfectly. I was miffed that Tyrol was a Cylon and had a problem believing Tigh was a toaster.

Revelations (2008):
The Galactica discovers Earth, but it turns out to be a radioactive wasteland. Making matters worse, Tigh admits to Adama he is a Cylon. He is arrested and a frustrated heartbroken Adama rips his office apart. The interplay between Adama and Tigh is one of the most intense and memorable scenes in the show’s run.

The Oath/Blood on the Scales (2009):
An embittered Felix Gaeta sides with Tom Zarek to stage a coup. After the political hierarchy refuses to support him quickly enough, Zarek murders them and then moves on Adama. Gaeta assumes command of the ship and Adama is taken away for execution. He is soon rescued and marches on the C-I-C where the coup collapses. Gaeta and Zarek are later executed. Gaeta emerges as a tragic figure while Zarek proves to be a thug as opposed to an idealist. At the time, Zarek’s brutality shocked me. Although, I probably should have seen it coming!

Top 200 Albums of All Time: "H" Artists

All Things Must Pass: George Harrison (1970)


The Beatles underutilized George Harrison. As a result, the “quiet Beatle” accumulated an amazing amount of work that he released as a solo triple album in 1970. The release shocked critics and fans who often overlooked Harrison. This is amazing considering Harrison was responsible for some of the band’s greatest work.

Key Tracks:

My Sweet Lord
What is Life
All Things Must Pass

Are You Experienced: The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

Are You Experienced is the debut album for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. No one had ever heard anything like it before. Hendrix’s use of distortion, feedback, and psychedelic sounds proved revolutionary. At the time, some of rock’s greatest guitarists believed Hendrix spelled their doom. Every guitarist since has tried to be Hendrix whether he knows it or not.

Key Tracks:

Purple Haze
Manic Depression
Hey Joe
Foxey Lady
Fire

Electric Ladyland: The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)

Hendrix’s last album before his death is one of the few groundbreaking double albums. The band incorporates a number of musical genres into the mix. From psychedelic to blues to pop, Electric Ladyland raised the bar.

Key Tracks:

Crosstown Traffic
Voodoo Chile
All Along the Watchtower

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill: Lauryn Hill (1998)
Lauryn Hill left the turmoil of the Fugees and released a landmark album. The work dealt with her pregnancy, religion, and the drama surrounding the Fugees. Hill incorporates several musical genres including R&B, soul, gospel, and reggae.
Key Tracks:

Doo Wop (That Thing)
Ex-Factor
Everything is Everything

Greatest Guitar Riffs of the 60s

I did not put these in any order. This period was the heyday for guitar rock. These are the best riffs in my opinion...

Whole Lotta Love- Led Zeppelin

Satisfaction- Rolling Stones

Purple Haze- Jimy Hendrix

Sunshine of Your Love- Cream

Day Tripper- The Beatles

Jumpin’ Jack Flash- Rolling Stones

You Really Got Me- The Kinks

Voodoo Child- Jimy Hendrix

Black Dog- Led Zeppelin

Roadhouse Blues- The Doors



Pinball Wizard- The Who

Wipe Out- The Sufaris

All Along the Watchtower- Jimy Hendrix

Revolution- The Beatles

Miserlou- Dick Dale

I Can’t Explain- The Who

Fortunate Son- CCR

My Generation- The Who

All Day and All of the Night- The Kinks

Paint it Black- The Rolling Stones

#11 Jimy Hendrix

Jimy Hendrix is rock’s greatest guitarist. He became the most influential musician of the rock era. Despite this, he had problems breaking into the American market and even opened for The Monkeys. Lack of success in the states sent him overseas. His career took off in Europe. It was not until the Monterey Pop Festival that his career took off in the United States. By 1969, he was headlining Woodstock.

Hendrix became infamous for his sexually charged stage performances and the use of feedback which had previously been seen as undesirable. Hendrix overdosed in September, 1970 and became even bigger in death. He’s now an icon and legend. Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Robert Johnson, Peter Ham, Pigpen, and Kurt Cobain are all members of the 27 club. Those are artists that died at age 27.

Rock n Roll Moment: At the Monterey Pop Festival, Hendrix and The Who’s Pete Townsend had a friendly rivalry. The Who blew up the stage. Hendrix followed that by humping the amps and setting his guitar on fire.

Essential Hendrix:
Are You Experienced (1967)
Axis: Bold as Love (1967)
Electric Ladyland (1968)

Jimy’s Top 10:
All Along the Watchtower
Purple Haze
Fire
The Wind Cries Mary
Hey Joe
Manic Depression
Foxy Lady
Castles Made of Sand
Are You Experienced?
Crosstown Traffic