Nick's Top 50: 10-1

At last here it is. Nick’s top 10 records off all time.

10. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mothers Milk – To me this goes down as the pinnacle of the Chili Peppers catalog. A disc released before they became the corporate sellout whores they are now. While I love all of the earlier recordings with their original guitar player Hillel Slovik, the debut of John Frusciante still makes me pulsate. You listen to their cover of Higher Ground and get blown away. From the franticness of Magic Johnson to the beautiful Taste The Pain, just sit back and remember just how great this band was at one time.

9. The Who, Live At Leeds – For my money the greatest live performance ever recorded. Recorded in 1970, when the great Who were firing on all cylinders this disc gives a slight glimpse into what many believe is the best live band of all time. Their classic version of Summertime Blues and the great A Quick One, While He’s Away are just some of the gems on this record. Trust me on this, if you want to put on a disc that gives you just an amazing live performance than put this in, sit back and enjoy.

8. Grateful Dead, American Beauty – All right, I am sure I will get heavily nuked on this one. (Particularly from my brother.) Let me just say a couple of things. I am not a dead head. I never was, and never pretended to be. I felt that whole late 80’s early 90’s re-incarnation was complete bullshit and was just a bunch of wannabe hippies who just wanted to smoke pot and not bathe. (Not there is anything wrong with that it just was not my scene.) Most of these people were born twenty years to late. With that said, I find American Beauty to be one of the greatest records ever recorded. Simple music that you can’t help but enjoy. So, even if you are not a dead head I implore you to give this record a try. Open your mind and you might be surprised what you find.

7. The Police, Synchronicity – Simply put the best of the Police’s many great records. How many bands can say their last effort was their best? Sure, it is was popular and I can go a lifetime with never needing to hear Every Breath You Take, but the disc on a whole is just solid. No weak points, songs that are just incredible, and a timeless sound that sounds as good today as the first time I heard it. Again, it pisses me off so much to see what Sting has become, but for a time he was doing it better than anyone.

6. The Who, Tommy – While many will tell you that Quadrophenia is the better of the two I am here to tell you that I still find Tommy to be a little better of the rock opera’s. Maybe it is because I grew up with Tommy. I have listened to this record so many times yet, I never get sick of it. Proved Pete Townsend’s genius and is without a doubt one of the most ambitious records ever. A true original that was way ahead of its time. This band is possibly the greatest of all time when you look at it from a whole. Four guys who just laid it all out and left nothing back.

5. The Beatles, Rubber Soul – The first great Beatles record. It was the first one to move away from the bubble gum hold my hand era. Sure, it had Drive My Car on it, (which is a song I do still enjoy) however after that it just is amazing. Released in 1965 it signaled a change in the band and music in general. From the amazing In My Life to the classic Michelle after forty years it still holds up.

4. Genesis, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway – A musical masterpiece. Timeless classic, which showed the early brilliance of Peter Gabriel. This was Genesis before Phil Collins ruined it. From the opening chords it sucks you in and takes you on a musical experience that nothing you will ever hear will rival it. I will never get tired of listening to it and if you cannot enjoy and appreciate the brilliance of this record than by all means stop reading this as you have no taste. (I know that sounds elitist but that is how strongly I feel about this album.)

3. Nirvana, Nevermind – A disc that changed music. No matter what you may think of this band there is no denying that they changed music. This album was the last nail in the hair band heavy metal coffin, and for that alone one should be grateful. A disc that the threesome put together and it made history. It gave birth to the term grunge, (even though Cobain hated that term) and released a ton of knock off wanabe alternative rockers onto the world. Sure, Cobain had his issues and was a coward for killing himself, (of course if you lived with Courtney Love you might want to blow you head off to) but, that should not take away from just how amazing a record this is.

2. The Beatles, The Beatles (The White Album) – To me this is the greatest in a series of great records by the foursome. Joe Walsh said it best, “If you want to learn how to play guitar, learn how to play the White Album.” This double record is the one where you could see the division in the band. You had Paul with his Ob-La-Di and John with his Dear Prudence. No two songs seemed to sound the same and yet it somehow all works. While many will argue that the White Album is a cop out of a choice, no other Beatles record has caused as much debate among my friends and myself. It is a classic for all time and just like Nevermind, it changed music.

1. The Clash, London Calling – So here we go, yes, my favorite record of all time is the mighty Clash’s London Calling. More than just a punk record it is an amazing assortment of songs that you cannot help but love. Joe Strummer and Mick Jones created something that goes beyond words. I found this disc in my late teens. I bought it on the recommendation of a friend and at the time I had not had much of a history with the Clash. As soon, as I heard it I was a fan, and would be for life. Beyond punk and beyond labels they created a record that has withstood the test of time and for me remains the greatest music ever recorded.