In my quest to craft the ultimate marathon playlist, I've been going through all my music to extract any and all songs that I think will keep me moving in a generally forward direction. Once I got the news that I could run with my iPod on race day, I began refining my already-epic 'Gets Me Amped' list into a strategic symphony of tunes that will surely help me finish.
In the process, I've been thinking about what my all-time favourite albums actually are (admittedly something I started considering a few weeks back when I read Al's rather more comprehensive list) and have produced a list that is probably slightly biased towards runability. But that's the headspace I'm in right now, and this is nothing if not an ever-changing list that won't be the same next year. Also note that my criteria for 'top' and 'favourite' mostly have to do with the album's staying power as a personal classic, and little if nothing to do with its cultural or historical importance. It's simply what I like.
So, in chronological order, here goes:
1. The Beatles (the White Album) (1968) - The Beatles
Driving around aimlessly on an epic Spanish road trip, this was one of about ten albums Scott and I had to listen to for 4000 or so kilometres. It's scatterbrained style matched my mental state at the time, and it's kitschy diversity has been a staple ever since. Not most people's favourite Beatles album, but definitely mine.
2. Rage Against the Machine (1992) - Rage Against the Machine
As much as I now disagree with their politics, I can't deny that Rage, more than anything else, got me interested in politics. As a clueless country kid, the world of peasant uprisings, Che Guevara and Buddhist self-immolation excited the hell out of me. And, front to back, an musically innovative and devastatingly powerful album that can still get me amped (though no longer to the point of hoping for the imminent demise of the unipolar world order).
3. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993) - The Wu-Tang Clan
In Grade Eight, I was understandably confused how Far Eastern martial arts theory could be cross-bred with East Coast Hip Hop. Luckily, this album’s philosophical underpinnings mattered very little – with RZA’s singular production and the Clan’s MC’s all in fine form, I had officially become another white rap fan (see: clueless country kid, above).
4. Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star (1998) - Mos Def and Talib Kweli (obviously)
On the musical-taste family tree, Black Star is at the base of an ever-growing branch that includes such heavyweights as The Roots, Kanye, Common and Shad. Though Talib's and Mos' careers have been mostly downhill ever since, it's easy to see why after making the conscious hip-hop album of my generation. I dare anyone to listen 'K.O.S. (Determination)' and disagree.
5. Anthology (1999) - A Tribe Called Quest
I know it’s cheating to put a best-of album on a best-of album list, but Anthology isn’t a chronological greatest hits compilation – it meanders its way through Tribe’s studio albums and even includes some B-sides and a Q-tip solo effort. While I was sadly unaware of the trio throughout their rise to prominence in the early to mid 90’s, this album became the chilled-out soundtrack of my early days at Laurier. “On my day off/bullshittin’ and hopin’ that the day goes slow” pretty much sums up my approach to first and second year.
6. Songs for the Deaf (2002) - Queens of the Stone Age
Anyone who played EA Sports' NHL 2003 knows that the song "No One Knows" is probably the best hype track in the history of sports video games. But while that song was what first got me interested in the Queens, it was the entirety of this concept album - an rollicking road trip through the California desert that Hunter S. Thompson would undoubtedly approve of - that has earned Songs a spot on the list. Dave Grohl as guest drummer didn't hurt, either.
7. The Black Album (2003) - Jay-Z
What happens when the best rapper alive rhymes over all his favourite producers' best tracks in a conscious attempt to (and forgive the barrage of sports cliches) call his shot and hit hip hop's ultimate walk-off home run before hanging 'em up? The worst part about the The Black Album is that it was followed-up with less transcendental Jay-Z albums.
8. We Were Born in a Flame (2003) - Sam Roberts
As per CanCon regulations, at least ten percent of my ultimate album playlist has to be partially funded by the public purse, and maybe the CRTC finally got something right with Sam Roberts' debut. They got good return on their cultural investment though as Roberts' mentions his homeland numerous times, including the eponymous and slightly misleading 'The Canadian Dream'. 'No Sleep' even contains token biligualism. Even still, 'Higher Learning' was an anthem for all things post-secondary and 'Dead End' sums up the genetic pressures of us last-in-the-line male heirs. All in all, my favourite rock album with Canadian Identity™.
9. Joyful Rebellion (2004) - k-os
Beside the fact his stage name is still a grammatical train wreck, there's not much to complain about with k-os' sophomore effort. It helps that I saw him perform tracks from the album in two semi-intimate settings, the first of which being a tomb-like Wilf's in 2002. When I recently heard Lil' Wayne talking about his album as a newspaper needing to cover different sections, I actually thought of Joyful Rebellion. You've got the Status of Rap Throwdown ('Emcee Murdah'), the Marley-esque Reggae Romp ('Crucial'), the Ode to MJ ('The Man I Used to Be'), the Golden Era of Rap Tribute ('B-Boy Stance'), the Love Song Claiming not to be a Love Song ('The Love Song') and the Rock Collab ('Dirty Waters' feat. Sam Roberts) and the Epic Outro ('Papercutz').
10. Late Registration (2005) - Kanye West
"If you talkin' bout classics, do my name get brought up?" - Unfortunately for Kanye's ego, yes. Any album that dominated 05-06 at The Cord was bound to end up on this list, but unlike bound copies, I don't look back at Late Registration with occasional horror. As of the last time I discussed the album's dominance of the newspaper office with Mike, various songs were still firmly atop the play counts of one of the main music-playing computers. This was the first album on this list and probably the last I'll ever take off.
Honourable mentions and possible future inclusions, lest you think I'm decisive:
What's Going On (1971) - Marvin Gaye
Return to the 36 Chambers (The Dirty Version) (1995) - Ol' Dirty Bastard
Foo Fighters (1995) - Foo Fighters
Trainspotting: Music from the Original Motion Picture (1996) - Various Artists
UPDATED: Black on Both Sides (1999) - Mos Def
UPDATED: Blazing Arrow (2002) - Blackalicious
The College Dropout (2004) - Kanye West
Be (2005) - Common
UPDATED: The Old Prince (2007) - Shad
Shine (2008) - Estelle
The Renaissance (2008) - Q-tip
Troubadour (2009) - K'naan
9 comments:
A good sampling of musical styles. No Shad though? Guess that is not too much for run-ability. When it comes to working out any techno beats are good for me.
Oh yeah, I've been listening to lots of CBC Radio 3 lately. It is good for hearing a few new things, though it can be heavy on the indie, emo-y tunes.
Above by Scott.
Ah, totally forgot Shad on my also-rans list. The problem with his albums is that I have a divided loyalty to both. My favourite song, 'Out of Love' is on the first album, while his second is overall much better. And with the second one, I only got my hands on it about a year ago and, as you may have noticed, I'm pretty cautious with what newer albums made the list.
Try as I might – and I won’t – this comment won’t be short.
This is something I’ve been meaning to blog on ever since I first started the short-lived Perpetually Spellbound blog, if only because the process of trying to decide would be so much fun. Perhaps I’ll try again once I’m back in Canada, though I think I’ll likely stick to my annual ones due to manageability.
Dave Grohl as a guest anything never hurt. It’s science. And while we’ll forever disagree on which album deserves it (since it’s so clearly The Colour and the Shape), I’m thrilled and a little surprised to see Foo Fighters as even an also-ran.
At the ol’ Cord office, last I saw, Late Registration still had at least 18 of the top 25 slots, along with that damned Editors’ song ‘Munich’ (aka. Adrian Ma’s only regrettable imprint on the office), and a couple of J5 tracks. Kanye may have had a clean sweep on the Top 10.
Thanks for the entry point for Wu Tang. Though I’ve seen them live (albeit post-ODB), I have never really known their catalogue, in large part because I didn’t know where to begin.
Oh, and I still listen to Rage before almost every baseball game, though sometimes The Battle of Los Angeles. How could you not get amped to that music?
Okay, I’ll stop now. Mostly out of fear of how long I’ll go on if I don’t.
Bah, I found Adrian's Editors CD in a stack of CDs the other day. I can't give it back fast enough. Kidding, kind of. I don't really get the appeal.
I am heart-warmed to see Sam Roberts on there. I adore Sam Roberts. He is one of the best-looking guys in the country, and so talented, and he's also one of the most sincerely, genuinely nice people around. Swoon.
To be fair, I don't have anything specifically against The Editors. Just against any song that is played enough in a couple months to equal a year's worth of Kanye plays.
Mike: I've been listening to the Colour and the Shape since your comment and am willing to concede it's far closer in quality to the debut album that I used to think.
I recommend a Guys' Day blind (?) listen.
I just fail to see what anyone could possibly take issue with on that album.
It includes my favourite song of all time, "Everlong", which I would also argue is one of the greatest love songs ever recorded and also possibly includes my favourite lyric of all time ("The only thing I'll ever ask of you, you gotta promise not to stop when I say when").
It includes one of my two favourite bridges on "Monkey Wrench" (along with The Offspring's "Bad Habit").
And it just plays with volume so well, jumping from quiet to screaming so effectively. Very emotive album.
Besides, an American band using the Canadian/British spelling of 'Colour'? What's not to like?
So, yeah, I'm confident in putting it to the Guy's Panel, if that's what you're suggesting? Like, leaving it to Joe, Tones, Dan, and Al to decide?
I think it'd be fun to at least try that on Guys' Day, though in reality it will be nearly impossible to keep our focus on something that's not drinking for that long. I say we spring it on 'em the day of.
On a side note, you're going to love Robbie and Erin's Rockband, which I presume will also feature on that day. Foo Fighters figure prominently, with "Everlong" and "Monkey Wrench" among the selection.
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