Top 5

This will be straightforward.  I don’t really have a favorite song. But I do have a list of top 20 cds of all time (all time meaning whatever moment I am writing this). So here are my top 5.

5. Nas – Illmatic
As Nasty Nas’s first cd, you would be hard-pressed to find a better all around collection of beats, rhymes, and hooks. Although it starts off with the track, The Genesis, the cd doesn’t reaaaallly start until Nas claims that “rappers be monkey flippin’ off the funky rhythms that I be kickin…” in N.Y. State of Mind. He represented a bridge between Big Daddy Kane, KRS-ONE, and Rakim and the yet-to-come gangsta rap of the mid-90s. I know, I know…I’m white. I get it. Blah blah. But that doesn’t disqualify this from being one of the best rap albums of all time. It edges out Jay’s Reasonable Doubt. It’s more cohesive than Biggie’s Ready to Die. And it’s more honest than Snoop’s Doggystyle. I don’t care what you say.

 

4. Jeff Buckley – Grace
First of all, if your favorite version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah is not Jeff Buckley’s, I don’t know if we have any common ground. Seriously, it’s beautiful and haunting and way better than the original. And any subsequent version.  I know the argument is made that this cd is only considered excellent by many because of the fact that he died, but that’s a moot point. The entirety of the cd is so well thought out and, and I really hate that I’m about to say this, ahead of it’s time. Mojo Pin, Grace, Last Goodbye, So Real. All of it’s good. I can take or leave Corpus Christi Carol.  Lover, You Should Have Come Over is vivid and poignant (and, might I add, covered excellently by Jamie Cullum) His half-done “Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk” is also a favorite of mine, but it’s a bit more esoteric so it’s harder to get through. Though it does feature the awesome R&B joint, Everybody Here Wants You.

3. John Mayer – Room For Squares
Let’s take a journey back in time. Back before the racist comments in Playboy. Back before his open sexual exploitations (sexploitations?). Back before the tabloid fodder and the famous relationships. Back before appearing on Common’s “Go.” Back before the sell-out stadiums. Think about where you were in 2001 or whenever it was when you first heard Neon. That’s why this cd is number 3. I was a fat metal kid into Pantera and Metallica at the time. and I heard that song. and in the back of my mind, I knew it was all over. That was it. That’s what I had to chase. Then after (publicly) making fun of him, I listened to the entire cd. and it is a perfect pop record. with the possible exception of Great Indoors, every. single. song. is brilliantly written and played. Continuum is a better and more powerful record on the whole, Heavier Things is the more interesting one to listen to, and Battle Studies is a nice stride for something different, but this is the cd I have learned the most from in how to craft a song.

2. Vince Guaraldi Trio – A Charlie Brown Christmas
Christmas or not, this cd is absolutely the perfect storm of brilliance. Vince Guaraldi is not only a master composer and pianist, but this cd is so well-crafted and arranged in it’s entirety that it’s so easy to take for granted. It fit the television special perfectly. To use west coast jazz in a children’s special that also featured actual child voice actors was crazy at the time, but the pay-off was huge. that special is the cornerstone for a lot of people’s christmas time. This past saturday, I watched a live performance of the entire cd and it was even better live. I know it’s a Christmas cd, but I really can’t stress enough how incredible this cd is.

 

1. Prince – Purple rain
If you know me at all in person, you knew this was coming. This is the best cd that has ever been recorded by anyone that has touched an instrument. Better than the White Album. Better than Exile on Main Street. Better than Pet Sounds. I know you disagree. I understand. I really do. But this, for me, is just one of those things that seem like it should always have existed, ya know? Like, I really can’t imagine a time when this was not a cd. Like, when this cd was made, everyone said a collective, “yea, THAT’S what we’ve been missing.” I’m not even going to describe the cd. if you have not listened to it, just do it. for me. and for yourself. And then watch the movie. and then listen to anything else that Prince has ever touched (with the possible exception of the sequel to Purple Rain, “Graffiti Bridge” because it was so bad, even Madonna turned down a part in it).

 

So….what are yours?

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