NEEK v. ZOMBIE v. SPUT
Hey y'all! Me and Zombie have decided to go down Sputnik's Top 100 and make our own minds up about whether these are truly classics. How will our opinions stack up against our opinions and Sput's? Will our reputations for having weird taste hold up? Will you be endlessly disappointed in us? Keep watching to find out!
We'll leave our ratings for the albums we've heard before, and they'll be updated with actual write-ups as we go. |
| 99 |  | maudlin of the Well
Bath
Sput: 4.43 (1250 votes)
Neek: 4.2
I really loved how lovely this thing could be combined with the heaviness of other bits. While it was a bit eclectic, I thought that the pieces fit together surprisingly well, and even if the transitions were jarring, I think that was part of the point. It's more than the sum of its parts, and it's something I can easily see myself coming back to in the future.
Favorite Track: "The Ferryman"
Zombie: 3.5
There's some definite genre blending. A bold attempt to merge the more melodic songwriting with tinges of proggy heavy elements. You can come out of tracks having started with a lush guitar melody/ clean vocals to rough screams and growls that just come into play seemingly out of nowhere in the middle of track. Transitions between sounds were a bit rough. Preferred the melodic stuff.
Favorite Tracks: "Marid's Gift of Art" "Geography" |
| 98 |  | Madvillain
Madvillainy
Sput: 4.43 (1920 votes)
Neek: 3.8
Hip-hop’s always been a hard genre for me. I always find myself appreciating it far more than enjoying it, and I’m rarely ever moved by it. This is the same. It’s really cool and unique, but I don’t really feel anything from it. The best bits to me are those short sound collages that form a really surreal and exciting landscape, and while the rap itself isn’t as interesting as the music surrounding it, the two sometimes merge in awesome ways in these highlight tracks:
Favorites: “All Caps” “Shadows of Tomorrow”
Zombie: 4.1
So I had heard this before the list started so I'll be brief. Madvillainy is a dense display of killer instrumentals with some pretty unorthodox rap verses. There's a lot to unveil in each track and that's probably the best thing about it. At times the raps don't do a lot for me which is what kept me from giving this a really high rating.
Favorite Tracks: "Meat Grinder" "All Caps" |
| 97 |  | Deep Purple
Machine Head
Sput: 4.43 (1423 votes)
Neek: 3.7
Man, this should really be up my alley but it doesn’t quite click all the way for me. I’m a big fan of bluesy, hard-rock stuff, but there doesn’t seem to be much to the compositions here. It’s fun old fashioned fun and I dig that much a lot, but other than that there isn’t much to be said for uniqueness or spirit to the recordings, and much less heart.
Favorite Tracks: "Smoke on the Water" "Lazy"
Zombie: 4.4
This was another I had heard before us getting started on this. This is most definitely a hard rock/metal classic. Amazing vocals with super tight instrumentals. There's honestly nothing to really complain about here, just some minor things here and there keeping me from giving this a 5. |
| 96 |  | Kyuss
Welcome to Sky Valley
Sput: 4.43 (1722 votes)
Neek: 4.4
Idk, this album has amazing written all over it for me. It's just a goddamn excellent rock album, with crazy variety and extreme jammability. It's heavy and jammy, it's artfully crafted and it's got heart, it's everything I look for in this kind of music. While it doesn't hit the emotional and musical peaks of some of Homme's later work, it's still amazing to think he was barely 20 when he headed this project. So yeah, it's one of my favorite works from my favorite musicians. That's all I can say. Also, "Demon Cleaner" is a forever jam.
Favorite Tracks: "Demon Cleaner" "Space Cadet" "Whitewater"
Zombie: 3.7
So I'll privi this by saying I'm not particularly into stoner rock...however this was pretty solid. I enjoyed the riffs and the atmosphere of some of these tracks. Generally didn't have a lot of gripes just not something I'd come back to much.
Favorite Tracks: "Space Cadet" "Conan Troutman" "Whitewater" |
| 95 |  | Dead Kennedys
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Sput: 4.43 (1559 votes)
Neek: 3.9
It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone on Sput that I don't really consider myself a big fan of hardcore music. The quick song lengths and purposefully shallow explorations into interesting themes rarely move me more than a slight foot tap and head nod. Still, what really gets me going with these guys is their progressive inclinations, which shows up here insanely well. They have a great knack for melody that plays into those hardcore elements in a way I can really fucking dig.
Favorite Tracks: Holiday in Cambodia, California Über Alles
Zombie: 5.0
Some of the best punk bass grooves ever and probably thr most unique vocals of any classic hardcore punk release. The energy of everything is undeniable really. The lightspeed nature of all of these song is like a flash of hardcore punk lightning straight to veins. Plus as Neeka said, the progression in the songs are always killer.
Favorite Tracks: Holiday In Cambodia, I Kill Children, California Über Alles |
| 94 |  | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
"Jupiter" Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551
Sput: 4.43 (69 votes)
Neek: 3.7
I don't know if there's a proper way to listen to classical music. Am I supposed to close my eyes and let the music wash over me? Am I to just put it on in the background? I'm not sure, but classical music has always either clicked or it hasn't. It either grabs me from my thoughts and forces me to take heed in it, or it can lull me into a stupor and force my mind to wander because it's simply not stimulating me the way I wish it could. This was the latter. It's beautiful, it's lovely, and it's clearly made from the hands of someone with immaculate skill. But yet, I was unmoved.
Favorite Movement: II
Zombie: 3.4
I have to agree with pretty much all of neeka said here, I think the ability to engage and storytell music is what is what drives classical music. This definitely has some moments that will sweep you away, but there are still repetitive moments and when the dynamic fails to changes in tone or speed, I become a bit bored.
Favorite Movement: I |
| 93 |  | Mobb Deep
The Infamous
Sput: 4.44 (862 votes)
Neek: 3.3
Alright so anyone who’s aware of my lack of love for “atmospheric” rap should know that this stuff isn’t normally up my alley. However, I’d give this a pretty big edge due to those moody loops and jazzy horns are really great at points and that it begins on ends on really well, even if it sags horribly in the middle. The sleep-inducing aura of “Trife Life” compared to the caustic flow and beats of “Survival of the Fittest” is just a massive gap to deal with, and most of the tracks could have used a big trim. This is objectively good, but giving it a score higher than this would just be lying to myself.
Favorites: “Survival of the Fittest,” “Shook Ones, Pt. II”
Zombie: 3.7
Once again forgot I heard this awhile back as well. This is a some really enjoyable classic hip hop just not standoutish. The rap flows were good but it was all pretty samey soundin as a whole. It's definitely great but I also don't come back to this at all. |
| 92 |  | Rush
Moving Pictures
Sput: 4.44 (2930 votes)
Neek: 4.4
Yeah this rules. I've been listening to the albums leading up to this lately, but this takes the cake for just gorgeous, bombastic, proggy yet insanely melodic music right here. These are just incredible songs with incredible musicianship, and its honestly a great example of what the genre has to offer. "Tom Sawyer" is an eternal banger.
Favorites: "Tom Sawyer" "YYZ"
Zombie: 4.7
God the instrumentals on this thing... This has some of Rush's most iconic songs, Tom Sawyer, YYZ and Limelight. Although the rest are just a bit below par of these (imo) flawless tracks, nothing on here is filler. |
| 91 |  | Slint
Spiderland
Sput: 4.44 (1869 votes)
Neek: 3.7
This was a really solid listen overall, but honestly I think this is another case of an overhyped album that added a lot to its genre at the time but since just doesn't hold up to more modern stuff. Idk, my experience in post-rock is limited but this here just isn't as impressive as other examples I've heard in the genre. The pacing is often lax or repetitive, and I never really got caught put in the changes or climaxes. Still, there's a lot of interesting stuff going on and overall it's really good, just not as exciting as some make it out to be for me.
Favorites: "Washer" "Good Morning, Captain"
Zombie: 4.2
A haunting and curious listen that is pretty chilling but also pretty chill at times? It's an odd listen, let's leave it at that.
Favorites: Nosferatu Man, Don, Aman, and Washer |
| 90 |  | Stevie Wonder
Innervisions
Sput: 4.44 (529 votes)
Neek: 4.2
This was just a bright, wonderfully flowing album that blended funk with a wide variety of genres in the most palatable of ways. It's also possibly the single most consistent album I've ever heard, each track showing itself off in subtle and enjoyable ways without standing out too much from the pack. The only thing remotely close to a weak link was the closer "He's Misstra Know-it-All" which just wasn't that interesting as a blunt condemnation of Nixon. Still though, it bangs pretty hard, as does everything here.
Favorites: Visions, Higher Ground, Golden Lady
Zombie: 4.5
Stevie Wonder is of course a legend and this is a prime example why. There's beautiful melodies, incredible grooves and emotive vocal melodies that shine ridiculously bright. The synths can be a bit cheesy at times but that only knocks this down a tiny bit.
Favorites: Visions, Higher Ground, Golden Lady and All In Love Is Fair |
| 89 |  | Talk Talk
Laughing Stock
Sput: 4.44 (1058 votes)
Neek: 4.4
Some classic albums like this act like missing puzzle pieces to my music knowledge, filling cracks in the history between albums that have influenced it and the numerous ones its influenced. This is one of those albums, its influence so obvious and yet it's just magical in of itself. "New Grass" is one of the most transgressive, achingly beautiful things I've ever heard, and the rest of the album does not follow far at all. It's a winner for sure, and an album everyone even mildly interested in rock should try at least once.
Favorite: New Grass
Zombie: |
| 88 |  | Miles Davis
In a Silent Way
Sput: 4.44 (854 votes)
Neek: 4.3
This one plain wowed me as a gorgeous blend of jazz and rock at a time when music just started getting interesting for me. This really kicked open the floodgates for jazz fusion and you can tell, yet tis still one of the most moving and invigorating examples of the genre I've heard yet.
Favorite: In a Silent Way / It's About That Time
Zombie: |
| 87 |  | Kashiwa Daisuke
Program Music I
Sput: 4.44 (762 votes)
Neek: 4.2
Blending some truly gorgeous melodies with various amounts of cheese, I can't help but think that this would've been a bit more digestible if the movements were broken up in a way to better separate the better parts from the weaker. Overall it just plain rules, but I couldn't help but feel that its excess for the sake of excess mindset did more harm than good in some paces.
Favorite: Stella
Zombie: |
| 86 |  | Immolation
Close to a World Below
Sput: 4.44 (1094 votes)
Neek: 3.3
Those who follow my taste at all know that death metal is a very hard genre for me, especially when its played straight with little progressive elements like on here. I deeply admire and respect the brutality of it, but sometimes its hard for me to separate what makes a good death metal and bad death metal album apart. On here, the technicality and guitar parts were just delectable, and despite the overwhelming nature of the album that made it hard for me to enjoy, it got more and more fun as it went along.
Favorite Track: Close to a World Below
Zombie: |
| 85 |  | Nine Inch Nails
The Downward Spiral
Sput: 4.44 (3745 votes)
Neek: 4.3
This album makes me feel dirty in the best way possible, creating an exquisite blend of violent, dancey, ugly rock music that will hopefully act as a gateway for me to get into more electronic/industrial music.
Favorites: "Closer" "Ruiner" "Piggy"
Zombie: 5.0
A self deprecating journey through the struggles of depression, expressions of love lost, and all around industrial madness. It's an album that is sure to make an impression even if it is a jarring or sad one. Favorites: "Piggy" "March of the Pigs" "Closer" "Hurt" |
| 84 |  | The Who
Who's Next
Sput: 4.44 (1678 votes)
Neek: 3.4
There's just something halfhearted about their approach to everything on this that mars their straightforward approach to rock here. They're approaching things like synth, prog, etc, but never full on, only dabbling in an unconvincing way. Their best moments are the guns-blazing aspects of the second half and of course the great opener. Everything else just seems bland and tired by today's standards.
Favorites: "Baba O'Riley" "Going Mobile"
Zombie: |
| 83 |  | The Smiths
The Queen Is Dead
Sput: 4.44 (2388 votes)
Neek: 4.1
The intricacies of the music are more clear here than in their earlier works, and while Morrissey’s voice still isn’t the greatest, it’s far more interesting here than before. This is just a lush, lovely, and great rock album through and through, though I can’t help but feel that it’s classic status is a bit over-exaggerated by some people.
Favorites: “I Know It’s Over” “The Queen Is Dead”
Zombie: |
| 82 |  | Metallica
Master of Puppets
Sput: 4.44 (7865 votes)
Neek: 3.7
Yeah so this fell pretty significantly on relisten. I've always thought it as weaker than Ride the Lighting, but now more than ever it seemed to me to be a pale retread of all the creativity and excitement that record had. It really puts the pedal to the metal in terms of riffs and heaviness, but it loses the melody and heart that made the previous one shine. That and the vocal melodies are pretty lame, and the instruments only shine when Hetfield isn't singing.
Favorites: "Battery" "Orion"
Zombie: |
| 81 |  | Unwound
Leaves Turn Inside You
Sput: 4.44 (825 votes)
Neek: 3.9
This was a great record overall with some serious consistency problems that largely were based on the uniqueness and the singer's performance on any given song. On some he mumbles over a repetitive riff a la Nirvana yet less convincing, and on others the guitars flutter over brilliant drumbeats to deliver some seriously chilling stuff. I really liked the blend of genres here, but again it could lean a bit too far into grunge or post rock at times in ways that really weren't palatable. It could've used a bit more focus, but overall was a really enjoyable record with some timeless choice cuts.
Favorites: "October All Over" "Terminus"
Zombie: 4.1
I already did a write up of this in my Post Hardcore Journey list so check that out!
Favorites: "Look a Ghost" "December" "Terminus" "October All Over" |
| 80 |  | Kayo Dot
Choirs of the Eye
Sput: 4.44 (1135 votes)
Neek: 3.8
I'll admit, I'm still unconvinced of this being a true classic, as its twists and turns don't seem as monumentally imaginative to me as much as they they do seem cool and calculated, but I can't argue that there's some serious power to this music. It definitely starts hitting harder as it goes along, as the few couple seem a bit more tired than later on, but it's all good fun when it allows itself to be.
Favorite Tracks: "Wayfarer" "The Antique"
Zombie: |
| 79 |  | Pixies
Doolittle
Sput: 4.45 (2798 votes)
Neek: 3.8
Don't get me wrong, this is a jam of an album, I just don't think it's as great as everyone thinks. It's definitely original and influential, but man is it a one-trick pony despite that originality. Still, some tracks hit harder than they used to and I have to admit that it's starting to creep up on me, and there are some classic bangers of course.
Favorite Tracks: "Monkey Gone to Heaven" "Mr. Grieves"
Zombie: |
| 78 |  | Bob Dylan
Bringing It All Back Home
Sput: 4.45 (943 votes)
Neek: 2.9
Despite my love of folk music this just did not gel for me. Yeah, yeah, his voice sucks, but on top of that the musicianship is just not here at all. There are a few bangers that make full use of the folk-rock sound, but there's an inordinate amount of disparagingly plain fok tunes with some listless strumming and a couple ear-piercing harmonica solos. I'm sure there's some passion to the lyrics, but the music is so unappetizing that it's hard to focus on them. Regardless, his talent and charisma is evident between the lines, and at the least it makes me interested to see where his stuff goes from here.
Favorite Tracks: "Maggie's Farm" "She Belongs to Me" "Outlaw Blues"
Zombie: |
| 77 |  | Swans
Soundtracks for the Blind
Sput: 4.45 (1063 votes)
Neek: 3.6
This was an absolute slog to get through. Like I definitely thought some of it was really interesting and it was certainly "an experience," but it wasn't a very enjoyable one... and if you can't enjoy music then why are you listening to it? As a work of art and an experiment it's admirable, and some parts really are moving, cool, or even beautiful, but on a two and a half hour long runtime, they're few and far between.
Zombie: |
| 76 |  | Shakti
Natural Elements
Sput: 4.45 (58 votes)
Neek: 4.0
This is a bright, sunny rock album with tons of influences from Asian and Indian music, which makes the musicality even more vibrant than it would be otherwise. The only issue comes in with how cheesy some of these songs are, a couple (especially "Happiness") sound like a surreal mix between children's video game music like Spyro and a foreign wedding after-party. Still, these tunes are grounded by great musicianship and the short length, which makes everything more moving and easy to digest.
Favorites: "Get Down and Sruti" "Mind Ecology" "Peace of Mind"
Zombie: |
| 75 |  | Tool
Ænima
Sput: 4.45 (5565 votes)
Neek: 4.3
This album might even be growing on me. While I prefer the sprawling and more varied compositions of Lateralus, this finds a crazy groove and sticks to it with complex riffs and mature songwriting throughout. The tunes really get stuck with you the more you listen, even though its a bit less adventurous than I think it could be at times.
Favorite: "Forty-Six & 2"
Zombie: 4.6 |
| 74 |  | Bob Dylan
Blonde on Blonde
Sput: 4.45 (1289 votes)
Neek: 3.8
I enjoyed this a lot more than the previous one I jammed from him, with this covering far more ground musically in a far more palatable way (both vocally and instrumentally). From the jaunty opening tune to the long-winded closer, there was something to everything here that kept me interested if not fully moved, and even though I really enjoyed most of what was here, it's a pretty overlong release that gets a bit redundant (especially on the second half). Still, this was some great stuff, excited to hear what else he has to offer on this list.
Favorites: "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)"
Zombie: |
| 73 |  | Death
Human
Sput: 4.45 (2904 votes)
Neek: 4.1
Well this fucking ruled. I didn't expect to like this so much, considering my previous adventures with death metal, but this proved to be significantly more complex and melodic than most of the genre (outside of maybe the Behemoth I've heard) in a way that was genuinely both badass and interesting. Chalk me up as a believer I guess.
Favorite: "Cosmic Sea"
Zombie: |
| 72 |  | Antonin Dvorak
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, B. 178
Sput: 4.45 (115 votes)
Neek: 4.0
Outside of some serious problems with over-theatricality and cheesiness (it's classical, what can you do?) I actually enjoyed this one a lot. It's exploitation of different cultures and genres of music really pay off in subtle but important ways, making for a consistently exciting and just plain pretty offering.
Favorite: "II. Largo"
Zombie: |
| 71 |  | Radiohead
Kid A
Sput: 4.45 (6732 votes)
Neek: 4.2
Okay so, I know everyone told me this was a grower. But holy dick is it a grower. A lot of the back half still doesn't click for me, and "Treefingers" is still pretty tepid, but everything is on the track for more growth that hasn't already. The opening quartet is just near-perfect, and now I'm finally digging a lot of the melodic/electronic tangle of the rest.
Favorites: "Everything in its Right Place" "How to Disappear Completely"
Zombie: |
| 70 |  | Brand New
The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
Sput: 4.45 (5874 votes)
Neek: 4.8
This is one of those albums I expected to fall as I grew older and less angsty, but instead it just ebbs and flows, I like some tracks a little less, I like some a little more, everything here just exudes muscular, emotional energy in a way that few others do. Even with "Archers" nearly mucking everything up, this is still one of my favorite albums for very good reason--it makes me feel like I did when I first heard it, giddy and wanting more.
Favorite: "Sowing Season (Yeah)" "Luca"
Zombie: 4.7 |
| 69 |  | Queensryche
Operation: Mindcrime
Sput: 4.43 (1320 votes)
Neek: 4.1
A modern monolith of heavy metal, it's not hard to see why this album is so acclaimed, brandishing unique storytelling for the medium along with confident banger after headbanger. Still, the middle (from "Speak" to "Sweet Sister Mary") stands out glaringly the best and more interesting than either of the other ends, which tread more familiar and straightforward ground compared to that awe-inspiring blend of sounds and influences.
Favorites: "Sweet Sister Mary" "Spreading the Disease" "The Mission"
Zombie: |
| 68 |  | Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
Sput: 4.46 (113 votes)
Neek: 3.7
I loved the mix of emotions and sounds present in the first half of the symphony, but it manages to partially lose its way by the end into sounds cheesy and light, missing the impressive scope of the first half and a semblance of maturity. The 4th movement manages to bring things back a bit from the tired lull of the 3rd, but 1 and 2 remain far and above more moving works overall, and I can see why the 2nd was performed separately from the rest of it more often than not.
Favorite: "2nd Movement - Allegretto"
Zombie: |
| 67 |  | Pyotr Tchaikovsky
"Pathétique" Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74
Sput: 4.46 (80 votes)
Neek: 3.7
Another symphony I couldn't get too into. I really enjoyed the first two movements (esp the first, wow), but it fell a bit apart in the second and it became too easy for my mind to wander and forget that I was trying to listen to it. But overall very moving and solid stuff here, it's just hard for me to enjoy classical on its own.
Favorite Movement: "Adagio"
Zombie: |
| 66 |  | Kate Bush
Hounds of Love
Sput: 4.46 (970 votes)
Neek: 4.5
This thing is just plain magical. I listened to it on my flight out from LA (first time I ever saw the pacific, a sunset was going over it), and wow. Can't stop listening to this thing, gives me major Peter Gabriel vibes but its even more emotive at times. Love love this, can see it growing into a 5 someday.
Favorites: "Running Up that Hill" "Jig of Life"
Zombie: |
| 65 |  | David Bowie
Low
Sput: 4.46 (1593 votes)
Neek: 4.4
So I hadn't really dug into Bowie much outside of Blackstar, but goddamn was this a treat. This was one of the most plain enjoyable albums I've heard in recent memory, it was just a joy and a marvel to behold, even its in droning closing passages. The only thing close to holding it back is that the first half's songs were so short that none of them ever took flight and became a truly perfect, but this thing was so amazingly consistent quality wise that I can't complain much.
Favorites: "Be My Wife" "A New Career in a New Town"
Zombie: |
| 64 |  | Jeff Buckley
Grace
Sput: 4.46 (1816 votes)
Neek: 4.5
Gave this another spin and yeah, this grew on me even more. It's just a fantastic rock album through and through, the tragedy of it all only deepens its mysterious vibe. I still hate that they left "Forget Her" off of this, but "Dream Brother" is a near-perfect closer regardless.
Favorites: "Dream Brother" "Lover, You Should've Come Over"
Zombie: |
| 63 |  | Frank Sinatra
Where Are You?
Sput: 4.46 (51 votes)
Neek: 2.3
Yo, this kinda sucks don'it? Like, of course this is a hard album to hate because of how great his voice is by the songs go on endlessly, each one sounding the same with the same tired backing strings and mournful, repetitive, whining. There's nothing moving or comforting about it imo, when I listened to this sad I just got angrier and annoyed.
Favorite: "Autumn Leaves" (this one was decent)
Zombie: |
| 62 |  | The Stooges
Fun House
Sput: 4.46 (1044 votes)
Neek: 4.3
This is just a goddamn fun rock album, specifically the kind that I tend to gravitate to, with intense performances glossing over repetitive riffing and murkiness. Idk, I thought this was awesome, I just wish that the sound was a bit cleaner so I could make out all the elements a bit more.
Favorites: "Dirt" "Fun House"
Zombie: |
| 61 |  | Tom Waits
Rain Dogs
Sput: 4.46 (1225 votes)
Neek: 4.0
I liked the weirdness of this album a lot, I really didn't know what to expect from him given the chiller piano-driven stuff I'm used to from him. But I thought this was great, jumping from sound to sound while maintaining a very cohesive murk to it overall. I just wish that some of the tracks were condensed on here, there were a lot of shorter songs that I'm not convinced all shining individually.
Favorite: "Clap Hands"
Zombie: |
| 60 |  | Tool
Lateralus
Sput: 4.46 (6208 votes)
Neek: 4.8
I just bumped this .3 because this album is just insanely good. It's easily one of the best metal offerings that I've ever heard and is just badass through and through. It's grow on me like crazy since being one of my gateway albums to metal in high school, and now I don't see any of the dips in quality I used to anymore.
Favorites: "Schism" "Ticks & Leeches" "Lateralus"
Zombie: |
| 59 |  | Antonio Vivaldi
The Four Seasons
Sput: 4.46 (270 votes)
Neek: 3.8
This is a nice enough classical work by Vivaldi, with a fascinating amount of repeated themes and variations as it go on, with stops and starts throughout the movement like songs and a concept that resembles an album, I suppose it was pretty modern at the time. Outside of the ringtone that has plagued us all from "Spring," there are plenty of solid bits and highlights throughout this string-based work.
Favorite: "Summer"
Zombie: |
| 58 |  | My Bloody Valentine
Loveless
Sput: 4.47 (3453 votes)
Neek: 4.2
This is some seriously great shit. While some bits were a bit too distorted/discordant for me to easily pick apart the melodies, the opener and closer bookended with some awesome scope and heart. I really liked this one but hope it grows on me still in the future.
Favorite: "Soon"
Zombie: |
| 57 |  | The Who
Quadrophenia
Sput: 4.47 (1143 votes)
Neek: 4.1
While I certainly have my problems with The Who, it's hard to deny the power of this album. I gave no thought to the concept over my two listens, but there was some seriously great stuff here thanks to the emphasis on emotion and their progressive tendencies throughout, even if their usual banal cock-rock would barge in occasionally. Regardless, that closer is just goddamn gorgeous.
Favorites: "Love, Reign O'er Me" "Quadrophenia"
Zombie: |
| 56 |  | Bruce Springsteen
Born to Run
Sput: 4.47 (1104 votes)
Neek: 3.5
Here's another classic rock release that didn't truly land for me. I like a lot of what's it's trying to do and the second half works really well in comparison (especially the t/t, woof), but overall this just seems so overblown and big in a way that doesn't support the sound or the themes too well. It felt conflicted and a bit too restless, but overall it was a solid little album, just not totally deserving of its praise in my opinion.
Favorite: "Born to Run"
Zombie: |
| 55 |  | Black Sabbath
Master of Reality
Sput: 4.47 (3085 votes)
Neek: 4.0
Yeah, okay, so, here's the thing. I love like a good half of these songs ("Children of the Grave" and "Sweet Leaf" are all-time Sabbath classics), but "After Forever" is just so goddamn lame in a desperate bid to convince people that they aren't satanist, the others ("Lord of This World" and "Into the Void") are really good but just don't click for me as much as they do for other fans. So that leaves this as a very good but weirdly short and spotty addition to Sabbath's catalog. I'm sorry, really.
Favorites: "Sweet Leaf" "Children of the Grave"
Zombie: |
| 54 |  | The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sput: 4.47 (4116 votes)
Neek: 3.8
This one is crazy overrated as well. There's some real gems here that click for me more than most Beatles tunes, but there are also a couple of serious duds ("Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" has got to be one of the ugliest Beatles songs ever made). Overall I love the concept and think the variety here is really well done and representative of the better stuff to come from the band, but their best work? This ain't it, chief.
Favorites: "Tomorrow Never Knows" "A Day in the Life" "When I'm Sixty-Four"
Zombie: |
| 53 |  | Opeth
Still Life
Sput: 4.47 (3988 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 52 |  | Rainbow
Rising
Sput: 4.47 (955 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 51 |  | Nick Drake
Pink Moon
Sput: 4.48 (1824 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 50 |  | Bob Dylan
Blood on the Tracks
Sput: 4.48 (1318 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 49 |  | The Clash
London Calling
Sput: 4.48 (2478 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 48 |  | Opeth
Blackwater Park
Sput: 4.48 (5716 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 47 |  | Jethro Tull
Thick as a Brick
Sput: 4.48 (1079 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 46 |  | Bob Dylan
Highway 61 Revisited
Sput: 4.48 (1623 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 45 |  | Iron Maiden
Powerslave
Sput: 4.48 (3725 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 44 |  | The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Electric Ladyland
Sput: 4.48 (1702 votes)
Neek: 4.2
Zombie: |
| 43 |  | Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada
Sput: 4.48 (2116 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 42 |  | The Notorious B.I.G.
Ready to Die
Sput: 4.48 (1732 votes)
Neek: 3.7
Zombie: 4.4 |
| 41 |  | Miles Davis
Bitches Brew
Sput: 4.49 (1353 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 40 |  | King Crimson
Red
Sput: 4.49 (1875 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 39 |  | Camel
Mirage
Sput: 4.49 (1100 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 38 |  | Johann Sebastian Bach
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
Sput: 4.49 (94 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 37 |  | Elliott Smith
Either/Or
Sput: 4.49 (2075 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 36 |  | The Doors
The Doors
Sput: 4.49 (2062 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 35 |  | The Beach Boys
Pet Sounds
Sput: 4.50 (1799 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 34 |  | Talking Heads
Remain in Light
Sput: 4.50 (1618 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 33 |  | Stevie Wonder
Songs in the Key of Life
Sput: 4.50 (558 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 32 |  | Genesis
Selling England by the Pound
Sput: 4.50 (1423 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 31 |  | Refused
The Shape of Punk to Come
Sput: 4.50 (2613 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: STONE COLD 5 |
| 30 |  | Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
Sput: 4.50 (3585 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 29 | | DJ Shadow
Endtroducing...
Sput: 4.50 (2299 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 28 |  | Judas Priest
Painkiller
Sput: 4.50 (2150 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 27 |  | The Cure
Disintegration
Sput: 4.51 (2366 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 26 |  | Pink Floyd
Animals
Sput: 4.51 (4684 votes)
Neek: 4.6
Zombie: |
| 25 |  | Igor Stravinsky
Le Sacre du Printemps
Sput: 4.52 (200 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 24 |  | The Beatles
Revolver
Sput: 4.53 (3711 votes)
Neek: 4.0
Zombie: |
| 23 |  | Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin IV
Sput: 4.53 (4648 votes)
Neek: 4.3
Zombie: |
| 22 |  | Black Sabbath
Paranoid
Sput: 4.53 (4361 votes)
Neek: 4.9
Zombie: |
| 21 |  | Death
Symbolic
Sput: 4.54 (3472 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 20 |  | Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Sput: 4.55 (199 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 19 |  | The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Are You Experienced
Sput: 4.56 (1102 votes)
Neek: 4.3
Zombie: |
| 18 |  | Yes
Close to the Edge
Sput: 4.56 (2196 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 17 |  | GZA
Liquid Swords
Sput: 4.57 (1841 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 16 |  | David Bowie
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
Sput: 4.57 (2366 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 15 |  | Radiohead
OK Computer
Sput: 4.57 (8099 votes)
Neek: 5.0
Zombie: 4.6 |
| 14 |  | Pink Floyd
The Dark Side of the Moon
Sput: 4.57 (7095 votes)
Neek: 4.4
Zombie: |
| 13 |  | King Crimson
In the Court of the Crimson King
Sput: 4.57 (3652 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 12 |  | Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C# minor, Op. 27
Sput: 4.57 (201 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 11 |  | The Beatles
Abbey Road
Sput: 4.57 (4311 votes)
Neek: 4.3
Zombie: |
| 10 |  | Megadeth
Rust in Peace
Sput: 4.58 (5056 votes)
Neek: 4.5
Zombie: |
| 9 |  | John Coltrane
A Love Supreme
Sput: 4.59 (1382 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 8 |  | Sergei Rachmaninoff
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
Sput: 4.60 (115 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 7 |  | Nas
Illmatic
Sput: 4.60 (3253 votes)
Neek: 3.1
Zombie: 3.4 |
| 6 |  | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Requiem in D minor, K. 626
Sput: 4.60 (221 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 5 |  | Wu-Tang Clan
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Sput: 4.60 (2999 votes)
Neek: 3.6
Zombie: 3.3 |
| 4 |  | Charles Mingus
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
Sput: 4.60 (917 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 3 |  | Miles Davis
Kind of Blue
Sput: 4.61 (2195 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 2 |  | Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
Sput: 4.64 (426 votes)
Neek:
Zombie: |
| 1 |  | Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here
Sput: 4.64 (6127 votes)
Neek: 5.0
Zombie: |
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