92. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced (1973)
A southern boy's introduction to Skynyrd is akin to like a rite of passage in the southern culture. I was born in Atlanta, Georgia and when I first heard Lynyrd Skynyrd I was just a young child sitting in a busted black chevy with no air conditioning in the blistering heat of the Georgian sun. "Gimme Three Steps" pops on and lo and behold, I have found glory at a young age. Now, it took me a few years to really get around to listening to the entire album. By this time, I had moved to St. Louis, Missouri. I went through my mom's cassettes and found Pronounced. Pronounced includes all of their quintessential hits: Gimme Three Steps, Simple Man, Tuesday's Gone, and of course the southern rock epic Free Bird. Ronnie Van Zant sounded like a good ole boy - and the sound really brought me down to my roots. I got the chance to see Skynyrd live with the new Van Zant singing - sounded exactly like him... it was glorious. Simple Man, in my opinion, is really where the beauty lies in this Southern Rock classic.
Check out: Simple Man, Poison Whiskey, Free Bird yadda yadda...
91. Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85 (1985)
Scritti Politti is an interesting and unique group that sound unlike anything else on my 100. This album, specifically, is a good example of music I don't listen to and hated my mom for making me listen to... unless it was made by Scritti Politti. This is... POP, not JUST pop, but 80's pop that is so polished it's revolting... revoltingly good. SP started out as a post-punk band late in the 70s and then moved onto mainstream pop sounds in the 80s. They incorporated the (then) new sound of hip hop into their music - Gartside, the creative force behind SP - loved the RB and hip-hop coming out of New York at the time, so he moved to America from his homeland of Wales. C&P85 included a infectuously funky beat and some excellent word play by the intellectually savvy Gartside. They caught the attention of several big names in music including one Miles Davis who did a cover of their song Perfect Way.
Checkout: Perfect Way, Absolute (Version) and Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)
90. Vampire Weekend - S/T (2008)
Absolutely wonderful new group that has received so much hype that the hipsters who loved them are now spurning their sound. I feel horrible when this happens to new groups whose hype starts to bite them. I love this album. The reason it is not any higher is because it really just came out in January and I didn't find them until March or April. But these past few months has been a Vampire Weekend heavy rotation for me. This light, exotic indie-pop band creates a warm and bouncy soundtrack for driving around with my windows down in the hot summer of Missouri. Sleek production and irrefutable catchy hooks and the African influenced music is enough to earn its spot on my list for now - rounding out the back 10 is the newest artist on my list.
Check out: Blake (Has Got a New Face), Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (my current ringtone incidentally), Walcott
89. Cake - Comfort Eagle (2001)
This was an extreeeemely difficult decision. This might be one of those things I regret later on down the list... but I think Cake belongs here on my list. In 2000/2001 Short Skirt, Long Jacket was receiving MAJOR radio airplay. My family friends, and my sometimes baby-sitters, were young and hip and from the ages 12-14 they were one of the major influences on my musicscape. This is just one of 5 or 6 bands on the top 100 that they introduced me to. While this is on my list due partially to the fact that it got me into Cake and because it features 3 of my favorite Cake songs... I almost put Fashion Nugget here instead... but I just can't deny the impact this had on impressionable 13 year old me. The sardonic nature of the songs and the wit of the lyrics coupled with the clean production makes this rock-pop album a gem.
Check out: Commissioning a Symphony in C, Comfort Eagle and Short Skirt, Long Jacket