64. A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory (1991)
So, not a big fan of rap as I may have mentioned... this is another of the few albums that make it into my list. As I tried to get into rap a few years back, this album was called one of the essentials. This is before rap got really contrived (mainstream that is) and rappers were rapping to advance their culture as opposed to worrying about :bling: so much. The lyrics are absolutely wonderful on this album - you get hilarious, political, racial... hits a bunch of points on the spectrum. Better than THAT - the songs are discern-able from each other which is a problem I have with rap a lot. You have the classic rap beat, and the subject matter as I have mentioned really turns this into a joy to listen to. You have drums that are pure funk in styling, you have a HUGE infusion of jazz (including a song called Jazz where they talk about their use of said genre). We get a sample of Hendrix's "Voodoo Child" - they tackle serious social issues with a swagger that suggests they could care less. I read somewhere that this is a great album for beginners... I can't help but agree.
Check out: What?, Scenario, Butter, Rap Promoter
63. Monks - Black Monk Time (1966)
Not to be confused with THE Monks of the 70s. Releasing only one album, the Monks have been credited with being one of the very first punk bands (check the date on this LP) and starting Krautrock, being avant-garde rock predating Zappa's debut by months and the venerable Velvet Underground by an entire year. This album is punk, it is psychedelic sixties, it is jangly garage rock it is electric banjo driven riffs and Can and Neu and Suicidal Tendencies and Chuck Berry rolled into one! These 5 American soldiers stationed in Germany (going AWOL and pretending to be Monks to record this) really were way ahead of their time. If you can find this album pick it up and listen to immediately. Would be higher on my list had I known about them longer, but I can't ever get Higgle-Dy, Piggle-Dy out of my damn head. Listen for the lead singer, Gary Burger's, vocals. Sounds like Axl Rose and Mike Muir (Suicidal Tendencies) and Johnny Rotten combined their demon seed to produce this set of vocal chords. Listen for the harmonies that would make the Beach Boys smile in the background - the electric banjo - the callous banging of the drums - the often hilarious yet sometimes political lyrics... just give her a listen!
Check out: Higgle-Dy, Piggle-Dy, Black Monk Time, Drunken Maria, Boys are Boys and Girls are Choice
62. Johnny Cash - At San Quentin (1969)
"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash"
That's all that really needs to be said about this one. I had a hard time picking between Folsom and San Quentin... but the setlist is longer here at San Quentin and of course includes my favorite Johnny Cash song, "A Boy Named Sue" (written by children's author Shel Silverstein, I found out). I love the way Johnny did his prison albums. Hearing him talk and give the prison guards sh!t is hilarious. I love listening to him talk to the inmates - it's just more intimate than a normal studio album. He lays down all the hits at San Quentin, you won't be disappointed if you're looking for a collection of his greatest without actually listening to a greatest hits album. June Carter sings along too! So you get to hear the prisoners cheer for her in a very lascivious way, heh heh. I only wish that he had sang "25 Minutes to Go" - my only gripe!
Check out: All your singles are here from Mr. Cash, pick and choose.
61. Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now (2005)
So, vocals are very important for me in enjoying any kind of music. I have a really hard time getting into most instrumentals and electronica (which is why you'll notice the absence of such on this list). I attribute this to my days in the choir, of course. That being said... Antony Hegarty simply one of the most beautiful voices in music today. It astonishes me when people are turned off by his voice. We'll get back to that. Most of these songs are piano driven - which for most people is enough to say, "Ok well it's going to be boring then". Not true here. The lyrical content deals with Mr(s). Hegarty's struggle with his sexual identity; "One day, I'll grow up a beautiful woman... no womb inside of me, one day I'll grow up a woman", a duet with Boy George on "You Are My Sister" is another look into what kind of pain Antony is in. This is not an album for "***" people. I've actually heard that a lot - it's some sort of "*** power" album and that turns people off, too. This is awful not only because of the homophobic intolerance of some ignorant people - but they are discounting the ultimate talent that Antony carries in his voice! Now... Antony's voice... it is gorgeous, warbling... and sounds like Roy Orbison if he was a martian, it's spacey in that sense. Above all... you can TOUCH the emotions like they were not just abstracts but real, pure things... materialized... something tangible. It's unbelievable. Antony's pain and again his struggle keep this album alive - you will NOT get bored. Rufus Wainwright, Boy George, Lou Reed and Devendra Banhart make appearances here if you were still looking for a reason to get this immediately.
Check out: Free At Last, For Today I Am a Boy, You Are My Sister, Bird Girl