The Albums

     I love music, I'm not as passionate about it as sports, but music is something that dominates my life. When I run or bike it's music, in the car music, at work music, everywhere I go I got music with me. The evolution of technology has made it easier than ever to take that music with you and listen to what you want when you want. The downside is the loss of albums, you may hear the new songs but only a few of us seek out albums anymore to listen to the entire thing. I've talked about this before but I listened to the Black Album from Metallica every night before bed from 7th-12th grade. I have a pretty extensive CD collection because #1 I love music and #2 I was hardheaded in the MP3 days and still bought music instead of downloading. Now I stream everything as my CDs collect dust, my wife's car doesn't even have a CD player in it. Thought tonight would be a good time to talk about 10 of my favorite albums, these aren't the 10 best albums ever or anything like that, they are just my favorite 10 that I've listened to over the years.

#1 Metallica "Black Album" Will always be my #1. I'll be 80 and will still get chills when Enter Sandman starts. The first 9 songs on this album all kick ass, I don't think there is a better grouping in songs on anything else. They just are seamless as they go from 1 to the next. So many rock stations played songs off that album that weren't released as singles just because they are so awesome. It really doesn't get much better than this one.

#2 Linkin Park "Hybrid Theory" and "Meteora" I don't want to choose between these two, they frame a specific time in my life. Probably the time music speaks for you is when you're 16-24 and these two albums were from when I was 18 for Hybrid Theory and right before I turned 21 for Meteora. There was something special about these 2 records, they bridged a specific gap for me, as a small town white kid I enjoyed hard rock and rap. Linkin Park brought those two styles together in a different way, they weren't rapping as a one off or anything, no it was a part of every song. Then you have Chester who could sing and give that deep growl. It's still my biggest music regret not seeing these guys live when Chester was alive. They came out so hot with these two just ball busting albums, really hard to find a bad song on either album, I would listen to them beginning to end when I would drive back and forth from Juda to Platteville.

#3 Eric Church "Chief" I listen to country music a lot, my wife enjoys it. I don't listen to many country albums though, this one is different. I don't know what it is about Eric Church but this album just hits me. Could be in that phase of my life again, it was right before kids, when I was still living my early 20;s right before I turned 30. Chief has so many good songs, and even the ones I didn't like at first I now enjoy a lot. Homeboy at first was a song I couldn't stand and now it's one of my favorites on the album. Chief is a great album and it helps the time I saw Eric Church he played almost the entire album. It was very cool.

#4 Sublime "Sublime" I bought this album with no idea what I was getting into. It was the late 90's I watched a lot of MTV2 because they played music videos and the video for "Wrong Way" was on a lot. The song was just so good I went and bought the album. I had no interest in the Sublime style, that ska, punk, reggae sound. I didn't know anything about bands like Sublime or even about Sublime at all. I got the album and played the absolute shit out of it, it was the first album I bought with my own money. I still have it 20+ years later. Besides the 3 big ones (What I Got, Wrong Way, and Santeria) I love so many of the songs. April 26, 1992 is such a damn awesome song. Caress Me Down for a 16 year old was something else, I got a kick out of that song. Just awesome stuff all around.

#5 Nelly "Country Grammar" Summer of 2000 there was a wave in the Midwest, and that wave was Country Grammar. It swept up in my tiny town and a lot of people got caught up in it's wake. It was a different sound than the gansta rap of the mid 90's, the lyrics still hit but it was more of a party beat. The songs all had a hint of a party going on, I ate it up. Batter Up is awesome, Country Grammar outstanding, St. Louie and Ride Wit Me, just awesome. The album was so good, still love it.

#6 Notorious B.I.G. "Life After Death" The double album from Biggie. I didn't have Ready to Die, but I had this one and I listened to it a lot, especially the 2nd CD. Notorious Thugs is my favorite from the albums, just and absolute banger. Obviously Hypnotize was also a favorite, but it was on the first CD so I didn't play it as much. I listened to this one a lot on the bus to basketball and baseball games, usually Notorious Thugs right before we got the opposing school, it just got me in the right mind.

#7 Rise Against "Appeal to Reason" I stumbled into this one about the same way I stumbled into Sublime. "Savior" was on the radio a lot and I loved the song so I went and got the album, Savior isn't even the top 5 songs of top 5 from the album anymore. I can listen to this one from beginning to end with no problems. The songs are all so good and they flow perfectly. I'm not the biggest Rise Against fan but this album is just outstanding.

#8 Korn "Untouchable" Not the best Korn album but it's the first one I bought. After I got this one and saw Korn I went and bought the other ones. Untouchables though was my first and we all love our first the most. Alone I Break has one of the best Korn videos ever where Jon goes around and kills all the members of the band. Still dig the album a lot, and it turned me onto so much more of Korn when I wasn't all that into them.

#9 Ja Rule "Rule 3:36" I can't explain it, I like Ja Rule. 6 Feet Underground was such a good song, could listen to that one a lot. Chris and I would listen to this one together a lot and it was just something we enjoyed. Not everything has the deepest meaning but this one just reminds me of the years between being a kid and a adult, that time when I didn't have many worries except where the beer was gonna be.

#10 Rihanna "Good Girl Gone Bad" Another album that reminds me of a time. This is when I first met my wife and we were hanging out with a specific group. I listened to this album a lot on my own and I remember us sharing the album when I was gone she had it and when I was home it was in my car. I like a lot of female pop singers, Rihanna is up there on the list. She hardly has a song I don't like and this album has so many fun songs, Umbrella, Shut Up and Drive, Breaking Dishes, and Push Up On Me are all outstanding songs.

A few honorable mentions "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water" should get a mention, again it had it's time and place and even though it's cool to shit on Limp Bizkit, that record was huge. Nickleback "The State" is a great album and again it's fun to crap on Nickleback but this album is good. I like my Styx Greatest Hits album but didn't want to list a greatest hits on here. Outkast is great. Velvet Revolver's "Contraband" is great. The great thing about music is anyone can enjoy it however they want, you may not like my list and that's cool, I'm not forcing you to listen to it. What is your top 5 albums? Let me know.