ChordStrike

The 100 Greatest Live Albums of All Time

There are plenty of live albums issued solely as afterthoughts or contract fulfillments, but there are plenty that are as transcendent as the best in-person concert experiences, only with zero lines at the bathroom. For this particular list we came up with the following criteria:

• Only one album per artist.
• Albums were been performed live in front of an audience, but don't necessarily have to be culled from a single performance.
• No EPs or singles—this list is about albums
• We decided to limit this list to music, which means no comedy. We wanted to save those records for a separate list for laffers.

Of course, we exercise their judgment regarding quality and/or historical significance. If you disagree with our choices (and there's a good chance you will), let us know in the comments.

Here goes:

1. James Brown - Live At The Apollo, 1962
2. Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
3. Frank Sinatra - Sinatra at the Sands
4. Bill Withers - Live at Carnegie Hall
5. Judy Garland - Judy At Carnegie Hall
6. Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: Live, 1966: The Royal Albert Hall Concert
7. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella in Rome: The Birthday Concert
8. Led Zeppelin - How The West Was Won
9. MC5 - Kick Out the Jams
10. Keith Jarrett - The Koln Concert
11. Neil Young - Live Rust
12. Otis Redding - Live in Europe
13. Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
14. Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York
15. Bob Marley - Live
16. The Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out
17. Roy Orbison - Black and White Night
18. The Who - Live at Leeds
19. Simon and Garfunkel - The Concert in Central Park
20. Jimi Hendrix - Live at Monterey
21. Cheap Trick - At Budokan
22. John Coltrane & Thelonious Monk - At Carnegie Hall
23. Paco de Lucia, Rodrigo, and Orchestra De Cadaques - Concierto de Aranjuez
24. Maceo Parker - Life On Planet Groove
25. Portishead - Live: Roseland NYC
26. Elvis Presley - From Elvis in Memphis
27. Leonard Cohen - Live in London
28. Kiss - Alive!
29. Eric Clapton - Unplugged
30. Queen - Live Killers
31. Nina Simone - Nina Simone at Town Hall
32. Gram Parsons - Live 1973
33. Jeff Buckley - Live at Sin-é
34. U2 - Under a Blood Red Sky
35. Lucinda Williams - Live at the Fillmore
36. Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous
37. Dead Can Dance - Toward the Within
38. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - Live in New York City
39. BB King - Live at the Regal
40. Aretha Franklin - Live at Fillmore West
41. David Bowie - Stage
42. Miles Davis - Miles Davis at Fillmore: Live At The Fillmore East
43. Art Blakey - A Night At Birdland, Vol. 1
44. Ani Difranco - Living in Clip
45. Mavis Staples - Live: Hope at the Hideout
46. Muddy Waters - At Newport 1960
47. Depeche Mode - 101
48. Deep Purple - Made in Japan
49. Isaac Hayes - Live at Wattstax
50. Sam Cooke - At the Copa
51. Parliament - Live: P-funk Earth Tour
52. Grateful Dead - Europe '72
53. Laurie Anderson - United States Live
54. Alison Krauss and Union Station - Live
55. Velvet Underground - 1969
56. Pink Floyd - Pulse
57. The Roots - Come Alive
58. Bill Evans Trio - Sunday at the Village Vanguard
59. Sarah Vaughn - Live At The 1971 Monterey Jazz Festival
60. George Harrison - Live in Japan
61. Peter Gabriel - Plays Live
62. Erroll Garner - Concert by the Sea
63. Thelonius Monk - Thelonious in Action: Live at the Five Spot Cafe
64. Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - Live at Luther College
65. Janis Joplin - Janis in Concert
66. Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive
67. Willie Nelson - Stars and Guitars
68. John Coltrane - Live at the Village Vanguard
69. The Clash - From Here To Eternity Live
70. Eartha Kitt - Live from the Café Carlyle
71. Ravi Shankar - Live: Ravi Shankar at the Monteray International Pop Festival
72. Wilco - Kicking Television: Live In Chicago
73. Neko Case - The Tigers Have Spoken
74. Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East
75. Jay-Z - Unplugged
76. The Orb - Live '93
77. The Ramones - It's Alive
78. Etta James - Rocks the House
79. Soweto Gospel Choir - Live at Nelson Mandela Theatre
80. Pearl Jam - Live on Two Legs
81. Björk - Live Box Set
82. Kraftwerk - Minimum-Maximum
83. Radiohead - I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings
84. Lou Reed - Rock 'n' Roll Animal
85. Jill Scott - Live in Paris
86. Carole King - Carole King The Carnegie Hall Concert June 18, 1971
87. Alice in Chains - Live
88. John Denver - The Wildlife Concert
89. Eva Cassidy - Live at Blues Alley
90. Stevie Ray Vaughan - Live at Carnegie Hall
91. Rush - Rush in Rio
92. Police - Live!
93. Daft Punk - Alive 2007
94. James Taylor - James Taylor Live
95. Neil Diamond - Hot August Night
96. Guns N' Roses - Live Era '87-'93
97. Lyle Lovett - Lyle Lovett Live In Texas
98. Blue Oyster Cult - Extraterrestrial Live
99. Aerosmith - Live! Bootleg
100. J. Geils Band - Live: Blow Your Face Out

-- Jeff Reguilon

Best Release of the Month | András Schiff: Bach - Six Partitas

 J.S. Bach published his collected Partitas in 1731.  He was 46 years old and had been the cantor at Leipzig's Thomaskirche for eight years.  He had already composed two of the most important choral works; the St. Matthew and St. John passions.  Bach probably attached significance to keyboard works by publishing them as his Opus #1, and they've come to be appreciated as the pinnacle of a form that was soon to fall out of fashion, in favor of other frameworks such as the sonata.

In late August ECM New Series put out a live recording of the Six Partitas, made 2 years ago in Germany, by Andràs Schiff.  Mr. Schiff has already recorded these works, albeit more than 20 years ago, but between these recordings he's been in demand as a conductor, particularly after founding the Cappella Andrea Barca chamber orchestra.  He points to his work from the podium, particularly conducting the choral works mentioned above, as influencing the performance of Bach's keyboard works.

These partitas are offered out of traditional sequence -  V, III, I, II, IV and VI.  Although there is no reason to think that Bach wrote the partitas to be performed together, this arrangement provides the most logical key progression (G - a minor - B flat - c minor - D - e minor).  From his side of the footlights, Schiff also notes that in live performance the inner tranquility of the B-flat major partita (traditionally #1), is something that live audiences are seldom ready or settled-in to hear.  I have no objection to the rearrangement, certainly as VI, which seems the most climatic, still comes last.

Andràs Schiff, is fresh off the completion of a very successful reading of the Beethoven piano Sonatas, again on ECM New Series, but one glance at his discography will tell you that Bach holds a special importance for him.  As one would expect, you can't hear Schiff using any pedal, but the abstinence is much more pronounced than his earlier recording or most other prominent renditions.  The effect is liberating.  Free from lingering harmonics, this performance seems dedicated to the melodies within, as line and voice assume a clarity I've seldom heard.  Recorded live in a 16th Century former armory  in Neumarkt, Germany, there is an almost eerie lack of audience noise, although the placement of left and right hands in the stereo image is nigh on perfect.  Schiff leads the listeners unflagging attention in an unbroken thread for hours.  Masterly. -- Hugo Munday

100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time

We're back with another 100 Greatest list, and this time, to coincide with our World Music Festival event, we've chosen the 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time.

"World music" is an exceptionally wide-ranging term. Does world music mean music that’s not in English? Does a world music artist have to create music from his/her own particular country or ethnic background? What about "big name" world artists (like Enya, Celtic Woman, Bob Marley) who have had mainstream Top 40 hits? In the end, we came up with the following criteria:

• Broadly speaking, world music is not traditionally Western. We’ve chosen albums featuring music from a particular region, culture, or heritage.
• Albums can include lyrics in English and/or Top 40 hits, as long as the music itself draws from non-western rhythms, instruments, or melodies.
• One album per artist
• No EPs or singles—this list is about albums
• No greatest hits collections or compilations except in cases where no actual album was available, or where the collection acts as a proper album. Bob Marley’s Legend, being a greatest hits compilation album, did not make our list, but Catch a Fire did.

Of course, our editors exercise their judgment regarding quality and/or historical significance. If you disagree with our choices (and there's a good chance you will), let us know in the comments below, or on the customer discussion on our list landing page.

This list is MP3s, but if you prefer CDs, you can find the list here.

1. Andy Palacio & the Garifuna Collective - Wátina
2. Bulgarian State Television Female Choir - Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares
3. Fela Kuti - Live!
4. Abdoulaye Diabate - Djiriyo
5. Konono No1 - Congotronics
6. Os Mutantes - Everything Is Possible
7. Black Uhuru - The Dub Factor
8. Jorge Ben - Forca Bruta
9. Huun-Huur-Tu - The Orphan's Lament
10. Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
11. Bob Marley - Catch A Fire
12. Mahmoud Ahmed - Ethiopiques, Vol. 7: Ere Mela Mela
13. King Tubby - Dub From The Roots
14. Paco de Lucia - Entre Dos Aguas
15. Astor Piazzolla - Tango: Zero Hour
16. Solomon Ilori - African High Life
17. Willie Bobo - Juicy
18. Gal Costa - Gal Costa
19. Sara Tavares - Balance
20. Ravi Shankar - The Ravi Shankar Collection: Live: Ravi Shankar At The Monterey International Pop Festival
21. Sevara Nazarkhan - Yol Bolsin
22. Ali Farka Touré - Red & Green
23. Amalia Rodrigues - Art of Amalia
24. Nanae Yoshimura - Art of the Koto, Vol. 1
25. King Sunny Ade - JuJu Music
26. Salif Keita - Amen
27. Mariza - Fado Em Mim
28. Tito Puente - Dance Mania
29. Franco - Originalité
30. Etoile De Dakar - Volume 4 - Khaley Etoile
31. Ja Man All Stars - In The Dub Zone
32. Cheb I Sabbah - La Kahena
33. Rachid Taha - Diwan
34. Pham Duc Thanh - Vietnamese Traditional Dan Bau Music
35. Khaled - Sahra
36. Think of One - Camping Shaabi
37. Asha Bhosle - Precious Platinum
38. Ali Akbar Khan - Traditional Music of India
39. Liliana Barrios - Troileana
40. Tania Maria - Via Brasil vol.2
41. David Nzomo - Songs from Kenya
42. Cesaria Evora - Cesaria
43. Toumani Diabate With Ballake Sissoko - New Ancient Strings
44. A.R. Rahman - Lagaan
45. Paolo Conte - Reveries
46. Taraf de Haïdouks - Taraf de Haïdouks
47. Marcel Khalifé - Promises of the Storm
48. Ernest Ranglin - Below The Bassline
49. Joyce - Just a Little Bit Crazy
50. Puerto Plata - Mujer de Cabaret
51. Tinariwen - Aman Iman: Water Is Life
52. Ghazal - Lost Songs Of The Silk Road
53. Kandia Kouyate - Kita Kan
54. Antonio Carlos Jobim - Wave
55. The Congos - Heart of the Congos
56. Thomas Mapfumo - Spirits To Bite Our Ears
57. Willie Colón & Ruben Blades - Siembra
58. Bassekou Kouyate - Segu Blue
59. Amadou & Mariam - Welcome to Mali
60. Augustus Pablo - East of the River Nile
61. Ofra Haza - Fifty Gates of Wisdom: Yemenite Songs
62. Dhafer Youssef - Electric Sufi
63. Olatunji - Drums of Passion
64. Los Amigos Invisibles - The Venezuelan Zinga Son Vol. 1
65. Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco - Celia & Johnny
66. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Shahen-Shah
67. Eddie Palmieri And Friends - The Sun of Latin Music
68. Seu Jorge - Cru
69. Youssou N'Dour - Immigrés
70. Kodo - Live at the Acropolis
71. Ibrahim Ferrer - Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer
72. Lama Gyurme - The Lama's Chants
73. Elis Regina/Tom Jobim - Elis & Tom
74. Koçani Orkestar - Alone At My Wedding
75. Idan Raichel - The Idan Raichel Project
76. Cheo Feliciano - Cheo
77. Tomatito & Michel Camilo - Spain
78. Issa Bagayogo - Mali Koura
79. Hermanos Ayala - Bomba de Loiza
80. Hugh Masekela - The Lasting Impressions Of Ooga Booga
81. Peter Tosh - Legalize It
82. Peru Negro - Zamba Malato
83. Flaco Jimenez - Squeeze Box King
84. Waldemar Bastos - Pretaluz
85. Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Rodrigo Y Gabriela
86. Orchestra Baobab - Pirates Choice
87. Hugh Mundell - Africa Must Be Free by 1983
88. Vicente Fernandez - El Hijo Del Pueblo
89. Walter Ferguson Gavitt - Mr. Gavitt: Calypsos of Costa Rica
90. Gamelan Semara Pegulingan - Music of Bali
91. Djivan Gasparyan - I Will Not Be Sad in This World
92. Kassav' - An-ba-chen'n La
93. Andy Statman - Between Heaven And Earth: Music Of The Jewish Mystics
94. Ami Koita - Songs of Praise
95. Tom Ze - Danc-Eh-Sa
96. Ruben Gonzalez - Introducing…Ruben Gonzalez
97. Gotan Project - La Revancha Del Tango
98. Vieux Farka Touré - Fondo
99. Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Gift Of The Tortoise: A Musical Journey Through Southern Africa
100. Frankie Kennedy & Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh - Altan

--Alan Wiley

Best Living Songwriters?

I was just reading through No Depresssion, one the best online magazines (formerly in print) focused on americana music, and found their list of Five Best Living Songwriters to be an interesting read. It was also interesting to see that Bob Dylan made the number one spot, same as he did on our similar list of The 100 Greatest Singer-Songwriter Albums of All Time. It looks like all 5 of their artist picks made it somewhere onto our list as well.

I would love to know more about the author's apparently strong aversion to Nick Drake. It's also suspect to see the inclusion of Patty Griffin and Billy Joel (the guy wrote Uptown Girl after all) at the number 4 and 5 spots, which would not be my choice, but everyone's taste is their own. That's what's great about music.

Thanks, No Depression, for your best list. Any of you Chordstrike readers care to chime in with more of your passionate opinions and picks of the best songwriters out there? I'd especially love to hear about any under-the-radar artists that aren't the ubiquitous picks we normally see.

--Lucas Hilbert

The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time

Because of its long, storied history, jazz has existed in recorded form longer than the format, or even concept of the album has, which certainly complicates making a list of the 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time. There were many incredible, influential, and vital jazz musicians who never released a single album--many, if not most of those who created and shaped the genre in its early days are included in that group. However, this is a list of the greatest jazz albums of all time, not the most influential or innovative jazz musicians of all time. Here are the rules we used to compile our list:

• Legitimate album releases only: no collections, compilations, singles, or EPs.
• Reissues, even those with tacked-on bonus tracks, qualify for inclusion.
• While we typically only allow one album per artist, due to the collaborative nature of jazz as an art form, and the drastically different styles played by single artists within one career, we will allow multiple albums by the same artists.

Don't agree with our list? Think we hit the right note? Let us know in the comments below.

Also, visit our 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time page to see some artists we love who didn't fit the criteria, but whose importance can't be underestimated.

1. Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come
2. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
3. Charlie Parker / Dizzie Gillespie - Bird & Diz
4. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
5. Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis
6. Getz/Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto
7. Erroll Garner - Concert by the Sea
8. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
9. Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil
10. Thelonious Monk - Straight, No Chaser
11. Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert
12. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Moanin'
13. Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings
14. John Coltrane - Blue Train
15. Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch
16. Art Tatum - Piano Starts Here
17. Dexter Gordon - Go!
18. Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport
19. Alice Coltrane - Journey In Satchidananda
20. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
21. Bill Evans - Everybody Digs Bill Evans
22. Duke Ellington - Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
23. Naked City - Naked City
24. Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy
25. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane - At Carnegie Hall
26. Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Clifford Brown & Max Roach
27. Dizzy Gillespie - Afro
28. Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain
29. Pharoah Sanders - Karma
30. Abbey Lincoln - Staright Ahead
31. Charlie Parker - Charlie Parker With Strings
32. Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Somethin' Else
33. Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin
34. Coleman Hawkins - Body & Soul
35. Art Blakey - A Night in Tunisia
36. Stephane Grappelli - Afternoon in Paris
37. Andrew Hill - Compulsion
38. Thelonius Monk - Monk's Dream
39. The Bad Plus - Suspicious Activity?
40. Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
41. Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off
42. Benny Goodman - The Famous Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert 1938
43. Oscar Peterson - The Oscar Peterson Trio at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival
44. Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder
45. Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit
46. George Gershwin - Gershwin Plays Rhapsody in Blue
47. Grant Green - Idle Moments
48. Sun Ra - Secrets of the Sun
49. Patricia Barber - Mythologies
50. Charles Mingus - Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus
51. Duke Ellington - Such Sweet Thunder
52. Carmen McRae - The Great American Songbook
53. Blossom Dearie - Once Upon a Summertime
54. Cecil Taylor - Unit Structures
55. Lionel Hampton & Stan Getz - Hamp & Getz
56. Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley - Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley
57. David Axelrod - Song Of Innocence
58. Weather Report - Heavy Weather
59. Albert Ayler - Slugs' Saloon
60. Branford Marsalis - Trio Jeepy
61. Roland Kirk - We Free Kings
62. Shirley Horn - Travelin' Light
63. Sonny Rollins - A Night at the Village Vanguard
64. Diana Krall - Live In Paris
65. Clifford Brown - Clifford Brown with Strings
66. Milt Jackson - Bags & Trane
67. Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue
68. Etta Jones - Don't Go To Strangers
69. Herb Ellis - Ellis in Wonderland
70. Vince Guaraldi Trio - Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus
71. Rosemary Clooney - Blue Rose
72. Art Pepper - Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section
73. Helen Merrill - Helen Merrill
74. Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth
75. Stanley Clarke - School Days
76. Brad Mehldau - Elegiac Cycle
77. Joshua Redman - Wish
78. Jason Moran - Artist in Residence
79. Ahmad Jamal - Ahmad's Blues
80. Moondog - Sax Pax for a Sax
81. Wynton Marsalis - Black Codes (From The Underground)
82. Duke Pearson - The Right Touch
83. Astrud Gilberto - The Astrud Gilberto Album
84. Chick Corea - Return To Forever
85. Bill Frisell - Blues Dream
86. Sarah Vaughn / Lester Young - One Night Stand - The Town Hall Concert 1947
87. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Whipped Cream & Other Delights
88. Art Ensemble of Chicago - Full Force
89. Bela Fleck & The Flecktones - Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
90. Jimmy Scott - Mood Indigo
91. Elis Regina - Elis & Tom
92. Pat Metheny Group - Offramp
93. Stan Getz - Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio
94. Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet - Husky
95. Cuong Vu - Come Play with Me
96. Anthony Braxton - Five Compositions (quartet)
97. Madeline Peyroux - Careless Love
98. Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius
99. Max Roach - M'Boom
100. Robert Glasper - In My Element

--Alan Wiley

Best Classical Albums of 2009 - so far

Leopold Stokowski: Bach Transcriptions, Vol. 2
Conductor: José Serebrier
Orchestra: Bournemouth Symphony

As the authentic performance movement started to gain momentum 35 years ago, these transcriptions became a common point of derision. Why would you take the hallowed works of J. S. Bach and bastardize them with "modern" instruments? One of the marks of a Stokowski or a Beecham is that they took great works (as did Bach) and re-voiced them for their orchestras. Also, as the D minor Toccata and Fugue that opens this recording reminds us, through Mickey Mouse, Stokowski brought transcribed works to a massive audience.  These transcriptions are good, but it's the Olympian grasp of ensemble that is what this disc is all about. This is amplified by the fact that José Serebrier knows the Bournemouth Symphony like the back of his hand, and he was mentored in his youth by Stokowski, himself. There is no new ground here, just a stunning and ravishing exercise in orchestral beauty, recorded and staged with excellence (thank you Naxos). These sounds are good enough to eat.

Vivaldi
Soloist: Daniel Hope
Orchestra: Chamber Orchestra of Europe
I'm in two minds about encouraging this sort of album, but the playing and the repertoire have won me over.  It teeters close to the type of vehicle superstars use to strut their stuff.  I'm referring to the glossy, themed production, with a lush cover, with only one or two words in the title, that contain repertoire from all over the place, to show what a particular race horse can do.  Although Daniel Hope's recent offering looks the part, further comparison would be unfair.  His theme is Vivaldi that hasn't been beaten to death, and there is a great selection of well and lesser well-known works here.  Get it right and Vivaldi is a home-run.  He has a sense of theater and dance that the other Italian Baroquers never quite capture, and Hope latches into both in these pieces.  It's not exactly a bonus track, but Anne-Sophie von Otter - joins the band with the subdued, but beautiful aria "Sovvente il sole". I was sorry when the album came to an end.

The Guarneri Quartet
The Hungarian Album
Where's the American music?  I don't have a slew of new world compositions but I have returned to this album a few times.  A couple of years ago the Guarneri announced that they would stop performing as a quartet in 2009.  I don't know whether this will be their last release, but if it is, one of my favorite American groups is going out on the right note.  On offer are three quartets, two of which are by Ernö Dohnányi (D flat major and A minor, respectively), but it's the middle offering from Kodály that I keep going back to.  A little more challenging, tonally, this gem does not look west for influences, but is a rustic exploration of Hungarian folk idioms, even bird-song and musical fragments that build to a full-blown Hungarian dance at the climax of the second movement.  Distinct and different music, given a clear, cohesive voice, by a group that will be missed.

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 "The Year 1905"
Conductor: Vasily Petrenko
Orchestra: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Finished in 1957, the eleventh symphony commemorates the massacre of hundreds of Russian demonstrators by the Imperial Guard, outside the Winter Palace, in January, 1905.  Part of the brittle terror locked in this work comes from the fact that while Shostakovich was working on this piece, Soviet tanks were dealing with Hungarian students and demonstrators, with a similarly cruel hand.  That terror is not locked in there anymore.  Conducting phenom', Vasily Petrenko was still 20 years away from being born when this was written but he brings a level of cohesion and understanding that makes this one of the most accomplished, dynamic readings of this work, I have ever heard.  I've got goose-bumps just penning this.

The 100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums of All Time

The term “Indie Rock” is undeniably tricky. We challenge anyone to definitively define what is and what is not indie rock--you will fail. For the purposes of compiling this list we’ve decided to use a combination of hard and fast rules and gut instinct. Our hard and fast rules are listed below, but as for gut instinct—you just kind of have to know. For example: John Oates put out a rock record called Phunk Shui on an indie label, however, in no way should Phunk Shui be mistaken for indie rock. Likewise, Black Flag put out many seminal punk albums on SST, but we’re not talking about punk or grunge or classic post-kraut-rock, we’re talking about indie rock. Are Black Flag really indie rock? Not to our ears.

With that in mind, we squeezed the minds of our music editors (who fought and screamed at each other over omissions, inclusions, and rankings) to deliver you this, our list. If you’ve got complaints (and we know you will), bring it to our comments below. You can argue about whether Sub Pop is really an indie label, about why we should make an exception for Weezer, or about why we chose Unrest’s Imperial f.f.r.r. instead of Perfect Teeth—whatever you want. We’d love to hear what you think.

Here are the hard and fast rules:
• One album per artist.
• No EPs or singles, this list is about albums.
• No greatest hits collections or compilations of previously released tracks.
• Nominations must have been originally released on an independent label. Albums released on indies which were later acquired and/or re-released by majors are allowed (like Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation, originally released by a pre-1989 major label merger Enigma Records).

1. Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand
2. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over The Sea
3. Slint - Spiderland
4. Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
5. Unrest - Imperial f.f.r.r.
6. Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted
7. Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
8. Pixies - Surfer Rosa
9. Elliott Smith - Either/Or
10. Sebadoh - Bakesale
11. the Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
12. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
13. Sufjan Stevens - Greetings From Michigan
14. Death Cab For Cutie - We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes
15. Bonnie Prince Billie - See A Darkness
16. Superchunk - No Pocky for Kitty
17. Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
18. Postal Service - Give Up
19. Spoon - Kill The Moonlight
20. Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
21. Bright Eyes - Lifted
22. Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary
23. Cat Power - Moon Pix
24. Arcade Fire - Funeral
25. Beat Happening - Black Candy
26. The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2
27. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
28. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
29. Jawbreaker - 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
30. Husker Du - Zen Arcade
31. Fugazi - Repeater
32. Replacements - Let it Be
33. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
34. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country
35. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
36. Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
37. Beulah - When Your Hearstrings Break
38. Antony and the Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
39. Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It in People
40. Fall - Our Nation's Saving Grace
41. Beirut - Gualag Orkestar
42. The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
43. Imperial Teen - On
44. Galaxie 500 - On Fire
45. Joan of Arc - How Memory Works
46. Mirah - Advisory Committee
47. Red House Painters - Red House Painters (rollercoaster album)
48. Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
49. Smog - Wild Love
50. Television Personalities - And Don't The Kids Just Love It
51. Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup
52. Go Betweens - Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express
53. Half Japanese - Sing No Evil
54. Bikini Kill - Pussy Whipped
55. Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
56. Heavenly - The Decline and Fall of Heavenly
57. TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes
58. Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles
59. Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
60. The Bats - Daddy's Highway
61. The Notwist - Neon Golden
62. Tortoise - TNT
63. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
64. Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in the Hands
65. Of Montreal - Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies
66. Deerhoof - Milk Man
67. Ida - Will You Find Me
68. The Shins - Oh Inverted World
69. Calexico - Feast of Wire
70. The Sea and Cake - The Fawn
71. Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
72. Camper Van Beethoven - II & III
73. The Delta 72 - The R&B of Membership
74. Low - The Curtain Hits the Cast
75. Neko Case - Furnace Room Lullaby
76. Swell Maps - Jane From Occupied Europe
77. The Hidden Cameras - The Smell Of Our Own
78. Promise Ring - Nothing Feels Good
79. White Stripes - De Stijl
80. Cursive - The Ugly Organ
81. Rachels - The Sea and The Bells
82. The Aislers Set - The Last Match
83. The Make-Up - Save Yourself
84. Ted Leo/Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak
85. Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls
86. Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti - Worn Copy
87. Morphine - Cure for Pain
88. Electrelane - The Power Out
89. Joanna Newsom - The Milk Eyed Mender
90. !!! - Louden Up Now
91. Fiery Furnaces - Gallowsbird's Park
92. A Silver Mt. Zion - Horses In The Sky
93. The National - Alligator
94. Portugal. The Man - Waiter: "You Vultures!"
95. The Apples In Stereo - The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone
96. Trans Am - Trans Am
97. Built To Spill - Ultimate Alternative Wavers
98. Joan as Policewoman - To Survive
99. Black Angels - Passover
100. The Dirtbombs - Dangerous Magical Noise

This list links to the MP3 versions. If you prefer CDs, you can find the list on shiny disc here.

--Alan Wiley

100 Film and TV Theme Tune Challenge

This has me captivated.  I'm lost on too much of the TV stuff, to go for the prize, but if nothing else it tells you what American TV shows did strike a chord with Rick, growing up in England in the 70s.  That and he has a real penchant for Bond movie scores.  What is it about recognizing tunes from movies and TV that I find so enjoyable?

The 100 Greatest Singer-Songwriter Albums of All Time

My fellow editors and I put our heads together and nailed down a list of the 100 greatest records by artists who can do it on their own. Hit the comments to let us know where we made horrible, unforgivable mistakes, but head over here to read up on our selection criteria for the list in case you care to do something wacky like make an informed argument. We like arguments. That's partially why we make lists.

1. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
2. Carole King - Tapestry
3. Joni Mitchell - Blue
4. Nick Drake - Pink Moon
5. Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man
6. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
7. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska
8. Randy Newman - 12 Songs
9. Neil Young - Everyone Knows This is Nowhere
10. Crosby Stills & Nash - Crosby Stills & Nash
11. Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends
12. Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman
13. Bill Withers - Still Bill
14. Ani Difranco - Ani Difranco
15. Elliott Smith - Either/Or
16. Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry
17. George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
18. Indigo Girls - Indigo Girls
19. Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years
20. Jim Croce - You Don't Mess Around With Jim
21. John Lennon - Imagine
22. Carly Simon - No Secrets
23. Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
24. Jackson Browne - Jackson Browne
25. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
26. James Taylor - Sweet Baby James
27. Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger
28. Steve Earle - Train A Comin'
29. John Prine - John Prine
30. Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust
31. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
32. Kris Kristofferson - Kristofferson
33. Beck - Sea Change
34. Melissa Etheridge - Yes I Am
35. John Mellencamp - Scarecrow
36. Richard & Linda Thompson - Shoot Out The Lights
37. Townes Van Zandt - Townes Van Zandt
38. Emmylou Harris - Pieces of the Sky
39. Donovan - Sunshine Superman
40. Bright Eyes - Lifted
41. Gram Parsons - GP
42. Janis Ian - Between The Lines
43. Phil Ochs - Pleasures of the Harbor
44. Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
45. Jeff Buckley - Grace
46. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
47. Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator)
48. Paul McCartney - Ram
49. Tish Hinojosa - Culture Swing
50. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
51. Rufus Wainwright - Rufus Wainwright
52. Elvis Costello - King of America
53. Feist - The Reminder
54. Suzanne Vega - Nine Objects of Desire
55. Dolly Parton - Jolene
56. Neko Case - Furnace Room Lullaby
57. Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
58. Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales
59. Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
60. Sam Phillips - A Boot and a Shoe
61. Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy
62. Tim Buckley - Starsailor
63. Morrissey - Bona Drag
64. Lyle Lovett - Pontiac
65. Patty Griffin - Children Running Through
66. Marco Antonio Solis - Trozos De Mi Alma
67. Dan Fogelberg - The Innocent Age
68. Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstacy
69. Harry Nilsson - The Point!
70. Lou Reed - Transformer
71. Laura Nyro - Eli and the Thirteenth Confession
72. Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen
73. Billy Joel - The Stranger
74. Mary Chapin Carpenter - Come On Come On
75. Shawn Colvin - A Few Small Repairs
76. Loggins & Messina - Sittin' In
77. Bill Callahan - Woke on a Whaleheart
78. Bonnie Prince Billy - I See A Darkness
79. Tracy Chapman - New Beginning
80. John Denver - Rocky Mountain High
81. Jenny Lewis - Rabbit Fur Coat
82. Aimee Mann - Lost in Space
83. Don McLean - American Pie
84. Loudon Wainwright III - History
85. Cass McCombs - PREfection
86. Ben Harper - Welcome To The Cruel World
87. Al Stewart - Year of the Cat
88. Andew Bird - Armchair Acrophya
89. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
90. India.Arie - Acoustic Soul
91. Cat Power - Moon Pix
92. David Sylvian - Secrets of the Beehive
93. Dashboard Confessional - The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most
94. Mirah - Advisory Committee
95. Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls..
96. Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
97. Gian Marco - Resucitar
98. Sondre Lerche - Two Way Monologue
99. Nick Cave - No More Shall We Part
100. The Mountain Goats - Get Lonely

-- Jeff Reguilon

Blossom Dearie: 1926-2009

Though it was overshadowed by all of the hoopla surrounding the Grammy Awards this year, it should be noted that jazz vocalist/pianist Blossom Dearie passed away on Saturday, February 7. Though more popular in Europe, and especially Paris, than in her home country of the US, she's always been a favorite of mine for her unique delivery, and soothing style. Dearie's singular child-like voice gave her music an innocent, yet romantic quality (her self-titled album landed in the #22 spot in our 100 Greatest Romantic Albums of All Time list), that I've never heard captured by any other singer.

Though she's best known for her bebop music, my favorites all seem to come from her late '60s-mid-'70s period. Here are a few:

"Dusty Springfield"

"I Like London In The Rain"

"Sweet Georgie Fame"

Really, the truth is, you can't go wrong with Blossom Dearie. If you haven't had the opportunity to get to know her music, do yourself the favor--you will not regret it. Every time one of her songs shuffles into my earphones, it always brings a smile. She was an incredible performer who left a legacy of incredible albums in her wake, and will be incredibly missed. R.I.P. Blossom.

--Alan Wiley

The 100 Greatest Romantic Albums of All Time

Do you love gettin' down with your significant other to hot, sensuous, romantic, sexy music? We sure hope so, because hot on the heels of our 100 Greatest Debut Albums of All Time list, and just in time for Valentine's Day, comes the 100 Greatest Romantic Albums of All Time. Does our list of tunes make you swoon, or is the heat you feel coming out your ears with anger? Let us know what you think of our choices in the comments.

1. Marvin Gaye - Let's Get it On
2. Nat King Cole - Sings For Two In Love
3. Al Green - Still in Love with You
4. Portishead - Dummy
5. Barry White - Plays for Someone You Love
6. Sade - Lovers Rock
7. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
8. Joao Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto
9. The Carpenters - Close To You
10. Serge Gainsbourg - L'Historie De Melody Nelson
11. Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You
12. Joshua Bell - Romance of the Violin
13. Otis Redding - Soul Album
14. Jeff Buckley - Grace
15. Sigur Ros - ()
16. D'Angelo - Voodoo
17. Slowdive - Souvlaki
18. Anita Baker - Rapture
19. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
20. Andrea Bocelli - Romanza
21. k.d. lang - Ingenue
22. Blossom Dearie - Blossom Dearie
23. Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love
24. John Coltrane - Blue Trane
25. Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers!
26. Billie Holiday - Songs For Distingue Lovers
27. Air - Moon Safari
28. Bread - Lost Without Your Love
29. Dusty Springfield - Dusty In Memphis
30. Josh Groban - Closer
31. Isley Brothers - Between the Sheets
32. Chet Baker - Chet
33. Isaac Hayes - Black Moses
34. Diana Krall - The Look of Love
35. Jimmy Scott - Falling In Love Is Wonderful
36. Dean Martin - Dino! The Italian Love Songs
37. Massive Attack - Mezzanine
38. Roxy Music - Avalon
39. Air Supply - Now and Forever
40. Prince - For You
41. Roberta Flack - First Take
42. Boyz II Men - II
43. Enigma - LSD
44. Depeche Mode - Violator
45. Fiona Apple - Tidal
46. Harry Connick, Jr. - We Are In Love
47. Zero 7 - Simple Things
48. Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See
49. Theivery Corporation - The Mirror Conspiracy
50. George Michael - Faith
51. Paolo Conte - Reveries
52. Lou Donaldson - Lush Life
53. Carla Bruni - Quelqu'un M'a Dit
54. A Touch of Schmilsson in the Night - Harry Nilsson
55. The O'Jays - So Full Of Love
56. The Spinners - Mighty Love
57. Francoise Hardy - Ma Jeunesse Fout L'camp
58. Julee Cruise - Floating Into The Night
59. Nina Simone - Here Comes The Sun
60. The Dramatics - Me & Mrs. Jones
61. Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas
62. Willie Nelson - Stardust
63. The Softies - It's Love
64. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
65. John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy
66. Stevie Wonder - My Cherie Amour
67. Billy Ocean - Suddenly
68. Judee Sill - Heart Food
69. Usher - Confessions
70. Red House Painters - Red House Painters I
71. Roy Orbison - Mystery Girl
72. Erykah Badu - Baduism
73. Maxwell - Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
74. John Legend - Save Room
75. Sarah McLachlan - Solace
76. Ray Charles & Milt Jackson - Soul Brothers / Soul Meeting
77. Jean-Yves Thibaudet - Satie: The Magic of Satie
78. Dave Brubeck - Take Five
79. Chris Isaak - Heart Shaped World
80. Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
81. Bjork - Homogenic
82. Patricia Barber - Modern Cool
83. Nicolai Dunger - Tranquil Isolation
84. Michael Buble - Call Me Irresponsible
85. Jill Scott - Who is Jill Scott?
86. Tricky - Maxinquaye
87. Goldfrapp - Black Cherry
88. Keren Ann - Nolita
89. Shirley Horn - Travelin' Light
90. James Moody - Young At Heart
91. Jens Lekman - When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog
92. Bebel Gilberto - Bebel Gilberto
93. The Cure - Disintigration
94. Enya - Watermark
95. The Postal Service - Give Up
96. Rufus Wainwright - Rufus Wainwright
97. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs, Vol. 1
98. Astrud Gilberto - Look to the Rainbow
99. R. Kelly - 12 Play
100. Seu Jorge - The Life Aquatic Exclusive Sessions

[The 100 Greatest Romantic Albums of All Time at Amazon MP3]

--Alan Wiley

The 100 Greatest Debut Albums of All Time

Music nerds, let's get ready to argue.

For the first in an ongoing series of the "100 Greatest *fillintheblank* of All Time" lists, we decided to use our collective knowledge to run down the best ever debut albums. Dig our picks below and let us know where we went horribly, horribly wrong in the comments.

1. U2 - Boy
2. Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
3. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
4. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
5. Joy Division - Unkown Pleasures
6. Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn
7. Nirvana - Bleach
8. Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan
9. Metallica - Kill 'em all
10. Arcade Fire - Funeral
11. Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
12. The Smiths - The Smiths
13. Jeff Buckley - Grace
14. Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
15. Patti Smith - Horses
16. Brian Eno - Here Come The Warm Jets
17. Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley
18. Guns 'n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
19. The Who - The Who Sings My Generation
20. New Order - Movement
21. Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
22. Bob Marley - Catch a Fire
23. Kanye West - The College Dropout
24. Bruce Springsteen - Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.
25. The Rolling Stones - England's Newest Hitmakers
26. Radiohead - Pablo Honey
27. R.E.M. - Murmur
28. Talking Heads - 77
29. John Coltrane - Coltrane
30. Pearl Jam - Ten
31. Eric B. and Rakim - Paid in Full
32. the Doors - The Doors
33. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?
34. Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
35. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of…
36. Van Halen - Van Halen
37. Buddy Holly - The Chirping Crickets
38. The Clash - The Clash
39. Wu Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang
40. Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
41. Sex Pistols - Nevermind the Bollocks
42. Madonna - Madonna
43. Dr. Dre - The Chronic
44. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle
45. Vicente Fernandez - A Pesar De Todo
46. A Tribe Called Quest - Peoples' Instinctive Travels & the Paths of Rhythm
47. Nas - Illmatic
48. Television - Marquee Moon
49. Wire - Pink Flag
50. Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
51. Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers
52. Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
53. Coldplay - Parachutes
54. Gang of Four - Entertainment!
55. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
56. Portishead - Dummy
57. Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
58. The Band - Music from Big Pink
59. The Stooges - The Stooges
60. The Pretenders - The Pretenders
61. Santana - Santana
62. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Creedence Clearwater Revival
63. Heart - Dreamboat Annie
64. The New York Dolls - The New York Dolls
65. The Police - Outlandos d'Amour
66. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
67. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
68. D'Angelo - Brown Sugar
69. Funkadelic - Funkadelic
70. Run-DMC - Run-DMC
71. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
72. Postal Service - Give Up
73. Ludacris - Incognegro
74. Calle 13 - Calle 13
75. Alejandro Fernandez - Alejandro Fernanadez
76. 50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
77. Dwight Yoakam - Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc. Etc.
78. Mudhoney - Superfuzz Bigmuff
79. Mana - Falta Amor
80. Lee Ann Womack - Lee Ann Womack
81. Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off
82. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
83. The Strokes - Is This It?
84. Weezer - blue album
85. Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
86. Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
87. Massive Attack - Blue Lines
88. B-52s - B-52s
89. Can - Monster Movie
90. Sonic Youth - Confusion Is Sex
91. Bjork - Debut
92. Randy Travis - Storms of Life
93. Morrissey - Viva Hate
94. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced…
95. Shins - Oh, Inverted World
96. Roxy Music - Roxy Music
97. Daft Punk - Homework
98. Sade - Diamond Life
99. Boyz II Men - Cooleyhighharmony
100. Big Star - #1 Record

[The 100 Greatest Debut Albums of All Time at Amazon MP3]

-- Jeff Reguilon