Greatest albums (Part 1 20-16)

Just because I've always felt like compiling a list like this. Ground rules: Live albums count, greatest hits packages don't. These aren't necessarily meant to be the consensus best, just ones that I personally love or have special meaning to me. Onto the list.

Honorable mention: Because it's a greatest hits package it doesn't qualify for the list, but one of my favorite memories of college was gathering around with some friends from the dorm, drinking and singing along to Garth The Hits on a lazy Friday night. That disc was my gateway to liking country music.

20. Concrete Blonde - Live in Brazil (2003)

I believe the biggest respect you can pay a band is to say they put on a great live show, which is really what music is all about. Sometimes those bands have trouble conveying that over to a studio recording, which is why I love live albums anytime I can find them.

Don't get me wrong, Concrete Blonde's studio recordings are still plenty good and I still find it perplexing that they didn't hit it bigger in the 90's. As is it "Joey" and "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" received some regular radio airplay, but other than that they stayed pretty well underground.

Which is a shame, because Jim Mankey was an excellent guitarist with some almost R.E.M. style pop hooks at times, but also shades of punk and 80's pop at times as well. What really made Concrete Blonde great though, was the magnificent voice of Johnette Napolitano and the voice only got more powerful and amazing live.

I'm much more of a music person than lyrical person, but sometimes the vocal performance can just put things over the top and this album's got it all. Never a stranger to controversial songs, this live set has them all. Song about AIDS? Check. Song about gun control? Check. Song about alcoholism? Check. Throw in a goth rock song and a Leonard Cohen cover bake at 350 and serve warm.

On a Leonard Cohen tangent, I love the man's lyrics. I truly do, but he has got to be one of the worst performers ever so I love when someone with actual talent remakes his hits.

Key tracks: God Is A Bullet, Joey, Tomorrow Wendy, Everybody Knows, Take Me Home

19. Counting Crows - August And Everything After (1993)

Oddly juxtaposed next to a great live album is a band that put on quite possibly the worst live show I've ever seen, but I still can't deny the greatness of this album. When I got my first cd player for my 13th birthday, this cd along with Tom Petty's greatest hits were almost constantly playing.

Of course, Mr Jones was the huge hit off this album, but most of the rest of the album has a much more distinct mellow feel to it. And I really do want to be Bob Dylan. I've already got the acoustic guitar, harmonica and ability to mumble down. Now if I could just nail the songwriting poetry I'd be good to go.

Key Tracks: Mr. Jones, Round Here, Omaha

18. Motley Crue - Dr. Feelgood (1989)

I know being a semi-music snob, I should fundamentally dislike cock rock, but I fully embrace it, not just as a guilty pleasure, but as legimately good music. Music doesn't need to be complex to be good. Hair metal proves this point to a tee.

That being said, lumping all hair metal together is kind of unfair to bands that were actually talented. Crue isn't just good hair metal music, it's good metal music period. And this along with Shout At The Devil is their quintessential album. But since I was 1 when Shout At the Devil came out, I'm going with this one.

I had forgotten how much I enjoy this album until it was released to the Rock Band discography. Red White and Crue is usually in my rotation since I get more of the essential songs on that, but the absolute best are all on here.

Key Tracks: Kickstart My Heart, Dr. Feelgood, Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)

17. Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)

Johnny Cash like fine wine just got better with age. The last album he released before his death is definitive proof of that. At the very least, you have to admit this is the greatest recording ever made by anyone over the age of 70.

I read a quote one time that said, "Johnny Cash could sing the phone book and make it sound great" which is almost unassuredly true, but his American recordings with Rick Rubin definitely prove this as all but one song on here is a cover (some of his own older songs) and everything sounds great even though it's only his voice, an acoustic guitar and an occasional piano.

Everytime I hear NIN version of "Hurt" I have to remind myself it's the original and Cash's is the cover. Trent Reznor even renounced that song, saying he couldn't do it any better than Johnny Cash. It's almost like it was written for him.

Key Tracks: Hurt, The Man Comes Around, Give My Love To Rose

16. Cowboy Mouth - Live At The Zoo (2004)

Probably the least known band you'll see in this list, and probably the best live band you'll ever see. Describing a Cowboy Mouth show is futile. I can't possibly put into words how awesome of an experience it is. Last time I saw them, I was 3 feet away from Fred's bass drum. When I can't hear by the time I'm 40, I'll still say it was totally worth it.

This is just good straightforward rock with a little punk and a tad bit of a country feel to it at times. This cd is almost on permanant rotation and it's also great music when I'm out on a run. I'm now up to seeing them live at least 5 times and more importantly introducing others to them as well.

This is probably the band I discovered through the most random channel as well. About 4 years ago now my friend Hardy posted a blog entry talking about how his parents were conservative when he was younger and wouldn't let him go see bands like STP, Weezer, Green Day and Cowboy Mouth. One of these things is not like the other, so I decided to seek out this unknown band and it just so happened they were playing live less than a month later. A group of us went to the show and the rest is history.

Key Tracks: Light It On Fire, Everybody Loves Jill, Jenny Says