50 Years, 50 Albums. One crazy difficult list

Author Steve Black

July 31st, 2021 8:32 AM

In celebration of WRIF’s 50th anniversary, I challenged myself to endure the pain of picking 0ne single album for each year. This is not a declaration of the “best” for each year, more like the old desert island pick….times 50.

So, with no further delay from 1971 to 2021; these are my selections:

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  My personal favorite from The Who

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  A mixture of power and grace

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  Perfection
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  Perfection - genius level

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  the most important album of my childhood

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  brilliant and it never gets old or stale
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  My favorite album from an all-time great band (top 5 for me)

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  Best debut ever?

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  complicated perfection
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  uncomplicated perfection

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  a teenage defining album for me

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  The moment "hard rock" become my favorite genre
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  proof that musical brilliance can still be catchy and melodic

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  Every musician is audible and blazing. 5 musicians really coming together.

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  What can I say? My weakness for The Cure started here.
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  My mind was blown at the time....still is in fact

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  Guitar playing so good it covers for the average production and vocals

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  A story delivered with no filler. Just skill and passion
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  The best non-million selling album ever

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  The best instrumental album ever

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  Metallica at their absolute peek as writers
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  Over almost everyone's head, but if you "got it", it remains a top 10 album of all-time

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  The most non-Seattle sounding band to arrive from Seattle in the 90s

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  How can only 3 guys create so much magic?
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  The moments TSO was born from Savatage

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  The moment King's X should have sold 5 million albums in a single year

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  A mix of influences lit on fire by Dave Grohl's passion
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  Maybe the best recorded and mixed album ever. SO MANY LAYERS

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  Weird is my middle name so yes, yes I can pick a Buckethead album

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  God I miss Paul O'Neill
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  God bless Jon Oliva

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  Rage Against the Garden!

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  When your other albums are not working and you need some inspiration in your life
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  The best album from the best band you've never heard of

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  FOOS!

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  TOOL!
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  Jack White is 1/2 blues man, 1/4 pissed off guy and 1/4 Frank Zappa fan. I'll take it.

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  What getting hit by a truck sound like....thank you C.T.

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  Joe and Sammy....and Mike....and Chad. Wow.
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  Avenged at the moment it all came together

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  More Foos!

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  Corey Taylor becomes the best song writer of his generation
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  Volbeat mixing sounds and styles that shouldn't work....yet here we are.

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  The best combo of a band, album and live show since Tool in the 90s.

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  Same....yep, just as good as Nothing More
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  Volbeat doing more things that shouldn't work....yet?

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  Royal Blood are a two-man wrecking machine

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  Halestorm's best record to date. If they top this they will be approaching legendary status
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  Tool returns!

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  They are just so...damn...fun!

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Author Steve Black

Category:

• Music
• Steve Black
• Uncategorized