INHAILER RADIO'S TOP 500 ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME: (#375—351)
- Jay Burgin
- Jan 18, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 27, 2021
This is the 6th post in this series. Click here to start from the beginning: Inhailer's Top 500 Albums of All-Time: (#500--476)
Every Friday, Inhailer is counting down our totally objective, completely undisputed, most-correct list of the Top 500 albums of all time. We're doing so in bite-size chunks of 25 albums (nobody has the energy in their thumbs to scroll through 500 albums in one sitting). Last week we continued our countdown with the likes of Sonic Youth, Erykah Badu, and MC5. This week we continue with Nos. 375-351. The ask was simple: excluding compilation albums, what are the 500 best albums of all-time, ranked? Here's the sixth list in the countdown:
375. Fanny - Fanny Hill (1972)
Fanny's third album sounds like a pissed-off Carole King becoming the prototype for future amplified 'girl groups' like the Go-Gos, The Bangles, and L7.
374. Modest Mouse - Good New For People Who Love Bad News (2004)
You're hearing that "Float On" riff right now, aren't you? The best two songs on the album, though, might just before and after this indie headbanger.
373. Blur - Parklife (1994)
Lead singer Damon Albarn, four years prior to Parklife's release, said "When our third album comes out, our place as the quintessential English band of the '90s will be assured..." Cocky, but correct.
372. Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (1989)
Trent Reznor created his debut album while working as a studio handyman, using the studio's down-time and a Macintosh Plus to craft a new breed of danceable e-rock.
371. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis (1956)
Who said music has to be so serious? Three of the all-time greats (Oscar Peterson on piano) collaborate on a key collection of wholesome, light-hearted, and charming jazz ballads.
370. Beck - Sea Change (2002)
Mr. Hansen stripped back almost all of his impenetrable lyrics and wild sampling to an emotionally-barren acoustic wilderness. Fun fact: Beck's father did the string arrangements.
369. Brian Eno - Another Green World (1975)
Even those who usually can't stand Brian Eno can enjoy this one. It doesn't hurt that Robert Fripp (King Crimson), John Cale (Velvet Underground), and Phil Collins all pitched in.
368. Jackson Browne - Jackson Browne (1972)
The original West Coast singer-songwriter sounds timeless (but with a production style so '70s) on an album that makes you want to get out of bed on the hardest of mornings.
367. Depeche Mode - Violator (1990)
Martin Gore's subtle, sultry songwriting is at its peak: "Your own personal Jesus...flesh and bone by the telephone/lift up the receiver/I'll make you a believer."
366. B.B. King - Live At the Regal (1965)
There's a reason the most acclaimed blues album ever made is a live album. B.B. King Chicago performance is electrifying, witty, and unparalleled fun.
365. Zero 7 - Simple Things (2001)
The British Duo rides spacey synths from the crest of the wave to the underwater crash on the beach. It's hard to believe this is their debut release.
364. Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill (1995)
Debates on how this album has aged over the last quarter-century still rage on, but Morissette touched a momentary pulse on the angsty '90s teenagers just a few years younger than her.
363. Uncle Tupelo - Anodyne (1993)
Released during their breakup, bandleaders Tweedy and Farrar were appearing to be a much sadder McCartney-Lennon songwriting team for thirsty alternative country fans.
362. Fugees - The Score (1996)
"It's an audio film. It's like how radio was back in the 1940s. It tells a story." says rapper Lauryn Hill about her group's smash hip hop Grammy-Winner.
361. George Harrison - All Things Must Pass (1970)
Here's an unexpectedly easy claim to make: Harrison's triple LP is easily the best post-Beatles solo effort.
360. Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space (1997)
The shocking quote that album's concept notes how humans "cling on desperately and yell at the people nestling deep... stuffing themselves with delicious food and drink."
359. J Dilla - Donuts (2006)
This album, recorded in the hospital while J Dilla fought lupus, contains 31 tracks (J Dilla's age at the time). J Dilla died just three days after Donuts was released.
358. Public Image Ltd. - Public Image: First Issue (1978)
"Didn't you ever have that feeling when you get up with a hangover, and you look at the world and think 'Count me out, I'd rather die!'?", says bandleader John Lydon.
357. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly (1958)
Holly's first release after dissolving The Crickets is a landmark pop record, and its certainly the best one to ever feature a hit song with knee-slapping percussion.
356. The Shins - Oh, Inverted World (2001)
James Mercer's soaring vocals and bright, meticulous pop aesthetic launched The Shins from New Mexico to the national stage.
355. John Prine - John Prine (1971)
Before the album cover photoshoot, Prine had reportedly never sat on a bale of straw in his whole life. That's about the only place that this country folk masterpiece is inauthentic.
354. The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers (1976)
Jonathan Richman waited four years for his garage proto-punk to hit the shelves and the world learned that Pablo Picasso was, in fact, not an asshole.
353. Massive Attack - Mezzanine (1998)
This 4/20 release put the trip in trip hop. This eerie, swirling electronica strikes with a deadly bite.
352. Steely Dan - Aja (1977)
The commercial height of pretentious jazz rock also set a new standard for audiophile production quality and recording session experimentation.
351. Bob Marley and the Wailers - Catch A Fire (1973)
Widely accepted as one of the finest reggae albums of all-time, the phrase Catch A Fire and the album therein is an acute condemnation of slavery and colonial oppression.
Want to listen to our choice cuts from this list? Follow our countdown playlist on Spotify!
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