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Zersch's Top 20 Albums; (or How I Learned to Love the '90s)
Topic Started: Thursday 8-05-2008, 07:55 (2,543 Views)
Cole
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I'm Coming Home
Welcome to my top 20 albums list, a curious little diversion for me for the night. Though the entire list will be a work in progress over the next twenty days, this preface along with the bottom of the rung #20 entry will be written up tonight. It took me a few hours of switching bands around in a makeshift hierarchy in notepad for me to finally come up with something that pleased me and that I felt represented my true feelings and not what I may have conditioned myself to believe over the past few years of gorging on classic rock music. In fact, as I went along gathering the dates of release for each of the albums on my list I came to a startling realization; the majority of the albums were released in the '90s some even released in the 2000's.

Depending on how long it takes me to scratch out a decent write-up for each album, I will update this topic each or every other day. While I know exactly why I love each album, I might struggle trying to keep each entry from sounding similar. With each entry I will highlight the three songs I enjoy the most from that album. While musing up a top twenty I actually came up with a top forty, so each entry will also highlight two albums that fell just short of making it on to the list. Why didn't I just go with a top forty or gather up an extra ten albums and just go for an all out top fifty? Because that's just too much; twenty entries seems much more manageable. Anyway, I don't expect anyone to care about any of this, but I was going to do it to amuse myself so I thought I might as well do it here.. So feel free to discuss the entries and whatever else you deem fit inbetween my posting.

tl;dr version: Ammending this to include a quick reference for the albums revealed so far along with nominations that didn't make it.


#20 - Marilyn Manson, Mechanical Animals
>>>>Static-X, Wisconsin Death Trip
>>>>Powerman5000, Tonight! The Stars Revolt

#19 - White Zombie, La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol.1
>>>>Stone Temple Pilots, Core
>>>>Hootie and the Blowfish, Cracked Rear View

#18 - Monster Manget, Dopes to Infinity
>>>>The Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
>>>>The Afghan Whigs, Gentlemen

#17 - Soundgarden, Superunknown
>>>>The Melvins, Stoner Witch
>>>>The Deftones, Around the Fur

#16 - Tool, Undertow
>>>>Special: Demon Knight Official Soundtrack
>>>>Special: Spawn Official Soundtrack

#15 - Rage Against the Machine, The Battle of Los Angeles
>>>>Acid Bath, When the Kite String Pops
>>>>Bush, Sixteen Stone

#14 - At the Drive-In, Relationship of Command
>>>>Matchbox Twenty, Yourself or Someone Like You
>>>>Staind, Dysfunction

#13 - Smashing Pumpkins, Gish
>>>>Reel Big Fish, Turn the Radio Off
>>>>Sunny Day Real Estate, Diary

#12 - Pantera, Cowboys From Hell
>>>>Candlebox, Candlebox
>>>>Cold, 13 Ways to Bleed on Stage

#11 - Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blood Sugar Sex Magik
>>>>The Butthole Surfers, Electriclarryland
>>>>Propaghandi, How to Clean Everything

#10 - Foo Fighters, The Colour and the Shape
>>>>Third Eye Blind, Third Eye Blind
>>>>Rammstein, Sehnsucht

#09 - Our Lady Peace, Spiritual Machines
>>>>Coal Chamber, Coal Chamber
>>>>System of a Down, System of a Down

#08 - A Perfect Circle, Mer De Noms
>>>>Oasis, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
>>>>Queens of the Stone Age, Rated R

#07 - Pearl Jam, Ten
>>>>Nirvana, Nevermind
>>>>R.E.M., Automatic for the People

#06 - Primus, Pork Soda
>>>>Dream Theater, Metropolis Part II: Scenes from a Memory
>>>>Goo Goo Dolls, Dizzy Up the Girl

#05 - Nine Inch Nails, The Downward Spiral
>>>>Nine Inch Nails, The Fragile
>>>>Radiohead, OK Computer

#04 - The Deftones, White Pony
>>>>Black Label Society, Stronger Than Death
>>>>Godsmack, Godsmack

#03 - Megadeth, Rust in Peace
>>>>Metallica, Metallica (Black Album)
>>>>Alice in Chains, Dirt

#02 - Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream
>>>>Retro: The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1
>>>>Modern: GWAR, War Party

#01 - Tool, Aenima
>>>>Retro: David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust...
>>>>Modern: Muse, Absolution
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Cole
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I'm Coming Home
#20
Marilyn Manson
Mechanical Animals (1998)
"...but all the drugs in this world won't save her from herself."

Posted ImagePosted Image

Professional Reviews:
Amazon - 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
All Music Guide - 4 out of 5 stars.
Rolling Stone - 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Top 3 songs on this album
1. The Last Day on Earth
2. Mechanical Animals
3. The Dope Show


Yes indeed, Marilyn Manson and the rest of his rag tag group of fag hags (ha, assonance is fun) with super model/serial killer mixed monikers completely reinvented their image at the time with this one little album. Shedding the antichrist guise in favor of an undeniably '70s glam rock look, I'm not sure if this album ever grew on the loyal Manson fanbase. To completely pilfer a line from Wikipedia because there's no way it could have been said more perfectly, "Mechanical Animals is, on an aesthetic level, far less dark, but in concept, far more grim." Half of the album has a pop-feel to it, while the other half plays to the dreadful, abandoned feeling of being all alone in this Great Big White World - which will be discussed in a later paragraph.

This was one of Jeordie White's, known as Twiggy Ramirez during his tenure with Marilyn Manson, last albums with the band before he moved on to a temporary position in A Perfect Circle. Released on Trent Reznor's former record label, Nothing Records, this album found itself less under the spell of Trent Reznor as compared to the previous entry, Antichrist Superstar which was heavily produced, mixed, and edited by the Nine Inch Nails juggernaut. This time the only hint of super-star backing came in the form of Billy Corgan contributing back-up vocals on the song The Speed of Pain, but that was alright, Manson's ego was erected to perfection and throbbing blissfully. And rightfully so. He was a driving force in the public eye at the time. He was obscene, profane, hated by parents, and the children loved him for it.

Similarities have been drawn between Mechanical Animals and David Bowie's own The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (which you will meet later on in the list.) Manson has gone on public record noting the heavy influence of Bowie on his concept for the album; the story of a drug addled band leader (Ziggy, or in this case, Omega) and his fictional band (The Spiders from Mars / The Mechanical Animals) wrestling with his identity and his stardom. Marilyn Manson assumes two roles on this album, the afformentioned Omega and another character named Alpha who is more grounded and relates more to Manson himself. Out of the fourteen songs on the CD, seven can be attributed to Omega while the other seven can be attributed to Alpha. Mechanical Animals is a very cohesive concept album that works on both levels; taken straight as an album or chopped into halves as the artist originally intended it.

Critical acclaim and fanboys aside, Mechanical Animals did go on to become Marilyn Manson's largest world-wide bestseller, mainly thanks to the two singles that were pulled from it. Rock is Dead is immortalized in 1999's The Matrix, albeit at the beginning of the credits roll, while The Dope Show was a serious contender on MTV at the time. Even Walmart's boycott of the album due to it's suggestive album art couldn't slow this one down. Yes, it seemed like Marilyn Manson was finally poised to infiltrate the mainstream music scene (not that The Beautiful People was anything to scoff at two years prior) but just like that, everything stopped mere months after the release and the album became virtually blacklisted. What happened, you ask?

On April 20th, 1999 Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold leveled their school with automatic weapons in a grisly display of teenage fucktardism. This sent shockwaves throughout the entire United States and caused people to peer a bit closer at these two degenerates and what could have caused them to do such a thing. It wasn't because of shitty parenting or severe near-mental retardation, no, it was the fault of Id software and their classic gaming cornerstone Doom, and of course, Marilyn Manson. Though it came to be known that the duo actually loathed Manson for whatever reason, and much prefered the thumpa-pump of industrial rockers KMFDM, Marilyn Manson and his album Mechanical Animals became the scapegoat for the tragedy. Further boycotts and death threats were rampant, leading Manson to actually go into hiding for a year or so out of fear of being killed by a vigilante. This time would be used for writing his next opus, Holywood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) which was... let's just say it didn't come close to making the list like it's bretheren did.

And thus we reach the end of entry number 20, Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals, an album I can suggest to any fan of Nine Inch Nails and the ilk. Though it's not as heavy, it truly plays to the gloomy and helpless side visited in NiN's lyrics, while remaining fresh throughout the entire album. I apologize for any typos as I'm doing this in Notepad and Opera doesn't have a spellcheck feature as readily available as Firefox did. I hope you enjoyed our time spent together here, and I hope to see you back for entry 19. Until then, feel free to discuss.


Two albums that just missed getting the number 20 spot:

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Static-X - Wisconsin Death Trip (1999) This album is being edited in to replace a CD that broke the theme of my top twenty 90s albums. This was the debut album from industrial metal band Static-X and is without a doubt their best offering to date. One of only three acts I have actually seen live in concert, the typical track from this album makes you feel like you just snorted a gram of cocaine and are now bouncing around inside a big metal box. That descreption doesn't sound nearly as fun as the CD actually proves to be, Wayne's distorted and fast-talking voice laying over each track like it was itself an instrument. Love Dump is my favorite track from here, and the bastards forced me to cheer for an encore before I finally got to hear it live. Static-X live downtown, outside with streets blocked off + their little compact lightshow + a light drizzling rain = a living, writhing mass of bodies thumping in unison to the beats. It was an amazing experience.

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2. Powerman 5000 - Tonight the Stars Revolt! (1999) Rob Zombie's little brother Spider leads his Rogue's Gallery away from the rap/rock infused feel of their first few CDs and instead they head towards the final frontier, space. Though slightly repetetive, Tonight the Stars Revolt! is a solid record and a bright mark on the otherwise tarnished record of Powerman 5000. While adding in the blurb about Static-X's Wisconsin Death Trip, I realized I failed to mention that I have enjoyed Powerman 5000 live in concert in my shitty little town, and it was actually the first concert I ever attended. They did a few White Zombie covers that managed to make up for the fact that they mainly stuck to their current material at the time.
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MLWW
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Dutch Bastard
Can't wait I guess >_>


btw I have read everything.
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Cole
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I'm Coming Home
#19
White Zombie
La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1 (1992)
"Do you have to open graves to find girls to fall in love with?"

Posted Image

Professional Reviews:
All Music Guide - 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Top 3 songs on this album
1. Thunder Kiss '65
2. Welcome to Planet Motherfucker
3. Warp Asylum


Evoking the mental image of grimy cineplexes and vintage monster movies, White Zombie landed sometime in the mid-80's with their first EP, Gods on Voodoo Moon but it wasn't until 1992 that they released an album that officially freed them of their underground chains, allowing a wider audience to enjoy the White Zombie experience. And what an experience it was. Drawing on horror movies from the past, Rob Zombie took these abstract themes and wove them into equally if not more-so abstract songs. The majority of the lyrics on the album (and every other White Zombie album, for that matter) were so off the wall it leads one to wonder if Rob was double dosing on acid the entire time he had his pen to the pad.

Sounding much more streamlined and groove filled than 1995's Astro-Creep: 2000 - Songs Of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (takes a breath), La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1 marked the beginning of my longstanding love affair with this group of grimy hoodlums. Though none of the members of the band were exceptionally gifted at their particular instruments (their bassist Sean Yseult literally being handed a bass and told she had to learn how to play) the four piece worked together perfectly, creating simple but memorable riffs that refuse to go away even today. The shining star of the ensemble, as we all now know, was Rob Zombie with his raspy, fast-paced spitting of cryptic lyrics. This was their golden ticket and they were aware of this, riding his vocal talents out until the band dissolved in 1998.

Receiving a boon in popularity from being featured on Beavis and Butthead, the track "Thunder Kiss '65" was put into heavy rotation on MTV along with the album's other stand out single, Black Sunshine. Both of these tracks were featured in the Guitar Hero series (I and III respectively.) I'm going to cut it here and try to keep the rest of the write-ups around this size until I start closing in on the top five.


Two more albums that just missed getting on the list:

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1. Stone Temple Pilots - Core (1992) Distinguished by the fact that this was one of only two albums that Scott Weiland penned while he was sober, Core is aptly named because it contains what I'm sure was the 'core' setlist for most STP shows. Dead and Bloated, Sex Type Thing, Creep, Plush, and Wicked Garden all reside on this one disc.

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2. Hootie and the Blowfish - Cracked Rear View (1994) Proving Blues Traveler's own John Popper and his adage that the 'hook brings you back,' Hootie and co. blasted onto the scene in the mid-nineties and had a few monster commercial hits in "Let Her Cry," "Only Wanna Be With You," and "Hold My Hand." After this album ... there was nothing noteworthy. Sorry "Hootie", better luck next time you chocolately scoundrel.
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Steve Jobs
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Ceo, Founder, Deity of Apple, Inc
Yeah STP!

Though, I guess since this is a 90s topic, we won't see Thriller :(
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`roboteectoast
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ALL IRONS IRON IRON !
Seto Kiaba
May 8 2008, 8:30:27 PM
Yeah STP!

Though, I guess since this is a 90s topic, we won't see Thriller :(

Ms. Kiaba gains +10 awesome points for liking Thriller.
^>_>^
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Phazorn
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NOTHING
This topic is awesome and win.

>_>b
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Cole
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I'm Coming Home
Seto Kiaba
May 8 2008, 5:30:27 AM
Yeah STP!

Though, I guess since this is a 90s topic, we won't see Thriller :(

Well, I said that a very select few on the list predated the 90s. Thriller could very well be on here, especially with that superb anniversary re-issue so fresh in my mind.
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Cole
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I'm Coming Home
#18
Monster Magnet
Dopes to Infinity (1995)
"Me and myself killed a world today, me and myself got a world to save."

Posted Image

Professional Reviews:
All Music Guide - 4 out of 5 stars.

Top 3 songs on this album
1. Third Alternative
2. Negasonic Teenage Warhead
3. Dopes to Infinity



This album marks kind of a mid-point in Monster Magnet's musical progression. What started as a space-minded stoner rock quartet evolved over time into the more hard rock/metal sound displayed on their more popular records, Powertrip and God Says No. While distanced from the trippy, more than thirty minute long stoner jams of their early days, they hadn't quite refined their sound on Dopes to Infinity, but they certainly had the right idea. Space themed lyrics set to the lazy, hypnotic chug of their guitars lends an epic scope to nearly every song from beginning to end. Dave Wyndorf's medicated delivery on ever song sounds even better when you've smoked a fresh bowl yourself.

Yes, it's time to talk drugs. Surprise, surprise right? This album had the honor of being played the first time I got high. While everything else that happened that day amounted to little more than giggles and the munchies and basically faded into my memory, I vividly remember staring off in a trance, being completely drawn into the music presented by Monster Magnet here. Even nowadays this album can lull me back into that mindblown state under the right circumstances. This is another album on my list that leant a song to The Matrix in the form of Look to Your Orb for the Warning, which I will tackle soon in one of my "two albums that just missed the list" asides.


Two albums that just missed getting on the list:

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1. The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995) Yes, this one had to get the boot. While this (double) album from the Pumpkins was no doubt fantastic, I still feel like it's a bit overreaching in scope. While I like several songs spanning both discs, I feel other albums in the Pumpkins library achieved more on one single disc.

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2. The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen (1993) A band you've more than likely never heard of, mainly due to their impeccable timing of bursting onto the scene while all eyes were on Cobain and Pearl Jam. Greg Dulli ranks among my personal favorite vocalists of all time. A lot of his songs conjure up images of making love in a smoky room. With a confused Puerto Rican man.
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Ectopants
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Handsome Devil
I'm going to spoil something for everyone.

Rust in Peace will appear on here.

That being said, great topic, I'd make one too but I don't think people really care about my musical taste.
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Ectopants
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Handsome Devil
WHAT THE HELL MELLON COLLIE NOT MAKING THE LIST

thats just sick man
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uber
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Sexy Beast
Awesome topix man! And yeah, I would also be intersted in wriiting one of these, if anyone else here actually knew any of the bands I listened to <_< Not to mention I cant write worth shit.
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Ectopants
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Handsome Devil
Alright, now for my predictions aside from RiP:

Smashing Pumpkins-Siamese Dream
Pearl Jam-Ten
Traveling Wilburys-Vol. 1
Slayer-Reign In Blood
David Bowie-Ziggy Stardust
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Cole
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I'm Coming Home
Ectopants
May 8 2008, 9:57:57 AM
I'm going to spoil something for everyone.

Rust in Peace will appear on here.

That being said, great topic, I'd make one too but I don't think people really care about my musical taste.

And people care about mine? I mean outside of you and a few others that would actually look at and have a few things to say about it and all. At the end of all of this I was going to suggest you or whoever wanted to should make their own as well. As for Mellon Collie, I've just always prefered the other albums over it.
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Ectopants
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Handsome Devil
preferred THE other albums over it? As in, all of them? Even Machina II?

damn.

and yeah, I might just make one...I mean you, me, maybe Cade and a few others are the only ones really interested in music. Just take a look at the WAYLT topic and it's swarming with posts made by like, 5 users.
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Ectopants
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Handsome Devil
anyways keep it up, i always like reading these.
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Judge Doom
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Supersoldier
pretty cool list so far. makes me wanna look for some of the stuff I listened to back in the day. *ponders own idea for a list that is based on this but is also different so I can claim it as my own idea* ~>_>~
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Cole
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I'm Coming Home
UberSsjNaruto
May 8 2008, 10:01:04 AM
Awesome topix man! And yeah, I would also be intersted in wriiting one of these, if anyone else here actually knew any of the bands I listened to <_< Not to mention I cant write worth shit.

I implore you to consider making one once I'm done. It's good to share things like this, to broaden horizons. Not that anything I've put down so far is groundbreaking, there are some bands people may have not heard of and as a result gives them a listen. They might find something they like, they may not.
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Cole
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I'm Coming Home
Ectopants
May 8 2008, 10:05:42 AM
preferred THE other albums over it? As in, all of them? Even Machina II?

damn.

and yeah, I might just make one...I mean you, me, maybe Cade and a few others are the only ones really interested in music. Just take a look at the WAYLT topic and it's swarming with posts made by like, 5 users.

And no, no God no, not all of the albums. Just two specifically. Mellon Collie plays third fiddle in the Pumpkins discography for me, but it's still a stellar recording. Thanks for the kind words on the topic Ecto, and everyone else that dropped in.
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Ectopants
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Handsome Devil
haha, alright, just making sure.

If that's the case that there's another Pumpkins recording above it, I'm going to say either Adore or Gish but I'm not sure which one or if it'll even make the list.

do you mind my predictions or do you not want me to ruin anything if they're right?
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