(Don Chance)
Whenever someone compiles a list of the "best" of anything, I just have to say "BS." It might be easy to compile a list of the best teams of all time or the salesmen, because there are numeric measures that can be used to compare one against another. Lists of the best movies, best singers, best songs are absolute nonsense. Unless, of course, you simply acknowledge that they are your personal favorites. I have many of these lists, and they are nothing more than my personal favorites, reflecting my taste, what I have bought over the years, and what I have played again and again. Here are my favorites.
Note: to be eligible, the album must not be a "greatest hits" type of album.
Quite frankly, I had a hard time coming up with 20. I love music, but it was hard to come up with 20 albums. Outside of a few top hits from a given album, most of the stuff on an album if fluff, nothing more than filler. Marketing is what it's all about. Put a few great songs on an album and charge a premium price for the great songs and a bunch of songs that aren't worth a crap. If an artist had more than a few great songs ready, marketing would suggest that the songs be saved for another album.
Well, anyway, here's my list, with Amazon links in case you want to buy or sample any.
Rumours (Fleetwood Mac)
Bookends (Simon & Garfunkle)
Sweet Baby James (James Taylor)
Tapesty (Carole King)
Heart Like a Wheel (Linda Ronstadt)
Prisoner in Disguise (Linda Ronstadt)
Buckingham Nicks (Lindsey Buckingham & Stevie Nicks)
Walking Man (James Taylor)
The Spirit of '67 (Paul Revere & the Raiders)
The Stranger (Billy Joel)
Wild Heart (Stevie Nicks)
No Secrets (Carly Simon)
Out of Order (Rod Stewart)
Cloud Nine (George Harrison)
Born in the USA (Bruce Springsteen)
Diva (Annie Lennox)
Medusa (Annie Lennox)
Heart of Stone (Cher)
Ray of Light (Madonna)
Rubber Soul (The Beatles)