
Objective Subjectivity or my quest to discover the Top 100 Albums of all time: “L” albums recap
5 weeks and 111 albums, this is recap #12 of 26.
Discoveries
1. I’m back in the game.
After two letters in two weeks and only one Top 100 contender, “L” put me back on track ushering in a whopping 111 albums while adding nine albums to the contender list. We haven’t seen over 100 albums in a letter since “B,” which clocked in with 123 (not including any add ons after the fact).
2. “L” spanned the gamut.
The contenders this month touch upon a handful of differing genres: hard rock, alt-country, punk, indie rock, hip-hop, whatever the new Kanye West is… Along with that, the contenders came from a variety of sources: a couple albums were gifted to me, a couple were recommended by friends, and a couple were straight up risks I took a plunge on and purchased.
3. Mr. West woke up.
Kanye finally made the list, doubling down on the letter “L.”
Surprise Contenders
Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin: Believe it or not, but this was the first time I listened to this album in its entirety. Also, this is the first album that made the list off a first listen, although, had I heard it decades ago, it probably would be on the list just the same.
Beastie Boys — Licensed to Ill: Hardcore punk is full of satire. Hip-hop, not so much. So it comes as little surprise that these three Jewish Brooklynites would transfer that punk energy and obnoxiousness into a burgeoning Def Jam scene. What comes as more of a surprise is how well it holds up over 30 years later.
Kanye West — The Life of Pablo: I don’t “own” this album. In fact, I don’t even have the most recent version (mine ends with “Fade” instead of “Saint Pablo”). And, probably more importantly, can we even call it a studio album, given the fact that it was never officially finished? Putting all this aside, along with the fact that, after much discussion with my fiancee and confronting my incessant defense of Kanye, there is no excuse for the “I made that bitch famous” line, The Life of Pablo is chaotic, unhinged, relentless and sticks with me far after its completion. Ask me again in a couple of years and maybe this opinion will change, but for now, it gets a slot.
Surprise Non-Contenders
Fenix TX — Lechuza: This is another one of those albums I couldn’t get enough of in high school. It’s a hindsight non-contender.
R.E.M. — Life’s Rich Pageant: One of their stronger releases and, in my opinion, one that often gets overlooked. Just not strong enough.
Less Than Jake — Losing Streak: This would have been contender number 3 for the Gainesville act and long-running “favorite band” contender. There’s just a bit too much filler, and unlike “Hello Rockview” and “Borders and Boundaries,” the filler has little to offer.
Rainer Maria — Long Knives Drawn: This is a great breakup album but may need to be listened to in the midst of a breakup to be fully appreciated.
Lupe Fiasco — Lupe Fiasco’s Food and Liquor AND Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool: Maybe it’s the fact that he’s never recovered from the “Lasers” debacle. Maybe it’s the fact that rap is going through an “alternative” phase so he doesn’t feel as novel. Maybe it was my overambitious believe that one, if not both, of these albums would make the cut. But they didn’t. Sorry Lupe.
Top 100 Contenders from the “L” Albums
This is also reflected in the image at the top of the blog.
Audio Karate — Lady Melody
Kanye West — Late Registration (+60)
Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin (Debut)
Beastie Boys — Licensed to Ill (Debut)
Kanye West — The Life of Pablo (+60)
Bright Eyes — Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (+60)
Modest Mouse — The Lonesome Crowded West (+60)
The Geraldine Fibbers — Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and my Home (Debut)
A Tribe Called Quest — The Low End Theory
Odds and Ends
Total albums listened to: 970
Total contenders: 69
Total weeks spent: 43
Total PPP (Pop-Punk Plethora) albums listened to: 41 (or 4.2%)
Total Debut albums on the Top 100 list: 18 (or 26%)
Total +60 albums on the Top 100 list: 17 (or 24.6%)
Total PPP albums on the Top 100 list: 1 (or 1.44%)
Originally published at objectivesubjectivity.tumblr.com.
