MY TOP 5 ALBUMS OF ALL TIME
5.      Junip - Fields

         I realize that this is a bit of a newer album and maybe I am misjudging the impact it will have over the years.  But this album has been permanently on my playlist for over two years now and still has the same feeling as it did from day one.  The album is just so beautifully mastered.  Great lyrics, with side-kicking guitar and drums.  This album flows from one song to the next seamlessly and if you wondered what Neil Young would have done if born in this era this is it.  A little bit folky, a little bit psychedelic, and a little rock and roll.  Jose Gonzalez has the best voice right now in the business, and I can't think of an album in the past five years that has had this impact on my Ipod quite as much as this one.  The album starts off with a little bit of a Doors feel then blasting directly into a drum beat with flowing lyrics. Just have a listen to the following in succession and try to disagree with me about this album "Rope and Summit, In Every Direction, and Always"   Junip has mastered the mood of music, they have strayed away from the one single at a time Itunes generation and have focused directly on the album.

4.     Black Sabbath - Paronoid

        Ever since I was a kid I have always been fascinated with Black Sabbath.  Whether it was the evil vibe they gave off or just the craziness of Ozzy Osbourne in general.  I would listen to Black Sabbath in the background coming out of my older brothers rooms.  The songs I remember most.  "Paranoid, Iron Man, War Pigs, and Fairies Wear Boots."  These songs are all on the same album.  I can't say there has ever been a band that has been this influential on a certain musical genre as Black Sabbath has been on heavy metal.  Just the slow heavy burn of Tony Iommi's guitar on each song of the album.  I can throw on this record at any point of any day and I will have a smile on my face.   I have a pile of favorite bands from this era of music Zeppelin, The Beatles, and the Stones, but none have the force of Black Sabbath and top to bottom on this album is spectacular. They have a perfect mixture of blues and metal, a sound that has never been matched.   Throw on this album and just try not to bang your head to it. 

3.     My Morning Jacket - Z

        This album wouldn't have made it to the top 5 if it hadn't been for the release of their DVD.  If you watch this band play this album live it brings things out in the album that you didn't even know were there.  I have never heard a band play the band around the vocals before.  Jim James can lay it down with a falsetto or throw a perfect growl in at any point of the song.  The album kicks off with "wordless chorus" which is a fantastic lead off to the album, but it really starts with the drums in "It beats for you."  As soon as you hear the starting for this song you instantly get transported into a different zone of music that you have not been a part of before.  My Morning Jacket have better singles off of different albums, but these albums don't have near the flow of "Z."  Every album they have released since this has been trying to find the magic that this one had.  "Lay Low" is a brilliant jam song comparable to something the Allman Brothers would have been proud of.  They only have a couple hiccups in this whole album which kept them out of the top 2.  
        
 2.    Pink Floyd  - Wish You Were Here

        Is Pink Floyd overrated?  Probably, but this album is not.  There has been no other album that I can think of that has twelve songs that match the brilliancy of the five on this album.  "Wish you were here" might be the best song of all time.  From the album cover to the two parts of "Shine on you crazy diamond."  There has been nothing in music that has even come close to class of this album.  The thing with Pink Floyd that everybody forgets is that Pink Floyd doesn't require people to be high to listen to their music, but it helps.  This is one band that was never utilized properly with their live music dvd's.  Just to see a concert with this being the only album played would be perfect.  Anybody that knows anything about any type of music should own this album.  This album is Pink Floyd's masterpiece.  While "The Wall" gets most of the glory, this album is the bread and butter of one of the most influential bands of all time.  The highlight of the album for me is "Welcome to the Machine," everytime I hear this song, my brain goes directly into a coma of laser light show.

1.    Radiohead  - The Bends

        It's been almost twenty years since the release of this album.  I am still trying to match Thom Yorke's voice throughout the album with car karaoke.  When I bought this album in the early 90's after seeing the video "Just" little did I know it would become the staple beside my name of my favorite album.  Everything about this album is perfect, the way it has the grunge guitar, match with one of the best voices in rock and roll.  This album just seemed to have a little more to it then the usual grunge bands of the 90's.  Since Radiohead has pretty much become the biggest band in the world right now, it's nice to hear this album that has a little scruffiness to it.  It's not mastered with the computer, it's just a pure rock and roll album. Just an analog sound that matches the perfection of their live shows. You understand how great of an album this is when you realize that the two worst songs on this album are the two most popular (fake plastic trees and high and dry.)  Even the videos for this album are spectacular.  I have listened to thousands of albums in my years of listening to music, and I can't find another album that sounds even close to this album.  From guitar solos, enchanting drums, to haunting vocals, this album is perfect.