Guitar World's 100 Essential Albums

[Guest redbaron51]

From the latest Guitar World Magazine (April 2003)

 

Classic Rock

 

1.) The Beatles: Revolver

2.) Rolling Stones: Exile On Main Street

3.) The Who: Who's Next

4.) The Doors: The Doors

5.) Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland

6.) Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

7.) Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV

8.) Deep Purple: Machine Head

9.) Aerosmith: Toys In The Attic

10.) Van Halen: Van Halen

 

Classic Metal

 

1.) Black Sabbath: Paranoid

2.) AC/DC: Highway to Hell

3.) Guns N' Roses: Appetite for Destruction

4.) Iron Maiden: The Number of the Beast

5.) Judas Priest: British Steel

6.) Metallica: Master of Puppets

7.) Motörhead: Ace of Spades

8.) Slayer: Reign In Blood

9.) Thin Lizzy: Jailbreak

10.) UFO: Stranger in the Night

 

Modern Metal

 

1.) Korn: Korn

2.) Alice In Chains: Dirt

3.) Deftones: Around The Fur

4.) Faith No More: The Real Thing

5.) Living Color: Vivid

6.) Rage Against The Machine: Rage Against The Machine

7.) Pantera: Vulgur Display of Power

8.) Soundgarden: Superunknown

9.) System of a Down: Toxicity

10.) Tool: Ænima

 

Virtuosos

 

1.) Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys

2.) Jeff Beck: Beckology

3.) Yngwie Malmsteen: Rising Force

4.) Joe Satriani: Surfing With The Alien

5.) Ozzy Osbourne: Blizzard of Ozz

6.) Steve Vai: Passion and Warfare

7.) Yes: Yes Years

8.) Frank Zappa: Zoot Allures

9.) Cream: Wheels of Fire

10.) Johnny Winter: Second Winter

 

Garage Rock

 

1.) Various Artists: Nuggets, Nuggets II

2.) The Sonics: Boom

3.) The Music Machine: (Turn On) The Music Machine

4.) Chocolate Watch Band: No Way Out

5.) Lyres: On Fyre

6.) The Pandoras: It's About Time

7.) The Fuzztones: In Heat

8.) Thee Headcoats: Headcoats Down!

9.) The White Stripes: White Blood Cells

10.) The Hives: Veni Vidi Vicious

 

Alternative

 

1.)The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground & Nico

2.) Nirvana: Nevermind

3.) Radiohead: OK Computer

4.) R.E.M.: Murmur

5.) Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation

6.) U2: The Joshua Tree

7.) Television: Marquee Moon

8.) The Pixies: Doolittle

9.) The Cure: Disintegration

10.) Sleaterkinney: Dig Me Out

 

Screamo

 

1.) Rites of Spring: Rites of Spring

2.) Quicksand: Slip

3.) Refused: The Shape of Punk To Come

4.) Fugazi: In On The Kill Taker

5.) Thursday: Full Collapse

6.) Sunny Day Real Estate: Diary

7.) At The Drive-In: Relationship Of Command

8.) Poison The Well: The Opposite of December

9.) Glassjaw: Worship and Tribute

10.) Boysetsfire: After The Eulogy

 

Punk

 

1.) Ramones: Ramones

2.) Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bollacks Here's The Sex Pistols

3.) Clash: Give 'Em Enough Rope

4.) Bad Religion: No Control

5.) Sick Of It All: Blood, Sweat, And No Tears

6.) Minor Threat: Out of Step

7.) Black Flag: Connected

8.) Dead Kennedys: Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

9.) Misfits: Misfits

10.) NOFX: White Trash Two Heebs And A Bean

 

Blues

 

1.) Robert Johnson: King of the Delta Blues Singers

2.) T-Bone Walker: The Very Best of T-Bone Walker

3.) Muddy Waters: His Best: 1956-1964/1947-1955

4.) Elmore James: Blues Masters: The Very Best of Elmore James

5.) John Mayall With Eric Clapton: Blues Breakers

6.) Buddy Guy: The Very Best of Buddy Guy

7.) Albert King: Born Under A Bad Sign

8.) B.B. King: Live At The Regal

9.) John Lee Hooker: The Ultimate Collection

10.) Stevie Ray Vaughan: In Step

 

Jam

 

1.)Grateful Dead: Europe '72

2.) The Allman Brothers Band: At Fillmore East

3.) Phish: A Live One

4.) Gov't Mule: Live...With A Little Help From Our Friends

5.) Lynard Skynard: One More From The Road

6.) Derek and the Dominos: Layla

7.) Santana: Abraxas

8.) Phil Lesh and Friends: 4.30.2001, Roseland Ballroom, NYC.

9.) Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Live Rust

10.) Derek Trucks Band: Joyful Noise

[Guest Mindless_Aggression]

On classic rock, I'd go with the Doors at 1 but thats just a personal preference really.

 

How the hell did AC/DC get that high!? Black Sabbath, I understand, but AC/DC? Yikes.

 

I laugh at Korn topping the modern metal list while the Deftones, Faith No More, System Of A Down and Tool all sit below them. My God, ANYTHING off any of those other bands respective album kills Korn dead.

 

Then again, I don't really consider The Tones, FNM , SOAD or Tool metal, so I'm not that offended really.

 

At The Drive in and Glassjaw aren't screamo, but yeah, they bitchslap any of their contenders on their respective list as well. Ah well, what can ya do?

[Guest Youth N Asia]

9.) The White Stripes: White Blood Cells

10.) The Hives: Veni Vidi Vicious

Just one comment

 

Don't believe the hype...

 

Nice to see Murmur get recognized.

[Guest godthedog]

i'm glad they're representing with 'electric ladyland' from the hendrix catalog instead of 'are you experienced' like most lists.

 

EDIT: stupid comment narrowly averted.

[Guest redbaron51]

Eric Clapton has been mentioned three times in these categories, Ozzy twice, Jimi Hendrix twice.

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

Pretty generic lists really, going with the standard choices and ones that seem popular at this time. The blues list is particulary bad as it's mostly greatest hits albums and seems comprised of them saying "yeah, I've heard of this guy's name."

 

The virtuosoes list is probably the most eclectic and insteresting. Surfing with the Alien and Second Winter are not your everyday listening.

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

While I do agree with many of the choices, I must say these particular lists are predictable and cliched.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

The self-titled Sabbath's way better. Other than that, pretty much the same as several other lists.

[Guest Invader3k]

I was suprised to see "Give 'Em Enough Rope" instead of "London Calling" from the Clash...but otherwise yeah, pretty standard list with a few surprises here and there...

 

"Revolver" is the de facto "greatest rock album ever", so not surprising to see it at #1 under classic rock.

[Guest Coffin Surfer]

Screamo

 

1.) Rites of Spring: Rites of Spring

2.) Quicksand: Slip

3.) Refused: The Shape of Punk To Come

4.) Fugazi: In On The Kill Taker

5.) Thursday: Full Collapse

6.) Sunny Day Real Estate: Diary

7.) At The Drive-In: Relationship Of Command

8.) Poison The Well: The Opposite of December

9.) Glassjaw: Worship and Tribute

10.) Boysetsfire: After The Eulogy

 

Well, for starters there is no such thing as Screamo. That’s just a term that some people use because they think it makes them sound cool or insider, when actually it gives the exact opposite impression.

 

This list is actually just what looks like a random listing of hardcore punk, post punk, and hardcore metal bands. And Glassjaw certainly does not bitch slap any of them, in fact they are probably the weakest band on the list in the guitar department.

 

If your gonna make a post punk guitar list, you have to include Braid, Slint, Hum, and Chavo. They produced some of the most innovative guitar work from the past decade, and their influence even stretches out into metal and hardcore yet they are left off.

 

And if your gonna include Quicksand, why not Helmet. While their solos where rather bad, Meantime does feature some of the best riffs of the 90s, influencing everyone from Pantera to Jawbox to Disturbed.

 

Opposite of December is a good choice for Hardcore, in fact the riffs pretty much kick the ass off most metal bands as well. But Unearth and Botch are better guitarist and would make much better choices for a list. In fact, David Knudson of Botch is one of the greatest guitar players out there. You could say the same for Shai Hulud’s Matt Fox, who has produced some of the best lead guitar playing in the genre.

 

ATDI, Fugazi, Boy Sets Fire, Refused, are all solid choices.

 

I still don’t know why Rites of Spring is there, their lyrics is what set them apart from the 80s Hardcore Punk scene, not their guitar work.

 

Punk

 

1.) Ramones: Ramones

2.) Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bollacks Here's The Sex Pistols

3.) Clash: Give 'Em Enough Rope4.) Bad Religion: No Control

5.) Sick Of It All: Blood, Sweat, And No Tears

6.) Minor Threat: Out of Step

7.) Black Flag: Connected

8.) Dead Kennedys: Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

9.) Misfits: Misfits

10.) NOFX: White Trash Two Heebs And A Bean

 

This is a decent best punk album list, but not punk guitarist list. Fear, Suicidal Tendencies, and Bad Brains did some of the most bad ass guitar work in the early 80s, yet they get left out for Black Flag and Minor fucking Threat. Minor Threat was a great band, but the guitar work ranks from average to terrible. The Buzzcocks also did some amazing guitar work, miles ahead of the Ramones, Sex Pistols, and Clash. That’s not even going into a lot of the more musically accomplished punk bands like the Descendents, later Mr. T Experience, SLF, Huskur Du, Gang of Four, Minutemen...etc, that as far as guitar work goes, mops the floor with a lot of the bands on the list. And I don’t think the Misfits collection should count, why not just pick Walk Among Us.

[Guest LooseCannon]

7.) Black Flag: Connected

I've never heard of this album.

[Guest Incandenza]

Neither has allmusic.

[Guest LooseCannon]

Wow, both of the internet's definitive sources of music knowledge are drawing a blank on that one.

[Guest Incandenza]

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW, HUH?

[Guest LooseCannon]

Only one of your funny pictures can save us now.

[Guest Incandenza]

Shit, I can't perform under pressure. WE'RE DOOMED!

[Guest LooseCannon]

Don't worry Rollins will save us.

 

[Guest Incandenza]

Wow.

[Guest LooseCannon]

Believe it or not, that's just a drawing.

[Guest LooseCannon]

This is the closest photographic evidence we have of Rollins ability to fly.

 

(Henry Rollins at a concert in Thailand just before flying off to fight crime)

[Guest Incandenza]

He's a fucking hero, he is.

[Guest LooseCannon]

His motto is "search and destroy" ...evil, that is.

[Guest Incandenza]

He's doing a spoken word thing in my town this Saturday. Maybe he'll perform some amazing feats of strength to wow the crowd.

[Guest LooseCannon]

Or maybe he'll just fob off some half-assed jokes and do the semiliterate caveman impression he has down so well.

 

One things for sure though -- evil-doers beware!!!

[Guest Incandenza]

Oh, I'm not going. The guy's a dipshit, albeit a heroic one.

[Guest LooseCannon]

Oh, I'm not going. The guy's a dipshit, albeit a heroic one.

[Guest godthedog]

He's doing a spoken word thing in my town this Saturday. Maybe he'll perform some amazing feats of strength to wow the crowd.

wait a minute...he's doing a spoken word thing in my town this saturday. either you live near the 40 watt or rollins truly is a superhero.

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

Rollins can get to every club he needs to in one night. It's like that old TV movie, The Night They Saved Christmas, where Santa slows down time to get to all the houses in the world.

 

Except that I imagine there's a lot more screaming and looking terrifying with the Rollins variation.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I'm the biggest SOAD mark there is, and I don't even consider them "metal", same with Korn (BWAHAHA), RATM, and to a certain extent Tool. Opiate was close to metal, but really it's all just hard rock, it's not metal.

 

maybe if they switched Korn and SOAD on that list I could agree... but I'd have to listen to Living Color: Vivid first, I've never even heard of that. Tool I always thought had at best an above average guitar player, their strength lies in their drum n bass and of course Maynard. the guitarist is the weak link in Tool, imo... while in SOAD, I think Daron Malakian is the strongest part of the band, the guitar playing of SOAD is pretty much what drives the music and what gives it an identity...

[Guest Incandenza]

He's doing a spoken word thing in my town this Saturday. Maybe he'll perform some amazing feats of strength to wow the crowd.

wait a minute...he's doing a spoken word thing in my town this saturday. either you live near the 40 watt or rollins truly is a superhero.

Oops. It's Sunday, not Saturday.