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35: Brian Eno’s Here Come the Warm Jets (1974)

Eno’s debut post Roxy Music was a dense, intricately layered pop record full of surprises. Blending elements of glam, noise and art-rock, Eno captivated listeners then and continues to do so now. This is one record that ages remarkably well despite plenty of imitators and misunderstandings. Ever since I discovered it, it’s been dear to my heart. Then again, I’m kind of an Eno nerd so perhaps that’s a no-brainer.

Brian Eno “Needles in the Camel’s Eye”

36: Pavement’s Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)

Pavement is probably the band of my formative years, the band that made me fall in love with music, indie rock, punk, noise, you name it. They kind of did it all, and their legacy can be found in almost every group playing fringe-rock today. There’s not a dud on this record, and it’s still one that I gravitate towards whether I’m happy, sad or somewhere in between. It’s a part of me, and will always be.

Pavement “Gold Soundz”

37: Wings’ At the Speed of Sound (1976)

I’ve just always been in love with this record. I do like most of McCartney’s solo stuff, and I get Band on the Run, but something about this record has always struck a more serious chord with me. Oddly enough, my favorite track from the whole record is one of Denny Laine’s songs — “The Note You Never Wrote”. This song cuts right to my heart, it’s so slow and painful, like a long goodbye. “Let ‘Em In”, “Silly Love Songs” and “Beware My Love” are both wonderful as well, but something in Laine’s voice on “The Note You Never Wrote” just pulverizes me every time. And the guitar solo … gah. Just a perfect song, a perfect, painful song.

Wings “The Note You Never Wrote”

38: The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street (1972)

My favorite rock songs are the ones that form a dense cloud of weight, bleak layers and a real sort of feeling (not some fake, ‘hey we’re playing the blues’ feeling) over the sound itself. Plenty of people have written about this record in a much more careful and memorable way, so it’s hard to get my point in with one or two sentences, but you have to understand, this album has every genre, every emotion, every sound you ever heard.

The Rolling Stones “Torn & Frayed”

39: Animal Collective’s Feels (2005)

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like 2005 was such a great year for music, so many new and interesting things popped up for me that year. Feels is probably not everyone’s favorite Animal Collective record, but it’s without a doubt mine. The banshee folk vibes and their unique approach to pop had me hooked right away. I can see the appeal to Strawberry Jam and Merriweather Post Pavilion, but Feels is still my favorite work of theirs. The gentle melody of “Loch Raven” is one song I always come back to — it’s one of those tunes that spent three or so years continually popping up on mixtapes. I still love hearing its gentle progression.

Animal Collective “Loch Raven”

40: Iggy Pop’s The Idiot (1977)

This record really snuck up on me. I’ve always been a fan of the Stooges stuff, but for whatever reason never backtracked to any of Pop’s early solo material. After watching Control last year, I was inspired to listen to the record found on Ian Curtis’ turntable at his suicide scene. It totally blew me away, and it was not at all what I was expecting. It’s very dark, very cynical, very disturbed. It’s ghastly in such a gorgeous way. Soon I discovered there is a blog dedicated to discussing the record and learned so much more about it. I highly recommend browsing that site if you’re at all interested in gear, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, 70s post punk or rock’n'roll in general.

Iggy Pop “China Girl” (mp3)

41: Gang of Four’s Entertainment! (1979)

Entertainment is a classic for so many reasons. It sent tons of young musicians out to become rock stars, and paved the way for post-punk and pist-punk in the ’80s and ’90s. “At Home He’s a Tourist” is one of the most incredible songs in the rock’n'roll annals. Every time I listen to this record, I’m taken right back to my first house after moving out of my parents’ place, setting up my record player and enjoying the freedom of a new start with one of the most influential records of my youth. I’m lucky to have found this as early in life as I did, considering I was two when it was released.

Gang of Four “At Home He’s a Tourist” (mp3)

42: Paul Simon’s Paul Simon

Thank God he and Garfunkel broke up, because if I didn’t have this, I’d be miserable.

Paul Simon: “Everything Put Together Falls Apart” (mp3)

43: Rollerskate Skinny’s Horsedrawn Wishes (1996)

It’s really no surprise that a Shields brother was once in this band, and while this album’s constant comparisons to Loveless aren’t unfounded, I do hold it distinct in my mind from MBV and their work. It’s hard, when a band is constantly being compared to something else and that something else happens to be a benchmark for a genre – you’re doomed to never be appreciated for how incredible you might be, and if you ever change your sound to break out of that mold, you’re a disappointment to people waiting to hear more records by the band you were originally compared to. Any of this making sense? It’s like having the misfortune of being in a band that someone with some influence compares to Radiohead. You poor, poor shmuck. Anyway, if you like the orchestral shoe-gazing genre but lean more towards the Mercury Rev / Flaming Lips side of things, you’ll probably really love this. But don’t ~~download~~ listen to just one song, do it as an album, for cryin’ out loud.

Rollerskate Skinny: “Swingboat Yawning” (mp3)

44: Television’s Marquee Moon (1977)

So you’re my friend, right? And we’re hanging out and I’m talking about Malkmus, and you’re fine with that because I can tend to do that, but what you’re surprised by is my on-going semi-thesis on how this one album is probably more responsible for everything I loved about Pavement than anything else in the world, and that’s saying a lot because I consider Malkmus to be quite the genius, and totally capable of creating masterwork after masterwork without the influence of anyone else. Yet, my Pavement attachment aside, no one can deny Marquee Moon of its place in history, and Tom Verlaine is my boyfriend when we’re all dead and hanging out in heaven.

Television: “Prove It” (mp3)

45: The Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead

These aren’t just Morrissey’s most beautiful songs, they’re most indicative of Marr’s talent as a composer. I’m assuming you’re familiar with this one, it’s not a radical choice for a favorite, and “I Know It’s Over” is fucking brilliant and heart-wrenching and miserable in the most amazing way possible, I don’t know what else to say.

The Smiths: “I Know It’s Over” (mp3)

46: Yes’ Fragile (1972)

Constantly surprising arrangements, brilliant melody and flawless performances make this album a classic. The addition of Rick Wakeman to the group made this their breakout, featuring a dizzying array of organs, synthesizers, Mellotrons, and other keyboard exotica helped the group stand out in a boring sea of progressive rock wannabes. “Roundabout” was the hit, and it still stands up today.

Yes: “Roundabout” (mp3)

47: Chicago’s Chicago Transit Authority (1969)

Sometimes people laugh when I tell them how much I love Chicago. Hold your snorts and forget about Cetera’s ’80s for a minute. Listen to this double LP with an open mind, understanding that it was unbelievably influential, being one of the first rock’n'roll albums to blend totally experimental jams, straight jazz fusion and r&b so seamlessly. From the pop-tinged “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” to the avant improvisation of “Free Form Guitar” — this record is a hidden gem every good rock’n'roll fan requires in their collection.