MusicTalk Draft: Post-Draft & Pre-Vote Discussion
 

auto's expertly run MusicTalk Draft Thread ran a bit too long so I thought it'd be fun to have a separate one for the pre-voting and discussion.

Draft statistics are below. [b]Draft [b]voting starts Monday, Nov. 7 at this thread _______.

I'd like a lot of people to vote on this but I know it is a no-no to cross post on the board. Certainly it would be nice to have people here voting besides the 32 that participated. :lol:

Too bad there's no easy way to create a voting page where you can just pick your vote. I know there used to be a make-a-poll page (I'm sure there's one on the internet somewhere). Anyone have any ideas? Let's try and cut down the legwork for our friend auto.

MusicTalk Draft Wrap-Up: The Stat Menagerie


TOP ARTISTS (UPDATED)

The Beatles (8) ...... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade8.jpg
Led Zeppelin (5) ..... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade5.jpg
Rolling Stones (5) ... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade4.jpg
Miles Davis (4) ...... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade4.jpg
Pink Floyd (4) ....... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade4.jpg
Radiohead (4) ........ http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade4.jpg
U2 (4) ............... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade4.jpg
Elvis Costello (3) ... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade3.jpg
Bob Dylan (3) ........ http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade3.jpg
Bob Marley (3) ....... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade3.jpg
Massive Attack (3) ... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade3.jpg
Prince (3) ........... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade3.jpg
Queen (3) ............ http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade3.jpg
The Who (3) .......... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade3.jpg
Velvet Underground (3) http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/fade3.jpg




QUICKEST DRAFTED ARTISTS

Of all artists with at least two picks. Some artists grouped (Brian Wilson, Beach Boys). Ranked in order of popularity.

http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/order1.jpg

• The Beach Boys
• The Beatles
• Pixies, The Clash (tie)
• Radiohead
• Prince, Velvet Underground (tie)
• Miles Davis, Rolling Stones (tie)
• Pink Floyd
• Led Zeppelin, The Police, The Flaming Lips, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure (tie)
• Bob Dylan
• Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth (tie)

http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/order2.jpg

• Talking Heads, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Depeche Mode, The Who (tie)
• DJ Shadow, Johnny Cash, The Band (tie)
• U2
• Queen, Björk, Weezer (tie)
• Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Neil Young (tie)
• Massive Attack

http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/order3.jpg

• Grateful Dead, Public Enemy, Frank Zappa, Pet Shop Boys (tie)
• Bob Marley
• David Bowie, Beck, Pavement (tie)
• New Order, A Tribe Called Quest, Aphex Twin, Jeff Buckley (tie)
• Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dave Matthews (tie)

http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/order4.jpg

• Green Day, Elton John (tie)
• Devo

ARTISTS WITH ONLY ONE PICK

BY Percentage of Artists:
http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/bar77.jpg

BY Percentage of Picks:
http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/bar57.jpg



More stats to come later.

PICKS BY DECADE

1930s (1) .... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/green30.jpg
1940s (2) .... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/green40.jpg
1950s (4) .... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/green50.jpg
1960s (42) ... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/green60.jpg
1970s (69) ... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/green70.jpg
1980s (66) ... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/green80.jpg
1990s (97) ... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/green90.jpg
2000s (39) ... http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/green00.jpg



PLAYERS BY AVERAGE "ALBUM" AGE
http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/pyear1.jpg
Class of '75: Lokimok
Class of '76: Hollowgen, jimdrix
Class of '77: cleaver, ADD for DVD
Class of '79: Mordred

http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/pyear2.jpg
Class of '80: monkish, deadlax
Class of '81: whaaat
Class of '82: Apex Twin, Hiro11
Class of '83: Numanoid, Rogue 588, The Bus, Giles
Class of '84: Chris Knudsen, Damfino, cdollaz

http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/pyear3.jpg
Class of '85: auto, Badly Drawn Boy
Class of '86: illenium, orangecrush18
Class of '87: Sweet Baby James
Class of '88: Drexl, Flynn

http://www.fantasticdamage.com/blog/pyear4.jpg
Class of '90: ryuryu2949
Class of '91: mano365, DJLinus
Class of '93: maxfisher
Class of '94: tripwire
Class of '96: Fandango


These players tended to stick within a very specific time period: Hollowgen, tripwire, cdollaz, Fandango, Sweet Baby James, Drexl.

These players did not: Flynn, whaaat, Apex Twin, vryce, orangecrush18, ADD for DVD.

Easliest draft belongs to ADD for DVD with 1937 (recording date). Meanwhile, orangecrush18 and Damfino and Badly Drawn Boy all drafted from 2005.

tripwire and Hollowgen have a lot to teach to each other. tripwire felt nothing from before 1983 was worthwhile picking. Hollowgen did not draft anything from after 1981.

The hard part is over.

The voting threads are easy to make and that's when the real fun begins.

Just for any of those unfamiliar with the albums I chose, of which I'm sure there will be few, here are links to Amazon's pages for each, sose any of youse can read some reviews and listens to some samples.

ETA: I added the original release dates for you Bussy.

1. Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...CMZZZZZZZ_.jpg
Original Release Date: October 24, 1995

2. Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...CMZZZZZZZ_.jpg
Original Release Date: August 20, 2002

3. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin [Box Set]
http://music-video-books-store.com/l...in-box-set.jpg
Original Release Date: September 7, 1990 (however, this boxset covers most of there run as a band so I don't know how you want to classify it)

4. The Killers - Hot Fuss (Limited Edition)
http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/...78fc5010.M.jpg
Original Release Date: August 16, 2005

5. Queen - A Night at the Opera
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...CMZZZZZZZ_.gif
Original Release Date: 1975

6. Santana - Santana
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...CMZZZZZZZ_.jpg
Original Release Date: 1969

7. Big L - The Big Picture
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...CMZZZZZZZ_.jpg
Original Release Date: August 1, 2000

8. Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
http://www.the411online.com/jayz96.jpg
Original Release Date: June 25, 1996

9. Mocean Worker - MIxed Emotional Features
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...CMZZZZZZZ_.jpg
Original Release Date: February 23, 1999

10. Cake - Prolonging the Magic
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...CMZZZZZZZ_.jpg
Original Release Date: October 6, 1998

In the interest of full disclosure, I own and have fully absorbed all of the albums on the list except:
Which ones should I start with?

Interesting to see the top artists, of which I only drafted one (although I more or less like-to-love all of those artists).

If you've got the time to kill, it'd be cool to see a breakdown of the total picks by decade.

DJ: I'd like to do it. I was going to ask for everyone to put the year of release after their pick and we could figure out an average year per player, etc. I mean, most of this is already in a database... :) Sigh. :lol:

Here you go. Now you just have to get the release dates for the other 310 albums. :)

1. Velvet Underground: Peel Slowly and See [box set] (1995)*
2. Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique (1989)
3. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Deluxe CD+DVD) (2002)**
4. Matthew Sweet: Girlfriend (1991)
5. The Cure: Disintegration (1989)
6. Pulp: Different Class (1995)
7. A Tribe Called Quest: Midnight Marauders (1993)
8. The Postal Service: Give Up (2003)
9. Helmet: Meantime (1992)
10. James: Laid (1993)

*the four albums contained therein were released in 1967 (x2), 1969, and 1970.
**this version was released in 2003

Gee, can you tell when I came of age musically?

Hiro11- out of my stuff and based on your list, I would suggest Trower first and then Cash(this box set contains all of his American recordings, his collaboration with producer Rick Rubin).

I would now like to pimp my list.:)

1. Johnny Cash:Unearthed(box set)-this box set contains all of his American Records that he collaborated on with producer Rick Rubin. Cash is an absolute titan(he's in the Rock, Country and Songwriter Halls of Fame) and these are his last recordings when his health was starting to fail. They contain his own material along with awesome covers of newer artists(U2, Danzig, NIN, Beatles, Nick Lowe and many others). Trent Reznor said that "Hurt" was no longer his song, that it now belongs to Johnny Cash and Bono claimed that all other singers are "sissies" next to Johnny Cash. I couldn't have said it better myself.:)
2. Bruce Springsteen:Nebraska-I'm not the biggest fan of the Boss, but this is an amazing album. With just an acoustic guitar and a harmonica, Bruce tells some very dark and bleak and powerful stories(very much like Cash).
3. Fleetwood Mac:Rumours-the classic 1977 album. One of the landmark albums of all time and definitely their best. Not much else needs to be said.
4. Kate Bush:Hounds of Love-my personal favorite record of all time by my favorite artist. An absolute masterpiece. Tori Amos is a Kate Bush wannabe.:)
5. New Order:Low Life-one of the greatest records from all of the synth based new wave acts of the eighties. Perfect Kiss is an amazing single.
6. Stevie Ray Vaughan:Couldn't Stand the Weather-when the music scene was being over run by British synth groups in the 80's, a guitar maestro from Austin, Texas appeared with some truly amazing blues performances. This record contains my all time favorite SRV track, Tin Pan Alley along with the stellar Hendrix cover of Voodoo Chile(Slight Return). I was extremely fortunate to see Stevie live in the early 80's(Toad's Place in New Haven) and it still remains my favorite concert performance.
7. Jeff Buckley:Grace-"Grace" was the proper name for this record because it is a truly beautiful recording from a man with a beautiful voice. Just listen to "Hallelujah" to see what I mean.
8. The Pogues:Rum Sodomy & the Lash-the Pogues are the best Irish band to do Irish music IMO and Shane MacGowan's voice is just so expressive and perfect for this type of music. This is their finest release and Shane even had teeth back then.:)
9. Beth Orton:Central Reservation-such a unique voice. Her songs will get into your head and you won't be able to get them out for some time. I listened to this record so many times that I have lost count.
10. Robin Trower:Bridge of Sighs-the most unappreciated and overlooked guitarist of all time. Trower was dubbed the "white Jimi Hendrix" because he was that good of a guitarist. The record starts off incredibly strong with "Day of the Eagle" and "Bridge of Sighs" is a haunting song. I saw him just a few years ago at Toad's Place and he still has it. Do yourself a favor and go see him live if he ever plays in your neck of the woods.

Well, there you have it. I don't expect to do too well because I don't have any hip-hop or industrial entries on my list, but I had a lot of fun in picking this collection. Hopefully some other players will check out some of my picks that they are unfamiliar with-I don't think that you'll be sorry. I am definitely planning on checking out some artists from other player's lists that I'm unfamiliar with and hopefully it will expand my music appreciation.:)

1. Cash-1992-2002(the set was released in 2003)
2. Springsteen-1982
3. Fleetwood Mac-1977
4. Kate Bush-1985
5. New Order-1985
6. SRV-1984
7. Jeff Buckley-1994
8. Pogues-1985
9. Beth Orton-1999
10. Trower-1974

1985 was a good year.:)

My top 10 and its allmusic.com reviews:

1. Velvet Underground: White Light / White Heat - *****
The world of pop music was hardly ready for The Velvet Underground's first album when it appeared in the spring of 1967, but while The Velvet Underground and Nico sounded like an open challenge to conventional notions of what rock music could sound like (or what it could discuss), 1968's White Light/White Heat was a no-holds-barred frontal assault on cultural and aesthetic propriety. Recorded without the input of either Nico or Andy Warhol, White Light/White Heat was the purest and rawest document of the key Velvets lineup of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker, capturing the group at their toughest and most abrasive. The album opens with an open and enthusiastic endorsement of amphetamines (startling even from this group of noted drug enthusiasts), and side one continues with an amusing shaggy-dog story set to a slab of lurching mutant R&B ("The Gift"), a perverse variation on an old folktale ("Lady Godiva's Operation"), and the album's sole "pretty" song, the mildly disquieting "Here She Comes Now." While side one was a good bit darker in tone than the Velvets' first album, side two was where they truly threw down the gauntlet with the manic, free-jazz implosion of "I Heard Her Call My Name" (featuring Reed's guitar work at its most gloriously fractured), and the epic noise jam "Sister Ray," 17 minutes of sex, drugs, violence, and other non-wholesome fun with the loudest rock group in the history of Western Civilization as the house band. White Light/White Heat is easily the least accessible of The Velvet Underground's studio albums, but anyone wanting to hear their guitar-mauling tribal frenzy straight with no chaser will love it, and those benighted souls who think of the Velvets as some sort of folk-rock band are advised to crank their stereo up to ten and give side two a spin.

2. T. Rex: Electric Warrior - *****
The album that essentially kick-started the U.K. glam rock craze, Electric Warrior completes T. Rex's transformation from hippie folk-rockers into flamboyant avatars of trashy rock & roll. There are a few vestiges of those early days remaining in the acoustic-driven ballads, but Electric Warrior spends most of its time in a swinging, hip-shaking groove powered by Marc Bolan's warm electric guitar. The music recalls not just the catchy simplicity of early rock & roll, but also the implicit sexuality -- except that here, Bolan gleefully hauls it to the surface, singing out loud what was once only communicated through the shimmying beat. He takes obvious delight in turning teenage bubblegum rock into campy sleaze, not to mention filling it with pseudo-psychedelic hippie poetry. In fact, Bolan sounds just as obsessed with the heavens as he does with sex, whether he's singing about spiritual mysticism or begging a flying saucer to take him away. It's all done with the same theatrical flair, but Tony Visconti's spacious, echoing production makes it surprisingly convincing. Still, the real reason Electric Warrior stands the test of time so well -- despite its intended disposability -- is that it revels so freely in its own absurdity and willful lack of substance. Not taking himself at all seriously, Bolan is free to pursue whatever silly wordplay, cosmic fantasies, or non sequitur imagery he feels like; his abandonment of any pretense to art becomes, ironically, a statement in itself. Bolan's lack of pomposity, back-to-basics songwriting, and elaborate theatrics went on to influence everything from hard rock to punk to new wave. But in the end, it's that sense of playfulness, combined with a raft of irresistible hooks, that keeps Electric Warrior such an infectious, invigorating listen today.

3. The Stooges: Fun House - *****
The Stooges' first album was produced by a classically trained composer; their second was supervised by the former keyboard player with the Kingsmen, and if that didn't make all the difference, it at least indicates why Fun House was a step in the right direction. Producer Don Gallucci took the approach that the Stooges were a powerhouse live band, and their best bet was to recreate the band's live set with as little fuss as possible. As a result, the production on Fun House bears some resemblance to the Kingsmen's version of "Louie Louie" -- the sound is smeary and bleeds all over the place, but it packs the low-tech wallop of a concert pumped through a big PA, bursting with energy and immediacy. The Stooges were also a much stronger band this time out; Ron Asheton's blazing minimalist guitar gained little in the way of technique since The Stooges, but his confidence had grown by a quantum leap as he summoned forth the sounds that would make him the hero of proto-punk guitarists everywhere, and the brutal pound of drummer Scott Asheton and bassist Dave Alexander had grown to heavyweight champion status. And Fun House is where Iggy Pop's mad genius first reached its full flower; what was a sneer on the band's debut had grown into the roar of a caged animal desperate for release, and his rants were far more passionate and compelling than what he had served up before. The Stooges may have had more "hits," but Fun House has stronger songs, including the garage raver to end all garage ravers in "Loose," the primal scream of "1970," and the apocalyptic anarchy of "L.A. Blues." Fun House is the ideal document of the Stooges at their raw, sweaty, howling peak.

4. Neutral Milk Hotel: In a Aeroplane over the Sea - **** 1/2
Perhaps best likened to a marching band on an acid trip, Neutral Milk Hotel's second album is another quixotic sonic parade; lo-fi yet lush, impenetrable yet wholly accessible, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is either the work of a genius or an utter crackpot, with the truth probably falling somewhere in between. Again teaming with producer Robert Schneider, Jeff Mangum invests the material here with new maturity and clarity; while the songs run continuously together, as they did on the previous On Avery Island, there is a much clearer sense of shifting dynamics from track to track, with a greater emphasis on structure and texture. Mangum's vocals are far more emotive as well; whether caught in the rush of spiritual epiphany ("The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two and Three") or in the grip of sexual anxiety ("Two-Headed Boy"), he sings with a new fervor, composed in equal measure of ecstasy and anguish. However, as his musical concepts continue to come into sharper focus, one hopes his stream-of-consciousness lyrical ideas soon begin to do the same; while Mangum spins his words with the rapid-fire intensity of a young Dylan, the songs are far too cryptic and abstract to fully sink in -- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is undoubtedly a major statement, but just what it's saying is anyone's guess.

5. Weezer: Pinkerton - *****
From the pounding, primal assault of the opening track, "Tired of Sex," it's clear from the outset that Pinkerton is a different record than the sunny, heavy guitar pop of Weezer's eponymous debut. The first noticeable difference is the darker, messier sound -- the guitars rage and squeal, the beats are brutal and visceral, the vocals are mixed to the front, filled with overlapping, off-the-cuff backing vocals. In short, it sounds like the work of a live band, which makes it all the more ironic that Pinkerton, at its core, is a singer/songwriter record, representing Rivers Cuomo's bid for respectability. Since he hasn't changed Weezer's blend of power pop and heavy metal (only the closing song, "Butterfly," is performed acoustically), many critics and much of the band's casual fans didn't notice Cuomo's significant growth as a songwriter. Loosely structured as a concept album based on Madame Butterfly, each song works as an individual entity, driven by powerful, melodic hooks, a self-deprecating sense of humor ("Pink Triangle" is about a crush on a lesbian), and a touching vulnerability ("Across the Sea," "Why Bother?"). Weezer can still turn out catchy, offbeat singles -- "The Good Life" has a chorus that is more memorable than "Buddy Holly," "El Scorcho" twists Pavement's junk-culture references in on itself, "Falling for You" is the most propulsive thing they've yet recorded -- but the band's endearing geekiness isn't as cutesy as before, which means the album wasn't as successful on the charts. But it's the better album, full of crunching power pop with a surprisingly strong emotional undercurrent that becomes all the more resonant with each play.

6. Dr. Octagon: Dr. Octagonecologist - *****
It's hard to exaggerate the role that Kool Keith's debut solo album as Dr. Octagon played in revitalizing underground hip-hop. It certainly didn't bring the scene back to life single-handedly, but it attracted more attention than any non-mainstream rap album in quite a while, thanks to its inventive production and Keith's bizarre, free-associative rhymes. Dr. Octagonecologyst represented the first truly new, genuine alternative to commercial hip-hop since the Native Tongues' heyday. It appealed strongly to alternative audiences who'd grown up with rap music, but simply hadn't related to it since the rise of gangsta. Moreover, it predated seminal releases by Company Flow, Black Star, and the Jurassic 5, helping those groups get the attention they deserved, and reinvented Keith as a leader of the new subterranean movement. As if that weren't enough, the album launched the career of Dan the Automator, one of the new underground's brightest producers, and shed some light on the burgeoning turntablist revival via the scratching fireworks of DJ Q-Bert. The Automator's futuristic, horror-soundtrack production seemed to bridge the gap between hip-hop and the more electronic-oriented trip-hop (which has since narrowed even more), and it's creepily effective support for Keith's crazed alter ego. Dr. Octagon is an incompetent, time-traveling, possibly extraterrestrial surgeon who pretends to be a female gynecologist and molests his patients and nurses. The concept makes for some undeniably juvenile (and, arguably, hilarious) moments, but the real focus is Keith's astounding wordplay; it often seems based on sound alone, not literal meaning, and even his skit dialogue is full of non sequiturs. Keith has since lost his taste for the album, tiring of hearing it compared favorably to his subsequent work, and complaining that the only new audience he gained was white. However, it's the best musical backing he's ever had (especially the brilliant singles "Earth People" and "Blue Flowers"), and even if he's since explored some of these themes ad nauseum, Dr. Octagonecologyst remains as startling and original as the day it was released.

7. Electric Light Orchestra: El Dorado - *****
This is the album where Jeff Lynne finally found the sound he'd wanted since co-founding ELO three years earlier. Up to this point, most of the group's music had been self-contained -- Lynne, Richard Tandy, et al. providing whatever was needed, vocally or instrumentally, even if it meant overdubbing their work layer upon layer. Lynne saw the limitations of this process, however, and opted for the presence of an orchestra -- it was only 30 pieces, but the result was a much richer musical palette than the group had ever had to work with, and their most ambitious and successful record up to that time. Indeed, Eldorado was strongly reminiscent in some ways of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Not that it could ever have the same impact or be as distinctive, but it had its feet planted in so many richly melodic and varied musical traditions, yet made it all work in a rock context, that it did recall the Beatles classic. It was a very romantic work, especially on the opening "Eldorado Overture," which was steeped in a wistful 1920s/1930s notion of popular fantasy (embodied in movies and novels like James Hilton's Lost Horizon and Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge) about disillusioned seekers. It boasted Lynne's best single up to that time, "Can't Get It out of My Head," which most radio listeners could never get out of their respective heads, either. The integration of the orchestra would become even more thorough on future albums, but Eldorado was notable for mixing the band and orchestra (and a choir) in ways that did no violence to the best elements of both.

8. Daft Punk: Discovery - **** 1/2
Four long years after their debut, Homework, Daft Punk returned with a second full-length, also packed with excellent productions and many of the obligatory nods to the duo's favorite stylistic speed bumps of the 1970s and '80s. Discovery is by no means the same record, though. Deserting the shrieking acid house hysteria of their early work, the album moves in the same smooth filtered disco circles as the European dance smashes ("Music Sounds Better With You" and "Gym Tonic") co-produced by DP's Thomas Bangalter during the group's long interim. If Homework was Daft Punk's Chicago house record, this is definitely the New York garage edition, with co-productions and vocals from Romanthony and Todd Edwards, two of the brightest figures based in New Jersey's fertile garage scene. Also in common with classic East Coast dance and '80s R&B, Discovery surprisingly focuses on songwriting and concise productions, though the pair's visions of bucolic pop on "Digital Love" and "Something About Us" are delivered by an androgynous, vocoderized frontman singing trite (though rather endearing) love lyrics. "One More Time," the irresistible album opener and first single, takes Bangalter's "Music Sounds Better With You" as a blueprint, blending sampled horns with some retro bass thump and the gorgeous, extroverted vocals of Romanthony going round and round with apparently endless tweakings. Though "Aerodynamic" and "Superheroes" have a bit of the driving acid minimalism associated with Homework, here Daft Punk is more taken with the glammier, poppier sound of Eurodisco and late R&B. Abusing their pitch-bend and vocoder effects as though they were going out of style (about 15 years too late, come to think of it), the duo loops nearly everything they can get their sequencers on -- divas, vocoders, synth-guitars, electric piano -- and conjures a sound worthy of bygone electro-pop technicians from Giorgio Moroder to Todd Rundgren to Steve Miller. Daft Punk are such stellar, meticulous producers that they make any sound work, even superficially dated ones like spastic early-'80s electro/R&B ("Short Circuit") or faux-orchestral synthesizer baroque ("Veridis Quo"). The only problems on Discovery arise when Daft Punk compensate for the album's lack of six-minute dance tracks by including a few too many half-developed productions like "High Life" and the ambient piece "Nightvision." One other crime is burying the highlight of the entire LP near the end. "Face to Face," a track with garage wunderkind Todd Edwards, twists his trademarked split-second samples and fully fragmented vision of garage into a dance-pop hit that could've easily stormed the charts in 1987. Daft Punk even manage a sense of humor about their own work, closing with a ten-minute track aptly titled "Too Long."

9. Slayer: Reign in Blood - *****
Widely considered the pinnacle of speed metal, Reign in Blood is Slayer's undisputed masterpiece, a brief (under half an hour) but relentless onslaught that instantly obliterates anything in its path and clears out just as quickly. Producer Rick Rubin gives the band a clear, punchy sound for the first time in its career, and they largely discard the extended pieces of Hell Awaits in favor of lean assaults somewhat reminiscent of hardcore punk (though distinctly metallic and much more technically demanding). Reign in Blood opens and closes with slightly longer tracks (the classics "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood") whose slower riffs offer most of the album's few hints of melody. Sandwiched in between are eight short (all under three minutes), lightning-fast bursts of aggression that change tempo or feel without warning, producing a disjointed, barely controlled effect. The album is actually more precise than it sounds, and not without a sense of groove, but even in the brief slowdowns, the intensity never lets up. There may not be much variation, but it's a unified vision, and a horrific one at that. The riffs are built on atonal chromaticism that sounds as sickening as the graphic violence depicted in many of the lyrics, and Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman's demented soloing often mimics the screams of the songs' victims. It's monstrously, terrifyingly evocative, in a way that transcends Reign in Blood's metal origins. The album almost single-handedly inspired the entire death metal genre (at least on the American side of the Atlantic), and unlike many of its imitators, it never crosses the line into self-parodic overkill. Reign in Blood was a stone-cold classic upon its release, and it hasn't lost an ounce of its power today.

10. The Minutemen: Double Nickels on the Dime - *****
If What Makes a Man Start Fires? was a remarkable step forward from the Minutemen's promising debut album, The Punch Line, then Double Nickels on the Dime was a quantum leap into greatness, a sprawling 44-song set that was as impressive as it was ambitious. While punk rock was obviously the starting point for the Minutemen's musical journey (which they celebrated on the funny and moving "History Lesson Part II"), by this point the group seemed up for almost anything -- D. Boon's guitar work suggested the adventurous melodic sense of jazz tempered with the bite and concision of punk rock, while Mike Watt's full-bodied bass was the perfect foil for Boon's leads and drummer George Hurley possessed a snap and swing that would be the envy of nearly any band. In the course of Double Nickels on the Dime's four sides, the band tackles leftist punk ("Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing"), Spanish guitar workouts ("Cohesion"), neo-Nortena polka ("Corona"), blues-based laments ("Jesus and Tequila"), avant-garde exercises ("Mr. Robot's Holy Orders"), and even a stripped-to-the-frame Van Halen cover ("Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"). From start to finish, the Minutemen play and sing with an estimable intelligence and unshakable conviction, and the album is full of striking moments that cohere into a truly remarkable whole; all three members write with smarts, good humor, and an eye for the adventurous, and they hit pay dirt with startling frequency. And if Ethan James' production is a bit Spartan, it's also efficient, cleaner than their work with Spot, and captures the performances with clarity (and without intruding upon the band's ideas). Simply put, Double Nickels on the Dime was the finest album of the Minutemen's career, and one of the very best American rock albums of the 1980s.

Getting closer. Still have another 150 or so albums to categorize by year. If you haven't listed the years, please do so and save me some work... :)

The Years
1: 1967
2: 1971
3: 1970
4: 1998
5: 1996
6: 1996
7: 1974
8: 2001
9: 1986
10: 1984

average year: 1984.3
approx: the date my sister is born

1. Nirvana: Nevermind (1991)
2. Neil Young: Harvest (1972)
3. Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers (1971)
4. Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde (1966)
5. N.W.A.: Straight Outta Compton (1989)
6. De La Soul: 3 Feet High & Rising (1989)
7. MC5: Kick Out The Jams (1969)
8. Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings (1990) (or 1930?)
9. Various Artists: Buena Vista Social Club (1997)
10. Uncle Tupelo: March 16-20, 1992 (1992)

Average: 1982.6 (for release date of robert johnson box set)
1976.6 (for date of actual robert johnson recordings)

Here y'are, Bus!

1. The Beatles: The Beatles ("White Album") - 1968
2. Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life -1976
3. Ray Charles: Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection [boxed set] -1997 (however, the actual recordings span from 1949 to 1993)
4. Elvis Costello & The Attractions: Trust - 1981
5. XTC: Skylarking - 1986
6. They Might Be Giants: Apollo 18 -1992
7. Charles Mingus: Mingus Ah Um - 1959
8. Cheap Trick: Cheap Trick - 1977
9. Mr. Bungle: California - 1999
10. Cafe Tacuba: Re - 1994

1. Gary Numan: Telekon (1980)
2. Ultravox: Rage In Eden (1981)
3. a-ha: Minor Earth|Major Sky (2000)
4. Neil Diamond: Hot August Night (1972)
5. Sparks: Lil' Beethoven (2002)
6. Echo & The Bunnymen: Crystal Days: 1979-1999 (released 2001)
7. The Call: Reconciled (1986)
8. Duran Duran: Rio (1982)
9. DEVO: Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)
10. Esquivel: Space Age Bachelor Pad Music (1994, though the music is all from the '50s and '60s)

1. Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti (1975)
2. Rolling Stones: Exile on Main St. (1972)
3. George Harrison: All Things Must Pass (1970)
4. Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel (3) (1980)
5. The Band: The Band (1969)
6. Japan: Tin Drum (1981)
7. The Slits: Cut (1979)
8. David Bowie: Scary Monsters (1980)
9. Devo: Duty Now For The Future (1979)
10 The Modern Lovers: The Modern Lovers (1976)

1. The Beatles: Revolver (1966)
2. Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed (1969)
3. James Brown: Star Time [box set] (1991)
4. Prince: Sign 'O' The Times (1987)
5. David Bowie: The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust (30th Anniversary Edition) (1972)
6. The Who: Who's Next (Deluxe Edition) (1971)
7. Public Enemy: Fear of a Black Planet (1990)
8. Elton John: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (Deluxe Edition) 1975)
9. Neil Young: On The Beach (1974)
10. Ministry: Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (1992)

Looking at a lot of the picks made and not knowing who quite of few of these musical acts are makes me wonder what the median age of all the draft participants is.

1. Miles Davis - The Complete Jack Johnson Recordings (Recorded in 1970, Released in 2003)
2. The Who - Quadrophenia (1973)
3. The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Recorded in 1968, Released in 2003)
4. The Band - The Last Waltz (1978)
5. The Beatles - Help! (1965)
6. Billy Bragg and Wilco - Mermaid Avenue Vol. 1 (1998)
7. Jeff Buckley - Live at the Sin-e (Recorded in 1994, Released in 2003)
8. Tift Merritt - Bramble Rose (2002)
9. Big Star - #1 Record/Radio City (Recorded in 1972-73, Released in 1992; First album recorded in 1972, second album recorded in 1973)
10. Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy (1985)

1. Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon (1973 release)
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...90917w9hct.jpg
Original Release Date: March 24, 1973

2. Billie Holiday: The Complete Decca Recordings [box set]
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...56203hn730.jpg
Original Release Date: October 4, 1944 - March 8, 1950

3. Portishead: Dummy
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...55021xbvry.jpg
Original Release Date: October 1994

4. Joni Mitchell: Blue
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...86627v6fj8.jpg
Original Release Date: June 1971

5. The Police: Synchronicity
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...76994hxdrb.jpg
Original Release Date: June 1983

6. Nine Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...556971d732.jpg
Original Release Date: November 1989

7. White Stripes: Elephant
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...73154xcch3.jpg
Original Release Date: April 1, 2003

8. Alanis Morissette: Jagged Little Pill
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...666198bcy6.jpg
Original Release Date: June 13, 1995

9. New Order: Substance
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...84886hif20.jpg
Original Release Date: August 11, 1987

10. Jonatha Brooke & The Story: Plumb
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...172462u2u0.jpg
Original Release Date: August 29, 1995

Average Year of Albums chosen: 1983.4

You guys are awesome!!!

well, i'm 83...

Pimping my list, with year and AMG rating, plus my own notes:
<table><tr><td width=200>http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...77804sbbed.jpg</td><td>Metallica: Master of Puppets (1986) - *****
The single most important metal album of all time, and my own favorite album. It elevated the genre so far above everything that had come before it's hard to remember what metal was like. Hard hitting social commentary, gloriously intricate melodies combined with blistering rhythms. Cliff Burton's swan song will never be matched. Start with "Master of Puppets" and "Orion."
</td></tr><tr><td>http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...53057rjfdt.jpg</td><td>
Michael Jackson: Thriller (1982) - *****
Only the greatest pop album ever. "Thriller" and "Billie Jean" are masterpieces, but the real genius was bringing in Eddie Van Halen to play lead guitar on "Beat It". 7 of the 9 tracks made the top 10. If you haven't heard this album, you're probably deaf or very young.
</td></tr><tr><td>http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...73420rf5it.jpg</td><td>AC/DC: Back in Black (1980) - *****
The band responded to the death of Bon Scott with their strongest work ever and one of the best rock albums of all time. From the opening notes of "Hell's Bells" to the hard rocking title track on the raucous swagger of "You Shook me All Night Long", the album rocks from top to bottom. Few can do hard rock as well as AC/DC and even they were never able to do it better.
</td></tr><tr><td>http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...12451i47ok.jpg</td><td>Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks (1975) - *****
As Dylan's marriage disintegrated, he returned to the studios to create his most emotionally revealing album. Featuring a stripped down, acoustic based sound his voice carries the album alternating between anger and pain in a way that offers a rare glimpse at one of this countries most important musicians.
</td></tr><tr><td>http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...991887466w.jpg</td><td>
Public Enemy: It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) - *****
This was the album that rewrote the rules for what hip-hop could do. Building on the foundation Run-DMC laid, this is hip-hop filtered through hard rock to create a ferocious sound unheard of at the time. Chuck D's intense rhymes were never better and Flavor Flavs humorous antics provided a much needed counter-point. Rap has rarely been smarter or harder. Start with "Bring The Noise", where the band name drops Anthrax resulting in the greatest rap-metal combination in history, and then keep going.
</td></tr><tr><td>http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...55088wfiaq.jpg</td><td>
Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow (1967) - *****
Jefferson Airplane's second album was the first truly popular album in the psychedelic-rock genre. New vocalist Grace Slick was the prototype for all female rock vocalists, and she takes over every track she appears upon. There's never been a better drugged out song than "White Rabbit" and the psychedelic rock of "Somebody to Love" still resonates today.
</td></tr><tr><td>http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...76177h5tlt.jpg</td><td>Elvis Presley: The Sun Sessions (1976) - *****
Recorded in '54 and '55, this is one of the most important albums in music history. This is the first tentative steps of the most important artist in rock history. While deftly mixing R&B, country and pop, Elvis was still finding his voice, but the roots of everything that were to come are definitely there.
</td></tr><tr><td>http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...40130e1tkg.jpg</td><td>
Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (1977) - *****
Bollocks is only the most important punk album in history. Even forgetting all the censorship fights and lawsuits, this is a monumental album based on it's content. Johnny Rotten appears to be frothing at the mouth as his spits out the lyrics to "Anarchy in the U.K." and "God Save the Queen." This is a brilliant deconstruction of every rock convention and paved the way for countless successful punk bands.
</td></tr><tr><td>http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...05904kusx4.jpg
</td><td>Stevie Ray Vaughan: Texas Flood (1983) - *****
Texas Flood is the album that single handedly sparked the last great blues revival. At the time the blues were far from popular, but SRV changed all that, vaulting it back into pop culture. The album stayed on the charts for over a year which is still unheard of for a blues album. SRV is one of the greatest guitarists of our generation (I would argue the greatest) and after honing his skills on the Austin club circuit for years he was already at the top of his game. "Love Struck Baby", "Pride & Joy" and "Texas Flood" are your best bets, but don't ignore "Lenny", Vaughan's heartfelt ode to his wife.
</td></tr><tr><td>http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...53195m2htv.jpg</td><td>Opeth: Blackwater Park (2001) - ****½
Opeth's style is best described as progressive death metal, but that doesn't go nearly far enough in describing their style. While Opeth does use some of the cookie monster vocals, vocalist Michael Åkerfeldt does half the vocals with a clean voice as well (and he has an amazing voice). In fact, Opeth eschews most of the traditions of death metal, brilliantly mixing in piano's acoustic guitars and never once using blast beats or satanic lyrics. Too put it another way, my mother enjoys some Opeth songs, and she considers the Carpenter's a rock band. Blackwater Park is Opeth's greatest achievement and one that rewards the listener on successive viewings. Opeth has a strong progressive side that is chiefly influenced by British band Camel, and as such, much of the album is drenched in a hazy '70s gauze. Their tracks (which Opeth styles as movements) here are massive, three of them breasting the 10 minute mark. I'd recommend starting with the acoustic "Harvest" and "Dirge for November" and checking out "Blackwater Park" and "The Leper Affinity" when you're ready, just don't be thrown off by the death vocals, because they often don't last very long.
</td></tr></table>