All Time Favorites Continued

A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory - Sire - 1991
One of the first hip hop records I got really excited about. In fact, it was the first hip hop record that I actually went out and purchased. It was a mix of hip hop and jazz, which was something I had never heard before. The rhymes on this record were ground breaking and the music was catchy as hell. This record still holds up against modern hip hop acts like Aesop Rock and Atmosphere. This album has seem many a mile.

the Cure - the Head on the Door - Elektra - 1985
For years, I said the Cure was my favorite band of all time and that Disintegration was the greatest album of all time. Over the years, only a few of their records really stood the test of time with me and this was one of those records. I'm not sure why I still listen to this album a lot, but I do. Maybe it's because every song on here could be a hit? I mean, even the weird songs like "the Blood." they're all really good songs and they hold up, where as a lot of other Cure songs sort of bum me out and drive me to depression. yeah, Head on the Door is a great record.

Bollweevils - Stick Your Neck Out - Dr. Strange - 1994
The Bollweevils were one of those bands who played every single weekend and everybody knew who they were. Had nothing to do on a Friday? make a couple phone calls and find out where the Bollweevils show was. On top of that, they were the guys who'd remember your name when they saw you again and made an effort to be nice guys. There was no scenesterism with those guys and they encouraged to take things into your own hands.
This record is probably on my favorites list for nostalgia purposes more than anything, because the songs that came out after it on various 7"s, comps and on the follow up, "Heavyweight" are better songs, but these songs together make a really great album. The short fall of "Heavyweight" is that it doesn't really flow as well as this album. This was the soundtrack for many bored nights in the city. Tim Thomas and I would drive around with no destination, screaming along to every song on this record and I think that's pulling a lot of weight here. Despite the fact that it sounds mildly dated, the album still holds up in my mind and I think it's better than many albums that followed by bands that were much more successful.

Blue Meanies - Full Throttle - Thick - 1997
Jesus Christ, this album is a coked out hell ride from beginning to end. Imagine if you will, a stolen Ferrari piloted by the Grinch and Penny Wise from Stephen King's "IT" sitting shotgun after snorting a garbage bag of cocaine, speeding down lake shore drive at 3 in the morning. That is what this album sounds like. Every single song on this record is a violent assault on your better judgement and violently shakes you until you admit that maybe American ska could be more than generic dance music played by white suburbanites. There is so much going on here that really fucking frightens me and I really think that this was quite possibly the point behind this monster of an album.

the Smiths - the Queen is Dead - Sire 1986
This is my favorite Smiths album. Although Meat is Murder will appear elsewhere on this list, this one is hands down my favorite. The sequence of songs is perfect and the songs themselves stand alone perfectly as well as in the context of an album. Some may argue that this is one of their weaker records, but this is personal opinion, so bight me.

World/Inferno Friendship Society - Just the Best Party - Gern Blandsten 2002
This will forever be my ultimate party soundtrack. From the lead off track you really do wanna break everything in the room straight through then end of All the World is a Stage (Dive), you're a dancing machine. I wish I was more into this band prior to this album, because they would have made my life so much more fun in the early '00s. I will never miss a World/Inferno show as long as I live my friends, nor should you.
The music is part punk, part ska, part gospel, part klezmire and all awesome. These songs are like hand grenades. every last one of them.

Teenage Bottlerocket - Total - Red Scare - 2005
This is probably the only extremely new record that's on this list and there's good reason for that. Generally, an all time favorite would be something you've had time to mull over and get aquainted with. Something that is really part of your life and that you connect with and has been there and stood the test of time. Well, short of the "test of time" part, I've listened to this band almost everyday since I bought this record. It's that good and the songs don't get old. Every song on here is a sing along and the writing and engineering are top notch. They do show their influences, but they're still unique enough to pick out of a crowd of bands from the same genre. I personally hear the Ramones, Screeching Weasel and Descendents in the music and this is pretty much due to the fact that this band is ex-Lillingtons. When I saw this band back in April with the Methadones and J Church, I was smiling ear to ear through their entire set. It was the first time I'd heard them and they were automatically one of my favorite bands. That doesn't happen very often, but in this instance it did. Therefore, "Total" is one of my all time favorites.

Descendents - Milo Goes to College - SST - 1982
The Descendents were one of those bands that I always associated with the douchebag skaters I went to high school with, but once I heard them one spring morning back in 1991, I was hooked. Milo Goes to College blared through the speakers of my friend's car as we were off on some stupid adventure high schools kids go on. This record was the soundtrack to many a road trip to see random bands out in the middle of nowhere and overtime, it got to the point that I couldn't avoid this album no matter how hard I tried. Everyone I knew had it and loved it. Hell, I had it and I loved it, but the NW side punks loved this band quite possibly more than their other staple, the Bollweevils. I think a Descendents shirt and a Bollweevils "big headed guitar kid" t-shirt was standard issue amongst the NW side punks back in the early 90's, because that's pretty much all you saw. I put this record down for a few years and actually lost it at one point while moving between apartments only to rediscover it when I borrowed a copy from a friend. This really should be a standard issue album for everyone.