Sifting through some old Total Guitar magazines, I came across this from TG Magazine (Issue 39, January 1998) by the TG reviews team.
Here Goes...
25) ABRAXAS (1984) by Santana
Highlight: Black Magic Woman
24) WHO'S NEXT (1971) by The Who
Highlight: Won't Get Fooled Again
23) MACHINE HEAD (1972) by Deep Purple
Highlight: Highway Star
22) BAD MOON RISING (1984) by Sonic Youth
Highlight: Death Valley '69
21) WAR (1983) by U2
Highlight: New Year's Day
20) NEVERMIND (1991) by Nirvana
Highlight: In Bloom
19) SURFING WITH THE ALIEN (1987) by Joe Satriani
Highlight: Surfing With The Alien
18) MR TAMBOURINE MAN (1965) by The Byrds
Highlight: I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better
17) THE BENDS (1994) by Radiohead
Highlight: Just
16) FIRE AND WATER (1970) by Free
Highlight: Fire And Water
15) REGATTA DE BLANC (1979) by The Police
Highlight: Message In A Bottle
14) DEFINITELY MAYBE (1994) by Oasis
Highlight: Supersonic
13) LIVE AND DANGEROUS (1978) by Thin Lizzy
Highlight: Don't Believe A Word
12) THE STOOGES (1969) by The Stooges
Highlight: I Wanna Be Your Dog
11) EXILE ON MAIN STREET (1972) by The Rolling Stones
Highlight: Happy
10) WHITE LIGHT, WHITE HEAT (1968) by The Velvet Underground
Highlight: I Heard Her Call My Name
9) EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE (1969) by Neil Young
Highlight: Cinnamon Girl
8) BLUES BREAKERS (FEATURING ERIC CLAPTON) (1966) by John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
Highlight: All Your Love
7) TEXAS FLOOD (1983) by Stevie Ray Vaughan
Highlight: Pride And Joy
6) DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (1973) by Pink Floyd
Highlight: Money
5) HATFUL OF HOLLOW (1984) by The Smiths
Highlight: William It Was Really Nothing
4) BACK IN BLACK (1980) by AC/DC
Highlight: Back In Black
3) VAN HALEN I (1978) by Van Halen
Highlight: I'm The One
2) LED ZEPPELIN II (1969) by Led Zeppelin
Highlight: Heartbreaker
1) ARE YOU EXPERIENCED (1967) by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Highlight: Love Or Confusion
So 22 years later how do you think the list holds up? Which ones influenced you back then or still influence you now? How many have you listened to over the years?
P.S. The magazine + CD cost £4.25 back then!
Comments
The Who, Byrds & Stooges... so overrated.
I'd pick Band of Gypsys over Are you experienced. And Neil Young's Zuma instead.
Then add an Allan Holdsworth, Pat Metheny and Michael Hedges album... but then that's why I don't write for crappy guitar magazines.
Black Sabbath is arguably the single most influential guitar album of all time, so missing it off entirely is ridiculous.
I've listened to pretty much all of them - all the songs I think, although some just on compilations rather than the albums - and I currently own 11 of the albums. But I don't really listen to music for the guitar playing. (Not even Steve Vai, really.)
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
And Pornograffitti.
But I’ve also got a few thousand others that aren’t on the list.
As with any “Top N” lists, it only reflects the tastes or knowledge of the people who compile the list. Given that I always assume that TG writes for a certain demographic, I think the list is quite wide ranging.
Wrong, obviously, but quite wide ranging!
And yes, Black Sabbath should have been on there. And Marquee Moon.
I said maybe.....
White Stripes - Elephant
The Darkness - permission to land
Yeah yeah yeahs - Fever to tell
John Mayer - Continuum
Khruangbin - the universe smiles upon you
More obscure but excellent
Julian Lage - Arclight
Bill Callahan- Apocalypse
Kurt Rosenwinkel - Star of Jupiter
Bonnie Raitt - Fundamental
Plant & Krauss - Raising sand
Jim Campilongo - Heaven is Creepy
Gillian Welch - Time(the revelator)
(Many things with Derek Trucks on)
But where’s Zappa, anything with Peter Green, The Allman Brothers Band, ZZ Top, Jeff Beck, The Eagles, Bob Dylan, to name but a few? Travesty, especially since Zappa even released an album called “Guitar”.
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
Steve Vai - The Ultra Zone
Muse - Origin Of Symmetry
Tool - Lateralus
Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way
Ben Harper - Diamonds On The Inside
Calexico - Feast Of Wire
Evanescence - Fallen
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Dinosaur Jr - Farm
Not saying they should all be on the list, but there are plenty of candidates there.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Most of the stuff I listen to nowadays has been released since 1998 but I'm not sure I would suggest anyone else "must own" it.
I'm probably one of the least "guitaristy" people on the forum too - I really don't listen to music for the instrumental playing at all, not even Vai... in the same way as when I listen to a Beethoven piano sonata, I don't normally pay that much attention to the pianist's technique, I listen to the music. Sorry if that sounds pretentious, but it's true .
There are also three albums on the original list that I *have* owned, but don't now because I didn't actually like them.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Carry on.
No Pete Green/Fleetwood Mac for starters or BB King