The Greatest Album Of All Time

This question has been raised repeatedly over the years and it seems music fans can never decide the right answer. That is because music is all about opinion. There are no facts, just expression and point of view. Anyway, I am going to list my top 5 picks for Best Album ever and I'll leave it to you guys to decide if you agree or not. Some of these choices you have heard before, but that's probably because they are that damn good. Now, let me begin...

Pick 1: Dark Side of The Moon by Pink Floyd
If you haven't heard of this album, shame on you. This was the breakthrough album for Floyd and arguably their best work. The reason being because the amount of thought and talent that went into this album has been largely unmatched by any other band in history. Each and every song tells a story; the story of life. The first track "Speak to Me/Breath" is about coming into the world as a child and as the album progresses, each song addresses other key themes in life. For example, the song "Money" is about greed and how it is human nature to be selfish. Also "Time" is a song addressing how quickly time fly's and how the world just watches it go by. "A Great Gig in the Sky" is one of the most astounding vocal performances in history...nuff said. This album is basically a parody of amazing songs and in essence, a concept album. Many have called it the greatest album of all time, and there is no doubt it is one of, if not, the best ever.

Pick 2: Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin
This was it, 1969 and the second work of one of the greatest bands of all time. This was the album that made kids want to go to the store and purchase electric guitars. Simply put, this album ROCKED!!! Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and Jon Bonham each contributed equally to make this, in my opinion, Zeppelin's best work. Now, for anyone that has listened to this album fully, you will know that not one single song is bad. In fact, every song is AMAZING! It begins with "Whole Lotta Love", one of the bands most recognizable songs and one of Plant's best vocal performances. The guitar riff is a classic and very well known. I can go on and on, but for anyone that has not listened to this masterpiece...what are you waiting for!? This album has "The Lemon Song", which has one of the best bass lines in the history of music. It has "Moby Dick", one of the greatest drum solos ever and not to mention "Heartbreaker" and "What is and What Should Never Be". I can't do this album justice. You just gotta listen to it to appreciate the greatest that was and is, Led Zeppelin.

Pick 3: Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Now, I didn't pick this album because the Chili Peppers are my favorite band. I picked it because it was one of the most influential albums in the 90s and it stands as the Chili's best work. Each song is vastly different from the rest and the Chili Peppers purposely isolated themselves in a mansion to produce the album and make it the best they possibly could. They succeeded and made one of the most expressive and brilliant pieces of music I have ever had the privilege of listening to. This album includes some of their greatest songs; Under the Bridge, Give it Away, Breaking the Girl and I Could Have Lied to name a few. This was the album that made the Chili's megastars and the one that solidified them as an amazing band that had immense talent. I could go on and on, but I'll just leave saying this album kicks ass.

Pick 4: AEnima By Tool
Another album to come out in the 90s that totally blew fans away. Aenima is a work of genius. It is dark, it is haunting and it shows the immense talent of Maynard James Keenan, one of the greatest vocalists EVER and Danny Carey, the very talented and complex drummer of Tool. This album is one of those albums where each and every song seems to fit perfectly in order and flows so smoothly that by the time the album ends, fans are left stunned with amazement. This album discusses human emotion and how each and every one of us each experience different feelings in life based on a variety of circumstances. Some of the albums highlights are "Stinkfist," "Eulogy," "H," and "Third Eye." If you haven't listened to this album, you better soon because I guarantee you will never be so touched, so amazed, by how one band can generate such power and emotion in your veins. Trust me.

Pick 5: Jar of Flies by Alice in Chains
Now, at this point you can clearly see these choices are not factual. They are simply my opinion backed up with decent reason. Going on...My last pick has to go to Jar of Flies, an album only containing 7 songs and mostly acoustic guitar. But once again, this album has shown me, along with millions of AIC fans, how much talent this band really had. Their 1992 album "Dirt" is considered their best work, but I respectfully disagree because Jar of Flies is an album where the simplest songs proved to be the most emotionally effective. I'm talking about songs like "Rotten Apple" and "Nutshell", two of the most humanly powerful songs in this entire world. The singer Layne Staley was addicted to heroin at the time and all his pain and suffering were expressed in these songs so naturally that the listener can't help but smile and appreciate how beautiful his music was. This is one of the simplest albums in that their isn't much effect or complex musical notes, but simple acoustic material that will leave you speechless. I encourage any fan of music to give this one a try, it is beautiful and meaningful in many ways.

And the Greatest Album of All Time Goes to...
These five albums are personally my favorite of all time. But if I had to pick one that had it all; the musical genius, the passion, the connection, the talent, etc... I would have to go with Led Zeppelin II. This album showcased each instrument so...perfectly. Just listen closely to every note on the album and you will see why Led Zeppelin was and still is, the greatest band to ever walk the Earth. Jimmy Page nailed it here with his complex guitar riffs, Robert Plant railed on vocals and John Paul and Bonham nailed their parts as well. There is a reason why Zeppelin disbanded when John Bonham died...because they couldn't function as a band without all four members. They are legends. They are beast, They are fucking LED ZEPPELIN!