My Gadget Reviews

 
 
 
Sorry about the dead links and missing photos

For fun, I put together several different categories of top five lists.  My choices have been known to change on a daily basis, so any list is only representative of how I felt at the time I put them together.  I will occasionally revise this page to reflect my newest choices.  To make it fair, I limited the musical categories to one album by each artist (except for the Sinatra category below).

Like many of my other pages, you can click on the pictures to pull up the selection on Amazon.  Feel free to add your own top five list to my guestbook.

Frank Sinatra - Top five albums
 
2.  Songs for Swingin' Lovers - The exact opposite of the title above.  This album makes you glad to be alive.
3.  Wee Small Hours - Loneliness and heartache.
4.  September of my Years - Sinatra turns 50 and shares the experience on this one.
5.  Nice N' Easy - Sinatra at his most romantic.
Jazz Instrumental Favorites
 
1.  Miles Davis - Kind of Blue - This is the jazz album for everyone.  Miles and Coltrane at the top of their game.
2.  John Coltrane - A Love Supreme - Spiritual, beautiful album.
3.  Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out - The first jazz album to sell over a million copies and deservedly so.
4.  Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus - Clever, fun and ingenuous.
5.  Tatum Group Masterpieces Vol. 8 - Tatum and Webster at their best.
 
See my "So you'd like to... begin a Jazz CD collection" list at Amazon.
Jazz Vocal Favorites (excluding Sinatra)
 
1.  Billie Holiday - The Quintessential Billie Holiday, Vol. 9 (1940-1942) - Billie at her best on this album.
2.  Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook - Ella swingin' to Duke.
3.  Johnny Hartman - John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman - Perfect pairing on this late night classic.
4.  Tony Bennett - Tony Bennett & Bill Evans Album - Tony at his best with the great Bill Evans.
5.  Chet Baker - Best of Chet Baker Sings - Sensual singing by the always great Chet Baker.
Rock Music
 
1.  The Beatles - Help! - It is next to impossible to name one favorite.  However, this album gets no credit by the critics, so I put it on my list.
2.  Elvis Presley - The Sun Sessions - The beginning of a new era.
3.  Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde - Creative, smart, and always entertaining album from this influential artist.
4.  The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street - Their most rocking album. 
5.  Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run - The quintessential album for a road trip.
Blues
 
1.  Magic Sam - West Side Soul - My favorite Blues album.
2.  BB King - Live at the Regal - The interaction between BB and the audience is legendary.
3.  Howlin' Wolf - Chess Box - I cheated by including a box set, so sue me.  This is a necessity for any blues fan.
4.  Muddy Waters - Chess Box - Consistently brilliant. 
5.  Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings - The most intriguing story in blues history. 
Soul Music
1.  James Brown - Live at the Apollo 1962 - Energy personified.
2.  Marvin Gaye - What's Going On - A mix of politics and soul.
3.  Sly and The Family Stone - Greatest Hits - Funk and soul mix.
4.  Al Green - Greatest Hits - Smooth soul. 
5.  The Complete Stax - Volt Singles 1959-1968 - This is a huge box set, but a necessity for the soul music fan. 
Country Music
 
1.  Johnny Cash - At San Quentin (The Complete 1969 Concert) - The man in black preaching to the choir.
2.  Hank Williams - 40 Greatest Hits - The most important figure in country music.
3.  Patsy Cline - 12 Greatest Hits - Beautiful voice and beautiful songs.
4.  George Jones - Anniversary - The best introduction to the influential artist. 
5.  Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys - Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 2 - My favorite by the king of swing. 
Folk Music
 
1.  Bob Dylan - Freewheelin Bob Dylan' - Great song writing.  Probably his best folk album.
2.  Simon and Garfunkel - Greatest Hits - Their greatest hits.
3.  Richard & Linda Thompson - Shoot out the Light - The story of a broken relationship.
4.  The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo - Folk Rock at it's best. 
5.  Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska - A risky, stark album by the Boss.
Bluegrass
 
1.  Bill Monroe - Very Best of - The father of bluegrass.  If you want to know more, buy his box set instead.
2.  Flatt & Scruggs - Complete Mercury Recordings - Picking and strumming at it's best.
3.  Alison Krauss - I've Got that Old Feeling - Great effort by the young prodigy.
4.  The Stanley Brothers - Old Country Church - A mixture of bluegrass, gospel, and beautiful harmonies. 
5.  O Brother Where Art Thou? Soundtrack  - This album and movie put bluegrass back on the map.
Punk Music
 
1.  The Clash - London Calling - Punk attitude with a creative mix of musical style.
2.  Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks - The musical equivalent of a rock thrown through a glass window.
3.  The Ramones - Rocket to Russia - The best album by this influential group.
4.  Elvis Costello - My Aim is True - A blend of punk, pop, and rock. 
5.  The Replacements - Let it Be - Alternative meets punk.
Favorite Box sets
 
1.  Frank Sinatra - Capital Years - Also referred to as the London Box - Sinatra on Capital in it's original format.  Great sound and Sinatra at his best.
2.  Frank Sinatra - The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings - This leather case contains the brilliant story of Sinatra's later years.
3.  Elvis Presley - The King of Rock n' Roll - The 50s recordings of Elvis.  In other words, the best rock n' roll you will ever hear.
4.  John Coltrane - The Heavyweight Champion - The maturation of a jazz genius. 
5.  James Brown - Star Time - Demonstrates the energy and style of one of America's most influential artists.
See my "The Best Box Sets" list at Amazon.
Prog Rock
 
1.  Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon - Every person with a CD player should own this one.
2.  The Soundtrack of our Lives - Behind the Music - Wonderfully fresh album of instant classics from this relatively obscure group from Sweden.
3.  Rush - Moving Pictures - Hard Rock with a progressive edge.
4.  Queen - A Night at the Opera - Queen's best.  
5.  Radiohead - OK Computer - A prog album for the modern age.
Alternative Rock
 
1.  Nirvana - Nevermind - Glorious angst.  This one took music in a new direction.
2.  Pearl Jam - Ten - Seattle grunge band at their best.
3.  Soundgarden - Superunknown - Incredible album with soaring vocals.
4.  Stone Temple Pilots - Core - Grunge inspired masterpiece of guitars and catchy hooks.
5.  Alice in Chains - Dirt - Another Seattle classic with angst ridden vocals and a hard rock guitar sound.
Alternative Pop
 
1.  REM - Automatic for the People - The best rock group of the 80s brings us an album of magnificent beauty.
2.  U2 - The Joshua Tree -  U2 at their best.  The guitars, voice, and drum beats merge into the best album by this Irish band.
3.  The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses - A perfectly mixed bag of pop, psychedelic, dance beats and rock.
4.  Oasis - Definitely Maybe - A rock and roll album mixed with the pop of the Beatles and the edge of the Rolling Stones.
5.  The Verve - Urban Hymns - Brilliant album with psychedelic guitar and angst painted vocals.
New Wave
 
1.  The Psychedelic Furs - All of this and Nothing - The Furs greatest hits.  Talk, Talk, Talk is a great album, but this one has all their hits.
2.  Talking Heads - Remain in Light - Eclectic mix of brilliant music.  The unusual sound of this band is original even today.
3.  Crowded House - Crowded House - This is one of my favorite albums from the 80s.  Magnificent pop.
4.  Police - Ghost in the Machine - Political writing mixed in a reggae, pop, rock sound.
5.  Blondie - Parallel Lines - This disco, pop, punk mix is the perfect new wave album.
Hard Rock
 
1.  AC/DC - Back in Black - My favorite album to put on when I want to rock!
2.  Led Zeppelin- Their 4th album - This has my favorite Zep song "Going to California".  Oh yeah, it also has that minor hit "Stairway to Heaven".
3.  Guns & Roses - Appetite for Destruction - A head-banging delight!
4.  The Who - Who's Next- A great rocking album.  Put it in your player and drop the top! 
5.  Van Halen - 1984 - The boys at their most popular.  Unfortunately, this album ended the David Lee Roth era.
Hair Bands/Arena Rock
 
1.  Def Leppard - Hysteria - Slick pop metal at it's best.
2.  Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet - A great, fun album.  No apologies needed.
3.  REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity - I still love this album.  "Take it on the run" is the high point.
4.  Journey - Escape - Panned by hundreds of critics, but loved by millions.
5.  Foreigner - 4 - Lou Gramm's perfect rock voice combined with the brilliance of Mike Jones.
Heavy Metal
 
1.  Metallica- "Black Album" - This made Metallica a huge success.  Too bad it went to their heads.
2.  Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies - One of the pioneers of this genre at his peak.
3.  Kiss - Alive - Heavy metal is all about live performances.  Kiss took the event to a whole new level.
4.  Black Sabbath - Paranoid - Their best album from the Ozzy years.  The album is a defining moment for heavy metal.
5.  Judas Priest - British Steele - This album kicks off with the classic "Breakin the Law" and never lets up.
MORE TO COME....