A slim best-of from the best pack of undead rockabilly punks you've never heard. "Human Fly", "New Kind of Kick", "TV Set". Awesome.

Churning, thunderous world-funk that seems as old as the pyramids. A stepping stone in Miles Davis' career. This album (and it's success) may have begat fusion, but nothing with that name ever had the fire and passion of this monster. I put this album on almost every list I write.

I will forever fly a flag for old-school hip-hop (I hardly listen to anything new). This album was the essence of L.A. gangster rap before the mellow G-funk of Dr. Dre homogenized everything. "New Jack Hustler" and "O.G." are standouts, and "Midnight" is one of the heaviest rap shoot-em-up stories ever.

I love spooky old acoustic blues, and this fella is one of the best. These sides were cut in the 40s, relatively late for geniune Delta blues, but this is still haunting stuff.

The first album by THE punk band. When "Blitzkrieg Bop" was used in a Cingular add a few years ago, I wanted to scream my head off. Recorded on the cheap over 30 years ago, this still kicks any modern teenybopper punk off the stage.

Years ago, I decided to get into jazz. I basically went "eenie meenie.." and picked up this CD. Must have been the cover. I've been a Monk freak ever since. Gloriously swinging 50's bebop, with so much great talent on hand: John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, Art Blakey. Monk wasn't "typical" in his approach to jazz, but he was still one of the greatest.

My first Beasties record and still my favorite. This just seemed more underground than "Ill Communication" or "Hello Nasty". They ran away from samples after "Paul's Boutique" and produced a kaleidiscopic band-based record. Phenomenal. Nobody remembers this one.

I am a sucker for hair metal power ballads (the soundtrack to all my childhood crushes). There, I said it.

Fragile, ambitious Space Pop made by guys from Oklahoma. Beautiful, epic songwriting. A lush album that should have been widely acclaimed. That last great shot of life into the U.S. "alternative" scene

VU had left behind the acid freak-outs of their Andy Warhol days and decided to make a loud rock record. It is a gem in their slim but diverse discograpy. "White Light/White Heat" is the funnest little speed ditty ever made, and "Sister Ray" is 16 glorious minutes of fuzzbox crunch. Made to be turned up.

Jaco was a phenomenal electric jazz bassist. He later joined the group Weather Report and went on to large success. However, this solo debut is such a stunning piece of diverse virtuosity that it belies description or comparison with anything else. A great one.

Climb off your bike, spike the punch, and start stabbing teachers. I just have a thing for hardcore 50's rebellion music, even though I was born in the 70's. I originally had a box called "Loud, Fast, & Out of Control" here, but that is now out of print and ridiculously expensive. From the days when Rock and Roll was dangerous.

An essential album for me. Put this on with headphones and look up at the night sky after sunset. I feel a sense of homesickness for a place I've never been. Sorry, this album has just really gotten to me. Brian Eno is the man and many of his recordings are essential.

The Who have had more best-ofs in the last 30 years than geniune albums. However, this original collection from the early 70s is still classic to me. It collects all the great pre-Tommy songs made before the inflation of their 70s stadium-rock period.

A band that defies categorization. They came out of the 80's NY art/noise-rock scene, but by the time of this and "Soundtracks For the Blind", they had attained a sense of scope and emotional range in their music that has rarely been equalled. If goth/emo kids had any sense (or taste), this is what they would listen to. Seriously, check this one out.

Pakistani devotional music? When it's one of the masters, why not? Recorded by the great Rick Rubin right before Nusrat died. This has none of the studio polish of some of his foreign collections, so it isn't a bad place to start. This man's discography is huge, .

You're walking through a junkyard. You round a corner, and there sits a man in rags with a band of freaks behind him singing songs about God, the Apocalypse, and all the deceptions of the human heart. Not as mellow as it's companion album "Alice", this one goes for the throat like his best albums. I want "God's Away on Business" to be playing when the Endtimes come. Tom Waits is the &%@#!!!

A filthy, broken man lies in a cell, his eyes sewed shut. If you spoke to him, this is what would come out of his mouth. Sludge metal made for squirming inside your strait jacket. You may not know what the singer is screaming, but it just DOESN'T MATTER. This is metal for your really bad days. This will do the job when nothing else will. Heavier than ANYONE.

There has been a little bit of jazz throughout. But out of my dozens of jazz CDs, this is the best one. Unusual jazz instrumentation (bass, flute, clarinet, sax, cello) put to hypnotic and gorgeous effect I can't recommend this one enough.

A mind-blowing slab of thunderous, glitchy angst. My favorite album of the 90's, period. Captured the despair of a generation, like a suicidal "Joshua Tree". "Exit Music For a Film", "Paranoid Android", "Let Down". Such beautiful sounds. They never equalled this, and it's too bad.