1. The Clash - "London Calling" - This snapshot of 1979 London blends
West Indian sounds with retro rock & roll to unspool a wealth of
human stories using an amazing variety of styles. Mick Jones wrote
many of these songs while renting a room from his grandmother.
Perhaps that's why this classic feels like a first album--when a band
bleeds its autobiography--rather than a third offing. Worth the price of
admission simply for the lyrics to "The Card Cheat". Song: "Rudie
Can't Fail"
2. The Four Tops & The Temptations - "T'N'T" - Is Motown the
pinnacle of American music? Maybe. Even though this is a compilation
rather than a true album, I've always thought of the Temps and the
Tops as the milk and cookies of pop's golden era--two perfect treats
that are even better together. Song: "Can't Help Myself"
3. Less Than Jake - "Borders and Boundaries" - Gainesville, Florida's
hometown heroes are one of the few bands in my favorite genre:
skacore. Lightning fast guitars accompanied by sax and horns pulse
with the vivid lyrics geared toward anyone who ever dreamed of
leaving behind a small town and/or a minimum wage job. And who
doesn't fall into at least one of those categories at some point in
life? Songs: "Gainesville Rock City" & "Look What Happened"
4. Social Distortion - "Sex, Love, & Rock 'n' Roll" - Most
people would have chosen one of rockabilly poet Mike Ness' earlier albums but I
love the soaring hope that shines through on his anthemic redemption
song. Ness' gravel over velvet voice paints banged up billboards of
California life more evocative of Bakersfield or Barstow than his
native Orange County ("I can still hear the mission bell and the train rolling through your town"). Song: "Highway 101"
5. Killswitch Engage - "The End of Heartache" - Watching Robert
Goulet sing 'without feeling' prompted Elvis to shoot his TV. He
wouldn't have done that if he'd been watching lead singer Howard
Jones of KSE. Jones' rich booming baritone enrobes the listener and infuses every word with such depth that poets laureate should be
lining up to book him for readings. Sadly, Jones is no longer with
the band and the days of seeing him trade wisecracks with guitarist
Adam Dutkiewicz on stage are over. Song: "The Rose of Sharon"
6. Brooks and Dunn - "Steers and Stripes" - Dunn's passionate voice
weaves tales of longing and love which are juxtaposed against Kix
Brooks' wry humorous especially jaunts like "Deny, Deny, Deny" ("That wasn't me at a quarter to three in our backyard..."). Song:
"Every River"
7. The Alarm - "Change" - I've always thought of The Alarm as U2's
Welsh cousins because they weren't merely contemporaries playing a
similar style of music but because they also wrote lyrics about the
nation's history, their faith in God, and the struggles of modern
times heralded by Mike Peters' unique and robust voice. Unfortunately, they were never a big hit stateside and this
album makes that all the more difficult to believe. Song: "No
Frontiers"
8. U2 - "The Joshua Tree" - A tour of America from an outsider's
POV, the band wrote this highly-diverse and evocative album after
U2's first expansive tour of the States. With so many should-be hits,
I'm sure Island records had difficulty choosing singles. Song: "Exit"
9. Millencolin - "Home From Home" - Great guitars and lyrics ranging
from lighthearted love songs to houseplants and motorcycles (yes, you
read that right) sit alongside heartfelt ones. "Happiness for
Dog" about lead singer Nikola Sarcevic's beloved brother who was mentally disabled is heartbreaking but hopeful. Song: "The Mayfly"
10. The B-52's - "Cosmic Thing" - Dance THIS mess around! From the
opening jangles of the dance-frenzy "Cosmic Thing" to the rolling
final credits feel of "Follow Your Bliss," this album is a montage
that boasts more textures and colors than the flamboyant band's
wardrobe. Song: "Topaz"
11. Riverboat Gamblers - "Underneath the Owl" - Garage rock never
sounded so good. My iPod is probably sick of me playing this album. If
this had been released during The Strokes' heyday in the early 2000s,
everyone would be singing the road-trip anthem "Victory Lap" ("We spent half the night at Flying J"). Songs: "A Choppy Yet Sincere
Apology" & "Victory Lap"
12. New Radicals - "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" - A one-hit
wonder for 'You Get What You Give', this album boasts snarky and
well-crafted lyrics as well as a huge variety of sounds and textures. The New Radicals
were the brainchild of hit song-crafter Gregg Alexander wrote "The Game of
Love" which won a Grammy for Santana. Song: "Crying Like a Church on Monday"
13. Rancid - "...And Out Comes the Wolves" - Chuck Berry guitars
with street punk life-worn lyrics about the struggles of life, love,
and making the rent in the seedier side of the Bay Area. Although
it's probably my favorite album, I usually skip the first track and
start with the buzzed bus ride of "Roots Radical." Song:
"Olympia, WA"
14. Crowded House - "Crowded House" - New Zealand's second most
famous export after kiwifruit saw a few Top 40 singles in 'Something
So Strong' and 'Don't Dream It's Over' but the whole album is timeless. Neil Finn's first post-Split Enz work was something of The
Beatles meets CSNY. Song: "Something So Strong"
15. Big Pig - "Bonk" - What does a band with three drummers fronted
by an Aussie version of Shirley Bassey sound like? Australia's Big Pig
never had any real US airplay despite seeing their songs "Hungry Town" and "Breakaway" featured on the soundtracks of the movies "Young Einstein" and "Bill and Ted's Excellent
Adventure." Song: "Breakaway"
All in all, Daytripper's single days
culminate, as all our days do, in a life and, along with that, a
hopeful and ebullient reflection on life, what it means to be loving
and present, and what a weighty but joyous responsibility that is
when fully realized.
