Looking through my iTunes library, I was playing around with this thought, this idea. What if you were limited to no more than 15 albums that you could keep forever in your library, which ones would they be?



So I made a list with an explanation for each of the selections.

1. NIN- The Downward Spiral (1994)


One of my 1st iTunes purchases. Also an album that triggered a turning point in my music listening habits, where I began to listen to music for more than a catchy tune, or a sing-along chorus. I started listening to the words, the meanings, the build-ups, the structure of the songs.

You may remember this album for: Closer, March of The Pigs, Hurt, Piggy.

What you may have missed: The concept behind the album. It's not for the faint of heart, or the feeble-minded.




2. Deftones- White Pony (2000)

The Deftones' most successful release, coming at the apex of nu-metal, bucks the label that they helped to create back in the mid-'90s, by going above and beyond. As complex as this album seems, it's also very streamlined, wasting no time with skits and interludes.

You may remember this album for: Change (In The House Of Flies), Back To School, Digital Bath, the weird as hell promo movie they made for it

What you may have missed: Passenger ft Maynard James Keenan, Elite, Rx Queen. Passenger especially, strong performance by MJK.



3. Failure- Fantastic Planet (1997)

The last album from Failure, Fantastic Planet is a concept album told in metaphors. Of course, concept albums don't work unless you got the music to match the ambitious nature of it. And truth be told, the spaced out guitars and lyrics work perfectly.

You may remember this album for: All the cover songs generative from this album. A Perfect Circle's take on "The Nurse Who Loved Me", Paramore's cover of "Stuck on You" and a few others.

What you may have missed: Solaris, Saturday Savior, Daylight, Blank.



4. Company Flow- Funcrusher Plus (1997)

Independent as f*ck. The rallying cry for the 2 MC, 1 DJ group from NYC, who came together to bring hip-hop fans an uncompromising, rugged, lyrical trip, unlike anything out on the market in '97. DJ Mr. Len, Bigg Jus, and El-P drop nothing but dope stuff on this, throwing a dictionary of vocabulary and pop-culture references that will have you searching Google for the hidden meanings.

You may remember this album for: Uh....nothing. Because this was well under the radar back in '97. Unless you happened to get a glance at the music video for "8 Steps to Perfection".

What you may have missed: The whole album. It's been out of print for years, but now has been re-mastered and re-released by Def Jux (El-P's label).




5. Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet (1990)

Looking back at PE's discography, and realizing I can't have 2 titles by the same artists on this list, I just had to side with this 20 track epic. Chuck D and Flava Flav hit harder than imaginable, tacking inter-racial relations, the controversy with the Jewish community, and the problems among the urban community.

You may remember this album for: Welcome to The Terrordome, and obviously, Fight the Power. 

What you may have missed: Fear of A Black Planet, War at 33 1/3, Who Stole the Soul, and the sampling rampage over the album. Can you guess what songs were sampled? 




6. Gang Starr- Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr (1999)

With the density of the Gang Starr catalog, it's impossible to choose just 1 album that would satisfy you. So the obvious resolution: use the "Greatest Hits" collection. Which is really well done, to be honest. B-Sides, A-Sides, deep cuts…it's all here. Even new songs.

You may remember this album for: Full Clip, Just To Get A Rep, The Militia, Step In the Arena, Beyond Comprehension, I'm the Man.

What you may have missed: All 4 The Ca$h, 1/2 and 1/2, Gotta Get Over, Soliloquy of Chaos, Betrayal, Speak Ya Clout.




7. Ice Cube- AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990)

Before the West and East started beefing and killing each other, Ice Cube, coming off a bad falling out with N.W.A., teamed up with Public Enemy and the Bomb Squad, to create an incredible solo debut. Proving that he didn't need Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Yella, and MC Ren to make music, Ice Cube created a West Coast album using East Coast production. Dynamic, aggressive, and yet thought provoking.

You may remember this album for: The title track.

What you may have missed: Endangered Species with Chuck D, A Gangsta's Fairytale, Better Off Dead, Turn off the Radio, and on the re-release, Dead Homiez and Jackin For Beats (the song that gave birth to the mixtape).



8. Jedi Mind Tricks- Violent By Design (2000)

The masterpiece of the group. I don't care what you think about Servents in Heaven, Kings in Hell, or anything else….this is JMT at their finest. Vicious, profane, disgusting, and yet…so awesome.

You may remember this album for: Heavenly Divine

What you may have missed: Death March, the remix to Heavenly Divine, Retaliation, Sacrifice, Muerte. Did I mention Stoupe's production?




9. Rage Against The Machine- Rage Against The Machine (1993)

The first album, and perhaps their finest hour. Straight to the point, with some time for instrumental expansion, RATM hits hard like metal, and gets you amped up like hip-hop. Sure, it was the catalyst to the crappy rap-metal of the late '90s, but it was so awesome, we can forgive it.

You may remember this album for: Bombtrack, Wake Up, Freedom, Killing in the Name, Bullet in the Head, Know Your Enemy (MJK makes an appearance)

What you may have missed: Settle for Nothing, for it being the rare instance of Tom Morello doing a regular solo without FX. Township Rebellion hits hard too.




10. Pantera- Vulgar Display of Power (1992)

Pantera became legendary with this album. There's no way around it, they were firing at all cylinders and it shows on this release. Phil Anselmo finally leaves behind the 80's vocal style and becomes more blunt, more brutal, but also more honest with his singing delivery, adding one more dimension to his character.

You may remember this album for: Walk, Mouth For War, and This Love. Also for Dimebag's guitar work.

What you may have missed: Hollow, By Demons Be Driven, and F---ing Hostile.




11. Nas- Illmatic (1993)

10 tracks, 5 producers, 1 guest appearance = 5 mics/stars from nearly everyone. I'm not kidding. Never has there been a perfect debut album, and most likely, there will never be another one like this again. Nas really created a masterpiece that gets better with every year that passes, and every listen.

You may remember this album for: It Ain't Hard to Tell, The World Is Yours, Halftime

What you may have missed: The fact that an album like this was unheard of, from a production standpoint. Back in 1993, most albums had 1 or 2 producers….however, this one had 5, which created the trend of major hip-hop albums using a super-team of producers. Also, the song "One Love", a prison letter to Cornmega.




12. Linkin Park- Reanimation (2002)

Fact: most remix albums suck. However, Linkin Park's bold remix collection of songs from Hybrid Theory is actually a fun, enjoyable and cohesive ride. Bringing together the worlds of hip-hop and nu-metal in a way that doesn't scream "cash-in" (*cough*Limp Bizkit's New Old Songs*cough*), Reanimation puts a new spin on Linkin Park's debut album, making the generic songs sound so much more interesting.

You may remember this album for: The batch of videos made for the album back in the summer of 2002.

What you may have missed: The flow of the album is impeccable. Every song leads somewhere, somehow. And the awesome remixes of Crawling, With You, One Step Closer, and Place For My Head are sweet enough.




13. A Perfect Circle- Mer de Noms (2000)

This was a tough one. I love APC, and everything they've done…but I can only choose one. So I guess it's their 1^st album, the one that got me into the band. Another great way to debut a band, MJK proves that he's more than the "guy from Tool", he's an awesome singer as well.

You may remember this album for: Judith, The Hollow, 3 Libras

What you may have missed: Madalena, Rose, Sleeping Beauty, Thinking of You, Brena.
14. Mr. Bungle- California (1999)

Of everything Mike Patton has done in his career, this stands out the most. Patton goes back in time and makes a 50's pop album. No joke. To the surprise of no one, this was incredible. From top to bottom, Mr. Bungle crafts an album that is not like anything they have done, yet sounds just like themselves.

You may remember this album for: Re-igniting the dormant feud between Patton and Anthony from RHCP, which led to vicious jabs at one another, including Anthony pulling Bungle from big festival gigs, and Mr. Bungle totally ripping RHCP live on Halloween 1999.

What you may have missed: Pink Cigarette, Vanity Fair, Retrovertigo, Sweet Charity
15. Cold- 13 Ways to Bleed On Stage (2000)

Cold, before they became a hit name with "Stupid Girl", created an underrated masterpiece called 13 Ways to Bleed on Stage. Aggressive, depressing, captivating, brilliantly produced can't really describe how Cold took it to another level with their sophomore album. A must-hear album,

You may remember this album for: No One, being on the soundtrack to A Walk to Remember (don't ask how I know about that), Just Got Wicked (on the Jet Grind Radio soundtrack) and End of The World.

What you may have missed: She Said, Sick of Man, Outerspace, Send In The Clowns, the awesome production work that made this album sound grungier and more dark than it normally would have been.


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