Early in December of 2003, we put out a request to the readers of MusicTAP to get the best of 2003 from the reader perspective. We didn't ask for explanations, just names. We got a load. So, what we have done was to generate a listing of the album a la Rolling Stone style. Of course, lists like this are always controversial. So enjoy what we have. If you see something that you haven't been introduced to, we hope that you'll investigate further. The real reasoning behind this list is not to tout our opinions but to provide a chance for you to pick up on any deficiencies and become enlightened an album or two further than you may already be. I call new found talent from lists like these, gifts.
Without fail, the two battlers were The White Stripes with Elephant and Radiohead with Hail to the Thief. There were literally several hundred one line emails that listed one or the other of these two. However, Radiohead edged out The White Stripes, 110-96. some said, "..this one is superb. "I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart" has been stuck in my head for months now."
But, there were other popular favourites. Warren Zevon followed The White Stripes and Radiohead with his poignant and final, The Wind. This came in with 48 votes.
Following Zevon's The Wind was Evanescence's Fallen with 31 votes and Fleetwood Mac's Say You Will with 26.
Neil Young's latest, Greendale didn't do too bad with 19 votes while David Bowie's Reality zipped in with a close 18. In that number area was Bruce Cockburn's You've Never Seen Everything with 17 votes.
There was a surprising batch of email for My Morning Jacket's It Still Moves with 11 votes. It's a band that I will check out as I've never heard of them. It's also the fore runner of the reason why I wanted to do this in the first place and that is to find bands that I haven't been exposed to. Another big vote getter in this category is Mars Volta's Deloused in the Comatorium with 10.
Led Zeppelin's How the West was Won received 26 votes. I left it from the top largely because I was looking for new music. A tad unfair since it is new after all but I'm mentioning it away from the new music because we're familiar with much of it.
Here's the list of bands that received multiple votes. If an email contained multiple votes, I only accepted the first. I'm installing the list as they came in numbers wise. I've also included comments as they were available. Here they are:
- Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
- White Stripes - Elephant
- Warren Zevon - The Wind
- Evanescence - Fallen
- Fleetwood Mac - Say You Will
- Led Zeppelin - How the West Was Won
- Neil Young - Greendale
- David Bowie - Reality
"...his best in a decade."
- Bruce Cockburn - You've Never Seen Everything
- My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves
- Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium
"... because it is such a quantum shift away from anything I've heard before. It's definitely an album, rather than a collection of songs, and the musical make-up is incredibly complex but almost immediately enticing. It's really unlike anything else out there.
- Dream Theater - Train of Thought
"...a Metal Masterpiece."
- Jane's Addiction - Strays
- A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step
- Maroon 5 - Songs about Jane
" What a great disc. It mixes some old school funk with some great Matchbox 20 rock and N-Sync pop."
- King Crimson - The Power to Believe
"The music on this album is at times unclassifiable - they are doing things on this record that no one on the planet is doing. It rocks. Its funky. Its fun. Its terrifying. Its powerful stuff. Amazing music played amazingly."
- Mary Fahl - The Other Side of Time
"..haunting."; "voice that lives in you for quite some time." (This album was my choice for Best of 2003)
- Allman Brothers Band - Hittin' The Note
- Damien Rice - O
"...haunting."; "...the one release this year that really impressed me from the first..."
- Tangent - The Music That Died Alone
- Blackberry Belle - Twilight Singers
- Rush - Rush in Rio
- John Cale - Hobo Sapiens
"...I still listen to on a regular basis that feel good and that my initial reaction has not diminished..."
- Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers
- Kings of Leon - Youth and Young Manhood
- Van Morrison - What's Wrong With This Picture?
- A Mighty Wind Soundtrack
- Neal Morse - Testimony
"It was a gutsy move by Neal to leave Spock's Beard when they were getting to be noticed quite a bit to put out the music he felt he had to. Whether you agree with his choices or not, you've got to respect him."
- Ryan Adams - Rock n Roll
"From the opening riff of "This Is It" to the U2ish sounds on "So Alive" then to closing song "The Drugs Not Working", Adams takes you on a musical journey that's well worth the ride!"
- Supergrass - Life on Other Planets
This concludes the multiple vote getters. The following were single votes but I'm including here in the greater interest of potential introductions to new music for you, the reader. They are listed in no particular order. They are as follows:
- Steve Winwood - About Time
- Erase Errata - At Aberdeen
- Rufus Wainright - Want One
- Anthrax - We've Come For You All
- John Hiatt - Beneath this Gruff Exterior
- Paul Westerberg - Come Feel Me Tremble
- The Thrills - So Much for the City
- Jack Johnson - On and On
- Butterfly Boucher - Flutterby
- Liz Phair - Liz Phair
- Howie Day - Stop All The World Now
- Jason Mraz - Waiting for my Rocket to Come
- Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown
- Sparks - Lil Beethoven
- Opeth - Damnation
"They are a band from Sweden who go by the name Opeth, and the disc is titled "Damnation". The 1st track off the album (which is also,more or less the "promotional" cut) is called "Windowpane"--this beautiful song pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the disc."
- The Darkness - Permission to Land
- Ben Harper - Diamonds on the Inside
- Spiritualized - Amazing Grace
- Bare Naked Ladies - Everything to Everyone
"Ever since I picked this album up I've listened to it at least once a week. Every song is strong. It's kind of a cross between Neil Young with Crazy Horse and The Flaming Lips (Soft Bulletin era). That is to say it feels like classic rock, but it is decidedly modern -- a tricky balance. See them live and they will blow you away."
- Gloria Estefan - Unwrapped
"...one of the best albums of 2003 that pretty much flew under the radar was Gloria Estefan's "Unwrapped." This is not only the best album this year, it is her best album throughout her career, even topping "Mi Tierra!"
- Robert Randolph & the Family Band - Unclassified
- Throwing Muses - Throwing Muses
"...the "reunion" album released this year on 4AD, not their original debut album also called "Throwing Muses."
- Maria McKee - High Dive
- Guided by Voices - Earthquake Glue
- Steely Dan - Everything Must Go
- Emmylou Harris - Stumble into Grace
- John Mellencamp - Trouble No More
- Grandaddy - Sumday
- The Pernice Brothers - Yours, Mine, and Ours
- Paul McCartney - Back in the World and Back in the US
- IMAÂ Robot - IMAÂ Robot
"It's an undiscovered little gem of a CD, a little like Pandora's box because it has the ability to offend (many have called it derivative) as well as to greatly impress (the musicianship of these guys is without peer). Bottom line, it's extremely affecting and I haven't stopped listening to it since it came out in mid-September."
- Steve Wynn - Static Transmission
- Ween - Quebec
- The Desert Sessions - 9/10
- Rob Dougan - Furious Angels
"No idea where stores shelve this -- it ranges all over the map from techno to rock to torch song to classical -- but its a complete masterpiece. And made all the better by the packaging: the "limited" version has the two CDs housed on the inside covers of a 9x12 hardcover, dust- jacketed book of lyrics and photos."
- Super Furry Animals - Phantom Power
- The Wrens - Meadowlands
- Ringo Starr - Ringo Rama
"The songs are fun and infectious and after a couple of listens you can't get them out of your head."
- Galactic - Ruckus
- Death Cab For Cutie: Transatlanticism
- Annie Lennox - Bare
- Jann Arden - Love Is The Only Soldier
- Alicia Keys - The Diary Of Alicia Keys
- Tori Amos - Scarlet's Walk
- Jet - Get Born
- Rosanne Cash - Rules of Travel
- Richard Ashcroft - Human Conditions
- Shooglenifty - Arms Dealer's Daughter
- Weakerthans - Reconstruction site
- Calexico – Feast of Wire
- Massive Attack – 100th Window
- Dave Matthews - Some Devil
- Michael McDonald - Motown
- The Rhine - Ohio
- Spock's Beard - Feel Euphoria
- Sarah MacLachlan - Afterglow
- Girlyman - Remember Who I Am
"I'm a sucker for harmonies, and they've got them in spades. Two girls and one guy would make a Girlyman, and that's what they are. Check 'em out at http://www.girlyman.com/, or try their music at (http://www.girlyman.com/audio/mp3/Girlyman-Postcards.mp3 is particularly recommended)
- Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - Little Worlds
- John Mayer - Heavier Things
- eastmountainsouth (Self-titled)
"This CD is absolutely amazing. If it's not the album of the year, it's the best debut album."
- Jeff Buckley – Live at Sin-e Deluxe
"Incredible live solo set for an extremely talented guitar player and singer. (and very sad).
- Pearl Jam - Lost Dogs
- Danko Jones - We Sweat Blood
- Jayhawks - Rainy Day Music
- The Be Good Tanyas - Chinatown
- The Sounds - Living in America
- The Postal Service - Give Up
- Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited SACD
This list is a list generated by the interested emails of readers who provided their subjective thoughts on what was the best for them in 2003. It isn't our endorsement nor are they reflective of what really was the best of 2003. My opinion? If you took the time to email me, then it says something about one of the bands listed above. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to check out some of these titles.
