Best Albums of 2003

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 12:15 pm

Granted I'm sure none of us have heard all the great albums of the past year, but it's that time of year where people start sharing their favourite releases of the past year. Clearly I have a lot of catching up to do as in 2002 I found it much harder to narrow my list down.

So what's everybody's Top 10 of the year? Throw in a Top 5 reissues as a bonus if you'd like.

1. Various Artists - Concert For George
2. The Jayhawks - Rainy Day Music
3. Calexico - Feast Of Wire
4. David Bowie - Reality
5. Elvis Costello - North
6. The Minus 5 & Wilco - Down With Wilco
7. John Cale - Hobosapiens
8. Ry Cooder & Manuel Galban - Mambo Sinuendo
9. Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears
10. Al Green - I Can't Stop

Honourable mentions: Lou Reed - The Raven (I haven't listened to it much, but it was a brave and challenging album), Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Greendale.

Top 5 Vault Releases

1. Johnny Cash - Unearthed (I don't own it, but judging from the stuff I"ve heard this is the best box set ever!)
2. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Punch The Clock
3. The Beatles - Let It Be... Naked
4. Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks
5. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Get Happy!!

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 12:22 pm

1. Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day
2. Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears
3. Vic Chesnutt - Silver Lake
4. Rosanne Cash - Rules of Travel
5. Warren Zevon - The Wind
6. Clem Snide - Soft Spot
7. Al Green - I Can't Stop
8. Steve Earle - Just An American Boy
9. Gillian Welch - Soul Journey
10. Jay Farrar - Terroir Blues

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 1:19 pm

OK, here goes...

2003 albums:

1. Radiohead - "Hail to the Thief"
2. The White Stripes - "Elephant"
3. Lucinda Williams - "World Without Tears"
4. Pernice Brothers - "Yours, Mine and Ours"
5. Fountains of Wayne - "Welcome Interstate Managers"
6. Calexico - "Feast of Wire"
7. David Bowie - "Reality"
8. Elvis Costello - "North"
9. Cat Power - "You Are Free"
10. The New Pornographers - "The Electric Version"

Honorable mention:
Jesse Malin - "The Fine Art of Self Destruction"
Ed Harcourt - "From Every Sphere"

Reissues:

1. The Talking Heads - "Once in a Lifetime"
2. Elvis Costello & the Attractions - "Get Happy!!"
3. Bob Dylan - "Blood on the Tracks"
4. Bob Dylan - "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan"
5. Elvis Costello - "Trust"

Great 2002 albums/reissues I did not get until this year:

The Blasters - "Testament"
Ron Sexsmith - "Cobblestone Runway"

LessThanZero · Post by **LessThanZero** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 4:51 pm

BLUE!

Jody and her mom called me from a store and asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I said Blood on the Tracks and the highway # revisited.

Should I have said REISSUE!?

Is it a cd reissue, or one of the SACD hybrids?

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 4:54 pm

LessThanZero wrote:BLUE!

Jody and her mom called me from a store and asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I said Blood on the Tracks and the highway # revisited.

Should I have said REISSUE!?

Is it a cd reissue, or one of the SACD hybrids?

Reissue just means something that was re-released... the Dylan reissues happen to be SACD hybrids.

HungupStrungup · Post by **HungupStrungup** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 5:30 pm

I tend not to respond to these threads, and I may end up thinking about this one too long too. But I will try to come up with a meaningful list. What I can say already is that several of the albums already mentioned will get serious consideration, including:

Concert For George
Calexico's Feast Of Wire
and John Cale, HoboSapiens

and some that haven't, including:

Roxy Music Live
King Crimson, Power to Believe
and John Hiatt's Beneath This Gruff Exterior

Boy With A Problem · Post by **Boy With A Problem** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 12:34 am

My favorite this year is Streetcore by Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 7:35 pm

This year I've read about interesting-ish albums from newer artists, but going as far as buying one? Well, not yet. I'd be tempted to get Elephant cos I think I'd enjoy that. For me there was the quieter satisfaction of seeing my two main men delivering both on disc and, the real treat, on stage: Reality and North. And then there was the high of totally rediscovering the brilliance of Lloyd Cole and his largely very good latest Music In A Foreign Language, and fantastic solo stuff of his like Love Story that I'd missed out on, and also seeing him (with the Doof, whom I must thank for the rediscovery). I liked Hail To The Thief well enough, but, as Bowie himself commented, it doesn't scream 'play me' at you. I like Damien Rice's 'O', though I think that was actually a 2002 disc. The Blower's Daughter is a remarkable song.

I loved getting the 3 Costello reissues. All great for different reasons. I can't wait till Dec 25 and Once In A Lifetime.

costellopunk · Post by **costellopunk** » Sun Dec 14, 2003 6:34 pm

my favs this year are:

white stripes-elephant
frank black and the catholics-show me your tears
alkaline trio-good mourning
yeah yeah yeahs-fever to tell
david bowie-reality
throwing muses-s/t
krisitin hersh-the grotto
nick cave and the bad seeds-nocturama (if only for babe i'm on fire)
joe jackson-streetcore
less than jake-anthem

girl out of time · Post by **girl out of time** » Sun Dec 14, 2003 8:08 pm

i´ve just got my hands on the last outkast double album......and i think it´s the best album of the year by far.......amazing stuff!!!!!!

Misha · Post by **Misha** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 12:30 am

GOOT,

Glad to hear it, I asked for it for xmas!!

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 12:35 am

DJed a corporate office Christmas party this week, and the new Outkast was featured three times. All with very positive results. I think it's the best double album since Prince Sign o' the Times at least. Possibly my favorite double album since the White Album. It's definitely the White Album of hip hop.

SoLikeCandy · Post by **SoLikeCandy** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 1:23 am

OutKast and Meshell Ndegeocello have out-Princed Prince this year. They've done what the Purple One stopped doing years ago--turned "black music" on its ear, and still courted folks on either side of the fence. Andre 3000 is a weird, sexy muthafucka. While her experiments don't always work (Blind Boys of Alabama? What in the fresh hell?), the album Meshell put out this year is atmospheric bliss.

My picks (just a few):

Meshell Nedegeocello--Comfort Woman
Johnny Cash--Unearthed
John Mayer--Heavier Things (really. It's good shit.)
OutKast--Speakerboxx/The Love Below

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 4:04 am

Isn't the Outkast album a bit schizoid, being more or less two solo albums sold as a double? Is Andre 3000 the one with the hair? Cool dude. I like what I've heard.

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 10:07 am

SLC,

Very astute, regarding Oukast doing what Prince ought to do. I haven't heard the Meshell Ndegeocello record, so I'll take your word for it. I remember a couple of years ago when Beck put out Midnite Vultures thinking that these were the types of songs I wish Prince was doing now.

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 6:46 pm

One album that’s not making the year-end lists is Ryan Adams Love is Hell album, which is too bad since it's truly brilliant. Everyone should do as I have, buy the 2 parts and burn them on to one disc. One tip: drop the 2 bonus tracks on Pt 2, 2 dreadful pieces of self-indulgence. What you have left is a fine 73-minute album, far better, imo, than the rather flabby Gold album, which has not aged well.
Asides from that I agree with most of all your selections, 2 other great albums this year were by The Cosmic Rough Riders and The British Sea Power

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 8:00 pm

The only new (i.e made in 2003) albums that Ive bought this year that I feel are essential to my collection are...

Radiohead - Hail to the thief
EC - North
The Mountain Goats - Tallahasse
Led Zeppelin - How the west was won

King of Confidence · Post by **King of Confidence** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 10:20 pm

I can't make the numbers you all do, but here are my top purchases/gets of 2003 records this year:

Cafe Tacuba / Cuatro Caminos
The Bad Plus / These are the Vistas
Dolorean / Not Exotic
White Stripes / Elephant

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 11:50 pm

Glad to see Cuatro Caminos on your list, KOC. It's on mine, as well.

Additionally, but not necessarily in any order:

1. Beatles - Let It Be...Naked
2. Bowie - Reality
3. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
4. Outkast - Speakerboxxx/Love Below
5. White Stripes - Elephant
6. Throwing Muses - Throwing Muses
7. Dionysos - Western Sous La Neige
8. Harry Connick, Jr. - Other Hours
9. Mighty Wind Soundtrack

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Tue Dec 16, 2003 5:48 am

Glad to see Cuatro Caminos on your list, KOC. It's on mine, as well.

That's what's great about these discussions, finding out about interesting albums like this.
http://www.fastnbulbous.com/cafetacuba_cuatro.htm

Here are the amazon details

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... ce&s=music

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Tue Dec 16, 2003 5:23 pm

Original

1. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Streetcore
2. Eels - Shootenanny
3. Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland
4. Terry Hall & Mushtaq - The Hour Of Two Lights
5. Joe Jackson Band - Volume 4
6. Elvis Costello - North
7. The Proclaimers - Born Innocent
8. Steely Dan - Everything Must Go
9. The White Stripes - Elephant
10. Elbow - Cast Of Thousands

Reissues

1. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Get Happy
2. Joe Jackson - Night & Day
3. Neil Young - On The Beach
4. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Punch The Clock
5. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Trust

Best Of/Greatest Hits/Compilations/Live

1. Billy Bragg - Must I Paint You A Picture: The Essential
2. Paul Weller - Fly On The Wall
3. Led Zeppelin - How The West Was Won
4. Dexy's Midnight Runners - Lets Make This Precious: The Best Of
5. The Boomtown Rats - Best Of

SoLikeCandy · Post by **SoLikeCandy** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 7:59 am

A friend just let me borrow "Blackberry Belle" by the Twilight Singers. I was in love with the Afghan Whigs, and it's nice to see Greg Dulli again--this is one of the best albums this year, hands down.

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 9:39 am

SoLikeCandy wrote:A friend just let me borrow "Blackberry Belle" by the Twilight Singers. I was in love with the Afghan Whigs, and it's nice to see Greg Dulli again--this is one of the best albums this year, hands down.

Thanks for the tip, here's the amazon link
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... ce&s=music

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 10:54 am

So Lack, how did you find Everything Must Go compared to other Steely Dan albums?

SoLikeCandy · Post by **SoLikeCandy** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 11:04 am

I know this was for Lack, but I am an SD fanatic--I was supremely let down by this album. There are some really cool songs on it (Pixeleen, Green Book), but the rest of the album is almost clinical in its preciseness. The drummer, Keith Carlock, is a monster live and with other groups--on this album, he's just a warm-blooded drum machine.

For my...er...professional opinion, please see my article in Knot Magazine:

http://www.knotmag.com/?article=777

Heh heh...