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#1: Bruce Haack-The Electric Lucifer (1970) Moog Recordings
What this is like: Well I was first introduced to this guy by Dan when he sent me a track of his robot songs and I liked it but I also didnt think too much of it. Then my brother told me I should pick this up because it was ridiculous. I did and I was impressed. The opening track is worth the 20 dollar price tag alone. This guy was doing ridiculous electronic pop way before anyone else. Rather than use the newly invented Moog for soundscapes or ambient soundtrack like music he decided to make childlike pop music and he ended up creating one of the great lost psychedelic masterpieces I have ever heard. You need to own this!
#2 and 3: Exuma 1 and 2 (both from 1970)
What this is like: Combine Dr. John, Tom Waits, Animal Collective, Fela Kuti, and Richie Havens all together and throw in Zombie Voodoo imagery and you get Exuma. I bought this on a whim because i remembered the cover from somewhere. Amoeba had it for some reason in the misc E section for cheap so i picked them up and they blew me away. Highly recommended for everyone.
#4: The Wipers-Box Set (1980-1986)
What this is like: Ok so the picture i put up is actually the cover to the first disc in this box set "Is This Real?" from 1980 and that album is the best on the box set which includes their first 3 albums. The first disc and first album from them sounds like the perfect mix of 70s style punk with vocals that sound like the Cars' Ric Okasek and the lead singer of Op Ivy. The second disc and second album "Youth Of America" is much longer with less tracks so all the songs are about 7 minutes long as opposed to nice little 2 to 3 minute bursts of pop punk of the first album, this album has way more in common with Flipper than anything else. The 3rd disc is "The Edge" and it is like a combination of the first 2 albums, This band is also basically one guy, Greg Sage and he is a legend if you know him.
#5: Giorgio Moroder-From Here To Eternity (1977)
What this is like: FUCK LCD SOUNDSYSTEM! if i want poppy electro disco i will go all the way back to 1977 when this guy infused disco beats with house beats and pop hooks and created the first form of what James Murphy has now ruined for a new generation of hipsters, this is the real deal. Buy this instead of wasting your money on Sound Of Silver because this is the sound of gold.
#6: Kate Bush-The Dreaming (1982 EMI)
What this is like: This is my favorite Kate Bush album and her weirdest sonically. She stretched herself very far with this album, employing all manner of musical influences and kind of inventing a weird form of industrial music at the same time. This album is kind of hard to explain, it's kind of like Tori Amos on acid with excellent music and lyrics to back her up, a little like Siouxsie also.
#7: The Beach Boys-Smiley Smile (1967 Capitol)
What this is like: This is the weirdest Beach Boys album. Released after Brian Wilson went nuts trying to make his masterpiece followup to Pet Sounds. This is almost like a demos collection of some leftover Smile tracks with a few stoner songs done on the fly with the rest of the band. This album uses chipmonk sounding vocals on some songs, has one song making fun of a girl who is losing her hair, a song about retiring and living in a shack on the beach in Hawaii, and it has the original version of Vegetables!. This is awesome.
#8: Dr. Dooom-First Come, First Served (1999 Funky Ass Records)
What this is like: This is classic Kool Keith doing his attempt at Horrorcore, a small little genre started by Rza in 1994 with the Gravediggaz. In this album's first track he kills of the one thing that brought him fame, Dr. Octagon and from there on in it's a ridiculous ride through murder, serial killers, and all other things that make up cheesy b horror movies. The production is retardedly excellent and any of these songs should have skyrocketed him to superstardom in a just world, but then again we dont live in a just world so this one is left to the dollar bins in some good stores.
#9: Malcolm Mclaren-Duck Rock (1982 Virgin)
What this is like: Ok so i had wanted to hear this for years and i finally got my hands on it this year and it completely blew me away. For those who dont know who this is, this guy was the manager of the Sex Pistols. They hate him, punks hate him, pretty much everyone in the music world hated him for being a manipulative asshole, but in 1982 he released this album and from what i understand for about a year or 2 everyone let him slide for being a douche because of this album. He was still manipulative (he stole african music from africans to make it pop before paul simon did, he stole hip hop before it got huge to amalgate into underground rock to form some sort of fucked up new music.) He pissed all over country music on the last track and completely influenced the rock world to look outside themselves way back in the early 80s. This is by far one of the weirdest albums i have ever heard.
#10: Slapp Happy-Acnalbasac Noom (1974)
What this is like: Loungy female led band who veer off into proggy time signatures with very obscure lyrics about death and dying and weird pulp fictionesque stories. Her backing band is Faust on this album. They were part of the Rock In Opposition movement by association and i can see why, in 1974 this would be completely unmarketable. It sounded musically like something a grandma would listen to but lyrically what someone into the avant garde would listen to. Highly recommended if you like fucked up pop music.
#11: Lubricated Goat-Psychedelicatessen(1989-Amphetamine Reptile)
What this is like: These guys were from Austrailia and their shit is damn near impossible to find due to weird label confusion( this one was co-released on 3 different labels) they played loud weird rock with excursions into free jazz, funk, and noise. They sound like the Birthday Party mixed with the Stooges mixed with the Cows mixed with the Jesus Lizard. In the middle of the album they even take the time to give the listener a 4 minute Art Of Noise inspired sound collage.
#12: Aksak Maboul-Onze Danses pour Combattre la Migraine (1977)
What this is like: This might be the most original album on this list. In 1977 they were taking what Kraftwerk hinted at and combined it with even deeper experimentation into the sounds of world music at the time and modern classical compisition. Some people have described this as sounding like Boards Of Canada, others have said Aphex Twin. I think it sounds like a bunch of stuff that i cant remember right now. It is very accessible, very playful and way the fuck ahead of its time.
#13: Public Image Limited-The Flowers Of Romance (1980 Virgin)
What this is like: Imagine if the Liars were even more minimal than "Drum's Not Dead" and their vocalist was influenced by gibberish inspired middle eastern chanting and you come somewhat close to describing this album. Throw in a lot of post punk influences like funky bass and sharp guitar lines and you have one of the best post-punk albums i have ever heard. After hearing this i can't believe it is the same dude from the Sex Pistols.
#14: The Cows-Cunning Stunts (1991 Amphetamine Reptile)
What this is like: Kind of hard and easy to describe at the same time. On the base level it's just your average dirty rock band like the Stooges or Birthday party. They have a trumpet also so that's a bit different, then they have a lunatic lead singer who spouts angry diatribe at the listener. The album has a bit of a country swagger as well and opens with a slapping sound and a baby crying, what more can you want from one of the most ridiculous 90s rock bands.
#15: Frank Zappa-Over Nite Sensation (1973) Apostrophe (1974)
What this is like: The best jazzy funk rock i have ever heard with a huge sense of humor. This is very Frank Zappaish so if you like him you will like this. It's very goofy and playful and even some bits of it remind me oddly enough of Comets On Fire. The musicianship on these two albums is impeccable. If you can find the 2 albums on one cd for cheap grab it, if not by the remastered ones seperately for cheap.
#16: Strapping Young Lad-City (1997 century media)
What this is like: Every other Stapping Young Lad album, which means super fast, bordering on Grindcore metal. Everything about this album is loud fast and intense. If you like metal you will like this album, if you dont you wont.
#17: Cosmic Eye-Dream Sequence (1972 ???)
What this is like: Like a more laid back Miles Davis or Amon Tobin 30 years before it's time. It downtempo yet very experimental jazz with a lot of middle eastern influences. Very chill yet at times very intense, i really dont know how easy it is to find this album because it isnt listed a lot of places but it is worth seeking out if you like jazzy electronic music(which it is not) or something like "On the Corner" or "Bitches Brew" with the intensity turned down a bit.
#18: Stevie Wonder-Songs In the Key of Life (1976 motown records)
What this is like: Well a few years back i bought Innervisions which is supposed to be one of his best albums and aside from a few tracks it kind of fell short of all the attention, but while i had that one something told me this(his other "masterpiece") was better, i just didnt have the cash to buy the double album reissue at the time. Then jump to 2007 and i found a copy of this on vinyl for a couple bucks at good will and bought it and loved it. It's funk and soul and r n b and jazzy and rock n roll at times. Very eclectic but all very Stevie Wonder sounding. To me the best tracks are "Village Ghetto Land" and "Sir Duke" Get this if you have any inkling toward soul music at all it is a must have.
#19: Gang Starr-Daily Operation (1992 Chrysalis)
What this is like: Kind of reminds me of De La Soul or Blackalicious but less optimistic and bouncy then both, it has a very chilled out mood throughout, the lyrics are mostly the standout but the production is very minimalist in it's approach and quite interesting when you focus on it. There isn't much in the way of choruses since each song basically has a stream of conscience delivery. Very excellent hip hop from the early 90s, somewhat political but not overweighted with it.
#20: Tall Dwarfs-Hello Cruel World (1985 Flying Nun records)
What this is like: Well this is Chris Knox's most famous band, he formed this one with his best friend after Toy Love(which almost made this list) disbanded. The sound is lo fi experimentation not unlike Sebadoh mixed with the first Neutral Milk Hotel album. The music is weird mostly and also very melodic, kind of like ween in parts, pretty goofy throughout. If you like experimental indie pop in the vein of the microphones, ween, neutral milk hotel and Sebadoh then you should check it out.
#21: Napalm Death-Scum (1987)
What this is like: This is argueably the first grindcore album, almost every song sounds the same, the lyrics are very anarchistic. The album is short, most songs dont reach the 2 minute march, it's intense yet fun crazy grindcore, if you like the locust and orchid and all those grindcore bands this is where to start.
#22: The Traveling Wilburys-The Complete Collection (originally released 1988/1990)
What this is like: This is the 80s super group of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison. It is pretty much just basic 50s influenced rock that at times sounds like jangle pop in the same vein as Marshall Crenshaw, some of the songs get very goofy and the feel is very carefree on these 2 albums.
#23: Lene Lovich-Flex...Plus (1980 Rhino Records)
What this is like: Imagine a trippier Kate Bush doing post punk/new wave, that's what it sounds like. She has an excellent high pitched voice and the instrumentation is very eclectic, might be a little goth sounding to some, she also recalls Siouxsie quite a bit but not as dark, very recommended.
#24 Rollerskate Skinny-Horsedrawn Wishes (1996 Warner Bros)
What this is like: In one word, Shoegazer. In more words, kind of like a more experimental catchier My Bloody Valentine crossed with The Stone Roses and i like this more than both of those bands, apparently Kevin Sheilds'(leader of my bloody valentine)brother was in this band but i dont think this album. There isn't too much to say about this album other than it is one of those lost 90s rock albums that people should look into and its very dense.
#25: The Jody Grind-One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure (1990 DB records)
What this is like: very similar to Neko Case, a little bit of older sounding country torch songs, some vocal jazz style stuff in the vein of Nina Simone or Ella Fitzgerald, some more upbeat numbers that sound straight out of Neko Case's Blacklisted, in fact this album sounds almost exactly the same as Blacklisted except this came out in 1990 Blacklisted came out in 2002, so in a way this album completely cheapens anything Neko Case has done, kind of.
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