Worst to Best: Quentin Tarantino

Tarantino has always felt like the most tasteless of all directors to label as your favourite. It seemed like the moment he simultaneously fell upon everyone’s radar in my high school at the exact same time, there was not a youth with enough education to dare call anyone better, and still to this day, he seems like the laziest go-to choice for the casual movie viewers' title of 'greatest director in the world'. I lose respect for anyone who says this, even in our old age.

However, I must stay true to my tastebuds, and sheepishly surrender that, yes, indeed, Mr Tarantino may very well be the greatest director to appear in the scene in the last two decades. And I know why this is. It’s because he cheats! Everything Tarantino has ever done was shamelessly stolen without even trying to hide it, his entire filmography working like a mashed amalgamation of pop culture goodness, rebranded as his own with the original label still visible beneath; a copy cat without any reservations, essentially flexing his film knowledge out in the sun, like a rapid succession of pretentious winks for anyone else who had been paying as close attention as he has—which isn’t anyone. And it is exactly this theft that makes him so captivating. It’s his absolute adoration for the film medium itself, a love which runs deeper and more obvious than any other director that could possibly come to mind, no matter how far back you look. His very glee inside of the artform glows with each and every piece he’s presented us with, which may just be the most exciting and beautiful movie thing I’ve ever witnessed.

Ok, so now that I’ve exposed his exclusive technique of plagiarising for his own gain, let’s step back and admit that this is not a completely fair assessment in the bigger picture. All forgery aside, the true magic of Tarantino’s massacre is that he has got to be the most fearless director the mainstream has ever accepted into their circle of trust. He runs knives-first into the most needless depths of violence whilst shouting the n-word like it was an offhand conjunction; such a loud display that even he can’t hear the queues of offended people left behind, begging him to stop. How he’s managed to maintain this level of momentum without the masses boycotting his career is no secret: it is achieved by haphazardly balancing the most politically incorrect of scenes with the fairest portrayal of those who need a fair portrayal. Yes, he’ll write about a black man getting torn apart by dogs for racial motives all the while being called a 'nigger' by everyone in proximity. Yes, we’ll see various examples of a woman getting the blood beaten out of her eyeballs by multiple fists from larger men. But no one can deny that his lead characters are proud representatives of the people he appears to unjustly discriminate against on the surface level, and whether of an African descent or of the female genetics, these are often the heroes of his stories without shying away from treating them like shit and tackling these historic issues without any dread of a backlash, regardless of what Spike Lee may tell you. And that takes balls. Big fat hairy balls, that's what Quentin's got.

But none of this would matter in the context of the medium if he didn't make damn good movies. And he makes damn good movies. They are thorough, with their peculiar storylines delivered in a snazzy punchy style, with a careful focus on the backing soundtrack and loads of close-ups of feet, whilst refusing to shed the ambience of humour no matter how dire the circumstance. Oh, and his dialogue? It’s better than anybody’s, truly. All of which conspires together to make any attempt at a 'Worst to Best' list of Tarantino's work so insulting (albeit a rather easy and predictable effort to order) because, no matter whether discussing his greatest work or his most disappointing, every single one of his films reek of genius. All of them, it’s always genius. And I’ve seen each of them, many, many times.

So let’s get to it then, but before we do, please note that this list only considered full-length works which the man has written and directed himself. This means I did not even look at such films as My Best Friend's Birthday (it’s a short), Four Rooms (he was only responsible for one of four segments), Sin City (guest director), True Romance, Natural Born Killers, From Dusk till Dawn (he wrote those, but did not direct them) etc etc. If that’s ok, light me up a Red Apple, and let’s get rambling. Or even if this is not ok, Jesus Christ, Joe, fucking forget about it. It's beneath me. I'm Mr Pink. Let's move on.

09. Grindhouse: Death Proof (2007)

Watch the Trailer
“To me, it’s all about my filmography, and I want to go out with a terrific filmography. Death Proof has got to be the worst movie I ever make. And for a left-handed movie, that wasn’t so bad, all right? So if that’s the worst I ever get, I’m good. But I do think one of those out-of-touch, old, limp, flaccid-dick movies costs you three good movies as far as your rating is concerned.”

Death Proof may be everyone's local ‘worst Tarantino ever made omg’, but whatever this flick lacks in execution, it weighs out with the man's inescapable love of film, more or less. Teaming up with Robert Rodriguez, the idea was to recreate a double grindhouse exploitation feature just like they did in the old days: two films back-to-back, one being Rodriguez’s waaay over the top Planet Terror, and the other, this: a tale of a stuntman who uses his death proof car to murder young ladies by crashing into shit, which is just lovely. Inspired by slasher films and muscle car movies from the 70s, the low-budget damaged tape vibe was stylistically impressive, but not even close to as impressive as the energetic high speed motor chases which employed absolutely no CGI whatsoever, meaning that (the Kill Bill stuntwoman) Zoë Bell's first on-screen role was an incredibly dangerous one, and verifying that even at his lowest, Quentin still knew no half measures. That said, all the overloaded fun value in the world could not escape the reality that this was pure junk food, a mindless formula consisting of fast cars, hot girls, and violent action thrown together to support one relatively flimsy plot, wholly lacking the depth that convinced Tarantino's followers to give up their pocket money in the first place. Fans of the genre may love it, but even the biggest fans of the director (me!) will more than likely be left with a craving. It's still awesome though!

Recurring contributors: Michael Bacall; Zoë Bell; Omar Doom; Helen Kim; Jonathan Loughran; James Parks; Michael Parks; Tina Rodriguez; Eli Roth; Kurt Russell

08. Jackie Brown (1997)

Watch the Trailer
“Jackie Brown is better the second time. And I think it’s even better the third. And the fourth time… maybe even the first time we see it we go, ‘Why are we doing all this hanging out? Why can’t we get to more of the plot?’ But now the second time you see it, and the third time you see it, you’re not thinking about the plot anymore. You’re waiting for the hangout scenes”

A crime thriller homage to 1970’s blaxploitation films, Jackie Brown was adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1992 novel Rum Punch, meaning this was the only film Tarantino has adapted from a previous work, which could be where the problem started. Telling the story of (you guessed it) Jackie Brown, here we have a middle aged air hostess who finds herself in the middle of a large money smuggling conflict, performed elegantly by 1970’s action film heroin Pam Grier, whose Golden Globe nominated role reportedly revitalised her career—a fact which does not surprise me whatsoever. But while Grier may have been the glue between the already impressively well chosen cast, general consensus is that this Tarantino contribution was lacking a certain something. Perhaps it was that, as his third film, the relaxed pacing, lengthy running time, and moderate storyline couldn’t compete with his previous two masterpieces' flashy fashion and rabid violence; a simpler submission far too grown-up for his standard bloodthirsty fans, who struggled to murder their neighbours to its down-to-earth narrative and lack of any comic book teenage appeal. But what you need to know before passing judgement is that these factors were all very calculated and intentional, which places Brown as still one fully commendable project, criminally underrated even as one of his worst, and requiring multiple views to fully appreciate, no matter what this low position tells you. Don't listen to me.

Recurring contributors: Michael Bowen; Sid Haig; Samuel L. Jackson; Venessia Valentino

07. Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)

Watch the Trailer
"Let's pretend we're little kids and we're making a Super 8 movie in our back yard, and you don't have all this shit. How would you achieve this effect? Ingenuity is important here!"

The fact that Uma Thurman helped Quentin Tarantino conceive the martial arts film Kill Bill during Pulp Fiction’s production becomes acutely obvious very quickly, as this film is undeniably The Uma Show. Her character, a nameless bride, wakes up to find her unborn baby is gone, and she seeks vengeance on the team of assassins she was once a part of. And you better believe she does just that, with so much bloody cartoon violence and such an immensely excessive death toll left in her footsteps, that there was no real need for any backstory here in the first place. Rather, this silly bit of cinema hyperspeeds along the surface, supported solely by flaunting fight scenes and sharp eye-candy, featuring characters void of any depth, who cling onto so many cultural nods that Quentin’s love for film is worn more proudly on his semen-encrusted director’s cap here, than probably anywhere else. However, any soul or intelligence deficiencies are expertly distracted by its overpowering entertainment value, swords swinging and guts spraying so abundantly that you can almost hear Tarantino laughing joyfully behind the camera, like the sick sadistic fuck we know he is. Granted, this film may only be half of the whole story, but once it reaches the credits, it doesn't feel like an incomplete piece of work whatsoever, and while it wasn’t every fan’s favourite cup of revenge, $180 million box office (his highest up to that point) doesn't lie really.

Recurring contributors: Zoë Bell; Michael Bowen; Laura Cayouette; Julie Dreyfus; Sid Haig; Samuel L. Jackson; Helen Kim; Jonathan Loughran; Michael Madsen; James Parks; Michael Parks; Stevo Polyi; Shana Stein; Bo Svenson; Uma Thurman; Venessia Valentino

06. Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)

Watch the Trailer
"What if a kid goes to school after seeing Kill Bill and starts slicing up other kids? You know, I'll take that chance!"

The Bride may have continued on her sweet little vengeful mission here, but the two Kill Bill parts were almost incomparable. Gone was the gore and the rushed action of the original, now replaced by personal developments, lengthy dialogue, and a carefully relaxed pacing which lay down with a significantly decreased body count (92 less, to be exact). Such an encouragement of heart over heart attacks was not as immediately appealing as the previous slaughter commotion, and initial fans struggled to stomach the anticlimax, failing to appreciate how the additional substance justified the first part’s absurd assault, ultimately leaving the second volume as the far more important of the two. It gave the first bloody mess a purpose and a better context, which I guess is what happens when you split one film in half, but whatever, that doesn't matter. What does matter, however, is that many used the Kill Bill chapters as landmark examples of where Tarantino was supposedly spiralling, the public doubting whether he had any good films left in him whatsoever. Thankfully, hindsight has proved them all deadly wrong. Instead, time has passed and other great (great!) films were produced, and now we can all appreciate this affair as yet another fantastic and worthy Tarantino work, because he always had the talent to make any movie he wanted. He just wanted to make these movies.

Recurring contributors: Zoë Bell; Michael Bowen; Laura Cayouette; Julie Dreyfus; Sid Haig; Samuel L. Jackson; Helen Kim; Jonathan Loughran; Michael Madsen; James Parks; Michael Parks; Stevo Polyi; Shana Stein; Bo Svenson; Uma Thurman; Venessia Valentino

05. The Hateful Eight (2015)

Watch the Trailer
“Twice per season, those shows [Bonanza, The Virginian and The High Chaparral] would have an episode where a bunch of outlaws would take the lead characters hostage [...] I don't like that storyline in a modern context, but I love it in a Western, where you would pass halfway through the show to find out if they were good or bad guys, and they all had a past that was revealed. I thought, 'What if I did a movie starring nothing but those characters? No heroes, no Michael Landons. Just a bunch of nefarious guys in a room, all telling backstories that may or may not be true. Trap those guys together in a room with a blizzard outside, give them guns, and see what happens.”

Of all the entries from the Tarantino cannon, The Hateful Eight had unquestionably the most turbulent history. Personally, I was somewhat disappointed that this mystery film was yet another Western, initially envisioned as a Django Unchained sequel, indicating that our special Quentin had found his passion and it didn’t coincide with mine. Even more damaging, was when the script leaked almost two years before the release date, enraging the man so passionately that he nearly shelved the whole idea—imagine! It’s a goddamn blessing, then, that neither of these concerns were warranted, as this movie turned out to be the man’s most thought out piece of work since Pulp Fiction, as well as furthering the impressive continuation of his second wind. Telling the backstories of various heinous characters who are trapped in a cabin due to a snowstorm, it reveals its intent at a heavy pacing by using all the signature Tarantino carnage and dialogue you demanded, really forcing the viewer into the claustrophobic room whilst achieving so much stress with so little accessories, communicating like a stage play over any usual film techniques. Which is to summarise, that there wasn’t all that much to work with here, and in that way, demonstrated that Tarantino was still challenging himself above challenging any of us, which is invaluable. And then... there’s Jennifer Jason Leigh. My God.

Recurring contributors: Zoë Bell; Bruce Dern; Walton Goggins; Dana Gourrier; Lee Horsley; Samuel L. Jackson; Keith Jefferson; Michael Madsen; Belinda Owino; James Parks; Tim Roth; Kurt Russell; Craig Stark

04. Django Unchained (2012)

Watch the Trailer
"What happened during slavery times is a thousand times worse than [what] I show. So if I were to show it a thousand times worse, to me, that wouldn't be exploitative, that would just be how it is. If you can't take it, you can't take it.”

Surprisingly, for such a latter day film, none came with the same potent controversy as Django Unchained did. Telling the tale of a freed slave attempting to rescue his wife, this extravagant Spaghetti Western tackled the dark side of black history without giving a fuck in the way only Tarantino would dare. It was called an exploitative, politically incorrect, inaccurate and tasteless portrayal of slavery, crudely balancing the revolting shock of the era with a cheesy playfulness, without approaching the harsh topic with caution or to even turn around and apologise for what he has done. However, it was this lack of restraint that made Django Unchained potentially his most entertaining (and funniest!) flick, delivering on everything his past talents had promised (the cartoon violence, the chatty narrative, the rich development, etc) with the most immaculate of immaculate casting to back him up, as long as you ignore the director’s worst cameo yet. Take Jamie Foxx’s main character, for example, as the greatest hero in Quentin’s factory (in my opinion), whilst Leonardo DiCaprio gives a career defining performance, and round it off with Samuel L. Jackson's uniquely treacherous character, a risky individual for an actor who usually just plays himself. That said, none of these outstanding acts managed to out-stand Christoph Waltz, who stole the whole fucking film as his own, which I guess is just what he does. Sadly, these pretty faces may not have been enough to carry such a tiring length to the very end, and most agree that the picture did beg for a small edit, but as a whole, this ride was so fresh and wild that it was here and only here that Tarantino’s genius was solidified as something beyond any reasonable fluke. Because, by this point, he's made far too many treasures for his skills to be anything but God-given. Bang!

Recurring contributors: Michael Bacall; Zoë Bell; Michael Bowen; Laura Cayouette; Bruce Dern; Walton Goggins; Dana Gourrier; Lee Horsley; Samuel L. Jackson; Keith Jefferson; Belinda Owino; James Parks; Michael Parks; Craig Stark; David Steen; Shana Stein; Christoph Waltz

03. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Watch the Trailer
"I'm going to find a place that actually resembles, in one way or another, the Spanish locales they had in Spaghetti Westerns – a no man's land. With U.S. soldiers and French peasants and the French resistance and German occupation troops, it was kind of a no man's land. That will really be my Spaghetti Western but with World War II iconography. But the thing is, I won't be period specific about the movie. I'm not just gonna play a lot of Édith Piaf and Andrews Sisters. I can have rap, and I can do whatever I want. It's about filling in the viscera."

When it came to the intentionally misspelled Inglourious Basterds, even Tarantino knew he was onto a winner. The American-German war film (unlike any other war film) took it upon itself to rewrite the past however it saw fit, guaranteed to piss historians right off with its inaccurate tale of vengeful Jews and their violent plans against Nazi leaders—which was just the type of irresponsible idea that Quentin would be very precious about. So much so, that he spent over a decade writing it, a feat that alone verified his adoration for cinema, especially when ‘love of cinema’ was an essential part of the whole plot. And his dedication paid off, as this was the director’s undeniable comeback film, finally a real movie after such a strew of self indulgent wobbles, setting the stage for the greats that followed soon after (even if none of them were quite as good as this). It may have been a silly plot if you stepped back and thought about it, but he never gave you the chance to step back or think, rather cutting into your forehead with a devilishly devious story which did not rely on artiness or excessive violence to express itself, ultimately standing up there with the very best of his best, and a complete masterpiece in my respectful opinion. Hell, Christoph Waltz even won an Oscar for his part, because, goddamn, he made this film what it was, as much as this film made him who he is right now today.

Recurring contributors: Michael Bacall; Zoë Bell; Omar Doom; Julie Dreyfus; Samuel L. Jackson; Harvey Keitel; Tina Rodriguez; Eli Roth; Bo Svenson; Christoph Waltz

02. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Watch the Trailer
“Reservoir Dogs is a small film, and part of its charm was that it was a small film. I'd probably make it for $3 million now so I'd have more breathing room.“

I was far too young when I watched Reservoir Dogs for the first time. I can still remember it all too well: little Jared, witnessing the aftermath of a jewellery heist gone wrong, criminals speculating that they had a cop in their crew, stitching together the nonlinear plot with pop culture references and extravagant profanity, the story exclusively herded by the criminal’s individual personalities, entirely dependent on their natural dialogue and quick wit to make this show work, because there wasn’t enough money for anything else. And this fucked me up. The reason for my youthful troubles wasn't so much the grisly violence, as Dogs' bloodshed was quite tame in comparison to the exaggerated disturbances that came later in the man's career, but rather, it was the delivery and consequence of said violence that made everything all that more unnerving. So ruthless. So ugly. So sadistically sick that even horror film pioneer Wes Craven walked out of its initial screening due the savage nastiness, and that’s about as complimentary as you can get. Meanwhile, the rest of us called it a cult classic, the greatest independent film of all time, and even the greatest debut of all time, none of which I can disagree with. Fuck me if I can think of anything more worthy of those crowns, can you?

Recurring contributors: Steve Buscemi; Linda Kaye; Harvey Keitel; Michael Madsen; Stevo Polyi; Tim Roth; David Steen; Rich Turner

01. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Watch the Trailer
"I got the idea of doing something that novelists get a chance to do but filmmakers don't: telling three separate stories, having characters float in and out with different weights depending on the story [... the idea] was basically to take like the oldest chestnuts that you've ever seen when it comes to crime stories—the oldest stories in the book.... You know, 'Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife'—the oldest story about ‘the guy's gotta go out with the big man's wife and don't touch her.’ You know, you've seen the story a zillion times [...] I'm using old forms of storytelling and then purposely having them run awry [...] Part of the trick is to take these movie characters, these genre characters and these genre situations and actually apply them to some of real life's rules and see how they unravel."

Ok, so here we go. With several disjointed violent crime tales interconnecting everything all out of order, Pulp Fiction is at least four films rather than one. It was reportedly 'too demented' for Columbia TriStar, and instead became the first fully-funded film Miramax ever put out. It demanded the attention and concentration of multiple viewings to fully appreciate the dark wit and sharp sleaziness of this director, one who had gained full confidence without losing his B-movie edge inside of an overindulgent-prostate, like pretty much everything else that came out of him afterwards. You can actually watch this movie as many times as you like, I’ve seen it a million times and want to watch it right now. Its pop culture references and countless homages were twisted so far from their original mothers that they became unrecognisable, whilst every (every!) scene from the film became easily parodied cinema classics themselves. It single-handedly revitalised Travolta’s career. It was the first 'indie' film to surpass $100 million. It was nominated for seven Oscars. It was an influential masterpiece, essentially a phenomenon, and the best film Tarantino ever made. One of the best films ever made? Perhaps the best film ever made.

Recurring contributors: Steve Buscemi; Samuel L. Jackson; Linda Kaye; Harvey Keitel; Tim Roth; Uma Thurman; Rich Turner; Venessia Valentino

Read This Next Maybe

Worst To Best: Stanley Kubrick

Follow @LegoTrip

Worst to Best: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

I wanted to start this devotion to Mr Cave and the Naughty Seedlings by detailing the revelation as to when him and me and the gang first decided to elope, but I found my fingertips brushing the keyboard rather than actually pressing down on any letters, let alone provide them in a coherent order that made sense in English. Wait, when did I actually fall in love with this Australian rock band again? I obviously have a considerable amount of affection towards them, because I’ve found myself writing this article. The evidence is right here, right? So why can’t I recall that special moment when they jumped in front of my windshield and derailed my train of thought? Maybe my devotion was a lie. Maybe I should just scrap this whole post and write a guide about how to save money or something, I wasn’t sure. But then I took a small break from coffee and contemplated it with a calmer mind, and that’s when I remembered something. Of course! The story of me and St Nick was unique, so true to his fashion that it slithered smoothly under any obvious avenue, making it impossible to initially detect by any standard means of analysis. There wasn’t a grand epiphany here! No, rather, Cave had seduced me so gradually and secretly, that by the time I was publicly announcing him as perhaps the greatest artistic figurehead alive today, I didn’t even notice I was doing it. I just assumed it had always been that way.

This is the third Worst to Best I’ve written for a musical act that I meekly kneel before (the other two being David Bowie and Sonic Youth, both of which you should read because naturally they are very well done), yet despite the immense talent of the previous subjects, I found this here attempt to be the most enjoyable by far by far by far. I guess this is because, unlike them two, Nick Cave has mastered the art of never straying too wildly away from his core signature noises, yet moving freely with enough variation from album to album that the listener is refused the right to get presumptuous or jaded. Not to mention that there is legitimately not a bad album in their repertoire, which is an accomplishment even the most accomplished of legends can hardly ever brag. Basically put, Bowie is God, so far out there, watching us from the stars; and the Youth are the disciples, destroying whatever they touch and ruining the fun for everyone. But Nick Cave, he is Jesus (or whichever prophetic preacher you subscribe to), more down to earth and definitely a mortal with mortal feelings and mortal ideas, except way more superior than any of us or anyone we’ve ever met. Ok, so let’s never ever make such stupid comparisons again, thanks.

I guess my point is that I feel great all the time these days. And this group make nice music with even nicer words. Words so good that even my words became a bit gooder, almost as if Nicky Cavy was rubbing his talent juice into my mouth whilst I wrote these reviews, and now my own vocabulary had blossomed and then perished within these very pages, except not quite like that, way worse than anything he’s ever said actually because I suck and he’s Jesus, as we’ve already established. What the fuck, this isn’t a worst to best, this is a best to better, and it begins like this:

16. Kicking Against the Pricks (1986)

Post-Punk Blues
Spotify

First and fucking foremost, it’s imperative to praise this album as something conclusively brilliant. It is the first Cave album which actually sounded like a Cave album in context of our modern expectations, an assured step away from the early 80s rawness, and now headed directly towards the more romantic chew we adore today, arguably the initial example of where the group had worked out exactly who they were and where they wanted to go. Which begs the obvious question: why do I consider this release, one I am noticeably so fond of, as the band’s absolute worst? And the answer is simple. It’s because this isn’t really a Nick Cave record, is it? It’s a covers album. But what a covers album! Fantastic song choices (some highly recognisable, others not whatsoever), each so organically performed and seeded up that they feel way more Cavey than their originals, working like some bridge record that helped push their core sound into something spectacular, an open display of their influences, pointing towards the magic path to greatness which they followed shortly afterwards. But that said... it’s still a covers album. It’s still not Seed songs. It still doesn’t really qualify, does it?

15. Nocturama (2003)

Alternative Rock
Spotify

Released to much critical acclaim and then slowly reconsidered as Cave’s utmost worst, Nocturama is worth defending for a multitude of factors. Primarily, if this is indeed the group’s midlife fail record, then it may well be the greatest midlife fail record ever made. That’s because it’s not a fail whatsoever—not up to regular standard, sure, but far from a waste with nothing really that bad about it, complete with the plushest of production and more moods than any other album the band have ever put together. That said, admittedly something is missing here, and something most definitely went wrong, entirely down to the songs themselves. Certainly, they nail something or other at points, but its weakest links are very shaky indeed, none of them offering anything new, and sounding like a collection of slightly boring and forgettable Boatman outtakes, featuring perhaps the only soppy examples of Nick Cave giving an ingenuine and lackluster performance, falling heartbreakingly flat unlike anything else we will talk about in this collection. So yes, ok fine, it probably is the worst material in their armoury, but it still should satisfy anyone’s attention, and nevertheless stands statures above most things, at times relatively excellent even, so whatever. I had fun anyway.

14. From Her to Eternity (1984)

Post-Punk
Spotify

After the Birthday Party broke up, members Cave and Harvey wasted no time to harness their flair for challenging the darkest fractures of post-punk, and put together a new outfit called Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, you know of them? And this here was their debut album, their first swing intended to destroy everything beautiful, and yet like any typical band beginnings, they only just managed to clip the target. They simply had not found themselves yet. But, damn, the commitment was there, attacking every angle with an experimental dread and unamused horror, the quiet production and rough music intended only to build noisy repetitive scenes which allowed Cave himself all the grim space he needed to growl and moan his signature poetic wordings without interference, now the epicentre of the show. But while the overall nauseating thrill of the album is a powerful initial introduction, and while the title track still holds as one of the greatest Cave classics ever written, overall it is lacking a certain sophistication of their later years that doesn’t quite rise up in comparison. Yet we must appreciate that even if the band hadn’t exactly mastered their weaponry here, they shot to kill regardless.

13. The Firstborn Is Dead (1985)

Post-Punk Blues
Spotify

Less than one year later, and the Seeds’ sophomore had already exposed itself whilst cursing the playing field with some voodoo shit, probably. It may not have been a huge stride into any uncharted musical venture, but it still proved they were not a band who were willing to stand still, especially when considering the small amount of time that had passed between records. With a title inspired by Jesse Garon Presley (Elvis’ stillborn identical twin), the gritty upset of the storm still snarled with the same sinister intent, but had more of a meander to its strut, following the traditional blues progressions, calming the violence, teasing the gloom, and reserving its cool instead of blindly striking in haste like before. Even Nick had updated his output this round, less reliant on creepy impersonations, more confident in his own ability, and at times sounding far from a vocalist of a rock band, rather closer to a preacher man—which he is. But, of course, even when considering this debatable improvement, these were still early days, too premature to quite deduce the best direction to aim their stream, and yet definitely getting there. In fact, this was the final album before they did get there, so that's nice, dear.

12. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (2008)

Post-Punk
Spotify

Very few Cave records get me as excited as Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! Openly, I worship the Seeds when they mourn, but we must not forget the band are well versed in tearing throats out with sharp claws, and this album strikes with more energetic passion than any other they have released. The upbeat momentum and invigorated freedom should go down in history as the very blueprint of how to get old and act your age without getting soft, the hard rocking alternative garage edge sounding about as revitalised as any music could do without literally exploding. Furthermore, the frontman is at his peak, with narrative lyrics driven by a sly humour and the ideal attitude tailored to suit the man’s persona so perfectly that it’s frustrating as to how seldom he visits this side of his talent elsewhere (except Grinderman, of course). I guess that’s what makes this release so special and why so many of my friends claim this as their favourite Cave of all time, but personally, I felt the songwriting was a bit too direct and unmemorable, not to unfairly mention that no song could possibly follow the opening title track, as one of the dirtiest (and greatest) songs they’ve ever put together.

11. No More Shall We Part (2001)

Chamber Pop Piano Rock
Spotify

Before this album was released, it became obvious to Nick that he had to kick his crippling heroin and alcohol addiction before proceeding, and after a four year Seedless gap, our sober hero rose victorious with No More Shall We Part. What had come out of the other side shouldn't be too surprising: it was a broken man, weighed heavy by a lethargic melancholy, too delicate to pack a punch, rather compelled to cry about God in piano ballad form, for over an hour worth of time. Which sounds exhausting—and is exhausting—but is also a complete success, not exclusively thanks to Nick’s sincerity and newfound critically acclaimed vocal range, but also due to possibly the most well composed songs in the band’s catalogue, less Cave-centric, with a stronger focus on the instrumentation’s depth itself, and a simpler, more consistent nonstop ultrasoft sweetness until the very finish line. But, of course, the burdensome length and monotonous journey became its overshadowing weakness, and no matter how much of this mood-dependent album may grow per listen, it simply did not relieve our itch for the Cave viciousness left unscratched for far too long, and we were forced to wait even longer.

10. Tender Prey (1988)

Post-Punk Gothic Rock
Spotify

Tender Prey is a peculiar one for me; a fan favourite held high above the herd and as an unequivocal Cave classic, celebrated with the best, yet truthfully not one of my personal front-runners. Now, I speak cautiously, ashamed of my incompatibility with this record, but still able to deduce some reasons as to why this discrepancy may have come to occur. First of all, the hype was a size too big, and I blame you for that. Secondly, the production is a bit shit, isn't it? Even the performances sound somewhat rushed and uninspired in my head, less of the sharp jabs I prefer and not working as a collective of likeminded songs, but rather a topheavy flatline of ideas connected at their end points without much purpose. But above all this, would be the world’s agreement that Prey was the band 'finding themselves', when I consider it a small step backwards—an improvement on most of their 80s gifts, unquestionably, but a devolution from Your Funeral... (their previous record), returning to the sloppy post-punky darkness and signature eerie playfulness that I’d rather was lightly salted, not the main meal. Once again, I blame you for all of this.

09. The Good Son (1990)

Gothic Rock
Spotify

A brand new decade seemingly brought in a brand new Cave. He had completed a stint in rehab, had fallen in love with Brazilian journalist Viviane Carneiro, and had started to reconnect to his more spiritual center, all of which influenced The Good Son on a very grand, very obvious level. For this record was the outfit’s boldest move up until this point, a massively unfamiliar and refreshing direction, steered straightforward into a calm darkness driven by more relaxed pianos and focused percussions—still creepy, but completely absent of any punky violence, the sinful smile of Satan replaced by an almost happy sing-a-long gospel affair, which (as you can imagine) didn’t digest all that well with his suddenly-betrayed disciples. It was too mellow, too balladdy, and too cringey for those who favoured blood, and honestly, I sympathise: we simply weren’t ready for it. However, hindsight has elevated this record’s status drastically, now almost everyone sheepishly admiring this ballsy mature path for our adventurers, working as the Seeds album which is most likely to appeal to any age group, perfected by inarguably one of the most appealing pieces of artwork they have ever packaged their sound up with, to this very day.

08. Push the Sky Away (2013)

Art Rock
Spotify

Odds had gathered against this album, not only because Nick was well into his 50s by this point, but also because this was the first release without founding member Mick Harvey, having just left the outfit after 36 years of service. However, both of these factors may have worked in Push the Sky Away’s favour, the sound creeping into the very softest realms of the band’s catalogue, a proud midlife offering which indicated the Seeds’ relevance was invincible. Because they were fluid. Because they were indifferent to nostalgia or any attempts to impress the kids (Miley Cyrus references aside). Such a subdued magic may not be immediately apparent, and perhaps its hookless melodrama or romantic grace could be misconstrued as some meager placidness, but repeated listens reveal this sexual allure to be a whole new breed of Cave disturbance; a patient violation which will haunt without violence, rather an ominous quiet in the mist, exposing your ghosts and letting you to kill yourself by yourself. It’s a full body of work, some songs resonating deeper than others, but all conspiring together to prove that even age cannot discredit Cave. In many ways, he only seemed to get better.

07. Henry's Dream (1992)

Post-Punk Blues
Spotify

Now here is where things got really fucking good. And even though I consider the artwork to be a little on the tacky side, it does serve to introduce a certain desert-y almost Western standpoint of the Cave character, one cowboy hat shy of a villainous cool which compliments the album’s attitude very effectively. Not without its own brand of delicacies, it’s the harder cutthroat fire which I will truly treasure Henry's Dream for, built upon a folky acoustic dust which settled into an answer against any softer urges that previous albums had temporarily fulfilled and discarded from our protagonist's system. And while we must appreciate that Cave himself has openly confessed his distaste for the tight production featured, I personally consider this to be the earliest example of where the group found an ideal high commercial quality without compromising their trademark venom, clearing an uncluttered view into yet another Seeds record of rejuvenation, more self assured than anything they’ve done before, and really coming into their own, right here rather than anywhere else other people might say. For the first time on this list, I don’t have a single complaint, oh yeah, yeah yeah yeah, oh yeah.

06. Murder Ballads (1996)

Alternative Rock
Spotify

The key lies in the title. Conceptually, this album is built around homicides of passion (64 deaths in total), the horrors of murder balanced out by romantic and erotic motivations, told so casually that the seedy morbid theatrics become all that more disturbing. Depending on who you speak to, such an over-the-top approach has been ridiculed over the years, many fans using such lazy adjectives as ‘comedic’ or ‘comical’ to blunt the stabs or mop up the blood left behind, but in this humble reviewer's opinion, here is the band's greatest commercial success for good reason. The good reason is because it’s archetypal Cave, his gothy subject matter and authentic swagger at its pinnacle of joyous devastation, complete by the antagonistic wet dream feminine touches from indie hero PJ Harvey as well as pop princess Kylie Minogue (of all people). In fact, the latter lady’s contribution, Where The Wild Roses Grow, is often (deservedly?) the extent of a mediocre fan’s education, the go-to Cave classic that even resulted in an MTV award nomination, to which the man’s integrity politely declined. Regardless, even without this, Ballads is still a consistent and sinister offering, so intensely suited to Nick’s persona that it hurts. Literally. People die in here.

05. The Boatman's Call (1997)

Piano Rock
Spotify

One quality we must praise Cave for, is how he either finds himself as some snarling beast or the most emotionally frail of all men, never comfortable in any middle ground, but always executed so perfectly that only his lyrical eloquence and baritone expressions tie the two together as the same artist. On The Boatman's Call specifically, we uncover the strongest example of the hushed and aching central character, unhurried and earnest as Mr Cave’s most personal and cry worthy of records up until this point, inspired by a field of heartbreaks which are painted by minimalist piano arrangements and not much else really. Personally, I could write a lengthy standalone review for any one of these songs, because (no matter whether remembering the first time hearing them, or whether listening now for the thousandth time), they never overstay their sorrowful value as the ideal collection to play in the background and sit silently still, watching the sad world pass you by, passively taking part in life, reflecting on nothing but the depths of your own desolate spirit. And as his 10th album, I think it was around now that most people grew suspicious, for no catalogue should be this consistent.

04. Your Funeral... My Trial (1986)

Gothic Post-Punk Rock
Spotify

Forget Cave for a second, Your Funeral is a classic post-punk record, not only in the purest definition of the word ‘classic’, but also in the purest intention of the genre, adhering to all its cold trademarks of darkness in that Joy Divisionary isolation type of way. During these recording sessions, Nick Cave was elbow deep in a severe heroin addiction, which was more than likely the primary contributing factor to its numbed overcast, as it stumbled along into its own death, an affliction I’d never wish upon anyone, but, goddamn, it historically makes for fantastic music, doesn’t it? So fantastic, in fact, that I consider this album to be the outfit’s very first of many (and one of their most exceptional) masterpieces, Cave introducing new climaxes of vivid imagery while the air is more dangerous than any of their other 80s incarnations, the very last of its kind, marking the end of their dirty punk run before experimenting with further pacified approaches. Despite its bleak content, Nick has since expressed his enthusiastic happiness for the results, and I wholeheartedly agree, hailing this as one very underrated release no matter how many long term fans have already started to admit the superior brilliance of it all. It's not enough! You must love it more!

03. Let Love In (1994)

Post-Punk Alternative Rock
Spotify

When it comes to recommending Nick Cave to virgin ears, Let Love In will always be my initial endorsement. It leans deeper into the radio-friendly alternative scene than any before or after, which grants it a specifically attainable entry point, one which is packed so tightly of recognisable Seed classics that it could almost be misinterpreted as a Best Of compilation rather than a collection of brand new Cave works, reading like a band with a historical reputation of excellence who got particularly lucky this round. I think part of this success is that it hasn’t completely shed the taunting eeriness and romantic murderous brand of Nick Cave, but it’s not as explicitly obvious here as it was before, more alluded to by a unified aura, stalking your steps rather than stabbing your stomach, smelling your hair rather than barking at you, fondling you in your sleep rather than leaving a trace of a bruise. Ample devotees deem this to be the greatest record this list has to offer, and when I find myself discussing style of this caliber, I dare not argue too loud, as any comparisons have become pedantic debates over minute details, and that’s a useless practice for everyone involved.

02. Skeleton Tree (2016)

Art Rock
Spotify

During the sessions for Nick Cave’s most recent record, his son Arthur died from an accidental cliff fall. And even if the majority of these songs had already been written before the tragedy, this father’s suffering was heavy enough to prove that you did not need lyrics to expose the strife of one's emotional mournings, but could address the emptiness of grief indirectly by using sound alone. Skeleton Tree is not an album anymore than an eulogy is a performance. It’s the most drastically unique of any Seed work (or anyone else's work for that matter), the uncomfortable stare of a naked man, exhausted by torture, surrendered to nausea, and spewing his vulnerable devastation from such a crippled worthlessness that we all topple ruined in response, as if Nick was forcing the last of his breath to imprint Arthur's very soul into this record, just to hold him one final time. It’s their shortest album because that is all the effort they could muster, yet its depth is sickening. And I break instantaneously, every time. It’s the only Cave release I’ve cried to.

01. Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus (2004)

Alternative Art Rock
Spotify

Every double album comes with the following cursed suggestion: maybe they should have trimmed it down into one single record? Which is almost always true. Almost. But not always. Not Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus at very least, because it is the best double album of all time, in my opinion. What makes this pairing so extraordinary is that it’s not a legitimate double album whatsoever, rather two separate masterpieces sold as one, distinctive from each other, each calculated only to balance their respective colleague out. Abattoir Blues is the vigorously spirited partner, eager to be rowdy, threatening to be naughty, dashing around and making the most noise. These flames are then quenched by The Lyre of Orpheus, naturally the tranquilised twin, one sentimental affair, a bit more mournful, but at relative peace within its passive moodiness. Such contrast over such a large quantity demonstrates their mojo at maximum flex, even the lesser tracks never dull, whilst background choirs support the band as they stick to what they already know works—a summary record boasting their accumulated strengths, designed to appeal to fans primarily, discarding the new kids, fuck you, goodbye. Agree or not, this is their most inspired, ambitious, and triumphant achievement ever, comfortably my personal favourite Cave of all time, and I won't hear any different, not listening.

If you'd like to hear my favourite songs from each of these albums, you can! Here is a little 71 song 6h19m Spotify playlist just for you. Don't worry about it.

Read This Next Maybe

Worst to Best: Sonic Youth

Follow @LegoTrip

Worst to Best: Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson! Wes Anderson! Hey, do you guys remember the 2015 Golden Globes? The Grand Budapest Hotel was up for four awards, and Amy Poehler quipped "Per usual, Wes arrived on a bicycle made of antique tuba parts." Hahaha! Oh how I laughed! It's probably true! Wes is really weird!

And I guess that's why writing this Worst to Best was super difficult for me. For starters, how do you describe a magic that has already said everything you could ever want to before you even open your mouth? Huh? Furthermore, Anderson's style is so distinctly unique and weighed heavy with so many nutty trademarks, that it becomes increasingly hopeless not to repeat oneself. In fact, I could write a review right here which could apply to each and every one of his brilliant contributions, and it would go a little something like this:

This film is not quite a film, but rather an art-piece delivered with a sympathetic charm laced by a humour so deadpan, that one could never be fully confident as to what it was trying to do here—a prime example of how something can be so hilarious without finding itself hilarious, provoking the viewer to laugh at the film rather than with it. The whole experience seems surreal without falling abstract, the extraordinary satisfied to simply bubble beneath the surface, refusing to expose itself, subtly hinting at a fantasy film without every fully committing to one. Such a feat is achieved by the immaculately chosen cast as they navigate through the unformulated storyline, void of any easy-to-follow morals yet with its heart always in the right place, never a comedy, never a tragedy, never anything at all.

You see? DO YOU SEE? The above summary truly applies to every single entry below, and now I've completely fucked myself because I've gone and used all my good words before we've even began. But it had to be done in order to illustrate the reasons as to why Anderson was welcomed into my special box, armed with work so immediately recognisable and impossible to confuse with any other, that I effortlessly consider him one of the most consistent and loveable directors on the planet today, undoubtedly on his way to be forever imprinted into the fancy books. You cannot ignore him! Why would you want to!

Ok, so let's give this a go. Please forgive me as I once again pretend to know what I'm talking about as I order his directed works from my least favourite to what I consider his best. This is what I've got so far:

08. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Watch the Trailer
For the movie I consider to be the worst Anderson on sale, The Darjeeling Limited still holds strong to some impressive merits. Telling the precious story of three brothers attempting to resolve their past issues by discovering some enlightenment via a spiritual adventure through India, this narrative reflects such a real life Western crisis cliché that enough of the humour is already well-cooked before the title screen has even reared its pretty font. Furthermore, the casting decision of shoving Wilson, Brody, and Schwartzman in the same company guarantees a chemistry so hilariously persuasive, that the characters alone invoke a mushy tenderness which the flawed script was frustratingly unable to attain. And finally, the unique vibrancy of Indian culture itself suits Anderson’s eye for detail so perfectly that it's amazing it took him so long to film a project there, as the yellow colouring is exaggerated until each scene explodes into a thrilling vision of affection and warmth. But therein lies the exact problem: the stumbling block where style dominates substance, forcing us to watch Anderson trying too hard to to be Anderson, not as funny as he thinks he is whilst nurturing the haphazard plot so cautiously that it arrives safely into nowhere. Such an undertaking will be enough to amuse most fans (and I, myself, was amused), but I’d strongly advise avoiding this passable film until you run out of others to puncture your taste buds.

Recurring actors: Waris Ahluwalia; Adrien Brody; Anjelica Huston; Bill Murray; Kumar Pallana; Jason Schwartzman; Owen Wilson

07. Bottle Rocket (1996)

Watch the Trailer
When a bunch of incompetent but optimistic friends cluelessly attempt to pull of a few heist jobs, you'd be forgiven in assuming you may have heard this common premise before. However, where Anderson’s directorial debut falls on originality, it excels from a completely unusual delivery and a blind self-assurance exuberating out of a man who knew something we did not (even if it took a while for the rest of us to work it out). Granted, the big budget visuals and surrealistic conceptual pows Wes later became famous for aren't as obvious on this early example of his craft, but his brand qualities are still firmly intact if you are willing to dig past its own disconnected simplicity and relaxed intentions. My advice is to approach this work casually sideways, and then perhaps you will be able to appreciate the movie’s amateurism as part of its charm, a film so uncontrollably likeable and frequently hilarious that it becomes evident that Bottle Rocket (above any of his other films) was made purely for the fun and love of the art without anything to lose. I mean, I’m not saying it’s a masterpiece—far from it—but it certainly did not deserve to be the monstrous commercial failure it is now considered, not his best but probably his most underrated all the same. Basically put, for a debut film, it’s incredible. And even by Anderson standards, it’s still pretty wonderful.

Recurring actors: Kumar Pallana; Andrew Wilson; Luke Wilson; Owen Wilson

06. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Watch the Trailer
Famous ocean documentary filmmaker, Steve Zissou, embarks with his crew to hunt down the potentially mythical Jaguar Shark, but in real life, they only manage to produce a feature which drastically tore viewer opinion down the middle—way more than any other Anderson, in fact. Critics continue to ridicule the laborious pacing and aimlessly self-serving plot, which they claim drenches the footage with so much clutter that everything sinks to the bottom of its own dubious ocean, bombing heroically at the box office as it did so. However, many fans have hung on to it for dear life, happy to drown with the film, and rightfully praising such factors as Murray’s mopey performance, the incredible Portuguese renditions of David Bowie classics, and the infinitely strange world only Wes could possibly manifest. In time, said conflict granted the title a proud ‘cult classic’ stamp of approval, but personally, I am undecided. I appreciate how humourous Life Aquatic is without relying on any jokes, sure, yet am also painfully aware of how much tightening would be needed in order for this piece to compete with the man’s greater works... which is why I'm basically copping-out by calling it underrated, as well as calling it overrated, without enough confidence to make a solid statement either way. Ignore me, carry on.

Recurring actors: Waris Ahluwalia; Seymour Cassel; Willem Dafoe; Michael Gambon; Jeff Goldblum; Anjelica Huston; Bill Murray; Owen Wilson

05. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Watch the Trailer
It’s difficult to imagine a better director to take on a Roald Dahl classic above Wes Anderson. As a self proclaimed superfan of the author, our hero was respectfully careful to avoid getting lost within his standard bizarreness when re-imagining this memorable tale of one dapper fox slipping back into his wild old chicken-stealing ways. Rather, it seems to me that Anderson’s primary focus was one of enjoyment, providing a lively-paced gem, stuffed with an excess of comical chaos so pure in its morals that it can keep our younger generations locked to their seats, yet with enough wit to engage even the oldest of curious viewers. However, that is not to say that this otherworldly film doesn’t have Wes’ neurosis smothered all over it, as it playfully skips far away from your standard CGI type animation, preferring to speed along with a jerky, tattered style, which is quite refreshing in our Pixar flooded world, and may even contain enough quirk to make Quentin Blake visually aroused. Basically put, as Wes’ first ever animated feature, it was an enormous success, perhaps the greatest of his lesser films, and if nothing else, a perfectly sad reminder of how few decent Dahl interpretations there have been in recent times.

Recurring actors: Adrien Brody; Willem Dafoe; Michael Gambon; Bill Murray; Jason Schwartzman; Owen Wilson

04. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Watch the Trailer
Out of every title on offer here, I consider The Royal Tenenbaums to be the most Anderson Anderson film ever made. With more than enough broken characters in the dysfunctional Tenenbaums family to invest in (with a quick special nod to Gene Hackman’s universally praised performance as the Dad who ruined them all), this film is central to the director’s trademarks, summing up all the ingredients only Wes can amalgamate quite so weirdly, and then executing them into one impenetrable ball of uncomfortable amusement. Try these on for size: a quirk overload which is as absurd as it is touching; a subtle bleakness which almost brings shame to your laughter; a sweetness in the misery; an imaginative discomfort stirred by calculated pokes to the rib cage; an unshakeable sense of unsettling oddness which perpetually provides a slight wince throughout; and (above all else) a story with an impressive heart, one which recognises its own faults, seeks answers in hope of repairing old mistakes, and wishes nothing more than to leave the world a better place. Certainly, this is not my favourite from the catalogue, but it is arguably the ideal entry point for the uninitiated witness, because if you don’t understand this movie, you don’t deserve Wes Anderson anyway.

Recurring actors: Seymour Cassel; Anjelica Huston; Bill Murray; Kumar Pallana; Andrew Wilson; Luke Wilson; Owen Wilson

03. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Watch the Trailer
If The Royal Tenenbaums is the archetype of an Anderson contribution, then The Grand Budapest Hotel is surely the pinnacle, an accumulation of everything he’s learned, nailed together like some sort of an awkwardly shimmering summary, except without repeating past pathways, opting to rather step a little bit skew whilst verifying the man’s genius as a director who no longer had anything left to prove. Telling a story within a story within a story within a story (?) this is an adventure of friendship shared between a hotel’s legendary caretaker and his lobby boy, running along as an offbeat comedy where so much happens that it’d be impossible to justly sum it up in the short time we have here. However, what’s important to note is that this film ticks every single stylish arty box we have come to demand, propelled by a captivating pace which never risks its rich elegance, undoubtedly the most refined and mature film Wes has ever achieved, indicating that perhaps (as the most recent entry on this list) Mr Anderson may somehow have the best left in him yet. Some may argue that the ridiculous whimsies and tragically dark undertones aren’t quite as potent as his reputation would tell, but the absolute widespread acclaim did not seem to notice, as everyone took it in turns to throw awards at Anderson's head until he could finally build himself that fort out of accolades and play an accordion all secluded by his lonesome.

Recurring actors: Waris Ahluwalia; Bob Balaban; Adrien Brody; Willem Dafoe; Jeff Goldblum; Harvey Keitel; Bill Murray; Edward Norton; Jason Schwartzman; Tilda Swinton; Owen Wilson

02. Rushmore (1998)

Watch the Trailer
Anderson’s second feature, Rushmore, not only launched the man’s artistic ventures into mass critical awareness, but also set an unimaginably high precedent for all his future works. This particular story begins with Max Fischer, an eccentric, overly-ambitious, misfit school student with everything going for him except passable grades. Said character is somehow presented as obnoxious as possible yet is still somewhat likeable, which was such an impressive performance from Schwartzman that it single-handedly created his acting career, and remains as (arguably) my favourite individual in all of Wes’ arsenal. However, the true magic arrives with Herman Blume, a disillusioned middle-aged businessman casually under-acted by Bill Murray so convincingly that this is generally lauded as the best Anderson/Murray collaboration ever—which says a lot, because the man is in all of them (bar one). These two unforgettable personalities forge a tight friendship, followed by a severe rivalry after they both develop a crush on the same teacher at the school, igniting an exceptional chemistry between these lovestruck boys as they blur the distance of their ages, reminding us all of our own adolescence and boyhood-meets-adulthood conflicts. Which made me a very excited human being. I wasn't alone either, as this masterpiece was essentially where Wes birthed his own genre, and he continues to stand as the only dude who can execute quite this way.

Recurring actors: Seymour Cassel; Bill Murray; Kumar Pallana; Jason Schwartzman; Andrew Wilson; Luke Wilson; Owen Wilson

01. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Watch the Trailer
When I first watched this tender romance between two intelligent twelve-year-old kiddies who opted to run away from the unpleasantries of society, well, my heart just broke and I felt legitimate physical pain. The cause for this agony was the fierce reminder of the strength of youth; the certainty and courage granted by naivety, sadly crawling towards its eventual demise by the curse of maturity; and the unadulterated magic of pubescent love, which only the innocent heart of a child could harness and follow through without apprehension. And then, by the endearing trickery of Wes Anderson's fingertips, you quickly forget that these adorable juveniles have essentially abandoned their parents and escaped into the dangerous wilderness—a terrible idea from any viewpoint and not something we should be encouraging whatsoever. And yet, you find yourself supporting their blind mission, yearning for their undeveloped connection to survive these odds, all the while suffering in devastation that you are now too old to ever recreate such a precious encounter. Mix this with the highest calibre of all-star casting, the most joyously dry of all performances, the perfectly original storyline, and the pedantically detailed visuals which are polished to glistening purity... and you have once again described every Anderson in existence. However, this specific gift stands out by its ability to crush nostalgia in a way none of his other projects have achieved, effortlessly standing as my favourite Anderson of all time due to my own stupid emotions, while I try recall when my life became so complicated and I managed to loose all the answers.

Recurring actors: Bob Balaban; Harvey Keitel; Bill Murray; Edward Norton; Jason Schwartzman; Tilda Swinton

Read This Next Maybe

Worst To Best: Studio Ghibli

Follow @LegoTrip

Worst to Best: Sonic Youth

I could tell you the arduous tale of how I was first abused by the mighty Sonic Youth's apparatus, only to learn after many moons how to connect on their level, and then finally allowing them impregnate me with their carnivorous fungus which grew into my brain and forced them as my favourite band in the world. But I won't bore you with that story, because we don't have enough time or fancy words left in us. However, I will confess this article to be one of the most challenging bits I've ever had to write. This burden was not primarily strenuous due to the group's coarse nature (as I am sure most of you would assume), but rather due to their stubborn sound which doesn't exactly stray too far away from a rough epicentre, building a discography of fairly similar entries which were difficult to individualise and even tougher to order. I mean, there are only so many times one can use the word 'noisy' to describe something, am I right?

Which is why I wasn't initially all that confident about this post's execution whatsoever, spending many nights in a deep worry that the article on hand was far too sloppy to release outloud to the public. But that's when I realised, within the context, 'sloppy' was probably what the band would have preferred after all. And I guess, when it really came down to it, that wasn't the main point. The main point was that Thurston Moore cheated on Kim Gordon, and now Sonic Youth are no longer a band. Personally, I could only deal with my agony though this very cathartic release, and it was the least I could do for them. It was the least I could do for myself.

But first, there is one rule, listen closely. Only full length Sonic Youth studio albums were considered for this list. That means no film scores, no EPs (of which, their self titled debut definitely falls under, regardless of what the band may tell you), and none of those weird SYR releases (because I'm not quite ready for that just yet) were allowed in. If this ruling is satisfactory enough for you, then we are off to a good start! Please forgive me as I wreck everything along the way. Shoot:

16. NYC Ghosts & Flowers (2000)

Experimental Art Noise Rock
Spotify

Unlike anything the band had faced before, NYC Ghosts & Flowers’ birth was immediately treated with a global level of opposition. To some degree, everyone agreed that this monotone offering felt a little less inspired and lazier than the difficult heart attacks we had already paid for, our monitors currently beating at a regular pace, or even flatlining from ... boredom? Sonic Youth? Impossible! That said, time has been good to this lifeless album, as many have weakened their initial stance, sorrowful for their misjudgement, now faster to defend this anxious darkness as one delicately alluring and spooky record rather than any of the direct grotesque pretensions we had perpetually demanded in the past. And I can appreciate both sides of this argument. However, my core problem with NYC is exactly that: the contrasting opinions from fans. When I heard about the quote unquote 'worst Sonic Youth album ever,' I was praying for an unbearable car crash, one where the noise-line was pushed far too far, and the 'terrible' label really hid the word 'terror' beneath. Instead, I found something much neater and polished than anything they’d done previously, which was a refreshing listen by all means, except too ordinary, too normal, and way too insignificant. That said, it did set the pace for the fantastic spree of albums which followed in the 2000s, so I guess we can grant it a little slack there.

Sides: The drastic style change of NYC has been credited to the theft of all Sonic Youth's instruments during a 1999 tour. Certain irreplaceable modified equipment was now gone, forcing the band to start over and write this album using a completely different approach. But even if I hold such a negative opinion over the move, I have to admit the title sums the record up better than I ever could: NY (the birthplace of their sound) Ghosts (haunting and eerie) & Flowers (pretty and graceful). Poetic!

15. Confusion Is Sex (1983)

No Wave Noise Rock
Spotify

In many ways, Sonic Youth’s debut is the most dangerous album they’ve ever made. The band were young, and they had absolutely nothing. No money. No label. No one to impress. No one to tell them what to do. And not a goddamn thing to lose. Throw a bunch of experimental misfits like this into a budget studio, and what did you think was going happen? Well, I’ll tell you what happened: the ugliest, harshest, most undeveloped noise from the whole Youth catalogue. They wrecked their tuning by stabbing their instruments with screwdrivers, whilst causing an endless repetitive hum of hypnotic drone until the strain of dissonance could only be cried out as some sorta rambling mess of one excruciating endurance test. And while such a stressful roughness does work surprisingly often in their favour (The Stooges’ I Wanna Be Your Dog cover, for example, is Gordon at her utmost viciously expressive, and if Kurt Cobain heard Shaking Hell back in ‘83, Nirvana would make a little more sense now), it's still repeatedly agreed upon as perhaps the band’s most forgettable album—fearlessly innovative, certainly, but far too unripe to stand against what followed.

Sides: Later copies of this album came with the Kill Yr. Idols EP as a bonus, which was just as intense and amateur, yet an appreciated addition to the experience all the same. Recommended.

14. The Whitey Album [Ciccone Youth] (1988)

Experimental Industrial Noise Rock
Spotify

Only Sonic Youth could attempt to parody a mainstream disco album and fuck it up so magnificently that it turned out to be the most interesting and experimental release from their entire inventory. Drum machines looped out hip hop beats; synths and samples blurred into the passive guitarwork; and the trademark Youth noise naturally found a way to sneak into the program, leaving us with a band who shed all of their rules (even when they didn’t have that many to begin with), and released the only entry on this list which actually sounds like the era it came from. And yet ... this is not the strangest aspect of The Whitey Album whatsoever. No, what truly sets this exceptionally weird record sideways, is its troubling infatuation with superstar Madonna (the hottest thang back in ‘88). Some of her songs were reinterpreted for the project, her face adorned the cover, and the band actually changed their name to Ciccone Youth (being Madonna’s birth surname) for this release only, which was utterly ridiculous. So, yes, while we can forgivably disregard this piece as essentially a joke album, it is still one perfectly executed joke, and I love it more than most.

Sides: Just to prove how loose this record is, Kim performed Robert Palmer’s Addicted to Love at her local karaoke booth, and decided to put it on the album. Who the fuck does that? It’s actually pretty good though, one of the most normal things she has ever sung.

13. Bad Moon Rising (1984)

Experimental No Wave Noise Rock
Spotify

Probably the most impressive facet of Bad Moon Rising, is how differently it compares to their Confusion Is Sex debut—especially when considering the mere one year age gap between them. Of course, it’s no secret that the word 'noisy' defines Sonic Youth (which still stands sturdy here), but this was the album where said noise was not shoved out just for the sake of it, but rather, focused into actual songwriting, building a cleaner and more standard musical basis, then only utilising said noise as icing on top ... more or less ... kinda. Such an approach was a drastic step towards the SY we know and love today: less hardcore, but still undomesticated, deranged by an overall bondage of poetic depression and slow horror, all the while exploring the 'dark side of America'. You know, like Charles Manson. Or Satanism. Or Halloween. Or the early European settlers' encounters with Native Americans. Just average stuff like that. Uglify the subject even further with textured segues which work as seamless interludes, connecting the whole dismal atmosphere as one singular unit, and you have the very first Sonic Youth album that feels somewhat important, indicating that these New York degenerates may have been onto something all along.

Sides: This album is as old as me and, yes, it was titled after that Creedence Clearwater Revival song. Some versions of the record came with four bonus tracks, which are a decent enough fit for the most part. I also thought Thurston's lyrics on I’m Insane that go “inside my head my dog’s a bear” actually went “inside my head my dog’s embarrassed,” which I preferred.

12. The Eternal (2009)

Alternative Rock
Spotify

When a band has been together for three decades, certain inevitable factors come into play. One good factor, would be the group’s built-up chemistry which an outsider could easily misconstrue as telepathy, and on The Eternal, Sonic Youth have acquired just that. These guys have never gelled so well, this album being their tightest ever, coming across like a collaboration rather than just members presenting their own compositions and allowing the others to molest them with static. And this solidarity seemed like a warm, fun place to be. On the negative side, however, is the unavoidable factor of getting older. And while Sonic Youth have aged respectfully by rocking more aggressively on this record than almost their entire career, it still falls into a much more directly conventional and accessible vibe, hardly any noise now, rather sitting comfortably on the modern alternative couch instead of blasting it the fuck apart like before. More tragic still, is that this piece ended everything, as the last Youth record ever :( The band broke up shortly after, far from at a high point, leaving their tale all that more sour. But even with this considered, no one could deny Eternal as a great album, and while some call it slightly unimaginative and nothing new, it's still all we got, so take it and shut up.

Sides: After the band's contract with Geffen Records expired, the two parties went their separate ways, and Matador snapped them up. I imagine the new label were pretty bleak when they only got one album for their money, but hey, at least they were granted the honour of being the first to announce the news of the split, delivering the blow which informed us all that the godfathers of modern noise-punk were gone.

11. A Thousand Leaves (1998)

Experimental Psychedelic Noise Post-Rock
Spotify

Having earned a fair profit from their 1995 Lollapalooza festival appearance, our heroes decided to build their own studio which came with the luxury of an unlimited time schedule and less people to answer to. However, many consider said luxury to have been A Thousand Leaves’ curse, removing the urgency with hookless improvisational jams stretched out to unnecessary lengths, void of all punches, and slowly going through the motions as one tediously dreary journey all the way up Sonic Youth’s own ass. And because I personally prefer my meal to come dosed in a splatter of feedback, I too agree that this endeavour is one unstimulating and energy-less exercise in murky psychedelic waffles, which doesn’t always work and is not one of their best. But even with that in mind, it still boasts its hefty share of merit, as this unresponsive album opts to target the groove above all else, hushing the disarray by wearing the band’s age without shame—a midlife record, but not a midlife crisis, which is a difficult thing to pull off. The result is a rare, refreshing, and oft-overlooked bullet in their arsenal, with almost enough pearls to warrant the excessive timeframe it demands. Almost.

Sides: To prove how productive the band were at this stage of their career (or, rather, evidence as to why they sounded so exhausted), they released three highly experimental EPs around here too, namely Anagrama, Slaapkamers met slagroom, and Invito al ĉielo, all of which were recorded at the same time as this album. Another interesting goody from this release, is that the video for Sunday starred Macaulay Culkin, of all people

10. Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star (1994)

Alternative Noise Rock
Spotify

One could argue that the early-90s accusations of betrayal and commercialism had begun to weigh burdensome on Sonic Youth, threatening their integrity and forcing their hand to produce something which somewhat harked back to the good old days. And Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star was that response. However, instead of relying on their trademark turbulent onslaught or absurd looneyness, they confused everyone by confidently presenting a nonchalant piece of melodic noise, which was a dreamier and quieter alleyway above any they’d dared to explore before. The short songs spat plenty of ideas which came and went so fast that nothing had a chance to develop into anything substantial, but that’s exactly what made this subdued record so unique, and is exactly why I hug this album in such high regards. Unfortunately, not everyone felt the same way, as new fans were overwhelmed and had a hard time penetrating the dense clamour, while old fans had already given up a long time ago, placing this release in a very awkward position indeed. However, hindsight has been kinder to the experiment, countless critics considering it one of Youth’s most underrated projects, and many praising it as a defining mid-90s alternative triumph. Well, that's ok then.

Sides: To save money, Experimental Jet Set, Trash And No Star was recorded over the band's previously used master tapes, and so if you turn up your volume real loud, you can just about hear their album Sister leak through during some of the quieter parts. This is also Sonic Youth's first album to feature a hidden track, which itself sounded much more like old SY than the whole album put together.

09. Sister (1987)

Alternative Noise Rock
Spotify

Oh my God! How is this possible?! The classic Sister? One of the highest regarded masterpieces from Sonic Youth’s career?? Sometimes even the highest regarded??? So low on this list???? Blasphemy! Let’s stop reading this stupid article right now! Let’s send the writer offensive messages! Let’s question his dedication to the cause! Alright alright, calm down everybody, it’s only an album, Jesus. Look: I have tried to explain multiple times as to why I consider this record to be the most overrated on offer here, but then I realised nobody has convincingly explained to me anything otherwise. Yes, I acknowledge its influence on other artists. I applaud how its edges point towards a more traditional sound (giving it great purpose on the overall Youth timeline). I idolise the warmth of its analogue production (my favourite aspect about this release, in fact). It's melodic. It's aggressive. It’s a fucking great album, I know this! But the issue is that its own reputation sinks it, surviving from occasional peaks of powerful genius, but frequently coming across slightly dated, and definitely not as superior to the rest of Youth’s catalogue as so many seem to think it is. On a normal day, it simply passes me by, and I guess I’m sorry about that? What do you want me to do? Lie? Although I happily admit that there will probably come a day when I'll regret leaving it here, but oh well. Moving on as fast as possible...

Sides: Science fiction author Philip K. Dick claims to have always been haunted by his fraternal twin sister who died shortly after their birth. Which sucks, sure, but it did prove to be a decent inspiration for this album.

08. Rather Ripped (2006)

Alternative Indie Rock
Spotify

As I hope this list will accurately illustrated in time, Sonic Youth were always a band who enjoyed fiddling with the line between accessible and non-accessible music. And it’s this notion which makes Rather Ripped so distinguishable, unchallenged as the most radio-rock and commercially sympathetic product in their entire backlog. The ear-bleeding noise and endurance-teasing experimentation were completely eradicated from this record (and this record alone), leaving nothing but a pure indie rock album behind, cautiously cleaned to a borderline poppy sleek, and even featuring some actual melodies almost sung in tune! Wow! Naturally, many fanatics felt forsaken by this straightforward direction, but those with an open heart appreciated Rather Ripped as perhaps the easiest entry point for those troublesome friends who were unaccustomed to guitar torture and just “didn’t get” our beloved idols. As for me, it’s one of the Youth releases I defend most firmly, simply because it proves the band weren’t a one-dissonant-pony, and in fact had the talent to pull off a pleasantly songful alternative album all along (and, what’s more, even better than most). That said, the sound suited them almost too well, so perhaps it's for the best they didn't pursue this pathway any further, lest our treasured secrets actually became popular.

Sides: The name Rather Ripped came from a Californian record store, chosen above the working titles Sonic Life and Do You Believe in Rapture?. And as it stands, my favourite review for this record ever came from RYM user Fotzepolitic, who called this his "mum's favourite Sonic Youth album.”

07. Goo (1990)

Alternative Noise Rock
Spotify

Predating the Nirvana explosion by one year, Sonic Youth had already started to harvest their own brand of unpredictable success in 1990. Affectionately known as their ‘sell out’ album, Goo marks when our band went major, signing to Geffen and releasing the first slickly produced record of their career. And while many purists winced at the more digestible sound, most of us were relieved to find that no amount of money could truly tame the anxious disobedience of the Youth, rather only polish the scene so we could view the wreck in higher definition. The end result is one of their most memorable releases which works as an excellent entry point for virgin listeners, complete with some of their catalogue’s greatest songs. The haunting Tunic, for example. Or how about Kool Thing, their most famous single, standing as the pinnacle of the super loud/fast/mad riff and feedback approach, yet somehow distorting the message into a legitimate (almost commercial) rock song—exactly what they were always trying to achieve. That said, something about Goo doesn’t quite sit right with me. Too cheerful? Too comical? Too childlike? The unfortunate 'title track' which is one of their worst songs ever, warping my memory’s associations into a ball of cringe? Choose your own adventure. But also don't listen to me, it fucking rocks.

Sides: The cover artwork is an illustration by Raymond Pettibon, based on a paparazzi photo of the witnesses to the Moors murders, namely Maureen Hindley and David Smith. It has gone on to be pretty much the representative image of the band, as this blog's very lead image would indicate. In other news, this album cost $150,000 to make, which was a fucking fortune for the band at the time.

06. Sonic Nurse (2004)

Alternative Indie Noise Rock
Spotify

When Sonic Nurse came out, plenty praised it as the best Youth since (x) or (y) or (whatever other renowned SY record you want), indisputably appreciated as one of the band’s greatest latter day creations. Said applause rang loudest for the record’s songful balance, one which achieved the perfect harmony between clutter and delicacy, and an effort which actually sounded like a real album for a change. There was no getting lucky or forcing nervous accolade by veering too far into the dark abrasiveness here. Instead of hiding under layers of feedback, they rather utilised their noise to enhance an emotion, like a paint job instead of a centerpiece. It was uncomplicated, the snug place in the middle of a team who had developed into something more musical, allowing the process to evolve naturally without jump-starting ideas via bursts of clashes and shocks. Thurston continued his trend of improving per release. Gordon has perhaps never sung better than on I Love You Golden Blue. The album title was perfect. The artwork was perfect. And while a few moaners mumbled some mehs of opposition (boring? familiar? standard indie rock?), you won’t hear any such words from me, as I consider this album to be the closest Sonic Youth came to releasing a classic without quite getting there.

Sides: Kim Gordon and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream is about Mariah Carey's nervous breakdown, originally titled Mariah Carey and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream, but changed for obvious reasons. Another interesting song title would be Dude Ranch Nurse, which was also the name of a Richard Prince photographic series. The man was known for his Nurse Paintings series too, where this cover art came from. Circles!

05. EVOL (1986)

Experimental Noise Rock
Spotify

On their third album, Sonic Youth progressed their intentions of sluggishly approaching a more melodic alternative sound, which one could almost suspiciously accuse of commercialism if it weren’t for that pesky detached noise which saturated the drabby material surrounding them, weighing their bodies down, causing lethargy during an already gloomy journey. And it sounded wonderful. Why wouldn't it? For this was the point where the band had started to take their game much more seriously. They had just hired drummer Steve Shelly, whose accomplished percussion patterns enhanced their message immeasurably, right until the very end of their career. They built a dimly lit trips of aggressive-less violence which was as creepy and grim, as it was disinterested and abstract, as it was beautiful and atmospheric. Thurston in particular really came into his own here, sounding more confident than ever, completely dominating this album’s vocal duties with his poetic musings and monotone deliveries (perfect for this particular mood). And they packaged the whole experience with arguably the greatest artwork of their career (still). It’s no wonder, then, that EVOL is almost always regarded as Youth’s first 'masterpiece', and even if I consider it a touch hyped-up, it has completely earned the title.

Sides: After Minutemen's bassist Mike Watt lost his band member and friend D. Boom to a car accident, he was reluctant to play music ever again. However, the Youth convinced him to perform on the track In the Kingdom #19 (coincidentally, a song about a car crash), and the experience was so enjoyable, that he credited this very recording as a major influence to his return to the industry.

04. Murray Street (2002)

Alternative Indie Noise Rock
Spotify

In the midst of recording this album, those evil plane attacks hit the Twin Towers, and the Murray Street sessions crashed down like the buildings themselves. Our band halted their studio work, and instead focused their starpower on admirably performing benefit shows to help the tragedy in their city. The influence such events had on the resumed recordings some time later is often hypothesised yet never confirmed, but everyone agreed that whatever happened, this was one of the Youth’s greatest in almost a decade, or perhaps even ever. The basic structures and enticing grace gave the album an uncharacteristic consistency throughout, keeping your body steady and keeping your mind settled. It was a refined and concentrated type of welcoming persuasion, hiding the ominous thoughts and exhausted cracks of ageing underneath unconventional modesty by submitting a summary album rather than one of innovation, clearing the stage for who they were now, and who they wanted to be. And yet, perhaps the most surprising aspect of all, was that Murray Street was a flawless record from a band who built their successes on flawed music, proving that between this, Ripped, and Nurse, the group had some intriguing spunk left in them still, which once again leaves the break-up all that more heartbreaking and difficult to deal with.

Sides: Remarkably, the most interesting features of Murray Street had nothing to do with Thurston (who otherwise dominated this record) or Kim (who is disappointedly pushed to the end with fairly generic contributions), but rather with the other participants. For not only was this the first SY album to feature Jim O'Rourke as an official fifth member, but Lee Ranaldo's Karen Revisited composition is probably the best damn thing on offer here. It is also worth noting that this (tied with Rather Ripped) is Sonic Youth's highest rated album on Metacritic as we speak, with an 82%.

03. Dirty (1992)

Alternative Noise Rock
Spotify

After the Nevermind atom bomb obliterated all of music everywhere, there was a mad rush following to find the next Nirvana, and all hot bets were placed directly on Sonic Youth. It made sense, as they were massively inspirational to Kurt, and were already signed to the same label, Geffen. To increase their chances, Nevermind producer Butch Vig was promptly hired to enrich the soil, tighten the wobbles, and apply just enough Seattle grunge scene pressure to hopefully cash-in on Nirvana’s recent success. And I honestly feel Sonic Youth gave it their best shot, attempting to sell-out, but unable to, simply because their brains weren’t wired that way. They were far too raw, too juvenile, and too fundamentally punk to be slicked down by some fancy production, instead spitting out (probably their most aptly titled record) Dirty, an angry album complete with political messages and feminist anthems, biting into the grunge movement rather than imitating it, and then choking on the blood. Naturally, something like this didn’t sell as well as the execs had hoped, but it still stands as one of the greatest releases at the epicentre of SY’s heyday—even if some spoilsports called it 'untrue to themselves' (whatever that meant).

Sides: Still on the Nirvana topic, it is interesting to note that the grunge kings signed to Geffen after Sonic Youth suggested they should join the family. When Nevermind was ready for release, the label hoped it would sell around 250,000 units, based on how many copies Youth's Goo had sold. 24 million something later, and it's no wonder they were disappointed with Dirty's lack of success, Geffen Records executive Mark Kates even once stating that the singles he chose from the album were "one of the biggest professional mistakes of my life". Regardless, I did call Dirty my favourite Sonic Youth back in 2012, as well as my 30th favourite record ever, so that's gotta count for something, right, Geffen?

02. Washing Machine (1995)

Experimental Alternative Noise Rock
Spotify

A year before Washing Machine drifted out, Kim and Thurston had their first (and only) child, Coco Gordon Moore, and by all accounts, the new role of parenthood dominated this album’s aura like a protective blanket. The afterglow of childbirth had slowed their tempos down to a patient calm, as they wandered aimlessly throughout this unfamiliar playing field, slightly unsure as to where they might be going, but aware of the surrounding open space required to allow their growing baby to breathe. That said, do not misconstrue this new melodic approach as some sort of landmark where our punk couple turned soft, as this is still a difficult formula to digest, standing firm as one of their most proudly anti-commercial offerings from the 90s, perhaps even resembling a sad washing machine itself, as it soaks the colours out of everything in a watery cycle, hypnotically slurring out its feelings with no regard to your time or quarters. In other words, it is an underrated masterpiece which somewhat steps back towards Youth’s more classic sound and welcomes us with love into this cold, scary world filled with darkness and sorrow. Oh, and please don’t even get me started on Diamond Sea. Jesus.

Sides: Did you know that this was the first Sonic Youth album where Gordon exclusively played guitar, resulting in a three-guitar and drums lineup? Did you know that Kim Deal from the Pixies featured on the incredible song Little Trouble Girl? Did you know that the album's cover photo only crops the heads off of the two fans because the band had no idea who they were and couldn't get their permission? Did you know that Sonic Youth actually considered changing their name to Washing Machine for this release, but the label thought that was crazy and said no? NOW YOU KNOW.

01. Daydream Nation (1988)

Alternative Noise Rock
Spotify

Surprise! Ok, sure, there are a few wanky elitists who claim some other Sonic Youth record to be their best, but the fact is that they are wrong, and 100% of people agree (rounded off to closest integer). So excuse me while I enthusiastically suck this album’s dick and swallow, but Daydream Nation is where the band became gods. They trashed our faces with an onslaught of high-energy avant-rock, perfectly crafted into a lo-fi noise which screamed from an army of invigorated riffs that tore indie music right down the middle. It was less abstract. It was much tighter. It had no filler. It had no pointless meandering. It was just straight-to-the-point melodic filth which came across more like a best-of compilation over anything else. Because of these factors, the intoxicating masterpiece was worshipped as an instant classic from its very first day of release, but its legacy has gone on to outgrow itself, now considered a definitive milestone of 80s rock, as relevant and important today as it ever was, and inarguably one of the greatest albums ever made. And I simply do not have the confidence to argue against that, so here we are.

Sides: Check this out: Rolling Stone Magazine called Daydream Nation the 328th greatest album ever, as well as the 45th greatest album of the 80s. Guitarist UK called it the 11th most essential guitar album ever. Spin Magazine called it the 13th greatest album from 1985 to 2010, as well as the 9th best alternative album ever. Pitchfork called it the best album of the 80s, handsdown. And it has already been added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. Thank you very much.

Read This Next Maybe

Worst To Best: David Bowie

Follow @LegoTrip