1. Radiohead -- Kid A
Easily the most explorative and musically beautiful album of the year, with Kid A, Radiohead shows how they can continue to morph and mold their style to remain at the cutting edge of music while still keeping a grasp on their distinctive sound. Despite the hype, Radiohead created an album that is powerful, entertaining and musically superior to any other album this year.
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2. A Perfect Circle --
Mer de Noms
Not only did it feature the triumphant return of lyrical master Maynard James Keenan, but
Mer de Noms, the debut album for A Perfect Circle, is one of the most sonic albums to come out of the heavy metal genre in years. It combines hard-rocking riffs with complex yet meaningful guitar work, all layered with Keenan's mystical and frightening lyrics. Far from being a Tool side project, A Perfect Circle made its mark in rock music with the intelligent and carefully crafted
Mer de Noms.
3. U2 --
All That You Can't Leave Behind
Honest and sincere, U2 shows why they are still here and why they intend to stay for much longer.
All That You Can't Leave Behind, filled with politics, profoundness and a rock infused with pop sound, has put them where they are today -- on top of the world. While many bands tend to wane in their later years, U2 is still going strong, making catchy yet well-designed songs and making a statement as they go.
4. B.B. King & Eric Clapton --
Riding With the King
This album is a bit of an exception, in that it is mostly covers, but when an album features the king of blues and the king of rock, exceptions can be made. In fact, King and Clapton reworked many of the songs to the point that they can almost call them their own. This album truly blurred the lines between blues and rock by taking masters of both and letting them have fun.
5. Eminem --
The Marshall Mathers LP
Love him or hate him, there's no doubt that Eminem made his mark on pop culture, but more importantly, on the rap market. In a market now dominated by big names flaunting lots of money and lots of women, Eminem is actually keeping it real, trying to infuse real life into always well-constructed Dr. Dre beats. All the controversy has actually detracted from the real power of Eminem's music, but is unlikely to discourage him from continuing on his quest to bring rap back.
6. Geddy Lee -
My Favorite Headache
Rush's lead man came back with a new crew and a bang on
My Favorite Headache. Lee's first solo project is as intelligent and hard hitting as any Rush album, but with a distinctively different sound. Still, Lee shows off his bass and vocal talent more than ever and proves why he is one of the great minds of modern music.
7. Tony Iommi -
Iommi
Not really explorative or stylistically amazing, there is one thing that Tony Iommi's debut solo CD is, and that's honest. He remains true to his Black Sabbath roots, so much that the track featuring Ozzy Osbourne is wildly nostalgic. Iommi rarely explores his guitar, but he stays true to the heavy metal and ended up with one of the hardest and truest metal albums of the year.
8. Smashing Pumpkins -
Machina: Machine of Gods
They never quite got it right before the band split this year, but with their final commercial album, the Smashing Pumpkins prove they are still some of the greatest minds in alt-rock. Being one of the innovators of the '90s alt-rock wave, the Pumpkins were always under great pressure to deliver innovative and quality albums. With
Machina, they did just that, mixing the ballads and the rock to bring back memories of their glory days, and show the modern rock bands how its done.
9. Pink Floyd -
Is There Anybody Out There? (The Wall Live)
Again, another sort of exception, but with
Is There Anybody Out There? Pink Floyd did the unthinkable, making a live album that is superior to the studio version. The album had more guitar riffs, more effect, and extended solos, not to mention thousands of wild fans who make the listener feel like he or she is right there in the audience. All together, Pink Floyd did more than just repackage, they recreated.
10. Pearl Jam --
European bootlegs
Although it actually consists of 25 double-disc albums, Pearl Jam went all out in creating professional quality copies of their European live shows. More than just a marketing gimmick, Pearl Jam gave the fans what they wanted with these albums. All high quality and all superb shows, the bootlegs were a godsend to the Pearl Jam faithful and those just looking for good live performances.
1.
Kid A -- Radiohead (Capitol)
2.
Mer de Noms -- A Perfect Circle (Virgin)
3.
All That You Can't Leave Behind -- U2 (Interscope)
4.
Riding With the King -- B.B. King & Eric Clapton (Warner Bros.)
5.
The Marshall Mathers LP -- Eminem (Aftermath/Interscope)
6.
My Favorite Headache -- Geddy Lee (Atlantic)
7.
Iommi -- Tony Iommi (Priority)
8.
Machina: Machine of Gods -- Smashing Pumpkins (Virgin)
9.
Is There Anybody Out There? -- Pink Floyd (Columbia)
10.
European bootlegs -- Pearl Jam (Epic)
