The Album

This four-volume work provides provocative critical analyses of 160 of the best popular music albums of the past 50 years, from the well-known and mainstream to the quirky and offbeat.The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations contains critical analysis essays on 160 significant pop music albums from 1960 to 2010. The selected albums represent the pop, rock, soul, R&B, hip hop, country, and alternative genres, including artists such as 2Pac, Carole King, James Brown, The Beatles, and Willie Nelson. Each volume contains brief sidebars with biographical information about key performers and producers, as well as descriptions of particular music industry topics pertaining to the development of the album over this 50-year period. Due to its examination of a broad time frame and wide range of musical styles, and its depth of analysis that goes beyond that in other books about essential albums of the past and present, this collection will appeal strongly to music fans of all tastes and interests.

Introduction1. k. d. lang: Absolute Torch and Twang (1989)2. Ice Cube: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990)3. Ice Cube: Death Certificate (1991)4. Nirvana: Nevermind (1991)5. Garth Brooks: Ropin' the Wind (1991)6. Clint Black: The Hard Way (1992)7. Iris DeMent: Infamous Angel (1992)8. Morrissey: "Your Arsenal" (1992)9. Melissa Etheridge: Yes I Am (1993)10. Lenny Kravitz: Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993)11. Sting: Ten Summoner's Tales (1993)12. Nas: Illmatic (1994)13. Dave Matthews Band: Under the Table and Dreaming (1994)14. Selena: Amor Prohibido (1994)15. Ani DiFranco: Not a Pretty Girl (1995)16. Jewel: Pieces of You (1995)17. 2Pac: All Eyez on Me (1996)18. Beck: Odelay (1996)19. Jay-Z: Reasonable Doubt (1996)20. Sheryl Crow: Sheryl Crow (1996)21. Dolly Parton: Hungry Again (1998)22. Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)23. Dido: No Angel (1999)24. Magnetic Fields: 69 Love Songs (1999)25. Kongar-ol Ondar: Back Tuva Future (1999)26. Bob Dylan: "Love and Theft" (2001)27. The Mountain Goats: Tallahassee (2002)28. Cat Power: You Are Free (2003)29. Sufjan Stevens: The States Project (2003-Present)30. Kanye West: The College Dropout (2004)31. Radiohead: In Rainbows (2007)32. Taylor Swift: Fearless (2008)33. Lady Gaga: The Fame (2008)34. Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)35. The Black Keys: Brothers (2010)AfterwordAppendix 1: DiscographyAppendix 2: 101 Other Provocative, Influential, and Important AlbumsBibliography and Suggested Sources for Further InformationIndex