The Top 5 Favorite Albums of All Time

5. Coldplay: Viva la Vida or Death and All of His Friends
I still remember hearing Viva la Vida for the first time like it was yesterday. One of my closest friends from college was working at a Best Buy, and he called me to see if I wanted a copy of Viva la Vida on Vinyl. His store had a copy, and he would hold it for me if I wanted it. I was in my car before he even finished that sentence, racing over to racing to his store to pick it up.  After purchasing I saw that it came with a CD copy, so I opened it, and popped it into my car stereo. It was like a smack in the face of beauty. Hearing Life in Technicolor for the first time is a moment etched into my mind forever. I think I listened to that record, and nothing else for like three weeks straight when it was first released.  I think it is still their best album ever, and it's my favorite. The music videos that accompanied this record are beautiful too. Especially the one for Strawberry Swing.




4. Arcade Fire: Funeral
Much like William Elliott Whitmore's Field Songs, it is very difficult for me to put into words as to how much I love Arcade Fire's debut album Funeral. Funeral is the soundtrack to my college years, or as I like to call them, the best years of my life. I was first introduced to Arcade Fire by one of my closest friends from college. She pulled me into the student newspaper's office, looked me straight in the face and said "Listen to this album, it will change your life". She was right. Arcade Fire was the "smart" band that I would advocate for throughout my college tenure. Everyone I met needed to know why they were so great. They captured the feeling of the mid-00s and college for me perfectly.





3. John Lennon: Plastic Ono Band
In my humble opinion, John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band is the most pissed off, angry album I have every heard. Recorded shortly after the Beatles breakup, and while participating in Primal Scream Therapy, Lennon goes on the attack, and nothing is spared from his wrath. He attacks his parents, the music industry, God, and his ex-bandmates. The only person spared from his wrath is his wife Yoko Ono. This is a very therapeutic album for me. When I am at my most pissed off, I listen to this album, and I feel the angry subside. I think that is one of the things that I love and admire the most about Lennon. He verbalized things I would never say out loud. It is so cool, and something I wish I could. But there is only one John Lennon for a reason.




2. George Harrison: All Things Must Pass
John Lennon is my favorite Beatle of all time, but George Harrison created the greatest solo Beatles album of all time. The epic All Things Must Pass was released in 1970, and featured all of Harrison's backlog of songs that were either rejected by The Beatles, or were never brought to their attention. Which utterly blows my mind. All Things Must Pass is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. It is never boring, and it showcases Harrison's genius and equal to Lennon/McCartney. It made George a superstar, and well-deserved too. Every autumn, I listen to this album. I love it, and is a perfect record.



1. The Beatles: Rubber Soul 
Finally we have reached my number 1, and of course its a Beatles record!!! The Beatles are my favorite band of all time, and it makes perfect sense for them to have the number one spot. For my money, Rubber Soul is the perfect illustration as to why the Beatles are the greatest band of all time. It is a perfect middle years album. It showcases the Beatles at their pop music height with such songs as: Drive My Car or You Won't See Me. But it also shows where they will be going in the future in regards to song and music experimentation. This can be seen with such songs as: Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, and In My Life. All of this is perfectly blended together into a my favorite album of all time. And the amazing thing, Rubber Soul is the second album the Beatles released in 1965. That is unbelievable when you think of that. And though not on the official album, We Can Work it Out was released around the same time as Rubber Soul, and is a perfect representation of this time period in Beatles history.