Many successful musicians put out albums that aren’t “real” albums in that they don’t contain much new music, but they either have a different take on them (remix albums), round out the fan experience (live albums) or just milk fans and almost-fans of some money (best of albums). They aren’t marketed as heavily, bands don’t tour to promote them, sometimes you don’t even notice them unless you are a devout fan. Once in a while, however, these end up being my favorite (AKA the best) albums a band releases. One of these just came out, namely Daft Punk’s “Alive 2007”, which is “pretty remarkable” to quote a friend. A list is born.
Top 3 Unintentionally Best Albums
- Linkin Park – “Reanimation” – LP had a mediocre first album and then dropped this bomb, sending this Emo-band-in-the-making on a detour into electronic spectacle. This is also one of the best DVD-A discs out there.
- White Zombie – “Super Sexy Swingin’ Sounds” – Not only did they end up with the most interesting White Zombie album, they put together the ultimate “night driving” album.
- Daft Punk – “Alive 2007” – Like Mos Def, the problem with Daft Punk albums, even their songs to some extent, is the inconsistency. Going from boring to exciting beats, amazing flow to mundane limping, this album seems to fix that with great mixes of their best songs.
Honorable Mention
- The Roots – “The Roots Come Alive” – This might have made #3 before Daft Punk’s CD came out, but I’m not sure because their early albums were already so good. The highlight of this album is Jill Scott’s performance in “You Got Me”, which without exaggeration gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.