just call me rob fleming.

(the protagonist from High Fidelity of course, not the Canadian politician.)

Top Five Albums of All Time, selon l'opinion de Sarah (with youtube links so you can check the bands out yourself! Yay!):

5. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground and Nico
When you mix 60s American experimental art-rock with a German vocalist and Andy Warhol, it's hard to go wrong. This album certainly proves that. It's very easy for me to see why it's become one of the most influential rock albums ever: this is sex, drugs, and rock & roll at its finest. May be slightly too weird for some; I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of grande dark roast coffee, but I love it and that's all that matters, because it's my list.

4. The Clash - London Calling
Greatest punk album of all time. No question. Also greatest album cover of all time. Not much else I can say, really.

3. Radiohead - The Bends
(the linked video is from the concert I went to in May...seriously the best performance I have ever seen)
It's so difficult to choose one Radiohead album that I like over the others because I love pretty much every single one of their songs (save for a few on Pablo Honey). I tend to get a lot of grief when I say this is my favorite Radiohead album, though. OK Computer is the most critically acclaimed of them all, and Kid A seems to be most die hard fans' favorite, but I'm partial to this one because it's what got me liking the band in the first place. I'm slightly ashamed to say I used to think they were boring. But several years ago a friend made me buy The Bends, and I was hooked. It may be more "commercial", and it certainly speaks to the mood of the 90s alternative music scene, but with bone-chillingly beautiful songs like "Fake Plastic Trees" and bitter and sarcastic nods to their own success a la "My Iron Lung", this CD is one that never leaves my player for very long.

2. Paul Simon - Graceland
Probably not as well known as the others on this list, but without a doubt just as good. I like Simon and Garfunkel well enough, but this solo effort by Simon is better by far in my opinion. It's like a musical journey all around the world (funnily enough, the title of the last song on the album), from Memphis to Africa to New Orleans to the Southwest, and it features Linda Ronstadt, Los Lobos, The Everly Brothers, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, to name just a few of the contributing artists. The lyrics are fabulous, the bass beat is catchy, and the video for "You Can Call Me Al" even features Chevy Chase. And who doesn't love Chevy Chase? My parents claim no good music was made in the 80s with the exception of this album; I say there are plenty of fabulous albums that came out of the 80s, but this is certainly one of the best.

1. The Beatles - Revolver
This album holds a special place in my heart, because I grew up listening to it. My mom sang me to sleep with "Here, There, and Everywhere", and I danced around the living room with my dad to "Doctor Robert". Even without the sentimental ties however, this would still be my favorite album of all time. I can't even put into words how amazing The Beatles are, so I'm just going to assume everyone agrees with me and those who don't have chemical imbalances in their right temporal lobes. The end.

Dude, that was way too hard. (That's what she said?) I'm gonna add some more to the list because I feel bad cutting them out.

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order) go to: Cat Stevens - Teaser and the Firecat, Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures, The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema, Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon, The Smiths - The Queen is Dead, and Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (aka Come On, Feel the Illinoise!)