THE BEST CDs OF 2002 (1 Viewer)

[Steve Owen]

Hands down, the best new album I've heard in 2002 is Sonic Youth: Murray Street. It's a fantastic recording soudwise and showcases them at their most introspective and their noisiest... plus it's available on LP (and amazing sounding)!
Other really good albums from this year...
White Stripes - White Blood Cells: Gets better every time I listent to it. They're a bit over-exposed right now, but that doesn't lessen the quality of the album.
They Might Be Giants - No!: Their "kids" album, but I've always said that their songs are really just nursery rhymes for adults. This is the best thing they've done since their first few albums.
Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around (LP): Wonderful sounding LP filled with originals and covers to make your spine tingle.
The (International) Noise Conspiracy - A New Morning, Changing Weather: Great pop/punk tunes and exactly what I'd hoped for as a followup to Refused.
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf: This albums rocks! And you've got to love getting a CD AND a DVD for ten bucks!
Honerable mentiones to The Breeders - Title tk, Foo Fighers - One By One, and Peter Gabriel - Up.
-Steve

 

[Daryl Stovall]

Dismal year in music IMO the only standouts are:
Aimee Mann's Lost In Space
Btvs's OMWF Soundtrack
O Brother Where Art Thou? (I know it's old, but yo!, It's Timeless)

 

[Peter Mazur]

By far the best album of 2002 for me is:
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
This is an outstanding recording.
The rest of my top five would be:
Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Peter Gabriel - Up
Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
Geoff Tate - Geoff Tate
Honorable mentions:
Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf
Foo Fighters - One By One
George Harrison - Brainwashed
Good, but not great:
Spock's Beard - Snow
Rush - Vapor Trails
Def Leppard - X
Huge disapointment:
Dream Theater - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

 

[Al B. C]

Wilco - "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"
Diana Krall - "Live In Paris"
Norah Jones - "Come Away With Me"
David Bowie - "Heathen"
The White Stripes - "White Blood Cells"
Honorable Mentions.....
Elvis Presley - "Elv1s 30 #1 Hits" (DVD-A version - same old stuff, but man! He NEVER sounded this good!)
Tony Bennett & k.d. Lang - "A Wonderful World"
Beck - "Sea Change"
James Taylor - "October Road"
Elvis Costello - "When I Was Cruel"

 

[Todd H]

In no particular order...

Audioslave - Audioslave
OK Go - OK Go
Butch Walker - Left Of Self-Centered
Foo Fighters - One By One
Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf
The Vines - Highly Evolved

 

[Steve Owen]

I'm seeing some trends here... and I'm really surprised that Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf has been mentioned 6 times already. It's on my list, but I didn't think so many people were aware of it. Glad to see the album is getting the credit it deserves.
-Steve

 

[Angelo.M]

Some of my 2002 faves:
Top 5:
1. Ryan Adams Demolition
Outtakes that are better than most artists' A-sides.
2. Mark Knopfler The Ragpicker's Dream
Outstanding record that is superior to Knopfler's terrific Sailing to Philadelphia.
3. Norah Jones Come Away With Me
If you're a regular listener to New York's WFUV, then you knew this material in 2001, and you knew it was magical.
4. Bruce Springsteen The Rising
There are a couple of missteps here which sound like Lucky Town outtakes. But Bruce breathes new life into the E Street vibe with hints of gospel and roots rock, and manages to talk about serious stuff without being trite.
5. Counting Crows Hard Candy
Best record since their debut, but the production is awful. These guys need to find someone who'll put some space in their sound.
Honorable Mention:
Neil Finn: One All
Diana Krall: Live in Paris
Duncan Sheik: Daylight
Susan Tedeschi: Wait for Me
Beth Orton: Daybreaker
Ron Sexsmith: Cobblestone Runway
Kim Richey: Rise
Bob Dylan: Live 1975: Rolling Thunder Review
Simon & Garfunkel: Live from NYC, 1967

 

[Iain Lambert]

OK, a random number of good albums from this year - I haven't really thought this one though.

Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
Underworld - A Hundred Days Off
Springsteen - The Rising
Buffy Cast - Once More With Feeling
Sugababes - Angels With Dirty Faces
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
David Bowie - Heathen

I'm sure there are a stack of others as well, that I can't remember right now though.

 

[Darren H]

Beth Orton's Daybreaker and Beck's Sea Change are running neck-and-neck for my best of 2002, with a special mention going to the remastered deluxe edition of Little Feat's Waiting for Columbus, which qualifies because it includes newly released material and because, well, it's the greatest live album of all time.

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

I listened to The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots at a friend's over the weekend & really liked it. It appears to be a concept album. Is it based on some actual Japanimation?

 

[Evan S]

and I'm really surprised that Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf has been mentioned 6 times already

I am too. I bought it last night due to the recommendations of so many in this thread and I don't see what the fuss is about.

It's a good record, but nothing ground breaking or out of this world. Steve, did yours come with a separate DVD or is the CD also a DVD that can be played in DVD players? I didn't try it with mine.

Being a big Aimee Mann fan, I also picked up her "Lost in Space" due to recommendations here. While I slightly prefer "Batchelor #2", I think this is also a great record and definately worth the purchase.

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

Found another good CD from this year: Pulp - 'We Love Life'

 

[Eujin]

I thought of leaving Wilco, Norah Jones and Coldplay off my list, but heck it's my list:

In no particular order:

Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
Coldplay - Rush of Blood to the Head
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Beth Orton - Daybreaker
Neko Case - Blacklisted
Johnny Cash - Man Comes Around
Jorma Kaukonen - Blue Country Heart (SACD)

 

[Peter McM]

Lots of Americana!

Kim Richey - Rise
Allison Moorer - Miss Fortune
Tift Merritt - Bramble Rose
Ralph Stanley
Willie Nelson - The Great Divide
Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator)
Alison Krauss - New Favorite

also, the original motion picture soundtrack for Star Trek - Nemesis

 

[chung_sotheby]

A couple of albums I forgot to mention:
The Streets - Original Pirate Material
I never heard of this band until I saw a video of theirs on MuchMusic at around 5 in the morning, and I really dug their style; a mix of British Punk lyrics sung in a New York Beat Rap style, hyped over electronica, reggae and jazz beats. And then when I was on the throne reading the newest Entertainment Weekley, and they rated it the #1 album of the year. Kind of weird.
System of a Down - -Steal This Album
Even the songs that didnt make their first album are ten times better than the rest of the nu-metal dreck
Ben Folds - Ben Folds Live
I never really liked Ben Folds Five, but his live album is really, really good. I think that his music is best suited for one man piano performances. Really good old-time rock.

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

Well, if we're to get picky (and I will ), Gillian Welch's Time (The Revelator) came out in July or August 2001. So Peter, there's a spot for you to clear out for Kelly Willis' latest.

 

[Jeff Pryor]

Disturbed 'Believe'

Norah Jones 'Come Away With Me'

Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions EP 'Suzanne'

 

[James D]

Jeff- thanks for the tip about the EP 'Suzanne'. I wondered what had happened to Mazzy Star. I agree with Eujin's recommendations, particularly Beth Orton, Neko Case, and Norah Jones. My favorite of the year has to be the Man in Black's 'American IV: The Man Comes Around'.

 

[Leif Wall]

Sinergy - Suicide by my Side
Lacuna Coil - Comalies
Bloodbath - Resurrection Through Carnage
Arch Enemy - Wages of Sin
Opeth - Deliverance
I seem to be listening to too much metal.

 

[L. Anton Dencklau]

Peter Gabriel -"Up" Fantastic and difficult. You gotta put the headphones on and really listen, but it pays back your time.
Sigur Ros - "( )" It sounds beautiful and terrible. (the vocals can get repetitive though)
Nine Inch Nails "And All That Could Have Been/Still" Great live album, even greater odds and ends stuff on the Bonus "Still" CD.
Meshell Ndegeocello - "Cookie: The Anthropological Mix Tape" I don't like it as much as "Bitter" or "Peace Beyond Passion", but there's good stuff to be had on here.
Goo Goo Dolls - "Gutterflower" This is what I want to hear when I turn on the radio. No Mariah Carey wailing, no ancient replaying of "In Bloom" for the millionth time, Just fun guitar rock.