The Smashing Pumpkins’ second album was their most ambitious yet. Once again produced by Butch Vig, who two years before had produced the mega-album, ‘Nevermind,’ by Nirvana, this album almost killed everyone involved. Literally even.

Even at their most fractured, The Beatles were still better than all the rest.

This album is comprised of 5 singles and their B-sides plus one additional single and an album track. Sly and the Family Stone made some of the most incredible funk/soul of all time. Songs such as ‘I Want To Take You Higher,’ ‘Everybody Is A Star,’ ‘Stand!’ (the first time I heard these two songs was the versions by The Jackson 5), ‘Dance To The Music’ and ‘Everyday People’ are real classics.

The album deals with the hard life of the working class in Jamaica, essentially a new country having received independence from the UK 10 years before. During this time there was major class inequality but in 1972 there were changes for the better; higher minimum wage, land reform, women’s equality, greater housing construction and an increase in education.

His sophomore album, 'The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle,' was released just 10 months later and it was this one that established the sound Bruce Springsteen would come to be known by. If I’m not mistaken, it was also the first time that the E Street Band was mentioned by that name. This is a full band record and this incarnation of the band includes longstanding members Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici (both deceased), as well as Garry Tallent. These three members really were the foundation of the E Street Band sound.

‘AM’ came flying out the gates to become one of the greatest albums of this century, and definitely a top album of the 2010s. Spawning the singles ‘R U Mine?,’ ‘Do I Wanna Know?,’ ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?,’ ‘One For The Road,’ ‘Arabella’ and ‘Snap Out Of It,’ this album plays out like a greatest hits featuring some of the best tracks of the band’s career (sidenote: these singles seem to ask a lot of questions).

‘Liquid Swords’ is the second studio album by GZA. The album draws its inspiration, and samples from the 1980 martial arts film, ‘Shogun Assassin.’ Recorded in bandmate, RZA’s basement studio in Staten Island, the album features appearance from all 9 of the other WTC members.

The third album from alt-country artist, Gillian Welch, along with her partner (musical and romantic), Dave Rawlings, is a stunning record that deserves your attention. Her vocals, in fact the intermingling of their vocals together are a joy to listen to.

This album is an incredibly important album in rock music. It played as a forebear to punk rock; from the sound to the attitude. ‘Kick Out The Jams’ is MC5’s debut album. Incidentally, MC5 stands for Motor City Five. The Motor City, aka Detroit, also lent its nickname to Motown Records. The sound of Motown vs the sound of MC5 really is a tale of two cities.

To the casual observer, Stevie Wonder is a piano playing hit machine. But he’s so much more than that. He’s an innovator. He’s a musical genius, and I don’t use this term lightly. On most of his records, but this one in particular, Stevie Wonder plays every single note of every instrument (except for trombone on the first track and guitar on track 4). He was doing it well ahead of Prince.