Wave of Adulation

I have chosen to go from one of the most ubiquitious, well-known names in classic rock history in Pink Floyd to one of the most underrated, yet perhaps equally influential in The Pixies. This is Doolittle, their seminal 1989 masterpiece which many have credited as singlehandedly responsible for the early 90's grunge revolution. It was also ranked #226 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, #36 on Spin's 100 Greatest Albums from 1985-2005 and #2 on NME's 100 Best Albums of All Time.

Many of these songs might be familiar at this point, from movies, Rock Band, etc... I won't go on too long about it, but I will say this. Listen to the first few songs and I don't think you'll have a hard time seeing how Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl created "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in a similar vein.

Standout tracks include the breakneck "Debaser," the tender "Here Comes Your Man," the song the Strokes wish they could write in "Wave of Mutilation," and the oddly surreal "La La Love You." I won't lie; this is one of my favorite albums of all time. It's incredibly visceral, powerful and is a nice mix between surf-rock, new-wave and punk rock. I'll even go so far as to guarantee you'll like it...unless you're a Bolshevik.