#220 - Buena Vista Social Club, Buena Vista Social Club

"All of these songs were recorded live -- some of them in the musicians' small apartments -- and the sound is incredibly deep and rich, something that would have been lost in digital recording and overdubbing. Cooder brought just the right amount of reverence to this material, and it shows in his production, playing, and detailed liner notes. If you get one album of Cuban music, this should be the one." (allmusic guide)

#219 - Turnstiles, Billy Joel

"Combining sharp pop instincts with agile piano playing, Joel hits his stride here and rarely misses, from the Phil Spector stylings of the opener, through the lounge atmosphere of "New York State Of Mind," and on to the patented semi-rock of "Angry Young Man." As always, Joel is an outspoken, somewhat unpleasant lyricist, but his talent with a melody cannot be denied." (real music guide)

#218 - L.A. Woman, The Doors

"The Doors would carry on without Jim Morrison but come on, this is the group's finale. Not a great album by any stretch, but it contains some stellar cuts, including the title track, "Love Her Madly" (which missed the top 10!), and the hippy lounge classic "Riders On the Storm" (a wake-up call to off-duty nurses: decline the Cutty Sark refill and head home alone)." (real music guide)

#217 - Tumbleweed Connection, Elton John

"Tumbleweed Connection is a loose concept album about the Old West, and as hokey as that sounds, the album is actually quite good, thanks mostly to the pointed lyrics of Bernie Taupin and Elton's acute sense of expression. In fact, these songs rely on Elton's emotive voice rather than the pop melodies and showmanship for which he'd later become known." (real music guide)

#216 - Wildflowers, Tom Petty

"Under the guidance of producer Rick Rubin, Tom Petty turns in a stripped-down, subtle record with Wildflowers. Coming after two albums of Jeff Lynne-directed bombast, the very sound of the record is refreshing; Petty sounds relaxed and confident. Most of the songs are small gems...several (tracks) match the quality of his best material, making Wildflowers one of Petty's most distinctive and best albums." (allmusic guide)

#215 - Summerteeth, Wilco

"Anyone following Jeff Tweedy's songwriting path since Uncle Tupelo was not surprised when Wilco released Summer Teeth in '99. A lush-sounding record that is more Beach Boys than Hank Williams -- Wilco took the studio-as-instrument approach and created an at-times majestic album that effectively balanced the solemn with the joyous." (real music guide)