#418 - Squeezing Out Sparks, Graham Parker

"Generally regarded as Graham Parker's finest album, Squeezing out Sparks is a masterful fusion of pub rock classicism, new wave pop, and pure vitriol that makes even his most conventional singer/songwriter numbers bristle with energy. Not only does Parker deliver his best, most consistent set of songs, but he offers more succinct hooks than before." (allmusic guide)

#417 - Little Creatures, Talking Heads

"Little Creatures was a pop album, and an accomplished one, by a band that knew what it was doing. True, Byrne's lyrics were still intriguingly quirky, but even his subject matter was becoming more mature. "I've seen sex and I think it's okay," he sang on "Creatures of Love," and suddenly the geek had become a man. Where he had once pondered the hopes of boys and girls, he was now making observations about children." (allmusic guide)

#416 - Desperado, The Eagles

"(Don Henley) had co-writing credits on eight of the 11 selections and sang such key tracks as "Doolin-Dalton" and the title song. What would become recognizable as Henley's lyrical touch was apparent on those songs, which bore a serious, world-weary tone. Henley had begun co-writing with Glenn Frey, and they contributed the album's strongest material." (allmusic guide)

#415 - O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Original Soundtrack

"Is this the album that launched an Americana revival? In a word, yes. Hungry for music that wasn't made by focus groups, consumers made this soundtrack a surprise hit in 2000. Record execs were left scratching their heads, but everybody else was thrilling to Ralph Stanley's raw rendering of "O Death" and Alison Krauss's luminous "Down to the River to Pray."" (real music guide)

#414 - Fear Of A Black Planet, Public Enemy

"This is one of the records made during the golden age of sampling, before legal limits were set on sampling, so this is a wild, endlessly layered record filled with familiar sounds you can't place; it's nearly as heady as the Beastie Boys' magnum opus Paul's Boutique in how it pulls from anonymous and familiar sources to create something totally original and modern." (allmusic guide)