#615 - Dreamboat Annie, Heart

"Greatly influenced by Zep, Heart did its part to help open doors for ladies of loudness with the excellent Dreamboat Annie. Aggressive yet melodic rockers like "Sing Child," "White Lightning & Wine," and the rock radio staples "Magic Man" and "Crazy on You" led to the tag "the female Led Zeppelin.""


#614 - The Final Cut, Pink Floyd

"Floyd's last record with Roger Waters is an exploration of war and loss along similar lines as The Wall but with a much narrower scope. Conflicted and bleak, the record features some of Waters' most emotionally shredded vocals and the best Lennon-like melodies he ever wrote for the group. This version of the album includes the song, "When The Tigers Broke Free."" (real music guide)

#613 - In Step, Stevie Ray Vaughan

"The magnificent thing about In Step is how it's fully realized, presenting every facet of Vaughan's musical personality, yet it still soars with a sense of discovery. It's a bittersweet triumph, given Vaughan's tragic death a little over a year after its release, yet it's a triumph all the same." (allmusic guide)


#612 - Off The Wall, Michael Jackson

"Many favor this album for its warm, genuinely unpretentious feel. The stellar selection of songs precludes any notions of Jackson being the King of Pop, but surely they helped fan that flame. The gentle disco beat of "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and the heart-wrenching "She's Out of My Life" are just two of Off the Wall's many highlights." (real music guide)

#611 - Stunt, Barenaked Ladies

"Long time fans were suddenly vindicated when this record broke through to mainstream radio in 1998. On the strength of the single "One Week," the Barenaked Ladies became hugely popular on alternative radio and MTV. Their mixture of different types of traditional rock and wacky lyrics brought them into dorm rooms across the nation." (real music guide)

#610 - The Basement Tapes, Bob Dylan & The Band

"Four sides of hard-drinking heartbreak, late night desperation, and exuberant self-destruction. Basement Tapes is de facto proof that crappy recordings can be better than those made in a studio -- and also that Dylan is God, Robbie Robertson is the filthiest guitarist since Mickey Baker, and Richard Manuel's voice is the damned saddest thing there ever was." (real music guide)

#609 - Rid Of Me, P.J. Harvey

"It may be the aural embodiment of the tortured lyrics, and therefore a supremely effective piece of performance art, but it also makes Rid of Me a difficult record to meet halfway. But anyone willing to accept its sonic extremities will find Rid of Me to be a record of unusual power and purpose, one with few peers in its unsettling emotional honesty." (allmusic guide)