Best Albums of 1998

1998 was a difficult year to rank. The top was easy, but near the bottom and middle, it was a bit tricky. 1998 was my junior year in high school, and swing music was all the rage. Here's my best of the year...

10. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Reflections: Other than Hot and Zoot Suit Riot, this was really the only other swing album worth listening to. More polished than the first two, this album was actually quite a good listen. BBVD wasn't as solid from start to finish as the other albums, but had a couple much better tracks. Worth a listen, as it's still quite a lot of fun.
Best tracks: Mr. Pinstripe Suit, Mambo Swing (both are incredible)

9. XO - Elliott Smith
Reflections: Who? The only real popular success Elliott Smith ever got was from his song 'Miss Misery' off the Good Will Hunting soundtrack - but this was the first in a string of really good albums from the boy. While yes, he is very indie, Smith blends that indie swagger with folksy pop rock and succeeds. If nothing else, you really need to hear 'Waltz #2 (XO)' - so hear it by whatever means possible.
Best tracks: Waltz #2 (XO), Question Mark, Bottle Up and Explode!, Amity

8. Adore - Smashing Pumpkins
Reflections: The most beautiful sounding Smashing Pumpkins album, Adore contains a few tracks a friend once called 'orgasmically good'. The song 'Crestfallen' should be required listening - it's amazingly sad, but amazingly beautiful. Adore is a departure from the hard rocking Siamese Dream days, but it still is one hell of an album.
Best tracks: Crestfallen, Tear, Pefect, Ava Adore, Daphne Descends

7. Dizzy Up The Girl - The Goo Goo Dolls
Reflections:One of the best pop albums of the late 1990s, this album seemed to have from start to finish the type of song that gets stuck in your head and refuses to leave. Absolutely brilliance at times, Johnny's vocals are incredible. No, it's not the alt-rock album their previous albums were, but they made a change for the better. A good album.
Best tracks: Iris, Slide, Black Balloon, Broadway

6. Hello Nasty - Beastie Boys
Reflections: The Beasties still know how to kick it, as proved by 1998's Hello Nasty. Who else could so expertly weave funk, rap, jazz, and punk all together in one disc? The Beastie Boys, that's who. One of their finest albums to date, Hello Nasty rocks.
Best tracks: Intergalactic, The Negotiation Limerick File, Body Movin', Three MCs and One DJ

5. Aquemini - Outkast
Reflections: Aquemini by Atlanta's Outkast is one hell of a rap album. Proving that they're not just confined to one style, Outkast proves they can master many, including funk. After listening to this album, you have to appreciate the musical genius that is Andre 3000 and Big Boi.
Best tracks: Synthesizer, Art of Storytellin' Part 2, Rosa Parks, Skew it on the Bar-B, Chonkyfire

4. No Substance - Bad Religion

Reflections: No Substance proves that punk rock doesn't have to be mindless screeching about unimportant topics. Smart but not heady, important but not preachy, No Substance has a message and puts it across veiled as amazing punk rock melodies. Though not as good as some of their earlier albums, this disc is ridiculously easy to listen to. Some of the best, most melodic tracks I've ever heard.
Best tracks: All Fantastic Images, Voracious March of Godliness, Strange Denial, Same Person, In So Many Ways

3. Hello Rockview - Less Than Jake
Reflections: How do you follow up on one of the best ska albums ever? By putting out yet another kick ass album - at least that's how Less Than Jake did it. Hello Rockview is one hell of a disc, and its excellent blend of ska and hardcore punk is hard to find anywhere. This album makes you just want to get up off your ass, start moving around, and wail along with the boys. A great disc.
Best tracks: Scott Farcas Takes It On The Chin, Al's War, All My Best Friends Are Metalheads, History of a Boring Town

2. Why Do They Rock So Hard? - Reel Big Fish
Reflections: While Less Than Jake takes the more hardcore approach to ska, Reel Big Fish takes the laid back, humorous approach. Their albums are a ton of fun, and like any great ska group, they make you want to get up and move. WDTRSH? is an album any ska fan should enjoy, even if they are self-proclaimed sell outs. You won't like this if you're a punk/ska elitist. And if you are, die.
Best tracks: She's Famous Now, I'm Cool, The Set Up, Somebody Hates Me

1. Mechanical Animals - Marilyn Manson
Reflections: A Manson album? Huh? Well, at first, I only bought this album from the used rack to really piss my sister off, but after listening to it more often, it became one of my favorites. Like Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, this album is glam rock, but at its core, pure rock and roll. You might be turned off by Manson's creepy looks, but you know what? You can't see anything through a pair of headphones. The music of Mechanical Animals is something that you should hear before you judge Manson. Great album.
Best tracks: Mechanical Animals, Coma White, Rock is Dead, Posthuman, The Speed of Pain

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