The Icepick Cometh

Enter the Wu-Tang — You can't even argue this, not since this was declared a unanimous selection by me and Lord Jim on well-remembered midnight winter drive to a ski resort in a fart-filled P.O.S. (now that's redundant) Mitsubishi Precis. Revolutionary. Beats any of that shit by the Beatles.

Liquid Swords — OK, some might say it is overkill to put two albums by the Wu-Tang Clan as the top two on this list, but this goes deeper and may have more memorable lyrics; would probably be No. 1 if it was released before the ground-breaking "Enter the Wu-Tang."

G-Love and Special Sauce — Their self-titled album is their best-known and for a reason. G takes you back to hot summer fun in the mid-90s, and holds up long after then. Someone called it "timeless" on an I-Tunes review. Any debate? I thought not.

Let it Bleed — Sorry, the Stones, not the Beatles, are the rightful heirs of the ’60s rock. Put it another way, you don't see Scorsese cribbing from Abby Road or Sgt. Peppers in Goodfellas, Mean Streets or The Departed, do you?

Digression No. 1 — It would be criminal not to mention this one, in honor of the inspirational song that spawned a decade and a half of wild cookouts, beer, "philosophical" discussions, meat, beer, music, did I mention beer? And those are just the ones I know about.

Digression No. 2 — Don't know if it is where I was mentally in 1996, but that was like, Ground Zero for great albums. Along with the top three on this list, you had Fun Lovin' Criminals' Come Find Yourself, which I picked up recently and it took me back to parties in Poughkeepsie before it was Found.