Great Songs - Essential Music - Essential Songs

ESSENTIAL LISTENING:

The Bee Gees, "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack (RSO, 1977)

Although not an official Bee Gees album, the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack will be forever associated with the group's iconic contributions, including the No. 1 hits "Stayin' Alive," "Night Fever" and "How Deep Is Your Love." The album, which is the top-selling soundtrack of all time, also features the dancey love song "More Than a Woman" as well as the previously released favorites "Jive Talkin'" and "You Should Be Dancing." Throughout, the Gibb brothers' falsetto vocal harmonies and disco-fied urban beats permeate this still-memorable musical moment in time. The soundtrack also includes Gibb-penned tracks performed by Tavares and Yvonne Elliman, and period-specific disco songs by KC & the Sunshine Band and Kool & the Gang.

Cream, "Disraeli Gears" (Polydor, 1967)

Cream's lifespan was brief, but the trio's 1967 album, "Disraeli Gears" remains a touchstone of late-1960s guitar rock. The perfect synthesis of Eric Clapton's blues-driven guitar leads, Jack Bruce's rumbling bass and Ginger Baker's jazz-inspired drumming, the set kicks off with the one-two punch of "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine of Your Love," which features one of the most distinctive guitar riffs in rock history. Cream indulges in ominous psychedelia on "Tales of Brave Ulysses," while a Clapton-sung cover of Blind Willie Reynolds' "Outside Woman Blues" provides a bridge between the band's experimentation and its roots. To further resist easy pegging, the group chose to end the album with a traditional English sing-a-long "Mother's Lament," which featured each member singing along with Bruce on piano.

Destiny's Child, "The Writing's on the Wall" (1999, Columbia)

Although their self-titled debut failed to go platinum (despite the strength of the single "No, No, No"), Destiny's Child hit its peak with this 1999 follow-up. Packed with bouncy club cuts like "Jumpin' Jumpin'" and endearing ballads like "Stay" and "Sweet Sixteen," the set is a seminar in feminine strength and independence. On the harmonious singles "Bills, Bills, Bills," and "BugaBoo" -- which many presumed to be male-bashing records -- the girls demand respect from their better halves. Elsewhere, they get testimonial on "Temptation" and own up to dirty deeds on "Confession." This is Destiny's Child at its best -- before the drama.

Green Day, "Dookie" (Reprise, 1994)

Green Day had flirted with pop hooks on its early releases, but the band's embrace of the craft helped its major-label debut, "Dookie," bumrush mainstream audiences in 1994. The album was a quick hit with young listeners, its snotty pop-punk tracks packed with apathy, self-loathing and plenty of humor (the hit single "Basket Case" opened with the memorable line, "Do you have the time to listen to me whine/about nothing and anything all at once"). Catchy, cheeky choruses highlight peppy tracks like "In the End" and "Welcome to Paradise," while Bille Joe Armstrong's commanding voice and bouncy drumming lead the way on the slacker call-to-arms "Long View." "F.O.D." and "She" are brilliant fake-outs, which start off introspective and affected but eventually charge into supreme revivalist punk anthems.

Jimi Hendrix Experience, "Electric Ladyland" (MCA, 1968)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience's final studio project is not only one of finest showcases for Hendrix's otherworldly talent, but also arguably one of the best rock albums of all time. His guitar playing beautifully augmented by producer Eddie Kramer's use of effects and other studio trickery, Hendrix leads the charge on the 15-minute "Voodoo Chile," the top-shelf psychedelia of "1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)" and a scorching cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," the Experience's biggest American hit. Bassist Noel Redding takes the mic for the poppy "Little Miss Strange," while Hendrix hints at his future funk detours on "Still Raining, Still Dreaming" and "Rainy Day, Dream Day." Absolutely essential.

Nirvana, "Nevermind" (DGC, 1991)

Fifteen years after its release helped alternative rock explode into mainstream culture, "Nevermind" sounds only slightly less revolutionary. As a Billboard review noted at the time, Nirvana "crunches brutally, but never at the expense of hooks." The tug-of-war between those two elements is palpable on standouts like "Come As You Are," "Stay Away," "In Bloom" and "Breed," filtered through Kurt Cobain's barbed-wire narratives. Elsewhere, the acoustic "Polly" and the hushed closer "Something in the Way" proved Cobain didn't need to scream to be heard. Adding to the album's mystique is its cover, which famously features a naked baby submerged in a pool, a dollar bill on a string just out of its reach.

The Police, "Zenyatta Mondatta" (A&M, 1980)

Although the Police were big stars in their native England by 1980, the band didn't fully break in the United States until its third album, "Zenyatta Mondatta." The set does not skimp on the ultra-melodic, upbeat approach favored on the first two Police albums, particularly on tracks like "Canary in a Coalmine," "Man in a Suitcase" and the jolly sing-a-long "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da." Elsewhere, Sting blends politics with pop craftsmanship on "Driven to Tears" and "Bombs Away" and gets downright funky on "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around." But the album's most enduring track is "Don't Stand So Close to Me," a Nabokov-inspired tale of perilous teacher/student lust.

Run-D.M.C., "Raising Hell" (Profile, 1986)

Run-D.M.C. authoritatively delivered rap into the living rooms of middle America with its 1986 album "Raising Hell," which rocketed to No. 3 on The Billboard 200. The set's cornerstone is a remake of Aerosmith's 1975 single "Walk This Way," which featured that group's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. Its accompanying video, starring both acts, singlehandedly erased the boundaries between rap and rock and became an MTV staple for years. Producer Rick Rubin expands the sonic palette as well, incorporating everything from a "My Sharona" sample on "It's Tricky" to sturdy drum loops and more prominent scratching. Run, DMC and Jam Master Jay up the ante as well, conjuring such all-time rap classics as "My Adidas," "You Be Illin'" and "Peter Piper."

Rush, "Moving Pictures" (Mercury, 1981)

Rush's music has always been something of an acquired taste (primarily due to Geddy Lee's oft-mocked, high-pitch singing voice), but "Moving Pictures" won fans from across a wide spectrum of rock and established the Canadian trio worldwide superstars. The album opens with the synth-tinged "Tom Sawyer," one of the most enduring songs on rock radio to this day. Other highlights include "Red Barchetta" (a tale of a forbidden drive in a futuristic society), "Limelight" (a probing rumination on life as a public personality) and the instrumental "YYZ," which shows off the impressive musicianship of Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart.

Although the Supremes? career got off to a bit of a slow start, after the release of 1964?s ?Where Did Our Love Go,? the Detroit trio was a household name. The album spawned three No. 1 hits on the Billboard pop singles chart: "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love" and "Come See About Me,? collectively some of the greatest tracks of Motown?s golden era. Thanks to other cuts like the doo wop-ish ?Long Gone Lover? and the ballad ?He Means the World to Me,? the Supremes proved they could hold a listener?s attention for an entire album and not just one or two singles. Indeed, ?Where Did Our Love Go? spent four weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard album chart, the best placement for a Motown album up to that point.

TLC, "CrazySexyCool" (LaFace, 1994)

By the early-'90s, TLC had become household names but the group reached its pinnacle of success with the arrival of its second album, "CrazySexyCool," in 1994. The set finds the group shedding its sporty tomboy image in favor of more provocative and socially tinged songs, piloted by the playful lead single "Creep," their first No. 1 hit. Equally memorable were the sexy come-hither ballad "Red Light Special" and the dawdling groove of "Diggin' on You." The timely single "Waterfalls," which addressed the AIDS crisis and drug abuse, became TLC's biggest single to date, spending seven weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100.

"ZZ Top, "Eliminator" (Warner Bros., 1983)

ZZ Top was a staple of American rock in the decade leading up to "Eliminator," but this hits-packed album catapulted the Texas trio to an entirely new level. Adding touches of era-specific synthesizer to its patented boogie-rock style, the group became an MTV mainstay thanks to memorable clips for "Legs," "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Gimme All Your Lovin'," all of which [XX chart]. Elsewhere, guitarist Billy F. Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard tangle with tough women ("Got Me Under Pressure," "If I Could Only Flag Her Down"), share sordid tales from the past ("Thug," complete with bass solo) and set their grooves to a slow simmer ("I Need You Tonight," "TV Dinners").