Board 8 > Rank the Tracks Week 5: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (plus Phoenix results)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Note: read the track list for MBDTF below because I am combining a few songs

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. When you vote, you can also nominate a single album. Anyone can second as many albums as they like (to ensure we are choosing albums people want to cover)
4. Instead of nominating a new album, you can second an album you have already supported. You can only do this once per album and it replaces your new nomination for the week.
5. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points
6. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
7. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
8. The deadline to vote is Sunday, April 11 at 8:00 AM EST - though if you are for whatever reason listening to the album around that time, just say so in the topic and I can delay a bit

Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy track list:
Note: I am pairing a couple songs because they are intrinsically linked together; ranking 'minor' tracks can be difficult, because I can imagine half of us pairing it with the linked song and the other half putting them at the bottom for being too little on their own, so it makes more sense to me to pair them by default. All of the Lights (Interlude) builds into All of the Lights proper, while the final two tracks were initially a single track and the latter essentially serves as an extended outro. If someone misses this note, I will only count their ranking of the 'primary' song.
1. Dark Fantasy
2. Gorgeous
3. Power
4/5. All of the Lights (Interlude)/All of the Lights
6. Monster
7. So Appalled
8. Devil in a New Dress
9. Runaway
10. Hell of a Life
11. Blame Game
12/13. Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America

Nominations:
5 supporters:
Mastodon - Crack the Skye (LiquidOshawott, Snake5555555555, CasanovaZelos, MarkS222222222222222, Seanchan)

4 supporters:
The Beatles - Abbey Road (Seanchan, CasanovaZelos, Underleveled, Raestel_Lapin)
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (CasanovaZelos, Johnbobb, ZaziGuado, MoogleKupo141)
U2 - Achtung Baby (Jesse_Custer x2, CasanovaZelos, MoogleKupo141)
Alice in Chains - Dirt (ZeroSignal620, CasanovaZelos, MarskS222222222222222, Raetsel_Lapin)

3 supporters:
Pink Floyd - The Wall (Johnbobb, Underleveled, firefdr)
Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Snake5555555555, Raetsel_Lapin, Underleveled)
Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five (jcgamer107, Jesse_Custer, ZaziGuado)
Hamilton (TomNook, Underleveled, Johnbobb)
Radiohead - OK Computer (Jesse_Custer, CasanovaZelos, GameStonk)
The Avalanches - Since I Left You (SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos, Raetsal_Lapin)
Air - Moon Safari (ZaziGuado, SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos)
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Johnbobb, CasanovaZelos, ZeroSignal620)
Of Monsters and Men - Beneath the Skin (Jesse_Custer, Raetsel_Lapin, Seanchan)

2 supporters:
Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters (CasanovaZelos, Johnbobb)
The Strokes - Is This It (MoogleKupo141, CasanovaZelos)
Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves (Snake5555555555, cyko)
Weird Al Yankovic - Straight Outta Lynwood (cyko, Johnbobb)
Moby - Play (SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos)
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (MarkS222222222222222, CasanovaZelos)
Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (Seanchan, Underleveled)
The Knife - Silent Shout (CasanovaZelos, Raetsel_Lapin)

1 supporter:
Slipknot - Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses (Johnbobb)
Passion Pit - Manners (ZaziGuado)
The Killers - Hot Fuss (Seanchan)

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Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix results

First, the general data. Here are the participants listed by deviation from the final results:
CasanovaZelos (6)
MoogleKupo141 (10)
LiquidOshawott (12)
SpikeSetsFire (16)
Jesse_Custer (20)
Snake5555555555 (20)
Seanchan (20)
ZaziGuado (28)
Raetsel_Lapin (28)
Johnbobb (30)

General album comments:

CasanovaZelos: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is my #662 favorite album of all time and #9 of 2009. While this is Phoenix's strongest album, they've always worked better for me as a singles artist; the two lead songs here are among the best of the 2000s. Phoenix are great at the pop rock sound, and 1901 feels like one of the few true rock hits after the early 2000s seemed to signal the death of rock as a mainstream entity (not that rock is dead as much as it became niche). Nonetheless, the album becomes a blur to me after listening; the sound is pleasant as a whole, but not enough distinguishes these songs from each other.

Jesse_Custer: This was a pretty good album, but I prefer Its Never Been Like That.

ZaziGuado: I went in thinking 1901 would be number one, but Listzomania is more fun. I've just heard it less than 1901. Love Like a Sunset would maybe be my top song if the two parts were combined, but separated there's just enough weakness in both two drop them below the two headliner songs on the album. After that there is a noticeable (in my opinion) dip in quality from the album with Lasso holding it's own, Armistice being decent, and the rest being fairly skippable.

Raetsel_Lapin: A consistently above average album with nothing I dislike, but also not a lot of high points. It's just always "good".

Snake5555555555: Lisztomania and 1901 are two of the best written songs of the 21st century. Then, Phoenix spends the rest of the album trying to remake those same two songs to mostly diminishing success, except in Love Like a Sunset, Pt.1 which sees some nice use of experimentation and the one deployment of a new idea on the album. Girlfriend was alright too I suppose. I didn't hate any of these songs, just found most of them forgettable and kind of highlights that the two best songs from this album just feel like flukes.

ChainLTTP (responding to Snake): Yeah this is a weird album for so many to nominate actually. The two songs you mentioned are iconic late 2000s/early 2010s mainstays that really encapsulate the musical direction of that era, but the album I don't think is particularly important. Maybe I'm wrong though.

CasanovaZelos (responding to ChainLTTP): I think it's generally considered one of the best albums of 2009! 2009 just happens to be a notably weak year for music

Seanchan: It's hard to argue that after the first 2 awesome songs that the rest of this album is just...pleasant...with no real great standouts.

Johnbobb: I'm submitting this at 3am five hours before it's due because after listening through this once, I've been kinda dreading trying to figure out how to rank this. The majority of the songs on the album sound the same, particularly in the back half, with the only real exceptions being the two big singles and the LLaSs (which I don't understand them splitting into 2 parts at all, kind of a bad call on Phoenix's part imo)

MoogleKupo141: I really like the songs on this album but also it all sounds kind of samey when listened to all at once.

Really hard to order the top three for me, it definitely could change day to day
then an easy choice for fourth, but its a strong fourth
then 5/6/7 are another sort of close tier
countdown is alright
the last two are ok too but theyre two halfs of one song and even as a full song it would rank low

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Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix Track Ranking

10. Love Like a Sunset, Pt. 1 (Track #4)
Score: 36 (Average Rank: 7.6/10)
Biggest Fan(s): ZaziGuado, Snake5555555555 (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Jesse_Custer, SpikeSetsFire, MoogleKupo141, LiquidOshawott (#10)

9. Love Like a Sunset, Pt. 2 (Track #5)
Score: 37 (Average Rank: 7.4/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, Seanchan (#10)

8. Countdown (Track #8)
Score: 46 (Average Rank: 6.6/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): ZaziGuado, Snake55555555 (#10)

7. Armistice (Track #10)
Score: 47 (Average Rank: 6.4/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake555555555, Johnbobb (#9)

6. Fences (Track #3)
Score: 48 (Average Rank: 6.4/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Jesse_Custer, SpikeSetsFire (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#10)

5. Rome (Track #7)
Score: 53 (Average Rank: 5.9/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Jesse_Custer (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake555555555, Johnbobb (#8)

4. Girlfriend (Track #9)
Score: 56 (Average Rank: 5.8/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#10)

3. Lasso (Track #6)
Score: 69 (Average Rank: 4.8/10)
Biggest Fan(s): MoogleKupo141 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Jesse_Custer, SpikeSetsFire (#8)

2. Lisztomania (Track #1)
Score: 108 (Average Rank: 2.4/10)
Biggest Fan(s): ZaziGuado, SpikeSetsFire, Snake5555555555, Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#6)

1. 1901 (Track #2)
Score: 120 (Average Rank: 1.7/10)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos, Jesse_Custer, Johnbobb, LiquidOshawott (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MoogleKupo141 (#3)

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My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is my favorite album of 2010 and #24 of all time though unlike a lot of my all-time favorites, I feel there are several questionable moments on this album. The best tracks just happen to be enough to make up for those weaker moments. Additionally, theres a very strong theme that makes this album more than the sum of its parts this is Kanye Wests ode to himself, and that narcissistic excess gives purpose to every inch of the album.

I want to start giving my thoughts on the individual tracks as I go along.

Dark Fantasy Kicking the album off with a weird spoken piece by Nicki Minaj feels perfect. I remember hearing this track for the first time and feeling like Kanye was pushing his sound to a new level the fact this will rank in my lower half is a testament to the greatness of the album as a whole. The contrast between the heavier hip hop production with bursts of gospel choir feels like a mission statement for the rest of the album. The sance section carries so much energy.

Gorgeous I love the production, but this is a strong track that gets lost among greats. It features some of Wests best one-liners, from attacking the South Park writers to pondering the meaning of a Black Beatle. Absolutely one of Wests angriest songs, and would have been a standout on any of his previous albums.

Power Now this is where the album really becomes a masterpiece. The production here is legendary; that King Crimson sample grinding everything to a halt is so powerful. He refers to the screams of his haters as his theme music, but this track could very well qualify as his actual theme; the combative lyrics, the propulsive production, the self-destruction at the end. Abomination of Obamas nation is such a mad line.

All of the Lights The interlude serves as a nice transition from the energy of the previous tracks; would the main song hit as hard if we jumped straight into it from Power? All of the Lights is Kanye at his most excessive as a producer, the type of songs with too many features artists to list them all out. Kanye has always been a stronger producer than lyricist, and this is him absolutely flexing his abilities. This should be a mess (and parts of it might be), and the fact this is somehow one of the best tracks on the album proves his strength. In addition to the massive number of vocalists, the song goes through several minor movements that keep things moving. It takes a lot to take so many disparate parts and make it work.

Monster Kanye strips the production back on my personal favorite from the album. Perhaps Kanyes lyrics are a bit weaker than the previous tracks; Jay-Z might give one of the weakest verses of his career. None of this matters when Nicki Minaj steps up and delivers one of the all-time best moments in rap. On this track, Nicki Minaj promised to become one of the greatest rappers alive the fact she immediately turned to pop is one of the biggest tragedies of the 2010s. Whatever the case, the raw energy of this track makes it a song Im always happy to hear. An absolute banger.

So Appalled This song has never clicked with me. Theres a unique, almost apocalyptic intensity to the production, but the repetition in the lyrics are almost headache inducing. Might be my least favorite track across my top 25 albums. At the same time, I can respect that its in a style that others like.

Devil in a New Dress This track took the longest to grow on me; it stands in massive contrast to the other tracks on a production level, feeling like it belongs to one of his earlier albums. But this is not a bad thing; its a breather between massive ideas, and thats sometimes necessary. Also, I just love the fact Kanye dares to let the music talk sometimes; that guitar solo is such a great moment. While it may not define MBDTFs sound as a whole, its one of Wests better tracks on its own.

Runaway According to critics, this just might be the greatest song of Kanyes career. Excessive in a way completely distinct from All of the Lights; where the earlier track shoved as much as it could into a traditional track length, Runaway is a sprawling epic that largely keeps to the same idea through its nine minutes. This is Kanye at his most reflective; that chorus is excellent. This is another track where Kanye knows to let the music talk, this time almost literally. Taking a full minute to build into the vocals and starting with a single piano note is daring; ending it with three minutes of imperceptible auto-tuned mumbling is breaking all known rules of music and he somehow makes it work!

Hell of a Life Like Gorgeous, this is a pretty great track that gets overshadowed by everything which surrounds it. This has the dubious task of following up Runaway while also being a complete thematic reversal. After a few minutes of self-reflection, Kanye is back on his bullshit a perfect summation of his public life. The production here is absolutely top-notch.

Blame Game I combined a few tracks for this week if only I could break this one into two. The first half of Blame Game is among Kanyes most emotionally devastating pieces. The Aphex Twin sample is beautiful. If Runaway is a narcissistic acknowledgment to outsiders, Blame Game explores how it harms his personal life. The transition to the back half is outstanding and then we get to the back half. Two and a half minutes of Chris Rock having a comedy bit. The surreal part is it almost works. But Ive never understood skits on hip hop albums, and this one is embedded into a track. Unlike so many others, this skit is actually funny, but I cant help but feel that it detracts from the overall experience.

Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America The opening is so pretty, and then the drums come in and give the most propulsive beat on the album. This is a rare closing track that actually feels like an ending this is a positive anthem of trying to do better after the nightmare of everything leading into it. And then we get to the Gil Scott-Heron outro can Kanye survive? A perfect ending.

My ranking:
1. Monster (#309 all-time)
2. Runaway (#310)
3. All of the Lights (#1052)
4. Power (#2572)
5. Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America
6. Devil in a New Dress
7. Dark Fantasy
8. Blame Game
9. Hell of a Life
10. Gorgeous
11. So Appalled

I will second Sound of Silver for my nomination this week

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its pretty funny that I was 1901s biggest detractor by putting it at #3

its a great song ! undeniable classic. I shuffled those top 3 multiple times before settling on my list.
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No lie, but Yeezy re-upholstered my pussy makes me laugh every time I hear it.

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Damn it I forgot to nominate after submitting at 3am

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I really did not like much of this.

1. Power
2. Runaway
3. All of the Lights
4. Dark Fantasy
5. Monster
6. Hell of a Life
7. Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America
8. So Appalled
9. Blame Game
10. Gorgeous
11. Devil in a New Dress

Seconding my nomination for Of Monsters and Men.

Nominations:
5 supporters:
Mastodon - Crack the Skye (LiquidOshawott, Snake5555555555, CasanovaZelos, MarkS222222222222222, Seanchan)
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (CasanovaZelos x2, Johnbobb, ZaziGuado, MoogleKupo141)

4 supporters:
The Beatles - Abbey Road (Seanchan, CasanovaZelos, Underleveled, Raestel_Lapin)
U2 - Achtung Baby (Jesse_Custer x2, CasanovaZelos, MoogleKupo141)
Alice in Chains - Dirt (ZeroSignal620, CasanovaZelos, MarskS222222222222222, Raetsel_Lapin)
Of Monsters and Men - Beneath the Skin (Jesse_Custer x2, Raetsel_Lapin, Seanchan)

3 supporters:
Pink Floyd - The Wall (Johnbobb, Underleveled, firefdr)
Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Snake5555555555, Raetsel_Lapin, Underleveled)
Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five (jcgamer107, Jesse_Custer, ZaziGuado)
Hamilton (TomNook, Underleveled, Johnbobb)
Radiohead - OK Computer (Jesse_Custer, CasanovaZelos, GameStonk)
The Avalanches - Since I Left You (SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos, Raetsal_Lapin)
Air - Moon Safari (ZaziGuado, SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos)
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Johnbobb, CasanovaZelos, ZeroSignal620)

2 supporters:
Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters (CasanovaZelos, Johnbobb)
The Strokes - Is This It (MoogleKupo141, CasanovaZelos)
Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves (Snake5555555555, cyko)
Weird Al Yankovic - Straight Outta Lynwood (cyko, Johnbobb)
Moby - Play (SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos)
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (MarkS222222222222222, CasanovaZelos)
Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (Seanchan, Underleveled)
The Knife - Silent Shout (CasanovaZelos, Raetsel_Lapin)

1 supporter:
Slipknot - Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses (Johnbobb)
Passion Pit - Manners (ZaziGuado)
The Killers - Hot Fuss (Seanchan)

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I will support Dirt

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Pairing Lost in the World with Who Will Survive in America feels weird to me but I guess I will work with that

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1. Gorgeous
2. Blame Game
3. Dark Fantasy
4. All of the Lights (Interlude)/All of the Lights
5. POWER
6. Hell Of A Life
7. Devil In A New Dress
8. Runaway
9. Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America
10. So Appalled
11. Monster
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Runaway
Devil in a new dress
Dark Fantasy
Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America*
Power
All of the Lights
Blame Game
Monster
Gorgeous
So Appalled
Hell of a Life

*I think the last part drags it down because it isnt really a song but I really the first part, maybe even moreso now

Nominate Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

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LiquidOshawott posted...

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

Second

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1) All of the Lights (Interlude) / All of the Lights
2) Monster
3) Gorgeous
4) Power
5) Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America
6) Dark Fantasy
7) Devil in a New Dress
8) Runaway
9) Blame Game
10) Hell of a Life
11) So Appalled

Might go into more detail later if I have time. For now all I'll say is "put that p**** in a sarcophagus" might be a top 1 lyric of all time.

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I will third Fleetwood Mac's Rumours - a great album, and it's nice to have more albums from before the 90s on the nominations list.

Nominations:
5 supporters:
Mastodon - Crack the Skye (LiquidOshawott, Snake5555555555, CasanovaZelos, MarkS222222222222222, Seanchan)
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (CasanovaZelos x2, Johnbobb, ZaziGuado, MoogleKupo141)
Alice in Chains - Dirt (ZeroSignal620, CasanovaZelos, MarskS222222222222222, Raetsel_Lapin, Johnbobb)

4 supporters:
The Beatles - Abbey Road (Seanchan, CasanovaZelos, Underleveled, Raestel_Lapin)
U2 - Achtung Baby (Jesse_Custer x2, CasanovaZelos, MoogleKupo141)
Of Monsters and Men - Beneath the Skin (Jesse_Custer x2, Raetsel_Lapin, Seanchan)

3 supporters:
Pink Floyd - The Wall (Johnbobb, Underleveled, firefdr)
Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Snake5555555555, Raetsel_Lapin, Underleveled)
Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five (jcgamer107, Jesse_Custer, ZaziGuado)
Hamilton (TomNook, Underleveled, Johnbobb)
Radiohead - OK Computer (Jesse_Custer, CasanovaZelos, GameStonk)
The Avalanches - Since I Left You (SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos, Raetsal_Lapin)
Air - Moon Safari (ZaziGuado, SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos)
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Johnbobb, CasanovaZelos, ZeroSignal620)
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (LiquidOshawott, Johnbobb, CasanovaZelos)

2 supporters:
Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters (CasanovaZelos, Johnbobb)
The Strokes - Is This It (MoogleKupo141, CasanovaZelos)
Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves (Snake5555555555, cyko)
Weird Al Yankovic - Straight Outta Lynwood (cyko, Johnbobb)
Moby - Play (SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos)
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (MarkS222222222222222, CasanovaZelos)
Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (Seanchan, Underleveled)
The Knife - Silent Shout (CasanovaZelos, Raetsel_Lapin)

1 supporter:
Slipknot - Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses (Johnbobb)
Passion Pit - Manners (ZaziGuado)
The Killers - Hot Fuss (Seanchan)

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1. Monster
2. Power
3. All of the Lights (Interlude)/All of the Lights
4. Runaway
5. Dark Fantasy
6. Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America
7. So Appalled
8. Gorgeous
9. Devil in a New Dress
10. Blame Game
11. Hell of a Life

I'm not much of a rap fan but this is still a really great album. I remember downloading this super cheap on an Amazon sale some time after it won the Grammy but being very skeptical. Then you get to that Power/All of the Lights/Monster section and it's like "whoa". I feel like I've said this a few times already with our Rankings but this is another deserved classic.

Hmm, pre-90s nominations, eh...
Nominate:
Billy Joel - The Stranger

Support:
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
U2 - Achtung Baby

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1. Runaway
2. Power
3. Monster
4. Gorgeous
5. All of the Lights/All of the Lights
6. Devil in a New Dress
7. Dark Fantasy
8. Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America
9. So Appalled
10. Hell of a Life
11. Blame Game

Nominate:
Janelle Mone - Archandroid

Support:
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Alice in Chains - Dirt
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Hamilton
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell

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Seanchan posted...

Billy Joel - The Stranger

Ill support this nomination.

Best rap album ever made so this is very difficult. The top 8-9 are all-timers.

1. Gorgeous
2. Runaway
3. Hell of a Life
4. Dark Fantasy
5. Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America
6. Power
7. Blame Game
8. Devil in a New Dress
9. Monster
10. So Appalled
11. All of the Lights (Interlude)/All of the Lights

Hell of a Life is so fucking underrated too. Probably Kanye's most impressive song lyrically.

"We headed to hell for heaven's sake
So I'mma levitate, make the devil wait
uhhhh"

1. Runaway
2. Gorgeous
3. Power
4. Dark Fantasy
5. All of the Lights (Interlude)/All of the Lights
6. Hell of a Life
7. Devil in a New Dress
8. Monster
9. Blame Game
10. So Appalled
11. Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America

1-6 might honestly depend on the day. attaching Who Will Survive drags down Lost in the World for me

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I'll support Janelle Monae's The ArchAndroid

Nominations:
6 supporters:
Mastodon - Crack the Skye (LiquidOshawott, Snake5555555555, CasanovaZelos, MarkS222222222222222, Seanchan, TheArkOfTurus)
Alice in Chains - Dirt (ZeroSignal620, CasanovaZelos, MarskS222222222222222, Raetsel_Lapin, Johnbobb, TheArkOfTurus)

5 supporters:
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (CasanovaZelos x2, Johnbobb, ZaziGuado, MoogleKupo141)
U2 - Achtung Baby (Jesse_Custer x2, CasanovaZelos, MoogleKupo141, Seanchan)
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (LiquidOshawott, Johnbobb, CasanovaZelos, Seanchan, TheArkOfTurus)

4 supporters:
The Beatles - Abbey Road (Seanchan, CasanovaZelos, Underleveled, Raestel_Lapin)
Of Monsters and Men - Beneath the Skin (Jesse_Custer x2, Raetsel_Lapin, Seanchan)
Pink Floyd - The Wall (Johnbobb, Underleveled, firefdr, TheArkOfTurus)
Hamilton (TomNook, Underleveled, Johnbobb, TheArkOfTurus)

3 supporters:
Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Snake5555555555, Raetsel_Lapin, Underleveled)
Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five (jcgamer107, Jesse_Custer, ZaziGuado)
Radiohead - OK Computer (Jesse_Custer, CasanovaZelos, GameStonk)
The Avalanches - Since I Left You (SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos, Raetsal_Lapin)
Air - Moon Safari (ZaziGuado, SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos)
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Johnbobb, CasanovaZelos, ZeroSignal620)
Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (Seanchan, Underleveled, TheArkOfTurus)

2 supporters:
Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters (CasanovaZelos, Johnbobb)
The Strokes - Is This It (MoogleKupo141, CasanovaZelos)
Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves (Snake5555555555, cyko)
Weird Al Yankovic - Straight Outta Lynwood (cyko, Johnbobb)
Moby - Play (SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos)
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (MarkS222222222222222, CasanovaZelos)
The Knife - Silent Shout (CasanovaZelos, Raetsel_Lapin)
Billy Joel - The Stranger (Seanchan, Jesse_Custer)
Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid (TheArkOfTurus, CasanovaZelos)

1 supporter:
Slipknot - Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses (Johnbobb)
Passion Pit - Manners (ZaziGuado)
The Killers - Hot Fuss (Seanchan)

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support Rumours

gimme those smooth grooves

this is a great initiative! sorry i haven't participated until now, will try to pass by whenever something catches my attention. i'll nominate massive attack - mezzanine and second 36 chambers, ok computer, abbey road, crack the skye and silent shout

anyway!

1. Runaway

one of the definitive songs of the decade, time will view this as an absolute unimpeachable kanye peak

2. Power

straight up classic in every way, this beat is absolutely bananas

3. All of the Lights

OUR N**** DEAD! perfect pop song, and the intro strings are gorgeous

4. Monster

i mean jay z sucks here and the joys of this are all a tiny bit played out but come on, what a song

5. Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America

absolutely perfect closer, anyone saying the GSH narrative at the end doesn't elevate this to a whole other level is tripping

6. Gorgeous

probably the best pure rap song here, would be a highlight on almost any other album. the way the beat dips out for raekwon's verse is a great touch

7. Dark Fantasy

perfect and iconic opener but actually not that much of a "song" when you step back a bit

8. Blame Game

slightly gratuitous sample, exceptionally gratuitous skit, still excellent

9. So Appalled

i mean it's cool, but coming after monster it just kind of seems like a lesser version of the same idea. should've been ditched for christian dior denim flow. still, getting rza in just to bellow FUCKIN RIDIKILISS once is awesome

10. Devil in a New Dress

yeah ross is great here and the solo is a cool touch but i never bought the furore over the beat overall, it's just okay really

11. Hell of a Life

a bit stale compared to the rest here, could've been cut and i wouldn't miss it

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I'm thinking every 25 albums I will do a topic where we rank those 25 albums; would people be interested in something like that? Of course this will be several months away at the current rate, but I figure it would be a good thing to figure out ahead of time so people can know to check out albums even if they missed a week.

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CasanovaZelos posted...

I'm thinking every 25 albums I will do a topic where we rank those 25 albums; would people be interested in something like that? Of course this will be several months away at the current rate, but I figure it would be a good thing to figure out ahead of time so people can know to check out albums even if they missed a week.

Sounds good!

CasanovaZelos posted...

I'm thinking every 25 albums I will do a topic where we rank those 25 albums; would people be interested in something like that? Of course this will be several months away at the current rate, but I figure it would be a good thing to figure out ahead of time so people can know to check out albums even if they missed a week.

In my head I was already doing my own Rank the Albums of Rank the Tracks, so I'm down with this.

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Giggsalot posted...

11. Hell of a Life

a bit stale compared to the rest here, could've been cut and i wouldn't miss it

man giggs come on now

Honestly in an album full of bangers somethings gotta be last, and I felt its hook just didnt really work that well for me.

To me Devil in a New Dress is the sleeper pick, just because it feels like a throwback song youd hear on College Dropout or Late Registration


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ChainLTTP posted...

man giggs come on now

i dunno man, on an album full of obnoxious sample choices, the iron man one might be the worst, the whole song just sounds clunky

there's definitely a few all-timer lyrics in that track and i guess i can see it as thematically important but it's a lowlight for me

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fuck with the lights on fuck with the lights fuck with the fuck with the lights on

everything other than the Iron Man part of Hell of a Life is really good but the Iron Man part is the chorus so it definitely drags the song down for me

but those verses are rad
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1. All of the Lights
2. Monster
3. Runaway
4. Power
5. Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America
6. Blame Game
7. Dark Fantasy
8. Hell of a Life
9. Devil in a New Dress
10. Gorgeous
11. So Appalled

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Love seeing the wildly different rankings here (minus So Appalled). This is the kind of variability you only really get with Beatles and Radiohead albums!

Speaking of Radiohead, while OK Computer was the most obvious first choice, I'd love to eventually tackle In Rainbows in this format. I can't think of any other album where pretty much every track is on the same level. I could see anything besides Faust Arp taking the top spot.

The only comparable album I can think of is Joy Division's Closer - no defining track, but everything is great.

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Oh I wish I could second In Rainbows but maybe that will be my nom next week, favorite Radiohead album by quite a bit.

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But since I can second some stuff, I'll second... Abbey Road, Mezzanine, 36 Chambers, Archandroid, Is This It, and Fetch the Bolt Cutters

(This is LiquidOshawott btw if you haven't noticed the sig, just to make it easier)

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Seanchan posted...

In my head I was already doing my own Rank the Albums of Rank the Tracks, so I'm down with this.

lol I've been doing the same thing.

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...I've been ahead on that with my unnecessary top 1500 album list...

But looking at my excel sheet, I'm just 50 albums short from having listened to 3,000 total, so that's fun.

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CasanovaZelos posted...

...I've been ahead on that with my unnecessary top 1500 album list...

But looking at my excel sheet, I'm just 50 albums short from having listened to 3,000 total, so that's fun.

What's at the bottom? Very curious

ChainLTTP posted...

What's at the bottom? Very curious

I don't rank anything outside of the top 1500, but I do rate everything out of 10 and one album has a uniquely low score of 1.5/10 - Love/Hate's Blackout in the Red Room, which from memory is a rather misogynistic and completely generic hard rock album, which is already a genre I don't really care for. I discovered it through the music forum I use, where someone hosts a regular 'underappreciated album' tourney. I've found several obscure gems through it, but this one was mind-blowingly bad.

I'm usually good at finding albums I at least appreciate. There are only 26 albums I've given less than a 5/10 rating, and most of those are lesser albums by major artists. I occasionally explore the entire discography of my favorite artists, and people like Bob Dylan and David Bowie had long careers with a few duds here and there. 8 of those 26 are by Bob Dylan, but he makes up for it by being tied with Nick Cave for having the most albums in my top 1500 - they both have 15 albums in that range, 4 more than the next artist.

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This is the first, and probably only, rap album I've ever come to love. Rap/Hip hop is a genre I don't normally engage with but Board 8 was aflutter when the album came out 10 years ago, so I partook in listens of it and really found myself drawn to it. I probably wouldn't have given it too much play without Board 8, so it has this neat association with the board that I enjoy. The opening is balls to the wall amazing, and while it, for me personally, stumbles a bit in the middle, it recovers with grace.

Dark Fantasy - I love this as an opener. The choir is fantastic and really sets the stage for the bombastic nature of the album to come. Also might be my favorite overall on the album as it relates to the verses in the non-POWER division.

Gorgeous - Around the time MBDTF came out, I was getting big into Audiosurf Ninja Mono has a means to relax. This track got the most runs. It's so smooth and the Audiosurf track it produced just grooved with a perfect flow. Really dig the variations of the melody during Raekwon's verse. This is the shortest 6 minute song I've ever listened to. The entire track is feels tight and precise.

POWER - This song is fucking monolithic, which is impressive considering the album it is on. That beat will stand the test of time in stadiums and team introductions and any hype up music. The verses are incredibly fun to sing along to. I don't know anything about what it is sampling, so I don't know how much of it is an "original" beat, but it's become an iconic one now.

All Of The Lights - This was my favorite track back when the album came out. It still ranks high, but I've grown a greater appreciation for others over time. I really enjoy the interlude. It's a good setup for the adrenaline to come. ALL OF THE LIGHTS. The chorus seems chaotic to me, but not in a bad way. It's a fun ride. I really dislike Fergie's part, though, which is a big of a drag. I love how he just inserts Alicia Keys and Elton John at the end. We're just doing that. Okay neat.

Monster - This track has never really stuck with me as much as it seems to others. Kanye does drop some pretty fun lines though, most notably the pharoah part. Nicki Minaj does a good job too. But I don't really find myself really vibing with any of it, and the end feels kind of limp. Still, it's an easily listenable track and I normally don't skip it if I'm listening to the album.

So Appalled - I appreciate this song for inspiring fun ways to say something is "fucking ridiculous" that I've carried for ten years now. The verses are whatever for me. It's fairly similar thematically to Monster while being longer and not as enjoyable minus the FUCKEN RIDIKILIS parts.

Devil In A New Dress - This track really doesn't click with me. I don't really enjoy whatever it is sampling. Some of the lyrics are fun. I enjoy "hard to be humble when you strutin' on a jumbotron" for instance. The mid-song breakdown and guitar solo is also a fun touch, but it makes me lower my guard before Rick Ross comes in which is always a little jarring but he does a pretty good job. The quick cutoff leading into the first note of Runaway is really neat.

Runaway - I enjoy the build in this song, and surprisingly don't hate the vocaloid ending. The violins backing it and the borderline unintelligible but oddly meaningful/powerful singing just works. I also really appreciate Kanye's continuation after Pusha T's verse. It's a fun subversion from what I would normally expect. The anthemic nature also lends itself to singing along. A very surprising but wonderful track that I kind of wish wasn't followed by anything other than Lost In The World.

Hell Of A Life - It's fine, but it has the really difficult task of following Runaway. It seems disconnected from the album because of it. The distortion is a little distracting. I appreciate the sampling, however. Nothing else really stands out to me besides the "fuck with the lights on" moment. I don't hate it. It just falls a little flat for me.

Blame Game - Blame Game is a really good follow-up to Hell Of A Life. I think the verses are very well done and the second verse where lyrics are coming from all sides of the headphones, especially after the first verse was so short and simple and ended in a cry for help, is fantastic. The skit at the end is legitimately hilarious and gave me new appeciation for upholstery. I'MMA SHOOT A BOOTLEGGA!

Lost In The World - Man this track slaps. Bon Iver lulls you into complacency and then the track explodes. A really catchy ending to the album and I love the RUN FROM THE LIGHT RUN FROM THE NIGHT portion. The Who Will Survive In America part doesn't really do anything for me since I'm wholly unfamiliar with the author, but it feels well done and resonant.

1. POWER
2. Gorgeous
3. Runaway
4. All Of The Lights
5. Dark Fantasy
6. Blame Game
7. Lost In The World
8. Monster
9. Devil In A New Dress
10. Hell Of A Life
11. So Appalled

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I'll double up Sound of Silver

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I feel like I need to do something to keep the nominations under control since we currently have 29 albums listed and are only tackling one a week...

I'll support Mezzanine

Nominations:
7 supporters:
Mastodon - Crack the Skye (VeryInsane, Snake5555555555, CasanovaZelos, MarkS222222222222222, Seanchan, TheArkOfTurus, Giggsalot)

6 supporters:
Alice in Chains - Dirt (ZeroSignal620, CasanovaZelos, MarskS222222222222222, Raetsel_Lapin, Johnbobb, TheArkOfTurus)
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (VeryInsane, Johnbobb, CasanovaZelos, Seanchan, TheArkOfTurus, ChainLTTP)
The Beatles - Abbey Road (Seanchan, CasanovaZelos, Underleveled, Raestel_Lapin, Giggsalot, VeryInsane)
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (CasanovaZelos x2, Johnbobb, ZaziGuado x2, MoogleKupo141)

5 supporters:
U2 - Achtung Baby (Jesse_Custer x2, CasanovaZelos, MoogleKupo141, Seanchan)
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Johnbobb, CasanovaZelos, ZeroSignal620, Giggsalot, VeryInsane)

4 supporters:
Of Monsters and Men - Beneath the Skin (Jesse_Custer x2, Raetsel_Lapin, Seanchan)
Pink Floyd - The Wall (Johnbobb, Underleveled, firefdr, TheArkOfTurus)
Hamilton (TomNook, Underleveled, Johnbobb, TheArkOfTurus)
Radiohead - OK Computer (Jesse_Custer, CasanovaZelos, GameStonk, Giggsalot)

3 supporters:
Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Snake5555555555, Raetsel_Lapin, Underleveled)
Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five (jcgamer107, Jesse_Custer, ZaziGuado)
The Avalanches - Since I Left You (SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos, Raetsal_Lapin)
Air - Moon Safari (ZaziGuado, SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos)
Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (Seanchan, Underleveled, TheArkOfTurus)
The Knife - Silent Shout (CasanovaZelos, Raetsel_Lapin, Giggsalot)
Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid (TheArkOfTurus, CasanovaZelos, VeryInsane)
The Strokes - Is This It (MoogleKupo141, CasanovaZelos, VeryInsane)
Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters (CasanovaZelos, Johnbobb, VeryInsane)
Massive Attack - Mezzanine (Giggsalot, VeryInsane, CasanovaZelos)

2 supporters:
Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves (Snake5555555555, cyko)
Weird Al Yankovic - Straight Outta Lynwood (cyko, Johnbobb)
Moby - Play (SpikeSetsFire, CasanovaZelos)
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (MarkS222222222222222, CasanovaZelos)
Billy Joel - The Stranger (Seanchan, Jesse_Custer)

1 supporter:
Slipknot - Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses (Johnbobb)
Passion Pit - Manners (ZaziGuado)
The Killers - Hot Fuss (Seanchan)

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It's incredibly hard to rank individual songs for me, so I've avoided participating in these topics despite seeing them and loving every album choice so far. Music is just the hardest medium to do this in, and it would be much easier to make a top 3 and bottom 3 list on albums as good as those you've chosen so far. But...fuck it, I gave this my millionth listen today and we'll give it a go. Not that I'll be satisfied with my ranking.

1. Runaway

Giggs had it right - a masterpiece and one of Kanye's all-time finest. Even the music video is a classic. The first time I indulged this record was in video form, in that little movie version of the album Kanye released for free. When it got to Runaway, that's when I knew MBDTF was special. Simultaneously anthemic and personal, an impressive achievement.

2. Blame Game

Emotionally hits me as much as anything else here. Perhaps drags on too much, but I enjoy when Kanye gets excessive and let's a track breathe for longer than it has any right to. That and my affinity for emotional Kanye are why my top 2 are what they are! The Chris Rock bit was a constant reference in my group of friends back in the day.

3. All of the Lights/All of the Lights Interlude

Undeniable classic that is only the second greatest Kanye song with "Lights" in the title. Not sorry. Some of the best production on the whole record and probably the catchiest song here.

4. Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America

Simple but stellar closer that was likely my favorite track the first month or so the album was out. A friend made me a mixtape with Bon Iver's "Woods" in it that prior December and maybe that's why I liked this so much. Definitely remember how jarring it was hearing Bon Iver on the first listen, and when the lyrics transition to "I'm lost in the world" I get chills. Doesn't hold up as top tier all these years later, but it's close.

5. Gorgeous

Damn it makes me happy to see this getting love - always felt like it was one of the least talked about tracks on the whole album. Cudi provides a smooth ass chorus and Ye kills it on the verses. This has always been a personal favorite and I originally had it at 3 before I came to my senses.

6. Power

Always thought of this as perfect mid-tier for the record, which says a lot about how good this album is. What more is there to say except what a great, weird ass bridge to make this song the full package.

7. Dark Fantasy

Agreed that it's strangely perfect to open this rap opera with some Nicki Minaj spoken word. Gotta shoutout "Too many Urkels on your team, that's why you're Winslow" - that line still makes me laugh on the umpteenth listen.

8. So Appalled

I had this ranked lower before a relisten, and I forgot just how much I enjoy the melancholia-tinged production. The beat is too good to not show this some appreciation. Other than that, here's a random and very dumb fact: I had a friend at work named Paul who, before he quit, I would always sing variants of this chorus to like "you're so a Paul." I don't know why I did this. He didn't even know the song.

9. Devil in a New Dress

The beat sounds like something ripped from The College Dropout, so that's a plus. A chill lead in to Runaway, but this is the beginning of my lowest tier rankings here.

10. Hell of a Life

Virtually tied with Devil near the bottom. Lyrically it's kinda eh but the chorus is perhaps getting too much hate. Yeah I don't care for the Iron Man sample, but the little section after the titular line is delivered is top notch.

11. Monster

Still a bop but often found myself skipping this track on full listens. On a record of absurdly grandiose production, the simplistic drum beat maybe just makes me want a little more, I think. This was my last before a relisten and it stays that way. Always felt like it could be removed from MBDTF and the record would still feel complete. But despite that and the bad Jay verse, I can still appreciate it for the club banger it is.

Yeah, that was basically impossible and besides the top and the bottom tracks, I feel like it's very interchangeable. But there it is!

Also I want you all to know that Love Like a Sunset is my favorite track on Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and seeing the tragedy of it ranking last is probably what got me to participate today. I can only assume it was due to people listening to the album for the first time and an instrumental track naturally being forgettable on first listen. But that whole song is one never-ending buildup and I adore songs like that. You all done goofed.

This was fun. I'll try to stick around.

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I'll nominate another hip-hop classic, one of my favorite records of all-time, and one that should prove even harder to rank:

Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City

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I don't stress the rankings too much other than trying to get the top and bottom songs "right". There's always a good chunk of interchangeability.

Just because a song is at the bottom doesn't mean I think it's bad, it's just the one I like the least and are most likely to skip on a re-listen. That's the issue with Love Like a Sunset; it's fine but I would usually rather skip over it to get to Lasso.

With the nominations, I think you've either got to start doing 2 a week (again, not necessarily a fan) or only allow 2 (or 3) different active noms per person.

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I would support a limit on active nominations, assuming people can be allowed to pull a nomination if it's not getting traction in favor of another.

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StartTheMachine posted...

I'll nominate another hip-hop classic, one of my favorite records of all-time, and one that should prove even harder to rank:

Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City

Oh hell yes seconding this

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