Stranger in Town (Capitol, 1978) by Bob Seger

"We've Got Tonight" was used in some of the best music supervision that I've ever come across.  In a very memorable episode of The Wonder Years, Winnie gets in a car accident.  Kevin then goes to her house and waits for her to return from the hospital.  After she comes home that night, her father kindly requests that Kevin leaves.  He does, but soon after he returns.  It is then that song starts playing and Daniel Stern narrates the feelings that they have for each other.  Then he looks at her through her bedroom window, and they say, "I love you" to each other.  The camera then cuts to pictures of them as young children before the camera fades out and Seger's song continues to be heard.  It's a very poignant moment to say the least.

Armageddon (Columbia, 1998) by various

This soundtrack has solid collection of rock artists on here ranging from ZZ Top to Bob Seger.  However, the highlight of this album for me is Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."  Even aside from the fact that the record was a huge hit, I think it's a really great love song.  The opening lines of it, "I could stay awake just to hear you breathing/Watch you smile while you are sleeping/While you're far away and dreaming" grab you.  Those lyrics are so visual and I think they express love very powerfully with out sounding corny or gratuitously sappy.  If I ever get married, this song will surely get airtime at my wedding.

12 Songs (American, 2005) by Neil Diamond

I know very little about Neil Diamond, but when I heard he had released a critically acclaimed album produced by Rick Rubin (one of my personal favorite producers ever)- I knew I had to check it out.  I really like Diamond's songwriting ability, and Rubin's stripped down, minimalist production can be found here as well.  I was presently surprised to see how tightly arranged things are and the melodies that are used make the music very affective.

The Colour and the Shape (Capitol, 1997) by Foo Fighters

I bought this album on my thirteenth birthday (in April '00) in preparation for seeing my first concert in the summer of 2000.  The Foo Fighters opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the former put on just as good a show as the latter.  "My Hero" is a great single and Dave Grohl gets extra props as well for directing the song's music video.

The Battle of Los Angeles (Epic, 1999) by Rage Against the Machine

Overall, I prefer Rage's two previous albums to this one.  However, this is still a great piece of work.  I love the George Orwell and the 1984 references.  Michael Moore directing two music videos for the project is cool, and I think it's a true testament to the band's popularity and skill that this album opened against Mariah Carey and still managed to take the top spot on the album chart its opening week.

One Hot Minute (Warner Bros., 1995) by Red Hot Chili Peppers

This is a mediocre album at best.  Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro replaced John Frusciante after he quit the band in 1992.  And Navarro is a great guitar player, but his sound is more rooted in metal than funk and rhythm like the Chili Peppers.  The stylistic differences are very apparent on this recording.  Lyrically, the album seems like a step down from Blood Sugar Sex Magik.  And the album's best cut, "My Friends," is ballad that was made solely for the "Under the Bridge" crowd.  Overall, this album is a forced commercial attempt by a group of very talented musicians.

Holy Wood [In the Shadow of the Valley of Death] (Nothing, 2000) by Marilyn Manson

In 2000, Eminem was the king of shock value entertainment, therefore dethroning Manson of the title.  In addition to that, his previous effort, Mechanical Animals, was a bit too glitzy and glamorous (al a David Bowie) for his core fans.  Fortunately, with something to prove, Manson dropped Holy Wood.  It's his best album since Antichrist Superstar, and until Eat Me, Drink Me.  It had great lyrics, solid hooks and an industrial sound which all blended together well- a feat that is almost never achieved successfully.

Eat Me, Drink Me (Interscope, 2007) by Marilyn Manson

The songwriting for this album, in my opinion, is its highpoint.  Manson discusses love, in his own unique way, but that is still far from the bizarre antics of Smells Like Children.  Conceptually, "If I Was Your Vampire" is a deep record.  Just the idea of drawing blood from the one you love and connecting on that level, it is very intense.  The production isn't as loud and inconsistent as some of his earlier efforts.  The use of keyboards seems to outweigh heavy guitar riffs.  And the fact that Spin magazine reached out to adult film star Janine Lindemulder for her take on the sex between Manson and Evan Rachael Wood in the clip for "Heart-Shaped Glasses" is really cool.  I was a fan of Janine before, but this made me an even bigger one.

Californication (Warner Bros., 1999) by Red Hot Chili Peppers

The sound of Californication is more melodic in vocal and instrumental delivery than a lot of their previous work.  As a whole, the album taps into the poetic sensibility that made the deeply personal "Under the Bridge" such huge hit years earlier.  "Scar Tissue" is one of the my favorite records from the band's 25 plus year catalogue.  This album also has strong sentimental value to me as well.  The Red Hot Chili Peppers were my first concert, the Californication tour, - back in the summer of 2000 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI.  They performed with Foo Fighters as their opening act and, even as a hip hop fan, it remains the best concert I have seen to date.  Because Kiedis spent some of his childhood in the Grand Rapids area, it is impossible to not be exposed to the Chili Peppers' music (not that that's a bad thing at all) growing up there.  And, as a result of that hometown connection, the crowd was really into the show.  The only downside to the whole experience was that I couldn't wear the T-shirt that I got from the show to Middle School in the fall because it had the word "Californication" on it.

Rock N Roll Jesus (Atlantic, 2007) by Kid Rock

If Kid Rock took the approach of the "Picture" record and made an album out of it, it would be this album.  Rock N Roll Jesus definitely has that crossover to full-fledged southern rock that his previous material didn't.  I remember when this album dropped I was really into it because Mr. Ritchie referenced Northern Michigan and Nashville on the same album- two places which are very near and dear to my heart.  And in addition to that, the music was good too.  My favorite song on the album is "Roll On."  The sentimental tone of the record coupled with Rock's continued maturity made for one of my favorite songs and videos of that year.  It is not often that I prefer singles over deep cuts, but "Roll On" is one of the few exceptions.

Devil Without a Cause (Atlantic, 1998) by Kid Rock

Kid Rock is a very well-rounded artist.  He, in many people's opinion, isn't the best rapper, rocker, or country artist.  However, he masterfully combines a variety of styles.  I honestly don't even look at it that way.  I think the culmination of his wide range of influences makes for a sound all his own.  He is the only performer that I can think of who can rock with Hank Williams Jr., Twisted Brown Trucker, and Too $hort.  And best of all, he is sincere in all three of those genres.  Rock N Roll Jesus was great.  Born Free was outstanding.  But this was the one that did it for me.  "Only God Knows Why", "Fuck Off", "Wasting Time", and "Cowboy"-those are my personal favorites.  However, I can honestly play the whole album, Devil Without a Cause, from beginning to end without skipping a single track.

A Boy Named Goo (Warner Bros., 1995) by Goo Goo Dolls

John Rzeznik is a great songwriter.  He puts a lot of emotion into his writing, but doesn't come across as whiney or bitchy.  It is just soft-spoken introspection.  "Name" is a brilliant song and one of my favorites from the 90s.  ("Naked" is also a great song.)  Even though "Iris" shot them to superstardom a few years later, I don't think that would've been possible without  A Boy Named Goo because it skillfully combined their punk-rock beginnings with more mature writing which resulted an awesome "crossover over" album. Thus, proving the group had what it took to soon conquer mainstream without compromising what made them a unique band in the first place.  In other words, if Dizzy Up the Girl is Pulp Fiction, A Boy Named Goo is Reservoir Dogs.

Follow the Leader (Immortal, 1998) by Korn

Follow the Leader has a lot of sentimental value to me.  I am not knowledgable enough about rock music to speak comfortably about the technical aspects of this album (but I do think it's really bad-ass that Jonathan Davis also plays the bagpipes on this album in addition to contributing lead vocals).  However, I'll never forget buying this album at Media Play when I was young with my really good friend Ben.  At the time, the "parental advisory" was stuck on the case, not printed on the pamphlet and so we found the only two Follow the Leader albums without stickers on them.  And because I'm paranoid, I took a black magic marker and scribbled over the female nudity in the pamphlet.  The album, of course, was at the forefront of a rap/rock hybrid movement alongside Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock.  And nothing against Rock's "Cowboy" song or Limp Bizkit's "N 2gether Now"- I really like them both, but taken as a whole album, Follow the Leader is my favorite album from that era with that sound.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik (Warner Bros., 1991) by The Red Hot Chili Peppers

I think it is awesome that Chris Rock is inducting RHCP into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.  Rock is one of my favorite comedians and Blood Sugar Sex Magik is one of my "desert island" album choices.  If it weren't for BSSM, the blueprint would not have been laid for acts like Rage Against the Machine, Korn, and Kid Rock to follow.  There are very few albums that I can play top to bottom, but this is one that I can.  The rhythmic vocal on "Power of Equality", bass-line on "Give It Away", and the soul-bearing "Under the Bridge", it is a remarkable album.  And one that only grows more influential with time.  Blood Sugar Sex Magik is an album that I bought about ten years ago at Media Play.  It has been in rotation non-stop since then and I do not see that changing anytime soon.