Top 25 Alt-country Albums

[barclocksays3am]

Jim White and Bonnie Prince Billy should be on some list.....

I put Palace on my list instead of Bonnie Prince Billy

[manshank]

Jim White and Bonnie Prince Billy should be on some list.....

[squirrel]

Shouldn't Townes Van Zandt be prominently displayed on this list?

[TragicFig]

And how can I forget Sultana!!! Best SV tune ever!!

[TragicFig]

Big fan of ACD...Down to the Wire, When the Wheels Don't Move, Strength and Doubt...yup, it makes the list!

[gdavis5446]

50. Sky and the Ocean - Volebeats
49. Massachusetts - Scud Mountain Boys
48. Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today - Slobberbone
47. Essence - Lucinda Williams
46. Too Far to Care - Old 97's
45. Down by the Old Mainstream - Golden Smog
44. Failer - Kathleen Edwards
43. Big Black River - The Hilltops
42. Colfax - The Delines
41. Tennessee - Lucero

40. Mescalito - Ryan Bingham
39. Tomorrow the Green Grass - The Jayhawks
38. Heartbreaker - Ryan Adams
37. A.M. - Wilco
36. Soul Journey - Gillian Welch
35. Winnemucca - Richmond Fontaine
34. Somewhere Else - Lydia Loveless
33. The World Is Ending; Show Some Decorum - Bo Bedingfield and The Wydelles
32. Tonight at the Arizona - The Felice Brothers
31. A Man Under the Influence - Alejandro Escovedo

30. Red Dust Rising - The Dexateens
29. Cold Roses - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
28. Feral Fire - Glossary
27. Pizza Deliverance - Drive-By Truckers
26. That Much Further West - Lucero
25. Homegrown - Blue Mountain
24. Hardwire Healing - The Dexateens
23. What Comes After the Blues - Magnolia Electric Co.
22. The Harrow and the Harvest - Gillian Welch
21. Terroir Blues - Jay Farrar

20. Transcendental Blues - Steve Earle
19. Anodyne - Uncle Tupelo
18. Are Men - The Weight
17. Live in Aught Three - James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards
16. Still Feel Gone - Uncle Tupelo
15. Ten Mile Grace - The Weight
14. The Brooklyn Side - The Bottle Rockets
13. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - Lucinda Williams
12. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - Neko Case
11. American Central Dust - Son Volt

10. Stranger's Almanac - Whiskeytown
9. I Feel Alright - Steve Earle
8. The Bottle Rockets - The Bottle Rockets
7. Faithless Street - Whiskeytown
6. Being There - Wilco
5. Hollywood Town Hall - The Jayhawks
4. Dog Days - Blue Mountain
3. The Magnolia Electric Co. - Songs: Ohia
2. Decoration Day - Drive-By Truckers
1. Trace - Son Volt

This is a much better list to me than Pastes. I don't think I would include American Central Dust but that's about it. Especially like that Dog Days is top 10.

[gdavis5446]

That's a tough list to make without leaving off some fine albums. Surprised nobody has mentioned Cracker. Their S/T and Kerosene Hat brought a good amount of attention to the genre.

[Tokyo Fan]

Oh! So this is the album with Down by the Water. I think that was someone's year end best, part of the board comp. That's the one song I was familiar with (and really liked).

(Once again, the year end comps from this board are the best. )

[Tokyo Fan]

Some on here don't strike me as alt-country:for instance The Decemberists.

Yeah, that was another predicament -- one that has been openly acknowledged since folks started labeling stuff "alt-country". Just what the hell is it? Better yet, what ISN'T it?

To my ears, The Decemberists' "The King Is Dead" is a powerful example of Americana. I'm with you that most of their material is not in any way alt-country, but that record is without question, IMO. Others on my list that raise similar questions include The Lemonheads' record 'Come On Feel the Lemonheads.' I actually had go back and listen to it to decide if it belonged in this list. My ears told me unquestionably so; if Wilco's 'Being There' is alt-country then 'Come on Feel the Lemonheads' certainly is too.

Another predicament... Is Neil Young alt-country? Bruce Springsteen? Tom Petty? If so, certainly a bunch of their records would qualify for such a list. If not, why not? Because their music pre-dates the label? Seems odd.

Suffice it to say that this is not an easy task. And there are SO many great records that must be considered. No list can ever be truly comprehensive, let alone exhaustive.

Tim in the ATL

Am listening to The King is Dead right now. Ok, you are absolutely correct! I stand corrected.

Yeah, the genre thing is a difficult one. Oftentimes it's whatever was initially tagged.

[turpentim]

Some on here don't strike me as alt-country:for instance The Decemberists.

Yeah, that was another predicament -- one that has been openly acknowledged since folks started labeling stuff "alt-country". Just what the hell is it? Better yet, what ISN'T it?

To my ears, The Decemberists' "The King Is Dead" is a powerful example of Americana. I'm with you that most of their material is not in any way alt-country, but that record is without question, IMO. Others on my list that raise similar questions include The Lemonheads' record 'Come On Feel the Lemonheads.' I actually had go back and listen to it to decide if it belonged in this list. My ears told me unquestionably so; if Wilco's 'Being There' is alt-country then 'Come on Feel the Lemonheads' certainly is too.

Another predicament... Is Neil Young alt-country? Bruce Springsteen? Tom Petty? If so, certainly a bunch of their records would qualify for such a list. If not, why not? Because their music pre-dates the label? Seems odd.

Suffice it to say that this is not an easy task. And there are SO many great records that must be considered. No list can ever be truly comprehensive, let alone exhaustive.

Tim in the ATL

[TragicFig]

Terrific list Tim--thanks for taking the time to compile. I'm gonna check out what I don't already know in the coming weeks....

[Tokyo Fan]

This was damn-near impossible. First of all, a couple of things about my list... I chose not to include more than one album by any one artist, so in many ways this is a list of the 50 best alt-country *artists* of all-time and each's best album. Many of these artists deserve to have several or all of their albums in this list, but each of these albums deserve to be in the list as well. You see the predicament.

Anyway, here goes:

1. Son Volt - Trace
2. Richard Buckner - Bloomed
3. Uncle Tupelo - Still Feel Gone
4. Whiskeytown - Strangers Almanac
5. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
6. Steve Earle - El Corazon
7. Songs: Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co.
8. Chris Mills - Every Night Fight for Your Life
9. Blue Mountain - Homegrown
10. Slobberbone - Barrel Chested

11. Bottle Rockets - The Brooklyn Side
12. Old 97s - Too Far to Care
13. Greg Brown - Covenant
14. John Moreland - In the Throes
15. Emmylou Harris - Red Dirt Girl
16. Gillian Welch - Time the Revelator
17. Jason Isbell - Southeastern
18. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
19. Jay Farrar - Sebastopol
20. Mount Moriah - self-titled

21. The Lemonheads - Come on Feel the Lemonheads
22. Hiss Golden Messenger - Poor Moon
23. Brian Fallon - Painkillers
24. Marah - Kids in Philly
25. The Jayhawks - Tomorrow the Green Grass
26. Joe Pug - Nation of Heat
27. James McMurtry - Just Us Kids
28. Wilco - Being There
29. Damien Jurado - Where Shall You Take Me?
30. Paul Westerberg - Come Feel Me Tremble

31. John Hiatt — Master of Disaster
32. The Gourds - Stadium Blitzer
33. Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day
34. The Felice Brothers - self-titled
35. Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues
36. Houndmouth - From the Hills Below the City
37. Jesse Malin - The Fine Art of Self-Destruction
38. The Backsliders - Throwing Rocks at the Moon
39. The Pinetops - Above Ground and Vertical
40. Lucero - That Much Further West

41. Josh Rouse - Dressed Up Like Nebraska
42. Neko Case - Furnace Room Lullaby
43. Bobby Bare Jr. - Young Criminals’ Starvation League
44. Deer Tick - Born on Flag Day
45. Tim Easton - The Truth About Us
46. AA Bondy - When the Devil’s Loose
47. Cory Branan - Mutt
48. The Handsome Family - In the Air
49. Reigning Sound - Shattered
50. Peter Bruntnell - Normal for Bridgewater


Honorable mentions:

Langhorne Slim - Be Set Free
Ray Wylie Hubbard - The Ruffian’s Misfortune
Trailer Bride - Smelling Salts
The Decemberists - The King is Dead
Scott Miller - Thus Always to Tyrants
The V-Roys - Sooner or Later
The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
Phil Cook - Southland Mission
Volebeats - Sky and the Ocean


Tim in the ATL

A very good, comprehensive list. As always, I'll check out what I'm unfamiliar with.

Some on here don't strike me as alt-country:for instance The Decemberists.

You're way ahead of me in terms of knowing your stuff but one recent discovery for me: Cary Hudson "Town and Country" (ex-Blue Mountain).

[turpentim]

Tim -- cool shout-outs to Scott Miller and the V-Roys. The V-Roys first album, Just Add Ice, is a top-five. For me, anyway.

Yes, Just Add Ice was the one that I meant to include in my honorable mentions, not Sooner or Later. Great, great record. 50 just ain't enough

Tim in the ATL

[Terraplane]

Tim -- cool shout-outs to Scott Miller and the V-Roys. The V-Roys first album, Just Add Ice, is a top-five. For me, anyway.

[turpentim]

This was damn-near impossible. First of all, a couple of things about my list... I chose not to include more than one album by any one artist, so in many ways this is a list of the 50 best alt-country *artists* of all-time and each's best album. Many of these artists deserve to have several or all of their albums in this list, but each of these albums deserve to be in the list as well. You see the predicament.

Anyway, here goes:

1. Son Volt - Trace
2. Richard Buckner - Bloomed
3. Uncle Tupelo - Still Feel Gone
4. Whiskeytown - Strangers Almanac
5. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
6. Steve Earle - El Corazon
7. Songs: Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co.
8. Chris Mills - Every Night Fight for Your Life
9. Blue Mountain - Homegrown
10. Slobberbone - Barrel Chested

11. Bottle Rockets - The Brooklyn Side
12. Old 97s - Too Far to Care
13. Greg Brown - Covenant
14. John Moreland - In the Throes
15. Emmylou Harris - Red Dirt Girl
16. Gillian Welch - Time the Revelator
17. Jason Isbell - Southeastern
18. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
19. Jay Farrar - Sebastopol
20. Mount Moriah - self-titled

21. The Lemonheads - Come on Feel the Lemonheads
22. Hiss Golden Messenger - Poor Moon
23. Brian Fallon - Painkillers
24. Marah - Kids in Philly
25. The Jayhawks - Tomorrow the Green Grass
26. Joe Pug - Nation of Heat
27. James McMurtry - Just Us Kids
28. Wilco - Being There
29. Damien Jurado - Where Shall You Take Me?
30. Paul Westerberg - Come Feel Me Tremble

31. John Hiatt — Master of Disaster
32. The Gourds - Stadium Blitzer
33. Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day
34. The Felice Brothers - self-titled
35. Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues
36. Houndmouth - From the Hills Below the City
37. Jesse Malin - The Fine Art of Self-Destruction
38. The Backsliders - Throwing Rocks at the Moon
39. The Pinetops - Above Ground and Vertical
40. Lucero - That Much Further West

41. Josh Rouse - Dressed Up Like Nebraska
42. Neko Case - Furnace Room Lullaby
43. Bobby Bare Jr. - Young Criminals’ Starvation League
44. Deer Tick - Born on Flag Day
45. Tim Easton - The Truth About Us
46. AA Bondy - When the Devil’s Loose
47. Cory Branan - Mutt
48. The Handsome Family - In the Air
49. Reigning Sound - Shattered
50. Peter Bruntnell - Normal for Bridgewater


Honorable mentions:

Langhorne Slim - Be Set Free
Ray Wylie Hubbard - The Ruffian’s Misfortune
Trailer Bride - Smelling Salts
The Decemberists - The King is Dead
Scott Miller - Thus Always to Tyrants
The V-Roys - Sooner or Later
The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
Phil Cook - Southland Mission
Volebeats - Sky and the Ocean


Tim in the ATL