Paul:

The following is what makes an album great in my book:

01) It gets my heart pumping, my blood boiling, and my foot tapping. If it is especially excellent, then it gets BOTH of my feet tapping!!

02) It takes me back in my heart and in my mind, to a special place and time. This is a good thing when I hear a song like TAINTED LOVE or GIRLS ON FILM, but it is not as pleasant when I hear BEING ALONE TOGETHER. Every time I hear that song, all I can think about is breaking up with my ex-girlfriend Kim, which I was foolish enough to do when that song was playing on the stereo.

03) I also love emotive guitar playing --- the two best at that were Jimi Hendrix and David Gilmour. Every time I hear the guitar solo for COMFORTABLY NUMB --- all I want to do is cry --- it is gut wrenching --- as far as emotions are concerned. Jimi was completely aware of this --- and he spoke of his music as the ELECTRIC CHURCH.

04) The music in question contains catchy beats and song lyrics that I simply cannot get out of my head. For me, I absolutely adore Ric Ocasek and The CARS. I was deeply saddened when Benjamin Orr died a couple of years back. Another band in this category is CREEDANCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL --- as well as John Fogerty's solo material --- pop masterpieces.

05) The topical subject matter of the album --- such as when our own DB wrote and released TRIAGE. The BEATLES are also in this category. Their overall message related to hope, love, and peace. These are admirable motivators --- and it is perhaps why their influence is indelible.

06) Packaging and conceptual art. The two of my all-time top favorites in this category are Storm Thorgerson and Roger Dean. When this aspect of the release is done well, it too can get the blood rushing.

07) Virtuoso performances by the musicians performing on the album. When speaking of a band like PINK FLOYD (all three versions!) everything they ever did was exciting and experimental.

08) Does the album have some sort of historical significance? For an album like AC/DC's BACK IN BLACK, it was not only a great album, but it was historically significant in the regard that it marked a new beginning, instead of the band breaking up after the death of Bon Scott. In this same line of thinking, Def Leppard's HYSTERIA also falls into this category. To me, it was very significant that they chose to allow Rick Allen all the time he needed to learn to play drums one handed, instead of shit-canning him at the absolute lowest point of his entire life.

This showed true friendship and familial love among the band members, and the resultant album, HYSTERIA, was one of the most sugary pop-music confections of all-time, as well as being the absolute highlight of their career.

09) It is something that I will want to listen to over and over again, like PHYSICAL GRAFFITTI or The CARS' first album or BOSTON's first album?

10) Will it be something that will still captivate me twenty years from now? The enduring qualities of the legendary superstars guarantee that we will be listening to them several decades into the future. On the BEATLES FOR SALE liner notes, it mentioned that the band would still be relevant in the year 2000.

And THAT is exactly what happened . . .

This is what makes it for me. How about you, dear Infosourcers?

KDB = Buffalo, NY USA