Frankly, if you're gonna name your album with the same name as one of the songs on your tracklist, it better be damn amazing. Of course, that's not usually the case.
Title tracks that do their respective albums justice:
Graceland (Paul Simon): a superb pop song, this song alone defined Paul Simon's career since 1986; when I think of the best music and signature singles from the '80s, it doesn't get any better than this
Tusk (Fleetwood Mac): irresistibly off-beat and quirky, from an irresistibly off-beat and quirky double album...it has a soaring, thumping bass line courtesy of the underrated John McVie and unhuman drum percussion from Mick Fleetwood
Ray Of Light (Madonna): I much prefer post-'80s Madonna, and this 1998 gem is Madge at her electronica-dance peak; thank you William Orbit for invigorating the Material Girl's songwriting mojo to intergalactic extremes
Back In Black (AC/DC): a classic metal anthem, it practically defined classic-rock radio for me when I was in high school
Ride The Lightning (Metallica): thrash-metal at its finest, this title track bridged the gap effortlessly between the speed-metal of their debut and the more precise, time-signature blueprint found on Master of Puppets and ...And Justice For All
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles): I'm far from being the biggest Beatles fan, but the timeless sound of the opener to their cultural and historic phenomena stands tall and untouched even by today's processed and overcooked standards
Whip-Smart (Liz Phair): hearing the GirlySound demo version alone wouldn't have convinced me that this is title-track material, but the production flourishes and immensely fine-tuned chorus and verses that made it on to the studio album transformed it to a practically fresh-faced song
Toys In The Attic (Aerosmith): Steven Tyler's deft vocal delivery and the band's manic-aggressive playing constitute a hard-rock juggernaut; this album could've easily been called Walk This Way or Sweet Emotion, but Toys In The Attic sounds so much cooler
Heroes (David Bowie): its melody is swift and desolate in execution and Bowie's vocal performance is emotionally involving without being saccharine; don't get me started on his lyrical conviction, which merits discussion alone
London Calling (The Clash): just as relevant and resonant today as it was in 1979; it's a universal tune that defies categorization and can appeal to anyone that has only a smidgen of good taste
The Bends (Radiohead): euphoric, lush, dreamy, epic...all the attributes that defined Radiohead's trademark sound for more than a decade
Title tracks that do their respective albums justice:
Graceland (Paul Simon): a superb pop song, this song alone defined Paul Simon's career since 1986; when I think of the best music and signature singles from the '80s, it doesn't get any better than this
Tusk (Fleetwood Mac): irresistibly off-beat and quirky, from an irresistibly off-beat and quirky double album...it has a soaring, thumping bass line courtesy of the underrated John McVie and unhuman drum percussion from Mick Fleetwood
Ray Of Light (Madonna): I much prefer post-'80s Madonna, and this 1998 gem is Madge at her electronica-dance peak; thank you William Orbit for invigorating the Material Girl's songwriting mojo to intergalactic extremes
Back In Black (AC/DC): a classic metal anthem, it practically defined classic-rock radio for me when I was in high school
Ride The Lightning (Metallica): thrash-metal at its finest, this title track bridged the gap effortlessly between the speed-metal of their debut and the more precise, time-signature blueprint found on Master of Puppets and ...And Justice For All
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles): I'm far from being the biggest Beatles fan, but the timeless sound of the opener to their cultural and historic phenomena stands tall and untouched even by today's processed and overcooked standards
Whip-Smart (Liz Phair): hearing the GirlySound demo version alone wouldn't have convinced me that this is title-track material, but the production flourishes and immensely fine-tuned chorus and verses that made it on to the studio album transformed it to a practically fresh-faced song
Toys In The Attic (Aerosmith): Steven Tyler's deft vocal delivery and the band's manic-aggressive playing constitute a hard-rock juggernaut; this album could've easily been called Walk This Way or Sweet Emotion, but Toys In The Attic sounds so much cooler
Heroes (David Bowie): its melody is swift and desolate in execution and Bowie's vocal performance is emotionally involving without being saccharine; don't get me started on his lyrical conviction, which merits discussion alone
London Calling (The Clash): just as relevant and resonant today as it was in 1979; it's a universal tune that defies categorization and can appeal to anyone that has only a smidgen of good taste
The Bends (Radiohead): euphoric, lush, dreamy, epic...all the attributes that defined Radiohead's trademark sound for more than a decade
