THE HOLD STEADY'S 10 ROCK ALBUMS EVERY MAN SHOULD OWN
The New York City rock band gives us their playlist
This week, New York City rock band the Hold Steady return with Teeth Dreams, their sixth studio album in the last 10 years. They're often described as "America's best bar band" but really, they're more than that. Lead singer Craig Finn is consistently one of the most interesting lyricists in rock today, and it always feels like guitarist Tad Kubler, who writes the music, would have to work really hard to come up with a shitty riff. Because of their decade-long expertise, we spoke to Finn and Kubler about the 10 records you should have on your shelves, iTunes, or favorited in your streaming service of choice, no matter what. Here they are.
1. The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main St.
"There's something really urgent about Exile. 'Tumbling Dice,' 'Loving Cup,' 'Happy — there's a bunch of good jams on that record. You have an English rock band, recording in France, doing one of the best rock-blues records. I'm not talking about the Mississippi Delta blues. I'm talking about the rock and roll version of the blues." —Tad Kubler
2. The Replacements, Let It Be
"The Replacements are the foundation for a lot of what came after in alternative and college rock. Let It Be is their best record and has the most diverse collection of songs. Some pop stuff, some heavy stuff, and some real moments of beauty like 'Sixteen Blue' and 'Androgynous.' It's a record I always go back to." —Craig Finn
3. Oasis, Definitely Maybe
"It came out in the midst of 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys... Definitely Maybe came out and kind of changed everything again. Some people overlook those guys because they were outrageous, but they were great rock stars. Oasis is one of those bands, when you see it in someone's record collection, that gives me the indication that they're not afraid. Anybody who dismisses Oasis as anything other than one of the greatest rock and roll bands is misinformed or misguided or simply an asshole." —Tad Kubler
4. Grateful Dead, American Beauty
"It's good to have some kind of California in there. It's almost always appropriate. It's appropriate on a sunny day or late at night. If you grew up on the Grateful Dead, which I certainly did, you listened to 10 million bootlegs. But you realize that American Beauty has some really tight, well-arranged songs that aren't meandering." —Craig Finn
5. Minutemen, Double Nickels on the Dime
"It's a double album. It's got like 40 songs on it. This record is what informed the next generation of punk rock and rock music. Those guys came out of that L.A./Southern California punk rock scene without having to go along with the aesthetics of the time, both visually and musically. Double Nickels is the archetype of what was to come." —Tad Kubler
6. The Velvet Underground & Nico
"It's a template record for the intersection between pop and noise, starting out with 'Sunday Morning' — a real beautiful, almost innocent sunny day song. You have a lot of different types of things on one record. It can be really pretty, or it can be really awful inside, depending on where your head's at at the moment. I got it in ninth grade and I think I've listened to it every month since then." —Craig Finn
7. Cheap Trick, In Color
"Cheap Trick's Live at Budakon doesn't count. It's a live record and kind of a greatest hits for their first three albums. I think In Color is a stronger record, front to back. All these records are good albums to have in your collection, because you can work forward and backward. From Cheap Trick, you can go back to bands like Big Star and then the Beatles. You can work your way both sides of the fence. I feel like Cheap Trick is overlooked quite a bit in terms of great '70s rock." —Tad Kubler
8. Bruce Springsteen, Darkness on the Edge of Town
"Springsteen on that record started writing less about having your wind in your hair and turning the radio up and more about being dragged down by adult things. Regular people trying to get ahead. A little less mythical and romantic, and more real. It's a really spectacular record for that reason." —Craig Finn
9. The Clash, London Calling
"It's a classic for a reason. That was one of the first records when they started to play." —Tad Kubler
10. Miles Davis, Jack Johnson
"Someone should have a record that doesn't have any singing. It's my favorite Miles Davis record. I love hanging out in the summer, in New York, when it's miserably hot. I love electric Miles Davis in the summer. Jack Johnson, the songwriting especially, is a premier example of that. It always makes me feel hot in the city. It's also nice to have something not yelling in your ear. For me, as a lyricist, it's nice to put on something without any words." —Craig Finn
Listen to the full playlist on Spotify:
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