19. Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morissette 1995
This is one of those albums that is referred to as, "A Monster!" It just wont stop selling. It currently sits at 33 million copies worldwide. That makes it, easily, one of the top selling albums in this countdown, if not
the best seller. Funnily enough, it is also one of those releases that truly polarizes opinion, a real love/hate affair. There are those that can't get past her particularly grating voice and her insistence to over sing everything, and there are those that see her emotional out-pourings as a particularly high point for feminism and highly relatable to scorned and confused young women, the world over. The story of how the album came into being, is quite interesting. She had initially had two albums released in her homeland of Canada, that were of the bubblegum, Dance-Pop persuasion. After deciding to change her style, she sought out many a co-writer, with trips to Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles all proving fruitless, she then hit the jackpot on one of the visits to L.A. She met producer and songwriter, Glen Ballard. Ballard was already very successful in his own right, having worked with the likes of Michael Jackson and Paula Abdul, so his hit-making resume wasn't in question. The story goes that he and Morissette had an instant connection and mutual vision, and within 30 minutes of meeting were in his home studio working on what would become, 'Jagged Little Pill'. This meeting between Ballard and Morissette, resulted in the the song, 'Perfect', and what they did that day, rather amazingly, is the actual take, that is on the album. First single, the rather biting, 'You Oughta Know', and album track, 'Right Through You', had the singer down as a bitter and twisted, man-hater, rather unfairly, it has to be said. She was only taking on the frustrations of love that many a male had done in a very vociferous way, before her. It was actually quite refreshing for many, to hear a female do so, without having to be part of the 'Riot Girl' pack. The former also, accidentally featured Red Hot Chili Peppers then guitarist, Dave Navarro and bassist, Flea, adding their own parts to the song after they stumbled upon the recording sessions, and loved the track. It is safe to say that there isn't a weak track among the 12 on 'Jagged Little Pill', and most critics agreed, usually giving it top ratings, across the board. The main reason that the album is so popular, noted Allmusic's, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, is the fact that Morissette 'unflinchingly explores emotions so common, most people would be ashamed to articulate them'. It is as simple as that. Without using metaphors or being overly poetic or obtuse. There were some comments on her particularly distinctive vocal style though, this seems to always be a discussion point that divides many. Some, even thought that she would be much more suited to country, than the mainly, Alternative Rock, spin that Ballard pushed the songs in. Although varied, the album occupies a space somewhere between rockier REM and softer Foo Fighters, therefore, it really couldn't fail, could it?