5. Rush 2112 (Anthem/Mercury) 1976
Indisputably one of Toronto's greatest musical exports, Rush struck gold in 1976 with their fourth release proper, 2112 (pronounced "twenty-one twelve"). Taking the band's progressive sound to a whole new level, Rush's seminal work marked the official launch of the hard-rock concept album (which 2112 can only partly considered to be, as its second side is unrelated to the narrative of its first side). Even when the band's previous concept album, Caress of Steel, was considered a commercial failure, Rush pressed on to create 2112, which proved to be a critical success. Essentially, the first side focuses on a seven-part suite, which describes a futuristic dystopia full of intergalactic wars and planetary unions, including a man who finds a guitar that makes a new kind of music. Presenting the guitar to a temple of priests, expecting them to rejoice, the man watches them destroy the instrument instead, causing him first to go into exile and then finally to commit suicide. Topping off the ambitious and revolutionary plotline, Geddy Lee added a spoken-word section. Still one of the band's best sellers (going Gold in '77 and Platinum in '81), 2112 helped showcase the genius of Rush, ensuring the internationally success and unstoppable career of one Toronto's most popular classic rockers.

 

		4. Death From Above 1979 You're a Woman, I'm a Machine (Vice/Last Gang) 2004
Take one part Nirvana, add a dollop of The Stooges, throw in some ZZ Top and a hint of porn funk — oh, and don't forget the oodles of lovey-dovey Valentine pop — and you're starting to pierce the enigma that once was DFA 1979. To think this thing was made on nothing but bass and drums. From the opening mosh-fest of "Turn it Out," through the screeching feedback of "Romantic Rights," to the hair-pulling bedroom romp "Little Girl," it's all balls without the slightest of remorse. It's grind house metal, sans the guitar. It's greasy hair whipping you in the face, while you beg for more. It's rock debauchery, and Toronto was proud of it. Even the Brits loved it, and that's saying something. We warn you: play this at any decibel over 10, and you just might die. If there were such thing as a Toronto Rock City, DFA would be its KISS. Without makeup or gimmicks, Jesse and Sebastian brought the chest-hair, slime, and sweat back to arena rock, then ran away with it. Literally. Last summer, after only one full-length album and few forgettable remix discs, the duo called it quits.

 

		3. Maestro Fresh-Wes Symphony in Effect (BCM) 1989
Symphony in Effect is quite simply the most successful — and very possibly the most important Canadian hip hop album of all-time. A full eighteen years after it first hit shore shelves, Maestro Fresh-Wes' masterpiece still holds an impressive list of records and milestones. It is the top selling Canadian hip hop album of all-time. Its smash hit single was the first Canadian hip hop single to make it to the Top 40, and still the number one best selling Canadian hip hop single in history — the only one to have ever gone gold. More importantly, Symphony in Effect is a damn fine record — no matter what the year, what the country, or what the genre. Plenty of '80s hip hop has aged poorly, but with the exception of one cheesy ballad ("Private Symphony") Symphony in Effect sounds as good today as it did 18 years ago. The hooks come thick, the samples are sweet, the beats get you up on your feet — and have ever since the first time those unforgettable words came on over the radio: "Let your backbone slide". And what's more the man now simply known as Maestro does Toronto proud, referencing T.O., Ontario, even quasi-racist Canadian music awards shows: "I may never win a Grammy or a Juno," he claims in "The Maestro". "But that's okay because I know that you know / Who's the undisputed number one MC / No rock star can touch this poetry / 'Cause I'm the Maestro". Of course, he'd actually go on to win two Junos. And be nominated for ten more. Not to mention making it to #3 on Toronto's Top 20 Albums.

 

		2. Neil Young Harvest (Reprise) 1972
The only record on our list to have hit #1 on the Billboard charts, Harvest is an undeniable classic. Easily Toronto's most famous and gifted singer-songwriter ever, Neil Young has more than a few great albums to his credit (hell, even his early '80s electronica album/attempt-to-communicate-with-his-autistic-son is pretty damn good). But it's his 1972 follow-up to the immensely successful After the Gold Rush, Harvest that is not only the most popular, but also the most ambitious, most exciting and most consistently surprising of all of his records. It's not every album that can contain the straight-up folk-rock of "Heart of Gold", the heartbreaking intimacy of "Old Man" and the weirdly misogynistic and grandiose "A Man Needs a Maid" (one of two Harvest tracks to feature the London Symphony Orchestra). And there are simply none that do it so successfully. To put it bluntly, no other Toronto artist has even released such an impressive and time-tested set of songs: "Heart of Gold", "Old Man" and "A Man Needs a Maid" as mentioned, plus "Needle and the Damage Done", "Harvest", "Alabama", the list goes on — almost every single one of the ten tracks on the album is an unforgettable gem. Neil Young has lived in plenty of cities over the course of his life and Harvest, with its country flavour and rootsy folk feel, isn't a record that screams Toronto — that's part of what makes it so great; it's bigger than any city. But whether or not we can take all the credit, you can sure bet it was born here — first at Toronto General in 1945, then again in Yorkville coffeeshops during the late '60s, and finally on one night at Massey Hall in 1971. And without a doubt, it's one of the finest we've ever produced.