Buckethead is one of the most innovative and underrated guitarists out there. Part of his mystique is his sheer output of music. He has released dozens of albums over the years.
While this is great if you’re looking to explore tons of new music, it can be overwhelming to cut through and find his best stuff for new listeners. To help out new Buckethead fans, I’ve put together this list of the best Buckethead albums.
Of course, any list of the “best” music is highly subjective and open to interpretation, so these are simply the albums that made me really fall in love with Buckethead’s music and start exploring more of his catalog. They’re a great jumping-off point for new listeners and avid funs alike.
With that said, here are the Top 8 Best Buckethead Albums of All Time:
Colma
Colma is a Buckethead classic, with two “must hear” tracks in particular: For Mom, and Machete. This album will give you a good feel for Buckethead’s compositional skill as a songwriter.
Crime Slunk Scene
Perhaps Buckethead’s most popular album, Crime Slunk Scene is an essential album with many amazing tracks. Of course, I’d be remiss not to mention Soothsayer, easily one of Bucket’s best songs ever. The song seamlessly combines Buckethead’s minimalistic songwriting abilities with his incredible guitar shredding skills.
Electric Tears
Electric Tears contains some of Buckethead’s best acoustic music. Yes, to many it will come as a surprise that Buckethead is a skilled acoustic guitarist, as he is typically pigeonholed as a “shredder.” If this is how you think of Buckethead, this album will change that forever. Buckethead’s music covers a broad range of genres and feelings, spanning mellow acoustic pieces to techno-shred. Electric Tears occupies a key place in that discography.
Giant Robot
Giant Robot may beBuckethead’s most “representative” album – meaning it contains many themes and techniques he uses as tropes throughout much of his other music.
Stuff like:
- weird dialogue before, during, and at the end of certain tracks
- pop culture references
- a few slow tracks
- a few experimental track
- some good old-fashioned rocking, including classic rock influences
- straight-up shredding and heavy metal.
For this reason, the album can be a great gauge for new listeners to see whether they will enjoy Buckethead’s music.
Population Override
This one combines Buckethead’s more subdued side with his rock influences, making for a very cohesive listening experience overall.
Electric Sea
I love the acoustic music on Electric Sea, particularly the track “Beyond the Knowing” because his acoustic guitar almost sounds like a harp. The song (and the album) shows that Bucket’s music can be “fast” and beautiful at the same time.
A Real Diamond In the Rough
Listening to this album with your eyes closed will transport you to another place only Buckethead can take you to.
The album captures nearly every emotion of the human experience at different points. Ranging from extreme melancholy to warmth and euphoria.
Bucketheadland
Bucketheadland is Buckethead’s debut studio album, first released in 1992.
The album features several samples of the “weird dialogue” I mentioned earlier. In this case it’s taken from the 1960s Japanese television series, Giant Robot.
The album also has some of Bucket’s fastest, most “technical” solos.