Best albums

Strong Bad
Strong Bad Posts: 4,278
edited June 2004 in Music & Movies
I was having a discussion the other day about music and it took a turn toward the best albums ever recorded. We really focused on albums that seemed to be great from beginning to end, not just a few good songs. We also talked about how it seemed as though the group was just in a serious zone and firing on all cylinders when writing, recording and producing the album. Almost like all the stars were in perfect alignment when they made the albums and were never able to capture that magic again.

Here is my list (not complete) of what I think are the best of the best, with a few comments.

1. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon: Although they had a few more successful albums after this one, they never ever hit perfection like this again.

2. Led Zeppelin - 4: Their crowning achievement. They had some excellant albums and songs to follow this up (good ones prior to this also), but forget about it. Too big a hill to climb!

3. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours: Good lord did they nail this one! Too bad they never came remotely close to capturing this magic again.

4. Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms: This is one that some may disagree on, but if you get past the first 3 songs (the pop hits), there's some seriously creative and wonderful music to be heard. Great to the end. Always been in my top list! They never did anything worthwhile again.

5. AC/DC - Back in Black: Of course most people thought they were history when Bon Scott bit the dust, but this one proved the world wrong. They never got it perfect again!

6. U2 - Joshua Tree: Every album since had me wishing for more of Joshua Tree. They blew all their creativity on this one. AMAZING!

7. Van Halen - #1: This one just turned 26 years old a few days ago. This one blew the world away! Hell of a debut album that was never matched again.

8. Guns n Roses - #1: Like Van Halen, they nailed it literally perfect right out of the gate. Too bad they too spent all their creative juices on the first one.


Ok guys, lets hear some of yours.


John
No excuses!
Post edited by Strong Bad on

Comments

  • pjdami
    pjdami Posts: 1,894
    edited May 2004
    Ditto your list there John. Some great albums indeed.

    I would replace U2 - Joshua Tree with "the unforgetable fire" as being my favorite from them. Van Halen 1984 was pretty cool but Van Halen 1 was better.

    What about the Eagles "Hotel California."

    Led Zeppelin 1 was revolutionary and one of my favs too.

    Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here".

    Rush "Exit Stage Left"; Red Barchetta makes me want to drive the stang fast. Tom Sawyer is one of my all time favorite songs.

    Boston "Third Stage"

    CCR Vol One..

    Man I could go on and on...
  • woodyjacobs
    woodyjacobs Posts: 706
    edited May 2004
    Great post and some great albums above. I don't know if Live albums should count since they are kind of Greatest Hits albums but Rush's Exit Stage Left was included above (and it is one of the best live albums ever) so I'm going to add a few more below. Here's some I'd like to add:

    Miles Davis - Kind of Blue - I never tire of it.

    Cake - Fashion Nugget. One of the few CDs that I own that I can get through without even thinking about taking it out.

    Nirvana - Nevermind - Besides being the most influential rock album of the 90's it had no bad songs.

    Led Zeppelin II - My favorite Zep album. How frickin' great is the riff from Heartbreaker?

    Lyle Lovett - Live In Texas - Great recording and great backing performances. I used to use this as a demo but then I realized it sounds so good that it can make any system sound better than it really is.

    Billy Joel - The Stranger - If he would have just stopped before "Uptown Girl..."

    Pixies - Doolittle - If you've never heard the Pixies start here.

    Sting - Bring on the Night - Succeeded in doing something that one of my all-time favorite bands, The Police, never did - make an album with no duds on it.

    Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense

    The The - Mind Bomb

    Violent Femmes - 1st - Nothing before or since has ever been more capable of producing a vulgar sing-along

    Megadeth - Countdown to Extinction - My favorite metal album ever.

    That's all I can think of right now.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited May 2004
    Anything by Weird Al Yankovich.
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,728
    edited May 2004
    Didn't see Miles mentioned anywhere...Aside from the others mentioned already:

    Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
    John Coltrane: Giant Steps & Blue train
    Charlie Parker: April in Paris & Dancing in the Dark
    Michael Brecker: Tales From the Hudson & self titled
    Lenny Pickett: With the Borneo Horns
    Maynard Ferguson: Carnival
    Arturo Sandoval: Swingin'
    Scott Joplin: Elite Syncopations
    UNT One O'clock Lab Band: Lab 92 and Lab 95
    Live: Secret Samadhi
    Dave Matthews Band: Under the Table and Dreaming
    Dream Theater: Scened From a Memory & Images and Words
    Jimi Hendrix: Are You Experienced
    Take 6: Self Titled
    Harry Connick Jr: Blue Light, Red Light

    those are the first few that come to mind...
  • gmorris
    gmorris Posts: 1,179
    edited May 2004
    Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive!!

    Audioslave - Audioslave

    Bare Naked Ladies - Rock Spectacle

    -great th'd BTW-
    Bob Mayo, on the keyboards. Bob Mayo.
  • ninerbj
    ninerbj Posts: 870
    edited May 2004
    Frank Zappa: Joe's Garage

    Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here

    The Tragically Hip: Day For Night

    SRV: Texas Flood

    Rush: Signals

    Steely Dan: Aja

    Neil Young: Decade

    Queensryche: Operation Mind Crime

    Todd Rundgren: Something/Anything

    Donald Fagan: The Nightfly
    "she had the body of Venus, with arms."
  • Billm57
    Billm57 Posts: 689
    edited May 2004

    Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
    Miles Davis - In A Silent Way
    Genesis - Selling England By The Pound
    Yes - Close To The Edge
    Led Zeppelin - IV
    John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
    Allman Brothers - At The Fillmore
    Agitation Free - Second
    Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
    Santana - I , Abraxas, and III
    The Who - Whos Next
    Pink FLoyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
    Deep Purple - Machine Head
  • dcarlson
    dcarlson Posts: 1,740
    edited May 2004
    Nice to see The Hip - Day for Night. That's a great one for sure. :)

    Sparing the usual Floyd and Zeppelin, tops in my books right now are:

    Radiohead - Ok Computer, Kid A
    Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
    RHCP - Blood Sugar Sex Magic
    The Stones - Sticky Fingers, Let it Bleed, Beggars Banquet, Exile on Main Street....
    Any Neil Young
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  • gregure
    gregure Posts: 871
    edited May 2004
    Nice to see so many music fans with similar interests to mine. I too feel the following are great albums:

    1. Led Zeppelin I is still my favorite. Ending the album with "How Many More Times" was genius. Of course I like IV, but Physical Grafitti also really gets me going. Nice to see so many Led Heads out there.
    2. Dark Side of the Moon
    3. The Who-Who's Next -how can you not love this album?
    4. U2-I also feel Joshua Tree is the best.
    5. Best of The Doors-One single album just doesn't do them justice.
    6. The Verve-Urban Hymns.
    7. Van Halen I
    8. Jeff Buckley-Grace. An ecclectic mix of songs, not quite a consistent album, but a lot of great music from an excellent singer, who died way too early.
    9. AC/DC-Back in Black
    10. Bon Jovi-Slippery When Wet

    And even though it doesn't fit with any of the above, one I listen to a lot (and a great disc to demo your speakers) is the score to Gladiator by Hanz Zimmer.
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  • mhw58
    mhw58 Posts: 359
    edited May 2004
    Beatles
    A Hard Days Night
    Rubber Soul
    Revolver
    White Album
    Abbey Road

    CCR
    Will and the Poorboys
    Cosmos Factory

    Rolling Stones
    Let it Bleed

    The Who
    Who's Next

    Jimi Hendrix
    Are you experienced

    Elton John
    **** Chateau
    Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

    Pink Floyd
    DSOTM
    Wish you were Here
    The Wall

    Dylan
    Highway 61
    Blood on the Tracks

    Beach Boys
    Pet Sounds

    Led Zepplin
    1, 2 and 4

    Deep Purple
    Machine Head

    Fleetwood Mac
    Rumours

    Springsteen
    Born to Run
    Darkness on the edge of town

    Jackson Browne
    Late for the sky

    Steely Dan
    The Royal scam
    Aja

    Radiohead
    The Bends
    OK Computer

    Nirvana
    Nevermind

    Cat Stevens
    Tea for the Tillerman

    Oasis
    What's the story morning glory

    Barenaked Ladies
    Gordon

    Miles Davis
    Kind of Blue
    Porgy and Bess

    John Coltrane
    My Favorite Things
    Love supreme

    Tom Petty
    Damn the Torpedos

    White Stripes
    Elephant


    Mike
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  • mhw58
    mhw58 Posts: 359
    edited May 2004
    8. Jeff Buckley-Grace. An ecclectic mix of songs, not quite a consistent album, but a lot of great music from an excellent singer, who died way too early.



    Just read on Billboard that Grace is being rereleased, remastered with a disc of bonus tracks in a couple of months.
    Mike
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  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    edited May 2004
    Pink Floyd - Obscured by Clouds
    Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's
    Sun Ra - Lanquidity
    Metallica - Master of Puppets
    Styx - Grand Illusion

    Just to name a few.
    Make it Funky! :)
  • pjdami
    pjdami Posts: 1,894
    edited May 2004
    Gidrah,

    Yeah man, Pink Floyd "Obscured by Clouds". Dude that is one that I used to spin a lot studying or just to put me to sleep.

    I'll have to add Pink Floyd "Meddle". Before I leave this earth I will have a dog named Seamus for sure.

    I will also add Journey "Frontiers". Great effin album.

    How could I forget Styx too. Good call there.
  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    edited May 2004
    Oops - new thread error. I hope the C&P works.

    Obscured by Clouds is my favorite Floyd album followed closely by Animals. Then again I'd rather listen to Atom Heart Mother than DSOTM. Meddle would top the list if Echoes could fit as one song. Great stuff, but the split makes for a rough album to love.
    Make it Funky! :)
  • kuntasensei
    kuntasensei Posts: 3,263
    edited May 2004
    Ditto on the aforementioned Radiohead - OK Computer and Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots.

    Others for me:
    Afghan Whigs - Black Love
    The Twilight Singers - Twilight
    Tool - Aenima
    Brad - Shame
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  • amulford
    amulford Posts: 5,020
    edited May 2004
    Oh man, for me to even try to put some of these down would be doing others injustice, but...

    All of Led Zeppelin - I got a friggin tattoo!!!
    Pink Floyd - DSOTM, Animals, Wish you were Here, Momentarry Lapse of Reason
    Yes - 90125, open your eyes, the yes album
    Rush - Moving pictures
    CSNY - Deja Vue
    Metallica - All of it
    Audioslave -
    Days of the new


    Man, I could be here all day!!!!
  • Strong Bad
    Strong Bad Posts: 4,278
    edited May 2004
    Damn, how could I have forgotten about Rush Moving Pictures and Yes 90125.

    Don't ya wish these groups could go back just one more time and get the magic back. This modern day rock is killing me! Not much good going on. Just alot of yelling and F-Bomb dropping.

    Audioslave did really well though. Big thumbs up on that one!


    Dorokusai (Mark), you're sick man! I'll see you guys soon though. Will shoot ya an email about an upcoming weekend.


    John
    No excuses!
  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited May 2004
    Oh man, where do I start:) This is in no particular order and I'm sure I'll miss many along the way but here's my list.

    Nightwish- 'Oceanborn', 'Wishmaster' and 'Century Child'

    Cradle of Filth- 'Vempire', 'Dusk and her Embrace', 'Cruelty and the Beast' and 'Midian'

    Lacuna Coil- 'Lacuna Coil'

    Therion- 'Vovin', 'Secrets of the Runes'

    Rhapsody- Any album

    Immortal- 'Sons of Northern Darkness'

    Amon Amarth- 'Versus the World'

    Kamelot- 'The Fourth Legacy', 'Karma' and 'Epica'

    Moonspell- 'Wolfheart'

    Sarah Brightman- 'Eden', 'La Luna', 'Classics', and 'Harem' I just purchased 3 more of her albums today (will buy 2 more tomorrow). I have to listen to all of them first but I'm sure they'll make it because I LOVE all her music.

    Maurice
  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited June 2004
    thought i'd add Supertramp's Breakfast in America.

    Carole King - Tapestry

    BareNaked Ladies - Stunt
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
  • woodyjacobs
    woodyjacobs Posts: 706
    edited June 2004
    Crap, how could I forget Breakfast in America. What a classic!

    I couple more that I think are near perfect:

    Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen
    Weezer - "Blue album"
    Rush - Hemispheres
    Seal - Seal (1st album - so sue me)
    Pink Floyd - The Wall, DSOTM (obviously)
    Yes - Yessongs
    Hedwig and Angry Inch - Original Soundtrack (it's one artist so it qualifies)
    SRV - Couldn't Stand the Weather, Texas Flood
    The Cure - Pornography
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    system 2:
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    2 channel
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  • Pablo
    Pablo Posts: 723
    edited June 2004
    All my favorites have been mentioned (Zep, Rush, Yes, the Who, ect.). Aside from the classics, one of my all time favorites;

    Counting Crows - August and Everything After

    Also (but not as good as the later);

    Blues Traveler - Four
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  • setzer808
    setzer808 Posts: 173
    edited June 2004
    Can't believe no one has mentioned:

    Cheap Trick: Live at Budokan

    I'd also say,

    ZZ Top: Eliminator
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  • bland_flabbis
    bland_flabbis Posts: 26
    edited June 2004
    I'll re-emphasise the person who put doolittle by the pixies as that's got to be on everyones list surely! mine are

    pixies - doolittle
    radiohead - kid a
    acid mothers temple - la novia
    squarepusher - music is a rotted one note
    boards of canada - music has the right to children
    nile - in their darkened shrines
    mogwai - happy songs for happy people
  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited June 2004
    don't know if it's been mentioned already or not..

    Slowhand - Eric Clapton
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited June 2004
    Michael Jackson - Thriller

    Sheryl Crow - The Globe Sessions

    Melissa Ethridge - Yes I am
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
  • George Grand
    George Grand Posts: 12,258
    edited June 2004
    The Carpenter's Greatest Hits
    Zamfir's Greatest Hits (Master of the Pan Flute)

    George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)
  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited June 2004
    Originally posted by George Grand
    The Carpenter's Greatest Hits
    Zamfir's Greatest Hits (Master of the Pan Flute)

    George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

    come on George.... play the right way or don't play at all. sheesh! :p

    your faves are all compilations.. not single albums/CD's.

    You got a lot to learn... now pay attention will ya. :D
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin: