I still go check out record shops! Atlanta has several decent spots for vinyl.
They need our business, so go relive the good ole days and pick up some wax.
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Greatest Album of All Time
- Thread starter AustinIllini
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I still go check out record shops! Atlanta has several decent spots for vinyl.
They need our business, so go relive the good ole days and pick up some wax.
My post had a pop album and an alternative album, so ha! (I say this in jest, of course.)
Can you shoot out the name of some music you'd put in your top 50 from the past 200 years? I'm really curious.
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Really? I thought his 80s and early 90s stuff was great. What about the Thriller-era? Don tell me you were one of the only people who didn't buy that album.
Nice list. Revolver and DSOM are definitely in my top.
I have to check Arcade Fire. Never heard of them.
I really can't think of a top 5 list, i mostly listen to classical and jazz. These genres have tons of compositions with interpretations from different people/orchestras, so it's hard for me to list 5 pieces. Bach had over 1000 compositions, Mozart around 600 (and he died at 35), FFS.
Instead i'll make a TOP 5 list with commercial/popular music. You know, that kind of music you used to hear on the radio.
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (Shine on You Crazy Diamond/The Wall/Meddle)
Beatles - Revolver (Sgt. Pepper/White/Abbey Road)
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 (Freewheelin'/Bringing it all back home/Blood on the tracks)
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (S/T)
Steely Dan - Aja (Royal Scam)
A TOP5 is not enough, a top 100 is better
. I left out a lot of albums i really like from bands like: Yes, Porcupine Tree, The Who, Eagles, Supertramp, Rush, Neil Young, M.Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lou Reed, Jimi Hendrix, Zappa, Deep Purple, CCR, etc.I'm waiting for the TOP 100 thread.
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I suppose we're going for a personal "greatest" list then?
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Parkway Drive - Deep Blue
In Flames - The Jester Race
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
AFI - Decemberunderground
Many, many more.
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Parkway Drive - Deep Blue
In Flames - The Jester Race
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
AFI - Decemberunderground
Many, many more.
**** yes! Seriously one of the best albums ever. Listening to it on vinyl is an incredible experience.
My personal top 5:
Hot Rats - Frank Zappa
Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys
Ænima - Tool
V is for Vagina - Puscifier
Nothing Shocking - Jane's Addiction
I love doing these kind of lists, because it really helps me look at my own tastes and will inevitably help me find things on others' lists to fall in love with.
Hot Rats - Frank Zappa
Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys
Ænima - Tool
V is for Vagina - Puscifier
Nothing Shocking - Jane's Addiction
I love doing these kind of lists, because it really helps me look at my own tastes and will inevitably help me find things on others' lists to fall in love with.
I always catch myself looking at vinyl copies of many of my favorites online. I have a phonograph, now if only I had the money for the actual records...
Excellent post. I primarily listen to my music on my phone, usually on shuffle. About a year ago I made a conscious effort to start listening to "albums" all the way through, in order. I was kind of surprised by how much more I appreciated and enjoyed the music. I've since given that up but have been meaning to go back to it. Something I'd suggest everyone try once in a while.
But the "album" as a concept predates the LP. 78's were packaged in actual albums as early as 1910. Usually this was done for longer works that couldn't fit on a single disc, though collections of popular songs did appear before the LP. And of course, for a long time the concept of "album" was very fluid, with songs being repackaged and reordered arbitrarily. In that vein, one could argue that "anything you can buy on a disc" should count. There isn't a very clear line between "album" and "non-album" in the broadest sense.
For instance, for me, the JSP collection of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings would be desert-island material, along with a collection of Ellington's Okeh recordings.
I'm probably letting my generational prejudices show...
The 78 rpm disc only held about 3 ½ minutes of music per side - similar to what a 45 rpm "single" did. It was this physical limitation that basically established the "standard" length of a popular song.
You are certainly correct in saying that music discs were sold in sets called "albums", usually featuring the work of a single artist or performer. But the fact that each side of the disc could be played pretty much independently of any of the other songs in the collection, and with the inconvenient need to hop up and change the record every three or so minutes, fundamentally - IMHO - changes the listening experience.
With the arrival of the 33 rpm discs, it was - for the first time in history - possible to sit on your couch and listen to almost half an hour of uninterrupted music.
I'd suggest that this technological innovation changed not just the way artists released their music, but also the very way in which they worked. A good example of this would be (sorry) The Beatles.
When the Beatles first became stars, they would record and release them two at a time; hoping that each song would become a hit in its own right and make its way to the top of the charts. Usually they'd record an original, and then often a cover of someone else's song as the "B" side on the 45 disc. (The Beatles 1964 and 1965 songs were not originally sold on 33 LPs in England, because it was felt it would be taking advantage of fans who had already bought them on 45 singles. Oh, those were such innocent times...)
This release schedule meant that the band would go back to the studio every six weeks or so.
But the 33 rpm LP changed all that. Rather than having to come up with a single new song every couple of months, the band had to come up with twelve or so new pieces of music. And, for obvious reasons, they couldn't fill half the album with covers. And so was born the idea of locking yourself in some sort of "seclusion", facing the pressure of coming up with a fairly large volume of music; hopefully tied together in some sort of theme.
This changed the whole work environment of the band. And the resulting personnel clashes led to the breakup of more than a few iconic acts.
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Led Zeppelin - BBC Sessions
Fleetwood Mac - The Dance
Eric Clapton - Cream of Clapton
The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over
Yes, most of them are "Greatest Hits" compilations or live, but there are so many good songs from these bands.
Led Zeppelin - BBC Sessions
Fleetwood Mac - The Dance
Eric Clapton - Cream of Clapton
The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over
Yes, most of them are "Greatest Hits" compilations or live, but there are so many good songs from these bands.
You, sir, are a prophet! BTW, too lazy to read through the complete thread but The Song Remains the Same by Led Zeppelin should be on this short list.
8 tracks suck.
thanks, that was an excellent read.
as much as i love vinyl, i also appreciate the advances that have come since that allow me to order/listen/carry my music with me everywhere. if i'm awake, i've music on of some sort. seems on par with air or water as things go.
it's always fun when the 'greatest' threads pop up because i always end up spotting a title or three that i've not heard in awhile, and then off i go to listen. thanks for stirring the pot a bit to get the good bits rounded up!
thanks, that was an excellent read.
as much as i love vinyl, i also appreciate the advances that have come since that allow me to order/listen/carry my music with me everywhere. if i'm awake, i've music on of some sort. seems on par with air or water as things go.
it's always fun when the 'greatest' threads pop up because i always end up spotting a title or three that i've not heard in awhile, and then off i go to listen. thanks for stirring the pot a bit to get the good bits rounded up!
Haha, thanks. Most, if not all, of the songs are from years before my time, but my dad raised me right.
EDIT: So I had some time to go back and read the rest of the thread. One thing I wanted to address was the whole concept of "the album". So many artists today produce a disconnected set of songs that just happen to be sold together. It makes it difficult to appreciate the music when there is little rhyme or reason to the track listing (not to mention filler songs). As one previous poster mentioned, the limit on track LP capacity forced the bands to produce good material. Now, music is fleeting. It can be downloaded onto a device on the go and played ad nauseam on the radio.
Still, one of the reasons I enjoy Pink Floyd so much is that it follows a kind of flow and tells a story (however messed up that story may be). It's why DSotM is ripped as a single track in my iTunes library.
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Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols - Sex Pistols
OK Computer - Radiohead
Marquee Moon - Television
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin
Dark Side of the Moon is a great album but I actually prefer Wish You Were Here.
OK Computer - Radiohead
Marquee Moon - Television
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin
Dark Side of the Moon is a great album but I actually prefer Wish You Were Here.
totally solid list.
having grown up with both of your Floyd picks, i'd add that i find them both equal, but for different reasons. i need both but at different times. the one and only one that i like better than either of those is 'Division Bell' and i know the die hards will give me a roughing up, but that's just me. put it one and hit repeat=awesome. it's like the one album i've never messed with the track order on, there's just something to the flow that makes my whole head happy.
i've not seen anyone list 'Jethro Tull' yet... am i alone in my love of all things Ian?
don't think i could pick just one, but at the moment i'd probably pick 'War Child' or maybe 'Songs from the Woods'. definitely not getting stranded on an island without 'Crest of a Knave' no matter the details. and going to need lots of extra batteries...
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Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
It's just perfect. I'm utterly convinced that this is the greatest album ever. It's got the one of the best album covers. Both lyrically and musically it's incredible, 'Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way.'
The Great Gig in the Sky, to me, achieves everything that was achieved in a lifetime of works by Beethoven, Bach and Mozart. I know that sounds absurd, but when I listen to the those works and The Great Gig in the Sky, I get a feeling of such an indescribable nature, that it blows my mind to think a human created it.
The way the album starts and how breathe kicks in is like the build up and breakthrough of psychedelic trip.
I never tire of listening to it. I once listened to it 9 times in a row. Something I doubt I could do with any other album.
I feel that this album isn't just a collection of songs, but a legion of songs that work together to achieve the greatness that this album does.
Albums that are great and deserve honourable mentions:
Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030
The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
Aladdin Sane - David Bowie
Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull
Are you Experienced? - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Dr. Aftershave and the Mixed Pickles - Missus Beastly
Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
Black Holes and Revelations - Muse
Thriller - Michael Jackson
The Bends - Radiohead
Neck of the Woods - Silversun Pickups
Who's Next - The Who
De Stijl - The White Stripes
Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 - H.I.M.
The Healer - Float
Rise of the Obsidian Interstellar - Disaterpeace
Rockferry - Duffy
Bon Iver - For Emma Forever Ago
Back in Black - AC/DC
Back to Black - Amy Winehouse
The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
Live albums that deserve a mention:
At Folsom Prison - Johnny Cash
Unplugged in New York - Nirvana
Live after Death - Iron Maiden
Good call - maybe not the 5 best albums of all time, but they'd definitely keep your chin up on a desert island
totally solid list.
having grown up with both of your Floyd picks, i'd add that i find them both equal, but for different reasons. i need both but at different times. the one and only one that i like better than either of those is 'Division Bell' and i know the die hards will give me a roughing up, but that's just me. put it one and hit repeat=awesome. it's like the one album i've never messed with the track order on, there's just something to the flow that makes my whole head happy.
i've not seen anyone list 'Jethro Tull' yet... am i alone in my love of all things Ian?
don't think i could pick just one, but at the moment i'd probably pick 'War Child' or maybe 'Songs from the Woods'. definitely not getting stranded on an island without 'Crest of a Knave' no matter the details. and going to need lots of extra batteries...
Glad to see someone else mention Jethro Tull; excellent choice.
As a result of your post, I just thought I'd mention that I happen to really like both 'The Division Bell' (by Pink Floyd) - very much one of my favourite albums of theirs - and indeed, Jethro Tull.......actually, the songs 'Living In The Past' and 'We Used To Know' are particular favourites.
Part of what makes Great Gig in the Sky so incredible is the fact that it was pretty much ad-libbed.
I'm really pleased that we can mostly agree how good DSotM is, though, partially because we have actual data proving that it's really good (I have it on CD and I'm claiming my dad's vinyl copy).
Spending 15 years on the Billboard charts is nothing to sneeze at. This list makes me both happy and sad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums
'Songs from the wood' is an incredible album, but one I've possibly overplayed.
Of all Tull - I'd end up with 'Heavy Horses'... more intimate and subtle, but no less impressive.