[Apocalypse Now]

Basically, what are your ten favorite albums? If you could give a little description of each, it would be cool.


1. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea – Neutral Milk Hotel


This overlooked masterpiece is a terrifying montage, a trip through tales of broken childhoods. It takes the stance that children are born innately good, and then society breaks them. This album means so much to me, more than I can really express. It’s catchy and it’s profound, it’s one of those pieces of artwork that elude categorization or definition.
Best Songs: In The Aeroplane over the Sea, Oh Comely, Two Headed Boy Part 2.

2. Revolver – The Beatles


This is the absolute best from arguably the greatest band in the history of popular music. This album The Beatles at their best, from brilliant songs like Eleanor Rigby and Tomorrow Never Knows, where The Beatles inadvertently invented techno music, with the first drum loop in popular music. The only weak spot is the song Yellow Submarine, which isn’t that bad of a song, but in relation to the others, is poor.
Best Songs: Eleanor Rigby, For No One, I Want To Tell You, Tomorrow Never Knows

3. Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan


What can I say? This album radiates brilliance. Bob Dylan is arguably the greatest songwriter of the 20th century. At his best, his lyrics are unmatched. He became the voice of a generation, and when he got bored with that, he turned on an electric guitar and pissed off his folk fan base. No other artist has worked so tirelessly to avoid labels as Bob Dylan.
Best Songs: Like a Rolling Stone, It Takes A Lot to Laugh It Takes A Train to Cry, Queen Jane Approximately, Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues.

4. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars – David Bowie


This is the album that made Bowie famous, and with good reason. There are spots of this album where it is pure operatic ecstasy, where his songwriting talents really shine through. On this album, Bowie combines all his influences and creates a masterpiece.
Best Songs: Five Years, Starman, Lady Stardust, Ziggy Stardust

5. Exile on Main St. – The Rolling Stones


This could possibly be the great American album. And it was made by some British louts. That’s the paradox of The Rolling Stones, they are some of the best interpreters of American music. And though it all went downhill in the 80s for them, their stuff in the 60s and 70s, at its best, can hold up with anything else made in those decades. This album is raw, edgy and full of energy, and is their greatest.
Best Songs: Tumbling Dice, Sweet Virginia, Let it Loose, Shine a Light

6. OK Computer – Radiohead


God, it took me a while, but I’ve totally fallen in love with this album. I’ve heard some people say that this is the last great album, that after this, we’ve reverted to a pre-Beatles era of singles, all thanks to MP3s and such, where overall album quality doesn’t matter, and that the rest of the songs on the album are just filler. I could agree with that somewhat. Whatever it is, this album is a gospel of the computer age. It wouldn’t have worked in any decade before the 90s. Its tones of nihilism and apathy are perfect for our age. Its saying: hey, the machine is fucked up, we both know that, so lets dance!
Best Songs: Paranoid Android, Karma Police, No Surprises

7. Bee Thousand – Guided by Voices


This album is pure, low tech, songwriting. As soon as you hear it, you know it wasn’t recorded in a studio, but my god, the songwriting is brilliant. It’s one of the key albums of the Indie Rock scene in the 90s. Most bands exploit and use a lot of their hooks and melodies twice, but not on this album, clocking in at 36 minutes and 20 songs, it shows someone rejoicing in songwriting.
Best Songs: Tractor Rape Chain, Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory, Ester’s Day, I Am A Scientist.

8. Odessey and Oracle – The Zombies


The album exudes joy. Listening to it, I wonder why the Zombies aren’t more popular. This album is without a doubt one of the top ten albums of the 60s. In terms of the main stream, not many people have heard it, and that’s a shame. This is the most ‘sixties’ sounding album out there.
Best Songs: Care of Cell 44, Brief Candles, Changes, Butcher’s Tale, Time of the Season.

9. Five Leaves Left – Nick Drake


This debut from the unfortunately short-lived singer songwriter Nick Drake is absolutely brilliant. Nick Drake’s fate was that of Emily Dickinson and Van Gogh, his fame achieved only after his death. It is a beautiful and tender masterpiece.
Best Songs: Time Had Told Me, River Man, Way to Blue, Fruit Tree.

10. The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground


This album is the root of everything indie, everything punk, everything outside the fringe of mainstream rock. 1967 was the fabled ‘Summer of Love’, it was the height of the hippie movement. That year, the two most influential albums of the latter part of the 20th century were released. One of them was The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which revolutionized studio recording techniques and the idea of a ‘concept album.’ The other album was this one, an experimental art rock album by a band managed by Andy Warhol. This album shows their great range.
Best Songs: I’m Waiting for the Man, Venus in Furs, All Tomorrow’s Parties, Heroin.

[Adjutant Stormy~]

These are excellent choices, and excepting the first, I actually own all of them!

I would add Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin.



What can I really say? Not liking Led Zeppelin is tantamount to high treason. Godfathers of rock, they were masters of their craft, creating engrossing, highly atmospheric music tht was versatile, never dependent on a single songwriting template. I would have liked to choose the entire discography, but this just happens to be my favorite album. Best songs? Kashmir, Houses of the Holy. The only downside to this album is not containing No Quarter.

[Apocalypse Now]

I love Led Zeppelin as well, though they've fallen off my all time lists. I say the best Zeppelin album is IV. When the Levee Breaks rocks the shit out of every song done by them, IMO.

On Physical Graffiti, my favorites are In My Time of Dying, Ten Years Gone, In The Light, and Down by the Seaside. Oh, and Kashmir.

[Yellow]

Good choices. I might have a go at this over the next few days.

Apocalypse, have you seen this live version of aeroplane over the sea? Better than the one on the album, imo I love this song.

This post has been edited by Yellow: 02 January 2009 - 09:26 PM

[teholbeddict]

This was hard for me! I hate coming up with these lists! Anyways, in now particular order:

Zero 7 - Simple Things
One of my favourite electronic groups, this album is soulful, spiritual, rhythmic and extremely calming. I'll never get tired of it.

N.E.R.D. - Fly or Die
I'm a huge fan of N.E.R.D. excellent as far as their own work goes and fantastic producing for so many other artists. These guys are completely underrated! This album is one of my favs as they were really doing something completely different from the rest of the hip hop game. It's not really even hip hop to be honest - it's just great music.

Jamiroquai - A Funk Odyssey
My all time favourite electronic group! I love all of their albums, but this is by far the best. Very funky, excellent beats and I love Jay's (the lead singer) voice. He's like a young Stevie Wonder. It's just excellent feel good music!
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Some of his most creative work, this was really thinking out of the box at the time. This album is a huge statement! The music is absolutely genius, maybe even his best! He was laying tracks down a mile a minute, he almost had more ideas than he could voice or play. I don't think he ever reached this level again.
Michael Jackson - Off the Wall
Michael Jackson when he was still working with Quincy Jones! Excellent prodution and instrumentals as is always the case with Quincy. Michael was still normal at this point and the music is full of energy, you really hear how much potential he has. For me this is better than Thriller!
Marvin Gay - What's Going On
This is really music with a message behind it and it was a big comeback for Marvin. The only album he produced entirely on his own. The whole almub is told from the view point of a Vietnam vet returning to the country he fought for only to find that it's full of violence, injustice and hatred. It's very powerful!

A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
For me TCQ is the best hip-hop group of all time. Q-tip's rhymes are unbelieveable, Phife is really agressive and it's all smoothed out by the genius production of Ali. This is old school, but much more sophisticated and musical than alot of what was being released at the time.

Radio Head - The Bends
Although this album didn't have a ton of commercial success it's some of their best music. It's overshadowed by albums like OK Computer and Kid A, but this is quality music. Alot of abrasive guitar and more keyboards than their previous work. Not their most experimental, but it's never boring.

A Tribe Called Quest - The Love Movement
Once again back to TCQ, this was their final album and possibly one of the best. The Love Movement came on the heels of some albums which were less than stellar. The group all decided they wanted to go their own ways and put forth one final effort. It brings out the best in all of them. The album is really smooth and has a jazz feel to it. I was sad to see them go and am still hoping they get back together as they are much better as a group than they are apart!
Duran Duran - Rio
I don't know why but I've always been a sucker for Duran Duran! Rio and Save A Prayer are two of my favourite Duran Duran songs. This whole album just puts me in a good mood. I listent to it on my ipod at the gym all the time. It's corny I know but I love the 80's

This post has been edited by teholbeddict: 02 January 2009 - 10:00 PM

[Apocalypse Now]

 Yellow, on Jan 2 2009, 09:24 PM, said:

Good choices. I might have a go at this over the next few days.

Apocalypse, have you seen this live version of aeroplane over the sea? Better than the one on the album, imo I love this song.

That's a good version. Personally, the best song on that album is Two Headed Boy Pt. 2. The lyrics are just heartbreaking.

[Yellow]

Wow, tehol, we have such different musical tastes.

Ok, couldn't resist having a go, but couldn't come up with a whole ten (I'll wake up in the middle of the night and piss myself off with that).

1. Pulp - Different Class



This album is not only the voice of a decade, it's also the voice of an entire social class (yes, it does stand up to its own claims). Sharp, poignant, and decidedly poppy, this thing has a beat you can dance to, get angry to, then decide-you-don't-give-a-fuck-about-and-you're-going-to-have-a-good-time to. Defined my entire teenage-hood. They were never better, and they were dead on.

Best tracks Common People, I Spy, Disco 2000

2. The Beatles - White Album



It seems both pointless and inevitable that the Beatles make it into an all time top ten, and shit, I've got two of them in here. But I make no apologies, and certainly not here - this one was truly ground-breaking. Revolver may have shook things up, but this one had the guts to sit back and ignore the rules entirely. Music hall, garish rock, lullabies and pure invention, all wrapped up into a double album that's not a second too long.

Best tracks Blackbird, Rocky Racoon, Honey Pie

3. Gomez - Bring It On



The overlooked joke of British music. The band who everybody's heard of, but nobody's listened to. They won the Mercury award, and they've never been able to shake it. This album encapsulates the heart of the late nineties - all that was best in British music, captured by a bunch of technically gifted, intelligent, soulful musicians, and mixed with the fuck-it mentality of 21-year-old drug-fuelled fun. edit - plus, I would pay a fuck-load of money to have this piece of artwork on my wall.

Best tracks Tijuana Lady, Get Myself Arrested, Free To Run

4. Damien Rice - O



Aethereal. That's the closest I can come to describing this thing, this amalgam of sound and emotion. Largely an acoustic journey into the heart of a slightly sex-obsessed Irishman, but with the timeless and pain-edged tinge of thoughtfulness. It rings true, and somewhat painful. It seems I'm on a journey to learn to play this thing on guitar. It's a definitive piece of work.

Best tracks (and these ones change daily) Delicate, Cheers Darlin', I Remember

5. Various - Good Will Hunting OST



Ok, the purists won't like this, but screw them. It's not by one band/person, but it has such coherence to it that it could outshine any of my other choices for voice. Elliott Smith was still alive, and you can't deny his overwhelming presence on this album. Rock and roll became tumble and slide, and every single one of the songs on this album were not only perfectly chosen, but perfectly placed. Melancholia, comfort, relaxation, all in one place.

Best tracks Elliott Smith's

6. The Beatles - Abbey Road



I couldn't resist another. Their last, chronologically, and I can't help thinking it was when they were most separate, most independent. Each of their voices were given forefront. They each had their time for the limelight, and they each gave their best. There was even room for a bit of experimentation. This was the Beatles at their most polished, and sometimes you can cringe at that (Maxwell, Octopus), but the rest of the time, all you can do is admire them. The most beautiful album they ever made.

Best tracks Here Comes The Sun, You Never Give Me Your Money, Golden Slumbers

====


Ok, that's about as far as I think I can go without putting in filler. I'll probably think of others :0

Honorary mentions:

Bluetones - Expecting to Fly

Probably more for my own memories than anything else. A band who managed to distill mid-nineties indie into CD form.

Stephen Fretwell - Magpie

It's not often you come across something so thoughtful, or as well organised. Plus, the guy can really sing.

Radiohead - Hmm

I love The Bends, and I love OK Computer... but neither would make it to my list. I think if they'd made an album somewhere half way between these two, then it would have been something amazing.

No Bob, no Simon and Garf. These guys deserve the Hall of Fame for the amount of amazing stuff they've released over the years, but really there's not a single album I'd call great (though Blonde on Blonde was half genious, half crap, does that count?)

PS - Apocalypse, you liked Revolver. My favourite (all time) Beatles song was "For No One" from that album. I've always enjoyed this guy's cover of it. Very mellow, very beautiful. Hope you like it.

Plus, fuck it. I like to promote bands I like Check out Emmy the Great and Fleet Foxes, both of which might make it to my list in a short amount of time.

Oooh, and all ye fantasy lovers - check out Amanda Palmer doing a version of Neil Gaiman's "I Google You". Class.

Ok, I'll leave it now.

This post has been edited by Yellow: 03 January 2009 - 12:23 AM

[Yellow]

 Apocalypse Now, on Jan 2 2009, 10:29 PM, said:

Personally, the best song on that album is Two Headed Boy Pt. 2. The lyrics are just heartbreaking.

I dunno, it's too harsh for "heartbreaking". The guy is good, but he's on the edge of what I can take, whine-wise. Some stuff is amazing, others are a little painful, if I'm honest. I always find it kind of funny when he sings "soft and sweet" cos really, he often sounds the opposite.

[Apocalypse Now]

 Yellow, on Jan 2 2009, 11:58 PM, said:

 Apocalypse Now, on Jan 2 2009, 10:29 PM, said:

Personally, the best song on that album is Two Headed Boy Pt. 2. The lyrics are just heartbreaking.

I dunno, it's too harsh for "heartbreaking". The guy is good, but he's on the edge of what I can take, whine-wise. Some stuff is amazing, others are a little painful, if I'm honest. I always find it kind of funny when he sings "soft and sweet" cos really, he often sounds the opposite.

It's funny, I sort of agree with the 'soft and sweet' comment. I mean, you probably know that the album is about his obsession with Anne Frank and the symbol that she is.

Quote

In my dreams you're alive and you're crying
As your mouth moves in mine, soft and sweet
Rings of flowers around your eyes and I'll love you
For the rest of your life

The first line of that verse is what hooks me and makes me forgive anything else in it.

Quote

Brother, see, we are one and the same
And you left with your head filled with flames
And you watched as your brains
Fell out through your teeth, push the pieces in place
Make your smile sweet to see, don't you take this away
I'm still wanting my face on your cheek

Jeff Mangum's brother killed himself, and when I was listening to this album for the first time I read that, and then a couple of songs later when that comes, my jaw dropped. I think it's very powerful.

Quote

And when we break, we'll wait for our miracle
God is a place where some holy spectacle lies
And when we break, we'll wait for our miracle
God is a place you will wait for the rest of your life

This is one of my favorite verses, ever. Very emotional.

I don't think the guy is whining at all.

[Yellow]

His message isn't whiny, but his voice can be quite straining.

Quote

What a curious life we have found here tonight
There is music that sounds from the street
There are lights in the clouds
Anne's ghost all around
Hear her voice as it's rolling and ringing through me
Soft and sweet
How the notes all bend and reach above the trees

Absolute beauty.

But my girlfriend still tells me to turn that shit down whenever I put it on

[teholbeddict]

 Yellow, on Jan 2 2009, 04:54 PM, said:

Wow, tehol, we have such different musical tastes.

Yes it would seem we do have very different tastes. There's nothing wrong with that though! I listent to so many genres of music that it's hard for me to come up with a top ten. Alot of my all time favoutire albums happen to be soca and calypso, the albums posted are also among my favourites for other genres I listent o frequently. I listed them in part because I thought people would be a much more familiar with them than some of my Trini music. Didn't want to have to go into major explanations on stuff no one really has heard of. As I said I hate making these lists. I'd be much happier if it was top fifty or something like that!

[Yellow]

List me some of your favourite calypso shit (plus links!) and I will gladly check them out

I have no idea what soca even is.

This post has been edited by Yellow: 02 January 2009 - 11:38 PM

[teholbeddict]

Ok as requested by yellow here is my favourite soca and calypso (songs not albums)! The stuff I grew up on, in no particular order!

1) David Rudder - Trini to De Bone (Calypso)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V2kH_ZGKQI...feature=related

2) Krosfyah - Pump Me Up
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=ySPMK1U3HdY

3) Chris Garcia - Chutney bacchanal (soca)
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=RyjiRHQneSM

4) Lord Kitchener - Sugar Bum Bum (Calypso)
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=YwYr7l0ijKw

5) machel Montano - Toro Toro (soca)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZj1-hvMK-s...=1&index=16

6) Crazy -Nani Wine (calypso)
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=P4kYlbxH5aI

8) Baron - Somebody (calypso)
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=O29JjAboPTs

9) Sherwayne Winchester - De Ban Coming(soca)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ANClPBhfTg...feature=related

10) Machel Montano - Jumbie (soca)
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Om5Hi6GAL9Y

This post has been edited by teholbeddict: 03 January 2009 - 12:47 AM

[Yellow]

Ok, that's a fair amount. I'll get back to you tomorrow

ps - I love that you pointed out the soca.

This post has been edited by Yellow: 03 January 2009 - 12:37 AM

[teholbeddict]

Just trying to be helpful! I didn't expect you to know which was which!

[Lost Marine]

That you in the picture of the carnival dancers in the first video TB? Nice selection though, it's funny how the music that means the most to us might not even be someone else's cup of tea.

As for mine:

In no particular order-

Nirvana- nevermind
I remember when this came out it was like new life was force fed into the radio with grungy guitars and whiny angst, just the antidote for the late 80's palp that had been out. I don't know about other folks but for teenage white kids in America these guys were the Beatles.

metallica- Ride the Lightning
the last refuge of true metal in the dross of the hairband era

Tom T. Hall- No particular album, just his whole catalogue, the man tells a story with every song, most of them don't even rhyme but they're great music none the less

Townes van Zandt- High, Low, and In Between
Great song writer and singer, wrote the original version of Pancho and Lefty, it's real simple music but it gets me everytime.
If you can find it try "The Silver Ships of Andilar" since this is a fantasy forum folks ought to dig it.

Offspring- Americana

The Clash- The Clash ( I love London Calling, Combat rock, and Sandinista but to me this is the Clash at their purist.)

Robert Johnson- The Complete Recordings
If you don't know who this is look him up.

I'm tired that's as far as I'm going tonight.

[teholbeddict]

 Lost Marine, on Jan 2 2009, 10:51 PM, said:

That you in the picture of the carnival dancers in the first video TB? Nice selection though, it's funny how the music that means the most to us might not even be someone else's cup of tea.

No my dear for once it's not me! It's some other crazy carnival dancer, I have no idea who! The last thing I need is for my picture to be all over you tube! I just randomly picked that one off of you tube as the song doesn't have an actual video. Alot of people seem to have done those picture compilations for that song.

[bubba]

Snakes & Arrows

Grace under Pressure

Signals

Permanent waves

2112

Moving Pictures

Caress of Steel

A Farewell to kings

Hold your fire

Hemispheres

Exit Stage Left

[Binder of Demons]

Having spent so much time recently doing a list of my favourite albums of 2008, it's hard to think of a list of 10 favourite albums since so many new ones are fresh in my mind (and i don't know if they will really have long term appeal like some others)

But here are a few which i have loved for years and i don't see that changing

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
As has been described above previously, a classic album.

DJ Shadow - Entroducing
I was a fan of hip-hop and in particular scratching, but this album, one of the first to be made entirely of samples is a bon fide classic. Tracks like "Midnight (in a perfect world)", "Stem" and "Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt" are simply brilliant.

Kruder and Dorfmeister - The K&D Sessions
One of the best electronica albums ever, more specifically a chilled out jazzy type of drum and bass.

Mogwai - Happy Songs For Happy People
I love the ironic title of the album considering how the songs feel morose of the one hand, and menacing the next. A great instrumental album that is rock but feels electronic. The opening track, "Hunted By A Freak" tells you all you need to know.

Jeff Buckley - Grace
Was a huge fan of this album when it came out, and it stands up really well. While i definitely have preferred tracks on the album, it does work well as a whole. At his best he was truly breathtaking.

Pixies - Doolittle
Doolittle was the first Pixies album i got and as such it has a special place in my heart. Plus it is a very strong album overall. I may prefer individual tracks off other pixies albums but this is the ALBUM i'd put on.

The Plague Monkeys - Surface Tension
This is the debut album from a barely heard of Irish band from the 90's. I know they are an acquired taste, but I loved this album and it is associated with a lot of memories for me. They were often compared to The Cocteau Twins and The Sundays mainly due to Carol Keogh's voice, and the occasional jangley guitar. I loved the obscure/abstract lyrics, the instrumentation and her haunting voice. I once worked on a fishing boat for several months, and this was my escape from perpetual seasickness. I could just put it on, close my eyes and drift away. Truly the saviour of my sanity. The standout track for me is called "Surfacing", but the only album track i could find on youtube is White Feathers. Another song of theirs called The Plague Monkeys is probably a better introduction though the quality of the clip isn't great and you have to listen to a brief intro. But it is lovely.

This post has been edited by Binder of Demons: 03 January 2009 - 05:47 PM

[Macros]

Powerage - AC/DC.
Probably the best Bon Scott album. masterpiece of rock. (high voltage (the second release) comes close)
BallBreaker - AC/DC
Probably the best Brian Johnson Album, better than Back in Black.
Appetite for Destruction
The peak of Guns 'n' Roses
There is Nothing Left to Lose - Foo Fighters
Love every song on this album (most cite the colour and the shape as the foo's best, but bar Everlong, my Hero and My poor brain its an average offering)
Scars - SOiL
Meh, plenty of people don't like them, I havent heard their newer stuff with a new singer, but againn, love pretty much every track on this album
No Name Face - Lifehouse
Just because
Follow the Leader - KoRn
Whilst I like Issues, the little interrlude tracks can be iritating, follow the leader is a listen through, bar cametoesis
Full Moon Fever - Tom Petty

its not ten, but the other albums that get most play in the car are greatest hits (AC/DC live 2 disc, ZZ Top, G'n'R, Chris Rea, Tom Petty, The Offspring)