Best Music Albums of All Time

Joined Nov 2020
2,538 Posts | 2,580+
Canuckistan
What, of all time? As I said earlier, a bit premature. IE as far as I'm aware we haven't arrived at the end of time yet.

That doesn't seem to be an issue for the millions of others who engage of GOAT discussions in sports, movies, whatever.

I mean, really?
 
Joined Aug 2021
15,042 Posts | 10,411+
Italia
Loveless of Bloody Valentine is also one of the greatest albums of all time for me
 
Joined Dec 2021
8,823 Posts | 4,298+
Australia
I make no claims of superlatives. There are only three that have really stuck in my mind, all Beatles albums:

Rubber Soul

Sgt Pepper

Double White.

I'm sure there have been many better albums, or a least many considered better . It's very subjective. Only this year I finally heard "Rumours' by Fleetwood Mac . Quite liked it. Also tried to listen to some Pink Floyd and failed.

I've also listened to some early Kate Bush, who I think is a genius. But then, I also thought Amy Winehouse was brilliant, albeit for different reasons.

This month my favourite is early Sinead O'Connor. Have never come across a singer who conveys visceral emotion as well as she---------Before her, I thought much the same of Janis Joplin. Don't think that any more. As brilliant and tragic as Janis was, she sang within a recognisable tradional blues style. So she's the best white blues singer I've ever heard, not the best singer--
 
Joined Aug 2021
15,042 Posts | 10,411+
Italia
I make no claims of superlatives. There are only three that have really stuck in my mind, all Beatles albums:

Rubber Soul

Sgt Pepper

Double White.

I'm sure there have been many better albums, or a least many considered better . It's very subjective. Only this year I finally heard "Rumours' by Fleetwood Mac . Quite liked it. Also tried to listen to some Pink Floyd and failed.

I've also listened to some early Kate Bush, who I think is a genius. But then, I also thought Amy Winehouse was brilliant, albeit for different reasons.

This month my favourite is early Sinead O'Connor. Have never come across a singer who conveys visceral emotion as well as she---------Before her, I thought much the same of Janis Joplin. Don't think that any more. As brilliant and tragic as Janis was, she sang within a recognisable tradional blues style. So she's the best white blues singer I've ever heard, not the best singer--
Nico is probably the greatest female musical artist that i've ever heard, sure she was helped by a great producer, John Cale, but her genius is all there. She's also a great singer but honestly for me it's difficult to say who are the greatest singers.
What songs or albums of Pink Floyd did you listen? If they're in the post-Barrett phase i totally understand you.


I was never really interested in Flatwood Mac, what do you think about them?
 
Joined Dec 2021
8,823 Posts | 4,298+
Australia
I was never really interested in Flatwood Mac, what do you think about them?
Meh

Always loved "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane, but a full album just didn't measure up. Liked Grace Slick though.

Pink Floyd? Not sure. Possibly Dark Side of The Moon.

As I said, it's very subjective. As I see it, popular music almost always reflects its place and time, and the tastes/feelings/world view of a specific demographic . I was especially receptive to new sounds from when I was 16 to age 20 (conscripted June 67, didn't hear all that much music fora couple of years) I missed an awful lot of stuff from late 1967 to mid 1970. There were some exceptions, such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Procol Harum, Yardbirds, (with Eric Clapton) and The Small Faces. Thought Steve Marriott was amazing. Plus Beach Boys Of course. I've gone off them over the last few years, same with The Four Seasons.

In latter years, I pretty much forgot about pop music, and focused on Jazz and Blues. The last decade or so I discovered old style country music, going back to The Carter Family. Even though much later, still love Iris Dement, in that 'authentic' style.

"Let The Mystery Be"



As odd as this may seem, it's my opinion that ABBA was/is the most perfect rock group in the history of pop music, whose members wrote the most perfect pop music ever written.
 
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Joined Aug 2021
15,042 Posts | 10,411+
Italia
Meh

Always loved "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane, but a full album just didn't measure up. Liked Grace Slick though.

Pink Floyd? Not sure. Possibly Dark Side of The Moon.

As I said, it's very subjective. As I see it, popular music almost always reflects its place and time, and the tastes/feelings/world view of a specific demographic . I was especially receptive to new sounds from when I was 16 to age 20 (conscripted June 67, didn't hear all that much music fora couple of years) I missed an awful lot of stuff from late 1967 to mid 1970. There were some exceptions, such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Procol Harum, Yardbirds, (with Eric Clapton) and The Small Faces. Thought Steve Marriott was amazing. Plus Beach Boys Of course. I've gone off them over the last few years, same with The Four Seasons.

In latter years, I pretty much forgot about pop music, and focused on Jazz and Blues. The last decade or so I discovered old style country music, going back to The Carter Family. Even though much later, still love Iris Dement, in that 'authentic' style.

"Let The Mystery Be"



As odd as this may seem, it's my opinion that ABBA was/is the most perfect rock group in the history of pop music, whose members wrote the most perfect pop music ever written.

Yeah Dark Side Of The Moon is post-Barrett, try with their first album, Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, a real masterpiece in my opinion, Syd Barrett was really unique, Pink Floyd became much more unoriginal after him, their only saving grace is the great technical ability but i don't care much about that.

Really can't tell about ABBA or pop as i've never been a fan of both. I know some songs from ABBA and i quite like them.
 
Joined Jun 2013
6,524 Posts | 140+
USA
If I had to make a top 10 personal favorite albums, in no particular order, it'd be these 10:

1. Abbey Road - The Beatles
2. Blood Mountain - Mastodon
3. Hybrid Theory - Linkin Park
4. Jar of Flies - Alice in Chains
5. Kick - INXS
6. Master of Puppets - Metallica
7. Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
8. To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
9. Van Halen I - Van Halen
10. The Wall - Pink Floyd
 
Joined Oct 2010
17,025 Posts | 4,448+
These are the Albumns I wentt through period of obsessively played as Albums. Rather than songs , I ofen made up tapes or CD of my fav soungs fro drivin around, and there are mnay Alums I played a lot for 3-4 songs off without getting right into the Album overall The Cowboy Junkies - The Caution Horses, for instance or songs I loved such my Pal -GOD and TV Addict - Teh Victims without loving teh album (or there wa not one)

1- Horses - Patti Smith,
2 - ll At Ease - The Mark of Cain.
3- 4 Track Demos - PJ Harvey
4 - Live At Pompeii - Pink Floayd
5 - Radio Appear - Radio Biordman
6 - Love Planet - Painters and Dockers.
7 - Night of the Wolverine - Dave Graney
9 - Eddy Current and the Suppression Ring - Eddy Current and the Suppression RIng.
9 - Teenage Snuff Films - Rowland S Howard.
10- Set it On Fire - Various Artists cover the Scientists
11 -Off Ya Cruet - Cosmic Psychos
12- LA Woman - The Doors
13 -The Unbearable Lightness of Being a ........ - Mr Floppy
14 -The Aunite Winne Album - Beavis Frond
15 - Distemper - The New Christs.
16 - Great Trucking Songs of the Renaissance - This Is Seriois Mum.
17 - First and Last - New Race,
 
Joined Jan 2021
4,992 Posts | 3,605+
Conch Republic. "WE Seceded where others failed"
I tend to go in phases with not just 'an' album but multiple albums by the same artist.

1 - Pink Floyd - everything from Pompeii onward, including Roger Waters' solo albums. The earlier stuff I can take in small doses, but honestly sounds rather 'dated'.
2 - Moody Blues - Days of future passed through Seventh Sojourn.
3 - Fleetwood Mac - Mystery to Me, White Album, and Rumours.
4 - REM - Out of Time through Monster
5 -
Sergio Mendez and Brasil '66 - Basically, anything of theirs before they went 'Disco' in '77 or so.
6 - Neil Young and/or Crosby Stills Nash & Young. Just about anything, but some albums I have to be in just the right mood for.
 
Joined Dec 2021
8,823 Posts | 4,298+
Australia
As a long time fan of HG Wells, my personal favourite:

View attachment 60982

Yeah, I remember that, had it on Vinyl. Loved it. Also loved "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth"

"Journey to the Centre of the Earth is the second album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released on 3 May 1974 by A&M Records. It is a live recording of the second of his two concerts at the Royal Festival Hall on 18 January 1974, the premiere of his 40-minute orchestral rock piece based on Jules Verne's 1864 science fiction novel of the same name. It tells the story of Professor Lidinbrook, his nephew Axel, and their guide Hans, who follow a passage to the Earth's centre originally discovered by Arne Saknussemm, an Icelandic alchemist. Wakeman performs with the London Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Choir, and a group of hand-picked musicians for his rock band, which later became the English Rock Ensemble. Actor David Hemmings narrates the story."

 
Joined Jan 2017
4,429 Posts | 2,140+
UK
King Crimson: For me it's a toss-up between the near-perfect "In the Court of the Crimson King" and the more musically adventurous "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" as their best album. I go with their debut.




Quarteto Novo: Energetic Brazilian folk jazz courtesy of Airto Moreira and Hermeto Pascoal.




Tomasz Stanko Quintet: Polish Jazz from the heir apparent to Krzysztof Komeda




Magma: If Carl Orff and John Coltrane made a prog rock album, it would sound like "Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh"




Toumani Diabate & Ballake Sissoko: Their fathers recorded "Ancient Strings" together, the sons created a new twist on the Malian kora: "New Ancient Strings".

 
Joined Dec 2021
8,823 Posts | 4,298+
Australia
I've been listening to this a lot lately: Rock On (1971) by Humble Pie. I highly recommend people give it a listen:



My favourite radio is Coast FM 88.70. It's community radio run by volunteers. Many retired presenters. For me it's "music for old farts" because they concentrate on music from the1950's to 1970's.

The irony is that a couple of years ago I bought this really spiffy radio. It's a Bush and I got it for half price. It plays FM, Digital and Internet Radio. That's hundreds if not thousands of stations. Although I might listen to some exotic stations, I usually end up back with Coast FM.

Coast FM may be streamed:

 
Joined Jan 2017
4,429 Posts | 2,140+
UK
Neil Ardley: A Symphony of Amaranths. Jazz meets classical paying homage to Duke Ellington and Gil Evans. The opening title track lasts over 25 minutes, followed by Ivor Cutler reciting Edward Lear's nonsense poem "The Dong with a Luminous Nose", Norma Winstone sings "Three Poems" (one each of Yeats, Joyce and Carroll).




Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin & Al Di Meola. Three guitarists, One Night in San Francisco:




Pharoah Sanders: Most people go with "Karma", I think the aggressive/peaceful dynamic in Pharoah's saxophone playing came out best in "Izipho Zam" (My Gifts), I don't even mind Leon Thomas' yodelling.




Tribe Called Quest: Out of their first 3 albums "Midnight Marauders" has no weak songs.




Yes: Heard so many good things about "Close to the Edge" I wasn't sure if it could live up to expectations or if it'd turn out just another dadrock dud. That opening track is something else...

 
Joined Dec 2021
8,823 Posts | 4,298+
Australia
The very same station. I listen to it digitally, but I originally found it while driving around the Central Coast.

Great. At one time I lived just a few blocks down from their studio.

I thought of volunteering to be an announcer. Decided not because I have a rather irritating general Australian accent. I've heard it recorded and it has always annoyed me, but not quite enough to take elocution lessons.
 

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