What are Your Favorite Albums of All Time?
OK, I was originally going to ask what five albums you would choose if you were deserted on an island (with a working stereo of course) but then I realized that I could not narrow my list down that far. So instead, I thought I would just ask for any albums you consider to be a favorite.
I consider a “favorite” to be an album that has influenced your life and/or taste in music significantly. It is something that you never tire of listening to. You know, one of those that perks your ears up as soon as you hear the first note.
I am anxious to see input from others in hopes of learning about something I have not yet heard. I will start a separate discussion to ask what people are currently listening to. You know, something that might become a favorite one day.
Here are a few of mine in no particular order (except the first one). Feel free to add your own all at once or as they come to mind.
- Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon (this is hands down my favorite album of all time)
- The Beatles – Revolver
- Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
- David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
- Metallica – Ride the Lightning
- The Clash – London Calling
- Willie Nelson – Red Headed Stranger
- The Band – Self-Titled (also known as the brown album)
- Iron Maiden – Killers
- Bob Marley – Legend
- R.E.M. - Reckoning
- Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
- Paul Simon – Graceland
- Queen – A Night at the Opera
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Razorback
8 years, 2 months agoGlen - Any idea why the line breaks are not working on my list? I entered them as separate lines with a return but for some reason it is grouping them into a paragraph. Lack of punctuation, perhaps?
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brian
8 years, 2 months agoThis is a great use case for the list formatting. Check out the formatting help link and if you put each item in a bullet format, it should do the right thing.
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Razorback
8 years, 2 months agoThat did the trick. I did know the formatting help link was there. Thanks for the tip!
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OperationBrandon
8 years, 2 months agoReply
Razorback
8 years, 2 months agoRammstein! Glad that one made the list.
You have some good selections on here. There are a few I have not heard but will definitely check them out.
It's hard to believe Reign in Blood turns 30 next month. Egads, I am getting old.
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OperationBrandon
8 years, 2 months agoTo be perfectly honest I could have included every Rammstein album on the list. There's a bit of variety in music styles here, especially Dresden Dolls and King Crimson.
Oh god, is it really that old? Terrifying.
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glen
8 years, 2 months agoI'm going to get clobbered for some of these, but as you say, it's not the best album, but the album that had the biggest impact.
Another note: I have greatest hits album listed. I don't know if they're kosher, but it's what I had at the time.
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Razorback
8 years, 2 months agoThat's a great list. I also had Graceland on my list so doubling up just confirms what a great album it is. I always forget about the first Boston album which is incredible.
I had originally though about putting some guidelines around greatest hits albums but if you were stranded on a desert island, that might not be a bad thing to have. To that end, I would add "Eponymous," which is R.E.M. greatest hits from their earlier years. That was the first R.E.M. album I heard and it influenced me greatly.
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Chet_Manly
8 years, 2 months agoFirst of all, this is pretty cool because I'm looking up bands that I've never heard of and liking some of their music. Rammstein being one. I went with the YouTube music video and that kind of added an extra layer of interesting. But I'm a picky music person so it can be tough to branch out sometimes.
This is my list of albums that either stayed in my tape/cd player for a long time, or that I've come to back to multiple times through the years.
U2: Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby
Guns-N-Roses: Appetite for Destruction (played it until my cassette tape stretched)
Led Zepplin: I-IV (that set took me years to get over, but IV being my least favorite)
Abbey Simon: The Complete Works of Rachmaninoff for Orcheatra and Piano (I've loved the first disc for 20 years gong back to when I was deluded enough to think I could ever play number 2. Hahaha, silly me.)
Karajan &Gerd Seifert: Mozart 4 Horn Concertos (again one of my first CDs and #2 & #4 are still my favorites to play and listen to)
Yo Yo Ma: Bach Unaccompanied Cello Suites (I love the first and third movement of the first suite the best, but all are good when in the proper mood. Played through those on horn but never played them well.)
Glenn Gould: Bach Partitas, Preludes and Fugues collection. (The first Partita is my absolute favorite and the only one I've attempted to learn, but again, when in the mood, they are all worth listening to.)
Wolfmother: Wolfmother (a rare recent addition. Andrew Stockdale's vocals are just nuts!)
Ween: Chochlate and Cheese (College was an interesting time)
Anne-Sophie Mutter: Carmen-Fantasie (This is my most recent obsession. The Carmen-Fantasie is just really fun to listen to but there are also some other cool pieces on that album.)
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Razorback
8 years, 2 months agoI was just talking about Appetite for Destruction with a friend the other day and we agreed that if G&R had never put out another album, that one issue would still have been just as impactful.
I am a bigger fan of Led Zep I-III than IV. Don't get me wrong, I like almost all of their catalog, but if I really had to choose only one, it would probably be LZ III.
Now I have to go check out some others on your list that I have not heard of. Thanks for that!
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Chet_Manly
8 years, 2 months agoThat's so true. Axl Rose and company were so good on Appetite for Destruction, that it made it very difficult to branch out to other bands. There was, and still is, a level of badassery to that album that few other bands can rival. I couldn't agree more with your comment.
LZ was so incredibly talented that I think by IV, they started nerding out on their own stuff and kind of moved away from the genre. I listened to IV many times trying to "get it" but it just never resonated with me like Kashmir and The Immigrant song did on III. Just my suspicion based on my observation that really talented people can create some things that leave the rest of us scratching our heads a little, even if it is good in its own way. Glad to know I'm not alone on that.
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glen
8 years, 2 months agoVery eclectic tastes there! I also really enjoy this for the discovery aspect. Very cool idea.
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OperationBrandon
8 years, 2 months agoWhich music video did you find? Some of them are pretty out there!
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Chet_Manly
8 years, 2 months agoRammstein - Du Hast (Official 4K Video) I found the first one that came up on YouTube. Didn't have a clue what was going on in the video but it held my attention. I thought it was a sign of good musicianship, to hold attention even without understanding what is happening. I liked some of the others as well but tried to find ones from the Sehnsucht album.
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OperationBrandon
8 years, 2 months agoThat album probably has the least amount of videos for it, but is amazing. Du Hast is their best-known song. If you don't mind basically watching funny porn with a music video, check out the song Pussy!
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brian
8 years, 2 months agoI'm going to step back into time and try to do my list based on what I was listening to throughout my life, things that I loved and still listen to from time to time to take me right back to those places and times.
High N' Dry — Def Leppard This was probably the first rock that I was really into as a kid. I had this album on cassette and was obsessed with it. Def Leppard were in their finest form on this album, more in the style of AC/DC than the pure pop fluff they would release later in their career.
Appetite for Destruction — Guns n Roses This album actually made me become devoted to playing guitar. Once I heard the opening of Sweet Child o Mine, I was fast at work attempting to play it.
Tribute — Ozzy Osbourne This album taught me how to play guitar as well as the benefits of hard work. When I was in high school, I locked myself in my room every night for hours, learning how to play the solos on this record. When I was able to play them, I was a good guitar player. Randy Rhodes is still probably my all time favorite guitar player. Fun fact: my parents were actually super worried that I was going to have social problems because I had so little interaction with other people during this period. But I was fine, I was just on a mission.
311 — 311 This is the only album I remember listening to in high school. I had a cassette of this that I bought on a whim and I listened to this endlessly in my car while I was cruising around town.
Truck Stop Love — Truck Stop Love This was a local band that was from my hometown, but they were the first ones that "made it". A real whiskey slugging bar band from Kansas that I miss and wish would have continued on past their two albums.
August and Everything After — Counting Crows When I was in the dorms in college, this and Space Hog's debut album were all that I listened to. For that entire year, I think we just had these two albums on repeat.
Spacehog — In the Meantime Me and my good buddy and dorm roommate Brian accidentally saw Spacehog at a concert I had won tickets to and they absolutely rocked the joint. I still remember them playing In the Meantime at that show and it was awesome.
Electric Kissing Parties — Ultimate Fake Book This was another hometown band but a good one. I listened to this record a LOT when I was in college. These guys are similar to Weezer but a little more rocking. Love this band, and they were actually on Mercury records and did the major label thing.
The Sound of Lies — The Jayhawks I started drifting towards Mid-western Americana style music mid-way through college and this was a major focal point of my listening during that time.
Mystery White Boy — Jeff Buckley Some people may be put off by Buckley's high pitched voice, but I thought he was an excellent song writer and I feel like looking back there is almost something mystical about how good he is.
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brian
8 years, 2 months agoO — Damien Rice Late in my college years, Damien Rice put out this record and it blew me away. There is some great songwriting on this record and it still sounds great today. He was offered major label contracts but spurned them to do this album the way he wanted to do it. I have a lot of respect for that.
Paul Simon — Paul Simon I really enjoy the vibe on this record. Although I like some of his later stuff like Graceland, I feel like this really is where he peaked at. HIs stuff with Art Garfunkel is great too, and I could have easily added Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme here.
Seals and Crofts — Summer Breeze This is one of my favorites of all time definitely. Seals and Crofts are so damn smooth on this album. I'm a huge Seals and Crofts fan. HUGE. I usually go down to the Walnut Valley Bluegrass festival every year, and I have great memories of cruising down highway 177 through the tallgrass plains of Kansas listening to Seals and Crofts on the way down to the festival.
Five Leaves Left — Nick Drake Nick Drake is another big favorite of mine. His stuff is dark and his life was tragic. His music is astoundingly beautiful and I think he was incredible. I'm glad he has become so well known these days because when he passed away no one had really heard of him and he deserved to be well known.
The End of History — Fionn Regan When I had just graduated college I got this album as a gift and loved it. I still love it. Sleepy, brilliant laid back acoustic music that is actually reminiscent of Nick Drake in some ways.
Quiet and Still — Even Johansen More sleepy acoustic based stuff, but this is a great, if hard to find album worth checking out. He does a version of Thin Lizzy's Dancing in the Moonlight that is really, really good.
Poses — Rufus Wainwright Though to pick a certain Rufus Wainwright album because I like them all quite a bit. But his debut album definitely showcases his songwriting ability and penchant for brutal honesty in his songs.
Neptune City — Nicole Atkins Nicole Atkins is a great singer and songwriter. I actually got to meet her briefly once. I still haven't washed the hand I shook hers with.
Powder Finger — Vulture Street When I was living in Australia, this was THE album we listened to all the time. Vulture Street is one of the best rock albums of all time in my opinion. It didn't seem like anyone was doing real, honest, old school rock at the time and they just nail it on this record.
Black Fingernails, Red Wine — Eskimo Joe This is another Australian band, and this is a very good album. I could have also put Something For Kate's The Official Fiction here. Both really great Aussie bands.
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brian
8 years, 2 months agoI actually had to split this up into three posts because apparently there is a character limit on replies that I'm going to have to fix...
But! One more:
Exotica — Martin Denny Ever since I bought my house, which was built in the 1960s, I've been listening to albums like this. It just makes me think of 1960s tiki parties and that whole early 1960s vibe which is prevalent in my house. There is also a popular radio show that features this style of music here in Lawrence called 'The Retro Cocktail Hour' which you can check out here: http://www.retrococktail.org
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Razorback
8 years, 2 months agoWow, what a list! I love the backstory you put into each one as well. Some of these I know well, others will be new for me to listen to.
When I was a young teen when I heard Def Leppard's first album called On Through The Night. Few people had heard of them yet and we only did because my friends and I had a habit of picking out a random album from the international section (also how we first learned of Iron Maiden). We fell in love immediately. Of course, High 'n' Dry was a hug hit after that and then Pyromania which skyrocketed them into stardom. I saw them on the Pyromania tour and they were fantastic. I think Billy Squire opened for them.
August and Everything After set the bar for The Counting Crows and it is kind of sad because the fans judged everything after that by that standard. There is not a bad song on AAEA and listening to it today still feels like the first time. Sadly, the one time I saw them live was not that great. Good, but disappointing because they were tired of playing the hits from that album. Still love them though.
Thanks for getting Seals and Crofts on there. As a child of the 70's, they are one of many bands that I feel are timeless.
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Chet_Manly
8 years, 2 months agoVery cool. And I agree on the back story element. That kind of helps bring perspective to list. Especially the mention of what was local and why. Looking back, I wish I had checked out local bands/scenes more when I was in areas that had them.
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sam_acw
8 years, 2 months agoI'm thinking of my list and so far I've come up with;
*AC/DC - Back in Black
*Fleetwood Mac - Rumors
*Queen - A Kind of Magic
*Big Country - Steeltown
*Sabaton - The Art of War
*Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
*Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
*Green Day - American Idiot
*Johnny Cash- American IV
*The Clash - London Calling
I could have added another Queen album, Mumford and Sons, a Mike Oldfield one and some Viking metal but I limited myself to ten. Not a particularly original set, but they're the few albums I listen to all the way through - something of an oddity in the age of digital music
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Razorback
8 years, 2 months agoDefinitely a list of classics for the most part. Have to admit, I was not expecting Sabaton and Big Countrys. May have to dig into those a little deeper.
Queen: "Gimme, gimme, gimme fried chicken." :-)
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sam_acw
8 years, 2 months agoI grew up with my parents playing Big Country - they saw the band play as a support act on Bowie's Giant Spider tour and said they were phenomenal. Sabaton's a more recent thing but they're one of the few band's whose albums I can listen to over and over. Mind you, I've listened to Taylor Swift's 1989 more than a few times as well.
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trigjoh
8 years, 2 months agoI saw that 'Glass Spider' tour - love Bowie, maybe the worst show I have ever seen. Big Country were a highlight in that show.
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Razorback
8 years, 2 months agoAlso, I saw this in the Gentlemint Reserve today and it seemed appropriate.
http://gentlemint.com/reserve/glass-viking-beer-horn/
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trigjoh
8 years, 2 months agoOk, here goes.
And hey, guilty pleasure * Madonna - Like A Virgin (I was 18. Life changing? Damn right!)
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Razorback
8 years, 2 months agoExcellent selection!
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glen
8 years, 2 months agoAh... Lyle Lovett... an awesome selection.
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elancaster65
8 years, 2 months agoResurrection Band - Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore
Daniel Amos - Horrendous Disc
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
The Choir - Oh, How the Mighty Have Fallen
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC) - Baby 81/Howl
Steve Taylor - Squint
77's - Seventy Sevens/Pray Naked
Paul Simon- Graceland
Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno - Cowboy Bebop OST
Queen - News of the World
The Alarm - Standards
The Call - Live Under the Red Moon
Eagles - The Long Run
ELO - Discovery
Larry Norman - Only Visiting This Planet
The Lost Dogs - Scenic Routes
Mannheim Steamroller - A Fresh Aire Christmas
Mark Heard - High Noon
Needtobreathe - The Outsiders
Supertramp - Breakfast in America
Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve
U2 - No Line on the Horizon
Vince Guaraldi - Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus
"Weird Al" Yankcovic - Anything he puts out...
I know that's a lot but all of these artists are on heavy rotation on the iPod.
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Razorback
8 years, 2 months agoVery nice. Glad to see many of these names and excited to listen to a few that are new to me. Also happy to see Dark Side of the Moon get a second nod (I'm a little biased on that one).
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5archer
8 years, 2 months agoLots of great albums listed. Here's a few more to consider.
Faith No More - Midlife Crisis
The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me
The Church - Priest = Aura
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets
Shearwater - Jet Plane & Oxbow
XTC - Apple Venus pt1
Wilco - Summerteeth
The Hold Steady - Boys & Girls in America
Van Halen - Van Halen II (I know everyone else like their 1st album better)
The Who - Quadrophenia
Tragically Hip - Fully Completely
Paul McCartney & Wings - Band on the Run
Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
Pink Floyd - Animals
Dire Straits - Alchemy
The Kinks - Give The People What They Want
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus!!! Dig!!!
The Blessing - Prince of the Deep Water
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Razorback
8 years, 2 months agoAh, even more great selections. This thread is turning into the ultimate playlist. I especially like you including The Who and The Kinks. Two very important bands.
For what it is worth, I also thought VHII was better. But Mean Streets is still my favorite VH album of all time.
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twii
8 years, 2 months agoWay too hard to name my favorites. It all depends on the mood and situation I guess. Have everything from jazz to classical to rock. I have over 350 lp's a couple dozen "master recordings" and sat down one day to throw some of them out and I couldn't. I could remember just about with each one, where I bought it, what I was doing at the time, who I was dating, (or not dating), where I was living, etc.
Music has this wonderful magic to it, it can surely take you back in time.
A great one that I didn't see on anyone's list was the Alan Parson's Project, Tales of Mystery and Imagination. WIOT in Toldeo, Ohio broadcast that whole album without interruption when it was first released. Sophmore in college at the time, sitting in my dorm room with about 3 or 4 other guys listening to it for the first time.........
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dewtattoo
8 years agoHere's mine....
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