Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
Sandefur has a post at Positive Liberty about truly perfect albums, which he defines as "albums you can listen to all the way through, over and over again, and never get tired of them, and never want to skip any of the songs." And he sets a very high standard, pointing out that the best album by his all-time favorite band, Creedence Clearwater Revival's Bayou Country doesn't make his list because one song on it is only good, but not great. He's interested in the lists of others.
Mine is really going to be all over the place in terms of musical styles, as my musical tastes are extremely varied. Any list that includes both Wynton Marsalis and Rage Against the Machine is bound to raise some eyebrows. But my #1 choice is going to bend the rules just slightly.
1. Bob Seger, Live Bullet.
This one bends the rules just a little bit because, I have to admit, there is one song on the album that I don't particularly care for (Jody Girl). But this is a double live album with some 20 songs on it, so I'm putting it here anyway because, in nearly 30 years of listening, I have never tired of it. Not only the peak of Bob Seger's career, but the peak of the entire genre; none of his contemporaries, not even Bruce Springsteen, ever topped it. From the blistering opening, a cover of Tina Turner's Nutbush City Limits, to the encore crescendo of Lookin Back, Get Out of Denver and Let It Rock, this album absolutely defines the era of the arena rock live album (it's considerably better than its two obvious competitors from the same time period, Frampton Comes Alive and RED Speedwagon's You Get What You Play For).
2. Wynton Marsalis, Black Codes (From the Underground).
This was Wynton's coming out party as a composer and a bandleader. He had 3 albums out prior to this one, all of them flawed but showing his development as a composer, a player and a leader. It was on Black Codes that he staked his claim to being not only the finest trumpet player of his generation, but to being the most dominant personality and the leading figure in jazz for the foreseeable future. He came along at a perfect time. To say the music needed him is an understatement. The previous generation's leader, Dizzy Gillespie, was an old man, and known primarily by younger people not as the creator of be bop but as that funny old guy who puffed his cheeks out. Miles Davis, by the early 80s, was doing the worst work of his career, trying to fuse jazz with bad pop music (seeing the great Miles performing Scritti Politti's Perfect Way in an ugly jumpsuit was just painful). Most of the greats of earlier generations had died, from John Coltrane to Louis Armstrong to Charlie Parker. Jazz was adrift and searching for someone to grab hold of the past and pull it into the modern world. This album, more than any other, did that.
With a quintet that was dubbed by critics as the Young Lions, including his older brother Branford, Charnett Moffett, Kenny Kirkland and Jeff (Tain) Watts, Wynton put together a sparkling album of be bop that showed a future for jazz. It showed that these kids - Wynton himself was only 21 at the time and fresh out of Julliard) - could swing like the old masters. It showed that not only did they have chops, but that they had a real understanding of the power of jazz to communicate and to inspire. It really picks up where Miles Davis' great quintets of the 60s left off, not surprsing since bassist Ron Carter was involved in both projects. Absolutely everything works, from the hard bop of "Chambers of Tain" to ballads like "Blues." This is the album that brought jazz back and inspired a whole new generation of musicians like Roy Hargrove and Antonio Hart to make jazz relevant again in a way that it hadn't been since the mid-60s.
3. Rush, Moving Pictures.
The biggest selling album from one of the seminal rock bands in history. I bought this on album when it first came out (for some of you younger folks, you may have seen something called a "record player" at a museum; we used to listen to music on them), and the first side had all of the songs that everyone remembers - Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ and Limelight. 3 of the 4 were all over the radio for months and are still staples on classic rock stations, and the 4th is a now-legendary instrumental. But over time, it was the second side (something which doesn't exist in the era of CDs) that appealed to me more. Lyrically, the album continues Neil Peart's exploration of libertarian ideas and the struggle for individual identity in a world that grows inexorably more homogenous, from the "modern day warriorr" whose "mind is not for rent, to any god or government" (Tom Sawyer) to the rebellious young man who breaks the law and takes his uncle's old motorcar for a spin in the country (Red Barchetta) to the need to retain one's identity in a big city teeming with life (Camera Eye) to the dark dystopia of a mob looking for scapegoats (Witch Hunt). Rush was a band known for its virtuoso musicianship and this album puts that skill on brilliant display right from start to finish.
4. Bruce Hornsby, Hot House.
Bruce Hornsby is one of those guys whose career is defined by quality far more than by popularity. In terms of the Billboard charts, he's a classic one hit wonder. The Way It Is was the only song to really get serious airplay on the radio or on MTV, but he's built a strong and loyal following that appreciates his tremendous musicianship and songwriting abilities. And those abilities were most perfectly on display on this CD. Hot House was an exercise in musical collaboration and a brilliant exploration of how to fuse different styles together. He called on such distinct talents as Jerry Garcia, Chaka Khan, Bela Fleck and Pat Metheny in the process of creating an album that expands the scope of Hornsby's musical vision immeasurably beyond his prior albums. Hornsby never loses sight of the fact that the piano is a percussion instrument and he uses it to delightful effect in that role. He weaves tales of the south around melodies both haunting and jaunty and there isn't a single bad song in sight.
5. Rage Against the Machine, Evil Empire.
This was actually a tough choice; I could as easily have put their self-titled debut album on this list as well. I decided on this one because it's a bit more varied in musical tone than its predecessor. This is not an everday band for me; I have to be in a certain mood for them, and anyone familiar with their music could probably guess the kind of mood I mean. This band's name fits better than most. Their music is pure rage and fury, but unlike punk rock, the musicianship is not ignored or belittled, but embraced and placed at the forefront. This is, first and foremost, a very tight 3 piece band. They're kept grounded by a furious but always precise rhythm section, which allows guitarist Tom Morello to wander the atmosphere with his abstract solos. That band provided the launching pad for Zach de la Rocha's vocal assaults on...well, practically everything. In the now-thriving genre of rap metal, all the Limp Bizkits in the world come out sounding like exactly that - limp - compared to what Rage was doing 10 years ago.
6. Sting, The Soul Cages.
In 1990, my friend Vinx was working on his debut album with Sting's record company, Pangea, and Sting was producing that album. Sting was working on that project because he was suffering from writer's block. In the wake of the death of his father, he simply couldn't write any songs and this had lasted for a couple of years at that point (his previous album, Nothing Like the Sun was recorded 4 years earlier). Vinx' album, Rooms in My Fatha's House, included two amazing songs about the death of his father, and the process of recording those songs pushed Sting to deal with the death of his own father through his music as well. Thus was born The Soul Cages, his finest album. This album took a while to grow on me. When I first bought it, I didn't like it much. But over time it grew on me and is now one of my all time favorites.
The musicianship is top notch (interestingly, two are repeats from the earlier Wynton Marsalis entry - Branford Marsalis and Kenny Kirkland), especially the incredible Manu Katche on drums. Sting has worked with a long list of the world's finest drummers, including Stewart Copeland with The Police, Omar Hakim, Katche and the incomparable Vinnie Colaiuta. One of the fascinating things about this album, for me, is how Colaiuta interpreted the drum work of Manu Katche (Katche did the recording sessions, Colaiuta joined the band for the tour) when playing live. They are both known for their almost matchless ability to build subtle little flairs into the framework of a song, which is a great match when you've got a songwriter who plays bass and therefore thinks rhythmically as he writes.
The entire album is essentially one big nautical metaphor for life and death, built around the shipyards of his boyhood home where he would see great ships being built for months and years and then watch them sail away, never to be seen again. This is best seen in the song The Wild Wild Sea, which describes a dream of a man who awakes on a boat in the midst of a terrible storm, battered by the wind and the waves. As he stumbles about the ship trying to gain his bearings, he sees a sailor on the bridge struggling with the wheel and after a time recognizes his father's face beneath the sailor's hat. It's a haunting song and a fascinating metaphor. The album is full of subtle images of mourning, of crows and gulls, of sailors losing bets with Neptune and joining Davey Jones at the bottom of the sea. It's a truly remarkable album from start to finish.
So that's my list. I'm curious to hear yours.
Comments
My vote goes to U2's Unforgettable Fire, but I'm not really feeling ambitious enough to attempt to justify that. It just IS!
Posted by: Chris F. | December 7, 2006 6:30 PM
Pet Sounds, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and Master of Puppets are all on my "perfect" list.
Hmmm... I'll also put Abbey Road and A Night at the Opera on there. And don't give me "Queen sucks" becauase I know you hate them. That album was perfect Queen and it's some of the best driving music of all time.
Oooh, best driving music. That's a whole new post.
Also receiving consideration:
Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin IV
Posted by: FishyFred | December 7, 2006 6:38 PM
Tough one -- there are plenty of albums I love except for that one song... but, with the standard disclaimer that these are my thoughts of the moment and I might answer differently in a week, here are a few.
I'll echo Moving Pictures, but the first album that leaped to mind was Mannheim Steamroller's Fresh Aire II. The songs on this album were clearly assembled with my brain specifically in mind.
I'll cheat a little bit by citing Jethro Tull's Thick As a Brick -- inasmuch as the whole album is a single track...
I can't think of any track on Peter Gabriel's Security I'd want to skip, nor on Paul Simon's Graceland.
Finally, Mirror Blue by Richard Thompson is a solid album from one of my favorite artists.
Posted by: Squiddhartha | December 7, 2006 6:51 PM
Chris-
We've been talking about U2 between the 4 of us from Positive Liberty, actually. Jason said he considers The Joshua Tree to be a perfect album, but Tim said the song Bullet the Blue Sky is the one song that ruins it for him. I think that's a great song myself. Unforgettable Fire is excellent too.
Posted by: Ed Brayton | December 7, 2006 6:53 PM
1. Kate Bush, Hounds of Love.
Kate Bush should always be listened to with headphones. Her music is complex, extremely layered and exquisitely produced. Her music turns tripe phrases like "aural landscape" and "concept album" into reality. She produces her own albums for the most part and always tries to push the boundaries in some way. She is also one of those musicians that tries to tell stories with music. The Hounds of Love was released prior to the CD age so it has "sides" LOL. (feeling very old right now). Side A has some beautiful pop tunes. Side B, entitled "The 9th Wave" (from a poem by Tennyson) is a collection of songs that are very different from each other but connect. Its impossible to describe. You really feel like you have a taken a journey after listening to it. She manages to paint vivid scenes with very few actual words.
2. Peter Gabriel, "So". For sheer fun quotient re playability this album is tops. But don't ignore the rest of his work.
3. Miguel Bose, "Bajo El Signo de Cain"
I originally heard one-half of one song (Si Tu No Vuelues )from this Spanish album for the first time on a Latino MTV station. Never even saw the artists face. But it just struck me as a perfect moment of beauty. It was instantly committed to memory and stayed with me the next few days until I found out who the album and artist was. The title track is my favorite, but the entire album is lushly beautiful. The funny thing is that I don't speak any Spanish and it took a long time for me to get the lyrics translated so he could have been reading from a dictionary for all I knew. But I was not disappointed. If you want an example of music being a universal language, this is it.
I have more but my boss is looking at me suspiciously. Time to quit goofing off.
Posted by: Patrick (gryph) | December 7, 2006 6:59 PM
We tend to date ourselves on lists such as this, don't we? For instance, I have to agree with both Ed and Fishyfred on Queen: They really weren't that good, but they rocked when I was 13. A Night at the Opera was the first record I ever purchased.
Gene Clark had several albums that were incredible. No Other gets the most airplay at my house today.
John Stewart's (the original, used to sing with the Kingston Trio) California Bloodlines is as close to perfect as I can imagine. Great voice, incredible mix of song styles and textures, and excellent musicianship.
As for the Beatles, they never had a perfect album, always a "Polythene Pam" or something. But Revolver comes awfully close.
Posted by: kehrsam | December 7, 2006 7:06 PM
Couldn't agree more about Moving Pictures.
Mine is a similarly eclectic collection:
Blink-182 - Enema of the State (Trashy "stick in the head" tracks)
Dean Gray - American Edit (Amazing mashup of Green Day's American Idiot with many other songs)
Everclear 0Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1- Learning How to Smile (Could have been just about any other Everclear album)
Kirstie MacColl - Galore (Chickened out and picked a "best of")
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (Hugely talented for a manufactured band)
Marillion - Clutching at straws (Amazing poetic lyrics)
Moxy Fruvous - Barginville (Brilliantly bizare)
Pop Will Eat Itself - Wise Up Suckers! (Top rate mixture of weirdness and agression)
The Levellers - One Way of Life (Another "best of")
The Wildhearts - Earth Vs (Pure feeling from the band)
The Offspring - Americana (Probably my favorite album of all time)
Posted by: David Durant | December 7, 2006 7:09 PM
If not for the farking title track, Magical Mystery Tour would be a perfect album.
Posted by: FishyFred | December 7, 2006 7:11 PM
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon.
U2's Achtung Baby is a close second, but I don't care for Ultraviolet or Love is Blindness.
Posted by: Royale | December 7, 2006 7:16 PM
Peter Gabriel's So. Dark Side of the Moon. Tom Waits' Blue Valentine. Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic. Split Enz' Corroboree (almost - there are a few tracks I never listen to). Beeatles Rubber Soul, and Magical Mystery Tour (ignore the title and film). The double White comes close, but Lennon got a bit too self indulgent. Led Zeppelin 4. With two tracks excepted, Police's Synchronicity. And Deep Forest, which I listen to continually.
And I'll second also Tull's Thick as a Brick.
Guess which decade I grew up in...
Posted by: John Wilkins | December 7, 2006 7:21 PM
Perfection is difficult to reach. Here are a few that I can't listen to without listening to every second:
Love - Forever Changes
Fugazi - Red Medicine
Beatles - Abbey Road
Neil Young - Tonight's the Night
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
GZA - Liquid Swords
Posted by: Matthew | December 7, 2006 7:22 PM
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Posted by: John | December 7, 2006 7:22 PM
Since the invention of fast forward on 8-track players has anyone ever listened to "Revolution Number 9" all the way through? I mean, assuming they are sober?
Posted by: kehrsam | December 7, 2006 7:26 PM
1. Rolling Stones: Exile on Main Street -- the quintessential Stones, no excuses needed, only meant to be played loud.
2. Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here -- Smooth Floyd, Dark Side is too uneven, and just too damn gimmicky.
3. Little Feat: Waiting for Columbus -- Ed lookalike; like CCR, a California band pretending to be from the Bayou, but this one actually flavored with southern fried funk, rock and blues. Billy Payne's piano and Lowell George vocals stand out throughout.
4. Various Artists: Poet, A tribute to Townes Van Zandt -- He wrote peerless poetry but never had a hit himself. His friends make up for it when he died. Rarity.
5. Van Morrison: Astral Weeks & St. Dominic's Preview -- a tie between two great albums. Excellent writing, excellent heart, quality throughout.
6. Jackson Browne: Running on Empty and The Pretender, but tip goes to The Pretender because of Little Feat contribution throughout.
Posted by: double-soup tuesday | December 7, 2006 7:32 PM
Off the top of my head...
1. OK Computer, Radiohead
2. Mellow Gold, Beck
3. Revolver, The Beatles
4. ...And Justice For All, Metallica
5. Nevermind, Nirvana
Posted by: The Schwa | December 7, 2006 7:34 PM
DELTRON 3030 - DELTRON 3030
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
Leonard Cohen - Both Songs of Leonard Cohen and Songs of Love and Hate
Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady
Nick Drake - Pink Moon
Radiohead - OK Computer
The Beatles - Abby Road
Posted by: Solomon | December 7, 2006 7:46 PM
Time Out, Dave Brubeck Quartet. All those wonderful time signatures on one album along with the incredible musicianship makes this a perfect album.
Then there's that whole catagory of classical music from which one can select 100's of perfect albums. I thank my lucky stars that some 30 years ago my rural high school had an orchestra along with a few outstanding music teachers, and I learned to appreciate that kind of music. (Note to younger people: before talk radio, most areas had one or more stations that played nothing but classical music.)
Posted by: AndyS | December 7, 2006 7:49 PM
People have said Dark Side of the Moon and/or Wish You Were Here, but no one mentioned The Wall, which is the album I love listening through in order.
Posted by: themann1086 | December 7, 2006 7:50 PM
Ohh, I forgot my idol, Frank Sinatra. He had about a 6 or 7 year run from the mid 50s to early 60s where he just couldn't miss. Several of those albums are arguably perfect, without a bad song, but my personal favorite is Come Dance with Me.
Posted by: Matthew | December 7, 2006 7:59 PM
U2 Joshua Tree
CSNY Déjà Vu
Alice in Chains Dirt
Neil Young Harvest Moon
Neil Young Freedom
Sting Dream of the Blue Turtles
Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man
Temple of the Dog
I could drive for hours on end, without despair, if I had only one of the albums from that list to listen to. In fact, that has happened to me with a few of them. I should add, that I could tolerate most Neil Young, Sting, Yes, Rush, Jethro Tull, Rage Against the Machine, Jane's Addiction, Indigo Girls, Joni Mitchell or CSN/Y, under the same cirumstances, but I would do a lot of forwrding through songs that annoy me.
Posted by: DuWayne | December 7, 2006 8:00 PM
A lot of the above commenters have right artist/wrong album issues:
Squiddhartha and John Wilkins say Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick, but I'll go with Stand Up which is as un-self-conscious (unself-conscious? unselfconscious?) as rock with a flute can get.
He also says Abbey Road, but Kehrsam gets it right with Revolver for sure.
Matthew likes Love's Forever Changes and GZA's Liquid Swords, but out of the San Fran hippie scene and Wu-Tang families I'll take Moby Grape's eponymous LP and Ol' Dirty Bastard's Return to the 36 Chambers. One of those is the perfect amalgam of the blues and country rock ethos, the other is probably the best-produced hip-hop album of the late 90s. I'll let you figure out which is which.
I'm also extending an open invitation to double-soup to come on over anytime, he's dead on the money with Exile on Main Street and Astral Weeks.
What's been in heavy rotation for me lately:
1. Bob Dylan and The Band - The Basement Tapes - horribly underappreciated. Dylan was never looser, and the contributions of The Band are incredible. "Apple Suckling Tree" is in heavy rotation for me currently.
2. The Band - The Last Waltz - Yes, I'm on a kick. The live versions of "Don't Do It," "Cripple Creek," and especially "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" are just astonishing. The guest-star cuts are great too.
3. Miles Davis - The Complete Concert 1964 - Big fan of this one. I own most everything Miles did from about 1955 to 1975, and this would be the concert I'd take the time machine to go see. I know this show better than I ever knew my ex-wife.
4. J.J. Cale - Really - Why this guy didn't sell a bazillion records is beyond me.
Posted by: BG | December 7, 2006 8:05 PM
Pink Floyd is great driving music and wonderful if you're stoned, but kind of tough to meet this standard as something to just listen to. I was going to nominate the Doors eponymous first album, but they have the same problem.
[Nerd note] The U of Kentucky used to host an annual "Pink Floyd Open" Chess tournament. 24 hours of continuous chess with a truly overwhelming sound track. I always used to fall asleep 6-7 games in, but my brother won it a couple of times. He's like that.
And I'll second AndyS, this is for pop/rock/jazz. Too many classical albums where you can't miss a song, including the entire genre of opera. When you get down to it, there are probably too many jazz as well, but that's a separate kettle of fish.
Posted by: kehrsam | December 7, 2006 8:05 PM
Okay, here goes:
Not in any order:
Genesis, A Trick of the Tail
Miles Davis, In a Silent Way and Kind of Blue
Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here
Peter Gabriel, So and 3 (melting face)
John Coltrane, My Favorite Things and A Love Supreme
The Sisters of Mercy, Floodland
The Rolling Stones, Tattoo You
Steve Roach, Early Man
U2, Boy
R.E.M., Reckoning and Automatic for the People
Yes, Close to the Edge
The Beatles, SPLHCB
The Who, Who's Next
Rush, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures
Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine
Posted by: Martin Wagner | December 7, 2006 8:07 PM
I have no quarrel with any of the above, but found it funny that someone mentioned Americana (Offspring). It has an almost permanent home in my car's CD player and can make this 51 YO's head bob while going down the freeway.
Reaching way back though, I would put Janis Joplen's Pearl at the head of my list list. I wore out two vinal records and I'm trying to wear out the CD.
Also with honorable mention:
American Pie (Don McClain) and Anything by Tran-Sybarian Orchestra
Posted by: jufulu | December 7, 2006 8:14 PM
Only 2 people cite Neil Young....
Harvest, After the Gold Rush, Rust Never Sleeps, Live Rust, even the new stuff like Greendale could be on the list.
I agree with most of the above mentioned posts, especially with newer bands like Radiohead and Rage. They haven't been around long, but they've made great albums. Here's a few more:
Rufus Wainwright: Poses - Absolutely amazing.
Bad Religion: Against the Grain - One of the great punk bands; and with Graffin's bio PhD and work in Relgion/Evolution issues, completely appropriate for this blog.
Oasis:Definately Maybe, (What's the Story) Morning Glory, Be Here Now, The Masterplan - Love 'em or hate 'em ;-). Their early stuff was great ( they haven't being doing well lately...), but they put all their best stuff on B-sides which finally got released in the US as The Masterplan.
Posted by: jpaulr | December 7, 2006 8:29 PM
Then there was:
Frank Zappa..."Hot Rats" & "Burnt Weeny Sandwich"
Pink Floyd..."Umma Gumma" (Live album only)
Soft Machine..."Third"
Caravan..."In the Land of Gray and Pink"
Jethro Tull..."Aqualung"
David Bowie..."Ziggy Stardust"
Cream..."Wheels of Fire" (Live album only)
Eric Clapton..."Unplugged"
Paul Simon..."Graceland"
Counting Crows..."August and Everything After"
Kevin Ayers..."Whatevershebringswesing"
Beatles..."Rubber Soul"
Dylan..."Highway 61 Revisited"
Who..."Who's Next"
Yes..."Close to the Edge"
Stones... "Let it Bleed"
Jimi Hendrix..."Electric Ladyland"
Goldfrapp..."Supernature"
Magenta..."Seven"
...and more!
Posted by: MartinDH | December 7, 2006 8:40 PM
Oasis is one band I just don't get. Never have. A lot of the bands and albums mentioned I like a lot, and some of them have really grown on me as I get older. I never "got" Neil Young until about 10 years ago. Same with Springsteen, Tom Petty and a few others.
Posted by: Ed Brayton | December 7, 2006 8:46 PM
MartinDH:
Weird. I love the album and everything, but there' s a fair amount of filler. Black Cherry on the other hand is solid gold.
Posted by: Ginger Yellow | December 7, 2006 8:52 PM
Blows Against the Empire - Paul Kantor & Jefferson Starship
Volunteers - Jefferson Airplane
Burgers - Hot Tuna
Quah - Jorma Kaukonen
The Mask & The Mirror - Loreena McKennitt
Posted by: jstubbs | December 7, 2006 8:54 PM
Solomon mentioned Deltron 3030's self-titled album. I don't know anyone else who owns this album or has even heard of it for that matter, but it is spectacular, and I don't even care for rap/hip-hop for the most part. Ed, I suspect you would appreciate the song Virus.
Posted by: hayduke | December 7, 2006 9:04 PM
BG:
I've learned long ago that just having similar music tastes is no guarantee of compatibility. The only way to confirm musical compatibility, I'll need to sample your doobage.
You get the good stuff, I'll show up with Roy Buchanan's Sweet Dreams Anthology and Ray Charles' Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. Regrettably, you can't sift sh*t with a CD case.
Posted by: double-soup tuesday | December 7, 2006 9:15 PM
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
The Who - Who's Next
The Velvet Underground and Nico
Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story
Posted by: James Wilson | December 7, 2006 9:21 PM
Like I said, Oasis, love em or hate em....
One more album ... this time a little more unconventional:
Ravi Shankar - In New York - This album's just an example (but a good one) because Indian music can be hard to get in the US, especially outside cities.
Western classical music perfected harmony, but Indian classical music bests the West in both rhythm and melody. The jhala (fast-paced exchanges between the instruments near the end) sections are some of the greatest group musicianship ever. The unmetered alaps (the slow,opening sections) are tense musical explorations. The improvisational and emotional style (especially in Hindustani music) was jazz hundreds of years before jazz.
Posted by: jpaulr | December 7, 2006 9:21 PM
The Police -- Ghost in the Machine
Pink Floyd -- Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here
Guided By Voices -- Under the Bushes, Under the Stars
Dead Kennedys -- Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Posted by: Phillip J. Birmingham | December 7, 2006 9:59 PM
I have listened to it a few times sober -- and I like much of the White Album (with it's incredible mood swings, of which Revolution No. 9 plays a part) very much, but my preferred tastes are kind of beyond the pale. One of the first records I ever bought was of an electronic serial composition by Charles Wuorinen, after getting Switched On Bach, Beethoven's Ninth and a few other things. I used to make up home-brewed musique concrete pieces sort of similar to R.#9 on our r2r recorder. My sisters bought me pop albums now and then, imagining that I was deprived.
Since I therefore have nothing to contribute to the actual topic (well, I still do think Switched on Bach was way cool), I guess I'll be heading off now. Carry on... :)
Posted by: countlurkula | December 7, 2006 10:03 PM
Warren Zevon - Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School - I wore out a cassette tape and then bought it on vinyl off of eBay.
The Rutles - Let it Rot - an absolutely spot-on Beatles parody with songs that are great in their own right.
Chicago - Chicago XIV - Thank goodness I have it on vinyl!
That's it.
Posted by: twincats | December 7, 2006 10:21 PM
Townes Van Zandt "A Gentle Evening"
Springsteen "Nebraska"
Steve Earl "Guitar Town"
Lucinda Williams "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road"
Jackson Brown "Running on Empty"
Neville Bros. "Yellow Moon"
10K Maniacs "Unplugged"
Posted by: David | December 7, 2006 10:21 PM
Clash - London Calling
Posted by: Astyanax | December 7, 2006 10:57 PM
For me there is only one perfect album...Beethoven's 9th Symphony in a recording by the London Symphony Orchestra.
I have several recording of B's 9th and this must be the perfect recording of my all time favorite tune.
It is nearly 75 minutes long. But it gets everything spot on. In the space of a 45 seconds it goes from a delicate, solo french horn to the demanding insistence of the tympani in a way that seems preordained.
I can listen to this any time, morning, noon or night. But I can never listen to the Ode to Joy and not feel energized, appreciative of the beauty of life and deeply satisfied.
I hope that I can one day see a live performance.
Posted by: David C. Brayton | December 7, 2006 11:11 PM
Ugh! Bob Segar? Again? It makes me think of Tom Cruise in his underwear and no amount of re-education will ever hange that.
Posted by: Leni | December 7, 2006 11:33 PM
I second (or third)
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
The Who - Who's Next
and add
Barenaked Ladies - Gordon
Juluka - African Litany
Santana - Abraxas
Pat Metheny - As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls
Milton Nascimento - Clube da Esquina II
Egberto Gismonti - Solo
Mark Knopfler - Local Hero
Peter Himmelman - From Strength to Strength
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
Posted by: Dlanod | December 7, 2006 11:34 PM
WAY too many to list but...
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue and (this is cheating) The Second Quintet Complete recordings
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
Black Flag - My War or Slip It in
The Meters - Rejuvenation
John Scofield - A Go Go
Parliament - Motor Booty Afair
Blind Faith - Blind Faith
Allman Brothers - At Filmore East
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
The JBs - Anthology
Thelonious Monk - Live at the It club
Grant Green - Best of Vol 2
Jimmy Smith - Root Down
ok there are so many more but I'll stop
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | December 7, 2006 11:41 PM
Shiiiiiit. How the hell did I forget Exile on Main street.
Someone slap me.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | December 8, 2006 12:18 AM
I was never a huge Moving Pictures fan beyond YYZ and Tom Sawyer. Rush kicked way more ass on previous albums, especially on Permanent Waves -- which I would put on a list of perfect records -- and Hemispheres -- which I love every song on, but penalize for being so short.
Other pinnacles of western civilization:
Queensrÿche - Operaion: Mindcrime. I could listen to this album once a day for the rest of my life.
Jaco Pastorius - Self-titled
Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East
The Clash - London Calling AND Self-titled
They Might Be Giants - Flood
And getting a tad bit more obscure
Devin Townsend Band - Accelerated Evolution.
Posted by: Mephisto | December 8, 2006 12:27 AM
Some of my favorites have been mentioned, and this thread is getting long, so I'll keep it short:
Radiohead - The Bends
I am probably the only person on Earth who liked this more than OK Computer.
Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned.
They Might Be Giants - Apollo 18
I really can't justify this.
Emiliana Torrini - Love in the Time of Science
Is it an "all time great"? Is it a "perfect album"? Man, I don't know. But it meets the criteria you mentioned, Ed. I can listen to it end to end without skipping, every time. A pick-me-up like no other.
Failure - Fantastic Planet
This is quite a cool brand of spacey, drugged-up rock, a piece I've had a great deal of trouble trying to expand on in my music collection. This is 17 tracks long and over an hour, and I can listen to it end-to-end. Too bad these guys broke up. They have their official reasons, but they never sold well, so I blame the Macarena.
Solomon, you are on my rad list for mentioning Deltron 3030.
Posted by: Glenn | December 8, 2006 12:44 AM
Hum - You'd Prefer an Astronaut
Their final album, Downward is Heavenward, is a little more even, but there just isn't a better straight-ahead rock song than "Stars" or a song that puts a smile to my face faster than "Why I Like the Robins."
Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies
Someone mentioned Dirt, but I can't stand to listen to "Angry Chair," or one of those weird songs in the middle ("Godsmack?"). Their unplugged album is excellent as well.
Jason Webley - Counterpoint
It's too bad he rarely plays many songs off this album at his live shows. I'm a proud Tomato Scout.
Pixies Doolittle
I'm surprised no one's mentioned this one yet, as it's one of the most important alternative rock albums ever. Maybe "Sliver" kills it for people, or something.
I'll also second Temple of the Dog and Nevermind.
Posted by: argystokes | December 8, 2006 1:24 AM
Slayer - Reign In Blood
Moonspell - Irreligious, Darkness and Hope, Sin/Pecado
Rainbow - Long Live Rock and Roll
Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith
Social Distortion - Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
Motorhead - No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith
I second Mephisto on Queensryche. Good call!
Posted by: MightyLambchop | December 8, 2006 1:55 AM
This'll date me. Some outriders too
Pink Floyd, of course, Ummagumma (live), Dark Side, WYWH, Animals, The Wall. If I could have just one side them Echoes from Meddle has to be there too.
Cream, Wheels of Fire (live)
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Four Way Street
Fleetword Mac, Rumors
The Eagles, Long Way Home
Heart, Bad Animals
the wierd ones:
Third Ear Band, The Elements
Incredible String Band, U
Quintessence, Quintessence
Aamon Duul II,
I have to get the MTV video for Eric's Unplugged. I saw it when it first aired.
Posted by: david1947 | December 8, 2006 2:27 AM
I have to second a few of these, though I don't have contributions to make myself.
I love OK Computer, but The Bends is definitely closer to being a perfect album. I usually skip the "Fitter, happier" track on the former.
I was a big Metallica fan in my youth, and sort of drifted away from them, but I still really enjoy that album all the way through.
Hell yes.
A friend recommended this (then obscure) album to me when I was 13, and over 15 years later I'm still not tired of a single song on it.
Posted by: Davis | December 8, 2006 2:27 AM
Some excellent selections above, especially Yes, Rush, and Soft Machine. I'll also toss in...
The Pretty Things - Parachute
Bjork - Vespertine
Bjork - Homogenic
The Kinks - Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire
High Tide - Sea Shanties
Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain (by strategy)
Roxy Music - Roxy Music
T. Rex - Electric Warrior
Au Pairs - Sense and Sensuality
Posted by: deanbcurtis | December 8, 2006 2:32 AM
The Victim's Family - 'Things I Hate To Admit'
John Coltrane - 'A Love Supreme'
Dead Kennedys - 'Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables'
Oingo Boingo - 'Nothing To Fear'
The Wipers - 'Over The Edge'
The Victim's Family - 'White Bread Blues'
John Zorn/Naked City Orchestra - 'Torture Garden'
G.B.H. - 'City Baby Attacked By Rats'
Discharge - 'Why'
Ornette Coleman - [What I believe is 'The A&M Sessions' or something like that; a friend made me a tape. It's a series of free jazz pieces with just sax, drums, and bass.]
You probably can tell two things about me by the above list: I survived a Reagan-era adolescence, and I like really, really chaotic music. After four tracks (none of which are over thirty seconds long!) my wife forbid me from EVER playing 'Torture Garden' in her presence again.
Posted by: MeanDean | December 8, 2006 3:42 AM
If I had to pick just 5:
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Son Volt - Trace
Gillian Welch - Time (the Revelator)
The Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin
Posted by: SteveF | December 8, 2006 4:58 AM
I see I'm late to this one, so I'll just concur with Who's Next, Revolver, London Calling (as close to perfect as a double album gets), Joshua Tree, Pet Sounds, Volunteers, and Peter Gabriel "3" and "So", and I'll toss in:
Springsteen - "The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle" - I suppose just because it was part of the soundtrack of my Rutgers years in the mid-70's
"Tommy" - not really perfect, and probably beyond the ability of any rock songwriter to make perfect, but it was the first cassette I bought, and kept me entertained for a part of many late night drives from Detroit to Indiana to visit friends at Purdue in the late 70's
Genesis - "Foxtrot"
Stevie Wonder - "Innervisions"
and one real cheater -- just about any Motown compilation (whether single- or multi-group), as a reminder of the hit-making juggernaut that was Motown in the early to mid-60s.
Posted by: Don K | December 8, 2006 6:08 AM
Haven't been here for a while, and didn't mean to comment at all, but the sort of lists (and, I mean, whatever makes you happy's fine and all, y'know!) people are posting here are downright emburreskin'!
No wonder that "best movie" list thread was so ding-dang weirdly awful, and - is this the word I'm straining to find - parochial.
Glad you are interested in science, but no wonder I tuned out, and now will stay away. May we work hard, if at some distance, for the causes of freedom and rationality!
Posted by: goddogtired | December 8, 2006 6:49 AM
Oh come on now. You can't say something like that and not post your own choices.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | December 8, 2006 7:25 AM
Hendrix : Electric ladyland (saw him live in Hounslow England as a kid, kind of dates me)
Van Morrison: Astral Weeks
Led Zep 3(actually any of their first 4 is basically better than almost any other album ever produced by any other rock band to me)
U2: Zooropa, the only U2 music I do not physically get up and switch off, guess I hate the 'real' U2, but love that one
Genesis; Wind and Wuthering
Rolling Stones: Let it Bleed
Pink Floyd : Animals
Posted by: LJ | December 8, 2006 8:59 AM
For the Stones, I'm all about Some Girls even more so than the late '60s/early '70s masterpieces (their cover of "Just My Imagination" is sublime); Dylan's Blood on the Tracks more than 61, I think. How about Jeff Buckley's Grace? A voice far too rarified for this world. And for live albums, I submit the Ramones' It's Alive, which is made up of songs from their first three albums, one whirlwind track after another. London Calling, while I love the Clash, seems to lose me a bit around "Lovers Rock" and "I'm Not Down," if we're splitting hairs (but it comes back for "Revolution Rock" - "weddings, parties, anything/and bongo drums a speciality" indeed!)
Posted by: Will E. | December 8, 2006 9:53 AM
Oh, and Bowie's Low.
Posted by: Will E. | December 8, 2006 9:54 AM
Yes - Close to the Edge, Tales, Relayer, Going for the One, ...
Pink Floyd - Animals
Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3
Sound Garden - Superunknown
Pearl Jam - Vitology
Genesis - Wind and Wuthering, and Lamb Lies Down...
Zep - Physical Graffiti
UK - UK
Alan Holdsworth - Road Games
Michael Penn - Redesigned
Spock's Beard - Octane
...
Posted by: Dunesong | December 8, 2006 10:48 AM
Wow, I can't believe I had to scroll so far down the list before Rainbow's "Long Live Rock and Roll" was mentioned. I'm also surprised that there was no mention of Blue Oyster Cult's "Some Enchanted Evening." The first three RUSH albums were always my favorites and I am not ashamed to say that my all-time fave is KISS ALIVE.
I plan to use these posts as a guide in trying out some new music. Thanks, everyone!
Steve
Posted by: Satcomguy | December 8, 2006 10:59 AM
What?
No ELP? Works Vol I, Trilogy, and Tarkus were excellent
No Alan Parsons? Just about all works for me, Pyramids and Eye in the Sky prob the best.
Dan Fogelberg's Netherlands and the Twin Sons of Different Mothers he did with Tim Weisberg. Phoenix is good, too; after that his stuff is pretty sappy.
Yes, Fragile.
Could go on and on...
Posted by: SharonB | December 8, 2006 11:19 AM
I just thought of one I can't believe I left off my list: The Refreshments, Fizzy Fuzzy Big and Buzzy. This band is now known as Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers and they've been putting out great stuff on every CD. This is bar band rock at its absolute finest. If I could take one CD to a desert island, it might well be their Live at Billy Bob's CD.
Posted by: Ed Brayton | December 8, 2006 12:09 PM
1. Revolver--the Beatles
2. All Things Must Pass---George Harrison
3. Odyssey and Oracle---the Zombies
4. Piper at the Gates of Dawn---Pink Floyd
5. Smile---the Beach Boys
6. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band---the Beatles
7. Led Zeppelin IV
8. Beggar's Banquet---the Rolling Stones
9. Axis Bold as Love---the Jimi Hendrix Experience
10. Pet Sounds---the Beach Boys
Posted by: juju-quisp | December 8, 2006 12:16 PM
Bob Dylan -- Love and Theft
Elvis Costello -- Get Happy
Mahavishnu Orchestra -- Inner Mounting Flame
Glenn Gould -- Goldberg Variations (Bach) if variations might count as "songs"
Television -- Marquee Moon
The Groundhogs -- every single album...astonishing
Posted by: Tim B. | December 8, 2006 12:51 PM
Lots of the above are on my list, but here's one that nobody's mentioned yet:
Calexico -- Garden Ruin.
I'm working my way backward through their discography, and to my ear this is their best yet. Makes me wish I still lived in Arizonia.
Posted by: Johnny Vector | December 8, 2006 1:04 PM
I agree with the Sting one and the first commenter to mention the Pink Floyd albums.
When I was in high school my favorite album to listen to as an album was the Moody Blues' "Days of Future Passed" with the London Symphony.
I love classical music as well as all the genres you are referencing so here are a couple of weird offbeat things as well as classical that I think are good all the way through, listen after listen:
- Amadeus Soundtrack (both CDs)
- "Hush" with Yo-Yo Ma and Bobby McFerrin
- Bela Fleck and Edgar Mayer- Banjo/double bass duets - incredible technique
- Jacques Loussier - Vivaldi's 4 Seasons (jazz version)
- Jacques Loussier - Jacques does Bach
- Pink Floyd - Atom Heart mother side 1 only (I can't stand Adam's Breakfast on side 2)
Also, it seems like the day of the concept album is sort of over - are there any new bands that do concept albums? I miss albums that have themes (like the Pink Floyd / Beatles / etc. type of thing).
Posted by: Anna in Portland (was Cairo) | December 8, 2006 1:59 PM
The last major concept album I can think of is Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime, which is excellent. Sadly, they tried to make a follow up to it that was absolutely wretched. I prefer to believe that it never happened.
Posted by: Ed Brayton | December 8, 2006 2:29 PM
Ok. This should provide a few laughs. I just love it though. I never get sick of it.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the musical episode soundtrack Once More With Feeling.
That Joss Whedon sure can write a catchy tune! I'm not a big musical fan either, but for some reason I just love all these songs.
You know this is difficult for me- I don't listen to whole albums any more. I know at one point I loved a lot of albums, I just couldn't tell you now what's on them.
Nowadays I download by the song and burn comps, and before that all I listed to were tape comps. Whole cds/albums are just not a part of my life much anymore. Not really for the last 15 years. (Except the Buffy soundtrack. That's the first thing that's come out in years I've deemed worth owning a hard copy of.)
Come to think of it, I don't even play my MP3's in the order of the albums (even though that's how the library is organized). I put it on random. I don't know what came from where half the time.
Posted by: Leni | December 8, 2006 2:39 PM
David C. Brayton,
Man, I'm so glad you mentioned that. The work is truly one of the most astonishing musical accomplishments ever. My only quibble is I can not pick just one recording of it from the many outstanding ones.
Exactly.
While I do love rock, pop, folk, and jazz and just about any other form of music, for me nothing approaches -- does not even begin to approach -- the Beethoven symphonies (esp. 3, 5, 7, & 9). That he was deaf when he composed most of them and had a deeply felt yearning for human freedom only makes them that much more poignant.
Posted by: AndyS | December 8, 2006 2:57 PM
Carole King -- Tapestry
Posted by: maurile | December 8, 2006 4:06 PM
I think the following have multiple "perfect" albums to their credit:
Miles Davis (esp. KOB, Round About Midnight & Miles Smiles)
Joni Mitchell (esp. Hejira)
Bob Dylan (I'm partial to Bringing It All Back Home & Blonde On Blonde))
Pat Metheny (esp. Secret Story)
Frank Zappa (esp. Roxy & Elsewhere, but tough to choose)
I'll also ditto American Beauty (Workingman's is also pretty perfect), Close to the Edge, Rain Dogs (also Nighthawks at the Diner), and, jeez, several others already mentioned.
A few new to the lists (I think):
Oliver Nelson, Blues & the Abstract Truth
Eric Dolphy, Out to Lunch
Art Ensemble of Chicago, Nice Guys
Nanci Griffith, Little Love Affairs
man, many more.
I can't believe somebody mentioned Blows Against the Empire--I'm going to have to dig that out of the vinyl stash in the basement!
And Ed, the whole jazz-would-be-dead-if-not-for its-savior-Wynton-Marsalis myth is just that. Much as I enjoy a lot of his music.
Posted by: CCP | December 8, 2006 4:35 PM
CCP wrote:
I didn't say it would be dead; I said it was dead when he came along and was the primary force in reviving it. Had he not come along, someone else probably would have (he's hardly the only talented musician or composer of his generation). But I don't think it can be denied that the art form was at a low ebb in the 70s and early 80s, or that Wynton was an enormous influence on a whole generation of musicians and played a huge role in bringing it back.
Posted by: Ed Brayton | December 8, 2006 5:50 PM
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Nirvana - Nevermind
The Pogues - If I Should Fall From Grace With God
Various Artists - Beleza Tropical (compiled by David Byrne)
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Posted by: Charles | December 8, 2006 6:18 PM
Ministry - The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste
Primus - Brown Album
The Black Dahlia Murder - Miasma
System of a Down - Toxicity
Sepultura - Beneath the Remains
Most Beatles albums.
Most Pink Ployd albums.
Posted by: Jake | December 8, 2006 8:13 PM
How can I forget about:
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
I love most black sabbath albums, but there is usually one song that I don't like, not on MOR.
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix - Axis: Bold as Love
The soundtrack to Xanadu. I'm not kidding.
ELO - Eldorado
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
There are so many, but I have to go.
Posted by: Jake | December 8, 2006 8:21 PM
CRAP! I forgot about Yes - Fragile AND Close to the Edge AND Relayer
but seeing as how relayer and ctte have 3 songs a piece, well.
Posted by: Jake | December 8, 2006 8:22 PM
For modern music:
Pink Floyd
Moody Blues
Beach Boys Pet Sounds
Greatful Dead (album doesn't matter)
Beatles Revolver
Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers
The Who Tommy. I thoroughly ruined the grooves on my copy of this LP, but this is the one album of modern music that I would take with me on a deserted island. Maybe because I saw The Who perform it live in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Awesome.
Other than those, I'd probably stick with a few (hundred) classical discs.
Posted by: raj | December 8, 2006 11:21 PM
Shouldn't albums meant to be listened wall-to-wall be disqualified?
Hm, tough one for me -- I've always been more into singles than albums, and a sizeable chunk of my record collection is greatest hits albums.
I have to agree on Zooropa -- it's not my favorite U2 album, but Joshua Tree is maybe a couple of tracks too long, and Achtung Baby seems to come to a premature end with the last few notes of "Mysterious Ways" -- the rest of it seems tacked on somehow.
Garbage's first album may have been one of the best mainstream rock albums of the 1990s, and it's a real rollercoaster ride -- from seductive to manic to bitter to staggeringly weird.
Genesis' Invisible Touch is an interesting one -- while there are a few standouts on that album ("Domino" and "Land of Confusion" in particular), the music is a so-so flirtation with combining hard rock and prog rock. It works pretty well, but it seems the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Enigma's MCMXC ad is a concept album, so it violates my first rule, but out of the Enigma I've heard it probably hangs together the best. Sometimes too it's fun to listen to other songs and pick out a sample Michael Cretu used to create his own songs (how's this for obscure: "Callas Went Away" samples the intro from "Par Avion" by Mike + the Mechanics.)
A lot of Weird Al albums hang together pretty damn well, though the most recent ones tend to be a little weak in that regard if only because the people who are hard-core Weird Al fans have probably outgrown most of what he satires.
I could ramble on, but I'm already hogging major screen columnage...
Posted by: Brian X | December 8, 2006 11:29 PM
Oh, and for a followup, how's this one: Albums that would be great if only they were a few tracks shorter?
Say You Will, Fleetwood Mac (love, love, LOVE "Peacekeeper")
The Rising, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (just too much to handle in one sitting)
Oh, and a couple of movie soundtracks for the previous category: The Full Monty and Saturday Night Fever.
Posted by: Brian X | December 8, 2006 11:31 PM
Glenn Gould -- Goldberg Variations (Bach) if variations might count as "songs"
If this is Bach's works on a piano (as most of Gould's works by Bach that I have heard were), it's a sacrilege! They should be played on a harpsichord.
I haven't heard that recording--I have several of the 9th, but not that one--but one tid-bit. I had read some time ago that the specifications for compact disc recording--sampling rate and compression--were selected to ensure that virtually any version of B's 9th would fit on one CD. I'm not sure how true that is, but, if it is true, it is interesting.
Posted by: raj | December 9, 2006 12:27 AM
A lot of great selections. Certainly ASTRAL WEEKS, SGT. PEPPER, and either DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED or TO OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN'S CHILDREN from the MOODY BLUES. Possibly DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. And nobody else mentioned Billy Joel in my quick read, but GLASS HOUSES makes my list.
Nobody mentioned any show music, but I can't recall any bad cuts on THE MUSIC MAN (movie version) or MY FAIR LADY.
Agree with the Brubeck.
And three obscure ones -- two not in English.
CHRYSALIS - DEFINITION. The only album by a late 60s group, which got lost in the MGM mess, but accurately described as a 'perfectly formed masterpiece' with wonderful lyrics. (I was without the album for 20 years and could still quote and sing many of the songs. It's finally available on a CD, but only the first 12 cuts count -- up to the first version of "Dr. Root's Garden." They were the original album, the rest are ones that didn't make the album or original versions that were remade.)
Junaid Jamshed: US RAH PAR This is a solo project, actually an all-star album, by one of the originators of Pakistani Pop music -- perhaps the most interesting music of the 90s. I don't know what he is singing, but the music is awesome.
Soundtrack of YES, BOSS! It's an Indian movie, a remake of a Michael J. Fox movie. Only a half dozen songs, all great -- and if you can get a copy of the DVD, the movie is worth watching too.
There are probably two dozen others I could have mentioned. (MOONDANCE as well as ASTRAL WEEKS, the STONES' GOT LIVE IF YOU WANT IT.) If I am more awake tomorrow I may include more, but my wife mentioned two that belong on the list, RUMORS by Fleetwood Mac -- one of the ones that is so good you play it so much you get sick of it for a while -- and K.D. Laing's SHADOWLAND.
To be continued... (Hmm, for compilations, the soundtrack of almost any COLD CASE episode deserves paying attention to.)
Posted by: Prup aka Jim Benton | December 9, 2006 1:52 AM
raj,
I see your assertion and raise you:
no other version of the Goldbergs on any instrument can match or exceed the communing perfection of Gould's 1955 piano miracle (he, at the least, matched himself with the glorious stereo remake from the '80s). I'm nonplussed that you might think Bach himself, were he alive today, would prefer the harpsichord over the expressive and colorful efflorescence of a modern piano.
Regarding Beethoven's 9th -- I'm in chronic awe over Furtwangler's 1954 Lucerne Festival recording (mono).
Posted by: Tim B. | December 9, 2006 10:25 AM
I find it interesting that no one has mentioned Weezer's Blue Album. Every song is fantastic and it's some of the best chill music I've ever heard.
Posted by: JD | December 9, 2006 11:28 PM
Talking Heads--77
Posted by: PhysioProf | December 10, 2006 11:25 AM
I had listed my choices in comments on this post at Positive Liberty. On my list was Bob Dylan's Blond on Blond. While reading thru these list, I was beginning to think I am way older or my perception of the impact of this album was wrong. I have listened to it over many years; moving from record to cassette to CD. At least CCP has found it to be a perfect album too.
Posted by: VRB | December 10, 2006 1:34 PM
Well, this is obviously days late and ducats short; but, hobbled by bad memory and blinded by the giant hits on the list, I forgot a perfect little jewel--every song worth repeating: "Riding with the King," Eric Clapton and BB King trading great licks on some wonderful blues.
Posted by: les | December 13, 2006 4:07 PM