Ledgie Top Tens: Album Edition

[Zombie]

So, it's obvious we're all major music fans here. Music is like oxygen to me, and I have many favorites - we've recently had a few threads asking us to name what we consider the most beautiful songs ever, or asking what other bands or artists we are rabid about, so I thought I'd add another list to the mix.

What are your top ten favorite albums of all time and why? Don't answer based entirely on technical merit or influence on the music industry - base it on what you personally consider to be the greatest, the records you can't live without.

I'll start, and limit my answer to a list of 10, in no particular order:

- Elton John's Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra - My mother had this on cassette when I was very young, and I love it more than words can say. I played the tape til it disintegrated & have since probably bought the CD at least 20 times, for myself and to give as gifts. Love the video of it, too, with Elton's kickass wig. "Madman Across the Water" with the orchestra is absolutely mindblowing, as is "60 Years On," "The King Must Die," "Have Mercy on the Criminal," and...well, hell, all of it. Just superb in every sense of the word.

- Fear Factory's Demanufacture - FF are one of my all-time favorite bands, and this is what I consider to be them at their peak. Previous albums, as well as the next album, "Obsolete," are also amazing, but nothing beats "Demanufacture" for sheer crunchy genius.

- Aphrodite's Child's 666 - I can listen to this straight through 5 times in a row and still not get tired of it. Yes, even Irene Papas' 5 min. + spazzy orgasm thing. It's just that damn good.

- Tori Amos' Boys for Pele - This is neck & neck with Little Earthquakes & From the Choirgirl Hotel, but Boys edges those two out for the amazing that is "The Doughnut Song."

- The Alan Parsons Project's The Turn of a Friendly Card - Another album I grew up on, because my mom played it constantly. I ganked that cassette from her, too, and played it til it fell apart like the Elton John tape. There is not one bad song, nor even one remotely "meh"-ish.

- The Sisters of Mercy's Floodland - "Dominion/Mother Russia"? "This Corrosion"? "Driven Like the Snow"? "Lucretia, My Reflection"? "Flood II"? Three words, my friends - utterly. bastard. groovy.

- Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' No More Shall We Part - No list of mine could ever be complete without an entry from Mr. Cave & the Bad Seeds, but it's hard for me to choose a favorite. In the end, though, No More gets it because it gave us "Oh My Lord," which I consider to be the epitome of perfection when it comes to songwriting.

- Acid Bath's When the Kite String Pops - This band was just not around long enough, and whenever I listen to Kite, I am reminded of what a damn shame that is.

- Sunshine Blind's Love the Sky to Death - Another band that just wasn't around long enough (unfortunately, partly due to the shenanigans of one Andrew Eldritch of aforementioned Sisters of Mercy), Love the Sky to Death was one of the albums that really got me into goth music back in the day, and it still stands up like whoa whenever I listen to it.

And last, but not least - - The 4 disc version of 25 Years: The Chain - I feel like this is cheating, but it's the only way I'm going to be able to get most of my fav Mac songs on one release. :laugh:

All right, so there's mine. Whatcha got for me?

[tilthefirefades]

I love this thread! I am someone who bases the music I like completely around albums in their entirety.

Jewel Pieces Of You-This was the first cd I bought that I listened to in it's entirety every day for about 5 months straight, and I still listen to at least one song from it every day now. If you don't cry at least once while listening to it, there is something wrong with you. From classics such as "Who Will Save Your Soul" to deeper tracks such as "Adrian", there is a story within each song that is absolutely incredible to hear.

Marilyn Manson Mechanical Animals-After shocking the world with the rambunctious Antichrist Superstar, his fourth album revealed a more sensitive side to Manson. This album has one classic tune after another, which eventually becomes a concept album about losing sensitivity in a mechanical world. The last three songs "Fundamentally Loathsome", "The Last Day On Earth", and "Coma White" are breathtaking.

Mariah Carey The Emancipation of Mimi -Not much to say about this album except it falls perfectly into my taste of music-depressing. She makes a comeback that is exceptional while showing off her voice in songs like "Circles", "Mine Again", and "Stay The Night"

R. Kelly R. Kelly-The reason I love R&B music. This will make you feel as if you are in love with a lamp if you are listening to it at the time :lol:. "Religious Love" is a must hear from this album.

The Academy Is Almost Here-This was their first release, and it is filled with melodic songs that are impossible not to love. "Slow Down" and "Checkmarks" make this album worthwhile.

AFI Decemberunderground-Once you get 5 songs in and hear "The Interview", this concept album is addictive.

Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon-Everyone knows why this album is on any top albums list. I just couldn't leave it out of mine.

Fleetwood Mac Say You Will-My first FM album, and remains my favorite. Of course, Christine could have made it much more than what it came out to be.

Brand New The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Of Me-This is definitely a slow burner, in that it took me a year to realize it's genius. They took a new direction by making darker and deeper music that isn't ridden with the teen angst of their previous releases. You must buy this album if you don't have it, especially if you've never heard of it. If anything, listen to "Jesus Christ".

Janet Jackson The Velvet Rope-More R&B gold, the reason I love Janet.

I still have like 30 more I would list, but these are the ones that stand out to me.

[Sleepless-Child]

Mmh, this is kind of difficult, but I'm gonna give it a try (in no particular order)

Tusk, obviously. Not the first Mac album I had, but my favorite for sure. It really had, and still has, a great impact on me. If, one day, I should record an album, it would sound like this. Thank you Mr. Buckingham, that's all I can say. I could select my favorite songs, but apart from Never Make Me Cry, and That's enough for me, I love them all.

Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, by the Beatles, obviously, one more time. It's kind of easy, because it's considered as one of the best albums of all time, and it really is. I absolutely love this album, because of his eccentrism. It was ambitious, back in that time, and today, it still is. Favorite songs, probably, mmh, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, She's leaving Home, Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite, and A Day in the Life.

Parallel Lines by Blondie. I've always been a Blondie fan, and it was tie between Plastic Letters and this one, but I finally choose Parallel Lines because I listen to it right now. This is an energetic album, with great pop-rock songs, and I LOVE pop rock songs. What's more, when you listen to it one time, you can't get enough of it. My favorite songs are 11:59, Picture This, Sunday Girl, Heart of Glass, One way or Another, and Will Anything Happen?.

Curtains, by John Frusciante. It's a shame that John Frusciante is just known because of the fact that he's Red Hot CHili Peppers' guitarist (well, not anymore). He's also an AMAZING solo artist, and this album is really an intimate one (I could have chosen another album, they're all great). Favorite songs : The Past Recedes, A Name, Your Warning, Leap Your Bar, Time Tonight...

Led Zeppelin IV, by...well, Led Zeppelin. Nothing to say, just my favorite Rock (you know, pure rock) album of all time (with Led Zeppelin I..). Come on, STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN !. Favorite songs : Going to California, Stairway to Heaven, Rock n' Roll, When the Levee Breaks.

Tea for the Tillerman, by Cat Stevens. First word that comes to my mind when I think of it : BEAUTIFUL. That's all. Favorite songs : Wild World, Sad Lisa, Into White, Father and son.

The Velvet Underground and Nico, by The Velvet Underground...and Nico. Lou Reed is a genius. So, this album is genius too, all the songs being composed by Lou Reed. Favorite ones : Sunday Morning, Venus in Furs and Heroin.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I don't listen to it anymore, but it was the first band and the first album I fell in love with. Favorite songs : Under The Bridge, I Could Have Lied, Give it Away, Blood Sugar Sex Magik...(okay I'm going to listen to this!)

Automatic Writing by Ataxia. John Frusciante + Josh Klinghoffer + Joe Lally = Great combination. It's surrealistic, but I love it. Favorite songs : The Sides, Dust and Montreal (there are 5 songs, actually).

Bella Donna. It was tie between this album and Gift of Screws haha. But Stevie is Stevie. So, I'm going for Bella Donna, which is a great album, it contains a lot of my favorite Stevie songs : Bella Donna, How Still My Love, Outside the Rain, Edge of Seventeen and Kind of Woman.

[DefDumbandBlond]

I don't have time to explain why right now but real quick, 10 of my favorite albums (in no order):


The Gun Club - Mother Juno
The Ramones - !Adios Amigos!
Deborah Harry - Def, Dumb, & Blonde (hence the username :D)
The Velvet Underground - Loaded
Stevie Nicks - Trouble In Shangri-La
Iggy Pop - Blah Blah Blah
Blondie - No Exit
Heart - Heart (1985)
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
David Bowie - Never Let Me Down

[Zombie]

Great lists - it's so cool to see such diverse entries. And thank you for the little explanations/info along with them. I always want to hear a "why" when someone says something is a favorite. I'm so needy.

Keep 'em coming, y'all!

[Dodfather]

Some of these may be cliched choices but hey, cliches happen because, more often than not, they're right - haha!

Ryan Adams - Gold (2001)
Fantastic songwriting. 17 tracks (with the UK bonus one) and I don't skip any. Even though it's a long album it still feels very focused and never goes off into self-indulgence. This was even better than Heartbreaker and for me he's never topped it, although he's done some great stuff since then. Major quality control issues now though. He seems to release anything and everything...

Counting Crows - August and Everything After (1993)
My first encounter with one of my favourite bands. It was clse between this or Recovering The Satellites (1996) but I think that this introduced the band so, so well and has a diverse range of material from their classic singalong pop yet dark sentiment (Mr. Jones) to their all out bleak yet beautiful ballads (Time and Time Again, Anna Begins)

Dusty Springfield - Dusty In Memphis (1969)(
Flawless. I think you have to have no ears to dislike this record! Haha. It was genuinely shocking at points too to hear a white woman singing such soulful, risque lyrics as those in Son Of A Preacher Man. Also, Breakfast In Bed and I Don't Wanna Hear It Anymore are both heartbreaking and voyeuristic/titallating (but not smutty) at the same time. Just wonderful.

Aimee Mann - Bachelor No. 2, or, The Last Remains of the Dodo (1999)

This was the album that really sold me on Aimee. I already had Lost In Space (her follow up to this) but when I got this I just thought, wow. Brilliant lyrics all the way through and fantastic production. It gets pretty savage at points too, especially Calling It Quits and The Fall Of The Worlds Own Optimist. Hard to pick a favourite track from this album but I'd have to go for Red Vines.

Cranberries - No Need To Argue (1994)
Man, I played this album over and over and over again when I was between 13-15 years old. One of those albums that really gets you at the right age and you learn to love every single note. I re-discovered it a couple of years ago and it's still brilliant. I Can't Be With You is great, although Zombie has not aged as well and was overplayed at the time. My parents must have been worried hearing Ode To My Family blasting from my room so often ("does anyone care??" - haha!) but there was no such darkness, I just loved the album. If this had Linger on it then it may well be the only Cranberries album you'd ever need. Dreadful follow up though (To The Faithful Departed), best avoided.I have to see them on tour now that they've reformed. I'm waiting for more dates.

Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna (1981)
Until I heard the next album on this list I thought this was perhaps the best debut album of all time. Certainly the best by a group memeber for a solo career. It sets Stevie apart as an artist in her own right with the more country-ish material (After The Glitter Fades, Leather and Lace) yet still reminds us all that she is a ROCK star (Edge of Seventeen).

Jackson Browne - Jackson Browne (Saturate Before Using) (1972)
Ok. I'm just gonna say it. I prefer Jackson Browne to James Taylor. I love James, but Jackson's run of albums in the 70s (his first 5) just can't be beaten in terms of sheer sustained quality. I'm gonna say that this is the best debut of all time. That piano riff on Doctor My Eyes, the romance of Jamaica, Say You Will...love it, and Song For Adam gets me every time.

Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill (1995)

Now this is how to change your image - haha! Yes, it's angry girl music and has been imitated and parodied to death since it came out, but if you take it on merit then the songs are just fantastic!

Phew! Sorry if this post dragged on a bit.... There are so many more albums I could go on about but I'm sure you'd all get pretty bored of hearing me lecture/rant/pontificate/piss you off... (delete as applicable, haha)

[The Chain]

Lindsey Buckingham - Law & Order
Lindsey Buckingham - Go Insane
The Cure - Three Imaginary Boys (1979)
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulliten (1999)
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic (2009)
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Kaya (1978)
Stevie Nicks - The Wild Heart
Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main St. (1972)

Honorable mentions : Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007), Electric President - Sleep Well (2008)


I love all of these because they are albums in the true sense of what I believe a perfect album is - a theme, or consistant feel runs through them, the songs flow perfectly & should be listened to start to finish.

[HomerMcvie]

FM- Mystery To Me
FM- Rumours
Eagles- Hotel California
Son Volt- Trace
Yes- 90125
Restless Heart- Wheels
Alabama- Mountain Music
Stevie Nicks- Bella Donna:eek:
BR5-49- self-titled(aka the telephone album)
Diamond Rio - Love a Little Stronger

[ButterCookie]

In no particular order (Beause I just can't)

Plastic Letters - Blondie
This album is just all out bliss! When I first heard it, I played it on repeat for 3 days. It's much more raw than their first album and all the follow ups, for me, this IS Blondie. It exhudes everything they are for me.

Fleetwood Mac - Tango in the Night
Because it was my first. It's not their best, in my opinion, but it's the album that I first heard, it was also one of my first records (I took guardianship of it from my mums collection) It was also the first album I ever played on my turntable. Christine REALLY shines throughout on it too.

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie
In one word... Epic. In a few more; I will never get enough of this album. I play it so often, I have two copies. The vocals are perfect, the look is f*ing gorgeous. I'd do a lot for Ziggy Stardust ;) The guitar is infectious and the lyrics are out-of-this-world clever.

The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground
In my opinion, the Velvets at their best.

Christine Perfect - Christine Perfect
Gah, I love this one SO much. I play it at least once a day and every night before I go to bed. This album taught me to love Blues. I just wish I could afford a vinyl copy (I don't own a CD player)

Horses - Patti Smith
Before I heard this album I had a lot of hate for Patti, because she'd been rude to Debbie Harry in the past, now she's one of my biggest idols and inspirations. I remember finding it at a flea market for £1 and thinking 'what the heck, if I don't like it, I'll get £5 for it on eBay'. I'm so glad I did buy it though, it's one that changed the way I look at things and re-kindled my love for poetry.

Lungs - Florence + the Machine
Lungs is the only album I listen to released after 1989 (Bar my favourite bands and artists albums like SYW, No Exit, TISL etc) and boy do I love it. Florence Welch has an amazing voice. Fact. She also brought new life to a song that I hated before. And there's lots of Tabourine useage ;)

Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols - Sex Pistols
Need I say more?

Bella Donna - Stevie Nicks
IMO, Stevie at her best. I have Edge of Seventeen as my alarm tone to wake me up in the morning. I love everything about it and would sell my soul to have been alive to see the tour.

Def, Dumb & Blonde - Deborah Harry
Def, Dumb and Blonde is my favourite of Debbie's solo albums. The songs are danceable or just easy to listen to in an evening. They never fail to cheer me up either. Not to mention that gorgeous NJ accent on the spoken lyrics.

Oh my god, this is long O_o

[Erin]

These lists are always fun to make! In no particular order:

1. The Dance- Fleetwood Mac: I know it's really not all that "live", but I listened to this album so much that the CD started to skip and I had to buy a new copy. I became a fan because of this album, and I still love it.

2. MTV Unplugged- Nirvana: Once again another album I has to re-purchase because the CD started to skip from over-use. I love, love the covers on this album especially Where did you sleep last night.

3. Achtung Baby- U2: Many people think The Joshua Tree is their best work, but I've always liked Achtung more. One, Love is Blindness, Mysterious Ways...

4. Flaming Red- Patty Griffin: I got this for free from a friend who was given a bunch of CD's she didn't want from work. I'm glad she didn't keep this one. I know there are other fans of hers on this board, but everyone should give her a listen. Her voice is phenomenal. This is my favorite album of hers, stand out tracks for me are Mary and Goodbye.

5. Out of the Cradle- Lindsey Buckingham: It took me a while to find Lindsey's albums. They weren't available in my local big box stores back in the late nineties. I finally got a hold of all three at a Borders in downtown Chicago. I took the Metra back to the suburbs and listened to OOTC on the way home. It was worth the wait. Although he has some angry and sad songs on this album, it always strikes up a relaxed mood for me. I'm still waiting to hear Countdown and Soul Drifter live one day. I wish I had seen the OOTC tour since he doesn't perform much off of the album these days.

6. Rumours- Fleetwood Mac: I know you're supposed to say Tusk, and although I like many individual tracks off that album, Rumours has a much better flow.

7. What's the Story Morning Glory?- Oasis: Great Brit rock from the nineties, and I love it! Don't Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernova!

8. Self-Titled- Sheryl Crow: This is her second album and still her best imo. My favorites are the non-single tracks like Hard to Make a Stand and Redemption Day.

9. Greatest Hits- Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: I don't know if this is considered cheating, but all of their best stuff to date was on this album. Southern rock at its finest. Everyone I knew had this album and we all played it to death.

10. Actual Miles- Don Henley: Probably cheating again with another greatest hits package! I love his eighties solo work and here it all is nicely collected in one disc. Boys of Summer, The End of the Innocence, and The Heart of the Matter always remind me of summer when I was a kid and life was uncomplicated.

[HomerMcvie]

10. Actual Miles- Don Henley: Probably cheating again with another greatest hits package! I love his eighties solo work and here it all is nicely collected in one disc. Boys of Summer, The End of the Innocence, and The Heart of the Matter always remind me of summer when I was a kid and life was uncomplicated.

Dammit, I forgot about Don Henley! Building the Perfect Beast is definitely in my top ten! Buy it, if you don't have it.

[mylittledemon]

I wish I could pick a top 20. It's hard to narrow it down to 10 as I like so many other albums equally... for different reasons. The particular ones below, I never tire of listening to.


1) A Kind of Magic (or Live at Wembley Stadium)- Queen

2) The Dance - Fleetwood Mac

3) All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2

4) Synchronicity - the Police

5) Wildflowers - Tom Petty

6) Batman Motion Picture Score - Danny Elfman

7) OOTC - Lindsey Buckin'ham

8) Scarecrow - John Mellencamp

9) The End of the Innocence - Don Henley

10) The Last Waltz - The Band

[HomerMcvie]

8) Scarecrow - John Mellencamp


This used to be one of mine, and it's probably his best album, but he's such a douchebag f*ckface, that it's ruined his music for me. Same with Steve Earle.

[chelluversu]

Regina Spektor's Far: I absolutely love this girl. I've been listening to her music since middle school and i still feel the same way :thumbsup:
Aaliyah's last album: I got this CD before she died and the one they issued after she died :distress:
N'Sync's Celebrity: I'm not saying that this cd is epic but it's they first one I ever owned lol and plus i loved it (Selfish!!) but my sister keyed my name into it so i didn't work anymore =[
Alanis Morissette's MTV Unplugged: i really love her voice and she first had me with You Oughta Know.
Alexz Johnson's upcoming album..even tho this really shouldn't count but her demos are pretty good and i will (try to) be the first to go out and get it.
Gift of Screws: my first lindsey cd =]
Christina Aguilera's Stripped: I loved that she completely changed her image from the "bad" pop girl to somewhat of an actual artist.
Coldplay's LeftRightLeftRightLeft: coldplay live :thumbsup:
Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way: I was one of the fans they gained after that whole George Bush/Toby Keith thing..FUTK
Crystal Visions: my first Stevie cd..when i was 14. I already liked her then and this helped alot even tho after hearing the midnight special version of rhiannon i was a little disappointed that it wasn't done the same way (I got over it)

[mylittledemon]

This used to be one of mine, and it's probably his best album, but he's such a douchebag f*ckface, that it's ruined his music for me. Same with Steve Earle.

I feel the same way about John Mayer.

[jaycee]

Most of the albums I have are compilations, so I haven't heard that many proper albums per se. Anyway, this list probably wouldn't change radically, although a few on the list may get pushed down over time as I hear more albums...
While these are ordered in favouritism, the first two I currently consider tied. Anyway, on with it!

1. Days Of Future Passed - The Moody Blues. Simply a must own masterpiece!! :nod: :nod:
1. Avalon - Roxy Music. I was listening to it on the way home last night from the MFBB concert at Sutton Grange Winery. It's absolutely beautiful!
3. Tusk - Fleetwood Mac. We all know why...
4. Tango In The Night - Fleetwood Mac. If the B-sides were also on it (I've made a playlist where they're inserted rather cleverly, if I do say so myself) it'd probably be tied with Tusk for me...
5. Soul Cages - Sting. Another beautiful album!
6. The Turn Of A Friendly Card - The Alan Parsons Project. As stated by Zombie.
7. American Pie - Don McLean. "Everybody Loves Me Baby" is my favourite track for the album, in case you wanted to know...
8. Go Insane - Lindsey Buckingham. I just love the sounds he created for it!
9. Out Of The Cradle - Lindsey Buckingham. Self explanatory.
10. Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits. "Sultans Of Swing" is my favourite songs of theirs, but this is their best album! :nod:

Dido's first two albums could make a top 20 list, let alone FM's Mystery To Me, Heroes Are Hard To Find, Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, and Mirage. I'd also include The Doors' Strange Days and L.A. Woman, and the self-titled Tracy Chapman ("Fast Car" is my favourite, but all the songs are fantastic).
As stated before, I haven't heard many albums (very sadly, none by Pink Floyd... :distress:), but these ones listed are still extremely difficult to beat!

[Zombie]

The Velvet Underground and Nico, by The Velvet Underground...and Nico. Lou Reed is a genius. So, this album is genius too, all the songs being composed by Lou Reed. Favorite ones : Sunday Morning, Venus in Furs and Heroin.

Oh, excellent choice! "Heroin" is such a good song.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I don't listen to it anymore, but it was the first band and the first album I fell in love with. Favorite songs : Under The Bridge, I Could Have Lied, Give it Away, Blood Sugar Sex Magik...(okay I'm going to listen to this!)


Excellent choices, both. "Heroin" is a damn fine song.

And I love RHCP back in the day, but don't listen to them as much anymore, which I will need to rectify soonly. And speaking of "Under the Bridge," if you haven't seen it, this is full of lulz:

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The Cure - Three Imaginary Boys (1979)
Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main St. (1972)


Also excellent choices!



The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie
In one word... Epic. In a few more; I will never get enough of this album. I play it so often, I have two copies. The vocals are perfect, the look is f*ing gorgeous. I'd do a lot for Ziggy Stardust ;) The guitar is infectious and the lyrics are out-of-this-world clever.

Oh my god, this is long O_o

Long is good! I am interested to read everyone's comments & ideas.

And David Bowie is effin' awesome. Since I posted an RHCP lulz, here's a relevant Bowie lulz as well:

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"Wear the eyepatch, Bret! Wear the funky, funky eyepatch!"

Flight of the Conchords kinda rocks the earth. If you are interested, there are several more clips from that episode - Ashes to Ashes music video Bowie, 1986 David Bowie from the movie Labyrinth, and then they do a badass song, "Bowie's In Space." Love.

2. MTV Unplugged- Nirvana: Once again another album I has to re-purchase because the CD started to skip from over-use. I love, love the covers on this album especially Where did you sleep last night.

3. Achtung Baby- U2: Many people think The Joshua Tree is their best work, but I've always liked Achtung more. One, Love is Blindness, Mysterious Ways...

7. What's the Story Morning Glory?- Oasis: Great Brit rock from the nineties, and I love it! Don't Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernova!


Oh man, I love Nirvana's Unplugged album. I played that thing to death, and it still stands up even how many years later. I love, love, love the version of "Something In the Way" on that album. I also agree about Achtung Baby - I always liked it a lot more than Joshua Tree.

And for Oasis, I love "Wonderwall," even if it's kinda cliche. I also really like "What's the Story, Morning Glory?" the track. Has a great sound.

I wish I could pick a top 20. It's hard to narrow it down to 10 as I like so many other albums equally... for different reasons. The particular ones below, I never tire of listening to.

Gimme the others, too, if you want. I went for 10 because I thought it would be doable enough for most, but if you have more, hit me. I would love to hear about them. I could do a bunch more, too.

This used to be one of mine, and it's probably his best album, but he's such a douchebag f*ckface, that it's ruined his music for me. Same with Steve Earle.

Oh, do tell - would love to hear about this. And Steve Earle.


1. Days Of Future Passed - The Moody Blues. Simply a must own masterpiece!! :nod: :nod:
6. The Turn Of A Friendly Card - The Alan Parsons Project. As stated by Zombie.
10. Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits. "Sultans Of Swing" is my favourite songs of theirs, but this is their best album! :nod:
!

That's my girl, you know the awesome lethality of the Alan Parsons Project! And major love for the Moody Blues (cold hearted orb that rules the night...I did a speech and drama presentation using that bit of spoken word, and it was great.)

And diggin the Dire Straits, too. Is Six Blade Knife on "Brothers in Arms?" I love that song, but I can't remember and I am lazy and won't Google it. :laugh:

For anyone that really loves a well-put together concept album, I definitely recommend 666 - Aphrodite's Child. It's based on the Book of Revelation

As an aside, I am kicking myself for not including "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" in my list.

[Nikolaj]

I'm still thinking about my Top 10 list, but so many here have great Fleetwood Mac albums on their lists, but most don't have 'Rumours' included! Can this be right, really??? :)
'Rumours' has got to be on it! I know it's so pc to say 'Tusk'-- but... Gold Dust Woman, Go Your Own Way, The Chain (and now with the expanded cd), Silver Springs.
Oh Daddy, I think 'Rumours' isn't getting the love it deserves!
But, at least you all have done your Top 10 albums of all time, so I'll shut up, I still have nine more to go!

[Fiver]

I'm really into Bluegrass, moreso the progressive kind, but since 2007 I've broadened my musical horizons an all that good stuff. Anyway, I'm not much of a music critic, I just like what I like. So don't ask Lucy to 'splain.

In no particular order:

All Things Must Pass - George Harrison
The Reminder - Feist
Blue Album - Weezer
Lonely Runs Both Ways - Alison Krauss and Union Station
Make Yourself - Incubus
Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
Tusk - Fleetwood Mac
Lindsey Buckingham - Out of the Cradle
Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna
Chris Thile - Not All Who Wander Are Lost

[Dodfather]

8. Self-Titled- Sheryl Crow: This is her second album and still her best imo. My favorites are the non-single tracks like Hard to Make a Stand and Redemption Day.

10. Actual Miles- Don Henley: Probably cheating again with another greatest hits package! I love his eighties solo work and here it all is nicely collected in one disc. Boys of Summer, The End of the Innocence, and The Heart of the Matter always remind me of summer when I was a kid and life was uncomplicated.

GREAT choice to go for Sheryl's second album. I think Sheryl was at her best between this and The Globe Sessions (which I think is her best album and Imeant to put in my list). Detours didn't really do it for me, although I do own it and saw her on the (de)tour...sorry, couldn't resist! I especially love Hard To Make A Stand and it never gets mention. After Everyday Is A Windong Road and A Change Would Do You Good the rest of the album often gets forgotten about, which is a real shame.

he's such a douchebag f*ckface, that it's ruined his music for me. Same with Steve Earle.

Hahahaha!! Quote of the day. I now must use it in a sentence. I still like Steve though...

I feel the same way about John Mayer.

Brandon, I completely agree!

[Nikolaj]

1. 'Rumours', Fleetwood Mac. It's been in my life since forever, and I need 'Gold Dust Woman' Go Your Own Way', 'The Chain' and 'Silver Springs' until forever! I'm choosing the 2 cd expanded version.
2. 'Parallel Lines', Blondie. I gotta have some Blondie, and this was my favorite album of theirs. 'Fade Away and Radiate', the extended 'Heart of Glass','Sunday Girl',the insanely-hooky 'Pretty Baby' and really so many good songs.
3. 'Blood On The Tracks', Bob Dylan. I always was influenced by my older cousin, and she loved this album and told me how historically significant it was. It took me a lot of years, but I saw her point, 'Idiot Wind', 'Lily, Rosemary & The Jack of Hearts', 'Tangled Up In Blue' and 'Simple Twist of Fate' are 4 perfect songs off the top of my head without cheating and pulling the album, and decades later, I still feel a little bit smarter than I really am when I listen to 'Blood On The Tracks'...
4. 'Sticky Fingers' by The Rolling Stones. Garage-grunge on 'Sway' and 'Sister Morphine' and a bunch of good songs, visceral, enticing, decadent- almost perfect.
5. '40 Licks' by The Rolling Stones. Because I want as many of the Stones hits as I can have- the amazing 'Gimme Shelter', 'Mother's Little Helper', 'Paint It Black', and so many great songs, Jagger-Richards are maybe my favorite songwriters of all time, and the best of their hits sound so great, still.
6. 'Enchanted' by Stevie Nicks. I need a ton of Stevie Nicks music in my life, and so far, this 3 cd box set is the best place to get a lot of Stevie in one place. There are songs missing I'd like- oh wait, this isn't exactly a "desert-island" list of albums, so I guess I can hear anything I want at any time, this is just a Top 10 Favorite Albums List, so, yes, I'll stick with 'Enchanted'.
7. No, I'm not really that old... but...'Anthology' by Diana Ross And The Supremes. So, on Anthology, 12 number one songs, the incredible songwriters Holland Dozier Holland, the hook-laden 'Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart', 'You Keep Me Hangin' On', 'Stop!', 'Love Child', 'Someday We'll Be Together' 'My World Is Empty Without You' & a bunch of other hits and lots of rarities- the music still lifts me.
8. 'Achtung Baby' by U2. I think from start to finish, this is my favorite cd of theirs. 'Until The End of The World', 'Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses', 'So Cruel, 'One'- all 4 of those songs can transform me to a really intense place, and I like the rest of the songs, too. Plus, I can't keep cheating with Greatest Hits, this is supposed to be 'albums' and I'm having a hell of a time choosing a David Bowie album because I want 'Heroes' on it but don't wanna choose the 'Heroes' album... so I guess, it's a cheat again and:
9. 'Changes Bowie' by David Bowie... 'Rebel Rebel', 'China Girl', 'Modern Love' and all the others, Bowie was so amazing. I like that someone chose 'Never Let Me Down' in this poll. I loved that album, though Bowie himself disowns it, and for the cd release, he refused to let 'Too Dizzy' be included on it from the album, a song I liked a lot!
10. 'Tusk' by Fleetwood Mac, because I need 'Beautiful Child' 'Storms', 'Angel', and 'Walk A Thin Line'....but to be honest, if those 4 songs weren't on the album, I wouldn't choose this as a Top 10 Album of All Time selection... But they are. And it's late and my medication is wearing off and I'm tired of thinking and tired of typing. On edit, I'm going to tie Tusk with Led Zep's 'Physical Graffiti'.
I would like a Linda Ronstadt album on here, but can't decide which, bits of 'Mad Love' and 'Don't Cry Now' and 'Hasten Down The Wind' I suppose, but this is getting hard. On another edit, an honorable mention to the original 2 lp set 'Goodbye Yellowbrick Road' by Elton John.

[Dodfather]

[QUOTE=Nikolaj;872864]
I would like a Linda Ronstadt album on here, but can't decide which, bits of 'Mad Love' and 'Don't Cry Now' and 'Hasten Down The Wind' I suppose, [QUOTE]

That would be an amazing Linda album! I've just listened to Simple Dreams actually...

[Nikolaj]

Christina Aguilera's Stripped: I loved that she completely changed her image from the "bad" pop girl to somewhat of an actual artist.

I totally agree. It took me a while to admit, but Christina Aguilera is emerging into a very important 'actual artist' and 'Stripped' was the beginning. "Hurt," from her third album, umm... 'Back To Basics' --- has classical music as the basis of the melody, a torch vocal you gotta hear, she can sing anything, that girl. She's 28. And she's the closest thing to a vocal talent like Streisand since Streisand. She'll be around when she's 61, like Stevie :)
Oh, she also has Irving Azoff as a manager, now, Azoff was behind Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles, and he certainly sees Christina as 'the real deal'- she's very talented. I bet Azoff was behind Christina singing with the Rolling Stones in the Martin Scorcese concert film. Not many women have been asked to share a stage with Mick and The Stones.

[ButterCookie]

2. 'Parallel Lines', Blondie. I gotta have some Blondie, and this was my favorite album of theirs. 'Fade Away and Radiate', the extended 'Heart of Glass','Sunday Girl',the insanely-hooky 'Pretty Baby' and really so many good songs.


YAH YAH Baby! La Dolce Vita is a magic dancee *twirls*


I wanted to include more Blondie in my top 10 but I wouldn't have had room for all the other albums I love. I guess leaving 2 spaces was cutting it too tight :lol:

[jaycee]

That's my girl, you know the awesome lethality of the Alan Parsons Project! And major love for the Moody Blues (cold hearted orb that rules the night...I did a speech and drama presentation using that bit of spoken word, and it was great.)

And diggin the Dire Straits, too. Is Six Blade Knife on "Brothers in Arms?" I love that song, but I can't remember and I am lazy and won't Google it. :laugh:

(If I actually were a girl...)
It's a beautiful poem, isn't it? It's probably a good one to recite in front of a girlfriend. :laugh:
"Six Blade Knife" was on their first album, the self-titled Dire Straits, which also has "Sultans Of Swing". It's also an excellent album, along with Love Over Gold. I own the three other studio albums, although I don't listen to them quite as much...

[Richard B]

I'm going to try and do this. Hard to narrow down any Top 10...but here we go (in no particular order)...


When I Woke - Rusted Root
I'll never forget the first time I heard this album at a friend's house. It was thumping and jamming. Stayed with me a long time and still ranks high after all this time.

Catch A Fire - Bob Marley
My favorite album by Marley, hands down. I'll never forget the first time I heard 'Stop That Train'.

Arrival - ABBA
Good family memories with this album, not just my immediate family, but also Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. As kids we played this vinyl to death...dancing around like idiots. LOL. Good times.

The Wild Heart - Stevie Nicks
This is the album that got me really, really into Stevie. Bella Donna is technically a better album...but I have such a wild love for this album. This pick is certainly emotional for many reasons. Don't blame it on me...blame it on my wild heart.

Hotel - Moby
I've always loved this guys stuff...especially Play...but I fell in love with this album when I had the opportunity to attend a private party for the release, and Moby performed a very acoustic set of some songs from this forthcoming album. I was blown away...listening at a hotel, by the pool. Then partied down in his hotel room after the gig. I drank most of his vodka. LOL. I will never forget this night even though I got so drunk. Anyway, I really like this album concept.

Fuzzy - Grant Lee Buffalo
Ahhh...this debut album is tight from start to finish. Grant-Lee's writing and vocal style is nothing short of amazing. Been a fan ever since and own every band and solo work.

Bellybutton - Jellyfish
Another amazing debut album. Their second album, Spilt Milk, deserves honorable mention as well. A shame they broke up so soon.

IV - Led Zeppelin
An amazing album from start to finish. Made me a Zep head.

Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Allison Krauss
Something that really sounds like a terrible idea. But damn, does it ever work. This album is glorious. I listen to it often, I find it relaxing.

Buckingham Nicks - Buckingham Nicks
Why this album failed, I'll never know. How can you not fall in love with the vocals, songwriting and guitar on Frozen Love? Impossible.

And two albums I wanted to add, but couldn't pick between which two to choose, so they get a special mention for both albums that I played the **** out of when they came out. Still do. These are kick ass albums.

Ill Communication - Beastie Boys
Check Your Head - Beastie Boys

[Dodfather]

Lonely Runs Both Ways - Alison Krauss and Union Station



Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Allison Krauss
Something that really sounds like a terrible idea. But damn, does it ever work. This album is glorious. I listen to it often, I find it relaxing.

Love Alison Krauss so both of these albums are great choices. I've been listening to Too Late To Cry a lot lately. Richard, I toally agree about your Raising Sand comments. I couldn't believe it when I heard they were working together and was more than pleasatly surprised by the amazing album they came up with. Roll on the follow-uo that they're recording right now!

[chelluversu]

Err.. I completely forgot about Patty Griffin in my post.
My list cannot be confined to just 10 =\
how about top 100 lol

[HomerMcvie]

Oh, do tell - would love to hear about this. And Steve Earle.

I live in the same town as JCM, and trust me, he's an ASSHOLE(yes, deserving of caps), and everyone knows it. His opinion is the only one that matters, and he's rude as hell. Little piece of sh*t is completely full of himself....no humility whatsoever.

Steve Earle - I provided(and ran) lighting for one of his shows. I was a HUGE fan of his(Guitar Town WAS one of my favorite all time albums). Well, I really wanted to get one of my guitars signed, so I took a $1200 Takemine acoustic(yes, that's not much money to him, but it was to me). So I go on his bus with his tour manager, who tells him that I was the LD for the show, and a fan, and would like to get my guitar signed by him. He takes my Takemine, looks at it, and all he could say was, in front of his entire entourage, "I hate these fukcing japanese pieces of ****", then signed it.

Thanks Steve, you fukcing asshole.:mad:

[Meowi]

(Not in any order)
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac
Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna
Stevie Nicks - Wild Heart
Kate Bush - The Dreaming
Kate Bush - The Kick Inside
Kate Bush- The Hounds of Love

Call me boringly plain with only three artists, but I can put up with listening to the same stuff!

[Zombie]

(If I actually were a girl...)
It's a beautiful poem, isn't it? It's probably a good one to recite in front of a girlfriend. :laugh:
"Six Blade Knife" was on their first album, the self-titled Dire Straits, which also has "Sultans Of Swing". It's also an excellent album, along with Love Over Gold. I own the three other studio albums, although I don't listen to them quite as much...

Oh shizz, genderfail. My bad. In my defense, however, I know about 6 girls named Jaycee IRL, which probably influenced mah brain. Sorry! Please forgive. Though I also noticed someone in an earlier post refer to me as a dude, when I am a girl, but I am used to that one on the Interweb.

I dunno if all girls would get the awesome of the poem, but you could try it. I like how it bookends the album, begins and ends with the "cold hearted orb lines." I particularly like how the very last line of the poem on the album is said almost as a question, "And which IS an illusion?"

In fact, I like it so much, I'ma reprint it here for posterity because I've had it memorized for so many years now.

The Day Begins

Cold hearted orb that rules the night
Removes the colors from our sight
Red is grey and yellow, white
But we decided which is right
And which is an illusion.

Pinprick holes in a colorless sky
Let insipid figures of light pass by
The mighty light of ten thousand suns
Challenges infinity and is soon gone
Night time, to some a brief interlude
To others, the fear of solitude

Brave Helios, wake up your steeds
Bring the warmth the countryside needs.

Late Lament

Breathe deep the gathering gloom
Watch lights fade from every room
Bedsitter people look back and lament
Another day's useless energy spent

Impassioned lovers wrestle as one
Lonely man cries out for love and has none
New mother picks up and suckles her son
Senior citizens wish they were young

Cold hearted orb that rules the night
Removes the colors from our sight
Red is grey and yellow, white
But we decide which is right
And which is an illusion

[Zombie]

I live in the same town as JCM, and trust me, he's an ASSHOLE(yes, deserving of caps), and everyone knows it. His opinion is the only one that matters, and he's rude as hell. Little piece of sh*t is completely full of himself....no humility whatsoever.

Steve Earle - I provided(and ran) lighting for one of his shows. I was a HUGE fan of his(Guitar Town WAS one of my favorite all time albums). Well, I really wanted to get one of my guitars signed, so I took a $1200 Takemine acoustic(yes, that's not much money to him, but it was to me). So I go on his bus with his tour manager, who tells him that I was the LD for the show, and a fan, and would like to get my guitar signed by him. He takes my Takemine, looks at it, and all he could say was, in front of his entire entourage, "I hate these fukcing japanese pieces of ****", then signed it.

Thanks Steve, you fukcing asshole.:mad:

Oh wow, that really sucks. :shocked: I'm so sorry. That's one of the reasons I am afraid to meet most of my music idols - I worry they will not be nearly as awesome as I think they are.

I've met a few that were as awesome as I'd hoped - Robb Flynn from Machine Head was a total sweetie - gave me a hug & a smooch, I thought I was gonna melt into a little pile of goo - and Kenny Hickey from Type O Negative is also great.

****

And if y'all wanna go more than 10, do it. I am having fun reading all this.

[TrueFaith77]

Ten Best Albums of My Lifetime (1977-Present)

One (or two :laugh: ) albums per artist:

1. Rumours (1977) and Tusk (1979), Fleetwood Mac
2. Fear of Music (1979) and Remain In Light (1980), Talking Heads
3. Once Upon a Time . . . (1977) and Bad Girls (1979), Donna Summer
4. Very (1993) and Bilingual (1996), The Pet Shop Boys
5. Fear of a Black Planet (1990) and Apocalypse '91 (1991), Public Enemy
6. Cupid & Psyche '85 (1985) and Provision (1988), Scritti Politti
7. The Queen Is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987), The Smiths
8. Bazerk, Bazerk, Bazerk (1991), Son of Bazerk
9. Viva Hate (1988) and You Are The Quarry (2004), Morrissey
10. Never Mind the Bollocks (1977), The Sex Pistols

[StreetAngel95]

ok here goes......

1. Fleetwood Mac - Say You Will: my first Mac album ever, and still my favorite. I always had the best times in my room, in second grade, dancing to Say You Will...
2. Stevie Nicks - Trouble In Shangri-La: the one and ONLY Stevie album that i can listen to in its entirety - love it!
3. Lindsey Buckingham - Gift of Screws: yes, go ahead and yell at me for not putting down OOTC...but GOS is AMAZING! Definitelymy favorite Lindsey album - from the crazy weird "Gift of Screws" to the gorgeous "Bel-Air Rain" it's always highly ranked in my mind!
4. Steely Dan - Aja: My first album and concert.EVER. Steely Dan was my first love and will forever hold a special place in my heart. Hearing classics like, "Peg" and "Home At Last" still give me chills!
5. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of The Moon: i'm not even gonna explain this one...:laugh:
6. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Deja Vu: i adore CSNY! Some of my favorites: "Carry On", "Woodstock", "Almost Cut My Hair"
7. Buckingham Nicks - Self-Titled: do i even dare talk about this one?
8. Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment: i love this album so much! First of all, i admire Adam very much, and he has an incredible voice! His work is soo good!
9. Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive - in the words of Peter Griffin, "You know what was a monster? Frampton Comes Alive - 1976 - did you know anybody who didn't own that record?"
10. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Damn The Torpedoes: pure genius. "Refugee" and "Don't Do Me Like That" are all time faves!

[ButterCookie]

ok here goes......
7. Buckingham Nicks - Self-Titled: do i even dare talk about this one?


Yes! Talk about it, I think it's freakin' incredible!

[Travis]

Olivia Newton-John - Physical (1981)
This was probably the first album/cassette I ever purchased. I was a major ONJ fan a good two years before discovering Stevie. Despite the song “Physical” being very commercial, Olivia really blossomed as a singer on this album. It is full of songs I love, “Stranger’s Touch”, “Love Make Me Strong”, “Recovery” and my favorite, “The Promise”, which she wrote herself. Aside from Stevie, not many artist can move me to tears but Olivia can. “The Promise” is one of the most beautiful and genuine songs Olivia has ever written.

Fleetwood Mac - Mirage (1982)
Of course “Rumours” is probably the best album the Mac has ever done, and while “Tusk” is a fan favorite, it’s a bit over the top for me, aside from Stevie and Chris’s songs (sorry Linds - though I do love “Save Me A Place”), “Mirage” really is just a very enjoyable listen. I find myself playing that CD more than any other Mac release.

Stevie Nicks - The Wild Heart (1983)
Ah, the singles from WH are what got me into Stevie. My first Stevie purchase was both the 45’s for Stand Back and If Anyone Falls (at the same time). Looking at the cover art I knew Stevie was unlike any other. I purchased the album shortly thereafter and the rest is history. I’m forever partial to “The Wild Heart.” I think it is a much more solid effort than Bella Donna.

Paula Abdul - Spellbound (1991)
The benefit with working with one producer is that you get a more solid and cohesive effort. The Family Stand really pushed Paula to be her best and it shows. Her singing improved (just listen to Rush Rush again, and “Will You Marry Me” - she really is a decent singer. No Mariah or Whitney, but Paula does a fine job on “Spellbound”). She wrote or co-wrote 4 of the tracks and there is not one bad song on this album. I have often said that this is probably one of the best pop albums ever and it is so perfectly sequenced.

Belinda Carlisle - Live Your Life Be Free (1991)
Much to my surprise, this album did not even chart on Billboard’s top 200, which I will never understand. It had an awesome 1st single in “Do You Feel Like I Feel”, very upbeat and catchy. So many great songs on this CD from “Emotional Highway”, “I Plead Insanity” and “You’re Nothing Without Me.” Definitely a great pop CD that got overlooked.

Madonna - Erotica (1992)
The early 90’s, me coming out and experiencing the club scene in my early 20’s. This CD was all in the clubs, the title track, “Deeper and Deeper” and “Fever.” Aside from the club tracks it also has a lot of sexy urban tunes with a jazzy undertone. This remains my favorite Madonna CD to this day.

Sade - Love Deluxe (1992)
Honestly, I probably listen to “The Best Of Sade” more than any of her studio release but “Love Deluxe” is the one of hers I played the most. Aside from all of her CDs being the love soundtrack for a lot of us, there are so many beautiful yet very sad songs, and I have to be willing to “go there” if I plan to listen to Sade. “No Ordinary Love”, “Cherish The Day”, “Feel No Pain” and “Kiss Of Life”, all beautiful.

Lindsey Buckingham - Out Of The Cradle (1992)
I can’t believe I’m putting a Lindsey record in my top 10 but I am. This was a CD that I played a lot during my coming out period. It has a lot of positive lyrics that spoke to me at the time. “Soul Drifter” is probably my favorite LB song ever. A great CD overall.

Kylie Minogue - Light Years (2000)
I was aware of Kylie before this record but she pretty much vanished from the US scene after 1988 until 2002. Little did most US peeps know just what a stellar career she had pretty much everywhere else in the world all the time the US was ignoring her (their loss). I first became aware of this CD via a Paula Abdul email blast where it mentioned that Paula had co-written a tune titled “Spinning Around” and described it as disco driven. Of course being a Paula fan I had to check it out. I did and I LOVED IT. Not long after I purchased the 2nd single which was “On A Night Like This.” I loved that too but I didn’t buy the CD “Light Years” until the summer of 2001, while I was in NY to see Stevie. I bought it, took and home and played it non-stop. I loved everything on it, with “Spinning Around” being my favorite. Other faves are “Disco Down”, “Love Boat”, “Butterfly” and the title track.

Shakira - She Wolf (2009)
For the past 10 years or so I’ve purchased full CDs less and less. Since I love club music so much I end up buying a lot of singles and there are actually very few CDs I like to listen to as a whole. I prefer to make my own play list these days. However, not the case with “She Wolf.” I’ve been a casual fan of Shaki’s since “Laundry Service” and I liked pretty much everything I heard, but when “She Wolf” (the single) came out, I found it so addictive. I received a promo copy of the CD, gave it a chance and I loved it. There are so many great songs on it, the title track, “Did It Again”, “Gypsy” and my favorite, the very driving “Men In This Town.” You have to purchase that song if nothing else. Her vocals on this give me chills. Love me some Shaki.

Honorable mentions:
Salt ‘N’ Pepa - Very Necessary (1993)
Maxwell - Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite (1996)
Sweetback - Sweetback (1996)
George Michael - Ladies & Gentlemen … The Best Of George Michael (1998)
Tiffany - Dust Off And Dance (2005)

[tilthefirefades]

Shakira - She Wolf (2009)
For the past 10 years or so I’ve purchased full CDs less and less. Since I love club music so much I end up buying a lot of singles and there are actually very few CDs I like to listen to as a whole. I prefer to make my own play list these days. However, not the case with “She Wolf.” I’ve been a casual fan of Shaki’s since “Laundry Service” and I liked pretty much everything I heard, but when “She Wolf” (the single) came out, I found it so addictive. I received a promo copy of the CD, gave it a chance and I loved it. There are so many great songs on it, the title track, “Did It Again”, “Gypsy” and my favorite, the very driving “Men In This Town.” You have to purchase that song if nothing else. Her vocals on this give me chills. Love me some Shaki.

She Wolf is amazing! I was going to put Oral Fixation (which I think is her best) on my list, but I decided to put Janet on there instead. But I find myself listening to "Did It Again" over and over sometimes, I love the spanish version.

[Dodfather]

Belinda Carlisle - Live Your Life Be Free (1991)
Much to my surprise, this album did not even chart on Billboard’s top 200, which I will never understand. It had an awesome 1st single in “Do You Feel Like I Feel”, very upbeat and catchy. So many great songs on this CD from “Emotional Highway”, “I Plead Insanity” and “You’re Nothing Without Me.” Definitely a great pop CD that got overlooked.

Kylie Minogue - Light Years (2000)
I was aware of Kylie before this record but she pretty much vanished from the US scene after 1988 until 2002. Little did most US peeps know just what a stellar career she had pretty much everywhere else in the world all the time the US was ignoring her (their loss). I first became aware of this CD via a Paula Abdul email blast where is mentioned that Paula had co-written a tune titled “Spinning Around” and described it as disco driven. Of course being a Paula fan I had to check it out. I did and I LOVED IT. Not long after I purchased the 2nd single which was “On A Night Like This.” I loved that too but I didn’t buy the CD “Light Years” until the summer of 2001, while I was in NY to see Stevie. I bought it, took and home and played it non-stop. I loved everything on it, with “Spinning Around” being my favorite. Other faves are “Disco Down”, “Love Boat”, “Butterfly” and the title track.



Hey travis. Great choices! I love Belinda and good call on choosing this album! The tracks you mention are all brilliant, especially I Plead Insanity. Do you also have Real (1993)? That's a really overlooked record, it had 2 great singles (Lay Down Your Arms and Big Scary Animal) and the rest of the album is pretty damn good too!

I wondered if there's be a Kylie one in your list... I do like Light Years (especially Disco Down, it so should have been a single instead of the dreaded Please Stay that the UK got) but I'd still have to go for Impossible Princess as her best album. You heard it yet?

[StreetAngel95]

Yes! Talk about it, I think it's freakin' incredible!

haha i thought it was pretty self-explanatory!

anyways, my dad told me this story about how my grandpa once bought BN at a record store the week it came out. He brought it home and told my dad, "this is the future of rock 'n' roll. These guys are gonna get somewhere." Ironically, my dad listened to it, hated it, and sold it to help pay for college.

A couple years ago i was at Princeton record Exchange, and found it on sale for 175$....yes a bit pricey, but worth it! so i bought it, brought it home, and put it in my turn-table to listen to..(of course eventually transferring it to mp3)

my dad now has a new found appreciation for album, cuz his 14-yr old daughter is in love with it!

[ButterCookie]

:distress:haha i thought it was pretty self-explanatory!

anyways, my dad told me this story about how my grandpa once bought BN at a record store the week it came out. He brought it home and told my dad, "this is the future of rock 'n' roll. These guys are gonna get somewhere." Ironically, my dad listened to it, hated it, and sold it to help pay for college.

A couple years ago i was at Princeton record Exchange, and found it on sale for 175$....yes a bit pricey, but worth it! so i bought it, brought it home, and put it in my turn-table to listen to..(of course eventually transferring it to mp3)

my dad now has a new found appreciation for album, cuz his 14-yr old daughter is in love with it!

Aww! Your Grandpa sounds awesome :D

I need a copy badly, but they're sooo expensive

[HomerMcvie]

Oh wow, that really sucks. :shocked: I'm so sorry. That's one of the reasons I am afraid to meet most of my music idols - I worry they will not be nearly as awesome as I think they are.

I've met a few that were as awesome as I'd hoped - Robb Flynn from Machine Head was a total sweetie - gave me a hug & a smooch, I thought I was gonna melt into a little pile of goo - and Kenny Hickey from Type O Negative is also great.

****

And if y'all wanna go more than 10, do it. I am having fun reading all this.

Yes, that's definitely a downside. You know, you never know who's going to be nice, either. I've worked shows where I was on edge, the entire soundcheck/show, just because the artist was an ass. Then there are some who just make your day(Conor Oberst comes to mind....he gave me a hug, and would come up and put his arm around my shoulder, anytime he wanted a change in his monitor mix).
If people only knew......when an artist acts like Conor, I will bend over backwards for them, doing things that aren't even part of my job, just because they're NICE. When an artist is a prick, I will do nothing outside my job for them.

Unfortunately, people like JC Mellenhead, and Steve Earle, don't CARE if people like them. Because they're assholes.

[tilthefirefades]

Yes, that's definitely a downside. You know, you never know who's going to be nice, either. I've worked shows where I was on edge, the entire soundcheck/show, just because the artist was an ass. Then there are some who just make your day(Conor Oberst comes to mind....he gave me a hug, and would come up and put his arm around my shoulder, anytime he wanted a change in his monitor mix).
If people only knew......when an artist acts like Conor, I will bend over backwards for them, doing things that aren't even part of my job, just because they're NICE. When an artist is a prick, I will do nothing outside my job for them.

Unfortunately, people like JC Mellenhead, and Steve Earle, don't CARE if people like them. Because they're assholes.

I've actually heard from a few people that Conor is an asshole, I like your version better though :D

[HomerMcvie]

I've actually heard from a few people that Conor is an asshole, I like your version better though :D
Well, my story is fairly early in his career, so he may have changed(as many do).

[jaycee]

(Not in any order)
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac
Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna
Stevie Nicks - Wild Heart
Kate Bush - The Dreaming
Kate Bush - The Kick Inside
Kate Bush- The Hounds of Love

Call me boringly plain with only three artists, but I can put up with listening to the same stuff!

To be fair, if I was really strict with my selections, it may have ended up pretty much all being FM for my top 10 (except the top two I had), as splitting up their albums by how much I love them is like splitting hairs...

[Meowi]

[QUOTE=StreetAngel95;872969]haha i thought it was pretty self-explanatory!

anyways, my dad told me this story about how my grandpa once bought BN at a record store the week it came out. He brought it home and told my dad, "this is the future of rock 'n' roll. These guys are gonna get somewhere." Ironically, my dad listened to it, hated it, and sold it to help pay for college.

A couple years ago i was at Princeton record Exchange, and found it on sale for 175$....yes a bit pricey, but worth it! so i bought it, brought it home, and put it in my turn-table to listen to..(of course eventually transferring it to mp3)

[B]my dad now has a new found appreciation for album, cuz his 14-yr old daughter is in love with it![/]QUOTE]

LOL! We are the same age, and I too try to convert people to the Mac... Although most of the time it does not work...

[Meowi]

haha i thought it was pretty self-explanatory!

anyways, my dad told me this story about how my grandpa once bought BN at a record store the week it came out. He brought it home and told my dad, "this is the future of rock 'n' roll. These guys are gonna get somewhere." Ironically, my dad listened to it, hated it, and sold it to help pay for college.

A couple years ago i was at Princeton record Exchange, and found it on sale for 175$....yes a bit pricey, but worth it! so i bought it, brought it home, and put it in my turn-table to listen to..(of course eventually transferring it to mp3)

my dad now has a new found appreciation for album, cuz his 14-yr old daughter is in love with it!

LOL! We are the same age, and I too try to convert people to the Mac... Although most of the time it does not work...

[StreetAngel95]

LOL! We are the same age, and I too try to convert people to the Mac... Although most of the time it does not work...

haha nice to meet you!:wavey:

yeah converting people to MAC usually is a fail...:(

[ButterCookie]

Never give up on the conversion http://i49.tinypic.com/2e3ae68.jpg

I converted my younger sister, and I thought that would NEVER happen, I've been trying to get her onto Blondie for years.

[Sleepless-Child]

Never give up on the conversion

I converted my younger sister, and I thought that would NEVER happen, I've been trying to get her onto Blondie for years.


Haha, my sister is older than me, but pretty impressionable. So now we listen to and sing all the Mac and Blondie albums together ! :thumbsup: *Twenty-eight or fifty-eight walkin' to refrigerator...*

[HejiraNYC]

Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk

Rickie Lee Jones - Flying Cowboys - For me this was the first album where Rickie truly found her voice. While I do like her earlier albums, she seemed to be trying too hard to be a latter day white chick version of Satchmo, or just blindly ripping off Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen. With Rickie's "all growed-up" songs and Walter Becker's incredibly tasteful production, this whole album shimmers as it paints haunting portraits of the characters that inhabit Rickie-land.

Indigo Girls - Rites of Passage - Don't let the folkie crunchiness fool you. This is it- perhaps the most solid collection of songs ever recorded by anybody. Not a clunker in the bunch.

David Bowie - Station to Station - The Thin White Duke will always be my favorite Bowie. It's funky, it's soulful, it's rockin'... it's quintessential mid-70's New York City and all of its excesses and abysses.

Mark Eitzel - Sixty Watt Silver Lining - It's out of print, but you must seek it out. It's too good for words.

Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head - Yeah, everyone hates Coldplay, but this album is so addictive. It's over-the-top, dramatic and sentimental... but every song is so infectious.

Kate Bush - Hounds of Love - What hasn't been said about this brilliant masterwork?

Carly Simon - The Bedroom Tapes - This is the last great Carly Simon recording :distress: before her voice completely went to seed. As the name implies, it's the most heartfelt, intimate album of her entire career.

Joni Mitchell - Hejira - But of course!

[Travis]

She Wolf is amazing! I was going to put Oral Fixation (which I think is her best) on my list, but I decided to put Janet on there instead. But I find myself listening to "Did It Again" over and over sometimes, I love the spanish version.

Although I don't speak spanish, I've been listening to the CD in full ... I'm going to make it a point to read the words to the 3 spanish versions so I can at least sing along to them. The peeps at the club will be so impressed. I hear "Gypsy" is the new single. I hope "Men In This Town" gets a video.

[Travis]

Hey travis. Great choices! I love Belinda and good call on choosing this album! The tracks you mention are all brilliant, especially I Plead Insanity. Do you also have Real (1993)? That's a really overlooked record, it had 2 great singles (Lay Down Your Arms and Big Scary Animal) and the rest of the album is pretty damn good too!

I wondered if there's be a Kylie one in your list... I do like Light Years (especially Disco Down, it so should have been a single instead of the dreaded Please Stay that the UK got) but I'd still have to go for Impossible Princess as her best album. You heard it yet?

I do have "Real" but I hate to admit, it never did anything for me. I do recall "Lay Down Your Arms" as being one of the better songs I liked but overall, eh LOL. I hate it when they try to get "real", just put on the make up, the lip gloss and shine and work that magic girl :-)

Kylie - again, we are different here. I can not get into "Impossible Princess." This is another example of an artist trying to be taken more seriously (in my opinion). Although I do like all of the singles from the album, I can't get into the CD as a whole. Kylie smartened up and returned to her pop roots, what she does best. I LOVE "X" btw.

[JohnL]

Here we go...

1) Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna
2) Shakira - Laundry Service
3) Lori Morgan - Watch Me
4) Stevie Nicks - TISL
5) Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
6) Keith Urban - Keith Urban - Its a Love Thing...enuf said. lol
7) Stevie Nicks - OSOTM
8) Whitney Houston - Greatest Hits (love the 2nd cd with all the mixes)
9) Carole King - Tapestry
10) Shania Twain - The Woman In Me

[Dodfather]

I do have "Real" but I hate to admit, it never did anything for me. I do recall "Lay Down Your Arms" as being one of the better songs I liked but overall, eh LOL. I hate it when they try to get "real", just put on the make up, the lip gloss and shine and work that magic girl :-)

Kylie - again, we are different here. I can not get into "Impossible Princess." This is another example of an artist trying to be taken more seriously (in my opinion). Although I do like all of the singles from the album, I can't get into the CD as a whole. Kylie smartened up and returned to her pop roots, what she does best. I LOVE "X" btw.

If you consider her earliest punk (ish) influences and how these were tamed for the Go-Gos there is an argument that Real is a more honest reflection of Belinda's personality than the polished power pop of her earlier albums. Or that's how it was spun anyway. Don't get me wrong, I love her earlier solo work! I actually just bought the Runaway Horses album on vinyl for £1.75! I'm waiting excitedly for it to arrive. Summer Rain (her best song!), Leave A Light On and Emotional Highway are all especially good. I also really, really love Always Breaking My Heart from A Woman And A Man (1996). Then again, that was written by Per Gessle from Roxette (who I love!) so no wonder I like it. She did it when I saw her live.

Oh I think you're right that, for singles anyway, it's pure pop that Kylie does best. I just really, really rate Impossible Princess as an entirely cohesive album. Great singles and no filler, but yeah, her best songs are probably Better The Devil You Know (which is actually a very dark song if you listen to the lyrics), Hand On Your Heart, Step Back In Time etc... the Rhythm Of Love era was Kylie at her absolute best!

Oooh, I so wanted to like X. I really, really did - especially after 2 Hearts was a great and different style for her. I just can't get into it though. I was hoping it would grow on me like Body Language did, but no. In My Arms is good and a couple of others are ok but on the whole I'd have to say it's one of her weakest, after Let's Get To It of course! I just hate Nu-di-ty. What on earth was she thiniking?!

Oh well, imagine how boring it would be if we all liked the same thing?!?

[chiliD]

Hmmmmm....ok.....here goes...

DISCLAIMER: This is as of this very moment, could change at any time:

(no particular order)

ANY Beatles album...for me, they transcend music.

The Allman Brothers Band - Live At The Fillmore East
The best live album ever released...THIS is what the ABB is all about, being on stage, playing the blues, mixing in lengthy jazz improvisation....doesn't get to much better than this for "white boy blues".

Derek & The Dominos - Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs
Eric Clapton's anguish....and it comes through the music.

ZZ Top - Tres Hombres
That "Lil' Ol' Band From Texas" at their best before the beards & MTV made them caracatures of themselves

Little Feat - Dixie Chicken
Solid from song to song....no filler anywhere...also could substitute their Sailin' Shoes, Feats Don't Fail Me Now, or Last Record Album albums here, as well...all are equally strong.

(tie) Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue & Dave Brubeck - Take Five
When I want to get away from rock, I head for two the greatest jazz albums ever recorded

The Motels - All Four One
Like with Little Feat, strong throughout, could also substitute their prior album Careful here, as well. "I never knew mercy could feel this way....."

Concrete Blonde - Walking In London
Could've named any of their albums, but this one doesn't have a skippable song, the others have at least one.

The Rolling Stones - Steel Wheels
Kind of a toss up between this & Exile On Main St or Sticky Fingers, but this one just kind of came out of the blue...didn't think the Stones still had a studio album this strong still in them at the time.

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland
Jimi's best...while he was alive....just wonder what he would've released had he lived...there was a whole lot of great material that was left unfinished that was hastily released just after his death...even CDs such as Voodoo Soup & First Rays Of The New Rising Sun give a glimpse, but who knows how that material would've been presented had Jimi been able to complete the process.

**************************
Can't go without mentioning:

The Who - Live At Leeds (Deluxe Edition)
Loved this album when it first came out, but thought it was too short, then MCA released an expanded version which was awesome...then they released the entire show...THAT version is the closest rival to the Allman's Fillmore album

The first five Led Zeppelin albums...and to a slightly lesser extent Physical Graffiti...material so good that I just can't stand to listen to it anymore due to radio airplay overkill as well as listening to their albums on my own. Thought Presence sucked and never really liked them after that.

The albums during the initial go-round of Steely Dan...from Can't Buy A Thrill through Gaucho...not a "filler" track in the bunch.

and you'll probably have noticed that no Fleetwood Mac or related albums were mentioned...intentional. Discussed those here ad nauseum, so no need to mention them again.

[HejiraNYC]

The first five Led Zeppelin albums...and to a slightly lesser extent Physical Graffiti...material so good that I just can't stand to listen to it anymore due to radio airplay overkill as well as listening to their albums on my own. Thought Presence sucked and never really liked them after that.


I think every band has their version of Presence- that one anomally recording that, for whatever reason, just never found an audience. Van Halen had Women and Children First. Fleetwood Mac had Time. Queen had Hot Space. I personally love Presence, but I have to admit that I would be hard pressed to name more than two songs from it off the top of my head! And how can you hate on In Through the Out Door?? That is probably my favorite LZ album- probably up there with Physical Graffiti.



The albums during the initial go-round of Steely Dan...from Can't Buy A Thrill through Gaucho...not a "filler" track in the bunch.



Well, I would gladly skip "Glamor Profession" :eek:. But other than that, I would agree that SD in the 70's was incredible- I think they peaked with The Royal Scam. But the 2000-era stuff isn't too bad either, especially Everything Must Go. And Donald Fagen's solo album Morph the Cat is really, really good!

[Rod]

I love these lists - though it's impossible to give a definitive answer. Mine would look something like this. Sometimes I'd choose different albums by these artists.

Kate Bush - Aerial

Jane Siberry - The Walking

Joni Mitchell - Blue

Carly Simon - No Secrets

Rickie Lee Jones - Pirates

Indigo Girls - Swamp Ophelia

10,000 Maniacs - Our Time in Eden

Björk - Vespertine

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk

Laura Nyro - Gonna Take a Miracle

[tilthefirefades]

I love these lists - though it's impossible to give a definitive answer. Mine would look something like this. Sometimes I'd choose different albums by these artists.

Kate Bush - Aerial

Jane Siberry - The Walking

Joni Mitchell - Blue

Carly Simon - No Secrets

Rickie Lee Jones - Pirates

Indigo Girls - Swamp Ophelia

10,000 Maniacs - Our Time in Eden

Björk - Vespertine

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk

Laura Nyro - Gonna Take a Miracle

INCREDIBLE album :thumbsup: This is with Labelle isn't it?

[Rod]

Yes - the one with Labelle. It's all covers but sung with such conviction that it seems as personal and heartfelt as her self-written epics.

[tilthefirefades]

Yes - the one with Labelle. It's all covers but sung with such conviction that it seems as personal and heartfelt as her self-written epics.

Very true, "It's Gonna Take A Miracle" almost brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. I love Desiree and The Wind too.

[StreetAngel95]

Well, I would gladly skip "Glamor Profession" :eek:. But other than that, I would agree that SD in the 70's was incredible- I think they peaked with The Royal Scam. But the 2000-era stuff isn't too bad either, especially Everything Must Go. And Donald Fagen's solo album Morph the Cat is really, really good!

yessss some SD fans! :p

[Rod]

'The Bells' has always been my favourite but "It's Gonna Take A Miracle" is just as heart rending.

[jaycee]

The Motels - All Four One
Like with Little Feat, strong throughout, could also substitute their prior album Careful here, as well. "I never knew mercy could feel this way....."

Awesome! A Motels album made a list! :D
I've recently discovered The Motels from a compilation I bought ages ago, but never (properly) listened to until about two weeks ago. I'll be buying their albums once I get some cash together. :D

[HejiraNYC]

I love these lists - though it's impossible to give a definitive answer. Mine would look something like this. Sometimes I'd choose different albums by these artists.

Kate Bush - Aerial

Jane Siberry - The Walking

Joni Mitchell - Blue

Carly Simon - No Secrets

Rickie Lee Jones - Pirates

Indigo Girls - Swamp Ophelia

10,000 Maniacs - Our Time in Eden

Björk - Vespertine

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk

Laura Nyro - Gonna Take a Miracle

Loves some Jane Siberry!!! The Walking was the only album I played for several months in a row in 1988. I actually saw her perform at a tiny little club on the Walking tour... unforgettable!

Otherwise, your taste is scarily in synch with mine. But 10,000 Maniacs/Natalie Merchant is like krypton to my Superman. :eek:

[markolas]

Something Cool - June Christy This album is so heavenly, it sort of defies description. Christy recorded other albums that are just as good, but they don't quite have the magic of this one. There's something about the combination of Christy's sultry vocals and Pete Rugolo's sublime arrangements that absolutely kills me.

The Intimate Ella - Ella Fitzgerald You usually don't hear Ella this way - this is a piano/vocal duet album with pianist Paul Smith. The songs are all torchy ballads, and Ella's voice is like honey. She's sometimes been accused of not being able to project much emotion with her singing, but this album blows that theory out of the water, IMO. "Black Coffee," "Misty," and "Angel Eyes" are my favorites, and she even tackles Connie Francis's "Who's Sorry Now."

In the Wee Small Hours - Frank Sinatra This is my favorite Sinatra album, and one of the earliest concept albums, supposedly "inspired" by his break up with Ava Gardner. Gorgeous vocals dripping with pathos, gorgeous arrangements by Nelson Riddle. Johnny Hartman (another singer I love) did a cover of the title track years later, but Sinatra's original cannot be topped. Not even by the likes of Hartman.

Hejira - Joni Mitchell I've sung this album's praises 1,000 times on the Ledge, but here it is again. I don't listen to Joni that much these days, but this will probably always be one of my favorites. This album paints a picture for me, more than any other album of hers, and that's due at least as much to the presence of Jaco Pastorius as to Joni's lyrics, which are the best she's ever written.

Heart Like a Wheel - Linda Ronstadt Her most consistent album, IMO. Anna McGarrigle wrote the killer title song, and her sister Kate's death is what got me to thinking about this album again. Ronstadt has a tendency to get a little too "shouty" with her vocals sometimes, but they are absolutely beautiful here.

Private Dancer - Tina Turner I've been listening to this a lot lately. This is Tina in all her slick '80s rock glory. She was never quite this good again, sadly. But she rocks these songs - "I Might Have Been Queen", "Show Some Respect," and "Steel Claw" are some real tours de force. Then, there are the gorgeous R&B ballads "Let's Stay Together" and "Help" (she puts the Beatles' version of this song to absolute, pitiable shame) that prove that, for all her newfound '80s slickness, she still had more soul in her pinky toe than Janet Jackson or Whitney Houston could ever dream of having, even if they both gained 400 lbs.

San Antonio Rose - Willie Nelson & Ray Price I love the title song to pieces, but what makes this album for me is the (unintentional, I'm sure) homoeroticism of Willie & Ray duetting on "I Fall to Pieces."

Bella Donna - Stevie Nicks I'm glad to see all the BD love on this thread. It really is the best of her solo albums, and even tho my love for Stevie ebbs and flows, I will always adore this one. Like Tina with Private Dancer, Stevie was never *quite* this good again (well, maybe with Rock a Little, but that's debatable I suppose).

Body and Soul - Billie Holiday This is a late-period gem from 1957 that I adore. BH swings mightily with the help of sidemen like the great Ben Webster, and delivers particularly touching versions of "Darn That Dream" and "Moonlight in Vermont."

Aja and Gaucho - Steely Dan These albums are two of a piece for me, and I've been obsessed with them both for a while now. (Aja might have a slight edge, if I absolutely had to pick one, but it would be hard). They're absolute genius, and I don't know what else to say. "Aja," "Black Cow," and "Third World Man" are particular favorites.

[mylittledemon]

Private Dancer - Tina Turner

Good choice. :nod:

[markolas]

If you consider her earliest punk (ish) influences and how these were tamed for the Go-Gos there is an argument that Real is a more honest reflection of Belinda's personality than the polished power pop of her earlier albums. Or that's how it was spun anyway. [snip] I also really, really love Always Breaking My Heart from A Woman And A Man (1996).

I was on a Belinda Carlisle kick for a while after not having listened to her in years. I'd forgotten how much I liked her voice. Been meaning to pick up both Real and A Woman and a Man. What was that French album she came out with awhile back?

[markolas]

Dusty Springfield - Dusty In Memphis (1969)(
Flawless. I think you have to have no ears to dislike this record! Haha. It was genuinely shocking at points too to hear a white woman singing such soulful, risque lyrics as those in Son Of A Preacher Man. Also, Breakfast In Bed and I Don't Wanna Hear It Anymore are both heartbreaking and voyeuristic/titallating (but not smutty) at the same time. Just wonderful.

Oy - this is one of my favorites, too. It's effing brilliant. And I love "Windmills of Your Mind."

Jackson Browne - Jackson Browne (Saturate Before Using) (1972)


I dunno if I prefer him to James Taylor, necessarily, but this and Late for the Sky are both beautiful. He's a hard one for me to listen to, tho - just because his lyrics tend to be so maudlin.

5. Soul Cages - Sting. Another beautiful album!

Another one that could've easily been on my list.

And I'm glad to see some Steely Dan love on this thread. :D

[markolas]

Good choice. :nod:

Thankee. And I feel the same way you do about John Mayer, btw. I don't generally use the word "pu$$y" to describe people, but in his case it really is the most accurate descriptor I can think of.

[Dodfather]

I was on a Belinda Carlisle kick for a while after not having listened to her in years. I'd forgotten how much I liked her voice. Been meaning to pick up both Real and A Woman and a Man. What was that French album she came out with awhile back?

The french album is called Voila and came out in 2o07. I don't have it but have heard it and I like! It's random but fun and just very unexpected from her.

Both Real and A Woman And A Man are good albums, a bit patchy but I think I'd give the edge to Real. Both albums had brilliant singles though - Lay Down Your Arms and Big Scary Animal (Real) and In Too Seep, Always Breaking My Heart and Love In The Key Of C (A Woman And A Man).

Honorable mentions have to go to Goodbye Day and Windows Of The World from Real - they're brilliant! I'll never understand how this album didn't do better. On the plus side, you'll be able to pick both of them up for very vheap prices on amazon marketplace or play trade.

[Richard B]

The french album is called Voila and came out in 2o07. I don't have it but have heard it and I like! It's random but fun and just very unexpected from her.

It is unexpected! I do have this album, I do like it and her choices of French pop songs are really good. Her French pronunciation is not so good though.

[JazmenFlowers]

in no order...

Bella Donna | Stevie Nicks
Rumours | Fleetwood Mac
Speak for Yourself | Imogen Heap
Embrya | Maxwell
Hounds of Love | Kate Bush
Little Earthquakes | Tori Amos
Love Deluxe | Sade
More Adventurous | Rilo Kiley
Stripped | Christina Aguilera
Songbird | Barbra Streisand

honorable mentions...

Oracular Spectacular | MGMT
Want One | Rufus Wainwright
Prime of My Life | Phyllis Hyman
Wet | Barbra Streisand
La Luna | Sarah Brightman
Youth Novels | Lykke Li

[JazmenFlowers]

Lungs - Florence + the Machine
Lungs is the only album I listen to released after 1989 (Bar my favourite bands and artists albums like SYW, No Exit, TISL etc) and boy do I love it. Florence Welch has an amazing voice. Fact. She also brought new life to a song that I hated before. And there's lots of Tabourine useage ;)
seriously. this is so true.

I feel the same way about John Mayer.
I know, right. I LOVE LOVE Heavier Things, but I can't listen to it because he makes me so sick.

[bluefox4000]

The White Album-The Beatles
Music From Big Pink-The band
Rumours Fleetwood Mac
Katy Lied-Steely Dan
Out Of the Cradle-Lindsey Buckingham
The future-Leonard Cohen
Queen 1-Queen
Peter Gabriel(Melt)-Peter Gabriel
Amused to Death-Roger Waters
Northern Lights Southern Cross-The Band

Mick

[ButterCookie]

For Crying Out Loud- Meat Loaf (Yes I love Him)

NOO I forgot Meat! I love him too. Listening to his Greatest Hits when I was about 11 is what made me realise that I love music from the 60's, 70's and 80's!

[bluefox4000]

Yes i put him down(Before I realized this was an album list not a song....stupid lol) Anyway meat's music is an eargasim to me.:thumbsup:

Mick

[Zombie]

I know, right. I LOVE LOVE Heavier Things, but I can't listen to it because he makes me so sick.


Okay, so what did this guy do? I hear people go on about how wonderful he is, but I can't really get behind his music. Why does he make y'all so upset?

[seekerj]

In no particular order:


Neil Young and Crazy Horse: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers
Carole King: Tapestry
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Second Helping
Pearl Jam: Ten
Counting Crows: August And Everything After
Lindsey Buckingham: Under The Skin
Stevie Nicks: Bella Donna
Fleetwood Mac: Rumours (I couldn't care less how many it sold; I look way, way, way past that kind of insignificant crap and only care about the lyrics and music.)

[Dodfather]

In no particular order:
Counting Crows: August And Everything After


Yes!! Glad to see someone else chose this.

[chiliD]

Awesome! A Motels album made a list! :D
I've recently discovered The Motels from a compilation I bought ages ago, but never (properly) listened to until about two weeks ago. I'll be buying their albums once I get some cash together. :D

Good luck...other than compilations or a couple of live albums (Standng Room Only & Atomic Cafe), the original albums are out of print....although, I see that you can get a "2 fer" of All Four One/Little Robbers as an Import. I think the album BEFORE All Four One, called Careful actually has better songs (especially the Tim McGovern penned "Envy"), but the production isn't as crisp as the more well known album.

AMAZON.COM has all the original albums (on CD) used, but pretty spendy! Their last album (of the classic core crew) Shock is going for over $100!!!
Hmmmm, maybe I should thinka bout selling MINE! LOL!

And, then there are Martha Davis' two post-Motels albums Policy and ...So The Story Goes. Also, used only for close to the $100 mark. I haven't heard the latter one, but Policy is REALLY good, sounds pretty much like a torchier Motels album.

If you like The Motels, check out Burning Sensations (led by ex-Motels guitarist Tim McGovern)...they had that one hit back in the late 80's called "Belly Of The Whale". Their entire album is fantastic (as well as the 3 bonus tracks on the "Belly Of The Whale" CD single)...they even re-do "Envy", changing the gender for the male lead vocal...a more powerful version, a bit more frenetic than the "tame by comparison" Motels version.

[mylittledemon]

Okay, so what did this guy do? I hear people go on about how wonderful he is, but I can't really get behind his music. Why does he make y'all so upset?

He pretty much tries to be witty, but it ends up coming out snidey... and in some cases offensive.

[gretchen]

In no particular order:

Sugar : Copper Blue
Sugar : File Under Easy Listening
Ride : Carnival of Light
Love And Money : Strange Kind Of Love
Anything Steely Dan!
Peter Murphy : Deep
Peter Murphy : Cascade
Peter Murphy : Holy Smoke
Peter Murphy : Love Hysteria
The Style Council : Café Bleu
Del Amitri : Change Everything
Tusk : Fleetwood Mac
The Dance : FM
Lindsey Buckingham : Under The Skin
Crash Test Dummies : God Shuffled His Feet
Killing Joke : Brighter Than A Thousand Suns
Mephisto Walz : The Eternal Deep
Simply Red : Stars
Sade : Stronger Than Pride
Luka Boom : Between The Mountain And The Moon

[StreetAngel95]

:thumbsup:NOO I forgot Meat! I love him too. Listening to his Greatest Hits when I was about 11 is what made me realise that I love music from the 60's, 70's and 80's!

oh my god i feel like i've found a twin!!!!!!

listening to Greatest Hits albums of him, Crosy Stills and Nash, Steely Dan, Blondie,The Eagles, and of course Fleetwood Mac (my all time fave) made me realize that when i got to school and everybody was listening to Britney Spears...i was different.......:angel:

i embrace it though....i get into some really cool convos with adults at concerts

and one with this guy at the Stevie signing.
he was cool...cool guy, if you're on here-you're awesome!:D

[golddustwoman77]

Here are my top ten albums in no particular order:

(1) Fleetwood Mac Rumours

(2) Rolling Stones Aftermath

(3) The Doors The Doors

(4) The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's , followed closely by Magical Mystery Tour

(5) Prince Purple Rain

(6) Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow

(7) Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home, followed closely byBlonde on Blonde

(8) Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company Cheap Thrills

(9) The Who Who's Next

(10) Jimi Hendrix Electric Ladyland

[markolas]

Okay, so what did this guy do? I hear people go on about how wonderful he is, but I can't really get behind his music. Why does he make y'all so upset?

I thought he was harmless enough until he came out with that song "Waiting on the World to Change." It's not terribly polite, but "pu$$ified" is the only way I can really describe it. Then there's that whole thing about him saying his d*ck was a "white supremacist." I mean, who says things like that? He's a piece of sh*t all the way around.

[markolas]

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/10/john_mayer_threatens_to_sodomi.html

http://www.playboy.com/articles/john-mayer-playboy-interview/index.html?page=2

He just oozes class in these interviews, doesn't he? :rolleyes:

Seriously, I'd seen the Playboy thing, but that first one hurts my everything.

[WarmSir3]

No particular order...

Fleetwood Mac - White Album
Deep Purple - Burn
Pink Floyd - The Divison Bell
Steelheart - Steelheart
Kingdom Come - Kingdom Come
Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells
Styx - Pieces of Eight
Pat Travers - Heat In The Street
Marillion - Clutching At Straws
Jeff Beck - Guitar Shop

[Sleepless-Child]

(1) Fleetwood Mac Rumours

(2) Rolling Stones Aftermath

(3) The Doors The Doors

(4) The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's , followed closely by Magical Mystery Tour

(5) Prince Purple Rain

(6) Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow

(7) Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home, followed closely byBlonde on Blonde

(8) Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company Cheap Thrills

(9) The Who Who's Next

(10) Jimi Hendrix Electric Ladyland


Love, Love this list. 60's ! I'm surprised that not many people mentioned the Beatles. Their albums are fantastic.

[jaycee]

Love, Love this list. 60's ! I'm surprised that not many people mentioned the Beatles. Their albums are fantastic.

I'm also surprised that John Lennon hasn't featured in these lists much at all... :(
(Everyone'll be sick of me saying this by now, but I think JL's music is a step-up from what he did with The Beatles...)

[Dodfather]

I'm also surprised that John Lennon hasn't featured in these lists much at all... :(
(Everyone'll be sick of me saying this by now, but I think JL's music is a step-up from what he did with The Beatles...)

I'm a big Lennon fan but found his solo career to be quite hit and miss. Peronal taste of course but for every really good album (Imagine, Rock and Roll, Mind Games) there was a bad one (Some Time In New York City, The Wedding Album, Shaved Fish) and so I tend to just listen to my Lennon Legend album.

[jaycee]

I'm a big Lennon fan but found his solo career to be quite hit and miss. Peronal taste of course but for every really good album (Imagine, Rock and Roll, Mind Games) there was a bad one (Some Time In New York City, The Wedding Album, Shaved Fish) and so I tend to just listen to my Lennon Legend album.

Unfortunately for me, Lennon Legend is all I own at the moment (I'm getting them all for my birthday! :D).
It seems you've missed Double Fantasy and Milk And Honey - how were they?

[bluefox4000]

Well double fantasy is marred by Yoko Ono's stuff but Lennon's stuff is golden:thumbsup: Not sure about Milk And Honey though. For me with Lennon You can't go any higher then The Plastic Ono Band. That's classic. The rest of his Stuff IMO doesin't cut it. Imagine. overrated.
Some time in new york. Awful. Mind Games. Dull...Save the title track and #9 dream. Rock and Roll. I hate cover albums in general. Double fantasy see above. I've always felt his best stuff was with the Beatles before drugs and yoko consumed him. Just my view.

Mick

[Dodfather]

Unfortunately for me, Lennon Legend is all I own at the moment (I'm getting them all for my birthday! :D).
It seems you've missed Double Fantasy and Milk And Honey - how were they?

I didn't miss thm, I just didn;t want to list all of the albums and give an opinion on each one, lol. I agree with the above opinion regarding Double Fantasy - Lennon's stuff on it is fantastic. I haven't actually heard Milk and Honey, apart from Nobody Told Me and Woman, both of which I love!

[chiliD]

I didn't miss thm, I just didn;t want to list all of the albums and give an opinion on each one, lol. I agree with the above opinion regarding Double Fantasy - Lennon's stuff on it is fantastic. I haven't actually heard Milk and Honey, apart from Nobody Told Me and Woman, both of which I love!

"Woman" is on Double Fantasy, not Milk & Honey.

I don't know why Yoko gets all the crap...her songs on those two albums are damn near as good (and in a couple of particulars*, better) as John's.

* = "Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him" & "Walking On Thin Ice".

She was "new wave" before the "wave" even hit.

[Dodfather]

Sorry, of course Woman is on Double Fantasy! D'oh! I actually like Walking On Thin Ice too.

[CreepingDeath]

For now-


The Beatles - Revolver
Led Zeppelin - IV
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Black Sabbath - Black Box <---------- totally cheating with that one
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
Stevie Nicks - The Wild Heart
Carole King - Tapestry
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Tool - Aenima



and about 1,000 honorable mentions...

[golddustwoman77]

Love, Love this list. 60's ! I'm surprised that not many people mentioned the Beatles. Their albums are fantastic.

Thanks for the compliment! I love 60s and 70s music. I could have definitely named more than 10. It was hard to narrow it down. :p

[blondyy-x]

Heart - Brigade
Heart - Desire Walks On
Blondie - No Exit
Led Zeppelin - IV
Stevie Nicks - Belladonna
Janis Joplin - Pearl
The Ramones - Anthology
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold
The Beatles - Please Please Me

[Artemis]

I'm only going to mention 1 album per artist. Otherwise It would just be Fleetwood Mac and Stevie in my top ten :lol: I apologize in advance for rambling xD

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours.

This album is what introduced me to Fleetwood Mac, while Rhiannon remains my first and favourite Fleetwood Mac song, Rumours was my first Fleetwood Mac album. It's the only Fleetwood Mac album I can listen to from start to finish without skipping any songs (even though Don't Stop is horrendous.)

The White Album and Tusk are both works of genius, While Mirage and Tango are brilliant in their own way (although the Lindsey songs on Mirage fall flat, and Seven Wonders is Stevie's only good track on Tango) The Dance has a special atmosphere around it, and Say You Will has moments of brilliance (Miranda, Thrown Down, Everybody Finds Out, Red Rover, Running Through The Garden) but needed to cut out roughly half the tracks to be the best it could be (Silver Girl especially)

Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna.

Stevie's masterpiece. Every song is totally perfect (apart from The Highwayman) I can listen to Bella Donna all day if I have to, it's such a wonderful album. All of the classic Stevie songs are on this album, and her songwriting is at her best on this one, in my opinion.

The Wild Heart and Trouble in Shangri-La are also masterpieces, both of them come very close to eclipsing Bella Donna for me. Rock A Little, The Other Side Of The Mirror and Street Angel are too inconsistent for me, flashes of brilliance...but a lot of songs I really don't care for.

ABBA : Gold

ABBA are brilliant, and Gold has all their best songs on it. ABBA were a singles group, in my opinion, and Gold shows them off perfectly. From brilliant up tempo songs like Take A Chance On Me to fantastic ballads like The Winner Takes It All, Gold does it all.

Diana Ross And The Supremes - Greatest Hits.

I love the Supremes, the Holland-Dozier-Holland songs are just perfection. Although Florence Ballard had the better voice, Diana Ross is produced perfectly throughout. Baby Love, Stop In The Name of Love and You Keep Me Hangin' On are simply classics.

Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow

Grace Slick. I love her voice. I love the arrangements throughout. It's one of those albums where pretty much every track is brilliant. White Rabbit and Somebody To Love in particular are amazing. The harmonies throughout are impressive too.

Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love.

Her best work, in my opinion. Not a lot I can say about this album, other than it's simply brilliant and is Kate Bush at her best. Running Up That Hill is a near-perfect song.

Blondie - Parallel Lines

Very nearly went for Eat To The Beat instead, but Parallel Lines has more hits on it. Deborah Harry has a sensational voice, from the snarling in One Way Or Another, to her delivery in Heart Of Glass, she's amazing. Parallel Lines is an incredible album.

Beyoncé - I Am... Sasha Fierce

At the time, I thought her having two disks was pretentious and a stupid thing to do, but once I heard the album, I fell in love with it. I don't think there is anything Beyoncé can't sing, and I think in 30-40 years, people will be talking about Beyoncé the same way they talk about Aretha Franklin now. She has the best voice of this generation, in my opinion.

Lady GaGa - The Fame / The Fame Monster

I totally adore Lady GaGa. At first, everyone was buzzing about her, and I wasn't so sure, but then I heard Poker Face. It was THE song of 2009, and it was totally brilliant. There are flashes of brilliance on The Fame, such as Just Dance, Poker Face, Paparazzi, Love Game and Beautiful Dirty Rich, but The Fame Monster is superb throughout, and I draw comparisons with several other of my favourite artists. Bad Romance is possibly the perfect pop single, Alejandro is GaGa does ABBA, Telephone shows GaGa team up with Beyoncé, and, let's face it, Teeth is basically Tusk on crack.

Florence And The Machine - Lungs

This is my current favourite album. Florence has a sensational voice, and she uses it perfectly on this album. The dark songs are incredible, like Howl, and the more "commercial" stuff on the album like Kiss With A Fist don't sound compromised. Her lyrics are fantastic, and I love the use of drums and harps throughout the record. A stunning debut, and I think the comparisons to Kate Bush aren't, for once, wholly exaggerated. Really excited to see what else Florence can come up with!

[HomerMcvie]

Stevie's masterpiece. Every song is totally perfect (apart from The Highwayman)

:mad: Why does everyone hate The Highwayman? I love it. The country influences really make the song for me.
Bella Donna is an american classic...because it sounds like the Eagles with Stevie! :thumbsup:

[Dodfather]

:mad: Why does everyone hate The Highwayman? I love it. The country influences really make the song for me.
Bella Donna is an american classic...because it sounds like the Eagles with Stevie! :thumbsup:

This is what I was going to ask when I read this. I love The Highwayman and don;t get what so many people have against it!

[ILoveFM]

:mad: Why does everyone hate The Highwayman? I love it. The country influences really make the song for me.
Bella Donna is an american classic...because it sounds like the Eagles with Stevie! :thumbsup:

This is what I was going to ask when I read this. I love The Highwayman and don;t get what so many people have against it!

I am with you both! If anything I think Stop Draggin' My Heart Around is the weakest on the album. The Highwayman is so beautiful and her voice is absolutely gorgeous.


"Today and still today they ride. Will they ever win? He the glory, she the love, still they try again."

[HomerMcvie]

This is what I was going to ask when I read this. I love The Highwayman and don;t get what so many people have against it!
My guess is- that it's just too country, for Stevie's fan base!:lol:




:D

[louielouie2000]

It's really hard for me to do this, since I don't think of albums from different artists as a collective. My musical tastes are so incredibly varied... and I place much more value on each individual artist's best album, vs the best albums ever recorded, period.

Joseph Arthur: Redemption's Son This album is particularly dear to me. Joseph is dealing introspectively with the loss of his father, grappling with his spirituality, stumbling around trying to find love, and searching for his place in the world. All of which I can relate to very closely.

Lindsey Buckingham: Out Of The Cradle This album pretty much repeats the exact same themes as Joseph Arthur's Redemption's Son: dealing with the loss of his father, losing the love game, questioning spirituality, and trying to find his niche.

Madonna: Bedtime Stories This is Madonna's most lyrically honest, open album. Much like Joseph Arthur's Redemption's Son, and Lindsey Buckingham's Out Of The Cradle, Madonna is struggling with the loss of a parent (her Mother), love, her identity, religion, sexuality, fame, etc. The way the album transitions very slowly and seamlessly from R&B to ethereal/existential/spanish sounding is genius in my book. It's like tracing the metamorphosis Madonna herself is going through internally at the time.

Fleetwood Mac: Tusk This is Fleetwood Mac's opus. Their creative pinnacle. The last pure album they released, in my book. Perhaps the most creatively honest and revealing, too.

Amy Winehouse: Back To Black This album is a revelation to me. Amy's spot on '60s Soul/R&B/Blues sound tinged with her deliciously gritty and soul-bearing lyrics single handedly breathed new life into a genre I felt was long since dead for good. It's unfortunate Amy's personal problems overshadow the HUGE musical talent she is.

Sheryl Crow: Sheryl Crow It's hard picking any one of Sheryl's amazing (and DIFFERENT!) albums out as the best, but for a combination of reasons, this one wins for me. As her sophomore album, and the first album she produced all by herself, we find Sheryl really coming into her own musically. She deals with everything from relationships to politics and American life in this one. She almost single handedly made retro sounds and the '70s cool again with this album. This album is a moment in time for me personally... this was a soundtrack for me as a teen in high school.

Led Zepplin: IV Hard for me to chose just one of their albums, but I think this is their pinnacle in my book. The way Led Zepplin fused delta blues with hard rock and created their own genre will always fascinate me. I love their weaving of familiar blues themes with current events, love, fantasy, and literature. All of this totaled creates a rich tapestry few other bands have the ability to craft.

Eagles: Hotel California Yes, this one may be cliche, and worn out... but when you really listen to it, you're reminded of why it was the goliath it was. The album tracks are where it's at for me. Joe Walsh's and Randy Meisner's tracks are the highlights in my book. Even 30+ years on, all of the themes running through this album are still incredibly current to this day: loss of paradise, loss of innocence, building people up just to tear them down, trying to find lessons from failed relationships, overindulgence and demise, etc.

Pink Floyd: Dark Side Of The Moon This is the very definition of concept album to me. I still feel this one was ahead of it's time. I love the abstract way it approached painful reality. The punctuation of familiar sounds into the twisted and ethereal soundscape. Doesn't get much better than this in my book.

At this point, I hate to cop out and do more Mac related stuff... but I'm tired, and I want sleep. So I'm taking the easy road out! :laugh:

Fleetwood Mac: Mystery To Me To me, there's a very distinct reason why Fleetwood Mac released it's 1975 album as a self-titled record: they were signaling that Fleetwood Mac was a wholly new band, and all past incarnations were moot. The band that released Mystery To Me is absolutely a different band than released Rumours. That said, I think this is 1967-1974 Fleetwood Mac's strongest album. Every single song is worth it's weight in gold. This album showcases Bob Welch best as the HUGE talent he was. This is the one album where the line between Bob's love of the mystical, and Christine's straight forward pop truly blurred. Christine was recording some very ethereal songs, and Bob was recording some very pop songs. There's a unified sound between the two writers that wasn't really seen before or since. This is such a great pop album.

Stevie Nicks: Bella Donna I got this album the day I discovered Stevie, and it's always been special to me. I love it's classic themes of relationships, loss, fame, and lust. There's an air of restraint to this album, of simplicity. There's no gimmicks like Stevie's later albums. No filler. Drugs were still working for her, and not against her on this album. You can tell she was breathing fresh air for the first time in years simply being able to record the album at all. There's an effervescence about it, despite it's often dark material.

[Dodfather]

Madonna: Bedtime Stories This is Madonna's most lyrically honest, open album. Much like Joseph Arthur's Redemption's Son, and Lindsey Buckingham's Out Of The Cradle, Madonna is struggling with the loss of a parent (her Mother), love, her identity, religion, sexuality, fame, etc. The way the album transitions very slowly and seamlessly from R&B to ethereal/existential/spanish sounding is genius in my book. It's like tracing the metamorphosis Madonna herself is going through internally at the time.

Sheryl Crow: Sheryl Crow It's hard picking any one of Sheryl's amazing (and DIFFERENT!) albums out as the best, but for a combination of reasons, this one wins for me. As her sophomore album, and the first album she produced all by herself, we find Sheryl really coming into her own musically. She deals with everything from relationships to politics and American life in this one. She almost single handedly made retro sounds and the '70s cool again with this album. This album is a moment in time for me personally... this was a soundtrack for me as a teen in high school.



louie - 2 great choices! I wish Bedtime Stories wasn't Madonna's forgotten album. Surely American Life deserve that dis-honour, haha. I'd love to see her some of the tracks from it live, especially Take A Bow, which is in my top 5 Madonna songs ever.

I'm a huge Sheryl Crow fan and think that this album and The Globe Sessions are her finest hours. Hard To Make A Stand is just brilliant, but then most of this album is. Detours is only ok though. I hope her next album is better!

[Nikolaj]

These lists are awesome, I've seen so many entries that make me want to change my original ten. Hejira's list alone...wow- and the nods for 'Physical Graffiti' and 'Goodbye Yellowbrick Road'- two I shouldn't have forgotten.
The major reason I still have a minor mental block about Bella Donna comes down to the title song and to this:
"PONY."
"PHONEY"

It just made me die, a 100 years ago, that a songwriter I thought was the female Bob Dylan had 'pony' in a song to begin with, then for her to rhyme it with 'phoney'...I swear it broke my heart, back on the edge of 17, as I was. On the day it was released, and as I played that first song, I thought ' Oh no! Pony! Phoney! I can never play this song for anyone!'
Maybe it's an animal thing? Pony? Chimpanzee? No animal references ever again, SLN! Though 'cat in the dark' was gorgeous...

PS- come to think of it, the brilliant JM's 'painted ponies' of 'The Circle Game' don't bother me, it's a song and a half. Maybe I need to finally get over the 'pony/phoney' Bella Donna couplet, all these years later!
--Oh, good choice! About time someone mentioned Dark Side Of The Moon, another one I can't believe I forgot about! I have to agree that as concept albums go, Dark Side is brilliant.

[ontheEdgeof17]

The Beatles: The White Album

Fleetwood Mac: Tusk

Kylie Minogue: X

Madonna: Like A Prayer

Original Broadway Cast: Spring Awakening

The Argument: Recess Seranade

Mika: Life In Cartoon Motion

Kylie Minogue: Impossible Princess

Vanessa Carlton: Heroes and Thieves

Kelly Clarkson: My December

[Dodfather]

Kylie Minogue: X

Kylie Minogue: Impossible Princess



Ooooohh! Great choice on Impossible Princess! I'm a huge Kylie fan and have been for over 20 years and this is by far her best album. Cowboy Style is wonderful. Not that I'm adverse to her more all-out pop though - the Rhythm of Love era is Kylie at her Better-The-Devil-all-out-pop best!!

I tried and tried to love X but I just couldn't. 2 Hearts was a good first single, something a bit different from her, but other than In My Arms and a couple of other I just couldn;t get into it. I kept hoping it would grow on me like Body Language did but no.

I'm interested, since you have such a high opinion of the album, what do you think of Nu-di-ty?

[louielouie2000]

louie - 2 great choices! I wish Bedtime Stories wasn't Madonna's forgotten album. Surely American Life deserve that dis-honour, haha. I'd love to see her some of the tracks from it live, especially Take A Bow, which is in my top 5 Madonna songs ever.

I'm a huge Sheryl Crow fan and think that this album and The Globe Sessions are her finest hours. Hard To Make A Stand is just brilliant, but then most of this album is. Detours is only ok though. I hope her next album is better!

Agreed... I hate that Bedtime Stories is so often looked over. Like I said before, I think it's Madonna's most lyrically honest, soul bearing album. Which is probably why she herself tries to cover up this album like a cat does it's defecation in the litterbox! :laugh:

I was jockeying back and forth on whether to pick the Globe Sessions or Sheryl's self-titled album, too. They're both terrific. I've followed Sheryl since '94... and agree Detours wasn't her strongest effort (though I really did enjoy it, and the statements it made). In the end, I think there's a tinge of self indulgence in Globe Sessions that places it a close second for me :cool:.

[Zombie]

I love reading everyone's lists. This is so much fun, and it's introducing me to some stuff I never really listened to before. So to everyone that's participated so far, thank you!

[Silver Springs]

.bump.

In no particular order.


Joni Mitchell - Blue. (I put Little Green first. Silly me listening to the song while typing). I have decided that if ever I came back into another life as a musician, if such a concept runs in reverse, I would adore if it if I were to come back as her. I couldn't fathom containing such genius.
Buckingham Nicks - Buckingham Nicks. It took me a long while to find the Vinyl album, I was £50 lighter but it was much more than worth it. I confess to not expecting great things at first, only hoping to own the gem if not enjoy it. But the simple yet heartening tones that have come to highlight Stevie and Lindsey at their best turned me into a deep worshipper of it. It's one of my favourites to meditate to.
Loudon Wainwright III - Last Man On Earth. Not many appreciate his sardonic, crass and often offensive takes on anything from politics to personal grief. But I find a profoundness to his lyrics that I can't help but love.
Fleetwood Mac - Either Tusk or Tango In The Night. I had to hold myself back from picking the standard of Rumours. But I simply cannot decide between these two albums. They both in their own way highlight why exactly the band deserve their status today
R.E.M. - Around The Sun. Not well appreciated at all by R.E.M. fans as a whole (only topped by the dire Reveal) but I find the melancholy tone of this album endearing.
Alanis Morissette - Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. Despite how much her somewhat "woah is me" tone has begun to grate on me over the latter years, Alanis and this specific album helped me through high school.
Sarah McLachlan - Afterglow. As with Alanis, although I could never find Sarah annoying at all, she helped me keep my head above the water just enough to breathe when times got difficult. This was my "gateway" album.
Eva Cassidy - Live At Blues Alley 4 Non Blondes - Bigger, Better, Faster, More. I like to believe that this album helped trigger my "help myself" instinct, at least for a short while.
Tori Amos - Under The Pink

[estranged4life]

Not in an order...mmmm-'k?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ride_the_Lightning
"Ride the Lightning" - Metallica - The sophomore slump sure as hell didn't apply to this album. Another album to decompress to (See SYL's "Alien" below) and a classic that makes me nostalgic for the high school days of my youth when I sat throughout grades 10-12 with headphones on never hearing a word of the many teachers I had.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Puppets
"Master of Puppets" - Metallica - Just the flow of the music along with the lyrical content made for a true classic IMO. Add Cliff Burton's "music theory" to the thrash and you come of with some brilliant musical entities (ie "Orion")

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_Road
"Abbey Road" - The Beatles - If anyone listened to this album and still cannot understand the brillance of it, then there's nothing I can say to make ya understand. What a way for a band to go out!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_%28album%29
"Alien" - Strapping Young Lad - Pure unadulterated hate & equal parts aggression...A great album to listen to decompress when one feels like going to Postal/Lubby's on the world. Works for my sorry ass!!! :thumbsup: Has the one song that describes my life and all it's f**kups: "****storm" I have yet to hear any metal album as 'heavy' as "Alien"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wall
"The Wall" - Pink Floyd - Still an album I can see parts of myself in, as the character "Pink" either being overprotected by his Mother or being 'abandoned' as with Pink when he calls his wife from overseas. Even at age 9, when "The Wall" was released I was attracted to what I heard - when I was a teenager the lyrics hit home with me. I put up my own 'Wall' to keep people out (And to an extent I STILL do) when I felt I was about to be psychologically hurt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innuendo_%28album%29
"Innuendo" - Queen - Hard to imagine such a great album being recorded as a member of the band is dying, and that member knew his time on this globe were coming to an end. Freddie Mercury's will to go out with this triumph of will to go on to the VERY VERY end is worth the admission alone. And one can also sense the emotions building due to Freddie's illness by the multitude of emotions each track on Innuendo can bring out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somewhere_in_Time_%28album%29
"Somewhere in Time" - Iron Maiden - What a way to followup "Powerslave", with a melodic yet heavy album. Includes the great track "Wasted Years" which as a 16 year old turd (which I was when it was released back in 1986) I could relate to since I saw my teen years as possibly being my "golden years".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diary_of_a_Madman_%28album%29
"Diary of a Madman" - Ozzy Osbourne - No matter what most say about this followup to "Blizzard of Ozz", this one to my ears sounds superior. Randy Rhoads was just starting to show what he was capable of creating when adding classical music musical aptitude to a heavy-metal setting. Things clicked in both categories with the tracks "You Can't Kill Rock N Roll" and the title track "Diary of a Madman" (Which still gives me chills with the acoustic guitar intro). One could only know what Randy would have done in the genre of metal had his life not been cut short.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Reveries
"Ghost Reveries" - Opeth - What happens when a death metal band goes more towards the progressive Pink Floyidan light? Ghost Reveries. Sure, the death growl vocals are still presence, but the musicianship behind those vocals (Which are NOT throughout the whole album - When Mikael Åkerfeldt sings cleans it is a great thing, Dude can sing in a clean voice better than most regular vocalists) are something you cannot find in music these days, equal parts artsy 70's progressive and equal parts pure melodic death metal. One the best albums in the past 5 years IMHO.

and finally...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees_of_Inner_Turbulence
"Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" - Dream Theater - Disc 2. The 46:16 that this title track takes you through is emotionally unbelievable. A 8 part opus dealing with the struggles of life issues of various characters makes one wonder how some survive the pain in the wake of suffering from "mental health issues" of bipolar, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, post-partum depression, autism, and dissociative personality disorder.

This album has a particular place in my heart, because it helped me back in late 2003 when Debbie was diagnosed with cancer, and at the time I was afraid I would lose the person I loved and cared about, and more important I would lose my friend...But we know how that story ended, don't we?

This CD was in the cd changer each and everyday for the 200+ mile roundtrip drive to OKC from Dec.2003 to April 2004 to be there for Debbie to be her own personal (male) cheerleader and to pick her up when she was just too tired to fight on.

It still helps me now...But that is because I am now suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and understand the lyrical content of the track "War Inside My Head"...Which is what happens to me on a daily basis.

If I had to pinpoint of these ten picks "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" is the king!