What are your Favorite Music Albums of All Time?

[Todd]

This place has gone bananas....so until things get back to some semblance of normalcy.....let's talk some good music.

So what are your all time top favorite albums. I've kept a list on music since I was a teenager. It has fluctuated from time to time but my top albums have pretty much remained consistent.

Ok......My thread I make the rules..

1. Rank what is your favorite. (Not necessarily what you think the "best" albums are...as I would not consider my favorites as what I think the "best" albums are)

2. Original studio albums only..(no greatest hits or compilations albums....I think that takes away from an artists creation in that particular time and place)....

3. live albums are ok.

4. Any Genre


Top 20

1 Def Leppard - Pyromania
2 Foreigner - 4
3 REM - Murmur
4 AC/DC - Back In Black
5 Pink Floyd - The Wall
6 Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
7 Pixies - Doolittle
8 Joe Walsh - But Seriously Folks
9 Blue Oyster Cult - Agents Of Fortune
10 The Church - Starfish
11 Cheap Trick - At Budokan
12 Nirvana - Nevermind
13 U2 - Achtung Baby
14 Beatles - Abbey Road
15 Beatles - A Hard Day's Night
16 Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
17 Metallica - Master Of Puppets
18 Beatles - Revolver
19 Led Zeppelin - IV
20 Van Halen


My wife thinks my music tastes are eclectic now...... but I think my favorites are pretty standard and kinda "vanilla".
I would probably add some Jazz albums in the mix in the coming years...

 

[francisco]

Leo Kottke-- 6 and 12 String Guitar (aka the Takoma album)

Neil Young--Ragged Glory

Neil Young-- Everyone Knows This is Nowhere

John Coltrane--Giant Steps

John Coltrane--My Favorite Things

10,000 Maniacs--In My Tribe

Smashing Pumpkins--Gish

Smashing Pumpkins--Siamese Dream

Joni Mitchell--Song to a Seagull

Joni Mitchell--Blue

 

[Cleaner44]

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
Pink Floyd - Animals
Beatles - Abbey Road
Eagles - Long Run

 

[jkr]

PINK
FLOYD
All of it

OUTKAST -Ataliens

Beastie boys -check yo head

TRON-soundtrack

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Ok......My thread I make the rules..

1. Rank what is your favorite. (Not necessarily what you think the "best" albums are...as I would not consider my favorites as what I think the "best" albums are)

2. Original studio albums only..(no greatest hits or compilations albums....I think that takes away from an artists creation in that particular time and place)....

3. live albums are ok.

4. Any Genre

Your 2nd and 3rd rules contradict each other.

Two thoughts:

- Some of the greatest albums every recorded suffer from over-exposure and burnout. Thus people will tend to drop them from their list, even though they were the greatest.
- Greatest hits should qualify, or maybe make an exception, just because one of the often cited greatest albums of all time is The Eagles Greatest Hits.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

10 The Church - Starfish

Interesting choice. I've had that one since it was released, but never really got into it completely. Kind of a two song album for me. Reptile and that other song.

 

[Todd]

Your 2nd and 3rd rules contradict each other.

Two thoughts:

- Some of the greatest albums every recorded suffer from over-exposure and burnout. Thus people will tend to drop them from their list, even though they were the greatest.
- Greatest hits should qualify, or maybe make an exception, just because one of the often cited greatest albums of all time is The Eagles Greatest Hits.

Ok...I thought about that before I posted. but my rules.... JK

I have a live album in my top 20..

Here's my thought. The Live album captures the talent of the band in that setting at that time and place. The songs played may be standards, but the band can arrange it differently and use subtle changes to the original recordings. For instance....The Allman brothers great live album is a complete other world from their studio albums and they were at their peak live.

Yeah..... The Eagles greatest hits is a great selling album and full of great songs, but it spans about 6 years time period and the songs were written during different artistic periods of the band. So I guess that was my thinking..


And yes....all of my favorite albums I don't tend to listen to as much as in the day. I am burnt out on many. Can't stand hearing a Zeppelin song because it's not a deep track on FM radio.

I don't think I've listened to Led Zep IV for many years all the way through. But I'm just being honest about what have been my overall favs.

 

[Todd]

Interesting choice. I've had that one since it was released, but never really got into it completely. Kind of a two song album for me. Reptile and that other song.

Actually one of the few on that list that I really haven't tired of. I have 3 of their albums and I always thought Under the Milky Way was just that one hit wonder song....but the whole thing is really great.

 

[Todd]

Leo Kottke-- 6 and 12 String Guitar (aka the Takoma album)

Neil Young--Ragged Glory

Neil Young-- Everyone Knows This is Nowhere

John Coltrane--Giant Steps

John Coltrane--My Favorite Things

10,000 Maniacs--In My Tribe

Smashing Pumpkins--Gish

Smashing Pumpkins--Siamese Dream

Joni Mitchell--Song to a Seagull

Joni Mitchell--Blue

I would probably put Blue Train by John Coltrane in some of my all time favorites as well....or A Love Supreme.

 

[Origanalist]

Leo Kottke-- 6 and 12 String Guitar (aka the Takoma album)

Neil Young--Ragged Glory

Neil Young-- Everyone Knows This is Nowhere

John Coltrane--Giant Steps

John Coltrane--My Favorite Things

10,000 Maniacs--In My Tribe

Smashing Pumpkins--Gish

Smashing Pumpkins--Siamese Dream

Joni Mitchell--Song to a Seagull

Joni Mitchell--Blue

Leo Kottke, there is a name I haven't heard in a long time.

 

[Origanalist]

The Who-Quadrophenia
Johhny Winter And Live
Johhny Winter-Still Alive and Well
Neil Young-Harvest
The Alan Parsons Project-I Robot
Keb' Mo-Keb' Mo
Susan Tedeshi-Just Won't Burn
UFO- Force It

Just off the top of my head...
oops, forgot Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd-Second Helping
Lynyrd Skynyrd-Nuthin Fancy

 

[francisco]

I would probably put Blue Train by John Coltrane in some of my all time favorites as well....or A Love Supreme.

Many years ago I had a Coltrane compilation album (on Prestige label, I think) called More Lasting Than Bronze. Lost it and have looked without success to find it again. Doesn't meet your rules for inclusion, but I'd love to hear it again.

 

[Todd]

Many years ago I had a Coltrane compilation album (on Prestige label, I think) called More Lasting Than Bronze. Lost it and have looked without success to find it again. Doesn't meet your rules for inclusion, but I'd love to hear it again.

Jazz albums are kind of unique in how they all overlap.

I have 3 Thelonious Monk albums...all considered original recordings, and they all overlap with songs he performed years before. 2 -3 different versions of Bye ya and Bolivar Blues and some others on each one.

 

[erowe1]

Without ranking them, or saying these are necessarily my very favorite, here are some that I like:

The Essential Canadian Brass
Burning for Buddy - A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich
Bobby McFerrin, Paper Music
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Wynton and Ellis Marsalis, Joe Cool's Blues
Blues Traveler, Four
Harry Connick Jr., We are in Love

 

[donnay]

Eagles - Hotel California

Queen - News of the world

Boston - Don't Look Back

Steely Dan - AJA

Styx - Grand Illusion

Billy Joel - Storm Front

 

[Origanalist]

Eagles - Hotel California

Queen - News of the world

Boston - Don't Look Back

Steely Dan - AJA

Styx - Grand Illusion

Billy Joel - Storm Front

Shouldn't girls have a different favorite album thread?

 

[donnay]

Shouldn't girls have a different favorite album thread?

Oh okay, too much chick music eh?

 

[Origanalist]

Oh okay, too much chick music eh?

Just the same stuff I already get at home.....

 

[Origanalist]

Oh okay, too much chick music eh?

You forgot Journey.......

 

[cajuncocoa]

Just the same stuff I already get at home.....

If you didn't like donnay's list, you're really going to hate mine (I don't care)

The Association - Birthday
Beatles - Rubber Soul
Alan Parsons Project - Vulture Culture
Carole King - Tapestry
Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark
Earth, Wind & Fire - I Am
Steely Dan - Aja
Heart - Little Queen
Gino Vanelli - Brother to Brother

i didn't go out of my way to make it as girly-girl as possible....that's just the way it is. Hey, there's no Barry Manilow or Michael Bolton, right?