I often think about stellar albums. The ones where they’re really isn’t a skip-able track. Off the top of my head, these come to mind: The Beach Boys Pet Sounds, Collective Soul Collective Soul (blue album), Bush 16 Stone, and Green Day Dookie. What are some of your perfect albums?
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Going by music genre:
Hip Hop: To Pimp A Butterfly (by Kendrick Lamar), The Forever Story (JID), Madvillainy (MF DOOM), Hell on Earth (Mobb Deep)
Electronic: Selected Ambient Works (Aphex Twin), Exai (Autechre), Duntisbourne Abbots Soulmate Devastation Technique (μ-Ziq)
Black Metal: Filosofem (Burzum), Panzerfaust (Darkthrone), Pure Holocaust (Immortal), Exuvia (The Ruins of Beverast)
Death Metal: Scream Bloody Gore (Death), Realm of Chaos (Bolt Thrower), Under the Sign of the Black Mark (Bathory)
Country: Southbound (Doc Watson), Poor David’s Almanack (David Rawlings)
I’m just breaking into country and jazz. If anyone has some classic must-listen albums, I’d be all ears.
It’s been almost a year since The Forever Story came out, but it was a classic in my mind from the first second I heard it. I haven’t listened to as much hip hop these past few years but that album pulled me right back in.
I’m not the biggest fan of J Cole, but he’s discovered and boosted some amazing artists.
- Good News For People Who Love Bad News, Modest Mouse
- Sgt Pepper, The Beatles
- The Fame Monster, Lady Gaga
- Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Elton John
- Folie a Deux, Fall Out Boy
Ok, now that more people have posted long lists, I don’t feel so bad about mine ;)
- Arcade Fire – Funeral
- Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
- At The Drive-In – Relationship of Command (also their EPs Vaya and In/Casino/Out)
- Kae Tempest – Let Them Eat Chaos
- Mercury Rev – Deserter’s Songs
- My Morning Jacket – Z
- Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
- Radiohead – OK Computer
- Radiohead – In Rainbows
- The Decemberists – Picaresque
- The Diggs – Commute
- The Dismemberment Plan – Emergency & I
- The Libertines – s/t
- The Mars Volta – Deloused in the Comatorium
- The Notwist – Shrink
- Tokyo Police Club – A Lesson in Crime (just a fantastic debut; barely an album though)
German:
- Deichkind – Niveau Weshalb Warum
Some may be an acquired taste (PSB?, also I know that The Libertines’ is not everyone’s favorite – but it’s mine :). The Arcade Fire, even though I don’t listen to them these days that much, is decade-defining for me, as is Radiohead’s OK Computer (together with Nevermind, although for some reason it didn’t make this list).
A Lesson in Crime was definitely a fantastic debut, I’m also a big fan of their Champ album. Breakneck Speed is one of my favorite songs!
Lovely to see a mention of PSB here. Inform - Educate - Entertain is such a great record, and I loved Bright Magic so much that I bought it on CD so I could rip the highest quality possible for my iPod.
The first album that I ever bought back in the day from my pocket money was Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park.
Only later I found out that this feeling of listening to every song of an album multiple times without getting bored or just not liking some or most of them is not the norm.
I enjoyed the album right away. But only after being disappointed in all other albums that I bought over the next months I started to realize what an incredible gem Hybrid Theory is.
I had the same magical feeling with Meteora. Sadly, the following albums could not keep it up for me.
I still love HT and M to this day and listen to it monthly. Amazing albums by an amazing band.
Totally agree with you on Hybrid Theory…start to finish fabulous. Interestingly enough, another album I feel this way about is Aqualung by Jethro Tull. If I put on either of these albums I lose 40 minutes before I know it…
Never heard about this, will check it out! Thank you for the recommendation.
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the aeroplane over the sea
A classic.
how do you not have Dark Side of the Moon in that list?
I love Pink Floyd, but to be honest I’d put animals on there before dark side. I didn’t fully list everything that I’d add, just a few to get the conversation going:-)
Animals is so good, so cohesive.
The Black Crowes - Southern Harmony Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Honorable mention
The Black Keys - Thickfreakness The White Stripes - Icky Thump CeeLo Green - The Lady Killer
I have very little concept of what songs are from which albums anymore thanks to modern streaming subscriptions.
Siamese Dreams is one album I have been able to go back to year after year and enjoy from start to finish. First album I ever owned.
I’ve just started listening to Siamese Dream again, it’s one of my go-to summer albums. My favorite Pumpkins album my far, It’s just so crisp and crunchy in such a pleasing way
The first two that came to mind:
- Bob Mould - Workbook
- The Stone Roses - self-titled debut
Mezzanine - Massive Attack
The Fat of the Land - The Prodigy
First time I ever DJ’d, I played Angel just so I could hear that bass over a proper nightclub sound system. It emptied the floor, but I have no regrets because it was fucking beautiful.
I like your style!
Oh, the confidence of an amateur. “I like this song, therefore so will everyone else”.
Turns out that everyone else was a prick.
They were/are objectively wrong. DJs are there to tell people what to like!
See, someone gets it!
Mezzanine is brilliant.
Reading through these posts I’m totally blown away by the diversity of some of the posters’ selections. Also…a LOT of albums I need to check out!!
That was my goal! I’m in a bit of a music lull, looking for new stuff
Radiohead’s Kid A has no filler tracks. Anyone who thinks Treefingers is filler is wrong
It’s odd but Kid A didn’t click with me until after I’d heard Amnesiac. I think the follow-up album might’ve worked as a kind of gateway into a more electronic sound.
I listened through Amnesiac maybe half a dozen times before I was curious and tried Kid A again, and it was like I was hearing a completely different album. It’s funny to have my opinion of an album change so much by listening to something else entirely.
Do people think Treefingers is filler? Wtf, that track is fucking awesome and a much needed breather for that album
Makoto Matsushita - First Light
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong - Psychology, Presto
Dogs in a Pile - Bloom, Not Your Average Beagle
Nautilus - Refrain
Teako Onuki - Mignonne, Sunshower
Grateful Dead - Cornell 5/8/77, American Beauty
Anthrax - Spreading the Disease
Bad Religion - No Control, The Empire Strikes First
Led Zeppelin - II, IV
Joe Satriani - Surfing With the Alien
War Bringer - Woe to the Vanquished
Havok - Conformicide
Loudness - Thunder in the East
Thank You Scientist - Maps of Non-Existent Places
Rainbow - Difficult to Cure, Straight Between the Eyes
Casiopea - CASIOPEA, Asian Dreamer, Material
Phish - Farmhouse, Hoist
Gloryhammer - Tales from the Kingdom of Fife
Might’ve went a bit overboard lol
Have you listened to Return to The Kingdom of Fife yet?
Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique is and always will be an absolute masterpiece to me. It was awesome 20 years ago and still goes hard to this day.
- The Hotelier - Home, Like Noplace Is There
- Fugazi - The Argument
- Slint - Spiderland
- American Football - LP1
- toe - The Book About My Idle Plot On A Vague Anxiety
- The Cure - Disintegration
- TTNG - Animals
- Sunny Day Real Estate - How It Feels to Be Something On
- At The Drive-in - Relationship of Command
- Brand New - The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me
Relationship of Command is a certified banger from the first note to the last. Absolutely incendiary record.
American Football, yes!
