Your all time favourite albums and more

[Blade]

Led Zeppelin isn't overrated, and neither is Radiohead. What do you mean by "finesse"?

They're not nearly as fine-tuned as... for example... Pink Floyd (Gilmour is a much better guitarist than anybody in Radiohead, IMO) but they're definitely the best rock group to come out of the 90's by my estimation. To find a perfect musical niche with The Bends and OK Computer and then vow never to exploit it again like so many other artists have... takes a lot of guts. Or a lot of pretentiousness, your pick.

Anyway, a good question for their critics is: have you listened to them beyond Creep, Karma Police, and OK Computer/The Bends?

I was a critic of theirs too, then I gave them a good listen beyond the surface. It doesn't change that they're an alternative group at their core (thus not as "clean" as older artists) but they're really talented.

 

[Crisidelm]

Heh, I wanted to quote it above as "Most overrated of all time", I really don't get it why people find it any good. Or anything else from them , for that matter.

Admittedly, they weren't much interested in studio recordings for new albums, and never put much effort into it (much unlike the Beatles, who were very experimental and rigorous in studio but played really lousy in public). They were in for the live performances...which most of the times were very, very, very different from the album tracks.

 

[Mize]

How the West Was Won is a great Zeppelin collection. How anyone could not realize how innovative they were for their time is beyond me. Bonzo played a three piece kit for pitty sake and he sounded 10x better than Neil Pert.

As for the concept of a "best albums" list, that's a tough one. My tastes are in a constant state of change. The best Zeppelin album was, without a doubt, Physical Graffiti.

 

[kyleb]

OK Computer - Radiohead
I just don't get it. Is it the lyrics? Is it the music? Or even some magic combination of both? All I hear is boring mediocrity and lack of new ideas.

Heh, what is not too like? The album is clearly calm, fitter, healthier and more productive; like a pig, in a cage, on antibiotics.

Anyway, I'm not good with nailing down the favorates thing but I'll give it a try and start with:
Radiohead - Amnesiac

I suppsoe if you don't like OK Computer then you don't care for Amnesiac either; but enjoying what OK Computer was I see Amnesiac as a perfection of that.

A Perefect Circle - aMotion/aMotion
It isn't exactly an album as the first disk is a DVD, but all the same the music is downight magic.

Tool - Ænema
Yeah I found a way to get Manard on the list twice without breaking the rules.

Anyway, the album has much of the complexly melodic nature of their later work while retianing the unbridled aggression of their earlier stuff.

Bjork - Post
Amazing ride though the mind of a beautiful woman.

Portishead - PNYC
Sensuality on a disk with full orchestral accompaniment.

Front 242 - Off
Absolutely wild blend of techno and industrial that was unhread of when it came out, and I don't think anything has touched it since then.

XTC - Skylarking
Insight that goes beyond words.

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
The band is one of the few things I aprecate from the '80, and this live album is the epitome why.

The Doors- Absolutely Live
Morsion gets most of the credit, but i find the music just as inspired as the vocials and lyrics. If only I had a time machine...

Various Artists - Lost Highway Orignal Soundtrack
The album is as wild a ride as the movie, both beind unforgetable in my eyes.

I wish I could have icluded more things from this decade on my list, but I haven't been impressed with the vast majorty of recent music.

 

[Mintmaster]

DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
Revolutionary, 100% sampled album. It has this kind of etheral, yet extremely characterful/familiar quality that is still extremely uncommon in electronica, IMHO.

Absolutely the best album ever.

If anyone here hasn't heard it, do so ASAP, especially if you like instrumental stuff instead of music with lyrics like me. The compositions are just beautiful and very creative, and suddenly made me interested after 15 years of not hearing anything that stirred me enough to have more than a passing interest in modern music.

Problem is that I haven't found much that's come even close to this album, and it's tough to find this kind of music due to the lack of exposure. I found a few artists like Tortoise, Spring Heel Jack, μ-ziq, Orbital, Thievery Corporation, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Autechre, and a few others that put out creative instrumental music, but not enough for a decent music collection.

Can anyone make suggestions along these lines?

 

[nelg]

Heh, I wanted to quote it above as "Most overrated of all time", I really don't get it why people find it any good. Or anything else from them , for that matter.

PS. I like Blade's list.

 

[Xmas]

I have to admit I rarely listen to albums start to end, I'm a shuffle freak. Still there are some albums I like to listen to as a whole.

Meat Loaf – Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell
Continuing the concept of its 16 years older predecessor, it is more refined and polished but still over-the-top bombast rock. But Meat Loaf skillfully manages to steer away from sounding ridiculous.

Janis Joplin – Pearl
Pure energy can make a voice that's not exactly great sound stunningly beautiful.

Queen – A Night at the Opera
A defining record for a great band. Experimental and ambitious, varying between hard, sweet, epic, silly and operatic.

Heather Nova – Oyster
I had to pick Oyster over Siren, although "siren" is a fitting characterization for Heather Nova. Her voice is truly mesmerizing, angelic. Especially live, though lacking a bit of power. Her later material isn't half as good.

Pearl Jam – Ten
Alive and Black alone are reason enough, but the other songs are on the same level, making it stand out as one of the best rock albums.

Jewel – Pieces of You
Her debut record features an unrefined, gorgeous, sometimes girlish voice to mostly folksy tunes that are at times kitschy but beautiful.

Matchbox 20 – Yourself or Someone Like You
Lots of great hooks on this pop-rock album.

 

[Blade]

Nelg: Thanks. I wanted to throw Coldplay on there, but even though they are (IMO) the best band to come out since 1999... it seems like their best stuff comes a half-album at a time. i.e. Add up half of Parachutes and half of AROBTTH or half of AROBTTH and X&Y and you have a damned awesome record.

They deserve a mention, anyway. AROBTTH is probably their strongest followed closely by the others.

KyleB: A mention for Amnesiac, eh? Amnesiac is a good album, but I'm surprised that you compared it to OKC. I don't see the correlation. IMO, Kid A > Amnesiac but dropping Pull/Pulk (or Hunting Bears ) and adding the B-side "Worrywort" would have improved the album a bit. Maybe even adding "Kinetic."

Thom's comments about "Kid A looking at a fire, Amnesiac being in the fire" seems almost true given the mood of the album. On Kid A, there's obviously a sense of cold, empty darkness but simultaneously it's a happier record than Amnesiac. Amnesiac is easily their weirdest/darkest record IMO.

 

[MuFu]

I'd add "Parachutes" to my list, I think.

 

[Sonic]

Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Siamese Dream, Adore

I love The Smashing Pumpkins so much they are in my top two favorite bands.

The other band of course is the Red Hot Chili Peppers. By the Way, Californication, Blood Sex Sugar Magik, Mother's Milk. They are all great albums.

 

[kyleb]

Blade, yeah I understand how you might find it an odd comparison, but the weirdness/darkness is what drew me to Radiohead to begin with. OK Computer being the first album of theirs I really took to, and at least in my ears it has a weird/dark tone to it while still being rock in many ways; while Amnesiac on the other hand comes off almost completely is void of a sense of "rock" sound and goes all out with the deranged melodic sound that I have always appreciated from the band. I understand how that might have been a letdown for people interested in a more rounded album; but for me, dropping Pull/Pulk would have been a tragedy. I'll say the same for Hunting Bears as well, as while it is nothing particularly memorable on it's own, I think it does an exelent job of trying together Dollars & Cents with Like Spining Plates.



Oh, and; do you know how I know you guys are gay?



j/k, but if any of you don't understand why, you must see The 40 Year Old Virgin.

 

[Blade]

Yeah, we like Coldplay. I think I'll officially augment my list.

 

[oi]

Ark - Burn The Sun
This is imo about as good as progressive hard rock can get nowadays, and probably the only album which I've been regularly listening to for about 5 years without getting tired of it.

Darkane - Rusted Angel
Not quite as good music-wise as their follow up Insanity, but perfect production for a thrash album which gives it a slight edge.

Dream Theater - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
Not necessarily the best Dream Theater album, but the last one which managed to hold my interest, and going by Octavarium, it'll probably remain so.

Emperor - Prometheus
Norwegian grimness at its best.

Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor
For some reason I haven't checked up on their earlier catalogue, but TGE blew me away when I first heard it, and is what's being most abused on my playlist at the moment.

Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
Again perhaps not the best album, since I worship pretty much every record released by Porcupine Tree thus far.

Radiohead - Kid A
Tempted to write Ok Computer because of the thread starter, but I'll have to admit that Kid A is superior.

Rainbow - Rising
The only classic hard rock band worth caring about, along with select Deep Purple offerings.

The Mars Volta - De-Loused In The Comatorium
I got my hands on this one when I was getting somewhat tired of music in general, which fortunately proved for me that there's still quality stuff to be made.

Ulver - Blood Inside
Amazing ambient-electronica-rock-experimental-soundtrackish-and-so-on album.

 

[_xxx_]

Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor
For some reason I haven't checked up on their earlier catalogue, but TGE blew me away when I first heard it, and is what's being most abused on my playlist at the moment.

All the prior work is WAY better than TGE. Get 'em all.

 

[MuFu]

Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
Again perhaps not the best album, since I worship pretty much every record released by Porcupine Tree thus far.

Nah, best album by miles. Good choice.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Queen - Greatest Hits 2
This and another band started me on the path to rock, great stuff.

Dire Straits - All albums
Can't remember which one I like best but the other band that got me into rock when young.

Metallica - Ride the lightning
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Metallica - And Justice for All.

Nuff said, great albums, descended into crap after that.

Fear Factory - Demanufacture
Damn this album owns, their drumming is great.

Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
I think overall its better than Mellon Collie but only just.

Sound Garden - Superunknown
Contrary to others I think this is the best

A Perfect Circle - Mer der noms
Maynard nuff said.

Tool - All albums, maybe Aenima is best.
All great, no weak stuff or turning to crap as they have gotten older like other bands

Amorphis - Tales from the thousand lakes.
@()&%)(*!&!!!! What an album

Children of Bodom - All albums
Great guitaring.

Covenant - Nexus Polaris
Another good metal album.

Cradle of Filth - Cruelty and the beast.
Cradle of Filth - Midian
Great black metal.

Nightwish - Wishmaster
Nightwish - Once

Ozzy Osboure - Ozzmosis

Rage Against the machine - Self titled
The militant poet!

Some other good bands that I am not sure on albums would be Rammstein, Crematory, Nothingface, Pearl Jam, Moonspell , Dream Theater, Dimmu Borgir , probably missing many others too.

 

[.Melchiah.]

Akira Yamaoka: Silent Hill 1 soundtrack
This is the number one for me. I especially like how all the songs from the 2nd to the 37th are knit together for a nonstop horror sound collage. After over an hour worth of industrial noise and malice the soundtrack is ended perfectly with a melancholic tango! Sadly, the later SH soundtracks concentrate more on the rock orientated and vocal driven songs rather than in the in-game horror soundscapes. Nevertheless, I still like all four of them.

Nobuo Uematsu: Final Fantasy VIII soundtrack
In my opinion this is the best of the FF soundtracks. I often listen to it while I'm driving, or at least when my girlfriend isn't in the car with me. =P I like its calm, cheerful and childlike atmosphere. The opening song, Liberi Fatali, still makes my skin crawl.

Climax Golden Twins: Session 9 soundtrack
A soundtrack as haunting as the film itself.

Joseph LoDuca: The Evil Dead soundtrack
It would be rude to exclude a soundtrack of my all-time favorite movie from the list.

And Even Wolves Hid Their Teeth compilation (consisting of artists of Cold Meat Industry)
You can't go wrong with a compilation including Aghast, Brighter Death Now, Deutsch Nepal, Mental Destruction and MZ.412, among others.

MZ.412: Nordik Battle Signs
"If white is the color of death, then black is the color of life."
Harsh power electronics + hypnotizing pounding rhythms =

Marilyn Manson: Antichrist Svperstar
The most unique and diverse MM album along with Smells like Children. It's been a downhill ride ever since. Perhaps that's got something to do with the fact that Mr. Reznor hasn't been producing MM albums since AC Superstar?

Notre Dame: Le Theatre du Vampire
Who could resist Ms. Vampirella, and songs like Bouffoon Bloody Bouffoon, I'll Bring Nosferatu You and Spiderella's XXX.

GGFH: Eclipse
A concept album about the 90's Satanism hysteria. Great and original industrial.

Darkthrone: Under a Funeral Moon
The best black metal album ever.

Carcass: Reek of Putrefaction
The best grindcore album ever.

W.A.S.P: the self-titled debut album
The best heavy metal album ever.

 

[IgnorancePersonified]

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1. Midnight Oil.

Couldn't Stand the Weather. SRV.

Sgt Peppers. Beatles.

A 4CD compilation from Hendrix.

Back in Black - AC/DC

Not sure of the exact title but
Cutting room floor - Mixed by Lo Fidelity Allstars

No particular order.
I'm a big Led Zepp fan but can't decide on any particular album.

 

[ninelven]

Toadies - Rubberneck

 

[nelg]

Melchiah, you need an anti depressant.