The Best Album Ever.

[Calliope]

It's going back a while, and possibly embarrassing to confess, but I think Elton John's Yellow Brick Road is pretty much impossible to beat. Back even further, Carole King's Tapestry is phenomenal. Further still, there's Abbey Road. The Eagles' Hotel California has song after song that is worth listening to. Paul Simon is an incredible talent, love the early 'and Garfunkle' stuff, think Gracelands is just about impossible to fault.

Recently, Amy Winehouse's Back to Black has as solid a tracklisting as you could wish for.

What other complete albums are amazing?

[tagesmann]

A quick browse through my collection and these leapt off the shelves...

AC/DC - High Volatge
The Beatles - The Beatles
David Bowie - Low
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - The Boatman's Call
Crowded House - Together Alone
Mile Davis - In A Silent Way
Depeche Mode - Exciter
The Finn Brothers - Everyone Is Here
Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Nanci Griffith - One Fair Summer Evening
Richard Hawley - Late Night Final
Kristin Hersh - Hips and Makers
Japan - Oil On Canvas
Kitaro - Tenku
Youssou N'Dour - Nothing's In Vain
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
Opeth - Morningrise
Porcupine Tree - Coma Devine
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Illustrated Music Encylcopedia
Paul Simon- Paul Simon
Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska
Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
Neil Young - After The Goldrush

[My Friend Jack]

A quick browse through my collection and these leaped off the shelves...

Argent - In Deep
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Beatles - Revolver
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
David Bowie - Low
Creedence Clearwater revival - Cosmo's Factory
Bob Dylan - Desire
ELO - A New World Record
Free - Heartbreaker
Grapefruit - Around Grapefruit
Nanci Griffith - Storms
Led Zeppelin - IV
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
Kirsty MacColl - Kite
Move - Message From The Country
Mike Oldfield - Crises
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Queen - Sheer Heart Attack
Queen - A Night At The Opera
Barry Ryan - Sings The Songs Of Paul Ryan
Slade - Slade Alive!
Dusty Springfield - Dusty In Memphis
Starsailor - Love Is Here
Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman
Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
Strokes - Is This It?
Supertramp - Even In The Quietest Moments
Turin Brakes - The Optimist LP
Clifford T Ward - Escalator
Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July
Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life
World Party - Goodbye Jumbo
Yes - Close To The Edge

[Grammath]

Stuff I'd pick out from the hundreds of CDs surrounding me:

Screamadelica - Primal Scream
Automatic for the People - R.E.M.
Murmur - R.E.M.
Entroducing - DJ Shadow
Doolittle - Pixies
Surfer Rosa - Pixies
Dummy - Portishead
The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths
76:14 - Global Communications
Heaven or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins
Filigree and Shadow - This Mortal Coil
Leftism - Leftfield
Ritual de lo Habitual - Jane's Addiction
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Reading, Writing and Arithmetic - The Sundays
OK Computer - Radiohead
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
Blade Runner OST - Vangelis
Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld - Orb
Is This It? - The Strokes
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
The Back Room - Editors
Turn on the Bright Lights - Interpol
Agaetis Byertun - Sigur Ros

I could go on and on and on and on...

[Royal Rother]

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel

A masterpiece.

http://mik.infondoalmare.com/intheaeroplaneoverthesea.jpg

[Grammath]

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel

A masterpiece.

Yep, that's a good 'un, RR.

[MisterHobgoblin]

For me, a record that changed the way I listen to music for ever:

The Banana Album

An album so famous, you don't need to mention either title or artist.

[Squirls]

Some nice choices there Grammath.

For me it's Wish You Were Here ~ Pink Floyd

[Grammath]

Thanks, Squirls.

I do think my choices rather obviously reveal my age, though, since the majority are of late '80s/early '90s vintage.

[Calliope]

For me, a record that changed the way I listen to music for ever:

The Banana Album

An album so famous, you don't need to mention either title or artist. *Waiting with baited breath for some hint of an explanation*

[tagesmann]

*Waiting with baited breath for some hint of an explanation*http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41vA4kT8z0L._SL500_AA240_.jpg

[Jen]

If I could only ever listen to one album for the rest of my life, I'd choose
Want One - Rufus Wainwright
(avoiding the cheat of chosing 'Want', a double CD featuring both Want One and Want Two which was released more recently).

If I was allowed a few more, I'd add:

Poses - Rufus Wainwright
Eden - Everything But The Girl
Hounds of Love - Kate Bush
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses

[Hazel]

Violator - Depeche Mode - the best album ever bar none.

[kelby_lake]

I dunno- my heart says Rio. Love that album!

[tagesmann]

Violator - Depeche Mode - the best album ever bar none.Apart from Songs of Faith and Devotion and Exciter?

[Hazel]

Apart from Songs of Faith and Devotion and Exciter?Neither of them even touch Violator.

[tagesmann]

Neither of them even touch Violator.That's presumably because they are so much better.

[MarkC]

The best album ever is either

Ricochet by Tangerine Dream
or
Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich

While both are entirely instrumental they cannot be treated as background music, put them on and both sweep you up and demand to be listened to.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of some others which are excellent:

Kate Bush - Hounds of love
Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Marillion - Misplaced Childhood
Iron Maiden - Number of the beast, Live after death
Redshift - Ether, Siren
Pulp - His'n'hers, Different class
Fairport Convention - Liege and Lief, Full House
Richard Thompson - all of them!
The Enid - Live at Hamersmith
Clive Gregson & Christine Collister - Home and Away
Tangerine Dream - everything from Green desert to Tyger, less Cyclone
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Queen - Queen I, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, Live at the Beeb

About 2/3rds of that list is stuff I was listening to when I was in the sixth form, which is 20 years ago.

[My Friend Jack]

About 2/3rds of that list is stuff I was listening to when I was in the sixth form, which is 20 years ago.

Mmm, my list has a similar ratio, although I was that age about 12 years before you, Mark.

I remember buying Ricochet when it was released (I think it would have been around December 1975, but feel free to correct me), but I never really got on with it. I sold my vinyl copy many years ago - will take a look on Amazon later, I might like it now.

Just realised that I left these two off my list:-

The Clash - London Calling
Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks

[MarkC]

I remember buying Ricochet when it was released (I think it would have been around December 1975, but feel free to correct me), but I never really got on with it. I sold my vinyl copy many years ago - will take a look on Amazon later, I might like it now.


Near spot on, 28th November 1975, I was six at the time so didn't discover it for another 10 years or so.

It's not what you would call an accessible album, aside from the intro to part II on piano and mellotron flute there is almost no discernable tune. Part II is dominated by overlaid sequences and if you gathered a few dozen diehard fans up and asked them to name their favourite TD track it would almost certainly come out top. Play it to people more familiar with conventional songs and the response is best summed up with this :confused: smiley.

[Hazel]

That's presumably because they are so much better.:eek:

[tagesmann]

:eek:
No, I am serious.

I would rate Depeche Mode's albums in the following order:
1 Exciter
2 Songs of Faith and Devotion
3 Violator
4 Black Celebration
5= A Broken Frame
5= Construction Time Again
5= Playing The Angel
5= Speak and Spell
5= Music For The Masses
5= Some Great Reward
11 Ultra

[Royal Rother]

Depeche Mode created such passion? http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/images/smilies/rock.gif

[jfp]

Depeche Mode were like ABBA : easy to mock, but, within the limits of what they did, they did it consummately brilliantly.
I challenge anyone to deny that a song such as "Just Can't Get Enough" is irresistibly catchy.

I can't possibly nominate THE best album ever, but I'll try and put together a shortlist...

[Royal Rother]

To my ears Just Can't Get Enough is one of those awfully boring repetitive little ditties that must be switched off as soon as it comes on - I really hate it.

[My Friend Jack]

Depeche Mode were like ABBA : easy to mock, but, within the limits of what they did, they did it consummately brilliantly.
I challenge anyone to deny that a song such as "Just Can't Get Enough" is irresistibly catchy.


I would never have thought of that comparison, but it's an interesting one. Abba made some pleasant pop records and "Thank You For The Music." Depeche Mode were much darker but made one brilliant single, "Enjoy The Silence." Neither would feature in my list of great albums, but I am sure that most of my selections won't feature in jfp's list either!

I've always been more of a singles man, even though I ceased being a regular buyer of singles more than a quarter of a century ago. My preferred method of listening to music is selecting individual tracks from CDs or by putting my iPod in shuffle mode. I only listen to a complete CD if I'm in the car or if I have just acquired a new one.

Another one I missed earlier:

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

[tagesmann]

Depeche Mode created such passion? http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/images/smilies/rock.gif
Well that's because they are they are the best group in the world, ever!

It always surprises me that more people either don't appreciate or don't know about Depeche Mode's extensive catalogue or don't realise just how big this group is. They were one of the biggest UK acts of the 1980's and 1990's. They far outsold most other bands of the time worldwide but, unfortunately, did not receive the attention that they deserved in their home country.

[My Friend Jack]

To put Depeche Mode’s achievements of the 80s and 90s into context, here is a selection of data that I have to hand:

In the USA, 16 Hot 100 hits, of which 3 made the Top 20, and 14 Top 200 albums including three that made the Top 10 and one Number 1 (Songs of Faith and Devotion).

In the UK, 33 Top 40 hit singles (11 made the Top 10) and 13 Top 40 albums (all made the Top 10, and 2 were Number 1s).

In Australia, 16 Top 100 hit singles (1 made the Top 10) and 10 Top 100 albums (7 made the Top 40).

In New Zealand, 7 Top 50 singles (1 made the Top 20) and 8 Top 50 albums (none got higher than 25).

In Holland, 7 Top 40 singles (3 made the Top 10) and 9 Top 40 albums (3 made the Top 20).

In Austria, 11 Top 30 singles (3 made the Top 10) and 8 Top 30 albums (1 made Number 1).

In Switzerland, 25 Top 40 singles (14 made the Top 10) and 10 Top 30 albums (2 made Number 1).

That’s a very impressive track record – and they continued having success into this decade as well. In chart terms alone, the UK was their most successful market although you could argue that their chart achievements in the US were more impressive.

[Hazel]

It always surprises me that more people either don't appreciate or don't know about Depeche Mode's extensive catalogue or don't realise just how big this group is. They were one of the biggest UK acts of the 1980's and 1990's. They far outsold most other bands of the time worldwide but, unfortunately, did not receive the attention that they deserved in their home country.And so much more than that infamous pop ditty Just Can't Get Enough - the whole of Violater is the antithesis of that song.

[Grammath]

For what it's worth, Hazel's right. Violator is ver Mode's peak, closely followed by Songs of Faith of Devotion. These, plus their two singles compilations 81-85 and 86-98 and you've got the essentials.

[kelby_lake]

'See You' is similarly an annoying song.

[tagesmann]

To my ears Just Can't Get Enough is one of those awfully boring repetitive little ditties that must be switched off as soon as it comes on - I really hate it.It's my ring tone on both my personal and my work phones. :)

For what it's worth, Hazel's right. Violator is ver Mode's peak, closely followed by Songs of Faith of Devotion. These, plus their two singles compilations 81-85 and 86-98 and you've got the essentials.I think you also need Remixes 81.04 because they are an essential part of the history af a band that was amoungst the pioneers of the 12" remix.

[MarkC]

I don't know one Depeche mode album from another , I'll just say that my two favourite songs by them are Everything counts and Enjoy the silence.

[Royal Rother]

It's a tough choice but it's a competitive world.

[kelby_lake]

A quick browse through my collection and these leapt off the shelves...
Japan - Oil On Canvas
Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense


Love! Wasn't David Sylvian pretty back then? :o

[My Friend Jack]

I was chatting to a colleague earlier this week about music, and he said his favourite album of all time was Jeff Buckley's Grace. I'm quite surprised that no-one else has mentioned it on here. Like the Velvet Underground album with Nico, it wasn't successful at the time (number 50 in the UK and number 149 in the US), but has become tremendously influential over the years.

[Grammath]

I was chatting to a colleague earlier this week about music, and he said his favourite album of all time was Jeff Buckley's Grace. I'm quite surprised that no-one else has mentioned it on here. Like the Velvet Underground album with Nico, it wasn't successful at the time (number 50 in the UK and number 149 in the US), but has become tremendously influential over the years.

That's certainly an album people are passionate about, I have a good friend who'd probably also cite it as her favourite. The cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" on there is great and was voted by Q readers as the best of all time. I'd say it would have missed my list by a whisker.

[Lady Lazarus]

I'd definitely second the Jeff Buckley album, one of my all-time favourites... other ones I'd mention are:

Delicate Sound of Thunder - Pink Floyd (I know it's a compilation live album, but it's great!)
OK Computer - Radiohead
Le Onde - Einaudi
OK - Talvin Singh
Psyence Fiction - UNKLE
Parachutes - Coldplay
Mezzanine - Massive Attack
Beyond Skin Nitin Sawhney

[solace91z]

Grace would certainly be among my faves, I like it more every time I listen to it. Kind of hard to pick a best ever, but others contenders include:

Lateralus - Tool
In Absentia - Porcupine Tree
Reckoning - REM
Panopticon - Isis
The Downward Spiral - NIN
Master of Puppets - Metallica
Day Dream Nation - Sonic Youth
Dirt - Alice in Chains
Bad Motor Finger - Soundgarden
Blast Tyrant - Clutch
The Holy Bible - Manic Street Preachers

collectively those are probably my musical influences right there :)

[tagesmann]

My List always changes. Today it is..

Exciter - Depeche Mode
Songs of Faith and Devotion - Depeche Mode
Violator - Depeche Mode
Black Celebration - Depeche Mode
Music for the Masses - Depeche Mode
Playing The Angel - Depeche Mode
Ultra - Depeche Mode
101 - Depeche Mode
Songs of Faith and Devotion-Live - Depeche Mode
Come Great Reward - Depeche Mode
Speak & Spell - Depeche Mode
Construction Time Again - Depeche Mode
A Broken Spell - Depeche Mode

[jfp]

Always good to see people with electic tastes, tagesmann... ;)

[Calliope]

Always good to see people with electic tastes, tagesmann... ;)
:D

tagesman, you sure you didn't leave anything out?

[Royal Rother]

Although I first heard it a couple of years ago I still can't listen enough to "The Trials of Van Occupanther" by Midlake.

[Stewart]

What other complete albums are amazing?My little list, chosen for consistency and an overall lack of duff tracks.

August And Everything After, Counting Crows
The Boatman's Call, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Greatest Hits, Leonard Cohen
Angel Dust, Faith No More
Promenade, The Divine Comedy
Toward The Within, Dead Can Dance
Tea For The Tillerman, Cat Stevens
Medulla, Björk
If You're Feeling Sinister, Belle & Sebastian
Songs Of Faith And Devotion, Depeche Mode
Nevermind, Nirvana
Rage Against The Machine, Rage Against The Machine
Anonymous, Tomahawk
Boys For Pele, Tori Amos

[Hazel]

Angel Dust, Faith No More
Promenade, The Divine Comedy
Nevermind, Nirvana
Rage Against The Machine, Rage Against The Machine

All ones that would feature highly on my list, though I am dismayed to see that you picked Songs over Violator for Depeche Mode. ;)

[Stewart]

All ones that would feature highly on my list, though I am dismayed to see that you picked Songs over Violator for Depeche Mode. ;)I don't think Violator is as consistently brilliant throughout as Songs Of Faith And Devotion is. When I think of Violator I only think of Enjoy The Silence and Personal Jesus. As to what the other songs are...?!

[simpleviolet]

Kate Bush - Lionheart.

Except I disliked it the first five times I heard it - then I quickly grew to like it.

7th Son of a 7th Son is however a very good album, although I like No Prayer for the Dying from Iron Maiden better.

[cobboldblue]

Kate Bush - Lionheart.

Except I disliked it the first five times I heard it - then I quickly grew to like it.

7th Son of a 7th Son is however a very good album, although I like No Prayer for the Dying from Iron Maiden better.


Kate Bush - Lionheart was a great album!

Another that is a real gem for me is City to City by Gerry Rafferty

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9a/Citytocity.jpg/200px-Citytocity.jpg

:D

[Phoebus]

Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin'

...followed by a close second ...

The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses.

Kate Bush - Lionheart was a great album!

And the Kick Inside is worthy of a mention, if only for Wuthering Heights.


Phoebus

[San1968]

Depends on my mood but anytime not sure what I want to listen to or in the car and can't be bothered to think I go for
"Moseley Shoals" Ocean Colour Scene
"Miaow" Beautiful South
"Trailer Park" Beth Orton
"Sandinista" The Clash (disc 2)
"All this useless beauty" Elvis Costello
"A beautiful lie" 30 seconds to mars
Or any Elvis Presley album!!!

These would be my can't live without my life would be less beautiful albums :)