Best albums of all time?

[Telephantasm]

I'll start.
In no particular order:
1.Led Zeppelin IV
2.Wish you were here
3.Appetite for destruction
4.Apostrophe
5.Sgt.Pepper's lonely hearts club band
6.The wall
7.Thick as a brick
8.Tommy
9.Back in black
10.In through the out door

 

[R_of_G]

1.Led Zeppelin IV
2.Wish you were here
5.Sgt.Pepper's lonely hearts club band
8.Tommy

I wouldn't even consider these the best albums by these bands, let alone all time.

 

[Telephantasm]

I wouldn't even consider these the best albums by these bands, let alone all time.

Well, different strokes for different fretters. Which ones do you prefer?

 

[Tig]

I can never narrow down to a list, but have to mention a few that come to mind. I'm sure I left out a few hundred.

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
The Beatles - Revolver, Rubber Soul, "The White Album"
Neil Young - After the Gold Rush
Radiohead - OK Computer
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East (Live)
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass

 

[Retro Hound]

Led Zeppelin II
Big Brother and the Holding Company - Cheap Thrills
U2 - The Joshua Tree
U2 - Achtung Baby
The Doors
The Doors - Morrison Hotel
The Doors - L.A. Woman
The Call - Reconciled
Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow

There's a bunch more.

 

[marnold]

I don't think I can give a top ten. I do know that my #1 is Queensryche's "Operation: Mindcrime." Iron Maiden's "Powerslave" would have to be up there too as would be Judas Priest's "Defenders of the Faith." Dokken's "Tooth and Nail" would be there someplace.

Most Maiden and/or Priest fans would put other albums ahead of those, but they are the first albums I really came to like from those bands and so they have a special place in my heart.

 

[Tig]

U2 - The Joshua Tree

Good call!

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Hmm, off the top I'll list a few in no order at all, here a few of my all time favorite albums. I did not say greatest of all time, just my favorites of all time.

Beatles, Abbey Road
Elton, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Ramones, Leave Home expanded version (in truth, I will take a compilation, but that is not really an album)
Pink Floyd, DSOTM
Miles Davis, Kind of Blue
U2, Joshua Tree
Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense
Van Halen, Van Halen
Neil Young, Harvest
Springsteen and E Street, Born to Run
Nirvana, Nevermind

Honorable mention
Springsteen, Darkness on the Edge of Towh
U2, Under a Blood Red Sky
Clash, either London Calling or Combat Rock.

 

[R_of_G]

Well, different strokes for different fretters.

Which is why I think these "best of" lists are fairly pointless.
Since there's no objective empirical way to compare/contrast albums, these exercises amount to little more than subjective favorite lists which is not in and of itself a bad thing, I just find it works better with narrower parameters (ie. favorite album by artist, favorite album by year, etc).

I also feel like we've done this thread several times already.

Which ones do you prefer?

From those bands...

I prefer Led Zeppelin I & II to LZ IV
Meddle, Animals and Obscured by Clouds to Wish You Were Here
Quadrophenia, Who's Next, The Who Sell Out to Tommy
And pretty much the entirety of the Beatles' catalog to Sgt. Pepper

 

[tunghaichuan]

Not to pile on, but I agree with R_of_G. These lists always end up being "my favorite alums" lists.

Best in what way? Most technical? Cleanest recording? Best performance?

And the lists are usually confined to modern pop/classic/hard rock. What about jazz? What is the "best" jazz recording? What is the best classical recording? (and which era?) Best punk? Best avant-garde? And so on.

So unless the list is qualified with several qualifiers, these types of lists are always "What are my favorite albums."

My $.02.

Which is why I think these "best of" lists are fairly pointless.
Since there's no objective empirical way to compare/contrast albums, these exercises amount to little more than subjective favorite lists which is not in and of itself a bad thing, I just find it works better with narrower parameters (ie. favorite album by artist, favorite album by year, etc).

I also feel like we've done this thread several times already.



From those bands...

I prefer Led Zeppelin I & II to LZ IV
Meddle, Animals and Obscured by Clouds to Wish You Were Here
Quadrophenia, Who's Next, The Who Sell Out to Tommy
And pretty much the entirety of the Beatles' catalog to Sgt. Pepper

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Yeah, that is why my list was specifically described as my favorites. I find that interesting though, as it is another way to get insight into our fellow fretter's musical tastes. We have had threads on that subject to (not in favorite album format though) that would be fun to revive. I may go find that old thread I am thinking of and revive it later today.

 

[R_of_G]

Best in what way? Most technical? Cleanest recording? Best performance?

And the lists are usually confined to modern pop/classic/hard rock. What about jazz? What is the "best" jazz recording? What is the best classical recording? (and which era?) Best punk? Best avant-garde? And so on.

I think all of the above would make for interesting discussions I'd be happy to have.

 

[Eric]

I think all of the above would make for interesting discussions I'd be happy to have.

I agree. I also like finding out the favorite albums of people here; it helps me understand the members here and can be a useful starting point for exploring other genres.

 

[Duffy]

Pop Beatles, "Let it Be"
Folk Leonard Cohen, anything with "Bird on a Wire" on it
Sara McLachlan, "Mirrorball" folk/rockish
Folk rock Bob Dylan, "Highway 61 Revisited"
Soft rock Buffalo Springfield, "Retrospective"
Neil Young, "Prairie Wind"
Soft rock Woodstock era Crosby, Stills, and Nash
Heavy rock Eric Burton and the Animals
Stones, various
Jethro Tull
Hendrix, "Are You Experienced?"
Woodstock and later Santana, "Santana"
The Band, plus "From Big Pink", "The Last Waltz"
Jackson Browne, "Jackson Browne"
The James Gang, "Funk 49" whatever that was on
Eagles, various
Buckingham Nicks
Fleetwood Mac, all
So many more . . . . .
Southern rock Allman Brothers, "Eat a Peach", also "Live at the Fillmore East" and "Hittin' the Note"
Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Pronounced . . ."
Country rock Marshall Tucker Band, "Searchin' for a Rainbow", "Carolina Dreams"
Blues electrified Albert Collins, "Live at Montreau" albums, "Ice Pickin'", "Deep Freeze"
Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn, "Sessions" CD and DVD set
Stevie Ray Vaughn, Scorcese's compilation
Buddy Guy, "Livin' Proof"
Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield, "Life Adventures of Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield"
Al Kooper, Steve Stills, and Mike Bloomfield, "Super Session"
Gary Moore, all his blues cd's
Jonny Lang, "Lie to Me"
Kenny Wayne Shepherd, "Live in Chicago", "Trouble is ..."
Funk Prince, various
Soul Spencer Davis Group, "Gimmie' Some Lovin'", "I'm a Man"
Gladys Knight and the Pips, various, including songs "Grapevine" and "Midnight Train to Georgia"
Unclassified Tom Waits, "Closing Time" and so many others, "Rain Dogs", etc., songs "Searchin' for the Heart
of Saturday Night", "Ol' 55"

This is just a surface glance into the past, so dimmed by time and it has such a nasty habit of leaving you behind. I know I left out a lot of my most favorites, there are so many.

 

[NWBasser]

I wouldn't even have a clue as to where to start such a list.

 

[stingx]

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
The Clash - London Calling
Springsteen and E Street Band - Born to Run
Derek and the Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
The Beatles - Abbey Road
The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Neil Young - After The Gold Rush
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

 

[Eric]

I wouldn't even have a clue as to where to start such a list.

I hear you on that one. I'm having trouble even figuring out my favorite albums. Only two really come to mind:

King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska
Wilco - Being There

Update: Being reminded by some of the other albums mentioned, I will add a few:

U2 - The Joshua Tree
Radiohead - OK Computer
Beatles - Rubber Soul
Jethro Tull - Aqualung

 

[Ch0jin]

Yeah, top ten's are a little controversial, A lot of the bands mentioned here wouldn't even make a top 50 of mine (including the Beatles, U2, radiohead, Elton John and more)

This is more my kind of list...

Beastie Boys - Ill Communication.
GNR Appetite for Destruction.
Metallica - Garage Days
Magic Dirt - What are Rock Stars Doing Today
The Hard On's - Love is a Battlefield of Broken Hearts
Every Black keys album

And others..........

(I do like StingX's list though.)

 

[Tig]

King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska

Back when record stores and dinosaurs roamed the Earth, my favorite warehouse record store had a "local bands" section. Most were regional bands that never lasted long, but a trusted store clerk said to check out King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska.
I was unprepared for what I heard. Metal was on the rise, but this was so different. Early "prog metal" I guess. The vocal harmonies were beautiful, and the ripped-tone guitar grabbed the 'nads. I fell in love with the well crafted songs.

I even met Doug Pinnick a few years later and managed to say only one thing, "I really love the music you guys have made". He smiled and thanked me.