Best complete album

[swicken]

Well now, that's just silly.

Pffft, you obviously haven't heard Leonard Nimoy - Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.

One of the greatest power ballads of all time. Phat licks. Possibly the greatest music video ever too.

[Dusty Chalk]

Pffft, you obviously haven't heard Leonard Nimoy - Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.

One of the greatest power ballads of all time. Phat licks. Possibly the greatest music video ever too.

Actually, I have.

[swicken]

Actually, I have.

You may have heard it, but you haven't HEARD it. :P

[Rob B in CT]

Pat Metheny Group (1978's self-titled album)
Pat Metheny/Charlie Haden: Beyond the Missouri Skies
Dave Alvin: King of California
Joni Mitchell: Hejira

[20to20K]

Pat Metheny Group (1978's self-titled album)
Pat Metheny/Charlie Haden: Beyond the Missouri Skies
Dave Alvin: King of California
Joni Mitchell: Hejira

I can't believe I missed Hejira on my top 10 list. O.K., remove
whichever one I listed in the 10 slot and replace it with Hijera.

Thought about doing the same with "What's Going On" but
looked at my list and decided it was #11. Of course it is now #12.

Also good call on the 1978 Metheny...I had to include a Metheny
and it was between that one, Wichita, and Still Life (Talking).
Could have gone either way.

Man this is fun! Good thread!

[20to20K]

You may have heard it, but you haven't HEARD it. :P

I like the way Wesley Snipes said it to Woody in "White Men..." in reference
to Jimi Hendrix:

"You people 'listen' to Jimi...but you don't 'hear' Jimi..."

[Dusty Chalk]

I have to add: U2, Achtung Baby -- there's just something holistic about the way that albums goes from beginning to end.

[Bernd]

Hi Guys,

I forgot the Traveling Wilburys-Vol.1 How could I?

Not a filler on it.

Peace

Bernd

[3-LockBox]

I don't think anyone's mentioned YES:Going For The One, arguably as good as any of their album's and my favorite.

Every tune on this disc is rapturous. And the new re-issue just makes it better, what with three killer instrumental tracks that should have been included in the original release. The song 'Awaken' is as good an epic as Yes has ever written, and 'Turn Of The Century' is a gorgeous song. I like to reprogram these tracks whenever I listen to them and I have made my own CD-R version of this, with a few tracks added.

1\ Going For The One (title track-a rocker)
2\ Amazing Grace (duet twix Squier on bass and Wakeman playing the lower keys of a pipe organ - tastefully done)
3\ Ritual (from the TFTO album)
4\ Wonderous Stories
5\ Parallels (an odd-metered up-tempo church organ driven rocker)
6\ Montreux's Theme (bonus track-insrumental)
7\ Awaken (killer opening piano, fantastic instrumental break w/ the church organ)
8\ Vevey(Revisited) (incredible duet twix Howe and Wakeman - very heartening, evocotive - boy, is this band better w/ Wakeman or what?)
9\ Turn Of The Century (Anderson might not be the father of New Age music, but this track, for better or worse, must have influenced many of the new age artists that came after - perhaps Yes' most mystic and effecting song, in this style)
10\ To Be Over (majestic tune from Relayer)

[3db]

in my yes into that list. I picked up the new remastered CD of this terrifc album.. and have heard things on that album I haven't heard before. Man that group was a juggernaught in terms of music and lyrics.

[The Grudge]

Chilling with wine albums:

Crime of the Century - Supertramp
Sowing the Seeds of Love - Tears for Fears
Fumbling Toward Ectasy - sarah Mclaughlin
so many more..........

After smoking tasty herb:

Lateralus - Tool
Hemispheres, Moving Pictures - Rush
Dulcenia - Toad the Wet Sprocket
The Cosmic Game - Thievery Corporation
so many more .................

[3-LockBox]

XTC: Skylarking

I know that there are others on this board who may have already picked this one, or another XTC album, but this has got to be one of their best. And though chief writer Andy Partridge and producer Todd Rundgren butted heads during every phase of recording, the result was a paen to the pastoral psychadelic pop of the '60s. In fact, this is easily the best thing Rundgren has ever done, since most of his later work seems to suffer from a short attention span. Partridge would later (much later) admit that this was their most cohesive album.

The first 6 or 7 tracks on this album play like a complete song cycle (Rundgren insisted on controlling the song sequencing), the best song cycle since side B of the beatles' Abbey Road. These tracks seem to emphasize the simpler pleasures of life, set to achingly beautiful, organic pop complete with lushious string arrangments, leading up to their most overtly Beatlesque tune to date, the boyant 'Earn Enough For Us'. After this, the album shifts gears with some of the more darker songs in their canon.

The theme of the second half of this album's subject matter is decidely more serious; dealing with loss and closure (like death, break-ups, change, self delusionment, and agnosticism) all while maintaining the album's etherial, psychadelic pop aestetic. The song 'Dear God' is prime example of this. Who else but XTC could write a song that simultaneously challenges God's motives and even His existance within a tight, melodic pop groove, complete with layered instrumentation (including violins and dobro) and a "guest" child singing the intro. Awesome.

[Swish]

XTC: Skylarking

I know that there are others on this board who may have already picked this one, or another XTC album, but this has got to be one of their best. And though chief writer Andy Partridge and producer Todd Rundgren butted heads during every phase of recording, the result was a paen to the pastoral psychadelic pop of the '60s. In fact, this is easily the best thing Rundgren has ever done, since most of his later work seems to suffer from a short attention span. Partridge would later (much later) admit that this was their most cohesive album.

The first 6 or 7 tracks on this album play like a complete song cycle (Rundgren insisted on controlling the song sequencing), the best song cycle since side B of the beatles' Abbey Road. These tracks seem to emphasize the simpler pleasures of life, set to achingly beautiful, organic pop complete with lushious string arrangments, leading up to their most overtly Beatlesque tune to date, the boyant 'Earn Enough For Us'. After this, the album shifts gears with some of the more darker songs in their canon.

The theme of the second half of this album's subject matter is decidely more serious; dealing with loss and closure (like death, break-ups, change, self delusionment, and agnosticism) all while maintaining the album's etherial, psychadelic pop aestetic. The song 'Dear God' is prime example of this. Who else but XTC could write a song that simultaneously challenges God's motives and even His existance within a tight, melodic pop groove, complete with layered instrumentation (including violins and dobro) and a "guest" child singing the intro. Awesome.

Ok, I only wish you did, because you write better than I could ever hope to. That being said, Skylarking is my favorite XTC record by far, although I know very few on this board agree with me. As for Todd, he did a masterful job with this one, although I think he did even better for Meatloaf with "Bat Out of Hell". Ok, I'm just kidding about that one, but I he did make that rotund goofball pretty famous with that one, dontcha think?

Swish

[3-LockBox]

As for Todd, he did a masterful job with this one, although I think he did even better for Meatloaf with "Bat Out of Hell". Ok, I'm just kidding about that one, but I he did make that rotund goofball pretty famous with that one, dontcha think?

Swish

Well, you learn something new everyday...I didn't know Rundgren produced BOOH.
And I think that Meatloaf is one of the most overrated recording artists of all time (right next to Jim Morrison).

Thanx for the props though...I like threads like this one.

[Swish]

Well, you learn something new everyday...I didn't know Rundgren produced BOOH.
And I think that Meatloaf is one of the most overrated recording artists of all time (right next to Jim Morrison).

Thanx for the props though...I like threads like this one.

I knew a few people...not close friends mind you...who thought this was one of the greatest albums ever, along with the Cars debut, and would play it every place they went. It used to drive me insane. They would show up at parties and take over the tunes. I quickly grew to hate both of those records, although the cars wasn't nearly as bad. Hard to believe Todd got involved in that one, but what can you do?

Swish

[Rob B in CT]

I thought of a few more...

Marshall Crenshaw (self-titled debut from 1982)
Light as a Feather (Chick Corea and Return to Forever)
JT (James Taylor)

[robert393]

Wow! Sounds like you guys have just about cover everthing I would consider. Here are a couple more for your consideration though that havn't been mentioned yet.

Black Sabbath- Paranoid
Beatles- Sgt. Peppers
Zeppelin- 1, 2 & 3
STP-Core
Pantera- Reinventing the Steel


It has been mentioned several times, but what the hell, I'll say it again, It definately deserves Honorable Mention.
Bowie- Ziggy Stardust

[mgripy]

1. Dire Straights- Brothers in arms
2. Steely Dan- Greatest Hits and all of his music.

[3-LockBox]

Black Sabbath- Paranoid
Beatles- Sgt. Peppers

I would second both of those...especially Sabbath; a very strong sophmore effort; probably their best, actually. As far as the Beatles go, pick an album.

I would pick LedZep's Houses Of The Holy as my choice of complete album from their catalog. Everyone picks 'Stairway To Heaven' as LZ's best song, and its great, but "Rain Song' tops it, IMO period. This album really encapsulates everything that LZ did well. Its their most diverse album.

[swimmerone]

I don't normally care for Mr. Clapton. But after three years of owning "Unplugged" I finally listened to it from beginning to end. I now understand why it won the Grammy.

Too busy so often now to take the time to listen to an album from beginning to end. I could really relate to the guy who talked about Pink Floyd's WYWH from Friday to Monday back in 1975 (76 for me).

Other great, some already mentioned, albums:

Jethro Tull's Aqualung
Fleetwood Mac's Rumours
Vivaldi's Four Seasons
Miles Davis' Kind of Blue
Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane
Linda Rondstat's Heart Like a Wheel
Renaissance's Live at Carnegie Hall
Peter Frampton's Live
Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas
Beatles Rubber Soul and Sgt Peppers
Steve Windwood's Traffic Albums Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys and John Barleycorn
and Back in the High Life
Michael Frank's Blue Pacific
Dire Straits Brothers in Arms
Cat Steven's Tea for The Tillerman
Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection
Diana Krall
Van Morrison's Poetic Champion's Compose
Peter Gabrial's So
Santana's Supernatual
Handel's Water Music Suite - Written for a king sohe couldfloat down the river with music...
Dvorak's "From the New World"