"Perfect" albums

[Jeff V]

Rush and Smashing Pumpkins are two groups that I greatly respect. However, it is very hard for me to listen to the singing voices of Geddy Lee and Billy Corgan. Moreso Corgan.

My favorite Rush album was Hemispheres. I saw them in concert once and they sucked badly, though, so I'd vote against them here. I like Smashing Pumpkins too...they are a local band. But I also get what you mean about Corgan, he is whiny a lot. Fun fact: the ONLY time I can recall celebrities ever invading my dreams involved Bono, Beck, and Billy Corgan. Beck, Corgan and I were at a bar waiting for Bono to join us, and Corgan got totally shitfaced and passed out. Total embarrassment.

[Archinerd]

OK Computer-Radiohead

I do listen to Fitter Happier more often then not... but I can't say I like it.
Instead I have to go with;
Radiohead - In Rainbows

Others on my list in the order I think of them;
Television - Marquee Moon (thanks Yellowking)
Wire - Pink Flag
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Beatles - Anything from Revolver on
Built to Spill - You in Reverse
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Weezer - "Blue Album"
REM - Any of the first 10 albums
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain & Dear Science
T. Rex - Electric Warrior
Ty Segall - Ty Segall (2017)
Travelling Wilbury's - Vol. I
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz & Fever to Tell
Velvet Underground - the banana one
Chicano Batman - Chicano Batman
Tinariwen - Elwan
Dead Milkmen - Big Lizard in My Backyard
Valerie June - The Order of Time


plus some others that have already been mentioned and probably some others that I didn't think of.

[Jeff V]

Other albums that I've played to death start to finish and haven't been mentioned (I think):

J. Geils Band: Love Stinks
The Black Crows: Shake Your Money Maker
The Who: Who's Next; Tommy
The Ramones: Rocket to Russia
The Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bullocks
The Eagles: Hotel California (just to piss off Lord Mortis )

[malchior]

I wanted to put a Sufjan Stevens album on and Illinois is a fine choice but his body of work defies having a best album IMO.

Radiohead feels to me that they choose to always have at least one song that doesn't work in that album; however that is their shtick and is expected but disqualifies them for me.

The Rilo Kiley call outs are a good one. I prefer More Adventurous myself.

I can't believe I left it off - Death From Above 1979 - You're a Woman, and I'm a Machine. I think I've had a song off that in nearly every playlist I've had for about 15 years. It is amazing top to bottom. Especially for a bass/drum duo - The first Royal Blood album has a similar raw magic. If you've never seen Royal Blood throw their Reading 2015 performance on some time on Youtube. It's sick as hell.

[Jeff V]

The Clash: London Calling

[Apollo]

I'm picking albums where I like almost every song and yet haven't burned out from listening to them repeatedly as a kid

That eliminated big chunks of my library, especially the "popular" albums. I wore out three copies of "...And Justice For All" on cassette when I was a kid, but One has been so overplayed that I can't even listen to it anymore. Same with Nevermind (although I always liked In Utero more anyways) and Dirt.

That inspires me to make another list: The albums that certainly would've been on this list had I not already listened to them 10,000 times.

The Cars-The Cars
Def Leppard-Pyromania
Every Beatles album except Abbey Road and The White Album
Foreigner-4
The Smiths-Louder than Bombs
Depeche Mode-Music for the Masses
New Order-Substance 1987
Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon
Pink Floyd-The Wall
The Jimi Hendrix Experience-Are You Experienced?
Sinead O'Conner-The Lion and the Cobra
U2-Rattle and Hum
Billy Joel-The Nylon Curtain
Led Zeppelin-Led Zeppelin II
Berlin-Pleasure Victim
Peter Gabriel-So
The Pixies-Bossanova
Green Day-Dookie

[Kraken]

Apparently I stopped listening to new music a long damn time ago.

I stopped buying albums a long damn time ago, like when MP3s took over. But I listen almost exclusively to "new" music (2004 and later), courtesy of the annual SxSW torrent. I only know a tiny fraction of the artists' names because my car CD player doesn't display them, so if someone asks me who does a particular song I just say "I dunno, SxSW" and then start to explain the torrent. The listener invariably glazes over before I finish, and I'm not a long-winded fellow. It's just that boring or too exotic or something.

When my new car's stereo displays that info it's going to be a whole musical education, but I think "buy" and "album" are permanently out of my vocabulary.

[Madmarcus]

Maybe: Yaz - Upstairs at Eric's ?

That would be close for me but I haven't listened to the whole thing in many years and I'm not sure it holds up.

I'll nominate You Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess by Yello, Golden Age of Wireless (2nd US release) by Thomas Dolby, and Singles - 45 and Under (US version) by Squeeze. I'm stuck with the same problem as others; albums have ceased to exist as a concept to me since college.

[Gato]

Babe Ruth - First Base
AC/DC - Back in Black
Iron Maiden - Number of the beast
Depeche mode - 101, Violator
Metallica - Metallica
No doubt - Tragic Kingdom
Supertramp - Crime of the Century
The Offspring - Americana
U2 - War , The Joshua tree, the live album Under a Blood red Sky
Yes - 90125
The Police - Synchronicity
The Alan Parsons Project- Tales of Mystery and Imagination Edgar Allan Poe

[Archinerd]

The Clash: London Calling

I knew I was missing at least one.

[Sectoid]

I'm going to throw out
Barenaked Ladies - Gordon
as a possibility because I usually listen to the entire thing (and sing the whole thing) from start to finish, including the "bonus tracks".

[LordMortis]

though I still clearly remember a scottish rap group that sampled "Dancing Queen"

oh yeah, i have a copy of this album.
The JAMs - "The Queen and I" from _1987 - What the F*** is Going On?_ (the group was later known as... The KLF)

You are awesome! This makes my day! Now if I could remember the rest of that tape.

Fumbling Toward Ecstacy

I thought I had no use for Sarah McLaughlin until this album. This album totally made me forget about "Into the Fire". Rarely do I change my mind about an artist once my impression is that strongly negative. So that's way perfect.

Maybe: Yaz - Upstairs at Eric's ?

That would be close for me but I haven't listened to the whole thing in many years and I'm not sure it holds up.

I'll nominate You Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess by Yello, Golden Age of Wireless (2nd US release) by Thomas Dolby, and Singles - 45 and Under (US version) by Squeeze. I'm stuck with the same problem as others; albums have ceased to exist as a concept to me since college.

It not only holds up, it's seriously reflective as the technology between the 80s and now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Csptci0d5s

While that may be nonsensical to a teenager, it's a lifetime of changing technology and culture to someone nearly 50.

[rshetts2]

a few that I didnt see here that I consider complete albums

Quadrophenia - The Who
Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
Venus and Mars - McCartney and Wings
Ten Summoner's Tales - Sting
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Couldnt Stand the Weather - SRV and Double Trouble
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs - Derek and the Dominos
John Barleycorn Must Die - Traffic
Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars - David Bowie
Toys in the Attic - Aerosmith
Brother in Arms / Making Movies - Dire Straits
Bat Out of Hell - Meatloaf
Live at the Fillmore East - Allman Brothers

Crap there are way too many great albums out there.

[McNutt]

Look guys.... I thought we agreed to list the band first and then the album.

QFT

[Skinypupy]

That inspires me to make another list: The albums that certainly would've been on this list had I not already listened to them 10,000 times.

I made a top 20 "almost but not quite" list this morning. The albums that are honestly just *this* close, but just have that one little thing that keeps them from being perfect. Often, it's exactly what you said...I've just listened to them too damn many times.

- Slayer - "Reign in Blood"
- Metallica - "...and Justice for All"
- Sepultura - "Arise"
- Death - "Human"
- Emperor - "In the Nightside Eclipse"
- Amorphis - "Skyforger"
- Bathory - "Hammerheart"
- Candlemass - "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus"
- Opeth - "Ghost Reveries"
- Ghost - "Meloria"
- Guns N Roses - "Appetite for Destruction"
- Jethro Tull - "Aqualung"
- Type O Negative - "October Rust"
- Kyuss - "Welcome to Sky Valley"
- Mr. Bungle - "Mr. Bungle"
- Nine Inch Nails - "The Downward Spiral"
- Oingo Boingo - "Farewell Live"
- Turisas - "The Varangian Way"
- Unexpect - "Fables of the Sleepless Empire"
- Bauhaus - "In the Flat Field"

I am going back and adding Frontline Assembly's "Implode" to my original perfect list.

[stimpy]

Rush - 2112
Rocket From the Crypt - Scream, Dracula, Scream

[LordMortis]

How is In the Flat Fields (or [The Sky's Gone Out or Press the Eject Button and Give me the Tape) not perfect?

[McNutt]

It might very well be. But I've never heard a song from Bauhaus, so how would I know?

[LordMortis]

It might very well be. But I've never heard a song from Bauhaus, so how would I know?

I'd be all, but really if you never heard "Bela Lugosi's Dead" then it is what it is. It probably means nothing that I'd call Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven and Earth, Sun, Moon perfect albums as well with Love and Rockets and Express on that pretty close list as well.

I think that's probably where I'd come from when discussing albums. Like when Aerosmith was mentioned. Perefect Aerosmith albums include:

Toys in the Attic
Rocks
Get Your Wings

They have a ton of other solid efforts, everything up to Done with Mirrors actually, including Rock in a Hard Place but only those three are "perfect".

[Skinypupy]

How is In the Flat Fields (or [The Sky's Gone Out or Press the Eject Button and Give me the Tape) not perfect?

Because of this (In the Flat Field), and this (Sky's Gone Out). Both of those songs grate my nerves more than a little bit.

It might very well be. But I've never heard a song from Bauhaus, so how would I know?

You should really listen to Hollow Hills so that serious character flaw can be rectified.

[LordMortis]

Because of this (In the Flat Field), and this (Sky's Gone Out). Both of those songs grate my nerves more than a little bit.

I would never listen to them without listening to the whole album but they fit on the album. Much in the way I would never listen to "Sally" by the Police if I weren't listening to perfect album Outlandos d'Amour.

[McNutt]

Trust me, I'm using this thread as a reminder of music I need to listen to.

[Skinypupy]

Because of this (In the Flat Field), and this (Sky's Gone Out). Both of those songs grate my nerves more than a little bit.

I would never listen to them without listening to the whole album but they fit on the album.

Agreed...which is why ITFF is on my "this close" list.

[Montag]

For more flavor:

Enya - The Celts
Vangelis - Blade Runner soundtrack

These were my power study background favorites.

[Captain Caveman]

For me:

Big Star: first two albums
Joni Mitchell: Blue
Gram Parsons: first two albums
REM: Life's Rich Pageant
Paul Simon: Paul Simon
Ray Charles: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Rolling Stones: Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers
Van Morrison: Astral Weeks

[YellowKing]

Big Star: first two albums
Joni Mitchell: Blue
Gram Parsons: first two albums
REM: Life's Rich Pageant
Paul Simon: Paul Simon
Ray Charles: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Rolling Stones: Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers
Van Morrison: Astral Weeks

This post gets the official Yellowking Stamp of Approval (TM)

[Captain Caveman]

Big Star: first two albums
Joni Mitchell: Blue
Gram Parsons: first two albums
REM: Life's Rich Pageant
Paul Simon: Paul Simon
Ray Charles: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Rolling Stones: Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers
Van Morrison: Astral Weeks

This post gets the official Yellowking Stamp of Approval (TM)

Doctors have come from distant cities, just to see me
Stand over my bed, disbelieving what they're seeing
They say I must be one of the wonders
Of God's own creation
And as far as they see, they can offer
No explanation

[Jolor]

Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
- Born to Run

Donald Fagen - The Nightfly

Steve Forbert - Alive on Arrival
- Jackrabbit Slim

Marshall Crenshaw - Field Day

Neil Young - After the Gold Rush*
* 'I Believe in You' & 'Birds' are great in context of the whole album but not so much when standing alone.

Disqualified for being a live album and, therefore, kind of a best of
Warren Zevon - Stand in the Fire**
** But, oh my. How these songs are improved in this live performance and what a show it must have been!

Soooo close ...
Pointer Sisters - So Excited
Thomas Dolby - Astronauts & Heretics
The Motors - Tenement Steps

[Ænima]

Siamese Dream is ruined as perfect for me by the breakdown in Silverfuck, which is just downright annoying.

The Blue Album is ruined by Surf Wax America which is just a crap song.

Off the top of my head:

TOOL - Undertow, Ænima (what did you expect?)
Radiohead - The Bends, OK Computer
Pink Floyd - Animals and Wish You Were Here
The Who - Who's Next and Quadraphenia
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Alice In Chains - Dirt
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
Pearl Jam - Ten
The Cure - Disintegration
The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet
Mastodon - Crack the Skye, Blood Mountain
Deftones - White Pony
Metallica - Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets
Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power
Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
Led Zepplin - 4
Beck - Sea Change, Mutations
Black Keys - Attack and Release
Depeche Mode - Violator
A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step
Toadies - Rubberneck
Stone Temple Pilots - Purple
Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild
Faith No More - Angel Dust
System of a Down - Toxicity
Green Day - American Idiot
Opeth - Ghost Reveries
Helmet - Betty
Huey Lewis and the News - Sports
King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine, Broken
Muse - Absolution
Primus - The Brown Album
UNKLE - War Stories

[Skinypupy]

Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power

I considered this one, but it's the rare occasion where the douchebaggery of the artists involved (Anselmo) sour me on the album as a whole. The only other time that has really happened is with Burzum (Varg Vikernes).

The asshole overshadows the quite amazing music.

[Ænima]

Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power

I considered this one, but it's the rare occasion where the douchebaggery of the artists involved (Anselmo) sour me on the album as a whole. The only other time that has really happened is with Burzum (Varg Vikernes).

The asshole overshadows the quite amazing music.

Sure, Anselmo's a turd of a human being, but especially in a band situation, I try not to let his personal life affect my opinion of the work as a whole.

[LordMortis]

Sure, Anselmo's a turd of a human being, but especially in a band situation, I try not to let his personal life affect my opinion of the work as a whole.

It's a tough line to draw and I don't know how to draw it and rather doubt I'm consistent in my appreciation, even with a political band like New Model Army, I hated their politics right up to and including content in their songs but I really dug their music.

I enjoyed some of Prong's music but holy shit if you get near their concert, you'll want to shower for a month crying.

[Madmarcus]

It not only holds up, it's seriously reflective as the technology between the 80s and now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Csptci0d5s

While that may be nonsensical to a teenager, it's a lifetime of changing technology and culture to someone nearly 50.

Thank you for getting me to listen to the entire album again. It is great but I can't call it perfect because Winter Kills is such a slog.

[hitbyambulance]

Singles - 45 and Under (US version) by Squeeze

(compilation, not a 'real' album)

[Madmarcus]

Singles - 45 and Under (US version) by Squeeze

(compilation, not a 'real' album)

I know. I just couldn't resist as it's the only way I have ever heard Squeeze. I heard it on various people's stereos in the mid - 80s and it was a perfect "album." A girlfriend copied it on to a cassette that she labeled just Squeeze. It was years later when I found out it was a compilation when I tried to buy a replacement for the dead tape.

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

[Sudy]

This is a tough one because even at my age, my tastes have shifted so much that even what I regard as a perfect album in its genre may not be something I enjoy or consider a favourite anymore. As well, my more recent exposure to new artists is through Spotify and the like, which discourages album-based listening. I also have to ignore anything I first heard in the last couple years, since I can't yet gauge its staying power.

But I think I can settle on (no particular order):

Slechtvalk - A Forlorn Throne
Holy Blood - Waves Are Dancing
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Tom Waits - Bone Machine
31Knots - Talk Like Blood
Monster Magnet - Dopes To Infinity
Parts & Labour - Mapmaker
The Sword - Gods of the Earth
Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer

I always skip over "Orion" when listening to Master of Puppets....

[Reemul]

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours.

[$iljanus]

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours.

That's a perfect album. Can't think of a song I don't like from it. To me some other perfect albums are The Who's Quadrophenia the soundtrack to Jesus Christ Superstar (movie version), Conan the Barbarian soundtrack, Star Trek 2 soundtrack.

[McNutt]

Conan score, great call.

[Newcastle]

My criteraria was pretty simple, its anything i can go back and lsiten to and not get burnt out and not passing any songs on em (I bent the rules on that one). I reserve the right to add more:

in no particular order

U2- Joshua Tree, Unforgettable fire
Inxs- listen like thieves, Kick
Def Leppard - Hysteria
Pearljam - Ten, VS
Temple of the dog - Temple of the dog
Screaming Trees - Uncle Anesthia
Jesus & Mary Chain - Automatic
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream (discount the feedback song)
Black Crowes- Shake your money maker; Southern Harmony and musical companion
ChVrches - The bones of what you believe (minus the 2 dude's songs)
Coldplay - X & Y