OO List of Albums You Must Hear - Now Compiled

[Kraken]

Supertramp - Breakfast in America one of the most beloved bands from my high school days, this album's release was a major event.

I finally got to Roger Hodgson maybe five years ago. His show was fantastic. Breakfast in America was one of the first four albums I owned. Breakfast in America, Against the Wind, Don't Say No, Back in Black. I assume they all came out the same year but my love of music was born there.

I discovered Supertramp with Crime of the Century and played the heck out of that album. I was briefly shunned because Supertramp was "just a commercial ripoff of Yes." My friends got over that.

[Madmarcus]

XTC - Apple Venus Vol. 1. Some of you are singing the praises of various pop bands, nobody made as much an art of it asXTC.

Love XTC. English Settlement is my favorite but Apple Venus vol. 1 is sublime.

Does that mean I have to drop it off my list?

In roughly the order that I first heard the album in question.

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - Going Places I have always loved the energy on this album
Devo - New Traditionalists Their earlier albums were more successful and more iconic but this is the Devo I come back to
Chess - Original soundtrack The soundtrack to a flop musical that I've never seen but only heard. Objectively Fiddler on the Roof and Hamilton are both better (the other two soundtracks that I thought about including) but somehow this is the one I move on to new media players or phones and have since I heard it in the 80''s.
Yello - You Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess
XTC - English Settlement I like other bits of XTC but to me this is perfect.
Squeeze - Singles a compilation album and some of the quality is wrapped up in where and when I heard it but I think these are almost perfect pop songs for someone who isn't a teenager any more.
Hoodoo Gurus - Stoneage Romeos nothing deeply meaningful or hugely innovative but catchy and fun. Mars Needs Guitars almost got the nod; I find it really hard to separate them since they were both recorded onto one of the last cassettes I ever made and for years I'd play them on continuous play at time in the car.
The Dreadnoughts - Polka's Not Dead The band that got me into folk punk
Louis Barabbas and the Bedlam 6 - Found Drowned It doesn't include their best song, Mother, but it is the best album of their 3.

I've stopped at nine because I keep running into the bands that have too many things spread over too many albums to pick on disc. Madness, Oysterband, Johnny Cash, Roger Miller, Gilbert and Sullivan, and Steve Earle all have tons of great music but I think of them as singles.

[hitbyambulance]

1980s (in chronological order)

Kraftwerk - Computerwelt
Depeche Mode - Speak & Spell
Bad Brains - Bad Brains (1982)
Brian Eno - Ambient 4: On Land
They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants (1986)
Wire - The Ideal Copy
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden
Pop Will Eat Itself - This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This!
The Young Gods - L'eau Rogue

[Exodor]

XTC - Apple Venus Vol. 1. Some of you are singing the praises of various pop bands, nobody made as much an art of it asXTC.

Love XTC. English Settlement is my favorite but Apple Venus vol. 1 is sublime.

This is on the list of 1001, too. I love XTC but never really gave this one a chance - I always reach for Skylarking, Oranges and Lemons or Nonsuch when I want XTC.

Built to Spill - You In Reverse -- underappreciated "90's alternative". This album is actually from 2006

Love Built to Spill - was introduced to them by a coworker around 1997 or so. Since they're from Boise they play Portland a LOT so I've seen them several times. Keep It Like a Secret or There's Nothing Wrong with Love would be my picks.

[LordMortis]

The Dreadnoughts - Polka's Not Dead The band that got me into folk punk

[LordMortis]

I love Bob Seger, saw him on the Against the Wind tour, but that wasn't my favorite album. (I'd recommend his Double Bullet Live album). Fun fact: everyone thought he dropped out of the music scene because of too much toke and too much drink; but actually he was in good health, he just wanted to be a stay-at-home dad for his kids. A few years ago, I heard he was getting back into it, but I haven't heard anything from him. Kickstarting a music career after a 20 year layoff has to be damn near impossible.

He's done a bunch of tours in the last several years and thought this last one was a farewell.

[Archinerd]

Love Built to Spill - was introduced to them by a coworker around 1997 or so. Since they're from Boise they play Portland a LOT so I've seen them several times. Keep It Like a Secret or There's Nothing Wrong with Love would be my picks.

Keep it Like a Secret is a close second for me, and I've never actually heard There's Nothing Wrong with Love.
I should correct that.

[Skinypupy]

1980s (in chronological order)

My 80's list would probably be:
- Metallica - Master of Puppets
- Slayer - Reign in Blood
- Possessed - Seven Churches
- Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness
- Bad Religion - No Control
- Anthrax - Among the Living
- Exodus - Bonded by Blood
- Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus
- Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
- Pestilence - Consuming Impulse

The 90's will be much harder to pare down to just ten.

[Lassr]

Don't have a list but just listened to The Weeknds "After Hours" and it is fantastic! It has a lot of 80's vibes and his voice can sound like Michael Jackson's at times. The album from song one to the end is a story about the ups and downs of life and love. Just fantastic. And the videos so far are a series of short films about the the Guy in the Red jacket. They too are great.

[Jeff V]

He's done a bunch of tours in the last several years and thought this last one was a farewell.

I'll take a look at YouTube. That's where I most see dinosaur acts these days, especially since summer festivals are extinct.

[YellowKing]

I don't have a full list but I did want to mention one album that always stands out for me.

1995. After finishing a year of college locally I transferred to the state college. First time being away from home, and I really wasn't prepped for it. I was stuck in a dark, gloomy freshman dorm at the opposite end of campus from the one friend I knew. Got stuck with a roommate I really didn't get along with very well. And I was focused on a major I really had no interest in.

As you might expect, this was destined to end poorly. I became really depressed, blowing off classes on Fridays just to come home a day early. My grades hit rock bottom. I was going to lose my scholarship, and was terrified to tell my mom who counted 100% on my scholarship and school loans to pay my tuition since she didn't have much money. For a straight A student in high school, I was on the verge of watching what I thought was a bright future completely slip away.....and all from my own doing. At that point in my life, it was about as close to rock bottom as I had ever been. I was awkward and socially introverted, so even the usual outlet of college parties and romances was out of my reach. Thank goodness I didn't drink at the time.

The one escape I did have, however, was music. I bought Tom Petty's solo CD WILDFLOWERS. I'm not really sure why. I wasn't a particularly big Tom Petty fan outside of the greatest hits everyone knew. It was probably just because I liked the single "You Don't Know How It Feels." I really liked the variety on the album, but it was the album closer "Wake Up Time" that I couldn't stop listening to.

I've always heard people say cliches like "I felt that song was written for me" and never thought anything of it. But this was the first time it smacked me in the face. With lyrics like, "Yeah, you were so cool, back in high school, what happened?" and "You're just a poor boy, a long way from home" it was like Tom Petty was narrating my current experience. I'd listen to the album over and over driving home on the weekends.

A line in the song resonated with me constantly. "Yeah, you'll be alright, it's just gonna take time..." He says it so matter-of-factly. And I really started to believe it. "Cause it's wake up time. Time to open up your eyes...and rise and shine."

When the semester was over, I dropped out. I came back home. I enrolled in a community college to get my grades back up. I transferred back to my local college and changed majors. It was hard. But I kept going back to that song. It was wake up time. Time to get my life straight.

My new major wound up leading to the career I hold today. Moving back home led me to meeting my wife of almost 20 years now. Tom was correct. I was going to be alright, it was just going to take time. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that album, and that song in particular, changed the course of my life.

[gbasden]

Argh. This is hard, especially when so many good albums have been thrown out already. But here goes:

1. Rush, Signals. It would be hard to narrow it down to just one of theirs, but I think this might be it.

2. The Police, Synchronicity

3. Eddie from Ohio, Quick

4. Jethro Tull, Broadsword and the Beast. My best friend in High School and I would blast this in his banana yellow Firebird driving around in circles to nowhere. Good times.

5. Jonathan Coulton, Artificial Heart

6. Toy Matinee, Toy Matinee. Such a good album by a musician who ended up dead at his own hand. I selfishly wish I could have seen much more of his work.

7. Marian Call, Vanilla. Brilliant lyrics and a stellar voice from a modern singer songwriter.

8. Oingo Boingo, Dark at the End of the Tunnel.

9. Aimee Mann, Mental Illness

10. Liz Phair, Liz Phair. Super smart album, catchy and awesome lyrically at the same time.

[Sudy]

2. The Police, Synchronicity

I totally forgot about Outlandos d'Amour! There are at least five standout tracks on that album.

Pop Will Eat Itself - This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This!

That's such a good album. I wonder how on the radar PWEI is in North America, or how familiar most people are with Clint Mansell's origin. Seems interesting both he and Reznor went on to do some amazing film and television scores.

[Scuzz]

Okay, 10 albums that if I was left on a desert island with a cd player I would want. Let's see, I am bound to forget some but here goes.....

Kansas Kansas
Blue Oyster Cult On Your Feet, Or on Your Knees
Captain Beyond Captain Beyond
Deep Purple Machine Head
Joe Satriani Surfing with the Alien
Foo Fighters The Colour and the Shape
Steely Dan Can't Buy a Thrill
Pat Methany Offramp
Green Day Dookie
Bruce Springsteen Born to Run

In the last 10-20 years I have bought a lot of "Best of" albums from bands whose music I liked but who I had never bought from before. Some of those are so good they probably should be on this list but I chose instead to put individual releases on the list. Also, this list constitutes music that means something to me, that was important at the time or became important when I heard it. There are memories in the music.

[Jaymann]

OK, time to wrap this up. Get any final selections in by Monday night and I will compile the list.

[Skinypupy]

Someone already mentioned another Oingo Boingo album, but I’d probably include “Farewell - Live from the Universal Amphitheater” as perhaps the greatest live album ever.

Would also add a vote for Black Sabbath’s “We Sold Our Soul for Rock & Roll” if we’re going to include greatest hits albums.

[Kraken]

OK, time to wrap this up. Get any final selections in by Monday night and I will compile the list.

Very well; in case it hasn't been mentioned, Genesis "Foxtrot." Any Gabriel-era Genesis will do, but I'm especially fond of "Supper's Ready."

[Jaymann]

Here is the compiled list:

1. Ry Cooder - Into the Purple Valley
2. Roy Buchanan - Loading Zone
3. Johnny Winter - And
4. The Yardbirds - Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds
5. John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers - Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton
6. Moby Grape - Moby Grape '69
7. Elvis Costello and the Attractions - My Aim is True
8. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland
9. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - You're Gonna Get It
10.Joe Jackson - Look Sharp
11.The English Beat - I Just Can't Stop It
12.Blondie - Eat to the Beat
13.The Specials - The Specials
14.Crazy Horse - Crazy Horse
15.Fleetwood Mac - Bare Trees
16.Nirvana - Nevermind
17.Jeff Beck - Truth
18.Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Into the Great Wide Open
19.Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
20.Pink Floyd – Animals
21.Lord Huron – Lonesome Dreams
22.Sinead O’Conner – Lion and the Cobra
23.Yaz – Upstairs at Eric’s
24.Peter Gabriel – Security
25.Diblo Dibala – Super Soukous
26.Goober and the Peas – The Collected Works of
27.Alice Cooper – Special Forces
28.Skinny Puppy - Too Dark Park
29.Sigh - Scenes from Hell
30.Opeth - Ghost Reveries
31.David Bowie - Hunky Dory
32.Wilderun - Sleep at the Edge of Earth
33.Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit
34.Death - Human
35.Bauhaus - Crackle (yes it's a greatest hits...sue me)
36.Edge of Sanity - Crimson
37.Turisas - The Varangian Way
38.At the Gates - Slaughter of the Soul
39.Frontline Assembly - Implode
40.Enslaved - Riitiir
41.Type O Negative - October Rust
42.Aether Realm - Tarot
43.Obituary - Cause of Death
44.Mr Bungle - California
45.Amorphis - Skyforger
46.Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse
47.Bathory - Hammerheart
48.Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
49.Halsey - Hopeless Fountain Kingdom
50.Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
51.Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
52.Stone Temple Pilots - Core
53.Queensrÿche - Operation Mindcrime
54.Alice in Chains - Dirt
55.Pearl Jam - Ten
56.Taylor Swift - 1989
57.Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
58.Chronicles - Creedence Clearwater Revival
59.Plays Live - Peter Gabriel
60.Yessongs - Yes
61.Stop Making Sense - The Talking Heads
62.Ramonesmania - The Ramones
63.2400 Fulton Street - Jefferson Airplane
64.Great Dictations - The Dickies
65.Rattle and Hum - U2
66.Twilight of the Gods - Richard Wagner
67.Living Ornaments - Gary Numan
68.The Greatest Hits 1969-1999 - John Williams
69.Divine Madness - Madness
70.Songs You Know By Heart - Jimmy Buffett
71.The Return of the Manticore - Emerson, Lake and Palmer
72.Sex, America, Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick
73.Up from the Catacombs - Jane's Addiction
74.Story of The Clash - The Clash
75.Chicago 9 - Chicago
76.Ein Straussfest - Erich Kunzel
77.An Audience with the Queen - Koko Taylor
78.Now It Can Be Told - Devo
79.Best of Bowie - David Bowie
80.A Decade of Steely Dan - Steely Dan
81.Classicks - Alice Cooper
82.In Concert - Los Straitjackets
83.Greatest Hits - Bjork
84.The Motors - Tenement Steps
85.The Fabulous Poodles - Think Pink
86.Charlie - No Second Chance
87.The Clash - London Calling
88.Dave Brubek Quartet - Time Out
89.Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit
90.John Hiatt - Riding with the King
91.Count Basie and Zoot Sims - Basie and Zoot
92.The Tragically Hip - Up to Here
93.Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
94.Stampeders (the one with Sweet City Woman)
95.Mastodon - Crack the Skye
96.Queensryche - Promise Land
97.Queen - A Night at the Opera
98.Overkill - The Years of Decay
99.Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
100.Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
101.Blue Murder - Blue Murder
102.Ozzy Osborne - The Blizzard of Ozz
103.Whitesnake - Whitesnake
104.Metallica - Master of Puppets
105.Arcade Fire - Funeral
106.The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
107.The Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin
108.The Mountain Goats - Sweden
109.The National - High Violet
110.Tool - Lateralus
111.Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
112.Radio Head - The Bends
113.Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
114.Bad Religion - Stranger than Fiction
115.Beach Rats - Wasted Time
116.Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
117.Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV
118.Jeff Rosenstock - Worry
119.Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile to the Surface
120.Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah
121.The Promise Ring - Nothing Feels Good
122.Reel Big Fish - Why Do They Rock So Hard?
123.Thursday - Full Collapse
124.Tom Waits - Bone Machine (1992)
125.31Knots - Talk Like Blood (2005)
126.Monster Magnet - Dopes to Infinity (1995)
127.Slechtvalk - A Forlorn Throne (2010)
128.Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer (2009)
129.Captain Beefheart - Doc at the Radar Station (1980)
130.Polvo - Exploded Drawing (1996)
131.Ghost - Prequelle (2018)
132.Snog - Buy Me... I'll Change Your Life (1998)
133.Parts & Labor - Mapmaker (2007)
134.The Stooges - Raw Power (1973)
135.Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy (1978)
136.Aldo Ciccolini - Satie: Piano Works
137.Nine Inch Nails - Broken (1992, EP)
138.Front 242 - Geography (1982)
139.Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (2007)
140.TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes (2004)
141.Joy Division - Substance (1988, compilation)
142.Talking Heads - Talking Heads: 77 (1977)
143.Judas Priest - British Steel (1980)
144.King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic
145.Hawkwind - The Space Ritual Alive
146.Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets
147.Sparks - Kimono My House
148.Kraftwerk - Autobahn
149.Tangerine Dream - Rubycon
150.David Bowie - Low
151.Pink Floyd - Animals
152.Yellow Magic Orchestra - Solid State Survivor
153.This Heat - This Heat
154.The Cars - Candy-O
155.Joy Division- Closer
156.Wire - 154
157.The Chameleons - Strange Times
158.David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
159.ABC - The Lexicon Of Love
160.Radiohead- OK Computer
161.Grimes - Art Angels
162.Echo and the Bunnymen- Ocean Rain
163.Skinny Puppy- Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse
164.The Cure - Faith
165.Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things
166.Silversun Pickups - Swoon
167.The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
168.REM - Life's Rich Pageant
169.Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting
170.Dead Kennedys - Frankenchrist
171.Green Day - American Idiot
172.The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
173.My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
174.Muse - Drones
175.Massive Attack - BLue Lines
176.Rush - Moving Pictures
177.AC/DC - Back in Black
178.Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
179.The Sundays - Reading, Writing and Arithmetic
180.U2 - War
181.XTC - Skylarking
182.Wire - Pink Flag
183.Wire - Chairs Missing
184.Wire - The Ideal Copy
185.Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Music From the Penguin Cafe
186.Nektar. Remember the future?
187.Butthole Surfers - Hairway To Steven
188.Wyclef Jean - The Carnival
189.The Decemberists - Picaresque
190.The Flaming Lips - Clouds Taste Metallic
191.The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy and The Lash
192.The White Stripes - De Stijl
193.Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush The Show
194.Bad Brains - Rock For Light
195.Hank III - Straight To Hell
196.Drive-By Truckers - The Dirty South
197.Pixies- Surfer Rosa
198.Jane's Addiction- Jane Says
199.Husker Du- Warehouse Songs and Stories
200.The Feelies- The Good Earth
201.Minutemen- Double Nickels on the Dime
202.Neil Young- Everybody Knows this is Nowhere
203.Toots and the Maytals- Funky Kingston
204.The Waterboys- Fisherman's Blues
205.The Go-Gos- Beauty and the Beat
206.David Bowie- The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
207.Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin IV
208.The Kinks- The Ultimate Collection
209.The Beatles- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
210.REM - Murmer
211.Travelling Wilburys - Vol. 1
212.Television - Marquee Moon
213.Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
214.Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
215.Bombino - Azel
216.Built to Spill - You In Reverse
217.Budos Band - Long In The Tooth
218.Gillian Welch - Soul Journey
219.Hailu Mergia & The Wallas - Tche Belew
220.Michael Nau - Mowing
221.Moken - Missing Chapters
222.Old Crow Medicine Show - Eutaw
223.Tinariwen - Amassakoul
224.Nation of Language - Introduction, Presence
225.King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity
226.Atomship - The Crash of 47
227.Piledriver - Metal Inquisition
228.Killer Dwarfs - Killer Dwarfs
229. Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good
230. Helloween - Walls Of Jericho
231.XTC - Apple Venus Vol. 1.
232.Roger Waters - The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking.
233.J. Geils Band - Love Stinks.
234.Pete Townshend, Empty Glass
235.The Boomtown Rats - A Tonic for the Troops
236.The Boomtown Rats - The Fine Art of Surfacing
237.Supertramp - Breakfast in America
238.Dire Straits - Sultan's of Swing
239.AC/DC: Back in Black
240.Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon
241.Pink Floyd: The Wall
242.Boston: Boston
243.Fleetwood Mac: Rumours
244.The Black Crowes: Shake Your Money Maker
245.ZZ Top: Eliminator
246.Van Halen: Van Halen
247.Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - Going Places
248.Devo - New Traditionalists
249.Chess - Original soundtrack
250.Yello - You Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess
251.XTC - English Settlement
252.Squeeze - Singles
253.Hoodoo Gurus - Stoneage Romeos
254.The Dreadnoughts - Polka's Not Dead
255.Louis Barabbas and the Bedlam 6 - Found Drowned
256.Kraftwerk - Computerwelt
257.Depeche Mode - Speak & Spell
258.Bad Brains - Bad Brains (1982)
259.Brian Eno - Ambient 4: On Land
260.They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants (1986)
261.Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
262.Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden
263.Pop Will Eat Itself - This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This!
264.The Young Gods - L'eau Rogue
265.Slayer - Reign in Blood
266.Possessed - Seven Churches
267.Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness
268.Bad Religion - No Control
269.Anthrax - Among the Living
270.Exodus - Bonded by Blood
271.Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus
272.Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
273.Pestilence - Consuming Impulse
274.Rush, Signals
275.The Police, Synchronicity
276.Eddie from Ohio, Quick
277.Jethro Tull, Broadsword and the Beast
278.Jonathan Coulton, Artificial Heart
279.Toy Matinee, Toy Matinee
280.Marian Call, Vanilla
281.Oingo Boingo, Dark at the End of the Tunnel.
282.Aimee Mann, Mental Illness
283.Liz Phair, Liz Phair
284.Kansas, Kansas
285.Blue Oyster Cult, On Your Feet, Or on Your Knees
286.Captain Beyond, Captain Beyond
287.Deep Purple, Machine Head
288.Joe Satriani, Surfing with the Alien
289.Foo Fighters, The Colour and the Shape
290.Steely Dan, Can't Buy a Thrill
291.Pat Methany, Offramp
292.Green Day, Dookie
293.Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run
294.Oingo Boingo, Only a Lad
295.Oingo Boingo,“Farewell - Live from the Universal Amphitheater”
296.Black Sabbath’s “We Sold Our Soul for Rock & Roll”
297.Genesis - Foxtrot
298.James - Laid
299.Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
300.INXS - Kick
301.Love and Rockets - 7th Dream of a Teenage Heaven
302.The The - Soul Mining
303.Mazzy Star - So That Tonight I May See
304.Peter Murphy - Love Hysteria
305.Road Kings - Road Kings
306.Revolting Cocks - Beers Steers and Queers
307.Velvet Underground and Nico - Nico and the Velvet Underground
308.Nevermind the Bollocks - The Sex Pistols
309.Sandinista - The Clash
310.Bitches Brew - Miles Davis
311.The Lifehouse Chronicles - Pete Townshend
312.Close to the Edge - Yes
313.Tommy - The Who
314.Opera Goes to Hell
315.Boston - Boston
316.A Night at the Opera - Queen
317.Aqualung - Jethro Tull
318.Django Reinhardt - Peche A La Mouche
319.Louis Jordan - Jack, You're Dead
320.Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis
321.Duke Ellington - Money Jungle
322.Bach: Brandenburgische Konzerte (performed by Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin)
323.Blackmore's Night - Ghost of a Rose
324.Dr. Dre - The Chronic
325.Frankie Laine - The Frankie Laine Collection: The Mercury Years
326.Arrested Development - 3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...
327.Marty Robbins - Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
328.Robbie Robertson - Contact from the Underworld of Redboy
329.Blue Öyster Cult - Tyranny And Mutation
330.Jeff Healey - Cover to Cover
331.Jeff Healey - Hell to Pay
332.Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs

There you have it. Over 300 of the most kick-ass albums of all time. I tried to eliminate dupes, but may have missed some. Will still accept some late entries. Now to listen to the ones I can find...

[Kraken]

"Supper's Ready" is a song on Foxtrot, so you can delete that last one.

[LordMortis]

I'd like a mulligan.

James - Laid
Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
INXS - Kick
Love and Rockets - 7th Dream of a Teenage Heaven
The The - Soul Mining
Mazzy Star - So That Tonight I May See
Peter Murphy - Love Hysteria
Road Kings - Road Kings
Revolting Cocks - Beers Steers and Queers
Velvet Underground and Nico - Nico and the Velvet Underground

This list is likely to change tomorrow.

[Jaymann]

I'd like a mulligan.

James - Laid
Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
INXS - Kick
Love and Rockets - 7th Dream of a Teenage Heaven
The The - Soul Mining
Mazzy Star - So That Tonight I May See
Peter Murphy - Love Hysteria
Road Kings - Road Kings
Revolting Cocks - Beers Steers and Queers
Velvet Underground and Nico - Nico and the Velvet Underground

This list is likely to change tomorrow.

No problemo. Anyone else who submits, please check the list for dupes first.

[Jeff V]

XTC - Apple Venus Vol. 1. Some of you are singing the praises of various pop bands, nobody made as much an art of it asXTC.

Love XTC. English Settlement is my favorite but Apple Venus vol. 1 is sublime.

This is on the list of 1001, too. I love XTC but never really gave this one a chance - I always reach for Skylarking, Oranges and Lemons or Nonsuch when I want XTC.

All fantastic. My introduction was Oranges and Lemons, and I saw them on that tour opening for The Police at the Aragon Brawlroom on their Zenyatta Mondatta tour. It was an unbelievable show for such a small venue, one of the top 5 shows I've witnessed. Shortly afterward, Andy Partridge, XTC's frontman, collapsed on stage due to stage fright, they didn't play live for many years after (and AFAIK never toured the US again). It was also the only time I was offered cocaine from a total stranger standing near me at the back of main floor (I thanked him but refused the offer).

[Sudy]

Do we have many Spotify users here? If so, I'll put these on a playlist. They should have the vast majority of these albums.

I believe you can listen to a Spotify playlist even if you're a non-subscriber, but it will be interrupted by ads.

[Jaymann]

Do we have many Spotify users here? If so, I'll put these on a playlist. They should have the vast majority of these albums.

I believe you can listen to a Spotify playlist even if you're a non-subscriber, but it will be interrupted by ads.

That would be pretty sweet. So far I have found all on YouTube.

[Archinerd]

Mazzy Star - So That Tonight I May See
Velvet Underground and Nico - Nico and the Velvet Underground

Considered both of these, glad you picked up my slack.

[Sudy]

I won't have a chance to compile the Spotify list until tomorrow, but I'm starting listening tonight during work. I think I might skip around sometimes to avoid genre/era fatigue, if that's permitted. Not going to comment on them all, but when something strikes....

1. Ry Cooder - Into the Purple Valley

I think I'm only familiar with Cooder from Wim Wenders's 1984 film, Paris, Texas. But I really loved that soundtrack. Listening to his blues cuts, I'm wondering if we made a mistake by not including Blind Willie Johnson? Or would that be too typical of these lists? I mean, we only wound up with one Beatles album. But then, he didn't make it onto Exodor's list somehow, either. I think Vigilante Man (a Guthrie it seems) is my favourite track here at first listen.

2. Roy Buchanan - Loading Zone

I feel like I should be ashamed I don't know the name Roy Buchanan, but the world of music has grown so vast I know I shouldn't. This is the purpose of this exercise. I've never had a taste for traditional electric blues, but I really like severals tracks here, especially The Circle and Judy.

11.The English Beat - I Just Can't Stop It

First impression: "Oh, it's like The Police with a sax." But then I got to track two and it was, "Oh, it's more like ska... with a sax." But this is some pretty sincere fusion, which I wasn't expecting at first. Specifically dig Two Swords and Twist & Crawl.

[Isgrimnur]

11.The English Beat - I Just Can't Stop It
First impression: "Oh, it's like The Police with a sax." But then I got to track two and it was, "Oh, it's more like ska... with a sax." But this is some pretty sincere fusion, which I wasn't expecting at first. Specifically dig Two Swords and Twist & Crawl.

One of the stand-outs of the Grosse Point Blank soundtrack.

[Jaymann]

I too love Vigilante Man, it really sticks with you, in a good way. Cooder also shines on Dirty Dirty on the Crazy Horse album. This is what I love about listening to full albums. You discover some outstanding deep cuts to which you would never have been exposed.

[Jaymann]

LOL, I almost passed on Goober & the Peas during the twangy first 30 seconds. Glad I hung in there - great stuff.

[Jeff V]

Nevermind the Bollocks - The Sex Pistols (this was actually #2 on a Rolling Stones list of this sort some years ago).
Sandinista - The Clash - Who the hell puts out a triple album? The Only Band that Matters (tm), that's who.
Bitches Brew - Miles Davis - As a former trumpet player possessing as much as 1/10 of 1% of Davis' talent, I feel a kinship.
The Lifehouse Chronicles - Pete Townshend. So The Clash do a triple album? How about 6 bitches? Pete shows why he's one of the best song writers ever.
Close to the Edge - Yes - Contains my favorite Yessong, And You and I.
Tommy - The Who - Always loved the album -- got to see the Townshend-produced stage show years ago and it was fantastic.
Opera Goes to Hell - Various Artists - some of my favorite operas are set in the underworld, and this is a nice greatest hits compendium.
Boston - Boston - Best debut album ever.
A Night at the Opera - Queen - Queen needs to be mentioned, probably should have on my "Greatest Hits" list but I didn't so here you go.
Aqualung - Jethro Tull - Another favorite band that deserves to be mentioned. I saw them headlining the International Flute Festival one year in Grant Park.

[Sudy]

Long couple of work nights... hope to get the Spotify playlist done tomorrow.

Decided to use a random number generator to get some variety. BTW I noticed the list skips from 156 to 167, not that I think there's any point in correcting it.

284.Rush, Signals

Being Canadian, I definitely know Rush and enjoy many of their hits. Working Man has recently become a particular favourite. But I've only made a couple of attempts to listen to full albums and they didn't stick. To my discredit, I don't usually have the patience for progressive genres. But when I give them the time they deserve, the payoff is huge. I don't think I've tried this album before; it sounds like the 80s (in a really good way). The guitar tones and synths are wonderful. Most of the songs are actually quite catchy at first pass... specifically Subdivisions and The Weapon. Really though, on my second way through the album I'm enjoying everything. This is the first album from the list I can see myself adding to my permanent rotation in its entirety.

[Jeff V]

Hemispheres was my favorite Rush album and also a great one to listen start-to-finish.

[Jaymann]

Numbering fixed.

[WYBaugh]

Hemispheres was my favorite Rush album and also a great one to listen start-to-finish.

My first Rush album and top three of my favorite Rush albums.

[Dramatist]

Signals was the first regular Rush album I got. My first real rock concert was seeing Rush on the Signals tour when I was a freshman in high school. I absolutely love that album.


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[WYBaugh]

Signals was the first regular Rush album I got. My first real rock concert was seeing Rush on the Signals tour when I was a freshman in high school. I absolutely love that album.


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I moved to Dallas when Signals came out and was able to see them both nights at Reunion Arena. The second night on the 3rd row on the floor right in front of Alex!

[Sudy]

Sorry I haven't gotten that playlist together yet... listening at work is easy, but finding time to type, click, and drag is less so.

89.Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit

I'm enjoying listening to genres I have less exposure to, but I really struggled to find something to like about this record. It's just so bouncy. Rockabilly mixed with new wave is possibly the sum of all my fears. I think the title track was the one I had the most trouble with. However, I've been putting the couple tracks I like the most from each album on a secondary playlist, and I enjoyed You'll Never Get Me Up (In One of Those) and L.A.F.S. enough to stick them on there.

190.The Flaming Lips - Clouds Taste Metallic

I know I must have heard The Flaming Lips, but I can't name one of their songs. This album sounds ahead of its time for 1995. While it has a lot of the hallmarks of that era, this sound lasted deep into the indie wave of the 2000s and we're still hearing it today. I feel the interesting samples and atypical accompaniments make this special.

293.Liz Phair, Liz Phair

I find this 2003 album to be comforting in its late-90s sound. I honestly thought Liz Phair was more of a pop singer... another artist I've just never crossed paths with. In high school I probably either would have hated this album or developed a secret crush on her. I find the overt sexuality a little challenging, but that's more my semi-conservative upbringing than anything else. Metaphor I don't have as big of an issue with. (Though I realize I did put The Stooges' Raw Power on this list, which isn't exactly a masterpiece of nuance and probably socially regressive--I'm not usually a lyrics listener initially; I fall in love with a song long before I bother trying to make out the words.)

These songs kind of blended together for me, but my picks are It's Sweet and Firewalker.

[Blackhawk]

It's interesting to me that there is very, very little on this list that predates our collective lifespans.

[Sudy]

OKAY. Here's the first 100 albums on Spotify:

> > > LINK < < <


I'm wondering if this is all for naught and the listening experience is garbage for non-premium subscribers. (Like if it won't let you listen to tracks in order.) If so, I guess I'll abandon this lol.


Notes:

- I've made the playlist "collaborative" which means anyone who has the link above can edit it. (Not sure if non-premium subscribers can?) If you see a mistake, by all means feel free to correct it. (Or mention it here, and I'll gladly do it.) I think I accidentally added only a title track instead of a complete album a few times, I but I caught most of them.

- It's just fluff, but if you have or want to create a cover image for the playlist, go nuts... it has to be a .jpeg, no larger that 4MB.

- There don't appear to be a lot of playback options... e.g. no ability to sort by genre or year, or shuffle by whole album. But it's not bad for what it is.

- Spotify often has only the "deluxe/reissue" version of a release. Sometimes you can select between them, but other times the only option is the one with 3 bonus discs of a bunch of demos and live recordings. When I've noticed there are two+ versions of an album, I've opted for the standard one. But if you notice a bunch of bonus tracks listed and they offend your sensibilities (ideally, the person who suggested the album initially), go ahead and remove them, or let me know and I'll do so. Also, sometimes I guessed when a title was slightly different than what was on the list. And if there wasn't a specific recording/performer specified for classical recordings, I just went by whatever popped up first or seemed most appropriate.

- They had the vast majority of albums for me in Canada; YMMV by country, as their licensing varies by region. If you're able to add something that wasn't available to me, please go ahead. Or if it was your suggestion, recommend an alternative if desired. These are the ones I couldn't find so far, mostly compilations/live albums. Often they might have other compilations though.

6.Moby Grape - Moby Grape '69
64.The Dickies - Great Dictations
69.Madness - Divine Madness
71.Emerson, Lake and Palmer - The Return of the Manticore
74.The Clash - Story of The Clash
76.Erich Kunzel - Ein Straussfest
78.Devo - Now It Can Be Told
84.The Motors - Tenement Steps

[Sudy]

It's interesting to me that there is very, very little on this list that predates our collective lifespans.

I've got a few jazz and blues albums in my collection that go back as far as the 20s, but I haven't focused on these genres in my meanderings. I like a lot of classical music, but it seemed like this was heading in a more popular direction, so I only included one selection. But hey, I was born in '84, so I'm just proud eight of the twenty albums on my two lists arrived before I did. You know, considering most of the people I grew up with think Linkin Park is the pinnacle of music.

But as I review my own selections, I'm realizing how arbitrary this is. I mean, I used my Last.fm stats over the past fourteen years as a partial framework, but as I re-listen to my own selections I'm sometimes realizing... hey, I don't even know half the tracks on this. Did it really deserve to be selected as a full album? Lol. But, in that case there are usually five other tracks I adore and have worn out. But again, I'm not often a full-album listener.