GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME

[AfterHours]

I think the Strokes first album, though by no means masterful, is somewhere around a 6.75/10 to me and puts anything by The Shins to shame (their albums being around 5.25/10). Room On Fire is more near The Shins level. I don't care much about the craft put into a song or album. All I care about is the emotional power brought out by the song or album. It's the result that matters, not the amount of work it took. It took the Beatles around 700+ hours if I remember correctly to make Sgt Pepper, a good album. It took Van Morrison 2 1/2 sessions to make Astral Weeks, a masterpiece. It took Miles Davis and co. 1 take to make Kind of Blue, a masterpiece. It took John Coltrane a very short time (1 take I think) to make A Love Supreme, one of the all time greatest masterpieces in music history. I don't know how long it took for Beethoven to create his masterpieces but at least the level of emotional power is commensurate or more than the work put into it. I think The Shins have wasted most of the time they've put into their albums with trivial, relatively unemotional music that fails to strike more than a passing chord in my veins. Perhaps if I hadn't been spoiled by the music I've heard beforehand they would seem a little more impressive, but really they're kind of pathetic in comparison.

The Decemberists are a solid band (certainly better than The Shins and equal to The Beatles), but Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (their primary influence) is vastly superior to anything they've done. You should check that out if you're a Beatles and Decemberists fan. I think it's the greatest pop album of all time.

And oh yea, I agree with you on Coldplay. Unoriginal and average at best.

[Mr. Shankly]

Afterhours,

I have In the Aeroplane over the Saa. I agree it is a fantastic album (might be the best album of the '90's along with "The Soft Bulletin" by the Flaming Lips, and although I can see similarities with the Decemberists, I think ultimately, they're diferent bands. Thank you for making it clear to me what you value in music. Now you know what I value and on certain topics we'll just have to agree to disagree. I agree with you though that Astral Weeks is a masterpiece, but it's also the kind of album I have to be in the right mood for. A Love Supreme is great too, but I am a songwriter who writes pop/rock songs himself, so a well-crafted pop song with a great harmony, melody line and hook is what I love more than anything else. I also like songwriters who have a way with words. (One of the reasons I think The Strokes are not in the Shins' league and one of the reasons I love the Decemberists so much right now. Just out of curiosity, are you a musician?

[AfterHours]

Well, I wouldn't call myself a true musician by which I mean that I am by no means an expert and it isn't something I do for a living, but I am a so-so guitarist, a decent pianist, a good lyricist/poet, a decent vocalist, and an above average drummer. I've been in a band before and we pretty much sucked.

[SamTheMan]

In no particular order
Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart (thanks everyone on here for that)
Starsailor - Tim Buckley
Interstellar Space - John Coltrane
Highway 61 - Bob Dylan
Faust - Faust (again, thanks)
Can - Tago Mago
Royal Trux - Twin Infinitives
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz
Cecil Taylor - Unit Structures
Keith Jarrett - The Koln Concert
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Led Zeppelin - IV
Yes - Relayer

[AfterHours]

Nice choices! Here's my most recent updated list (only masterpieces [9.0/10+] included)

9.5/10
1. The Black Saint & the Sinner Lady-Charles Mingus (1963)
2. Trout Mask Replica-Captain Beefheart (1969)
3. A Love Supreme-John Coltrane (1964)
4. Rock Bottom-Robert Wyatt (1974)
5. Faust-Faust (1971)

9.25/10
6. The Velvet Underground & Nico-The Velvet Underground (1967)
7. The Doors-The Doors (1967)
8. Jazz Composer's Orchestra-Michael Mantler (1968)
9. Parable of Arable Land-Red Crayola (1967)
10. The Modern Dance-Pere Ubu (1978)
11. Y-Pop Group (1979)
12. Escalator Over the Hill-Carla Bley (1971)
13. Twin Infinitives-Royal Trux (1990)
14. Unit Structures-Cecil Taylor (1966)
15. Hosianna Mantra-Popol Vuh (1973)
16. Desertshore-Nico (1970)
17. Ascension-John Coltrane (1965)
18. Lorca-Tim Buckley (1970)
19. For Alto-Anthony Braxton (1968)
20. Spiritual Unity-Albert Ayler (1964)
21. Irrlicht-Klaus Schulze (1972)
22. Dolmen Music-Meredith Monk (1981)

9.0/10
23. The Shape of Jazz to Come-Ornette Coleman (1959)
24. Bitches Brew-Miles Davis (1969)
25. The Good Son-Nick Cave (1990)
26. Astral Weeks-Van Morrison (1968)
27. Blonde On Blonde-Bob Dylan (1966)
28. Neu!-Neu! (1972)
29. Suicide-Suicide (1977)
30. Not Available-Residents (1974)
31. Lullaby Land-Vampire Rodents (1993)
32. Third-Soft Machine (1970)
33. Kick Out the Jams-MC5 (1969)
34. Starsailor-Tim Buckley (1970)
35. The Ascension-Glenn Branca (1981)
36. Saxophone Improvisations Series F-Anthony Braxton (1972)
37. Geek the Girl-Lisa Germano (1994)
38. Yerself Is Steam-Mercury Rev (1991)
39. Fare Forward Voyagers-John Fahey (1973)
40. Free Jazz-Ornette Coleman (1960)
41. Atlantis-Sun Ra (1967)
42. The Magic City-Sun Ra (1965)
43. Improvisie-Paul Bley (1971)
44. Well Oiled-Hash Jar Tempo (1997)
45. Streams-Sam Rivers (1973)
46. Brilliant Corners-Thelonious Monk (1956)
47. Out To Lunch!-Eric Dolphy (1964)
48. Kind of Blue-Miles Davis (1959)
49. Spiderland-Slint (1991)
50. Loveless-My Bloody Valentine (1991)

[b4k4]

Yeah... my list doesn't have that much variety, but here it is (No real order):

* Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd
* OK Computer - Radiohead
* Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles
* Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
* Thick As A Brick - Jethro Tull
* The Beatles (White Album) - The Beatles
* Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin
* Relayer - Yes
* Meddle - Pink Floyd
* Kid A - Radiohead
* Revolver - The Beatles
* The Wall - Pink Floyd
* Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
* Let It Be - The Beatles
* Atom Heart Mother - Pink Floyd
* Animals - Pink Floyd
* The Bends - Radiohead
* I Robot - Alan Parsons Project

[comicbookguy37]

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles (1967)
2. Revolver - The Beatles (1966)
3. OK Computer - Radiohead (1997)
4. Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan (1965)
5. The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths (1986)
6. Rubber Soul - The Beatles (1965)
7. Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin (1971)
8. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie (1972)
9. Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen (1975)
10. The White Album - The Beatles (1968)
11. Purple Rain - Prince (1984)
12. The Colour and the Shape - Foo Fighters (1997)
13. Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan (1975)
14. Electric Ladyland - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)
15. Toxicity - System of a Down (2001)
16. Never Mind The Bollocks - The Sex Pistols (1977)
17. Abbey Road - The Beatles (1969)
18. Rumours - Fleetwood Mac (1977)
19. Who's Next - The Who (1971)
20. The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground (1967)
21. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses (1989)
22. Your Arsenal - Morrissey (1992)
23. Let It Bleed - The Rolling Stones (1969)
24. Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin (1969)
25. Hunky Dory - David Bowie (1971)
_________________
You're the one for me, fatty
You're the one I really, really love

[Elston]

The Beatles are pretty good. I like them.

[The_111th_Beatle]

Really well made point Elston, I completely agree with you. To follow on that I'd like to state my disagreement with terms like "charting" or "radio-friendly" being considered dirty words for musical credibility and used as reasons to dispute bands such as the Beatles artistic value.

While I agree that much of what appears in the charts (particularly today) is either terrible or enjoyable but disposable I think there is room on the radio and in the charts for brilliant artists. As regards your own tastes AfterHours Dylan was immensely popular at the time of Blonde on Blonde, Trout Mask Replica reached 21 in the English charts and the Velvets today recieve decent radio airplay. Thus saying the Beatles are 'radio-friendly' thus not condemn to the status of inoffensive throwaway pop acts. In fact I would see it as one of their strengths that they were able to take wildly varying and innovative musical styles and make them accessable to the masses who would normally have little paitience for such things.
_________________
"Its so easy to laugh, its so easy to hate. It takes guts to be gentle and kind"

[Elston]

1. Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica (1969)
2. Faust - Faust (1971)
3. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (1964)
4. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks (1968)
5. Tim Buckley - Lorca (1970)
6. The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St. (1972)
7. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde (1966)
8. Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance (1978)
9. Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom (1974)
10. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963)
11. The Pop Group - Y (1979)
12. Sly & the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On (1971)
13. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
14. Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen (1968)
15. Lisa Germano - Geek the Girl (1994)
16. Mercury Rev - Yerself is Steam (1991)
17. The Beatles - Abbey Road (1969)
18. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)
19. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)
20. Albert Ayler - Spiritual Unity (1964)


Right now it's heavily biased towards 60's and 70's releases but that will change in the near future