Best Ever Albums

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

caralladas76 — Sat, 8 Nov 2008 11:35:28 GMT

Author: caralladas76

Posted: 11/08/2008 16:35

if you are going to choose between semifinalists, i absolutely vote for TELEVISION´s MARQUEE MOON. Brilliant, amazing, one of my fav albums.

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

maxxy — Fri, 7 Nov 2008 21:02:40 GMT

Author: maxxy

Posted: 11/08/2008 02:02

kool.
Again, VU and NIco

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

Anonymous — Fri, 7 Nov 2008 19:49:19 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/08/2008 00:49

Whew! VU & Nico vs. Marquee Moon- I have to admit that's a close one for me. I love them both sooo much, and they're both deep and raw in their own spectrums. When it comes to the two, I'd have to say it's VU&N, but I'm not sure how much creedence I can put into that. I mean, I might be biased to the Banana album because it was one of the few records that connected with me the most when I first got into music. It was nothing I had ever heard before, and I had no idea who they were before I listened to them. It was great- first year of college laying down with a bunch of people in the dark listening it on vinyl- one of the most memorable moments in my life. Television I stumbled across and was equally blown away musically, but the meaning to discovering it wasn't as powerful. I'd cast my vote for VU, but I'm not sure how to look at it.

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

Anonymous — Fri, 7 Nov 2008 19:43:09 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/08/2008 00:43

Closer was dropped in the first round? And Doolittle in the 2nd? Wow. I wouldn't have expected that.

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

Elston — Fri, 7 Nov 2008 13:11:01 GMT

Author: Elston

Posted: 11/07/2008 18:11

banana brother wrote:

BTW Could we have a quick match-up between the two semifinalists?

Sure

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

banana brother — Thu, 6 Nov 2008 21:44:24 GMT

Author: banana brother

Posted: 11/07/2008 02:44

Yeah probably VU would win, but... well this tournament has been surprising before

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

JohnnyRocketFingers — Thu, 6 Nov 2008 20:23:03 GMT

Author: JohnnyRocketFingers

Posted: 11/07/2008 01:23

it would be cool, but everyone already knows whos going to win hahaha

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

maxxy — Thu, 6 Nov 2008 20:02:44 GMT

Author: maxxy

Posted: 11/07/2008 01:02

That's a good idea and if we do I vote velvet underground and nico. 😁

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

banana brother — Thu, 6 Nov 2008 19:58:24 GMT

Author: banana brother

Posted: 11/07/2008 00:58

Wow! I didn't expect this as the result, but I won't complain London Calling is an incredible album and has been one of my favorites since the day I got it. Its an amazing double album that's so accessible, yet extremely powerful.

BTW Could we have a quick match-up between the two semifinalists?

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

Elston — Thu, 6 Nov 2008 17:48:05 GMT

Author: Elston

Posted: 11/06/2008 22:48

WINNER

London Calling - The Clash

Round 7

The Black Saint & the Sinner Lady - Charles Mingus

Round 6

The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground
Marquee Moon - Television

Round 5

The Ascension - Glenn Branca
The Modern Dance - Pere Ubu
Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth
Funhouse - The Stooges

Round 4

Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart
Loveless - My Bloody Valentine
Double Nickels on the Dime - Minutemen
Piper at the Gates of Dawn - Pink Floyd
Zen Arcade - Husker Du
Ascension - John Coltrane
Spiderland - Slint
Y - The Pop Group

Round 3

Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
Murmur - R.E.M.
Pink Moon - Nick Drake
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel
Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
Another Green World - Brian Eno
A Love Supreme - John Coltrane
The Shape of Jazz to Come - Ornette Coleman
The Doors - The Doors
Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
White Light/White Heat - The Velvet Underground
Surfer Rosa - The Pixies
Rock Bottom - Robert wyatt
OK Computer - Radiohead
Black Monk Time - The Monks
Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
We're Only in it For the Money - Frank Zappa
Fare Forward Voyager's - John Fahey
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
Remain in Light - The Talking Heads
Songs of Leonard Cohen - Leonard Cohen

Round 2

Third - The Soft Machine
Even the Sounds Shine - Myra Melford
Zeit - Tangerine Dream
Powerless...Psychic...Another Man's Sac - Butthole Surfers
Strangeways Here We Come - The Smiths
Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan
Escalator Over the Hill - Carla Bley
Faust - Faust
There's a Riot Goin' On - Sly & the Family Stone
Turn Off the Bright Lights - Interpol
Rain Dogs - Tom Waits
Repeater - Fugazi
Twin Infinitives - Royal Trux
Tago Mago - Can
Btiches Brew - Miles Davis
The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips
The Queen is Dead - The Smiths
White Blood Cells - The White Stripes
The wall - Pink Floyd
Geek the Girl - Lisa Germano
Good - Morphine
Free Jazz - Ornette Coleman
Unit Structures - Cecil Taylor
Funeral - Arcade Fire
Safe as Milk - Captain Beefheart
Doolittle - The Pixies
Uncle Meat - Frank Zappa
A Rainbow in Curved Air - Terry Riley
Lorca - Tim Buckley
Amnesiac - Radiohead
Ocean Songs - Dirty Three
Revolver - The Beatles
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Abbey Road - The Beatles
Parable of Arable Land - The Red Krayola
Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
In a Silent Way - Miles Davis

Round 1

Kid A - Radiohead
Well Oiled - Hash Jar Tempo
Low - David Bowie
Blood on the Tracks - David Bowie
Dolemen Music - Meredith Monk
Fire of Love - The Gun Club
Cyborg - Klause Schultze
Millions Now Living Will Never Die - Tortoise
Maxinquaye - Tricky
Illinois - Sufjan Stevens
Beggars Banquet - The Rolling Stones
Drawings of Patient O.T. - Einsturzende Neubaten
Electric Storm - White Noise
Spiritual Unity - Albert Ayler Trio
The Village Green Preservation Society - The Kinks
Third Ear Band - Third Ear Band
BEATLES (White Albums) - The Beatles
The Who Sell Out - The Who
Ash Ra Temple - Ash Ra Temple
Sgt Peppers - The Beatles
Remnants of a Deeper Purity - Black Tape for a Blue Girl
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco
Vernal Equinox - Jon Hassell
Electric Ladyland - Jimi Hendrix
In Utero - Nirvana
Yerself is Steam - Mercury Rev
From Her to Eternity - Nick Cave
Crazy Rhythms - The Feelies
Slow, Deep & Hard - Type O Negative
Yeti - Amon Duul XXXXVI (forty-sixth)
Nevermind - Nirvana
The Bends - Radiohead
Slanted & Enchanted - Pavement
Perfect From Now On - Built to Spill
Plastic Ono Band - John Lennon
Closer - Joy Division
Frances the Mute - The Mars Volta
Pithecanthropus Erectis - Charles Mingus
Mundus Subteranus - Herry Jon Hassel
Bricolage - Amon Tobin
The Jazz Composer's Orchestra - Michael Mantler
Crooked Rain - Pavement
Are You Experienced - Jimi Hendrix
The Good Son - Nick Cave
Forever Changes - Love
Nail - Feotus
Irrlicht - Klause Schultze
City of Glass - Stan Kenton
Hoisanna Mantra - Popul Vuh
Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones
Neu! - Neu!
The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails
Saxophone Improvisations, Series F - Anthony Braxton
Selling England by the Pound - Genesis
Lullaby Land - Vampire Rodents
Blue - Joni Mitchell
Mu - Don Cherry
Not Available - The Residents
Kick Out the Jams - MC5
Art & Aviation - Jane BLoom
For Alto - Anthony Braxton
Exile on Main St. - The Rolling Stones
IV - Led Zeppelin
Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen
Deserthshore - Nico
My Aim is True - Elvis Costello
Passion - Peter Gabriel
Half Machine Lip Moves - Chrome
Ziggy Stardust - Dabid Bowie
Dream Theory in Malaya - Jon Hassell
Dreamtime Return - Steve Roach
Radio Gnome Invisible: Flying Teapot - Gong
The Magic City - Sun Ra
Starsailor - Tim Buckley

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

Elston — Thu, 6 Nov 2008 17:03:21 GMT

Author: Elston

Posted: 11/06/2008 22:03

LONDON CALLING defeats Black Saint & the Sinner Lady 6-5 and wins The Greatest Albums of All Time tournament!!!

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

maxxy — Thu, 6 Nov 2008 16:11:07 GMT

Author: maxxy

Posted: 11/06/2008 21:11

No round has a winner until elston posts that an album has won.

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

caralladas76 — Thu, 6 Nov 2008 15:52:53 GMT

Author: caralladas76

Posted: 11/06/2008 20:52

Has London Calling officialy won this championship???

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

maxxy — Thu, 6 Nov 2008 15:02:54 GMT

Author: maxxy

Posted: 11/06/2008 20:02

Thank you. Both of you.
Obama 08

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

AfterHours — Wed, 5 Nov 2008 20:09:35 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 11/06/2008 01:09

Good. I'm not at all interested in getting you to change your mind on your favorite albums--I like that you're an individual--and it is totally fine by me if you find London Calling the greatest album ever. I don't mind in the least if it takes this tournament. This is merely a fun aside for me. I don't take it seriously. I was pretty surprised that VU & Nico lost--I thought it would be the eventual, overall winner.

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

JohnnyRocketFingers — Wed, 5 Nov 2008 19:45:36 GMT

Author: JohnnyRocketFingers

Posted: 11/06/2008 00:45

and nothing can get me down today, or for the next four years, because OBAMA IS OUR PRESIDENT

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

JohnnyRocketFingers — Wed, 5 Nov 2008 19:39:00 GMT

Author: JohnnyRocketFingers

Posted: 11/06/2008 00:39

i guess this is the part when i'm supposed to get mad? haha but yes it is true, i will admit, that i probably am taking this a bit personally (and it is my time of the month hahahaha). London Calling is my favorite album, it got me into music and has changed my view on life. Black Saint, not so much. All that aside, your opinion is yours and mine is mine. Maxxy is right when he says neither will be able to convince the other one way or the other

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

maxxy — Wed, 5 Nov 2008 14:40:22 GMT

Author: maxxy

Posted: 11/05/2008 19:40

There is no way to stress your viewpoints more than to simply vote for the album that you feel is better. Neither of you is going to change each other's minds.

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

AfterHours — Wed, 5 Nov 2008 00:30:29 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 11/05/2008 05:30

[quote="JohnnyRocketFingers"]Afterhours...I'm sorry to say this, but someone has to... you just vote for whoever is less popular. To you, if an album is popular, you hate it and you just regurgitate what Scaruffi says about the best albums ever. [quote]

An interesting but ignorant viewpoint, based on incomplete and assumed data. It seems like you're just trying to make me feel wrong because I downplayed one of your favorite albums. My criteria for ratings/rankings is as stated above. I could care less if an album is popular or not. As for "regurgitating Scaruffi", that's a pretty lazy statement. While he and I certainly share very similar ratings and rankings, most of his views are posted in Italian, not to mention the guy is virtually impossible to get a detailed response from, presumably because he's so busy--so I'm not sure there's much to regurgitate from. I don't find it much of a surprise that, having listened to his highest recommendations hundreds of times and after listening to and observing many of the same albums, we might say similar things about them. You find this all the time with critics and fans of most "classic" albums, reviews and opinions. An ignorant person could call your view of London Calling as the best album of the 70's "regurgitated" just as easily.

If it's still needed, there's plenty of evidence on www.listology.com (a site I participate in much more than this one) of my sharing my views on my favorite albums, without Scaruffi "holding my hand" so to speak. Check out my "Your Guide to Listening to My Greatest Albums List (in progress)" and, regardless of whether you agree with my views or not, you'll see very clearly that I've made my own observations of them.

Re: Greatest Albums of All Time Tournament

AfterHours — Tue, 4 Nov 2008 21:17:25 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 11/05/2008 02:17

JohnnyRocketFingers wrote:

i don't wish to argue with you Mr. Music. I can see why someone would prefer black saint over london calling. they are TOTALLY different albums. but when afterhours started babbling on about how black saint is soooo much better than london calling and that london calling is just an average album it was more the straw that broke the camel's back. After many comments that could have been taken straight from scaruffi's mouth and posts that show how, to afterhours, it is more about if the album is experimental, jazz, underground rather than if the album is actually good. for example: Carla Bley. The only popular album that afterhours appears to listen to The Doors, which is a pretty experimental for mainstream album... that all said. i still think afterhours list is impressive and the albums that he does listen to are great

I think you're taking this too personally. London Calling is a great album. While I was "babbling", supposedly as Scaruffi's personal assistant, I never once said London Calling was "average" (it's way better than average), but when it comes to Black Saint & the Sinner Lady, for me it's hardly different, in terms of quality, than a comparison to Beethoven's 9th. I consider Black Saint & the Sinner Lady the greatest musical work since Mahler's 9th (1910) and London Calling one of the many excellent albums of 1979. Keep in mind though, this is only my opinion. It's okay that you disagree--I am no more right about it than you are as these things are subjective. I was simply expressing how I felt about each.

Oh, and my ratings/rankings are based on the following criteria: how emotionally powerful is the album to me? The higher the rating/ranking the more emotionally powerful I find it. That simple. Whether it's avant-garde, popular or unpopular.

What makes an album emotionally powerful for me are the following, primary characteristics, in order of importance:

1. Emotional Conviction
2. Expansion of Ingenuity
3. Continuity (especially stressing an "accumulation of impact or emotional significance")

If you listen to the albums I list enough you will find these characteristics in spades with all the those I rate and rank highly, and perhaps then will better understand my position--or perhaps you already do.