Best Ever Albums

Re: The History Of Your #1

Jimmy Dread — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 18:01:15 GMT

Author: Jimmy Dread

Posted: 03/27/2014 22:01

From Go West to the Ramones via Oasis and Joanna Newsom in 13 easy steps.

..and not a hint of twee in sight...

Re: The History Of Your #1

ButterThumbz — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:13:38 GMT

Author: ButterThumbz

Posted: 03/27/2014 21:13

lightmyway wrote:

Rattle & Hum.

Damn! I just spat beer all over my monitor.

As I've only been a member for a year and a half but been a music lover for almost thirty five years, I'd say that having Music Has The Right To Children at number one since I joined was perfectly reasonable behaviour... Unless you're not a fan of the album of course, in which case it's a bloody travesty!

Re: The History Of Your #1

lightmyway — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 16:49:19 GMT

Author: lightmyway

Posted: 03/27/2014 20:49

I haven't fiddled with my charts much, my taste doesn't really fluctuate too much anymore. I'm in the process of overhauling them actually. Achtung Baby has been my favorite album for most of my life though. Before that it was probably Disintegration, Violator or Rattle & Hum.

Re: The History Of Your #1

alelsupreme — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 16:11:15 GMT

Author: alelsupreme

Posted: 03/27/2014 20:11

alelsupreme wrote:

When I first joined it was TVU&N. Then Pet Sounds just kinda gradually took it over.

Then I finally truly got ITAOTS and it took it's place. Then I heard Pinkerton and just fell in love with it, so now that's no.1.

And now it's 3 Feet High And Rising cos of my semi-alphabetical order.

Re: The History Of Your #1

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 16:06:16 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 03/27/2014 20:06

As well as I can remember:

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The Wall by Pink Floyd

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The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn by Pink Floyd

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The Madcap Laughs by Syd Barrett

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Just Another Diamond Day by Vashti Bunyan

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Ys by Joanna Newsom

I Could Live In Hope by Low

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Giles Corey by Giles Corey

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Cross Paths by The Motifs

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Visions by Grimes

When I liked things like Korn, Linkin Park, etc. I didn't really listen to full albums.

Re: The History Of Your #1

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 15:58:01 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 03/27/2014 19:58

Allright this is as accurate as I can do, going all the way back to the mid-90s and some of the sterling classics from my teenage years

Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio

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The Living End by The Living End

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Korn by Korn

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Paranoid by Black Sabbath

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Elephant by The White Stripes

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London Calling by The Clash

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Violent Femmes by Violent Femmes

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Funeral by Arcade Fire

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The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me by Brand New

Let It Die by Feist

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea by PJ Harvey

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Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division

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Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors

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Rain Dogs by Tom Waits

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Another Green World by Brian Eno

So Tonight That I Might See by Mazzy Star

Past Life Martyred Saints by EMA

and back to Rain Dogs again

Re: The History Of Your #1

cartoken — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 14:55:27 GMT

Author: cartoken

Posted: 03/27/2014 18:55

for some years my number 1# used to be :

Dre Dre - 2001

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now it's down to the 29# spot but it is still my favorite hip hop album ever 😁

Since then, you know the story....... Is this It, Is this it !!!!!

Re: The History Of Your #1

HazeyTwilight — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 14:22:42 GMT

Author: HazeyTwilight

Posted: 03/27/2014 18:22

On BEA, I went from having a predictable number 1:

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OK Computer by Radiohead

To a slightly more ambitious album:

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Illinois by Sufjan Stevens

To this album which has been my number 1 since April 2013:

If You're Feeling Sinister by Belle & Sebastian

I did have this for a week at the top until I changed back to Sinister:

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You Forgot It In People by Broken Social Scene

Re: The History Of Your #1

Cymro2011 — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 13:59:15 GMT

Author: Cymro2011

Posted: 03/27/2014 17:59

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White Light/White Heat by The Velvet Underground

It was this for ages. Now it's...

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When My Blue Moon Turns Red Again by Bassholes

Re: The History Of Your #1

Mercury — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 13:57:40 GMT

Author: Mercury

Posted: 03/27/2014 17:57

It was this

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London Calling by The Clash
For first months here and years and years prior

Then

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The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man On Earth
For a year or so. And it really is honestly number 1 in my heart.

Then

Ambient 1 Music For Airports by Brian Eno
For a a couple weeks

Then

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Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush
For an even shorter stint.

And then I was thinking if going back to The Wild Hunt when on a whim I chronologically ordered my chart so now it's...

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Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order 1928 1932 by Tommy Johnson

Re: The History Of Your #1

revolver94 — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 12:30:10 GMT

Author: revolver94

Posted: 03/27/2014 16:30

This is a great idea for a thread, wonder why I didn't notice it when it first came out.

Anyways, here's the before BEA list:

Computer World - Kraftwerk
Move Along - The All-American Rejects
The Fame Monster EP - Lady Gaga
Revolver - The Beatles

**BEA**

Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
OK Computer - Radiohead (twice, for like two days each time)
The Milk-Eyed Mender (it's been in and out of #1 pretty regularly)
Low - David Bowie
Loud City Song - Julia Holter
The Idler Wheel... - Fiona Apple

And that's where I am now!

Re: The History Of Your #1

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 12:21:36 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 03/27/2014 16:21

Gorilaz 'Demon Days' was my favorite album before Manic Street Preachers. Afterwards my favorite album has only ever been a Manic Street Preachers album.

Re: The History Of Your #1

meccalecca — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 12:16:33 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 03/27/2014 16:16

If we're talking about lifetime instead of just time on BEA, that would be quite interesting. This is pretty much a run down of how it's been for me, skipping a few

I think it all started for me with this one

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Rubber Soul by The Beatles

then maybe

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The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd

followed by

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Pork Soda by Primus

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Mr. Bungle by Mr. Bungle

me and other middle school kid alive:

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Dookie by Green Day

then

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Punk In Drublic by NoFX

which led to

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London Calling by The Clash

high school:

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Doolittle by Pixies

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OK Computer by Radiohead

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The Moon & Antarctica by Modest Mouse

college:

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Kid A by Radiohead

then it becomes quite a bit unclear.

Re: The History Of Your #1

Norman Bates — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 12:10:24 GMT

Author: Norman Bates

Posted: 03/27/2014 16:10

Before 2011, my #1 was Pink Moon. It is now at #2 because in 2011 The Smile Sessions were released.

Re: The History Of Your #1

paladisiac — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 11:47:07 GMT

Author: paladisiac

Posted: 03/27/2014 15:47

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway by Genesis has been my #1 since around 1995. Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins has been my #2 since the year after it came out. OK Computer by Radiohead has been my #3 since 1997/1998.

Before i bought The Lamb, i'm guessing But Seriously by Phil Collins was my favorite and my first fav was probably Purple Rain by Prince & The Revolution.

Re: The History Of Your #1

quincytejani — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 10:07:15 GMT

Author: quincytejani

Posted: 03/27/2014 14:07

My favourite album in my chart has always been DSOTM. I thought about switching it for OK Computer a few times but then every time I hear DS again I remember why it's there.

Will take something very very very special to move it now

I guess that's why I never get tired of searching and listening to music. Constantly on a mission to find that superior album that will oust it!

Re: The History Of Your #1

Jasonconfused — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 22:04:39 GMT

Author: Jasonconfused

Posted: 02/11/2013 03:04

purple wrote:

As I approach junior year at uni, I'm still riding the avalanche.

For those who aren't familiar with the university culture, this here is where purple is struggling with his cocaine addiction.

Re: The History Of Your #1

Anonymous — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 21:57:13 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/11/2013 02:57

Long before BEA, my #1 for quite some years was Rage Against the Machine's debut. That's the first album I ever bought and it remained at the top spot or somewhere near it for a solid few years (circa ages 11-14). At this point in my life I felt incredibly politically conscious, read as much as I could barely comprehend on the various forms of communism and socialism and anarchism, and was largely outraged at the post-9/11 Bush environment. Rage Against the Machine's debut fit this mentality very well.

Then my #1 transitioned to Nirvana's Nevermind (circa ages 13-16). Around this time in my life I was still politically aware, but becoming rapidly more apathetic and focusing on music with more personal commentary than political commentary. Around ages 15-16 I started delving into punk rock, and it's impossible to avoid political music while exploring those greats, but I always felt the closest connection to this album whose political commentary was light, and that largely focused on the teenage angst I felt that I was going through.

As I fleshed out punk and its roots (and become near totally apathetic to politics), I eventually settled on what was to be my "holy trinity" for four or five years (circa ages 16-20): Nirvana's In Utero; The Stooge's Raw Power; and The Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat. I joined BEA when I was 19, and in the first year or two on this site my musical tastes rapidly expanded as I explored the RS 500, Pitchfork lists, and BEA charts (which outside of a handful of users were much more conservative than most charts of prominent forum users today). However, no matter what I found, I enjoyed the raw, dark energy of these three albums far too much to replace them with anything. They simply rotated among the top three spots depending on my mood.

And then my sophomore year in college approached. I began really becoming part of the party culture at my uni and just felt like listening to something fun, which usually just ended up with me listening to some light indie rock or Daft Punk. Fortuitously, around this time I stumbled onto The Avalanches' Since I Left You. After first listen I immediately threw it up to my #1 and have been whoring it on this site (and off this site) since. I hear pure joy, bittersweet love, drunken silliness, a whole sprawling soundscape that just sounds like a good time. The best part is is that it's accessible, so I could also share this music with all of my friends who mostly listen to dance tunes.

As I approach junior year at uni, I'm still riding the avalanche. But that summer I promise to try to get into these two albums that one of my (now defunct) favorite users, theharrisonfords, always had towards the top of his charts: Talk Talk's Spirit Of Eden and Laughing Stock. Upon first listens, I couldn't get through the whole album. The pacing and quiet were too much for me to handle, especially after addictively listening to the hyperactive Avalanches for months. Even though I was incredibly averse to this music, I still kept throwing it on because something intrigued me. At first I held on to the really rockin' moments like towards the end of Desire or Ascension Day. Then I could hold onto the groove of Lee Harris, like on New Grass or Eden. Eventually I began hearing things in the "silence", including the bubbling flutes in After the Flood and the running tape at the very beginning of Myrrhman. Appreciating these albums took me several months of frequent listening, and they are thus far the most hard-fought battle for appreciation I've committed to. They've only held the actual top spot for around a year or so (at #2 and #3 now), but I consider them both just as much of my #1 as my actual #1, leagues above whatever rotates into position #4.

At some point in time I've briefly thrown up Charles Mingus' The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady into my #1 spot. This was the period where I was almost exclusively listening to jazz, and this album was by far and away the most emotive instrumental album I had heard. I would say albums like Love Supreme, On The Corner, Kind Of Blue, and Spiritual Unity come close, but this album just blew me away. It was quickly replaced though.

Finally, we come to Joanna Newsom's Ys. At this point in my life (end junior-beginning senior year at uni), I am incredibly lonely. My girlfriend of about 3 years has been studying abroad for months, we're not able to truly comfort each other's personal stresses over skype which leads to minor squabbles, and my family and a few friends have apparently never particularly enjoyed my girlfriend and are voicing these opinions to me now. It's also a strange feeling when you're an asexual being because the person you're attached to is half-way around the world. And all this time, I've been falling for another woman. I have been so erratically alpha and beta with this woman that I don't think either of us knows what to think any more. Since I moved away, we don't see each other unless I drive back down to Texas, which is a couple times a year. I didn't end up having sex with her, but I did eventually end up drunkenly cheating with several other women. The worst part is that my girlfriend didn't know, and I had to initiate the break up because my guilt of even being around her afterwards was too much of an onus. So back to Ys, this other woman actually suggested Joanna Newsom to me. One day she recommended Newsom in passing, and I thought I'd check it out because I had a crush on this woman and I remembered how much the user joannajewsom praised the album. Anyways, when I hear Ys, I hear the feminine beauty of this woman that I still have feelings for and I hear the pain my girlfriend and I hear the pain I've dealt the women that (mostly) unknowingly had sex with a taken man. I especially hear this in Only Skin. This is an example of an incredibly personal connection creating the ultimate sadness around an album that people otherwise think is beautiful. I can almost smile at Kozelek when comparing it to Ys.

Other albums that might have never made it to #1 but I feel deserve it include my current top 20.

And those are the broad brush strokes of my #1s.

Re: The History Of Your #1

Applerill — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 20:45:53 GMT

Author: Applerill

Posted: 02/11/2013 01:45

2005-2006:

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Under My Skin by Avril Lavigne
Come on, I was ten years old, and was the first album I ever bought with my own money.

Looking back, it hasn't aged quite as well as I thought it would, but I still love it with all my heart. I even own a DVD-Audio surround-sound remaster 😁

2007-2008:

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Be Not Nobody by Vanessa Carlton
Still in my top 20, though I've gotten to like it more and more as time has passed.

2009-2010:

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Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos
This album represented a HUGE change in my worldview, and therefore is more important to me than any other work of art. In a way, it saved my life.

2011:

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Pinkerton by Weezer
Same reasons as ItsIt. Still it my top 5.

2012:

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Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos

Re: The History Of Your #1

Grzywa — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 20:35:46 GMT

Author: Grzywa

Posted: 02/11/2013 01:35

It's always been Closer, since 6th December 1994, so quite a long time before Best Ever Albums. I doubt if anything will ever take its place, simply because I do not believe I will ever be able to feel such strong emotions with any music.