Best Ever Albums

Sorry to intervene, but can anybody guide me towards albums that you see as brilliant but aren't too hard to get into. Burnt out at the minute!

These are examples I would consider accessible/easy listens:

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Odessey And Oracle by The Zombies

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The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie

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Balance Of Power by Electric Light Orchestra

Don't know how many of these you've heard but:

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Days Of Future Passed by The Moody Blues

Machine Head by Deep Purple

Truth by The Jeff Beck Group

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Strange Days by The Doors

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Cheap Thrills by Big Brother And The Holding Company

Waiting For The Sun by The Doors

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Child Is Father To The Man by Blood, Sweat & Tears

Anthem Of The Sun by Grateful Dead

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Mr Fantasy by Traffic

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

NowhereMan — Mon, 4 Aug 2014 12:32:08 GMT

Author: NowhereMan

Posted: 08/04/2014 16:32

Sorry to intervene, but can anybody guide me towards albums that you see as brilliant but aren't too hard to get into. Burnt out at the minute!

These are examples I would consider accessible/easy listens:

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Odessey And Oracle by The Zombies

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The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie

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Balance Of Power by Electric Light Orchestra

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

Anonymous — Mon, 4 Aug 2014 01:27:46 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 08/04/2014 05:27

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Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player by Elton John

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Modern Vampires Of The City by Vampire Weekend

Late For The Sky by Jackson Browne

Three great albums with three different strengths, Don't Shoot Me with it's melodies, Modern Vampires with its production value, and Late For The Sky with some really, really impactful lyrics.

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

eyezayzay — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 15:55:21 GMT

Author: eyezayzay

Posted: 08/03/2014 19:55

I listened to Neutral Milk Hotel last night and it was wonderful.
Between a list I made for myself, the list you guys gave me and the list that was posted, I'm so confused about where to start. @_@

It looks like Stereolab might be next though.

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

HazeyTwilight — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 15:13:19 GMT

Author: HazeyTwilight

Posted: 08/03/2014 19:13

From a fellow novice, here's some albums which I find to be absolutely mandatory listening:

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Pink Moon by Nick Drake

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Elliott Smith by Elliott Smith

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Vespertine by Björk

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Sound Of Silver by LCD Soundsystem

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Ágætis Byrjun [Agaes Byrjun] by Sigur Rós

And that's just the beginning 😉

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

eyezayzay — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 15:03:16 GMT

Author: eyezayzay

Posted: 08/03/2014 19:03

Thanks a ton guys. That Top 100 list is gonna take quite awhile as is, but I'll go through these first.

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

Anonymous — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 14:22:38 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 08/03/2014 18:22

Donuts by J Dilla

Essential Instrumental Hip Hop listen, if you haven't heard this already, I can guarantee you'll enjoy it based on what your chart.

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Radio by LL Cool J

I think this is an essential Hip Hop listen. It's not the easiest listen as it's dated poorly, but it's perhaps the most stripped down Hip Hop album I've heard, and a launchpad for all Hip Hop album to come after.

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Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock

Essential Funk Jazz, absolute classic and shouldn't be missed.

Voodoo by D'Angelo

Absolute essential funk soul album, surprised not to see it on your chart. Once you've heard this album you can hear it in almost any funk, soul, R&B, hip hop album after.

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Thursday Afternoon by Brian Eno

Essential ambient, or at least, my personal favourite. A surprisingly easy listen! And perhaps one of my favourite endings to any album.

A Long Hot Summer by Masta Ace

This isn't an essential by any means, but it's a personal favourite of mine that I humbly recommend based on your chart, I think you'll love it if you haven't heard it already.

Lastly, while he hasn't got an album, listen to everything Jay Electronica has made.

I'm excited to hear what you think 😄

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

denmarkman — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 13:57:35 GMT

Author: denmarkman

Posted: 08/03/2014 17:57

A few essential ambient listens (a couple of these are stretches, but they've all got elements of ambient):

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Untrue by Burial

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A Stairway To The Stars by The Caretaker

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Hin-Fort by Trist

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

CripplingAutism — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 13:52:20 GMT

Author: CripplingAutism

Posted: 08/03/2014 17:52

If you're into indie stuff, you should listen to absolutely anything released by the Elephant 6 Recording Company.
Here is a short list of my favorite albums released by them:
In The Aeroplane Over The Sea/On Avery Island by Neutral Milk Hotel
A Dream In Sound by Elf Power
Mary's Voice by The Music Tapes
Black Foliage: Animation Music by Olivia Tremor Control
Live At Jittery Joe's by Jeff Mangum
Are You Sleepy? by The Gerbils

I hope that gives you a very good start into the wonderful world of Elephant 6 😁 😁 😁

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

AlexZangari — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 11:04:27 GMT

Author: AlexZangari

Posted: 08/03/2014 15:04

The ArchAndroid, Janelle Monae

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Yuck, Yuck

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It's Blitz!, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

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This Is Happening, LCD Soundsystem

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Think Tank, Blur

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Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

NowhereMan — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 04:39:50 GMT

Author: NowhereMan

Posted: 08/03/2014 08:39

I suppose this could get overwhelming, so stick with the chart that Racoon mentioned.

Happy listening!

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

Anonymous — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 04:38:29 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 08/03/2014 08:38

RepoMan wrote:

You're new here, eyezayzay, so I'll translate this seemingly innocent, offhand casual comment from Silver for you....

Stereolab are one of the GREATEST FUCKING BANDS EVER! Check out my chart dedicated to all things Stereolab to get started!!! They fucking rule!!!

SilverWalrus' Sensational Stereolab Solution

Although to be honest, Silver's probably way too mellow to use the word "fucking", and I'm probably just projecting my own passion for Stereolab here.

Nah, nah, that's a pretty much 100% accurate translation of that statement.

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

NowhereMan — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 04:37:32 GMT

Author: NowhereMan

Posted: 08/03/2014 08:37

A few hidden gems you could try:

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S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things

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The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man On Earth

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Dust by Screaming Trees

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

Anonymous — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 04:26:47 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 08/03/2014 08:26

SilverWalrus wrote:

And Maybe some Stereolab too.

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

Anonymous — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 03:22:55 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 08/03/2014 07:22

If you want more shoegaze I've got the perfect thing for you.

When You Sleep (You Dream Pop) by SilverWalrus

Immediate recommendations would be LSD And The Search For God, Swirlies, Ecstasy of Saint Theresa, and Drop Nineteens.

Also as a non-shoegaze rec since I've been listening to them a ton lately how about some Spoon.

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Kill The Moonlight by Spoon

Also check out Kaputt by Destroyer and Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? by The Unicorns. And Maybe some Stereolab too.

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

eyezayzay — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 01:41:52 GMT

Author: eyezayzay

Posted: 08/03/2014 05:41

Many thanks, that list is super helpful!

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

RockyRaccoon — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 01:29:15 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 08/03/2014 05:29

After you've finished with that chart, then start to delve into the genres you love most. That chart will give you a lot to work with, as will the BEA overall. Then, as you find that you really like certain genres, delve more into them. Google the genre, ask for recommendations in the recommendations thread, and go deeper and deeper into the genre. Then rinse and repeat for the next genre.

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

RockyRaccoon — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 01:24:49 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 08/03/2014 05:24

I would highly highly recommend using this chart for reference. It's a pretty accurate reflection of the overall preferences of the members here. It's a pretty safe bet that virtually every album on there is considered "essential" by a regular on this site.

Re: Recommend Stuff to the Music Novice

eyezayzay — Sun, 3 Aug 2014 00:28:10 GMT

Author: eyezayzay

Posted: 08/03/2014 04:28

Many thanks, someone else told me to check out Pavement. Now I've got more reason to do so!