Best Ever Albums

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

RoundTheBend — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 00:29:19 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/18/2019 05:29

Nice collection Lebowski. Calmer than you are... hehe.

I got lost on a bunch of mental rabbit holes avoiding Monday and added this up. Basically it's albums I gave a 9 or above and what then is the total for each artist. My taste is not BEA material and clearly I'm very familiar with my teenage years. Anyway, I guess this is an ok synopsis for me. Maybe a few years from now once I'm complete with my "survey of western music" I'll think differently. Maybe I won't.

Clearly disqualified any artist with only a single amazing album.

Row Labels Sum of Rating
U2 114
Radiohead 76
The Beatles 76
R.E.M. 75
Foo Fighters 74
Paul Simon 56
Red Hot Chili Peppers 49
Nirvana 48
Muse 47
Beck 46
Weezer 46
Thrice 39
Pink Floyd 37
Led Zeppelin 37
Johnny Cash 28
The Rolling Stones 28
The Smashing Pumpkins 28
Elvis Presley 27
Miles Davis 27
Pearl Jam 27
Queens of the Stone Age 27
Simon and Garfunkel 20
Phish 20
Van Morrison 19
Sly & The Family Stone 19
Little Richard 19
Smashing Pumpkins 19
Arcade Fire 19
Elbow 19
The Velvet Underground 19
Rage Against the Machine 19
Santana 19
The Allman Brothers Band 18
Metallica 18
The Beach Boys 18
Creedence Clearwater Revival 18
The White Stripes 18
LCD Soundsystem 18
The Anniversary 18
Ray Charles 18
Black Sabbath 18
Vampire Weekend 18
Modest Mouse 18

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

LebowskiRams — Sun, 17 Feb 2019 23:40:40 GMT

Author: LebowskiRams

Posted: 02/18/2019 04:40

There's no such thing as an objectively perfect album. Music is subjective as is perfection.

Pinkerton by Weezer

This album means so much to me personally, and I think is one of the boldest albums of its era. Favorite album by my favorite band.

In Rainbows by Radiohead

The album that solidified my love for Radiohead. Like Pinkerton, it's my favorite album by my other favorite band.

To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar

An American classic in music, poetry and social commentary. My favorite hip-hop/rap album and my favorite output by my favorite rapper.

Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen

This one goes back-and-forth. I think there are weaker songs on here and not all are 10/10 (Night doesn't compare to the rest of the bunch) this is an album my father and I have bonded over, and for that, it's perfect.[/i]

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

RoundTheBend — Sat, 16 Feb 2019 21:06:05 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/17/2019 02:06

I have really low standards on a "perfect" album. For me a perfect album is an album with no weak song on it or probably even a lower standard, "I like" every song on that album... a lot. So song for song, these albums are "perfect" even if they totally aren't from many other lenses you could look at things from. So I agree and disagree with there's no such thing as a perfect album (both are true I suppose for me).

For me those albums are for now (as it might ever change/evolve/grow):
Classical works:
Beethoven's 3rd, 5th, 9th
Mozart's 40th and 41st
Vivaldi's Four Seasons
Rite of Spring
Peer Gynt Suites
Shaker Loops / Light Over Water
Pictures at an Exhibition
New World Symphony

Album Era Stuffs and things:
Sea Change
Green
In Rainbows
Sgt. Pepper's
Abbey Road
Joshua Tree
Achtung Baby
Graceland
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

Fischman — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 19:43:19 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 02/16/2019 00:43

For me, the assessment of "perfect" hinges on those being albums I can't imagine any way in which the album could possibly be better. In addition to being consistently interesting music, everything on the album works together to make it a seamlessly outstanding experience from end to end.

There may be a relatively weak individual cut, but if it fits well into the album, the album can still be for me a perfect album. Of course too bad a cut, or too many of them and that no longer holds true.

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

carpents — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 18:59:50 GMT

Author: carpents

Posted: 02/15/2019 23:59

TimeLion wrote:

Many years of pondering this question finally led me to conclude that I have no idea what it means for an album to be perfect. Besides, I prefer to rest comfortably in my delusion that there are no limits on beauty.

I actually don't know what 'perfect' means either. But I know that I think those three I posted are. It's a feeling, so it's naturally subjective.

@chuchunezbie posted two which may also be in my list, the MTV Unplugged and Black Sabbath. It's been a while since I've sat to listen to them.

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

JOSweetHeart — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 18:47:43 GMT

Author: JOSweetHeart

Posted: 02/15/2019 23:47

God bless you always!!!

Holly

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

baystateoftheart — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 18:26:54 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 02/15/2019 23:26

Norman Bates wrote:

There aren't any. Make do with what you've got. Even Pet Sounds ... [isn't] perfectly perfect, so what can be?

Agreed.

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

TimeLion — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 18:19:06 GMT

Author: TimeLion

Posted: 02/15/2019 23:19

Many years of pondering this question finally led me to conclude that I have no idea what it means for an album to be perfect. Besides, I prefer to rest comfortably in my delusion that there are no limits on beauty.

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

chuchunezbie — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 17:42:13 GMT

Author: chuchunezbie

Posted: 02/15/2019 22:42

If I'm the producer here, perfection is limited to my idea of it. That being said, these are albums that I get to the end of and say "one more time", and then listen to it all over again at least two more times:

Nirvana - MTV Unplugged
Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
Bob Dylan - Freewheelin'
Kendrick Lamar - D.A.M.N.
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Lauryn Hill - Miseducation
Led Zeppelin - 2
Pink Floyd - Animals
System of a Down - System of a Down
Prince - Dirty Mind
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Scientist - The Best Dub Album in the World

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

dholl — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 16:40:31 GMT

Author: dholl

Posted: 02/15/2019 21:40

Nice thread idea!

I'd say the ones which get a perfect 100/100, I'll put my top-40 comments here for ease of reading:

Pink Floyd - The Wall: flawless study of a flawed man...we have all been Pink. Had I not limited my top 40 to one-entry-per-artist, Floyd would have 7 or 8 entries. No other band or artist has matched the sheer variety, creativity, emotion, intellect and quality of their epic studio work (post-Waters era not included). Best song: all 80 glorious minutes of it!

Psykovsky - Tanetsveta: my favourite musician behind only the Floyd themselves. Tanetsveta is an epic trip into what our reality sounds like if we had no frequency filters. Alternatively, think of it as music made by far-future aliens who are attempting to communicate with us. Best track: Aura Leta - if you enjoy this album then try his next two Na Ve Ka & Ksolntsu.

Arvo Pärt - Tabula Rasa: unbearably beautiful...not a fan of Pärt's choral work, but this goes straight to the human heart. Best piece: the title track.

Einstürzende Neubauten - Halber Mensch: Neubauten have a few candidates, but Halber Mensch is the most cohesive as a full album. Their more relaxed later sound is however equally enticing. One of the strongest discographies in music. Best song: Der Tod is ein Dandy.

Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians: incredible pulse-music, with clever use of phasing to create more movement. For more good Reich also check out Drumming. Best piece: impossible to separate Music for 18 Musicians, it's one long hypnotic trip.

The Prodigy - Music for the Jilted Generation: Liam Howlett conjured magic here and he was never able to repeat it. Away from the shouty electropunk of everything from 1996 onwards or dated rave stylings of everything before 1993 we have ageless high-end breakbeat-techno, still sounding like the future even today almost 25 years later, especially Break & Enter, Speedway, The Heat The Energy and the Narcotic Suite. Best track: Speedway, also including the ambient-bleeding into The Heat The Energy.

Radiohead - Kid A: Radiohead had potential to match Pink Floyd but they somewhat scuppered it by not being adventurous enough as they matured (not many instrumentals, song-lengths quite samey, over-reliance on reverb). Saying that: with Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail & In Rainbows we have an immense run of form...I could've chosen any of them to represent (Amnesiac has my top 2 Radiohead songs) but Kid A just about wins for best-flowing as an album. If you're surprised I haven't mentioned OK Computer, it's because Kid A kinda killed it forever, tho' I still enjoy a blast of Paranoid Android & Exit Music. Best song from Kid A: The National Anthem.

Sonic Youth - Sister: 80's Sonic Youth has a very special dark visceral energy, Confusion is Sex almost made it but Sister gets the nod...also close were Bad Moon Rising & Evol, like Radiohead above that's a fine run of 4 memorable albums in a row. And in a reverse-effect to OK Computer once Daydream Nation came it kinda killed that raw darkness they had. Best song: Seven...SEVEN! I mean Stereo Sanctity...be prepared for the greatest jam-out of any rock.

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew: people call this album difficult, but from the very first bars I heard (the signature call-out from the title song) I was hooked. This is grand story-telling without words. Best piece: Sanctuary just about edges out the title track.

Harmonia - Musik von Harmonia: this sounds like musik made especially for me...takes one to the deep cosmos...best piece: Sehr Kosmisch!

Can - Tago Mago: happy to see a lot of love for this great band on BEA. Tago Mago shades their best album as the experimentations and hypnotic-funk drumming are at their peak. Best piece: Oh Yeah!

Derango - Tumult: Derango's only album is the most perfect banging 4-on-the-floor album ever made. No one gets close. Psykovsky & Prodigy's Jilted Generation obviously offer more musically, but if all you want is to pound, then there's nowt better than Tumult, which adds psychedelic musique concrete licks to help you focus on your animal regression. Best track: Deranged

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

Norman Bates — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 16:30:55 GMT

Author: Norman Bates

Posted: 02/15/2019 21:30

There aren't any. Make do with what you've got. Even Pet Sounds, Original Pirate Material, After the Gold Rush, Black metal, A Love Supreme, Boy in da Corner, The Shape of Jazz to Come, Paid in Full, The Queen Is Dead, Ah Um, Rubber Soul, It Takes a Nation of Millions or Aftermath aren't oerfectly perfect, so what can be?

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

Sandinistar — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 14:01:41 GMT

Author: Sandinistar

Posted: 02/15/2019 19:01

Without putting too much thought into it

Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
Os Mutantes - Os Mutantes
Gris-Gris - Dr. John
Blue - Joni Mitchell
Marquee Moon - Television
Low - David Bowie
My Aim is True - Elvis Costello
Surfer Rosa - Pixies
Illmatic - Nas
Entroducing... - DJ Shadow
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco
Boxer - The National

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

Villain — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 13:28:30 GMT

Author: Villain

Posted: 02/15/2019 18:28

AC/DC - Back in Black
Soundgarden - Superunknown
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
CCR - Willy and the Poor Boys

Re: What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

Fischman — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 13:22:58 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 02/15/2019 18:22

In Chronological Order:

Wes Montgomery with the Wynton Kelly Trio - Smokin' at the Half Note
The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed
The Who - Who's Next
Kansas - Leftoverture
Dan Fogelberg - Nether Lands
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
Rush - Moving Pictures
Shooting Star - Silent Scream
Peter Kater and R. Carlos Nakai - Natives
Dream Theater - Images and Words
Michael Gettel - Skywatching
Asia - XXX

What Are Your "Perfect" Albums?

carpents — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 08:43:37 GMT

Author: carpents

Posted: 02/15/2019 13:43

I've been thinking about this for a while, because for me it's a complex question. I have a couple albums which I just feel are perfectly formed end-to-end, and I think accomplish perfectly what the artist intended.

This isn't just an analog for my favorite albums either, because some "imperfect" albums sometimes invoke a stronger emotional response in me just based on the type and/or execution of the music. These are the albums, if I were a producer on them, I would just tell the artist(s) not to change a single thing.

I have three albums which I consider perfect:
Have One On Me by Joanna Newsom

Why not Ys? I think it's the additional percussion in Have One On Me. There are moments where I hear the percussion start, then stop, then come back and it floors me how brilliant it is, and how it meshes so perfectly with the song.
I also don't mind the length, and generally can listen to this in 3 distinct ways: Only CD 1, 2, or 3; Half the album (Easy to California/Jackrabbits to Does Not Suffice); or the whole way through. Each way is equally satisfying to me.

Seven Swans by Sufjan Stevens

(Echoing the Chief's comments in the Games forum, to me this is a better [perfect] version of Carrie & Lowell.)

Brother, Sister by mewithoutYou

This one is obvious to me, and even though I don't like mewithoutYou as much as Sufjan/Joanna, I still listen to this album and think that they couldn't have changed a single thing to make it better. I think they perfectly captured what mewithoutYou is in this album.

Curious what others consider to be perfect, or none at all?