Best Ever Albums

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

RoundTheBend — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 22:59:41 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 04/26/2018 02:59

Romanelli wrote:

You can have whatever you want in your chart. And anyone who says otherwise is simply wrong, closed minded and misguided.

I think I have to agree with this.

Tap wrote:

unless its a 4 track 19 minute ep

🤣 🤣 🤣

Also I think some artists are great songwriters, but shit album makers. That's when I put comps in my lists... when no album is better than their comp, and their albums also don't really have a clear "well procured" album track-listing... it's just a group of songs, just like a comp. MANY albums, the artist had no control over the track-listing, just like they didn't in a comp. I'm just stating that, because that is often the elitist view of why to hate comps.

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 22:29:45 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/25/2018 02:29

[quote="Hayden"]

Mercury wrote:

Currently the only comp in my top 100 is:

World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor? by William Onyeabor

Fantastic album

PurpleHazel wrote:

When I first saw the thread title, I got nervous. Thought BEA might be considering separating studio and live albums the way RYM did.

Haha no I'm not affiliated with BEA I've just been wondering about this topic for ages.

RichardSauce wrote:

I definitely tend to prioritize studio albums, but I think compilations and live albums both have their place, and I have no problem using them, at least not in a limited fashion.

EP's are trickier. An EP can be fantastic, influential, not a weak moment....but they're by definition not an album. They occupy that weird space between album and single...though I've seen some, Pisces Iscariot and Incesticide come immediately to mind, that are as long or longer than many studio albums. It's a judgement call I guess, and it is your list after all, as Romanelli already pointed out.

This is a great answer. I'm leaning towards doing the same. The EP thing is tough because some of my absolute favourites are EPs but I think you're right, they're not quite a full album.

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 21:26:06 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/25/2018 01:26

Mercury wrote:

NOOOO! Compilations are great. I am not talking so much about "greatest hits" or "best ofs". But a compilation? As in an album of music taken from various sessions or times put together into a CD or a box set? That sometimes is the best thing in a discography. I'm not talking the best thing to introduce you to an artist, but legitimately the best album or set in a discography. Sometimes its the only thing you can get from an artist.

Very interesting point. I think the concept of compilations are different across genres too. There are alot of fantastic electronic albums considered to be compilations, but they certainly aren't 'best of' albums either.

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

RichardSauce — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 20:28:08 GMT

Author: RichardSauce

Posted: 04/25/2018 00:28

I definitely tend to prioritize studio albums, but I think compilations and live albums both have their place, and I have no problem using them, at least not in a limited fashion.

EP's are trickier. An EP can be fantastic, influential, not a weak moment....but they're by definition not an album. They occupy that weird space between album and single...though I've seen some, Pisces Iscariot and Incesticide come immediately to mind, that are as long or longer than many studio albums. It's a judgement call I guess, and it is your list after all, as Romanelli already pointed out.

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

Tap — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 17:00:45 GMT

Author: Tap

Posted: 04/24/2018 21:00

lol couldn't resist 😄

but yeah live albums are great, my number 1 is a live album (shh no one tell rym)

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

Romanelli — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 16:41:58 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 04/24/2018 20:41

Tap wrote:

unless its a 4 track 19 minute ep

Well...yeah.

😁

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

Tap — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 16:38:43 GMT

Author: Tap

Posted: 04/24/2018 20:38

unless its a 4 track 19 minute ep

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

Romanelli — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 16:36:20 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 04/24/2018 20:36

You can have whatever you want in your chart. And anyone who says otherwise is simply wrong, closed minded and misguided.

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

SleepDealer — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 16:06:35 GMT

Author: SleepDealer

Posted: 04/24/2018 20:06

Hayden wrote:

That Belle & Sebastian release mentioned above could easily slip into my top 50 though, it's one of my all-time favs.

I'd never count it as a single record, after buying the individual EPs when they came out...

My personal favourite compilation is this one - even if it is a bit bloated:

Oscillons From The Anti-Sun by Stereolab

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

PurpleHazel — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 15:58:23 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 04/24/2018 19:58

When I first saw the thread title, I got nervous. Thought BEA might be considering separating studio and live albums the way RYM did.

That's worse to me than separating original albums and compilations, but I'm against both.

My biggest argument against separating studio and live albums is that live albums only have a stigma in rock and some other pop genres. Many jazz buffs believe jazz is best experienced live. Practically all jazz studio albums are recorded live in the studio, so the distance between studio and live albums is much shorter.

My biggest single problem with excluding comps is that box sets are automatically considered comps on here, even when they're all completely unreleased material. Two of my favorite jazz albums are Miles' The Complete Cellar Door Sessions (the live sets most of Live-Evil is drawn from; the other sets are better than the ones used on Live-Evil) and his Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2.

Also classic R&B and blues recordings before the late 60s weren't intended to be album experiences, so that puts classic R&B and Blues artists at a disadvantage on BEA, and the disadvantage would only be that much worse if comps were excluded. Of course, all recordings released before 1950 would be even more at a disadvantage than they already are. In my overall and decade charts, the only comps I allow (not counting those live Miles sets) are R&B and Blues. In my yearly charts I have a small number of rock comps.

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

Hayden — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 12:52:45 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 04/24/2018 16:52

Mercury wrote:

Now, if I see something like the eagles greatest hits or even a best of from an artist I adore like if I see the Essential Bob Dylan, I may think "come on man!", but those are a different kind of compilation in my view.

Yeah, proper comps are totally cool. Various artists, rarities, tracks only previously released on 7", etc...

Unless previously unreleased in any format, I think comps fit a bit better in overall/custom charts compared to decade/year (I'm not putting a blues anthology in my Best of 2009 list, no more how good it is).

Currently the only comp in my top 100 is:

World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor? by William Onyeabor

Which I feel just makes sense.

That Belle & Sebastian release mentioned above could easily slip into my top 50 though, it's one of my all-time favs.

EDIT: Technically Cross Paths is a comp, and that's also in my top 100.

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

Mercury — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 12:41:03 GMT

Author: Mercury

Posted: 04/24/2018 16:41

NOOOO! Compilations are great. I am not talking so much about "greatest hits" or "best ofs". But a compilation? As in an album of music taken from various sessions or times put together into a CD or a box set? That sometimes is the best thing in a discography. I'm not talking the best thing to introduce you to an artist, but legitimately the best album or set in a discography. Sometimes its the only thing you can get from an artist.

Obviously I am looking at this through the lens of my love for the blues. These are compilations (not best ofs particularly and certainl;y not greatest hits)

The Complete Blind Willie Johnson by Blind Willie Johnson

The Pious Bird Of Good Omen by Fleetwood Mac

Push Barman To Open Old Wounds by Belle And Sebastian

King Of The Delta Blues Singers by Robert Johnson

Be Here To Love Me by Townes Van Zandt

The Complete Imperial Recordings by Albert Collins

The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) by Bob Dylan
(and almost all of the bootleg series qualifies, even the live compilation of the Rolling Thunder Revue

The First Four Years by Black Flag

etc etc...

and those are all some of the greatest or the greatest thing available for those artists.

So no I don't have a negative view of compilations and definitely not Live albums or compilations of live albums or live albums which essentially work as best ofs played live etc. They all are legit looks at the artist and present new looks at the artists.

Now, if I see something like the eagles greatest hits or even a best of from an artist I adore like if I see the Essential Bob Dylan, I may think "come on man!", but those are a different kind of compilation in my view.

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

AAL2014 — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 12:23:08 GMT

Author: AAL2014

Posted: 04/24/2018 16:23

A compilation has to be very meaningful to me before I consider putting it on my chart. I fell out of love with greatest hits albums a few years ago, although a few still hold a special place.

When it comes to live albums, I have a few in my main chart. I think a live album can be as important of a document of where a band was in their career and life as any studio LP can be. Live After Death by Iron Maiden and The Who's Live At Leeds being a couple that I return to more often than the majority of those band's respective studio records.

No freaking way.

glynspsa — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 08:21:31 GMT

Author: glynspsa

Posted: 04/24/2018 12:21

HELL NO! I often prefer Live music, especially in certain genres, I can't be the only one. I try not to put true compilations in my decades or overall chart but have no problem including them in my year charts, though i often downgrade them some for being compilations.

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 08:04:26 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/24/2018 12:04

Johnnyo wrote:

I don't put compilations or best of's in my charts but I do put live albums which, IMO, must be included in any chart of album releases, as long as they are good enough to get into the chart. So no, it shouldn't only be studio albums

I generally agree, although even though Smile Sessions is considered a compilation, it's in it's own category of unfinished studio LPs. It's a damn shame too

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

Johnnyo — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 07:46:35 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 04/24/2018 11:46

I don't put compilations or best of's in my charts but I do put live albums which, IMO, must be included in any chart of album releases, as long as they are good enough to get into the chart. So no, it shouldn't only be studio albums

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

boyd94 — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 07:05:41 GMT

Author: boyd94

Posted: 04/24/2018 11:05

My personal rule about live albums is to avoid them unless the tracks are previously unrecorded for an LP or are sufficiently different from studio LP versions that they essentially constitute a new piece, evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Live albums by James Brown, Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers, for example.

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 07:01:00 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/24/2018 11:01

bobbyb5 wrote:

I think I only have two or three eps in charts. And I try to restrict all the mix albums I have to the Year charts. Only a few mix albums are in my decade or overall top 100 charts.

I see you have a lot more charts than I do too, makes it harder if you were only limited to LPs.

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

bobbyb5 — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 06:44:56 GMT

Author: bobbyb5

Posted: 04/24/2018 10:44

lukem14 wrote:

Thanks, I changed the subject to match the poll. I can't seem to see how to change the poll.

I think that's a good idea though. I've alway been strict on LPs only but I think I may branch out. There's some fantastic EPs I'd like to recognise

I think I only have two or three eps in charts. And I try to restrict all the mix albums I have to the Year charts. Only a few mix albums are in my decade or overall top 100 charts.

Re: Studio LP Albums only in BEA chart?

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 06:39:57 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/24/2018 10:39

Thanks, I changed the subject to match the poll. I can't seem to see how to change the poll.

I think that's a good idea though. I've alway been strict on LPs only but I think I may branch out. There's some fantastic EPs I'd like to recognise