Perception:Your "Best" Album vs Album You Listen T

[meccalecca]

Bear with me. I've been thinking a lot about the distinction between the albums we truly love and the albums we want to love or appreciate so much that we rank them higher.

There are more avant garde records that I'm often tempted to add to my overall chart because of their obvious genius such as Trout Mask Replica, The Residents' Commercial Album and Zappa's Apostrophe, but as much as I admire and appreciate these records, there's other, simpler albums that I find myself returning to far far more.

Would you say that your #1 album is the album you return to the most? Or just the one that you respect the most?

My overall chart has always been based on personal taste and what affects me most. That #1 spot is probably totally interchangeable between all 100 albums based on my mood on any given day. So I gave that #1 slot to London Calling, because it's hard to imagine that I've listened to any other album nearly as much .

[Kiki]

[Guest]

I've been listening to Kendrick's last album at least two or three times a week since it came out, and for the first three months probably daily. I've also been listening to 94diskont and Ege Bamyasi constantly too. I probably return to all of my Top 30 or 40 at least once a month. Often my bottom 20 or 30 are things that have been getting a lot of rotation. There are some albums on the chart that I haven't listened to in ages but I find it difficult to get rid of because of how much they mean to me (Baduizm and Hot Rats spring to mind). But yeah, my Top 100 goes through pretty regular updates depending on how I feel on any given day, so I guess this isn't something I particularly give too much thought to.

[revolver94]

My #1 is pretty solidly my #1 at this point, and I honestly think it's the best album ever created. It's also the one that I go back to the most. Perhaps there are some albums on my chart that are more gimmicky, if that makes sense, but Pet Sounds is not one of them. Nor are any of the top 20, those are really the albums I love the most.
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[Guest]

My chart is all my favourite albums. At one point I really focused on listening to crazy, avant-garde stuff, and I definitely respect it, but also I find that even things like TMR are just fun for me. At this point I wouldn't add something to my chart that I don't enjoy a lot, personally. I don't care how influential or innovative it is, if it happens to be so, neat.

My number one doesn't get too much critical acclaim outside of freak-folky circles, and it certainly is influential to the likes of Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, and other "freakfolk" artists, but I don't listen to it for that. I listen to it because it brings me the greatest joy.
I think those who only listen to music to respect it and examine its influence and so on, are definitely missing something. And the two can certainly coalesce, respectable albums and albums you love on a personal level.

[Kiki]

My first post may have been a little harsh. To answer what else was said, I'll say the top of my chart is a lot more set the higher it goes. Near the bottom albums could jump 30-40 places if I find something new on a later listen.

[JMan]

[meccalecca]

[Jasonconfused]

[meccalecca]