Albums you think are perfect?

[edjs]

Originally Posted by VoodooChild

Cool thread! I agree with a couple listed already: Beach Boys - Pet Sounds and Beatles - Rubber Soul.

I would add:
The Sonics - Here are the Sonics
Television - Marquee Moon
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Gang of Four - Entertainment!
Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material
Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Descendents - Milo Goes to College
The Chameleons - Script of the Bridge
The Replacements - Let it Be
The Replacements - Tim

Crazy, I’m listening to Script of the Bridge as I am reading this thread, and just finished listening to Joy Division. I was going to list those and The Jesus and Mary Chain Darklands, John Coltrane Bluetrain, Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions, the Damned Machine Gun Etiquette ,Blackbird, Blackbird Boracay Planet, Niva Feverish Dream...man I could go on. I’m listing those just to share some maybe, how would you say, less thought of or known albums? I love many of the already listed stuff, spent a year in Iraq listening to David Grey almost daily. Très fun.

[VoodooChild]

Originally Posted by edjs

Crazy, I’m listening to Script of the Bridge as I am reading this thread, and just finished listening to Joy Division. I was going to list those and The Jesus and Mary Chain Darklands, John Coltrane Bluetrain, Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions, the Damned Machine Gun Etiquette ,Blackbird, Blackbird Boracay Planet, Niva Feverish Dream...man I could go on. I’m listing those just to share some maybe, how would you say, less thought of or known albums? I love many of the already listed stuff, spent a year in Iraq listening to David Grey almost daily. Très fun.

It's crazy how good Script of the Bridge is from start to finish. It was so good, they had nowhere to go but down. I don't own, but I did try listing to their next two albums but they are nowhere close. I agree with Darklands and Machine Gun Etiquette as well. I could also go on about lesser known albums. I'm listing to the Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady right now and would add it to the list. Would also add The Modern Lovers - Self Titled Debut, The Gun Club - Fire of Love, Husker Du - Zen Arcade, Radio Birdman - Radios Appear, etc., etc. etc....

I highly recommend anything from The Replacements. They really do have something for everybody. I guess they are best known as an Alternative/College Rock type band that sang "Bastards of Young" and getting kicked off SNL. But they started as somewhat hardcore Punk, had an experimental rock phase, and later developed a Ska type sound. They are really underappreciated for some reason. "Let it Be" is similar to "Scriprt of the Bridge". It's just a great album from start to finish.

[earlywynnfan]

I would like to agree with the cool kids above who mentioned Mindcrime from Queensryche and Don't Say No from Billy Squier.

For a totally oddball choice, there isn't a single album I listened to completely (no skipping) as much as I listened to Loudness' Hurricane Eyes. Very underrated band.

[Shoeless Moe]

Kid Rock - Devil Without A Cause

[mcgwirecom]

Also I forgot mention...

The Georgia Satellites

[riggs336]

I still play the first two albums I ever bought...and they are perfect.

"Here's Little Richard" on Specialty
"Jerry Lee Lewis" on Sun

I could name a hundred others, but you never forget your first.

[scmavl]

Lots of great ones on here. I think my top two would be jazz...

1. Bill Evans Trio - Portrait in Jazz

2. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

3. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

4. Beastie Boys - Check Your Head

5. Beatles - Abbey Road

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by riggs336

I still play the first two albums I ever bought...and they are perfect.

"Here's Little Richard" on Specialty
"Jerry Lee Lewis" on Sun

I could name a hundred others, but you never forget your first.

My first two...

Yesterday and Today
Are You Experienced?

That pair qualifies, I'd say

[the 'stache]

Oh man.

Enuff Z'Nuff-this album, and the band, had the incredible misfortune of debuting in August of 1989, just as the grunge era was beginning in Seattle. Had this album come out five years earlier, Enuff Z'Nuff would have become one of the biggest bands in the world. As it is, their look made them MTV darlings as hair metal was in its death throes. Their record label famously pushed an image on the band that gave them tremendous visibility. But when the musical landscape changed, that image amounted to a straight jacket after the band had been pushed overboard, and sank to the bottom, even with media heavyweights Howard Stern and David Letterman endlessly promoting the band on their shows.

When I recommend this glam metal masterpiece to friends, I describe the band as a hybrid of Van Halen, The Beatles and Sweet. The band's classic lineup, lead vocalist Donnie Vie, bassist Chip Z'Nuff, guitarist Derek Frigo and drummer Vik Fox, had an astonishing level of musicianship, and were absolutely fantastic live. Their hard rock/glam metal songs compositions featured some of the catchiest hooks any hard rock act have ever had, and classically trained virtuoso Derek Frigo infused one volcanic guitar solo after another into their thoughtfully crafted tracks. And then, there were their vocals. Those harmonies. Donnie and Chip were meant to sing together.

Their first three albums, the eponymous debut, Strength, and Animals With Human Intelligence are all must haves. But the first album is absolutely addictive.

Carole King-Tapestry

Tori Amos-Little Earthquakes

Stevie Nicks-Bella Donna

Rush-Moving Pictures-really, I could pick a number of their albums depending on my mood. But Moving Pictures represents a very special time for me, when I first got into the band. I keep coming back to it. The Camera Eye is a perfect song.

Jeff Buckley-Grace

Queen-Sheer Heart Attack. Like Rush, I could pick a number of their albums for this list. Queen II is one of the greatest things I've ever heard. It marked Queen truly becoming Queen. They had much of their sound in place with their debut, but the progressive elements, the theatricality of the band, first started revealing itself on the second album. White Queen is one of the greatest songs ever recorded. But Sheer Heart Attack was their break out. Completely uncompromising, it was Freddie Mercury's putting the world on notice. Really, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races and News of the World are all perfect in their own way. Their albums after that had just a slight touch of unevenness at times. Jazz and Hot Space had some highs, but just didn't completely work. The Game and The Works were fantastic albums. I'll go weeks at a time and listen to nothing but Queen or Rush. I completely binge on them, and never grow tired of them. Ever.

Van Halen-Fair Warning. With all due respect to Jimi Hendrix, Brian May, David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Randy Rhoads, Alex Lifeson, John Petrucci, Jake E. Lee, Criss Oliva and a few others that have also been huge influences on me as a musician, Eddie Van Halen is the greatest rock guitarist of all-time, and Fair Warning is his masterpiece.

Miles Davis-A Kind of Blue

Dream Theater-Images and Words


There are more, I'll have to think about it.

[jcmtiger]

Any Elvis or Petula Clark album. I’m an old guy. LOL

[goldenage]

Originally Posted by jcmtiger

Any Elvis or Petula Clark album. I’m an old guy. LOL

The Ed Sullivan Show !

[TheBig6]

Rod Stewart Every picture tells a story
Bad Company Running with the pack
Rare Earth Ma
CSNY Deja Vu
Buffalo Springfield Retrospect
James Taylor Sweet baby James
ZzTop Tres Hombres
The Doors Morrison Hotel
The Doors LA Woman
Deep Purple Perfect Strangers
Iron Butterfly Ball

[familytoad]

I read the OP to describe albums that are perfect, no weak points.
While 100% perfection isn’t literal, when I replied earlier and excluded some amazing albums , it was because they had some cuts I don’t think are great. That’s very subjective of course.

I am a big Steely Dan fan but other than “Aja”, the albums only have *mostly* good songs, in fact , a high percentage.

Aja is perfect.

Same concept (for me) with Elton John and Pink Floyd.
To me , I like almost all of DSOM or The Wall, but not all.
WYWH is perfect.

Elton John has terrific albums, most are 80-90% terrific.
I think only “Madman across the Water” is perfect.

I check this thread periodically because I really like listening to different music.
Last week I listened to jazz pianist Art Tatum, just because.

Keep’em coming!

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by earlywynnfan

I would like to agree with the cool kids above who mentioned Mindcrime from Queensryche and Don't Say No from Billy Squier.

For a totally oddball choice, there isn't a single album I listened to completely (no skipping) as much as I listened to Loudness' Hurricane Eyes. Very underrated band.

Billy Squier's 'Children of the Sun' was great for showing off your stereo speakers. (they used to be called that, you know)

[stlcardsfan]

I think Billy Thorpe did Children of the Sun. And you’re right it does have some cool effects.

Willie Nelson‘s Red Headed Stranger is a great record. It’s a concept album about a preacher going after his cheating wife and her lover. The most recognizable song on the record as probably Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain. But the whole thing is outstanding.

[Bocabirdman]

5 more ....just because.....

Carole King... Tapestry
Ray Charles...Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Genesis...The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
The Band...The Band
Buddy Holly and the Crickets...The "Chirping" Crickets

[pgellis]

Agree with many (Fleetwood Mac, David Gray, Pink Floyd, etc.)

Here’s 2 fantastic albums:

Shangri-La - Mark Knopfler
Sailing To Philadelphia - Mark Knopfler


Shangri-La might be my favorite album all time

[GasHouseGang]

Originally Posted by stlcardsfan

I think Billy Thorpe did Children of the Sun. And you’re right it does have some cool effects.

You're right, it was Billy Thorpe. The "Children Of The Sun" album was just the first part of a rock opera which included Billy's "21st Century Man" album and then concluded with "Children of The Sun Revisited". According to what I've seen on the web, these songs are part of the trilogy.

The OFFICIAL track list for the Children of the Sun rock opera is as follows:

1: Children of the Sun (from "Children of the Sun")
2: We're Leaving (from "Children of the Sun")
3: We Welcome You (from "Children of the Sun")
4: Solar Anthem (from "Children of the Sun")
5: The Beginning (from "Children of the Sun")
6: 1991 (from "21st Century Man")
7: Solar Dawn (from "21st Century Man")
8: We Were Watching You (from "21st Century Man")
9: 21st Century Man (from "21st Century Man")
10: She's Alive (from "21st Century Man")
11: Rise (from "21st Century Man")
12: Earth Calling (from "Children of the Sun Revisited")
13: Turn It Into Love (from "Children of the Sun Revisited")
14: Free Enterprise (from "Children of the Sun Revisited")