Best Albums.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I’ve been to two barbecue’s recently where the late night talk got around to favourite albums (and why my album collection was better than everyone else’s of course ) Someone suggested that we compile our ten best album list for the next barbecue but most said that they would struggle with just 10 so we decided on 20. So here’s the thread….name your top twenty albums. Someone once said that you can tell a lot about a person by their record collection but I don’t know if that’s true, but here goes….in no particular order. By the way, we allowed one box set to count as an album. And yes….after you’ve posted you’ll think of ones that you’ve missed.



Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin

Tales From Topographic Oceans by Yes

Clutching At Straws by Marillion

Pawn Hearts by Van Der Graaf Generator

Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan

Operation Mindcrime by Queensryche

Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd

The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks

Made in Japan by Deep Purple

Last Night The Moon Came Dropping It’s Clothes In The Street by Jon Hassell

Blade Runner The Soundtrack

Selling England By The Pound by Genesis

In The Wee Small Hours by Frank Sinatra

Will Of The Gods Is Great Power by Scald.

Nightfall by Candlemass

2112 by Rush

Fire and Water by Free.

Lifeforms by Future Sounds Of London

A Love Supreme by John Coltrane

The Complete Works (box set) Thomas Tallis.

[barnflatwyngarde]

Ok Herlock, you've poked the bear!

Good eclectic collection you have pulled together.

In no particular order:

1. Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
2. Hejira - Joni Mitchell
3. Hats - Blue Nile
4. Themes - Vangelis
5. Austin Sessions - Kris Kristofferson
6. Music For Airports - Brian Eno
7. Live at Sin e - Jeff Buckley
8. Ten New Songs - Leonard Cohen
9. American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash
10. Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan
11. Life Is People - Bill Fay
12. Posted Sober - Michael Marra
13. Red Dirt Girl - Emmylou Harris
14. More Great Moments of Vinyl History - Various Artists - Compiled by Andy Kershaw
15. Street Hassle - Lou Reed
16. Titanic Rising - Weyes Blood
17. Fair and Square - John Prine
18. Up - REM
19. Mixing Colours - Brian & Roger Eno
20. Raising Sand - Alison Krauss & Robert Plant

[Herlock Sholmes]

Ok Herlock, you've poked the bear!

Good eclectic collection you have pulled together.

In no particular order:

1. Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
2. Hejira - Joni Mitchell
3. Hats - Blue Nile
4. Themes - Vangelis
5. Austin Sessions - Kris Kristofferson
6. Music For Airports - Brian Eno
7. Live at Sin e - Jeff Buckley
8. Ten New Songs - Leonard Cohen
9. American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash
10. Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan
11. Life Is People - Bill Fay
12. Posted Sober - Michael Marra
13. Red Dirt Girl - Emmylou Harris
14. More Great Moments of Vinyl History - Various Artists - Compiled by Andy Kershaw
15. Street Hassle - Lou Reed
16. Titanic Rising - Weyes Blood
17. Fair and Square - John Prine
18. Up - REM
19. Mixing Colours - Brian & Roger Eno
20. Raising Sand - Alison Krauss & Robert Plant

Great choices Barn….but annoying. I’d certainly have put in Astral Weeks!! How did I miss that one? I was also going to put in A Walk Across The Rooftops by Blue Nile too but then I forgot about them for some reason. Love a bit of Vangelis too. If you like him Klaus Schulz worth a listen too. I hadn’t heard of Bill Fay, Michael Marra or Weyes Blood though so I’ll have to investigate. I have 9 of those albums.

That’s a good thing about reading peoples lists…it gives you the chance if finding new classics.

[barnflatwyngarde]

Great choices Barn….but annoying. I’d certainly have put in Astral Weeks!! How did I miss that one? I was also going to put in A Walk Across The Rooftops by Blue Nile too but then I forgot about them for some reason. Love a bit of Vangelis too. If you like him Klaus Schulz worth a listen too. I hadn’t heard of Bill Fay, Michael Marra or Weyes Blood though so I’ll have to investigate. I have 9 of those albums.

That’s a good thing about reading peoples lists…it gives you the chance if finding new classics.

That’s a good thing about reading peoples lists…it gives you the chance if finding new classics.

Absolutely Herlock, I'll dip into some of your recommendations.

[Lewis C]

Herlock, I'm glad you didn't make it 10 albums, because it was hard enough to narrow it down to 20. I very much like 3 of the albums on your list: the Dylan, Kinks, and Coltrane albums. Here's my attempt at a 20 favorites list, alphabetical by artist:

The Band (self-titled)
Rubber Soul – The Beatles
Revolver – The Beatles
Mr. Tambourine Man – The Byrds
London Calling – The Clash
Marshall Crenshaw (self-titled)
Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan
Blonde on Blonde – Bob Dylan
The Stranger – Billy Joel
Moondance – Van Morrison
Nevermind – Nirvana
Howlin’ Wind – Graham Parker
Squeezing Out Sparks – Graham Parker
Exile in Guyville – Liz Phair
Otis Blue – Otis Redding
Murmur – R.E.M.
Singles Collection: The London Years – The Rolling Stones
Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
Who’s Next – The Who
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams

[GBinOz]

I guess I'll be outing my nerd/geek status when I say.....anything by Mozart or Puccini?

If I really try to drag myself into a more recent time I'd nominate albums by The Beegees, Paul Simon, Don Mclean and James Taylor.

When I look at your lists I wonder.....what language are these guys speaking. My wife often asks me where I have been for the last 50 years.

Cheers, George

[String]

In no particular order as they say.


Electric light orchestra A new world record

Sex Pistols Never mind the bollocks here’s the sex pistols

Kate Bush Hounds of love

David Bowie Aladdin Sane

Pink Floyd Dark Side of the moon

Fleetwood Mac Rumours

The Dandy Wharhols Thirteen tales from Urban Bohemia

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath

Rush Moving Pictures

Goldfrapp Supernature

Brian Ferry Dylanesque

Muddy Waters Hard again

Thin Lizzy Live and Dangerous

X-ray Spex Germ free adolescents

Gary Numan Savage

Billy idol Cyberpunk

Boston Boston

U2 Vertigo

ZZ Top Eliminator

Jet Get Born

[Geddy2112]

Oh no, where to start... in the famous no particular order...

Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
Vivid - Living Color
Moving Pictures - Rush
1989 - Taylor Swift
Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morrissette
Blind Man's Zoo - 10,000 Maniacs
Eureka - The Bible
Hatful of Hollow - The Smiths
The Crossing - Big Country
Our Town - Deacon Blue
Julia Fordham - Julia Fordham
World Machine - Level 42
Gladstone, Humour & Blue - Martin Stephenson and the Daintees
One Big Innings - The Outfield
If This Bass Could Only Talk - Stanley Clarke
Once In A Lifetime - Talking Heads

[Ms Diddles]

Bowie - Low
Bowie - Young Americans
Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
St Vincent - Masseduction
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
The Cure - Disintegration
Kate Bush - The Kick Inside
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, Maad City
Guns n Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Beck - Odelay
Pavlov's Dog - Pampered Menial
NWA - Straight Outta Compton
Velvet Underground and Nico
The Cramps - Off The Bone
Nick Cave - No More Shall We Part
Bauhaus - The Sky's Gone Out
Led Zeppelin - IV
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Phoenix - United

Of course, I will now think of more and kick myself!!

[Ms Diddles]

Last Night The Moon Came Dropping It’s Clothes In The Street by Jon Hassell

I am not familiar with this work, but wow! that's a great title!

[Svensson]

My wife often asks me where I have been for the last 50 years.

Cheers, George

Answer: Down the shop! Sorry, did you want something darling?

[Geddy2112]

I am not familiar with this work, but wow! that's a great title!

A fined and I were going to start a Heavy Metal band in the late 80s. The name of our band was to be 'Touching Cloth.' Unfortunately it never came to be.

[Svensson]

This is a dangerous topic to subject me to (this, Brexit, Apple and convicted felon Donald Trump) .


I don't think I can give a list of "top 10, 20 Top X" records without thinking about WHY I like them and if I actually listen to them often or not. The list below will contain records that I hardly listen to these days and this is probably due changes in HOW I listen to and WHERE I listen to music these days.

For example, one of my favourite records from my formative years (early nineties) would be Ministry, Mind... However I think I haven't listened to it sober until 2003 or 4 . These days, most of my music listening is in my loft with my work laptop and on the sofa. so I still listen to it, occasionally. But not turned up to 11.

There are many records that I can listen from beginning to end and carry on with my work. Then there are records that make me stop and listen to SOME of the songs and then I move on becasue although great, they are too distracting to listen to them for extended periods. The list below contains examples of both as well as records from my formative years in the early nineties.


A. Listen to all of it:
Feetwood Mac - Rumours
ZZ Top - Tres Hombres
Marilyn Manson - Pale Emperor
Yello - Touch Yello
Soundgarden - Superunknown
Audioslave - Audioslave
Pearl Tam - Ten
Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
The Levellers - Levelling The Land
Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
Chicane - Far From The Maddening Crowd (Evolution Mixes)

B. Listen to some of it:
Killing Joke - [2003]
Ministry - The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste
Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile
Tool - Fear Inoculum
Peter Gabriel - So

C. Definitely top 20 but rarely listen to it these days:
Skinny Puppy - Too Dark Park
Frontline Assembly - Tactical Neural Implant
Senser - Stacked up
Front 242 - Tyranny For You

There are many other records that I listen to more regularly than the category C or even B above (David Grey, Delerium, Seal, etc) but they are not the kind of records that demand your attention like a "Top 20" record does. The list above exclusively contains records that you put on the platter (or CD player) and you need to deal with what's coming out of the speakers. Few records can do this and not every listener wants this. It just depends on WHY you listen to music in the first place and this will probably greatly influence your musical choices.

So I'll have a look at all the other lists to see what I forgot (existed) or what is worth looking into.

Cheers.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Herlock, I'm glad you didn't make it 10 albums, because it was hard enough to narrow it down to 20. I very much like 3 of the albums on your list: the Dylan, Kinks, and Coltrane albums. Here's my attempt at a 20 favorites list, alphabetical by artist:

The Band (self-titled)
Rubber Soul – The Beatles
Revolver – The Beatles
Mr. Tambourine Man – The Byrds
London Calling – The Clash
Marshall Crenshaw (self-titled)
Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan
Blonde on Blonde – Bob Dylan
The Stranger – Billy Joel
Moondance – Van Morrison
Nevermind – Nirvana
Howlin’ Wind – Graham Parker
Squeezing Out Sparks – Graham Parker
Exile in Guyville – Liz Phair
Otis Blue – Otis Redding
Murmur – R.E.M.
Singles Collection: The London Years – The Rolling Stones
Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
Who’s Next – The Who
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams

Some great choices there Lewis. A few more albums to add to my ‘check it out’ list.

The Band were definitely on my radar for my own list and the two Dylan albums are great with Blonde On Blonde narrowly missing out to Blood On The Tracks (Visions Of Johanna is one of my favourite Dylan songs) The Who could easily have made my list along with London Calling.

[Ms Diddles]

A fined and I were going to start a Heavy Metal band in the late 80s. The name of our band was to be 'Touching Cloth.' Unfortunately it never came to be.

Oh, that's a shame it never worked out.

You could have gone on a double bill with The Skids and done a "Metal and Toilet Humour" tour!

I was briefly in a metal band with my pals at school.

We named ourselves "The Wasteland" after the TS Eliot poem.

Yep, I was a pretentious wee d!ck