Top 5 albums of all time & why?

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Caveat

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Can you still call them albums? Sounds a bit old -fashioned now. Mind you, journalists still say 'records'.

Anyway, thought Top 10 was asking too much but provide 10 if you want.

I'll have to have a think about mine!
 
Never Mind the Boll*cks - Sex Pistols
Probably one of the best rock albums ever made. They didn't do much else but the energy and venum that came out of that album will never be repeated. At a time when people could still be shocked.
The music and lyrics are very ofter over looked and people automatically snub their noses at it as its "just punk/noise" but they couldn't be further from the truth. I accept that lots of punk was just noise but this was special.
Impossible to name just 5 albums as there are so many good ones. Maybe 5 from each genre!!
 
Would probably change all the time.

But here we go (in no particular order)

Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin (flawed, arguably has 'filler' but still the definitive Zeppelin album & worth it for the likes of The Rover & Kashmir alone. Brought 'hard rock' to a new level/broader horizons)

Hunky Dory - David Bowie (...or any of about half a dozen Bowie albums. The absolute master of strange art-rock/pop)

Forever Changes - Love (manages to be melodically weird and catchy as well. Very clever arrangements - truly unique.)

The White Album - The Beatles (Their most varied and in many ways most innovative. Some startling tracks e.g. 'Helter Skelter'; 'Happiness...')

Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd (Atmospheric, soothing, arousing, unsettling - it can be all these things. Possibly the greatest 'ambient' album ever)

Loads I wanted to include and as I said - could easily change depending on mood etc!!
 
Like most people my favourite albums probably change all the time but the first ones that come to mind are:

Judgement - Anathema
Somewhere in Time - Iron Maiden
Hey Stoopid - Alice Cooper
Living after Midnight - Judas Priest
Vulgar Display of Power - Pantera
Disintigration - The Cure
Master of Puppets - Metallica

Sorry that's more than 5 but the reason I like these albums is because there isn't one bad song on them to spoil them.
 
Strange to see The Cure nestling among the metal! - great album though.

I reckon my No.s 6-10 would have seen some more metal kicking in (Metallica, AC/DC, Slayer)
 
This morning it's: (in no particular order)

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here. Atmospheric genius

Genesis - A Trick of the Tail. My favourite bands best album- every track better than the one before.

Ry Cooder - Borderline. Stunning guitar, great songs. Classic

Led Zeppelin - 4 symbols. Hard to pick only 1 LZ, but this one today for "Rock'n'Roll", "Black Dog" "Stairway to Heaven"

Beatles - White Album. Ground-breaking, stunning.

Respect to some of the others already listed above too.

ps Although I wasn't asked not to, I've stayed away from Best Of and Live albums. The usual way of things when these questions come up on music forums.


subject to change next time I look for a CD to put on.
 
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Caveat said:
Strange to see The Cure nestling among the metal! - great album though.

I reckon my No.s 6-10 would have seen some more metal kicking in (Metallica, AC/DC, Slayer)
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I was going to put in The Smiths too but I couldn't choose just one album. Same for AC/DC.
 
Leonard Cohen - The Future
R.E.M. - Green
William S. Burroughs - Dead City Radio
The The - Infected
Massive Attack - Blue Lines
 
Jock04 said:
ps Although I wasn't asked not to, I've stayed away from Best Of and Live albums. The usual way of things when these questions come up on music forums.
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Yes. Good point Jock - and nice choices!

Cahir said:
I was going to put in The Smiths too but I couldn't choose just one album. Same for AC/DC.
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Mmmm 'The Queen is Dead' maybe? For AC/DC, my choice is probably controversial, but it would be 'Powerage'
 
I didn't forget Bowie's Hunky Dory or Ziggy, or Yes's Close to the Edge, or Montrose's Rock the Nation, or Hendrix's Are You Experienced or......so many others who deserve to be there!

ahhh...these threads usually mean I'm in for a musical evening & Mrs Jock can hog the Sky remote!
 
Interestingly most albums so far are pretty old ones - does that mean ye think new bands are crap or just that ye won't consider an album great until it's at least a certain number of years old? I love some of the recent albums from bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire and Kings of Leon but wouldn't consider them candidates for top 5 (or even 10) until at least 5 years on - if I still love them then they've passed the test of time! For the record, would put the following into my hypothetical desert island suitcase! Can't restrict to 5 and to be honest if I was to look over my collection I'm sure I would add others to this that I've forgotten off the top of my head!

Radiohead - The Bends
U2 - Acthung Baby
Cocteau Twins - Four Calendar Cafe
Oasis - Definitely Maybe
Pixies - Doolittle
REM - Green
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellancollie & the infinite sadness
 
Ceist Beag said:
Interestingly most albums so far are pretty old ones - does that mean ye think new bands are crap or just that ye won't consider an album great until it's at least a certain number of years old? I love some of the recent albums from bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire and Kings of Leon but wouldn't consider them candidates for top 5 (or even 10) until at least 5 years on - if I still love them then they've passed the test of time! For the record, would put the following into my hypothetical desert island suitcase! Can't restrict to 5 and to be honest if I was to look over my collection I'm sure I would add others to this that I've forgotten off the top of my head!

Radiohead - The Bends
U2 - Acthung Baby
Cocteau Twins - Four Calendar Cafe
Oasis - Definitely Maybe
Pixies - Doolittle
REM - Green
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellancollie & the infinite sadness
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Well your Radiohead, Pixies & Pumpkins examples would all feature highly on my lists (so that's me up to date ;) ) To be honest, I don't think I would rate anything this century as high as others - yet. I think there probably is a re-evaluation period where 5 years on maybe releases don't look quite as 'classic' as were first thought. Your above example aside, Oasis are a case in point.
 
Nirvana - MTV unplugged, but any of them could be included.

REM - Automatic for the people, safe choice, but some great songs, def survived the test of time.

Prodigy - music for the jilted generation, was an absolute masterclass in how to get a weekend going and still sounds fresh.

guns n roses - Appetite for destruction.

Christy Moore, Live at the point - just to add an irish flair to it
 
britney spears and girls aloud greatest hits.woohoo especially turned up to the max!!

great for cleaning the house especially hoovering and a bop in the car.
 
britney spears and girls aloud greatest hits
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I can see why this could be good music to clean the house to but to be included in an all time top 5 albums? I'm not so sure. I guess we'll only know in 20 years time...
 
blueshoes said:
britney spears and girls aloud greatest hits.woohoo especially turned up to the max!!

great for cleaning the house especially hoovering and a bop in the car.
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If you can't see them jiggling around I just don't see the point!
 
1) Van Morrison - Astral Weeks (meandering 10 minute tracks, I love 'em!)

2) Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks (could have been 1 of many albums..great lyrics... an, even though he'd disagree, he was the voice of his generation)

3) U2 - Joshua Tree (Edge's amazing riffs & Adam's thumping bass!)

4) Moby - Play (the soundtrack to my youth!)

and an Alan Partridge favourite...

5) The Beatles - The Best of the Beatles :D
 
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