Best Album Ever

[Tolls]

I doubt any of the ones I'm going to mention below will rate as "best album ever", but since I class that as "high replay value" here's the albums that have ended up on my tape deck / CD player the most...

Elvis Costello – My Aim Is True - definitely the top one on my list (which reminds me...I need to replace the tape and get the remastered CD).

Dexys Midnight Runners – Searching For the Young Soul Rebels - forget Kevin Rowland's over large ego, and the collapse of the band after this...this is THE DMR album, not that pseudo-folk pap Rowland did next.

The Stranglers – Rattus Norvegicus - I really don't think anything needs to be said...better than No More Heroes.

Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense (either really, but the full version in preference) - in my mind the best live album...and the film's excellent as well.

The Specials – The Specials - the best of late 70s Ska. The follow up's good (More Specials) as well.

The Divine Comedy – A Short Album About Love - Neil gets to play with a full band. So what if it's only 7 tracks long...they are 7 very good tracks.

...and finally...this is sort of an extra since it only came out last year, but it has found its way onto my CD player a number of times, and just seems to work for me:
The Polyphonic Spree – The Beginning Stages Of…

[The Templar]

No Order

Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Run DMC - Raising Hell
Human League - Dare
Carmina Burana - Eugen Jockum/ Deutsche Grammophon

Each Innovative in its own way.

[Daz]

Ok here we go....

The Clash - London Calling
Michael Jackson - Thriller
The Cramps - Date with Elvis
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
Stone Roses - that lemon album...
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

Theres more weird music probably only I like, but I wont bug you with that...

[Buck Birdseed]

Surely that's part of the point. Oh well.

I made a top 10 list a couple of months ago, wish I could remember all of it, but I'll just improvise one together.

1. The Kinks - The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968): Impeccable theme, gorgeous yet simple arrangement and production, only good songs... Unmissable.

2. The Paragons - On The Beach With The Paragons (1967): Super hits and should-have-been-hits package from the most thoroughly excellent Jamaican group ever.

3. David Bowie - Scary Monsters... And Super Creeps (1980): Bowie tries introspection for once with spectacular results. Lyrically my favourite album.

4. Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers (1972/76): Punk starts here. Jonathan Richman is the god of nerds.

5. The Stooges - Fun House (1970): Punk starts here. Oh wait, I said that for the last one didn't I?

6. Missy Elliott - Under Construction (2002): Perfectly constructed Timbaland beats in their most perfect collaboration to date. Still more potential there.

7. Phil Spector (et al) - A Christmas Gift For You (1963): The textbook, man, the textbook.

8. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska (1982): Just him, an acoustic guitar, a harmonica and, er, a glockenspeil. Gotta love it.

9. Aaliyah - Aaliyah (2000): Okay, so I love modern, Timbaland-produced soul.

10. The White Stripes - Elephant (2003): Brilliant. We've entered a new renaissance of great music, I tell ye!

[SpencerH]

#1

Springsteen-Born to Run

No particular order

Yes - Relayer
Sex Pistols - Never mind the Bollocks
The Clash - The Clash (green cover)
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Led Zep - All of them

Special Mention

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath, Paranoid
AC/DC - Highway to Hell

[Tolls]

Ahhh...Bowie.
I knew I forgot someone.

Hunky Dory for him.

[PLATO]

1.) Dark Side of the Moon-Pink Floyd

2.) Led Zep II -Led Zep

3.) Born To Run-Bruce and the E-Street

4.) Grand Illusion-Styx

5.) Bat out of Hell - Meatloaf

6.) White Album - Beatles

7.) Paranoid - Black Sabbath

8.) Let it Be - Beatles

9.) Chicago II - Chicago

10.) Two for the Show - Kansas

Just realized that I am showing my age by this list! Oh well...the Sages told me my Golden Age was over.

[monolith94]

My personal favorite Bowie song is "Five years"... I don't know why.

Snapcase - I can easily imagine you loathing all of Kansas' work after their debut album, but have you heard their debut album?

[Buck Birdseed]

No.

[monolith94]

It blows all their other stuff out of the water - pretty cool rock and roll album actually, I remember it having extremely few prog rock elements at all.

[Pekka]

Yh Uh! Almost forgot this excellent album now pumping in my system and really getting into my spinal tap..

Herbaliser - Blow Your Headphones.. jeesh, every track is awesome. Really cool mellow beats.

[Drake Tungsten]

I can't believe I forgot about "Thriller".

[monkspider]

1. Beatles- Revolver
2. Beatles- Help!
3. NOFX- Punk in Drublic
4. Eels- Electro-shock Blues
5. Beatles- Rubber Soul
6. Bad Religion- The Process of Belief
7. Dead Kennedys- Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
8. Beatles- Abbey Road
9. MXPX- Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo
10. Beatles- White Album

This doesn't take into account Classical recordings, of which there are too many great ones to list.

[Pekka]

I see electronic grooves and atmosphere is not very popular here.. you infidels.

[cinch]

Hey, it could be argued that Eels makes use of electronic grooves.