Jump to content

What are your favorite albums?


Harryfan

Recommended Posts

 

 

 

.....I think a favorite albums list would've been more helpful.  .....

 

Good idea; you can always start a topic

 

Okay, list your 20 favorite albums, give or take 10.  Anybody wanna start it off?  I need to think about this.
  • Thank You 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This an easy "do" for me! When I "scored"* all of my songs from ALL of my albums back in early '07 (in order to determine the "top 240" to put in my Ipod "Shuffle") I then was able to "rate" each album I own by simply doing a "score" for each album based on the sum of the "scores" for each cut on the album....doubt if much has changed in my tastes and sadly in my CD collection since then (a few new additions, but none that would probably "crack" my top ~35- wrong!-.ed..). add: I added the albums added since '07 and a few did pop intp my top picks (kind of  "tainted" as not the same evaluation time as the others, but whatever: e.g., "Best of Simon&Garfunkle" now my "#1": could just be because I not heard them for a while, and also because this CD has about 30 songs on it!).  So here is my top 35 or so albums/CD's (I have the entire list but will just do the top 35...can chop it off at whatever "break-point" you want!):

 

 


Album Name (GH=greatest hits; ST=soundtrack) Artist Rating (100=best) Raw "Score"
Best of Simon&Garfunkel Simon/Garfunkel 100 41
Oh Brother Where Art Thou ST Various 95 39
Dylan's GH III B. Dylan 90 37
Self Portrait B. Dylan 85 35
Unplugged N. Young 85 35
Live Rust N. Young 83 34
The Beatles #1's (rating divided by 2 because 27 #1's) The Beatles 83 34
Roy Orbinson's GH I & II R. Orbison 76 31
Hendrix J. Hendrix 76 31
Sgt. Pepper Beatles 76 31
Star Songs W. Nelson 76 31
John Wesley Harding B. Dylan 73 30
Dark Side of the Moon P. Floyd 73 30
Very Best of Everly Brothers Everly Brothers 71 29
So Far CSN&Y 68 28
In Search of Lost Chord Moody Blues 68 28
Malt Shoppe Memories II Various oldies 68 28
Blonde on Blonde B. Dylan 66 27
Zuma N. Young 66 27
Nashville Skyline  B. Dylan 63 26
Hag M. Haggard 63 26
Harvest Moon N. Young 61 25
Harvest    N. Young 61 25
Patsy Cline's GH P. Cline 59 24
Legend B. Marley 59 24
1959 Various oldies 56 23
Greendale N. Young 56 23
Hell Freezes Over The Eagles 56 23
Best of Doors II The Doors 54 22
Aqualung J. Tull 54 22
Buddy Holly's GH B. Holley 54 22
The Wall I P. Floyd 54 22
Desire  B. Dylan 54 22
Highway 61 Revisited B. Dylan 54 22
Freedom N. Young 54 22
Kink's GH The Kink's 51 21

 

*system I used was: 5 points for each "#1" song (songs you cannot live without), 4 points for a "circled" #2 song, 3 points for a dashed circled #2 song, 2 points for a "plain" #2, and 3 points for a #3 song. "Circle" thing to help make it easier to decide between 5 rating levels.

 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm…this is tougher than I thought. I’m gonna limit mine to one album per artist to keep it from getting out of control. I may be editing this throughout the night.

 

Harry - Pandemonium Shadow Show

The Zombies - Odessey & Oracle

The Beatles - Abbey Road

Argent - Argent

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass

Derek and the Dominos - Layla

MC5 - Back in the USA

Paul McCartney - Ram

Todd Rundgren - Something/Anything?

Badfinger - Straight Up

T. Rex - The Slider

Joe Walsh - Barnstorm

Supertramp - Crime of the Century

Talking Heads - 77

Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express

The Kinks - Misfits

Al Stewart - 24 Carrots

Dire Straits - Making Movies

Roger Hodgson - In the Eye of the Storm

Michael Shrieve / David Beal - The Big Picture
  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, Harry, Abby Road is a VERY good album. It (and the "White Album"!) would have made my top list as well IF I still had these CD's! (I "loaned" my entire Beatles CD collection to one of my daughter's friends years ago: I got about half of them back!). So I no have them to do a "scoring" using my system. But thanks for reminding me: probably should replace BOTH of these and get them back into the "rotation"!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Choosing one's "favourites" is always nearly impossible.  Here are 20 albums that I think are good. (and I can think of right now).  No particular order.

 

The Band                                                 The Band

Naturally                                                  J.J. Cale

Dancing in the Dragon's Jaw                     Bruce Cockburn

Toulouse Street                                        Doobie Brothers

Working Man's Dead                               Grateful Dead

Minstrel in the Gallery                               Jethro Tull

Honky Chateau                                         Elton John

To Our Children's Children's Children        Moody Blues

Let It Bleed                                               Rolling Stones

Abraxas                                                    Santana

Gaucho                                                     Steely Dan

Rust Never Sleeps                                    Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Low Spark of High Heeled Boys              Traffic

Who's Next                                              The Who

Band on the Run                                       Paul McCartney and Wings

24 Nights                                                 Eric Clapton

Giant Step                                               Taj Mahal

The Stranger                                            Billy Joel

Live at the Regal                                      B.B. King

Blind Faith                                               Blind Faith

 

 

 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Balok,

I'm aware of "Live Rust" and "Sleeps with Angels" as NY albums (and "Live Rust" is on my list), but never heard of "Rust Never Sleeps"? Is it an album or did you mean "Live Rust" or "Sleeps with Angels"?

Ed
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kinda early , but off the top of my head.

 

Thick as a Brick                   Jethro Tull

2112                                    Rush

Private Eyes                         Tommy Bolin

Crime of the Century            Supertramp

Animals                                Pink Floyd

Benefit                                 Jethro Tull

Black Sabbath                     Black Sabbath

Live at Leeds                       The Who

Band of Gypsys                   Jimi Hendrix

Sloe Gin                              Joe Bonamassa

 

More to Come ................

                         
  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  I came up with these
 
Robin Trower              Bridge Of Sighs
Joe Bonamassa            Live From Nowhere In Particular
Stevie Ray Vaughan     Couldn't Stand The Weather
Blue Murder                 Blue Murder
Elton John                    Madman Across The Water
Scorpions                     Animal Magnetism
Alvin Lee                     Pure Blues
Gary Moore                  Still Got The Blues
Rory Gallagher             Live @ Montreux
Deep Purple                  Perfect Strangers
Rainbow                       Long Live Rock And Roll
Jethro Tull                    Aqualung
Great White                  Greatest Hits
Ian Gillan                      Glory Road
Jeff Beck                       Live @ Ronnie Scotts
Ronnie Montrose          Gamma 1 & 2
Led Zepplin                   Presence
Tommy Bolin                 Private Eyes
Supertramp                    Crime Of The Century
Foghat                            Fool For The City
Foreigner                       Foreigner
Blackfooot                     Strikes
Outlaws                          Green Grass And High Tides
Pink floyd                       Animals & A momentary Lapse Of Reason
 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

From the cover it looks to be a "live" album. So is "Live Rust" the same album (by a different name) as "Rust Never Sleeps"? Please excuse my ignorance; I'm pretty sure I don't have "Rust Never Sleeps"; if it is not the same as "Live Rust", then I want to get it!

 

I like "High Tides and Greengrass" too, B-Power! And "Animals" too, Bluesman! Maybe I need to "rescore" some of my albums! happy0009.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

From the cover it looks to be a "live" album. So is "Live Rust" the same album (by a different name) as "Rust Never Sleeps"? Please excuse my ignorance; I'm pretty sure I don't have "Rust Never Sleeps"; if it is not the same as "Live Rust"' date=' then I want to get it!
[/quote']
 
RUST NEVER SLEEPS:
 
Side one (acoustic)
  1. "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" (Jeff Blackburn, Young) – 3:45
  2. "Thrasher" – 5:38
  3. "Ride My Llama" – 2:29
  4. "Pocahontas" – 3:22
  5. "Sail Away" – 3:46

[edit] Side two (electric)

  1. "Powderfinger" – 5:30
  2. "Welfare Mothers" – 3:48
  3. "Sedan Delivery" – 4:40
  4. "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" – 5:18

Some songs are the same as Live Rust.  I don't know if the two are from the same concert series or not.  I think they were released around the same time. (?).  Note: do not click on the hilighted songs.  ERROR occurs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rust Never sleeps was an Album release, some of the tracks are LIve.

 

Live Rust was a 2 disc record, covering a concert set (not just music from the latest Rust never sleeps album) which was later turned into a movie (great DVD by the way).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

elgrau/Rich
 
Found this:
 
The groundbreaking Rust Never Sleeps is the half live offering, containing all previously unreleased music. Side one of the LP is all acoustic music, typically introspective, beginning with a laid back "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" and proceeding through the now classic "Thrasher" and "Pocahontas". Side two'side two is another story altogether. Opening with the remarkable "Powderfinger," Young establishes his vision of the 1980s, one that is on the bleak side. This release ends with an electric "Hey, Hey, My, My (into the Black)" that pounds English Punk rock into a handful of dust.

...with a big red beacon and a flag and a man on the rail...

Right on the heels of Rust Never Sleeps is Live Rust, an all-live recording containing many of Young' earlier songs. It is this added completeness and the period of the recording that gives Live Rust the edge over Rust Never Sleeps in this list of the top ten best live rock albums. Live Rust, was originally released as a double-LP live album, on the streets just four months after Rust Never Sleeps. It was the soundtrack to the concert film recounting Young's Rust Never Sleeps tour and was recorded Oct. 22, 1978, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Live Rust reprises four songs from Rust Never Sleeps in different performances. In spite of this apparent redundancy, Live Rust is an excellent Neil Young live album and retrospective, illuminating Young's career from the early "Sugar Mountain" and arriving at then-new songs like the scathing "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" and "Sedan Delivery".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
Basing this on the notion that an album is meant to be played from the first song on side A to the last song on side B with no interruptions.  I'm sticking to rock as a genre otherwise it will get out of hand and my head will explode:

 

LZ III -- Led Zeppelin

Revolver -- Beatles

Quebec -- Ween

Wired -- Jeff Beck

Let It Bleed -- The Rolling Stones

 

Tepid Peppermint Wonderland -- The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Live At Leeds -- The Who

Alien Lanes -- Guided By Voices

Muswell Hillbillies -- The Kinks

Listen To This Eddie -- Led Zeppelin

 

Raw Power -- Iggy & The Stooges

SF Sorrow -- The Pretty Things

The Spotlight Kid -- Captain Beefheart 

In Color -- Cheap Trick

A Day At The Races -- Queen

 

Faithless Street -- Whiskeytown

Leave Home -- The Ramones

The Madcap Laughs -- Syd Barrett 

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain -- Pavement

Rocks -- Aerosmith 

 

 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a list of usual favorites, in no particular order:

Beatles - Abbey Road
Little Feat - Time Loves A Hero
Rush - Moving Pictures
Kansas - 1st album or Leftoverture
Steely Dan - The Royal Scam
Acoustic Alchemy - Against The Grain
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
Jethro Tull - 20 Years of... (which is now at least 20 years old!)
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Couldn't Stand The Weather
Frank Zappa - One Size Fits All
Buckingham Nicks (Before they joined Fleetwood Mac)
Yes - The Yes Album

So much music, so little time...



Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
 

"elgrau/Rich
 

Found this:

 

The groundbreaking Rust Never Sleeps is the half live offering, containing all previously unreleased music. Side one of the LP is all acoustic music, typically introspective, beginning with a laid back "My My, Hey ......."

 

Hi Balok,

Daughter snagged me a copy (LP!) of "Rust Never Sleeps" at a garage sale today. I have "Live Rust" and as good as that is, this is better! I'm kind of "ashamed" at just getting around to getting a copy of this NY album: have all the cuts on other of his albums of course (except perhaps the very awesome "Thrasher"), but nothing like the "original"! Luv the version of 'Pocahontas' on this album: it has some funky instrumentation that is not in the Live version....liner notes has the lyrics as well and this another example of LP vs CD and again, LP has "something" better about them then the CD versions of these great songs. She was planning on re-selling all the albums she picked up; I told her I'd give her 2x whatever was the most she got for any of the others that she sells on ebay (a P. Floyd and a Rolling Stones LP in absolutely pristine condition! You can find some great LP's out there sometimes!), Thanks for steering me "back" to this GREAT LP! - Ed
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
I have a couple of Los Lobos CD's that I really like, and some not so much.  I find I really like The Ride and Kiko but By The Light of The Moon leaves me a little cold.

 

Can anyone familiar with their catalog steer me to another good choice, please? 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Geoff, I may dig deeper to see how Cruzados stack up.

 

@zumbini, I believe I have Wolf on a hard drive somewhere so I'll have to revisit.  Here's the song that just nailed it for me about Los Lobos, high craft and excellent arrangements.

 




 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
Guest donquixote99
Classical CD List for Jazzman53
 

Here is the list of ’10 Classical CDs’ in response to Jazzman53’s request in the welcome thread.  It’s a suggested-listening-order list, and it’s programmed to lead a ‘jazzman’ into various realms of what is called ‘classical.’  I certainly don’t claim it’s a ten best list, not of compositions, and definitely not of performances, and least of all of recordings.  I don’t have the depth of collection or the depth of knowledge make such a selection, especially on the latter aspects.  The selection is based on recordings I happen to have.  These are recordings I listen to.

1. The Segovia Collection, Vol. 1, Andres Segovia, guitar.  MCA, MCAD-42068
 
Segovia performs his own arrangements of Bach works originally written for lute, violin, and cello.  Brilliant music, brilliantly played.  And a great opportunity for the exercise of thinking about what is different, and what is the same, in the jazz and classical ways of making music, while listening to a display of pure, uncluttered musicality on an instrument common to both.
 
2. Copeland: Appalachian Spring (suite), Rodeo (Four Dance Episodes), Billy the Kid (Ballet Suite), Fanfare for the Common Man.  Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic.
  MK42265. 


Copeland combines 20th century verve and inventiveness, with powerfully-understood classical idioms of narrative and melody.  Also much in evidence is the classical tradition of borrowing from ‘rural’ and ‘religious’ roots.

3. Joshua Bell, Poème.  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Litton.
London 433 519-2.
 

The program here, including Saint-Saëns, Ravel, and other French composers, highlights both the passion of the violin in the hands of an inspired performer, and the powers and abilities of the symphony orchestra.
 
4. Holst: The Planets.   The Toronto Symphony, Andrew Davis.  EMI, CDC 547417.
 

Speaking of the powers of the symphony orchestra, this piece showcases them in all their glory, along with a gifted composer’s ability to create clear exposition on diverse themes.
 
5. Beethoven, Favorite Piano Sonatas.  Alfred Brendel.  Decca, 4387302. 

These are literally the masterpieces, and Brendel plays them with complete understanding, and technique that fully meets the challenges.  This solo piano music makes clear what is meant by the saying ‘it’s not the notes, it’s the spaces between them.’

6. Vivaldi, The Four Seasons.  National Orchestra of France, Lorin Maazel.  Sony B0000025XD. 
 
The joy of the baroque string concerto. 
 
7. Bach, Great Organ Works.  Virgil Fox.  RCA Victrola, 77362-RV.
 
The big Bach organ pieces are nothing less than forces of nature.  This will test how well your system plays notes under 30 Hz.
 
8. Joshua Bell, The Romance of the Violin, Academy of St. Michael in the Field,  Michael Stern.  Sony, SK 87894.

This compilation of great violin melodies will captivate you if you have any romance in your soul at all.  Inspired playing by Bell reflects both the romance in his soul, and his high on having just scored a ‘lost’ Stradivarius.
 
9. Brahms, Symphony No. 4 in E Minor.  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Fritz Reiner.  Chesky Records, CD6.
  

 Brahms will have you with the first four notes.

10. Strauss, Four Last Songs, 12 Orchestral Songs, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, George Szell, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, London Symphony Orchestra.
  EMI, 5 66960 2.  

 
One of the supreme examples of classical vocal art.  The “12 Orchestral Songs” are great. The “Four Last Songs” are devastating.  This is one where I will very strongly endorse this particular performance.  Elisabeth Schwarzkopf’s interpretation exquisitely combines the beauty and desperate stoicism of these pieces.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's an excellent starter list donquixote99. I have recordings of most of your selections.
 
For something fun I'd add "Chiller" by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (Telarc CD 80189). It contains classical compositions with a Halloween theme that most people will recognize and is extremely well recorded (though not necessarily all that well well played). The opening sequence, a prelude to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Overture to Phantom Of The Opera, is a live recording of a thunderstorm that will test the best speakers to their limits. Here is a review:
 
A campier beginning could not be conceived for this album of horror music than the one Telarc cooked up for Erich Kunzel & the Cincinnati Pops -- an opening sequence of thunder and frightened running in ear-splitting digital sound, followed by the hilarious haunted-house blast of an organ from The Phantom of the Opera. Yes, this is your worst nightmare come true, a symphonic Halloween album -- complete with sound effects -- that was evidently successful enough to spawn an SACD sequel, Scary Music, in 2002. In true "pops" concert fashion, Kunzel opens with classical selections with horror-related stories and eventually moves on to filmland for the rest of the package. Alas, Kunzel's relaxed way with the classics here isn't exactly calculated to raise the dead from their graves. Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" is a bit tame, made more palatable by the excellent sound; Berlioz's "March to the Scaffold" from Symphonie Fantastique is downright sluggish. "Pandemonium" from Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust (an imaginative choice) and Saint-Saëns' "Danse Macabre" are sturdier, though still too laid-back. Only Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" delivers sufficient energy. Many of the film cues, particularly those by the classic Hollywood composers, are more compellingly presented and surprisingly potent in musical interest, like the short reconstructed suite from Franz Waxman's The Bride of Frankenstein that ends up in the air. In "Sleigh Ride" from The Devil and Daniel Webster, Bernard Herrmann does inventive things with a fiddle tune that Copland famously used in "Rodeo," and his music for Psycho has already earned lots of respect in many circles (watch out for the over-the-top sound effects in the notorious shower scene!). Even though the classical numbers could use more pep, it's an engaging idea for an album, executed with dignity and some cunning. ~ Richard S. Ginell, Rovi
 
Chiller.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...