Top 10 Greatest Albums of all time

Pete the Feet

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Obviously predictable rhymes that many a songwriter would be willing to lose a limb for. Too many so called singer songwriters couldn't write a tune if they were given one. Melody, wit and tune. Just take a look at the Great American songbook or whatever they call it. Songs often written by Russian emigres in their second language English that put native English speakers to shame.

 

toms wait

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Not knocking it, Johnny Marr was a very early fan of Oasis, gave Noel expensive guitars to help out.  And Johnny Marr should recognise a guitarist when he sees one.

 

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Fair dues to Liam he has learn't how to write a song , I really like Once and he had the balls to ask Eric Cantona to do the vid , as a City fan he must have hated him  xD

 

Phobic

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I take it you mean Oasis, the description made me think of Liam straightaway.  Catchy tunes , yes, obvious predictable rhymes which is why people singalong, and didn't he want to be John Lennon, even had the glasses for a while.
I think he means Blur

Alex_James_Blur_wearing_Oasis_T-Shirt.jpg


 
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savvypaul

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Chuck Berry - Chuck Berry Is On Top
Johnny Cash - Live At San Quentin
MC5 - Kick Out The Jams
Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power
Dolly Parton - Coat of Many Colors
Throbbing Gristle - 20 Jazz funk Greats
Crass - Stations of The Crass
The Fall - Hex Enduction Hour
The Smiths - The Smiths
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

 

 
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Phobic

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Chuck Berry - Chuck Berry Is On Top
Johnny Cash - Live At San Quentin
MC5 - Kick Out The Jams
Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power
Dolly Parton - Coat of Many Colors
Throbbing Gristle - 20 Jazz funk Greats
Crass - Stations of The Crass
The Fall - Hex Enduction Hour
The Smiths - The Smiths
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
WOW, an actual list! I'd forgotten what this thread was about....

some great albums mentioned for the 1st time there

 

Don Ruperto

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Okay Phobic.  I went seriously bonkers about the blues back in the 1970s.  By the early 80s I'd found all sort of places to buy blues LPs and I obsessively bought the stuff non stop for something like twenty plus years.  I still love the blues, but as somebody once said to me the blues is a "gateway music".   It is, and many blues nutters often embark on a journey... some end up with Sun Ra and Coltrane, some end up listening to pre-war gospel or African music, some end up... you get the idea. 

My old mate Paul once said "Rock'nRoll is but a minor deviation in the greater story of black music".  Obviously that's provocative, but in a way it's only half the story.  

The problem is the rock industry which has become so smug and self congratulatory that it sees itself as the be all and end all of popular music.  I won't point too many fingers but the 60s / 70s generation of rock stars are always referencing Robert Johnson and endlessly talking about the story of the Delta blues. That's fine, and the academic work that has be done by various blues scholars is vital stuff.  But it's not the whole story and it's simplifying and sidelining the broader and infinitely more diverse story of Afro-American music.  And then there's the even more fascinating story of millions of African people taken to the new World and Latin America - and everywhere they went their music blended with European music and indigenous music forms - creating an astonishing array of amazing music from Colombia to LA, from Trinidad to the Antilles, Brazil, Venezuela... where would we start, where would we finish?  The blues is wonderful but it's only a part of that story.  

I could bore on for hours, but here's a few anecdotal experiences that indicate how far adrift things have become.  I'm being a bit ott here.   -_-

1) I saw BB King at Cliff's Pavilion in Southend some years back.  The local "blues" fans were disappointed because his band were really a jazz band and BB wore a $1000 suit. One said he preferred Seasick Steve... 

2) Keith Richards talking about Toots Hibbert, that "reggae was like the Chicago blues, like Robert Johnson man".  Er, no it isn't.....

3) A British TV doc with Tom Jones and Lulu referencing Robert Johnson.  I'm still recovering from this. 

4) Taj Mahal declaring that the blues was special because if you travelled round the Caribbean, they didn't have the blues.  No, but they had 50 other amazing black music forms. 

It seems to me that what's really going on with these rock celebrities is that - unconsciously - they are drawing attention to themselves.  It's as much about them as it is about Robert Johnson.  It's about deifying the 60s/70s rock thing.  Effectively saying "Robert Johnson is so important because he created rock music... us".  Maybe we should remove the rock music thing and think again?  

I put this to a friend of mine and it really annoyed him, it took a few weeks before he spoke to me again.  But another friend of mine - a folk music academic - agreed and said I should read Elijah Wald.  Sure enough Elijah has written an excellent book where he puts Johnson back into the context of his time and within the broader spectrum of music that existed then.  He's attempted to demystify the man, to downsize the "Johnson led to rock music" narrative and look again at the man and his contemporaries.  Elijah has suggested that if we really want to talk about the most influential blues artist of that period - then it's probably Leroy Carr.   

I really enjoyed the US made TV series "American Epic".  Produced by Robert Redford and Jack White.  Excellent. 

 
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Phobic

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@Don Ruperto that was an interesting read thanks!

I personally wouldn't hold Robert Johnson up as the epitome of blues. And I certainly don't consider him to be the founder of rock either.

Robert Johnson and many other blues greats are so often quoted by the big rock bands because at the time they were all trying to emulate the blues sound. It's maybe unfair to pick out 1 blues influence, but I think the press & industry have done a lot to perpetuate the Robert Johnson narrative because of the mystique & legend that surrounds him - it's a good story and it sells records!

It helps that all his material is amazing, I can't think of a single bad track of his

 
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Phobic

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We almost have a top 10...





 


Album


Votes




1


Nirvana - Nevermind


3




2


The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds


3




3


Miles Davis - Bitches Brew


3




4


Kraftwerk - Autobahn


2




5


Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen


2




6


Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon


2




7


Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath


2




8


Bob Dylan - Bringing it All Back Home


2




9


Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express


2







 


Artist


number of albums voted




1


Kraftwerk


4




2


Miles Davis


4




3


The Beach Boys


3




4


Pink Floyd


3




5


Nirvana


3




6


Public Enemy


3




7


The Who


2




8


The Clash


2




9


The Beatles


2




10


Black Sabbath


2




11


The Smiths


2




12


MC5


2




13


Bob Dylan


2




14


Prefab Sprout


2




 

Don Ruperto

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Kraftwerk doing well... that's really interesting isn't it?   That was an exciting few years.  TEE, Low, Brian Eno, Heroes.  

Rolling Stone didn't seem too bothered that I remember, maybe my memory playing tricks.  Kraftwerk not too big on the West Coast?    

I love "Radioactivity".  "Antenna" is a great track to play on a half decent system.   

Kraftwerk... were jokers of course.  There's a lot of wit in their work.  Conservatoire trained musicians, fully aware of the development of 20th century popular music, but hang on... where do the Germans fit into that particular story?  "We are The Robots!".... 

 

bohemian

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my choices:

1. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica

2. Soft Machine - Soft Machine

3. The Beatles - Sgt Pepper

4. Miles Davis - A Kind Of Blue

5. Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced

6. Brian Eno - Music For Airports

7. Frank Zappa - We’re Only In It For The Money

8. Fairport Convention - Liege and Lief

9. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

10. Pink Floyd - Meddle

 
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Don Ruperto

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I'm not sure I can produce a list of the 10 most influential albums because that would then be based on somebody else's idea of what is influential.  Does that make sense?    :S

I think that's why there's so much overlap of the same titles on so many poster's lists - I'm not convinced that all those albums are really influential, I think it's more the case they represent a received idea of what is now assumed to be influential.  Some definitely are, some I'm not so convinced.  

Sorry, I'm not trying to be a clever dick, but while the music papers might keep name checking Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" - is it influential?  Really?  Who was influenced by it?  I can tell you that Louis Armstrong was profoundly influential - his playing was so phenomenal it travelled right round the world before radio became widespread, let alone LPs.  Lester Young and Billie Holiday were also highly influential, both artists shaping music way beyond the confines of jazz.  Lester Young was the true originator of bebop and cool, not just his playing and his clothes but also his hipster language, some of which we still use to this day.  He also invented the one note honk which was taken up by many of the great 50s R&B bands and even influenced Bill Haley.  

A much neglected genius called Docteur Nico influenced a whole continent of African guitarists and his style can still be heard today - but his greatest sides were recorded nearly 60 years ago.  I remember Alexis Korner playing his music in the 70s, also John Peel, Charlie Gillett - some of the best DJs we ever had.  Jimi Hendrix knew of Nico, he even visited him in Paris in the 60s.  So far I haven't seen him on the front of MOJO magazine. 

Oasis are very influential of course... :roll:   Not so much on music as on wallies who wear their parkas indoors 24/7 and twits who like to stand at gigs with their arms crossed trying to look hard.   xD   

Thinking about it, speaking as somebody who lives in a time warp, I think that for me it's more about influential artists rather than albums.  And many of the musicians I really rate weren't album artists.  

Where's my Tardis?  I think I'll pop back to 1954. 

 

Phobic

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I'm not sure I can produce a list of the 10 most influential albums because that would then be based on somebody else's idea of what is influential.  Does that make sense?    :S
no it doesn't make sense!  :D

it's not about what anyone else thinks, it's about picking albums that you think were the most influential.

I highly recommend giving it a go, it's an interesting exercise, it forces you to think about why you like what you like and what the interconnections are between great albums, think family tree of music influence.

I think that's why there's so much overlap of the same titles on so many poster's lists 
It's not that surprising really, the mass public vote with their wallets on what they like, the hive mind generally center on what the majority of people like - that's what become hits and in turn what may influence others.

I'm not convinced that all those albums are really influential, I think it's more the case they represent a received idea of what is now assumed to be influential.  Some definitely are, some I'm not so convinced.  
it's an interesting point, it would be an interesting discussion to explore why a hit album is or isn't as influential as it's perceived to be.

Sorry, I'm not trying to be a clever dick, but while the music papers might keep name checking Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" - is it influential?  Really?  Who was influenced by it?  I can tell you that Louis Armstrong was profoundly influential - his playing was so phenomenal it travelled right round the world before radio became widespread, let alone LPs.  Lester Young and Billie Holiday were also highly influential, both artists shaping music way beyond the confines of jazz.  Lester Young was the true originator of bebop and cool, not just his playing and his clothes but also his hipster language, some of which we still use to this day.  He also invented the one note honk which was taken up by many of the great 50s R&B bands and even influenced Bill Haley.  

A much neglected genius called Docteur Nico influenced a whole continent of African guitarists and his style can still be heard today - but his greatest sides were recorded nearly 60 years ago.  I remember Alexis Korner playing his music in the 70s, also John Peel, Charlie Gillett - some of the best DJs we ever had.  Jimi Hendrix knew of Nico, he even visited him in Paris in the 60s.  So far I haven't seen him on the front of MOJO magazine. 

Oasis are very influential of course... :roll:   Not so much on music as on wallies who wear their parkas indoors 24/7 and twits who like to stand at gigs with their arms crossed trying to look hard.   xD   

Thinking about it, speaking as somebody who lives in a time warp, I think that for me it's more about influential artists rather than albums.  And many of the musicians I really rate weren't album artists.  

Where's my Tardis?  I think I'll pop back to 1954. 
Loving hearing the rationale, you've already introduced me to artists that I've not yet heard which is just what threads like this are all about..keep on going you've almost got a list there, just add some albums or even tracks in that you think are great representations....

Louis Armstrong - 

Lester Young -

Billie Holiday -

Docteur Nico -

Alexis Korner -

Nico -

Oasis -

 

Bazzer

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1.   The Beatles -Sgt Pepper

2.   The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses

3.   Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum

4.   Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

5.   King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King

6.   Portishead - Portishead

7.   Grateful Dead - Anthem of the Sun

8.   David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

9.   T.Rex - Electric Warrior

10. Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield Again

 
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Phobic

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I'm liking seeing who people put at the top of there lists.

we now have a top 10





 


Album


Votes




1


Nirvana - Nevermind


3




2


Miles Davis - Bitches Brew


3




3


The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper


3




4


The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds


3




5


Kraftwerk - Autobahn


2




6


Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced


2




7


Miles Davis - Kind of Blue


2




8


Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back


2




9


Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon


2




10


Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath


2




11


Bob Dylan - Bringing it All Back Home


2




12


Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express


2




13


David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars


2




14


MC5 - Kick Out The Jams


2




15


Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen


2



Miles Davies out in front which is interesting, it's usually the Beatles in my favorite album lists! Also nice to Brian Eno up there.

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