Your Top 10 Albums

[jayjay]

Some random website is claiming it's national album day. I don't subscribe to that kind of arbitrary bollocks, but it seems as good a motivation as any to basically copy Howie's favourite films topic.

What are your favourite albums?

 

[Edward M]

Ohhhhh, this seems fun. In no particular order,

1. Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust - A few Bowie albums could be on here
2. Highway 61 Revisited - In terms of lyricism, it's to die for.
3. The Velvet Underground and Nico/The Velvet Underground - The former is certainly better, but the latter may be my favorite.
4. To Pimp a Butterfly - It's new, but it's one I keep going back to.
5. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Sigh, what happened Kanye?
6. London Calling - So long with so much punk
7. OK Computer - Radiohead's best
8. The Soft Bulletin - A really unique album I vibe a lot with
9. Exile on Main Street - A double album of B-Sides, great great
10. Midnite Vultures - Can't help it, just love how fun it is

 

[FistedColossus]

1. Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not - came out when I was 15 and the lyrics captured the time perfectly. Still their best album today (AM very close).

2. The Libertines: Up The Bracket - my most listened to album of all time. Produced by Mick Jones of The Clash and has a real punk sound to it. A standout album in an era of generic soft indie ****e.

3. Bruce Springsteen: Darkness On The Edge Of Town - lyrically on a different planet. Bruce knows how to paint a picture and this album tells a quite depressing story, backed up with some of his best guitar work.

4. Bowie: Ziggy - His most popular album but the one I can always go back to and not skip a track. The first half of 'Low' is his best ever work, but the second half put Ziggy miles ahead.

5. Pulp: Different Class - Two incredible singles came from this album but it's full of gems.

Then either of these could make up the next five, depending on what mood I'm in...

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
The Stone Roses
The Clash - London Calling
Arcade Fire - Funeral
The Strokes - Is This It
Springsteen - Born To Run
Oasis - Definitely Maybe

I feel like I'm missing a very big one somewhere here

 

[jayjay]

5. Pulp: Different Class - Two incredible singles came from this album but it's full of gems.

Cocker's got a great talent for writing relatable situations and characters. Common People might just be the best written pop song ever made.

Mine changes all the time, but these are my favourites now.
1. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (2012 - folk, indie) - I'm a sucker for warm music with vocal harmonies and great melody lines. This album soars all over the place, the lyrics are resonant and timeless and the album (especially the second half) is paced beautifully.
2. Radiohead - OK Computer (1997 - alternative rock) - Cliche, but for a reason. Every song is perfectly written. The production is glorious. The themes are dark and well written about.
3. Susanne Sundfør - Ten Love Songs (2015 - art pop) - The album that helped me appreciate pop music again. This has a load of intensely dark synthpop, interspersed with grand sweeping ballads.
4. The Beatles - Abbey Road (1969 - pop rock) - I love albums where you feel like you've been on an adventure. The first half is filled with classics, then the B side takes you through a million musical ideas before finishing with a big singalong chorus.
5. Todd Terje - It's Album Time (2014 - electronic dance) - You might recognise the album cover and the album itself is just as cheesy. Todd's not afraid of kitsch and here, he put together the bounciest electro album ever. Probably the album I listen to the most at the moment.
6. Steven Wilson - Hand. Cannot. Erase. (2015 - prog rock) - Concept album telling the story leading up to the real life story of a woman in London who died alone in her flat and remained undiscovered for three years. Great bombastic production and hooks for miles. Deeply cynical about society, but that seems to be Wilson's thing.
7. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (2008 - folk, indie) - More vocal harmonies. More jangly textured guitars. Love it!
8. Kate Bush - Hounds of Love (1985 - art pop) - Honestly, just read Abbey Road again. Except this also has Kate Bush who's an immensely talented vocalist and songwriter.
9. Muse - Absolution (2003 - rock) - Muse's talent for writing classic guitar hooks and making music that's interesting as much as it's accessible is enough that I can ignore the fact that they can't write lyrics for ****.
10. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007 - Alternative rock) - This was either going to be In Rainbows or Kid A, but I went with the accessible one because I don't care about hipster points. Again, it's Radiohead so the production and textures are on point. It's got a bit of the Kid A "soundscape" way of writing songs.

Other albums that could have made the list - Kid A (Radiohead), Dirty Computer (Janelle Monáe), Blue (Joni Mitchell), The Mechanical Fair (Ola Kvernberg), Music For People In Trouble (Susanne Sundfør), A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window (Cardiacs)

 

[mouse]

Urgh this is gonna be difficult. I don’t I have a definitive list of favourites, what I prefer listening to changes daily. But lets have a go.

Whenever asked for my favourite album I always say Kate Tempest - Let Them Eat Chaos. I stand by that, it is an incredible album. It is a conceptual album that demands to be listened to in one sitting, I remember feeling overwhelmed as if I’d watched an amazing film after my first listen. The mix of hip hop and spoken word is well executed, Tempest’s vocal performance is outstanding and the production is complimentary and highly distinctive.

After that it gets iffy. In no particular order:

8. Kate Bush - Hounds of Love

I definitely need at least one Kate Bush album on my list, and usually this is the one I’d go for. However lately I’ve found myself preferring her most recent studio album 50 Words For Snow. It is so atmospheric and delicate. The opening piano led tracks are particularly beautiful, spacious and subtle. Considering I find her new work more exciting than the classics, I can’t wait to see what she does next.

1. To Pimp a Butterfly

Another one I’m tempted to add to my list. Although I think TPAB is objectively the better album, I actually prefer Good Kid Maad City. I find it to be more cohesive and subtle. I’m also enjoying Damn more with every listen, so that will probably catch up soon.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

I should probably have one Kanye album on here too. Again MBDTF is arguably his ‘best’ but not my personal favourite. I’d be tempted to go for College Dropout or Yeezus as my favourites. Although props to 808’s and Heartbreaks for being perhaps the most influential album of its time.

I think I will add Lorde - Melodrama. It is an exceptional pop album with intricate complexities in both vocals and production. I’m highly excited to see where Lorde goes next, she’s gonna be looked back on as one of the greats.

Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now. Beautiful arrangements and perhaps my favourite voice ever.

Now I’m really struggling. I think I’ll include The Avalanches - Wildflower. A truly unique album with quirky but brilliant sample-heavy soundscapes.

Need to have something by Nina Simone, but she’s done so much great stuff its hard to decide. I’ll go for Nina Simone and Piano. I love the simplicity of it. Perhaps my second favourite voice ever.

I can’t choose two more, so here’s some other favourites…
Solange - A Seat at the Table
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell
Childish Gambino - Awaken, My Love!
Apex Twin - Syro
James Holden and the Animal Spirits - The Animal Spirits
Anderson .Paak - Malibu
BADBADNOTGOOD - IV
And so much more!

Tomorrow I’ll probably have an entirely new list.

 

[Howie]

Off the top of my head with no real thought or consideration whatsoever, and in no particular order.
Oasis - Definitely Maybe. Every single track is a classic.
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses. Simply essential 90's.
Michael Jackson - Thriller. If an alien came down and said to you 'Teach me about this Earth thing called pop music', this is the album you'd play him.
Bob Marley - Legend. Technically this is a greatest hits album, does that still count?
Metallica - Load. Thought about the Black album, but overall I think I prefer this one better?
The Cult - Electric. Best hard rock album of the 80's... apart from AC/DC's Back in Black.
AC/DC - Back in Black.
The Blues Brothers - Original Soundtrack. Nuff said.
Caro Emerald - Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. She is so fit.
The Jam - Greatest Hits. I know, another greatest hits album, but so what? They still count.

That's 10, right? Yeah that'll do, think I'm happy with that list.... for now.

 

[jayjay]

That's 10, right? Yeah that'll do, think I'm happy with that list.... for now.

That was my approach to your movies topic, so I'll allow it

 

[caffeine_demon]

Ooh - tough choice

1 - U2 - Achtung baby. Bono's a bit of a twerp at times, but this album is an absolute masterpiece!
2 - Tango in the night - Fleetwood Mac - Controversial choice over rumours, but
3 - Abba Gold - Can't not inclde one of theirs, but how to choose?
4 - Sergeant peppers lonely hearts club band - the Beatles. Somewhat overhyped, but you can't ignore them!
5 - Songs of faith and devotion - Depeche Mode. Even in the early days, they had a bit of a grungy edge, but this just goes WAY beyond that - Filthy and I love it!
6 - Radiohead - the bends - a great combination of rock and experimental stuff, without being too pretentious
7 - Erasure - The innocents - perfect 80s pop!
8 - Pet shop boys - discography, Yes another best of, but again, just perfect 80s pop!
9 - Paul Simon - graceland. Groundbreaking collaboration with South African artists, particlarly Ladysmith black Mambazo
10- probably about 200+ other possibles....

 

[pvnks]

+1 for Arcade Fire's Funeral. One of the most impressive debut albums ever created and woven in such a way that you could listen to it in its entirety instead of picking the odd track here and there like I commonly do these days.

Queens of the Stone Age's Songs for the Deaf and Rated R are similarly fantastic pieces.

I'm terrible at ranking and making lists but I know Interpol's Antics, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's B.R.M.C and Daft Punk's Discovery are all up there for me.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[Benenen]

Metallica - Load.

Controversial choice for your top Metallica album there Howie. Are you not a fan of the thrashier 80s stuff?

In no particular order these are some that really stuck with me:

Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
Metallica - And Justice For All
Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
Enter Shikari - Take to the Skies
Green Day - American Idiot
Tame Impala - Currents

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

This is very difficult but I'll give it a go!

1: Pink Floyd - Animals
2: David Bowie - Heroes
3: Pink Floyd - The Darkside of The Moon
4: David Bowie - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
5: Motorhead - Bastards
6: Ghost - Meliora
7: Metallica - Ride The Lightning
8: David Bowie - Blackstar
9: David Bowie - The Next Day
10: David Bowie - Low

That was very hard!

 

[Howie]

Controversial choice for your top Metallica album there Howie. Are you not a fan of the thrashier 80s stuff?

Yeah... nah. I know true Metallica fans will berate me for this, but their thrash metal stuff is too much for me. Not just the 80's stuff but later albums like Death Magnetic too. Much prefer their more 'mainstream' work.

 

[b&mfanboy123]

1. Astroworld - Amazing album by Travis Scott, it also pays homage to the now defunct Astroworld
2. D.A.M.N - Kendrick Lamar, Humble, DNA are some of the best songs he's made until now
3. Rodeo - Travis Scott, Really strong personality and some intense music
4. Culture ll - Migos ATL,
5. Beerbongs & Bentleys, Post Malone
6. Scorpion, Drake
7. ?, X
8. Tha Carter V, Lil Wayne
9. Culture, Migos
10. SR3MM, Rae Sremmurd

 

[sirloin]

In no particular order, and this list frequently changes based on what artists I'm really into at any given time:

- The Joshua Tree - U2
- Achtung Baby - U2
- Zooropa - U2
- Surfer Girl - The Beach Boys
- Document - R.E.M.
- Full Moon Fever - Tom Petty
- The Outsiders - NEEDTOBREATHE
- Rubber Soul - The Beatles
- No Jacket Required - Phil Collins
- Who's Next - The Who

 

[James F]

Except from the top 5 my list usually changes every year as I am trying to open myself up to more music, but here is mine for now

 

[James F]

Except from the top 5 my list usually changes every year as I am trying to open myself up to more music, but here is mine for now

Sorry for the double post.

1: Nevermind - Nirvana (Grunge/Alternative rock)
Yeah, I know I seem like a basic B***h, but it's iconic for a reason. It helped get Punk rock into the mainstream, with bands like Green Day, The Offspring and Rancid getting major record labels during the grunge hype. Cobain's songwriting is outstanding, the music incorporates all the types of sub-genres and sounds I love from rock music. I can never skip a single song on this album. Truly lighting caught in a bottle.

2: The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem (Hardcore Hip-Hop/Horrorcore)
This is the album from my teen years which has stuck with me the most. During the time I was 15 and I was in secondary school (high school), I was never one of the popular kids so I would always try and fit in and not let my weird side show, but this album's anger fueled lyrics told me f**k that and not to care what people think about you if they're not important to you. Plus this is Eminem at his finest hour, the lyrics are strange, horrifying and often offensive to media heads and protective parents, it's got to be one of the best F**K YOU albums ever released. Even now I am in my 20s and I am a more secure person, if someone gets under my skin it's one of my go-to albums.

3: Nevermind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols - Sex Pistols (Punk rock)
To me this album is the poster of Punk. When I first heard it, it felt like I was opening time capsule of what life was like during the mid to late 70s for teenagers and yet somehow the album was still relevant for me in 2013. The Sex Pistols do one thing very well, attitude, while it was also a cause for their quick demise it lead a blueprint for every disenfranchised youth to follow. The lyrics are funny and satirical and the music, while basic proves you don't need to be professionally trained to have an impactful sound.

4: Green Day - Dookie (Pop Punk/Alternative rock)
Along with their 2004 album 'American Idiot' Dookie and Green Day's music as a whole got me into punk rock. If it wasn't for Green Day, I don't know if I would of listened to brilliant bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, The Decedents, Misfits, Minor Threat, Black Flag, The Gits and many, many more. The songs are brilliantly written and have this light/soft dynamic that Nirvana used a few years prior, not that the music doesn't stand out on it's own, you can hear their East Bay influences such as Operation Evy in the songs "Longview" and "Welcome to Paradise". It's an album that makes me feel 16 again and reflect on who I was back then.

5: In Utero - Nirvana (Grunge/Alternative rock)
It speaks volumes that after their best selling album, Nirvana wanted to make their most diverse work yet. I have spoken to alot of people who can't get into this album, who love Nevermind. I often argue with myself over which album I prefer, In Utero is heavy, distorted, ugly and beautiful at the same time. Song like "Milk it" and "Scentless Apprentice" are possibly the most Punk sounding songs they have done, while the more melancholic songs such as "Pennyroyal Tea" and "All Apologies" make the album more re-listenable.

6: Toxicity - System of a Down (Alternative metal/Nu-metal)
A more recent entry, but wow this album is fantastic. I knew of SOAD for long time, but I have only gone in-depth listening to their albums this past year. Every song has a huge amount of energy and an unpredictability about it. Serj Tankian's vocals are outstanding, definitely one of the best metal vocalists. Unlike a lot of popular heavy metal albums of the time Toxicity's musical influences are vast. You can here influences from The Beatles, Bad Brains, Slayer and even Middle eastern and African music all in one very energetic and catchy album.

7: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys (Indie rock/Post-punk revival)
If you live in northern England, this album is one of the most relatable out there. With lyrics about the highs and lows of a night out in Sheffield, it almost feel like a concept album, yet instead of telling a larger than life story, the Arctic Monkeys lyrics are as down to earth as pie, chips and gravy. The album never ceases to cheer me up and like all the other albums listed has an unskippable track list.

8: Frenching the Bully - The Gits (Punk Rock)
An underrated album by an underrated band. Frenching the Bully is my favorite punk album from an independent label, while Bad Brains debut, Decendents 'Milo Goes to College' and Green Day's 'Kerplunk' come close to that title, Frenching the Bully is just hits to it's full potential which every song, while The Gits are not the heaviest punk band, nor the most technically skilled, they have a raw energy which is unmatched by many in my opinion.

9: American Idiot - Green Day (Alternative rock/Pop-punk)
Punk rock on an arena stage, sounds like a contradiction, but it really works here. To be honest I don't think of this album as Punk or even pop punk, it definitely leans more to alternative rock in the way the song progress in different movements. Usually I don't like progressive rock, but Green Day manage to keep it energetic and interesting. This album feels like a full blown musical, once I knew the lyrics it's impossible not to sing along to every song in Billie's strange but fitting vocal choices.

10: Slipknot - Slipknot (Nu metal)
This album is an hour of pure, unadulterated fury. While many fans put Iowa as their best album (it's my 2nd favorite) their debut just has such a layered and diverse sound from it's sampling and multi-percussion to Corey Taylor's rage fueled screams. Every song has such a strong and aggressive vibe to it. It feels like a live album with how full on this album is.

Other albums worth mentioning are Ride the Lighting: Metallica, Graduation: Kanye West, Slim Shady LP: Eminem, Unknown Pleasures: Joy Division, Paranoid: Black Sabbath, The Bends: Radiohead


I don't count compilation albums, but ABBA Gold and Gold: The Carpenters are my favorites of pop music.

 

[micoasters]

im a bit late but:
1. the eminem show(eminem). IMO the only perfect album. it has no bad songs.
2. the Marshall Mathers LP(eminem)
3. relapse: refill (eminem)
4. 2001 (Dr Dre)
5. the slim shady LP (eminem)
6. raising hell(run DMC)
7. all eyes on me (2pac)
8. encore (eminem)
9. straight outta compton(N.W.A.)
10. the death of slim shady (eminem)