Your essential top ten music albums.

POSTED BY: hughff
UPDATED: Monday, June 29, 2026 17:27
VIEWED: 7771
PAGE 1 of 4

1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE

HUGHFF

Friday, March 21, 2008 3:13 AM

This is a chance for you to post your top ten cds, much like the essential tv-show-dvd thread elsewhere.

I'd like to throw in a few "rules.' They're like the "rules of poetry" That is to say, you can break them if you want but it makes it more challenging if you don't. I'll try to justify all rules.
Rule 1: 10 Albums only. (Otherwise you get too many)
Rule 2: At least 3 albums must be pre-1990 and 3 post-1990 (To stop people concentrating on a single era and encourage diversity)
Rule 3: No more than 3 albums by a single artist, including variations where s/he has gone on to be the principal of another band. eg Paul McCartney is a principal in both the Beatles and Wings but David Groll, while the principal for the Foo Fighters, wasn't the main man for Nirvana, so I'd count them as different. (Again, for the sake of diversity)
Rule 4: No multi-artist compilations, live albums or "best ofs" unless the vast majority of the music appeared on the album for the first time. eg Joe Jackson's Big World album is entirely original work, even though it was recorded live. (To avoid comparing twelve years' output with twelve months'.)

Pre-1990
Highlights of a Dangerous Life - The Johnnys
Who's Next - The Who
Lost and Found - Jason and the Scorchers
Post 1990
Clear, Impetuous Morning - Jason and the Scorchers
Yoni - Ginger
Charmed, I'm Sure - The Charms
Others
Let the Beatings Begin - Disciples of Loud
Empire Builders - Jason Ringenberg
The Wildhearts Must be Destroyed - The Wildhearts
Where the Bee Dances - Michael Nyman.

www.cpfc.org - my life
www.nbhs.school.nz - my work

STRANGEBIRD

Friday, March 21, 2008 6:15 AM

I honestly don't have enough must haves yet to fill a list and obey the rules... I'll just lurk, read everyone elses and maybe find some more for my own list.

I'd fill my own list with Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley... Yeah I need to broaden my musical horizons.

<------<<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >>>------>

"When you can't do something smart, do something right." - quoting Book
<------<<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >>>------>

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Friday, March 21, 2008 9:16 AM

They still made music after 1990?? Didn't new music stop when rap took over?

after 1990:
When the Blackbird Sings, by Saraya.
Western Underground, by Chris LeDoux.
ABBA Generation, by A-Teens.

Before 1990:
Saraya, by Saraya.
Mirror, by One 2 Many.
Underneath the Radar, by Underworld.
Wild and Woolly, by Chris LeDoux.
Madonna, by Madonna.
Alannah Myles, by Alannah Myles.
To Live and Die in L.A. Soundtrack, by Wang Chung.

MOBBEX

Friday, March 21, 2008 12:36 PM

In no particular order...

Blood Sugar Sex Magic, by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Odelay, by Beck
Ill Communication, by the Beastie Boys
To Record Only Water For Ten Days, by John Frusciante
Melon Collie And The Infinite Sadness, by the Smashing Pumpkins
Physical Graffiti, by Led Zeppelin
Electric Ladyland, by Jimi Hendrix
OK Computer, by Radiohead
Roxy & Elsewhere, by Frank Zappa
Rage Against The Machine, by Rage Against The Machine

There's just nothing bad about these records, they're flawless, all perfect in their own way

FINN MAC CUMHAL

Friday, March 21, 2008 2:27 PM

1. Strangers In the Night -- Frank Sinatra (1966)
It’s hard to pick a single Sinatra Album, but if I were forced to I would have to go with this one. It has the unquestioned classics “Strangers In the Night,“ “Downtown” and “Summer Wind.”

2. Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert -- Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (1938)
In the late thirties, Goodman played several concerts that spiced up the usual Foxtrots that were popular in the day with hot-tempo jazz called “killer-dillers” - 200 beats per minutes - which created a new phenomenon in American music, giving birth to the Swing era. This is one of those concerts.
Now I know that perhaps this might violate Hughff’s rules about compilations. Orchestra’s rarely played the same song the same way twice, and in particular in the early years of Swing, bands like Goodman’s Orchestra would really spice up tunes searching for new ways to invigorate the crowd. So even though these pieces may not have appeared on this album for the first time, it’s still representative of a certain degree of originality and certainly of a very specific era.

3. Come Away with Me -- Norah Jones (2003)
Norah Jones is a prodigy of smooth jazz. Her debut album accomplished in a single motion what most artists never achieve. Complex music like Jazz has fallen to the side of flashier hits since the 70s, but somehow Jones took the single “Don’t Know Why” to #30 in the Billboard 100 and #21 on the Top 40. Mostly I think it was her voice. In a time, when almost all music is lyrical, Jones found a way to bring the smooth jazz instrumental rhythms into a lyrical form that captivated the nation long enough to win her eight Grammies in 2003.

4. Garbage -- Garbage (1995)
Although most might say that Nirvana epitomized the Alternative Rock movement of the 90s - I still prefer Garbage and Pearl Jam.

5. Get A Grip -- Aerosmith (1993)

6. Toys In the Attic -- Aerosmith (1975)

7. 52nd Street -- Billy Joel (1978)

8. Hotel California -- The Eagles (1976)

9. ?

10. ?

I can’t think of a 9 and 10 and instead of repeating artists, I’ll reserve those for later, when I think of a good album to go there. I’m late for work, so I can’t put any more thought into this anyway right now.

Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.

Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.

-- Cicero

SINGATE

Friday, March 21, 2008 4:01 PM

1. Are You Experienced? - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

2. Appetite for Destruction - Guns N' Roses

3. Master of Puppets - Metallica

4. Dirt - Alice in Chains

5. Badmotorfinger - Soundgarden

6. Pretty Hate Machine - Nine Inch Nails

7. Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

8. Use Your Illusion II - Guns N' Roses

9. Astro Creep 2000 - White Zombie

10. No Code - Pearl Jam

_________________________________________________

We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.

PDCHARLES

Friday, March 21, 2008 6:08 PM

Not sure if I could settle on ten but I have to say Mobbex and Singate, OUTSTANDING choices!

I could live with either list.

Edited to add:
Good to see a Pearl Jam album that is not Ten
Also, has anyone seen Alice in Chains recently? I was a lil unsure of the new singer until I saw them in HOB: Myrtle Beach. I was impressed.

MOBBEX

Friday, March 21, 2008 6:23 PM

So could I! In fact, most of the records on Singate's list were a hair's breath away from making mine

SINGATE

Friday, March 21, 2008 6:26 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by pdcharles:
Good to see a Pearl Jam album that is not Ten
Also, has anyone seen Alice in Chains recently? I was a lil unsure of the new singer until I saw them in HOB: Myrtle Beach. I was impressed.

I was beating myself up over which Pearl Jam album to choose. I don't think I would have been wrong to go with any of their first 5 albums but I find myself drawn to No Code more than the others.

As far as AIC I can't imagine anyone filling Layne Staley's shoes. That man had such a unique voice and the emotion he brought to the lyrics was overwhelming. Does this new guy have a sound of his own or does he imitate Staley's style?

_________________________________________________

We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.

PDCHARLES

Friday, March 21, 2008 6:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by singate:
Quote:
Originally posted by pdcharles:
Good to see a Pearl Jam album that is not Ten
Also, has anyone seen Alice in Chains recently? I was a lil unsure of the new singer until I saw them in HOB: Myrtle Beach. I was impressed.

I was beating myself up over which Pearl Jam album to choose. I don't think I would have been wrong to go with any of their first 5 albums but I find myself drawn to No Code more than the others.

As far as AIC I can't imagine anyone filling Layne Staley's shoes. That man had such a unique voice and the emotion he brought to the lyrics was overwhelming. Does this new guy have a sound of his own or does he imitate Staley's style?

Yup, Yield/Vs. coulda won.

Actually, and totally not copping out here. A lil of both. True, he or no one could ever be Layne. But Duvall does the songs justice and that is all I could ask to re-live some good times. We also lucked up. One of the opening bands did not show in HOB. So, we got three long sets. 2nd being totally acoustic.

1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE