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Post by Paul on Oct 16, 2006 8:05:17 GMT -5
OK, so what do you all think are the best of the best and why?
There is a long list on candidates here, but please save them for what you think really is the best and worthy of 5 stars. For example as I write this, I'm trying to think if my beloved Pearl Jam has a 5 star album, and I'm not so sure I'd list them here....Possibly No Code and Avocado, but I have to think about it some more.
Some that are coming to mind off the top of my head are:
London Calling, Paul's Botique, Abbey Road, and Appetite For Destruction. There are others I'm thinking of, and I'll give more of an explanation when I have time, but for now I just want to get the ball rolling.....
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Post by Adam on Oct 16, 2006 10:15:44 GMT -5
Fun House - The Stooges
Electric Ladyland - Jimi Hendrix
Reign In Blood - Slayer
Dummy - Portishead
In a Silent Way - Miles Davis
Achtung Baby - U2
The Clash - The Clash
Ride The Lightning - Metallica
With The Beatles
The Complete Recordings - Robert Johnson
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Post by Galactus on Oct 16, 2006 10:29:14 GMT -5
IMO, Ride The Lightning is a solid four and 1/2, Master Of Puppets is five stars though...
Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
Exile On Main St. - The Rolling Stones
Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
To get the obvious out of the way...
My Morning Jacket - Z
Death Cab For Cutie - We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes
The Shins - Shutes Too Narrow
Pearl Jam - No Code
Sonic Youth - Datdream Nation
Oasis - Morning Glory
Sugar - Copper Blue
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
The Jayhawks - Tomorrow The Green Grass
Cheap Trick - In Color
The Replacements - Tim
...just to scratch the surface...
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Post by Kensterberg on Oct 16, 2006 10:34:47 GMT -5
A few records I'd hold up as no argument five star picks ... (though there are always a few people who'll argue anyway  ) ... these are records that anyone who loves rock and roll should be able to hear the genius in, even if it isn't their favorite part of the genre ... of course, this is in absolutely no order: Revolver, The Beatles Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan London Calling, The Clash Who's Next, The Who Achtung Baby, U2 The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground Some Girls, The Rolling Stones Diesel and Dust, Midnight Oil New York, Lou Reed Empty Glass, Pete Townshend Rocket to Russia, The Ramones Tim, The Replacements Rumours, Fleetwood Mac Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Green River, Creedence Clearwater Revival Abbey Road, The Beatles Armed Forces, Elvis Costello and the Attractions Murmer, R.E.M. Crowded House, Crowded House Face to Face, The Kinks There are a ton more, but that should be plenty for now ... |
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Post by Thorngrub on Oct 16, 2006 11:11:15 GMT -5
The only perfect album I can think of right now is
Dark Side Of The Moon
by the Pink Floyd
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Post by Thorngrub on Oct 16, 2006 11:11:42 GMT -5
I wouldn't touch it; it's perfect
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Post by Thorngrub on Oct 16, 2006 11:12:33 GMT -5
Another one that comes to mind:
13th Step
by A Perfect Circle
(it is an immaculate sonic conception, imo)
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Post by Paul on Oct 16, 2006 13:55:28 GMT -5
IMO, Ride The Lightning is a solid four and 1/2, Master Of Puppets is five stars though... I agree. 'Ride the Lightning' is good (3 and 1/2 or 4 stars) but 'Master Of Puppets' is Metallica at their best. MOP is a 5 star album without a doubt. It's the perfect and possibly best metal album ever made. You've got harmony, good lyrics, and hard music. "Battery" is an amazing album opener, then the album explodes into the epic "Master Of Puppets" -- wow! There's really not a bad track on the album. |
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Post by Paul on Oct 16, 2006 14:13:34 GMT -5
Ken,
Interesting that you picked 'Face to Face' - didn't think you were that big of a fan of the early Kinks.....
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One 5 star album for me is Arthur: Or the Decline and Fall Of the British Empire by the Kinks.
To me this is not only the best of the Kinks' concept albums it's one of the best albums from the 1960's. This one has it all: great lyrics, great music, great song structures, interesting timings, rockin' guitar, complicated drum beats (listen to the end of Drivin' and Mr. Churchill Says), and nice layers within the music. It's themes are VERY relevant today nearly 40 years later, and to me, that makes the album even more worthy of a 5 star nod (Just listen to the lyrics to "Brainwashed" "Some Mother's Son", and "Yes Sir, No Sir"). Even with it's heavy and gloomy themes, 'Arthur' is able to be a fun listen. It has the best Kinks' album opener with "Victoria", and closes nicely with "Arthur". For those who have never heard it, or for those who haven't really listened to it, give it a go. You won't be disappointed (especially the lyrical content). Oh, and it contains the amazing "Shangri-la" -- talk about relevant lyrics, and just utterly cool music....
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Post by Kensterberg on Oct 16, 2006 14:45:36 GMT -5
I like Face to Face a lot. And a lot more than I like Arthur, which feels much more staged to me. Maybe it benefits from being Davies' first attempt at a conceptual album, but Face to Face has a charm that IMO lifts it above everything else I've heard from the band's sixties output.
BTW, I was listening to The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society when I wrote that earlier list. Liked it, didn't love it. The title track and (of course) Picture Book are aces, and Days is a great lyric, but there are some ups and downs to the rest of the record. Very good, but not up to Face to Face, IMHO.
A few more "uncontested" (I think) five star albums ...
Damn the Torpedoes, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan
The Clash, The Clash
The Decline and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, David Bowie
Moving Pictures, Rush (this is as good as prog-rock gets, which means it gets top marks, even if nothing else in this deplorable genre is anywhere near as good)
Live Bullet, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
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Post by Weeping_Guitar on Oct 16, 2006 17:51:14 GMT -5
Yankee.
Hotel.
Foxtrot.
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Post by Dr. Drum on Oct 17, 2006 6:00:42 GMT -5
Isn't "contested" half the fun?  |
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Post by luke on Oct 17, 2006 7:12:45 GMT -5
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Post by Paul on Oct 17, 2006 7:20:40 GMT -5
Good call on 'Doolittle' Luke I haven't listened to the pumpkins in years -- I've forgotten what Siamese sounds like.....I may need to break that out of the vault in the near future.... |
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Post by Paul on Oct 17, 2006 7:29:24 GMT -5
I like Face to Face a lot. And a lot more than I like Arthur, which feels much more staged to me. Maybe it benefits from being Davies' first attempt at a conceptual album, but Face to Face has a charm that IMO lifts it above everything else I've heard from the band's sixties output. BTW, I was listening to The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society when I wrote that earlier list. Liked it, didn't love it. The title track and (of course) Picture Book are aces, and Days is a great lyric, but there are some ups and downs to the rest of the record. Very good, but not up to Face to Face, IMHO. Well the thing about Arthur is it's supposed to be staged. It's original intention was to be a play televised by the BBC, the they dropped it at the last minute. Arthur IMO is one of rocks' greatest unknown gems. I think to this day it has yet to sell over 100,000 copies (I need to do some research on that though).....it's one of rocks' best kept secrets. As for VGPS, it's a fantastic album, but I agree it has some weaknesses....Most die hard Kinks fans will say VGPS is their masterpiece. I disagree, but I may be inclined to still give it a 5 star rating....Think about when it was released, and what was going on with the world....Vietnam was in full effect, acid rock was going strong, bands like Jimi Hendrix, Doors, and Velvet Underground were ushering in new styles of rock, and the Kinks release a nostalgic, quiet album that has absolutely nothing to do w/ modern times. I think one critic said it best when he wrote "....that album was either 100 years behind it's time, or 100 years ahead of it's time; pending on how you look at it". The more I've listened to VGPS the more I like it, and I like that is is very layered. There are tons of subtle beat changes, and tons of subtle arrangements going on throughout the album. My own personal problem with it, is that it doesn't quite rock hard enough for me, and that's where 'Arthur' shines, and surpasses it IMO. |
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) ... these are records that anyone who loves rock and roll should be able to hear the genius in, even if it isn't their favorite part of the genre ... of course, this is in absolutely no order:
