# Top 10 best rock albums of all time?



## Phil loves classical

Everyone's got a list. Let's hear it. Could be mainstream, alternative, mixed style like folk rock, ciuntry rock, jazz rock, etc. No pure jazz or blues, don't want to see Miles Davis or Herbie. Bo Diddley is fine, of course.


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## Phil loves classical

1.	Love – Forever Changes 
2.	The Red Crayola – The Parable of Arable Land
3.	The Beatles – Revolver
4.	The Pixies – Doolittle
5.	Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
6.	Joy Division – Closer
7.	Tim Buckley – Happy Sad
8. Sly and the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On
9. Elvis Costello - Armed Forces
10.	The Mekons - Natural


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## Art Rock

1. Kate Bush - Hounds of love
2. Genesis - Selling England by the pound
3. Pink Floyd - Wish you were here
4. Tori Amos - Scarlets walk
5. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a blank planet
6. Dire Straits - Love over gold
7. Genesis - A trick of the tail
8. Paul Simon - Graceland
9. Tori Amos - Little earthquakes
10. Peter Gabriel - So


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## Phil loves classical

Art Rock said:


> 1. Kate Bush - Hounds of love
> 2. Genesis - Selling England by the pound
> 3. Pink Floyd - Wish you were here
> 4. Tori Amos - Scarlets walk
> 5. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a blank planet
> 6. Dire Straits - Love over gold
> 7. Genesis - A trick of the tail
> 8. Paul Simon - Graceland
> 9. Tori Amos - Little earthquakes
> 10. Peter Gabriel - So


Heck, that is who Joanna Newsom reminds me of, Tori Amos! Couldn't put my finger on it before.


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## Lenny

Ok, I'll try... 

1. Yes - Tales of Topographic Oceans
2. Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
3. Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
4. Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
5. Cream - Fresh Cream
6. Morbid Angel - Blessed Are the Sick
7. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
8. Rush - Hemispheres
9. Kate Bush - The Kick Inside
10. Gentle Giant - Gentle Giant


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## norman bates

Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom
Michael Mantler - Hapless child
The residents - Not available
Nuno Canavarro - Plux quba (ok, this one is hardly rock music)
Tim Buckley - Happy sad
Milton Nascimento - Clube da esquina
Van Morrison - Astral weeks
Monoshock - Walk to the fire
Pop Group - Y
feedtime - feedtime


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## AfterHours

1. Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band (1969) 
2. Rock Bottom - Robert Wyatt (1974) 
3. Faust - Faust (1971) 
4. The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground (1967) 
5. Astral Weeks - Van Morrison (1968) 
6. Parable of Arable Land - Red Crayola (1967) 
7. The Doors - The Doors (1967) 
8. Lorca - Tim Buckley (1970) 
9. Twin Infinitives - Royal Trux (1990)
10. Desertshore - Nico (1970)

NOTE: _In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel (1998)_ is actually #3 (for Rock) on my most recently posted list over on besteveralbums.com, which hasn't been seriously attended to or updated for a while. However, I need to re-evaluate it to ensure it's still Top 10 worthy. Will re-submit if needed.


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## AfterHours

norman bates said:


> Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom
> Michael Mantler - Hapless child
> The residents - Not available
> Nuno Canavarro - Plux quba (ok, this one is hardly rock music)
> Tim Buckley - Happy sad
> Milton Nascimento - Clube da esquina
> Van Morrison - Astral weeks
> Monoshock - Walk to the fire
> Pop Group - Y
> feedtime - feedtime


Are you the same norman bates from besteveralbums.com?


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## norman bates

AfterHours said:


> Are you the same norman bates from besteveralbums.com?


no, I don't even know that site, it's probably just a common username


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## Xaltotun

I could list top 500 heavy metal albums, but I'm not sure I ever listened to ten rock ones..!


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## Art Rock

^ AFAIK Heavy metal is still seen as a sub-genre of rock.


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## Lenny

Xaltotun said:


> I could list top 500 heavy metal albums, but I'm not sure I ever listened to ten rock ones..!


Well, yeah... I was also streching a bit the definition of "rock" with my Morbid Angel album... so please, let us see your metal top 10


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## Xaltotun

Art Rock said:


> ^ AFAIK Heavy metal is still seen as a sub-genre of rock.


Technically and objectively it is, certainly, but my personal feeling is that the differences outweigh the similarities.



Lenny said:


> Well, yeah... I was also streching a bit the definition of "rock" with my Morbid Angel album... so please, let us see your metal top 10


Ok! I don't listen to this stuff anymore, but I spent a large part of my life with it.

1.Morbid Angel: Abominations of Desolation (1986)
2.Blasphemy: Fallen Angel of Doom (1990)
3.Entombed: Left Hand Path (1989)
4.Mortuary Drape: Into The Drape (1992)
5.Sadistik Exekution: The Magus (1986)
6.Master's Hammer: Ritual (1991)
7.Slayer: Show No Mercy (1983)
8.Slayer: Haunting the Chapel (1983)
9.Beherit: Drawing Down the Moon (1992)
10.Mercyful Fate: Don't Break the Oath (1984)


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## AfterHours

norman bates said:


> no, I don't even know that site, it's probably just a common username


Yep, just curious. How's the hotel business? :tiphat:


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## Phil loves classical

AfterHours said:


> Are you the same norman bates from besteveralbums.com?


Are you the same Norman Bates from Psycho?


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## Vronsky

1. Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures (1979)
2. Joy Division: Closer (1980)
3. Swans: The Burning World (1989)
4. Swans: White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (1991)
5. Pere Ubu: The Modern Dance (1978)
6. Julian Jay Savarin: Waiters On The Dance (1971)
7. The Stranglers: La folie (1981)
8. Frank Zappa: The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life (1991)
9. Frank Zappa: Waka/Jawaka (1972)
10. Pixies: Surfer Rosa (1988)


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## hpowders

AfterHours said:


> Yep, just curious. How's the hotel business? :tiphat:


:lol::lol::lol:

You should give him a little Leigh-way.


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## Kjetil Heggelund

I'll have a go. 
1. Iron Maiden-Number of the Beast
2. Motörhead-No Sleep 'til Hammersmith
3. Def Leppard-On Through the Night
4. Black Sabbath-Master of Reality
5. Ozzy-Diary of a Madman
6. Living Colour-Vivid
7. Frank Zappa-The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life, that I heard & saw in 1988, when I finished high-school
8. Rainbow-Rainbow Rising
9. Gary Moore-Rockin' Every Night
10. TNT-Knights of the New Thunder
Hey, they're all from the 80's (or before), and that's when I were in my teens. I still like to listen to all the albums.


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## Strange Magic

In no order:

Genesis: Selling England by the Pound
Mother Love Bone: Apple
Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks
Joan Osborne: Relish
Paul Simon: Graceland
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin I
The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced?
The Doors: The Doors
Janelle Monae: The ArchAndroid 
PJ Harvey: Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
Bruce Springsteen: Darkness on the Edge of Town
Maria McKee: High Dive
PJ Harvey: Let England Shake

There, a baker's dozen.


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## AfterHours

hpowders said:


> :lol::lol::lol:
> 
> You should give him a little Leigh-way.


That sounds like it might be a bit inappropriate. Is a Leigh-way more than a three-way? :lol:


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## Phil loves classical

AfterHours said:


> 1. Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band (1969)
> 2. Rock Bottom - Robert Wyatt (1974)
> 3. Faust - Faust (1971)
> 4. The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground (1967)
> 5. Astral Weeks - Van Morrison (1968)
> 6. Parable of Arable Land - Red Crayola (1967)
> 7. The Doors - The Doors (1967)
> 8. Lorca - Tim Buckley (1970)
> 9. Twin Infinitives - Royal Trux (1990)
> 10. Desertshore - Nico (1970)
> 
> NOTE: _In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel (1998)_ is actually #3 (for Rock) on my most recently posted list over on besteveralbums.com, which hasn't been seriously attended to or updated for a while. However, I need to re-evaluate it to ensure it's still Top 10 worthy. Will re-submit if needed.


Great list Scaruffi. Hope you don't mind me making some comments. Glad you left out Neutral Milk, your list is a lot tighter without it. This is more the forum to discuss this stuff, rather than classical. i like VU's debut, but felt there were some weak tracks, felt White Light was was a more cohesive album. Faust I is a very artistic album, and triumph. I have a hard time figuring if I like that or So Far better. I felt the Doors are much less interesting than they try to make themselves to be, that would be the weak link on your (and Scaruffi's, Sorry can't help myself) list here. From Astral Weeks, By far I like the title track, which I think stands on its own better than with the album. I hate Madame George. Lorca is great, I find his Happy Sad more poetic, which is why I picked that one.


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## nbergeron

I'm definitely more of a pop guy than a rock guy. 

Elvis Costello - My Aim is True
Elvis Costello - Armed Forces 
Steely Dan - Gaucho 
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality 
Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
XTC - Skylarking 
Against Me! - Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose
Green Day - Insomniac
Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy 
Darkthrone - Panzerfaust


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## Phil loves classical

nbergeron said:


> I'm definitely more of a pop guy than a rock guy.
> 
> Elvis Costello - My Aim is True
> Elvis Costello - Armed Forces
> Steely Dan - Gaucho
> Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
> Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
> XTC - Skylarking
> Against Me! - Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose
> Green Day - Insomniac
> Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy
> Darkthrone - Panzerfaust


Meddling into a few people's list here, anyone can meddle with mine no problem. I like XTC, I found like like their Dukes of the Stratosphear incarnation even better, with their neo-psychedelic stuff. They do a fun Beatles inpersonation in Skylarking.

BTW, Armed Forces, I shoulda included that in my list somewhere, definitely more interesting than My Stones' Beggars Banquet.


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## AfterHours

Phil loves classical said:


> Great list Scaruffi. Hope you don't mind me making some comments. Glad you left out Neutral Milk, your list is a lot tighter without it. This is more the forum to discuss this stuff, rather than classical. i like VU's debut, but felt there were some weak tracks, felt White Light was was a more cohesive album. Faust I is a very artistic album, and triumph. I have a hard time figuring if I like that or So Far better. I felt the Doors are much less interesting than they try to make themselves to be, that would be the weak link on your (and Scaruffi's, Sorry can't help myself) list here. From Astral Weeks, By far I like the title track, which I think stands on its own better than with the album. I hate Madame George. Lorca is great, I find his Happy Sad more poetic, which is why I picked that one.


Yep, very similar to Scaruffi's, as we've already discussed, now multiple times, and as I've very recently provided you with pages of criteria and related information to understand this relation and the fundamentals of my entire point-of-view from. And yet, this just must be stressed yet again between us ... because at any moment one of us might be in danger of forgetting this.

I've chosen not to ask you any questions this time about what's behind the other points you bring up because in previous posts you simply haven't answered almost any of them and/or known what your answers are (or at least don't seem to).


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

1. Uncle Meat- Mothers
2. In the Wake of Poseidon - King Crimson
3. A Strange Fantastic Dream - Ariel
4. Out of the Storm - Jack Bruce
5. Feel - George Duke
6. Beyond - Ayers Rock
7. The Yes Album - Yes
8. Will Power- Joe Jackson
9. Hot Rats - Frank Zappa
10. WOIIFTM - Mothers


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## norman bates

Phil loves classical said:


> Are you the same Norman Bates from Psycho?


no, I'm the bassist who worked for Dave Brubeck


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## jegreenwood

I don't know if these are the 10 best, but they are albums I have enjoyed repeatedly from first song to last:

The Beatles - Rubber Soul
Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
The Allman Brothers Band - Fillmore East
The Band - Rock of Ages
Van Morrison - Moondance
Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark
Paul Simon - Graceland
Elvis Costello - This Year's Model (I could have chosen any of his first three albums or a greatest hits)
The Clash - London Calling
Radiohead - In Rainbows


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## Phil loves classical

AfterHours said:


> Yep, very similar to Scaruffi's, as we've already discussed, now multiple times, and as I've very recently provided you with pages of criteria and related information to understand this relation and the fundamentals of my entire point-of-view from. And yet, this just must be stressed yet again between us ... because at any moment one of us might be in danger of forgetting this.
> 
> I've chosen not to ask you any questions this time about what's behind the other points you bring up because in previous posts you simply haven't answered almost any of them and/or known what your answers are (or at least don't seem to).


No, not bringing up any points. Just how things appear to me, that's all. There is nothing wrong with your list, or anyones.


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## Phil loves classical

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> 1. Uncle Meat- Mothers
> 2. In the Wake of Poseidon - King Crimson
> 3. A Strange Fantastic Dream - Ariel
> 4. Out of the Storm - Jack Bruce
> 5. Feel - George Duke
> 6. Beyond - Ayers Rock
> 7. The Yes Album - Yes
> 8. Will Power- Joe Jackson
> 9. Hot Rats - Frank Zappa
> 10. WOIIFTM - Mothers


Good list, thought you were gonna list all 10 by Zappa like with Varese. The first 2 by King Crimson were I thought his more interesting.

Listening to that 2nd album now.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Phil loves classical said:


> Good list, thought you were gonna list all 10 by Zappa like with Varese. The first 2 by King Crimson were I thought his more interesting.
> 
> Listening to that 2nd album now.


In the Wake of Poseidon is a goodn with Greg Lake on Vocals is a fav


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## Manxfeeder

AfterHours said:


> 4. The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground (1967)


I'm surprised this one hasn't come up more frequently.


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## Bluecrab

jegreenwood said:


> I don't know if these are the 10 best, but they are albums I have enjoyed repeatedly from first song to last:
> 
> ...The Allman Brothers Band - Fillmore East...


I was wondering when somebody would mention an album by the Allman Brothers Band. I think you could make an argument for including any of their first four albums (those recorded while Duane Allman and Berry Oakley were still alive) on a list like this. They were without a doubt the best rock band I ever saw.

Also, nice to see Joe Jackson get at least one mention. I've long thought that he's one of the most underappreciated songwriters in rock.


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## laurie

Strange Magic said:


> In no order:
> 
> Genesis: Selling England by the Pound
> Mother Love Bone: Apple
> Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks
> Joan Osborne: Relish
> Paul Simon: Graceland
> Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin I
> The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced?
> The Doors: The Doors
> Janelle Monae: The ArchAndroid
> PJ Harvey: Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
> *Bruce Springsteen: Darkness on the Edge of Town*
> Maria McKee: High Dive
> PJ Harvey: Let England Shake
> 
> There, a baker's dozen.


Yes! Another Springsteen fan?! I would have bet money against finding one on _this_ forum! :lol:
And thanks for reminding me of Joan Osborne's fantastic_ Relish_; I was obsessed with that when it came out, but haven't listened in a while. I'll give it a spin tonight! :cheers:


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## Strange Magic

laurie said:


> Yes! Another Springsteen fan?! I would have bet money against finding one on _this_ forum! :lol:
> And thanks for reminding me of Joan Osborne's fantastic_ Relish_; I was obsessed with that when it came out, but haven't listened in a while. I'll give it a spin tonight! :cheers:


My primary criterion for best=my favorite albums in rock and pop is the number, as a percentage, of good songs on any given album. Usually several of the songs will be truly excellent, but I always consider the desert island aspect: I want to have as many songs as possible on a "favorite" album--songs I can listen to over and over again with real pleasure. The songs also have to appeal primarily directly musically, as lyrics are, for me, icing on the cake if they also happen to be both intelligible and meaningful. I am not a good audience for artists whose work is characterized by wordplay, satire, irony, eccentricity, cynicism, or for whom in general the song is primarily a medium through which to transmit the lyrics. The result is that I generally find myself "in the center of the bell curve", closely paralleling in my tastes those of a large percentage of the rock and pop general public. Often "best of" and "greatest hits" albums will contain almost all of my favorite songs by artists I like. Just a creature of the crowd. But the pleasure I derive from my favorite rock and pop is very real and holds up remarkably for decade after decade, and rehearing after rehearing. I am always grateful, in this vale of tears, for the pleasure that I am able to derive from music--be it classical, rock and pop, cante flamenco, or other ethnic or world musics. It's a gift.


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## Phil loves classical

laurie said:


> Yes! Another Springsteen fan?! I would have bet money against finding one on _this_ forum! :lol:
> And thanks for reminding me of Joan Osborne's fantastic_ Relish_; I was obsessed with that when it came out, but haven't listened in a while. I'll give it a spin tonight! :cheers:


Springsteen was great. Nebraska may be my favourite by him. Always like Born in the USA, Tunnel of Love, The River.


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## Casebearer

I don't think that much of favorite albums. More of bands, favorite periods and the albums produced in that period. So I'll cheat considerably.

1. Frank Zappa - pick one (e.g. Uncle Meat, Roxy & Elsewhere, One size fits all, Civilization Phase III)
2. Joni Mitchell - pick one (e.g. Hejira, Shadows and Lights, Court and Spark)
3. Captain Beefheart - pick one (e.g. Shiny Beast, Doc at the Radar Station, Trout Mask Replica)
4. Roxy Music - pick one of these three (Roxy Music, For Your Pleasure, Stranded)
5. Jethro Tull - pick one of these three (Aqualung, Thick as a Brick, Passion Play)
6. King Crimson - pick one of their first eight albums
7. Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom
8. Soft Machine - pick one (first, second or third)
9. Fairport Convention - Unhalfbricking
10. Velvet Underground or David Bowie (I'm thinking on it).


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## Casebearer

Damn, I forgot Yes and Pere Ubu....


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Casebearer said:


> Damn, I forgot Yes and Pere Ubu....


What no Focus.....................


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## Strange Magic

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> What no Focus.....................


Are you saying that Casebearer's list lacks focus?


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Strange Magic said:


> Are you saying that Casebearer's list lacks focus?


Yes lacks Focus and don't get me started about Yes


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## Ekim the Insubordinate

So I'm going on the assumption that these are all purely personal lists, no attempt at actually getting at an actual "top 10 best," but rather a "my top 10 best." I have a variety of bands I really like, but some I would not put in the rock category. So here is my list, purely subjective, in many ways arbitrary. And I'm not going to try and rank them.

The Ramones - It's Alive
Social Distortion - Social Distortion
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Bad Religion - Suffer
The Clash - London Calling
The Cure - Disintegration
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Van Halen - 1984
New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies
The Misfits - Walk Among Us


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## yetti66

This is much a current mood assessment as a favorites list. My "rock list" is a catch-all -- punk/ hard-core, classic rock, and other
Big Star - Radio City
Aerosmith - Rocks
Husker Du - Flip You Wig
Velvet Underground - Loaded
Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St
GWAR - Scumdogs of the Universe
Iggy Pop/ Stooges - Raw Power
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
WAR - The World is a Ghetto

Now that I completed the list I feel the change of mood developing...


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## Casebearer

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> What no Focus.....................


Certainly no Focus! Focus wouldn't reach my top 100. I liked them for six months but found out they're boring. Some music has an expiration date


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## cwarchc

My list that changes continuously, as my mood

In no particular order

1 Wish you were here - Pink Floyd. One of the 1st albums I ever bought, the vinyl still gets a spin
2. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
3 Are we not men? - DEVO
4.Rockin' the Filmore - Humble Pie
5.Aqualung - Jethro Tull
5. SO - Peter Gabriel
6. Joe's Garage - Frank Zappa 
7.Mutter - Rammstein
8.Next - The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
9 Pearl - Janis Joplin
10 The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

This would be different tomorrow


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## laurie

These are my favorites, unranked ..... each one like an old friend, & still played (& enjoyed) _often_.

Bruce Springsteen -- Born to Run
Bruce Springsteen -- Darkness on the Edge of Town
Dire Straits -- Making Movies
Dire Straits -- Love Over Gold &/or Dire Straits
Tom Petty (& the Heartbreakers) -- Damn the Torpedoes 
Rickie Lee Jones -- Pirates
Van Morrison -- Tupelo Honey
The Cars -- The Cars
Counting Crows -- August & Everything After &/or Recovering the Satellites
Southern Culture on the Skids -- Dirt Track Date
Elvis Costello -- Very Best of Elvis Costello & The Attractions *
(*this could have been any of his first four albums; I can never choose (!); this hits disc is the one I spin most often)

I know, I've already cheated & gone over 10 , but I still have to give a honorable mention to: 
Johnny & the Distractions -- Let It Rock (1981). I wore out 2 _cassettes _(! - it never made it to CD) of this; I don't know if anyone outside of the Pacific Northwest ever heard of them, but they were great!


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## Robert Thomas

Dark side of the moon - Pink Floyd
Led Zeppelin 4
Close to the edge - Yes
Aqualung - Jethro Tull
Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield
The Bends - Radiohead
Argus - Wishbone Ash
Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
Godbluff - Van der Graaf Generator
The silent corner and the empty stage - Peter Hammill


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## Ludwig Von Chumpsky

Wow, I'm surprised no one mentioned these (unless I missed them):
Beggars Banquet - Rolling Stones (if you think Stones are just simple concert rock you should listen to this)
and especially:
Vitalogy - Pearl Jam


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## Merl

God, so many albums and my top ten changes on a daily basis. However, here are a few that are never long off the playlist.

1) Black Sabbath - Sabotage
2) Therapy? - Troublegum 
3) UFO- Strangers in the Night
4) Manic street preachers - Gold Against the Soul
5) Sex Pistols - Never mind the ********
6) Van Halen - Van Halen
7) Joy Division - Closer
8) Green day - Dookie
9) If These Trees Could Talk - Red Forest
10) Frank Zappa - Sheik Yerbouti / Apostrophe

Hourable mentions for...
Robin Trower - Live
Morrissey - Your Arsenal
Suede - Trash
The Smiths - Hatful of Hollow
Metallica - Master of Puppets


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## Guest

Robert Thomas said:


> The silent corner and the empty stage - Peter Hammill


Respect! :tiphat:


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## Madiel

there is only one album that I am capable of listening from the first track to the last without losing interest (and my appreciation is even stronger now than at the time when it was released), so my top list is a one and only album list 

III by Peter Gabriel


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## SONNET CLV

Seems there has to be something by Chuck Berry in there. If we didn't have Chuck Berry, would we even have rock music?









And ... what's his name ... you know, that other feller. The white guy. Oh yeah. Elvis. Hey, if that first record never got made, who knows what else might have (or might have not) happened?









And the Clash had enough respect to recognize the power of that album cover image, so that has to count for something. Right?

I'm tempted to name a Clash album, too, but I'll hold off for now.

I do suggest we need _something_ by the Beatles. I'm not necessarily advocating for _Abbey Road_, which featured the song "Something" by George Harrison, but the Beatles cannot be ignored in a listing of greatest rock albums. They were, after all, like it or not, the greatest rock group. So ... I'll spring for the American Beatles album which featured "She Loves You."









The song and its companions on that album certainly created a sensation, not just a wave but a tsunami, here in the States and that was critical in fostering the Beatles as a world power to be reckoned with. They may have gone on to create better songs and better albums, but that early Beatles Second Album solidified their appeal and ranked them with the previous greats. (Did I mention Chuck and Elvis?)

I'm exhausted now, all this rock-n-roll ...

When I rest up I may resume this countdown. Got a lot of music to comb through. And if I haven't heard it all, how can I reasonably pick "the best". So, it's gonna be a long haul. Lookin' for impact and influence ....


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## ldiat

1)Layla and other assorted love songs
2)Eat a Peach
3)Big Brother and the Holding Co.
4)Grand Funk --I'm your Captain
5)chicago transit authority
6)White Album
7)Tommy--the who
8)Cream white room
9)Steppenwolf
10) jimmie Hendrix are you experienced 
11) frank Z fillmore east mud shark...
12)the geuss who these eyes.
oh yea four tops and temptations


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## San Antone

This is more than ten - but some may not be "rock" albums, e.g. Joni or Jackson Browne

The Band - The Band
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Derek & the Dominos - Layla
The Beatles - Revolver
Van Morrison - His Band and the Street Choir
Leon Russell - Leon Live
Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Led Zeppelin - II
The Allman Brothers - Live at the Fillmore East
The Kinks - Something Else
Eagles - Hotel California
Jackson Browne - Late for the Sky
Joni Mitchell - Blue


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## SONNET CLV

Impact and influence. That's what I'm pondering when I consider what are the ten greatest rock albums.

You see, my _favorites_ have little to do with that criteria. I may_ like_ or _prefer_ a certain album over another, but that other may be the more _important_ release. I suspect some folks pick albums according to their personal tastes rather than in a more objective manner.

A lot goes into rock. It is wide ranging and diverse, and there are currently 10s of thousands of albums in the genre. Which ten are the greatest is always going to be somewhat of a subjective choice. But it is obvious, as well, that certain releases prove more important (in an impactful and influential way) than do others. Hey, I may like the Monkees music. It's well written and well performed (by whomever), and it is certainly hummable. But did any of the Monkees albums _change_ rock/pop for the better? The Monkees seem derivative instead, coming off a British invasion wave that brought that more original quartet, the Beatles, to the forefront. How many bands sprang up because guys wanted to be the Beatles? Or producers of television programming wanted to make oodles of Beatles-like money? We mustn't mistake the false for the genuine, no matter how much we love the songs. ("Last Train to Clarksville" is currently running through my head, though I'm actually listening to a string quartet by contemporary Bulgarian composer Miraslav Danev! I have a Monkees greatest hits album which features that song and several others that rose high in the charts back when. But I'm not minded to list the Monkees album as one of the greatest rock records ever.) Which leads me to ....

I'm adding my tenth selection. It comes down to a tie, so I put two albums in there.

Rationale? A _great_ rock album need not be an original release of the music, but could well be a compilation of hits. And this is especially true when the power of those hits ranks high among all rock music hits.

Which led me to turn to two albums of greatest hits, both featuring only Number 1 hits: one by Elvis, the other by the Beatles.







and








These two albums contain some of the greatest rock music of all time, songs which rise above the term "rock music" and have already become part of our national cultures. They prove both impactful and influential, and they are gathered together in splendid album displays that anyone who loves rock music must have in their collection. As do I.

I suspect I could have added a third album, a collection of great hits by Chuck Berry. But since I put Berry's album already in first position, followed in second and third by Elvis and the Beatles, I'll allow this tied tenth position to be shared by the number two and three place holders. I know that if the house were on fire and I had to grab one Beatles album and one Elvis album from my collection, there would be no doubt which that would be. The two shown above. There is the essence of these performers' greatness in those two releases. Certainly great rock albums. Music for all time.

Which leaves me to ponder seven more albums. No easy chore.

But maybe not a chore at all.


----------



## Phil loves classical

SONNET CLV said:


> Impact and influence. That's what I'm pondering when I consider what are the ten greatest rock albums.
> 
> You see, my _favorites_ have little to do with that criteria. I may_ like_ or _prefer_ a certain album over another, but that other may be the more _important_ release. I suspect some folks pick albums according to their personal tastes rather than in a more objective manner.
> 
> A lot goes into rock. It is wide ranging and diverse, and there are currently 10s of thousands of albums in the genre. Which ten are the greatest is always going to be somewhat of a subjective choice. But it is obvious, as well, that certain releases prove more important (in an impactful and influential way) than do others. Hey, I may like the Monkees music. It's well written and well performed (by whomever), and it is certainly hummable. But did any of the Monkees albums _change_ rock/pop for the better? The Monkees seem derivative instead, coming off a British invasion wave that brought that more original quartet, the Beatles, to the forefront. How many bands sprang up because guys wanted to be the Beatles? Or producers of television programming wanted to make oodles of Beatles-like money? We mustn't mistake the false for the genuine, no matter how much we love the songs. ("Last Train to Clarksville" is currently running through my head, though I'm actually listening to a string quartet by contemporary Bulgarian composer Miraslav Danev! I have a Monkees greatest hits album which features that song and several others that rose high in the charts back when. But I'm not minded to list the Monkees album as one of the greatest rock records ever.) Which leads me to ....
> 
> I'm adding my tenth selection. It comes down to a tie, so I put two albums in there.
> 
> Rationale? A _great_ rock album need not be an original release of the music, but could well be a compilation of hits. And this is especially true when the power of those hits ranks high among all rock music hits.
> 
> Which led me to turn to two albums of greatest hits, both featuring only Number 1 hits: one by Elvis, the other by the Beatles.
> 
> View attachment 105138
> and
> View attachment 105139
> 
> 
> These two albums contain some of the greatest rock music of all time, songs which rise above the term "rock music" and have already become part of our national cultures. They prove both impactful and influential, and they are gathered together in splendid album displays that anyone who loves rock music must have in their collection. As do I.
> 
> I suspect I could have added a third album, a collection of great hits by Chuck Berry. But since I put Berry's album already in first position, followed in second and third by Elvis and the Beatles, I'll allow this tied tenth position to be shared by the number two and three place holders. I know that if the house were on fire and I had to grab one Beatles album and one Elvis album from my collection, there would be no doubt which that would be. The two shown above. There is the essence of these performers' greatness in those two releases. Certainly great rock albums. Music for all time.
> 
> Which leaves me to ponder seven more albums. No easy chore.
> 
> But maybe not a chore at all.


My fave Elvis songs are His Latest Flame and Little Sister. Which were top ten hits but not quite #1. For the Beatles, I find their earlier singles hits a little embarrassing to listen to. They were more an albums band than singles to me.


----------



## Templeton

Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
The Beatles - Let It Be
Big Brother and the Holding Company (Janis Joplin) - Cheap Thrills
Deep Purple - Made in Japan
Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection
Free - Fire and Water
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
Lynyrd Skynyrd - (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) 
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Steppenwolf - Steppenwolf


----------



## senza sordino

Revolver The Beatles
Are You Experienced Jimi Hendrix
All Things Must Pass George Harrison
Who's Next The Who
The Yes Album Yes
Led Zeppelin IV
Brothers and Sisters Allman Brothers
Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd
A Night at the Opera Queen
War U2

That's ten, and fairly conventional, especially considering my listening habits on the non classical listening thread. I listed ten different bands on purpose. Actually most of these bands produced several best albums in my opinion. 

Here are a few more albums that should be mentioned, but they're not really rock albums
Tapestry Carole King
Innervisions Stevie Wonder
Rumours Fleetwood Mac
Hotel California The Eagles
Legend Bob Marley
Pet Sounds The Beach Boys


----------



## senza sordino

A photo from my play room. On the wall are four of my albums, the frames from Ikea to fit LPs. Revolver, Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin IV, and Night at the Opera. I don't play LPs anymore as I don't have a turntable.


----------



## starthrower

San Antone said:


> This is more than ten - but some may not be "rock" albums, e.g. Joni or Jackson Browne
> 
> The Band - The Band
> Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
> Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
> Derek & the Dominos - Layla
> The Beatles - Revolver
> Van Morrison - His Band and the Street Choir
> Leon Russell - Leon Live
> Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs and Englishmen
> Led Zeppelin - II
> The Allman Brothers - Live at the Fillmore East
> The Kinks - Something Else
> Eagles - Hotel California
> Jackson Browne - Late for the Sky
> Joni Mitchell - Blue


Good list, but Leon Live is one of the worst sounding records I've ever heard. Sounds like a bootleg. His first two studio albums are gems.


----------



## Guest

Yes, everyone's got a list and here's mine!

Alice in Chains - Dirt
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
Gosta Berlings Saga - Glue Works
Guapo - Elixirs
Kyuss - Welcome to Sky Valley
Portishead - Portishead
Secret Chiefs 3 - Book M
Slayer - Reign in Blood
VDGG - Pawn Hearts
This Heat - This Heat


----------



## San Antone

starthrower said:


> Good list, but Leon Live is one of the worst sounding records I've ever heard. Sounds like a bootleg. His first two studio albums are gems.


Agree with you about his first two studio records, also his Asylum choir records, especially the second one. But I like Leon Live because of the live aspect and song selection; a great concert recording.


----------



## Boychev

1. Blue Öyster Cult - Secret Treaties
2. Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
3. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica
4. Swans - The Seer / To Be Kind / The Glowing Man trilogy
5. King Crimson - Discipline / Beat / Three of a Perfect Pair trilogy
6. Van der Graaf Generator - Godbluff
7. The Beatles - Rubber Soul
8. The Doors - Waiting for the Sun
9. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden / Killers
10. Manowar - Manowar / Into Glory Ride / Hail to England / Sign of the Hammer


----------



## E Cristobal Poveda

1. Blackstar - David Bowie
1.5 Hunky Dory (might not be Rock proper) - David Bowie
2. Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
3. A night at the Opera - Queen
4. Station to Station - David Bowie
5. Scary Monsters - David Bowie
6. Harry Styles - Harry Styles
7. Raw Power - Iggy Pop
8. The Next Day - David Bowie
9. Dark side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
10. Heathen - David Bowie

Wearing my taste on my sleeve with this one, huh.
Heathen is a very underrated Bowie album, btw.


----------



## Captainnumber36

1-10: Simon and Garfunkel - Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.


----------



## Fredx2098

My real top 10 would be really scary, so I'll try to make a more accessible one (not in order):

Zappa: Joe's Garage Acts I, II, and III
Zappa: Uncle Meat
King Crimson: Red
Pink Floyd: Animals
Pink Floyd: The Wall
Pink Floyd: The Division Bell
Steven Wilson: The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)
Flotation Toy Warning: Bluffer's Guide to the Flight Deck
The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Magma: Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré (this one is like a literal rock opera, not just a rock album with a story)


----------



## Fredx2098

Captainnumber36 said:


> 1-10: Simon and Garfunkel - Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.


The original version of "The Sound of Silence" is way better than the "revised" version in my opinion. It's ruined by the electric guitar. I don't know if I'd count that album as rock though.


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Fredx2098 said:


> The original version of "The Sound of Silence" is way better than the "revised" version in my opinion. It's ruined by the electric guitar. I don't know if I'd count that album as rock though.


I like the 4'33" version of The Sound of Silence best


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

E Cristobal Poveda said:


> 1. Blackstar - David Bowie
> 1.5 Hunky Dory (might not be Rock proper) - David Bowie
> 2. Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
> 3. A night at the Opera - Queen
> 4. Station to Station - David Bowie
> 5. Scary Monsters - David Bowie
> 6. Harry Styles - Harry Styles
> 7. Raw Power - Iggy Pop
> 8. The Next Day - David Bowie
> 9. Dark side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
> 10. Heathen - David Bowie
> 
> Wearing my taste on my sleeve with this one, huh.
> Heathen is a very underrated Bowie album, btw.


I liked the list - all be it kind of in one direction, until I saw 
Harry Styles - Harry Styles
then


----------



## Fredx2098

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> I like the 4'33" version of The Sound of Silence best


You just made me realize that they were copying Cage... The song is ruined to me now


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Fredx2098 said:


> You just made me realize that they were copying Cage... The song is ruined to me now


Exacty, the Cage Estate should claim royalties............


----------



## E Cristobal Poveda

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> I liked the list - all be it kind of in one direction, until I saw
> Harry Styles - Harry Styles
> then


Maybe not the Best album, but it is bringing Britrock and Glamrock back in the mainstream.


----------



## Rach Man

I don't like to cheat on these queries, but I am a gemini. Can I put double the requested 10?
Also, I cheated with one of them by putting a greatest hits double album (Alan Parsons)

1. Quadrophenia - The Who
2. Never Been Rocked Enough - Delbert McClinton
3. Heartbeat City - The Cars
4. Moonflower - Santana
5. Beginnings - The Allman Brothers
6. Eat A Peach - The Allman Brothers
7. Streetlights - Bonnie Raitt
8. Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
9. Trilogy - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
10. Tarkus - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
11. Full House - J. Geils Band
12. The Definitive Collection - Alan Parsons Project
13. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway - Genesis
14. Little Creatures - Talking Heads
15. Rock 'n' Roll Animal - Lou Reed
16. The Rod Stewart Album - Rod Stewart
17. So - Peter Gabriel
18. Who's Next - The Who
19. Blow By Blow - Jeff Beck
20. Bloodletting: 20th Anniversary Edition - Concrete Blonde


----------



## Captainnumber36

Fredx2098 said:


> The original version of "The Sound of Silence" is way better than the "revised" version in my opinion. It's ruined by the electric guitar. I don't know if I'd count that album as rock though.


I love the version on Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.


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## Merl

Some interesting lists. Nice that there's such a range of styles (even in one single list).


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## Captainnumber36

Captainnumber36 said:


> 1-10: Simon and Garfunkel - Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.


Allow me to add Zappa's Waka/Jawaka as well. I just gave it a good listen, and it's brilliant, creative genius!


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## Fredx2098

Captainnumber36 said:


> Allow me to add Zappa's Waka/Jawaka as well. I just gave it a good listen, and it's brilliant, creative genius!


I love that one too. The title track "Waka/Jawaka" and "King Kong" from Uncle Meat are my favorite jazz tunes of his.


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## Captainnumber36

Edited and deleted.


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## Captainnumber36

Fredx2098 said:


> My real top 10 would be really scary, so I'll try to make a more accessible one (not in order):
> 
> Zappa: Joe's Garage Acts I, II, and III
> Zappa: Uncle Meat
> King Crimson: Red
> Pink Floyd: Animals
> Pink Floyd: The Wall
> Pink Floyd: The Division Bell
> Steven Wilson: The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)
> Flotation Toy Warning: Bluffer's Guide to the Flight Deck
> The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
> Magma: Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré (this one is like a literal rock opera, not just a rock album with a story)


What do you think about The Flaming Lips album - "The Terror"? I love that one, it's my favorite by them.


----------



## Captainnumber36

I'll just post some of my favorites:

Waka/Jawaka - Zappa
The Terror - The Flaming Lips
Abbey Road - The Beatles
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Dark Side of The Moon - Pink Floyd
Moss - Mike Gordon
Rockin' The Suburbs - Ben Folds
Before These Crowded Streets - Dave Matthews Band
Morning Phase - Beck
Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. - Simon and Garfunkel


----------



## Fredx2098

Captainnumber36 said:


> What do you think about The Flaming Lips album - "The Terror"? I love that one, it's my favorite by them.


I've only listened to Yoshimi and The Soft Bulletin intently, I also love the first hour of the 24-hour 7 Skies H3. I love them, but they're not my top favorite style so I'm usually listening to my favorite genres, which aren't included in my list. I had only heard Yoshimi and 7 Skies H3 for a while, but then I made an effort to listen to The Soft Bulletin and it was amazing. I'm making my way slowly but surely!


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

1. Granate
2. Quartz
3. Sandstone
4. Mudstone
5. Siltstone
6. Igneous
7. Metamorphic
8. Sedimentary
9. Ironstone 
10. Slate


----------



## Varick

No particular order (Not even sure I can narrow it to ten)

1. Prince: Emancipation
2. Springsteen: Wild, Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle
3. The Who: Who's Next
4. Paul Simon: Graceland
5. Mark Knopfler: Ragpicker's Dream
6. Yes: Too many to choose from.
7. Queen: Again , too many
8. Pink Floyd: The Wall (One of the few TOTAL masterpieces of R&R)
9. Keith Emerson Band: Keith Emerson Band (feat. Marc Bonilla)
10. U2: !Achtung Baby (You can't write lyrics like that until you've had your heart ripped out by a woman, stomped on, and the last thing you see is her hair & her @$$ as she walks away. The whole album is a book of poetry... and good music).

Honorable mentions:

- ELO: Out of the Blue
- Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid
- Passenger: All The Little Lights (Another poetic masterpiece)
- Prince: The Vault: Old Friends for Sale
- Prince: Diamonds and Pearls
- Prince: Chaos & Disorder
- Ray Lamontagne: Till The Sun Turns Black
- Rick Wakeman: The Six Wives of Henry the VIII (On another day, would make my top 10)
- Stevie Wonder: Fullfillingness' First Finale, & Innervision
- Dire Straits: On Every Street (talk about going out with a bang!)

V


----------



## Mifek

1. The Beatles - Abbey Road
2. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
3. Radiohead - OK Computer
4. King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
5. Green Day - American Idiot
6. The Doors - The Doors
7. Queen - A Night at the Opera
8. The Police - Synchronicity
9. Muse - Origin of Symmetry
10. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

11. The Doors - Strange Days
12. U2 - The Joshua Tree
13. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced
14. The Beatles - Revolver
15. Led Zeppelin - II
16. Led Zeppelin - I
17. AC/DC - Let There Be Rock
18. The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the ********
19. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
20. Dead Can Dance - Within a Realm of a Dying Sun

21. The Cure - Three Imaginary Boys
22. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
23. Nirvana - Nevermind
24. Deep Purple - Deep Purple in Rock
25. System of a Down - System of a Down
26. Joy Division -Closer
27. The Clash - London Calling
28. Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
29. Coldplay - Parachutes
30. Radiohead - Amnesiac

31. Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
32. Led Zeppelin - IV
33. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
34. The Beatles - White Album
35. Arcade Fire - Funeral
36. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
37. Genesis - Selling England by the Pound
38. System of a Down - Hypnotize
39. Pink Floyd - The Wall
40. The Who - Who's Next

41. Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
42. The Beatles - Rubber Soul
43. Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables
44. Nirvana - In Utero
45. The Doors - The Soft Parade
46. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
47. Muse - Absolution
48. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
49. Eagles - Hotel California
50. Metallica - St. Anger


----------



## starthrower

Some of my favorites over the past 40 + years:

Yes-Fragile
The Yes Album
Jeff Beck-Blow By Blow
ELP-s/t
ELP-Tarkus
ELP-Brain Salad Surgery
Jethro Tull-Stand Up
Jethro Tull-Songs From The Wood
King Crimson-In The Wake Of Poseidon 
King Crimson-Larks Tongues In Aspic
Beatles-Rubber Soul
Beatles-Abbey Road
Santana-Moonflower
Genesis-Seconds Out
Captain Beefheart-Spotlight Kid
Doors-Morrison Hotel
Egg-The Polite Force
Frank Zappa-Roxy & Elsewhere
Zappa-Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar
The Mothers-Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Allan Holdsworth-Metal Fatigue
Kansas-Leftoverture
Bruford-One Of A Kind
Gentle Giant-Three Friends
Soft Machine 1
Mike Keneally-Sluggo
Mike Keneally-Dancing
Jimi Hendrix-The Cry Of Love
Bloomfield/Kooper/Stills-Super Session
Jack Bruce-Songs For A Tailor
Allman Bros-Shades Of Two Worlds
Allman Bros-Fillmore East
The Who-Live At Leeds
Moody Blues-To Our Children's Children's Children


----------



## Steerpike

It's hard to narrow it down to just 10, and there will be loads which spring to mind when I've finished the list. Nevertheless, in no particular order: -

- Television: Marquee Moon
- Van Der Graaf Generator: Still Life
- Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Brain Salad Surgery
- Deep Purple: Burn
- Golden Earring: Moontan
- Eagles: One of These Nights
- Genesis: Trespass
- The Sound: From the Lion's Mouth
- David Sylvian: Secrets of the Beehive
- Barclay James Harvest: Everyone Is Everybody Else

If I posted a list tomorrow, they could all be different.


----------



## Red Terror

Pay no attention to the order. These are all great albums and it is quite impossible to come up with a top ten. Top 10 artists/bands would be more manageable.


We're Only in It for the Money (Frank Zappa)
Hot Rats (Frank Zappa)
Weasels Ripped My Flesh (Frank Zappa)
Red (King Crimson)
Discipline (King Crimson)
Larks' Tongues in Aspic (King Crimson)
Tago Mago (Can)
Ege Bamyasi (Can)
Future Days (Can)
Trout Mask Replica (Captain Beefheart)


----------



## Red Terror

double post. delete, please.


----------



## philoctetes

My vanity list for today (what other reason for posting it?) Maybe not the best, but better than the rest...

Harvest
Village Green
Physical Graffitti
Wish You Were Here
Can't Buy a Thrill
Chicago Transit Authority
Living in the Past
Station to Station
Future Games
Sandinista!
The Motels
Discipline
154
Closer
Low-Life
Dire Straits
The Pretenders
The Queen is Dead
In the Flat Field
Seventeen Seconds
More Fun in the New World
Squeezing Out Sparks
Daydream Nation
Country Life
Loveless
Red Mecca

All are real albums, not live or collections, I picked the Tull for the exclusive tracks like Dr Bogenbroom, which I consider to be Ian's manifesto on a-holes...

Some bands have such an vast body of recorded work I refuse to pick one album. The Dead, Zappa... while an album like The Motels just stands out as a classic debut, like The Pretenders first album...


----------



## Stavrogin

In no particular order

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven
Sparklehorse - It's a Wonderful Life
Radiohead - Amnesiac
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Silver Mt Zion - Kollaps Tradixionales
dEUS - In a Bar, Under the Sea
Battles - Mirrored
Tom Waits - Blood Money


----------



## starthrower

Living In The Past sounds like a real album to me. And live albums are real too. Some of them suck, but there's a lot of great ones too.


----------



## philoctetes

Some bands are best on live albums. I listed Discipline but would rather hear Absent Lovers...


----------



## starthrower

philoctetes said:


> Some bands are best on live albums. I listed Discipline but would rather hear Absent Lovers...


Yeah, that's a good one. Killer version of Red on that album.


----------



## Bwv 1080

Excluding metal, punk, country-rock and Zappa:

Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Blind Faith
Jethro Tull - Stand Up
The Yes Album
Who's Next
Some 90s grunge album, maybe Dirt or the Nirvana unplugged thing or best of Pearl Jam
Alice in Chains
Swans - Great Annihilator
Angels of Light Sing 'Other People'
Mr Bungle - Disco Volante
Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light (both volumes)


----------



## Simon Moon

As with all lists of this type, ask me again in a few days, and this list might be completely different. 

No particular order:

Genesis - Selling England by the Pound
King Crimson - Lark's Tongue in Aspic
YES - Close to the Edge
Banco - Io Sono Nato Libero
Magma - KA
Gentle Giant - In a Glass House
Zappa - One Size Fits All
PFM - Storia di un Minuto
National Health - Of Queues and Cures
Anglagard - Hybris

Could also make the list:

Area - Arbreit Macht Frei
Arti e Mestieri - Tilt
Henry Cow - In Praise of Learning
ELP - Brain Salad Surgery 
Thinking Plague - In Extremis
Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
PFM - Per un amico
Magma - Live/Hhaï

I could go on...


----------



## starthrower

I've been meaning to listen to all my Thinking Plague CDs again. And the early 70s Caravan albums. National Health is great stuff, but I kinda burned out on those albums.


----------



## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist

Maybe I'm not qualified to make a list like this seeing as (1) I'm probably MUCH younger than most of you and was 25 years unborn when most of these albums were made and (2) I've heard a decent amount of rock, but not nearly as much as some of you. I'd love to hear recommendations from y'all based on what I list (the list itself is rather homogeneous so I'll include some other groups I like at the end haha). I am, however, fairly confident in my #1 choice.

No particular order EXCEPT FOR #1 

----------------

1. Genesis - SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND (!!!!!)

2 thru 10: 

Genesis - Foxtrot
Genesis - ATOTT
Genesis - TLLDOB
Genesis - Nursery Cryme
Genesis - Trespass
The Beatles - Revolver
The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Pink Floyd - DSOTM

------------------

Other rock musicians that I like in addition to the ones listed above (but may not know as much about) :

YES, Rush, Eric Clapton, Gentle Giant, The Rolling Stones, Queen, ELO, Blue Oyster Cult, Jimi Hendrix

I've only heard Jethro Tull a couple of times, but I'm going to delve into their discography soon.

I've really only recently gotten really into rock (about a year ago), and I'd really appreciate suggestions coming from fellow classical enthusiasts. They can be from any of the artists I've already mentioned or from anyone else!

Thanks


----------



## starthrower

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


> Other rock musicians that I like in addition to the ones listed above (but may not know as much about) :
> 
> YES, Rush, Eric Clapton, Gentle Giant, The Rolling Stones, Queen, ELO, Blue Oyster Cult, Jimi Hendrix
> 
> I've only heard Jethro Tull a couple of times, but I'm going to delve into their discography soon.
> 
> I've really only recently gotten really into rock (about a year ago), and I'd really appreciate suggestions coming from fellow classical enthusiasts. They can be from any of the artists I've already mentioned or from anyone else!
> 
> Thanks


For Gentle Giant, the best albums are from 1971's Acquiring The Taste through 1976's Interview. After that they tried to be commercial and the results are not satisfying.

IMO, Rush's strongest albums are from 2112 in 1976 through 1982's Signals.

I love Tull. All their albums from 1969-1979 are recommended.

Never cared for ELO, or Blue Oyster Cult.

I like Axis Bold As Love, and The Cry Of Love by Hendrix. And Band Of Gypsys

Definitely listen to Yes. The Yes Album, Fragile, and Close To The Edge are classics.

Clapton was great with Cream, Blind Faith, and Derek and the Dominoes.

Classic Stones albums would be Beggar's Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Some Girls. And get a collection of 60s singles.

You might want to check out the Kinks too. The Ultimate Collection 2 CD is a great compilation.

Emerson Lake & Palmer's first five albums are excellent. That would be the s/t in 1970 thru Brain Salad Surgery 1973.


----------



## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist

Thanks for the suggestions. I've heard and love many of those albums in full or at least in part (The Power and the Glory, Octopus, and CTTE are also some of my favorites), and I'll be sure to check out the rest.

The one band you listed that I've tried to get into but really couldn't is ELP. I find that their music is a bit showy and bombastic for my liking, but there's no denying that they were certainly all talented musicians. RIP Keith Emerson and Greg Lake


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## Strange Magic

Mr. BrahmsWasA, your post reminds us--me, anyway--just how old Rock is now, and how old I and some of my peers are. I first started listening avidly to the beginnings of Rock (as Doo-***, R&B, and the Blues) at age 14 in 1954, and have grown up and old with the music. I am the oldest person among my family and friends to have loved and still love the music; most anyone older is mostly still back in 1940s/early 1950s Tin Pan Alley or Big Band or Broadway show tunes. So it is both understandable and yet strange to encounter younger folks for whom this past 65 or so years of Rock is a new thing for them to explore yet also now a relatively old thing, at least in its beginnings, adolescence, maturity(?). The world is now awash in oceans of every sort of music, new and old, but I do think that so-called Classic Rock of the sort you list may endure for a surprisingly long time as people such as yourself become immersed in it and grow to love it as much as it was appreciated in its decades of glory. One way maybe to explore Rock is to do a decade at a time, starting always with the biggest names--the names were usually big for a reason: they appealed to a large audience that, by definition, was and is the audience for what was intended to be Popular Music. You'll get plenty of counterarguments from enthusiasts for their pet obscure ought-to-have-been-recognized-as-genius hobby horse cult favorites, and they can be certainly explored later, but best to do this after you have become familiar with the giants; just like in Classical Music!


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## starthrower

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


> Thanks for the suggestions. I've heard and love many of those albums in full or at least in part (The Power and the Glory, Octopus, and CTTE are also some of my favorites), and I'll be sure to check out the rest.
> 
> The one band you listed that I've tried to get into but really couldn't is ELP. I find that their music is a bit showy and bombastic for my liking, but there's no denying that they were certainly all talented musicians. RIP Keith Emerson and Greg Lake


You might want to try the first two King Crimson albums which feature Greg Lake. And you may like some of the English Canterbury bands. Try Caravan's In The Land Of Grey and Pink, If I Could Do It All Over... and Waterloo Lily.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist

Thanks for the advice @Strange Magic, and for the subtle reminder to not take the pretenses (or even genuine preferences) of individuals/cults as serious arguments for "who is better" (I should probably take that to heart with classical music too haha). I'll make sure to explore some more early Rock music as well. I remember listening to Jerry Lee Lewis as a kid. Good stuff.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist

@starthrower Thanks again. I really like In the Court of the Crimson King actually (particularly The Court of the Crimson King and I Talk to the Wind) but I haven't heard any other full album by them. I'll give the others that you mentioned a listen as well!


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## starthrower

If you like Court, you'll probably like the second album which is In The Wake Of Poseidon. Lizard is a great album too. Jon Anderson of Yes does a cameo vocal on that album.

And since you're a Yes fan, you might want to listen to Chris Squire's solo album Fish Out Of Water. It's very good.


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## Phil loves classical

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


> @starthrower Thanks again. I really like In the Court of the Crimson King actually (particularly The Court of the Crimson King and I Talk to the Wind) but I haven't heard any other full album by them. I'll give the others that you mentioned a listen as well!


Nothing else compares with that album by that band or others. Their second album is similar in style, but I felt of 2nd rate material. They went in a different direction afterwards. Lark's Tongues in Aspic is generally considered their best of the periods after.


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## SixFootScowl

No post .........


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist

I'm gonna make a new list, this time limiting myself to one per artist...
My original list might change a bit, as I would swap DSOTM for WYWH and I MIGHT drop a couple of Genesis albums for things like CTTE
() indicate that I can't choose between albums, but if forced I'd lean towards the first one
This one's in order, I suppose

1. Genesis - (Selling England by the Pound, Foxtrot)
2. The Beatles - (Revolver, SPLHCB, Abbey Road)
3. Pink Floyd - WYWH
4. Yes - Close to the Edge
5. King Crimson - ITCOTCK
6. Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
7. Rush - A Farewell to Kings
8. Gentle Giant - The Power and the Glory
9. Stevie Wonder - (Innervisions, Songs in the Key of Life) (is this too much of a stretch?)
10. VU - VU & Nico


As I explore rock music more (all types!), I'm going to update and expand this list.


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## Guest

Let's try this - I'm not putting them in any order, numbering is just so I know when I have hit ten.
1. The Beatles - Revolver (in my mind, much better than Sgt. Pepper)
2. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
3. The Clash - London Calling
4. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River
5. David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
6. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
7. The Ramones - The Ramones (they had better albums, but this is a great beginner)
8. Van Halen - Van Halen
9. The Velvet Underground - S/T (I know everybody loves VU & Nico, but the self-titled album just feels better to me)
10. The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed


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## jim prideaux

at work, having a break before resuming for the evening.......here goes!

The Clash-London Calling
The Clash-The Clash
Television-Marquee Moon
Van Morrison-anything with 'Its too late to stop now' in the title
Little Feat-Waiting for Columbus
Steely Dan-cannot decide, too hard!
The Band/bob Dylan-Before the flood
Elvis Costello-My Aim is True
John Cale-Paris 1919
Patti Smith-Horses....

now completely stuck because I cannot decide...would I put the Yes Album in?


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## Barbebleu

jim prideaux said:


> at work, having a break before resuming for the evening.......here goes!
> 
> The Clash-London Calling
> The Clash-The Clash
> Television-Marquee Moon
> Van Morrison-anything with 'Its too late to stop now' in the title
> Little Feat-Waiting for Columbus
> Steely Dan-cannot decide, too hard!
> The Band/bob Dylan-Before the flood
> Elvis Costello-My Aim is True
> John Cale-Paris 1919
> Patti Smith-Horses....
> 
> now completely stuck because I cannot decide...would I put the Yes Album in?


No Nick Lowe then?

Btw, The Royal Scam.


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## jim prideaux

Barbebleu said:


> No Nick Lowe then?
> 
> Btw, The Royal Scam.


that, my dear Barbebleu is a very good point!.....but I do not readily associate Nick Lowe with one album, more with individual songs!

The Royal Scam-side 1 yes, oddly enough side 1 of Pretzel Logic as well!, but on reflection I might have to choose Countdown to Ecstasy!


----------



## tomterry

Vronsky said:


> 1. Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures (1979)
> 2. Joy Division: Closer (1980)
> 3. Swans: The Burning World (1989)
> 4. Swans: White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (1991)
> 5. Pere Ubu: The Modern Dance (1978)
> 6. Julian Jay Savarin: Waiters On The Dance (1971)
> 7. The Stranglers: La folie (1981)
> 8. Frank Zappa: The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life (1991)
> 9. Frank Zappa: Waka/Jawaka (1972)
> 10. Pixies: Surfer Rosa (1988)


You have pixies but not Radiohead? I mean Radiohead were inspired by The Pixies. By the way "Where is my mind" is still one of the best songs to be used in a film.


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## Vronsky

tomterry said:


> You have pixies but not Radiohead? I mean Radiohead were inspired by The Pixies. By the way "Where is my mind" is still one of the best songs to be used in a film.


No, I was never a fan of Radiohead and I know only their most popular songs. _Street Spirit (Fade Out)_ is my favourite song.

After almost a year since I wrote that list, I would replace _Surfer Rosa_ with _Doolittle_, _The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life_ with _We're Only in It for the Money_, _Waka/Jawaka_ with _One Size Fits All_, _La folie_ with _No More Heroes_ and _Waiters On The Dance_ with _Clear Spot_ by Beefheart.


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## millionrainbows

This is hard to do! but here's my attempt, not necessarily in this order:

1. The Beatles - Revolver
2. Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
3. The Rolling Stones - Beggar's Banquet
4. The Allman Brothers - Live at Fillmore East
5. The Beatles - Abbey Road
6. The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man
7. Cream - Disraeli Gears
8. The Band - The Band (the brown album)
9. Canned Heat - Boogie with Canned Heat
10. Procol Harum - Shine On Brightly


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## fluteman

In order of preference (roughly):

The Allman Brothers Band – Live at Fillmore East (My copy is autographed by the late Butch Trucks, who couldn't have been nicer)
Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland
Joe Cocker – With A Little Help From My Friends
The Beatles – Revolver
Chuck Berry – The Great 28
The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heats Club Band
The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
Derek and the Dominoes – Layla
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Deja Vu

Very honorable mentions to: Big Brother and the Holding Company -- Cheap Thrills; Cream -- Disraeli Gears; The Allman Brothers Band -- Eat A Peach; Paul Simon -- Paul Simon and Graceland; Simon & Garfunkel -- Bookends.


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## millionrainbows

fluteman said:


> In order of preference (roughly):
> 
> The Allman Brothers Band - Live at Fillmore East (My copy is autographed by the late Butch Trucks, who couldn't have been nicer)
> Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
> Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends
> The Beatles - Revolver
> Chuck Berry - The Great 28
> The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heats Club Band
> The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
> Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
> Derek and the Dominoes - Layla
> Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Deja Vu
> 
> Very honorable mentions to: Big Brother and the Holding Company -- Cheap Thrills; Cream -- Disraeli Gears; The Allman Brothers Band -- Eat A Peach; Paul Simon -- Paul Simon and Graceland; Simon & Garfunkel -- Bookends.


We've got similarities in taste, fluteman. My only quibble is with Big Brother, not for Janis Joplin, but for those horribly out-of-tune guitars. The first album, also was a stinker!


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## fluteman

millionrainbows said:


> We've got similarities in taste, fluteman. My only quibble is with Big Brother, not for Janis Joplin, but for those horribly out-of-tune guitars. The first album, also was a stinker!


Yes, I can't really argue with that, but for me the roughness is a major part of the appeal. The late Tom Petty memorably said about rock music, "It isn't supposed to be that good." Notice my no. 1 pick is a live performance (true, the producer was able to pick the best "take" of each song from four separate live shows) with plenty of imperfections.

In fact, I only reluctantly include Beatles albums from the strategically polished and manipulated work of their studio period. For me, brilliant as it is, it isn't true classic rock. For similar reasons, I can't include Frank Zappa.


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## Haydn70

My lucky 11. Bobby Fuller Four gets first place. After that they are in no particular order.

Bobby Fuller Four: Never To Be Forgotten (complete recordings or just about complete)
Beatles: Please Please Me (all Beatles albums listed are the Parlophone albums)
Beatles: Hard Days Night
Beatles: Beatles For Sale
Beatles: Help!
Beatles: Rubber Soul
Beach Boys: The Beach Boys Today!
Beach Boys: Summer Days (and Summer Nights!)
Lovin’ Spoonful: Greatest Hits (out-of-print 2 LP set)
Searchers: Essential Collection (2 CD “Best Of”)
Marshall Crenshaw: Marshall Crenshaw


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## Strange Magic

If we are expanding the scope to include live albums, then here's a revised list: In no order---

Neil Young: Live Rust
Lynyrd Skynyrd: One More From the Road
Joni Mitchell: Miles of Aisles
Genesis: Three Sides Live
Jimi Hendrix et al: Band of Gypsies
Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Pack Up the Plantation
The Cure: Show
Rush: Exit Stage Left
Fleetwood Mac: The Dance


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## fluteman

Strange Magic said:


> If we are expanding the scope to include live albums, then here's a revised list: In no order---
> 
> Neil Young: Live Rust
> Lynyrd Skynyrd: One More From the Road
> Joni Mitchell: Miles of Aisles
> Genesis: Three Sides Live
> Jimi Hendrix et al: Band of Gypsies
> Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense
> Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Pack Up the Plantation
> The Cure: Show
> Rush: Exit Stage Left
> Fleetwood Mac: The Dance


I haven't been to many live rock concerts (I don't do loud) but I couldn't help but notice the vast gulf in the overall atmosphere both on stage and off between the live concerts I attended of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Crosby Stills Nash & Young. The former featured a distinctly hostile "the south shall rise again" vibe with nasty comments both from the crowd around me and the band onstage. The CSN&Y show featured aging, wealthy baby boomers stoned as can be wearing expensive leather jackets, with understanding wives ready to drive the Volvo and Audi sedans back home (actually, the Lynyrd Skynyrd crowd was stoned and wore leather jackets too, but they were motorcycle jackets with Hell's Angels and confederacy-themed sew-ons). The CSN&Y stage set featured an oriental carpet, a floor lamp and tasteful wood furniture. 
Neil Young sang some solo songs, but not Alabama. Lynyrd Skynyrd did sing Sweet Home Alabama (of course). Stephen Stills thanked the crowd for making an effort to actually listen to a new David Crosby song. No doubt there were thousands of dentists, accountants and chiropractors in both crowds.


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## millionrainbows

fluteman said:


> ...for me the roughness is a major part of the appeal. The late Tom Petty memorably said about rock music, "It isn't supposed to be that good." Notice my no. 1 pick is a live performance (true, the producer was able to pick the best "take" of each song from four separate live shows) with plenty of imperfections.
> 
> In fact, I only reluctantly include Beatles albums from the strategically polished and manipulated work of their studio period. For me, brilliant as it is, it isn't true classic rock. For similar reasons, I can't include Frank Zappa.


Yes, I notice that you have Chuck Berry's _The Great 28_ in there, along with Dylan's _Highway 61._ Apparently one of your criteria is that rock show its blues roots, and be somewhat rough. That's interesting.
The exclusion of Zappa is also interesting. He was so eclectic, with jazz and classical influence, that I assume for you he does not represent a "pure" form of rock.

An interesting thing about Chuck Berry. He used a Chess/blues rhythm section, with Willie Dixon on bass and Fred Below on drums, the same section that played on Little Walter and Muddy Waters sessions.
Listen carefully to Johnny B. Goode and you will hear that the drummer and bass are playing a blues shuffle beat, while Chuck Berry is playing a straight-eight guitar rhythm. This is what he did to create rock 'n roll, playing straight-eights.

So your criteria for "rock" is that its_ identity_ be true to its roots. This criteria requires a knowledge of the history behind it.


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## millionrainbows

ContrapunctusXIII said:


> My lucky 11. Bobby Fuller Four gets first place.


The Bobby Fuller Four were from El Paso, Texas. The Clash really worshipped them. I met The Clash in Lubbock when they played there.


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## fluteman

millionrainbows said:


> Yes, I notice that you have Chuck Berry's _The Great 28_ in there, along with Dylan's _Highway 61._ Apparently one of your criteria is that rock show its blues roots, and be somewhat rough. That's interesting.
> The exclusion of Zappa is also interesting. He was so eclectic, with jazz and classical influence, that I assume for you he does not represent a "pure" form of rock.
> 
> An interesting thing about Chuck Berry. He used a Chess/blues rhythm section, with Willie Dixon on bass and Fred Below on drums, the same section that played on Little Walter and Muddy Waters sessions.
> Listen carefully to Johnny B. Goode and you will hear that the drummer and bass are playing a blues shuffle beat, while Chuck Berry is playing a straight-eight guitar rhythm. This is what he did to create rock 'n roll, playing straight-eights.
> 
> So your criteria for "rock" is that its_ identity_ be true to its roots. This criteria requires a knowledge of the history behind it.


Yes, you've figured out some of the ideas and preferences behind my list, which you must share at least to some extent. I like to hear at least an underlying blues influence most if not all of the song, which gives it all a genuine feel. And yet, there is nothing obscure in my list, nothing other posters haven't mentioned, nothing even that isn't on Rolling Stone magazine's top 500 albums of all time list (I'm guessing).

So, much as I respect and enjoy the Beatles' work, when they branch out into conceptual art, pastiche and outright parody, as in the White Album, it somehow seems disrespectful to put them in my list. I mean, there's the blues, and then there's McCartney's Why Don't We Do It in the Road? Not to mention Lennon's Revolution 9. And then Zappa goes so much further down that road.


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## tdc

Led Zeppelin - IV
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
The Doors - Self Titled
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
The Smiths - Meat is Murder
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
The Melvins - Basses Loaded
Mr. Bungle - California
The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium 
Rush - Moving Pictures

Obviously this is highly subjective and I omitted tons of deserving albums. The Beatles deserve an album or two in there for sure, but I'm not into their music much. The Rolling Stones don't deserve any albums in there, they are the most over rated rock band of all time.


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## Littlephrase

Just some favorites which spring to mind: 

The Beatles- Revolver, Rubber Soul, White Album, Abbey Road 
Pink Floyd- Animals, Wish You Were Here, Dark Side 
King Crimson- In the Court of the Crimson King 
The Kinks- Something Else, Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur, Muswell Hillbillies 
Bob Dylan- Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61, Bringing It All Back Home
The Band- The Band, Songs from Big Pink
Allman Brothers- Live at Filmore East 
Led Zeppelin- Houses of the Holy, I, IV
The Clash- London Calling, The Clash 
Neil Young- Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Rust Never Sleeps 
The Zombies- Odyssey and Oracle 
George Harrison- All Things Must Pass

Nothing too out of the ordinary, except maybe my unwavering love for The Kinks.


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## fluteman

tdc said:


> Led Zeppelin - IV
> Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
> The Doors - Self Titled
> Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
> The Smiths - Meat is Murder
> Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
> The Melvins - Basses Loaded
> Mr. Bungle - California
> The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium
> Rush - Moving Pictures
> 
> Obviously this is highly subjective and I omitted tons of deserving albums. The Beatles deserve an album or two in there for sure, but I'm not into their music much. The Rolling Stones don't deserve any albums in there, they are the most over rated rock band of all time.


I never really understood the appeal of the Rolling Stones until I saw them do a live concert (I wasn't there, I was watching on HBO, but with all the TV monitors they now have at modern arenas, I'm not sure there's that much of a difference). Their act doesn't translate to the studio as well as many of the other iconic rock bands.


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## Eva Yojimbo

Littlephrase1913 said:


> Nothing too out of the ordinary, except maybe *my unwavering love for The Kinks.*


Allow me to join you in that unwavering love! Kinks are in my top 5 only behind Dylan, Beatles, Iron Maiden, and Zeppelin. Their declining reputation and growing obscurity is one of the great tragedies of rock music. The run of albums they had from Kontroversy to Muswell Hillbillies was extraordinary, with Something Else, Village Green, and Arthur being among my all-time favorites. What other bands could be as melodic/hooky as The Beatles, as ambitious as The Who, and bluesy/rocky as The Stones? One could even argue they invented the power pop genre and the modern concept of the guitar riff.


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## tdc

fluteman said:


> I never really understood the appeal of the Rolling Stones until I saw them do a live concert (I wasn't there, I was watching on HBO, but with all the TV monitors they now have at modern arenas, I'm not sure there's that much of a difference). Their act doesn't translate to the studio as well as many of the other iconic rock bands.


The fact they were so uninventive in the studio relative to bands like The Beatles, Zeppelin, Hendrix and Pink Floyd is one of the main reasons I think they are a lesser band. The latter were really imaginative, pushing boundaries, bringing rock music to new and exciting frontiers. The Stones just did their usual bluesy rock thing, they weren't even particularly virtuosic or exceptionally skilled on their instruments. Being a great live band is not enough to me, being 'dark' and edgy is not enough. Sure they were very good at writing some simple catchy rock n roll tunes, I happen to enjoy a good number of their songs, but by any form of objective criteria I can think of aside from popularity they are a lesser band than the names I just mentioned (and many other bands), so the fact they are so often cited as 'the greatest rock band' leads me to believe they are (while still very good) certainly the most over rated.


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## Eva Yojimbo

I'll do a top 50 because a top 10 would require leaving out far too many favorites, and 50 is just about the number of bands/artists who have an album I've rated 10/10. 

1.	Radiohead	- OK Computer
2.	Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
3.	King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
4.	Bob Dylan	- Blonde on Blonde
5.	Beatles - Abbey Road
6.	Bjork - Vespertine
7.	Tool - Lateralus
8.	Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
9.	Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffitti
10.	Opeth - Ghost Reveries

11.	The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society
12.	XTC - Skylarking
13.	AC/DC - Back in Black
14.	Death - Sound of Perseverance
15.	Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden
16.	Yes - Relayer
17.	Kate Bush	- Aerial
18.	Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath
19.	Prince - Purple Rain
20.	Steely Dan - Aja

21.	Weakling - Dead as Dreams
22.	Taylor Swift - Speak Now
23.	The Gathering	- if_then_else
24.	Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
25.	Tom Waits - Bone Machine
26.	Kayo Dot - Hubardo
27.	Emperor - Prometheus
28.	Megadeth - Rust in Peace
29.	The Move	- Move
30.	The Smiths - The Queen is Dead

31.	King Diamond - Abigail
32.	Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
33.	Genesis - Selling England by the Pound
34.	Alice in Chains - Dirt
35.	King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska
36.	Gorguts - Obscura
37.	Cocteau Twins - Treasure
38.	The Who - Quadrophenia
39.	Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers
40.	Cynic - Focus

41.	Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
42.	Mars Volta	- Francis the Mute
43.	Judas Priest - Stained Class
44.	Pixies - Doolittle
45.	Immortal - At the Heart of Winter
46.	Van Halen - Van Halen
47.	Immolation - Close to a World Below
48.	Queen - A Night at the Opera
49.	Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
50.	Mastodon	- Leviathan


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## Strange Magic

Another baker's dozen, in no order:

Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers
Eat: Sell Me a God
Alice in Chains: Dirt
Smashing Pumpkins: Gish
Soundgarden: Louder than Love
Maria McKee: You Gotta Sin to Get Saved
PJ Harvey: To Bring You My Love
U2: Rattle and Hum
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin III
Madonna: Like a Virgin
Genesis: Foxtrot
Scorpions: Savage Amusements
Jonny Lang: Wander This World


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## Eva Yojimbo

Strange Magic said:


> Scorpions: Savage Amusements


Interesting pick for them. I went through their discography about a year ago and they quickly became one of my favorite bands, but I wouldn't have considered that one of my favorite albums. For me, that was the point where they went a bit too far towards commercialism and lost much of their metallic edge. I thought they had a near perfect pop/metal balance on Blackout. Their 70s albums are really underrated too. Always felt bad for Michael Schenker who joined UFO after the Scorps first album. Schenker was such a brilliant guitarist, and while UFO were a damn fine band in themselves, Scorpions ended up with far more success/notoriety.


----------



## eljr

Phil loves classical said:


> 1.	Love - Forever Changes
> 2.	The Red Crayola - The Parable of Arable Land
> 3.	The Beatles - Revolver
> 4.	The Pixies - Doolittle
> 5.	Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
> 6.	Joy Division - Closer
> 7.	Tim Buckley - Happy Sad
> 8. Sly and the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On
> 9. Elvis Costello - Armed Forces
> 10.	The Mekons - Natural


WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

One post in and we have a winner!

Love - Forever Changes

Well done!

Color me shocked, pleasantly.


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## eljr

fluteman said:


> I never really understood the appeal of the Rolling Stones until I saw them do a live concert (I wasn't there, I was watching on HBO, but with all the TV monitors they now have at modern arenas, I'm not sure there's that much of a difference). *Their act doesn't translate to the studio as well as many of the other iconic rock bands*.


With all respect, WTF???????????


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## eljr

Strange Magic said:


> Another baker's dozen, in no order:
> 
> Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers
> Eat: Sell Me a God
> Alice in Chains: Dirt
> Smashing Pumpkins: Gish
> Soundgarden: Louder than Love
> Maria McKee: You Gotta Sin to Get Saved
> PJ Harvey: To Bring You My Love
> U2: Rattle and Hum
> Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin III
> Madonna: Like a Virgin
> Genesis: Foxtrot
> Scorpions: Savage Amusements
> Jonny Lang: Wander This World


I particularly like the inclusion of Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin III and Alice in Chains: Dirt. 
These are very well know albums but never elevated o top 10 all time and IMHO they deserve consideration.

:tiphat:


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## eljr

Stage Fright, Band
Blonde On Blonde, Bob Dylan
All Things Must Pass, George Harrison
Workingman's Dead, Grateful Dead
Are You Experienced?, Jimi Hendrix Experience
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band,	John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin
Forever Changes, Love
Tonight's The Night, Neil Young 
In Utero, Nirvana


----------



## eljr

Eva Yojimbo said:


> I'll do a top 50 because a top 10 would require leaving out far too many favorites, and 50 is just about the number of bands/artists who have an album I've rated 10/10.


Very cool.

Here is my full top 50
Stage Fright Band
Blonde On Blonde Bob Dylan
All Things Must Pass George Harrison
Workingman's Dead Grateful Dead
Are You Experienced? Jimi Hendrix Experience
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin
Forever Changes Love
Tonight's The Night Neil Young 
In Utero Nirvana
Old And In The Way Old And In The Way
Songs from Liquid Days Phillip Glass
Jar Of Flies Alice in Chains
Hot Tuna Hot Tuna
Band of Gypsys Jimi Hendrix
The Cry of Love Jimi Hendrix
Berlin Lou Reed
Get Your Ya Ya's Out Rolling Stones
Beggars Banquet Rolling Stones
Let It Bleed Rolling Stones
Paper Airplane Alison Krauss & Union Station
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin III
Hybrid Theory Linkin Park
Throwing Copper Live
Raw Sienna Savoy Brown
Looking In Savoy Brown
The Band Band
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts Brian Eno/David Byrne 
Rust Never Sleeps Crazy Horse / Neil Young
Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears
Bringing It All Back Home Bob Dylan
Tea for the Tillerman Cat Stevens
Chicago Transit Authority Chicago
Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash
Transformation (The Speed of Love) David Sancious
It's a Beautiful Day It's a Beautiful Day 
Aqualung Jethro Tull
Imagine John Lennon
Leon Russell Leon Russell
Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morissette
Heart Shaped World Chris Isaak 
Mezzanine Massive Attack
Time Fades Away Neil Young 
Purple Rain Prince & the Revolution
Traffic Traffic
The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys Traffic
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Beatles
Blind Faith Blind Faith
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle Bruce Springsteen


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## Strange Magic

A few observations: Regarding the Scorpions' _Savage Amusements_, I also like _Love at First Sting_. Similarly, with Blue Öyster Cult, I prefer _Fire of Unknown Origin_ and _The Revolution by Night_. The reasons are twofold: I am not the intended audience for Heavy Metal, much preferring the lighter metals; and also freely affirm that, unlike possibly the vast majority of my TC peers, my tastes in popular music/rock are almost entirely aligned with those of the greater mass audience whose choices ultimately determine both the popularity of groups and artists, and which are those artists' most favored works. I regard this congruity of taste as an unalloyed gift, allowing me to squirm with delight at much music that makes others merely squirm.

Glad to see Love cited by several posters--a wonderful group, and Arthur Lee one of the lesser-known giants. Actually, the quality of most of the lists presented here is very high IMO, specially considering the very wide range of theoretical tastes. The impulse to ride hobby horses and promote cult bands is mostly held in check. I love Popular Music.


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## Luchesi

Strange Magic said:


> A few observations: Regarding the Scorpions' _Savage Amusements_, I also like _Love at First Sting_. Similarly, with Blue Öyster Cult, I prefer _Fire of Unknown Origin_ and _The Revolution by Night_. The reasons are twofold: I am not the intended audience for Heavy Metal, much preferring the lighter metals; and also freely affirm that, unlike possibly the vast majority of my TC peers, my tastes in popular music/rock are almost entirely aligned with those of the greater mass audience whose choices ultimately determine both the popularity of groups and artists, and which are those artists' most favored works. I regard this congruity of taste as an unalloyed gift, allowing me to squirm with delight at much music that makes others merely squirm.
> 
> Glad to see Love cited by several posters--a wonderful group, and Arthur Lee one of the lesser-known giants. Actually, the quality of most of the lists presented here is very high IMO, specially considering the very wide range of theoretical tastes. The impulse to ride hobby horses and promote cult bands is mostly held in check. I love Popular Music.


You probably realize that the scores of heavy metal songs are quite boring (infantile), but mysteriously the sounds have a 'vitalizing' effect upon the human being, mostly young males. They don't hear the simplistic (corny) harmonic relationships. And I don't immediately either.. What do you think is going on?


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## eljr

Luchesi said:


> You probably realize that the scores of heavy metal songs are quite boring (infantile), but mysteriously the sounds have a 'vitalizing' effect upon the human being, mostly young males. They don't hear the simplistic (corny) harmonic relationships. And I don't immediately either.. What do you think is going on?


I think it is appealing to raw emotion as all great music does.


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## MJongo

In rough chronological order:

The Red Crayola - The Parable of Arable Land
The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground & Nico
Frank Zappa - Absolutely Free
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica
Faust - Faust
Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom
The Residents - Meet The Residents
The Residents - Not Available
Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance
Joanna Newsom - Ys


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## Luchesi

eljr said:


> I think it is appealing to raw emotion as all great music does.


You're right. They like the 'emotional' sound of solely the bare tonic and the fifth. Proximity and directionality. It's effective. It's primal.


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## Colin M

Steely Dan Aja
Joni Mitchell Court and Spark
Beatles Revolver
CSN “on the couch”
David Bowie Low
Love Forever Changes
Dylan Desire
Jefferson Airplane Crown of Creation
Pearl Jam Ten
Harrison. Living in the material world


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## Eva Yojimbo

Strange Magic said:


> A few observations: Regarding the Scorpions' _Savage Amusements_, I also like _Love at First Sting_. Similarly, with Blue Öyster Cult, I prefer _Fire of Unknown Origin_ and _The Revolution by Night_. The reasons are twofold: I am not the intended audience for Heavy Metal, much preferring the lighter metals; and also freely affirm that, unlike possibly the vast majority of my TC peers, *my tastes in popular music/rock are almost entirely aligned with those of the greater mass audience *whose choices ultimately determine both the popularity of groups and artists, and which are those artists' most favored works...


In the case of Scorpions, _Love at First Sting_ was their best-seller, followed by _Crazy World_, with _Blackout _and _Savage Amusements_ behind them, and all besides _Crazy World_ were top 10 Billboard hits. All four were extremely popular.


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## Eva Yojimbo

Luchesi said:


> You probably realize that the scores of heavy metal songs are quite boring (infantile), but mysteriously the sounds have a 'vitalizing' effect upon the human being, mostly young males. They don't hear the simplistic (corny) harmonic relationships. And I don't immediately either.. What do you think is going on?


Depends on the metal song. There's been quite a bit of metal/jazz crossover, and sub-genres like prog metal are usually more complex than most anything in pop music. Not that I agree that simple harmonic relationships are automatically boring, nor complex ones automatically exciting. Lots of women are into metal too. There's been no lack of them at the shows I've been to, and for some bands they seem the primary audience. Metal is really just an extension/evolution of rock with similar aesthetics and appeal, so it doesn't make sense to generalize one and not the other.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist

Strange Magic said:


> A few observations: Regarding the Scorpions' _Savage Amusements_, I also like _Love at First Sting_. Similarly, with Blue Öyster Cult, I prefer _Fire of Unknown Origin_ and *The Revolution by Night*.


Don't see that one named very much. I have a friend who's SUPER into BOC; last night he showed me "Eyes of Fire" (my first time listening to it). Really nice song.


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## Strange Magic

I read a review of _Savage Amusements_ just as it was released. The reviewer (I forget who) generally damned it with faint praise, writing something like "it has grand, broad tunes that even your golden retriever will love." Little did he suspect that perhaps a golden retriever's and my taste closely overlap. :lol:

Some Heavy Metal I do like:

The Strange Magic of: Queensryche


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## Luchesi

Eva Yojimbo said:


> Depends on the metal song. There's been quite a bit of metal/jazz crossover, and sub-genres like prog metal are usually more complex than most anything in pop music. Not that I agree that simple harmonic relationships are automatically boring, nor complex ones automatically exciting. Lots of women are into metal too. There's been no lack of them at the shows I've been to, and for some bands they seem the primary audience. Metal is really just an extension/evolution of rock with similar aesthetics and appeal, so it doesn't make sense to generalize one and not the other.


 The metal sounds seem to have a 'vitalizing' effect upon the human being. What do you think is going on? It's not full of prominent and saccharine-sweet resolutions. It's the arousing power in the wall of sound? for males and females.


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## Red Terror

An impossible list to concoct as I have too many favorites. Love’s Forever Changes isn’t often mentioned, but it is one of my very favorite albums. I find it much more exciting and fresh than anything by the Beatles.


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## Eva Yojimbo

Strange Magic said:


> I read a review of _Savage Amusements_ just as it was released. The reviewer (I forget who) generally damned it with faint praise, writing something like "it has grand, broad tunes that even your golden retriever will love." Little did he suspect that perhaps a golden retriever's and my taste closely overlap. :lol:
> 
> Some Heavy Metal I do like:
> 
> The Strange Magic of: Queensryche


 :lol:

You may have noticed I had Operation: Mindcrime #2 on my Top 50 Albums. That album had such an impact on me around the age of 14/15 that I actually wrote a short story based on its concept. Years later I even traveled cross-state to hear them play when they were playing the entire album live. Really cool experience. I still enjoy their output up to Promised Land, but nothing else they did is on the level of Mindcrime. One could argue they were first progressive metal band. They certainly had an impact on the later generation of bands in the genre. One can hear, eg, the change of style in Fates Warning after Mindcrime was released, and I still occasionally come across new prog metal that is trying to imitate their style rather than the newer stuff out there. Two of my favorite Queensryche-styled tracks: 









Another of my top 10 albums is Iron Maiden's Seventh Son of a Son, and it was released around the same time as Mindcrime (a month earlier, I think), where one could argue that Maiden went down the progressive path there as well, and it's also a concept album. Both bands had a real theatricality to them and outstanding musicianship.


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## Eva Yojimbo

Luchesi said:


> The metal sounds seem to have a 'vitalizing' effect upon the human being. What do you think is going on? It's not full of prominent and saccharine-sweet resolutions. It's the arousing power in the wall of sound? for males and females.


It would depend on what you mean by "vitalizing affect" and how you think that differs from the "vitalizing affect" that pop music has on its audience, or rock has/used to have, or bebop-jazz in the 40s/50s had. Of course, many are drawn to metal by the aggressive "wall of sound" alone, but that's not everyone. My path into metal was mostly just as an extension of the classic rock I was raised on. As a young guitarist I also found metal a more technically interesting genre than most classic rock, with generally faster and more intricate rhythm/lead parts that required some real effort to learn. Metal also tended to make much more use of dissonances and chromaticism, which I couldn't have told you at the time, but which I was certainly drawn to. Likewise, metal tended to break away form the more typical pop/rock song structures of verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus. Basically, when prog rock started dying out towards the end of the 70s, it was really metal that picked up that banner and ran with it.


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## Luchesi

Eva Yojimbo said:


> It would depend on what you mean by "vitalizing affect" and how you think that differs from the "vitalizing affect" that pop music has on its audience, or rock has/used to have, or bebop-jazz in the 40s/50s had. Of course, many are drawn to metal by the aggressive "wall of sound" alone, but that's not everyone. My path into metal was mostly just as an extension of the classic rock I was raised on. As a young guitarist I also found metal a more technically interesting genre than most classic rock, with generally faster and more intricate rhythm/lead parts that required some real effort to learn. Metal also tended to make much more use of dissonances and chromaticism, which I couldn't have told you at the time, but which I was certainly drawn to. Likewise, metal tended to break away form the more typical pop/rock song structures of verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus. Basically, when prog rock started dying out towards the end of the 70s, it was really metal that picked up that banner and ran with it.


"... it was really metal that picked up that banner and ran with it."

Yes, that's how I see it too. Do you think there wasn't any more that could done in prog rock? It's been an intriguing question, namely, will we run out of innovative styles and melodies? Has it all been done?


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## Eva Yojimbo

Luchesi said:


> "... it was really metal that picked up that banner and ran with it."
> 
> Yes, that's how I see it too. Do you think there wasn't any more that could done in prog rock? It's been an intriguing question, namely, will we run out of innovative styles and melodies? Has it all been done?


No, I absolutely think more could've been done with prog rock, and more WAS done by bands like King Crimson and Pink Floyd. The problem was the changing times: bands, audiences, and tastes. The success of prog rock in the 70s angered some people who thought rock music had gotten too far away from its primal roots. So in the late 70s you had the birth of punk music, and, combined with the emergence of disco and new wave/synth-pop, they effectively forced prog-rock out of the mainstream, and the prog bands reacted differently to this. Bands like Yes and Genesis shuffled/lost members and changed their sound to fit with the times, and ended up with the biggest commercial successes of their careers. Pink Floyd stayed the course and stayed successful. King Crimson kept being as weird as ever and just incorporated those influences into their sound. Many other bands either broke up naturally, continued on in the underground, or tried to change and failed horribly (Jethro Tull). Metal came out of a similar underground as punk, but unlike the way punk evolved into the more mainstream-friendly forms of post-punk, metal evolved the other way, towards the complexities of prog. There was already some of this in the 70s with Judas Priest, especially, hinting at the future of the genre.

There has been periodic resurgences of neo-prog rock since the 80s. Marillion was probably the biggest band that comes to mind, but you also have bands like Spock's Beard, The Flower Kings, and Transatlantic--the latter being a prog-rock supergroup made up of members of those bands plus Dream Theater. They all have some good music, even if it no longer actually sounds "progressive." Two favorites would be: 








(on the last one, song is only 10:30, no idea why there's so much dead air at the end).


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## Varick

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


> 9. Stevie Wonder - (Innervisions, Songs in the Key of Life) (is this too much of a stretch?)


Putting anything by Stevie Wonder on a "best of" list is never a stretch. (Ok, maybe the "Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants" wasn't his magnum opus...) The man is brilliant!



fluteman said:


> I never really understood the appeal of the Rolling Stones until I saw them do a live concert (I wasn't there, I was watching on HBO, but with all the TV monitors they now have at modern arenas, I'm not sure there's that much of a difference). Their act doesn't translate to the studio as well as many of the other iconic rock bands.


I feel the exact opposite for the Rolling Stones. I have a friend who is a Stones fanatic and gave me umpteen "live" recordings of them (I have all studio recordings). I think they are HORRIBLE live. In fact, I saw their Steel Wheels tour at Shea Stadium (Former Mets stadium in NYC). It was by far the worst sounding concert I have ever been to. It was as if, every one of their amps were blown out, but they said, "Well, we have a show to do, so let's use them anyway."

I can't say much more for all the live recordings my friend gave me. The lyrics are completely unintelligible, the sound quality is horrendous, and overall, they just sound like crap live. The live concert I went to was a good "performance" but horrible sound quality. Having been to a few hundred concerts from being a tour manager and traveling all over the world with rock bands and orchestras, I know good live sound when I hear it. The Stones were the furthest thing from that. As well as almost every live recording I have from them.

Now, with all that said... I really like the Stones.

My favorite list so far that anyone gave is Eva Yojimbos. Not because I am necessarily simpatico with her list, but anyone who has Dylan, Bjork, Iron Maiden, Taylor Swift, Megadeath, XTC, Prince, Cocteau Twins (wow), & Tom Waits all on the SAME list is OK in my book. Talk about diverse!!!!!! Kudos Eva!!!!

V


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## Luchesi

Varick said:


> Putting anything by Stevie Wonder on a "best of" list is never a stretch. (Ok, maybe the "Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants" wasn't his magnum opus...) The man is brilliant!
> 
> I feel the exact opposite for the Rolling Stones. I have a friend who is a Stones fanatic and gave me umpteen "live" recordings of them (I have all studio recordings). I think they are HORRIBLE live. In fact, I saw their Steel Wheels tour at Shea Stadium (Former Mets stadium in NYC). It was by far the worst sounding concert I have ever been to. It was as if, every one of their amps were blown out, but they said, "Well, we have a show to do, so let's use them anyway."
> 
> I can't say much more for all the live recordings my friend gave me. The lyrics are completely unintelligible, the sound quality is horrendous, and overall, they just sound like crap live. The live concert I went to was a good "performance" but horrible sound quality. Having been to a few hundred concerts from being a tour manager and traveling all over the world with rock bands and orchestras, I know good live sound when I hear it. The Stones were the furthest thing from that. As well as almost every live recording I have from them.
> 
> Now, with all that said... I really like the Stones.
> 
> My favorite list so far that anyone gave is Eva Yojimbos. Not because I am necessarily simpatico with her list, but anyone who has Dylan, Bjork, Iron Maiden, Taylor Swift, Megadeath, XTC, Prince, Cocteau Twins (wow), & Tom Waits all on the SAME list is OK in my book. Talk about diverse!!!!!! Kudos Eva!!!!
> 
> V


The Stones is one of those bands, one in a hundred, -- you have to know the life stories of Jagger and Richards. What they were doing... What they thought about the Beatles-type bands! What they 'found' in pop with guitar (blues) gimmickry. And most importantly the times that they used as a jumping off platform.


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## Eva Yojimbo

Varick said:


> My favorite list so far that anyone gave is Eva Yojimbos. Not because I am necessarily simpatico with her list, but anyone who has Dylan, Bjork, Iron Maiden, Taylor Swift, Megadeath, XTC, Prince, Cocteau Twins (wow), & Tom Waits all on the SAME list is OK in my book. Talk about diverse!!!!!! Kudos Eva!!!!
> 
> V


Thanks so much! :cheers: Yes, I'm a musical omnivore and I make no bones about it... unless whatever I'm devouring happens to be bony. Right now my playlist consists of all 104 of Haydn's symphonies, Scriabin's complete works, Boulez recordings of Schoenberg, live recordings of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Chvrches, and Carly Rae Jepsen.

I'm a he by the way. Eva is short for Neon Genesis *Eva*ngelion.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist

Varick said:


> Putting anything by Stevie Wonder on a "best of" list is never a stretch. (Ok, maybe the "Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants" wasn't his magnum opus...) The man is brilliant!
> 
> V


The only reason I said it was a stretch is because this thread is titled "Top 10 best ROCK albums..." and I'm not sure if these albums (or the artist) can really be classified into that genre.


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## Common Listener

I guess I shouldn't post at all if I can't be on topic but others have had relaxed interpretations of the rules, so I'll follow along.  For this post on "Top 10 Best Rock Albums," I'm defining "album" as "a collection of previously unreleased studio songs" (no live/compilation albums). I'm defining "rock" as "almost every form of rock-like music." (As great as they are, I can't call Jarre's _Oxygene_ or _Equinoxe_ "rock" but I can call a lot of stuff "rock.") I'm defining "best" as "I love it" (no objective claim at all). Finally, I define "top 10" as "50 of the upper non-recent albums I put on a list today." I really tried but 10 is flatly impossible and anything short of at least one or two hundred is still a compressed distortion which is unfair to a lot of worthy albums. My limiting criteria was no more than one album per artist but in cases where it was hard to decide, I mention the main problems in parentheses (not that the other albums by a given band might not also be great but sometimes the top album was a clearer choice).


AC/DC - _Back in Black_ (_Highway to Hell_)
The Allman Brothers Band - _The Allman Brothers Band_ (_Idlewild South_ - I have _Beginnings_ on CD which would solve the problem but that's a compilation)
The B-52's - _The B-52's_
Black Sabbath - _Sabotage_ (the first three, especially)
Butthole Surfers - _Independent Worm Saloon_
Carcass - _Heartwork_
Cat Power - _The Greatest_
Concrete Blonde - _Concrete Blonde_ (_Mexican Moon_)
Corrosion of Conformity - _Deliverance_ (_Wiseblood_ | _Animosity_)
The Cramps - _Psychedelic Jungle_ (particularly the CD version w/_Gravest Hits_ on it which includes "Domino" and "The Way I Walk," etc. - tough call between it and especially _Songs the Lord Taught Us_)
The Cult - _Sonic Temple_ (_Electric_)
Death Angel - _Act III_ (_The Ultra-Violence_)
Dire Straits - _Dire Straits_
The Doors - _The Doors_ (_L. A. Woman_)
Eurythmics - _1984_ (_Sweet Dreams_)
Faith No More - _Introduce Yourself_ (_The Real Thing_)
Guns N' Roses - _Appetite for Destruction_
Heart - _Dreamboat Annie_
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - _Are You Experienced?_
Iron Maiden - _Iron Maiden_ (_Killers_)
Jane's Addiction - _Nothing's Shocking_
Jefferson Airplane - _Crown of Creation_ (or basically all pre-Starship records from them or the various permutations of their members)
Joan Jett - _Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth_ (_Up Your Alley_)
Janis Joplin - _I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!_ (_Pearl_)
Judas Priest - _Sad Wings of Destiny_ (_Stained Class_ | _Screaming for Vengeance_)
L7 - _Bricks Are Heavy_ (_Smell the Magic_)
Led Zeppelin _II_ (the other five of the first six)
Love and Rockets - _Express_
Lynyrd Skynyrd - _Pronounced_ (_Second Helping_ | _Street Survivors_)
Mary's Danish - _American Standard_
Mercyful Fate - _Melissa_
Metallica - _Kill 'Em All_
Ministry - _Psalm 69_
Misfits - _Walk Among Us_
Pink Floyd - _Wish You Were Here_ (_Dark Side of the Moon_ | _The Wall_ - though _Animals_ really is under-rated)
Ramones - _Ramones_ (_Leave Home_)
The Rolling Stones - _Sticky Fingers_ (anything from the amazing '68-'72 period, or even '64-'81 except _Black and Blue_)
Rush - _A Farewell to Kings_ (not that the other side's bad but if _2112_ had been a concept album instead of a side, it would have been a fierce competitor)
Santana - _Santana_ (_Abraxas_ and the second _Santana_)
Sepultura - _Arise_ (_Beneath the Remains_)
Michelle Shocked - _Captain Swing_ (_Short, Sharp, Shocked_)
Siouxsie and the Banshees - _Juju_ (_A Kiss in the Dreamhouse_ | _Hyaena_ | _Peepshow_ - all of it, really)
Slayer - _Reign in Blood_
Patti Smith - _Easter_ (_Horses_)
The Stooges - _Raw Power_
Type O Negative - _Bloody Kisses_
Van Halen - _Van Halen_ (all of the others from the first six except _Fair Warning_ (which is still okay))
Violent Femmes - _Violent Femmes_
White Zombie - _La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1
_
The Who - _Who's Next_

Incidentally, speaking of live albums and compilations, some of my favorite live albums (which I can *almost* get down to ten) are:


AC/DC - _If You Want Blood You've Got It_
The Allman Brothers Band - _At Fillmore East_
Blue Oyster Cult - _Some Enchanted Evening_ (_On Your Feet or on Your Knees_)
The Cramps - _Smell of Female_
Deep Purple - _Made in Japan_
Jimi Hendrix - _The Jimi Hendrix Concerts_
J. Geils Band - _"Live" Full House_
Lynyrd Skynyrd - _One More from the Road_
MC5 - _Kick Out the Jams_
Rainbow - _On Stage_
Ramones - _It's Alive_
Slayer - _Decade of Aggression_
The Who - _Live at Leeds_

Some of the above are both live and compilations. Some studio compilations I couldn't live without (another baker's dozen rather than ten) are:


Alien Sex Fiend - _The Singles 1983-1995_ (_Fiend at the Controls Vol. 1 & 2_)
The Animals - _The Complete Animals_ [bad title: actually just "The Essentially Complete '64-'66 Recordings"]
Blondie - _The Platinum Collection_
Chuck Berry - _The Great Twenty-Eight_
The Clash - _The Essential Clash_
The Cramps - _Bad Music for Bad People_
Elvis - _The Complete 50s Masters_
Jimi Hendrix - _First Rays of the New Rising Sun_ (another posthumous reshuffling of material for "the fourth studio album" but the best shot at it)
Misfits - _Misfits_ (_Collection II_)
The Rolling Stones - _The Singles Collection_
Siouxsie and the Banshees - _Downside Up_ (_Once Upon a Time_ | _Twice Upon a Time_)
The Sisters of Mercy - _Some Girls Wander by Mistake_
Link Wray - _Rumble! The Best of Link Wray_


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