OK, everybody, setting aside our usual topics, here’s a question for you all:
What’s the greatest album of all time? (I originally wrote “rock album”, but let’s just make it “album”.) You only get to pick one.
All readers, even the most casual visitors, and all of you who usually stay on the sidelines, are invited to comment on this one.
50 Comments
The best album of all time is a bootleg gospel album by David Lynn Jones that only I, my brothers, and a handful of other folks have heard.
Jeffery Hodges
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Spinal Tap’s Smell the Glove, a.k.a., The Black Album.
over-nite sensation – f. zappa
OK, Spinal Tap wasn’t really my pick. My serious choice is Tenacious D’s album, Tenacious D. This song and this song are the reasons why.
Mozart Clarinet Quintet K. 581
If the point of the question is which unique album (as opposed to which piece of music which is on many akbums), then my answer would be Kind of Blue.
And if the point of the question is the total album experience – the music and the album cover – then I would have to say Sgt. Pepper. Plus it came with those neat cut-outs.
Although it’s hard to come up with a better album cover than Weasels Ripped My Flesh.
(classical) Big Ludwig, Symphony #5, Vienna Philharmonic, Carlos Kleiber (1975)
(classic) Boston (1976)
Exile On Main Street.
Then again as TheBigHenry too often makes me pause and reassess – he types “Boston” which leads me to recall Rebecca.
However, I’ve still got the Stones album. The drawers Rebecca gave me eventually fell apart.
I saw the Stones during the Exiles on Main Street tour. Opening performer was Stevie Wonder. The encore was Mick and Stevie together. Unforgettable.
JK,
What did you put into Rebecca’s drawers?
Yes Peter, excellent tour that one. So good I booked flights twice in order to see it three times.
Well TheBigHenry, I never put anything into Rebecca’s drawers – I could have put mothballs in I suppose – but that would’ve negated the reason I asked for ’em as a birthday present.
(And since I think I can figure where you’ll go next – I was getting transferred to The Land of Sand – Rebecca, being FDIC during the S&L thing, was gonna begin doing “fieldwork”… we figured we’d never see each other again. We were right.)
Mothballs?
I echo TBH, JK. Time for Rebecca to dust something off!
Jeffery Hodges
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Moth balls must be really, really small.
Well TheBigHenry, yes, mothballs. I’m told mothballs preserve even cotton underdrawers. The problem for me is dyslexia – moths have six appendages (discounting wings) and even back then, the only reliably steady finger I had was my trigger-finger.
And though I’m told I’m a fairly methodical guy – few have commented on my performing actions rapidly. So, even though the drawers were a heckuva lot smaller then, than the average I imagine current normally sized drawers take to perform the same function, it would have taken me quite a period of time to capture the appropriate number of ballbearing moths – nevermind neutering (dyslexia keep in mind) I’m fairly confident the guys making my decisions would have disallowed me making a leave request to capture, neuter, and properly numeritze however many it would’ve taken.
Besides, given how slow I am, some media group would’ve become aware and publicized what I was doing so besides groups protecting whales and spotted owls there’d have been a mothballs protection society. Imagine where’d we’d be in our Libyan strategy if TheBigHenry were around then to question our strategic national interests.
For that reason I’m changing my favorite album. My favorite – I can’t really decide between the two. It’s either:
The Singing Nun
Alvin and the Chipmunks
No offense intended, bro. I was just keeding …
Jeff.
If Rebecca lives – and if she retains her, er, “housekeeping skills” – there’ll be no dusting necessary.
With you TheBigHenry – I couldn’t imagine me taking offense. “Keeding” or not.
We’d probably be better off apologizing to Malcolm for [again] hijacking his always seriously intended thread.
He’s always doing research you realize. Always for seriously scientific purposes. Look – he’s got readers like hbd chick.
That’s indicative.
I have already registered a standing apology with Malcolm for all past, present, and future transgressions.
Sweet Jesus TheBigHenry – give me a link to the form.
I’m sure your intention has been duly noted by Malcolm.
BTW, my friends refer to me as “The Big Jew in the Sky” …
I thought that was Norman Greenbaum.
Have you ever seen me and Norman together in the same room?
Just got used to capitalizing T,B and H.
I’d use those initials but I’d get confused (there’s three DoD sites where those get used pretty often)…
TheBigHenry? Anyway you and I can work out an acceptable nickname? I’d almost go with SoD – but a Brit friend uses that to refer to his kid. IDAF maybe?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa3uNiUCrp0
“Call me irresponsible …”
“Do my foolish alibis bore you? Well, I’m not too clever; I’ll just ignore you.”
Just keeding, bro. Got to go, though. Catch you later …
Heck with it. Exile On Main Street
T. Rex [Bang A Gong one].
Every Good Boy Deserves Favor
Abraxas – still fondly recalled because the map was the first time I recall having “Mescaline Boulevard” on the grid.
Canned Heat and Ten Years After.
Mostly, I remember Rebecca. She had abit more than the zero musical talent I ever had – but damn she smelled nice. She made a barroom smell good, even when she was flashing creds and the venue wasn’t too filled with vomit.
Cherokee and Regret.
What is our host’s favorite album?
Inner Mounting Flame? Watermelon Man? Trout Mask Replica? Or could it be … Inna Gadda Da Vida?
Hi all,
The lovely Nina votes for Abbey Road.
I’m going with Close To The Edge.
Pretty pathetic turnout, given the large numbers of visitors I know are passing through here every day. It’s not like it’s a Ph.D.-level question.
You once described Jon Anderson’s voice as “reedy” and liked the way Chris Squire used RotoSound strings. But I’ll go with Nina on this one. Personally I think Yes has pretentious music and lacks soul. But what of that. As Duke Ellington said: “if it sounds good, it is good.”
The Clash: London Calling.
My vote is for an album recorded at Power Station (Malcolm’s old stomping ground) by jazz guitarist Pat Metheny called “Offramp” back in 1982.
Honorable mentions go to Weather Report’s “Heavy Weather”, Steely Dan’s “Aja”, Donald Fagen’s “The Nightfly”, and Chick Corea’s “Three Quartets” where Michael Brecker and Steve Gadd never sounded better. And of course, Miles Davis “Kind of Blue” is always tops my list, since my jazz background is clearly evident in my list.
Ron D
I resemble that remark, Malcolm :)
In any case, although most responses (including my own) ignored your “only get to pick one” specification, perhaps that was problematic for some of your visitors?
I vote soundtrack to the film, “Midnight Cowboy.”
I needed several days in the north woods to properly fog my mind while thinking about the poll.
Sticky Fingers; the initial British release.
Oh dear, I can’t really answer this properly. I’ll just throw in 5 unquestionable masterpieces:
Led Zeppelin – IV
Soundgarden – Superunknown
The Who – Live at Leeds
The Beatles – Sgt. Peppers’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Yes – Close to the Fragile Edge (couldn’t decide…)
And one that I will be the only fan of…
Opeth – Blackwater Park
Do forgive me for my occasional enjoyment of abrasive, heavy, and loud music.
Sorry, sorry, late again, but as Americans you should all be ashamed of yourselves. There is only one winner by a golden mile:
Songs for Swinging Lovers: Frank Sinatra
Yikes! This is easy!
I’m glad to see agreement with a number of my favorites, but Led Zeppelin IV is it, sorry.
– MikeZ
I’m surprised to not see any Pink Floyd suggested here. Dark Side Of The Moon? The Wall?
– M
It changes from day to day but when I regard my life in entirety I would have to say that Alice Cooper’s Killer has had the longest lasting influence on me, and my musical taste. That or ELO’s New World Order.
Sorry, A New World Record, not order.
See this is the problem with these sorts of things. Have to add New Order’s Brotherhood album and All Day Long as my fav single.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuHNXoZvlgg
You’ll note the baroque rococo.
New Order! Haven’t listened to them for about 25 years.
Yep, a good single, if a tad 80s-y-sounding by now…
Welcome, by the way, Pat — don’t think we’ve seen you over here before.
New Order is a sound all of it’s own that may have defined the 80’s for the excellence that they produced.
One of the most inspirational songs from one of the most inspirational albums:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x0BehBmIwk
Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited. Simple as that.
Phil Ochs, Pleasures of the Harbor.
I remember being involved with a brilliant record in the ’90s. I was being particularly struck by the deeply moving lyrics:
You work hard
To try to look younger
You look odd
Like Felix Unger
Face lifts
And liposuction
Leave Scars
Where you’ve been tucked in
Where is that brilliant poet today.
Goodness! Is that Freddy Felch?