Impossible for me to designate a "greatest album", but I will say that "Deja Vu" by CSN&Y is a GD masterpiece. Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" is another.
Impossible for me to designate a "greatest album", but I will say that "Deja Vu" by CSN&Y is a GD masterpiece. Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" is another.
Blonde on Blonde-Bob Dylan
Songs-Leonard Cohen (His first album)
Our Mother The Mountain-Townes Van Zandt
Greatest Hits-Patsy Cline
Highway 61 Revisited
OK Computer
Pink Moon
If we’re doing Pink Floyd, the answer is Wish You Were Here.
Pet Sounds
Certainly one of the most influential.
London Calling - The Clash
Blonde on Blonde
Astral Weeks
Five Leaves Left
Remain in Light
Another Green World and/or Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy
"Thriller" Michael Jackson
The Beatles - Revolver
or
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I
Someone's got it in for me wrote:
Blood on the Tracks of course.
Not a bad choice, but the greatest album of all time is this:
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco
Cold Roses, Ryan Adams
Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan
I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning, Bright Eyes
The Wall would be in contention if it weren’t for “The Trial.” It takes a perfect album and ruins it.
Pink Floyd definitely deserves the title of best album creators. My personal favorite is Atom Heart Mother. Everything after The Wall is trash, though.
My vote is for What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye. There are some really good mentions on this thread, though.
Wejo/Rojo, I reported the post nominating the Eagles. Can you please delete that? I find it offensive ?
"Dusty In Memphis" - Dusty Springfield
"Back To Black" - Amy Winehouse
"The Allman Brothers Band" - The Allman Brothers Band
to name a few.
Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness.
Beatles Abbey Road
Seriously, what makes an album the greatest album of all time? What's great to your ear might be trite nonsense to someone else's, in which case, you might as well just ask what's your favorite album.
I would think it might be more noteworthy to focus on the most influential album of all time, and in particular, the most influential rock album.
In that case, i think it's kind of instructive that the Rolling Stones haven't been mentioned yet, or at least very much. They are amongst the big three: The Beatles, the Who, and the Stones.
I would make the case that the Beatles were masters at many genres of music, not just rock, and were adept at converting mediums like Ragtime, Blues, Folk, Show tunes, etc. to the Rock idiom, and are actually best described as the most influential Pop band of all time.
The Stones were masters at modernizing the blues idiom into tight, elegant, soulful rock classics and were without equal, but their reach into the broader rock landscape was limited.
But looking at the most influential of those three, and in fact of all rock groups in the entirety, i would have to give it to The Who, and as a previous poster said, the Who's "Who's Next".
The Who were mainstream, straight ahead, purveyors of good old rock and roll. No wonder they are referenced by bands like Pearl Jam that claim them as influences.
I contend that Black Sabbath was tremendously influential, but i honestly think the fact that they were more tangential than the mainstream Who makes their reach a little less broad. Likewise, Bob Dylan, i would say is perhaps the greatest songwriter of all time, or the greatest folk rock album creator of all time, but not a "rock" album, and certainly not as influential as the others. within the overall rock landscape.
Another really influential rock artist that we may be overlooking is Jim Morrison and the Doors. He really set the stage for a whole brand of rock and live music that were to come after.
But if i had to pick just one, as i said, it would be The Who's "Who's Next", released incredibly as early as 1971.
Genesis-Duke.
Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Duke where Phil Collins' presence became more apparent. I think Invisible Touch was the group's undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums.
Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism. Take the lyrics to Land of Confusion. In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I've heard in rock.
Phil Collins' solo career seems to be more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way. Especially songs like In the Air Tonight and Against All Odds. But I also think Phil Collins works best within the confines of the group, than as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist. Sussudio, a great, great song, a personal favorite.
To;seattle prattle,
I think you took the question too literally. I think everyone is answering the question as 'what is your favorite album of all time?'
It would be impossible to name the GREATEST album of all time. No one is that pretentious. At least I hope no one is so pretentious that they think they could answer that question. I like what you had to add however.
in terms of favorite albums, i'd throw in Lou Reed - Rock n Roll Animal (Full Album) 1974 as one great album!
GBohannon wrote:
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco
Cold Roses, Ryan Adams
Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan
I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning, Bright Eyes
Second vote for I'm Wide Awake. It's practically flawless from start to finish.
Also strong consideration for "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel.