Off-topic what's YOUR favourite album ever recorded and why?

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Off the top of my head here's a partial list of my favourite recordings in no particular order from my collection of about 3,000 albums, box-sets, cassettes, vinyl and other stuff:

Brian Eno: Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy); Here Come The Warm Jets
Patti Smith: Horses
Lou Reed: The Bells; Hudson River Meditations; The Raven
Lou Reed & Metallica: Lulu
Music Of Morocco - box-set recorded and compiled by Paul Bowles in 1959
Abdulrahman Surizehi: Love Songs And Trance Music From Balochistan
Tapper Zukie: Man Ah Warrior
Derek & The Dominoes: Layla & Other Love Songs
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin; Led Zeppelin II
Miles Davis: Bitches Brew; In A Silent Way; Dark Magus; Get Up With It
Fripp & Eno: (No Pussyfooting)
Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus: Love Thy Neighbour
Fela Anikulapo Kuti: Confusion; Expensive Shit; Kalakuta Show; Afrodisiac; He Miss Road
Pharoah Sanders: Village Of The Pharaohs; Black Unity
TISM: The White Album; www.tism.w***er.com; Great Truckin' Songs Of The Renaissance
Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland (this album changed my life); Axis Bold As Love
The Beatles: Revolver (I saw them when I was young apparently but I can't remember a thing about it)
Lee Perry: Arkology; Super Ape
Bob Dylan: Blood On The Tracks; Nashville Skyline
John Coltrane: A Love Supreme; Interstellar Space
Roxy Music: For Your Pleasure; Stranded
The Troubadours Of King Badouin: Missa Luba - the original 1955 recording on Phillips
Robert Fripp: Music For Quiet Moments
Reebok Kwaku Baah: Trance
Don Cherry, Colin Walcott and Nana Vasconcelos: Codona; Codona II; Codona III
Cluster: Cluster II
Cluster & Eno: Cluster & Eno; After The Heat
The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground & Nico; White Light/White Heat; The Velvet Underground
Bob Marley & The Wailers: Burnin'
Holger Czukay: Movies; On The Way To The Peak Of Normal
Can: Tago Mago; Soundtracks; Monster Movie
Material: Seven Souls
Bill Laswell: Sacred System Chapter II
Public Image Limited: Metal Box
The Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bollocks
David Bowie: "Heroes"; Low; Lodger; Blackstar; Aladdin Sane
The Doors: The Doors; Strange Days; LA Woman
Talking Heads: Remain In Light; Fear Of Music
The Rolling Stones: Exile On Main St
Prince: The love symbol album; Sign O The Times
Bunny Wailer: Dub'sco; Roots Radics Rocker Reggae
Burning Spear: Social Living
Ice-T: O.G. Original Gangster
Hank Williams: The Complete Recordings (box-set)
Roland S. Howard: Pop Crimes
John Cale: Fear
Terry Riley: Les Yeux Fermés & Lifespan
Battles: Mirrored
Skyhooks: Living In The '70s; Ego is Not A Dirty Word
Tony Allen: Black Voices
Mulatu Astake: Mulatu Of Ethiopia
Marvin Gaye: What's Going On
Stevie Wonder: Talking Book
Jackie Mittoo: The Keyboard King At Studio One
Sun Ra: Days Of Wine And Roses
Paul Bowles: Baptism Of Solitude

...and many more that I love and cherish.
Why the preference for later period Lou Reed over Berlin, Coney Island Baby, etc?
 
Why the preference for later period Lou Reed over Berlin, Coney Island Baby, etc?
The sound quality. Something changed in the way he recorded his albums beginning with 'New York' in 1990. The early albums (apart from Transformer) sound a bit muddy to these ears. The production and mixing on The Raven, for example, is close to perfection - it sounds great, apart from being a great album.

The Bells is my favourite Lou solo album overall. Favourite solo (kind of) track: Junior Dad from Lulu (with Metallica). The album was lambasted when it was released but Bowie called it a masterpiece and I agree.
 

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since i've had some free time this morning/afternoon, i've thought hard and made (using "data" based off of my listens and overall how much i've enjoyed the albums themselves) a top 100 favourite albums of yours truly. View attachment 2157254

  1. Sweet Trip - Velocity Comfort Design
  2. Dystopia - The Aftermath
  3. Lord Snow - Solitude
  4. Parannoul (파란노을) - To see the next part of the dream
  5. Sweet Trip - You Will Never Know Why
  6. The Avalanches - Since I Left You
  7. Orchid - Dance Tonight, Revolution Tomorrow
  8. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady
  9. Advantage Lucy - Goodbye
  10. Boris - Pink
  11. Uboa - The Origin of My Depression
  12. Boris - Heavy Rocks
  13. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
  14. The Gerogerigegege - Tokyo Anal Dynamie
  15. Lil Ugly Mane - Mista Thug Isolation
  16. Slowdive - Souvlaki
  17. Boris - Amplifier Worship
  18. Hella - Hold Your Horse Is
  19. A Silver Mt. Zion - He has left us alone but shafts of light sometimes grace the corners of our rooms
  20. Can - Tago Mago
  21. hakushi hasegawa - smokou hodo
  22. Macine Girl - ...Because I'm Young Arrogant and Hate Everything You Stand For
  23. Dalek - Absence
  24. Converge - Jane Doe
  25. Devo - Are We men? We Are DEVO
  26. Dropdead - Dropdead
  27. Deftones - Around the Fur
  28. Christoph De Babelon - If you're into it, I'm out of it
  29. Fugazi - Repeater
  30. Marvin Gaye - What's Goin on
  31. Chat Pile - Remove Your Skin Please
  32. Injury Reserve - By The Time I Get To Phoenix
  33. Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion
  34. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
  35. Charles Mingus - Mingus x5
  36. Machine Girl - wlfgrl
  37. Lil Ugly Mane - Volcanic Bird Enemy and The Voiced Concern
  38. Lil Ugly Mane - Singles (concert exclusive)
  39. loveliescurshing - bloweyelashwish
  40. Dystopia - Dystopia
  41. DJ Screw - All Screwed Up VOL. 2
  42. Massive Attack - Mezzanine
  43. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
  44. Merzbow - Merzbeat
  45. Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
  46. Clube Da Esquina - Clube De Esquina
  47. Genesis Owusu - Smiling with no teeth
  48. Pig Destroyer - Prowler in the Yard
  49. Lil Ugly Mane - Uneven Compromise
  50. Parannoul (파란노을) - After the Magic
  51. Parquet Courts - Wide Awake!
  52. Sd Laika - That's Harakiri
  53. Sade - Love Deluxe
  54. Portishead - Dummy
  55. Parannoul (파란노을) - Downfall of Neon Youth
  56. Slint - Spiderland
  57. New Order - Power, Corruption, Lies
  58. Burial - Untrue
  59. The Microphones - The Glow Part 2
  60. Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
  61. Talking Heads - Remain in Light
  62. Three 6 Mafia - Mystic Stylez
  63. Ween - Quebec
  64. Yayayi - Yayayi
  65. 光の緒 (Hikari no Itoguchi) - [untitled]
  66. Slowdive - Slowdive
  67. various artists/compilation album - mikgazer vol.1
  68. Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
  69. Merzbow - Pulse Demon
  70. Arcade Fire - Funeral
  71. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
  72. Blackout - Dreamworld
  73. Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030
  74. The Birthday Party - Junkyard
  75. Yayayi - Unknown Soulseek Album
  76. Charli XCX - brat
  77. Machine Girl - U-void synthesiser
  78. Chief Keef - Finally Rich
  79. The Comes - NO SIDE
  80. The Clash - London Calling
  81. Daft Punk - Discovery
  82. Limp Pumpo - Limp Pumpo
  83. Slowdive - Pygmalion
  84. Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (')
  85. Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future
  86. David Bowie - Blackstar
  87. Dream Dolphin - Angelic Conversation II
  88. Deerhunter - Microcastle/agoraphobia
  89. Gas - Pop
  90. Herbie Hancock - Headhunters
  91. Have a Nice Life - Deathconsciousness
  92. Kairon ;IRSE! - Ujubasajuba
  93. Dream Dolphin - LOVE EATING ALIEN
  94. Kylie Minogue - Fever
  95. Lift To Experience - The Texas Jerusalem Crossroads
  96. Flume - Flume
  97. Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030 (deluxe edition)
  98. Detones - White Pony
  99. Earl Sweatshirt - I don't like shit, I don't go outside
  100. Melvins - Stoner Witch.
I will happily explain any selection in this list to those willing to ask me "why".

i'll do a run down of anything slightly interesting when i get home from the gym in a while

Glad Devo got a mention, saw them in 1980(?) in Melbourne, pisser of a band. Introduced my kids to them, they love them as well.
 
Glad Devo got a mention, saw them in 1980(?) in Melbourne, pisser of a band. Introduced my kids to them, they love them as well.
parents introduced me to 'em, been a fan ever since
 
So difficult to narrow down but I'll attempt a Top 5 (too hard) Top 10 in chronological order of release. In these days of files and streaming I'm less inclined to have/listen to full abums and have more best ofs, compliations and single tracks... but these were all albums I bought on vinyl or CD and have stood the test of time. Bit of a cheat as there are some live albums but it helped cull the list

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II (1969). Produced by Jimmy Page so there as some self-indulgent moments but I love every track even the cheesy balads and the one that references Lord of the Rings (Ramble On)

Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya Ya's Out! (1970). Could have said Sticky Fingers or Let It Bleed but this live album has a lot of my favourite tracks and energy to burn. Mick Taylor era the best Stones lineup ever IMO

B.B. King - Live at Cook County Jail (1971). Some great medleys and the part in the intro when the inmates boo the sherrif always makes me laugh. Memories of living in Fitzroy in the 80s when this got played every sunny weekend

AC/DC - High Voltage (1976 international release). Bon's lyrics and vocals are the best, **** BJ. Actually a mix of the TNT and High Voltage albums so you get Long Way to the Shop, TNT and of course High Voltage.

Blondie - Parrallel Lines (1978). Their 3rd album and the one that launched them from CBGBs new wave/punk darlings to international pop stars. Packed with hits and a Buddy Holly cover. Hanging on the Telephone is also a cover BTW

Bowie - Stage (1978). Upbeat versions from multiple concerts, Bowie was at his charismatic peak with hits including Ziggy Stardust (I actually like the Bauhaus cover), Station to Station, TVC15, Heroes and some rarer tracks. Adrian Belew on guitar

Jamiroquai - Return of the Space Cowboy (1994). Their second album and the one that broke them internationally. Just Another Story, Light Years and The Kids could be from James Brown soundtrack, before they went on to poppier tunes

EBTG - Temperamental (1999). Deep house classic, produced by Deep Dish and with the inimitable voice of Tracey Thorn (Massive Attack/Protection). Their last album before taking a long break so it had to last us a while, and it did

DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist - Brainfreeze (1999). Two extended live turntable mixes of original 60s/70s soul/funk vinyl singles, one by each DJ. They later released a breaks album with the original tracks as well before Shadow went D'n'B

The Avalanches - Since I Left You (2000). Puts me in a good mood every time. Slightly annoying that the flow of the well-blended tracks is interrupted by Frontier Psychiatrist but otherwise, near perfect. Featuring DJ Dexter Fabay



But then you're missing Kind of Blue - often considered his best - not to mention Sketches of Spain, Birth of the Cool, Milestones, Round About Midnight and others :shrug: Personally I'm not so keen on his electronic and fusion work, or free jazz in general. Prefer hard bop, big band/swing and cool jazz.

These are the jazz albums in my iTunes:

View attachment 2156984
Never knew Hangin On The Telephone was a cover, who said BayFirteen isn’t educational.
Parallel Lines is a great album, love the drumming.
 
The sound quality. Something changed in the way he recorded his albums beginning with 'New York' in 1990. The early albums (apart from Transformer) sound a bit muddy to these ears. The production and mixing on The Raven, for example, is close to perfection - it sounds great, apart from being a great album.
But you’ve got white light/white heat listed in your favourites (and exile on main st for that matter), which is even murkier!
 
He wasn't on smack that night, he took pills, regardless of what he was on all the evidence points to him doing it because he was in a volatile relationship with his girlfriend for a long long time, he use to slap her around a lot before this even happened. He was one screwed up crackhead.
Nancy Spungen sounds horrible. Sid was apparently a fairly quiet bloke (according to John Lydon) until he met her. He was extremely naive and inexperienced by the sounds of it. He also glassed Todd Smith (Patti's brother) one night at a club so I guess he had form.
 
Nancy Spungen sounds horrible. Sid was apparently a fairly quiet bloke (according to John Lyon) until he met her. He was extremely naive and inexperienced by the sounds of it. He also glassed Todd Smith (Patti's brother) one night at a club so I guess he had form.
You're spot on but this was Johnny Rotten's fault because he introduced Nancy to Sid because he thought they'd hit it off. He still regrets he did it even today.
 

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But you’ve got white light/white heat listed in your favourites (and exile on main st for that matter), which is even murkier!
Yeah, sure, but the murkiness suited what they were doing I think. Can you imagine the VU being recorded in crystal clear fidelity? It wouldn't be the same. Sister Ray is one of my all-time favourite tracks - what a rhythm! It's almost perfect.

The remastered version of Exile On Main St sounds pretty good to me. I never heard the original release. I love it when Keith Richards sings - 'Happy' is a killer track!
 
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Glad Devo got a mention, saw them in 1980(?) in Melbourne, pisser of a band. Introduced my kids to them, they love them as well.
Their first album Q. Are We Not Men? A. We Are Devo! was produced by my favourite living music-maker, Brian Eno. David Bowie also lent a hand - he was originally slated to produce it but had to pull out due to other commitments.
 
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Glad Devo got a mention, saw them in 1980(?) in Melbourne, pisser of a band. Introduced my kids to them, they love them as well.

1982, Festering hall and hot as hell so it must have been summer. I was in the balcony (my father took me, first live concert) and you could feel it moving as people stamped their feet
 
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Off the top of my head here's a partial list of my favourite recordings in no particular order from my collection of about 3,000 CDs, box-sets, cassettes, vinyl and other stuff:

Brian Eno: Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy); Here Come The Warm Jets
Patti Smith: Horses
Lou Reed: The Bells; Hudson River Meditations; The Raven
Lou Reed & Metallica: Lulu
Music Of Morocco - box-set recorded and compiled by Paul Bowles in 1959
Abdulrahman Surizehi: Love Songs And Trance Music From Balochistan
Tapper Zukie: Man Ah Warrior
Derek & The Dominoes: Layla & Other Love Songs
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin; Led Zeppelin II
Miles Davis: Bitches Brew; In A Silent Way; Dark Magus; Get Up With It
Fripp & Eno: (No Pussyfooting)
Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus: Love Thy Neighbour; Rastafari
Fela Anikulapo Kuti: Confusion; Expensive Shit; Kalakuta Show; Afrodisiac; He Miss Road
Pharoah Sanders: Village Of The Pharaohs; Black Unity
TISM: The White Albun; www.tism.w*nker.com; Great Truckin' Songs Of The Renaissance
Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland (this album changed my life); Axis Bold As Love
The Beatles: Revolver (I saw them when I was young apparently but I can't remember a thing about it)
Lee Perry: Arkology; Super Ape
Bob Dylan: Blood On The Tracks; Nashville Skyline
John Coltrane: A Love Supreme; Interstellar Space; My Favourite Things
Roxy Music: For Your Pleasure; Stranded
The Troubadours Of King Badouin: Missa Luba - the original 1955 recording on Phillips
Robert Fripp: Music For Quiet Moments
Reebok Kwaku Baah: Trance
Don Cherry, Colin Walcott and Nana Vasconcelos: Codona; Codona II; Codona III
Cluster: Cluster II
Cluster & Eno: Cluster & Eno; After The Heat
The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground & Nico; White Light/White Heat; The Velvet Underground
Bob Marley & The Wailers: Burnin'
Holger Czukay: Movies; On The Way To The Peak Of Normal
Can: Tago Mago; Soundtracks; Monster Movie
Material: Seven Souls
Bill Laswell: Sacred System Chapter II
Public Image Limited: Metal Box
The Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bollocks
David Bowie: "Heroes"; Low; Lodger; Blackstar; Aladdin Sane
The Doors: The Doors; Strange Days; LA Woman
Talking Heads: Remain In Light; Fear Of Music
The Rolling Stones: Exile On Main St
Prince: The love symbol album; Sign O The Times
Bunny Wailer: Dub'sco; Roots Radics Rocker Reggae
Burning Spear: Social Living
Ice-T: O.G. Original Gangster
Hank Williams: The Complete Recordings (box-set)
Roland S. Howard: Pop Crimes
John Cale: Fear
Terry Riley: Les Yeux Fermés & Lifespan
Battles: Mirrored
Skyhooks: Living In The '70s; Ego is Not A Dirty Word
Tony Allen: Black Voices
Mulatu Astake: Mulatu Of Ethiopia
Marvin Gaye: What's Going On
Stevie Wonder: Talking Book
Jackie Mittoo: The Keyboard King At Studio One
Sun Ra: Days Of Wine And Roses
Paul Bowles: Baptism Of Solitude
Television: Marquee Moon
The Tennors & Friends: Reggae Girl
Peter Tosh: Legalise It; Equal Rights
The Ramones: Rocket To Russia (I had the pleasure of meeting Da Bruddas before their first-ever Aussie gig)
Abdullah Ibrahim: The Aloe And The Wild Rose; Krysna Blue (I sat on the riser next to his piano when he gigged at The Basement in Sydney back in the day)
Jah Wobble: Psalms; Betrayal
Sven Libaek: Nature Walkabout
Nigeria Special; Nigeria Special 2 (compilations of '70s Nigerian funk/rock)
Opika Pende - Africa At 78RPM (compilation)
Ethiopiques #1-#27 (compilations of Ethio-jazz and related Ethiopian music)
Johan Sebastian Bach: St Mattheus Passion
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No.4 conducted by Claudio Abbado
Ludwig Van Beethoven: Symphony No.9 played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra directed by Josef Cripps
Ice Cube: Lethal Injection
Massive Attack: Protection; Mezzazine

...and many more that I love and cherish.

You ARE a liar. You've shown no proof of your CDs, box-sets, cassettes, vinyl and other stuff
 
Piss off with these fancy overseas jazz bands and stupid pop bands.

None of them are as good as Cold Chisel when you're on the booze.

 
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Off-topic what's YOUR favourite album ever recorded and why?

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