Edwin MacPhisto 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2008 Prince - Sign o' the Times If I had to pick only one Prince album, it would probably be Purple Rain, just because it's so poppy and perfect. But Sign o' the Times is an even bigger masterpiece, absurd in the range of musical ideas and styles he manages to cram into 90 minutes, and the culmination of his godly 1980-1987 run. It's also probably the fastest-moving 90 minutes put down on record. It's full of weird romance ("Strange Relationship," the infamous "If I Was Ur Girlfriend"), minimalist masterpieces (the title track, "Forever In My Life"), and straight up I'm-gonna-fuck-you ("It," "U Got The Look"). And "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man," my favorite song of all-time. Oh, and he played all the parts on the album himself. Are you kidding me? I could listen to this every day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darthtiki 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2008 Live at the Roxy- Social Distortion, 1998 One of the best live discs I've heard. As a veteran of many Social D shows, I can say that this faithfully captures the raw energy of their performances, especially to a hometown Southern California crowd. Additionally, the disc takes on a bittersweet sentiment for fans of the band as this was the last disc featuring original bassist Dennis Danell who passed away in 2000. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mw679 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2008 AC/DC- Powerage 1978 Being a huge 'DC fan, it's hard to choose which is my favorite. Don't get me wrong I love the classics(Back in Black, Highway to Hell) but this is one that hardcore fans of the band consider one of, if not the best albums they ever put out. Bon Scott is at his best vocally, IMO, great lyrics and singing. The songs have such a groove, the guitars of the Youngs, just sounding like one giant guitar and the great rhythm section of Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd, just driving home the beats. No real radio hits on this one, which makes it more listenable to me. It's really their one album I just keep going back to, so I'm making it my 2nd pick. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Man in Blak 0 Report post Posted February 22, 2008 The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers Another tough choice, even when picking from their red hot run in the late 60's/early 70's, but I always find myself coming back to this one, obsessing over a different song each time I return. Jagger's lyrics and contemplations all seem to have escaped from one altered consciousness or another, set aback and stumbling between punchy, overdriven riffs and supple slide guitar licks. A phenomenal opening track ("Brown Sugar") opens the way into, arguably, the band's best forays into country-influenced folk ("Wild Horses"), bluesy soul ("I Got The Blues") and, er, Aerosmith ("Bitch"). As refined a presentation of sex, drugs, and rock and roll as you'll ever find. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RHR 0 Report post Posted February 22, 2008 Not to mention a pretty cool cover concept...not as cool as my fav (ZepIII) but cool nonetheless... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edwin MacPhisto 0 Report post Posted February 22, 2008 The alternate cover from the Spanish release is also pretty awesome for its directness: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nighthawk 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2008 Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back This is my number two pick for several reasons. Much as I love rap, there are only a select few rap albums good enough to be called one of the all time greatest albums in any genre. This is best of those few. Nation of Millions is the greatest rap album of all time, one of the greatest albums of all time, and a major contender for album of the 80s (I'm aware this is a bold statement). With Appetite already taken, this could have been my number one pick, but I suspected that this group wouldn't go for rap albums right out of the gate, and I figured I had a better shot of getting it in round two than I did with Clash. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. S£im Citrus 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2008 I'm going to have to beg to differ with Milky; There are at least three rap albums that I personally think are better, starting with this one: The first four songs are four of the tightest rap songs to come out in the nineties and, quite frankly, I think that the rest of the album is underrated, too. My actual favorite song on the album is the catchy "Stranded on Death Row," followed closely by "Let Me Ride." I just hope I didn't make the mistake of picking this too high; there were two other albums I wanted to pick ahead of this one, but I was afraid that someone else might go for this first. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaxxson Mayhem 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2008 Damn. How could I forget about the Chronic? Anyway.... This is pure insane greatness. Best live album I've ever heard, and one of the best albums I've heard. Their performance is great and extend songs by just jamming in some. It's great. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2008 With Appetite already taken, this could have been my number one pick, but I suspected that this group wouldn't go for rap albums right out of the gate, and I figured I had a better shot of getting it in round two than I did with Clash. I thought about employing this strategy...(and ironically would have taken Appetite for that reason) because I knew I could get Stop Making Sense much later in the draft. But in the end...I had to go with the album that I honestly would most want first. If Appetite was taken (and it was...next) I figured as much...and prepared myself for that when I didn't pick it. But on the off chance their was another Talking Heads mark in the draft...and someone took that album...I'd have been heartbroken. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry Spencer 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2008 Here's one I figured I'd better take before it's snagged (by Edwin): Tom Waits - Rain Dogs The best album in a discography full of great ones, and probably the most complete portrait of the many moods of Tom Waits. It ties together the tough blues rock, the gutwrenching ballads, the instrumentals, the creepy beat poetry, and the sloshed piano musings into a musical journey of sorts that takes many twists and turns before resolving itself at the end with a pure pop song (Downtown Train) and a somewhat Randy Newman-esque New Orleans funeral march for a denouement. Really, I don't want to attempt to explain this album anymore, as I'm sure I will continue to do a woefully inadequate job. It's simply one of the most magnificent, singular albums ever recorded. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Copper Feel 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2008 Goddamit, Rain Dogs was going to be amongst my early choices, so were the two Dylan albums, but that's all the Waits I have. The album I have selected for this round has more of a unified sound than Houses of the Holy, so there shall be no need for me to ramble on pointlessly for as many paragraphs: The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (1986) Really, of all the albums by the Smiths, this is the one that most deserves a spot in the canon of popular music. This album partially* works on the basis of the sarcastic contrast between Marr's joyful guitar parts and Morrissey's morose lyrics. Both are in great form throughout, leading to many superb songs. Oh, and what songs they're! "The Queen Is Dead (Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty Medley)", "I Know It's Over", "Cemetry Gates", "Bigmouth Strikes Again" and "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" are all amongst their absolute best. Had you asked me one year ago, I would have told you that this was my favourite album. I'm not quite so sure about that anymore, but it certainly merits consideration for such an accolade. *I say partially because Andy Rourke is an excellent bassist. The interplay between him and Marr is another thing that I love about the Smiths. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry Spencer 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2008 If it's any consolation, The Queen Is Dead was going to be my next pick. So, y'know, turnabout is fair play and whatnot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Tzar Lysergic Report post Posted February 23, 2008 Goddamit, Rain Dogs was going to be amongst my early choices, so were the two Dylan albums, but that's all the Waits I have. Ohhhhh, you need to do something about that immediately. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edwin MacPhisto 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2008 Nice pull, Mssr. Coat. That was definitely in contention for my #3. Sign o' the Times was probably not the best pick tactically--who else would pick that in the first 5-6 rounds?--but much like bps said, it was one of the albums that I just would have despaired not having in the list. Gotta be true to your school now and then. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vitamin X Report post Posted February 23, 2008 This is a very musically homogenous board. Although I love Rain Dogs as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steviekick 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2008 Run DMC - Raising Hell What's not to like with this album? Not only is this probably the first great overall rap album, but significant as being the first rap album to go mainstream. It starts out with four strong singles (Peter Piper, It's Tricky, My Adidas, Walk This Way) and doesn't let up. The rest of the album is very solid, anchored with "You Be Illin" and "Raising Hell". DMC really gets a chance to sign on "Hit It Run." Production wise, Rick Rubin and Jam Master Jay were on. The more subtle sampling and scratching really allows the guitars and rock elements to better fit into the songs. Definitely a classic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. S£im Citrus 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2008 This is a very musically homogenous board... Well now, I wouldn't say that... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Tzar Lysergic Report post Posted February 23, 2008 No shit. The number one pick, out of all the albums by all of the bands ever recorded, was me picking a Neurosis record. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2008 I've been listening to this album pretty much since I discovered music. It's been in my CD changer in my car for a long while now...and I listen to Thunder Road and the title track pretty much every time I start the car. Thunder Road might actually be my favorite song...now that I think about it. So it's an easy pick for the island. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nighthawk 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2008 Yeah, it's not homogenous. I'd most assuredly have like, Spice Girls and GG Allin and grindcore on here, except it's a contest and those won't get me any support. Which, by the way, is possible because I also like enough music that's more universally enjoyed. But I can tell you I'm going to start veering away from the classics at around the teens or so. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edwin MacPhisto 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2008 I dunno. I know it's listed as such, but I'm not really treating it as a contest except that there's some degree of competition to make sure I get most of my favorite albums. If I really wanted to come up with a collection that I thought would "win," that'd require a wholly different angle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nighthawk 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2008 Yeah, that's actually more what I meant. I just think I can come up with a collection of albums I like just as much that would be more appreciated. For example, I could just go, Spice In the Zone I Like It When You Die Frozen Corpse Stuffed Full of Dope Me & My Brother ... and so on, and it would make a legitimate desert island collection for me. But with the contest factor, I can keep it more straightforward, without compromising my taste. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vitamin X Report post Posted February 24, 2008 EDIT: I'd rather not derail the thread. Let's move on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2008 'What's Going On' - Marvin Gaye - The greatest soul album ever made. As topical today as it was back then and still one of the most well-written albums of all time. Marvin was ahead of everybody and poured his heart and soul into this album. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Michael Myers Resplendent Report post Posted February 24, 2008 XTC - Skylarking If I'm stranded on a goddamn desert island, I want a warm, bouncy, summery album to keep me from tumbling into abject depression. As it happens, this is the album I like to listen to the most when I go jogging on nature trails in the spring and summer, which is the closest facsimile of desert island life that I have in real life. From the Casio Forest on the leadoff track to "Grass," "The Meeting Place," "That's Really Super, Supergirl," "Ballet for a Rainy Day," and "Mermaid Smiled," everything is upbeat, lush, and life-affirming like few other albums that I like this much. BUT THEN in times of complete despair, when I give up all hope, because after all I'm on a desert island, we get to "Dear God" at the end where I can question my faith as I sit here alone, hopeless, knowing that everything I've been taught (and taught myself) is just a big lie. The world is a terrible place. Abandon all hope. Maybe for my sanity, I should sub this track out for "Senses Working Overtime" from English Settlement. I'm sure that'd be breaking the rules of this exercise, but technically, I'm not even supposed to be writing this blurb in the first place! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. S£im Citrus 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2008 Well, that wasn't the Marvin Gaye album I was going to take, but I see now that TheOriginalOrangeGoblin is going to take a lot of R&B albums from me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0 Report post Posted February 25, 2008 Well, that wasn't the Marvin Gaye album I was going to take, but I see now that TheOriginalOrangeGoblin is going to take a lot of R&B albums from me. Yah I've got a few more lined up. Now that I know I'm not the only one looking at R&B, I need to decide when to take them. Should be interesting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HarleyQuinn 0 Report post Posted February 25, 2008 *waits for someone to just openly gut another with a knife to avoid getting their pick stolen* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. S£im Citrus 0 Report post Posted February 25, 2008 Hey Commish, I need a ruling: does a tribute album count as a compilation? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
