Everybody’s Top 5 - Vinyl

roadwhorerecords That would be Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart!

Interesting. There is a propensity for artificial studio records although the Allman Brothers at the Fillmore East is mentioned several times. Not the that the music isn't great. Perhaps we should divide this up into five favorite live albums and five favorite studio records. They are different artforms in a sense. They have to be both a great performance and a great recording.

Live;
Tower of Power Direct on Sheffield Records.
Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus
The Dead - Skull and Roses
Joni Mitchell - Shadows and Light
Roxy Music - The High Road

Studio;
The Pixies - Surfa Rosa
NIN - The Downward Spiral
Haley Williams - Petals for Armor
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Roger Waters - Amused to Death

And, thousands of honorable mentions. 

Clearthinker - most people have no idea who Sandy Denny was talking about tragic. My favorite work with her at the helm would be Liege and Lief. After about 1/2 hour of Shut Up my eyes start to cross. I guess I prefer Zappa's solos in the context of his songs. He gets so technical sometimes the sole is missing, the mirror image of Duane Allman. I do love Uncle Meat and Burnt Weeny Sandwich. Call Any Vegetable probably has his most famous guitar solo.  
  

Clearthinker, all of them. I have everything Frank ever recorded and released. Certainly, The Yellow Shark is SPECIAL. The fact that he got those guys to play G-Spot Tornado blows my mind. 

Why Fairport and Sandy did not make it in the States is beyond me. Richard Thompson has a huge following here now. Anyway, Sandy threw herself down the stairs one to many times and Who Knows Where the Time Goes has been recorded and attributed to just about everyone else:-(

clearthinker, I think you are being a little rough on Richard. Hand of Kindness and Daring Adventures are really great records. I do think he has gone soft in the last ten years or so but hey, everyone's entitled to get old. I forgot to mention Shoot Out The Lights with Linda. There are a lot of people who think that was his best album. 

Poor Down Like Silver

Arctic Monkeys AM

pengun, Zappa would fart in your face for that comment. Zappa is an American Composer!

@waltersalas, people who have never seen Richard do one of his solo performances have no idea how good a guitar player he is and he is amazing. He is also a blistering electric guitar player. In 40 years he only made two Albums I could do without., Henry the Human Fly and Sunny Vista. He has 26 releases and this does not include the Fairport records. It should also be noted that he writes all his own songs. 

I have another record to add to the live performance list I totally forgot about. Return to Forever Returns. Chick Corea RIP. An amazing performance by an amazing band and an amazing recording! Does not get much better.

unreceivedogma, If you hadn't mentioned Baxter's and Sandy you would have been permanently on my sh-t list. Is it RT's dark sense of humor that you don't like? Listen to or watch 1000 years of popular music. Listen to RT play the bass and melody lines simultaneously. Jorma is a brilliant folk guitarist. RT is frigging unbelievable. 

Out To Lunch

Sweetnighter 
Ascension 
Not for Nothing
Ah Um
AM
Avelon

Funny, I listened to both Thick as a Brick and The Wall the other day.

unreceiveddogma, get a life? I think that's a little harsh for a light hearted conversation but, who knows? I can not see your expression. Richard Thompson is certainly not Jeff Beck. I am far from the only one who thinks he is an excellent song writer although he has not done much of substance for a while. Just not your cup of tea which is fine. I suspect you are just another one of those dead heads who's done too much acid;-)