Share albums where EVERY SINGLE song is good
It rarely happens to me, but in a pile of records I bought over the summer I
found one with no cover. Shocking Blue’s 2nd album. 'At Home' (I’m your Venus is on it).
Even most Beatles albums have at least one song I could pass on, but not this one. Horrible fidelity, scratched to hell, but damn...
So I’d love to hear of other records that you all could suggest.
@dirgordoncole agreed that nostalgia is powerful; but, I would argue there is a stronger bias to how you relate to the music of your present when it takes on the role of the "soundtrack to your life" instead of just being music. Trust me, in 10 - 20 - 30 years from now, you will look back on some of the artists and/or albums that you are listening to today and you will ask yourself: "What the hell was I thinking?" |
String Cheese Incident - Rhythm of the Road, Vol. 2 It's a live NYE concert in Vegas from some years ago. Recording is excellent, the range of styles of music and the shear musicallity is, at time, nearly breathtaking. Some of the hottest sax I've heard in a long time on a couple of tracks. Awesome keyboards, violin, guitar and vocals to show off a system. 2 CD set so it's a lot of great music. |
There are too many perfect albums to name but here are a few that I play often:
Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark, Hejira Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis David Bowie - Low, Station to Station Roxy Music - Avalon REM - Murmur Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles Miles Davis - In A Silent Way, Nefertiti John Coltrane - Coltrane’s Sound, A Love Supreme
|
First, let me state that I am basically a Rock and Jazz guy for music listening; and I agree with many of the albums listed here; but I also have a decent classical music collection on both vinyl and CD. I just finished listening to the RCA Victor Gold Seal recording of Rossini Overtures by the NBC Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini. I can unequivocally state that there is not one bad cut on this album. |
@jssmith +2 I was just relaying those exact thoughts to my wife last night. She could care less but it's 2022... Album: Touch Wood
New Age robot I am |
@jssmith + 1 |
Lyra Lynn, Plays Well With Others https://leralynn.com/plays-well-with-others-pre-order Gene Clark, No Other www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8a8cutYP7focgLNtBH8B3EaCMLikq7Ur And the album that turned me on to Clark, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Raising Sand
|
There have been many discussions on here about why audiophilia is dying. This thread is an interesting glimpse into the reason (or symptom). The average album age looks to be about 45 - 50 years. Which either means there are only us old people on here, or a bunch of old people in young people's bodies. Believe it or not, there are some great newer albums. Even spotless ones. Music availability has never been more prolific than it is now, which does make it harder to sift through all the crap, but gems are out there. Music doesn't end at age 20. For instance, I didn't include EPs on my list, but if I had I might have included an album that is not too "modern" for "old" progressive rock-oriented audiophiles, and is audiophile-friendly, David Maxim Micic - Eco. Release date - 2015. If you're into epic movie soundtracks, Brand X Music - Battle for Dawn might make this list. Heck, I'm not a huge soundtrack fan, but when I'm in the mood for loud epic music I always listen to this album all the way through, so I'm adding it to this thread's list. Release date - 2016. I won't go into all the great modern metal. I know metal is outside the scope of most people here, but even if you got stuck on 70's or early 80's metal there's plenty of new stuff that would possibly make this list for some, like Dee Snider (from Twisted Sister) - For The Love Of Metal, release date - 2018. I dare say Dee is older than most people here, but he's rockin' harder than ever. He puts cheesy Twisted Sister to shame. My most-played album is the doom metal release Trees of Eternity - Hour of the Nightingale. Easily in my top three metal albums of all time. And I bought my first metal album in 1971, so it had to beat out thousands of albums for that honor. Release date - 2016. |
@mitchagain "A Space in Time" - Good mention. Not a bad song at all. |
All submitted in my humble opinion: Peter Frampton - Fingerprints Snarky Puppy - Culcha Vulcha Mick Jagger - She's The Boss Jeff Beck - Orange Album Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection The Band - Stage Fright Tom Scott - Tom Cat Santana - Caravanserai Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers and Let it Bleed Doobie Brothers - Stampede Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic Jethro Tull - Stand Up The Who - Who's Next Honorable Mention - The Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore East
|
Since it took 150 - 200 posts before "Court and Spark" (Joni Mitchell) or "For Everyman" (Jackson Browne) were mentioned, I wonder what else we've forgotten?. So, here's a few more that have not been mentioned yet: Jim Carroll - Catholic Boy Lloyd Cole - S/T solo album Dada - Puzzle Dixie Dregs - What If The Housemartins - Now That's What I Call Good Humble Pie - Town and Country Hunters & Collectors - Human Frailty Aimee Mann - Bachelor # 2 Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes Ocean Blue - Cerulean Ten Years After - A Space in Time |
@rettrussell - 'Dread inna Babylon'? IRIE!! I was gonna be going on a trip to Jamaica in mid-January, but I canceled that a few months ago.... |
Many great albums listed here so I won’t bother being repetitive; a few albums I find are over way too fast: Black Market - Weather Report Dread Inna Babylon - U Roy Heart Like a Wheel - Linda Ronstadt Girl From Ipanema - Getz/Gilberto album Big Calm - Morcheeba Naturally - J J Cale Bringing it all Back Home - Bob Dylan Kiko - Los Lobos Astral Weeks - Van the Man |
As I said, they each only have one album that's great all the way through. They are: Johnston - Remarkably Human Malmsteen's Rising Force (1984? - his solo debut) Batio - No Boundaries They have some other albums that are real stinkers. Malamsteen's other albums are somewhat boring. And Batio's other albums are speed for the sake of speed. And I guess why not. He's probably the fastest of the bunch. But it gets monotonous. |
I do find that being under the influence strongly changes my opinions in a "Everything is Beautiful..." sort of way. Knowing zip about Johnston, Malmsteen and Batio i look forward to listening--i'm always looking for good guitar music i haven't heard and while i tend to be analog-oriented i'm not living in a cave and will stream them--thanks and Happy New Year |
No need to filter lists. You like what you like and that's valid for everyone for whatever reason. Musicians will still have wildly divergent viewpoints. As far as guitarists go, I respect technicians, like Buckethead, Yngwie Malmsteen, Michael Batio, Jason Richardson, Ewan Dobson and Guthrie Govan, the most because they are the most skilled at the instrument, but I tend to listen to "feel" players like Nick Johnston and Estas Tonne more, while I tend to play "fun to play" licks within my skill level, like Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Jimmy Page, James Hetfield, Dimebag Darrell and James Sykes. While all the technicians can play with feel, they tend to focus on speed because it's more satisfying. Buckethead is possibly the only one who focuses equally on both. But Buckethead is an autistic savant, which puts him on a whole different level of creativity and skill, hence the 300 albums of varying styles and techniques, not all of which I like, and world-class speed. But of all the guitar-focused albums I have, only Johnston, Malmsteen and Batio have put out one straight-through listen each. I didn't look at my list with playing in mind. Just which albums do I put on from start to finish and enjoy every minute of it and not have a thought of skipping anything. And I'd add one more I didn't think of ... Rush - Permanent Waves
|
@jssmith and now to prove i haven't had coffee yet i saw that you said Buckethead--sorry |
@jssmith Ooops--forgot to mention Eric in my top 3 |
@jssmith BTW who is your favorite guitar player ? I'm torn between Gary Clark Jr. and Joe Bonamassa--when younger it was Chet Atkins |
@jssmith I think the key here is that you're a guitar player and a couple of the songs bore you from both playing and listening viewpoints. Fair enough--maybe we should split these lists into categories for musicians and non-musicians and further by under the influence or not under the influence ? |
As a guitar player myself, SRV is my second favorite guitarist and I own all his albums, but Tell Me is the same monotonous type of song I’ve heard in every corner blues bar and has no special flavor that he usually adds to a song, even his covers. I always skip it. Dirty Pool is another song that’s monotonous. Maybe it sounds interesting to non-players, but it’s just a bunch of tremolo picking with an easy standard blues solo and isn’t that catchy. And I think he has at least one or two of those type of songs on every album, which is why I didn’t include any of his albums. Neither did I include my favorite guitarist - Buckethead - even though he has over 300 albums and I have 280 of them. But I did include some other guitarists who have a solid album all the way through. For instance, I think Nick Johnston’s Remarkably Human is the best guitar album I’ve heard in 30 years and doesn’t have any weak songs. |
Boston: Boston CCR: Cosmos Factory Head East: Flat as a Pancake Bryan Adams: Reckless Coleman Hawkins discovers Ben Webster Led Zepplin I The Carpenters Christmas Album Boz Skaggs I Stevie Wonder: Talking Book Christopher Cross Jackson Browne: For Everyman Carol King : Tapestry Beatles: Rubber Soul, Sgt Peppers, Abbey Road Beach Boys: Pet Sounds Tim Buckley: Greetings from L.A. The Who: Live at Leeds Santana: Abraxas Alman Brothers: Eat a Peach Moody Blues:( any) |
Tracker -- Mark Knopfler Court and Spark - Joni Mitchell The Concert in Central Park - Simon and Garfunkel American Beauty - Grateful Dead Bach Brandenburg Concertos - 2 CDs Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields / Neville Mariner Mozart Piano Concertos - Geza Anda Beethoven Piano Sonatas - Emil Gilels Wallflower - Diana Krall Good Vibrations - the Kings Singers Faure’s Requiem - Kings College Choir (David Wilcox, conductor. Robert Chilcott, soloist) Appalachan Journey - YoYo Ma, Mark O'Conner et. al featuring James Taylor FYI based on all the responses so far: either almost no one on this board is under 45, or all modern recordings are a disappointment :) |
Steely Dan-Gaucho or Aja Beatles Sgt Peppers and others Pink Floyd DS and WYWH Kraftwerk Man Machine Does a 20 minute Grateful Dead live song count? Fleetwood Mac Rumours Bryan Ferry Boys and Girls Peter Gabriel 3(melt) Talking Heads Remain in Light Brian Eno Another Green World and Before and After Science
|
Some of mine already listed, but not The Houston Kid by Rodney Crowell (which really needs to be issued on LP). Did I miss any of Randy Newman’s early albums, Good Old Boys in particular? IMO very, very few bands have produced perfect albums, as that demands and requires superior songwriting, which almost all bands lack. Imo, of course. One exception is The Kinks, whose Ray Davies’ songwriting is sublime. Their Face To Face, Something Else By, and Are The Village Green Preservation Society are perfect albums, imo better than ANY of their contemporaries. He on his own wrote better songs than the combined talents of Lennon & McCartney. Jagger and Richards? Surely you jest! ;-) |
Byrds--Mister Tamborine Man Beatles-- Help soundtrack Jethro Tull--Stand Up Kinks--Muswell Hillbillies Warren Zevon--Excitable Boy Dylan-- Blood on the Tracks Janis Ian-- Breaking Silence Sharon Shannon--The Diamond Mountain Sessions (Irish) Sarah Jarosz--World on the Ground Mountain Goats--Beat the Champ |
Thanks for all the suggestions---those of us into analog love any album where every song is good since we can't FF or skip. Many above i agree and own (Waiting for Colombus, Clapton Unplugged, Brothers in Arms and Aja in particular) but i see a total lack of "Country" or "Country Rock" so i have a couple in that category as well as some others i have not seen: Asleep at the Wheel—Wheelin’ & Dealin Jimmy Buffett—A1A Joe Bonamassa—Live From Royal Albert Hall SRV—Texas Flood (kinda surprised i didn't see this above) Willis Alan Ramsey—his only album, although you have to forgive "Muskrat Love" which is the worst song on the album but many like it Zac Brown Band—The Foundation |
@edcyn Yes, I've seen this thread running for a couple days, I have a hard time thinking of an LP/cd release without a lesser tune or two. Maybe I'm being too critical? |
I'm always amazed how much good music is out there that I've never heard of. I have saved many of these to Qobuz or Spotify to listen to later. I'm going to stick with the OP's original intent (I eagerly anticipate every song on these albums) but I'll add one more filter. The following albums have above average recording quality. I don't think any of these have been mentioned thus far. Anita Baker: Rapture Simply Red: Picture Book Animal Logic: II (polar bears in desert on cover) Janis Siegel: At Home Ivy: Long Distance Morcheeba: Charango Josh Rouse: 1972 Shawn Colvin: A Few Small Repairs 'Til Tuesday: Welcome Home Rick Derringer: All American Boy Lee Ritenour: On the Line (LP Version) Valerie Carter: Wild Child China Crisis: Flaunt the Imperfection Stewart Copeland: The Rhythmatist kd Lang: All You Can Eat Col. Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit (live) Nada Surf: Let Go Todd Rundgren: Nearly Human David Crosby: If I Could Only Remember My Name Joe Walsh: The Smoker You Drink... Dee Dee Bridgewater: Live in Paris Weather Report: Mysterious Traveler Stanley Turrentine: Pieces of a Dream |
Sketches of Spain Itzy Perlman’s Encores 1988 version Muddy Waters. Folk Singer (as someone else mentioned) John Prine. John Prine (1st album) Kronos Quartet Pieces of Africa Joe Venuti and Ray Romano Never Before Never Again Buddy Guy and Junior Wells Drinkin' TNT, Smokin' Dynamite S&G Sounds of Silence or Greatest Hits; maybe Bookends |
Van Halen I Fleetwood Mac - Rumors SD - Aja Pretenders I & II The Both (Aimee Mann & Ted Leo) Cheap Trick Live at Budokan Creedence - Bayou Country Foo Fighters - Nothing Left to Lose CSNY - Deja Vu Rush - Moving Pictures Green Day - American Idiot King Crimson - Lark's' Tongue in Aspic Zeppelin III & IV The Pentangle The Beths - Jump Rope Gazers |
