Your top 20 (non EC) albums of all time.

[Jackson Monk]

Ok. This is a bit self-indulgent for two reasons:

1. I was bored and thought of writing a list
2. My CD collection feels stagnant and I want soem advice on what to re-stock it with.

Here's my (current) top 20) in no particular order:

1. The Wild, the Innocent and the E-Street Shuffle - Springsteen
2. Grace - Jeff Buckley
3. Pet Sounds - Beach Boys
4. All Mod Cons - The Jam
5. Excess Moderation - Squeeze
6. Struck by Lightning - Graham Parker
7. London Calling - The Clash
8. Cake - Trash Can Sinatras
9. Surf - Roddy Frame
10. The White Album - Beatles
11. Rattlesnakes - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
12. Jordan (the comeback) - Prefab Sprout
13. Free for all Angels - Ash
14. Woodface - Crowded House
15. Unhalfbricking - Fairport Convention
16. The Boatman's Call - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
17. Setting Sons - The Jam
18. Argybargy - Squeeze
19. Rum, Sodomy and the Lash - Pogues
20. Grand Prix - Teenage Fanclub

[migdd]

Great list, Jackson! I particularly agree with your choice of Graham Parker's Struck By Lightning! If you don't have it already, check out GP's 12 Haunted Episodes!

My #1 choice for the best non-EC album of all time is John Hiatt's Bring the Family. Great collection of songs, all with a similar theme, and a great clutch of backing musicians, to boot - Nick Lowe on bass, Ry Cooder on guitar (check out the solo on "Lipstick Sunset") and the always reliable jim Keltner on drums. This album was magic for me and more or less ended my "swinging bachelor" years and led me down the path to a blissful married life! By the way, this album really rocks, too!!!!

[invisible Pole]

Choosing just twenty is really difficult, and the list changes depending on the day, mood and so on, but I'll give it a try :
Aztec Camera - High Land Hard Rain
The Beatles - Abbey Road
The Housemartins - The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Squeeze - East Side Story
Billy Bragg & Wilco - Mermaid Avenue
Velvet Underground & Nico - VU&N
Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks
The Cure - Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy And The Lash
Pixies - Doolittle
The Beautiful South - 0898
Damien Rice - O
World Party - Goodbye Jumbo
Graham Parker - The Mona Lisa's Sister
The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man
Randy Newman - Bad Love
Prefab Sprout - Andromeda Heights
Tom McRae - Tom McRae
New Order - Technique
XTC - Skylarking
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
Ron Sexsmith - Other Songs
Paul Simon - Graceland
The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues


Ooops, that's 25 albums. Sorry.

Wait a minute, how could I forget Echo & The Bunnymen and The Clash....

[Jackson Monk]

Great list IP - several of your list nearly made mine....most notably:

Damien Rice - O
Aztec Camera - High Land Hard Rain
Squeeze - East Side Story
Prefab Sprout - Andromeda Heights

I intend to bu the albums by Tom McRae and Randy Newman on your recommendation....better be good

[invisible Pole]

Jackson, you will not regret it.
Apart from the fact that "Bad Love" is full of superb, witty songs ("I Miss You" is one of the best ballads of the 90's), it also features excellent team of musicians : Pete Thomas and Mitchell Froom among others.

And as for Tom McRae's album : I loved it from the first listen and I think it's one of the best debut records of the last decade.
Just listen to "Bloodless" or "Language Of Fools". Really haunting stuff.

Buy them soon and let me know if you like them.

[girl out of time]

in no particular order.....

born to run/ bruce springsteen
blood on the tracks/ bob dylan
closing time/ tom waits
moondance/ van morrison
461 ocean blvd./ eric clapton
ziggy stardust/ david bowie
help/ beatles
some girls/ the rolling stones
who´s next/ the who
the boatman´s call/ nick cave
get it while you can/ howard tate
i´ve never loved a man.../ aretha franklin
darkness on the edge of town/ bruce springsteen
astral weeks/ van morrison
live alone! discovering japan/ graham parker
mighty joe moon/ grant lee buffalo
the bends/ radiohead
achtung baby/ u2
flowers in the dirt/ paul mccartney
in the right time/ dr. john

[laughingcrow]

Right now....

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin 3
Tom Waits - Alice
John Martyn - Solid Air
The Jam - All Mod Cons
Radiohead - Hail To The Thief
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
Richard and Linda Thompson - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
The Housemartins - Now That's What I Call Quite good
The Beatles - Revolver
Burt Bacharach - The Look Of Love
Captain Beefheart and the magic band - Clear Spot
Richard Thompson - Amnesia
Nick Lowe - The Impossible Bird
Pulp - Different Class
Prokofiev - Peter And The Wolf
Squeeze - Cool For Cats
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - The Tracks Of My Tears
Fatboy Slim - You've Come A Long Way, Baby
Kings of Leon - Youth And Young Manhood
Dick Gaughan - Handful Of Earth

[cosmos]

I normally don't do lists like these, but I'm bored. Off the top of my head, and in no particular order:

Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan
El Corazon - Steve Earle
Layla and Other Love Songs - Derek and the Dominos
Apostrophe - Frank Zappa
Purple Rain - Prince and the Revolution
Revolver - Beatles
Village Green Preservation Society - Kinks
John Prine - John Prine
Tupelo Honey - Van Morrison
Beggar's Banquet - Rolling Stones
Daydreams - Joe Pisapia
Gold - Ryan Adams
Blow By Blow - Jeff Beck
Oh Yeah - Charles Mingus
Milestones - Miles Davis
Sweetheart of the Rodeo - Byrds
Are You Experienced? - Jimi Hendrix Experience
What's Going On? - Marvin Gaye
The Fabulous Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash
Slider - T Rex

[Mr. Average]

Thrilling to see a vote cast for Blow by Blow: Jeff Beck, leading my evovling list. I submit that there are two songs from that recording that were created to shake up the listener when they filter through the airwaves and percolate out through the radio speakers. I still get chills when a song from this record surprises over the airwaves, and almost without exception, I note someone around me who asks, "Who the Hell is THAT?" "That sounds Fantastic!"

[cosmos]

I was introduced to the mastery of Jeff Beck in college, when a fellow guitar player recorded the "Beckology" box for me. I listened to that for months straight. I'll never forget cranking up "Freeway Jam" while cleaning out my dorm room at 3 AM on the last day of finals.

[SoLikeCandy]

Here are mine, kinda in order:

1. The Reality of My Surroundings--Fishbone
2. Grace--Jeff Buckley
3. Here, My Dear--Marvin Gaye
4. Voodoo--D'Angelo
5. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back--Public Enemy
6. Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe--Fishbone (it's a shame this band is falling apart--at their best, no one could deny their genius)
7. Superunknown--Soundgarden
8. Two Against Nature--Steely Dan
9. Peace Beyond Passion--Me'shell N'degeocello
10. Follow for Now--Follow for Now
11. Songs in the Key of Life--Stevie Wonder
12. Medicine Music--Bobby McFerrin
13. Blackberry Belle--Twilight Singers
14. Who Is Jill Scott?--Jill Scott
15. Great Expectations--Tasmin Archer
16. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below--Outkast
17. Mother's Milk--Red Hot Chili Peppers
18. Flood--They Might Be Giants
19. Alice/Blood Money--Tom Waits
20. Mistaken Identity--Vernon Reid

There are many more, but this is my current list.

[El Vez]

In no order and subject to change the moment after I post it.....

1. More A Legend Than A Band - The Flatlanders
2. Life'll Kill Ya - Warren Zevon
3. Howlin' Wind - Graham Parker
4. Essence - Lucinda Williams
5. Angel Band: The Complete Mercury Recordings - The Stanley Brothers
6. Train A-Comin' - Steve Earle
7. Live On Tour - John Prine
8. The Bootleg Series, vol 6: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert - Bob Dylan
9. Time (The Revelator) - Gillian Welch
10. American Recordings II: Unchained - Johnny Cash
11. The Complete 1928 Okeh Recordings - Mississippi John Hurt
12. Bone Machine - Tom Waits
13. Exile In Guyville - Liz Phair
14. Rubber Soul - The Beatles
15. Live At The Old Quarter - Townes Van Zandt
16. Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
17. Country Love Songs - Robbie Fulks
18. The Real Mr. Heartache: The Little Darlin' Years - Johnny Paycheck
19. Crossing Muddy Waters - John Hiatt
20. Are You Experienced? - Jimi Hendrix

[Otis Westinghouse]

SLC - who are Fishbone?

Some great selections here. Several above I would have gone for. This ain't a list of a current top 20, more stuff that JM might not have and could check out, and others maybe. I'm repeating several artists named above, how not? Apolgies for the commentary. I can't help myself.

1. Lloyd Cole - Music In A Foreign Language (low-key, but with some brilliant material on it)

2. Tom Waits - Frank's Wild Years (cos EV went for Bone Machine)

3. John Martyn - Solid Air (not the same genre as Nick Drake, but similar in spirit, this is so very good)

4. Amy Winehouse - Frank (she's a bit annoying, but there's some great stuff on here)

5. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free (did you buy it as planned, JM? Definitely worth checking out)

6. Franz Ferdinand (say no more)

7. New Orleans Funk 1960-75, Soul Jazz Records (can I have a compilation? Worth getting just for Ernie K. Doe's Here Come The Girls, but the whole thing is brilliant)

8. Bowie - Diamond Dogs 30th reissue (some fantastic stuff here, good reissue)

9. Ron Sexsmith - Cobblestone Runway (IP's choice Other Songs is a good option because Strawberry Blonde is genius, but this remains my most consistent favourite. Everyone deserves to have Ron in their life.)

10. Wilco - A Ghost Is Born (another class 2004 LP)

11. Van Morrison - Veedon Fleece (it took me years, and Girl Out Of Time's encouragement, to make me check this one out, and its reputation is more than deserved)

12. Neil Young - On The Beach (now on CD, though of course I have the original vinyl, divine)

13. Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime compilation (if, like me, you have most of this on vinyl and want to re-encounter it digitally, you won't be disappointed. Great book, bonkers and beautiful packaging, and a DVD)

14. Josef K - The Only Fun In Town (Franz Ferdinand influencers from 1981, this may not be available on CD, worth looking for)

15. Joni Mitchell - Mingus (not always one of her most celebrated, but a brilliant experience. Her version with her words of Goodbye Pork Pie Hat is possibly better than the Mingus original)

16. Joe Summer and the Mescaleros - Streetcore (I'm cheating, because I've never even heard the whole LP, but SLL sent me Coma Girl, and if you ever loved The Clash, you can't fail to adore this, and allegedly the whole LP is great)

17. Bjork - Vespertine (amazing, where will the next one take her?)

18. Scritti Politti - Anomie and Bonhomie (four LPs in over 20 years, the last one, very good. Manages to mix trendy rappers like Me'shell N'degeocello [see SLC] with Green's unfailing songwriting skills)

19. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (yes, it is full of them)

20. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (sublime, reissue with full live performance and alternate takes is well worth checking out)

[SoLikeCandy]

You're breakin' my heart, Otis.

Fishbone was/is a band from LA. About 25 or so years ago, 5 black boys got together and started a ska/funk/punk band. They're the (much better) predecessors to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Living Colour, and the contemporaries of Jane's Addiction. Over the years, they've lost all but two of their original members--I saw them last October before the 3rd member left the band. I bought "Reality of My Surroundings" when I was 13 and discovered what good rock sounds like.

"Everyday Sunshine" and "Sunless Saturday" were minor hits for Fishbone. I highly recommend 1988's "Truth and Soul", and 1991's "Reality of My Surroundings". Absolutely mindblowing, schizophrenic, rock-out-witcho-cock-out stuff. Imagine Curtis Mayfield, Sly and the Family Stone, Led Zeppelin, the Skatalites and Black Sabbath at an orgy--there ya go.

And, when I saw them last October, I made out with the lead singer. Wheeee!

[Bob And Charlotte]

Today´s List:

Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde
'Quite simply the greatest record ever made! WITHOUT A SHADOW OF DOUDT!!! Dylans masterpiece has to be rock masterpiece !!! No one ever got close to the perfection we can find in this album, and no one will ever be able to do something like this !!! THE BEST RECORD EVER MADE !!!'

Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks
'This is the finest album of the 70´s. Blood on the Tracks is an astonishing work of art. Consisting of ten amazing songs, the record has an emotional force unprecedented for a music album. The lyrics are brilliant, using a wide range of gorgeous narrative techniques. Nothing is in vain here; all songs are great and the album works better as a whole. If you dont have this, then you dont have a decent record collection.'

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
'With this album Bob Dylan became a legendary figure; with this album Bob Dylan changed popular music forever; with this album Bob Dylan gave rock a new and much higher standart; with this album Bob Dylan tranformed rock music into art. Everything is perfect here... 'Like a rolling stone' (maybe the best rock song, ever!), 'Tombstone blues', 'Just like Tom Thumbs blues', 'Desolation row', etc etc'

Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
'Dylan´s career has had numerous turning points and the making of Bringing it all back home the most significant of these turning points. Half electric half acustic, the whole album is perfect!!! Finally, the lyrics to a rock song could explore a whole range subjects (granted, there were fine rock lyricist before Dylan, like Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis), but none with nearly the same skill with words as Dylan (and never will be). Dylan´s genious as a songwritten is nowhere more evident than on the second side of this monumental record. Surely among rock finest hours, Bringing it all back home opened up new routes for songwriters; and it gave both Dylan and rock a new sound.'

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks

The Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name

The Clash - London Calling

Stone Roses

Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding
'With this album Dylan start a new revolution, named as 'back to the roots'. Dylans third revolution in music was the shiest one. John Wesley Harding are the songs of a man offering hope in the form of parables which point the way back to basic moral and religious truths. 'I dreamed i saw St. Augustine' is among Dylans best songs and 'Dear Landlord' is Dylans finest píano song...oh, and it does contains the definitive version of 'All along the watchtower'. John Wesley Harding proved to be an immensely important album, and it made the point that music did not have to be excessive to be masterful, at a time when psychedelia was threatening to go too far. (The Rolling Stones took their cue from Dylan, as The Beatles and many others). Yet another perfect Dylan record!!! Really amazing !!! '

Love - Forever Changes

The Velvet Underground And Nico

Joni Mitchell - Blue

Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin of Bob Dylan
'Few sophomore albums have had the type of impact that The Freewheelin´ had. 'Blowin in the wind', 'Girl of the north country', 'Masters of war', ' A hard rain´s a-gonna fall', Don´t think twice, it´s all right' ... Even the 'minor' songs are great!!! This album heavily impacted popular music. It introduced more complex imagery to songwriting; the topical song movement of the 60s began; 'Blowin in the wind' had influence on society... And its meaning has not faded over the years. '

The Beatles - Rubber Soul

Moby Grape

Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue

Neil Young - On The Beach

Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out

Steely Dan - Can´t Buy A Thrill

[bambooneedle]

Bob And Charlotte, have you heard many of the different versions of the Blood On The Tracks songs? And, if so, do you have opinions on which are the best?

[Bob And Charlotte]

I´ve heard the Blood on the Tracks New York Sessions which i consider a masterpiece in its own merit.
Its great to hear the songs of BOTT as they were first intended to be.
The songs (Mainly 'Idiot Wind') were much slower and even sadder.
I can´t say i prefer those earlier versions in favour of the original, but they´re surely magnificent

Note: While most tracks are the actual released versions, four on this bootleg CD were thrown away in favor of the Minneapolis versions (Original BOTT).

[bambooneedle]

You'd think Bob/Columbia would put these recordings (also other songs from the BOTT sessions) out at some point, perhaps as another installment of The Bootleg Series. Apparently many of his inferior 80's albums, besides being hampered by poor production, had poor take selections for which Bob is largely to blame and far better ones exist... so we'll see. When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky is an example.

[Bob And Charlotte]

From the same album, 'Dark Eyes' could have been a great song, but it suffer from a really bad performance from Bob himself (you don´t have the ridiculous production here)!

And what about leavin Blind Willie McTell and Foot of Pride out of Infidels?
And where´s Dignity, Born in Time and Series of Dreams in Oh Mercy?

Oh, and let´s not forget that Abandoned Love should have been on the original Desire too... IMHO

[bambooneedle]

Some of those whole '80's albums would be beyond rescue even if they remastered them well, by virtue of just the performances and songs, so the Costello/Rhino approach would suit them: whatever improvements could be made to the sound, plus a bonus disc with all the relevant unreleased stuff (even though, like those songs you mention, they're already available in some form). That would be the only reason I would buy any remaster of them, plus it'd be much more motivation to buy remasters of the better albums I already have.

[Bob And Charlotte]

Saved * * - Music and Dylans worst decade (coincidence?) the 80´s was almost a lost era. Saved is Dylan´s praised the Lord album and though some songs are good, the album dont offer any masterpiece and contains some really weak tracks. Oh, but the worst thing about Saved is its cover ... terrible! (some songs were 'Saved' in concerts tough).

Shot of Love * * 1/2 - Better than Saved (not a big thing), this album contains one huge masterpiece: 'Every Grain of Sand'. The rest of the album doest offer much...maybe 'In the summertime' or the later inclued 'Groom´s still waiting at the altar'. Oh, the title track isnt bad too ...

Infidels * * * * * - Yes, it could have been better. But what? The album still being tremendous and theres not even a bad song in it. Powerful...Beautiful...Listen to 'Jokerman' or 'Sweetheart like you' and dream...feel the soul in it...Dylans singin...the weaving harmonica in 'License to kill'...the overriding guitar riffs in 'Man of peace'...the delicate piano notes in 'I and I'...the harmonica/guitar duet before the final verse on 'Don´t fall apart on me tonight'...the fiery rock songs straight out of Highway 61 Revisited ('Union Sundown' and 'Neighborhood Bully').... Everything is good time here; Dylan finest record of the 80´s (by far)! A Classic

Empire Burlesque * * - Dylan wasnt with much inspiration while making this record... 'Clean cut kid' and 'Emotionaly yours' are shameful... and arent much worst than the other songs here... The B-Side is better, though the performances are not that good ... 'Dark Eyes' is almost a classic and 'Something is burning' is good too (same for 'When the night comes falling from the sky'). Dylan´s most overproduced album to date and he was having a serious identity crisis too ...

Knocked Out Loaded * - Dylans wrost album. Imagine a Empire Burlesque without the three songs mentioned above and you got the idea. Not a good thing here ... maybe 'You wanna ramble' or 'Got my mind made up' arent that bad... but they´re never good songs! Dylans wrost album is a very, well, terrible album. Avoid this one too...

Down in the Groove * * 1/2 - An average album indeed ... with some fine songs in it ... like 'Shenandoah', 'Rank strangers to me', 'Ninety Miles an Hour' ... some bad tracks too ... but a nice listen anyway!

Oh Mercy * * * * - 'Dignity', 'Series of Dreams' and 'Born in Time'; With this 3 songs, this album could have been the masterpiece that many heralded it as upon its release... But the world isnt perfect and Dylan sometimes might look like a crazy fellow and this album is pretty good the way it is. Some weak songs (like the self righteous and preachy 'Disease of Conceit') dont damage the greateness of 'Shooting star', 'Most of the time', 'Where Teardrops Fall' (all instantaneous classics). A great album, very well produced and played. Not a masterpiece, but a really really good one...

[Otis Westinghouse]

Music and Dylans worst decade (coincidence?) the 80´s was almost a lost era.

Absurd! (The 'music' part, not 'Dylan'.) Look at all the 80s LPs favoured on this very thread. It was also Bowie's worst decade, but it's more a mid-life crisis loss of self-belief/creativity than a sign of the times. There were far more good artists and records in the 80s and far more interesting things happening than in the 90s, to generalise. And it was a fabulous decade for Costello.

I heard Empire Burlesque once. More than enough. Truly appalling.

[Branst]

Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue

Great choice. This is a very underrated album and I'm glad to see it on someone's list.

I'd make my own list but there's just way too many albums I like to fit in a top 20. I'd feel bad leaving other great ones out. Maybe if we did a Top 200 or something, that would be more for me.

[Uncomplicated]

OK.....Lookout!

The Beatles - White Album
Queen - A Night At The Opera
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
The Beatles - Rubber Soul
10cc - How Dare You
Squeeze - East Side Story
The Style Council - Cafe Blue
The Doors - Morrison Hotel
Grant Lee Buffalo - Mighty Joe Moon
The Cars - The Cars
Wall of Voodoo - Call of the West
Roger Taylor - Fun In Space
Warren Zevon - Life'll Kill Ya
Graham Parker - Stick To Me
Steely Dan - The Royal Scam
Godley & Creme - Ismism (Snack Attack)
City Boy - Book Early
Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
Shoes - Present Tense
Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain

[Tim(e)]

My list comprises a few titles that just sprung into my mind today. Over the years I have owned literally thousands of albums, so there is no way I could ever compile a definitive list. So, today's list is:

1. Surf’s Up – the Beach Boys
2. Rubber Soul – the Beatles
3. Beggars Banquet – the Rolling Stones
4. Ziggy Stardust – David Bowie
5. Hot Rats – Frank Zappa
6. Clear Spot – Captain Beefheart
7. Old and In the Way – Jerry Garcia, Peter Rowan, and Vasar Clements
8. The Magic Box – the Loved Ones
9. London Calling – the Clash
10. Give ‘em Enough Roap – the Clash
11. In the Court of the Crimson King – King Crimson
12. Into the Purple Valley – Ry Cooder
13. Live at Leeds – the Who
14. Raw Power – Iggy and the Stooges
15. The Band (self titled 2nd album) – the Band
16. End of the Game – Peter Green
17. Beauty – Ryuichi Sakamoto
18. Hallucination Engine – Bill Laswell
19. Bitches Brew Sessions – Miles Davis
20. Bring the Family – John Hiatt

Others that were knocking on the door included Family Entertainment (Roger Chapman's band Family), Larks Tongues in Aspic (King Crimson), and John Barleycorn (Traffic).