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SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Marshmallowmilkshake Jul 18 2022 07:28 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 19 2022 10:50 AM

SPIN has been doing something kind of neat, asking musicians (mostly) to list five albums they can't live without. [url]https://www.spin.com/lists/5-albums-i-cant-live-without/ Some have been kind of interesting. A lot of Beatles, Stones and Bowie. A couple mix in their own albums. They list the album and a sentence or two. Here are mine: 1) Rush, Moving Pictures Timeless. Still sounds perfect. I had a work trip and we had a meeting with the Ottawa premier. We entered a side door, but the building looked really familiar. Then I realized -- it's the building on the cover of Moving Pictures! 2) 10,000 Maniacs, Our Time in Eden My college roommate introduced me to the band. This album came out when I a six-week work assignment in our Lansing Bureau, about an hour away. Our car at the time only had a radio, so I would have a boom box in the passenger seat and play this cassette all the way there and back. [YOUTUBE]OB0C2g7851U[/YOUTUBE] 3) Switchfoot, "Where the Light Shines Through" So much of this is timeline. I was going through a really tough time, and I found a lot of comfort in these songs. 4) Newsboys, "Thrive." Pretty awful cover belies a brilliant album with some of my all-time favorite songs. My son and I saw them at a small show at a nearby college at what must have been a warm-up for the upcoming tour. Small arena, stripped down stage and they played a big chunk of this album. It was an awesome experience. Some of their best lyrics: "Will you lift be up with tender care? Will wash me clean in the palm of your hands? Lord, hold me close so I can thrive. When you touch me, that's when I know I'm alive." [YOUTUBE]dF1be-HBivQ[/YOUTUBE] 5) Kiss, Alive The gateway. Every power chord brings a memory. A lot of it sounds really good still.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 18 2022 09:55 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Like, I like encountering these lists, but find the act of making them personally, impossible and stressful, so I devote energies instead to exploring what's on them that I don't know, or maybe, re-examining the ones I do that I wouldn't think belong. I also don't see a value in it, because unlike celebs in Spin, I really don't have a brand image or bank account that would benefit from it, like collecting new fans who say, "that guy likes my favorite album, so I should listen to HIS." Cynical me says, that's why everyone's includes 1 part Beatles/Stones, another part, ____________ (fill in the blank with "cult band".

Frayed Knot Jul 19 2022 06:28 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Yeah, I have a tough time making lists like these as well. So while musicians will pick the stuff that they'll claim opened their mind, changed their outlook on life, or set them on a path to their careers, I don't have that perspective. At best I'm going to choose some 'all-meat / no-filler' kind of stuff that will keep me entertained during a figurative desert island stay: BORN TO RUN, SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE, MOONDANCE, BLOOD ON THE TRACKS I can probably be talked into others but these few jump out at me.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 19 2022 10:30 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I didn't mean to fart on the fine selections Mr. Marshmallow shared, however. I have a complex relationship with both Kiss and Rush, as my brother, many of you know as Bernie Sanders, made each of them "his" band in the way fans of both Rush + Kiss do, that is pososssively. And though I admire both for different reasons it's like there's a distance between me and them for that reason. Also, while I'll grant it's hard to argue that as those band go, you picked the "right" 2 albums, I might go rougue and say, no, it's actually, Permanent Waves and Destroyer. How about them apples?

kcmets Jul 19 2022 10:35 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Typed before JCL's post: Moving Pictures is a fine album. It's not Rush's best album. To me. Hell, Rush has a few albums that no one reading this probably have ever heard that are better. Someone text Bernie Sanders and see what he says NOW!! Agreed making these lists is painful. I will say just for the sake of adding some- thing besides negativity is I think my two most often listened to albums are Led Zep Physical Graffiti and Dio Holy Diver.

kcmets Jul 19 2022 10:45 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I guess Clash London Calling too. I'm unintentionally more than half-way through my list. Stupid all-star break...

Marshmallowmilkshake Jul 19 2022 10:59 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Also, while I'll grant it's hard to argue that as those band go, you picked the "right" 2 albums, I might go rogue and say, no, it's actually, Permanent Waves and Destroyer. How about them apples? Those are good apples. Permanent Waves and Destroyer are wonderful albums. Permanent Waves was my introduction to Rush - and one of my first concerts. I just think Moving Pictures is one of those albums where everything fell into place perfectly and it holds up after 40 years -- and it is shocking to me that it has been out 40 years. There is a definite timelessness to it. Signals, on the other hand, is still a great album, but sure does sound and look like the early 1980s when it was released. But I like all Rush, even some of Caress of Steel. Kiss is playing at least five Destroyer songs on the End of the Road Tour -- Detroit Rock City, God of Thunder, Shout it Out Loud, Do You Love Me and Beth -- and included one more -- Flaming Youth -- on the tour before this one, so it sure does hold up! The five thing is hard because it's arbitrary and we all probably have about 30 albums that we really love. I just thought the Spin thing was a good read and gets us through the break without the nastier stuff that bubbles up here.

Edgy MD Jul 19 2022 11:29 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Artificial but not entirely irrelevant constraints are fun. Top five STAX singles. Top five albums recorded at The Power Station. Top five albums produced by Nile Rogers or G-Fafif's BFF Rick Rubin. I'll throw an easy one out. Gimme your Five Albooms You Can't Live Without Featuring Nicky Hopkins Guesting.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 19 2022 12:35 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Edgy MD wrote: I'll throw an easy one out. Gimme your Five Albooms You Can't Live Without Featuring Nicky Hopkins Guesting. Not so easy. But I'll take the peak Stones four album studio album run from Beggars Banquet to Exile on Main Street. I'm leaving out the Summer of Love Satanic Majestie's Request even though Hopkins'work on She's a Rainbow might be the high point of the album. We're going for the whole albums to make this list, not just Hopkins' contributions to the albums in question. One more. Easy. Jeff Beck's Truth, which is one of my all time faves. Had to leave out Who's Next, Volunteers, all of the Kinks' late 60s stuff, and all of the stuff from my favorite Who era, the pre-Tommy Shel Talmy produced era, when they were making three minute singles for radio play

Edgy MD Jul 19 2022 12:39 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

There you go. I wouldn't have thought the Kinks and Who would be left by the side of the road, but your logic speaks for itself. Next challenge becomes yours to lay out.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 19 2022 12:42 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Left out Hey Jude, too, with Hopkins on the fast Revolution. Those are some helluva sloppy seconds. Left out Physical Graffiti, too and Zeppelin's my favorite band.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 19 2022 01:06 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Edgy MD wrote: Next challenge becomes yours to lay out. Okay. Here's one I think about from time to time, without ever coming up with a fully satisfying answer: which pop music artist had the best ever run of four straight studio albums? Give us the artist, the four albums and the why. We'll accept opinions from multiple posters because debate and disagreement are what makes this forum interesting.

kcmets Jul 19 2022 01:25 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Elton John had a really long run of crazy good stuff. I'm not enough of an expert to offer more in which-albums-or-why department. Michael Jackson too of course, but see above.

Willets Point Jul 19 2022 01:57 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Not to be basic, but it's hard to find a better run than Talking Book (1972), Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974), and Songs in the Key of Life (1976).

batmagadanleadoff Jul 19 2022 02:12 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Willets Point wrote: Not to be basic, but it's hard to find a better run than Talking Book (1972), Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974), and Songs in the Key of Life (1976). That's the exact four album best ever run I always end up when I try to answer my own question. Here's another one: Dark Side of the Moon, Wish you Were Here, Animals and The Wall.

Edgy MD Jul 19 2022 02:12 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I'll agree with Willets. I'll lock in another five: The Beatles: Help! --> Rubber Soul --> Revolver --> Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band REM: Murmur --> Reckoning --> Fables of the Reconstruction --> Life's Rich Pageant Talking Heads: More Songs About Buildings and Food --> Fear of Music --> Remain in Light --> Speaking in Tongues The Rolling Stones: Beggar's Banquet --> Let It Bleed --> Sticky Fingers --> Exile on Main Street Steve Earle: Exit 0 --> Copperhead Road --> The Hard Way --> Train a-Comin' Bowie had a run of about 11 or 12 albums, but every fourth one was kinda unsettling.

kcmets Jul 19 2022 02:15 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Sure, but Pink Floyd is not pop music. Elton, Michael and Stevie are.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 19 2022 02:21 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 19 2022 02:24 PM

=kcmets post_id=100286 time=1658261750 user_id=53] Sure, but Pink Floyd is not pop music. Elton, Michael and Stevie are.

I was using the term pop music very broadly, to include everything from Frank Sinatra to Captain Beefheart and the whole lot in between.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 19 2022 02:23 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Edgy MD wrote: I'll agree with Willets. I'll lock in another five: The Beatles: Help! --> Rubber Soul --> Revolver --> Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band I'd sub the White Album, a desert island disc for me and John Lennon's favorite Beatle album for Help!.

Frayed Knot Jul 19 2022 02:28 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Willets Point wrote: Not to be basic, but it's hard to find a better run than Talking Book (1972), Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974), and Songs in the Key of Life (1976). And with SitKoL being a double, that kind of counts as five.

Frayed Knot Jul 19 2022 02:37 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

=kcmets post_id=100279 time=1658258705 user_id=53] Elton John had a really long run of crazy good stuff. I'm not enough of an expert to offer more in which-albums-or-why department.

Elton had a helluva run from TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION ('70), MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER ('71), HONKY CHATEAU ('72), DON'T SHOOT ME I'M ONLY THE PIANO PLAYER ('73), GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD ('74), and 1975's CAPTAIN FANTASTIC AND THE BROWN DIRT COWBOY, but did stumble a bit with CARIBOU between GYBR & CAP'T FANTASTIC

Gwreck Jul 19 2022 02:43 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Edgy MD wrote: I'll agree with Willets. I'll lock in another five: REM: Murmur --> Reckoning --> Fables of the Reconstruction --> Life's Rich Pageant As good as this is, I think there's a compelling argument that the peak is Document, Green, Out of Time, and Automatic for the People.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 19 2022 02:45 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jul 19 2022 02:57 PM

=kcmets post_id=100279 time=1658258705 user_id=53] Michael Jackson too of course, but see above.

Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad was about as good a three album run as any other artist's. If we were doing three album runs, that run would have to be considered. And it might even win. I'm not sure that Jackson's next album in this sequence, Dangerous, is on par with the other three. Decide for yourself.

Edgy MD Jul 19 2022 02:50 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Edgy MD wrote: I'll agree with Willets. I'll lock in another five: The Beatles: Help! --> Rubber Soul --> Revolver --> Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band I'd sub the White Album, a desert island disc for me and John Lennon's favorite Beatle album for Help!. I wouldn't argue. To me, the most reputed (SPLHCB) is the weak link. But it's SPLHCB. It's mostly a Paul album, but it's got two John super-10s. =Gwreck post_id=100295 time=1658263438 user_id=56] Edgy MD wrote: I'll agree with Willets. I'll lock in another five: REM: Murmur --> Reckoning --> Fables of the Reconstruction --> Life's Rich Pageant As good as this is, I think there's a compelling argument that the peak is Document, Green, Out of Time, and Automatic for the People.

Afternoons into evening are lovely, but I am taken by the morning.

Marshmallowmilkshake Jul 19 2022 02:51 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jul 19 2022 03:00 PM

Doesn't have much to do with the SPIN series.... But Billy Joel's run of Turnstiles, The Stranger, 52nd Street and Glass Houses is pretty phenomenal. And Creedence's run of Bayou Country, Green River, Willy and the Poor Boys, and Cosmo's Factory is fantastic, especially considering they all came out in roughly a two-year span, and the self-titled debut album is no slouch.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 19 2022 02:51 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Edgy MD wrote: I'll agree with Willets. I'll lock in another five: REM: Murmur --> Reckoning --> Fables of the Reconstruction --> Life's Rich Pageant As good as this is, I think there's a compelling argument that the peak is Document, Green, Out of Time, and Automatic for the People. I think that what's amazing about this post is that youse can debate REM's best four album run while proposing runs that don't overlap --- eight different studio albums!

Edgy MD Jul 19 2022 03:28 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

=Marshmallowmilkshake post_id=100298 time=1658263873 user_id=119] Doesn't have much to do with the SPIN series....

I know. I hijacked. I sorry.

TransMonk Jul 19 2022 04:32 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=100284 time=1658261535 user_id=68] Here's another one: Dark Side of the Moon, Wish you Were Here, Animals and The Wall.

I put Meddle on the beginning of this run instead of The Wall at the end...but it is one of the greatest album runs ever.

seawolf17 Jul 19 2022 05:34 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I love goofy lists like this. My five, even though nobody cares because most of them aren't terribly mainstream, are Thunder's "Laughing on Judgement Day," Dream Theater's "Images & Words," Tesla's "Psychotic Supper," Counting Crows' "August and Everything After," and Billy Joel's "Turnstiles."

Marshmallowmilkshake Jul 19 2022 05:40 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Mellencamp had a great run with American Fool, Uh-Huh, Scarecrow, and Lonesome Jubilee. And the two after that were pretty darn good, too!

seawolf17 Jul 19 2022 05:41 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

As to the secondary question: I know this place is weirdly anti-Smith, but there isn't a bad song on the first four Aerosmith records: Aerosmith -> Get Your Wings -> Toys in the Attic -> Rocks. Also, Metallica: Lightning -> Puppets -> Justice -> Black Album. BOOM. Surprise entry: Licensed to Ill -> Paul's Boutique -> Check Your Head -> Ill Communication Yet-unmentioned bands that fall one album short: Def Leppard (Pyromania/Hysteria/Adrenalize is the best three-album run), GNR (yeah, UYI I & II were bloated, but they were great), Motley (Theatre of Pain, Girls Girls Girls, Dr Feelgood), Kiss (Destroyer/Rock and Roll Over/Love Gun), Pearl Jam (Vs/Ten/Vitalogy).

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 19 2022 05:50 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I woulda suggested the REM opening 4-pack, and there's argument, though spo muxch evolved, beginning to end, Springsteen from GREETINGS... to DARKNESS. HELP-->SGT PEPPER too. I'm also fascinated with discrete but distinct, 3 or 4-album-long "eras" that some bands also have. My favorite curiosity is the early 70s Beach Boys, who were nothing close to the fun-and-sun hitmaking vocal group, nor the PET SOUNDS-SMILEY SMILE avant-garde critics-darling Wilson thing-- nor, the cruise ship cheese machine they eventually become then, but a kind of hippy/progressive ecology band, between SUNFLOWER-SURFS UP-SO TOUGH-HOLLAND. Bowie fans, I always surmised, appreciate the same album-era phases on him too, but I never really got the sequence right, and the discovery is already ruined for me by knowing that.

kcmets Jul 19 2022 06:00 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

=TransMonk post_id=100309 time=1658269930 user_id=71]I put Meddle on the beginning of this run instead of The Wall at the end...but it is one of the greatest album runs ever.

Good point. The Wall was really a whole 'nother ball of wax.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 19 2022 06:06 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Here's a controversial one, cuz none of them were undeniably great, but it was a strong run the produced probably 5 or 10 more songs you know by heart than you realize. And it goes from "i really like this song. But who the fuck are these guys" to "is this actually a band? Or like, a brand? SHABOOH SHOOBAH--THE SWING--LISTEN LIKE THEIVES--KICK. Or whack the first one and add X at the end. And while we're down under in the 80s, Midnight Oil: "10-9-8...--RED SAILS-DEISEL AND DUST-BLUE SKY MINING . I'd put that up up in terms of creativity+passionate 80s guitar-based cause-rock, against U2's best 4-pack

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 19 2022 06:14 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Now they're all coming to me that I'm back in the 80s. Damn the Torpedoes--> Southern Accents Or just starting with TP+H, and stopping at HARD PROMISES, is a pretty 😍

batmagadanleadoff Jul 19 2022 06:38 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Now they're all coming to me that I'm back in the 80s. Damn the Torpedoes--> Southern Accents Or just starting with TP+H, and stopping at HARD PROMISES, is a pretty 😍 [FIMG=500]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52228576570_6a9d0e25a9_h.jpg[/FIMG]

RealityChuck Jul 19 2022 07:16 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

1. Spirit -- The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus One of the greatest rock albums, with plenty of variety and twelve terrific songs, in a variety of genres. Nothing is dull. The group was breaking up and they knew it, and wanted to go ut with a bang. They succeeded. Blood Sweat and Tears -- Child is Father to the Man This Al Kooper's BS&T, before he left and David Clayton-Thomas took over as lead singer. Terrific blues rock with a great horn section. Soft Machine -- Third When it came out, the Village Voice called it the best rock album ever. They weren't right -- it's jazz improvisations over a rock beat -- but the compositions (too long to be called songs) are great from start to finish. Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East Certainly, one of the greatest live albums ever. I'm also fond of their Live at Ludlow's Garage. I listened to it all the time when I was in college, and I had to have it when it actually was released twenty years later. My college roommate ran the light show and had a tape. The Band's Visit Loved the musical. Just edges out La La Land, though it doesn't have anything as great as "Another Day of Sun." And there's also The Drowsy Chaperone;"The Bride's Lament" is one of the most surprising and poignant songs in any show.

Edgy MD Jul 19 2022 07:21 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Now they're all coming to me that I'm back in the 80s. Damn the Torpedoes--> Southern Accents Or just starting with TP+H, and stopping at HARD PROMISES, is a pretty 😍 I'm taking the second one. That Southern Accents flag waving thing never sat well with me, and latter-day Petty pretending he didn't cotton to it felt insulting. Listen to the first four Echo & the Bunnymen albums (Crocodiles --> Heaven Up Here --> Porcupine --> Ocean Rain) consecutively, on headphones, naked and in the dark, and you will see God. Also, before you turn the lights out (or after you turn them back on), look long and hard at those four beautiful covers.

kcmets Jul 19 2022 07:39 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Ramones Ramones Ramones Leave Home Ramones Rocket to Russia Ramones Road to Ruin

batmagadanleadoff Jul 19 2022 07:52 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

1. Spirit -- The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus One of the greatest rock albums, with plenty of variety and twelve terrific songs, in a variety of genres. Nothing is dull. The group was breaking up and they knew it, and wanted to go ut with a bang. They succeeded. The folks at TCG agree and showed their appreciation for this great unsung album years ago when it created its first R&R set of cards. [FIMG=522]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52227188832_5804ba9a66_h.jpg[/FIMG] Catalanotto was also featured in 2010's R&R subset, code named Graham Crackers. [FIMG=355]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52228207973_a73e126632_h.jpg[/FIMG]

batmagadanleadoff Jul 19 2022 08:09 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

=TransMonk post_id=100309 time=1658269930 user_id=71] =batmagadanleadoff post_id=100284 time=1658261535 user_id=68] Here's another one: Dark Side of the Moon, Wish you Were Here, Animals and The Wall.

I put Meddle on the beginning of this run instead of The Wall at the end...but it is one of the greatest album runs ever.


I can really relate to this post. Being a huge Pink Floyd, fan myself, I included The Wall on my list of great four album runs, almost out of a sense of obligation. The album is hugely popular with the public and critically acclaimed. It ranks 129 on Rolling Stone Magazine's most recent list of the 500 greatest albums. (Other PF albums to make RS"s list - Dark Side of the Moon - 55; The Piper at the Gates of Dawn - 253; and Wish You Were Here - 264).



But The Wall never really did anything for me. I've owned it practially since it came out, first on vinyl, amd then later on CD. And in the almost 45 years since its release, I don't think I've listened to it start to finish more than twice. Maybe it's because it's gotten so much airplay. I dunno. But I'm never really in the mood to ever listen to it. Recently, I read that David Gilmour's guitar solo on Confortably Numb is considered one of Rock and Roll's best ever. Which is stunning news to me because I wouldn't have ever imagined that if I lived to be a thousand years old.



Anyways, when I have some time, I'm gonna take another listen to Meddle, which I haven't listened to in many years.



In the end, I decided that Stevie Wonder's aforementioned four album run is the best ever. Others here agree. But Floyd, the Stones and the Beatles are close seconds in my book. Led Zeppelin III takes that band out of the running, if you're trying to come up with the best ever four album runs. But LZ I, II and IV (Zoso) AFAIC are Mount Rushmore material. And I'll take LZ one through four over anything KISS ever put out, by like a zillion miles.

Gwreck Jul 19 2022 08:25 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Here's a controversial one, cuz none of them were undeniably great, but it was a strong run the produced probably 5 or 10 more songs you know by heart than you realize. And it goes from "i really like this song. But who the fuck are these guys" to "is this actually a band? Or like, a brand? SHABOOH SHOOBAH--THE SWING--LISTEN LIKE THEIVES--KICK. Or whack the first one and add X at the end. Not controversial. INXS was undeniably great. (Agree that X should be included)

Frayed Knot Jul 19 2022 08:45 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I'm not high on Floyd's The Wall either. I mean, it was interesting to hear when it first came out, exciting even, but to me it doesn't stand up to repeated listenings as well as Dark Side or Wish You

Marshmallowmilkshake Jul 19 2022 09:11 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I read a review of The Wall once that said if you were in high school when it came out, you think it's brilliant, and everyone else thinks it sucks. So, I was in high school at the time, and I think it's really good. There are week spots, especially on the second and fourth sides -- though each have some great songs, like Young Lust and Run Like Hell. I think one and three are excellent. I saw Roger Waters and the full show, and it was spectacular. The Comfortably Numb solo was the high point. That said. I don't really like Dark Side. I know it's beloved and was on the charts for years and years. It just doesn't do much for me. I know I'm in the minority.

Frayed Knot Jul 19 2022 09:22 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

It's tough for a double album to be great (which is part of what makes Songs in the Key of Life so special). Think of how much better the White Album would be minus the filler and experimental stuff. The Wall has the same issues. Leaving aside compilation/live type albums, the number of double albums from the pre-CD days that garnered both critical and commercial acclaim is a small list.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 20 2022 05:01 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Mellencamp had a great run with American Fool, Uh-Huh, Scarecrow, and Lonesome Jubilee. And the two after that were pretty darn good, too! I'm not against that one either. It also showed how much a guy could evolve, when you're as driven as Mellencamp was with his musicians, and becoming more and more focused on issues, and pick the right guys to help to begin with. The thing that sticks with me from reading his bio, was that before recording albums, Mellancamp would give his guys "homework" -' before Scarecrow, it was learning to play a bunch of Detroit rock n soul--whatever was stuck in his head at the time. Then before Jubilee it was, you have to learn how to play a new instrument. He was a dick boss and drove eveyone crazy because he couldn't express why this was important or precisely when it was right, or what was actually wrong when it wasn't right, but that's who Johnny Cougar is.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 20 2022 05:12 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Here's a controversial one, cuz none of them were undeniably great, but it was a strong run the produced probably 5 or 10 more songs you know by heart than you realize. And it goes from "i really like this song. But who the fuck are these guys" to "is this actually a band? Or like, a brand? SHABOOH SHOOBAH--THE SWING--LISTEN LIKE THEIVES--KICK. Or whack the first one and add X at the end. Not controversial. INXS was undeniably great. (Agree that X should be included) I like many of their songs and in that period, they did just about everything right to become as big as they did, they were distinct, and sounded fresh for the era, and they sold it with charisma and sex. But to me there was always a hint of artificial ingredients to the taste and so I tend to think of them more of a singles band than an album band, as popular as they were. I don't often encounter people who want to go to the mat with the "undeniably great" tag on them. Maybe it was because Hutchence was so ridiculous or that their distinctiveness came off as a formula. I dunno. I think about inxs and get stuck on those questions 🤔

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 20 2022 05:26 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I was never a Wall guy myself. I just think Confortably Numb is boring and too morose to really enjoy, plus it's ridiculously overplayed for such a boring and morose song. I was also a high schooler then, and saw right away that my peers, the burnouts who were PFs biggest suckers then, took "Another Brick" to mean "never bother to learn anything" as the message, and I'd bet anything, those guys today voted for Trump, if they voted.

Edgy MD Jul 20 2022 07:08 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I was entertained that the guys at my school who were most committed to the disco-must-die ethos could embrace a disco song as their anthem as long it was played by fat, white, stoner-adjacent, growling British guys encouraging them to hate their teachers.

Fman99 Jul 20 2022 07:33 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I have inputs on all of these but I have to think them through. Luckily there isn't a Mets game until Friday so I have time.

Methead Jul 20 2022 07:42 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Wish You Were Here is a better album than Dark Side and I'll die on that hill. I'm pretty sure Animals will always be my favorite though.

Willets Point Jul 20 2022 08:02 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Yo La Tengo: Painful (1993), Electr-O-Pura (1995), I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One (1997), and And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (2000)

kcmets Jul 20 2022 09:20 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

=Methead post_id=100378 time=1658324571 user_id=61]I'm pretty sure Animals will always be my favorite though.

Animals is my favorite too. Considering adding that as #4.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 20 2022 10:40 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=100351 time=1658282951 user_id=68] But The Wall never really did anything for me. I've owned it practically since it came out, first on vinyl, amd then later on CD. And in the almost 45 years since its release, I don't think I've listened to it start to finish more than twice....

To tell youse the truth, when I wrote this post yesterday, I think I exaggerated a little bit. I don't think I played The Wall straight through from beginning to end more than once, not twice. I think I played it in its entirety when I first bought the album on vinyl. And that's it. When I bought it again on CD years later, I only listened to some of it. And I don't think I've played it at all in decades. I just have little, if any, interest in it.

Edgy MD Jul 20 2022 10:50 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

If this is the thread where the Floyd bubble is burst, so be it.

kcmets Jul 20 2022 10:57 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

The movie kinda sucked, except the animated parts.

Methead Jul 20 2022 11:34 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I dunno, I think the Wall really needs to be heard start to finish, like most Floyd albums. The fact that a lot of those songs are played individually on the radio is a detriment. To me, The Wall is slightly underrated (whatever that means) by most people. I saw the movie once and fell asleep though.

Marshmallowmilkshake Jul 20 2022 11:37 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I know it's largely a star turn for Waters, but the best songs are the Gilmour-driven pieces that stand alone far better than a lot of the story-advancing songs from Waters alone. Young Lust, Comfortably Numb, Run Like Hell, Hey You, Mother, Brick Part 2 were all on the radio by themselves, and The Thin Ice is really good at the beginning. Side two is very, very dark. Like, too dark. Side four doesn't really give us a good resolution. They tear down the wall, but does that mean he's recovering -- or dead? I know a lot critics slammed it. I looked it up in a Rolling Stone anthology last night and it is relegated to half of a sentence -- seriously -- after most of the page goes on about Dark Side. Per Wikipedia, Village Voice critic Robert Christgau regarded it as "a dumb tribulations-of-a-rock-star epic" backed by "kitschy minimal maximalism with sound effects and speech fragments", and that its worldview is "self-indulgent" and "presents the self-pity of its rich, famous and decidedly post-adolescent protagonist as a species of heroism". And I am sure he worked all day on that line. Melody Maker declared, "I'm not sure whether it's brilliant or terrible, but I find it utterly compelling." Looking at the timeline, it came out in late 1979 when punk was declaring itself the be the contrast of everything Pink Floyd was, disco was not all dead and new wave was taking off, so it's kind of out there by itself. It also inspired Bob Ezrin to tell the guys in Kiss he could do the same thing for them with a concept album and darn near killed the band with The Elder. Bruce Hornsby's cover of Comfortably Numb is really cool if you like Hornsby, and I do. [YOUTUBE]3YEGQ2cUZi0[/YOUTUBE]

Edgy MD Jul 20 2022 11:56 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I likes the movie more than the alboom.

seawolf17 Jul 20 2022 02:57 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

The fact that we're even having the debate at all means The Wall doesn't make the cut, I'd think.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 20 2022 05:11 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

And even the soulful, mellow skills of Bruce Hornsby can't make me like Comfortably Numb

TransMonk Jul 20 2022 05:15 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

=Methead post_id=100378 time=1658324571 user_id=61] Wish You Were Here is a better album than Dark Side and I'll die on that hill. I'm pretty sure Animals will always be my favorite though.

I won't argue with any of this.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 20 2022 06:43 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Here's a pretty impressive four album run we missed. We missed the group, too, who once - for several years - were the biggest thing in Rock and Roll. Their four album run won't top the very best of them, but it'll hold its own against pretty much everything else offered here. Easily. . . . . . . . . . . The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum, Achtung Baby

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 20 2022 08:07 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I think I did mention U2 above when I boldly dared anyone to put their best 4-pack against Midnight Oils!

Edgy MD Jul 20 2022 08:50 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Rattle and Hum can also makes somebody's live pack, but the studio recordings are mostly all better than the live traxxx.

Marshmallowmilkshake Jul 21 2022 05:58 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Edgy MD wrote: Rattle and Hum can also makes somebody's live pack, but the studio recordings are mostly all better than the live traxxx. I've always thought Rattle and Hum was kind of a mess. Bono starting it by saying "Charles Manson stole this song from the Beatles, we're stealing it back" gets the whole thing started in a cringy way. Helter Skelter? Really? But I agree about the studio tracks. Desire and Angel of Harlem are among the band's best! The Darlene Love Christmas cover for the first Very Special Christmas album was recorded during these sessions, too, and that's the highlight of that album.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 21 2022 10:50 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Frayed Knot wrote: It's tough for a double album to be great (which is part of what makes Songs in the Key of Life so special). Think of how much better the White Album would be minus the filler and experimental stuff. The Wall has the same issues. Leaving aside compilation/live type albums, the number of double albums from the pre-CD days that garnered both critical and commercial acclaim is a small list. I'm guessing that one reason double albums aren't typically solid all the way through is by design. The artists felt so burdened by the time restrictions of the single album back then that when they decided to record a double album, they couldn't resist experimenting and taking risks with the extra time allotted. Or sometimes, they just didn't have four sides worth of material so rather than pare down their one and a half album, they raided their vaults to fill out the double album Here are two top notch double studio albums, fluff free, I'd think: [FIMG=333]https://ravesfromthegrave.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Goodbye-Yellow-Brick-Road.jpg[/FIMG] [FIMG=333]https://miro.medium.com/max/875/0*9f7Rf848BTYs3kYM.jpeg[/FIMG]

Edgy MD Jul 21 2022 11:36 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Yet I don't hear a whole lot of demand for "Jamaica Jerk-Off" in the circles I run with.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 21 2022 11:48 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Edgy MD wrote: Yet I don't hear a whole lot of demand for "Jamaica Jerk-Off" in the circles I run with. That's 'cause after they've heard Bennie and the Jets, they wanna hear it again right away.

Edgy MD Jul 21 2022 11:55 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Are the "B&tJ" album and single versions the same?

batmagadanleadoff Jul 21 2022 12:00 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Edgy MD wrote: Are the "B&tJ" album and single versions the same? I'm pretty sure they're the same even though it's over five minutes long. It sounds like a live song but it's not. The audience sounds were overdubbed in the studio. Wanna know which single isn't quite like the album version? In-a-Gadda-da-Vida.

Fman99 Jul 21 2022 01:26 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

OK, here we go. Beach Boys - Pet Sounds I still listen to this end to end on a regular basis. It puts me in a state of peace that no other music does. The Band - Music from Big Pink Another one. They zagged when everyone else zigged. Consummate musicianship. George Harrison - All Things Must Pass His peak as an artist, before, during and after the Beatles. There are so many excellent songs. I can even appreciate them through the layers of orchestrated mush that Phil Spector doused them all with. Paul McCartney - Ram If you know, you know. Maybe the first ever indie record? Mark Lanegan - Whiskey for the Holy Ghost I bought it when I was 25, and listened to it once or twice and put it aside. I didn't get it. I circled back to it 10-15 years later and it was a revelation to me.

Fman99 Jul 21 2022 01:41 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

For the 4 straight albums I also go with the Stevie Wonder batch. I pondered this one quite a bit.

RealityChuck Jul 21 2022 01:53 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

=Methead post_id=100378 time=1658324571 user_id=61] Wish You Were Here is a better album than Dark Side and I'll die on that hill. I'm pretty sure Animals will always be my favorite though.

I was a Pink Floyd fan fairly early. I bought Dark Side the week it came out. It wasn't quite a disappointment, but I felt it was not up to the standards of Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother, and Meddle -- dumbing down the music a bit. It was OK, but not an album I played all that often. Wish You Were Here was a recovery.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 22 2022 11:26 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Here's how some of these four album runs rank according to Rolling Stone magazine's first list of the 500 greatest albums. That first list, published in 2003, is widely criticized as being hugely and disproportionately comprised of white male voters. RS eventually overhauled its initial list with a more inclusive panel of voters. Stevie Wonder Talking Book 90 Innervisions 23 Fullfilingess First Finale NR Songs in the Key of Life 56 The Rolling Stones Beggar's Banquet 57 Let it Bleed 32 Sticky Fingers 63 Exile on Main Street 7 Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon 43 Wish You Were Here 209 Animals NR The Wall 87 Michael Jackson Off the Wall 68 Thriller 20 Bad 202 Dangerous NR Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin I 29 Led Zeppelin II 75 Led Zeppelin III NR Led Zeppelin IV (Zoso) 66 David Bowie The Man Who Sold the World NR Hunky Dory 107 The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars 35 Aladdin Sane 277 Now the Beatles, they're in their own category according to RS2003. They're the Babe Ruths of pop music. The Beatles Rubber Soul 5 Revolver 3 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1 The Beatles (The White Album) 10

batmagadanleadoff Jul 22 2022 11:51 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

And here's how these runs rank according to RS's latest list. Stevie Wonder Talking Book 59 Innervisions 34 Fullfilingess First Finale NR Songs in the Key of Life 4 The Rolling Stones Beggar's Banquet 185 Let it Bleed 41 Sticky Fingers 104 Exile on Main Street 14 Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon 55 Wish You Were Here 264 Animals NR The Wall 129 Michael Jackson Off the Wall 36 Thriller 12 Bad 194 Dangerous NR Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin I 101 Led Zeppelin II 123 Led Zeppelin III NR Led Zeppelin IV (Zoso) 58 David Bowie The Man Who Sold the World NR Hunky Dory 88 The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars 40 Aladdin Sane NR The Beatles Rubber Soul 35 Revolver 11 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 24 The Beatles (The White Album) 29

Marshmallowmilkshake Jul 22 2022 12:01 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

I was thinking about this run as I was out walking and listening last night Pretenders Pretenders II Learning to Crawl Get Close The quality might dip a little with Get Close, but Learning to Crawl is a tough act to follow and Chrissie was recovering from the loss of two members.

Edgy MD Jul 22 2022 12:07 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Learning to Crawl was the recovery album and was still pretty terrific. Get Close has a lot of highlights. It just feels like the band concept is barely hanging on, and you're starting to grudgingly have to accept that "Pretenders" is going to mean "Chrissie Hynde and Friends" going forward.

Marshmallowmilkshake Jul 22 2022 12:42 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Edgy MD wrote: Learning to Crawl was the recovery album and was still pretty terrific. Get Close has a lot of highlights. It just feels like the band concept is barely hanging on, and you're starting to grudgingly have to accept that "Pretenders" is going to mean "Chrissie Hynde and Friends" going forward. Good call. It was a long time before other band members were highlighted on an album cover. Last of the Independents is really good, too.

batmagadanleadoff Aug 15 2022 12:59 PM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Here's another absolutelty amazing and also, groundbreaking four studio album run. I had to bend the rules just a bit to get this one in here. You'll see what I mean as soon as you read it. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1966 - Bluesbreakers - John Mayall with Eric Clapton 1966 - Fresh Cream 1967 - Disraeli Gears 1968 - Wheels of Fire

Bob Alpacadaca Aug 18 2022 09:25 AM Re: SPIN's 5 Albums I Can't Live Without

Billy Joel had a great run with: Turnstiles The Stranger Glass Houses 52nd Street And I would argue he continued for another four: Songs From the Attic Nylon Curtain An Innocent Man The Bridge