The Greatest Album ever...

In Off-topic

I'm just curious what everyone thinks is great music, so I created this thread. Please keep bashing of bands, even if they suck, to a minimum. Asking why they think so is one thing, slamming them because you thinki Vanilla Ice is a retard is a whole other thing. Name your favorite album of all time, and shortly state why it's your favorite and deserves the title of greatest. I'll start this off...

The Greatest album of all time: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.
By: The Smashing Pumpkins

Reason: This album was the bands proof to the world that they weren't another heavy metal band. With hits such as their sweeping "Tonight Tonight" primarily featuring orchestral instruments, to the anti-melodic "1979", and finally the demon of "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", all the songs on the double album are solid and as good as the next. They transcended almost every form of rock. In fact, this is the second best selling double album in history (To Pink Floyd's "The Wall). An album with 28 songs that flow into each other provides a 2 hour+ experience of an entire spectrum of emotion and sound.

That's your favourite album and it's also the first album I ever bought.

It's not my favourite though. I don't have an immediate answer, so I'm going to have to think about this one.

Ok, after a half hour of pondering, I have chosen Bad Religion's as my favourite album. It was released in 1993.

It starts off strong with Recipe for Hate, Kerosene, and American Jesus (probably their most popular song of all). Then it has a great, quirky middle with Man With a Mission, All Good Soldiers, and Watch it Die. Then it ends with Don't Pray on Me, Modern Day Catastrophists, and one of my favourite Bad Religion songs of all, Skyscraper.

I'm sure if someone asks me again in 3 months, I'll have a different answer.

Mine would have to be See This Through and Leave, by the cooper temple clause, the first track of which, my username comes from

I always preferred Siamese Dream to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. I know I'm in the minority on that one though.

My favourite album is probably:

OK Computer by Radiohead

Most albums I'll get bored with over time, but this one is still as fresh today as it was when I got it in 1997. Fantastic from start to finish.

...



Ditto! Nothing beats the song "Soma".

It's hard for me to choose one album but I would have to say....

Ani DiFranco; Dilate



My favorite album of all time is probably Incubus' . I think it's one of the best produced albums ever. It's not over the top on production, it's just right. The band rocks, and the songwriting is tremendous. I like the vocalists voice and all the vocal harmonies that are on it. It's really a solid album. Incubus isn't my favorite band, but they do get props as having my favorite album.


Its, Amazing.

Oh man, this is tough.


Probably this-




Ziggy Stardust, by David Bowie. I also LOVE Wish you were here by Pink Floyd.



Totally agree, it was a tie of the two, only reason MCATIS won was partially due to it's strength of all songs and the carefully chosen order. Siamese Dream still has my favorite songs (Geek USA, Today)

Really took time to think about it and I'm convinced...


Certainly the "Greatest Pop Album EVER!" Maybe the "Greatest Album EVER!" Maybe just a spark of sentimental value from my childhood, but it deserves mention.

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is a Pop/dance masterpiece of masterful proportions that until this very day, has yet to be challenged by anything in its own league. There is not a single other pop album in my Top 100, but this is number 1.

Such tracks as "Billy Jean", "Beat It", "Wanna Be Startin' Something", and the title track "Thriller" make this one to remember.
Every song - catchy, well-produced, has a good beat you can dance too.

To think at one time in my life, I thought Michael Jackson was the coolest dude on the planet. I even had a Michael Jackson lunch box. I wanted to BE Michael Jackson!
...uh. I don't quite feel the same way anymore though.

It was a close call however. It was either "Thriller" or Metallica's "Master of Puppets" for best album ever. The "beat" got to me.

either
listen at

or



listen to them at

Z.E.N.
Do you have that album on vinyl?

I love the Pumpkins too. I just wish I'd have been as old as I am now in the 90s so I could have gone to Lalapalooza and seen the Pumpkins, and Nirvana, Janes Addiction, and the list goes on... I heard Billy Corgan wants to get the group back together. I personally love playing the songs from Siamese Dream on guitar especcially "Today" and "Cherub Rock"


Hehe, those albums are VERY Similar! I have thriller on vinyl, my mom bought it. Ive always wanted to torch it..
Other good albums:
Rick wakeman:Journey to the center of the earth
James Gang Rides again.
every yes album from 1969-1980 (1980+ Sucks)
Crime Of the Century

Z.E.N.
Do you have that album on vinyl?
No. Just on CD.

I used to have the vinyl LP as a kid. It was the album cover where Michael was posing next to a tiger. I wish I would've held on to all of my vinyl records. They're probably more valuable nowadays.





I wouldn't say it was the best album ever, but there is just something creepy about him singing a song titled "I'd Love Making Love To You" (EWWW) I had another one of his records on vinyl but my mom stole it and sold it.


Nobody mentioned this classic.



Weird Al Yankovic's "Off the deep end"

But on a serious note. How about this -



Electric Ladyland. By the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Led Zeppelin's fourth album because of Stairway to Heaven, it sounds just as good backwords as it does forwards.

The only good record I've seen mentioned on here has been Ziggy and the Spiders.

Get a copy of this and get a clue.



Thank you for your insight, oh master of all that is just and true.

That being said, Iggy's "The Passenger" is a most kickass song.

I saw Iggy Pop a few years ago. My favourite Stooges song as got to be "I wanna be your Dog".

The only good record I've seen mentioned on here has been Ziggy and the Spiders.

Get a copy of this and get a clue.

Wow! so you have listened to ALL the albums stated. Impressive.

yeah, you have to listen to YES's progressive works atleast 10 times each before you get to love them. Jerk.

Hey. Progressive rock sucks.

Have any of you considered cultural signifigance when picking your greatest album ever? None of the albums mentioned here have made even the slightest impact on music.

Yes is no Beatles. Rick Wakeman is no Carl Perkins. Bad Religion is no Rolling Stones. The mention of Incubus and Smashing Pumpkins have got me scratching my head here. And then there's the slowtard posting modern post-hardcore albums as the GREATEST EVER. Un-fuckin-believable.

Let me put it in terms you nerds can understand. Mario is, without a doubt, the greatest video game character ever. Why? Because of his impact on the culture. Scrooge McDuck may be way cool, but Ducktales didn't start a phenomenon.

Seriously, learn your Rock N Roll history.


You know, read the first post of the topic before you go around throwing your snide remarks...

This may not be the most "historical" listing of albums, but these are albums that touched people in a certain way. There's no need for bashing on anyone's part.

The next post by anyone that bashes is getting deleted, and further measures will be taken if it persists past that.


Green Day - Dookie

It really drew me into the the music that I listen to these days, except it was many years ago. Political or social influence..I don't care. It's just a great CD that keeps me listening from start to end and every track in between.

Dookie, man, that was my favourite album when I was younger.
Good points as well, Roth.

While I would agree that just maybe the Stooges third album may be an arguable choice there's no doubt that it's one of the greatest albums ever recorded.

The greatest American rock band ever is the Ramones. This can't even be debated. Anybody who knows anything about music understands the impact a couple of nobodys from New York had playing their brand of up-tempo early Rock N Roll.

But the Ramones wouldn't have even it existed had it not been for the Stooges. (Or other acts: The New York Dolls, the MC5, the Dogs, the Sonics, the Mysterians, Barry and the Remains, etc etc.)

Your Bad Religion, your Metallica, your Smashing Pumpkins, your Incubus wouldn't be here if not for the Stooges. Even your Devo inspired user name, and I really hope it's Devo inspired, wouldn't exist without the Stooges. (And the Ramones. Duh!)

I choose Raw POWer as the the greatest for it's universal appeal, original sound, and incredible impact on Rock music over the last 30 years. If you don't understand the signifance it's because you haven't listened to it.



P.S. Punk's dead and when it died it stayed dead. Bad Religion is more post-punk/post-modernist. Like Wire, Pere Ubu, etc.

Nobody mentioned this classic.



Weird Al Yankovic's "Off the deep end"

But on a serious note. How about this -



Electric Ladyland. By the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Any Werid Al CD is good.

on another note this is my Fav Kiss CD




Wow, I've been sensored. Kinda strange since this is a board and all, especially since there was no "flaming" going on between RockNRollJerk and I.

Anyway, RockNRollJerk, you make some good points, but you are stating things as cold facts when it isn't appropriate.

The Stooges didn't come from nowhere. They were inspired by something they listened to, and added their own angle to it. That's how music evolves. Otherwise, we would still be just banging drums for ceremonial purposes. So, without the bands that influenced the Stooges, there would be no Stooges. Without the Stooges, there would be no "insert band influenced by the Stooges here". And even then, you can't really say that these bands would have never been formed without the Stooges' existence, they just would probably have sounded a little different.

A "best album ever" can not be defined. We could find what the most people in the world consider the best album. We could go by sales. There are many ways of rating an album.

The "most influential artist" can also not be simply stated. A band's influence stretches far more than anyone can determine. You might not have known that Bad Religion is very heavily influenced by american folk music. I use Bad Religion in my examples only because they are the only band that I really know a lot about. I'm sure there are many similar cases of this.

Anyway, it's fun to discuss music, and what people think of various artists and genres, but don't state your opinions as facts. That just makes you look foolish. You seem to have a decent knowledge of music, being able to pinpoint the source of my username and all, so you shouldn't short-change yourself.

of all the cd's i own, i think i've listened to Soundgardens Super Unknown album the most, followed by Horse the Bands R. Borlax

Super Unknown is musical perfection at it's finest, i suggest you go listen to it NOW!

dont u just Love HOrse The Band, THey just F*ing Rock.

i think they're new CD comes out tuesday.

The Stooges.

Before 1968 there was no real RAW rock n roll. The Stooges did that. Really, the Stooges came from almost nothing. You can hear the early rock influence, but nobody ever took it to such an extreme. These guys were bent on having the most fucked up rock group in history, but they did so in a completely uncalculated way. There was no planning or posturing. This was the world's first real artistic band. This is the antithesis of progressive rock. No bs intellectualism, just pure emotion. Lustful, angry, and stupid. Ugly as sin, but sexy as hell. This band is real.

The Stooges make the Who look like Danny and the Juniors. They brought about an entirely differant form of expression in music. One that's taken for granted now. Without the Stooges, punk rock wouldn't exist. Every member of the Ramones has made it clear that their biggest influences were the Stooges and the New York Dolls. Their influence is undeniable on great music.

And these are stated as facts because they are indeed facts. Get yourself some Stooges records and you'll understand where the rawness that spawned punk rock originally comes from.

Had it coming but...


What?


And "glam rock" doesn't?


No. Because "cultural significance" doesn't mean squat. Music is a subjective artform. I don't listen and enjoy it just because it was highly regarded by musical historians. I listen/like it because it "sounds good".
Simple as that.
But just for the record though, YES I did consider it.


Did you not see my choice ("Thriller")? That album jump started the whole "pop/dance" craze that became the biggest selling and most popular genre of music.
It's also the #1 selling album of all time. However, I didn't bother to mention that in the original post because it is not one of the reasons why I support it.
One could argue that the fruits of that inspired album didn't actually wield the most desirable results (lame "Pop" is everywhere now), but the fact remains that "Thriller" (and Michael Jackson) did indeed "make an on music" (and a rather BIG impact as well).

Of course, that was just choice. I can see others stating a case for their favorite band/album as well.


Nor were they trying to be.


Rick Wakeman > Carl Perkins


Thank GOD for that! I can actually "tolerate" Bad Religion.


Could be dandruff...


Woah... A 13-year-old just making an opinion... on a message board... in regards to a music topic!
Un-fuckin-believable.


So... you mean you're going to start typing "intelligently" now?


Oh... I guess not.


Because he's favorite? I don't know, TELL ME!


There were other video game characters who made a big impact on culture before Mario. PacMan was officially the first game icon to achieve commercial success outside of the pixilated world. Q*Bert is another. Frogger and so on.
Mario's success didn't climb until the NES era and grew into the phenomenon he is today because Nintendo decided to keep recycling him for every other game they made.

This is a pretty shallow comparison to make. The video game medium isn't nearly as broad as music.


That doesn't make Scrooge McDuck an inferior character. Why does everything need to "start a phenomenon" or "have an impact" to be good?
Lame.


Bill Haley and The Comets introduced "Rock & Roll" to the world in the early 1950's.
How's that for history.


That's the rolleyes smiley. It's not that special though (seeing how it didn't "make an impact" on cultural standards).
This one, however did. ---> So therefore it's the "Greatest Smiley of All-time"!


There's an oxymoron in there somewhere.


Oh yes it can! The Ramones are the greatest American rock band ever.
See look! I just "debated" it.


People who know music, understand the science of sound waves hitting the eardrums to create the perception of sound.
The knowledge of "who's playing it" and "where they're from" should not have a sizeable impact on whether a listener likes what they're hearing or not.


That doesn't make the Stooges any better. More influential/respectable maybe, but their music isn't going to magically improve because someone was inspired by them.


Do you honestly think Metallica is inspired by trashy glam rock? They owe their roots to a genre called "Heavy Metal" with bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and the like. I could probably state a case for the other bands as well, but this is just ridiculous.
I really don't think music in general would be all that different if the Stooges exist, and once again, I don't think a band's influence is the sole reason for their "greatness".
Starting or introducing a musical style is one thing. Evolving and improving on it is another.


"Mr. DNA" (for anyone who's wondering).
I'd like to think that Devo would exist regardless.


Fair enough. Not the reasons why I would choose the greatest album but at least it's a reason.


I understand the "significance" of it plainly, yet I have never listened to it. So there!
Even so, "significance" has nothing to do with whether or not I like what's coming through my ears.


^^^ Would not exist without "".



"Post Scriptum" (for those who are wondering).


That's interesting. I didn't know musical genres had "lifespans".


Bad Religion = Punk. Are you making these labels up on the fly? There's really no need for this overcategorizing bullshit.
They're punk. Maybe not "Ramones punk" or "Sex Pistols punk" but "punk" none the less.


Never heard them, but I have a suspicion those are "punk" bands too.

.
Curly was my favorite.


That you know of.


K.


Uh huh.


What about their instruments? Those came from something.
And the way they played them? There's only so much that musical technology would allow at the time.
And their style? They didn't just wake up one day and created a whole different sound. Obviously they built on their own influences.


Did they "plan" their lack of "posturing"? Ha!


Gilbert & Sullivan came before them though.


- (def.) 1. Direct Contrast; opposition.

So they were "unprogressive rock"?


Yeah, screw that "smart" stuff.


I agree 33%.


I agree 100%.


Okay... stay far, FAR away from me.


That's good. I can't stand those bands with puppets and androids playing the music.


Made the Who look like who?


There's nothing wrong with being a "fan".
Really... there isn't.


Yeah. This has been covered before.


The only "fact" might have been the last comment (about the Ramones' influences). The rest is just your opinion.
Clear?


Drugs?


Congrats! Welcome to the club.

...

My apologies to -Shadow-.

(NOTE to the moderators: Nothing is really getting out of hand here. There's no crime in making a strong opinion.)

*Copies post*

Rock'n'Roll jerk is right, The Three Stooges are excellent, but we're supposed to be discussing music here.

You need to learn the difference between "opinion" and "fact". Ask 10 industry experts what the greatest album of all time is and you're likely to get 10 different answers. Does that mean 9 of them are wrong? (or all 10 if, god forbid, none of them mentioned The Stooges). No, because they are just giving their opinion. There is no factual answer to the question posed. If you go around stating things like, "X is best. Fact. Get it and get a clue", you immediately make yourself look clueless.

O.K. we've established that The Three Stooges are most excellent. Bodacious.

I thought we were supposed to keep "flaming" to a minimum. I don't agree with everyones choices (only as I may not personally like thier choice in music, not to say that there's anything wrong with anyone liking it) but I respect their choices.
But i'm glad to see some people get their come-uppance.

*awaits negative response*

Z.E.N. isn't flaming. He's using humour to demonstrate just how ludicrous the whole situation is.

I laughed more than once when reading his post, and I think it's a thing of beauty.

I think this is over now. We will never convince this guy that he is expressing opinions (which are valid opinions) and not facts. He will never convince us that the Stooges were the greatest band ever.

Now let's get to the real issue at hand here.

What's the most influential domestic animal ever?

I'm voting for the Goldfish.

Ah, I didn't mean Z.E.N was flaming, I was refering to rocknrolljerks first post, but I should have clarified. Of course he's entitled to his opinions.


What's the most influential domestic animal ever?


It's the cat. Fact.

The Stooges aren't a glam band. Again, you haven't listened to them. And yes, I do believe Metallica is influenced by them. But you don't have to rely upon me for that information. You could just ask them yourself. Or maybe the two albums they released of the raw, stripped down variety are testament enough to their punk/pre-punk roots. Of course, you wouldn't be able to draw that parallel if you never bothered to listen to the Stooges in the first place.

Oh yeah, and I saw your choice too Zen. Not a horrible choice, but let's get a few things straight. Thriller didn't really start a pop/dance craze and isn't even Michael Jackson's first pop/dance record.

And wow. This is my opinion. What a strange thing to have. An opinion. Do I have to preceed everything here with "well, I think....."? It's borderline hilarious that instead of stating an arguement, you write it off as "that's just your opinion."

You all care too much about stepping on the toes of one another. Opinions, tastes, likes and dislikes, by their nature, are open to discussion and debate.

So if anybody has any real insight on what constitutes a great record I'd love to hear it. But when it comes to most of you, your taste is in your mouth.

FACT: If you don't like the Rolling Stones, you're 100% musically retarded, and have no business thinking about, talking about, playing, or listening to music.

Lighten up nerds.



No, it wasn't his first album, but it was his most influential album. Hell man, I remember EVERYONE wanted to be Michael Jackson after that came out. I highly agree that Thriller is one of the best albums of all time. I think Off The Wall is... okay. Not my favorite disco-sounding album.



Yes, but the way you worded things could have been better. "...get a clue," sounds a bit rude, don't you think



Everyone here likes each other



I think a great record is whatever the hell you like. I don't understand your rationality here. I you're a musician (and I'm assuming you are), then you should know that whatever an individual likes makes a great album. "Musicians" understand this... perhaps you are a "guitarist," or a "drummer," and not a musician.



You've got to be kidding me... Okay, yeah, the Rolling Stones are considered great. I personally ONLY like the song Paint It Black. I'm a musician... I guess I should give up on my years and years of bass playing since what you stated is fact.

I guess it is mandatory to place the preferences of RockNRollJerk in our minds, never be your own person, think by his RULES. I think you should get a clue, pal.



Bad Religion = Punk. Are you making these labels up on the fly? There's really no need for this overcategorizing bullshit.
They're punk. Maybe not "Ramones punk" or "Sex Pistols punk" but "punk" none the less.




Postmodernism is a period (ongoing) in music, and art and literature, and more or less any form of expression. Postmodernism isn't exactly a style or sound, but rather a condition. Postmodernists react to, develop from, and combine qualities from modernist and classical movements. While not always visible, postmodernism often challenges the boundries between high brow artistic thought and what are generally concieved as low brow movements. (Like punk, rock n roll, etc.)

Bad Religion is indeed a postmodernist band. Mr. DNA told us of the prevalence of a folk sound in their music. The overall scheme of their sound and style is a reaction to punk rock mixed with elements of other classical movements.

Post-punk is a term often used to describe postmodernist music that has reacted directly to, and taken qualities from, the punk movement.

Yes is the audio version of Thomas Kinkade.


And wow. This is my opinion. What a strange thing to have. An opinion.

...

FACT: If you don't like the Rolling Stones, you're 100% musically retarded, and have no business thinking about, talking about, playing, or listening to music.

Strange how you feel that you are permitted to have your own opinions about music, but others aren't.

I'm not going against your opinions. In fact, you have many very valid opinions. You also know your shit when it comes to music and particularly music history. Your only problem is your approach, which is terrible. You aren't going to convince anyone by calling them retarded.

Plus you're off topic. The topic is now influential pets.

Influential pets, my ass. Everybody knows that the most influential pets ever were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. There they were, poor turtles flushed down the toilet by a sadistic six-year old owner, then they're ninjas.

Their courageous tale of overcoming adversity has inspired millions of aspirant ninjas everywhere.
...
Oh, and my favorite album is 'Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables'.

they're ninjas.

Their courageous tale of overcoming adversity has inspired millions of aspirant ninjas everywhere.
...
Oh, and my favorite album is 'Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables'.

Hey man, the kids dropped em down into a sewer grate


It's usually the category I see them listed in on various music sites.





No problem. I'll just waltz right up to James Hetfields front door and ask him, if he's home first thing tomorrow.


Now that I have, I can safely say that I don't hear the "influence" (at least not in the musicianship).


It doesn't need to be the either. It's about being the one album that introduced the craze to the world. I didn't see all those synchronized group dancing pop videos until Jackson first did it and after that, it exploded.


Try reading the whole thread again.


Well I hope so. Most people don't taste things with their noses.



What he said.


You suck.


In the off-topic forum!!!!!!?????///
For shame!


Influential pets? Greatest album ever?





Fact.



Normally I would be annoyed that someone is basically calling me "retarded" or as politically correct people would say "developmentally challenged" for not like The Rolling Stones. But seeing that the source isn't someone I would place highly on the intellectual food chain I'll let it pass. My father always told me that you can’t argue with a fool and clearly it’s been proven that RockNRollJerk is indeed just that… a fool (I think it is well beyond “opinion” on this one, it’s now a proven fact). The wonderful thing about music is that it’s in the eye of the beholder (much like beauty). What is horrible and annoying to one person (for example I hate country music and would rather have a root canal, again, then listen to it); it poetically beautiful to another. And as for The Stooges having the most “fucked up rock group in history”, that too is debatable. I think people like Gwar or Marilyn Manson have taken over that title. I never heard of Iggy banging/or blowing some dude on stage, ripping up the bible and getting in trouble for assaulting audience members. All I ever heard he did was cut himself up on stage…ooooowwww… that is so fucked up (not really).


And as for influential pets? How about Jingle Cats!

i love that cat