Album you think EVERY forum member should own

The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959-1968

OK, it's nine CDs instead of one...but it's a must-have box. It's wealth of historically significant music in warm vacuum-tube sound never fails to please. Not to mention it just plain grooves!

 

Very true, but a comp would not be my first choice, that's all.

 

no one mentions them here but there is a band from scotland called "Belle & Sebastian" who are amazing. Complex layered sounds with the most beautiful vocal style. there best album is "Tigermilk" but you can get any of them.

another favourite is Ben Harper (although he is well known in the States) and The Wild Colonials (an LA band I believe) who have two albums that I love.

 

Gary,

I have all the Nesmith on CD (except for the available at Michael's site only - videoranch.com - the old Dot album 'And The Wichita Train Whistle Sings', which is a transfer from vinyl unfortunately)' .

I think one would be better off owning 'Elephant Parts', where you get most of the songs from 'Infinite Rider...' and the Nesmith commentary where you learn the secret of 'Elephant Parts' (I'll never tell).

In other words, for me, 'Magnetic South' is the one to own where my other choices are equal to it. I know that 'And The Hits Just Keep On Coming' gets critical raves, but it is a bit 'samey' sounding, though the songs are great.

I myself find I play 'Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash' more than even I would expect.

 

If we're just supposed to list one, then I'll have to say PET SOUNDS by the Beach Boys. I have yet to hear anything better; it really has it all: beautiful melodies, amazing arrangements/production, gorgeous vocals and it is extremely moving.

BUT, since many others are compiling lists, I have to add the following, which no serious collection can be without (IMHO, of course...):

Love--FOREVER CHANGES
Bob Dylan--HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED and BLONDE ON BLONDE
Beatles--REVOLVER and RUBBER SOUL
Rolling Stones--EXILE ON MAIN ST and LET IT BLEED
Jimi Hendrix Experience--ARE YOU EXPERIENCED and ELECTRIC LADYLAND
Who--THE WHO SELL OUT and WHO'S NEXT
XTC--SKYLARKING and ENGLISH SETTLEMENT
Gang of Four--ENTERTAINMENT!
Doors--THE DOORS
John Lennon--JOHN LENNON/PLASTIC ONO BAND
Marvin Gaye--WHAT'S GOING ON
Stevie Wonder--INNERVISIONS and SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE
Nirvana--NEVERMIND
My Bloody Valentine--LOVELESS
Elliott Smith--EITHER/OR
Public Image Ltd.--SECOND EDITION (aka METAL BOX)
Led Zeppelin--LED ZEPPELIN II and LED ZEPPELIN IV
Prince--DIRTY MIND and SIGN O THE TIMES
Velvet Underground--THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO and WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT
Stooges--FUN HOUSE
Neil Young--RUST NEVER SLEEPS and TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT

Wow, I'm taking up too much bandwidth. I think I'd better stop for now!

 

Sam Cooke-Night Beat
Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio the last track is "Blues for Herky" love that tune, the rest of the CD is...........well it doesn't matter with a programmable CD player.

 

Surprise!

 

Rocks - Aerosmith

Never has an album been more appropriately named.

 

Stone Roses - Second Coming is an excellent CD. Good call on that. Great music.

Here's a few notables of my own liking. If you feel like "testing the waters" with modern progressive music, these are quite good.

Porcupine Tree - Signify; Stupid Dream; Lightbulb Sun
Spock's Beard - Snow; V; Kindness Of Strangers
Arena - Immortal?
Transatlantic - SMPTe; Bridge Across Forever
Dream Theater - Images and Words; Falling Into Infinity; Scenes From A Memory

 

Dream Theater... good choice!!! I also like Awake... great record

 

Limiting each artist to one appearance on the list:

Pet Sounds- The Beach Boys (do I even have to mention it?)
Revolver- The Beatles (ditto)
The Who Sell Out- The Who
Kink Kronikles- The Kinks
Field Day- Marshall Crenshaw
Green Thoughts- The Smithereens
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd.- The Monkees
Tantamount To Treason, Vol. 1- Michael Nesmith & The Second National Band
McCartney- Paul McCartney
From Here To Eternity- The Clash
The Rutles- Neil Innes, Ollie Halsall, Ricky Fataar, John Halsey
The Doughnut In Granny's Greenhouse- Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
All Things Must Pass- George Harrison
Radio City- Big Star
The Rooks (a.k.a Encore Echoes)- The Rooks
Raw Power- Iggy & The Stooges
Green River- Creedence Clearwater Revival
All Hopped Up- NRBQ
Argybargy- Squeeze
Empty Glass- Pete Townshend

 

If there's one thing I've learned from looking at everyone's favorite albums, it's that most of them are my favorite albums, too...

 

This is a very tough assignment. I have too many good records and I wish you all owned them too.

You choose the fomat based on your ears: regular vinyl, 180 gram vinyl, regular CD, remastered CD, gold CD, stereo, mono, mono reprocessed for stereo if that's your liistening choice, whateva.

Amon Düül II - Wolf City
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Beatles - Revolver UK


Can - Tago Mago
Captain Beefheart - Lick Off My Decals Baby
Gentle Giant - In A Glass House
Giant Sand - Glum
Jazz Butcher (Conspiracy) - Condition Blue
Pink Floyd - Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Ramones - s/t
Replacements - Let It Be
Ride - Nowhere
Rolling Stones - Aftermath UK
Roxy Music - Siren
Ruby Blue - Down From Above
Talking Heads - '77
U2 - Boy
Who - My Generation UK (I have a pristine mono pressing from the Who - Phases LP box set, German edition.)
XTC - Black Sea
Box sets you should own. Too hard to pick a fave album by some of the following artists.
Elvis Presley - Complete 50s's Masters
David Bowie - Sound and Vision
The Byrds - s/t
The Clash - On Broadway
Bob Dylan - Biograph (The Groom's Still Waiting At The Alter shows that Bob can really rock!)
Echo and The Bunnymen - Crystal Days 1979 - 1999
Various - Complete Stax Volt Singles - 1959 - 1968
Various - Atlantic Rythm and Blues - 1947 - 1974

 

There are some great recommendations listed above. However, I'm surprised at seeing almost no blues recordings. Also, I tend to feel that some of our favorite bands' first albums tend to get short shrift. With those points in mind, I would add:

Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings
Led Zeppelin I
Rolling Stones: England's Newest Hitmakers
Johnny Cash: American Recordings
Cake: Fashion Nuggett

If I had to pick just one album, however, I would select Son House: Father of the Delta Blues. Perhaps the most underrated blues man on record, he helped define Mississippi Delta blues in the 20's and 30's, and was an inspiration to artists such as Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. Mesmerizing stuff!

 

How about Blind Willie Johnson...

 

Four words.

"This Is Spinal Tap"

And please, not the remaster!

 

Need to add one more from Billy Bang, Vietnam: The Aftermath.
Run out and buy this CD now and listen to the whole thing. Even if you don't like it you will be a better person for having listened to it.

 

I have to agree with Trainspotting, most of my faves have been included, so I will have to go deeper;

Argent- 1st lp self titled
Flash - self titled as well (featuring Peter Banks & Tony Kaye)
ELP - Brain salad Surgery
Dwight Twilly "Sincerely"
Ambrosia first lp
20/20 first lp

Rick A.

 

I also recommend the bulk of John Denver's catalog or a compilation if you are on a budget

 

I also recommend Tommy Roe's Greatest Hits (a very underrated artist who is more than just the bubblegum artist of the 1960s), John Denver's RCA recordings, Gram Parsons-GP/Grievous Angel, Vince Guaraldi Trio-A Boy Named Charlie Brown and Charlie Brown Christmas, a Scott Joplin compilation, Ssgt. Barry Sadler-Ballads of The Green Berets, Mason Williams-The Mason Williams Phonograph Record, for US residents or John Wayne collectors only: John Wayne-America, Why I Love Her, a Roger Whittaker compilation (even if you are only familiar with the Last Farewell, getting a comp of his work is worth it), a Henry Mancini compilation or if you can find the albums, go for the albums but at least something by Mancini is essential, at least a compilation by Pete Seeger at the bare minimum or go for the albums if you want more than a compilation, an Andrews Sisters compilation

 

I was lazy so I just stole some of yours.

And am adding Emitt Rhodes- Emitt Rhodes

 

Hi Mike,
Good to see another Echo and Bunnymen fan out there.
What do you think of the sound quality of the Crystal Days Boxset?
I personally much prefer the original recordings, finding the Boxset much too bright.

 

I love Blind Willie, but didn't know if it was too esoteric for non-blues fans (I'm glad to see at least someone else here has taste, Mike ). However, "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" is a must have - in fact, it was one of the two tracks by a US artist that was on the LD sent out with Voyager (the other being ... Johnnie B. Goode by Chuck Berry)

 

All of my major favorites have been mentioned (more often than once), so a couple of more obscure titles.

Hearts Of Stone - Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes

Places I Have Never Been and/or Beautiful Wreck Of The World - Willie Nile


Jeff

 

Didn't see Otis Redding "Live In Europe"

Real foot stomper!