Albums that preceeded the Magnum Opus...

For me, I've always considered Revolver to be tied with Sgt. Pepper as the Beatles' real masterpiece.

They're kinda like a "part 1" and "part 2" with Revolver being the before and Pepper being the after, if you get what I mean.


That being said, for whatever reason, Rubber Soul has always been my favorite Beatles album by a long shot and its the one I return to the most frequently.

Nowhere Man
In My Life
Drive My Car
Think For Yourself
If I Needed Someone
Norwegian Wood
Think For Yourself
Girl
The Word
What Goes On
Run for Your Life
You Won't See Me
etc. etc.

Really, you could also include Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out as well - they were a single only, but were from the same sessions, I believe.


Really, the album is the ultimate culmination of their "Beatlemania" phase, if you will - after this, rarely were their songs "simple" pop songs. Rubber Soul is like the best aspects of the Help! album material amplified and perfected. Basically, I think with Rubber Soul the Beatles perfected the modern pop song to a degree.

It's hard to explain what I mean, but Im sure somebody here must get what Im saying

 

Actually, it's about members' preferences regarding albums immediately preceding the "masterpiece". Specifically: if one likes the preceding album more than what is generally considered the masterpiece.

 

Is Metallica's "Black album" really considered their magnum opus?

 

Everybody I know considers it to be.
I`d rather hear the Gararge Days EP.

 

Wilco - Summerteeth>Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

 

I think Master Of Puppets is more along the lines of what one would consider an artist's magnum opus - The Black Album is kinda in a weird spot compared to that though because of the massive juggernaut that it is.

 

-Simon (bluej's son)

 

That was a neat little album that came out of nowhere-- everyone who heard "Yellow" loved it on first listen -and like in the LP days,it clocked in at something like forty minutes. Maybe Parachutes isn't "great" as that term is understood in these parts, but it was a nice, mellow listen--and Chris Martin and company weren't so full of themselves....

 

I was thinking in terms of his most successful album. But if we're talking best rather than most popular, my favorite is Darkness on the Edge of Town, so I guess the relevant album here is Born to Run. No doubt about it, that's an excellent album.

 

In fact, this one celebrates its 22nd anniversary today.

 

Getting ready to post that meself.

 

Actually, the thread wants to discuss "immediate pre-masterpiece" albums you prefer to the masterpiece.

So to count, you'd have to prefer "Rope" to "London Calling"...

 

Didn't Hotter Than July follow Songs in the Key of Life?

 

No. Stevie Wonder's Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants was.

 

Meh. Not much better. What happened???

 

Got it, so from my original list (copied below) I've put the ones I prefer in bold.

The Band: Big Pink--->Self titled
Eagles: One of these Nights--->Hotel California
Cheap Trick: In Color--->Heaven Tonight
Elvis Costello: This Year's Model--->Armed Forces
The Clash: Give 'em Enough Rope--->London Calling
Mott The Hoople: All The Young Dudes--->Mott
Billy Joel: Turnstiles--->The Stranger

 

I totally agree on these three - probably my favorite LP by each of them (with the possible exception of Wee Tam & The Big Huge from ISB)

 

I'll agree with the earlier post about Fear of Music > Remain in Light and add:

Miles Davis - Filles de Kilimanjaro


over In a Silent Way.

 

Oops, I totally missed that qualifier! I do prefer Absolutely Free to We're Only In It For The Money, but none of my other choices would apply at all!

 

Prog Edition

Van Der Graaf Generator - H to He, Who am the Only One
King Crimson - Starless & Bible Black (to the extent that people pick Red)
Genesis - Foxtrot
Soft Machine - II

 

Royal Scam by Steely Dan

 

Definitely not by me or by any of my friends that followed Metallica prior to "The
Bob-Rock-Album". As far as I'm concerned their magnum opus is Master of Puppets.