Greatest Classic Rock Studio Double-LP?

BLONDE ON BLONDE

Some stiff competition, Ron, but I had to go with "classic rock's" first two-disc long player from May 1966 which completes Dylan's famed trilogy starting with BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME (March 1965) and followed by HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED (August 1965).

With a track listing that includes as highlights Visions of Johanna, Sooner or Later One of Us Must Know, Memphis Blues Again, Just Like a Woman, Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine, Absolutely Sweet Marie, and Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands, this is one of the handful of double LPs in rock music that I could play from beginning to end without thinking "hmmm, this could've been a killer single album". And, moreover, there's that "thin, wild, mercury sound".

Jim W.

 

Aw man! I can't vote! There's too, too many great ones on that list, and more that weren't listed!

 

I gotta agree with leaving out CSNY 4-Way Street- but how bout Little Feat Waiting for Colombus, or even Frampton Comes Alive.


Jeez- All these wonderful choices- I can't decide- so I will take them all!!!!

In my 70's world- about the only seventies piece there that I don't listen to is the Stones, and maybe the River.

As for revolutionary piece for its time- I think the White Album may have the edge. As for staying power to today- boy thats a tough one!! I will still take em all.


Chris

 

Shame to vote for only one of those, but I went with Quadrophenia.

I must have at least 3 CDR backups of my original Polydor CD!!


Phil

 

I don't know if there is any double album I can sit and listen to all the way thru without wanting to skip a song or 2....The White Album's 4th side is a problem....The Wall kinda bogs down around "Bring The Boys Back Home".....Out of the Blue has a special place in my heart, just because it had a big impact on me....first concert I saw.....first "new" double album I bought....but some parts of it are a bit boring....

I might be leaning towards Electric Ladyland.

 

allman brothers "eat a peach" was not all atudio.

there are some live cuts on there.

renny

 

Lynyrd Skynyrd- One More From The Road should also be on the list IMO.

 

17 of 27

Out of these 27 double albums have I owned 17. Of these 17 are 7 on my 50 best ever album list not including Swedish records. These 7 are:

Beatles, Bob Dylan, Clash, ELO, Bruce Springsteen, Who (Quadrophenia) and Zeppelin.

No Pink Floyd? Well, even if I like The Wall, so is it too weak for me compared to Animals and Dark Side. No Stones? Same objection, there are better albums by them.

Going back to my list of The Magnificient 7, here they come in my rank:

7. Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
6. Beatles - White Album
5. ELO - Out Of The Blue
4. Bruce Springsteen - The River
3. Who - Quadrophenia
2. Clash - London Calling

and the winner is:

1. Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde

But, and a very big BUT, I have another double album ranked higher than all of these albums, which I would have give my vote, if that had been possible.

Kinks - Preservation Act 2 , an album including a lot of extremly good and unique songs, with Nobody Gives as the master piece.

 

There's some great double albums listed here. Most of them are on my all time favorites. I had to go with the "White Album" hell, I knew I was going to vote for that before I even seen the list. IIRC the "White Album" was probably the first double album that I owned.

 

This is truly an impossible poll, and depending on my mood at a given time I could probably name any one of about a dozen of these titles as my favorite. I guess you can add my name to the Exile camp; that album just gets better and better every time you hear it, and it boggles my mind that many people considered it a letdown when it first came out.

 

These are all live albums, and Ron said in his opening post (and the thread title) that live albums aren't eligible. Actually, Sex Machine, which IS listed, is half live, so technically it shouldn't be in the running either. JB did of course make some true studio double LPs (eg, Hell, Payback), but I don't think they're as good as the best albums listed in the poll.

My 4 favorites were London Calling, the White Album, Tusk, and Tommy; I voted for the latter for sentimental reasons, but on another day any of the other three might have gotten the nod...

 

Wow, it blows my mind that White Album is beating Exile. If you guys are on a desert island and you can only have one, you would pick the White Album over EOMS???

I love both bands but it isn't even an issue. One is a great album with some large filler, the other is the best album from the best R&R band with maybe one debatable filler track.

Kudos to London Calling and Blonde on Blonde (my second pick) but Exile is in a class by itself in my eyes.

Doug

 

More great doubles:

Todd Rundgren, Something/Anything?
XTC, English Settlement
Frank Zappa, Uncle Meat
Can, Tago Mago

Also, Tales Of Topographic Oceans was originally a *triple* album, and if you're including those, then there's no way you can overlook All Things Must Pass.

 

A few more excellent double LPs:


Canned Heat - "Living The Blues"
Eric Burdon & The Animals - "Love Is"


My choice of the titles listed is "The White Album" by The Beatles.





Ed Hurdle
HeavyDistortion

 

No, the LP version was a double album (Yessongs was a triple). Or are you saying that Topographic originally planned as 3 LPs and then whittled down to 2 for release?

 

Whoops, I stand corrected. You're right, I was confusing it with Yessongs.

 

Oh yeah, Tago Mago would've gotten my vote, but I'm glad I could vote for Exile.

 

I had to vote for the "White Album". IMHO, it's still the best.

 

I think if the voters were forced to listen to the entire double album from beginning to end (no skips), the results would be much different.

Like George Marting said, the White Album probably could have been the best single Beatles LP but as a double LP, it is filler fodder (I paraphrased)

Doug

 

White Album.

 

No more so than Exile. I think The Beatles has LESS filler than Exile. (Of course, I LIKE #9, so that may help the %)

 

Sure, the White Album has some filler but it's the BEST filler ever! They practically invented filler with the White LP. I think w/ the White Album the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts.....it's sprawling nature is one of it's asset's IMO.

Chris

 

The same could be said of, "Exile on Main Street."

 

In this CD era, I had forgotten that some of these were double albums.

This is really the most difficult poll question yet. But I voted for the White Album. It is the most jam packed roller-coaster ride ever. It was a little bit comedy, a tragedy, and a soap opera.

Josh