List Your Top 20 Albums, Of All Time, By 20 Different Artists

I had almost put Steppenwolf 7 on my list. Nice to see they got some love. Great list

 

Tough to pick only one per artist on some, but at the moment...

Peter Bernstein/New York: Tchaikovsky, Symphony #6 "Pathatique"
Pierre Boulez/Cleveland: Stravinsky, Le Sacre Du Printemps
James Brown, Live at the Apollo 1962
Clutch, Blast Tyrant
John Coltrane, Africa/Brass
Bill Evans, The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 (yeah, I'm cheating a bit on this one)
Herbie Hancock, Empyrean Isles
Son House, Original Delta Blues
Wynton Kelly Trio/Wes Montgomery, Smokin' at the Half Note
Charles Mingus, Black Saint & The Sinner Lady
Thelonious Monk, Monk's Music
Presidents of the United States of America, I
Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus
Rush, 2112
Santana, Santana
Wayne Shorter, Adam's Apple
Horace Silver, Song for My Father
McCoy Tyner, Inception
ZZ Top, Tres Hombres

 

This is the kind of thing I hoped would challenge me. To see the Beatles For Sale on your list is great. I wouldn't have done it myself, I applaud your choice. What songs are your faves on it? I love Mr. Moonlight and Everybody's Trying... No Reply , I'll Follow the Sun.

 

Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs - Derek & the Dominos
Exile on Main Street - The Rolling Stones
Low - David Bowie
Anodyne - Uncle Tupelo
Dusk at Cubist Castle - The Olivia Tremor Control
I Can Hear the Heart Beat as One - Yo La Tengo
Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles
Sunburst Finish - Be Bop Deluxe
The Garden - John Foxx
Vienna - Ultravox
Octopus - Gentle Giant
Rainbow Bridge - Jimi Hendrix
In Another Life - Anne Soldaat
All Quiet Noise on the Floor - Jason Falkner
Zen Arcade - Hüsker Dü
Propaganda - Sparks
Motivation Radio - Steve Hillage
Bitches Brew - Miles Davis
Last Night the Moon Came Dropping its Clothes in the Street - Jon Hassell
The Buried Life - Medicine

 

Here's my second 20

Cowboy Junkies - Open (2001)
Bob Marley - Natty Dread (1974)
Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space (1997)
Jerry Garcia & David Grisman - Shady Grove (1996)
Steeleye Span - Parcel of Rogues (1973)
Air - Moon Safari (1998)
Tito Puente - Top Percussion (1957)
Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters (1973)
Lee "Scratch" Perry - Jamaican E.T. (2002)
Lounge Lizards - No Pain for Cakes (1987)
King Crimson - Lizard (1970)
Oliver Nelson - Blues and the Abstract Truth (1961)
Thievery Corporation - The Temple of I & I (2017)
Mouth Music - Mo-Di (1993)
Hawkwind - Space Ritual (1973)
John Fahey - Live in Tasmania (1981)
SmoKing After - Impasse (2006)
Paris Combo - Motifs (2005)
Joni Mitchell - Hejira (1976)
Miles Davis - In A Silent Way (1969)

 

Love the Patto choice.
That first album of theirs is one of musics best kept secrets.
Glen

 

The Association - Insight Out
The Beatles - Love Songs
Blood, Sweat, and Tears - Child is Father to the Man
Bread - The Best of Bread
The Byrds - Ballad of Easy Rider

Chicago - Chicago III
The Doors - Strange Days
Eagles - Eagles
Harpers Bizarre - Feelin' Groovy
David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
John Lennon - Imagine
Joni Mitchell - Song to a Seagull
The Monkees - Headquarters
Linda Ronstadt - Hand Sown, Home Grown

Rotary Connection - Rotary Connection
Santana - Abraxas
Paul Simon - The Paul Simon Songbook
Spanky and Our Gang - Anything You Choose/Without Rhyme or Reason
Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill

 

Ah Marshall Crenshaw! Reilly love the Field Day album. Haven't heard the new remastered vinyl. I loveDylan's Love and Theft. The yrs from 97 thru 06 might be his best music period. Great list.

 

Plus they have one of the finest psych tunes of them all...

 

And one of the best garage rock tunes

 

Hawkwind got some love. Nice

 

Off the top of my head, without overthinking it:

The Beatles - The Beatles (The White Album)
Richard & Linda Thompson - Shoot Out The Lights
Squeeze - East Side Story
XTC - Skylarking
King Crimson - In The Court of the Crimson King

Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
Pixies - Doolittle
Elvis Costello - This Year's Model
Jellyfish - Spilt Milk
Jack Bruce - Songs For A Tailor

Big Star - #1 Record
Beck - Sea Change
John Hiatt - Slow Turning
Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic
Jethro Tull - Aqualung

Wilco - Being There
Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground (third album)
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Kip Hanrahan - Desire Develops An Edge

Can I put another good word for the Kip Hanrahan record? I have been listening to the album since I was 16 (I'm 50 now), and I am still enthralled by it. I feel like the album is unjustly ignored by the world. It's weird, arty, lusty, latin, and so many other things. And if that's not enough - it probably has the some of the best vocal performances that Jack Bruce has committed to tape.

Peace,
Tom

 

Love the Nez

 

The Stooges - Fun House
The Gun Club - Fire Of Love
The Dictators - Bloodbrothers
Bruce Springsteen - Darkness On The Edge Of Town
Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Jackson C. Frank - S/T
Radio Birdman - Radios Appear (Overseas Version)
AC/DC - Powerage
The Who - Who's Next
The Beatles - With The Beatles
Ramones - Ramones Leave Home
Beach Boys - Beach Boys Concert
Van Halen - Van Halen
Richard Thompson - Shoot Out The Lights

.....................

this homework is too hard.

 

Haven't heard the Kip Hanrahan album. But if it's got Jack Bruce singing on it, it must be good.

 

Old school AC/DC , the Stooges, can't go wrong. Don't think of it as work. Let it roll over you like a wave come a shore.

 

After the first few the numbering here is arbitrary:

1 LZIII
2 Bauhaus - In The Flat Field
3 Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
4 Beatles - Abbey Road
5 Who - Quadrophenia
6 My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
7 Kinks - Arthur
8 Wedding Present - Seamonsters
9 Screaming Trees - Uncle Anesthesia
10 Joni Mitchell - Blue
11 Cure - 17 Seconds
12 Kate Bush - The Dreaming
13 Clash - London Calling
14 Gary Numan - Pleasure Principal
15 Joy Division - Closer
16 Rush - 2112
17 Steely Dan - Gaucho
18 Destroyer - Kaputt
19 Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
20 Cars - s/t

 

BLONDIE Parallel Lines
CURVE Recovery
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES Scream
FALLING JOYS Wish List
THE CLOUDS Penny Century
ROXY MUSIC Roxy Music
DEVO Q: Are We Not Men?
MODELS Local And/or General
HUNTERS & COLLECTORS Hunters & Collectors
ROLLINS BAND The End Of Silence
DAVID BOWIE Scary Monsters
LUSH Split
BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB Take Them On, On Your Own
CONCRETE BLONDE Free
ANNA CALVI Anna Calvi
SMITHEREENS Especially For You
SONIC YOUTH Goo
KING CRIMSON In The Court Of The Crimson King
HOODOO GURUS Mars Needs Guitars
DEATH IN VEGAS Dead Elvis

 

nico-chelsea girl
brian eno-taking tiger mountain(by strategy)
the kinks-muswell hillbillies
the notwist-neon golden
lucinda williams-car wheels on a gravel road
the flamin' groovies-shake some action
david bowie-lodger
neil young-after the gold rush
iggy and the stooges-raw power
lou reed-street hassle
crazy horse-crazy horse
john cale-helen of troy
todd rundgren-something/anything
the velvet underground-live 1969
the fall-levitate(double cd with live stuff)
pete townshend/ronnie lane-rough mix
the rolling stones-sticky fingers
mark hollis-mark hollis
the byrds-sweetheart of the rodeo
bryan ferry-let's stick together

 

Sea Of Tears - Eilen Jewell
The Nashville Sound - Jason Isbell
Black & White - Tony Joe White
In The Wee Small Hours - Frank Sinatra
Mirrors - Peggy Lee
What’s Going On - Marvin Gaye
Innervisons - Stevie Wonder
On The Blue Side - Lena Horne
Mose Allison Sings - Mose Allison
There Goes Rhymin’ Simon - Paul Simon
Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac
Blow By Blow - Jeff Beck
Sometime Tuesday Morning - Johnny A
Human Wheels - John Mellencamp
Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
Can’t Buy A Thrill - Steely Dan
Willie And The Poor Boys - CCR
I Can Tell - John Hammond
Ghost Writer - Garland Jeffreys
The Delta Sweete - Bobbie Gentry

 

The Band-The Band... aka the brown album
Dylan-Blonde On Blonde
Van Morrison-St. Dominics Preview
Neil Young-Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Gordon Lightfoot-Don Quixote
Nick Drake-Bryter Layter
Richard & Linda Thompson-Pour Down Like Silver
Derek and The Dominoes-Layla
Dave Mason-Alone Together
Mark Knopfler-Sailing To Philadelphia
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings-Revival
The Allman Brothers Band-At Fillmore East
The Rolling Stones-Exile On Main Street
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils-A&M debut, aka The Quilt Album
The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads
Rod Stewart-Never A Dull Moment
The Beatles-Rubber Soul,US
Al Green Gets Next To You
J.D. Crowe and The New South
Norman Blake-At Home In Sulphur Springs

 

Man I love your list. I don’t know the incredible string band but am gonna check them out because of you.

 

I love the entire record but both No Reply and Eight Days a Week are both very special to me. No Reply in particular is an all-time favorite. Desperate, passionate lyrics all wrapped up in a pop song from the 60s. From a music perspective. also love the use of the F6 and Fmaj7 chords, both personal favorites. There have been entire threads here about No Reply.

 

In random order:
1. Änglagård – Hybris
2. After Crying – Megalázottak és megszomorítottak
3. Caravan – In The Land Of Grey And Pink
4. Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso – Io Sono Nato Libero
5. Premiata Forneria Marconi – Per Un Amico
6. Chick Corea – My Spanish Heart
7. Don Cherry – Mu
8. Joe Henderson – Power To The People
9. Regina Spektor – Begin To Hope
10. Dewey Redman – The Ear of Behearer
11. Gentle Giant – Octopus
12. Hannibal Marvin Peterson – Children of the Fire
13. Horace Silver – Blowin’ The Blues Away
14. Jackie McLean – Demon’s Dance
15. Milla – Divine Comedy
16. Khan – Space Shanty
17. Lee Morgan – Expoobident
18. McCoy Tyner – Sahara
19. John Surman – Morning Glory
20. Pharaoh Sanders – Jewels Of Thought

 

This was very tough to whittle down to only 20 . In alphabetical order by artist:

Beatles - Abbey Road
Mary Black - No Frontiers
Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer - Tanglewood Tree
Rosanne Cash - Seven Year Ache
Slaid Cleaves - Broke Down
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
Everything But The Girl - Idlewild
Nanci Griffith - Other Voices, Other Rooms
Loggins & Messina - Sittin' In
Paul McCartney - Band On The Run
Michael McNevin - Sketch
Joni Mitchell - Wild Things Run Fast
Pousette-Dart Band - Amnesia
Carly Simon - Boys In The Trees
Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Paul Simon - Graceland
Steely Dan - Aja
James Taylor - Sweet Baby James
Traffic - The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys
Who - Quadrophenia