Top Album Of All Time Poll.

1 Tim Buckley – Starsailor
2 Nick Drake – Pink Moon
3 Joni Mitchell – Hejira
4 Nick Drake – Bryter Layter
5 Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left
6 The Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo
7 R.E.M. – Fables of the Reconstruction
8 Pink Floyd – Piper at the gates of dawn
9 Fairport Convention – Unhalfbricking
10 Tim Buckley – Blue Afternoon
11 Joni Mitchell – For the Roses
12 Richard & Linda Thompson – Pour Down Like Silver
13 The Byrds – (Untitled)
14 Roy Harper – Stormcock
15 Nina Simone – Wild is the wind
16 Joni Mitchell – The Hissing of Summer lawns
17 Nina Simone – Pastel Blues
18 Bill Callahan – Apocalypse
19 Smog – Red Apple Falls
20 Tim Buckley – Happy Sad

 

The Clash -- London Calling
Bruce Springsteen -- Darkness on the Edge of Town
Guided By Voices -- Under the Bushes Under the Stars
R.E.M. -- Murmur
Radiohead -- OK Computer

Pavement -- Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
Rolling Stones -- Exile on Main Street
Stevie Wonder -- Innervisions
Big Star -- No. 1 Record
Bob Dylan -- Oh Mercy

Stooges -- Fun House
Dukes of Stratosphear -- Psonic Psunspot
Feelies -- Only Life
Television -- Marquee Moon
The Who -- Who's Next

Derek and the Dominos -- Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
Replacements -- Let It Be
Sex Pistols -- Never Mind the Bollocks
Yes -- Close to the Edge
Beatles -- Abbey Road

 

In The Wee Small Hours - Sinatra
the ROCK world has already pretty much been covered as usual.

 

Like most people, this could be drastically different in a few days. Everything on the list is old--1. Because I'm old, 2. Because I have to live with something for a while before it breaks your into any sort of top 20. There are far too many albums I was nuts about when they were first released that have since been traded in, given away, or put into storage for disposal at some point. I put no stock on influence or critical acclaim, since those qualities have no bearing on my enjoyment. The albums are in alphabetical order

Art Ensemble Of Chicago- People In Sorrow
Black Sabbath- Sabotage
James Brown - Make It Funky - The Big Payback 1971-1975
Jerry Butler - The Iceman Cometh
Pablo Casals - Suiten Fur Violoncello Solo
John Coltrane - Meditations
Dadawah - Peace and Love
Miles Davis - Get Up With It
Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch
Lic Ferarri- Presque Rien I/Societe II
Keith Hudson- Playing It Cool & Playing It Right
Fela Kuti & Afrika 70 - Zombie
LaSalle String Quartet- Neue Wiener Schule: Die Streichquartet (Werbern/Berg/Schoenberg/George)
Gygori Ligeti - Clear Or Coudy: The Complete Recordings On Deutsche
Charles Mingus- The Great Concert Of Charles Mingus
Schlippenbach Trio - Swinging The Bim
Sly & the Family Stone - There's Riot Going On
Stooges - Raw Power
Horace Tapscott- The Dark Tree I & II
Detmar Wiesner/Markus Hinterhauser/Robyn Schulkowski - Crippled Symmetry (Feldman)

 

In no order, and, to be clear, per the OP's directions, these are my favorites, not what I consider to be the best.

Genesis: Selling England by the Pound
Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Neil Young: On the Beach
Neil Young: Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here
King Crimson: Red
King Crimson: Larks' Tongues in Aspic
Traffic: The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys
Led Zeppelin: IV
Led Zeppelin II
The Who: Who's Next
David Bowie: Aladdin Sane
David Bowie: Low
Jethro Tull: Benefit
Steely Dan: Aja
Peter Gabriel: III
Richard And Linda Thompson: I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
Wilco: Sky Blue Sky
Porcupine Tree: Deadwing
Spoon: Gimme Fiction

 

Feldman FELDMAN. .that's an unbelievable coincidence.....! Thirty minutes ago I was about to put the opera for a single soprano 'Neither' on my list but I've never found a recording that matched the live performance I saw of it ten years ago.

 

King Crimson - Red
Kate Bush - The Dreaming
Aimee Mann - Bachelor No. 2
Joni Mitchell - Hejira
Peter Gabriel - Security
XTC - Black Sea
Van Der Graaf Generator - Still Life
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Brian Eno - Another Green World
Talking Heads - Remain In Light
Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden
Simple Minds - New Gold Dream
Steely Dan - Aja
Roxy Music -Siren
Pretenders - Pretenders
The Police - Reggatta De Blanc
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Keith Jarrett - The Koln Concert
Wayne Shorter - JuJu

 

I've had serious flings with seven or eight of your choices but just two are on my list oddly

 

1. The Beatles - White Album
2. The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street
3. The Who - Tommy
4. The Clash - London Calling
5. Kiss - Alive!

 

Steely Dan - Aja
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Edd Kalehoff - The Price Is Right
Claude Lombard - Claude Lombard
The Millennium - Begin
Arthur Verocai - Arthur Verocai
Todd Rundgren - A Wizard, A True Star
Michael Jackson - Thriller
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Carole King - Rhymes & Reasons
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
Saturday Night Fever
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
Love - Forever Changes
Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns
The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society
The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica
Jose Jose - Buscando Una Sonrisa
Donald Fagen - The Nightfly

 

Sorry, but as I was about to start typing, I realised that only one album I like would get in the final poll, and that no albums I like had any chance of getting any where near the top album of all time. The amount of time working up the list of 20 suddenly felt kind of futile in that moment. My dissenting post 6 or 7 posts in? At least I got it out of the way early for you. . And I liked and enjoyed what you had to say on the subject of making this poll.

So rather than succumb further to personal cynicism, I propose my solo album with an eye on it deservedly winning.

1. The Velvet Underground & Nico.

 

Annette has entered my audio life recently, but I haven't moved back far enough to get into X-dreams yet. Great to see her mentioned.

 

I don't see a difference.. Would you mind to explain?

 

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Bobby Bland - Two Steps from the Blues
Oliver Nelson - Afro-American Sketches
Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby
Duke Ellington/Charles Mingus/Max Roach - Money Jungle
Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
John Mayall - Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton
Beatles - Revolver
Aretha Franklin - Lady Soul
B.B. King - Indianola Mississippi Seeds
Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
Patti Smith - Horses
Prince - Purple Rain
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Beach House - Teen Dream
Frank Ocean - Blonde

 

1. Blood on the tracks, Dylan
2. Every Picture Tells a Story, Rod Stewart
3. Blonde on Blonde, Dylan
4. Some Girls, Rolling Stones
5. Highway 61, Dylan
6. Rubber Soul, Beatles
7. Sticky Fingers, Stones
8. Electric Warrior, T.Rex
9. Exodus, Bob Marley
10. Pet Sounds, Beach Boys
11. Innervisions, Stevie Wonder
12. What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
13. Never A Dull Moment, Rod Stewart
14. Astral Weeks, Van Morrison
15. Damn the Torpedos, Tom Petty
16. London Calling. The Clash
17. Let it Bleed, Rolling Stones
18. Live at Harlem Square, Sam Cooke
19. No Guru No Method No Teacher, Van Morrison
20. Time Out Of Mind, Dylan

 

Simple example: I think most people would include Sgt. Peppers in any list of the greatest albums of all time, and It would make my list of the best as well. While I like it a lot, it doesn't make my list of favorites. I acknowledge its greatness, but it isn't a personal favorite of mine.

 

1. Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory? (1995)
2. GZA - Liquid Swords (1995)
3. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
4. Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967)
5. The Who - Who's Next
6. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
7. Love - Forever Changes
8. Kris Kristofferson – Kristofferson (1970)
9. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
10. The Doors - The Doors (1967)
11. David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
12. Dr. Dre - The Chronic
13. Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel
14. Scott Walker - Scott 3
15. Nick Drake - Bryter Layter
16. The Beatles - Rubber Soul
17. Bob Dylan & the Band - The Basement Tapes
18. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
19. Beck - Sea Change
20. Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water

 

I don't agree with the distinction, sorry OP and sorry poster. Personal taste is the only judgement that carries any weight..

 

Gotcha, thanks!

 

Of course it's about a personal point of view, but there's a big difference between best and favorite. Babe Ruth is the best baseball player of all time (IMO). Ryne Sandburg is my favorite baseball player of all time.

 

That example was a bit lost on me, but I get your point that in competitive sports there is a distinction. What I disagree with is that anyone genuinely thinks, I can't really stand "Exile on main street" but I can understand why many people might consider it a masterpiece. That seems schizophrenic to me. Surely having an open mind is all well and good but any single one of us is in the best position to decide with sufficient faith in our own ears, which 20 albums we would fight a corner for without having to second guess the mass taste.

 

Not to me. Perfect example btw. Another one: I can't stand to listen to Springsteen, but I acknowledge his greatness. Pet Songs would be another one for me.

 

I'll add my own example to the idea of greatest album versus favorite. Led Zeppelin IV is generally considered that group's crowning work, and while I understand why, I'd rather listen to Houses of the Holy.

And for those who think Physical Graffiti is Zep's greatest album, my example still holds.

 

Elton John-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Stevie Wonder-Songs in the Key of Life
James Taylor-Greatest Hits
Supetramp-Breakfast in America
The Zombies-Odessey & Oracle
Billy Joel-52nd Street
Boz Scaggs-Silk Degrees
Billy Joel-The Stranger
The Beatles-With the Beatles
Michael Jackson-Thriller

 

The poll is much better when everyone chooses their favourite, rather than an abstract 'best'. It seems a few more people can get their heads round the distinction than not, so the OP knew what he was doing