Two crucial albums for appreciating a band

Steely Dan-The Royal Scam, Aja

The Beatles-Revolver, Abbey Road

 

Elvis Costello and the Attractions
This Year's Model
Imperial Bedroom

Ryan Adams (and the Cardinals)
Heartbreaker
Gold Roses

The National
High Violet
Boxer

 

This is very helpful to me. I just got into Siouxsie & The Banshees, and I am wondering how to work through their catalog.

 

Two crucial albums for appreciating The Band

Music From The Big Pink
The Band

 

The Beach Boys- Today, Surf’s Up
The Velvet Underground- S/T, Loaded
The Band- Big Pink, S/T
The Rolling Stones- Aftermath, Some Girls
The Who- Tommy, Who’s Next
Led Zeppelin- I, Physical Graffiti
Yes- Fragile, 90125
King Crimson- Court, Red

I was torn between White Light/White Heat and S/T but went with S/T as it gives a broader picture of the VU’s capabilities.

 

I know it wasn't a stipulation of the op but I will impose on mine that they be back to back classics.

Radiohead - OK Computer & Kid A

Faith No More - The Real Thing & Angel Dust

Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin & Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

Ministry - The Land of Rape and Honey & The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste

 

I wouldn't introduce people to these albums when first exploring the bands, but they showcase their sounds the best.
The Beatles:
With the Beatles - Shows what they were like in the early days the best with the pop but strong rock and fast-paced playing of their early records and live performances.
The Beatles - A wide range showcasing what The Beatles were over the years (even if it's never really close to an exactly replicated sound) and the large amount of musical styles they played, including a hint at the psychedelia (Long, Long, Long), the mature songs and ballads (Julia, I Will), the heavier rock songs (Helter Skelter, Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except For Me and My Monkey), the experimental (Revolution 9) etc.
The Doors:
The Doors - Showcases the psychedelic (End of the Night), the epic (The End), the rocky (Break on Through, Take It As It Comes) and the poetic (The Crystal Ship) side of The Doors.
Morrison Hotel - Showcases the much more rocky, commercial and bluesy side of The Doors which was a big part of them.
Pink Floyd:
A Saucerful of Secrets - It has the psychedelia, mind-expanding (and blowing) side of them with the long instrumentals (A Saucerful of Secrets), humour (Corporal Clegg) and the poppy side (Corporal Clegg).
Wish You Were Here - Has the sound and band oriented music side where they became huge.
ABBA:
Waterloo - Shows what they were like in the early days.
Super Trouper - Shows what the became when they were at their biggest.
Bob Marley (& the Wailers):
Catch a Fire - Shows The Wailers era of Bob Marley's discography and has very noticeable playing by the band.
Rastman Vibrations - Shows the political Bob Marley and the I3 side of his discography without The Wailers.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin II - The minor psychedelia (Whole Lotta Love), heavy rock (Heartbreaker), long vocal and guitar centered songs with Plant yearning for love (The Lemon Song) and the pop/rock side (She's Just a Woman).
Physical Graffiti - Idk, I haven't heard it yet but being a double album I'm sure it showcases the band's sounds well.
Dr. Dre
The Chronic - Kinda cheating since he only had 3 albums, but whatever. The g-funk era that he created with his strong production, groovy melodies and hard hitting raps along with his entourages of the time.
2001 - The newer production and sound of the late 90's with his entourages and more serious tone of the time.

 

Elvis Costello - This Year’s Model; Get Happy!! (EC’s best album/EC’s fun album)

The Clash - The Clash; London Calling

The Ramones - The Ramones; Rocket to Russia

The Beatles - A Hard Day’s Night; Revolver (The peak of Beatlemania/their artistic peak)

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue; Sketches of Spain (THE must own jazz album/ a beautiful masterpiece)

John Coltrane - Giant Steps; A Love Supreme (Coltrane’s breakthrough album/Coltrane’s masterpiece)

Buddy Holly - Chirping Crickets/Buddy Holly (Holly only recorded 3 LPs while alive - these two are his legacy)

Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley/From Elvis in Memphis reissue (Elvis was tough - I chose Elvis Presley over The Sun Sessions because it was his breakthrough album and has “Blue Suede Shoes” on it. In Memphis is his comeback album - the reissued version includes the great singles “Kentucky Rain” and “Suspicious Minds”)

 

Not even close.

 

It was where i came from
You could say Hot rats and one size fits all

 

R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant and Automatic for the People

Bob Dylan - HW 61 and BOB

Run DMC - S/T and Raising Hell

Live - Mental Jewelry and Distance To Here

Elton John - tumbleweed connection and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Chopin - Nocturnes and Preludes

Beethoven - Sonatas and Symphonies

 

Eberhard Weber: The Colours of Chloe and Silent Feet
Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow and Volunteers
Talk Talk: The Colour of Spring and Laughing Stock
Weather Report: Mysterious Traveller and Heavy Weather
David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and Low

And if we're doing classical music:

Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta and Concerto for Orchestra
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring and Agon
Alban Berg: Wozzeck and Violin Concerto
Charles Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2 ("Concord" Sonata) and Symphony No. 3
Debussy: The two books of Preludes for piano and La mer
Morton Feldman: Rothko Chapel and Piano and String Quartet

 

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures and Closer

 

King Crimson -
"In The Court Of The Crimson King" LP
"Larks' Tongues In Aspic" LP

 

Be Bop Deluxe - Futurama - 1975



and Sunburst Finish - 1976 -



Played and then practiced and then played and practiced and played and then practiced until my fingers literally bled... but it was worth it...

Doesn't really take off until the 1:56 mark -

 

arctic monkeys - whatever people say i am, that's what i'm not & humbug.

 

The Blossom Toes - We Are Ever So Clean
The Blossom Toes - If Only For A Moment

 

PJ Harvey - Rid of Me and Let England Shake

 

bathory- s/t
bathory - return of darkness and evil
bathory - under the sign of the black mark

three albums which started a whole generation of copycats, and set the standard of a specific tone / sound,...still heard today.

one of the most influential artists of my generation. most wont like it, or deem it noise. but for those of us who completely hold bathory close to our hearts, the man was a genius.

his next 3 albums were influential to viking / nordland style of metal picked up by even more copycat followers.

the man helped change music for so many people.


much like Paul Samson did with the NWOBHM - he arguably was the first ! rightly so, his guitar playing is superb !

 

The Clash - "Give 'em Enough Rope" and "London Calling"...

 

Blackmore's Night - Shadow Of The Moon + Under A Violet Moon
That's their first two albums, yet very different. One acoustic and drumless, the other more of a band album, both stellar.

 

So which ones are the two you pick?

 

Manfred Mann
The Roaring Silence
Watch

Johnny Winter
Second Winter
Live Johnny Winter And

 

they go in as a trio !


ok ok ok.... the first 2 then.

mercyful fate - nuns have no fun, melissa

venom welcome to hell, black metal

 

Grateful Dead: Live/Dead & American Beauty

Allman Brothers Band: At Fillmore East & Hittin' The Note