I often think about stellar albums. The ones where they’re really isn’t a skip-able track. Off the top of my head, these come to mind: The Beach Boys Pet Sounds, Collective Soul Collective Soul (blue album), Bush 16 Stone, and Green Day Dookie. What are some of your perfect albums?
Reading through these posts I’m totally blown away by the diversity of some of the posters’ selections. Also…a LOT of albums I need to check out!!
I’m late to the party but couldn’t miss putting Daily Bread’s album Invisible Cinema in the thread
- The Hotelier - Home, Like Noplace Is There
- Fugazi - The Argument
- Slint - Spiderland
- American Football - LP1
- toe - The Book About My Idle Plot On A Vague Anxiety
- The Cure - Disintegration
- TTNG - Animals
- Sunny Day Real Estate - How It Feels to Be Something On
- At The Drive-in - Relationship of Command
- Brand New - The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me
For more mainstream music, I have to put forward “By the Way” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and “Demon Days” by the Gorillaz. For a slightly deeper cut, “The Protomen” (a.k.a. “Act I”) and “Act II: The Father of Death” by the Protomen. I usually jump through shuffled music or skip songs, but these albums are all ones that I can listen to straight through.
Nirvana - Nevermind
Tool - Aenima
Sky Cries Mary - A Return to the Inner Experience
Dead Can Dance - Spirit chaser
Depeche Mode - Violator
Faith No More - The Real Thing.
Ok, now that more people have posted long lists, I don’t feel so bad about mine ;)
- Arcade Fire – Funeral
- Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
- At The Drive-In – Relationship of Command (also their EPs Vaya and In/Casino/Out)
- Kae Tempest – Let Them Eat Chaos
- Mercury Rev – Deserter’s Songs
- My Morning Jacket – Z
- Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
- Radiohead – OK Computer
- Radiohead – In Rainbows
- The Decemberists – Picaresque
- The Diggs – Commute
- The Dismemberment Plan – Emergency & I
- The Libertines – s/t
- The Mars Volta – Deloused in the Comatorium
- The Notwist – Shrink
- Tokyo Police Club – A Lesson in Crime (just a fantastic debut; barely an album though)
German:
- Deichkind – Niveau Weshalb Warum
Some may be an acquired taste (PSB?, also I know that The Libertines’ is not everyone’s favorite – but it’s mine :). The Arcade Fire, even though I don’t listen to them these days that much, is decade-defining for me, as is Radiohead’s OK Computer (together with Nevermind, although for some reason it didn’t make this list).
Blackwater Park - Opeth
Discovery by Daft Punk is a no skip for me. Also food and liquor by lupe fiasco.
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“Gorillaz - Demon Days” It is like a story unfolding, where they really have fun with the music, and effortlessly meld through different genres.
A few that I don’t see mentioned …
- Carol King - Tapestry
- Pearl Jam - Yield
- Van Morrison - Moondance
- Fountains of Wayne - self titled
A New World Record by ELO.
Pearl Jam’s Ten for me
A few of my favorite classics:
- Marillion - Misplaced Childhood
- Opeth - Blackwater Park
- Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
- Yes - Close To The Edge
- Supertramp - Crime of the Century
- Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky
- Genesis - Duke
- Nektar - Remember The Future
- Camel - Moonmadness
And for newer stuff, I’d go with Anno Domini High Definition by Riverside and English Electric by Big Big Train
Not Breakfast in America?
Breakfast in America is a very good album, but I think Crime of the Century has the stronger songs (Bloody Well Right, Asylum, Rudy, title track) and better concept (even though it isn’t a concept album)





