Essential Studio Albums

[Happy Trees]

The lyrics to "Oh No" are pretty telling. It was Zappa's immediate response to "All You Need Is Love".

As a Zappa fan, John Lennon didn't seem to mind. But it's just as likely that he didn't notice, unless stealing the writing credit for "King Kong" on Sometime In NYC was payback.

Oh no, I don't believe it
You say that you think you know the meaning of love
You say love is all we need
You say with your love you can change
All of the fools, all of the hate
I think you're probably out to lunch

Oh no, I don't believe it
You say that you think you know the meaning of love
Do you really think it can be told?
You say that you really know
I think you should check it again
How can you say what you believe
Will be the key to a world of love?

All your love will it save me?
All your love will it save the world
From what we can't understand?
Oh no, I don't believe it

And in your dreams
You can see yourself as a prophet saving the world
The words from your lips
I just can't believe you are such a fool

[wease]

The lyrics to "Oh No" are pretty telling. It was Zappa's immediate response to "All You Need Is Love".

As a Zappa fan, John Lennon didn't seem to mind. But it's just as likely that he didn't notice, unless stealing the writing credit for "King Kong" on Sometime In NYC was payback.

Oh no, I don't believe it
You say that you think you know the meaning of love
You say love is all we need
You say with your love you can change
All of the fools, all of the hate
I think you're probably out to lunch

Oh no, I don't believe it
You say that you think you know the meaning of love
Do you really think it can be told?
You say that you really know
I think you should check it again
How can you say what you believe
Will be the key to a world of love?

All your love will it save me?
All your love will it save the world
From what we can't understand?
Oh no, I don't believe it

And in your dreams
You can see yourself as a prophet saving the world
The words from your lips
I just can't believe you are such a fool

Interesting. Steely Dan had a response song to Imagine

Only A Fool Would Say That

A world become one of salads and sun
Only a fool would say that
A boy with a plan, a natural man
Wearing a white Stetson hat

Unhand that gun begone
There's no one to fire upon
If he's holding it high
He's telling a lie

I heard it was you
Talking 'bout a world where all is free
It just couldn't be
And only a fool would say that

The man in the street dragging his feet
Don't wanna hear the bad news
Imagine your face there is his place
Standing inside his brown shoes

You do his nine to five
Drag yourself home half alive
And there on the screen
A man with a dream

I heard it was you
Talking 'bout a world where all is free
It just couldn't be
And only a fool would say that

Anybody on the street
Has murder in his eyes
You feel no pain
And you're younger than you realize
Only a fool would say that
Only a fool

I heard it was you
Talking 'bout a world where all is free
It just couldn't be
And only a fool would say that

Only a fool would say that
Only a fool would say that

[Happy Trees]

Interesting. Steely Dan had a response song to Imagine

Only A Fool Would Say That

Yes! That's a good one.

[Sloppy Dupree]

For the Zeppelin fans out there… what’s the one Zeppelin album you would call essential? I really can’t decide between IV, II, and Physical Graffiti. But even III could be in the conversation.

[VinylGuy]

For the Zeppelin fans out there… what’s the one Zeppelin album you would call essential? I really can’t decide between IV, II, and Physical Graffiti. But even III could be in the conversation.

Presence is up there for sure

[tragabigzanda]

[Happy Trees]

Come on you fucks.

It's like picking your favorite orgasm.

[McParadigm]

I love Zep and orgasms, but I wouldn’t call any of them essential.

[liebzz]

We’ll get there eventually. My general answer before that though is all of them are essential except In Through the Out Door, but the best is tough - depends on my mood.

[liebzz]

The Rolling Stones - Between the Buttons

This one comes after the highly successful Aftermath, and historically I have always held this one in high regard, even if on this listen I might have gotten a little less out of it. There’s Yesterday’s Papers and Cool Calm and Collected that show off a bit of their psychedelic side, not realized fully until the next album. There’s also a whole lot of real high highs here: Let’s Spend the Night Together, Connection, Complicated and Miss Amanda Jones are all top notch. The rest is good but not anything you’d throw on a playlist. Those four songs though are really monsters and some of my favorite individual tracks at least from before their album era really gets violin’ in ‘68.

The Essential Track: Complicated

Up Next: The Who - Sell Out

[Happy Trees]

We’ll get there eventually. My general answer before that though is all of them are essential except In Through the Out Door, but the best is tough - depends on my mood.

Or the orifice.

[liebzz]

The Who Sell Out

On their third album, the album is held together through the concept of a radio show, complete with mocked up ads the band clearly had fun imagining. This album has a sense of humor even though it includes a few big tracks, plus a few experiments - a grab bag of Who sounds that live in the past and present, and a wink and a nod to what’s coming (I’m looking at you Rael 1, which transitions at the end into the Sparks riff). Armenia City in the Sky and Relax show new sides of the band while Mary Ann With the Shaky Hand is vintage early Who. Tattoo is another highlight track here. The winner of course is I Can See For Miles, which can seem like the blueprint for every modern era Pearl Jam single sometimes, but is a beast all its own of the power in The Who’s muscular nature. Great album, of course.

The Essential Track: I Can See For Miles

Up Next: The Beach Boys - Wild Honey

[liebzz]

The Beach Boys - Wild Honey

This album seems to suffer from being juxtaposed against Pet Sounds, a singular masterpiece of pop music through the sort of kaleidoscopic soundscape it creates underneath the catchy tunes. This one almost feels like the stripped down 70s rock to come in comparison, but it astonishingly succeeds much more than I anticipated. For The Beach Boys, a song like I’d Love Just Once To See You is scandalous. Mama Says is a fascinating stripped down to vocals workout. Here Comes the Night is excellent. The title track that sets the tone for this is the winner for me though, on what to me is nearly as rewarding as its predecessor.

The Essential Track: Wild Honey

Up Next: The Beatles - The Magical Mystery Tour

[liebzz]

The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour

This is admittedly the first Beatles album I listened to front to back. The second half is full of all time classics, while the first half is a bit less focused. The title track’s energy is immediately brought down to The Fool on the Hill. Blue Jay Way is pretty great. Things pick up with I Am the Walrus sonically, Strawberry Fields Forever has always been among my favorites as cliche as that may be. Penny Lane is always a welcome listen, and it all wraps up with the over the top statement in All You Need Is Love, one of those anthems everyone has heard in some fashion.

The Essential Track: Strawberry Fields Forever

Up Next: Arlo Guthrie - Alice’s Restaurant

[Happy Trees]

The Beach Boys - Wild Honey

This album seems to suffer from being juxtaposed against Pet Sounds, a singular masterpiece of pop music through the sort of kaleidoscopic soundscape it creates underneath the catchy tunes. This one almost feels like the stripped down 70s rock to come in comparison, but it astonishingly succeeds much more than I anticipated. For The Beach Boys, a song like I’d Love Just Once To See You is scandalous. Mama Says is a fascinating stripped down to vocals workout. Here Comes the Night is excellent. The title track that sets the tone for this is the winner for me though, on what to me is nearly as rewarding as its predecessor.

The stereo remix on "Sunshine Tomorrow" is just as revealing as the Pet Sounds remix. The fidelity is majorly improved, and it's much easier to enjoy and appreciate.

There is also an album in between this and Pet Sounds. It's called Smiley Smile. It's a huge downer if you're a Smile fan, but it also received a great remix.

[tragabigzanda]

[Happy Trees]

This is admittedly the first Beatles album I listened to front to back. The second half is full of all time classics, while the first half is a bit less focused.

That's because the first half was a double EP soundtrack for the TV film and the second half was all non-LP singles.

It was an American compilation album.

When EP's were discontinued in the 70's, the Brits conceded and it became a standard album everywhere - the only American album to receive that rarely-acknowledged "honor".

[Kevin Davis]

The Who Sell Out

On their third album, the album is held together through the concept of a radio show, complete with mocked up ads the band clearly had fun imagining. This album has a sense of humor even though it includes a few big tracks, plus a few experiments - a grab bag of Who sounds that live in the past and present, and a wink and a nod to what’s coming (I’m looking at you Rael 1, which transitions at the end into the Sparks riff). Armenia City in the Sky and Relax show new sides of the band while Mary Ann With the Shaky Hand is vintage early Who. Tattoo is another highlight track here. The winner of course is I Can See For Miles, which can seem like the blueprint for every modern era Pearl Jam single sometimes, but is a beast all its own of the power in The Who’s muscular nature. Great album, of course.

This is my favorite Who record. If asked to pick a favorite Who song, "Our Love Was" would quite likely be it.

I'm totally with whoever said early Who is the best Who. I return to that so much more often than I return to the rock opera/arena-era stuff.

Same with the Stones, honestly. I like Sticky Fingers, Exile, etc., but I listen to the 60's albums way more.

[Kevin Davis]

This is admittedly the first Beatles album I listened to front to back. The second half is full of all time classics, while the first half is a bit less focused.

That's because the first half was a double EP soundtrack for the TV film and the second half was all non-LP singles.

It was an American compilation album.

When EP's were discontinued in the 70's, the Brits conceded and it became a standard album everywhere - the only American album to receive that rarely-acknowledged "honor".

I wonder why the Hey Jude album wasn't canonized the same way -- maybe because there were a few tracks on there that were repeated from previous UK releases? Or because the singles were spread out over a couple different eras, as opposed to MMT which all hung in that '66-'67 timeframe? Regardless, I always liked it.

[Happy Trees]

I wonder why the Hey Jude album wasn't canonized the same way -- maybe because there were a few tracks on there that were repeated from previous UK releases? Or because the singles were spread out over a couple different eras, as opposed to MMT which all hung in that '66-'67 timeframe? Regardless, I always liked it.

Yeah, the songs from A Hard Day's Night were already on an album everywhere else (and also the US soundtrack album)!

They could have used The Inner Light and I'm Down instead, which ultimately never wound up on a standard US or UK album.

So it's daft as a whole and it doesn't have the period-specific relevance that MTT did.