Essential Studio Albums

[wease]

All I Want Is You is my favorite of all the U2 songs

[liebzz]

All I Want Is You is my favorite of all the U2 songs

There’s probably 3-4 songs on here that are real all-timers here that depending on the day are what you are here for or alternatively hidden in the mess of an album that U2 failed to fully materialize. They easily could have made this a great live album, or an excellent studio album - but instead tried to make it everything.

[Kalevi]

Releasing only the new studio songs would be a great album but I've always loved Rattle and Hum the way it is. The hodgepodge creates a beautiful mess. Perfect imperfection. Top 3 u2 album

[liebzz]

Guns N’ Roses - GN’R Lies

This is another album that’s a bit of a mess, largely since it is their debut EP, Live Like a Suicide (which isn’t actually live), on side 1, with a collection of acoustic based songs on side 2. On side 1, they show off some of what would make them a force on Appetite, though it’s not nearly as impressive. For the stripped down side, GNR shows us that even in that format, they see a line and simply cross over without much concern - outside of the stunning Patience, the songs are abrasive and offensive in typical GNR late 80s fashion - the kind of stuff you don’t play anywhere in earshot of your parents or kids. The final impression here is of a band that could blow apart at any moment, and in a few years they would. I’d likely take this mess over U2’s, but I also might not blast this album in the wrong places. But we did get Patience and a good cover of Aerosmith’s Mama Kin.

The Essential Track: Patience

Up Next: R.E.M. - Green

[liebzz]

R.E.M. - Green

To this point, including this album, R.EM. had an undefeated decade of greatness. While this could very well be the least of these albums, it still shines with their most overt efforts at a bigger rock sound while still engaging with plenty of delicate sounds to avoid the sort of one note sound that I walked into this album thinking I was getting - frankly Pop Song 89, Get Up, and Orange Crush have always dominated my listens to this album so that’s what I expect. Going back again, World Leader Pretend, Turn You Inside-Out, You Are the Everything, the hit Stand, Hairshirt - all these have other elements to contribute to a better album than I remember.

The Essential Track: Orange Crush

Up Next: The Feelies - Only Life

[wease]

Guns N’ Roses - GN’R Lies

This is another album that’s a bit of a mess, largely since it is their debut EP, Live Like a Suicide (which isn’t actually live), on side 1, with a collection of acoustic based songs on side 2. On side 1, they show off some of what would make them a force on Appetite, though it’s not nearly as impressive. For the stripped down side, GNR shows us that even in that format, they see a line and simply cross over without much concern - outside of the stunning Patience, the songs are abrasive and offensive in typical GNR late 80s fashion - the kind of stuff you don’t play anywhere in earshot of your parents or kids. The final impression here is of a band that could blow apart at any moment, and in a few years they would. I’d likely take this mess over U2’s, but I also might not blast this album in the wrong places. But we did get Patience and a good cover of Aerosmith’s Mama Kin.

The Essential Track: Patience

Up Next: R.E.M. - Green

It has a great acoustic version of You’re Crazy, too.

[liebzz]

Guns N’ Roses - GN’R Lies

This is another album that’s a bit of a mess, largely since it is their debut EP, Live Like a Suicide (which isn’t actually live), on side 1, with a collection of acoustic based songs on side 2. On side 1, they show off some of what would make them a force on Appetite, though it’s not nearly as impressive. For the stripped down side, GNR shows us that even in that format, they see a line and simply cross over without much concern - outside of the stunning Patience, the songs are abrasive and offensive in typical GNR late 80s fashion - the kind of stuff you don’t play anywhere in earshot of your parents or kids. The final impression here is of a band that could blow apart at any moment, and in a few years they would. I’d likely take this mess over U2’s, but I also might not blast this album in the wrong places. But we did get Patience and a good cover of Aerosmith’s Mama Kin.

The Essential Track: Patience

Up Next: R.E.M. - Green

It has a great acoustic version of You’re Crazy, too.

Sure does. Sometimes that gets lost in the highly offensive One in a Million and of course Patience, but agreed that You’re Crazy deserves its recognition here, and just as wild as the Appetite version.

[liebzz]

The Feelies - Only Life

This is another band undefeated in the 80s. The rhythms and grooves on this album are as good as either of their prior albums, a band that’s just remarkably consistent and great. To think I saw this band opening for Sonic Youth in 2008 or 2009 and just pay enough close attention. Shame on me it took me this long to truly discover them. This one also has no weak spots and Too Far Gone and the cover of What Goes On might be what stuck out most, but only because every song I kept thinking it was going to be the best song here and they upped the ante every time.

The Essential Track: Too Far Gone

Up Next: The Pogues - If I Should Fall From Grace With God

[liebzz]

The Pogues - If I Should Fall From Grace With God

This is the second album we’ve discussed from the Pogues, a sort of Celtic punk rock band who at once can conjure the attitude of The Clash while still sounding like a pub band from a Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings movie. In the first half, I was feeling pretty good about this - the title track, Turkish Song of the Damned, Bottle of Smoke, and Metropolis all hit well, but I think this is the sort of stuff that benefits from shorter run times as I felt a bit fatigued by the sound by the second half. Doesn’t take away from it being a solid album in the end.

The Essential Track: Turkish Song of the Damned

Up Next: Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Session

[liebzz]

Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Session

It’s been a few years since I listened to these folks’ live album and disliked it. Now we’re in this thread and it’s time for second chances. While I did not necessarily dislike this, I still fall somewhere on the fence. Some songs here I really liked: Blue Moon Revisited (Song for Elvis), I Don’t Get It, Working On a Building, Sweet Jane, Postcard Blues, and Walking After Midnight were all great, even if some were covers or reimaginations of classic songs. Basically, when they show their dynamism through a jazzier or bluesier sound, it captures me. Admittedly when they come to rely nearly solely on Margo Timmons’ lead vocals, beautiful as they are, it can get pretty monotonous. So mixed bag but a far cry from the reaction I had last time.

The Essential Track: Walking After Midnight

Up Next: Mary Margaret O’Hara - Miss America

[Jorge]

I just remembered that you disliked Joni Mitchell's Blue (still wtf about that) so you will likely not have a great reaction to Miss America. Enjoy?

[liebzz]

I just remembered that you disliked Joni Mitchell's Blue (still wtf about that) so you will likely not have a great reaction to Miss America. Enjoy?

I will endeavor to be open minded.

[VinylGuy]

I dont think i listened to Gnr Lies since i was fifteen, i never care much and didnt quite liked the EP but the acoustic songs are good

[liebzz]

Mary Margaret O’Hara - Miss America

So let me start then by informing you that I liked this album far more than Blue, mostly because I found it more musically interesting, and for whatever reason O’Hara’s voice, even with a somewhat similar cadence, doesn’t grate at my patience in the same way. Granted, this still isn’t going to make the top of my list, but it’s indeed a good album to my ears. Year in Song, Body’s in Trouble, Anew Day, Keeping You In Mind, and Not Be Alright I legitimately enjoyed, not as a matter of scale, but on their own merits. There are points for me where this album drags a bit, but overall I found this to be much better than Jorge had feared.

The Essential Track: Not Be Alright

Up Next: Til Tuesday - Everything’s Different Now

[liebzz]

‘Til Tuesday - Everything’s Different Now

Save for maybe a couple of songs, I am not sure what the draw was to this one. For the most part, these are relatively predictable pop songs that didn’t really do much for me. Aimee Mann was a big name from this era, so perhaps that’s it, but even with the name, neither the bad or Mann seem to be gaining momentum here on most of these tracks. Crash and Burn turned into a little outlier in that respect since I enjoyed that song, but didn’t much care for the rest.

The Essential Track: Crash and Burn

Up Next: Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll

[wease]

‘Til Tuesday - Everything’s Different Now

Save for maybe a couple of songs, I am not sure what the draw was to this one. For the most part, these are relatively predictable pop songs that didn’t really do much for me. Aimee Mann was a big name from this era, so perhaps that’s it, but even with the name, neither the bad or Mann seem to be gaining momentum here on most of these tracks. Crash and Burn turned into a little outlier in that respect since I enjoyed that song, but didn’t much care for the rest.

The Essential Track: Crash and Burn

Up Next: Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll

I know it wasn’t on this album, but Voices Carry is one of my favorite 80s tunes.

[Birds in Hell]

As well as Isn't Anything, I think you should include MBV's You Made Me Realise EP from 1988.

It came out before the album and arguably had an equal, maybe bigger, impact on the UK scene at the time.

[liebzz]

Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll

I’m not going to say this was among my favorites, but I liked this one a fair bit more. While I didn’t understand possibly a single word of this, I did really like some of the compositions here, the title track, Carolyn’s Fingers, The Itchy Glowbo Blow (is this not one of the great song titles!?), and Cico Buff. Quite enjoyable.

The Essential Track: The Itchy Glowbo Blow

Up Next: Sade - Stronger Than Pride

[liebzz]

As we are very close to 1,100 in this thread, a check in with my latest favorite 100 thus far:

100. Cannonball Adderly - Something Else
99. Funkadelic - One Nation Under a Groove
98. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
97. Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder
96. Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
95. Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
94. Peter Gabriel 3 (Melt)
93. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Oz
92. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Skynyrd’s First: The Complete Muscle Shoals Album
91. Rolling Stones - Some Girls
90. Allman Brothers Band - Brothers and Sisters
89. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
88. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
87. Led Zeppelin II
86. Jimi Hendrix - Axis: Bold As Love
85. Led Zeppelin III
84. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
83. Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come
82. Charles Mingus - Pithecanthropus Erectus
81. Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson
80. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
79. Dr. John - Dr. John’s Gumbo
78. Dr. John - In the Right Place
77. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
76. Miles Davis - In a Silent Way
75. Jerry Garcia - Garcia
74. Tom Waits - Frank’s Wild Years
73. U2 - War
72. Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
71. Psychedelic Furs - Talk Talk Talk
70. Television - Adventure
69. U2 - The Joshua Tree
68. Thelonious Monk - The Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 1
67. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
66. King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
65. R.E.M. - Murmur
64. Bruce Springsteen - The River
63. Pink Floyd - The Wall
62. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd
61. Derek and the Dominoes - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
60. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Second Helping
59. R.E.M. - Document
58. Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
57. The Who - Who’s Next
56. The Kinks - Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround
55. Guns N’ Roses - Appetite For Destruction
54. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
53. Van Halen
52. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
51. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska
50. Allman Brothers Band
49. Allman Brothers Band - Idlewild South
48. Metallica - Ride the Lightning
47. Allman Brothers Band - Eat a Peach
46. The Waterboys - This Is the Sea
45. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Rust Never Sleeps
44. Credence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo’s Factory
43. Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed
42. The Kinks - Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire
41. Tom Waits - Closing Time
40. Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
39. Neil Young - After the Goldrush
38. Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On
37. Mission of Burma - Vs.
36. Metallica - Master of Puppets
35. Talking Heads - Remain in Light
34. Television - Marquee Moon
33. Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
32. Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
31. Grateful Dead - American Beauty
30. Neil Young - Harvest
29. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes
28. George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
27. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
26. Prince - Purple Rain
25. The Beatles - Rubber Soul
24. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
23. Led Zeppelin IV
22. The Who - Quadrophenia
21. Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner
20. Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle
19. Thelonious Monk - The Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2
18. Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain
17. John Coltrane - Blue Train
16. The Clash - London Calling
15. The Beatles - Abbey Road
14. Pink Floyd - Animals
13. Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
12. The Beatles - Revolver
11. The Beatles
10. Neil Young - On the Beach
9. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
8. Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
7. Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
6. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
5. Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
4. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
3. Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
2. Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
1. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run

[Jorge]

You hate women!