Albums I absolutely must own

B

blade123

Guest
I'm looking for new music and need some albums that I couldn't be a complete person without (iyo).
I'm into all kinds of music, except for bubblegum rock, emo, and popular rap (underground is good, though).
 
The Stooges - Funhouse. With Steven Mackay on tenor sax. Like some psychedelic band trapped in a room with John Coltrane. Amazing stuff. John Abercrombie - Timeless. With Jack De Johnette on drums, and Jan Hammer on keys. Prepare to go on a journey. Tony Williams Lifetime - The Collection. 2 LP's on 1 CD. (Believe It and Million Dollar Legs).
 
off the top of my head-

*Wizard Island- Jeff Lorber Fusion- dig the great Dennis Bradford grooves
*Band of Gypsys- Jimi Hendrix- if only for the epic guitar lead in Machine Gun
*Machine Head- Deep Purple- a hard rock classic
*Fragile- Yes- Bill Bruford and the band firing on all cylinders
*Boston's first album- so many great melodies and the amazing voice of Brad Delp
*Unsung Heroes- The Dregs- one of their best
*Tarkus- ELP- just for side 1
*Electric Savage- Colosseum II- with the blistering guitar work of Gary Moore and tight drumming of Jon Hiseman
*Yesterday & Today- Y&T- they say Leonard Haze has/had the fastest right foot and this album proves it. I never heard Bonham do anything like Haze does
*Octopuss- Cozy Powell- because it's Cozy Powell
*Santana III- Santana- absolutely one of their best albums, the rhythms are superb
*Aja- Steely Dan- another classic album with Gadd's great work on the title track
*Soul Vaccination- Tower of Power-live- top shelf soul/funk caught onstage
*Tres Hombres- ZZ Top- another classic album, Billy Gibbons burns!
*Jungle Fever- Neil Larsen- great tunes and keys work from Neil
*Make Up City or Mint Jams- Casiopea- love this band, where I first heard Akira Jimbo
*Elegant Gypsy- Al DiMeola- with Anthony Jackson & Steve Gadd, enough said!
*Magnetic- Steps Ahead- one of their best
*Positivity- Incognito- with the funky-ass drum grooves of Richard Bailey
*Romantic Warrior- Return to Forever- no explanation needed
*Spectrum- Billy Cobham- still one of my favorites
*Birds of Fire- Mahavishnu Orchestra- must-have fusion album
*Still Warm- John Scofield- Scofield with Omar Hakim on drums, bingo!
*and practically anything with Dennis Chambers & Dave Weckl
 
Pink Floyd--> Dark Side of the moon. "Time" has in my opinion, the greatest guitar solo ever.
 
I'm really into a band right now called Velvet Teen. I would say it probably falls into the "indie rock" genre, but it's not pretentious, just really well written songs. With the music industry caving in on itself, it's so hard to find good new music. Velvet Teen was a much needed breath of fresh air for me.

So to answer your question, start with their latest release "Cum Laude", and go from there.
 
Here are some of my favorite albums... mostly hard rock but a few stragglers:
Clutch - Elephant Riders
Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun
From Monument to Masses - The Impossible leap in one thousand simple steps
Meshuggah - Chaosphere
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
Mastodon - Leviathon
Cake - Fashion Nugget
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magic
Minus the Bear - Menos el oso
Portishead - Dummy
 
Pink Floyd--> Dark Side of the moon. "Time" has in my opinion, the greatest guitar solo ever.

I'll second that. However, from a drumming point of view, I suggest you get these albums:

Led Zeppelin II - John Bonham

Moving Pictures - Rush - Neil Peart

Wheels of Fire - Cream - Ginger Baker

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy - Buddy Rich

LA Woman - The Doors - John Densmore

From a non-drumming point of view, you MUST buy Pink Floyd's 'The Wall', 'Wish You Were Here' and 'Dark Side of the Moon'.
 
My latest CD binge consisted of:

Kind of Blue
Pet Sounds -The Beach Boys (GENIUS)
Grace - Jeff Buckley
Portishead - Portishead
Takk - Sigur Ros
And a random CD of Gregorian Chant I found in Oxfam... it's brilliant.

In terms of what you absolutely MUST buy, I suggest 'Pink Moon' by Nick Drake. That album speaks to me like almost no other.
 
If you're into underground rap, here are some good ones.

First is artist, second is cd.

Aesop rock - Labor days

Atmosphere - Overcast

Brother ali - The undisputed truth

Sage francis - A healthy distrust

If I had to pick out a favorite out of these It would be Labor days, All of Aesop rock's stuff is excellent.
 
Sgt. Peppers / Rubber Soul - Beatles

Dark Side of the Moon - Floyd

Aja/ Royal Scam - Steely Dan

Romantic Warrior - Return to Forever

Black Market - Weather Report

Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock

Love Supreme - Coltrane

Bitches Brew / Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

Brilliant Corners - Thelonius Monk
 
Dave Brubeck Quartet Time Further Out
Ballads John Coltrane Quartet
Birds of Fire Mahavishnu Orchestra
Waltz for Debbie Bill Evans Trio
Friends Chick Corea
New York Scene, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.
Clifford Brown/Max Roach: Live on Basin Street Roach
Steely Dan Aja
Fragile Yes
Regatta de Blanc The Police
Physical Graffiti Led Zeppelin
Hemispheres Rush
Superunknown Soundgarden
 
I'd say:

The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Inner Mountain Flames
Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill
Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Portishead - Dummy
Every album by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Kayo Dot - Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue
Madonna - Ray of Light
Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing
Rush - Moving Pictures
 
Nine Inch Nails "The Downward Spiral"

Alice In Chains "Jar of Flies"

Isis "In The Absence of Truth"


My all-time favorite albums. Must haves.
 
Rush: Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Signals

Led Zeppelin: IV, Houses Of The Holy, Physical Graffiti

Pink Floyd: Animals

The Who: Who's Next

Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced?

Yes: Close To The Edge

Porcupine Tree: In Absentia, Deadwing
 
If you like non mainstream rap Flobots-Fight With Tools, have one hit song with Handlebars thats not great, but the rest is so much better. Also, G. Love and Special Sauce- Yeah It's That Easy and Philadelphonic, you've probably never heard of them, their like, surfer rock, blues, and soul mix with some rapping mixed in by G. Love...poeple should check them out.
 
Flying Lotus' 'Los Angeles' - trust me, you've never heard anything like this before.
 
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