I offer to you a typical obsessives game. The challenge is to produce a list of the 20 albums you personally could not live without (I started at 5 but realised I could not live without at least 20). Studio albums only (which means no LIVE DEAD for me), no best ofs, & no live or soundtrack LPs. Any type of music, not just psych. No need to order in preference, I certainly shall not as they shift about dependant on mood.
The first ten (10 more to follow) I came up with are
Electric Prunes - Release of an Oath
Joni Mitchell - Hejira
Pretty Things - SF Sorrow
Who - Whos Next
Group 1850 - Agemos Trip To Mother Earth
Free - Free
King Crimson - Court Of The Crimson King
FZ & The MOI - We're Only In It For The Money
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
ISB - Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
STONES-SATANIC
BRYAN FERRY-FOOLISH THINGS
BEACH BOYS -20 20
LOVE AFFAIR-EVERLASTING
DONOVAN-A GIFT FROM A FLOWER
SIMON AND GARFUNKEL-BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
WILSON PHILLIPS-DEDICATED
FLEETWOOD MAC-TUSK
DONOVAN SUNSHINE SUPERMAN
REPARATA AND THE DELRONS-WHENEVER A TEENAGER CRIES
BEATLES-WHITE ALBUM
11 I THINK ONE FOR LUCK
I always find making a list of 10 or 20 albums that i would cherish and have on a desert island pretty tough,as i always forget albums i love and it will probably be a different list the next day or 2.Anyway here goes in no particular order:
THE PRETTY THINGS-SF SORROW
THE MOODY BLUES-IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD
DAMON-SONG OF A GYPSY
THE SEEDS-FUTURE
THE BEATLES-MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR
DONOVAN-SUNSHINE SUPERMAN
QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE-S/T
TAMAM SHUD-GOOLUTIONITES AND THE REAL PEOPLE
THE BEACH BOYS-FRIENDS
THE SMALL FACES-S/T(IMMEDIATE ALBUM)
BUBBLE PUPPY-A GATHERING OF PROMISES
STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK-WAKE UP ITS TOMORROW
LADIES WC-S/T
TRAFFIC SOUND-VIRGIN
THE BYRDS-YOUNGER THAN YESTERDAY
DR HOOKER-THE TRUTH
GLASS HARP-S/T
THE MONKEES-THE BIRDS THE BEES AND THE MONKEES
THE BEEGEES-1ST
THE TAGES-STUDIO
Bubbling under:
PLASTIC CLOUD-S/T
FLAT EARTH SOCIETY-WALECO
DEL SHANNON-CHARLES WESTOVER
THE HOLLIES-BUTTERFLY
THE TWILIGHTS-ONCE UPON A TWILIGHT
Caravan- s/t
Mile Davis- Tribute to Jack Johnson
Joy Division- Unknown Pleasures
Ernie Graham- s/t
Kraftwerk- Computer World
Beatles--White Album
Chrome--Half Machine Lip Moves
Pentangle-Reflection
Talking Heads- Remain In Light
Small Faces--Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
The next 10 (KB & Skyhooks both came out in my first year of high school, sort of soundtracked the next few years)
Fairport Convention - Leige & Lief
Trees - On The Shore
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
Kaleidoscope - Side Trips
Kaleidoscope - Faintly Blowing
Masters Apprentices - A Toast to Panama Red
Skyhooks - Guilty Until Proven Insane
Alrune Rod - epon
Nina Simone - Nina Simone & Piano
Kate Bush - Lionheart
Following could just as easily be in too (which is cheating a bit)
Caravan - If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You
Forrest - Full Circle
Kinks - Arthur ... Empire
Yes - Close To The Edge
Led Zep - IV
hi stuart wot no LOVE AFFAIR!VERY SURPRISING INDEEDY
I still owe this post 9 more so here goes
MONKEES -HEAD
PROCUL HARUM-FIRST
YARDBIRDS-OVER UNDER ETC
ROLLING STONES -AFTERMATH
BEATLES -RUBBER SOUL
BEATLES MAGICAL ETC
DR JOHN-GRIS GRIS
SMALL FACES-S/T
PRETTY THINGS -PSYCHEDELIC COLLECTION[IS THAT ONE ALLOWED?]
CAT STEVENS-MATTHEW AND SON
as im a mood music person it could all change
i would also add
JAKE BUGG-S/T[superb new bluesy artist who is so much better live]check him out on you tube!!
I love lists... it's always inspiring to see what other like-minds choose as must haves. Although after I hit "Post Message" I'll think I should have included this instead of that, but here goes anyway:
The Idle Race - The Birthday Party
The Idle Race - The Idle Race
XTC - Nonsuch
XTC - English Settlement
The Beatles - Revolver
The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tout
ELO - Eldorado
ELO - Out of the Blue
Genesis - From Genesis to Revelation
Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
Robyn Hitchcock - Fegmania
Cocteau Twins - Milk & Kisses
The Monkees - Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.
Bee Gees -1st
Elvis Costello - Armed Forces
Elvis Costello - Get Happy!!
The Left Banke - Walk Away Renee / Pretty Ballerina
Love - Love
Love - Forever Changes
No comps?...Aagh!!
I listen to more comps than anything else these days
Also I guess I cant include my highly prized cds by Creation, Smoke, Powder etc.
as they're not albums proper, but I'll have a pop...
Gandalf
Millennium Begin
Action Rolled Gold
Pretty Things SF Sorrow
Trees both albums
Beachwood Sparks 1st
Beachwood Sparks Once we were trees
Notorious Byrd Brothers
Grateful Dead American Beauty
Zombies Odyssey & Oracle
Mellow Candle Swaddling Songs
Moody Blues In Search of the lost Chord
Small Faces From The Beginning
Small Faces Immediate
The Who Sell Out
Chocolate Watchband Inner Mystique
Strawberry Alarm Clock Wake up it's tomorrow
George Harrison All Things Must Pass
Kaleidoscope Faintly Blowing
Flying Burrito Brothers Gilded Palace of Sin
Just realised there's no Gene Clark, Hollies and countless other artist here
but it's hard! ( moan!! )
Genesis-Lamb Lies Down(or any Charisma label lp with Peter Gabriel)
Pretty Things-SF Sorrow
Jethro Tull-Stand Up
Fleetwood Mac-Then Play On
Small Faces-Ogdens
King Crimson-In The Court Of
East Of Eden-Mercator Projected
Pavlov's Dog-Pampered Menial
Gigolo Aunts-Flippin' out
Hoodoo Gurus-Stoneage Romeos
yep i could include all the
BYRDS FIRST 5 ALBUMS
DONOVAN FIRST FOUR ALBUMS
MOODY BLUES FIRST FOUR ALBUMS
BEATLES -ALL THEIR ALBUMS
ROLLING STONES -FIRST SIX ALBUMS
WALKER BROS-FIRST THREE ALBUMS
Since we're bending the rules a little here, I'm not gonna
really add to my list or anything but the no comps or best of rule really
highlighted for me how much of my fave music actually comes from 45s and
comps/anthologies etc.
E.G. I really love Fleur De Lys, Poets, The Eyes and all that UK freakbeat stuff
very much and none of those bands made albums at the time. You can, of course
get albums by them now which collect all their fantastic 45s together and thus making up 'albums' that would stand up with all the other good albums of the time
Anyway I think if I can't take a few Rubbles, Jagged Time Lapse, 1 or 2 Fading
Yellows or at least my Nuggets 2 box, then;..."Screw you guys..I'm going home!!"
Thanks to the wonders of electrickery, all my fave comps are ones I compiled myself. Bet the rest of you are similar. It does seem wierd to have a top 20 with no Creation (no period LP), no Animals (patchy studio albums)etc.
It is fun seeing which LPs pop up in more than one list .
It's difficult to name other than classic records in 20 titles.
So I eliminate the most famous (BEATLES - White Album, BEACH BOYS - Pet Sounds, DYLAN - Highway 61, ABB - At Fillmore East, BYRDS - Younger, LZ - Physical, BLACK SABBATH - Paranoid, GAYE - What's Going On, BOWIE - Ziggy... just to name them ) and here is my list:
COUNTRY JOE & the FISH - Electric Music
LOVE - Forever Changes
BIM SHERMAN - Miracle
ELLIOTT MURPHY - Aquashow
TIM BUCKLEY - Goodbye and Hello
PRETTY THINGS - SF Sorrow
SPIRIT - Spirit of '76
PESCADO RABIOSO - Artaud
JP CAPDEVIELLE - Les enfants des ténèbres et les anges de la rue
SPARKS - A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing
MIKE HARRISON - Smokestack Lightning
ZAPPA - We're Only in It for the Money
KAK
BIG STAR - No 1 Record
MICHEL POLNAREFF - 1st
QUICKSILVER - 1st
VDGG - Godbluff
ROBIN TROWER - Bridge of Sighs
ZOMBIES - Odessey & Oracle
GERARD MANSET - La Mort d'Orion
phillipe the album
MIKE HARRISON - Smokestack Lightning
looks interesting could you fill me in please as its new to me
thanks phil
ps and i forgot ANIMALS-WIND OF CHANGE
ha he was in spooky tooth
phillipe the album MIKE HARRISON - Smokestack Lightning looks interesting could you fill me in please as its new to me thanks phil
Phil, this album is not a masterpiece but it is warm to my heart for different reasons and is really in the 20s I prefer, in front of the BB, M. Gaye or the Byrds (I have listened to it so many times...).
It has two ballads to begin, very moving. Then it's a kind of rythm'n'blues with slide guitar and sometimes horns (it has been recorded at Muscle Shoals). The title track is a jam and the less interesting track of the LP.
I love MH's voice, warm, broken, so soulful and this album's compositions fit perfectly to his high talent.
I can't write more with my poor English but I have the original LP from 1972 and the remastered CD from 2006 (Repertoire) and they are pearls of my collection I never sell.
Zombies O & O
Smoke s/t Sidewalk
El Prunes Underground
Los Mac´s Kaleidoscope Men
Sonics Here are
Remains s/t
British North American Act s/t
Kinks Village Green...
John Cale Paris 1919
Velvet U s/t(3rd)
Nick Drake Fives leaves left
Jackson C Frank s/t
Beatles Revolver
Shoes Present Tense
Big Star Radio City
Del Shannon Charles Westover
F Mac Bare trees
S & G Bookends
Donovan Sunshine Superman
Flamin´ Groovies Shake some action
I´m basically a 45 kinda guy BUT that would be impossible to list only 20.
Seeds - S/T
Golden Dawn - Power Plant
13th Floor Elevators - Psychedelic sounds of
13th Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere
Chocolate Watch Band - No Way Out
Chocolate Watch Band - Inner Mystique
Flat Earth Society - Waleeco
Beatles - White album
Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow
Byrds - Preflyte
Captain Beefheart - Safe as Milk
Love - S/T (1st)
West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - A Child's Guide to Good & Evil
Action - Brain
Wailers - Out of our Tree
Fapardokly - S/T
Boots - Here are the Boots
Count Five - Psychotic Reaction
Huge fan, but he is one of those artists best served by ones own best of. There was filler on all his albums (eg Wild Thing). Its the beggar of tying it to 20 studio albums, otherwise its just a top 20 fave artistes.
But your right, there is a few artists notable by their absence.
Just realised I have a frighteningly large number of the LPs in peoples lists, well over 1/2 of them.
Incidently, what tracks are on what Brits call BeeGees 1st?
Wallace expects you all would not be interested in Wallace's top 20. As expected there is a disproportionate amount of pwog there:
Bo Hansson - Lord of the Rings
Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn
Il Roveshio della Medaglia - contamiazione
Genesis - Nursery Cryme,Selling England by Pound,Foxtrot
Procol Harum - same , Shine On Brightly
Pink Floyd - relics
Jethro Tull - Passion Play
There was a proportion of prog on mine too. In fact I was thinking of a VDGG album as well but there are favourite tracks on Wave, Pawn and H to He so too hard to choose.
Liking your Procol Harum, Genesis and Pink Floyd choices, although Relics is a comp.
VDGG would HAVE to be "Pawn Hearts"
Triumverat - Illusions on a Double Dimple
Eloy - Silent Cries Mighty Echoes
Gentle Giant - In a Glass House, Three Friends
Uriah Heep - Salisbury
Flock - Dinasour Swamps
ELP - Pictures at an Exhibition
Moody Blues - To our children's,children's children
(My best re-discovery of the last year was Lodge & Hayward's "Bluebirds". Somehow back in the day I didn't think too much of it, but I guess Ive mellowed. Remarkable lp, but on a best of 20 - well, maybe not)
Some non-progs on my list:
Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends
Kinks- Village Preservation Society
Pretty Things - SF Sorrow ( in the top three for sure)
I see you have Gentle Giant on there Wallace,i only heard Gentle Giant for the first time a few weeks ago,i didnt really know what to expect but i took the plunge and bought their self titled album on cd,i must admit to really liking it,some nice stuff on there,so thats been my discovery of the month.As for Procol Harum,both albums you mention are excellent.I see youre another one who has SF Sorrow by The Pretty Things on your list,this seems to be the most popular album out of all the lists,so i take it on this forum SF Sorrow beats Pink Floyds "Piper at the gates of dawn"as peoples most popular listen?I was surprised how few gave Pink Floyd a mention on their lists!!Interesting!!
The curious thing about Gentle Giant is that the Brits themselves didn't think much of them. They made it bigtime in Canada & Italy.
Funny how things like that happen.
The Canadian band Mashmakan really hit it with the Japanese audience, who knows why.
Stuart- I guess you know SIMON DUPREE & THE BIG SOUND? This is pre-Gentle Giant and popsike, not prog.
Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - We're Only In It For The Money
Starring such classics as Whats The Ugliest Part Of Your Body, Hot Poop & Bow Tie Daddy
Got some experimental stuff on it too. It was a band album rather than just self indulgent Zappa.
Yup, SF Sorrow almost unanimous throughout.
I think a few of their other LPs are not too far behind either ( in my book )
Zombies seem to be in second place.
There are a lot of artists not too well represented, for myself, Beach Boys, Love,
Hendrix, Buffalo Springfield, Floyd and many others...it's not that I don't love
them but it's hard to pick a particular LP
Think 64 makes a good point. The under represented groups would probably feature strongly in a 'best of' top 20. Don't think there was any Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull, VDGG/Hammil in my list.
Like Philippe, & probably most people, a lot of my choices were down to an emotional connection, rather than a critical one.
Painterman,The Who-Sell Out deluxe double cd is a must have,it contains stuff that wasn't released at the time,its a magical album on its own and how i never put this in my top 20 i'll never know.To my ears The Whos most psychedelic album......in fact do you think this is a psychedelic album??Some of the tracks have that vibe to them,it really is a great period piece!!What with the jingles in between tracks.Brilliant stuff and i take my hat off to you sir for being the only one to include this in their list!!
Pink Floyd - Piper
Small Faces - Ogens
Caravan - s/t
Caravan - Grey & Pink
Caravan - If I Could do it again...
Hawkwind - Asounding Sounds
Hawkwind - Quark Strangeness Charm
Gong - Camenbert
Gong - Flying Teapot
Gong - Angels Egg
Gong - You
Leafhound - Growers of Mushroom
Mushroom - Early One Morning
Circulus - Thought Becomes Reality
Tofu Love Frogs - Vegetable Attack
Tofu Love Frogs - Rent A Mob
Ozric Tentacles - Erpland
Ozric Tentacles - Pungent Effulgent
Ship of Fools - Out There Somewhere
Kula Shaker - Peasants Pigs and Astronauts
And there's more, but I'm more of a comp man when it comes
to 60's stuff.
Love Forever Changes
Neil Young After the Gold Rush
Who Whos Next
Telegraph Avenue Telegraph Avenue
Dylan Blond on Blond
La De Das The Happy Prince
Beatles Abbey Road
Stone Roses Stone Roses
Culpeppers Orchard Culpeppers Orchard
Kinks Something Else
Who Tommy
Vashti Another diamond day
Fairport - Unhalfbricking
Traffic Traffic
Tommy Flanders Moonstone
White Stripes Elephant
Som imaginario
Upside down world of John Pantry
Procol Harum
Kinks Village green
Hi Paul,
Probably should've had Stone Roses on my list too.
Reason I didn't was that I played that album constantly on a walkman for about 3 years to the point that it almost totally eclipsed everything else!
I thought it was the best album ever.
I've played it so much that I thought I could live without it for a while but have to admit when I hear it now it still sounds amazing.
I try to not play my favourite albums to death so much these days.
I didn't include Pepper, Revolver, Piper & Ogdens for the same reasons although I
really have had delightful times with them.
Mr Crimble, liking Kula Shaker, it's true they wear their influences right up front, but they do it with such style and really amazing songs.
Getting a lot of interesting stuff going on in this thread guys!
Agree Painterman. Stone Roses should have been on my list too. Never much liked Fool's Gold though.
They played in Perth recently but unfortunately it was at a festival which made it very expensive plus the rest of the bands were not to my liking at all. It was called The Future Music Festival with The Prodigy, Bloc Party and a heap of dance and rave type acts. They did sideshows in the Eastern States but not here, bugger it.
I've been listening to a current UK band which remind me a little of The Stone Roses. The See See - Fountayne Mountain. Great hooks, melodies and jangly guitars.
Red Crayola - Parable
Olivia Tremor Control - Black Foliage
Beatles - White
Pink Floyd - Piper
Syd Barrett - Madcap Laughs
Second Hand - Both
Cardiacs - Sing to god
Pretties - SF + Parachute
Mandrake Memorial - Puzzle
Pearls Before Swine - Balaklava
Skip Bifferty - Same
Action - Rolled Gold
Choc Soup - Vols 1 + 2
Bobak Jons Malone - Motherlight
Family - Dolls House
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Deep - Psychedelic Moods
Outsiders - CQ
World of Twist - Quality Street
Traffic Sound - Virgin
Primal Scream - Screamadelica