Author Topic: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED  (Read 20579 times)

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Offline Marvellous G

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Re: Marvellous G's (Probably Fairly Generic) Top Fifty Albums List
« Reply #140 on: November 24, 2011, 02:17:18 PM »
Getting near to the end here, so don't worry, I'll definitely finish quickly for those waiting to go...

8.   Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (1959)



– So here it is, arguably the most popular jazz album of all time. It also happens to be my favourite. Kind of Blue manages to combine the relaxing vibe and chilled out soloing of more amateurish jazz, with incredible musicianship from every single person involved that makes it perfect both as background music and an intense musical study. Davis’ chops alone are more than worth the price of admission, and he’s backed up by the closest thing jazz has seen to an ensemble cast, all of whom play their part enthusiastically and masterfully. All of this results in an album that never, ever, gets old, and I’ve studied for many a test, passed many a long train journey, and enjoyed many a good cup of coffee with Kind of Blue present. For the comfort it now gives me alone, incredible musicianship aside, I’m eternally grateful to, and in awe of, the album.

7.   Metallica - …And Justice For All (1988)



– All but one (Kill ‘Em All) of Metallica’s albums could easily place fairly highly in this list. They were the band that got me into heavy music, and I still love their albums more than almost every single other heavy bands’ that I’ve heard since. To me, …And Justice For All was the absolute pinnacle of their evolution. Master of Puppets is often cited as their masterpiece, but the songwriting on AFJA is just so much more ambitious, so much more… progressive, that I can’t help but feel that those who place Puppets above it are only doing it for nostalgia’s sake. The title track of AJFA alone shows complexity unrivalled in Metallica’s music until Death Magnetic two decades later, with its many twists, turns and tempo changes staying on the right side of technical wankery, unlike the bands they would help to get me into. The album also has Hetfield’s best lyrics and vocals for me, with his tales of corruption and 1984-esque governments being a little clichéd, but surprisingly cleverly penned. It also has some of the best Metallica tracks of all time; Blackened, the title track, One and Dyer’s Eve could all quite comfortably qualify for being amongst my top ten tracks of the band’s entire career. For all of these reasons, AJFA really is the best Metallica album to me, and I fail to see how anybody could think otherwise.

6.   The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt (2010)



– So, a 2010 album is already this high up in my all-time favourites. It’s testament to Kristian Matsson, AKA The Tallest Man On Earth’s, latest full album that upon my first listen, I knew immediately that I was listening to something that would go down in the annals of not only my memory, but also in music history, as being a true masterpiece. And the astonishing thing is, it literally doesn’t ever lose any of its appeal, even after the several dozen listens which I’ve given it to date. It combines the cohesiveness of lyrical themes and musical styles that I look for in my favourite albums with the incredible fact that every single song could be labelled as a ‘standout track.’ In most of these descriptions, I’ve listed some of my favourite tracks from each album, but that would be pointless here; they genuinely do all quality. I will say, though, that King of Spain in particular is one of the most carefree and ebullient songs of all time, but every song is perfect for a certain mood. With The Wild Hunt, Matsson really earns the title that he uses on stage, and proves himself to be undoubtedly the best folk artist since… well, we’ll get to that guy later. For now, though, The Tallest Man on Earth might be our generation’s best pure songwriter for quite a while to come.

Offline Gorille85

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Re: Marvellous G's (Probably Fairly Generic) Top Fifty Albums List
« Reply #141 on: November 24, 2011, 02:35:33 PM »
The Wild Hunt is a excellent pick!! :tup

Offline Marvellous G

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Re: Marvellous G's (Probably Fairly Generic) Top Fifty Albums List
« Reply #142 on: November 24, 2011, 02:57:13 PM »
I guess it might seem like a ridiculously high placement to some people considering how recent it is, but it's really that high up for me. It's basically perfect, as is the Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird EP imo.

Offline Zantera

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Re: Marvellous G's (Probably Fairly Generic) Top Fifty Albums List
« Reply #143 on: November 24, 2011, 03:45:48 PM »
AJFA and The Wild Hunt, two excellent picks!

Offline Arch Benemy

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Re: Marvellous G's (Probably Fairly Generic) Top Fifty Albums List
« Reply #144 on: November 24, 2011, 03:57:45 PM »
Justice! Easily my favourite 'tallica record. If somebody I know is bashing them, that's the album I put on to shut them up.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2011, 06:22:10 PM by Arch Benemy »

Offline Jirpo

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Re: Marvellous G's (Probably Fairly Generic) Top Fifty Albums List
« Reply #145 on: November 24, 2011, 03:58:13 PM »
Great to see Miles Davis and Metallica!

Offline Marvellous G

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Re: Marvellous G's (Probably Fairly Generic) Top Fifty Albums List
« Reply #146 on: November 25, 2011, 04:54:54 PM »
Top 5, it's getting serious now brah...

5.   Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run (1975)



– With Born To Run, Springsteen released his magum opus, the album that he seemed to have been put on this earth to make. It was supposedly a long, long time in the making, but by God was it worth it. Thunder Road, the opening track, set standards impossibly high for not only the rest of the album to follow, but also for the rest of rock music; Thunder Road is, in my opinion, the best rock song of all time. It’s testament to Springsteen’s ability, then, that he does actually manage to follow the best opener of all time with a string of worthy contenders for his own best rock song of all time; the title track is now deservedly legendary, Jungleland is one of the best epics ever written, Backstreets captured the hearts and minds of hundreds of thousands of youths at the time, and then there’s Meeting Across The River. Probably one of the 20 or so ‘perfect’ songs I’ve ever heard, Meeting Across The River sees Springsteen managing to do in three minutes and a couple of hundred words, what countless other artists haven’t achieved with multiple albums and reams of lyric sheets. Born To Run’s only failing is its quality; nothing Springsteen can do now could ever follow it for me, and it really does remain the pinnacle of his career, and almost all of rock music.

4.   Bob Dylan – Blood On The Tracks (1975)



– Wow, 1975 was a great year. Not only was the greatest rock album of all time released, but we saw the greatest folk album of all time come out as well. Here he is, the daddy of all singer-songwriters. The debate over Dylan’s best album is a fair one; Freewheelin’, Highway 61, Blonde on Blonde, Bringing It All Back Home and Desire could all qualify, but it was when I heard Blood On The Tracks that Dylan really, really clicked for me like I’d always hoped that he would. It’s the greatest break up album of all time, but it also features some of Dylan’s best music to go along with his predictably perfect lyrics. Simple Twist Of Fate is a fantastic, mellow meditation on a missed opportunity, Idiot Wind is one of the most damning numbers I’ve ever heard, and If You See Her Say Hello has one of the most relatable lines in music ever (‘She might think that I’ve forgotten her, don’t tell her it isn’t so’) and genuinely every moment on the album is perfectly judged, and perfectly executed. For the many that don’t understand the love that Dylan gets from all corners, I was like you before I heard this album. It really did change my outlook on music after I heard it, and it’s only really been bettered for me by, well, four other albums.

3.   John Mayer – Continuum (2006)



– Okay, how to explain myself here? John Mayer is renowned for being one of the biggest douchebags in music, and I’ve seen countless people swear off of his music because of his activities in the press involving certain actresses. But those people are missing out on one of the best singers and songwriters of our generation, and who I’d say was also undoubtedly the best guitarist since SRV. On Continuum, Mayer abandoned the bubblegum pop of his earlier work which was, admittedly, not anything to write home about, in favour of the bluesy stylings which he’d hinted at for so long. And thank God that he did; after two solid releases, Continuum saw Mayer finally making the album that we all knew he had in him; refined, perfected, restrained and, most pleasingly of all, genuinely bluesy. There’s so much to admire on Continuum that it’s easy to forget that it’s an album made by, well, John Mayer, writer of Your Body Is A Wonderland. Every solo here is magical and expertly judged, every drumbeat or bassline used to perfectly complement Mayer’s guitar parts, and even the lyrics are pretty darn good. For his next album, Battle Studies, Mayer reflected on the fact that when recording Continuum, he’d been a perfectionist, redoing everything until it was just right. Whilst Battle Studies is a great album too, and feels much freer than Continuum, this perfectionist side really seems to have been the thing that Mayer needed to go from ‘pretty good’ to ‘best in his class.’ And with Continuum, he’s gone pretty much unbeaten ever since.

Final update coming at some point this weekend...

Offline Zantera

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - PENULTIMATE UPDATE!
« Reply #147 on: November 25, 2011, 05:06:52 PM »
Not really digging Bruce or Dylan, but I have been meaning to check out John Mayer for a while.
Is Continuum a good starting place?

Offline Fluffy Lothario

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - PENULTIMATE UPDATE!
« Reply #148 on: November 25, 2011, 05:09:04 PM »
I've kissed goodbye the howling beast on the borderline which separated you from me.

Offline Marvellous G

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - PENULTIMATE UPDATE!
« Reply #149 on: November 25, 2011, 05:09:23 PM »
Not really digging Bruce or Dylan, but I have been meaning to check out John Mayer for a while.
Is Continuum a good starting place?

I guess it was my starting place and I loved it/him instantly, but I'd say 'Where The Light Is' gives you probably the best of every side of Mayer, and is basically a greatest hits live album with incredible performances of the best Continuum songs, so I'd go with that to try.

Offline ClairvoyantCat

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - PENULTIMATE UPDATE!
« Reply #150 on: November 25, 2011, 05:13:36 PM »
Someday I am going to actually sit down and really listen to Bob Dylan.  It's actually pretty embarrassing that I've never given him a proper listen, given how important and influential he is to a large portion of the music that I listen to. 

I'll put this one (Blood on the Tracks) on later tonight, hopefully! 

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - PENULTIMATE UPDATE!
« Reply #151 on: November 25, 2011, 08:11:39 PM »
You'd lost me up until Bruce.  Great album... one of the best from the 70s.  Under-appreciated here at DTF.   :isyl:
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Offline Marvellous G

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - PENULTIMATE UPDATE!
« Reply #152 on: November 26, 2011, 04:59:00 AM »
I've kissed goodbye the howling beast on the borderline which separated you from me.

Best 'angry' song, maybe other than Positively 4th Street, ever.

Offline Marvellous G

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - PENULTIMATE UPDATE!
« Reply #153 on: November 27, 2011, 06:10:07 AM »
LET'S FINISH THIS THING

2.   Dave Matthews Band – Before These Crowded Streets (1998)



– And at number 2 is another band that seems to be almost universally hated by supposedly ‘hardcore’ music fans. Well, once again I despair for the elite of our beloved art form, as they’re missing out on probably the best band, overall, I’ve ever listened to. Dave Matthews Band might be famous for the cheery Ants Marching and sappy  Crash Into Me (both of which are actually great anyway, but I digress) but with Before These Crowded Streets, they shocked the world by following 1996’s joyous ‘Crash’ with one of the darkest albums ever released by a popular band. On Before These Crowded Streets, Matthews deals with themes as diverse as the plight of the Red Indians, to Jesus dying on the cross, to oral sex. Yes, there’s always going to be a ‘bit of mischief’ when it comes to DMB, but on BTCS they ditch their happier side almost entirely in favour of dark, complex lyrics backed by equally dark and complex music. Odd time signatures abound, and there are some almost horror-movie-esque moments to be in disturbing tracks like Halloween and The Stone. But in spite of all of this despair, BTCS has an underlying and redeeming sense of hope to be found in all of the songs, which makes it a truly redemptive, emotional listen every time. It’s a fairly well documented fact that DMB are almost always better live than in studio, prone to extended soloing as all of the band members are, but on BTCS they have put together eleven tracks which all stand up to live versions as they are, and which all perfectly complement each other to make BTCS the second most perfectly judged, perfectly flowing and perfectly enjoyable album I’ve ever heard.

1.   Tool – Lateralus (2001)



– And so here we are, my favourite album of all time. To be honest, there’s not really much I can say to justify Lateralus’ brilliance here without resorting to an essay running for several thousand words, so I’ll just say that it’s by far the most intense, emotional, deep and pretentious album I’ve ever heard. Yes, I just listed pretentious as a plus point, but with Tool, you really can forgive them when they churn out albums as good as this and the almost equally brilliant Aenima. The title track on here is also my second favourite song of all time, which is a nice bonus. So this doesn't seem like a massive cop-out, for a more in depth summary of why I think this is the best album ever, I’ve reviewed it at length here: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/43190/Tool-Lateralus/ But to be honest, those who’ve heard it and loved it like I have will know exactly what I mean without it needing to be put into words. All hail Tool, they deserve it. P.S. NEW ALBUM PLEASE.

Well, I really enjoyed doing this, thanks to all who followed, and sorry to those who have been waiting on me to finish.  :lol I do recommend my top 15 to everyone on this forum regardless of taste, and I obviously recommend my whole top 50 to people if they think something sounds interesting. But yeah, thanks DTF, this was fun!

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #154 on: November 27, 2011, 06:18:20 AM »
Interesting list.  Not a lot up my alley (and I'm sure mine is the same for you), but that's the beauty of doing these... we get to see and absorb the diversity here at DTF.
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Offline Zantera

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #155 on: November 27, 2011, 06:37:34 AM »
Lateralus is a great pick!  :tup

Offline Arch Benemy

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #156 on: November 27, 2011, 06:59:20 AM »
Never listened to Dave Matthews Band, I guess that would be a good place to start then  :lol

Lateralus is cool too, but the pretentiousness of their music, more specifically that of Maynard, spoils the overall Tool package for me.

Offline Dr. DTVT

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #157 on: November 27, 2011, 07:02:29 AM »
My biggest problem with DMB has never been the music, it's been the people who listen to DMB.  They tend to be douchey frat types.
     

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #158 on: November 27, 2011, 07:38:34 AM »
Fuck yes!

that DMB album is awesome, lateralus is good too.

Offline Marvellous G

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #159 on: November 27, 2011, 10:15:49 AM »
My biggest problem with DMB has never been the music, it's been the people who listen to DMB.  They tend to be douchey frat types.

I definitely get that, for Americans, this is a big turn-off against DMB, but once you get past the douchiness they're associated with, they're an amazing band.

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #160 on: November 27, 2011, 10:19:43 AM »
I could never really get into DMB. Never had any experiences with their fans, the music just doesn't do anything for me.
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Offline Ravenheart

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #161 on: November 27, 2011, 10:26:25 AM »
Great list, Tom.  :tup

Offline Gorille85

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #162 on: November 27, 2011, 10:31:15 AM »

Offline Fluffy Lothario

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #163 on: November 27, 2011, 05:28:26 PM »
My biggest problem with DMB has never been the music, it's been the people who listen to DMB.  They tend to be douchey frat types.
I would actually like to meet one of these douchebag DMB fans, just to have experienced it. All of the DMB fans I've met in my life, bar one, got into the band through me. The other guy was my flatmate who introduced them to me in the first place. This stereotype of "those damn douchey DMB fans" is like this great myth to me. Maybe they all live in Timbuktoo.

A flatmate of mine played me a John Mayer live album a while ago. It sounded pretty good. I plan to check him out at some point. Considering I like most of those vaguely blues-ey, slightly more mainstream singer songwriter-ey types, he seems like something I might get into.

Great list, of course. Can you make a version that includes multiple albums per band? Just to see how it changes in that format. Obviously doesn't have to be exact, just a general idea.

Offline WebRaider

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #164 on: November 27, 2011, 11:19:24 PM »
Very nice finish! Interesting top 10  :tup

Offline Durg

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #165 on: November 28, 2011, 07:36:29 AM »
I'm a big fan of Continuum.  I listened to it almost non-stop when it first came out.
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Offline ZBomber

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #166 on: November 28, 2011, 07:44:30 AM »
The douchebag college frat kids are definitely abundant in the US, but that doesn't make the band any less awesome. A lot of the actual fanbase is composed of normal people, it's just a lot of college douchebags use the shows as a reason to get really drunk and be obnoxious.

BTCS is an awesome album!  :tup Think I'll listen to it now, matter of fact.

Offline Marvellous G

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Re: Marvellous G's Top Fifty Albums - FINISHED
« Reply #167 on: November 28, 2011, 09:56:38 AM »
I guess I really can't comment on the DMB issue either way as I wouldn't be exposed to the douches if they did exist anyway as I'm in the UK, but all I can say is, if they're the thing putting you off, don't let them!

As for Fluffy's question about if I'd included multiple albums per artist, it would probably have changed to look roughly something like this:

Tool - Lateralus and Aenima both in top 10
John Mayer - Continuum and Heavier Things top 10, Battle Studies around the 25 mark
Dave Matthews Band - BTCS and Crash both in top 10
Bob Dylan - Bringing it all Back Home, Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61 Revisited and Blood on the Tracks all in top 20
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue where it is, Bitches Brew around 30 ish
Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave would have been near the bottom of the list
Metallica - Puppets might have made it in near the bottom
Radiohead - In Rainbows and Kid A both in top 20

It would have been a much narrower list.  :lol