AskSE: Fifteen Albums Forever | Sensible Endowment

First as Tragedy, Then as Farce - Billions of dollars have been hastily poured into the global banking system in a frantic attempt at financial stabilization. Where is the social stability?

Subscriber Link - click here to make yours.

Wednesday, 9 September 2015

AskSE: Fifteen Albums Forever

quote [ Take 15 minutes to list 15 albums you'll never forget and will always stick with you. List why the album will stick with you, because really, who wants to just read lists. ]

It's a stupid Facebook meme that's wound up hugely popular in my social circle - and it's genuinely fascinating to see what people love and why. This isn't a "list your top fifteen", any fifteen will do - so long as they were memorable and influenced you, and yes, that includes albums that negatively influenced you as well.

Reveal

My fifteen. Not in any particular order. I don't even want to try putting it in order of favorites.

Rush - 2112

The album that cemented my love for Rush forever. Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of the second half, but the title track is a brilliant masterpiece. I like the dystopian sci-fi feel, and Lifeson's guitar is perfect - especially during the "Discovery" section, where he goes from untuned open chords to his typical mastery. After the failure of the previous album, this was supposed to be the one that brought Rush into line and make them start churning out hard rock singles and sucking up to the record company - and instead, they decided to give the music industry the middle finger and go out with a bang. And they established their legacy, slipped the leash of the record company forever, and locked in a career of over forty years and eighteen albums.

Slayer - Reign in Blood

Thirty-five minutes of vicious, brutal metal onslaught. It brings rage and fury, and when it's done it carries my own away, and I feel shriven, like a new man. Also, Tom Araya's delivery of brilliant lyrics is perfect.

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

I have an ongoing argument with virtually everyone I know, whether or not this album is better than Dark Side of the Moon - and I favor, ever so slightly, this one. There's something bleak and melancholic about the whole album, a paean of loss. A slow build with "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", then two scathing indictments of the music industry ("Welcome to the Machine" and "Have a Cigar"). The title track is a quiet tone poem to loneliness and despair, and then the slow letdown of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pt. II" completes the cycle. A mirror on my own mood all too often.

30 Seconds to Mars - 30 Seconds to Mars

Space rock. And yes, it gets a lot of flak for being an "emo" album, but I like the techy, ethereal sci-fi vibe it puts off. I can put this album on repeat, fire up the original Mass Effect, and spend hours fucking around with the planetary side quests - it's a perfect fit of music and game.

Metallica - Master of Puppets

Every single song on this album is a perfect gem of thrash metal. From an ode to rage ("Battery") to despair ("Welcome Home Sanitarium") to Cthulhu Mythos ("The Thing That Should Not Be") to almost downtempo funk ("Orion"), it's brilliant and perfect in every way - and I dig on that solo in the title track.

Two Steps from Hell - Invincible

You know that uplifting music from movie trailers, the stuff that makes you feel like you could kick ass and conquer the world and live victoriously forever? Here's a whole album of that. I can't listen to it and not start putting together the most awesome epic movie in my head.

Lamb of God - Sacrament

Randy Blythe, the lead singer, was widely known as an alcoholic douche - and the rest of the band wrote an entire album calling him out on it. And to his credit, he sang every bit of it with everything he had. It's their slickest and most heavily produced album, but it's also easily their best. The standouts are "Descending", a song dedicated to losing everything to alcohol, and "Walk With Me In Hell" - in an album full of "you're an asshole and we hate you", this is the song saying "but we still love you and we're not giving up on you, no matter how dark this road becomes."

Judas Priest - Painkiller

At a time when thrash metal was dying, being eaten alive by grunge, Judas Priest released one of the thrashiest metal albums ever. It's one of those untold wonders of the musical world, and proof that Judas Priest still had it in spades, even after two previous albums of metal-lite.

Led Zeppelin - IV

Again with the arguments - everyone else likes II better - but to my mind, this was the apex of Zeppelin. The Tolkien-inspired track "Battle of Evermore" is my personal favorite, followed closely by the bluesy "When The Levee Breaks". And of course the one Zeppelin song everyone knows, "Stairway to Heaven", which rightfully deserves it's status - catch that exact moment it goes from folk ballad to rock masterpiece, when Bonham brings in the drums.

Iron Maiden - Best of the Beast

Why yes, there is a "greatest hits" album on my list. But this is one of those perfect condensations of a band's output that captures them perfectly. Even at it's darkest it's still high-tempo and powerful. Note the live version of "Fear of the Dark", and the audience singing along to a guitar part. This is the album that got me into heavy metal.

The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed

This album started off as a record company asking a struggling blues band to record Antonin Dvorak's Symphony no. 9 as a demonstration album. It wound up as an orchestral rock masterpiece, a concept album of a day in the life of an average man. The album covers a lot of ground in it's playtime, bouncing for orchestral to hard rock to blues to pop to spoken-word poetry. We all know "Nights in White Satin" (although you might not know of the poem that ends it - the best part), but for me, the crowning song is "Tuesday Afternoon".

Guns n' Roses - Use Your Illusion (Walmart Special)

Apparently Walmart at some point commissioned a "greatest hits" version of the double album release of Use Your Illusion I & II, and I, as a young man buying his very first set of CDs (some of which were very poor choices), had no idea. Even so, it's a pretty solid selection of the albums.

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

The "Black Sabbath Sound" didn't premier until the next album, Masters of Reality, but this is Sabbath at their best. The title track is of special note - the band threw it together while driving to record the album as a filler track, and it turned out solid enough to name the album after.

Deep Purple - Machine Head

One of the early founding fathers of heavy metal. I always have to play "Space Truckin'" when I'm on a road trip, and "Highway Star" when I feel like flooring it. That super-technical guitar you hear isn't a guitar - it's Jon Lord passing a Hammond organ through a Marshal stack.

Gorillaz - Demon Days

Here's where I get a little weird - a cartoon band, blending hip-hop, rock, and pop. It's also an extended diss track aimed straight at the excesses of the modern world.

And my dishonorable mention:

Kid Rock - The History of Rock

This is the album that makes me want to build a time machine just so I can go back and bitchslap my eighteen-year-old self. There is nothing redeeming or acceptable about this album - Kid Cock rips off fucking everything, from rap to metal to country, to produce an album that can't even be so bad it's good - it just mediocre nu-metal bullshit. I consider the summer I spent listening to this album a complete waste of my life, and that even takes into consideration it was the summer I lost my virginity - thankfully not to this album.

[SFW] [ask SE]	[+10 Good]
[by rndmnmbr]

<-- Entry / Comment History

kylemcbitch said @ 7:31pm GMT on 9th September
1. The Cure - Wish: My favorite album, has many wonderful songs but the one called Doing the Unstuck always speaks to me, because it can be interpreted at a message to throw away your cares and get happy, or a message saying you should burn down everything and blow your brains out. Wonderful for those moments when you're on the fence.

2. A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step: I like APC more than I ever did Tool, and this album was arguably them at their A game. "The Noose" is just perfect.

3. David Bowie - Best of: I usually hate compilation albums, but it's hard to argue with this one. It's just wonderful song after wonderful song, and I will always love Bowies Man Who Sold The World more than Nirvana's.

4. Dead Can Dance - Into the Labyrinth: A solid album, great to space out to. The songs The Carnival is Over and How Fortunate the Man With None are brilliant, though the latter is a poem from Bertolt Brecht.

5. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism: A Lack of Color has been a go to song for me when people ask me to send them music that describes me. However, the real reason I love/hate this album is Tiny Vessels. I had a conversation with an ex-girlfriend (who was not ex at the time) about it, she was horrified by what he was saying, but she was also very naive (I was only the second person she ever dated.) I told her one day she would get it. She did, when she left me. Literally out of her mouth "I get it now" as she told me she didn't love me any more. So, any time I like to feel horrible I will drop that one.

6. Ingrid Michaelson - Girls and Boys: An absolutely fantastic album, it's only downside is that it was featured heavily on Grey's Anatomy. I recommend checking out the songs Glass and Corner of Your Heart.

7. Jimmy Eat World - Futures: This used to be my favorite album, but I sort of played it to the point of avoidance. Night Drive, 23, and Work still see play weekly from me. Might be a bit too heavy on the pop-sensibilities for some of the more discerning here.

8. Juno Reactor - Labyrinth: World music meets techno, which sounds awful (since I am not a huge fan of either,) but works very well for this band. Check the songs War Dogs and Mutant Message. Great for first person shooters or just generally tripping balls.

9. Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals: I understand why some people hate Manson, as his musical talent is pretty limited. However, this album had him playing with a guitarist known as Johnny 5, and honestly has some of the best music I have heard from the band. Sadly, Manson jumped on the bandwagon of hating this album. Check out Great Big White World, Last Day on Earth, and Coma White for a trippy downward spiral.

10. Metric - Fantasies: Metric is mostly known for their song that keeps getting radio play called Help I'm Alive. I recommend the rest of the album, because it's amazing. Check out Gold, Guns, Girls and Collect Call.

11. Silversun Pickups - Carnavas: The best musician in the band is the drummer, and that isn't saying a whole hell of a lot. But they got soul and they got interesting lyrics. Check out Melatonin, Future Foe Scenarios, and Dream at Tempo 119.

12. The Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense: A live album with many of their best songs. Pretty much perfect, start to finish, especially the rendition of Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place.)

13. The Birthday Massacre - Walking With Strangers: A mix of 80's synth pop and 90's industrial. Kill the Lights and Goodnight are wonderful opening songs, and Remember Me and Movie are two of my most favorite songs to come out in the last decade.

14. The Smiths - The Sound of the Smiths: A compilation album, which frankly has all the Smith's songs I give a shit about: Panic, This Charming Man, There is a Light that Never Goes Out, What Difference Does it Make, etc. Just a solid album of good songs, and getting this means I don't have to give Morrissey any more money, because fuck that guy.

15. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles: Sadly this band broke up too soon, but their first self titled album is great.... especially if you're on hallucinogens.

kylemcbitch said @ 8:05pm GMT on 9th September
1. The Cure - Wish: My favorite album, has many wonderful songs but the one called Doing the Unstuck always speaks to me, because it can be interpreted at a message to throw away your cares and get happy, or a message saying you should burn down everything and blow your brains out. Wonderful for those moments when you're on the fence.

2. A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step: I like APC more than I ever did Tool, and this album was arguably them at their A game. "The Noose" is just perfect.

3. David Bowie - Best of: I usually hate compilation albums, but it's hard to argue with this one. It's just wonderful song after wonderful song, and I will always love Bowies Man Who Sold The World more than Nirvana's.

4. Dead Can Dance - Into the Labyrinth: A solid album, great to space out to. The songs The Carnival is Over and How Fortunate the Man With None are brilliant, though the latter is a poem from Bertolt Brecht.

5. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism: A Lack of Color has been a go to song for me when people ask me to send them music that describes me. However, the real reason I love/hate this album is Tiny Vessels. I had a conversation with an ex-girlfriend (who was not ex at the time) about it, she was horrified by what he was saying, but she was also very naive (I was only the second person she ever dated.) I told her one day she would get it. She did, when she left me. Literally out of her mouth "I get it now" as she told me she didn't love me any more. So, any time I like to feel horrible I will drop that one.

6. Ingrid Michaelson - Girls and Boys: An absolutely fantastic album, it's only downside is that it was featured heavily on Grey's Anatomy. I recommend checking out the songs Glass, Breakable, and Corner of Your Heart.

7. Jimmy Eat World - Futures: This used to be my favorite album, but I sort of played it to the point of avoidance. Night Drive, 23, and Work still see play weekly from me. Might be a bit too heavy on the pop-sensibilities for some of the more discerning here.

8. Juno Reactor - Labyrinth: World music meets techno, which sounds awful (since I am not a huge fan of either,) but works very well for this band. Check the songs War Dogs and Mutant Message. Great for first person shooters or just generally tripping balls.

9. Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals: I understand why some people hate Manson, as his musical talent is pretty limited. However, this album had him playing with a guitarist known as Johnny 5, and honestly has some of the best music I have heard from the band. Sadly, Manson jumped on the bandwagon of hating this album. Check out Great Big White World, Last Day on Earth, and Coma White for a trippy downward spiral.

10. Metric - Fantasies: Metric is mostly known for their song that keeps getting radio play called Help I'm Alive. I recommend the rest of the album, because it's amazing. Check out Gold, Guns, Girls and Collect Call.

11. Silversun Pickups - Carnavas: The best musician in the band is the drummer, and that isn't saying a whole hell of a lot. But they got soul and they got interesting lyrics. Check out Melatonin, Future Foe Scenarios, and Dream at Tempo 119.

12. The Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense: A live album with many of their best songs. Pretty much perfect, start to finish, especially the rendition of Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place.)

13. The Birthday Massacre - Walking With Strangers: A mix of 80's synth pop and 90's industrial. Kill the Lights and Goodnight are wonderful opening songs, and Remember Me and Movie are two of my most favorite songs to come out in the last decade.

14. The Smiths - The Sound of the Smiths: A compilation album, which frankly has all the Smith's songs I give a shit about: Panic, This Charming Man, There is a Light that Never Goes Out, What Difference Does it Make, etc. Just a solid album of good songs, and getting this means I don't have to give Morrissey any more money, because fuck that guy.

15. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles: Sadly this band broke up too soon, but their first self titled album is great.... especially if you're on hallucinogens.

<-- Entry / Current Comment
kylemcbitch said @ 7:31pm GMT on 9th September
1. The Cure - Wish: My favorite album, has many wonderful songs but the one called Doing the Unstuck always speaks to me, because it can be interpreted at a message to throw away your cares and get happy, or a message saying you should burn down everything and blow your brains out. Wonderful for those moments when you're on the fence.

2. A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step: I like APC more than I ever did Tool, and this album was arguably them at their A game. "The Noose" is just perfect.

3. David Bowie - Best of: I usually hate compilation albums, but it's hard to argue with this one. It's just wonderful song after wonderful song, and I will always love Bowies Man Who Sold The World more than Nirvana's.

4. Dead Can Dance - Into the Labyrinth: A solid album, great to space out to. The songs The Carnival is Over and How Fortunate the Man With None are brilliant, though the latter is a poem from Bertolt Brecht.

5. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism: A Lack of Color has been a go to song for me when people ask me to send them music that describes me. However, the real reason I love/hate this album is Tiny Vessels. I had a conversation with an ex-girlfriend (who was not ex at the time) about it, she was horrified by what he was saying, but she was also very naive (I was only the second person she ever dated.) I told her one day she would get it. She did, when she left me. Literally out of her mouth "I get it now" as she told me she didn't love me any more. So, any time I like to feel horrible I will drop that one.

6. Ingrid Michaelson - Girls and Boys: An absolutely fantastic album, it's only downside is that it was featured heavily on Grey's Anatomy. I recommend checking out the songs Glass, Breakable, and Corner of Your Heart.

7. Jimmy Eat World - Futures: This used to be my favorite album, but I sort of played it to the point of avoidance. Night Drive, 23, and Work still see play weekly from me. Might be a bit too heavy on the pop-sensibilities for some of the more discerning here.

8. Juno Reactor - Labyrinth: World music meets techno, which sounds awful (since I am not a huge fan of either,) but works very well for this band. Check the songs War Dogs and Mutant Message. Great for first person shooters or just generally tripping balls.

9. Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals: I understand why some people hate Manson, as his musical talent is pretty limited. However, this album had him playing with a guitarist known as Johnny 5, and honestly has some of the best music I have heard from the band. Sadly, Manson jumped on the bandwagon of hating this album. Check out Great Big White World, Last Day on Earth, and Coma White for a trippy downward spiral.

10. Metric - Fantasies: Metric is mostly known for their song that keeps getting radio play called Help I'm Alive. I recommend the rest of the album, because it's amazing. Check out Gold, Guns, Girls and Collect Call.

11. Silversun Pickups - Carnavas: The best musician in the band is the drummer, and that isn't saying a whole hell of a lot. But they got soul and they got interesting lyrics. Check out Melatonin, Future Foe Scenarios, and Dream at Tempo 119.

12. The Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense: A live album with many of their best songs. Pretty much perfect, start to finish, especially the rendition of Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place.)

13. The Birthday Massacre - Walking With Strangers: A mix of 80's synth pop and 90's industrial. Kill the Lights and Goodnight are wonderful opening songs, and Remember Me and Movie are two of my most favorite songs to come out in the last decade.

14. The Smiths - The Sound of the Smiths: A compilation album, which frankly has all the Smith's songs I give a shit about: Panic, This Charming Man, There is a Light that Never Goes Out, What Difference Does it Make, etc. Just a solid album of good songs, and getting this means I don't have to give Morrissey any more money, because fuck that guy.

15. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles: Sadly this band broke up too soon, but their first self titled album is great.... especially if you're on hallucinogens.

1	ScoobySnacks
2	HoZay
3	Paracetamol
4	lilmookieesquire
5	Ankylosaur