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My Top 25 Albums Of All Time

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Inlander:
Well I've donned the rope and the safety equipment and dived into my C.D. collection, and after a lot of hard graft I've managed to come up with a top 25.  I had to start off with a short-list of 53, then to narrow that down I decided to only have one album from each artist . . . And after that it got difficult!  That left me with 32, and it hurt me so to cut out the final seven - but here it goes, in alphabetical order:

Louis Armstrong: Plays W.C. Handy
If it's high summer, and you're outside on the back verandah sharing a meal and a bottle of wine with some good friends, put this album on.  The mood is complete.

Count Basie: The Original American Decca Recordings
'30s swing at its peak - big band doesn't get any better than this.

Cat Power: Moon Pix
A divisive one, but listening to it in the shop to decide whether or not to buy it, an idea for a story suddenly popped into my head - that prompted me to buy the album, and for the next fortnight I listened to nothing else.  Thus did this album become part of me.

The Clash: London Calling
Do I really have to explain?  The presence of "Rudy Can't Fail" alone would make this one of the greatest albums ever.

Sam Cooke: Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963
It's not often that an album goes straight into your list of favourites the minute you buy it.  This is one of those records that divides your life into "before" and "after".

Miles Davis: Round About Midnight
Not one of his most famous recordings - many would say not even one of his best.  But for me this is the greatest band Davis ever led - the legendary first quintet - at the height of its powers.  If you're going to listen to one jazz performance in your life, make it "Bye Bye Blackbird" from this album - especially for the stunning piano solo by Red Garland.

Herb Ellis: Nothing But the Blues
More jazz - though, obviously, of a blues bent.  Although, as is the way with jazz reissues, the album has been supplemented with additional tracks, on the original 8 tunes there is literally not a bum note.  And for me, jazz guitar starts and ends here.

Bill Evans: Waltz for Debby
The finest 11 p.m. music ever created.  This is one of those recordings that re-sets the bar as far as its particular genre - in this case, the jazz piano trio - is concerned.  Recorded live in 1961, this is all the more significant - and more tragic - for the fact that the brilliant bassist in the group, Scott LaFaro, died in a car accident only 10 days later.

Ella Fitzgerald: Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book
Well, what can I say?  In 1959 Fitzgerald's voice was simply the most beautiful thing you'll ever hear - and Fitzgerald and the Gershwins deserved each other.  As a writer, I'm especially fond of this album because it allows me to wallow in Ira Gershwin's lyrics - there's never been a better lyricist, in my opinion, and listening through the four C.D.s that make up this album is just to live in a world of sheer joy.

The Four Tops: Four Tops
For my money, the Tops were the best of Motown.  Levi Stubbs' voice is the very definition of soul, and this album is vintage Motown right through - but particularly the classic opening track, "Baby I Need Your Loving".

Billie Holiday: The Quintessential Billie Holiday, Volume V
Though it's since been supplanted in my collection by the 10 (yes, 10) C.D. set of the complete Billie Holiday recordings of 1933-44, this was the first Holiday album I bought and even though the remastering is rough by later standards, it still holds a special place in my heart.  It includes "On the Sentimental Side", which must be my favourite of all the Holiday recordings of the '30s and '40s.

Massive Attack: Blue Lines
Another instant classic.  No matter how many times I hear songs such as "Safe From Harm" and "Unfinished Sympathy", they always sound fresh.

Charles Mingus: Mingus Ah Um
For most people, myself included, the best album Mingus ever recorded. Aw, screw that, it's probably the best jazz album ever, full stop.  Don't believe me?  Just listen to "Better Git It in Your Soul".

Palace Music: Lost Blues and Other Songs
The beginning of my wonderful Will Oldham adventure.  In Australia we have a weekly music show called "Rage" - every Saturday it's guest programmed by a touring band, either oversease or local, who play their favourite songs.  When I was in my late teens "Ohio River Boat Song" popped up again and again.  This album also includes possibly my favourite Oldham song (and that's a BIG call!), "Gulf Shores".

Charlie Parker: The Complete Dial Sessions
Another 4-C.D. set, though truth be told you could settle for just the master takes on 2 C.D.s.  A Charlie Parker performance is a complete entity: you can't listen to just a snippet or it'll just sound like noise.  But listen to one of the tunes off the last two C.D.s in this set, and you'll be hearing musical perfection.  In particular I love the way he redefined jazz ballad playing: listening to Parker play a ballad is like listening to an inarticulate man trying to spurt out just how much he loves you.  There are notes everywhere, but at heart it makes sense and it's beautiful.

Dolly Parton: The Grass is Blue
Yes, Dolly Parton.  I am not ashamed!  If you only buy one bluegrass album in your life, make it this one.  Just listen to "Cash on the Barrelhead", or "Steady as the Rain", or "Will He Be Waiting For Me", or . . . Or just listen to the whole damn thing.

The Pixies: Doolittle
I know some people who look down on this album a little because they see it as the Pixies' "pop" album.  Well fuck 'em, this is the one for me.

The Pogues: If I Should Fall From Grace With God
I had THREE Pogues albums in my shortlist.  I went for this one because it combines everything that made the Pogues great when they were in their prime.  And because it has "Fairytale of New York" on it.

The Sundays: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic
Long before the Shins, the Sundays were writing gorgeous pop songs with bitter, cynical lyrics.  Just about every time I listen to this album I have a different favourite song, but I think all things considered the best would have to be "Can't Be Sure" - the point where the drums kick in and the whole song blossoms open is a weak-at-the-knees moment.

The Tea Party: Splendor Solis
Everybody has a favourite band that they worshipped in High School, and then grew out of.  Before they disappeared up their own arses, the Tea Party released one brilliant album.  Forget The Edges of Twilight - this is it.

The Waterboys: Fisherman's Blues
It's not often that you get an album that is not just a collection of songs, but a seamless whole from beginning to end.  This is Mike Scott's most consistent album, and with songs such as the title track, "And a Bang on the Ear", and a classic cover of Van Morrisson's "Sweet Thing", it's also his best.

Ben Webster: Meets Oscar Peterson
Swoon!  Arguably the most gorgeous tenor saxophone player the jazz world has ever produced, and this is his best.  38 minutes of heaven.

X: Los Angeles
Back when they made REAL punks on the West Coast.  John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom, D.J. Bonebrake - is this the coolest band ever?  Probably, but honestly who cares about cool when the music's this good.  One of the great punk albums.

Lester Young and Teddy Wilson: Pres and Teddy
Lester Young - "Pres" - is probably the greatest tenor saxophone player ever.  And yes, I'm including Coltrane in that.  Truth be told, though, this album isn't his best - though it's still miles ahead of what most musicians could achieve - but it gets into the list because of Teddy Wilson, one of the absolute greats of jazz piano.  Just listen to his solos on this album - the man had a gorgeous tone on the piano, unlike any jazz pianist who came before him.

Various artists: The Harder They Come Soundtrack
The ultimate reggae album - and there's not a Bob Marley track in sight!  Though it's often remembered for Jimmy Cliff, who also starred in the film, some of the best songs on this album are the non-Cliff ones.  This album was wildly influential on a generation of musicians when it came out (the Clash covered "Pressure Drop" - and on a rather less exalted level, Boney M covered "Rivers of Babylon, and (ugh) Tony Childes covered "Many Rivers to Cross").  Basically, this album comes down to one thing: you have one C.D. with Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, AND Toots and the Maytals, all at their peak.  What more could you ask for?

(Honourable mentions: Duke Ellington, the Magnetic Fields, Uncle Tupelo, Jackie Leven, Darren Hanlon, the Violent Femmes, Coleman Hawkins . . . etc, etc.)

Signum_Tenebrae:
Number One:  Xasthur - Nocturnal Poisoning  This album is a cursed painting of a horrible, frightening existance one man lives.  A wrist-slitting suicidal classic, don't listen if you're depressed and have weapons nearby.  Malefic's howls sound like the despair-filled cries of a phantom wandering aimlessly for centuries.

Number Two:  Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath  Quite the polar opposite from my first album, though it is fucking incredible in a different way.  Melodic leads and a heavy-metal style to instrumentation put together with King Diamonds crazed falsetto voice yields a rocking, head-banging, yet evil as fuck album.

Number Three:  Nokturnal Mortum - Goat Horns  Epic.  This album's intro uses a classical-music approach, tieing together themes from all of the other tracks to make the entire thing feel like one lengthy piece of music.  Two keyboardists were used on this album, and it is really keyboard dominated yet folky at the same time.

Number Four:  Burzum - Hvist Lyset Tar Oss There isn't much that needs to be said about this album.  It's a masterpiece.  Varg is a genius.  My favorite of everything Burzum released.

Number Five:  Sargeist - Satanic Black Devotion  Incredibly cold and emotion-filled riffing.  Simplistic in technique, very deep in feel.  Hate just seeps from this album, yet some riffs do not fail to be quite catchy.  You can definitely hear the influence from Behexen and Horna (in which members of Sargeist are also in)

Number Six:  Judas Iscariot - Heaven In Flames  Another album of very simple riffing, and yet with a touch of keyboard, it becomes epic, triumphant, and hateful at the same time.  Displays the majestic hatred that a lot of BM bands shoot for but never manage to quite achieve.

Number Seven:  Velvet Cacoon - Genevieve  Large and frequent doses of DXM (A dissociative drug found in cough syrups) inspired this album heavily.  The members remarked that a listener on a DXM "trip" would make more sense of this album.  Even though I'm not a DXM user, this album is incredible.  It sounds as if it was written in the darkness beneath thousands of feet of ocean.  Sparse vocals and wandering guitars make this a really "hypnotic" listen.

Number Eight:  Abyssic Hate - Suicidal Emotions  Another "suicidal" (as the name implies) album.  Whereas Xasthur's depressing is filled with the feeling of an alienated attachment to the supernatural and occult, this one gives off more of a pure depression and hopelessness often found in doom metal.  

Number Nine:  Absu - Tara  Absu describes themselves as "mythological black/thrash metal"  Proscriptors insane drumming sets this albums tempo at about a thousand fucking miles per hour, and the guitars keep the pace quite nicely.  The riffs are very thrash-influenced, and jet this album doesn't lack it's epicness which the lyrics depict.  Such tracks as "Stone Of Destiny" (in which Proscriptor showcases some clean vocals) are masterpieces that are hundreds of times better than your average dumb thrash metal song.

Number Ten:  Mütiilation - Remains Of A Ruined, Dead, Curse Soul  Meyna'ch strikes me as very mentally unstable.  The best release from the infamous French Black Legions (or if you prefer, Les Legions Noire) this is truly a strain of detatched, ugly, raw, evil, painful, and horrible black metal not very friendly to the ear.  Probably a pinnacle of raw and ugly black metal.


Maybe I'll post some more later.  These are always subject to change of course.

LightThievesAll:

--- Quote from: Signum_Tenebrae ---Number Two:  Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath
--- End quote ---

I'm going to see King Diamond next week.  It's going to be really, really, awesome.

As for albums, shit, I can't think of a true top 25, but here's a good list anyway.

Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
Slayer - Reign in Blood
Misfits - Legacy of Brutality
Effigies - Remains Nonviewable (it's a best of, but I'm still counting it)
Motorhead - No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith
Sheer Terror - Just Can't Hate Enough
Negative Approach - Tied Down
Slapshot - Step On It
Life of Agony - River Runs Red
Amazing Royal Crowns - Amazing Royal Crowns
Bruisers - Singles Collection (I know, another best of, sue me)
Cock Sparrer - Shock Troops
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
Aesop Rock - Labor Days
Cro-Mags - Age of Quarrel
Judas Priest - Painkiller (or Screaming For Vengeance, tough call)
Skrewdriver - All Skrewed Up
Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I
Darkbuster - 22 Songs You'll Never Want to Hear Again
Black Flag - Damaged
Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
The Who - Who's Next
Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius
The Business - Suburban Rebels

El Opium:
oh, alright. No Order
Kinks-Village Green Preservation Society
Neil Young-Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
Can-Tago Mago
Big Black-Atomizer
Slowdive-Souvlaki
Polvo-Cor Crane Secret
Sonic Youth-EVOL
Fire Show-Saint the Fire Show
Comsat Angels-Waiting for a Miracle
Wire-Pink Flag
My Bloody Valentine-Isn't Anything
Growing-The Skies Run Into the Sea
Swell Maps-A Trip To Marineville
Swans-Great Anhilator
Slint-Spiderland
Charalambides-Market Square
Jack Rose-Opium Musick
PIL-Second Edition
Yellow Swans-Dreamed Yellow Swans
Skullflower-Exquisite Fucking Boredom
edit: Slowdive-Souvlaki (why did I forget the soundtrack to my nothing years).
Not quite sure if thats 25 more or less. Some  of it reflects my current taste more then others.

nickyandthefuture:
Ok, here goes.  Every time I write this, it will probably be different, but this is what I'm thinking right now:

1. The Secret Stars - Genealogies:  Geoff Farina and Jodi Buonanno (with help from Ted Leo, Ida and others) made the perfect album.  The style varies drastically from song to song, jumping from sincere, confessional pop songs stripped down to the minimum number of sounds to walls of static.  There are constant themes throughout it, though.  It's too bad that it's been out of print for so long.

2. The Lucksmiths - Happy Secret:  So much of my life is tied up in this album, I can't really judge it anymore.  All I know is that "Untidy Towns" is one of the best pop songs ever written.

3. The Secret Stars - s/t:  Much like the other Secret Stars album, with a softer feel to it.  "Eyelashes" is the only song I still remember how to play on guitar, and I don't feel like I really need to learn anything else at this point.

4. Ted Leo/Rx - The Tyranny of Distance:  This was the album that made me realize how much of a genius Ted Leo is.  I liked his previous solo album quite a bit (much unlike probably everybody else in the world), but this album is unbelievably solid.

5. The Holy Childhood - Up With What I'm Down With:  Cacophony with a purpose.

6. Belle and Sebastian - Tigermilk:  One of the prettiest things I've ever heard.  Also one of the few indie albums that lives up to its legendary status (which has of course faded now that people other than wealthy hipsters can get their hands on it)

7. Heavenly - Operation Heavenly:  Being simultaneously manic and beautiful is pretty hard to pull off, but Amelia Fletcher always seems to pull it off.  There should probably be more of her stuff on this list, but this is the one I like the best.

8. eric Metronome - Lime Green:  A three dollar cassette-only release that completely changed my taste in music back in high school.  A lot of people say he sounds like Elliot Smith, which is pretty true, but also... not.

9. The Lucksmiths - A Good Kind of Nervous:  Is it possible for an album to be more clever than this?  That is a rhetorical question.  The literal answer is "no".

10. Of Montreal - The Gay Parade:  The happiest album about isolation ever written.

11. Ida - Ten Small Paces
12. Brittle Stars - s/t
13. Life Without Buildings - Any Other City
14. Karate - In Place of Real Insight
15. Cibo Matto - Viva! La Woman
16. The Monorchid - Who Put Out the Fire?
17. Sarge - The Glass Intact
18. Yesteryear - Under the Rug
19. Belle and Sebatian - If You're Feeling Sinister
20. In My Living Room (compilation)
21. Beulah - Handsome Western States
22. Darren Hanlon - Hello Stranger
23. Hefner - The Fidelity Wars
24. Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime
25. From Bubblegum to Sky - Me and Amy and the Two French Boys

(I tried to write descriptions for everything, but I'm getting restless so I stopped at the top ten).

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