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[pat101]

I have a friend who I've recently taken under my wing to try and educate her on 'good music'. She said she would try 10 albums that I reccomend to her and go from there, I have 10 in mind but I have my bias' as well so I figured I would go to the most unbiased place in the world. The Internet! So let's here it the top 10 albums that this girl MUST hear. Keep in mind she knows next to nothing about anything music wise.

[Alyxz]

Would really need to know more about this person.  Aside from the fact that I tend to jump around like crazy in what I like in any given moment, if we're just talking about a hypothetical philosophical question here: "What albums would you give to someone who has never heard music before?" I might start with something a little lighter than my own taste, just to ease them into it.

On the other hand, if you're talking about a crazy angry angst filled I-hate-all-of-humanity-and-most-of-all-YOU! person, then we might be able to skip most of the intro stuff and move right on into something a little more edgy.

[Joseph]

Abbey Road - The Beatles
The Doors - The Doors
40 Licks - The Rolling Stones
Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
Ok Computer - Radiohead
Odelay - Beck
Pinkerton - Weezer
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy
Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
The Moon and Antartica - Modest Mouse


  They aren't my ten favorite albums (though some of my favorites are up there), but they create a nice cross-section of music over the years, and they're all amazing.

[Rizzo]

Nearly, there's no metal or punk there... or hardrock even.

[Kid Modernist]

If someone would ask me for ten essential albums, I'd tell em.

The Cure - Disintegration
Paul Simon - Graceland
Getz/Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto
Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
The Velvet Underground and Nico - S/t
The Beates - White Album
Bright Eyes - Lifted
Manu Chao - Clandestino
The Doors - The Doors
Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blond (or The Freewhellin', depending)
and 11
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
because limiting yourself to 10 is pretty lame, and I'm a rebel.

Anyways, pretty safe choices but that is what essential is about.

[a pack of wolves]

Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime
The Beatles - White Album (I personally can't abide the Beatles, but they're pretty damn influential so it's a good thing to hear and make your own mind up on)
Velvet Underground And Nico - S/T
Charlie Parker - In A Soulful Mood
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Minor Threat - discography
Van Halen - 1984
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths of Rhythm
Leadbelly - In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down

Mind you, I'd say the best thing would be to make her a few mixes with as wide a range of music as you can get hold of on, ask her what she likes and then tell her where she can get more in that vain.

[Joseph]

Nearly, there's no metal or punk there... or hardrock even.

  I was limited to ten albums though, remember?  Come to think of it, there isn't any jazz in there either...  With 5 more options the list would look a lot more complete.

[Rizzo]

A pack of wolves has the right idea I reckon. That's a good mix. I'm not sure that Wu Tang needs to be in there with Tribe as well. Replace Wu Tang with PWEI-This is this, pretty goddamn influential, behind the scenes though. Or Kraftwerk.

[RUMBLEMOOSE]

Man, I'd just totally alienate the hell out of her. If you don't want to do the legwork and find good music, you can have fun with your bad music and it's no real skin off my nose.

That said, the best alienation possible:

Merzbow, Pulse Demon
Orthrelm, Ov
Plastikman, Closer
The Shaggs, s/t
Jerome's Dream, Completed 1997-2001
Crass, Do They Owe Us a Living?
The Pop Group, Y
a good recording of Luciano Berio's "Sinfonia"
Sunn O))), The Grimrobe Demos
Pharoah Sanders, Karma

Of course, if you ever want this girl to speak to you again (and if I don't want to be an asshole and make offtopic posts) maybe a different list would be in order. I also put reasons behind each of these, because rather than taking the list wholesale you'd be better off just using the rationale behind it.

Pavement, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
- exposure to the Matador catalogue, indie rock classic
The Flaming Lips, Transmissions From the Satellite Heart
- band with a large output, fairly accessible yet noisy, exposure to Restless catalogue
Slint, Spiderland
- indie rock classic, exposure to Touch & Go distro
June of '44, Anahata
- decently accessible post rock, further exposure to T&G distro
Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation
- good jumping-on point for SY, accessible yet noisy
Gang of Four, Entertainment!
- similarity to something she may have heard, if she listens to the radio; classic post-punk
Matthew Sweet, Girlfriend (or Altered Beast if you're nervous about dropping unintended hints)
- important and accessible pop
godspeed you black emperor!, F#A#[infinity] (can't find the alt code for infinity)
- gybe!'s best, exposure to Kranky/Constellation labels and the Montreal collective scene, relatively accessible and unabrasive
The New Pornographers, Mass Romantic
- accessible as hell, exposure to Mint Records and hopefully to related bands, ie. Destroyer, Zumpano, Neko Case
Built to Spill, Keep It Like a Secret
- melodic and accessible, exposure to NW scene

In short, go for accessible over best/important, because this girl might not be prepared for really difficult listening; ease her into it. Also, it's not a bad move to angle for bands that could lead her into other bands and scenes if she liked them enough to look into them. Indie labels love sending out catalogues, maybe get her a few of them to browse through.

[a pack of wolves]

Actually, I reckon dropping Double Nickels On The Dime in favour of some Kraftwerk would be a better idea, even though I love that record more than any other I listed. At least something electronic really ought to be included, and there's already one much more influential hardcore record in the list.

The reason I plumped for both the Wu and ATCQ was that they're both very influential, very accessible and together to a certain degree give a starting point for most of the different areas hip-hop's gone into. Or at least as good as a starting point as you can really give when limited to only ten albums.

Actually, I think that's the problem with trying to think of only ten albums for someone new to music, there are far far more than ten genres out there and each one has a fantastic variety within it. You just can't give someone a decent starting point with so little.

[Rizzo]

Merzbow, Pulse Demon
Orthrelm, of
Plastikman, Closer
The Shaggs, s/t
Jerome's Dream, Completed 1997-2001
Crass, Do They Owe Us a Living?
The Pop Group, Y
a good recording of Luciano Berio's "Sinfonia"
Sunn O))), The Grimrobe Demos
Pharoah Sanders, Karma

God... I remember the day my cousin leant me The Shaggs album...
"Here buddy, go listen to some real punk *giggle*"
Boy was I surprised...
I would also like to add to that something by Regurgitate and something by Anal Cunt. Nothing like Goregrind and Shockmetal to alienate someone.
And possibly one of Shinjuku Theif's bizarre ambient soundscapes... "This is music? Sounds more like a forest to me..."

[Storm Rider]

The Beatles - Revolver
Dream Theater - Images and Words
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind (while I prefer both Number of the Beast and Somewhere in Time over this one, it's definitely their most accessible)
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
Rush - Moving Pictures
Liquid Tension Experiment - S/T
The Doors - S/T
Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

I defy your indie sensibilities, suckers.

[Bunnyman]

Most important albums?  I'll try to cover everything.  Heh heh.  Riiight.

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Thelonious Monk - Round Midnight
Astrud Gilberto - Astrud Gilberto's Finest Hour
Parliament - Chocolate City
The Beatles - White Album
Deep Purple - Deep Purple in Rock
Amon Tobin - Bricolage
Autechre - Tri Repetae++
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein

[Rizzo]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say there's too much prog in that list o' yours Storm Rider...

Mine would be:
Beatles-White(Pop)
Led Zep-3(Rock)
Iron Maiden-Best of the Beast(Metal)
Minor Threat-Complete Discog(Punk)
Run DMC-Raising Hell(Hiphop)
Anything by Kraftwerk from the 70s/80s(Techno)
Jimmy Hendrix-Are you experienced?(Rock again)
V/A-The Glory of Gershwin(spelling)(Jazz)
The Best of Johnny Cash(Country)
The Cure-Galore(Alternative)

That's pretty broad in my books.

[Storm Rider]

Yeah, my prog bias does sort of show there. Why, of all Zeppelin albums, did you choose 3? I mean, it's great and all, but it's not really representative of their music as much as 1 or 4.

[Rizzo]

To be honest it's the only one I know. I'd say how the west was won but that's a DVD...

[Dara]

tell us more about the girl!

[KharBevNor]

I would also like to add to that something by Regurgitate

Carnivorous Erection!



Anyway, I wouldn't be able to do this without including some early Burzum, but I will say the final list should include Dark Side of the Moon and Rum, Sodomy and the Lash.

[McTaggart]

What, the fuck? What the FUCK?

[Praeserpium Machinarum]

Damn you Khar, you've just ruined pornography for me

[KharBevNor]

Oh yeah, all you folks are pretty softcore and whatnot. Come on, it's hilarious.

[McTaggart]

Hilarious, sure. But also fucked up.

[Willem]

ehm, 10 essential cd's covering everything?

Nirvana - Nevermind
Radiohead - Ok Computer
Metallica - Master Of Puppets
Prodigy - Fat Of the Land
NWA - Straight Outta Compton
Joy Division - Closer
Velvet Underground and Nico - s/t
Sex pistols - Nevermind the bollocks
David Bowie - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust
Jeff Buckley - Grace

Possible substitutes:
Pixies - Surferrosa
Rage Against The Machine - s/t
Stooges - Raw Power
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Kraftwerk - Man Machine
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Pink Floyd - Wish you were here
Lou Reed - Transformer
The Doors - Best of
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

But shit, 0 britpop country or Jazz. 10 is not enough

[Der Golem]

Pixies - Doolittle (Just a great album)
Metallica - Master of Puppets (A good and accesible metal album, got me into metal)
Radiohead - OK computer (Any list without this album is simply incomplete)
Norah Jones - Come away with me (In case he likes jazz)
Prodigy - Fat Of the Land (Interchangeable with a Daft Punk album if that's more your thing)
The Beatles - White Album (More because it is a good base to begin exploring your musical tastes rather than it being a masterpiece)
Agalloch - The Mantle (A masterpiece if you have the patience to listen through it more than once)
Mr. Bungle - California (More accesible than their other albums and also it pretty much covers any genre I have failed to mention on this list)
Jeff Buckley - Grace (Very good stuff)
Cypress Hill - Skulls and bones (I'm not really into rap enough so there may be better examples than this. But it is an enjoyable record.)
The last album should bring some blues into the mix, but I have never gotten into blues so I'm not gonna mention an album

Es. Khar, that pic is awesome!

[pat101]

Very nice work so far. I've been easing her into music for the last couple months. I've got her to pick up the blue album, nevermind, and Reconstruction Site by the Weakerthans (mainly 'cause they're local to us)
I also played some Sigur Ros for her that she enjoyed quite a bit. The thing is the girl is fairly relgious, I mean not in a bad way or anything she's quite open minded it's just she's a little sheltered and anything TOO out there lyrically or otherwise might freak her out. I've started on the list though I'll make sure to let you know when I get the final draft.

[Cpt.Fantastic]

Led Zeppelin - I
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
Sigur Ros - Takk...
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Broken Social Scene - s/t
The Beatles - s/t
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
Groundhogs - Split
The Olivia Tremor Control - Music From The Unrealised Film, Dusk At Cubist Castle
Kanye West - Late Registration

That is all.

[Kai]

The Beatles had a self titled? what the fuck? Or are we talking about the abysmally poppy "Meet The Beatles"? If we are, ignore that shit. Go straight past their superbly worthless pop phase and go to when they stopped touring and decided to make, you know, music.

[Thrillho]

Abbey Road - The Beatles
The Doors - The Doors
40 Licks - The Rolling Stones
Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
Ok Computer - Radiohead
Odelay - Beck
Pinkerton - Weezer
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy
Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
The Moon and Antartica - Modest Mouse


  They aren't my ten favorite albums (though some of my favorites are up there), but they create a nice cross-section of music over the years, and they're all amazing.

Jesus Christ. That list s fucking brilliant, Radiohead, Beck, Weezer, Dylan, Beatles and Enemy all in one.

[Kai]

Except change "Highway 61 Revisited" to "The Times They Are a Changin" or "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" and you're set. Well, that and possibly get rid of Radiohead, but that's a whole different thread and we really don't need to get into that right now.

[Thrillho]

Except change "Highway 61 Revisited" to "The Times They Are a Changin" or "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" and you're set. Well, that and possibly get rid of Radiohead, but that's a whole different thread and we really don't need to get into that right now.

I strongly disagree, if we're changing it for anything I'd suggest Blood On The Tracks (his most universal work) or Bringing It All Back Home (which shows both sides of his music in 50 minutes)

[Kai]

I find his earlier, more angry, protesty songs to be more interesting than his latter day "Blood on the Tracks" sort of work (It's still a great album). Bringing it All Back Home is a great one as well.

[pat101]

Blood on the Tracks, still my favorite Dylan album. I mean it's perfect.

[Cpt.Fantastic]

The Beatles had a self titled? what the fuck?

...
The White Album??
Isn't actually called The White Album, it is called "The Beatles"
Trust me, I know.

[pat101]

Led Zeppelin - I
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
Sigur Ros - Takk...
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Broken Social Scene - s/t
The Beatles - s/t
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
Groundhogs - Split
The Olivia Tremor Control - Music From The Unrealised Film, Dusk At Cubist Castle
Kanye West - Late Registration

That is all.

Very nice. I would swap out Takk for the baby one (i'm not trying to spell it)

[Kai]

...
The White Album??
Isn't actually called The White Album, it is called "The Beatles"
Trust me, I know.

Really? Well, that's nice to know. apologies for the prickitude.



But yeah, Meet The Beatles sucked.

[La Creme]

Eels - Electro-Shock Blues
Why? ~~ Great segway from mainstream 90's rock into indie. Also, a show of how music can be emotional without being emo.

Liquid Tension Experiment - LTE2
Why? ~~ Show her virtuosity. Heavy, heavy virtuosity.

Oliver Nelson - Blues And The Absract Truth
Why? ~~ Easiest jazz album to get into in modern jazz composition.

Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
Why? ~~ It's a classic, it's a concept album, it's great songwriting, and it fucking ROCKS.

The Beatles - Abbey Road
Why? ~~ It is one of the most influential CD's of all time, and one of the best from one of the most influential and one of the best bands of all time.

Kraftwerk - Autobahn
Why? ~~ The genisis of electronica, and a wondeful CD to exemplify the glory of electronic music from right at its roots.

Miles Davis - Live Evil
Why? ~~ This is the fattest, funkiest, most floor-shaking funk/fusion album ever.

Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow
Why? ~~ Beatles + Velvet Underground + Grateful Dead. All-in-one style package from the glory days of American pop music.

King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King
Why? ~~ It (imo) was the most important step in the walk towards intelligence in modern rock composition.

The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Why? ~~ Show her where rock is heading.

[Kid Modernist]

The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Why? ~~ Show her where rock is heading.

Oh man. Not that I don't like that album, but I really hope that rock is not headed in that direction...

A new topic would be cool to start, though, on what people think rock is headed towards.

[Storm Rider]

The thing is the girl is fairly relgious, I mean not in a bad way or anything she's quite open minded it's just she's a little sheltered and anything TOO out there lyrically or otherwise might freak her out. I've started on the list though I'll make sure to let you know when I get the final draft.

You may safely write off anything Khar may suggest from now on.

[pat101]

Arcade Fire's making the list. I love the album.

[Running For Home]

The Beatles - Revolver
Dream Theater - Images and Words
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind (while I prefer both Number of the Beast and Somewhere in Time over this one, it's definitely their most accessible)
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
Rush - Moving Pictures
Liquid Tension Experiment - S/T
The Doors - S/T
Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

I defy your indie sensibilities, suckers.

Fucking YES.

[edit] \/\/\/\/ we're not all nerds, some of us are from Toronto, or just like prog rock

[Kai]

Or, if you want to COMPLETELY nerd out, Throw in a copy of 2112 with it.

[Storm Rider]

Or, if you want to COMPLETELY nerd out, Throw in a copy of 2112 with it.

See, I was considering putting that as the Rush album, but I decided it wasn't as accessible.

[Running For Home]

See, Moving Pictures has Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta and YYZ.  2112 only has the 2112 suite.  Everything else on 2112 isn't that good.

[Storm Rider]

Wrong. Something for Nothing is one of my favorite Rush songs. And, if you can deal with the slight cheesiness A Passage to Bangkok is pretty awesome too.

[Schmendrick]

pinkerton - weezer
unplugged in new york - nirvana
you forgot it in people - broken social scene
rush of blood to the head - coldplay
alexisonfire - alexisonfire
after the gold rush - neil young
the final cut - pink floyd
chutes too narrow - the shins
the bends - radiohead
broken social scene - broken social scene

[Bunnyman]

Or, if you want to COMPLETELY nerd out, Throw in a copy of 2112 with it.

Some MC Chris or MC Frontalot would be the ideal nerdery.  And the Hawkman brings the vocoder-fueled funk.

Hmm...I wonder how well she'd respond to Mclusky Do Dallas.  You have permission to turn it off if she goes into seizures during "Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues" tho.

[KharBevNor]

You may safely write off anything Khar may suggest from now on.

Hey, hey, I'm religious myself.

Just my religion probably involves a hell of a lot more ritual nudity than hers.

[ASturge]

The Olivia Tremor Control - Music From The Unrealised Film, Dusk At Cubist Castle

Yes, that is an awesome album.

Did you understand it?

[Thrillho]

...
The White Album??
Isn't actually called The White Album, it is called "The Beatles"
Trust me, I know.

Really? Well, that's nice to know. apologies for the prickitude.



But yeah, Meet The Beatles sucked.

Because it was a bastardised American half-assed edit rather than an actual album.

[Fabio]

Jeff mangum - live at Jittery Joe's
Stars - Set yourself on fire
Daft Punk - Discovery (i stole it from sturge who stole it from a charity shop)
The Postal Service - Give up
Ash - Free all angels
The Dandy Warhols - Welcome to the mokey house
Enon - High society
Two Gallants - The Throes (thanks again sturge)
Metric - Old world underground, where are you now
Modest Mouse - Moon and antartica

My top ten, me thinks.