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Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: pat101 on 25 Nov 2005, 18:31
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Nearly, there's no metal or punk there... or hardrock even.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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..."
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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To be honest it's the only one I know. I'd say how the west was won but that's a DVD...
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tell us more about the girl!
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I would also like to add to that something by Regurgitate
Carnivorous Erection!
(http://svc087.bri7h.webmetrix.com.au/shopimages/r28.jpg)
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.
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What, the fuck? What the FUCK?
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Damn you Khar, you've just ruined pornography for me ;)
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Oh yeah, all you folks are pretty softcore and whatnot. Come on, it's hilarious.
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Hilarious, sure. But also fucked up.
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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
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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.
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Blood on the Tracks, still my favorite Dylan album. I mean it's perfect.
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The Beatles had a self titled? what the fuck?
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The White Album??
Isn't actually called The White Album, it is called "The Beatles"
Trust me, I know.
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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)
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...
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Arcade Fire's making the list. I love the album.
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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 :(
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Or, if you want to COMPLETELY nerd out, Throw in a copy of 2112 with it.
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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.
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See, Moving Pictures has Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta and YYZ. 2112 only has the 2112 suite. Everything else on 2112 isn't that good.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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The Olivia Tremor Control - Music From The Unrealised Film, Dusk At Cubist Castle
Yes, that is an awesome album.
Did you understand it?
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...
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.
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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.
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Abbey Road - The Beatles (Best Beatles Album)
Hail To The Thief - Radiohead
Guero - Beck
10,000 hz. Legend - Air
The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips
The Wall(disc 2) - Pink Floyd
A Night at The Opera - Queen
Takk....- Sigur Ros
Adore - The Smashing Pumpkins
13 - Blur
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Tomservo, I like all those bands, but would choose a different album for each one (Except for Queen, which I like but moreso on a Greatest Hits type thing).
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Alright, here comes the list that actually matters because I fucking said so:
Talking Heads - Fear of Music
Bauhaus - In the Flat Field
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Johnny Cash- Live at Folsom Prison
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention - Apostrophe
Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Venom - Black Metal
King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
The albums I listed here are totally not my favorite albums at all. I jus felt that at some time in your life you should probably listen to these if you want to be able to say you know somethign about music.
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I thought she was religious?
Just saying that Black Metal may not go down so well. Especially not Teachers Pet and Heavens on Fire.
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If you really want to make the ten albums count, you have to do them one at a time. Refine the list as you go. Figure out what she might like based on what she does and doesn't like.
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Oh shit, you're right. Replace Venom with... Fuck, I need something to fill the sort of "Black Metal" category thing (I very loosely chose one for each category, but don't check it really).
And after I looked at that again, I realized... Is a Christian Black Metal band that doesn't sing about slaughtering things and whatnot even possible? I guess, if it was in Swedish and you couldn't understand anything.
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Because it was a bastardised American half-assed edit rather than an actual album.
We're Americans! We do everything half-assed because we're too fat to be bothered doing things right.
Also, will people stop saying Powerslave is Iron Maiden's best album? Seriously.
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And after I looked at that again, I realized... Is a Christian Black Metal band that doesn't sing about slaughtering things and whatnot even possible? I guess, if it was in Swedish and you couldn't understand anything.
Immortal are pretty lyrically inoffensive. You could always go for a white metal band like Crimson Moonlight, but they tend to not be up much on the big boys, as it were.
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I'm surprised so many people suggested the White Album for a Beatles record. It is a terrible way to be introduced to them, and if she already listens to the Beatles, not much point throwing it in there.
I mean, you start with a decent poppy kinda track, and then you've got mostly shit untill While My Guitar Gently Weeps turns up. I'd make a list myself, but I can't say I'm very good at this kind of thing. Still, I'd choose Revolver or Abbey Road as a Beatles album at the very least.
Being introduced to the Beatles with the White Album is like being introduced to sex by a seven foot tall woman who ties you up, blindfolds you and rides you like a pony. It can be hella fun if thats your thing, but you're likely to be incredibly overwhelmed, quite terrified, and left feeling seedy and in nagging pain the next day.
Sorry I couldn't add anything more constructive than sexual metaphors, but it just struck me as a little odd.
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Being introduced to the Beatles with the White Album is like being introduced to sex by a seven foot tall woman who ties you up, blindfolds you and rides you like a pony. It can be hella fun if thats your thing, but you're likely to be incredibly overwhelmed, quite terrified, and left feeling seedy and in nagging pain the next day.
If I said "yes please" would you think ill of me? Yeah? Oh well.
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so, the girl knows almost nothing about music, and you want to introduce some nice things. I would take a look in my music collection and would select:
1) the afghan whigs - gentleman (greg dulli rules)
2) buffalo tom - best of (to be honest, i don't have their best of, but i got all their albums, so it would make a compilation)
3) radiohead - the bends (or ok computer)
4) pearl jam - live in london
5) dEUS - in a bar under the sea
6) daft punk - homework
7) Franz Ferdinand
8) The streets - a grand don't come for free
9) Massive Attack - Mezzanine
10) REM - best of
as the music is new to the girl best of's are easier to digest than normal albums.
By the way, ask me a top 10 tomorrow and it will look a bit different. ;-)
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I mean, you start with a decent poppy kinda track, and then you've got mostly shit untill While My Guitar Gently Weeps turns up. I'd make a list myself, but I can't say I'm very good at this kind of thing. Still, I'd choose Revolver or Abbey Road as a Beatles album at the very least.
I absolutely love Revolver but I don't know if it's a great "first Beatles record". The White Album is certainly wors(e/t) for introductions (especially if it counts for 2 of the 10) but I think the most accessible would be Magical Mystery Tour.
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yeah, i agree with old world underground, everytime i have shown it to my friends that aren't that musically informed they really like it. i like live it out more, but that one is more accessible.
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I'm surprised so many people suggested the White Album for a Beatles record. It is a terrible way to be introduced to them, and if she already listens to the Beatles, not much point throwing it in there.
I mean, you start with a decent poppy kinda track, and then you've got mostly shit untill While My Guitar Gently Weeps turns up. I'd make a list myself, but I can't say I'm very good at this kind of thing. Still, I'd choose Revolver or Abbey Road as a Beatles album at the very least.
Being introduced to the Beatles with the White Album is like being introduced to sex by a seven foot tall woman who ties you up, blindfolds you and rides you like a pony. It can be hella fun if thats your thing, but you're likely to be incredibly overwhelmed, quite terrified, and left feeling seedy and in nagging pain the next day.
Sorry I couldn't add anything more constructive than sexual metaphors, but it just struck me as a little odd.
I totally agree with your opinion the white album. You're absolutely right. However I would enjoy being raped by a seven footer.
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I thought she was religious?
Just saying that Black Metal may not go down so well. Especially not Teachers Pet and Heavens on Fire.
and I dunno that specific mothers of invention album but knowing zappa's opinion you might want to ask yourself if those lyrics are ok too
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To add to the list of several that have already been said:
- Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness
- Manitoba - Up In Flames
- Neko Case - Blacklisted
- Themselves - The No Music
- Explosions In The Sky - The Earth Is Not A Cold, Dead Place
- Arthur Russell - A World of Echo
- City of God O.S.T.
- Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in the Hands
- Sufjan Stevens - "Illinoise" or "Seven Swans" or "A Sun Came"
Kate
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Also, will people stop saying Powerslave is Iron Maiden's best album? Seriously.
It's totally not, but I just think it'd be easiest to get into. That and it was the first Maiden album I actually picked up, so I have feelings for it that way. UNF UNF UNF
And yes, that Zappa album (Apostrophe) is free from all drive by Catholic Girls/Bobby Brown/Why Does It Hurt When I pee/Brown Shoes Don't Make It (Ala the line, "Only Thirteen and she knows how to NASTY", which still cracks me up beyond belief).
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The Beatles - Abbey Road
Radiohead - OK Computer
Weezer - Blue album
Beck - Odelay!
Pearl Jam - Ten
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
The White Stripes - Elephant
Third Eye Blind - s/t
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People
I might go back and edit this, but these are the top ten that I automatically picked out when browsing through myCDs.
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Also, will people stop saying Powerslave is Iron Maiden's best album?
No, because saying anything else would be a patent lie.
Hah!
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What did she listen to before? What are you trying to get her to focuse on now? do you want to spread the genres around or want her to focus more on one area before moving to another?
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It's totally not, but I just think it'd be easiest to get into. That and it was the first Maiden album I actually picked up, so I have feelings for it that way. UNF UNF UNF
That wasn't directed at you specifically, more like an ongoing complaint, especially since I've gotten into this argument with other Maiden fans before. Powerslave has Aces High, Two Minutes to Midnight, and Rime of the Ancient Mariner... and not much else. Those three songs are totally awesome, but the mediocrity of the others brings the album as a whole down for me. Whereas Somewhere in Time, Number of the Beast, and Piece of Mind are all-around great.
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She knows NOTHING musically?
So, that includes the classics and the well knowns?
Therefore, I'm trying to avoid anything too difficult, and will start with the basics for the 10
albums she must own. Based on what she likes out of this, we can recommend more.
Okay, then, here goes.
1) Talking Heads - The Name of this Band is Talking Heads
Great album which covers a lot of the Talking Head's repretoire with fun exciting and GOOD live versions. Such a great, influential band.
2) Radiohead - OK Computer
(Best?) Album by the praised Radiohead. So well known, with so many styles. Forget the hipster haters, you can't deny this album. KARMA POLICE.
3) My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Noise pop? Or Bliss? Perfect Music, just another world when you listen to it. If you don't dig MBV...I just don't know.
4) Pink Floyd - DSOTM
It's FLOYD man.
5) Daft Punk - Discovery
Poppy PERFECT dance album. Harder...better...faster...Yah yah yah. Okay. She might dig it.
6) The Clash - London Calling
The Only Band That Matters. What else is there to say. Awesome album, she'll dig the tracks and recognize a couple of em. More punk influences in still accessible music.
7) (Some sort of post-rock) Explosions in the SKy - Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place
I've found Earth to be the most accessible and well liked post-rock album out there. See if she has the patience and the palatte to appreciate intrumental but still exciting music.
8) Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People
Amazing. Canada at it's best. Never has so much come together so well.
9) The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Corgan achieved perfection here. He should NEVER have released Mellon Collie. Beautiful, emotional guitar album. Classic.
10) The Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin
Perfection. Perfect pop perfection.
Ahh...and, just for kicks, give her a bonus CD
11) Pavement - Wowee Zowee
It'll take her a year to finally appreciate this album, but when she does, she'll learn why indie kids spend their time talking about who gets a bigger boner for Malkmus.
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3) My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Noise pop? Or Bliss? Perfect Music, just another world when you listen to it. If you don't dig MBV...I just don't know.
I can appreciate and respect what Kevin Shields and company have done for modern music through those they've inspired, but I still think Loveless is only "okay." And I would never give it to someone to start with.
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9) The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Corgan achieved perfection here. He should NEVER have released Mellon Collie. Beautiful, emotional guitar album. Classic.
you mixed up melancholy and siamese dream there. seriously, I was hella disappointed after buying siamese dream while melancholy and the infinite sadness is great (and not just because of the presence of bullet with butterfly wings)
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Looking through my library, these ones jump out at me.
Radiohead-OK Computer
Pink Floyd-Dark Side Of The Moon
The Beatles-Revolver (this one was just the right mix of pop and later, weirder Beatles)
Kraftwerk- Minimum-Maximum
Beck-Midnite Vultures (his best album, imo)
Ben Folds Five-s/t
Miles Davis-Kind Of Blue
The Flaming Lips-Soft Bulletin
R.E.M.-Automatic For The People
Outkast-Stankonia
Not totally covering every genre, but I find it hard to deny the greatness of any of these albums.
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first 5 hip hop albums
atmosphere - You can't imagine how much fun we're having
sage francis - personal journals
brother ali - shadows on the sun
cunninlynguists - a piece of strange
cage - hell's winter
this is also good music tho
pixies - wave of mutilation
bright eyes - digital ash in a digital urn
clap your hands say yeah - clap your hands say yeah
maria mena - another phase
eels - blinking lights and other revelations
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In no order:
1.) Pixies, Doolittle
2.) Modest Mouse, The Moon and Antarctica
3.) Radiohead, OK Computer
4.) The Dismemberment Plan, Emergency & I
5.) Saetia, A Retrospective
6.) At The Drive-In, Relationship of Command
7.) Built to Spill, There's Nothing Wrong With Love
8.) Belle & Sebastian, If You're Feeling Sinister
9.) Sigur Ros, Agaetis Byrjun
10.) Sonic Youth, Sonic Nurse
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first 5 hip hop albums
atmosphere - You can't imagine how much fun we're having
sage francis - personal journals
brother ali - shadows on the sun
cunninlynguists - a piece of strange
cage - hell's winter
Just, no.
You can't introduce someone to Hip-Hop by giving them 5 albums all from this decade. That's retarded. A piece of strange hasn't even been released yet! Plus, Rhymesayers, Def Jux and Anticon aren't exactly a massive spectrum of styles.
Personally, I'd suggest:
EPMD - Strictly Buisness
De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers
Mobb Deep - The Infamous
Atmosphere - Lucy Ford
That's still a pretty lame list, but off the top of my head it'll have to do.
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De La Soul, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Atmosphere
SECOND'D
i don't know what my list would be like, except that it would contain a ninjatune compilation. and a warp one. and a µ-ziq one.
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Just, no.
You can't introduce someone to Hip-Hop by giving them 5 albums all from this decade. That's retarded. A piece of strange hasn't even been released yet! Plus, Rhymesayers, Def Jux and Anticon aren't exactly a massive spectrum of styles.
Well, of course I can introduce someone to hip-hop by giving them 5 albums from this decade. They're good albums? When I first was introduced to hip-hop, I didn't hear songs from the last century. You really should be able to learn to love hip-hop even tho' the songs you hear are new songs.
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De La Soul's Three Feet and Rising is definitely a classic if you want to introduce someone to good hip hop. If you are going to listen to gangsta rap, Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle is pretty good, but basically the only album in the genre I like. Mostly sentimental reasons, probably.
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De La Soul's Three Feet and Rising is definitely a classic if you want to introduce someone to good hip hop. If you are going to listen to gangsta rap, Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle is pretty good, but basically the only album in the genre I like. Mostly sentimental reasons, probably.
Ah, but no one with their minds intact likes gangsta rap? It has to be poetry. Not some yoyo-gunz-n-hoes-blingbling-rap.
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ah yes... this thread has made me join. I gotta throw in my 2˘ with the hip-hop selection, but feel free to disagree...
1) Erik B & Rakim - Follow The Leader
2) Gift of Gab - 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up
3) De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead
4) Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
5) Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory
Then a random mishmash of other stuff...
6) Pogues - Hell's Ditch or Rum, Sodomy and the Lash
7) Sublime - 40 oz. to Freedom
8) Bad Brains - I against I
9) Ted Hawkins - The Next Hundred Years
10) Morphine - Cure for Pain.
crud, there's some older stuff in here. off to the other topics to update my music...
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You'd give someone 'De La Soul is Dead' over '3 Feet High and Rising'?
I really don't know about that. Paul's Boutique, Low End Theory and Follow the Leader are all solid recs as well. 4th Dimensional Rocket Ships, not so sure. It's a great album, but, well I'm not sure really. It just doesn't grab me enough.
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Yeah, I had to think about that one for a while. There's nothing wrong with 3 Feet, it's a great album (one of the first tapes I ever bought, and I still have it). I just don't think it's a good example of De La overall. De La Soul is Dead gets rid of the daisy and pothole imagery, keeps the production ideas and feels more like Native Tongue. It came down to Utopia vs. Reality. Plus, Biddies in the BK Lounge cracks me up every time I hear it.
You're right, I've rethought Gift of Gab. Replace it with Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow. You'd get to keep Gift, add Chief Xcel and guests by ?uestlove and Lyrics Born.
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In no order:
1.) Pixies, Doolittle
2.) Modest Mouse, The Moon and Antarctica
3.) Radiohead, OK Computer
4.) The Dismemberment Plan, Emergency & I
5.) Saetia, A Retrospective
6.) At The Drive-In, Relationship of Command
7.) Built to Spill, There's Nothing Wrong With Love
8.) Belle & Sebastian, If You're Feeling Sinister
9.) Sigur Ros, Agaetis Byrjun
10.) Sonic Youth, Sonic Nurse
Great picks, but I would have chosen Daydream Nation for Sonic Youth, just because of it's vast importance to music, especially rock. Everything else is great, and I'm happy to see the Dismemberment Plan mentioned. :D
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Meh, I will be disregarded, but I have come to the strong conclusion that everyone should listen to at least one Current 93 album. I'd suggest Cats Drunk on Copper, as that both contains almost all their classics (it's love) and has been mollified by David Tibets conversion to christianity. (It's still full of all sorts of bizarre hermetic and gnostic whits-whots, but they've cut back the buddhist and pagan stuff, unfortunately robbing the set of 'A Song For Douglas' and 'Hitler as Kalki', but at least they kept a mollified version of 'Happy Birthday Pigface Christus' (as 'Happy Birthday'). Indeed, if she's serious in her religion, she'll probably find the whole thing quite interesting.
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How would you describe their sound, Khar? So far the subject matter sounds cool.
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By the time of Cats Drunk on Copper C93 were neo-folk/post-industrial: Acoustic and clean electric guitars, light vocal effects, recorders and sleighbells, semi-spoken word main vocalist with female harmonies, dashes of nursery-rhyme singing and industrial tape-loops. Great, though very melancholy.
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If she knows nothing musically then this is an opportunity for hilarity! You can fill her head with lies, replace the CD for Slanted and Enchanted with Tangerine Dream's Zeit, Bee Thousand with Ikue Mori's Hex Kitchen, Sebadoh with Throbbing Gristle.... It'll be funny!
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My list is a pretty random sampling of music that, for whatever reason, moved me. I've always been wary of the "classics", because more often than not, they turn out to be overrated timepieces. In my opinion, good music finds you - you have to search, put your fingers in all different genres, but the really good stuff seems to jump at you from out of nowhere. Basically, ignore lists that claim to be definitive "best-of"s and just explore your local CD rack. But this is a good place to start, especially if your friend leans toward the poppier side of things:
Bjork - Homogenic. One of the best albums of the last 25 years. It will change the way you look at music, and I don't say that lightly.
Garbage - Version 2.0. Nothing particularly revolutionary, just damn good songwriting.
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours. Same.
Depeche Mode - Violator. The perfect combo of melody, rhythm, and misery.
Madonna - The Immaculate Collection. Say what you will, but she (and her songwriters) made pop classics in league with the Beatles.
Sneaker Pimps - Bloodsport. It's like the nineties trip-hop explosion all over again, only with better songs and more confident footing. Most importantly, it's mood music that won't put you to sleep.
Blondie - Parallel Lines. Confident, sassy, and endlessly creative. The blueprint for new wave.
Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine. "FUCK YOU, I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!!!" just doesn't get old.
Prince - Purple Rain Soundtrack. Duh.
And for number 10, pick a classic like London Calling or Zeppelin IV and if it doesn't sound like crap, keep it.
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As someone still relatively new to “good” music, I can speak from personal experience if not musical expertise. I think these ten albums give a good mix of the “classics” and provide accessible starting points to the indie scene.
1.) Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon: What else is there to say?
2.) Spoon- Kill the Moonlight: Accessible and simply fantastic rock. It still amazes me that Spoon is not more popular.
3.) The Beatles- Abbey Road- Still the Beatle’s best album.
4.) Tom Waits- Rain Dogs: Explores a nice range of genres, and Waits has a voice nobody can forget
5.) Iron Maiden – Powerslave: Dude, Iron Maiden puts to Samuel Coleridge to heavy metal riffs. How can you not like this album? Plus this album should be relatively palatable to friend’s religious sensibilities.
6.) Sufjan Stevens- Feel the Illinoise: Not the world’s greatest album, but nonetheless very good and will appeal to her religious side. Plus, it seems to be one of the most talked albums of the year, so it is excellent starting point.
7.) Jay-Z- The Blueprint: A classic. Also Jay-Z has always been relatively suave for a gangsta, so there is no real fear of offending your friend. Substitute GZA-Liquid Swords if she is ready for something more violent and dark
8.) London Calling- The Clash. Quite possibly the greatest album ever.
9.) M.I.A.-Arular: Decently accessible, immensely danceable, and can spark interest in interesting forms of international dance music.
10.) Radiohead-OK Computer-: Because no list would be complete without Radiohead!
Speaking personally, I would avoid The Pixies as introductions to the world of great music. Even Doolittle can really sound bizzare to newbies. And for the love of God, don’t try My Bloody Valentine- Loveless on anybody new. It took at least three tries at that album before I “got” it, and three more till I actually liked it. It has since become one of my fave albums, but it is not for the weak of spirit…
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By the time of Cats Drunk on Copper C93 were neo-folk/post-industrial: Acoustic and clean electric guitars, light vocal effects, recorders and sleighbells, semi-spoken word main vocalist with female harmonies, dashes of nursery-rhyme singing and industrial tape-loops. Great, though very melancholy.
Sounds absolutely great. I shall check them out now. Thanks. :D
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modest mouse- the moon and antartica (or LCW, but MAA is important)
broken social scene-you forgot it in people
decemberists- piquaresque
sigur ros- Agaetis Byrjun
sleater-kinney- the woods
aesop rock- labor days
the streets- original pirate material
sublime- self titled (this is an essestial part of our time)
belle & sebastian- if you're feeling sinister
Ramones- Mania (everyone should know these songs)
ok well that's not too bad, wish i had my music collection and didn't have to just do it off the top of my head.
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5.) Saetia, A Retrospective
Much as I love that record, do you not think that maybe something like Black Flag - Slip It In or the Minor Threat discography would be a better starting point for hardcore? Unless you reckon it's best to just throw someone into the deep end.
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1. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (deservedly mentioned several times)
2. Skywave - Echodrone (good luck finding it)
3. The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
4. Slowdive - Souvlaki
5. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
6. Spacemen 3 - The Perfect Prescription
7. Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space
8. Fugazi - The Argument
9. Portishead - Dummy
10. The Stone Roses - st
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Howdy! Long time observer, first time poster. I was ambling through your fine forum when I came upon this topic and found that not a single one of you folks put Neutral Milk Hotel's In Aeroplane Over The Sea. Of course, an opinion is an opinion, but for me, it's one of those "whoa" albums, the kind that sort of syncs up with my brain waves to wreak some serious euphoria all up in my dome. Surely those who are familiar will agree that few songs can compete with "The King Of Carrot Flowers, Parts 2 & 3" (I can't count how many time I've almost crashed my car in screaming "I Love You Jesus Christ" at the top of my lungs). "Holland, 1945" and "Two-Headed Boy" are masterpieces, while "Oh Comely" should put this one on the list automatically. At the very least, it should be included for the sake of the bagpipes on the tenth, untitled track.
Wow, sorry about that. But yeah, I would also include Spoon's Kill The Moonlight (though Girls Can Tell would work, too), and I agree with all the BSS fans in adding You Forgot It in People. And a Decemberists album would be a nice addition, because the only thing better than good music is good music that expands your vocabulary.
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You're right, you know.
I'm not even religious, but I find myself yelling "I love you jesus christ" when I listen to that Album. I love it, I just didn't think it was one of 10 albums you should give to someone who wants to get INTO music. It might be a bit TOO uncool for a beginner. Let them develop their tastes and be proud of their tastes, then give it to them.
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This is true. I would say it's pretty accessible as-is, but in taking a step back, I would have to agree with you.
As a side note, is The Polyphonic Spree indie? I mean, yeah, they're quasi-signed to Hollywood Records and appeared on the VMA's, and did a whole movie soundtrack, but does that preclude their inclusion in the Indie Pantheon? If not, then I have to at least mention this twenty-something member, choral-symphonic-pop madness as a cheerful, easy-to-like group for those just getting into the indie groove. And their live show is friggin' NUTS.
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1. The Beatles - Abbey Road
2. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
3. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
4. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
5. Nirvana - Nevermind
6. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (props to Hornless Unicorn for getting to this one before me)
7. Common - Like Water for Chocolate
8. Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings
9. The Stooges - The Stooges
10. Some greatest hits compilation of George Clinton
OK, so this is rock-centric with concessions to rap, old blues, and funk. But still, the first 5 are just essential to anyone who wants to understand anything about music history, and I think the second half of the list has a nice set of introductions to different genres.
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1. The Beatles - Abbey Road
2. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
3. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
4. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
5. Nirvana - Nevermind
6. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (props to Hornless Unicorn for getting to this one before me)
7. Common - Like Water for Chocolate
8. Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings
9. The Stooges - The Stooges
10. Some greatest hits compilation of George Clinton
OK, so this is rock-centric with concessions to rap, old blues, and funk. But still, the first 5 are just essential to anyone who wants to understand anything about music history, and I think the second half of the list has a nice set of introductions to different genres.
It bothers me a little bit that when I looked at this list, I thought "Could probably replace Dark Side of the Moon with something else" but looked at Nevermind and thought "Yeah, fair enough"
Also, George Clinton for every conceivable kind of win in existance.
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Darkside is defenitly on it.
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lists like that are so unneccessary, I love them
Jeff Buckley - Mystery White Boy Live (gotta love how beautiful this guy screams)
Doors - LA Woman
Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust (yep guys who could wear their girlfriend's pants - and actually do)
Placebo - Without you I am nothing
Radiohead - OK Computer (or My Iron Lung)
Portishead - Dummy
Modest Mouse - whatever u like
The Smiths - the queen is dead
Queens of the Stoneage - Songs for the Deaf
Björk - Debut
-----MUST .... HAVE .... BIG .....PIC.....OF .....UNICORNS.....SCREWING----
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AH. GIANT AVATARS. MY BRAIN A SPLODE
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yeah Hornless, i thought about NMH, but, even though i love them, most people i give a listen just go "what the hell is thins? it just sounds like staticy noise." so i didn't include it in the ten. you don't want someone just starting out to decide they don't like NMH right away, and then never open up to the greatness that it is.
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Just for Fun though I doubt anyone is still reading this thread
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonley Hearts Club Band
Daft Punk - Homework
Boards of Canada - Music has The Right to Children
Radiohead - Kid A
Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (On the Corner is acceptable too)
The Mineutmen - Double Nickles on The Dime
Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Godspeed You Black Emperor - F#A#oo
Tried to get as many genres that i like into the list -----10 albums just isnt enough
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Miles Davis - Bitches Brew(On the Corner is acceptable too)
Fixed.
also, bonus points for Double Nickels on the Dime, by the way.
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Oh shit, you're right. Replace Venom with... Fuck, I need something to fill the sort of "Black Metal" category thing (I very loosely chose one for each category, but don't check it really).
And after I looked at that again, I realized... Is a Christian Black Metal band that doesn't sing about slaughtering things and whatnot even possible? I guess, if it was in Swedish and you couldn't understand anything.
Like Khar said, Immortal is pretty safe. Even Bathory is if you take it the right way. But how should I know? I'm a rather liberal Christian so not much bothers me. There are some decent Christian Black Metal bands, like Schlechtvalk, but most sing about slaughtering things anyway, just from a righteous wrath of God perspective, which bothers me. Khar is right that most aren't quite up to the level of the best normal black metal bands.
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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)
Baby one...the first one, Von? I think Agaetis Byrjun is the most accesible and also the best Sigur Ros album.
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Like Khar said, Immortal is pretty safe. Even Bathory is if you take it the right way. But how should I know? I'm a rather liberal Christian so not much bothers me. There are some decent Christian Black Metal bands, like Schlechtvalk, but most sing about slaughtering things anyway, just from a righteous wrath of God perspective, which bothers me. Khar is right that most aren't quite up to the level of the best normal black metal bands.
Well, I figure, and let's be honest here, a lot of black metal is either a) mediocre or b) awful. There are a very small number of really good black metal bands, and there's also a very small number (comparatively) of Christians listening to black metal and thus forming bands. The chances of there ever really being a christian BM band up to the scratch of the old-school Gods is relatively slim. And yeah, Immortal are the pretty normal choice for white metallers to sample the mainstream, as pretty much all their lyrics are about being really, really, cold or have very vague spiritual interpretations that could be put to almost any religion. Bathory I would be wary of...it depends what album. 'Blood on Ice' would be safe for a committed Christian, but 'Octagon' or prett much any of the Jubileum compilations wouldn't.
Of course, we assume she's christian when we say religious. I'm religious, but not a christian. Maybe she's asatru? In which case, shovel all the BM down her throat you can find.
...as if he's EVER gonna make her listen to any BM anyway.
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Your reasoning for why theres not much good Christian bm is exactly mine. Its numbers really. Most metal overall is not very good. So a minority like Christian metal will probably reflect about the same proportions of bad to good as the mainstream does.
On Bathory I was just pointing out that the very earliest few albums aren't anything as bad as you would expect from the way Mayhem and company claim to be inspired by them.
And yeah, its not like she's ever gonna hear bm in her life anyway...
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I've come to the conclusion, through repeated listens, that the second half of Abbey Road is the best album of all time. It's flawless perfection. The music is catchy, amazing. Not a single flaw or bad track on the entire half. It all works together so well. It just builds and builds until The End, where it crashes down into Her Majesty, a perfect end to the album. A fun little song which sums everything up.
For someone who has no clue about music, you can't forget to include the most popular band of the 60s...The Beatles. And the best album of all time: Abbey Road.
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I mean, also, I think there's a feeling that the christian metal in general suffers somewhat from the 'musical nazi' syndrome: ie, most bands with nazi sympathies are actually shit (which is why they're concentrated playing oi, black metal and neo-folk, none of which require anything beyond chords and basic time-keeping) but rely on the fact that because they have nazi sympathies, nazi skins will buy their records. Whilst I've generally seen a higher level of quality from christian metal, I do think there is a bit of that.
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Try my hand at a reply here...not sure where it will go.
1. Spiderland - Slint
I haven't seen this mentioned yet, which is a bit surprising. It's a really good album, if short and a little strange.
2. The Dividing - Android Lust
My favourite album made in the last two or three years. It's brilliant and has incredible range for an 'industrial' album.
3. On This Cold Floor - I, Parasite
Loud, angry, moving, sad and just a specatcular album all around. Consider this album and #2 as a matched set, play them back to back.
4. Blue Valentines - Tom Waits
Really, you could go with any Tom Waits album, but this is him at his balladeer best and far more accessible to start with than something like Bone Machine or Mule Variations.
5. VIVIsectVI - Skinny Puppy
I sorta feel I have to put one of there albums on here. This is considered one of the best and is really dynamic, dense and layered for an album of this nature made in the 80's.
6. D.O.A. - Throbbing Gristle
People have mentioned Kraftwerk, and rightfully so. However, you also need to include TG in a list of essential early electronica.
7. Self Titled - Mira
If you dig on My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, Sundays and a dash of Love Spirals Downwards. This is really great shoe-gazer dreaminess from Florida.
8. Defiance - Assemblage 23
As far as current synthpop/EBM goes, eschew the VNV Nation(much as I like them) and go for this album. It's a standout from start to finish and more mellow than Tom Shear's other three efforts.
9. Louder than Bombs - The Smiths
Most people go for Queen is Dead. This however, is my favourtie in their catalogue. Why? Because it has Shoplifters of the World Unite on it. Petty reason? Maybe. But the rest of the album is just as good too.
10. Closer - Joy Division
It's a must have, simple as that.