perfect albums -- every song is awesome

[unblock]

mrs. unblock was watching some peter gabriel show and she declared that "so" was that rare album where every single track was a great song.

there are so many albums that are awesome, even legendary, but have a track or two that you're perfectly fine just skipping.

a great example is "synchronicity" by the police. amazing album. but "mother" is, uh, ok, we really didn't need that track on this album. i admit that i kinda like the off-kilter 7/4 beat, but it doesn't make up for the screaming....


so what albums really make the cut -- every track is great. listening to the entire album, you wouldn't dream of skipping over any track?


and **no "greatest hits" albums**, that defeats the whole point.


my short list:

abbey road - the beatles
sgt. peppers - the beatles
the wall - pink floyd (there are songs here i wouldn't play on their own, but listening to the whole album, i wouldn't dream of skipping)
love over gold - dire straits (gotta give 'em credit. spend over a year in a studio perfecting 5 tracks and, yeah, you end up with 5 great tracks)


surely there are others, care to add to the list?

[Lochloosa]

1. Neil Young. Harvest Moon.

[unblock]

4. sacrilege i know, but i never got into neil young.

i want to like his music, but i just don't. can't get past his voice.

same goes for bob dylan.

on the other hand, i love bruce springsteen and elvis costello, and many people can't stand their voices....

[Lochloosa]

7. I've seen Dylan a few times. I just went for the music not the lyrics.

Trying to listen to him was not worth the effort.

[unblock]

24. i saw dylan once. he was warm-up for tom petty

always really liked petty. for some reason it never hit me until i saw them together just how influenced by dylan tom petty was.
of course i'm sure petty played it up a bit in that show because they were touring together, but really, tom petty adopted a lot of bob dylan's singing style, though with a much better voice.

[msongs]

52. IMO his voice is the best part, along with long guitar dirges grinding away nt

[pressbox69]

107. Had to choose

between seeing Bob Dylan or Neil Young at Madison Square Garden in 1978. Went with Dylan and he was great but I still wonder if I should have seen Young instead. If I did see Young I'd probably still be wondering about the Dylan concert. Love Springsteen's second album but my favorite album is a tie between Layla and Costello's first album.

[unblock]

110. I'll take any Elvis Costello album up to and including the Juliet letters

Haven't really been able to get into much of what he's done after that point, though I still admire his incredible talent and ability to write, play, and sing in so many different genres.

But most of albums up to that point, I could listen to all day. Blood and chocolate is my current obsession, but his first album, sure, or this year's model.

[pressbox69]

113. The cover of

My Aim Is True caught my eye. Thought it was a comedy album with a puck rock version of Buddy Holly, holding his guitar like it was a machine gun. "Elvis Is King" written in tiny letters. The opening of the first song blew me away, "Now that your picture's in the paper being rhythmically admired
And you can have anyone that you have ever desired
All you gotta tell me now is why, why, why, why?"

[SCantiGOP]

101. Neil Young, but can't top After the Gold Rush

I'm a child of the 60s, and I wore out two vinyl records and a tape before getting it on CD.

[spooky3]

2. The Cars debut album Nt

[unblock]

6. you know i never would have thought to even think of the cars in this context

but you're right. every track is a cool song.

[spooky3]

8. Thank you. I never tire of listening to it. Nt

[Foolacious]

48. I was just about to say the same thing. NT

[Lochloosa]

3. Dixie Chicks. (The Chicks). Taking the Long Way.

[unblock]

10. i keep meaning to check them out.

love their politics, barely ever heard their music.

[Lochloosa]

51. All of their albums are good. I'm a 62 year old guy and love their music.

[BlueTsunami2018]

5. Slayer - Reign in Blood

AC/DC - Back in Black
Motörhead - Orgasmatron
Led Zeppelin - pick one
Jane’s Addiction - Nothing’s Shocking
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Guns and Roses - Appetite for Destruction

[Lochloosa]

9. Appetite is a great album.

[unblock]

12. practically that whole genre is not my cup of tea

although i do like a few ac/dc songs and yeah, led zep is amazing.

[BlueTsunami2018]

36. Well, if you ever want to expand your horizons....

Those would be my first suggestions.

[unblock]

37. i will at some point. acquiring music is a fascinating process.

by "acquiring" i don't mean purchasing, i mean listening and learning and accepting into your mental repertoire.

i found most "punk" rock to be jarring at first and i really couldn't stand it when it first came out. then i listened to it a few years later and wondered what had previously bothered me about it. some of it is just getting used to the general features and conventions of the style. you hear it enough from other songs, and it becomes more familiar and pleasing.

i often go back to the artists who inspired other artists i like, or listen to the original version of a cover song.

of course, that's one of the reasons i keep going back to the beatles....

[BlueTsunami2018]

40. Well said.

I often go back to the Beatles myself. They have a magic about them that is singular.

[calguy]

11. Seatrain

Came out around 1970 or so. The most perfect album I ever had. They put out a second album a couple years after but didn't live up to the first and the band disappeared after that.

[2naSalit]

29. I remember them!

Last edited Thu Jul 23, 2020, 09:35 PM - Edit history (2)

I liked the first album. I saw Peter Rowan and Richard Greene at a night club in Massachusetts between those two albums and they were funny and really good.

[calguy]

81. Yea, the first album was the best by far.

It came out when I was in the Army and we actually wore the record out. I had to buy another copy after the first one became unplayable. The second album, Marblehead Messenger was just ok, nothing great.

[musette_sf]

84. + 1

[poli-junkie]

13. U2: Actung Baby

[consider_this]

31. I heartily second that! EOM

[Sedona]

49. Me three

[ZZenith]

14. "Dark Side of the Moon" qualifies in my mind.

“Tea for the Tillerman” by Cat Stevens.

Jeff Buckley’s “Grace” doesn’t have any clunkers.

Jellyfish - either album they made.

Beck “Sea Change.”

More recently I would say Sufjan Stevens made a perfect record with “Carrie and Lowell.”

[unblock]

18. dark side, definitely agree

[spooky3]

30. I had forgotten Tea for the Tillerman - I agree.

One of the Queen albums might qualify too.

Tumbleweed Connection by Elton John comes close but may not quite meet Unblock’s high bar.

[ZZenith]

32. It is a very high bar.

Hard to write 10 or so good songs in one whack. Even harder to write 10 songs and then record them all properly.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

15. Mr. Tambourine Man, Turn! Turn! Turn!, Fifth Dimension, and

Younger Than Yesterday - the Byrds

Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina and Left Banke Too - the Left Banke

Catch the Wind and Fairy Tale - Donovan

[yonder]

57. Ditto on those Byrds albums.

Walk Away Renee (the song) is one of those that I can never get tired of listening to - 50+ years later.

[spooky3]

16. A critic once said that the Beatles produced only one

Bad song: “she’s leaving home”, so that critic would probably put the White Album and all their others that you didn’t name on that list.

[unblock]

21. i was tempted, because yeah, the beatles has so few clunkers overall

but i didn't want this to turn into just a "beatles are awesome" thread, although of course they are.

that said, "she's leaving home" isn't even close to their worst song, in fact, i quite like it.

check out "you know my name (look up the number)" or "wild honey pie" if you want a bad beatles song....

[spooky3]

27. I hear ya. Nt

[ZZenith]

28. That critic was deaf.

[calguy]

17. Peter Frampton Live

Was also a classic album that's hard to beat.

[NRaleighLiberal]

19. Joni Mitchell Court and Spark. Steely Dan Aja.

add Hissing if Summer Lawns, Hejira, and Blue to Joni's perfection

Pat Metheny Group white cover album

[ZZenith]

20. Yes!

[calguy]

82. Aja is one of the all time classics.

[pressbox69]

109. Love Hejira!

[blm]

22. American Music Club - Everclear. Roxy Music - Avalon

[Tikki]

23. Music being subjective...I'll go with my favorite genre: Powerplant's "People In The Sun" album

Tikki

[Doc_Technical]

94. That was different.

I always enjoy someone who goes outside the box
and somewhat creates their own genre.
I liked it.

[OilemFirchen]

25. Pet Sounds

Exile on Main Street
Leonard Cohen live in anywhere
Hole's Celebrity Skin

[mountain grammy]

114. Still have Pet Sounds album.

[blm]

26. Purple Rain

[unblock]

39. considering i never heard actually heard the entire album...

i checked out the track listing, and "computer blue" is the only song i don't think i've ever heard. i'll have to check it out.
but with that possible exception, i certainly agree on every other track. awesome.

[blm]

43. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

[unblock]

45. i'll have to check out the lesser known tracks on that one

i like all the songs i recognize. but i always found elton john to be really hit or miss for me. some really great songs but others, not so much. for me, anyway. but i'll check it out. mrs. unblock would definitely agree with you.

[blue neen]

103. I'll second that!

...and that is a double album! Incredible.

[Clash City Rocker]

54. "Computer Blue" is actually a favorite of mine

It has a sort of Devo feel to it. The beauty of Prince was his musical diversity.

[unblock]

56. no doubt he was a legendary talent.

i especially admire artists who are good at composition. not just songwriting, but putting the whole thing together.

he was an amazing guitarist, but he didn't write songs that just enabled him to show off his shredding. his solos and everything else he did served a musical purpose and fit into the song in a meaningful way. he really understood music, not just singing or guitar playing.

[blm]

60. ✔️

[hurl]

33. Wish You Were Here

[MissMillie]

111. Yep

That's MY go-to Pink Floyd

[sop]

34. "Highway 61 Revisited" - Bob Dylan

[Clash City Rocker]

35. Tapestry - Carole King, Astral Weeks - Van Morrison

[blm]

44. ✔️

[sfstaxprep]

38. Born To Run - The Boss

Can't believe nobody has said it yet. Groundbreaking Album.

[unblock]

41. good point!

personally i miiiight be tempted to skip over 10th avenue freezeout, but i know plenty of other people love that song, and it's certainly not a bad song, just not a great song. but as i have that album and have never actually skipped over that song, i'll agree. certainly every other track is amazing.

i just imagine back in the day some people probably bought the album thinking let's hear some other stuff that the guy who did the "born to run" single did, then they get an album with thunder road and jungleland too, it must have blown them away if they had never heard those songs before.

[Foolacious]

50. [Chuckle]

"10th Avenue Freezeout" is in my top 3 of Springsteen songs. TEHO

[unblock]

53. i know you're hardly the first person to chide me for not being crazy about that song.

but i really don't think it's all that. still, it's a hell of a great album if that's the worst song on it!

[sfstaxprep]

59. When The Change Was Made Uptown, And The Big Man Joined The Band... nt

[bif]

42. "Astral Weeks" Van Morrison

[Glorfindel]

46. Neil Diamond - Tap Root Manuscript

The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed
The Rolling Stones - Their Satanic Majesties Request
Judy Collins - Wildflowers

[TuxedoKat]

47. Little Feat - Feats Don't Fail Me Now

or Their Waiting for Columbus Album (all the same songs and more but live).

[Coventina]

55. Go-Go's: Beauty and the Beat

REM: Life's Rich Pageant

U2: The Joshua Tree

Pixies: Doolittle

Cyndi Lauper: She's So Unusual

Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy

Echo & the Bunnymen: Ocean Rain

The Smiths: The Queen is Dead

Depeche Mode: Music for the Masses

[yonder]

58. IV

Need I say more?

[Skittles]

61. Rainbow Rising

yes INDEED

[SharonClark]

62. Court and Spark - Joni Mitchell

[SharonClark]

63. Tea for the Tillerman - Cat Stevens

[SharonClark]

64. The Long Black Vail - The Chieftains

[Glorfindel]

100. Yes...one of my favorites.

Thanks for reminding me!

[SharonClark]

65. Joshua Judges Ruth - Lyle Lovett

[SharonClark]

66. Tapestry - Carole King

[SharonClark]

67. Other Voices Other Rooms - Nanci Griffith

[SharonClark]

68. Harvest Moon - Neil Young

[redwitch]

69. In the Court of the Crimson King

King Crimson.

[SharonClark]

70. So Far - Crosby Stills Nash and Young

[SharonClark]

71. For Everyman - Jackson Browne

[SharonClark]

72. Rubber Soul - The Beatles

[SharonClark]

73. Blue - Joni Mitchell

[2naSalit]

83. ++++++++++++!!

[SharonClark]

74. Paul Simon's

Still Crazy After All These Years
Graceland
There Goes Rhymin’ Simon

[SharonClark]

75. Moon Dance - Van Morrison

[SharonClark]

76. Rumor and Sigh - Richard Thompson

[SharonClark]

77. Nick of Time - Bonnie Raitt

[SharonClark]

78. These Streets - Paola Nutini

[yellowdogintexas]

79. Fleetwood Mac Rumors

also several others already named

[Stuart G]

80. Peter, Paul, & Mary: "In the Wind"

[Ahpook]

85. I agree with a few of your picks

Being a guitar player, it is extremely hard to look over Van Halen 1. The band may be not to a taste you prefer, but Eddie blew my fucking mind when I first heard him play.

There are others, of course, but hearing Eddie Van Halen play was incredible

I suppose that is my judge in this discussion

[highplainsdem]

86. Led Zeppelin IV.

[highplainsdem]

87. Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here

[Wounded Bear]

88. Moody Blues--Days of Future Passed...nt

[MissMillie]

112. Yep, but I will also add...

...Justin Hayward & John Lodge "Blue Jays"

[JustGene]

89. Blind Faith

"Clapton is God"

[lastlib]

90. Boston (first album)!

Last edited Fri Jul 24, 2020, 12:55 PM - Edit history (1)

Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon (of course!)
Eagles, Desperado (not a bad song on it)
Rush, Hemispheres (one of my go-to stress relievers)
Kraftwerk, Autobahn!
Moody Blues, On the Threshold of a Dream (and every other Moody's album!!)

[malthaussen]

91. Surprised no one has mentioned "Pet Sounds" yet.

I also think just about every Beatles album qualifies, but then I'm a fan.

-- Mal

[unblock]

93. Post 25 beat you to pet sounds, certainly a good addition to the list.

And I'm a huge Beatles fan as well. That said, I'm fine never hearing "Anna" or "You know my name (look up the number)" ever again....

[Ohiya]

98. I would add "Yellow Submarine" to the never again list.

[unblock]

102. Oh I don't know. Silly song, sure, but john's backing vocals are a riot.

[malthaussen]

105. "You know my name" was not originally on an LP...

... it was a freebie sent to the members of the Beatles fan club, so it was mostly just the boys mucking about. That said, I like it myself.
"Anna" is a bit tedious, I agree.

-- Mal

[Laffy Kat]

92. "Songs in the Key o Life" - Stevie Wonder. nt

[Doc_Technical]

95. Benefit- Jethro Tull

Disraeli Gears- Cream
The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get- Joe Walsh

[Ohiya]

99. Benefit was the first one I thought of!

[NightWatcher]

96. I must be ignoring the people who said Pink Floyd Animals because I don't see it yet

And that's not right.

[LNM]

97. Hotel California nt

[BluesRunTheGame]

104. Blood On The Tracks

[Mad_Dem_X]

106. Out Of The Blue - ELO; The Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd

[FakeNoose]

108. K & R BOOKMARKED

So many great suggestions here!
So many albums I need to look up on Spotify.

Thanks guys

[jmowreader]

115. I don't think there is such a thing

Given that, the two albums I don’t skip over tracks when I listen to them are Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Garage and Iron Maiden’s Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.