Your favourite albums

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I like to chuck this out from time to time if someone like Liam hasn't.

It's not a top 50 list or anything, just give us five or so albums that you would rate as your all time favourites and perhaps why.

"Homogenic" by Bjork

There's no weakness in this album. None. For me it's the perfect album. Musical experimentalism reached it's pinnacle here. Yeah she was great before and great since but this is it. From the brooding "Hunter", the delicately strong "Five Years", haunting "All Neon Like", the stunningly beautiful "All Is Full Of Love" and even the slightly bonkers "Pluto" it's got everything I want in music with Bjork's perfect voice.

"Surrender" by Chemical Brothers

This goes down as my favourite electro/dance album. For those purposes it's spot on. It starts on the perfect note with "Music:Response", follows it up with the ridiculous driving noise of "Under The Influence" and "Out Of Control", just so happens to fit in the masterstroke "Hey Boy Hey Girl", the kooky "How Does It Feel Like" and some chilled out beauty in "Asleep From Day". It's an album that will NEVER grow old. Ever. Sadly after their first three albums (Exit Planet Dust, Dig Your Own Hole and Surrender) for me the Chems have slipped a bit. Oh well.

"Absolution" by Muse

I love me some Muse and I love me some classical music. For that reason this is my fave of the four albums. As more than one reviewer noted it's "Wagner-like" in parts. It's beautiful, powerful in parts, whispering in others. The only parts it falls flat for me is generally the crowd pleasers. I don't like "Time Is Running Out" but that's an aside. I LOVE "Apocalypse Please", "Falling Away With You", "Hysteria", the piano parts of "Stockholm Syndrome" and the entire second half navel-gazing segment of the album.

More to come.

Edited June 30, 2007 by ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster

[GoGo Yubari]

Too exhausted from traveling to Japan to explain right now. Waugh. BUT...

- "Abbey Road" by The Beatles

- "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis

- "Skylarking" by XTC

- "The Velvet Underground and Nico" by the Velvet Underground

- "Paul's Boutique" by the Beastie Boys (or, alternatively, "Modern Life is Rubbish" by Blur. I can't decide on one of the two as #5)

[Gabriel]

While I won't be putting them in any particular order, here's a couple:

Misfits - Walk Among Us

-Probably the perfect mix of everything the Misfits had to offer back during their first run. If you ever have to start someone on listening to the Misfits, this is the album to make them listen to. Fuck the collections and boxed set. This is THE Misfits album.

AFI - Sing the Sorrow

-Man would argue that this is the album that started a downward spiral for AFI in terms of quality, but I would disagree. Sing the Sorrow, and to a further extent, Decemberunderground, are definately not the same as past AFI works. They are much better musically and vocally than anything the group has done before. The two albums alienated a core group of their fans who enjoyed the screaming punk that Davey and the boys offered before, but the dark, macabre and romantic lyrics of Sing the Sorrow, the progression in musical ability by the band, and the overall package is AFI at its' best.

Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine

-Most people point to the Downward Spiral as Trent Reznor's masterpiece, and it quite possibly is. That said, Pretty Hate Machine pulls you in with Head Like a Hole, and it is unrelenting in its' assault on you all the way through to Ringfinger. PHM was the first album I ever heard that really and profoundly affected me.

So there's 3 albums that I love from the first second to the last.

Maybe I'll come back with more later.

[Nerf]

- "Getting Away With Murder" by Papa Roach

- "The Poison" by Bullet For My Valentine

- "Ascendency" by Trivium

- "Nevermind" by Nirvana

- "Valley of the Damned" by Dragonforce

- "Veneer" by Jose Gonzalez

- "Chocolate Starfish..." by Limp Bizkit

[Draevyn]

Stereophonics: You Gotta Go There To Come Back

The New Amsterdams: Killed Or Cured

Tyler Hilton: Songs By Tyler Hilton

Those are just three in the last little while. I've got so many other ones.

[Farmer Reil]

"Rocket Ride" by Edguy

Obviously, being an Edguy album, it's fantastic Rocket Ride is much "rockier" than their previous albums, which were pure power metal (even moreso than Hellfire Club, which was a definate step towards rock in itself). It's still Edguy but, like Hellfire Club, it's more light hearted and fun, rather than ranting about religion on every other song (only on two of them this time ¬_¬).

"Sonic Firestorm" by Dragonforce

Had to have a Force album on here, since they're pretty much responsible for changing my taste in music completely back in 2004. And if you have to have a Force album on here, there's absolutely no contest AT ALL for which one it has to be. Sonic Firestorm is utterly brilliant from start to finish. Not that the others are bad, but unlike Inhuman Rampage it doesn't sound like one really long-ass song all the way through. And unlike Valley of the Damned, Soldiers of the Wasteland is on it ¬_¬

"Blind Guardian Live" by Blind Guardian

When one of the best live bands ever, with one of the best frontmen ever, release a live album, it's obviously going to be fucking good. And the cover is great, innit?

"Sword's Song" by Battlelore

As soon as you hear the intro to the first track, 'Sons of the Riddermark', you know it's going to rock your socks off. Then it proceeds to remove the rest of your clothes in a similar manner, rape you in the ass, and kick you out into the street in the pouring rain, cackling to itself and awaiting your inevitable return tomorrow.

"Dawn of Victory" by Rhapsody (of Fire~!)

No band, before during or probably after, will ever be anything like Rhapsody (of Fire). They just won't. Dawn of Victory is my favourite mostly because of Holy Thunderforce, but all their other albums are a close second (other than the new one, which is a close third).

Obviously there are more, but they're the five I always think of first.

Edited June 30, 2007 by Farmer Reil

[fineintent]

Bjork - Homogenic

Squarepusher - Ultravisitor

Sikth - The Trees are Dead and Dried Out...

Ghetto - Ghetto Gospel (Strictly a mixtape, but album quality)

Rush - Sounds of Radio (Strictly a Greatest Hits, but meh)

Nas - Illmatic

Tool - Aenima

The Streets - Original Pirate Material

[Steeb]

Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness

As far as I am concerned, this is a perfect album. I cannot pick out a song that I would class as filler, but I can pick out 28 classics. Two discs of pure beauty and emotion. This is the album that got me into SP, and for that, it gets the accolade of my favourite album of all time.

Radiohead - Hail To The Thief

It was either this, or Kid A, however, over time I've realised I prefer this album. It just has the more perfectly crafted songs, and one of my favourite moments in any song ever - "the raindrops", forty-seven times in 'Sit Down. Stand Up.'

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

As Gabe said, most point to this as Reznor's masterpiece, and rightly so. It's fucking immense, from the out-and-out slaughter of 'Mr. Self Destruct', to the beauty of 'A Warm Place', and on to the reknowned emotion of 'Hurt'. Simply amazing, and something to aim towards for every artist out there.

Stars - Nightsongs

After much deliberation, I think I still have to go with this as my favourite Stars album. As excellent as Set Yourself On Fire is, Nightsongs is just more consistent. A beautiful little album, complete with one of the only covers of The Smiths I actually like.

Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene

You Forgot It In People used to be my favourite by them, and rightfully so. However, upon listening to this album a little more recently, I've finally noticed the epic layers that I had heard so much about, and have realised that, far from just being a collage of noise, this is a masterpiece that sounds better every time.

Tried to avoid repeating artists, for variation.

[YI]

The New Amsterdams: Killed Or Cured

[Turbo Yannis]

Reuben - Very Fast Very Dangerous

Favourite Tracks: "Lights Out", "Best Enemies" and "Nobody Loves You""

Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American/Jimmy Eat World

Favourite Tracks: "Salt Sweet Sugar"/"Bleed American", "A Praise Chorus" and "Sweetness"

Idlewild - The Remote Part

Favourite Tracks: "Tell Me Ten World", "I Never Wanted" and "A Modern Way Of Letting Go"

The Audition - Controversy Loves Company

Favourite Tracks: "La Rivalita", "Lawyers" and "Approach The Bench"

I'll add reasons and such later. Too busy feeling sorry for myself/being hungover. Eugh.

Edited July 1, 2007 by Turbonegro

[Darloboy]

Oasis - Definitely Maybe

Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction

Stone Roses - Stone Roses

The Darkness - Permission To Land

Happy Mondays - Pills, Thrills N' Bellyaches

That would probably be my Top 5.

[Draevyn]

The New Amsterdams: Killed Or Cured

Ewww...interesting. I mean it's a quality album, I just thought it was basically accepted by EVERYONE that "Worse For The Wear" was easily the most superior New Amsterdams album.

I've actually never listened to Worse For The Wear yet. The bands I listed were just ones I've picked up in the last little while. I've used my One Tree Hill addiction to pick up new bands I've never heard before.

[Jook]

The Dears- No Cities Left

Goldfrapp- Felt Mountain

Radiohead- OK Computer / Kid A / Amnesiac, I can't seperate them...

Bjork- Debut

[The Dork Knight]

The Cure - Disintegration

Faith No More - Angel Dust

Alice Cooper - Dragontown

Aerosmith - Get A Grip

Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction

Sum 41 - All Killer No Filler

Sum 41 - Does This Look Infected?

Blink 182 - Buddah

Gorillaz - Self Titled

Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around (American IV)

And a whole shitload more

[Rashid]

My favorite Hard Rock album would be Guns N' Roses' "Use Your Illusion I".

My favorite Pop-Punk album is Blink 182's "Enema of the State".

My favorite album of the 90's overall is Nirvana's "Nevermind".

"The Wall", "Dark Side of the Moon", and "Wish You Were Here" would all be in my Top 10. As well as "Led Zeppelin II", "Led Zeppelin IV", "A Night At The Opera", "Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Nevermind", and "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars".

My favorite album overall is "The Wall", which I have listened to around 40 times in the last 4 months.

[Liam]

I've generally felt that my favourite album of all time is 'Automatic For The People' by R.E.M, closely followed by 'White Ladder' by David Gray. On the heavier side, my favourite album would be 'Clayman' by In Flames, and 'Angel Dust' by Faith No More (not too heavy, but meh). Others would include 'The Bends' by Radiohead and 'White Pony' by Deftones.

I have to give kudos to 'Nevermind' since it got me into heavier material.

[lari]

Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the Other Side

Perfect epic metal. The title track is the best song ever written.

Savatage - The Wake of Magellan

The best concept album I know of. First of all, I really love Savatage, and this album has moments from the earlier, heavier 'Tage mixed with the more operetic approach of the Zakk Stevens era. Vocal duties are also again shared between Oliva and Stevens, like in Dead Winter Dead, and that makes it that much more operetic. The storytelling is great here - a great collection of songs and they flow well together. Very diverse but still pleasant to listen to. Wake Of Magellan is easily one of my favourite albums ever.

[Cronge]

Hmmm... Hard to pick just one... So I'll name some...

Black Sabbath - The Eternal Idol

Kid Rock - Devil Without a Cause

Korn - See You on the Other Side

Nirvana - Incesticide

Rush - Snakes & Arrows

Scooter - Sheffield

Static-X - Cannibal

The list is growing too big, so I'll stop at this:)

[Farmer Reil]

"A Night At The Opera"

Edited July 2, 2007 by Farmer Reil

[Marcos]

Top 5: (I'll add reasons when I have time to write them)

1. Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf: Favourite Tracks - Bat Out Of Hell, For Crying Out Loud and Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad.

2. The Stranger - Billy Joel: Favourite Tracks - Scenes From An Italian Resteraunt, Only The Good Die Young and Moving Out.

3. Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen: Favourite Tracks - Born To Run, Jungleland and Thunder Road.

4. Rumours - Fleetwood Mac: Favourite Tracks - The Chain, Go Your Own Way and Second Hand News.

5. Hotel California - The Eagles: Favourite Tracks - Hotel California, New Kid In Town and Life In The Fast Lane.