Perfect Rock Albums.

my brains ^ | now | me

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

Basically, no "best of" or "compilations" albums. These are the best albums that you could listen without skipping a track. I broke it down by decade.

The 1960's:
Beatles - Revolver
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
Frank Zappa - We're Only In It For The Money
The Stooges - The Stooges
Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I
Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
Cream - Disraeli Gears

The 1970's:
Big Star - #1 Record
Neil Young - After the Gold Rush
Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers
Janis Joplin - Pearl
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks Here Are The Sex Pistols
Kiss - Alive
Doors - L.A. Woman
Clash - London Calling
Elvis Costello - My Aim is True
Bob Dylan - Shot of Love
Police - Outlandos d'Amour

The 1980's:
Black Flag - Damaged
Police - Ghost in the Machine
Talking Heads - Little Creatures
Duran Duran - Seven & the Ragged Tiger
Ministry - Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste
Bob Dylan - Infidels
Cars - Heartbeat City
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
They Might Be Giants - Flood

The 1990's:
Nirvana - Nevermind
Green Day - Dookie
Cake - Fashion Nugget
Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
Cure - Wish
U2 - Achtung Baby
Jane's Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual
Sonic Youth - goo
Soundgarden- Superknown
Rollins Band - End of the Silence
Weezer - Weezer (1st Album)
Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet

The 2000's:
um . . . um . . . um . . .

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

Of course, that's my opinion . . . I could be wrong.

[SuzyQue]

I'd add The Duane Allman Anthology, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, & Blood on the Tracks

[SuzyQue]

Oops. Sorry, take Duane out. Too bad. But add Humble Pie, Live at the Fillmore"

[Mr. Blonde]

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magick
The Drive-by Truckers - The Dirty South
Audioslave - Audioslave
The White Stripes - Elephant
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
Citizen Cope - The Clarence Greenwood Recordings

Plus several I didn't want to repeat from your list.

[Michael Goldsberry]

[JennysCool]

1970s:

Beach Boys - Holland

1980s:

Dire Straits - Making Movies

1990s:

Pretenders - Viva El Amor!

2000s:

Brian Wilson - Smile

[dfwgator]

From the 1970s:

Who's Next - The Who
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis


From the 1980s:

Skylarking - XTC
Especially For You - The Smithereens
Security - Peter Gabriel

1990s

The Bends - Radiohead

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

I didn't include Blood on the Tracks because I tend to skip "Lilly, Rosemary, & the Jack of Hearts"

[nonliberal]

Motorhead-Ace of Spades
Megadeth-Peace Sells...but Who's Buying?
Guns N'Roses-Appetite for Destruction
Skid Row-Subhuman Race
Stuck Mojo-Rising
Judas Priest-Painkiller, Stained Class, British Steel, Defenders of the Faith
Pantera-Vulgar Display of Power
Black Sabbath-Every album with Ozzy
Overkill-Horrorscope and, From the Underground and Below
Shadows Fall-The Art of Balance

Nirvana is absolute dreck.

[WhiteGuy]

I respect your opinions...............

The 70's

The RAMONES blazed the trail stormed by the Clash and the SEX PISTOLS..................Give them some respect...................... They all ROCK

Acknowledge the influence of Springsteen in the 70's

Hair, Glam, Punk and pop were of no interest to many.........................

[MotleyGirl70]

I like your 1980's pick.

[dfwgator]

Oh yes, Dire Straits, but I have to go with Love Over Gold.

[wagglebee]

I would add REM's "Murmer" to the 1980's and replace Elvis Costello's "My Aim is True" with "Armed Forces." Other than that, great list.

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

They moved the terror alert up? (harvey birdman joke.)

[JennysCool]

"Telegraph Road"? I'm there!

[wagglebee]

"Love Over Gold" is by far their best album, "Brothers in Arms" was WAY overrated.

[JennysCool]

I've burned up a few of those! :-)

[nonliberal]

The Ramones-Road to Ruin

I'm Against It is probably my favorite Ramones tunes.

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

for me it was either "My Aim Is True" or "Spike."

"God's Comic" is the most beautiful song he's written yet.

[dfwgator]

Brothers in Arms get criticism from hard core Straits fans because it had too many "hits." But the non-hits are what make the album, "Your Latest Trick" "Why Worry" and the title track are as good as anything Knopfler and Co ever did.

[Yardstick]

Big ditto on the Police's Ghost in the Machine. I just moved and was unpacking some old vinyl LP's the other day. I put that one on and wound up listening to the whole thing.

[tacticalogic]

Van Morrison - Moondance

Gerry Rafferty - City to City

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

Ramones are awesome. don't get me wrong . . . but no perfect albums come to mind. again = an album where there are no skip-able tracks, not greatest hits or compilation album.

Springsteen is good although he's a commie traitor scum, but his albums are also padded with filler tracks.

[WhiteGuy]

I'm Against It is probably my favorite Ramones tunes.


I heard my first Ramones tune in a punk bar on the OSU campus when I was 16..................

yeah, underage..............

Although I was never a punk, their dynamic was always cutting edge and obviosly copied by some bands.........

Rock and Roll High School -

My gal is red hot...............your gal ain't doodly squat!

[stands2reason]

Ride The Lightning and Master of Puppets, Metallica (80's)

[WhiteGuy]

70's Born to Run - Springsteen

[Thombo2]

How about Pink Floyd?"Wish You Were Here"?,or "Dark Side Of The Moon"?

[feefee]

Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction

and a ping to self to follow this thread

[nonliberal]

Well the KKK took my baby away
They took her away
Away from me.

Great stuff!! Brings back memories of high school.

[rikkir]

70's: Good bye Yellowbrick Road (Elton John)
The Stranger (Billy Joel)
Boston (Boston)
Rumors (Fleetwood Mac)
80's: Pyromania (Def Leppard)
Fair Warning (Van Halen)
90's Get a Grip (Areosmith)
00's: Silver Side Up (Nickelback)
Away From the Sun (Three Doors Down)
So many ways to judge, content, lyrics, music, production, sound quality.

[andrew2527]

Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

I recently got into Van Morrison and right now, Tupelo Honey is great.

[dfwgator]

I've recent gotten into PF's "Animals" and I think now that is my favorite Floyd album.

[rikkir]

"Love Over Gold" is by far their best album"

Man I hate I missed that one, great album.

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

Kill Them All

[tacticalogic]

How are you on Rafferty?

[Huntress]

Some additions to your list:

1970s:
Rumours, Fleetwood Mac

1980s:
Reckoning, REM

1990s:
Tomorrow the Green Grass, The Jayhawks
The Bends, Radiohead
Automatic for the People, REM

2000s:
Comfort Eagle, Cake

[NoFreeRides]

Boston-Boston
Earth Wind & Fire-Spirit
Commodores-Live

Leaning more to the Blues genre:
Paul Butterfield Blues Band-Live
Taj Mahal-Roots/Dem Old Folks at Home

And really out there....
Elton John-Madman Across the Water

[Yardstick]

And another ditto for Cake's Fashion Nugget. Cake is a little like the Police, in the sense that they can really lay down a tight groove. They also have a similar kind of minimalism and economy. Unlike the Police, though, they're also hilarious.

Radiohead's OK Computer also deserves to be on the 1990's list. It's a classic.

[SuzyQue]

Van is great - from his old stuff like Gloria to his most recent music.

[MotleyGirl70]

1970s

Second Helping-Lynyrd Skynyrd

Dark Side of the Moon-Pink Floyd

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

I am one of those rare people who likes "The Final Cut"

[WhiteGuy]

Ramones are awesome. don't get me wrong . . . but no perfect albums come to mind. again = an album where there are no skip-able tracks, not greatest hits or compilation album.

Springsteen is good although he's a commie traitor scum, but his albums are also padded with filler tracks.


C'mon............................

were you at any Boss concerts in the 70's & 80's?

I was at dozens................

I don't recall any politics - and then as now I don't care.

ROCK or leave - I don't care who you vote for.

Of course you're probably too young (looking) to really remember these two..................

(That's my story! :') )

Some Springsteen filler tracs were some of my favs........

i.e. "Meeting Across the River"

[MotleyGirl70]

Rumors (Fleetwood Mac) 80's: Pyromania (Def Leppard)

Those would make my list too.

[WhiteGuy]

Great stuff!! Brings back memories of high school.


Admit your age!!!!!!

NEVER

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

I just got into Cake recently . . . I figured out their song "Italian Leather Sofa" is the theme to "Mission Hill"

I listented to the album ten times straight.

[stands2reason]

Police - Ghost in the Machine


"J'aurais toujours faim de toi!"

I played the crap outta that album when I was 14...

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

beat on the brat
beat on the brat
with a baseball bat!

[Thombo2]

Animals is a good album.I've been listening to Wish You Were Here,and it dawned on me that PF has pretty much made a career(or a major part)writing and performing songs about mental illness ala Syd Barrett.

[tacticalogic]

Went into a record shop once and asked if they had any Van Morrison. The kid showed me where the Doors albums were.