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November’s second TITMT is available on The Art of Getting By. The author, Janet, is a huge music fan just as many of you are and, indeed, I am. So she posted another music-themed question.
“What are some of your favorite albums?”
Wow. Where to begin? My favorite is probably Priest=Aura by The Church. That shouldn’t come as surprise to anyone. Here is a list of a few more:
- In Sides by Orbital
- Chrome by Catherine Wheel
- The Ocean Blue by The Ocean Blue
- Alien Dreamtime by Space Time Continuum with Terrance McKenna
- Automatic for the People by REM (sans Everybody Hurts)
- Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Babe Rainbow by House of Love
- Question of Balance by the Moody Blues
- Dulcinea by Toad the Wet Sprocket
- In the Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson
- Pain Makes You Beautiful by the Judybats
- Earth Sun Moon by Love and Rockets
- El Momento Descuidado by The Church
- Painting It Red by The Beautiful South
- Notes From the Underground by (Clan of) Xymox
- Ultra by Depechemode
- Fuzzy by Grant Lee Buffalo
- Nevermind by Nirvana
- Deep by Peter Murphy
- Jehovahkill by Julian Cope
- Puzzle by Dada
- Future Perfect by VNV Nation
- Fumbling Towards Ecstasy by Sarah McLachlan
- Toward the Within by Dead Can Dance
- System 7.3: Fire + Water by 777 (or System 7 in Europe)
- The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails
- The Real Thing by Faith No More
- Plans by Death Cab for Cutie
I’m sure I’m forgetting several. There are a few collections that are excellent as well. While not proper albums, I think these are worth mentioning as favorites.
- The Insider Soundtrack – Most of the music was by Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance
- I’m Your Fan: Songs of Leonard Cohen – A tribute album to Leonard Cohen
- Substance – A collection of the best early songs by New Order
There are a number of ‘up and coming’ albums that are recent to my collection. These all have potential but have yet to withstand the test of time.
- Pocket Revolution by dEUS
- She Wants Revenge by She Wants Revenge
- Back Room by Editors
- And the Glass Handed Kites by Mew
- The Last Broadcast by the Doves
- Back to the Web by Elf Power
- Gabriel & Dresden by Gabriel & Dresden (with assorted guests)
- Night On Fire by VHS or Beta
- Weekend in the City by Bloc Party
- Ethernaut by The Crüxshodows
Nastalgis
Puzzle – Dada
American Highway Flower – Dada
Copper Blue – Sugar
Cracker – Cracker
Fuzzy – Grant Lee Buffalo
Mighty Joe Moon – Grant Lee Buffalo
Northern Soul – Verve
American Thighs – Veruca Salt
Connells – Ring
Sand Rubies – Sand Rubies
Disintegration – Cure
Classic Masters – Blind Melon
Wishville – Catherine Wheel
New Miserable Experience – Gin Blossoms
Seven – James
Automatic – Jesus and Mary Chain
Greatest Hits – John Denver
In My Lifetime – Neil Diamond
Joy Division – Substance
Nine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate Machine
Nine Inch Nails – Downward Spiral
Jehovakill – Julian Cope
Toward the Within – Dead Can Dance
Earth Sun Moon – Love and Rockets
Freak City Soundtrack – Material Issue
Diesel and Dust – Midnight Oil
Days of Future Past – Moody Blues
Ten – Pearl Jam
Frosting On the Beater – Posies
Out of Time -REM
The Bends – Radiohead
Fizzy Fuzzy Big and Buzzy – Refreshments
Remy Zero – Remy Zero
New-ish
Rush of Blood to the Head – Coldplay
From Under the Cork Tree – Fall Out Boy
Turn On the Bright Lights – Interpol
Hot Fuss – Killers
The Back Room – Editors
She Wants Revenge – She Wants Revenge
Bluegrass
Anthology – Bill Monroe
Fork In the Road – Infamous Stringdusters
Reasons Why – Nickel Creek
Quartet – Peter Rowan & Tony Rice
Bluegrass Anthology – Tony Rice
Bluegrass Album – Bela Fleck
Broke – King Wilke
You guys are ridiculous. You have more favorite albums than I have total albums!
So, some of the favorites from my tiny CD collection (not in any meaningful order):
Genesis: We Can’t Dance
Neil Diamond: In my Lifetime–it’s a 3-disc set, but disc 2 is by far the best
Jewel: This Way
Paul Simon: Graceland
John Doe: Dim Stars, Bright Sky
Grant Lee Phillips: Mobilize (you guys seem to like GLB albums better, but this is the Grant CD that I’m the most familiar with, so it’s my favorite)
Butterfly Jones: Butterfly Jones (again, I’m more familiar with this album than Dada albums, although I love Dada)
Chris Thomas King: Me, My Guitar, and the Blues
Madonna: Immaculate Collection (except I have to skip past the first few songs–yikes)
Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes
So you and chopdeli have merged finances after marriage, but not album collections? Yep, that sounds like chop
It was tough to me to limit my list to that many. You have some great ones on your list. Little Earthquakes almost made mine as well. Though do you really want to admit that little Genesis guilty-pleasure on a semi-public blog? }:>
That Genesis album is actually really good–it’s not corny 80′s-style music.
I was much more concerned with admitting Madonna, Jewel, and Paul Simon. But whatever–I like pop. I admit it.
It’s not that we haven’t merged music collections. It’s just that the “collection” is not very easily accessible to either of us, and especially me (external hard drive, downstairs, etc). So I haven’t been able to really get my hands on some of the Chop stuff I’m really interested in–GLB, Dada, Peter Murphy, Remy Zero, the Church…I’ve got a lot of music that I’m excited about becoming more familiar with!
I must admit that I’ve enjoy music by Madonna, Jewel, and Paul Simon as well. That’s why I didn’t pick on them. There’s definitely a place for pop in my tastes, but I tend to like singles and not albums from that genre. I’ll have to take your word for it for that Genesis release. I just remember despising the single off of it.
Chop does have a ton of great music. What I like best about his collection is the depth it offers for most of the groups. You’ll have no shortage of stuff to listen to from all those groups you are interested in.
I think it’s funny every time I see a TITMT question on someone else’s site and they have people who play, but they never play on my site, too. Why are people like that?:(
Your list is rather extensive and I know of a lot of the artists, but not all of the albums. I started working briefly on my own extensive list last night. Thanks for playing!
Janet,
You sound so sad! Sorry, we’d play on your sight too. But the truth is, we’re really only trying to make sid feel important. You see, he doesn’t really have any friends so we feel if we put up some comments he’ll feel better. Oh who am I kidding, I AM sid! I’m coming clean. I’ve been putting up comments on my own sight pretending I have friends. That’s right, Bunnies4Buddah. That’s me too. I’m also you Janet so I’m actually talking to myself.
was that funny? sometimes I try to be funny then read what I said and then realize it wasn’t that funny. Guess I’ll go listen to some of my favorite albums instead.
LOL It was funny
This question reminds me of the dessert question so much of the music I like depends on the situation, what memories it stirs up or the time of year. When I think if it though there are a few that do make my must have list:
Peter Murphy – Deep
Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights
R.E.M. – (I can’t decide)
The Smiths – The Queen is Dead
Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Mark O’Connor – Appalachian Waltz
Elliot Smith – Either/Or
Erasure – The Innocents
The Tragically Hip – Trouble at the Henhouse
Grant Lee Buffalo – (I can’t decide)
James – Laid and Whiplash
Keane – Under the Iron Sea
Oasis – What’s the Story Morning Glory
Moby – Play and Hotel
Morrissey – Vauxhall and I and Your Arsenal
Portishead – Dummy
The Sisters of Mercy
Honorable Mention
Elf Power – Back to the Web
Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
Pulp – Different Class
The Handsome Family
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
Harry Nilsson
Please don’t ask us to name a favorite song – choosing these was hard enough!
Oh Yeah – and Toad the Wet Sprocket!
That was very funny, chopdeli (which I can’t help but read “chop deli”). The truth is, Janet, that I pester them until the comment on my blog. I know most of them personally. Also, music is something that all of us are into, so it’s no surprise the TITMT questions on that topic get a good response from us.
What’s an “album”?
Better yet, what’s a record?
Also if you try and post comments to quickly you get this:
You are posting comments too quickly. Slow down.
Who knew WP had an attitude? It’s just jealous that it isn’t Movable Type or Drupal.
Really? I’ve never noticed that about WP.
I answered the question by assuming the following definition for ‘album’ or ‘record’:
A collection of songs packaged together so that the collection itself is an artistic expression, not merely a collection of songs.
Them there’s scarce as hen’s teeth.
True story. I was a computer geek at a local university. I found myself working on a PC at the desk in the music library. A librarian and I were talking when a student came up and requested a certain “album”. She was handed a “record” (actual vinyl) and looked askance at it. She walked away only to return a short time later to ask us what she was supposed to do with it.
Sad.