Best complete albums

Beck - Odelay, Sea Change
Bonobo - Black Sands
Dave Matthews Band - Before These Crowded Streets
Esprit - Virtua.zip
Failure - Fantastic Planet, Magnified
Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump
Hum - Inlet, Downward is Heavenward
Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters
Idris Ackamoor & the Pyramids - Shaman!
Jesus Lizard - Goat
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Kayo Dot - Hubardo
King Crimson - Red, Discipline
Low - I Could Live In Hope
Old Man Gloom - Seminar III
Pink Floyd - Animals
Perturbator - Dangerous Days
Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come
Shiner - Lula Divinia
Steely Dan - Aja
Talking Heads - Remain in Light, The Name of The Band is...
We Lost the Sea - Departure Songs
XTC - Drums And Wires

 

Allman Brothers- Live At The Filmore expanded version
Robin Trower -Bridge of Sighs
Lou Reed -Rock n Roll Animal
Rolling Stones-Let It Bleed
Nirvana -Unplugged
Neil Young- Unplugged
Eric Clapton/ BB King- Riding With The King
Buddy Guy-Stone Crazy
Rodrigo y Gabriella- 11:11
The Who-Tommy
Allman Brothers-Eat A peach
Rolling Stones- Brussels Affair bootleg from 1973
Eric Clapton- Crossroads 2 Live In The 70's, 4cd and every CD is excellent.

 

I'm going to only mention albums not previously mentioned. (This was tough)


Top 5 in no particular order:

Soundgarden - Superunknown
Sublime 1996
Black Sabbath 1970
Jimi Hendrix - Are you experienced (17 track deluxe edition)
Zappa - Joe's garage act I, II, & III (I'm counting this as one)


5 Honorable Mentions that didn't make it

Pink Floyd - Wish You We're Here
Santana - 1969
Thin Lizzy - Vagabonds of the Western World
AC/DC - TNT
Fleetwood Mac 1975


Notes:
Pink Floyd Animals would 100% be in my top five front to back albums,(kicking out Joe's Garage) but it was mentioned already so could not be included.

I really really really wanted to put in Bob Marley but I don't think there is a single front to back album worthy dethroning the ones I picked. BUT if I was in charge of assembling a Bob Marley Greatest Hits Album it would without a doubt be a Top 5 Front to Back Album


P.S. I definitely cheated on this list, since I mentioned over 10 albums and not just 5.

 

I am one of those rare people that usually go after the "best of". Am i alone in this? There are albums that are pretty unique and, sometimes, a milestone in an artist/bands life but usually, for me, i like, at most, half a dozen songs, if I am lucky.

When i buy a "best of" i can, usually, just let the CD play without even thinking about changing it.

Am i alone in this?

Anyway:

Al Green - Greatest hits
Michael Jackson- History
Bob Marley - Legend
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Metallica - S&M
Prince - Very best/purple rain
2 pac - All Eyez on Me/Best of


Honourable mentions:

Alanis Morisette - Jagged little pill (heard it a lot when it was released, in my teens, but rarely since then)
AC/DC - Back in Black
James Brown - Live at the Apollo
Guns&Roses- Appetite for destruction
Miles Davis - Kind of blue
Oasis - Morning Glory
Adele - 21
Fugees - The Score
Greenday - Dookie
Offspring - Americana
Boyz II Men - II
Smashing Pumpkins -Mellon Collie snd...
The Temptations- Anthology


And many, many more.

 

Supertramp - Breakfast in America
Steven Wilson - Hand. Cannot. Erase.
XTC - Apple Venus vol. 1
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Gentle Giant - The Power and The Glory
Fleetwood Mac - Rumors
The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
Jeff Buckley - Grace
Peter Gabriel - Us
Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
Gabrieli Consort & Players - A Venetian Coronation 1595
Bjork - Post
Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain
Pearl Jam - Ten
Porcupine Tree - The Incident
Joe Jackson - Body & Soul

 

Quicksilver Messenger Service: Happy Trails
Love: Forever Changes
Grateful Dead: Aoxa Moxoa, Anthem of the Sun, American Beauty, Workingman's dead... OK, most of them.

Back in the day, albums were indeed meant to be listened to all through.

 

THRILLER

 

I only listen to albums, I never listen to single tracks ever. If an album only has one track that's good I put it on a mix, but I don't even listen to my own mixes, I make them to share with other people. If an album isn't good as an album I don't listen to it. I really think of music as albums, not songs. I haven't "put on a song" in probably 20 years. Seriously.

There's too many albums to list here. But one of my favorite albums of all time is:

Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther

 

I don't really listen to anything but albums. Sometimes I'll hop around and cherry pick some stuff but it's always from an album I love usually anyway. Don't do greatest hits albums either.
Tastes and moods change with time and being over saturated with certain music.

Frank Zappa Hot Rats basically 64-78 flawless for me

Steely Dan The Royal Scam + Countdown to Ecstasy

Pink Floyd Animals

Allegaeon Apoptosis

Fleetwood Mac Then Play On and Tusk
Aside from tusk everything leading up to 1975.

Black Sabbath first 5 albums 70-75

Black Sabbath all the Dio albums !

Iron Maiden 1980-1988 could never pick just one.

Metallica 83-88

Jimi Hendrix Experience Axis bold as love
If it counts as an album the purple box, best box set ever.

Opeth my arms your hearse, black water park, deliverance, damnation, ghost reveries, watershed, heritage, pale communion. Probably my favorite albums ever.

 

No stinkers

Cream - Disraeli Gears
Wishbone Ash - Argus
Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East
The Beatles - Rubber Soul and Revolver
Black Sabbath - first five
Joy Division - all
The Sisters of Mercy - all and I WANT MORE

 

Paring a list out of all the albums I own would be exhausting but in keeping with the spirit of the op I’ll do five favorites of what I have on my phone with what I still consider essential listening in spoilers.

Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
Gang of Four - Entertainment!
Lydia Loveless - Indestructible Machine
Radiohead - Kid A
The Replacements - Hootenanny

Spoiler

The Babe Rainbow - s/t
Barbara Morgenstern - The Grass Is Alwwys Greener
Belle & Sebastian - If You’re Feeling Sinister
The Black Lips - Good, Bad, Not Evil
Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
Brian Jonestown Massacre - Their Satanic Majesties Second Request
The Chameleons - Script of the Bridge
The Church - Heyday
The Clash - London Calling
Crocodiles - Sleep Forever
Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night
Devo - Q: Are We Not Men A: We Are Devo!
The Dirtbombs - Ultraglide In Black
Eileen Jewel - Boundary County
Elvis Presley - From Elvis in Memphis
The Epoxies - s/t
Exploded View - Obey
France Gall - Poupee de Son: Volume 4 - Bebe Requin (translates to baby shark lol)
Holly Golightly - The Main Attraction
Holograms - Forever
The Jam - All Mod Cons
Jay Reatard - Blood Vision
Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter - Reckless Burning
Jolie Holland - Mexico City
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Julian Cope - World Shut Your Mouth
King Khan & BBQ Show - s/t (25 years before they were the soundtrack to every other video on tiktok)
King Tuff - Was Dead
Kurt Vice - Wakin On A Pretty Daze
Mikal Cronin - MCIII
The Monochrome Set - Early Recordings
Nick Drake - Pink Moon
Nina Nastasia - Dogs
Old 97s - Too Far To Care
Patti Smith - Horses
Pavement - Brighten the Corners
Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps
The Ponys - Celebration Castle
Ramones - Rocket to Russia
Richmond Fontaine - Post To Wire
Ride - Going Blank Again
Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
The Saints - Eternally Yours
Sam Cooke - Night Beat
Scott Walker - Scott 4
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Spacemen 3 - Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To
Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot
The Specials - s/t
Terry - Remember Terry
The Three O’Clock - Sixteen Tambourines
Times New Viking - Dancer Equired
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
The Velvet Underground - s/t
Veronica Falls - s/t
White Reaper - The World’s Best American Band
Widowspeak - All Yours
Wire - Pink Flag
Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out

 

Jishle-Now Boarding
Lewis Del Mar- Lewis Del Mar
Woodkid- S16
Woodkid- The Golden Age
Michael Jackson- Dangerous
Blue Cousins- Full of Love
James Blake- James Blake

 

Impeccable pick.

 

My friends opened for them! They're TX homegrown. Were a big part of the Denton scene.

 

Only 4 here, because @haywood already got me on Entertainment!

Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance
Laughing Clowns - History of Rock N' Roll Volume One
The Wedding Present - Seamonsters
The Mekons - I Heart Mekons

 

Dalliance is so good… brutally honest and heartfelt lyrics about a love affair gone bad – when the first guitar salvo kicks in it’s brilliant, turning a slow weeper into an anthem and then almost impossibly they take it to yet another level in the last half minute… :chef’s kiss:

 

Ben Harper - Fight for your mind
Silverchair - Frogstomp
Cyril Lance - Stranger in my house
Black Keys - Rubber Factory
The Duhks - The Duhks
Crooked Still - Shaken by a low sound

Listened to these a lot when I was younger, they hold a dear place in my heart.

 

Max Richter - Sleep

 

Debating whether to include what others have already put. Also debating albums with many pieces I like, but not all of it. Anyway, here are some of mine:

Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Bach Brandenburg Concertos (I like the Academy of Ancient Music version)
Dire Straits - Making Movies; Brothers In Arms
Moby - Play


Edited: down to "5 or so" and removing some that have been mentioned

Mentioned elsewhere:
The Cars - The Cars (1978)
The Clash - London Calling
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
The Verve - Urban Hymns
The Beatles - Abbey Road

Removed:
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Tears For Fears - Songs From the Big Chair
Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
Crowded House - Crowded House
Everything But The Girl - Amplified Heart
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
The Beatles - Sgt Pepper; "White Album" -- a Beatles album will probably be mentioned by someone
Green Day - American Idiot

 

Here’s a handful off the top of my head, not in front of my computer right now. I know some of these are pretty common choices, though I did try and not duplicate other member’s albums. The below albums are near and dear to my heart, and I’m happy to be able to share them with the group. I can recommend these as top to bottom, every track, solid albums.


•Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson
•Pink Floyd - Meddle
•AC/DC - Back in Black
•Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison
•Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
•Al Green - I’m Still in Love With You
•Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters
•Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor’s Guide to Earth
•Sam Cooke - Portrait of a Legend
•Ween - 12 Golden Country Greats
•Toots and the Maytals - In the Dark
•David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars