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Post by kds on Apr 1, 2020 12:21:57 GMT
At least in Maryland, what's essential vs non essential has been pretty vague. But, I figured I'd use some albums to help make the distinction.
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds / KTSA
The Beatles - Abbey Road / Yellow Submarine
The Who - Quadrophenia / Face Dances
Queen - A Night at the Opera / Hot Space
Van Halen - Van Halen / Van Halen III
Deep Purple - In Rock / Bananas
Black Sabbath - Paranoid / Forbidden
CCR - Cosmos Factory / Mardi Gras
Journey - Infinity / Raised on Radio
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet / Have a Nice Day
Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind / Virtual XI
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here / Ummagumma
Genesis - Selling England by the Pound / We Can't Dance
Judas Priest - British Steel / Nostradamus
Poison - Look What the Cat Dragged In / Native Tongue
Feel free to keep it going.....................
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 1, 2020 13:53:40 GMT
Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin / …and Heady Fwends
Michael Jackson - Thriller / Invincible
The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society / …Present a Soap Opera
John Lennon - Imagine / Some Time in NYC
Prince - Purple Rain / 20Ten
Radiohead - OK Computer / King of Limbs
The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street / Dirty Work
Paul Simon - Graceland / Songs from the Capeman
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky / Mermaid Ave.Vol. 2
Frank Zappa/Mothers - We’re Only In It For the Money / Francesco Zappa
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 1, 2020 14:30:15 GMT
Carl Wilson - Youngblood / Carl Wilson Brian Wilson - No Pier Pressure / What I Really Want For Christmas Bob Dylan - Oh Mercy / Together Through Life Sparks - Kimono My House / Terminal Jive
My fandom dictates that ALL Beach Boys' albums are essential.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 1, 2020 14:35:17 GMT
All the great Dylan albums and you had to put the (in my opinion totally unessential!) Oh Mercy as your pick!?
I won't comment on the Carl Wilson inclusion.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 1, 2020 14:40:02 GMT
All the great Dylan albums and you had to put the (in my opinion totally unessential!) Oh Mercy as your pick!?
I won't comment on the Carl Wilson inclusion.
Really? You're not a fan of Oh, Mercy? It is generally accepted by most Dylan fans as one of his best albums from his later period (which is funny because the album is now over 30 years old).
And, please feel free to comment on Carl Wilson. I take it you're not a fan of Youngblood?
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Post by kds on Apr 1, 2020 14:40:14 GMT
Sadly, I find both of Carl's albums pretty non essential.
Brian Wilson - TLOS / GIOMH
Paul McCartney - Band on the Run / Memory Almost Full
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run / Tunnel of Love
Rush - 2112 / Power Windows
Blue Oyster Cult - Secret Treaties / Curse of the Hidden Mirror
Metallica - Master of Puppets / St. Anger
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 1, 2020 14:51:54 GMT
Blue Oyster Cult - Secret Treaties / Curse of the Hidden Mirror I thought about including a later BOC album, but in all fairness, I don't OWN the later ones, only having heard a few tracks from them. They are available inexpensively and one of these days I'm just gonna go on Amazon and buy 'em all.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 1, 2020 14:57:44 GMT
Brian Wilson - TLOS / GIOMH Obviously I thought about GIOMH, but due to a recent thread featuring it, I dug it out and gave it a good listen for about a week. I actually found myself appreciating it more than I ever have before. I don't think it's THAT bad, THAT referring to most fan's opinions.
Instead, I went with What I Really Want For Christmas. I also recently dusted that one off, too, and I continue to be terribly unimpressed by it. The only cover that's a keeper is "The First Noel", and while the two "new" songs are OK, I don't find them essential.
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Post by kds on Apr 1, 2020 14:59:27 GMT
Blue Oyster Cult - Secret Treaties / Curse of the Hidden Mirror I thought about including a later BOC album, but in all fairness, I don't OWN the later ones, only having heard a few tracks from them. They are available inexpensively and one of these days I'm just gonna go on Amazon and buy 'em all. I think Curse of the Hidden Mirror, as well as some of their other later albums, was out of print, but they're re-releasing their later albums now. I have a friend who actually gave me a copy many years ago because BMG messed up an order of his, and he got it for free. I listened to it a few times, but nothing really stuck out.
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Post by kds on Apr 1, 2020 15:00:09 GMT
Brian Wilson - TLOS / GIOMH Obviously I thought about GIOMH, but due to a recent thread featuring it, I dug it out and gave it a good listen for about a week. I actually found myself appreciating it more than I ever have before. I don't think it's THAT bad, THAT referring to most fan's opinions.
Instead, I went with What I Really Want For Christmas. I also recently dusted that one off, too, and I continue to be terribly unimpressed by it. The only cover that's a keeper is "The First Noel", and while the two "new" songs are OK, I don't find them essential. WIRWFC is actually a Top 3 BW solo album for me.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 1, 2020 15:01:25 GMT
All the great Dylan albums and you had to put the (in my opinion totally unessential!) Oh Mercy as your pick!?
I won't comment on the Carl Wilson inclusion.
Really? You're not a fan of Oh, Mercy? It is generally accepted by most Dylan fans as one of his best albums from his later period (which is funny because the album is now over 30 years old).
And, please feel free to comment on Carl Wilson. I take it you're not a fan of Youngblood? I think Oh Mercy is fine. But if we're naming ONE essential album and ONE non essential album, Oh Mercy seems like it would fail to make that conversation. "One of his best albums from his later period" is hardly "the essential album to list." To me, it's equivalent of naming Surf's Up as the Beach Boys' essential album.
I think Carl Wilson's solo material is crap. Mediocre in the best spots, but mostly far worse.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 1, 2020 15:04:05 GMT
Obviously I thought about GIOMH, but due to a recent thread featuring it, I dug it out and gave it a good listen for about a week. I actually found myself appreciating it more than I ever have before. I don't think it's THAT bad, THAT referring to most fan's opinions.
Instead, I went with What I Really Want For Christmas. I also recently dusted that one off, too, and I continue to be terribly unimpressed by it. The only cover that's a keeper is "The First Noel", and while the two "new" songs are OK, I don't find them essential. WIRWFC is actually a Top 3 BW solo album for me. I struggled overall with the Brian Wilson stuff. Part of me thinks none of his solo albums is essential. But then I thought, if you're a fan, it's fair to say something could be. My vote, though, would be either BWPS or TLOS. The former is better, bar none, but obviously it has been surpassed by the original material coming out the following decade. The latter isn't quite as good throughout, but is the best solo album of originals. Essential? For Brian Wilson fans.
Christmas wouldn't be near my non essential choice though. GIOMH for sure. Then a tie between all the live albums. Then Disney, probably. And I'd take Xmas over Imagination or 88, too, probably.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 1, 2020 15:10:18 GMT
Really? You're not a fan of Oh, Mercy? It is generally accepted by most Dylan fans as one of his best albums from his later period (which is funny because the album is now over 30 years old).
And, please feel free to comment on Carl Wilson. I take it you're not a fan of Youngblood? I think Oh Mercy is fine. But if we're naming ONE essential album and ONE non essential album, Oh Mercy seems like it would fail to make that conversation. "One of his best albums from his later period" is hardly "the essential album to list." To me, it's equivalent of naming Surf's Up as the Beach Boys' essential album.
Yes, I could've chosen an earlier Dylan album, certainly Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, or Blonde on Blonde, but I thought I'd go apples and apples, meaning comparing a later album WITH another later album. But, to a large extent, I still find Oh Mercy very essential anyway.
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Post by kds on Apr 1, 2020 15:12:53 GMT
WIRWFC is actually a Top 3 BW solo album for me. I struggled overall with the Brian Wilson stuff. Part of me thinks none of his solo albums is essential. But then I thought, if you're a fan, it's fair to say something could be. My vote, though, would be either BWPS or TLOS. The former is better, bar none, but obviously it has been surpassed by the original material coming out the following decade. The latter isn't quite as good throughout, but is the best solo album of originals. Essential? For Brian Wilson fans.
Christmas wouldn't be near my non essential choice though. GIOMH for sure. Then a tie between all the live albums. Then Disney, probably. And I'd take Xmas over Imagination or 88, too, probably.
Right, I would pretty much agree with that.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 1, 2020 15:18:36 GMT
It's easy for me to compare one BB/BB solo album against another one, maybe because there's so many. But, with What I Really Want For Christmas, because of the nature of the material (holiday/Christmas tunes), I can't help but compare it with other Christmas albums. Again, I just listened to it in full yesterday (and re-sequenced it ), and it just doesn't hold up against other Christmas albums, IMO of course.
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