Hi there.
I'm a 23 years old french math geek, and I stumbled upon your site a few months ago. I've created a playlist with the top 1000 songs, and that was an eye-opening experience. There is so much great music out there, much more than I initially thought. Musically, I'm a noob. In my whole life, I've only listened to around 50 albums (only ten of them are in your top 100). I've also never talked seriously about music with anyone. That's why I've deciced to drop there.
About my tastes : I like big dumb rock'n roll, athmospheric music, and cheesy synthetizers. Some of my current favorite albums are, in no particulate order:
- Pinkerton (Weezer)(my #1 since last year)
- Machine Head (Deep Purple)
- Horses (Patti Smith)
- Surrealistic Pillow (Jefferson Airplane)
- Hunting High and Low (A-Ha)
- Siamese Dreams (Smashing Pumpkins)
- Led Zeppelin IV (Led Zeppelin)
- The Blue Album (Weezer)
- Mezzanine (Massive Attack)
I'm looking forward to discussing music with you all!
Welcome Vorsch! Not many people can make such a cool and varied list based on the first 50 albums they've lustened to! I hope you will find more gems from the site and from recommendations in the forum.
so you're into Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer huh? You're alright in my books, welcome aboard!
here are ten records you may be a fan of based on what you've put out there. these could be obvious choices so apologies if you're already aware/enjoying them but if not then definitely have a look at the ones you don't know, all are indie rock records in some sense or another (apart from Queens which is pure kickass rock); some lo-fi, some poppy, some ambitious, all terrific. I urge you to get stuck in:
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998 )
Brand New - The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me (2006)
Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica (2000)
Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? (2007)
Pixies - Doolittle (1989)
Fang Island - Fang Island (2010)
The Replacements - Tim / Let It Be (1985 / 1984)
Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights (2002)
Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf (2002)
Happy hunting, there's a world of great stuff out there!
I would also recommend Jeff Buckley - Grace, as well as the 'standards' like the Beatles, Stones and Dylan if you haven't fully explored them yet.
Bonjour cher compatriote,
I've tried to run the AM recommendation file created by Henrik but 9 albums (a-Ha not being in the file) is not enough for it to run !
Anyway, I must endorse the Songs for the Deaf suggestion since it is a personal favorite.
For the synth part, I would suggest you to try The Warning by the Hot Chip, and once you're there don't forget the awesome (and much loved in AM) Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem.
On the Weezer side, I've always felt that Supergrass was a good counterpart of Cuomo's band, so I would suggest their album I Should Coco, which has the same qualities of efficiency, great hooks and pretty fun lyrics.
The Replacements - Let it Be is another great suggestion by Ddiamond (in fact his only suggestion I think you would dislike is Of Montreal)
If you love Mezzanine, you will likely enjoy Portishead - Dummy too. After that try DJ Shadow - Endtroducing, which is in the same vein but a little bit more unusual.
And I don't know exactly why, but I would bet on Mogwai - Young Team too... but it's quite a long shot.
And well, listen to Arcade Fire - Funeral... everybody loves it (well, almost everybody).
It's normal that my Top 9 looks weird : it isn't a true top, just a few random albums that I really like, and that are fairly representative of my tastes. I've never seriously thought about what my true top is.
Thanks everyone for the recommendations! I already knew Endtroducing and Grace, and I like them a lot, so it looks like your advice is spot on. Still, first, I want to listen to some of AM's top albums (at least the top 10, the only top 10 album I know is Nevermind...). Until last week, I had never heard an album by The Beatles, Bob Dylan or The Rolling Stones, that feels rather wrong.
So, that week, I listened to the top 2 for the first time:
Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys - 1966 (AM #1)
Instant favourite! Everything about this album is just so sweet, from the amazing harmonies to the cute studio effects. The sad tone gives it depth and prevents it from being sickeningly sweet. God Only Knows is a strong contender for my #1 song of all time.
Highlights: God Only Knows, Wouldn't It Be Nice, I Just Wasn't Made for Those Times, Sloop John B
Revolver - The Beatles - 1966 (AM #2)
This one was slightly disappointing. It is of course a truly strong album: it is tight, varied, with some great songs and only few bad ones, and it flows very well. But I feel that it lacks a strong point, something to make it stand out more. Most of the tracks were simply not that memorable to me. I was expecting a little more from an album ranked #2.
Highlights: Eleanor Rigby, I'm Only Sleeping, For No One
That's a good start. "Revolver" can be a bit underwhelming due to it being so consistent - lots of Beatles albums feel that way simply because they're all good tracks.
And I'd recommend "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel. It seems like it would fit your tastes, as long as you're not overwhelmed by Jeff Mangum's voice.
Other recommendations would be The National's "Boxer," Springsteen's "Born to Run," and The Magnetic Fields' "69 Love Songs."
I notice most people recomending modern stuff, so I'll go ahead and recomend some older stuff. Considering you like Jefferson Airplane and Led Zeppelin, you'd probably like Jimi Hendrix. He combines the psychedelia of Jefferson Airplane with the hard rock of Led Zeppelin.
I'd go with Axis: Bold as Love is you're more into the psychedelic music and Are You Experienced or Electric Ladyland if you're more into the hard rock music.
But all three are amazing in my book.
oh and if you've yet to discover Radiohead properly....whoa baby, wish I could do that again!
start with The Bends and Creep the song, then go OK Computer, then In Rainbows, then Kid A, then as you please with the rest. Pablo Honey (their first) and King Of Limbs (most recent) are the weak spots, otherwise they're close to flawless!
Here's some suggestions based on your music tastes-
Is This It- The Strokes
London Calling- The Clash
White Blood Cells- The White Stripes
Elephant- The White Stripes
Summerteeth- Wilco
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot- Wilco
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not- Arctic Monkeys
Parklife- Blur
(What's the Story) Morning Glory?- Oasis
Definitely Maybe- Oasis
Marquee Moon- Television
More suggestions.
Portishead - Dummy, Third
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced, Electric Ladyland (My #1 and #3 albums)
Bienvenue au club des music freaks !!As an oldies fan (everything before 1975)and according to your picks this is what I can recommend you
- every other Led Zep album until Physical Graffiti included
- Black Sabbath : the first 3 (1970-71)
- KIng Crimson : In The Court Of The Crimson King
- AC/DC : Highway To Hell and Back In Black
in the "big dumb rnr" section you can also try these contemmporary bands
- White Stripes
- Queens of The Stone Age
- Them Crooked Vultures
- The Black Keys
In connection with Jefferson Airplane, try
- Big Brother and The Holding Company : Cheap Thrills
I'll take the cheesy synthesizer angle and run with it.
I'm a big fan of synths, and here are some of my favorite albums with synths in heavy supply:
Prince - 1999
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Eurythmics - Touch
New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies
Depeche Mode - Violator
Tubeway Army - Replicas
Kraftwerk - The Man Machine
Kraftwerk - Computer World
The Human League - Dare!
Yaz - Upstairs at Eric's
Heaven 17 - Penthouse and Pavement
OMD - Architecture & Morality
Soft Cell - Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
And for some chick pop with synths:
Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814
Madonna - Madonna
Kylie Minogue - Fever
Annie - Anniemal
Dannii Minogue - Neon Nights
Kim Wilde - Select
Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual
There's a ton more where that came from!
Too many recommendations Thanks again. For now, I'm taking my time discovering the top 10...
Nevermind - Nirvana - 1991 (AM #3)
I already knew this one almost by heart. I listened to it non stop 10 years ago. Well, it still haven't lost any of its power. What strikes me is how deeply personal it is. When I'm in the right mood, it almost feels like I can see Cobain's bare soul, something I've never experienced with any other album. Still, it is not flawless, and is probably slightly overrated at #3.
Highlights: Smells Like Teen Spirit, Lithium, Polly, Come As You Are
The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground & Nico - 1967 (AM #4)
I still don't know what too think about that one. It was a fascinating listen, that's for sure, but I don't know if I enjoyed it because of its intrinsic qualities, or because it is so incredibly different from anything I've heard so far. Probably a bit of both. I guess that it will take a while to fully digest it.
Highlights: Venus in Furs, Sunday Morning, Heroin
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - 1967 (AM#5)
Much better! In fact, I think that this record has everything that Revolver lacks. When you compare them song by song, the two records are about equal, but because of the added craziness and sense of humour, Sgt. Pepper is simply more enjoyable from start to finish.
Highlights: A Day in the Life, Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, With a Little Help from My Friends, Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
Keep going. I'm enjoying reading your first impressions of all these esteemed albums.
I'll keep on posting then. Time to bash some classics
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On - 1971 (AM #6)
So, it looks like the first album of the list that I truly dislike is ranked sixth. Oh well. What we have here is a singer with an incredible voice, singing in an emotional way some political lyrics that could have be written by a kindergarten child. That sounds rather stupid to me, and ruins any artistic value the record could have. The lyrics oscillate between childishly naive to completely retarded (3 of the songs are instant skip for me). On the other side, the singles are extremely strong, and a few isolated naive songs fit really well in the middle of my darker playlist. But having a full album filled with that kind of songs is simply too much for me.
Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde - 1966 (AM #7)
I think that something is wrong with his voice. The strange way he sings doesn't help either. It sounds emotionless to me, and the fact that he never properly end his lines irritates me. Now, I have nothing against obscure lyrics, but I need some other way to get into the song, to understand what it is about. Since I can't connect with his voice at all, I simply can't understand this record. This is too bad, because the music here is obviously very strong. I haven't given up yet, and I'll listen to it from time to time, to see if I manage to get used to his singing.
Next week looks much more promising to me on paper!
on Marvin Gaye's lyrics : I don't find them childish or naive. YOu've got to be aware of the context, both general (the 70's, Vietnam, dreams that hadn't yet be destroyed by the nihilistic punk era), and his personal history at that moment. Marvin was down. He had lost very dear friends, he was a drug addict, he was desperate.
This record was an attempt to shake away his depression. It's a religious and mystic album, it's idealistic, yes, but darkness would have killed him for good. But each his own. he just expresses his indignation at the world going wrong, at war, loss of friends, ecology, and expresses his hopes. It is a call for reconciliation,political, personal and religious. BUt you know how the story ended...
This contrast between this man who was lost in life and his overidealistic lyrics makes all the beauty of this record. It's a bowl of fresh air I guess. Changes from the ambient nihilistm.