DDD Forum
https://digitaldreamdoor.com/forum/

Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
https://digitaldreamdoor.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=689		 Page 27 of 87
Author:  Sampson [ Sat May 05, 2012 3:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
Bruno_Antonio wrote:
I don't agree with Live at the Apollo in top 10. Really great album, but too high.


I've swung around on Live At The Apollo so much studying it by the criteria that I could actually make a damn good argument for it to be #1 overall. Commercial Impact has to take into account how in 1963 rock albums, especially on small independent labels, did not do well and this hit #2 on word of mouth alone. King Records did not even want to release it and only pressed five thousand copies at first, gave it no promotion, it had scant distribution as a lot of the stores that sold his singles weren't even in the habit of selling full length albums and in the larger market Brown was still a largely unknown artist to most rock audiences. So for it to go to #2 and staying on the charts 66 weeks at that time is comparable to a rock album 30 years later being #1 for a couple years almost. It defies belief.

Looking at things in the context of the times is the single most vital aspect of comparing eras. Look at the rock albums that went Top Three on the charts prior to that. Presley, obviously, did consistently, but otherwise you have just Ricky Nelson (a white teen TV star with a built-in audence), Brother Ray, who was appealing to multiple audiences with his C&W album, Chubby Checker with the twist phenomonon which reached across generational lines, and the same time that James broke through so did The Beach Boys, though they did so on a major label with the surf rock craze at its peak. That's it. The Album Charts was the domain of Broadway cast recordings, comedy records and easy listening adult music. Then suddenly you have James freakin Brown who doesn't fit in that world at all and it's an album that had absolutely NO singles possible on it to draw in some buyers who may have otherwise heard a new hit song they wanted and to top it off the whole album sounded alien to even other rock albums at the time! The people at Billboard must've thought the world was coming to an end when he broke through that glass ceiling. It's just incomprehensible that he was able to do so then, and it's arguable that there's been no greater surprise on the charts since then, because that's what totally shattered the mold of what the album chart stood for. There's really nothing to compare its success to because for its time no album ever overcame as much stacked against it to be as popular as it was.

Influence. This is where he really kills. Not only the most influential live album ever, the thing that made rock artists feel compelled to strut their stuff on live recordings to prove their mettle (and look how many live LP's immediately followed in the next two years - tons of them). But also maybe the most influential album AS an album ever made. Think of it this way. Prior to that an album was a collection of mostly unrelated songs, no thematic continutity, something you could pick out a single song from and listen just to that if it was your favorite. Nobody really understood the concept of an album as a creative exercise where artists crafted it over both sides to act as a singular statement - until this. It's not even like other live albums, where it's song, applause, song, spoken intro, song, banter, song, applause. This was something you HAD to listen to all the way through. Radio stations played the entire album straight through everyday at specificed times. People would call in and request it like it was one song - "PlayJamesBrownLiveAtTheApollo". If you look at the way we perceive albums ever since, it all stems from this point. It was ground zero for the album revolution in rock. After this artists made things like Pepper's or Pet Sounds or What's Goin' On as a unified whole and that's what audiences expected, but that didn't take hold until this. This started that trend, it showed that the album itself was not simply a larger package of material that could be sold for more money - it was now something that had far more creative possibilities for the artist. Its influence is miles above anything else.

No lower than fourth or fifth with Thriller the other contender, but there's a stronger argument to move it even higher. The more you study it the more revolutionary and impressive its achievements become.
Author:  Deany [ Sun May 06, 2012 12:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
Great explanation, Sampson. Now, I could see it moving into the top 3.
Author:  Negative Creep [ Sun May 06, 2012 3:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
Yeah I don't know how anyone could say Apollo shouldn't be top 10.
That album was a landmark in every way possible.
Author:  Bruno [ Wed Jun 13, 2012 12:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
Sampson made good arguments and I agree with the musical impact of Live At The Apollo, but I can not imagine a live album to top 3. Although it is obvious that is the greatest live album of all time.
Author:  Rick [ Wed Jun 13, 2012 4:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
R.I.P. George Marino

We were very sad today to hear that mastering engineer extraordinaire George Marino passed away following a year long battle with lung cancer. While some of you may not instantly recognize George’s name, he was the unsung hero behind the scenes on hundreds of classic albums working in all genres of music

......including Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions, AC/DC‘s Back In Black, Guns N’ Roses‘ Appetite for Destruction, Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet, Journey‘s Frontiers, Metallica's The Black Album and Cyndi Lauper’s She's So Unusual, just to name a few... he has worked with Ozzy Osboune, the Allman Brothers, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Kiss, the Offspring, the Cars, Coldplay and countless others. In his nearly 40 years at Sterling Sound, he won three Grammy awards, most recently in 2011 for Arcade Fire‘s The Suburbs, which won Album of the Year.

His talent, professionalism, attention to detail and above all true dedication to music, along with the mere fact that George was simply one of the nicest people we have ever met anywhere in the music business, makes today a very sad one.
Author:  that_guy [ Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
How come Daydream Nation and Unknown Pleasures are so low, they're like two of the top five greatest alternative albums of all-times.
Author:  Negative Creep [ Sun Jun 17, 2012 9:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
I think Raising Hell should be higher.
Run DMC broke down so many barriers with this masterpiece, giving a whole new commercial and economic power to rap. And it wasn't just about Walk This Way, the whole album was a killer.
Plus, obviously it's influence is statospheric.
Author:  Brian [ Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
that_guy wrote:
How come Daydream Nation and Unknown Pleasures are so low, they're like two of the top five greatest alternative albums of all-times.

Popularity would be the main thing that those 2 albums are lacking.
Author:  Rob [ Mon Jul 09, 2012 4:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
McMurphy wrote:
It's probably been said before, but man, what the hell is Dark Side of The Moon doing that high? Above Thriller? Come now. Thriller is more popular, more influential, and all that stuff.
No I don't think its ever been brought up before since this forum used to be populated by classic rock fanboys. Its also nice to see people have come around on Live at the Apollo.
Author:  Rob [ Mon Jul 09, 2012 4:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
Brian wrote:
Yes, I think at this point The College Dropout should be added, and maybe higher than 191-200.
Whenever I get around to revising this list it will definitely be on here. It does better in the criteria than a lot of the albums towards the end of the list.
Author:  Negative Creep [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 2:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
I'm the biggest Nirvana fanatic on this site, but does anyone else feel that Nevermind is a little too high?
Author:  Bruno [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 2:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
Negative Creep wrote:
I'm the biggest Nirvana fanatic on this site, but does anyone else feel that Nevermind is a little too high?

Well, Nevermind is the greatest album of 90s. I think 9-12 is okay.
Author:  Bruce [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
Sampson wrote:
This started that trend,


Not really.

It's not like just after that album was big that all kinds of other artists were attempting to make albums to be one long interwoven statement. That did not happen until AT LEAST a few years after this album was big, and it did not become a regular thing until the 1970s. In the late 60s there were still loads of albums, especially black albums, that were nothing more than collections of singles and maybe some filler.

And also, this should not be all that high, because, despite the chart position, the album did not cross over very much to whites. It certainly was not played at all on ANY mainstream Top 40 radio stations. In 1963 albums were still not selling on a a mass level like they started to soon after with the advent of the Beatles, Monkees, Hermits, etc....so an album that was selling to a gigantic portion of the black community would be able to get to #2 on the pop charts. There were other black albums that sold far more copies than this album, but they did it in the later 60s when there was much more competition for chart positions. "Hot Buttered Soul" only got to #8 on the pop charts. It was on for more weeks than the JB album, but that's because the chart had gone from a top 50 to a top 150 to a top 200 by the time it was out in 1969. And that Hayes albums sold WAY more copies than the JB album. It's not even close. Hayes was competing with albums like "Tommy" and "Abbey Road" and "CSN" and "Beggar's Banquet" and the CCR albums and "Led Zep" and "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," albums that sold millions of copies. The JB album was competing with Allan Sherman, Andy Williams and the Singing Nun. "My Son The Nut" was number one for 8 weeks and did not even go gold.

I totally disagree with your take on adjusting things based on the era here. If we do that then "Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music" and some 50s Elvis albums should be at the top of this list.
Author:  Bruno [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 1:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
If we consider a list is based on lists of decades we have in the forum/main site, would look like this, and have MANY changes. Many albums would be left out, and others come into their places.

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) - The Beatles
2. Pet Sounds (1966) - The Beach Boys
3. What's Going On (1971) - Marvin Gaye
4. Thriller (1982) - Michael Jackson
5. Dark Side Of The Moon (1973) - Pink Floyd
6. Revolver (1966) - The Beatles
7. Highway 61 Revisited (1965) - Bob Dylan
8. Nevermind (1991) - Nirvana
9. Rubber Soul (1965) - The Beatles
10. Are You Experienced? (1967) - Jimi Hendrix

11. London Calling (1979) - The Clash
12. Elvis Presley (1956) - Elvis Presley
13. Born To Run (1975) - Bruce Springsteen
14. Exile On Main Street (1972) - The Rolling Stones
15. Blonde On Blonde (1966) - Bob Dylan
16. It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (1988) - Public Enemy
17. Innervisions (1973) - Stevie Wonder
18. Abbey Road (1969) - The Beatles
19. Live at the Apollo (1962) - James Brown
20. Purple Rain (1984) - Prince

21. Who's Next (1971) - The Who
22. The Joshua Tree (1987) - U2
23. Tommy (1969) - The Who
24. Led Zeppelin IV (1971) - Led Zeppelin
25. Songs In The Key Of Life (1976) - Stevie Wonder
26. Rumours (1977) - Fleetwood Mac
27. The Beatles ("The White Album") (1968) - The Beatles
28. Led Zeppelin II (1969) - Led Zeppelin
29. Raising Hell (1986) - Run D.M.C.
30. Ten (1991) - Pearl Jam

31. The Doors (1967) - The Doors
32. Blue (1971) - Joni Mitchell
33. Bringing It All Back Home (1965) - Bob Dylan
34. Tapestry (1971) - Carole King
35. Appetite For Destruction (1987) - Guns N Roses
36. Let It Bleed (1969) - The Rolling Stones
37. I Never Loved A Man the Way I Love You (1967) - Aretha Franklin
38. Velvet Underground And Nico (1967) - Velvet Underground
39. Paranoid (1970) - Black Sabbath
40. Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars (1972) - David Bowie

41. There's A Riot Goin' On (1971) - Sly And The Family Stone
42. OK Computer – Radiohead (1997)
43. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill (1998)
44. Licensed To Ill (1986) - Beastie Boys
45. Back In Black (1980) - AC/DC
46. The Wall (1979) - Pink Floyd
47. Electric Ladyland (1968) - Jimi Hendrix Experience
48. Blood On The Tracks (1975) - Bob Dylan
49. Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols (1977) - Sex Pistols
50. Led Zeppelin I (1969) - Led Zeppelin

51. Hotel California (1976) - The Eagles
52. Born In The USA (1984) - Bruce Springsteen
53. Off the Wall (1979) - Michael Jackson
54. Please Please Me (1963) - The Beatles
55. Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack (1977) - The Bee Gees/Various Artists
56. Automatic for the People – R.E.M. (1992)
57. Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) - Simon & Garfunkel
58. Achtung Baby - U2 (1991)
59. After The Goldrush (1970) - Neil Young
60. The Band (1969) - The Band

61. A Hard Day's Night (1964) - The Beatles
62. Ramones (1976) - Ramones
63. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) - Elton John
64. Sign O' The Times (1987) - Prince
65. The Clash (1977) - The Clash
66. The Chronic – Dr. Dre (1992)
67. Stankonia (2000) - OutKast
68. The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) - Eminem
69. Plastic Ono Band (1970) - John Lennon
70. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963) - Bob Dylan

71. Superfly (1972) - Curtis Mayfield
72. Talking Book (1972) - Stevie Wonder
73. Otis Blue (1965) - Otis Redding
74. Straight Outta Compton (1988) - N.W.A.
75. Murmur (1983) - R.E.M.
76. Like A Virgin (1984)* - Madonna
77. Axis: Bold As Love (1967) - Jimi Hendrix Experience
78. Metallica (a.k.a. The Black Album) – Metallica (1991)
79. Synchronicity (1983) - The Police
80. Disreali Gears (1967) - Cream

81. Astral Weeks (1968) - Van Morrison
82. This Year's Model (1978) - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
83. Sticky Fingers (1971) - Rolling Stones
84. Moondance(1970) - Van Morrison
85. The Chirping Crickets - Crickets
86. Here's Little Richard - Little Richard
87. Beggars Banquet (1968) - The Rolling Stones
88. 3 Feet High and Rising (1989) – De La Soul
89. A Night At The Opera (1975) - Queen
90. Stand (1969) - Sly And The Family Stone

91. Van Halen (1978) - Van Halen
92. In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969) - King Crimson
93. 1999 (1982) - Prince
94. Paul's Boutique (1989) - Beastie Boys
95. Surrealistic Pillow (1967) - Jefferson Airplane
96. Number Of The Beast (1982) - Iron Maiden
97. Horses (1975) - Patti Smith
98. Machine Head (1972) - Deep Purple
99. Master of Puppets (1986) - Metallica
100. Remain In Light (1980) - Talking Heads

101. Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morissette (1995)
102. Music From Big Pink (1968) - The Band
103. Harvest (1972) - Neil Young
104. American Idiot (2004) - Green Day
105. At Last (1961) - Etta James
106. Lady Soul (1968) - Aretha Franklin
107. Paid In Full (1987) - Eric B. & Rakim
108. The Queen Is Dead (1986) - The Smiths
109. My Aim Is True (1977) - Elvis Costello
110. Live at Leeds (1970) - The Who

111. Green River (1969) - Creedence Clearwater Revival
112. Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (1968) - The Byrds
113. Dookie - Green Day (1994)
114. Radio (1985) - LL Cool J
115. Marquee Moon (1977) - Television
116. Black Sabbath (1970) - Black Sabbath
117. Days Of Future Passed (1967) - Moody Blues
118. DéjàVu (1970) - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
119. Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991)
120. Graceland (1986) - Paul Simon

121. Low (1978) - David Bowie
122. Something Else (1968) - The Kinks
123. Magical Mystery Tour (1967) - The Beatles
124. Run D.M.C. (1984) - Run D.M.C
125. Like A Prayer (1989) - Madonna
126. All Things Must Pass (1970) - George Harrison
127. Kick Out The Jams (1969) - The MC5
128. (What's the Story) Morning Glory – Oasis (1995)
129. Wish You Were Here (1975) - Pink Floyd*
130. Crosby Stills and Nash (1969) - Crosby, Stills, Nash*

131. Unknown Pleasures (1979) - Joy Division
132. Live at the Fillmore East (1971) - The Allman Brothers Band
133. Bo Diddley (1958) - Bo Diddley
134. Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) - Derek & The Dominos
135. Imagine (1971) - John Lennon
136. The Stone Roses (1989) - The Stone Roses
137. Doolittle (1989) – Pixies
138. Ready to Die – Notorious B.I.G. (1994)
139. Bad (1987) - Michael Jackson
140. Face to Face (1966) - Kinks*

141. Physical Graffiti (1975) - Led Zeppelin
142. The Who Sell Out (1967) - The Who
143. Truth (1968) - Jeff Beck*
144. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) - OutKast
145. Kid A (2000) - Radiohead
146. Abraxas (1970) - Santana
147. Cosmo's Factory (1970) - Creedence Clearwater Revival
148. Mr. Tambourine Man (1965) - The Byrds
149. With The Beatles (1963) - The Beatles
150. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - Smashing Pumpkins (1995)

151. Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (1967) - Pink Floyd
152. Pearl (1971) - Janis Joplin
153. Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975) - Elton John
154. Wheels Of Fire (1968) - Cream*
155. Cheap Thrills (1968) - Big Brother And The Holding Company
156. Trout Mask Replica (1969) - Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band*
157. Dusty In Memphis (1969) - Dusty Springfield*
158. Forever Changes (1967) - Love
159. American Beauty (1970) - Grateful Dead
160. Fun House (1970) - Iggy Pop & the Stooges

161. We're Only In It For The Money (1968) - Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention
162. Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails (1994)
163. Ace Of Spades (1980) - Motörhead
164. The Score – Fugees (1996)
165. In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968) - Iron Butterfly*
166. Help! (1965) - The Beatles*
167. Hunky Dory (1972) - David Bowie
168. Exodus (1977) - Bob Marley & the Wailers
169. Court and Spark (1974) - Joni Mitchell
170. Daydream Nation (1988) - Sonic Youth

171. Closer (1980) - Joy Division
172. Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989) - Janet Jackson
173. Superunknown – Soundgarden (1994)*
174. The Who Sings My Generation (1965) - The Who
175. In Rock (1970) - Deep Purple
176. CrazySexyCool – TLC (1994)
177. Illmatic – Nas (1994)
178. The Low End Theory – A Tribe Called Quest (1991)
179. Hysteria (1987)* - Def Leppard
180. Brothers In Arms (1985) - Dire Straits

181. Fragile (1971) – Yes
182. The Stranger (1977) - Billy Joel
183. Quadrophenia (1973) - The Who
184. Toys In The Attic (1975) - Aerosmith
185. Fresh Cream (1966) - Cream
186. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969) - Neil Young and Crazy Horse
187. Blind Faith (1969) - Blind Faith
188. Pronounced Leh'-nerd Skin-'nerd (1973) - Lynyrd Skynyrd
189. Aqualung (1971) - Jethro Tull
190. One Nation Under The Groove (1978) - Funkadelic

191. Let's Get It On (1973) - Marvin Gaye
192. Aja (1977) - Steely Dan*
193. Boston (1976) - Boston*
194. Call Me (1973) - Al Green
195. Mothership Connection (1976) - Parliament*
196. Let It Be (1970) - The Beatles*
197. Catch A Fire (1973) - Bob Marley & The Wailers
198. Fullingness First Finale (1974) - Stevie Wonder
199. The College Dropout (2004) - Kanye West
200. The Blueprint (2001) - Jay-Z

Albums that are on the current list to be left out:

28. Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962)* - Ray Charles
76. From Elvis In Memphis (1969)* - Elvis Presely
117. Hot Buttered Soul (1969)* - Issac Hayes
118. If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966)* - The Mamas & The Pappas
121. Fresh (1973)* - Sly & The Family Stone
125. The Beach Boys Today! (1965) - The Beach Boys
128. Rock Around The Clock (1956)* – Bill Haley & His Comets
132. Ray Charles at Newport (1958)* - Ray Charles
140. Sweet Baby James (1970) - James Taylor
149. Parallel Lines (1978)* - Blondie
151. Surfin U.S.A. (1963)* - The Beach Boys
154. Call Me (1973) - Al Green
158. Maggot Brain (1971) - Funkadelic
159. Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)* - Bruce Springsteen
161. Band On The Run (1973)* - Paul McCartney/Wings
166. Going To A Go-Go (1965)* - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
171. Fear Of A Black Planet (1990) - Public Enemy
172. The Ventures In Space (1964)* - The Ventures
173. Headquarters (1967)* - The Monkees
176. Young, Gifted & Black (1972)* - Aretha Franklin
180. All Eyez On Me (1996)* - 2Pac
193. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)* - Wu-Tang Clan
194. Bad Girls (1979)* - Donna Summer
200. Village Green Preservation Society (1968) - The Kinks
Author:  Bruno [ Sun Aug 05, 2012 5:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
Like the song list, this list could be the next to be revised and expanded to a top 300.
Page 27 of 87 All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/