# CDs everyone should own **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 13, 2008, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419 "2008-02-13T07:08:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/1 "2008-02-13T07:08:02Z")
I’ve been fighting with myself over how to phrase this and losing on all fronts so I’ll just put it like this. I’m looking to expand my fairly small music collection. In order to obtain inspiration toward this end, I’m starting this thread. I’m not picky about genre, style and the like. Good music is good music. What CDs do you believe should be required listening for every music lover? ---
**Author:** ![Br\_er\_Lapin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Br\_er\_Lapin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Br_er_Lapin)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/2 "2008-02-13T08:35:32Z")
Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream. Mostly alternative rock if you’re not familiar with them, but the CD is very diverse within the genre from song to song. All I can say is that it’s beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/3 "2008-02-13T10:10:12Z")
Violent Femmes self titled, pure 100% teen angnst K.D. Lang Ingenue, pure sexy Ultra Lounge, the Fuzzy Sampler, quirky tunes in the coolest cd ever, its leopard print velvet Tool Undertow, possibly my all time favorite album ever. a master piece. Rage Against the Machine self titled, the first band to truly fuse rap and metal in a way that wasnt some gimp attempt. fantastic stuff. Moby Play, another fantastic album that you have heard a lot of weather you know it or not. beautiful through and through. They Might be Giants Flood, pure nerd rock 2 guys who between them can play about 500 instruments, the cover of Istanbul is worth it alone but its a great one as well. (the lyrics to one song are "MINIMUM WAAAAAAAAGE HEYA!) Neil Young Decade. its a great place to start with the old man. one more (or 3 more) Betty Davis, self titled, Nasty Gal, and They Say I’m Different. I cant recomend this woman enough. take your pick or get all 3, if you like your women strong sexy and in control then this girl is for you. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/4 "2008-02-13T10:17:39Z")
Miles Davis - “Porgy and Bess” Harrys Smith’s - “Anthology of American Folk Music” Any decent Hank Williams Compilation that’s all anyone should need. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/5 "2008-02-13T10:33:03Z")
Crowded House - Crowded House Paul Simon - Graceland Sting - Mercury Falling U2 - The Joshua Tree I’m not including compilations or best of collections, and I’ll look over my collection of music more carefully when I get home - this is mostly off the top of my head ---
**Author:** ![WILLASS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WILLASS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WILLASS)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/6 "2008-02-13T13:53:06Z")
Beck - ‘Mutations’ is a must have. Fat Freddy’s Drop - ‘Based on a True Story’ is the f\*cking nuts! The Cure - ‘Disintergration’ is their best album IMHO Common - ‘Finding Forever’ is just about as good as rap get’s, again IMHO. This is a cross section of reasonably ‘mainstream’ music tastes but if you are willing to expand on what types of music you like most I could give some more specific recommendations? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/7 "2008-02-13T13:54:28Z")
No one’s mentioned the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks, the Pink Floyd, or the Grateful Dead? Shame. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/8 "2008-02-13T14:00:08Z")
I don’t believe there’s any cd that everyone “should” own. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/9 "2008-02-13T14:08:32Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] No one’s mentioned the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks, the Pink Floyd, or the Grateful Dead? Shame. [/QUOTE] I know. I’m shocked. I expected to see at least The Beatles (The White Album) and Dark Side of the Moon in the first couple of posts. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/10 "2008-02-13T14:11:50Z")
Allman Brothers: _Live at the Fillmore East_. Quintessential Southern Blues-Rock Guitar Brilliance. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/11 "2008-02-13T14:27:20Z")
It is a pretty wide open question. I tried to think of “music to cover most occasions” and came up with: Beatles - Rubber Soul Joni Mitchell - Blue Bach Cello Suites (mine are recorded by YoYo Ma) John Mayall - Blues Breakers John Coltrane - A Love Supreme Bing Crosby - some compilation (or Christmas album if you’re inclined that way) Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison Carole King - Tapestry Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Then I hit “preview” and agree with almost all of the suggestions already made. I hope your decision to build the collection is backed by a large budget. [QUOTE=Lord Il Palazzo] I’m shocked. I expected to see at least The Beatles (The White Album) and Dark Side of the Moon in the first couple of posts. [/QUOTE] Well, we figured even in a small collection you must already have those…doesn’t everybody? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/12 "2008-02-13T14:28:20Z")
Good lord I wouldn’t know where to begin. So many for so many genres for so many different reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/13 "2008-02-13T14:53:02Z")
Where to start? I mostly get greatest hits compilations… Just a few that haven’t been named: Crosby, Stills and Nash - Greatest Hits Eric Clapton - Unplugged Fleetwood Mac - Rumours James Taylor - Greatest Hits Jethro Tull - Aqualung Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway Queen - Greatest Hits Santana - Abraxas Stevie Ray Vaughn - Texas Flood Woodstock ZZ Top - Fandango ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/14 "2008-02-13T15:02:08Z")
A few from the 90s: Nirvana - Nevermind Green Day - Dookie Hootie and the Blowfish - Cracked Rear View Guster - Lost and Gone Forever ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/15 "2008-02-13T15:33:49Z")
Mozart – anything Beethoven – Symphonies and Piano concertos Beatles – Sgt. Pepper or Abbey Road Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers The Who – Who’s Next Elvis Presley – self-titled album Beach Boys – Pet Sounds Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde John Coltrane – A Love Supreme Miles Davis – Kind of Blue or Bitches Brew Robert Johnson – King of the Delta Blues Muddy Waters – Fathers and Sons Johnny Cash – At Folsum Prison Willie Nelson – Red Headed Stranger Patsy Cline – Showcase And no collection would be complete without the [greatest album of all time!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playing_with_Fire_%28Kevin_Federline_album%29) ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/16 "2008-02-13T15:39:51Z")
XTC- Skylarking Pearl Jam- Yield The Smiths- Hatful of Hollow Replacements- Tim Red Hot Chili Peppers- BloodSugarSexMagic Genesis- Selling England by the Pound King Crimson- Discipline, Beat ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/17 "2008-02-13T15:48:46Z")
[QUOTE=panache45] I don’t believe there’s any cd that everyone “should” own. [/QUOTE] Yeah, tastes differ. Every list of essentials I’ve seen includes some that I do own, or at least am familiar with, that leave me “meh.” With that caveat, a couple years ago **ultrafilter** started a series of threads listing **The Essential Music Library** for various musical genres. [Here’s the “project planning” thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=335665), which includes links to the various individual threads. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/18 "2008-02-13T16:01:12Z")
Chiming in: KISS-Destroyer Def Leppard-Hysteria Metallica-The Black Album [s/t] INXS- Kick Rush-Roll The Bones Foreigner-4 David Bowie-Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust Anything by Rory Gallagher, Mick Ronson or Steve Ray Vaughn ---
**Author:** ![ForumBot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee59a6/32.png) [@ForumBot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForumBot)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/19 "2008-02-13T16:20:22Z")
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust The Decemberists - The Crane Wife Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Al Green - Greatest Hits Beck - Midnite Vultures My tastes swerve towards a more poppy/funky sound with a good beat. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/20 "2008-02-13T16:29:54Z")
[QUOTE=gwendee] It is a pretty wide open question. I tried to think of “music to cover most occasions” and came up with: Beatles - Rubber Soul Joni Mitchell - Blue Bach Cello Suites (mine are recorded by YoYo Ma) John Mayall - Blues Breakers John Coltrane - A Love Supreme Bing Crosby - some compilation (or Christmas album if you’re inclined that way) Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison Carole King - Tapestry Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Then I hit “preview” and agree with almost all of the suggestions already made. I hope your decision to build the collection is backed by a large budget. Well, we figured even in a small collection you must already have those…doesn’t everybody? [/QUOTE] I don’t. I don’t really own any CDs. I have some sitting in the garage, but I don’t actively listen to them, or any other music. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419.md?page=2)