# 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:** 3
**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, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/41 "2008-02-13T22:10:59Z")
[QUOTE=Lord Il Palazzo] I have a small CD collection - if I were to invest in a few choice CD’s to get a broad survey of good music across a lot of genres, what should I get? [/QUOTE] I’ll stand by my Post #10. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/42 "2008-02-13T22:18:10Z")
**Bruce Springsteen** - Born To Run **Mary Chapin Carpenter** - Come On Come On **Richard and Linda Thompson** - Shoot Out the Lights **Fairport Convention** - What We Did On Our Holidays, Liege and Lief **Buffalo Springfield** **Jackson Browne** - The Pretender **Warren Zevon** - Life’ll Kill Ya, The Wind **Cruxshadows** - Ethernaut **The Commitments** - Soundtrack **Talking Heads** - Stop Making Sense ---
**Author:** ![haystack1989](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/839c29/32.png) [@haystack1989](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/haystack1989)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/43 "2008-02-13T22:19:05Z")
Try Metallica s&m I think its great also Ice Cube Preditor Rap Garth Brooks Sevens Country Makem and clancy consert Irish Folk Cake Fashion Nugget alturnitive and finally eyna watermark Clasical Sorry about spelling ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/44 "2008-02-13T22:19:52Z")
My contributions: The Police - Synchronicity Van Halen - 1984 The Eagles - The Very Best of The Eagles Michael Jackson - Thriller The Offspring - Americana Bryan Adams - Reckless Terence Trent d’Arby - Introducing The Hardline According to Terence Trent d’Arby The Clash - The Essential Clash Prince - Love Symbol, Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic, 3121 Santana - Supernatural Billy Idol - Whiplash Smile (I was torn between this and Rebel Yell, but I think Whiplash Smile is the better album). ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/45 "2008-02-13T22:27:57Z")
I really think threads like this need to have a restriction on the number of albums a roster can offer. While just about every album listed here is a good one I don’t think many fall into the category of “essential”. With posters like **stpauler** \* dumping 40+ offerings things tend to get lost in the white noise of the thread. As much as I like Poi Dog, I’m not sure they fall under any definition of “essential”. Treat these threads like Heisman voting where you only get to offer your top 3 albums or maybe limit to just one and make the respondents really think about which discs in their collection they’d want with them on a desert island. - - **stpauler** , not picking on you, just using you as an example. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/46 "2008-02-13T22:41:06Z")
Well, in all fairness, I have about 9000 albums so culling the herd down to 0.4% is pretty hard. I chose them as definitive additions to my music collection that I would replace in a heartbeat (and in some cases, I have replaced multiple times and have upgraded from vinyl to cassette to CD). ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/47 "2008-02-13T22:47:34Z")
I’ll add: _Joshua Judges Ruth_ by Lyle Lovett. Fantastic from beginning to end. What a great song writer. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/48 "2008-02-13T22:54:43Z")
Well here are my choises to cover generas I’m familiar with; Blues: “From the Cradle” Eric Clapton Classic Rock: “Who’s Next” The Who Oldies: “Pet Sounds” The Beach Boys Punk: “Punk in Drublic” NOFX Ska: “Turn the Radio Off” Real Big Fish Modern Rock: “So Much for the Afterglow” Everclear Rap: “Licensed to Ill” Beastie Boys Country: “Everywhere We Go” Kenny Chesney Pop: “Thriller” Michael Jackson Metal: “LD 50” Mudvayne ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/49 "2008-02-13T23:01:39Z")
AC/DC - Back in Black Alice in Chains - Dirt A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders Beastie Boys - Licence to Ill Beastie Boys - Pauls Boutique Beastie Boys - Ill Communication Beck - Odeley Blues Traveler - Four Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA Coldplay - X&Y Counting Crows - August and Everything After Dire Straights - Brothers in Arms Dr Dre - The Chronic Green Day - Dookie Green Day - American Idiot Linkin Park - Meteora Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight Moby - Play Nirvana - Nevermind Notorious BIG - Ready to Die NWA - Straight Outta Compton Red Hot Chilly Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magic Red Hot Chilly Peppers - Californication Red Hot Chilly Peppers - By the Way REM - Eponymous REM - Green Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle Soundgarden - Superunknown Smashing Pumpkins - Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness (double album) The Killers - Sam’s Town The Police - Synchronicity U2 - Achtung Baby U2 - The Joshua Tree U2 - The Unforgetable Fire U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb ---
**Author:** ![Roadfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/50 "2008-02-13T23:10:55Z")
Ok, I’ll try to hold it to the one standout best of any artist, but a few just have to have two: Saga - Worlds Apart Blue Oyster Cult - Agents of Fortune Camel - The Snow Goose Camel - Moonmadness Ambrosia - Ambrosia Alan Parsons Project - Tales Of Mystery And Imagination Alan Parsons Project - I Robot AC/DC - Back in Black Black Sabbath - Sabotage Bonnie Raitt - Fundamental Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo’s Factory Danny Gatton - Cruisin’ Deuces Deep Purple - Machine Head Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms FM - Black Noise Gary Moore - After Hours Golden Earring - Moontan The Guess Who - American Woman Indigenous - Circle Jean-Luc Ponty - The Gift of Time Jimmy Thackery & the Drivers - Empty Arms Motel Jonny Lang - Lie to Me Les Dudek - Say No More Stevie Ray Vaughan - Soul to Soul Supertramp - Breakfast In America UK - Danger Money Ok, I’ll stop now. Gotta disagree with the OP, though; there’s no such thing as “good music”. Everything I listed is, to me, absolutely great and unassailable. Nevertheless, I have no doubt that some reading this will find various things on my list to be tripe or some other dismissive term, just as I find some of others’ essentials to be anything but. The OP is unlikely to find everything I listed to be to his liking. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/51 "2008-02-13T23:18:31Z")
You really really should get Cowboy Junkies “The Trinity Sessions”. I’ve listened to that literally more than a thousand times. If I could only have one CD to listen to for the rest of my life, I’d have to pick that. > **[Cowboy Junkies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy_Junkies)** > > Cowboy Junkies are an alternative country and folk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1985 by Alan Anton (bassist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Margo Timmins (vocalist). The three Timminses are siblings, and Anton worked with Michael Timmins during their first couple of bands. John Timmins was a member of the band but left the group before the recording of their debut studio album. The band line-up has never changed since, although they Co... > **[The Trinity Session](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_Sessions)** > > The Trinity Session is the second studio album by Canadian alternative country band Cowboy Junkies, released in early 1988 by Latent Recordings in Canada, and re-released worldwide later in the year on RCA Records. "Working on a Building" and "Blue Moon Revisited (Song for Elvis)" did not appear on the Latent Records release. "Blue Moon Revisited" was originally released on It Came from Canada, Vol. 4 (1988), a compilation of Canadian independent bands. > The music was recorded inside Toronto's ... ---
**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, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/52 "2008-02-13T23:22:01Z")
[QUOTE=Jayn\_Newell] Sorry, couldn’t resist. I can’t really say much else about them, except that they are great at using unconventional sounds (in a couple songs on the album you can hear keys jingling, for example). This is easily their most diverse, mellowest, most fun, and IMHO best album so far. [/QUOTE] Linkin Park? It better be a hell of a lot different from the rest of their albums. [All their songs sound the exactly same.](http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu.nyud.net:8080/~paymer/mer/all_linkin_park_songs_sound_exactly_the_same.mp3) and follow the [exact same formula](http://www.hometracked.com/2007/05/29/all-linkin-park-songs-look-the-same/). ---
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/53 "2008-02-13T23:31:10Z")
Jeff Buckley - _Grace_ The Innocence Mission - _Glow_ Kate Bush - _Hounds of Love_ Elvis Costello - _Imperial Bedroom_ Wilco - just about anything Nick Lowe - _Dig My Mood_ or _The Convincer_ Tindersticks - _Tindersticks_ (not to be confused with Tindersticks - _Tindersticks_, I’m talking about the record that opens with El Diablo En El Ojo) Neil Finn - _One Nil_ Crowded House - _Woodface_ I’m forgetting about 30 others… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/54 "2008-02-13T23:43:03Z")
Some desert-island discs of mine (although any list of merely ten would reduce me to insanity – insanity, I tells ya!), and in spite of the numbering, really in no order: 1. Abbey Road – **The Beatles** 2. English Settlement – **XTC** [get the 2000 Toshiba/EMI digital remaster with original packaging] 3. Discipline or B’Boom Live in Argentina (2-disc official bootleg)-- **King Crimson** 4. BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert (1980) – **XTC**. Well, they are my all-time favorite band. 5. 45 RPM [The Singles of] – \*\*The The \*\* [this is a two-disc set, with disc 2 being the 12" remixes] 6. Something Else – **The Kinks** 7. Spilt Milk – **Jellyfish** 8. …the Db’s (Stands For Decibels/Repercussion) – **The Db’s** [this is a budget two-fer reissue, their first two LPs on one disc] 9. Liquid White Light – **Poi Dog Pondering**. (Another vote for the Poi Dogs! It helps that it’s a double live album.) 10. Remain In Light or Stop Making Sense-- **Talking Heads** ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/55 "2008-02-14T00:01:38Z")
[QUOTE=ForumBot] Linkin Park? It better be a hell of a lot different from the rest of their albums. [All their songs sound the exactly same.](http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu.nyud.net:8080/~paymer/mer/all_linkin_park_songs_sound_exactly_the_same.mp3) and follow the [exact same formula](http://www.hometracked.com/2007/05/29/all-linkin-park-songs-look-the-same/). [/QUOTE] It is a more varied album than Hybrid Theory or Meteora, and much mellower overall, though there are still a couple heavy songs, and one or two really fun ones. And in trying to debunk your claims…gah. I never thought they were that bad about sounding the same all the time (there are worse offenders). But, and I hate to say this…dammit, you’re right. That said, I don’t really care as long as I can listen to Hands Held High. ---
**Author:** ![Musky\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@Musky\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musky_Moon)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/56 "2008-02-14T00:28:51Z")
Rap…Public Enemy “Fear of a Black Planet” Modern Rock…Alice in Chains “Dirt” 80’s…The Smiths “The Queen is Dead” 70’s rock…Stones “Exile on Main St.” Punk…Ramones “Leave Home” Alt-Country…WILCO “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” Sad Guy With Guitar and Stool…Elliot Smith “Either/Or” Just a few albums I feel strongly are must haves…according to genre. ---
**Author:** ![rikc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c57346/32.png) [@rikc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rikc)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/57 "2008-02-14T00:39:34Z")
I really like the taste here 🙂 Joni Mitchell - Blue The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (top priority) Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True Prince - Dirty Mind I could probably just listen to these four albums for the rest of my life if I had to. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/58 "2008-02-14T01:02:18Z")
[QUOTE=stpauler] In no particular order Hothouse Flowers-Home \ [/quote] Sometimes I feel like the only person in the world who likes Hothouse Flowers. ---
**Author:** ![ForumBot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee59a6/32.png) [@ForumBot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForumBot)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/59 "2008-02-14T02:56:25Z")
[QUOTE=Jayn\_Newell] I never thought they were that bad about sounding the same all the time (there are worse offenders). [/QUOTE] Like [Nickleback?](http://www.thewebshite.net/nickelback.htm)😛 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419/60 "2008-02-14T03:07:01Z")
[QUOTE=ForumBot] Like [Nickleback?](http://www.thewebshite.net/nickelback.htm)😛 [/QUOTE] You spelled Creed wrong. I mean Fuel. Or was that Our Lady Peace, Three Doors Down, Third Eye Blind, or the distinctive sound of Daughtry? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-everyone-should-own/437419.md?page=4)