# Essential Music **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 26, 2001, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830 "2001-01-26T05:57:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rockstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockstar)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/21 "2001-01-27T19:06:39Z")
Well, here are my essential albums though YMMV: 1. Verve- Urban Hymns 2. U2- War 3. Beatles- Revolver 4. Clash- London Calling 5. David Bowie- The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust 6. Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here 7. Who- Live at Leeds 8. REM- Automatic For the People 9. Flaming Lips- Transmissions From the Satellite Heart 10. Grateful Dead- American Beauty ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/22 "2001-01-27T19:43:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nacho4Sara \* > \*\*It’s a masterpiece: “Visions of Johanna,” “I Want You,” “4th Time Around,” “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,” and my most favorite Bob song of all, “Just Like A Woman.” \*\* Interesting…I would have said buy this album solely on the strength of “Stuck Inside of Mobile (with the Memphis Blues Again),” which is probably my number 2 Bob song of all time. Number One Bob Song being “Desolation Row,” the stunning wind-up to HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED, which also gives you “Queen Jane Approximately,” “Ballad of a Thin Man,” and Bob’s only hit record, “Like a Rolling Stone,” which, try as I might, I’ve never been able to get tired of. ---
**Author:** ![PepperJett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f475e1/32.png) [@PepperJett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PepperJett)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/23 "2001-01-27T20:34:39Z")
Actually “Like a Rolling Stone” was the first of three Top 10 songs Dylan had. 1965 - LARS- #2 1967 - Rainy Day women #12 & 35 (Every body must get Stoned) - #2 1969 - Lay Lady Lay - #7 FYI. ---
**Author:** ![SallySimpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@SallySimpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SallySimpson)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/24 "2001-01-27T22:21:11Z")
I am so, so, so happy to see that there are other people out there who consider The Who an absolutely essential band. And someone else likes Quadrophenia??? Get OUT!! So, anyway, here’s my essential picks. Who’s Next and Quadrophenia~The Who Desire~Bob Dylan (come on, guys.) Everybody Knows This is Nowhere~Neil Young Steal Your Face~Grateful Dead London Calling~The Clash (brilliant, brilliant, brilliant) Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme~Simon and Garfunkel Morrison Hotel~The Doors Led Zeppelin II Legend~Bob Marley and the Wailers Crosby, Stills and Nash (original self titled release) For some excellent mixes, I highly recommend the soundtracks for Grosse Pointe Blank, Billy Elliot and Almost Famous. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/25 "2001-01-28T01:25:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PepperJett \* > \*\*Actually “Like a Rolling Stone” was the first of three Top 10 songs Dylan had. > 1965 - LARS- #2 > 1967 - Rainy Day women #12 & 35 (Every body must get Stoned) - #2 > 1969 - Lay Lady Lay - #7 > FYI. \*\* Thanks for the info. I was gonna say, one reason NOT to get BLONDE ON BLONDE is because of “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.” Which, try as I might not to, I got tired of about the third time I heard it. ---
**Author:** ![katie1341](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@katie1341](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katie1341)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/26 "2001-01-28T02:12:35Z")
Anything by Van Morrison. Especially the early stuff. Also “Kind of Blue” by Miles Davis; “Living With the Law”, Chris Whitley; “Cure for Pain”, Morphine; the new Warren Zovon, “Life’ll Kill Ya”. ---
**Author:** ![Emperor\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@Emperor\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emperor_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/27 "2001-01-28T11:17:01Z")
Van Morrison’s Greatest hits vol. 1 is an exceptionally good album I feel that I must recommend The Tragically Hip. They are my favorite band, and with 9 CD’s out they have a wide selection to choose from. If you like the Cowboy Junkies, you will like The Hip. Also if you are more into rock, The Matthew Good Band has a new disc coming out in the US (it’s been ot in Canada for a while now) called Beautiful Midnight. I highly recommend this album also. And of course you can’t go wrong with Rammstein for heavy industrial rock. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/28 "2001-01-28T15:20:08Z")
> [@](#): > > And of course you can’t go wrong with Rammstein for heavy industrial rock. Hey \*\* Corvus \*\*…how YOU doin’ 😉 New rammstein album, April 3rd…check out the new single Sonne… I also have to recommend, if you’re looking for good puss rock, Elton John’s Live In Australia is one of my top ten CDs of all time, great orchestration. And, I’ll admit it here…Journey’s Greatest Hits is one of my all time faves…GOD I LOVE IT! JOURNEY!!! jarbaby ---
**Author:** ![Bassguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/51bf81/32.png) [@Bassguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bassguy)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/29 "2001-01-28T16:34:09Z")
Check out a band from Scotland called Blue Nile. Very cool stuff. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2001, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/30 "2001-01-29T02:31:29Z")
In addition to the choices given, I’ll add Kinks – Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround. Flash and the Pan Allman Brothers Band Live at the Fillmore East Derek and the Dominoes – Layla Steely Dan – The Royal Scam Traffic – John Barleycorn Must Die Pink Floyd – Atom Heart Mother Talking Head – Fear of Music Springsteen – The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/31 "2001-01-29T02:51:02Z")
I would be sure to check out Tom Waits. Bone Machine or Rain Dogs is a good place to start. ---
**Author:** ![Quark\_W.Griswold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Quark\_W.Griswold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quark_W.Griswold)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/32 "2001-01-29T05:08:53Z")
“Professor” Jett said: > [@](#): > > Rusted Root’s “When I Woke” album. Great stuff. Amazing live band. I have heard this group being described as “neo-tribalistic”, and that sounds interesting. I don’t think I’ve heard them, though. Do they still tour around? An open question anyone still listening: A friend suggested that the best way to begin a music collection in this day and age is to go to Napster and just start downloading and burning onto CDs. Is that how it really works? I haven’t checked that deal out yet, so I don’t know the first thing about it. Is it Rocket Science, or what? . ~D!~ ---
**Author:** ![Emperor\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@Emperor\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emperor_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/33 "2001-01-29T07:23:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jarbabyj \* > > Hey \*\* Corvus \*\*…how YOU doin’ 😉 > > New rammstein album, April 3rd…check out the new single Sonne… I’m doin’ fine good lookin’, how you doin’? 🙂 ::ahem:: Really? A new album? Sweet. That’s definitly on my to buy list. ---
**Author:** ![PepperJett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f475e1/32.png) [@PepperJett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PepperJett)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/34 "2001-01-29T10:22:56Z")
Hi again Dichotomous, As you can tell I love talking about music. One of my favorite topics. 1) Rusted Root is ‘tribalistic’ in that they are very excellent percussionists. They incorporate this into their music well. They still tour. They are from the Pittsburg area and tour back east more often than they do out west. Their last album came out in 1998 and was very good. I saw them in Boston (and was lucky enough to meet them before their show). Cool people, great live show. They should be due for an album soon and hopefully tour behind it. They played some on the H.O.A.R.D. tour some years back too. Get “When I Woke”. A fantastic album. If you like DMB, you’ll appreciate their similarities. RR are much less subdued though. Much more into rowdy jams. 1. Napster is great if you 1) have a fast internet connection speed (DSL or cable modem) and 2) have lots of hard drive space. If you have a 56k or slower connection it can be time consuming/frustrating to download songs. Some people spend 10-20 minutes PER SONG with slow access. If you have fast connection, one song 2-3 minutes. Mpegs (the format songs download as) also can eat up a lot of memory. So have a lot to begin with, download and erase a lot, download and burn to CD and erase a lot, or just be very picky about what you want to save on your hard drive. Napster is super easy to understand. Download the program, connect, click on search, type in what you want to find, download it, enjoy! Simple and intuitive. 5,000,000,000,000 people can’t be wrong! A few more really ‘essential’ albums to own. Springsteen - Born to Run Black Crowes - Southern Harmony and Musical Companion Grateful Dead - (for the live experience) Hundred Year Hall - (for a studio album) Workingman’s Dead Neil Young - After the Goldrush or Harvest Stevie Wonder - Talking Book or Songs in the Key of Life Carole King - Tapestry Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions… Fairport Convention - Unhalfbricking ---
**Author:** ![Godfrey\_Daniels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Godfrey\_Daniels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Godfrey_Daniels)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/35 "2001-01-30T03:40:02Z")
Incredibly wonderful recommendations all around. As a boomer, though, I have to say it was a little painful to see the Beatles besmirched. To each his own. If you’re into electric guitar instrumentals at all, I’d recommend “The Return of the Hellecasters”, or any of the three Hellecasters albums. They touch on practically all genres; rock, jazz, blues, a little country, even allusions to classical. Guitar music really doesn’t get any better than this. ---
**Author:** ![Blondie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a4c791/32.png) [@Blondie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blondie)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/36 "2001-01-30T20:12:08Z")
I second that! No dissin’ the Beatles! My list only counts for right-this-minute: Beatles - Revolver Beatles - Rubber Soul Beatles - White Album Pretenders - Greatest Hits Allman Bros. - Eat a Peach Pink Floyd - Pretty much all of it Pete Townsend - All the Best Cowboys have Chinese Eyes Cream - All of it Eric Clapton - Anything blues – fergit the top 10 crap Joni Mitchell - Blue Indigo Girls - Most everything they do Annie Lennox - Everything solo and with the Eurythmics ---
**Author:** ![dustMagnate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/fbc32d/32.png) [@dustMagnate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dustMagnate)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/37 "2001-01-30T21:26:20Z")
Nice listing so far. Talking Heads are essential. For live, get **the name of this band is talkingheads**. Studio, my fav is **more songs about buildings and food** Clash is essential. I am a sucker for **Sandinista!** The soundtrack to **The Harder they Come** , reggae, Jimmy Cliff, is essential. Another soundtrack that is essential is **Repo Man**. The title track by Iggy Pop is worth the price, but the whole collection just grows on you. English Beat **Special Beat Service** was the first cd I ever bought. One of my all time favorites. My most cherished cd is **Will the Circle Be Unbroken** organized by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band but everybody plays on it. I grew up listening to it, and had to wait for its cd release. Transitioning between vinyl and compact disc was a big fat pain, there were years when it looked like your fav would not make the digital cut. Thank god for Rhino. ---
**Author:** ![sliv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@sliv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sliv)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/38 "2001-01-31T00:51:31Z")
If you like the Wallflowers and the Dave Matthews band, check out XTC. They’ve been around for absolutely ages and have albums that vary in tone from punk (White Music, Go2) to new wave (Drums and Wires, Black Sea) to straight up rock (Oranges and Lemons) to . . . . Jeez, how do you classify an album like English Settlement? Or Nonsuch? For a very good sampling, see if you can’t pick up Upsy Daisy Assortment, which mixes singles and album tracks from all but their last two albums. If you like it, you’ll love everything they’ve done. I’ll try to make some more recommendations when I get home this evening, but you really can’t go wrong with XTC… ---
**Author:** ![Quark\_W.Griswold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Quark\_W.Griswold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quark_W.Griswold)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/39 "2001-01-31T18:54:36Z")
**sliv** suggested > [@](#): > > …check out XTC Did they do the song **Dear God** some years back? If so, I must confess, that’s the only song I’ve heard of theirs. If not, then I don’t think I’ve heard any. Thank You, everyone, for your input. This thread has offered so many good suggestions, and I am proud to say I’m not as big a music dud as I feared, since I do have many of the albums mentioned. (Although admittedly some of them are hand-me-downs.) I was happy to hear that DMB has another release coming out 02/27. Should be good. ---
**Author:** ![sliv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@sliv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sliv)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830/40 "2001-01-31T20:23:43Z")
Yes, “Dear God” is indeed an XTC song, and their most famous here in the States. Did you like it? It can be found on Skylarking, as well as any of their Best Of’s. (That is, unless, you’re thinking of the Midge Ure song of the same name.) You may have, depending on how cool your local radio stations are, also heard “Senses Working Overtime”, “Mayor of Simpleton”, “Making Plans For Nigel”, and possibly “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead” (which also has had a nifty video made for it). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-music/51830.md?page=3)