# My thoughts on albums everybody has already heard.(recommendations accepted) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [August 26, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217 "2013-08-26T17:18:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/21 "2013-08-26T20:09:14Z")
Try The Velvet Underground’s _The Velvet Underground and Nico_, which was released a couple of months before _Sgt Peppers_. It’s often considered a true classic these days, but it didn’t sell a whole load on first release. It’s a rather darker take on 1967 than some of the other stuff from that era that has stood the test of time. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/22 "2013-08-26T20:21:41Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > The one U2 album to have in your collection is **Achtung Baby**. Their best. > . You meant to say Boy. Boston’s first one and AC/DC back in black don’t have a bad song on all four sides. ---
**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:** [August 26, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/23 "2013-08-26T20:26:32Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > And from there, I have evolved my own way and like my own things. > > So, I thought I would go back and listen to popular albums that I have heard of, but had never heard. > > Anyone else ever do this? If so, please share. I have sort of done this. I first started getting into music as a teenager in the 1980s, and there was a lot of stuff from the 1960s and 70s I had to discover on my own, since I didn’t have older siblings, and my parents’ musical tastes, though fairly eclectic, were pretty much pre-rock. Thanks to publications like [The Rolling Stone Record Guide](http://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Stone-Record-Guide-Press/dp/0394735358/ref=pd_sim_b_2) and [The All-Music Guide](http://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613/albums) (which was a book before it was a website), I was able to research some of the older stuff, and explore it with the help of the public library’s album collection and the local record stores (including their discount bins). I’ve been gradually filling in the holes in my exposure to music (for instance, it was only within the last year or two that I first heard a Rolling Stones album in its entirety), but it’s been a fun journey. (Oh, and speaking of Journey, I consider myself fortunate that there are certain artists/bands I encountered before I learned that I wasn’t supposed to like them.) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/24 "2013-08-26T21:05:21Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > “London Calling” by the Clash \*\* Update: \*\* **London Calling by the Clash:** Listened to the whole album, as always, with eager ears. Thumbs down. Zero interesting songs. Boring album. Forgive me if it is massively influential, but I don’t hear it. Just a bunch of jumbled sounds, nothing too special. I’d give it a 3/10 if pressed. Go back to the song-writing phase, boys. ---
**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:** [August 26, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/25 "2013-08-26T21:23:50Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > \*\* > Update: > \*\* > **London Calling by the Clash:** > > Listened to the whole album, as always, with eager ears. > > Thumbs down. Zero interesting songs. Boring album. Forgive me if it is massively influential, but I don’t hear it. Just a bunch of jumbled sounds, nothing too special. I’d give it a 3/10 if pressed. Go back to the song-writing phase, boys. This is an album that didn’t really “do it” for me, either. However, in case it needs saying, it’s not always possible—for me at least—to judge an album fairly after only one or two listens. There are certainly albums that have struck me as kind of blah the first time through, but which I later came to really appreciate. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/26 "2013-08-26T22:02:18Z")
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - “Are You Experienced”. Cream - “Disreali Gears” Traffic - “John Barleycorn Must Die” Moody Blues - “In Search Of The Lost Chord” The Who - “Tommy” Derek & the Dominoes - “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs” The Allman Brothers Band - “At Fillmore East” Big Brother & The Holding Company - “Cheap Thrills” Jefferson Airplane - “Volunteers” Crosby, Stills, & Nash - “Crosby, Stills, & Nash” That’ll get you started. “Best Of” albums are a good way to get a taste of a recording artist. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/27 "2013-08-26T22:31:08Z")
Agree that “Best of” collections can often be a good source for a solid overview (depending on the quality of the specific collection). A good source of information is [Allmusic.com](http://www.allmusic.com/) – they have a very good database that includes biographies, discographies, and reviews of selected (most) albums. I’ve used the site many times to determine which collection to get if I was looking for an “essential” set. They also have a “Related Artists” section that could lead you to a heretofore unknown band or artist just by clicking around the site. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/28 "2013-08-26T22:36:06Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > \*\* > Update: > \*\* > **London Calling by the Clash:** > > Listened to the whole album, as always, with eager ears. > > Thumbs down. Zero interesting songs. Boring album. Forgive me if it is massively influential, but I don’t hear it. Just a bunch of jumbled sounds, nothing too special. I’d give it a 3/10 if pressed. Go back to the song-writing phase, boys. Wow. I realize music is subjective but you are completely wrong on this one. Some of the best songwriting ever performed flawlessly. You should listen again and if you still don’t like it you may want to try something else. Like pottery. Listen to the Joshua Tree again. A nearly flawless piece of art. The Velvet Underground is a good example of a band I didn’t dig right away. Took a few listens before the genius of it hit me hard. I doubt you would like it but prove me wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/29 "2013-08-26T22:46:03Z")
Try \*Transformer \*by Lou Reed, and don’t let the bad vocal/instrumental balance on the first couple tracks put you off. It’s a truly amazing album and people will think you’re smart when you drop lyrics from it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/30 "2013-08-26T22:55:02Z")
The first favorites that come to mind for me, some of which none of you have probably heard, which is too bad: “Murmur”, R.E.M. Boston’s self-titled debut album “All The World’s A Stage”, Rush “Forever Changes”, Love (see footnote) “Fun?”, The Candy Skins “Copper Blue”, Sugar “The Yes Album”, Yes “Workbook”, Bob Mould When I was 16, I thought Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” was the greatest piece of music ever made, and now I cannot stand to hear anything from it. :o Footnote: Whenever lists of the top 10, 20, or whatever albums of the rock era come out, “Forever Changes” is almost always on it. And deservedly so. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/31 "2013-08-26T23:19:29Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > \*\* > Update: > \*\* > **London Calling by the Clash:** > > Listened to the whole album, as always, with eager ears. > > Thumbs down. Zero interesting songs. Boring album. Forgive me if it is massively influential, but I don’t hear it. Just a bunch of jumbled sounds, nothing too special. I’d give it a 3/10 if pressed. Go back to the song-writing phase, boys. Huh. It strikes me that the recommendations I was about to make won’t work so well for you. But I’d still second Wilco’s **Yankee Hotel Foxtrot**. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/32 "2013-08-26T23:41:06Z")
The Beatles – Abbey Road The Grateful Dead – Live Dead ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/33 "2013-08-27T00:06:12Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > The Beatles – Abbey Road Yes, again, I’ve heard it. I feel like I’ve said that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/34 "2013-08-27T00:54:46Z")
Primus - Frizzle Fry. You’ve never heard anything like Primus. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/35 "2013-08-27T00:59:26Z")
Re _London Calling_ not being good: They came to that sound after listening to lots of other music, and finding it lacking. You might not ever get to the place that they got to, but give it another chance one afternoon when you think you’ve already listened to everything. My picks for your near future: Neil Young: Both _After the Gold Rush_ and _Rust Never Sleeps_ AC/DC: _Back in Black_ Cheap Trick: _At Budokan_ Led Zeppelin: _Led Zeppelin_ Dick Dale and his Del-Tones: Almost any best-of will do. Later, when all that stuff has lost its luster: Devo: _Q: Are we not Men? A: We are Devo!_ Sonic Youth: _Daydream Nation_ Ramones: _Ramones_ And take out that Clash album again, give it another whirl. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/36 "2013-08-27T02:43:23Z")
What is it with **Back in Black**? To be clear: a _great_, totally respect-worthy album. But compared to **Highway to Hell**? With Bon Scott’s lyrics and delivery? Girls’ Got Rhythm? Shot Down in Flames? It doesn’t get any better. It’s like comparing Woodstock with Monterey Pop - one is the mainstream, popular breakout - deservedly so - but the other is just that much…better. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/37 "2013-08-27T03:02:54Z")
I’ll update again in the next few days. I have some music loaded on my Ipod that you folks recommended and I’ll give an update when I can. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/38 "2013-08-27T03:12:07Z")
Music is very personal. I’ll take Bon Scott over Brian Johnson too, but Back in Black was fabulous when it first came out. Some albums I really like that haven’t been mentioned are: The Doors - Eponymous first album. David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed Carole King - Tapestry (for the most part mellow pop, but very talented song writing.) The Who - Quadrophenia Jackson Browne - Running on Empty ELO - A New World Record Deep Purple - Machine Head Frank Zappa - Overnight Sensation Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky The Cars - Eponymous first album. Supertramp - Crime of the Century. Van Halen - Van Halen (I’m tired of writing eponymous!) To name a few. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/39 "2013-08-27T03:12:38Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > What is it with **Back in Black**? To be clear: a _great_, totally respect-worthy album. But compared to **Highway to Hell**? With Bon Scott’s lyrics and delivery? Girls’ Got Rhythm? Shot Down in Flames? It doesn’t get any better. > > It’s like comparing Woodstock with Monterey Pop - one is the mainstream, popular breakout - deservedly so - but the other is just that much…better. Most ACDC up to and including Back in Black was awesome. But boy did they drop off in quality after that. Brian Johnson I think was a worthy replacement for Bon. And a big yes to Cheap Trick live at Budokon. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217/40 "2013-08-27T03:25:31Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > \*\* > Update: > \*\* > **London Calling by the Clash:** > > Listened to the whole album, as always, with eager ears. > > Thumbs down. Zero interesting songs. Boring album. Forgive me if it is massively influential, but I don’t hear it. Just a bunch of jumbled sounds, nothing too special. I’d give it a 3/10 if pressed. Go back to the song-writing phase, boys. Hah! This strikes me as funny, not as a criticism of your taste ( I don’t really like **Rush** , which to many members of this board is probably a hanging offense ), but just because I have recently been listening to this and the rest of **The Clash** ’s output on more or less a continuous loop in my car the last week or so :D. Obviously I adore it - a few so-so cuts, but overall one of the best double albums ever made. For me ;). Sorry it didn’t do anything for you, I hope your next experiment works out better. It’s a good idea trying to explore new things like this. Sadly I’m not up on much modern music since the 1990’s myself. **White Stripes** is probably about as modern as I get in regular rotation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217.md?page=3)