Wow, I 'll have to check it out. I thought Siamese Dream was their big one.
I should add that “Today” is also a great track, but I was so familiar with it that it barely bore mentioning.
As a big Pumpkins fan, I would say Siamese is by far their best cohesive work, although Mellon Collie if it were pared down to a single album would probably edge it out. Go for Gish if you want a more stripped-down, hard-rockin’, alternative rock sound, and Mellon Collie if you want something more ambitious, lush, orchestrated, and, yes, a bit self-indulgent at times. The first three albums are essential, so if you really like Siamese Dream, you need to check both out. It would also be worth your while to check out Piscese Iscariot, their B-Side collection from the Gish and Siamese Dream days.
Gish is their rawest work. It’s a lot of fans’ favorites, but I think it’s still a young, although well-written, work that showed glimmers of the genius and ambition that was to come.
Gish is still my favorite, but it was the first SP album I heard, and that’s hard to overcome sometimes.
I had Mellon Collie when it was new.
Since we are talking about iconic albums, how about Operation Ivy (self titled, the only album)? I don’t think that it will be directly up the OPs ally, but it’s a landmark Ska/punk dance album with fun catchy tunes and a beat that moves your feet. I am thinking for completeness sake more than anything. It would round out the rest of the 80s recommendations.
Maybe add in some early Red Hot Chili Peppers (Freaky Stylie, Mothers Milk or Blood Sugar Sex Magic depending) and a DIY punk album too (Dead Kennedy’s Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, maybe? Either that of Black Flag Damaged but DK is more accesable) Again, this is assuming that Maha is looking to hear things people have listened to more than he is looking to fall in love with the albums themselves.
Another nomination for Rio by Duran Duran … Not sarcastically but because I really like it.
If we’re talking Ska ( revival version ), I’d think The Specials eponymous debut would be the classic choice. Of course it is mostly covers, but well-chosen ones done right.
Apologies if it has been mentioned and I missed it.
Nitpck: 8 (9, if you count “Too Much Too Young”, which has an “acknowledgement” to Lloyd Charmers) of the songs on The Specials’ debut were written by members of the band, so it wasn’t mostly covers. Still, a good recommendation.
The Specials is a great call. And, Bob Marley *Legend *(a greatest hits album, but who cares? It’s what the majority of people I know listened to first) is another one that falls into the “everyone has heard it” camp. I have no idea if Mahaloth will like Marley at all, but it’s important if the point of the journey is to hear landmark music.
As I said, I will be updating this thread from now until…forever? I am currently re-listening to albums that I already reviewed.
So far, my thoughts are:
I’m right on most things and would add:
Joshua Tree only has three good tracks on it. The first three. I do think I slightly underrated Streets Have No Name, but the rest after track 3 is dead on arrival for me.
Purple Rain is amazing and even better than I realized. The whole thing screams musical genius. Any doubt that Prince is a musical prodigy is gone. I’m not even a huge fan of the whole thing, but the talent is obvious and it deserves respect.
Everything, I pretty much agree with my original review, though I did not re-listen to Talking Heads or the Clash.
Next up, I’ll probably grab** another Prince album. Suggestions?**
All of Prince’s albums up to Sign O’ the Times hold up really well.
- First couple are great Rnb
- Dirty Mind was revolutionary in it’s convergence of Rn’B, pop, New Wave, a bit of punk
- Controversy - brilliant, with a bit more funk and dance in it
- 1999 - it’s 1999; 'nuff said - brilliant
- Purple Rain
- Around the World in Day - Raspberry Beret and a few other great tunes.
- Parade - Kiss, AnotherLoverHoleinYourHEad, Mountains - a couple of songs I am not big on from the movie…
- Sign O’ THe Times - his White Album
I would go with Sign O’ the Times - a wonderfully diverse collection of songs - my favorite Prince album. And you will love I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man…
Sign ‘O’ The Times is the best Prince album for you to do next, I’d say. Almost entirely a one-man-band operation, with genius on display throughout. Probably his most consistent, as well.
I know next to nothing about music but anything by Steely Dan is one of the few albums I can listen to straight through without getting bored halfway.
Board ate my last post. If you are digging Prince and want to try something new check out Janelle Monae’s new album The Electric Lady. It has me fully knocked out and is in the same vein musically. It has some modern sounds too, some hip hop influence, but it’s mostly that same funky R&B that Prince was doing. Solid solid stuff. Highly recommended.
I like what I have heard of her music and been hearing good buzz about the new one. Gotta check that out.
Mahaloth,
not much has been said about 80s metal here and I think it’s a genre you might find worth exploring:
Judas Priest- Defenders of the Faith
Iron Maiden-Number of the Beast
Scorpions- Love at first Sting
Motley Crue- Girls, Girls, Girls
Def Leppard-Pyromania, On through the Night
Heavy Metal soundtrack,
Anything by Ronnie James Dio.
Deep Purple- Perfect Strangers
Personally, I always liked Queen’s News of the World, especially cranked on my dad’s stereo.
You might want to look at anything from Dead Milkmen or Bad Religion if you want to get your punk on.
For pop, have a look at Madonna -Like a Virgin, Duran Duran-Rio, or New Order-1987.
Good thread, it’s bringing back a lot of memories.
AKA Substance.
Slight slow-down here lately, but I am still finding new albums and listening to them. I am also, as always(now anyway), re-listening to previous choices and so forth.
Anyway:
**Update:
Prince - Sign O’ the Times
**
Now this one was a puzzler for me. I liked Purple Rain quite a bit, but this one was not as good for me. I find myself impressed with Prince’s talent even when some songs don’t work for me. I was massively impressed with some songs, though, and I am definitely curious enough to find more Prince albums in the future. I can’t believe he has 32 of them, though. The man does not stop.
Disc 2 is the far superior disc on this album. I mean, it’s no contest. Outside the title track, I found most of Disc 1 to be forgettable. I don’t think Prince had enough for two discs, though I now see that combined, they only add up to about 79 minutes, the length of one full CD. However, I assume he split them for a reason and view them that way.
Disc two contains: I could never take the place of your man, U got the look, The Cross(the best song on the album, by the way), Beautiful Night, and Adore.
Those tracks alone make the disc a classic. Again, Prince has turned out to be a surprise for me. I’m impressed with the man’s talent.
Not sure what is next, though. I’ll have to re-read the thread and find suggestions.
As always, I’m open to more suggestions as well.
Seeing that you like Ride The Lightning and Appetite for Destruction, any of the Iron Maiden albums from the 80’s should be right up your alley.
I’d look specifically at:
Iron Maiden
Number of the Beast
Piece Of Mind
Powerslave
Somewhere In Time
All good - I would humbly suggest that anyone who doesn’t worship at the feet of the song Housequake of Disc 1 needs their funk card revoked, but that may not matter to you 
I love many songs on D1 - Sign, HQuake, Ballad of Dorothy Parker is eccentric and hypnotic and I love the song It; wore the grooves of that one back in the day.
And yeah, The Cross is a brilliant song - love how it builds, the sounds he uses - it is really amazing. The fact that it is on the same Disc as If I Was Your Girlfriend with it’s protracted sex-encounter middle bit - well, that’s Prince in a nutshell…