# The 'Recommend me an album by this artist' Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2005, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843 "2005-02-07T18:18:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/21 "2005-02-11T02:32:05Z")
Tom Waits - definitely Blue Valentine. Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis might be the best song he’s ever done. Of course, Nighthawks at the Diner was what got me into him. (Well, Spider Robinson got me into him, but that was the first album I got.) I like the younger Waits, can you tell? I wouldn’t mind a recommendation of a Waits-like writer/singer, if anybody’s got one. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/22 "2005-02-11T02:32:57Z")
_The Name of This Band…_ is probably the best entry point, as it has songs from the band’s first four albums and is one of the best live albums out there. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/23 "2005-02-11T02:35:48Z")
> [@Only Mostly Dead](#): > > And that’s been my problem. It seems like anything I’d pick up would probably be great. But I want THE best album for my (at the moment limited) money. Go ahead and pick up the DVD for the concert movie _Stop Making Sense_. Assuming your CD player will play DVD’s. A greatest hits album that’s also well worth watching. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoneyKingofNowhere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@TheBoneyKingofNowhere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoneyKingofNowhere)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/24 "2005-02-11T02:57:25Z")
> [@The Scrivener](#): > > The Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin. Much better than Yoshimi…, I thought. I received both _Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots_ and _The Soft Bulletin_ at the same time back in 2003. I was immediately drawn to _Yoshimi_ and consider it a brilliant and facsinating album. I’d listened to _The Soft Bulletin_ here and there, and after a long time (a year!) things slowly began to slip into place. Only a few bits really, um, stick out, you might say . . . but on the whole, I now consider The Soft Bulletin is one of the best CD’s I’ve ever owned. I actually remember it specifically, at one point, when doing something else (ironing?), when Coyne wailed, “I stood up and I said yeah” sort of grabbed my attention, even though I’d probably already heard it about 30 times over the prior year. But this time was different. I immediately turned everything off, played the entire CD in silence, and it just got better and better ever since. Wow, I rambled there, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/25 "2005-02-11T04:04:08Z")
> [@vl\_mungo](#): > > How about **Thelonius Monk**? It’s hard to go wrong with Monk. **Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane** would be a great starting place, followed by **Misterioso**. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/26 "2005-02-11T04:20:30Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > You can’t go wrong with those, but of the albums, my favorite is Louder Than Bombs (simply because it has the most songs on it). Actually, _Louder Than Bombs_ is a compilation. I’d be hesitant in recommending it to a newbie because it _is_ so long and because it doesn’t feature a lot of their best work. Plus, you can find almost every track on it elsewhere, which makes it a redundant purchase if you have other Smiths albums (especially _Hatful of Hollow_). I’d recommend _Singles_. Every song on it (with the personal exception of “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me”) is perfect. It converted me from a Smiths disliker to a Smiths lover. As far as actual albums go, the consensus seems to be _The Queen is Dead_, with which I agree. And help me with **St Etienne**. ---
**Author:** ![mza662](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f4b2a3/32.png) [@mza662](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mza662)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/27 "2005-02-11T04:38:17Z")
for anyone into Hiphop, Tame One - When Rappers Attack, is a great album. anyone else able to suggest good Hiphop to check out? and i mean Hiphop not hip-pop. ---
**Author:** ![Nightime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Nightime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightime)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/28 "2005-02-11T04:38:22Z")
_Louder Than Bombs_ is my favorite even though it is a compilation. Plus there is no duplication between it and their best regular album, _The Queen is Dead_, so those two are great places to start. For the Flaming Lips, I still think _Clouds Taste Metallic_ is their best, followed by _Transmissions From the Satellite Heart_. My favorite Bowie is _Station to Station_, but of course _Ziggy Stardust_ is essential. > [@](#): > > I wouldn’t mind a recommendation of a Waits-like writer/singer, if anybody’s got one. Leonard Cohen, specifically the album _I’m Your Man_, where his voice has gotten lower and more gravelly than on his early albums. This album also happens to have three or four of the best songs of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/29 "2005-02-11T04:48:33Z")
> [@Lisa-go-Blind](#): > > Actually, _Louder Than Bombs_ is a compilation. I’d be hesitant in recommending it to a newbie because it _is_ so long and because it doesn’t feature a lot of their best work. Plus, you can find almost every track on it elsewhere, which makes it a redundant purchase if you have other Smiths albums (especially _Hatful of Hollow_). I’d recommend _Singles_. Every song on it (with the personal exception of “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me”) is perfect. It converted me from a Smiths disliker to a Smiths lover. As far as actual albums go, the consensus seems to be _The Queen is Dead_, with which I agree. > > And help me with **St Etienne**. For St. Etienne, get _Foxbase Alpha_. And I don’t think I knew that \*Louder Than Bombs \* was a compilation. I just bought all the Smiths albums offered by BMG Music Service: _The Smiths, Louder Than Bombs, Meat Is Murder, The Queen Is Dead,_ and _Strangeways Here We Come_. Since none of them have any overlapping material, I figured _Louder Than Bombs_ was a new album that just happened to be an extra-long one. BMG also offered the singles collections, but not _Hatful of Hollow_. **This Year’s Model** , for other Tom Waits-like recommendations, let me offer Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (get their _Best Of_ collection for the best variety of material), Mike Ness, the singer of rootsy rockabilly-punk band Social Distortion (get his solo album _Cheatin’ At Solitaire_), and a smaller-time Boston band called Josh Lederman y Los Diablos (order their album _The Town’s Old Faire_ from the excellent [CDBaby.com](http://www.cdbaby.com)). ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/30 "2005-02-11T05:15:17Z")
Howzabout any recommendations for stuff by **Bill Laswell**? ---
**Author:** ![hazel-rah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hazel-rah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazel-rah)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/31 "2005-02-11T05:57:44Z")
For Saint Etienne, the new compliation Travel Edition is a good starting point. For proper albums, any of the first three are equally great (Foxbase Alpha, So Tough or Tiger Bay). Avoid Sound Of Water and Casino Classics to start with. ---
**Author:** ![Sandlegs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@Sandlegs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sandlegs)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/32 "2005-02-11T06:09:57Z")
I recommend Bloodmoney, or Alice, if you like old, weird Tom waits. But old, weird Waits is still good. Do you like pirate music? ---
**Author:** ![hazel-rah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hazel-rah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazel-rah)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/33 "2005-02-11T06:27:51Z")
The best pirate music is by Scarlet’s Well. ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/34 "2005-02-11T13:50:08Z")
Where should I start with Bright Eyes? ---
**Author:** ![WhiteyFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@WhiteyFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhiteyFoo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/35 "2005-02-11T15:37:25Z")
> [@mza662](#): > > for anyone into Hiphop, Tame One - When Rappers Attack, is a great album. anyone else able to suggest good Hiphop to check out? and i mean Hiphop not hip-pop. I’m personally more partial to the “real music” driven hip hop artists/groups. I really like: Pharcyde Blackalicious Jurassic 5 ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/36 "2005-02-11T16:02:25Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > **Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane** would be a great starting place, followed by **Misterioso**. Having only dabbled in jazz for a couple of years (and only having the Monk’s Ken Burn Jazz Compilation), I’m gonna borrow those recommendations. As a jazz hijack/sidenote question: I recall hearing & reading a few times that jazz (as a genre) artist’s works doesn’t transpose well to a compilation format. Why?. For that sentiment to be true, that would mean either: (a) There’s no difference in an the quality of a specific artist’s works (song to song/album to album) (b) Quality is more relative in the jazz world than it is in other types of music ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/37 "2005-02-11T19:19:32Z")
> [@JohnBckWLD](#): > > I recall hearing & reading a few times that jazz (as a genre) artist’s works doesn’t transpose well to a compilation format. Why?. For that sentiment to be true, that would mean either: > > (a) There’s no difference in an the quality of a specific artist’s works (song to song/album to album) > (b) Quality is more relative in the jazz world than it is in other types of music It could also mean that classic jazz albums, many of which were recorded in a single session, are best heard in their original format. I completely disagree with the premise, however. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/38 "2005-02-11T19:45:50Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > I wouldn’t mind a recommendation of a Waits-like writer/singer, if anybody’s got one. I would highly recommend checking out a fella named [Johnny Dowd](http://www.johnnydowd.com/)… start with either **The Pawnbroker’s Wife** or **Cemetary Shoes** (one of my picks for best album of 2004). ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/39 "2005-02-11T19:52:31Z")
Anyone care to recommend an **Iggy Pop** album? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843/40 "2005-02-11T22:59:21Z")
> [@mza662](#): > > for anyone into Hiphop, Tame One - When Rappers Attack, is a great album. anyone else able to suggest good Hiphop to check out? and i mean Hiphop not hip-pop. I’m not an expert by any means but I’ll recommend: **Mos Def** , _Black on Both Sides_ **Talib Kweli** , _Reflection Eternal_ Or both of them together on \*Black Star \* (1998). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-recommend-me-an-album-by-this-artist-thread/288843.md?page=3)