# Their "best" isn't your favorite album...so what is? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223 "2006-07-12T19:47:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Subway\_Prophet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Subway\_Prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subway_Prophet)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/1 "2006-07-12T19:47:42Z")
If you ask a lot of people what the Beatles’ best album is, most would probably say _Seargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band_, or possibly _The White Album_. I think these are great albums, but nowhere as good as _Abby Road_. The tracks on _Abby Road_ just fit together better, in my opinion, and the songs stand well on their own too (even the individual parts of the medly.) Spin magazine declared _OK Computer_ to be Radiohead’s best album, in fact the best rock album of the past 20 years. This is one of many topics where Spin and I disagree - I personally think _The Bends_ is Radiohead’s best. I think the individual tracks on _The Bends_ have more popular appeal than the songs on _OK Computer_, and the album hold together better as well. (And the best rock album of the past 20 years is in fact an American one, thankyouverymuch. But I’m not saying which one. 😃 ) I think Pink Floyd’s _Wish You Were Here_ is far, far better than _The Wall_ or _Dark Side of the Moon_, even though _Wish You Were Here_ didn’t do as well commercially. I enjoy listening to Billy Joel’s _The Stranger_ more than I do his _Greatest Hits_ albums, which sold far more copies. And so on. The weird thing is, when I disagree with the general consensus, I _really_ disagree with it. It’s no contest with me, _this_ album is incredible, but this _other_ more popular album is merely better-than-mediocre. And that’s my opinion. The question I put to you is, what albums do you like better than the artist’s so-called “best”, and why? ---
**Author:** ![Mayo\_Speaks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mayo\_Speaks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayo_Speaks)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/2 "2006-07-12T19:55:51Z")
**Green Day** : I love _American Idiot_ way more than _Dookie_, which causes many people to believe that I’m not right in the head. **U2** : _Boy_ is my favorite album, although the consensus “bests” \*The Joshua Tree \*and \*Achtung Baby \*are my numbers 2 and 3 repectively. **Pink Floyd** : While my favorites are \*The Wall \*and \*DSotM \*(in that order), my third favorite is _A Momentary Lapse of Reason_. _awaits potential onslaught_ Mayo ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/3 "2006-07-12T20:00:18Z")
Wish You Were Here is my favorite Floyd album as well. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoneyKingofNowhere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@TheBoneyKingofNowhere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoneyKingofNowhere)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/4 "2006-07-12T20:00:53Z")
> [@Subway Prophet](#): > > I think Pink Floyd’s _Wish You Were Here_ is far, far better than _The Wall_ or _Dark Side of the Moon_, even though _Wish You Were Here_ didn’t do as well commercially. I enjoy listening to Billy Joel’s _The Stranger_ more than I do his _Greatest Hits_ albums, which sold far more copies. And so on. Well, just to disagree with you, _ **Wish You Were Here** _ is great and all, but tracks 2 and 3 really pull it down. Consequently, _ **Dark Side of the Moon** _ is simply too good all the way through for it not to be their best. Even _if_ the band enjoyed WYWH more. Regarding Radiohead - I would say that from the fanbase side, _ **Kid A** _ is more popular than _ **OK Computer** _, but I still slightly favor _ **OK Computer** _. _ **The Bends** _ is beyond just great, but not quite at their peak either. imo ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/5 "2006-07-12T20:06:53Z")
I agree on Floyd & Beatles. “Wish You were Here” for Floyd, followed by Dark Side. “Abbey Road” for the Beatles. Led Zeppelin I prefer “Zeppelin” to Runes {but I love Runes, II, III and Physical Graffiti} Yes is tricky, what is the consensus album? I would probably go with “Close to the Edge” for my choice. \*\*Mayo Speaks!, \*\* I love “A Momentary Lapse of Reason”. It was a great album and tour. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/6 "2006-07-12T20:09:50Z")
_Bookends_ is my favorite Simon and Garfunkel album, while it seems that _Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme_ tends to be their “best” as opined by others. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/7 "2006-07-12T20:10:56Z")
Oh, also _Presto_ by **Rush** is one of my favorites that never seems to rate on anyone else’s list. ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/8 "2006-07-12T20:40:23Z")
My favorite Led Zeppelin album is _Presence_. My favorite Jam album is _The Gift_. My favorite Green Day album is _nimrod._ Also, frequently with new bands, you see a lot of critical love for the debut album, then accusations that the second album is lacklustre. For some reason, I almost invariably prefer the second album in these situations. See: The Stokes, the New Pornographers, the Shins, the Futureheads. ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/9 "2006-07-12T20:49:07Z")
> [@wm--](#): > > The Stokes Uh… more commonly known as the Strokes. Also, my favorite Rolling Stones album is _Some Girls_. My favorite Kinks album (and actually my favorite album of all time!) is _The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society_, which is frequently named as their best. But aside from that, I love some of their usually-despised albums like _Word of Mouth_, _Give the People What They Want_, and _Schoolboys in Disgrace_ and don’t care for some of their most popular work like _Low Budget_, _Misfits_, and _Something Else by the Kinks_. ---
**Author:** ![tashabot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tashabot/32/6250_2.png) [@tashabot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tashabot)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/10 "2006-07-12T20:51:47Z")
The Offspring! Everyone thinks that either _Smash_ is their best, or _Americana_. I don’t really like either of those ones, and I prefer their second album, _Ignition_, or their fourth album (or “sellout album” as some purists like to believe) _Ixnay on the Hombre_. As for the Beatles, while I like _Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band_, I prefer _A Hard Day’s Night_. I like the later stuff, but the earlier will always be my favorites. Metallica - everyone loves the self-titled “Black Album,” and it’s what solidified their sound and name into popularity. I’m just a little more fond of _Re-Load_. And their earlier stuff, too. ~Tasha ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/11 "2006-07-12T21:26:02Z")
Darn it, I was going to mention The Beatles. Pepper might not even be one of my top five Beatles albums. And as a Radiohead fan, I might be unusual in preferring Amnesiac to Kid A. > [@tashabot](#): > > Metallica - everyone loves the self-titled “Black Album,” and it’s what solidified their sound and name into popularity. I’m just a little more fond of _Re-Load_. And their earlier stuff, too. “Everyone loves the Black Album?” It was really popular, but my experience is that older Metallica fans hate it. If you were saying the Black Album beat out Master of Puppets as your favorite, that’d be more daring. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/12 "2006-07-12T21:41:44Z")
My favorite Led Zepp album is III. My favorite Pink Floyd album is _Meddle_. and, like **Eonwe** , my favorite S&G album is _Bookends_. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/13 "2006-07-12T21:47:07Z")
> [@tashabot](#): > > The Offspring! Everyone thinks that either _Smash_ is their best, or _Americana_. I don’t really like either of those ones, and I prefer their second album, _Ignition_, or their fourth album (or “sellout album” as some purists like to believe) _Ixnay on the Hombre_. > > As for the Beatles, while I like _Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band_, I prefer _A Hard Day’s Night_. I like the later stuff, but the earlier will always be my favorites. > > Metallica - everyone loves the self-titled “Black Album,” and it’s what solidified their sound and name into popularity. I’m just a little more fond of _Re-Load_. And their earlier stuff, too. > > ~Tasha Oh, man. -No way Ixnay is the best - A hard days night? I really don’t get people who like the earliest stuff the best. Do you even like the late beatles then? Its totally different. Wouldnt it be better to find some music similar to the early Beatles? - Well, the best is Ride the Lightning. And reload is the second/third worst. > [@Subway Prophet](#): > > If you ask a lot of people what the Beatles’ best album is, most would probably say _Seargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band_, or possibly _The White Album_. I think these are great albums, but nowhere as good as _Abby Road_. The tracks on _Abby Road_ just fit together better, in my opinion, and the songs stand well on their own too (even the individual parts of the medly.) - In my experience, most people say Abbey road, Revolver or Rubber soul. I agree with Abbey Road and revolver. ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/14 "2006-07-12T21:49:53Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Darn it, I was going to mention The Beatles. Pepper might not even be one of my top five Beatles albums. It seems to me that the general consensus among hardcore Beatles fans is that _Sgt. Pepper’s_ is their most influential album, but that _Revolver_ and _Abbey Road_ are musically superior. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/15 "2006-07-12T21:56:38Z")
While any number of other records are usually considered their best, I think that _Up_ is R.E.M.'s finest moment. For a band that’s always strived for innovation and wanted to break out of their genre (remember when “drive” was supposed to be a straight-up autoharp and banjo appalachian folk song?) but ultimately chickened out at the last second, _Up_ was the one time that they actually had the guts to take the weird path and it totally paid off. Bill Berry’s leaving the band could have seen them just bringing in some young, hotshot session drummer and soldiering on with the sort of mediocre, sophisticated jangle-pop that they had settled into at that point, but they instead took the artsy path and made that weird record with all the farfisas and vibraphones and old synths and antique drum machines. And all of that’s just relish on the fact that those are some of Stipe’s most mature, honest, and fully realized songs. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/16 "2006-07-12T22:04:25Z")
hmm, Im a little embarressed to admit that I cannot really find a band where I don’t agree with the general consensus about what is their best album. The best example I can come up with is that I think _Oasis - Definitely Maybe_ is their best album, but Im not sure if this is particularly unusual. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/17 "2006-07-12T22:05:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Oh, also Presto by Rush is one of my favorites that never seems to rate on anyone else’s list. While I think _Signals_ is far and away the best album Rush ever put out, _Presto_ rates a close second (and _Power Windows_ comes in third). ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/18 "2006-07-12T22:31:38Z")
> [@wm--](#): > > My favorite Led Zeppelin album is _Presence_. Whoa. Well if you’re willing to brave _those_ slings and arrows, I feel I can at least admit that, while _IV_ is my favorite, _In Through the Out Door_ is #2, beating _Physical Graffiitti_ by a significant margin. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Nurobath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a88e57/32.png) [@Nurobath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nurobath)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/19 "2006-07-12T22:49:08Z")
Led Zeppelin - My favorite is also Presence and as \*\*Cliffy \*\*said, In Through The Out Door is number 2. Pink Floyd - Definitely Animals. Meddle would be a close second. Rush - I was going to say Hemispheres or Permanent Waves but \*\*yBeayf \*\*got me thinkin and now I can’t decide. Signals or Power Windows would be good choices. Rush is one of those bands (like the Beatles) who’s sound has changed so much over the years that it’s difficult to pick an overall best album. The Beatles - Abbey Road U2 - Boy is my favorite but I would pick Unforgettable Fire as my second. Van Halen - Fair Warning Yes - Relayer > [@What Exit?](#): > > Yes is tricky, what is the consensus album? I would probably go with “Close to the Edge” for my choice. I think The Yes Album or Fragile would be the consensus album for them. Metallica - I like And Justice for All ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223/20 "2006-07-12T23:26:31Z")
I’m actually pretty fond of Aerosmith’s _Nine Lives_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/their-best-isnt-your-favorite-album-so-what-is/364223.md?page=2)