Agree with Small Clanger- critics usually rate The Royal Scam pretty lowly in the Steely Dan oeuvre, but I thinks it’s their best.
I like Up a lot myself, however my favorite REM album is Out of Time. I like almost all their albums though. Peter Buck is possibly my favorite guitarist.
I think that history will find that 13 was the band’s finest moment. The songs are just tremendous, and while I prefer Damon and Graham just knocking out killer pop hooks (The Great Escape is my personal favorite), there’s a maturity to those songs that just takes Blur straight out of “britpop” territory and into the pantheon. 1992 and No distance left to run might be the two best songs that guy’s ever written; they’re just tremendous.
I’ll buy into the Zeppelin debate - I’ll take Houses of the Holy over anything and III next. On the subject of the so-called classics - Band of Gypsies beats out *Electric Landlady * in my Hendrix catalouge, Highway 61 Revisited beats *Blonde on Blonde * in my book and and, hmmm, “Beach Boys Today” or "Friends" beats out Pet Sounds.
mm
Another one for Rush -
While 2112 is the album that really got everybody’s attention, and Moving Pictures is the one that put them over the top, I’m really partial to Permanent Waves (the album that got me into them in the first place), Roll The Bones (the album that got me back into them after I had gone in a different direction musically for a few years) and Counterparts (the album where Lifeson went back to playing lead guitar G)
I find I usually don’t agree with the general consensus when it comes to my favorite artists’ best albums:
Belle and Sebastian - The recognized “best” is If You’re Feeling Sinister, but my personal favorite is The Boy With The Arab Strap - famously rated just 0.8 by the folks at Pitchfork. Though, come to think of it, maybe that’s a recommendation in itself.
The Pixies - Doolittle is the one always cited as the best, but I think it has some not-so-great songs on it. I prefer Surfer Rosa or the Come On Pilgrim EP/minialbum, both of which are beginning-to-end terrific.
Pulp - I won’t argue that Different Class isn’t a classic, but His’n’Hers is the one I rate a little bit higher. It sounds a bit fresher and more energetic, and it has some killer songs on it, including my favorite Pulp song, “Do You Remember the First Time?”
Talking Heads - Most people say Remain in Light, but I’ve always preferred their first three albums, in particular More Songs About Buildings And Food, which is probably their most overlooked album (at least pre-True Stories).
Teenage Fanclub - Songs From Northern Britain is one of the great pop albums ever recorded. I don’t even care much for Bandwagonesque (which beat Nirvana’s Nevermind amongst others in Spin’s year-end list).
Galaxie 500 - All three of their studio albums are stellar, but most people focus attention on On Fire. I prefer Today, though.
X - I like Wild Gift better than Los Angeles or Under the Big Black Sun (though I love both of those to pieces as well).
The Magnetic Fields - Although 69 Love Songs may have it beat several times over in regards to number of great tracks, I think Get Lost is the more pleasant listening experience.
I don’t know what the consensus would be for any of these bands, so I’ll just list some favorites and leave it for you to decide if it’s counter to the marketplace. ('Cause I’m intellectually lazy like that.)
For Santana I find myself listening to Caravanserai more often than anything else. (Although Welcome and Lotus deserve honorable mentions.)
I like Frampton Comes Alive II better than the original, but that’s probably just because it’s different from the one I’ve heard a billion times.
I listen to Deep Purple’s Purpendicular more than anything else, probably for the same reason. (Although it may be Steve Morse.)
Has anyone done the Dead? I bounce back and forth between Terrapin Station and Wake Of The Flood. (But, then I’m not really that big a Grateful Dead fan, anyway.)
Waiting For Columbus probably is the most popular Little Feat album, but I still like it best. (But get the Anniversary Edition for “Day at the Dog Races”).
I like the Marshall Tucker Band’s Together Forever. I doubt that’s their best seller.
Bombs and Butterflies by Widespread Panic is a sentimental favorite. Are they well-known enough to be considered in this thread?
I like Live at the Fillmore by Derek and the Dominoes, unless it’s considered more of a Clapton album. (Maybe even then. I’ll have to think about it.)
I was going to make some argument for my favorite Sting solo album, but I have no idea what general consensus would be on that.
My personal favorite* is Ten Summoner’s Tales, which is tied for 1st overall with The Dream Of The Blue Turtles and Brand New Day in terms of sales volume in the US. …Nothing Like The Sun would probably be a close second for me, and Brand New Day third.
*I did not factor in compilation albums.
This is a like a pop music thread for old fogies; I love it.
Zappa was mentioned. While Hot Rats is IMO his best album, and the only one to win any kind of official accolade, consensus would probably lean toward either Joe’s Garage or Apostrphe(’)/Overnite Sensation. Personally, Sheik Yerbouti is my least favorite record from that era; I like Them or Us much better. A darkhorse candidate for best album would by Roxy & Elsewhere. (Zappa is tough for this thread, though, with over 50 records total and a bare minimum of a dozen phenomenal ones.)
Blasphemer! Nobody mentioned the Dead likely because only a Philistine would listen to anything found in a store, even if it were from a live performance. The albums with titles wouldn’t even crack the top 100 choices; likely the true answers would sound like: “Second set of the Halloween show in '79.” But if I were forced to pick a professional release, I’d go with Europe '72.
For Pink Floyd, consensus has to be Dark Side of the Moon, enjoying 14 million consecutive weeks on the Billboard charts. My personal favorites would probably be A Nice Pair. (Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Saucerful of Secrets.)
For The Who, they did so much “mix 'n match” on their albums that I don’t identify any songs with any albums. I swear, they seemed to release a “best of” every year, and even “new” albums always seemed to have at least 3 repeat tracks from previous records. The best compilation release is hands down The Story of The Who, with 25 tracks. As for original material, I’m torn between Live at Leeds, Who Are You, (a great pairing for a cassette tape if ever there was one,) and some of the earlier stuff. (Whatever the albums were that had A Quick One While He’s Away, Whiskey Man, Silas Tingy, etc…)
That’s funny. I was going to assume that most people would say Speaking In Tongues, and I was going to say I prefer Remain in Light.
My favorite Who album is Quadrophenia.
I think Moondance is probably Van Morrison’s most popular album, and I like it, but my favorite is His Band and Street Choir
I love Jimi, and I think Band of Gypsies is my favorite. I see from this thread that I’m not the only one, but it is certainly a minority opinion in general.
My favorite Kinks album is Arthur. I have no idea what their most popular album is. Lola?
My favorite Santana album is Santana III. Abraxas is probably the #1 choice for most listeners.
I completely agree with both of these.
I would also add that I prefer Sonic Youth’s albums with Jim O’Rourke as a full band member to Sister or Daydream Nation. For a 20 year old band with such a long discography, they still manage to put out some pretty creative music.
And finally, if I’m choosing a Fleetwood Mac album, it’s got to be Tusk, not Rumours.
I think the general consensus is that Graham Parker’s Squeezing Out Sparks is his best album, but if I had to choose one, it would be Howlin’ Wind.
Piffle. The true Deadhead has run completely around the block, listened to every conceivable bootlegged live show and demo, and is back to spinning Aoxomoxoa, Steal Your Face, and In the Dark.
The top-level cognoscenti now listen only to Shakedown Street. And just the cuts “France” and “Serengetti.”
Beatles - Abbey Road by a mile (just got a copy on vinyl!), followed by the White Album, Revolver, and then probably Sgt. Pepper.
Zeppelin - my favorite is II.
Floyd - I have a soft spot for Animals, but if I had never heard DSotM and heard it for the first time, I’d have to put it on top.
U2 - I prefer Achtung Baby to The Joshua Tree, though not by much. My big disagreement is in my reaction to their 90s direction. It is usually taken as undisputed that the band lots its way with Zooropa and Pop, and returned to form with All You Can’t Leave Behind. I thought it was a big step down from those two previous albums, and I liked that they were doing something different.