# Top 10 Albums/Box Sets **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013 "2008-05-20T20:10:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/1 "2008-05-20T20:10:05Z")
Haven’t seen one of these threads in at least a couple days, so I thought I’d start a new one. Figured I’d break it up a bit and ask people to list their 10 favorite pop/rock/soul/hip hop albums (no jazz or classical, please - that seems like a separate thread, for some reason) of all time, as well as the top 10 (or whatever) box sets. Here are mine, in no real order (not necessarily what I consider the _best_ albums, per se, but the ones I get the most enjoyment out of from repeated listens - for instance, I love both **My Bloody Valentine** ’s _Loveless_ and _The Velvet Underground and Nico_, but those are more mood music than something I want to listen to over and over on a long trip, and great albums like _Sign O’ The Times_ or _It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back_, while I love them, don’t inspire me to bust them out whenever I want to listen to some music as much as they used to): **Albums** 1. **Gang Of Four** - _Entertainment!_ 2. **The Clash** - _The Clash_ 3. **Hüsker Dü** - _New Day Rising_ 4. **The Beatles** - _Revolver_ 5. **The Replacements** - _Let It Be_ 6. **The Go-Betweens** - _16 Lovers Lane_ 7. **The Housemartins** - _London 0, Hull 6_ 8. **The Jesus & Mary Chain** - _Psychocandy_ 9. **R.E.M.** - _Murmur_ 10. **Marshall Crenshaw** - _Marshall Crenshaw_ Note: My first 2 picks are as close to what I’d consider perfect albums as there are. **Box Sets** 1. **Various Artists** - _The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959-1968_ 2. **Various Artists** - _Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968_ 3. **Various Artists** - _Loud, Fast & Out Of Control_ 4. **Billy Bragg** - _Volume 1_ 5. **Various Artists** - _Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond_ 6. **Otis Redding** - _Otis!_ 7. **Various Artists** - _Anthology Of American Folk Music_ 8. **Robyn Hitchcock** - _I Wanna Go Backwards_ 9. **Various Artists** - _Beg, Scream & Shout!: The Big Ol’ Box Of 60s Soul_ 10. **Various Artists** - _Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground_ ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/2 "2008-05-20T23:37:20Z")
I can’t think of 10 Box Sets right off; here are my top ten albums: 1. **TV on the Radio** - _Return to Cookie Mountain_ 2. **Black Sabbath** - _Sabbath Bloody Sabbath_ 3. **Led Zeppelin** - _Houses of the Holy_ 4. **Dinosaur Jr.** - _You’re Living All Over Me_ 5. **New Bomb Turks** - _At Rope’s End_ 6. **Tool** - _Lateralus_ 7. **Tom Waits** - _Rain Dogs_ 8. **Deftones** - _White Pony_ 9. **The Gandharvas** - _Sold For A Smile_ 10. **Bad Religion** - _Generator_ ETA: I always like these threads I always wind up picking up something from all the other lists. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/3 "2008-05-21T01:07:42Z")
In no particular order: **Descendents** - _Two Things At Once_ **Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction** - _Tatooed Beat Messiah_ **Goo Goo Dolls** - _Hold Me Up_ **Rocky Horror Picture Show** - _Original Cast Recording_ **Suicide Machines** - _Destruction by Definition_ **Dramarama** - _Hi-Fi Sci-fi_ **Public Enemy** - _It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back_ **Best Kissers In The World** - _Been There_ **Dead Kennedys** - _Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables_ **Queensrÿche** - _Operation: Mindcrime_ Huh…I just realized that two of those bands took their names from Bruce Springsteen lyrics… ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/4 "2008-05-21T02:39:13Z")
Hmmm. I’ve never tried to list my top 10 albums before. This will change soon, I’m sure: Bruce Springsteen - _Nebraska_ Lyle Lovett - _Joshua Judges Ruth_ AC/DC - _Back in Black_ Meatloaf - _Bat Out of Hell_ Lucinda Williams - _World Without Tears_ Pink Floyd - _The Wall_ Bob Dylan - _Blood on the Tracks_ Bruce Springsteen - _Born to Run_ The Black Crowes - _Shake Your Money Maker_ Tom Waits - _The Heart of Saturday Night_ I don’t own any box sets. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/5 "2008-05-21T03:36:02Z")
Albums: 1. Revolver, The Beatles 2. Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan 3. Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones 4. It’s Too Late to Stop Now, Van Morrison 5. Live in Europe, Otis Redding 6. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy 7. Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen 8. London Calling, The Clash 9. The Cole Porter Songbook, Ella Fitzgerald 10. American IV: The Man Comes Around, Johnny Cash Box Sets: 11. Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947-74, Various Artists 12. Hitsville: The Motown Singles 1959-71, Various Artists 13. Nuggets, Various Artists 14. The King of Rock and Roll: The Complete 50s Recordings, Elvis Presley 15. Back to Mono, Phil Spector 16. The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin 17. Maximum R&B, The Who 18. The Original Singles Plus, Hank Williams Sr. 19. Startime, James Brown 20. Like, Omigod: The 80s Pop Culture Box (Totally), Various Artists ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/6 "2008-05-21T03:40:57Z")
I don’t do box sets, but here are my top ten albums as of right now in no particular order. Ask me again tomorrow and the list will probably be different. Lacrimosa, _Lichtgestalt_ Talking Heads, _Fear of Music_ Emperor, _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_ Gorillaz, _Demon Days_ Portishead, _Portishead_ Týr, _How Far to Asgaard_ Ace of Base, _Greatest Hits_ Therion, _Gothic Kabbalah_ Ulver, _Perdition City_ Converge, _Jane Doe_ ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/7 "2008-05-21T06:14:07Z")
Maybe I’ll try to do albums later, but for right now I’ll do boxed sets. I have less than ten so I’ll just list them all. 1. **Various Artists** - _Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the Second Psychedelic Era 1976-1996_ 2. **Various Artists** - _No Thanks! The 70’s Punk Rebellion_ 3. **Various Artists** - _The Stax Story_ 4. **Various Artists** - _Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground_ 5. **Sufjan Stevens** - _Songs for Christmas_ 6. **Various Artists** - _Rockin’ Bones: 1950’s Punk and Rockabilly_ ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/8 "2008-05-21T06:38:53Z")
Here are 10 “Perfect” albums that I always enjoy listening to currently. They’re in no real order, as I’m quite fluid in my likes- these 10 are just on my mind, and stand the test of time for me, and they’re cohesive ALBUMS and I consider all of them TOTALLY worthwhile to listen ALL the way through. 1. The Offspring- \*Americana \*(perhaps the closest thing to a perfect “cohesive” album for me) Not a huge fan of the band, but This album will ALWAYS be in my top 10. But it always surprises me that i include it. 2. AC/DC- _Back in Black_ 3. The Beatles - _Abbey Road_ 4. Steve Miller Band - _Fly Like an Eagle_ - I love the SMB. Just Pure bliss especially the 30th aniversery version of this album. GO OUT AND BUY IT with the DVD if you’re a fan of SMB. 5. The Wu Tang Clan- _Enter the 36 Chambers_ (BEST “perfect” Rap album in my book). 6. N.E.R.D- _In Search Of…_ (A great mix of Rap and Rock… very underrated). 7. GZA -\* Liquid Swords \*(Another classic Rap album, best Solo album perhaps) 8. Nirvana - _Unplugged in New York_ 9. NIN -_Pretty Hate Machine_ -It’s just cohesive and it all blends together as one big song for me. 10. Guns and Roses - _Appetite for Destruction_ -duh. 11. BONUS: Pink Floyd’s _The Wall_ ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/9 "2008-05-21T13:55:12Z")
10 Albums: **Pixies** - Doolittle **Cocteau Twins** - Treasure **Joy Division** - Unknown Pleasures **Tori Amos** - Little Earthquakes **Shelleyan Orphan** - Century Flower **Dead Can Dance** - Aion **Dido** - No Angel **The Smiths** - The Smiths **My Bloody Valentine** - Isn’t Anything **The Sisters of Mercy** - First And Last And Always By Box Sets, I’m including stuff I have that’s single-CD multi-album/singles compilations, as well as multi-album sets, which I do not have ten of anyway: **Natalie Merchant** - Trilogy (Motherland, Ophelia, Tigerlilly) **10,000 Maniacs** - Trilogy (Blind Man’s Zoo, In My Tribe, Our Time In Eden) \*\*Jethro Tull \*\*- Platinum (SA-only Best Of) **Billy Bragg** - Victim of Geography **Bauhaus** - Volume 1/ Volume 2 **Tori Amos** - Tales of a Librarian **The Cure** - Staring At The Sea **The Swans** - Various Failures **The Fall** - 50,000 Fall Fans Can’t Be Wrong **New Order** - (the best of) New Order ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/10 "2008-05-21T13:58:22Z")
Gosh, spot the odd one out in that album list… ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/11 "2008-05-21T15:52:52Z")
I always enjoy seeing people’s lists, and, like **HongKongFooey** , usually find a few to check out. **MrDibble** , what is _Victim of Geography_? I’ve never seen that one. Maybe it’s not available in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/12 "2008-05-21T17:06:36Z")
I’m limiting myself to one album per band, otherwise it could be dominated with 2 or 3 per ban on here, and posting in alphabetical order since I’m not in the mood for ranking right now: The Decemberists - Picaresque Iron Maiden - Brave New World The Killers - Hot Fuss Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea Pearl Jam - Yield Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch They Might Be Giants - Spine 2.0 Underworld - Second Toughest in the Infants The Who - Quadrophenia “Weird Al” Yankovic - Off The Deep End I don’t really do box sets either. Does The Complete Works of Bach (90 CD’s) count? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/13 "2008-05-21T17:19:13Z")
These probably change quite often, but off the top of my head, for albums: 1. **The Beach Boys** - Pet Sounds 2. **My Bloody Valentine** - Loveless 3. **The Clash** - London Calling 4. **Wire** - Chairs Missing 5. **The Beatles** - Abbey Road 6. **Led Zeppelin** - Led Zeppelin IV 7. **The Kinks** - Village Green Preservation Society 8. **Massive Attack** - Mezzanine 9. **De La Soul** - Three Feet High and Rising 10. **Boogie Down Productions** - Criminal Minded ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/14 "2008-05-21T19:02:46Z")
The only box set I’ve ever bought (and it’s the best!) **Jethro Tull** 20 Years of Top ten albums that I will always listen to straight through once started, else I feel I am doing a disservice to their awesomeness… **Pink Floyd** Dark Side of the Moon **Love and Rockets** Express **Cibo Matto** Sterotype A **Alice Cooper** Billion Dollar Babies **Transvision Vamp** Pop Art **Belly** Star **Concrete Blonde** Concrete Blonde **Madness** One Step Beyond **Sonic Youth** Goo **Wonder Stuff** Eight Legged Groove Machine ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/15 "2008-05-21T19:19:10Z")
…and if I had to pick an 11-20, it would probably exaclty match **Mr Dibble’s** list (SofM First Last & Always was soooo close to being in my top 10). ---
**Author:** ![Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Key_Lime_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/16 "2008-05-21T21:36:57Z")
thinking quickly… **Radiohead** - Hail to the Thief **Jazzanova** - In Between **Zero7** - Simple Things **Jeff Buckley** - Grace **Steely Dan** - Aja **Bruce Springsteen** - Nebraska **The Sweet Hereafter** soundtrack **Miles Davis** - Kind of Blue **Pat Metheny Group** - The Way Up **Sting** - Dream of the Blue Turtles ---
**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:** [May 21, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/17 "2008-05-21T22:52:11Z")
Abbey Road Revolver Mezzanine Ænima Chuck Berry - The Great 28 Ride The lightning Nevermind Ok Computer Led Zeppelin I A Night At the Opera ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/18 "2008-05-21T23:34:39Z")
Want One - Rufus Wainwright East Side Story - Squeeze Lovesexy - Prince Apple Venus - XTC The White Album - The Beatles Safe As Fuck - Goldie Lookin Chain Goucho - Steely Dan Dr Buzzard’s Original Savvanah Band - Eponymous Yessongs - Yes Hejira - Joni Mitchell Only own 1 box set- Trojan Records Ska’d for Life. MiM ---
**Author:** ![runninblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bbce88/32.png) [@runninblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runninblue)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/19 "2008-05-22T05:21:39Z")
12 Rods - Split Personalities Bauhaus - Press Eject and Give Me the Tape Black Keys - Rubber Factory The Damned - Strawberries Frank Zappa - Hot Rats Nick Cave - The Boatman’s Call The Pogues - Rum Sodomy and the Lash Stevie Ray Vaughn - Texas Flood Tom Waits - Bone Machine Ween - The Mollusk ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013/20 "2008-05-22T12:07:13Z")
[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird] **MrDibble** , what is _Victim of Geography_? I’ve never seen that one. Maybe it’s not available in the U.S. [/QUOTE] It’s a [22-track compilation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victim_of_Geography) of _Workers Playtime_ and _Talking With the Taxman About Poetry_, excluding “Train Train”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-albums-box-sets/450013.md?page=2)