What is needed for a comprehensive collection of music from the last five decades?

Cafe Society
1

I, being a child of the 90s, know plenty about the good alternative bands from the 90s, but not all that much from earlier. I’m looking to expand my rock collection from the 50s on, but there are so many bands. I don’t mind collecting full albums, but mostly what I have bought of the older stuff has been greatest hits. So, here’s what I’ve got so far:

Aerosmith: Toys in the Attic and Young Lust
Beatles: Sgt. Pepper, Revolver, and One
Black Sabbath: Paranoid
Deep Purple: Knocking at Your Back Door
Jimi Hendrix: Live at Woodstock
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV
Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
Queen: Classic Queen and Greatest Hits I & II
Styx: Best of Styx
U2: Best of 1980-1990 and All That You Can’t Leave Behind
Who: Ultimate Collection

I like just about everything (except for disco and 80s hair bands). Lay it on me, for as the Simpsons say:

“KFSL - Fossil 103. Classic hits from Abba to Zeppelin comma Led.”

“Grand Funk Railroad paved the way for Jefferson Airplane, which cleared
the way for Jefferson Starship. The stage was now set for the Alan
Parsons Project, which I believe was some sort of hovercraft.”

2

Get your self a Sun Records collection…specifically early elvis.

T-Bone Walker …actually before the 50’s, but still important

The Zombies for great 60’s music.

3

John Coltrane- A Love Supreme
Toots And the Maytals- Best Of
Coleman Hawkins-The Genuis Of Coleman Hawkins
Thelonious Monk- I Like Jazz

4

The Doors - they have a greatest hits, double CD

Bad Company - greatest hits

The Cars - greatest hits

(I came of age in the late 80’s - early 90’s, so I don’t know much about individual albums from the above bands but I have these greatest hits CD’s and they are awesome)

Also, I know you said no 80’s hair bands–but these rock!

Motley Crue - Dr. Feelgood or their greatest hits

Def Leppard - Hysteria (or, again, their greatest hits)

5

The English music magazine Melody Maker’s list of All Time Top 100 Albums, as of 2000.

The 100 Best Albums 1967-1987 by Rolling Stone magazine.

6

Where’s the funk?

We want the funk!

7

I am not a jazz listener, but I would think you need to listen to "Kind of Blue"by Miles Davis.

Moving on to more familiar ground, in no particular order:

"Never Mind the Bollocks, here’s the Sex Pistols"by the Sex Pistols
“London Calling” by the Clash
Any of the numerous ** Johnny Cash** and ** Hank Williams Sr.** collections.

"Live in Cook County Jail"by ** BB King**
“Astral Weeks” by Van Morrison
and many others I can’t come up with at this time.

8

You’ve already got some great stuff there. Here’s some more.

Parliament - Mothership Connection (funk here)

Cream - Best of

Traffic - John Barleycorn must die (essential)

Misfits - Best of

Black Flag - Damaged

Iron Maiden - Live after Death

Slayer - Reign in Blood

John Coltrane - Blue Train

Kyuss - Welcome to Sky Valley

9

Wow. There’s not a single U2 album on either of those lists.

10

A lot of 50’s rock was made before albums were dominant, and are only availiable today on compilations. I don’t know if the soundtracks to “American Graffiti” or “American Hot Wax” are still in print, but those or similar compilations would be great if you want a solid starting point to the collection.

Also, while early Elvis Sun sessions are great, you might want to check out some of the early pre-rock music that lead to rock, like Jackie Brenston’s “Rocket 88”, and Lloyd Price’s Greatest Hits (make sure it includes “Stagger Lee” and “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”). Fats Domino’s “My Blue Heaven, the Best of Fats…” - all have very rocking songs from the early 50’s or late 40’s!

11

If you’re sticking to rock n’ roll, and ignoring jazz, blues, and R&B, you MUST get the Nuggets collection. Punk before there was punk.

12

Right off the top of my head (and because I was looking at it earlier today), I would say that something by The Police should be in there. Either “Synchronicity” or just go whole-hog with their boxed set: “Message in a Box”.

13

I wish we could skip the greatest hits collections. It seems so…cheap.

I’d skip the U2 greatest hits and go with Rattle & Hum.

MC5, Kick Out the Jams (Motherf*ckers!)

Rush, Permanent Waves

If you can only have one Police album go with Outlandos D’Amour.

Weird Al Yankovic, 3D

Check Berry, The Great 28

Big Black, Atomizer

Live, Throwing Copper

I’m sure I’ll think of more.

14

dear god…zep IV but not zep II??? zep IV has all their hits (stairway, rock and roll, black dog…)…but zep II is their definative work. Many people think of zeppelin as a hard rock band, and zep II is why. A classic, blues-rock mix. CLASSIC. NEEDED.

LED ZEPPELIN: LED ZEPPELIN II

pink floyd’s the wall. and wish you were here. a bit cliche, but people think that the two albums are amazing for a reason: they are.

PINK FLOYD: THE WALL
PINK FLOYD: WISH YOU WERE HERE

if you’re gonna bring up the beatles, its a sin to forget let it be.

THE BEATLES: LET IT BE.

i would say burnin, by bob marley…but ill stick to rock. its easier.
jimi hendrix. Many would say “go with ‘are you experienced?’”, but my personal favorite is Blues. A few originals (Red House, (and the red house electric church version)), but also some DAMN good hendrix versions of classic songs…see born under a bad sign. his best.

JIMI HENDRIX: BLUES

on that “born under a bad sign” note, check out wheels of fire. a two disc set, one being live from the filmore east. CLASSIC.

CREAM: WHEELS OF FIRE.

lets take clapton back a little further. now, outside of the late 60’s, i get a bit fuzzy. cant give any real album titles, but the yardbirds put out three of the top four guitarists (clapton, jimmy page (in led zeppelin), and jeff beck). check out a greatest hits.

THE YARDBIRDS: GREATEST HITS.

Rolling Stones. Let it Bleed. what else can i say?

THE ROLLING STONES: LET IT BLEED

On british rock, the who. Check out tommy, meaty beaty big and bouncy, and whos next. (for a GREAT concept album, see "the who sell out…in the form of a top 40’s radio station.)

THE WHO: WHOS NEXT?
THE WHO: TOMMY
THE WHO: MEATY, BEATY, BIG AND BOUNCY

bring it up a little to the 80s/90s

the next one is amazing. nothing else to say.

U2: THE JOSHUA TREE.

the cliche “before punk” punk band. essential.

THE CLASH: LONDON CALLING

weezer is great. check out blue and pinkerton.

WEEZER: SELF TITLED (blue album)
WEEZER: PINKERTON

sublime is essential to cover the orange county music scene, as well as some no doubt. orange county sent us some GREAT bands.

SUBLIME: 40 OZ. TO FREEDOM
SUBLIME: ROBBIN’ THE HOOD
SUBLIME: SELF TITLED
NO DOUBT: TRAGIC KINGDOM

now, i know i missed a BUNCH, and covered mainly popular bands…but thats what i have to offer, as of now.

15

jsut remembered one:
NEIL YOUNG: AFTER THE GOLD RUSH

16

Thanks to everyone so far. I purposely left off the jazz, R&B, and blues as I thought it best to start with the rock. Plus, I’ve already got four Miles Davis albums, a couple Coltrane albums, and the stuff I really like, old Ellington, Armstrong, and the like. I left off the 90s stuff I have because I know enough about what I like from the 90s, and I left off my two Metallica albums because I’ve pretty much stopped listening to them–plus, I’m never going to buy another CD from those whiners. I left off rap because I’m not a big rap fan and some day I can see myself trying to explain to my kids just why I have an ICP album.

Oh, I should add that other stuff is okay. I realize I just left off my Dylan: Essential Bob Dylan cd set, my Bob Marley and the Wailers: Survival cd, my Skynyrd Greatest Hits collection, and several things I have a few singles of on mp3, such as Phish, the Stones, the Doors, Springsteen, and Simon & Garfunkel.

Thanks for everything so far, and keep em coming. Really, forget the limitations, except that it has to be rock or close enough.

17

Nitro OFR

18

Add to the list

The Beatles: Rubber Soul, Hard Days Night.

Paul McCartney: Band on the Run

John Lennon: Imagine, Double Fantasy

Blues Traveler: Four

Simon & Garfunkel: Bookends

Beach Boys: Pet Sounds

Paul Simon: Graceland

ELO: Out of the Blue (with the Simon game on the jacket :wink: )

Police: Zenyatta Mondatta

Cyndi Lauper: She’s So Unusual

The Guess Who: The Best of The Guess Who

Three Dog Night: The Best of Three Dog Night

Annie Lennox: Diva

19

And lest we forget, the nineties:

Alice In Chains–Dirt
Buckley, Jeff–Grace
Cash, Johnny–American Recordings
Nirvana–Nevermind
Pearl Jam–Vitalogy
Radiohead–OK Computer
R.E.M.–Automatic for the People
Screaming Trees–Dust
Soundgarden–Superunknown
U2–Achtung, Baby

I know I’m forgetting a lot.

20

Blind Faith- Blind Faith
CSNY- Deja Vu
David Bowie- The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust
Jimi Hendrix- Band of Gypsys
Led Zeppelin- I-IV (they are all equally good)
Nirvana- Nevermind
Pink Floyd- Meddle or Darkside of the Moon
Radiohead- Kid A
The Beatles- The White Album
The Doors- The Doors
The Rolling Stones- Let it Bleed
The Who- Who’s Next
Bootsy Collins- Ahh…The Name Is Bootsy, Baby!
Herbie Hancock- Head Hunters
James Brown- Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag
John Coltrane- Giant Steps and A Love Supreme
Miles Davis- Birth of the Cool and Bitches Brew
BB King- The Blues

This is precisely why the portable hard drive mp3 player is the greatest thing since sliced bread.