Albums/CDs you should hear before you die

I thought it might be interesting to see what everyone thinks what are some albums or cds that you consider essential listening.  Basically, it’s which releases rank in your 5 out of 5 catagory.

I’ll start it off with this:

Armageddon - Armageddon (1976 A&M)

They only released one album, but it is a fantastic one.  Must listening for anyone liking rock music.  It is still available as an import.

“Buzzard”

Wow, that’s going to be tough! I’d say probably 50 - 75% of the collection on my player qualifies for that honor.

There are so many to choose from; I don’t even know where to start. A lot of what I would consider ‘essential’ music has already been featured in the other popular What Are You Listening To Right Now? thread. Many good choices & candidates have been showcased there.

If you have TCM (Turner Classic Movies) on your cable or satellite TV service and watch it with any regularity, you already know that they have been doing this for years on the weekends on the show called ‘The Essentials’. Showcasing 1 movie each week they consider to be one of Hollywood’s best from days gone by. By the mere fact that they have been doing this for some time now would indicate that there are many ‘classics’ indeed. And all these would be the ‘cream of the crop’ on a station that only plays ‘classic’ movies. TCM is probably my all-time favorite TV station.

Musically, here’s my 1st suggestion. It’s not necessarily my top choice, but it’s as as good a place as any to start . . .

  

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd

Their 1st offering from 1973; they sure hit the ground running with this one! A new & completely different sound for the times; raucous, rowdy, & bluesy music that inspired the new genre ‘Southern Rock’. And of course this album includes the 9 min. + rendition of the immortal ‘Free Bird’. If you haven’t at least heard this classic anthem, you’ve been living in a cave somewhere for the past 36 years!

They have other albums that I would also consider ‘classics’, but this one has got to top the list. 

Tragically, their flame was snuffed out way too early as so many other ‘greats’ were when Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and his sister Cassie, one of the group’s backing vocalists, died in a fiery plane crash. This occured just 3 days after their sixth album, Street Survivors was released. The cover for Street Survivors had pictured the band surrounded in flames. After the crash, out of respect and thinking it would be considered in ‘poor taste’ the cover was changed, and the flames were removed on future copies. I still have one of the original LP’s. In the wake of the tragedy, the album became one of the band’s biggest hits, and remains one of thier top-rated albums to this day.

Possibly that incident has been what has helped insure their longevity and bolster their multi-generational fan base, or maybe it’s just the fact that their music is timeless and just plain damned good!

RIP Guys . . . Our loss is Heaven’s gain! You left some mighty big shoes to fill around here. Thankfully, you left us your best. :smiley:

Wow, that’s going to be tough! I’d say probably 50 - 75% of the collection on my player qualifies for that honor.

There are so many to choose from; I don’t even know where to start. A lot of what I would consider ‘essential’ music has already been featured in the other popular What Are You Listening To Right Now? thread. Many good choices & candidates have been showcased there.

If you have TCM (Turner Classic Movies) on your cable or satellite TV service and watch it with any regularity, you already know that they have been doing this for years on the weekends on the show called ‘The Essentials’. Showcasing 1 movie each week they consider to be one of Hollywood’s best from days gone by. By the mere fact that they have been doing this for some time now would indicate that there are many ‘classics’ indeed. And all these would be the ‘cream of the crop’ on a station that only plays ‘classic’ movies. TCM is probably my all-time favorite TV station.

Musically, here’s my 1st suggestion. It’s not necessarily my top choice, but it’s as as good a place as any to start . . .

  

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd

Their 1st offering from 1973; they sure hit the ground running with this one! A new & completely different sound for the times; raucous, rowdy, & bluesy music that inspired the new genre ‘Southern Rock’. And of course this album includes the 9 min. + rendition of the immortal ‘Free Bird’. If you haven’t at least heard this classic anthem, you’ve been living in a cave somewhere for the past 36 years!

They have other albums that I would also consider ‘classics’, but this one has got to top the list. 

Tragically, their flame was snuffed out way too early as so many other ‘greats’ were when Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and his sister Cassie, one of the group’s backing vocalists, died in a fiery plane crash. This occured just 3 days after their sixth album, Street Survivors was released. The cover for Street Survivors had pictured the band surrounded in flames. After the crash, out of respect and thinking it would be considered in ‘poor taste’ the cover was changed, and the flames were removed on future copies. I still have one of the original LP’s. In the wake of the tragedy, the album became one of the band’s biggest hits, and remains one of thier top-rated albums to this day.

Possibly that incident has been what has helped insure their longevity and bolster their multi-generational fan base, or maybe it’s just the fact that their music is timeless and just plain damned good!

RIP Guys . . . Our loss is Heaven’s gain! You left some mighty big shoes to fill around here. Thankfully, you left us your best. :smiley:

Great choice, tapeworm.  I hope the band’s name-sake, former coach Leonard Skinner remembers enough to be proud (he’s suffering from Alzheimer’s)…

Rock & Roll, country style!!!

Like it or loathe it, this album redefined country music as we now know it…

“Rodeo”

My musical awakening began here…in high school, when I was just listening to the basic top 40 stuff of the day, the stoner next to me in class always was doodling band logos on his notebooks…one day, I got curious and asked about them. He sent me home the next day with some cassettes…all that I liked, but this band was the one that I consider as having really opened up my ears, to what music could be. These are the ones I consider essential…the later albums had some good songs, but weren’t, IMO,quite up there with these.

@marvin_martian wrote:

 

These are the ones I consider essential…the later albums had some good songs, but weren’t, IMO,quite up there with these.

Funny Led Zep III was almost my 1st choice to post, but then I thought, “How can I pick just 1 Led Zeppelin album? All those choices and they’re all good!”

I just figured I’d offer it up later if no one else did.

Great minds do indeed think alike! :smileyvery-happy:

pep

To me the entire Beatles output qualifies. Sgt Pepper’s is probably the album that turned the record industry around. The industry was heavily beaurocrat run with execs dictating content and packaging. It all changed when Sgt. Pepper’s Band appeared. Just look at the flurry of rock styles that came out in the late sixties and early seventies, the record companies finally opened up to the artists. Also album covers changed to some very artsy stuff compared to the past. The album was also some heavy fuel for the psychedelia era. It was also loaded with overdubs and many people found it hard to believe that it was built on a studio 4-track.

HEY CB! Do you have the rare US Capitol Mono version on LP? The mixes are quite different on that release!

The Doors is my favorite band of all time; so for me they are all essential…but for the rest of you, these are what I call essential…

Message Edited by fuze_owner-GB on 03-21-2009 11:37 AM

Make that 3 of us for the early Zep! Bought all of those LPs Marvin has listed as they came out!

Make that 2 of us for The Doors! Bought all of their albums when released also. They sit at #4 on my fav list:

Beatles, Rolling Stones, Who, Doors, Led Zeppelin

Marianne Faithfull - Broken English

The bands I was introduced to by that guy, over the rest of that school year, after Zeppelin…Aerosmith(the early years) The Doors, The Who,Pink Floyd, Yes, The Kinks(again, the early years)…and then there were 2 others that I had previously ignored because my parents listened to them(the horror)…The Beatles, and this cat with an Afro that played his guitar upside down. . Quite the eye-opening sophomore year, eh?

Started buying 45s in 1965 (Beatles: Eight Days A Week/I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party) and LPs in 1967 (Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour). What is now known as Classic Rock ruled the airwaves back then and I was buying it as it came out.

Hey Marvin, my eyes were closing in my sophmore year (1972) due to the extremely cheap “herb” at that time!!!

@14124all wrote:

Started buying 45s in 1965 (Beatles: Eight Days A Week/I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party) and LPs in 1967 (Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour). What is now known as Classic Rock ruled the airwaves back then and I was buying it as it came out.

Hey Marvin, my eyes were closing in my sophmore year (1972) due to the extremely cheap “herb” at that time!!!

I guess I’m the young guy in the thread so far…born in '71.

Wow, that kinda looks like Ozzy…lol.

BTW, I love your well selected choices for smileys that fill this board - sooooo coooool!!!

Speaking of Ozzy, The first 3 Black Sabbath records should get a mention on this topic: Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master Of Reality. Quite “heavy” stuff released at a time when there was quite a bit of “fusion” classical rock being very popular.

Depeche Mode - Speak & Spell

Very important and influential release…it basically set the tone and sound of the 80’s

C & C Music Factory - Gonna Make You Sweat

One of the best “dance” releases of all time…

“Just a Touch of Love”

Ok. For me YOu Take the Zepplin, and the Doors, The Beatles, and Elvis on this tread already and add. These

And

And I just Brought the Age of the people on this thread down… '88 Baby…