So, tell me about your favorite album...

[Julie in the rv mirror]

Ever.

And especially, why it's your favorite.

I posted this here, because I don't mean your favorite Meat Loaf album, although if your favorite one is one of his, that's cool. But I mean the one that you would pick if you had to choose just one album.

While we each have our favorite artists, it doesn't necessarily mean that our favorite album has to be one of theirs. Like mine, for instance.

Bruce Springsteen is my favorite artist, but my very favorite album is not one of his at all, but one of Frank Zappa's- You Are What You Is.

Now, I realize that Zappa's a bit of an acquired taste. Most people who aren't that familiar with his music just know of him for how weird he was. And he was weird, but he was also very intelligent, had a wicked sense of humor, and was extremely politically incorrect. He was also an extremely talented guitarist and songwriter. His real dream was to write modern classical music, and he did that in his later years; but Rock & Roll paid the bills, so he did that first.

My listening has barely scratched the surface of everything he has released; according to Wiki, he released 62 albums while he was alive, and his family released 25 more posthumously. I don't like everything of his I've heard, but what I do like, I like a lot. And I like You Are What You Is. It's one of the few (if not only) albums I always listen to all the way through.

I guess it's kind of loosely a concept album. In the first song, a kid is stuck at home on Friday night watching the tube; many of the rest of the songs relate in some way to television, but he also "comments" on society as well.

One of the cool things, though, (Frank's biting wit aside) is how all the songs are written in different styles, including Country (Harder Than Your Husband), Doo-Wop (Doreen), Reggae (Goblin Girl), Blues (Suicide Chump), and Rap (Dumb All Over), yet they all go together so well.

Frank pokes fun at televangelists (Heavenly Bank Account), yet comments on organized religion in general with Dumb All Over and The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing. Charlie's Enormous Mouth is at the same time a commercial spoof (remember Charlie cologne commercials?) while it is a commentary on drug use (Zappa has always been anti-drug). There's even a song called Conehead, which is about, yes that's right- the Conehead sketch on SNL. (Frank guested on the show and played Connie's date in the sketch- hilarious.)

The album also has a few blistering guitar solos, the one in Any Downers? being one of my favorites. (If you want to see a really awesome one, though not from this album, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFIMWRXWY90)

Unfortunately, I never got to see him live; I had tickets once and couldn't make the show.


Anyway, that's my favorite album; now tell me about yours!

[AndrewG]

Obviously Bat 1, Bat 2, Born to Run & The Rising are all up there amongst my favourites as I'm a fan of Meat and Springsteen and consider those to be their best albums. However an album I've been listening to around 50 times in full this year has been "Ellipse" by Imogen Heap. I'd say that it comes close to being my favourite album of all time. It's quite a different music style from the normal band-like rock music I usually listen to, more electronica but still blends in pop and rock cliches and as piano is her main instrument with her voice it works really well for me.

I'm extremely impressed by the fact she wrote, performed and engineered the whole thing herself in her basement studio. As well as having a great soothing voice she is very talented musically and plays lots of instruments. She has embraced the social network era and made use of Twitter for a few suggestions and feedback by her fans on her songs whilst she was still working on this.

The album, which was recorded and put together between mid 2007- mid 2009 contains some great songs and they are all very different. From the opening determined rhythmic "First Train Home", to the desperate lonely "Wait it Out", the hyper vocal only layered "Earth" (she was heavily influenced by Michael Jackson in her youth), the lovely textured "Little Bird", the rocky "Tidal", the perfected syncopated "Bad Body Double" and ending with the gorgeous "Half Life", there is so much on this record. Lots of different instrumentations, textures, amazing use of voice and all round great ideas.
She's not the type of person who simply uses a given instrument from an array of synthesizer sounds, but she develops sounds herself from anything surrounding her and processes these. The album is called "Ellipse" as the house she took over from her parents (where she grew up in) and recorded the album in is of an elliptical shape and she has used sounds from around the house on each of the songs (from water dripping to hitting drum sticks against banister rails etc). Very creative imo.

It has to been one of the most impressive if not the best albums I've ever heard.
Definitely one I'd recommend. But you have to be patient with this album as you may not "Get it" the first play around. I'm still discovering new melodies and bits of music all over the place and it's definitely one of those albums that grows on you a bit like the 4 from Meat and Springsteen I've mentioned. A true masterpiece in my opinion.

I'm seeing Imogen on 3 dates of her upcoming UK tour leg in October/November. One of these is a show at the Royal Albert Hall on November 5th where in addition to her normal 2 hour set she is also going to conduct a 30 minute orchestra piece she has written herself and will make use of fan submitted videoclips of nature on screens, titled "Project Earth" so that show will be very special I reckon. The show is being streamed/recorded live I believe.

[Steve6]

Welcome to the Neighbourhood is my favourite.

It's the first Meat Loaf album I ever had. I love it and the songs are brilliant. I think it's one of his best albums too.

"Where the rubber meets the road", "Not a dry eye in the house", "I'd lie for you", "Original Sin", blow me away. I would love to see them played live a lot more though. WTTN is a very underrated album in my eyes.

[Sue K]

Originally Posted by Steve6

WTTN is a very underrated album in my eyes.

I agree and although it's a favorite, I could never in a million years of life decide on a favorite album ... lol ...

[Sarge]

There are too many too choose from, too many albums I love to the same degree, for example

Rory Gallagher - Top Priority (contains some of my favorite guitar riffs)
Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell
Carole King - Tapestry (perfect songwriting from the first to the last track)
Elton John - Madman Across The Water (long before Elton sang schmaltzy songs for Disney movies)
Billy Joel - The Stranger (an album like a movie)
Sixto Rodriguez - Cold Fact
...

But if I have to pick just one, I'll decide for

Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy

Some of the best songwriting and storytelling I've ever heard. I especially dig Werewolves Of London, Lawyers, Guns And Money and Roland, The Headless Thompson Gunner (brilliant lyrics, I could listen to that song all day, I never get tired of it). I like Zevon's dark humor and cynicism.

[Wario]

I have a few:

Paul Williams - A Little Bit Of Love, Ordinary Fool, and Here Comes Inspiration
Green Day - American Idiot
Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell I and II, Bad Attitude, and Blind Before I Stop
Ringo Starr - Time Takes Time

but besides Bat I or anything Meat Loaf, Paul's A Little Bit Of Love album is a very very nice album. Great songs and beautiful ballads. Superb. go and get it on Amazon.

[Julie in the rv mirror]

Some great responses so far- let's keep it going!

[Rage Against]

My favorite album of all time is Ride The Lightning by Metallica. To me this is the quintessential Metallica album.

Lightning has two of my favorite songs of all time, Fade To Black and For Whom the Bell Tolls. Creeping Death, although not as well known as the other two, is an incredible song too.

Kill Em All was my first Metallica album and took a few listens to decide I liked it, but Lightning had me hooked from my first listen. Ride the Lightning was a little less thrash and speed metal than Kill Em All but a little harder than Master of Puppets. Lightning was their sophmore offering, and I think Metallica benefited from their experiences recording Kill. Legendary album!!!!

Lightning, Kill and Puppets are three of my top ten favorite albums. But I'll leave that for another thread...

[Monstro]

Originally Posted by Rage Against

Fade To Black

And another of theirs is "One"

God I love those tracks, many's the time I listen to those.

[Rage Against]

Originally Posted by Monstro

And another of theirs is "One"

God I love those tracks, many's the time I listen to those.

Another great song!! Also their first song which they filmed a music video for.

[Monstro]

Originally Posted by Rage Against

Also their first song which they filmed a music video for.

Learn something very day, never knew that

[Sarge]

Originally Posted by Rage Against

Another great song!! Also their first song which they filmed a music video for.

Very good video, I like how they included scenes from Johnny Got His Gun (great movie / book).

[Rage Against]

And at the time I thought they were selling-out for doing a video.

[Monstro]

Just cost me money this thread, no bloody Metallica on my Iphone lol

[Steve6]

Originally Posted by Rage Against

My favorite album of all time is Ride The Lightning by Metallica. To me this is the quintessential Metallica album.

I could never get into it at all. I quiet liked Master of Puppets, but the Black Album was my favourite. "Nothing Else Matters", "Sad But True", "The Unforgiven", the album is brillant, but amongst the Metallica faithful it's regarded as one of the worst. Probaly considered better than St Anger which was a real dead loss altogether. I loved their cover of "Whiskey in the Jar" too.

[Rage Against]

Originally Posted by Steve6

I could never get into it at all. I quiet liked Master of Puppets, but the Black Album was my favourite. "Nothing Else Matters", "Sad But True", "The Unforgiven", the album is brillant, but amongst the Metallica faithful it's regarded as one of the worst. Probaly considered better than St Anger which was a real dead loss altogether. I loved their cover of "Whiskey in the Jar" too.

The Black Album is not my favorite, but those three songs are good. Wherever I May Roam is my ringtone on my cell. By the time the Black Album came along, Metallica had lost a lot of their thrash and speed metal influence. For me, And Justice For All started their turn away from thrash and speed and moved them more towards regular Metal and Hard Rock. They changed with the times, as they should have. But for me, the big three albums (Kill, Lightning and Puppets) will always be the best.

[The Flying Mouse]

Bat Out Of Hell.
Best album ever.
Fact!

[AndyK]

I don'thave one particular favourite album as such, although if pushed I'd probably take BooH to the mythical desert island with me. Springsteen's Born To Run rates up there as well, so I'd possibly try and smuggle that one with me too.

Most of my favourite albums remind me of certain times in my life for various reasons and IMO they're all bloody good so that's the reason why. The top of my list would include Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon, Magnum's On A Storytellers Night, Springsteen's Magic, Pandora's Box, Keane's Hopes and Fears, Coldplay's XandY, The Gaslight Anthem's The 59 Sound, U2's The Joshua Tree, The Stone's Exile On Main Street, to name but a few.

[Evil One]

Bat Out Of Hell 1 and 2. Both totally brilliant from beginning to end. Original Sin would be at the top if it had a couple more Steinman songs and no filler.

[Julie in the rv mirror]

Originally Posted by Monstro

Just cost me money this thread, no bloody Metallica on my Iphone lol

This is one of the reasons I started this thread- to point us in the direction of some music we might not otherwise have or listen to. I myself am rather intrigued by AndrewG's choice.

I was very impressed by Metallica at the HOF Anniversary show; I'm convinced those boys can play the crap out of anything. And I love, love, love their cover of Turn the Page.

Originally Posted by Sarge

Elton John - Madman Across The Water (long before Elton sang schmaltzy songs for Disney movies)

I love that one, too, especially the title track. The Disney songs aren't so bad, though, especially when you have a young child who is watching The Lion King for the 1,000th time- there are worse things to listen to.

Originally Posted by Sarge

Billy Joel - The Stranger (an album like a movie)

I have fond memories of that one, also, especially Scenes From an Italian Restaurant

...

Originally Posted by Sarge

But if I have to pick just one, I'll decide for

Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy

Some of the best songwriting and storytelling I've ever heard. I especially dig Werewolves Of London, Lawyers, Guns And Money and Roland, The Headless Thompson Gunner (brilliant lyrics, I could listen to that song all day, I never get tired of it). I like Zevon's dark humor and cynicism.

Ever seen/heard Bruce do Disorder in the House with him?

YouTube Video

[JennaG]

Other than Meat's albums my favourites are:

Neil Diamond - Hot August Night
Neil Diamond - Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Bon Jovi - Cross Road
Snow Patrol - Eyes Open

Eyes Open reminds me of when I worked in Woolworths because one of the managers really liked the album and used to play it a lot. I remember not liking it much to start with and then it grew on me. It also reminds me of the time when I went to see Snow Patrol live. It was the first concert I ever went to.

[jcmoorehead]

I can never really pin it down to just one album but to save on an essay I'll post about two of mine. The first is Bat Out Of Hell 2. I grew up listening to this album, I can listen to any song from it again and again and never get bored. It's an absolutely perfect album with very little to no flaws whatsoever.

Secondly, now I always have a problem pinning down my favourite Dream Theater album but I generally say my favourite is the first one of theirs I bought. It's called Octavarium, it's got eight tracks on it culminating in a twenty four minute epic also titled 'Octavarium.' It's a bit of a polarising album for Dream Theater fans but most are in agreement that the title track is one of if not their best song. For me the album is again perfect, it takes you from light to dark, showcases amazing musical talent with a lot of emotion.

Notable mentions
Transatlantic - The Whirlwind: Transatlantic have three albums, all of which are incredible prog rock journeys. The Whirlwind is a 77 minute suite of music that never gets dull or boring.

Opeth - Still Life: I could put any Opeth album here really because they're all brilliant. Still Life is probably my favourite althought 'My Arms, Your Hearse' and 'Ghost Reveries' come very close.

Ayreon - The Human Equation: I discovered Ayreon randomly on Last.FM. A song came on called 'Loser' and I quite liked it so looked into the album and artist and found out it was the brainchild of Arjen Lucasson and the Ayreon Project is a series of albums that tell a story. Human Equation is the story of a man in a coma after a car accident, he is trapped in his mind, etc. It also features one of my favourite vocalists James Labrie, playing the role of the man.

[melon]

I feel like I have just written an essay, apologies for the length

I have thought about this for a long time, if I actually try to think of my favorite album, I may give myself a brain injury, so instead I have just thought about the 5 albums that I seem to listen to the most at the moment, which should have the same effect without the brain injury. I like a lot of different stuff, Rock, a little Metal, Opera (Since I heard Meat do Come Back to Sorrento with Pavarotti), old Rock n Roll, Motown etc etc, but lately I have been in very much a rock mood, so, the Albums I find myself listening to the most lately:

1. Meat Loaf: HCTB
2. AC/DC: Iron Man
3. Meat Loaf: HCTB Live CD
4. Meat Loaf: Welcome to the Neighbourhood
5. Pearl: Little Immaculate White Fox (Until it got stuck in my crashed car )

HCTB
The album is just brilliant! The way the album is recorded sounds like Meat is right there with you, wherever you are. I have been listening to it a lot while I do my house work, I love the loud! The beats and the guitar. I have realized that the more guitar, the more I like! I find it very hard to choose favourite songs, so I never skip one and has been my most played CD since I left it playing in my car non-stop every trip for over a month, and I do a lot of driving. Its rock and I love it. The fact I have listened to it so much and have never grown tired of it added to the happiness Meat’s enthusiasm about it brings me makes it #1.

AC/DC: Iron Man
Well…. I am an Aussie, and who is the best in Rock that has any connection to Australia? Well the band formed here, AC/DC. This CD may just be a compilation of old songs that I already have on one CD, almost a best of CD, but its songs that I like all on one CD, saves me changing CD’s all the time. AC/DC is a rare band in my eyes, they have been able to keep their original sound throughout their career. In some cases a band, or any artist would be criticized for this, and AC/DC have, but from what I can tell for no real reason as I think AC/DC does it well, it works for them as they just keep it simple and play good rock. As my favourite second only to Meat, that makes this CD a certainty at #2.

HCTB Live
Now this may have been recorded when Meat was not having such a good time vocally etc, but it sounds fine to me, I quite enjoy it not being someone to get all nit picky about vocal quality. It’s the overall sound that does it for me . It sounds fun and has Amnesty & R&R Dreams, and I love the recordings of I want you so hard, Roadhouse Blues & Do it in the road. I often find myself repeating those tracks several times before letting the CD stacker change over to the next CD in the car. I love hearing the Sax, and Bat at any time is epic, especially when I’m driving . That makes this #3 on my list.

Welcome to the Neighbourhood
Even if I had risked a brain injury, this CD would be in the top 5 no matter what. I love every track, Amnesty, Where the Rubber Meets the Road, Original Sin, Left in the Dark, Martha….. all of it. For me this CD very nearly falls in the same class as HCTB in that I could listen to it for ages, never get tired of it, and never pick a favourite & that puts this one in #4 for me, even though it was difficult not to put it higher.

Little Immaculate White Fox
The rocking CD I was listening to when I crashed my car, resulting in it being stuck in the player when the Firemen cut my battery leads . I love the energy in this CD, and I love Pearl’s voice. The rocked up version of Nutbush City Limits gets me chair dancing and Rock Child has me head Banging on the Freeway (Motorway I guess for the UK people). Love Pyre & Mama are my other favourites as well as Check Out Charlie. #5 for Pearl. I’m off to buy a new one

Albums not to make it: Album’s I love, but just didn’t make it because I just listen to the albums above so much more.
Janis Joplin: Pearl – Vinyl – And it’s the only reason why it’s not up with the others, it’s not fair but I just don’t listen to it as much (And that’s what I based my list on) because the player is not as handy to me as my CD player, and I can’t play it in the car…. I need to buy it on CD
Meat Loaf: CHSIB
Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny
Born In Winter: Waiting in the Dark
Jimmy Barnes: The Rhythm & The Blues
John Farnham: Whispering Jack
The Dust Brothers: Fight Club Soundtrack

[Sarge]

Originally Posted by Julie in the rv mirror

I have fond memories of that one, also, especially Scenes From an Italian Restaurant

One of his best songs. It's interesting, I know some Meat Loaf fans who are also Billy fans and usually that song is one of their favorites.

Originally Posted by Julie in the rv mirror

Ever seen/heard Bruce do Disorder in the House with him?

Yeah, it's cool and sad at the same time. He was a true fighter.

Originally Posted by melon

Janis Joplin: Pearl

I wanted to list that one at first, too, but I decided to focus on songwriters and albums that were entirely written by one and the same person (like Bat Out Of Hell). Fantastic album!

[melon]

Yeah I wanted to put Bat in as well, and then Bat II and then it would have been dead ringer etc etc, but truth is I don't put those CD's in the player quite so often, they more get played in parts on my MP3 player and stuff