Your top 3 albums of all time are...

[ziggy]

What? Let's hear yours.

Mine are:
Prince - 1999
Bob Marley - Legend
Public enemy - It takes a nation of millions to hold us back

[BRNC]

Pinky...Wish You Were Here...

Beatles...Abbey Road...

Doobie Brothers...Minute By Minute...

[teej]

Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown

[dnbman]

Built to Spill- There's Nothing Wrong With Love
Boymerang- Balance of the Force
Nirvana- Nevermind

Then a thick layer of beats.

[Keetch]

Todd Rundgren - A Wizard A True Star
Yes - Tales of Topographic Oceans
Poi Dog Pondering - Pomagranite

honorable mention (sry!)
Led Zeppelin 1
Santana 1

Showing my age!

[Toocool]

Blink 182 Greatest Hits - Blink 182 (duh!)
When Your Heart Stops Beating - +44
American Idiot - Greenday

[teej]

American Idiot - Greenday

I almost put that one on there, it's a great album.

My only problem is I have almost as many favorites on 21st Century Breakdown, so I couldn't pick.

[ziggy]

It hurt me to leave this one off the list

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51EG24CYDRL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[bing!]

Damn, this one's a toughie... be back later.

[DCW]

A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders, Metallica - Ride the lightning, Steve Miller Band - The Greatest Hits

[Chef]

can greatest hits albums be considered?

[ziggy]

can greatest hits albums be considered?

I would say yes. Any album that you consider one of your three greatest.

[SWedd523]

1. Limewire
2. iTunes
3. iPhone





:facepalm:

[teej]

1. Limewire
2. iTunes
3. iPhone





:facepalm:

Even I use Limewire and I know a good album when I hear it.

[SWedd523]

Even I use Limewire and I know a good album when I hear it.

I prefer to get my music for free. I don't want to buy a whole cd filled with crap filler songs just so I can listen to the 3 good ones.

[dnbman]

I prefer to get my music for free. I don't want to buy a whole cd filled with crap filler songs just so I can listen to the 3 good ones.

So, why not legally pay for the songs that you like since that's now an option?

[SWedd523]

So, why not legally pay for the songs that you like since that's now an option?

why?














10char

[dnbman]

why?

Because you're stealing them. Don't get me wrong: I appreciate sharing the occasional music, especially if you aren't familiar with a band and want to check out the music. However, if you like the song and want to keep it, you should pay for it.

[teej]

Because you're stealing them. Don't get me wrong: I appreciate sharing the occasional music, especially if you aren't familiar with a band and want to check out the music. However, if you like the song and want to keep it, you should pay for it.

Without sounding like a jerk, nearly all modern bands either are passive or in favor of filesharing, and some bands have said they'd prefer their fans to download it for free rather than pay for it on iTunes, or on CD. Since very little of that sale actually reaches the band now, I'd hardly consider it "stealing," unless you also view how the record industry has treated bands for the last half-century as "stealing." Perhaps you view it as morally wrong, but that's a choice for everyone, and since most people who download on limewire can't afford or wouldn't buy anyway, it hasn't made THAT much of a difference, despite the record industry's whining.

But Swedd, if you're only listening to the singles and popular songs, you're missing out. A lot.

[SWedd523]

I'm not. I listen to very little modern day mainstream music. However, it's been known for a long time that artists know they only have a couple of "hits" per cd and the rest are just fluff. I just wouldn't like buying a whole cd and paying for other songs that I don't necessarily like. I prefer to listen to them and then download the very few I like.

That said, I have over 2300 songs on my phone. That's $2300+... actually more now considering they raised the prices, so nearly $3000 for music. I don't have that kind of money and I won't ever pay that much to listen to songs I like.

Agreeing with your point, I believe it was 9 inch nails that made an album that was exclusively for free download. Immortal Technique is another guy who openly refuses to sign with record labels because of the way they treat artists. Many other groups and artists are moving those directions. Also, most of the best hip hop is in mixtapes and they aren't openly marketed as cds either.

[dnbman]

Without sounding like a jerk, nearly all modern bands either are passive or in favor of filesharing, and some bands have said they'd prefer their fans to download it for free rather than pay for it on iTunes, or on CD. Since very little of that sale actually reaches the band now, I'd hardly consider it "stealing," unless you also view how the record industry has treated bands for the last half-century as "stealing." Perhaps you view it as morally wrong, but that's a choice for everyone, and since most people who download on limewire can't afford or wouldn't buy anyway, it hasn't made THAT much of a difference, despite the record industry's whining.

But Swedd, if you're only listening to the singles and popular songs, you're missing out. A lot.

"nearly all modern bands?" That's made up. The Dangermouses and Radioheads of the world are the minority. Yes, a lot of bands promote file sharing, especially the ones who realize they make most of their money off performances and gear. However, to suggest that bands would rather you take it for free than pay for it is pretty dishonest. There's also a difference between dropping a free album or song for promotion and an entire catalog of music being freely exchanged. As for your view of the record industry, their snakes, but they give contracts to starry eyed bands and made a lot of them rich in the process. Unfortunately, young bands make deals with the devil and then have to suffer the consequences. Of course, none of that matters if they become rock stars.

I worked in radio and have no love for the record industry in the slightest. However, to say that downloading on limewire is an individual moral choice is also wrong. It's a law. I may speed because I like going faster than the speed limit, but that's not an individual moral choice. I'm breaking the law.

I don't mean to sound all high and mighty. I'm a proponent of open source software, love artists who freely share music, and, again, hate the record industry. But none of that makes up for the fact that mass file sharing is stealing music. A generation of people is coming up that assumes anything available on the internet is free, which I think is the larger point.

[dnbman]

Agreeing with your point, I believe it was 9 inch nails that made an album that was exclusively for free download. Immortal Technique is another guy who openly refuses to sign with record labels because of the way they treat artists. Many other groups and artists are moving those directions. Also, most of the best hip hop is in mixtapes and they aren't openly marketed as cds either.

Those are individual choices and I applaud them. The rest of the artists who signed contracts did so that you would buy their music. DLing their music is stealing.

[teej]

"nearly all modern bands?" That's made up. The Dangermouses and Radioheads of the world are the minority. Yes, a lot of bands promote file sharing, especially the ones who realize they make most of their money off performances and gear. However, to suggest that bands would rather you take it for free than pay for it is pretty dishonest. There's also a difference between dropping a free album or song for promotion and an entire catalog of music being freely exchanged.

I can't tell you how many times I've been to a concert and heard a band say "just go get it somewhere online" instead of "go get our cd out in the lobby." They know that if more people hear it online for free, they're more likely to get concert sales than a few cents from a cd. There are lots of bands and rappers who would rather you take it for free, because in the end that makes them more money.

As far as breaking the law goes, there's a difference between written law and enforced law. Going 5 miles over the speed limit, while technically breaking the law, is 99% of the time going to be ignored by an officer because it's neither dangerous nor worthy of his time and gas (your tax dollars). Same thing with filesharing. While technically illegal, the people who are filesharing music are usually in the lower income brackets who can't afford to buy the songs as Swedd demonstrated, and won't be able to pay the fine if caught. Why not go after the child pornography and virus makers/hackers instead? It's common sense. Remember, in Oregon it's illegal to pump your own gas at a gas station or eat ice cream on Sundays, and in Florida it's illegal to sing if you're wearing a swimsuit. In dear old North Carolina, one can be arrested for singing off key. In South Carolina, oral sex is totally illegal. Should these all be considered breaking the law? They're still on the books...

[dnbman]

I can't tell you how many times I've been to a concert and heard a band say "just go get it somewhere online" instead of "go get our cd out in the lobby." They know that if more people hear it online for free, they're more likely to get concert sales than a few cents from a cd. There are lots of bands and rappers who would rather you take it for free, because in the end that makes them more money.

As far as breaking the law goes, there's a difference between written law and enforced law. Going 5 miles over the speed limit, while technically breaking the law, is 99% of the time going to be ignored by an officer because it's neither dangerous nor worthy of his time and gas (your tax dollars). Same thing with filesharing. While technically illegal, the people who are filesharing music are usually in the lower income brackets who can't afford to buy the songs as Swedd demonstrated, and won't be able to pay the fine if caught. Why not go after the child pornography and virus makers/hackers instead? It's common sense. Remember, in Oregon it's illegal to pump your own gas at a gas station or eat ice cream on Sundays, and in Florida it's illegal to sing if you're wearing a swimsuit. In dear old North Carolina, one can be arrested for singing off key. In South Carolina, oral sex is totally illegal. Should these all be considered breaking the law? They're still on the books...

1. I believe you could probably count the number of bands who have told you to go download for it free very easily IF they had music actually published and ready for sale. I know bands that make music for a living, and they all hope people will BUY their music rather than download it for free even if they do encourage people to sample for free. Sure, if they only have music on Myspace or a couple of other user uploaded sites, then, yeah, they might encourage you to download it for free.

2. Few bands who are trying to make it can outwardly express downloading is wrong because it would alienate fans. So, like a cheap whore, they give it up to whoever will listen to generate interest. Again, that's different than signed bands who have agreed to deals with record companies wanting you to take for free one of the things that allows them to pay their rent. Ask any other artist if you could make a copy of his artwork rather than pay him for it. Most professional artists would not want you to do that; they want to be paid for their work.

3. While you have somewhat of a point in your distinction between written law and enforced law, that distinction doesn't apply here. Record companies are dreaming up all kinds of ways to enforce the law, including suggesting to service providers to start charging by the amount of information downloaded, allowing media companies to effectively take a cut for access to their music. So, all of us who download ethically will all of a sudden have to start paying because the masses can't understand they are stealing.

4. You're making up data about "people who are usually filesharing." No they're not typically low income. There are rich kids and adults all over America in an arms race to download music just so they can compare gig counts to express their love of music. Who is doing it doesn't make it any more legal or ethical. Would you make the same argument for stealing money, cars, food, or clothes? No. Just because you can't afford something does not entitle you to it. In college, I would eat bagles and coffee for dinner because I spent my money on music. I didn't have the right to spend my money on other things and then steal CDs because I supposedly couldn't afford it.

5. Again, I don't think there's anything wrong with sampling music. However, if you like an artist or a song, you should buy their music. If you only like the one Santogold song, only buy the one song.

Lastly, I don't harshly judge people who DL music. I have close friends and lots of people I love who do it. So, don't think I'm up here losing sleep because people are downloading music. However, if you love music, you should purchase it. Again, I hate Metallica, the commercial record industry, and most pop radio stations. However, ever since the Sex Pistols, those bands should know they're making deals with the devil, and so I have little sympathy for them.

Bottom line: downloading copyrighted music is illegal unless the owner gives permission to download it. Whether you are comfortable with that is another thing.

[Toocool]

Remember, in Oregon it's illegal to pump your own gas at a gas station or eat ice cream on Sundays, and in Florida it's illegal to sing if you're wearing a swimsuit. In dear old North Carolina, one can be arrested for singing off key. In South Carolina, oral sex is totally illegal. Should these all be considered breaking the law? They're still on the books...

You're kidding me right?

[teej]

You're kidding me right?

Nope.

http://www.dumblaws.com

Oh wait, they have Australia, too :D

EDIT:

In Australia:


You may never leave your car keys in an unattended vehicle.

A life sentence is 25 years.

Only licensed electricians may change a light bulb.

Taxi cabs are required to carry a bale of hay in the trunk.

The legal age for straight sex is 16, unless the person is in the care/custody of the older person, in which case it is 18.

You must have a neck to knee swimsuit in order to swim at Brighton Beach.

It is illegal to wear hot pink pants after midday Sunday.

And I though NC was messed up. Holy shit. Foster's must be making a killing off your politicians.

[Toocool]

99% of that is outdated.
I can assure you, our taxis (well...where I live anyway) use the trunks to store luggage and crap, not hay.

[teej]

99% of that is outdated.
I can assure you, our taxis (well...where I live anyway) use the trunks to store luggage and crap, not hay.

All of the stuff I posted for the U.S. was outdated too. It's all still technically law though. All your taxi drivers break the law every day.

My point to DNBman was that there are laws for everything, but not all are really "law." For instance, since dnbman lives in South Carolina, he's broken the law with any of these, just like Swedd and my filesharing. Maybe not equally, but it's "breaking the law."


No work may be done on Sunday

Every adult male must bring a rifle to church on Sunday in order to ward off Indian attacks.

A person must be eighteen years old to play a pinball machine.

It is considered an offense to get a tattoo.

All in addition to the aforementioned oral sex law. None of these are enforced, just like filesharing. And dnb, I know filesharing laws aren't enforced because in the last case with I think Capitol Records vs. some Boston U student, they said they were no longer pursuing downloaders and would only ask service providers to issue warnings, and instead were going after the sources.

[Toocool]

Yeah I see where you're coming from. It's amusing at some of the dumbest laws people come up with. You kind of wonder what the politicians were back in those days.

"I debate that we make taxis put hay stacks in their trunks, if they don't, it will be illegal!"

"I concur!"

The stupidity of humanity :facepalm:

[TheBeagle]

Damn, this one's a toughie.. No kidding. Holy cow.

In no order:

1. Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

2. Ben Folds Five: The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

3. Pearl Jam: Vs.


This is still a tentative list because the following are also powerful albums to me:

The Doors: Strange Days
Fiona Apple: Extraordinary Machine
Springsteen: Nebraska
Elvis Presley: Aloha from Hawaii
The Who: Who's Next

......among others. Still, I'll stand by those top 3 for a few days at least ;)...(sorry for cheating...I won't contest any negative rep)

[bing!]

The question of one's favourite albums is ridiculous to the extent that it renders the choice nigh arbitrary, but, here goes...

Three favourites for the past few months:

- The Ocean - Precambrian (a concept album incorporating post-core, sludge and proggy sounds alongside string instruments)

- A((wake)) - Northern Lights/Crescent (a small, purely instrumental, outfit based in Portland which explores the post-prog metal soundscape)

- Dredg - The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion (almost a generic alt prog rock band with hard-core roots which I can't stop listening to, it's rather strange (my inability to leave this one be, not the actual album, which is pretty bland, yet unique, yet boring, yet captivating, argggghhhhh)

Three favourites in general:

- Spock's Beard - Snow (let's see, Snow is the kinda guy one could easily identify oneself with, plus, it's a 2 hour long concept album in a quirky and proggy fashion, this one definitely deserves to be here)

- Gordian Knot - Emergent (the Seans of prog metal, as I like to label anything these two touch (Sean Malone and Sean Reinert); an instrumental art-rock/prog metal endeavor I literally urge you to get, it's a must-hear)

- Faith no More - King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime (a stew of varying degrees, not much to add here if you haven't heard of 'em; this one houses one of my favourite songs, the ... don't let me die with that silky look in my eyes... one)

Now I feel dirty.

[ziggy]

If we are going to include "Greatest Hits" albums, then this is another one of my favorites that pains me to leave out of my top 3.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IQD0CKXYL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4KXTr35d-4


these guys have been making a living and filling up arenas off of these songs for the past 25 years.

This album reminds me of laid back parties in the 80s, you cannot possibly listen to it without it putting a smile on your face.

[ajbry]

Only three? Damn.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu88/ELUSIVTIVITY/600px-DrDreTheChronic.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lY3bA3NCFwI/Ryxpw1PctTI/AAAAAAAAAMs/pwVqKK0KU3E/s320/doomsday.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41R79QCNK6L._AA240_.jpg

[ziggy]

Only three? Damn.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu88/ELUSIVTIVITY/600px-DrDreTheChronic.jpg




At the time that The Chronic was out, I thought that it was amazing, but in hindsight I think that it took hip-hop in a direction that ultimately hurt the genre. Maybe it's not necessarily this album's fault, but the success of it led to hordes of less talented copycats.

My 2 cents.

[ajbry]

I agree, but it was absolutely authentic. And it was sonically incredible while being cohesive the whole way through.

I also think The Chronic has a bit of a weird reputation with the current generation. The singles from the album (G Thang in particular) are easily some of the least impressive tracks, but yet that's how the album will be remembered.

[Chef]

lil ghetto boy is the best song

[Walt Cronkite]

No kidding. Holy cow.

In no order:

1. Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

2. Ben Folds Five: The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

3. Pearl Jam: Vs.


Saw Ben Folds last night with the NC symphony orchestra. Lullabye was in the regular set and Narcolepsy was the second song in the first encore. A full orchestra behind those two was something I've wished I could see since I heard those tracks. Unreal.

My list is impossible to create. When I really start thinking about it I look at it from a "if you could only listen two 3 records for the rest of your life, what would you choose" perspective. If that was the case, I would probably not list my actual favorites... I've listened to those so many times I can recall them so well I'd probably never need them if stuck on an island that had only enough electricity to run a music playing device for the duration of my stay... they're already with me. Anyway, favorite (ie, most listened to) albums ever would be something like:

1a. Prince: Musicology or Purple Rain (too close to call, Musicology if I have to pick one)
1b. Radiohead: Kid A or OK Computer or Amnesiac (again, sorry, too tough but I guess Kid A)
1c. Bjork: Vespertine (sexay. Love Medulla for how incredible it's exploration of the human voice is, but Vespertine is a go to night time album)

Hard to leave off Ben Folds and a list of other artists, but my list just kept growing and growing, so I'll make a tough choice and select those three for now. FWIW, Folds was left off because I've been listening to him for so long that I can't really differentiate the albums and wouldn't ever be able to pick. If this was top 3 artists, he'd be there though.

[TheBeagle]

Saw Ben Folds last night with the NC symphony orchestra. Lullabye was in the regular set and Narcolepsy was the second song in the first encore. A full orchestra behind those two was something I've wished I could see since I heard those tracks. Unreal.

My list is impossible to create. When I really start thinking about it I look at it from a "if you could only listen two 3 records for the rest of your life, what would you choose" perspective. If that was the case, I would probably not list my actual favorites... I've listened to those so many times I can recall them so well I'd probably never need them if stuck on an island that had only enough electricity to run a music playing device for the duration of my stay... they're already with me. Anyway, favorite (ie, most listened to) albums ever would be something like:


Hard to leave off Ben Folds and a list of other artists, but my list just kept growing and growing, so I'll make a tough choice and select those three for now. FWIW, Folds was left off because I've been listening to him for so long that I can't really differentiate the albums and wouldn't ever be able to pick. If this was top 3 artists, he'd be there though. That was the Raleigh show you went to right? Quite jealous. Wish his Charlotte show last Friday would've had the symphony and not at the standing-room-only Fillmore. Ugh. Anyway, glad you got to make it. I was fortunate enough (maybe you were too) to get tix to the Five reunion show in Chapel Hill last fall, where they played the entirety of Reinhold, then some old school goodies (Eddie Walker, Jackson Cannery, etc.) for encore. I've met Ben a couple times backstage, but that reunion show was the ultimate for me....that was freakin' heaven...my favorite album maybe EVER played live. Still blows my mind.

Good approach to your list...with that template you provide, I may rework mine since I can play those 3 albums in their entirety in my head at any time. Hmmm.

Agreed for the most part about your comments on Ben's albums, but I'd say Reinhold, and to a lesser extent Songs for Silverman stand out on their own. Not saying they're better at all, but the "feel" of the songs on the respective albums have a unity the others don't. For that matter, Reinhold is one long song anyway, and its composition is pure genius...the ultimate concept album (sorry Sgt. Pepper and Tommy)!

[mj4life]

(1)prince 1999, (2)rick james street songs, (3)michael jackson off the wall

[ziggy]

(1)prince 1999, (2)rick james street songs, (3)michael jackson off the wall

Awesome album.

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w301/bobcatsplanet/cd-cover.jpg

It takes a confident MoFo to wear red thigh high boots :cool:

[Marvel]

Like Cronkite said, i have to go with if i had to chose only 3 albums to listen to for the rest of my life it would be these 3:
The Very Best of Marvin Gaye
Babylon by Bus-Bob Marley
Sadat X-Wild Cowboys
http://62.149.5.84.nyud.net/i/ae/df/5befb4cad7d039374f2836642660.jpeg
Company Flow
http://gimmerapidlinks.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/company_flow_-_funcrusher_plus1.jpg

...and it's so hard to leave these ones out

Cooleyhighharmony-Boyz II Men
Uprising,Exodus-Bob Marley
Electric Ladyland-Jimi Hendrix
The Show,the After Party the Hotel-Jodeci
Black Star
http://bostonist.com/attachments/rickbang/black-star.jpg

[tamburello]

3. Opeth - Orchid (1995): Debut album of the great Swedish progressive death metal band.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eQ4TLCw7QRQ/ScRkDy8QzZI/AAAAAAAABEs/Z2YzgVzdyoM/s400/cd+Orchid.jpg

2. Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979): Just "Comfortably Numb" itself would have been enough to put this album into the list, however there are many more great songs.
http://www.thestranger.com/lineout/files/2007/03/pink_floyd_the_wall.jpg

1. Judas Priest - Painkiller (1990): Almost all songs are legendary, beginning with "A Touch of Evil"
http://www.metallibrary.ru/bands/discographies/images/judas_priest/pictures/90_painkiller.jpg

[Chef]

here are my self imposed rules and qualifiers:
1. no greatest hits: not fair to whole albums, also includes Non-original soundtracks
2. top to bottom has to be good to great ie one great song can't carry a crappy album
3. the question I asked myself, if someone stole my cd's which ones would I have to replace the whole album and not just cherry pick the good songs from itunes

just to start: for my money it doesn't get any better than when michael bolton sings "when a man loves a woman"

1. Wu-Tang Clan: Enter the Wu Tang 36 Chambers
2. Notorious Big: Ready to Die
3. Outkast: Southerplaylisticcadialliacmusic

Honorable mentions: Sublime-40 oz, Chili Peppers- Californication, Al Green-Greatest Hits, Metallica- Black Album, John Legend- Get Lifted, Das Efx- They want the EFX, Jeru the Damaja- Sun Rises in the East, Bob Marley- Legend, Snoop Dog- Doggystyle, Tupac Greatest Hits, Tribe Called Quest- Low End Theory

[dnbman]

Das Efx- They want the EFX

WOW! Respect for that one!

[mj4life]

Awesome album.

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w301/bobcatsplanet/cd-cover.jpg

It takes a confident MoFo to wear red thigh high boots :cool:
rick was one of those artist who talent was overlooked cause of his personal issues