Anonymous wrote:I generally agree with the factors listed by a PP and I think that based on those, Purple Rain and Thriller are definitely top contenders (in, inevitably, a specific cultural context). I think the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever should be on the list of contenders. It's truly hard to pick a "best" considering the vast variety of music out there. And, from my particular bicultural context, Siembra by Ruben Blades and Willie Colon is another landmark album of all time.

Anonymous wrote:August and Everything After by Counting Crows. Every song was at LEAST good (Mr. Jones being the weakest song on the album).

Anonymous wrote:I generally agree with the factors listed by a PP and I think that based on those, Purple Rain and Thriller are definitely top contenders (in, inevitably, a specific cultural context). I think the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever should be on the list of contenders. It's truly hard to pick a "best" considering the vast variety of music out there. And, from my particular bicultural context, Siembra by Ruben Blades and Willie Colon is another landmark album of all time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thriller by Michael Jackson

I came here to say the same thing. Hands down.

Anonymous wrote:Seconding some from upthread:
Graceland, Paul Simon
Blue, Joni Mitchell
Miseducation…

Adding Blood on the Tracks (Dylan)
Songs in the Key of Life

Now I wanna go listen to some albums!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Revolver

This is the right answer. And Abbey Road is number 2.

Come on, people, only two mentions of the Beatles? I'm not even a huge Beatles fan, but that's absurd.

Anonymous wrote:Carole King, Tapestry

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Revolver

This is the right answer. And Abbey Road is number 2.

Come on, people, only two mentions of the Beatles? I'm not even a huge Beatles fan, but that's absurd.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not to take the fun out of this, but there's a difference between 'my favorite album' and what i think the 'best album' of all time is.

And I think you have to make an effort to quantify it with scores/categories

- Longevity: Do people still listen to it?
- Critical Success: Did the critics like it?
- Commercial Success: Did the general population like it?
- Influence: Can you see the impacts of the music on future artists?
- Consistency: Is each song on the album good? An album with 4 amazing songs and 4 duds would not qualify.

Obviously, the answers to these questions are still subjective and open to opinion, so I don't think it would get us to an absolute answer.

But I do think it would disqualify some of the albums suggested.

For example, Use your Illusion would fail the consistency test; its a double album with too many 'meh' songs. Or, Def Leopard would fail the influence test; you can't REALLY hear much Def Leopard influence in modern music.

Meanwhile (I'm the PP that recommended Born to Run in a PP), I can now see that Michael Jackson may actually score higher on these than Bruce in Influence (and maybe longevity). You're more likely to hear MJ's influence on the radio than Bruce's (though you are more likely to hear Bruce's influence on Country radio than Rock)

I think when we look at this though, I think we need to consider Metallica's Black album. There's not a bad song it. People still listen to it. It was a critical and commercial success. And it has probably influenced/introduced more people to Heavy Metal than any other album.

OMG, I *hate* the Black Album!! It was such a disappointment.
- PP who named ...And Justice For All

Anonymous wrote:Not to take the fun out of this, but there's a difference between 'my favorite album' and what i think the 'best album' of all time is.

And I think you have to make an effort to quantify it with scores/categories

- Longevity: Do people still listen to it?
- Critical Success: Did the critics like it?
- Commercial Success: Did the general population like it?
- Influence: Can you see the impacts of the music on future artists?
- Consistency: Is each song on the album good? An album with 4 amazing songs and 4 duds would not qualify.

Obviously, the answers to these questions are still subjective and open to opinion, so I don't think it would get us to an absolute answer.

But I do think it would disqualify some of the albums suggested.

For example, Use your Illusion would fail the consistency test; its a double album with too many 'meh' songs. Or, Def Leopard would fail the influence test; you can't REALLY hear much Def Leopard influence in modern music.

Meanwhile (I'm the PP that recommended Born to Run in a PP), I can now see that Michael Jackson may actually score higher on these than Bruce in Influence (and maybe longevity). You're more likely to hear MJ's influence on the radio than Bruce's (though you are more likely to hear Bruce's influence on Country radio than Rock)

I think when we look at this though, I think we need to consider Metallica's Black album. There's not a bad song it. People still listen to it. It was a critical and commercial success. And it has probably influenced/introduced more people to Heavy Metal than any other album.

Anonymous wrote:Not to take the fun out of this, but there's a difference between 'my favorite album' and what i think the 'best album' of all time is.

And I think you have to make an effort to quantify it with scores/categories

- Longevity: Do people still listen to it?
- Critical Success: Did the critics like it?
- Commercial Success: Did the general population like it?
- Influence: Can you see the impacts of the music on future artists?
- Consistency: Is each song on the album good? An album with 4 amazing songs and 4 duds would not qualify.

Obviously, the answers to these questions are still subjective and open to opinion, so I don't think it would get us to an absolute answer.

But I do think it would disqualify some of the albums suggested.

For example, Use your Illusion would fail the consistency test; its a double album with too many 'meh' songs. Or, Def Leopard would fail the influence test; you can't REALLY hear much Def Leopard influence in modern music.

Meanwhile (I'm the PP that recommended Born to Run in a PP), I can now see that Michael Jackson may actually score higher on these than Bruce in Influence (and maybe longevity). You're more likely to hear MJ's influence on the radio than Bruce's (though you are more likely to hear Bruce's influence on Country radio than Rock)

I think when we look at this though, I think we need to consider Metallica's Black album. There's not a bad song it. People still listen to it. It was a critical and commercial success. And it has probably influenced/introduced more people to Heavy Metal than any other album.