[Ike]

Spawned from a question in one of the tournaments, I'm curious what our music forum residents consider essential albums for a true music fan?

Obviously, a lot of albums by The Stones, The Beatles, Dylan, etc. are essential, so I'm looking more for things that aren't as mainstream...something every aficionado would have in their collection, that maybe your average Nickelback fan wouldn't.

[KeithH]

From the jazz arena, here are a few:

* Miles Davis Kind of Blue and In A Silent Way
* The Dave Brubeck Quartet Time Out
* John Coltrane Blue Train and A Love Supreme
* Billie Holiday Lady in Satin

I only got into jazz recently, so my collection is rather limited at present. While I could add many other titles to the list based on their reputation as being classics, I don't have them, so I would rather not state them.

If Mike Broadman tunes into this thread, I'm sure he will give a definitive list for jazz. One other suggestion I have is that you head to a Borders bookstore if you have one in your area (US). Borders has free booklets describing essential jazz and classical titles. They are nice reference materials for folks that are new to these genres.

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

Essential prog:

• Yes - Close to the Edge
• Genesis - Selling England by the Pound
• Emerson Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery
• Kansas - Leftoverture
• Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
• Rush - Moving Pictures

Essential Ange Hamm:

• Joe Jackson - Night and Day, Night and Day II, Heaven and Hell
• Cindy Morgan - The Loving Kind
• The Who - Who's Next, Quadrophenia
• Peter Gabriel - Up, Security
• Phil Keaggy - Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child, The Master and the Musician
• Sam Phillips - Fan Dance
• Rich Mullins - A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band
• Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
• Bruce Cockburn - Stealing Fire, The Charity of Night
• T-Bone Burnett - The Talking Animals
• Devo - Oh No! It's DEVO
• Kansas - Somewhere to Elsewhere

and of course:

• Wesley Willis Fiasco - Spookydisharmoniousconflicthellride

[Steven Hen]

My Jazz essentials

Art Blakey - Moanin'
Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else
Mingus Ah Um
Wes Montgomery - Full House
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
Miles Davis - Cookin' (SACD)---Keith, you get this one yet?

[KeithH]

Steven, good call on Mingus Ah Um.

You asked:

Quote:

Miles Davis - Cookin' (SACD)---Keith, you get this one yet?

No, not yet. For now, I am "getting by" with the 20-bit K2 and DCC gold CDs. I nearly picked up the SACD when I was at a Tower Records in Seattle during a business trip a few weeks ago, but I bought a couple CDs instead. Then about a week later, I nearly picked up the SACD at a Tower Records in New Jersey, but I bought the CCR Willy and the Poorboys SACD instead. Since Tower is having a 10%-off sale on SACDs through early January, I will be making at least one more trip there between now and then and may grab Cookin'. The wantlist is so extensive, I can't buy everything immediately.

[John Watson]

For "roots" rock, a coupla movie soundtrack compilations are good -DINER, which has tracks by Darin, Jimmy Reed, even Elvis; and AMERICAN GRAFFITI, which has an eclectic mix of the pre-Beatles era stuff...

[Angelo.M]

• miles davis birth of the cool
• the velvet underground and nico
• the band music from big pink, the band and the last waltz
• uncle tupelo anodyne
• whiskeytown strangers almanac
• son volt trace
• wilco being there
• the cowboy junkies trinity session
• b.b. king live at the regal

[Mike Broadman]

I'm so proud of my fellow Music Forum participants for jumping in with the jazz titles right away.

I'm just going to rattle off a few albums off the top of my head. A real definitive list would be too long.

Miles Davis:
Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain, Miles Smiles, Bitches Brew, Cookin'

John Coltrane:
My Favorite Things, Giant Steps, A Love Supreme, Blue Trane

The Beatles:
Revolver, Sgt Peppper's Lonely Heart's Club Band

Dream Theater:
Images & Words, Metropolis 2: Scenes From A Memory

Charles Mingus:
Ah Um, Blues & Roots, Mingus * 5, Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

Rush:
Fly By Night, 2112, Hemispheres, Moving Pictures

Led Zeppelin:
II, IV, Houses of the Holy

Thelonious Monk:
Brillant Corners, Monk's Music, Monk By 5 By Monk, Trios

Jethro Tull:
Minstrel in the Gallery, Aqualung, Thick As A Brick

Sonny Rollins:
Saxophone Collossus, The Bridge, Way Out West

Herbie Hancock:
My Point of View, Emyprean Isles, Headhunters

Frank Zappa:
Overnite Sensation, Joe's Garage, Hot Rats

King Crimson:
In the Court of the Crimson King, Lark's Tongues in Aspic, Discipline

BB King:
Live at the Regal, Live at Cook County Prison

Johny Cash: Live at Fulsom Prison

Metallica: Master of Puppets

Iron Maiden: Number of the Beast, Powerslave

Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde

Joni Mitchell: Court And Spark, Blue, Heijira

Dizzy Gillespie: Birk's Works

Art Blakey: A Night in Tunisia, Caravan

Genesis: Foxtrot, Selling England By the Pound

Michael Jackson: Thriller

Paul Simon: Graceland

Charlie Parker: any good compilation, at least

Marillion: Misplaced Childhood, Anoraknophobia

Radiohead: OK Computer

Queen: A Night At the Opera, Sheer Heart Attack

Deep Purple: Fireball, Machine Head

Yes: Fragile, Close to the Edge

Dave Brubeck: Take 5

Ella Fitzgerald: Live in Berlin

Wes Montgomery: Incredible Jazz Guitar, Full House

Duke Ellington: see Charlie Parker

[KeithH]

Mike, I very nearly listed Bitches Brew and probably should have, but I went with In A Silent Way since it is often credited with Miles ascent (or descent, depending on one's point of view; I prefer ascent) into fusion. Both recordings are worthy of "essential" status, in my opinion.

[LawrenceK]

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures, Closer, Substance
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
Pixies - Surfer Rosa, Doolittle
The Clash - The Clash [UK], London Calling
The Sex Pistols - Nevermind The Bollocks...
The Stooges - Fun House
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust, Hunky Dory, Low
The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band
The Ramones - Ramones
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead, Strangeways Here We Come
The Who - Live at Leeds

[Fletch]

1.Patto-rollem,smokem,put another line out. 2.Hawaii Five-O Original TV strk. 3.Juicy Lucy-anything by them. 4.Lone Star-Firing on all six. 5.Dr. Hook-Belly up! 6.Synergy -Sequencer 7.Black Oak Arkansas-Raunch & Roll Live 8.Emerson Lake Palmer-WBMFTTSTNE-Live.9.Grand Funk-Live 1st album. 10.Triumvirat-Illusions on a Double Dimple