Not One Wasted Second; The Pursuit of the Perfect Album - article discussion

Wilderun - Sleep at the edge of the earth

You can listen to each individual track and enjoy it, but together they link into a wonderful whole, with musical themes being revisited and reworked.

An album that is emotional, rousing and also at points very heavy.

Given the genre, I appreciate it wont be to everyone's taste but that's my perfect album. My enjoyment of it has only continued grow since its release 5 years ago.
 
Excellent idea, this should be an interesting discussion. I heard the conversation on this concept on the Podcast and it got me thinking - two Albums below that for me are perfection:

Rush Moving Pictures - faultless album from start to finish, really it forms a defining moment for Rush as a band. Building on Permanent Waves change in direction.

Metallica Master of Puppets - a masterpiece, absolutely outstanding composition of tracks from start to finish. Every track here is outstanding and shows Metallica at their best.
 
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Hunky Dory by Bowie, Doolittle by thy the Pixies and, most of all Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem. Not a flaw on any of them.
 
The Verve - Urban Hymns.
Just a sublime album, was the first Minidisc I bought as well.
 
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The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
 
Super interesting read, Ed! Particularly with what you said about almost perfect albums. It's a tough justify sometimes. A couple of picks from me:

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is a miraculous album and sadly underappreciated.

The Doors - LA Woman. When I turn that on I am tuned in until it finishes.

I'll also use any opportunity to talk about Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer.

And two obvious choices: Miles Davis - Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew.

Maaaan, this good thinking food.
 
Metallica- Ride the Lightning This album stunned me from the opening salvo of Fight Fire with Fire through to the soudscape of The Call of Ktulu.
Slayer- Reign In Blood If Ride the Lightning stunned me, Reign in Blood blew my mind. A tour de force of aggression in 1986.
AC/DC- Powerage For me, this is their greatest album. Every song a blinder with one of the boogie woogiest guitar solos ever written on the track Up To My Neck in You.
Bjork- Homogenic A wonderful array of songs, beautifully recorded and sprinkled with Icelandic faery dust and fire.
EMantra- Nemesis If you like Psytrance or Goa Trance this album is a cracker of banging tunes.
Genesis- And Then There Were Three Old but gold and, I'm not into the Prog Rock twiddly stuff!
 
I got bored of radio/playlists after 2 weeks of WFH. Instead I've been listening to the whole of the top 500 albums of all time according to rolling stone magazine, from 500 down. Currently in the high 200's, having listened to a ton of stuff that i wouldn't normally have heard and I've fully fallen back in love with the format. I've especially enjoyed it when i've been able to use one of my own records, rather than streaming the album.
 
Despite being one of the biggest Queen fans on the planet I have to confess that every album has at least one track I don't particularly care for - Queen II is a masterpiece but The Loser in the End lets it down for me. A Night at the Opera is awesome but Sweet Lady is meh.

Moving on, The Wall is my favourite Pink Floyd album (of multiple fab albums) but again there's a bit too much Monty Python vocal silliness during the Trial to keep up those 100% levels.

Rush, Marillion, Dire Straits, they all have 1 track that glitches the matrix!

The only album I can think of that's 100% is Roger Waters' QSound enabled Amused to Death. Pure awesome.
 
Marvin Gaye‘s What’s Going On
 
Most Bowie albums are "100% killer, no filler", but my favourite is Diamond Dogs. It sets such a fantastic mood, though definitely not one to listen to if you're feeling depressed!

Another old album I never tire of and it has to be listened to all the way through is Lou Reed's "Transformer".
In contrast to the above, it's quirky and playful in places... and his original version of Perfect Day is sublime.
 
Great article, but what...the hell... is with the picture of some buffoon holding that precious record like that?! 🤬
 
I put this list in the Thread of last week's Podcast, but here it is again - all perfect Albums IMHO.

1) Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon
2) Crowded House, Woodface
3) Steely Dan, Katy Lied
4) The Black Sorrows, Beat Club
 
For me the perfect album has to be one where i can relax to and be taken on a journey by the music....there aren't many records that do that to me though.

One i have bought in many versions on vinyl over the years comes to mind and is perfect in every way possible....and that's Enigma's MCMXC a.D. from 1990.
From the moment i heard the first single from that album (sadness part 1) i was sold and bought the 7" and afterwards the LP. Meanwhile i still got those and a picture disc version and a copy that's part of the Colors of Enigma series in 180 grams red vinyl.
Ohh and have the cd as well ;)
Still play it regularly......

Second would be the Madonna record Confessions On A Dancefloor which i also own on vinyl in a special pink colored vinyl :smashin:
 
Screen Shot 2020-07-18 at 11.27.13.png

All 100% perfect and wouldn't change a note.
 
Great topic and I agree with lots on here, Talk Talk, Massive Attack, Neutral Milk Hotel, Metalica, Pixies. I have just been purusing my Roon favourite albums tag looking to contribute something, how about...

Beyond Skin - Nitin Sawhney
Mark Hollis - Mark Hollis
Psyence Fiction - UNKLE
Valtari - Sigur Ros
Music Has the Right to Children - Boards of Canada
 
Ten that spring immediately to mind for me......

Free - Fire & Water
Rush - Moving Waves
Jennifer Warnes - The Hunter
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Couldn't Stand The Weather
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
Peter Gabriel - So
Rickie Lee Jones - Rickie Lee Jones
Sade - Diamond Life
Dire Straits - Dire Straits
 
Great article, but what...the hell... is with the picture of some buffoon holding that precious record like that?! 🤬

These pieces make use of stock pics listed for free use (album covers are a bit of a grey area but are tolerated for example purposes). The choices of free use for 'perfect album' and related subjects weren't that great.
 
Great article, but what...the hell... is with the picture of some buffoon holding that precious record like that?! 🤬

These pieces make use of stock pics listed for free use (album covers are a bit of a grey area but are tolerated for example purposes). The choices of free use for 'perfect album' and related subjects weren't that great.
 
Pink Floyd - Dark side of the moon. An album well ahead of its time and still sounds great to this day.
Will watch this thread and add everyone's recommendations to a Spotify playlist. Look forward to hearing some new albums/tracks.
 
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