The Greatest Album Of All Time

[Sharktopus]

I think a Worst Album Of All Time thread might be more fun... Plus, you could still include Metallica:

[mrbasehart]

I don't think I could include St Anger.  It inspired Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, which was fantastic.  It's like a real-life version of This is Spinal Tap.

[Sharktopus]

I don't think I could include St Anger.  It inspired Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, which was fantastic.  It's like a real-life version of This is Spinal Tap.

But would Some Kind Of Monster be that interesting if it was the making of an album that didn't suck? It adds an extra layer of nuance, knowing that the end result turns out to be an utter failure.

[mrbasehart]

But would Some Kind Of Monster be that interesting if it was the making of an album that didn't suck? It adds an extra layer of nuance, knowing that the end result turns out to be an utter failure.

Honestly, I don't think it would.  The "meat" of the drama comes from when Hetfield decides to check himself in AA and has to obide by certain rules that hinder the progress of the album.  The funny stuff comes as a result, like Kirk Hamnet saying something like "Because Lars and James have such big egos, I try to have no ego." Or when Lars' father hears some of the upcoming tracks for the album and says he doesn't like them (they aren't among the ones that were released).  Let it Be is a pretty good album, and that's also a good documentary, too.  Though perhaps knowing it was The Beatles' last live performance does add some pathos.

Ah! Forget everything I said! 

[sarcasm_made_Easy]

I was thinnking the black album because of its sales and air time and number of singles, but by that time mettalica had already taken america by storm so decided to pick the one that start their career of great albums (and some recent blase ones). 

White album because its the beatles and they were, well the beatles.  Huge by any standard really.

[jewishcarpenter]

I would've told you Radiohead's "Kid A" up until a few months ago and then I purchased Boards of Canada's EP "In A Beautiful Place Out In the Country". This album makes me enjoy being a human being. Analog keyboards that bring back good memories. The perfect album to put on repeat and just drive around listening to for a few hours (if you're into wasting fuel). If you want to think happy thoughts, you should check this album out. Strictly ethereal and soul cleansing. I don't think I could ever get tired of listening to this album.

[Teaflax]

Putting an album on repeat will ruin it. Don't wear your music out.

[Nunyerbiz]

Just to chime in on all the Metallica talk...

Master of Puppets is their high point. Everything before wasn't polished enough, everything after was either too polished (Black album thru the Load/Reload era) or sounded freakin awful due to horrid production (Justice and St.Anger). Don't get me wrong, I truly do love Justice... but my god... the tinny drums and burying Newsted so down far in the mix that I'm convinced they didn't replace Burton until after the album was wrapped... it just wasn't nearly as good as it coulda/shoulda been.

[Teaflax]

^^What Nunyer said. Master of Puppets was also quite groundbreaking musically, adding an extra layer of complexity to the already heavy thud of their sound. I never thought Justice lived up to that, even though it is a fine album.

[RaoulDuke]

bob dylan blood on the tracks or desire or highway 61
grateful dead american beauty
pink floyd meddle


these are my three greatest albums

[mrbasehart]

I prefer Hetfield's voice on the Black album (and subsequently).  I think he said he blew his voice out on the Black album and had to go to a proper voice coach.  It's deeper and has more range now. 

[SecretAgentSuperDragon]

bob dylan blood on the tracks or desire or highway 61
grateful dead american beauty
pink floyd meddle


these are my three greatest albums

Yeah Meddle is a really sweet album. So is Blood on the Tracks(My favorite Dylan).
How about some Tom Petty. Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers are great albums whose tracks are unskippable.

[Famous Mortimer]

[Teaflax]

Well, one would certainly hope that every reasonably adult person would understand that.

I rarely put in caveats like "according to me" or things like that when writing about what I think of music, because it's got to be obvious that as long as you're discussing good/bad it is simply an opinion and nothing else. It may be a well-founded opinion you can argue for, but an opinion nonetheless.

Not to say that there aren't plenty of semi-empirical aspects that could be contentious ("What is catchy?") and things that are more or less indisputable ("The High Llamas are heavily influenced by The Beach Boys") but when it comes to good, better, bad or worse it's all just an opinion predicated on what it is that you value in music.

[Tarantulas]

Best (commercially successful) album of all time?

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon