The Best Album Ever

[Nazgûl]

Great shout on the Songs Ohia album. I've very little time for anything 'country' sounding (aside from Townes and the odd thing like that), but Magnolia Electric Company is an absolutely cracking album.

[Carnage]

Neil Young - Harvest
Townes Van Zandt - The Late Great Townes Van Zandt
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

For a later/more experimental twist I'd throw in Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones in there too.

I'm with you on Young and Townes, but the other three wouldn't do it for me. Mitchell's voice wouldn't be my cup of tea, whoever let Dylan near a microphone should have been hung, drawn and quartered (he can write but can't sing, and that harmonica should be shoved up his hole, sideways), and I caught an ex cheating with a Van Morrison song on in the background, that and him being a fucking tool have always put me off.

As for Waits, once you get out of the '70s pretension took him over IMO. I find his '80s work unlistenable and he's been pretty patchy since. Mule Variations is mighty though. If I had to throw a Waits album in it'd be Small Change.

Townes Van Zandt was amazing though, totally underrated. If you ever come across it, there's a great live album with him, Steve Earle and Guy Clarke (Together At The Bluebird Cafe), where they each play a few tunes and tell the stories behind them. Mighty.

Another one for the singer/songwriter list: Kris Kristofferson: Kristofferson. Worth it for Sunday Morning Coming Down alone.

[son of the Morrigan]

Plenty, but I'd go one further and ask if any other act has a similarly flawless discography? There's not one DCD release I don't think is amazing TBH, and I can't think of anyone else I could say that about.

The Doors, each album as brilliant as the last.
LA Woman is near perfection, it would have been in my top two were it not for Rory Gallagher.

[Caomhaoin]

Rome release consistently brilliant albums. That cunt Reuter is The King of Neo-Folk.

Pity Reddit retards think he's a fascist over that Rhodesia album.

[91/30]

Townes Van Zandt was amazing though, totally underrated. If you ever come across it, there's a great live album with him, Steve Earle and Guy Clarke (Together At The Bluebird Cafe), where they each play a few tunes and tell the stories behind them. Mighty.

Another one for the singer/songwriter list: Kris Kristofferson: Kristofferson. Worth it for Sunday Morning Coming Down alone.

I found that CD in with a pile of other so called alt-country related CDs at a charity shop a few weeks ago. I bought the whole lot, about 2 dozen including 4 Uncle Tupelo reissues.  I've not had much chance of an evening to sit down and listen to them all but Uncle Tupelo's 'No Depression' is a new favorite, before this I'd never heard a note they played.

[open face surgery]

I've been listening to a lot of what I'd call 'singer-songwriter' music lately, mostly stripped down acoustic based stuff. A few that have been hitting the spot...

Neil Young - Harvest
Townes Van Zandt - The Late Great Townes Van Zandt
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

I'd reckon all of them would have a claim to the best album ever, there's no tricks or gimmicks to hide behind, just pure songwriting.

For a later/more experimental twist I'd throw in Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones in there too.

Never really listened to Townes Van Zandt, really enjoyed that album. Cheers for that!

To add to the singer song writer stuff, I love Songs of Love and Hate by Leonard Cohen. Think famous blue raincoat is up there for favourite song, and then the sing along, sing another song boys.. And the "rocking" diamonds in the mine. Like you say, nowhere to hide. Think I got into Cohen after years of rock and metal and was blown away by just words and guitar, and angelic backing vocals in the case of Leonard.

And I have to throw in The Magnolia Electric Co by Songs Ohia with the "singer songwriter" stuff.

Only heard of Songs:Ohia and have that album marked to listen to.

Songs of Love and Hate is without doubt a 10/10 perfect album. Still not entertaining this idea of any album being the best album ever though.

[StoutAndAle]

The Doors, each album as brilliant as the last.
LA Woman is near perfection, it would have been in my top two were it not for Rory Gallagher.

I'm big fan of The Doors myself and I'd be nearly inclined to agree with you except that I remembered "The Soft Parade" (bar the opening two tracks) is pretty much shit served over ice.

[StoutAndAle]

The Doors, each album as brilliant as the last.
LA Woman is near perfection, it would have been in my top two were it not for Rory Gallagher.

I'm big fan of The Doors myself and I'd be nearly inclined to agree with you except that I remembered "The Soft Parade" (bar the opening two tracks) is pretty much shit served over ice.

Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour, for instance, is fucking brilliant.

Damn straight.

[astfgyl]

Still not entertaining this idea of any album being the best album ever though.

Ah yeah, there can't be just one but each person will have their own couple of contenders. Sure albums would have to stop being made to really judge, and imagine the stuff we might have missed from the very early days, too. Never tried Leonard Cohen either, now he's been mentioned.

[open face surgery]

Wasn't having a go. I just have too many contenders to even begin to think about it.

[ldj]

Just listening to Songs of Love and Hate for the first time now, it definitely has that darker folky sound I was looking for, I also realised, as good as he is, Nick Cave lifted a lot of his vocal melodies/style from Cohen.

[StoutAndAle]

Plenty, but I'd go one further and ask if any other act has a similarly flawless discography?

I was listening to Fugazi last night. There's an argument (no pun intended) to be made that their 6 studio albums are pretty much flawless. And each album progresses from the last in terms of expanding their sound.

[Caomhaoin]

I think Fugazi are one of the most overrated 'darling' bands around. I played one if their tunes on guitar for my leaving cert music exam though, youthful indiscretion.

[Eoin McLove]

Nah, Fugazi were deadly.

[Carnage]

Repeater is fantastic but none of their other stuff appealed to me TBH.