Perfection is a state of being so hard to come by in any form. But, with music you can find it especially if you make your own rules about what musical perfection is.
Since the record album’s demise as a legitimate unit of music has been long talked about or simply declared dead because of the rise of iTunes and digital music, I thought it would be a good time to reflect. In other words, since we’ll not likely see another surge in album popularity, it’s time to take stock in what we had.
Do you have a “perfect” album? What makes it a perfect album? If you have to think about it, doesn’t that mean it’s not perfect?
The topic of a perfect album has been done before on the blogosphere. But, in this instance, this hip hop oriented blogger didn’t really flesh out what makes an album perfect. Even a corporate media blogger at the The Chicago Trib took a turn at it, too, and there are some good examples left by the commenters.
Here’s my take.
An old friend from high school days texted me last week, “I’m playing ‘Moving Pictures’ by Rush over and over and I’m not getting sick of it.” My response: “Because it’s a perfect album”. I didn’t really think about it before I responded because I just knew it. It’s not an opinion born out of competitive musical tastes but just a gut feeling I have for that album and several others.
Why is it a perfect album? Here are the rules that I just made up today with the help of my co-worker but also because all of the “perfect albums” I could think of in the last few hours share the same traits. It wasn’t hard.
My rules are:
1. The album is an original collection of songs. No “greatest hits” of songs from other albums or live albums .
2. You’ve never become sick of the album.
3. The songs on the album fit together like a puzzle. But, it doesn’t have to literally be a concept album. Each song complements one another. For example, one song could be a lot less creative than the others but this in turn makes the other songs that much stronger.
4. There could be a relatively stinky song on the album but, like point #4, it doesn’t stink enough to bring the album out of perfection.
5. It doesn’t have to be an album by the same artists, i.e. it can be a soundtrack.
6. Nor does it have to an album of original material, i.e. it can be cover tunes.
7. Most importantly… when you hear only one song off the album on the radio or on your MP3 player, you have a strong desire to hear the entire album because it just doesn’t feel right without doing so.
The point is that the songs feel right together, in the order by which they were decided by the artist or producer. It can capture a time your life, be technically groundbreaking or just shred but you think of the music as not just a couple good songs and the rest but rather as a whole unit.
Here’s my list of perfect albums so far, alpha by artist:
Boston, “Boston”
Bruce Cockburn, “Charity of Night”
Soundtrack, “Rush” (mostly Eric Clapton)
Foo Fighters, “The Color and The Shape”
Living Colour, “Vivid”
Metallica, “Master of Puppets”
Metallica, “…and Justice for All”
Prince, “Purple Rain”
R.E.M., “Green”
Rush, “Moving Pictures”
Rush, “Permanent Waves”
Tesla, “Mechanical Resonance” (added 4/5)
U2, “The Unforgettable Fire” (added 3/14)
Van Halen, “5150″
Van Halen, “Van Halen I”
Weezer, The “Blue” Album
What are YOUR “perfect albums”? What rules do you use to determine their perfection? Are they just perfect with no need for explanation?
12 responses so far ↓
Jimmy Coup // March 14, 2009 at 8:00 am |
Funny you put this FWD…BECAUSE!!….i have discussed this idea several times in the recent months!!!..In the land where we can just fast fwd a cd, I almost NEVER listen to a whole album!…EXCEPT for a certain few records that pass all the way thru and never let me down..and the band RUSH is my biggest winner….I did and still do LOVE them….and now even more as the songs and records stood the test of time…and beyond!.
in no particular order:
1. Rush “2112″
2. Rush “Moving Pictures”
3. Rush “Rush”
*(Actually, every Rush record until after “Grace Under Pressure”)
4. Beach Boys “Pet Sounds”
5. XTC “Skylarking”
6. Journey “Escape”
7. Del Amitri “Change Everything”
8. Led Zeppelin “Houses of The Holy”
9. Jellyfish “Spilt Milk”
10. Metallica “Kill’em All”
11. Pat Benetar “Crimes of Passion”
12. Pat Benetart “Precious Time”
13. Black Sabbath “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”
14. Corrosion Of Conformity “Blind”
15. Thin Lizzy “Live and Dangerous” Special Mention!!!!!!!(this is THE Thin Lizzy record and Thin Lizzy experience. The studio records do not do them Justice and this entire record flows like a good high!…even inspires bands to re-create (word for word) the album from start to finish in live venues around the world!!) A work of art.
C-Flo // March 14, 2009 at 9:59 am |
In no order…
1. Smashing Pumpkins – “Siamese Dream”
2. Smashing Pumpkins – “Pisces Iscariot”
3. Van Halen – “5150″
4. Prince – “Purple Rain”
5. The Lemonheads – “It’s a Shame About Ray”
6. The Afghan Whigs – “1965″
7. Alice in Chains – “Dirt”
8. Stone Temple Pilots – “Core”
9. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Are You Experienced?”
10. Counting Crows – “August & Everything After”
11. Aimee Mann – “Lost in Space”
12. N.W.A. – “Straight Outta Compton”
13. Led Zeppelin – “III”
14. Guns N’ Roses – “Appetite for Destruction”
15. The Smiths – “The Queen is Dead”
16. Tesla – “Five Man Acoustical Jam”
17. INXS – “Kick”
18. Depeche Mode – “Violator”
19. Van Morrison – “Astral Weeks”
20. The Brian Jonestown Massacre – “Bravery Repetition & Noise”
21. Ratt – “Out of the Cellar”
22. The Jayhawks – “Hollywood Town Hall”
23. Pantera – “Vulgar Display of Power”
24. Mogwai – “Mr. Beast”
25. Pearl Jam – “Vs.”
26. Tool – “Undertow”
27. Soundgarden – “Superunknown”
28. Peter Gabriel – “Last Temptation of Christ” Soundtrack
29. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Axis: Bold As Love”
30. Danzig – “Danzig”
Sandman // March 14, 2009 at 4:06 pm |
I love this topic… I agree with most of your rules except one, no “live albums”. There are some very good and unique live albums which have made my list.
Here is my list in no particular order:
Metallica, “Master of Puppets”
Guns N’ Roses, “Appetite for Destruction”
Tesla, “Five Man Acoustical Jam”
Great Big Sea, “The Hard And The Easy”
Eric Clapton, “Unplugged”
Paul Neumeier // March 16, 2009 at 9:16 am |
It begins and ends for me with the Joshua Tree.
Eric Vander Velde // March 23, 2009 at 3:56 pm |
I love this stuff. Music is art and music is communication. My favorite art medium is music, there’s no better way to communicate emotion. I disagree with Ken’s 1st rule “no greatest hits”. There are some out there that qualify. Thelonius Monk’s “Best of the Blue Note Years”. I listened to it just the other night and I had to look back at the cover to make sure it was a compilation of songs. Totally seamless record. So here is my first cut at the “Perfect Album” list.
1) Miles Davis – Kind of Blue – this has to be the most perfect album ever recorded.
Alvin and the Chipmunks – Christmas Album
2) Dave Brubeck – Take Five
3) YES – The YES Album
4) YES – Close to the Edge
5) Jethro Tull – Aqualung
6) REM – Murmur
7) Stevie Ray Vaughn – Texas Flood
There are more.
suzukiuw // April 2, 2009 at 9:03 pm |
Ok, I am trying to add to the list and not repeat everyone elses
1. Nirvana -Unplugged in New York
2. Slayer-Reign In Blood
3. Bad Religion – New America
4. Neil Young – After the Goldrush
5. Neil Young – Harvest
6. Pearl Jam – 10
7. Rage Against the Machine – Self Titled
8. Vince Guaraldi Trio – Charlie Brown Christmas (for real!)
A few more to add -
Mike Emerson // April 5, 2009 at 7:25 pm |
Nice topic… A bit of variety here, near perfect albums for their genre in my humble opinion.
1. Beasty Boys — Licensed to Ill
2. Black Crowes — Shake Your Money Maker
3. Cypress Hill — Skull & Bones [Disc 2]
4. Deee-Lite — Imfinity Within
5. Depeche Mode — Violator
6. Disturbed — The Sickness
7. Everclear — So Much for the Afterglow
8. Foo Fighters — In Your Honor [Acoustic disc]
9. Guns ‘N Roses — Appetite for Destruction
10. John Mayer — Continuum
11. Kid Rock — Devil Without a Cause
12. Living Colour — Vivid
13. Luscious Jackson — Natural Ingredients
14. Matthew Sweet — Girlfriend
15. Pearl Jam — 10
16. The Police — Synchronicity
17. Rage Against The Machine [Debut]
18. Sinead O’Connor — I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got
19. Smashing Pumpkins — Siamese Dream
20. U2 — All That You Can’t Leave Behind
21. Weezer — Maldroit
Denise // April 6, 2009 at 12:58 am |
Ok, so kind of like what I think of as my desert island list. But, I like this added rule that it has to be an album you listen to in its entirety. some of the albums on my list appear on the lists of other, but let’s face it-some stuff just effing rocks! So….
1) Appetite for Destruction – I could end the list here, really. I remember where I was the first time I heard this album on a crappy cassette copy my cousin gave me as a junior in high school. And I can remember the last time, which was like, yesterday (not yesterday “it seems like only yesterday,” but yesterday as in, um, “yesterday”).
2) Paul’s Boutique – I NEVER listen to anything but the whole thing. It would fell weird and dirty. And not in a good way.
3) Led Zep – Yup, the whole damn catalogue. Well, maybe I-IV and we all know Houses is III. Seriously, I often listen to all four albums back to back as if they were one long one. Sometimes, a girl just needs to get the Led out.
4) This one Manu Chao bootleg I bought from a street vendor in Italy. By the time I heard the actual album, I was like, “No, no….this is all wrong.” The bootleg is so much better and somehow, one song feeds into the next as if they were supposed to be in that order. I’ve only been listening to this one for 7 or 8 years so it lacks the longevity of the first three, but it is a go to album.
5) Kind of blue – Does this album even have “tracks” if I wanted to listen to a single song? I wouldn’t know (insert haughty sniff).
Ok, I’ll confess. The top five are in a league by themselves. After that is where i have to actually look at my library or is stuff that I don’t listen to that often, but is still super!
6) Siamese Dream – I brought 12 CDs with me when I went backpacking in Europe for a year and for every one time I listened to anything else, I listened to this twice. Whether I was riding the train, going to sleep, getting ready to go out for the eve….this album just fit.
7) Mermaid Avenue – Billy Bragg and Wilco. This is actually my boat’s theme album.
9) Ride the Lightening
10) Buena Vista Social Club – I just got this album so it is hard to say if it is in heavy rotation cause it is new or cause it is so killer. Maybe both. In any case, it deserves to be on the list.
I think I’ll go let Tom Waits put me back to sleep!
Jim Flecht // April 6, 2009 at 5:28 pm |
I may have to do this in parts, we’ll see how far i get before my bachelor time runs out.
These are all albums that I wore out. Most in two formats and a few in four, no 8-tracks or reel to reel though. Looks like alot but i have been buying music since i was twelve. 1978 Aerosmith Live Bootleg was the first (also my first concert with Pat Travers opening), U2 War was the album that changed my musical tastes along with KROQ From the late 80’s, prior to them playing GNR.
U2 – War, Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree
R.E.M. – Murmur, Lifes Rich Pageant
Rush – 2112, Moving Pictures, Signals
John Lee Hooker – Boom Boom, Mr Lucky
Stevie Ray Vaughan – The Sky is Crying
XTC – Skylarking
The Call – Reconciled
Oingo Boingo – Boi-ngo
World Party – Private Revolution
Peter Gabriel – So
Sinead O’Connor – am i not your girl
Madeleine Peyroux – dreamland
Count Basie – At Newport
Miles Davis – Round about Midnight
Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys – Feelin’ Kinda Lucky
Tom Waits – nighthawks at the diner
Robbie Robertson – Robbie Robertson
David Bowie – Lets Dance
Johnny Mathis – Merry Christmas
Mike Ness – Cheating at solitaire
The Police – Ghost in the Machine
Hole – Live Through This
The Mission U.K. – Children
The Cult – Electric
Ruth Brown – Fine and Mellow
Louis Armstrong – What a Wonderful World
Chet Baker – My Favourite Songs “the Last Great Concert”
Counting Crows – August and Everything After
STP – Core
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 13 “Babi Yar”
Fiona Apple – Tidal
Salt-n-Pepa – Very Necessary
Paris Combo – Living room
Pink Martini – Sympathique
Atman – Eternal Dance (global fusion of modern electronica with ancient traditions of Indian music)
Chilloutmix2
Dzihan & Kamien – Gran Riserva
Man ray – Mixed by Bruno Evin, DJamel, Hammadi, Julio Black
Best of and lives that i have to put in
The Smiths – Louder than bombs
The Cure – Staring at the Sea
10,000 Maniacs – Mtv Unplugged
Nirvana – Mtv Unplugged
Sinatra at the sands w/Count Basie A&C by Quincy Jones
Peter Tosh – Captured Live
B.B. King – Live in Cook County Jail
Absolute Beginners – The Soundtrack
B-Briggs // April 12, 2009 at 2:02 pm |
Jeez..you guys covered it, I’ll shoot a few from my recent twist of taste..
Anything from Jars of Clay…really..
Again with David Crowder Band, except “Sunsets and Sushi”
Kutless – Strong Tower
Switchfoot – The Beautiful Letdown
Skillet – Collide and Comatose
P.O.D. – Satellite
Derek Webb – The House Show
ANYTHING from the following:
Counting Crows
The Beatles
Caedmon’s Call
Foo Fighters
John Mayer
Shawn Mullins (nothing after Soul’s Core)
Tesla
Zeppelin of course
…I’m to tired to go on, I’ll be diggin into your guys’s lists though..
Personal Music Timelines « Fernsehturm // April 18, 2009 at 7:11 pm |
[...] 18, 2009 · No Comments After talking with a friend and a Fernsehturm commenter this week about how we have changed our tastes in music over the years, I thought it would be a [...]
mian // September 19, 2009 at 9:35 pm |
michael jackson’s off the wall = perfection