What are your "Profound Albums"

[JohnS]

Too many to list but below are the ones I keep returning to:-

Beach Boys: Today!, Pet Sounds, Smile Sessions

Beatles: Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles (a.k.a. The White Album), Abbey Road

Kinks: Something Else by The Kinks, The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur (Or the Rise and Fall of the British Empire)

Cream: Disraeli Gears, Wheels of Fire

The Who: Tommy, Who's Next, Quadrophenia

Stevie Wonder: Talking Book, Innervisions, Songs in the Key of Life

Marvin Gaye: What's Going On

Curtis Mayfield: Superfly

Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced?, Axis:Bold as Love, Electric Ladyland

Wings: Band on the Run

Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Boston: Boston

Lenny Kravitz: Mama Said, Are You Gonna Go My Way

Rolling Stones: Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed, Exile on Main Street

Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV, Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti

Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

Nirvana: Nevermind

Jeff Buckley: Grace

You Am I: Hi Fi Way

[Ken Gargett]

One of the great things about the Forum is the wide scope of age/generational ranges represented. I know there are many 70's, 80's children here Maybe a few 50's? (Ken??), all of your worthy choices reflecting these decades.

Although in 1977 I was still too young (8) to enjoy it, Steely Dans AJA was a a classic, timeless breakthrough album that changed in studio recording forever. A unique blend of jazz, pop, rock, with funky grooves, razor sharp harmonies and lyrical mind candy that played infinitely would never tire. The tracks are incredibly deep and complex, uplifting feel good music. I was surprised it had not been mentioned yet on the thread! Curious to hear if anyone else 30 and over feels the same.

59! so more a child of the 60s and and especially 70s.

hey, it is one of the greatest vintages of the century.

i saw someone say on a post the other day, how fortunate they were to be born into the great era of hiphop or rap (are they different?) or something like that. first, didn't know there was a great era, or indeed, more than a single era. next, thank the divinities i was not born then. imagine growing up hating music!

how fortunate to catch the tail end of the 60s and then bruce, neil young and 83 different eras of dylan!

[NapaNolan]

Fun thread, not enough music talk around here.

The BeatlesAll of them, every song

I'm grateful to be living in the post-Beatles era of humanity.

Radiohead: Kid A, Amnesiac

OK Computer was a fine album but they've really gotten better since they've ignored the idea that they're a 'rock' band. A few weak moments in Hail to the Thief, but The King of Limbs and In Rainbow were also great albums. I like specific songs on The Bends greatly but don't love it as an album.

The Bill Evans Trio: Waltz for Debby

This album changed my life. Not in a 'first jazz album I liked' way, just changed the way I live. Pure beauty through sound. I love most of what Evans has done but this one really tugs at my heart.

Caetano Veloso: Caetano Veloso (1968, 'Tropicalia')

Striking album art, but pure, uncut Brazil. Plays a lot like a Beatles album in that every song is amazing and it's hard to imagine any one song being the album's 'single.'

Kraftwerk: Trans Europe Express

Wow, hard to put this in words. Primitive electronic music that's anything but primitive. As striking and influential today as it was in 1977. I find myself humming and whistling the melodies constantly. Haunting, cold dissonance that really paved the way for synth-pop...and modern electronic music, really.

Max Richter: Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Richter re-composed this classical staple and really made it fresh. Stunning, hypnotic and truly euphoric string instrumentation. I can't see this piece ever falling out of frequent rotation.

OM: Advaitic Songs

Somehow classified as metal. Parts definitely are metal but most of this album is middle-eastern inspired. Lots of lyrics in Aramaic and lots of exotic eastern instrumentation. OM is a result of classic Bay Area Stoner/Doom Metal band Sleep. Someone took a bunch of acid and got way into Judaism. My album of the year in 2012.

Flying Lotus: 1983, Cosmogramma

Flying Lotus is the nephew of John and Alice Coltrane and seems to have access to their original masters. His twisted vision of hip hop drives me up the wall. 1983 is raw, lots of energy and pretty experimental. Cosmogramma is a bit more polished and has some great guest musicians and vocalists. After Cosmogramma he got a little too clean and lost much of the charm he had early on.

People Under the Stairs: O.S.T.

An album so perfect I never even listened to their other albums, I'm scared they'll affect the way I listen to this album. Awesome organic hip hop from LA. Great beats, wonderfully musical instrumentals with thoughtful lyrics. No negativity, all about having fun and trying to make a living through their music.

Deepchord presents Echospace: The Coldest Season

Stark, cold, spacious techno from Detroit. Recorded using all analog equipment. Lots of delay, echo and reverb, this album bounces around my skull and puts me in a trance. Very subtle melodies with driving, relentless basslines. Absolutely stunning album.

sunnO))) and Boris: Altar

Drone/doom/noise/experimental/whatever...I usually see this style of music as being 'different' for the sake of being 'different' but this album is very thoughtful and precise. Hard to put into words what I like about this, but it just sounds right with none of the pretentiousness that a lot of experimental music can have.

Yusef Lateef: Eastern Sounds

Predominantly woodwind jazz album...pretty minimal, lots of interplay between instruments with beautiful melodies. Not much to say about this, it usually leaves me pretty speechless.

Boards of Canada: Music has the Right to Children, Geogaddi

Posterchildren for the post-Aphex Twin electronic scene, but what wonderful albums they've made. One of the few times I agree with critics about musical genius.

Casino vs Japan: Go Hawaii

Along the lines of Boards of Canada, this album is painfully overlooked it seems. I never hear anyone talk about it. Driving, droning monotonous beats with slowly building walls of sound and in-and-out melodies. Top notch musicianship.

Converge: Jane Doe

The perfect metal album. Somewhere in between hardcore and grindcore. Great songwriting but intense and harsh...not for the faint of heart. The Converge/Agoraphobic Nosebleed split (The Poacher Diaries) was also brilliant but it's just short of making this list.

I can keep going if anyone is interested, if not, these albums are a pretty good idea of who I am.

[Easttide]

Radiohead- OK Computer

Grateful Dead- American Beauty

Rolling Stones- Exile on Main Street.

Include live albums and it would be a different list... most likely bootlegs

All time deserted island choice would have to be Grateful Dead 1977-05-08 Barton Hall, Cornell.

I listen to so much live Phish it would be like picking which child you want to live.

[PigFish]

14 minutes well spent.

https://youtu.be/x9Sbk3E8-ws

If Bach could have been improved, Stokowski was the man who could do it!

-Piggy

[Easttide]

This is so cool!

Not in my top three but some that other people have mentioned that I have serious memories of are;

Willie and Waylon- most of both their works

Herbie Hancock Headhunters got a lot of play time from me at one point

Extreme and so many other hair bands. I've got a compilation of "Rock Ballads" that gets heavy rotation.

ANY Ryan Adams and the Cardinals live stuff from 2006-2008

One that hasn't been mentioned is Bob Marley Catch a Fire. One of his best, imo.

Squeeze, Cake, CSN&Y, Elvis, Pink Floyd ,Neil Diamond, Boston, Aerosmith,The Eagles... it never ends

[lestabantam]

Blur. Modern Life is Rubbish or Parklife

Portishead. Portishead or Dummy.

These are the albums I have always kept coming back to since the nineties.

[MrGTO]

I like all kinds of music listed here, but I can't believe Stevie Ray Vaughan has been only mentioned once! He has some great tunes.

[leftimatic]

Frank Zappa Hot Rats

Southern Culture on the Skids Plastic Seat Sweat

Steve Earl Guitar Town and Exit 0

Rolling Stones Let It Bleed Exile On Main Street and Beggars Banquet

Led Zeppelin All of them

Jimi Hendrix Are you Experienced and Electric Ladyland

Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf and Chuck Berry The London Sessions

And cruising logging roads hunting and fishing with my old man listening to greatest hits cassettes from Hank Snow, Hank Williams Sr, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry ( my king of rock and roll by the way)

And the most influential of them all the one and only. The guy who made me want to play guitar and write songs from the age of four to the present day... drum roll please

Stompin Tom Connors

My best memories I have some days are me beating on an old tobacco burst J-45 my dad had, while singing along to Bud the Spud , and the Hockey Song. Could barely get my arm over the top of the thing let alone strum the strings. Or I would make myself dizzy watching the old boot on the record label go around and around and around.

Those were the days. I sure wish dad had of kept track of that damn Gibson. Probably traded it for a an old rifle or an old car.

[Fuzz AI]

What? No love for Milli Vanilli?

[Ken Gargett]

What? No love for Milli Vanilli?

say that with your mouth shut.

[Fuzz AI]

say that with your mouth shut.

I did!

[Ken Gargett]

I did!

now, if we can teach you to eat like that, all mankind will thank us.

[Vortigan]

Far too many than I have time to write down now but there are three that spring immediately to mind -

Iron Maiden - Number Of The Beast

Joe Satriani - The Extremist

Hootie & The Blowfish - Cracked Rear View

[Vortigan]

14 minutes well spent.

https://youtu.be/x9Sbk3E8-ws

If Bach could have been improved, Stokowski was the man who could do it!

-Piggy

That's beautiful,Ray!

[PigFish]

That's beautiful,Ray!

... a tad longer but worth it!

Proof that young people can do more than put out their hand for free stuff and have interests beyond the latest smart phones and tattoos! If I lived in Oz, this camerata would be a must see.

Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/CJYVH_kZkOk

-Piggy

[Guest photorob]

I could make a pretty long list, constantly revolving. One thing is for sure, atop that list is always "Exile on Main Street" - Rolling Stones

[ayepatz]

Nice to see some classical stuff on here, Piggy.

For me, the most profound musical experience of my life was the first time I hear Richard Wagner's Der Ring der Nibelungen, or the Ring Cycle.

Four operas and over 15 and a half hours of opera which chronicles the downfall of the old Norse gods. The main role is that of Wotan, known to us English speakers as Odin, and at the end of the second opera, Die Walküre, The Valkyrie (which contains the famous Ride of the Valkyies which everyone knows from the helicopter scene in Apocalypse Now), Wotan sings this incredible farewell to his daughter Brünnhilde. She has defied his command, and, as punishment, he takes away her Godly powers, and puts her into an enchanted sleep on a mountaintop. He raises a barrier of magic fire to protect her, his final line being, "He who fears the point of my spear shall never pass through the fire!"

I see a lot of heavy rock and metal fans in this thread. Well, fire up a cigar, crank up your speakers and have a listen to this. It's like the heavy metal of opera.

http://youtu.be/B24qmkKfK7w

The hero who eventually rescues Brünnhilde at the end of the next opera is called Siegfried. In the last opera, he is betrayed and killed, and his funeral music is like nothing else in the world of opera. This excerpt is from Harry Kupfer's early 90s production at Bayreuth, conducted by Daniel Barenboim. The visuals won't make much sense if you haven't seen the rest of it, but just kick back and enjoy the music. It featured heavily in John Boorman's movie Excalibur.

[ErikB]

The Queen is Dead - The Smiths