The definition of a perfect album.

[efence]

cant forget

as far as mixes go

[efence]

. I liked their unplugged album simply because each song actually sounded good. A lot of their stuff, to me, sounds like nails on a chalkboard.

but skating to unplugged music = fail when your 14
my walkman and skate board got me threw some hard times

[wub]

No actual discussion going on here, just a load of people posting JPGs as per usual

A perfect album should be one that you can listen to all the way through without having to skip any of the tracks. It should work in multiple settings, i.e. not just a sitting around at home album, a driving album, a going mental house party album, a love making soundtrack etc etc.

Some good ones have been mentioned so far. I won't go so far as to post pics, but my current crop of 'perfection' (and remember, it's all subjective) includes the following;

- DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
- Avalanches - Since I Left You
- De La Soul - 3 Foot High & Rising
- Spunge - Room For Abuse
- Layer Cake OST
- Vangelis - Bladerunner OST
- Ugly Duckling - Fresh Mode
- Prodigy - Music For The Jilted Generation
- No Doubt - Rocksteady
- Gloria Estefan Greatest Hits Vol 1

There are plenty more that fade in and out of the list, but if I had to be stuck somewhere on an island with just those records, I'd be happy.

[buttock]

I disagree, that a perfect album has to fit for every occasion and every mood. There is such wide range of music out there, and there are a lot of ways of being a perfect album. But for going to deep in the subject of criticizing, classifying and comparing music my english will be too bad...

[wub]

I disagree, that a perfect album has to fit for every occasion and every mood.

I didn't say every occasion.

[JBE]

No actual discussion going on here, just a load of people posting JPGs as per usual

A perfect album should be one that you can listen to all the way through without having to skip any of the tracks. It should work in multiple settings, i.e. not just a sitting around at home album, a driving album, a going mental house party album, a love making soundtrack etc etc.

Some good ones have been mentioned so far. I won't go so far as to post pics, but my current crop of 'perfection' (and remember, it's all subjective) includes the following;

- DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
- Avalanches - Since I Left You
- De La Soul - 3 Foot High & Rising
- Spunge - Room For Abuse
- Layer Cake OST
- Vangelis - Bladerunner OST
- Ugly Duckling - Fresh Mode
- Prodigy - Music For The Jilted Generation
- No Doubt - Rocksteady
- Gloria Estefan Greatest Hits Vol 1

There are plenty more that fade in and out of the list, but if I had to be stuck somewhere on an island with just those records, I'd be happy.

That's essentially what I was getting at with my post. To me, the albums I listed were perfect simply because they were some of the few that I listened to pretty much to the point of not working anymore. If at any time you have to skip tracks or only listen to it a few times and forget about it, then it hardly can be perfect. There's plenty of perfect tracks, but not very often is there a perfect Album.

[buttock]

I disagree, that a perfect album has to fit for every occasion and every mood.

I didn't say every occasion.

yeah, I misunderstood you

[Wrigzilla]

For me these albums are pretty close to the definition of "perfect":

"Catch 33" - Meshuggah
A one song album, this thing has such a great structure, with some seriously sick sound design in the quiet bits.
"Modus Operandi" - Photek
Dark, moody and precise. This one goes for your attention with its instantly recognisable sound and doesn't let go.
"Horses In The Sky" - A Silver Mount Zion
Allow this slightly out of tune vocals, allows the lack of pro production values, this album just leaks soul.
"Critical Beatdown" - Ultramagnetic MCs
A seriously underrated hip hop album, nothing Kool Keith has done to this day can touch this work of genius.
"As the Roots Undo" - Circle Takes The Square
Proper chaotic, but these guys understand contrast - if you're chaotic ALL the time then it just becomes noise - and the last track has such a fantastic crescendo.

Way too many honourable mentions but here are a few:
"Enter the Wu Tang 36 Chambers" - Wu Tang Clan
"Endtroducing" - DJ Shadow
"Bitches Brew" - Miles Davis
"Red" - King Crimson

[Augment]

Nah, JK, I dont really know.

[Prolific___]

"Horses In The Sky" - A Silver Mount Zion
Allow this slightly out of tune vocals, allows the lack of pro production values, this album just leaks soul.

+1




The rounds at the end of this song, and the part where he sings about his dog, get me everytime

[hutyluty]

primal scream- screamadelica

makes me feel good about life innit

[hasezwei]

i'm not even that much a fan of hardcore/metalcore anymore but this album's an absolute classic. it's almost as good at being an album as genghis tron's latest.

speaking of which:


also:

[2mb1o]

+1

[paravrais]

No actual discussion going on here, just a load of people posting JPGs as per usual

I thought that too. I think for me a perfect album is, as you said, one where every song on it is pure magic and each fills a different meaning for you. It also has to have lasting appeal. It has to still get to you years later down the line. There are VERY few albums that manage this.

Here's a couple I can think of though;

Coldplay - Parachutes
Jon Hopkins - Insides
Fatboy Slim - 'Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars' and 'You've Come a Long Way, Baby' equally.
Apollo 440 - Gettin High On Your Own Supply
The Wiseguys - Executive Suite
Rhyme Asylum - State of Lunacy
Gorillaz - Gorrillaz (actually most albums Damon Albarn has had a part in)
The White Stripes - Elephant
The Libertines - Up The Bracket
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Cat Empire - The Cat Empire
Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come
The Widdler - Origins

Haha as I went through my music collection it turned out there were more than I thought there were. I could probably go on but yeah, I need to get hold of some of these in physical format again. The tapes are a wee bit el fucko.

[hudson]

This is the perfect album, lyrically, for me.

Every line is packed with so much emotion and not a single word on the entire album is wasted. Fucking genius.

As for musically (and second or third lyrically), this is probably my all time favorite.

Shit's got me through some tough times.

I thought that too. I think for me a perfect album is, as you said, one where every song on it is pure magic and each fills a different meaning for you. It also has to have lasting appeal. It has to still get to you years later down the line. There are VERY few albums that manage this.

I agree with that. I've been listening to Modest Mouse since grade 7 (almost done grade 12 now) and this album has been my favorite since grade 8 or so. It hasn't lost a single bit of magic yet.

[murky21]

literally loads of good albums in this thread...
I think it's hard to find a single rhyme, breath or beat out of place on this album - even the intro is sick with 'Live at the BBQ' playing in the background. It's mad short (only 9 proper tracks) but every second is prefect straight hiphop

[Siderealdb]

The perfect album to me doesn't need to be filled to the brim with hits, the music just needs to flow like a story line. Much like books, or movies, tend to have a plot that get gradually gets resolved by the end, as well as the wide emotional spectrum one experiences when participating in them.
I'm not really talking about the lyrics, either, because they often conflict with my own personal narrative in regards to the music, and unfortunately very few albums actually have such cohesion between the two. That being said, I do have a different way of interpreting music than others due to the fact that for years my babysitter was Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf," which resulted in my interpretation of instruments as characters, songs as chapters, and albums as stories. And singers are generally analogous to flys on the screen to me, with all their buzzing annoyance, so I've learned to listen past them and I don't think I've missed too much.
There are some albums though that tie the lyrics and music seamlessly such as, Pink Floyd's "The Wall," the Decemberists "Hazards of love," The Who "Tommy," and Neil Young's "Harvest Moon." Of course I'm still on the fence about whether it's better to have the lyrics tie in to the musics story line so well, or not.

[legend4ry]

We can make love if you want.

Thats like my 3rd favourite album ever and I have yet to meet someone who likes it.

[Kodachrome]

No actual discussion going on here, just a load of people posting JPGs as per usual

I thought that too. I think for me a perfect album is, as you said, one where every song on it is pure magic and each fills a different meaning for you. It also has to have lasting appeal. It has to still get to you years later down the line. There are VERY few albums that manage this.

Here's a couple I can think of though;

Coldplay - Parachutes
Jon Hopkins - Insides
Fatboy Slim - 'Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars' and 'You've Come a Long Way, Baby' equally.
Apollo 440 - Gettin High On Your Own Supply
The Wiseguys - The Antidote
Rhyme Asylum - State of Lunacy
Gorillaz - Gorrillaz (actually most albums Damon Albarn has had a part in)
The White Stripes - Elephant
The Libertines - Up The Bracket
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Cat Empire - The Cat Empire
Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come
The Widdler - Origins

Haha as I went through my music collection it turned out there were more than I thought there were. I could probably go on but yeah, I need to get hold of some of these in physical format again. The tapes are a wee bit el fucko.

- 1 for coldplay, - 10 million for coldplay with no radiohead.

Also +1000000 for the always open mouth <3

[JBE]

The perfect album to me doesn't need to be filled to the brim with hits, the music just needs to flow like a story line.

Honestly, I think some of the best albums weren't the best because of the hits, but because of the songs that didn't get the recognition. I'll take one of mine from my post as an example, and go with Dirt. The album as a whole debuted at like number 7 on the billboard 200. What ended up giving it such a high rank were the singles released before the album which were, Would?, Them Bones, Angry Chair, Rooster, and Down In A Hole. Granted, all of these songs were great in my opinion, but it was actually the songs, "Rain When I die" and "Junkhead", that sealed the deal for me. The first time I heard these songs I was hooked on Alice In Chains for life. Those, to me, were the 2 real shining points of the album.