[davidhunternyc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif Totally valid poll, especially considering that OK Computer is quite possibly the best album mankind will ever produce, and DSoTM is a second-rate soundtrack to the Wizard of Oz. Chew on that.

: )

 

[aaron313]

Valid poll, and I voted for OK Computer. If you want to compare a single album to DSOTM, it would have to be Kid A; those two are far more similar, but I see your point.

OK Computer was the best album of its decade, and no album since released has rivaled its overall impact on the combined critical and popular fronts. Among those who "get" it (which, it turns out, is quite a few people), it is revered. And when you consider that Radiohead has continued to release brilliant albums since OK Computer, and that the group will likely continue for years to come, it becomes clear that the album's stature will only rise.

It is an absolute knockout collection of fully formed songs from start to finish, and is one of only a few albums that possesses an emotional intelligence so great that the listener cannot help but submit every ounce of his brain to the listening experience. DSOTM also has this quality, although it is far more abstract. The album is more a whole rather than a sum of parts (although the parts are great). Obviously both albums are in my top five, but OK Computer is really special in a different way for me. I get the full album experience from each song, which I can't say about any other album I have heard.

 

[roadtonowhere08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif Totally valid poll, especially considering that OK Computer is quite possibly the best album mankind will ever produce, and DSoTM is a second-rate soundtrack to the Wizard of Oz. Chew on that.

Ohh, them's fightin' words

Say that on SH Forums - Powered by vBulletin

 

[DavidMahler]

I honestly believe OK computer would trump any Beatles album only on Head-fi. Anyone have any suggestions as to which Beatles album I should compare against OK Computer to test my theory?

 

[roadtonowhere08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidMahler /img/forum/go_quote.gif I honestly believe OK computer would trump any Beatles album only on Head-fi. Anyone have any suggestions as to which Beatles album I should compare against OK Computer to test my theory?

I doubt you are going to get a consensus on this. People mention St. Pepper's a lot in terms of being a landmark, so perhaps that might be the one to use, but I admit, I am not a Beatles fan, so my opinion means less than many others'.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

OK Computer has a few gapless tracks. That makes it totally valid to compare it against DSotM.

I gotta ask DavidMahler, have you ever sat down and listened to OK Computer all the way through in one sitting? I've not managed that yet. I'll put it on and then something will happen to interrupt me. Either I'll get distracted, interrupted, or just lose interest and not make through the album in one go.

 

[roadtonowhere08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ham Sandwich /img/forum/go_quote.gif OK Computer has a few gapless tracks. That makes it totally valid to compare it against DSotM.

But you could say that against Tool's Lateralus, and I think that is a silly poll as well.

All I think about when I think about this poll is what album will people want to listen to in a hundred years. To me, it is no contest, DSOTM will have the most durability of any album ever released (at least to this point), because it has the largest cult-like following around the world. Again, this is my opinion, and many will disagree with me. Only time will tell whether I am right or wrong.

 

[DavidMahler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadtonowhere08 /img/forum/go_quote.gif But you could say that against Tool's Lateralus, and I think that is a silly poll as well. All I think about when I think about this poll is what album will people want to listen to in a hundred years. To me, it is no contest, DSOTM will have the most durability of any album ever released (at least to this point), because it has the largest cult-like following around the world. Again, this is my opinion, and many will disagree with me. Only time will tell whether I am right or wrong.

I think there is some truth to this final statement, BUT....i think the aspect of the statement applies to production quality only. I think Dark Side Of The Moon has remained to this day the best produced album ever recorded.......it's not over polished, but polished enough, it's not over emotional, but emotional enough, it has a ton of soundscapes (effects) but it doesn't get lost in them.

That said......I don't think from a writing standpoint that Pink Floyd's work (including DSoTM) will appeal to people of the future in the same way that songwriters from other bands do......I honestly think Radiohead may have better songs, but Dark Side of The Moon is the more complete listen and ultimately (to me) a far better album.

When people want to study the art of the 20th Century Long Playing Record, Dark Side Of The Moon will be amongst the top 10 list for centuries. So I agree with you, but out of the context of album making, i think their are bands who have more compositional talent (if less conceptual talent) than Pink Floyd ever had.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidMahler /img/forum/go_quote.gif When people want to study the art of the 20th Century Long Playing Record, Dark Side Of The Moon will be amongst the top 10 list for centuries. So I agree with you, but out of the context of album making, i think their are bands who have more compositional talent (if less conceptual talent) than Pink Floyd ever had.

I agree. Pink Floyd wouldn't make the most interesting study for a future college course in 20th century music composition and music theory. But it also goes to show that rock doesn't need leading edge composition to be able to span the test of time.

I need to get a listen to Roger Water's Ca Ira to hear how he does as a composer. It might be interesting. I'm not sure what to expect from it.

 

[n3rdling]

I really like OK Computer, but there is certainly a weak spot around the middle of the album. DSOTM I can always listen to straight through without ever having the urge to skip a track or two. I think it is one of the very few albums (What's Going On is another, for example) that is just so much better when listened to as a whole. It will remain extremely popular because of the lyrics though; there will always be people who go through a stage in their life that Dark Side describes so well. Others have written about some of the themes it touches on, but Waters' writing on that album is absolutely phenomenal without getting pretentious (which is something people sometimes dislike about Animals or The Wall). It's a complete work of art; the Citizen Kane of albums.

 

[Radio_head]

It's so hard to choose, because these are two of my top five albums. I chose (against the grain it seems,) OK Computer because in my estimation I have listened to it almost 800 times and it still feels fresh. Every time it ends there's just a silence for a few seconds and then I slowly exhale, because it really tends to affect me that much. After 11 years, it remains one of my most played yet most loved albums. It never seems to tire out. By contrast, I've listened to DSOTM a couple hundred times, and after the first hundred it seemed to wear out its welcome marginally. I still listen to it on occasion, but in my opinion it lacks something in the long run that OK Computer just has.

 

[HipHopScribe]

I love that we have prophets posting here, who can tell us how these albums will be viewed decades from now! It just makes this poll so much easier.

I'm in the minority here, in that I recognize the importance of both albums, but don't personally revere either. I'd have to pick OK Computer, as I feel more of an emotional resonance in that album.

 

[Drubbing]

I love them both dearly, and as meaningless as polls like this are, I'd like to see it re-run after OK Computer has been out for 35 years, and see how many people will still be listening to it.

Because I'm pretty certain they'll still be listening to DSOTM.

 

[MrOutside]

kind of blue is better than both by a long way

 

[SungTong]

My least favorite albums from both bands. Yet, I still can't decide. Both albums were incredibly revolutionary when they came out. I think Pink Floyd may have had more of a "culture" to go with their albums - more die hard fans, if you will (hippies.) Yet, OK Computer will no doubt be considered a classic in the years to come. I'm just gonna have to go with Dark Side of the Moon, decades later it's still loved by many.