[LostPhil]

Hello, I have a challenge for you guys.

I'm 23 and I didn't get into music until I was around... 17 or so. I've only ever really listened to more modern music and so I've missed out on a lot of so called Essentials.

The problem is, I really have nowhere to start with music obviously spanning multiple extremes! I have a fairly open mind although anything like modern "RnB" is a no-go.

A selection of albums that I love:
- Gomez - Bring It On
- Incubus - All of them besides Light Grenades
- Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
- Belle & Sebastian - Tigermilk
- Guillemots - Through the Windowpane
- Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
- Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica and Good News For People Who Love Bad News
- Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream
- Muse - Origin of Symmetry (well, most of it)
- Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
- Radiohead - OK Computer, In Rainbows
- Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine (most of it, gets a little repetitive)
- A - Hi-fi Serious
- Eels - Daisies of the Galaxy
- Jurassic 5 - Quality Control

I have on order Hadouken!'s album and Porcupine Tree's In Absentia so I'd like something a little different. Initially I had Sigur Ros's () on order but cancelled it due to it being out of stock and thought I may as well ask your opinions on a great band/album I really need to check out.

I haven't heard much before the 90's besides a bit of Pink Floyd (which my Dad's CD collection covers!) so suggestions for older classics would be appreciated.

Sound/recording quality isn't much of a concern really, I've put up with some pretty dire mastering over the last few years!

So, any ideas?

 

[smashing]

It's rather hard to recommend something without any specifics. Well, maybe you could consider this as a reference:

Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory

That was the album that first "opened" my mind to music beyond radio. Although certain songs in there could easily be a radio hit, it is the entire musicality of the album that will strikes you into appreciating music beyond just a genre.

 

[scytheavatar]

Pre 90's rock:

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of The Moon
Pink Floyd - Wish you were Here
Kanas - Leftoverture
The Beatles - Abbey Road
The Beatles - Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
King Crimson - Red
Tim Buckley - Happy/Sad

 

[LostPhil]

Apologies for not being specific smashing, the problem I have is that you can think of all of these apparently great bands, such as the Beatles, but then you spend hours searching for which album to buy with the fanboy wars saying X is better than Y and so forth or arguing over who was the better songwriter/best/worst era of the band in their opinions.

The conclusion is usually an album that doesn't really help newcomers get into them if you see what I mean - the best albums aren't always the best starting point for someone like me. I have an open mind but at the same time I'm not going to be able to appreciate a bands "finest work" if I don't even like their albums that are a little bit more mainstream. Die-hard fans of the band aren't the best place to go for advice!

Modest Mouse for instance - if the fans had their way, I'd have picked up their debut, which is far from listenable (as I found out when a mate picked it up) but instead I picked up GNFPWLBN (see first post!) which allowed me to go as far back as I wanted to without having to endure the deep end first.

I hope that makes sense?

Essentially, I really want to hear all of the greats (not neccessarily limited to rock) and have an album for each of them I'll probably like so I can pick it up and then I'll be able to explore them further if I do like it... I hope I'm not asking too much!

Thanks for the Dream Theatre rec, I will note that down

Quote:

Originally Posted by scytheavatar /img/forum/go_quote.gif Pre 90's rock: Pink Floyd - Dark Side of The Moon Pink Floyd - Wish you were Here Kanas - Leftoverture The Beatles - Abbey Road The Beatles - Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds George Harrison - All Things Must Pass King Crimson - Red Tim Buckley - Happy/Sad

Oo, looks like a good list! I have Dark Side of The Moon, 3 versions of it. Or at least dad does! It's pretty great.

I've never heard of Kanas before, what sort of sound is it?

If you could pick one out of the two Beatles ones, bearing in mind what I've said up that way ^, which would you pick?

Other than that, I'll certainly note these down! I'd never have thought of David Bowie to be honest, thanks!

 

[EnOYiN]

Some more 'classic rock' (progressive or other) recommendations from me:

The Who - Quadrophenia
The Who - Tommy
Deep Purple - Machine head
Rush - Moving Pictures
Eric Clapton - Slowhand
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are you experienced?
Bruce Springsteen - Born to run
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Beach Boys - Pet sounds ( just noticed this was mentioned already)

I could go on, but I should leave something for others.

Some (essential) jazz:

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
John Coltrane - Love Supreme

Some blues:

John Lee Hooker - The Healer (an album which I quite like myself)
B.B. King - Lucille ( not essential, but I like it anyway)

Some classical:

W.A. Mozart - Requim
L. Beethoven - Missa Solemnis ( I like the late string quartets better myself)

There are people around here who are better at recommending classical music though and I don't know whether that is what you are looking for.

 

[scompton]

I bought this book recently after hearing about it on the radio. I've bought about a dozen CDs recommended by it and haven't been disappointed yet. I already have a few dozen, if not more, and like them all.

1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (1,000...Before You Die Books (Paperback)): Tom Moon: Amazon.co.uk: Books

I also use allmuisc.com to find albums. You can see overviews of a genre with their recommendations of essential albums in the genre. The subgenres get pretty specific too. If you click on rock, there must be a hundred or so subgenres of rock.

 

[Kees]

David Bowie: Heroes
Beatles:White Album
Lou Reed:Transformer
Santana:Abraxas
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Youngeja Vu
Pink Floyd:Wish you were here
Rolling Stones:Sticky Fingers
Alman Brothers:Eat a Peach
10 CCeceptive Bends
Joni Mitchell:Hejira
Steely Danretzel Logic
The Band:Last Waltz
The Doors:The Doors
Fleetwood MacThe Dance
Don McLeanAmerican Pie
The Who:Tommy
Ike & Tina Turner:Live in Paris
Creedence Clearwater Revivial:
Stevie Wonder:Songs in the Key of Life
Princeurple Rain
Michael Jackson:Thriller
Bob Marley:Catch a Fire
Queen:A Night at the Opera
Eric Clapton:Just one Night
Ry Cooder:Chicken Skin Music
Dire Straitsire Straits
The Eagles:Hotel California
Jimi Hendrix:Band of Gypsies
Iron Butterfly:In-a-gadda-da-vida
Joe Jackson: Big World
Elton John:Good Bye Yellow Brick Road
John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucia, Al DiMeola:Friday Night in San Fransisco
Steve Miller Band:Fly Like an Eagle
Van Morisson:Tupeloo Honey
Randy Newman:Little Criminals
Harry Nillson:Knnillsson
Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells
The Police:Outlandos d'Amour
Roxy Music: Manifesto
Paul Simon: Graceland
Patti Smith: Easter
Al Stewart:Year of the Cat
Tom Waits:Swordfishtrombones
Wings:Band on the Run
Yes:The Yes Album
Simon & Garfunkle:Bookends
J.J. Cale:Okie
U2:Unforgettable Fire

Just a few that pop into my mind.

 

[Calexico]

Cat Stevens - Tea for The Tillerman
David Bowie - Heroes
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Jeff Buckley - So Real
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here, Animals and Dark Side of the Moon
Replacements - Let It Be
U2 - Achtung Baby and All That You Can't Leave Behind
Velvet Underground - Velvet Underground & Nico

Some good artists that I haven't actually gotten very much into due to pure laziness:
Creedence Cleerwater Revival
Neil Diamond
Peter Gabriel
Sly and the Family Stone

 

[Uncle Erik]

Find an inexpensive used turntable and get it working again. Most can be brought back and made to sound good with routine maintenance and a new stylus.

Records are a great way to explore older music. Go to thrift stores, secondhand, garage sales, anywhere that might have used ones. You don't need to drop big money on 180 gram audiophile pressings. Go get a box of vinyl for next to nothing. Buy anything that looks even remotely interesting and give it a listen. You'll find a lot of music you never knew you liked.

 

[Moontan13]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Find an inexpensive used turntable and get it working again. Most can be brought back and made to sound good with routine maintenance and a new stylus. Records are a great way to explore older music. Go to thrift stores, secondhand, garage sales, anywhere that might have used ones. You don't need to drop big money on 180 gram audiophile pressings. Go get a box of vinyl for next to nothing. Buy anything that looks even remotely interesting and give it a listen. You'll find a lot of music you never knew you liked.

As a yard sale shopper of used audio and video, I agree, but would add that a cassette tape deck is essential. Cassette tapes are very cheap so I buy a lot of them. I have about 50 entire tapes, and perhaps a hundred or so individual songs I'd like to replace with CDs... eventually. Most recently I got a shopping bag of tapes in very good shape for $1. Among them all were 7 tapes by Kitaro. I'd heard of him, but wowzers, I'd not heard his music before. This was a discovery right up there with the time I spent a day un-glueing a Ray Lynch disc from an Enigma disc.

 

[scytheavatar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LostPhil /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've never heard of Kanas before, what sort of sound is it?

They are your typical progressive band, except with really really awesome vocals. Steve Walsh is so good he makes Waters look normal, and I am a huge Waters fans.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LostPhil /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you could pick one out of the two Beatles ones, bearing in mind what I've said up that way ^, which would you pick?

I think Abbey Road is one of the milestones of rock, heck of music itself , and you can't call yourself a music fan if you haven't heard it. The other Beatles albums like Revolver and Sgt Peppers is awesome, but Abbey Road in on a class above them, on a class by itself.

 

[Happy Camper]

Nektar- Remember The Future or A Tab in the Ocean

Supertramp- Crime of the Century

Yes- Close to the Edge

Wishbone Ash- Argus

Genesis- Selling England By the Pound

Alan Parsons Project- I Robot

Kansas- Masque

Camel- Moonmadness

King Crimson- In the Court of The Crimson King

Marillion- Script for a Jester's Tear

Any of these can be sampled here: Progressive Rock Music Ultimate Discography ... with Free MP3, Videos and Reviews

 

[LostPhil]

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys! I'll note them down and will work through them, it'll take me a while but at least I have a nice list now!

As for a turntable - I would, however, I don't have any space for one... The joys of living at home still! When I move out I shall consider it =)

And thanks for the book/website Scompton, will check them out when my exams are out of the way!

 

[fatcat28037]

Visit Amazon, you can listen to clips of songs for most albums. Granted the clips are only 30 sec. from each song but at least you can get a flavor.

 

[cwell2112]

Don't think these were mentioned yet:

The Clash - London Calling
Blondie - Parallel Lines
Cream - Disraeli Gears
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
R.E.M. - Automatic For the People

Have fun exploring older music! There's a ton of it out there.