[winma]

Oh well...anyways that was my humble oppinion. The Op may give them a try. 

 

[inego]

Yeah, sorry - I didn't contribute anything really useful to the discussion (and I wouldn't really recommend the two earlier cars albums in response to the questions. It's all subjective, isn't it
 
The lists given are very rock/prog/early metal for the most part - does anyone have any broader suggestions?

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

Glenn Gould: Goldberg Variations

 
 
 

This is a great choice, but I think you have to point out that Gould recorded the Goldbergs twice, and the 1955 recording (his debut recording) is the place to start. It's the rare classical recording that is both immediately accessible and stunningly innovative. Gould's iconoclastic approach to tempo -- he played the work much, much faster than had previously been the standard -- sent shockwaves through the classical world.  The second recording, from 1981, saw him reappraising his approach to tempo, and was one of his final recordings.
 
The 1955 recording is still one of the best-selling classical recordings of all time, and is a must, in my opinion, for any classical collection. I also recommend Angela Hewitt's stellar recording of the Goldbergs, from 2000 (I think.) She is wonderfully adept at keeping all of the contrapuntal lines in the music clear and distinct. Her reading is much more conservative (traditional?) than Gould's 1954 re-imagining of the work, but it is quite beautiful in its own right.
 
Edit:
 
Here are a few rock and jazz suggestions:
 
Jimmy Hendrix -- Are You Experienced. Possibly the greatest psychedelic rock record ever made, and a harbinger of hard rock and metal to come. This album is a virtual blueprint for guitar-driven hard rock, and rivals the Beatles' best work for sheer studio wizardry. But no one in the Beatles could play like Hendrix, and, in my opinion, no rock guitarist has in the intervening years. A founding document of classic rock as we know it.
 
The Beatles -- Abbey Road. If you love Pink Floyd, you'll eat this up, especially side two. Most of side two is an extended suite of songs that bleed from one into the next, and. taken together, they represent a high point of the Beatles' studio craft. Abbey Road also contains "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something," arguably the two best songs George Harrison ever wrote, and proof that he could, when inspired, produce work on par with the best of Lennon and McCartney. There is something bittersweet about the fact that this was the Beatles' final studio recording. Let It Be had been recorded earlier and then shelved, only to be released after Abbey Road.It's always been a bit sad to me that Abbey Road was not released last, since it was their last, and possibly their best, work.
 
The Rolling Stones -- Sticky Fingers. The Stones have long since turned into an embarrassing crew of aging poseurs, and their doddering mediocrity of the last 20 or more years makes it hard to understand why they are so highly regarded. A listen to Sticky Fingers will tell you everything you need to know. "Brown Sugar," "Wild Horses," "Bitch," and "Dead Flowers" are all definitive mid-period Stones, from a time when they really did deserve to be called the world's greatest rock n roll band. "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'" is a kick in the teeth, with both Keith Richards and Mick Taylor at the top of their games. One of the greatest extended rock jams ever, and a snapshot of the Stones at their absolute zenith.
 
Miles Davis -- Kind of Blue Often called the greatest jazz album of all time, Kind of Blue brings together a collection of musicians so great that the results are hardly a surprise. Davis is in top form, and he is supported by John Coltrane, Julian Adderley, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly (Yep, Mr. Marsalis is named for him), Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. Every musician on the record is a legend, and Kind of Blue is a dizzying introduction to their greatness, both individually and collectively. Sublimely easy to listen to, Kind of Blue has introduced several generations of music fans to the greatness of jazz at its best.

 

[inego]

I know it's a bit of a cliche, but parts of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" still give me thrills!

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

I know it's a bit of a cliche, but parts of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" still give me thrills!

Absolutely! Especially Paul Desmond's title track, which is surely a classic of jazz and music in general. But then again, I always thought the group should have been called "The Paul Desmond Quartet, featuring Dave Brubeck." Hee hee, just my opinion. Brubeck fans get so bent out of shape when I say things like that...

 

[pejayjay]

I'd give "Histoire de Melody Nelson" by Serge Gainsbourg a try.
 
Also, Devo (yes, who did "Whip It") -- the album "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!".
 
Also also, anything by Iggy Pop.  The "Lust For Life" record is amazing.  So is "Raw Power" by The Stooges (fronted by Iggy).

 

[joincoolkidclub]

Indeed, the latter recording is nowhere near as striking (to my ears).
Quote:

This is a great choice, but I think you have to point out that Gould recorded the Goldbergs twice, and the 1955 recording (his debut recording) is the place to start.

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

I'd give "Histoire de Melody Nelson" by Serge Gainsbourg a try.
 
Also, Devo (yes, who did "Whip It") -- the album "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!".
 
Also also, anything by Iggy Pop.  The "Lust For Life" record is amazing.  So is "Raw Power" by The Stooges (fronted by Iggy).

When I first heard Devo's Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! I thought it must have come here from another planet. An amazing distillation of Kubrick's disturbing idea that humankind is being usurped by our own technology. Yikes. And yet, it rocks...Wow.
 
As for Iggy? If I had to pick a high-point for his solo career, Lust for Life would be the obvious choice. The rockin' rhythm section of Hunt and Tony Sales (Yeah! Soupy's kids!) lays waste to everything in their path. And when Iggy shouts "I'm worth a million in prizes" (PRYZEHS) you better believe it. 

 

[pejayjay]

Quote:

When I first heard Devo's Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! I thought it must have come here from another planet. An amazing distillation of Kubrick's disturbing idea that humankind is being usurped by our own technology. Yikes. And yet, it rocks...Wow.
 
As for Iggy? If I had to pick a high-point for his solo career, Lust for Life would be the obvious choice. The rockin' rhythm section of Hunt and Tony Sales (Yeah! Soupy's kids!) lays waste to everything in their path. And when Iggy shouts "I'm worth a million in prizes" (PRYZEHS) you better believe it. 

 
Devo made me think that maybe I had written off one hit wonder bands of the 80s.  So I picked up a Soft Cell record... and then I stopped looking.  Nevertheless, that Devo album is great! 
 
And I had no idea that was Soupy Sales' kids!  

 

[CaptainLorax]

Genesis - 1) The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway 2) Selling England By The Pound 3) Foxtrot
King Crimson - 1) Red 2) In The Court of the Crimson King 3) Lark's Tongue in Aspic
Robert Wyatt - 1) Rock Bottom
The Beach Boys - 1) Wild Honey (isn't your typical greatest hits)
Yes - 1) The Yes Album 2) Fragile 3) Close to the Edge 4) Tales From Topographic Oceans 5) Relayer

 

[falis]

Hah! Robert Wyatt!
 
Check out the first four Soft Machine albums too.  The Beach Boys' Sunflower is nice too.
 
Quote:

Genesis - 1) The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway 2) Selling England By The Pound 3) Foxtrot
King Crimson - 1) Red 2) In The Court of the Crimson King 3) Lark's Tongue in Aspic
Robert Wyatt - 1) Rock Bottom
The Beach Boys - 1) Wild Honey (isn't your typical greatest hits)
Yes - 1) The Yes Album 2) Fragile 3) Close to the Edge 4) Tales From Topographic Oceans 5) Relayer

 

[jonnyhambone]

^  good recs. up there.
The Stooges - Raw Power is excellent
You really should make sure you listen to a couple Velvet Underground albums if you haven't - the 'sit down and listen to the whole album' experience is much better with these guys than the random song or two that you hear now and then.  
Blind Faith - one album to pick from, but what an album... 

 

[Br777]

Paul Simon - graceland, and rhythm of the saints    2 of my favorite albums of all time
 
Stevie Wonder - music of my mind, and most of his other ones.
 

 

[moriez]

Hope these are old enough

 
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Dire Straits - Dire Straits

 

[falis]

Nah, you have to go to:
 
Fleetwood Mac - And Then Play On
 
to qualify.  (Jes' jokin', Son).
 
- Ed
 
Quote:

Hope these are old enough

 
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Dire Straits - Dire Straits