Top 10 Albums

[lacktheknack]

My Top Ten Albums, with sample songs!

#10: The Carpenters: 40/40

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The Carpenters are often dismissed as overly safe and fluffy 70s/80s cheese... which they are. However, when backed with some fairly creative arrangement and Karen Carpenter's drop-dead gorgeous vocal work (she remains my favorite singer ever), it's safe and fluffy cheese that really tastes darn good in spite of it all. 40/40 refines it further by collecting their 40 best tracks into one album. It did hilariously well in Japan of all places (debuted at #3), which means all Japanophiles should listen to it and tell me what the Japanese heard in it. Everyone else should look into it too, it's a good album.

Plus, it has a song called "Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft". What's not awesome about that?

Best Tracks: "Solitaire", "Superstar", "Mr. Postman", "Hurting Each Other"

#9: Silent Hill 3 OST

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Akria Yamaoka is a genius.

The longtime composer of the Silent Hill series has an excellent handle on ambient composition, complimenting the scenes in-game wonderfully. Mild variations throughout each song keep them interesting, and their low-key nature stops them from being distracting, making for excellent study and work music. However, Akira also shows his chops as a rock guitarist and composer in a few of the tracks, complete with a varied and awesome guitar solo taking up about a third (or more) of "You're Not Here". I'd go so far as to say that this is the best Silent Hill soundtrack to date. Many a long bus ride has been spent staring out the window at the fading horizon, all set to this album.

So why, if it's so great, is it at number nine? Unfortunately, the album includes some creepy and irritating monologues at the end of about a third of the tunes, making it nigh-impossible to share them with friends and family. They jar me out of the experience pretty hard as well. This could have been the second favorite album had there of been no monologues.

Best Tracks: "Rain of the Brass Petals (Three Voice Edit)", "I Want Love (Studio Remix)", "Dance With The Night Wind", "End of Small Sanctuary"

8: Silent Hill 2 OST

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Akira Yamaoka hit it out of the park with Silent Hill 2 as well. Like Silent Hill 3, it's an atmospheric ambient album with some rock tunes sprinkled in (this time without vocals), and it's pretty incredible. Thankfully, they didn't include any of the monologues that hurt Silent Hill 3's OST. While the songs are not as good on average as those in Silent Hill 3, the scarier ones are more aggressive and the quiet ones are more heart-breaking, helping to even the score. I fully recommend it.

Best Tracks: "Heaven's Night", "Promise (Reprise)", "Love Psalm", "True"

7: The Fray (self titled)

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Soft-rockers The Fray have had a few huge hits on the pop charts, with "How to Save a Life" being known by pretty much by everyone I ever spoke to. And then their next album came out, and... nothing. Even the big hit single from it, "You Found Me", wasn't associated with the album. It's like the Fray fell off the face of the earth if the public eye was to be believed.

It's a shame, really.

The Fray came back more intense and heartfelt than ever before (the extreme of which you can hear above), with mature and/or outright artistic instrumental showcases filling the album. If you liked "How to Save a Life", you'll like the self-titled album. If you didn't, this one may actually change your mind if you like any soft-rock at all.

Best Tracks: "We Build and We Break", "Absolute", "Say When", "Never Say Never"

6: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: Don't You Fake It

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This is pretty much as heavy as I go. There's not much I can say (or even know) about these guys, all I know is that they're AWESOME.

Best Tracks: "Face Down", "Your Guardian Angel", "Damn Regret", "In Fate's Hands"

5: Aphex Twin: Drukqs

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This album is a trip, maaaaaan.

Best Tracks: "Avril 14", "Omgyjya Switch 7", "Gwarek 2"

4: Portishead: Dummy

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Portishead were some of the codifiers of Trip-Hop. In one of the most intensely mellow and melancholy albums imaginable, Portishead weaves a beautiful instrumental tapestry over a pulsing electric base. Beth Gibbons' fragile vocals are just the icing on the cake. Although, truthfully, it sounds like she needs double the normal dose of anti-depressants.

Best Tracks: "Roads", "Wandering Star", "Glory Box", "Biscuit"

3: Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works 85-92

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Fun fact: Richard D. James (pseudonym Aphex Twin) was born in 1971. Thus, he was the tender age of THIRTEEN OR FOURTEEN when he wrote parts of this masterpiece. It's a surprisingly mellow and less surprisingly atmospheric release, and almost jarring when put next to Drukqs. Regardless, it's a fantastic and varied album. It's great for drowning out people on the train.

Best Tracks: "Ptolemy", "Xtal", "Heliosphan", "Tha"

2: Portishead (self titled)

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Seeing a pattern here?

I have nothing to say about this album beyond that Portishead refined and intensified their sound, and unleashed the peak of Trip-Hop, and my favorite "conventional music" album ever. Well done Portishead, you've given me an album that I can (and have) listen(ed) to over a hundred times.

Best Tracks: "All Mine", "Only You", "Cowboys", "Half Day Closing"

1. Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume 2

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This might not count, as it's less "Music Album" and more "Recorded Synaesthetic Fit", but I don't care. Richard D. James' synaesthesia was a BRILLIANT topic to right music about. It consists of photographs and what Richard heard when he looked at them. It's gorgeous, chilling, exciting, relaxing, the whole nine yards. I cannot praise it enough, or even adequately describe it. I simply has to be heard in its entirety. Get this album. Now.

Best Tracks: "Rhubarb", "Cliffs", "Z Twig", "White Blur 2"

Thanks for going the extra mile and giving a little more background into why these are your favorite albums. It's a desired component that too many of these album cover dumps and emtpy lists of names simply don't telegraph. I don't care about album covers, but I certainly love knowing why someone chose what they did. So, thanks for that.

Glad to see a small handful taking that extra step. Makes a huge difference in appreciating their selections.

It took me an hour. It was worth it, though, I need to practice my writing.

 

[malestrithe]

I'm probably going to catch a lot of shit for this, but:

Daydream Mariah Carey.
Final Fantasy 6 Arranged OST.
God of War 2 OST.
Thriller Michael Jackson
Marilyn Manson AntiChrist Superstar

Fallout 3 OST
Weird Al Yankovic Bad Hair Day
Xenogears OST.
Nier OST.
Megadeth Cryptic Writingss. I know there are better albums. This one is just my favorite that's all.

 

[Nazulu]

Brain Salad Surgery - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (Karn Evil 9, one of the most creative songs out of the 70s)
Works Volume 1 - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (Classical music reviver)
Apocalypse - Mahavishnu Orchestra (You could call this their greatest hits album)
Use Your Illusion I - Guns N Roses (November Rain and Coma)
Use Your Illusion II - Guns N Roses (Civil War and Estranged)
Paranoid - Black Sabbath (Personally just love War Pigs and that doom I need in my life)
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - Black Sabbath (So many great songs, with double melody's!)
Turn Of The Cards - Renaissance (Just full of powerful songs)
Close To The Edge - Yes (3 Big powerful songs)
Going For The One - Yes (Cause of the over-powered Awaken)

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

[HEADING=2]My Top 10[/HEADING]​

#10
-
Pink Floyd - Pulse (World Tour)

Genre: Progressive Rock
Year: 1994

#9
-
Isis - In the Absence of Truth

Genre: Post-metal
Year: 2006

#8
-
Neurosis - Souls at Zero

Genre: Post-metal / Sludge Metal
Year: 1992

#7
-
Rosetta - A Determinism of Morality

Genre: Post-metal
Year: 2010

#6
-
Cult of Luna - Salvation

Genre: Post-metal
Year: 2004

#5
-
Buried Inside - Chronoclast (Selected Essays On Time Reckoning and Autocannibalism)

Genre: Post-metal / Metalcore
Year: 2005

#4
-
Isis - Oceanic

Genre: Post-metal
Year: 2002

#3
-
Rosetta - Wake/Lift

Genre: Post-metal
Year: 2007

#2
-
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven

Genre: Post-rock
Year: 2000

#1
-
Rosetta - The Galilean Satellites

Genre: Post-metal
Year: 2005

 

[AnarchistFish]

Nice, love Deftones, although I personally prefer White Pony.
Also I think Ignorance Never Dies is much better than Your Demise's stuff under Ed McRae :3

Haha, it was quite a hard decision choosing between Diamond Eyes and White Pony.
And musically I really like IND, but George Noble always just sounded like a bit of a dick to me. Far too genuinely angry, and apparently he really was a right arse to the rest of Your Demise too; he kicked the guitarist on stage and broke his collarbone.
Just makes me feel weird hearing it now I guess.
Also, I like the fun aspect Ed brings to the band

I did hear about that, although I think it makes the music feel more real if there's genuine anger behind it. Though he does sound like a bit of a dick.
I just think their stuff with Ed sounds really watered down and dull :\
Also personally prefer Common Dreads and The Black Parade
Nice having letlive. there

#2
-
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven

Genre: Post-rock
Year: 2000​

Yessssss!!!!!!!

Although I personally prefer F#A#(Infinite) much more :3

 

[FilipJPhry]

What the Hell, I'll reply. In no order what so ever:
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Metallica - Death Magnetic
Jay-Z - The Black Album
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West - College Dropout
Rage Against the Machine - The Battle of L.A.
Tenacious D - The Pick of Destiny
The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
The Gaslight Anthem - The 59 Sound
AC/DC - Back in Black

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Like the other top 10's I've participated in, I didn't think I'd put these in any specific order but I ended up surprising myself! So here's my top ten favorite albums.

Spoiler: Here thar be pictures.

10: Iced Earth - Horror Show

9: The Essential Weird Al

8: Dir en Grey - Missa

7: Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman

6: HIZAKI Grace Project - Dignity of Crest

5: Metallica - Ride the Lightning

4: Malice Mizer - Memoire

3: Moi Dix Mois - Shadows Temple

2: Cradle of Filth - Damnation and a Day

1: X Japan - Ballad Collection

Two of these are compilations but I still think they deserve to be counted. The Weird Al one is the only thing by him I own and, the X-Japan one has the Final Mix of Forever Love which doesn't appear anywhere else (before anyway).

Spoiler: Ya know what? Here is one song from each album: My single favorite from those albums. A couple of these are actual music videos!

Iced Earth - Jack

Weird Al - Hardware Store

Dir en grey - Kiri to Mayu

Ozzy - Diary of a Madman

HIZAKI Grace Project - Everlasting Dream

Merallica - Fade to Black

Malice Mizer - Baroque

Moi Dix Mois - The Prophet

Cradle of Filth - The Smoke of her Burning

X-Japan - Forever Love (Final Mix)

 

[FURY_007]

No Particular Order

Cream- Disraeli Gears
Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin I
AC/DC- Highway to Hell
AC/DC-Back in Black
The Black Keys-Brothers
Wolfmother-Wolfmother
The Raconteurs- Consolers of the Lonely
The Who- My Generation
The Who- Who's Next
Jet- Get Born
David Bowie- Hunky Dory
Tom Petty- Full Moon Fever

What's that you say? That's more than ten? meh, couldn't pick just ten

 

[217not237]

For me:

10: 9: 8: 7: 6: 5: 4: 3: 2: 1:

 

[thelittleman66]

Metallica- ...And Justice for All
Alice in Chains- Dirt
Corrosion of Conformity- Deliverance
Mastodon- The Hunter
Black Sabbath- Paranoid
Led Zeppelin- Houses of the Holy
Megadeth- Rust in Peace
Jerry Cantrell- Degradation Trip
Metallica- Load
Pantera- Vulgar Display of Power