A Great Fire Red Dragon With Seven Heads And Ten Horns by Bull of Heaven. It's not drone doom, but it's some damn hypnotic droning all the same. My favorite piece out of their massive discography.

Queen of the stone age - Rated R and Songs for the deaf
These albums are just so perfect. The songs writing is perfect, there is lots of variety and the mix of Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri and Mark Laneggan on vocals is just perfect.


Tom Waits - Rain dogs and Bone Machine
Tom Waits is a genius. Rain Dogs has such amazing tone and Bone Machine is an awesome non metal album with a metal atmosphere.

Nick Cave & the bad seeds - Best of
Ok I guess that is cheating.

Rage against the machine - s/t
Shut up. Every song on this album is good and its not gimmicky like some of their later stuff is.

Leftover Crack - Fuck World Trade
The perfect punk album in my opinion. Includes classical and one song that is almost black metal.

Immortal Technique - Third world
A perfect mix of gangster and political rap.

Sabac Red - sabacalypse - a change gon come
The most under rated rap record ever.

ACDC - back in black
Every song is killer.

How to clean everything - propagandhi
One of the best punk records ever. THe good songs on Today's Empires tommorows ashes are better but there is some filler.

Arbiet - Zum Einem Neuen Licht
A really cool neofolk album.

Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
Strange Days - The Doors
The Ramones - The Ramones
Shadows Collide With People - John Frusciante
Nirvana's 3 albums

When I first got into Siouxsie it also felt strange how I loved the music so much when I didn't usually go for stuff like that. Since I still haven't heard anything even nearly like Siouxsie I tend to think that The Banshees (& The Creatures for that matter) are a genre of their own, even in their early days when they got lumped in more with punk and goth.
No arguments for anyone that wants to give Peepshow 100%.




Arcana are fantastic and I agree they have a very consistent discography. Cantar de Procella and Dark Age of Reason are my personal favorites. As far as bands that have a style in a similar vein as Dead Can Dance I've always thought they were the best, along with Dark Sanctuary and Rajna. Arcana does a great cover of "In the Wake of Adversity" too.



I'd have a really hard time saying anything by Cocteau Twins deserved less than a near-perfect score. The only lull's in their work for me would have to be Blue Bell Knoll, Four-Calendar Cafe and Milk & Kisses with everything else being pretty flirty with 100%. Head over Heels would probably be the easiest for me to rate the highest.

Agreed. Dark Age Of Reason and Cantar de Procella are both stunning albums. The track Angel Of Sorrow from Dark Age Of Reason is hauntingly beautiful, with that faint stain of tragedy. Cantar de Procella also has many standout tracks filled with a much larger scope and vision. Some of the songs are incredibly immense with both the sound-scape and imagery. Like watching an epic thunder-head of a massive rain storm building. Brilliant.

Thick as a Brick truly is a great album. Probably my favorite Jethro Tull.

Meat Puppet's II. That album is fucking perfect. Just an incredible mix of punk, classic rock, psychedelia, folk, and country/western. I can't imagine anybody not liking this album.

Surprised nobodys mentioned rap yet. Whut thee Album and Muddy Waters by Redman are both 90's hip hop classics. Ol Dirty Bastard's first album is spectacular too, every actual song on it is good. And then their's Enter the 36 Chambers by Wu Tang Clan. That album can't be touched. It's a masterpiece.

Wardruna - Runaljod - Gap Var Ginnunga.
One of the best albums I have heard period.
The whole feeling of this album is just excellent, I was so satisfied after my first listen. I just had to listen another 100 times or so

Cool, I'll check this out. I've of course known "Green Onions" since I was wee, and I actually recently got a couple of albums from the band that I think must be from a much later period as they aren't really rock like the aformentioned songs, nor very funky, but more along the lines of electric jazz stuff. They're good, but I think I'll enjoy this album more if it's as you described.

I'm going to check out a few of the things mentioned here in the thread that I haven't heard, just for the hell of it. It's interesting knowing where else our fellow posters' tastes lie.

As for me, I have a really hard time with this, because I'm not sure if there are perfect albums, just extremely special and powerful ones. I guess a perfect album would be one I could put on in any mood and perfectly sink into...or maybe it's just a perfect representation of the artist's vision, except without first-hand knowledge of that vision, how could you say he's achieved everything he set out to do in the most exemplary manner possible?

SO I'll just name some favourites, I guess...

Amon Duul II: Yeti

There are a lot of fantastic albums from the "Krautrock" scene, but few I can think of that are as universally appealing, engrossingly melodic and mind-bendingly psychedelic as this one. All right, so many of Amon Duul collective's records are really something special, but this one was my first discovery from the group and has been the soundtrack to a number of special experiences, so I pick Yeti. The songs often feel like journeys, which may be a cliché but here, with the winding psychehdelia seeming to follow definite pathways of structure while influences are brought in from various cultures in the form of citars, violins, various percussion and strange vocalisations. Every so often a heavy, pounding riff surfaces, only to be submerged by whatever subterranean ancient rivers the band was metaphorically travelling along.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDcvKyZqdyw
Only the first part of this wild song.

Tangerine Dream: Rubycon

Though everything around this period of TG's output is incredible, this album holds a special place in my heart. It's a little more overtly melodic than what the band had previously done with their synth and organ explorations, and hence I can put it on any time, for almost anyone, and it's one of my favourite night-time excursions. The water theme is carried well by the burbling, oscilating organ sounds, and it's either on this album or the previous one that the band introduced the world to the sort of dancing, bassy synth rhythm/melody sequences that would become a staple of electronic music for all following generations. I enjoy the calm, floating feel the record engenders, but am always startled by the sudden bursts of electrifying organ sound that momentarily stab out of the darkness like the heads of sinister marine life.

The Tea Party: Edges of Twilight

The only post-1970s release that will make it onto this list for me, although I may well think of other stuff later, and some of the things mentioned by other posters certainly earn nods of approval from me. Anyway, this is a rock group from Windsor, Ontario that got plenty of airplay in the 1990s. While my radio listening days and some of the albums I picked up around this time are quite far behind me, this one has always stuck, and I think it's because the mystical, nocturnal majesty of it is something which really appeals to me today. While their first and third records are also pretty strong, this second one is where their more acoustical side reached its peak. later albums would have the band experimenting with electronics and samplings, often with unpleasant results, though I admit I'm not as familiar with this era of the band. Anyway, Edges of Twilight reminds a lot of people of Led Zeppelin, and it's a fair comparison, but here the blues is excised, except for a few bits here and there, and the sound is altogether darker than most of what Zep put out. The variation on the record is quite striking, but most of the songs do have this otherworldly and ethereal quality, with some really strong guitarwork and excellent use of some unusual instrumentation. Jeff Martin sings like Ian Aspberry or Jim Morrison, and as long as he sticks to the lower register, his voice is awesome and really compelling. Here's one of the best songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_y9kSt-4g0

Hawkwind: Doremi Fassol latido

One of the most psychedelic and spaciest albums ever made, for sure. THis was Lemmy's debut with the band, and he, along with a new drummer, brought a really propulsive and heavy edge to the rhythm section which just makes the band so much more intense. The record is absolutely full of wild jams, crazy guitar effects, squawky and echoey sax freakouts from the dubiously talented yet still somehow great Nick Turner, and simply contains some of the band's strongest songs. Everything here, from the distinctive and endlessly repeated opening chords of "Brainstorm" with that big drum fill and the whooooshing synth noise that pervades the entire record, to the quiet acoustic closure of "The Watcher" (later to be re-done in a much different form by Motorhead) is just sublime. The album must be experienced as a whole, and narcotics are recommended. Check out the ultimate version of "Space is Deep":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cULwlnEok1c

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso: Banco del Mutuo Soccorso

Gorgeous, beautiful, romantic, poetic...my very first discovery of Italian prog rock and still one of the best. While their next album may be more complex, I just get a really special and wonderful feeling from this one. Two extremely talented keyboardists are responsible for much of the composition, and the singer's just sublime, though I suppose if you dislike dramatic delivery you may not care for him (in which case, why are you listening to metal anyway?). This is an album that I just have to put on, sit back and soak in...its melodies and complexities demand the attention utterly. The next two are also really good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV9MUvXC9A0


That's enough for now eh?

double post, sorry.

Hmmm, I've got this at home. I quite like it, guess I'll have to listen again!

Ok, I'll do some of my favourite non-metal records:

AC/DC - Highway to Hell

Between the ages of 14 and 16, I would play this most every day. In fact, I like to think I've permanently cemented it into my brain. What's to say, really? It's the band at the zenith of their powers, putting 100% into every song and with perhaps the best production on any hard rock album I've heard. Bon Scott's just charming; he's got such bravado and power. I can't help but smile whenever I hear some of those lyrics, too 'she had the body of Venus... with arms!'.

Perfect album, makes you want to drink beer and play furious air guitar. Leaves me feeling completely satisfied. It's actually a very well balanced record, too, and I don't think the band had a finer moment (Powerage comes close, though).

Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous

Another teenage 'rite of passage' rock record. Maybe it's something about these dead frontmen that I like? I've probably played 'The Cowboy Song', 'Jailbreak', 'The Rocker' and 'Dancing in the Moonlight' hundreds of times over the course of the past 6 years in various bands... but I never tire of them. It's energetic, it's well paced... it's a band at the peak of its powers... blah, blah, drool, drool.

The Pentangle - Basket of Light

Definitely their best album, and its just utterly beautiful, charming and deep - yet very accessible, too. A very 60s record in a lot of ways, but it's not dated as all... it just sounds fresh as a daisy. Perfect in summer, perfect in most ways I can think of: the jazzy rhythm section, Bert and John's intertwining guitars and all topped off with Jacqui's sonorous vocals.

Check it out!

Honourable mentions: MC5 - Kick Out the Jams & Back in the USA, Black Flag - Damaged, First Four Years, Ramones - It's Alive, Hawkwind - Space Ritual, The Damned - Strawberries, The Replacements - Let it Be & Pleased to Meet Me, UFO - Strangers in the Night... lots more, agggrhh.

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
The Beatles - Revolver
The Doors - The Doors
Led Zeppelin - IV
King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Rush - 2112
Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool

Most of you have the right idea for this thread, but I for one am trying to learn some things, so I (and others, no doubt) would much prefer it if people kept to the spirit of the OP (and the following few posts) and spoke a bit about the albums in question. Why are they favourites? What makes them so worthy of praise? I'm actually trying to delve into areas of music I'm not so familiar with (I've already checked outt that Cat Stevens album thanks to marks' post...really really surprising!) here, but a mere list of albums doesn't do any good. If you don't have time to talk about a bunch of albums, just mention one. Sorry for getting preachy on y'all, but it's an annoying message board habit that should be quelled around here, just making a list of stuff that nobody can be arsed to read or care about.

I love King Crimson very much, but I seem to be one of a very few who actually prefers In the Wake of Poseidon to In the Court..., even though Poseidon's first half is basically following the exact same format as the debut. It just seems that they did it better on this one, even though it doesn't have the song "In the court of the Crimson King", which is undoubtably a total masterpiece, and perhaps "Epitaph" is a better song than "The Wake of Poseidon". Still, I'll take the fun "Cat Food" and the harrowing "Devil's Triangle" over "Moonchild" most days.
However, I think Red is my favourite KC album.

Me too, actually! I think people tend to dismiss Poseidon because it was similar and came second, which is just silly to me. If it's more of the same, not a self-ripoff, and you liked it the first time around, why is that a bad thing? Especially if it's more consistent! I'm sure a lot of regular people simply like the debut better for legitimate reasons, but a lot of the rock critics of the day criticized it simply because it wasn't as novel as the first. They wanted their socks knocked off like the debut did, and the followup was necessarily less of a surprise. Still, once the novelty wears off and you're familiar and comfortable with both albums, I feel Poseidon comes out ahead.

I probably need to play all those early KC albums more. I'm actually of the view that Lizard is really underrated. Low key, but once you're into it it's really catchy.

Yeah, that stretch of random sounds in Moonchild would be the only real complaint for me in regards to the debut. It doesn't last as long as it feels, but it feels pretty fucking long.

VIOLENTREDNECKYOUSEERED!

I'd probably give Millions of Dead Cops 100% too. Hyperactive old school hardcore. Dave Dictor sounds like a raving lunatic, he really shines here, especially with his frenetic delivery. The guitars are for the most part pretty standard hardcore fair, some good riffs here and there, crazy solos once in a while. Great album.

Keeping in line with the punk theme I'd like to put down the albums Machine Gun Etiquette and Strawberries by the Damned. MGE is a little more punk than Strawberries but both are rooted in the style. Of particular mention is Captain Sensible on guitars, a really talented player. Algy Ward of Tank fame also played on MGE for you trivia nerds out there. It is still a little more "out there" than most punk and to be honest I'm a little ignorant of the extra influences, but a lot of people refer to them as having taken on "goth" influences. Either way, good stuff:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmUfM6wzPu0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGBFAAngUE4

I think the best non-metal album I've heard is Breaking Loose by Helix. It's really beautiful hard rock; this album was in the 70's before Helix went glam, not that I didn't like that era too, but their debut is my favorite.

Really great love songs almost throughout the whole thing, if you like that sort of thing.

You're welcome. I didn't expect anyone to take it up when I listed it on the post. Glad you liked it. It was just a natural selection for me since it has nostalgic value growing up(as with with most of my classic rock). I first heard it on my parent's 8-track and then we would all play it over and over on road trips to California. And then I'd pop it in my walkman high school years every night. It's an album I really appreciated for it's pure songwriting aesthetic and 70's folk rock catchiness that then lead me to appreciate a band like Tull from that era too.




I'm sick with myself for misplacing that CD somewhere around my house. haven't heard it in some months but I need to keep looking for it right now as a matter of fact. I really dig Barriemore Barlow's drumming on the record.

"Loveless"- My Bloody Valentine. I really just can't get enough of this album. It's so dreamy. The guitars fade in and out and go in and out of tune. I really love "To Here Knows When" for this. The vocal melodies are also very pleasing as well, especially "When You Sleep" and "Sometimes". It's an album I listen to over and over again. Every song is of extremely high quality!

I think Explosions in the Sky's "All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone" is up there too. Maybe not quite 100% but close, that's for sure. I find it very emotional due to personal experiences when I first heard it. In the opening track, "The Birth and Death of the Day", when the distorted guitar melody comes in, it's incredible. Very uplifting.

"Apostrophe" by Frank Zappa is also awesome. The songs are short, catchy, and funny, and the musicianship is phenomenal. A very diverse album, that's for sure. I'm glad to see other people mentioning Zappa as well.

If we count classical music, Sibelius' 2nd symphony would get 100%. Each movement has great highlights that I can't wait to hear every time I listen to it. Even the first few opening phrases are perfect!

Genesis' Nursery Cryme. Awesome prog and the best of the Gabriel years. Probably my favorite opening track ever in the Musical Box, a song that has some killer Hackett solos. Plus, who doesn't love songs about hogweeds conquering mankind?

I keep changing my favorite FZ album. At the moment it's almost certainly The Grand Wazoo, even though I will probably change it tomorrow. That's why I don't think I could give him 100% for anything.

Fuck Yes! I knew I couldn't be the only one. Have you heard his newest album?

Well let's see... For me, every album by the Ramones ( I LOVE that band), and Dead Boys- Young, Loud, and Snotty. There's more than one good song on it people!!!

Masterful fusion of pop, post-punk and gothic music. An exception to this would be The Scream. That's one punk-tastic album! There are a few things from this group that I'm not a fan of (A Kiss In The Dreamhouse doesn't really jive with me.) But generally, speaking, ace material through and through.

I completely understand what you mean though, I was so confused as to why I loved her works so much when it was so far from anything I listen to, except for maybe Joy Division.




I was gonna say that A LOT Rush albums could qualify for a 100% score. Just an amazing band. I have the All The World's a Stage Live album, and holy crap do they sound metal as fuck in a lot of places. Incredibly easy to see why so many metal bands take influence from Rush.

Maybe it's possible that MANY of his albums deserve 100%

There's few albums I'd give a perfect score, metal included. Perfection is nothing to strive for anyway. Anyway, here's me list:
Klaus Schulze - Timewind
Klaus Schulze - Mirage

I love 70's T. Dream but I like Schulze even more. He's more Teutonic/Wagner-ian and his compositions have a more "human" sense of pulse, flow and a better sense of tension. Anyway, these albums in particular take me to places no other album can.

King Crimson - Red
I think others have already mentioned it and it is pretty fucking metal already, but this is probably their best blend of avant-metal riffs, Stravinsky-esque dissonance, and it has Ian McDonald back on sax/flutes, you can't go wrong. "Starless" is their best song and one of the best ever.

The Velvet Underground & Nico
Perfect mix of European avant-garde and New York urban decadence. It can be harsh and repetitive - in a good way ("I'm Waiting For My Man"), peaceful, tender, dreamy ("Sunday Morning"), even folky ("The Black Angel's Death Song") and "Venus in Furs" is simply one of the best songs ever written.

Mad River - s/t
Got into this thanks to a buddy on RYM, this is the most underrated rock album of all time and one of the best ever, if not THE best, of the 60s and beyond. Dark, druggy acid rock with Hammond's soulful, bleating crooning voice. The guitars almost sound spiky in a post-punk way, but back in '68. A masterpiece.

Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
It took me forever to get into Dylan because he's so different from what I'm used to listening to but god, these two especially are masterpieces. They just seem to flow out of him so naturally, like the day he recorded them was his last day on earth or something. They have a raw, loose punky energy to them and of course, the lyrics are mesmerizing. "Mr. Tambourine Man" is probably my favorite set of lyrics of all time: "Take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind, down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves, the haunted frightened trees, out to the windy beach, far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow."

Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra
One of the most beautiful albums I've heard, a combo of psych rock, proto-ambient, eastern music, neo-classical and yes, proto-new age. An intermingling of eastern and western spirituality (literally, the cover features a yin-yang/cross symbol).

Television - Marquee Moon
Came from the punk scene, but sounds more like art-rock to me. Some of the best guitarwork can be found here, almost jazz-like in nature. The album has a really cool, "noir"-ish vibe to it.

Captain Beyond - s/t
I suppose this is almost metal but this is one of the most flowing combos of prog, psych and hard rock money can buy. For fans of 70s Pentagram, Sir Lord Baltimore, Dust, etc.

The Stooges - Fun House
Obviously one of the best rock albums ever, though it's done through an almost hellish soul/runk/rnb lens. Ugh, I suck at describing music, I'd rather listen to it. Most of you have probably heard this anyway, but if not, check it out.

Autechre - Amber
Probably my favorite electronic album. Combines complex beat layering with beautiful ambient melodies, it's very "lunar" and also very listenable. One of the best albums to listen to in the car.

Damn, actually reading the thread reminded me of a few more:
Joy Division - Closer
The Cure - Pornography
The Gun Club - Fire of Love
The Doors - s/t
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Amon Duul II - Yeti

J-M, I really need to check out some Banco. I've always meant to.

Nthing on King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King, such a masterpiece. Epitaph is like my second favorite song of all time. The other one would be Animals by Pink Floyd, it's flawless too. Most people prefer The Wall or Wish You Were Here, but I think they're quite good too, but bit 'sellout-ish'. Animals is the real thing, progressive perfection.

awesome list man I would have to agree that all those albums are amazing. Nice to see some love for klaus schulze and tangerine dream I love that shit.
Heres a couple ones from the top of my head

Coil-Time Machines-Been listening to this every night for a long time. It's one of the best dark ambient albums out there. I'm just getting into some of the other works of coil and while I havent found anything I liked as much as this one its still all great stuff.

Immortal Technique-Revolutionary volume 1 and 2-Some of the most intelligent and fierce rap out there. definitely stands up to listening over and over agin.

Brian Eno-Another Green World-Appolo-Here Comes the Warm Jets-These three albums are all perfect in their own way. Appolo is probably the most beautifal ambient music ever recorded. Here comes the warm jets is crazily experimental and rocking for its time and another green world is a mix of both worlds.

Manic Street Preachers-The Holy Bible-Simply one of the darkest albums ever made. Nothing sounded like this album before and nothing sounded like it after (including the manic street preachers)
I could keep going forever but I'll stop here for now

Yeah, good call on the Eno man. Classics.

Actually all of those plus A Saucerful of Secrets, Ummagumma, and Dark Side of the Moon are pretty much up there for me, as well. What a fucking great band Pink Floyd is. I'm listening to Ummagumma right now.... I know it's far from their most highly regarded work, but damn, I love this album. It's just damn perfect for what it is. Perfect balance of light and darkness, playfulness and gravity, structured songs and experimental excursions, all with a greater air of mystery than they ever achieved on the majority of their other albums. Great stuff. I keep coming back to this more than almost any of their others.

On the other hand, I listened to The Piper at the Gates of Dawn for the first time in a long time yesterday, and it totally let me down. By far one of their weakest releases, despite Syd Barrett's "genius."

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
The album which earned my love for Pink Floyd. I've still yet to experiment with LSD, Pink Floyd, and The Wizard of Oz, but folks have told me of incredible results.

Sorry, Dark Side of the Moon is one of the most overrated rock albums in history. Not bad, but not great either. Actually, Piper at the Gates of Dawn is a little overrated too, but there's some great shit on it.

Hey man I absolutely agree: listening to Dark side of the Moon while coming up on acid is one of my goals for the future. Although, if I had to pick a Pink Floyd as being a 100% perfect album, it would be Wish You Were Here or Meddle. Both albums deliver incredibly solid and enjoyable songs track by track.

The Doors - The Doors
The Doors - Strange Days
The Doors - L.A. Woman
The Doors are my favorite band of all time. I love the music and the lyrics. These three are start-to-finish albums for me, but among the songs I'd say 'The Crsytal Ship,' 'The End,' "When the Music's Over,' Strange Days,' 'Cars Hiss by my Window,' and 'Riders on the Storm' really stand out for me.

Sublime - 40 oz. to Freedom
This was the second CD I owned after I got my first CD player. Sublime plays an awesome mix of punk, reggae and ska and it's just so good.

Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate
I wanted to put 'The Essential Leonard Cohen,' but it seems like cheating. Cohen is a true poet, and his music is soul-searing.

Chris Cornell - Euphoria Morning
Cornell has (had?) a great voice, and this album is great. His second solo album was a little boring, and as for the album with Timbaland, well probably the less said the better.

Eminem - The Marshal Mathers LP
I don't listen to a lot of rap, but I love this album. Eminem can be funny, dark, and insightful in a single song. Love his new album too.

M. Ward - Duet for Guitars #2
M. Ward is just fucking cool. It's hard to pick a favorite album, but I think it's probably this one. Everything else he's involved in is good too, like Monsters of Folk and She & Him.

Glenn Gould - The Goldberg Variations.
J.S. Bach was a genius, and this series of piano 'variations' is hypnotic and endlessly interesting. Gould plays it so well, too. I think 'State of Wonder' might be cheating, but it's interesting to hear the difference between the first and second recordings.

I couldn't give a non metal album a 100 due to the fact that metal is superior to other forms of music and thus they will always be inherently less than perfect for not being metal. The exception, of course, is side projects of metal musicians which happen to include among their ranks some of the best non metal music there is. Lucky coincidence.

'An imprisonment so total the prisoner doesn't even know he's locked up.'

Whenever I think of Lou Reed, I recall an interview with Lemmy, where he was asked what he thought of the drug heroin. Lemmy's reply, "People who use heroin tend to listen to Lou Reed, and that can't be anything the recommend it."





Television certainly had great guitarwork, courtesy of Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd.





Great call, bro. LOVE this album.






I always found Fun House sort of a tough listen, personally. The first Stooges album is great in its visceral simplicity, and Raw Power tooks things up several notches with James Williamson's guitar, but, despite so many folks lauding Fun House, I could never really get into it.