The Semi-Official Perfect Album Introduction Thread

Y'know, I was going to suggest Flip Your Wig or Warehouse as a better place to start for people who are more accustomed to tunefulness and audible lyrics than speed and bluster (although it's definitely the ideal HD starting point for people into faster, more aggro stuff). But, on second thought, Zen Arcade was my first Husker Du album, and it was kind of like jumping into freezing water. It took some time to get used to it, but it eventually proved enriching. And if it doesn't work for you, there's always the more accessible later stuff that sounds all the more accessible in comparison.

I've got to think of some original suggestions, I suppose.

I'm gonna toss out Devin Townsend. I'll say the best place to start with - with his music would be Synchestra by the Devin Townsend Band, it wasn't my introduction to his music, that album was Alien. I'm saying Synchestra because that album straddled the line pretty nicely between his more melodic/pop tendencies and the more heavier stuff he did with Strapping Young Lad, if only a bit proggy side and not going for the wall of noise sound that was typical of SYL, in my view it's probably one of his most accessible albums.

I'd say "Vampolka" and "Vampira" are my favorite and funnest of the tracks on the album.

Sam Cooke's "Live At The Harlem Square Club".

Close thread!

If you enjoy U2, Coldplay, or whatever else rock music that's indebted to the 80s, that expresses a certain grandeur about itself, as it may feature guitars playing with echo effects pedals..."What Does Anything Mean? Basically" is a great album to try, by The Chameleons. All ten songs are great, and flow well to each other as a whole; it's one of the great rock albums, albeit one that isn't heard very often, which surprises me, because they've much influenced lesser bands like Snow Patrol, and Interpol (well, Interpol as a lesser group if you're considering their output after the debut, sure).

The Chameleons never released any bad songs or albums, but this is where to start with them. It's catchy, melodic, and has a sound unto itself. I've listened to it for the past five years.

Whiskeytown: Faithless Street



I like Ryan Adams a lot. Well, I like his music a lot anyway; as a person he seems to be kind of a douche. I don't love his music though, because it never seems to quite measure up to what he did with Whiskeytown.

Alternating between unabashed country and straight-up Replacements-esque rock, there's almost nothing among the album's 21 track run-time that doesn't work. It's a perfect introduction to Adams, or even to alt-country (whatever that is) as a whole.

I like Faithless Street quite a bit, but I think Adams really hit his peak with the trifecta of Whiskeytown's "Pneumonia," and his first two solo albums, "Heartbreaker" and "Gold."

Adams' voice has changed a lot over the years. I was listening to a Whiskeytown cover of Big Star's "Give Me Another Chance" for the first time the other day, and I could barely tell it was him singing.

Yeah, Gold is still one of my favorite albums. I kinda need to give Heartbreaker another listen.

It doesn't always show on his albums, but Adams has the best live voice I've ever heard.

Why not start with Gram Parsons?

(Whitesnake to Zeppelin kinda thing)

Good point.

Because I'm talking about Whiskeytown/Ryan Adams? If someone posted the best place to start with The Hold Steady I wouldn't tell them to just listen to Springsteen. An influencer doesn't render and influence obsolete, especially because Parsons is no more an influence on this album than is Paul Westerberg.

Whitesnake, though? That's selling Adams pretty short. Parsons is definitely an influence, but Adams has always let very un-Parsons-like influences shine through just as much (The Replacements and Uncle Tupelo, initially, but eventually Brit-pop, Jeff Buckley, U2, and the Grateful Dead, as well).

I think that's why I like Pneumonia so much - it's still rooted somewhat in the Westerberg-meets-country sound of earlier Whiskeytown albums, but the influences are combined so well that none of it sounds like straight-up homage or superficial tinkering (a mistake made on later Adams solo albums, like Rock'n'Roll). I can't imagine Parsons or any of the other influences releasing an album that sounds much like it.

ETA: Hadn't seen Louris' post when I wrote this.

Too much of Gold, Heartbreaker, and Pneumonia just wash over me without leaving an impression, though his voice is much, much stronger on all three than on Faithless. I'm also not a real fan of her solo work, but the loss of Caitlin Cary's vocals is something I really miss. Pneumonia to me also suffers from an element of sameness; I really dig the huge shifts from something like Too Drunk To Dream to a song like Revenge or Yesterday's News.

I'm going to revist Pneumonia this afternoon. It's been awhile, and I want to listen with fresh ears. I remember it as sameness, but I want to listen and keep an open mind that the sound is instead an evolution from huge shifts to a merger of the styles into something new.

It's same-y in that it's more subdued (although the pace picks up in the second half after "Mirror Mirror"). But there's a lot of variety within that context - it's all about the arrangements. I love how cinematic the first half feels (mostly the stretch between "Don't Why Know Why" and "Under Your Breath").

Cool to see another fan. They are f'n awesome!

I think the 3rd one (Strange Times?) has a stronger flow overall, but I keep coming back to What for it's energy and intensity. The way the first 2 tracks build is better than anything Interpol or whoever could ever do.

Catherine Wheel were the best ones to pick up where they left off, IMO.

Nice to see another Catherine Wheel fan. Hell of an underrated band.

My submission for this thread: Rush SIGNALS.

Rush had taken their guitar-based sound about as far as it could go with MOVING PICTURES. Rather than just make MP part 2, they decided to try reinventing themselves: Alex's guitars would now share lead/rhythm duties with Geddy's synth rig, drastically changing the overall sound AND vibe that the long time fans had been used to. The result is an incredibly successful reinvention, and an album that is very solid from front to back.

'Subdivisions'
'The Analog Kid'
'Chemistry'
'Digital Man'
'The Weapon'
'New World Man'
'Losing it'
'Countdown'

It's a great introduction to the band, as many of the songs continue to feature heavily in their live set ('Subdivisions', 'the Analog Kid', and 'New World Man' especially).

Taking my life in my hands here:

Tom Waits - Mule Variations.

It's weird to start listening to an artist with an album that happened this late in a career but Mule Variations is that perfect blend of everything that Tom Waits was during his career; bluesy crooner, spoken word artists, avant garde found instrumentalist and stand up comedian. From most artists this album would sound like someone throwing shit at a wall and seeing what sticks. For Waits it seems to be he's hit what makes the perfect song for each of his previous incarnations and put them all on one brilliant record.

I think one way of looking at it for someone not familiar with Waits would be as if Bowie released an album of new material where each song was written for each of his personas Ziggy, Thin White Duke etc yet still have it feel fresh, organic and forward moving.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Damn The Torpedoes

One of the greatest bar bands ever takes a big step forward while creating an album that still feels familiar. Forget the big hits (which are still great) and listen to the under-appreciated "Louisiana Rain" and "Century City" to see exactly how good this band can be.

Although not particularly prolific, I'm going to throw in DJ Shadow.

I think his album 'The Private Press' is by far his strongest effort. It lacks the rawness that made his debut such an underground classic but the polish on Private Press allows for an easier listen. It feels so cinematic, tracks like 'Fixed Income' 'Giving up the ghost' and 'Six Days' all sound so original you'd never even guess they're samples. It's well worth a listen.

Touche.

Guided By Voices: either 'Bee Thousand' or 'Alien Lanes'. Anything before that has songwriting at times on level with those two, but might alienate new listeners with the very crummy lofi sound. Later albums saw Pollard experimenting with new band members & a more polished sound, resulting in less balanced output overall. But BT & AL use the lofi esthetic as a composition tool, and they feature some of the best goddamn songwriting like, ever.

I agree that Signals was a great album. I cut my teeth on '2112' and 'Farewell to Kings'' and still love a good concept album. As I understand it, the issues the band had with recording 'Hemispheres 'are what led them to re-examine the nature of their albums. 'Permanent Waves' and 'Moving Pictures' saw them move away from the album-side length pieces and start approaching radio-friendly lengths with some of their songs. Signals does have a noticably different sound, and was a little jarring back in the day, but seems a natural movement from the two albums before it. All that being said, I think 'Snakes and Arrows' has replaced farewell as my favorite Rush album.

As I said, I love concept albums. When I'm thinking of a cd I can put in the player and listen to without being tempted to skip a track or two it will usually be one of these. Marillion's 'Clutching at Straws', 'Imaginos' from Blue Oyster Cult or 'Hazards of Love' (and 'Crane Wife') from the Decemberists leap to mind.

Oh, and Analog Kid has ALWAYS been a favorite song of mine!