Perfect Album and what makes music good [Archive]

#FF0000

12th July 2012, 13:04

So someone asked me a question and I was actually sort of surprised that I didn't have an answer for it considering how obvious a question it seemed!

To you, what is the album comes closest to being perfect?

I don't think this is necessarily the same as being one's favorite but hey, it might be. I myself kept thinking of albums that I thought of as some of my favorites but I couldn't really think of one that I'd say is perfect or close to perfect. This dilemma also got me thinking of my next question

What is your criteria for deciding whether a piece of music is good?

As much as I enjoy music and as wide as my tastes are, I have a very hard time articulating what it is about a particular piece of music or album or whatever that I like about it so much.

So yeah. What album would you call the closest to being perfect? Why? What makes an album or piece of music good? Why?

Revolution starts with U

12th July 2012, 13:21

Idk what album is closest to perfect, nor even if that's possible. I do know that there are a few albums with no songs I dislike; Sgt Peppers, White Album, Kill'em All, Ride the Lightning, Great Milenko, to name a few.

What makes music good? It has to speak to me on an emotional level in some way, have some kind of consistent rhythm and melody, and it can't be too whiney or pretentious. For example: A Day In the Life (Beatles) sets you in the scene of a person struggling with the problems of themselves and the world while trying to maintain happiness, smoothly flows from the sadder parts to the more mundane, but doesn't get too preachy at any point.

Different for everyone I'm sure. But that's pretty much how it is for me.

Lev Bronsteinovich

12th July 2012, 13:45

Ah, perfection. I like so many types of music this is a very difficult question. It so depends on my mood. And I prefer to speak in terms of my favorite, rather than perfection. The best I can do are my top five (today)

Help -- The Beatles
Kinks -- Something Else
The Velvet Underground
Reckoning -- REM
Kingston Trio -- Live at the Hungry i
Pretenders -- Learning to Crawl

Okay that was six, and frankly there are about 30 others that I really love -- including Graham Parker's first album (Howlin' Wind), and The Who Sell Out. Oh, and really one that should be included, although it is not a proper Album is Elvis Presley: The Complete 50s Masters -- if I had to pick one "album" that would be it --of course, that would be cheating because it contains 5 CDs.

Comrades Unite!

12th July 2012, 13:52

London Calling
Sandanista!
House of the holy

ed miliband

12th July 2012, 15:09

i think 'what is the perfect album' and 'what makes music good' are too radically different questions. obviously i know you don't think they're the same, but...

i think the album is only really important to certain genres at a particular point in music history. to make that less abstract, the album as a format really goes hand in hand with rock music from the late 60s through the perhaps the mid 90s, particularly umm, dominant forms of guitar music (i.e. until like, 'london calling' or whatever, punk acts weren't really concerned with albums... which isn't to say they didn't release albums). look at what the people above me describe as 'perfect albums' - all really fit into what might now be labelled as 'classic rock'.

soul, funk, 60s garage rock, punk, etc. were all genres that thrived on the single, which again isn't to say that there aren't some amazing soul albums or whatever. and even now, the mixtape is much more important to hip hop than the album is. and now, for all genres, the idea of a 'big album' of old is becoming less and less important.

that said, i think some of the solo wu-tang albums (tical, only built for cuban linx, etc) come pretty close to being 'perfect albums'. i don't know why though.

Dennis the 'Bloody Peasant'

12th July 2012, 15:27

Shit I don't know, I can only interpret the question based on what album I think is perfect for whatever bizarre reason.

Bat Out of Hell - Meat Loaf

...and I don't have to justify it fuck you lalalalalala every track is gold not listening lalalala

Art Vandelay

12th July 2012, 15:38

Sublime self titled. I have listened to that record more than any other in my life. What makes it the best record? The way the songs flow together. Its one of those records where I will actually get mad if someone changes the song cause it just needs to be listened to the whole way through; its a journey.

Dumb

12th July 2012, 16:21

Failure, Fantastic Planet
Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life
Soundgarden, Superunknown
The Tubes, Remote Control - "No Mercy" (http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/the-tubes/video/no-mercy_2146595617.html) is my personal anthem.

I gravitate towards long albums with some ambitious, overarching idea behind them. Tight song craft helps, too (hence why I stay away from Sgt. Pepper).

Althusser

12th July 2012, 16:51

Zav

15th July 2012, 15:02

In my opinion the most near-perfect album is Painkiller. Every song on it is glorious.

Leonid Brozhnev

15th July 2012, 23:04

Dark Side of the Moon
Cliché, but fuck you.

Zostrianos

15th July 2012, 23:11

Depends on the genre, but here's a few of mine.

Maxinquaye - Tricky
Tha Doggfather - Snoop Dogg
The main ingredient - Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Baduizm - Erykah Badu
Travelling without moving - Jamiroquai
Rhythm-Al-Ism - DJ Quik
Supreme beings of leisure - Supreme beings of Leisure
Labcabincalifornia - Pharcyde
Based on a true story - Mack 10
Jazzmatazz - Guru

bad ideas actualised by alcohol

15th July 2012, 23:24

Miley Cyrus - Can't be tamed
Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
Lil Wayne - Money

thriller

15th July 2012, 23:32

For me, the perfect album is a concept album, but not all my favorites are concept albums. Civil War by Dillinger Four is probably my favorite album (at least top 3) but it's not really a concept album. The Greatest Story Ever Told by the Lawrence Arms and Fuck World Trade by Leftover Crack are perfect albums to me because there is a constant motif running through out the album (whether it's instrumental or lyrical) and they have many messages melded into one. It must come full circle, and those two albums do, both messages and music.

Le Socialiste

16th July 2012, 02:58

Pink Floyd's The Wall comes closest for me.

Ostrinski

16th July 2012, 03:09

Radiohead- OK Computer
Wu-Tang Clan- 36 Chambers
Streetlight Manifesto- Everything Goes Numb
Brand New- The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
At the Drive-In- Relationship of Command
The Doors- The Doors
Tom Waits- Rain Dogs
Converge- Jane Doe
Nas- Illmatic
Bob Dylan- Highway 61 Revisited
Dead Kennedys- Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

edit: some more faves

Bjork- Homogenic
Agalloch- Ashes Against the Grain
The Jimi Hendrix Experience- Are You Experienced
Opeth- Blackwater Park
The Velvet Underground- The Velvet Underground & Nico

These are all very generic answers, but in my mind are some of the closest that come to being perfect. Why? I don't know, they just do it for me. They make my life worthwhile.

ed milliband brings up an interesting point but for me subjectively I guess there's nothing more enjoyable than a great album.

Book O'Dead

16th July 2012, 03:09

Dark Side Of The Moon

Ele'ill

16th July 2012, 04:11

To me an album is closest to perfect when several things happen. There's a key song that you like on it so you get the album and listen to it and find at least two other songs that you immediately like just as much. As time passes you may only listen to those several songs that you love but then you find other songs on the album that you really love, maybe it's a part of the song musically or the lyrics, it doesn't matter.

This is all topped off when the songs on the album mean something to you with where you're at in your life and stuff you're going through. It creates a permanent memory.

NewLeft

16th July 2012, 04:48

A perfect album is one where I don't have to skip a song. Still haven't found it yet..

NewLeft

16th July 2012, 04:52

#FF0000

16th July 2012, 18:50

Brand New- The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me

I only listened to this album for the first time last night, despite being a p. big Brand New fan when I was younger.

And you are right this thing is a monster.

Ostrinski

17th July 2012, 03:06

And your avatar!!well people who post every album that could conceivably considered one of their favorites in response to a question like this look like tools imo

Ostrinski

17th July 2012, 03:10

I only listened to this album for the first time last night, despite being a p. big Brand New fan when I was younger.

And you are right this thing is a monster.yeah you just can'tget stuff this quality all the time.

Deja entendu is a lot catchier while devil and god is more emotionally loaded*. Overall I think d&g is more cohesive.

edit:Especially You Won't Know, that's one of the most powerful songs ever.

Os Cangaceiros

17th July 2012, 03:21

Double Nickels on the Dime - The Minutemen
Damaged - Black Flag
The Chronic -Dr Dre
Workingman's Dead - Grateful Dead
Reign in Blood - Slayer
Plastic Surgery Disasters - The Dead Kennedys

L.A.P.

17th July 2012, 04:52

Tha Carter II by Lil Wayne is probably the most important album in my childhood

Korn and Toxicity are the most perfect metal albums for me

Skreamizm series is some of the greatest dubstep you'll ever hear

Brosa Luxemburg

17th July 2012, 05:05

So yeah. What album would you call the closest to being perfect? Why? What makes an album or piece of music good? Why?

1. Closest to being perfect would be either Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, Black Sabbath's Paranoid, Tool's 10,000 Days or AWOLNATION's Megalithic Symphony.
Why? The music is well thought out, the musicians know what they are doing, and it is real (full of real emotions and not made just to make money)

2. I think what makes a piece of music good depends on what type of music an individual likes.

#FF0000

17th July 2012, 08:30

2. I think what makes a piece of music good depends on what type of music an individual likes.

What factors into what you think makes music good

Â¿Que?

17th July 2012, 08:59

Dark Side of the Moon? Um, absolutely not. If you're gonna go with Pink Floyd, a much better, more ambitious, and more conceptual album would be Animals. Although I would not describe it as a perfect album, it comes awful close.

I really don't know of any perfect albums. Every album I hear always has some song or something about it that either gets old or I just don't like straight off the bat.

That said, certain ones come awful close. As mentioned, Animals is one of my all time favorites. I also like David Bowie's Hunky Dory, and El-P's Fantastic Damage, although neither I would describe as perfect.

Hunky Dory I thought was good, because I am really not a big Bowie fan. I downloaded his discography, and listened to a lot of his stuff, and quickly learned that a lot of it I didn't care for. But I was surprised by Hunky Dory how so many really good songs were in that album.

El-P's Fantastic Damage was pivotal in my life. It's crass and gritty somewhat political content really had a lot to do with my own political development. Now that I am firmly on the left, I do feel that a lot of that album is somewhat misguided from a political perspective, and much of it is just noisy and not very well produced. In spite of this, I think it's a great album because it was such an ambitious project. I'm not 100% on this one, but I'll leave it anyway.

Ostrinski

18th July 2012, 01:09

Yeah i've always thought Animals and Wish You Were Here blew DSOT out of the water. It doesn't even beat The Wall by much.

Ostrinski

18th July 2012, 01:29

Tool's 10,000 DaysThis is an atrocity. Naming this as a perfect album in relation to their two previous classics is like calling Opeth's Deliverance perfect in light of Blackwater Park or Rush's Signals after their five previous masterpieces.

AWOLNATION's Megalithic SymphonyAre you trolling?

Brosa Luxemburg

18th July 2012, 02:15

This is an atrocity. Naming this as a perfect album in relation to their two previous classics is like calling Opeth's Deliverance perfect in light of Blackwater Park or Rush's Signals after their five previous masterpieces.

Lateralus and Aenima are great albums as well, but I do think that 10,000 Days shows much more clarity and depth than those albums.

Are you trolling?
Yes:D

I was wondering if anyone would notice. I was going to put a Beibs album, but I wanted to be more subtle. Although, I do admit, Sail isn't half bad.

Brosa Luxemburg

18th July 2012, 02:17

Yeah i've always thought Animals and Wish You Were Here blew DSOT out of the water. It doesn't even beat The Wall by much.

I can definatley see why you would chose Wish You Were Here as a viable alternative, but I don't understand Animals. Yes, a great album to be sure, but I don't think that is compares to DSOTM or WYWH.

Brosa Luxemburg

18th July 2012, 02:20

What factors into what you think makes music good

Well, this is just off the top of my head, but I would say:

1. Solid musicianship. The Musicians have to know what they are doing, know how to stay in key, etc. while not being afraid to experiment.

2. Emotion. It has to be real, it cannot just be complete produced crap for MTV or some shit (think Nickelback here).

...I might come back to this later...little stumped right now.

Ostrinski

18th July 2012, 02:48

Lateralus and Aenima are great albums as well, but I do think that 10,000 Days shows much more clarity and depth than those albums.Absolutely not. The album is ok up until Lipan Conjuring (which is the worst Tool track of all time, although Lost Keys isn't much better) and then it never recovers, with the exception of Intension and Right In Two. The amount of filler on that album is ridiculous, especially in light of claims of "real music" (whatever that even means). On the other hand, though, Tool have never been known to be able to make a wholly consistent album.

I guess it can't really be helped though, considering the enigma of Tool is their mystique and intrigue. They've been at the forefront of mainstream metal for a decade, and that kind of trajectory always betrays itself eventually. Take Jim Morrison, for instance.

Ostrinski

18th July 2012, 02:49

I can definatley see why you would chose Wish You Were Here as a viable alternative, but I don't understand Animals. Yes, a great album to be sure, but I don't think that is compares to DSOTM or WYWH.Which is fine and all, but DSOTM pales as a progressive album in relation to Animals and Wish You Were Here.

Brosa Luxemburg

18th July 2012, 02:56

Absolutely not. The album is ok up until Lipan Conjuring (which is the worst Tool track of all time, although Lost Keys isn't much better) and then it never recovers, with the exception of Intension and Right In Two. The amount of filler on that album is ridiculous, especially in light of claims of "real music" (whatever that even means). On the other hand, though, Tool have never been known to be able to make a wholly consistent album.

I guess it can't really be helped though, considering the enigma of Tool is their mystique and intrigue. They've been at the forefront of mainstream metal for a decade, and that kind of trajectory always betrays itself eventually. Take Jim Morrison, for instance.

I think the problem here is that I don't mind filler tracks and think they can sometimes add the the album.

Â¿Que?

18th July 2012, 02:59

Yeah i've always thought Animals and Wish You Were Here blew DSOT out of the water. It doesn't even beat The Wall by much.
True true. To be fair, if it wasn't for Dark Side, I probably would have never gotten into Floyd. On the other hand, I can still listen to Animals and WYWH and really enjoy it, while Dark Side just sounds too radio friendly (except for on the run).

I can definatley see why you would chose Wish You Were Here as a viable alternative, but I don't understand Animals. Yes, a great album to be sure, but I don't think that is compares to DSOTM or WYWH.
When talking about concept albums, Animals and WYWH are pretty much definitive. Dark Side was a concept album, but it didn't push the limits as much, and the long track times sort of was like a fuck you to the radio stations. Although, it got some bad reviews, and even some members of Pink Floyd were not happy with it.

Also, I found this for a laugh:lol:
http://www.ingsoc.com/waters/personal/animals.html

JPSartre12

18th July 2012, 03:05

Gaga's Born This Way kept me dancing from the first song till the last, definitely her best album so far. scheiße is probably the best song that she's ever written I think :cool:

Madonna's new MDNA album wasn't too shabby either, but the last couple songs are too slow. Her Confessions from a Dancefloor had a better vibe to it but a lot of the songs sounded too similar.

Revolution starts with U

18th July 2012, 03:06

Well, this is just off the top of my head, but I would say:

1. Solid musicianship. The Musicians have to know what they are doing, know how to stay in key, etc. while not being afraid to experiment.

2. Emotion. It has to be real, it cannot just be complete produced crap for MTV or some shit (think Nickelback here).

...I might come back to this later...little stumped right now.

Lots of musical elitism going on in this thread (This isn't the only post, just the one I happened to quote). :lol:

I like non-generic music just as much as the rest of you, and don't really like any popular mainstream "garbage."

But a lot of these people that musical elitists think of as "not real musicians" have been training in music for years. They're just not that fond of being complex.

Brosa Luxemburg

18th July 2012, 03:11

Lots of musical elitism going on in this thread (This isn't the only post, just the one I happened to quote). :lol:

I like non-generic music just as much as the rest of you, and don't really like any popular mainstream "garbage."

But a lot of these people that musical elitists think of as "not real musicians" have been training in music for years. They're just not that fond of being complex.

Oh, I have no problem with music being mainstream. In all honesty, I love Kid Cudi. I just think that if a musician is only making music for the money (think beibs or cyrus) then there music is shit.

Ostrinski

18th July 2012, 03:14

I think the problem here is that I don't mind filler tracks and think they can sometimes add the the album.That doesn't make a lick of sense guy

Lots of musical elitism going on in this thread (This isn't the only post, just the one I happened to quote). :lol:

I like non-generic music just as much as the rest of you, and don't really like any popular mainstream "garbage."

But a lot of these people that musical elitists think of as "not real musicians" have been training in music for years. They're just not that fond of being complex.Not to mention that a lot of what is considered "real" music by some of these personalities is utter shit.