You may also wish to speak about why you find the album to be important for you. I think that there is also a distinction to be made between what is a 'perfect' album, and that which is so important on a personal level. But, I leave that open for you to think about...

Pinky and Perky's 'Hit Parade', 1968, LP.

Especially for those who like pigs - @Shawn :pray:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z0RHaC0ig0

Watch the whole experience of placing on turntable, cleaning the vinyl, careful placement of the stylus, turning the LP round at half time...and listening to the simple sounds and scratchiness of the 60's.

Steven Beeber, the vinyl aficionado and author of The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk, summed up the appeal of records this way: "As with so many things, the Luddites were right. The old ways were better. Vinyl has a richness and depth that digital media lacks, a warmth, if you will. And hell, even if it didn't, it sure looks cool spinning on the table, and you've got to treat it with kindness to make it play right, so it's more human too. As in our love lives, if you want to feel the warmth, you've got to show you care." — STEVEN BRYKMAN

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From: https://www.discogs.com/Pinky-Perky-Pinky-Perkys-Hit-Parade/release/2913136

Track list
A1 Congratulations
A2 Hello Dolly
A3 You Can Count On Me
A4 White Horses
A5 Popo The Puppet
A6 Yellow Submarine
B1 Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines
B2 Cinderella Rockefella
B3 Yummy Yummy Yummy
B4 Captain Kidd
B5 When I'm Sixty Four
B6 Rainbow Valley

Had forgotten this but looking up albums of the 70's. It was a favourite at the time...along with so many others...

'Tubular Bells' - Mike Oldfield,1973.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv_4sZCLlr0

It was just SO different.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubular_Bells

Albums which are perfect for me – too many in my usual rotation. Too. Damn. Many. :sweat:

It's funny but I don't really have any 'favourites' of anything that I play continuously.
Way back, the single 'Break Away' by the Beach Boys - the summer of 1969...over and over...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYATuYflXfQ

I've only started... really listening... to 'picks' by you and others recently - on the other music threads.
Amazing to have your ears opened... :flower:

So anything I post as a 'favourite' well...it is a bit of a sham, really...

It's my pleasure to share music that moves me with anybody who can feel it. I've limited myself to albums released after the mid-50s and before 1981 and in any music genre except classical music (NB: any other genres not represented simply don't hold "my favorite albums"). Also, trying to keep to just studio albums and no hits compilations, EPs or live concert recordings. And still WOW. I might have to pass on this thread, @Jack Cummins :worry:

It's my pleasure to share music that moves me with anybody who can feel it. — 180 Proof

Thanks - look forward to more - just whenever or wherever the mood takes ya' :cool:

You've already mentioned 'Graceland,' by Paul Simon in another thread. However, you might wish to think which music artists you find to be the most inspirational. Of course, it is so subjective and only yesterday, I was listening to a compilation by an 80s band, who I think are truly wonderful, The Icicle Works.

I have so many it's hard to pick. Exile on Main Street for sure. Deja Vu.

Lately I've given up on albums and just shuffle vintage jazz and funk on Amazon music. Yesterday it was Renaissance Lute.

@Jack Cummins As for going into more detail like you suggested:

For my two picks, I'll mention that these are probably my two favorite records of all time, but for that reason, I rarely listen to them. Frames by Oceansize I've probably listened to thousands of times over the past 12 years or so, and it doesn't really get old, but that being said, I don't really listen to that genre of music any more. But it's still one of the greatest for me. Laughing Stock by Talk Talk, on the other hand, is almost a spiritual revelation for me...it's a mountain top that I don't dare to climb often, if that makes sense. It's a sacred album that demands proper respect and devotion. As such, I probably listen to it about once a year. I listened to it more frequently when I first got into it, but I would say I've still only listened to it about 40 times or so over the course of 11 years. One key aspect of that record is that it's so dense that I hear several new things that I never noticed each time I listen. And it goes without saying it's a headphones record; the platonic ideal of one, really.

Getting tangled in the music threads: https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/comment/526060

The 2 cassettes I listened to. Over and over. Because that's all I could afford :smile:
'Tapestry' - Carole King (1971)
'Moods' - Neil Diamond (1972)

I think that Oceansize are probably a bit underrated. I have heard some music by them in was fairly impressed. Also, I do have a compilation by Talk Talk, and think that they are treasured gem of a band, who got less attention than many other 80s bands in the time of electro.

Apparently, cassettes are making a comeback. I used to have some but they used to chew up sometimes, which used to be so stressful, so I hope this did not happen to the 2 favourite albums you mentioned.

I used to have some but they used to chew up sometimes, which used to be so stressful, so I hope this did not happen to the 2 favourite albums you mentioned. — Jack Cummins

No, they weren't chewed up just got lost along the way.
I did buy the CD version of 'Tapestry' - though like many others, it rests on the shelf...

I haven't bought any new music for quite some time. I just come here :wink:

It does seem that so many people have stopped buying music, but mainly shuffle music on their phones or computers. I do download books but I find going out and looking for CDs in music basements to be so exciting. Mind you, I accumulate pile of them, to the point where they sometimes fall into my bed. I think that I am the CD king, or have CD disease. Some people seem to think that discs don't sound as good as vinyl, but it probably just depends on having the right speakers.

It does seem that so many people have stopped buying music, but mainly shuffle music on their phones or computers. I do download books but I find going out and looking for CDs in music basements to be so exciting. Mind you, I accumulate pile of them, — Jack Cummins

Yes. Back in the day, the only choice was to buy quite expensive vinyl records, cassettes or CDs.
I don't shuffle music on my phone or computer. However, just look at what is freely available.
Complete albums on YouTube for goodness sake :yikes:
That raises other questions...financial implications for artists...

At a certain point in life - you need to get rid of 'stuff'. Possibly to make room for more.
In my case, I have been decluttering for years !
Really difficult to move things on. Especially when you inherit parents' collections, and memories.
I still have a small collection of CDs but...wonder why...cos I hardly ever listen to them...

I am constantly trying to get rid of clutter. Last year I had to move and sorting my room was so agonising. Most of the charity shops were shut. The experience really taught me that I need to prevent accumulating too much, but music is my lifeline, but I read about all the new music. The best new music I have heard this year is the new album by the seventies singer, Alice Cooper.

The best new music I have heard this year is the new album by the seventies singer, Alice Cooper. — Jack Cummins

So, what do you like about it ?

I "decluttered" my vinyl collection back in the 90s before the vinyl renaissance. Well, CDs were the thing, no streaming yet (which low bit-rates make almost all mp3 noise shit anyway), and I needed the money ... to buy more CDs. I've even "decluttered" by swapping out CD albums for CD compilations – consolidating to fewer CDs with more "hits" per – where it made aesthetic sense to do it. Again, used the money to buy ... DVDs. Yeah, I'm that guy. Cut the cord more than a decade ago. If I can't (sample) stream it or DVD it, I don't watch it or even know about it. Over 2k DVDs and just over 1k CDs. Why? I'm not a "collector" by any stretch but I love to roam libraries and love having my own library even more. Books? Down to 3-3.5k so far. Minimally furnished, pet-free, 2 large bedrooms with lots of space to pace among shelves & stacks. (No roomies or guests ever, there's a fine little boutique hotel around the corner.) I hope I can half everything down again before my move to Oregon this fall.

Over 2k DVDs and just over 1k CDs. Why? I'm not a "collector" by any stretch but I love to roam libraries and love having my own library even more. Books? Down to 3-3.5k so far. — 180 Proof

Wow. Like Mega WOW !!!
That would have been my idea of Heaven not that long ago...

Having the space for your own library doesn't sound like a clutter but a fairly well organised collection of meaningful stuff. Not getting lost in a cloud.
So how do you arrange and keep them looking good ?
I have warned people not to give me stuff that needs to be lifted and cleaned.
Food and wine will do the trick, thanks :cool:

Food and wine will do the trick, thanks :cool: — Amity

:100: :up:

I'm a bit of a neat freak, try to dust weekly, always put things back immediately when I'm done and broad alphabetizing – DVDs by sections & titles, CDs by genres & artists, Books (except the stacks) by sections & authors. Also I keep meticulous spreadsheets of my current and past inventories since 2002 (which I try to fill-out the day / night I purchase something new ... which has been easier during the pandemic since I've bought mostly books & music from Amazon and they generate extensive lists). I went through a buying binge from 2015 to 2019 and have slowed down considerably mostly because this (mild) pandemic depression and fear, despite the new Administration & "economic indicators", the economy is very unstable. I've been "cleaning up" my spreadsheets and shelves little by little since the New Year. I couldn't imagine living like this with another person or even pets.

Lately I've been more into Neil Young. I've got both his self-titled album and Harvest. His newest album is free on his YouTube-channel. I loved it.
I've tried to listen to Harvest with others but it made them depressed. I don't know, I guess I just like the rawness of his music.
I'm also trying to listen more to psychedelic music. Still not quite used to it though

Been trying to figure out how to approach this...still not completely satisfied, but anyway. The two albums I keep coming back to are the Beatles White Album and Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral. The Beatles are like the Plato of music; almost all of music has footnotes leading back to them. And the white album is just so bold with its experimentation. I’m always amazed that that music was made in the 60’s. As for NIN, that album’s concept is just executed perfectly, and all the layers, both musical and lyrical, make it feel like you’re rediscovering something every time you listen to it.



With your extensive collection, perhaps you could help me with something. I’ve discovered I’m really not a fan of Jazz, but Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters album blew my mind. Is there anything else that sounds similar to that album?

You have great musical taste – "The White Album" and Head Hunters are on my list of favorites. My cut-off is 1980 though, but I'm not sure if I have any Nine Inch Nails in my collection.

As for Head Hunters, I need to know what you like about it in order to recommend an album something like it (in my book there really aren't any others genuinely comparable from that era which reaches its level of perfection). Is it "the funk"? "the jazz-fusion"? a particular instrument / virtuoso (e.g. Herbie on electric keyboards & synths)? That will help narrow it down for me because I could send you off in a number of directions which will probably frustrate you not being a fan of jazz.

Oceansize is a band that I don't expect a lot of people to like; I'm not going to argue that they're one of the best because they're an acquired taste. Talk Talk is sort of the same, although I'm a little more fundamentalist with them; I could probably map out a dubious philosophical argument for why Laughing Stock is one of the best albums of all time. But at the end of the day, it's still an acquired taste. On the other hand, there's probably more of a cult following for Talk Talk; I'm not alone in my opinion on them.

I have only listened to the new Alice Cooper album once, so I would probably need to listen again to explain fully why I thought it was so good. However, what I was impressed with by my first one was that the vocals came over the music. I have found that in a lot of music made in the last few years so much, especially the vocals seem muffled.

You are fortunate if you can manage to be so neat and tidy. I am trying to become more tidy because that is as essential as decluttering. The room I lived in staff accommodation I was in until last year ended like an exploding heap and I ended up with more or less no floor. I definitely try to get rid of books and music which is not important any longer...

Not lucky, just been a bachelor and at it for decades.

I really like Neil Young and he has just made so many albums that it is hard to hear them, and he can be extremely psychedelic, like in 'Mirror Ball'. I do like a lot of psychedelia, going back to bands like Roky Erikson and the Thirteen Elevators, The Grateful Dead, and I have a bit of a soft spot for Kula Shaker.I believe that the lead singer of Kula Shaker was influenced by Jainist philosophy.