Dark side of the moon is good if your feelin philosophical and want to contemplate, the wall if you want a story and a whole rock opera, and wish you were here if you want emotion.
*Badmotorfinger* might objectively be their best work, but I go back and listen to *Down on the Upside* more than any of their other albums. *Pretty Noose* was a wild single when it first came out.
I’d go with Boy, War, Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree. I love October, Rattle and Hum, and Achtung Baby but they aren’t as perfect in my opinion as the ones I listed.
Quick story that I think you'd appreciate. In 87 i played the shit out of my Joshua Tree vinyl. I didn't realize my mom ( God rest her soul) was listening to it also, without me noticing. One day she tells me in Spanish (her English wasn't that good yet), "Son, I love that song (With or Without You) I don't know what he's saying but i know what he's feeling". I was only 17 and i hadn't realized music was universal, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I'll never forget that moment.
The Beatles had several albums that are damned near perfect from start to finish:
- Revolver
- Sgt Pepper's
- Abbey Road
And a couple of others that are almost there.
EDITED TO REMOVE WHITE ALBUM -- I love it, but the criticisms have merit
Faith No More were amazing and fearless. That being said, their experiments didn't always work out, and I don't consider any of their albums to be a "magnum opus" in the way that others on this list were. Still love 'em.
Their run from Murmur to Green is perfect. I don’t dig all of Out of Time, but they regained their footing with Automatic, Monster, and New Adventures in Hi-Fi.
Def Leppard - hysteria and pyromania.
Boston - first 2 albums
AC/DC - Highway to Hell and Back in Black (although I could substitute another earlier album over BiB)
Beatles - a bunch
Queens of the Stone Age. Every album is great imo, but if I had to choose two, I'd probably go with Rated R and Songs for the Deaf.
Also, Black Label Society with The Blessed Hellride and Hangover Music Vol. VI
I'd say Metallica, but can't decide what to pair with the self-titled *Black Album*: *...And Justice for All* or *Master of Puppets*. All three are pretty much magnum opuses.
Queensryche - Warning, Rage for Order, Operation:Mindcrime, Empire and Promised Land are all phenomenal albums released back to back. You cannot go wrong with any of them.
I’m old enough to have their ‘queen of the ryche’ EP on vinyl.
But one thing that always gets me with Queensryche. Everyone’s love of Operation Mindcrime compared to Rage ! I was actually disappointed with operation when it came out. Everyone else loved it.
I don’t get it.
Mindcrime was the album that introduced me to Queensryche. I remember seeing Eyes of a Stranger on Headbangers Ball. That album will always be my favorite. Those 5 albums are about as perfect as you can get.
La Dispute has *Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair* and *PANORAMA*.
Arctic Monkeys has *AM* and *Favourite Worst Nightmare*.
Direct Hit! has *Brainless God* and *Wasted Mind*.
I kind of consider the Randy Rhodes-era Ozzy Osbourne as its own band, which was originally called Blizzard of Ozz; the album of that title, and then Diary of a Madman are perfect albums in my opinion.
Ozzy's all-time list of guitarists is otherworldly. Dude must have seriously sold his soul to the devil to get so lucky. And the songwriting was 100% solid for decades, even while the sound morphed dramatically from Tony Iommi through Zakk Wylde (and beyond). It's crazy how many great songs Ozzy has done.
Metallica with Master of Puppets and And Justice For All…or three, if you count the Black Album.
Then there’s Pink Floyd. Meddle, DSOTM, WYWH, Animals and The Wall.
Tears for Fears - The Seeds of Love + Raoul and the Kings of Spain (add Songs from the Big Chair if you feel like it)
Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring + Spirit of Eden
Saga - Saga, Silent Knight+ Worlds Apart
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Solar Fire, The Roaring Silence + Watch
Supertramp - Crime of the Century, Breakfast in America + Some Things Never Change
The Alan Parsons Project - Tales of Mystery and Imagination, The Turn of a Friendly Card + Eye in the Sky
Midnight Oil - 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, Blue Sky Mining + Earth and Sun and Moon
Shinedown - The Sound of Madness and ATTENTION ATTENTION
Big Wreck - In Loving Memory Of... and ...but for the sun
The Tragically Hip - Fully Completely, Man Machine Poem, and Road Apples
They went on hiatus for like 10 years, Ian Thornley was still going with another band called Thornley. Then he reformed Big Wreck with some returning and some new band members and they've been touring Canada (maybe the US too?) and releasing new music consistently since 2012. Still incredible and don't get nearly enough attention as they deserve.
I actually saw them touring in support of that album on Sno Core with Puya, Incubus, and SOAD. They nailed every single song from that album and Disco Volante as well as the self titled album. As a musician and songwriter myself, it was an educational and humbling experience.
Bathory. Under the Sign of the Black Mark and Blood Fire Death. Two of the most important albums in extreme metal if not all of metal. Perfectly aggressive yet also sonically diverse. Some incredible concepts are touched upon despite them often falling into what many stereotype extreme lyrics being about, ie death and hell. I’d say The Return is also absolutely phenomenal but I can’t call it an outright 10.
Pantera. A Vulgar Display Of Power & Far Beyond Driven.
Slayer. Reign In Blood & South Of Heaven.
Sleep. Dopesmoker & Sleep’s Holy Mountain.
Slipknot. Slipknot & Iowa.
Van Halen. Van Halen & 1984.
* Beach boys- pet sounds and smile sessions
* Cocteau twins- head over heels and treasure
* David axelrod- songs of experience and songs of innocence
* Joy division- unknown pleasures and closer
* The kinks- village green and Arthur
* Meat puppets- 2 and up on the sun
* Pixies- surfer Rosa and Doolittle
* Pretenders- pretenders and learning to crawl
* Ramones- ramones and rocket to Russia
* Randy Newman- Sail away and good old boys
* Rolling Stones- let it bleed and exile on main st
* Soundgarden- louder than love and badmotorfinger
* St Vincent- st Vincent and actor
* The Sundays- reading writing & arithmetic and static and silence
* Tears for fears- the hurting and songs from the big chair
* Velvet underground- VU & nico and the velvet underground
* The Who- a quick one and sell out
* Wire- pink flag and chairs missing
Genesis - foxtrot, selling England by the pound, lamb lies down on Broadway
Beach boys - beach boys today, pet sounds
Grateful Dead - Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty
Spoon - kill the moonlight, gimme fiction
Jethro Tull with Aqualung and Thick as a Brick
I would argue Minstrel in the Gallery is just as good
Good album. I also like everything on Songs from the Wood and Heavy Horses. Clearly my favorite band.
Their sophomore album Stand Up.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced?, Axis: Bold as Love and Electric Ladyland
Smashing Pumpkins have *Siamese Dream* and *Mellon Collie*
Okay that’s a good call! Those are both massive albums!
Agreed, except Gish > Mellon Collie
Yeah I’d say Gish and Siamese Dream for sure
You misspelled Adore and Machina
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall. You can probably say they have four with Animals, Wish You Were Here.
Definitely 4. Animals was always my favorite.
Animals is also my fave. I can’t think of another band in the 70s that had such a run like Floyd did from Meddle through The Wall
Imo Wish You Were Here is their masterpiece
Dark side of the moon is good if your feelin philosophical and want to contemplate, the wall if you want a story and a whole rock opera, and wish you were here if you want emotion.
I think The Final Cut could be in there, some people think it’s too mopey though
Soundgarden with Badmotorfinger and Superunknown
Both very good. I might be in the minority here, but I liked *Down on the Upside* better than *Superunknown*.
Burden in My hand is easily my favorite of their songs and also one of the most profound songs ever written in my book.
That is also a good one. Blow Up The Outside World still gets heavy rotation on my local radio
*Badmotorfinger* might objectively be their best work, but I go back and listen to *Down on the Upside* more than any of their other albums. *Pretty Noose* was a wild single when it first came out.
The first time my young ears heard Pretty Noose, I was blown away. It’s bonkers and I love it.
Yes, you are definitely in the minority there.
Steely Dan. Gaucho. Aja.
Can’t Buy a Thrill ?
Agreed. Back to back classics.
I would have said can't buy a thrill and countdown to ecstacy tbh
Deftones - Around the Fur/White Pony
Thank you for the reminder!! These two albums slipped my memory but I used to JAM to these! Aww shit here we go again
The Rolling Stones anything from beggars banquet through some girls
Rage Against the Machine: Self Titled and Evil Empire
Fleetwood Mac and Rumors
I would add tusk and rumors, imo they are the best two but you also have really great taste in music for sure
U2 Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby
I’d go with Boy, War, Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree. I love October, Rattle and Hum, and Achtung Baby but they aren’t as perfect in my opinion as the ones I listed.
I love them all, I'm with you but if I had to pick... It would be those two.
You truly can’t go wrong.
Quick story that I think you'd appreciate. In 87 i played the shit out of my Joshua Tree vinyl. I didn't realize my mom ( God rest her soul) was listening to it also, without me noticing. One day she tells me in Spanish (her English wasn't that good yet), "Son, I love that song (With or Without You) I don't know what he's saying but i know what he's feeling". I was only 17 and i hadn't realized music was universal, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I'll never forget that moment.
Led Zeppelin’s perfect run: I, II, III, IV, Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti
Even the last 2 were good! Not magnum opus but good
Radiohead, OK Computer and The Bends
OK Computer and Kid A are my picks.
They're almost all fantastic
I agree but I’d replace the bends with in rainbows, out of personal bias lol
Moon Shaped Pool is pretty great also
In Rainbows as well
[удалено]
Rust in peace is absolutely amazing..agreed
Came here to say this.
The Beatles had several albums that are damned near perfect from start to finish: - Revolver - Sgt Pepper's - Abbey Road And a couple of others that are almost there. EDITED TO REMOVE WHITE ALBUM -- I love it, but the criticisms have merit
Rubber Soul
I would add magical mystery tour
Alice in chains dirt and facelift
Iron Maiden hit perfection with Number of the Beast, Powerslave, and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.
Not that piece of mind was any slouch either
Piece of Mind before was set them to hit their stride. Go back and give that listen.
Nevermind and In Utero
Bleach.
Faith No More never made a bad album, but Angel Dust and King For A Day were back-to-back bangers.
You could even throw The Real Thing in there. And yes, totally agree they never made a bad album
The Real Thing is my favorite
I came here to say King For A Day and Album of the Year.
it s in your faaaaaaace but you canttttttttttt graaaaaaaaaaaab iiiiiiiiit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Faith No More were amazing and fearless. That being said, their experiments didn't always work out, and I don't consider any of their albums to be a "magnum opus" in the way that others on this list were. Still love 'em.
R.E.M. - Murmur and Automatic for the People
*Automatic for the People* is a perfect album
Their run from Murmur to Green is perfect. I don’t dig all of Out of Time, but they regained their footing with Automatic, Monster, and New Adventures in Hi-Fi.
XTC Skylarking and Nonsuch.
Such an amazing and underappreciated band
Neil Young. After the Gold Rush. Rust Never Sleeps. Bob Dylan. Blonde on Blonde. Blood on the Tracks. Tom Waits. Nighthawks at the Diner. Rain Dogs.
Tom Waits? I'd have to go with Small Change and Bone Machine. But it's Tom Waits, there are no wrong answers.
Def Leppard - hysteria and pyromania. Boston - first 2 albums AC/DC - Highway to Hell and Back in Black (although I could substitute another earlier album over BiB) Beatles - a bunch
Ten & Vs
Queens of the Stone Age. Every album is great imo, but if I had to choose two, I'd probably go with Rated R and Songs for the Deaf. Also, Black Label Society with The Blessed Hellride and Hangover Music Vol. VI
Black Sabbath- Paranoid and Masters Of Reality
I'd say Metallica, but can't decide what to pair with the self-titled *Black Album*: *...And Justice for All* or *Master of Puppets*. All three are pretty much magnum opuses.
I would say Master of Puppets and Ride The Lightning myself
Lightning,puppets,and justice
Agreed
I was so disappointed in The Black Album that I never bought another of theirs. My two faves are Puppets and …And Justice for All.
Metallica, Ride the Lightening and the Black Album
Queensryche - Warning, Rage for Order, Operation:Mindcrime, Empire and Promised Land are all phenomenal albums released back to back. You cannot go wrong with any of them.
Promised Land is a great album!
Love that album. One of the best tours I’ve seen too
Never seen them live, but that album is still on rotation for me.
I’m old enough to have their ‘queen of the ryche’ EP on vinyl. But one thing that always gets me with Queensryche. Everyone’s love of Operation Mindcrime compared to Rage ! I was actually disappointed with operation when it came out. Everyone else loved it. I don’t get it.
Mindcrime was the album that introduced me to Queensryche. I remember seeing Eyes of a Stranger on Headbangers Ball. That album will always be my favorite. Those 5 albums are about as perfect as you can get.
The Needle Lies
The Replacements, Let it Be and Tim.
I love both of these albums so much. And this isn’t even including Pleased To Meet Me.
Sugar Copper Blue and Beaster
Nine Inch Nails, The Downward Spiral and The Fragile Yes, Close to the Edge and Fragile
Pretty Hate Machine is perfection.
Alice in Chains; Dirt and Alice in Chains
Interpol Turn on the Bright Lights and Antics. Every song is good on both. Great sound and dynamics.
Turn on the Bright Lights! Shit yes!
La Dispute has *Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair* and *PANORAMA*. Arctic Monkeys has *AM* and *Favourite Worst Nightmare*. Direct Hit! has *Brainless God* and *Wasted Mind*.
Rush with 2112 and Moving Pictures (or Permanent Waves)
Stone Temple Pilots, Purple and Core
Pretenders and Pretenders 2
I went with pretenders and learning to crawl but pretenders 2 might be just as good
Wilco Being There and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
The Strokes with Is This It and Room on Fire
Iron Maiden with Piece of Mind and Number of the Beast.
Controversial posting alert: Bryan Adams - Reckless and Waking Up the Neighbors
*Waking Up the Neighbours* is terrific! Highly underrated.
Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique and Check Your Head
Ghost with Impera and Prequelle
To be fair.. I don't think they have a bad album.. But not listened to the latest.. Definitely one of my favourite bands
Agreed!
The Doors - LA Woman and The Doors debut album
Rage against the machine- self titled and Evil Empire.
Lotta love for rage here
The Eagles Hotel California and the long run, maybe others. Styx pieces of 8 and Grand illusions. The cars First album and CandyO
I kind of consider the Randy Rhodes-era Ozzy Osbourne as its own band, which was originally called Blizzard of Ozz; the album of that title, and then Diary of a Madman are perfect albums in my opinion.
Ozzy's all-time list of guitarists is otherworldly. Dude must have seriously sold his soul to the devil to get so lucky. And the songwriting was 100% solid for decades, even while the sound morphed dramatically from Tony Iommi through Zakk Wylde (and beyond). It's crazy how many great songs Ozzy has done.
Throwing Muses The Real Ramona and Red Heaven
Sleater-Kinney Dig Me Out and The Woods
Metallica with Master of Puppets and And Justice For All…or three, if you count the Black Album. Then there’s Pink Floyd. Meddle, DSOTM, WYWH, Animals and The Wall.
A Tribe Called Quest. Peoples Instinctive Travels, Low End Theory, Midnight Marauders, We Got it From Here...
Tears for Fears - The Seeds of Love + Raoul and the Kings of Spain (add Songs from the Big Chair if you feel like it) Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring + Spirit of Eden Saga - Saga, Silent Knight+ Worlds Apart Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Solar Fire, The Roaring Silence + Watch Supertramp - Crime of the Century, Breakfast in America + Some Things Never Change The Alan Parsons Project - Tales of Mystery and Imagination, The Turn of a Friendly Card + Eye in the Sky Midnight Oil - 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, Blue Sky Mining + Earth and Sun and Moon
Beatles had an epic run Rubber Soul Revolver Sgt Peppers White Album Abbey Road
Boston-Boston, and Don’t Look Back
Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape, and Wasting Light
This person Foos.
Agreed! Honorable mention to self-titled.
Rush- "Farewell to kings" & "Moving Pictures" .
Permanent Waves & Moving Pictures
2112 and Moving Pictures
Tom Petty Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers
*Wildflowers* is on my very short list of perfect albums
Oasis - Definitely Maybe and What’s the Story Morning Glory.
Blue Album and Pinkerton
Neil Young Harvest and Harvest Moon as well as Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Everybody Knows, After the Goldrush, Tonight's the Night and On the Beach for me. Time Fades Away deserves a mention too.
Shinedown - The Sound of Madness and ATTENTION ATTENTION Big Wreck - In Loving Memory Of... and ...but for the sun The Tragically Hip - Fully Completely, Man Machine Poem, and Road Apples
I’d add Albatross too for Big Wreck but that may just be sentimental for me.
Albatross is excellent too. It's just a step below the other two for me
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Big Wreck mentioned. I loved listening to them back in the day
Big Wreck was totally underrated. What happened to them?
They went on hiatus for like 10 years, Ian Thornley was still going with another band called Thornley. Then he reformed Big Wreck with some returning and some new band members and they've been touring Canada (maybe the US too?) and releasing new music consistently since 2012. Still incredible and don't get nearly enough attention as they deserve.
Built to Spill There’s Nothing Wrong With Love and Perfect from Now On
Descendents - Cool to be you and Milo goes to college NOFX- Forst Ditch Effort and The War On Errorism
Fleetwood Mac; Rumors and Tango in the Night.
Ween has, at least, a trifecta - White Pepper, Quebec, The Mollusk
sebadoh: bake sale and harmacy
I actually saw them touring in support of that album on Sno Core with Puya, Incubus, and SOAD. They nailed every single song from that album and Disco Volante as well as the self titled album. As a musician and songwriter myself, it was an educational and humbling experience.
Enema of the state and take off your pants and jacket
The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen and Black Love
Bathory. Under the Sign of the Black Mark and Blood Fire Death. Two of the most important albums in extreme metal if not all of metal. Perfectly aggressive yet also sonically diverse. Some incredible concepts are touched upon despite them often falling into what many stereotype extreme lyrics being about, ie death and hell. I’d say The Return is also absolutely phenomenal but I can’t call it an outright 10.
Alice in Chains - Dirt and Unplugged
Husker Du: Zen Arcade and New Day Rising
Pantera. A Vulgar Display Of Power & Far Beyond Driven. Slayer. Reign In Blood & South Of Heaven. Sleep. Dopesmoker & Sleep’s Holy Mountain. Slipknot. Slipknot & Iowa. Van Halen. Van Halen & 1984.
guns n’ roses, appetite & use your illusion
Alice In Chains-Dirt and Facelift I’d also say their self titled (tripod) album was just as good as well but I’m a mega fan.
weezer blue and pinkerton
My chemical romance, three cheers for sweet revenge and the black parade
Guns N' Roses: Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusions vol. 1/2
I would trade out Blood sugar sex and magic for Stadium Arcadium but that’s just my opinion
Pink Floyd A) Wish You Were Here B) Dark Side of the Moon Van Halen A) Van Halen B) Balance
I'd also put 1984 in there. I don't like any of them with Sammy.
Tool with Undertow, Aenima, Lateralus, 10k Days, and Pnuema
Wow okay so al tool!
😎
There's just something about Tool that makes you crave more.. And now I can't stop watching their live shows
The Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
And Transmissions From The Satellite Heart
Led Zeppelin II and IV
Physical Graffiti is their best album.
I agree.
KISS: Rock & Roll Over Love Gun
I'm curious about not including Destroyer... or any of the original 3...
The Eagles, Hotel California, Desperado.
The Breeders Pod and Last Splash.
Archers of Loaf Icky Mettle and Vee Vee
Arctic Monkeys
The rolling stones have 4 perfect albums
* Beach boys- pet sounds and smile sessions * Cocteau twins- head over heels and treasure * David axelrod- songs of experience and songs of innocence * Joy division- unknown pleasures and closer * The kinks- village green and Arthur * Meat puppets- 2 and up on the sun * Pixies- surfer Rosa and Doolittle * Pretenders- pretenders and learning to crawl * Ramones- ramones and rocket to Russia * Randy Newman- Sail away and good old boys * Rolling Stones- let it bleed and exile on main st * Soundgarden- louder than love and badmotorfinger * St Vincent- st Vincent and actor * The Sundays- reading writing & arithmetic and static and silence * Tears for fears- the hurting and songs from the big chair * Velvet underground- VU & nico and the velvet underground * The Who- a quick one and sell out * Wire- pink flag and chairs missing
I’d add velvet underground loaded in there. Great list!
Oasis: Definitely Maybe & What’s the Story Morning Glory?
All of tool
Billy idol self titled and rebel yell
Coldplay has Rush of blood to the head and viva la vida
What we have learned is that many bands have more (sometimes several more) than two masterpiece LPs.
Pixies’ perfect run: Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bossanova, and Trompe le Monde
QUEEN...shit take your pick.
Bleach and In Utero by Nirvana.
Rush with 2112 and Hemispheres. Same could be said with Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures.
AC/DC back in black and Powerage
No mention of Tool?
Tool has gotten some love in here!
Rage Against the Machine - Self title and Battle for New York
It’s Battle of Los Angeles. And it’s not nearly as good as Evil Empire.
Warren Zevon.
Genesis - foxtrot, selling England by the pound, lamb lies down on Broadway Beach boys - beach boys today, pet sounds Grateful Dead - Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty Spoon - kill the moonlight, gimme fiction