Hiro11

I'm trying to close some of the truck sized holes in my collection and recently bought a bunch of albums the Experts keep telling me are essential. Holy dogshit, how did I miss:

T. Rex: Electric Warrior and The Slider: blues-based glam that has basically inspired everyone. Silly lyrics, excellent distorted riffs. Laid back, menacing, basically everything everyone says about these great albums.

Brian Eno-David Byrne- My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. This is a true embarrasment that I missed this one. I'm a huge fan of early Roxy Music, Eno's first five albums and an even bigger fan of golden-period Talking Heads. Excellent, excellent album. Imagine "Fear of Music" mixed with "Before and After Science" (obvious?). One of the best albums I've heard in a long time.

Afrika Bambaataa- Looking for the Perfect Beat. Yeah, I'd heard "Planet Rock", but this compilation is a treasure trove of very early and truly excellent hip-hop. The MCs are completely unknown to me, but they are great. Suffice it to say, listening to this album helped me understand how Kraftwerk is really one of the founders of hip-hop. As a huge fan of the "Style Wars" and "Scratch" documentaies, you'd think I would have bought this years ago.

Buddy Holly- Complete Collection uh, yeah, I'd never really heard Buddy Holly. Delving into his catalogue it's amazing how far ahead of their time the sides sound. Yeah, he was truly great, I can't believe I'm just realizing that now...

Crowded House: Woodface- fantastic jangle pop. This album was huge basically everywhere but the US when it came out, but I never heard it. Very solid pop, don't miss it (or the new Finn Brothers for that matter).

rw2516

ELECTRIC WARRIOR is on my top 100 list of all time. If you like it and SLIDER be sure to check out TANX and get the 2-disc version.

Tscott

There's a ton. I didn't realize until around 1988-89 that I realized I didn't want to listen to the top twenty songs of the moment over and over again for the rest of my life. Looking to broaden my horizons I've found a ton of classics I've missed.

Most recently, London Calling - The Clash. Wow, I've always known it was one of the seminal punk albums and all that, but this record really surprised me, I was expecting a one note anger-fest like the Sex Pistols, but instead found variety and talent and some very catchy songs that I wish I'd heard much sooner.

Astral Weeks - Van Morrison. I wrote him off in college when all I heard was two songs from his greatest hits CD, "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Moondance", played over and over again ad nauseum. Someone suggested this album though and I took a chance- a brilliant masterpiece, highly listenable and infinitely interesting musically.

Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan. I heard "Tangled Up In Blue" one night at 3AM on the radio (one rare instance where I did have the radio on) and it was enough to sell me on knowing more of Bob Dylan beyond his Greatest Hits Vol. 1 CD I'd owned for over ten years. In fact, thanks to yourmusic.com I got the 15 album SACD boxset really cheap - a slight overreaction to be sure, but one I don't regret. Tons of great albums available to me for the first time- and Blood on the Tracks is the greatest of the bunch IMO, which is why I singled it out, but I could name several more if I wanted.

The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips I liked "She Don't Use Jelly" well enough when that song came out, but dismissed the band as a novelty act because of it. Just recently I finally got The Soft Bulletin and found out I couldn't have been more wrong. It's a magically touching yet odd piece from beginning to end, and "A Spoonful Weighs a Ton" is now one of my favorite songs ever, plus there's at least 5 other jems here that are nothing short of brilliance. I got Yoshimi next and that's great too.

Some others that come to mind,
Something/Anything - Todd Rundgren
The 4 core Velvet Underground albums
The first 3 Pixies albums
If I thought long and hard I'm sure I'd come up with a much longer list, and I'm sure there's a ton of stuff out there for me still to discover.

Andalusian Dog

same here. i just bought the Clash On Broadway boxset more than a week ago, and WOW!!! the songs on that set are amazing! in particular, i've been playing the 2nd disc non-stop. half of the songs on the disc are composed of tracks off the London Calling album. now, i'm thinking about buying the album itself. hats off to Joe (R.I.P.), Mick, Paul, and Topper for creating the "best album of the 1980s"!

atlantamoi

The holes in my collection are getting smaller and smaller (at least what I strongly want to purchase). I think the greatest recent discovery for me was The Monks "Black Monk Time". 1966 garage rock with a story behind the music about as interesting as any in rock history. And GREAT music.

I didn't hear those T-Rex albums until about 10 years ago... "Metal Guru" and "Jeepster" instantly became favorites.

Hiro11

This album basically got me through college. A personal favorite, but I still don't understand the lyrics.

Definitely get "Transmissions from the Satellite Heart" as well (the album "she don't use jelly" is off of). It's much harder than their recent stuff and, IMO, better.

Hollowgen

i just discovered u2's unforgettable fire. please don't laugh at me.

Hiro11

Thought I'd resurect this thread because no one ever told me about how good Talk Talk was. Holy crap, five great albums, all of which are unique.

This band took a radical turn towards ambient, folky, shimmering 8 minute songs in the middle of their career after being a great new wave pop band for three albums. Amazingly, they got even better.

Spirit of Eden has been on repeat for about a week.

Arpeggi

Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock are the two best albums ever. Anyone who says otherwise either has never listened to these or is just in denial. Fact.

New Grass off Laughing Stock is what heaven sounds like.

n.phelge

Pavement 'Slanted & Enchanted' (the deluxe 2 CD reissue includes outtakes, B-sides, the 'Water, Domestic' EP, BBC sessions, and a full concert)

wendersfan

Disraeli Gears is the one that comes to mind. I was familiar with most of the FM staples like "Sunshine Of Your Love", "White Room", and "Tales Of Brave Ulysses", but not much else. It's a really good album, my general dislike of Clapton notwithstanding.

rw2516

The Original Animals(1964-66). Picked up a greatest hits cd on impulse. Then researched all the zillion different compilations out there to find out what I needed to get all the tracks they ever recorded. If interested you need
The Complete Animals-2 disc with every 1964-65 recording
Don't Bring Me Down-The Decca Years
Animalism
The great thing is there is only one track duplication among them and over 70 songs.

DaveWadding

Not to be bastard, but White Room is on Wheels of Fire.

wendersfan

You're not being a bastard at all. I was thinking of "Strange Brew." Thanks for the correction.

Buttmunker

I've been a Beatles fan since the "Red" and "Blue" albums were released on CD in 1992. Based on loving those two, I ventured out and bought various Beatles albums - except for "Help," thinking that it would be a weak album, and because I knew the more prominent tracks ("Ticket To Ride," "Yesterday," "Help!" and "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away").

15 years later, I accidently heard I've Just Seen A Face, and instantly fell in love with the song. Then I heard Its Only Love...and loved it. Where were those songs from? Why, Help!, naturally. I picked up the album and I'm so enjoying the second side of the album - Tell Me What You See and You Like Me Too Much, plus the songs mentioned above, have become my new favorite songs (and, needless to say, I'm playing them out - I can't believe they never received airplay).

derekjet

Tupelo Honey is an amazing 'Van The Man' song.

Neil Finn is a musical genius. If he came around in the 60s, he'd be neck and neck with Lennon/McCartney as a legendary songwriter. Weird how he (or they ... Crowded House) wasnt as popular in the States. Then again, why should I be surprised.

Check out the song "Ordinary' from the Alternate Routes. Terrific Melody. Great song.

polietilen

My most recent album that's considered a classic and held for for the longest time hearing is the 1964 Getz/Gilberto album from of course, Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto. If you're only considering one bossa nova album in your collection, make this it. Woooooooow, talk about a perfect record. It's so great when an album proves to be worth all the hype!

superdeluxe

I've just recently discovered led zepplin.

That was a good experience.

Hiro11

I grew up on a steady diet of Minor Threat, Angry Samoans, MDC, the DKs and GBH. Then I heard "When the Levee Breaks" after injesting a significant amount of a certain fungus...

I've been a fan ever since.

wendersfan

Oh, and lately it's been George Best by The Wedding Present. Unbelievable that I missed out on this when it came out.

NORML54601

Leonard Cohen's entire catalog

earthling2112

Jeff Buckley - Grace

if you've never heard this disc, do so.

GeorgeP

I have a brother-in-law from Menominee who keeps playing the best of Cohen in his car with wifey (my sis). Definitely a rediscovery there.

As for me, the late Johnny Cash's songs just keeps getting better and better with age. "Jackson," "San Quentin," "Walk the Line," "Ring of Fire,"...this was a music legend who sang from experience, sang his SOUL. Can't call him "country": Johnny Cash's music belongs to the world.

I wish I had not spent so many of his final years avoiding his music. That was my mistake.

Also, Coven's "One Tin Soldier" deserves a mention. As an Arizonan, I'm going to get a big crowd together one day where Billy Jack kicked ass in and around Prescott and sing this, the film's theme. One of the cathartic songs of my life.

Brain Stew

I've just been listening to the first 5 Jackson Browne albums. Really good stuff!

CloverClover

S.F. Sorrow by the pretty things is a very good psych album!