Our Generation's Essencial Albums

[Fickle]

Back in the day, there was rare a person who didn't have Sgt. Pepper but the Beatles, Animal Sounds by the Beach Boys, The Hendrix Experience, etc.

So what albums are essencial for our Generation?

Note: this is not a thread to post the obscure bands you listen to in rapid order. I don't care about who you listen to, what songs define our generation and are a must have for the 15-25 crowd.

I can only think of a couple:

Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine

Nirvana - In utero

...
any others?

[ShyShy]

U2: Joshua Tree
Tracey Chapman: New Beginning
Janet Jackson: janet
No Doubt: Tragic Kingdom
Blues Traveler: Four

[Merlin]

Oasis - Definitely Maybe, What's The Story...

Anthemic albums. An integral part of the nineties, whether or not you like the music.

The same can NOT be said of Tracy Chapman, and Blues Traveller; Sorry, just No.

[ShyShy]

Sorry, Merlin, that's my ecclectic musical tastes popping out. Those two stood out in my mind because of their difference in the "mainstream".

[Cylob]

Tracy Chapman's known as 'Dunlop' in my household. It's the lips.

[Merlin]

That's the point ShyShy. This thread is about the mainstream, about the music everyone was listening to, all the time.

REM's Out of Time should probably also get a mention.

[Fickle]

I was thinking Alice in Chains - Dirt and maybe Weezer - The Blue Album.

[laz]

Tool - "AEnima" and "Lateralus"
Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
how "new" do you want this music?

[Fickle]

generation. I was thinking the 16-25 corwd or something. if I see evernescence or whatever, I may lose my temper. I was looking for highly influential albums, like the ones I listed in my start.
k?

[Cylob]

Originally posted by Fickle
I was thinking the 16-25 corwd or something.

Are you talking 1994 - 2003? If so:

Blur - Park Life
Radiohead - The Bends
The Verve - Urban Hymns
Portishead - Dummy
PJ Harvey - To Bring Yo My Love
Oasis (already mentioned)
Republica - Republica
Sneaker Pimps - Becoming X

[Xerxes]

I propose that the current generation has no essential albums.

With file sharing as big as it is, the album format is now passe- no longer a commercially viable way of selling music anymore. Formerly, when physical storage was the way music was packaged and sold, it was the most conventient thing to do to have the artist record enough material to fill up the format: Cylinder, Record, Tape, CD. Virtual storage is different- and it will neccesitate a re-thinking on not only how music is sold but how much material is released onto the market at once.

I believe we will now ease into a world where 'artists' (a term I hesitate to designate anyone from the last couple decades) release in trickle fashion 1 - 3 higher quality tracks at a time onto the pay-per-download networks.

Therefore, I say the album is dead; the real question is - "What is our generation's essential playlist?"

[Rovastar]

Already mentioned by X is that nothing our our generation of essential albums (do I count at 29 ) but what we will be remembered. ANd remember does not mean good.

Basicially this will be the best one or two of each genre.

NOt a total focus in on nu metal or rock in general for that matter.

NOt an expert on all feilds but.

Rap:

Snoop Doogy Dog - Doggystyle
Enimen One of his album

Pop:

Spice Girls.


Dance/Electronic

Moby - Play

(I would say Aphex Twin - Selctive Ambient Works 85-92 A truly brillant album. By far teh best he has produced but maybe not what teh mainstaream will remember. Those in the know will. And proudly the first CD I have ever bought some 10 years or so ago now. Note to kids - CD are round silver Discs called Compact Discs that are used to play digitally stored music in special CD players. The napster generation might not realise this. Actual some of teh kids here probably do not know what Napster is.)

And new new electronic Four Tet - ROunds (my favorite album of the past few years will not receach the highs it deserve. Critcally aclaimed and deservedly so. Will there be a better album in electronica this year I doubt it)

Indie/Rock

Stone Roses - The Stone Roses (a fine album) but that might be a little early. BUt NME recently had it voted as teh best album of all tiem and I for one will not disagree.

,etc, etc

Who are Blues Traveler??? Never heard of them.

[Cylob]

I agree with you Xerxes, the 'physical album' is becoming obsolete. It's almost guaranteed. However, the technophobes (mainly women) will still need their CD's as they won't have the willpower to download. Therefore I see a split coming - male music being downloaded, female music still being sold in physical format. This is already happening, if you visit your local CD store you'll find women's music in abundance, men's music less so (reflected in the charts).

I think the album as a body of 10 (or so) tracks will live on.

[Raz]

Yes but the album wasn't obselite when say Rage Aginst The Machine and Oasis released these albums. The generation that will talk about music from now won't be so concentrated on albums however.

I have to agree with Oasis, growing up in manchester and all. The Stone Roses, Nirvana (however overated they were still one of the defining bands), Maybe the manic street preachers, this is my truth tell me yours.

[Captain Bottles]

Essential albums of the 90's:

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
Nirvana - Nevermind
Radiohead - OK Computer
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing

I agree with you Xerxes, the 'physical album' is becoming obsolete. It's almost guaranteed. However, the technophobes (mainly women) will still need their CD's as they won't have the willpower to download. Therefore I see a split coming - male music being downloaded, female music still being sold in physical format. This is already happening, if you visit your local CD store you'll find women's music in abundance, men's music less so (reflected in the charts).

Absurd. First of all, the album as a whole is still alive and kicking. Second, men and women aren't so different that music will be sold differently for the two. Third, what does downloading have to do with willpower, and fourth, since when is music separated into "male" and "female?"

I'm too lazy to do the quoting, but some of the bands/artists mentioned here so far (Tool, RATM, and, for some reason, the Spice Girls) will never be remembered as essential 90's artists.

[Cylob]

Originally posted by Captain Bottles
Essential albums of the 90's:
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted

Most 16-25 year olds won't know those.

Okay then Cpt Bottles, how many boys do you reckon buy Westlife albums? How many boys do you see at their concerts??? About 5-10% of the audience. Simply, female music.

Again, I watched a BRMC gig recently. Not many women at all. About 20% of the audience tops.

I can't imagine your average woman downloading an MP3 or burning a CD. It's the very small minority.

[Captain Bottles]

There are stupid girls who buy Westlife albums, just like there are stupid guys who buy Andrew W.K.'s album. They shouldn't be indicative of music fans as a whole.

Moreover, though you're right about less women downloading (and that's more because less women own computers - and even that difference is shrinking dramatically), the difference isn't enough to cause a complete split in the music fanbase - or even any noticeable change.

[quote]Most 16-25 year olds won't know those.[quote]

True, but that doesn't make them any less essential, and certainly any less influential. Anyone with even a casual interest in finding out who influenced bands like Weezer will eventually discover Pavement. Also, Pavement only broke up a couple of years ago, so plenty will be discovering their back catalogue after having owned (and loved) Terror Twilight or Brighten the Corners.

I'm new here, but I think I've seen a few fans of electronica around. Has anyone picked up M83's Dead Cities, Red Seas, and Lost Ghosts (a beautiful electronic album, by the way)? My Bloody Valentine's influence on that, and many other "atmospheric noise" electronica albums is undeniable.

[Cylob]

Originally posted by Captain Bottles
Anyone with even a casual interest in finding out who influenced bands like Weezer will eventually discover Pavement.

Very true.

Originally posted by Captain Bottles
Moreover, though you're right about less women downloading (and that's more because less women own computers - and even that difference is shrinking dramatically), the difference isn't enough to cause a complete split in the music fanbase - or even any noticeable change.

I'll have to disagree. I'm not sexist, but I find women to be creatures of the high street, shopaholics by nature. That coupled with the fact that they're not as teched-up as men points to a split. Which is already in effect. Listen to the charts, you'll find more women buy CD's than men - why, because young men like myself are p2p-ing. The chart's awash with boy bands, love songs and trashy crap.

Haven't heard of M83, but I love MBV.

[music_man_mpc]

Metallica - Black Album
Nirvana - Nevermind
I secound Tool - Aenema (which was dedicated to Bill Hicks, by the way)
NOFX - Pump Up The Valuum (Or Punk in Drublic)
Eminem - The Eminem Show (getting there I think)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magic
Pearl Jam - Ten (or Vs. I just don't want to give them 2)
Sublime - Sublime

[music_man_mpc]

Originally posted by Captain Bottles
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin

Most 15 - 25 year olds probably don't know this either . . . . good album, though. Personally I like "Transmissions From The Satelite Heart" better.

[Raz]

The Verve - Urban Hymns

[Mattress]

This is for the closer to 25 crowd, 16 - 25 is too big of an audience.

Prodigy - Fat of the Land
The Offspring - Smash
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Verve - Urban Hymns
Nirvana - Nevermind
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic
Pearl Jam - Ten
The Wallflowers - (whatever album "One Headlight" was on)
Weezer - the blue album
Coolio - (whatever album had "Gangsta's Paradise")

That's all I can think of right now. these albums were chosen because they all had at least one song that got so much radio play that you eventually came to hate those songs so much you wanted to kill something and often did.

[Captain Bottles]

Yeah, okay, to call an album essential without even hearing the whole thing is ludicrous. Also, no one will remember the Wallflowers twenty (or even ten) years from now, and your remembering them will be like your father remembering Heart.

[zootm]

trying not to mention the already mentioned...
massive attack - mezzanine
mr. scruff - trouser jazz (not well-known, but well worth a listen)
NIN - the fragile (a lot of people would say "the downward spiral" instead)
radiohead - ok computer
aphex twin - richard d. james album
manic street preachers - the holy bible (although i don't like that band)

[ShyShy]

Originally posted by Mattress

The Offspring - Smash
The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic

Damn, you posted those before I did Which reminds me... more *searching* to do to rebuild my collection.

[Cylob]

The Offspring *sigh*. A collective of talentless wankers. I caught a glimpse of them on Top of the Pops once, now I'm scarred for life. I still get the odd cold sweat.

Mercury Rev - Deserter's Songs

[Fickle]

Originally posted by Cylob
The Offspring *sigh*. A collective of talentless wankers. I caught a glimpse of them on Top of the Pops once, now I'm scarred for life. I still get the odd cold sweat.

Mercury Rev - Deserter's Songs

Okay, you bash a band (This isn't a "this band sucks thread") and then mention something even I haven't heard of, and I like to think I've got a bit of knowledge.

but yes, Offspring proved themselves by actually selling out, unlike Green Day maturing. Compare and contrast.

And yeah, I think my range was too big. I was looking more like around my age (21) I just thought you younger kids were like me when I was your age--experimenting with music genres. *sigh* No wonder America's all fucked up, the newest generation doesn't remember the horrors of the eighties.

[Cylob]

Originally posted by Fickle
No wonder America's all fucked up, the newest generation doesn't remember the horrors of the eighties.

Ah those were the days! Not a boy-band in sight! You speak of a fantastic decade, good music all the way though (discounting '89). If only this generation would look to the 80's for inspiration. It's happening in parts.

[ShyShy]

Originally posted by Cylob
Not a boy-band in sight!

*sighs* And here I was ready to worship you as a God. How could you have forgotten New Kids On The Block, New Edition, and Menudo? There's more, I'd have to ask my sister.

And Fickle, I do try to listen to different genres, and since I'm older than you, I'm not so stuck in my ways yet.

[Cylob]

Originally posted by ShyShy
How could you have forgotten New Kids On The Block, New Edition, and Menudo? There's more, I'd have to ask my sister.

I was ignoring the 2 or 3. As a percentage, they must've been 0.5%. As opposed to about 50% now. New Edition were one-hit wonders weren't they (thank god). I actually liked 'Candy Girl', nice instrumentation, funky dancing. Never heard of Menudo (don't want to either).

[Fickle]

Never listened to them, and although they were famous, they were disposable.