Pink Floyd are my first contender.
I cannot ever think I will tire of anything from Dark Side of the Moon to The Final Cut.
Musings on the byways of popular culture
Pink Floyd are my first contender.
I cannot ever think I will tire of anything from Dark Side of the Moon to The Final Cut.
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Uncle Wheaty says
The first four Blondie albums are another example.
Pajp says
Roxy Music’s second, third and fourth albums for me: For Your Pleasure, Stranded and Country Life.
eddie g says
Well, obviously, there’s the massive monolith (and stereolith come to that) of The Beatles. I will never tire of any of their albums. But descending those lofty heights slightly, I would also put in a claim for the tireless quality of Bowie from The Man Who Sold the World through to Heroes. Similarly, Dylan from Highway 61 Revisited through to Desire. Bolan from the very beginning of Tyrannosaurus Rex through to The Slider. And Morrissey from his stark debut right through to his recent marvellous covers set California Son.
Rigid Digit says
Bolan after The Slider never felt quite complete. Tanx, Futuristic Dragon, and Dandy In The Underworld are very good if slightly flawed though
garyt says
Todd Rundgren – AWATS, Todd, Healing
Prefab Sprout – SWOON, Jordan, Andromeda Heights
Bowie – Diamond Dogs, StS, Low, Heroes
Vincent says
This is the right answer. Plus steely Dan / Donald fagen.
garyt says
Damn! Forgot the Dan.
fitterstoke says
Oho! So there’s a RIGHT answer…
chilli ray virus says
Prefab Sprout – but not Steve McQueen or Langley Park?
Native says
Pet Shop Boys; Please, Actually, Behaviour and Very.
dai says
And Introspective
Black Type says
Prince – 1999 through Batman
REM – Lifes Rich Pageant through Automatic For The People
ABBA – ABBA through The Visitors
Roxy Music – Roxy Music Through Avalon
Taylor Swift – Speak Now through Midnights 3am Edition
Rigid Digit says
The Who – Sell Out, Tommy, Who’s Next, Quadrophenia
The Jam – everything in the canon, I only skip Precious and Trans Global Express from The Gift
Dexys Midnight Runners – Searching For The Young Soul Rebels
Rigid Digit says
AC/DC – Bon Scott era plus Back In Black.
TrypF says
XTC – Skylarking to Wasp Star
There are loads of similar acts, but my caveat is that I have crazes where I really play a particular collection to death, but Ievel off after about a week as I don’t want to risk tiring of their music. This includes the Beatles.
Captain Darling says
Marillion – Fugazi to Brave, then FEAR and An Hour Before It’s Dark
Arcana – Dark Age of Reason to Inner Pale Sun
Kate Bush – The Dreaming to The Sensual World
Gary Numan – Sacrifice to Intruder
GCU Grey Area says
XTC – Black Sea to Wasp Star.
Steely Dan – Can’t Buy a Thrill to Two Against Nature, excepting Katy Lied.
Thomas Dolby – Golden Age of Wireless to Astronauts & Heretics.
GCU Grey Area says
And a few more.
Genesis – A Trick of the Tail, Wind and Wuthering, Seconds Out.
Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain, Black Cherry, Seventh Tree, Tales of Us.
King Crimson – Discipline, Beat.
Scritti Politti – Songs to Remember, Cupid and Psyche, Provision, Anomie and Bonhomie.
Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair, Seeds of Love.
Uncle Wheaty says
King Crimson’s debut and Discipline are so far apart musically yet both brilliant.
My two favourites from them.
Gary says
Absolutely loads of individual albums I’ll never tire of. Way, way too many to list. More than one album by the same artist narrows the field a bit. The first two Heaven 17. The first two Rickie Lee Jones. More than two? Sylvian and Floyd are probably the only ones (though The Wall bores me a bit and I’d add Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking).
But what about an artist whose entire output I’ll never tire of? I think the only entire oeuvre I could never tire of would be Rock Follies. Of course it helps enormously that there were only two albums in that entire oeuvre.
I bought the albums in 76/77. These days I mostly listen to music in the car and while I’m usually a terrible one for pressing the ‘skip this one’ button, I never do that when a Rock Follies song comes up, they’re always a total joy, each and every song.
Here’s the first song on the first album: Sugar Mountain. The three Little Ladies stating the dream, confidently predicting their destiny of rock stardom: “I’ve been a Christian and I’ve served the good Lord, so now I move on and I get my reward, my name on a hundred-foot high billboard”.
And here’s Real Life, the last song on the second album. The trio have split and for two of them their dream of rock stardom is over and their bond of friendship has turned sour. The first voice you hear is Q (Rula Lenska). Posh and camp, lamenting the end of her fantasy. The second verse is Anna (Charlotte Cornwall), a bored housewife who thought rock and roll would be her escape from suburban drudgery. The third is Dee (Julie Covington), who has gone on to achieve stardom, only to realise the true cost to her soul. Lastly is Rox (Sue Jones-Davies), the new member whose incredible voice was the catalyst for the band’s split.
The songs in-between these two bookends feature a variety of styles, all of them lyrically tied to the programme’s plot line and all of them very well written, well played and great fun.
Rigid Digit says
Iron Maiden – debut album to Seventh Son
Baron Harkonnen says
I continue to play LoVe’s ‘Forever Changes’ at least 5 times a week.
All of those below get regular plays:
The Byrds ‘5th Dimension’
Beatles ‘Revolver’ although the original album has been replaced with the sublime ‘22 remix.
Beach Boys ‘Holland’ & ‘Surf’s Up’
Big Big Train ‘English Electric’
Bob Dylan ‘Desire’
Waterboys ‘This Is The Sea’ & ‘Fisherman’s Blues’
World Party ‘Goodbye Jumbo’ & ‘Egyptology’
fitterstoke says
Absolute top line, first and last –
Van der Graaf Generator: Godbluff, Still Life and World Record. And Sibelius’ 4th Symphony.
I listen to these frequently and regularly and can put them on almost any time and respond.
After that…
Yes: Close to the Edge, Topographic and Relayer
King Crimson: Starless & Bible Black, Red and USA
John Martyn: Solid Air, Inside Out and One World
Plus a fair number of individual albums and classical bits and pieces which I won’t bore you with here.
Vincent says
Not ‘arf.
fitterstoke says
Well, quite…
fitterstoke says
Forgot ver Giant, specifically three LPs:
In a Glass House; The Power and the Glory; and Interview.
Hawkfall says
For me it’s the big three Kraftwerk albums: Trans Europe Express, The Man Machine and Computer World. I’m always up for listening to one of those.
Individual album, it’s Lil’ Beethoven by Sparks.
Lodestone of Wrongness says
(As always, IMHO) there are some magnificent albums in here along with dross of the highest order. That’s all good, each to his own, respect.
But listening time after time after time to the same album? I annoy my better half by the constant repeat playing of something new to me (she’ll start off saying “That’s nice” but soon it’s “Oh no, not again!”) but that’s something new.
For sure repeat playings reveal hidden depths, years later you can realise that Side 2 Track 3 is not filler after all and on a Sunday morning nothing hits the spot like a bit of Ella (a huge body of work to dip in and out of). For me, The Dan and The Feat are always safe havens for when I’m feeling nostalgic but that really is every so often.
Classical Music keeps re-inventing itself by constant re-interpretations and, as a recent thread revealed, cover versions of popular music often outshine the original.
There’s so much out there (both new and old) to discover. Throw off your shackles and fly!
fitterstoke says
No shackles, man – just answering the OP – but exploration for me seems to involve less pop and rock music and more classical and jazz these days (if I hadn’t discovered Bandcamp, I’d be many times richer!).
Totally agree re Ella – not so much Sunday morning for me, as late evening and in a certain mood (Coltrane’s Ballads LP works as well).
Diddley Farquar says
I don’t know. There’s those I grew up with that I thought would always hit the spot but have faded away somewhat, like Talking Heads, Velvet Underground – although there can be a reprieve now and then. There’s those that I suddenly discovered were great after all like Steely Dan and Roxy Music – they were binged on for a good long time but less often now. I’ve got into Porcupine Tree’s more metal sounding records lately and they seem to satisfy. Like new that is also old. Floyd-like as well. Things like Deadwing. And Steven Wilson. As for always working for me, that would be Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main St., Sgt. Pepper and Station To Station – records I grew up with that I’ve stuck with. There’s something in the recording and playing that endures with those. Grace Jones threesome of Warm Leatherette, Nightclubbing and Living My Life are always welcome on the turntable. Highway 61 Revisited is another. Santana – Caravanserai and Pink Floyd – Meddle. Otherwise a lot of stuff has gone a bit stale. Lana Del Rey’s back cat is holding up well too. Hope that helps.
Lodestone of Wrongness says
Twenty five years ago I would have cast-iron guaranteed that Talking Heads would be in my eternal playlist. Stop Making Sense is still the best rock doc ever and DB’s stage show was astonishing but for me, right here right now (thanks Taylor), the rest ain’t really cutting it . Apart from Psycho Killer and Take Me To The River and everything else come to think of it. Damn!
Diddley Farquar says
That live stuff with Belew gives a fresh take on many songs. After hearing those versions the originals can seem a bit sterile, or lacking, in comparison. It’s me not them. I still think a lot of the band.
eddie g says
Uncontroversially perhaps, the Stones from Beggar’s Banquet through to Exile.
Then…Jellyfish from Bellybutton to Spilt Milk (I.e. their entire official oeuvre). Queen from their debut through to A Night at the Opera. Eno from Here Come the Warm Jets through to Before and After Science. Mott the Hoople from All the Young Dudes through to The Hoople. Macca solo from Ram through to Band on the Run (and adding his later Egypt Station). Certain other individual albums would make the cut too. Born to Run for instance from Bruce and his recent Western Stars. Elton’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Honky Chateau. All of XTC except for Go2.
Others will doubtlessly occur to me as the day progresses…
seanioio says
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – No More Shall We Part through to present day
The National – Alligator through to Trouble Will Find Me (godawful after that IMHO)
Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight onwards
Taylor Swift – 1989 through to present day
The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead, Louder Than Bombs & Meat Is Murder
Bob Dylan – Debut through to Highway 61 Revisited
retropath2 says
Early Fairport, earlyish Oysterband, early Levellers, midperiod Waterboys (the Spiddal and Findhorn years). Getting a theme here? Which is why I am looking forward to tomorrows releases from Magpie Arc and Henry Parker so much.
Vulpes Vulpes says
The Henry Parker is ace!
thecheshirecat says
I await your impressions of Magpie Arc with interest (X-ref the Blogger takeover I haven’t written yet).
retropath2 says
Duly….
I like.
https://atthebarrier.com/2022/11/04/the-magpie-arc-glamour-in-the-grey-album-review/
duco01 says
Elvis Costello: My Aim is True, This Year’s Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy!!, Trust and Imperial Bedroom.
Joni Mitchell: Ladies of the Canyon, Blue, For the Roses, Court and Spark, The Hissing of Summer Laws, Hejira and Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter.
I can and do return to those albums often. They continue to amaze and thrill.
NigelT says
An interesting premise as there are some selections here that are very uneven, but I still don’t get tired of them…these are all that get returned to time and again….
All the Beatles’ entire catalogue never gets tired.
The Stones from the first album through to Tattoo You
The Who from My Generation to Quadrophenia
Steely Dan from Can’t Buy a Thrill to Gaucho
Fairport from the first to Full House
Warren Zevon from the first to last
The first three Love LPs
Bruce from Born to Run to Tunnel of Love, then the Rising to Letter to You
The Byrds entire catalogue
The Searchers Pye albums, then The Sire LPs
Pink Floyd Saucerful of Secrets to Wish You Were Here, possibly excluding Ummagumma
Emmylou Harris first three
Jimi Hendrix from Are You Experienced to Rainbow Bridge
Dylan from Freewheeling to Desire, excluding Nashville Skyline and Self Portrait
ganglesprocket says
I have played Pet Sounds since I was 15. Ditto any My Bloody Valentine since about the same age.
eddie g says
Waterboys from This is the Sea through to Room to Roam. I liked Out of all this Blue too although recently Scott seems to like talking his songs rather than singing them and I have to admit that I tire quickly of all that mystical ‘Celtic’/Pan’ crap.
Yes from Fragile through to Relayer (although I am the only one who really rates their debut).
Tom Waits from his debut up to Rain Dogs. After that he gets wilfully obscurist.
Laura Nyro’s New York Tendaberry.
Moby Grape’s stupendous debut (possibly the best rock debut album?)
Almost all of Cannonball Adderley’s 60s Riverside output.
Junior Wells says
Dylan : Times to Infidels
fentonsteve says
The Waterboys is a good call, but I’d go from A Pagan Place to Dream Harder and add Mike Scott’s first solo album.
Dexys first three.
Blondie – everything before The Hunter.
Talking Heads – they didn’t make a bad album.
New Order from Power, Corruption & Lies to Technique.
The Icicle Works first four.
Uncle Wheaty says
Agree with the Icicle Works.
Junior Wells says
Go Betweens – Before Hollywood to 16 Lovers Lane
Vulpes Vulpes says
Four decades and counting, omitting the moptops and the Stones, and in no particular order (as the girls say):
Focus – Moving Waves and Focus 3
The Moodies – all of the first seven
‘ver Dan – pretty much any of the main canon
Camel – The Snow Goose
King Crimson – all up to Starless, with the exception of the original Earthbound mess
Barclay James Harvest – Once Again, Short Stories and Baby James
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Will The Circle and Uncle Charlie
Jimi Hendrix – the first three
Joe Gibbs & The Professionals – African Dub Chapter Three
Caravan – In The Land Of Grey And Pink
Ronnie Laws – Pressure Sensitive
Joni – Hissing, Hejira and Don Juan
The Who – Meaty Beaty
The Tangs – Phaedra
Thomas Mapfumo – Gwindingwe Rine Shumba
Duncan Browne – the eponymous one
Al Stewart – Year Of The Cat
Gerry Rafferty – City To City
Bob – New Morning, Desire, Street Legal, Budokan
Roy Buchanan – the eponymous album
Zappa – Hot Rats and One Size Fits All
Van The Man – Hard Nose, Astral Weeks, Moondance, Wavelength and Common One
Zep – 2, 3 and 4
Santana – Caravanserai
Crusaders – Street Life
Randy Crawford – Secret Combination
ISB – Hangman’s
and probably fifty others.
These are the core of my go-to listens. If I have these on my desert island you can call off the search and rescue.
Uncle Wheaty says
Add Nude by Camel and I assure you will not be disappointed. A truly great album.
Vulpes Vulpes says
Thumbs up icon.
Timbar says
Good choice on Secret Combination. A definite long term fave for me too.
Vulpes Vulpes says
It’s utterly brilliant isn’t it? No one else comes close to her emotion, tone and control.
duco01 says
Bill Evans: Sunday at the Village Vanguard, Waltz for Debby, Portrait in Jazz, You Must Believe in Spring, Explorations, Since We met, I Will Say Goodbye, Consecration II, the Tokyo Concert, at the Montreux Jazz Festival, On a Friday Evening, Morning Glory, Inner Spirit, Behind the Dikes and The Last Waltz.
(Bob Marley and) The Wailers: African Herbsman, Catch a Fire, Burnin’, Natty Dread, Rastaman Vibration, Live, Exodus and Survival.
Commander Codeine says
I’d add Kaya to the BMW albums, otherwise spot on…
deramdaze says
The only famous albums I listen to with any regularity now are Rubber Soul and Pet Sounds.
Now, it is the outliers (Surfer Girl, Little Deuce Coupe, Shut Down Vol. 2, Friends in the case of the Beach Boys / Beatles at the BBC) or outlying acts (like Davy Graham).
fitterstoke says
Don’t think the OP asked for “famous” albums…more what you’ve been listening to for decades with no sign of them going off the boil for you.
deramdaze says
OK… I don’t listen to Revolver, an example, which I would have done endlessly once, but it hasn’t remotely gone off the boil… I just listen to all the outliers around Revolver and its ilk (like Zappa, Davy Graham, AMM etc.).
The Who – from regulars listens of A Quick One, Sell Out years ago – have been relegated to the first eight songs on BBC Sessions and the very early 45s. That really is all I want.
bobness says
Aimee Mann – Whatever to Forgotten Arm
Hold Steady – Almost Killed Me to Heaven is Wherever
Thea Gilmore – Pretty much all of it
Mike_H says
Frank Zappa/MOI/Mothers from Lumpy Gravy to One Size Fits All, excluding 200 Motels.
King Crimson from Larks Tongues In Aspic to Red.
All of the Miles Davis/Gil Evans collaborations.
All of Art Blakey’s Blue Note stuff.
Gong from Camembert Electrique to You.
Weather Report from Black Market to Night Passage, plus Mysterious Traveller for this
Mousey says
With you there on FZ. I’d include The Yellow Shark too
eddie g says
My favourite Zappa albums have always been Were Only In it For the Money (especially side one) and the Mothers Live at the Fillmore (great contributions from Flo and Eddie). The huge boxed set of the latter that was released recently is an equally huge joy… except possibly for those awful Yoko Ono ‘tunes’…
Mike_H says
Yes to The Yellow Shark. What a way to bow out.
fitterstoke says
Good call on the run of Gong albums…
Dave Ross says
Good old Reg from Elton John to Captain Fantastic for me. I can pick any one of those and I know I’m in for a real treat.
The Monkees from The Monkees to Head is pretty amazing too. Not many bands travelled so far so quickly.
Bamber says
High Land, Hard Rain by Aztec Camera
New Gold Dream by Simple Minds
Rockin’ and Romance by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
All of the above have been there since my teens and they’ve lost none of their appeal over the years. All still get played in full on a regular basis.
Pessoa says
Wire: Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, 152.
Velvet Underground: White Light White Heat (slagged off on here recently, but essential).
Pere Ubu: The Modern Dance.
Leonard Cohen, ‘”Songs of…” and ‘Songs from a Room.”
fitterstoke says
+2
Sitheref2409 says
Afghan Whigs, or anything from Greg Dulli. They got namechecked as how to get over your ex in a tv show, and it rang immediately true for me. I don’t think there’s anything I don’t play.
Big Country. Ignore Peace In Our Time, and if you’re pressed for space, half of The Seer. But The Crossing, Steeltown, Why The long Face and The Buffalo Skinners….turn the volume all the way up.
The first two Proclaimers albums are unmissable. The rest all have a great tune or two.
Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels, and West.
And lastly, Gun. I got Taking on the World when it came out, on the strength of one song on The Chart Show, and because a girl I had a crush on let me copy her tape. The albums with Mark Rankin get regular airplay.
eddie g says
Car Wheels etc. by Lucinda is indeed a marvellous and evergreen album. Her best I think.
fentonsteve says
Gun, like everybdy apart from the Smiths and the jam, are back on tour with a new album. The FB algorithm has decided to give me daily updates, for some reason.
Sitheref2409 says
It comes up on my FB because I subscribe to their page.
Like many, the golden years are behind them, but in their day…
Mike_H says
Never could abide Big Country’s bagpipe-guitar sound. It hurts my ears and thus my brain.
I deprecate it strongly.
Sitheref2409 says
Listen to the later ones when they…grew away from that and just went heavy guitar.
duco01 says
J.S. Bach: Double violin concerto (BWV 1043)
Brian Eno: Discreet Music, The Pearl, Another Green World, Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy), Before & After Science and Thursday Afternoon
Sewer Robot says
Nah. Nothing has been ever-present on the Bot stereo. And I feel the benefit. I love Astral Weeks but, by golly, I haven’t actually played it for years. I put it on and can love it again.
Turn-of-the-eighties synth pop, golden era hip hop, some day probably NWOBHM are things I get to rediscover by neglecting them for a bit.
The closest thing I have to what you’re talking about is a gargantuan playlist which I shuffle in my car like a radio station and where, I note, whatever my mood, I never skip past any songs from the last four Elliott Smith albums. Mind, they’re only about 25 years old, which is practically last week..
Vulpes Vulpes says
Nice work everyone, we have the makings of an Afterword 500 Albums To Hear Before You Succumb.
Moose the Mooche says
Oh I say.
Sewer Robot says
I always prefer to spit..
thecheshirecat says
I struggle to relate to the OP, in that I still enthuse about all my fave albums by all my fave acts from decades ago. I am faithful; I can’t think of one major influence for which I have lost interest. That doesn’t mean stasis, as I just keep adding new layers with each discovery. As long as I can still get the same buzz from a new album today that I did back in the day, I feel with some pride that I have stalled the ageing process.
Uncle Wheaty says
Singles are now allowed.
fitterstoke says
Oh, thank goodness…I’ve been holding these in…
Uncle Wheaty says
Lucky Stars…what a tune.
Lisa is still bitter!
Rigid Digit says
Can I have this single then – by far the best thing on the album
Timbar says
Here’s one of my fave singles.
Uncle Wheaty says
UFO 1974-1982 is pure hard rock excellence
chilli ray virus says
i have hundreds of records, but whenever I flick through them I always seem to end up with either one of the classic Stevie Wonder’s (from Talking Book to Hotter than July), Prefab Sprout (Steve McQueen and Langley), Steely Dan (Katy Lied, Pretzel, Aja, Scam) or earlyish Paul Simon/S&G (Bookends, Bridge, Paul Simon, TGRS and Still Crazy). Im not ashamed to admit that the fact they all sound great on vinyl may be the main reason, (also the dont frighten the family – unlike Cardiacs for example).
duco01 says
Can: Tago Mago and Future Days
Echo & the Bunnymen: Heaven up Here and Ocean Rain
Todd Rundgren: Something/Anything, A Wizard A True Star, and Hermit of Mink Hollow
Marvin Gaye: Here My Dear and What’s Going On
Burning Spear: Marcus Garvey, Social Living, and Hail H.I.M.
Bhundu Boys: the first two albums
Jackie Leven: Control, The Mystery of Love, Forbidden Songs of the Dying West, Fairy Tales for Hard Men
Dave Ross says
No Crocodiles or Porcupine?
duco01 says
I like ’em – but not as much as the other two.
Franco says
Sparks. No1 in Heaven.
Arthur Cowslip says
Do you think there’s a period when you are getting seriously into music where some albums/artists just hardwire themselves into your brain? I think of them as the BIOS of your music taste (little computer nerd joke there).
For me there’s a little podium of the greats I got into at 16/17 and will just never tire of (even if I go slightly cold on them sometimes… I always come back):
– Beatles: Revolver to Abbey Road
– Pink Floyd: Ummagumma to The Final Cut
– Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells to Incantations
– Then a second tier of various things by Dylan, the Stones, Yes and Bowie.
… Very White Male Mojo Reader, eh? But that’s me. Under the surface I have some more interesting tastes (I promise), but, for all intents and purposes, on the dullness scale I’m the fentonsteve of middle-aged rock fandom.
fitterstoke says
Definitely agree with the “hard-wiring” theory – revisiting my choices above, they all coincide with me being about 13 or 14 up to about 17 or 18…
thecheshirecat says
Not quite true for me; XTC, Reich, Sylvian and The Smiths came later in life, and somewhat unusually, I didn’t get into Led Zep until this century. Of course, my folk dance epiphany came much later, but what I do know is that if I’d have heard Blowzabella at any stage of my life, I’d have been hooked immediately – that’s just visceral. Yea verily, the wheels on the bus could have been dancing a bourree.