Best albums ever

[sxesven]

Wow, this is going to be hard. Nay, harrrrrrd. Pick the 15 best albums you've ever heard in your life. These do not need to be just Jpop albums or whatever, I'm talking everything out there. Give it a shot. I had major trouble compiling a list, but I tried. Note that every month one goes out and another goes in, as this fluctuates greatly. However, this is my list at the moment.

(in no particular order)

Brian Eno - Ambient 1/Music For Airports
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
Jewel - 0304
Yasunori Mitsuda - Chrono Cross OST
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Under The Running Board
Envy - All The Footprints You've Ever Left And The Fear Expecting Ahead
Shiina Ringo - Shouso Strip
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Beauty
Thursday - Full Collapse
Embrace - Embrace
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command
Ayumi Hamasaki - Duty
Merzbow - 1930

Well, that's the list at the moment. There's some stuff in there that I don't even listen to much anymore these days, but I still consider those albums brilliant. I'll add some comment later on on this bunch.

Waiting for your lists now!

[Peruvian_Sky]

1. Dream Theater - Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory
2. Ayumi Hamasaki - I Am...
3. Rush - Counterparts
4. Nightwish - Oceanborn
5. Pain of Salvation - Entropia
6. Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element
7. Megadeth - Youthanasia
8. Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray
9. Dream Theater - Awake
10. Spock's Beard - V
11. Yes - Relayer
12. Ayumi Hamasaki - Duty
13. Carcass - Heartwork
14. Opeth - Blackwater Park
15. Megadeth - Countdown to Extinction

These are just off the top of my head. If I really sat down and thought about it for a while the list may be different.

[Coelacanth]

In no particular order, of course.

Hamasaki Ayumi - Duty
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Blink182 - Dude Ranch
Loudness - Thunder In The East
B'z - Survive
Do As Infinity - Break Of Dawn
Vanessa Carlton - Be Not Nobody
TLC - CrazySexyCool
Namie Amuro - 181920
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
Hamasaki Ayumi - I am...
MISIA - Mother Father Brother Sister
Pulse Ultra - Headspace
BoA - Love & Honesty
Sublime - Sublime

Great albums...

[Sakura_Drops]

I no particular order

Utada hikaru - Distance
Ayumi hamasaki - I am...
Koda kumi - Grow into one
Evanescence - Fallen
Linkin park - Hybrid theory
Linkin park - Meteora

[fantaisie.sign]

Most of the ones I really like have been mentioned already, but here are a few more. Some of these are also on "The Guardian's Best Albums Ever" list too.

Michael Jackson - Greatest Hits
Hybrid - Wider Angle
John Mayer - Room for Squares
Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane
Delerium - Chimera
Cowboy Bebop - album box set
Mariah Carey - Music Box
Aretha Franklin - Queen of Soul
James Brown - Greatest Hits (I think that's what it's called. . .)
Alanis Morisette - Jagged Little Pill
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
Prince - The Very Best of Prince

Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue

[sxesven]

Originally Posted by Ayufan11

Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue

I honestly didn't know you had such good taste.

[Calico]

In no particular order...

1) Ayumi Hamasaki - I am...
2) Ayumi Hamasaki - LOVEppears
3) Linkin' Park - Hybrid Theory
4) Linkin' Park - Meteora
5) Michelle Branch - The Spirit Room
6) Loreena McKennitt - The Book of Secrets
7) Loreena McKennitt - The Mask and the Mirror
8) Daft Punk - Discovery
9) globe - Cruise Records 1995-2000
10) Nanase Aikawa - FOXTROT
11) t.A.T.u. - 200 k/h in the Wrong Lane
12) Madonna - GHV2
13) Madonna - American Life
14) Chumbawumba - Tubthumping
15) Gackt - MOON

I'm actually kinda surprised that a lot of English albums are up there...ah well...

[fantaisie.sign]

Originally Posted by Calico

8) Daft Punk - Discovery

Ah, I forgot all about that one! Great album, indeed.

[yulen]

hmmmm....let's see....

tori amos - little earthquakes
tori amos - scarlet's walk
ayumi hamasaki - i am...
a perfect circle - thirteenth step
linkin park - hybrid theory
aerosmith - just push play
howie day - australia
jewel - this way
sarah mclachlan - fumbling towards ecstasy
utada hikaru - deep river
nickelback - long road
natalie merchant - ophelia
pearl jam - ten
staind - 14 shades of grey
akino arai - furu purachina

[savage]

15? hmm i will try, anyways they are in no particulairy order =)

Ayumi Hamasaki - Rainbow (maybe coz i realllyyyyy like some of those tracks hehe)
Ayumi Hamasaki - A Best
BoA - Love & Honesty
BoA - No. 1
Bob Marly - Legend
Forbidden Paradise 3 (an old mixed trance album)
Immortality (an experimental techno/goa collection)
Madonna - The Immaculate Collection
Phil Collins - Serious Hits Live
Utada Hikaru - Distance

ok, just 10 albums but cant think of 15 lol

[sxesven]

I wanted to add some explanation to my list, as I just like doing that. Brian Eno's 'Ambient 1/Music For Airports', I once bought it when I got interested in 'different kinds of music' and when I was actually experimenting myself a bit with what I thought was 'ambient'. This record just blew me away (hard to imagine that, as it's ambient); Eno definitely knows good melodies. Does never ever get boring.

Flaming Lips' 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robot' was a record I picked up only because I'd heard a lot of good things about it and because it appealed to me thematically. Or so I thought. Fact is that it's one of the richest and most beautiful albums I ever heard. Great melodies, great lyrics, everything about this album is right.

Jewel's '0304', oh my. I got this record because 'Intuition' kinda caught me by surprise. Initially I had to get used to this kind of music altogether, but it just kept growing and growing, and seriously, if you give this thing some time you'll recognize it's one of the most brilliant things ever made. Holy mother of god.

Yasunori Mitsuda's 'Chrono Cross', obviously. I love soundtrack music, honestly, but often this kind of music can't really stand on itself. It relies heavily on loops and synthesized sounds, and can therefore quickly come off as cheap and boring. This particular one has all the power and strength of 'regular' music, which is pretty damn darn amazing. A gem.

Uh, U2's 'The Unforgettable Fire', well, I always rejected U2 until I got to hear The Joshua Tree. Stunning. Picked up some more albums, and this one stands out for me. Plus, it's from 1984.

The Dillinger Escape Plan's 'Under The Running Board', nuff said. Beats every other thing they have ever put out.

Envy's 'All The Footprints You've Ever Left And The Fear Expecting Ahead' is just the most emotional thing, holy crap. The way these guys put emotion in their guitar lines, drumming, screaming, I'm still stunned, and I've known them for longer than a week.

Shiina Ringo's 'Shouso Strip' speaks for itself, I guess, as a lot of you already know it, too. It's amazing, isn't it?

Ryuichi Sakamoto's 'Beauty', another album I bought without knowing what to expect. I should do that more often. It's brilliant.

Thursday's 'Full Collapse', the album that got me into emo, so to say. Still amazing.

Embrace's 'Embrace'. Bought this when I was heavily into Minor Threat, hoping it would sound alike (I'd heard Give Me Back, so I though it did). Didn't like it at first, but I gave it more and more spins, and this album just got me. And didn't let go, either.

Miles Davis' 'Kind Of Blue'. Soothing, brilliant, beautiful, I still love it. An album I could play twenty times a day without getting bored with it.

At The Drive-In's 'Relationship Of Command', well, that's quite the thing. I got it waaaay back then because it was produced by Ross Robinson (don't tell me that's the lamest reason ever, I do know) and hated it first. Got back to it, loved it. And still do. It's brilliant. Guess my kiddie mind couldn't handle it yet back then.

Ayu's 'Duty', it's a stunning album, and it beats every other Ayu album by miles.

Merzbow '1930', ever heard someone say 'You don't hear this album, you feel!/live!/experience! it!'? Well, this is the album that you actually do not just hear. It's so ****ing unbelievable.

[Mad_Cactuar]

Here's my pick. It's slightly mainstream but they're great nevertheless. In no particular order...

Bic Runga - Birds
Hardly anyone outside New Zealand, Australia and the UK knows her. Well, everyone should. This is godly stuff consisting of blues music. Brimming with atmosphere, this dark set of songs is brilliant. Oh so depressing but blindingly beautiful. Her voice gains a new edge in this CD, for once she's able to sound threatening despite having the mellowest vocals in the world. A polar opposite to her previous album, this CD is one of the most successful New Zealand albums too (the most successful Kiwi album is her sophomore 14x platinum album). Must listen tracks are "Birds", "Captured", "Say After Me", "Winning Arrow" and "That's Alright".

Mika Nakashima - BEST
One of the greatest albums ever. It's a brilliant collection of amazing songs, none of them even sink to "good" status. Every second is brilliant. If you never heard this CD, you should. Tracks like "LOVE ADDICT", "Oborodzukiyo ~Inori", "Sakurairo Maukoro", "SEVEN", "LEGEND" are freaking excellent I wanna scream. Maybe lacks cohesion, but everything's fine as it's a compilation album. Really shows Mika's potential as an artist.

Bjork - Vespertine
Never hearing a single song from this CD before, I bought it based on reviews. The reviews claimed it was stellar. And damn, they were right. This is like being in heaven. Everything's so beautiful. Crystalline, cool, surreal, ethereal and most importantly, addictive. "Pagan Poetry" and "It's Not Up To You" are arguably the best of the lot.

Jewel - 0304
Nelly Furtado - Loose
I was surprised that 0304 was mentioned too. This CD somewhat backfired for Jewel's career. Imagine Corinne Bailey Rae throwing soul out of the window and putting on a corset singing Kylie's hits. Yes, Jewel and Nelly's reinventions here are something of that stature. The pop songs here are so catchy. A hearty meal of dance/pop with glitz and glamour poured on the top is 0304. Highly addictive dance songs with an interesting world music spin to them is Loose. Nelly's third album is full of perfect dance/pop songs. With the exception of "Glow", everything can be singles. Definitely must-haves for fans of pop music.

Utada Hikaru - Deep River
Undisputed champion, but it's no longer my favourite album. Yes, that title went to Mika's compilation album. Anyway, I love this CD and it was my religion since I got it. The songs are stunning, "Sakura DROPS" is god. Aside from the singles, the album tracks also have strong presence. The tracks flow well, the CD is cohesive, the vocals are great.

Beyonce - B'Day
Maybe quite premature to add something that's only released for 2 weeks into the list but this album is simply fantastic. I love every damn track. It really showed a new side of Beyonce, a side that isn't afraid to let everything out. "Freakum Dress" is a shocker (good or bad you decide), "Ring The Alarm" is a shocker (same thing, you decide), Green Light is a shocker. The shocking material, albeit a risk, makes this album thrilling. I love this CD.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Shoot From The Hip
A very varied set of experimental dance music, this record shows her potential as a singer/songwriter. Blessed with good looks and undeniably posh vocals, this petite little lady is one of my favourite singers of all time. This CD flopped, sadly. However, nothing changes the fact that some of the songs really appeal. "Mixed Up World" and "I Won't Change You", the singles, and "I Am Not Good At Not Getting What I Want" are the biggest highlights from this set.

Natalie Imbruglia - Left Of The Middle
Natalie Imbruglia - White Lilies Island
Natalie Imbruglia - Counting Down The Days
Natalie is my number 1 artist ever since I got to know about her. Her vocals really sit well with me, it's pure and innocent without sounding ordinary or extraordinary. Her debut album showcased a collection of rock/pop numbers with electronic influence. Very catchy. Her sophomore album had a more edgy and adult sound to it, but the singles still retained the highly addictive melodies and arrangements. The third album, her first number 1 album in the UK, consists of adult/contemporary songs that are the easiest to listen to from her entire body of work. Her singles are amazing, they're commercial without sounding terribly mainstream.

Rachel Stevens - Come And Get It
Damn big time. A whole CD full of the best pop music ever and it flopped. Due to public perception and publicity, Rachel Stevens' sophomore album seriously tanked in the UK. Only boasting 3 moderately successful yet bloody brilliant singles, this album is a truly underrated gem. Unfortunately, due to commercial failure, it isn't even released worldwide. One of those CDs I love to death but can never get as long as I live probably. Bummer. The icy electropop here is so good, you might not need another pop album ever again. Unless Rachel decides to make a new one.

Others which I don't have enough time to elaborate:

Utada Hikaru - Ultra Blue
Yes, very highly anticipated but turned out a dissapointment. Blame the hype. Still an amazing CD.

Paris Hilton - Paris
The negative reception makes me love this even more. A set of superb pop tunes with emotionless vocals. Perfection.

Ayumi Hamasaki - Memorial Address
Ayu's best CD I say. Short and sweet with 7 great music videos to boot.

Bonnie Pink - Every Single Day
I recently discovered her and she is so good. This is a collection of her best work, really good.

Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
An album of the best emotional adult/contemporary/rock songs ever.

Lily Allen - Alright, Still
A record with tracks about hate, spite and sadness, coated in sugary melodies that makes you sing along happily. What more can we ask for?

Hooverphonic - The Magnificent Tree
Absolutely beautiful. It's a whole new twisted wonderland with the best music in the world coupled with an angelic/creepy voice.

Utada - Exodus
So underrated. Full of some of the best and most innovative dance music ever, definitely highly recommended. Her creativity is mind-blowing.

Stuff I Own
Stuff I Need To Buy

[spookshow]

Originally Posted by MC Tatsujin

Utada Hikaru - Ultra Blue
Yes, very highly anticipated but turned out a dissapointment. Blame the hype. Still an amazing CD.

totally agree with you on that one

Some of my all-time favourites include:

Christina Aguilera - Stripped
one of my all-time favourite singers -- damn this girl can sing!

Rammstein - Mutter

Jolin Tsai - Dancing Diva

t.A.T.u. - Lyudi Invalidy/Dangerous & Moving, (they're basically the same album, just different languages), 200km/h in the Wrong Lane
don't dismiss these girls as an advertising gimmic, their lyrics are beautiful (especially the russian ones - i read the translations)

Robyn - Robyn

Nightwish - Once, Century Child

Eisbrecher - Eisbrecher

Lacuna Coil - Karmacode

Ayumi Hamasaki - (miss)understood, MY STORY

Utata Hikaru - Exodus, ULTRA BLUE

Danny Elfman - Nightmare Before Christmas & The Corpse Bride soundtracks
so cute! so funky!

Evanescence - Fallen (pure brilliance!), Origin

Within Temptation - The Silent Force

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory, Reanimation (the best remix album i've heard in a long time)

Marily Manson - Golden Age of Grotesque

Medwyn Goodall - Comet, Medicine Woman
great music to study to

[m-a-z-e]

Evanescence - Fallen:
Every track, AMAZING! No dissapointments here.

Marilyn Manson - Holywood:
Manson's best work with tracks like, 'Disposable Teens', 'Fight Song', 'Nobodies' etc.

McFly - Room on the 3rd floor:
Okay so none of you ('cept for anyone from Japan, or the UK!) will have herd this album or even herd of McFly but this album is very fun to listen to and I can't help but dance along too it.

Ayumi Hamasaki - I Am:
Well...you all know why. Lol.

Onitsuka Chihiro - This Armor
'infection'...need I say more?

BoA - VALENTI:
BoA's best album IMO. This album helped me become more interested in JPop!

Koda Kumi - affection:
I adore Koda Kumi and this being her debut album still rocks my socks today! With songs like 'TAKE BACK', 'Trust your love', 'COLOR OF SOUL' and the beautiful ballad 'Come Back'.

Avril Lavigne - Under my skin:
So different from 'Let Go' thoughrully enjoyable!

Kate Bush - Hounds of Love:
Kate Bush's best work!

Michelle Branch - hotel paper:
Gotta love this album! 'Are you happy now?', 'Breathe', 'till I get over you', 'Desperately' beautiful songs!

(Okay...can't be bothered with descriptons now!)

Sarah McLachlan - Afterglow
Namie Amuro - STYLE
koRn - koRn
Alanis Morisette - Little Jagged Pill
Kang Ta - Pine Tree

[delerium]

My list of 15 (no particular order)...

Delerium - Karma (First Press, Limited Edition - 2 disc version)
Delerium - Spheres II
Coil - Love's Secret Domain
Sarah McLachlan - Solace
Rose Chronicles - Happily Ever After
Dead Can Dance - A Passage In Time
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antenna To Heaven
Miranda July - The Binet-Simon Test
Throbbing Gristle - Greatest Hits
Joy Division - Closer
Front Line Assembly - Tactical Neural Implant
DJ Assault - Straight Up Detroit S**t Volume 5
Every Little Thing - Cyber TRANCE presents ELT TRANCE
Ayumi Hamasaki - LOVEppears
Requiem for a Dream Original Motion Picture Soundtrack & Remixed version

*EDIT*
No Hello!Project in the list on purpose. It's fun and I enjoy it immensely... but no way is any H!P artist near the top of my all time list.

[JimmyKoria]

Poe - Haunted
Taty - 200 po Vstryechnoi
Nichya - N A V S E G D A
Dashboard confessional - places you have come to fear the most (I miss old dbc =( )
Motion City Soundtrack - I am the movie
Caesars - 39 minutes of bliss (in an otherwise meaningless world)
Tori Amos - Scarlets Walk
Placebo - Sleeping with ghosts
Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals (I miss old manson too)
Bjork - Post (Mendulla(sp) might become my new fav)

In a week it will change Im almost sure, music with me is like clothing, I never wear anything more then twice a week--unless is on the computer and I dont want to search through foulders.

[sxesven]

Originally Posted by delerium

Requiem for a Dream Original Motion Picture Soundtrack & Remixed version

Brilliant soundtrack, indeed.

[js_surrealism]

I love LOADS of albums, but I think I'll just limit myself to 15, that's a nice number.

1. Shena Ringo - Karuki Zamen Kuri no Hana
Shouso STRIP's my favourite, but this is her best work. Unbelivable instrumentation, and excellent songwriting.

2. PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
Her vocals here are simply unbelievable, and yeeahh, she basically just rocks alot.

3. the brilliant green - Los Angeles
Their tightest and hardest rocking album of the 4 they've released, Tommy's voice sounds good even on distortion.

4. Mew - Frengers
Friggin beautiful, I don't think I've heard a band quite like them before. If music came from an extra-terrestial origin, I figure it'd sound something like this.

5. Every Little Thing - Time to Destination
Classic. Can't get sick of this. Ever. Every single on this one's a winner, and even the non-singles are top-notch, too.

6. Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
I can't quite describe this either, fun folk-influenced rock? I don't know, but it doesn't take alot to enjoy their music though.

7. Lost in Translation Original Soundtrack
This has been my late night staple for the longest time, and I still maintain that it is one the best movie soundtracks ever made, that excels both in complementing the movie and as a standalone piece of work.

8. GARNET CROW - first soundscope ~Mizu no nai hareta umi e~
There wasn't ever a doubt that one of their albums would make my list, but I had trouble deciding which one. Eventually their debut struck me as the one with the most playability. So it wins, by a small margin.

9. The Postal Service - Give Up
Nothing much to say either, except that I can't get enough of it.

10. The Sounds - Living in America
Of the some 235321097897235 bands clamouring to do the whole retro rock thing, I think the Sounds does it best, sounding like a more exuberant female counterpart to Franz Ferdinand.

11. SPITZ - Recycle
I'm obviously not a hardcore fan or I'd have chosen one of their original albums, but I haven't heard everyone of them yet. But a compilation of their singles is just beautiful ear candy for anybody who's in the mood for something pleasant.

12. Cocco - Rapunzel
It has "Ke no michi", "Mizu kagami", "Kumoji no hate" and "Juukai no ito" on it, therefore it's the best of her work.

13. Lene Marlin - Another Day
She's one of those plain, unassuming artists, but she has a wonderful knack for melody, and the melancholic mood conveyed through this album was quite good, I thought.

14. Hamasaki Ayumi - Duty
It was a hard toss up between this one and "I am...", but right now I guess my favourite Ayu album is as such. Both Dai and HAL and Kazuhito Kikuchi were at their composing and arranging peaks here, and Ayu wrote some of her best lyrics in this one too. Plus it features alot of my favourite non-single Ayu songs, like "key", "girlish" and "Duty".

15. Keren Ann - Not Going Anywhere
Wonderful voice, very nice soft bluesey acoustic pop. The title track is a real winner on first listen. May be too light for some people though, but otherwise very...pretty.

[jigglypuff]

its hard to remember which ones i like best, ill mention one which should be on a "best albums ever list".

michael jackson - thriller (why hasnt anybody mentioned this yet? all time classic)

but atm i think these cds are the ones with the most plays for me.
linkin park - meteora
madonna - ray of light
sean paul - dutty rock
mary j blige - dance for me (5 star american club house cd)
ayumi hamasaki - i am