Having read through this entire thread now, there are a lot of albums which would be on my list which have been mentioned already. It pleases me no end when I see that there are actually other people in SA who listen to or even know the music I listen to. The circle of people I can talk music with is virtually non-existent. At work, not a single person. I have cycling buddies I’ve sweated long hard miles with whom I have zero in common with musically. Anyway, onto the actual topic of the thread… Interesting one for me, as I am a bit of an anomaly, I guess. I still buy CDs. Yes, really. And I pay for downloads when I can't find he albums which is more often than not the case now. And I try always download in Hi Res if I can. Very occasionally I’ll go visit Mr. Vinyl near Awkward Park. I have some albums in 3 or 4 formats or editions. I do not stream. I don’t like renting music and I don’t like how little the artists get paid. $5 for a million streams doesn’t seem that fair to me. A couple of years ago I stumbled onto an app made by Onkyo which allows me to play WAV, FLAC and ALAC files on my iPhone. So I have a 256gb phone with approximately 252gb of hi res or at least CD quality music on it. And that’s’ how 80% of my listening is done these days. As for the actual albums I would say are essential? Well, I have arguably all the ‘classic’ rock albums… All the Pink Floyd remasters, all the Led Zep remasters, all the Beatles remasters (the stereo studio albums, at any rate) Doors etc. But I’ve realised that classic album doesn’t necessarily mean one you listen to often or on repeat. For example, I listen to Pink Floyd’s Animals way more than I do DSOTM. In Fact on my phone Animals and Wish You Were Here are a ‘double album’ playlist. There are albums I cannot be without. I may not listen to them daily or even weekly but I have to hear them on regular rotation, no matter what phase I’m going through (like when I listen to nothing but Frank Zappa or Shawn Phillips for days on end, driving the wife bonkers) I will always return to them and these arguably get played more than most. Often, (but not always) I find the album an artist is most known for is not the one I listen to most often. Some of these, in no particular order, are: David Baerwald – Triage Roger Waters – Amused to Death Johnny Clegg & Savuka – Heat, Dust & Dreams Miles Davis – Kind Of Blue Johnny Cash – American III: Solitary Man Jimmy Smith – Midnight Special/Back At the Chicken Shack (Two albums drawn from the same recording sessions and also perfect when played back to back) Neil Young – Silver & Gold Bob Marley & The Wailers – Exodus Frank Zappa – Overnite Sensation Love & Money – Strange Kind Of Love Tears For Fears – Seeds Of Love Crosby Stills & Nash – Crosby Stills & Nash Steely Dan – Aja Steely Dan – Gaucho Deacon Blue - Raintown Audioslave – Audioslave Daft Punk – Random Access Memories Bob Dylan – Blood On The Tracks Paul Simon – Hearts and Bones Van Morrison – Moondance Norah Jones – Come Away With Me Tom Petty – Wildflowers Robin Auld – Heavy Water John Mayer – Born & Raised Dave Alvin – West of the West Karen Zoid – Media Dave Brubeck – Time Out Tom Waits – Blue Valentines Paul Weller – Stanley Road Stevie Wonder – Hotter than July Ray LaMontagne – Trouble Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska Big Country – The Crossing Jason Isbell - Southeastern Tracy Chapman – Greatest Hits (Including this because it is a great overview from all her albums but especially as the songs are remastered, showing how much we need a remaster of that seminal debut album of hers) Mark Knopfler – Sailing to Philadelphia Dire Straits – Love Over Gold I could go on and on…. There is so much good music out there and I discover more every day.
