Author Topic: Albums that have "Always been there for you"  (Read 7061 times)

Basil

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Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« on: 01 May, 2008, 07:57:58 am »
Following on from Tony's Music of my youth thread, I was thinking of albums that have “been there for me” over the years.

By this I mean albums that I have continued to play on a regular basis over many years with no sign of me tiring of them.  Not my favourite albums at the moment, but the ones that have always been there.

As I compiled my list I had to keep crossing off things that I thought should be there but either I hadn’t listened to for ages and had therefore failed the test, or music I’d come back to and so also failed the “always been there for me” test.

I’ve always been a very big Pink Floyd fan, so I was surprised that they didn’t feature in my list.  I suppose the band themselves do, and I still play them a lot, but particular albums go in and out of my play list with none of them being a constant feature.  Likewise David Bowie and the older Bob Dylan albums.

So, what albums have been there for you?  Be honest.  It doesn’t matter if it is “The Chipmunks’ Christmas Party” or whatever.  This is not an obscure musical taste competition.  For example my top two are not “Trout Mask Replica” and “Horses”, which the purists would probably say they should be.

My list.

1 = Strictly Personal – Captain Beefheart
       Easter – Patti Smith

3  A Gift From a Flower to a Garden - Donovan

4  London Calling – The Clash
 
Possible future contender, but not yet old enough to pass the test
Heathen – David Bowie (There just isn’t a poor track on it)

Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #1 on: 01 May, 2008, 08:09:26 am »
1) Graceland - Paul Simon. Plain lovely

2) Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John. Music of my early teens, and still passes muster.

3) Alla får Påsar - Magnus Uggla - A reminder of my happier days in Sweden

4) Back in the DHSS/Back again in the DHSS - Half Man Half Biscuit. Riotous and extremley funny observations about folk today's teenagers haven't a clue about.

5) Little Earthquakes - Tori Amos. Beautiful & melancholy. Life from a woman's perspective is always a valuable insight.
Haggerty F, Haggerty R, Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Robson, Crapper, Dewhurst, Macintyre, Treadmore, Davitt.

Flying_Monkey

Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #2 on: 01 May, 2008, 08:15:54 am »
What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
Bach's Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould
Lady in Satin - Billie Holiday

and more recently (i.e. last 10 or so years!):

Albumen - The Egg
The Ideal Crash - dEUS

tiermat

  • According to Jane, I'm a Unisex SpaceAdmin
Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #3 on: 01 May, 2008, 08:17:01 am »
For me it would have to be:
1) The Holy Bible - MSP
2) Hair of the Dog - Nazereth
3) Purple Electric Violin Concerto - Ed Allayn Johnson
4) It Bites - It Bites

All reminders of better times, not that times are bad now, and no doubt in a few years the list would add the following to the list:
5) Big Calm - Morcheeba
6) On How Life Is - Macy Gray
7) Jack Of The Green - Jools Holland and Friends
8) Echoes and Silence, Patience and Grace - Foo Fighters

And finally a single which would always appear in my favs list
Stay Forever - Ween ( <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/JTuRW5gBuhY&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/JTuRW5gBuhY&rel=1</a>)
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

Flying_Monkey

Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #4 on: 01 May, 2008, 08:38:08 am »
3) Purple Electric Violin Concerto - Ed Allayn Johnson

Blimey - I used to know him back when he lived in Oxford (when he came up with this...). Strange guy...

PaulF

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Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #5 on: 01 May, 2008, 09:04:19 am »
In no particular order:

Blue ~ Joni Mitchell
Moon Safari ~ Air
Apollo ~ Brian Eno
Blonde on Blonde ~ Bob Dylan
R.E.M. ~ Murmur
Prefab Sprout ~ Swoon

Seineseeker

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Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #6 on: 01 May, 2008, 10:10:49 am »

4) It Bites - It Bites



It Bites! Jeez.

Si

Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #7 on: 01 May, 2008, 10:16:01 am »
Searching for Lewis and Clarke - The Long Ryders
Heart of Saturday Night - Tom Waits
Zenyata Mondata (sp?) - Police
Box Frenzy - PWEI

and to pinch one from Attila:

Quote
4)Back in the DHSS/Back again in the DHSS - Half Man Half Biscuit. Riotous and extremley funny observations about folk today's teenagers haven't a clue about.


Pingu

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Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #8 on: 01 May, 2008, 10:19:14 am »
I keep coming back to Closer by Joy Division  :thumbsup:

Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #9 on: 01 May, 2008, 10:37:29 am »
Bach Goldberg Variation - Glenn Gould 1981 version - I prefer this to his youthful version
Four Last Songs - Gundula Janowitz , Herbet von Karajan - I have this on vinyl and CD.
Elvis Presley - Separate Ways - The fallible fading late years Elvis has always attracted me more. More pathos and emotion.
Joni Mitchell - Blue - Haunting
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

tiermat

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Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #10 on: 01 May, 2008, 10:39:35 am »
Four Last Songs - Gundula Janowitz , Herbet von Karajan - I have this on vinyl and CD.

I think it is a sign of a truely memorable album that you have it on vinyl and still buy it on CD anyways...

Have done this for many of my fav albums over the years, including most of my previous list :)
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

Flying_Monkey

Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #11 on: 01 May, 2008, 11:28:11 am »
Bach Goldberg Variation - Glenn Gould 1981 version - I prefer this to his youthful version

Likewise... I could have added 'Blue' as well, but the more I think, the more albums I could add.

Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #12 on: 01 May, 2008, 12:24:20 pm »
For example my top two are not “Trout Mask Replica” and “Horses”, which the purists would probably say they should be.

Ah.  I'm a purist then.  Trout Mask gets a loud airing fairly often, especially in the spring for some reason (I was just singing Orange Claw Hammer to myself on the way back from the supermarket and decided it was about the time of year for a full session).  Second-most played is Lick My Decals, a couple of tracks of which are on my turbo training playlist.

Glad to see Gift from a Flower to a Garden on your list - another all-time favourite for me.

Also these are heard a lot:

Bananamour - Kevin Ayers
Double Seven - Lee Perry
African Dub Almighty (1&2) - Joe Gibbs
Look Mum No Head - Cramps
Jonathan Goes Country - Jonathan Richman
Glint at the Kindling - Robin Williamson
You're Under Arrest - Serge Gainsbourg

And if comparatively new stuff counts then:

Focus Mode - Klashnekoff
Drift - Scott Walker
The sound of one pannier flapping

Mr Larrington

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Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #13 on: 01 May, 2008, 01:59:13 pm »
In no particular order:

Broadcasting From Home ~ Penguin Café Orchestra
Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven! ~ Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Space Ritual ~ Hawkwind
Songs For The Deaf ~ Queens Of The Stone Age
Anything by Amplifier
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Really Ancien

Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #14 on: 01 May, 2008, 03:25:40 pm »

Mainly for the cover of Kung Fu Fighting.

Damon.


Mr Larrington

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External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Really Ancien

Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #16 on: 01 May, 2008, 03:29:51 pm »
They do a great version of U2s the Fly.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Du-bnbnWX-8&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Du-bnbnWX-8&rel=1</a>

Damon.

Tourist Tony

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Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #17 on: 01 May, 2008, 06:25:44 pm »
Mahler, sixth symphony
Sibelius, third symphony
Hawkwind, Warrior on the Edge of Time
Budgie, Best Of
Richard and Linda, I want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

Bollards

Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #18 on: 01 May, 2008, 06:47:25 pm »
Closer by Joy Division.
Life is not as bad as it seems when I listen to this. It always cheers me up, surprisingly.

Through the Trees by The Handsome Family.
It's country music and I thought I'd hate it but I don't I love it.

MercuryKev

  • Maxin' n Audaxin'
Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #19 on: 01 May, 2008, 11:18:45 pm »
There's nothing wrong with love - built to spill
pornography - the cure
crappin' your negative  - the grifters

Rob S

Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #20 on: 02 May, 2008, 08:23:07 am »
Love In The Time Of Science - Emiliana Torrini :thumbsup:

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #21 on: 02 May, 2008, 08:32:53 am »
Soft Machine - Third
Messiaen - Quartet For The End Of Time
Cream - Wheels Of Fire
John Surman - Trio
Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom
Joni Mitchell - Song to A Seagull

and, of course

Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
There's no vibrations, but wait.

Tourist Tony

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Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #22 on: 02 May, 2008, 09:05:12 am »
Soft Machine - Third
Messiaen - Quartet For The End Of Time
Cream - Wheels Of Fire
John Surman - Trio
Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom
Joni Mitchell - Song to A Seagull

and, of course

Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band

I feel your speed and bulbousness, nicknack

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #23 on: 02 May, 2008, 11:03:16 am »
Soft Machine - Third
Messiaen - Quartet For The End Of Time
Cream - Wheels Of Fire
John Surman - Trio
Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom
Joni Mitchell - Song to A Seagull

and, of course

Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band

I feel your speed and bulbousness, nicknack

Also tapered.  ;D
There's no vibrations, but wait.

Re: Albums that have "Always been there for you"
« Reply #24 on: 02 May, 2008, 04:04:17 pm »
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

Recently heard the Foo Fighters cover of 'Have A Cigar' - brilliant,
 just ordered a copy  :)