Top Ten "Perfect" Albums!

[Vyn]

I clicked on the New Model Army tune and listened to a bit of it, then decided to listen to the Bruce D song. I though I had stopped NMA, but I hadn't. So when I clicked "Machine Men" it sounded like "Machine Men" by Bruce Dickenson mixed with "Vagabonds" by New Model Army. But with no attempt at synchronization.

It sounded so bad for a moment I determined that Kilo had lost his damn mind.

But, no. The whereabouts of KDC's Captain Cortex remain known. My noodle, on the other hand, is questionable.

With that as a completely unrelated background story, I present my next selection for the most perfect album ever created by man, an album so perfect some have called it Jesus in the form of vinyl with sound waves stamped onto it. A set of songs so incredible that wars have been averted simply by mentioning its name, whores have become virgins, volcanoes have recapped themselves.

If those superlatives seem hyperbolic, at the very least it's a collection of 11 pretty good tunes:

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band

I've talked about this platter before; a brief recap is that these songs are mostly covers originally conceived by pioneers in the blues genre. Covers done in a way that is unmistakably Chicago. Covers done so well that to the uninitiated they sound like The Paul Butterfield Blues Band were the pioneers.

I can only imagine how awesome those guys must have been playing live in a dive bar in south-side Chicago.

Here's a picture. I don't think the internet can handle another link to a video that causes those sounds to enter the universe again:

[Charger]

I was considering Chemical Wedding but there are two songs I don't really like all that much...the title track which drags on with that mid tempo chug that never gets going and Trumpets Of Jericho which is bit on the meh side...so it didn't make it to my list.

[Charger]

Alright time to move to the TOP 5 albums

In 5th place we have

BENEDICTUM - UNCREATION




I discovered this band back when Tim Ripper Owens forum as going strong and from a friend there (who has since passed away in a car accident, RIP buddy Bulletproof) who was raving about a new band with stellar vocals...and he linked the title track of this album and I was instantly blown away.
Since then I became friends with Veronica Freeman on facebook and I was a big part of the facebook group and also got liner note thanks from Veronica on two of their albums.
Sadly after their 4th album Obey (where one Tony Martin also made an appearance) the band disbanded after the devastating death of Veronica's husband...
But there are talks that they might come back.

The guitar work of Pete Wells (who is the biggest fan of the movie Event Horizon I've ever known! ) is absolutely fantastic here...great riffing and stellar soloing as well.

Here's the full album for your listening pleasure!

Uncreation is one of those absolutely perfect debut albums. Not a single weak track and plus there are two Black Sabbath covers there. And especially Heaven And Hell works really well!
The title track, Two Steps To The Sun, #4, Wicca and Valkyrie Rising are all absolutely STELLAR!

Benedictum is one of my all time favourite bands and they deserved to be much much bigger than they ever got!

[Vyn]

When listening to YouTube recordings, I simply click the play arrow and listen to then on my computer.

I did the same thing for the Benedictum video you posted, Charger. For about 20 seconds and I had to turn it off.

...

Then I turned on my stereo rig, set my computer to cast sound to it, and am blasting it through some real equipment.

Sounds great at 0930 on a Saturday morning!

[Zzzptm]

My next choice is from Jethro Tull.



And it's Aqualung, famous for being more than one song on two sides of an album.

Aqualung is also famous for being a concept album once the fans got hold of it, as the band never intended it to be anything of the sort. It was that fan/critic decision to make it a concept album that got Ian Anderson to decide, "Well, I'll give you a concept album, all right!" and the TaaB release with just the one song, intended as something of a parody.

But I digress, as Aqualung is the topic here. Tracks include standouts Aqualung, Cross-Eyed Mary, Locomotive Breath, and Hymn 43. But also on the album are some beautiful, more progressive tunes that create a lovely musical tapestry blah blah blah, look, it's a great album and deserves to be dusted off and given a spin again for those that haven't played it in a while or given an honest try by those that haven't heard it at all.

[Vyn]

You took my album! lol It was on my list - fantastic recording!

[Zzzptm]

You took my album! lol It was on my list - fantastic recording!

Ha-ha, I snaked ya, Vyn! I snaked ya!

It truly is the best full album from the Jethro Tull catalog.

[Zzzptm]

My next one is American Beauty from The Grateful Dead.



On a whim one day in a used record shop, I picked up a Grateful Dead album. It had Truckin' on it, and I remembered that from the radio. None of the other nine songs on the album rang a bell, so it was just on that one single that I bought American Beauty.

Glad I did. I was recently getting into Texas folk/country music and this fit right in with that vibe. It's got beautiful layers throughout. I couldn't stop playing it for like a month and I frequently go back to it. It's been a good friend to me for almost 40 years. Sure, I bought it for Truckin', but I stayed for Box of Rain and Ripple and the rest.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

My 6th choice (and I'll do my 7th later today so as not to get behind again!)

Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer

I shan't bother with the cover or a video!

My 3rd favourite Sabbath album, behind Sabotage and another one, but Sabotage has Am I going Insane on it (Aaaarrrggghhh!!!), just imagine how good that album would be if it had another song as good as say Hole in the Sky instead!

Like with an earlier selection I would suggest that for the first 20 years I had this album I couldn't call it perfect, I didn't much like Master of Insanity and Letters From Earth felt a little like filler... but again I've grown to really love those songs. And if anything Sins of the Father has faded a little even though I still love it. There's a bunch of songs that are right up there with the best that RID ever recorded!

[Vyn]

Number Seven:

No Remorse by Motörhead

TWO records, basically a best of but with some new tunes. I can listen to all one hour and twenty minutes of it and enjoy every track.

Speaking of which, here it is in its entirety:

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

My 7th pick is:

Yes - Going for the One



I know I've already posted one Yes album, it's difficult to say which of their 70s albums is the best... we can definitely exclude Tales of From Topographic Oceans and Tormato, but the rest from The Yes Album through to Going for the One are all of a par. 5 tracks including the 15 minute "Awaken" which may just be my favourite Yes song.

1.   "Going for the One"
2.   "Turn of the Century"
3.   "Parallels"   
4.   "Wonderous Stories"
5.   "Awaken"   

[Charger]

One might say putting a best of collection here is cheating....BUT since it does have new tracks I'll let it slide cause I'm a nice guy and all... 



On 4th Place I have

TONY MARTIN - THORNS





This is an album that grabbed me right away! First listen BAM! This is some great stuff here. And ofcourse it jumped right up to the top of the albums of 2022 list and stayed there through the year...and hell I think it'll probably be very high on the list of best albums of the whole 2020's!
No weak tracks here. Pure magic from start to finish.

Best track is the first track but the rest aren't too far behind!

[Zzzptm]

^ AW HELL YES!!!


Now I know how Vyn felt when I snaked one of his picks!

[Charger]

^ AW HELL YES!!!


Now I know how Vyn felt when I snaked one of his picks!

[Vyn]

One might say putting a best of collection here is cheating....BUT since it does have new tracks I'll let it slide cause I'm a nice guy and all... 

In my defense I didn't even think about it until after I added it to my list, and then it was like, "uh, this is a compilation. But with FOUR new tracks!" hahaha

Up next, we have Aqualung...I mean Powerage by AC/DC. I think Let There Be Rock and Highway to Hell both had individual songs that were better, but Powerage still set a high bar and all of the tracks hit or exceeded it. A very solid collection of hard-ass blues music that ends as good as it starts.