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so i'll start.

Ambient 4: On Land - Brian Eno

I could see a rock album getting pretty tiring after a while, so I thought I'd go the other side of the spectrum and pick something that's not too intense. It's relaxing, but has enough going on that you'd appreciate different aspects of it years later I feel. All those hidden layers and what not. Maybe. I think I've already changed my mind halfway through typing this.

the best of the beatles

I think it's already proved itself to be relatively timeless and I just don't think I could get sick of hearing it.

was 15 from my local Asda (I'm 36 now). It's probably my most played album ever.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_of_R.E.M.#section_1

Brought this album when I was 14 or so and still think it's one of, if not my favourite. Just has every different sound the Cure went for on the album, more like a snapshot of them as a whole band, whereas something like Disintegration is more like a singular concept album with just really bleak stuff (except Lovesong).

But on this one you get their best single (Just Like Heaven), slow watering grave sounding Cure songs (The Kiss, Snakepit), ballads (Perfect Girl, Catch), long instrumental parts to the songs (Icing sugar, Hey you).

In a nutshell, it's everything I ever liked about the band all put into one place. So fits the one album route well and covers as many bases as you ever could with 1 vinyl/tape/cd.

or whatever it'a called. Definitely something ambient.

it feels really long, in a good way. That or a Low album.

I can have a double, right? Yes I can.

It's got everything I love about music on one album.

Mind you, it's got stiff competition from Spratleys Japs - Pony, which is of course by a completely different artist

I've listened to it religiously since I was like 16 - I'm 31 now. I will never get sick of this album.

It'd be like having about three different albums with you instead of just one.

Stop Making Sense (Expanded Edition)
Not only a greatest hits collection, of sorts, but has some of their best versions of those songs. Even if they did cheat a little.

Nowhere near my favourite album of all time, but it's such a diverse range of songs performed by a band at the peak of their powers.

to go for something long, dense, obscure and interesting but that would probably just get really annoying and in reality I'd regret it. I'd have to go for something dull like a Beatles best-of, the blue album probably. It has loads of great songs and spans lots of different moods and emotions so could be dragged out at any time.

How would this actually work in reality, would it be a case that you can only sit down and put this record on? Or would all music be dead and the radio would just play your chosen LP, and lift music would be replaced with it, and cheesy wedding disco music also would be gone etc?

Been with me through the worst of the worst times and the best of the best. I mean, it's the fucking Holy Bible. What else is there?

Everytime I listen to it, I still hear something new I missed before.

A perfect album, unlikely ever to be bettered in my opinion.

1. It's a triple album, duh
2. It's one of my favourite albums
3. It's one of those records that is incredibly densely layered; even on the 50th listen you're discerning musical elements or turns of phrase that you never noticed before

The rest of your life is hanging on this man.

kinda special. in terms of a pretty simple instrumental in which theres so much to get into. wouldn't say its my favourite album but i can see myself coming back to it for decades to come.

ive listened to it in full at least once a week since it came out, still not bored, and its 16 tracks long.

It's got angry, happy, funny, sarcastic and deeply sad all rolled into 10 perfect songs so could easily fit any mood I could possibly have.

easy

It's probably the album i've listened to the most amount of times in my life so far.

because

- it's ucking fawesome
- memories
- inclusion of the best of their previously released tracks ensures i needn't feel too guilty about the loss of their other music
- it's a good hour
- i have never once in my life got bored of anything on this album

- they sell this and The Letters EP in the same package now, can i keep that as well?

The album that dragged me out of the landfill of indie and introduced me to the wonderful world of Amerciana.

MUST include that shit Holler song. Bloody love that song.

preferably the full set if that's allowed, otherwise I'll settle for volume one.

One of a handful of albums that I always seem to be in the mood for.

Every time i listen to it i pick up something new and i have listened to it a fuckload of times. My favourite album ever by a long distance! :)

but only this album. You don't have to listen to the whole album at once either. You can choose to listen to select tracks if you want.

but you yourself could only put this record, or songs from it, on at anytime. So you'll walk into M&S's and still hear Adele blaring over the speakers, but you have no control over the choice of music you put on yourself. You also can't ask others to put on certain records for you. No loopholes here, this is an airtight scenario.

I've already had ten years of listening to it in every situation possible and it works, so don't see that changing. It's been year 8 homework accompaniment, pre-night out soundtrack and used after break-ups. Timeless and place-less.

\m/ \m/

...and for exactly the same reasons.

because I've never listened to any of them before, and people are always banging on about how great they are.

Don't want to be choosing an album that I've already heard hundreds of times, do I?

came here to post this

I'd probably save it for special occasions, but I definitely don't think I could ever get tired of this album. Or maybe it's just because I was listening to it today.

...because God damn, just the finest album! Tough call between this and (excusing an honorable mention) Laughing Stock. But the closing track 'Wealth' wins it.
....although, maybe...

Post-punk, rock, proggy elements - just an immense album. Lyrically it chimes with me, or at least even though it connected with me more before, I can see the kind of life he must have been living while writing it and it seems an authentic reaction to existing in this day and age.

Tunes, tunes and madness aplenty.

have to hear that 'Winnie The Pooh' lyric over and over again, and eventually it would lead to suicide.

Anybody who thinks they'll still like The Beatles or the blue album after ten years of listening to nothing else is kidding themselves. Even three albums of Joanna Newsom is going to pall eventually. The OP has the right idea: something you can either listen to as music, or just experience as a sort of abstract sonic environment. Eno is a bit too pretty & melodic for me (even On Land), and I'd probably go for something with a bit more variety. Nice field recordings & heavy drone. I'm sure there's something that fits the bill, I just can't bring it to mind right now. Anyway, no songs, that's for sure.

The album is big & diverse enough to enjoy listening to it at least 10 years. Work of genius.

but I can imagine it would get very grating and ultimately hateful if I couldn't listen to anything else forever.

I don't think it would be possible for me to get bored of this album, and it even manages to work fairly well as background music.

It only came this year, but I`ve listened to it loads and it`s gone straight into my all time top 10. It`s a hard album to get bored of. Quality immersive head/Psychedelic music.

Just to immerse myself in completely once every few months when i want my mind blown, before returning to the void.

Slightly agree with Blisters' point that literally no album could really satisfy in such conditions, I elected Sufjan mainly out of recognition that i'd be okay not listening to it very often. In that case I really can't imagine ever tiring of this piece of music.. instant equanimity:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDpQjhfaJBo

Some deep listening and a bit of patience [it takes a fair few listens for it to reveal it`s brilliance and magic] and I`m sure your like it.

Because it's my favourite album ever and I don't care what you think. From the peak of my own self importance as a 20 year old student to my current divorced-with-kids mid life crises it's been a constant source of pleasure.

which has an effect on me emotionally every time.

is going to resonate at all points of people's lives.

For me, it's an album I come back to every 6 months. Kid A is more of a regular thing, an uplifting calming influence.

Range of moods, and is very consistent.

It's droney enough, it's songy enough, and when Soon comes on you can even shake ya groove thang. Starts out with a nice riff. It covers most of the bases.

End of discussion.

But technically you can't have a midlife crisis until you're 40, which you clearly aren't.

Ridiculous amount of variety. And it's a double, which helps under these particular circumstances.

I didn't even see this before posting it myself. :)

Maybe even five. SoE definitely.

I'd have this as their second-greatest album myself but then I'm on record as having Pawn Hearts in my all-time top 3. Which puts this one in the top 15.

Pulling it out in this thread eh. Makes sense to listen to something vast, multi-faceted and endlessly intriguing if you can have nothing else

Why would you want anything else?

Would've escaped this problem then

23 years later and I'm still finding new things in that dense sound.

Don't know why I don't listen to it that often at the moment. I guess because it covers a range of moods, musically some how both poppy and complex, timeless songs but also good for a bit of escapism.

Anything would get tiresome, even ambient stuff I reckon I would end up craving something more direct with more energy and form

I've been listening to this album for 15 years. It's been my favourite record since first listen. Note perfect, and my wife loves it too.

Beautiful record that delivers an uncanny combination of infectious melody and understated ambition.

And then they split up :(

parrdj m8

that one

def maybe oasis

or neutral milk hotel

It's so rich that I STILL find new things to enjoy in it, and the memories of it are tremendous. Plus it's lengthy.

Because fuck you all.

and I still wouldn't listen to it
that's how much I hate Van fuckin' Morrison

A tune for every moment, and a moment for every tune.

And as I can't listen to anything else for the rest of my life I'd want something fairly easy to listen to.

I don't think I could every get tired of it. The songwriting is just so perverse and oddly structured, but gorgeous. It still sounds surprising, and I must have listened to it hundreds of times.

Which attempts to cross most musical styles in a double LP and includes Debussy and MBV within separated by a mere one track in the mix. Great stuff.

Fecking predictive fecking text!

Pearl Jam - Ten
The Beatles - Revolver
Sparklehorse - It's A Wonderful Life

That's the great thing about this thread. the potential to find something new... :)
http://midnightpunk.wordpress.com/2012/12/09/joanna-newsom-good-intentions-paving-company/

<3

the perfect album

For the same reasons most people are choosing their albums: it's been with me through the best of times, the worst of times. And it's an outstanding work of genius.

I'll be expanding my meagre Cardiacs and Van Der Graaf Generator collection based on the recommendations given.