A long time ago somebody made a pretty sweet thread with this title, but about actors and actresses. I thought it might be fun to do with musicians. So, what do you consider to be some of your favorite musicians' masterpieces, or at least their best work?

Here's some of my random thoughts to kick things off.


Outkast - Aquemini

Nas - Illmatic (I only list that because jadaki once said Illmatic is not his favorite Nas album, which I thought was insane)

Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele

Radiohead - hmmm...can anybody help me here?

The White Stripes - Elephant

Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland

Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks

The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet

By the way, I could have almost made this the 'which outkast album is best' thread, because to me that is the most interesting one for some reason. I mean I like them a lot, but I wouldn't call them my favorite group or anything. If I tried ranking their albums from favorite to less favorite, I think it looks like this:

1. Aquemini
2. Southernplayalistic...
3. ATLiens
4. Stankonia
5. Speakerboxx/Love Below

Southernplaya... is almost #1.




Oh, and it's Kid A. I was being goddam sarcastic!

Phil Collins: No Jacket Required.

And I would say that every Radiohead album is a masterpiece.

There's a girl that's been on my mindddd

Bone Thugs N Harmony: E1999 Eternal

I like skankonia the best probably, but I like up tempo stuff alot.


Biggie = Ready to die

Jay-Z Reasonable doubt.

Wu-Tang-36 chambers

Tarintino- Pulp Fiction

ornette Coleman-Free Jazz

John Coltrane A love supreme

Miles Davis- Kind of Blue

The Beach Boys- Pet Sounds

The Beatles- White Album

Van Halen- Van Halen

Rush 2112

Queen- Night at the Opera

Death - Individual Thought Patterns

Devo- Q: Are we not men? A: We are Devo

Kool Keith - Dr. Octogonacologist

James Brown - Live at the apollo

Johnny Cash Folsom Prison

Willie Nelson- Red headed stranger

King Crimson- in the court of the crimson king

Negativeland- Escape from Noise

Marvin Gaye -what's going one

NMH- IAAPOS

George Clinton- Maggot brain

Pavement -slanted and enchanted

RATM-RATM ( non-stop laughs from begining to end)

Ravi Shankar -live at monterray pop festival

Stones-exile

Scott Walker-tilt


Slayer-Reign in blood

talking heads- remain in the light

Velvet underground-VU&Nico

Weezer blue album

Amy Winehouse back to black

Lily allen alright stil

love-forever changes

cornershop when I was born for the 7th time

de la soul -3 feet high and rising ( though Delasoul is dead is pretty genius too)

TCQ- Midnight marauders

Carole king- tapestry

Meat Loaf Bat out of hell vol 1

Neil Diamond - Brotherlove's traveling salvation show/sweet caroline ( different names depending on the recording

Dusty Springfield dusty in memphis

Bone thugs E 1999 ternal

Ben folds the unauthorized biography of reinhold menzer

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Arcade Fire - Funeral

Beck - Odelay

Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister

Broken Social Scene - Your Forgot it in People

The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin

The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead

Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun

Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

I actually just listened to Stankonia again, and I had forgotten how good it was. It might shoot all the way up to #3 on my favorite Outkast albums, possibly even as high as a tie for second. Excellent songs I had forgotten were so good: I'll Call Before I Come, We Luv Deez Hoez, Humble Mumble, Red Velvet, Slum Beautiful, and STAANK-LOOOVVVVE. And those are just the second tier songs (well, some of those are first-tier).

You can't discrimi-hate cuz you done read a book or two.

I like It Was Written better.

I actually almost like God's Son more than Illmatic. Nas is one of my favorite artists though so even his 3rd best album would be ahead of a lot of other peoples best.

I wanna hear some of your other favorites! I think you listen to a lot of stuff that I don't know very well, but which I might like.

Kris Kross----Totally Krossed Out

ABBA - Greatest hits Take a chance on me

First, sorry, BigD, but I couldn't agree less with the White Album as the Beatles masterpiece. I think it's gotta be Sgt. Pepper, although I prefer Rubber Soul and Revolver.

Radiohead - OKComputer > Reason being it's a concept album and flows naturally from one song to the next with seamless ease. An absolute masterwork from a stellar band.

Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage > Again, a concept album, with all the elements of Zappa's disgust of the music industry and politics in general. Features a whole range of styles and some super tasty guitar work.

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited > Kudos to Blood on the Tracks, which features my favorite Dylan song (Tangled Up in Blue), but it's awfully hard to pick a masterpiece from the master himself, but I'm going with Highway 61 Revisited, if only because there is not a single filler track and it features Like A Rolling Stone, one of the best songs of all-time

Queen - A Night at the Opera

Genesis - Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

I think there can be a case made for Rubber soul, Sgt Pepper's and the white album all for being the beatle's masterpiece, but I picked the white album because it has the most diverse spectrum of music, from the extremely experimental to the extremely sentimental. I think it was the furthest out of their various artistic directions. I almost picked Sgt Pepper, but I have to give the nod to the white album. Album highlights, imo...


Back in the USSR- one of the funniest songs ever. The beatles get credit for a lot of things, but they don't get enough for being basically the first serious band to incorporate humor, irony and satirein their music ( well, unless you want to say zappa did it first, which you certainly can make the case for).

Dear Prudence - just a lovely song, one of my personal faves of them

While my guitar gently weeps- The best george song ever, probably.

Happiness is a warm gun - More biting and dark satire.

Rocky Raccoon - I've always loved this song, since I was a child.

Helter Skelter- one of the biggest depature's from the norm Paul's ever done. Just a great rock song. I've heard that it was inspired by and was a reaction to the who..

Revolution number 1- an allusion of things to come from John, in his solo work.

Revolution number 9 - Completely indulgent and masturbatory, but will always have a sentimental spot from my drug experimentation years.



I think the white album takes a lot of chances, and it is uneven.. it has a few clunker songs ( including "don't pass me by" maybe the worst beatles song), and it certainly doesn't have the cohesiveness of say, a Sgt. Peppers. But I think even in the ways some of the songs failed, they failed in an attempt to create something new and different, and I'll always give points for that.

I'm currently going back and finding under appreciated CD's in my collection, mostly early/mid 90's hip-hip that wasn't quite mainstream. That and everyone already knows about Biggie, Pac, Nas, Wu-Tang and the other huge acts from that time. Another album I like better for one artist than most others is Method Mans Tical 2000: Judgment Day. I prefer it to Tical which I seem to catch a lot of shit for.

Anyway here are a few things in my current rotation.

Tracey Lee - Many Facez



I really like this CD. Tracey Lee is an east coast rapper out of Philly that I think has ties to Buster Rhymes crew at one point. This is sort of a concept album where he takes on multiple personalities and raps from each of their perspectives. A little schizophrenic but very creative, especially the last track where 4 of his personalities discuss who killed the 5th. There is a good mix of types of songs on there from club hits to storytelling to more laid back stuff so there is a bit for everyone. Not to mention is has a track with Biggie (Keep Your Hands High) that is off the charts good and gets overlooked by a large portion of his fanbase because his name isn't on the back of the CD.

Songs to check out: Many Facez, The Theme (It's Party Time), On the Edge, Keep Your Hands High.



Richie Rich - Seasoned Veteran



While Tupac, Snoop and the rest of Death Row were getting all the credit for the west coast hip hop during the mid 90's there was a pretty good music scene in the bay area (El Guapo will back me up here) and this was my favorite CD from that group of artists. RR made a few guest appearances he is most well known for on some Tupac songs (Rather be your Nigga) and the Luniz I got 5 on it Remix, but his solo album was great. He has a unique voice and pretty mellow flow, covers some fairly typical topics like pimping and getting high, but his delivery and the production are solid so it's not boring. Some good guest appearances on the album from artists like T-Boz (Touch Myself Remix) and the Luniz. Also has the best of the tribute to Tupac songs (Do G's get to go to Heaven).

Songs to check out: Lets Ride, Pillow, Do G's Get to go to Heaven, Touch Myself Remix.



Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde



This album went platinum, but I still feel like it's under appreciated. Pharcyde's sound was really unique and their content was fresh and colorful, at least on this album. The production was solid and the lyricism on display was great, full of humor and self depreciating content which was something you rarely see in hip-hop. I'm not even sure I can explain this album very well, you just have to give it a few spins.

Songs to check out: Passin Me By, On the DL, Ya Mama


Other stuff to check out...

Black Sheep - A Wolf in Sheeps Clothing
E-40 - Tha Hall of Game
Souls of Mischief - 93 'Til Infinity
Mobb Deep - The Infamous (Just for Shook Ones pt 2 if nothing else)

I almost put this on my list, but I am not really that familar with pharcyde's other work, so I can't really comment that it's their masterpiece. I love this album alot, though, I listed to it all the time in college.

They only have one other album where all of them appear on it, and after that the group was down to 3 members for one more album before dissolving completely. Their second CD is really hit or miss, and not nearly as good overall as the first so I think it's pretty safe to call it their masterpiece.

Though I really do like some tracks off the second CD, most notably Drop.

Aretha Franklin--Live at the Filmore 1971

I love this album, because it's filled with songs that are familiar, familiar to the point of being toothless. But this was recorded in 1971, when Aretha still had her full voice, and hadn't alienated herself from fantastic backup musicians.

Looking at the tracklisting, some of the usual suspects are there--Respect, and Dr. Feelgood. But Respect has been kicked up and energized, and she absolutely crushes a cover of Eleanor Rigby.

This is a great pick. That eleanor rigby is a fantastic cover.

Otis Redding - Live In Europe

Otis was the man and maybe the greatest soul singer ever. Died far too young at 26 in a plane crash.

Side one
# Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Respect" Otis Redding 3:00
2. "Can't Turn You Loose" Redding 3:20
3. "I've Been Loving You Too Long" Butler, Redding 3:40
4. "My Girl" Smokey Robinson, Ronald White 2:44
5. "Shake" Sam Cooke 2:51

Side two
# Title Writer(s) Length
6. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" Mick Jagger, Keith Richards 2:53
7. "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" Steve Cropper, Redding 3:37
8. "These Arms of Mine" Redding 2:57
9. "Day Tripper" John Lennon, Paul McCartney 2:54
10. "Try a Little Tenderness" James Campbell, Reginald Connelly, Harry M. Woods 5:0

I almost went with Otis Blue, which is a godlike album, but again I don't have any other otis redding albums to compare it to. His version of satisfaction ( the quintessential rock and roll song) is just amazing.

Here's a live version..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQszoQJT0Tc

Definitely get Live in Europe and also Live at Monterey Pop.

I should pretty much just get the entire monterey set.. best festival of all time.

I believe that is King Curtis, an unbelievable jazzman, leading the backup band. They used to come out and play a few tunes to warm up the crowd before Aretha came out. Some great covers.

Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (it's too bad she went batshit crazy)
IceCube - Death Certificate
Game - The Documentary

Yeah, it's King Curtis, and she even brings out Ray Charles for a song or two! (Depends if you get the one or two disc version.) I know it's a cliche, that Aretha is the voice of God, but holy crappoli, listening to this album makes me wish she hadn't turned all Diva and Adult Contemporary. She was a serious, serious talent, and did most of her own arrangements.




I like the album, but that's where I think the putting in of "skits" between songs started. She's got a lot to answer for.

Adolf Hitler - World War II

No way, you can blame a lot of artists for skits in the albums long before hers. Mad rapper appearances on early Bad Boy artists are where skits really started getting out of hand. The ones on Lauryn's album are actually on topic with the subject matter of the album at least.

Give me their names, and I'll blame them too. (I know there were skits and hidden tracks before Miseducation, but after that album exploded, it just seemed to me that was what every R&B and rap album had to have.)

I believe the first album with skits was 3 feet high and rising.

John Wilkes Booth - Abraham Lincoln

Really White Album for the Beatles?
Talk about experimental, Sgt. Pepper takes that one. Abbey Road IMO is their best. For some reason I'm not a big fan of White Album. I like the songs you put down but its 30 songs and there are maybe 10 good ones and everything else isnt too special. IMO

the white album is impressive, to me, not as a piece of work, but moreso because it showed that even their throwaways were better than anything anyone else was doing. as a piece of work, it's a fuggin mess, but i assure you steven stills would drown his firstborn to have written, for instance, "julia".

The Jews- 9/11

Also, Abbey Road is my favorite Beatles album too.

I see what you are saying now



Im not sure where you live but last year I saw http://classicalbumslive.com/ perform Abbey Road. They describe themselves as being more of an orchestra as opposed to a band as they play the albums note for note and don't change them but the singers sound really good and its cool to see them do something like Maxwell's Silver Hammer and Yellow Submarine live. They were very good and with a student discount it was only $10 on campus