In my collection of albums I only have a few that I could give a 10/10 to. There are 2 items by Bill; Futurama & Drastic Plastic. There are lots of others by Bill and other artists that would score 9 or 9.5/10 as they are let down by one or two less than perfect tracks; (in my opinion). I ask the readers what their 10/10 albums are, which Bill albums are in their list and what other albums by other artists would score 10/10. My other artist 10/10s are the first Cars album, the second Cars album, (Candy-O), Beckett by Beckett, Ones and Sixes by Low, Spaces by Nils Frahm and Resolve by Poppy Ackroyd.
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Don’t know how this thread is all the way up here with the last entry
being in March…But in any event it is always an interesting one. Hard
to say as it depends on what is on your mind at a given moment, day or
mood. At this moment I would venture to say the following being 10 out
of 10 for perfection no matter from angle you look at them.
As for Bill I would list:
- Silvertone Fountains
- Fantasmatron
- Drastic Plastic
- Model Village
Others:
- Brain Salad Surgery - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- The Dark Side of The Moon – Pink Floyd
- To Our Children’s Children’s Children – The Moody Blues
- Lark’s Tongues in Aspic – King Crimson
My 10/10 albums will change depending on my mood. Just about any of Bill's albums can be included, but Atom Shop will come just about top of the list. I don't know if it's sold out yet but I know on the old forum I mentioned how much of a travesty it was that it was for sale so cheaply and hadn't sold out.
My Secret Studio, Getting The Holy Ghost Across are also up there, but as stated above - it all can depend on my mood. For example I can play My Secret Studio any time, but Trial By Intimacy (also a 4 cd box set like My Secret Studio) I would play mostly on Sunday mornings. Not for any religious reason - just that I enjoyed it more at that time.
Other bands - likewise with mood, but I'm an old guy also and would put the Black Sabbath debut up there. Almost a live sound and in my opinion much better than it's sequel. Part of the criteria for me is no matter how old, does it still sound fresh? East Of Eden's Snafu fulfills that criteria. Great Jazz Rock, and sounds great in it's remastered form. It could have done with a little less experimentation, but this was 1970.
Pink Floyd's Meddle, along with Syd Barrett's The Madcap Laughs. I never tire of listening to either, especially the Barrett. For those that have not heard the Barrett, please try and give it a listen somehow. It hasn't aged.
Green On Red's Scapegoats and This Time Around.
Ask me tomorrow and I'll have a different list (except the Barrett and Atom Shop will still be there).
"Timeless" John Abercrombie "Descendre" Terje Rypdal "Yr" Steve Tibbetts "Agharta" Miles Davis
"The Blues & the Abstract Truth" Oliver Nelson "So What" Joe Walsh "Angel's Egg" Gong
"Ivory" Teena Marie "A Wizard, A True Star" Todd Rundgren "Hejira" Joni Mitchell
"Piano Concerto No. 2" Rachmaninoff etc., etc.
Umm 10/10
Modern Music
Futurama
QDGOTB
Rosewood Volume 1..............plus far too many others to mention
But the ultimate 10/10 album for me personally is
Sgt Pepper
Lost count of how many different versions I've got of this. The production of this considering what it was recorded on and the tracks considering what year it is.
Timeless
Defining 10 out of 10 is a little nebulous. An album on which all the tracks are good to great would score more than 9, but could you call it a 10. I don't think any album is perfect, so I would be inclined to go with the definition I just made. On that basis the following spring to mind:
Bill:
Sound On Sound
Joy Through Amplification
Orpheus In Ultraland
After The Satellite Sings
Other artists:
Garbage - Garbage
The Monsoon Bassoon - I Dig Your Voodoo
Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love
Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel III
Charlotte Hatherley - Grey Will Fade
Cardiacs - Sing To God
Clor - Clor
Beck - Guero
B-52s - Cosmic Thing
XTC - Oranges And Lemons
Dutch Uncles - Dutch Uncles
Sidi Bou Said - Obsessive
Soundpool - On High
St Vincent - Strange Mercy
I could probably add a few more to both lists after further consideration and I may be holding Bill to a higher standard than everyone else
1. Axe Victim
2. Futurama
3. Sunburst Finish
4. Modern Music
5. Live In The Air Age
6. Drastic Plastic
7. Sound On Sound
8. Luminous
9. On A Blue Wing
10. Albion Dream Vortex
There's more from other artists, but those are what come to mind immediately. Others by Beck, Aphex Twin, James Brown, 'Check Your Head' by the Beastie Boys, Love, Durutti Column, Japan, Sylvian, Karn, I could name drop forever...
Being an old guy, I will go with: Performance Rockin' the Fillmore by Humble Pie. Are You Experienced? by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Led Zeppelin 2 by Led Zeppelin. Johnny Winter And Live. Jeff Beck comes close a couple of times, with Beck-ola being the highest. Emerson, Lake and Palmer (debut). Sunburn Finish by BBD. Of course those bands all toured and I saw them many times. My list reflects live albums or the album that they were touring. Being in North America, Sunburst was the first marketed to the USA market. The tour was amazing.
More recently, I will go with New Beginning by Band Maid and Return to Jazz of Lights by somebody.