Payn's Ponderings... Top 10 Essential Albums

[payn]

True story coming in.

A couple months before my 40th birthday, I decided I was going to get a tattoo. Never had one. Figured I was due. But I had no idea what I was going to get. It had to be something personal. It had to say something obvious about me. Something that was consistent that I wasn't going to feel different about or regret later. I needed to think about it, and do some soul searching.

I flew out to a friend's place in Florida for a week for her birthday. My gift was that I was going to use her tattoo guy for my first ink. We had been friends for years reading each other's blogs and figured it was time we meet. A number of her friends and family also followed us online. I got to meet several of them in person for the first time, including her husband.

So it turned out that David, unlike his wife, listened to a lot of the same stuff that I did. And he was pleased as anything to be able to crank up the Pantera when he and I went places in his car. And we started talking about other bands. Turns out we were big fans of W.A.S.P., and I hooked him up with my albums saved as mp3s. And on it went.

And that is when it hit me. I was as happy and passionate to talk about music as I was when I was in high school. Metal has always been the consistent love of my life, and still is. So I imagined the one thing that was the undeniable, iconic symbol for "metal". I choose the most metal of all guitars: the B.C. Rich Warlock.
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I was going to get a nu-skool redhead pinup riding a bike on my calf. Then, my ex-wife left me, so that idea was shot. I think I need to give Rain Dogs a nice long listen with a bottle of bourbon, and decide what I'll get instead.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I was going to get a nu-skool redhead pinup riding a bike on my calf. Then, my ex-wife left me, so that idea was shot. I think I need to give Rain Dogs a nice long listen with a bottle of bourbon, and decide what I'll get instead.

Be careful you don't get a tattoo of a one-armed dwarf captain - even if in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king...

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I'm really surprised to see so little recent metal and gothic stuff here. Back in my day (naughty word, that's almost 20 years ago now), that seemed to be what all the RPG crowd in Germany were into.
In contrast, all the bands I recognize seem so very mainstream.

All my goth stuff would be from the 80's and 90's too lol.

But here's my Top 10 albums released since April 2002.

Blind Guardian Live
Rising Apalachia Filthy Dirty South
Sofi Tukker Tree House (although my favorite song, Awoo, isn't on there)
Death Cab for Cutie Plans
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes
Flobots Fight with Tools
Florence and the Machine Ceremonials
MC Yogi Elephant Power
Rodrigo y Gabriela Rodrigo y Gabriela
Vulfpeck The Beautiful Game

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

There's a ton of recent metal stuff that I dig. Just about anything by Rhapsody of Fire. Early Darkmoor, Gloryhammer, Wind Rose, Visigoth.

As for newer goth stuff and industrial stuff, I find it to resonate less with me than the stuff of decades past. I definitely have seen my tastes start to ossify there.

I'm really surprised to see so little recent metal and gothic stuff here. Back in my day (naughty word, that's almost 20 years ago now), that seemed to be what all the RPG crowd in Germany were into.
In contrast, all the bands I recognize seem so very mainstream.

 

[Scottius]

There's a ton of recent metal stuff that I dig. Just about anything by Rhapsody of Fire. Early Darkmoor, Gloryhammer, Wind Rose, Visigoth.

As for newer goth stuff and industrial stuff, I find it to resonate less with me than the stuff of decades past. I definitely have seen my tastes start to ossify there.

Nice to see a mention of Visigoth. I really dig them as well. I'll have to check out those other groups.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

The other bands are all more on the Symphonic Metal side of things, but I think they're worth checking out. Rhapsody of Fire is an absolute favorite of mine - I'd recommend Triumph or Agony in particular (it's even got a cover by Jeff Easley!).

Nice to see a mention of Visigoth. I really dig them as well. I'll have to check out those other groups.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

What do we have to do to coax a list from you? Its hard but not impossible Mr. second hand CD shop.

Also, I did list a bunch of highly regarded soundtracks…

Just sayin’.

Maybe if you gave me something narrower than 10 desert island discs to work with?

 

[payn]

Also, I did list a bunch of highly regarded soundtracks…

Just sayin’.

Maybe if you gave me something narrower than 10 desert island discs to work with?

The assignment is the assignment. There will be more threads if you just cant do it.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Also, I did list a bunch of highly regarded soundtracks…

Just sayin’.

Maybe if you gave me something narrower than 10 desert island discs to work with?

Here you go Danny alcatraz:

• Top 10 NuMetal
• Top 10 Post Punk
• Top 10 Smooth Jazz
• Top 10 Deep House
• Top 10 Celtic
• Top 10 Celtic Metal
• Top 10 Albums similar to or by bands featured in Dave Grohl's Probot album
• Top 10 Grunge
• Top 10 Political Hip Hop from the aughts
• Top 10 women pop singers post 2015
• Top 10 Album titles or bands with names that could be awesome D&D adventures or supplements (I'm thinking like "Unleash the Archers")

 

[payn]

Here you go Danny alcatraz:

• Top 10 NuMetal
• Top 10 Post Punk
• Top 10 Smooth Jazz
• Top 10 Deep House
• Top 10 Celtic
• Top 10 Celtic Metal
• Top 10 Albums similar to or by bands featured in Dave Grohl's Probot album
• Top 10 Grunge
• Top 10 Political Hip Hop from the aughts
• Top 10 women pop singers post 2015
• Top 10 Album titles or bands with names that could be awesome D&D adventures or supplements (I'm thinking like "Unleash the Archers")

The theme of the thread is about essential albums. Albums construction in it's entirety and not just good artists and/or tracks. Many on this list are so narrow in scope that albums will land on it, not because they are great start to finish, but due to lack of option/competition.

I mean, lets take top 10 women pop singers post 2015. I can maybe think of one album in this category. A lot of music isn't produced by the album anymore but by the single. So, selection will be more based on the most hits than by having a great album. In spirit of the thread, its likely even more difficult than just a top 10 albums of all genres, IMO.

When you think of it in terms of great albums, you can weed out many great artists and albums because often singles are easier to produce. Thinking in entire album terms, actually makes this assignment easier than folks think, while still being very challenging.