The Comprehensive Music Collection -- the B's

Original language below, have had to download a lot of this in not so legal ways unfortunately. Will throw up my new "A" music collection by the end of the month, when i'm hoping to be done.

But in the meantime, hit me with the B's, and please suggest album titles when appropriate, but "anything" also works. Not first names please…

——————-


So, since I now have a decent paying job, and have rediscovered my love of actual CD's – going the other way of others on the board apparently – I have decided to reach out and discover the gobs and gobs of music I've missed along the way. Anything that came out this decade, I'm all over, but honestly, my musical tastes before that were poor, at best.

So, i'm doing this one letter at a time. And since I know you guys love this list stuff…

Artists that start with A, who should I be listening to, and what albums are important? Some artists are best covered by a Greatest hits album, others have one important album. All genres, all years, assume I know much less than I actually do. Let 'er rip…

The Bongos - Numbers with Wings

The Bluetones - Expecting to Fly or The Singles
Blur - Modern Life is Rubbish

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Methodrone or Take it From the Man

Originally posted by redsock:
Original language below, have had to download a lot of this in not so legal ways unfortunately. Will throw up my new "A" music collection by the end of the month, when i'm hoping to be done.

But in the meantime, hit me with the B's, and please suggest album titles when appropriate, but "anything" also works. Not first names please…

——————-


So, since I now have a decent paying job, and have rediscovered my love of actual CD's – going the other way of others on the board apparently – I have decided to reach out and discover the gobs and gobs of music I've missed along the way. Anything that came out this decade, I'm all over, but honestly, my musical tastes before that were poor, at best.

So, i'm doing this one letter at a time. And since I know you guys love this list stuff…

Artists that start with A, who should I be listening to, and what albums are important? Some artists are best covered by a Greatest hits album, others have one important album. All genres, all years, assume I know much less than I actually do. Let 'er rip…

My fav B's, although I catalog via first names so there might be some last name B's that I'm missing:

The Band - Greatest Hits
I'm sure plenty will disagree and claim multiple albums are needed, but personally I think these guys are just a *wee* bit overrated and this comp is good enough

Basement Jaxx - Remedy

Duh: Beach Boys, Beatie Boys, Beatles <– the new Love album in 5.1 is pretty amazing BTW

Beat happening - Beat Happening

Beck - Midnite Vultures and Odelay at least

Bee Gees - there is a new best of package that is perfect, def have both folk and disco eras in the collection

Beirut - Gulag Orkestar

Bela Fleck & the Flecktones - Live Art

Belle & Sebastian - one of my fav bands of all time, hard to recommend the best, but I'd say The Life Pursuit, If You're Feeling Sinister, Legal Man, and the Books EP for starters.

Beta Band, The - The Three EP's <– holy shit so good

Big Star - #1 Record & Radio City on 1 disc

Bjork - Homogenic and Post for sure

Black Devil Disco Club - 28 After

Black Flag - Damaged

Blind Melon - Soup <– no really!

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

I'd say at least one Blonde Redhead, but I'll let an uber fan suggest an album

Blondie - Parallel Lines or one of the best of collections

Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum

Blur - honestly a little overrated in my opinion, best of disc at least should be in every collection

Boards Of Canada - Music Has The Right To Children

Booka Shade - Movements

Books, The - Thought for Food

Boredoms - Super AR

Boy Least Likely To, The - The Best Party Ever

Breeders - Last Splash

Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People

Built To Spill - um… all of them?

Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady

Byrds, The - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

We could probably spend most of this thread arguing over the best Bowie album. Any of the below are good.
The Man Who Sold the World
Ziggy Stardust
Aladdin Sane
Low
Heroes
Scary Monsters

Black Sabbath. Ditto:
Black Sabbath
Paranoid
Master of Reality
Volume 4
Heaven and Hell

Blondie - Parallel Lines

B-52's - S/T or Wild Planet

Buffalo Springfield – Retrospective

Ok - some amazing last name B's:

Alan Braxe & Friends - The Upper Cuts

Duh's: Bowie and James Brown

David Byrne - The Catherine Wheel, Feelings, Look Into The Eyeball, Lead Us Not Into Temptation, and of course My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts (the new remastered and expanded ver) but I guess that technically should be under E for Eno?

Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow & Rejoicing in the Hands <– jaw droppingly beautiful

Donald Byrd - Ethiopian Knights

Glenn Branca - No. 1

Jeff Buckley - Grace

Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block <– not sure if this counts

Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs

Tim Buckley - Starsailor

Vashti Bunyan - Just Another Diamond Day & Lookaftering

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
We could probably spend most of this thread arguing over the best Bowie album. Any of the below are good.
The Man Who Sold the World
Ziggy Stardust
Aladdin Sane
Low
Heroes
Scary Monsters

I think Diamond Dogs often get's left off the absolutely essential Bowie albums list. Also don't forget Hunky Dory.

i thought this was originally only 90s and earlier …

the band - "music from big pink"

band of horses - "everything all the time"

beach boys - "pet sounds" is a must-have
— for compilations, "good vibrations: thirty years of the beach boys" [5 cd box set from 1993] is amazing, but if you're looking for a one-disc-er, go with "sounds of summer: the very best of the beach boys" from 2003

beastie boys - "paul's boutique", "check your head"

beatles - you need pretty much every LP from "help!" through "let it be", then you need to choose between getting "past masters vols. 1 & 2"
or just the one-disc-er "1" … at this point, "1" is probably better than "past masters", although you lose some crucial tracks going that way

beck - "mellow gold", "odelay"

bee gees - "best of the bee gees" [from 1969, compiles their crucial early career, some amazing stuff on here]

belle & sebastian - "if you're feeling sinister", "push barman to open old wounds"

the beta band - "the three e.p.'s" or "best of"

bettie serveert - "palomine"

beulah - "the coast is never clear" (i miss this band a lot)

big star - "#1 record", "radio city"

billy bragg - "talking with the taxman about poetry", "mermaid avenue", and "must i paint you a picture? the essential billy bragg" (2-discs)

bjork - "greatest hits" works fine for me

black flag - "damaged"

black sabbath - others will be much more informed on this, but "paranoid" is a must-have

black star - "black star"

blake babies - "innocence and experience" (1-disc comp)

bloc party - "silent alarm"

blondie - "parallel lines", "best of"

blur - "parklife"

boards of canada - "music has the right to children"

booker t & the mg's - "the best of…"

the bottle rockets - "the brooklyn side"

the breeders - "last splash"

brendan benson - "lapalco" (he really needs a comp)

british sea power - "the decline of british sea power"

broken social scene - "you forgot it in people"

buena vista social club - "s/t"

buffalo tom - "let me come over" or "asides from …" for a comp

built to spill - "keep it like a secret"

burning spear - "marcus garvey"

burt bacharach - "the very best of" (not bacharach singing, but who really needs that)

buzzcocks - "singles going steady"

the byrds - you could just go with "greatest hits", which gets their early stuff, but if you like their later country stuff you need to get "sweetheart of the rodeo"

chet baker - "the best of chet baker sings"

dave brubek - "time out"

frank black - "teenager of the year"

james brown - get "20 all-time greatest hits" for a 1-disc-er or "50th anniversary collection" for a 2-disc-er … you also need "in the jungle groove" or "the payback"

tim buckley - "starsailor"

B is a ridiculous letter so i'll limit to only indie pop selections.

the bats - daddy's highway
beat happening - beat happening
beulah - when your heartstrings break
biff bang pow - waterbomb (comp)
black tambourine - complete recordings
boyracer - boyfuckingracer (comp)
butterglory - are you building a temple in heaven

Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:
beatles - you need pretty much every LP from "help!" through "let it be", then you need to choose between getting "past masters vols. 1 &amp; 2"
or just the one-disc-er "1" … at this point, "1" is probably better than "past masters", although you lose some crucial tracks going that way

I'd recommend the "red" and "blue" 2-CD sets.

Originally posted by eros:
I'd recommend the "red" and "blue" 2-CD sets.

but that'll run you $50 v. $25 for both past masters v. $13 for "1" … i guess you just have to look at the tracklists and see what you're missing on each

Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:


beastie boys - "paul's boutique", "check your head"

Hey, we have some pretty similar lists, although Ill Communication is a must IMO.

Stuff I have on file that hasn't been mentioned yet but should be:

Battles - Mirrored, EP C/B EP
Beach House - S/T
Beck - Guerolito (think this is far superior to the original)
Benga - Diary of an Afro Warrior
Big Black - Songs about Fucking, Pigpile
Big Blood - The Grove
Bishop, Sir Richard - Polytheistic Fragments, While My Guitar Violently Bleeds, Staged
Black Dice - Creature Comforts
Blockhead - Downtown Science
Blues Control - S/T
Bonnie Prince Billy - I See A Darkness
Bonobo - Dial M for Monkey
Boredoms - Pop Tatari
Boris - Akuma No Uta, Feedbacker, Pink, Flood, Rainbow, Heavy Rocks, Smile
Brightblack Morning Light - S/T
Broadcast - Tender Buttons
Burial - S/T, Untrue

Do comps count?

Byrne's Brazil Classics are great
&
Blue Skies Up - a fantastic Dogbox Records comp

Bad Brains - ROIR. This album kills time and time again.

Originally posted by azaghal1981:
Stuff I have on file that hasn't been mentioned yet but should be:

Battles - Mirrored, EP C/B EP
Beach House - S/T
Beck - Guerolito (think this is far superior to the original)
Benga - Diary of an Afro Warrior
Big Black - Songs about Fucking, Pigpile
Big Blood - The Grove
Black Dice - Creature Comforts
Blockhead - Downtown Science
Blues Control - S/T
Bonnie Prince Billy - I See A Darkness
Bonobo - Dial M for Monkey
Booka Shade - Movements
Boredoms - Pop Tatari
Boris - Akuma No Uta, Feedbacker, Pink, Flood, Rainbow, Heavy Rocks, Smile
Brightblack Morning Light - S/T
Broadcast - Tender Buttons
Burial - S/T, Untrue

I actually mentioned Booka Shade - Movements, but it needs the additional bump, shit is a modern classic. I have many of these other records as well in the collection, and like them a lot, but wouldn't consider a lot of them "essential" except for Big Black and Bonnie Prince Billy, don't know how I missed those two.

Oops, missed that.

There; fixed.