What are your top 15 al***s of all time?

Here we go:

Close to the Edge (Yes)
Selling England by the Pound (Genesis)
Testimony (Neal Morse)
Led Zeppelin 4
Flight of the Snow Goose (Camel)
Crime of the Century (Supertramp)
Hejira (Joni Mitchell)
Samedi Soir sur la Terre (Francis Cabrel)
Tea for the Tillerman (Cat Stevens)
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (Bowie)
Yessongs (Yes)
Milliontown (Frost*)
Day for Night (Spocks Beard)
Ovo (Peter Gabriel)
Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd)

Steve

My choices for today;
Pink Floyd-Wish you were here
Pink Floyd-Meddle
Peter Gabriel-4
Miles Davis-KOB
David Bowie-Ziggie Stardust
Jimi Hendrix-Band of gipsies
Beatles-White album
Deep Purple-Machine Head
King Crimson-Lark's tongue in aspic
Keith Jarrett-Koln concert
Keith Jarrett-Shostakovich preludes & fugues
Solti-Wagner's Ring cycle
Lou Reed-New York
Genesis-The lamb lies down on Broadway
Roger Waters-Amused to death

In no order of preference whatsoever

Radiohead - OK Computer
Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Madonna
Sonic Youth - Dirty
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Scientist - The Big Showdown 1980
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush The Show
The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
The Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
The Dandy Warhols - Dandy Warhols
The Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine
Sonic Youth - Washing Machine

Here's my Top 15 (at this moment, subject to change), in no particular order:

1. Born To Run - Springsteen
2. Darkness on the Edge of Town - Springsteen
3. Hearts of Stone - Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes
4. Under the Table and Dreaming - Dave Matthews Band
5. Busted Stuff - Dave Matthews Band
6. Night Moves - Bob Seger
7. Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
8. Graceland - Paul Simon
9. Who's Next - The Who
10. Marc Cohn - Marc Cohn
11. Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin
12. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
13. Pet Sounds - Beach Boys
14. Aja - Steely Dan
15. Chicago Transit Authority - Chicago Transit Authority (Chicago)

Unfortunately, I have a feeling I'm leaving out about 50 essential (to me) albums ....

Mike

Lyle Mays – Lyle Mays
Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
The Antidote – Ronnie Jordan
Gaucho – Steely Dan
Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder
Rapture – Anita Baker
Magnetic – Steps Ahead
Electronic – Electronic
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
The Bends – Radiohead
Provision – Scritti Politti
Film Music 1966-1987 – Ennio Moriccone
Hats – The Blue Nile
Night at The Opera – Queen
What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
Deacon Blue – Raintown

16 but what the hell..

Hard one but here goes...........
1.Beatles Sgt Pepper
2.Pink Floyd - Wish you were here
3.Genesis - Trick of the tail
4.Tori Amos - The Beekeeper
5. Kate Bush - Kick Inside
6. Sting - Nothing like the sun
7 Crash test dummies - God shuffled his feet
8. Paul Weller - Stanley road
9. The Stone Roses - The stone roses
10. Alannis Morrisette - Jagged little pill
11. Elton John, Captin fansastic etc
12. AC/DC Back in black
13. Paul Simon Graceland
14. Led Zep IV
15. Prince - Sign o the times

In no particular order:

Janis Ian - Between the lines
Kate Bush - Never For Ever
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Joni Mitchell - For the Roses
Joni Mitchell - Hejira
Pink Floyd - DSOTM
REM - Automatic for the people
The Be Good Tanyas - Chinatown
The Be Good Tanyas - Blue Horse
The Be Good Tanyas - Hello Love
Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator)
Radiohead - OK Computer
Paul Simon - Still crazy after all these years
Alanis Morisette - Jagged little pill
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

Certainly listening to lots of new stuff, but somehow for me these have attained a certain greatness and longevity, and i keep coming back.

No Particular order-

ELO- A new world record
Talk Talk- Talk Talk
Paul Simon- Graceland
ELO- Out of the blue
Dire Sraits- Dire Straits
Ultravox-Rage in eden
Bob M- Exodus
Muse- Absolution
Dire Straits- Love over gold
REM- Automatic for the people
Peter Gabriel- SO
The Jam- Setting sons
Alan Parsons Project- I Robot
Eagles- Desperado
Alan Parsons Project- A turn of a friendly card

Only one from this side of 2000! funny that!

John

OK, here's mine

Blues In Orbit - Duke Ellington
Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division
Closer - Joy Division
Low - David Bowie
Station To Station - David Bowie
Tago Mago - Can
Technique - New Order
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Trans-Europe Express - Kraftwerk
Scott 3 - Scott Walker
In A Silent Way - Miles Davis
Metal Box - Public Image Ltd
Rubber Soul - The Beatles
The Return Of The Durutti Column - The Durutti Column
Ummagumma - Pink Floyd

K

Okay, I've just joined up after becoming the proud owner of a Nait 5i (or at least will be when it's delivered next week). So onwards with my list - I should point out this will have changed the next time someone asks me

ACDC - Back in Black
Bjork - Debut
Blur - 13
Cream - Disraeli Gears
The Doors - LA Woman
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
Jazz at the Pawnshop
Led Zep - III
Love - Forever Changes
Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill
REM - Green
Sonny Rollins - Way Out West
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material
The Stranglers - Rattus Norvegicus

Of course, those are only my current top 15 from albums I own - there's some much more still to discover! I've not put any classical in there as, although I am growing quite a taste for it, I don't think my tastes are... refined enough to pass judgment just yet!

Matt

Without reference to the collection or even a pause for thought, and certinly not in order:

Radiohead - Kid A
Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
Terry Allen - Smokin' the Dummy
Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline
Bob Dylan - Bootleg Recording 1-3
The Jam - Best of (allowed?)
The Clash - The Clash
Dire Straits - Dire Straits
Primal Scream - XTRMNTR
Queens of the Stone Age - Rated [R]
Aretha Franklin - Young Gifted & Black
Steve Earle - Best of
Prince - Best of
etc

Oh, it is favourite child time again. Well these stand the test of time and am pleased that many have been well remastered.

Van Morrison Astral Weeks
Love Forever Changes (RM)
Bob Marley & the Wailers Catch A Fire (Deluxe Edition)
Jimi Hendrix Axis as Bold as Love (RM)
Pink Floyd Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (RM)
Beatles Help (first album bought)
The Who Live at Leeds (RM)
Grateful Dead American Beauty (RM)
James Laid (RM)
King Crimson The Court of the Crimson KingRM)
Nick Drake Five Leaves Left
Grateful Dead Ladies and Gentlemen
Allman Brothers Fillmore East (RM)
John Mayall & EC Beano (Deluxe Edition)

Very different to most. Mostly vinyl. In alphabetical order:

Abba - Super Trouper
Enya - Watermark
Genesis - Trick Of The Tail
Genesis - Wind & Wuthering
Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat
Phil Collins - Face Value
Phil Oakey & Georgio Moroder - same
Queen - Greatest Hits vol 2
Robbie Williams - Greatest Hits
Roxy Music - Avalon
The Beatles - Sergeant Pepper
The Pet Shop Boys - Please
The Police - Every Breath That You Take
Tina Turner - Simply The Best
Vangelis - Portraits

If I have to exclude Half Man Half Biscuit records and restrict myself to one record per artist then, my top 20 (15 is too restrictive), in no special order are

A. 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion - The Incredible String Band
B. Anthem of the Sun - The Grateful Dead
C. Anthems in Eden - Shirley & Dolly Collins
D. Balaklava - Pearls Before Swine (Tom Rapp)
E. Faultlines - Karine Polwart
F. Forever Changes - Love
G. London's Calling - The Clash
H. Folk Roots, New Roots - Shirley Collins & Davy Graham
I. Green River - Creedence Clearwater Revival
J. Odessey and Oracle - The Zombies
K. Ogden's Nut Gone Flake - The Small Faces
L. Piper At The Gates of Dawn - The Pink Floyd
M. SF Sorow - The Pretty Things
N. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles
O. Surrealistic Pillow - The Jefferson Airplane
O. Tanz Der Lemmings - Amon Duul II
P. The Madcap Laughs - Syd Barrett
Q. Third World War - Third World War
R. Tilt - Scott Walker
S. Village Green Preservation Society - The Kinks
T. Whatevershebringswesing - Kevin Ayres & The Whole World

However many I list (and I know I've cheated), I always find I'm missing something that I wouldn't like to be without - shamefully my list has no Altan, Blur, Cathedral, Colleseum, Desparate Bicycles, Eloy, Fairport Convention, Family, Focus, Garbage, George Formby, Gentle Giant, Joni Mitchell, Kaleidoscope, Kraftwerk, Melanie, Marc Bolan, Petula Clark, Planxty, Robert Johnson, Tangerine Dream, They Might Be Giants, Zappa or many others .... and I've assumed no classical music.

Just goes to show there is a lot of really great music out there.

Okay I'm dashing this off like the slipshod bodger I am:

King's X: Gretchen goes to Nebraska
Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti
Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life
Wu Tang Clan: W
Redman: Muddy Waters
Galactic Cowboys by the Galactic Cowboys
Tool: Lateralus
Big Country: Steeltown
Fishbone: Give a monkey a brain and he'll swear he's the centre of the universe
Killer Dwarfs: Dirty Weapons
Pearl Jam: Binaural
Alice in Chains by Alice in Chains
Seal's eponymous debut
Prince: Sign o' the Times
Outkast: Aquemini