the most important 2LP

Yanns wrote: I love Tales, The Lamb, and The Wall, but my vote has to go to the White Album. This is because I am a gigantic Beatles fan, and I believe that most prog acts would never have emerged if it wasn't for them. The White Album is such a legendary album.

 

Christ at last a saine person

Aphrodites Child - 666

Mike Oldfield - Incantations

Tangerine Dream - Poland

godspeed you black emperor! - lift your skinny fists like antennas to heaven - a defining piece of music of modern prog

smashing pumpkins - mellon collie and the infinite sadness - this and the wall are the highest selling double albums i think

Alucard:

Vlado did not specify "concept" album, simply double-LP.  In this regard, despite the fact that The Bealtes was not conceived as a "whole," it is unarguably among the most important and influential albums ever.  Indeed, overall, it might be even more influential (musically) than Sgt. Pepper.  Given that it was released in 1968, it pre-dates virtually all "seminal" prog albums except Piper and Days of Future Passed, including In the Court.  In this regard, it contains more "proto-prog" material than anything they had done up to that time - and that material, in turn, was extremely influential in prog (as well as other genres).  Songs like Wild Honey Pie, I'm So Tired, Yer Blues, Everybody's Got Something to Hide, and especially Helter Skelter (to say nothing of Revolution 9!) were not simply ahead of their time, but you can hear their influence on the future of prog, including Court.

Historical "importance" is a very discernable thing, and has little to do with the conceptual nature of an album, or even whether one likes it or not.  The Beatles (White Album) is, as I said, without question, the most important of the albums listed.

Cluster One:

How on God's earth could I have forgotten Physical Graffiti!  Excellent call!

Peace.

Cluster One wrote: I voted for "The Lamb" out of those offered, but there is absolutely NO DENYING that "The White Album" is a massive landmark in the history of music. Other faves: "Physical Graffitti" "Seconds Out" "Black Crowes - Live" "Quadrophenia" "The Wall" "TFTO" Was STING's "Nothing Like The Sun" a double album? (The copy I own, which I love, is only a single offering...)

"there is absolutely NO DENYING" ... There is, on the white there are some of their best songs, and of my favourite too but  as an album it stands no comparaison to Abbey Road, Revolver or Sergeants P.,it has no consistence if you listen to it from A-Z. these are mainly songs that everyone did in his corner and then they throw everything together, I would even go as far as saying it is not even a Beatles record it is a Lennon,Harrison, Starr& Mc Cartney record, just look at the cover ...

I voted for "The Lamb" out of those offered, but there is absolutely NO DENYING that "The White Album" is a massive landmark in the history of music.

Other faves:

"Physical Graffitti"
"Seconds Out"
"Black Crowes - Live"
"Quadrophenia"
"The Wall"
"TFTO"

Was STING's "Nothing Like The Sun" a double album? (The copy I own, which I love, is only a single offering...)



Edited by Cluster One

Dave Brubeck Quartet's 1963 (or '4) double Live At Carnegie Hall, (trouble was you had to buy as separates, Volume 1 and Volume 2  - but the 2002 CD remaster put the gig into a single package). This would inspire Nice (eg. Blue Rondo Ala Turk - which Emerson rocked up as Rondo), and Joe Morello's shifting time signatures a lot of serious rock/prog rock drummers.

Who's Tommy and Quadraphenia (as mentioned above)

John Mayall's Diary Of A Band (yet another double sold as separates, Volume 1 and Volume 2) really rough around the edges recording but as a document of Mick Taylor growing up as guitarist, is invaluable

Cream's Wheels On Fire, one of those early rock jazz albums - Jack Bruce recently said: "Ginger and I were the jazz rhythm section in Cream, Eric played the Ornette Coleman part - but we didn't tell him!" (BBC4 Jazz Britannia part 2)

Chicago's Chicago Transit Authority (and then to a lesser extent Chicago and III)

goodby yellow brick road would've got my vote if it was there. followed by physical graffiti and songs in the key of life by stevie wonder. oh..and rick wakeman's rhapsodies or metallica's s&m. anyway, i voted for topographic oceans

Most important?  "The Beatles," without question.  (Though Bitches Brew was equally important within its genre.)

Favorite?  A toss-up between The Lamb and The Wall.  I would also have to include three live albums (none of which you include): Genesis' Seconds Out, ELP's Welcome Back My Friends, and Gentle Giant's Playing the Fool.

Peace.

Tangerine Dream - Encore
Tangerine Dream - Zeit
But out of these, The Lamb. It's not the best album they made, but still, it's influence in prog music and concept albums can not be measured. Huge, huge album.