Most Important Albums.... Ever!

In your opinion, what are the 10 most important albums (or songs) ever written?

Thanks.

1. "Happy Birthday to You" - Drs. Mildred and Patty Hill

2. Beethoven's 5th

3. "Hound Dog" - Elvis

4. "Sgt. Pepper" - Beatles

5. "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" (album) - Bob Dylan

6. "You Are My Sunshine" - Jimmy Davis and Charles Mitchell

7. "The Complete Recordings" - Robert Johnson

8. "The Birth of Swing" (album) - Benny Goodman

9. "Funeral March" from Sonata Op. 35 - Frederic Chopin

10. "This Land is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie

As much as I love prog, none of it comes close to matching these works...not that I love all of them, but they're all supremely important pieces of music. 

Oh, what a question, perhaps you could make it the top 10 000 songs ever, that would do more justice to many songs...

·        “The Dark Side of the Moon” – The MOST remarkable breakthrough album in prog rock history for the reason we’re all familiar with, IMHO of course! This album has got it all, nothing has been left out in its entire production… take a look at the reviews in the site, put them together and you’ll have your answer.

·        “Nevermind” – The second release by the band commanded by suicidal icon Kurt Cobain, which determined the end and the beginning of a brand new era not only within the nineties, but among the cultures and sub-cultures to come later on. Grunge music, despite its unappreciated impact nowadays; is still around, severely contaminating new music trends.

·        “The Black Album” – With this album, Metallica assured the metal rock (and people of the rock in general) world that it ain’t necessary to go through never-ending guitar riffs and drum solos to prove they can rock on! Shorter, better crafter songs with the metal touch were arranged in here, improving what to that moment has already been heard.

·        “Dookie” – The neo-punk rockers generated a smashing wave that blew the minds of the kids of their time away, showing that with a lil’ from the old punk school from THE RAMONES, RANCID and TALKING HEADS, something good could come out from there. Later on, the so-called “happy punk” wave crushed the efforts of new coming bands, deforming the mere intention of this genre (Blink 182, Sum 41, The Offspring, blah, blah).

·        “The Wall” – Another gem by PINK FLOYD. This controvertible album underlined the term “anarchy” even more. Anarchy of thought, anarchy of will, anarchy of desire and of speech. This is the ultimate rock opera for me. The social, political and cultural impact is there, so humongous that it needed an entire almost 2 hour film to explain it better. The wall is far beyond of rooms and work places, it is the barrier that won’t let us go further from where we set ourselves and minds. I wouldn’t explain the late seventies and early eighties without it. 

·        “Led Zeppelin II” – The deep meaning of heavy metal for me, and for many rockers out there. The worked performed by the binomial Plant / Page is outstanding, almost hypnotic and relentless. Later on, with untitled “Led Zeppelin IV”, they will immortalize “Stairway to Heaven” as the hymn to many fans and rockers. Indispensable material. 

·        “Great Balls of Fire / You Win Again” – The label Sun Recordings released under kind permission of Sun Singles this Number One album in Pop, Country music and R&B in 1957. The single overshadowed the competition Chuck Berry intended to interpose, turning Jerry Lee Lewis in the superstar of the moment. He also knew his way throughout putting on a great, spectacular show. That gave him top-class recognition as well.

·        “Kind of Blue” – IMHO, the Miles album all the way. No explanation needed. Absolutely brilliant and determinant for some other musicians not only of the prog world (e.g. Rick Wright based his piano arrangements on DSOTM due the contents of this recording).

·        “Shades of Deep Purple” – The first album that contained proggy elements to me. Overwhelming guitar playing by Ritchie Blackmore speaks for itself. This album will give the band its deserved recognition, opening the panorama for what was to come. Who doesn’t remember the hit “Smoke on the Water” as well? “Machine Head” is another determinant album, I think.

·        “Hybris” – This album by the Swedish proggers is outstanding. Breaking sounds and musical instrumentations were performed in here. It just simply led the way to be followed by several more bands of the Nordic region (ANEKDOTEN, FLOWER KINGS, KERRS PINK, LANDBERK, etc). “Epilog” follow the lead and transformed Anglagard into this phenomenon of the prog in the nineties. Every respectable progger has got to have it.   

James Lee wrote: onion3000 wrote: I scratched my copy of Cage's 4'33 - It's unlistenable now.... Here's an mp3 version:

You forgot the link...

I went to a performance of 4'33" while I was at college. The pianist gave a virtuousic performance - truly remarkable, although I was a bit upset to see that he had brought the score with him. I normally like to see pianists perform without it, so they can concentrate on interpreting the music. However, as this is such a supremely difficult piece to interpret I allowed him the security blanket...

4'33 is a masterpiece, and has been copied many times - it is important because it makes us question the very nature of music. it is also important in disciplines outside of music; The British artist Tracy Emin recently submitted a Christmas tree to the Tate Gallery (I think...) that was, in fact, not a Christmas Tree, but nothing at all. Radical. She got a well-deserved £20,000 for this work of art. Personally, I think Mariah Carey should record it.

Cage also wrote a little-known piece called 0'00'', which can be played by anyone at anytime on any number of instruments - and there's no time restriction despite the title.

I understand Mike Batt (he of "The Wombles" and Art Garfunkel's "Bright Eyes" fame) came to grief after plagiarising Cage's hard work; http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/23/uk.silence/

Note that this article states that 4'33" is "totally silent". Ahem. Shows how many times the journalist has heard it performed (0 times!).

I've just written a 748-page novel I'm trying to get published, which is totally original in that it contains no words. The beauty of it is that the reader can use their imagination to produce a story which is totally perfect and unique to themselves - no-one else will ever experience the novel in the same way! And no-one will publish it

Here's a link to wav, ogg and other formats of this masterwork, since James neglected to provide one  - I love the quote; "I have nothing to say / and I am saying it / and that is poetry / as I needed it" http://interglacial.com/~sburke/stuff/cage_433.html

Has anyone heard the extended remix?

It really depends on what you mean 'important' Important in terms of influence music development over the years, or important to the individual. I believe that no music has the artistic worth of classical music, but ir doesn't follow that I listen to classical music that much. I have my favourite composers (Holst, Beethoven, Stravinsky), but my knowledge of them is limited and is based on hearing a small amount of their work.

Many cite Elvis as important. I would agree that he was important in the development of rock music and youth culture, but personally I can not stand anything he has done and believe he is overated as a musician. He is therefore not directly important to me. I acknowldge his influence on the Beetles, Stones etc, who in turn went on to forge Rock music as we have come to know it.

Important to me is the songs and artists that have had a direct emotional impact on me over the years. That covers Hendrix, through Nick Drake, John Martyn, through Gensis, Rush, Camel, Floyd to Miles Davis.