Seminal and truly original albums?

[Rum]

There are only two in my book, Sgt Pepper and OK Computer (Radiohead for anyone who doesn't know).

But I'm old so would welcome challenges and new suggestions!

Yours?

[tattuchu]

OK Computer has on my list of CDs to get for some time. I know absolutely nothing about it except that it's supposed to be pretty good

What's "seminal" mean?

[klr]

OK Computer has on my list of CDs to get for some time. I know absolutely nothing about it except that it's supposed to be pretty good

What's "seminal" mean?

"... Of, relating to, or having the power to originate; creative"
"... Highly influential in an original way; constituting or providing a basis for further development"

A helpful list of the usual suspects:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albums_con ... atest_ever

[tattuchu]

Okay, just looked it up. Seminal means strikingly creative and original, yes? Hmm, I dunno I think I'd go with Revolver as opposed the Sgt Pepper. But I'm slightly too young to know the impact Pepper had. Revolver, to me, seems more innovative. But honestly, pick any Beatles album. They're all amazing, and each one different from the last.

Now, seminal meaning influential? I don't know. But strikingly creative and original? To keep on the Beatles theme, I'd say:

John Lennon Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon Imagine
Paul McCartney McCartney
Paul McCartney Ram
George Harrison All Things Must Pass

Other gob-smackingly creative and Original albums:

Yes The Yes Album and/or Fragile
Jethro Tull Minstrel In the Gallery and/or Songs From the Wood
Rush 2112 and/or Hemispheres
Kansas Leftoverture and/or Point of Know Return
King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King and/or Red and/or Discipline
Pink Floyd Meddle and/or Dark Side of the Moon and/or Wish You Were Here and/or Animals and/or The Wall
Emerson Lake and Palmer self-titled debut and/or Trilogy and/or Brain Salad Surgery
Electric Light Orchestra Face the Music and/or A New World Record
Queen A Day at the Races and/or A Night at the Opera and/or News of the World

Um...lots of others. But you can see my love of progressive rock here.

[klr]

Okay, just looked it up. Seminal means strikingly creative and original, yes? Hmm, I dunno I think I'd go with Revolver as opposed the Sgt Pepper. But I'm slightly too young to know the impact Pepper had. Revolver, to me, seems more innovative. But honestly, pick any Beatles album. They're all amazing, and each one different from the last.

Now, seminal meaning influential? I don't know. But strikingly creative and original? To keep on the Beatles theme, I'd say:

John Lennon Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon Imagine
Paul McCartney McCartney
Paul McCartney Ram
George Harrison All Things Must Pass

Other gob-smackingly creative and Original albums:

Yes The Yes Album and/or Fragile
Jethro Tull Minstrel In the Gallery and/or Songs From the Wood
Rush 2112 and/or Hemispheres
Kansas Leftoverture and/or Point of Know Return
King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King and/or Red and/or Discipline
Pink Floyd Meddle and/or Dark Side of the Moon and/or Wish You Were Here and/or Animals and/or The Wall
Emerson Lake and Palmer self-titled debut and/or Trilogy and/or Brain Salad Surgery
Electric Light Orchestra Face the Music and/or A New World Record

Um...lots of others. But you can see my love of progressive rock here.

"much 1970s I sense in you"

You would have enjoyed a recent BBC series on how British musicians took on America, especially the second episode about prog rock and suchlike

Oh look, here's the first 15 minutes of that episode:

... the other three parts are available as links from there.

[tattuchu]

OK Computer has on my list of CDs to get for some time. I know absolutely nothing about it except that it's supposed to be pretty good

What's "seminal" mean?

"... Of, relating to, or having the power to originate; creative"
"... Highly influential in an original way; constituting or providing a basis for further development"

A helpful list of the usual suspects:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albums_con ... atest_ever

The Stone Roses was on that short list. I've heard the name but know absolutely nothing about them, nor do I think I've ever heard one song by them. Anybody familiar with them?

[klr]

OK Computer has on my list of CDs to get for some time. I know absolutely nothing about it except that it's supposed to be pretty good

What's "seminal" mean?

"... Of, relating to, or having the power to originate; creative"
"... Highly influential in an original way; constituting or providing a basis for further development"

A helpful list of the usual suspects:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albums_con ... atest_ever

The Stone Roses was on that short list. I've heard the name but know absolutely nothing about them, nor do I think I've ever heard one song by them. Anybody familiar with them?

If you were of a music-listening age in Britain or Ireland in the late 1980's, you couldn't avoid them. Kind of the forerunners of all 1990s "Brit Pop" bands, including Oasis, who were mere Johnny-come-latelys by comparison.

[Animavore]

I don't believe there are any truly original albums

[HomerJay]

Seminal, original and 1940 - not some over-produced johnny come lately la-di-da floptops either:

[klr]

Most of the "greatest of all time" lists (such as the Rolling Stone top 500) are heavily biased towards albums from the mid-1960s to early 1970s. On a case-by-case basis, I don't have too many problems with works from that era, but I can't help shaking the idea that once an album from that time was proclaimed "great" (or even "seminal"), it will never be dislodged or re-evaluated.

[Animavore]

Tell me about it

[Tero]

Never did get Exile on Main Street. For me the Stones were at a peak at Get Yer Ya Yas.

[klr]

Astral Weeks by Van Morrison is another "seminal" album, although personally I don't like it nearly as much as Moondance, or a number of other albums of his. Critics can annoint an album as "seminal" for reasons of their own.

[tattuchu]

"much 1970s I sense in you"

You would have enjoyed a recent BBC series on how British musicians took on America, especially the second episode about prog rock and suchlike

Oh look, here's the first 15 minutes of that episode:

... the other three parts are available as links from there.

I came of age in the 70's so, for me, that was the greatest era of rock. The 60's had its place of course, and laid the foundation, but that was just slightly before my time. I was only a little kid then and so didn't know anything about music then. The 70's was such a magical time musically, soaring to greater and greater heights. Unfortunately the bubble burst late in the decade, and the 80's was absolutely dismal, though of course with some bright spots. But the magic of the 70's never seems to have gotten recaptured.

Anyway, thanks much, enjoying the video clips...

Forgot Bowie's Berlin trilogy on my list. Of course I could go on endlessly revising my list...

And Led Zep's ZOSO, Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffitti...

Black Sabbath's first...

Elvis Costello's first few...

The Smiths...

REM's early stuff...

[Animavore]

This thread needs Hackenslash.

The only album I ever heard in my own lifetime which was totally new to me was Straight Out of Compton by NWA.