For me, Radiohead, The Bends. You stick most of their stuff up your arse, but for me, it’s a certain time and place that it just got me through. Pub singing in The Crown (I think) in Ramsbottom is a particular memory. It’s a chippy now. Nevermind.

What’s yours?

Ooh. Good one.

Trying to take away nostalgia… Let’s go with Vertigo of Bliss by Biffy Clyro, they’re the only band I’ve got inked on me so it probably better be them 😆

Close runners up would be Troublegum by Therapy? though, and August And Everything After by the Counting Crows. Though I think I’m not doing too well at the “taking away nostalgia” thing there.

Nine Inch Nails- Fixed Ep.

Had it on at work the other day, still spectacular.

Edit: Because when I was 14 I would fall asleep with it on pretending I was Neo with Winamp visualizations on. I truly loved that life.

Does anyone else remember waking up hot as hell after leaving undercooled old fashioned beige units on all night ripping off Audiogalaxy…

Sigh.

Soul Mining by The The.

The one album I go back to more than any other.

My first cd to play in my first(only)CD player, Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits :D. Suggested at the time by the shop due to the “modern” production techniques at the time. Just fired up my old “hifi” last night for the first time in ages, think my old Mission 7s are a bit past it!

Diffusion rooms by Guardians of daliance.

The Wedding Present – George Best

Soundtrack to my first year at university, and according to John Peel:

The boy Gedge has written some of the best love songs of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Era. You may dispute this, but I’m right and you’re wrong!

Endtroducing-DJ Shadow.Hated electronic music before I heard it.

Prodigy music for the jilted generation. Was primal scream xtrmntr for a while but I’ve gone back to the prodigy as my go to album when I don’t fancy anything else.

Why? Cause its bouncing! 😀 I like my music upbeat!

Although Cymande was suggested on my thread the other month by someone. That’s getting there.

Today, Stories from the city stories from the sea, PJ Harvey, will have changed my mind tomorrow

ABBA – time of peace and happiness (not album title).

Carpenter – same but with hint of sadness (not album title).

After that time we just have organised noise.

Apetite for destruction. I still think its amazing.

I
am a stranger to myself
and nobody knows I’m here

When I looked into my face
It wasn’t myself I’d seen
But who
I tried

to be

mmm, radiohead ‘the bends’ would make my top five but I will have to go for the stone roses first, don’t think you can choose a favourite album without a bit of nostalgia.

For me it might be “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” by Wilco, because its fantastic.

Madvillain – Madvilliany.

With Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Enter The Wu Tang in a close second.

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea – Neutral Milk Hotel.

The outlet for my teenage angst but also a brilliantly simple and evocative piece of songwriting.

Siamese Dream, The Smashing Pumpkins – every track is great in it’s own way and all seem to match the previous and following one well. One of the few albums I can listen to from start to finish and think it’s all brill.

Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin. Because there has never been anyone better.

Mind you, some good suggestions above. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is excellent, but for NIN I prefer Pretty Hate Machine.

…..or Low,Things We Lost In The Fire.13 years after first hearing it,it can still make me cry.

Another vote for The Stone Roses
Every song a great and it’s survived the years very well

thanks lemonysam, just gave neutral milk hotel a go on Spotify, not gonna win my album of all time but good stuff

My absolute favourite album for all eternity is Aretha Franklin I never loved a man the way I love you.* It has the best version of “A change is gonna come” ever

*For the moment 🙂

[video]http://youtu.be/k6YCxXQ6Scw[/video]
Aretha Franklin a change is gonna come

I keep going back to Lo Fi Allstars, How to Operate With A Blown Mind.

Selected Ambient Works 85-92 by Aphex Twin.

Has always sounded so completely unique, whilst influencing so many other acts. Plus, it just about fits every mood.

A more recent album I can’t leave alone is The Seer by Swans. Nothing else sounds like Swans.

Selected ambient works – totally mind blowing, still 100% relevant today

New order, substance! Why? Just listen, simple!

Hmmm. In terms of nostalgia, Metallica And justice for all. Got it for Xmas 89 on LP and tape, immense. Needs remastering coz it sounds shit mind.

Converge, Jane Doe. Sounds like the workings of me brain, bit like Hulk smash all the time.

Quicksand, Slip. Mega influence.

Thinking about it though, probably Now 7 coz it were the first album I actually chose.

A lot of good albums mentioned already.

Paul Simon – Graceland for me. It’s the one record that has been with me from childhood into my 30s and it never gets boring.

Oh, and obviously Reign in blood. Why? Because it’s **** Slayer.

There could never be one, i could never choose, even harder than choosing one bike, which is probably impossible and usually impractical

Top three on playlist in the last decade or more:

Magma ‘MDK’
Gas ‘NAH UND FERN’
Boredoms ‘VISION CREATION NEWSUN’

And someone mentioned the the’s ‘Soulmining’, amazing LP, that was in the prior decade’s top three

Van Halen Fair Warning.

A bit darker than their usual stuff but I just love the sound. Great riffs and solos by Eddie and Mike and Alex’s rhythm section is sublime. Some cool lyrics by Dave.

The art work on the album is very interesting too.

Favourite track is Mean Street but Hear About it Later is a close second.

Probably either Repeater by Fugazi (or maybe the argument), or RATM self titled. Never mind the bollocks brings back some fun memories of jam sessions with my mate on drums in year 9 at school haha

Exile on Main St – The Rolling Stones.

Something of all guitar based music on this, never have it far from reach. Kids ask for it to sometimes.

Newer stuff, can’t stop listening to Admiral Fallow – Tree bursts in snow.

The Bends would be up there for me too, as would OK Computer. Another one of mine would be The Joshua Tree – it’s all about the memories.

Leftism by Leftfield

Sublime track selection and flawless mixing. Nearly 20 years old and it’s still peerless.

Great thread but there must be more than one choice surely?

“Dark Side of The Moon’ Pink Floyd, my older brother played it so many times late at night when we went to sleep.

“Nevermind” Nirvana, it’s just so good never gets old.

“Dre 2001” Dr Dre, best Rap album ever the rest is just noise.

OK Computer, and other Radiohead songs if that era. I was completing my GCSE’s, had my first girlfriend, was learning about alcohol, my first festival, it was a long hot summer spent with lifelong mates riding bikes. But it’s not all about nostalgia it’s an incredible album.

Other favourites:

Stories from the city stories from the sea, PJ Harvey
Operation Doomsday MF DOOM
Entroducing DJ Shadow