Let me get this straight. Tales from Topographic Oceans,but no London Calling?? WRONG!! And the best double lp Dylan did was the 2 lps he did BEFORE Blonde on Blonde. Just listen to them back to back. Ugh. I knew this video was going to be too good to be true at some point. I agree with all the other installments though.
It’s not your list, it’s his. Therefore his list is correct - for him. If I would post my list it would be almost completely different from his as well as from yours.
@@THomas_HH It doesn't specify that it's his list,therefore he is proclaiming that these ten lps are the greatest. And TFTO isn't even good by any stretch. I fully agreed on the other 9. Well....8 actually.
@@davidgangemi3314 well, let’s agree to disagree on your first paragraph. Every list in any form from anyone is subjective, no matter how serious one is presenting oneself.
@@THomas_HH sure. I agree on that. But let's agree that some lps were absolutely shite! Now I like Yes a lot. But that lp that he considered top ten is clearly not a contender unless it's in the top ten of worst lps made by great bands. Then it's probably no. 1. EVEN Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman had nothing great to say about it either. As far as where he placed certain lps in the list is of no concern to me either. Bottom line is if we are being honest in our subjectivity as we possibly can be,London Calling is a full blown masterpiece on every level and TFTO is simply a boring,listless,unimaginative waste of time. This reviewer seemed to know his shit too and critiqued every other lp wonderfully. But clearly he went for a personal pick instead of a professional one.
I love the fact that Jello Biafra hates the putrid Yes with a passion, the worst band that has ever existed, in his view. Have to agree. Just that one song, London Calling, blows away anything Yes puked out of any body orifice. I have to give credit where credit is due, however. Owner Of A Lonely Heart caused me to ditch Top 40 radio. They played that piece of shit, seemingly, every 15 minutes the year it was a hit.
Tommy is a landmark in pop culture and has spurned a broadway show. Quadrophenia is a great concept but it doesn't quite have the same degree of mainstream appeal as Tommy does.
@@wmhhealth2018 Each to their own. "Tommy" has its moments, and some bloody great ones at that. For me though, "Quadrophenia" is a much more assured, richer piece of work.
@@nationaltrevor255 Pete probably agrees with you. Quadrophenia is probably a more "flushed out and polished concept". However looking at both in every aspect I stand by my prior comments.
100% agree with every word you so intelligently said about Chicago Transit Authority!!! When Terry Kath died it allowed Peter Cetera to take over and that was the end of a great band.
When I saw the title of the video I groaned because I was sure Chicago would have been omitted. I am pleased that they were indeed included in your list. People forget how great Chicago with Terry Kath was.
I was dissappointed not to see Goodbye Yelllow Brick Road in the mix, what a fabulous Album. Some of the best Elton ever did. All kinds of music genres are presented.
Thanks for including Tales from Topographic Oceans. This music gets better with time, and the courage and aesthetic originality of Yes are hailed by later generations of musicians and listeners.
Bravo on selecting Genisis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. One of the most unappreciated masterpieces in music. The hilarious instrumental bridge, an almost Chinese Opera, tin pan send-off of the airplane crash segment of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon was absolutely brilliant.
I entirely agree with everything you say about Topographic Oceans. I never saw it as 'bloated', or 'pompous', or any of those cliches that we would hear from some critics. To me, the album has only grown in stature - full of very beautiful and far-reaching music that can still take me on a journey.
@Randy A Yes, Randy; I think that the two albums were being recorded at the same time in adjacent studios. Thanks for the comment. The story goes that Rick became so bored with rehearsing TFTO that he went to visit the Sabs which he found more interesting. They were interested in using a bit of synth on the new album and Rick was around to play it for them. But you sound as though you already knew this. The month of December '73 would become a landmark date in my youth, just turned 15. I bought TFTO on its release and went to my first ever gig, BS touring their new album. I think within the same week, in fact. I still love both albums and, indeed, both bands.
I also agree, I just go on a journey and never complain when listening to this. It may not be for everyone but it definitely is a great album for some of us.
1. Exile on Main Street - The Rolling Stones 2. Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan 3. The Wall - Pink Floyd 4. Chicago Transit Authority - Chicago 5. The River - Bruce Springsteen 6. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John 7. The White Album - The Beatles 8. Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin 9. Quadrophenia - The Who 10. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs - Derek and the Dominos
Quadrophenia has always been my champion over Tommy. I grew up with both but never connected to the deaf-dumb-blind story. The very late event that brought me nearer to Tommy was the release of Live at Leads with the bonus live version of the opera.
Great list. I would like to add: Odessa - The Bee Gees Chicago 2 - Chicago Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John Quadrophenia - The Who Songs in the Key of Life - Stevie Wonder Thank you.
I would have 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' on my list. Elton John at his very best, this album shows the worth of the 'album track' as every song is superb whether it was released as a single or not. Talk about 'no filler'!
major omission as generally it's regarded as the best ....it didn't even get into the honourable mentions??? ....i can only guess the op has never had the chance to listen to it ...so he's lucky to still have that opportunity to listen to it for the very first time.
VERY difficult to encapsulate a 10 best double album list but The Allman Brothers Band Live at Fillmore East and Wishbone Ash Live Dates are two of my favorites.
Terry Kath was the John Lennon , the Keef, the John Bonham of CTA. The soul and heartbeat of this unit . His presence in the room changed everyone there.
I agree with a lot of what you said, but I have some differences: 1. London Calling 2. The Wall 3. Tales From Topographic Oceans 4. Exile On Main Street 5. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway 6. Physical Graffiti 7. White Album 8. Tommy 9. Songs in the Key of Life 10. Quadrophenia This exercise becomes much more difficult if we include live albums. I can't think about that right now. Maybe a separate list of double live albums would be a good start.
Once again an absolute and awesome description of each L.P, love your list and totally agree, there is too many to list such as.. wheels of fire, Layla, even war of the worlds and The Wall etc. Love this channel!
My top 10 for what it’s worth 1. The White Album : The Beatles 2. Living in the Past : Jethro Tull 3. Wheels of Fire : Cream 4. Blonde on Blonde : Bob Dylan 5. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road : Elton John 6. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs : Derek and the Dominos 7. Physical Graffiti : Led Zeppelin 8. Exile on Main Street : The Rolling Stones 9. Electric Ladyland : Jimi Hendrix 10. Out of the Blue : Electric Light Orchestra HMS All Things Must Pass : George Harrison Eat A Peach : The Allman Brothers Tommy : The Who The Wall : Pink Floyd
Obviously all " greatest " lists are subjective, but I think the " Strangers in the Night " live by UFO is a criminally underrated album that deserves mention. Schenker was in another league during his time with the band.
Here's my list. I had to add a few more when I realized that the vinyl versions of many Sigur Ros albums were double albums. #1 Tales from Topographic Oceans by Yes (1973) #2 A Gift from a Flower to a Garden by Donovan (1967) #3 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis (1974) #4 Incantations by Mike Oldfield (1978) #5 Ágætis byrjun by Sigur Ros (1999) #6 Love Serve Remember by Ram Dass and friends (6 LP set) (1973) #7 Swaha by Bhagavan Das and Amazing Grace (1974) #8 Illinois by Sufjan Stevens (2005) #9 HMS Donovan by Donovan (1971) #10 TODD by Todd Rundgren (1974) #11 Valtari by Sigur Ros (2012) #12 The White Album by The Beatles (1968) #13 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook by Ella Fitzgerald (1956) #14 American Folk Songs for Christmas by Mike Seeger, Peggy Seeger, Penny Seeger (1989) #15 Takk by Sigur Ros (2005) #16 All Things Must Pass by George Harrison (1970) #17 Greetings from Michigan by Sufjan Stevens (2003) #18 Ohio by Over the Rhine (2003) #19 The Avalanche by Sufjan Stevens (2006) #20 Wee Tam and the Big Huge by the Incredible String Band (1968) #21 Missa Gaia Earth Mass by Paul Winter (1982) #22 Eat a Peach by the Allman Brothers Band. (1972). Part studio, part live. All new. All good. #23 First Blues by Allen Ginsberg (1983) #24 Ah! by Bhagavan Das (1972) #25 Roxy and Elsewhere by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention (1973). I know it's a live album, but it's all new material. #26 The Beatles and India: Songs Inspired by the Film, and orchestral soundtrack music. Various Artists (2021).
@@russellcampbell3274 I've been searching for any list of the greatest country albums of all time. I couldn't turn anything up at all until I discovered that _Rolling Stone Magazine_ published one about four months ago. Now I've at least got a starting point. Some of the titles on there have me excited--and others turn me off completely--but I'll give them all a chance before I dismiss them. I'd never heard of Terry Allen before, but the album you mention is on there, and it does sound quite interesting to me.
Here's an album I love, and is probably not on any other commenter's list, is Pink World, by Planet P Project (Tony Carey). It was released in 1984, as the paranoia of the Cold War was growing again, and is essentially a musical version of a graphic novel, about a boy that gains telekinetic powers after swimming in a polluted stream. Hidden in the album is a song called The Stranger, about the nature of cults that, sadly, has not aged a day.
OMG !! I thought l was the only one who knew about this awesome phenomenal album 😉 one of my favorites one of musics greatest sin that this magnum opus is not well known shame
I love the music of The Who and consider myself a true fan. Having stated that, as much as I have worn out the vinyl on ‘Tommy’ I feel that Quadrophenia was The Who at their creative pinnacle. TBH, although the themes of youth/rebellion/adulthood etc.. are universal themes, Quadrophenia (the album and film) is very much rooted in post war Britain. Probably why people such as myself, growing up in the U.K. can readily identify strongly with the album and films themes. ‘Tommy’ was realised in 1969-the height of the love and peace movement. I feel that the spiritual themes on the album were more in tune with those optimistic times. A world now long gone. With a few small tweaks to allow for modern living, Quadrophenia could be written for today. The issues around youth the album tackles go back at least 70 years. Anyway, although not a double album, I recently listened (for the first time in years) to The Who’s first album. All I can say is-what a truly fantastic album from what was essentially a bunch of kids.
Another beguiling video Barry. Time to return to Tales Of Topographic Oceans for a rethink. Such a treat to listen to your verbal treatise which are always welcomed.
@@wayneelliott7011Yes, the greatest album from the sixties, at least for me. And I'm not a psychefelic not even a blues fan but that album is fantastic and as fresh as ever. Masterpiece.
Your lists and reviews are so in depth and well constructed. I love every time you post something. You’ve got me taking much deeper dives into artists back catalogs. Thank you so much for all your hard work.
Missing, off the top of my head: XTC- English Settlement Prince- 1999 Elton John- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road The Clash- London Calling Lou Reed- Metal Machine Music
Have to laugh @ Metal Machine Music: Reed was at the end of his RCA contract, but still owed 2 LPs-worth of material to fulfill it and thereby escape to Arista. He turned on a bunch of amps, plugged in a bunch of guitars, set up some mics, hit ‘record’...and went for lunch. Came back later, hit ‘stop’, submitted the tape. This is called a “contractual obligation” release: an FU to the label. Incredibly funny that it has fans....
London Calling took a classic dive into the whirlpool of styles and emerged downstream with enough material to temporarily rewrite their sound...the archetypes of those songs don't hesitate to speak some optimism with the tone of a fearless and vulnerable language
some think that music made by punks were only rock style but there were raggae bands etc. the style was more related with the atittude or personal opinion about life also the alternative wear ,this clash album was related with what was called punk music at the time not only being punk rock, more inclusive about the punk scene ,the reason why since then it´s a must have doble LP, regards
Double Nickles on the Dime by Minutemen deserves a mention. Talk about sprawling and shaggy. It's a meditation on being alive at that particular time, the politics, music, sex and culture, distilled into songs that fracture punk, jazz, funk, and country. Creating something unique and also clearly American.
Oh yes. Double Nickles, and Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade would be at the top of my Alternative/Hardcore double album list - to call either Classic Rock is a bit of a stretch, however - even with the eclectic mix of styles and the sheer variety in either album.
My personal favorites: London Calling (The Clash), Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (The Cure), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John), Quadrophenia (The Who), Freak Out (Frank Zappa), Physical Graffiti (Zep), Out of the Blue (ELO), And Justice for All (Metallica), Bitches Brew (Miles Davis). Lots of great ones through the years, though, no beef with any of your picks!
For years and years I couldn't understand what was the purpose of including Revolution #9 and finally I find the answer in this video! So, next time I will feel like listening to this marvelous, out of joint record, I will follow your suggestion and at the crucial moment i will go make the best night cup there is and come back to listen to the absolute gem that is Good night. Thank you :)
'Good Night' might be the least listened to song on the album: As soon as Revolution #9 came on people would instantly lift the needle and change the album. Decent song, bad placement.
A top ten double album list is already a great hook, but once it started I was captivated. I couldn’t turn it it off. This clip is articulate, thorough and displays a wealth of music adoration. WELL DONE ! ! !
Fantastic video. Glad you mentioned London Calling at the end...it would be in my Top 5. Quadrophenia would make two (2) albums by The Who in my Top 10. And Goodbye Yellow Brick Road would be my (admittedly biased) Numero One of all-time. Cheers!
Can't argue with most of these although I haven't heard Chicago. Others I would mention :- The Wall, Quadrophenia, Psychedelic Pill, Hymns to the silence, Rattle and Hum, Thick as a brick. Enormous thanks for all you are doing to reinforce my absolute love of good rock music !!
Always thought Jethro Tull's Living in the Past was a nice snapshot of their first 3 years. A few album cuts, a live side, several new songs and a killer vinyl package with some great photos.
1.London Calling, 2.Metal Box, 3.Zen Arcade, 4.Double Nickles on a Dime, 5.Daydream Nation, 6.Kiss me Kiss me Kiss me, 7.Sing of the Times, 8.Black Moses,9. Songs in the Key of Life, 10.The Payback.
I also want to thank you for being a great example of one who can provide a thoughtful cultural analysis using selective, interesting vocabulary choices and imaginative metaphors. Great example for us all.
As good as Tommy is, I much prefer Quadrophenia. For all the great moments on Tommy, the album is poorly mixed, imo. The band is too far back in the mix. Pete had intended to put another guitar track over the bed tracks, but Kit Lambert rushed it into production and so that didn't happen. Quadrophenia, in contrast, sounds full and dynamic with the band at their peak abilities in song writing and performance. A masterpiece.
As was explained, Tommy was mean't to be consumed Live, so concur with the review. And, we do have a Live recording of many of the album's tracks found in the expanded Who Live at Leeds album, which came as a pleasant surprise to me having had a early edition's of both Tommy and Live at Leeds. Overall a decent list and good entry point.
+Curt Purcel. Could not agree with you more about the sound of 'Tommy'. Very muddy and un-dynamic. Also there are some real dead spots song-wise, whereas 'Quadrophenia' is massive in every sense of the word. And the working-class theme in that concept album/rock opera was a revelation. I don't think even Pete Townshend realised how radical it was to get away from all these airy-fairy concept albums and talk about real life. The best way to hear 'Tommy' is to get the deluxe CD version of 'Live at Leeds' and listen to the disc where they play a truncated version of the album live. It's all killer, no filler, the band are at the absolute top of their game, it goes for about an hour and it's sensational!
Agreed, the Live at Leeds version of Tommy is just killer. Moon in particular was so good in that show - and you get to hear him properly, instead of it sounding like he was being recorded at the bottom of a swimming pool. Thematically too, the story of Quadrophenia is tighter and more relatable than Tommy. The outsider who's trying to fit in, trying to find some meaning to his otherwise dreary existence. Universal stuff there. I'm not trying to bash Tommy, btw. I just think Quadrophenia is a better album in many ways.
I don’t mind the mix on Tommy at all. The story is another matter. Confusing and silly. Townsend revised it a couple times for film and stage and it is still goofy.
Just seen your video on the top ten double albums of all time. Love the way you breakdown each recording into why the album came about, what a particular band , or artist was going through at the time of recording to influence the content etc..... It’s inspired me to go and listen to each one on Amazon music. I’ve owned a few but not all of these albums over the years, in one format or another. Keep up the good work. Brilliant.
Out of all of the double LP's I've listened to, I can't think of any better than Quadrophenia. There may be 1 or 2 weaker songs on there but The Real Me, 5:15, Cut My Hair, Sea & Sand, Bellboy, the title track, and the magnificent The Rock, are some of my all time favourite songs. Being a scooterist, I've lost count of the times I've put my earphones inside my helmet, put Quadrophenia on my Walkman and ridden my Vespa around the Isle of Wight where I live. It transports my mind back to the 60s when I do so. Man, if the cars on the road could hear me singing at the top of my voice 😆 Tommy is 1 of those double albums for me where the whole is greater than the individual parts....some songs are forgettable but Go To The Mirror, Acid Queen, the See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You, Overture, Sparks, were all brilliant. I like about half of the White Album but I find the other half crap. It would have been their best ever single album if the great songs were creamed off the top. Physical Graffiti was a good double album with plenty of variety. The other albums in the list I couldn't care less about ....I don't like Yes, nor Genesis, and Bruce Springsteen....I just have never gotten into them, but that's the beauty of music. We're all different and have our own tastes, the world would be boring if we all liked the same stuff 😎👍
Ten personal favorites in no particular order: The White Album - Beatles Incantations - Mike Oldfield Tusk - Fleetwood Mac The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis Streetnoise - Brian Augur and Julie Driscoll All Things Must Pass - George Harrison 666 - Aphrodite’s Child Down the Way - Angus and Julia Stone Aerial - Kate Bush Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter - Joni Mitchell
A very well worked out list which is very hard to argue against. I have most of your top 10 albums, and there's some great music there. Can only see two omissions. "The Wall" and the one that should have been number one. "Songs In the key of life", an album that has it all and then some. Keep up the good work.
Every now and then record companies get it right. Giving a band the chance to start their career with a double album sure involves some risk. To this day it stays their best, although they released some other good albums before they jumped down into the grease. Always hard to believe that this was recorded already in 1969.
@@roxannewalsh Worth noting that 'Chicago Transit Authority' was specially priced - I think $4.98 at a time when a single album was $4.29 - which combined with the live photos of the band playing in the early ads (pics taken from the album's gatefold interior) added up to an engaging proposition. I mean, it just looked like a chance worth taking. And what a winner it was...and remains. All these years later, a friend of mine is the band's drummer, and a former bandmate is the singer. Still, and inarguably, the early years were the band's finest.
It's kind of a double album with a bonus disc, as the Apple Jam is unrelated to the songs of the first two discs. Besides that one, I've only ever owned two true triple albums: Sandinista by The Clash, and Three by Joel Plaskett. Are there others?
The Wall would be much stronger if it were a single disk. It's just too bloated. Has a weak ending as well. Does "The Trial" even sound like Pink Floyd?
A great double album that has gone too often underrecognized is the first by Manassas, a band that Stephen Stills put together in the early 70s. Great guitar work and an cohesive blend of rock, blues, country and latin.
Spectacular! Not easy whittling down to a top ten, even for double albums. So very well done with these ten, and great summing up on each!!!!! Springsteen never took with me, so on my list, I would have switched him out for Bitches Brew, but totally in stride with your other nine.
Love your TEN BEST videos. I agree with nearly all, but I would need to add some Krautrock, so out with Chicago & Tommy and in with Can - Tago-Mago & Tangerine Dream - Zeit!
I was blown away the first time I played Physical Graffiti the day it was released. The stop start in the drums in the Wanton Song made me reach for the needle to replay it as it was something so fresh and different. What an album.
I have all of the albums that you list ( a great list) but would definitely drop Yes and possibly Genesis from this list. I would have Prince's Sign Of The Times in my Top 10, I would replace Tommy with Quadrophenia and I would also include The Clash's London Calling.
Thanks, I really appreciate your lyrical reviews. It’s refreshing to hear someone who uses the nuances of different words and phrases to give the exact shade of meaning the English language contains. As always, I have a couple alternates: Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Santana - Moonflower
This is perhaps my favourite of your reviews. Thanks! It's inspired me to go back to Lamb, Blonde and Exile, and give The River and Tommy a spin, dare I confess, for the first time. Half way through I was getting a bit distracted by your constant repetition of the completely redundant "Of Course", "No doubt' and "Nevertheless", which detract from your insightful and lexically rich content, but towards the end these fillers seemed to disappear. Bravo! Few of the other TH-cam reviewers provide such well informed analyses.
What a great list and as we know, there's so many more. Love that you included Chicago 1. It's just a raw, hard core beast of an album, unlike any of their others. Glad to see the " Lamb " in there as well.
Excellent reviews, as usual, and great choices. Yea, "Yellow Brick Road" is dynamite, and my fav double "The Wall", but there are even more, and it's a 'top 10', right? I have no problem with these picks, and always enjoy your informative reviews, brother.
Love the list. Haven't given it much thought but any list I made would almost certainly have ELO - Out of the Blue (probably top 3) and Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life.
The second time I saw Springsteen live was Dec. 1980, touring to promote "The River." At the end of "Independence Day" the lights came up and I could see young men scattered throughout the crowd of 10,000 wiping tears from their eyes. No other song about fathers and sons has been so moving to so many.
This is great and does what any great piece of critique should do: make you want to listen to every entry on the list and make you pick up on the points raised. Thank you
Top 5: 1. Dream theater- Six degrees of inner turbulence 2. Genesis- The lamb lies down on broadway 3. The Beatles- White album 4. Led Zeppelin - Physical graffiti 5. Pink Floyd- The Wall
Irish Tour '74 - Gallagher ----- It's too Late to Stop Now - Morrison ------ Layla ------ London Calling ------ Joe's Garage - Zappa ---- Bitches Brew - Miles Davis ----- Live at Fillmore East - Allmans -----
1. Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica (1969) 2. The Mothers of Invention - Uncle Meat (1969) 3. The Soft Machine - Third (1970) 4. The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St. (1972) 5. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde (1966) 6. The Who - Tommy (1969) 7. Can - Tago Mago (1971) 8. Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime (1984) 9. Husker Du - Zen Arcade (1984) 10. Public Image Limited - Metal Box (1979)
Elton John is always overlooked. Yes and Genesis would be fine for insomnia. Dylan is always listed because he’s Dylan. Not a better way to start any album than Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding.
"Zappa In New York" would be another that could replace any of these (though i'd not want "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" to get the boot). "The History Of The Bonzos" is another contender, not to mention Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica"...
Very enjoyable list. I would personally place Physical Graffiti at number one, but that's me. And I would also switch in Quadrophenia for Tommy, though I love both. I've never been enamored with Bruce Springsteen, so I would replace The River with perhaps Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. As for Chicago, it's amazing to realize that their first 3 albums were all doubles, and I love every minute of each of them. (Then they released another great one with Chicago VII.) Note that the biggest bands/artists of all time, i.e. Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Stones, Hendrix, Dylan, all put out double studio albums, and in every case it can be argued to be some of, if not their very best work. Also note that for some strange reason, many double albums just happen to be the sixth studio release of the bands releasing them, i.e. Physical Graffiti, Tales, The Lamb, Quadrophenia, Chicago VII (still their 6th studio release), and Works Volume I by ELP. Finally, I get so sick of hearing about how these albums "would have made a better single album". That's obviously opinion. And in every case I've heard, I've vehemently disagreed. Thank you for not buying into that, at least with these releases.
Two albums that I think would qualify are 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 by The Beatles.Just for merely being the Definitive Greatest hits compilation of any artist.
Todd Rundgren produced two of the best double albums of all time in ‘Something/Anything’ and ‘Todd’. Surely at least one of them merits inclusion here. Personally I’d have them both in any top 10 list!
Brilliant video again Barry with some cracking albums & my top 5 double albums are... 1) Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway 2) The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album) 3) Pink Floyd - The Wall 4) XTC - English Settlement 5) The Who - Tommy.
@@classicalbum Which i am already looking forward to.... Check out both Dukes of Stratosphear albums from the mid 1980s which are just astonishing! Cheers Barry
Great list !! The Lamb was rehearsed, written & worked on at Headley Grange on a mobile unit (Stones ?) and finished & mixed in Wales. The box where Gabriel was calling William Freidkin about a potential collaboration & nearly leaving the band (thereby pissing off the band....) still stands near Headley Grange. Stange times for an album who's cover font I have a tattoo of..... 🚬😎
Let me get this straight.
Tales from Topographic Oceans,but no London Calling??
WRONG!!
And the best double lp Dylan did was the 2 lps he did BEFORE Blonde on Blonde. Just listen to them back to back.
Ugh.
I knew this video was going to be too good to be true at some point.
I agree with all the other installments though.
It’s not your list, it’s his. Therefore his list is correct - for him.
If I would post my list it would be almost completely different from his as well as from yours.
@@THomas_HH It doesn't specify that it's his list,therefore he is proclaiming that these ten lps are the greatest.
And TFTO isn't even good by any stretch.
I fully agreed on the other 9.
Well....8 actually.
@@davidgangemi3314 well, let’s agree to disagree on your first paragraph.
Every list in any form from anyone is subjective, no matter how serious one is presenting oneself.
@@THomas_HH sure. I agree on that.
But let's agree that some lps were absolutely shite!
Now I like Yes a lot. But that lp that he considered top ten is clearly not a contender unless it's in the top ten of worst lps made by great bands. Then it's probably no. 1.
EVEN Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman had nothing great to say about it either.
As far as where he placed certain lps in the list is of no concern to me either.
Bottom line is if we are being honest in our subjectivity as we possibly can be,London Calling is a full blown masterpiece on every level and TFTO is simply a boring,listless,unimaginative waste of time.
This reviewer seemed to know his shit too and critiqued every other lp wonderfully.
But clearly he went for a personal pick instead of a professional one.
I love the fact that Jello Biafra hates the putrid Yes with a passion, the worst band that has ever existed, in his view. Have to agree. Just that one song, London Calling, blows away anything Yes puked out of any body orifice. I have to give credit where credit is due, however. Owner Of A Lonely Heart caused me to ditch Top 40 radio. They played that piece of shit, seemingly, every 15 minutes the year it was a hit.
As much as I love Tommy, I would rather choose Quadrophenia from The Who. A perfect portrait of a tough life...
Yep. Count me in..👍
Tommy is a landmark in pop culture and has spurned a broadway show. Quadrophenia is a great concept but it doesn't quite have the same degree of mainstream appeal as Tommy does.
@@wmhhealth2018 Each to their own. "Tommy" has its moments, and some bloody great ones at that. For me though, "Quadrophenia" is a much more assured, richer piece of work.
@@nationaltrevor255 Pete probably agrees with you. Quadrophenia is probably a more "flushed out and polished concept". However looking at both in every aspect I stand by my prior comments.
@@wmhhealth2018 And rightly so my friend. That's what makes the world go around! Cheers.
100% agree with every word you so intelligently said about Chicago Transit Authority!!! When Terry Kath died it allowed Peter Cetera to take over and that was the end of a great band.
The most articulate reviewer I have ever heard. It's a joy to listen to you sir.
When I saw the title of the video I groaned because I was sure Chicago would have been omitted. I am pleased that they were indeed included in your list. People forget how great Chicago with Terry Kath was.
I'm a huge fan of early Chicago. "Chicago VII" would have been better as a single album. The decline had already set in...😎
@@jamesgonsalves3799 I disagree--VII is probably one of their best works. Cheers.
I was dissappointed not to see Goodbye Yelllow Brick Road in the mix, what a fabulous Album. Some of the best Elton ever did. All kinds of music genres are presented.
Agreed!
Disc 2 of GYBR shows a marked drop in quality, with songs that either don’t go anywhere or are downright misogynistic.
@@colinbaker3916 -- "...downright misogynistic."
You lost the argument right there.
@@OneHitWonder383 Dirty Little Girl, Sweet Painted Lady, All The Girls Love Alice.
@@colinbaker3916 -- It's _MUSIC._ You probably get offended at jokes and comedy, too.
Cream- Wheels of Fire, the first album awarded Platinum!!!!
Thanks for including Tales from Topographic Oceans. This music gets better with time, and the courage and aesthetic originality of Yes are hailed by later generations of musicians and listeners.
Derek & the Dominos Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs. One of the only double albums with no skippable tracks.
Bravo on selecting Genisis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. One of the most unappreciated masterpieces in music. The hilarious instrumental bridge, an almost Chinese Opera, tin pan send-off of the airplane crash segment of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon was absolutely brilliant.
Great list, So refreshing to hear Yes Tales of Topographic Oceans given to credit due instead of just being dismissed because they can't understand it
🎯
I entirely agree with everything you say about Topographic Oceans. I never saw it as 'bloated', or 'pompous', or any of those cliches that we would hear from some critics. To me, the album has only grown in stature - full of very beautiful and far-reaching music that can still take me on a journey.
@Randy A Yes, Randy; I think that the two albums were being recorded at the same time in adjacent studios. Thanks for the comment. The story goes that Rick became so bored with rehearsing TFTO that he went to visit the Sabs which he found more interesting. They were interested in using a bit of synth on the new album and Rick was around to play it for them. But you sound as though you already knew this. The month of December '73 would become a landmark date in my youth, just turned 15. I bought TFTO on its release and went to my first ever gig, BS touring their new album. I think within the same week, in fact. I still love both albums and, indeed, both bands.
I also agree, I just go on a journey and never complain when listening to this. It may not be for everyone but it definitely is a great album for some of us.
It is a journey, a personal journey
Have to say I love Jeff Waynes The War Of The Worlds from 1978, I have lost count of how many times I have played this absolutely amazing album
1. Exile on Main Street - The Rolling Stones
2. Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan
3. The Wall - Pink Floyd
4. Chicago Transit Authority - Chicago
5. The River - Bruce Springsteen
6. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
7. The White Album - The Beatles
8. Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin
9. Quadrophenia - The Who
10. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs - Derek and the Dominos
Great list.
London Calling.
I agree.
Quadrophenia has always been my champion over Tommy. I grew up with both but never connected to the deaf-dumb-blind story. The very late event that brought me nearer to Tommy was the release of Live at Leads with the bonus live version of the opera.
@@dogcowrph Strongly agree.
Sweet black angel, torn and frayed, stop breaking down, shine a light, let it loose, loving cup, venilatar blues, tumbling dice, sweet virginia
Stop Breaking Down is probably my favourite Stones track. Robert Johnson cover.
Great list. I would like to add:
Odessa - The Bee Gees
Chicago 2 - Chicago
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
Quadrophenia - The Who
Songs in the Key of Life - Stevie Wonder
Thank you.
Odessa is vastly underrated. Perhaps the Bee Gees best work.
Interesting choice, " ODESSA". Haven't heard it in years.
I would have 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' on my list. Elton John at his very best, this album shows the worth of the 'album track' as every song is superb whether it was released as a single or not. Talk about 'no filler'!
Definitely!
Absolutely!!
major omission as generally it's regarded as the best ....it didn't even get into the honourable mentions??? ....i can only guess the op has never had the chance to listen to it ...so he's lucky to still have that opportunity to listen to it for the very first time.
@@bepitan excellent point, well made! Someone mentioned 'The Wall' too - another that would be on my list.
@@geoffhemingway3926 ...yes the wall at the very least, would need an hounarable mention.
VERY difficult to encapsulate a 10 best double album list but The Allman Brothers Band Live at Fillmore East and Wishbone Ash Live Dates are two of my favorites.
Abb one of my favs
His criteria was Studio Albums only.
Great choices 😊
He wasn’t including live albums
Eat a Peach is another great album.
I could, and I do, listen to you for many hours. I truly love your presentations and your real love of music. Mucho gusto to you.
Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life should be in any top 10 double album list. But I don’t know which of these 10 I’d replace to fit it in.
It's so good, with the bonus EP (I think most CD versions include it) it's like 105 minutes of great songs, don't know how Stevie did it..
@@strummerrr Stevie was a (and still is) a Genius, plain and simple!
So, so true!
You're right.. I should have included it. But these top ten lists are tough.
Is Stevie Wonder rock and roll?
Terry Kath was the John Lennon , the Keef, the John Bonham of CTA. The soul and heartbeat of this unit . His presence in the room changed everyone there.
I got that album. Awesome
Chicago lost their heart and soul when Terry died. Sad what they became after his death.
@@RICKRATT1 yep, Terry Kath's vocals and guitar playing made them stand out. Peter Cetera turned them into his personal pop ballad crap band
He was ,unfortunately, very reckless in his handling of firearms.He used to fire his guns at concerts.😯😮💨😮💨😔😔😔
I agree with a lot of what you said, but I have some differences:
1. London Calling
2. The Wall
3. Tales From Topographic Oceans
4. Exile On Main Street
5. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
6. Physical Graffiti
7. White Album
8. Tommy
9. Songs in the Key of Life
10. Quadrophenia
This exercise becomes much more difficult if we include live albums. I can't think about that right now. Maybe a separate list of double live albums would be a good start.
Tales From Topographic Oceans !!!
Happy to see Lamb Lies Down on the list.
Once again an absolute and awesome description of each L.P, love your list and totally agree, there is too many to list such as.. wheels of fire, Layla, even war of the worlds and The Wall etc. Love this channel!
Yeah, couldn't believe Layla wasn't on this list.
@@lawsonj39 That's the reason Derek took a three year break from music. During his peak... What a waste...
Just can't get them all on
Wheels of Fire is 1/2 studio, 1/2 live
And all great!
I haven't thought of Yes and Tales of Topographic Oceans in years. I nearly wore out my vinyl copy back in the day. Loving your channel!
This was so well done. God bless our cousins the Brits. You guys can read a candy wrapper out loud and it would still sound eloquent.
Well, it is the land of Shakespeare, Blake and Keats...
@@vordmanYeah, their first album is my favourite..
My top 10 for what it’s worth
1. The White Album : The Beatles
2. Living in the Past : Jethro Tull
3. Wheels of Fire : Cream
4. Blonde on Blonde : Bob Dylan
5. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road : Elton John
6. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs : Derek and the Dominos
7. Physical Graffiti : Led Zeppelin
8. Exile on Main Street : The Rolling Stones
9. Electric Ladyland : Jimi Hendrix
10. Out of the Blue : Electric Light Orchestra
HMS
All Things Must Pass : George Harrison
Eat A Peach : The Allman Brothers
Tommy : The Who
The Wall : Pink Floyd
Honorable mentions. Stevie wonder. Songs in the key of life. Funkadelic. America eats its young. Prince. Sign of the times.
Happy you mentioned Freak Out (Mothers)
Good list and presentation. I love All things must pass by George Harrison.
It's a triple album.... but it is great
Great video. I love all of these albums, but my all time favorite double album is Sheik Yerbouti by Frank Zappa.
Obviously all " greatest " lists are subjective, but I think the " Strangers in the Night " live by UFO is a criminally underrated album that deserves mention.
Schenker was in another league during his time with the band.
Oh, yes!
Could have been #1 on my list!
Yes but he wasn’t including live albums.
@@steverogers2603 Well, a little bending of te rules won't hurt.
That's a live album. This list was strictly studio lps.
Topographic Ocean is the greatest, the most adventurous Double Album of all time!!
Too much dope smoking.
@@cpu554 there's no such thing (lol).
Nope....
Get better as time passes like good old wine. Yes masterpiece.
Here's my list. I had to add a few more when I realized that the vinyl versions of many Sigur Ros albums were double albums.
#1 Tales from Topographic Oceans by Yes (1973)
#2 A Gift from a Flower to a Garden by Donovan (1967)
#3 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis (1974)
#4 Incantations by Mike Oldfield (1978)
#5 Ágætis byrjun by Sigur Ros (1999)
#6 Love Serve Remember by Ram Dass and friends (6 LP set) (1973)
#7 Swaha by Bhagavan Das and Amazing Grace (1974)
#8 Illinois by Sufjan Stevens (2005)
#9 HMS Donovan by Donovan (1971)
#10 TODD by Todd Rundgren (1974)
#11 Valtari by Sigur Ros (2012)
#12 The White Album by The Beatles (1968)
#13 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook by Ella Fitzgerald (1956)
#14 American Folk Songs for Christmas by Mike Seeger, Peggy Seeger, Penny Seeger (1989)
#15 Takk by Sigur Ros (2005)
#16 All Things Must Pass by George Harrison (1970)
#17 Greetings from Michigan by Sufjan Stevens (2003)
#18 Ohio by Over the Rhine (2003)
#19 The Avalanche by Sufjan Stevens (2006)
#20 Wee Tam and the Big Huge by the Incredible String Band (1968)
#21 Missa Gaia Earth Mass by Paul Winter (1982)
#22 Eat a Peach by the Allman Brothers Band. (1972). Part studio, part live. All new. All good.
#23 First Blues by Allen Ginsberg (1983)
#24 Ah! by Bhagavan Das (1972)
#25 Roxy and Elsewhere by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention (1973). I know it's a live album, but it's all new material.
#26 The Beatles and India: Songs Inspired by the Film, and orchestral soundtrack music. Various Artists (2021).
Delighted to see "Wee Tam and the Big Huge" on your list. Genius! I would add another eccentric double album, "Lubbock on Everything" by Terry Allen.
@@russellcampbell3274 I've been searching for any list of the greatest country albums of all time. I couldn't turn anything up at all until I discovered that _Rolling Stone Magazine_ published one about four months ago. Now I've at least got a starting point. Some of the titles on there have me excited--and others turn me off completely--but I'll give them all a chance before I dismiss them. I'd never heard of Terry Allen before, but the album you mention is on there, and it does sound quite interesting to me.
Thanks for mentioning Blonde on Blonde. I haven't played that in years but now I am motivated and will do so this week.
Here's an album I love, and is probably not on any other commenter's list, is Pink World, by Planet P Project (Tony Carey). It was released in 1984, as the paranoia of the Cold War was growing again, and is essentially a musical version of a graphic novel, about a boy that gains telekinetic powers after swimming in a polluted stream. Hidden in the album is a song called The Stranger, about the nature of cults that, sadly, has not aged a day.
OMG !! I thought l was the only one who knew about this awesome phenomenal album 😉 one of my favorites one of musics greatest sin that this magnum opus is not well known shame
You've got me wanting to go and listen to all these again, back to back. Great choices, informative and enjoyable as always. Thank you!
I love the music of The Who and consider myself a true fan. Having stated that, as much as I have worn out the vinyl on ‘Tommy’ I feel that Quadrophenia was The Who at their creative pinnacle. TBH, although the themes of youth/rebellion/adulthood etc.. are universal themes, Quadrophenia (the album and film) is very much rooted in post war Britain. Probably why people such as myself, growing up in the U.K. can readily identify strongly with the album and films themes. ‘Tommy’ was realised in 1969-the height of the love and peace movement. I feel that the spiritual themes on the album were more in tune with those optimistic times. A world now long gone. With a few small tweaks to allow for modern living, Quadrophenia could be written for today. The issues around youth the album tackles go back at least 70 years. Anyway, although not a double album, I recently listened (for the first time in years) to The Who’s first album. All I can say is-what a truly fantastic album from what was essentially a bunch of kids.
I'd be inclined to agree with you. I think Quadraphenia is better.... but 'Tommy' has an aura and something magical about it.
Another beguiling video Barry. Time to return to Tales Of Topographic Oceans for a rethink. Such a treat to listen to your verbal treatise which are always welcomed.
Great video as always.....Electric Ladyland is way out number one for me..a masterpiece..
The Greatest Album of All Time.
Was gratifying that he shouted out 1983 - one of my favs.
@@wayneelliott7011Yes, the greatest album from the sixties, at least for me.
And I'm not a psychefelic not even a blues fan but that album is fantastic and as fresh as ever. Masterpiece.
@@rick.d My favourite Hendrix track.
Your lists and reviews are so in depth and well constructed. I love every time you post something. You’ve got me taking much deeper dives into artists back catalogs. Thank you so much for all your hard work.
Missing, off the top of my head:
XTC- English Settlement
Prince- 1999
Elton John- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
The Clash- London Calling
Lou Reed- Metal Machine Music
THE WALL
Love English Settlement
English Settlement!
Oh my days English Settlement. A wonderful album...
Have to laugh @ Metal Machine Music: Reed was at the end of his RCA contract, but still owed 2 LPs-worth of material to fulfill it and thereby escape to Arista. He turned on a bunch of amps, plugged in a bunch of guitars, set up some mics, hit ‘record’...and went for lunch. Came back later, hit ‘stop’, submitted the tape. This is called a “contractual obligation” release: an FU to the label.
Incredibly funny that it has fans....
London Calling took a classic dive into the whirlpool of styles and emerged downstream with enough material to temporarily rewrite their sound...the archetypes of those songs don't hesitate to speak some optimism with the tone of a fearless and vulnerable language
some think that music made by punks were only rock style but there were raggae bands etc. the style was more related with the atittude or personal opinion about life also the alternative wear ,this clash album was related with what was called punk music at the time not only being punk rock, more inclusive about the punk scene ,the reason why since then it´s a must have doble LP, regards
Somebody please translate for me what this dude just said about the Clash.
Genesis, yes,boring, pompous, tedious, tiresome
Double Nickles on the Dime by Minutemen deserves a mention. Talk about sprawling and shaggy. It's a meditation on being alive at that particular time, the politics, music, sex and culture, distilled into songs that fracture punk, jazz, funk, and country. Creating something unique and also clearly American.
Agree
Oh yes. Double Nickles, and Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade would be at the top of my Alternative/Hardcore double album list - to call either Classic Rock is a bit of a stretch, however - even with the eclectic mix of styles and the sheer variety in either album.
Great post - really enjoy all the literary references you make. Music, books and intelligent reviews from someone who obviously loves music, top!
Glad you like them!
My personal favorites: London Calling (The Clash), Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (The Cure), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John), Quadrophenia (The Who), Freak Out (Frank Zappa), Physical Graffiti (Zep), Out of the Blue (ELO), And Justice for All (Metallica), Bitches Brew (Miles Davis). Lots of great ones through the years, though, no beef with any of your picks!
Thanks for acknowledging ELO'S "Out of the Blue"
It's a masterpiece.
@@Makai77 Yes, agreed !
Miles had 3 great doubles during the fusion 'era' . Don't forget to pick up Bitches in 5.1 !
Great stuff! I was about to comment “where in blazes is Freak Out!” when you gave it honorable mention.
For years and years I couldn't understand what was the purpose of including Revolution #9 and finally I find the answer in this video! So, next time I will feel like listening to this marvelous, out of joint record, I will follow your suggestion and at the crucial moment i will go make the best night cup there is and come back to listen to the absolute gem that is Good night. Thank you :)
'Good Night' might be the least listened to song on the album: As soon as Revolution #9 came on people would instantly lift the needle and change the album. Decent song, bad placement.
A top ten double album list is already a great hook, but once it started I was captivated. I couldn’t turn it it off. This clip is articulate, thorough and displays a wealth of music adoration. WELL DONE ! ! !
Thank you
Fantastic video. Glad you mentioned London Calling at the end...it would be in my Top 5. Quadrophenia would make two (2) albums by The Who in my Top 10. And Goodbye Yellow Brick Road would be my (admittedly biased) Numero One of all-time. Cheers!
Can't argue with most of these although I haven't heard Chicago. Others I would mention :- The Wall, Quadrophenia, Psychedelic Pill, Hymns to the silence, Rattle and Hum, Thick as a brick. Enormous thanks for all you are doing to reinforce my absolute love of good rock music !!
Rattle and Hum is epic
Thick as a brick isn't a double album...
Give yourself a treat and go and listen to CTA.
Always thought Jethro Tull's Living in the Past was a nice snapshot of their first 3 years. A few album cuts, a live side, several new songs and a killer vinyl package with some great photos.
great minds think alike martin. still got original 2LP + photos . classic tull!
@@morrisanderson3180 Surely you are not surprised by this. Ian Anderson & Martin Barre / Morris ANDERSON & MARTIN Hayward!!
Great list and great stuff from your commenters as well. Always loved Rundgren’s Something/Anything?
My top two picks happen to be my top 2 favorite Albums of all time in general:
1.Exile On Main Street and 2.Physical Grafitti
1.London Calling, 2.Metal Box, 3.Zen Arcade, 4.Double Nickles on a Dime, 5.Daydream Nation, 6.Kiss me Kiss me Kiss me, 7.Sing of the Times, 8.Black Moses,9. Songs in the Key of Life, 10.The Payback.
Black Moses is a great album!
Double Nickles....didn't see that one coming! Well played!!!
Of course!!! "SIGN OF THE TIMES"!!!
I agree with 7 of these.
@@thechronicnoizeco.6675 Which are the other 3?
Well done. I wholeheartedly agree with your list. So glad you appreciate 'Topographic Oceans' and 'The River'. Thanks for your excellent vids.
Thank you.
I also want to thank you for being a great example of one who can provide a thoughtful cultural analysis using selective, interesting vocabulary choices and imaginative metaphors. Great example for us all.
@@classicalbum I personally recommend Focus 3 by Focus. These guys are one of the tightest bands I’ve ever had the privilege of listening to.
As good as Tommy is, I much prefer Quadrophenia. For all the great moments on Tommy, the album is poorly mixed, imo. The band is too far back in the mix. Pete had intended to put another guitar track over the bed tracks, but Kit Lambert rushed it into production and so that didn't happen. Quadrophenia, in contrast, sounds full and dynamic with the band at their peak abilities in song writing and performance. A masterpiece.
Totally agree with you quadrophenia is a far superior double not only sonically but as a coherent album with a timeless storyline
As was explained, Tommy was mean't to be consumed Live, so concur with the review. And, we do have a Live recording of many of the album's tracks found in the expanded Who Live at Leeds album, which came as a pleasant surprise to me having had a early edition's of both Tommy and Live at Leeds. Overall a decent list and good entry point.
+Curt Purcel. Could not agree with you more about the sound of 'Tommy'. Very muddy and un-dynamic. Also there are some real dead spots song-wise, whereas 'Quadrophenia' is massive in every sense of the word. And the working-class theme in that concept album/rock opera was a revelation. I don't think even Pete Townshend realised how radical it was to get away from all these airy-fairy concept albums and talk about real life.
The best way to hear 'Tommy' is to get the deluxe CD version of 'Live at Leeds' and listen to the disc where they play a truncated version of the album live. It's all killer, no filler, the band are at the absolute top of their game, it goes for about an hour and it's sensational!
Agreed, the Live at Leeds version of Tommy is just killer. Moon in particular was so good in that show - and you get to hear him properly, instead of it sounding like he was being recorded at the bottom of a swimming pool. Thematically too, the story of Quadrophenia is tighter and more relatable than Tommy. The outsider who's trying to fit in, trying to find some meaning to his otherwise dreary existence. Universal stuff there. I'm not trying to bash Tommy, btw. I just think Quadrophenia is a better album in many ways.
I don’t mind the mix on Tommy at all. The story is another matter. Confusing and silly. Townsend revised it a couple times for film and stage and it is still goofy.
Electric Ladyland has to be in my top 10!
My top 3
Just seen your video on the top ten double albums of all time.
Love the way you breakdown each recording into why the album came about, what a particular band , or artist was going through at the time of recording to influence the content etc.....
It’s inspired me to go and listen to each one on Amazon music. I’ve owned a few but not all of these albums over the years, in one format or another. Keep up the good work. Brilliant.
It's quite an old video now, if I was to do it again I would include 'Songs in the Key of Life' and 'London calling' by the Clash
Out of all of the double LP's I've listened to, I can't think of any better than Quadrophenia. There may be 1 or 2 weaker songs on there but The Real Me, 5:15, Cut My Hair, Sea & Sand, Bellboy, the title track, and the magnificent The Rock, are some of my all time favourite songs.
Being a scooterist, I've lost count of the times I've put my earphones inside my helmet, put Quadrophenia on my Walkman and ridden my Vespa around the Isle of Wight where I live. It transports my mind back to the 60s when I do so. Man, if the cars on the road could hear me singing at the top of my voice 😆
Tommy is 1 of those double albums for me where the whole is greater than the individual parts....some songs are forgettable but Go To The Mirror, Acid Queen, the See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You, Overture, Sparks, were all brilliant.
I like about half of the White Album but I find the other half crap. It would have been their best ever single album if the great songs were creamed off the top.
Physical Graffiti was a good double album with plenty of variety.
The other albums in the list I couldn't care less about ....I don't like Yes, nor Genesis, and Bruce Springsteen....I just have never gotten into them, but that's the beauty of music. We're all different and have our own tastes, the world would be boring if we all liked the same stuff 😎👍
I thought this was Ian Anderson reviewing classic rock albums.
Yep, for a second i was fooled as well !
I love Jethro Tull and this clip but I thought this could have been Ian Anderson s second job. Lol
Ten personal favorites in no particular order:
The White Album - Beatles
Incantations - Mike Oldfield
Tusk - Fleetwood Mac
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis
Streetnoise - Brian Augur and Julie Driscoll
All Things Must Pass - George Harrison
666 - Aphrodite’s Child
Down the Way - Angus and Julia Stone
Aerial - Kate Bush
Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter - Joni Mitchell
Yeah, glad you mentioned Tusk and Ariel, I love both those albums.
Yeah, 666 by Aphrodite‘s Child is superb!!!
I would also include Tusk in my top 10, I prefer it to Rumours (just)
A very well worked out list which is very hard to argue against. I have most of your top 10 albums, and there's some great music there.
Can only see two omissions. "The Wall" and the one that should have been number one. "Songs In the key of life", an album that has it all and then some.
Keep up the good work.
songs in the key of life & the wall are complete tosh IMO topographic oceans not much better.
Just started watching and am immediately happy to see "Chicago Transit Authority" on here✌.
Yeah I have this album great 1 at that.
@Sebastian I like those two a lot too. But the first stands above them for me.
Every now and then record companies get it right. Giving a band the chance to start their career with a double album sure involves some risk. To this day it stays their best, although they released some other good albums before they jumped down into the grease. Always hard to believe that this was recorded already in 1969.
Great choices which could easily have been mine!
@@roxannewalsh Worth noting that 'Chicago Transit Authority' was specially priced - I think $4.98 at a time when a single album was $4.29 - which combined with the live photos of the band playing in the early ads (pics taken from the album's gatefold interior) added up to an engaging proposition. I mean, it just looked like a chance worth taking. And what a winner it was...and remains. All these years later, a friend of mine is the band's drummer, and a former bandmate is the singer. Still, and inarguably, the early years were the band's finest.
Shameful that there is no mention of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds. Timeless work.
why?
Yes, with Richard Burton narrating. It was/is incredible.
Why didn't you include All Things Must Pass??.......cos it's a triple album!!!!🤣
I agree.
It's kind of a double album with a bonus disc, as the Apple Jam is unrelated to the songs of the first two discs. Besides that one, I've only ever owned two true triple albums: Sandinista by The Clash, and Three by Joel Plaskett. Are there others?
@@willbeez60 Works by ELP
@@willbeez60 The Neil Young triple LP
I think Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' deserves a spot on any top-ten double album list.
He didn’t even consider The Wall as one of Pink Floyd’s top albums
Good point, definitely up there for sure
The Wall was about his 6th best Pink Floyd album. It certainly wouldn’t be a top album from music history
@@craighendrickson7938 yet it is
The Wall would be much stronger if it were a single disk. It's just too bloated. Has a weak ending as well. Does "The Trial" even sound like Pink Floyd?
A great double album that has gone too often underrecognized is the first by Manassas, a band that Stephen Stills put together in the early 70s. Great guitar work and an cohesive blend of rock, blues, country and latin.
Love that album! Absolute class!
@@timball8429 This would be no.1 for me!
@@garyskinner2446 definitely up there. 😊
It would be on list of most underrated albums of all time (double or single record).
Just read your comment before I posted the same thing. Manassas is #1 to me, CTA #2, Physical Graffiti #3 Yellowbrick Road #4......
Spectacular!
Not easy whittling down to a top ten, even for double albums. So very well done with these ten, and great summing up on each!!!!! Springsteen never took with me, so on my list, I would have switched him out for Bitches Brew, but totally in stride with your other nine.
Yeah....I gotta say Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" would've made my list.
I must confess that I, too, forgot about All Things Must Pass. I think it’s that fourth side, the Apple Jam, that makes me not consider it a double?
Love your TEN BEST videos.
I agree with nearly all, but I would need to add some Krautrock, so out with Chicago & Tommy and in with Can - Tago-Mago & Tangerine Dream - Zeit!
I was blown away the first time I played Physical Graffiti the day it was released. The stop start in the drums in the Wanton Song made me reach for the needle to replay it as it was something so fresh and different. What an album.
I have all of the albums that you list ( a great list) but would definitely drop Yes and possibly Genesis from this list. I would have Prince's Sign Of The Times in my Top 10, I would replace Tommy with Quadrophenia and I would also include The Clash's London Calling.
Drop Yes? No way. Sounds more like their studio albums than any of the other bands listed.
Sir , I possess all ten albums.
Your description of these albums is pretty spot on.
A great podcast
Thank you
I would have swapped out The River for All Things Must Pass. Perhaps disqualified being a triple album.
ELO out of the blue. Has anybody thought about that one? Just throwing it out there because they were my favorite band of the 70s
My favorite double album
The best double album ever.
Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life says hi. That's personally my favorite album of all time let alone double album
It should have been on my list
Yes
Absolutely agree… genius and timeless.
Thanks, I really appreciate your lyrical reviews. It’s refreshing to hear someone who uses the nuances of different words and phrases to give the exact shade of meaning the English language contains. As always, I have a couple alternates:
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Santana - Moonflower
The first six or even seven Chicago albums are incredible.
No, they’re not......
The first 3.......
@@rickleblanc8900 plenty to like in the next three, too.
The first 7 definitely, then they had some great moments up to 11, but once Kath died, Chicago was over and the Peter Cetera band began.
@@jasongress8764 no more no less, that´s it
This is perhaps my favourite of your reviews. Thanks! It's inspired me to go back to Lamb, Blonde and Exile, and give The River and Tommy a spin, dare I confess, for the first time.
Half way through I was getting a bit distracted by your constant repetition of the completely redundant "Of Course", "No doubt' and "Nevertheless", which detract from your insightful and lexically rich content, but towards the end these fillers seemed to disappear. Bravo!
Few of the other TH-cam reviewers provide such well informed analyses.
What a great list and as we know,
there's so many more. Love that you included Chicago 1. It's just a raw,
hard core beast of an album, unlike any of their others. Glad to see the
" Lamb " in there as well.
i much prefer FM Live and anything by the CBB to Chicago's overplayed pablum.
I enjoyed your description of the essences of the albums. Agreed on all except one.
Excellent reviews, as usual, and great choices. Yea, "Yellow Brick Road" is dynamite, and my fav double "The Wall", but there are even more, and it's a 'top 10', right? I have no problem with these picks, and always enjoy your informative reviews, brother.
Just heard and deeply appreciated your group discussion on Tales by YES. I left my detailed impression in the comments!
Love the list. Haven't given it much thought but any list I made would almost certainly have ELO - Out of the Blue (probably top 3) and Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life.
Agreed. Out of the Blue was amazing, especially.
I really enjoyed this episode, so much so I became a patron.
The second time I saw Springsteen live was Dec. 1980, touring to promote "The River." At the end of "Independence Day" the lights came up and I could see young men scattered throughout the crowd of 10,000 wiping tears from their eyes. No other song about fathers and sons has been so moving to so many.
This is great and does what any great piece of critique should do: make you want to listen to every entry on the list and make you pick up on the points raised. Thank you
Thank you
Top 5:
1. Dream theater- Six degrees of inner turbulence
2. Genesis- The lamb lies down on broadway
3. The Beatles- White album
4. Led Zeppelin - Physical graffiti
5. Pink Floyd- The Wall
Good choices. Thank you for watching.
@@classicalbum need to review Transatlantic-The Whirlwind. I like older stuff like you but that one is a modern masterpiece
Irish Tour '74 - Gallagher ----- It's too Late to Stop Now - Morrison ------ Layla ------ London Calling ------ Joe's Garage - Zappa ---- Bitches Brew - Miles Davis ----- Live at Fillmore East - Allmans -----
1. Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica (1969)
2. The Mothers of Invention - Uncle Meat (1969)
3. The Soft Machine - Third (1970)
4. The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St. (1972)
5. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde (1966)
6. The Who - Tommy (1969)
7. Can - Tago Mago (1971)
8. Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)
9. Husker Du - Zen Arcade (1984)
10. Public Image Limited - Metal Box (1979)
The Soft Machine 3rd; outstanding !
Captain
Beefheart.....The Emperor has no clothes
Elton John is always overlooked. Yes and Genesis would be fine for insomnia. Dylan is always listed because he’s Dylan. Not a better way to start any album than Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding.
Uncle Meat by The Mothers of Invention should be in there somewhere.
"Zappa In New York" would be another that could replace any of these (though i'd not want "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" to get the boot). "The History Of The Bonzos" is another contender, not to mention Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica"...
We seem to be on the same frequency Kenneth.
Excellent and thoughtful commentary. Thank you.
Very enjoyable list. I would personally place Physical Graffiti at number one, but that's me. And I would also switch in Quadrophenia for Tommy, though I love both. I've never been enamored with Bruce Springsteen, so I would replace The River with perhaps Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
As for Chicago, it's amazing to realize that their first 3 albums were all doubles, and I love every minute of each of them. (Then they released another great one with Chicago VII.)
Note that the biggest bands/artists of all time, i.e. Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Stones, Hendrix, Dylan, all put out double studio albums, and in every case it can be argued to be some of, if not their very best work.
Also note that for some strange reason, many double albums just happen to be the sixth studio release of the bands releasing them, i.e. Physical Graffiti, Tales, The Lamb, Quadrophenia, Chicago VII (still their 6th studio release), and Works Volume I by ELP.
Finally, I get so sick of hearing about how these albums "would have made a better single album". That's obviously opinion. And in every case I've heard, I've vehemently disagreed. Thank you for not buying into that, at least with these releases.
Two albums that I think would qualify are 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 by The Beatles.Just for merely being the Definitive Greatest hits compilation of any artist.
Todd Rundgren produced two of the best double albums of all time in ‘Something/Anything’ and ‘Todd’. Surely at least one of them merits inclusion here. Personally I’d have them both in any top 10 list!
There are a lot that should be here... but I cannot squeeze them in to a list of ten
@@classicalbum It’s all opinion! Great list regardless.
Brilliant video again Barry with some cracking albums & my top 5 double albums are...
1) Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
2) The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)
3) Pink Floyd - The Wall
4) XTC - English Settlement
5) The Who - Tommy.
XTC... I'm just writing a review of their album 'Skylarkin'
@@classicalbum Which i am already looking forward to.... Check out both Dukes of Stratosphear albums from the mid 1980s which are just astonishing! Cheers Barry
Great list !! The Lamb was rehearsed, written & worked on at Headley Grange on a mobile unit (Stones ?) and finished & mixed in Wales.
The box where Gabriel was calling William Freidkin about a potential collaboration & nearly leaving the band (thereby pissing off the band....) still stands near Headley Grange.
Stange times for an album who's cover font I have a tattoo of.....
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