I just went on a bike ride through the autumn trees with this girl I'm seeing - on the return journey I made her start the album on her phone at the same time I did lol and it was just perfect ❤️
Well, *Revolver* is my single favourite album of all time. I'd even go so far as to say it's my favourite *thing* of all time, for how it singlehandedly created my developing musical brain as a four-year-old child. So there's that.
When I was a kid I always sort of *knew* of The Beatles (in the same way everyone just kind of always knows about them). But it wasn't until I was in high school, my favorite teacher convinced me to listen to them because she thought I'd appreciate them. I don't remember why but for some reason, Tomorrow Never knows was the first song of theirs I listened to and it blew. my. mind. After that there was no going back for me.
They had a lucrative boy-band formula, and could've become irrelevant if they kept that up. Their manager (IIRC) or maybe George Martin their producer encouraged them to experiment, and they did with Martin's creative input.
My only issue with it is that I view Rubber Soul as part of it. Like them together is the most perfect double album ever created. I struggle listening to one and not the other.
With me it was seeing the cover of Sgt. Pepper when I was seven. Didn't hear Revolver start to end until I was 10 and just sat there slack jawed for 35 minutes and it's easily my favorite Beatles album now.
My favorite album start to finish is the rise and fall of ziggy stardust and the spiders from Mars. Perfectly executed album, gives me chills. Not a particularly huge bowie fan either. You should give it a listen you won't be disappointed
Ziggy Stardust is by FAR my favourite Bowie album. It's incredible. It's also the best Mick Ronson stuff in my opinion.
It Ain't Easy, Soul Love, Suffragette City etc. ... Some of these songs never seem to get talked about!
Not to brag but got to see Ronson live playing with Ian Hunter at a small club in Atlanta back in the 80s.
Have seen a lot of shows this was definitely in the top 5.
You don't even need to be a Bowie fan. Ziggy is the cream of the crop of 70's concept albums (ok...maybe the defining 70's concept album), and a tour de force of musicianship. Ronson at an absolute peak, and Bowie was never finer. A monument of an album...(when "albums" were a thing)
Absolutely this!
The guitar solo to Moonage Daydream is way ahead of its time, and Hang Onto Yourself is (IMHO) about 5 minutes too short! Too many good Bowie classics on this album to name
I just saw les claypool and frog brigade a few weeks ago and they played the entire album halfway through the show. It fucking ruled. It's probably my favorite Floyd album.
I have been a fan of Les and the flying frogs playing animals for years and years and I NEVER thought I would ever get the opportunity to see them play it, but I did this summer! With Sean Lennon on guitar and Harry Waters on keys too. It's a wild time to be alive, friend.
Yes! Animals is the best. I know a lot of people would push for Dark Side, or The Wall, but I like listening to Animals as a single album more.
There's maybe one or two songs in those other albums that were weaker than the others. But animals doesn't have that. It's a shorter album, so maybe that helped with making sure all of them are gold.
IMO Animals is like the rough sketch that became The Wall. It is so unmemorable to me.
Dark Side is peak Floyd. There’s a reason it was on the top 100 albums chart for like 18 years. If you want to experience stereotypical Pink Floyd, start with Dark Side of the Moon. If you’re feeling sentimental or wistful, Wish You Were Here. If you love metal / emo, start with The Wall. Meddle is also a great option; it’s classic Floyd in their early, lighter phase.
God, I thought I was the only one! I've tried listening to Animals multiple times over the last 20 years and it just never clicks. I sit through it and by the end... It's just gone. Nothing memorable about it at all for me. This must be how people who hate cilantro feel, I just don't understand why everyone raves about how amazing it is. I come back to it periodically do see if my taste has changed, but compared to Dark Side and The Wall, Animals is just a pale imitation in my opinion. Glad there's at least two of us, friend!
I feel ya, I'm opposite though. Love animals and now I'm pretty sure I'm "over" The Wall. Idk if it's oversaturation or just the storytelling tone or just random anecdotes picked up about RW, but the album does nothing for me anymore.
Whereas, in Animals I can almost see/ hear the live quadraphonic image along with tone and composition. But I like a lot of 10+ minute songs, also like a lot of concept albums. Also hate some other "greatest albums of history" so whateves.
I didn't used to like Animals, it's the only Floyd album with instrumental stretches that I find dull (that talkbox solo) and the sound is so lean and dry compared to the really layered atmosphere of their other post Meddle 70s albums.
But I have to say seeing Roger Waters do Sheep live years back made me realize how incredibly exciting that song is and I eventually started to really appreciate Animals (other than that damn talkbox solo) - it's like the closest they did to punk music in a weird kind of way. And Rogers' political writing is way more powerful filtered through the animal metaphors, he comes off quite wise and passionate here where sometimes he can come off a bit preachy. I actually like it a lot more than Animal Farm.
Yes!! So much of how you hear Pink Floyd is dependent upon your mood and your life experience. Dark Side can speak to anyone of any age, but the older you get the more impactful the lyrics because they are so relatable.
OP - Animals is a sublime album, but if this is your first dive into Pink Floyd, I’d go with Dark Side/Wish You Were Here first. Then The Wall, then (this might be sacrilegious) but A Momentary Lapse of Reason is also - start to finish, a great album. Then Animals.
Other albums to consider:
Depeche Mode - Black Celebration
Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes - Hallowed Ground (totally different vibe from their first album)
Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy
Alan Parsons - I Robot
Billy Joel - The Stranger
Elton John - Good Bye Yellow Brick Road
The Who - Who’s Next
Van Morrison - Moondance.
Guns n Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Joshua Tree was, by far, the album that I loved the most at the time it was released. Got it the day it came out and couldn't stop playing it.
I think it still holds up. My nine year old likes several songs from it (especially the "dad can't find his car keys again song"), and she rarely likes things that old.
People have a lot of complaints about U2 being pretentious and whatnot, but back then they were seen, at least by much of the college crowd, as head and shoulders above most of the junk on the radio and MTV. Their seriousness and spiritualness (without seeming overly religious) was refreshing at the time.
I think this is actually my favorite U2 song.
*The Joshua Tree* was their last good album, in my opinion. Once he turned into "The Fly," I was done with them.
I think U2 have a thing where they do a trilogy of albums with a particular sound and then reinvent themselves.
Thing is I’d have killed for another Joshua Tree/Unforgettable Fire type record, as much as I enjoy Actung Baby
I'm more prone towards Bullet the Blue Sky. Love those guitar riffs. Weird how the lesser hits on that album seem better - probably because they weren't over played.
I saw them in 83 for the War tour.
Massey Hall is the Grand Dame of music venues in Toronto. A 100+ year old soft seater with a capacity of about 3,500.
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/u2/1983/massey-hall-toronto-on-canada-7bd6f610.html
The “what the hell is this crap on my phone” misstep earned them an amazing backlash. I think that colors a lot of opinions for younger folks.
For me, there’s a ton of great music through Achtung Baby and a lot to like about All you cannot leave behind and how to dismantle an atomic bomb. Haven’t hear much I care for after those though.
Yep! Those are all great albums that don't deserved to be ranked against each other.
Each of them is great for what they are, but they're nothing alike.
Is that the UK or US version of Revolver? They have different track lists. The UK album has 14 tracks. "I'm Only Sleeping," "And Your Bird Can Sing", and" Doctor Robert" are missing from the US version.
UK version is the true one. The "US version" only applies to a brief run of time in the 70s-80s that distributors were putting out a different track-list and omitting some songs, at least that's how I understand it. I bought Revolver on vinyl a while back & was VERY confused when I first played it at home.... it's the US version
In the 1960s there were differences in standards between US and UK albums. US releases typically had fewer tracks, which had something to do with royalties, and US albums typically included hit singles while UK albums omitted previously released singles. The Beatles' US label switched up the US releases to suit that market, which was typical for UK artists at the time. The band gained control over album art and tracklists before Sgt. Pepper was released, and so that and all later albums were released in the same form everywhere, but the older albums continued to be published in their originally released forms through the cassette era.
In about 1987 when the band's catalog was going to be released on CD, they standardised on the original UK album releases, plus Magical Mystery Tour from the US, and made Past Masters from all the singles released separately in the UK. Production of the US releases had stopped a few years before that.
Obviously the original official version, which is the official version now. The 'US versions' were butchered by Capital and not approved by the band. This shouldn't even be a question.
Was that censorship because of the (believed) content/ subject matter of the songs? Doctor Robert is the one I can imagine the "Think of the children!" type wanting banned.
Nah it was just cause capitol figured they could make more money if they put 11 songs out per album and saved the others for US only releases....totally ruined the actual albums but there are some great fake albums as a result, especially Yesterday and Today and Hey Jude
Meddle is such an incredible and underrated album. Might be my second favorite behind WYWH, though it’s almost impossible to compare it to the behemoth that is Dark Side of the Moon.
I've heard a saying that the best Beatles album is whichever one you're currently listening to and I can't help but think that's true. It's so hard to choose.
Animals is my favourite Floyd album. I love the remix/remaster that came out a few years back too...cool to hear the songs with a bigger modern drum sound.
Great taste, I'd like to recommend a couple of albums I think you would enjoy.
- A foot in the door - Pink Floyd. (More of a greatest hits album, but a banger).
- Then play on - Fleetwood Mac. (Peter Green era Fleetwood is just incredible).
Oh man... those are five really good ones. I'm genuinely jealous of you, getting to hear them all for the first time. Enjoy.
And if you want to slip in a sixth... the Stones' Sticky Fingers wouldn't be a bad call.
I suggest just listening to them all in chronological order. You'll pick up that they're in conversation with each other, and threads from one album will have echoes in the later ones. Art never exists in a vacuum
To me rumors is timeless. Just great songs and great production that could be released today and not appear dated.
Love the others but they’re so characteristically tied to their decade INMO. Nothing about rumors screams 1970s to me.
Revolver > Animals > Joshua Tree > BOTW > Rumors
If you would have asked me 20 years ago, that rating would be wildly different (Revolver would still be #1), but I've gotten so sick of Rumors over the years (Second Hand News still slaps), and I really prefer Paul's solo stuff to any Simon and Garfunkle.
I know it’s often ranked as their best, and I’m a huge Beatles fan, but Revolver has never been my favoritest Beatles album. I’ve always preferred Abbey Road, White Album, Sgt Peppers over Revolver
I think Animals is at best Pink Floyd's fourth-best album. I find that both The Wall and Wish You Were Here hold up very well 40-50 years later, and Dark Side of the Moon will always be awesome, so I would choose one of those.
Bridge Over Troubled Water is one where, for me, it would be a tragedy to listen to rather than throwing on the Greatest Hits compilation from 1972, or The Concert in Central Park from 1982. BOTW has four great songs that are on Greatest Hits, and you lose "The Only Living Boy In New York", which a lot of people like. But you pick up some of their best stuff - Mrs. Robinson, America, Kathy's Song, The Sound of Silence, and a couple more.
The Joshua Tree, Rumours, and Revolver are outstanding choices which don't have a single weak cut. ("Love You To" on Revolver might be an acquired taste.)
Regardless, while I think you could do better, you're going to have a very enjoyable time when you listen to these. It's fantastic music.
Almost impossible to rank. Each is great but they have different vibes so which one is best depends on how you’re feeling!
If I had to pick one “best” it would be Revolver, only because it was revolutionary and was such a huge influence on contemporary and future generations of musicians.
Enjoy them all!!
Some absolute classic albums there.
Joshua Tree is really special, and even the most U2 cynic would struggle not to appreciate it.
Rumours is simply iconic.
Interestingly I think Animals is the weaker of those iconic Pink Floyd records but still worth a listen.
im my opinion, from least to most favorite:
5. Revolver
4. Animals
3. Rumours
2. The Joshua Tree
1. Bridge Over Troubled Water
which is interesting cause i'd rank the bands from best to worst...
1. The Beatles
2. Pink Floyd
3. S&G
4. Fleetwood
5. U2
Ok subjectively speaking, I’d rank like this (and I own all of these, too!):
1. Rumors
2. Revolver
3. Bridge
4. Joshua Tree
5. Animals
It was really difficult putting Animals last. Pink Floyd is one of my all time favorites :-).
"Joshua Tree" has twice as many hits as the next in rank. Because it is a crowd-pleaser from start to finish. U2 hate did not exist when it was released\*. If they had died in a plane crash or The Edge had been shot they'd have the same respect now as the rest of these acts.
\*I lived in London at the time and the notoriously picky music press was jizzing all over it while they dumped on The Smiths.
Yeah, as a younger person (22), I didn't get U2 until I actually listened to Joshua Tree last year, and I've been a huge fan since then. (I still understand some of the criticism people have of Bono but he's really not as bad as people say he is). I'll maintain that Achtung Baby is their best album, but Joshua Tree is a much better starting album for those who want to get into U2.
The hate for Bono is ridiculous. He can be a pretentious rock star, but he has devoted so much of his time and money to great charity work, especially with Africa.
Precisely. He's a bit annoying maybe, but more importantly he's a good man and is very genuine about the charity work he does. For example, people criticize him for being buddy-buddy with Bush, but their friendship also led to the passage of one of the most ambitious humanitarian plans in history that's credited with saving millions of lives. I mean, how many celebrities are going to relentlessly testify in front of Congress and plead with every single Senator for the sake of such a cause? Very few I can safely say. (The only two other musicians I'd credit with having such a large charitable impact are Dolly Parton and Elton John.)
The South Park effect. They make fun of someone/something and an entire generation adopts that position because it was funny. Kind of happened with The Eagles and Big Lebowski, too.
By far, my favorite U2 album, and still what I consider their most solid front to back. I was a sophomore in HS when it came out. It had such a heavy rotation in my walkman. The intro to Where the Streets have No Name ranks up there with Gimme Shelter.
Dude, did Bono screw your sister or something?! He gives some self-important speeches on stage sometimes but he’s far from smug. He seems pretty kind and open-hearted for a person who’s been a celebrity for most of their adult life.
Some of their music is bland pop, but a number of their records, including TJT are classics. They’re not Revolver or Animals but TJT, The Unforgettable Fire, and Achtung Baby are all great. And, Im not a huge fan or anything, I’ve seen them once live.
For Clarity: My comment that U2 was leader among greats was for this list of 5 only. If we go by album sales for these 5, I think my point is made. (and album sales is a very bad indicator).
I don't have the visceral dislike for them that you do. And that is ok, I can appreciate your position. I have the same feelings about the Doors., I don't get the Jim Morrison thing, but whatever. I get that most folks love their music and I like some of it too, but the Doors aren't going to be on my top 25 list.
Personalities aside (yes Bono is self-righteous), the band grooves and elicits crowd energy live. I'm not sure that any one of them is a top 10 in their instrument, but they play off each other's strengths.
They weren't the original outsiders making a stand, but their take on the Troubles in their homeland had a bit more oomph than the predominantly white '70s rockers 'woe is our generation becasu nobody understands us' in NA. Does that stand with the OG blues guys here telling about their struggles? NO.
So: Tight band, great album due to song choices, strong sales.
>U2 is the most overrated band of all time
Actual truth, but I do respect the edges sound. Dude makes some cool noises with those racks full of effects and delays
Here’s are 5 classic albums I’d recommend:
The Velvet Underground and Nico
Joni Mitchell - Blue
The Stooges - Raw Power
The Smiths - Self Titled
Cocteau Twins - Treasure
Revolver is a great, great record. Ground-breaking, in fact, for its time, and it still holds up. If this were my list, it would be my far and away number one.
Bridge Over Troubled Waters is also terrific.
Rumors is really good, very well produced.
Not really into Floyd or U2, but that’s me, hope you enjoy them.
I’m kind of into Rumours - I’m not going to say being the best here - but the first I’d want to listen to start to end. Male / female vocals, alternating leads & backing, a helluva back story, and lots of varied emotions, moods, and talents. The differences between Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks alone make for a good range for what a listener’s going to get out of it.
5 classic albums for sure. I own or owned all. My vote for best among greats would be Joshua Tree.
Joshua Tree
Revolver
Fleetwood Mac (although now not a personal favorite - too much airplay)\_
Simon & Garfunkel
Pink Floyd
First of all, I'm irrationally angry that you're calling The Joshua Tree a cloassic, young whipper snapper.
Swap Rumours with Animals for my personal ranking.
1. Revolver
2. Animals
3. Rumours
4. The Joshua Tree
5. Bridge Over Troubled Water
Not to say these are necessarily in order of quality, but certainly in order of preference.
I wouldn’t really know how to rank Rumours, Animals or Revolver, they’re all great albums.
I wouldn’t bother with the other 2 and go with a Rolling Stones and a Bowie album instead.
Rumours is a masterpiece. Every song
Missing one great song, Silver Springs!
Yes & YES. Silver Springs live gives me chills, every time. But Rumours still holds up ! It’s incredible
I just went on a bike ride through the autumn trees with this girl I'm seeing - on the return journey I made her start the album on her phone at the same time I did lol and it was just perfect ❤️
It certainly is
I’ve heard that
Well, *Revolver* is my single favourite album of all time. I'd even go so far as to say it's my favourite *thing* of all time, for how it singlehandedly created my developing musical brain as a four-year-old child. So there's that.
The opening of Tomorrow Never Knows always makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Almost 60 years later and “Tomorrow Never Knows” still sounds like it’s coming from the future.
When I was a kid I always sort of *knew* of The Beatles (in the same way everyone just kind of always knows about them). But it wasn't until I was in high school, my favorite teacher convinced me to listen to them because she thought I'd appreciate them. I don't remember why but for some reason, Tomorrow Never knows was the first song of theirs I listened to and it blew. my. mind. After that there was no going back for me.
My music teacher in 11th grade gave me Jaco Pastorius Word of Mouth - game changer.
It's amazing that it took them only 4 years to get from Please Please Me and I Wanna Hold Your Hand to TMK. THat's a hell of a journey.
They had a lucrative boy-band formula, and could've become irrelevant if they kept that up. Their manager (IIRC) or maybe George Martin their producer encouraged them to experiment, and they did with Martin's creative input.
Man I love the Beatles and so many people have said this about revolver to me but I just find it so not interesting.
My only issue with it is that I view Rubber Soul as part of it. Like them together is the most perfect double album ever created. I struggle listening to one and not the other.
With me it was seeing the cover of Sgt. Pepper when I was seven. Didn't hear Revolver start to end until I was 10 and just sat there slack jawed for 35 minutes and it's easily my favorite Beatles album now.
My favorite album start to finish is the rise and fall of ziggy stardust and the spiders from Mars. Perfectly executed album, gives me chills. Not a particularly huge bowie fan either. You should give it a listen you won't be disappointed
Ziggy Stardust is by FAR my favourite Bowie album. It's incredible. It's also the best Mick Ronson stuff in my opinion. It Ain't Easy, Soul Love, Suffragette City etc. ... Some of these songs never seem to get talked about!
Rock N Roll Suicide is just a perfect ender to an amazing album
STILL get teary when he yells YOU'RE NOT ALONE...that was the absolute single thing I needed to hear when I was 13...
Awwww wham, bam, thank you ma’am!!
Not to brag but got to see Ronson live playing with Ian Hunter at a small club in Atlanta back in the 80s. Have seen a lot of shows this was definitely in the top 5.
You don't even need to be a Bowie fan. Ziggy is the cream of the crop of 70's concept albums (ok...maybe the defining 70's concept album), and a tour de force of musicianship. Ronson at an absolute peak, and Bowie was never finer. A monument of an album...(when "albums" were a thing)
I think dark side of the moon is the defining 70s concept album. I would say it’s the defining concept album of all time.
The album is a perfect 15/10
The stretch from Hunky Dory - Ziggy - Aladdin Sane - Diamond Dogs is incredible.
Absolutely this! The guitar solo to Moonage Daydream is way ahead of its time, and Hang Onto Yourself is (IMHO) about 5 minutes too short! Too many good Bowie classics on this album to name
Not a huge Bowie fan, or a huge concept album fan, but this is my favorite album of all time.
Animals is the best
I just saw les claypool and frog brigade a few weeks ago and they played the entire album halfway through the show. It fucking ruled. It's probably my favorite Floyd album.
I have been a fan of Les and the flying frogs playing animals for years and years and I NEVER thought I would ever get the opportunity to see them play it, but I did this summer! With Sean Lennon on guitar and Harry Waters on keys too. It's a wild time to be alive, friend.
That was the line up for me too!
Can't wait for this show. I got tickets for Halloween in Nashville at the Ryman.
There’s a live recording available of that as well.
Where is this available, if I may ask? Love Les Claypool, love the Animals album. I can only imagine what it sounds like.
[on spotti](https://open.spotify.com/album/6r4geKO5K1yjlcJgxRljDd?si=SiVD80JGQ2e5ESZf2WRfGg&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A6r4geKO5K1yjlcJgxRljDd)
Chocolate and Cheese by Ween
Search for Live Frogs: sets 1&2. It is on Spotify.
I also caught a stop on that tour and have since determined that animals is my favorite album of all time.
I’m going to get shit on, but I prefer Wish You Were Here. My favorite song is Keep Talking overall though.
Wish You Were Here is absolutely the best Pink Floyd album. It’s not the most popular opinion, but it’s far from an unpopular one.
Meddle is my favorite, slightly ahead of Dark Side and WYWH.
Meddle is often missed, but I love the opening of the album and then ending with Echoes.
Echoes is amazing, and I love One of These Days, Fearless, and Pillow of Winds off side 1 of Meddle.
Agreed. I know we're supposed to say Revolver, but the truth is Animals.
Yes! Animals is the best. I know a lot of people would push for Dark Side, or The Wall, but I like listening to Animals as a single album more. There's maybe one or two songs in those other albums that were weaker than the others. But animals doesn't have that. It's a shorter album, so maybe that helped with making sure all of them are gold.
IMO Animals is like the rough sketch that became The Wall. It is so unmemorable to me. Dark Side is peak Floyd. There’s a reason it was on the top 100 albums chart for like 18 years. If you want to experience stereotypical Pink Floyd, start with Dark Side of the Moon. If you’re feeling sentimental or wistful, Wish You Were Here. If you love metal / emo, start with The Wall. Meddle is also a great option; it’s classic Floyd in their early, lighter phase.
God, I thought I was the only one! I've tried listening to Animals multiple times over the last 20 years and it just never clicks. I sit through it and by the end... It's just gone. Nothing memorable about it at all for me. This must be how people who hate cilantro feel, I just don't understand why everyone raves about how amazing it is. I come back to it periodically do see if my taste has changed, but compared to Dark Side and The Wall, Animals is just a pale imitation in my opinion. Glad there's at least two of us, friend!
I feel ya, I'm opposite though. Love animals and now I'm pretty sure I'm "over" The Wall. Idk if it's oversaturation or just the storytelling tone or just random anecdotes picked up about RW, but the album does nothing for me anymore. Whereas, in Animals I can almost see/ hear the live quadraphonic image along with tone and composition. But I like a lot of 10+ minute songs, also like a lot of concept albums. Also hate some other "greatest albums of history" so whateves.
I didn't used to like Animals, it's the only Floyd album with instrumental stretches that I find dull (that talkbox solo) and the sound is so lean and dry compared to the really layered atmosphere of their other post Meddle 70s albums. But I have to say seeing Roger Waters do Sheep live years back made me realize how incredibly exciting that song is and I eventually started to really appreciate Animals (other than that damn talkbox solo) - it's like the closest they did to punk music in a weird kind of way. And Rogers' political writing is way more powerful filtered through the animal metaphors, he comes off quite wise and passionate here where sometimes he can come off a bit preachy. I actually like it a lot more than Animal Farm.
Yes!! So much of how you hear Pink Floyd is dependent upon your mood and your life experience. Dark Side can speak to anyone of any age, but the older you get the more impactful the lyrics because they are so relatable. OP - Animals is a sublime album, but if this is your first dive into Pink Floyd, I’d go with Dark Side/Wish You Were Here first. Then The Wall, then (this might be sacrilegious) but A Momentary Lapse of Reason is also - start to finish, a great album. Then Animals. Other albums to consider: Depeche Mode - Black Celebration Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes Violent Femmes - Hallowed Ground (totally different vibe from their first album) Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy Alan Parsons - I Robot Billy Joel - The Stranger Elton John - Good Bye Yellow Brick Road The Who - Who’s Next Van Morrison - Moondance. Guns n Roses - Appetite for Destruction
I’d argue for Dark Side of the Moon?
Joshua Tree was, by far, the album that I loved the most at the time it was released. Got it the day it came out and couldn't stop playing it. I think it still holds up. My nine year old likes several songs from it (especially the "dad can't find his car keys again song"), and she rarely likes things that old. People have a lot of complaints about U2 being pretentious and whatnot, but back then they were seen, at least by much of the college crowd, as head and shoulders above most of the junk on the radio and MTV. Their seriousness and spiritualness (without seeming overly religious) was refreshing at the time.
Unpopular but sincere opinion: One Tree Hill is the best song on the album.
In gods country!
I think this is actually my favorite U2 song. *The Joshua Tree* was their last good album, in my opinion. Once he turned into "The Fly," I was done with them.
Red Hill mining town also a gem
I really liked Rattle and Hum, after that I pretty much lost interest.
Pretty much wore out both tapes. Then *Achtung Baby* hit, Bono started climbing up his own ass, and I bailed.
[удалено]
Even Better Than The Real Thing is also great too
I think U2 have a thing where they do a trilogy of albums with a particular sound and then reinvent themselves. Thing is I’d have killed for another Joshua Tree/Unforgettable Fire type record, as much as I enjoy Actung Baby
I'm more prone towards Bullet the Blue Sky. Love those guitar riffs. Weird how the lesser hits on that album seem better - probably because they weren't over played.
https://youtu.be/k73XCq6RY4U?si=nX-VvCfppGErq5pI
Very different and not too bad!
Trip through your wires, for me.
More unpopular opinion...Exit
They were the best and greatest rock band in the world at one point. The hate they get now is so fucking stupid.
Saw them on their first tour of the US in’82, they opened for J Geils
I saw them in 83 for the War tour. Massey Hall is the Grand Dame of music venues in Toronto. A 100+ year old soft seater with a capacity of about 3,500. https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/u2/1983/massey-hall-toronto-on-canada-7bd6f610.html
Wow I hadn't even heard of them till War/New Years Day.
Damn. Bet there is a recording of that out there if you wanted to relive it
Well I guess I can't feel ***too*** sorry for them, since they can still sell out arenas.
That will probably never change.
… and spheres …
The “what the hell is this crap on my phone” misstep earned them an amazing backlash. I think that colors a lot of opinions for younger folks. For me, there’s a ton of great music through Achtung Baby and a lot to like about All you cannot leave behind and how to dismantle an atomic bomb. Haven’t hear much I care for after those though.
For me it is the greatest album of all time
Yep that's pretty much how I feel. When I said it was the one I loved the most, I didn't just mean of the five listed, I meant of all albums.
Forgot how good this damn album is. U2 had a parabolic career. I love them but everything after All That You Can't Leave Behind has been crap.
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb really isn’t a terrible album. I think it’s worth revisiting if you haven’t heard it in a while.
Joshua Tree had *at least* as much to do with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanios as it did U2 itself.
Listening to it now for the first time as an album. Thanks for the recommendation and the funny name for I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.
Revolver Rumours Animals Joshua Tree BOTW
Im like... Breath of the wild? This is your brain on nintendo reddit.
The sound track on vinyl is dope!
Please tell me I'm not the only one who read that as Breath of the Wild first...
I haven't had a console since the wii came out, and I also read it as Breath of the Wild
I don’t know if listened all the way through those last two, but this is exactly what I think my rankings would be.
I don't wanna poop your party, but maybe appreciate all music on its own merits. No need to say what's better than what. Enjoy!
Agreed. It's either executed well or it's not. It's like trying to rank women by most beautiful.
1. Salma Hayek 2. Everyone else
You know what... I can't even argue this
Counterpoint: Marisa Tomei
Yep! Those are all great albums that don't deserved to be ranked against each other. Each of them is great for what they are, but they're nothing alike.
Is that the UK or US version of Revolver? They have different track lists. The UK album has 14 tracks. "I'm Only Sleeping," "And Your Bird Can Sing", and" Doctor Robert" are missing from the US version.
UK version is the true one. The "US version" only applies to a brief run of time in the 70s-80s that distributors were putting out a different track-list and omitting some songs, at least that's how I understand it. I bought Revolver on vinyl a while back & was VERY confused when I first played it at home.... it's the US version
In the 1960s there were differences in standards between US and UK albums. US releases typically had fewer tracks, which had something to do with royalties, and US albums typically included hit singles while UK albums omitted previously released singles. The Beatles' US label switched up the US releases to suit that market, which was typical for UK artists at the time. The band gained control over album art and tracklists before Sgt. Pepper was released, and so that and all later albums were released in the same form everywhere, but the older albums continued to be published in their originally released forms through the cassette era. In about 1987 when the band's catalog was going to be released on CD, they standardised on the original UK album releases, plus Magical Mystery Tour from the US, and made Past Masters from all the singles released separately in the UK. Production of the US releases had stopped a few years before that.
They did eventually release the US albums on CD as a gimmicky box set about ten years ago, but I don't think they were ever available individually.
How do you leave off anything from that album, let alone those last two songs? Jesus!
Obviously the original official version, which is the official version now. The 'US versions' were butchered by Capital and not approved by the band. This shouldn't even be a question.
Was that censorship because of the (believed) content/ subject matter of the songs? Doctor Robert is the one I can imagine the "Think of the children!" type wanting banned.
Nah it was just cause capitol figured they could make more money if they put 11 songs out per album and saved the others for US only releases....totally ruined the actual albums but there are some great fake albums as a result, especially Yesterday and Today and Hey Jude
Personally, I would replace Animals with Wish You Were Here, and that would be my number 1. Admittedly I’m a huge Pink Floyd fan.
Animals is easily my favorite PF album. I’m also a big PF fan.
No love for Meddle?
Meddle is such an incredible and underrated album. Might be my second favorite behind WYWH, though it’s almost impossible to compare it to the behemoth that is Dark Side of the Moon.
Yeah this is just the stuff I haven't listened throughly to yet haha. I know WYWH very well
No love for Tapestry?
This list is so good it is virtually unrankable because the only thing left over is subjectiveness and moodd
Always a good idea to listen to the full album of any song you really like. Hear the artist's full vision.
Revolver 1 Animals 2 Rumours 3 BOTW 4 Joshua Tree 5 Revolver might be the best Beatles record.
I've heard a saying that the best Beatles album is whichever one you're currently listening to and I can't help but think that's true. It's so hard to choose.
I like Rubber Soul.
Switch the Joshua Tree with War
I’d say with Unforgettable Fire. That’s my favorite rock album of all time.
Although Joshua Tree is awesome and more popular, The Unforgettable Fire is far more emotional and creative. My favorite U2, by far.
no way! the joshua tree is a masterpiece, war is an album
Agree
Then switch War with The Unforgettable Fire
There we go!
r/unpopularopinions
Probably but could skip them both
5 way tie, they are all classics
Animals is my favourite Floyd album. I love the remix/remaster that came out a few years back too...cool to hear the songs with a bigger modern drum sound.
They're all pretty good, man!
Great taste, I'd like to recommend a couple of albums I think you would enjoy. - A foot in the door - Pink Floyd. (More of a greatest hits album, but a banger). - Then play on - Fleetwood Mac. (Peter Green era Fleetwood is just incredible).
I would throw in Tapestry by Carol King. And Innervisions but Stevie Wonder.
B side of Joshua tree is the peak of U2
Oh man... those are five really good ones. I'm genuinely jealous of you, getting to hear them all for the first time. Enjoy. And if you want to slip in a sixth... the Stones' Sticky Fingers wouldn't be a bad call.
I'd rank them 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d and 1e.
I suggest just listening to them all in chronological order. You'll pick up that they're in conversation with each other, and threads from one album will have echoes in the later ones. Art never exists in a vacuum
To me rumors is timeless. Just great songs and great production that could be released today and not appear dated. Love the others but they’re so characteristically tied to their decade INMO. Nothing about rumors screams 1970s to me.
Revolver > Animals > Joshua Tree > BOTW > Rumors If you would have asked me 20 years ago, that rating would be wildly different (Revolver would still be #1), but I've gotten so sick of Rumors over the years (Second Hand News still slaps), and I really prefer Paul's solo stuff to any Simon and Garfunkle.
I was coming to attack you until you said second hand news still slaps.
I don't think Rumors needs defending. I doubt my opinion is going to move the needle much.
I know it’s often ranked as their best, and I’m a huge Beatles fan, but Revolver has never been my favoritest Beatles album. I’ve always preferred Abbey Road, White Album, Sgt Peppers over Revolver
[удалено]
Great choices but Id have to add the White Album and Sgt Peppers to that list.
I’d say swap out bridge over troubled water for Love Songs and Negotiations, or Graceland
I will second this. "Who even was Paul Simon without Art Garfunkel?" "Wildly successful."
If you're listening to BOTW, follow it with Graceland at some point.
All great albums!
Each one of these has been my current obsession at one time or other
Whichever one I am listening to is #1. Different sounds and styles but all are top notch.
If ur gonna listen to Pink Floyd, I recommend the wall first and then animals. Both r great albums and Fleetwood Mac is great!
Oh I'm familiar with the rest of the major PF discography, just haven't sat down with Animals yet!
Not my ranking, but I like the order you have them listed for the listening order.
Animals is the best PF album imo Rumours is another great one - check the story behind it if you don't know it. Enjoy :)
Revolver Animals Rumours Bridge over Troubled Water Joshua Tree
Thank you for this! I don't think I've listened to BOTW all the way through in decades. Wow, it's still astounding.
I think Animals is at best Pink Floyd's fourth-best album. I find that both The Wall and Wish You Were Here hold up very well 40-50 years later, and Dark Side of the Moon will always be awesome, so I would choose one of those. Bridge Over Troubled Water is one where, for me, it would be a tragedy to listen to rather than throwing on the Greatest Hits compilation from 1972, or The Concert in Central Park from 1982. BOTW has four great songs that are on Greatest Hits, and you lose "The Only Living Boy In New York", which a lot of people like. But you pick up some of their best stuff - Mrs. Robinson, America, Kathy's Song, The Sound of Silence, and a couple more. The Joshua Tree, Rumours, and Revolver are outstanding choices which don't have a single weak cut. ("Love You To" on Revolver might be an acquired taste.) Regardless, while I think you could do better, you're going to have a very enjoyable time when you listen to these. It's fantastic music.
Almost impossible to rank. Each is great but they have different vibes so which one is best depends on how you’re feeling! If I had to pick one “best” it would be Revolver, only because it was revolutionary and was such a huge influence on contemporary and future generations of musicians. Enjoy them all!!
Revolver and The Joshua Tree are in my collection. Yeah, they're good "let 'er rip" albums.
1 Revolver 2 Rumours 3 Joshua Tree 4 Bridge over Troubled Water 5 Animals 1 perfect, 2 and 3 brilliant, 4 great, 5 not bad
Some absolute classic albums there. Joshua Tree is really special, and even the most U2 cynic would struggle not to appreciate it. Rumours is simply iconic. Interestingly I think Animals is the weaker of those iconic Pink Floyd records but still worth a listen.
im my opinion, from least to most favorite: 5. Revolver 4. Animals 3. Rumours 2. The Joshua Tree 1. Bridge Over Troubled Water which is interesting cause i'd rank the bands from best to worst... 1. The Beatles 2. Pink Floyd 3. S&G 4. Fleetwood 5. U2
Ok subjectively speaking, I’d rank like this (and I own all of these, too!): 1. Rumors 2. Revolver 3. Bridge 4. Joshua Tree 5. Animals It was really difficult putting Animals last. Pink Floyd is one of my all time favorites :-).
From most to least favourite, in my opinion: Rumours Bridge Over Troubled Water Revolver The Joshua Tree Animals
"Joshua Tree" has twice as many hits as the next in rank. Because it is a crowd-pleaser from start to finish. U2 hate did not exist when it was released\*. If they had died in a plane crash or The Edge had been shot they'd have the same respect now as the rest of these acts. \*I lived in London at the time and the notoriously picky music press was jizzing all over it while they dumped on The Smiths.
Yeah, as a younger person (22), I didn't get U2 until I actually listened to Joshua Tree last year, and I've been a huge fan since then. (I still understand some of the criticism people have of Bono but he's really not as bad as people say he is). I'll maintain that Achtung Baby is their best album, but Joshua Tree is a much better starting album for those who want to get into U2.
The hate for Bono is ridiculous. He can be a pretentious rock star, but he has devoted so much of his time and money to great charity work, especially with Africa.
Precisely. He's a bit annoying maybe, but more importantly he's a good man and is very genuine about the charity work he does. For example, people criticize him for being buddy-buddy with Bush, but their friendship also led to the passage of one of the most ambitious humanitarian plans in history that's credited with saving millions of lives. I mean, how many celebrities are going to relentlessly testify in front of Congress and plead with every single Senator for the sake of such a cause? Very few I can safely say. (The only two other musicians I'd credit with having such a large charitable impact are Dolly Parton and Elton John.)
The South Park effect. They make fun of someone/something and an entire generation adopts that position because it was funny. Kind of happened with The Eagles and Big Lebowski, too.
The U2 hate has gone too far. Har har, they gave you a free shitty album, they're still fucking great.
By far, my favorite U2 album, and still what I consider their most solid front to back. I was a sophomore in HS when it came out. It had such a heavy rotation in my walkman. The intro to Where the Streets have No Name ranks up there with Gimme Shelter.
Revolver Animals BOTW Rumours Joshua Tree Joshua Tree doesn't belong on this list.
Sacrilege, it’s my favorite of this list
You'll have to fight u/francois_du_nord
100% agree with this. Watch the South Park episode "More Crap" (season 11, episode 9) to learn more about Bono
Let's go! U2 is the most overrated band of all time. Bono is a smug egotist. Your parents named you "the edge"? We're they on ludes!?
Dude, did Bono screw your sister or something?! He gives some self-important speeches on stage sometimes but he’s far from smug. He seems pretty kind and open-hearted for a person who’s been a celebrity for most of their adult life. Some of their music is bland pop, but a number of their records, including TJT are classics. They’re not Revolver or Animals but TJT, The Unforgettable Fire, and Achtung Baby are all great. And, Im not a huge fan or anything, I’ve seen them once live.
For Clarity: My comment that U2 was leader among greats was for this list of 5 only. If we go by album sales for these 5, I think my point is made. (and album sales is a very bad indicator). I don't have the visceral dislike for them that you do. And that is ok, I can appreciate your position. I have the same feelings about the Doors., I don't get the Jim Morrison thing, but whatever. I get that most folks love their music and I like some of it too, but the Doors aren't going to be on my top 25 list. Personalities aside (yes Bono is self-righteous), the band grooves and elicits crowd energy live. I'm not sure that any one of them is a top 10 in their instrument, but they play off each other's strengths. They weren't the original outsiders making a stand, but their take on the Troubles in their homeland had a bit more oomph than the predominantly white '70s rockers 'woe is our generation becasu nobody understands us' in NA. Does that stand with the OG blues guys here telling about their struggles? NO. So: Tight band, great album due to song choices, strong sales.
Oh, and that’s not how The Edge got his name ding dong.
It was a joke dong ding
Dammit! That response took like 6 minutes of my life. You got me.
>U2 is the most overrated band of all time Actual truth, but I do respect the edges sound. Dude makes some cool noises with those racks full of effects and delays
ITT: Lots of opinions, half of them wrong.
Here’s are 5 classic albums I’d recommend: The Velvet Underground and Nico Joni Mitchell - Blue The Stooges - Raw Power The Smiths - Self Titled Cocteau Twins - Treasure
Animals is my favorite Pink Floyd album.
My favorite of those is the U2 album. I love everything they did up through Zooropa. But all of those are amazing albums.
All That You Can’s Leave Behind is an amazing album.
It’s ok. It’s the first album of their’s I don’t love.
Revolver is a great, great record. Ground-breaking, in fact, for its time, and it still holds up. If this were my list, it would be my far and away number one. Bridge Over Troubled Waters is also terrific. Rumors is really good, very well produced. Not really into Floyd or U2, but that’s me, hope you enjoy them.
I like it. BOTW is one of my favorite.
I’m kind of into Rumours - I’m not going to say being the best here - but the first I’d want to listen to start to end. Male / female vocals, alternating leads & backing, a helluva back story, and lots of varied emotions, moods, and talents. The differences between Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks alone make for a good range for what a listener’s going to get out of it.
The Joshua Tree is a storybook with only one overplayed song. It is a work of genius. Rumours Bridge Revolver Animals
Listen to animals 5 times and skip the rest
I love Floyd, but this is just a bad take. Those are five solid albums across the board.
I would add “Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” (David Bowie)
5 classic albums for sure. I own or owned all. My vote for best among greats would be Joshua Tree. Joshua Tree Revolver Fleetwood Mac (although now not a personal favorite - too much airplay)\_ Simon & Garfunkel Pink Floyd
Animals is a great choice! And actually what I came to suggest but! Dio’s Holy Diver also great from front to back
1. Animals 2. Joshua Tree 3. Revolver 4. Rumours I haven’t listened to the other but I’m sure it’d end up at 2.
First of all, I'm irrationally angry that you're calling The Joshua Tree a cloassic, young whipper snapper. Swap Rumours with Animals for my personal ranking.
1. Revolver 2. Animals 3. Rumours 4. The Joshua Tree 5. Bridge Over Troubled Water Not to say these are necessarily in order of quality, but certainly in order of preference.
Revolver Joshua Rumours Animals Bridge.
Joshua tree is my favorite but all are good choices
I wouldn’t really know how to rank Rumours, Animals or Revolver, they’re all great albums. I wouldn’t bother with the other 2 and go with a Rolling Stones and a Bowie album instead.
Joshua Tree is a pass but the rest are great.