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  1. I'm the same, sometimes I like just the songs - goes for a good few bands - but there's those select few that you love the entire album or feel the album is more a representation of the band. I'm like that with Alice Cooper (as some of you are fully aware) - started with the 1997 live album and ended up with 25 albums!!!

    GnR are and were a band that once you found the one album - for me it started with ChiDem (so it's got a special connection in that way) and then to Appetite, Lies and the Illusions - and I've also got a real current thing going for Spaghetti Incident, the album so many forget and think what a load of crap - I love it. But then I've found plenty of bands that I've bought an album from and then loved it so much that I've gone on to buying multiple albums from that very band.

    Still don't have Live Era. And also - I'm going right back through the history of rock and roll, the blues and the progressive rock movement; I'm actually really enjoying it, hearing songs that stay with me for a long time. Getting back to GnR, there's songs that I've never forgotten and will remember for a long time yet: Patience, Rocket Queen, Estranged, Coma, Locomotive, My World (seriously), Bad Obsession, Civil War, 14 Years, Yesterdays, You Could Be Mine, Don't Cry, My Michelle, Nightrain, Shackler's Revenge, Prostitute, Catcher In The Rye - and the list goes on.

    That's incredible when a band who had so few albums (and likely will never have another one, new line-up or not) you can think of 10-plus songs that are so good that there's plenty more to go. How I'd have loved to have been around buying music and being 'mature' and 'older and wiser' in 1991 - 1994.

    And now being my own person and my own self and thinking / knowing for myself, I have this great wealth of music that's undescribable in so many ways because it's so fucking unreal. Did people really make music like this in those days.
  2. I think one of the differences between today and 15-20 years ago was that albums were much more important - mp3's and CD/cassette singles were that popular here in North America, so you had to buy (and then might as well listen to) to all the music.

    After we did that Top 100 songs list back in December/January, I was one a few of us who suggested that we follow it up with a Top Albums chart. However, some people stated that it might not work as they know individual songs by many bands but not the entire album.

    Anyway, I too like The Spaghetti Incident. Songs like 'New Rose,' 'Human Being,' and 'Ain't it Fun?" are great!
  3. Down On The Farm, I Don't Care About You and Attitude are definitely three I'd go for - but Human Being and Ain't It Fun, most definitely.

    Albums as a whole seem to have died, relatively in all age groups - but at least the vinyl record is coming back. That I'm cool with; you only have to see the success of Record Store Day for the proof of how popular those are. I've bought two from that myself. I was speaking with a store owner yesterday and he said the amount of records versus the CD he's sold in 18 months has been astounding - and this is an independent store too.

    I don't think it's down to downloading exclusively; maybe the quality over quantity has diminished, or the extra tracks you get on some albums makes people a little wary of being ripped off - and who can blame them. There's been numerous albums where sometimes the bonus tracks are better than some core tracks. Sadly, I can't even remember the last single I bought but I can remember the last album I bought - for the record it was the new Slash album, and I'm still not getting it - the last one, so far to me is much more exciting).

    Top albums chart eh. I'd be up for that. I can only name maybe 20 or so though that would be totally up there. But then if people wanna take part they can, if they don't they don't.
  4. The majority of my albums would fall in the years 1987 to 1997 - Appetite for Destruction (to attempt to stay somewhat on topic) would obviously be included.
  5. It's hard for me to say what my favourite album of all time would be - well actually it's not but you might get a real surprise; and yes it's from 1995. Ah there's two, and both of those would be greater than any U2 album (although that would come maybe second or third).

    Not sure Appetite would hit my top 10 - overall; I can only really listen to maybe 3-4 songs off it for some reason; Rocket Queen being the top pick. I think UYI2 would be the only one. Probably 70% of the albums would be from the years 1988 - 1998, a few from the last 10 years and a few from the years before 1988.

    Let's do it then shall we. (And BTW where's the Bush thread?)
  6. I'm glad my rants about other bands have spawned a new "album" thread

    I think one of the differences between today and 15-20 years ago was that albums were much more important - mp3's and CD/cassette sigles were that popular here in North America


    not sure what you're trying to say there rummy...

    The single was an old, cheap format accessible to young kids, bands like the Stones & Beatles came up in a time, when singles were usually not included on albums, making the albums the format for a slightly more mature audience. After a while they would sometimes cash in with an album assembled from previous singles and B-sides (The Stones' 5x12 for example, check it out).

    The switch comes circa 1966, for example Jimi Hendrix' first two singles (Hey Joe & Purple Haze) were not on the UK version of his first album, but were on the US version.

    Then slowly AOR started to come into view, a radio format tied into a musical evolution in which bands discarded the idea that you had to have singles in order to become popular, instead building on albums and concerts. Pink Floyd, or Zep in that era are good examples, having evolved from a singles oriented bands.

    When U2 came about, their first idea was to follow other singles oriented bands such as the Jam, Police and the Clash, but it didn't work out for them, so they almost became an album oriented band, until JT scored them big hits.

    By that time the single with its video became an ad for the album, artists like Jackson, Madonna and Springsteen pushed as many singles off an album (>5) to keep the album in the spotlight. JT might've generated that any singles, had RHM not been scrapped and had OTH and IGC been given worldwide releases.

    But a lot of people bought albums, just because of one single!
    I know I did, for example Alice in Chains: Dirt, but also G'nR Appetite.

    G'n R are a bit of both worlds, album oriented and singles to promote the albums. I bought Appetite because of Jungle, which got some video airplay in the late hours on MTV.

    Cassingles are like CDsingles, video singles or EPs: a limited format in popularity, mostly as they don't make much sense to most buyers.

    The mp3 as a format is relatively new, as well as the idea that you could just pick and choose tracks from an album, as a menu in a restaurant...

    I think people are missing out on albums. But maybe I'm nostalgic.
  7. I was simply speaking from my own personal experiences (which I usually) in music stores 15-20 years ago.

    In the ones I visited, there weren't many singles - in any format - so if there was a song I really liked, I had to purchased the entire album. This sometimes turned out to be a good thing (e.g., Radiohead's Pablo Honey) and sometimes a not-so-good thing (e.g., the Batman Forever soundtrack).

    I never regretted buying any of the GNR albums.
  9. Admittedly, I've never taken much time to listen to Slash's solo music.

    Thoughts?
  10. It's actually very good. You should get listening to it, there is some great stuff on both albums.

    Also, you should invest in 'Made In Stoke' - a live album which featuring Myles Kennedy and the rest of Slash's band. They are brilliant live. I've seen them myself and I wasn't disappointed. He plays his solo stuff, Guns N' Roses stuff, Velvet Revolver stuff and Slash's Snakepit stuff.
  11. Thanks for the recommendations.

    I think I'll look into that live album first.
  12. Slash's solo stuff is really good. Straight-up rock and roll - the second album isn't bad either.
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U2start is run by fans for fans. Help us reduce personal costs. Consider to make a donation to support us.
U2start is run by fans for fans. Help us reduce personal costs. Consider to make a donation to support us.