Hi! Here are 50 of Alfred's favorite albums

no Press to Play? this is a solid list

^^^ right there, that's it, yes

Might vote Controversy because it’s very underrated imho

Not underrated on ilm tho

Kinda surprised to see 'Get Up With It' as the Miles Davis pick on multiple lists, I'll have to go back to that (if I were to put something from the electric era it would probably be In a Silent Way, Jack Johnson, or Agharta).

Also a lot of New Amerykah pt. 1, which is definitely the darker and more ambitious one, but at some point I realized that pt. 2 was the one I kept reaching for and is actually a perfect album.

Eno/Cale – Wrong Way Up

Props for this bold pick

'Controversy' always falls off for me after the first track. :(

Voting Maxwell on this one btw. :)

Around 22 of my faves! Good list. "Dog Man Star"!

When everyone gets this out of their systems, I'd love for some of you more OCD-minded folks to methodically figure out the most conspicuous album(s) missing from all of these lists.

Chose "Cosmic Thing" because, seeing its name, I suddenly had to listen to it RIGHT AWAY

Kinda surprised to see 'Get Up With It' as the Miles Davis pick on multiple lists, I'll have to go back to that (if I were to put something from the electric era it would probably be In a Silent Way, Jack Johnson, or Agharta).

I almost went with Sorcerer, but GUWI's ambient parts have become part of the fabric of my evenings.

Quite a few artists on there where I would have picked a different album!

yea well thats what makes these lists interesting

Eno/Cale is an interesting pick I've been playing that album a lot lately. think its real good outside of some very dated drum loops.

Hejira

went with Copper Blue. not totally sure it's my fave from this list but I'm mostly endorsing it's inclusion.

None of these are in any order btw

some very dated drum loops.

― frogbs, Tuesday, August 22, 2023 10:22 AM (one hour ago)

smh. I'm tired of the rampant ageism and/or slut-shaming on ilm!

was going to keep voting for Brazilians but I'm stuck on Ben v. Gil

Interesting list, love most of these albums! Was inclined to vote EnoCale but there’s no way that great album is better than Controversy

fuck you alfred I can't deny most of this

Weight of These Wings. Several artists on the list like Willie, Eno and EBTG that I love but would pick a different album. chaque un a son gout -- that what makes these lists so great.

That Eno/Cale album is such a gorgeous, intricate little thing. Love the programming!

Badu again ... can't not vote for what is her best album as well as the album tied for 21st century's best so far

The Head on the Door really is a perfect album so that

think its real good outside of some very dated drum loops.

― frogbs, Tuesday, August 22, 2023 10:22 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

The drum loops are part of the charm!

Utah Saints

I just listened to the Bandsplain episode about the Cure which prompted a fresh listen to several of the albums, and yeah, The Head on the Door takes this for me.

Street Life is such a weirdly great comp. I love that it's chronological, but skipping between Roxy and solo Ferry cuts, and omitting well known album cuts like "The Thrill of it All" and "Both Ends Burning" while making room for "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (which I just found actually was a UK single) makes it flow more like an eccentric fan mixtape than a greatest hits album.

Still, my vote. Apologies to Cosmic Thing.

"Eccentric fan mixtape" is why I love it and what made it a good sampler. I spent the summer of '93 using Street Life as a Roxy buying guide.

Glad to see Hearsay by Alexander O'Neal, as I loved the singles that made it to KIIS-FM in the mid-'80s (it was damn-near impossible to get KROQ if you lived north of the Cajon Pass, but somehow 102.7 made the trip to Barstow via cable!?), especially "Fake", "Innocent", and the one he did with Cherrelle, "Saturday Love"

I realize some of those weren't on Hearsay...still great songs tho

was entirely happy that this was supreme clientele until I saw overpowered

When I think about Supreme Clientele
I'm overpowered

Thanks for getting me to listen to Spirit in the Dark today

The drum loops are part of the charm!

i agree actually but they sound so compressed in a way that kinda screams "badly encoded MP3" to me

Fuck yeah. One of her singer-songwriter albums.

I was very tempted to put Oceans Apart on my list but I went with 16 Lovers Lane. The 80s is their era tbf. Oceans Apart is a beautiful swansong (even if it wasn't intended as such). "Darlinghurst Nights", one of their greatest tunes. Nostalgia isn't always a bad thing.

Good morning!

(Version 2.0 it is)

Fuck yeah. One of her singer-songwriter albums.

― the dreaded dependent claus (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, August 22, 2023 2:37 PM (thirty-six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Due for a reappraisal? Not one of the three or four I see commonly mentioned, though listening through for the first time in years, I've no clue why. I enjoyed this Nick Marino review.

shit i knew i forgot some. Eno/Cale might be my vote.

First thought: Gaucho
Second thought: Supreme Clientele
Third thought: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (that could easily have been on my list; I lived in L.A. during the fall of 1990 and listened to that album daily)

Cube

fever!

god, when that album's on I feel like I can take out Donald Trump with one hand.

Garbage – Version 2.0

I don't love it quite enough to vote for it here, but warms my heart to see this here!

Still my favorite album of 1998.

I'm very surprised to find myself voting for Second Edition from an Alfred album list but sometimes life throws you curveballs

lol why so?

I need votes for Electronic!

xpost Because I have great appreciation for your taste in pop! Voting for PiL in this context feels like the time I visited Shiloh on a third grade field trip and bought a Garfield book at the gift shop.

ha! I just voted PiL here too

impossible. voted aretha

impossible. voted JESSE WARE.

I hope to see more Amy Grant votes.

I’ll get my mum to create an account

Gaucho for me because i couldn’t pick one for my own

voted for ghostface

hoping somebody polls the polls so I can vote for alfred's

Plenty of agreeable options here. :)

Ghostface gets my vote for somehow never getting stale.

Alfred you picked the right Sleater Kinney record

You're welcome!

Nice to see Wrong Way Up in one of these! Although I ended up picking Rio.

Cosmic Thing, just over Hot Rock and Gaucho. Lotta good options here!

Thanks!

Cosmic Thing would have been my next choice, probably

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

africa brasil vs expresso 2222
^ this is the real fight here

Dog Man Star because it is my favourite album of all time

sometimes it's mine

...until I blast Expresso 2222

Number of albums heard: 19

Favourite: Hejira over PiL

Least-favourite: So; the Garbage record has some catchy songs but ruined by the mix and mastering

Nicest surprise: Spirit in the Dark and The A List

Unheard, but most want to hear: Gil, Go-Betweens

every heartbeat bears your name
loud and clear they state my claim

I'm simple but I'm no fool.

midtown 120 blooz

New Amerykah Part One followed by Midtown 120 Blues

Oh crap my eyes just skipped right over Sprinkles :(

i haven't been devoting much time to these kinda polls but i would be remiss to let this one pass by w/ no comment. i voted for alexander o neal - hearsay just to give it some love. but what a list

ugh, I just realized: no Janet albums here.

Ultimately went with Ice Cube, because seeing it on this list caused me to listen to it for the first time in probably 20 years, and holy fuck, that is one of the all-time solo debuts. Just a masterpiece.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

OK, whoa, I underestimated the Copper Blue and Submarine Bells lobbyists.

"the slim" is one of bob's best songs, maybe his absolute peak so far

Utah Saints is my no. 2 btw

thats right

can't remember if I voted in this or not, but it would have been for the winner, just edging out So

Who voted for 808 State?

ha that's a great and diverse top 5

sad Prince didn't win so nobody could make the obvious dadjoek

808 is my No. 3

I'm impressed by the Copper Blue love, it was one of the few I was considering but I went with Gaucho.

40 of the 50 albums got at least one vote, wonder if that's a record

in fact I kinda wonder if anyone here could design a poll where all 50 get at least one...probably impossible :)

I think statistically, the gap from 40 to 49 to 50 getting each one vote is exponential. I wouldn't be surprised if you needed 200 votes for a normal distribution to cover every base.
I seriously considered voting for Walking Wounded though.

you may need even more than that to have a >50% shot at it, though I can't say I remember the formula. 15 years ago I could've told you :)

that said the trick is in knowing the individual users on this site and which albums they would feel forced to vote for...without taking away from the other voters. only the top 1% of skilled ILXors could do it.

40 of the 50 albums got at least one vote, wonder if that's a record

*bows*1

This thread caused me to pick up a used cd of Garbage 2.0 & boy did I end up enjoying the heck outta it. Voted for the winner!

Interesting results. I have no idea what that #1 album even is.

this is a very enjoyable list to look at

2 votes for Amy Grant, 2 votes for Kylie…

Alfred, this is the best list

Everything But The Girl – Walking Wounded 0
Wire – The A List 0
Electronic – Electronic 0
Garbage – Version 2.0 0
René & Angela – Street Called Desire 0
Lil Wayne – Tha Carter II 0
Sleater-Kinney – The Hot Rock 0
Rosanne Cash – King’s Record Shop 0
Pet Shop Boys – Please 0
Dolly Parton – The Essential Dolly Parton 0

this alone is a great list! i think my EBTG choice these days is amplified heart tho. that cassette gets worn out in our home. carter II is a wonderful choice, i almost voted for it. old ILM and my boyfriend both weep over the 0 for pet shop boys.

it can't be denied, alfred has great taste in music

Can't remember if I voted. If I did, probably gave my vote to So, but the Electronic album is nearly as good

thanks, bros :)