5 most listened to albums?

[JonInMiddleGA]

I think Greatest Albums has been Rushmored here, I know there have been discussions about favorite albums, but my question is more specifically about time spent listening than personal critique.

Basic question is "What 5 albums have you listened to the most?"

The guidelines (since I anticipate some of you wondering) are roughly as follows

a) Must be based on entire albums. You don’t have to have listened to all the songs equally but the question isn’t “what song”, it’s “what album”. Tracks you heard over & over on radio don’t count toward the listening requirement, neither does “Mix Tape #7″ that had songs from 7 different bands. No, not even if you wore out that mix tape, sorry.

b) This is about time spent listening, not necessarily your all-time favorite albums. The two lists would probably be similar for many people but they’re actually two different questions. For example, you may have liked something better in a different part of your life but had less time to listen. Whatever the case, the question in play is about the repeated listening, not your critique.

c) The format doesn’t matter. Album, 8-track, cassette, CD, they all count the same for the purpose of the question. Given the popularity of single tracks in the digital era, I’ll accept the notion that multiple tracks from the same project could be the rough equivalent of an album. Those you didn’t buy would be a cheaper equivalent to fast-forwarding is my logic here. That’ll offend some musical purists I’m sure, but this is a somewhat casual list, it’s not going to define anyone’s place in musical history.

My own top 5 to get things started, not necessarily in perfect order

1) Triumph Stages
2) Iron Maiden Live After Death
3) Scorpions World Wide Live
4) Dokken Tooth and Nail
5) Johnny Horton Greatest Hits

A longer version of my answers/commentary/explanation are on my blog (as is the question) but I thought it was a good enough question to post here for a wider audience.

Jon's Three Cents | Because two cents worth isn't always enough (http://jonsthreecents.wordpress.com/)

[Mustang]

1. Adam and the Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier
2. Adam and the Ants - Prince Charming
3. Holland - Little Monsters
4. The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
5. GnR - Appetite for Destruction

Close... Thunder Seven / Poison - Poison (probably a coin flip.. played the crap out of both these in high school)

Most of the full albums that I listened to the most would have been from teens forward. I don't typically buy full albums now so, rare to have a full album so that eliminates alot of new stuff. The Adam and the Ants ones I have owned on 3 formats - Album, Cassette and CD.

[johnnyshaka]

Great topic, Jon.

I've had to replace these CDs/cassettes at least once over the years. All of these albums were worn out during my days of riding the bus to school or work. Man, I can't imagine spending that much time on a bus without having this stuff to listen to.

1. The Black Crowes - Shake Your Money Maker
2. Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
3. Faith No More - The Real Thing
4. Counting Crows - August and Everything After
5. Guns 'n' Roses - Appetite For Destruction

[Fonzie]

1. Journey - Escape
2. Rush - Moving Pictures
3. Rush - Permanent Waves
4. Journey - Frontiers
5. TIE: Yes - Fragile & 90125

The majority of my album-listening was done in high school/college, with Journey peaking in HS and the prog rock bands in college. The car stereo still gets a decent workout from time to time and features a slightly more diverse collection of music. But only slightly. :)

[duff88]

1. Megadeth - Killing is my Business... And Business is Good
2. Millencolin - Same Old Tunes
3. Pennywise - Unknown Road
4. Rise Against - Appeal to Reason
5. Billy Talent - Billy Talent II

I tend to listen to punk rock albums over and over again, even though it can get repetitive.

[Mustang]

5. Guns 'n' Roses - Appetite For Destruction

Gah.. actually THIS would be in my top 5 easily. Can't believe I missed it.

[Schmidty]

I'm cheating because I almost always listen to 1a-d at least once per day. I honestly don't know which I've listened to most over the years, but it's one of those 4, so they share the spot.

1a. Pavement - Wowee Zowee
1b. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
1c. Pavement - Brighten the Corners
1d. Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
2. Don McLean - Favorites and Rarities
3. Dan Fogelberg - Souvenirs (My first CD)
4. Queen - A Night at the Opera (My second CD)
5. Metallica - Black album (I can't stand them anymore because of an old roommate who ONLY listened to this crap)

My list probably isn't accurate after 1a-d and 2, but oh well. This was a tough one.

[Sublime 2]

1. Green Day - Dookie
2. RATM - Evil Empire
3. Offspring - Smash
4. Sublime - Sublime
5. White Zombie - Astro Creep: 2000

Pretty sure these 5 lived (interchangeably) in my 3 disc cd player in high school.

[sabotai]

1. Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction
2. Nirvana - From The Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
3. Deftones - Adrenaline
4. Alice In Chains - Dirt
5. Ill Niño - Revolution Revolución

1 was easily my most listened to album in high school. Partly because I rarely owned albums. Most of the music I listened to, I recorded off the radio. 2, 3 and 4 were my most listened to in college. Well, the first few years anyway. I'd say from the tail end of my sophomore year to the end of college, I listened to a LOT of different bands and albums, so even though I found a ton of great new music during that time, nothing was a "listen to every day for 2 or more years" like 1-4 on my list, mostly because I was off to find the next band so quickly.

5 on my list was released not too long after I graduated college. I was dating someone who lived an hour and half from me, and that CD got played on the way there, on the way back, and every day to and from work during the week for a good year.

Honorable Mentions: Korn - Self Titled, Orgy - Candyass, Metallica - Master of Puppets, System of a Down - Self Titled, Slipknot - Self Titled, Static-X - Wisconsin Death Trip (these all got considerable play time for long periods of time, just not as much as the above)

EDIT: It just occurred to me. If you asked me my all time favorite band, I would easily say TOOL. But I didn't include them on my list....I think that has to do with me loving all of their albums so their time got split among all of their albums. Most of the bands I stated (including the HMs) were one album wonders for me. 4 of the top 5 bands (Deftones, Nirvana, GNR and Ill Niño) were definitely one album bands. I liked all of Nirvana's other albums, but I for the longest time, From The Muddy Banks was the only CD from them I owned, which is why it got tons of play. Deftones, GNR and Ill Niño, I didn't care for their other releases except for maybe 1 or 2 songs. System, Metallica, Alice In Chains and Static-X are the only bands that released full albums I would listen to on a regular basis aside from the ones I listed.

[Young Drachma]

This changes for me all of the time because of my music listening patterns and how I go about it. (I deliberately explore new genres and crate dig to get old/new stuff) so depending on when you ask me, I'd have a different answer.

I went to a last.fm app (http://lastfm.sivy.net) to tell me my album listening history, because I know what I have for the year is a bit different than what I'd been doing over the years.

So I have the data pulled and I went through and adjusted for the anomalies (albums I overplayed, for one or two songs) and here's what I came up with:

1. Interpol - Antics (http://www.last.fm/music/Interpol/Antics) (2004)
2. Laura Veirs - Year of Meteors (http://www.last.fm/music/Laura+Veirs/Year+of+Meteors) (2005)
3. Live - Throwing Copper (http://www.last.fm/music/Live/Throwing+Copper) (1994)
4. Madrugada - Industrial Silence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Silence) (1999)
5. Fiona Apple - When The Pawn... (http://www.last.fm/music/Fiona+Apple/When+the+Pawn+Hits+the+Conflicts+He+Thinks+Like+a+King...)

I could go back to what I was overplaying a decade ago, but I've spent the past bunch of years making up for the lost time I didn't have back then. I had a voracious musical appetite, just relatively limited exposure and no one in my circle listening to the kinds of bands that I now consider part of my staple music diet.

[JonInMiddleGA]

EDIT: It just occurred to me. If you asked me my all time favorite band, I would easily say TOOL. But I didn't include them on my list....

This is one of the things I thought made this kind of interesting. As I explained on the blog, if you asked me outside of this question I would have told you that I really didn't care for live albums much. Imagine my surprise when I had three of them in my most listened to list. It makes sense after I thought about it a bit butit wasn't something I was really conscious of.

[CrimsonFox]

1. Green Day - Dookie
2. RATM - Evil Empire
3. Offspring - Smash
4. Sublime - Sublime
5. White Zombie - Astro Creep: 2000

Pretty sure these 5 lived (interchangeably) in my 3 disc cd player in high school.

Sublime 2 I have a question. What is your favorite band?:funkychickendance:

[CrimsonFox]

Love this question, Jon.

Okay I might edit this but:

1. Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon
2. Rush, Grace Under Pressure
3. Yes, The Yes Album
4. Genesis, Duke/A Trick of the Tail
5. David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

[Izulde]

It's been a long, long time since I listened to a full album. However, just off the top of my head, the most five listened to albums are, in no particular order:

1. Boyz II Men - Cooleyhighharmony (the original)
2. Boyz II Men - II
3. Poxy Boggards - Lager Than Life
4. Shai - ...If I Ever Fall In Love
5. Batman Forever OST

I still think the Batman Forever soundtrack is probably one of the most varied, best quality ones of all time.

Just missing the cut were Boyz II Men Evolution and The Merry Wives of Windsor Here's To The Men. As I said, most of my time the last several years has been spent on singles, although the Poxy Boggards snuck in there as the most recent entry with TMWOW just behind.

[frnk55]

In no order

1. AcDc - Back In Black
2. Blind Faith - Blind Faith
3. The Band - Rock Of Ages
4. April Wine - Nature Of The Beast
5. Any Grateful Dead

[cartman]

U2 - The Joshua Tree
Paul Simon - Graceland
The Beatles - Abbey Road
N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton
Sublime - Sublime

[SteveMax58]

No particular order

La Sexorcisto - White Zombie
Vulgar Display of Power - Pantera
Abbey Road - The Beatles
Metallica(Black Album) - Metallica
The Geto Boys - Geto Boys

[fantom1979]

Seven Mary Three -- American Standard
Pearl Jam -- Ten
Nirvana -- Nevermind
Genesis -- We Can't Dance
Alanis Morissette -- Jagged Little Pill

[Draft Dodger]

Van Halen - Van Halen
Def Leppard - Pyromania
Prince - Purple Rain
Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV

[CrimsonFox]

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz2zVcO9Eus :D

The fifth point at 1:00 in is of course the most important :)

[Suicane75]

Damn, this was hard.

1. Grateful Dead- American Beauty
2. Replacements- Tim
3. Wilco- Summerteeth
4. Pernice Brothers- Overcome By Happiness
5. Aimee Mann- Magnolia Soundtrack

[tarcone]

1) Led Zeppelin-- Led Zeppelin 2
2) Guns and Roses- Appetite for Destruction
3) Blondie- Blondies Greatest Hits
4) Heavy Metal Soundtrack
5) Johnny Cash- Legend of Johnny Cash

[Vince, Pt. II]

1. Guns 'n Roses - Appetite for Destruction
2. Garth Brooks - Double Live Album
3. Dave Matthews Band - Crash
4. The Goo Goo Dolls - Dizzy Up the Girl
5. Ben Folds - University A Capella

I have three albums that are basically 5b through 5d:

Live - Throwing Copper
Kansas - Live at the Whiskey
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Let's Face It

Great question. One, two and three for me are in the proper order, the last five I mention may be jumbled around in order, but they're clearly the ones.

[Landshark44]

1. soundgarden- superunknown
2. puddle of mud- come clean
3. rush- all the worlds a stage
4. ac/dc- back in black
5. U2- achtung baby

[Buccaneer]

As far as rock albums, mainly because I have had (and listened to) these for decades, thus most listened to:

Pink Floyd - The Wall (can't believe I've been listening to that consistently for over 30 years now)
Pink Floyd - Pulse
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
U2 - Joshua Tree
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Rick Wakeman - White Rock (my oldest album)

Newer albums that I haven't had as long but gets a lot of play:
GnR - Appetite for Destruction
Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
Heart - Dreamboat Annie (Live)

Interestingly, my rock singles plays are a whole different list (like November Rain is in my top 5 but the album isn't).

[Glengoyne]

Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Pink Floyd - Wish You were Here
Nick Drake - Pink Moon
Elton John - Madman Across the Water

I'm tempted to add Billy Joel's 52nd street or Tracy Chapman's Tracy Chapman somewhere on there.

[Sun Tzu]

In no particular order...

Pink Floyd - Animals : I've always had a fetish for 10+ minute songs with extended instrumental sessions. This one fit the bill perfectly.

~ Favorite cut - Dogs

TOOL - Lateralus : The first non-mainstream album from the best prog rock band in history.

~ Favorite cut - Reflection

TOOL - 10,000 Days : I think this was in my car for a year straight...

~ Favorite cut - Wings/10k days

Guns n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction : The greatest single rock album in history.

~ Favorite cut - Nightrain

Alice in Chains - Facelift : A heroin laced, selft-loathing, mental fuck of an album. Genius.

~ Favorite cut - Love, Hate, Love

[bob]

My guess would be:

The Refreshments - Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magic
Alice in Chains - Dirt
Seven Mary Three - Rock Crown
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger

Missed the cut:
Nirvana - Nevermind
Pearl Jam - Ten
Pearl Jam - Vs
Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers - Americano

[lcjjdnh]

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Pavement
Slanted and Enchanted, Pavement
The Clash, The Clash
London Calling, The Clash
Revolver, The Beatles

[EagleFan]

Newer albums that I haven't had as long but gets a lot of play:
GnR - Appetite for Destruction
Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
Heart - Dreamboat Annie (Live)


I don't think newer means what he thinks it does.... :D

[Dutch]

I could just about put the list together just reading the other entries...

1. U2 - The Joshua Tree
2. Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magic
3. Def Leppard - Pyromania
4. Beastie Boys - Check Your Head
5. Prince - Purple Rain

...had to throw in the Beastie Boys though.

[EagleFan]

Interesting topic. Off the top of my head I would have to say (in no particular order)

Def Leppard - Pyromania
Shinedown - Leave a Whisper
Metallica - S & M
Staind - The Singles
Queensryche - Operation LIVEcrime


What may be close to the list is the soundtrack to The Lost Boys, loved that soundtrack.

[Buccaneer]

I don't think newer means what he thinks it does.... :D

Part of it depends upon when one actually gets the album. ;)

[TheOhioStateUniversity]

Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
Nas - Illmatic
N.E.R.D - In Search Of...
Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor
Kanye West - The College Dropout

Honorable Mentions:

Jill Scott's discography, Joe - All that I Am, Teedra Moses - Complex Simplicity, Rahsaan Patterson's discography,...I could go on and on

[judicial clerk]

Neat topic:

GNR, Appetite for Destruction
U2, The Joshua Tree
The Eagles, Greatest Hits 71-75
Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA
Beastie Boys, License to Ill
AC/DC, Back in Black

[Young Drachma]

Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
Nas - Illmatic
N.E.R.D - In Search Of...
Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor
Kanye West - The College Dropout

Honorable Mentions:

Jill Scott's discography, Joe - All that I Am, Teedra Moses - Complex Simplicity, Rahsaan Patterson's discography,...I could go on and on

I went on a big Teedra Moses kick the other night. The College Dropout holds up so well compared to his bombast right now and that N.E.R.D. was game changing too. That Jill Scott was great when it hit. It was like "who IS this?" I overplayed that in the car for sure.

[Autumn]

Great question. Hmmm... yeah mine would be pretty much dictated by what I listened to when I was about 18-20, and spent every day listening to my at the time much smaller collection of albums.

Cure - Disintegration
U2 - Achtung Baby
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Godfodder
Red Hot Chili Peppers - bloodsugarsexmagic

[cuervo72]

Hmm. Off the top of my head:

Michael Jackson, Thriller. First "real" album my brother and I owned (not counting Muppets 2, or the read-along to Star Wars). We played it on an old stereo console in the basement.

Aerosmith, Pump/Motley Crue, Dr. Feelgood. Counting these as one as, my friend Brant had copied each to one side of the same Memorex tape for me. I'd play one side then flip it over for the other all the time.

Pink Floyd, A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Fell asleep to this many a night my freshman year, as this was one of the favorites of my freshman roommate....

The Phantom of the Opera....and this was one of the first CDs my sophomore roommate got, and played nearly every night. And yes, he was straight.

U2 - Rattle and Hum. One of the first CDs I owned. It shared time with Phantom. Great assortment of songs to play along to on the keyboard.

[TheOhioStateUniversity]

I went on a big Teedra Moses kick the other night. The College Dropout holds up so well compared to his bombast right now and that N.E.R.D. was game changing too. That Jill Scott was great when it hit. It was like "who IS this?" I overplayed that in the car for sure.

A Teedra fan! Teedra Moses is reminiscent of early 90's R&B in my eyes, SWVish. Very underrated, hopefully her upcoming album "Young Lioness?" marks the beginning of her ascension to the table with those such as Alicia Keys. Kanye's first album exuded hunger and pure hip hop essence. I agree that his subsequent works have been... hit or miss.

[BYU 14]

Good thread, most of mine go back to the 70's and 80's and I still listen to them to this day.

Cheap Trick - Live at Budokan (Favorite band, best live album ever IMO)
Boston - Boston (Just a ground breaking effort)
Scorpions - Blackout (To me no filler on this album at all)
Guns 'N Roses - Appetite for Destruction (Another rock solid album track to track)
Queen - News of the World (so much more than We will Rock you/We are the Champions - Listen to It's Late and Spread Your wings)
Cheap Trick - Heaven Tonight (Right there with News of the World, had to make it a tie for 5th, very underrated effort)

[britrock88]

My kind of thread... and most-listened-to is a great critereon...

Anyone else hoping they might discover a new album or two through this thread? Anyway...

Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill
The Beatles - The Beatles
The Who - Tommy
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash
The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism (wild card)

Just missing the list are albums by 10CC, The Doors, Yes, The Beach Boys, Emerson Lake & Palmer, ...

[PadresFan104]

Great Thread!! I've listened to these albums over and over since I was about 10 years old and they will never get played out...

1) ELO - Out of the Blue
2) ELO - A New World Record
3) Supertramp - Breakfast in America
4) Pink Floyd - The Wall
5) Moody Blues - Long Distance Voyager

[Young Drachma]

A Teedra fan! Teedra Moses is reminiscent of early 90's R&B in my eyes, SWVish. Very underrated, hopefully her upcoming album "Young Lioness?" marks the beginning of her ascension to the table with those such as Alicia Keys. Kanye's first album exuded hunger and pure hip hop essence. I agree that his subsequent works have been... hit or miss.

Yeah, I think she just needs better production because so much of it is about being able to match their voice with beats. But on raw talent, she's got it down pat. I didn't know she had a new album coming out, but I'll keep an eye out now.

[QuikSand]

Rolling Stones, Tattoo You
Peter Gabriel, Peter Gabriel (1980)
The Smiths, The Queen Is Dead
Radiohead, OK Computer
Miles Davis, Kind of Blue

...each occupying the top spot in my personal rotation for a fairly extended period of time at some point.

[boberot]

Really tough. Totally guessing here.

Miles Davis -- Workin' with the MDQ
Pink Floyd -- Dark Side of the Moon
Black Sabbath -- Paranoid
Toots & the Maytals -- live
Dinosaur Jr. -- It Never Entered My Mind

Honorable mention to the hundreds of hours [thousands?] of Dead bootlegs I used to listen to.

[fantom1979]

5 most listened to albums?


Neat topic:

GNR, Appetite for Destruction
U2, The Joshua Tree
The Eagles, Greatest Hits 71-75
Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA
Beastie Boys, License to Ill
AC/DC, Back in Black

Good thread, most of mine go back to the 70's and 80's and I still listen to them to this day.

Cheap Trick - Live at Budokan (Favorite band, best live album ever IMO)
Boston - Boston (Just a ground breaking effort)
Scorpions - Blackout (To me no filler on this album at all)
Guns 'N Roses - Appetite for Destruction (Another rock solid album track to track)
Queen - News of the World (so much more than We will Rock you/We are the Champions - Listen to It's Late and Spread Your wings)
Cheap Trick - Heaven Tonight (Right there with News of the World, had to make it a tie for 5th, very underrated effort)

;)

[Jughead Spock]

hm... off the top of my head, and reading through this list, this would probably be accurate -

Queensryche - Operation:Mindcrime
GNR - Appetite for Destruction
Rush - 2112
Yes - Close to the Edge
Beatles - Abbey Road

[JPhillips]

Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Part 1
Pink Floyd - Animals
Duke Ellington - Live at Newport
Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks
Joe Jackson - Jumpin' Jive

[Glengoyne]

I don't think newer means what he thinks it does.... :D

Thread winning potential.

[Glengoyne]

Good thread, most of mine go back to the 70's and 80's and I still listen to them to this day.

Cheap Trick - Live at Budokan (Favorite band, best live album ever IMO)
Boston - Boston (Just a ground breaking effort)
Scorpions - Blackout (To me no filler on this album at all)
Guns 'N Roses - Appetite for Destruction (Another rock solid album track to track)
Queen - News of the World (so much more than We will Rock you/We are the Champions - Listen to It's Late and Spread Your wings)
Cheap Trick - Heaven Tonight (Right there with News of the World, had to make it a tie for 5th, very underrated effort)


Nice list a lot of stuff close to the top of my own rock collection.

[CrimsonFox]

1. Journey - Escape
2. Rush - Moving Pictures
3. Rush - Permanent Waves
4. Journey - Frontiers
5. TIE: Yes - Fragile & 90125

The majority of my album-listening was done in high school/college, with Journey peaking in HS and the prog rock bands in college. The car stereo still gets a decent workout from time to time and features a slightly more diverse collection of music. But only slightly. :)

Being a mega Yes fan myself, I have to ask this question. :)
How can you equally like both Fragile AND 90125? :)

[BYU 14]

Nice list a lot of stuff close to the top of my own rock collection.

I have completed the play to death trifecta of Live at Budokan, wearing out an 8 Track, Cassette and CD :)

Blackout may actually run a close 2nd, great album to listen to while driving.

[terpkristin]

Hmm, this is a great thread. I've never given much thought to which albums, over time, I've listened to most. I think the list would go something like this, in no particular order.

1) Foo Fighters - Colour & The Shape
This one got a TON of playtime while I was in college. I still rotate through it a bit, especially Everlong.

2) Empire Records Soundtrack
First, if you've never seen this movie, do it. Second, the soundtrack was awesome. Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Cranberries, Better Than Ezra, Innocence Mission...I still play this one fairly often.

3) Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits
We listened to a TON of Simon and Garfunkel when I was a kid. Every car trip had Barry Louis Polisar, Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, and James Taylor. Then, when I went on Outward Bound, we had kitchen duty one night and this album was playing while we cleaned the kitchen. I have so many good memories tied to the songs on this album, and the writing..!

4) The Beatles - Revolver
I was introduced to The Beatles when I was in 8th grade music class. This was the first Beatles album I got, and Elanor Rigby is still the first song I think of when people mention The Beatles.

5) Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
I don't remember when I started listening to Nine Inch Nails, but this was my first album and still one I play fairly regularly. I recently got the 2010 remaster edition, which is damn good.

Going through iTunes (which may not be the best judge, since I don't always sync play counts), it looks like my 10 most-played albums on my iPod are...
Project Majestic Mix: A Tribute to Nobuo Uematsu (Gold)
Run Lola Run soundtrack
Paul Oakenfold - Bunkka
The Offspring - Americana
Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More (might be artificially high since I've been listening to it a lot lately)
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
Hellogoodbye - Would It Kill You?
Dropkick Murphys...well, all the albums
Crystal Method - Vegas
Carbon Leaf - Indian Summer

/tk

[Scarecrow]

This was harder than I thought. I will admit, the only albums I buy anymore are compilation albums. So I have a list of my 5 most listened 'traditional' albums, and my 5 most listened 'compilation' albums.

Traditional Albums
1. Beastie Boys - License to Ill
2. Led Zeppelin - IV
3. Metallica - The Black Album
4. Oasis - What's the Story Morning Glory
5. Supertramp - Breakfast in America

Compilation Albums
1. The Beatles - One
2. Queen - Greatest Hits
3. Simon & Garfunkel - Concert in Central Park
4. Steely Dan - A Decade of Steely Dan
5. Steve Miller Band - Greatest Hits 1974-78

[Jughead Spock]

Being a mega Yes fan myself, I have to ask this question. :)
How can you equally like both Fragile AND 90125? :)

heh, I almost echoed Fonzie's list, as his 5 probably round out my top 10. For me, I heard 90125 first (as I was about 11 at the time) and it was pretty damn good. Took me a few years to go backwards and find Fragile and CttE and realize how great they were.

So, I've always thought 90125 is a great album - great Yes album? Maybe not. But great 80s album. I was very happy when they finally released 9012Live on DVD (last year, I think?)

[Young Drachma]

Hmm, this is a great thread. I've never given much thought to which albums, over time, I've listened to most. I think the list would go something like this, in no particular order.

1) Foo Fighters - Colour & The Shape
This one got a TON of playtime while I was in college. I still rotate through it a bit, especially Everlong.


/tk

I enjoyed that album a lot back in the day too. It holds up quite nicely.

[CrimsonFox]

heh, I almost echoed Fonzie's list, as his 5 probably round out my top 10. For me, I heard 90125 first (as I was about 11 at the time) and it was pretty damn good. Took me a few years to go backwards and find Fragile and CttE and realize how great they were.

So, I've always thought 90125 is a great album - great Yes album? Maybe not. But great 80s album. I was very happy when they finally released 9012Live on DVD (last year, I think?)


hehe yeah...was the same for me. As a child I loved Leave It and Owner of a Lonely Heart, awesome sonds, but never really listened to the whole album.

FOund more Yes in college and was blown away. Post college I found the greatness of the Yes Album, Time and a Word, CttE, Fragile, Relayer, and Tales :)

[Marc Vaughan]

A few of these you chaps might never have heard of ... but here goes ...

1. The Ego Has Landed - Robbie Williams
2. American Idiot - Green Day
3. Levelling the Land - The Levellers
4. Plastic Beach - Gorillaz
5. Darklands - The Jesus and Mary Chain

Honorable mentions to:
Perfect Symmetry - Keane
A Hundred Million Suns - Snow Patrol
I should Coco - Supergrass
Jollifacation - Lightning Seeds
Band on the Run - Wings
Rattlesnakes - Lloyd Cole
Parklife - Blur

(and despite that list of honorable mentions I still feel bad for missing out The Sisters of Mercy, The Clash, The Pixies, Nickelback, No Doubt, Third Eye Blind, Aqualung and a host of other fantastic groups .. what can I say I like music ;))

[Sun Tzu]

3) Supertramp - Breakfast in America


Great call on this one...this may have cracked my top five actually.

[kurtism]

Such a hard question for me to answer - I have a long history of consuming far more music than I have the time to really listen to, particularly over and over again. Still, there are a few albums (most of which were purchased years ago) currently in my "All-Time Greats" rotation (in no particular order) (and I suspect that at least a couple of these albums would change if I were asked about them on a different day):

Beastie Boys, Paul's Boutique
Prince, Sign O' The Times
Jeff Buckley, Grace
Jellyfish, Spilt Milk
White Stripes, Elephant

[digamma]

1. Michael Jackson, Thriller. For the same reasons cuervo mentioned.

2. Indigo Girls, Indigo Girls. They were literally a neighborhood band, so we all listened to their breakthrough album over and over. It helped that I had two older sisters.

3. Nirvana, Nevermind. High school.

4. Bob Dylan, Desire. For some reason this album became the one our college rooming group left in our CD player for 3 consecutive years, while other discs moved around it.

5. Sarah McLachlan, Surfacing. Wins by a nose over Old Crow Medicine Show, Big Iron World. This basically comes down to who controls the cd player/ipod between my wife and I. She wins more than I do.

[Dutch]

5. Darklands - The Jesus and Mary Chain

I didn't listen to the album too much, but if this the album with "Happy when it rains", that song might make my Top 5 most listened to song.

[Marc Vaughan]

I didn't listen to the album too much, but if this the album with "Happy when it rains", that song might make my Top 5 most listened to song.

It is - although 'Deep one perfect morning' is probably my top tune from it .. :D

[Passacaglia]

2) Empire Records Soundtrack
First, if you've never seen this movie, do it. Second, the soundtrack was awesome. Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Cranberries, Better Than Ezra, Innocence Mission...I still play this one fairly often.


Thumbs up for mentioning The Innocence Mission.

[Passacaglia]

For me, probably five of these:

Kate Bush -- The Dreaming
David Byrne -- Feelings
Frente -- Marvin the Album
Rupert Holmes -- Widescreen
Innocence Mission -- Glow
George Michael -- Listen Without Prejudice, Volume 1
R.E.M. -- Out of Time
Suddenly Tammy - We Get There When We Do
Smiths -- Louder Than Bombs
Sundays -- Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
Tears For Fears -- Songs from the Big Chair

[Sgran]

1. Pink Floyd - The Wall
2. Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
3. Radiohead - OK Computer
4. Pink Floyd - Animals
5. Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (extended version with The Specialist)

[Mac Howard]

I don't listen to music nearly as much as I did - haven't bought a cd in years now - but two CDs (previously vinyl discs) that are still played are Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde.

Another is a home-made DVD. Some you will remember the INXS TV series when they were looking for a new lead singer. I made a dvd of the best performances from that and that gets played as much as any other - as much by my soon-to-be-16 daughter as me.

So:

1) Highway 61 Revisited - Dylan - most played: Desolation Row
2) Collection from INXS TV series - most played: Suzie's Bohemian Rhapsody
2) Blonde on Blonde - Dylan - most played: Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands

Having to think hard about others but maybe:

4) Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
5) Mama's Blues - Rory Block - most played: The Spirit Returns

Not for one moment am I saying that these are necessarily the best but, as Jon's criteria, these are most played.

[aran]

This is not in order because I honestly have no idea.

(Artist - Album)
Chroma Key - Dead Air for Radios
Gentle Giant - Octopus
Frank Zappa - You Are What You Is
OSI - Office of Strategic Influence
Van Der Graaf Generator - Godbluff

I have listened to Emerson, Lake, and Palmer probably the most, but no individual album has been that high in terms of listens because I tend to pick and choose songs. Trilogy is probably #6.

[Groundhog]

Off the top of my head I'd probably say (no idea re: order):

Radiohead - OK Computer
The Coral - Roots & Echoes
Yes - Fragile
Tool - Ænima
Gentle Giant - Three Friends

[korme]

blink182 - enema of the state
taking back sunday - tell all your friends
brand new - deja entendu
kanye west - late registration
say anything - ...is a real boy

[McSweeny]

This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I've been giving it a bit of thought over the past couple days. Anyway, here's what I came up with

1. The Clash - London Calling
2. Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
3. The Pogues - Hell's Ditch
4. The Band - The Last Waltz
5. Rancid - ...And Out Come The Wolves

[terpkristin]

5. Rancid - ...And Out Come The Wolves

Wow I haven't thought about that album in ages. Great stuff.

/tk

[Marc Vaughan]

1. The Clash - London Calling
3. The Pogues - Hell's Ditch

Good man, would have loved to squeeze both of those into my list somewhere :D

[Kodos]

Mine is going to be very Def Leppard heavy at the top. They really own the top 3 spots going away, with 4-10 probably all being somewhat close in overall time spent listening.

1. Def Leppard - Hysteria
2. Def Leppard - Pyromania. Both Pyromania and Hysteria benefited from being around during the years when I spent the most time listening to music.
3. Def Leppard - Slang. The most recent album (1996) to fully get beaten to death. It was a mainstay in my car tape player and then CD player for a long, lonnnnnnng time. At some point, the ability to make my own greatest hits and mix CDs changed my listening habits, and few albums afterward ended up getting the high rotation treatment.
4. U2 - Achtung Baby
5. Van Halen - 5150
6. Bon Jovi - Keep The Faith
7. Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet
8. Boston - Third Stage
9. Aerosmith - Pump
10. Jon Bon Jovi - Destination Anywhere

The order for 4 through 10 is probably not at all accurate. But all of them were heavy rotation albums over long periods of time.

[stevew]

I basically didn't listen to/buy much music from about 96-05, so I probably have a bizarre list.

Jeff Buckley-Grace
Pavement-Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
The Killers-Hot Fuss
Jay Z-The Black Album
Smashing Pumpkins-Siamese Dream

[Kodos]

Someone should do a greatest rock album tournament.

Not me! :D

[nilodor]

1. Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site
2. Hey Mercedes - Loses Control
3. Less than Jake - Borders and Boundaries
4. Against All Authority - Nothing New for Trash Like You
5. Xzibit - Weapons of Mass Destruction
6. Benny Goodman - Some anthology album that I'm not sure what's called but has like 40 songs on it.

Hmm, no wonder I didn't recognize 90% of the bands in the best rock albums of all time. These 6 would be easily my top listens with other albums by the Weakerthans and LTJ coming close to being on this list.

[nilodor]

blink182 - enema of the state
taking back sunday - tell all your friends
brand new - deja entendu
kanye west - late registration
say anything - ...is a real boy

I certainly listened these albums a lot as well, minus blink, never liked blink.

[Radii]

Hm. I never answered this.

1) Simon and Garfunkel - Concert In Central Park

- At times this would be the highest played album in my rotation, but most importantly its something I've come back to consistently over the last 20 years.

2) Jewel - Pieces of You

- Oh man I was obsessed from 1995-1998 or so.

3) Pearl Jam - Ten

- favorite album from my favorite band

4) Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism

- I even discovered this pretty late, but it went into such heavy rotation for such a long time, 7 of the songs on this album I will never, ever skip over if they come up on youtube or in a playlist. A Lack of Color and Transatlanticism themselves are all up there on my all time favorite songs list.

5) REM - Automatic For The People

I enjoy every single song on this album and played the living shit out of it for awhile.

James Taylor - Greatest Hits
Sara Bareilles - Little Voice
Sarah McLachlan - Surfacing
Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstacy
Metallica - And Justice For All
Metallica - Black Album
The Doors - Greatest Hits
Pearl Jam - a couple different concert bootlegs
Nirvana - Unplugged
Eric Clapton - Unplugged
Nirvana - Nevermind

all others that have at one time or another been in very heavy rotation for me.


If I didn't just pick and choose individual songs more often lately, Iron and Wine would have a couple entries here as well.

EDIT:

after reading some other entries, I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention NIN- Pretty Hate Machine, Led Zeppelin IV, and Queen's Concert at Wembly Stadium to my secondary list.

[thesloppy]

My mom had a very slight record collection of like 50 albums, and I assume that my most-listened would probably have to come from that pile, since they have like a 15-year head start on anything I bought for myself:

Love - Forever Changes
Crosby Stills & Nash - Crosby Stills & Nash
The Beatles - Revolver
Roling Stones - Exile on Main Street
Fleetwood Mac - Rumors

[Suicane75]

Bruce Springsteen- Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen- Greetings From Asbury Park
Black Crows- Southern Harmony & Musical Companion
The Replacements- Tim
Drive By Truckers- Decoration Day (I'm guessing here. There was a 3 year period where DBT was ALL I listened to).

[Suicane75]

Trying to come up with this list really put my reminiscing brain into overdrive and was actually quite jarring.

The Summer I spent listening to a random Indigo Girls album because I was a lonely boy who could identify with lesbian angst.

The summer that I think my best friend and I listened to nothing but whatever Queensryche album Silent Lucidity was on. Both Use Your Illusions tapes got worn out, I even got GnR buzzed into the side of my head, oofffa.

A Tracy Lawrence album that was one of the first CD's I ever bought, and thus got a monstrous amount of play.

Del Amitri, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Gin Blossoms. Stuff I just haven't thought about in years.

I don't know if it's part of growing old, but losing interest in things for no apparent reason really sucks.

[Flasch186]

Might I suggest a little Afghan Whigs for you fella's

Black Love
1965
Gentleman

So good... seriously listened to them over and over and over

[AlexB]

A mix of playcount evidence and pre-ipod estimates gives me:

Idlewild - 100 Broken Windows
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Guns N Roses - Appetite for Destruction
D'Molls - Warped
Burning Tree - Burning Tree

[Hammer]

1. Oasis - Definitely Maybe
2. Oasis - The Masterplan
3. Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill
4. Blondie- Blondies Greatest Hits
5. Queen - Greatest Hits

[Critch]

Lots of guesswork here:

Aztec Camera - High Land Hard Rain - High school listening. Really only listened to the first side over and over, wasnt as keen on the second side. (nb for young folks, records used to have two sides.)
The Wedding Present - George Best - Student listening
The Wedding Present - Seamonsters - I used to listen to nothing but The Wedding Present
David Bowie - Hunky Dory - I'm a big fan of older David Bowie, and this is my favorite so probably listened to it enough
The Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks

Probably a couple of other Wedding Present cds deserve to be in the top 5, but I shook it up for a bit of variety and to avoid looking obsessed.

[Ryche]

Once - Nightwish
Empire - Queensryche
Operation: Mindcrime - Queensryche
Karmacode - Lacuna Coil
Angel Dust - Faith No More

Pretty easy list for me, only a couple other albums even come close.

[AlexB]

I don't know if it's part of growing old, but losing interest in things for no apparent reason really sucks.

Sometimes it's better to stay out of it. Barely listened to any new music for 3-4 years, so no need to sync or use iTunes, but decided to upgrade my iPod classic to iPod touch so it will be compatible with a new car...

Man, they've fucked up iTunes and the iPod as an offline mp3 player... I've been hurling abuse at electronic devices for about three hours now as a by product of trying to get my own music on to the latest iPod.

Thinking about it, inability to work new technology and anger at inanimate objects are also signs of getting old :D

[Critch]

Being a mega Yes fan myself, I have to ask this question. :)
How can you equally like both Fragile AND 90125? :)

As somebody who was dragged to see Yes by their wife a few days ago, I have to ask a question.

How can you like either Fragile OR 90125? :)

[BishopMVP]

For once, this hasn't changed in the 6 years & probably never will since there was only that 10 year period between middle school - end of college when I could buy albums before "downloading" a.k.a. stealing & now streaming individual tracks became the norm.

The Offspring - Ixnay on the Hombre
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
Protest the Hero - Kezia
Sublime - Sublime (or maybe Greatest Hits... Lot of overlap there)

[CrescentMoonie]

Guns n Roses -- Appetite for Destruction
Guns n Roses -- G 'n' R Lies
Black Crowes -- Shake Your Money Maker
Alanis Morrisette -- Jagged Little Pill
Avett Brothers -- Live Vol. 3

[cuervo72]

This isn't scientific, but here's my guess.

1. Aerosmith - Pump. A friend put this on tape for me. Played it a ton. The other side of the tape had...
2. Mötley Crüe - Dr. Feelgood.
3. Escape Club - Wild Wild West. Loved it, don't care what anyone thinks.
4. Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Freshman roommate had the CD, fell asleep to it every night.
5. The Phantom of the Opera (Original 1986 London Cast). Sophomore roommate had this (and basically no other CDs), fell asleep to it every night.

Yeah, I should have stuck with the first roommate.

edit: well, shit -- I guess I answered this before. At least I was mostly consistent. Had I combined 1 & 2 like I did before, Thriller was up next. Forgot about Rattle & Hum, though WWW might have indeed beaten it out.

[Young Drachma]

I looked at my Top 5 records since the day I posted in this thread through today:

Girls Names - Dead To Me
Wye Oak - Civilian
Me'Shell Ndegeocello - Weather
Local Natives - Hummingbird
Tennis - Young & Old

In the past year

Case/Lang/Veirs
Kamasi Washington - The Epic
Lower Dens - Escape From Evil
The Smiths - Complete
Merchandise - A Corpse Wired For Sound

[PadresFan104]

ELO - Out of The Blue
ELO - A New World Record
Moody Blues - Long Distance Voyager
Paul McCartney - Ram
Pink Floyd - The Wall

[Autumn]

Great question. Hmmm... yeah mine would be pretty much dictated by what I listened to when I was about 18-20, and spent every day listening to my at the time much smaller collection of albums.

Cure - Disintegration
U2 - Achtung Baby
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Godfodder
Red Hot Chili Peppers - bloodsugarsexmagic

Hilarious. I didn't pay attention to the dates, and rarely being on here anymore, I just started reading this thread assuming it was a new one. My heart jumped when I read this post thinking 'oh my god, this guy has the exact same list I would have had!' ...

[Autumn]

2) Jewel - Pieces of You

- Oh man I was obsessed from 1995-1998 or so.



Hah, me too. Were you at her Woodstock, NY show in '96?

[Izulde]

Rereading this thread reminds me Sarah McLachlan - Surfacing probably belonged in the top 5 most listened to then and now.

[Radii]

Hah, me too. Were you at her Woodstock, NY show in '96?

Nah, I saw her in Atlanta twice, Salt Lake City (a good excuse to visit a friend there), and at a small (1000 seat?) venue in Los Angeles that was announced on 5 days notice only announced to fan club members - which at the time simply meant people subscribed to her mailing list and/or newsgroup. Thank god for Valujet at the time for making it affordable, and for a boss that laughed at me for wanting to take two days off on zero notice to fly cross country for a concert, but who said yes. :D

[CrimsonFox]

heh, I almost echoed Fonzie's list, as his 5 probably round out my top 10. For me, I heard 90125 first (as I was about 11 at the time) and it was pretty damn good. Took me a few years to go backwards and find Fragile and CttE and realize how great they were.

So, I've always thought 90125 is a great album - great Yes album? Maybe not. But great 80s album. I was very happy when they finally released 9012Live on DVD (last year, I think?)

funny thing is when I saw this thread i got excited and started thinking of a list then i saw the Yes post and was almost going to post the exact same thing that I already did 6 years years ago or whatever. Oh my poor brain and all its mandela effect. I completely forgot i posted here already.

[Butter]

I have a clear top 4, and after that it's largely a guess:

Animal Collective - Merriwether Post Pavilion
Radiohead - OK Computer
The Avalanches - Since I Left You
The Sundays - Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
REM - Out of Time

[Autumn]

Nah, I saw her in Atlanta twice, Salt Lake City (a good excuse to visit a friend there), and at a small (1000 seat?) venue in Los Angeles that was announced on 5 days notice only announced to fan club members - which at the time simply meant people subscribed to her mailing list and/or newsgroup. Thank god for Valujet at the time for making it affordable, and for a boss that laughed at me for wanting to take two days off on zero notice to fly cross country for a concert, but who said yes. :D

The Woodstock concert was the same sort of thing, organized just for the fan club members. Good times.