5 most listened to albums?
 

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

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.

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

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. :)

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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 (2004)
2. Laura Veirs - Year of Meteors (2005)
3. Live - Throwing Copper (1994)
4. Madrugada - Industrial Silence (1999)
5. Fiona Apple - When The Pawn...

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Van Halen - Van Halen
Def Leppard - Pyromania
Prince - Purple Rain
Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
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 :)

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

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

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.

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

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).

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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)

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, ...

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

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.

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.

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.

;)

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

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

Thread winning potential.

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