Those rare albums that are great on first listen.


You know the ones. They blow your mind and make you glad you're an audiophile.

Share your favorites.

For me it’s usually some style or vibe I haven’t heard before. My list so far is around 20, but I’ll keep it to my top 5. Feel free to share as many as you like.

!. Poe ‘Haunted’
2. Spirit “Twelve dreams of Dr. Sardonicus’
3. Midlake ‘The Trials of Van Occupanther’
4.Tori Amos ‘Little Earthquakes’
5. Skindive  ‘Skindive’

 

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I made a playlist of some of the suggestions.  I got a little bored so stopped after the first page.  I also ignored posts with more than 5-6 suggestions and I did exercise a tiny bit of editorial discretion.  Also, if the album didn't come up immediately in Qobuz I didn't research it further.  The playlist is supposed to be collaborative so feel free to add ONE song from the album you are recommending.  Please don't delete anything.  

https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/21601335

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks, Moondance

Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles

Joni Mitchell - Court And Spark

R.E.M. - Murmur 

Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come 

David Bowie - Low, Blackstar

Roxy Music - Avalon

Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die

Here are a few:

Every US Beatles album as it was released in the 1960s

Linda Ronstadt: Hasten down the Wind, Simple Dreams, Prisoner in Disguise, Heart like a Wheel, Mad Love

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

Forever Changes - Love

It's a Beautiful Day - s/t

Warren Zevon - s/t

Mahler Symphonies 6 & 8 - Leonard Bernstein (first CBS CD release)

Mahler Symphony No. 2 - Simon Rattle CBSO; Bernstein DG; Abbado/Chicago

Mahler Symphony No. 3 - Bernstein, first CBS CD; Abbado/Vienna

The 35-minute sequence on disc 2 of the Beach Boys’ 1993 Good Vibrations box set that comprised what might have been released as SMiLe, had that LP been released in 1967. All I had known previously was the single "Heroes & Villains," which I dearly loved, even as the rock press of the day was referring to the Boys as "Doris Days on surfboards." Oh, what we had missed.

Going back in time again, I remember I felt that way about

Jimmy Buffet: Changes In Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes and Son Of A Sailor

Warren Zevon: Exciteable Boy

Dire Straits: the first side of Making Movies and all of Love Over Gold

and a bit more contemporary:

Bruce Springsteen: The Ghost Of Tom Joad

Josh Ritter Live At The Record Exchange EP

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