What is the VERY BEST CD album you've ever heard?

1. Live From Deep in the Heart of Texas, Commander Cody and the Lost Planet AIRMEN A perfect picture of Austin bar music circa 1973. There's a lot going on here and it's rowdy!

2. Live @ Gruene Hall- Seth James. Texas blues at it's best! One of the best live blues albums you will ever hear!

On a good system with a great sweet spot, you are there, in the club.....and I' m not from Texas....

As an addendum to my post above, I should have mentioned that the musicians on both of these albums are so good they just make me laugh and wonder how did they do that? They are both a blast to listen to. Hope you enjoy them also!

@peporter: Love Cody & his great band(s)! I saw them a few times in the early 1970’s, when original pedal steel player The West Virginia Creeper (Steve Davis) was still in the band (his drinking got him kicked out). I played a gig with The Creeper in 1975, which was a LOT of fun.

And the band’s guitarist Bill Kirchen is one of my favorite Telecaster players. He made quite a few albums for Hightone Records (a great, great label) and a number of other indies. He was pals with other great Tele players, including the late Danny Gatton and Evan Johns (Evan played and sang on, and wrote a few songs for, Danny’s Redneck Jazz album).

Danny Gatton was an absolute virtuoso on guitar (Vince Gill nicknamed him The Humbler ;-) , who tragically committed suicide in 1994. Like Jeff Beck, Danny’s other passion was classic American Hot Rods.

I did an album with Evan Johns that was released in 2001 (Moontan, on Big Cypress Records 1019), which was quite an experience ;-) . Another heavy drinker, Evan’s liver finally led to his death in 2017, at a hospital in Austin Texas.

Are you into NRBQ? Their classic line-up included another great Tele player, Al Anderson. He left the band in the 1990’s, deciding to focus on songwriting and relocating to Nashville. He has a few solo albums of his own, well worth owning. I saw NRBQ live about six months ago, and they still rock like mad! One of the greatest live bands I've ever seen & heard, and I've seen & heard a LOT.

Addendum to above post:

Commander Cody led his band from the piano, as does Terry Adams in NRBQ. Terry’s piano (and clavichord) playing is an amazing amalgamation of influences, from Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis to Thelonious Monk and Sun Ra. Terry is perhaps the most percussive/aggressive/physical keyboard player of all time! (Jeff Conally---aka Monoman---of Garage Band The Lyres a close second). Anyone who has seen & heard Terry live knows exactly what I’m talkin’ ’bout.

And then there is NRBQ’s bassist, the wonderful musician Joey Spampinato. One of the four greatest bassists I’ve had the pleasure of hearing live (the other three being John Entwistle---The Who of course, Rick Danko---The Band, and Jerry Scheff---a T Bone Burnett favorite). Joey is currently being treated for cancer. In 2021 True North Records released a fund raising album for Joey, entitled Party For Joey---A Sweet Relief Tribute To Joey.Spampinato. Keith Richards chose Joey for the band he assembled when he made his Jerry Lee Lewis documentary. He then offered Joey the bass chair in The Stones when Bill Wyman quit the band. Joey turned him down , electing to stay in the world’s true Greatest Rock ’n’ Roll Band, NRBQ.

I listen to a lot of progressive and avant-garde music, so a huge part of my collection is by bands, musicians, composers that are not popular.

Of course I listen to most of the better known prog bands: Yes, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson, Steve Wilson, Riverside, etc. But the great thing about prog and its associated subgenres, is that popularity is almost completely unrelated to quality.

None of these is 'the best', since, for me, they are all so good, it is hard to rate one over another.

This is a very short prog only list, I could make similar lists for jazz, and modern and contemporary classical, too.

Eskaton - 4 Visions (1981) / French progressive band, with this brilliant album of beauty, intensity, emotion, and incredible musicianship.

Thinking Plague - In Extremis (1998) / US band with one of the best examples of avant-prog. Atonal, dissonant, creative. Amazing musicianship. 

Arti e Mestieri - Tilt (1974) / Italian band that straddles the line between jazz-rock fusion and prog. There are more great melodies on this one album, than many bands compose in a lifetime. And the drummer, Furio Chirrico, is an absolute beast, who belongs in the same class as Billy Cobham or Lenny White.

The Contortionist - Language (2014) / US technical-metal band, loaded with emotion, and chops from hell. Very complex.

Echolyn - As The World (1995) / US prog band, with great, complex multi-part vocals (in the Gentle Giant vein). Great melodies, playing, complexity all over this recording. And it rocks!

Discus - Tot Licht (2003) / Indonesian band that bends Mahavishnu Orchestra style fusion, Indonesian Gamelan percussion, prog, and contemporary classical, and somehow make it work. Very unique. The leader, guitarist Iwan Hasan, has major chops.

I could go on for pages...