This is intended to be a general discussion, not just about the Beatles. How often do you find yourself in alignment with what so called 'experts' say or the commercial appeal of an album or single?

Is it constant or is it once in a blue moon?

Examples Where I Agree:

Examples Where I Disagree:

no

i like Revolver , Rubber Soul , The White Album and Abbey Road much better

it's great though

Even MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR is BETTER

I've always felt that Sgt. Pepper was vastly overrated due to it's innovative production techniques, as a collection of songs it is very weak (for the Beatles).

I kind of feel the same way about Songs In the Key of Life (for different reasons). It's a great album but some of the songs drag on too long and I'll take anything from Music of My Mind-Fullfillingness' First Finale over it. Because it was a double album I think that people assume that it must be his best.

I like the Velvet Underground well enough but they tend to be quite a bit overrated by many critics.

It's weird because in some cases I feel that for some artists it depends on how well the album sells and then for some it's about whether or not it introduced something new to the mainstream audience.

Revolver>White Album>Rubber Soul>Sgt Peppers>Abbey Road

When I first got into the Beatles, I thought Sgt. Pepper's was the penultimate album of the rock era. But after listening to the Beatles collection for many years, I would question whether Sgt. Pepper's is even the best Beatles album, though I would still rank it among the best albums of all time. Rubber Soul is one of the finest collection of pop songs ever recorded, Revolver has some of the most daring songs the Beatles ever put out, and the White Album has some of the most experimental and eclectic music of the late 60's, including meaty contributions from George Harrison and even Ringo Starr.

As for OutKast, I would rate Stankonia as their finest album as a rap duo. They broke heavily into the mainstream with "Miss Jackson" and put out a landmark track with "B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)". While Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is close to being a penultimate album for the duo (especially The Love Below), I take back some points for greatness because the double album is essentially two solo albums representing each member.

[Edited 2/18/11 20:24pm]

I like it, but I like the simpler, popular stuff better, probably cause I remember them from when my parents played them when I was a kid. I discovered Sgt. Pepper on my own.

Tragic Kingdom was an interesting example, I also don't think it's No Doubt's best, I feel Return of Saturn is way more creative, and Rock Steady is more exciting.

As far as P is concerned i would go with 1999.

#teamREVOLVER

Dewrede said:

no

i like Revolver , Rubber Soul , The White Album and Abbey Road much better

it's great though

JamFanHot said:

Dewrede said:

no

i like Revolver , Rubber Soul , The White Album and Abbey Road much better

it's great though

Yeah I'm more of a White Album and Abbey Road guy myself. But Sgt. Pepper will have a special place in my collection.

Nvncible1 said:

Even MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR is BETTER

Cant name a best Beatles album, but the Mystery Tour is absolutely my favorite.

As for Outkast...I agree with Huey. Stankonia is far better than Speakerboxx/The Love Below, though The Love Below is pretty tight. Speakerboxx...bleh.

No Doubt--Tragic Kingdom was indeed their finest IMO.

Madonna--never understood why Ray of Light was so well received, but then again I dont dig electronica or whatever her and Orbit were doing (though I do love the song Ray of Light ) Like A Prayer is Madge's best IMO.

Stevie--I cannot choose between Fulfillingness' and Songs In the Key. Both ridiculously awesome.

MJ--Thriller is a collection of awesome singles, not an album. There is no cohesiveness to it, no artisitic theme. The same can sadly be said for Bad and the rest of his albums, but Off the Wall is still my favorite.

Usher--

Prince--Sign Of The Times is undoubtedly his opus, followed closely by 1999.

I agree with the critics about Madge, Prince and the Beatles, but I strongly disagree with them about Stevie.

I think Talking Book is much more of an innovative statement from Stevie than Songs. Don't get me wrong I like 'Song', but its only an extension of the albums that preceded it, as opposed to an independent entity.

musicjunky318 said:

This is intended to be a general discussion, not just about the Beatles. How often do you find yourself in alignment with what so called 'experts' say or the commercial appeal of an album or single?

Is it constant or is it once in a blue moon?

Examples Where I Agree:

Oh wait, I thought the critics always hailed 'Innervisions' as Stevie's best rather than this album, not this one.

Unholyalliance said:

musicjunky318 said:

This is intended to be a general discussion, not just about the Beatles. How often do you find yourself in alignment with what so called 'experts' say or the commercial appeal of an album or single?

Is it constant or is it once in a blue moon?

Examples Where I Agree:

Oh wait, I thought the critics always hailed 'Innervisions' as Stevie's best rather than this album, not this one.

Growing up, yeah Innervisions was hailed as his magnum opus. Songs was called his most ambitious work.

Unholyalliance said:

Well for almost all those artists picutred i would say that was their greatest artistic statement, but for the Beatles i dont feel "Sgt Pepper" was that, for its time it was, but i can say that "Abbey Road" would be a bigger statement than Pepper, because it was them recording what would be an END, not knowing if it would be an END, but knowing it basically was. As for the others pretty much agree though i think Like A prayer is a better record, its also a totally different kind of record, for Usher i dont really care and cant put him in this conversation with artists. For NO DOUBT its tough because thats viewed as the "sellout" album, but its really the only reason they still are around.

I may catch heck from Madonna fans but I don't think she ever recorded a great album, she's a textbook definition of a singles artist. Like a Prayer and/or Ray of Light are often hailed as classic albums by her fanbase but I think that is just by default. They have to single out something as being a classic and those two albums are probably the closest she ever came.

rialb said:

I may catch heck from Madonna fans but I don't think she ever recorded a great album, she's a textbook definition of a singles artist. Like a Prayer and/or Ray of Light are often hailed as classic albums by her fanbase but I think that is just by default. They have to single out something as being a classic and those two albums are probably the closest she ever came.

I have all her albums cause of the singles and the underrated non released tracks, but IMO her classic albums are madonna, like a virgin and confessions

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

I like the White Album more but with a discography so strong, it would be hard to dispute any of their albums from Revolver onward as being superior to another. MJ-Off The Wall to Dangerous Prince-1999 to SOTT Bowie-so many eras that you could argue that his whole 1970s output is classic. Jimi-Are You Experienced to Electric LadyLand When critics hail some of these albums, you can often dig back in the artist catalog and find stronger albums that surrounded them

Yeah often there will be that album that either was "different" for the artist or the time and regardless will be heralded as their best. But again its opinion, just because someone has a magzine they write for doesnt make them superior to the listener or even an expert. Someone who is a fan of an artist is the ONLY person that can give a real view of an album. But i agree with the Beatles, from Rubber Soul on that is a run that will never be matched in terms of quality in such a tight time period. But its often when an album sells that its also regarded as the "best" INXS "Kick" is regarded as this but to INXS fans, its not, a record like "Shooboh Shabbah" or "The Swing" are better works. REM gets "Out of time" as being there best or "AutoMatic for the People" both great records, but better works are "Monster" and "Hi-Fi" so again its all opinion.

Sgt.Pepper's, as we all know, was acclaimed due to its vision, the concept, the production, etc.

Perhaps the album doesn't have many famous songs, but it has some of the most underrated (and best) album tracks of the Beatles: When I'm 64, Getting Better, She's Leaving Home (), Good Morning, A Day in the Life, etc. Some some songs could be considered as "filler" (Fixing a Hole, Benefit or Mr.Kite, etc) but they are saved by the dinamic production. And nothing on this album stinks, nothing. Still an awesome production.

The important is: like A Hard Day's Night, Rubber Soul, Revolver or Abbey Road, Sgt.Peppers has a concept, a vision, where all the songs (the singles, the classics, the strong album tracks, the underrated tracks, the filler) contribute to the album's greatness.

And I've always thought that the so-called "Best Album" of a band/artist doesn't necessarily mean that it features the most famous songs of that band/artist For me, Exile on Main St. is the Stones' ultimate studio masterpiece even if it only features a well-known single (Tumbling Dice), and even that song is not very famous among the mainstream audiences...

[Edited 2/19/11 17:01pm]

bad timing

[Edited 2/19/11 16:54pm]

[Edited 2/19/11 16:54pm]

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

I like the White Album more but with a discography so strong, it would be hard to dispute any of their albums from Revolver onward as being superior to another.

Why start at Revolver? "Best" is certainly disputable, but Rubber Soul is definitely my favorite Beatles album.

AlexdeParis said:

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

I like the White Album more but with a discography so strong, it would be hard to dispute any of their albums from Revolver onward as being superior to another.

Why start at Revolver? "Best" is certainly disputable, but Rubber Soul is definitely my favorite Beatles album.

I think we're on the same page. I've always though of Rubber Soul as the first non British Invasion sounding Beatles album. There were similar elements on Help! but Rubber Soul was a fairly clean break from their previous albums and a big jump forward in their songwriting.

I think it was George who said that he viewed Rubber Soul and Revolver as similar, I think he called them volume one and volume two.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...blo_Fanque

dalsh327 said:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...blo_Fanque

For me that illustrates that this was a lazy period for John as far as writing songs goes. "A Day In The Life" is a big exception but otherwise his songs for Sgt. Pepper are kind of weak (yes, even "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds") and the album is dominated by Paul's songs (which are not his best either).

There's also the huge flaw that is George's "Within You Without You." Five minutes (which was fairly long for a song at that time) of him aimlessly noodling with Indian music. For me it stops the momentum of the album dead and I would much rather listen to "Revolution 9" which at over eight minutes feels much shorter than "Within You Without You."

[Edited 2/19/11 20:28pm]

For me Stevie's Songs in the Key Of Life is his best work bar none.

I love the album

But I adore the movie.

[img:$uid]http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p3/Lazycrockett/sgt-pepper.jpg[/img:$uid]