Favorite album that defines an artist.

[schindlerpiste]

There are many: Purple Rain (Prince); Electric Ladyland (Jimi Hendrix); Led Zepp. II (Jimmy Page); etc. But my all time favorite album that defines the artist is ANTHOLOGY by Duane Allman. If you listen to it, it clearly demonstrates what he was all about. From the BB King Medley, to Loan me a Dime, to Layla, to The Weight, to Statesboro Blues, to Little Martha (My favorite), to Dreams. They're not all Duane's, but they're all about Duane.

[lax]

rhcp - bssm

[Buster Highmen]

I'll always think of 1999 as Prince 's defining album.
The Beatles and Rolling Stones are the hardest. Rubber Soul and Let It Bleed respectively?
Coltrane: Africa Brass or Impressions?
Miles Davis: Kinda Blue or Agharta or Bitches Brew or Live Evil?
Red Hot Chili Peppers: 1984? Uplift Mofo Party Plan?
Joy Division: Still!
New Order: Power Corruption and Lies?
Zappa: Hot Rats!
Grateful Dead: Live (Skull and Roses)? American Beauty? Anthem of the Sun?
George Clinton: Taking It To The Stage? Cosmic Slop?
Hendrix: Electric Ladyland? Axis Bold as Love? Are You Experienced?
Allman Bros: Eat A Peach? Live At Fillmore East?
GONG: Flying Teapot? GONG Est Mort? You? Angel's Egg?
Soft Machine: Two? Bundles?

[BLOOD SWEAT STEEL]

Floyd: DSOTM

[Buster Highmen]

For me, Pink Floyd is either Meddle or Atom Heart Mother.

[Rasputin]

Here's a few.

[PassTheDutchie]

I think Stones, I think Exile.

[Greydon Clark]

Joy Division: Still!

A posthumous compilation record??? Dude, we need to car pool to Crystal more often; I’ll burn you a copy of Unknown Pleasures. And the rest of your list smells like Hippy.

[Buster Highmen]

A posthumous compilation record??? Dude, we need to car pool to Crystal more often; I’ll burn you a copy of Unknown Pleasures. And the rest of your list smells like Hippy.

Wanna bet whose got more Joy Division?

[Greydon Clark]

Wanna bet whose got more Joy Division?

Do you have the Warsaw demo?

[Buster Highmen]

Do you have the Warsaw demo?

Yes. I have 2 copies of the Komakino flexi and some other boots and casettes.

[Greydon Clark]

Yet you still fingered Still!.

You can atone for this sin by burning me some of those bootlegs.

[AsheanMT]

Tough to confine Bowie into one album being that each one is of a different persona but I think this one is it:


My next favorite that defines Dylan well is:


I know not everybody like em but this shows U2 at their finest:

(^^I love this one on DVD cranked up all the way with some good buddies and lots of Guinness)

One of my all time favorites that shows him at his best (IMO):

[Buster Highmen]

Yet you still fingered Still!.

You can atone for this sin by burning me some of those bootlegs.

But I still think it's a great album.

Now g'wan, make some more o' dat leeky hippie innuendo, then I'll smack you with some King Crimson: Lark's Tongue? Red? Starless and Bible Black?

[MakersTeleMark]

[Greydon Clark]

But I still think it's a great album.

A great compilation album released after Ian Curtis died.

I may enjoy A Moveable Feast or Islands in the Stream but I wouldn’t call them “definitive” Hemmingway.

Tonight, I’m going to listen to the Silver Appeals in your tripped out honor. Then again, at least you didn’t claim 1984, an album that opens with nauseating Casio keyboard wanking, as “defining” Van Halen—A GUITAR ROCK BAND!!!!

[schindlerpiste]

Good stuff. Another "defining" album, IMHO, is Lou Reed Rock n Roll Animal...some stuff from the Velvet Underground (heroin), some stuff post VU.

To me, the defining album for the Grateful Dead would have to be a bootleg of a concert...like Boston '73. Otherwise, while I love all Dead albums (well most), the compilation that is most defining is Blues for Allah

[Jer]

Cream - Disraili Gears
The Who - Who's Next
Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Black Sabbath - Vol. 4
Grieg - March of the Trolls
Syd Barret - Barret
Best example I can think of: Burzum - Hvis lyset Tar Oss

forgot Slayer - Hell Awaits

[Flexon Phil]

Genesis--Lamb
Floyd--Dark Side
Zep--IV
Yes--Close to the Edge
Seger--Against the Wind
Steely Dan--Aja
Stone-Let it Bleed
Elton--Madman
Billy Joel--The Stanger
Queen--Night at the Opera
Morcheeba--The Big Calm

soo many more

[schindlerpiste]

Genesis--Lamb
Floyd--Dark Side
Zep--IV
Yes--Close to the Edge
Seger--Against the Wind
Steely Dan--Aja
Stone-Let it Bleed
Elton--Madman
Billy Joel--The Stanger
Queen--Night at the Opera
Morcheeba--The Big Calm

soo many more

See, how we could argue this:
Floyd = Meddle
Zep = II
Yes = Fragile
Steely = Katie Leid
Elton = 11/17/70
Billy Joel = Piano Man

Stones = Could be Sticky Fingers

To me, these are all great, but none are defining. Not every artist has a an album that says, "this music reflects my body of work." When I refer to "defining", I don't mean good music, or even "breakthrough" record, I mean "this is what I'm all about".

Edit: I kinda like the Who's Next and Hot Rats referrals (although Zappa could be Apostrophe"

[Jer]

Floyd = Meddle
Yes = Fragile

Agree with these two, especially Meddle. Dark Side of the Moon was a great album, but they were already becomming The Roger Waters Band by this point. At least nobody's said The Wall yet.

[Steven S. Dallas]

I'll always think of 1999 as Prince 's defining album.

I agree. More danceable, greater range. I love Prince.

I think Stones, I think Exile.

I'm a Sticky Fingers guy, but they're pretty different albums. Fingers has some different stuff on it- Moonlight Mile, Sister Morphine- the equivalent of which doesn't really exist on other Stones albums. Exile, on the other hand, is an epic- I know it's cliche, but I truly believe it's the best rock n roll album ever. But it's a record that is so much greater than the sum of its parts, and I don't think that's typical Stones either. When I think defining, I don't think "best," necessarily, I think of the album that most successfully and completely presents the band doing what they do best, so to me Sticky is out, and so is Exile. It's got to be Let it Bleed, because it's got the two great singles ("Gimme Shelter" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want") and then every other song is terrific, too.

To me, this is the most defining, because there are tons of Stones albums that are like that, with a couple great songs and then a bunch of decent filler (Goats Head Soup and Beggars Banquet come to mind, for albums of that era, but I could have easily said Black and Blue). The difference with Let It Bleed is that every song is great but the singles are all-time classics, and that's why it's their defining album.

[Superstar Punani]

Here's a few of my favorite artist-defining albums.

GnR - Appetite for Destruction


ICE T - Power
mild NSFW cover shot

Cult - Sonic Temple


RHCP - BloodSugarSexMagik

[Pow4Brains]

ICE T - Power
mild NSFW cover shot

I think I still have a TAPE of that somewhere. Must download!

[Shepherd Wong]

I know I know, but it's one of the most rocking albums ever. I guess I'll give up Bon Scott for Mutt Lange.