Indulge Me POLL: 1001 Albums Johnny Fever Thinks You Must Hear Before You Die (#'s 1-50)

Some of the older stuff is well-chosen and diverse, but there's a crap heap of newer stuff that won't stand the test of time. Looking forward to the other 951 albums in any case.

What's your cutoff between new and old? I'm pretty good at distinguishing between albums I'll like for a short amount of time and albums that will stay with me for life. For instance, the first day I listened to Portishead's Third about five times, I knew I'd still be digging it twenty years from now.

The only embarrassing thing on here so far (that I'm willing to admit is embarrassing) is the Utah Saints album. But you know what? I love it and I've got 1001 spots to fill.

gonna vote for 2Pac since i have a feeling it's gonna get shafted on my '93 rap albums poll. really would be happy to hear all of these before i die, though.

Voted Buzzcocks - and hope many more compilations will show up later. Too many albums lists ignore them (although in this case, ironically, it annoys me a bit that SGS has been canonised ahead of the first three LPs proper, which are all amazing).

Ultimately torn between KLF and YMG.

That Del Shannon album is the 'psych' one, isn't it? I have yet to hear it, but as a Shannon fan I definitely need to do so before I die.

Voted Meddle just slightly ahead of Misfits and Singles Going Steady.

Voted Buzzcocks.

The Cure, Life Without Buildings, Barbara Panther, Young Marble Giants, TLC, Buzzcocks and Tribe Called Quest would all be on my list. Portishead gets my vote, just played it today and it sounded as amazing as ever.

breeders...misfits...them...fugazi...buzzcocks...mm..

Misfits!

Flamin' Groovies over The Cure

Unusual poll! I had to check a couple of these to see what was on them...The Everlys debut has too much of the non-original rock stuff I don't care for ("Rip It Up," etc.), and the Flamin' Groovies compilation doesn't have "Around the Corner." So Road to Ruin over the Buzzcocks.

That Del Shannon album is the 'psych' one, isn't it? I have yet to hear it, but as a Shannon fan I definitely need to do so before I die.

It's one of two (Home and Away is the other one, but Charles Westover is better).

sorry µ-Ziq and Life Without Buildings but I'm voting for Buzzcocks here.

eally would be happy to hear all of these before i die, though.

this!

Lots of stuff here I honestly don't recognize. I am not so committed that I am going to listen to everything before I vote, but this should be a fun series of pols to watch.

Well maybe not lots I've never even heard of, but some, and lots I haven't heard.

Oh, one thing I didn't mention here or on the blog itself: it's my intent to reach 1001 without repeating an artist (though I might make exceptions like having a solo Marvin Gaye album in addition or Marvin & Tammi and I might have a Pete Shelley album in addition to Buzzcocks).

i was wondering if you were gonna do that, good idea imo, will make the whole thing more varied, less repetitive

Whoa this list is great. Johnny fever's taste and mine overlap frequently. This should be fun.
What is your top pick from these 50 jf?

I don't know yet, tbh. The Kristofferson album is one I frequently cite as perhaps my favorite album ever, but in this context there are 50 things here I could consider voting for.

Looking like Buzzcocks is going to sweep this, and it's a fantastic compilation, but I'm voting Young Marble Giants. Some interesting records on there I haven't heard.

Voted for Ooh La La cuz I have been listening to it a lot lately.
Certainly it's the one I've listened to most in the last six months on this list.
But I love Them, Bee Gees, Buzzcocks, Misfits, and Floyd.

Bill Evans, Tribe Called Quest, Fugazi, and Pink Floyd for me. But I have to go with Fugazi because the other three all have better albums than the ones listed, but Fugazi might not.

young marble giants over buzzcocks

That is definitely my favorite Fugazi, too.

Probably White Room over Pod or Any Other City, but this needs more thought.

Is 1-50 your top 50 or is it just a random ordering?

Just random ordering.

(The book apparently orders things chronologically, but I've never actually looked at the book. I just took the idea and ran with it.)

Looking forward to checking some of these out. I thought I was fairly knowledgeable about music but several names I've never heard or or only have a scant knowledge. Malaria, Dangtrippers, Erasmus Hall?

Dangtrippers = indie jangle/powerpop from the late 80s
Eramus Hall = low profile soul singer
Malaria = all female post punk band

Malaria are AWESOME. Not quite best, though.

Think I'll search out Malaria first.

Malaria are indeed awesome. Gudrun Gut was a member of the band and is kind of a matriarch of the Berlin electronic scene, runs Monika Enterprise, has a longrunning radio show with Thomas Fehlmann etc etc. also occasionally makes wonderfully odd records like this http://youtu.be/6CWkq1zXs10

If Maze gets 1 vote, it was mine. Runner up's would have been the Faces.

Debbie Harry, Koo Koo (1981)

ok, Debbie Harry + half of Chic + half of Devo + cover art by H R Giger = I need to hear this, don't I?

I think you could guess my answer.

I love Koo Koo so much! I've hung on to a promo light-up display through numerous moves since 1981. It has some really great parts, and it's never less than interesting. But I'd never try to convince anyone it's the best record on that list.

I think if I made a big album list it would end up looking a lot like this one - some pretty obscure stuff alongside pretty well-known stuff from a broad range of genres. But I don't know if we would overlap much on the specific choices. Most of the albums I'm familiar with here are things I at least like. Not sure if any really stand out for me. Some interesting things to check out though.

Faces, Ooh La La (1973)

Really? Over A Nod is as Good as a Wink or Long Player? I mean, I dig Ooh La La fine, but wouldn't peg it as superessential Faces.

Voted Pod. By far my favorite Pixies record.

Really? Over A Nod is as Good as a Wink or Long Player? I mean, I dig Ooh La La fine, but wouldn't peg it as superessential Faces.

I see where you're coming from, but many of these albums are totally sentimental picks (and a lot were the intros to the particular bands for me).

Voted Pod. By far my favorite Pixies record.

lol I see what you did there.

i assume these picks aren't all necessarily JF's favorite by the artist so much as something he liked and wanted to write about?

Ultimately torn between KLF and YMG.

this, but i voted for life without buildings.

dope list! you should just do some tiny little 1-2 sentence blurbs. or is that played out?

I may throw some blurbs at particular albums, but not all 1001 of them.

i assume these picks aren't all necessarily JF's favorite by the artist so much as something he liked and wanted to write about?

So far, they all actually are my favorites by the artist.

I know what you're saying, though: "Johnny Fever, how is Flesh + Blood your favorite Roxy Music album? That's insane." Yes, it's insane, but it's the case.

so when are you making a playlist/mixtape of your favorite cuts?

I'll probably do Spotify playlists 100 at a time (some of the stuff isn't on there, but a lot is).

this is a great list

voted rodney crowell cause i like voting for rodney crowell

Sort of torn between

Bobbi Humphrey, Blacks and Blues (1973)
Utah Saints, Utah Saints (1992)

I hope at least one person votes for Utah Saints. I already copped upthread to that being the only album on the list so far I would consider a questionable recommendation, but I love it so much I'm gonna recommend it anyway.

Between The Cure and Portishead. Going with The Cure.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

wow, i haven't thought about the dangtrippers in a looooong time

Glad to be of service!

0040 - Utah Saints, Utah Saints (1992) 	0

;_;

i think my tastes are relatively close to j. fever's <3

these polls are ridiculous tho -- one out of 50 is madness

one out of 50 is madness

true, but since there will eventually be 1001, I'd be clogging up the board with polls of just 20 or so.

Man, I totally gave up on this in the 200s. I need to finish it up someday, WITH blurbs.