Top 27 Greatest Music Albums by shukion1234 
- Chart updated: 12/17/2018 07:15
- (Created: 12/17/2018 06:48).
- Chart size: 27 albums.
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This album is the definition of perfection. In This 1977 album, Pink Floyd mastered every single part of what makes a song good: mastering, lyrics, complex melodies, motifs, tone and timbre, and just plain old catchiness. It surpasses Dark Side of the Moon in its ambition in tracks such as the epically long Shine on You Crazy Diamond without sacrificing listenability.
Now, to move onto the track listing.
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)
I firmly believe Shine on You Crazy Diamond to be the greatest musical composition ever created in the history of humanity. Perhaps it will one day be surpassed, and I hope to live to see that day, for it will be a monumentous one. The beginning solo sets the tone of the etheral ballad with David Gilmour's incredible echoey space-like guitar licks, before transitioning into the symphonic crescendoes that accompany Gilmour's second solo, a harrowingly beautiful piece that can only be described as ascendant genius. Each ending note is perfectly aligned with the chord change, which always gives me the shivers. And I haven't even gotten to Syd's Theme, the Wright's Solo, Gilmour's (third) solo, or the lyrics. Ah, the tribute to their fallen member Syd Barret, one of the "highest" musical minds of the 20th century. Waters hits his harmonies just right, along with the backing vocals that contribute to the entire feel of the song. The final parts of the song conclude with a saxophone. This part always brings a smile to my face. Of course it's a saxophone and not any other instrument. No other instrument would have fit the ending solo as much as a sax, which goes off on a high, yet simultaenously poignant and sonically rich note.
Promise all of the descriptions won't be this long, but as SOYCD is my #1 song all time, I had to do that.
2. Welcome to the Machine
I've heard Welcome to the Machine described as the perfection of the Pink Floyd sound; the most Pink Floydian of all songs. Perhaps a tad hyperbolic, there is a large nugget of truth in it. Welcome to the Machine is fully fried into the theme of the album. It's the classic Pink Floyd politically charged song, with the proggy yet still slightly (slightly) space-era psychedelic sound.
3. Have a Cigar
Have a Cigar is easily the weakest song on the album, but when you say weakest looking at every other song on the album, it means nothing. It could easily be the best song on a 8/10 album. It's rocky, full of cynical lyrics about the nature of the music industry, sung well by Roy Harper. The solo at the end is quite tasty.
4. Wish You Were Here
Ah, Wish You Were Here. I would say it's probably the second most recognizable Pink Floyd song after Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2. There's a reason for that; the damn beginning riff is highly catchy. It's not the most insane earworm you'll ever hear, but as a guitar player you just want to learn how to play it. And you can't even play it right, because it sounds all wacky and distorted, because of the cool segue idea about radio stations between this and Have a Cigar. And then the strong acoustic solo comes in, a wonderful piece, starkly constrasting itself in all its full, vibrant, and natural sound, vs the artifical, weak, and distant riff. This song is one of the greats.
5. Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX)
Some call this part of the album needlessly long, or boring. I strongly disagree. It's a testament to what happens when you let guys like Waters and Gilmour go at it with no creative restrictions. It's a bit weird at times, and that's good. The funk section is amazing, and overall, its a wonderful send off to Syd.
There's so much more to be said about this album, I know I missed a lot, but this is just the basics of why I love and appreciate this album so much to have it ranked number one of all time.
Now, to move onto the track listing.
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)
I firmly believe Shine on You Crazy Diamond to be the greatest musical composition ever created in the history of humanity. Perhaps it will one day be surpassed, and I hope to live to see that day, for it will be a monumentous one. The beginning solo sets the tone of the etheral ballad with David Gilmour's incredible echoey space-like guitar licks, before transitioning into the symphonic crescendoes that accompany Gilmour's second solo, a harrowingly beautiful piece that can only be described as ascendant genius. Each ending note is perfectly aligned with the chord change, which always gives me the shivers. And I haven't even gotten to Syd's Theme, the Wright's Solo, Gilmour's (third) solo, or the lyrics. Ah, the tribute to their fallen member Syd Barret, one of the "highest" musical minds of the 20th century. Waters hits his harmonies just right, along with the backing vocals that contribute to the entire feel of the song. The final parts of the song conclude with a saxophone. This part always brings a smile to my face. Of course it's a saxophone and not any other instrument. No other instrument would have fit the ending solo as much as a sax, which goes off on a high, yet simultaenously poignant and sonically rich note.
Promise all of the descriptions won't be this long, but as SOYCD is my #1 song all time, I had to do that.
2. Welcome to the Machine
I've heard Welcome to the Machine described as the perfection of the Pink Floyd sound; the most Pink Floydian of all songs. Perhaps a tad hyperbolic, there is a large nugget of truth in it. Welcome to the Machine is fully fried into the theme of the album. It's the classic Pink Floyd politically charged song, with the proggy yet still slightly (slightly) space-era psychedelic sound.
3. Have a Cigar
Have a Cigar is easily the weakest song on the album, but when you say weakest looking at every other song on the album, it means nothing. It could easily be the best song on a 8/10 album. It's rocky, full of cynical lyrics about the nature of the music industry, sung well by Roy Harper. The solo at the end is quite tasty.
4. Wish You Were Here
Ah, Wish You Were Here. I would say it's probably the second most recognizable Pink Floyd song after Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2. There's a reason for that; the damn beginning riff is highly catchy. It's not the most insane earworm you'll ever hear, but as a guitar player you just want to learn how to play it. And you can't even play it right, because it sounds all wacky and distorted, because of the cool segue idea about radio stations between this and Have a Cigar. And then the strong acoustic solo comes in, a wonderful piece, starkly constrasting itself in all its full, vibrant, and natural sound, vs the artifical, weak, and distant riff. This song is one of the greats.
5. Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX)
Some call this part of the album needlessly long, or boring. I strongly disagree. It's a testament to what happens when you let guys like Waters and Gilmour go at it with no creative restrictions. It's a bit weird at times, and that's good. The funk section is amazing, and overall, its a wonderful send off to Syd.
There's so much more to be said about this album, I know I missed a lot, but this is just the basics of why I love and appreciate this album so much to have it ranked number one of all time.
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
50,744
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
308
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You can confidently say that when this album was released in 1969, no one had ever heard anything like it. It's the beginnings of prog and more, influencing a wide variety of genres over decades. And it still sounds modern to this day. The riff in 21st Century Schizoid Man seems to have barely aged over 50 years. The best thing about this album is that in despite of all its technical virtuosity, fusing jazz and classical elements with rock, it never sounds bad. It's an insanely melodic album for all of its ambitions, with strong vocal melodies in Epitaph or guitar ones in the first track. I daresay that nothing will ever sound quite like this album, even later King Crimson releases going on to explore new sonic adventures (one of the many great things about King Crimson is that they rarely linger too long on a sound they know they have utterly mastered and delivered to the audience). Let's get right on to the tracks.
1. 21st Century Schizoid Man
It's a blessing that Kanye West sampled this wonderful song in Power otherwise many people would never have found King Crimson. The weird/amazing thing about this song is that it still sounds modern. I feel like the reason is because the vocals sound electronically distorted, something usually associated with the 80s or retro modern 80s/futuristic styles, so it sounds more modern than it actually is. Dating aside, the guitar riff on this song is one of the all time greats in my opinion. Anytime I think of the song, I just hear "dun dundundun dun dun". And then it goes higher and ends off with "21st Century Schiozoid Man"? Need I say more? I definitely will. Fripp shows off his genius as the riff evolves into a fast paced jazzy sounding line with high tempo drums. One of the greatest songs ever, and probably the best starting track if only Pink Floyd hadn't have had Shine on You Crazy Diamond.
2. (Tired guys I'll try to keep writing everyday) Oh God I can't stop, I Talk to the Wind has the most beautiful accompanying meldoy of all time I think. I'm not on Wikipedia right now since I'm trying to do this off of my memory of the songs, but I think he's playing harmonics for it (maybe they're muted too?), which gives it that proggy sound, but the thing is, the riff doesn't sound very proggy. So you get this weird combo that fits the entire aesthetic of King Crimson, these dark and forebording bards, vs the brightness and bombacity of a band like Yes.
1. 21st Century Schizoid Man
It's a blessing that Kanye West sampled this wonderful song in Power otherwise many people would never have found King Crimson. The weird/amazing thing about this song is that it still sounds modern. I feel like the reason is because the vocals sound electronically distorted, something usually associated with the 80s or retro modern 80s/futuristic styles, so it sounds more modern than it actually is. Dating aside, the guitar riff on this song is one of the all time greats in my opinion. Anytime I think of the song, I just hear "dun dundundun dun dun". And then it goes higher and ends off with "21st Century Schiozoid Man"? Need I say more? I definitely will. Fripp shows off his genius as the riff evolves into a fast paced jazzy sounding line with high tempo drums. One of the greatest songs ever, and probably the best starting track if only Pink Floyd hadn't have had Shine on You Crazy Diamond.
2. (Tired guys I'll try to keep writing everyday) Oh God I can't stop, I Talk to the Wind has the most beautiful accompanying meldoy of all time I think. I'm not on Wikipedia right now since I'm trying to do this off of my memory of the songs, but I think he's playing harmonics for it (maybe they're muted too?), which gives it that proggy sound, but the thing is, the riff doesn't sound very proggy. So you get this weird combo that fits the entire aesthetic of King Crimson, these dark and forebording bards, vs the brightness and bombacity of a band like Yes.
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
31,659
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
3. 
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Does Is This It deserve a number 3 placing on this list, filled with much more complex music? The answer to that question, is a resounding yes. The human mind craves patterns, it craves beautiful resolutions. Sometimes it craves complexity, yet sometimes it craves simplicity. Is This It is a simple record, but not as simple as some people think (there are complex melodies and the bassline usually is perfectly counterbalacing the twin-guitar leads). For example, it would be inappropriate to try to say that the White Stripes and other garage rock revival bands who sometimes were only using one guitar are as melodically complex as The Strokes. But enough about The Strokes' complexity, I was going to say a metaphor. When viewing classical art, you can see the beauty in pieces like The Last Supper. But I also find immense beauty in the paintings of Jackson Pollock and other abstract expressionists. There is a certain beauty in beauty itself, beauty in raw emotion and an unclean sound. This is what The Strokes provide. They are that wonderful band that you can sit back and relax to and always feel good about. They deserve that spot.
Year of Release:
2001
Appears in:
Rank Score:
32,851
Rank in 2001:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,640
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,530
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,531
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,729
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,303
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 27. Page 1 of 3
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Top 27 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 3 | 11% | |
| 1970s | 12 | 44% | |
| 1980s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1990s | 2 | 7% | |
| 2000s | 6 | 22% | |
| 2010s | 4 | 15% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 7% | |
| King Crimson | 2 | 7% | |
| Kanye West | 2 | 7% | |
| Fleetwood Mac | 2 | 7% | |
| Led Zeppelin | 2 | 7% | |
| Marvin Gaye | 1 | 4% | |
| Wu-Tang Clan | 1 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
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