Genre-Jumping Rock *- it's hard to truly define these three albums because of the mixture of different music they have, but the are cradled around rock music and they are astoundingly tight. PRIMAL SCREAM- SCREAMADELICA The original Dance-Rock album, Primal Scream is criminally overlooked and an insane party band. They get the attention they deserve in the UK but the were shamefully passed on overseas. WHITE ZOMBIE- ASTROCREEP 2000 What else can be said about Rob Zombie's old band: The heaviest metal, the danciest beats, the most gravelly lyrics, the heavy-as-fuck drums.... It doesn't get any better than this album. THE HAPPY MONDAYS- PILLS n' THRILLS AND BELLYACHES You can thank the Happy Mondays for popularizing the drug known as Ecstasy and pretty much ushering in Rave culture in Manchester. They were signed by Factory Record legend Tony Wilson after finishing dead last in a battle of the bands. They blend rock, reggae, funk, classical and funk seamlessly into pure poetry.
It's too late to edit my post above, but I just realized that that rip of Pull Me Under sounds like ass. Here's a better one, never mind the pic of James Hetfield at the beginning (?!) :
I, not unlike bluedog, like the whole red dirt/Texas Country/ whatever else its called movement, I don't disagree with his post and don't think i could do it better so I'll try with my real favorite brand of music. Outlaw Country, I automatically think of 4 names here Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, David Allen Coe and Merle Haggard. Of course you can't forget Johnny Paycheck and even Hank Williams Jr. (some even say Sr.), Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. If I had to pick 3 songs from this brand of music: I would have st start with The Highwaymen which was Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. Seems like as good a place as any and I would have to go with their hit Highwayman. (originally recorded by Glenn Campbell but made famous by these guys.) #2 I have to go with Waylon Jennings here, I can't really explain why I just like his singing. It doesn't get much better than a bottle of whiskey a cigar and "I've always been crazy" #3 I can't do this list and leave Hank Williams Jr. off of it I feel as if it is disrespectful to Bochephus. I personally think Family Tradition is a great place to start with Hank Jr. here's the only video I could find. Thats a great starting point for the outlaws of country music.
Screamo Basically because its actually not what MTV will tell you it is (pasty white kids crying about how they got dumped with screams) Its certainly not for everyone, it's just not all teen angst. Envy - Go Mad and Mark Circle Takes the Square - Same Shade as Concrete Raein - Tigersuit (some hack made this video but its the best example of their style I could find)
Psychedelic/Stoner/Acid Rock Monster Magnet--Dopes to Infinity Their third full length album, it sounds like the soundtrack to a post apocalyptic western movie. Fronted by the badass Dave Wyndorf, with Ed Mundell on lead guitar, any of their albums are worth a listen; I just picked this one because the single "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" was the first I had ever heard fom them. And here's a picture of the guys backstage, just because I thought it was important that you see what they look like. Fu Manchu--The Action is Go With 10 full length albums, there is a great palette of work to pick from, but you should start here. Songs about muscle cars, drugs and women. You can't go wrong. The Atomic Bitchwax--Part 1 or 2 This song (the video is just audio) has an absolutely hillarious intro. The song is about white trash people. Fronted by Chris Kosnic and Ed Mundell (see Monster Magnet), there are a lot of psychedelic sounds and long instrumental breaks (their 3rd album is all instrumental.) If you like hard core guitar, you will like all of their stuff. GO OUT AND BUY EVERYTHING FROM EVERY BAND I MENTIONED NOW!
Lastly, I'll do power metal. Any of you born-in-the-90s kiddies think Dragonforce is da bomb, and go around saying how original they are? This is a style that was effectively born in 1987-88 with Helloween's two Keeper of the Seven Keys albums. It grew during the Dark Time of the mid 90s, when you could only get this music for $20-$40 a CD through European import vendors, and you'd wait a couple of months for it to show up in the mail. Then, it got bad. Really bad. From the late 90s through just a couple of years ago there was a glut of power metal bands that just kept writing the same song over, and over, and over again, but this did lead to me discovering a lot of great non-power bands. Anyway, so what's actually good as far as power metal goes? Or, more relevant to this thread, where would one completely unfamiliar with it (or who's only heard Dragonforce) want to start? 1) Helloween, Keeper of the Seven Keys (Part I) 2) Angra, Angels Cry 3) Kamelot, The Fourth Legacy
I really don't think you can make one category for rap/hip-hop. There is really way too much to it. I'll do a couple: East Coast: Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers Notorious BIG - Ready to Die Nas - Illmatic Honorable Mention: Jay-Z - The Blueprint West Coast Rap: 2Pac - Me Against the World Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill NWA - Straight Outta Compton Honorable Mention: Too $hort - Life is Too $hort G-Funk: Dr. Dre - Tha Chronic Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle Bone Thugs - E. Eternal 1999 Honorable Mention: Eazy-E - Eazy Duz It Southern Rap: Outkast - Aquemini TI - King UGK - Ridin' Dirty Honorable Mention: Weezy's mixtapes between Tha Carter 2 and 3 Midwestern Rap: Common - Like Water for Chocolate Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor Tech N9ne - K.O.D. Honorable Mention: Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon (Seriously) Old School Rap: Eric B and Rakim - Paid in Full Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary Honorable Mention: Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill Alternative Rap Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory De La Soul - 3 Feet and Rising The Fugees - The Score Honorable Mention: Mos Def - Black on Both Sides Underground Hip Hop (This one is incredibly hard but I'll do my best) Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus (My favorite hip hop album of all time) Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030 Doctor Octagon - Dr. Ocatgonecologist Honorable Mention: Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein Sorry if I went overboard but I couldn't help but go crazy at every post about rap. If I was absolutely forced to truncate this into only 3 albums I'd go with Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back
To do a relatively less popular genre I'm very familiar with here is my opinion on Trip-hop, a slowed down electronic version of hip hop with mostly female vocals. Tricky - Maxinquaye Portishead - Portishead Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Hip-hop, I'll throw my 2 cents in: 1) Outkast - Aquemini This is my favorite album of all time. A rare classic in hip-hop because you can put it in, hit play and listen to it all the way through. Not to mention that Outkast set the stage for modern day Southern domination of hip-hop. Dare I say this album is laid out in perfect order, even better than a Jay-Z album? Yes. 2) Wu-Tang - Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers As was mentioned before it's the album that launched a dozen careers, the cast of characters and subsequent albums need not be mentioned. If you claim to be a fan of hip-hop but can't remember the opening verse from Ghostface you suck. 3) N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton Want to know where rappers got the idea to talk about killing, gang bangin and drug dealing? It starts here. The album that swung the pendulum to the West Coast and forever changed the rap landscape, launched the careers of Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and hundreds of gangsta rappers to follow. Beyond that it gave a voice to an entire generation of disenfranchised youth. The Chronic might be Dr. Dre's masterpiece but this album is his legacy.
All EXCELLENT picks...I'd throw "Between the Buried and Me" in there as an honorable mention as well. No love for "Clutch"? Post Rock: 1. The Mercury Program: I fell in love with these guys when I saw them play at Alrosa in Columbus (where Dimebag was killed) back in '97. They are by far my favorite from this genre and get the most play. 2. Pelican: Another solid example, have gained more mainstream success than others (which is often difficult when most of these bands don't have a vocalist) 3. Mogwai: Probably my least favorite of the 3, but their influence and ability to sustain themselves can't be ignored.
Not really obeying the rules, but I figured I would add something here. I'd like to give Reckless Kelly some more face time on here. I don't listen to a whole lot of the alt. country stuff, but my Montana buddy introduced me to these guys a couple years ago and I've been a fan ever since. A few of my favorites that I've heard: "Seven nights in Ireland": "Crazy Eddie's last Hurrah" (Best quality I could find): And if you're into the slower shit, "Wicked Twisted Road": We also have a local band in my town here that has a similar sound. If nothing else, their shows are always a blast. 32 Below "Quit coming around":
Alright Im here as the guy that wants to know about a few artist. I have recently downloaded LilWayne and Biggies discographies. I listened to Ready to Die for the first time the other night and was blown away. Ill probably be listening to both of their major albums but I am wondering what 3 songs would you guys pick from each of their most popular/best albums or mixtapes? I like less pop songs and more gangster rap style songs.
My Biggie picks are tailored to your stated preferences. Though if someone asked me to pick my favorite 3 biggie songs I would probably say the same three. 3 Best Biggie songs: 10 Crack Commandments - Life After Death Gimme the Loot - Ready to Die Who Shot Ya - Single (Though it was a bonus track on some versions of Ready to Die) Weezy is very tough. I doubt even your discography contains everything he has done (and to be honest it is very much overkill especially a lot of the work on his pre-carter albums is mediocre at best). Weezy is an interesting breed of rapper. He is the type of rapper who just...spits. There isn't much thought process or conceptual work behind his music. In this way, he is pretty simple. Step 1: Hear beat; Step 2: Spit. However when it comes to stream of conscious rapping, there is really no one better. The result of this, however, is that he has a ton of songs that you will enjoy the hell out of, and his rapping style has a way of lodging certain lyrics and punchlines into your brain without being able to fully understand why you like that lyric so much. The problem is that he doesn't really have any songs that I would enter into the sort of "rap canon." Some of his songs will contain one killer verse and the rest will be lackluster. To complicate matters even further, some of his best verses are songs he has featured on and so only contributes that one verse. That said, if someone held a gun to my face, here is what I would pick. 3 Best Weezy songs: A Milli - Tha Carter 3 Georgia Bush - Dedication 2 mixtape I Feel like Dying - The Drought is Over 3 mixtape (I think)
Crust Punk: Part II Most of the Crust I listen to is newer, darker and more metal influenced than the previous poster. Here is a primer: His Hero Is Gone - Redefined the crust genre. They were in incredible band, and the majority of crust bands today are straight up His Hero Is Gone Worship. DAMAD - Released my favorite punk album of all time, "Rise and Fall". They rule. Dystopia - Very angry and very depressed. Great samples from random sources sprinkled throughout.
And just one more: Black Metal Mayhem - One of the inventors of the genre. Their first lead singer killed himself, and their guitarist found him, took a bunch of pictures, then (reputedly) ate part of his brain before he called the police. Said guitarist was later stabbed to death IN THE HEAD by another black metal musician in Norway. Satyricon - Came along a little later, and were more technically proficient than bands like Mayhem. Plus they made ridiculous videos like this one. What's not to like? Marduk - Modern real black metal. They have tried twice in the last few years to tour the U.S. only to be turned away at the border. Blisteringly fast blast beats, with my absolute favorite black metal vocalist.
I want to learn about 80's Alternative Rock/New Wave. Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths/Morrissey etc... Teach me old people, teach me.
For those who are looking to get into "metal" at all, please be warned that there are so many sub-genres that it becomes mind numbing after a while of trying to actually research all of it. There is no possible way to cover metal in three albums, much less cover one genre, so if you're looking for a one-off, condensed and easily accessible medium to learn, I suggest watching "Metal: A Head Banger's Journey". The many genres, where they began and how they branch off is shown in a massively complex flow chart during the film. Once you see it, you'll know what I'm talking about. Anyway, on to my absolute favourite genre of metal - Groove Metal: (also known as "post-thrash". I know) Pantera - Cowboys From Hell (1990) Machinehead - The Blackening (2007) "Halo" is probably more popular, but I think from 5:30 on in this track better exemplifies the genre. Devildriver - The Fury Of Our Maker's Hand (2005)
There's some great metal showing up on here and the list for Progressive Metal is pretty good. Here's a list that hasn't been seen yet. Progressive Rock. 1. King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King. Anything of theirs is amazing and they've evolved with different lineups pretty much on every album, but this early one is, in my opinion, their strongest album. This is "21st Century Schizoid Man." 2. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here. This is the best of the best of theirs. Gesmamtkunstwerk. All together artwork. This album, from the art to the song titles, music, lyrics, stage shows, everything. It's one all encompassing piece of art. There is some debate on whether they are progressive rock or not. It's this reason that I would put them in. I probably don't need to put this in as most people probably know this band extremely well, but here's the title track. 3. Yes - The Yes Album. Early stuff is way better than the electronic 80's. I based a design project in school on Tales from Topographic Oceans, which is another great album, but a little too concept. This is a much better album. This is, "I've Seen All Good People." If you like the genre also check out old Genesis with Peter Gabriel, Rush, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Jethro Tull, Moody Blues, Traffic and Gentle Giant. These bands paved the way for Dream Theater, Queensryche, Porcupine Tree, Mars Volta, some elements of Metallica and Tool, all sorts of more modern rock bands. I would also argue that the Beatles were delving down the progressive path with Sgt. Peppers and the White Album, among others. It can be a fairly interesting side path within rock and roll and presents a different musical take on what was going on during the counterculture era. More fantasy and less reality of what was going on in the world.
Another genre that I'm a huge fan of is old soul/R&B. These three are at the top of my list. 1. Sam Cooke - A Change Gonna Come 2. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On 3. Otis Redding - Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay If I need to mellow out for any reason, I'll put anything on by these three guys and I'm good. I won't shit the thread up, but here are a couple other lists. For country I'd say Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw. That covers a few eras. I know there's so much more, but that would be a good start. Nu-metal? Bands with masks. Not sure what sub-genre these are, but they seem to fit in a similar category. 1. Slipknot, 2. Mudvayne, 3. Mushroomhead.