Notice I did NOT say *favorite*, but BEST. Which album for you represents the best in music: style, musicianship, lyrics? For me, I have yet to hear a better album in all three of the aforementioned regards than Steely Dan's "Aja."

It's all too subjective - I can never seperate "favourite" from "best".

My answer is Pink Floy's Animals. It made me want to get a guitar, and that changed my life for the better. So....that gets the cigar from me (obvious Pink Floyd reference intended).

"Pet Sounds" for me. It's the Sistine Chapel of music.

If I have to pick one, "Crosby, Stills, & Nash."

I'm having trouble coming up with a better choice than The Clash's London Calling. Brilliant music and great lyrics sustained over four sides. Also catchy as hell.

My favorite, however, would be Derek & The Dominos' Layla.

Best: Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd

Favorite: Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy - Elton John

Probably because of the journey they take the listener on.

peace,
joebase

"sgt. peppers lonely hearts club band"

changed music more than any one album that i can remember.

renny

Best & Favorite:

Get Happy!! by Elvis & the Attractions

Who's Next. Or maybe Revolver, depending on what day it is.

Yeah...to subjective a topic for me. I won't bite. But, James Dean, I like your choice!

Depends on the genre for me.

Blonde on Blonde

"The Beatles" (White Album)

What DanO said. I can't think of another album with more musical variety than The White Album.

Guess I'll go with Breakfast In America.

It's interesting to see how different people don't even agree on what criteria should be used in determining what is "best." Style/musicianship/lyrics, influence, musical variety...all good answers, and all valid measures of quality.

I'm just glad no one has cited "importance," a term often used by critics and other music elitists which (IMHO) is essentially meaningless.

Highway 61 Revisited

I'm for 'Layla..." as well.
Among other things,I just don't think musicians can play any better than they did on this record. Clapton and Allman get all the praise, and they deserve it, but Bobby Whitlock sang his heart out, and Jim Gordon drummed as well as any drummer has on any album.

I don't know how to even begin to think about this question. It's too big, like asking which of your children is your favorite.

I can't really say what the "best" would be, but to me, perfection is Rainbow's "Rising" album. It's a masterpiece and was so influential in the history of Metal. But who cares about that-it kicks ass in every sense of the word.

Genre plays such a huge role in music, and unless you have incredibly objective tastes, how could you say which is greater, Kind of Blue, or London Calling? How about Master of Puppets against Thriller, or Revolver against Live at Folsom Prison? Pet Sounds versus the Chronic? Heck, in some of the examples quoted, I'm not sure my pick for greatest in the genre are the greatest by that artist, let alone the greatest of all time.

Having said all that, for a single album that represented everything a genre had to say, with talent and scope, and passion, and not a weak track to be heard, I think it has to be London Calling by the Clash. It had everything of what punk was, and nothing that punk wasn't. The rest, I feel, "suffer" from being in longer lived and broader genres, and therefore - relatively speaking - are less able to encapsulate everything that the genre is. By being from such a short-lived period of music, it is much easier for London Calling to stand up and say "This is what we are. If you don't like at least some of this, you might as well move on to other things, because you won't like any of the rest of punk, either"

Jason

Mine changes from day to day. In my late teens, my answer would have been Jefferson Airplane After Bathing At Baxter's. In my late 30's-early 40's, it was Sarah McLachlan's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.

Today, I MIGHT be able to get it to one or 2 per subgenre.....

Odd, I was thinking about this yesterday; Wishbone Ash's debut is close to the top for me. but I really can't say I have 1 #1 indispensable album.

It should be some kind of mathamatical law

best = favorite

If I had never heard Frank Zappa it would be Sgt Pepper's

but Sgt Pepper's led me to Zappa (the We're Only In It For The Money parady cover)

best/favorite is (since 1969) Hot Rats (F Zappa) don't see it changing at this stage.
the two other aformentioned coming in 2nd and 3rd.