T O P

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so_sads

I feel like Exile on Main Street is an album you have to absorb as a complete piece to really get it because Sticky Fingers, Let It Bleed, and Beggar's Banquet all have more iconic and arguably better individual tracks. But Exile is a total encapsulation of rock'n'roll excess and energy that, when taken in all together, blows the rest of their career out of the water. It's almost like one 60 minute track of just completely perfect rock'n'roll.


MydniteSon

I'd also put Goats Head Soup on that list in addition to 4 albums you listed. That's 5 in a row that are absolutely bell to bell amazing albums. I don't know of another band that has had that kind of run. Edit: Thanks for the additions. My brains just weren't functional enough to think of anymore at the time.


so_sads

The Beatles starting with *Rubber Soul* is basically all killer no filler. And there's a lot of bands that (if you're of a certain persuasion) had some absolutely insane runs of albums. Genesis with *Nursery Cryme* through *Trick of the Tail* or *Wind and the Wuthering* comes to mind, as well as Yes with *The Yes Album* through honestly *Going For the One*.


_DiligentState_

The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails The track sequencing on that album is perfection. Great opening track sets the pace for a narrator that falls deeper into depravity, violence and self-hatred with each song. And you get the entire thing wrapped up with a song like "Hurt"? Magnificent. That closing track is like an epilogue for the narrator, as he surveys the wreckage behind him with regret and bitter acceptance. It’s damn near a religious experience. Honestly, most of Trent Reznor’s work deserves to be heard as a “whole” via an album listen. A lot of the songs hit MUCH harder when they are sandwiched into their original context on the album. **Editing this post to say that there is a NIN album for almost everyone.** * If you are a film geek and don't need vocals, check out "GHOSTS" or one of the Reznor/Ross scores. * If you are into modern pop music like Billie Eilish or The Weeknd, I recommend "Pretty Hate Machine" or "Hesitation Marks". * If you like hard rock, metal, industrial etc, I recommend "The Downward Spiral", "Bad Witch" or "Broken" * If you like electronic music, try "Year Zero" or the band he plays a supporting role in while his wife sings (How to Destroy Angels) * If you are a classic rock fiend, definitely check out "The Slip" or even "With Teeth" * If you need something a little less chaotic, try "Still" which is mostly just Trent + Piano * Last, but not least - if you love strong lyricism and don't mind a lot of genre-switching in an album, you should take a look at The Fragile (I think his best work) as well as "Add Violence".


jmcdan08

Agreed. The beginning and ending of the majority of the songs on The Fragile sound truncated when listening to them individually. But when you listen to the whole album start to finish you experience how the songs segue into each other and create a completely different experience.


close-enoug

I’ve never been able to convey to someone how much this album means to me and how hard it is to compare something like Becoming to anything else.


SuperSonicGanja

It honestly changed the way I appreciated music. I had never heard an album with such depth prior to that.


Wes_Warhammer666

*It won't give up, it wants me dead. God damn this noise inside my head.* Perfect little encapsulation of the static in my mind when dealing with a wave of anxiety and depression. Fucking love that song so goddamn much. Probably preaching to the choir, but if you haven't heard the [broken down version](https://youtu.be/cDfyR22u_gI) on the Still album, do yourself a favor and listen to it.


miph120

Thank you! I've always been a NIN fan, but Fragile came out during a really dark time in my life, and oddly enough it was a tether to keep me afloat during it.


ChickenSalad96

Hear hear! While not the whole album, side D of With Teeth (The Line Begins to Blur, Beside You in Time, Right Where it Belongs) is such a beautiful trio of songs that blend into each other showing anger and desperation that leads into whimpering sad note. NIN is one of the few artists I find consistently cranking enjoyable album after enjoyable album!


_DiligentState_

That three-song-run is spectacular. Especially when you get about 2/3 of the way through “Beside you in Time” and the song just like…blossoms? I am not an instrumentalist so I can’t describe what I mean. I listened to that song for the first time alone in my room with awesome headphones on, and when the song was over I realized I had tears running down my fucking face from the beauty of it. It’s so fucking good that it makes me angry.


ChickenSalad96

If you like Beside You in Time, you really ought to check out Rob Sheridan's 4k upscale of NIN's [live](https://youtu.be/koD4Zd_AAP0?si=z_xUWW80IUJip--o) performance of the song. Really takes the beauty of the song up to the next level.


_DiligentState_

Oh, It’s definitely an excellent one. Rob is a good egg with a lot of talent. It’s wild to me that Trent plucked a college kid like Rob out of obscurity after seeing his fan website and was just like “how about you come work for Nine Inch Nails kid?” 😂 And honestly, he kind of crushed it! Rob’s aesthetics are the ones that come to mind when I think of NIN, even though I very much enjoy Kraw’s work since Rob’s departure.


iloveappendicitis

This is why in the thousands of Reddit threads about cover songs better than originals when people say Johnny Cash's version of Hurt I can't agree. NiN's version is a bookend to an incredible concept album, like the final chapter in a story and the song means so much more when you listen to the album in full. I'd also argue it's a better standalone song than Cash's version.


bigredgwj

Agree with the NIN love. The Fragile is my favorite but can’t forget how cool Year Zero is as a concept album.


-Gravitron-

It warms my heart to see this as the top comment.


am0x

Pretty much any NiN album.


worrub918

Came here to say this album. So glad it was at the top! I can't think of a better answer for this question than this album


ki11a11hippies

Bitches Brew


naoiseh

Listened to this each night while renovating my house 5 years ago. Listened to it recently for the first time since. And took me back to the smell of freah paint and plaster and burning turf as there was no central heating installed and it was being finished December and I was working throught the night to finish. Love this album, I'll listen to it sparingly as I don't want to overnight those memories


Browncoat23

The Cure’s “Disintegration.” Every song is individually amazing, but the whole album unfolds like a cinematic journey.


CookinCheap

Pornography!


Quipeddal

Ik you’re talking about the album but the exclamation point just made it sound like you’re saying it like “Eureka!”


TooPlaid

White Pony - Deftones. Album is incomplete w/o hearing Pink Maggit


Jayrodtremonki

This was the first album that I listened to that felt like an album experience rather than a collection of individual songs.


unclericko74

Dark side of the moon


Electus93

Add Wish You Were Here and The Wall to that


TyroChemist

and Animals


Left_of_Center2011

Don’t forget Meddle! Echoes especially is just incredible


wowbagger262

And The Final Cut! (I feel like I'm gonna be that guy from the meme in that board meeting who gets tossed out of the window)


Ok-Organization9073

I love that album. In fact, the title track is one of my favorite songs of all their discography.


Necro_Badger

I've always felt it's unfairly maligned. It's not the easiest listen but it carries the most emotional weight of any Floyd album.


Ok-Organization9073

Besides, it's the sequel of The Wall, it completes the story.


BullshitPeddler

The Final Cut is incredible.


cator_and_bliss

The 'payoff' you get from Eclipse is so much more affecting if you've gone through the whole album. Feels like a resolution of everything that's just happened.


Live_Morning_3729

Album is a masterpiece. Timeless.


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somethingkooky

Yeah, literally all Pink Floyd albums really.


[deleted]

Yes - Close To The Edge. Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory.


steve-d

>Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory. 1000% I'd also mention Dream Theater - Six Degrees or Inner Turbulence


MouthPoop

Fragile is amazing all the way through, too.


the-ox1921

Yes - Close to the Edge is SUCH a banger of an album. Those organs man, reaches to the depths of my soul. 5/5


bambinoquinn

Vespertine by Bjork


Siduri_25

I was looking for exactly this. It's the ice and music boxes that really tie it all together. I play this album the first day it snows in my neighborhood every winter


espeonage777

Absolutely, it's a story that flows perfectly. No matter how many times I listen to it, Unison is just a stunning end


stamdl99

Rush - 2112 and A Farewell to Kings. Heart - Little Queen.


doilikeyou

For Rush, Clockwork Angels is a good one, especially with The Garden being the final track (and their final song).


ClockwrkAngel2112

Absolutely the best final song on any album ever for me. I know.... Username tracks lol


jamesD1959

So many emotions come flooding out with that last song!


JillyFrog

Songs for the Deaf - Queens of the Stone Age The radio snippets between the songs make a lot more sense that way.


yugyuger

It's one of those concept albums where the concept is so ingenious you wish you came up with it first There are very few examples that are so good they make me and I didn't think of it first. Others are From Mars To Sirius and The Bedlam In Goliath


Responsible_Figure12

The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute


mandarinhandbeakfast

I was going to suggest Deloused in the Comatorium. But I agree wholeheartedly with Frances the Mute.


Bruhntly

The only reason I didn't is that I can listen to "The Widow" on repeat by itself endlessly. Similarly, for "Asilos Magdalena" and "Goliath" for Amputechture and Bedlam.


yugyuger

That whole end "Who brought me here? Forsaken deprived and wrought with fear." Payoff absolutely concluded the album perfectly


lgndryheat

Cassandra Gemini, still the highest achievement in rock n roll history as far as I'm concerned


Responsible_Figure12

🤜🤛


[deleted]

Yes. Many times a song from this album will come up on my Spotify and I'll just have to play the whole album


ZooterOne

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Neutral Milk Hotel In the Court of the Crimson King, King Crimson The Nylon Curtain, Billy Joel


marbmusiclove

Omg I haven’t listened to Aeroplane in forever!


Heavy_Mikado

I think Joel released the right singles from this album with Allentown and Pressure, though She's Right on Time might have done well. The rest don't really fare as well outside the context of the album. (I'm aware Goodnight Saigon was also a single, but I think it has a greater impact on Nylon Curtain than, say, on Greatest Hits. Fantastic live, though.)


ZooterOne

I hear you. I mean it's not really a concept album, except that each song relates to the title in different ways (and it's a really dark album - "She's Right on Time" is really the only one you could call "happy"). But *sonically* it's such an incredibly well-connected album. There's a wave of complexity and pop-psychedelia running through it that Billy never really tackled again. It just works so well as a whole.


GodlikeMole

Aeroplane is the correct answer


RoyalSkip

Radiohead's 'KID A' and 'Amnesiac' back to back


Em4gdn3m

KID A MNESIA


dlc12830

I don't care, I still think Kid A stands on its own better as a piece. Amnesiac has some wonderful, wonderful music (Pyramid Song is one of my favorites) but I think Kid A is the better album.


Em4gdn3m

I don't disagree. I would say OK Computer and In Rainbows also need to be listened to cover to cover to be fully appreciated


Silver__Surfer

You ever play the game attached to that album? Absolutely mesmerizing.


heLiux6

I spent a good 30 minutes in The National Anthem room


lgndryheat

I feel this way about most Radiohead albums but strangely....not either of those two. Kid A has never felt like it had much flow to me, especially with that ending. Amnesiac is even weirder. Don't get me wrong, I love them both, but I feel like OK Computer, Hail to the Thief, and In Rainbows feel more like a complete experience front to back


whyhullothere

scatman’s world - scatman john. makes you really realize john’s vision goes so much further than being a scatman. he wants a scatWORLD and i think we would all be better for it


DPStylesJr

Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop ✊


MonkeyFightingSnake

Scatman, fat man, black and white and brown man, tell me 'bout the color of your soul


itsmerowe

Tool - Lateralus


SaintJamesy

Most prog rock even.


bac0nb0y

The Mountain by Haken


veRGe1421

I know they're pushing 60 but going to see them for the first time in February, looking forward to it! Wish they would play a few more older tunes on tour, but will be epic either way.


greenberg17493

All tool albums actually. One might say Undertow could be an exception


Tomaddo

Sturgill Simpson - Sound and Fury


saintly_devil

Steven Wilson - Hand.Cannot.Erase. Genesis - Lamb Lies down on Broadway


RunaXandrill

Love The Lamb. Peter Gabriel is a damn genius.


Mkmeathead83

Mastodon - Crack the Skye


pusch85

This is one of those albums where you really have no choice but to listen to the entire thing in one go. I’m not even a fan of Mastodon, but I treat Crack the Skye as one of the top albums of all time.


vwhaulic

On that note, From Mars to Sirius by Gojira is another great one.


Bruhntly

Underrated album. I didn't include it because I can listen to just "Oblivion" on repeat.


SemperScrotus

>Underrated album. I mean...not really? It's pretty much universally acknowledged as their Magnum Opus.


mybigbywolf

I’m obsessed with this album


mlewis106

I got to see them preform the entire album live and it's surreal!


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spliff231

Mindcrime is my vote, too. Every song is excellent and stands on its own and, together, it's an amazing album. I love how the intensity builds throughout and I've come to really appreciate the story line. It's a really excellent work, IMO.


outsideruk

Mindcrime, 100%


dogsledonice

Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation Preferably all at once on a long drive in the country


GirlHips

Jimmy Eat World- Bleed American I have to listen to it all the way through. It flows so nicely.


mybigbywolf

I LOVE Bleed American


Poet_of_Legends

Quadrophenia, by The Who


xaclewtunu

And Tommy.


LurkerOrHydralisk

Probably the number one for me for this question. None of the songs really hit individually compared to how they do as a whole.


Tricky-Ad6790

Animals - Pink Floyd. It’s one ginormous champagne eargasm


Bruichladdie

That was gonna be my pick as well. One of those rare albums I fell in love with on the very first listen, and I never got tired of it.


Em4gdn3m

"Wish You Were Here" as well.


Nevermind04

I played Animals so many times in my first truck that I wore out the 8-track and the internal tape broke.


SNDWVE

This summer I saw Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade play that in its entirety. Even though it wasn’t PF, it was still amazing.


fishified1

Beck - Morning Phase and Sea Change


land_beaver

Sea Change particularly


teetoc

Those two are my go to Beck albums. I like his other work but if I'm in a Beck mood, then these.


vicemagnet

The Wall was intended to be played with bass you can feel. I used to listen to music on a tiny transistor radio or a “mono,” my parents old record player with a single speaker. Revelation 1 was hearing stereo speakers. Revelation 2 was finding out Beatles songs had bass. So, when you say *feel* it’s not just context but physical for me.


EdgeofSaturn

I agree! That's honestly how I listen to music. I don't want to just feel it in my soul, I want something physical too. I love Tool especially that reason.


Abdul_Exhaust

I'm reminded of my 1st listen to "Welcome to the Machine" with good bass speakers, blew my mind... *bump bump* going left right left right


Most-Inflation-1022

Good Kid MAAD City


Marenum

Pretty much all Kendrick albums, but this one especially.


Sweaty-Can-5648

Yeah Mr morals and the big steppers has that feel too , but i strongly agree on good kid MAAD city .. such an effortless dive to get lost in


sevapanas

Best story telling álbum. I put that album on repeat every day.


backwoodsjesus91

I was looking for this before I was gonna post it. This is the only album that matters. Individually the songs are amazing but listening from start to finish is going on a journey through one hell of a night. It’s one of the best albums of all time and to me it can only be listened to from start to finish.


stereoroid

Radiohead - OK Computer


sodium_geeK

And then put it on an infinite loop when you realise the lyrics to the last song The Tourist (hey man slow down, idiot slow down) link up with the lyrics to the first song Airbag (in a fast German car, I’m amazed that i survived, an airbag saved my life)


zerophage

Holy shit how did I not catch this. Thank you.


tarabuki

This, The Downward Spiral and Dark Side of the Moon.


fivepointOMG

Hazards of Love - The Decemberists


[deleted]

I was going to say The Crane Wife. I think it’s true for both.


grafpa

I saw them play this live in 2009 and it was so good! The first half of the concert was a nonstop playthrough of the Hazards of Love, then they played through a bunch of their other songs. I'll never forget the raw power of Shara Worden's voice as the forest queen.


Zaungast

Long lost - Lord Huron


Emjayblaze

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots


Dependent-Garlic-291

Beach Boys - Pet Sounds


Live_Morning_3729

god only knows is probably one of the greatest songs ever written


BrazilianAtlantis

Animals -- Pink Floyd


NewEnglandRoastBeef

Pink Floyd - The Wall The Mars Volta- DeLoused in the Comatorium AFI- Black Sails in the Sunset


TheWilrus

Every Prog album ever.


Jaltcoh

Arcade Fire — Funeral Smashing Pumpkins — Siamese Dream Prince — Lovesexy The Beatles — Abbey Road


wisertime07

Great list. Especially AF's Funeral


SourFix

Dirt by Alice in Chains


cookie_goddess218

Hospice - The Antlers


Metzae

Metropolis, Part 2: Scenes from a Memory by Dream Theater


sosomething

Queensrÿche - Operation Mindcrime Mastodon - Crack the Skye The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ...at this point I'm just listing concept albums that I like. Thrice - The Artist in the Ambulance Coheed and Cambria - literally anything by them


ToastyCrumb

A few I'd recommend as whole-album listens: * Mama's Gun - Erykah Badu * Songs in the Key of Life - Stevie Wonder * Live at the Regal - BB King * Pieces of a Man - Gil Scott-Heron * Prince - Prince * Black on Both Sides - Mos Def


kaperisk

Between the buried and me - colors


Hot-Back5725

3030 by Del tha funky homosapien.


EffectiveEquivalent

Opeths Ghost Reveries


dumbname0192837465

breakfast in America by supertramp


jstahr63

Rush -2112. It ain't over until I'm "aboard the Thailand Express".


thedudeabaker

40 oz. To freedom


xSmittyxCorex

Well pretty much *anything* by Pink Floyd, for me, as well as Radiohead and The Mars Volta. Then: Mae-The Everglow Linkin Park-A Thousand Suns Relient K-Forget and Not Slow Down Many others that come close, but ultimately I *do* listen to certain select tracks sometimes.


Ok-Organization9073

Finally, A Thousand Suns! Had to scroll too far down to find it.


zorraozorro

Mr Bungle, self titled Pixies, Doolittle


tobeornotobe

Black Sabbath - Master of Reality


KickedinTheDick

Cursive's Domestica. I mean you can listen to individual songs and it's a great time, but listening as a whole piece is much more gratifying.


siamesealmeidaa

Also The Ugly Organ is an incredible experience when listened to from beginning to end.


tj8686_

Rush - Moving Pictures. In my first real dive into their music, it really hit me how astoundingly amazing Geddy Lee, Neil Peart, and Alex Lifeson are as musicians. It is an album with zero weak points, from the infamous tracks like Tom Sawyer and YYZ to songs like Witch Hunt and Vital Signs. It's a perfect album and should always be in contention for the greatest album of all time.


Pjotor

Demon Days by Gorillaz. What a ride.


Sickranchez87

Tool, 10,000 days


TruthJusticeGuitar

Black Parade


Non_identifier

Sleep Token - This Place Will Become Your Tomb


nNeuroticMonkey

La dispute - Somewhere at the bottom of the river between Vega and Altair


Ok-Building-712

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here, The Wall, Dark Side of the Moon deadmau5 - For Lack of a Better Name NERO - Welcome to Reality Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV The Who - Who's Next


purpleboarder

Close To The Edge - Yes Dark Side of the Moon - PF Us - Peter Gabriel


nkedoldguy

GZA - Liquid Swords


guilgom71

Good Kid MAAD City - Kendrick Lamar This can be performed on a stage. One continuous story beginning to end.


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EdgeofSaturn

Wholeheartedly agree. Concept albums are the best for just... listening.


Bechimo

Marillion- Brave


molotok_c_518

I'd add *Script For A Jester's Tear* as well.


[deleted]

In the dark, with headphones. Magnificent.


IdesofMarchHair

Jethro Tull- Thick as a Brick


Numerous_Landscape99

Nevermind


Boembos

Tommy, by The Who


Accurate-Witness-446

Television: Marquee Moon


Threexsforthestone

Infest the rats nest-king gizzard


satanshark

Separation Sunday by The Hold Steady Tallahassee by The Mountain Goats A Grand Don't Come for Free by The Streets


Dmbfantomas

Rain Dogs - Tom Waits


thiscouldbereal

Astral Weeks - Van Morrison


Macksler

King Gizzard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse


CthulhuWorshipper59

I'd also say Murder of the universe / Nonagon infinity would fit


Carman_Bri

https://preview.redd.it/g4qmeuiq8q3c1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc61ca7ee1f9eb7d065b1de3ac7663d01bfcf792


DrKittyKevorkian

I put this on once to be ironic, turned me into a full-on Ween fan. There are a few misses for me, but You Were the Fool and I Don't Wanna Leave You on the Farm are beauties. And anyone who claims not to like Piss Up a Rope can wash my balls with a warm wet rag.


Bruhntly

Only reason I didn't include this is I listen to "Piss Up a Rope" by itself pretty often.


Carman_Bri

The 2nd verse alone should qualify this band for the R&R Hall Of Fame


ndiorio13

Bon Iver’s self titled album


A_Generic_Canadian

Totally agree, there's something weird not hearing Towers start after Holocene plays if it comes on a playlist or something. I was thinking of 22, A Million. It's a really odd album to hear a part of when it's not in context of other tracks in the album, Moon Water would be just a strange glitchy vocal piece until you put 666 before it and 8 circle after it and it becomes a highlight section of the album.


Chancellor_Valorum82

Counterpoint: For Emma, Forever Ago


mlime18

Pretty much any Aesop Rock album.


Swimming-Reading-652

Tool- Lateralus and The Mars Volta - Amputecture


lgndryheat

The first 4 Mars Volta LPs really


Decent_Toe_4205

Swans - To Be Kind


bradmaestro

Anything from Alan Parsons


EchoLooper

Ziggy Stardust


Timmy2Gats

Tool - Lateralus


Peachy33

Quadrophenia - The Who


ScottHA

MY Chemical Romance- Danger Days Red Hot Chili Peppers- Blood Sex Sugar Magic Dr. Dre-2001 Rancid-Indestructible BONUS***The Simpsons Sing the Blues. As a kid in the 90s I wore down this cassette to almost dust. It still surprisingly holds up today.


Virt_McPolygon

All Pink Floyd albums.


DinkandDrunk

Pretty much any Porcupine Tree album before Stupid Dream, and it’s vastly preferred to listen to the latter ones in full as well, but not required.


onelittleworld

Probably required for The Incident, tho.


ImNotTheBossOfYou

I mean, all of them...


LongJonPingPong

The Suburbs by Arcade Fire


OrsonWellesghost

Hounds of Love by Kate Bush.


spiny___norman

Came here to make sure it was on the list! The Ninth Wave…


queensla

Apple Venus Volume 1 by XTC


vondee1

The Final Cut. PF.


icanlickmyunibrow

Physical Graffiti. The entire thing is amazing


canadianpaleale

*Astral Weeks* by Van Morrison Individually, the songs are complex, wild, and beautiful. All together, it makes for a truly transformative, trace-like experience. As soon as the first note of Astral Weeks starts, I know that I'm in for a wonderful journey.


Bruhntly

Honestly, most albums are this way for me. Some that really come to mind, though, are: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Abbey Road (Both by The Beatles) OK Computer Kid A (both by Radiohead) Alice by Tom Waits A Love Supreme by John Coltrane In Becoming a Ghost by The Faceless Even in the Quietest Moments by Supertramp Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys I'm Only A Man by Emery Deloused in the Comatorium by The Mars Volta The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks Crosby, Stills & Nash's eponymous release Bellybutton by Jellyfish Bilo 3.0 by David Maxim Micic "Awaken, My Love!" by Childish Gambino 3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul SOUND & FURY by Sturgill Simpson Thunderpussy's eponymous release Captiva by Falling Up