A Perfect Ten Album.....

[BH]

I said it in another thread today... As far as studio albums go, Z is my last favorite MMJ album. Live, on the other hand, most of the songs are monsters. But as an album with a general flow, it sounds more like a greatest hits to me

Sorry, but Jaimoe and eWind are both clinically insane.    ;)  Z is a fucking 11.   It's every bit of a Dark Side of The Moon and even more in my opinion.    Ask yourself when the last time you put it in.   Then, after you realize it's been wayyyy to long.   Play it front to back next time you have 45 minutes alone with yourself, turn it up and come back here and tell me it's not a ten.     

[zanjam]

Dire Straits - Sire Straits
Bob Dylan - Desire
The Who - The Who By Numbers
Beatles - Revolver
Bruce - Born to Run
Zappa - Joe's Garage (Disc 1.  Parts of Disc 2 are great, also, but not all are perfect 10s)
GD - Reckoning
Robert Palmer - Sneakin 'Sally
Neil - After the Goldrush
Phish - Picture of Nectar
Stones - Exile
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
Rush - Exit Stage Left
Stephen Stills - Manassas
Traffic - John Barleycorn
Ween - Quebec

For starters..

[e_wind]

I said it in another thread today... As far as studio albums go, Z is my last favorite MMJ album. Live, on the other hand, most of the songs are monsters. But as an album with a general flow, it sounds more like a greatest hits to me

Sorry, but Jaimoe and eWind are both clinically insane.    ;)  Z is a fucking 11.   It's every bit of a Dark Side of The Moon and even more in my opinion.    Ask yourself when the last time you put it in.   Then, after you realize it's been wayyyy to long.   Play it front to back next time you have 45 minutes alone with yourself, turn it up and come back here and tell me it's not a ten.     

I think MMJ does that multiple 10s - they're called At Dawn and It Still Moves. Then they have an album that perfectly captures the idea of an album. Flowing from start to finish cohesively, yet lacking some excitement... And that's called Circuital. Then there's 3 albums that are all collections of great, exciting songs, yet lacking the cohesive factor. Those are obviously the remaining 3. I would definitely say that the album factor is better represented in EU than in Z and TTF. I know I know, this whole paragraph is deserves a bunch of bashing. What can I say though, those are just my preferences I suppose

[BH]

I said it in another thread today... As far as studio albums go, Z is my last favorite MMJ album. Live, on the other hand, most of the songs are monsters. But as an album with a general flow, it sounds more like a greatest hits to me

Sorry, but Jaimoe and eWind are both clinically insane.    ;)  Z is a fucking 11.   It's every bit of a Dark Side of The Moon and even more in my opinion.    Ask yourself when the last time you put it in.   Then, after you realize it's been wayyyy to long.   Play it front to back next time you have 45 minutes alone with yourself, turn it up and come back here and tell me it's not a ten.     

I think MMJ does that multiple 10s - they're called At Dawn and It Still Moves. Then they have an album that perfectly captures the idea of an album. Flowing from start to finish cohesively, yet lacking some excitement... And that's called Circuital. Then there's 3 albums that are all collections of great, exciting songs, yet lacking the cohesive factor. Those are obviously the remaining 3. I would definitely say that the album factor is better represented in EU than in Z and TTF. I know I know, this whole paragraph is deserves a bunch of bashing. What can I say though, those are just my preferences I suppose

It's all good.   It's Still Moves and At Dawn are actually more special to me in a lot of ways.   But I think Z is groundbraking and spectacular in a way that nothing else is.   A  special creative moment in time.

[Ghosts_on_TV]

I said it in another thread today... As far as studio albums go, Z is my last favorite MMJ album. Live, on the other hand, most of the songs are monsters. But as an album with a general flow, it sounds more like a greatest hits to me

Sorry, but Jaimoe and eWind are both clinically insane.    ;)  Z is a fucking 11.   It's every bit of a Dark Side of The Moon and even more in my opinion.    Ask yourself when the last time you put it in.   Then, after you realize it's been wayyyy to long.   Play it front to back next time you have 45 minutes alone with yourself, turn it up and come back here and tell me it's not a ten.     

I think MMJ does that multiple 10s - they're called At Dawn and It Still Moves. Then they have an album that perfectly captures the idea of an album. Flowing from start to finish cohesively, yet lacking some excitement... And that's called Circuital. Then there's 3 albums that are all collections of great, exciting songs, yet lacking the cohesive factor. Those are obviously the remaining 3. I would definitely say that the album factor is better represented in EU than in Z and TTF. I know I know, this whole paragraph is deserves a bunch of bashing. What can I say though, those are just my preferences I suppose

Saying evil urges has more of an "album factor" than anything makes me question if you even know what that means. Sorry, I actually love eu, but it might be the most all over the place album I've ever heard in my life, by anyone.

[BH]

It's been 31 minutes.  Everyone should be right in the middle of Lay Low now thinking about what your going to write in your post about how wrong you were about Z.    :-*

[e_wind]

I said it in another thread today... As far as studio albums go, Z is my last favorite MMJ album. Live, on the other hand, most of the songs are monsters. But as an album with a general flow, it sounds more like a greatest hits to me

Sorry, but Jaimoe and eWind are both clinically insane.    ;)  Z is a fucking 11.   It's every bit of a Dark Side of The Moon and even more in my opinion.    Ask yourself when the last time you put it in.   Then, after you realize it's been wayyyy to long.   Play it front to back next time you have 45 minutes alone with yourself, turn it up and come back here and tell me it's not a ten.     

I think MMJ does that multiple 10s - they're called At Dawn and It Still Moves. Then they have an album that perfectly captures the idea of an album. Flowing from start to finish cohesively, yet lacking some excitement... And that's called Circuital. Then there's 3 albums that are all collections of great, exciting songs, yet lacking the cohesive factor. Those are obviously the remaining 3. I would definitely say that the album factor is better represented in EU than in Z and TTF. I know I know, this whole paragraph is deserves a bunch of bashing. What can I say though, those are just my preferences I suppose

Saying evil urges has more of an "album factor" than anything makes me question if you even know what that means. Sorry, I actually love eu, but it might be the most all over the place album I've ever heard in my life, by anyone.

The beauty of EU is that it's so galbum ending, yet some how is obviously a deliberate collection of songs.

[e_wind]

It's been 31 minutes.  Everyone should be right in the middle of Lay Low now thinking about what your going to write in your post about how wrong you were about Z.    :-*

Unfortunately, I can't say you're wrong. I can't remember the last time I listened to Z, though I some what regularly listen to the other 5 albums. In 2012 I've completely 180-Ed and started listening to studio MMJ rather than live cuts

[BH]

It's been 31 minutes.  Everyone should be right in the middle of Lay Low now thinking about what your going to write in your post about how wrong you were about Z.    :-*

Unfortunately, I can't say you're wrong. I can't remember the last time I listened to Z, though I some what regularly listen to the other 5 albums. In 2012 I've completely 180-Ed and started listening to studio MMJ rather than live cuts

It's like thin crust and thick crust pizza.   Everyone has their favorite but you wouldn't want to live without either one of them.

[MrWhippy]

The thing to me about Z is that it is just one of those albums where there is not a single lull or anything in the world about it I would want to change.  It is just 100% consistently awesome. 

The highs on Z to me aren't as high as the absolute showstoppers on It Still Moves, but it also does not have a single low, whereas to me It Still Moves has high and less-highs (I can't call anything abou that record a low).

[wolof7]

ok, we doing this? we havin this discussion? It's MMJ, each album to us is gonna be near-perfect or at least likeable but this is how i roll em out.

TTF - cutting teeth

At Dawn - soul-searching

ISM - swinging for the fences

Z - 10

EU - transition

Circuital - amalgam of identity

to me I don't listen to Z near as much as AD, ISM, or even at this time Circuital but I think if we're talking album perfection, Z is where the band really used the studio to hit all their highest peaks. The album is produced extremely well, the songs are among their strongest and it never overstays it's welcome or diverts it's stride.

[Jaimoe]

It Still Moves meanders too much 3/4s through, which is the case on MMJ's first three albums. There's a couple of weak songs on Z too. Their last two efforts aren't 10s either, and we all know it. I think Z is their most complete album though, with the most highs and epics.

[wolof7]

I think a case could be made (and a lot have) that 'Into the Woods' is a weaker track but to me it fits within the splendor of the album whole...otherwise imho i don't think there is a weak track on Z.

[johnnYYac]

I think I'll make a MMJ > Pink Floyd analogy here.

The Tennessee Fire > Piper at the Gates of Dawn

At Dawn > Saucerful of Secrets

It Still Moves > Meddle & Animals

Z > Dark Side of the Moon & Wish You Were Here

Evil Urges > The Wall & The Final Cut

Circuital > an album Waters's ego prevented from existing and Gilmour tried to make

I'm having second thoughts as I write it, but the point is, great bands have the experimental, early sound that exposes the talent and the promise of greatness to come.  Some personnel changes have both subtle and extreme impact on how the sound evolves.  Collections of songs become a bit tighter and flow into each other.  Production gets cleaner, more refined.  Then, experimentation returns and often turns off the hardcore fans who've been there from the start.  Then there's redemption, a reminder that the talent hinted at in the beginning is there, more mature and focused.  The question is, are we growing with the band or too set in our ways to accept that MMJ is making the music that they want, not what they think the fans want.  Perhaps that is at the heart of most true 10s.

That said, just as I would say of the corresponding Floyd albums above, Z is MMJ's true 10, but It Still Moves is my personal 10. 

[Ruckus]

I love that you Deadheads have a studio album as a perfect 10.  American Beauty is indeed a 10.  I guess for me a perfect 10 would be the albums I've listened to from top to bottom the most times without skipping a song throughout my days.

So many jazz masterpieces but I'll take the two that really take me somewhere
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain

ATCQ - Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders

Simon and Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence

MMJ - At Dawn - there's this album then all the other one's MMJ have put out.  Studio recording wise, I don't think anything touches it by them.

[dragonboy]

I don't think MMJ have a 10. There's an 8 and a couple of 8.5s, but no 10s, yet.

Yeah that's not about to happen anytime soon if the last two albums are any indication...

Just Kidding  ;)

At Dawn is a 10 for me, so is Black Sabbath, Astral Weeks, Illmatic, Sticky Fingers & What's Going On.

[mjk73]

Transmissions From The Satellite Heart
Soft Bulletin
At Dawn
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Common People
Revolver
Cooper Blue
The Clash
Curtis
Morrison Hotel
Seperation Sunday
Ritual de lo Habital
Hollywood Town Hall
Trace
Grace
Darklands
Harder They Come
Look Sharp!
Unknown Pleasures
The La's
Its A Shame About Ray
The Holy Bible
Girlfriend
Definitely Maybe
Cowboys From Hell
Stand!
Siamese Dream
Goo
Stone Roses
In It For The Money
Bandwagonesque
Anodyne
White Light/White Heat
Urban Hymns
White Blood Cells

[Come Closer]

Illmatic for sure

Other hip-hop albums:

Only Built For Cuban Linx
Liquid Swords
ATLiens
Midnight Marauders
Dah Shinin/Enta Da Stage/Nocturnal
Ready to Die
The Infamous
Illadelph Halflife

[YimBlaylock]

R.E.M-Murmur, Lifes Rich Pageant
Rolling Stones-Exile on Main St.
Radiohead-OK Computer
Nirvana-Nevermind, Unplugged
Eric Clapton, Unplugged, From the Cradle
Kanye West-College Dropout
Jay-Z-The Blueprint
Wilco-Summerteeth, YHF, A Ghost Is Born
Modest Mouse-Moon and Antarctica
The Band-Music From Big Pink, S/T
CCR-Cosmo's Factory
Fleetwod Mac-Rumours
The Raconteurs-Consolers of the Lonely
The White Stripes-White Blood Cells, Elephant, Get Behind Me Satan

[ManNamedTruth]

I agree with these albums others have mentioned:
Television - Marquee Moon
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
Jeff Buckley - Grace
The Clash - S/T (This and London Calling can both have 10's)

I'll add Pixies Doolittle to my list