The Comprehensive Music Collection -- the B's

[redsock]

Original language below, have had to download a lot of this in not so legal ways unfortunately. Will throw up my new "A" music collection by the end of the month, when i'm hoping to be done.
 
 But in the meantime, hit me with the B's, and please suggest album titles when appropriate, but "anything" also works. Not first names please...
 
 -------------------
 
 
 So, since I now have a decent paying job, and have rediscovered my love of actual CD's -- going the other way of others on the board apparently -- I have decided to reach out and discover the gobs and gobs of music I've missed along the way. Anything that came out this decade, I'm all over, but honestly, my musical tastes before that were poor, at best.
 
 So, i'm doing this one letter at a time. And since I know you guys love this list stuff...
 
 Artists that start with A, who should I be listening to, and what albums are important? Some artists are best covered by a Greatest hits album, others have one important album. All genres, all years, assume I know much less than I actually do. Let 'er rip...

[ggw]

The Bongos - Numbers with Wings

[xneverwherex]

The Bluetones - Expecting to Fly or The Singles
 Blur - Modern Life is Rubbish

[ratioci nation]

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Methodrone or Take it From the Man

[calecp01]

Originally posted by redsock:
  Original language below, have had to download a lot of this in not so legal ways unfortunately. Will throw up my new "A" music collection by the end of the month, when i'm hoping to be done.
 
 But in the meantime, hit me with the B's, and please suggest album titles when appropriate, but "anything" also works. Not first names please...
 
 -------------------
 
 
 So, since I now have a decent paying job, and have rediscovered my love of actual CD's -- going the other way of others on the board apparently -- I have decided to reach out and discover the gobs and gobs of music I've missed along the way. Anything that came out this decade, I'm all over, but honestly, my musical tastes before that were poor, at best.
 
 So, i'm doing this one letter at a time. And since I know you guys love this list stuff...
 
 Artists that start with A, who should I be listening to, and what albums are important? Some artists are best covered by a Greatest hits album, others have one important album. All genres, all years, assume I know much less than I actually do. Let 'er rip...

My fav B's, although I catalog via first names so there might be some last name B's that I'm missing:
 
 The Band - Greatest Hits
 I'm sure plenty will disagree and claim multiple albums are needed, but personally I think these guys are just a *wee* bit overrated and this comp is good enough
 
 Basement Jaxx - Remedy
 
 Duh: Beach Boys, Beatie Boys, Beatles <-- the new Love album in 5.1 is pretty amazing BTW
 
 Beat happening - Beat Happening
 
 Beck - Midnite Vultures and Odelay at least
 
 Bee Gees - there is a new best of package that is perfect, def have both folk and disco eras in the collection
 
 Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
 
 Bela Fleck & the Flecktones - Live Art
 
 Belle & Sebastian - one of my fav bands of all time, hard to recommend the best, but I'd say The Life Pursuit, If You're Feeling Sinister, Legal Man, and the Books EP for starters.
 
 Beta Band, The - The Three EP's <-- holy shit so good
 
 Big Star - #1 Record & Radio City on 1 disc
 
 Bjork - Homogenic and Post for sure
 
 Black Devil Disco Club - 28 After
 
 Black Flag - Damaged
 
 Blind Melon - Soup <-- no really!
 
 Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
 
 I'd say at least one Blonde Redhead, but I'll let an uber fan suggest an album
 
 Blondie - Parallel Lines or one of the best of collections
 
 Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum
 
 Blur - honestly a little overrated in my opinion, best of disc at least should be in every collection
 
 Boards Of Canada - Music Has The Right To Children
 
 Booka Shade - Movements
 
 Books, The - Thought for Food
 
 Boredoms - Super AR
 
 Boy Least Likely To, The - The Best Party Ever
 
 Breeders - Last Splash
 
 Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People
 
 Built To Spill - um... all of them?
 
 Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady
 
 Byrds, The - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

[ggw]

We could probably spend most of this thread arguing over the best Bowie album. Any of the below are good.
 The Man Who Sold the World
 Ziggy Stardust
 Aladdin Sane
 Low
 Heroes
 Scary Monsters
 
 Black Sabbath.  Ditto:
 Black Sabbath
 Paranoid
 Master of Reality
 Volume 4
 Heaven and Hell
 
 Blondie - Parallel Lines
 
 B-52's - S/T or Wild Planet

[ggw]

Buffalo Springfield -- Retrospective

[vansmack]

Originally posted by cale:
  Beta Band, The - The Three EP's <-- holy shit so good

CUSTOMER: "Who is that?"
 
 ROB: "It's the Beta Band."
 
 CUSTOMER: "It's good."
 
 ROB: "I Know."

[calecp01]

Ok - some amazing last name B's:
 
 Alan Braxe & Friends - The Upper Cuts
 
 Duh's: Bowie and James Brown
 
 David Byrne - The Catherine Wheel, Feelings, Look Into The Eyeball, Lead Us Not Into Temptation, and of course My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts (the new remastered and expanded ver) but I guess that technically should be under E for Eno?
 
 Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow & Rejoicing in the Hands <-- jaw droppingly beautiful
 
 Donald Byrd - Ethiopian Knights
 
 Glenn Branca - No. 1
 
 Jeff Buckley - Grace
 
 Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block <-- not sure if this counts
 
 Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs
 
 Tim Buckley - Starsailor
 
 Vashti Bunyan - Just Another Diamond Day & Lookaftering

[calecp01]

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
  We could probably spend most of this thread arguing over the best Bowie album. Any of the below are good.
 The Man Who Sold the World
 Ziggy Stardust
 Aladdin Sane
 Low
 Heroes
 Scary Monsters
 

I think Diamond Dogs often get's left off the absolutely essential Bowie albums list.  Also don't forget Hunky Dory.

[HoyaSaxa03]

i thought this was originally only 90s and earlier ...
 
 the band - "music from big pink"
 
 band of horses - "everything all the time"
 
 beach boys - "pet sounds" is a must-have
  --- for compilations, "good vibrations: thirty years of the beach boys" [5 cd box set from 1993] is amazing, but if you're looking for a one-disc-er, go with "sounds of summer: the very best of the beach boys" from 2003
 
 beastie boys - "paul's boutique", "check your head"
 
 beatles - you need pretty much every LP from "help!" through "let it be", then you need to choose between getting "past masters vols. 1 & 2"
 or just the one-disc-er "1" ... at this point, "1" is probably better than "past masters", although you lose some crucial tracks going that way
 
 beck - "mellow gold", "odelay"
 
 bee gees - "best of the bee gees" [from 1969, compiles their crucial early career, some amazing stuff on here]
 
 belle & sebastian - "if you're feeling sinister", "push barman to open old wounds"
 
 the beta band - "the three e.p.'s" or "best of"
 
 bettie serveert - "palomine"
 
 beulah - "the coast is never clear" (i miss this band a lot)
 
 big star - "#1 record", "radio city"
 
 billy bragg - "talking with the taxman about poetry", "mermaid avenue", and "must i paint you a picture? the essential billy bragg" (2-discs)
 
 bjork - "greatest hits" works fine for me
 
 black flag - "damaged"
 
 black sabbath - others will be much more informed on this, but "paranoid" is a must-have
 
 black star - "black star"
 
 blake babies - "innocence and experience" (1-disc comp)
 
 bloc party - "silent alarm"
 
 blondie - "parallel lines", "best of"
 
 blur - "parklife"
 
 boards of canada - "music has the right to children"
 
 booker t & the mg's - "the best of..."
 
 the bottle rockets - "the brooklyn side"
 
 the breeders - "last splash"
 
 brendan benson - "lapalco" (he really needs a comp)
 
 british sea power - "the decline of british sea power"
 
 broken social scene - "you forgot it in people"
 
 buena vista social club - "s/t"
 
 buffalo tom - "let me come over" or "asides from ..." for a comp
 
 built to spill - "keep it like a secret"
 
 burning spear - "marcus garvey"
 
 burt bacharach - "the very best of" (not bacharach singing, but who really needs that)
 
 buzzcocks - "singles going steady"
 
 the byrds - you could just go with "greatest hits", which gets their early stuff, but if you like their later country stuff you need to get "sweetheart of the rodeo"
 
 chet baker - "the best of chet baker sings"
 
 dave brubek - "time out"
 
 frank black - "teenager of the year"
 
 james brown - get "20 all-time greatest hits" for a 1-disc-er or "50th anniversary collection" for a 2-disc-er ... you also need "in the jungle groove" or "the payback"
 
 tim buckley - "starsailor"

[BookerT]

B is a ridiculous letter so i'll limit to only indie pop selections.
 
 the bats - daddy's highway
 beat happening - beat happening
 beulah - when your heartstrings break
 biff bang pow - waterbomb (comp)
 black tambourine - complete recordings
 boyracer - boyfuckingracer (comp)
 butterglory - are you building a temple in heaven

[eros]

Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:
 beatles - you need pretty much every LP from "help!" through "let it be", then you need to choose between getting "past masters vols. 1 & 2"
 or just the one-disc-er "1" ... at this point, "1" is probably better than "past masters", although you lose some crucial tracks going that way
 

I'd recommend the "red" and "blue" 2-CD sets.

[HoyaSaxa03]

Originally posted by eros:
  I'd recommend the "red" and "blue" 2-CD sets.

but that'll run you $50 v. $25 for both past masters v. $13 for "1" ... i guess you just have to look at the tracklists and see what you're missing on each

[calecp01]

Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:
 
 
 beastie boys - "paul's boutique", "check your head"
 

Hey, we have some pretty similar lists, although Ill Communication is a must IMO.