Best Album Ever

Wow. Surprised to see AK'ers, or at least the AK'ers who would respond to a question like this, are pretty much MOR rockers.
As some remarked, without doing separate genres, this question is a little over the top. And then the next step would be sub-genres; i.e., jazz, jazz-rock, be-bop, big band, acoustic jazz, electric jazz, post-bop jazz, creative music, etc.

When the 'MOR rock' music was new, and in my case when I was buying this brand new music or hearing it for the first time it was played on the radio, it was anything but Middle Of the Road. It was the music of a huge social revolution.. It was the music of the counterculture. AM radio was MOR Top 40. This was FM radio, DJs doing politics and veiled drug references between extended sets of stuff AM would never touch. This was the era of WPLJ in New York City not just throwing away playlists but letting DJs do anything they wanted for 20 minutes out of every hour. Some played more music, some talked about the music and some did extended political opinionating. That included anti-war sermons, drug legalization endorsements and heavy duty criticism of then President Nixon. It got to the point that the head of the FCC threatened the station manager (at 3 AM one morning) with pulling the station's license. Suddenly there was a strict playlist and a no talking about anything but music rule at PLJ. WNEW never crossed the line that much being more interested in just music. But playing all of Visions of Johanna or the entirety of Dark Side of the Moon with only one commercial break was not MOR. The Carpenters and the Partridge Family were MOR. Deep album tracks like Sister Morphine were not.
 
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Sly Stone - There's A Riot Goin' On

I'm on my third vinyl copy, so it gets played more than anything else I have.
 
I'm on my third vinyl copy, so it gets played more than anything else I have.

It is kind of funny you mention this. I have several "favorite" albums that I bought new when they were first issued (back in the 70's). They survived a fraternity house and were played on God only knows what tables over the years. I have since purchased NOS sealed copies and 180 gm re-issues, but I still keep the beat-up originals and still play them--battle scars and all--they "earned" them, and there is "something" there in that surface noise and wear and tear (at least to me)--I just can't part with them--too much "sentimental value".
 
The one on my turntable right now -- Genesis, Three Sides Live. My favorite will change as soon as I put another piece of vinyl on the machine.
 
Technically Best, Artistically Best, Sonically Best. Which best. At which period of time as our tastes change. We can't even agree that a Stradivarius is the best violin, or that Stein way or a Bosendorfer is the best piano. Who's the Best pianist or trumpeter. Whose the best vocalist. You can't have a best album. Best for a category? Maybe. Can you say Acid rock is better than Rack-a-billie? Everyone Loves the Living legend Tony Bennet, but is he better than, Frank, or Dino, or Bing or my favorite. Who's the better singer. Marie Callas, or Sarah Vaughn? What about Pearl Bailey, etc etc etc. Who's Best Michael or the Beetles? I know who the Best Dancer singer was, Sammy. Davis. I know Nureyev and Baryshnikov couldn't sing. Who is the Best female dancer? Fonteyn! or Cid Charese! Different styles, different stage, different time. Was Fose the Best on Broadway? Some think so! Who builds the Best car. Roll-Royce held the honor for a long time. Or maybe Dusenberg?
 
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Could we be looking at this incorrectly? I tried to Google it, but could either the first Shellac, or Vinyl pressing be the best album ever? After all, it's what started all this.
 
Here's a more circumscribed choice. I'd say the single most important album as a cohesive work in the rock era is Dark Side of the Moon. Why? The sheer number of song for song covers of the entire album is unprecedented.
 
Agreed- way too many to pick just one; to me it’s more about defining an era, and that requires multiple artists, genres, instruments, and themes.

This one makes my top 20? for capturing the feelings and emotions I was experiencing at the time, struggling with my own attempts at independence. It was rebellious in the sense that the music was outside the normal realms of what my associates and I were listening to at the time; they told me they hated it while they were walking around humming it all day.

I can’t exactly remember what I was rebelling against, but I am still committed, dammit!
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Agreed- way too many to pick just one; to me it’s more about defining an era, and that requires multiple artists, genres, instruments, and themes.

This one makes my top 20? for capturing the feelings and emotions I was experiencing at the time, struggling with my own attempts at independence. It was rebellious in the sense that the music was outside the normal realms of what my associates and I were listening to at the time; they told me they hated it while they were walking around humming it all day.

I can’t exactly remember what I was rebelling against, but I am still committed, dammit!
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Your clip of the elephants reminds me of the first album of "OSIBASA" from the mid '70's.:banana:

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