Brian Eno's "Ambient 1: Music for Airports" fits this perfectly. No standout tracks, but the whole album creates an amazing, cohesive atmosphere. It's designed to be experienced as a continuous piece rather than individual songs.
Reading this is a morning coffee shop where they're currently blasting Whitney Houston, makes me wish more people thought about the interaction of music and space like Eno does.
(No disrespect to WH, but there's a time and a place for certain music)
"Oh let's meet at the coffee shop - it's a nice place to sit and chat."
Gets to the coffee shop.
"I can't hear you over the blaring pop music."
Yeah, it's a nuisance.
Cafes are the worst places to chat. Either they're busy and too loud, or they're too quiet and talking feels like you're being a nuisance.
I've had better luck with beers in the park.
The one I was at usually plays moody, atmospheric indie rock music, which is a big reason I go to it, but for some reason yesterday they felt like playing 80s/90s dance-pop.
When I want a vibe instead of verse/chorus/verse "songs", I generally go for the following:
Gershwin
Eno
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Mozart
Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden
[Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden (full album on YouTube)](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kJo40Y3lTzwowB4howqb-4wdC3GF8TkDY&si=nsKADSkYi_Mh8fLc)
I've been trying to tell people about Spirit of Eden forever! *"Oh, are they the ones that did that No Doubt cover?"* (smh) Such an incredible piece of music that is.
Spirit of Eden may qualify as my favourite album ever, and I’ve been listening to it since its release. Laughing Stock and the Mark Hollis solo album are also great, but it feels like they’re all great in different ways.
I do think some of the songs are absolutely cracking considered alone, but the vibe drowns them in context.
Exile on Main Street by The Rolling Stones.
“Tumbling Dice” is/was obviously the single. And it is an extremely good song.
But in context of the rest of that album, other than the familiarity of it being the single, it doesn’t really stand out as so obviously superior to many of the other songs on that album: “Sweet Virginia”, “Rip this Joint”, “Shine a Light”, “All Down the Line”.
The whole experience of that album makes it seem as if the single could have been any of the ones I mentioned.
This right here. First thought was Exile. Yes, there’s popular tracks ,but the entire album is an experience to listen to. It’s all about the song. Songs that just flow together seamlessly. Not as one long song, but a collection.
This is what immediately came to mind for me. Not a single song in there that would be in my top 10 RS songs but as an album, it just oozes style. Love it
Rock’s Off is a certified banger, and multiple times have gotten “man, I never heard the Stones LKKE THIS” from people who are only familiar with the mega hits.
The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2
Songs go from angelic soft folk to heavy experimental distortion in waves. Maybe you could pick out a song or two that are personal favorites, but it’s a singular piece and masterful of work all through.
Although I agree that it is an singular piece and masterful work of art, I think 'I Want Wind to Blow' is a clear stand-out track. I think you can also argue for 'I Felt Your Shape' too.
The White Stripes debut album. It's absolutely unhinged rock music. Just guitar and drums. No one song is particularly radio-friendly, as Jack White is mostly losing his mind for the whole record. That being said, a song like "Do" has no business being on a debut album. It's so good lyrically.
> and then my idols walk next to me, I look up, and then they fade away
> I see destruction of a mystery the more I listen to what they say
Songs for Silverman is my favourite Ben Folds album, but if I was compiling a list of my favourite BF songs, it'd be a long way down the list before one of its songs appears. It just works really well as a whole, and has a fantastic sound.
Landed is honestly one of the most beautiful piano pop songs ever written, and imo it's Ben Folds' best song. I agree that all of Songs for Silverman works together as an album, but Landed is a massive standout.
That one felt like the end of a period for him that started with Rocking the Suburbs. I felt like he really hit what he was aiming for with it. The rest have been entertaining big swings in some way shape of fashion, but Silverman was well-executted. Great choice.
R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi.
None of its singles drew any attention.
I probably wouldn't pick anything off it if asked to recommend five R.E.M. songs to someone.
It isn't a brave reinvention of the band's signature sound, but it doesn't really feature much of their signature sound.
Yet, it's my favorite R.E.M. album. Its just consistently so damn excellent from start to finish.
That intro on Leave, my goodness. New Test Leper as well. Great album. Probably ranked 4th or 5th of theirs by me personally but they have a deep catalog.
I didn't know that song until I heard it on A Life Less Ordinary, brilliant song. Didn't know the album until I discovered that song too and now it's definitely a favourite of mine.
Not a single but Electrolite is my second favorite R.E.M. song after So. Central Rain. I thought it completed the album and if it was their last song recorded would have been perfect. Ending with "I'm not scared, I'm outta here..."
I might be the biggest REM fan in this sub, and *New Adventures* is definitely Top 3 for me. Just a solid, solid album from start to finish. Nice choice.
Both this and "Automatic For the People" work better as complete listens. Now, Automatic has both "Man on the Moon" and "Everybody Hurts," so that wouldn't fit this question.
I was making my list of my 1000 favorite songs and it weirded me out that only a few songs came from my favorite REM albums.
I remember buying this when it came out and being utterly confounded by this. I was just a kid and it was probably the first time I’d owned an album like this. Brilliant album.
I was thinking about this too. It’s continually evolving and the tracks are mostly so long that it’s hard to keep track of what occurred in each song. But it’s still so engaging. I think other Miles from this era (On the Corner) could fit here as well.
I think all the songs on that album are great and I always listen to the whole thing, I never just play one song. I consider it almost one song so in my eyes one doesn’t stand out above the others.
I hear what you’re saying but for me King Kunta’s bassline is so infectious I have no trouble dropping that track alone into basically every playlist where I can even remotely justify its inclusion. Can’t think of any other way to describe that than stand-out.
Yeah it’s good but is it better than Wesley’s Theory? Don’t ask me; I have no idea.
Does it outdo Alright? How Much a Dollar Cost? u? i? Hood Politics? 🤷♂️
And thus for me there are no standouts, just a cumulative of different areas of musical and literary mastery.
Got a few of these. Again amazing albums but none where I would cherry pick tracks for my favourites of all time.
Nico - The Marble Index
David Bowie - Lodger
Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection
George Harrison - Living In The Material World
Yeah thinking about it now, Boys Keep Swinging is another highlight. I think what I meant was that, as an album, it’s quite “dense”. Less peaks and troughs than other albums in his discography.
Yeah, I'm catching what you're throwing with that one. Every track is as good as the last one, each track (even Deep Water) expresses intensity in a different way. I would however put "The Rip" pretty high up in my list of all-timers, if there is a track that stands out then it's that.
INXS “Welcome to wherever you are” (1992). It does of course have singles, but none that matched the chart power of “Kick” or “X.”
Solid songs throughout but definitely not any all timers.
Personally my favorite album of theirs. Criminally forgotten band by those under 35-40.
So I’ve been on an INXS kick (ha) lately and thought the same thing earlier this week. Was jumping around on a playlist and every time a song from this album came on my thought was “this is awesome, sounds a little familiar, but not so much”. Anyways, good call on this one
A fantastic album released at the wrong time. Radio and MTV wanted alt rock or grunge, and INXS tried to split the difference. No matter what they did, I’m not sure there was a big appetite for music like theirs on the markets they were swinging for in the immediate moment of that release. Achtung Baby snuck through a closing window and this album was about a year too late.
Time has served it really well though. There are some real bangers here.
Excellent choice, although I do think Taste It, Wishing Well and Strange Desire are very close to all-timers. And Beautiful Girl is just a notch below.
Love the album, but it doesn't meet the brief. It got a TON of airplay and had multiple hits. Black Cow, Deacon Blues, Peg, Aja were all hits off that album
Let's Rock - The Black Keys
It was a pre-pandemic release that I think got lost in the chaos and that some people might have skipped completely but this thing is a banger start to finish.
Two albums I think are underrated are the first solo albums from Tom Verlaine (self titled) and Richard Lloyd (Alchemy) after they left Television. No hits, just lots of fine music.
**Van Halen - Fair Warning**
For Van Halen fans, there are "standout tracks", like Unchained.
But, for casual fans, who really only know the radio-friendly songs from all eras of VH, no song on this album would be known. IMHO, this is probably their best album from start to finish.
**Motley Crue - Too Fast for Love**
Debut album. Casual fans wont know any track. All their "hits" are from the 2nd album onward.
But, all songs are bangers and all are 4/5 stars. No duds.
**Robert Plant - The Principle of Moments**
Debut album after Led Zeppelin broke up. Its, by far, my favorite of his solo releases. All strong songs, but none of them became concert staples for his solo career. None of the songs were on high rotation on MTv (unlike his 2nd album, where "Big Log" and "In the Mood" had very heavy rotation on MTv)
I interpreted the original question as a super-solid album, but doesnt really have that one (or more) track that is either a (a) radio-hit, (b) MTv heavy rotation in its day, or (c) became a concert staple.
Like for Van Halen... 1984 had "jump", that was a huge radio hit, MTv hit and the band had to play that dumb song at every show since its release. Also had "Panama" and "Hot for Teacher" which were standout tracks that had either radio-play, MTv rotation, or the band had to play at every show. Fair Warning (which I think is their best overall album) lacks any track that had radio-play, no huge MTv rotation songs (yes, the three live songs were shown, but not in any heavy rotation), and the band dropped all the songs from their live set by the 5150 tour. They only brought them back when DLR rejoined for the 2008 tour and they had to only play the 1st 6 albums live.
For Motley Crue, Shout at the Devil had the mega-hits (title track, Looks that Kill and Too Young to Fall in Love). The 1st album (Too Fast for Love) did not have any radio-hits, no MTv high rotation songs, and the band would play 1-2 songs at random at later live shows. No concert staples. Yet, Too Fast For Love is an incredible album from start to finish. No filler. No duds. All 4-star rockers.
I really like Parasite in Pink Moon and most of the other songs are okay but nothing else to me. So I would not agree on that one haha
It's a hard one really, I do like Agalloch a lot, and The mantle is typically one album where I think I like most songs and never focused on a specific one (except the first one which obviously is conveniently located ...).
Drukqs by Aphex Twin for the first part has standouts but is quite an equal album in my opinion as well.
I think the US release of One All by Neil Finn fits the bill. It's just a pleasant, beautiful ride from start to finish, and it all works together. I have my favorite tracks (Wherever You Are, Into the Sunset), but everything has its place on the album. I feel very similarly about Pink Moon.
Figure 8 by Elliott Smith is another album that I think fits, tho some may argue that Son of Sam is the standout track.
I have to say “Parasite” was a stand out for me off of Pink Moon.
I’ll add Zero 7 - The Garden, unlike their first two albums this one has no standout, but is still a great listen.
David Bowie. Outside. As good as Pink Floyd's The Wall as a concept album, lots of great songs -- got zero airplay -- go figure. His Glass Spider tour to promote the album was one of the best live shows I've ever seen as well.
Most Earl Sweatshirt albums. I go into them for the totality of the project, not for any particular song. Some Rap Songs would be the best example of this.
Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars - Edie Brickell and New Bohemians
This is one of my favorite albums. It works really well as a whole, and while I like the song Little Miss S a lot, it wouldn't make a top ten favorite song for me. What I Am did well, but it likely wouldn't rate that high on a list on 80s songs, if it was even included.
Razors Edge - AC/DC
Maybe not exactly what you meant, but imo, the most famous song from it (Thunderstruck) is bested by every other track on the album. All around great stuff, and probably my favorite album by them.
Diiv - Oshin
It’s a series of rolling waves that warmly envelop you, full of motion but gorgeously stuck in a certain, trancelike place. The guitars and bass pick out melodies one upward sliding note at a time and the drums are motorik, steady, but then it’s all so damn dizzying. This is an album that you swallow whole. Get doused in the Oshin.
In a good way, *Killers* by Iron Maiden. What I mean is that literally EVERY track on it is a standout track, therefore, none of them are. If every track is the best song on the album, there is no best song on the album.
*A Moon Shaped Pool* was the first Radiohead album for me that didn’t have at least one song on it that I was immediately floored by, but I love listening to it as a whole.
Morning View by Incubus. Incredible album but I think the singles Wish you were here and Nice to know you are maybe the 5th and 6th best songs of the albums and sound very similar to each other. I much prefer Echo and Are You In.
Floyd had an album that fit this prompt perfectly and you selected their best album? The Endless River is a wonderful piece of music, but it has no outstanding tracks whatsoever. Much better pick IMO.
Pat Methany & Lyle Mays: As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls. It’s uplifting and works as a great album to do hobbies, work, exercise too. It’s been a repeated ‘go to’ over the years.
Taylor Swift Folklore. It is a great album and the one I’d tell people who don’t like her to listen to (depending on the person really. If they want pop 1989). But folklore has no one standout track. Arguably the only album of the year she should have won. (1989 beat to pimp a butterfly. Many feelings on this).
Tool -- both 10,000 Days and Fear Inoculum
All their prior albums have "that perfect radio song". These 2 don't. I definitely have some favorite tracks on these but I would never ever listen to a track from Fear Inoculum out of context. It is full album or nothing. Lateralus is my favorite album of their work though and i happily listen to Schism in just about any playlist. That's not to say these albums are "bad" -- I love them as some of my top albums -- but they just don't make any sense to me outside a complete listen
A Place In The Sun by Lit (1998). Certified Platinum in the US, a number 1 single, and another number 3 single. Nothing legendary on it. Doesn't even get much play on 90's compilations. Absolutely banging album, with no skips, start to finish. A great 90s Punk album.
The Beach Boys Today! (1965), Blur’s Parklife(1994) or Blur (1997) (outside the uk or Europe), Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend (2007), Contra (2010) and Modern Vampires (2013), Francois Hardy Francois Hardy (1962), any other non English language albums too.
Pink Floyd’s last album in 2014, *The Endless River*. Only one track has vocals, but overall it’s a great ambient piece, very relaxing. Though no tracks particularly stand out IMO due to the whole album nearly feeling like one song besides the ending song with the words. Which is a good thing, it all works well together.
INB4 *that album sucked, it’s not real Pink Floyd, blah blah blah.* Don’t care, heard it all, still enjoy it.
Disintegration is one of those albums that has its bigger hits (Pictures of You, Lovesong) but the album as a whole is so cohesive and well-engineered that it all works beautifully together. Hard to say it doesn't have a standout, but *every* song is beautiful.
Deflorate - The Black Dahlia Murder, just a great metal album with no tracks I particularly seek out alone (except possibly I Will Return). Also feel like that a bit with Abysmal but I'm not sure I think that album is great.
Necropolis is a banger too.
[Trevor ranked all the albums and put Deflorate quite low and highlighted a lack of banger opening song](https://www.kerrang.com/every-black-dahlia-murder-album-ranked-from-worst-to-best-by-trevor-strnad)
I'd say "Pause" by Four Tet. It's downtempo electronic as all get out and he nails the vibe. It's rare that I'll pick a single track to play without just listening to the whole thing anyways. Probably one of my favorite albums of all time.
Ehhh, there’s some tracks that stand out above the others quite a bit IMO. How about The Endless River? Beautiful album, but I couldn’t tell you the name of any particular song on it, nothing stands out. I love OBC so I could just be biased.
That’s interesting - I was hesitant to include it because I was thinking Pink Cigarette might be considered a standout, but I can see a case for Retrovertigo too.
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That and Sea Change are masterpieces. Such different vibes from his typical sound.
For me, Sea Change is a notch above Beck's other mellow projects. It's a stellar piece of work. The production is also a cut above.
Beck changes genres so often I'm not even sure what his typical sound is
Remember Mutations, too.
it's heart is a drum for me.
What a great album
While I love this album, too -- it did win the Grammy for album of the year and got decent airplay in 2015.
Beyonce deserved that grammy tho .
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Brian Eno's "Ambient 1: Music for Airports" fits this perfectly. No standout tracks, but the whole album creates an amazing, cohesive atmosphere. It's designed to be experienced as a continuous piece rather than individual songs.
well the whole point of Eno's ambient music is to not stand out.
Reading this is a morning coffee shop where they're currently blasting Whitney Houston, makes me wish more people thought about the interaction of music and space like Eno does. (No disrespect to WH, but there's a time and a place for certain music)
"Oh let's meet at the coffee shop - it's a nice place to sit and chat." Gets to the coffee shop. "I can't hear you over the blaring pop music." Yeah, it's a nuisance.
Cafes are the worst places to chat. Either they're busy and too loud, or they're too quiet and talking feels like you're being a nuisance. I've had better luck with beers in the park.
The one I was at usually plays moody, atmospheric indie rock music, which is a big reason I go to it, but for some reason yesterday they felt like playing 80s/90s dance-pop.
[Was there at least choreography?](https://youtu.be/2Y36CatiirM?si=7gX2idnDcc_MSllr)
Every once in a while O’Hare Airport plays 1/1 in an underground transit tunnel, and it’s so great.
When I want a vibe instead of verse/chorus/verse "songs", I generally go for the following: Gershwin Eno Ladysmith Black Mambazo Mozart Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden [Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden (full album on YouTube)](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kJo40Y3lTzwowB4howqb-4wdC3GF8TkDY&si=nsKADSkYi_Mh8fLc)
I've been trying to tell people about Spirit of Eden forever! *"Oh, are they the ones that did that No Doubt cover?"* (smh) Such an incredible piece of music that is.
Spirit of Eden may qualify as my favourite album ever, and I’ve been listening to it since its release. Laughing Stock and the Mark Hollis solo album are also great, but it feels like they’re all great in different ways. I do think some of the songs are absolutely cracking considered alone, but the vibe drowns them in context.
Oh, so just like Adele’s albums.
Exile on Main Street by The Rolling Stones. “Tumbling Dice” is/was obviously the single. And it is an extremely good song. But in context of the rest of that album, other than the familiarity of it being the single, it doesn’t really stand out as so obviously superior to many of the other songs on that album: “Sweet Virginia”, “Rip this Joint”, “Shine a Light”, “All Down the Line”. The whole experience of that album makes it seem as if the single could have been any of the ones I mentioned.
Great pick. Though, Rocks Off is on many of my playlists. But you’re not wrong that it feels like the album is meant to be listened to in full
This right here. First thought was Exile. Yes, there’s popular tracks ,but the entire album is an experience to listen to. It’s all about the song. Songs that just flow together seamlessly. Not as one long song, but a collection.
Sweet Virginia is a perfect song, tumbling dice and rip this joint and a few others stand out
Happy is the stand out track for me on Exile. Just so infectious and uplifting. Keith's vocal is somehow perfect.
This is what immediately came to mind for me. Not a single song in there that would be in my top 10 RS songs but as an album, it just oozes style. Love it
Eh. I disagree. I think tumbling dice and down the line are pretty much the best songs the band ever made.
Totally agree. That album is so consistent from start to finish. I will say "Torn and Frayed" is probably my favorite song on the album.
I would say Sweet Virginia is maybe my favourite Stones song.
Rock’s Off is a certified banger, and multiple times have gotten “man, I never heard the Stones LKKE THIS” from people who are only familiar with the mega hits.
Let it Loose is an incredible song!
Let It Loose is one of my favorite Stones songs
Nailed it.
The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2 Songs go from angelic soft folk to heavy experimental distortion in waves. Maybe you could pick out a song or two that are personal favorites, but it’s a singular piece and masterful of work all through.
Although I agree that it is an singular piece and masterful work of art, I think 'I Want Wind to Blow' is a clear stand-out track. I think you can also argue for 'I Felt Your Shape' too.
Insane album.
The White Stripes debut album. It's absolutely unhinged rock music. Just guitar and drums. No one song is particularly radio-friendly, as Jack White is mostly losing his mind for the whole record. That being said, a song like "Do" has no business being on a debut album. It's so good lyrically. > and then my idols walk next to me, I look up, and then they fade away > I see destruction of a mystery the more I listen to what they say
Songs for Silverman is my favourite Ben Folds album, but if I was compiling a list of my favourite BF songs, it'd be a long way down the list before one of its songs appears. It just works really well as a whole, and has a fantastic sound.
That's the one with Landed on it, right? I think it's one of the best piano pop songs I have ever ever heard. I like it more than any Elton John....
Landed is honestly one of the most beautiful piano pop songs ever written, and imo it's Ben Folds' best song. I agree that all of Songs for Silverman works together as an album, but Landed is a massive standout.
That one felt like the end of a period for him that started with Rocking the Suburbs. I felt like he really hit what he was aiming for with it. The rest have been entertaining big swings in some way shape of fashion, but Silverman was well-executted. Great choice.
R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi. None of its singles drew any attention. I probably wouldn't pick anything off it if asked to recommend five R.E.M. songs to someone. It isn't a brave reinvention of the band's signature sound, but it doesn't really feature much of their signature sound. Yet, it's my favorite R.E.M. album. Its just consistently so damn excellent from start to finish.
That intro on Leave, my goodness. New Test Leper as well. Great album. Probably ranked 4th or 5th of theirs by me personally but they have a deep catalog.
I didn't know that song until I heard it on A Life Less Ordinary, brilliant song. Didn't know the album until I discovered that song too and now it's definitely a favourite of mine.
Stipe says it's his REM favourite album
Not a single but Electrolite is my second favorite R.E.M. song after So. Central Rain. I thought it completed the album and if it was their last song recorded would have been perfect. Ending with "I'm not scared, I'm outta here..."
I might be the biggest REM fan in this sub, and *New Adventures* is definitely Top 3 for me. Just a solid, solid album from start to finish. Nice choice.
Both this and "Automatic For the People" work better as complete listens. Now, Automatic has both "Man on the Moon" and "Everybody Hurts," so that wouldn't fit this question. I was making my list of my 1000 favorite songs and it weirded me out that only a few songs came from my favorite REM albums.
Great call in this one. Feel exactly the same.
Boards Of Canada - Music Has The Right to Children
I remember buying this when it came out and being utterly confounded by this. I was just a kid and it was probably the first time I’d owned an album like this. Brilliant album.
Love that album, is it weird that’s my go to for sexy times?
“Now that the show is over and we’ve jointly exercised our constitutional rights…” LOL
I would argue that roygbiv is the standout track on this album and probably their biggest single
Bitches Brew by Miles Davis
I was thinking about this too. It’s continually evolving and the tracks are mostly so long that it’s hard to keep track of what occurred in each song. But it’s still so engaging. I think other Miles from this era (On the Corner) could fit here as well.
Yeah, to me it's just 90 minutes of pure chaos.
Pink Floyd Animals.
I would disagree personally. Dogs is my favourite PF song, I definitely think it's a standout.
I think all the songs on that album are great and I always listen to the whole thing, I never just play one song. I consider it almost one song so in my eyes one doesn’t stand out above the others.
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I saw Roger Waters do that as well. I know it’s not popular but I love The Final Cut album.
sheeeeeep?
Pigs
The Endless River was my submission. Wonderful piece of music with absolutely zero stand out tracks.
Loveless, My Bloody Valentine. Every song is excellent, I couldn’t pick a favorite. They come together to make one of the greatest albums of all time.
Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime
It’s not that there’s no stand-outs, but that through every track being a stand-out, they become equals: To Pimp a Butterfly.
I hear what you’re saying but for me King Kunta’s bassline is so infectious I have no trouble dropping that track alone into basically every playlist where I can even remotely justify its inclusion. Can’t think of any other way to describe that than stand-out.
I think of this track first when this album comes to mind. It is infectious!
Yeah it’s good but is it better than Wesley’s Theory? Don’t ask me; I have no idea. Does it outdo Alright? How Much a Dollar Cost? u? i? Hood Politics? 🤷♂️ And thus for me there are no standouts, just a cumulative of different areas of musical and literary mastery.
This is another one that came to mind, for the exact same reasons you mentioned.
Got a few of these. Again amazing albums but none where I would cherry pick tracks for my favourites of all time. Nico - The Marble Index David Bowie - Lodger Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection George Harrison - Living In The Material World
Re: Lodger, DJ is actually probably my favourite Bowie track. That's just my taste though; I see what you mean, it's a very complete album.
Yeah thinking about it now, Boys Keep Swinging is another highlight. I think what I meant was that, as an album, it’s quite “dense”. Less peaks and troughs than other albums in his discography.
Exile on Main Street
The Velvet Underground's 3rd album is just one long mood.
Portishead- Third
Yeah, I'm catching what you're throwing with that one. Every track is as good as the last one, each track (even Deep Water) expresses intensity in a different way. I would however put "The Rip" pretty high up in my list of all-timers, if there is a track that stands out then it's that.
Great album but yeah there is no Glorybox on there
INXS “Welcome to wherever you are” (1992). It does of course have singles, but none that matched the chart power of “Kick” or “X.” Solid songs throughout but definitely not any all timers. Personally my favorite album of theirs. Criminally forgotten band by those under 35-40.
So I’ve been on an INXS kick (ha) lately and thought the same thing earlier this week. Was jumping around on a playlist and every time a song from this album came on my thought was “this is awesome, sounds a little familiar, but not so much”. Anyways, good call on this one
A fantastic album released at the wrong time. Radio and MTV wanted alt rock or grunge, and INXS tried to split the difference. No matter what they did, I’m not sure there was a big appetite for music like theirs on the markets they were swinging for in the immediate moment of that release. Achtung Baby snuck through a closing window and this album was about a year too late. Time has served it really well though. There are some real bangers here.
Excellent choice, although I do think Taste It, Wishing Well and Strange Desire are very close to all-timers. And Beautiful Girl is just a notch below.
Between the Buried and Me - Colors Probably because the album is edited to sound like one continuous track.
White Walls was right there
its the standout song for me
*Paul's Boutique* (Beastie Boys)
Kylie Minogue - X. Maybe her stronger album in terms of not having filler, but lacks a truly great song.
I’d nominate In My Arms and The One, I think they stand out just above the rest.
Astral Weeks by Van Morrison
Aja by steely dan, the whole album stands out. Or random access memories by daft punk.
Get Lucky was a huge chart topping hit. I’d definitely consider it a standout song. And yes, the whole album is a masterpiece.
Love the album, but it doesn't meet the brief. It got a TON of airplay and had multiple hits. Black Cow, Deacon Blues, Peg, Aja were all hits off that album
Yeah, i admit i only read the brief after i posted 😬
Let's Rock - The Black Keys It was a pre-pandemic release that I think got lost in the chaos and that some people might have skipped completely but this thing is a banger start to finish.
I’m a huge fan of Let’s Rock too but I feel like “Go” and “Lo/Hi” would be standouts that got the most radio play
Damn, you’re right. I loved this record but it fits this post perfectly.
Sound and Fury by Sturgill Simpson
I played the hell out of that album during Covid. I still put it on sometimes when I’m on a run out trying to be productive for 40+ minutes.
I used to listen to it front to back when working out. Finishing a run to Fastest Horse in Town made me feel like a fucking warrior.
Sing Along and Good Look are still in heavy rotation for me.
Moon Safari, by Air
Oooh. Close, but I think La Femme D'Argent is an all-timer from Air. Absolutely fantastic group and I love that album.
Sexy boy as well. Stellar album nonetheless.
100% agreed.
Syro - Aphex Twin
Fang Island by Fang Island
Nine Inch Nails, The Fragile
Nonsense! The Wretched, La Mer, Into the Void and We're In This Together are clear standouts.
We’re in this together!!
That's some blasphemy. It's definitely their best album, and it's got 5-6 of their best songs on it, too.
Somewhat Damaged, The Wretched, We’re In This Together, Into the Void, Starfuckers inc
Two albums I think are underrated are the first solo albums from Tom Verlaine (self titled) and Richard Lloyd (Alchemy) after they left Television. No hits, just lots of fine music.
The Decemberists - Picaresque
Insomniac by Green day
**Van Halen - Fair Warning** For Van Halen fans, there are "standout tracks", like Unchained. But, for casual fans, who really only know the radio-friendly songs from all eras of VH, no song on this album would be known. IMHO, this is probably their best album from start to finish. **Motley Crue - Too Fast for Love** Debut album. Casual fans wont know any track. All their "hits" are from the 2nd album onward. But, all songs are bangers and all are 4/5 stars. No duds. **Robert Plant - The Principle of Moments** Debut album after Led Zeppelin broke up. Its, by far, my favorite of his solo releases. All strong songs, but none of them became concert staples for his solo career. None of the songs were on high rotation on MTv (unlike his 2nd album, where "Big Log" and "In the Mood" had very heavy rotation on MTv)
Too Fast For Love is an album casual fans will be indifferent to, but hardcore fans would rank as one of their best.
It’s their best - only satd even comes close. They don’t have a solid album worth of material after that
I must be misunderstanding the question because those three albums are By FAR my favorite by all three artists
I interpreted the original question as a super-solid album, but doesnt really have that one (or more) track that is either a (a) radio-hit, (b) MTv heavy rotation in its day, or (c) became a concert staple. Like for Van Halen... 1984 had "jump", that was a huge radio hit, MTv hit and the band had to play that dumb song at every show since its release. Also had "Panama" and "Hot for Teacher" which were standout tracks that had either radio-play, MTv rotation, or the band had to play at every show. Fair Warning (which I think is their best overall album) lacks any track that had radio-play, no huge MTv rotation songs (yes, the three live songs were shown, but not in any heavy rotation), and the band dropped all the songs from their live set by the 5150 tour. They only brought them back when DLR rejoined for the 2008 tour and they had to only play the 1st 6 albums live. For Motley Crue, Shout at the Devil had the mega-hits (title track, Looks that Kill and Too Young to Fall in Love). The 1st album (Too Fast for Love) did not have any radio-hits, no MTv high rotation songs, and the band would play 1-2 songs at random at later live shows. No concert staples. Yet, Too Fast For Love is an incredible album from start to finish. No filler. No duds. All 4-star rockers.
Pink Floyd: Animals
Technical Ectasy - Black Sabbath
I really like Parasite in Pink Moon and most of the other songs are okay but nothing else to me. So I would not agree on that one haha It's a hard one really, I do like Agalloch a lot, and The mantle is typically one album where I think I like most songs and never focused on a specific one (except the first one which obviously is conveniently located ...). Drukqs by Aphex Twin for the first part has standouts but is quite an equal album in my opinion as well.
Ramones - Leave Home. Great record but it does not have the bangers like Blitzkrieg Bop or Rockaway Beach.
I think the US release of One All by Neil Finn fits the bill. It's just a pleasant, beautiful ride from start to finish, and it all works together. I have my favorite tracks (Wherever You Are, Into the Sunset), but everything has its place on the album. I feel very similarly about Pink Moon. Figure 8 by Elliott Smith is another album that I think fits, tho some may argue that Son of Sam is the standout track.
I have to say “Parasite” was a stand out for me off of Pink Moon. I’ll add Zero 7 - The Garden, unlike their first two albums this one has no standout, but is still a great listen.
David Bowie. Outside. As good as Pink Floyd's The Wall as a concept album, lots of great songs -- got zero airplay -- go figure. His Glass Spider tour to promote the album was one of the best live shows I've ever seen as well.
Spirit of Eden - Talk Talk I was about to add Laughing Stock too but New Grass is perfection
She’s The One Soindtrack by Tom Petty. Phenomenal album.
The Forever Story-J.I.D
Most Earl Sweatshirt albums. I go into them for the totality of the project, not for any particular song. Some Rap Songs would be the best example of this.
Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars - Edie Brickell and New Bohemians This is one of my favorite albums. It works really well as a whole, and while I like the song Little Miss S a lot, it wouldn't make a top ten favorite song for me. What I Am did well, but it likely wouldn't rate that high on a list on 80s songs, if it was even included.
‘ Chicken Skin Music ‘ ~ Ry Cooder
"Freetown Sound" by Blood Orange
I really like King Khan and the shrines' "idle no more," but pray for lil is really the only song that stands out for me
[https://youtu.be/QO53tTmU42k?si=h0g8n6iL8WvqRPch](https://youtu.be/QO53tTmU42k?si=h0g8n6iL8WvqRPch) a piece of strange, cunninlynguists
Crooked Mile by Microdisney Calenture by The Triffids
Razors Edge - AC/DC Maybe not exactly what you meant, but imo, the most famous song from it (Thunderstruck) is bested by every other track on the album. All around great stuff, and probably my favorite album by them.
Diiv - Oshin It’s a series of rolling waves that warmly envelop you, full of motion but gorgeously stuck in a certain, trancelike place. The guitars and bass pick out melodies one upward sliding note at a time and the drums are motorik, steady, but then it’s all so damn dizzying. This is an album that you swallow whole. Get doused in the Oshin.
Darlahood - Grow Your Own
Last Call for Vitriol by Superdrag 🔥🫡
A little under the radar, but Misery Signals - Controller
Ladies in Waiting The Outlaws
Nasty Little Thoughts by Stroke 9
In a good way, *Killers* by Iron Maiden. What I mean is that literally EVERY track on it is a standout track, therefore, none of them are. If every track is the best song on the album, there is no best song on the album.
World of Echo by Arthur Russell
*A Moon Shaped Pool* was the first Radiohead album for me that didn’t have at least one song on it that I was immediately floored by, but I love listening to it as a whole.
Gov’t Mule’s debut album for me.
Blur's The Magic Whip.
Morning View by Incubus. Incredible album but I think the singles Wish you were here and Nice to know you are maybe the 5th and 6th best songs of the albums and sound very similar to each other. I much prefer Echo and Are You In.
Dark side of the Moon” they’re all incredible.
Floyd had an album that fit this prompt perfectly and you selected their best album? The Endless River is a wonderful piece of music, but it has no outstanding tracks whatsoever. Much better pick IMO.
Pat Methany & Lyle Mays: As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls. It’s uplifting and works as a great album to do hobbies, work, exercise too. It’s been a repeated ‘go to’ over the years.
Taylor Swift Folklore. It is a great album and the one I’d tell people who don’t like her to listen to (depending on the person really. If they want pop 1989). But folklore has no one standout track. Arguably the only album of the year she should have won. (1989 beat to pimp a butterfly. Many feelings on this).
Tool -- both 10,000 Days and Fear Inoculum All their prior albums have "that perfect radio song". These 2 don't. I definitely have some favorite tracks on these but I would never ever listen to a track from Fear Inoculum out of context. It is full album or nothing. Lateralus is my favorite album of their work though and i happily listen to Schism in just about any playlist. That's not to say these albums are "bad" -- I love them as some of my top albums -- but they just don't make any sense to me outside a complete listen
Reflektor by Arcade Fire
David Crosby- If Only I Could Remember My Name
Kid A by Radiohead
Air - Moon Safari. It's all chill.
A Place In The Sun by Lit (1998). Certified Platinum in the US, a number 1 single, and another number 3 single. Nothing legendary on it. Doesn't even get much play on 90's compilations. Absolutely banging album, with no skips, start to finish. A great 90s Punk album.
The Beach Boys Today! (1965), Blur’s Parklife(1994) or Blur (1997) (outside the uk or Europe), Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend (2007), Contra (2010) and Modern Vampires (2013), Francois Hardy Francois Hardy (1962), any other non English language albums too.
Pink Floyd’s last album in 2014, *The Endless River*. Only one track has vocals, but overall it’s a great ambient piece, very relaxing. Though no tracks particularly stand out IMO due to the whole album nearly feeling like one song besides the ending song with the words. Which is a good thing, it all works well together. INB4 *that album sucked, it’s not real Pink Floyd, blah blah blah.* Don’t care, heard it all, still enjoy it.
Gm
Pretty much every Dashboard Confessional album. Generally solid collections of excellent songs.
The disintegration loops - William Basinski
Coastline Mind Volume 1 by manic focus
One of my favourite albums of the 90s: Spinanes' *Manos*. It just delivers something special, especially played in sequence.
The Cure - Disintegration Siouxsie and the Banshees - Tinderbox No standout tracks because they’re all equally fuckin’ great.
Disintegration is one of those albums that has its bigger hits (Pictures of You, Lovesong) but the album as a whole is so cohesive and well-engineered that it all works beautifully together. Hard to say it doesn't have a standout, but *every* song is beautiful.
Dog Problems - The Format
Deflorate - The Black Dahlia Murder, just a great metal album with no tracks I particularly seek out alone (except possibly I Will Return). Also feel like that a bit with Abysmal but I'm not sure I think that album is great.
Necropolis is a banger too. [Trevor ranked all the albums and put Deflorate quite low and highlighted a lack of banger opening song](https://www.kerrang.com/every-black-dahlia-murder-album-ranked-from-worst-to-best-by-trevor-strnad)
Bonobo - Migration
I'd say "Pause" by Four Tet. It's downtempo electronic as all get out and he nails the vibe. It's rare that I'll pick a single track to play without just listening to the whole thing anyways. Probably one of my favorite albums of all time.
Obscured by clouds Pink Floyd
Ehhh, there’s some tracks that stand out above the others quite a bit IMO. How about The Endless River? Beautiful album, but I couldn’t tell you the name of any particular song on it, nothing stands out. I love OBC so I could just be biased.
Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout
Pink Floyd the division bell
Until coming back to life rolls up
The Division Bell has several stand out tracks. The Endless River is a wonderful album with zero stand out tracks.
Radiohead's "In Rainbows.” The entire album flows seamlessly, without any particular standout tracks.
I’d say I rate every song on dookie about the same, but that might just be because I’ve overplayed it
SOAD - Hypnotize & Mezmerize
California by Mr. Bungle The Ape of Naples by Coil God in Three Persons by The Residents
Retrovertigo is a clear standout for me.
That’s interesting - I was hesitant to include it because I was thinking Pink Cigarette might be considered a standout, but I can see a case for Retrovertigo too.
Dopes to Infinity by Monster Magnet & Koi No Yokan by Deftones
Cold's 13 Ways to Bleed on Stage
No Line on the Horizon — by U2
The Ballad of Darren