The "Classic" Album:Has there been any since 1979?

[bmet]

As I enter my 44th year and am well into "running to catch up with the
sun.......",I'm often questioning people younger than myself about their
generation of music groups.I guess I'm guilty,as alot of my elders were,
of being slightly close-minded to any new music that came out after "my
generation" ended. (Being the 70's were my teenage years).
Alot of the artists of "my time" are still active and have been since the 70's. Peter Gabriel has continued to impress as has Robert Fripp (solo and
with King Crimson).Deep Purple,Page & Plant,ELP,Yes,PInk Floyd & Roger
Waters have also continued to tour and record new material,although not
as "classic" as the 70's stuff.
Do not get me wrong-I've found some very interesting music from the
80's & 90's.I really liked the music done by Japan.Through them I
followed David Sylvian's career through to the present.( The work he
did with Robert Fripp was very good!).I liked some of what the Police
did as well as the English Beat.I like alot of what Radiohead has done.
But there has been nothing I've heard -since those glory days of DSOTM,
WYWH,Crimson's Lark's Tongues in Aspic,Purple's Made in Japan,Zep's
Physical Grafitti or Yes's Tales From Topographic Oceans" -that has come
close to what I'd term "Classic".
Do you suppose "Classic" is only reserved for a certain time period of
one's life? Perhaps because it was early in my "career" as a listener
of the current form(s) of music available - maybe I'm alittle biased
toward that time in music history!?
But I also believe I have not heard many people who followed
Punk Rock or New Wave refer to any of there albums as being "Classic".
I think some of the 90's Grunge Rockers have favourite Albums-(I've
heard mentions of Nirvana's first album and Pearl Jam material favoured).
As for Rap & Hip-Hop - I think it's too early to tell.
So I guess the big question is for the current batch 30 something's. and
those people within a stone's throw of 40:
Do you revere any of your Punk or New Wave albums as "Classics"?
Do you pull them out and listen to them constantly?
Do you get a sense of Nostalgia when hearing them?
Do they have relevance for you today?
I think all the questions asked above are much valued by my generation
as is evident by all the Classic Rock radio stations in North America.
Is the feeling for your era of music valued by you?

bmet, (Toronto,Canada)

[Big Kelv]

As a thirty-something, I still pull out my Sex Pistols NMTB vinyl with a sense of nostalgia - although it holds no relevence in today's world (copied to death and no longer controversial). I consider NMTB a classic album from my youth and the blueprint for the early 80's British heavy metal scene. IMO Punk and Heavy Metal are one and the same.

Currently listening to my early 80's hip-hop collection, recalling days of breakdancing outside my parents' home on a piece of lino. I consider the early years of hip-hop to be pioneering - just look how most popular music today has evolved from it. The charts are awash with bands labelled as R&B (pop versions early rap) that contain a bit of drum and no blues. The world is full of shallow 'black artists' claiming to be R&B.

I think that early 80's hip-hop will not recognise as a classic genre because it is being overshadowed the mainstream that rap has become.

PF are timeless though

[Richter_M.]

First of all, I'm 21, not 30/40-something, so perhaps I shouldn't even be replying to this. However I think I share some of your sentiments regarding the passing of the classic era; I see very little of today's music approaching the glory of 70's -ish Floyd or Yes or Zeppelin. But then I learned to quit looking among the well-known bands, since today's music industry is driven by money and fame (even moreso than back in the day), and worst of all by MTV. Those bands who make good music are doing it despite the fact that it will earn them considerably less fame and money than if they were to "sell out" and go the popular route. Anyway, my point is that there is still the occasional classic album that makes its way to the shelves, but it will remain relatively obscure since the Classic way is not the Mainstream way. Sometimes these are the albums that are raved about by the underground crowd.

My two recommendations are:
1) Days of the New's [untitled] second album, commonly referred to as "Green."
2) Radiohead's "OK Computer."

There are several more modern albums I consider to be very good albums, but these two are sheer genius to me, the very best of a...mediocre...lot.

[David Smith]

The stones roses self titled album was a classic in every sense of the word. That was the best album since 1980.

[bmet]

Thanks Richter_M. I'll check out those titles.
I do find it interesting that people of your age group find interest in
70's rock.I sure in some cases it was probably listening to your
parent's record collection.(or an older siblings).
I did not have that benefit as my parents were from a totally different
era of popular music.
I'm sure my original topic is still purely a subjective view.
I do tend to liken today's music industry to that of Sports such as
Football and Hockey.In the 70's there were far fewer bands and musical
genres to choose from and fewer teams in the NFL & NHL.Now,there are
just too many bands,too many musical offshoots and too many football
and hockey teams.Everything is too watered down.
And then again,perhaps it's our computerized,ATM,get it done now,go
go go lifestyle.....

[NewEarthMud]

I'm in my twenties and maybe I shouldn't be responding either.

But, these are classic records to me that are from the 90's..

Black Crowes - Amorica
Radiohead - Ok Computer
Tom Petty - Wildflowers
John Fogerty - Blue Moon Swamp
Mother Hips - Part Timer Goes Full
Wilco - Being There
Oasis - Morning Glory
Johnny Cash - Unchained

there's probably more but those come to mind that are classic records released in the 90's or so..

some of those are classic artists, some newer

[Prkl]

Joy Division - Closer, from 1980; it doesn't get much better than that.

[drafsack]

I am 40 so I should apply:

Modern bands I am into include

Radiohead
Flaming lips
Mercury Rev

[Feeling Very Pink]

IMO Punk and Heavy Metal are one and the same.

Do you mean the attitude, or musically?

[flashback]

Bmet,there is always good music out there,youjust have to sift through all the crap to find it.

[moreblues]

i'm 38 and i can understand exactly what bmet is talking about, i have almost given up on the dream to find any music that can be classified as classical nowadays (from the rock point of view), however, i kept on searching and by mere chance i found that the answer will not come from the hit charts anymore.
it is amazing that there are actually some wonderful bands which are truely unfortunate and have never got the chance to be heared on radio...
one of these bands is an irish band called dead can dance, they stopped a couple of years ago after making 6 excellent albums.. they play psychedelic rock of serious nature mixed with world music and gothic mediaeval music...they are wonderful with incredible vocals and highly phylosophical lyrics.

of their albums i strongly recommend:
into the labyrinth, a passage in time and spirit chaser

try them bmet and you won't regret...

[Furious]

Joshua Tree - by U2

Im pretty sure its circa 1987

[grateful pink]

Bmet,there is always good music out there,youjust have to sift through all the crap to find it.

I am 45 and i agree with the above.

Don't forget to pull out your Clash recordings once in awhile! B ut you know me, I still love PF and the Dead and all thier incarnations!

[mosespa]

Here's the thing for me...

I'm 32...I remember the New Wave movment of the early Eighties...I was just entering my teens when I first discovered it thanks to a K-TEL compilation I got for Xmas in '82.

This was the first time I'd ever heard of The Go-Go's, Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Graham Parker, OMD, Haircut One Hundred, The Waitresses, Depeche Mode, Sparks and A Flock Of Seagulls. I was entranced.

But, the thing for me (as I didn't quite mention above) is that most of the albums from that period (for me, anyway) contained a handful of really great songs and a lot of filler.

But, to this day, I can put on Seven and The Ragged Tiger and still feel like I'm 12 or 13 again...yes, it does recapture that moment in my life for me...as does Cargo by Men At Work.

I feel that I should mention that for the past 21 or 22 years, I have lived in the Southern Illinois/Western Kentucky area of the US...a tremendously culturally deprived area in which Superman and Quilts are big things every summer and spring.

The artistic community in Western Kentucky is coming to life, but at the time of the early eighties, I was totally unaware of anything outside of the local community theater and the bars. This awareness came from radio advertisements.

The radio station of choice at the time was "Rock 97, WDDJ" which has sadly metamorphosed into "Electric 96.9" and truly sucks now as it has ever since the mid eighties when they went to "live" DJ's.

However, in the Rock 97 heyday, I would listen to Duran Duran followed by Quiet Riot followed by Ray Parker, Jr. followed by Pink Floyd followed by Billy Idol followed by Argent followed by Melle Mel...You get the picture. It was diverse, it opened up new doors for music for me that were slammed shut once the station went "live" and decided to only play top 40 pop.

But, I digress...

Classic albums of the eighties?

Seven and The Ragged Tiger
Cargo
The Final Cut
Thriller (Yes, this is a tremendously great album by a tremedously irritating artist)
Pyromania
Hysteria (When it came out, I was working at an AOR station that put about eight of it's eleven or so songs into heavy rotation right away.)
Purple Rain (see Thriller)
Radio KAOS


Classic Albums of the nineties...

Ten
Nevermind
Siamese Dream
The Colour And The Shape
Mr. Bungle
Angel Dust
Amused To Death
Core
Purple
Superunknown

There are surely many many more...but this is a good start, I think toward answering the question.

[madcap69]

grateful dead 87 alblum with touch of grey , man