# Top 5 albums to expand a players mind



## bryguy9 (Jul 13, 2007)

Hi:

I was on my way home for lunch, listening to the local radio station (the bull) and this question popped into my head when they played Fleetwood Mac, Go your own way.

Musically, what are the top 5 albums that you think other players should own/hear/appreciate/understand.

These don't have to be the best album of an artist, and I am not talking about your top 5 favorite albums of all time.

But if you wanted to help a guitarist expand their horizons, who would you recommend?

For Example:

One Nation Under A Groove, Parliament/Funkadelic
Live at Folsom prison, Johnny Cash
Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
Rumors, Fleetwood Mac


Flame on.


B:smilie_flagge17:


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## ben_allison (Sep 16, 2008)

Random five albums to get a guitarist moving new directions:

Music for Airports, Brian Eno
(), Sigur Ros
Paper Moon, Nick Drake
De-Loused in the Comatorium, The Mars Volta
Nothing, Meshuggah


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

Heres a quick 5. I wish I could think of some newer ones. I feel like a geezer:

Jimi Hendrix: Axis Bold as Love. A true original:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3ifqxq85ldje

John Mayalls Bluesbreakers, with a young Eric Clapton (only 21 when he recorded this):
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:39fixqq5ldae

Van Halens first album:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fpfixq95ldte

Dire Straits first record:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kifixqr5ldfe

Guns n 'Roses: Appetite for Destruction. They should have stopped after this one:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wiftxqu5ldde


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Morphine - pretty much any album
Otis Redding - Pretty much any album
Nomeansno - Wrong
The Sadies - Any Album
Clutch - Any album, but I like Elephant Riders


That is a list that kind of summarizes everything I like from Soul right up to Hard Rock/Metal. If you are looking to diversify, I think it's a good list.


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

Here's 5 .....or so.

Electric Ladyland
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fifqxq85ldje

Neil Young Zuma
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3pfqxqq5ldae

Frank Zappa Overnite Sensation/Apostrophe
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0cfrxqw5ldhe

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:acfrxqw5ldhe

Rolling Stones Let it Bleed/Sticky Fingers
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:d9fexqt5ldfe

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:g9fexqt5ldfe

Jeff Beck Live at Ronnie Scott's
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jcfuxz9kldke

Cheers :smile:


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## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

*electric ladyland !!!!!!!!*
Jimi Hendrix

Bitches Brew....Miles Davis

Lenny Breau live at Shelley's Manhole

A Meeting by the River....Ry Cooder and Vishwa Mohan Bhaat

Robert Johnson.......Complete Recordings


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## gurianguy (Nov 20, 2007)

E Pluribus Unum - Sandy Bull
Devotion - John McLaughlin
Rattlesnake Guitar - The Music Of Peter Green - Various Artists
Talking Timbuktu - Ali Farka Toure with Ry Cooder
Wheels Of Fire - Cream

Craig


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

5 more....

Miles Davis: Agharta
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0ifixqtgldhe

Joe Pass: Anything (the Virtuoso series is potent stuff!!)

Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Bluegrass heaven.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jvfoxqy5ldae


Sly and the Family Stone: There's A Riot Going On
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:h9fyxqu5ldje

Curtis Mayfield: Superfly. Hendrix copped a lot of his "Angel" "Little Wing" licks from this guy.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:09foxqq5ldae

Shawn :food-smiley-004:


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

bryguy9 said:


> One Nation Under A Groove, Parliament/Funkadelic
> Live at Folsom prison, Johnny Cash
> Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
> Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
> Rumors, Fleetwood Mac


I agree that the first three would be very interesting. The last two however,... (wasn't there a barf smiley???)


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## NB_Terry (Feb 2, 2006)

Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsys
Jeff Beck - Truth
Pink Floyd - Dark Side
Michael Hedges - Aerial Boundaries
Van Halen - Fair Warning

I'd love to have Holdsworth - Metal Fatigue and Scott Henderson - Well to the Bone as well.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Water Music - Handel
Goldberg Variations - Bach
The Four Seasons - Vivaldi
The Planets - Holst
"Amadeus" - Mozart

Bonus:

Sleepers, Wake - Bach
St. Matthew's Passion - Bach

Peace, Mooh.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Oscar Peterson with Stephane Grappelli
Joscho Stephan
Yo-Yo Ma
Don Ross
Danny Gatton

Peace, Mooh.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Mooh said:


> Water Music - Handel
> Goldberg Variations - Bach
> The Four Seasons - Vivaldi
> The Planets - Holst
> ...


These fit the thread title--they would expand many players' minds.
But then I enjoy classical--especially Bach.

But to new players, who may not know the history stuff too well, there have been many good suggestions.

I'd include The Complete Blind Willie Johnson and Natural Boogie by Hound Dog Taylor for anyone wanting to try slide.


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## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

Mooh said:


> Water Music - Handel
> Goldberg Variations - Bach
> The Four Seasons - Vivaldi
> The Planets - Holst
> ...


Well that would expand my barriers.
Great selections Mooh !!!!


cheers
pete


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## Guest (Apr 17, 2009)

Robert1950 said:


> (wasn't there a barf smiley???)


Here ya go.
























Sabbath - Volume 4, Paranoid
Deep Purple- - Machine Head
Beatles - White
ACDC - Back in Black


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I don't know if these count as "guitarish" enough, but:

Roger Waters - The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking
Danial Lanois - For the Beauty of Wynona
Tom Waits - The Heart of Saturday Night
Radiohead - The Bends

and a more recent one

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Add a couple blues albums, some Neil Young and I think I've got my desert island collection.

matt


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## Accept2 (Jan 1, 2006)

Therion - Deggial
Kate Bush - On Stage
Dayglow Abortions - Fetus a Fetus
Suicidal Tendancies - How Will I Laugh Tommorrow if I Cant Even Smile Today
Buckethead - Enter the Chicken...........


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## ben_allison (Sep 16, 2008)

Mooh gets it.

Listening to other players is great. Invaluable.

Listening to other instruments altogether will really get the synapses firing in new ways.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

A hard question to answer. If I think of music that might "expand a player's mind", my choices would change on the basis of whether my own mind feels like it has been expanded recently. Things that might have blown me away 15 or 20 years ago have now become a normal part of what I think music should be, so they simply don't come to mind.

However, I guess if I try to reflect on things that, at some point in time, made me go "Huh. I didn't know you could DO that.", here's some things that come to mind.

"Absolutely Free" by the Mothers of Invention. Zappa's solo on "Invocation and Ritual of the Young Pumpkin" is still a standout in my books, and made me rethink what guitar should be/do.

"Remain in Light" by Talking Heads. herky-jerky music, groove music, animal sounds. Groundbreaking.

"East-West" - Paul Butterfield Blues Band. There was a whole lot of us at the time that didn't know you could do that.

I'll fill up the remaining two spots when they come to me.


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

East-West is awesome, and apparantly is still an album Santana claims to listen to on a regular basis. Mike Bloomfield was a killer, killer player.

Shawn :smile:


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I don't think my rememberer is going to hold up on this one! There are sooo many, but here are a few.

Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs (and For Earth Below)

Santana - Moonflower (among many, but this is my fav.)

Ted Nugent - Double Live Gonzo (Great vibe, Ted being Ted, and who doesn't like that. There is another that Meatloaf does the vocals on that I like)

Johnny Winter - 2nd Winter (also, And Live, and about 10 others)

Peter Frampton - Frampton comes Alive, (This album was manditory in the 70's. You went to jail if you didn't have it I think)

OK that's 5, but you can put in a bunch more, Neil Young (a bunch), Montrose (W/Sammy Hagar), Hendrix (the first 3), Zeppelin (the first 4), Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush, Rush (earlier work), Doobie Brothers (the Tom Johnson years), Eric Johnson (ah via musicom),The Cult, Kristofferson, Kansas, Styx, Sonny Terry and Brownie Magee, Wilcox, on and on.
I guess I liked a lot of live albums when I was a kid.


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

Aerial Boundaries - Michael Hedges

Caravanserai - Santana

Perpetual Motion - Bela Fleck (where else can you hear Paganini on 5 string banjo?)

Night Train - Oscar Peterson

Anything by Ry Cooder (Paris, Texas perhaps)


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

ronmac said:


> Aerial Boundaries - Michael Hedges
> 
> Caravanserai - Santana
> 
> ...


Bela Fleck is my hero.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Any five ablums by Frank Zappa.


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

ronmac said:


> Anything by Ry Cooder (Paris, Texas perhaps)


I LOVE Ry Cooder. Man, too many greats. I completely forgot about him. I've got quite a few of his records. Some personal favorites:

Chicken Skin Music
Jazz
Mambo Sinuendo with Manuel Galban
Paradise and Lunch

His slide solo on the Stone's "Sister Morphine" is one of the moodiest, creepiest and nearly impossible to cop bits of music I've heard.

Shawn :smile:


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

And now for something completely different....

The Police-Synchonicity
Def Leppard- Pyromania
VanHagar-5150
The Who- Who's Greatest Hits
U2- The Joshua Tree
Metallica- Kill 'em all
Supertramp-Breakfast in America
Boston-Boston
Queensryche-Operation Mindcrime
AC/DC- Back in Black
I feel like Queen should be on there as well, but cant really pick one album...Maybe their greatest hits collection. Every other one of their other albums had songs that were complete genius mixed in with weird crap.


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

John Zorn - Circle Maker
John Scofield - En route
Sleep - Sleep's Holy Montain
Radiohead - In rainbows
Mr Bungle - Mr Bungle

and a special extra:
Buckethead - Giant Robot


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

Led Zeppelin - I, II, II, IV
Roachford
Prince - Purple Rain
U2 - Joshua Tree

I know a lot more but my allergies are gonna make my head explode....


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

SRV....I forgot Stevie...OMG...Rave on Stevie...Rave on.


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## Guest (Apr 18, 2009)

Diablo said:


> I feel like Queen should be on there as well, but cant really pick one album...


Queen II has always been my fav.
I don't think any of that material could
have been played live because of all
the overdubs.


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## Cadence (Nov 20, 2007)

mhammer said:


> "East-West" - Paul Butterfield Blues Band. There was a whole lot of us at the time that didn't know you could do that.


Thanks for this. I'm a young'un and I've just started digging into the blues so I hadn't even heard of these guys! *hangs head in shame* I'm definitely going to order this album.

Cadence


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Anything by:

Simon Mayor
Pierre Bensusan
Tony McManus
Don Ross
Bela Fleck
Oliver Schroer

Peace, Mooh.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Seems we are ripe with best music posts lately.... 

Mind expanding hmm 

Ry Cooder....Into the Purple Valley
Paul Simons' ...Graceland opened up a new door for me 
Ernest Ranglin ...Below the Bassline
The Will Circle be unBroken .. for sure... 

and last but not least a little known but _major jam session_
Jimmy McGriff / Richard Groove Holmes ...Giant's of the organ 

http://digital.waxpoetics.com/search/release.php?release_id=107


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

Hitch a Ride- Boston
Closer to the Heart- Rush
Get Up- Helix
Ride the lightning- Metallica
Bat out of hell- Meatloaf
Ashes of the Wake- Lamb of God
War?- System of a Down


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## Pneumonic (Feb 14, 2008)

Robert Johnson - Whatever you can get your hands on.

Chuck Berry - Without him ........ 

Jorma Kaukonen - Bunch of stuff but "Blue Country Heart" has chalk full of amazing musicianship along with superior sound quality (SACD)

Rodrigo Y Gabriela. Take your pick.

Steve Howe. Every and anything this guy puts out.


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## prodigal_son (Apr 23, 2009)

Here are a list of albums that did that to me when I was a kid:

Piper At The Gates of Dawn - Pink Floyd
Thick As A Brick - Jethro Tull
Hairway To Steven - Butthole Surfers
Stay Hungry - Twisted Sister
The Doors - The Doors
Confusion Is Sex - Sonic Youth
The Land of Rape and Honey - Ministry
..And Justice For All - Metallica
Feed Us A Fetus - Dayglo Abortions


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## Todd68 (Mar 7, 2008)

Visions of the Emerald Beyond - Mahavishnu Orchestra (or any early Maha stuff)
Billy Cobham - Stratus
King Crimson - Red
Any Zappa


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## CDWaterloo (Jul 18, 2008)

SRV - Texas Flood

Jimi - Are you experienced

Zeppelin - 1&2

Pat Martino - East, El Hombre etc.

Pat Metheny - 99-00

+ Ritchie Blackmore 

and many sax players - Parker, Coltrane, Ornette, Lovano etc....


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## J S Moore (Feb 18, 2006)

Cadence said:


> Thanks for this. I'm a young'un and I've just started digging into the blues so I hadn't even heard of these guys! *hangs head in shame* I'm definitely going to order this album.
> 
> Cadence


After that listen to "Supersessions" with Bloomfield and Al Kooper. And then all the early Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green. Chet Baker will expand your ideas as well.


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## Cadence (Nov 20, 2007)

J S Moore said:


> After that listen to "Supersessions" with Bloomfield and Al Kooper. And then all the early Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green. Chet Baker will expand your ideas as well.


I got the East-West Album... Funky stuff, very enjoyable. Thanks for the recommendation. I'll look into these guys next :smile:

...And for what my contribution is worth, for the blues I've always enjoyed John Lee Hooker more so than Robert Johnson.

Maybe a somewhat unorthodox addition to this list, but the music from the movie "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" is FULL of fantastic guitar songs, heavy spanish/flamenco influence but very interesting if you can grab the soundtrack.


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## Lafite (May 16, 2009)

Freddy King Sings - Freddy King

Born Under a Bad Sign - Albert King

While these guys had their influences, I think just about every '60s and later guitar blues can be traced back to Albert and Freddy/Freddie

Watching the dark - Richard Thompson

A bit of a cheat here, because it is a 3 CD compilation, but it contains both my favourite ever song (When The Spell is Broken) and my favourite guitar solo (live version of Can't Win). You can't go wrong with any Thompson stuff.

The Humbler - Danny Gatton/Robert Gordon

Rockabilly and Rock & Roll guitar at it's best

Midnight Blue - Kenny Burrell

Perfect stepping stone between jazz and blues


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## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

# 1 The Dream of the Blue Turtles (Sting)

# 2 Shes The Boss (Mick Jagger)...jeff beck plays on this record

# 3 5150 (Van Halen)

# 4 Eat 'Em and Smile (David Lee Roth)

# 5 Physical Graffiti & Led Zeppelin IV (Led Zeppelin)

# 6 Master Of Puppets,Ride The Lightning,And Justice for All(Metallica)

# 7 Bizzard Of Oz


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## Bruiser (Oct 23, 2008)

*Expand*

That's a tough one but here's a start off the top of my head:

1. Satriani Surfing with the Alien
2. Van Halen 1
3. Van Halen 2
3. Loudness Lightning Strikes (Akira Takasaki is totally underated)
4. Dream Theater Images and Words (under a Glass Moon)
5. Triumph Allied Forces (Rik Emmett, enough said)

Extra, Anything by Max Webster just for the pure magic of the arrangements and amazing genius of the Frank Zappa of the north. Oh and the Eat Em and Smile by DLR you could ad Skyscraper too, some amazing stuff on there too. It's one of those listen with good headphones CD's.

Interesting posts so far and really shows the diversity of the members of this board. Good topic.

B


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

Hmmmm.

*Fleetwood Mac Rumors *is a "must have" for everyone.
*Living Colour - Vivid*. Absolutely shredding musicians, and the fact that they were really breaking the mold by being black rockers and not rappers.
*Joe Satriani - Surfing With the Alien*. I think this was a watershed album for rock guitarists.
*Johnny Cash*. What he did with *Rusty Cage *and especially *Hurt* really shows how a good song is a good song, period. Even Trent Reznor admits Cash took Hurt and made it his own.


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## whammybar (May 7, 2008)

Doyle Bramhall II - Welcome
Robin Trower - Another Days Blues
Chris Duarte Group - Tailspin Headwhack
Shawn Colvin - Live '88


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## snacker (Jun 26, 2008)

Wowee Zowee - Pavement
Traffic Continues - Fred Frith
Nels Cline Singers - Instrumentals
Tears of Joy - Tuck & Patti
anything by Kevin Breit


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Big Wreck - In Loving Memory Of
Heart - Dreamboat Annie
Eagles - Hotel California

all these can show how a band can be heavy AND soft...without losing the melodic touch every song needs...

it also showcases how, sometimes less is more...and great music can be in any genre


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

Robert1950 said:


> I agree that the first three would be very interesting. The last two however,... (wasn't there a barf smiley???)


man, if you hadn't said it already i woulda. hahahaha

that said just 5 albums makes the choice very difficult. from the perspective of expanding a mind, i suppose i would stay away from radio as best as i could. that would make my "first draft" list this one:

1) 12 girl band's _eastern energy_

2) something benny goodman, pre ww2 stuff.

3) _the essential robin trower_ (that way you get psychedelia and some blues on the same album without the overplayed hendix tunes)

4) wes montgomery, if there is a greatest hits sort of album

5) judas priest's _british steel_

i really want to add a primus album in here, to demonstrate the sort of thing larry ler does. it's kind of a sound splash on the canvas provided by les. it's often not straight up playing as much as... 
oh heck, i don't know how to say what i mean, but some of you know what it is i'm trying to say.


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