13 Albums to listen to from start to finish

Since Sunday I have:

Played the bass banjo in a friend’s wedding
Watched a live Dave Matthews concert on TV
Bought the new Dave album immediately after the concert was over (listening to it as I type right now)
Been tagged in a Facebook video playing Nickel Creek on the mandolin with my jam buddies
Pulled out the guitar for the first time in about two weeks

So yeah, I’m feeling music-y.

We had an office discussion yesterday (while hard at work, I promise, Schurz) about how we listen to our music. The new intern, Laura, said she gets on iTunes and downloads her favorite songs from each album. I, on the other hand, am what I call an album listener, which means that my favorite albums are the ones that I listen to from beginning to end and enjoy the entire experience. It makes long car rides seem much shorter, anyway.

That transitioned to which albums we could listen to start to finish. I wanted to post some of those here so I can go back and remember them later when I inevitably have this conversation again with someone else. Be warned, this is an incredibly random list:

Jimmy Eat World, “Clarity” – Maybe my favorite album of all time, even thought Jimmy Eat World probably isn’t even in my top 25 artists. I can’t pop this one in and just listen to a couple of the tunes. This is for long car ride, hot tubs, writing. I find that by the time you get to the last song, the 15-minute “Goodbye Sky Harbor,” you have been run through a gamut of listening pleasure.
Favorite Song: “Goodbye Sky Harbor”

Eagles, “Hell Freezes Over” - The Eagles have been my favorite band since I was probably 12 years old. I actually remember finding this album in my parents’ CD collection and playing it in my Discman every day for…oh…about…two years. I have had my car broken into several times now, and my CDs and stereo stolen twice. This album was one of the ones stolen both times, and I have replaced it each time. So I’ve owned three different copies of this record. Also, it’s my answer to the stuck-on-an-island-pick-one-CD question.
Favorite Song: Tough one, but I’ll go with “The Last Resort”

Mary J. Blige, “Growing Pains” - I told you this was a random list. I dare anybody who is laughing at me right now to find a copy of this album and play it through. The transitions make it sound like it’s one song with different movements, ending with the powerful and sad “Come To Me.” Brilliant album.
Favorite Song: “Come To Me (Peace),” barely beating out “Till The Morning”

Beastie Boys, “Hello Nasty” - The other album I have actually bought and owned three times. I’m a not-so-closet Beastie Boys fan, and all of my friends will tell you that. A perfect combination of deep and funny lyrics with flawless production. The last third or so of the album is instrumentals that prove that these guys had way more in the tank than “Fight for the Right (To Party)”
Favorite Song: “Putting Shame in Your Game”

Michael Jackson, “Thriller” - Say what you want about the guy, he’s the greatest pure entertainer of the last 30 years. Period. This album, while cliche to call it the best, is everything I like about Michael Jackson. He was the best at mixing rock and disco and funk and pop together.
Favorite Song: “PYT (Pretty Young Thing)”

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, “Once” Soundtrack” - See the movie. Buy the movie. Buy the soundtrack. I dare you to not get chills. This album has every emotion that you can think of in music, from love to heartbreak to happiness to anger. Plus the two artists’ voices were probably created in a vat somewhere for them to go together that well.
Favorite Song: “Falling Slowly” (duh)

Nickel Creek, “Why Should the Fire Die” - You could really pick one of their three albums out of a hat as to which one could fit this list, but I think that this album is the best representation of what makes them my favorite contemporary band. It opens with a driving hook and ends with a song so simple that it sounds like the trio is exhausted and winding down after taking us on that whirlwind.
Favorite Song: “When In Rome“

Punch Brothers, “Punch Bowl” - The second album from Nickel Creek lead singer Chris Thile’s new band (the first one was put out under Thile’s name; he called them the How To Grow A Band) is so musically complex that a lot of it goes over my head, but I do know that fans of folk and bluegrass will see the genre in a new light after hearing this album. The centerpiece of it is a four-track suite called “The Blind Leading the Blind,” which rivals anything that musicians are putting out today.
Favorite Song: “The Blind Leading the Blind, Movement II)

Dave Matthews Band, “Live At Piedmont Park” - Maybe this shouldn’t count because it is a live album and meant to be linear, but it’s my list, so back off. I jumped on the DMB train late, but this is easily my favorite thing he’s done. With an appearance by Greg Allman and pretty much all of my favorite Dave songs, this one is the best example of what I like about the band.
Favorite Song: “Don’t Drink The Water” or “The Dreaming Tree,” please don’t make me choose

Brian McKnight, “Ten” - My buddy Robbie introduced me to this CD, which is one of my favorite R&B albums. Brian McKnight is a phenomenal musician, and there are some funky songs in here. It almost didn’t make it because of the sappy military duet with Rascal Flatts…but it did.
Favorite Song: “Don’t Take Your Love Away”

Over The Rhine, “Drunkard’s Prayer” - This might not be fair because I can listen to Karin Bergquist sing all day. I really, really like this album.
Favorite Song: “Born”

Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik” - Purely for the bass lines. The Chili Peppers funkiest album, I can’t help but dance in my car to this one.
Favorite Song: “Under the Bridge”

Justin Timberlake, “FutureSex/LoveSounds – So sue me
Favorite Song: FutureSex/LoveSounds