Consensus Top 350 Albums of All-Time: 20. Led Zeppelin II – Led Zeppelin (271 Viewers)

[Ilov80s]

29. Rubber Soul – The Beatles (583 points)

@simey #1
@Mookie Gizzy #2
@krista4 #5
@Uruk-Hai #9
@Mister CIA #12
@Dennis Castro #13
@BroncoFreak_2K3 #15
@New Binky the Doormat #15
@Don Quixote #38
@Atomic Punk #38
@timschochet #50

Rubber Soul is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 3 December 1965 in the United Kingdom on EMI's Parlophone label, accompanied by the non-album double A-side single "We Can Work It Out" / "Day Tripper". The original North American release, issued by Capitol Records, contains ten of the fourteen songs and two tracks withheld from the band's Help! (1965) album. Rubber Soul was described as an important artistic achievement by the band, meeting a highly favourable critical response and topping sales charts in Britain and the United States for several weeks.

This was another Beatles record that showed incredible growth over a short period of time. It made a great contribution to establishing/solidifying the folk rock and power pop genres, among others. I don’t listen to it as much as the Beatles records that made my list, and that’s the only reason why it’s not in my top 70.

I also believe this was their first "hey, we really, really like this weed stuff" album.

I sometimes point to this as an example of the (to me, positive) effects of weed - pre Rubber Soul vs Rubber Soul/forward.

Norwegian Wood for me is the first song that the new drug influenced version of The Beatles appears on an album

 

[higgins]

27. Aja – Steely Dan (605 points)

@higgins #1
@Chaos34 #4
Jeb #4
@Mookie Gizzy #8
@Dr. Octopus #14
@jwb #21
@Atomic Punk #22
@Pip's Invitation #25
@Dwayne_Castro #27
@Yo Mama #34
@Snoopy #47
@Idiot Boxer #48
@New Binky the Doormat #65
@Uruk-Hai #69

Aja (/ˈeɪʒə/, pronounced "Asia") is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Steely Dan, released on September 23, 1977, by ABC Records. For the album, band leaders Walter Becker and Donald Fagen pushed Steely Dan further into experimenting with different combinations of session players, enlisting the services of nearly 40 musicians, while pursuing longer, more sophisticated compositions and arrangements. As with all of the band's previous albums, it was produced by Gary Katz.

@Dr. Octopus Can you please insert "Home At Last" for the Aja album?

 

[Ilov80s]

I like the Cars but that’s another Greatest Hits experience for me

Listen to their debut album. It is a greatest hits.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

26. The Cars – The Cars (614 points)

@jwb #6
@Ilov80s #9
@BrutalPenguin #16
@Nick Vermeil #18
@zamboni #19
@Mrs. Rannous #21
@Uruk-Hai #27
@Tau837 #27
@higgins #37
@Mt. Man #37
@BroncoFreak_2K3 #39
@rockaction tion #41
@Snoopy #45
@timschochet #47
@KarmaPolice #62


The Cars is the debut studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on June 6, 1978, by Elektra Records. The album was produced by longtime collaborator Roy Thomas Baker, and spawned several hit singles, including "Just What I Needed", "My Best Friend's Girl", and "Good Times Roll", as well as other radio and film hits such as "Bye Bye Love" and "Moving in Stereo". The Cars peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and has been certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

I biffed this. Didn't come to mind when I was making my list, and it should have. Particularly embarrassing because keyboardist Greg Hawkes was a friend of wikkid's. This record is full of killer tracks -- almost all of which were played on the FM stations I grew up listening to -- and played a major role in defining New Wave. (Hint: Wham! is not New Wave.)

There are few more "right place, right time" debuts than this. If it had come out 2 years earlier or 2 years later, I don't think it would have had the impact it did in 1978. It turned into a de facto Cars Greatest Hits Volume One in very short order. Killer tracks are flying all over the album, with nary a dud.

 

[Don Quixote]

28. Songs In The Key Of Life – Stevie Wonder (588 points)

@Uruk-Hai #6
@Mookie Gizzy #9
@higgins #10
@Idiot Boxer #11
@krista4 #19
@Psychopav #20
@Don Quixote #20
@kupcho1 #27
@zamboni #27
@Pip's Invitation #40
@Atomic Punk #44
@landrys hat #47
@Mister CIA #55

Songs in the Key of Life is the eighteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder. A double album, it was released on September 28, 1976, by Tamla Records, a division of Motown. It was recorded primarily at Crystal Sound studio in Hollywood, with some sessions recorded at the Record Plant in Hollywood, the Record Plant in Sausalito, and The Hit Factory in New York City; final mixing was conducted at Crystal Sound. The album has been regarded by music journalists as the culmination of Wonder's "classic period" of recording.

An amazing accomplishment and a rare example of a double album with almost no weaknesses. The vocals, arrangements and lyrics are all top-notch. I'm sure Uruk already knows what he wants, but I will go to bat for Black Man and Another Star.

I'm a man of the people, so I'll wait for others who chose this one to chime in.

(then I'll do what I want)

Boring, but I'd pick one of the hits from the album. I love Isn't She Lovely. And Sir Duke always gets me singing.

Sir Duke would be my pick. One of my favorite songs of all-time.

And Basie, Miller, Satchmo, Ella, and, The King of all, Sir Duke a bit underrepresented in this list.

 

[Ilov80s]

26. The Cars – The Cars (614 points)

@jwb #6
@Ilov80s #9
@BrutalPenguin #16
@Nick Vermeil #18
@zamboni #19
@Mrs. Rannous #21
@Uruk-Hai #27
@Tau837 #27
@higgins #37
@Mt. Man #37
@BroncoFreak_2K3 #39
@rockaction tion #41
@Snoopy #45
@timschochet #47
@KarmaPolice #62


The Cars is the debut studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on June 6, 1978, by Elektra Records. The album was produced by longtime collaborator Roy Thomas Baker, and spawned several hit singles, including "Just What I Needed", "My Best Friend's Girl", and "Good Times Roll", as well as other radio and film hits such as "Bye Bye Love" and "Moving in Stereo". The Cars peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and has been certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Can't go wrong with anything but I lean Bye Bye Love or Moving in Stereo

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I like the Cars but that’s another Greatest Hits experience for me

Their debut album is basically a greatest hits album.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

You’re all I’ve got tonight is one of my favorites

 

[zamboni]

You’re all I’ve got tonight is one of my favorites

I like the way the “I, I, I need you. Tonight!” blends right into Bye, Bye Love.

 

[jwb]

You’re all I’ve got tonight is one of my favorites

This is the one I'm leaning towards.

 

[zamboni]

27. Aja – Steely Dan (605 points)

@higgins #1
@Chaos34 #4
Jeb #4
@Mookie Gizzy #8
@Dr. Octopus #14
@jwb #21
@Atomic Punk #22
@Pip's Invitation #25
@Dwayne_Castro #27
@Yo Mama #34
@Snoopy #47
@Idiot Boxer #48
@New Binky the Doormat #65
@Uruk-Hai #69

Aja (/ˈeɪʒə/, pronounced "Asia") is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Steely Dan, released on September 23, 1977, by ABC Records. For the album, band leaders Walter Becker and Donald Fagen pushed Steely Dan further into experimenting with different combinations of session players, enlisting the services of nearly 40 musicians, while pursuing longer, more sophisticated compositions and arrangements. As with all of the band's previous albums, it was produced by Gary Katz.

@Dr. Octopus Can you please insert "Home At Last" for the Aja album?

I read that with a Casey Kasem long distance dedication voice in my head.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

28. Songs In The Key Of Life – Stevie Wonder (588 points)

@Uruk-Hai #6
@Mookie Gizzy #9
@higgins #10
@Idiot Boxer #11
@krista4 #19
@Psychopav #20
@Don Quixote #20
@kupcho1 #27
@zamboni #27
@Pip's Invitation #40
@Atomic Punk #44
@landrys hat #47
@Mister CIA #55

Songs in the Key of Life is the eighteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder. A double album, it was released on September 28, 1976, by Tamla Records, a division of Motown. It was recorded primarily at Crystal Sound studio in Hollywood, with some sessions recorded at the Record Plant in Hollywood, the Record Plant in Sausalito, and The Hit Factory in New York City; final mixing was conducted at Crystal Sound. The album has been regarded by music journalists as the culmination of Wonder's "classic period" of recording.

An amazing accomplishment and a rare example of a double album with almost no weaknesses. The vocals, arrangements and lyrics are all top-notch. I'm sure Uruk already knows what he wants, but I will go to bat for Black Man and Another Star.

I'm a man of the people, so I'll wait for others who chose this one to chime in.

(then I'll do what I want)

Boring, but I'd pick one of the hits from the album. I love Isn't She Lovely. And Sir Duke always gets me singing.

Sir Duke would be my pick. One of my favorite songs of all-time.

And Basie, Miller, Satchmo, Ella, and, The King of all, Sir Duke a bit underrepresented in this list.

I actually thought of doing a kind of "One Degree Of Separation" from "Sir Duke" for this countdown. If we were doing songs, I could've easily done it - I think. But albums made it much more work because albums weren't treated the same way across the timeframe I'd have needed to cover - many, many, MANY were treated as compilations and my natural laziness kicked in.

 

[rockaction]

26. The Cars – The Cars (614 points)

@jwb #6
@Ilov80s #9
@BrutalPenguin #16
@Nick Vermeil #18
@zamboni #19
@Mrs. Rannous #21
@Uruk-Hai #27
@Tau837 #27
@higgins #37
@Mt. Man #37
@BroncoFreak_2K3 #39
@rockaction tion #41
@Snoopy #45
@timschochet #47
@KarmaPolice #62


The Cars is the debut studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on June 6, 1978, by Elektra Records. The album was produced by longtime collaborator Roy Thomas Baker, and spawned several hit singles, including "Just What I Needed", "My Best Friend's Girl", and "Good Times Roll", as well as other radio and film hits such as "Bye Bye Love" and "Moving in Stereo". The Cars peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and has been certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Wow is this ever a highly ranked album. This hit our demographic in the sweet spot. I was five. Some of y’all were early or even late teens (or older). I heard all these songs on the radio. The Cars were huge.

I’m going to make a negative statement which I generally loathe doing. Tracks 4, 5. and 9 are nowhere near the excellence of the other six, and that’s saying something about the other six because those three ain’t bad.

I’d vote for any of the other six but that upbeat almost-shuffle of “My Best Friend’s Girlfriend” with the cheeky lyrics is the one in my head. That said, “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight” and “Just What I Needed” are probably the favorites and rightfully so.

And wikkid didn’t hate Orr I don’t think. Maybe it depended on the day, but I remember him saying Orr would brood because Orr thought Orr was good-looking and could sing and play, but Ric would get a lot of attention and it made Orr jealous. Or so said wikkid, who my autocorrect keeps changing to Willis.

Hey Willis! Can you hear me down here?! I’m moving in stereo!

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

26. The Cars – The Cars (614 points)

This album was on my list at one point, but I took it off. Big fan of it.

Same here but I'd swear I had ranked this but it is not there---big swing and miss by me.

 

[zamboni]

And wikkid didn’t hate Orr I don’t think. Maybe it depended on the day, but I remember him saying Orr would brood because Orr thought Orr was good-looking, could sing and play and Ric would get a lot of attention and it made him jealous. Or so said wikkid, who my autocorrect keeps changing to Willis.

I could be wrong on this. Just seem to remember in various threads when The Cars were discussed and the conversation turned to Ben Orr, of whom many of us were fans (including myself). I think Wikkid said he met Ben a few times and that he was not a very nice guy. Apologies to both Wikkid and Ben if I misspoke.

 

[Psychopav]

Some won't want to hear it, but the Taylor Swift phenomenon in the last few years rivals that of those three movements. Different time and different measures nowadays, but she reached that status in 2022-2024.

It's not the same. And that isn't old fogey-ism on my part. Pop culture is way too fragmented now to go across borders like Thriller did. Swift is a huge star, yet I'd bet a far smaller % of the general population know her songs than those that knew Thriller's in 1983.

As mentioned by KP above, MTV was a big part of that. As just one example, remember how big the anticipation was for the release of the Thriller video. All we essentially had back then was record stores, the radio and MTV to shape our pop culture.

I would bet the demographics were much more spread out too. My parents had Thriller because they liked MJ from The Jackson 5 and had those albums. T.Swift I would guess leans way more towards teen girls and tim.

Plus Vincent Price, coming just a decade after his head-turning cameo appearance on the Brady Bunch Hawaii episodes.

Shiiiiit, my wife wouldn't have a clue who Vincent Price was if it wasn't for the Thriller video.

 

[zamboni]

Some won't want to hear it, but the Taylor Swift phenomenon in the last few years rivals that of those three movements. Different time and different measures nowadays, but she reached that status in 2022-2024.

It's not the same. And that isn't old fogey-ism on my part. Pop culture is way too fragmented now to go across borders like Thriller did. Swift is a huge star, yet I'd bet a far smaller % of the general population know her songs than those that knew Thriller's in 1983.

As mentioned by KP above, MTV was a big part of that. As just one example, remember how big the anticipation was for the release of the Thriller video. All we essentially had back then was record stores, the radio and MTV to shape our pop culture.

I would bet the demographics were much more spread out too. My parents had Thriller because they liked MJ from The Jackson 5 and had those albums. T.Swift I would guess leans way more towards teen girls and tim.

Plus Vincent Price, coming just a decade after his head-turning cameo appearance on the Brady Bunch Hawaii episodes.

Shiiiiit, my wife wouldn't have a clue who Vincent Price was if it wasn't for the Thriller video.

Don't think my wife remembers that Vince was in Thriller, but she can remember every second of him tying up Greg, Peter and Bobby next to that tiki.

 

[rockaction]

And wikkid didn’t hate Orr I don’t think. Maybe it depended on the day, but I remember him saying Orr would brood because Orr thought Orr was good-looking, could sing and play and Ric would get a lot of attention and it made him jealous. Or so said wikkid, who my autocorrect keeps changing to Willis.

I could be wrong on this. Just seem to remember in various threads when The Cars were discussed and the conversation turned to Ben Orr, of whom many of us were fans (including myself). I think Wikkid said he met Ben a few times and that he was not a very nice guy. Apologies to both Wikkid and Ben if I misspoke.

You did not. At all. Sometimes when I say “not exactly” or something akin to it I’m just trying to add to the story. I think I can do it more artfully next time and you have my apologies, zam. No big deal, I’m sure, but I can work on that bit of online discourse.

wikkid indeed said that about him. Guy wasn’t friendly and had those tendencies I described and wikkid didn’t care for it. Heh. It’s all of the above!

eta* for the reader, I meant “you did not misspeak”

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

You’re all I’ve got tonight is one of my favorites

This is the one I'm leaning towards.

Me, also. I love everything on this album, so I'm good regardless.

 

[jwb]

And wikkid didn’t hate Orr I don’t think. Maybe it depended on the day, but I remember him saying Orr would brood because Orr thought Orr was good-looking, could sing and play and Ric would get a lot of attention and it made him jealous. Or so said wikkid, who my autocorrect keeps changing to Willis.

There is likely something to this. Their voices are very similar, and due to MTV and his fairly unique/quirky look, it's easy to think Ric was the singer for everything.

 

[Idiot Boxer]

Where do you land on JK Rowling and Harry Potter?

I think @Dr. Octopus owned up to missing the Mumford and Sons pick. No need to kill the thread.
TIA

I didn't start this jaunt down problematic-artists-lane

No, but you took it into a non-musical and much more contentious alleyway.

I'll drop it here as it doesn't belong. The only reason I commented in the first place was to (hopefully) forestall the inclusion of Gaza or other clearly off topic, potentially thread-killing subjects.

gll peas

No worries. I'll drop it too. I didn't mean to be contentious. I struggle with the question of problematic artists and their art and the line drawing myself and I respect Krista a lot, so I was curious as to her thoughts.

That's fine but meanwhile Dobby has to live with the aftermath for the rest of his life. Won't somebody please think of the elves??

I gave him a sock

 

[zamboni]

And wikkid didn’t hate Orr I don’t think. Maybe it depended on the day, but I remember him saying Orr would brood because Orr thought Orr was good-looking, could sing and play and Ric would get a lot of attention and it made him jealous. Or so said wikkid, who my autocorrect keeps changing to Willis.

There is likely something to this. Their voices are very similar, and due to MTV and his fairly unique/quirky look, it's easy to think Ric was the singer for everything.

Yeah for a long time, I had a hard time distinguishing Ric and Ben's voices, even though they're actually very different. The difference became much more noticeable on their subsequent albums.

 

[Psychopav]

Where do you land on JK Rowling and Harry Potter?

I think @Dr. Octopus owned up to missing the Mumford and Sons pick. No need to kill the thread.
TIA

I didn't start this jaunt down problematic-artists-lane

No, but you took it into a non-musical and much more contentious alleyway.

I'll drop it here as it doesn't belong. The only reason I commented in the first place was to (hopefully) forestall the inclusion of Gaza or other clearly off topic, potentially thread-killing subjects.

gll peas

No worries. I'll drop it too. I didn't mean to be contentious. I struggle with the question of problematic artists and their art and the line drawing myself and I respect Krista a lot, so I was curious as to her thoughts.

That's fine but meanwhile Dobby has to live with the aftermath for the rest of his life. Won't somebody please think of the elves??

I gave him a sock

I deleted mine, thought it might rub some people the wrong way.

Like Dobby, and the sock you gave him.

 

[simey]

And wikkid didn’t hate Orr I don’t think. Maybe it depended on the day, but I remember him saying Orr would brood because Orr thought Orr was good-looking, could sing and play and Ric would get a lot of attention and it made him jealous. Or so said wikkid, who my autocorrect keeps changing to Willis.

I don't know what wikkid said, but Ric Ocasek has said before that he (Ric) didn't care about being in the front of the stage when they would play live, but Orr loved it. Ric said he gave what he felt were his best songs to Orr to sing, because Orr had the better voice. Ric said Orr had some jealousy towards him, because he wrote the songs. He said they were close friends, but there was some jealousy there.

 

[Psychopav]

Debut Albums that finished ahead of Led Zeppelin’s Debut Album


26. The Cars – The Cars (614 points)

36. Van Halen – Van Halen (489 points)

39. Are You Experienced – Jimi Hendrix Experience (437 points)

53. Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols – Sex Pistols (373 points)

56 (tie). Rage Against The Machine– Rage Against The Machine (366 points)

59. Pronounced 'Lĕh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd – Lynyrd Skynyrd (354 points)

64. The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico (340 points)

67. Bat out of Hell – Meatloaf (332 points)

69 (tie). The Doors – The Doors (328 points)

69 (tie). Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes (328 points)

72 (tie). Marquee Moon – Television (323 points)

77. Funeral – Arcade Fire (305 points)

82. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin (286 points)

Might be more interesting when we can see how many artists' SECOND album finish higher than Led Zeppelin II. I know nothing so I don't see this as foreshadowing or anything.

 

[Idiot Boxer]

I believe that is the first Cars album on the countdown, so for those keeping score - that's 1 new debut since Thriller.

 

[Psychopav]

28. Songs In The Key Of Life – Stevie Wonder (588 points)

@Uruk-Hai #6
@Mookie Gizzy #9
@higgins #10
@Idiot Boxer #11
@krista4 #19
@Psychopav #20
@Don Quixote #20
@kupcho1 #27
@zamboni #27
@Pip's Invitation #40
@Atomic Punk #44
@landrys hat #47
@Mister CIA #55

Songs in the Key of Life is the eighteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder. A double album, it was released on September 28, 1976, by Tamla Records, a division of Motown. It was recorded primarily at Crystal Sound studio in Hollywood, with some sessions recorded at the Record Plant in Hollywood, the Record Plant in Sausalito, and The Hit Factory in New York City; final mixing was conducted at Crystal Sound. The album has been regarded by music journalists as the culmination of Wonder's "classic period" of recording.

Believe it or not I only started listening to this about a year and a half ago. I had never listened to any Stevie Wonder albums - as anyone who has followed my picks in this thread can easily tell, I've always been more of a greatest hits kind of guy unless I love the artist enough to care about all of the songs on any given album, and there's only a few of those. So I ran into an article that talked about Paul Simon winning album of the year one year in the early 70s (can't remember which one), and in his acceptance speech he thanked Stevie Wonder for not putting an album out that year . That prompted me to look into his great albums in the 70s and I landed on this one to listen to. Boy did I hit the jackpot!

Going from not even on my radar (other than the huge hits) to being my 20th album of all time in less than 2 years...I mean it may not mean much to anyone else, but that's quite an achievement in my mind. I think this album is a masterpiece, I love every single song on it, and the only reason it's not rated higher is that I get more melancholy and sadness out of it than hope and joy, especially knowing the problems we still have in our society 50 years later.

 

[zamboni]

Debut Albums that finished ahead of Led Zeppelin’s Debut Album


26. The Cars – The Cars (614 points)

36. Van Halen – Van Halen (489 points)

39. Are You Experienced – Jimi Hendrix Experience (437 points)

53. Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols – Sex Pistols (373 points)

56 (tie). Rage Against The Machine– Rage Against The Machine (366 points)

59. Pronounced 'Lĕh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd – Lynyrd Skynyrd (354 points)

64. The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico (340 points)

67. Bat out of Hell – Meatloaf (332 points)

69 (tie). The Doors – The Doors (328 points)

69 (tie). Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes (328 points)

72 (tie). Marquee Moon – Television (323 points)

77. Funeral – Arcade Fire (305 points)

82. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin (286 points)

Might be more interesting when we can see how many artists' SECOND album finish higher than Led Zeppelin II. I know nothing so I don't see this as foreshadowing or anything.

I can think of one potentially, but never mind.

 

[rockaction]

And wikkid didn’t hate Orr I don’t think. Maybe it depended on the day, but I remember him saying Orr would brood because Orr thought Orr was good-looking, could sing and play and Ric would get a lot of attention and it made him jealous. Or so said wikkid, who my autocorrect keeps changing to Willis.

There is likely something to this. Their voices are very similar, and due to MTV and his fairly unique/quirky look, it's easy to think Ric was the singer for everything.

Yeah for a long time, I had a hard time distinguishing Ric and Ben's voices, even though they're actually very different. The difference became much more noticeable on their subsequent albums.

I didn’t know Ben sang until I joined this board and you all would talk about it like “of course.” I think I knew he sang “Drive” but I thought it was a one-off or something,

No wonder he was jealous of Ric!

 

[Ghost Rider]

I like the Cars, but they are admittedly more of a greatest hits band for me. The debut probably is their best, though, and is one I will on occasion give a spin.

Aja is awesome. I hated not being able to rank it, but it got lost in the shuffle of classic rock albums for me when doing a mental scan for the list. I remember this being played for me for the first time when I was 18; it floored me.

Songs in the Key of Life is a good one as well. Due to its length, I tend to reach for songs from it rather than giving it full listens, but it's an impressive work of art by Stevie.

 

[simey]

I didn’t know Ben sang until I joined this board and you all would talk about it like “of course.” I think I knew he sang “Drive” but I thought it was a one-off or something,

Ben sings lead on songs such as Drive, Just What I Needed, Moving in Stereo, All Mixed Up, Bye Bye Love, Candy-O, Let's Go, It's All I Can Do, etc.

 

[Yo Mama]

I believe that is the first Cars album on the countdown, so for those keeping score - that's 1 new debut since Thriller.

Thriller wasn’t a debut to the list - Off the Wall was ranked at 165.

 

[Ilov80s]

I believe that is the first Cars album on the countdown, so for those keeping score - that's 1 new debut since Thriller.

Thriller wasn’t a debut to the list - Off the Wall was ranked at 165.

Steely Dan probably was though

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Some won't want to hear it, but the Taylor Swift phenomenon in the last few years rivals that of those three movements. Different time and different measures nowadays, but she reached that status in 2022-2024.

It's not the same. And that isn't old fogey-ism on my part. Pop culture is way too fragmented now to go across borders like Thriller did. Swift is a huge star, yet I'd bet a far smaller % of the general population know her songs than those that knew Thriller's in 1983.

As mentioned by KP above, MTV was a big part of that. As just one example, remember how big the anticipation was for the release of the Thriller video. All we essentially had back then was record stores, the radio and MTV to shape our pop culture.

I would bet the demographics were much more spread out too. My parents had Thriller because they liked MJ from The Jackson 5 and had those albums. T.Swift I would guess leans way more towards teen girls and tim.

Plus Vincent Price, coming just a decade after his head-turning cameo appearance on the Brady Bunch Hawaii episodes.

Shiiiiit, my wife wouldn't have a clue who Vincent Price was if it wasn't for the Thriller video.

Don't think my wife remembers that Vince was in Thriller, but she can remember every second of him tying up Greg, Peter and Bobby next to that tiki.

My first exposure to Price was his Muppet Show episode. I was too frightened to make it all the way through. Same with Alice Cooper's episode.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

And wikkid didn’t hate Orr I don’t think. Maybe it depended on the day, but I remember him saying Orr would brood because Orr thought Orr was good-looking, could sing and play and Ric would get a lot of attention and it made him jealous. Or so said wikkid, who my autocorrect keeps changing to Willis.

There is likely something to this. Their voices are very similar, and due to MTV and his fairly unique/quirky look, it's easy to think Ric was the singer for everything.

Yeah for a long time, I had a hard time distinguishing Ric and Ben's voices, even though they're actually very different. The difference became much more noticeable on their subsequent albums.

I had no idea that the Cars had a second singer until the video for "Drive" came out.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I believe that is the first Cars album on the countdown, so for those keeping score - that's 1 new debut since Thriller.

Thriller wasn’t a debut to the list - Off the Wall was ranked at 165.

Steely Dan probably was though

Yep. They have come up on some of the side lists, but were absent from the main list until Aja.

 

[Idiot Boxer]

So 2 new debuts -- with over/under at 5.5 and 2 absolute locks to come, its going to be close.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

So 2 new debuts -- with over/under at 5.5 and 2 absolute locks to come, its going to be close.

I’m losing hope that we’ll see Tools Opiate EP

 

[Idiot Boxer]

So 2 new debuts -- with over/under at 5.5 and 2 absolute locks to come, its going to be close.

I’m losing hope that we’ll see Tools Opiate EP

I'm sure it's coming. Along with Opeth's debut album Still Life, Neil Young's Live 5th grade recital and Barry Manilow's Commercial Jingles Album.

 

[Eephus]

RE: The Cars

It's always a shock to me when I hear "You're All I Got Tonight" on the radio or something where it doesn't segue into the intro of "Bye Bye Love"

 

[KarmaPolice]

I like the Cars but that’s another Greatest Hits experience for me

Good thing for you the debut is top to bottom great hits.

 

[rockaction]

I believe that is the first Cars album on the countdown, so for those keeping score - that's 1 new debut since Thriller.

Thriller wasn’t a debut to the list - Off the Wall was ranked at 165.

You’re right. Good catch. Man, I just spent ten minutes on a post that is just better left as an unfinished draft in my notes. Hoo boy.

 

[KarmaPolice]

So 2 new debuts -- with over/under at 5.5 and 2 absolute locks to come, its going to be close.

I’m losing hope that we’ll see Tools Opiate EP

I'm sure it's coming. Along with Opeth's debut 4th album Still Life, Neil Young's Live 5th grade recital and Barry Manilow's Commercial Jingles Album.

It got 45pts from me, but I don't think any others were cool enough to rank it.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

26. The Cars – The Cars (614 points)

@jwb #6
@Ilov80s #9
@BrutalPenguin #16
@Nick Vermeil #18
@zamboni #19
@Mrs. Rannous #21
@Uruk-Hai #27
@Tau837 #27
@higgins #37
@Mt. Man #37
@BroncoFreak_2K3 #39
@rockaction tion #41
@Snoopy #45
@timschochet #47
@KarmaPolice #62


The Cars is the debut studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on June 6, 1978, by Elektra Records. The album was produced by longtime collaborator Roy Thomas Baker, and spawned several hit singles, including "Just What I Needed", "My Best Friend's Girl", and "Good Times Roll", as well as other radio and film hits such as "Bye Bye Love" and "Moving in Stereo". The Cars peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and has been certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Can't go wrong with anything but I lean Bye Bye Love or Moving in Stereo

"Moving In Stereo" would be my pick, just for the Phoebe Cates-inspired influence alone it had on my teenaged ...

 

[KarmaPolice]

I like the Cars but that’s another Greatest Hits experience for me

Listen to their debut album. It is a greatest hits.

lol. I posted to soon. I hadn't gotten to this page yet.

 

[zamboni]

So 2 new debuts -- with over/under at 5.5 and 2 absolute locks to come, its going to be close.

I’m losing hope that we’ll see Tools Opiate EP

I'm sure it's coming. Along with Opeth's debut album Still Life, Neil Young's Live 5th grade recital and Barry Manilow's Commercial Jingles Album.

Leadoff track

 

[KarmaPolice]

RE: The Cars

It's always a shock to me when I hear "You're All I Got Tonight" on the radio or something where it doesn't segue into the intro of "Bye Bye Love"

That would be like hearing Feeling that Way without Anytime, right? That would just be really weird.

 

[zamboni]

RE: The Cars

It's always a shock to me when I hear "You're All I Got Tonight" on the radio or something where it doesn't segue into the intro of "Bye Bye Love"

That would be like hearing Feeling that Way without Anytime, right? That would just be really weird.

There's a whole slew of them. We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions, the aforementioned Eruption/You Really Got Me, etc. At least two other pairs are on their way here.

 

[KarmaPolice]

RE: The Cars

It's always a shock to me when I hear "You're All I Got Tonight" on the radio or something where it doesn't segue into the intro of "Bye Bye Love"

That would be like hearing Feeling that Way without Anytime, right? That would just be really weird.

There's a whole slew of them. We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions, the aforementioned Eruption/You Really Got Me, etc. At least two other pairs are on their way here.

The inside joke is I had never heard those together before and had them separated on my Journey MAD31 playlist.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

RE: The Cars

It's always a shock to me when I hear "You're All I Got Tonight" on the radio or something where it doesn't segue into the intro of "Bye Bye Love"

That would be like hearing Feeling that Way without Anytime, right? That would just be really weird.

There's a whole slew of them. We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions, the aforementioned Eruption/You Really Got Me, etc. At least two other pairs are on their way here.

Also an octet.