What artists (besides Genesis) could you simply not do without?

[Kendra]

Inspired by the recent Top Ten threads, and my fairly recent realization that I have way too many CDs and therefore should sell some of what I have on eBay (which I've already begun doing), I got to thinking, which artists' albums am I completely unwilling to part with (other than the obvious Genesis)? And for that matter, which artists' albums would YOU be completely unwilling to part with, if it came down to it?

[Kendra]

In alphabetical order, looking at the portion of my CD collection that is NOT in boxes in the closet (since that would imply that they are pretty nonessential...):

At the Drive-In
Blur
Common Rotation
Graham Coxon
Crowded House
The Cure
Devo
Echo & The Bunnymen
Eels
Elbow
The Fall
Hall and Oates
Idlewild
Billy Joel
Ted Leo (some of his catalogue)
Huey Lewis
Magazine
Ocean Colour Scene
Radiohead (most of their catalogue)
Sloan
Split Enz
Squeeze
Super Furry Animals
Tears For Fears
Tower Of Power
Wire

There are some others that I would have a difficult time parting with, but those are the ones that stick out for me at the moment...also, some of these artists I may only have one or two of their albums, but the ones I do have I am not interested in parting with. :-)

[ALEX PLUMB]

THE DAMNED
QUEEN
STATUS QUO

THE STRANGLERS-BEST BAND EVER!

[SpctrlMornings]

Definitely would have to be:

The Beatles
Yes
Pink Floyd
The Doors
The Police
Huey Lewis & The News

[Matt Brown]

Hmmm.....

I could NOT live without:

Sandy Denny - all her solo albums, and her work with Fairport Convention and Fotheringay

Nick Drake - all three of his wonderful albums.

Yes - nearly all of it, but particularly the run from "The Yes Album" through "90125".

The Who - From "The Who Sell Out" through "Who Are You", with the track "Eminence Front" thrown in.

Led Zeppelin - ALL of it.

Porcupine Tree - From "Signify" onwards!

Otis Redding - particularly his AMAZING performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. The "Dreams To Remember" anthology will nicely cover it.

Richie Havens - Most of it, especially his last two albums which are wonderful (Wishing Well and Grace Of The Sun)

Bill Withers - "Live At Carnegie Hall"...it's a masterpiece of an album!

The Beatles - ALL of it

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds, the SMiLE sessions, Sunflower, Surf's Up

Miles Davis -- Kind of Blue, In a Silent Way, all the Quintet recordings between 1965 and 1968.

John Coltrane -- Giant Steps, Love Supreme, Blue Train, My Favorite Things

Weather Report - from the first album up through the Jaco years.

Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um and Let My Children Hear Music

Kevin Gilbert/Toy Matinee/Third Matinee

U2 - Atomic Bomb, Unforgettable Fire, Red Rocks, Wide Awake In America, Joshua Tree

REM - Automatic For the People and Life's Rich Pageant

Nik Kershaw - The Works, 15 Minutes

XTC - Apple Venus Vol. 1

Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die, Low Spark, Mr. Fantasy, Traffic

Cat Stevens - Teaser and Tillerman

Radiohead - OK Computer, Kid A

Pat Metheny - As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls

And this just barely scratches the surface....;-)

[Kendra]

Hmm...I have Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys, that's a really good disc...

I used to have a Weather Report album and was actually quite fond of it. Don't know why I sold it.

[Hot to Foxtrot]

Pink Floyd
Yes
Led Zep
Jethro Tull
Rush
The Beatles
Boston
The Beach Boys
Creedence Clearwater
Electric Light Orchestra
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Enigma
Depeche Mode
Linkin Park - some of it
Metallica - most of it
Nine Inch Nails
The Moody Blues
Traffic
Ten Years After

I'm also into the Motown groups

The Supremes
Martha and the Vandellas
The Temptations
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Marvin Gaye
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Four Tops


I would need at least a week to list all the music I couldn't do without. I have a very eclectic taste in music.

[Kendra]

Interesting to see Ten Years After mentioned...I have a (cleverly-titled) live disc of theirs entitled "Undead" which is freaking fantastic.

Also, I can't believe I forgot...my top non-Genesis tune of all time, which I somehow completely blanked on when writing my list, is Gladys Knight & The Pips' "Midnight Train To Georgia." One of the BEST songs ever written!!

[Kev C]

Got to have...

Meatloaf Bat out of Hell
Mike Rutherford Smallcreeps Day
Steve Hackett Spectral Mornings
Pink Floyd Pulse
Enigma L.S.D. (love ,sensuality, devotion)
Journey Escape & Greatest hits
Coldplay X & Y

[Mia]

Oh... there are so many.. But here are the most important bands I love (in random order):

Camel (without Camel, theres no Mia. hehe) - All of it!
Yes - All with Bruford as drummer
Led Zeppelin - All of it!
Pink Floyd - All of it!
ELP - All of it!
Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn and Tubular Bells
Queen - All of it!
Andres Segovia - All of it!
Ambrosia - All of it!
Bill Bruford (well.. he has played with Genesis, but I love all the stuff he has done outside Genesis too)
Fairport Convention - Unhalfbreaking
Gerry Rafferty - Sleepwalking/Baker Street
IQ - All of it!
Porcupine Tree - All of it!
Rory Gallagher - All of it!
Rod Argent - All of it!
Supertramp - All of it!
The Doors - All of it!
The Beatles - All of it!
The Who - All of it!
PFM - All of it!
Duncan Browne - All of it!
Syd Barrett - All of it.. from PF and solowork!
Gentle Giant - All of it!
I am sure there is more.. but thats all for now :)

[Bobi]

Hi Kendra, I could not be without The Flaming Lips, Yes, Bob Marley, Alice and John Coltrane and my Greek Rembetika collection. My Soul Comforts.

[Kendra]

I don't know what a Greek Rembetika is, but it certainly sounds interesting!

I almost saw the Flaming Lips at Bonnaroo last summer but I was exhausted and went back to my tent to crash...woke up an hour or so later to the sounds of "Do You Realize"...because of course you could still hear them in the camping area...it was a pretty surreal moment.

[Matt Brown]

Oy.

That's another album I couldn't live without... Flaming Lips' "Yoshimi".

"Do You Realize" has got to be one of the best songs of the decade.