Is there a distinction between Best Albums Ever and Your Favorite Albums?

[NAD]

For me there is. When I think of the greatest albums ever done, I consider influence on acts that came afterwards, time period of the album, impact on society in general, and other extraneous factors. These albums do not have to be perfect really, they could just have 3 songs that blew the world away and make the list.

For my favorite albums, it is purely emotional. If it truly hits me in the gut, it won't matter if it's a ripoff, if it influenced nobody important etc. These are pretty much 10/10 BUY OR DIE (copyright Sorath) albums that I could not live without, and don't care if I'm the only one on earth that loves them so.

Thoughts? Rocks to throw? Spam pictures? :Spin:

 

[Caelum Adustum]

No, not really.

 

[Caelum Adustum]

Well...actually, some of what I would consider best albums ever aren't among my favourite albums at the moment....but there is no difference at all between my list of best albums ever and favourite albums ever.

 

[JayKeeley]

Although they may not all be my personal favourite albums (since they may not have any direct sentimental value to me), I do recognize the greatness of the "well reknowned" greatest artists of all time such as Bowie, Floyd, Radiohead, Zeppelin, Children of Bodom, etc.

Same with movies by the way. They may not all be my personal favourites, but I can totally recognize the greatness of The Godfather, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Lawrence of Arabia, The Karate Kid pt.3, etc.

 

[jimbobhickville]

yeah!!! Fucking Ralph Macchio baby!!!

That is one trilogy that puts all other trilogies to shame.

 

[Demonspell]

Of course there is, one is a mass market and/or critical consensus and the other is personal preference...seriously, I don't consider my favorites to be the best albums ever made, more like the best I've heard so far, largely because I always consider the possibility that something either has been or will be released that will surpass them.

<<These albums do not have to be perfect really, they could just have 3 songs that blew the world away and make the list.>>

I'll have to disagree here, for me an album has to have no bad songs and something of value in each track to qualify for that status...

 

[Black Winter Day]

My 2 favorite albums of all time have these going for them:

-- No bad/forgettable songs
-- Deep personal and emotional impact
-- Never goes "stale"
-- A wealth of excellent tracks you want to hear over and over again
-- Top-notch songwriting and instrumentation
-- It pushes some sort of boundaries (i.e. has originality)

Now one of my two favorites of all time have all of these things going for it except for the last. I'm referring to MARILLION's "Misplaced Childhood" which is absolute GENESIS worship with darker songs. Coincidentally, my other favorite is GENESIS's "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", which was way ahead of its time. However, the MARILLION is more emotional, thus the tie.

To answer your question, it all depends on what you are looking for. To me, these are not only my favorite albums ever, but the best albums ever made.

 

[J.]

Sometimes there is, sometimes there isn't. It all depends on the album I guess.

 

[Hell Mike]

I can see what you mean, NAD, but personally I don't give a shit about influences, what came efore, impact on society and so on when I listen to an album, and since that's when I decide the two are the same for me. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas.