Artists Top Ten Albums Michael Jackson

[Payton Cross]

Pfff , this was really hard for me to choose from so many great albums, so I dropped out all the "compilations" and "live" albums. So I mostly focus on my favorite studio albums, and it still hurt me to leave so many other great albums away from this list, but good, I have to choose.

01. Falling Into You - (I really think this is a fantstic album, so many beautiful songs, and so many hits on it)

02. Let's Talk About Love

03. D'eux

04. A New Day Has Come

05. The Colour Of My Love

06. S'il suffisait d'aimer

07. Taking Chances

08. Celine Dion

09. These Are Special Times

10. Encore un soir

 

[Alexis]

1. Falling Into You - My ultimate favourite Celine album
2. A New Day Has Come - A great return to form album after her break and very pop of it's time.
3. Celine Dion -Self titled English language album.
4. Unison - I love her early English career vocals.
5. The Colour Of My Love - An album that really broke her as an artist in the 90s.
6. Taking Chances - Long overblown and fabulous pop/rock Celine.
7. Lets Talk About Love - 65% Amazingly folky Celine the rest is a mishmash of high profile duets and a bit of randomness.
8. All The Way... A Decade Of Song - The new songs on the latter half of the album are amazing.
9. D'eux - Stunningly beautiful album.
10. Loved Me Back To Life - 50% Amazing album 50% middle of the road dreck.

 

[Ome]

With 26 studio albums under her belt, 3 voted on 15 albums



Here’s your result.​

1. A New Day Has Come = 26

2. Falling Into You = 23

3. Let's Talk About Love = 21

4. Taking Chances = 18

5. Unison = 14

6. The Colour of My Love = 12

7. Celine Dion = 11

8. D’eux = 10

9. These are the Special Times / All The Way - A Decade of Songs = 8

10. S'il suffisait d'aimer = 5

11. One Heart = 4

12. Loved Me Back To Life = 3

13. C'est Pour Toi / Encore un soir = 1

 

[Ome]

Up Next

Donna Summer



Donna Summer features seventeen studio albums recorded between 1974 and 2008, two live albums and a large amount of compilation albums and guest appearances.

Summer has reportedly sold over 140 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling artists of all time


Totals in a couple of weeks​

 

[Karin Schill]

Unfortunately I won't be able to vote in this round as I don't have a single Donna Summer's album.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

1. Four Seasons Of Love

The hits: Spring Affair; Winter Melody
Recommended album track: Summer Fever

A concept album based around the four seasons. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best.

Donna and Giorgio pull this one off with great skill with tracks sequenced and flowing into one another so that - as with the seasons they’re about - it’s difficult to pinpoint where one ends and the next begins.

With just five tracks, there’s no room for filler. Each track is different in tone: the chirpy joy of Spring Affair the sultry heat and soaring highs of Summer Fever; then there’s Autumn Changes with the protagonist sensing an ending ahead with a steel band as an almost taunting echo of sunnier days; then it flows into to the beautiful sub mid tempo, Moog-based mellow melancholy of Winter Melody. And just when all seems lost, there’s a Spring Reprise. Has the protagonist found a new romance? Has love been rekindled? Or is it simply a memory - another echo of the past? It’s up to the listener to decide.

This is an album I can play over and over again without skipping and as great as each individual track is, the whole album needs to be heard to get the best out of the experience.





2. Love To Love You Baby

The hit: Love To Love You Baby
Recommended album track: Pandora’s Box

Like, I suspect, most people, I came to hear the title track in its full glory (at almost seventeen minutes it takes up one entire side of the vinyl). If one listens to nothing else, it’s still worth the entry fee and worthy of a place in anyone’s top five.

The tracks on Side Two are quite different in tone - more representative, perhaps, of the material Donna had been performing before LTLYB took the disco world by storm - but they’re no less brilliant. Each of them takes a different angle on lost love.

After the epic journey of the title track, Full Of Emptiness feels stripped back and stark. Which makes it more effective. The fadein/fadeout and driving speed of Need A Man Blues makes it the track that always is and always was. There’s something about it that brings the sleaze of the Seventies to life in the best way. Whispering Waves is simply one of Donna’s sweetest songs full stop. Pandora’s Box has a cracking, angry vocal and a hint of country to it. The country sound goes all out with the half instrumental reprise of Full Of Emptiness, ending the album on something of a downer. The listener is left with one of two choices at the end - sit and let the sadness resonate or flip it over and have another hit of Love To Love You Baby. Neither is a bad choice.





3. I Remember Yesterday

The hits: Can’t We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over); I Feel Love; I Remember Yesterday; Love’s Unkind
Recommended album track: Black Lady

Another concept album - this one based around sounds of the past, present and future. This one has it all: from the bizarre Roaring Twenties disco mashup that is the title track (it works incredibly well, in case you’re wondering) through the Motown sound of Back In Love Again to the song that became the sound of the future not only figuratively but literally: I Feel Love.

Black Lady has a similar story to Lady Marmalade and features a great Donna power vocal. Can’t We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over) slows things down beautifully with a great deal of emotional intelligence.






4. A Love Trilogy

The hits: Could It Be Magic; Try Me, I Know We Can Make It
Recommended album track: Wasted

Following on from the phenomenon of the Love To Love You Baby single, Giorgio and Donna give us a full album of that new sound, with each track uptempo, innovative and way ahead of the curve.

Try Me, I Know We Can Make It - this album’s whole-side epic - outdoes even LTLYB in terms of length. The 18 minute track is a suite of several different sections, each playing with some of the title’s phrasing. It’s a corker of a track which proves that Love To Love You Baby wasn’t a fluke. In many ways, Try Me is even slicker, though of course it owes its genes to the previous album.

As if that’s not enough, there’s a 6+ minute, sexed-up dance cover of Barry Manilow’s Could It Be Magic - complete with coital cries à la Love To Love You - which by song’s end shows off the powerful full-voice that Donna would become known for. And two new tracks - Wasted and Come With Me that put new spins on the Moroder sound.





5. Bad Girls

The hits: Hot Stuff; Bad Girls; Dim All The Lights; Sunset People; Our Love; Walk Away
Recommended album track: Journey To The Centre Of Your Heart

Among critics and fans this is consistently the most acclaimed Donna album. And it is truly a hugely impressive achievement on every level. A double album with many of the tracks sequenced. Some huge hits (Hot Stuff; Bad Girls; Dim All The Lights; Sunset People). Varied sound including a couple of gorgeous ballads. Technically it’s polished without being too shiny. It’s a cohesive double album experience with many tracks sequenced to perfectly complement one another. The rock elements are very welcome. And Donna’s voice never sounded so sexy, powerful and raw.





6. Once Upon A Time

The hits: I Love You; Fairy Tale High; Once Upon A Time; Rumour Has It
Recommended album track: Dance Into My Life

Another concept double album with a fairy tale theme. This was the most ambitious project to date when it was recorded and pulls it off beautifully. Naturally, there’s a whole side devoted to the electronic sound pioneered on the previous album’s I Feel Love.





7. Live And More

The hits: MacArthur Park; Heaven Knows
Recommended album track: Last Dance (“Live”); MacArthur Park Suite (“More”)

Donna in concert at the height of her powers. She belts out her hits at breakneck speed, serenades her daughter with a bedtime song she’d written and covers - among others - Gershwin and Streisand.

The “More” section is a brand new 18 minute studio track - a suite based on Richard Harris’s MacArthur Park, incorporating new tracks One Of A Kind and Heaven Knows, featuring Brooklyn Dreams. An edited version of MacArthur Park became a huge hit in its own right, with the Heaven Knows section giving another single.

And it has a fantastic cover!





8. Christmas Spirit

Recommended album tracks: Christmas Is Here (original); White Christmas (cover)

Summer does the standards and shows off a gentler side in this gorgeous album recorded with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. From simple carols to all out gospel and two original songs written by Summer herself. It may not be her most innovative or provocative material, but it’s beautiful and continues to prove she could handle any genre of music.





9. Another Place And Time

The hits: This Time I Know It’s For Real; I Don’t Wanna Get Hurt; Love’s About To Change My Heart; Breakaway; When Love Takes Over You
Recommended album track: Whatever Your Heart Desires

Donna inspires greatness in the Hit Factory sound. This Time I Know It’s For Real is perhaps as mainstream as Donna ever got, while Love’s About To Change My Heart effortlessly taps into - and pulls off - the ballad intro/power vocal combo of her hits from a decade earlier.




10. Crayons

The hits: I’m A Fire; Stamp Your Feet; It’s Only Love; Fame (The Game)
Recommended album track: Sand On My Feet

As it turns out, this was Donna’s final studio album. And she went out on a high, with some catchy dance hits supported by a gorgeous ballad or two.










SPECIAL MENTION:

Thank God It’s Friday

The hits: Last Dance; Je T’Aime (Moi Non Plus)
Recommended album track: With Your Love

Not a Donna album, per se, but worth a mention as it’s the one that includes the glorious Last Dance (twice!); the 16 minute masterpiece that is Je T’Aime (Moi Non Plus) and the delightfully catchy With Your Love.

There’s also the Donna-penned Take It To The Zoo, sung here by Donna’s sisters (with Donna giving backup).


And let’s not forget that Donna starred in the film!

 

[Payton Cross]

Wow, so many beautiful albums by Donna Summer, i hope i chose the right one.

01. Bad Girls (1979)

02. I Remember Yesterday (1977)

03. Donna Summer (1982)

04. The Wandere (1980)

05. On The Radio: Greatest Hits Volume I & II (1979)

06. She Works Hard For The Money (1983)

07. Another Place And Time (1989)

08. The Ultimate Collection (2016)

09. I'm A Rainbow (1981/1996)

10. Lady Of The Night (1974)

 

[Willie Oleson]

1. The Dance Collection
2. Bad Girls
3. Once Upon A Time...
4. I Remember Yesterday
5. I'm A Rainbow
6. Lady Of The Night
7. Four Seasons Of Love
8. Crayons
9. On The Radio
10. She Works Hard For The Money

 

[Jessie]

My list

1. She Works Hard For Her Money

2. On The Radio

3. Greatest Hits

4. Endless Summer Greatest Hits

5. Bad Girls

6. Once Upon A Time

7. The Wanderer

8. All Systems Go

9. Christmas Spirit

10. The Dance Collection

 

[Ome]

I only have her greatest hits from 1990 which I love and yet I’ve never bothered with any of her studio albums. So I’m going to make my list by the singles I love because if I was to ever explore her more I would buy the albums which I felt were close to what I would like to hear.

1. Donna Summer (album)
2. Bad Girls
3. She Works Hard for the Money
4. All Systems Go
5. I Remember Yesterday
6. Love to Love You Baby
7. Another Place and Time

 

[Ome]

With 17 studio albums and 32 compilations under her belt

5 voted on 21 Albums

Here’s Donna.​

1. Bad Girls = 40

2. I Remember Yesterday = 30

3. She Works Hard for the Money = 24

4. Once Upon a Time / Donna Summer = 18

5. On the Radio = 17

6. Four Seasons Of Love / Love To Love You Baby = 14

7. The Wanderer / Dance Collection = 11

8. Another Place Another Time / All Systems Go = 10

9. Greatest Hits / I’m a Rainbow= 8

10. A Love Trilogy / Endless Summer = 7

11. I’m a Rainbow / Lady of the Night = 6

12. Christmas Spirit = 5

13. Live And More / Crayons = 4

14. Ultimate Collection = 3

 

[Ome]

Next up

Christmas Albums

Okay, it might be a little early to do this top ten, but it can take me a month before I get around to tallying it all up and with December almost knocking on our door, I thought I would get in early.

Totals sometime before Christmas.​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I'll be especially interested in seeing what you come up with, Ome...

I've always struggled with the concept of a Christmas Album, ever since it's been possible to create my own Christmas playlist.

 

[Ome]

I'll be especially interested in seeing what you come up with, Ome..

Yes, it's certainly going to be an interesting one. I have only bought compilation over the years mostly the NOW albums and a couple of others. I did grow up with two artist Christmas albums, one from Boney M and the other was Johnny Mathis.

I'm looking forward to seeing what others vote on and I might delve into a few of them, I'm also going to try out Kylie's album. It might take a few days for each album though because I can easily get bored with the same voice.


This is my most played album.





But I don't bother with it (or any of the others) now because I just make my own playlist

 

[Ome]

I have only bought compilation over the years

Oh, I do believe I told a lie....


Last year I bought The Killers Christmas album which is made up of charity singles they released each year. I have the singles so I never bothered playing the album, I only bought it for the ones I didn't have.


But hey yo, I have one..

EDIT:

Gosh, this is getting embarrassing, I have another one...

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I have only bought compilation over the years mostly the NOW albums and a couple of others. I did grow up with two artist Christmas albums, one from Boney M and the other was Johnny Mathis.

It was the same for me until around 2010 when some discussion on this very site got me to overcome my aversion to Christmas music. Now I'm quite into it and have bought a number of albums each year since. This year I'm really looking forward to playing some of the new ones along with some older and more recent favourites.

Based on this topic I've just made a shortlist of my favourite Christmas albums and it's not so short. Now I just have to get it down from twenty five to ten and decide which order those ten will go in.

This is my most played album.

Oh - that looks like a nice mix of vintage and contemporary.

Last year I bought The Killers Christmas album which is made up of charity singles they released each year. I have the singles so I never bothered playing the album, I only bought it for the ones I didn't have.

It's great that they've done that, just to have them in one place and to have an official Killers Christmas album. I wish more artists would do this. Tina Arena has recorded a number of charity Christmas songs over the years, and they mostly appear on a series of compilations, which makes collecting them harder work. There are still a couple I need to get. On the plus side, getting those compilations has introduced me to some other great artists.

Gosh, this is getting embarrassing, I have another one...

This is great! You're nearly halfway to your top ten already.

 

[Ome]

Oh - that looks like a nice mix of vintage and contemporary.

Yes, I think that was the appeal, to begin with, and then I bought other compilation for the tracks missing from this album

I wish more artists would do this.

Hopefully, this is the way forward and if it's for charity, it adds a little more into the box.

This is great! You're nearly halfway to your top ten already

Ha ha!

 

[Angela Channing]

I've been through my cd collection (yes, I'm so old that I still own cds) and songs on my old ipod and those currently on my phone and I have collected quite a few Christmas albums over the years. I rarely listen to them now because I've made my own compilation of my favourite 60 Christmas songs which I keep on my phone.

1. Excluding compilation albums, my favourite Christmas album has to be Sufjan Stevens Presents Songs For Christmas. It's a wonderful mix of new songs, some of which are beautifully crafted and others are kind of quirky, and new original twists on traditional carols and contemporary Christmas songs.

2. My next favourite is the album that made me appreciate just how good a singer was Bing Crosby. The album was named after his most famous song, White Christmas and contains a lovely fun version of Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town with The Andrew sisters.

3. My next choice was one I stumbled on by chance and I only bought it because it was cheap in a sale at HMV and it's brilliant: The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole. That man had a voice like velvet which worked so well with classic Christmas songs including the best version ever of The Christmas Song.

4. My next favourite is A Classic Christmas, which is really a compilation album but it's such a good collection of classical Christmas music that I have to include it. It was the Christmas version of a very popular set of albums first released in the 1990s called The Classic Experience which made classical music much more accessible to barbarians like myself.

5. Next is another vintage classic but not classical music: A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. Although it features several different artists, it's not a compilation as the songs were recorded specifically for the album. It is a great mix of Christmas standards with some outstanding vocal performances from artists such as Darlene Love, The Ronettes and The Crystals.

Continued...

 

[Angela Channing]

6. Sixth on my list is Merry Christmas by The Supremes. Diana Ross is one of my favourite singers of all time so unsurprisingly, this album had to be in my top ten. The album contains mainly traditional popular Christmas songs and also inexplicably My Favourite Things from The Sound of Music which is the only non-Christmas song on the album.

7. Next on my list is an unusual one: Joy - A Choral Celebration of Christmas by The Philippine Madringal Singers. They are an acapella choral group that produce simply amazing songs.

8. My eight choice is Elvis' Christmas Album. Even The King cashed in on Christmas but the album is actually really good. There is a lovely warmth to Elvis's voice and every song sounds original even though they are mostly well know numbers that have previously been recorded numerous times.

9. Next is Christmas In Vienna which was the recording of a Christmas concert in 1992. I think the concert tried to cash in on the success of the Three Tenors concerts with Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti that originated from the 1990 FIFA World Cup, but Pavarotti declined to reprise his role in the concert so Diana Ross. of all people, was asked to take part. The album is a lovely mix of classical and contemporary songs sung individually or as a trio of the 3 participating artists.

10. Tenth on my list is one that surprises even me, it's The Ultimate Christmas Collection by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I was looking for a version of the song Carol of the Bells for a project I was working on and after listening to quite a few on Spotify, I decided that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's was my favourite. I then thought I'd listen to the rest of the album and it was very good.

So my final top 10 is:

1. Sufjan Stevens Presents Songs For Christmas - Sufjan Stevens
2. White Christmas - Bing Crosby
3. The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
4. A Classic Christmas - Various Artists
5. A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector - Various Artists
6. Merry Christmas - The Supremes
7. Joy - A Choral Celebration of Christmas - The Philippine Madringal Singers
8. Elvis' Christmas Album - Elvis Presley
9. Christmas In Vienna - Placido Domingo, Diana Ross and Jose Carreras
10. The Ultimate Christmas Collection - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

 

[Mel O'Drama]

1. White Christmas - Martina McBride (1998/2007)
One of my favourite vocalists does the standards, with some beautiful arrangements. This is a Christmas essential for me. It's been reissued and expanded a number of times now. The 2007 edition has the best tracklist for my money.
Standout track: Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!


2. Christmas: Coming Soon - James Dooley; Geoff Zanelli & Matthew Margeson (2010)
Dark. Dramatic. Epic. Threatening. It's what Christmas is all about.
Standout track: Deck The Halls (James Dooley)


3. Elvis’ Christmas Album* - Elvis Presley (1957/1970)
I grew up listening to my parents' Camden reissue, so that's the version that gets my vote here.
Standout classic: Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)
Standout original track: Blue Christmas

* I must also give a little shout out to Christmas Duets, which features "new" Elvis virtual duets with contemporary artists. It sounds like a bad idea but it's actually terrific.


4. Christmas Portrait - Carpenters (1978)
A kind of Carpenters Christmas concert special soundtrack, with gorgeous Karen vocal tracks broken up by jaunty instrumental medleys and an experimental Richard track here and there. As good a time capsule of late-Seventies Carps as any.
Standout track: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas


5. Holiday Wishes - Idina Menzel (2014)
I only discovered this one last year, and it's already an essential winter album for me. It's hard to hear her voice now without visualising Elsa. Which all adds to the enjoyment. Some familiar songs are made new again, including a rather splendid new arrangement for Mariah's All I Want For Christmas Is You.
Standout classic: When You Wish Upon A Star
Standout original track: December Prayer


6. Winter Wonderland - Mandy Barnett (2010)
Mandy's voice has been one of this year's most delightful discoveries for me thanks to the Standards thread. I own a few of her albums now, and she's been getting regular plays. I'm really looking forward to enjoying this one properly. It sounds authentically vintage with a welcome hint of country.
Standout track (so far): All I Want For Christmas Is You


7. Christmas Spirit - Donna Summer (1994)
Donna's gospel background shines through in this album accompanied by gentle sweeping arrangements from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. The crystal clear voice is as powerful as ever and her penmanship is here on no less than three original tracks.
Standout classic: White Christmas
Standout original track: Christmas Is Here


8. Wrapped In Red - Kelly Clarkson (2013)
A vibrant, youthful energy runs through this one and it's infectious. The uptempo tracks are full of fun and all powerfully sung.
Standout classic: My Favorite Things
Standout original track: Every Christmas


9. Joy To The World - Faith Hill (2008)
Another one that I only discovered around this time last year. Faith's voice sounds really good here and very suited to this material.
Standout classic: Winter Wonderland
Standout original : A Baby Changes Everything


10. A Very Special Season - Diana Ross (1994)
This has a live concert feel to it - spontaneous and classy. Miss R. works her magic on some classics.
Standout track: Wonderful Christmastime