top 50 of the last 50 years

[jon abbey]

dammit, that's another one I forgot, Eliane Radigue-Adnos I-III.

[mudd]

i don't really understand why there is argument in this thread. please keep things going smoothly instead.

m

[FifePsy]

If I were to do it, though, it would be very idiosyncratic, the stuff I most like listening to as opposed to the "best" or "essential" stuff when judged against historical context.

That's what I would find most interesting. Go for it mate.

[Steve Reynolds]

will work on my list - I love seeing these lists as it will prompt me to listen to music I have never heard - will prompt me to listen again to recordings that I have that I havn't been taken with like Big Star.


I like that someone mentioned 'Soundtracks' - I like it but outside of the awesome 'Mother Sky' I havn't fallen in love with that record.

but it is fun trying to choose what Miles or Mingus album I would pick - maybe Miles Smiles or Fillies or Jack Johnson or the live 1960 date with Trane, I don't know. With Mingus - Black Saint or The Clown or At Antibes?? not sure


records I will mention that may not be on anyone's list would be:

Television - self-titled from 1991
Giant Sand - Is All Over the Map 2004 or Long Stem Rant 1989
Pere Ubu - Ray Gun Suitcase - as low as 21c a copy on amazon
Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped - by now my favorite Sonic Youth record with Washing Machine a somewhat distant second
Clusone Trio - I am an Indian
Denis Charles Quartet - Captain of the Deep
Cecil Taylor - One Too Many Salty Swift and Not Goodbye - I might be worng about this one - maybe there are many who viwe this as one his crowning moments - I just love the bad piano

I am happy that someone (Alex) love Lidingo - certainly along with Eh (another unsung erst) one of my favorite of that sort of thing....

[crawjo]

Alright, here's a shot at it. It's heavy into jazz, because that's what I listen to most of the time. Also a lot of stuff from the 60s and 70s because that, too, is what I'm most interested in hearing.

1960s (beginning in 1961)

Miles Davis - In Person at the Blackhawk (1961)
Booker Little - Out Front (1961)
Albert Ayler - Spiritual Unity (1964)
Lee Morgan - Search for the New Land (1964)
New York Art Quartet - New York Art Quartet (1964)
Ornette Coleman - At The Golden Circle, Stockholm (1965)
John Coltrane - Kulu Se Mama (1965)
Miles Davis - Live at the Plugged Nickel (1965)
Henry Grimes - The Call (1965)
Wayne Shorter - The All Seeing Eye (1965)
Sun Ra - The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 2 (1965)
Sun Ra - The Magic City (1965)
John Coltrane - Live At The Village Vanguard Again! (1966)
Miles Davis - Miles Smiles (1967)
Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding (1967)
Phil Cohran - Armageddon (1968)
Peter Brotzmann - Machine Gun (1968)
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland (1968)

1970s

Miles Davis - A Tribute To Jack Johnson (1970)
Lee Morgan - Live at the Lighthouse (1970)
Pharoah Sanders - Deaf Dumb Blind (1970)
Clifford Thornton - The Panther and the Lash (1970)
Fela Kuti - Why Black Man Dey Suffer (1971)
Art Ensemble of Chicago - Bap-Tizum (1972)
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (1972)
Joni Mitchell - For The Roses (1972)
Alexander von Schlippenbach - Pakistani Pomade (1972)
Sun Ra - Space is the Place (1972)
Cecil Taylor - Indent (1973)
Ronnie Boykins - The Will Come, Is Now (1974)
Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks (1975)
Sun Ra - Pathways to Unknown Worlds (1975)
Anthony Braxton - Creative Orchestra Music 1976 (1976)
Cecil Taylor - 3 Phasis (1978)

1980s

Bill Dixon - November 1981 (1981)
Steve Lacy - Morning Joy (1986)

1990s

AMM - The Nameless Uncarved Block (1990)
Keith Rowe - A Dimension of Perfectly Ordinary Reality (1990)
Bob Dylan - World Gone Wrong (1993)
Peter Kowald - Was Da Ist (1994)

2000s

William Parker - O'Neal's Porch (2000)
Ralph Towner/Gary Peacock - Closer View (2000)
Bob Dylan - Love And Theft (2001)
Patricia Barber - Verse (2002)
Burkhard Stangl/Dieb 13 - eh (2002)
Aki Onda - Bon Voyage! (2003)
Martin Siewert/Martin Brandlmayr - Too Beautiful To Burn (2003)
Patricia Barber - Mythologies (2006)
Toshimaru Nakamura/Ami Yoshida - Soba to Bara (2009)
Ralph Towner/Paolo Fresu - Chiaroscuro (2010)

[mudd]

one too many salty swift and not goodbye would certainly be on the list i probably won't make.

m

[bedouin]

10 for 5 decades...

60s

• . Lightnin' Hopkins - The Complete Prestige/Bluesville Recordings (Bluesville, 1960-1965, Compilation released 1991)
  . Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch (Blue Note, 1964)
  . Junior Wells With Buddy Guy - Hoodoo Man Blues (Delmark Records, 1965)
  . Stan Getz & João Gilberto - Getz / Gilberto (Verve Records, 1965)
  . Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited (CBS, 1967)
  . Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat (Verve, 1968)
  . Thelonious Monk - Monk Alone: The Complete Columbia Solo Studio Recordings (Columbia 1962-1968)
  . Don Cherry, Ed Blackwell - Mu (BYG Records, 1969)
  . The Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed (Decca, 1969)
  . Woodstock 1969 - 3 days of peace and music (CBS, 1969)
  . Miles Davis - Directions (CBS, Compilation 1960-1970)

70s

• . Can - Ege Bamyasi (United Artists, 1972)
  . Rempetiki Istoria - 7LP Compilation (EMI, 1972)
  . Manos Hadjidakis - O Megalos Erotikos (Lyra, 1972)
  . Hamza El Din - Escalay / The Water Wheel (Nonesuch, Explorer Series, 1972)
  . Bob Marley & the Wailers - Catch A Fire (Island Records, 1973)
  . Toru Takemitsu - In An Autumn Garden (1974, Deutsche Grammophon 2002 release)
  . Tom Ze - Estudando o Samba (1974, Luaka Bop 2002 release Brazil Classics 4)
  . Ali Farka Toure - Radio Mali (World Circuit, 1975)
  . Neil Young - Harvest (Reprise Records, 1975)
  . Wildflowers - The New York Loft Jazz Sessions (Douglas, 1977)

80s

• . Brian Eno with Jon Hassell - 4rth World, Possible Music (Editions EG, 1980)
  . Pat Metheny - 80/81 (ECM, 1981)
  . Colin Walcott, Don Cherry, Nana Vasconcelos - Codona Trilogy (ECM, 1980-1989, Compilation released 2008)
  . Art Ensemble of Chicago - Urban Bushmen (ECM, 1982)
  . Fabrizio De Andre - Canzoni (Dischi Ricordi, 1983)
  . Luigi Nono - Prometeo (Col Legno, 1984)
  . Tom Waits - Rain Dogs, (Island Records, 1985)
  . John Zorn - The Big Gundown (Nonesuch, 1986)
  . Ry Cooder - Paris Texas (Warner Bros, 1988)
  . Giant Sand - Long Stem Rant (Demon Records, 1989)

90s

• . Helmut Lachenmann - Ausklang / Tableau (Col Legno, 1994)
  . John Cage / Ives Ensemble - Ten / Ryoanji / Fourteen (hat ART, 1994)
  . Bill Dixon - Vade Mecum (Soul Note, 1994)
  . Skylab – Skylab#1 (L'Attitude Records, 1994)
  . Woob (Em:t, 1994-1995)
  . Manu Chao - Clandestino (Ark 21 Records, 1998)
  . Taku Sugimoto - Opposite (Hat Hut, 1998)
  . Tetuzi Akiyama , Taku Sugimoto , Toshimaru Nakamura, et. al. - The Improvisation Meeting At Bar Aoyama (Reset, 1999)
  . Roel Meelkop - 7 [Perceptions] (Staalplaat, 1999)
  . Michel Doneda, Charles Xavier, Jean Pallandre - Gaycre (Ouïe-Dire Production, 1999)

2000+

• . Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto - Vrioon (Raster-Noton, 2002)
  . Trapist - Highway my Friend (hatOLOGY, 2002)
  . The Sealed Knot - Unwanted Object (Confront, 2004)
  . Polwechsel - Archives of the North (hatOLOGY, 2006)
  . Mali: The Fulani Hoddu (Ocora, 2006)
  . Morton Feldman - Patterns In A Chromatic Field (Arne Deforce & Yutaka Oya, Aeon, 2008)
  . Mary Halvorson, Radding, Nate Wooley: Crackleknob (Hat Art, 2009)
  . Shinkei / Luigi Turra - Yu (Non Visual Objects, 2009)
  . Nörz - (Also Known As) Acker Velvet (Schraum, 2010)
  . Kobuku Senju - Selektiv Hogst (Sofa, 2010)

cheers!

[presquepartout]

the band guernica on the other hand

http://youtu.be/ARhBaXrOCUk

[mpisaro]

I had a hard enough time getting to just 50 of the last 50 years in experimental music alone (there are probably more than that number here). So I just dispensed with the other categories (hope that's not cheating too much). This is not a list of "best" recordings, just ones that have been most meaningful to me over the years and up to the present day (hope I didn't forget too much ... there are lots of great recordings of course that are not on this list).

No order other than how they occurred to me:

I am sitting in a room / Alvin Lucier
Roaratorio / John Cage
Selected Works 1961-1969 / James Tenney (Artifact)
Improvement / Robert Ashley
Private Parts (The Record) / Robert Ashley
weiss/weisslich / Peter Ablinger (world edition, 2002)
silent harmonies in discrete continuity / Antoine Beuger
Music with Changing Parts / Philip Glass
The Well-Tuned Piano / LaMonte Young
Adnos I-III / Eliane Radigue
Critical Band / James Tenney (Relache recording)
The Roots of the Moment / Pauline Oliveros
De Profundis / Frederick Rzewski
For Philip Guston / Morton Feldman (California EAR Unit)
Klavierwerke / Jürg Frey
A Sound Map of the Hudson River / Annea Lockwood
Das „Hsin Hsin Ming“ des Seng Ts’an / George Brecht
Saritote I and II / Taku Sugimoto, Moe Kamura
Relator / Tetuzi Akiyama
Erstlive 005 / Keith Rowe, Sachiko M, Toshimaru Nakamura, Otomo Yoshihide
Plainsound Glissando Modulation / Wolfgang von Schweinitz
Presque rien nr. 1 - le lever du jour au bord de la mer / Luc Ferrari
Still Lives / Alvin Lucier
Extract from Field Recording Archive (#2) / Toshiya Tsunoda
Purified by Fire / Henry Flynt
Rainforest and Neural Synthesis / David Tudor
The Inexhaustible Document / AMM
Bohor / Iannis Xenakis (the whole early Electronic Music collection on EMF is great)
Triadic Memories and Palais de Mari / Morton Feldman, John Tilbury
Adèle et Hadrien / Lionel Marchetti
Touch Three / Phill Niblock
Einfalt.Stille / Klaus Lang
Studies for Player Piano / Conlon Nancarrow
Variations IV / Cage, Tudor (Legacy, 1964)
String Quartets (the whole series on New World) / Ben Johnston
Sound Characters 2 / Maryanne Amacher
Sheer Hellish Miasma / Kevin Drumm
Klangbogen / Rolf Julius
Speculative Solution / Hecker, Meillassoux, Mackay
Wind (Patagonia) / Francisco Lopez
Improvisation / Derek Bailey (ampere2, recorded 1975)
20th Century Music / Laurence Crane (Michael Finnissy, piano)
trace, elements (IIa) / 54 things / Kunsu Shim
Stones / Christian Wolff (Wandelwesier recording) (apologies …)
The Solitude Trilogy / Glenn Gould
Lux Aeterna and Lontano / György Ligeti
a s o / Ami Yoshida, Christof Kurzmann
…drüber… and Wirbelsäulenflöte / Gerhard Stäbler
Phosphor I and II / Phosphor
keine fernen mehr / Antoine Beuger
Lost Daylight / Terry Jennings, John Tilbury
Malignitat / Taku Unami
The Pilgrim / Jason Lescalleet
2006(1) / Manfred Werder (skiti)
Salut für Caldwell and Gran Torso / Helmut Lachenmann
English Country Tunes / Michael Finnissy
Piano Pieces / Christian Wolff (Sabine Liebner… at least until the Philip Thomas recordings come out)


I guess no one really needs me to list my favorites in the other areas (either), since there are likely no surprises there and I have not done comprehensive listening in any of the areas they represent (i.e., but I’ll do it anyway ... following the various pathways of The Shape of Jazz to Come, Out Front, Out to Lunch, Sorcerer, A Love Supreme, Silent Tongues, Les Stances a Sophie, Tauhid, The Legend of Blind Joe Death, Side Trips, Dusty in Memphis, Two Steps from the Blues, Heart of the Congos, Two Sevens Clash, Between the Buttons, Rubber Soul, The (Genuine) Basement Tapes, 5D, The Gilded Palace of Sin, Trout Mask Replica, Forever Changes, Electric Ladyland, Astral Weeks, Strange Days, Tonight’s the Night, I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You), There’s A Riot Goin’ On, I’m Still in Love with You, One Nation Under A Groove, London Calling, Germ-Free Adolescents, Television, Low, Another Green World, Remain in Light, Dub Housing, Metal Circus, Entertainment!, Odyshape, Pink Flag, Funf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala, Fear and Whiskey, Sister, Call the Doctor, Leaves Turn Inside You, The Message, Mind Playing Tricks On Me, Straight Outta Compton, Straight Outta the Jungle, Donuts, Liquid Swords, Supreme Clientele, Endtroducing, The Noise Made By People and so on).

[faster]

a s o / Ami Yoshida, Christof Kurzmann

I've always been disappointed by how little traction this record has gotten. It would be on the list I probably won't make. Kurzmann puts on a master class.

[Miguel Prado]

Albert Ayler Trio – Spiritual Unity (ESP Disk, 1964)
AMM - Ammmusic (Elektra, 1967)
John Fahey – Volume 5 - The Transfiguration Of Blind Joe Death (Riverboat, 1967)
Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat (Verve, 1968)
MC5 – Looking At You / Borderline (A-Square Records, 1968)
Rolling Stones, The – Beggars Banquet (1968, Decca)
El Camarón De La Isla & Paco De Lucía - Al Verte Las Flores Lloran (Polygram Iberica, 1969)
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica (Straight, 1969)
The Stooges-Fun House (Elektra, 1970)
Nico – Desertshore (Reprise Records, 1970)
Evan Parker / Derek Bailey / Han Bennink – The Topography of the Lungs (Incus, 1970)
Serge Gainsbourg – Histoire De Melody Nelson (Philips, 1971)
Yes – Fragile (Atlantic,1971)
Yoko Ono – Fly (Apple Records, 1971)
Lou Reed – Metal Machine Music (RCA, 1975)
Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band - Dust Sucker (Unreleased; recorded 1976)
The Units – Ready For The House (Corwood Industries, 1978)
Joy Division – Closer (Factory, 1980)
Whitehouse – Birthdeath Experience (Come Organisation, 1980)
This Heat – Deceit (Base Records, 1981)
Morton Feldman - String Quartet (II) (1983, Ives Ensemble 2002)
Tom Waits – Rain Dogs (Island, 1985)
Iancu Dumitrescu – Medium II / Cogito (Edition RZ, 1987)
Electric Eels – Having A Philosophical Investigation With The Electric Eels (Tinnitus Records, 1989)
Giacinto Scelsi – Quattro Pezzi Per Orchestra - Anahit - Uaxuctum (Accord, 1989)
John Cage - Empty Words (Parte III) (Cramps Records, 1990)
The Dead C – Harsh 70's Reality (Siltbreeze, 1992)
Shellac – At Action Park (Touch And Go, 1994)
Scott Walker – Tilt (Fontana, 1995)
John Cage – The Number Pieces 2: Five³ (Mode, 1995)
Neil Young – Dead Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Vapor records, 1996)
Radu Malfatti – Radu Malfatti (Edition Wandelweiser Records, 1997)
Taku Sugimoto - Opposite (hat NOIR) (1998)
Morton Feldman - All Piano (performed by John TIlbury) (LondonHALL) (2000)
Luigi Nono – La Lontananza Nostalgica Utopica Futura (Kairos, 2000)
Horatiu Radulescu - Arditti String Quartet* - Streichquartett Nr. 4 Opus 33 (Edition RZ, 2001)
Rhythm & Sound – s/t (Rhythm & Sound, 2001)
Eliane Radigue – Adnos I-III (Table Of The Elements, 2002)
Mattin / Radu Malfatti – Whitenoise (w.m.o/r, 2004)
Henry Flynt – Purified By The Fire (Locust Music, 2005)
D. Shostakovich / Borodin Quartet – Complete Quartets (Мелодия, 2006)
Manfred Werder – 2006¹ - (Skiti, 2006)
Helmut Lachenmann - Grido/Reigen Seliger Geister/Gran Torso (Kairos, 2007)
David Tudor – Music For Piano (Edition RZ, 2007)
Mattin, Taku Unami – Attention - h.m.o/r (2007)
Morton Feldman – Trio (Mode, 2009)
Antoine Beuger – Keine Fernen Mehr (Edition Wandelweiser Records, 2010)
Taku Sugimoto – Musical Composition Series 1 (Kid Ailack Enterprise, 2010)
Taku Unami / Takahiro Kawaguchi - Teatro Assente (Erstwhile, 2011)

...

[negative potential]

i don't really understand why there is argument in this thread. please keep things going smoothly instead.

I didn't notice any argument, just people discussing. That's what people do on discussion forums, isn't it?

I have a question about the top 50, though: what is the format restriction, if any?

Like, is it just top 50 recordings, independent of marketing or packaging format? Because usually in music magazines, lists tend to be on the basis of the post-1950s dominance of the long-playing vinyl record, and subsequently the compact disc.

I don't know about anyone else, but I own a lot of CDs where I'm really only heavily into 1 or 2 tracks, and lukewarm towards the rest. Like for example, I think there are some really killer tracks scattered among Tina Brooks' various Blue Note recordings (most of which were unreleased in his lifetime). Could a self-made "Best of Tina Brooks on Blue Note" CD-R qualify for my list?

Does anyway hear own an album or CD that you *must have* for 1-3 tracks and not so much for the whole thing?

Come to think of it, the Smiths are the consummate artists in this regard: some absolutely essential singles, but rather mediocre albums. Can I list some Smiths singles as a single entry on my list, or does each song have to take a separate place in the top-50, thus eating away at spots for recordings by other artists?

[Dan Warburton]

a s o / Ami Yoshida, Christof Kurzmann

I've always been disappointed by how little traction this record has gotten. It would be on the list I probably won't make. Kurzmann puts on a master class.

Seconded. I prefer this to Soba to Bara, fwiw. And it teams up very well with those two other CK duo releases that appeared at the same time on Potlatch (with Butch) and Quincunx (with Kylie).
I'm having difficulties making my list - think I'll stick with the old top 40!
Nice to see Manu Chao up there!

[Adrian]

manu chao rules; would be on my list too, with 'Esperanza'

[jon abbey]

I have a question about the top 50, though: what is the format restriction, if any?

anything that's been commercially released, or even a bootleg recording if you want to push it, I guess.

Could a self-made "Best of Tina Brooks on Blue Note" CD-R qualify for my list?

I would say no.

Does anyone here own an album or CD that you *must have* for 1-3 tracks and not so much for the whole thing?

sure, of course. I tried to stay away from these for my list and stick to consistent albums, but I never ever listen to Tago Mago from Aumgn on (two sides of a double LP), same with the last few songs on Remain In Light.

[presquepartout]

one per year, to constrain myself

Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Suites (Pierre Fournier) (Archiv, 1961)
Jacques Brel - Olympia 61 (+, 1962)
The Tammys - Egyptian Shumba / What's So Sweet About Sweet Sixteen (United Artists, 1963)
The Ronettes - Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica (Philles, 1964)
Various Artists - Musiques du Cameroun (Ocora, 1965)
France Gall - Baby Pop (Philips, 1966)
Bill Dixon - Intents and Purposes: The Jazz Artistry of Bill Dixon (RCA, 1967)
The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Columbia, 1968)
Toshi Ichiyanagi - Opera Yokoo Tadanori wo utau (+, 1969)

伊東きよ子 - 23時の女―ラブ・イン― (Woman at 23 Hour Love-In) (CBS, 1970)
Arnold Schoenberg / Alban Berg / Anton Webern - Neue Wiener Schule: Die Streichquartette (LaSalle Quartett) (Deutsche Grammophon, 1971)
Kaoru Abe - 木曜日の夜 [Mokuyôbi no Yoru] (+, 1972)
John Fahey - Fare Forward Voyagers (Soldier's Choice) (Takoma, 1973)
Jorge Ben - A Tábua de Esmeralda (Philips, 1974)
Masayuki Takayanagi - New Direction Unit: April Is the Cruellest Month (+, 1975)
Dorothy Carter - Troubadour (+, 1976)
Hans Werner Henze - Tristan – prelude for piano, tapes and orchestra (Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester/Hans Werner Henze; Homero Francesch, piano) (Deutsche Grammophon, 1977)
Ştefan Niculescu - Ison Ia / Echos / Ison II (Abramovici, violin; Ars Nova / Ţăranu; Brâncuşi) (Electrerecord, 1978)
Polly Bradfield - Solo Violin Improvisations (Parachute, 1979)

Ilitch - 10 Suicides (Scopa, 1980)
Derek Bailey - Aida (Incus, 1981) [this year was really tough]
Yoshi Wada - Lament for the Rise and Fall of the Elephantine Crocodile (India Navagation 1982)
Franz Schubert - Quintett C-dur (Schiff, cello/ Alban Berg Quartett) (His Master's Voice, 1983)
Franz Schubert - Le Voyage d'Hiver [Jon Vickers; Geoffrey Parsons] (EMI, 1984)
Hijokaidan - King of Noise (Alchemy, 1985)
Felt - Forever Breathes the Lonely Word (Creation, 1986)
Guillaume de Machaut - The Mirror of Narcissus: Songs by Guillaume de Machaut (Gothic Voices/Christopher Page) (Hyperion, 1987)
Poul Ruders - Corpus Cum Figuris; Thus Saw St. John; Manhattan Abstraction (Ensemble InterContemporain; Danish Radio S.O./Eötvös; Knussen; Schonwandt) (Point, 1988)
John Cage - The Complete String Quartets, Vol. 1 (Arditti Quartet) (Mode, 1989)

Alfred Schnittke - Kremer plays Schnittke: Concerto grosso No.1; Quasi una sonata; Moz-Art à la Haydn; A Paganini (Gidon Kremer, Tatiana Grindenko, Yuri Smirnov; The Chamber Orchestra of Europe; Heinrich Schiff) (Deutsche Grammophon, 1990)
Anton Webern - The Complete String Trios and Quartets (Arditti String Quartet) (Montaigne, 1991)
周璇 - 百代・中国時代曲名典 (Pathe, 1992)
Carlo Gesualdo - Complete Sacred Music for Five Voices (Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly) (Naxos, 1993)
Ludwig van Beethoven - The Late Beethoven Quartets, Vol. 2 (Lindsay String Quartet) (ASV, 1994)
Rev. Utah Smith & Lonnie Farris - Slide Guitar Gospel (Document, 1995)
Sun City Girls - Dante's Disneyland Inferno (Abduction, 1996)
Franz Schubert - "Trout" Quintet; "Death and the Maiden" Quartet (Amadeus Quartet; Emil Gilels; Rainer Zepperitz) (Deutsche Grammophon, 1997)
Taku Sugimoto - Opposite (Hat Hut, 1998)
Oidupaa Vladimir Oiun - Divine Music From a Jail (+, 1999)

Guillaume Dufay - O gemma lux (Huelgas Ensemble/Paul Van Nevel) (Harmonia Mundi, 2000)
Greg Kelley & Jason Lescalleet - Forlorn Green (Erstwhile, 2001)
Morton Feldman - String Quartet No. 2 (FLUX Quartet) (Mode, 2002)
Georg Friedrich Haas - In Vain, for 24 instruments (Klangforum Wien/Sylvain Cambreling) (KAIROS, 2003)
Keith Rowe & John Tilbury - Duos for Doris (Erstwhile, 2004)
Nikos Veliotis, Taku Sugimoto, Kazushige Kinoshita & Taku Unami - Quartet (Hibari, 2005)
Nmperign & Jason Lescalleet - Love Me Two Times (Intransitive, 2006)
Big Blood - Space Gallery Jan. 27, 2007 / Sahara Club Jan. 28, 2007 (Dontrustheruin, 2007) [so much to choose from]
Antoine Beuger - A Young Person's Guide to Antoine Beuger (Slub, 2008)
Michael Pisaro - Hearing Metal 1 (Wandelweiser, 2009)
Annette Krebs & Taku Unami - Motubachii (Erstwhile, 2010)
Taku Unami / Takahiro Kawaguchi - Teatro Assente (Erstwhile, 2011)

[Jason Brogan]

I've purposely disregarded any "classical" recordings as my favorites of those would constitute a list of at least 50.

AMM, AMMMusic [Recommended]
Aphex Twin, Selected Ambient Works 85-92 [Apollo]
Bela Bartók, Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; Hungarian Sketches (Reiner) [RCA]
Pierre Boulez, Boulez conducts Boulez [DG]
David Bowie, Low [RCA]
Burzum, Hvis lyset tar oss [Misanthropy]
John Cage, The Barton Workshop Plays John Cage [Et'Cetera]
Can, Tago Mago [United Artists]
Brian Eno, Another Green World [Island]
Morton Feldman, String Quartet (II) [Hat]
Brian Ferneyhough, Flurries; String Trio; In nomine a 3; Streichtrio; Incipits [Stradivarius]
Luc Ferrari, Presque Rien [INA-GRM]
Philip Glass, Music in Twelve Parts [Nonesuch]
Gang of Four, Entertainment! [EMI]
Gérard Grisey, Les espaces acoustiques [Kairos]
Josef Matthias Hauer, Zwölftonspiele (Ensemble Avantgarde) [MDG]
Hecker, Acid in the Style of David Tudor [Mego] / Speculative Solution [Mego, Urbanomic]
Tom Johnson, Rational Melodies (Blum) [Hat]
Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures [Factory] / Closer [Factory]
Petr Kotik, First Record [Cramps]
Annette Krebs & Taku Unami, motubachii [Erstwhile]
Helmut Lachenmann, Gran Torso; Salut Für Caudwell [Col Legno]
Laibach, Rekapitulacija 1980-84 [NSK]
György Ligeti, György Ligeti Edition 1 - 7 [Sony]
Sachiko M, Toshimaru Nakamura & Otomo Yoshihide, Good Morning Good Night [Erstwhile]
Radu Malfatti, Radu Malfatti [Edition Wandelweiser]
Mayhem, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas [Deathlike Silence]
Olivier Messiaen, Des Canyons aux Étoiles (Chung) [DG]
Olivier Messiaen, Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Tashi Quartet) [RCA]
New Order, Power, Corruption & Lies [Factory]
Luigi Nono, Fragmente; Hay que caminar [Montaigne]
Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon [Harvest]
Michael Pisaro, mind is moving I (Pisaro) [Edition Wandelweiser] / A wave and waves (Stuart) [Cathnor]
Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back [Def Jam] / Fear of a Black Planet [Def Jam]
Keith Rowe & John Tilbury, Duos for Doris [Erstwhile]
Arnold Schoenberg, Pierrot Lunaire (Boulez) [DG]
Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, Maurizio Pollini Edition (Pollini) [DG]
The Shadow Ring, Life Review (1993 - 2003) [Kye]
Karlheinz Stockhausen, Song of the Youths; Contact [DG]
James Tenney, Postal Pieces (Barton Workshop) [New World]
David Tudor, Music for Piano (Edition RZ)
Taku Unami, Malignitat (Skiti)
Underground Resistance, The Final Frontier [Underground Resistance]
Edgard Varèse,Arcana; Ameriques; Ionization; Offrandes; Density 21.5; Octandre; Integrales (Boulez) [Sony]
Anton Webern, Complete Webern (Boulez) [DG]
Christian Wolff, Exercises (Ives Ensemble) [Hat] / Stones [Edition Wandelweiser]
Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) [Loud]
Iannis Xenakis, Chamber Music [Montaigne] / Electronic Music [EMF] / Orchestral and Chamber Music [Col Legno]

[jon abbey]

I've purposely disregarded any "classical" recordings as my favorites of those would constitute a list of at least 50.

what do you mean by this? about half of your list looks like classical music to me.

[FifePsy]

Great to read these lists. Loads of music to check out or try again. Nice to see a couple of mentions for Philip Cohran. Only 'discovered ' him recently whilst investigating Pete Cosey's pre-Miles activities. Of course reading everyone's list makes you realise the crucial ones you have left out yourself. Highly enjoyable and thought provoking thread. Thanks.

[Jason Brogan]

I've purposely disregarded any "classical" recordings as my favorites of those would constitute a list of at least 50.

what do you mean by this? about half of your list looks like classical music to me.

I was thinking of music from the Medieval through the Romantic period (i.e., what is typically categorized as "classical").