Perfect
Of the 24 “perfect” albums complied on Philosophistry from Plastic’s “poll” (and there’s a bit of internet nostalgia; I used to try to rack up the “karma” back before I started posting my own content), I’ve only ever heard 1/3 in their entirety, and none of them strike me as meeting the standard, i.e., not a bad track in the bunch. Having never heard even one track off OK Computer, the top-rated album, I’m perhaps not in a position to judge any of the list, and to be honest I have trouble thinking of any record I’d put up for inclusion. If I said Eno’s Another Green World, is it because the trend towards “ambient” music was already evident, and I never actually hear all of the album even when I allow it to play through? Most jazz albums I’ve heard, especially the be-bop classics, could claim perfection as far as I’m concerned, but the measurements I’m using probably aren’t particularly critical, let alone musical, given that I don’t really know what I’m hearing, unlike many other listeners, who are capable of identifying the sources, whether a straight blues riff or “I Got Rhythm,” much the was some people can identify samples in rap. Is perfection possible? How long does it last? What I thought of once as the most remarkable album of all time, at any given time, isn’t such at any later time, say, after a year, let alone after five, ten, fifteen. . . .