Top Five Summer Albums

[bill g]

Now that summer is just around the corner for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, I break out my summer cds and there are a few I pretty much only play in the summer months as they, for whatever reason, have a distinct feel of sunny days throughout. These are my top five that fall under that happy category:

Explorers Club - Together: The best 60s album ever, that isn't from the 60s.
Brian Auger - Straight Ahead: Warm and chill all the way through.
Genesis - Selling England: This one always evoked summer for me for some reason, especially 'Cinema Show'.
Lotus - S/T: The Swedish band (1975) My favorite guitar driven instrumental album of all time. And pure summer nostalgia for a time that never quite was.
Fleetwood Mac - Heroes Are Hard To Find: This one is all about the mood. Took me time to warm up to this, but now I find it to be Bob Welch's finest stuff.

There are many great single tracks, 'Echoes' by Camel, 'They Don't Know' by QMS, and much of Steve Howe's solo stuff (and some Yes, too) that really evoke summer, but for a whole album, I'm going with these 5.

[JKL2000]

One summer I listened to Tull's Broadsword and the Beast, poolside, when it was new and it really fit the bill.

[rcarlberg]

[Progbear]

I don’t know why, but the second and third Edition Spéciale albums always just spell S-U-M-M-E-R (or is that É-T-É?) for me. Maybe it’s that Latin touch they bring to their fusion (bringing in Gong’s Mireille Bauer to guest on vibes and marimba on Horizon Digital helped).

Also, anything and everything bossa nova:

[spellbound]

Also, anything and everything bossa nova

My first thought upon seeing this thread. I tried playing a bossa nova album once when it was snowing, and I had to turn it off. The music seems to require sunshine.

[notallwhowander]

Classic
Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers
Chicago Transit Authority - s/t

Recent
Sun River - s/t
Causa Sui - Eurporie Tide

Honorable mention:
The Cars - s/t

[arabicadabra]

Joni Mitchell - Ladies Of The Canyon
Joe Satriani - Unstoppable Momentum (Vinnie unleashed on Satch's tunes)
Spock's Beard - The Kindness Of Strangers
King Crimson - Starless And Bible Black
Pinnacle - To Whoever You Are Now (I know, I know, but hey - it could become the "hit" of the summer this year)

[bill g]

King Crimson - Starless And Bible Black

So funny how we hear things differently. The first side on 'Larks' Tongues' I could hear in the summer, and some of 'Islands', but I always envisioned 'Starless & BB' as an evening feel, especially side 2. I'll have to listen this summer in the daytime and see how it feels.

I agree with the Bossa Nova comments, I have some Brazilian music I only break out in the summer.

[spacefreak]

The Fatback Band - Raising Hell

[nsmith1002]

Not sure if these are really my "top 5" but are just now off the top of my head:

Yamashta / Winwood / Shrieve - Go (1976)

Traffic - Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory (1973)

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew (1970)

David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees (1984)

Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey (1975)

[hippypants]

It's A Beautiful Day (White Bird)-s/t
More psychedelia seems to get played during the summer, Dead's Anthem of the Sun, etc.
Lighter type jazz: Sanborn, Spyro Gyra, George Benson, Special FX
Little Feat
Ry Cooder

[Scrotum Scissor]

The Sea & Cake - Oui
Tim Buckley - Blue Afternoon
Krokodil - An Invisible World Revealed
Serge Gainsbourg - Melody Nelson
Pearls Before Swine - Balaklava

And everything by this guy:

[NogbadTheBad]

Shub Niggurath - Les Morts Vont Vite
Comus - First Utterance
Univers Zero - Heresie
Leonard Cohen - New Skin For The Old Ceremony
Magma - MDK

I love summer

[Progbear]

My first thought upon seeing this thread. I tried playing a bossa nova album once when it was snowing, and I had to turn it off. The music seems to require sunshine.

Have some Joyce and bring on the UV rays:

[Vic333]

Dr John - Gris Gris (5x)

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[the winter tree]

The Fixx "Reach the Beach"
Fleetwood Mac, "Mystery To Me"
The Outfield, "Play Deep" or "Voices of Babylon"
Yes, "The Yes Album"
Tangerines Dream, "Tyranny of Beauty"

[Zappathustra]

Shub Niggurath - Les Morts Vont Vite
Comus - First Utterance
Univers Zero - Heresie
Leonard Cohen - New Skin For The Old Ceremony
Magma - MDK

I love summer

Those are top5 albums to spend the summer chained to the wall in a dungeon man...

All great albums btw

[walt]

I don't usually think of particular albums as being summer albums...but an exception to this thinking is early Spirit.Those four releases just seem to evoke summer for(to) me.

[Scrotum Scissor]

early Spirit. Those four releases just seem to evoke summer for(to) me.

I would agree on the first two, but Clear is very much an autumn one for me - and Sardonicus for winter.

[thedunno]

In summer my western african albums get a lot more plays compared to the rest of the year.

My all time favorite african album: Youssou N'dour - immigres

[miamiscot]

XTC Skylarking

[ironmaiden4ever]

A more realistic Summer albums List that most everyone can agree on

1) The best of Bob Marley
2) Boston - Boston or Zeppelin houses of the holy
3) Peter Frampton ( Bob Mayo on the keyboards ) Live
4) The Cars First Lp
5) Cheap Trick Live at Budakon or Van Halen 1984

[progeezer's ghost]

G-spot- Nursery Cryme (Also...I agree with Selling England By the Pound, previously mentioned.)
Love- Forever Changes (To which progeezer replies: "Anytime with me's okay.")
PF- The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Yes- Close to the Edge

[NogbadTheBad]

A more realistic Summer albums List that most everyone can agree on

1) The best of Bob Marley
2) Boston - Boston or Zeppelin houses of the holy
3) Peter Frampton ( Bob Mayo on the keyboards ) Live
4) The Cars First Lp
5) Cheap Trick Live at Budakon or Van Halen 1984

It's all personal tastes, I wouldn't pick any of those.

[Scrotum Scissor]

It's all personal tastes, I wouldn't pick any of those.

No, Ian. No. Search your inner self for light. There's agreement to be had. Definite agreement.