7 best albums of 7 genres of music - for a hotel

Also, in terms of accessible jazz, you really need to include some Dave Brubeck. Time Out is perfect oldpeople sexytime music.

Also "Sketches Of Spain" may work even better in a "muzak" context than "In a Silent Way".

It would be awesome if you could sneak some token prog into the rock collection as well. Maybe The Yes Album?

The best prog album in a "muzak" context would be "Wind And Wuthering" by Genesis.

Random Rock Picks:

Pink Floyd - Meedle
(Easiest pink floyd album on the ears and a fan favorite, makes for good bedroom listening)
Santana - The best of Santana (1998)
(Classic rock radio stapple and very sexy)
Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks 1964-1971
(Compilations are the way to go to keep every fan happy)
Lynyrd Skynyrd -Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd
(Have to tuck american southern rock somewhere in there)
Robert Plant & Robert Krauss - Raising Sand
(Convincing and sexy dad rock)
Velvet Underground - Loaded
(As I've stated before this is one of my favorites for bed listening)

If including a Beatles album on the rock section, scrap 'let it be' because it's not really sexy and not very good compared to their other albums. I'd still recommend Rubber Soul or Revolver over that one.

If The Beatles = rock then obviously "Revolver". If The Beatles=pop then "Sgt. Pepper" may be more representative.

pop:

1. beach boys - pet sounds
2. michael jackson - off the wall
3. pure 80's - va
4. sade - love deluxe
5. madonna - music
6. amy winehouse - back to black

7. now that's what i call music vol 70

"This is a mixture of a zillion genres, plus very few of the tracks are likely to survive and become part of the pop canon."

yeah but if they what they want is pop, surely that means what many of them will want is what's on the radio right now? that robyn - robyn album sounds fantastic, but it's got a song with a robot stewardess prepaing the audience to crash and burn in their plane! but i'm gonna download it for myself.

"Let It Be" is the WORST Beatles album!!!!!"

i admit it's not their best but it's far from their worst, i rank it fairly highly personally. and which beatle album is sexyer? .....you know, if i put the new eno-produced coldplay for the naughties album i could maybe bring myself to replace u2 with... ELVIS! what's elvises best album? does elvis have a great sexytime album? he must.

ok:

1. elvis - some sexytime elvis album. any suggestions?
2. surfin hits - va (rhino)
3. beatles - sgt. pepper
4. steve miller - greatest hits 74-78

5. something for the ladies

6. highway to hell - ac/dc
7. coldplay - viva la vida

"One question: Is it allowed to tell me how much are they paying you for this? I was once contacted through mail by a somewhat popular NYC hotel asking me to make compilations for their lobby but I didn't know how much money should I ask for the effort."

moka, they're paying me a whopping 2 million rupiah which converts to about 200 bucks. one one hand, for the sheer amount of time i've put in to bookmarking amazon and whatnot, i could probably have asked for more. on the other hand, it's actually turning out to be a pretty painless, even enjoyable freelance job. though i'd certainly be interested to know what the market would bear for such a job if they wanted me to do it again in the future!

5. something for the ladies

= Raising Sand - Alison Krauss, Robert Plant

arcade fire - funeral

ok, i need something rockier from the naughties to replace coldplay, but it has to be produced by eno.

1. elvis - some sexytime elvis album. any suggestions?

The Cramps - A Date With Elvis ;-)

Coldplay as token contemporary rock album is defensible (though it does nothing for me).
I'd rather pick Automatic for the People.

timberlake is necessary. also aaliyah's s/t album. what about ys? kala? voodoo?

xxpost naughties eno production jobs not much else besides u2 i think (if we're talking albums)

well, surely all of u2's albums don't suck? alright, i guess it doesn't absolutely have to be eno.

elvis - Blue Hawaii. is it any good? i can't hear samples so i can't tell if it's brilliant or cheesy. it's that or Love, Elvis, which looks like a pretty swooney love songs collection....

the cover of love, elvis shows him LICKING a girl, which gets it massive bonus points.

actually the elvis compilation is GREAT

Blue Hawaii = pretty meh. From Elvis in Memphis is pretty great.

I'd honestly ditch the Beatles altogether from your rock list, and replace them with Raising Sand. Rumours also needs to be on there somewhere. Stevie Wonder is a good idea, but not Hotter Than July - go with Innervisions or Songs In The Key Of Life. Alternatively, pick an Earth Wind & Fire Best Of...

Jazz picks: you can't go wrong with one of the Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks, and if you're going Blue Note then I'd suggest Lee Morgan (or a good all-purpose comp).

Elvis would almost belong in an "Old rock" category.

Other than that, he was a singles artist and "1" is the obvious pick.

good work, everyone

yes indeed, thatk's for all the great input so far!

"Also, one might debate which Stevie Wonder album fits in, but would say not "Hotter Than July". "Innervisions", "Songs In The Key Of Life" or "Talking Book" would all be more natural picks."

yeah, in a way i agree but hotter than july is an underrated classic, all the songs are great, and it's got a nice "good for hot weather" vibe. plus, i don't have a copy myself

but i feel like i still need that last 200* rock album. current criteria: upbeat alternative pop-charting, rockin. something like the killers maybe? or one of their peers?

Maybe the first Strokes album for your new millenium rock album? Or that Jimmy Eat World album?

ElvisThe Beatles would almost belong in an "Old rock" category.

Other than that, hethey waswere a singles artist and "1" is the obvious pick.

-- Geir Hongro, Monday, 1 September 2008 23:00 (Yesterday) Link

Choose Jimmy Eat World if you want to brag about your complete lack of taste.

If you really need a 00's album I'd say go for 'in rainbows'.

Lee Morgan is a great shout. Get The Sidewinder.

Sexiest album I own is Cassidy by Bows, which could be either rock / r'n'b or probably something else.

Innervisions is a must.

The ladies likes them some Camera Obscura.

Oh and please consider Gas - Konigsforst for the chillout selection.

That is all.

btw i distinctly DON'T want this to come across as "muzak"-y, even though technically this stuff is sorta filling the same roles as the muzak corporation's output - accessible, easy on the ears etc that's one of the reasons i chose in a silent way over sketches of spain for instance - both are pretty and easy to listen to, but in a silent way has just that touch of edge while even jazz fans in the 50's though sketches was a bit wimpy...

got a good idea for the 00's album: jack johnson - in between dreams. i suppose the critics hate him? he's quite popular amongst the asian backpacker/surf crowd, with good crossover appeal to the oldsters. i kinda like him myself, even.

it IS kinda muzak-y in a starbucks kinda way though :/

but, i mean, i see/meet these people every week at work, and dj their weddings, and i tell you, you really can't be too mainstream with them! they're kinda walking cliches wrt their music taste ya know.

but i feel like i still need that last 200* rock album. current criteria: upbeat alternative pop-charting, rockin. something like the killers maybe? or one of their peers?

In the case of The Beatles, the trouble about "1" is there is so much good and very famous stuff that was never a single. They should release "2", containing not only the rest of their singles, but also key non-singles such as "A Day In The Life", "I Am The Walrus", "In My Life", "Michelle", "Here There And Everywhere", "I Should Have Known Better" etc.

I forgot to respond to that first quote, but how about The Arcade Fire?

arcade fire = too dour for the great unwashed. sad but true. it's really hard coming up with a great, very accesible pop/rock masterpiece for the 00's isn't it?

the more i think about it, the more jack johnson feels right

Franz Ferdinand are probably more accessible.

Phoenix?

Or the total bang-on mainstream dinner party choice: Kitchens of Convenience

Kings of Distinction?

Stevie wonder:

See, "Talking Book" has Superstition, and a whole bunch of 'smooth' stuff that I acknowledge as brilliant but don't actually like that much.

"Innervisions" has more radical/upbeat stuff, and is the record I'd play given the choice.

Oh, and "London Calling" was on the list at the last Hotel I was at that had a listening list.

Country should pick up a Roger Miller comp - you know, for the kids. The New Country selection, I vote Alan Jackson Here In The Real World but I'm not an expert in the genre.

This is a fun task - I always wonder who it is that puts stuff like this together!

but, i mean, i see/meet these people every week at work, and dj their weddings, and i tell you, you really can't be too mainstream with them!

So OTM. Used to work in a hotel and I would have gotten fired for foisting Neutral Milk Hotel onto the customers.

Tell you who else was on the listening list...

Nilsson's greatest hits.

An odd choice, but I went for it and it was fine indeed.

hmmm, so do hotels have listening lists now? encouraging you could find london calling on one, i'm so close to having that rock list done but it's just a smidge too bland atm...

i love love LOVE innervisions, it was my introduction to stevie as an "artist" (i grew up with him being that i just called to say i love ou guy) but, like i said, i don't have hotter than july.

funny that seems to be such a controversial choice here, it seems to get much love just a few threads down:

Did I Hear You Say HOTTER THAN JULY Poll?

ok, i'm done waffling, time to shore up the lists, shove 'em in an amazon cart, send the email and be done with it!

Incidentally, do hotels have to pay for the use of music like this, or is it covered by PRS?

too late to suggest It's Tomorrow Already by Irresistible Force for chill out? far prefer it over K & D Sessions or Ulrich Schnauss

"Incidentally, do hotels have to pay for the use of music like this, or is it covered by PRS?"

good question! i'll try to surreptitiosly find out ;) they're buying the cd's at full price anyway - they coulda asked me to go down to the pirate markets in kuta (i would've said no)

so which one is tomorrow already? if it's the one i heard on mushrooms that one time years back, it's probably a bit trippy for the great unwashed. though i guess that could be the shrooms talking.

PRS should cover it, from when I worked in a pub.

yeah it's trippy, but so is No Protection! there is a drug-themed song in It's Tomorrow Already, now that I think about it, so scratch it.

ok, here's what i finally decided on:

rock:

1. elvis - love, elvis 
2. surfin hits - va (rhino) 
3. beatles - sgt. pepper 
4. led zepplin I
5. Raising Sand - Alison Krauss, Robert Plant
6. highway to hell - ac/dc 
7. jack johnson - in between dreams

country:
1. the louvin brothers: tragic songs of life
2. lonesome fugative/branded man - merle haggard
3. honky tonk heroes - waylon jennings
4. luxury liner - emmylou harris
5. desperado - the eagles
6. the grass is blue - dolly parton
7. gillian welch - time (the revelator)

r&b:
1. sam cooke - night beat 
2. motown cassics: gold
3. issac hayes: black moses
4. roberta flack - first take 
5. stevie wonder - hotter than july 
6. prince - sign of the times 
7. solange - sol-angel and the hadley st. dreams

pop:
1. beach boys - pet sounds
2. michael jackson - off the wall
3. pure 80's - va
4. sade - love deluxe
5. madonna - music 
6. amy winehouse - back to black
7. justin timberlake - futuresex/lovesounds

chill out:
1. no protection - massive attack vs. mad professor
2. ulrich schnauss - far away trains passing buy
3. costes 2
4. orbital 2
5. moon safari - air
6. eno - music for airports
7. bargrooves - summer sessions

classical:
1. john williams - j.s. bach lute suites
2. lucia di lammermoor - highlights
3. debussy - preludes, images, children's corner
4. rodrigo - concierto de aranjuez
5. italian harp music brahms
6. brahms piano quartet #1 in g minor
7. bobby mcferrin / yo yo ma - hush

jazz:
1. duke ellington - far east suite
2. night and day: the cole porter songbook - va
3. nova bossa - red hot on verve - va
4. oliver nelson - the blues and the abstract truth
5. julie london - time for love
6. frank sinatra - sinatra-basie
7. miles - in a silent way

thanks for all the great input, i think with all the tips n tricks i've made a halfway decent desert-island collection with super broad appeal here :)

Good thing I take my iPod with me when I travel.

Sexiest album I own is Cassidy by Bows, which could be either rock / r'n'b or probably something else.

Wow!! Another Bows fan. I'm delighted. They're criminally underrated. I'd say they're trip-hop with hints of DnB. I don't have the Cassidy but Blush is also one of the sexiest records I own.

"Good thing I take my iPod with me when I travel."

don't leave home without it!

It is possible that your pop list may as well consist of:

- A good 50s hits compilation
- A good 60s hits compilation
- A good 70s hits compilation
- A good 80s hits compilation
- A good 90s hits compilation
- Some recent compilation that needs to be replaced quite often by another one
- "1" by The Beatles

lol. "1" is the worst comp i've ever purchased.