Slow reply, as this is a really tough one to answer... I have had a hard time separating out albums that really pushed things forwards from ones that are really listenable, and deciding how much to penalise albums that have a mix of some of the best tracks ever, plus some 'always skip' tracks, like "Welcome to the Peasuredome" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood or "Music for the Masses" by Depeche Mode. ITunes says I listen to "Geogaddi" and "Music has the right to children" the most, but I wouldn't call them my favourites. In contrast, I really love "Dawn of the Dickies" by the Dickies, which I picked up on tape for 10p when I was about 14, but I don't listen to it very often. At the time, I was probably more excited about "Flaunt It" by Sigue Sigue Sputnik than I've ever been about any album before or since, but in hindsight it's a) actually not very good and b) superseded by the 12" mixes collection.<br>
<br>Then there are the technically stunning, innovative ones, like "Electric Cafe" by Kraftwerk, or "Daft/Who's Afraid of the..." by the Art of Noise, or even "Slave to the Rhythm" by Grace Jones. Or how about the ones I can listen to on repeat for ages without tiring of them, like Eno's "Thursday Afternoon", Schauss's "Goodbye" or all the Hybrid albums?<br>
Ultravox narrowly miss out because I'm ruling out the double album tape of "Vienna" and "Rage in Eden" as cheating. I'd happily say "A Secret Wish" by Propaganda is in my opinion the *best* album ever, and "Violator" by Depeche Mode is the most perfect album ever, "Chill Out" the the KLF is the most important album ever, and "Heart of Darkness" by Hoodlum Priest is my favourite lost gem.<br>
<br>After a lot of reflection (painting the spare room is great for that!) I think it has to be something that is quite personal, that I feel connected to, and I can't stop myself weighing up the quality and diversity of remixes albums have spawned, and the great times I have had seeing tracks from the album performed live, so I think my favourite album is...<br>
<br>"Dubnobasswithmyheadman" by Underworld.<br><br>- Andy_R<br>