#roger payne

[theogonyofbeauty]

Odysseus Hanging on to a Fig Tree to Escape the Whirlpool. By Roger Payne.

[a-book-of-creatures]

Medusa.

Art by Roger Payne from Timeless Myths (1995).

(If you don't fondly remember the Brimax myths and legends books like I do, you may know Roger Payne as the artist behind the ABSOLUTELY BARBARIC meme).

[iconic-albums-tournament]

ROUND 2: Songs of the Humpback Whale vs. E•MO•TION

Roger Payne - Songs of the Humpback Whale (1970) Genre: Environmental, whale song Singles: N/A Grammys: N/A RIAA Certification: N/A Rolling Stone Rank: N/A

Inspired by the traumatic experience of witnessing a desecrated whale corpse, bio-acoustician Roger Payne would spend the next several years investigating whalesong with his wife, eventually collating selected examples into an album. Payne's research was the first to discover that all male whales in a given ocean sing the same song, that songs changed from year to year, and that the songs contained rhyme analogues that indicated the possible use of mnemonic devices. Songs of the Humpback Whale had tremendous impact on public awareness of the intelligence of whales, leading to the "Save the Whales" movement and, eventually, the UN's 1972 moratorium on commercial whaling.

*This album is preserved in the National Recording Registry.

Carly Rae Jepson - E•MO•TION (2015) Genre: Pop, dance-pop, synth-pop, disco Singles: I Really Like You, Run Away with Me, Your Type Grammys: N/A RIAA Certification: N/A Rolling Stone Rank: N/A

Although not a commercial success, Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen's third studio album has come to be regarded as one of her most endearing pieces and the work that saw her reborn her from a one-hit wonder to an indie darling with a very queer cult following. The disco inspired album bubbles with feeling, managing to maintain its sugary sweet fantasy even as it dips into heartbreak and yearning. E•MO•TION soars through loves won and lost in irresistible celebration, shattering the memory of Jepsen's former fame and remaking her sound into something more complex and joyfully human.

Which album is more iconic?

Songs of the Humpback Whale

E•MO•TION

Voting ended onJul 22, 2025

[whaleb0nez]

songs of the humpback whale produced by dr. roger payne

— one of the earliest recorded whale sounds and the first whale sounds to be released to the public on vinyl

— kickstarted a worldwide “save the whales” movement

[dewitty1]

Roger Payne, the scientist who spurred a worldwide environmental conservation movement with his discovery that whales could sing, has died.

Roger Payne, the scientist who spurred a worldwide environmental conservation movement with his discovery that whales could sing, has died. He was 88.

Payne made the discovery in 1967 during a research trip to Bermuda in which a Navy engineer provided him with a recording of curious underwater sounds documented while listening for Russian submarines. Payne identified the haunting tones as songs whales sing to one another.

He saw the discovery of whale song as a chance to spur interest in saving the giant animals, who were disappearing from the planet. Payne would produce the album “Songs of the Humpback Whale” in 1970. A surprise hit, the record galvanized a global movement to end the practice of commercial whale hunting and save the whales from extinction.

[smbhax]

Cover illustration by Roger Payne

[antiqueanimals]

Dimorphodon. Written by Rupert Oliver. Illustrated by Roger Payne. 1986.

[atariforce]

King Hammurabi Goes to War by Roger Payne