Late posting of my last blog means a double blog week you lucky finks! This one is packed with some of my favorite albums, and a couple of completely dull ones! Huzzah for asshole opinions on the internets!
0054 King, B.B. – Live at the Regal
I think this is the record that made B.B. a huge star. Or maybe it wasn't. It is pretty good, with young B.B. sounding pretty much like he does now. Which is a very very good thing. These are some pleasant, non-challenging blues that fit a light hearted evening, so crack a beer and enjoy.
0055 Beatles, The – Rubber Soul
You pretty much expect every Beatle album on lists like this, so I guess the 1001ers are showing a little restraint here. This isn't my favorite Beatles, that one is coming up. It's not a bad one, and as far as Beatles go it is important as it shows growth and sophistication. It pales to the other one in this block though, so I'm shutting up.
0056 Jansch, Bert – Bert Jansch (1st Album)
I listened to this earlier in the week, and I don't remember a thing about it. So fuck Jansch, he's a boring folky. Or a boring jazz guy.... or maybe a lame rock guy... ummm.....
0057 Byrds, The - Mr Tambourine Man
People forget, but in 1965 the 3 B's ruled the charts; The Beatles, The Beach Boys and these guys, The Byrds. The Byrds hit huge with a gentle folk rock sound and the title track, a Dylan cover. That's the problem I have with this one, all the best songs, and four of the twelve tracks, are Bob Dylan songs. The Dylan versions are all better. So you're left with the band which is ok with some great harmonies, but when compared to the other B's, this album is a bit pale. They get much better and more interesting to look at.
0058 Dylan, Bob – Highway 61 Revisited
Bob rocks out with his cock out on this one in the most barn burning, unapologetic way. It's great stuff, featuring some of his most popular songs. It's been a favorite of mine for a long time, and continues to be.
0059 Who, The – My Generation
I love The Who, and I love this album. I still remember buying this in it''s original Mono mix on vinyl back in 1989, NOT 1964 SINCE I'M NOT THAT OLD! I was shocked by it. It sounds nothing like what you think The Who sound like based on their more popular hits. It's deadly good, hard rolling R&B that is closer to the previously reviewed "The Sonics" then it is to their Brit contemporaries The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Packed full of awesome covers and the originals are even better. Recommended!
0060 Beatles, The – Revolver
Here we go! You can skip "Rubber Soul" because this is The Beatles best album. Every track is good, and the whole thing sounds different from anything they've done before. It's a huge leap, and a great leap to listen too. Recommended.
0061 Beach Boys, The – Pet Sounds
People call this the greatest pop album ever made. I'm madly in love with it so I'm not going to argue. I've listened to it it's original mono, a nice stereo remix and a fancy 5.1 surround mix, and regardless of the mix, the huge emotional, heartfelt love of Brian Wilson shines through every note of the amazing arrangements. The Beach Boys would never sound better, without it The Beatles wouldn't of done Sgt. Pepper to top it, and a part of pop music has never sounded as pretty since. Highly recommended.
0062 Neil, Fred – Fred Neil (1st Album)
I was confused about the inclusion of this since it's pretty dull folk shit. Then I recognized a song from (I think) "Cool Hand Luke", and got annoyed since that shouldn't really be enough for this pussy crap to appear on the list. This is a no thank.
0063 Byrds, The – Fifth Dimension
Skip the debut, this is a better Byrds record. It has the "Hey, Mr. Spaceman" song on it. That's about it, still a bit of the same from that debut, just better and not as much of a Bob Dylan jukebox. The main problem with this one though is, the guy playing the lead guitar solos sucks. Some of the most crap playing you'll here. It also sounds dated compared to The Beach Boys and The Beatles, so it's no wonder why no one remembers these guys anymore.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
1001 Albums: 44-53, and other stuff
Long time followers, all two of you, will recognize a new heading scheme. This is because I realized the former way of keeping track by decade is annoying if you're trying to find a title. I of course realize now that my opinion is incredibly valuable so feel the love, my little nincompoops.
We're still in the early sixties with this pack, but things are starting to get really interesting on the Beach Boys/Beatles/Dylan front, I sense an explosion coming on! Or I've read and seen documentaries about this period of American music... here's how it all goes down.
0044 Burke, Solomon – Rock ‘n’ Soul
I was expecting something more like Sam Cooke, but this was still pretty good. What's impressive is Burke isn't content to pump out some hot soul jams. Instead, he incorporates acoustic guitar and medleys more familiar to folk and country. The result is very pleasing and shows that Burke was absorbing everything that was going on around him instead of sticking to the tried of true. Made for an interesting listen.
0045 Springfield, Dusty - A Girl Called Dusty
I really enjoyed this one. It's Dusty's debut record, and she's ridiculously good on this. She's as convincing on the soul/blues numbers as she is on the pop songs. It's talent like this that rings shame to our current gen pop artists. Great stuff.
0046 Rolling Stones – Rolling Stones
The legendary Stones make their debut, and it's actually incredibly underwhelming. It's not bad by any means it's just... Dylan and the Beatles are pushing forward while the Stones are doing blues covers. They're doing ok versions, but they aren't exactly technical marvels, and compared to the originals Mick and the boys just don't have the swagger. They do have the heart however, and it's that innocent passion for the music they clearly love that makes this deserving of the list. They'll make far better albums in the future, but this one has just enough beginners charm to hold up.
0047 Owens, Buck – I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail
Another potentially corny country style that holds up amazingly well. Buck has a fantastic booming voice and was born to play these songs. He even pulls off a Chuck Berry cover in this hillbilly style. Great, fun music for a summers day.
0048 Lewis, Jerry Lee – Live at the Star Club, Hamburg
This is everything good music should be, and might be one of the greatest live rock albums ever. Jerry is in full on rock demon form, hammering the piano to the point you would think it would fly to bits. He's got a pick up band backing him, and he's playing as if to dare them to keep up. Fortunately, they do, and the result is powerful, passionate rock that can raise the hairs on the back of your neck. A perfect representation of everything I love in music and highly recommended.
0049 Sonics – Here Are the Sonics
Oh Sonics, how I love thee! Clearly wanting to get in on the "Louie Louie" craze, they bang out some pretty good rock covers. Where they get really special though is the originals like "Strychnine" and "Psycho". The singer was made for rock, and his screaming voice is as awesome as the frantic band backing him. Amazing stuff, you can feel the love these guys have. Plus, there's a bonus song about hating Christmas, as I said, I love these guys!
0050 Dylan, Bob – Bringing it All Back Home
Dylan broke out of the folk mode with this one that's kinda split into a rock side and a folk side. Both are damned good, and as much as tracks like "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and "Mr. Tambourine Man" get played, I'm of the mind set that "Gates Of Eden" is one of his best songs. Other then that, there's not much to say. You can't go wrong with a Dylan album from the 60's in my mind, and this is another great one.
0051 Redding, Otis – Otis Blue… Sings Soul
Otis is the man. Backed by the insanely talented Stax house band featuring Booker T and the MGs with the Mar Keys, you know this is going to be funky. Otis himself kills it. Literally. Pick any track off this album, and see how clearly R&B and black music has suffered over the years. Otis embarrasses them all in the wake of his talent. That's taking into account that this album as a whole isn't perfect, it's just great. Otis really is the man.
0052 Beach Boys – Today!
I thought the Beach Boys would make an appearance before now, but it makes sense that they do so now since this album is ridiculous. There's still the youthful fun of their early recordings, and songs about girls and surfing. The arrangements and production though, even today you'll be hard pressed to hear anything finer. That it was all done by a self taught, 23 year old Brian Wilson, it's an amazing accomplishment on top of being insanely listenable. I love this stuff.
0053 Coltrane, John – A Love Supreme
Jazz that sounds like a lot of fucking about before finding a melody. It's not terrible, I've listened to it 3 times, and every time was based on a list like this. All you need to know about my opinion.
--------------------------------
On another note, I also love movies, and I'm having an amazing movie streak right now. So if you haven't, see these:
Inception - People bitch that the characters aren't likable and it's humourless. This just means that they behave like everyone you know in real life. The movie is an amazing achievement and unlike anything you've seen before. Go to it.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - It's the opposite of Inception in that you will love everyone and it's filled with humour. It's the same as Inception in that it's an amazing achievement and unlike anything you've seen before. So see it already!
Louie Bluie - If you love music, YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS! It's a documentary about one of the last living (as of 1897 or so) black string band musicians. I had never heard of the guy before seeing this documentary and I now regret it since it was an amazing story. If you like music, you'll love this movie and this movie will make you love life. You'll probably have to buy the new DVD to see it, but do so. Who needs food anyways???
That's enough!
We're still in the early sixties with this pack, but things are starting to get really interesting on the Beach Boys/Beatles/Dylan front, I sense an explosion coming on! Or I've read and seen documentaries about this period of American music... here's how it all goes down.
0044 Burke, Solomon – Rock ‘n’ Soul
I was expecting something more like Sam Cooke, but this was still pretty good. What's impressive is Burke isn't content to pump out some hot soul jams. Instead, he incorporates acoustic guitar and medleys more familiar to folk and country. The result is very pleasing and shows that Burke was absorbing everything that was going on around him instead of sticking to the tried of true. Made for an interesting listen.
0045 Springfield, Dusty - A Girl Called Dusty
I really enjoyed this one. It's Dusty's debut record, and she's ridiculously good on this. She's as convincing on the soul/blues numbers as she is on the pop songs. It's talent like this that rings shame to our current gen pop artists. Great stuff.
0046 Rolling Stones – Rolling Stones
The legendary Stones make their debut, and it's actually incredibly underwhelming. It's not bad by any means it's just... Dylan and the Beatles are pushing forward while the Stones are doing blues covers. They're doing ok versions, but they aren't exactly technical marvels, and compared to the originals Mick and the boys just don't have the swagger. They do have the heart however, and it's that innocent passion for the music they clearly love that makes this deserving of the list. They'll make far better albums in the future, but this one has just enough beginners charm to hold up.
0047 Owens, Buck – I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail
Another potentially corny country style that holds up amazingly well. Buck has a fantastic booming voice and was born to play these songs. He even pulls off a Chuck Berry cover in this hillbilly style. Great, fun music for a summers day.
0048 Lewis, Jerry Lee – Live at the Star Club, Hamburg
This is everything good music should be, and might be one of the greatest live rock albums ever. Jerry is in full on rock demon form, hammering the piano to the point you would think it would fly to bits. He's got a pick up band backing him, and he's playing as if to dare them to keep up. Fortunately, they do, and the result is powerful, passionate rock that can raise the hairs on the back of your neck. A perfect representation of everything I love in music and highly recommended.
0049 Sonics – Here Are the Sonics
Oh Sonics, how I love thee! Clearly wanting to get in on the "Louie Louie" craze, they bang out some pretty good rock covers. Where they get really special though is the originals like "Strychnine" and "Psycho". The singer was made for rock, and his screaming voice is as awesome as the frantic band backing him. Amazing stuff, you can feel the love these guys have. Plus, there's a bonus song about hating Christmas, as I said, I love these guys!
0050 Dylan, Bob – Bringing it All Back Home
Dylan broke out of the folk mode with this one that's kinda split into a rock side and a folk side. Both are damned good, and as much as tracks like "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and "Mr. Tambourine Man" get played, I'm of the mind set that "Gates Of Eden" is one of his best songs. Other then that, there's not much to say. You can't go wrong with a Dylan album from the 60's in my mind, and this is another great one.
0051 Redding, Otis – Otis Blue… Sings Soul
Otis is the man. Backed by the insanely talented Stax house band featuring Booker T and the MGs with the Mar Keys, you know this is going to be funky. Otis himself kills it. Literally. Pick any track off this album, and see how clearly R&B and black music has suffered over the years. Otis embarrasses them all in the wake of his talent. That's taking into account that this album as a whole isn't perfect, it's just great. Otis really is the man.
0052 Beach Boys – Today!
I thought the Beach Boys would make an appearance before now, but it makes sense that they do so now since this album is ridiculous. There's still the youthful fun of their early recordings, and songs about girls and surfing. The arrangements and production though, even today you'll be hard pressed to hear anything finer. That it was all done by a self taught, 23 year old Brian Wilson, it's an amazing accomplishment on top of being insanely listenable. I love this stuff.
0053 Coltrane, John – A Love Supreme
Jazz that sounds like a lot of fucking about before finding a melody. It's not terrible, I've listened to it 3 times, and every time was based on a list like this. All you need to know about my opinion.
--------------------------------
On another note, I also love movies, and I'm having an amazing movie streak right now. So if you haven't, see these:
Inception - People bitch that the characters aren't likable and it's humourless. This just means that they behave like everyone you know in real life. The movie is an amazing achievement and unlike anything you've seen before. Go to it.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - It's the opposite of Inception in that you will love everyone and it's filled with humour. It's the same as Inception in that it's an amazing achievement and unlike anything you've seen before. So see it already!
Louie Bluie - If you love music, YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS! It's a documentary about one of the last living (as of 1897 or so) black string band musicians. I had never heard of the guy before seeing this documentary and I now regret it since it was an amazing story. If you like music, you'll love this movie and this movie will make you love life. You'll probably have to buy the new DVD to see it, but do so. Who needs food anyways???
That's enough!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: The 60's Part Two
This is where the sixties properly begin, with the Beatles being introduced. For the most part, this 10 pack albums was pretty solid... other then the rather bizarre end. Yup, french shouty music is lost on these ears...
The other thing that's happened with this project is I really miss vinyl. I miss listening to a side, and then flipping it over to see what side 2 is like. The Ray Price album is a real lost art with itunes and all that. I'm going to pick up some vinyl now, and maybe even buy a record player to listen to them on. Haw Haw Haw.
0034 Price, Ray – Night Life
This one is the type of corny country album I would typically hate. Ray however does a clever set up with a spoken word intro that introduces the album and thanks the fans. It made the whole thing more palatable, and I ended up really enjoying both the songs and his voice. Good stuff.
0035 Beatles – With the Beatles
This is where it feels like the sixties properly start. While this isn't their first album, is certainly kicks the doors down as far as sound and style goes. Nothing previous to this sounds like this. It's a dead solid album too, with the original material sounding better then the cover songs. For them to grow this far, this quickly after their first album is amazing. Now the nitpick. For this listening, I went with the 2009 stereo remaster. I didn't care for it. It's one of those odd mixes where the vocals are on one side and the music is on the other. Makes for a distracting time, so go with the superior mono mix on this one if you can afford the boxset.
0036 Dylan, Bob – Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
This one is even more staggering then the Beatles when compared to what has come before it on this list. The music itself is all solo acoustic and firmly planted in the folk tradition. The words though, it's hard to believe that someone of his age when this was recorded could come up with songs that ring so true. There's still nothing like it to compare it too. From this second album on, Dylan became a genre onto himself. This isn't my first listen to this album, and it wont be my last. Highly Recommended.
0037 Spector, Phil & Various Artists – A Christmas Gift for You
The only thing weirder then listening to a Christmas album when it's 30C outside is probably enjoying it as much as I did. Spector manages to make you forget about the typically boring arrangements that these typically have and makes you want to dance. Everything is up to the standard you would expect from Spector in this period. Worth checking out, especially if you typically don't like these types of albums.
0038 Cooke, Sam – Live at the Harlem Square
Sam puts on a hell of a show on this one, it pretty much sounds like church. The draw here is the songs are looser then the studio cuts, and it makes all the difference.
0039 Mingus, Charles – Black Saint & the Sinner Lady
Back to Jazz. Well, it's not as annoying or boring as the other stuff so far featured. Still, I doubt I'll ever sit down and listen to it again.
0040 Brown, James – Live at the Apollo
The hardest working man in show business pulls out all the stops on this live album. It's considered one of his best, and a stand out in R&B. What more is there to say? Listen to it all ready! For extra homework, check him out on The T.A.M.I Show.
0041 Getz, Stan & João Gilberto – Getz/Gilberto
This is the only Stan Getz album that Stan needed to make since it has "The Girl From Ipanema" on it. If you like that song, you'll like this album. If you have never heard that song, you fail at life.
0042 Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night
I'm a bit surprised this one is on here frankly. It's not a bad album by any means and features many of their most popular songs. It's more a case of not being all that different from "With The Beatles." "Beatles For Sale" would be a better choice as it leads into "Rubber Soul" as far as sound and songs go. Anyways, it's a good album, and I'm happy to report that the 2009 stereo re-master sounds better on this one, with a more natural mix. I still prefer the mono though.
0043 Brel, Jacques – Olympia 64
I honestly don't know if this was good or not. It's in French, so I have no idea what he's singing about. I'm guessing it's all love songs. He doesn't sing so much as talk through songs, so it's hard to appreciate the performance. That said, he's certainly passionate, I think he nearly cried at one point. He typically ends up shouting, and rarely to the music. The music is kind of all over the place, other then "Amsterdam" which is a re-working of "Greensleeves" and is the only song that musically sounds like a song. Again, it's in French so there isn't really any rhyming going on so it ends up all sounding like a Hitler rally with a sexier accent. It pretty much drove me up the wall and seeing that the guy looks like the type of Eurotrash that would fuck your mother, this is the first all out fail on the list for me.
But I can't say it's bad since I'm not familiar with this type of music. Maybe he's a genius, I just don't want to hear him ever again.
----
Someone else is traveling this 1001 journey, so check out Liz's blog and offer her some support. She's in the 300's, most impressive!
http://www.1001albums.com/
The other thing that's happened with this project is I really miss vinyl. I miss listening to a side, and then flipping it over to see what side 2 is like. The Ray Price album is a real lost art with itunes and all that. I'm going to pick up some vinyl now, and maybe even buy a record player to listen to them on. Haw Haw Haw.
0034 Price, Ray – Night Life
This one is the type of corny country album I would typically hate. Ray however does a clever set up with a spoken word intro that introduces the album and thanks the fans. It made the whole thing more palatable, and I ended up really enjoying both the songs and his voice. Good stuff.
0035 Beatles – With the Beatles
This is where it feels like the sixties properly start. While this isn't their first album, is certainly kicks the doors down as far as sound and style goes. Nothing previous to this sounds like this. It's a dead solid album too, with the original material sounding better then the cover songs. For them to grow this far, this quickly after their first album is amazing. Now the nitpick. For this listening, I went with the 2009 stereo remaster. I didn't care for it. It's one of those odd mixes where the vocals are on one side and the music is on the other. Makes for a distracting time, so go with the superior mono mix on this one if you can afford the boxset.
0036 Dylan, Bob – Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
This one is even more staggering then the Beatles when compared to what has come before it on this list. The music itself is all solo acoustic and firmly planted in the folk tradition. The words though, it's hard to believe that someone of his age when this was recorded could come up with songs that ring so true. There's still nothing like it to compare it too. From this second album on, Dylan became a genre onto himself. This isn't my first listen to this album, and it wont be my last. Highly Recommended.
0037 Spector, Phil & Various Artists – A Christmas Gift for You
The only thing weirder then listening to a Christmas album when it's 30C outside is probably enjoying it as much as I did. Spector manages to make you forget about the typically boring arrangements that these typically have and makes you want to dance. Everything is up to the standard you would expect from Spector in this period. Worth checking out, especially if you typically don't like these types of albums.
0038 Cooke, Sam – Live at the Harlem Square
Sam puts on a hell of a show on this one, it pretty much sounds like church. The draw here is the songs are looser then the studio cuts, and it makes all the difference.
0039 Mingus, Charles – Black Saint & the Sinner Lady
Back to Jazz. Well, it's not as annoying or boring as the other stuff so far featured. Still, I doubt I'll ever sit down and listen to it again.
0040 Brown, James – Live at the Apollo
The hardest working man in show business pulls out all the stops on this live album. It's considered one of his best, and a stand out in R&B. What more is there to say? Listen to it all ready! For extra homework, check him out on The T.A.M.I Show.
0041 Getz, Stan & João Gilberto – Getz/Gilberto
This is the only Stan Getz album that Stan needed to make since it has "The Girl From Ipanema" on it. If you like that song, you'll like this album. If you have never heard that song, you fail at life.
0042 Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night
I'm a bit surprised this one is on here frankly. It's not a bad album by any means and features many of their most popular songs. It's more a case of not being all that different from "With The Beatles." "Beatles For Sale" would be a better choice as it leads into "Rubber Soul" as far as sound and songs go. Anyways, it's a good album, and I'm happy to report that the 2009 stereo re-master sounds better on this one, with a more natural mix. I still prefer the mono though.
0043 Brel, Jacques – Olympia 64
I honestly don't know if this was good or not. It's in French, so I have no idea what he's singing about. I'm guessing it's all love songs. He doesn't sing so much as talk through songs, so it's hard to appreciate the performance. That said, he's certainly passionate, I think he nearly cried at one point. He typically ends up shouting, and rarely to the music. The music is kind of all over the place, other then "Amsterdam" which is a re-working of "Greensleeves" and is the only song that musically sounds like a song. Again, it's in French so there isn't really any rhyming going on so it ends up all sounding like a Hitler rally with a sexier accent. It pretty much drove me up the wall and seeing that the guy looks like the type of Eurotrash that would fuck your mother, this is the first all out fail on the list for me.
But I can't say it's bad since I'm not familiar with this type of music. Maybe he's a genius, I just don't want to hear him ever again.
----
Someone else is traveling this 1001 journey, so check out Liz's blog and offer her some support. She's in the 300's, most impressive!
http://www.1001albums.com/
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