Sometimes a factor in the the assessment of an album is where or how it was created. This is the case for The Koln Concert, a notorious jazz album that carries with it an incredible backstory. Check out this podcast for the details:
Broken Record
"Bowie, Jazz, and the Unplayable Piano"
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/broken-record-with-rick-rubin-malcolm-gladwell-bruce/id1311004083?i=1000460287905
Neil Young had arguably the greatest decade run in the 70s of any artist, in any decade. Consider: After the Gold Rush, Harvest, On The Beach, Tonight’s The Night, Zuma, Comes A Time. That run is capped by the excellent Rust Never Sleeps. “Pocahontas” is probably my stand out track. The Brando verse gets me every time.
Stankonia is the best hip hop can offer from one of the best groups to ever do it. The key to its enduring listenability is based in its strangeness at times. Like most great hip hop, and the funk legends that influence the genre, it's that Clinton-cum-Prince esque freakiness that is cooler than the other side of the pillow.
There are certain 60s iconic artists who don’t get much play in my rotation. Not that I dislike them; it’s more that their music doesn’t fit a mood for me, and might feel a bit dated 60 years later…Janis is one of those artists. Cheap Thrills has a couple things going for it, though: several of JJ’s finest moments, a spectacular R Crumb album cover. Shailene Woodley is slated to play Janis in a biopic, and she's into eating clay for some reason, what could go wrong
The Johnny Cash/Rick Rubin collaboration that produced his American series of albums exemplifies the magic that can occur when a perfect marriage happens between artist and producer. When Rick went to Johnny with the idea, Cash was at a low ebb in his career, at risk of being lost in the history of great country troubadours. These albums revived his stature, and served as both a reminder to his brilliance, and ultimately a mournful goodbye. While the first volume will always be my favorite, American IV was perhaps the commercial high point, with a huge comback hit (and memorable music video) for Cash's interpretation of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt". As the old music cliche goes, he really made it his own.
The starting point for any new jazz enthusiast.
It’s hard to listen to the Mamas & the Papas’ debut with fresh ears; the music sounds like it was produced so many years ago (close to 60 to he precise). In total it If You Can Beliebe Your Eyes & Ears sounds like the house band for Laugh In - groovy music from a former time. It does however contain two of their strongest compositions- “Monday Monday” and “California Dreamin’” which make it worth the trip down memory lane.
This album is not available on the streaming platforms…?
I’m getting to this one late (after Xmas). It feels a bit weird listening to “Frosty The Snowman” on January 3rd. I will however make two points about A Christmas Gift For You
1) it is widely considered the greatest holiday album of all time, so much so that it has been included in lists of the greatest albums of all time, not just Christmas, which is quite a feat if you think about it.
2) it features hands down the greatest Christmas song of all time, Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”. A song even this Jewish writer could love.
Melody A.M. occupies a special place in time, when the late 90s turned into the early aughts and electronic music held a stronger promise than merely the unce-unce-unce of mindless techno sounds. Rock bands were experimenting with digital sounds, and DJs were becoming legit rock stars. What is remarkable is how an album seemingly created very much for its time has held up a quarter century (!!). In a former life I tried to sign Royksopp as a composer client so there is a bit of personal bias in my review.
Not a fan of Metallica. Saw them at Bonnaroo about 12 years ago. Not my jam. I suppose with a gun to my head this would be the album of theirs that I'd listen to. I did enjoy the reissue they put out a year or two ago with other artists covering tracks from it. Highlights included Jason Isbell's "Sad But True" and Phoebe Bridgers "Nothing Else Matters".
The Zombies are one of those bands that feels like they were lost to a former era. Listening to Oddessey & Oracle, most of the album tracks feel dated and, if you're streaming, are entirely skippable. Oddly, my 21 year old daughter is more interested in their music than her old man. She was in a play in middle school that had a brit rock playlist for its transition music, and "Time of the Season" was featured. She became a fan. All of my shit talking aside, "Time of the Season" and "This Will Be Our Year" are fantastic late 60s gems, with "This Will Be Our Year" being an appropriate track to crank up as we head into 2025.
The idea that Nirvana of all artists would deliver the greatest Unplugged performance would seem ludicrous at the time - alt rock noise architects going acoustic?! But that is exactly what happened. Nirvana simultaneously told their origin story and established themselves as the best band of the 90s in this performance, with help from their idols the Meat Puppets. Stick around for the haunting closer, a cover of Leadbelly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”. Never was Kurt’s emotional anguish put on display on stage more clearly.
This musical excercise is based on the book “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die." Listening to the Fun Lovin' Criminals' Come Find Yourself doesn't exactly elicit the feeling of "now I can die." FLC were deciples of the mid-90s trend, led largely by the Beastie Boys and Beck, of (mostly white) artists marrying hip hop with live instrumentation. Come Find Yourself has its moments, the "hit" being "Scooby Snacks", a song so mid-90s it features audio samples from Pulp Fiction.
Recently finished Sly's memoir "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" which is highly recommended. In a Keith Richards-esque defying of life principals, he's still alive and kicking at 81. His memoir gave me a new appreciation for the man and his legend. If you're looking for the studio album that features the most classic hits, Stand is your choice. If you're looking for quinnessential Sly in all of his psychedelic funkiness, There's A Riot Goin' On is the place to be. It has several memorable standouts, like "Family Affair", "Runnin' Away" and "(You Caught Me) Smilin'" so you get the full effect of Sly & The Family Stone at the height (Haight?) of their powers.
This particular album doesn't appear to be available on streaming services. Needless to say, Fats was a legend, one of the architects of rock n roll.
Who had a better run in the 70s?:
-The Man Who Sold The World
-Hunky Dory
-Ziggy Stardust
-Aladdin Sane
-Pinups
-Diamond Dogs
-Young Americans
-Station To Station
-"Heroes"
-Lodger
-Scary Monsters
The only artist I can think of that would compare is Neil Young. Anyhow, Low was in the middle of Bowie's run of masterpieces. An album that is somehow more than the sum of its parts, with instrumental interludes that would not fly in today's streaming world. Pitchfork named Low the best album of the 1970s; while I LOVE this record I would at best put it at #4 of the best Bowie album of the 70s, but that's just me...
While not exactly my genre of preference or expertise, there is no denying the power and beauty of Anita Baker's vocal instrument. Oddly, unless I missed it Ms. Baker's "Rapture" is available for streaming on Apple Music but not Spotify...
Back in the 20th century, when record companies roamed the earth and influenced music trends, there would be a cyclical nature to the "next new thing" - a different sounding artist or genre would emerge, and the labels would plunder the land to find "their" version of whatever the trend dictated. This was not more explicitly demonstrated in the aftermath of the early 90s grunge revolution. Suddenly you couldn't swing a cat and not hit a band draped in flannel, with dark themes and darker guitar grooves. Alice In Chains was one of those bands who benefited to great success. Hearing Dirt now, 33 years after its release, it's easy to fall into the nostalgia of the era and praise their music more than it ultimately deserves. That said, its the quieter moments that hold up the strongest, in particularly "Rooster" and "Would?"
Instead of devoting this section to the review of Imagine the album (arguably Lennon's solo high point, about as close he came to post-Beatles perfection), I'd like to focus on the tradition of the song "Imagine" being peformed in Times Square every New Year's Eve. By performing it at 11:48PM every 12/31, it feels that we have lost the message of the song (a utopian ideal that we seem to be further from as time goes on). For the love of a higher power or the world we live in, can we PLEASE preserve the beauty of this subtle anthem and retire this tradition? OK I'll get off my soapbox now.
The Imagine album contains Lennon's greatest solo moment. Not the title track but "Jealous Guy", a song of excuisite beauty and vulnerability.
Heroes to Zeroes defies the “must hear before you die” part of the “1001 Albums” list. Without hearing this album I would’ve been able to die in peace. I’m much more familiar with The 3 EPs album, immortalized brilliantly in the film High Fidelity.
It’s curious to ponder what if the Pixies kept making music in the early 90s. This albums has its moments, probably “Headache” the best among them
Not sure Fishscale qualifies as an album that needs to be heard prior to one's expiring, but it's solid hip-hop.
I understand Rush's appeal. Extreme musicianship at a time in the mid 70s-80s when that sort of thing was rewarded. For me, however, their music lacks soul. I mean, "Tom Sawyer", sure. "Limelight", ok. "Fly By Night", alright. But beyond that it's gonna be a pass for me. Sorry Rush-heads.
Now this is some "album to listen to before you die" shit I can get down with. Like most of Neil Young's best, After The Gold Rush is an album I will never tire of. ATGR delivers an array of what makes Neil a legend - beauty ("Birds"), social commentary ("Southern Man"), love songs ("Only Love Can Break Your Heart") and a stunner of a title track.
It's fascinating to listen to R&B/Soul albums in the late 60s/early 70s, hearing artists grappling with the changing tides in music in real time as they react to the influence of Hendrix and psychedelic rock, as well as the rise of the Laurel Canyon singer songwriter scene. 3+3 is an excellent example of a group adjusting, mostly successfully, to that new wave. There are hits like "That Lady" juxtaposed with covers you'd never expect like "Summer Breeze" and "Listen To The Music".
Interesting that this album is considered one of the greatest live albums of all time. There's no denying it's a great performance, but the "greatest ever" claims are probably coming from people who were alive at the time of the album's release, and have more of a personal connection to it.
It’s interesting that Blue Lines is often considered Massive Attack’s best. IMO I’d put Mezzanine and Protection ahead of it. That said, Blue Lines is an excellent album, and perhaps its acclaim is based on how it defined a new genre of trip hop that dominated British music for a good part of the 90s.
Typically when considering the greatest jazz albums of all time, the list is topped by Miles' Kind of Blue and Coltrane's A Love Supreme, while The Black Saint And The Sinner is usually positioned somewhere in the second tier. Black Saint is an excellent expresssion of Mingus' genius, though personally I think there are a few of his other albums that are a bit more accessible (Mingus Ah Um, Tijuana Moods).
Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the Chili Peppers at their best, and their strongest collab with producer Rick Rubin. It is also a quinnessential 90s album, back when CDs ruled the music marketplace and artists felt compelled to fill the 75 minute time limit of the format.
As a lifelong fan of indie/alt rock, I should not only like this album, I should love it. In the indie rock snob world this album might as well be sergeant fucking pepper. But I do not like this album. Couldn't wait for this tunelessness to be over
Tim Buckley's greatest musical achievement was nothing he acheived in the recording studio, unless that is where his brilliant son Jeff was conceived...I have yet to hear a track of Tim's that measures up to anything Jeff created on his masterpiece Grace. It all sounds rather dated to me.
It is rare when an artist emerges as brilliantly fully formed on their debut album as Kendrick Lamar does on good kid, mAAd city. Yes I know this is technically not his debut. Still.
This album conjures a nostalgic vibe that is hard to pinpoint. Suits my current rainy day/sweatpants circumstances.
Ninth grade talent show. Some buddies wanted to do a lip synched performance of Violent Femmes "Blister In The Sun". Naturally, the administration required a lyric sheet to see what's what. Don't think they got past "I'm so strung out/I'm high as a kite". Punk rock sensibilities swiftly stifled.
You're a teenager in the 1970s. You love rock music. Your older sibling was able to experience the pinnacle of the genre with late 60's/early 70's releases from the Beatles, Stones, Dylan etc. You were a little too young for that scene. As a reaction to those albums, rock music proceeded down two paths - singer/songwriters like Neil Young, Van Morrison, and a harder, more dramatic sound. Teenagers rocked out to Led Zeppelin, as well as Kiss and other stuff. Which brings you to Alice Cooper. A huge rock star at the time, but with the exception of an interesting track here and there, do you really need to hear Alice Cooper some 50 years later? I'm gonna say no.
