Damaged is an album from the very early days of Hardcore Punk and when listening to it you can very much tell that in the overall structure, sound, and ideas the band is throwing out. It is a very simple project much like a lot of The Ramones' work, but instead of being very simple instrumentals and bare bone lyrics this album embodies the rage and angst of your typical teenager/early adult that really hasn't been captured as beautifully in its' harsh and jaggedness as on this LP. Some will hate how raunchy and tough it tries to be while others will enjoy it for the same reasons, it is a polarizing album that still stands the test of time and manages to continue to define a phase I'd argue 90% of people have gone through or are still going through in a way that makes you feel heard. I haven't heard this album in full in easily 3 years, but upon relisten I have to say I still very much resonate with this project. Maybe it is because I am still hugely into Punk music or maybe I am just showing off my age here, either way Black Flag still absolutely slaps and so does Damaged well over 40 years later.

When I was a wee-lad, before the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic might I add, I got really into Queen and started rolling the snowball that would lead me to where I am with discovering music in such deep and niche levels. I thought today would be a good day to return back to my roots with listening to what may just be Queen's most iconic project out of a discography of iconic releases. Personally I have always favored The Works, but haven't listened in full in a decent amount of time so that could have easily changed. A Night At The Opera is equally as much Rock as it is also very operatic, this album feels full of emotions and these grand swings that showcase each member's respective skills to their fullest. Brian May makes the guitar parts feel both enjoyable and thoughtful with his masterful guitar playing. John Deacon plays a more unsung role of being a backbone to all the song compositions and providing the final "oomph" the project needs to be seem as huge. Freddie Mercury does what he does best and gives one hell of a vocal performance full of theatrics and swagger unseen by any other artists of his time and beyond. Finally we have Roger Taylor who provides the pace and even some writing credits to help put the final pieces in place to help make this album and Queen as much of a spectacle as they truly are. While not every song on this album is perfect, I do still think the highs make up for some of the more clunky tracks like Good Company and Seaside Rendezvous. Overall I am really satisfied with how Queen has held up through my music listening journey and I hope to adventure through them more later on, but for now I have to say this is solid.

Cheap Thrills is a much more confident and consistent album that shows the band really starting to find their sound and develop in a direction that starts to pay off much more than their messy self titled debut album. This album is a slow burn that still does dip up and down in terms of quality, but whenever it hits one of its' "peaks" it really puts in the effort. Janis Joplin is so impressive with her both aggressive and rugged vocals and also softer and more "traditional" styles and how she is able to flip between them so seamlessly. While I do think this album lacks in the writing and flow departments I do think the instrumentation and swagger really does go a long way. Not one of my favorite Blues Rock or Rock albums in the world, but I can get why someone would be pretty gaga about Big Brother & The Holding Company's sophomore project. Nuff said.

Today's pick was Deep Purple in Rock, and I honestly have no idea what to expect. I feel like everyone and their mother has heard Smoke On The Water, but I have no idea what to even expect when it comes to this band or the music they make. This album throws you head first into the very loud and instrumental heavy Hard Rock the band was working within even prior to the 70s. I would also argue the music here falls into Progressive Rock though it doesn't all connect as smoothly from track to track, it just has long runtimes throughout the project. I can understand why this is such a big stepping stone as not many people really even knew what Hard Rock, early stages of Metal, and Prog Rock was in 1970 so having a band create such a booming and elaborate album really must have been a big deal, but I just can't seem to really get into this album. I can appreciate the compositions and the ideas behind the album but other than Child in Time, a track I wasn't even super huge on, I really didn't enjoy listening to this album. It came off as more of a chore for myself than anything else. If I wanted to listen to Hard Rock or early Heavy Metal, I'd rather turn on Black Sabbath any day than this Deep Purple project.

On today's album for 1001 albums before I die, I rolled this B.B. King live project from 1965. I have heard of B.B. King before but never checked out any of his music, and god damn does this album make me want to do that. It isn't often that the music sounds this good live that you wouldn't think there are studio versions because of how definitive this whole album sounds. I also have to say for this being a live project the audience really seemed so scripted with just how perfect they sounded all throughout the 35 minute runtime. Each song feels so perfect to show of B.B. King's vocals and killer guitar playing that both blend so well together on this very bluesy and soulful performance. It is live projects like Live at the Regal that really help sell my point that more people need to hear live albums, they can truly be the best thing an artist has yet to offer but since it is such a niche selection usually people just skip over it all without any question. If you want to hear one of the definitive live releases of the 60s, totally check this project out because it is nothing short of incredible.

Marty Robbins may be a name you may only recognize from his 1959, but honestly I think that's a damn good reason to be known for even if its' the only thing notable in his multi-decade career. This album is pretty by the books in terms of late 50s Country music, but I think what sets this album apart and makes it such an iconic piece of music from its' time is the story telling and world building. This album makes you feel like you are the cowboy of each story. The songs here each feel like their own spaghetti westerns with the whole movie fitting into the 2-5 minute runtimes. There really isn't super interesting about this album, but it just does a really solid job at being this perfect capsule of Western/Cowboy culture. Not bad by any means but solid on all fronts.