Over the course of ten posts here I will reveal and discuss / defend my fifty favorite albums from over the course of my fifty one years taking up space on this planet. A newsgroup I’m in requested that everyone compile a list to see what music has been the core soundtrack of our lives thus far. An near impossible, but irresistible task for sure. We had one month to compile it. It took me about that long and on any given day I could shuffle the bottom forty and add or subtract any number of albums. However, all in all these fifty albums have served and important function for various reasons. They have been there at various stops along the way and made the bad times a bit better and the good times something that replays itself anytime one them is within the range of my failing ears.
I would never argue that these are the best albums ever recorded. My criteria in approaching this list was to simply list the albums that I’m pretty sure I’ve played the most. It’s the only way I know of to be honest and not influenced by others and the consensus of any number of other lists you see published here and there. The only other important factor that I used as a measuring stick was if I had replaced the title on compact disc or simply let the vinyl itself be the last stop. Applying that logic allowed a more accurate picture emerge.
Many acts that I have numerous, if not every recording by and consider among my favorite artists did not make the list such as The Doors, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, John Lennon, Willie Nelson, Marc Bolan, The Bee Gees, Paul Simon, Mark-Almond Band, Waylon Jennings, Jefferson Airplane, The Kinks, Eric Burdon, and Johnny Cash to name just a few. The only explanation I can offer is that over time I’ve tended to immerse myself in the whole of their work and let the recordings meld into a massive sonic library. It’s more a reflection on my inability to focus on a singular album at this point than their ability to offer timeless material.
On a related note I chose to limit the number of entries by artists like the Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and others. Without imposing some restraint on that front I would have used up my allotted spots without showcasing single albums that mean as much if not more than some of their secondary works. Hopefully if you’re still reading this you’ve grasped that fifty is not a very big number when you’re undertaking a task like this.
I’ll offer up five titles at a time in reverse order to make it easier on you and me both. Feel free to jump in with any comments. Enjoy!
I would never argue that these are the best albums ever recorded. My criteria in approaching this list was to simply list the albums that I’m pretty sure I’ve played the most. It’s the only way I know of to be honest and not influenced by others and the consensus of any number of other lists you see published here and there. The only other important factor that I used as a measuring stick was if I had replaced the title on compact disc or simply let the vinyl itself be the last stop. Applying that logic allowed a more accurate picture emerge.
Many acts that I have numerous, if not every recording by and consider among my favorite artists did not make the list such as The Doors, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, John Lennon, Willie Nelson, Marc Bolan, The Bee Gees, Paul Simon, Mark-Almond Band, Waylon Jennings, Jefferson Airplane, The Kinks, Eric Burdon, and Johnny Cash to name just a few. The only explanation I can offer is that over time I’ve tended to immerse myself in the whole of their work and let the recordings meld into a massive sonic library. It’s more a reflection on my inability to focus on a singular album at this point than their ability to offer timeless material.
On a related note I chose to limit the number of entries by artists like the Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and others. Without imposing some restraint on that front I would have used up my allotted spots without showcasing single albums that mean as much if not more than some of their secondary works. Hopefully if you’re still reading this you’ve grasped that fifty is not a very big number when you’re undertaking a task like this.
I’ll offer up five titles at a time in reverse order to make it easier on you and me both. Feel free to jump in with any comments. Enjoy!
46. Live Shots - Joe Ely
There is no shortage of rock acts that have been defined by a live recording somewhere along the way. For Lubbock country rocker Ely this would be his entry in the field. He was on tour with The Clash and the energy they were projecting on stage must have worn off on him. He never played harder or sang with more conviction than on these selections. If an album ever carried a “wish I could have been there vibe” this one does from first note to last. It achieves that rare feat of offering live versions that all but buries their studio counterparts.
It’s as though every single, album, Ed Sullivan appearance and live show from the Apollo by the Motown acts of the sixties happened just so this album could eventually exist. While most of Motown’s musical contribution remains locked in that decade this one hasn’t aged a day. It’s almost beyond our grasp more than three decades later. The opening montage and the sax intro seem as though in those few bars they are calling a meeting to order. It wants us to know that the sixties are over and we’re moving into new territory, but we need to get focused. This song along with Stevie Wonder’s “Living For The City” accomplish in a combined twelve minutes or so, what most rap records never come close to articulating.
In a broad sense this album was the death of Motown as envisioned by Berry Gordy. His machine finally threw a rod. Now with Marvin and Stevie free of the assembly line they showed us the reality of what it was to be black in a changing world with a frankness that was foreign to my radio. They articulated an experience that existed beyond the dance floor and would take their music to new heights. Sly’s coming out at Woodstock no doubt helped pave their way, but Marvin had just as much on his mind as any politician who professed to speak for everyone. The shame of the whole thing isn’t so much that he’s no longer around, it’s that after all this time we still hardly have a clue about what’s going on.
Most would point to “Sweetheart Of The Rodeo” as the “go to” country rock album. No real argument here, I just prefer this one for it’s kinetic style and sequencing. It jumps around but somehow comes through as a complete work that I wouldn‘t change a thing about. They really found themselves with this recording and would use the template to great effect for several years. To my ears this one never sounds dated. Seeing them live several times during this era brings back fond memories.
Sometimes a record just comes out of nowhere and you’re suddenly left to wonder what life would have been like if you had missed it. This is one of those albums that hooked me on the first listen. All these years later I still know the words to every song. He would go on to make a few more great albums that could have easily filled this slot, but I’m sticking with the one that got the ball rolling.
Stardom beyond their wildest dreams was just around the corner for this band. This was really the last time they would show up in the studio with a set of random songs and see what they could do with them. There’s not a bad song in the bunch and several represent the best of what they were capable of. After this one it would be a decade long game of trying to top themselves and getting more and more self conscious with each release. Finally they would settle in to a major live attraction and really only record albums to prevent them being perceived as an oldies act. The US and UK version varied by a single song with the US one winning out in my opinion.
47. What’s Goin’ On - Marvin Gaye
It’s as though every single, album, Ed Sullivan appearance and live show from the Apollo by the Motown acts of the sixties happened just so this album could eventually exist. While most of Motown’s musical contribution remains locked in that decade this one hasn’t aged a day. It’s almost beyond our grasp more than three decades later. The opening montage and the sax intro seem as though in those few bars they are calling a meeting to order. It wants us to know that the sixties are over and we’re moving into new territory, but we need to get focused. This song along with Stevie Wonder’s “Living For The City” accomplish in a combined twelve minutes or so, what most rap records never come close to articulating.
In a broad sense this album was the death of Motown as envisioned by Berry Gordy. His machine finally threw a rod. Now with Marvin and Stevie free of the assembly line they showed us the reality of what it was to be black in a changing world with a frankness that was foreign to my radio. They articulated an experience that existed beyond the dance floor and would take their music to new heights. Sly’s coming out at Woodstock no doubt helped pave their way, but Marvin had just as much on his mind as any politician who professed to speak for everyone. The shame of the whole thing isn’t so much that he’s no longer around, it’s that after all this time we still hardly have a clue about what’s going on.
48. Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Most would point to “Sweetheart Of The Rodeo” as the “go to” country rock album. No real argument here, I just prefer this one for it’s kinetic style and sequencing. It jumps around but somehow comes through as a complete work that I wouldn‘t change a thing about. They really found themselves with this recording and would use the template to great effect for several years. To my ears this one never sounds dated. Seeing them live several times during this era brings back fond memories.
49. Howlin’ Wind - Graham Parker
Sometimes a record just comes out of nowhere and you’re suddenly left to wonder what life would have been like if you had missed it. This is one of those albums that hooked me on the first listen. All these years later I still know the words to every song. He would go on to make a few more great albums that could have easily filled this slot, but I’m sticking with the one that got the ball rolling.
50. Benefit - Jethro Tull
Stardom beyond their wildest dreams was just around the corner for this band. This was really the last time they would show up in the studio with a set of random songs and see what they could do with them. There’s not a bad song in the bunch and several represent the best of what they were capable of. After this one it would be a decade long game of trying to top themselves and getting more and more self conscious with each release. Finally they would settle in to a major live attraction and really only record albums to prevent them being perceived as an oldies act. The US and UK version varied by a single song with the US one winning out in my opinion.
1 comment:
Man, this is fun already! And your comments on WGO are definitive.
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