Top 50 Favorite Albums: Part 5

Half way there...

21. (Untitled) (Un-issued) [Two Disc Reissue] - Byrds

Until this came out as a two CD set this one would not have made this list. The live set was just too forced for my tastes at the time and the studio tracks showed a band going a different direction. On this reissue you get the original album as a single disc (which is still pretty cool), the second disc is all unreleased studio and live performances that make this one a keeper.

The group was of course a far cry from the original band at this point. For the previous few years this had been essentially Roger McGuinn and friends. Their base was now somewhere in Nashville and not the studios of L.A.. All of these additional cuts are simply wonderful and beg the question of what was going on with the initial issue of this set. Perceived commerce no doubt. If you prefer your Byrds with a more country slant and a sound that veers closer to Little Feat than Poco grab this one.

22. Let It Be (Either version) - Beatles

Put me in the minority of those who don’t particularly care for all that Spector did as a producer. This one has always worked for me in much the same way his singles with Lennon seemed to bring out the best in both of them. In reality I’m not sure he did all that much here based on outtakes and alternates of the songs. To fully understand the greatness of this album you have to do a bit of homework.

As someone who has chased down and listened to countless hours of bootlegs and watched endless DVD’s of these sessions I feel I can comment on this one. The first thing that you learn from those hundreds of hours and miles of tapes is this forty some minute disc is really all the usable material there is. However, to me it’s one of their best efforts, flaws and all. Even before Paul decided that it needed to be peeled away this one was already pretty bare. The addition of Billy Preston was a stroke of genius and his organ carries the day on several songs.

If it had been up to me here’s what I would have done with this redux: I would have used most of the new mixes that Paul did and also added “Don’t Let Me Down” to the set list. I then would have left intact the dialog and the original running order. Then as a bonus I would have included a second disc with the entire “rooftop concert” as a real coda to an incredible decade. For a band that started their career essentially in a basement it seemed fitting that it would conclude on a rooftop.

23. Pet Sounds - Beach Boys

This album shows up on nearly any list of favorites, long or short. It’s almost an obligatory inclusion. But, to be honest there is a reason for that, the album still sounds great and innovative and no one it seems is immune to its charms. Unlike a lot of forty year old albums this one still has many layers to peel away (mono or stereo) with each new listen.

In time I would spend years listening to their early seventies trilogy of “Sunflower,” “Holland” and “Surf’s Up” and marvel at the depth of their talents during changing times. Although it sounds silly after all these years, I still think this group is underrated in many ways. They have become such a part of the “fabric” that their initial and subsequent impact has been softened with time. I include this one because I’ve never taken it out of the “rotation” and like “Sgt. Pepper’s…” it works as a complete suite when you’ve got the time. Song for song it’s a pile of singles that you don‘t have to get up and keep flipping. It’s also one of the few albums that has perfect sequencing.

To focus on one track, the song that still haunts me all these years later is “Caroline No.” The opening verse is one of my favorite’s ever in a song. In that short verse lyricist Tony Asher captures that moment when summer ends and you return to school and learn that the girl you left in May is another person. More than her hair has changed, but it starts there.

It’s that frozen moment you step on the bus and glance down the isle and there she is all of a sudden, or maybe you get to homeroom and spot her walking in with her new look and new friends. You have lost some ground since the last time you saw her. You’re still playing sandlot ball and she’s wearing makeup and hose. It‘s one of those moments that unfolds in slow motion like the dream where you can‘t quite dial a phone or react fast enough to impending doom. Quicksand has replaced solid ground and your arms weigh a hundred pounds. You’ll spend the rest of your life searching for that elusive moment that slipped away. You’ll never regain it no matter how hard you try. We’ve all been there.

“Where did your long hair go
Where is the girl I used to know
How could you lose that happy glow
Oh, Caroline no”

24. Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out - Rolling Stones

I know this isn’t really one complete show per say, but it has that vibe. For me this was the first time I’d heard a live album that actually made me think there had been a real concert somewhere. Some of the faux-live junk that came out in the sixties like The Kinks “Live At Kelvin Hall” and even the Stones’ “Got Live If You Want It” were simply awful. As big a fan as I was I knew when my lunch money was funding a label obligation and little else. Well, maybe I knew.

This one has the loose swagger of a band that is in total control of the moment and lets the crowd climb on for the ride. I’m probably wrong, but this was the first time I can remember a concert album not being a “greatest hits” done live. They didn’t know it at the time, but they were on the verge of putting a stake in the sixties while taking a leering, often salacious gaze at the upcoming decade. No doubt they were setting their sights on claiming it without having to worry about the Beatles ever again. Satisfaction was just a moonlight mile down the road.

25. Hidden Things - Paul Kelly

This wasn’t an intended album, but more a collection of stray songs from 1986 through 1991, save for two selections . If you’ve never heard Kelly then you’ve really missed an essential artist who is capable of some of the most memorable music that you’re likely to hear. Unique is an overused word and I’m as guilty as anyone of throwing it around. However, it’s the best way to describe him that I can think of. As a songwriter he manages to cut through all of the clichés and get to the point. It isn’t always the most flattering portrait that he paints but it’s honest in a way that most music seldom approaches.

The reason I’m including a collection on this list is because somehow this eighteen song set has an ebb and flow that most albums don’t offer. The first thought after hearing this is to wonder how songs like this didn’t make it on other albums. Then when your curiosity gets the best of you and you check out some of his other work you begin to understand just how talented he is. If you want to get in on the action with this guy then searching out this import is a great way start.