Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums- my listening experience

ooops..you're right: sorry guys

 

Yes, you're correct. I always default to US sales simply because they're easier to verify - worldwide is nebulous, as no one ever seems to have reliable numbers.

Dunno about worldwide - maybe "True Blue" sold more worldwide than "LAV", but I have no way of knowing. I actually tried to look up numbers of Wikipedia yesterday but the site wasn't working for me...

 

Come on Mike, you got us hooked. Don´t give up man!

 

LOL

 

Where is Mike?

 

LA Woman has a couple of my most favorite Doors' songs - LA Woman, Riders on the Storm and Love Her Madly. I love the beginning of LA Woman.

It's just a shame that this was their last studio recording.

 

#361: Substance- New Order

Bizarre Love Triangle. True Faith. Always liked these songs, and might have been aware that the name of the group behind them is New Order, but I knew nothing else going in.

With the exception of hip-hop, I generally have a hard time with music that doesn't sound "natural" and with "real instruments" and the like so I'm never going to be the world's biggest fan of synthesizer heavy music. But regardless of one's personal taste, the talent and bold originality I confronted with New Order is mighty. They have these melodies that are both instantly memorable- you'll find yourself singing along with songs you've never heard before- while still offering complexity and originality, all fitting their unique sonic palette.

However, since that sonic palette happens to be a barrage of popping bass and plastic-y drums and, yes, synths, it can get wear down this fan of Joni Mitchell and Hank Williams. Especially since this particular albums is a collection of singles AND remixes, and the 2nd disc is bogged down by instrumental versions, and a number of these tracks are rather long, which would fit the club scene at the time.

Still, besides the hits, you have Thieves Like Us, State of the Nation, Hurt, Perfect Kiss- seriously great songwriting and performances.

 

#360: Siamese Dream- The Smashing Pumpkins
Homer Simpson, smiling politely.

Here's what they do: 58 layers of guitars humming and thumping and taking up 99% of the sound space with Corgan's light wispy voice flitting about on top of it. Does it work? I think whether or not you say yes or no to that is why this is one of those groups that has had so many admirers and so many haters.

To me, they are my generations' Pink Floyd, in that they often dress up the conventional arena rock music of the day in a clever ways. This can make it fun to hear a couple of times but ultimately leaves me empty. So when the songwriting is straight-ahead, like Cherub Rock and Rocket, it's pretty cool (but immediately forgettable). When they try to get too artsy, it can be quite tedious (Silver****). And so I pretty much lose interest after Disarm.

This is one of those early 90s records that is such a staple of my youth that I know it by heart even though I don't like it that much.

Cherub Rock is still pretty sweet all these years later though.

 

#359: Stankonia- OutKast
The pinnacle of modern pop music perfection.
Songs like Ms Jackson and So Fresh, So Clean helped OutKast cross over from hip-hop to pop, so much so that much of the hardcore hip-hop fan base abandoned them, but I suppose that's how it goes. Rap is a lot like punk and metal in that regard.

One would be hard pressed to think of a more skilled and complementary rap duo since the "golden age" than Big Boi and Andre. Mix that with the hook-heavy numbers that front-load the record and you have the finest ear-candy around.

Fist-pumping anthems? Check (Gasoline Dreams). Classic pop style sexual braggadocio? Check (So Fresh, So Clean). Clever and unique character studies? Check (Ms Jackson). Old school word-dense rap shredding? Check (Spaghetti Junction). Barn-burning hard-rock infused noise? Check (B.O.B.).

Any of those tracks would be highlights of any other record.

Sure it runs out of steam towards the end, as expected from a record with 24 tracks.

There are so many Roxy Music and David Bowie and Byrds and Beatles records and I don't want to take anything away from those guys but Stankonia is the only OutKast record here, and I would easily put ATLiens and Aquemini on any top whatever list in favor of a few of those other albums that are here.

 

#358: Singles Going Steady- The Buzzcocks
I'm admittedly not the world's biggest fan of the punk rock 'n' roll music always, but if more of it were like this record I would be. There are two reasons for this:

1. The singer sounds good- like all punk singers, he's not a traditionally good vocalist, but I can hear what the heck he's saying and he has this childlike quality that is very pleasant to listen to.

2. Catchy riffs. Sure most of it is a power-chord attack, but they'll add a riff or guitar accent here and there that keeps it just grounded enough of classic rock 'n' roll to make the ears happy.

These things are best exemplified in one of my favorite songs of all time, Ever Fallen In Love. It's so damn earnest, and then that 'da-DA-dum' lick that brings it over the top.

My 2nd favorite song here is Why Can't I Touch It, where they expand their palette a bit to include a bit of the reggae-ish sound that was so popular with the Brit punkers, but it's just a touch, not a full-on reggae tune, allowing space for the vocalist, a bit of toying with the stereo, and wonderful guitar fills. It's sort of jam-y and meditative and I don't think I'd get bored with a 15 minute version of this.

The three greatest punk rock records of all time, IMO: Ramones and Clash debuts, and this one.

 

+1

GREAT description of Why Can't I Touch It, one of those amazing tunes/performances that doesn't reach out and grab you but you just can't get enough of it. They do so much musically around that simple little slow rhythm, genius.

Singles Going Steady is a classic, though I may even like their A Different Kind of Tension album better!

 

Part of why this song works so well, I think, is the drummer, John Maher. He doesn't just provide propulsion -- he swings! Best drummer of the late 1970s punk rock era, IMO.

 

Great observation.
I didn't even know the names of any of the band members, so it didn't occur to me to single out an individual performance but any time a track works primarily on its groove, you gotta give the drummer some.

 

356: Honky Chateau- Elton John

I don't remember if I said this in a previous Elton John post but for me, he's one of those guys where I don't like most of his music very much but the songs I do like, I love. And besides "this one has a catchy melody," I can't really explain why.

So the songs I really really love are Love Lies Bleeding, Border Song, Take Me to the Pilot, Honkey Cat, and maybe a couple of others.

This album however is my favorite because it's a no-dicking-around piano pop album with jaunty tunes and cute lyrics and great singing and playing. There are not overblown string orchestras, no cryptic nonsensical lyrics (at least that stuck out like a sore thumb), no painfully embarrassing genre exercises, and it's short.

It also has Honkey Cat, which is one of those songs of his I love, and I don't know why it's not played in piano bars, doesn't it seem perfect for that?
And there's Mona Lisa & Mad Hatters which at first kinda sounds like The Border Song, pt 2 or something, but it's really great and I'm adding it to the list of those few songs of his I love a lot.

Also Rocket Man, which is a goddamn retarded song but William Shatner taught me to love it, and since I have his version in my music collection, it's only just that I have the original.
(Yes, I have both of Shatner's records, and no unfortunately neither made this list).

I Think I'm Going To Kill Myself comes a little too "hey look at me being subversive!", but the whole record is pretty nice. I think the only one of his that doesn't make me wanna throw the CD out the window every other track.

 

355: Sketches of Spain- Miles Davis

Here's a warning I should have included in my very first post:
None of us are truly objective listeners, and while I'm making my best effort to judge an album by what they're trying to do and to understand why it's well-loved, I have my own biases. One of my strongest and admittedly worst biases is the difficulty I have for appreciating the work of an artist that goes against the grain of why I originally was interested in him/her (thus I pray my post about Metallica's self-titled album won't be TOO vitriolic...). So if that's a problem, or if you really hated my post about Gitz/Gilberto, kindly move on...

Miles Davis was great, no doubt. But damnit he's not the only guy that played jazz ever and can Rolling Stone and the like please stop acting like he was? Sketches of Spain is an interesting experiment and impressive musical accomplishment, but hearing vaguely ethnic melodies played at a snail's pace in front of a bunch of french horns is not why I listen to Miles.

The only Miles/Gil Evans collaboration I really dig is Birth of the Cool, 'cause it's a jazz record (and an amazing one at that and I don't even think it's on this stupid list). Miles Ahead sounds too gimmicky and Porgy & Bess takes an outdated old musical and sucks the life out of it by making it all instrumental. Sketches of Spain is the best of these because at least the compositions are interesting.

Concerto de Aranjuaz has two problems: it has the word "Concerto" in it, so you know you're not in for a scintillating evening of entertainment, and it's 16 minutes long. It starts off with a melody that is simply gorgeous and if I were a film-maker, I'd have it playing while Selma Hayeck was walking slowly towards the camera while her skirt and luxurious hair were floating about in the wind. But then it went on for another 11 minutes and I fell asleep.
Saeta is like some military march... why do I want to hear this?
The best track here is Song of Our Country and I think it's a bonus cut on the CD, not even part of the original album.

What's most interesting to me is that this is the last album on which Miles sounds, to me, particularly strong. After this it seems like notes would crackle, like he lost his lung capacity or something, and by the time we get to Hancock/Shorter group, his is the least accomplished sounding voice. Then after that, he usually contributes bursts, bleeps, little phrases- the punctuation, no the sentence.

But not here, not yet. Tone and pacing is how he made his mark, and my god is it all here. His playing on Solea is the pinnacle of taste and control.
It's still freakin' dull, though. It's Miles/Evans doing a full-on "classical" style project, and it's cool that they had that ambition and lots of people love it. Now I want to go hear the Cookin' album...

 

354: Between the Buttons- Rolling Stones

There are two schools of thought about the Rolling Stones recorded legacy (that I just made up):

1. As the greatest (or 2nd greatest) rock 'n' roll band of all time, they pioneered so much, do so many different things, that even if you like some records more than others, everything they did up to Tattoo You is good if not great. They tried many different things, succeeded in most, and their quirky side adds to their wonderful legacy, including Between the Buttons.

2. They were a kick-*** rock band that worked the blues and guitar like nobody's business, and when they "experimented" they were chasing fads and going away from what they do best. Between the Buttons is just a biding time until Let It Bleed.

Overall, you can count me in with #2, and therefore I wouldn't have listened to Buttons again without this list (though of course I am familiar with it because, hey, it's the freakin' Stones). However, I rather enjoyed this.

Really the only terrible track is Cool, Calm Collected because of the way Jagger inflects the refrain.

(By the way, I dunno about UK vs US versions but mine started with Yesterday's Papers, for point of reference).

Yesterday's Papers, Connected, She Smiled Sweetly- can't go wrong with these little pop tunes. And Ruby Tuesday is good.

But compared to their best stuff, that's all they are. Still a fun record though.

 

"Ruby Tuesday" wouldn't be a factor if you listened to the UK version - nor would "Let's Spend the Night Together".

To me, "All Sold Out" is the standout track - it flat-out rocks.

And I like "CCC"...

 

I like 'Amanda Jones' but not much else. Its the sound to some degree, too shrill.

 

Hmmm...still pondering those two, but your point is well taken. They're my favorite band out of the sixties, by far, but I never really latched onto their albums between the early r&b covers albums and Let It Bleed-forward records, and you've hit on why. Some great individual songs on those in-between albums, though...

 

All Sold Out, Amanda Jones and My Obsession remind me of the 60's 'garage rock' sound. I think the UK lineup would benefit with the addition of Ruby Tuesday and Lets spend the Night Together without the deletion of anything else. The running time would still be more than considerably shorter than the UK vinyl of Aftermath.

 

You can make a very good Between the Buttons by simply adding "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday" onto the British tracklist. I break up the flow by putting "Ruby Tuesday" between "Complicated" and "Miss Amanda Jones" (too many similar-sounding songs in a row, otherwise) and put "Let's Spend the Night Together" before "Something Funny Happened To Me Yesterday".

EDIT: Just noticed Uncle Al suggested the same thing. The two singles add a little more "weight" to an album that otherwise feels like a bunch of, well, album tracks. It's nice to have a classic or two amidst all the "hey, this is actually fun stuff" material.

 

354: 12 Songs- Randy Newman

Creole ladies walk along with rhythm in their thighs
Rhythm in their feet and in their lips and in their eyes,
Where do highbrows find the kind of love that satisfies?
Underneath the Harlem moon!

There's no fields of cotton; picking cotton is taboo;
They don't live in cabins like the old folks used to do.
Their cabin is a penthouse up on Lennox Avenue,
Underneath that Harlem moon!

Why, they just live on dancing,
They're never blue or forlorn,
'Cause it ain't no sin to laugh and grin;
That's why darkies were born.

Oh, they shout, "Hallelujah!" every time they're feeling low;
Every sheik is dressed up like a Georgia gigolo,
You may call it madness but they call it hi-de-ho,
Underneath the Harlem moon!

Uh... darkies, wha?
So Randy Newman would go on to write songs like Redneck and Short People that satirizes racism but you listen to a pretty piano ballad like this with these lyrics and, really, is this some "sarcasm" or "irony" or, what, what's his deal?

Other stuff he does on this record:
- threatens to rape a girl named Suzanne
- beg for sloppy seconds on the very first track
- plan to commit arson on a cornfield to satisfy some sick sexual thrill
- sings a song called Yellow Man, fercrissake

Also he kinda plays piano pretty.

 

Satire mingled with trolling.

"Underneath the Harlem Moon" was written by Mack Gordon and Harry Revel in 1932. See illuminating (and frequently jaw-dropping) exposition here:

http://fakingit.typepad.com/faking_it/2007/08/underneath-the-.html

 

Great analysis - but do you like it?

Jeff

 

Cool website camrock, tx! Some other interesting posts there that I'll be checking out over the next few days.

#353: Having A Rave Up- The Yardbirds

Damn... hot damn, 60s rock 'n' roll at its best, and therefore rock 'n' roll at its best.
Now I happen to have an "album" that is 21 tracks and has singles that weren't on the original record, so in addition to Heart Full of Soul and Mr You're A Better Man Than I, I got to hear Shapes of Things, three (!) versions of Here 'Tis, and just a whole long assault of awesome guitar slamming, drum-pounding tunage.

I hold that the pinnacle of what I call 2nd generation of rock 'n' roll (1st generation is Elvis, Berry, Richard, Holly) is 4 groups- Beatles, Stones, Small Faces, Yardbirds, with 1966 being the peak year (Aftermath, Blonde On Blonde, Blue Breakers w/ Eric Clapton, Pet Sounds, Revolver).

The Yardbirds here are leaning on what made them who they were- blues covers and blues-like songs with lots of guitar leads. But there's also that wacky stereo phasing and fuzzy distortion and feedback that was starting to be all the rage with the crazy psychedelic kids, but before it went all berserk, so it's just right.