chrisjon89Only one album per artist again. This takes a deceptively long amount of time.
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
People have been singing the praises of this album to me forever, and what little I'd heard I loved. But that only included
God Only Knows and Wouldn't It Be Nice, and a select few stop/start takes off the Complete Pet Sounds boxset release from a few years back.
So my impression was still that they were predominantly a surf/girls/cars themed pop group with a liking for vocal harmonies (which is not a bad thing at all - I love that stuff too). 23 years pass and I finally listened to this album in its entirety and was blown away to an extent that happens very rarely. The vibe was the polar opposite to what I expected too. I find it extremely depressing, but essential listening. The production is enthralling, but you could strip all of the bells and whistles away (literally) and perform these songs with a lone guitar or piano and they'd still resonate, such is the strength of the writing. The melodies are unparalelled.
Everyone seems to talk The Beach Boys v The Beatles. Well, this is at least as good as The Beatles best offering in my opinion, and in all honesty it probably eclipses that (and I say that as a lifelong Beatles fanboy).
Björk - Vespertine
I've seen this described as the introverted cousin of Homogenic. I still slightly prefer that album to this, but this is beyond amazing in its own right. Likewise are the Vespertine Live CD, and what I've seen of the Royal Opera House DVD.
It's a remarkably beautiful album and more consistent than anything she has released since. The sounds are fascinating - using shuffled cards or footsteps on ice as a means of percussion as an example.
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
Pet Sounds took me 23 years to get around to in full. This one took 22 and it hooked me immediately as well. Lyrically, it's very strong and the songwriting is fantastic. It clocks in at just under 40 minutes, which to me is the perfect length for an album.Jungleland is the ultimate closer for an album of this kind, and my favourite moments are the quieter section after the sax solo through to the end. "The poets down here don't write nothin' at all. They just stand back and let it all be."
Burial - Untrue
I have heard very few, if any, musicians who can establish a setting in the way that Burial does. His latest EP, Kindred, is brilliant as well but I've always preferred LPs. I much prefer this to his self titled record. He builds a very consistent mood that lingers for the whole duration of the album. The use of samples is brilliant. It all seems fairly simple but I've found it to be near impossible to emulate.
Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
I place this pretty much on par with his previous LP, Los Angeles. I delved into this record midway through 2011 and the whole thing became more and more fascinating to me as time progressed. The style was foreign and a few songs were off-putting initially but I got past that very quickly.
It flows remarkably well when you consider how ambitious and varied it is. I disagreed with the labelling of it as experimental hip hop at the time (although I think that tag is much more fitting for Los Angeles). This was an altogether different beast of which I had no direct comparisons. But it's an enthralling listen from start to finish, and well paced.
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
I always sit on the fence when it comes to picking a favourite Beatle, but I couldn't help but notice when listening to their records in depth that I generally liked everything George Harrison wrote. His tracks were used sparingly on those albums, which meant that when the group dissolved he had a lot of songs in the bank that were ready to be put to tape. This triple LP is the body of evidence, and is my favourite solo album from a Beatles member.
As with just about any double/triple LP in existence, some tracks could stand to be excluded. The extended jams at the end don't do much for me, and stretch the run time of the 2001 re-release out past two hours. Likewise, the additional tracks for that re-release are mostly skippable (with some exceptions).
But I can't complain too much when I consider the quality of the songs on offer. The liner notes are an interesting read too, penned months before his death. They detail the contributions of musicians like Bob Dylan, and from memory Eric Clapton and a young Phil Collins. He mentions it was difficult to resist the temptation to re-mix alot of these tracks, in lieu of him feeling that the wall of sound style production evident on some of the songs was dated. As interesting as that could have been I'm glad he ignored the urge. The wall of sound style is a product of the era but the songs have aged well.
John Coltrane - Crescent
John Coltrane has become my favourite musician over the past two years, and the Quartet on show here has become my favourite band. This is one of the highlights of his vast discography for me, behind A Love Supreme and Giant Steps. I could have just as easily written about My Favorite Things or Olé Coltrane.
I saw a review somewhere that mentions the odd placement ofBessie's Blues and I completely agree. As much as it adds variation to the record, it feels very out of place sandwiched between Wise One and Lonnie's Lament. I don't have adjectives fit to describe how much I love those tracks. The title track is brilliant too, and The Drum Thing is an interesting sign of things to come. Aside from that track, everyone involved exhibits tremendous restraint when you consider their technical ability, which is a trait I admire greatly. This is especially true of Elvin Jones, who performs a similar role on some of Wayne Shorter's albums on Blue Note.
The quality of the recording is also excellent. I find Coltrane's records on Impulse sound alot richer and more natural/authentic than the Atlantic offerings. The general consensus of Crescent seems to be very positive, but it doesn't receive as much attention as it should in my opinion.
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
This album didn't click with me immediately. I don't look upon the 80s as fondly as most. Alot of my favourite veteran musicians seemed to lose their way in that decade. The style of production became more and more overbearing, excessive and overblown, so I can't really understand when I see people my age longing for a return to those styles.
But the 80s was very kind to Kate Bush (and Michael Jackson). After a few listens to Hounds of Love I began to see what all the fuss was about it and now I consider it one of my favourites. It's a shining example to me of what can be achieved on a pop album, and is one of the albums I'd use to beat someone with who dismisses all popular music. It's wonderfully cohesive, beautiful and has a great variation of sounds and moods.
I don't hate all modern pop music but my major criticism is that there seems to be a lack of regard for the album. Effort is made to ensure that there's a strong selection of singles. The remaining tracks often seem to be an afterthought, which becomes even more of a problem when the mentality exists that people need to use up all 80 minutes the CD has to offer. The same can't be said of this album. If artists can't relate to this enough to use it as a point of reference, then they should look to Innervisions or Off the Wall.
I feel that it's easier to digest than The Dreaming, and a slightly stronger record to boot. Kate Bush continues to rule into her 50s, with 50 Words for Snow released last year.
MF DOOM - MM.. FOOD
Two years ago or so, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Mos Def made me fall in love with hip hop again. MF DOOM is the latest addition to that list. I can't really split Operation Doomsday, Madvillainy and this one, butBeef Rapp is my equal favourite hip hop track.
DOOM is comfortably my favourite lyricist in hip hop. Alot of MCs can make me think but no one else can make me laugh like DOOM does. He's very clever and it's a good thing his rhymes reward repeat listens, because it's a necessity to catch all the intricacies of them. The beats on offer here are excellent too (and mostly self produced as far as I know). Not quite my favourite hip hop album but close.
Michael Jackson - Off the Wall
When you consider this album was released at the height of the disco era, the songs here have aged extremely well. I find it difficult to pick a favourite MJ album and can't split this, Thriller and Bad.
Jackson was wonderfully talented and a showman pretty much without equal. Sonically, it's very impressive. The first five tracks are all brilliant, with two big hits inRock with You and Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough. For me, one of the absolute highlights is I Can't Help It, written by Stevie Wonder and it certainly bears his mark. Absolutely mesmerising and unlike anything else I've heard from MJ.
Pharoah Sanders - Karma
This was the most surprising first listen of my life, at a time when all I really knew of jazz was selected works from Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Louis Armstrong. I was recommended this album and told 'avant-garde jazz'. I had no other knowledge of what to expect, so I was confused once it settled into a hypnotic, simple, percussion heavy groove at the two minute mark. With flutes. I was even more confused once the vocals enter and started yodelling, and then bewildered at the chaotic free jazz sections. Most shocking of all was that all these elements come together for 32 minutes and it fucking works.
I like this record much more than Coltrane's free jazz material, probably because here the chaotic bursts are used sparingly and are offset with very melodic and surprisingly accessible jams. It's remarkable how accessibleThe Creator Has A Master Plan is for an avant-garde jazz track. Sanders' sax playing is very distinct to me and I easily identified him on Coltrane's 'Ascension'. He's also a very versatile player as he would continue to demonstrate. This record (and a few of his other records on Impulse) are the most genuine spiritual statements I've encountered in music. It never sounds contrived in the slightest and it's so admirable.
Q-Tip - The Renaissance
I'm a massive fan of A Tribe Called Quest, and I honestly feel this album comes close to hitting the heights of The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders. It's frustratingly underappreciated but generally acclaimed by those who have it. There are a few skippable tracks as the album wears on but it's an intelligent record that also manages to be alot of fun to listen to.
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
Just about the perfect album. Everything he did in the 70s was great, and it's hard to split this and Songs In The Key Of Life. But this is concise at 44 minutes, not a second is wasted and it's perfection to me. It boggles the mind. Stevie plays the majority of the instruments here. The songwriting is incredible. The vocal performances are up there with any I've heard. The production is fantastic and the record flows seamlessly. He gives me goosebumps in a way that only a handful of artists can manage. It took a few listens to fully sink in, but once it did it's impossible to do without. This album and Songs in the Key of Life are essential to any music collection in my opinion.
Wayne Shorter - JuJu
It took me awhile to get around to Wayne Shorter's albums, because I wasn't a huge fan of the records released by Miles Davis' 2nd Quintet, of which Shorter was a major contributor in terms of composing. I just didn't get them (with the exception of Miles Smiles). But Speak No Evil hit me immediately. The title track andInfant Eyes are among my favourite jazz songs. Shorter's style was fascinating to me. It was very melodic, but unpredictable. The songs were very interesting in the how they were put together. They would zig when I expected them to zag and I'd constantly want to hear the songs over.
I came across Juju a little later - the second in a series of excellent recordings for Blue Note. Very few jazz records exceed it in my opinion. The Coltrane influence on Shorter's playing is a bit more obvious to me here.Yes or No sounds very "Giant Steps". The sidemen are all brilliant. It's also different from Speak No Evil in the sense that Shorter is the only horn player, so he has a lot more room to move in that regard.
Every song is perfect except the final track, which is merely really really good.
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
People have been singing the praises of this album to me forever, and what little I'd heard I loved. But that only included
God Only Knows and Wouldn't It Be Nice, and a select few stop/start takes off the Complete Pet Sounds boxset release from a few years back.So my impression was still that they were predominantly a surf/girls/cars themed pop group with a liking for vocal harmonies (which is not a bad thing at all - I love that stuff too). 23 years pass and I finally listened to this album in its entirety and was blown away to an extent that happens very rarely. The vibe was the polar opposite to what I expected too. I find it extremely depressing, but essential listening. The production is enthralling, but you could strip all of the bells and whistles away (literally) and perform these songs with a lone guitar or piano and they'd still resonate, such is the strength of the writing. The melodies are unparalelled.
Everyone seems to talk The Beach Boys v The Beatles. Well, this is at least as good as The Beatles best offering in my opinion, and in all honesty it probably eclipses that (and I say that as a lifelong Beatles fanboy).
Björk - Vespertine
I've seen this described as the introverted cousin of Homogenic. I still slightly prefer that album to this, but this is beyond amazing in its own right. Likewise are the Vespertine Live CD, and what I've seen of the Royal Opera House DVD.
It's a remarkably beautiful album and more consistent than anything she has released since. The sounds are fascinating - using shuffled cards or footsteps on ice as a means of percussion as an example.
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
Pet Sounds took me 23 years to get around to in full. This one took 22 and it hooked me immediately as well. Lyrically, it's very strong and the songwriting is fantastic. It clocks in at just under 40 minutes, which to me is the perfect length for an album.
Jungleland is the ultimate closer for an album of this kind, and my favourite moments are the quieter section after the sax solo through to the end. "The poets down here don't write nothin' at all. They just stand back and let it all be."Burial - Untrue
I have heard very few, if any, musicians who can establish a setting in the way that Burial does. His latest EP, Kindred, is brilliant as well but I've always preferred LPs. I much prefer this to his self titled record. He builds a very consistent mood that lingers for the whole duration of the album. The use of samples is brilliant. It all seems fairly simple but I've found it to be near impossible to emulate.
Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
I place this pretty much on par with his previous LP, Los Angeles. I delved into this record midway through 2011 and the whole thing became more and more fascinating to me as time progressed. The style was foreign and a few songs were off-putting initially but I got past that very quickly.
It flows remarkably well when you consider how ambitious and varied it is. I disagreed with the labelling of it as experimental hip hop at the time (although I think that tag is much more fitting for Los Angeles). This was an altogether different beast of which I had no direct comparisons. But it's an enthralling listen from start to finish, and well paced.
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
I always sit on the fence when it comes to picking a favourite Beatle, but I couldn't help but notice when listening to their records in depth that I generally liked everything George Harrison wrote. His tracks were used sparingly on those albums, which meant that when the group dissolved he had a lot of songs in the bank that were ready to be put to tape. This triple LP is the body of evidence, and is my favourite solo album from a Beatles member.
As with just about any double/triple LP in existence, some tracks could stand to be excluded. The extended jams at the end don't do much for me, and stretch the run time of the 2001 re-release out past two hours. Likewise, the additional tracks for that re-release are mostly skippable (with some exceptions).
But I can't complain too much when I consider the quality of the songs on offer. The liner notes are an interesting read too, penned months before his death. They detail the contributions of musicians like Bob Dylan, and from memory Eric Clapton and a young Phil Collins. He mentions it was difficult to resist the temptation to re-mix alot of these tracks, in lieu of him feeling that the wall of sound style production evident on some of the songs was dated. As interesting as that could have been I'm glad he ignored the urge. The wall of sound style is a product of the era but the songs have aged well.
John Coltrane - Crescent
John Coltrane has become my favourite musician over the past two years, and the Quartet on show here has become my favourite band. This is one of the highlights of his vast discography for me, behind A Love Supreme and Giant Steps. I could have just as easily written about My Favorite Things or Olé Coltrane.
I saw a review somewhere that mentions the odd placement of
Bessie's Blues and I completely agree. As much as it adds variation to the record, it feels very out of place sandwiched between Wise One and Lonnie's Lament. I don't have adjectives fit to describe how much I love those tracks. The title track is brilliant too, and The Drum Thing is an interesting sign of things to come. Aside from that track, everyone involved exhibits tremendous restraint when you consider their technical ability, which is a trait I admire greatly. This is especially true of Elvin Jones, who performs a similar role on some of Wayne Shorter's albums on Blue Note.The quality of the recording is also excellent. I find Coltrane's records on Impulse sound alot richer and more natural/authentic than the Atlantic offerings. The general consensus of Crescent seems to be very positive, but it doesn't receive as much attention as it should in my opinion.
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
This album didn't click with me immediately. I don't look upon the 80s as fondly as most. Alot of my favourite veteran musicians seemed to lose their way in that decade. The style of production became more and more overbearing, excessive and overblown, so I can't really understand when I see people my age longing for a return to those styles.
But the 80s was very kind to Kate Bush (and Michael Jackson). After a few listens to Hounds of Love I began to see what all the fuss was about it and now I consider it one of my favourites. It's a shining example to me of what can be achieved on a pop album, and is one of the albums I'd use to beat someone with who dismisses all popular music. It's wonderfully cohesive, beautiful and has a great variation of sounds and moods.
I don't hate all modern pop music but my major criticism is that there seems to be a lack of regard for the album. Effort is made to ensure that there's a strong selection of singles. The remaining tracks often seem to be an afterthought, which becomes even more of a problem when the mentality exists that people need to use up all 80 minutes the CD has to offer. The same can't be said of this album. If artists can't relate to this enough to use it as a point of reference, then they should look to Innervisions or Off the Wall.
I feel that it's easier to digest than The Dreaming, and a slightly stronger record to boot. Kate Bush continues to rule into her 50s, with 50 Words for Snow released last year.
MF DOOM - MM.. FOOD
Two years ago or so, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Mos Def made me fall in love with hip hop again. MF DOOM is the latest addition to that list. I can't really split Operation Doomsday, Madvillainy and this one, but
Beef Rapp is my equal favourite hip hop track. DOOM is comfortably my favourite lyricist in hip hop. Alot of MCs can make me think but no one else can make me laugh like DOOM does. He's very clever and it's a good thing his rhymes reward repeat listens, because it's a necessity to catch all the intricacies of them. The beats on offer here are excellent too (and mostly self produced as far as I know). Not quite my favourite hip hop album but close.
Michael Jackson - Off the Wall
When you consider this album was released at the height of the disco era, the songs here have aged extremely well. I find it difficult to pick a favourite MJ album and can't split this, Thriller and Bad.
Jackson was wonderfully talented and a showman pretty much without equal. Sonically, it's very impressive. The first five tracks are all brilliant, with two big hits in
Rock with You and Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough. For me, one of the absolute highlights is I Can't Help It, written by Stevie Wonder and it certainly bears his mark. Absolutely mesmerising and unlike anything else I've heard from MJ.Pharoah Sanders - Karma
This was the most surprising first listen of my life, at a time when all I really knew of jazz was selected works from Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Louis Armstrong. I was recommended this album and told 'avant-garde jazz'. I had no other knowledge of what to expect, so I was confused once it settled into a hypnotic, simple, percussion heavy groove at the two minute mark. With flutes. I was even more confused once the vocals enter and started yodelling, and then bewildered at the chaotic free jazz sections. Most shocking of all was that all these elements come together for 32 minutes and it fucking works.
I like this record much more than Coltrane's free jazz material, probably because here the chaotic bursts are used sparingly and are offset with very melodic and surprisingly accessible jams. It's remarkable how accessible
The Creator Has A Master Plan is for an avant-garde jazz track. Sanders' sax playing is very distinct to me and I easily identified him on Coltrane's 'Ascension'. He's also a very versatile player as he would continue to demonstrate. This record (and a few of his other records on Impulse) are the most genuine spiritual statements I've encountered in music. It never sounds contrived in the slightest and it's so admirable.Q-Tip - The Renaissance
I'm a massive fan of A Tribe Called Quest, and I honestly feel this album comes close to hitting the heights of The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders. It's frustratingly underappreciated but generally acclaimed by those who have it. There are a few skippable tracks as the album wears on but it's an intelligent record that also manages to be alot of fun to listen to.
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
Just about the perfect album. Everything he did in the 70s was great, and it's hard to split this and Songs In The Key Of Life. But this is concise at 44 minutes, not a second is wasted and it's perfection to me. It boggles the mind. Stevie plays the majority of the instruments here. The songwriting is incredible. The vocal performances are up there with any I've heard. The production is fantastic and the record flows seamlessly. He gives me goosebumps in a way that only a handful of artists can manage. It took a few listens to fully sink in, but once it did it's impossible to do without. This album and Songs in the Key of Life are essential to any music collection in my opinion.
Wayne Shorter - JuJu
It took me awhile to get around to Wayne Shorter's albums, because I wasn't a huge fan of the records released by Miles Davis' 2nd Quintet, of which Shorter was a major contributor in terms of composing. I just didn't get them (with the exception of Miles Smiles). But Speak No Evil hit me immediately. The title track and
Infant Eyes are among my favourite jazz songs. Shorter's style was fascinating to me. It was very melodic, but unpredictable. The songs were very interesting in the how they were put together. They would zig when I expected them to zag and I'd constantly want to hear the songs over.I came across Juju a little later - the second in a series of excellent recordings for Blue Note. Very few jazz records exceed it in my opinion. The Coltrane influence on Shorter's playing is a bit more obvious to me here.
Yes or No sounds very "Giant Steps". The sidemen are all brilliant. It's also different from Speak No Evil in the sense that Shorter is the only horn player, so he has a lot more room to move in that regard.Every song is perfect except the final track, which is merely really really good.
