I will turn 50 in November of this year, so my project for 2023 will be to listen to and review one album from each year of my life, 1973 to 2022, randomly selected.. The only qualification is that it has to be an album I’ve not reviewed previously.
NOTE: My next review on February 2, 2023 will focus on the year 1983. Help me pick which album from 1983 I will review by voting in the poll at the end of this post!
Album: Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven Artist: Godspeed You! Black Emperor Release Date: October 9, 2000 Label:Constellation | Kranky Favorite Tracks:
Storm
Static
Sleep
Like Antennas to Heaven…
Thoughts:
Back in the 2000s I had a younger co-worker, who in retrospect wasn’t all that much younger since he was in his early 20s when I was in my late 20s. He listened to a lot of great music and recommended this album to me. Despite liking it I hadn’t listened to Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven in quite some time, which is a shame, because it’s better than I remember it.
Of course, it’s not an album one listens to casually. There are four pieces ranging from 18 to 23 minutes each that have their own movements like mini-symphonies. Godspeed You! Black Emperor is classified as a post-rock band and this album is a good example of ambient music and sound collage. It’s probably not the most accessible music, but I find it really beautiful and entrancing.
I will turn 50 in November of this year, so my project for 2023 will be to listen to and review one album from each year of my life, 1973 to 2022. The only qualification is that it has to be an album I’ve not reviewed previously. If you have any suggestions for albums from the past 50 years, please drop them in the comments!
Album: Nouvelle Vague Artist:Nouvelle Vague Release Date: 9 August 2004 Label: Peacefrog | Luaka Bop Favorite Tracks:
Just Can’t Get Enough (Depeche Mode)
In A Manner of Speaking (Tuxedomoon)
Guns of Brixton (The Clash)
Too Drunk to Fuck (Dead Kennedys)
Friday Night Saturday Morning (The Specials)
Thoughts:
“Nouvelle Vague” is French for “New Wave” and commonly associated with the French New Wave film movement. “Bossa nova” is Portuegeuse and also means “new wave,” and refers to a style of Brazilian samba origination in the 1950s. And in English, “new wave” refers to the punk & post-punk music styles of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Someone who was entirely too clever decided to create a new wave music cover band that performed songs in the bossa nova style lead by female vocalists with the elan of Nouvelle Vague film stars.
While this may be the most gimmicky act since Dread Zeppelin, the outcome is pretty good. I remember this album being recommended to me by someone at a party who gave me a list of mostly electronics artists to seek out, but also spoke highly of Nouvelle Vague. It’s been a long time since I’d listened to this album, but it still holds up after 20 years, perhaps because it’s built on so many traditions of earlier decades.
I will turn 50 in November of this year, so my project for 2023 will be to listen to and review one album from each year of my life, 1973 to 2022. The only qualification is that it has to be an album I’ve not reviewed previously. If you have any suggestions for albums from the past 50 years, please drop them in the comments!
I once owned a copy of this album on cassette and remember listening to it quite a bit around 1996-1997, but I seem to have parted ways with it by the time I moved to Boston in 1998. Revisiting the album now, I can see what I liked about and why I grew tired of it. The album is front-loaded with the first three tracks – “Supervixen,” “Queer,” and “Only Happy When It Rains” – also being the best songs on the album. There are some other highlights but the album drags in places and might be better with a couple of tracks removed.
1995 was an uncertain time in alternative rock as it was now fully-mainstream and it was hard to find a way to be alternative in the post-grunge period. Garbage took the approach of throwing a little bit of everything in the mix – catchy power pop hooks, shoegaze guitars, funky bass, U2-style anthems, and dance music beats. The secret weapon for the otherwise American band is having a the sultry lead vocals of Scotland’s Shirley Manson who adds a sexuality to the songs and lyrics.
I will turn 50 in November of this year, so my project for 2023 will be to listen to and review one album from each year of my life, 1973 to 2022. The only qualification is that it has to be an album I’ve not reviewed previously. If you have any suggestions for albums from the past 50 years, please drop them in the comments!
2018
Top Grossing Albums of 2018:
Taylor Swift – Reputation
Drake – Scorpion
Post Malone – beerbongs & bentleys
Soundtrack – The Greatest Showman
Ed Sheeran – ÷ (Divide)
Grammy Award for Album of the Year and Nominees for 2018:
Album: American Utopia Artist: David Byrne Release Date: March 9, 2018 Label: Nonesuch | Todo Mundo Favorite Tracks:
I Dance Like This
Every Day Is A Miracle
Dog’s Mind
Doing the Right Thing
Thoughts:
Despite my Talking Heads fandom, I’ve never delved deep into David Byrne’s solo work. His most recent album, American Utopia, seems like a good place to start especially since it’s release in 2018 it’s prompted a concert film directed by Spike Lee and a run on Broadway! The album addresses the crises of the Trump Era head on but does so in a way that pushes optimism. This is going to sound like a back-handed compliment, but Byrne has a way of experimenting with music that has a wonderful sameness. I guess that’s how he’s been able to be so successful at making quirky and innovative music that is also popular. That is kind of a metaphor for the album itself where Byrne tries to draw a reassuring optimism from troubled times.
Now I’m going to have to try to watch the American Utopia film for my 50 Years 50 Movies project.
Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and Lizzo all released acclaimed albums in 2022. But you don’t come to this Very Small Blog to hear about that ! I posted 44 Album of the Week reviews this year (which includes 3 albums from last year and 1 reissue from 1966). Here are 10 of my favorites I’ve culled from the list.
I hope you’ve enjoyed counting down my favorite albums of all-time over the course of the year. Here are the links to all the posts in the series as well as the complete list of albums in descending order.
Having listened to every album on the Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, I’m making my own list. This list will be only 250 albums, although I had to make some tough cuts. The list includes a mix of works of musical genius with the pure nostalgia of some albums I’ve loved throughout my life. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts about these albums and what your favorite albums are. I will continue the countdown every other Wednesday throughout 2022.
Artist: Paul Simon Title: Graceland Year: 1986 Favorite Tracks:
The Boy in the Bubble
Graceland
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
You Can Call Me Al
Homeless
That Was Your Mother
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1986
Thoughts: Paul Simon’s “comeback album” made the awkwardly-named trend of “world music” a pop phenomenon. There’s definitely some controversy behind the making of this album (Simon is supremely talented but also a supreme asshole) but the music holds up almost 40 years later!
9
Artist: Peter Gabriel Title: So Year: 1986 Favorite Tracks:
Red Rain
Sledgehammer
Don’t Give Up
This Is the Picture
In Your Eyes
The First Time I Heard This Album …:1986
Thoughts: So was among the first albums I owned as a child.The bombastic horns of “Sledgehammer” were my introduction to Peter Gabriel. And while So is Gabriel’s most pop and accessible recording of his career, it was still experimental enough to be a revelation to 12-year-old me, especially on tracks like “We Do What We’re Told” and “This is the Picture.” The hit songs still sound fresh, “Don’t Give Up” still makes me cry, and I may be colored by nostalgia, but I can’t find anything objectively wrong with this album.
8
Artist: Public Enemy Title: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back Year: 1988 Favorite Tracks:
Bring the Noise
Don’t Believe the Hype
Show “em Watcha Got
Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
Rebel Without a Pause
Prophets of Rage
Party for Your Right to Fight
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1988
Thoughts: Nothing has ever compared to the sonic assault of Public Enemy’s richly layered samples, beats, and rhymes. Unfortunately, most of the issues referenced on this album are still relevant three decades later.
Thoughts: This has been my favorite Beatles album since I started really getting into the Beatles’ music in my high school years. I just wrote about the Super Deluxe release a few weeks ago, so I’ll refer you to that review for more details
6
Artist: The Replacements Title: Let It Be Year: 1984 Favorite Tracks:
I Will Dare
Favorite Thing,
Androgynous
Unsatisfied
Gary’s Got a Boner
Answering Machine
The First Time I Heard This Album …: around 1990/91?
Thoughts: The Replacements most perfect album captures the pain, angst, and puerile humor of disaffected youth.
Artist: The Clash Title: London Calling Year: 1979 Favorite Tracks:
London Calling
Hateful
Rudie Can’t Fail
The Right Profile
Lost in the Supermarket
Guns of Brixton
The Card Cheat
Train in Vain
The First Time I Heard This Album …: around 1990
Thoughts: I knew little about The Clash in my youth but learned about this album when Rolling Stone ranked it as the best album of the 1980s (kind of a cheat based on the release date). The sprawling double-album touches on all the musical genres that at peak creativity at the time from punk and New Wave to reggae and jazz.
Thoughts: They Might Be Giants emerged as the most popular Alternative Rock act in the pre-Nirvana era with this eclectic mix of catchy tunes with quirky, but disarmingly profound, lyrics.
3
Artist: De La Soul Title: 3 Feet High and Rising Year: 1989 Favorite Tracks:
The Magic Number
Jennifa Taught Me (Derwin’s Revenge)
Eye Know
Tread Water
Potholes in My Lawn
Say No Go
Me Myself and I
Plug Tunin’
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1989
Thoughts: I can never be certain what album I listened to most often to in my life but 3 Feet High and Rising is a strong contender. Ironically, for someone who doesn’t know much about rap and hip hop I have two albums from that genre in my top ten, and two that I listened to on repeat in my most impressionable years.
Thoughts: This was an album my sister brought home from college. She didn’t like it so she gave it to me. I liked it a lot, and have listened to it many, many times over the years.
1
Artist: Yo La Tengo Title: I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One Year: 1997 Favorite Tracks:
Moby Octopad
Sugarcube
Damage
Deeper Into Movies
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1998?
Thoughts: My favorite album is a hard choice to make. Probably any of the top 20 to 30 albums on this list could be my favorite depending on the day. My favorite band is also tough to narrow down, but if pressed I’d say “Yo La Tengo.” So it’s appropriate that Yo La Tengo’s seminal album I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One tops the list of my 250 Favorite Albums of All Time!
Having listened to every album on the Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, I’m making my own list. This list will be only 250 albums, although I had to make some tough cuts. The list includes a mix of works of musical genius with the pure nostalgia of some albums I’ve loved throughout my life. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts about these albums and what your favorite albums are. I will continue the countdown every other Wednesday throughout 2022.
Artist: The Avalanches Title: Since I Left You Year: 2000 Favorite Tracks:
Since I Left You
Two Hearts in 3/4 Time
Flight Tonight
Electricity
Frontier Psychiatrist
ETOH
The First Time I Heard This Album …: early 2000s
Thoughts: This is by far the best album I serendipitously discovered by randomly checking it out from the library. The Avalanches groundbreaking debut is a masterpiece of “plunderphonics,” dance music, and disco that still sounds fresh today. Also, just watch the totally bonkers “Frontier Psychiatrist” video.
Bonus Sounds: Fans of The Avalanches waited a long time for a second album, Wild Flowers, which came out in 2016. This was followed by We Will Always Love You in 2020.
Bonus Sounds: My first encounter with Marvin Gaye was his 1982 album Midnight Love, the last release before his death, which includes the classic “Sexual Healing.”
18
Artist: Stereolab Title: Emperor Tomato Ketchup Year :1996 Favorite Tracks:
Metronomic Underground
Cybele’s Reverie,
Les Yper-Sound
The Noise of Carpet
Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Anonymous Collective
The First Time I Heard This Album …: circa 2004
Thoughts: A co-worker introduced me to Stereolab and boy howdy, I’m glad he did! This album is a standout collection of a career of catchy and experimental art rock tracks with electronic loops and samples.
Artist: The Pogues Title: Rum, Sodomy and The Lash Year: 1985 Favorite Tracks:
The Old Main Drag
The Wild Cats of Kilkenny
I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day
A Pair of Brown Eyes
Sally MacLennane
Dirty Old Town
The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1991
Thoughts: The Pogues at the their most musically raw, albeit produced by Elvis Costello, while performing story songs that get at the aching heart of humanity. The album also features bassist Cait O’Riordan’s only lead vocal on “I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day.”
Bonus Sounds: The Pogues peaked in the mid-to-late 80s but Peace and Love (1989), Hell’s Ditch (1990), and even Pogue Mahone (1996) have some good tracks.
16
Artist: The Stone Roses Title: The Stone Roses Year: 1989 Favorite Tracks:
I Wanna Be Adored
She Bangs the Drums
Waterfall
(Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister
Shoot You Down
I Am the Resurrection
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1990
Thoughts: One of the first “alternative” albums I listened to after going through my high school Classic Rock phase. The psychedelic sound drew me in and the chiming guitars, harmonies, and anthemic song structure keeps me listening.
Bonus Sounds: The Stone Roses released only one other album that wasn’t as good as their debut, but there’s a lot of good music to be found from the late 80s/early 90s Madchester sound by bands such as Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, the Charlatans, and James.
15
Artist: Radiohead Title: OK Computer Year: 1997 Favorite Tracks:
Paranoid Android
Exit Music (For a Film)
Let Down
Karma Police
No Surprises
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 2003
Thoughts: I was late to this album but it quickly became an all time favorite and Radiohead one of my favorite bands of the Nineties and Oughts.
Bonus Sounds: Pablo Honey (1993), The Bends (1995), Kid A (2000), Hail to the Thief (2003), and In Rainbows (2007) are all part of Radiohead’s excellent discography.
Thoughts: R.E.M. at the peak of their “College Rock” sound before moving onto different styles and greater commercial success. The vocals are clearer for ever which is important because the lyrics are more topical and political. But the strengths are still melodies and jangling guitars.
Bonus Sounds: R.E.M.’s run of Chronic Town E.P (1982), Murmur (1983), Reckoning (1984), Fables of the Reconstruction (1985), Lifes Rich Pageant (1986), Document (1987), and Green (1988) remains one of the great opening strings of any band (and, hey, some people think their early 90s albums are good too).
13
Artist: Björk Title : Homogenic Year: 1997 Favorite Tracks:
Hunter
Joga
Bachelorette
5 Years
All is Full of Love
The First Time I Heard This Album …: late 90s
Thoughts: Björk’s third album is the peak of her most accessible period despite it being undoubtedly strange art rock made danceable with electronic sounds.
Bonus Sounds: My favorite Björk albums are her 90s releases Debut (1993), Post (1995), and Homogenic (1997), but she continues to make extremely creative and artistic music including this year’s Fossora.
Thoughts: Prince rose to be the biggest thing in the world with a hit movie and a hit soundtrack that contains some his most memorable songs. I remember listening to this as a kid and being creeped out by the backmasking on “Darling Nikki.” But a lot of the rest of the album was a lot of fun and these songs remain my soundtrack of the Summer of 1984.
Bonus Sounds: OK, I’m going to make the announcement here, because there is so much of Prince’s music I haven’t even heard: in 2023 I plan to listen to every album Prince and his various band’s and projects ever released. Watch this space for the full reviews.
11
Artist: Fishbone Title: Truth and Soul Year: 1988 Favorite Tracks:
Freddie’s Dead
Ma & Pa
Deep Inside
Bonin’ in the Boneyard
One Day
Subliminal Fascism
Ghetto Soundwave
Change
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1991
Thoughts: This ska/funk/hardcore/et al band performed at the first “real” concert I ever attended in 1991. This album is the strongest and most cohesive album Fishbone ever released. It mixes a strong social message with a fun party vibe.
Bonus Sounds: Fishbone (1985), In Your Face (1986), and The Reality of My Surroundings (1991) are all great. After that, they got a bit too weird.
Having listened to every album on the Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, I’m making my own list. This list will be only 250 albums, although I had to make some tough cuts. The list includes a mix of works of musical genius with the pure nostalgia of some albums I’ve loved throughout my life. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts about these albums and what your favorite albums are. I will continue the countdown every other Wednesday throughout 2022.
Artist: Amy Winehouse Title: Back to Black Year: 2006 Favorite Tracks:
Rehab
You Know I’m No Good
Just Friends
Back To Black
Tears Dry on Their Own
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 2006 or 2007
Thoughts: It’s a shame that tabloid headlines and her early death overshadow Amy Winehouse’s massive talent. She was the cornerstone of a soul revival in the Oughts along with the likes of Adele, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and Joss Stone and this album is a testament to that era.
Bonus Sounds: The documentary Amy leans toward exploitative but contains footage of Winehouse developing her talent as well as how she was destroyed by the celebrity media complex. It also includes the sweetest scene of her spending time with her idol Tony Bennet.
29
Artist: Harry Belafonte Title: Belafonte at Carnegie Hall Year: 1959 Favorite Tracks:
Cotton Fields
John Henry
The Marching Saints
Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)
Jamaica Farewell
Mama Look a Boo Boo
Hava Nageela
Cu Cu Ru Cu Cu Paloma
Shennandoah
Matilda
The First Time I Heard This Album …: late 1980s
Thoughts: When I was growing up we had a collection of LPs and 45s from various relatives, and one treasure of my late Aunt Barbara was the Harry Belafonte collection. This concert performance recorded in April 1959 features Belafonte’s interpretations of African American songs, Carribean calypso, and traditional folk tunes from around the world.
Bonus Sounds: The blockbuster Calypso (1956) was the first LP to sell over a million copies and kicked off a global calypso craze. Not bad for someone who took up singing as a side gig when he couldn’t get acting parts.
Thoughts: The first album I ever heard by Sigur Rós remains the best. The sweeping orchestral arrangements are cinematic in scope. While I don’t understand the lyrics, many of which are in a language made up by Sigur Rós frontman Jonsi called Hopelandic, they still speak to me. The title track is extra special since it was playing in the delivery room when my younger child was born and means “A Good Beginning.”
Thoughts: Monáe’s masterpiece, so far, hit big in 2018 and is surprisingly only her third full-length album. It’s Monáe’s most personal album and challenges the fears of our troubled times while celebrating women, Blackness, sexuality, gender identity, and even American identity.
Bonus Sounds: I wrote my very first Music Discovery about Janelle Monáe as well as a concert review from the Dirty Computer tour.
26
Artist: The Specials Title: The Specials Year: 1980 Favorite Tracks:
Gangsters
A Message To You, Rudy
Nite Klub
Concrete Jungle
Too Much Too Young
Little Bitch
The First Time I Heard This Album …: early 90s
Thoughts: The debut album from the Two Tone ska band The Specials contains many of the band’s greatest songs and established the new genre of U.K. Ska.
Bonus Sounds: The band’s follow-up album More Specials (1980) took a strange turn into “Muzak” inspired music but is still interesting, while their more recent reunion album Encore (2019) is also pretty good.
25
Artist: The Rolling Stones Title: Beggars Banquet Year: 1968 Favorite Tracks:
Sympathy For the Devil
No Expectations
Parachute Woman
Street Fighting Man
Prodigal Son
Stray Cat Blues
Factory Girl
Salt of the Earth
The First Time I Heard This Album …: late 80s
Thoughts: The Rolling Stones were always best as a Blues band, and their best album sees them embracing roots music to create a rock & roll classic. While the Stones have never been an overtly political band, a lot of the songs on this album come from the perspective of working class people, which also makes it interesting.
Bonus Sounds: This is the third Stones’ album on my list so I’ll just reiterate that Out of Our Heads (1965), Aftermath (1966), Let It Bleed (1969), Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! (1970), Sticky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main St. (1972), and Blue & Lonesome (2016) are all worth a listen
24
Artist: Stevie Wonder Title: Talking Book Year: 1972 Favorite Tracks:
You Are the Sunshine of My Life
Superstition
Big Brother
Lookin’ For Another Pure Love
I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)
The First Time I Heard This Album …: Late 80s
Thoughts: This album has a timeless quality, it sounds like it could’ve been released this year. It must’ve been revelatory when people first heard it in 1972. Wonder experiments with numerous keyboards, synthesizers, and drums, continuing as a one-man band on many tracks, but also has numerous guest artists including Jim Gilstrap, Lani Groves, David Sandborn, Deniece Williams, Ray Parker, Jr., and Jeff Beck. Also, “Superstition” is one of the all-time great songs. It never fails to amaze me.
Bonus Sounds: This is the fourth of four Stevie Wonder albums on this list, more than any other artist, so you know you can grab any Stevie Wonder album from the 60s or 70s and you can’t go wrong!
Thoughts: Talking Heads incorporated Afrobeat sounds into their New Wave and art rock creating one of the seminal albums of the 1980s (as well as one of the defining music videos of the early MTV era).
Thoughts: When I ranked my favorite albums of all time in 2009, this was the number one album! It may seem like a demotion but really any of my top 25 could be number one and I have to rank them somehow. The late Dave Carter wrote the mystical lyrics on this album while their partner Tracy Grammer provides harmony and fiddle.
Bonus Sounds: Two of the three albums released by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer before Carter’s death made my Top 250, but the duo’s final album Drum Hat Buddha is also excellent.
21
Artist: Johnny Clegg & Savuka Title: Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World Year: 1989 Favorite Tracks:
One (Hu)’ Man One Vote
Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World
Jericho
Dela (I Know Why the Dog Howls at the Moon)
It’s An Illusion
Woman Be My Country
Warsaw 1941
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1990
Thoughts: They say the best music ever is what you were listening to when you were 17. When I was 17, I was lucky enough to be listening to Johnny Clegg & Savuka. The racially integrated band formed in South Africa during Apartheid and the music blended Western and African sounds with many lyrics in Zulu. The album is politically charged yet hopeful.
Bonus Sounds: Before Savuka, there was Juluka, a band formed by Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu that was one of the first multi-racial acts under apartheid and released several albums between 1979 and 1984. I’m also fond of the 1993 Johnny Clegg and Savuka album Heat, Dust and Dreams which reflects on the exciting times after the release of Nelson Mandela and end of apartheid.
Having listened to every album on the Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, I’m making my own list. This list will be only 250 albums, although I had to make some tough cuts. The list includes a mix of works of musical genius with the pure nostalgia of some albums I’ve loved throughout my life. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts about these albums and what your favorite albums are. I will continue the countdown every other Wednesday throughout 2022.
Artist: John Coltrane Title: A Love Supreme Year: 1964 Favorite Tracks: It’s all one suite.
The First Time I Heard This Album …: early 90s
Thoughts: As a musical suite and an expression of spirituality, A Love Supremecomes as close to perfection as humanly possible.
Bonus Sounds: I’ve enjoyed many of Coltrane’s recordings, including Blue Train (1958), Giant Steps (1960), My Favorite Things (1961) and Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (1963).
Thoughts: I found out about The Dismemberment Plan because I knew guitarist and lead vocalist Travis Morrison in college. Basically I was wondering whatever happened to him and found out, hey, he’s in this legendary Washington indie rock band I’ve never heard of before. Turns out, they were really good!
Bonus Sounds: I saw The Dismemberment Plan in concert when they reunited in 2013.
38
Artist: Sinéad O’Connor Title: I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got Year: 1990 Favorite Tracks:
I Am Stretched on Your Grave
Three Babies
The Emperor’s New Clothes
Black Boys on Mopeds
Nothing Compares 2 U
The Last Day of Our Acquaintance
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1990
Thoughts: Despite her shaved head and radical for Reagan/Bush America opinions, Sinéad O’Connor managed to become a star loved by the cool alternative kids and their Boomer parents (especially if those parents were Irish-American). O’Connor’s dynamic voice powers an eclectic mix of song styles on her most famous album.
Bonus Sounds: I’m also fond of O’Connor’s debut album The Lion and the Cobra (1987).
Thoughts: Prince and the Revolution exploded onto the scene with this album in 1982. I still remember hearing Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” for the first time on Casey Kasem’s “America’s Top 40.” Prince was probably too raunchy for me, and while three singles got a lot of airplay the rest of this album was and probably is to sexy for radio. It remains an amazing collection by an artist at the top of his game.
Bonus Sounds: There’s one more album from Prince and the Revolution to come, but the late, great Prince Rogers Nelson is responsible for so much great music that you could start with just about anything and hear something amazing.
36
Artist: Robert Johnson Title: The Complete Recordings Year: 1936-1937/1990 Favorite Tracks:
Sweet Home Chicago
When You Got a Good Friend
Come On in My Kitchen
32-20 Blues
They’re Red Hot
Cross Road Blues
Walkin’ Blues
Last Fair Deal Gone Down
From Four Until Late
Traveling Riverside Blues
Love in Vain
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1990
Thoughts: Disabuse yourself of the myths. Robert Johnson did not sell his soul to the devil at the crossroads. Blues men accompanying themselves on guitar were not the standard in the 1920s-40s (in fact women singing with bands were the Blues hitmakers). Rock & roll did not evolve from Robert Johnson, but he was adopted by British R&B enthusiasts after his music was re-released in the 1960s. The truth is, Robert Johnson was a talented guitarist who recorded a couple of dozen songs in the mid-30s and the sound of those tunes reverberates through the ages.
Bonus Sounds: This album collects all of Johnson’s known recordings, but had he lived longer he would have participated in the series of Carnegie Hall concerts of 1938-1939 known as From Spirituals to Swing.
35
Artist: Charles Mingus Title: Mingus Ah Um Year: 1959 Favorite Tracks:
Better Git It in Your Soul
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
Boogie Stop Shuffle
Fables of Faubus
The First Time I Heard This Album …: early 1990s
Thoughts: I can’t remember who introduced me to Charles Mingus’ work, but I started listening to his music in my college years and it really changed my understanding of what jazz could be. This album draws inspiration from Duke Ellington while incorporating the bop styles of the 1950s (or the “modern jazz”) that Chuck Berry has no kick about). Mingus and his band play the tunes fast and slow and it’s all inspired and gets in your soul
Bonus Sounds: You probably can’t go wrong with Mingus, but I’ve enjoyed The Clown (1957) and Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (1964).
34
Artist: Camera Obscura Title: Let’s Get Out of this Country Year: 2006 Favorite Tracks:
Lloyd, I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken
Tears for Affairs
Let’s Get Out of This Country
Country Mile
I Need All the Friends I Can Get
Razzle Dazzle Rose
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 2006
Thoughts: Scottish band Camera Obscura emerged from the twee pop scene of the Oughts. The sweet voice of Tracyanne Campbell floats above a bed of sonically-dense baroque pop. It’s exquisite.
Bonus Sounds: Campbell continues to record in the duo Tracyanne & Danny.
33
Artist: Tom Waits Title: Rain Dogs Year: 1985 Favorite Tracks:
Clap Hands
Jockey Full of Bourbon
Hang Down Your Head
Time
Downtown Train
Anywhere I Lay My Head
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 199-something
Thoughts: Waits’ most famous album has his voice in a fully-developed growl over hallucinogenic carnival music. One of the great albums of the 1980s.
Bonus Sounds: I have a particular fondness for the amusicality of Tom Waits and Keith Richards singing the standard “Shenandoah.”
32
Artist: The Breeders Title: Last Splash Year: 1993 Favorite Tracks:
Cannonball
Roi
I Just Wanna Get Along
Divine Hammer
Saints
Drivin’ on 9
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1993
Thoughts: The Breeders originally was a side project for Pixies’ bassist Kim Deal, but this album became omnipresent in 1993. One could not walk through a dormitory on my college campus without hearing “Cannonball” playing from someone’s stereo.
Bonus Sounds: The Breeders have made some great music from their debut album Pod (1990) to their most recent release All Nerve (2018), which reunited the same lineup that made Last Splash.
Thoughts: The Boston post-punk band released just one full-length studio album in the 1980s but it is a practically perfect one.
Bonus Sounds: Mission of Burma’s debut release Signals, Calls, and Marches (1981) was a terrific 20 minutes of post-punk brilliance. It has grown longer in re-releases with added tracks that pretty much have promoted it from an EP to an LP.
Panorama of the Mountains 