Favorite Albums of All Time: 220-211

2022-02-232022-02-14 ~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

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.

220

Artist: The Kevin Hanson Trio
Title: BullsEye
Year: 2001
Favorite Tracks:

I Wish
Circus
Just Because
Make Sweet Love

The First Time I Heard This Album …: Kevin Hanson performed at Club Passim. I feel like he opened for another artist I was more familiar with or was part of a multi-artists panel? Anyway, I got the CD at the merch table.

Thoughts: Last time I ranked my all-time favorite albums back in 2009, I placed this album at #4. I kind of feel like I was showing off by having a rather obscure album ranked so high. Finding anything about the album online was a challenge, but eventually I found it streaming under the band name The Fractals. And … it’s still pretty darn good music that holds up well. So, check it out if you can.

Bonus Sounds: It was hard enough to find this album, much less anything else by the Kevin Hanson Trio.

219

Artist: Nina Simone
Title: Wild is the Wind
Year: 1996
Favorite Tracks:

I Love Your Lovin’ Ways
Four Women
Lilac Wine
Break Down and Let It All Out
EIther Way I Lose

The First Time I Heard This Album …: Counting down the Rolling Stone 500.

Thoughts: Nina Simone feels like a one-person review of popular music and still something uniquely of her own. This album dips into Jazz, blues, folk, and R&B with themes varying from simple love songs to the multi-generational trials of Black women. It’s really quite amazing!

Bonus Sounds: A good introduction to the life and art of Nina Simone is the 2015 documentary What Happened Miss Simone?

218

Artist: Curtis Mayfield
Title: Superfly
Year: 1972
Favorite Tracks:

Pusherman
Freddie’s Dead
Superfly

The First Time I Heard This Album …: Another favorite from the Rolling Stone 500 project.

Thoughts: This soundtrack for a Blaxploitation film also works as a concept album dealing with the struggles of Black urbanites contending with racial discrimination, crime, and substance abuse. The music is also super funky!

Bonus Sounds: An early 1990s compilation called Pimps, Players, & Private Eyes was an introduction to me for a lot of the funk and soul classics that scored Blaxploitation films in the 1970s.

217

Artist: Marvin Gaye
Title: Let’s Get It On
Year: 1973
Favorite Tracks:

Let’s Get It On
Come Get To This
You Sure Love To Ball
Just to Keep You Satisfied

The First Time I Heard This Album …: Early 2000s? Maybe earlier?

Thoughts: Marvin Gaye puts the most courteous and persuasive request for sexual intercourse to music. The album explores the spiritual and healing powers of sexuality with the same consciousness of Gaye’s social justice songs on What’s Going On? The only flaw with this album is that it’s way too short.

Bonus Sounds: Marvin Gaye will be on this list again, but my first experience to hearing Gaye as a child was his brilliant 1982 sing “Sexual Healing.”

216

Artist: The Rolling Stones
Title: Exile on Main Street
Year: 1972
Favorite Tracks:

Shake Your Hips
Tumbling Dice
Torn and Frayed
Loving Cup
Let It Loose
Shine A Light

The First Time I Heard This Album …: Sometime in the late 80s when I got a bunch of old Rolling Stones albums on cassette.

Thoughts: For most of their history, the Rolling Stones have been a great singles band. But from 1968-1972, the band released four consecutive albums that are masterpieces in their own right. The final of these four albums, Exile on Main Street, didn’t spawn any huge hits and really all the songs work best in the context of the album. Listening to this album feels like going to a roadside bar somewhere in rural America (in a magic place where rhythm and blues and country get equal billing) and listening to the local bands rock out. On a good night, and after a few drinks, you might even exclaim that this is the best band ever, even if no one outside your county has ever heard of them. Except, of course, this is music is from one of the most famous bands ever. I like some of the other Rolling Stones’ albums better musically, but Exile on Main Street is that works best as a cohesive entity.

Bonus Sounds: The Stones like to be known as a Blues band and in 2016 released an excellent collection of cover songs of Chicago Blues classics, Blue & Lonesome, that makes a good companion to Exile.

215

Artist: Richard Shindell
Title: Courier
Year: 2002
Favorite Tracks:

Next Best Western
Reunion Hill
Fishing
A Summer Wind, A Cotton Dress
On a Sea of Fleur de Lis
Are You Happy Now?
Transit
Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)

The First Time I Heard This Album …: Got it when it came out in 2002.

Thoughts: Richard Shindell is one of my favorite singer-songwriters that I became acquainted with during my Folk Music Period (circa 1997-2005). Including a live album on this list is kind of a sneaky way of getting past my “no greatest hit rule.” But having seen Shindell perform several times at Club Passim and elsewhere, I believe him to be one of those artists who just sounds better in live performance.

Bonus Sounds: I’ve lost track of Richard Shindell’s career in recent years but his early discography is excellent. I’ve enjoyed all of these albums.

Sparrows Point (1992)
Blue Divide (1994)
Reunion Hill (1997)
Somewhere Near Paterson (2000)
Vuelta ( 2004)

214

Artist: Franz Ferdinand
Title: You Could Have It So Much Better
Year: 2005
Favorite Tracks:

Do You Want To
This Boy
Walk Away
Evil and a Heathen
You’re the Reason I’m Leaving
What You Meant

The First Time I Heard This Album …:I can’t remember who recommended this to me, circa 2005, but thank you anonymous person!

Thoughts: As I write these reflections on my favorite albums, I’m realizing that I went through a lot of periods of styles of music that I listened to. One of these periods was my Punk/New Wave/Post-Punk period of roughly 2002-2008. This meant I was largely listening to music made ~25 years earlier, but it also coincided with new music made for a Post-Punk Revival of which Franz Ferdinand were a prominent part.

Bonus Sounds: Other works of Franz Ferdinand didn’t resonate with me as much as this album. Another great album from the Post-Punk Revival that I like but didn’t crack my 250 is The Strokes Is This It.

213

Artist: U2
Title: The Joshua Tree
Year: 1987
Favorite Tracks:

Where the Streets Have No Name
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
With or Without You
Red Hill Mining Town
One Tree Hill

The First Time I Heard This Album …: My sister got the cassette right after it came out.

Thoughts: I was never a U2 superfan but I’ve usually liked their music well enough. U2 began to become known in the U.S. in the mid-80s, and among the Irish-American community there was a special pride and curiosity about a rock band from Dublin. My Dad, of course, disliked his copy of War someone gave him because it sounding nothing like Irish trad. The Joshua Tree launched U2 into the level of super-stardom in the U.S. I remember that the album and “With or Without You” were released in March 1987, and thus a lot of the promotion was tied to St. Patrick’s Day. Of course, U2 drew their influence for this album from a mythical America so it’s not St. Patrick’s Day content, at least by the standards of someone like my Dad.

Bonus Sounds: There is more U2 to come in this list, but I gave strong consideration to several of their pre-Joshua Tree albums.

Boy (1980)
War (1983)
Under a Blood Red Sky (1983)
The Unforgettable Fire (1984)

212

Artist: Fiona Apple
Title: Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Year: 2020
Favorite Tracks:

Shameika
Relay
Ladies
Cosmonauts
For Her

The First Time I Heard This Album …: June 2020

Thoughts: I’ve come to associate this album with the Stay at Home period of the early pandemic. It seems suitable since musically and thematically it’s all about catharsis and release.

Bonus Sounds: Fiona Apple first made waves way back in the 90s when she showed that someone who is very petite could sing with a really big voice on “Criminal.”

211

Artist: Run the Jewels
Title: RTJ4
Year: 2020
Favorite Tracks:

ooh la la (feat. Greg Nice and DJ Premier)
walking in the snow
JU$T (feat. Pharrell Williams and Zach de la Rocha)
a few words for the firing squad (radiation)

The First Time I Heard This Album …: June 2020

Thoughts: Another album from the hell year of 2020 that I associate with the summer of rage in response to the murder of George Floyd. The album was obviously not created in response to Floyd’s murder but reflects the sad repetition of the devaluation of Black lives. That being said, this album also has moments celebrating Black joy.

Bonus Sounds: Run the Jewels previous album Run the Jewels 3 was also under consideration for this list.

Music Discoveries: Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 130-121

2021-10-012021-09-23 ~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

In September 2020, Rolling Stone magazine released their most recent list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, which includes a greater variety of artists and genres than previous lists. Looking through the list, there were many albums I’d never listened to before and a few I’d never even heard of. In fact, counting it up, I found that I’d only listened to 140 of the albums, although I’d heard songs from many more. So I’ve decided my project for 2021 is to listen to 10 albums each week and write up some thoughts about each one.

Previous Posts:

500-491	400-381	300-291	200-191
490-481	390-381	290-281	190-181
480-471	380-371	280-271	180-171
470-461	370-361	270-261	170-161
460-451	360-351	260-251	160-151
450-441	350-341	250-241	150-141
440-431	340-331	240-231	140-131
430-421	330-321	230-221
420-411	320-311	220-211
410-401	310-301	210-201

Artist: Prince
Album: 1999
Year: 1982
Label: Warner Bros.
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?:Yes
Favorite Tracks:

“1999”
“Little Red Corvette”
“Delirious”
“D.M.S.R.”
“Lady Cab Driver”

Thoughts: We’re clearly getting into brilliant album territory here. 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.

Artist: Pink Floyd
Album: The Wall
Year: 1979
Label: Columbia
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: No
Favorite Tracks:

“Another Brick in the Wall, Part II”
“Comfortably Numb”

Thoughts: I flinched when I saw that this album contains 26 tracks, meaning approximately 96 hours of prog rock. Do I really need to listen to every minute of every album on this list? But, in the end, I did. It’s always fun to sing along with a chorus of disaffected English school children on “Another Brick in the Wall, Part II,” one of the strangest songs ever to reach Number One in the US. Actually, a lot of this album sounds familiar. Klassik Rawk radio sure loves Pink Floyd, so I heard a lot of these tracks as background music at some point in my life.

Artist: Queen
Album: A Night at the Opera
Year: 1975
Label: Elektra
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Maybe?
Favorite Tracks:

“You’re My Best Friend”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”

Thoughts: We’ve apparently reached the over-top-dramatic prog rock of the 1970s portion of the list. I’ve never been too keen on Queen although I’ve softened over time. And I’ve got to give the band credit for liking Marx Brothers movies. I’ve got to admit that there’s quite a bit of eclecticism that I never was previously aware of from Queen, including music musical all (“Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon” and “Seaside Rendezvous”), proto-yacht rock (“You’re My Best Friend”), folk rock (“’39”), and Dixieland jazz (“Good Company”). Plus, whatever “Bohemian Rhapsody” is. I guess this whole project is softening my long-held musical opinions!

Artist: Ray Charles
Album: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Year: 1962
Label: ABC-Paramount
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?:
Favorite Tracks:

“You Don’t Know Me”
“Just a Little Lovin’ (Will Go a Long Way)”
“Careless Love”
“I Can’t Stop Loving You”
“Hey, Good Lookin'”

Thoughts: There have always been Black artists in Country & Western music, and later soul and hip hop artists like Lionel Richie and Lil Nas X have made Country their own. But it was still a bold proclamation by Ray Charles in the midst of the Civil Rights Era to declare he was making the “modern sound” of country and western music. Charles takes a number of Nashville tunes and with a big band orchestra and lush strings, makes them soulful and swing!

Artist: Mary J. Blige
Album: My Life
Year: 1994
Label: Uptown
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: No
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: No
Favorite Tracks:

“You Bring Me Joy”
“I’m Going Down”

Thoughts: This is a quality R&B album with thoughtful, introspective lyrics. I feel bad that I appreciate it more than I love it.

Artist: Beastie Boys
Album: Paul’s Boutique
Year: 1989
Label: Capitol
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:

“Shake Your Rump”
“The Sounds of Science”
“What Comes Around”
“Shadrach”

Thoughts: I’ve gravely underappreciated the Beastie Boys over time. After their bratty debut album, I had no interest in hearing Paul’s Boutique. It’s too bad because I’ve always liked the art of sampling when sound collages are created and the original source is barely recognizable if at all. I loved De La Soul’s masterpiece 3 Feet High and Rising (also released in 1989) and would go on to love the work of The Avalanches, The Go! Team and similar artists. Now, I know that Paul’s Boutique is another classic of sampling.

Artist: U2
Album: Achtung Baby
Year: 1991
Label: Island
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:

Not a bad song on this album.

Thoughts: Over the 70s & 80s there was a parallels stream of popular music known as punk, new wave, post-punk, synthpop, college rock, modern rock, alternative rock, and various other appellations. U2 was certainly part of this stream before hitting it big with The Joshua Tree in 1987. Then 1991 came, “the year that punk broke.” R.E.M. kicked the year off with Out of Time becoming a big success, albeit with the band adopting a more commercial radio sound. Then Nirvana’s Nevermind blew up while being unapologetically “grunge.” Before the year was out, U2 released Achtung Baby, which would have probably been a hit regardless, but it sounded nothing like anything U2 had released before. The band entirely reinvented their image and sound incorporating industrial and electronic music influences. I was middle-of-the-road on U2 prior to 1991, but I loved Achtung Baby and it continues to hold up as the band’s best album.

Artist: Led Zeppelin
Album: Led Zeppelin II
Year: 1969
Label: Atlantic
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:

“Whole Lotta Love”
“Heartbreaker”
“Ramble On”
“Moby Dick”

Thoughts: Early Led Zeppelin was deeply invested in the traditions of American guitar-based Blues artists before the band began to evolve to incorporate folk music, mysticism, and art rock in their later incarnations. Appropriately this album includes three covers of songs by Chicago Blues songs by Willie Dixon and Howlin’ Wolf. The songs serve as a showcase of the band member’s skills on guitars, drums, and screeching vocals.

Artist: Nine Inch Nails
Album: The Downward Spiral
Year: 1994
Label: Nothing/Interscope
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:

“March of the Pigs”
“Closer”
“Hurt”

Thoughts: A friend and I once wrote a poem that began with the line “I want to fuck you like a plant.” It was pretty funny.

This video, however, is quite disturbing.

Artist: Elvis Costello
Album: This Year’s Model
Year: 1978
Label: Columbia
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:

“Pump It Up”
“(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea”
“Radio, Radio”

Thoughts: There are some good tracks on this one but I like My Aim is True more as an album. “(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea” is a total banger, though.

Running List of Albums I’d Listen to Again

500. Arcade Fire, Funeral
498. Suicide, Suicide
497. Various Artists, The Indestructible Beat of Soweto
494. The Ronettes, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes
489. A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector from Phil Spector and Various Artists, Back to Mono (1958-1969)
487. Black Flag, Damaged
485. Richard and Linda Thompson, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
483. Muddy Waters, The Anthology
482. The Pharcyde, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde
481. Belle and Sebastian, If You’re Feeling Sinister
478. The Kinks, Something Else by the Kinks
477. Howlin’ Wolf, Moanin’ in the Moonlight
469.Manu Chao, Clandestino
465. King Sunny Adé, The Best of the Classic Years
464. The Isley Brothers, 3 + 3
462. The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Gilded Palace of Sin
459. Kid Cudi, Man on the Moon: The End of the Day
457. Sinéad O’Connor, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got
456. Al Green, Greatest Hits
455. Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley/Go Bo Diddley
453. Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine
452. Diana Ross and the Supremes, Anthology
451. Roberta Flack, First Take
448. Otis Redding, Dictionary of Soul
446. Alice Coltrane, Journey in Satchidanada
444. Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine
443. David Bowie, Scary Monsters
440. Loretta Lynn, Coal Miner’s Daughter
439. James Brown, Sex Machine
438. Blur, Parklife
437. Primal Scream, Screamadelica
435. Pet Shop Boys, Actually
433. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
431. Los Lobos, How Will the Wolf Survive?
430. Elvis Costello, My Aim Is True
429. The Four Tops, Reach Out
428. Hüsker Dü, New Day Rising
427. Al Green, Call Me
426. Lucinda Williams, Lucinda Williams
425. Paul Simon, Paul Simon
424. Beck, Odelay
423. Yo La Tengo, I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One
422. Marvin Gaye, Let’s Get It On
421. M.I.A., Arular
417. Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come
416. The Roots, Things Fall Apart
415. The Meters, Looka Py Py
414. Chic, Risqué
413. Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cosmo’s Factory
412. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Going to a Go Go
409. Grateful Dead, Workingman’s Dead
408. Motörhead, Ace of Spades
406. Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs
405. Various, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era
403. Ghostface Killah, Supreme Clientele
402. Fela Kuti and Africa 70, Expensive Shit
401. Blondie, Blondie
400. The Go-Go’s, Beauty and the Beat
398. The Raincoats, The Raincoats
397. Billie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
395. D’Angelo and the Vanguard, Black Messiah
392. Ike and Tina Turner, Proud Mary: The Best of Ike and Tina Turner
390. Pixies, Surfer Rosa
388. Aretha Franklin, Young, Gifted and Black
387. Radiohead, In Rainbows
386. J Dilla, Donuts
385. Ramones, Rocket to Russia
384. The Kinks, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
380. Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah Um
378. Run-DMC, Run-D.M.C.
377. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever to Tell
375. Green Day, Dookie
374. Robert Johnson, King of the Delta Blues Singers
373. Isaac Hayes, Hot Buttered Soul
371. The Temptations, Anthology
369. Mobb Deep, The Infamous
368. George Harrison, All Things Must Pass
365. Madvillain, Madvillainy
364. Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings and Food
363. Parliament, The Mothership Connection
360. Funkadelic, One Nation Under a Groove
358. Sonic Youth, Goo
357. Tom Waits, Rain Dogs
356. Dr. John, Gris-Gris
354. X-Ray Spex, Germfree Adolescents
351. Roxy Music, For Your Pleasure
350. Stevie Wonder, Music of My Mind
349. MC5, Kick Out the Jams
348. Gillian Welch, Time (The Revelator)
347. GZA, Liquid Swords
346. Arctic Monkeys, AM
345. Bruce Springsteen, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
344. Toots and the Maytals, Funky Kingston
343. Sly and the Family Stone, Greatest Hits
342. The Beatles, Let It Be
341. The Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream
338. Brian Eno, Another Green World
337. Bob Dylan, John Wesley Harding
335. Bob Dylan and the Band, The Basement Tapes
334. Santana, Abraxas
333. Bill Withers, Still Bill
332. Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley
330. The Rolling Stones, Aftermath
329. DJ Shadow, Endtroducing…
328. Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City
326. Prince, Dirty Mind
323.The Clash, Sandinista!
320. X, Los Angeles
319. The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses
317. Billie Holiday, Lady in Satin
316. The Who, The Who Sell Out
310. Wire, Pink Flag
309. Joy Division, Closer
308. Brian Eno, Here Come the Warm Jets
307. Sam Cooke, Portrait of a Legend
306. Al Green, I’m Still In Love With You
304. Bill Withers, Just As I Am
301. New York Dolls, New York Dolls
299. B.B. King, Live at the Regal
297. Peter Gabriel, So
294. Weezer, Weezer
293. The Breeders, Last Splash
292. Van Halen, Van Halen
289. Björk, Post
288. The Modern Lovers, The Modern Lovers
287. The Byrds, Mr. Tambourine Man
283. Donna Summer, Bad Girls
282. Frank Sinatra, In the Wee Small Hours
279. Nirvana, MTV Unplugged in New York
278. Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy
276. Radiohead, The Bends
275. Curtis Mayfield, Curtis
274. The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo
273. Gang of Four, Entertainment!
272. The Velvet Underground, White Light/White Heat
267. Minutemen, Double Nickels on the Dime
266. The Beatles, Help!
263. The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night
262. New Order, Power, Corruption & Lies
261. Beastie Boys, Check Your Head
260. The Slits, Cut
259. Janis Joplin, Pearl
257. Dolly Parton, Coat of Many Colors
256. Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman
254. Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters
252. Devo, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
250. Buzzcocks, Singles Going Steady
246. LL Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out
245. Cocteau Twins, Heaven of Las Vegas
242. The Velvet Underground, Loaded
240. Sam Cooke, Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963
239. Boogie Down Productions, Criminal Minded
238. Kraftwerk, Trans Europe Express
237. Willie Nelson, Red Headed Stranger
236. Daft Punk, Discovery
232. John Coltrane, Giant Steps
229. Patsy Cline, The Ultimate Collection
228. De La Soul, De La Soul Is Dead
227. Little Richard, Here’s Little Richard
226. Derek and the Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
223. John Lennon, Imagine
221. Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine
220. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Déjà Vu
215. Grateful Dead, American Beauty
213. Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel…
212. Nina Simone, Wild is the Wind
211. Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures
210. Ray Charles, The Birth of Soul
209. Run-DMC, Raising Hell
206. David Bowie, Low
205. Cat Stevens, Tea for the Tillerman
202. Björk, Homogenic
201. A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders
198. The B-52’s, The B-52’s
197. The Beatles, Meet the Beatles!
195. Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen
193. Creedence Clearwater Revival, Willy and the Poor Boys
192. Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill
191. Etta James, At Last!
190. The Who, Tommy
189. Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out
185. The Rolling Stones, Beggars Banquet
184. Cyndi Lauper, She’s So Unusual
181. Bob Dylan, Bringing It All Back Home
178. Otis Redding, Otis Blue
177. Rod Stewart, Every Picture Tells a Story
176. Public Enemy, Fear of a Black Planet
175. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
174. Jimmy Cliff and Various Artists, The Harder They Come: Original Soundtrack
173. Nirvana, In Utero
172. Simon and Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water
171. Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation
170. Cream, Disraeli Gears
169. Billy Joel, The Stranger
167. Depeche Mode, Violator
166. Buddy Holly, 20 Golden Greats
165. R.E.M., Murmur
164. Johnny Cash, At Folsom Prison
162. Pulp, Different Class
161. Crosby, Stills & Nash, Crosby, Stills, & Nash
156. The Replacements, Let it Be
155. Jay-Z, The Black Album
154. Aretha Franklin, Amazing Grace
153. PJ Harvey, Rid of Me
150. Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska
149. John Prine, John Prine
148. Frank Ocean, Channel Orange
146. Blondie, Parallel Lines
144. Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti
143. The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground
142. Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A.
141. Pixies, Doolittle
140. Bob Marley and the Wailers, Catch a Fire
139. Black Sabbath, Paranoid‘
138. Madonna, The Immaculate Collection
137. Adele, 21
136. Funkadelic, Maggot Brain
135. U2, The Joshua Tree
134. Fugees, ‘he Score
132. Hank Williams, 40 Greatest Hits
131. Portishead, Dummy
130. Prince, 1999
127. Ray Charles, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
125. Beastie Boys, Paul’s Boutique
124. U2, Achtung Baby
123. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II
122. Nine Inch Nails, The Downward Spiral
121. Elvis Costello, This Year’s Model

Music Discoveries: Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 140-131

2021-09-242021-09-19 ~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

A year ago, Rolling Stone magazine released their most recent list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, which includes a greater variety of artists and genres than previous lists. Looking through the list, there were many albums I’d never listened to before and a few I’d never even heard of. In fact, counting it up, I found that I’d only listened to 140 of the albums, although I’d heard songs from many more. So I’ve decided my project for 2021 is to listen to 10 albums each week and write up some thoughts about each one.

Previous Posts:

500-491	400-381	300-291	200-191
490-481	390-381	290-281	190-181
480-471	380-371	280-271	180-171
470-461	370-361	270-261	170-161
460-451	360-351	260-251	160-151
450-441	350-341	250-241	150-141
440-431	340-331	240-231
430-421	330-321	230-221
420-411	320-311	220-211
410-401	310-301	210-201

Artist: Bob Marley and The Wailers
Album: Catch A Fire
Year: 1973
Label: Island
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?:
Favorite Tracks:

“Concrete Jungle”
“Stop That Train”
“Baby We’ve Got a Date (Rock It Baby)”
“Stir It Up”
“No More Trouble”

Thoughts: Kind of amazing when you have an album that has banger after banger and realize that it’s not a compilation album. In fact, Catch a Fire is just the first of a stretch of albums where Bob Marley and Co. will churn out great song after great song.

Artist: Black Sabbath
Album: Paranoid
Year: 1970
Label: Vertigo
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:

“War Pigs/Luke’s Fire”
“Paranoid”
“Iron Man”

Thoughts: I grew up in the 80s when Heavy Metal was a dominant force in music and one that was considered rebellious, dangerous, and scary. Then in the 90s it got reclassified as “hair band music” and played on VH-1 which previously had only played light rock. Listening to this album I tried to put my mind in 1970 and imagine what hearing this type of music would’ve sounded like to people at the time. Probably dangerous and scary, but also evocative of the Vietnam War Era malaise. Musically it sounds more like contemporaries Led Zeppelin than 80s Heavy Metal, but the seeds are there.

Artist: Madonna
Album: The Immaculate Collection
Year: 1990
Label: Sire
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:

“Holiday”
“Borderline”
“Into the Groove”
“Live to Tell”
“Like A Prayer”
“Express Yourself”
“Vogue”

Thoughts: I’ve grumbled about Rolling Stone including compilation albums in this list but it seems especially egregious for a groundbreaking female artist who dominated pop music over three decades. Madonna charted 9 number one albums, and her debut album was the only one not to make it to Top 5 (it was #8), so you think that there would be plentiful albums to choose from. Anyhow this album collects all the 80s hits that made Madonna a star, if that’s your thing.

Artist: Adele
Album: 21
Year: 2011
Label: Columbia
Have I Listened to This Album Before?:Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:

“Rolling in the Deep”
“Rumor Has It”
“Set Fire to the Rain”
“I’ll Be Waiting”
“Someone Like You”

Thoughts: I remember first hearing “Rolling in the Deep” and being wowed by the powerful voice channeling Aretha Franklin coming out a young English woman. Soon enough, Adele was everywhere and her songs were filling the airwaves (which was a good thing). The album is called 21, but Adele seems to sing from experience beyond her years. Honestly, it’s hard to believe that this album is 10 years old already.

Artist: Funkadelic
Album: Maggot Brain
Year: 1971
Label: Westbound
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:

“Maggot Brain”
“Can You Get to That”
“Super Stupid”

Thoughts: This is a brilliant, amazing album and it’s shameful that I never heard it until 5 years ago, nor does it have more widespread exposure. It feels like a whole lot of music made it the past 50 years owes its origins to the music on this album. Previously discussed in my P-Funk Music Discovery.

Artist: U2
Album: The Joshua Tree
Year: 1987
Label: Island
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?:
Favorite Tracks:

“Where the Streets Have No Name”
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
“With or Without You”
“Red Hill Mining Town”
“One Tree Hill”

Thoughts: I was never a U2 superfan but I’ve usually liked their music well enough. U2 began to become known in the U.S. in the mid-80s, and among the Irish-American community there was a special pride and curiosity about a rock band from Dublin. My Dad, of course, disliked his copy of War someone gave him because it sounding nothing like Irish trad. The Joshua Tree launched U2 into the level of super-stardom in the U.S. I remember that the album and “With or Without You” were released in March 1987, and thus a lot of the promotion was tied to St. Patrick’s Day. Of course, U2 drew their influence for this album from a mythical America so it’s not St. Patrick’s Day content, at least by the standards of someone like my Dad.

Artist: The Fugees
Album: The Score
Year: 1996
Label: Columbia
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:

“How Many Mics”
“Fu-Gee-La”
“Cowboyrs”

Thoughts: Memory is a weird thing. I was certain that I remembered The Fugees cover of “Killing Me Softly” coming out when I was in college. In reality, it came out 5 years after I graduated college. At any rate, as you can imagine, I’ve not paid much attention to The Fugees before now. For one thing, I never knew that the members of the band are Haitian-American. As for the tunes, they are melodic with a smooth flow, clever samples, and great beats. I think I like it!

Artist: Joni Mitchell
Album: Hejira
Year: 1976
Label: Asylum
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: No
Would I Listen to this Album Again?:
Favorite Tracks: none

Thoughts: I’m just gonna put it out there: I don’t get Joni Mitchell.

Artist: Hank Williams
Album: 40 Greatest Hits
Year: 1978
Label: Polydor
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:

“Lost Highway”
“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
“I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You)”
“Crazy Heart”
“(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle”
“I’m Sorry For You My Friend”
“Your Cheatin’ Heart”
“I Won’t Be Home No More”
“I Saw the Light”

Thoughts: When I hear the name “Hank Williams,” I think of the “Are You Ready For Some Football” guy. But that’s Hank Williams, Jr. who was a very young child when his father died. When I comes to country music, I favor old-timey sounds to more contemporary country which is fused with rock or pop balladry. Hank Williams, Sr.’ s music sounds like it should be coming out of a crackly radio in an old car or diner (as it did in The Last Picture Show).

Artist: Portishead
Album: Dummy
Year: 1994
Label: Go! Beat
Have I Listened to This Album Before?:Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?:
Favorite Tracks:

“Sour Times”
“Strangers”
“Numb”
“Wandering Star”
“Glory Box”

Thoughts: Probably a perfect album. Portishead combines a lot of things that were going on at the time in the 90s – hip-hop rhythms, creative samples, and ambience galore. The music could be described as “chill-out” if only the tension were not constantly be ratcheting up. The alluring vocals of Beth Gibbons carry the songs into an effervescent place.

Running List of Albums I’d Listen to Again

500. Arcade Fire, Funeral
498. Suicide, Suicide
497. Various Artists, The Indestructible Beat of Soweto
494. The Ronettes, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes
489. A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector from Phil Spector and Various Artists, Back to Mono (1958-1969)
487. Black Flag, Damaged
485. Richard and Linda Thompson, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
483. Muddy Waters, The Anthology
482. The Pharcyde, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde
481. Belle and Sebastian, If You’re Feeling Sinister
478. The Kinks, Something Else by the Kinks
477. Howlin’ Wolf, Moanin’ in the Moonlight
469.Manu Chao, Clandestino
465. King Sunny Adé, The Best of the Classic Years
464. The Isley Brothers, 3 + 3
462. The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Gilded Palace of Sin
459. Kid Cudi, Man on the Moon: The End of the Day
457. Sinéad O’Connor, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got
456. Al Green, Greatest Hits
455. Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley/Go Bo Diddley
453. Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine
452. Diana Ross and the Supremes, Anthology
451. Roberta Flack, First Take
448. Otis Redding, Dictionary of Soul
446. Alice Coltrane, Journey in Satchidanada
444. Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine
443. David Bowie, Scary Monsters
440. Loretta Lynn, Coal Miner’s Daughter
439. James Brown, Sex Machine
438. Blur, Parklife
437. Primal Scream, Screamadelica
435. Pet Shop Boys, Actually
433. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
431. Los Lobos, How Will the Wolf Survive?
430. Elvis Costello, My Aim Is True
429. The Four Tops, Reach Out
428. Hüsker Dü, New Day Rising
427. Al Green, Call Me
426. Lucinda Williams, Lucinda Williams
425. Paul Simon, Paul Simon
424. Beck, Odelay
423. Yo La Tengo, I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One
422. Marvin Gaye, Let’s Get It On
421. M.I.A., Arular
417. Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come
416. The Roots, Things Fall Apart
415. The Meters, Looka Py Py
414. Chic, Risqué
413. Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cosmo’s Factory
412. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Going to a Go Go
409. Grateful Dead, Workingman’s Dead
408. Motörhead, Ace of Spades
406. Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs
405. Various, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era
403. Ghostface Killah, Supreme Clientele
402. Fela Kuti and Africa 70, Expensive Shit
401. Blondie, Blondie
400. The Go-Go’s, Beauty and the Beat
398. The Raincoats, The Raincoats
397. Billie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
395. D’Angelo and the Vanguard, Black Messiah
392. Ike and Tina Turner, Proud Mary: The Best of Ike and Tina Turner
390. Pixies, Surfer Rosa
388. Aretha Franklin, Young, Gifted and Black
387. Radiohead, In Rainbows
386. J Dilla, Donuts
385. Ramones, Rocket to Russia
384. The Kinks, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
380. Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah Um
378. Run-DMC, Run-D.M.C.
377. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever to Tell
375. Green Day, Dookie
374. Robert Johnson, King of the Delta Blues Singers
373. Isaac Hayes, Hot Buttered Soul
371. The Temptations, Anthology
369. Mobb Deep, The Infamous
368. George Harrison, All Things Must Pass
365. Madvillain, Madvillainy
364. Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings and Food
363. Parliament, The Mothership Connection
360. Funkadelic, One Nation Under a Groove
358. Sonic Youth, Goo
357. Tom Waits, Rain Dogs
356. Dr. John, Gris-Gris
354. X-Ray Spex, Germfree Adolescents
351. Roxy Music, For Your Pleasure
350. Stevie Wonder, Music of My Mind
349. MC5, Kick Out the Jams
348. Gillian Welch, Time (The Revelator)
347. GZA, Liquid Swords
346. Arctic Monkeys, AM
345. Bruce Springsteen, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
344. Toots and the Maytals, Funky Kingston
343. Sly and the Family Stone, Greatest Hits
342. The Beatles, Let It Be
341. The Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream
338. Brian Eno, Another Green World
337. Bob Dylan, John Wesley Harding
335. Bob Dylan and the Band, The Basement Tapes
334. Santana, Abraxas
333. Bill Withers, Still Bill
332. Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley
330. The Rolling Stones, Aftermath
329. DJ Shadow, Endtroducing…
328. Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City
326. Prince, Dirty Mind
323.The Clash, Sandinista!
320. X, Los Angeles
319. The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses
317. Billie Holiday, Lady in Satin
316. The Who, The Who Sell Out
310. Wire, Pink Flag
309. Joy Division, Closer
308. Brian Eno, Here Come the Warm Jets
307. Sam Cooke, Portrait of a Legend
306. Al Green, I’m Still In Love With You
304. Bill Withers, Just As I Am
301. New York Dolls, New York Dolls
299. B.B. King, Live at the Regal
297. Peter Gabriel, So
294. Weezer, Weezer
293. The Breeders, Last Splash
292. Van Halen, Van Halen
289. Björk, Post
288. The Modern Lovers, The Modern Lovers
287. The Byrds, Mr. Tambourine Man
283. Donna Summer, Bad Girls
282. Frank Sinatra, In the Wee Small Hours
279. Nirvana, MTV Unplugged in New York
278. Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy
276. Radiohead, The Bends
275. Curtis Mayfield, Curtis
274. The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo
273. Gang of Four, Entertainment!
272. The Velvet Underground, White Light/White Heat
267. Minutemen, Double Nickels on the Dime
266. The Beatles, Help!
263. The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night
262. New Order, Power, Corruption & Lies
261. Beastie Boys, Check Your Head
260. The Slits, Cut
259. Janis Joplin, Pearl
257. Dolly Parton, Coat of Many Colors
256. Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman
254. Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters
252. Devo, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
250. Buzzcocks, Singles Going Steady
246. LL Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out
245. Cocteau Twins, Heaven of Las Vegas
242. The Velvet Underground, Loaded
240. Sam Cooke, Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963
239. Boogie Down Productions, Criminal Minded
238. Kraftwerk, Trans Europe Express
237. Willie Nelson, Red Headed Stranger
236. Daft Punk, Discovery
232. John Coltrane, Giant Steps
229. Patsy Cline, The Ultimate Collection
228. De La Soul, De La Soul Is Dead
227. Little Richard, Here’s Little Richard
226. Derek and the Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
223. John Lennon, Imagine
221. Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine
220. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Déjà Vu
215. Grateful Dead, American Beauty
213. Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel…
212. Nina Simone, Wild is the Wind
211. Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures
210. Ray Charles, The Birth of Soul
209. Run-DMC, Raising Hell
206. David Bowie, Low
205. Cat Stevens, Tea for the Tillerman
202. Björk, Homogenic
201. A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders
198. The B-52’s, The B-52’s
197. The Beatles, Meet the Beatles!
195. Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen
193. Creedence Clearwater Revival, Willy and the Poor Boys
192. Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill
191. Etta James, At Last!
190. The Who, Tommy
189. Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out
185. The Rolling Stones, Beggars Banquet
184. Cyndi Lauper, She’s So Unusual
181. Bob Dylan, Bringing It All Back Home
178. Otis Redding, Otis Blue
177. Rod Stewart, Every Picture Tells a Story
176. Public Enemy, Fear of a Black Planet
175. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
174. Jimmy Cliff and Various Artists, The Harder They Come: Original Soundtrack
173. Nirvana, In Utero
172. Simon and Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water
171. Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation
170. Cream, Disraeli Gears
169. Billy Joel, The Stranger
167. Depeche Mode, Violator
166. Buddy Holly, 20 Golden Greats
165. R.E.M., Murmur
164. Johnny Cash, At Folsom Prison
162. Pulp, Different Class
161. Crosby, Stills & Nash, Crosby, Stills, & Nash
156. The Replacements, Let it Be
155. Jay-Z, The Black Album
154. Aretha Franklin, Amazing Grace
153. PJ Harvey, Rid of Me
150. Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska
149. John Prine, John Prine
148. Frank Ocean, Channel Orange
146. Blondie, Parallel Lines
144. Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti
143. The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground
142. Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A.
141. Pixies, Doolittle
140. Bob Marley and the Wailers, Catch a Fire
139. Black Sabbath, Paranoid‘
138. Madonna, The Immaculate Collection
137. Adele, 21
136. Funkadelic, Maggot Brain
135. U2, The Joshua Tree
134. Fugees, ‘he Score
132. Hank Williams, 40 Greatest Hits
131. Portishead, Dummy

24 hrs of St. Patrick’s Day 23: “Bad”

2016-03-172016-03-17 ~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day I’m posting one of my favorite Irish songs every hour.

23. “Bad” by U2

I couldn’t get through the day without posting a U2 song, even though I’ve never been a huge fan. This song about heroin addicts in Dublin is a powerful example of their early work in the 1980s

Ten Favorite Songs of 1991 (x 2)

2013-12-072013-12-07 ~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

1991. The year everything changed. The year I graduated from high school. The year I moved from Connecticut to Virginia. The year I started college. The year I turned 18. The year I went to my first rock concert (Fishbone, with Primus opening). The year of Out of Time and Nevermind, and suddenly music that had been relegated as “college rock” and “alternative” was everywhere.

I’m going to get a little crazy and list 20 great songs from 1991. And if you find that indulgent, well, I could probably list more.

Clare’s Scarf – John & Mary

Crazy – Seal

Dónal agus Mórag – Altan

Everybody Plays the Fool – Aaron Neville

Fight The Youth – Fishbone

Gett Off – Prince

Groovy Train – The Farm

Gypsy Woman – Crystal Waters

In Bloom – Nirvana

Justified and Ancient (Stand by the JAMS) – The KLF featuring Tammy Wynette

.
Kill Your Television – Ned’s Atomic Dustbin

Kiss Them For Me – Siouxsie and the Banshees

Move Any Mountain – The Shamen

Only Shallow – My Bloody Valentine

A Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturdays” – De La Soul

Sax and Violins – Talking Heads

3 Strange Days – School Of Fish

Until The End Of The World – U2

Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn

Wicked Game – Chris Isaak

And a handful of shameful, guilty pleasures from 1991:

It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over – Lenny Kravitz

I Touch Myself – Divinyls

Life Is a Highway – Tom Cochrane

Right Here, Right Now – Jesus Jones

Sadeness (Part I) – Enigma

Unbelievable – EMF

Are there any songs left? Let me know in the comments.

Favorite Songs of 1983

2013-11-292013-11-30 ~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

The project continues with my favorite songs of 1983. Read the first post for the detail on this project.

This is another year where I remember the music well, especially the music I heard that summer in the car on my family’s Friday night outings to Lake Quassy amusement park in Connecticut.

Ashokan Farewell – Evan Stover, Jay Ungar, Matt Glaser, Molly Mason & Russ Barenberg

Blister In The Sun – Violent Femmes

Cruel Summer – Bananarama

Electric Avenue – Eddy Grant

Let The Music Play – Shannon

Let’s Dance – David Bowie

Shipbuilding – Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Sunday Bloody Sunday – U2

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) – Eurythmics

White Lines – Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

And my song of shame for 1983 is Never Gonna Let You Go by Sergio Mendes

No wonder why people hate the music of the 80s <shudder>.

Nevertheless, you probably have a favorite song or two from 1983. Let me know in the comments.

Favorite Songs of 1980

2013-11-262013-11-24 ~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

The project continues with my favorite songs of 1980. Read the first post for the detail on this project.

The Eighties begin. It’s the decade where my childhood memories of music come into clear focus. A lot of people say that there was no good music in the Eighties, but I’ve got 100 songs coming up that will prove them wrong.

Academy Fight Song – Mission Of Burma