One Album A Day - 013
As I noted before, I've been working through the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, as presented though the 1001 album generator web site. My goal is to present a week (or so) of reviews, once every week (or so).
So here's the next few albums I listened to:
- # - Year - Album - Artist - Rating - Global
- 113 - 2012 - Blunderbuss - Jack White - 4 - 3.43
- 114 - 1957 - At Mister Kelly's - Sarah Vaughan - 3 - 3.42
- 115 - 2008 - Dear Science - TV On The Radio - 3 - 3.17
- 116 - 1998 - Moon Safari - Air 4 - 3.56
- 117 - 1996 - Murder Ballads - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - 1 - 3.11
- 118 - 1975 - Marcus Garvey - Burning Spear - 4 - 3.2
- 119 - 1974 - The Grand Tour - George Jones - 4 - 2.75
- 120 - 1993 - Siamese Dream - The Smashing Pumpkins - 3 - 3.8
- 121 - 1974 - Pretzel Logic - Steely Dan - 4 - 3.42
- 122 - 1998 - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill - 3 - 3.64
- 123 - 1971 - What's Going On - Marvin Gaye - 5 - 3.96
- 124 - 1974 - Phaedra - Tangerine Dream - 3 - 2.7
124 - Phaedra - Tangerine Dream - 3
I remember the name Tangerine Dream, I think a friend's brother had one of their albums (back in the mid '70's). But I don't know that I've ever listened to them. Wikipedia notes the album features Tangerine Dream's "now classic sequencer-driven sound", and this site tags this as electronica which is one of my worst rated genres (123 reviews in).
This is very ambient, background-y, kind of random. Instrumental, and mostly keyboard / synthesizers. No drums. Shades of early Pink Floyd meets Kraftwerk. None of that is necessarily bad. But after the 17 minute title track, I'm still waiting for this to do SOMETHING. It's pleasant enough, but doesn't really have any discernable melodies, and seems to sort of meander around between motifs. Another quote on Wikipedia calls it "Layer upon layer of futuristic sounds piled one on top of the other until the whole thing climaxes in some interstellar void". That actually is a good summary. Except 50 years later, it is not so futuristic. Definitely background music, might seem really "deep" if you're stoned. But I'm not.
This is rated 2.7/5 on the site, I think that's probably good. Since I can't give it 2.7, I'll have to round. I'll go 3/5 because it's at least a bit different, not like the generic 90's Brit-Pop that comes up too often. That's being really generous, but 2 just seems overly harsh.
Side note: only 2 of 4 tracks are on Spotify, representing just over 25% of the album's playing time. I listened via Youtube, where I was able to pull up the entire album.
123 - What's Going On - Marvin Gaye - 5
Make it easy: 5/5. I wish I could give it 6/5. I know this album well, it is one of the albums I would qualify as "important". Something everyone should listen to before they die.
This is music with a message. That can be really hard to pull off without being overbearing, but Marvin Gaye nails it here. The music carries the message, but the message doesn't get in the way of the music. The iconic songs "What's Going On", "Mercy Mercy Me" and "Inner City Blues" are... well... iconic. Among the best. The rest of the album ties in and it all ties together.
There's a reason this album is near the top of everybody's "Best Albums" lists
122 - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill - 3
This is an album that I've heard of for years, it is certainly renowned. But if I've heard anything from it, I don't know it. Wikipedia says "neo soul and R&B album with some songs based in hip hop soul and reggae". I went into this cautiously optimistic. First song is totally hip-hop, meh. The more soul songs are pretty good. The more hip-hop, the less I like it. Lyrics like "So I keep makin' the street's ballads / While you lookin' for dressin' to go with your tossed salad"?? That's just dumb.
There's a lot of spoken interludes between songs, but I find them more distracting than adding to the experience. And I frequently found myself wishing the songs were around 4 minutes long vs 5-6. I have nothing against long songs, as long as there's a point. These don't really hold up to the length (IMHO).
“Doo Wop” is a high point, the hip-hop singing is offset by the solid musical groove. Then we move to “Superstar”, which leaves me cold. really cold. And so on. The more soul songs are better, the more hip-hop, not so much. There’s several songs that are pretty good for the genre, though, I can understand why it was popular, without loving it. Solid 3.
121 - Pretzel Logic - Steely Dan - 4
Another one that I own and like. This is Steely Dan's 3rd album, and the last one where they were technically a band, rather than a vehicle for Fagen and Becker. I say "technically" because there were more than a dozen other players augmenting the 5 members of the band.
Regardless, this is a great album, probably my 2nd favorite behind their first (Can't Buy A Thrill). It has all the things that make Steely Dan great: solid pop sensibilities over a slightly Jazzy groove. precise songwriting, solid musicianship, well produced. But it also has the things that can make Steely Dan a little irritating. They's a bit clinical, perhaps too "clean". The lyrics can trend toward obtuse. And there's just a certain feeling that these guys KNOW they're good, and that they're smarter than all us mortals who are lucky enough to listen to them. With a song about Charlie Parker, and a Duke Ellington cover, these guys let you know they understand and appreciate "real" music. With references to The Queen of Spain, Sqonk's tears and and Napoleon... well these guys are beyond the average.
All that said, this remains a very good album. Most of the songs are good to great, and none stink. "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is a prime 1974 single (#4 in US) and at least 1/2 of the album got solid AOR radio play. "Any Major Dude..." "Night by Night" and "Pretzel Logic" are outstanding. All my complaining doesn't change the fact that I enjoy this album, and have for years. Easily at least a 4. But not quite good enough to round to 4. I'll save that 5 for their debut, assuming it shows up on this list.
120 - Siamese Dream - The Smashing Pumpkins - 3
I certainly know OF the Smashing Pumpkins, though I couldn't name any songs off the top of my head. Digging into this, the sound is certainly familiar, and I'm pretty sure I've heard a few of these songs. But after an hour, it starts to blur together. Yeah it's grunge, and you can certainly hear similarities to Nirvana.
It OK, and has a few points that are higher than the rest. but nothing that hangs with me 30 years down the line. Solid 3, but nowhere near making 4.
3/5
119 - The Grand Tour - George Jones - 4
I’ve had some exposure to country music all along, starting with TV shows like Hee-Haw or Austin City Limits. And a few albums, notably compilations by Hank Williams and Buck Owens. But I wasn’t familiar with George Jones beyond the name.
I quite enjoyed this, though. It is classic 70’s country. The hit “Grand Tour” is pretty much the blueprint for “my baby left me” songs, and it really hits the mark. No footstompin’ music, and nothing like the “bro country” of today. This just oozes with heart and soul. Three chords and the truth. Solid 4/5
118 - Marcus Garvey - Burning Spear - 4
My prior reggae experience is “The Harder They Come” soundtrack, Bob Marley’s “Legacy”, and a couple other pieces by people like Peter Tosh. It’s definitely a niche genre for me, but one I can appreciate, and occasionally enjoy.
I wasn’t familiar with Burning Spear, but this is certainly reggae. I’d say generic reggae, but that sounds like a negative. Maybe definitive is a better word. It has the relaxed, laid back groove that defines the genre, the primary driver of the songs. That and the vocal stylings. All very good. That said, it also has the one downside of reggae: it can all sort of blend together.
This is a solid offering, certainly worth the listen. There’s several standout songs, and all of it is good. This falls into the 3 to 4 range that is frightfully common as I go through the 1001 albums. I’ll round this one up, it is a refreshing change of pace, and a genre with which everybody should be familiar. 4/5
117 - Murder Ballads - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - 1
This is the 2nd Nick Cave album served up here. I rated that one “2”. This is more of the same, except the entire album is songs that relay the details of crimes of passion. Yeah, take a melancholy, mumbling singer, and have him recite grim and gory songs. With a healthy dose of gratuitous profanity. Yep, murder porn set to music. Example lyric: “I sang and I laughed, I howled and wept / I panted like a pup. / I blew a hole in Mrs Richard Holmes. / And her husband he stood up”…. Part of a 14.5 minute slog where he clinically describes 12 murders. No emotion, no passion, nothing. We don’t get a hint as to his motivations, the thoughts or fears of his victims…. Nothing. Just moderately graphic explanations as to how each is killed.
Seriously, 50+ minutes of this crap.
Apparently this was well received, though I can’t comprehend why. One Rolling Stone reviewer is quoted as saying “never before have manic elements elevated Nick Cave’s shtick to art”. Yeah, whatever…. I’ll stick with “crap”.
As before, the music isn’t horrible, though it is overall slow and slogging and dragging. Cave’s vocal style is not really singing, but more spoken in a morose, “I hate the world and myself” sort of tone. Sorry, this doesn’t work for me at all. 1/5
116 - Moon Safari - Air - 4
The album kicks off well, with an interesting song, "La femme d'argent". Great groove, nice electric piano. Kind of Deodato meets Brian Auger and a dash of Kraftwerk. At its best, there's a smooth, jazz fusion feel. The longest song on the album, at just over 7 minutes.
It takes a notable step down for "Sexy Boy", with a decidedly inorganic sound, and useless vocals which mostly repeat the title over and over and over and over. Not a bad groove, though. "All I Need" rebounds. When they use "real' bass it groves so much better, and the vocals this time are carrying actual vocals.
It seems to bounce around between the two levels, really good, and OK. "Talisman" is great, "Remember " is meh.... etc.
But there's a charm here, and I overall enjoyed this album. Overall, I'd probably go 7/10 or 7.5/10. But this is a 5 point scale, and integers only. I'm rounding up today, because this is really interesting, and several of the songs are solidly good. So that's 4/5
115 - Dear Science - TV On The Radio - 3
Proof that all the good band names were used in the 20th century. TV on the Radio? At least we know it wasn't developed by a marketing agency. I've never heard of these guys, but looking at Wikipedia, it seems they were pretty well respected at the time.
They have some interesting things going on here, interesting rhythms, some cool vocal things in the background. Overall good sound. Not a huge fan of the lead singer, but not too detracting. Good variation in the songs, without seeming to ping-pong aimlessly. I enjoyed most of this, a couple of songs missed the (my) mark, but not badly. Not quite good enough to give it a 4, but super solid 3. Add it to the "check it out again" list. 3/5
114 - At Mister Kelly's - Sarah Vaughan - 3
I was a little disappointed here, but that could be a matter of expectations. It's fine , she's a great singer, but it didn't "wow" me. I'd really prefer a studio recording over live.
Easy 3, though. I was just hoping for more. 3/5
113 - Blunderbuss - Jack White - 4
Musically, this is pretty good. But I’m not a fan of Jack White’s singing voice. It seems like a cross between Cheech Marin on “Earache My Eye” and the guy from Red Hot Chili Peppers. Which is not (IMHO) a good thing.
But again, musically it is good. The songwriting is solid, the sound is good, nice variations in instrumentation and tone. There’s a lot of very nice piano scattered around. As the album progresses, I’m floating around between 3 and 4. But the further this goes the more I lean 4. Definitely will need to listen again.
4/5
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