100 Down

Well I'm 100 down and I have gotten a little behind and I lost my notes for the past albums so I am going to cheat and play catch up the easy way.

Thumbs Down:

Sandista! - The Clash (#407)

Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd - Lynyrd Skynyrd (#403), yeah it's got Freebird on it but...whatever

Illmatic - Nas (#402)

The Best of the Temptations (#400), I like the Temptations but I have already made my argument against compilation "albums." 

Thumbs Sideways:

Time Out of Mind - Bob Dylan (#410)

I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got - Sinead O'Connor (#408), I know what you are thinking but it wasn't that bad actually

Rain Dogs - Tom Waits (#399), not bad but it's Tom Waits and like I said before he just willies me big time

Eliminator - ZZ Top (#398), it's ZZ Top and you'll get the hits but they don't last real long

Thumbs Up:

Strange Days - The Doors (#409)

Radio City - Big Star (#405), compared to other of their albums I have listened to this was actually good

Dr. John's Gumbo - Dr. John (#404), simply an enjoyable listen

Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers (#401)

until next time...

 

Catch Up

It's been awhile since I posted but I have been continuing strong...ish. I took a little break to breath but I am back at it. 434-411 kind of blurred together for me. Especially that run of Diana Ross & The Supremes (#423), The Ronettes (#422), and Best of Girl Groups, Volumes I & II (#421), all three of which were "best of albums." I've already seen a few "best of" or "greatest hits" on this list which I think defeats the point of this list. To me an album is an entity, not just a collection of songs; it's a novel produced by an artist or group and like a novel, good albums tell a story (not in a literary way but a story nonetheless) and should be listened to as a whole and not just in a piecemeal manner. Anyway...

There really was only one album I did not like in the past 24, and that was honestly, Paul McCartney's Band on the Run (#418). Mr. McCartney, like most of the other Beatles, spent what he had in The Beatles. I just didn't care at all for what he wrote on this album, and I honestly if I have to listen to Bluebird again and hear the word "bluebird" mentioned well over 50 times in that song, I may write Paul of letter of derision or worse.

Oh and, The Go-Go's (#414) are...ugh. Seriously? They ain't terrible but the ain't not terrible, you know?

Brian Eno (#432 & #429) is Brian Eno and just weird. There is no sentiment in his music to keep me coming back. Same as with Bruce Springsteen (#424). Not the weird part but the sentiment part. I've never listened to his music and thought it was trash, it just doesn't grab my ear. I was grateful for Van Halen's Van Halen (#415) though it isn't their best album at all. That's 1984.

The real surprises - but not in a poop my pants kind of way - were Tom Waits (#416) and Minutemen (#413). Tom Waits surprised me with Mule Variations as it wasn't weird poems with creepy sound effects. Hold On and House Where Nobody Lives were songs I could definitely listened to again. And his crooked voice lends itself well to stories of blue. Not sure I can really get behind him as an artist on the whole however, as he willies me big time. Minutemen's Double Nickels On the Dime, for me kind of comes out of nowhere. They are a sloppy, more talented version of your brothers jr. high band. The album is collection of 43 short novelles, none longer then 3 minutes and most around 1:45 minutes. It's really hard to know what to say about this album besides that if the songs were any longer I might hate them and that I will definitely listen to this album again, though I don't know why. Try Viet Nam or This Ain't No Picnic.

Vampire Weekend's Vampire Weekend (#430) has been one my favorites albums for the past couple of years now. They are great at incorporating somewhat none-traditional-rock-instruments and afrobeats into what I would call a great rock album. Much in the similar way that The Police (#428) worked reggae into their own crafted rock. The Kids Don't Stand A Chance and Oxford Comma (watch the F-bombs) are most satisfying.

Piecemeal.

Sea Change

You know as I have been going through this list something has dawned on me; there are a good number of albums that I love that took a few spins for me to really get into them. Up to this point, I listen to an album and make a quick judgement (like a Roman emperor deciding the fate of a gladiator) and move on. Some music takes time to understand and have it make sense to you personally, and sometimes an artist I couldn't have cared less for at 25, will connect with me in a much needed way at 30. When I first heard Yankee Hotel Foxtrot I didn't give it a second thought but a couple years down the road, when I stumbled across it again, we were like dear childhood friends building huts and lighting tires on fire together. Inseparable. Also my mood on any given day can predict if I will have the patience for certain types of music. Sometimes I just need something really easy and accessible like Justin Timberlake and would rather not have to invest in an album. What I'm trying to say is that I fear that at times I may be too hasty in my judgements of an album after only one listen. That's really not hurting anyone but myself and in a hurt-myself-kind-of-way like missing-the-last-eposide-of-The-Shield king of way. It will be alright. I'm not going to listen to all 500 albums multiple times, I'm just going to be a little more open minded and big-bear-hearted moving forward.

You know what else, suicide sucks! And so does Suicide (#441). I suppose this one of those albums that had a huge impact on other artists but it sure is a bowl of poop. If Ghost Rider went anywhere it might be tolerable but it surely doesn't even try that. The breadth of this album doesn't really extend beyond what I could do with an old Casio, a loop station (heavy on the 4 minute loops), and an old tape recorder.

But luckily that was the worst of the last little bunch. Devo (#442) was enjoyable and it might be one of those albums that in order for me to appreciate it I would have to listen to it a few more times. It didn't make a good first impression. It seemed too...ADD for me. Too...cheeky. Though Uncontrollable Urge keeps me coming back and the Too Much Paranoias starts out promising but doesn't really deliver. Cheap Trick (#443) surprised me as not being total fluff and in fact I kind of enjoyed it. Definitely worth a second look, if only to listen to You're All Talk again. MC5 (#446) is far more hooky than I thought they would be and especially when they wanted to party in any kind of anti-establishment kind of way. I really dig Let Me Try.

The real treats were Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto (#447), Sam Cooke (#439), and Beck (#436). Getz/Gilberto is one of the finer jazz albums to come out of the...smooth-latin-jazz scene (I just made that up). No but really it is a great album and one that I think too many people would easily pass over, marking it as "passe et cliche" jazz. However, you'll rarely hear a more smooth sax anywhere than Stan Getz and the vocals by Astrud and Joao Gilberto are wonderful. "The Girl From Ipanema" shows up on this album but I suggest Corcovado.

Sam Cooke Live At The Harlem Square Club, 1963 was an incredible relief after just listening to Suicide. I've only been partially aware of Sam Cooke before this; songs like "Chain Gang" and "Twistin' The Night Away" show up in most any movie set in the 50s and 60s. But I've never really listened to him before and hearing him live made me appreciate the real soul in his voice (The Father of Soul) and I really look forward to exploring more of his stuff. Somebody Have Mercy makes me wish I was there in 1963. I may have been too white though.

I am really happy Sea Change by Beck made it on this list. I once read a statement that called this albums Beck's magnum opus and I would definitely agree. I think it's one of those albums that will last beyond Beck's years and future kidos may one day find a new appreciation for it. Though it does have a tendency to bum me out righteously sometimes. Already Dead is one of my favorites on here and Round the Bend has always reminded me of a Nick Drake song.

Round the Bend.

Zak Making Dollars

The bad: Just when I think I have heard the worst of the worst, I am proven wrong. Public Image Ltd (#461) was about the worst I've heard and not just on this list but in general. It makes me long for...I'd rather lick a tramp or listen to Creed than have to go through that album again. Public Image Ltd was Johnny Rotten's band post Sex Pistols and though it was a departure from the Sex Pistols it was far from an improvement. Def Leppard (#464) sacrificed any real talent they had for the sake of smash-hyper-sex hits that made them millions of dollars and created an album I couldn't care less for; though it didn't make me long for Creed. I like The Drifters but I don't think it's quite fair to put a 'best of' album on a list of greatest albums of all time. Los Lobos, though talented, offered little in the way of catchy tunes. As did Big Star and Alice Cooper. Wait! No! Big Star was crap. When Big Noize (Blake and Steve might be the only peeps who know that reference) can do a semi-decent and almost indistinguishable cover of one of your best hits...well maybe don't write songs and do taxes instead.

The good: I highly doubt that Here, My Dear by Marvin Gaye (#456) would be the only album of his on this list and it makes me excited for what's to come. Z by My Morning Jacket has a modern sensibility that I really connected to and will listen to again, though the effects on the vocals, after an albums worth of songs, might get distracting. Jackson Browne (#450) is one of the better singer-song writers to come out of the 70s and worth looking into more. EPMD (Eric and Patrick Making Dollars) (#453) had a similar swag to A Tribe Called Quest though quite different in musical influences and tempo and more obsessed with "dollars" and "business." Echo and the Bunnymen (#463) gave me a reason to give New Wave a serious look into. Not a bad album, though I think it's not the best of its type. I fully admit that New Wave is a genre that I think you had to grow up with to fully appreciate. The highlight of the last handful of albums was Back to Black by Amy Winehouse (#451). A wonderfully fresh and unique album. Amy Winehouse had an incredible soul in her voice, especially for a white girl, and the music is real throw-back but in no way does it merely rip off or recycle old Motown. I think Aretha and Otis should be proud. If you are like me, you never really gave her a chance but try listening to Me & Mr Jones or You Know I'm No Good or Tears Dry On Their Own if you don't want to listen to the whole album. Really though, the whole album is great.

485 - 465

Well...this is tough! There has been some doozies in the past 20. Mott the Poodle (484), sounded like a cheap Bowie rip-off, while if I saw Gang of Four (483) perform live I probably would have walked out; very little to hold my interest. Steve Earle (482) and Merle Haggard (477) were enjoyable as was Funkadelic (479) while Faith on Faith by George Michael was really the only thing worth listening to on that album. The rest just kind of ran together for me. I want to punch Morrissey in the throat after listening to The Smiths first album (473). Did you even try to sing on that album dude or just moan into the microphone? The surprises were Elvis Costello and the Attractions' Armed Forces (475) and Loretta Lynn's Greatest Hits (478). I have never really given either a chance and both were very accessible for me. Elvis Costello, at least at one point, did a great job of combining a quirky approach with real musicianship while Loretta Lynn could sing to me anytime of the day. Oh! And The Paul Butterfield Blues Band was white boys playing the blues as best as they can. I'll take them over B.B. King any day.

Here's to hoping it gets better quick...

Impressions: The First 15

Well...thus far, by far, I have found more albums that have tested my resolve to see this quest through to the end. Take for instance The Stones Roses (498) and the Eurythmics (492). I knew before hand that I was only a greatest-hits type of Eurythmics fan and listening to a whole album by them made me question even why I was that type of fan. KISS (489) was bearable as was ZZ Top (490) and due to Husker Du's (488) lack of...color, variety, and any real skill, Cyndi Lauper (487) was my saving grace today.

However, there have already been some surprises. Boz Scaggs (496 - Boz Scaggs, 'Boz Scaggs'), whom I have never even heard of, was fresh and bright, and I never thought I would say this but I like a Bonnie Raitt album. Give It Up by Bonnie Raitt (495) is an album I will listen to again; folksy blues with a energetic New Orleans jazz blended in.

Wilco (493), MGMT (494), and Earth, Wind, & Fire (486) were like talking to old friends and much needed during the first 15.

500 Greatest Albums of All Time - The Quest

So I decided to undertake a quest...I will listen to every album on the Rolling Stones 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, starting with 500 and ending at 1. Which is a crap load of music! And assuming the average length of an album is 45 minutes (why not I guess), that is over 15 days of straight music. Though I will not listen each album all at once. That would stupid. But I do intend to listen to each album.

Now, I haven't looked through the list yet but I have a feeling I will greatly disagree with the list, especially as I approach # 1. However, that's the nature of music or any form of art. Music and art communicate to different people in different ways. And that's the way it should be. Variety in music and culture and life gives life depth and meaning...and variety. With that said, it doesn't mean that I can't give my opinion along the way. I won't comment on each album but just moments that catch me along the way.

And by the way B.B. King ( #499 - B.B. King - Live in Cook County Jail)...uuuuuuuhhhhh. If that's all I had to listen to for the rest of my life I wouldn't listen. He's a talented blue musician but give me break, mix it up my friend. And not just on an album (or performance) but especially over your career.

Why? I don't know. Bored. I've got a lot of years to live. Broaden my appreciation for pop music. And I always love when I find music I have never heard before that catches me off guard. I assume that will happen doing this.

Until later...