35.) The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, David Bowie
Whoa, David Bowie, way to go with the longest damn album title ever... This record. I already had it, but I don't listen to it all the way through ever. David Bowie is extravagant, theatrical, and bombastic. His songs bubble over with life. Some songs I really enjoy, others are neither here nor there. As an album overall, it isn't mind-boggling, but it isn't at all horrendous either. For instance, "Five Years" doesn't do much for me, despite his gutsy performance. (Though I do love when he says, "I kiss you! You're beautiful!") I like "Soul Love", with its lounge rhythm, complete with sax and humming lyrics. "Moonage Daydream" is done for me... "Starman" is catchy and classic. "It Ain't Easy" is rather hypnotizing. "Lady Stardust" has a contagious mood and is delicately sweet. "Star" is one of those neither here nor there's for me. "Hang onto Yourself" is another. I'm SICK of "Ziggy Stardust". As well as "Suffragette City". And "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" is another here nor there. But he screams "You're wonderful!", thanks David Bowie. I am wonderful. Not a perfect record, but tolerable enough. I generally don't go for music that relies more on theatrics and less on musical talent.
Favorite song: Favorites and duds covered above..
36.) Tapestry, Carole King
Fucking Carole King, SO MUCH RESPECT. She is goddamn brilliant. Who HASN'T sang one of her songs? She and Gerry Goffin dominated the songwriting world. And here, lovely Ms. King breaks into her own. Stark, beautiful, and honest with no lack of groove or musicality. Here's something I wrote about her a while ago, which basically sums up her vocal charisma: "Carole King possesses an imperfect voice -- Imperfect, but honest in a way that even someone like James Taylor can't emulate when singing her songs. It's the truth that comes from someone singing lyrics they themselves penned. Therefore, resulting in astonishing honesty. Coupled with her supreme songwriting skill, you believe every word that Ms. King utters." She's truly glorious. Her lyrics are vivid and imaginative. Her performances are always nothing less than vivacious, with her traveling to any respective extreme. If she's happy, then she's happy, and those songs will leave you bopping around. If she's sad, then she's absolutely sad, and she does such a marvelous job of conveying that and every other emotion. She is backed by a perfectly fitting band, and OH, every song is fucking great. Every song is different. A perfect album!
Favorite song: "So Far Away" and "It's Too Late", and those are simply the best. No duds!
37.) Hotel California, Eagles
Oh, the opening hums of "Hotel California". The gorgeous, elating momentum. A truly divine song, no arguments. Each musician is perfectly adding the melting pot, and this song will never, ever fail to live up to its reputation. Its a masterpiece, one of the greatest songs of all time, and I will not argue. I simply oblige and allow myself to be utterly swept away by their palatial artistry. With that said, Hotel California is not my favorite Eagles album. (That would be On the Border, which isn't even on this list!) My uncle lives right across the street from the seedy hotel featured on the inner sleeve. Its right by a predominately Mexican liquor store. Fabulously ghetto. My cousin and I even once saw an attractive man emerge from the building, and we called him "Hotel California". Still, not being able to ever leave the place would be a bust. CONTINUING ON WITH THE ALBUM... All of these songs are great, no doubt. I enjoy them all immensely. Its a fucking wonderful album, but something about it just doesn't do it. Oh man! I think I got it! I was thinking, "What makes On the Border my favorite, rather than Hotel?" On the Border is FUN, all the way through. (The sticky summer of the Eagles, such fun.) Hotel California is too moody and introspective. Maybe even depressing. The Eagles' notoriously bad attitudes and intense strive for perfection in the studio is seeping through. It follows my theory that the mood of the musicians seeps through, right to the present day. I'm onto you guys! Its too perfect. It isn't rough and raw and raunchy, as rock and roll should be. "Life in the Fast Lane" has that potential, but its too tidy. It doesn't succeed. "Victim of Love" kind of does, but not quite. I know Joe Walsh is supposed to be this big, bad guitar player, but I generally dislike the direction the Eagles went with him. They wanted sooo badly to be a rock and roll band, and they weren't a very good one -- not even with a premier rock and roll guitarist. They were great at their country/rock thing, it was authentic and unique. Hotel California was right there on the line between it working (everything before it) and it not (The Long Run). So a great album, yes. Good songs, yes. But not without flaws, which strangely transcend the realms of musicality.
Favorite song: "Hotel California" is awing, but isn't my favorite. I might like "Try and Love Again" best, strange. "Pretty Maids All in a Row"... DUD!
38.) The Anthology, 1947-1972, Muddy Waters
Um, FUCK. This compilation... MASSIVE. Too massive. You want Muddy Waters? Well, its all right here, there isn't much more that you need. But recommended to devour in one sitting? I say, not. Its a little frightful. I mean, it does the good old man justice. Like I said, its all here. But like "they" said, don't try to be something you're not. Well hey, a blues aficionado, I am not. I enjoy a lot of these tunes, just not back-to-back for over two. fucking. hours. And not often. Unlike with Robert Johnson, this collection doesn't lack electricity, zest, volume, or energy. Muddy's got all that. I was gonna continue to say how goddamn long it is, but then I caught myself! I'm talking about the compilation, not the music on it. OKAY! Muddy croons and roars throughout every number. His integrity never wavers, not in 1947, not in 1972. Its always in tact. The music is always lively, top energy, top skill. But this list is also about what said music does to me, and after this album, I'm not rushing out to unearth more Muddy Waters. I want to retire his catalog for a long, long time. As with Robert Johnson, maybe as I grow older, I'll be able to appreciate it? Maybe I just don't have a thick appetite for blues? For now, I'll continue spoiling myself with all the magnificent little devils that spawned from this music.
Favorite song: I'm gonna pick songs that my favorite musicians haven't covered. "I Can't Be Satisfied", "Stuff You Gotta Watch", "I Love the Life I Live, I Live the Life I Love", "Can't Get No Grindin'". And moooore.
39.) Please Please Me, the Beatles
Please Please Me, I love you! I love this album. Its so incredible how much the Beatles transformed. This album is not genius. They're just playful pop songs, with nice melodies and transcendent harmonies. But oh, I love it all so. Bumby, do you recall our Please Please Me phase? When we baked in your kitchen, listening to it?! Such excitement. There are many other Beatles album which are better than Please Please Me, but don't rank higher. Rolling Stone obviously has an affinity with debuts, like Led Zeppelin and this one, and later on Eagles. To name a few. Please Please Me is great because the Beatles aren't yet aware of their soon-to-be legendary status and forever acclaimed, whimsical musical prowess. ACTUALLY, the Beatles weren't awing musicians, they just knew what to do with their given talents. They were good songwriters (just fostering here, lots of covers included), masterful singers and harmonizers (already apparent), and keen arrangers (also in a budding state). Its a sweet, candid portrait of a band that went on do to so much more. Had the Beatles stopped here, they wouldn't have made history... At all. This isn't a brilliant album, its just really quaint and innocent. I love that.
Favorite song: "There's a Place"! Duds... Um, "Boys".
40.) Forever Changes, Love
Uh... Fortieth greatest album of all time? ARE YOU JOKING? This album is so goddamn boring! Oh my goodness, so overrated! Who is the genius who decided Forever Changes is just so amazing -- and why have people subscribed to that notion since? Are we listening to the same record? Don't get me wrong, listening to this album was not nails to a chalkboard. It was simply music that effortlessly faded into the background of my day -- five days in a row! As with every album that is more or less foreign to me, I entertain the idea of being savagely obsessed with it -- unexpectedly overcome with intense affection. It literally made me laugh when I tried to imagine myself grooving to Love and being absolutely taken. Because there is zero excitement within this entire record, the mood never varies. It drags on, and simply bores me to pieces. I don't even know what to write, because so little is noteworthy. This is a boring album that has somehow garnered an ace reputation. Well I'm here to say, IT ISN'T WORTH IT. #40, who made that decision?
Favorite song: I liked "Alone Again Or" long before this project, but that's about the only song I can remember. They're all duds -- I said it!
41.) Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's..., the Sex Pistols
Its been an interesting journey, my slight immersion into punk. The Clash, the Ramones, and now the Pistols. Its all been genuinely entwined, each directly effected the listening experience of the next. Pre- Clash, I loved End of the Century by the Ramones. I still do, but all of the simple, punk stuff didn't quite hit the spot for me. When I became infatuated with the Clash, I fell for the stuff that wasn't too "punk". The Clash only really maintained that sound for one record. But through my affection for London Calling and the like, I was able to get into (to a lesser extent) the three chord madness of their first record. Chunky riffs and hi-ho hollering. I have no doubt that opening up to the Clash allowed me to happily dip my toes in the first Ramones record. Which leads to the Sex Pistols. They have just one album. They never got to de-punk their sound like the Ramones and the Clash. Pre- Clash, I probably couldn't have sat through it. But by slowly graduating and expanding my taste, I can actually dig it. I couldn't listen to this album consistently, but I do find myself longing for my favorite tracks when I don't. The style doesn't really differ, which is what usually snags my interest in punk. This is what mainly keeps me from daily rotations, but as an occasional treat, Never Mind the Bollocks is totally liberating. I mean, I don't know how many times I triumphantly jumped off my bed to exit my room, simply because I was listening to this album. I love the attitude of "Fuck you! Who cares!" LIBERATING, I tell you! I just want to scream, "I'm a lazy sod! I'm a lazy sod!" They're literally saying, "I do not give a SHIT about what you think." Not only are they SAYING this, their music absolutely stands for that power. The energy, the excitement! This album is gutsy, and that energy never wavers. Its timeless. And that's all the sweety-pie things I've got to say about the Sex Pistols. Though wouldn't have been fun if I hated the album, and turned all that raging fury against them? Oh well, now I've got it all up my sleeve -- taking a valuable lesson of fuck-you-ism from the Sex Pistols.
Favorite song: "Bodies"! A truly great song. I definitely have a thing for backing vocals, I've realized. And here, mmm. Good stuff. "I'm not an animal!" As well as "Submission". That solo towards the end. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm not musically savvy enough to identify the instrument, what the fuck is it? Anyway, I love it. As for duds, I'm just super sick of "Anarchy in the UK" and "God Save the Queen", AKA the only Sex Pistols songs most people know.
42.) The Doors, The Doors
I listened to this album more than five times. I felt I didn't know it. There was nothing to it. I was waiting for it to JUMP at me. It didn't. Not after five listens, not ever. I just don't get the Doors. I really don't. I don't hear any true brilliance resonating. Is everyone on some crazy mind trip? I don't doubt that the Doors were an amazing live show, due mostly to Jim Morrison's erratic stage presence. But when it comes down to true music, that thing I'm all about, where is it? I don't hear what all the fuss is all about. Everyone looooves the Doors soooo much, but why why WHY? I mean, it isn't bad. Really, it isn't. I enjoy some Doors songs, but I don't LOVE a single one. They're boring. The songs are boring. It sounds so dated to me, not timeless. I've spoken of organs occasionally sounding dated -- THAT'S THE DOORS! I simply do not understand. The Doors aren't so marvelous, and they provoke zero emotional reaction from me, with the exception of confusion. This album, over and over, just reaffirmed that for me. Side two holds some alright moments, but nothing worthy of such acclaim.
Favorite song: I've always loved "Alabama Song", but I won't include that, since you know... THEY DIDN'T WRITE IT. "Back Door Man", which they also didn't write. "End of the Night"? Just decent. "The End", okay... Occasionally spellbinding, but draws on too long. Yup, just dissed the epic! Its slightly liberating to genuinely not care about supposedly set opinions. I don't care that "The End" is supposed to be this great masterpiece, because to me, its not. On the flip side, I don't care to deem music as "bad", simply "not my taste". Who the hell am I to decide what's bad?
43.) Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
Few albums has hit a nerve like Dark Side of the Moon did, and continues to do. Its ranks up there with Physical Graffiti as a -- no exaggerations, no using the well wrought phrase for the sake of simplicity -- "life changing" disc. It had a genuine effect on me, striking me some ways that exceed the power of Physical Graffiti. While Physical Graffiti left me dazed and soaring, Dark Side literally rattled me. The first time I listened to it on headphones, I fully immersed myself in the music, dousing myself with a blanket and slipping into another realm. The serene sounds of slide guitar had not yet even begun, before I had taken off my headphones and ran to my nearest cohort, expressing all that had just happened to me in a single minute. These thoughts did not process well with someone who hadn't the faintest idea of what I had just experienced, so I quickly resumed my spot under my blanket, just as the introductory explosion of "Breathe" ended, and David Gilmour proceeded to dazzle me with the calming and departing sounds of the aforementioned slide. His unique and entrancing vocals airlifted me far from my bed, as Rick Wright's swirling keyboard artistry captivated me, and the crashing of Nick Mason's drums, coupled with the thundering of Roger Waters' bass, punctuating every emotion, crystallizing the entire experience. As I lay stunned by the erratic and incredibly mobile (literally, grooving from every corner of my headphones, making them seem utterly infinite) noises of "On the Run", I was just a few minutes in, but completely captured. The dings, drones, and hums of each clock introducing me to "Time" snapped me right into a new universe. The sinister and elongated musical intro left me in anticipation, awaiting the newest device that would leave me senselessly in awe. As the song picked up its momentum, flourishing a new favorite, I was stunned in a new way. The existential lyricism of Roger Waters was beginning to seep into my pubescent brain waves, birthing all sorts of new thoughts and questions. David Gilmour, while hardly possessing wild dexterity, remains a guitarist who can leave me stunned and breathless, making my stomach flip and flop in a foreign manner. So simple, yet so precise. He is hardly lauded as all mighty among guitar experts, but fuck 'em! He's got emotion in spades, and that's exactly what I go for. The sly dip back into "Breathe", this time more electrifying and combative, is a stunning moment. And as the climactic "Time" reaches its end, after such explosion, we lead into "The Great Gig in the Sky". Wondrous insanity, which took a long time to warm up to. I don't think I'll ever proclaim "Great Gig" as a fucking masterpiece, but with the poignant steel guitar (can you tell I love it?) and you know, those unmistakable raucous vocals provided by Clare Torry -- it certainly stands out, if nothing else. It sits well in its pocket of Dark Side, and I wouldn't scrap it, even if given the chance. She says an abundance with her sky high range and varied delivery. It fits in marvelously with the rest of the album, with the encompassing mood Dark Side so strongly possesses. Another incredibly noteworthy aspect of Dark Side is the unique segues. Its another thing that stuns me. While each song is distinct and new, the effortless blend between each marks it as a grand anthem, a magnum opus of sorts. Which leads us to "Money", as the various sounds of good ol' $$$ draws you in, Roger Waters lays down that momentous bass line. David Gilmour, arguably one of my favorite vocalists. Unique, not classically techniqued, but with a voice that travels expertly. Already you have something like the light coos of "Breathe", and now he's saying "bullshit" and carrying the song just as energetically as the iconic bass line. And the sax! I love sax, especially in rock and roll. My Pink Floyd obsessed pocket of my memory feigns at the moment, but that man... His name is Dick, or something. Then, pow! The bands kicks up, flaring along with Dick Something, before dropping to near silence. With the guitar becomes increasingly frenzied, and the keys zipping about, all still backed by the fucking bass. Some of those notes that DG hits on the guitar... Absolutely possessed. I'm taken. And then, right back to the track's initial rollicking. All so skillfully crafted. Also, I love how Brits say "rise", whereas Americans say "raise" -- when referring to an up in pay. As David Gilmour seems to be having immense fun noodling vocally, everything slips into divinity -- as the bellowing organ takes over, and "Us and Them" begins, lifting the listener into transcendence. Dick Something Or Other is back, with a completely new sound, this time a seductive lounge act. "Us and Them" has never failed to elevate me, providing one of those celestial moments, so difficult to eloquently articulate. As his vocals delicately echo, and the guitar and keys ascend skyward, my stomach drops and I'm taken over by the smooth and remarkable musicianship. So sharp. The explosions of the chorus light up the sky -- as it infinitely swells, capturing the listener in its mystical force. "Us and Them" opens up a new realm, an expansive world of inspiration. After another swell fade from one track to the next, you're met with "Any Colour You Like". With dizzying, orchestral keyboard work from the very skilled Rick Wright, complete with choppy, penetrating guitar licks, employing what sounds like tremolo. Everything grooves, slithering along, each musician absolutely clicking in with each other -- with Dark Side representing the apex of unity in Pink Floyd, with such a fact streaming in through the music. Then, voila! "Brain Damage", enlightening and spirited. The shifting notes on the guitar, complete with the can't-be-achieved-on-Strat sky-scraping notes, which sends my heart to my knees -- all sounding nothing less than scrumptious. As the track climbs, layering vocals, gaining stature, strength, emotion hitting new heights -- oh, its one of the most memorable and striking build-ups in the history of rock and roll, no exaggerations! As the instruments and vocals captivatingly dance with and around each other, everything grows, grows, grows. The thundering of Nick Mason drums, leading into the spiraling sounds of Rick Wright's keyboards... Grow, grow, GROW. Everything at an absolute high, unrivaled, the tip-top. The greatest way to close an album. After such a listening experience, I feel that inspiration is oozing from inside of me. Dark Side is an album that is massively acclaimed, but goddamn, there is a reason! Dark Side is the album that FORCED me to sit down and write. It wasn't a coy plot of "Oh, la di la... Let's see if I can write?" I was COMPELLED to sit there and effortlessly let the mighty juices which Dark Side endlessly works up and let them flow, flow, flow! I still have what I wrote then, one of my first forays into writing about music. For me, it still penetrates the depths of Dark Side, and that's enough to make me happy. "Dark Side of the Moon may be one of the biggest selling records ever. Dark Side of the Moon may be what catapulted Pink Floyd into superstardom. Dark Side of the Moon is quite possibly the best known Floyd album. But isn't there a reason for all that? When I think about which Pink Floyd album is my favorite, I can't help but choose Dark Side of the Moon. With Dark Side of the Moon, after 43 minutes of interesting and divine music, you get a climatic experience that is "Brain Damage/Eclipse" (one without the other is simply improper listening), which concludes the entire album. They leave you to attempt to try to make something of all that you just heard. Dark Side of the Moon brings strange and innovative somethings to the surface after every listen. You feel that there was nothing on the minds of these musicians other than coming together and creating an astonishing album, and doing whatever it took to do so. What people thought, the success that would follow, and the money that would pour in doesn’t seem to be of any importance. Every musician is at the peak of his creativity, each throwing in his own input, each getting the opportunity to shine in their own way on one track or another. But also working closely with each other, a marriage between their instruments and voices, to build a sound of unity. It’s difficult to say any one member of Pink Floyd was more significant than the other when it comes to the sophisticated musicality they made together. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that all of this simply came from the minds of four men. (With the obvious help of others, but for example, take Clare Torry's vocals on "The Great Gig in the Sky". If you were to separate them from the melancholy music behind her, you'd hear nothing but a crazed woman with a wide vocal range.) 'And after all, we're only ordinary men.'"
Favorite song: "Us and Them", "Brain Damage/Eclipse", "Time".
44.) Horses, Patti Smith
Okay, so Horses. I feel a little biased, because I respect Patti Smith, as a person. She seems smart, and also smart ass, and she had/has really awesome personal style. She even had sex with Paul Simonon! What's not to like? I love her personality that shows through these songs. There's such emotional relevance, and she has such fire and gutso! It makes me excitedly tap the keys! Puncutuating everything with an exclamation mark! Just for the hell of it! Okay, I'm getting carried away, so I mean -- I really respect the mission/message of Horses, but I just don't know how eager I am to deem it a really masterful work of art. Its like a ratty garbage band (though Lenny Kaye hits some of "happy/open" notes, which make me feel really good), complete with a howling and wild persona upfront -- except this time, its a woman, who is like, kinda sexy IN THE CRAZIEST WAY. Caps necessary. She has all sorts of great influences, like reggae on "Redondo Beach" (what's up, that's where my grandma lives!) and songs like "Birdland" and "Land" are disasterously epic, and I mean diasterously in a good way! Like, a seventies disaster film... The Towering Inferno of songs, you know? "Kimberly" and "Break It Up" are pulsating and captivating, with Ms. Smith drawing you in quickly and deeply. Horses is the album which I put on at three in morning, when its dark, stars twinkling, moon bright, myself hyper. I then proceed to toss my body around, kicking, flailing, liberating. But what can I say... Something is missing. And I think its talent. Ouch! Harsh! But I just said all these great things?! I don't know! There's something missing, whatever IT is, is escaping me, but its definitely not here nor on the tip of my tongue. I don't want to play Horses over and over... Not even once. I'm ready to retire it, sayonara! So I mean, there's great personality to this album, which is laudable and contagious -- BUT I don't know. I can't deem it a classic. I can't acclaim it as a great fucking record. Because its not! Doesn't do too much for me, except make me like Patti Smith a lot more. So I'm succeeding in separating art from artist, except this time I'm siding with artist.
Favorite song: "Kimberly" and "Break It Up". I still think Patti Smith is a badass.
