Albums Worth Buying
Somewhere back in time I posted a couple of articles about my Rock and Roll Album Hall of Fame. I barely got a response about it. No argument pro or con on my selections so I dropped the idea.I moved to being more song specific and that is where I have firmly kept my Friday posts.
Today, for lack of any better ideas I decided to revisit the idea of great albums but have decided to discard the Album Hall of Fame idea and just shoot for albums that are worth buying.
Yup. I said buying.
Do people even buy albums anymore? I don’t think so. It’s all about downloading.
Anyway, the reason I am making an issue of buying is because in my experience if an album is worth buying, it is a pretty good chance that that album is a great piece of music. I am notoriously cheap and only spend money on something I find true value in.
Hence, the title.
Note: There will be repeats from other articles here but most of my readers are new and I am pretty sure very few of them have gone back to see what albums I have spoken about.
The first album on this list is actually the first album I ever purchased with my own money. I remember it was $8.50 at a store called Times Square Stores back in 1969. Cosmo’s Factory still remains one of the best albums of all time. I could go on about the history and the importance of this album but I will just say that there is not a weak cut on this record. Not one. I don’t believe I can say that about any other record in history. It showed the virtuosity of this band and after releasing three great albums in 1969, they come up with Cosmo’s Factory. I have said it numerous times and I will stand by this,CCR had the best musical run of any band ever.
Songs In The Key of Life by Stevie Wonder is an amazing two record set and I am so glad that I spent my hard earned money and bought it. The layers and fabric of this record are so unique and thrilling that every time you listen to it, you will find another song or another intro that you haven’t truly heard. I have mentioned “As” multiple times in my column over the years and every time I listen to that song, I get a new feeling, a different feeling. Pretty much any song on this album will do that to you. It is as complex an album as you will ever listen to.
The Who’s Quadrophenia is an album that needs to be purchased, in a record store, on vinyl. The only way to listen to this masterpiece is from beginning to end and you will see why it dwarfs Tommy in so many ways. Generally I listen to whatever comes up on my Iphone playlists, no matter what the order. Music is music, I don’t do moods or genres when I listen. Yet, this album, I will never ever play in a playlist. It will always stand alone, in order. Trust me. To get the breadth and scope of this rock opera it needs to be played from beginning to the end, in order.
An album that comes very close to being perfect is Aja by Steely Dan. I know there are a lot of people who don’t like or appreciate Steely Dan. Too obnoxious, too nerdy, too jazzy, to whatever. I am not one of them. I have always loved them and when this album was released in September of 1977 I was floored. I was in college and didn’t have three nickels to rub together yet I still found a way to buy this album and I have never regretted it. It, to me, is magical in ways I can not describe and the title track is on my Mount Rushmore of great songs. Just to give you an example, “Home At Last” was a throwaway song that 99% of the bands out there wish they had written.
Coming from a family that were Beatles fanatics, I really didn’t have to buy any of their albums. There would be one playing somewhere in my house pretty much everyday in the 60’s so to say I would spend money on any of their music would be a false statement. I just didn’t have to but if I were to go digging in the couch for loose change and take that money to a local record store I probably would buy the Beatle’s White Album. Is it their best album? According to the “experts”, no. Is it their most important production, same “experts”, same no. I don’t care. This album has a range of styles and moods that is just amazing. The album was as electric as the band would ever get. It was also funny as Hell and from beginning to end it still, to this day, is as enjoyable a listen as you will ever have.
Another example of me buying an album by a great band that may not be considered their best work is Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones. You can look at Exile on Main Street which was released roughly a year later and say that nothing can match that. I say BS. Sticky Fingers showed the range the band had developed over the years and contains the one of the best opening guitar riffs ever on “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”. This album is so much more than “Brown Sugar” and “Wild Horses”. I mean, come on “Sister Morphine” is a killer song and it’s basically forgotten. An interesting fact, my brother bought this album when it was first released and it had a working zipper and underwear in the fold of the front. They rereleased the album after the zipper messed up the album and that was that. I had the later version, no zipper.
Next choice might be the weakest in terms of the overall mix but it still ranks up there and I spent money on it while I was going through this post punk phase of listening. The Clash’s London Calling is close to a masterpiece and I include it because of two things. I think it was The Clash’e best overall work and it has the greatest Rock and Roll photograph ever taken on it’s cover. The photo of Paul Simonon smashing his base guitar on the stage at the Palladium is amazing. It typifies everything about the band and about the era. The Clash were revolutionaries and their songs showcased the ills of the World and particularly the British government. If you really think about it, The Clash went to places that protest groups in the US only dreamed of going and it was uncomfortably commercial as well. Regrettably, there are a slew of songs that I just didn’t get then and still have not gotten now but overall this is a classic record and needs to be in every collection.
In The Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson was the progressive rock eras milestone album. This record was so deep and intense and loaded with superlatives I can’t even begin to write about. The production was on a level that few groups even bothered with (Pink Floyd comes to mind). Robert Fripp and Greg Lake had a concept in mind when they started and just ran with it, not knowing where it would end. This is one of those albums that needs to be played on a very expensive Hi Fi Audio system while the neighbors are away. Listen to the lyrics of “Epitaph” and tell me they aren’t pertinent now.
Speaking of Pink Floyd. it really is next to impossible to single out one album that I would plunk down money on because they have possibly four albums worth the price of admission. Dark Side of The Moon or The Wall would be easy calls but I will go with Animals. Not as strong a selection you might say but you plunk down some money and play this album end to end and you tell me it wasn’t worth the money. It is a concept album for sure because it deals with the situation in Britain during the late 60’s and early 70’s but it is way more than that. It is the band doing what Pink Floyd has always done best, merged super talented musicians into a coherent song and chord structure throughout. Another album that may be best listened to in order, but you don’t have to.
No list of mine will ever be complete without one song or album from AC/DC. I am pretty sure there will be no argument about their best album and one of the best true rock and roll albums of all time, Back in Black is end to end a screaming rock anthem. I mean “Give The Dog A Bone” is the filler material. Just consider this, Bon Scott passed away six months before this album was released and they brought in Brian Johnson as their new lead singer. That is like bringing in Kobe Bryant after Magic Johnson retired.
My last selection this week is chalk. Deja Vu by Crosby Stills, Nash and Young is from beginning to end, a true masterpiece. I normally like to see what added things Apple piles on so you will re download the album with all it’s outtakes. This one doesn’t need it. The 50th anniversary addition is a true waste. This is where you need to just find the original record and put it on. No outtakes, no filler crap, just 10 great songs. Well written poems to life, love and happiness.
Remember, these selections are subjective but when I am spending my cold hard cash i only spend it on full maximum value. Bang for the buck as it were. I do have dozens more but I will save then for another time.
Let me know what you think.