Best Ever Albums

Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Norman Bates — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 11:18:00 GMT

Author: Norman Bates

Posted: 06/16/2014 15:18

That was a great ULL Dino!

Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

drakonium — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 09:36:33 GMT

Author: drakonium

Posted: 06/16/2014 13:36

Forgot to say that this was possibly the best one so far, I've enjoyed it immensely. Thanks for the efforts you put into it Dino!

Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 12:31:34 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/15/2014 16:31

Well, life really does take over for me. Especially on the weekends. Gigs and life and baseball have left me for two days without listening to a single album. But it's been really a lot of fun doing this little thread, and I hope it's been at the least entertaining for you guys. I'd keep it going indefinitely if I could!

😄

Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 16:25:40 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/13/2014 20:25

Friday, June 13th, 2014 2:15PM

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Total Evaporation by The Radiators

THE RADIATORS
TOTAL EVAPORATION
1991-EPIC
Produced By JIM DICKINSON

The Radiators are one of those bands that was always great, but never made it big. Even with a major deal, the band failed to get beyond #122 on the Billboard album charts, and their major label days were over after this album. Too bad, because folks didn't know what they were missing. This New Orleans band could rock, they could roll, and they had just enough funk in their veins to keep you moving. Total Evaporation is loaded with great songs, perfect playing, and plenty of soul. They lasted 33 years and never had that big breakthrough that they so richly deserved. Their albums are still out there, and this is one of their finest. If you don't know them, then this would be a good time to discover one of those great bands that never gets the big stage...but really did deserve it.

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Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 15:11:57 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/13/2014 19:11

Friday, June 13th, 2014 12:58PM

Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins

SMASHING PUMPKINS
SIAMESE DREAM
1993-VIRGIN
Produced By BUTCH VIG & BILLY CORGAN

I'll take Siamese Dream over Mellon Collie any day. It's less on the concept album, look how important we are side and more on the let's just make some kick ass music side. Say what you want about Billy Corgan, but he conveys pain and creepiness as well as anyone ever has. Siamese Dream has better songs, rocks harder, and is simpler than their other albums. And that guitar sound is perfect. I believe that Smashing Pumpkins are overrated as a band overall, but they did manage to make a couple of very good albums. And I think that "Today" is one of the finest songs of the 90's.

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Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 13:40:00 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/13/2014 17:40

Friday, June 13th, 2014 11:23AM

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Homogenic by Björk

BJORK
HOMOGENIC
1997-ONE LITTLE INDIAN
Produced By BJORK, MARK BELL, GUY SIGSWORTH, HOWIE B. & MARKUS DRAVS

Just wow. Homogenic is a truly beautiful album. You'd never guess it from listening to The Sugarcubes just five years earlier that their singer had this in her. The avant garde side of Bjork really shines here, and her growth as a songwriter is massive. Beats and strings and noise and that voice, all blended together in to something different and beautiful. This is where Bjork graduated from quirky little singer into a full blown artist. It's wonderful to experience. "I'm a fountain of blood/In the shape of a girl...."

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Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 12:13:29 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/13/2014 16:13

drakonium wrote:

Wow, are there even people saying Springsteen can't sing? I've never read it anywhere. Sounds kinda absurd to me. Not only is he one of the best singers of all time, but he might quite possibly be my favorite if it wasn't for Antony or Patti.

I hear it all the time. Drives me nuts!

Friday, June 13th, 2014 10:02AM

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Metal Box by Public Image Ltd.

PUBLIC IMAGE LTD.
SECOND EDITION (METAL BOX)
1979-WARNER BROTHERS
Produced By PUBLIC IMAGE LTD.

Mine is Second Edition, as I assume most copies are. No matter. This album should be a complete disaster, yet it somehow works. The band here is fantastic. The grooves are really cool, and Keith Levene's guitar is like a chainsaw cutting through everything in its path. The most fascinating aspect of this album is John Lydon's vocals, which sound completely detached and almost like different songs. He sounds more like a ghost than anything else. He sings as if he's in agony, sometimes almost howling and moaning in pain. It shouldn't work. It does. A fascinating album that has still not revealed everything it has to me...even after over 30 years.

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Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

drakonium — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 10:55:18 GMT

Author: drakonium

Posted: 06/13/2014 14:55

Wow, are there even people saying Springsteen can't sing? I've never read it anywhere. Sounds kinda absurd to me. Not only is he one of the best singers of all time, but he might quite possibly be my favorite if it wasn't for Antony or Patti.

Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 10:38:56 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/13/2014 14:38

Friday, June 13th, 2014 8:29AM

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London Calling by The Clash

THE CLASH
LONDON CALLING
1979-EPIC
Produced By GUY STEVENS & MICK JONES

This is one of those albums that is highly rated here, but that gets a lot of flack. I don't understand the dislike for London Calling. The Clash was expanding their sound and trying to grow, and for one glorious album, they had the Midas touch. Everything they tried here worked. Lounge, reggae, R&B...on London Calling, The Clash could do no wrong. London Calling is pretty much perfect, and I simply don't get people who say otherwise. Like I don't get people who say that Springsteen can't sing. Listen, folks. The Boss is a great singer. And London Calling is an album of greatness.

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Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 20:07:29 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/13/2014 00:07

Thursday, June 12th, 2014 6:01PM

Peace Beyond Passion by Me'shell Ndegeocello

ME'SHELL NDEGEOCELLO
PEACE BEYOND PASSION
1997-MAVERICK
Produced By DAVID GAMSON

Heavy. Funky. Badass. Beautiful, excellent, moving album. I've always loved this one, and Plantation Lullabies. This one is bigger for me. Great band, great songs, great feel, and Ndegeocello is as passionate a soul singer as you'll ever hear. Love this album. A lot!

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Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 19:56:36 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/12/2014 23:56

BrandonMiaow wrote:

I liked the song you posted! So Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline, any other female country singers from the time worth checking out?

In the 30's, there was Patsy Montana:

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From the 40's, Jenny Lou Carson:

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From the 50's, along with Wells, Jean Shepard (later covered nicely by The Byrds):

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In the 60's, Tammy Wynette:

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Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 19:17:52 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 06/12/2014 23:17

I liked the song you posted! So Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline, any other female country singers from the time worth checking out?

Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 11:18:19 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/12/2014 15:18

Not much time today...1:10 game today, which means I have to leave in just over an hour.

Wednesday, June 12th, 2014 9:08AM

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Country Music Hall Of Fame Series by Kitty Wells

KITTY WELLS
COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME SERIES
1991-MCA

If you think that country music is all about "Girl, get in my truck and we'll go down by the river and drink a cold one", you need to take a listen to the career peak of Kitty Wells. From 1952, when she recorded "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" through 1965's brilliant "A Woman Half My Age", Wells rivaled Patsy Cline as the greatest female singer in country. Her voice had a frank honest tone to it, which conveyed pain and mistreatment better than anyone. This compilation is pure gold, songs long since forgotten that helped make country what it once was...great. Kitty Wells was one of the best singers of the 50's and 60's, and should be remembered much more than what she is. This collection can help with that. Order yours today. Thank me later.

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Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 17:01:22 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/11/2014 21:01

Time for one more, then it's off to the game.

Wednesday, June 11th, 2014 2:39PM

Happenstance by Rachael Yamagata

RACHAEL YAMAGATA
HAPPENSTANCE
2004-RCA
Produced By JOHN ALAGIA

There's just something about Rachael Yamagata's voice that appeals to me, more than her songs do, and more than her style does. Her songs are good, but not great. Her style has a bit less edge and leans more toward music that the industry seems to think that the parents of young kids should like. But there's an edge to her voice that makes a lot of her musical direction forgivable for me. She's not anything spectacular, but I could just listen to her sing all day. Maybe it's how hard she tries to lift the material above where it lies. Yamagata plays guitar and piano, and writes her own material. When a song does rise above the rest of the album ("Paper Doll", for instance, is a sweet bluesy track with some nice slide guitar), you can hear how special she could be...might be some day. Happenstance is her debut. It's good, not great. It shows promise, but she hasn't quite found it yet. An interesting album that I'm still on the fence about...but I won't give up on it because there's just something about her voice...

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Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 16:14:34 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/11/2014 20:14

Wednesday, June 11th, 2014 1:54PM

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The Nightfly by Donald Fagen

DONALD FAGEN
THE NIGHTFLY
1982-WARNER BROTHERS
Produced By GARY KATZ

Steely Dan didn't start off as a new age, adult contemporary lounge act...but they sure did end up that way. After the decline of their album quality that ended with the release of the pretty terrible Gaucho, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, the duo that pretty much was Steely Dan, split up into smaller groups. Whatever rock there was in Steely Dan was long gone by the time of The Nightly, Fagen's solo debut. It contains the biggest post-Dan hit for either member, the itchy "I.G.Y.", a song that sets the stage for the rest of the album. Upbeat, easy disco, overly keyboard driven, Steely Dan lite (if that's possible). New age jazz enthusiasts everywhere took notice, and Fagen, once an adult contemporary pioneer, was now a leading light in smooth jazz. This is the album that I bet my mother wished I had been into as a kid, because I would have been safe from all the evils of the world listening to something so squeaky clean and inoffensive as this. This is expertly played and immaculate fluff that leaves absolutely no taste in your mouth. If it was a color, it would be clear. Polished, well made, and great background noise for your dentists office.

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Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 12:36:29 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/11/2014 16:36

Wednesday, June 11th, 2014 10:21AM

The Colour And The Shape by Foo Fighters

FOO FIGHTERS
THE COLOUR AND THE SHAPE
1997-ROSWELL
Produced By GIL NORTON

My Charts

Overall #615
1997 #19

Ah, the glories of Foo. This is the first Foo Fighters album as a band, and its got some really great moments on it. Dave Grohl is blessed with many talents, but I think his best asset is his energy. It's also true that the band sounds their best when Grohl is at the drum chair. On this album, because he hadn't come to full terms yet with a replacement for himself, he does play most of the drum tracks, which may be why this Foo album is stronger than the rest. There are some really cool songs here. "Everlong" is masterful. "Monkey Wrench", "My Hero", and "Walking After You" are great as well. A lot has been made about what genre this band falls into. Foo Fighters is, very simply, a good old rock & roll band. This album is loud, proud and more fun than anything they've done since. It will be a great day if they can ever top this, because it's on the verge of being a great album. Just not quite.

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Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 10:54:47 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/11/2014 14:54

Thanks, Neal, and thanks, Repo! I appreciate your comments. And I love that 5 Guys compilation...so much great stuff on that!

It's a new day...another interview today, another ballgame tonight.

Wednesday, June 11th, 2014 8:43AM

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BBC Sessions by Cream

CREAM
BBC SESSIONS
2003-POLYDOR
Produced By BILL BEBB, BERNIE ANDREWS, JEFF GRIFFIN & BEV PHILLIPS

My Charts:

2003 #25

I love these BBC Sessions albums. So much great music, and great recordings. This contains a whopping 22 songs and 4 short interviews with Eric Clapton, all recorded between 1966 and 1968. You can really hear what this band was capable of on these live recordings, which were done without Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker trying to out-loud and play over each other. A lot of their better known classics are here ("Crossroads", "Strange Brew", "Sunshine Of Your Love"), and there are a lot of lesser known album songs and unknown songs as well. This is a great way to take a second (and different) look at one of the more gifted bands from the 60's.

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Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Skinny — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 18:19:05 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 06/10/2014 22:19

Big up to my unemployed massive. I'm in the same boat and it's a fucking ballache; good luck Dino!

And I'm thoroughly enjoying this so far. Some interesting things for me to check out (Blake Babies, Danny Gatton). Also, I totally agree about Rod (though completely disagree about Chilton). The Faces might be my favourite British classic rock band, and his voice was just stunning. Gonna drop off a wicked cover of Lennon's 'Jealous Guy' from the brilliant four-disc retrospective boxset Five Guys Walk Into A Bar..., which pulls together hits and fan favourites and oddities, all lovingly remastered. Well worth the money if you ever see a copy floating around.

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(the song itself starts at around 1:10)

Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 17:35:00 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 06/10/2014 21:35

This is turning into the one of the best ULLs!!! We were just bemoaning the lack of good musical writing in the Pitchfork tread today. Too funny. Great combination of the historical, anecdotal, and personal. Thanks!

Re: BEA ULL Romanelli

Romanelli — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 17:02:13 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/10/2014 21:02

Time for one more album before I head out to Coors Field for today's game. More tomorrow!

Tuesday, June 10th, 2014 2:40 PM

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Every Picture Tells A Story by Rod Stewart

ROD STEWART
EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY
1971-MERCURY
Produced By ROD STEWART

My Charts:

Overall #148
1970's #34
1971 #4

Not long ago, there was a thread about selling out. I didn't bring it up, because it's kind of like beating a dead horse, but to me, selling out has nothing to really do with the financial aspect of it all. It has more to do with betraying your talent and wasting it, regardless of the motivation. For me, there are two artists who truly qualify in that area: Alex Chilton and Rod Stewart. Chilton was a great songwriter who chose to become something else. Reasons unknown, and maybe it was what made him happy. Rod Stewart is the other. Stewart went from cool to not almost overnight, tossing aside his style and sound and his fans for what I can only assume he saw as greener pastures. I don't know why he went from "Maggie May" to "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" in less than ten years. It disappoints me to this day, but hey...whatever works for ya, Rod.

Every Picture Tells A Story was the height of Stewart's career as the coolest singer in rock. He had left the Jeff Beck Group, and was still a member of Faces when this was made. In fact, this album features all of the band members, and "(I Know) I'm Losing You" is a full fledged Faces recording. But Stewart's song selection is key, with "Losing You", Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right", Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is A Long Time", and especially Tim Hardin's beautiful "Reason To Believe". Rod was the master at picking covers, until one day that gift left him (("You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Man"). His original compositions are peaking, making it hard to find a cooler album from the time. This is Rod at his finest. He lost his way soon after, but we still have a bunch of great Stewart music to hang on to.

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