Best Ever Albums

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

baystateoftheart — Sat, 29 Jan 2022 16:18:00 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 01/29/2022 21:18

Ok, now I've finished listening to the five albums that are new to me, and I like all of them!

There are some common threads. I'd describe Shahen-Shah, Les Dragons, and The River as hypnotic; Machine Gun as chaotic; and In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic as both at times.

Shahen-Shah is definitely my favorite. My first experience with qawwali, and the beautiful, passionate vocals are very compelling. Second would be In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic, because I really enjoy tradi-modern, and this is a good and interesting example of the genre. Third is Les Dragons, which sounds like it's a circumstance in which an ethnomusicologist formed a band with a local musician instead of simply collecting recordings. When I was a kid, my neighbor was an ethnomusicologist who worked with the Navajo among others. Anyway, this is quite a pleasant listen on all fronts. Fourth is The River, because I'm not a huge fan of Ali Farka Touré, but it's undoubtedly a quality record (significantly better than the collab with Ry Cooder). Fifth is Machine Gun, because I don't fully grasp the method to its madness, but it's still a good album that's not nearly as inaccessible as I expected.

None of the new discoveries come close to my adoration for The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady, but this is a really cool top ten!

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

LedZep — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 09:28:40 GMT

Author: LedZep

Posted: 01/22/2022 14:28

Kasai Allstars
It's a fun, psychedelic tradi-modern journey. Nothing too special for me though, Congotronics series has better records imo.

Peter Brötzmann
A wild, wild album. Free jazz at its most chaotic (possibly), the ground zero of European free jazz AND it has a clarinet.

Dr. John
Best new album. A great, weird, freak-folky R&B/rock/pop/soul mix. Not a bad track in sight, an instant favourite. I've seen this album before, but never heard anything specific about it or Dr. John, except that it was an avantgarde-ish take on popular music of the time. Complete surprise, had no expectations going into this. AND IT'S FROM 68'. Sounds 5 years ahead of the pack.

Olatunji
This was fun to hear again, quite interesting how Olatunji managed to make such a diverse percussion based album. Not sure if I prefer this or Circle of Drums, both are good, neither blows me away. This one's more accessible and far more influential, though.

Can
Out of the 3 most popular Can albums I've heard, this is the least interesting one by a margin imo. Still an incredibly fun "psych-funk" as Skinny put it. Sing Swan Song is my jam, but Vitamin C and I'm So Green are bops as well.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Great. Glad I've finally heard a full album by this absolute legend, I've always dug his psychedelic style. Singing takes some getting used to, but overall a fantastic effort.

Ali Farka Toure
Just as cool as I remember it. Not my favourite project of his, but well worth revisiting.

King Crimson
One of the first prog albums I've heard, and to this day not much has topped it. I understand the Larks, Red, Discipline and Lizard love, but personally, I don't think they've ever come close to the quality of the debut. All 4 of those mentioned should be more interesting to me in terms of styles, weird experimental rock, jazzy and hard art rock, new wave-ish art rock and a bonkers prog suite all sound more interesting than the jazzy prog of the debut. In theory at least. I Talk To The Wind is incredible.

Charles Mingus
Not much to say here, it's one of the very best albums ever by pretty much any metric I can think of. Incredible compositions, musicianship, performances, it's forward-thinking and influential, full of fantastic melodies, licks, bits and pieces. Nothing sounds quite like The Black Saint, and it's as close to a perfect album as one can be.

Les Dragons
Didn't dig this one much unfortunately. The kora playing was good, the use of percussion was fun. Apart from those few great moments, there's not much going on here.

Since everyone's making lists:

1. The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady
2. In the Court of the Crimson King
3. Gris-Gris
4. Shahen-Shah
5. Machine Gun
6. Ege Bamyasi
7. The River
8. Drums of Passion
9. In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic
10. Les Dragons

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

guzguzgarbit — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 06:35:37 GMT

Author: guzguzgarbit

Posted: 01/19/2022 11:35

Love that top 10 and this whole chart.
The underlying pattern for me is how well those albums were recorded and mixed. The nature of their sounds is both crisp and yet very organic. Those albums all care for, I think, the special relation between the instruments making the music and how they are actually listened to. It's as if you were in the room of the record. In a sense, it gives intemporality to that music.

Mingus - The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King
Dr. John, The Night Tripper - Gris-Gris
Can - Ege Bamyasi
Ninki-Nanka - Les Dragons
Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic
Olatunji! - Drums of Passion
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Shahen-Shah
The Peter Brötzmann Octet - Machine Gun
Ali Farka Toure - The River

my ranking's pretty lame I kno.

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

indieshins — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 22:01:11 GMT

Author: indieshins

Posted: 01/18/2022 03:01

Machine Gun. This was awesome. At some points it sounds like pure noise, but I like Merzbow and harsh noise in general so that didn't bother me. I liked how there were occasional bursts where it went into a more traditional jazz ensemble feel, with a proper melody and everything. Definitely one of my favourites of the list so far.

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

kokkinos — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 16:46:53 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 01/15/2022 21:46

In The Court Of The Crimson King
Funnily enough, this is the opposite of the previous album, meaning that I’m not a fan of its genre (progressive rock) on general principle, but this particular record is one of the very few exceptions and I would rank it higher than anything I’ve heard by the usual suspects of Yes/Genesis/Pink Floyd. In fact, I wish more prog was like this. Ever since I discovered the opening track (thanks Kanye), it became an instant favourite, possibly the greatest discography-opener ever in my opinion. What’s even more impressive, though, is how effortlessly the album flows. 21st Century Schizoid Man and its jazzy frenzy give way to the calm and beautiful I Talk to the Wind, it’s so elegant it feels like listening to classical music. Both Epitaph and The Court of the Crimson King are cinematically epic and tragic, the album reaches a breathtaking climax. Of course I skipped one track, as I never quite understood what’s going on with Moonchild and that’s what keeps me from ranking this album even higher.

1. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
2. Olatunji - Drums of Passion
3. King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King
4. Dr. John - Gris-Gris
5. Can - Ege Bamyasi
6. Ali Farka Touré - The River
7. Peter Brötzmann - Machine Gun
8. Ninki-Nanka - Les Dragons
9. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Shahen-Shah
10. Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

kokkinos — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 16:22:04 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 01/15/2022 21:22

Ege Bamyasi
Yeah, even though I tend to underrate Ege Bamyasi – both in general and in comparison to other Can albums - I can't deny its greatness. You know the story, as soon as the ‘70s kicked in, rock music was already growing old and Can were one of the bands that decisively and spectacularly contributed to breathing new life into it. The direction they took here isn’t exactly my favourite, but they deserve credit for combining their trademark style with a more accessible approach. That’s more evident than ever in the wonderful pop song that is Vitamin C, who would have thought.

1. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
2. Olatunji - Drums of Passion
3. Dr. John - Gris-Gris
4. Can - Ege Bamyasi
5. Ali Farka Touré - The River
6. Peter Brötzmann - Machine Gun
7. Ninki-Nanka - Les Dragons
8. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Shahen-Shah
9. Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

kokkinos — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 17:08:18 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 01/13/2022 22:08

Shahen-Shah
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is an artist I’ve listened before, yet I’ve never found an album of his that really appeals to me. When it comes to this one, I find it too overwhelming. I can easily enjoy a song or two, but I don’t buy the atmosphere and the concept – even though I massively respect it - , so after a while it becomes exhaustive, the power of repetition doesn’t work in this case, give me a break.

1. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
2. Olatunji - Drums of Passion
3. Dr. John - Gris-Gris
4. Ali Farka Touré - The River
5. Peter Brötzmann - Machine Gun
6. Ninki-Nanka - Les Dragons
7. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Shahen-Shah
8. Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

kokkinos — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 16:24:28 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 01/13/2022 21:24

(For some unknown reason, I thought Ege Bamyasi was #2 instead of #4, so I mixed up the order, whatever.)
Les Dragons

Not only was this a new album for me, I totally ignored its existence – obviously same goes for the artist - until now. This list is far from mainstream, but Les Dragons reaches new levels of obscurity even in this particular context. I mean, completely escaping the public eye in the information age is quite something. Of course guzguzgarbit’s contribution is great and much appreciated, I intend to check it out at some point. I’ ll probably have to listen to this at least a couple of times more to get a grasp on what’s going on, but my first impression is definitely a positive one, the potential is there, that's for sure.

1. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
2. Olatunji - Drums of Passion
3. Dr. John - Gris-Gris
4. Ali Farka Touré - The River
5. Peter Brötzmann - Machine Gun
6. Ninki-Nanka - Les Dragons
7. Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

kokkinos — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 16:08:59 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 01/13/2022 21:08

The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Well, not much to say, I talked about it in my diary a few months ago, nothing changed in the meantime, it remains an absolute masterpiece. The fact that I like some other Mingus records slightly more speaks volumes about the depth of this man’s discography and shouldn’t take anything away from its greatness. I can’t imagine any other album in this list coming anywhere close to surpassing it as my #1.

1. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
2. Olatunji - Drums of Passion
3. Dr. John - Gris-Gris
4. Ali Farka Touré - The River
5. Peter Brötzmann - Machine Gun
6. Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

EyeKanFly — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 08:08:00 GMT

Author: EyeKanFly

Posted: 01/13/2022 13:08

guzguzgarbit wrote:

EyeKanFly wrote:

On another note, could anyone provide me with ANY information about the album Les Dragons or the artist Ninki-Nanka? The album's on streaming services so I was able to listen, but I absolutely cannot find any information about the album or artist whatsoever. All online searches either lead me to spotify/apple music/etc. or... here. Any background info about the music is much appreciated!

I've done some search myself and I've found this quite comprehensive book by Margit Smith who made the album:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RezsYSOGEleZnm9IsTSbCXu06IO57wAj/view

It appears to have been recorded in July 1993 on tape before being released on CD in 2011 in France.

You can find more recordings here: https://mycampus.maine.edu/web/uc-library-portal/margit-smith-mande-kora

Wow, great find, this is awesome! Seems Smith was quite the researcher in addition to a musician herself, this is going to be a fun rabbit hole for me to delve into today.

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

LedZep — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 04:59:20 GMT

Author: LedZep

Posted: 01/13/2022 09:59

guzguzgarbit wrote:

Great stuff, thanks guzguzgarbit. It's nice to have some background on Ninki Nanka.

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

guzguzgarbit — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 04:38:40 GMT

Author: guzguzgarbit

Posted: 01/13/2022 09:38

EyeKanFly wrote:

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

Skinny — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 17:53:34 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 01/12/2022 22:53

Ranking of those I already know:

1. Mingus, probably. For the reasons everyone already figured out.
2. Ege Bamyasi, because it is everything. Never before or since has percussion mattered so much in rock music. Psych-funk that still sounds like The Fall. You cannot fuck with it.
3. Nusrat. Growing up, Nusrat was unavoidable in Brum. He plays in most taxis. This isn’t his best, but it might be his most varied and most accessible. I prefer his 40-minute drone jams. Fight me.
4. Dr. John. I romanticise the Nolia. I need to go. This album is crazy.
5. Machine Gun. Silly.
6. King Crimson. Not their best, but a very great rock album.
7. Kasai Allstars. Lots of fun. Any list of seven albums in which this is seventh best is a great fucking list, frankly.

I’ll check the other three soon. Great stuff.

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

kokkinos — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 17:03:26 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 01/12/2022 22:03

Gris-Gris
My first impression is that this album is really weird. On the one hand, it is interesting and you want to spend more time with it, but at the same time it makes you feel slightly uncomfortable, as if you might discover something you won’t like if you stick around. Its biggest strength is that it plays by its own rules, something I do appreciate. I am not a fan of throwing this term around, yet I can’t help thinking Dr. John is an underrated artist that deserves more recognition and more love - this observation is based exclusively on this record, no idea what his body of work looks like, though I'd like to find out. All in all, he easily surpasses anyone not named Olatunji in my list.

1. Olatunji - Drums of Passion
2. Dr. John - Gris-Gris
3. Ali Farka Touré - The River
4. Peter Brötzmann - Machine Gun
5. Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

kokkinos — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 16:30:48 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 01/12/2022 21:30

The River
This was new to me and what a nice surprise it was. He really knows how to bring his guitar to life and get the most out of it. African music and the blues are presented in an unexpectedly appealing way that doesn’t compromise in terms of how “authentic” it sounds. If Drums Of Passion is the soundtrack of a tribal ritual, then The River is what you’ll be listening when the feverish dancing is over and you want to get lost in the African landscape, relax and enjoy your daydream. Good enough for #2 - but far behind #1.

1. Olatunji - Drums of Passion
2. Ali Farka Touré - The River
3. Peter Brötzmann - Machine Gun
4. Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

kokkinos — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 16:22:16 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 01/12/2022 21:22

Drums Of Passion
Another record I’m familiar with, but this one I like much more. Drums Of Passion succeeds in what In The 7th Moon… only partially got right, namely it creates an extremely powerful communal feeling, it’s as if this tradition runs in your blood. It’s great when you listen to it on your own, yet it’s even better when you are hanging with the homies, I’ve had tons of fun with it – actually, I knew a couple of guys that would organise a party that would play exactly this type of music pretty much every week, those were good times, I wonder if that’s still a thing. It’s a clear case of infinite replay value, no matter how many times you listen to it, it simply won’t age. Percussion-oriented albums are far from what I’m usually looking for in music, but Olatunji is one of the few exceptions, he really gets you in the groove. Nothing against the vocals as well, they add an extra flavour. A clear #1 so far.

1. Olatunji - Drums of Passion
2. Peter Brötzmann - Machine Gun
3. Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

kokkinos — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 13:22:22 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 01/12/2022 18:22

Machine Gun
Yes, I know this one. I ‘ve tried my luck a couple of times, but to no avail. Sadly, my latest attempt didn't change much. Heavy and aggressive albums rarely do the trick for me and this is one of the most extreme cases. This wildly experimental, noisy mess requires a fearless heart in order to be properly enjoyed, only the bravest listeners can look it right in the eye. The rest of us – myself included – can admire what an irreverent maverick of an album it is, as it makes us forget everything we know about how music is supposed to be. Very few – if any – records can compare to Machine Gun in terms of the listening experience it offers, so I’d definitely recommend giving it a try to anyone who is remotely interested in music, you won’t find anything similar. To sum it up, I respect it more than I like it. Still, it ranks ahead of In The 7th Moon... for me.
(I like the format Fischman used, so I 'll be updating my rankings after each post.)

1. Peter Brötzmann - Machine Gun
2. Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

kokkinos — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 17:12:36 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 01/11/2022 22:12

So, the plan is to start listening from #10 and work my way up.
In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic
Is this one of the best album titles ever? Definitely. I hadn’t listened to this album up to this point, neither am I familiar with the music scene it represents. The challenge for such albums is whether their charm will simply rely on how exotic they are or if they can take the next step and actually "include" the listener in their company and make him relate, feel a natural part of the group or culture they embody. I think this record lies somewhere in between, though I'd say it's clearly closer to the former category, as there are few moments where you get lost in the magic, but it struggles to keep this vibe. Also, some parts seem to endlessly drag without being able to justify their length, though this may be directly related to the above, i.e. that I didn’t manage to connect with it for the most part. I highly doubt I will feel the urge to listen to it again, but a super cool, out of the ordinary entry nonetheless.

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

indieshins — Sun, 9 Jan 2022 18:30:00 GMT

Author: indieshins

Posted: 01/09/2022 23:30

I've listened to Ege Bamyasi twice, Shahen-Shah once, and now I'm listening to Les Dragons. Can is probably my favourite at the moment, but I can't say it's emotionally involving, providing a more cerebral interest that feels a bit distancing. Not necessarily a bad thing, just something I noticed. I need to give Shahen-Shah a closer listen, because my first listen of albums is usually while I'm doing other things, so I just take in the general vibe rather than details. I quite liked it for all that, though. No idea what's being said, but like the tone and feeling it evokes. He was a great singer, I realise. Never got to listening to any of his work before, and he died the year before I was born, so was never in any sort of public consciousness. I'd heard of him, of course, and an artist's death should never be a reason not to listen to them, just not the sort of thing anyone in my circle would have talked about. I'm glad to have heard a bit of that music now, though.

Re: Get To Know A Top 10: January 2022 Thread - Jameth

Fischman — Sun, 9 Jan 2022 17:58:41 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 01/09/2022 22:58

Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic

Another fine choice.

But this is a really tough group.

In the end, my vote goes where I expected it to go though. No surprises this time, but some really excellent discovery!

Thanks Baystate for setting this up and thanks Jameth for the great list!

1. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
2. King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
3. Ali Farka Touré - The River
4. Ninki-Nanka - Les Dragons
5. Can - Ege Bamyasi
6. Olatunji - Drums of Passion
7. Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic
8. Dr. John - Gris-Gris
9. Shahen-Shah - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
10. Peter Brötzmann - Machine Gun