Best Ever Albums

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

RockyRaccoon — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 19:36:18 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 06/13/2024 23:36

Went on a minor Vanilla Fudge kick today so:

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The Beat Goes On by Vanilla Fudge

I picked this up at my local record store. I remember sorta digging into Vanilla Fudge a slight bit back in high school when I read in a Led Zeppelin biography that John Bonham considered Carmine Appice his idol, but I never really dug too deep into the band.

I remember this album being sorta interesting, so I picked it up, and man it turned out to be an interesting experience. This album gets ragged on for the way it's set up, and I get it. It's not really a series of songs but basically a sound collage of bits of various songs interspersed with spoken word, more often than not historical recordings. But there's something about the way Vanilla Fudge put this together that made this a really interesting and pretty compelling work of art for me. It's hard to explain, but everything sort of flowed together so well and the band had such interesting takes on the various snippets of songs they included that I was constantly engaged from beginning to end.

I get it if this isn't everyone's cup of tea, and frankly I totally understand the criticisms of this being too experimental and weird, but for whatever reason it clicked for me.

Vanilla Fudge by Vanilla Fudge

Naturally after listening to The Beat Goes On, I wanted to dive back into Vanilla Fudge's debut since it's been forever since I've listened to any of it.

I have a strong feeling about cover songs. I love a good cover song, but there's no point in covering a song if you're going to do a note-for-note replica of the song. No one wants that, no one needs that. What I want to hear is your specific interpretation or your unique twist on the song.

Vanilla Fudge do that on every song here. Each song on this album is a cover, and Vanilla Fudge do such a cool job with each song. Basically all the songs are slowed down to half-speed, and doing that really changes the flavor of each song. Plus, the band take each song and add their own unique spin (also listening to this, I can see why Bonham loved Carmine Appice so much, he's awesome).

I really feel like Vanilla Fudge gets lost in the history of rock music, prog music (which you could argue they were early adopters of), and psychedelic rock music. Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice went on to do other cool bands, like Cactus and Beck, Bogert, & Appice, but Vanilla Fudge stands out as a really cool, unique moment in the flood of psychedelic music that came out between 1966-1970.

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

Repo — Fri, 17 May 2024 20:48:35 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 05/18/2024 00:48

Repo wrote:

RockyRaccoon wrote:

Repo wrote:

Even Room On Fire got some backlash at the time. It's just that the press needs a story and most people are more than happy to go along with that story. I myself have been VERY guilty of this. :oops:

Could be!

I really think it was a time and place thing. The Strokes were massive when Is This It came out, so everything they did was magnified, which means an album that's good but not as good as the ones before it is seen as this massive failure. And it's funny, because honestly just about every Strokes album kinda sounds the same (and I'm not complaining, I love their sound), so it's kind of like, if you enjoyed their other stuff, you're probably gonna like this on some level too

I think u brought up two other key points. 1) Is This It was a massive debut album and it set expectations sky high.
2) The Strokes never surpassed their debut. Is This It became This Is It and people were, rightly or wrongly, expecting more than that. So many bands are weirdly measured by how they evolve. And The Strokes weren't having none of that. Instead they defied the tastemakers and kept putting out consistent albums of similar sounding indie rock. Now with the passage of time, we can just appreciate three great albums of indie rock, but at the time "What would the Strokes do next?" was part of the baggage that fell on their albums after Is This It.

And... they would come back in six years and successfully tweak their formula with Angles! So they did successfully evolve as well! And people STILL weren't happy. 🧱

Personally I like Angles even more than Room On Fire and First Impressions.... It's very fresh.

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

Repo — Tue, 14 May 2024 14:13:13 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 05/14/2024 18:13

RockyRaccoon wrote:

Repo wrote:

Even Room On Fire got some backlash at the time. It's just that the press needs a story and most people are more than happy to go along with that story. I myself have been VERY guilty of this. :oops:

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

RockyRaccoon — Mon, 13 May 2024 22:53:25 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 05/14/2024 02:53

Repo wrote:

Even Room On Fire got some backlash at the time. It's just that the press needs a story and most people are more than happy to go along with that story. I myself have been VERY guilty of this. :oops:

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

Repo — Mon, 13 May 2024 18:57:22 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 05/13/2024 22:57

RockyRaccoon wrote:

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First Impressions Of Earth by The Strokes

For the life of me, I've never understood why this is considered one of The Strokes' weaker albums.

If I had to hazard a guess, I'd imagine part of it is a time and place thing. This was their third album after Is This It and Room On Fire, both of which are classics, and I'll admit that First Impressions is a bit of a step down from the first two albums, so I can see in a time and place where The Strokes pump out two incredible albums, for them to then release an album that's a bit of a step back (even if it's a minor one) how that would be magnified into a more negative reception.

However, what's so strange to me is, listening to this album right now (and it's always been a favorite of mine), I feel like if you really enjoyed Is This It and Room On Fire, you probably would've liked this too. Maybe it's because The Strokes can be a bit one-note sometimes - while I love Room on Fire, it's definitely just doing Is This It over again, and maybe doing that a third time started to wear some of the shimmer off the band.

I'm not sure. I still think this is a great album. The main complaints I've heard about this, which have been generally focused on Julian Casablancas, don't feel unique to this album. Casablancas's voice is basically the same, it's what it always has been, and as for his lyrics, could they be better? Sure, but I mean, he wasn't exactly writing groundbreaking poetry on the first two records and I don't imagine too many people come to the Strokes for insights on the human condition or anything.

It's strange. But regardless of why this album is constantly slept on, it's excellent. If I was making a Strokes Greatest Hits album, I'd definitely put Juicebox and Vision of Division on there, and I might even put Heart in a Cage on there too.

Even Room On Fire got some backlash at the time. It's just that the press needs a story and most people are more than happy to go along with that story. I myself have been VERY guilty of this. 🫢

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

RockyRaccoon — Mon, 13 May 2024 16:56:18 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 05/13/2024 20:56

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Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

Repo — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 06:14:43 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 04/26/2024 10:14

RockyRaccoon wrote:

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Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 by Various Artists

Found a copy of Vol. 1 & 2 of this album at my local record store and I couldn’t have bought it faster.

Man I forgot how great this album is. This album (specifically Vol. 1) was so important and formative for me when I was in high school. I was getting into 60s psychedelic rock and of course grabbed this album.

There are so many incredible tunes on here, honestly I am so glad this and Vol. 2 exist, because they gave a bunch of otherwise overlooked and unknown psychedelic rock bands (who are really good!) a place to shine. It’s an awesome snapshot in one of the most interesting and musically fertile time periods in American rock music history and I love it so much.

🥰 🥰 🥰

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

RockyRaccoon — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 18:11:23 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 04/25/2024 22:11

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Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

RockyRaccoon — Thu, 1 Feb 2024 19:54:04 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 02/02/2024 00:54

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Himself by Gilbert O'Sullivan

Another grab from the record store bargain bin - I obviously new Alone Again (Naturally) but that was it from Gilbert O'Sullivan. The copy of this album I picked up has that song on it (which is a great song) but the rest of the album turned out to be pretty fun too!

It's a really easy-to-listen-to pop album that sounds a LOT like something Paul McCartney would've written. Really fun album, glad I grabbed it!

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

RockyRaccoon — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 18:34:37 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 01/29/2024 23:34

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The Cowsills by The Cowsills

I feel like I've given sunshine pop from the 60s a bad rap in my head. I found this album in the bargain bin of my local record store and thought to myself, hey, I like The Rain, The Park, & Other Things, why not grab this and give it a shot?

I definitely thought just by looking at the cover and knowing who The Cowsills are (the family band that inspired The Partridge Family show) that this would be pretty basic, white bread music, but for a couple of bucks and knowing I already like one of the songs, I figured why not?

And you know what? This album is actually pretty fun. Yeah, it's definitely 60s sunshine pop, but you can definitely hear the influence of the psychedelic rock movement on it (it came out in 1967, so right in the height of the movement), and it makes for a pretty fun, easy-to-listen-to album.

It's funny, I had the exact same experience with this album:

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Anything You Choose B/W Without Rhyme Or Reason by Spanky And Our Gang

Same deal - snagged it out of a bargain bin (I have a rule that if an album has a cool cover and it's less than $10, I'll buy it, even if I have no clue what it is), listened to it, and it turned out to be pretty fun sunshine pop, this time from 1969.

Sounds like I need to give the genre more of a chance

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

RockyRaccoon — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 13:21:12 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 01/21/2024 18:21

Romanelli wrote:

Edmunds' best solo albums are these, IMO. They aren't REALLY solo albums, though. The band is Rockpile (who were great as well), but they couldn't record for awhile under that name, so Edmunds and Nick Lowe released the recordings as solo albums. Try these:

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Get It by Dave Edmunds

Tracks On Wax 4 by Dave Edmunds

Also...Edmunds recorded this live album in 1997 with Swedish band The Refreshments. He plays some wild guitar here. The album was recorded by my good friend and former guitar player Kenneth Skoglund.

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A Pile Of Rock Live by Dave Edmunds

Oh man, this is great, I will absolutely dig into these. I had never heard of Dave Edmunds before I dug into Love Sculpture and I love his guitar playing so I can't wait to dive into more of his stuff

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

RockyRaccoon — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 13:18:05 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 01/21/2024 18:18

CharlieBarley wrote:

Liking your thread Bro.
It's eclectic and upbeat!

Thanks! I appreciate it! I need to get better at posting in it more consistently

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

Romanelli — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 12:07:17 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 01/21/2024 17:07

RockyRaccoon wrote:

Well I just discovered a band I never knew before that I'm now in love with - Love Sculpture

These two albums are incredible

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Blues Helping by Love Sculpture

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Forms And Feelings by Love Sculpture

Absolutely ridiculous stuff here. If you're unfamiliar, Love Sculpture kind of have a Ten Years After/Cream-style sound. Very rooted in blues with a dash of the psychedelic rock of the late-60s thrown in. But what's truly astounding about these albums is Dave Edmunds' guitar playing. The guy can absolutely shred, and I'm blown away by his playing on both of these albums.

The first album is mostly blues covers, all of which are great. The second album also has some blues covers but also has a couple originals that are fabulous (In the Land of the Few is especially good), and on top of that, we get two tracks of the band arranging two classical pieces - Farandole and Sabre Dance - and both sound awesome.

If you're a guitar nerd like me or if you love Ten Years After and their soundalike bands, Love Sculpture is a must-listen for sure. Now I'm going to have to check out the rest of Dave Edmunds' stuff.

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Get It by Dave Edmunds

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A Pile Of Rock Live by Dave Edmunds

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

CharlieBarley — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 00:35:46 GMT

Author: CharlieBarley

Posted: 01/21/2024 05:35

Liking your thread Bro.
It's eclectic and upbeat!

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

RockyRaccoon — Mon, 1 Jan 2024 11:09:01 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 01/01/2024 16:09

Well I just discovered a band I never knew before that I'm now in love with - Love Sculpture

These two albums are incredible

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Blues Helping by Love Sculpture

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Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

RockyRaccoon — Fri, 6 Oct 2023 20:21:36 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 10/07/2023 00:21

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Wheatfield Soul by The Guess Who

This was another bargain bin find at my local record store and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this. It's a fascinating snapshot of where The Guess Who were at in 1969.

It's a little uneven stylistically - you've got some songs that really lean into psychedelic rock, with the 10-minute-long "Friends of Mine" straight up sounding like a Doors song (and Burton Cummings does quite an interesting Jim Morrison impression). And you've got other, more pop-oriented songs, like "These Eyes," which is one of the best songs The Guess Who ever did.

Like I said, it's super interesting hearing where the band was at this point in their career. It was only their second album with Burton Cummings and their first album that actually had any success, thanks to These Eyes. But the album is clearly a product of its time - Cummings has always been a Morrison fan and even drove him around L.A. one night in 1969, so it's no surprise to hear sort of a Doors influence here and there.

Anyways, super interesting record. Not incredible, but a really fun find.

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

RockyRaccoon — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 18:05:58 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 09/22/2023 22:05

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The World Is A Ghetto by WAR

Another bargain bin find at the record store (if you can believe it). I haven't listened to this album in forever and man I forgot how good it is. The whole thing just has a killer vibe, a similar feel to some of Curtis Mayfield or Isaac Hayes' stuff, in that the tracks are long, many of them mostly instrumental, but never once to the instrumentals get boring. They just create this feel where you can just close your eyes and drift off. It's this great mix of psychedelia, blues, and soul all in one thing.

Also, instrumentally this album is great across the board but Howard Scott's guitar work is really excellent

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

RockyRaccoon — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 16:42:17 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 09/20/2023 20:42

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Roadwork by Edgar Winter's White Trash

Another bargain bin find at the record store near my house - I was combing through the bargain bin records and came across this. I knew literally nothing about it aside from knowing Edgar and Johnny Winter and some of their work (I've got They Only Come Out At Night in my collection). I looked at the track list, saw some cool tracks I like, and figured, hey, I've spent $3 on dumber things.

And man, I'm impressed. It's a rock solid live album with some incredible performances. Edgar Winter absolutely crushes it not only vocally but on saxophone and keys. The real highlight of the album is a 17-minute rendition of Tobacco Road in which Winter shows off some of the best vocals I've ever heard from him and Rick Derringer absolutely SHREDS.

I love when I take a swing on an album I've never heard of before and it turns out to be good, and that's exactly what this was. Definitely worth a listen if you get a chance.

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

RockyRaccoon — Sat, 9 Sep 2023 15:28:56 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 09/09/2023 19:28

Fischman wrote:

What a great post. I live all those albums that I'm familiar with. Which means now I have to find the time to check out the ones I'm not familiar with!

Repo wrote:

Me too! 8)

Let me know what you guys think! I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Re: From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log

Repo — Sat, 9 Sep 2023 09:23:57 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 09/09/2023 13:23

Fischman wrote:

What a great post. I live all those albums that I'm familiar with. Which means now I have to find the time to check out the ones I'm not familiar with!

Me too! 😎