Billy Corgan was on the verge of being the king of rock in 1995, but it all slipped away from him. Poised for true hugeness after the death of Kurt Cobain and the anticipated follow up to Siamese Dream, the Pumpkins unleashed Mellon Collie before falling out of the picture altogether five years later. The problem with Mellon Collie (which was a massive hit) is that a single disc would have been a much more manageable and listenable statement: a double album left too much room for Corgan's meandering and his penchant for self pity. The good songs here are absolutely GREAT songs: "1979", "Tonight Tonight", "Love", "X.Y.U." and many more...but just as many that could have been left to the side.
This makes Mellon Collie both irritating and essential. If you're a fan, you must have it. Or even better, you must have a friend who has it who can burn you a single disc of just the great songs. As a whole, it will wear you out. But listen to the right tracks and you'll be mighty pleased. The best selling double album of all time, by the way.
I was a MASSIVE Pumpkins fans in the early 90s. and siamese Dream was the soundtrack to one of the best summers (and best loves) of my life. As as surfer, me and my friends would sing "Today" as we waited for just right wave. And then Mellon Collie came out, and I HATED it. I hated the self pity and the bloat of the record. The dumb over the top & outright laughable lyrics to that Rat in the cage song. The whole thing was so indulgent and and Billy Corgan's unbridled narcissism infected the entire project. Besides Wish by The Cure, I cannot think of another album that disappointed me as much. (Interestingly I have a soft spot for Adore though. Expectations are so important and color what we experience so much.)
DONOVAN
GREATEST HITS
1969-EPIC LEGACY
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. Mellow Yellow
2. Colours
3. Hurdy Gurdy Man
4. Catch The Wind
5. Lalena
6. Epistle To Dippy
7. Sunshine Superman
8. There Is A Mountain
9. Jennifer Juniper
10. Wear Your Love Like Heaven
11. Season Of The Witch
Bonus Tracks
12. Atlantis
13. To Susan On The West Coast Waiting
14. Barabajagal
15. Riki Tiki Tavi
Donovan Leitch was one of the bright lights of the 60's as this set shows very nicely. It's been overshadowed a bit by the more complete Troubador, but this is still the best place to start with Donovan. The early songs have added interest by way of Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones making appearances..."Hurdy Gurdy Man" is (supposedly) Led Zeppelin with Donovan in place of Robert Plant. Most of these songs are excellent, showing Leitch at the height of his writing.
Also, the album includes decent liner notes and brief comments from Donovan. In all, a fine set. Go for Troubador if you want to have more...but this will cost you less.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
WOLF PARADE
APOLOGIES TO THE QUEEN MARY
2005-SUB POP
Produced By ISAAC BROCK & WOLF PARADE
1. You Are A Runner And I Am My Fathers Son
2. Modern World
3. Grounds For Divorce
4. We Built Another World
5. Fancy Claps
6. Same Ghost Every Night
7. Shine A Light
8. Dear Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts
9. I'll Believe In Anything
10. It's A Curse
11. Dinner Bells
12. This Hearts On Fire
Kinda almost like Arcade Fire, but not quite, Wolf Parade is an indie band from Canada who made a huge splash with this, their debut album. They had already released 3 EP's, and the anticipation for this album was high. And well rewarded. Apologies is a fine debut, The sound is dark, and kinda like Arcade Fire, but more straight ahead as far as rock.
This is an album that I don't seem to notice a lot, because it just never comes up. But every time I do listen to it, I'm pleasantly surprised. It's an excellent work, and stands high on the list of albums from the 2000's. The band did record two more albums, and is coming off of a five year hiatus, so there should be more from them soon. This is excellent, and deserves to be heard.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
Kinda almost like Arcade Fire, but not quite, Wolf Parade is an indie band from Canada who made a huge splash with this, their debut album. They had already released 3 EP's, and the anticipation for this album was high. And well rewarded. Apologies is a fine debut, The sound is dark, and kinda like Arcade Fire, but more straight ahead as far as rock.
This is an album that I don't seem to notice a lot, because it just never comes up. But every time I do listen to it, I'm pleasantly surprised. It's an excellent work, and stands high on the list of albums from the 2000's. The band did record two more albums, and is coming off of a five year hiatus, so there should be more from them soon. This is excellent, and deserves to be heard.
OTIS REDDING
THE VERY BEST OF OTIS REDDING
1992-RHINO
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. These Arms Of Mine
2. Pain In My Heart
3. That's How Strong My Love Is
4. Mr. Pitiful
5. I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)
6. Respect
7. I Can't Turn You Loose
8. Satisfaction
9. My Lover's Prayer
10. Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)
11. Try A Little Tenderness
12. Shake
13. The Happy Song (Dum-Dum)
14. Tramp (With Carla Thomas)
15. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
16. I've Got Dreams To Remember
Before the untimely death of Otis Redding in 1967, he was already a leading light in soul music. And for good reason: one listen to this amazing collection will convince you that he was simply one of the greatest of all time. And thank God for Rhino Records for putting it together. The Very Best of Otis Redding is the best single disc collection of his work you can find.
All of the best are here: "These Arms Of Mine", "Respect", "I Can't Turn You Loose", his amazing cover of the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction", the posthumous "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay", and his best song, "I've Got Dreams To Remember". Otis was a true legend, and this is a perfect tribute...a perfect compilation. Get it if you can find it!
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
JOHN HIATT
MASTER OF DISASTER
2005-NEW WEST
Produced By JIM DICKINSON
1. Master Of Disaster
2. Howlin' Down The Cumberland
3. Thunderbird
4. Wintertime Blues
5. When My Love Crosses Over
6. Love's Not Where We Thought We Left It
7. Ain't Ever Goin' Back
8. Cold River
9. Find You At Last
10. Old School
11. Back On The Corner
Master Of Disaster is John Hiatt's 18th album, and he still hadn't crossed that line to being a huge star. Probably a good thing for those who have enjoyed Hiatt's music in relative quiet over the years. This is another of his fine, well played and well written albums. Produced by Jim Dickinson and with a band that consists of the two Dickinson boys from the North Mississippi All Stars and Patterson Hood's dad on bass, this album is everything that's good about Hiatt's music. And even if you don't like his quirky voice, you can't deny his prowess as a songwriter.
"Thunderbird" is a fine song, as are most of the selections here. If you're a fan, you'll enjoy this a lot. If you're new to Hiatt's music, this is a fine place to start. The title track is excellent, as is "Howlin' Down The Cumberland", "Old School", and "Cold River". Very worthwhile...Hiatt's best effort in quite awhile.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
1. Remedy
2. Blind Willie McTell
3. The Caves Of Jericho
4. Atlantic City
5. Too Soon Gone
6. Country Boy
7. Move To Japan
8. Amazon (River Of Dreams)
9. Stuff You Gotta Watch
10. Same Thing
11. Shine A Light
12. Blues Stay Away From Me
After The Last Waltz, The Band got together again in 1983...but didn't release another studio album for 10 more years. Robbie Robertson was, of course, long gone, as was Richard Manuel, who had committed suicide in 1986. Garth Hudson, Levon Helm, and Rick Danko, along with their regular touring band and a slew of guests, released Jericho, a collection of mostly cover songs. Some are exceptional, and while much of the album is not anywhere near the past glories of the group, the high points are stirring.
"Remedy" is a powerful opener, and their reading of Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City" is great. "Too Soon Gone" is dedicated to Manuel, but "Country Boy" one-ups that...it's the last studio vocal recorded by him back in 1985, a year before his death. Positively chilling. After that, the album slowly sinks, but the tribute is moving, and the flashes of brilliance are worthwhile. The Band recorded two more albums before the death of Rick Danko in 1999, when they ended things for good. Jericho is not great, but it's a good document to show where they ended up, and fans of The Band will certainly enjoy it.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
SOUNDGARDEN
BADMOTORFINGER
1991-A&M
Produced By TERRY DATE & SOUNDGARDEN
1. Rusty Cage
2. Outshined
3. Slaves & Bulldozers
4. Jesus Christ Pose
5. Face Pollution
6. Somewhere
7. Searching With My Good Eye Closed
8. Room A Thousand Years Wide
9. Mind Riot
10. Drawing Flies
11. Holy Water
12. New Damage
Don't let the timing of Badmotorfinger fool you...Soundgarden had been together for seven years and had released two albums when Nirvana's Nevermind dropped in 1991. Badmotorfinger was released exactly two weeks later, and because they were also from Seattle, they were viewed as another great new grunge band. But, flannel or not, this was a great hard rock band that was just coming into its own. Badmotorfinger is their third album, and it's a beast of a record. It's unrelentingly heavy, the songs are as tight as can be, and Chris Cornell outsang every heavy singer in the world.
"Rusty Cage" and "Outshined" are as good a 1-2 punch as there is in rock. But then you get "Slaves & Bulldozers", maybe their most underrated song, followed by the amazing "Jesus Christ Pose". Cornell sounds completely possessed. There are a couple of so-so tracks later on, but this is an almost complete masterpiece, and as much the reason for the death of glam metal as Nirvana was. Amazingly, their next album was even better...before they quickly fell apart. But if you have Badmotorfinger and Superunknown, you're in great shape.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
Don't let the timing of Badmotorfinger fool you...Soundgarden had been together for seven years and had released two albums when Nirvana's Nevermind dropped in 1991. Badmotorfinger was released exactly two weeks later, and because they were also from Seattle, they were viewed as another great new grunge band. But, flannel or not, this was a great hard rock band that was just coming into its own. Badmotorfinger is their third album, and it's a beast of a record. It's unrelentingly heavy, the songs are as tight as can be, and Chris Cornell outsang every heavy singer in the world.
"Rusty Cage" and "Outshined" are as good a 1-2 punch as there is in rock. But then you get "Slaves & Bulldozers", maybe their most underrated song, followed by the amazing "Jesus Christ Pose". Cornell sounds completely possessed. There are a couple of so-so tracks later on, but this is an almost complete masterpiece, and as much the reason for the death of glam metal as Nirvana was. Amazingly, their next album was even better...before they quickly fell apart. But if you have Badmotorfinger and Superunknown, you're in great shape.
👏
Completely agree with except I also LOVE Down on the Upside and think it's incredibly underrated. It's a GREAT 70s style hard rock album that's just perfect for the car. Plus, Ultramega OK RULES! Louder Than Love is their only fair album. I've never listened to that reunion album though. Whatever it's called. Is any good?
Also, it's important to note that way before we even new Nirvana existed, Louder than Love was completely embraced by us metalheads especially since most of the bands we loved and the genre itself had turned to shit in the late 80s. Louder Than Love was a much needed breath of fresh air as well as Facelift by Alice in Chains. They were viewed as heavy metal bands before we even heard the term grunge. again this is on the East Coast.
JOHNNY ADAMS
ROOM WITH A VIEW OF THE BLUES
1988-ROUNDER
Produced By SCOTT BILLINGTON
1. Room With A View
2. I Don't Want To Do Wrong
3. Not Trustworthy (A Lyin' Woman)
4. Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)
5. How Wrong Can A Good Man Be
6. Body And Fender Man
7. I Owe You
8. Wish I'd Never Loved You At All
9. The Hunt Is On
10. A World I Never Made
In the late 80's, New Orleans blues singer Johnny Adams made a string of very good and very smooth records. His taste in cover material was always top notch, and he regularly played with great musicians such as Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Dr. John. Room With A View Of The Blues is one of those albums. Excellently played and beautifully sang, and also impeccably smooth (maybe to a fault: with the blues, it's good to have SOME edge). But there's no doubting that Johnny Adams was a master at his craft.
The high points here are "Body And Fender Man" and the excellent "Neither One Of Us". You can't go wrong with anything from Adams during this period. They called him The Tan Canary for good reason...boy could sing!
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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