SIGUR ROS
AGAETIS BYRJUN
1999-PIAS AMERICA
Produced By KEN THOMAS
1. Intro
2. Svefn-g-englar
3. Staralfur
4. Flugufrelsarinn
5. Ny Batteri
6. Hjartao Hamast (Bamm Bamm Bamm)
7. Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa
8. Olsen Olsen
9. Agaetis Byrjun
10. Avalon
If you were ever looking for something completely different at the turn of the century, this was it. And if you like your rock in a made up language, Icelandic and spaciously beautiful, Sigur Ros probably made your millennium. This is their second album, and what a discovery it was. The music was like the sound of lost whales off the chilly shore crying in loneliness...it's a really beautiful record. Granted, you won't understand a word, and you may not get the whole Iceland thing, but if you can get around the strangeness of it all, you'll be happy with this.
Sigur Ros went on to tour famously with Radiohead, then went a little off the deep end with their next record, which had not only no album title but no song titles. They also spawned a brief flux of Icelandic sad bands, a trend that didn't last very long. If Sigur Ros will be remembered for just this one album, that would not be a bad thing at all. But they recorded a string of fine albums, so this was not an anomaly.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS
RAISING SAND
2007-ROUNDER
Produced By T-BONE BURNETT
1. Rich Woman
2. Killing The Blues
3. Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us
4. Polly Come Home
5. Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)
6. Through The Morning, Through The Night
7. Please Read The Letter
8. Trampled Rose
9. Fortune Teller
10. Stick With Me Baby
11. Nothin'
12. Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson
13. Your Long Journey
What happens when you take a fine country singer like Alison Krauss, throw in the grizzled lead singer from Led Zeppelin and let T-Bone Burnett produce the resulting album of mostly cover songs? Gold, baby! Raising Sand is one of the nice surprises of the early century...vocally excellent, and most beautifully done. Plant and Krauss sound like they were made for each other, singing simple and intricate harmonies as if they'd been doing it together for 40 years. And the production by the most tasteful Burnett is exactly what they needed to bring it all together.
The songs, too, are expertly chosen. Represented are Townes Van Zant, Mel Tillis, Tom Waits, Gene Clark, The Everly Brothers, John Prine, and even Burnett's wife, Sam Phillips. The lone non cover is "Please Read The Letter", written by plant and Jimmy Page. Every song is excellent, every performance is breathtaking. This is a perfect album by an unlikely perfect couple.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
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And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
BLACK SABBATH
PARANOID
1971-WARNER BROTHERS
Produced By RODGER BAIN
1. War Pigs/Luke's Wall
2. Paranoid
3. Planet Caravan
4. Iron Man
5. Electric Funeral
6. Hand Of Doom
7. Rat Salad
8. Jack The Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots
Out of the dust of the feel-good hippie movement of the late 1960's came the stunning metal doom of Black Sabbath. Paranoid, their second album, turned a whole generation on to something that Led Zeppelin had only hinted at: rock & roll with a real dark side to it. And not just the sound, either. The songs were great on this album. From "War Pigs" and "Iron Man" to "Paranoid" and "Fairies Wear Boots", Black Sabbath found a formula that kept them at the forefront of metal and radio for years to come.
The heavy fuzzed guitar of Tony Iommi and the creepy vocals of Ozzy Osbourne make Paranoid one of the better albums of the 70's. To this day, it makes most metal bands seem tame by comparison. A heavy influence on a multitude of rockers that came afterward, Paranoid is a necessary part of any rock collection. Turn it up!
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
EAGLES
EAGLES GREATEST HITS VOL. 2
1982-ASYLUM
Produced By BILL SZYMCZYK
1. Hotel California
2. Heartache Tonight
3. Seven Bridgges Road
4. Victim Of Love
5. The Sad Cafe
6. Life In The Fast Lane
7. I Can't Tell You Why
8. New Kid In Town
9. The Long Run
10. After The Thrill Is Gone
It's not like every person in the world didn't have copies of Hotel California and The Long Run by 1982, but for those who didn't, this was the perfect collection...all of the late period Eagles songs you'd ever need. And together with Volume 1, you can enjoy them without any of their album filler. Of course, there are many good tracks you'd miss out on...but I'm rambling.
The best part about Vol. 2 is "Seven Bridges Road", the lone track from their mostly ignored live album from 1980, released immediately after their breakup. The song features tight 5 part harmonies, and is one of the better examples of the band's great vocal abilities...even though it has been propped up a lot by studio overdubs. As for the rest, you can get all of the songs easily enough on decent albums, so unless you're on a budget and don't like much more than the hits, you could probably do without this.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
GEORGE JONES
THE BEST OF GEORGE JONES: 1955-1967
1991-RHINO
Produced By BILL INGLOT
1. Why, Baby, Why
2. What Am I Worth
3. Just One More
4. Don't Stop The Music
5. Color Of The Blues
6. White Lightning
7. The Window Up Above
8. Tender Years
9. Aching, Breaking Heart
10. She Thinks I Still Care
11. A Girl I Used To Know
12. We Must Have Been Out Of Our Minds (w/Melba Montgomery)
13. You Comb Her Hair
14. The Race Is On
15. I've Got Five Dollars And It's Saturday Night (w/Gene Pitney)
16. Love Bug
17. I'm A People
18. Walk Through This World With Me
Don't stare at the album cover for too long...just some friendly advice. But the man behind that creepy stare is the greatest singer in country music history...George Jones. In a career that's spanned over 50 years, Jones pretty much IS the history of country music...he's seen it all, done it all, married its brightest stars, and lasted beyond every fad and cheesy moment the genre has thrown out there. And from the period covered in this mostly excellent collection (the mid sixties get a bit shaky...particularly the downright weird "I'm A Human"), Jones proves that he's worthy of every accolade thrown at him.
The early stuff is the best..."Why Baby Why" is a great opening, and the late 50's to early 60's material is phenomenal. As country struggled to end the 60's, Jones fell in line, but could still get out classics like "The Race Is On". A great way to hear the voice of country at his very best.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
AMY GRANT
HEART IN MOTION
1991-A&M
Produced By BROWN BANNISTER, MICHAEL OMARTIAN & KEITH THOMAS
1. Good For Me
2. Baby Baby
3. Every Heartbeat
4. That's What Love Is For
5. Ask Me
6. Galileo
7. You're Not Alone
8. Hats
9. I Will Remember You
10. How Can We See That Far
11. Hope Set High
Heart In Motion is the third (and final) of my questionable Amy Grant albums. Fresh out of being the number one Christian artist in the world, this album marked her true coming out to the mainstream with the massive hit "Baby Baby". Not as horrible as you might remember it, but not great stuff, either. She did have more to offer here than just a stab at the top 40, though..."Ask Me" and "How Can We See That Far" give early proof that Grant was not just a pop tart in religious clothing. She shows a maturity and great ability to play non pop that should have overshadowed the results of her hits.
Grant went on to a career that thankfully moved away from the cheesy keyboards heard here. There are glimpses of what she could do here, but to hear those glimpses come to fruition, check her later releases. Still, this is not nearly as bad as you may want to remember.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
BETTER THAN EZRA
HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
1998-ELEKTRA
Produced By MALCOLM BURN
1. Je Ne M'en Souviens Pas
2. One More Murder
3. At The Stars
4. Like It Like That
5. Allison Foley
6. Under You
7. Live Again
8. Happy Day Mama
9. Pull
10. Particle
11. Beautiful Mistake
12. Everything In 2's
13. New Kind Of Low
14. Waxing Or Waning?
Better Than Ezra's fourth album was an ambitious and great sounding effort. The theme is night, so there's some darkness here...but there's also a lot of uplifting music. Three singles were released, but "At The Stars" and "One More Murder" made almost no impact. By the time "Like It Like That", the album's catchiest song, was released, everyone was done with the record and it had no chance. They were even dropped by their label after this because of poor sales. Too bad, because Garden is nowhere near so bad as to deserve such a fate.
Better Than Exra took seven years to get signed, then seven weeks to hit #1 with the hit "Good" from their debut album. They have never matched that success, but they made some very good albums over the years. How Does Your Garden Grow? is one of those...it won't stand out too much, but you'll never regret having it, either.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
WILCO
WILCO (THE ALBUM)
2009-NONESUCH
Produced By WILCO & JIM SCOTT
1. Wilco (The Song)
2. Deeper Down
3. One Wing
4. Bull Black Nova
5. You And I
6. You Never Know
7. Country Disappeared
8. Solitaire
9. I'll Fight
10. Sonny Feeling
11. Everlasting Everything
Once there was an alt-country band called Wilco. They released a great album called Yankee Hotel Foxtrot that strayed further from those roots than ever...and then they went all noise on our asses. For all of those who cringed at the sound of A Ghost Is Born and were disappointed by the softness of Sky Blue Sky, this is the Wilco album you've been waiting for.
The band reaches back, not only to its earliest days, but also to the Yankee sound. There is some experimental sound here, but not enough to be off putting...this album is more about songs than the band had been about for years. "You Never Know" and "Wilco (The Song)" are among the standouts, and it even features a duet with Feist ("You And I"). Jeff tweedy sounds relaxed, and there's even a little help from Neil Finn. This is Wilco taking a step back...a very good step forward.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
TODD RUNDGREN
SOMETHING/ANYTHING?
1972-RHINO/BEARSVILLE
Produced By TODD RUNDGRENN
1. I Saw The Light
2. It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference
3. Wolfman Jack
4. Cold Morning Light
5. It Takes Two To Tango (This Is For The Girls)
6. Sweeter Memories
7. Intro
8. Breathless
9. The Night The Carousel Burnt Down
10. Saving Grace
11. Marlene
12. Song Of The Viking
13. I Went To The Mirror
1. Black Maria
2. One More Day (No Word)
3. Couldn't I Just Tell You
4. Torch Song
5. Little Red Lights
6. Overture- My Roots: Money (That's What I Want)/Messin' With The Kid
7. Dust In The Wind
8. Piss Aaron
9. Hello It's Me
10. Some Folks Is Even Whiter Than Me
11. You Left Me Sore
12. Slut
One of the truly amazing albums of the 70's. Todd Rundgren wrote, produced, and performed almost completely by himself this amazing display of pop song knowhow before submerging his career in experimental sounds. The results are amazing: "I Saw The Light" and "Hello It's Me" were hits, and "Couldn't I Just Tell You" should have been...it's the perfect song. Rundgren makes it sound easy, from strange numbers ("I Went To The Mirror"), mellow stuff ("Marlene") to rockers ("Wolfman Jack") without batting an eye.
A two record set, side four changes it up from Rundgren playing everything to an impromptu live recording with a band. The results are great (and hilarious). "Hello It's Me" comes from this side, as do the highly comic "Piss Aaron", "You Left Me Sore" and "Slut". This is, by far, Rundgren's greatest achievement, and a classic album you shouldn't be without.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
1. Closer To Fine
2. Secure Yourself
3. Kid Fears
4. Prince Of Darkness
5. Blood And Fire
6. Tried To Be True
7. Love's Recovery
8. Land Of Canaan
9. Center Stage
10. History Of Us
Actually their second album, this is where the Indigo Girls put it all together. Getting help from R.E.M. and Hothouse Flowers, this is their best set of songs, and their best album vocally. "Closer To Fine" put them on the map, and for good reason: it's an excellent song. "Kid Fears" and "Tried To Be True" are also highlights.
The album does suffer a little from what the rest of their career has suffered a lot from: filler. The slower the song, the less it holds your interest, and there are a couple of tracks here that will lose you: "Love's Recovery" and "History Of Us" will make you forget that you're actually listening. But when the Girls are on, it's beautiful harmonies and cool songs.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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