Pre-1967 Top 10 Singer-Songwriter Album Per Yours Truly:
Okay, and I have had the top 4 set for a bit. But as I relisten to them, its super tough working out how to rank them. Hell that Lee Hazlewood could also be thrown into this tier now. But just know all these albums are awesome, and, most awesome, for 4 (or 5) distinctly different reasons. Despite using similar instruments and styles to convey their views and songs, they all mine a different mood and style somehow which is cool.
This album was apparently recorded with a portable tape player, on a borrowed guitar, in a kitchen of a London flat. Wow. The sound is yes raw, but also very clear and pristine. And the thing that sets this apart from other singer-songwriter albums of the period including every other album on this list, is the active, intense, inventive and virtuosic guitar playing. Bert just adorned these earthy blues and folk originals with intricate guitar runs and chords that just manage to fill up the whole sound despite the stripped down nature of the music and despite the alleged circumstances of the recording session.
The album starts off with a beautiful blues original "Strolling Down The Highway" and its a great way to be introduced to the main voice here and to this album. Its just a simple portrait of the style, kind of aimless, blue and searching. Throughout the album jansch plays nice earnest original songs, and a fair share of little instrumental detours which are consistently fascinating.
Songs like the opener, and the closing instrumental "Angie" with its agressive crashes and burtsts, and the stunning and bitter sadness of "Needle of Death/Do You Hear Me Now" assure this as a classic of the just a man and his guitar albums and folk.
Damn! These first 2 Hardin albums just hit the sweet spot, don't they? Painfully short (this is 27 min, Tim Hardin 2 is 23 min), perfectly balanced between introspective and downright poetic tracks and blues rockers, and they feature obviously truly excellent and soulful vocals by the man himself. If Jansch's album was all about stripping away all but simple vocal and guitar, this album is about taking simple, elegant songs and imagining them in all sorts of new and pristine ways with the occasional orchestra, the occasional full on blues rock band (with HARMONICA!) , with the occasional straight forward folkie rock tune, etc. This album despite its length is beautifully scattered stylistically. I should say, not scattered, but varied. It could have come across as Scattered if not for the absolutely human and likable and brilliant anchor holding this thing down - Timmy H hisself.
Every song is a short nugget, a gem, they all have their own personality and soul and they are all so beautifully self contained and presented so excellently. Every track is unique in this way. That is not to say there are not obvious stand outs. The mournful, subtly orchestral, soul song "It'll Never Happen Again" is just absolutely gorgeous and tearful and earnest. The opener "Don't Make Promises" is just an earworm classic. "Reasons To Believe" is a classic soulful pop gem, all about the struggle of loving someone, with just virtuosicly spare use of words. "Smugglin Man" is balls to the wall blues rock, while not as intense as stuff from Highway 61 Revisited, its a nice companion to that immensely influential sound, and holds its own even against such a peer's work as that. Okay, that last comment made not much sense, but finally the closer here :How Can We Hang On To A Dream" is another absolutely breathtaking breakup song.
And etc etc, this is fabulous. And what's more, Tim Hardin 2 is a bit better. Also a 1967 album. 67 is a stacked year.
This is such an amazing record. Basically the definitive example of an excellent artist coming along, dropping a unique and timeless masterpiece then disappearing. He just never got the credit he deserved in his career or in his day which is sad. This album is a stunner. Outside of maybe Pink Moon is there another album as absolutely vulnerable, honest, melancholy and transfixingly real as this?
The album is full of perfect gems, from the classic opener "Blues Run The Game" to the end, you are just let in this room and this space with this lost soul expressing himself directly to you.
I notice my enjoyment of this album has a lot to do with mood. Usually I don't gravitate to this intensely lost and down an album. But last night after work I just felt a need and I listened to it 2 times through and every chord and word and aspect rang true.
Listening now I still adore it and all, but it doesn't have the same earth shattering effect that it does when I'm more on the wavelength of the record. Also listening now and its interesting that the whole album isn't truly sad and blue. Some songs especially on "side 1" such as "Don't Look Back" and "Yellow Walls" aren't straight up tear jerkers. But all amazing songs... But really side 2 takes the vibe to a new level of intense. Maybe its just that the second half songs are more distinctly in the minor key...? IDK. Its amazing though listening to the run of perfection that is track "Milk And Honey", to "My Name Is Carnival" to (especially these next 2) "I Want To Be Alone" and finally "Just Like Anything". I swear listening to "I Want To Be Alone" last night was an out-of-body experience. It struck a nerve so deep and blue that i was all shook up. Follow this by the insanely unique and almost chirpy depression at the heart of "Just Like Anything" and you have something truly special.
So you may ask why is this not number 1? Well there was an album I heard for the first time last week that I absolutely fell in love ith. And its so incredibly different from Jackson C Frank's debut and only album, that it is gonna be a laugher listening to them back to back.
But enough about that. For now, I say this album is awesome. And everyone should listen to it.
I think i'll post my number 1 next. I won't say much about it as I don't have much to say. But there ya go. Also I'll list some honorable mentions. _________________ -Ryan
Songs of Our Time by P.F. Sloan (1965)
Songs of Protest and Anti-Protest by Chris Lucey (1965)
Lightfoot! by Gordon Lightfoot (1966)
The Return of Roger Miller by Roger Miller (1965)
Where I'm Bound by Bob Gibson (1963)
The Soul Of A City Boy by Jesse Colin Young (1964)
Right from the jump I hear that this is an incredible album. Its probably one of the funnest and funniest albums I've ever heard. "Chug A Lug" is just this rollicking constantly shifting little dude about alcohol exploits, with strange vocal sound effects added and seeming gibberish thrown in by Miller. And when he does sing its truly amazing! His voice is so rich and multi-faceted, he uses like 4 different vocal styles in this first 1:45 song.
This record is country, but free of all the corn. Its rock but with no self seriousness at all. Its a songwriter album with seemingly an endless line of brilliant twists of phrase, yet, on first listen it may seem like shallow all around. And its just an incredibly creative and exciting record. No song goes long at all, its a 24 minute album with 12 amazing songs. It's so offhand and brilliant in that way. You almost can't help but listen to it on repeat its so short, brisk and sweet.
Roger Miller was a wild man! His vocal delivery is truly virtuosic (that damn "word" again), its true...he can spit out all these lines and go in and out of character, when he yells it sounds absolutely orgasmic, when he croons it soothes the soul, when he talks the words ring out funnily and wisely. He ornaments these songs with funny vocal tricks and effects, and its just sooooo coooooool!
Other stand outs are the brilliant country shuffling song "It Takes All Kinds to Make A World", the opener "Chug A Lug" as already mentioned is a must-listen, the excellent demonstration of Roger's songwriting style he gives on "Got 2 Again" (listen to this, and you'll love it...its so great), the song "Feel Of Me" is smoking with some super excellent guitar and the usualy vocal brilliance from Miller, The hard charging blues "I Ain't Comin' Home Tonight", and there's also the endearing and beautiful and funny and strangely touching "That's Why I Love You So Much" (which seems like a spiritual ancestor to Police song Da Do Do Do De Da Da Da lol), the hilarious song with some weird seriously strange vocal parts "Squares Make The World Go 'Round", and finally the classic country sound with more excellent wordplay and absolutely awesome vocal power "If You Want Me To".
Which leaves also "Dang Me" which is so strange and unique and exhilarating, with its slinky slapped guitar and spoken word delivery and its incredibly endearing and fun to sing along with chorus, that it is amazing that this weird track became a hit in late '64 right in the middle of the british invasion. It's got so much going on and going for it that it is really a pleasure of the highest musical magnitude to listen to.
And if it seems like I went over every track just now, its because I nearly did. But There are even a few more little gems in here not mentioned. There is no harm in spending 24 minutes with this quircky man named Roger Miller on this here classic. I really hope you love it half as much as I do.
"My friend and me went to a picture show in town
They called his name and said his house had just burned down
I took his hand and offered him my sympathy
Then suddenly I remembered that he lived with me
Well it takes all kinds to make a world..." Roger Miller 🤣
My Top 5 7 Favorite Singer-Songwriter Albums of 1967:
Okay, and so here we are with year by year ranks. Now that Dylan by this time had given up his chokehold on the genre and field, I see that 1967 still had some stellar Dylan. But along with that 1967 saw the arrival of a person who may challenge Dylan in terms of Poetic songwriting supremacy in Leonard Cohen. You also get in 1967 the first rumblings and mutterings about a whole new crop of unique and innovative songwriters who would go on to bless the world with ingenious lyrical content and groundbreaking musical content for years to come... You got the first of many classics by Tim Buckley, the arrival of the great Gene Clark, the true arrival of Laura Nyro, the first album by Neil Diamond, etc. Also Donovan and Phil Ochs and Tim Hardin and Fred Neil continued their crusade of songwriting mastery.
So with that in mind here are the top 5 7 Singer-Songwriter albums of 1967, counted down...
#7
Life is a Constant Journey Home by Jerry Moore (1967)
Right from the somber first moments of the overwhelmingly powerful opener "Ballad of Birmingham", its clear you are in for a strangely forgotten classic. The guitars shift mercurially, the percussion hesitates and moves about, and Jerry tells a heartbreaking tale of woe and loss. So much drama and anticipation and intense emotion is packed into the first song.
And that isn't where the creativity ends. The album is packed with brilliant political yet intensely introspective lyrics, interesting shifting rhythms, jangly and far-off sounding guitars, and Jerry Moore's clear deep melodious vocals keep it grounded. Absolutely stunning. Another thing I like about this is that it sounds utterly effortless and smooth despite all the littyle interesting details. His voice sounds calm and soulful at once and there is always something something to latch onto here musically. Its a consistently fascinating mix of folk balldry, soul, R&B, blues, etc all wrapped together into one clear statement.
Just in the last few days was I drawn to this when I was researching for my diary and this ranking game. And its one of the greatest things that I discovered this.
Grade: 8.6/10
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#6
Fred Neil by Fred Neil (1967 per RYM, 1966 per BEA)
Listening to this was an interesting experience. The whole dreamy vibe, with the strange echoey production especially on the classic opener "The Dolphins" sounded so unique. Also it does sound like it had a slight influence on Buckley. Fred Neil's vocals here are the usual unaffected cool, velvety excellence. And the themes are consistently fascinating.
It is interesting to see how far he went in the more dreamy experimentalism with this album compared to his previous album "Bleecker and MacDougal". While I personally feel like the songwriting and the actual songs on his previous album are more engaging and fun, the production and general flow of this album makes it ascend slightly over his excellent debut.
Also that last song, the 8 minute weird psychedelic instrumental, is cool as hell.
I had a busy day of listening today. I had a half dozen albums to relisten to. This one included. And to be honest I just wasn't overwhelmingly excited about listening to Tim Buckley. He had never yet clicked with me. Meaning he had never really connected with me or illuminated for me some sort of realization of the greatness of his music or the coolness or the style or virtuosity, etc. It just had never straightened into a clear concept in my mind which I liked. I had listened to this album and a few of his later (stranger and more experimental) albums.
But I just made myself push play to at least recollect what i thought of this album. And the coolest thing happened. I finally "Got It". I mean I finally heard the sheer creative audacity of what Buckley had done with this album. I found myself overcome by the emotions he was expressing, I heard and understood what he was doing with his somewhat over the top musical waves. The palate with which he paints this album is immense. There are strange effects on many things, and guitars, and keyboards and symphonies and big crescendos and there is, of course, his vocals. His vocals were what finally worked for me. They just are all over the place and all in service of the songs. His voice has always been mentioned as a game changer in many ways, but I never liked them much. But here they really work, he sounds like he is almost bursting with an unimaginable amount of emotion and fire and sadness. And as he sings he is releasing these sounds and these feelings and its oft-times glorious.
And yes later albums are definitely pushed way way up my "To Listen" list. I believe its generally understood that he got more and more out there and experimental as he went along in his short life. And I do recall "Lorca" and "Starsailor" being quite strange and beautiful. I am very very excited to listen to them for later songwriter lists (1969-1971 will probably HAVE to be top 15s at this rate cuz man there is a lot of great stuff coming up to listen to for those years). Its amazing to think he became somehow MORE innovative. Cuz listening to this today just blew my mind in how incredibly unique and forward-thinking the whole sound and flow of the album was. I mean you can hear traces of it in Fred Neil, but this is just next level wild and ahead of its time. Its a goodie.
Grade: 9.2/10
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#4 is a tie. (I am cheating, I know)
Songs of Leonard Cohen by Leonard Cohen (1967)
&
John Wesley Harding by Bob Dylan (1967)
Well, I was thinking of somehow disqualifying Dylan again, cuz, well you know. But I can't do it I love John Wesley Harding so much. The parables and mysterious and open ended stories are so engrossing. The biblical references go to 11 here and its all the better for it. And this album is truly amazing! The true star of this album is the rhythm section. The drummer (Kenneth Buttrey) is so concise and yet swingingly stylish at the same time, its hard to explain how cool he is ... and the bassist (Charlie McCoy) is maybe even more astounding in his dexturous, mercurial, beautiful basslines throughout.
Indeed I had previously cast a small amount of shade on this album, claiming it doesn't deserve to be included in the same tier of excellence as Dylan's 6 prior albums. And while I still would place it slightly below all of them, it is indeed in the same tier and was quite mind blowing when I gave it a much-deserved re-listen today.
Grade: 9.4/10
As for Songs of Leonard Cohen, well, I obviously love it. It is my second favorite Cohen album behind only Songs From A Room, and it has such a magical sound, a hushed, slow, prophetic and philosophical vibe which tends to just hold me in its grasp when it is playing. Songs like "Suzanne", and "Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye" are some of the most geniusly written song ever. It is an essential for any fan of folk or music or poetry. Its that great.
Of All these classic singer-songwriter statements in 1967, this album seems the most unassuming. It sounds the least adventurous and the least flashy with its wordplay. There are no epic lyrical intensities of Leonard Cohen. Nor is there the brilliant rhythm section heroics or Biblical parables and mysteries of John Wesley Harding. Nor is there the fearless experimentation and vocal flights of Goodbye and Hello. Nor is there the quiet political tensions of Jerry Moore, or the classical aspects and chamber folk experimentations or 7-9 minute poems of Pleasures of the Harbor or the psychedelic experimentation and child-like flights of fancy of Donovan, or the Proto-Buckley dreamy production and velvety pipes of Fred Neil. And yet this album may just be the most succintly well-rounded and best written and most affecting of all these albums in many ways. Its a perfectly distilled 23 minute set of songs with absolutely no wasted anything. The vocals ache and the words ring completely true, and the band adds non-showy yet brilliant touches with a gorgeous horn here and a killer drum fill there, the guitars shimmer and cut, etc. The whole Tim Hardin 2 album floats through, completely serene, completely immaculate, untainted by silliness or extravagance. Its just about as perfect an album as was released in the 1960s.
Listening to this was one of the most eye-popping moments in recent memory. For me I mean. I always had a very specific idea of Ochs. I thought of him as the poor man's Dylan - protest songs, some sweet melodies and sad ones too, and some nice acoustic guitar. As a matter of fact it got to the point where I just mentally glossed over his work when anyone would mention it or when it would come up on lists. That must be true, cuz looking at the RYM lists of 1960s singer/songwriter albums would feature Ochs albums, foremost this one here and I never noticed. I remained ignorant.
Then I saw this album as a big album released in '67. I heard it was "really different" and "totally essential" and I said "alright alright! I'll give it a listen."
Well, I finished listening to it and I was slack-jawed. I couldn't believe what I had just heard ona PHIL OCHS RECORD! My only previous experience with him was his first 2 albums, and I liked them well enough. Oh and I had listened to "Rehearsals For Retirement" which I recall really liking. So there. That is it.
So, in brief, what was this album to me? Like Long Form-"Odessey & Oracle", with the occluded social commentary of "Another Side of Bob Dylan" with a healthy dose of "Imperial Bedroom"-era Elvis Costello in its biting wit and observations of the sad and asinine aspects of the world around the narrator. I mean the songs here are GORGEOUS. They are lush, intensely complex arrangements. There are full classical/symphonic parts, and the musicians here are all so damn top notch. And in the middle of this maelstrom of overwhelming beauty and creatively, is the plain yet endearing vocals of Phil Ochs. His lyrics here are layered and meticulous, they are incredibly observant, and engrossing throughout.
Picking the most intensely triumphant song here is near impossible. No song sticks out as being out of place. At the same time there is no doubt this thing is dense and scattered all at once. There is such a massive amount of musical ideas here. The opener "Cross My Heart" is very nice, intensely beautiful and touching and gives one a good idea of the space of this album. But Then the next 2 songs build on that high mark. Each song is a "WTF" moment for me, where I am not sure I am, again, listening to a Phil Ochs album.
Then the last song "The Crucifixion" manages to peak the whole album in terms of innovation, with its incredibly disconcerting and somewhat discordant strings laying the groundwork for Phil to come in with an epic 8 minute poem which takes us through the whole history of man, with all its attendant betrayals of Nature and God. I am not sure there is a better way to put a cherry on top of one of the most mind boggling listens I've had in quite awhile. This is just a truly awe-inspiring achievement of an album.
"The Spanish bulls are beaten; the crowd is soon beguiled,
The matador is beautiful, a symphony of style
Excitement is ecstatic, passion places bets
Gracefully he bows to ovations that he gets
But the hands that are applauding are slippery with sweat
And saliva is falling from their smiles" - "Crucifixion"
A Gift From A Flower To A Garden by Donovan (I am sorry Tilly. I did revisit for this thing and I really liked it. But it didn't yet fully click, but I agree its an astounding piece of work and I have it qeued up for more listens tomorrow. It gets a 8.1/10 as of now. But I just need a bit more time to digest it. And i do agree its better than Sunshine Superman.) Gene Clark with The Gosdin Brothers by Gene Clark
Malvina Reynolds Sings The Truth by Malvina Reynolds
The "Above Ground Sound" of Jake Holmes by Jake Holmes
Just for You by Neil Diamond
More Than A New Discovery by Laura Nyro _________________ -Ryan
Really loving this, Ryan! It's a veritable gold mine for my mellow zone. 😁
some I know & love but there's a lot I don't! queueing up that Buffy album first. Already been get my teeth into Tim Hardin 1 over the past month and totally agree. He pretty much tackled it all.
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Really loving this, Ryan! It's a veritable gold mine for my mellow zone. 😁
some I know & love but there's a lot I don't! queueing up that Buffy album first. Already been get my teeth into Tim Hardin 1 over the past month and totally agree. He pretty much tackled it all.
I am loving that you are loving this! I also love that you posted this at the EXACT TIME i finished my hours long project making my 1967 top 7! What timing. 😄
I hope you aren't too pissed about Donovan's just barely missing my countdown but being the number 1 Honorable Mention... _________________ -Ryan
Really loving this, Ryan! It's a veritable gold mine for my mellow zone. 😁
some I know & love but there's a lot I don't! queueing up that Buffy album first. Already been get my teeth into Tim Hardin 1 over the past month and totally agree. He pretty much tackled it all.
I am loving that you are loving this! I also love that you posted this at the EXACT TIME i finished my hours long project making my 1967 top 7! What timing. 😄
I hope you aren't too pissed about Donovan's just barely missing my countdown but being the number 1 Honorable Mention...
Not at all. As if I could ever have a problem with Buckley, Dylan, & Cohen. 😁 Love those albums. And, I've always heard great things about that Fred Neil album so now Im super intrigued. And I've been digging that Hardin 1 album for the past month or so. The real surprise is Ochs at 1. I'd only heard I that I Ain't Marching album in the past and remember liking it but not being blown over or anything. So something knew to check out! Peace, brother.
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Really loving this, Ryan! It's a veritable gold mine for my mellow zone. 😁
some I know & love but there's a lot I don't! queueing up that Buffy album first. Already been get my teeth into Tim Hardin 1 over the past month and totally agree. He pretty much tackled it all.
I am loving that you are loving this! I also love that you posted this at the EXACT TIME i finished my hours long project making my 1967 top 7! What timing. 😄
I hope you aren't too pissed about Donovan's just barely missing my countdown but being the number 1 Honorable Mention...
Not at all. As if I could ever have a problem with Buckley, Dylan, & Cohen. 😁 Love those albums. And, I've always heard great things about that Fred Neil album so now Im super intrigued. And I've been digging that Hardin 1 album for the past month or so. The real surprise is Ochs at 1. I'd only heard I that I Ain't Marching album in the past and remember liking it but not being blown over or anything. So something knew to check out! Peace, brother.
well i am glad i didn't disappoint you much. lol. And yeah as I started putting the top 7 together I had legitimately 5 different choices for #1 at different times. At first I was sure it would be Leonard Cohen, then I relistened to Dylan's 1967 album and I was like "man, I have really underrated this...it should be nu mber 1. Then I listened to Tim Hardin 2 about 3 times in a row and I loved it and its cover so much i thought it would be ballsy to put it number 1, plus I liked it the most. Then I listened to and finally really "got" Tim Buckley's Hello and Goodbye and I was like maybe it is number 1 or number 2. And at the end I listened to Phil Ochs and his baroque pop masterpiece and I was so slack jawed I was like "Am I seriously thinking an Ochs album is BETTER than a Dylan album of the same year? Is this real life?!" and yeah I just went ahead and accepted that Pleasures of the Harbor is just next level. And I was finally set in my choices. Long paragraph explaining this process.
And, again, if you go into Pleasures of the Harbor thinking it will be a slightly more poppy I Ain't Marching Anymore then that's perfect cuz its gonna blow your mind. It really is Long Form-Odessey & Oracle. Its that wild. I hope you likes it.
Now, 1968 is not as stacked as 67, not quite. But its just the calm before the 1969, 1970, and 1971 storm. I literally have a list of 20-25 albums for each of those years. What do I do?! Also you have 2 classics by TVZ in 69, 2 classics by Tim Buckley in 69, a classic Dylan, a classic Leonard Cohen, a absolutely classic (and as of now #1) album by Mickey Newbury, you also have a Nick Drake, another great Ochs, a classic Nyro, 2 classic Scott Walker albums which I've never given much attention to, 2 albums by Neil Young (only one is a classic) etc etc. Plus I have 4 or 5 albums I have never heard from 69 that look cool as hell. And its basically the same for 1970. Its seriously cray cray. Will need to take a couple days (as my weekends are very busy) and I will probably do a top 20 or so which seems over the top, but I am a maximalist. _________________ -Ryan
Really loving this, Ryan! It's a veritable gold mine for my mellow zone. 😁
some I know & love but there's a lot I don't! queueing up that Buffy album first. Already been get my teeth into Tim Hardin 1 over the past month and totally agree. He pretty much tackled it all.
I am loving that you are loving this! I also love that you posted this at the EXACT TIME i finished my hours long project making my 1967 top 7! What timing. 😄
I hope you aren't too pissed about Donovan's just barely missing my countdown but being the number 1 Honorable Mention...
Not at all. As if I could ever have a problem with Buckley, Dylan, & Cohen. 😁 Love those albums. And, I've always heard great things about that Fred Neil album so now Im super intrigued. And I've been digging that Hardin 1 album for the past month or so. The real surprise is Ochs at 1. I'd only heard I that I Ain't Marching album in the past and remember liking it but not being blown over or anything. So something knew to check out! Peace, brother.
well i am glad i didn't disappoint you much. lol. And yeah as I started putting the top 7 together I had legitimately 5 different choices for #1 at different times. At first I was sure it would be Leonard Cohen, then I relistened to Dylan's 1967 album and I was like "man, I have really underrated this...it should be nu mber 1. Then I listened to Tim Hardin 2 about 3 times in a row and I loved it and its cover so much i thought it would be ballsy to put it number 1, plus I liked it the most. Then I listened to and finally really "got" Tim Buckley's Hello and Goodbye and I was like maybe it is number 1 or number 2. And at the end I listened to Phil Ochs and his baroque pop masterpiece and I was so slack jawed I was like "Am I seriously thinking an Ochs album is BETTER than a Dylan album of the same year? Is this real life?!" and yeah I just went ahead and accepted that Pleasures of the Harbor is just next level. And I was finally set in my choices. Long paragraph explaining this process.
And, again, if you go into Pleasures of the Harbor thinking it will be a slightly more poppy I Ain't Marching Anymore then that's perfect cuz its gonna blow your mind. It really is Long Form-Odessey & Oracle. Its that wild. I hope you likes it.
Now, 1968 is not as stacked as 67, not quite. But its just the calm before the 1969, 1970, and 1971 storm. I literally have a list of 20-25 albums for each of those years. What do I do?! Also you have 2 classics by TVZ in 69, 2 classics by Tim Buckley in 69, a classic Dylan, a classic Leonard Cohen, a absolutely classic (and as of now #1) album by Mickey Newbury, you also have a Nick Drake, another great Ochs, a classic Nyro, 2 classic Scott Walker albums which I've never given much attention to, 2 albums by Neil Young (only one is a classic) etc etc. Plus I have 4 or 5 albums I have never heard from 69 that look cool as hell. And its basically the same for 1970. Its seriously cray cray. Will need to take a couple days (as my weekends are very busy) and I will probably do a top 20 or so which seems over the top, but I am a maximalist.
Yeah. seems like you're going to need 20 slots. lol. I really, really LOVE Blue Afternoon so be very careful! 😉
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Yeah, really diving in and absorbing both Happy Sad and Blue Afternoon is something I am looking forward to. Thanks for the heads up. _________________ -Ryan
Okay, 1968 is not quite as stacked as 1967 in terms of great albums (that I am aware of). But there are lots of intriguing albums here. For the first time in 6 years there is no Dylan albums to take up a top 5 slot. There is no Leonard Cohen, BUT there is the debut album by both Townes Van Zandt and Joni Mitchell, and I have a feeling they will go on to kick ass in the singer-songwriter field for years to come. Also the 2nd classic Nyro album (I may need to really to finally have my moment with her style...hopefully this is the time), also another classic from Phil Ochs, more Hazlewood, more Fred Neil, etc. Also there are some new voices with highly praised albums that I have never heard.
This was a surprising recent discovery for me. Everything from the name of the artist to the name of the album to the pictures I'd seen of the artist, to the album descriptions of "Outlaw Country (to be fair along with folk and singer/songwriter) made me think this would be some gritty no-nonsense country album with lean and mean and somewhat silly lyrics 'bout living your own life and being a rough rider. But I saw it on Norman Bates' Normlore chart and I decided to check it out.
I can say there is nothing here which is like the description I laid out earlier. The song is a delicate balance between the bluegrass-y rambunctiousness of tracks like "I Makes Money", and most notably, the sweet, sensitive, introspective acoustic folk found on the brittle, beautiful, very lo-fi title track and "Broken Toys" and "Little Bird".
The most famous or most notable perhaps songs here is "The Ballad of the Hulk". And this track is...interesting. Its a jamming, hyperactive, organ-filled, anti-establishment gem of sorts. Its just this fast rapping vocal delivery of a sort of avalanche of defiant poetry. It's actually really cool. And as the song goes, the guitars and drums pick up more and more and it gets all the more propulsive. Its an interesting snapshot of the era as well.
Also gotta say Jerry Jeff Walker had a strong lyrical talent. Its surprising a bit to see he hasn't gotten as much credit as many of his peers, when I think he's on par with many of the greats (*cough*guy*clark*cough).
Anyway, this is a very cool album and I really like it. And what's more I may love his follow up, 1969's "Driftin' Way of Life" album even more. Which makes 1969 alllll the mooooore stacked... that's gonna be a chore. A glorious and fun one, but a chore nonetheless.
Man, this album is a trip. The utter lack of acoustic guitars is notable especially compared to his first album. But the whole album even when its quietest uses electric guitars with beautiful little effects. And this album is "Psychedelic" but in a very interesting and unique way. It doesn't sound ridiculous in its psychedelia.
His voice is strange and has similar sounds to Tim Buckley at times (but not in at all all Tim Buckley's glory, so don't at all go in thinking you're in for a Tim Buckley through and through equal.), and the production is sad and yet menacing at times in a similar vein to Forever Changes. There are lots of horns and strings, especially on side 1. And there are parts of this album which totally reminded me of Destroyer in its matter of fact peotic ramblings with somewhat strange musical soundscapes swirling around the vocal, this is especially true of track 2 "Late Sleeping day". And another thing I love about this album is its incisive, i mean the productiona nd the sound of the instruments are all so clear, the drummer kills, and the bass is great and the guitars twinkle, and even the somewhat annoying horns all are at least very vibrant and in your face. There is no bleeding of the instruments together in other words.
This is just a fantastic and recommended album. The sound quality or the production qualities do date it a bit, but once you get past that methinks if you're a Love, Tim Buckley, or any number of late 60s weirdos fan then you'll be glad you checked this out.
Oh and "Leaves Never Break" is a fucking masterpiece! It starts so actually frighteningly intense then explodes into this other worldly psychedelic jam which to my ears is insanely great. The vocals are drenched in menace, with this horn off in the distance, and then the vocals occasionally explode and crack and are recorded in such an abrasive way. And the albums shifts between loud and quiet, back and forth. Then the song segues into the next track "It's Always Somewhere Else" which is this very nimble jazz song with stellar songwriting. The way it shifts is so great. Seriously this part of the album in particular will make you Forever Changes fans swoooooooon.Yeah its stellar.
Jake Holmes and this album deserve a whole hell of a big bundle of love. Do your part, ye who readeth this!
9.0/10
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#3
Joni Mitchell (Song to a Seagull) by Joni Mitchell (1968)
I feel like Joni Mitchell is a genius. Like, I recognize that now. Its like she envisions or, more accurately, hears music with more clarity than almost any human in pop music history. From the jump, with this solo debut of hers, its clear she is a legitimate A+ guitarist, a freakishly pristine and perfect pitch singer, and lyrically a poetic force of nature. Even on this, her first go at an album, she took all these insane talents and managed to put out a truly gorgeously shimmering debut album, which feels full and completely filled in despite it being by and large just her and a guitar. She manages to fill up the sound completely with complex chord structures and intensely beautiful, constantly shifting and soaring vocals.
Intimate songs like "The Dawntreader" and the character study "Marcie" almost sound too angellic. And the guitar playing is, again, incredibly dexterous and sounds easy almost because she was such a virtuoso - case in point the ease of her singing over the top of the complex guitar of" Sistowbell Lane". There are also some parts that are just over the top with their speedy 2 or 3 part vocal parts like in "The Pirate of Penance" is unlike anything singer-songwriters of the time.
The only knock I have against this record is that the vocal pyrotechnics do get a bit over the top. Just every once in awhile. Also its not like the whole flow of the album or the poetry here bites quite as hard as they do on "Blue". So, no, I'm not quite ready to say this is on the same level as that album. Still, its G-R-E-A-T.
This album should be recognized as one of the best debut albums of the 60s. I don't feel like that is the general consensus, and that saddens me.
Grade: 9.0/10
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#2
The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark by Dillard & Clark (1968)
In October 1968, before any Poco or Eagles or even Flying Burrito Brothers albums, and just a mere month after the monumental release of The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Dillard & Clark released this landmark album. Arguably the first country rock album, this album is not great merely for reasons of historical significance. No, the songs, the Freaking Songs, are out of this world. The music is backbeat drivin', pastoral packin', gorgeous harmonica laced, harmony heavenly, BLISS! The tight harmonies between Doug Dillard and Gene Clark are truly incredible. And even at this stage in his career, it was clear gene Clark was already a songwriters songwriter.
This album has become so much a part of me and is so goddamn seemingly CUSTOM BUILT for my enjoyment and adoration, that it is hard to explain how much I love it or why for that matter. It's just a wholesome, earthy, perfectly structured rock album, country album, songwritrer album (I am mostly thinking of Gene Clark here. I know it is cheating cuz this ain't marked as Singer/Songwriter on RYM...but it is clear to me the lyrical content and much of the music is Gene Clark through and through.) and just album period. Its 28 minutes of Americana at its best. There is absolutely nothing off about it, there is nothing "merely good" about it, and , okay, I'll just say it, its better than even Gilded Palace of Sin! There! I said it! Now get out of my sight so I can think about what I've said. Ignore that... I am vacillating pretty heavily here. They're both perfect!
No upset or out of left field choice for number 1 here. This remains for me one of those albums where its clear something strange and abstract and almost divine happened. Like few albums before or since such as A Love Supreme, this album almost feels like it has a Godly influence. I don't know how to explain it, but almost every aspect of this record seems soft as air, like a fleeting moment of clarity, like some gossamer in the air which when you reach for it, it is gone, never quite attainable in terms of full conception.
The music, a brilliant mix of irish folk, soul, jazz, blues, and a hundred other things seemingly, is impossible for me to really pin down or categorize. There are moments here of musical beauty and ascendance which is rarely heard. And the vocals by a 23 year old master Van Morrison are mercurial, passionate, they sweep from extreme to extreme as if guided by some unseen hand of some unseen higher power. And the words keep the theme of dichotomy going. Insofar as there are words here that just feel right, they conjure up images and feelings so innate in us as human beings, so true to our conceived form or essence, and yet when you really try to analyze them they, again, seem completely unknowable and abstract.
A Specific moment which for some reason never fails to send shivers down my body is in "Madame George". You know that point at the very beginning when you've just gotten done being happy and exuberant on the previous track "The Way Young Lovers Do" when the bass comes in all slack and earthy like and at that moment Van comes in with his sweet soul? That part for some reason, that exact moment and the whole concatenation of moments leading up to it for some reason makes me think of mental clouds opening, like a person (could be me or you when you listen or Van) is having a moment of spiritual oneness, when he is experiencing a moment of true epiphany and clarity. That for some reason just blows me away every time.
Also the horn on "Slim Slow Rider" is unearthly. Anyway, I won't go into all the points which are exemplary of this albums majesty, cuz, I just don't wanna. Just listen to it again (and again and again and again...) or for the first time.
Just a little inside baseball, I have had this post open and being edited for 3 days. I'm a freak about these lists. I do a lot of listening and dorky "Research". Anyway, you know you have a true towering classic when you find it nearly impossible to move away from an album long enough to even consider other albums for a list. Well, that's been the struggle with Astral Weeks lately.
In closing, How this album came to be is one of those truly miraculous moments. 50 years later and there has still been nothing like Astral Weeks. And every time I go to listen to this profound statement of humanism and spiritual inspiration, I know that I am in for some sort of unearthly reward. This album... my God... 🥰👏🥰👏🥰
"In another world
In another world
In another time
Got a home on high
Ain't nothing but a stranger in this world
I'm nothing but a stranger in this world
I got a home on high
In another land
So far away
So far away
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven" - Astral Weeks
Honorable Mentions:
Sessions by Fred Neil (What am I smoking? This album is fabulous and it really feels like the coolest, loosest jam with the coolest band ever, with a heavy heavy dose of heavy. I mean Fred doesn't let on in his attitude, but the blues and the depths of darkness surrounding the sound of these tracks is downright overwhelming. I probably should have included it here in the top 5, but didn't know what to remove. Still, Highly recommended.)
Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel (To be honest this should have been number 3 or 4. I just overlooked it by accident. Its a solid 9.0/10. Its awesome!)
Tape From California by Phil Ochs (It's no Pleasures of the Harbor, but still fabulous... Plus Van Dyke Parks is here!)
Tim Hardin 3 by Tim Hardin (Honestly maybe this should be number 2 above, but its a live album and it didn't feel right sticking a live album on here for some reason. Still, check it out as its amazing. Grade: 9.5/10)
Eli and the Thirteenth Confession by Laura Nyro (Liked it more, but still don't quite "get" it. Not to sound shallow, but its her vocals...I really think they are cartoonish. Give me time I'll come around.)
David Ackles by David Ackles (its a strange, dark ride and very cool. But not good enough for top 5 contention. Plus "American Gothic" will probably garner Mr. Ackles some love in a few years.)
Would You Believe by Billy Nicholls (Its amazing, if you love The Zombies, The Beach Boys, and The Kinks, you'll love and cherish this album. But it just doesn't feel right for a singer/songwriter list. Its not the words or the structure of the songs that makes it a lost classic.)
Love and Other Crimesby Lee Hazlewood (It's good. Thumbs up. Not much else I wish to write right now.
Harlequin Melodies by Mickey Newbury (This is also really really good. I will be going into great detail about his next 3 or 4 albums after this one in coming year lists. This is not quite the thematic force of nature of say "Looks Like Rain". But its really good)
For The Sake of the Song by Townes Van Zandt (The production of this album is sooooo ridiculous at points. The fact that this batch of songs is one of the greatest ever assembled, I should be able to look past the production. But... I can't. I won't. The next albums are all consistently much greater and feature a lot of these same songs as here on his debut, but they are recorded better far far better there. So I'll save my love for TVZ for later) _________________ -Ryan
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