Look, I never said I was completely original. However, I do believe that this is one album that can live up to the monumental hype and praise that surrounds it.
Despite the aforementioned hype and praise surrounding this album, my love for Dark Side has been a slow burning love. I bought this album off iTunes 4-5 years ago and was not super blown away by its greatness. At that time I felt like the hype was just a little overblown, but I could still see why it would receive such accolades. If I had created a top 100 albums back then, Dark Side would've probably been around 50 or so.
However, this has (obviously) changed dramatically.
I will tell two stories about this album: one that brought out my love of this album, and another that cemented that love for the foreseeable future.
I went to college in South Carolina, and would drive to and from Ohio in my car. It's about 8 hours in the car, so there's plenty of time for music time. Many of my top 100 were first listened by me on these long car trips. In fall of 2016, I was driving home from school for thanksgiving, and had to leave mid-afternoon tuesday because of a class I couldn't skip. As the album I was listening to ended, I realized that, timed right, I could listen to one more album in its entirety and get home without having to listen to the shitty radio stations. As a music as mood enthusiast, I sought to listen to something that would be the perfect fit for the driving circumstances I found myself in: dark, alone on the highway, desiring something soothing and existentially terrifying (I have strange desires) I found the perfect album to listen to: Dark Side of the Moon.
Sidenote: I realize that in my Bitches Brew post I mentioned that Bitches Brew is probably the best music to listen to at night. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I had not discovered Bitches Brew yet.
So, I flipped Dark Side on my iPod, and off I went. What happened next was, without irony, life-changing. For the next 43ish minutes I was transported to a cosmic world of mellow dread and soaring seas of music. This is the moment in my life where I discovered the magic of just letting music happen. Just sitting and letting the music flow and permeate through your body and ears, and becoming one with the magic. What also struck me was the faultless flow of the fluttering notes, that every song went along with one another, which is why I was somewhat underwhelmed when I heard these songs on the radio. I also discovered that my favorite Pink Floyd song is The Great Gig in the Sky, and that there is nary an album that begins and ends better than Dark Side of the Moon. Experiencing this album was something I'll never forget.
The second story is essentially me just being an idiot and trying something that's stupid and a long shot to work but it fucking worked brilliantly.
Back at college, fall 2017. A few days before school was supposed to start, the total solar eclipse was going to occur, and where we were was one of the best places in the world to see it (not bragging or anything). So, my roommate, a couple of his buddies (one of whom audio recorded the entire day and interviewed a bunch of people, including me) and I went out to lunch and made a plan to stand on top of a parking garage so we could see the eclipse unblocked. My plan, that I kept talking about for days in advance, was to start playing Dark Side at just the right moment, so that when the actual eclipse occurred, the final song 'Eclipse' would start playing.
So, armed with an extremely tiny speaker and an iPod with full battery, we headed up to the top of the garage, and shortly after we got there, I started to play the album, which I calculated by taking the time the total eclipse was supposed to start and subtracting the album time minus the song 'Eclipse'. As we drew nearer and nearer to total eclipse, my heart began to race, and I slowly realized that my craziness was going to work. My roommate and I were getting super hyped and the anticipation was killing us.
Then, all at once, the world went dark. As we gazed up we no longer saw the sun, all we saw was the moon. And then:
All that you touch
And all that you see
All that you taste
All you feel
My god, it had actually worked. As the cheers of euphoria died down and everyone began to stare in the beauty and majesty set before our eyes, I kept singing the words. They pored out of me, like a man giving his final testament to God before being lifted up into the heavens.
And all that you love
And all that you hate
All you distrust
All you save
And all that you give
And all that you deal
And all that you buy
Beg, borrow or steal
And all you create
And all you destroy
And all that you do
And all that you say
And all that you eat
And everyone you meet (everyone you meet)
And all that you slight
And everyone you fight
And all that is now
And all that is gone
And all that's to come
And everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon
That moment, was, unequivocally, the most surreal moment of my life. I was sharing a once in a lifetime moment with some close friends and listening to an album whose ending nearly matched the beautiful sight we were beholding. It was truly a wonderful moment in my life, and one I will never forget.
That brings us to the end my friends. I hope to see you (read:see your comments) again soon!
Godspeed music junkies
P.S. Unfortunately, you can't relive this experience. You can, however, listen to the album and stare at a photo I took on an iPhone 5s.
Are here we are at the first repeated artist of the list.
Permanent Waves, Rush's follow-up to Hemispheres, is, if I'm being objective, probably their best album. It kind of hides in the shadow of Moving Pictures (which I think is kinda overrated) but can stand on its own as a truly amazing album.
After the hell that consumed them recording Hemispheres, Rush decided to tone it down just a bit, as to save them from devolving into a state of pure madness. They retired to a remote studio and started cranking out songs that just came to them. They saw their families, and were much happier recording Permanent Waves than they had been recording any other album.
That's what I love album this album: you can feel the happiness coming to you through your speakers.
The Spirit of Radio (not Spirit of the Radio) starts and immediately sends you careening down a highway of musical bliss. This song is what you get if you extracted all of the happiness that can come from making music and synthesized it into something that someone with no music experience can fully grasp and enjoy over and over again. This is an album I put on if I wanna jump start my day or if I'm rolling on down the highway going with the beat of the music.
Freewill follows up Spirit, which quickly goes from the happiness of Spirit to the existential dread of confronting how one will make decisions in the forthcoming future. A killer guitar solo and some extremely high singing from Geddy Lee later, you have a "hit" song.
What follows are 4 outstanding deep cuts that don't get nearly enough attention.
Jacob's ladder is a dark an ominous song about the cloud phenomena that I still get hyped about seeing in real life.
Entre Nous is a sad song about the emotional distance between close acquaintances, and the effect of such distance.
Different Strings is a slow ballad-esque song penned by Geddy Lee, in one of the last songs he wrote for the band.
Natural Science is a breakneck speed song about our experimentation and the reminder that our scientific abilities should not alienate ourselves from the world we habitat, but rather be mindful of the consequences of our actions. Check out the live version on Different Stages if you want an even fasterversion.
Another thing I adore about this album is the masterful lyricism on display. Peart's (and Lee's) beautiful and tactful words are part of the reason I believe this to be Rush's best album. That, and the incredible instrumentation and production, is why I truly love this album.
Short story time! In the music club I was President of, I chose this to be the final album of the year. I gave an impassioned speech about my deep love for this album, and it was very warmly received. I talked about the happiness this album brought me and I could tell that they (the common folk) could tell that I was so excited to bring this gift of music to them and have a shared experience of music with them one last time.
Another reason I love this album so much is because of my dad. He got me into Rush (like most dads with their sons) and just explained how great their music is. He explained that they sang about integrity, honesty, confronting ones own fears, and acting with morality rather than desire. That, and he said the music was really good. The song that he used to introduce me (via radio) to Rush was Subdivisions, one of their most popular and most existential songs. I heard this when I was in middle school, and carried the meditations on high school and self-image through out my schooling. I still carry with me to this day. So, thanks Dad for introducing me to a band that has become my all-time favorite, as well as teaching me about such significant life lessons with careful contemplation and shared bonding experienced. I wouldn't be here without you.
So, to those of you still reading, take some time and make a memory with some music. Could be happy, sad, whatever you please, just make it yours. I'll leave you with my favorite lyrical passage ever, and the music to go along with it.
Begin the day
With a friendly voice
A companion, unobtrusive
Plays that song that's so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood
Off on your way
Hit the open road
There is magic at your fingers
For the spirit ever lingers
Undemanding contact
In your happy solitude
Invisible airwaves
Crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle
With the energy
Emotional feedback
On a timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price
Almost free
All this machinery
Making modern music
Can still be open-hearted
Not so coldly charted
It's really just a question
Of your honesty, yeah your honesty
One likes to believe
In the freedom of music
But glittering prizes
And endless compromises
Shatter the illusion
Of integrity, yeah
And here we are at probably the most emotional album in my entire top 100.
Joni Mitchell's seminal work Blue is as heartbreaking and lonesome as an album has ever been, but that's what makes it so great. It's greatness lies with the heart-wrenching lyrics and solitary music, and offers a deep look into a woman that has had a very troubled life and wants to be completely honest about who she is.
This is an album that you cry along to while reading the lyrics but feel strangely better after listening to it. Whenever I just wanna let my emotions run free I put on this album and do my best Joni Mitchell falsetto voice.
This, much like Dark Side, was a slow burning love for me. I had never really been into folk music, and was very underwhelmed the first time I listened to this album. But, that may have been because I was distracted while listening to it. I was either driving in my car short distances and only hearing small bits at a time, or I had it on in the background while doing work. That is no environment for Joni Mitchell. Joni's music thrives in the quiet and lonely hours when your without company and your fears slowly begin to creep in and take over your thoughts.
The second time I listened to this album, I actually listened, and I fully realized the magnitude of her words. I was alone in a classroom doing work and gradually became destroyed by her angelic voice singing of such dire circumstances and occurrences. It took me several minutes to collect myself and recover from the sadness that had been brought to me. But, even when the sadness came over me, I felt it quickly replaced by a feeling of minor happiness, that I was glad that I had experienced that sadness.
Sometimes, you just need a good emotional moment with yourself, and music is a great vessel for that to occur.
I don't have any grand stories to tell about Blue, but I can tell you that I am a better person for having experienced this album.
So please, pull up a chair, and get in touch with your emotions.
Are here we are at the first repeated artist of the list.
Permanent Waves, Rush's follow-up to Hemispheres, is, if I'm being objective, probably their best album. It kind of hides in the shadow of Moving Pictures (which I think is kinda overrated) but can stand on its own as a truly amazing album.
After the hell that consumed them recording Hemispheres, Rush decided to tone it down just a bit, as to save them from devolving into a state of pure madness. They retired to a remote studio and started cranking out songs that just came to them. They saw their families, and were much happier recording Permanent Waves than they had been recording any other album.
That's what I love album this album: you can feel the happiness coming to you through your speakers.
The Spirit of Radio (not Spirit of the Radio) starts and immediately sends you careening down a highway of musical bliss. This song is what you get if you extracted all of the happiness that can come from making music and synthesized it into something that someone with no music experience can fully grasp and enjoy over and over again. This is an album I put on if I wanna jump start my day or if I'm rolling on down the highway going with the beat of the music.
Freewill follows up Spirit, which quickly goes from the happiness of Spirit to the existential dread of confronting how one will make decisions in the forthcoming future. A killer guitar solo and some extremely high singing from Geddy Lee later, you have a "hit" song.
What follows are 4 outstanding deep cuts that don't get nearly enough attention.
Jacob's ladder is a dark an ominous song about the cloud phenomena that I still get hyped about seeing in real life.
Entre Nous is a sad song about the emotional distance between close acquaintances, and the effect of such distance.
Different Strings is a slow ballad-esque song penned by Geddy Lee, in one of the last songs he wrote for the band.
Natural Science is a breakneck speed song about our experimentation and the reminder that our scientific abilities should not alienate ourselves from the world we habitat, but rather be mindful of the consequences of our actions. Check out the live version on Different Stages if you want an even fasterversion.
Another thing I adore about this album is the masterful lyricism on display. Peart's (and Lee's) beautiful and tactful words are part of the reason I believe this to be Rush's best album. That, and the incredible instrumentation and production, is why I truly love this album.
Short story time! In the music club I was President of, I chose this to be the final album of the year. I gave an impassioned speech about my deep love for this album, and it was very warmly received. I talked about the happiness this album brought me and I could tell that they (the common folk) could tell that I was so excited to bring this gift of music to them and have a shared experience of music with them one last time.
Another reason I love this album so much is because of my dad. He got me into Rush (like most dads with their sons) and just explained how great their music is. He explained that they sang about integrity, honesty, confronting ones own fears, and acting with morality rather than desire. That, and he said the music was really good. The song that he used to introduce me (via radio) to Rush was Subdivisions, one of their most popular and most existential songs. I heard this when I was in middle school, and carried the meditations on high school and self-image through out my schooling. I still carry with me to this day. So, thanks Dad for introducing me to a band that has become my all-time favorite, as well as teaching me about such significant life lessons with careful contemplation and shared bonding experienced. I wouldn't be here without you.
So, to those of you still reading, take some time and make a memory with some music. Could be happy, sad, whatever you please, just make it yours. I'll leave you with my favorite lyrical passage ever, and the music to go along with it.
Begin the day
With a friendly voice
A companion, unobtrusive
Plays that song that's so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood
Off on your way
Hit the open road
There is magic at your fingers
For the spirit ever lingers
Undemanding contact
In your happy solitude
Invisible airwaves
Crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle
With the energy
Emotional feedback
On a timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price
Almost free
All this machinery
Making modern music
Can still be open-hearted
Not so coldly charted
It's really just a question
Of your honesty, yeah your honesty
One likes to believe
In the freedom of music
But glittering prizes
And endless compromises
Shatter the illusion
Of integrity, yeah
While I don't think Moving Pictures is at all overrated, and most definitely is their best album, their best single song? Right here on Permanent Waves: Natural Science!
This is an album I love purely for the beauty of the music found on it.
Philip Glass' attempt to be more commercial and create "walkman music" just may be the most relaxing emsemble composition ever conceived this side of ambient music.
I was introduced to this album by a friend of mine at college, who was impressing his musical tastes on someone who had no interest in music whatsoever. He gave this person a flash drive full of music, which I then took and put on my computer. Glassworks was one of the albums on that flash drive.
After I got over the mental block of listening to a orchestral composition, I immediately fell in love with this masterpiece. The concise interaction between players astounded me, the melodies enthralled me, and I was fully entranced by the music.
This has since become my relaxation album, something I'll put on if i can't go to sleep, have a headache, or just want to get lost in the magnificent music. I've even used this album to relax at work when I was a landscaper during long periods of grass-cutting.
Though this album isn't really an "Ambient" album, it opened the door to ambient music, and Krautrock for that matter. Hell, I only listened to David Bowie's Berlin trilogy because I heard Philip Glass was such a big fan he created an orchestral interpretation of them. But, without this, I wouldn't have exposed myself to Brian Eno, Steve Reich, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Neu! and many others.
So come on down, put your feet up, relax, and enjoy some lovely music.
This, much like Glassworks, is an album I simply adore for the music.
Though there's no super strong emotional connection, the music supersedes any emotional appreciation gap by just being incredible.
Yes' third album is their first masterpiece, and while their first two albums had been very good, this is where everything clicked all at once. Six tightly crafted masterpieces stand on their own as great songs, showcasing a group dynamic that had been somewhat lacking on their previous two albums.
Steve Howe made his first appearance on this album, and within the first few moments of 'Yours is No Disgrace' you can feel the fresh and delicacy in his guitar playing. Rick Wakeman would join the group for another couple months, but he really wasn't needed for this record. With the lineup found on this album, Yes created the absolute best album they could've, and it was phenomenal.
Though they would experience constant lineup changes, Yes remained extremely resilient and kept pumping out great albums despite their constantly changing styles.
The album begins with Yours is No Disgrace, a song with constantly changing time signatures and rotating melodies that swirl around you in a musical cocoon that soothes you to your soul.
The Clap begins afterwards, a live upbeat acoustic guitar solo that is a nice antithesis to the frenetic 'Yours'.
Starship Trooper comes on next, and is, like 'Yours', a fast and varied exercise in musical complexity, with three sections that structure the song perfectly.
I've Seen All Good People kicks off side 2 with a three-part harmony and a lone acoustic guitar before going into high gear and going through many, many modulations.
A Venture is a short tune with a bouncy beat that manages to showcase all the members varied talent in a concise and delicate manner.
Finally, Perpetual Change closes the album in a flurry of musical brilliance, with delicate and soaring solos and a outro that gives me goosebumps every time I find myself listening to it.
So please, take some time and have a listen to this album. It'll be a musical journey you won't regret.
Alright, so this is the point in my top album chart where people usually get confused. In SNAPS*, the music club I was President of in college, we had a meeting where everyone presented a top ten album list, and when this showed up as number #6 in mine, there was a legitimate gasp from the audience.
Overplaying my own whiteness aside, this is simply a masterpiece of an album brought to us by a modern day musical giant. From beginning to end, this album flows from shear brutality to moments of levity with ease, weaving a tapestry of unique compositions that has yet to be topped since its release.
This, like the Yes Album, is another album where I just marvel at the brilliance on display. Kendrick sets a new landmark with poetic and socially conscious rap pioneered by Gil Scott-Heron, but with a brutality only seen this side of NWA. For nearly 88 minutes (I have the deluxe version) Kendrick paints a vivid portrait of life in Compton and the struggles he has seen throughout his life. His ability as a storyteller is unparalleled, and he has yet to top himself (He did come pretty close with To Pimp a Butterfly).
For the longest time, I was pretty apathetic about Hip Hop and Rap. I just couldn't hack why it was so immensely popular, so I just ambivalently accepted its existence and moved on with my life. But then I decided I was going to try it, so I started with the only place that seemed right for me: Eminem. I listened to Slim Shady LP, Marshall Mathers LP and the Eminem Show, and liked what I heard, but it started to get old quickly. I eventually worked my way to NWA and Snoop Dogg and many throwback rappers because apparently "all new rap sucks and only pre-2000s rap is good."
Eventually, I was scrolling through Amazon's vinyl section and saw that Good Kid was on sale for $8. As my great aunt used to say, "It would've been a sin not to buy it." So I bought two (one for my cousin) and eventually sat down and listened to the whole damn thing and was completely blown away. It became one of those albums that was an instant favorite and that I listened to on repeat for several weeks because I was so transfixed by it.
After this, the door of Hip Hop and Rap exploded and I went down a rabbit hole of great Hip Hop. I still need to listen to more, but I'm getting better everyday.
You're dying of thirst, young one. Have some water.
P.S. I'm going to start putting in these how I was exposed to these albums. I've done this with the Good Kid and Yes Album but now I'm going to do it every post. Thanks for reading! _________________ Don't get work up over my posts. I'm an idiot.
Rantings on my Top 100 My podcast
#12: Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends... Ladies and Gentlemen //Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends! Come inside! Come inside!
Those words begin Part II of the first impression of ELP's massive 'Karn Evil 9.' It's really the only thing that you can understand by them without having to read the lyric sheet and spend several weeks decoding.
Karn Evil 9 is one of nine tracks on this sprawling triple LP. ELP's second live album is as overblown, pretentious, and complicated as anything they had ever put out up to that point. But that's what makes this album so damn enjoyable.
This is an album overflowing with masterful performances by the three band members, who truly believed that they could elevate rock music to a more intellectual apex, which they (kind of) achieved in their time as a group. Every moment on this album is ripe with vivid musical expression and an intensity that can be felt through the speakers.
I love this album more than any of ELP's studio work because this is less mechanic and looser than their studio cuts of songs. For example, just listen to the difference between the studio and live version of 'Hoedown'.
As you can tell, the live version is faster and looser compared to the stiff studio version. Don't get me wrong, I love their studio albums, but there's an energy and looseness on display that hadn't been seen on their studio work.
My uncle and I have always bonded over our love of music. He's kind of the black sheep of the family and I'm one of the "normal" ones, so it's nice that we have that connection. He's always burning CDs for me and hands me a big stack of new CDs every time I see him. He saw ELP in concert when they were touring for this album back in 1973/1974 and he said it was hands down the single greatest concert he'd ever been to. He handed me these CDs at thanksgiving one year and said that I would enjoy this. And boy, did I.
Before I go any further, let me just say that this is not an easy album for non Prog-Rock fans to get in to, mostly because there is some weird shit on this. I love this album unabashedly, but even I recognize that there is some strange stuff going on here. I tried to play this album while driving my roommate (who is, to put it delicately, an idiot) home from class and within 15 seconds he said that if I didn't turn it off he would jump out of the car into oncoming traffic. A bit extreme, but I got the point.
But, I feel like the hallmark of great music is challenging what our notions of music could be. It pushes our boundaries further and exposes us to things we never would've ever dared to contact. It makes us uncomfortable with its differences, it relishes in how delightfully different it can be. That's why I love this album, it challenged what I thought music, and a live album could be.
So, if you've got 109 minutes to spare, or you just want to scare/confuse any small children nearby, pull up an earbud and enjoy.
The Inner Mounting Flame is an album I knew I would love within about 10 seconds of starting it. Once the swirling sounds of the opening track 'Meeting of the Spirits' surrounded me in my car going down the back highways of Kentucky, I was hooked.
What I love about this album is how concise the compositions are. They are complex and relentlessly fast but they always remain grounded. That's also why I prefer this to most of Miles Davis' electric stuff, if only slightly. While I love the large scope and lofty ambition of Miles' electric period (especially Bitches Brew) it can get kind of bogged down under the weight of its own excess.
Another thing I love about this album is the wide selection of song style present. They quickly go from standard jazz fusion to pastoral ballads to swing-type songs and they pull it off magnificently.
Another thing: Billy Cobham is a damn wild man. He drums at the speed of light and I'm surprised he doesn't get more praise as one of the great drummer of all time. I never knew who he was before this album, but you can sure as shit bet that I've inundated myself with all music involving Billy Cobham.
I got here from Bitches Brew, since my love for Bitches Brew was so strong that I had to listen to every single album created by anybody who had anything to do with it. That led me here, which led me to Return to Forever, Weather Report, and so on and so on.
I remember when I got this album on vinyl I legitimately jumped for joy right in the middle of the record store. I love this album for the amazing atmosphere it creates, where you can be absorbed into the music and enter a mystical place of other worldly magic.
Come on and grab an earbud, there's music over here!
This is the first Miles Davis album I ever fell in love with.
An important stepping stone to Kind Of Blue, this is probably Miles' most important album he ever put out.
If you haven't already noticed, I think that this album is far superior to Kind of Blue. I only say far superior because KOB isn't in my top 100, and I genuinely think that Milestones is miles above KOB.
*evades jazz purists with torches and pitchforks until reaching safety*
Anyway, I love this album because I'm a bigger fan of Hard Bop and Bebop than Modal jazz. Though Miles' experimentation with modal is present here, there is still a large Bop influence. The frenetic pace of Dr. Jekyll is enough to earn my whole love of Milestones over KOB. Plus, Two Bass Hit and Milestones happen to be two of my favorite jazz tunes ever.
I obtained this album from a Half Price Books near my house for a measly $10 because I figured it had to be decent, right? Not a mega hit with me right away, it took a couple listens before I was fully hooked onto Milestones, and I've never looked back.
I was a trumpet player in high school, and I really didn't try that hard. I was always first chair in the jazz group, second or third chair in the symphony, and was generally accepted as a very good trumpet player. I never took lessons, I never practiced outside of school, and I think that pissed off my parents and my band director. I should've been listening to and practicing jazz day and night, but it never intrigued me enough to get me more involved.
This album intrigued me.
After discovering this album and the rest of Miles' discography, I started to regret not putting more effort into the trumpet. Now, I don't regret too much, because I never saw trumpet as more than a hobby, but I wish I was intrigued enough to play some in college. Now, I just have two trumpets in my closet.
I guess the point of the story is to actually give a shit about stuff while you still have the time to give a shit about it. That, and have someone shove Miles Davis down the throat of anyone playing trumpet, rather than just setting a shitty compilation CD in front of me and leaving.
Where was I? Oh yeah. I love this album, and I think you will too.
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jdenny2018
Fischman
