This is probably the manliest sad album that's ever existed.
Johnny Cash released this swan song only a few months before he died, and a few months after his longtime wife died. This swan song foreshadows Cash's impending death, and acts like a tour of his life and his last confession of sins before being taken up to heaven.
Every song is a personal reflection on some aspect of Cash's life, reconciling for past wrongs and waxing nostalgic about people and places lost to time's unflinching nature. Cash's voice is weak and lonesome, as if he can no longer stand the weight of being alive, and is waited for the horseman to ride him off to his own personal apocalypse.
This album destroys me with every listen. I feel like every guy is at least a little affected by this album, especially Hurt. Everybody knows it's a Nine Inch Nails cover, and that he did it better, but the amazing part of this song, and really the whole album, is that every song takes everybody's happiness from 100 to 0 in about 5 seconds.
This album is chock full of emotional gems from top to bottom. The entire album is an exercise in deep emotionally human interactions, weaving a tapestry of melancholic tunes, only to be washed away by the bittersweat closer, We'll Meet Again. In the final moments of the album, Cash is essentially saying that he's made peace with his impending death, and to not be sad at his parting, because he'll see you again soon.
So put your feet up, and grab some tissues, you'll need them.
Personal Jesus and indeed especially Hurt are indeed absolute gems. Have you ever seen the video of Hurt? It just makes you want to cry: his voice is so on the verge of breaking...
That's the best way I can describe this album: Whimsical. It is a delight to listen to and I find myself happier after I sit down and have a listen. Everything from the Hobbiton crossed with a cotton candy machine cover to the delicate instrumentation and light singing makes this album a perfectly fun concoction for a relaxing and easy listen.
I believe I found this album in a book entitled, The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock by David Weigel. I highly recommend this book to anybody who has an interest in Prog Rock, as it gives a nice history of the genre while highlighting certain bands and sub-genres.
The Canterbury scene is one of the sub-genres mentioned. This is where this album falls. A common aspect of many of these groups was unique instrument combinations, often integrating wind instruments such as a trombone or flute. I would go on, but you'll get more out of it by looking it up yourself.
I love this album, and Caravan in general, because of how unique their sound is. In all my music listening experience (which isn't much) I haven't found a group that closely resembles Caravan's sound. The only group that comes close is a group by the name of Curved Air, which I also highly recommend you check out.
I also love this album because of it's mood. Like I said earlier, the album has a lightness and whimsical feeling to it that is hard to not enjoy. This is different than most other progressive rock which tends to be more intense and heavy. While I love intense music as much as the next person, it's nice to have something light to enjoy.
So friends, have yourself a nice sunday in, and listen to some lovely music.
This is probably the most jarring shift in my list. And yes, I say that after I went from Emerson, Lake and Palmer to Kendrick Lamar. However, going from a light whimsical album to the OG Gangsta' Rap album is probably a more significant jump.
There's not much I can say about this album that hasn't already been said. It was the forerunner of most 90s rappers, and is a textbook example on how to spin negative publicity.
So, instead of retreading the same ground that's been tread for 30 years, I'm just gonna tell some stories about this album.
My oldest brother first introduced me to this album when I was in high school, and he likened the music video for Straight Outta Compton to Citizen Kane (Not really, but that's what it felt like). He showed me the video, told me the whole story about them and the FBI, and how it changed the course of Hip Hop and Rap forever. So, I bought the album and was, of course, blown away by the whole thing. I should note that this was way before the movie was ever slated to exist.
Then, several years later, the movie came out. The movie completely changed the way I listened to the album. As I previously mentioned, I am a white guy from Ohio. I had listened to the album several times, and I only absorbed a little of the significance of what was being talked about. The movie put every track into an entirely new context and opened my eyes to what I had missed the first 20 times I listened to it. Blame this realization on ignorance, not really listening, or just not putting the pieces together, but now that I fully understand what went into that album it makes it all the more incredible.
So take a seat, and witness the strength of street knowledge.
I don't know what attracts me to sad albums, especially since I'm not especially sad. I'd say I'm a normal amount of sad as a person, but nothing too depressing. Anyway, the follow-up to Dark Side somehow holds up next to it and, at moments, surpasses it.
Wish You Were Here is a swan song for founding member Syd Barrett, who had suffered greatly due to mental illness and showed up to the recording session overweight and hairless, a shell of his former self. Loneliness and longing are all over this album, especially in the centerpiece Wish You Were Here, and the massive Shine on You Crazy Diamond.
I love this album because it's unflinchingly in its musical journey. It doesn't hold anything back in its portrayal of mental illness, the music industry, and interpersonal relationships. The music accompanies these intense themes immaculately, and never falters despite the slow and brooding nature of the arrangement.
It's as intense an album that I've ever listened too, and probably the only intense album I listen to on a regular basis. I love this album, and I've definitely become a more introspective person by listening to this album.
So take some time with yourself and think, specifically while listening to the smooth sounds of loneliness and mental illness.
Fuckin' Hendrix man. Everything he put out is a certified masterpiece, and this is his best work.
To be honest, I have zero to say about this album other than it's completely amazing. I also know zero history of this recording, so I can't even muse about the process.
So, this is where this review ends. Hendrix is a mount rushmore guitar player, and this album is exhibit A.
(Insert youtube link to album that I couldn't find)
How is Santana not more popular? His first 6 albums are all astounding and uniquely enjoyable.
After hitting it big with their self-titled debut (bolstered by an incredible Woodstock performance) Santana hit their stride with their follow-up Abraxas, and continued this streak with the amazing Santana III. Fusing latin and jazz rock had never been done too particularly well up to Santana's arrival, but he makes it look so easy it's mind boggling that no one had succeeded before him.
I think that Santana has always been an underrated artist. They're never really talked about when 70s music is discussed despite the fact they are a significant part of the late 60s and early 70s culture. Their radio hits are good, but their deeper tracks are even better, and it's a shame that songs like Oye Como Va and Black Magic Woman are their best known hits.
I love Santana (and this album particularly) because of the intricate interplay between everybody. Despite the jam band feel of some of their songs, the frenetic energy on display shows a group that is at its best when playing together, a sound that lives and dies by being in sync.
All of the songs on this album are to die for. As a matter of fact, Santana's first 5 albums are to die for. So, what are you still doing reading the musings of some idiot (me)?
Full disclosure, this is the only Radiohead I thoroughly enjoy. I've had people tell me that Kid A and In Rainbows are also masterpieces and "era-defining records" (actual quote) but I've never felt anything special for any other Radiohead album. Regardless of how I feel about their other albums, OK Computer is an amazing album.
Despite "not getting" every Radiohead album, OK Computer has stuck with me from the first listen for a few reasons. First, it is an incredibly unique album. I have yet to hear an album that comes close to matching its sound, and I'm guessing that was kind of what they were going for with it. Another thing is how amazingly layered this album is. I find myself hearing things that I had never heard with every added listen, making for an album that begs for repeated listens.
I first stumbled upon this album after a friend of mine recommended Kid A to me, saying that it was his favorite album ever. Out of respect, I gave it a listen, and, unfortunately for him, I did not share his evaluation of the album. Several months later, in a desperate attempt to try and understand Radiohead, I downloaded all of their albums and set out to listen to them all in a short period of time. Of all their albums, OK Computer stood far and above the rest of their discography. Sidenote, my Radiohead album rankings go: OK, Moon Shaped Pool, Kid A, Amnesiac, The Bends, King of Limbs, Pablo Honey.
So, if you're on this website I'm just gonna assume you've listened to this before, but why not give it another listen? You may hear something you've never heard before.
This probably the most important album in my entire life.
The Who's epic masterpiece is the benchmark concept album. Every artist from its release forward took something from this or 'Tommy' (A highly overrated album in my opinion). Either way, the Who's highly ambitious magnum opus has more of an impact on my life than any other album on this list.
At one point my favorite album ever, Quadrophenia has had a long journey on my top album list. So buckle up folks, it's gonna be an emotional rollercoaster ride.
The first time I ever listened to Quadrophenia was around the time after my grandfather died. I can't remember if it was on the drive to or from Ohio for the funeral, or sometime in the weeks afterwards, but I remember never hearing it while he was alive. From the first listen, the album stuck with me. The raw emotion, the lush arrangements, the sorrow, the joy, and the pain. Everything hit me like a train and when I crawled out from underneath I didn't know who I had become.
Listening to Quadrophenia repeatedly for several weeks only fed into my manic state. I was completely absorbed by the narrative and Roger Daltrey's soul-stirring singing, and couldn't get enough.
Though I may have outgrown the emotional state I was in when I discovered this album, the feeling of that first listen still lingers on. A full listen exhausts me, and I can hardly find it in me to listen to it a lot anymore. I still love it though.
So friends, please take some time and have a listen. It'll take a lot out of you, but it's worth it. Trust me.
Good ol' fashioned Chicago blues. Can't go wrong here.
Howlin' Wolf is one of the most important bluesmen to ever play based on his influence on subsequent artists. Here his mastery is on full display.
Unfortunately, I do not have much to say about this album. It is a wonderful album that predates many great later rock albums. I actually own a picture disc recording of this album on vinyl, and it's one of my favorite records.
So please give this a listen and hear for yourself the extreme significance of these recordings.
This probably the best first album that can also serve as an accurate representation of an entire artist's catalog. With this debut, REM came out with the brand they would spend the 80s and 90s improving upon, with Murmur as the stone base.
The members of REM met in Athens, Georgia in the Wuxtry Record Store. Sidenote: kick ass record store. They bound together and formed a lovely rock group named after a random list of letters they found in a book of acronyms (supposedly) .
The music on this album is lush and lovely, punctuated by deceptive lyrics, the classic jangly guitar, and the outstanding harmonies. It's a light and jaunty ride through a yet unexplored territory of music, that is a delight to listen to every time it's played.
My personal favorite song on the album is Laughing, with Stipe's delicate evocation of the delightful lyrics and the echoing rhythms. The whole album is like this, but it's especially notable on Laughing.
As I mentioned in my Automatic for the People post, my uncle is a massive REM fan, so much so that he wants a REM cover band at his funeral wake. He fostered my quest into REM, and is extremely happy with the progress he made with his favorite nephew.
I love this album from top to bottom, and it should probably be higher on my list, but that's a decision for another day.
Take some time and listen to the best album of 1983 (according to Rolling Stone), ahead of Thriller, Synchronicity, and War. Sidenote: great year for one word album titles.
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