I've been going through a number of the jazz greats who had, in my opinion, the highlight of their careers in the fifties. While I have to admit that it was a bit of a struggle to get through the Miles Davis albums in the previous post, to listen to the artists hereunder was a pleasure. For most artists I stuck with the fifities' albums in the overall BEA top 2500 except for Thelonious Monk of whom I didn't like Brillant corners very much but instead chose for Misterioso: the title track of that album is one of my favorite jazz standards ever. This is my ranking:
the one I liked most (1959; BEA rank: 344):
Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Of course because of Take Five which some perhaps too popular but to me remains one of the standards. Also because of Blue Rondo A La Turk
second (1957; BEA rank: 422):
Blue Train by John Coltrane
The opening trio of the five on the album are all great
I've listened to all of them and my opinion hasn't changed: none of them will appear in my top charts.
And then Elvis where only 2 regular fifties albums of his are represented in the overall BEA top chart but I suppose that's because he was mainly a greatest hits album. Although I do appreciate him for his legacy, overall I'm not a big fan of him but he has certainly brought a number of good tracks to this world but nearly none of those are to be found on one of these two albums:
Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley (nr 1 of 1956 and 440 overall): only Blue Suede Shoes and his version of Tutti Frutti were good here
Elvis by Elvis Presley (nr 8 of 1956 and 1845 overall): only Rip It Up is ok, the rest is fairly cheesy
And again taken advantage of a good album appearing this year to listen to most of the other albums of that band: Comet Gain.
Comet Gain is a London band which started in 1992 and with Feck (not his real name) as the pivotal artist which is an understatement because the changes in band members went quickly and he was the only one staying. The lyrics of the band have always been fairly political but that never stood in the way of a good song and over the years they have succeeded in releasing album after good album with Fireraisers forever as they newest one which has just been released.
In fact I only knew the band from their compilation of B-sides and other unreleased tracks Broken Record Prayers which I really liked also because it contains my still favorite Comet Gain track: Look At You Now (You're Crying). This album is a bit the odd one out of the band because it sounds more rough around the edges than most of the other albums and this is certainly true for the track I just mentioned.
So these last days I have been listening to all the other albums of this very underrated band (except for City Fallen Leaves which I couldn't find on Apple Music) and the one you can say is that they are able to release album after good album in a very consistent way. This doesn't mean that their music is boring or samey: you just can depend on it that every album will be very good (although I suppose they will never write a masterpiece either). Their music goes from punk to Television Personalities to Pavement to etc etc.
I've been going through a number of the jazz greats who had, in my opinion, the highlight of their careers in the fifties. While I have to admit that it was a bit of a struggle to get through the Miles Davis albums in the previous post, to listen to the artists hereunder was a pleasure. For most artists I stuck with the fifities' albums in the overall BEA top 2500 except for Thelonious Monk of whom I didn't like Brillant corners very much but instead chose for Misterioso: the title track of that album is one of my favorite jazz standards ever. This is my ranking:
the one I liked most (1959; BEA rank: 344):
Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Of course because of Take Five which some perhaps too popular but to me remains one of the standards. Also because of Blue Rondo A La Turk
second (1957; BEA rank: 422):
Blue Train by John Coltrane
The opening trio of the five on the album are all great
Those fifties album have a good side: they're short.
So I listened to the three main fifties albums of Chuck Berry, one of which is not part of the overall BEA top 2500. But as they are all three very important for the development of rock music I listened to all three.
The first two had a few hits but overall they both have a lot of clutter as well which means that I don't think I can include them in my top charts:
After School Session by Chuck Berry (nr 9 of 1957 and 1731 overall): if the album would be full of tracks like School Days and Browneyed Hand Some Man, it would be a classic but it doesn't.
One Dozen Berrys by Chuck Berry (nr 13 of 1958 and 2843 overall): same here for Reelin' and Rockin' and Rock 'n Roll Music
But then there is that real classic:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Chuck Berry Is On Top by Chuck Berry
nr 6 of 1959 and 903 overall: what an album with absolute classics like Maybelline, Johnny B Goode and Roll Over Beethoven and some others; there is some filler but it remains limited in numbers. Definitely to be part of my top chart of 1959 and the fifities
Three more artists of the fifties in the BEA top 2500, two of the greatest rock 'n rollers and Joao Gilberto and I'll start with the first.
I have always had a soft spot for this soft-voiced bossanova artist. I just love the way he delivers his songs and I'm going to make a very strange comparison here: on that level I would compare them with Belle and Sebastian (what ?!?!?).
His most important and best album of the fifties is this one of 1959 (10th of that year and ranked 2138 overall
Chega De Saudade by João Gilberto
with that one fantastic track Desafinado. The instrumentation on the album sounds maybe a bit dated but his vocal delivery remains so fantastic.
And then Bo Didley, who still had a lot of blues influences, but his very typical guitar style truly makes him one of the greatest first rock ' roll artist. I suppose he's only made one good regular album but it's a real good one of 1959
Bo Diddley by Bo Diddley
And then one of the greatest if not the greatest: Little Richard: first comes his great voice, the comes his piano playing but please don't forget those great saxes. Maybe the only negative thing is the rhythm sections which sometimes sounds a ballroom orchestra but who needs drums and bass when the piano, the saxes and the vocal delivery play that roll.
There is only one of his fifties albums in the overall top 2500 but I think two deserve to be there so I listened to both of them:
of 1957 and ranked 2nd in that year and 653 overall:
Here's Little Richard by Little Richard
Only Tutti Frutti would already made him one of the greatest but on this album there's also Slippin' and Slidin' and Long Tall Sally and Rip It Up.
But don't forget his next album of 1958 where it only ranks 15th of that year (that could be better) and 3194 overall:
Little Richard by Little Richard
which features Lucille, Keep-A-Knockin' and Good Golly Miss Molly.
And two albums which cannot be underestimated because they were important at the time but which haven't stood the test of time in my (humble) opinion:
The Shape Of Jazz To Come by Ornette Coleman (also a 1959 album and ranked nr 483 overall)
avant-garde at the time but not anymore
And two Buddy Holly/Crickets albums which are both absolutely worth being in my personal top chart although they both have their amount of filler:
Buddy Holly by Buddy Holly (1958): this is the best of the two with I'm Gonna Love You Too (maybe somewhat influence by Blondie), Peggy Sue and Everyday as highlights
The "Chirping" Crickets by The Crickets (1957): preceeds the former album and a bit less than the other but still fine hits like Oh Boy and That'll Be The Day
Just makes me think, there 's a lot of fifties artists missing in the top 2500: Carl Perkins, Everly Brothers, Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc: might have to find about them as well.
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
Indeed some good ideas.
I’m always reluctant to include performances of classical music in my year and decade charts (like I am for live concerts of rock bands) so Rite of Spring might be an idea but I don’t think I will do it.
Thx Seth (I can’t call you Round can I?) 🤔🤤
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dihansse
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RoundTheBend
