OOOOH this is interesting! My mind has always gone to 1977 for this question (which has been on my mind a lot these last 20 years lol). 1977 for the QUALITY of debuts is stellar (of course I am a massive punk fan) - The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Television, The Damned, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, Wire, The Congos, first 2 classic Solo Iggy Pop albums - hard to say if that counts -, Suicide, Culture, solo Thunders/Heartbreakers, etc etc….
Ha, it's always reassuring to see I'm not the only one thinking about this stuff.
And that's a nice pick, I would never have thought of it - or any year from the '70s for that matter, if you told me this decade never existed, I could buy it.
Even though I'm not the biggest fan of said artists, since I haven't come up with anything decent in the meantime, I' d say 1977 easily makes it to the top-3 debut years, you've got quantity, quality, decent variety as well, what more could one ask for?
Mercury wrote:
And in most cases those are by far their most legendary albums.
That's true, the sad thing is it's even more striking in 1994. _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
Generally speaking, you might - or might not - have noticed I am hesitant when it comes to giving a high grade, but I am inclined to avoid the other end of the spectrum just as much, which leads to a fallacy of having like 80-90% of what I listen between 6 and 8, and I think it does a pretty good job at reflecting my feelings, nowadays I try to spot at least a few likeable qualities in almost every album, but I rarely get blown away - there are many songs/moments that have that effect, but it's rare for an entire album to achieve this. Anyway, I haven't come up with a better system/method, so it is what it is.
I had to check, and I have 72% of everything I've rated between 6 and 8, although that counts singles. For albums it's 80-90% for me too, and 85% for the partial sample on this website.
kokkinos wrote:
Admittedly, i tend to enjoy goofiness/randomness even in unhealthy doses. From what I understand, based on various comments of yours, that's not your style at all, you are more no-nonsense/serious (for real, your attention to detail, especially when it comes to lyrics, is inspiring and has provided food for thought in more than one occasions).
That's funny that I come off that way here - I'm fairly goofy irl. I've said for a long time that I rate music based on personal enjoyment, but now that I think more about it, there are exceptions. For instance, I don't give high marks when something is so bad it's hilarious, or low marks when it's musically stellar but glum enough to put me in a bad mood. So maybe saying that I rate based on personal appreciation is more accurate. Re: the parenthetical, thanks, that's kind of you to say. _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
I had to check, and I have 72% of everything I've rated between 6 and 8, although that counts singles. For albums it's 80-90% for me too, and 85% for the partial sample on this website.
Hmm, finding the right balance in ratings is a tough nut to crack. Every time I think I might have underrated/overrated something, I remind myself of the absurdity of the concept of assigning numerical values to works of art and suddenly it's all good. 😄 _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
Copy-paste from the "You must listen to the album below you." thread (for archival purposes mostly, keeping comments on albums of this era in one place).
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
The album title Is no exaggeration, he is a Saxophone Colossus indeed. The opening track, St. Thomas, is an absolute banger that sets the bar way too high. Then comes You Don't Know What Love Is, a ballad that in my opinion doesn't work that well neither in the context of the album nor when examined individually. The rest is rock solid hard bop that flows so effortlessly together you don't even realise the album is over. Not to forget Max Roach, any album with him can't be bad.
I also took the chance to listen to his 1962 album,
Sonny Rollins - The Bridge
Not many similarities between them, that one was more laid back, which should be closer to my style, but the guitar gets in the way and doesn't let him shine. Another reason for that might be that his playing style suits hard bop more than it does cool jazz. Also, not to sound like a broken record, but no Max Roach, no party. _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
Saxophone Colossus is fantastic one! May have to listen to the other one listed soon _________________ More needs and less greed
Yesterday is not you, it is a resource to be looked back on.
Saxophone Colossus is fantastic one! May have to listen to the other one listed soon
Apart from being a very good album on its own merits, it's worth listening to The Bridge to see how he developed in the meantime, it's far from clear it's the same man who did Saxophone Colossus. _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
Patsy Cline - Sentimentally Yours
Clearly one step behind her 1961 album, Showcase, which wasn’t my thing either. Only the opening track stands out, I could have easily skipped the rest of it without missing too much.
6/10.
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Mosaic
No matter how many things may have changed around him, Art Blakey just keeps making those albums and this is one of my favourites by him. First of all, great album cover, its energy is highly infectious. The formidable team of Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard and Curtis Fuller (saxophone, trumpet and trombone respectively) is on top of its game and arguably the main reason behind the success of this. The self-titled track is probably the biggest hit here, apart from the excellent solos, it also has a catchy theme that will get stuck in your head for quite some time. Down Under is a bit too manic for its own good, I fail at spotting any real purpose behind it, not to mention the part when Art Blakey decides to take over, which as you know I’m not a fan of, though it has to be said he isn't as bombastic as usual, so props to him for that - and a cool outro, too. The eastern touch in Arabia is too subtle, no need to be so delicate. At least the closing track, Crisis, has a slightly exotic vibe as well, so they form a nice combo together. One usual criticism is that this is too long. As far as I'm concerned, it fully justifies its length, no complaints in that regard.
7/10. _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off
One of the big debuts I brought up a few days ago. If you compare it to some of the stuff that would follow, it’s hard to believe we’re talking about the same man, but everybody has to begin somewhere - if anything, the fact that he covered all this ground throughout his career makes it even more impressing - and this is by no means bad, not even close actually, it’s hard bop of the highest calibre. Dexter Gordon, who also has an excellent 1962 album - see page 16, post #155 - is another reason this is so great. The opening track is a classic that immediately steals the show, the rest of the record doesn't reach the same heights but holds up adequately.
7/10. _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
Ornette Coleman - Ornette!
A handful of his albums have already appeared here - see page 5 post #44 - and this one is fundamentally based on the same principles, i.e. despite being adventurous and forward thinking it doesn’t dismiss melody. The second track, T. & T., (for real, what’s going on with those titles ?) which is fully focused on the drums is – as expected – by far the least appealing part for me, it brings the entire album down by a significant degree. The only good thing about it is its short running time, so at least it’s over relatively quickly. Overall, I get the impression that the band is more comfortable here. Probably it’s because they don’t have to push any further than their previous attemps, they are already deep enough in the woods of free jazz. Instead all they have to do is go "wider" so to speak – not sure if that makes any sense - , in other words exploring different elements of the same - somewhat familiar by now - territory. When it comes to the line up, Scott LaFaro - well known by being part of the Bill Evans Trio - is a new addition and a welcome one as far as I’m concerned, as his “in your face” approach to the bass suits this particular environment more than his predecessor.
6.5/10. _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
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baystateoftheart
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