Bella Donna by Stevie Nicks
The obvious hit here is "Edge of Seventeen" which I somehow misheard the lyrics to my whole life... (I thought it was "just like the one we know" or "one we love" instead of "just like the white-winged dove"...whoops). Great song, always brings me to the scene in School of Rock where it was used, and I quite enjoyed that movie despite how ridiculous it was.
Stevie Nicks is a great singer, and while the backing music maybe isn't as interesting on the rest of the album as it is on the hit, the rest of the album is pretty solid. I think the low point for me is actually the duet with Tom Petty, just wasn't into that. The duet with Don Henley is much better though, a softer Nicks song which feels like one of Fleetwood Mac's more touching songs like "Landslide". Roy Bittan of the E Street Band was also involved with this album which is pretty cool. And also Stax legend Donald Dunn, and produced by Jimmy Iovine & Tom Petty, so all-around a very impressive staff went into making this album. But everything was still written by Nicks, so it maybe wasn't as collaborative as it seems.
It's a solid, happy to have listened to it. Nothing really to push it into "classic" album status like many of Fleetwood Mac's albums, but it's good nonetheless. 3.5/5
2)
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Venus In Cancer by Robbie Băsho
Haven't heard this one but Basho's an interesting musician. Sad that he died young in an accident with chiropractics... oof. Also I've never seen his name written with the breve on the letter A, not sure why it's like that on BEA.
3)
NPR: The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women:
47. Son Con Guaguancó by Celia Cruz (I realized I've heard a decent bit of Celia Cruz before, very much looking forward to this one)
51. Sassy Swings Again by Sarah Vaughan
52. Nick of Time by Bonnie Raitt (almost certain I've heard this before but haven't marked it "listened" or rated it on BEA, so I should probably relisten)
58. Nightbirds by Labelle
59. Indigo Girls by Indigo Girls
61. The Writing's on the Wall by Destiny's Child (know most of the tracks but never listened to the album in full)
65. Blue Light 'Til Dawn by Cassandra Wilson
68. King's Record Shop by Rosanne Cash
71. Blacks' Magic by Salt-N-Pepa (this album doesn't have the hits by SnP that I know, so I might be going in blind)
72. The Runaways by The Runaways (haven't even heard of this one tbh) _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
I'm actually going through a classical list on the side with the albums here in between, totally get you. And on the note about RYM top 100 non-white artists' albums, I think it's even worse for women... I don't even know if there are 100 albums made by women in RYM's top 1000, I expect BEA would be about the same. So anyway, glad I'm going through the NPR list!
For real - I think in the top 400 on RYM I saw 3 albums by women. So thanks for sharing the NPR list! They should make a "No Penis" filter on RYM - 🤣
If you are interested, I did this classical music project a while ago. I don't claim it's any good, but it was a relatively deep dive into every period, etc, with my favorites per period tallied at the beginning:
https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19692
I'm actually going through a classical list on the side with the albums here in between, totally get you. And on the note about RYM top 100 non-white artists' albums, I think it's even worse for women... I don't even know if there are 100 albums made by women in RYM's top 1000, I expect BEA would be about the same. So anyway, glad I'm going through the NPR list!
For real - I think in the top 400 on RYM I saw 3 albums by women. So thanks for sharing the NPR list! They should make a "No Penis" filter on RYM - 🤣
If you are interested, I did this classical music project a while ago. I don't claim it's any good, but it was a relatively deep dive into every period, etc, with my favorites per period tallied at the beginning:
https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19692
That's a good set of resources, I'm not a member of Talkclassical but I do have some of their blogs/charts/lists bookmarked haha
I also have AfterHours' classical music diary bookmarked here on BEA, they put together a great resource. _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
I listened to the expanded edition, which is the only one on streaming and seems to be considered the definitive release. It has extra songs, a couple expanded tracks, and a bunch of trimmed tracks to make everything fit on one CD. The first real song is Yeah!, which is definitely the one I knew best before hearing this. One of the major examples of "crunk&b", it works as a club banger but is mediocre in other settings. It's actually a contender for my least favorite song on the album. Usher has a butter-smooth voice, and delivers a solid set of songs with a few standouts (mostly the singles). The production is very good throughout. I'd agree that this is pretty deserving as far as top-selling records go. Nothing here comes close to being his best song though - his 2012 single Climax is an alt r&b masterpiece. 3.5/5.
~~~~~
2. This is a very good hard rock album that launched Joan Jett's career, and you've very likely heard the big single before (Cherry Bomb). Manager Kim Fowley's abuse makes theirs a tragic story, unfortunately.
2020: My Turn - Lil Baby
2019: Hollywood's Bleeding - Post Malone
2018: Scorpion - Drake
2017: ÷ - Ed Sheeran
2016: Views - Drake
2010: Recovery - Eminem
2005: The Emancipation Of Mimi - Mariah Carey
2003: Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ - 50 Cent
2002: The Eminem Show - Eminem
2001: Hybrid Theory - Linkin Park _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
First off the production here is fucking crisp-crisp-crispy as hell. It sounds so alive and tangible and downright modern! I thought this album may sound like good but harmless and dated pop rock. But heck no it isn't like that at all. The whole sound here has a liveliness and energy that is mindboggling. Adore it.
Next, this album along with Ram and my realization that that album is amazing as well as this one, is making me realize McCartney is really good. It's like "well, yes. of course. What are you stupid or something?" But yeah I really was dumb. For some reason I have never given the time of day to Paul McCartney. Just wasn't interested in him and for some reason his persona of the romantic heartthrob in the band and just everything made me infinitely less interested in him than George and even John.
Next, this album starts off as good as any album basically ever or at least since, like, the Babylonians. The first track is perfect head to toe in all its small parts and its maybe the coolest distillation of the greatness of McCartney as a songwriter. Then the absolute rocking badassery of "Jet", followed by the sweetness and gorgeousness of "Bluebird" which is every bit as great as Band On The Run and more focused and less suite-like to boot (which is a good thing to me.), then followed by Mrs. Vanderbilt and "Let Me Roll It' - 2 more absolute classics, .... what the fuck?! 5 straight masterclasses?!
The streak is a bit dampened by the very fine but comparably unremarkable "Mamunia". "No Words" is similarly very good to great if a tier down from the first 5, Still, damn the guitar is so sexy and fiery at the end. Then the album closes with a couple very very different types of classics on a plain with the first 5. "Picasso's Last Drink" is very playful and fun and makes fun references to other melodies (or at least one) and its just excellent. And finally the stomp and swagger of the closer "Nineteen-Hundred and Eighty-Five" is to die for. Again, this damn track sounds like it could be a hit in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, today, it just has a badass groove and a smooth as silk vocal part and the way it switches between those different parts is just incredible.
The folk rock stuff here is brilliant and he does it to perfection. The pop rock and, well, just rock rock, he does just as well. Basically he was just clicking with this album and whatever sound he was going for he was nailing and sticking the landing every time.
Overall, I have been sleeping on this Paul McCartney guy. Lyrically he is no Dylan or even Paul Simon or even even John Lennon (actually just as good as Lennon whilst tackling different topics) but that hardly matters when you have the musical touch and feel and pop chops that he does. I can finally say I am a fan of Paul. Kind of weird. Great nomination/choice for me, Baystateoftheart!
You know me by now. I'm always thinking of new gimmicks. So my newest gimmick is I will take the top 1000 albums on RYM. I have 400 or so albums to hear on it and what I will do is Pick ONE album from each page of 40 albums (the last page will be more like 50 albums...) and I will pick one album off the list that I am most intrigued by or most interested in hearing again for more thorough evaluation or reminding. Still excluding any sort of soundtrack or classical music ( so the rank is in a list of all LPs and Mixtapes excluding live, archival, western classical and any sort of soundtrack/score.)
1. Close to a World Below by Immolation/2000/RYM #368 all time album (I really just want to dive into this absolute classic. I hear its some stunning death metal.)
2. Like an Ever Flowing Stream by Dismember/1991/RYM #418 all time album (I know I know there is a lot of death metal picks here - just wait - but that really is what I am into largely these days. Really into Swedish death metal of both the Gothenburg and Stockholm variety. This album is royalty in that sphere and I heard a bit on youtube recently and it really was masterful.)
3. Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective/2007/RYM #498 all time album (This band used to be just about the coolest band in the world and I remember never really getting swept up even remotely in the hype at their peak. Now that a decade+ has passed since their peak hype phase, I would like to listen with fresh ears. Can't remember anything about this album after all these years.)
4. Atomizer by Big Black/1986/ RYM #558 all time album (This has been on my radar for awhile. I'm pretty sure I heard this and Soungs about Fucking a long long while ago, but its been awhile and I'd like a revisit to these noise rock classics.)
5. Pierced From Within by Suffocation/1995/ RYM #662 all time album (I guess it is clear I have interest in expanding my knowledge and experience with death metal. Well, its true. And this is a cool looking and i hear a very intense death metal classic.
6. Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious by Carcass/1991/RYM #699 all time album (As one of the great godfathers of that grindy death metal sound and the creators of one of my fave metal albums, Heartwork, you'd think I'd be very very familiar with this album. However, I'm not. Somehow I have never pushed play on this album once. Death Metal!)
7. Leaving Your Body Map by maudlin of the Well/2001/RYM #797 all time album (interesting looking avant-garde metal. will listen to Bath released same day as well probably. I have found an excuse to include this on every single list of potential picks. surely, its time will come.)
8. Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues With The London Festival Orchestra/1967/RYM #808 all time album (Super classic album that I have been avoiding for decades for some reason. I have always associated The Moody Blues with my mother and father since I was a kid and they'd play their greatest hits and constantly go on and on about how cool they were. But I think I am now mature enough to listen to my parents lol.)
9. Tri Repetae by Autechre/1995/RYM #907 all time album (Okay, I had Confield on this list briefly, then removed it. Now I see this, Confield and LP5 are the highest rated of Autechre, so yeah I resubmit this IDM Glitchy classic as my page 9 nomination.)
10. Colored Sands by Gorguts/2013/RYM #999 all time album (OOOOooOOOoohhh lala I am excited to hear more from these gnarly gnotty naughty technical avant garde weirdo genius death metalllers! So, yeah here 'tis as a possible choice.) _________________ -Ryan
I've been away on holiday at a warm seaside town watching humpback whales, snorkeling, exploring canyons and lazing on the beach but I'm back now.
Indie pop can be a bit hit or miss with me. Sometimes I love it, sometimes it bores me, but mostly I just find it a bit middling and neither here or there. It's much the same with twee pop but with even less highs and more lows. So I didn't go into this twee influenced indie pop album with high hopes, however it was quite an enjoyable little album. A nice brisk pace was set right from the start, and in what seemed like no time at all it was over and I was left satisfied but would have been happy to keep hearing more. A tuneful, melodious album with a cool crisp sound. Some fairly decent song writing with occasional piano and/or string flourishes that complimented the songs rather than feeling unnecessarily showy. The percussion throughout was also a noticeable strong point for me. Vocals and lyrics were satisfactory without being anything special. The first three songs and the way they set the tone and pace of the album was probably my favourite section of the album. Overall a solid album I would be happy to hear again and a pleasant surprise. 7.5/10, and enters my top 100 of 2010 at a respectable #50.
Atomizer is an excellent and powerful album and an old favourite of mine. Kerosene is an absolute belter of a track.
Top 37 Music Albums of 2010 by EyeKanFly (last pick - I've been enjoying this unique list with some lesser known obscure choices)
12. Inception by Hans Zimmer
15. Foxy Shazam by Foxy Shazam
18. Passive Me, Aggressive You by The Naked And Famous
19. We Are Uchu No Ko by Afrirampo
24. Transference by Spoon
27. Odd Blood by Yeasayer
30. To The Sea by Jack Johnson
31. The Orchard by Ra Ra Riot
32. Congratulations by MGMT
33. All Day by Girl Talk
The Runaways by The Runaways
Turns out I was a lot more familiar with The Runaways than I had realized. I knew a decent amount of songs from this and their follow-up album Queens of Noise. One thing I didn't know in advance though: Joan Jett and Micki Steele (of the Bangles) got their starts as part of The Runaways. Sad to hear about some of the backstory regarding their producer/manager.
The songs that I was already familiar with were probably the highlights, though somehow I had not heard "Dead End Justice" before, and while that tonally didn't sound much different from their hit "Cherry Bomb", it struck me as a more interesting song by the end of it. That's probably my favorite of any of the tracks on their debut or Queens of Noise.
Totally understand why this was selected for the NPR list, the vast majority of the songs were written primarily by women and played by an all-female band, something which is unfortunately incredibly rare in the industry.
2)
Glad you enjoyed that Purplepash, you certainly gave it a more favorable review than I would have expected. Thanks for taking the time to dig through my chart a little bit. The majority of albums left here are ones I haven't listened to in a while, and could probably use a revisit. Let's go with Afrirampo for a little bit of noise punk:
3)
NPR: The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women:
47. Son Con Guaguancó by Celia Cruz (I realized I've heard a decent bit of Celia Cruz before, very much looking forward to this one)
51. Sassy Swings Again by Sarah Vaughan
52. Nick of Time by Bonnie Raitt (almost certain I've heard this before but haven't marked it "listened" or rated it on BEA, so I should probably relisten)
58. Nightbirds by Labelle
59. Indigo Girls by Indigo Girls
61. The Writing's on the Wall by Destiny's Child (know most of the tracks but never listened to the album in full)
65. Blue Light 'Til Dawn by Cassandra Wilson
68. King's Record Shop by Rosanne Cash
71. Blacks' Magic by Salt-N-Pepa (this album doesn't have the hits by SnP that I know, so I might be going in blind)
76. Stand by Your Man by Tammy Wynette _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
This was pretty cool. Listened twice and can’t say either listen really bowled me over. The production is sharp and gnarly and nasty and mean and I can see why Royal Asshole Albini became such a production force in years to come. It’s just mean and weird and creepy noise rock from the pits of a fucked and screwed up mind. Kerosene is indeed an otherworldly track and the greatest highlight here. It’s cool. 80s noise rock at its most forward thinking and nasty. I liked but didn’t live it.
No idea what this is. But it’s the highest and based off your note figured should pick it.
------------------------
3.
You know me by now. I'm always thinking of new gimmicks. So my newest gimmick is I will take the top 1000 albums on RYM. I have 400 or so albums to hear on it and what I will do is Pick ONE album from each page of 40 albums (the last page will be more like 50 albums...) and I will pick one album off the list that I am most intrigued by or most interested in hearing again for more thorough evaluation or reminding. Still excluding any sort of soundtrack or classical music ( so the rank is in a list of all LPs and Mixtapes excluding live, archival, western classical and any sort of soundtrack/score.)
1. Close to a World Below by Immolation/2000/RYM #368 all time album (I really just want to dive into this absolute classic. I hear its some stunning death metal.)
2. Hvis lyset tar oss by Burzum/1994/RYM #466 all time album (I have heard this several times. But it’s been awhile and I feel like I never have it half the attention I gave Filosofem. Atmospheric Black Metal)
3. Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective/2007/RYM #498 all time album (This band used to be just about the coolest band in the world and I remember never really getting swept up even remotely in the hype at their peak. Now that a decade+ has passed since their peak hype phase, I would like to listen with fresh ears. Can't remember anything about this album after all these years.)
4. Epicus Doomicus Metallicus by Candlemass/1986/ RYM #577 all time album (this and their other most famous album are on the same page of 40 albums - Nightfall that is - so if someone picks this Doom Metal classic of classics I’ll likely listen to both. I have never listened to these all the way through.)
5. Pierced From Within by Suffocation/1995/ RYM #662 all time album (I guess it is clear I have interest in expanding my knowledge and experience with death metal. Well, its true. And this is a cool looking and i hear a very intense death metal classic.
6. Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious by Carcass/1991/RYM #699 all time album (As one of the great godfathers of that grindy death metal sound and the creators of one of my fave metal albums, Heartwork, you'd think I'd be very very familiar with this album. However, I'm not. Somehow I have never pushed play on this album once. Death Metal!)
7. Leaving Your Body Map by maudlin of the Well/2001/RYM #797 all time album (interesting looking avant-garde metal. will listen to Bath released same day as well probably. I have found an excuse to include this on every single list of potential picks. surely, its time will come.)
8. Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues With The London Festival Orchestra/1967/RYM #808 all time album (Super classic album that I have been avoiding for decades for some reason. I have always associated The Moody Blues with my mother and father since I was a kid and they'd play their greatest hits and constantly go on and on about how cool they were. But I think I am now mature enough to listen to my parents lol.)
9. Tri Repetae by Autechre/1995/RYM #907 all time album (Okay, I had Confield on this list briefly, then removed it. Now I see this, Confield and LP5 are the highest rated of Autechre, so yeah I resubmit this IDM Glitchy classic as my page 9 nomination.)
10. Colored Sands by Gorguts/2013/RYM #999 all time album (OOOOooOOOoohhh lala I am excited to hear more from these gnarly gnotty naughty technical avant garde weirdo genius death metalllers! So, yeah here 'tis as a possible choice.) _________________ -Ryan
Venus In Cancer by Robbie Băsho
I love Robbie Basho, for some reason even more than Fahey. Which are literally the only 2 American primitivists that I know lol. This was the third album I've heard by him, maybe not the best but definitely up there (I'm just listening to it the second time now while writing and honestly it may even be the best thing I've heard from him). I love his singing, the instrumentals are of course excellent but he's an absolute belter, not sure why he didn't sing more often. Sure, he's got a really specific singing style, but it's not the weirdest out there. Anyway that's about the only "negative" thing I have to say about the album. Ok there was also a few moments where the songs felt a bit stretched and too long. Apart from that, I loved everything. Great melodies and arpeggios on the opening title track, where he plays a similar part multiple times with variation, so it all sounds hypnotic, familiar but never stale. A perfect mix. His wailing on Eagle Sails the Blue Diamond Waters and especially his singing on Song for the Queen were fantastic. In fact the latter with the orchestral background was huge, would easily be a favourite if not for the magic that is Wine Song. The melodies... I mean as a (now ex) guitar player I'm clearly biased, but guitar is one of the rare instruments which works well in a solo setting and you can actually make a compelling (to me at least) album full of only solo guitar music. Whether it's a singer/songwriter, acoustic, electric, blues, rock, primitivism, African Mande music, jazz (or maybe not jazz according to Hayden :lol:)... And Robbie Basho is near the top in terms of entertainment in popular music while playing 1 instrument with little or no vocals. 9/10
(2)
Epicus Doomicus Metalicus is every bit as bonkers as the name suggests. And it's also a huge favourite.
(3)
I'll shuffle the list a bit to keep it real interesting
Immolation - Dawn of Possession
The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters
Pink Siifu - Gumbo'!
Wolves In The Throne Room - Black Cascade
Pat Metheny Group - Pat Metheny Group
Japan - Gentlemen Take Polaroids
S280F - 28
Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope
Milo - So the Flies Don't Come
808 State - Ninety _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
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EyeKanFly
RoundTheBend
baystateoftheart
Mercury
Purplepash
LedZep
