so, yeah, this was dope. Like really REALLY dope. The only aspect of the sound and album that didn't jive with me are the voclas/lyrics. Not a fan of the vocals because I generally don't love soaring, classic metal vocals. At one time I HATED such vocals, but now its just a mild itch of irritation that crops up every once in awhile. The lyrics are very fantasy-oriented and I have yet to hear an album featuring fantasy lyrics that where I thought the lyrical songwriting was a plus... (obviously this is of the albums that I could hear what was said, for all I know that is what death and grind bands sometimes sing about but I can't hear a single word ever. Side note, whenever I see someone talk about the lyrics on a grindcore album and most death or black metal albums, I feel like they are for sure 100% looking the lyrics up and that the lyris must be from the band themselves. Otherwise are they trolling? How can one pick out single words in those vocals not to mention whole sentences???). Still, the irritation as stated only comes up here and there. Sometimes (not super common) I was impressed by the vocalist. He is clearly quite technically skilled and sometimes it works really well.
Okay, so gripes out of the way, every other thing here is indeed bonkers, big, atmospheric, chiseled and polished to perfection, downright filthy and heavy when needed and delicate when needed and nimble and fast when needed. The musicians here are badass. I don't know why but going in I always thought of Doom being somewhat simple music, with not much extreme skill on display like you may hear on other forms of metal. I basically have only been exposed to doom via Sabbath, electric wizard, and Pagan Altar before hearing this, and while they are good musicians that make up those bands, the sheer precision of the instrumentation is never the draw or feature of those artists that stick out, like, ever. But with Epicus Doomicus Metalicus the solos come through like knives cutting straight to the heart of the song, they all are mindblowing in production and sound and execution and they work always and with out fail PERFECTLY along side the heavy doomy riffs and the winding, fleshed out compositions.
Every track here is killer. I think maybe the one I'm most smitten with at this time is "Crystal Ball" followed by "A Sorcerer's Pledge" (jesus christ I'm listening to the final track again now and that chugging riff alongside that organ or keyboard melody is so eerie and beautiful and amazing!). But, again, each riff, each drum part, each solo, each everything here is so fully formed and all-consuming. I loved em all. I felt enveloped by this album. When the heavy chugging riffs came in it was like I was fully in-sync with the sounds. Its fabulous. 4-4.5/5 with potential to rise.
As may be clear, I do tend to like the faster and more rabid and insane side of heavier music, and so for a doom album to really truly blow my mind it really has to be special to my ears. This did it. What a classic!
I'm going to go listen to their second album and follow up to this, Nightfall. Edit/Update: I'm on track2 of Nightfall and its great as well.
-------------------------
2.
@Ledzep, holy shit I look away for a second and I see your list of possible noms is now full of tasty and interesting possibilities. Torn between Immolation, Janet Jackson and Pat Metheny here... in the end I must choose and I will go with the album I most recently heard (actually haven't heard Immolation's debut yet so yeah, bad sentence structure here) and that is...
Really good album, if about 20 minutes too long and too many skits and interludes in my opinion.
------------------------
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 itโs 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. A I A: Alien Observer by Grouper/2011/ RYM #633 all time album (as an indication of how out of touch with Grouper I have been, I was shocked to see this is right there with Dragging a Dead Deer Up A Hill as her most loved album ever. I honestly haven't checked out any of her music in close to a decade. Really intrigued to dip my toes back into the indescribable and unclassifiable brilliance of Grouper.)
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 had never heard of this band before but I am glad I have now. A female duo (guitar and drums) from Osaka, Japan, which seems to have had a great music scene for a while now. They even did a collaborative album with Acid Mothers Temple, who I haven't heard a lot of but love what I have, and I got to see them live a couple of years ago. An absolutely mind blowing experience. Anyway Afrirampo are quite different from Acid Mothers Temple, at least on this album. I am sure I don't have the words to adequately describe this album but I'll give it a go. It's a little bit weird, but not way out there inaccessible weird. The album starts with some punky songs that have a dash of pop to them (although not pop punk in the slightest) and then gets noisier and more chaotic, losing the pop elements, as it goes along. In a way it sorts of defies genre definition. RYM goes with noise rock, but I would say noise punk, and at various times throughout there are elements of psychedelic rock, neo-psychedelia, post-punk, kraut rock, jam rock, experimental rock, and probably many others I didn't think of. Definitely African tribal rhythms play a major part in the second half of the album (apparently they once spent some time living with a pygmy tribe in Cameroon). Throughout all this their vocals shine through with punky but melodious energy, whoops and hollers and the like. All making for a fun, vibrant, manic, exciting listen. Recommended for those who like something a little bit out of the ordinary (although I would totally get people not liking this at all too). I give it a strong 8/10 and #24 in my top 100 for 2010. My favourite find from this run through EyeKanFly's chart. Thanks!
While definitely not for everyone Strawberry Jam is easily my favourite AnCo album.
Jumping forward another ten years now to only last year with 2020 - a year I explored quite heavily at the time, but lets dig even deeper and see if there is anything worthwhile I've missed.
BEA Best Albums of 2020 (5 picks left)
83. We Are Chaos by Marilyn Manson
104. God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It by Backxwash
109. Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum by Seether
110. Future Past Life by STRFKR
111. ะะพ ัะฒะธะดะฐะฝะธั [Goodbye] by IC3PEAK
114. The Best Ones Of The Best by Dashboard Confessional
115. Magic Oneohtrix Point Never by Oneohtrix Point Never
116. Ricky Music by Porches
117. Petals For Armor by Hayley Williams
121. YHLQMDLG by Bad Bunny
The Velvet Rope by Janet Jackson
You've said it all Merc. It's got a lot of filler, the highs are pretty good. If 90s RnB/pop was more of my style I could even see this one being a favourite, but as it stands I'll probably only play several songs like Velvet Rope, You, Gone 'till It's Gone, Go Deep, Together Again and I Get Lonely. Production was top notch, the album could've been released yesterday. There wasn't a song that completely blew me away, there also wasn't a terrible cut either so it kinda evens out. It didn't bang enough for me to proclaim it a 90s pop classic, maybe I'll get there with a few more listens. 7 or low 7.5/10
(2)
That Backxwash EP/album goes hard and is catchy, completely different than this year's I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses
(3)
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
Milo - So the Flies Don't Come
808 State - Ninety
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
Gang of Four - Entertainment! _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
@Purplepash, thanks for going through my 2010 list, glad you found something you liked! I definitely would've suggested the Backxwash album as well, her albums last year and this year have been some of my favorites, definitely a different vibe though. LedZep, I think I'd consider her 2021 album catchier than 2020, but God Has Nothing... is amazing for a very unique blend of horrorcore. Also worth noting Purplepash that it's available on bandcamp but not many other platforms because of her unauthorized sampling. Her album this year is more widely available.
1)
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Son Con Guaguancรณ by Celia Cruz
Yeah this album was great, pretty much exactly what I was anticipating and it still exceeded expectations. Cruz is an incredible singer, supremely talented in both sweeping solos/arias as well as rapid near-rap-like singing. She probably could have been one of the best opera singers around, but instead she led her talent to guaracha, salsa, son Cubano, rumba, etc. etc. And I think I respect her much more for developing the musical genres of her homeland rather than switching to a more antiquated western European art form (not that there's anything wrong with either, I do love opera as well). Among all Cuban musicians I know of, she reigns supreme.
Most non-Cubans will probably recognize Cruz best from the album Celia & Johnny, with Dominican-American bandleader Johnny Pacheco, also a titan of Latin music. I think I slightly prefer that album but only really because it was made 10 years later when recording quality was better. Son Con Guaguancรณ was recorded in the 60s and it almost feels more like something from the 50s. It's not as crisp as it probably should be. That said, Celia's voice shines through and does come across with clarity as good as can be expected of the time period, it's just the backing band that have a little bit of a fuzzy/muffled sound.
Nothing holds back this album though, Cruz is amazing and should be essential listening for anyone delving into Latin American music. 4/5
2)
As much as I want to go for Pat Metheny, let's go with
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The Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow
When I went into this album, I had no expectations whatsoever, hadn't even heard of Elbow, and it blew me away. They're great live too.
3)
NPR: The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women:
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
83. Ode to Billie Joe by Bobbie Gentry
lots of folk/country right now it looks like _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
I didnโt like this. Fireworks hit nicely as a song. Maybe itโs just that I donโt vibe with this style of kind of jittery, psychedelic, very unorthodox style of songwriting. It is for sure very unique and itโs clear they carved out a new sound and unique take on Neo-psychedelia here and I can understand people admiring and even loving this music and band.
Anyway, perhaps itโs a grower. And maybe someday I will find out. For now, itโs not my jam (lol)
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 itโs been awhile and I feel like I never have it half the attention I gave Filosofem. Atmospheric Black Metal)
3. XXX by Danny Brown/2011/RYM #533 all time album (Never heard this seeming modern classic from Danny Brown. Love Atrocity Exhibition so maybe will like this - although Iโm sure it will be very different production wise. Heโs a great lyricist.)
4. A I A: Alien Observer by Grouper/2011/ RYM #633 all time album (as an indication of how out of touch with Grouper I have been, I was shocked to see this is right there with Dragging a Dead Deer Up A Hill as her most loved album ever. I honestly haven't checked out any of her music in close to a decade. Really intrigued to dip my toes back into the indescribable and unclassifiable brilliance of Grouper.)
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
The Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow
Unlike you EyeKanFly, I did have some expectations before listening to Elbow. They're one of those 00s indie bands I was trying to avoid because they seemed like the most basic indie band out there, but then again there's probably a reason they get so much praise. Also, there was one song of theirs nominated in 00s tournament I think (Ribcage) and it was quite good, which defied my expectations. So while I'm often cynical about (and rarely in the mood for) basic 00s indie these days, I'm still glad it got nominated. So what I liked first: it wasn't a stereotypical indie album from 2008 all the time! There were some dreamy parts, some rock riffs, even a variety of instruments ala chamber pop on several cuts. Usually liked those songs which experimented with the formula. What I didn't like: the songwriting was not great and the singer's voice was a stereotypical Manchester indie singer voice. Also the lyrics are kinda bleh sometimes, they certainly try to sound witty and tell interesting stories, but it's not always the best execution of that trope. Sometimes they're really good though, like on Some Riot. Tryhard song titles like "The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver" or "An Audience with the Pope" didn't bode well for me either, but that's probably because I didn't vibe with those songs. I can see a parallel universe where I loved the album and thought everything from the lyrics to song titles was incredibly cool, tongue in cheek and smart. The opener Starlings was good, The Fix was really fun (plus had some guy Richard Hawley of Longpins on vocals, he's a better singer), Some Riot (has some great lines like "The booze turns a tall gentle boy to a terrible totem" and "Brother of mine, don't run with those fuckers" with a very British "fuckers" pronunciation), One Day Like This, Friend of Ours and that's about it. Started warming up to their style towards the end and honestly the last few songs are some of the best as well, maybe another listen will prove to be a revelation. Sorry EyeKanFly for shitting on your favourite ๐ 6.5/10
(2)
Immolation's 2000 effort is pretty great
(3)
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
808 State - Ninety
Gang of Four - Entertainment!
Lorde - Solar Power
Seefeel - Pure, Impure _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
Nick Of Time by Bonnie Raitt
This was uniformly "meh". I'm sure I've listened to this before multiple times (trying to figure out why 1. my mom likes it and 2. why it won Grammy awards, back when I still cared about the Grammys). And now I remember WHY I don't remember anything from the album at all: it's all sooo forgettable. There's just nothing interesting that stands out at all over the course of the entire album. It's generic 80s blues rock. And it's from 89 at that so it's not like it was at the forefront of something new to the genre. Maybe I'll take another listen at some point, since it does seem to have some talent (Herbie Hancock on one track, one song written by John Hiatt), but for now, just, meh. I didn't hate it though, so it gets 2/5.
2)
Oh I wouldn't say The Seldom Seen Kid is my favorite, just that I liked it more than I was expecting to. It's a little over the top and overproduced, which I tend to look upon favorably (see: my love for Muse lol).
3)
NPR: The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women:
51. Sassy Swings Again by Sarah Vaughan
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
83. Ode to Billie Joe by Bobbie Gentry
85. Diamonds & Rust by Joan Baez (surely there must have been a more notable 60s Baez album to put on this list instead? Maybe I'm sleeping on this one) _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Excellent death metal. Technical enough to not seem like old school simplistic Scream Bloody Gore stuff, but not so technical that it feels like a purely intellectual exercise to listen to and enjoy. Intense enough to make me feel at times like the machine guns sounds coming from the drums and the shrieking blow torch guitar solos and the ragged hellish riff onslaught really are hellfire and the grounds cracking under foot and gunshots aimed squarely at me, but not so intense that it seems like a competition to see which brutal death metal band can be the most fast and insane with no mind to how it works in creating the music and the atmosphere. The vocals are rough, amazing, heavy and growled but paradoxically clear and not burpy or ridiculous or alien - they sound like some seriously hard and rough man in the middle of a end of world event... and he doesn't sound happy about it.
The riffs, while not as inventive or badass or memorable as what I heard in other recent discoveries of death metal, are dope consistently. The drumming is mostly flawless. The vocals as already stated are very good. The whole album is just an almost perfectly balanced extreme metal experience. It is truly awesome. Instantly put on my 2000s chart which I was updating as I listened and by the end of tweaking it and this album ended I was like "yeah, fuck it, of course this is going on this chart.".
I am getting there with Death Metal. Slowly starting to feel like I know what I am hearing to some degree, where sounds and influences are, etc. In recent months I would guess 30% of the albums I've been listening to are some kind of extreme metal genre or subgenre - Death or Black Metal, Grindcore, Sludge etc. And I have been loving it. I made a diary post a few months ago just before this became my obsession and I think then I was saying that metal intrigued me but made up very very few of my beloved close to the heart favorite albums ever. I have found a few more since then (this isn't quite that, but its awesome) and, i guess, the point of this paragraph is to fudge the length of this post and to say - Metal is cool. I like it.
-------------------------
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. Abraxas by Santana/1970/RYM #382 all time album (Classic and I have heard this and his other early maybe first 3 albums before but its been a long time. As a kid I adored looking at the vinyl copy of this that my dad had for obvious reasons. Still do. But now maybe I can look past the cover even more and bask in the glory of this music.)
2. Hvis lyset tar oss by Burzum/1994/RYM #466 all time album (I have heard this several times. But itโs been awhile and I feel like I never have it half the attention I gave Filosofem. Atmospheric Black Metal)
3. XXX by Danny Brown/2011/RYM #533 all time album (Never heard this seeming modern classic from Danny Brown. Love Atrocity Exhibition so maybe will like this - although Iโm sure it will be very different production wise. Heโs a great lyricist.)
4. A I A: Alien Observer by Grouper/2011/ RYM #633 all time album (as an indication of how out of touch with Grouper I have been, I was shocked to see this is right there with Dragging a Dead Deer Up A Hill as her most loved album ever. I honestly haven't checked out any of her music in close to a decade. Really intrigued to dip my toes back into the indescribable and unclassifiable brilliance of Grouper.)
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. Pop 2 by Charli XCX/2017/RYM #741 all time album (Due in large part to my over-reliance on RYM album charts for listening queues and my tendency until recently of forgetting to include Mixtapes, this Charli album has never really been fully listened to, at least not as much as it deserves. I have heard parts and bits. I adore her last 2 LPs and whenever I would expand her RYM page I would not look lower on the page at the Mixtape section to see this. Anyway, that over-explanation aside, this is a cool pop album I hear and still widely regarded as her best project? we shall see.)
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. Unhalfbricking by Fairport Convention/1969/RYM #981 all time album (Okay, so I will for sure be listening to their other TWO 1969 albums as well, at the very least Liege and Lief. But yeah these are albums and an artist that I have heard but for some reason and for various random chance moments I've yet to really sit down and just listen to these classics. These folk albums seem right up my alley as much a s it is possible to be. So yeah, this is a special limited time 3 for one deal.) _________________ -Ryan
Sassy Swings Again by Sarah Vaughan
I was glad that Sarah Vaughan is included on NPR's chart, but was a little unsure about an album I'd never heard of when there are so many great ones from earlier in her career: Swingin' Easy, Sarah Vaughan (with Clifford Brown), After Hours, In the Land of Hi-Fi, I was surprised that the NPR folks chose this one. I think I can see why though. This album is probably the last of Vaughan's great ones, slightly past the prime of her career but still at a near-peak.
Big band just fits Sarah Vaughan. So, so well. She's had more intimate standards/vocal jazz, but the backing band here exceeds pretty much any other Sassy album that I've heard, even the one with Clifford Brown. Stars include J.J. Johnson on trombone (as well as arranging a variety of the songs) and Freddie Hubbard on trumpet. I know I mentioned this about Celia Cruz earlier, but Sarah Vaughan's voice could easily have made her an opera star. But the avenues open for her enabled her to become an incredible jazz singer, certainly one of if not THE best of the 50s-60s. While incredible talents may open doors in different directions, I think we should all be glad that for whatever reasons Sassy ended up going the vocal jazz/standards/big band route.
The songs on this album are almost all standards, and boy are they good ones: "Take the 'A' Train", "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", "I Had a Ball", "Sweet Georgia Brown", and "Every Day I Have the Blues". Holy cow, what a good one. This album is definitely going in my heavy rotation, and as soon as I finish writing this review I'll be shopping for this on vinyl.
1967 was a pretty monumental year, and while it's hard to compete with the classic rock "canon", this album is almost certainly going into my top 10 for the year, and it's also going to have to find a spot near the top of my 60s chart. 4/5
2)
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XXX by Danny Brown
Go with this. Atrocity Exhibition is a masterpiece. This...isn't. But it's still pretty good, and I'm sure there are many who may feel differently than me.
3)
NPR: The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women:
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
83. Ode to Billie Joe by Bobbie Gentry
85. Diamonds & Rust by Joan Baez (surely there must have been a more notable 60s Baez album to put on this list instead? Maybe I'm sleeping on this one)
90. Funny Girl by Barbara Streisand & the Original 1964 Broadway Cast (just credited to "The Original Broadway Cast" here on BEA) _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
Pat Metheny Group by Pat Metheny Group
First Pat Metheny album I've heard outside of that one with Steve Reich (Different Trains/Electric Counterpoint). A certain milestone in my jazz fusion journey. I have to say, the combination of ECM jazz and fusion didn't sound all that tasty to me, that's why I've avoided this album for so long. ECM style jazz is a tricky one in general for me, but that's another story. Thankfully there was nothing to fear, this was easy to listen to and immediately likeable. Every song was great but I have to mention Phase Dance specifically, it sounds inventive for 1978 and is a blast. Every good element of both fusion and ECM is here on full display. It's technical but not too much, the melodies are exquisite, the solos not too long and do exactly what they're supposed to, enhance the song and guide one section to the other. The other high point was April Joy. This Pat Metheny guy is pretty good, not gonna lie. 8/10
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Barbara Streisand lol, go with that one next
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The Mothers of Invention - We're Only In It For The Money
Immolation - Dawn of Possession
Japan - Gentlemen Take Polaroids
John Prine - John Prine
Gang of Four - Entertainment!
808 State - Ninety
The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters
Lorde - Solar Power
Vince Staples - Vince Staples
Celtic Frost - Monotheist _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
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