SIMON & GARFUNKEL
PARSLEY, SAGE, ROSEMARY AND THYME
1966 – COLUMBIA
Produced By BOB JOHNSTON
1. Scarborough Fair / Canticle
2. Patterns
3. Cloudy
4. Homeward Bound
5. The Big Green Pleasure Machine
6. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)
7. The Dangling Conversation
8. Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall
9. A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert
McNamara’d Into Submission)
10. For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her
11. A Poem On The Underground Wall
12. 7 O’Clock News / Silent Night
13. Patterns (Demo)
14. A Poem On The Underground Wall (Demo)
By far the strangest album made by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, it’s also the first time the duo was given the time and space to create the music they wanted to. The opening track, “Scarborough Fair / Canticle”, is maybe their best recording…a beautiful arrangement of an old 17th century English ballad. Simon was growing into a formidable songwriter, even if a lot of these titles appear to be stepping deep into the hippie culture. But regardless of what faults this record may have, it’s ultimately the voices of these two that saves every single track here. Maybe the best pop duo of all time.
Outside of the opener, it’s strange that there are three tracks here that became hits…but not from the studio versions featured here. The more familiar versions of “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)”, “Homeward Bound”, and For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her” are later live versions, so you get the bonus of hearing the lesser known studio recordings on this record. They didn’t have it all down pat just yet here…but they were growing into a better act with each passing album until they split up in 1970. Simon And Garfunkel left us too soon with not nearly enough songs with those magic voices…cherish what there is that they gave us.
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DIXIE CHICKS
TAKING THE LONG WAY
2006 – OPEN WIDE / COLUMBIA
Produced By RICK RUBIN
1. The Long Way Around
2. Easy Silence
3. Not Ready To Make Nice
4. Everybody Knows
5. Bitter End
6. Lullaby
7. Lubbock Or Leave It
8. Silent House
9. Favorite Year
10. Voice Inside My Head
11. I Like It
12. Baby Hold On
13. So Hard
14. I Hope
Yes, they are now known as The Chicks. And yes, it’s now been 17 years since Natalie Maines made a comment at a concert about then President George W. Bush that would be considered today to be completely tame and non-newsworthy. But back in 2003, saying that they were ashamed of Bush being from the state of Texas was almost enough to destroy their careers. Fans left the trio in droves, and it seemed things were going to be over for them. But to their credit, Maines, Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire came back in a huge way. Three years later, they released Taking The Long Way, which didn’t apologize, but showed them standing firm on what they said. Good for them.
They address the scandal head on, culminating in the hit “Not Ready To Make Nice”. They also made, with some adventurous musical choices, a new set of fans. Guest songwriters like Sheryl Crow, Mike Campbell, Neil Finn and Gary Louris gave their sound a freshness, and the album became a huge hit for them. The album starts really slowly, but builds and grows on you as you listen. The star of the show is Maines…what a great voice she has, and it shines throughout this record. “Everybody Knows”, “Lullaby”, “I Hope” and “Not Ready To Make Nice” are the highlights here. The Chicks went on hiatus after this, and mostly disappeared until 2020. This is worth a spin, if only to hear Natalie Maines sing.
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SADE
LOVE DELUXE
1992 – EPIC
Produced By SADE & MIKE PELA
1. No Ordinary Love
2. Feel No Pain
3. I Couldn’t Love You More
4. Like A Tattoo
5. Kiss Of Life
6. Cherish The Day
7. Pearls
8. Bullet Proof Soul
9. Mermaid
To be clear…Sade is not a solo artist. Sade is a band named after their lead singer, Sade Adu. They have been together since 1982, and are best known for their hit from 1984, “Smooth Operator”. Love Deluxe, from 1992, is their fourth album of what can be best described as smooth jazz and mellow soul music. The band plays well, and Adu is a fine singer, but for the most part, this is music to fall asleep to. The album has been critically overrated (particularly on the most recent Rolling Stone top 500 list, where it ranked a stunning #247). Make no mistake…this is pleasant background music, but in no way is this album one of the 500 greatest of all time. Not even in the top 5000.
While some of the songs achieved some commercial success, the album as a whole is average at best. “No Ordinary Love”, “Feel No Pain”, “Kiss Of Life” and “Cherish The Day” were all released as singles…but it’s likely that you’ve still not heard of this album. The reason is that it’s ultimately nothing more than a smooth jazz record…it’s nice, pleasant, and has zero backbone. Sade has been trying to build on “Smooth Operator” for years, without ever having duplicated that success. You have to give them credit for trying, though. If lounge music with pleasant female vocals is your thing, then Love Deluxe is the album for you. But it’s never been anything more than just that.
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OUTKAST
STANKONIA
2000 – LAFACE / ARISTA
Produced By EARTHTONE III, ORGANIZED NOIZE & CARL MO
1. Intro
2. Gasoline Dreams (Feat. Khujo)
3. I’m Cool (Interlude)
4. So Fresh, So Clean
5. Ms. Jackson
6. Snappin’ & Trappin’ (Feat. Killer Mike & J-Sweet)
7. D.F. (Interlude)
8. Spaghetti Junction
9. Kim & Cookie (Interlude)
10. I’ll Call B4 I Cum (Feat. Gangsta Boo & Eco)
11. B.O.B.
12. Xplosion (Feat. B-Real)
13. Good Hair (Interlude)
14. We Luv Deez Hoez (Feat. Backbone & Big Gipp)
15. Humble Mumble (Feat. Erykah badu)
16. Drinkin’ Again (Interlude)
17. ?
18. Red Velvet
19. Cruisin’ In The ATL (Interlude)
20. Gangsta Shit (Feat. Slimm Calhoun, C-Bone & T-Mo)
21. Toilet Tisha
22. Slum Beautiful (Feat. Cee-Lo)
23. Pre-Nump (Interlude)
24. Stankonia (Stanklove) (Feat. Big Rube & Sleepy Brown)
For me, the best albums of hip hop are the ones that take chances. Not just beats and raps, but real musical excursions that challenge the listener and that contain lots of sonic rewards. This is the main reason why I am such a fan of Outkast. Big Boi and Andre 3000 aren’t afraid to make music that not only blurs the lines of traditional genres, but also the lines that listeners tend to draw when listening to music. This is a hip hop album. It’s also a very interesting journey. It’s like a psychedelic prog album from the seventies, with a pop sensibility from the nineties and hip hop beats rolled into one neat little package. Stankonia is downright fun to listen to…you never know what you’re getting next.
Also, unlike a lot of hip hop artists who become one hit wonders, Outkast proves here that they can have multiple hits and an entire album to hold your attention. “B.O.B.” and “Ms. Jackson” were hits for this duo, but it’s on “So Fresh, So Clean” that their ability to craft a catchy track really blossoms…consider it the father of “Hey Ya”. What makes Stankonia and Outkast so refreshing and enduring is that they have ideas…lots of them…and they aren’t afraid to put them on record. This is a trippy excursion…kind of like the Dark Side Of The Moon of hip-hop. Not perfect, but wildly entertaining and fun. Which counts for a hell of a lot.
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TV ON THE RADIO
RETURN TO COOKIE MOUNTAIN
2006 – INTERSCOPE
Produced By DAVID ANDREW SITEK
1. I Was A Lover
2. Hours
3. Province
4. Playhouses
5. Wolf Like Me
6. A Method
7. Let The Devil In
8. Dirtywhirl
9. Blues From Down Here
10. Tonight
11. Wash The Day
In 2006, I would have never even considered buying an album called Return To Cookie Mountain. I still think it’s a horrible album title. But…that’s about the only thing negative about this. Cookie Mountain is the second full album released by this very interesting and eclectic band from New York, and it put them on the map. For good reason. “Wolf Like Me” is an excellent track that features Katrina Ford (from Celebration), and “Province” includes very upfront backing vocals by none other than David Bowie. This was named Album Of The Year for 2006 by Spin Magazine, and the critics universally ate it up. As they should have…this is a very good album.
TV On The Radio uses a lot of sampling, synthesizers and loops in their sound…but they also utilize horns and plenty of guitars. They are influenced by Pixies and by Nancy Sinatra. And they are not afraid to be different. Which makes this band always worth a listen. The follow up to this, Dear Science, is great as well, but this was their breakthrough album. A great example for the classic rock fans who said that rock was dead…it is not. It’s just evolved, which is a very good thing. TV On The Radio is smart and savvy music, and this is the best place to start with them. If you can get into what they do, the rewards are huge.
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THE LIGETI PROJECT
THE LIGETI PROJECT IV: HAMBURG CONCERTO / DOUBLE CONCERTO / RAMIFICATIONS / REQUIEM
2003 – TELDEC CLASSICS
Produced By WOLFGANG MEHR
For those of you who think I turn a completely blind eye to classical music…here you go. I listened to a lot of classical when I was younger, and played the cello, but then rock and roll did kind of take over my life. Truth is, classical albums tend to be a dime a dozen, and there are only so many variations of classics by Bach and Mozart and Beethoven that you can listen to. Admittedly, I was soured on the whole experience. But I’m back, and I have to admit…I do really dig modern classical music. Among my favorite modern composers is Gyorgy Ligeti, a Romanian born and Hungarian raised Austrian citizen who became one of the most important and exciting composers of the 20th century. The Ligeti Project series, released before his death in 2006, is a great way to hear what this man was all about.
This is the last of a four part series that showcases some of Ligeti’s amazing work. This volume features four of his compositions, the Hamburg and Double Concertos, Ramifications, and Requiem. Although classical in both form and instrumentation, this music more resembles avant-garde jazz. It can be both beautiful and frightening at the same time, and shows that the art of creating enduring works of classical music did not die in centuries past. Ligeti was a true genius, and while not in any way conventional, he is always exciting to listen to. I strongly recommend this entire four-part series of Ligeti’s works. If your mind is open to it, you will not be disappointed.
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LYNYRD SKYNYRD
GIMME BACK MY BULLETS
1976 – MCA
Produced By TOM DOWD
1. Gimme Back My Bullets
2. Every Mother’s Son
3. Trust
4. I Got The Same Old Blues
5. Double Trouble
6. Roll Gypsy Roll
7. Searching
8. Cry For The Bad Man
9. All I Can Do Is Write About It
Things weren’t always great for Lynyrd Skynyrd before the tragic plane crash that all but ended the band. In 1976, guitarist Ed King left the band, leaving them with two instead of three lead players. Gimme Back My Bullets was recorded without their trademark three guitar army, resulting in an average album by a great band. They sound road weary and almost burned out. The energy of their first three albums was almost gone, and it seemed, for the moment, that Skynyrd may have run out of energy and ideas. There are some great moments here that save the album from being a loss, but this truly is the weakest outing by the classic lineup.
The title track is a great burner, and is probably what saved this from the bargain bins. “I Got The Same Old Blues” is one of the band’s finest songs, with some fine guitar work from Gary Rossington and Allen Collins. But “Every Mother’s Son” takes way too long to get going, and “All I Can Do Is Write About It” seems soft and weak compared to their better work. “Double Trouble” was the lead single, but it did not fare well. The rest is pure filler, something this band was not known for. After this letdown of an album, they recruited Steve Gaines on third guitar, roared back with Street Survivors, and then the plane went down. Still, an important part of Skynyrd’s history.
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And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
THE LIGETI PROJECT
THE LIGETI PROJECT IV: HAMBURG CONCERTO / DOUBLE CONCERTO / RAMIFICATIONS / REQUIEM
2003 – TELDEC CLASSICS
Produced By WOLFGANG MEHR
For those of you who think I turn a completely blind eye to classical music…here you go. I listened to a lot of classical when I was younger, and played the cello, but then rock and roll did kind of take over my life. Truth is, classical albums tend to be a dime a dozen, and there are only so many variations of classics by Bach and Mozart and Beethoven that you can listen to. Admittedly, I was soured on the whole experience. But I’m back, and I have to admit…I do really dig modern classical music. Among my favorite modern composers is Gyorgy Ligeti, a Romanian born and Hungarian raised Austrian citizen who became one of the most important and exciting composers of the 20th century. The Ligeti Project series, released before his death in 2006, is a great way to hear what this man was all about.
This is the last of a four part series that showcases some of Ligeti’s amazing work. This volume features four of his compositions, the Hamburg and Double Concertos, Ramifications, and Requiem. Although classical in both form and instrumentation, this music more resembles avant-garde jazz. It can be both beautiful and frightening at the same time, and shows that the art of creating enduring works of classical music did not die in centuries past. Ligeti was a true genius, and while not in any way conventional, he is always exciting to listen to. I strongly recommend this entire four-part series of Ligeti’s works. If your mind is open to it, you will not be disappointed.
CATHERINE WHEEL
FERMENT
1992 – FONTANA
Produced By TIM FRIESE-GREENE & JOHN LEE
1. Texture
2. I Want To Touch You
3. Black Metallic
4. Indigo Is Blue
5. She’s My Friend
6. Shallow
7. Ferment
8. Flower To Hide
9. Tumbledown
10. Bill And Ben
11. Salt
12. Balloon
Catherine Wheel was one of those great 90’s alternative bands that never quite made it as big as they should have. They weren’t from London…they were from a small coastal town, which meant that their music wasn’t as influenced by what was going on in the big city, which made them immediately different. They recorded five albums, the first four of which were commercially average, but critically hailed. Ferment is their 1992 debut album, and it’s a really great record. Ferment introduced a sound that was almost shoegaze…except that they rocked a lot more than other bands from that genre. The guitars are deeper than most alt bands here, and the songs are mostly exceptional.
Because they were a bit different, the hits were unfortunately hard to come by. But for those who discovered this band, and this album, there were plenty of big rewards. “Black Metallic” and “I Want To Touch You” should have been bigger than they were, and the title track is masterful. Singer Rob Dickinson, who is the cousin of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson, has a voice that fits perfectly over that massive wash of guitars, and the rest of the band works very well together. Catherine Wheel split up after a full decade of great music and near misses in 2000. All of their albums are worth seeking out…but Ferment is the best of the lot.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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