Listed below are the best albums of 1973 as calculated from their overall rankings in over 59,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 2 hours ago).
"Superb album .. i ain't the one great song to start the album , tuesday gone still one of my favourites,and what can you say about free bird......pity these guys didn't get the recognition they deserved until it was too late."Reply
"Glam-art-rockers were up and coming, full of talent, and sure of it. FYP feels a little too self-consciously charismatic to provide the effortlessly classy pop they became known for, but is interesting enough to fool around with from time to time."Reply
"I purchased Tubular Bells in 1983, ten years after the release of the album but I didn't even have a turntable on which to listen to it. I can't remember exactly why I bought it other than seeing the cover at a record shop and thinking it looked really cool. Perhaps the attendant at the store men...""I purchased Tubular Bells in 1983, ten years after the release of the album but I didn't even have a turntable on which to listen to it. I can't remember exactly why I bought it other than seeing the cover at a record shop and thinking it looked really cool. Perhaps the attendant at the store mentioned "It's the music from The Exorcist" (which of course it isn't true, rather some of the album was chosen by William Friedkin for the centerpiece and soundtrack of the film ... though oddly enough, the creepy part, the "caveman" isn't in the film at all), and maybe I thought that sounded like it might be fun too. But I can't say for sure. I just know that the first time I ever heard the album was during an acid trip party with some friends. It didn't turn out to be such a fun night, especially once Pilty showed up ... but it seems like that horror connection turned into a kind of love affair between Pilty and me, as I get the biggest kick out of singing along with him when his part comes along. And so I can say that I truly enjoy the "caveman"part.
Most of Side One is unparalleled fabulousness. The exception being the finale with Viv Stanshall. For the life of me I cannot understand why people think the finale is so good. It's just a silly self-aggrandizement and annoyingly repetitive. I'm not knocking how impressive it is in how Mike plays all those instruments, nor dismissing the fact that he plays the really fast, finger-bending bass line throughout the finale in a single take! It's just that, with the exception of the last minute or so of that bit, I could totally do without it. In fact, IMHO we could cut everything from 19:45 - 23:16 and finish off with the remnants of the bells (et al), and the ladies voices and that'd be a good Side One.
When Side Two starts out, it sounds like little light creatures dancing upon the clouds, or the sounds of vines growing over the mouth of a jungle cave. Then it goes into all sorts of bits and pieces strung together (similar to how it's done on Side One), and then into the bizarro bagpipes sound, leading up to those creepy tribal/Celtic drums and heeeeere comes Pilty!
The final portion on Side Two (Sailor's Hornpipe) I could kind of complain about as it seems really out of place, and more like a filler, BUT, it also acts as a reprieve from the nightmarish visit of the caveman, even though there's the calm part that immediately follows Pilty. So SH acts as a kind of comic relief in a way. I always refer to it as the Popeye segment.
While the Edgar Winter Group created "Frankenstein" by metaphorically stitching together bits and pieces of disparate, unfinished pieces, Mike Oldfield creates as entire album by such means. And both work very well.
I play this album/CD at least once per year. And when I do play it, I'll often loop it through several times. Either that or I'll play Tubular Bells II next, or maybe Ommadawn ... which I'll end up playing probably 3 or 4 times in a row. And then it'll get stuck in my head ... again.
Tubular Bells is one of my top ten favourite albums ever.
* An oddball note: For some reason, almost every time, during the Side One finale, which I still let run through even though I don't give a hoot about it (I just like continuity) when Viv Stanshall says "Grand piano" my left cheek, just under my eye, jumps a little -- like a nervous twitch. Strange, eh?"[+]Reply
"A most unusual debut album for Waits- hardly indicative of his material to come, though perhaps topically relevant. Pretty much in every subsequent album, Waits sounds as if he's getting drunk at a bar. Here, he's already been there and done that- the album's title "closing time" couldn't be more...""A most unusual debut album for Waits- hardly indicative of his material to come, though perhaps topically relevant. Pretty much in every subsequent album, Waits sounds as if he's getting drunk at a bar. Here, he's already been there and done that- the album's title "closing time" couldn't be more accurate. Rock fans, shy away, this is music for lovers of vintage wine and scotch, soppy and folky like Seals and Crofts, Jim Croce, or even Dan Fogelberg. It's probably a must-hear on an actual vinyl. On the whole, I'm not sure this album has much of what I love about Tom Waits in it- the beatnik poet and drunken romantic, but it nevertheless captures truly well those late hours when nobody's around with cinematic accuracy. Even "Ice Cream Man" could be said to be a number that the house band plays "as a joke" after most people have left. If I had to describe it in one word: "creaky""[+]Reply
"People need to stop associating Springsteen with Born In the U.S.A. and Glory Days and give New York City Serenade a deep listen. It's a song that develops and builds so powerfully before having one of the best payoffs in music history. I listen to this album when I wish Born to Run was more musi...""People need to stop associating Springsteen with Born In the U.S.A. and Glory Days and give New York City Serenade a deep listen. It's a song that develops and builds so powerfully before having one of the best payoffs in music history.
I listen to this album when I wish Born to Run was more musically romantic, instead of lyrically."[+]Reply
"Clearly a rock opera of what I interpret as a dysfunctional woman who ends up with a family she doesn't want, and the children are taken off her, which leads to her inevitable suicide. Incredibly moving album - the last good Lou Reed album, it took him three albums to reach the peak of his solo c...""Clearly a rock opera of what I interpret as a dysfunctional woman who ends up with a family she doesn't want, and the children are taken off her, which leads to her inevitable suicide. Incredibly moving album - the last good Lou Reed album, it took him three albums to reach the peak of his solo career.
Key tracks: Berlin, Lady Day, The Kids, Men of Good Fortune
Key lyric: 'Men of good fortune often cause empires to fall, while men of poor beginnings, often can't do anything at all.'"[+]Reply
"Another quick review.... Yes, this is perhaps the sexiest and most romantic record ever made. As a single guy who isn't a ladies man by any stretch of the imagination, it can be kinda strange to think how much I empathize with this record. The first half in particular is flawless as far as I'm co...""Another quick review....
Yes, this is perhaps the sexiest and most romantic record ever made. As a single guy who isn't a ladies man by any stretch of the imagination, it can be kinda strange to think how much I empathize with this record. The first half in particular is flawless as far as I'm concerned. And as far as "Greatest Songs of All Times" arguments go, well you will hear me pushing the title track forward in consideration. Just listen to that track closely again, everything about it - the horns, keyboards, the vocals, the harmonies, the sexy guitar and especially those fucking drums (the greatest drumming I've ever heard) is just perfection!
That level of excellence is nearly matched throughout, albeit in different ways. The slow burnin' shit on here is just about the most sizzlin' stuff ever recorded. (Example; "You Sure Love To Ball".) And the pure romantic stuff here is incredible too! (Example; "If I should Die Tonight" - perhaps one of the best love songs and most overlooked in Gaye's career.)
"There's nothin wrong
with me
Lovin' you
(Honey no nooooo)
And givin' yourself to me
can never be wrong
If the love is true.""[+]Reply
"Luis Alberto Spinetta was a big fan of John Lennon, and the latter's Plastic Ono Band is a point of reference to begin to understand the masterpiece known as Artaud. Both albums were recorded at times of turmoil in both artists' lives and in their respective countries, and this is reflected on th...""Luis Alberto Spinetta was a big fan of John Lennon, and the latter's Plastic Ono Band is a point of reference to begin to understand the masterpiece known as Artaud. Both albums were recorded at times of turmoil in both artists' lives and in their respective countries, and this is reflected on the naked sincerity of their lyrics. But while Lennon made the decision to play straightforward rock with simple lyrics and simpler arrangements, Spinetta favored complex compositions full of weird voicings, surrealist imagery and avant-garde elements, best exemplified in the 9-minute suite 'Cantata de Puentes Amarillos', inspired by Van Gogh, Artaud and Elagabalus, the transgender Roman Emperor.
Although it is considered a fundamentally acoustic work, Artaud has its moments of electric grandeur, such as 'Las Habladurias del Mundo', 'Cementerio Club' and 'Bajan', showcasing Spinetta's axe skills. This is one of those records you can listen to a million times and still find something new. Highly recommended."[+]Reply