Jump to content

List #7


Sara

Recommended Posts

I am going to insist with the cure, but this time, i'm choosing "staring at the sea" instead. This is a complilation of singles, so it is kind of a greatest hits album, which means it is a great introduction to the band for someone who is not familiar with them. the overall mood is quite dark, as expected from the cure, with songs such as "killing an arab" (very controversial, based on the "outsider" by albert camus)"forest" and "charlotte sometimes". however, their more playful and fun side is also present with songs such as "love cats" and "let's go to bed".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 suggestions:

R.E.M - Document (1987)

"Document" was R.E.M.'s breakthrough album after half a decade of languishing in semi-obscurity on the college-rock circuit. Featuring the hits "The One I Love," "It's the End of the World as we Know it (And I Feel Fine)," and "Finest Worksong", as well as the hugely underrated "Welcome To The Occupation" and "King Of Birds".

The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (1986)

"While it is true that the Smiths were primarily a singles band, "The Queeen is Dead" is a rare example of an album almost completetly perfected. When one looks backs the 80s there simply isn't another album as cohesive as this one.

The chemistry between Morrissey and Marr was at its' zenith during the recording of this album. Their songwriting collaborations were the most poignant of their career; songs like 'There is a Light That Never Goes Out,' 'Bigmouth Strikes Again' and 'The Boy with a Thorn in His Side' are among the most well written songs of the entire decade.

This album, however, is not flawless. 'Frankly Mr. Shankly' and 'Some Girls' are not mere drivel, but at the same time they do not live up to the standard achieved by the other eight tracks on the album.

That all being said, this is a brilliant album with some great melodies and very witty lyrics. Above all though, one can't really appreciate the face of modern British music without hearing this album...several times.... "

Leftfield - Leftism (1995)

Now, dance/electronic is not quite my favorite genre, but I really like this album. It's the perfect background for almost anything you enjoy :-)

"A lot of people were eager for the arrival of this album, but few knew how badly the world needed it. Leftism is the first world map of dance, charting worldbeat, jungle, techno, hip-hop and a steel drum full of dub across an ever-fragmenting clubland. Barnes and Daley's hardcore cred (ex-punks, friends with lots of Rasta types, no interviews) and pop touch made them perfect emissaries, and Leftism became the first essential clubber's purchase to crossover to the mainstream.

Part of Leftism's crossover - and Leftfield's retention of club cool -- can be attributed to the savvy use of guest vocalists. "Original" pits Curve's Toni Halliday against moody trip-hop, thereby inventing Garbage two years early, while the artist formerly known as Johnny Rotten's banshee prophecy of a burning Hollywood over the caning house rhythms of "Open Up" still sounds incendiary. Conversely, "Afro-Left," "Space Shanty" and junglist tornado "Storm 3000" deliver punishing dancefloor beats without sacrificing the instant, dynamic impact of top-flight pop. "

Link to comment
Share on other sites

B000001EUR.01._PE8_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

"Love At First Sting" ~ The Scorpions

album

Ol' Klause always did have a fine voice. Never more so on the standout track here. 'Still Loving You' is by far their best ballad (and I use that word advisedly) ever.

This isn't any wimp-out job of later years, but a slow building, heart-rending, cry from the heart, slowly but surely reaching it's climax of screaming, wailing guitar and emotion drenched, pleading voice. What a way to end an album! Quite frankly any rock band would give their all to write this type of rock-ballad.

So what of the preceding stuff? All present and correct, sir! 'Bad Boys Running Wild', 'Rock You Like A Hurricane', 'Coming Home', 'Big City Nights', & 'The Same Thrill' - their rocksong-for-the-heck-of-it track.

Not exactly high-brow music but very emotive. Not only that it's wonderfully fabulous!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Solomon.jpgSolomon Burke ... Don't Give Up On Me (2002)

There was no debate when Solomon Burke proclaimed himself "King of Rock and Soul". Continously active since 1960, Solomon Burke never scored a big, big hit, but his unpretentious intensity gained him the recognition he genuinely deserves from his peers, music critics, and classic Soul fans, as a very important performer.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Some admirers like Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and Van Morrison contributed original songs to this album released the next year (There is also material from Nick Lowe, Brian Wilson, and Bob Dylan). At the end of 2002, Burke opened for The Rolling Stones in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

This CD earned the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Elephant" - The White Stripes

The White Stripes are one of the only good bands out now that really resonate classic rock. There are many great bands out right now, but most of them sound nothing like classic rock. The White Stripes are a true hard rock band. If you want to find out what the recent "garage rock revival" movement is about, this is the CD to buy. Now I'm sure that you have all heard Seven Nation Army by now, and are sick of it. But don't judge the rest of the album by that song. While it is a great song, it doesn't show all of what the CD is really about. It is a very diverse album. After 'Seven Nation Army', the next song is "Black Math." This is a song that shows what garage rock is all about. It's got a great punk rock riff. It's amazing how full and loud the sound is, seeing that it's a two person band. The next song is "There's No Home For You Here" which is a softer version of "Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground" which was on their CD before this one. It's got another great opening riff. "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" is a cover of the Burt Bacharach song. It is one of the most creative covers I have heard recently. It seems like it will stay true to the easygoing song at first (well, as much as you can stay true to a piano song using a guitar), but then once the chorus kicks in, it turns into loud rock. "In the Cold, Cold Night" is a slower song featuring just a guitar and the drummer, Meg White, singing. No drums in this song. "I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart" is a song done just by the lead singer/guitarist, Jack White, playing the piano. This ballad shows Jack's musical talent. After this comes "You've Got Her in Your Pocket." This song is another slower song, and it's done entirely with Jack singing and playing acoustic guitar. The acoustic guitar riff played throughout the song is very nice. After this song comes "Ball And Biscuit." This song is the absolute best song of the album, and IMO, the best song of 2003. First of all, the order of this song is fantastic. It seems all the more heavier putting right after 3 slow songs. The intro resonates slow 60's blues, and so do the verses. Once the 3 solos come in though, it gets ultra-heavy. It sounds like Led Zeppelin meets Jeff Beck. It is one of the most exciting 7 minutes of hard rock in the past 5 years. "The Hardest Button To Button" comes next. It's a weird, catchy song. It sounds like what most earlier White Stripes songs sound like. After this comes "Little Acorns." It starts out with some guy telling a 50 second story of a woman who is inspired by squirells to start living a more optomistic life. Then, the heavy intro comes in. The verses are very creepy sounding, and then the loud chorus comes back in. It's great. After this comes "Hypnotise" which has a similar feel as their 2002 hit "Fell in Love With A Girl" and a similar feel as 60's guitar pop. "The Air Near My Fingers" starts out with another great rock riff, but ends up being very light. "Girl You Have No Faith In Medicine" is a rocking, fuzzy, fast song. It reminds you of bands such as Blue Cheer, only faster. The last song is "It's True That We Love One Another." It's a rather anti-climactic joke song. It's basically part of the joke of the White Stripes teasing fans, who weren't sure whether Jack and Meg were married or brother and sister. Overall, a great album. Highly recomended by Batman. If you have lost faith in modern music, and pine for the music of the 60's and 70's, listen to this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Love At First Sting" ~ The Scorpions

Ol' Klause always did have a fine voice. Never more so on the standout track here. 'Still Loving You' is by far their best ballad (and I use that word advisedly) ever.

This isn't any wimp-out job of later years, but a slow building, heart-rending, cry from the heart, slowly but surely reaching it's climax of screaming, wailing guitar and emotion drenched, pleading voice. What a way to end an album! Quite frankly any rock band would give their all to write this type of rock-ballad.

So what of the preceding stuff? All present and correct, sir! 'Bad Boys Running Wild', 'Rock You Like A Hurricane', 'Coming Home', 'Big City Nights', & 'The Same Thrill' - their rocksong-for-the-heck-of-it track.

Not exactly high-brow music but very emotive. Not only that it's wonderfully fabulous!!

I heard "Rock You Like A Hurricane" the other day...I had forgotten how much fun it was. I was head banging like a mo fo. I'll cast my vote with Foxy on this one.

rocker.gif

And on a side note, I believe Klaus had the orginal skullett, if I'm not mistaken. ::

Link to comment
Share on other sites

B000001EUR.01._PE8_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

"Love At First Sting" ~ The Scorpions

album

Ol' Klause always did have a fine voice. Never more so on the standout track here. 'Still Loving You' is by far their best ballad (and I use that word advisedly) ever.

This isn't any wimp-out job of later years, but a slow building, heart-rending, cry from the heart, slowly but surely reaching it's climax of screaming, wailing guitar and emotion drenched, pleading voice. What a way to end an album! Quite frankly any rock band would give their all to write this type of rock-ballad.

So what of the preceding stuff? All present and correct, sir! 'Bad Boys Running Wild', 'Rock You Like A Hurricane', 'Coming Home', 'Big City Nights', & 'The Same Thrill' - their rocksong-for-the-heck-of-it track.

Not exactly high-brow music but very emotive. Not only that it's wonderfully fabulous!!

I second that nomination!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

encouraged by the 100 greatest albums (posted in another thread) i am voting for radiohead "ok computer"

radiohead IMO are one of the most influential band of the 90s. they have certainly touched many people of my generation, whose life revolved around them at the time. "ok computer" is considered their greatest album, with songs like "karma police" and "paranoid android". apart from the classic guitar sound, they have played with electronic sounds and samples, which of course lead to their complete change in their next album, "kid a". Thom yorke has one of the most emotional voices in music today, writes some of the best lyrics, and the music is haunting, which is why they are so important for me, as they can accompany me though the tougher times in my life.

"You can laugh

A spineless laugh

We hope that your rules and wisdom choke you

Now we are one

In everlasting peace"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quick.jpg

Quicksilver Messenger Service ~ Quicksilver Messenger Service

Their 1968 self-titled debut and, in my opinion, their best non-compilation album.

From music writer Richie Unterberger

In the late 1960s, Quicksilver Messenger Service occupied an unusual position in the pantheon of major San Francisco Bay Area psychedelic bands. Not that most of those acts weren't unusual, even in relation to each other. Part of what set Quicksilver apart from their peers, though, was that they were not so much singer-songwriters as they were virtuoso players and creative interpreters and stylists. They were not the greatest of vocalists or composers, although they did pen some sturdy folk-rock tunes. Their strengths lay in the ziplocked tightness of their playing and arrangements; their ability to whip up a psychedelic brew from a diverse pool of sources encompassing folk, blues, improvisational jazz, and even Spanish and classical guitar; and their inventive rearrangements of unexpected, even left-field, blues, R&B, folk, and jazz classics.

Leading the way was the inimitable, immediately identifiable quaver of John Cipollina's sustain-fueled lead guitar. He was complemented by the support of Gary Duncan, less a rhythm guitarist than a repository of resourceful counterpoint riffs of his own, and one of the most skilled and underrated second guitarists in rock history. Together with the rhythm section of David Freiberg on bass and Greg Elmore on drums, they comprised the Quicksilver lineup that played on the band's first two Capitol albums ... that, by virtual consensus, represent the best work that any configuration of Quicksilver released.

They were most innovative ... when Cipollina and Duncan wove their guitars together in some of the finest psychedelic rock ever laid down, and the band managed to take some of the best elements from an array of disparate influences to create something new and intoxicating.

Later, keyboard god Nicky Hopkins joined (listen to Edward The Mad Shirt Grinder on Quicksilver's Shady Grove album), but after Cipollina departed and screeching vocalist Dino Valenti took center stage, the group was doomed. Valenti (Chester Powers) might have been an original member except for his drug bust and time in jail. Dino's Song (I Don't Want to Spoil Your Party) is included on this first album -- without Dino. He also wrote the Youngbloods classic Get Together. I prefer his songwriting to his singing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love Drive and Break-out are better, and Savage Amusement is brilliantly "AWESOME" IMHO, But the Scorpions rock like a hurricane, and I still love them Sunday morning and every morning, in Arizona, or not, I can't live without them, every minute of every day they present the rhythmn of love!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...