Dez's Favorite 100 Rock/Pop Records, #'s 80-76

GNABB Programming Note: Since this Friday falls on the 4th, I figured nobody would be checking their computers. So, You get this week's installment a little early. We will return to Fridays next week. Tomorrow you'll get a 4th of July treat.

What about those records that defy easy genre categorization? Is Stevie Ray Vaughan blues? Rock? Blues/rock? It is a judgment call, but I generally decide by the dominant style displayed on the record. Stevie Ray Vaughan’s records are really blues albums with rock and roll elements or a couple of rock songs thrown in…but they are blues records. So, SRV’s Couldn’t Stand the Weather doesn’t qualify for the list, although it is a favorite record of mine. Ditto for Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers on Gilded Palace of Sin. Sure it has some rock elements and influenced lots of rock artists, but it is really a country record.

80. Steely Dan – Can’t Buy a Thrill, 1972
I know Dan fans prefer the records that came after their debut, but this is the one I go back to the most. The wry, sophisticated lyrics and gleaming studio perfection were in place from the beginning. #80 features three of their catchiest hits: the groovy samba “Do It Again”, “Dirty Work” and “Reeling in the Years”, which features some of the tastiest guitar licks of the 70’s courtesy of session great “Skunk” Baxter. Steely Dan were ostensibly a band, but they were always really just Donald Fagen and Walter Brecker and their army of ace L.A. session musicians. While many rock fans criticize the use of studio guns for hire (it somehow lacks DIY rock credibility, and I must admit, more often than not, it creates rather soulless product), Fagen/Brecker made an art out of hand picking the penultimate professionals for their Steely Dan albums and really got the best out of these studio mercenaries. Dan's jazz leanings would become more pronounced on subsequent releases, but it is still detectable here.

79. Yes – The Yes Album, 1971
It wasn’t until their third record that Yes found their sound. I know most fans would pick the next two releases as quintessential Yes (and it is hard to argue against Fragile or Close to the Edge), but I’ve always enjoyed this one from their classic period. They move into the full complexity of their prog rock glory, but are still somewhat rooted in rock and roll vs. getting into the overblown concept pieces of later years. Part of that is due to the presence of Tony Kaye on organ instead of the more celebrated and self-indulgent Rick Wakeman (who would join the line-up on the next release). Yes staples “Yours Is No Disgrace”, “Starship Trooper” and “I’ve Seen All Good People” are all here. The complexity of those first two songs is matched by a thrilling drive, surprises, shifting tempos and changing moods at every turn. I am always a bit surprised at how little recognition Chris Squire gets as a bassist and Steve Howe gets as a guitarist. Both prove to be masters of their instruments here.

78. Santana – Santana III, 1971
This is the greatest line-up of the revolving door band that is centered around the guitar playing prowess of Carlos Santana. Keyboard wizard and vocalist Gregg Rollie is still on board, but what makes this such a great record is the addition of second guitarist Neal Schon (both Rollie and Schon would soon leave Santana to form Journey). In Schon, Carlos found a worthy guitar foil, and these two titans of the axe spar and trade licks on a record that is a guitar player’s nirvana. Over half of the record is comprised of latin-propulsed instrumental jams that boil over into six string maelstroms. “Batuka”, “Toussaint L’Overture”, “Guajira”, “Jungle Strut” and “Para Los Rumberos” all burn. “No One To Depend On” is a favorite groovy hit, “Taboo” is an eerie change of mood, “Everybody’s Everything” was a surprise pop hit, and Carlos himself even takes a rare lead vocal on the catchy “Everything’s Coming Our Way”. Abraxas may get the vote from most critics, but for my money, Santana III is the peak from Santana’s most accomplished era.

77. Prince – Purple Rain, 1984
The Purple One’s pop/rock masterpiece was a seminal record of the 1980’s. #77 has tantalizing tastes of rock, R&B, dance, funk, avant-garde…but most importantly, it is flawless pop music of the highest order. It is rare these days to find a black artist who views himself primarily as a rock and roll performer, but that is what Prince was on this album. He decides to add “guitar hero” to his list of accomplishments on his ever expanding resume. People don’t often realize what a great guitarist he is. Good arguments include the killer break in “Let’s Go Crazy” or the majestic solo in the title track. “When Doves Cry” is a remarkable hit single, as it does not have a bass line in it at all! Very innovative and daring, and one critic called it the most avant-garde hit single in pop history (it reached #1). When I was a kid, I thought “Darling Nikki” was the dirtiest song in the world.


ABOVE: The peak of Prince's output

76. Rod Stewart – It Had To Be You: The Great American Songbook…JUST KIDDING, actually…

76. Rod Stewart – Every Picture Tells a Story, 1971
There once was a time, a long time ago in a galaxy far away, when Rod Stewart was not a cheesy pop star or schmaltzy lazy interpreter of standards. There was a time when Rod Stewart was a gritty, hard living, rocker. This is the Rod that I try and remember. Rod’s partnership with guitarist Ron Wood produced a series of outstanding records in the early 70’s (both with the Faces and under the ‘Rod Stewart’ banner), and this one was the peak of that collaboration. The title track is a thrilling tale of jet setting and fast living, while the tender “Mandolin Rain” and “Reason To Believe” are perfect contrast. The big hit was “Maggie May” (perhaps his most famous song). He even throws in down and dirty covers of the Temptations classic “I’m Losing You” and Elvis’ “That’s Alright”. The sound of this record (and his others recorded around this time) is a perfect hybrid, they rock hard but the instrumentation is largely acoustic. #76 is one of the best and most seamless blends of rock, soul and folk I’ve come across. If you are not familiar with this Rod Stewart of yore, check it out and you will be pleasantly surprised. And then saddened at how his career subsequently developed after such promise (starting out as lead singer of the groundbreaking but short-lived Jeff Beck Group, then with the awesome Faces and his first exciting years as a solo artist…he could have been one of the greats if he had stayed on track). Stewart’s Achilles Heel has been that he is not much of a songwriter, and so he often depends on others to supply the material (although, he wrote or co-wrote the three best songs on #76).