One thing about this exercise to realize is that while it makes sense that my favorite artists will have many selections, that may not always be the case. Some artists who I really like were more about individual songs vs. great LPs all the way through. Or perhaps they had lots of 4 star albums (still great) but didn’t quite reach the 5 star level. Point is, don’t assume an artist's absense from this list necessarily means there is a lack of greatness. This is about individual outstanding albums, lightning in a bottle, not careers.
The B’s have got more selections, so I’ll split it up into two posts. Pt. II of "B" coming soon.
The Band – Music From Big Pink (1968): Mysterious debut that boldly avoids the clichés and pitfalls of the times, and so it remains fresh and timeless.
The Band – The Band (1969): Earthy masterpiece featuring songs so deep in Americana soil that it feels as comfortable in 1869 as it does in 1969 (also, the Danko/Helms rhythm section is the funkiest, loosest white rhythm section in rock).
The Band (and guests) – The Last Waltz (live)(1978): The rarest of all-star affairs where the whole adds up to more than its impressive parts, and it serves as a eulogy for a certain musical spirit in the 70’s.
Band of Horses – Everything All the Time (2006): No new ground broken here, but masterful melodic rock.
The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night (1964): Shimmering peak of their early period where all the pieces fall into place.
The Beatles – Revolver (1966): As great and groundbreaking as some of John Lennon’s songs here are, Paul McCartney proves himself an absolute master of the pop music form.
The Beatles – The Beatles (1968) (aka ‘The White Album’): A fascinating listen to the world’s greatest band falling apart that plays like four solo records jumbled together…four very good solo records.
Jeff Beck – Blow By Blow (1975): One of the greatest fusion records ever made from the rock side of the ledger, in part because it is extremely tasteful and one of the least bombastic of this often over-the-top genre.
Jeff Beck – Who Else! (1999): Jeff Beck kicks off his most exciting decade of music with this stunning comeback after sitting most of the 90’s out.
Jeff Beck – You Had It Coming (2001): The peak of Beck’s most fruitful and exciting decade, this loose, quickly recorded toss-off record (when compared to its decade in the making predecessor) is pedal to the metal shards of Beck guitar brilliance.
ABOVE: 1860's or 1960's? The Band.
2 comments:
I have been out of town and just got back. I will respond to the political post, don't you worry. I mean, I think so.
Shouldn't all the Beatles albums have five stars? All the ones after '66 I mean.
No, not if I am including lots of my personal preference in this. 'Sgt. Pepper...' is a bit gimmicky for me (on a personal level, I understand its significance), 'Magical Mystery Tour' has some filler, 'Yellow Submarine' is pretty bad, 'Abbey Road' almost made it but "Octupus's Garden" and "Oh Darling" knock it down for me, and while I enjoy the ramshackle mood of 'Let It Be,' there are too many throwaways there too for five stars.
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