Dez's 5 Star Albums: The L's

One of the fun things about doing this list is that I have revisited many records that I had either forgotten about or had not originally given enough attention. As I was going through the “L’s,” I decided that I needed to revisit some of John Lennon’s solo work. All of the Beatles’s solo careers were somewhat disappointing. On a recent trip to Las Vegas with some friends who are also music fans, we got into a spirited debate regarding Lennon vs. McCartney, and some of the most contentious discussion came in considering their post-Beatles careers. I primarily wanted to revisit Imagine, but my initial feelings were confirmed, the weaker tracks hold it back from five star status. The pleasant surprise however was Plastic Ono Band, Lennon’s first real solo record (if you don’t count his avant-garde releases with Yoko). This record is viewed as a raw masterpiece in many circles, but it had never hit home with me. I decided to give it another shot in considering the "L’s," and I finally got it and connected with what he was doing. I’ve listened to it about three times through today.

Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin (1969): The blues are turbocharged and made heavier than ever on Zep’s explosive debut.

Led Zeppelin – untitled (aka “IV”) (1971): Ground Zero for classic rock fans, this record is the monolith.

Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy (1973): My personal favorite Zeppelin record, it is their loosest and most eclectic, with “Over the Hills and Far Away” standing as a brilliant folk/metal hybrid.

Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti (1975): Most double albums sprawl and need trimming, but the sprawl here is PG's charm.

John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band (1970): That an artist as huge as John Lennon would release a record so raw, honest, open and emotional is so rare.

Ramsey Lewis Trio – The ‘In’ Crowd (live) (1965): My Dad’s favorite jazz record and for good reason; the trio locks into a groove that is as much R&B as it is jazz on the first track and they don’t let up until the end on this boisterous club date.

Los Lobos – By the Light of the Moon (1987): The Lobos's attempt at heart on the sleeve Americana a la Springsteen or Mellencamp, but with a distinct Southwestern Hispanic bent to it.

Los Lobos – Kiko (1992): Absolutely brilliant and experimental, where every chance taken pays off.

Love – Forever Changes (1967): Nothing from the era sounds quite like this, a mysterious acoustic-based masterpiece with psychedelic touches throughout.

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd (1973): Helpfully titled debut from Southern Rock giants is already assured and packed with killer tracks, they are as adept at heartbreaking country-tinged epics (“Tuesday’s Gone,” “Simple Man”) as they are boisterous (and often humorous) rockers (“Gimme Three Steps,” “I Ain’t the One”), and it closes with the ultimate cigarette lighter anthem, “Freebird.”


ABOVE: As brilliant as Led Zeppelin was, there is one dark stain on their legacy. On their first two records, they covered and borrowed heavily from certain blues artists such as Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson. Originally, they did not credit the blues writers. After lawsuits from Dixon and Wolf's heirs, it was somewhat rectified, changing the credits on subsequent pressings of the albums and settling on a percentage of royalties. This is particularly shameful since these blues masters were generally screwed out of royalties based on unconscionable contractual provisions with their own record companies, so later generations of musicians who were clearly influenced by them should not have engaged in the same practices.