90. Counting Crows – August and Everything After, 1993
Although I am a bit wary of these guys, their debut was one of the more intelligent and melodic of the 90’s. Adam Duritz was whiny even then, but his lyrics were so good and the band was so loose that it was forgivable. The hit “Mr. Jones” was actually one of the weaker tracks on the album, as “Round Here”, “Ana Begins”, “Rain King” and “A Murder of One” were all superior tunes. The early comparisons to Van Morrison, Springsteen and The Band (I guess because the Crows occasionally used mandolins and accordians?) turned out not to be too accurate, but that is OK, they have forged their own identity over the years. The more recent Hard Candy (2002) is a strong runner-up.
89. King Crimson – Red, 1974
This is one of the more in-your-face albums from the godfathers of progressive rock. (Thanks ANCIANT for telling me to check this out.) Much of #89 is instrumental, which is fine considering you’ve got Robert Fripp (guitars), John Wetton (bass) and Bill Bruford (drums) running the show. Fripp’s guitars are a consistent highlight; this time he uses a grating, slashing style that will stay in your head long after you hear it. Overall #89 is a heavy record, but it does have its quieter moments, such as in some beautiful passages in the extended closer “Starless.” But the reason I usually put this one on is for the pulverizing title track and “One More Red Nightmare.” If you want the Crimson trifecta, also grab In the Court of the Crimson King (1969) and Discipline (1981).
88. David Bowie – Diamond Dogs, 1974
What a glorious, coked-out mess of a record. Critics may prefer its predecessors, as they were more focused. But if you think about it, the best “glam” should be kind of messy, decadent and excessive. Yet those were the critical complaints about #88 at the time it was released. My response is, “exactly. So?” #88 marked the end of Bowie’s glam period, and soon he would dive into an astounding period of creativity and experimentation for a mainstream rock artist. Here he supposedly was trying to make a concept album based on Orwell’s ‘1984’, but he gave up about halfway through, so the result is a rather unfocused ‘Bladerunner’ in daylight. “Rebel Rebel” has one of the all time great guitar riffs, and minor hits “1984” and “Diamond Dogs” are both very catchy and distinctive. #88 also has some of my favorite Bowie album tracks, like “Sweet Thing” and “Big Brother.”
87. Journey – Frontiers, 1983
Why this is a list of my favorite records vs. trying to put together some sort of objective all time greats list. I am hard-pressed to defend #87 or this band, but screw it, I’ll do it anyway. The best way to explain it is that #87 hit me at the right age. “Faithfully” has to be the ‘Citizen Kane’ of power ballads. Just as important as Steve Perry’s yellow muscle shirts and soaring vocals are Jonathon Cain’s unsubtle synthesizers and Neal Schon’s showy but impressive guitar work (he did play with Santana afterall). The second half of the record is less well known, but has a harder edge to it. It comes across as if they are somewhat ashamed of the power ballads of side one, and are saying, “look, we can still rock too!” Oh, and have you seen the video for “Separate Ways”, where they all play air instruments? It is the cheesiest thing ever made. (Sure, you’ve seen air guitar, but how about air keyboards, air drums, air bass, and air singing?) Purchasing the remastered version of #87? About $11.99. The 80’s era photos in the booklet? Priceless.
ABOVE: Journey jams out with air instruments in the video for "Separate Ways" from Frontiers
86. Jeff Beck – Guitar Shop, 1989
I’ve owned this record for almost 20 years, and I still can’t decide whether it is a difficult masterpiece or an admirable misfire. Critical opinion seems equally split regarding its overall merit. At times, Beck sounds like a guest on his own record, not willing to flaunt his unparalleled guitar prowess in obvious, showboating ways. Instead he will often lay back in deference to the overall sonic textures being created by the power trio of Beck, drummer Terry Bozzio and keyboardist Tony Hymas. This is not to say that he won’t occasionally let loose and rip. Check out the solos near the end of “Big Block” and “Stand On It” for evidence of that. One of the highlights here is “Savoy”, which bounces back and forth from a funky groove to hard rock and then back again. The true standout, though, is the ethereal, unresolved piece “Where Were You”, where Beck takes a slide all the way up to the bridge of the guitar and summons otherworldly wails from the instrument. Admittedly, Mr. Beck is most appreciated by fellow guitar slingers. After years of listening and thinking about it, I’ve come to the conclusion that Jeff Beck is the second greatest rock guitarist who ever existed, second only to Jimi Hendrix. I’ve seen him live a couple of times, but the first time was in 1989 on a double bill with Stevie Ray Vaughan. SRV blazed as expected, his greatness on guitar was obvious to all. But Beck came out and I remember being alternately impressed, curious, surprised, disappointed, awed, bored, even angry…what was this guy about? I left singing the praises of the easier to fathom SRV and dismissing Beck. With hindsight and deeper musical understanding, I can say that Vaughan was indeed great (one of the greatest ever), but Jeff Beck is a guitar genius. So with all due respect to SRV, I’d rather hear genius over mere greatness most days.
ABOVE: Jeff Beck hard at work in his Guitar Shop (one of my favorite album covers)
