1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

[Formix]

i never understood why some people confined their entire reggae listening experience to Bob Marley and the Wailers (or even worse, just that particular compilation) or maybe adding some, i dunno, Jimmy Cliff and _The Harder They Come_ soundtrack or whatever, like UB40 - the genre is _huge_.

How can you be a college-age pothead and not dig on Scratch Perry?

or eek-a-mouse

[Exodor]

James Brown - Live at the Apollo - 1963


There was some debate earlier about the greatest live album ever. I'm not sure this entire album is the best but the six and a half minute medley toward the end of this show may be the best live track - and I feel like this album is all the James Brown I've ever needed. Another that was already part of my personal collection although I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I never really explored James Brown until after I watched Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels which features a lot of his music.

[Exodor]

Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto - 1963


The book tells me this is the album that popularized bossa nova around the world. I was surprised to learn that the female vocals on "The Girl from Ipanema" were sort of an afterthought - sung by Getz's wife becuase the producer wanted a verse in english. To be honest I never knew there were any other verses - I assumed the female vocals were the whole song.

[Exodor]

The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night - 1964


I had a whole write up ready but lost it to an overnight reboot so this is the condensed version.

I consider this the first Beatles album worthy of the praise. The earlier stuff has its moments but there's a lot of filler there, too. I was struck by just how blatantly the title song is about sex - it's really about nothing more than wanting to get home and bone the wife. That went right over my head when I listened as a kid.

[Exodor]

Jacques Brel - Olympia 64 - 1964


Um.

Recorded in 1964 in Paris featuring someone I've never heard of singing entirely in French. It kind of sounds like the standard "French Music" that plays over 1000 Romantic Montages in romcoms when the ill-fated couple vacations in Paris. I'll be honest - I didn't finish this one and I don't feel bad about it.

[Exodor]

Solomon Burke - Rock'n Soul - 1964


Wiki tells me this album spawned seven top 100 singles which seems impressive. The book says the Rolling Stones (who later covered "Cry to Me") were huge fans and at times you can kind of hear the bits they incorporated into their style

[Exodor]

Dusty Springfield - A Girl Called Dusty - 1964


For some reason I never realized Dusty Springfield is from the UK. This album is extremly my shit - a female vocalist doing motown and pop songs? Yes please. (Except "My Colouring Book" which is so cheesy that I had to skip it).

Interesting bit from the wiki:

"In 1997, two years before Springfield's death, a digitally remastered and expanded edition was issued by Mercury Records, then including eight bonus tracks as well as a few alternate mixes. Since most of the original multi-track master tapes are thought to be completely lost in the Philips Records archives, the vast majority of the tracks on the 1997 version are in mono, or in some cases, re-created stereo mixes using alternate vocal takes. The current CD version of A Girl Called Dusty, which still remains in print, is consequently radically different from the original album, as produced by Johnny Franz and Springfield herself."

The master tapes are lost in the archives?!?. FFS, pay some intern $15 an hour to go through the archives - who knows what elese is "lost".

Reading that reminded me of the 2008 Universal fire which led me down the rabbithole

Among the incinerated Decca masters were recordings by titanic figures in American music: Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland. The tape masters for Billie Holiday’s Decca catalog were most likely lost in total. The Decca masters also included recordings by such greats as Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five and Patsy Cline.

The fire most likely claimed most of Chuck Berry’s Chess masters and multitrack masters, a body of work that constitutes Berry’s greatest recordings. The destroyed Chess masters encompassed nearly everything else recorded for the label and its subsidiaries, including most of the Chess output of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Bo Diddley, Etta James, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy and Little Walter. Also very likely lost were master tapes of the first commercially released material by Aretha Franklin, recorded when she was a young teenager performing in the church services of her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, who made dozens of albums for Chess and its sublabels.

Virtually all of Buddy Holly’s masters were lost in the fire. Most of John Coltrane’s Impulse masters were lost, as were masters for treasured Impulse releases by Ellington, Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, Pharoah Sanders and other jazz greats. Also apparently destroyed were the masters for dozens of canonical hit singles, including Bill Haley and His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock,” Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats’ “Rocket 88,” Bo Diddley’s “Bo Diddley/I’m A Man,” Etta James’s “At Last,” the Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie” and the Impressions’ “People Get Ready.”

The list of destroyed single and album masters takes in titles by dozens of legendary artists, a genre-spanning who’s who of 20th- and 21st-century popular music. It includes recordings by Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, the Andrews Sisters, the Ink Spots, the Mills Brothers, Lionel Hampton, Ray Charles, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Clara Ward, Sammy Davis Jr., Les Paul, Fats Domino, Big Mama Thornton, Burl Ives, the Weavers, Kitty Wells, Ernest Tubb, Lefty Frizzell, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Bobby (Blue) Bland, B.B. King, Ike Turner, the Four Tops, Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Joan Baez, Neil Diamond, Sonny and Cher, the Mamas and the Papas, Joni Mitchell, Captain Beefheart, Cat Stevens, the Carpenters, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Al Green, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Buffett, the Eagles, Don Henley, Aerosmith, Steely Dan, Iggy Pop, Rufus and Chaka Khan, Barry White, Patti LaBelle, Yoko Ono, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Police, Sting, George Strait, Steve Earle, R.E.M., Janet Jackson, Eric B. and Rakim, New Edition, Bobby Brown, Guns N’ Roses, Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, Sonic Youth, No Doubt, Nine Inch Nails, Snoop Dogg, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Hole, Beck, Sheryl Crow, Tupac Shakur, Eminem, 50 Cent and the Roots.

Holy shit.

[Isgrimnur]

Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien OBE

[Baroquen]

Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien OBE

With a mouthful like that, I'd want a stage name too. Not sure I'd go with "Dusty" though.

[Exodor]

The Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones (1964)


I'm pretty familiar with the Stones but I don't know a song on this album. It's their first release from 1964 and is filled with covers much like the first few Beatles albums - but this one only has one credited to Jagger/Richards and two to the pseudonym "Nanker Phelge". It's mostly blues songs sped up and rock'n'roll-ified. It's pretty great but not nearly as good as what would come later.

[Exodor]

Buck Owens and His Buckaroos - I've Got a Tiger By The Tail - 1964


Both wiki and the book tell me this is a good example of something called the "Bakersfield sound" - apparently in the late 1950s a number of country artists around Bakersfield, CA become known for this electrified, twangy country sound.

I'll be honest, I kind of hate it - and I'm afraid my recommendeds will never recover.

I made it through this album but I sure hope this is the last country album for awhile.

[YellowKing]

After subtracting the ones I know I've listened from the Rolling Stones Top 500 (2012), I've got 671 to go. So maybe "knock out" is being a bit overconfident. I threw them all in a spreadsheet and am using a random number generator to pick what to listen to.

The recent posts have inspired me to get back on this train. I'm still doing random, and still only doing the ones I have left - so no entries from the Rolling Stone Top 500 I already completed. There's a good chance there are a bunch on my list that I actually *have* heard, but unless I can definitively remember listening to every track I'm going to keep them on the to-do list.

541. Tina Turner - Private Dancer (1984)[/b] - Even though I respect her unmistakable talent, I've never been much of a Tina Turner fan. I think it actually dates back to when this album came out and "Private Dancer" was all over the radio and MTV. I LOATHED the song as a kid, and that kind of soured me on Miss Turner the rest of my life. It didn't help that she did so many covers that I felt were inferior to the originals (yes, even Proud Mary. Give me CCR's version any day).

Listening to it as a more open-minded adult, there's still nothing here that converts me to a Tina Turner fan. But it does contain some classics - "What's Love Got To Do With It" (which I think has to be my favorite Tina Turner song, if there is such a thing), the aformentioned title track, and "Better Be Good To Me." But then it also has a bunch of unnecessary covers - "I Can't Stand the Rain," "Let's Stay Together," and God-forbid, The Beatles "Help!" I think the weirdest track is the final one "1984" which is a great way to date your song immediately. But with a nearly 4 decade perspective, it's somewhat funny - "1984 - who could ask for more?" Indeed.

79. Country Joe and the Fish - Electric Music for the Mind and Body (1967) - I went through a Woodstock-era '60s kick in high school/college so extensive that I think I burned myself out on it. I find that stuff (with some notable exceptions), almost hard to listen to these days. That said I've never been a big fan of jam band-type stuff, and this album has a lot of that long rambling feel. There is some psychedelic rock I do really love like The 13th Floor Elevators, but Country Joe just feels a bit watered down to me by comparison.

[YellowKing]

That Louvin Brothers album can be shredded and burned with the heat of a thousand suns. Good God that was a painful experience.

I used to listen to bluegrass, which can veer into that same twangy drawl (as my dad calls it, "hair-snatchin' music"), but at least you have intricate fingerpicking and musicianship to offset the caterwauling. This is like the worst aspects of bluegrass without the musicianship. I guess the only blessing is most of these songs are only about 3 minutes, but they are guaranteed to be the longest 3 minutes of your life.

[Exodor]

That Louvin Brothers album can be shredded and burned with the heat of a thousand suns. Good God that was a painful experience.

Yeah, it's truly awful. I know part of putting together lists like this is to represent important albums in each genre but....man.

Today's entry was much better.


Jerry Lee Lewis - Live at the Star-Club Hamburg - 1965



Jerry Lee Lewis is in that category of artists whose work make me feel oogy (see also Woody Allen, Louis CK, etc). Sure he's an amazing performer and this album might be one of the best and most energenic live albums I've ever heard - but he's also a peophile who married his 13 year old cousin.

A shame because this recording makes me wonder what he could have done if he hadn't ruined his career by being a sexual predator. This recording is magical and one I may add to my music collection.

[Exodor]

The Sonics - Here Are the Sonics - 1965[/url]


Is it possible for certain regions to repeatedly produce bands with similar sounds? If the Sonics from Tacoma, WA had formed 25 years later they'd be Nirvana. This is pretty raw and punk for 1965 - 12 propulsive guitar-forward songs in 29 minutes. It sounds like it was recorded in a garage with a single mic (the book says they were recorded live and it shows) but the energy is pretty infectious.

[hitbyambulance]

The Sonics - Here Are the Sonics - 1965[/url]


Is it possible for certain regions to repeatedly produce bands with similar sounds? If the Sonics from Tacoma, WA had formed 25 years later they'd be Nirvana. This is pretty raw and punk for 1965 - 12 propulsive guitar-forward songs in 29 minutes. It sounds like it was recorded in a garage with a single mic (the book says they were recorded live and it shows) but the energy is pretty infectious.

the Sonics are a local legend. they're still putting on concerts every now and then, tho i don't know how many original members remain (EDIT: just one)

[Eel Snave]

So the Louvin Brothers are an example of "blood harmony." I would suggest listening to Cocaine and Rhinestones to find out what about the Louvin Brothers was revolutionary, because the guy who makes the podcast is really good at pointing out specific details.

A lot of artists released albums with filler around their hits, but some wrote albums as a whole. The Lamb Lies Down (On Broadway), The Wall, Tommy, Desperado...does anyone still write stories like that? Even when they had filler, it was a bridge between chapters.

Do you mean albums that try to be musical theatre or albums that are released to be albums, that continue a theme or just fit together? I kinda fell off the must scene more than a few years ago but yes artists were still creating albums to be full albums and a collection of 45 minutes of individual songs.



(probably should have been on my must listen to list. No it definitely should have been on my must listen list. Given it's more relevant today than it was 11-12 years ago when it was released)

Youtube is not ideal listening because many songs bleed into each other.

But it's not a rock opera. Most of the albums I was buying in the early 2010s were "albums" and best listened to in their entirety.

Edit: Wow. "You will always be a loser. You will always be a loser. You will always be a loser. You will always be a loser." has a lot more baggage today than it did in 2009.

Probably my favorite album of all time.

[Eel Snave]

Just counted them up, and I've listened to 227 of them.

[YellowKing]

I'm still going through the list but I don't think I'm going to comment on all of them unless I find one really noteworthy or surprising. The most recent of these is the self-titled 2007 debut album from French electronic duo Justice. Really liked it and I think it will see a lot of rotation as a go-to workout album.

[Exodor]

Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home - 1965


I've never been much of a Dylan fan but I've also never listened to an entire album. I've heard the hits and have always thought that as a vocalist Dylan is a great songwriter. This doesn't do much to change my mind. The songs are great but I think I prefer them performed by other artists. Side A is electric and Side B acoustic - I prefer the more folky Side B.

[Jaymann]

I listened to Dylan from the early days and thought he was the man, even banged out some of his early songs on acoustic guitar. The electric transition owes a tremendous debt to the late, great Michael Bloomfield. Somewhere around John Wesley Harding I lost interest, although I still enjoyed the basement tapes with The Band.

[Exodor]

Otis Redding - Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul - 1965



Otis Redding singing mostly covers (there are 3 Redding originals) with Booker T & The MGs behind him? I'm so in. It's little odd to hear anyone other than Aretha do "Respect" but he makes the song his own and the cover of "Satisfactoin" sounds more like James Brown than Otis Redding but it's a nice change from the Stones version with the addition of the horns.

[Exodor]

The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys Today! - 1965


There are some things that I think you have to live through to appreciate their impact. I remember coming home from seeing "Juarassic Park" and being blown away not just by the CGI in that movie but by the idea that anything that can be imagined can now be put on screen. When my kid watches "Jurassic Park" she just thinks the effects are a little meh because she's spent the past 17 years watching newer technology.

The Beach Boys are like that for me. I'm sure they were kind of revolutionary in 1965 but I've heard them so many times growing up in so many contexts that sitting down to listen to an album doesn't really move me. I don't dislike it but it doesn't do anything for me.

At least it's short? 28 minutes of Beach Boys is probably enough for me.

[Jaymann]

The first concert I ever went to was the Beach Boys in Birmingham, Alabama. Frank Zappa was the opening act!

[Jeff V]

The first concert I ever went to was the Beach Boys in Birmingham, Alabama. Frank Zappa was the opening act!

I have a rather X-rated story regarding a Beach Boys concert at Soldier Field...

[gbasden]

The first concert I ever went to was the Beach Boys in Birmingham, Alabama. Frank Zappa was the opening act!

I have a rather X-rated story regarding a Beach Boys concert at Soldier Field...

...and?

[YellowKing]

I nabbed a copy of Beach Boys 20 Golden Greats for $7 on vinyl the other day. I'm the same way - I like the Beach Boys, but just give me a handful of greatest hits and I'm satisfied. It did have "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows" which are two of my absolute favorites.

[Jeff V]

The first concert I ever went to was the Beach Boys in Birmingham, Alabama. Frank Zappa was the opening act!

I have a rather X-rated story regarding a Beach Boys concert at Soldier Field...

...and?

Let's just say I was getting cheers from all of the people within a 20 row radius who could see what was happening.

[Exodor]

Wow, I didn't realize I let this go for so long. I did actually listen to one more before I took a break...

John Coltane - A Love Supreme - 1965


The danger of a list like this is expectations. I've heard about this album for probably 30 years but I had never listened to it before. It's great but how could it possibly live up to a lifetime buildup?

I guess can recognize that it's excellent without feeling compelled to ever hear it again.

[Exodor]

B.B. King - Live at the Regal - 1965


This project has made it clear to me that I'm much more of a blues fan than a jazz fan. I can appreciate A Love Supreme but I dig listening to B.B. King. Maybe it's years of listening to The Blue Brothers or maybe it's just that blues fit right in with my longtime love of goth/emo/whatever they call it now.

This album is great and may wind up going in my collection.

[Jeff V]

B.B. King - Live at the Regal - 1965


This project has made it clear to me that I'm much more of a blues fan than a jazz fan. I can appreciate A Love Supreme but I dig listening to B.B. King. Maybe it's years of listening to The Blue Brothers or maybe it's just that blues fit right in with my longtime love of goth/emo/whatever they call it now.

This album is great and may wind up going in my collection.

The radio station I listen to (WXRT) has an HD-2 channel devoted to the Blues. They frequently play Muddy Water and Buddy Guy. The other day, they played a Rolling Stones song, and mentioned that Sugar Blue played on it because, in the words of Mick Jagger, "He just showed up so what were we supposed to do?" I saw Sugar Blue tears ago at Kingston Mines, a local blues club. Early in their career, the Rolling Stones came to Chicago and visited Chess Records, home of Muddy Waters and others they found inspiration with.

Edit: The song was "Miss You."