Essential Studio Albums

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The Band - Cahoots

The reputation on this album is that the Band had lost a step on this one. It’s hard of course to really argue since the first three albums are all amazing and difficult to top, but that shouldn’t take away from what here is an excellent listen with really great stretches. The opening Life is a Carnival and Dylan’s When I Paint My Masterpiece is essential listening, as is the album closing Smoke Signal, Volcano, and The River Hymn. In between you have Thinking Out Loud, and the real solid 4% Pantomime with Van Morrison. This might not be quite at the level of the first three, but this is a solid addition to the canon that gets overlooked for its lack of multiples of classics.

The Essential Track: When I Paint My Masterpiece

Up Next: Faces - Long Player

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Faces - Long Player

Ramshackle might be the best compliment you can throw at this. A mess. Sloppy. Nearly completely out of control might be more like it. So with all that in mind, I can still walk out of this thing with a positive view of the album. One day, the Black Crowes would perfect this sound, but in 1971, the Faces seem determined in their studio albums to be the most debauchery stricken band. Live cuts from a studio album as singles, the recording sounding like it came from a toy record player. And a band just determined to play from the hip. Yet take a listen to Bad ‘n’ Ruin, Maybe I’m Amazed, Had Me a Real Good Time, and I Feel So Good and you get a band that is having blast and maybe doesn’t give a rats ass if it sounds good cause it feels good to them. That kind of energy fuels this album, and I wouldn’t rank it anywhere near the top of my list, but I appreciate the eff-it-all nature of it. The next album would at least be by some kind of rules.

The Essential Track: Had Me a Real Good Time

Up Next: Faces - A Nod Is As Good As a Wink…to a Blind Horse

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Faces - A Nod Is as Good as a Wink…to a Blind Horse

It is here that the Faces truly find their groove, and on the tightest album of theirs to date. Miss Judy’s Farm, Stay With Me, their cover of Memphis, Too Bad, and That’s All You Need keep their ramshackle vibes but there’s a certain found consistency in delivery that helps elevate these tracks over nearly everything else they did. Rod Stewart is at his best here too, singing with power but never getting cloying as he would as his career progressed, particularly in advancing his solo career upon the Faces eventual collapse. This album is just a pure treat, the one that takes no effort to simply enjoy.

The Essential Track: Stay With Me (even though That’s All You Need is the best song here)

Up Next: Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story

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Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story

A trifecta of Rod Stewart led albums, each becoming a bit less chaotic than the last. A Nod… is easily my favorite of the three with just the right balance, but there’s plenty of moments here where my lifelong sourness on Rod Stewart is eating crow. Maggie Mae is the obvious and easy hit here, and to be fair it’s a magnificent piece of pop music. The moments where this is Faces-lite though are still my favorite. (I Know) I’m Losing You is the best example of that here, just loose enough to keep you lifted without losing it’s point. The title track and the slightly rearranged cover of Reason to Believe (which I am pretty sure was also a hit) round out the best of what’s here, an all around solid album full of a more acoustic and accessible set of tunes than really anything Rod Stewart had done before, but without the cringe I associate with his work - at least his later work on the adult contemporary radio stations of my youth.

The Essential Track: Maggie Mae (though again I’m Losing You is my favorite here)

Up Next: Roy Harper - Stormcock

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With album #300 of the journey coming next, a new top 50. Might not do this again until we hit the end of the 70s:

50. The Doors
49. Miles Davis - The Birth of the Cool
48. Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners
47. Dr. John - Gris Gris
46. Cannonball Adderly - Somethin’ Else
45. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
44. Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder
43. Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
42. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
41. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
40. Led Zeppelin II
39. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold As Love
38. Led Zeppelin III
37. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
36. Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come
35. Charles Mingus - Pithecanthropus Erectus
34. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
33. Dr. John - Dr. John’s Gumbo
32. Miles Davis - In a Silent Way
31. Thelonious Monk - The Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 1
30. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
29. King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
28. Derek and the Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
27. The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
26. The Who - Who’s Next
25. The Kinks - Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround
24. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
23. The Allman Brothers Band
22. The Allman Brothers Band - Idlewild South
21. Credence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo’s Factory
20. The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed
19. The Kinks - Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire
18. Neil Young - After the Goldrush
17. Grateful Dead - American Beauty
16. George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
15. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
14. The Beatles - Rubber Soul
13. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
12. Led Zeppelin IV
11. Thelonious Monk - The Genius of Modern Music Vol. 2
10. Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain
9. John Coltrane - Blue Train
8. The Beatles - Abbey Road
7. The Beatles - Revolver
6. The Beatles
5. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
4. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?
3. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
2. Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
1. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

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Roy Harper - Stormcock

This is an acoustic folk rock album that is quite impressive, especially the guitar work happening here, which hooks you in for long rides - 4 songs over 40 minutes with sparse arrangements past the guitar and vocals. So to keep attention with just an acoustic guitar on tracks that long, you need to really have something going. That said, it’s not just guitar and vocals and he picks the right spots to bring in others, which includes a contribution by Jimmy Page on The Sam Old Rock, and then an orchestra at the end of Me and My Woman. But I was most impressed with One Man Rock and Roll Band, which is an apt description on this project.

The Essential Track: One Man Rock and Roll Band

Up Next: John Lennon - Imagine

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Hats off to him

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John Lennon - Imagine

This album is a grab bag of different ideas, possibly at war with each other, over the course of a tumultuous 39 minutes. The themes and concepts undergirding the title track make that song at the very least one of the most famous ever written. The fact that every cause seems to demand this as its anthem makes it both important but incredibly overwrought. The kind of thing that reflexively calls for fans of rock music to rebel against. And alas, talk to the right folks and this is perhaps the most overrated song of all time - but take away the baggage and it’s ultimately a good song.

It also stands to direct contrast on the rest of the album, where John’s peace on earth message is quickly buried with personal slights (Crippled Inside, How Do You Sleep), gut wrenching political anger and personal anguish (Gimme Some Truth, I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier Mama, Jealous Guy). Maybe this is a reflection of us all, living with the balance of contradictions, our own internal and warring factions vying for the upper hand amongst our emotions and thoughts. Ultimately, there’s a lot happening here, and John Lennon isn’t sparing any boundaries to get it all out there.

The Essential Track: I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier Mama

Up Next: T. Rex - Electric Warrior

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T. Rex - Electric Warrior

That fuzzy guitar finds just about any context it can on this album that’s really all about the textures and groove than say the particular songs. That’s to say the album doesn’t take itself too seriously (I mean, the classic track here is Bang a Gong [Get It On]), and call this a harbinger for groove based goofy 70s rock of Foghat or whatnot, but this album is indeed fun. Mambo Sun, Jeepster, Life’s a Gas and Rip Off are all fun highlights here in addition to the aforementioned hit single.

The Essential Track: Life’s a Gas

Up Next: David Bowie - Hunky Dory

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David Bowie - Hunky Dory

High drama hits the journey with this album. There’s a ton of different things happening here, but it all feels larger than life, the kind of approach Queen seemed unapologetic for. Bowie has his classics here - Changes, Life on Mars, and Quicksand cover completely different grounds but are all more than effective. Queen Bitch has a killer riff it’s tied to. Andy Warhol is a bit of a wild one. Song for Bob Dylan is quite literally that. This is a very good album that’s jarring but never incoherent.

The Essential Track: Life on Mars

Up Next: Bill Withers - Just As I Am

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Bill Withers - Just As I Am

This is a remarkably consistent album from Bill Withers. Soulful, funky, and always with the hooks, this was a very worthy listen, highlighted of course by the exceptional Ain’t No Sunshine, which is the clear winner here, but his take on Let It Be, Moanin’ and Groanin’ and Better Off Dead are excellent. Hell, even a song about grandma’s hands works for him here. Stellar for a soul album.

The Essential Track: Ain’t No Sunshine

Up Next: Isaac Hayes - Theme From Shaft

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Isaac Hayes - Shaft

Outside of the Theme From Shaft, which of course is a well known classic, this is mostly funk rock instrumental jam sessions. Granted, they are really good for the most part, and serve more of a background as the soundtrack to the movie is my guess, but nevertheless easy to sort of bop your head to while working. The main jam to pay attention to is the guitar/funk throwdown of Do Your Thing.

The Essential Track: Theme From Shaft

Up Next: Sly and the Family Stone - There’s a Riot Going On

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Sly and the Family Stone - There’s a Riot Going On

It seems like the other album we covered here, Stand, had a bit more dynamism to it. Where that album meshed soul, funk, and rock into an explosive combination, this one sits in the funkier territory and doesn’t give much other space. It’s still a solid record, and one that ends in the Thank You…call back that’s good fun. Family Affair seems to be the most known quantity here, and Runnin’ Away is certainly solid as well.

The Essential Track: Thank You for Talkin’ to Me, Africa

Up Next: Santana III

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[liebzz]

Still 9 more ‘71 albums to go, but gonna reach out and crowdsource ‘72 while we finish - I will probably stop going year to year at some point, but there’s so many each year in this early to mid 70s period it only makes sense.

The list so far:

Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
Bob Weir - Ace
Jerry Garcia - Garcia
Big Star - #1 Record
Lou Reed - Transformer
The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
Neil Young - Harvest
The Allman Brothers Band - Eat a Peach
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd
ZZ Top - Rio Grande Mud
Yes - Fragile
Chicago V
Stevie Wonder - Music of My Mind
Al Green - I’m Still in Love With You
Curtis Mayfield - Super Fly
Van Morrison - Saint Dominic’s Preview
Black Sabbath - No. 4
David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Spiders From Mars
Amon Duul II - Yeti
Agitation Free - Malesch
Neu!
Can - Ege Bamyasi
Ash Ra Tempel - Scwingungen
Genesis - Foxtrot
Yes - Closer to the Edge
Jethro Tull - Thick As a Brick
Dr. John - In the Right Place
Little Feat - Sailin’ Shoes
Aretha Franklin - Amazing Grace
Elton John - Honky Chateau
Rod Stewart - Never a Dull Moment
Steely Dan - Can’t Buy a Thrill
Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

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Santana III

I remember when I first heard this - or at least Toussaint L’Overture. College and 1996, and an older student I knew from back home invited me to his apartment off campus to hang. He had the audio set up of the day, the tall stereo cabinet with speakers that seemed as tall as the walls. The guy was playing Hendrix, and I remember talking about great guitarists and mentioning Carlos Santana. He responds “have you heard Santana III?” I had not and he says “you gotta hear Toussaint L’Overture. One of the greatest guitar jams ever. No wait. Here. I’m putting it on…”

My response:


Since that moment, this has always been a massive album for me. I mean, I love good artistry and song craft, but sometimes you want the band to just ballistic. This is that album.

The Essential Track: Toussaint L’Overture

Up Next: John Prine

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John Prine

This is one of those artists I have heard about for years but never adequately explored. This debut is a wonderful display of humor and wit while delivering a countrified sound that has just as much in common with a stripped down rock music. The devil here though is in its simplicity. It neither takes itself too seriously or drops into instrumental jams. It’s a bunch of good songs essentially speaking for themselves. Prine at times reminds me of a Bob Dylan when Dylan feels like cracking jokes, but with a bit of twang. The classic song here of course is the often covered Angel From Montgomery, but Illegal Smile, Spanish Pipedream, Pretty Good, Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore, Far From Me, and Quiet Man also hit their marks with the right immediacy. Excellent album.

The Essential Track: Angel From Montgomery

Up Next: Joni Mitchell - Blue

[wease]

Still 9 more ‘71 albums to go, but gonna reach out and crowdsource ‘72 while we finish - I will probably stop going year to year at some point, but there’s so many each year in this early to mid 70s period it only makes sense.

The list so far:

Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
Bob Weir - Ace
Jerry Garcia - Garcia
Big Star - #1 Record
Lou Reed - Transformer
The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
Neil Young - Harvest
The Allman Brothers Band - Eat a Peach
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd
ZZ Top - Rio Grande Mud
Yes - Fragile
Chicago V
Stevie Wonder - Music of My Mind
Al Green - I’m Still in Love With You
Curtis Mayfield - Super Fly
Van Morrison - Saint Dominic’s Preview
Black Sabbath - No. 4
David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Spiders From Mars
Amon Duul II - Yeti
Agitation Free - Malesch
Neu!
Can - Ege Bamyasi
Ash Ra Tempel - Scwingungen
Genesis - Foxtrot
Yes - Closer to the Edge
Jethro Tull - Thick As a Brick
Dr. John - In the Right Place
Little Feat - Sailin’ Shoes
Aretha Franklin - Amazing Grace
Elton John - Honky Chateau
Rod Stewart - Never a Dull Moment
Steely Dan - Can’t Buy a Thrill
Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come

Skynyrd came out in ‘73