Essential Studio Albums

[liebzz]

Fripp & Eno - Evening Star

I think this one and the last one came out around the same time and this one might briefly predate Discreet Music. In any event, there’s not too much that separates them stylistically. I don’t know how much patience I have for purely ambient music, but the guitar flourishes from Robert Fripp extend that patience a bit more than I expected. The title track on this I thought was particularly good, while the 6-part An Index of Metals was really too long for me. These guys do make a good team though.

The Essential Track: Evening Star

Up Next: Electric Light Orchestra - Face the Music

[liebzz]

Electric Light Orchestra - Face the Music

From ambient minimalism to more is more, ELO’s Face the Music is the Jeff Lynne fever dream of melding the lushness of classical music with Beatles-esque pop, and once again this is a largely successful affair. Evil Woman and Strange Magic are the two known songs here, but the middle of the album also with Nightrider and Poker round out a solid effort, with Down Home Town’s country-ish influence making things even more interesting.

The Essential Track: Evil Woman

Up Next: Kool & the Gang - Spirit of the Boogie

[liebzz]

Kool & the Gang - Spirit of the Boogie

Predating the disco explosion, Kool and the Gang bring hard funk and jazz into a high octane album that has some really exceptional moments. Jungle Jazz, a horn infused take on their Jungle Boogie classic, is an unquestioned winner here, bringing that vibe up several notches with stellar instrumental breakdowns. The title track, Ancestral Ceremony, Caribbean Festival, and Mother Earth are also highlights, though Winter Sadness is a deceptively good slow song to break up the party.

The Essential Track: Jungle Jazz

Up Next: Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention - One Size Fits All

[liebzz]

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention - One Size Fits All

This is easily the most accessible Zappa album we’ve covered here, and frankly the first I was really able to connect with. Notwithstanding the prototypical goofiness that follows his albums, there’s just some incredible rock music here, from Andy to San Ber’dino, Inca Roads and Can’t Afford No Shoes. The instrumental breakdowns and general fun of Po-Jana People takes the cake for me, and in addition to hitting the Zappa mark, foreshadows the sillier and jammier nature of bands like Phish.

The Essential Track: Po-Jama People

Up Next: Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow

[liebzz]

Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow

Jeff Beck’s storied career took another big turn with this album. Previously part of the influential Yardbirds, and then the Zeppelin-esque power blues of the Jeff Beck Group, Beck now finds his way to jazz fusion and seems so at home that this feels like one of many definitive albums of the subgenre alongside Miles Davis and John McLaughlin. But the genius behind this album is Beck’s ability to play with all sorts of musical muses, from big rock to funk, Beatles pop, and Stevie Wonder. It’s pretty remarkable given there’s no real vocals (save for those funneled through that talk box thing). Excellent album here.

The Essential Track: Scatterbrain

Up Next: Rod Stewart - Atlantic Crossing

[liebzz]

Rod Stewart - Atlantic Crossing

This is another fascinating career we’ve sort of followed through this journey to this point. Stewart went from rock frontman god in the Jeff Beck Group, to the sort of ramshackle chaos of Faces and the beginnings of solo works that hinted at pop star to come, but with moorings still in that rock and roll excess. Atlantic Crossing seems like an apt title, in large part because Stewart seems to break the album in two halves: the first that former self, which is actually quite excellent. Three Time Loser, Alright for an Hour, All in the Name of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Stone Cold Sober are all damn near awesome displays of Faces-like rock music. Of course though, then, leering around the corner is Rod Stewart the crooner and pop star, and the second half is a full on about face from that first half, and for me, completely falls off the cliff. All the trappings of this half are the exact space I just can’t follow him, where he comes across more like a hack, or a scavenger feeding off other folks’ better ideas. It’s as if, with that latter statement, the good times are gone and he’s stepped over the precipice, jumped the shark, or whatever other metaphor you want to use for going from promising rock star to just sucking. At least we have the first half of this album to celebrate.

The Essential Track: Stone Cold Sober

Up Next: Black Sabbath - Sabotage

[wease]

Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow

Jeff Beck’s storied career took another big turn with this album. Previously part of the influential Yardbirds, and then the Zeppelin-esque power blues of the Jeff Beck Group, Beck now finds his way to jazz fusion and seems so at home that this feels like one of many definitive albums of the subgenre alongside Miles Davis and John McLaughlin. But the genius behind this album is Beck’s ability to play with all sorts of musical muses, from big rock to funk, Beatles pop, and Stevie Wonder. It’s pretty remarkable given there’s no real vocals (save for those funneled through that talk box thing). Excellent album here.

The Essential Track: Scatterbrain

Up Next: Rod Stewart - Atlantic Crossing

Fond memories of this one. Papa Wease played it a bunch when I was growing up

[Happy Trees]

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention - One Size Fits All

This is easily the most accessible Zappa album we’ve covered here, and frankly the first I was really able to connect with. Notwithstanding the prototypical goofiness that follows his albums, there’s just some incredible rock music here, from Andy to San Ber’dino, Inca Roads and Can’t Afford No Shoes. The instrumental breakdowns and general fun of Po-Jana People takes the cake for me, and in addition to hitting the Zappa mark, foreshadows the sillier and jammier nature of bands like Phish.

I wouldn't say it's "easily" more accessible than Apostrophe or Overnite Sensation, which were far more commercially successful, but that was also in part because Warners failed to promote this album (one of his own personal favorites), which sent him down a dark path. This album is a mixture of prog rock and his early love of rhythm & blues, so it's a fan favorite but only in hindsight. "Inca Roads" is a masterpiece and definitely the centerpiece.

I'm not sure how you define accessible. If you want to jam out without the dreaded silly, then go backwards and listen to The Grand Wazoo and Waka/Jawaka (aka Hot Rats 2) or go forwards to Sleep Dirt (aka Hot Rats 3). Very serious achievements in rock with jazz and classical influence. Sleep Dirt is my personal favorite, especially the menacing opening track where he layers the sustained feedback techniques that he demonstrated for Jimi Hendrix in 1967.

[liebzz]

I generally define accessibility subjectively as whether it passes the wife test. If she’s doing a mental health check because of what’s on the radio in the car, not accessible. She has a mainstream yet generally open taste in music.

[VinylGuy]

true. My girl has a great taste in music, but i remember her face when i put some Sonic Youth for the first time, she was like ¨wtf is this dude¨

[Happy Trees]

I generally define accessibility subjectively as whether it passes the wife test. If she’s doing a mental health check because of what’s on the radio in the car, not accessible. She has a mainstream yet generally open taste in music.

Does she like jazz? Check out the three albums I mentioned. They're mostly instrumental and they should pass the test.

Sleep Dirt has more variety beyond jazz but there are two versions. The 2012 remaster is the original mix and it's the all-instrumental version.

The type of music Zappa preferred to make and the key to understanding him. He hated writing lyrics.

[liebzz]

Black Sabbath - Sabotage

I accidentally missed Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, so that’s next. This felt refreshingly like really getting back to hard rock again. I love all these different styles and subgenres, but there’s something to coming back to this sound and just enjoying. Sabotage wasn’t an album anyone really told me was a must, but all of the central tracks on this are great. The opening Hole in the Sky is precisely what I was after in switching back to hard rock, Symptoms of the Universe is pretty killer and loud, Megalomania builds into an epic track, The Thrill of It All immediately satisfying, and The Writ, with its movements and changes is pretty great. All in all Sabbath was still great here.

The Essential Track: Symptom of the Universe

Up Next: Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

[liebzz]

Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Reverse order here, but that’s ultimately fine since I did enjoy this one just a bit more. While there are no particular hits or songs that jump out as the most epic of their catalogue, this album is consistently great, and very varied for a band whose reputation lives in the advent of heavy metal. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath gets this thing started in Sabbath fashion, loud and very music in their wheelhouse, and then A National Acrobat while continuing with that energy just has these dexterous turns of phrase that are really quite something. Fluff is a quieter instrumental piece, but the peace don’t last as Sabbra Cadabra is an aural assault that is phenomenal. Killing Yourself to Live, Looking For Today and Spiral Architect also highlights of an unstoppable band, and Who Are You? a play on synthesizers? This band really had a nice stretch of excellent albums I wish I was more familiar with sooner.

The Essential Track: Sabbra Cadabra

Up Next: Rainbow - Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow

[lvc]

Random curiosity question for liebzz:

You've churned through a ton of "essential" stuff. What is the least essential thing you've listened to? What's the album that you're like "well that was a thing and I'll never feel the need put it in my ears again"?

[liebzz]

Random curiosity question for liebzz:

You've churned through a ton of "essential" stuff. What is the least essential thing you've listened to? What's the album that you're like "well that was a thing and I'll never feel the need put it in my ears again"?

So far, and we are 480-something albums in, the bottom of my list, which are albums I am not likely to listen again are:

482: Neu!
481: Harmonia - Musik von Harmonia
480: Popol Vu - In Den Garten Pharoas
479: Agitation Free - Malesch
478: Joni Mitchell - Blue

Majority near the bottom are just things that don’t appeal to my personal taste. A lot of it is the minimalist stuff because I don’t connect with a lot of it, though there are some by Can and Brian Eno that I really liked. But the leash on that kind of music is quite short for me. I also determined I just don’t like Joni Mitchell’s music, which isn’t to say it’s bad, but there are just some artists that don’t do it for me. Bands in that realm I knew I couldn’t hang with going into this were The Eagles and Bon Jovi, but add to that list now Joni Mitchell and probably Queen (I find I like them for like 15 minutes and then it turns like bad milk).

[liebzz]

Rainbow - Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow

Without thinking about it too hard, I immediately came up in my mind at the first few songs here as Deep Purple meets KISS. Turns out, as the title denotes, Ritchie Blackmore’s Deep Purple is mixed with Ronnie James Dio to form just that here. There are times it works nicely, like on Self Portrait, Snake Charmer, and the instrumental closer Still I’m Sar. Other times, it doesn’t, like on Black Sheep of the Family and If You Don’t Like Rock ‘n’ Roll. This is probably just good enough to get yourself to the next album.

The Essential Track: Self Portrait

Up Next: Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare

[liebzz]

Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare

I am really only familiar I think with two Alice Cooper songs, at least offhand- No More Mr. Nice Guy and School’s Out - both muscular rock tracks that sort of spell out my caricature of him. I like both those tracks, but I think I associate him more with the imagery than the music. Welcome to My Nightmare has moments where I get what I expect, in the muscular finale of Escape, and the creeping Welcome to My Nightmare. What I was not expecting was something operatic, even if that opera is the rock ‘n’ roll equivalent of a campy late 70s horror movie. The delivery seems to be from the perspective of a child, and that’s cool and all, and there’s sure double meanings in there on Black Widow. I am not sure this properly sticks to the bones - it’s a little too campy, but it was enjoyable nonetheless for what it was.

The Essential Track: Escape

Up Next: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Zuma

[liebzz]

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Zuma

We’re still in the midst of a golden period for Neil Young. It’s been one great 70s album for him after another and Zuma fits right in. It has the distinction I think of being an album whose highs rival the best of Neil’s work, and the lows are still great, but probably aren’t quite as good as the consistent gems on the other albums we’ve covered. Cortez the Killer, a true classic, is one of my favorite Neil Young songs, one of a handful that really helped me discover his music. Drive Back, Barstool Blues, Danger Bird and Don’t Cry No Tears are other big highlights on this, a true representation of Crazy Horse’s pure cathartic power behind Neil’s killer guitar tones and great songwriting.

The Essential Track: Cortez the Killer

Up Next: Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner

[liebzz]

Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner

On this third album, Tom Waits utilizes a jazz band and an invited audience into the studio to recreate a jazz lounge, and creates what is a sort of fictional show. The music’s imagery recalls wood tables in a dimly lit lounge, with this balanced on Tom Waits’ delivery as a sort of entertaining street rat, full of humor about his own semi-brokenness. What’s really astounding about this particular album is that Waits engages in the sort of character development with this persona that’s subtle but by the end, if you let yourself go with it, you’re convinced about this singular character, rooting for him, and it feels as real as a character in a great novel or movie. It’s a magic trick to pull off without a singular arc to a story but for the progression of the “show” itself. For all that, this is a brilliant complete album, one where skipping a track might just unravel the whole thing. Wow.

The Essential Track: all of it is needed - the sum far greater than any part

Up Next: Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic

[VinylGuy]

Huge fan of these last two. Zuma is one of my favs from Neil, i just love how it sounds really, and there is a chillness to it i really like.

The Tom Waits one is one of my favorites, i got it on cd as a kid on a very weird place were they used to cell old cd, vinyl and vhs. I got so many treasures there really. That place was in a very dangerous hood in Buenos Aires, and i used to go there after film school. Ah, the memories.