Essential Studio Albums

[liebzz]

Husker Du - New Day Rising

After a good dose of synth pop, getting a little fire and aggression is just what the doctor ordered. I am not sure how I felt about their last album, a classic but more of a hardcore punk record. This seemed to have that fire but a bit more melodic - the sort of stuff that would serve as a foundation for a band like Nirvana who wanted to be both loud, melodic and catchy. It could be the abrupt shift in sound I put myself through, but the winner for me was the opening title track that set the table for this one,

The Essential Track: New Day Rising

Up Next: Husker Du - Flip Your Wig

[Kalevi]

Song x , ornette and matheny

[Jorge]

Asylum Years is a compilation of songs you've already heard, I'm not sure it fits the criteria of your project

[liebzz]

Husker Du - Flip Your Wig

I think this band keeps getting better with each album. Inasmuch as I warmed to New Day Rising, I really am starting to like Flip Your Wig. Makes No Sense At All, Divide and Conquer, and Keep Hanging On really stuck out to me here, but this is them moving more and more in an accessible direction, though that may seem the case as they are less hardcore punk and closing in on a hard rock sound that is foreshadowing what’s to come in the future.

The Essential Track: Makes No Sense At All

Up Next: Killing Joke - Night Time

[liebzz]

Killing Joke - Night Time

This is one beast of an album, really sort of on the level and reminiscent of the Psychedelic Furs early albums we covered, and a sound that even modern indie bands might wish they had achieved. While the first album seemed a bit more abrasive, they really hit all the right spots here, with my favorites being Love
Like Blood, Europe, and Eighties. Band was just on fire here.

The Essential Track: Europe

Up Next: Skinny Puppy - Bites

[LoathedVermin72]

Hell yeah. Night Time rules.

[liebzz]

Skinny Puppy - Bites

So this album takes some of the foundational pieces of minimalism and adds a sort of darker rock element to it to create the genesis of industrial rock. Admittedly, not my favorite, though there are bands to come along that would develop this sound into something more and more accessible. I actually listened to the longer version of this album that’s about 75 minutes rather than the original 40 minute release. Assimilate I think ended up feeling like my favorite here, but I’m no expert on this corner of music.

The Essential Track: Assimilate

Up Next: Dinosaur Jr. - Dinosaur

[liebzz]

Dinosaur Jr. - Dinosaur

Before they put the Jr. in their title, J. Mascis and Co. were toeing the line between what would become grunge and hardcore punk. The former is really the glorious part of this album, part metal, part punk, part R.E.M. like jangly rock, and part Sonic Youth noise rock - that perfect storm cocktail that would most famously come from Seattle in a few short years. Ahead of their time would really be an understatement here, and Repulsion is a near perfect image of that.

The Essential Track: Repulsion

Up Next: The Smiths - Meat Is Murder

[liebzz]

The Smiths - Meat Is Murder

For me, there seemed to be a significant drop off between this album and their previous releases. There’s something terribly off to me about Morrissey’s vocals on this one and it impacts the entirety of what is otherwise a strong album in the instrumentation, though that too seems a little less exciting to me than the b-sides collection in particular. I can really What She Said as being a big highlight on this album as well as the Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore, so not all negative for me.

The Essential Track: What She Said

Up Next: The Replacements - Tim

[liebzz]

The Replacements - Tim

This is one helluva record. If you told me this came out last year and not 40 years ago, I would have no reason to doubt you. It’s natural play on classic rock, a cathartic modern rock and an alternative country just nails that sweet spot some more modern bands seem to instinctively draw themselves to. The second half of this in particular grabbed me. Something from the lighter Swingin Party into Bastards of Young switches the energy of the album and it seems to hold through Little Mascara. Then the quiet but phenomenal finish of Here Comes a Regular seals the deal on this one.

The Essential Track: Bastards of Young

Up Next: Sonic Youth - Bad Moon Rising

[liebzz]

Sonic Youth - Bad Moon Rising

This third Sonic Youth album finds the band really going down the rabbit hole of noise rock, at points abandoning structure for pure feel. In moments, this can be exhilarating and others unlistenable. That moment in Brave Men Run (In My Family) where Kim Gordon’s vocals kick in is almost cathartic, and really all of Death Valley ‘69 is Sonic Youth at their best. Most of the rest of this is a challenge, with bonus track Flower being another I enjoyed. I admit my Sonic Youth tolerance tends to roam near their more rock oriented works, even if I can appreciate the shape shifting they do on albums like these.

The Essential Track: Death Valley ‘69

Up Next: Green River - Come On Down

[washing machine]

Liebzz, I like the stretch this week. Very Michael Azerrad.

Also, Bad Moon Rising is one of my favorites. "Society is a Hole" top ten SY. Love how the tracks segue together on this release. Something I wish they had explored more in the 80s.

[liebzz]

Liebzz, I like the stretch this week. Very Michael Azerrad.

Also, Bad Moon Rising is one of my favorites. "Society is a Hole" top ten SY. Love how the tracks segue together on this release. Something I wish they had explored more in the 80s.

I mean, this section seems like the start of that “alternative rock” in whatever form it takes. For me, like any beginning, it’s sort of an up and down affair for me, but always appreciative of it since I have the luxury of knowing where it all leads.

[liebzz]

Green River - Come On Down

All these albums this week kind of serve as a base or foundation for this - a somewhat new sound of punk rock mixing with Sabbath sludge to make Green River. Other bands and albums will accomplish this and perfect it, and bring it to some incredible heights (I’m looking at you, Soundgarden), but this serves as a sort of official starting line, and for that it deserves this inclusion and focus. Come On Down and Swallow My Pride were always my two favorites here, but I listened to the version with the Your Own Best Friend demo and was highly impressed. Might still just barely stick with the classics here.

The Essential Track: Come On Down

Up Next: Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

[Strat]

The Replacements - Tim

This is one helluva record. If you told me this came out last year and not 40 years ago, I would have no reason to doubt you. It’s natural play on classic rock, a cathartic modern rock and an alternative country just nails that sweet spot some more modern bands seem to instinctively draw themselves to. The second half of this in particular grabbed me. Something from the lighter Swingin Party into Bastards of Young switches the energy of the album and it seems to hold through Little Mascara. Then the quiet but phenomenal finish of Here Comes a Regular seals the deal on this one.

The Essential Track: Bastards of Young

Up Next: Sonic Youth - Bad Moon Rising

Top 5 for me. Absolutely love the replacements and Tim is pure gold.

[VinylGuy]

Green River - Come On Down

All these albums this week kind of serve as a base or foundation for this - a somewhat new sound of punk rock mixing with Sabbath sludge to make Green River. Other bands and albums will accomplish this and perfect it, and bring it to some incredible heights (I’m looking at you, Soundgarden), but this serves as a sort of official starting line, and for that it deserves this inclusion and focus. Come On Down and Swallow My Pride were always my two favorites here, but I listened to the version with the Your Own Best Friend demo and was highly impressed. Might still just barely stick with the classics here.

The Essential Track: Come On Down

Up Next: Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

fuuuuck yeahh

[liebzz]

Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

I have been looking forward to this one…just a lot of hype I had heard about this album for a long time. This actually has a bit of a clunky start, but Clap Hands, Jockey Full of Bourbon, and Time do highlight an ultimately very good first half. The second half, starting with Rain Dogs, and going through the remainder of this album is just downright incredible. Touching on all kinds of sounds, from the eccentric title track to the cathartic and electric Union Square, the affecting Downtown Train (Rod Stewart finds another cover to make his name on), to the finale where Tom Waits sings from unknown origin of his body it’s so intense - just an unbelievable second half that ties that disparate first half back together. This guy does it again.

The Essential Track: Union Square

Up Next: Bob Dylan - Knocked Out Loaded

[liebzz]

Bob Dylan - Knocked Out Loaded

Knocked Out Loaded - I can’t tell if I am reacting to this with lowered expectations (kind of like “yeah it sucks, but...), or if I am just surprised there’s more to some of these releases than meets the eye. I mean this album isn’t even close to Dylan’s heyday with a full band. But there’s songs here, and they really aren’t as terrible as advertised. Many of them are pretty good. You Wanna Ramble, Precious Memories (steel pans!! Okay this song isn’t great but it’s not bad), Maybe Someday, Brownsville Girl (clearly the centerpiece of the album), and Got My Mind Made Up are all worth the listen. I am not crazy about the rest but I just name dropped 2/3 of the album! Under Your Spell is also worth listening to. Is this revelatory stuff? No. But this album is one where I think skipping it on the journey would have been a mistake. It’s still overdone but it’s much more parr’s down than the way over the top Empire Burlesque. Chalk it up to okay.

I listened to this and wrote my impressions mid-2020 on this album during my Dylan deep dive, and now listening back, I am curious what, if anything, changed in how I perceive this album 5 and a half years later. I was probably a bit more enthusiastic back then. Listening back, most of this really is unremarkable for Dylan, and it seemed listening to this right after Empire Burlesque was what gave me the positive impression. You Wanna Rumble is still the top song for me here, and I still think Maybe Someday ain’t bad. Got My Mind Made Up is pretty good though, as is Under Your Spell. Brownsville Girl is probably the focus of this album given its long run time and the backup singers making it a sort of gospel feel, but it doesn’t do for me what other Dylan epics do. I might have even liked Empire Burlesque better this time around.

The Essential Track: You Wanna Rumble

Up Next: Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Blood and Chocolate

[liebzz]

Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Blood and Chocolate

Tackling the next two in reverse order, this is the last album Costello did with the Attractions for a while, and a great way for them to go out. This is a straightforward rock album, similar to his early albums and the songs here are pretty great. Uncomplicated is the perfect opener and even the title sets the table for this set. Blue Chair, Battered Old Bird, and I Want You stuck out the most for me here, but there wasn’t really much of a weak track on here. Just a perfectly solid album.

The Essential Track: Uncomplicated

Up Next: Elvis Costello - King of America

[liebzz]

Elvis Costello - King of America

For this album, without the Attractions, Costello strips things down quite a bit, which brings a certain focus to the songs rather than Blood & Chocolate’s reactionary rock focus. Good thing the songs here are really strong. Brilliant Mistake, American Without Tears, Eisenhower Blues, and Jack of All Parades stuck out to me on this listen, with for whatever reason preferring Eisenhower Blues this time.

The Essential Track: Eisenhower Blues

Up Next: R.E.M. - Life’s Rich Pageant