Essential Studio Albums

[LoathedVermin72]

"Will to Love" is amazing, an utterly singular-sounding song in Neil's discography (and that's saying something!)

Okay I went back. I should have spoken about it and I recall thinking about how he created this sound like you can hear background noise - almost like the creaking floor in A Letter Home many years later. It is a great song for sure, though my personal taste wouldn’t call it my favorite of his, but certainly worthy of being in the discussion. I just whiffed on that first time around.

Legend has it he recorded it on his own next to a burning fireplace, which you can hear crackling during the song.

[Farmer John]

Love that crackling fireplace

[LoathedVermin72]

magic

[wease]

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Street Survivors

For the original lineup’s final album, released before the plane crash, these guys put on an absolute southern rock clinic. What’s Your Name and That Smell start this off with the two classic well known tracks, but this one doesn’t let up for a moment, from the infectious energy of I Know a Little to You Got That Right and Ain’t No Good Life. These guys had essentially perfected this art at this point, and were clearly taken away way too soon. What a way to go though in the end.

The Essential Track: That Smell

Did you listen to the deluxe version that has demos/early versions of some of the tunes?

[liebzz]

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Street Survivors

For the original lineup’s final album, released before the plane crash, these guys put on an absolute southern rock clinic. What’s Your Name and That Smell start this off with the two classic well known tracks, but this one doesn’t let up for a moment, from the infectious energy of I Know a Little to You Got That Right and Ain’t No Good Life. These guys had essentially perfected this art at this point, and were clearly taken away way too soon. What a way to go though in the end.

The Essential Track: That Smell

Did you listen to the deluxe version that has demos/early versions of some of the tunes?

I did hear a few of the extra songs but didn’t listen to any demos or early versions. I almost never deep dive that hard for any artist. But I was quite happy obviously with what was there.

[liebzz]

Bob Dylan - Street-Legal

While this album is almost a natural progression from Desire, and its songs are very strong, it probably goes just a little bit too far sonically. Really, it’s the back up singers. Without them, I think this album could have been nearly as good as Desire - Changing of the Guard, No Time to Think, and Senor would be worthy additions to a Dylan playlist without the back up singers, and would have contained the sort of textures Dylan is an outright master of developing with his voice against the music - but the singers crowd the space and have this sort of disjointed feel that almost reminds me that yes, a dessert can be too sweet.

The Essential Track: No Time to Think

Up Next: Neil Young - Comes a Time

[liebzz]

Neil Young - Comes a Time

This is a very different approach than the album we just discussed, a reflection of Neil Young’s continuous muse as a moving target. Here, Neil most directly takes on a more lush country arrangement, and it’s a beautiful album full of great songs that are comparably pastoral and unrushed. This is one of those gems I picked up in the 90s in the dollar record bin and and I’ve held tight to this one for decades. This fits a certain mood perfectly so when I am in that space this album just feels comfortable and right.

The Essential Track: Lotta Love

Up Next: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - You’re Gonna Get It!

[liebzz]

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - You’re Gonna Get It!

Tom Petty’s second album is a quick shot of adrenaline. It flies by in under 30 minutes and while every song isn’t necessarily memorable, it sticks to the formula from his excellent debut. The second half of this in particular is great. I Need to Know and Listen to Her Heart are essential Petty classics, No Second Thoughts serves as a palette cleansing outlier, and Restless and Baby’s a Rock ‘N’ Roller are full of that infectious Petty spirit. Such a great and easy band to listen to.

The Essential Track: I Need to Know

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town

[wease]

Neil Young - Comes a Time

This is a very different approach than the album we just discussed, a reflection of Neil Young’s continuous muse as a moving target. Here, Neil most directly takes on a more lush country arrangement, and it’s a beautiful album full of great songs that are comparably pastoral and unrushed. This is one of those gems I picked up in the 90s in the dollar record bin and and I’ve held tight to this one for decades. This fits a certain mood perfectly so when I am in that space this album just feels comfortable and right.

The Essential Track: Lotta Love

Up Next: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - You’re Gonna Get It!

Lotta Love? I knew he wrote this but never knew he had recorded and released it.

[wease]

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - You’re Gonna Get It!

Tom Petty’s second album is a quick shot of adrenaline. It flies by in under 30 minutes and while every song isn’t necessarily memorable, it sticks to the formula from his excellent debut. The second half of this in particular is great. I Need to Know and Listen to Her Heart are essential Petty classics, No Second Thoughts serves as a palette cleansing outlier, and Restless and Baby’s a Rock ‘N’ Roller are full of that infectious Petty spirit. Such a great and easy band to listen to.

The Essential Track: I Need to Know

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town

YES

[liebzz]

Yes sir! And it’s quick on here, maybe 2.5 minutes, but his version is so good.

[liebzz]

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - You’re Gonna Get It!

Tom Petty’s second album is a quick shot of adrenaline. It flies by in under 30 minutes and while every song isn’t necessarily memorable, it sticks to the formula from his excellent debut. The second half of this in particular is great. I Need to Know and Listen to Her Heart are essential Petty classics, No Second Thoughts serves as a palette cleansing outlier, and Restless and Baby’s a Rock ‘N’ Roller are full of that infectious Petty spirit. Such a great and easy band to listen to.

The Essential Track: I Need to Know

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town

YES

…and they are about to get impossibly great over the next few albums…and beyond!

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town

After 3 years, legal battles and endless frustration, Springsteen finally got to follow up the epic Born to Run. To his credit, he didn’t even try to replicate what he had accomplished on that one. Sweeping dramatic epic tales were replaced by jagged edged guitars, some of the most intense vocals of Springsteen’s career, a focus on the gritty matter of the struggles themselves instead of the theme of fantastical escape, and possibly a record number of “mister” lyrical fillers. Despite this shift in mood, this album nearly matches Born to Run in the intensely high quality that Springsteen was putting out (and as Tracks and the deluxe version with The Promise would prove, he had albums and albums worth of great material that didn’t make the cut). In that, Springsteen at that point was more than justified in fiercely protecting the quality of what he put into the universe. Picking a song here feels nearly impossible because each song seems so central to the album that picking one feels like more of an exclusionary exercise, but for the sake of consistency on this listen I am taking Prove It All Night, which has a bit of everything this album has to offer.

The Essential Track: Prove It All Night

Up Next: Dire Straits

[liebzz]

Dire Straits

This is another of those bands I know the big hits but never took a deep dive. While this album is certainly a rock record, its sparse arrangements, meant to provide a canvass for Mark Knopfler’s intricate guitar playing, proves to largely defy any rock sub-category. And it certainly suits the music, feeling laid back but at the same time bringing some killer guitar work. Sultans of Swing, maybe the biggest of their hits, is exhibit A of this band’s ability to find the right feel by staying back on an easy groove while Knopfler does his magic trick. Down to the Waterline, Six Blade Knife, and Southbound Again through the end of the album similarly provide constant prime examples of this style working quite well.

The Essential Track: Sultans of Swing

Up Next: Jerry Garcia Band - Cats Under the Stars

[oasisfan35]

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Street Survivors

For the original lineup’s final album, released before the plane crash, these guys put on an absolute southern rock clinic. What’s Your Name and That Smell start this off with the two classic well known tracks, but this one doesn’t let up for a moment, from the infectious energy of I Know a Little to You Got That Right and Ain’t No Good Life. These guys had essentially perfected this art at this point, and were clearly taken away way too soon. What a way to go though in the end.

The Essential Track: That Smell

Up Next: Bob Dylan - Street-Legal

"Sometimes You Gotta Crank Some Skynyrd" .....my dad's tombstone

Spoiler: show

In the comments

[liebzz]

Jerry Garcia Band - Cats Under the Stars

This is the first (only?) studio album billed as the Jerry Garcia Band. All in all, there’s a few gems on here worth noting, like the title track, Rubin and Cherise, Love in the Afternoon, Rhapsody in Red, and Gomorrah. Those all sort of pale in comparison to live versions, and the rest sort of feels like filler even if it’s not. That middle section on Cats Under the Stars though is one of my all time favorite Jerry moments, so there’s that.

The Essential Track: Cats Under the Stars

Up Next: Grateful Dead - Shakedown Street

[Birds in Hell]

We’re getting closer to finishing up ‘77, so on to ‘78 in a few albums. Here’s what I got so far:

...

Neil Young - Comes a Time
Kraftwerk - The Man-Machine
Brian Eno - Music For Films
Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music for Airports
Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers

Great ones above.

If you have time, a few more suggestions:

Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians
AC/DC - Powerage
Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Scream
Sun Ra - Lanquidity
Ramones - Road to Ruin
Chic - C'est Chic
Black Sabbath - Never Say Die!

[liebzz]

We’re getting closer to finishing up ‘77, so on to ‘78 in a few albums. Here’s what I got so far:

...

Neil Young - Comes a Time
Kraftwerk - The Man-Machine
Brian Eno - Music For Films
Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music for Airports
Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers

Great ones above.

If you have time, a few more suggestions:

Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians
AC/DC - Powerage
Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Scream
Sun Ra - Lanquidity
Ramones - Road to Ruin
Chic - C'est Chic
Black Sabbath - Never Say Die!

Thanks! Will add.

[liebzz]

Grateful Dead - Shakedown Street

The Grateful Dead ended the seventies with two uneven albums, Terrapin Station, and this one. Very high highs on these albums but a lot of filler that seems pretty unmemorable as compared to the ones they played at live shows. The highs here are worth celebrating with the best of their catalogue: the title track that has a near disco quality to it, Fire on the Mountain that became the sibling to Scarlet Begonias in concert, I Need a Miracle, Stagger Lee, and the refurbished All New Minglewood Blues. That’s a lot to like from an album that has a lot of ups and downs.

The Essential Track: Shakedown Street

Up Next: Bob Seger - Stranger in Town

[wease]

We’re getting closer to finishing up ‘77, so on to ‘78 in a few albums. Here’s what I got so far:

...

Neil Young - Comes a Time
Kraftwerk - The Man-Machine
Brian Eno - Music For Films
Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music for Airports
Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers

Great ones above.

If you have time, a few more suggestions:

Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians
AC/DC - Powerage
Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Scream
Sun Ra - Lanquidity
Ramones - Road to Ruin
Chic - C'est Chic
Black Sabbath - Never Say Die!

Thanks! Will add.

Lynyrd Skynyrd- First and Last (HIGHLY recommend the reissue over the original album)
Van Halen II (their debut is ‘77 if you don’t already have it on the list
The Police- Outlandos d'Amour