Essential Studio Albums

[wease]

Evil Ways is otherwise the most known song taken from Fleetwood Mac.

Black Magic Woman. Not Evil Ways.

Yup. You’re right. That was a mistake.

I was wondering if I had missed something

[liebzz]

Bob Dylan - Self Portrait

I’ve said it in my journey through Dylan’s catalogue now years ago: this album is a mess. Dylan sure does contain multitudes, and while there is no formula that we can decipher for certain, Dylan is looking in the mirror and revealing as many sides as he can conjure up. He plays folk, he plays rock, he plays country. He sounds like a lounge singer, or a country crooner, or he picks back that nasal signature only to drop it again on the next song. I know plenty of folks opined he deliberately tanked this album to cut down his audience, but I think it could more be his effort to show where he’d and where’s he’s going with his music (there’s a few hints here of that organic Dylan and the Band sound foreshadowed). When we see ourselves in the mirror, we focus on our flaws. When we hear our recorded voices, we cringe at what it really sounds like. Perhaps this is just Bob Dylan sharing with us what he hears and sees when he’s self reflecting (I think I had the same theory last time).

The Essential Track: Alberta #2

Up Next: Bob Dylan - New Morning

[liebzz]

Bob Dylan - New Morning

From the fractured and endlessly challenging Self Portrait to one of the easiest Bob Dylan albums to listen to. While this album similarly covers a lot of terrain, it’s a smooth ride front to back. Songs like If Not For You and The Man in Me (shout out to the Big Lebowski) go down like cool water on a beautiful day, and One More Weekend is the sort of jangly blues Dylan can pump out in his sleep. Day of the Locusts, Went to See the Gypsy, and New Morning are similarly highlights on what feels like an effortlessly great album.

The Essential Track: If Not For You

Up Next: Joni Mitchell - Ladies of the Canyon

[Kevin Davis]

New Morning is one of my favorite Dylan albums -- one of a handful that I rank disproportionately high compared to its relative greatness. One of those records that's just a pleasure to hear all around.

[liebzz]

New Morning is one of my favorite Dylan albums -- one of a handful that I rank disproportionately high compared to its relative greatness. One of those records that's just a pleasure to hear all around.

A Dylan album that’s actually underrated I would say.

[liebzz]

Joni Mitchell - Ladies of the Canyon

Joni Mitchell is doing a lot of things in this album. The first is providing a nice variety of sonic textures, without ever really abandoning folk, just with other little flourishes. She’s also flexing on her imagery superpower in transforming you to a different place with her words, a compliment from someone who does not spend a great deal of effort breaking down lyrics at all. Good examples of this is thinking about a busker in For Free, or the shame of the parking lot in the very famous Big Yellow Taxi. Morning Morgantown, Conversation (which plays nearly exactly how I would expect a Joni Mitchell song to sound), The Arrangement, and Rainy Night House are all highlights on this.

The Essential Track: Big Yellow Taxi

Up Next: Fleetwood Mac - Then Play On (I missed this ‘69 album)

[wease]

That’s even got their best pre-Buckingham/Nicks tune!

[liebzz]

That’s even got their best pre-Buckingham/Nicks tune!

I am breaking with what I have been doing and listening to the extended version so I can listen to Oh Well.

[Happy Trees]

That’s even got their best pre-Buckingham/Nicks tune!

I am breaking with what I have been doing and listening to the extended version so I can listen to Oh Well.

Extended version from 2013/2020 is the legit one. (14 tracks + 4 bonus)

[liebzz]

That’s even got their best pre-Buckingham/Nicks tune!

I am breaking with what I have been doing and listening to the extended version so I can listen to Oh Well.

Extended version from 2013/2020 is the legit one. (14 tracks + 4 bonus)

This was the one I listened to. Thoughts forthcoming.

[liebzz]

Fleetwood Mac - Then Play On

As noted, I listened to the extended version of this album on the memory that Oh Well and The Green Mahalishi stand as two of the best Fleetwood Mac songs, pretty much period. Rattlesnake Shake, Show Biz Blues, One Sunny Day, Searching For Madge, and Before the Beginning are not that far behind - an album of extreme highs. Peter Green seems to finally find his groove with this band and they just gel so well on this album, jamming both blues and a brighter rock than say Mayall’s bands. There might be the slightest hint of what’s to come, but this stands alone as an early career triumph for them. I nearly forgot that as much as I love Oh Well, I like The Green Mahalishi even more.

The Essential Track: The Green Mahalishi

Up Next: Willie Dixon - I Am the Blues

[tragabigzanda]

[liebzz]

Yeah I agree with that…and there’s a bunch of instrumentals in there that are killer.

[liebzz]

Willie Dixon - I Am the Blues

So Dixon took all the songs that he wrote that were popularized by everyone from Muddy Waters to Led Zeppelin, and put it to tape himself, resulting in an essential album by virtue of all the classic blues songs assembled in one place recorded by the man himself. At this point, he didn’t have that much he recorded so it plays like a new studio album even if the songs were hanging around for a while. And his takes of course are more than solid in their own right.

The Essential Track: Hoochie Coochie Man

Up Next: Curtis Mayfield - Curtis

[liebzz]

Curtis Mayfield - Curtis

If Hot Buttered Soul ushered in the era of longer form soul music writing, Mayfield is expounding on that here, so not quite as successful in my first listen to this album. This really comes down to two really phenomenal tracks that anchor the album: (Don’t Worry) If There’s a Hell Below, We’re All Going to Go, and Move On Up, presented in an extended version. Both of these feature extended instrumental jams that add a lot to the atmosphere of the songs and the album as a whole. These are worth the price of admission alone.

The Essential Track: Move On Up

Up Next: Isaac Hayes - The Isaac Hayes Movement

[liebzz]

Isaac Hayes - The Isaac Hayes Movement

It’s as if we are experiencing a form of Deja vu here - another album of extended soul songs (these covers), where the journey is in two sprawling tracks: the opening I Stand Accused, and the closing 11 minute re-conceptualization of George Harrison’s Something. The latter is really impressive, given a bit of a soul kick, but somehow seems maybe even a little more sparse than the original despite the song moving in all sorts of directions with a large variety of instrumentation. The original is still king, but Hayes really makes something of it here.

The Essential Track: Something

Up Next: Van Morrison - Moondance

[liebzz]

Van Morrison - Moondance

Moondance seems like the more easily digestible sequel to Astral Weeks, similarly pastoral in nature, laid back, but constantly catchy in its rendering of rock and roll music through the use of jazz influences. It’s kind of loungey in moments, like the very famous title track, and yet there’s an understated catharsis happening in Caravan, my favorite on this album. Into the Mystic runs a close second as a stunning piece. Crazy Love and Come Running are also big highlights for me here. I would say my preference is for Astral Weeks between the two, but this is a show stopper as well.

The Essential Track: Caravan

Up Next: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Deja Vu

[Happy Trees]

[liebzz]

It’s coming but there are quite a few 1970 albums planned before I get there - but I am looking forward to it!

[VinylGuy]

Van Morrison - Moondance

Moondance seems like the more easily digestible sequel to Astral Weeks, similarly pastoral in nature, laid back, but constantly catchy in its rendering of rock and roll music through the use of jazz influences. It’s kind of loungey in moments, like the very famous title track, and yet there’s an understated catharsis happening in Caravan, my favorite on this album. Into the Mystic runs a close second as a stunning piece. Crazy Love and Come Running are also big highlights for me here. I would say my preference is for Astral Weeks between the two, but this is a show stopper as well.

The Essential Track: Caravan

Up Next: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Deja Vu

I never paid attention to VM until now, with my girlfriend being a huge fan of his music. I got Astral Weeks on vinyl and damn thats a very cool vibey album. Impressed with it.