Sell me your favorite album. (1 Viewer)

[Philip Hamm]

I absolutely love Sandinista!!!!! An absolute masterpiece by one of the best bands of the era at their peak. One of my all time favorites.
"Can we hear some music now, alright?"
Brian Bunn, Get "The Turning". It's an amazing album, easily as good as any of her other work as "Sam". And make sure you get the DCC version mastered by Steven Hoffman. And if you like "Cruel Inventions" and "The Indescribable Wow" take the time to seek out the Classic Recordings 96/24 DADs of these albums; the sound is absolutely amazing.

 

[chris c]

Great thread!

Here's mine, though it's not too obscure: Todd Rundgren's Something/Anything. Put this album on and, if you grew up in the 70's, prepare to be very, very nostalgic. I venture to say that there has never been a more perfect pop song than 'I saw the light'. All those things that music used to make you feel, but have been dulled by so much mediocre pap, are brought back by this album. As good the 100th time as the first. It's a one-man show that successfully draws from just about every subgenre of popular music.

To sum it up, I will steal a quote from Steven Erskine: "a kaleidoscopic odyssey through the mind of an insanely gifted pop music obsessive"

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

I venture to say that there has never been a more perfect pop song than 'I saw the light'.

Well, The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back", Smokey Robinson's "Tears of a Clown", and Rundgren's "Couldn't I just Tell You" come to mind, but I'll be damned if half of them aren't on "Something/Anything"
Regards,

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

I don't know if it's my single favorite album, but I will take this opportiunity to make a case for Funkadelic's Maggot Brain. This was the album where the group really earned their name. Listening to Maggot Brain is like having Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys, Sly and the Family Stone, and a Motown Revue all traveling with you on Ken Kesey's Merry Prankster's Bus. Though the "One Nation Under a Groove" album is better known, this album is the real answer to the questions they would pose in "Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?". Eddie Hazel's Guitar bridges the gap so that this album will be revered as much by rock fans as R&B enthusiasts.

Regards,

 

[chris c]

Wow, Ken, we seem to have pretty similar taste in music - 'Maggot Brain' features some of the best guitar in music. Also, a great R&B song in 'Can you get to that'. For more blistering guitar see 'Standing on the verge'. For more great R&B see 'Cosmic Slop'

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Chris C,
My P-Funk CD & LP collection is ridiculously huge, but if I had to pare it down to a single album or CD, it would be "Maggot Brain". Fortunately I don't, though.
Regards,

 

[MatS]

The Replacements:Let It Be (1984, Twin/Tone)
how cocky a title is that??!!
I'll let the music/lyrics do the talking:
- I Will Dare
How young are you?
How old am I?
Let's count the rings around my eyes
How smart are you?
How dumb am I?
Don't count any of my advice
- Favorite Thing
Yeah, I know I look like hell
I smoke and I drink and I'm feeling swell
- We're Comin' Out
One more chance to get it all wrong
One more chance to get it all wrong
One more night to do it all wrong
One more warning
One more warning sound
We're comin' out
We're comin' out
- Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out
Let's get this over with, I tee off in an hour
Didn't wash up, yesterday I took a shower
- Androgynous
Here come Dick, he's wearing a skirt
Here comes Jane, y'know she's sporting a chain
Same hair, revolution
Same build, evolution
Tomorrow who's gonna fuss
And they love each other so
Androgynous
Closer than you know, love each other so
Androgynous
- Black Diamond
KISS
- Unsatisfied
Look me in the eye
Then, tell me that I'm satisfied
- Seen Your Video
All day, all night, all music video
Seen your video, the phony rock 'n' roll
We don't want to know, seen your video
Your phony rock 'n' roll
We don't want to know
- Gary's Got A Boner
C'mon little Gary, get your head on right
C'mon little Gary, get your head on straight
- Sixteen Blue
Brag about things you don't understand
A girl and a woman, a boy and a man
Everything is sexually vague
Now you're wondering to yourself
If you might be gay
- Answering Machine
Try to breathe some life into a letter
Losing hope, never gonna be together
My courage is at it's peak
You know what I mean
How do say you're O.K. to
An answering machine?
How do you say good night to
An answering machine?
links:
The Skyway
Paul Westerberg Page
'Let It Be' at amazon
'Let It Be' at cdnow
other highly recommended releases by artist:
'Tim', 'Pleased To Meet Me', 'Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash', 'Don't Tell A Soul'

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

From reading your posts in the music section you seem to be a big fan of some of the Christian pop/rock stuff. Ever heard of The Choir? They have been around since the mid/late '80's. They're latest album is Flap Your Wings and is very good. Also check out the album Chase The Kangaroo. They will be hard to find but if interested I can point you in the right direction.

I'm getting more and more into Christian music as I delve deeper into my faith. But I have never heard of the Choir.
You may want to look up an obscure new artist named Andrew Hamm. His new album, Strange Education is pretty cool.

 

[Rain]

Astral Weeks
Like Kevin says, hard to describe. Listen to it. It may not be very interesting the first couple of times, but it'll grow on you. Van the Man!
Absolutely hypnotic.

 

[Dennis_H]

Divine In Sight is an indie group out there which is just fantastic. They have recently released their first 'official' CD called 'Sorrow and Promise'. It is composed of 2 parts. The first is a couple of songs that were on their demo CD and the rest of the CD is made up of a suite of songs. Yes, it is unabashedly progressive and unabashedly Christian in nature. But it is a complex work of art that stands strong. It is high energy, but not metal. It reminds you of the best work of Yes or Rush or some of the other greats of prog without really sounding like them.
They are a trio of guitar, bass, and drums. Before you think of 'Rush clones' they are far better in my opinion. The Bart's guitar is almost almost a combo of Queen mixed with Steve Howe. Jonathan's rickenbacher bass pounds this album. There is no thump-thump bass on here. He is doing some incredible playing all the way through. Basically used as a lead instrument also. Kind of Chris Squire sounding too.
Drums are exceptionally clean also. Bart has a very high voice and some people thought he was a female. Not so. Just a powerful, high voice. The production on the CD in great. I wish the vocals were a little higher in the mix in a few spots, but that's just me.
I won't go into all the songs on here except to say that they are great. They have a heavy surrealistic feel in the suite. The suite itself is, in Bart's words, " a 21st century Pilgrim's Progress meets Dante's Inferno meets A Christmas Carol type of story". Mix in a little 'Lamb Lies Down on Broadway' and I think you've nailed it.
They have clips on the website (the only place you can purchase it). When you buy it (and you should), tell them Dennis sent you...
http://www.divineinsightmusic.net/
Dennis Hoenich
PS: Looks like you can get it through Kinesis too...

 

[Nathan Pullar]

But I have never heard of the Choir.

You owe yourself to check them out. I would list Speckeled Bird as one of my favorite all time albums. I will do a "sell job" later but for now check out
their web site and their MP3 site.
Their latest "Flap your wings" is up for a Grammy (best christian rock album) which is pretty amazing for an independantly released CD recorded in a basement studio.

 

[TheoGB]

Wow. My favourite album isn't nearly as obscure as most peoples.
Radiohead: OK Computer
Err. Sales pitch. Hmm. Bugger. This is hard.
First up it's a genuine album. Some tracks work okay as singles but it doesn't want a random play and when I start on track 1 it takes something special for me to switch off before the end.
We have so many different tonal feels here but none sound over-produced - you don't feel like there are a million overdubs or tonnes of knob-twiddling. Every note sounds fresh and each track evokes a mood and an idea.
From the inital crash of DJ Shadow-inspired drums in Airbag you know you're in for something special. This is followed by a 6.5 minute song that feels more like 3, it manages to fit so many ideas in.
Oh this is so hard. I know some people hate Thom's vocal style for some reason, but to me he fills every phrase with unbelievable levels of emotion and when this album goes on I'm singing along with him, letting the time flash by.
Damn I suck at this. Buy it and listen to it.

 

[RogerB]

JudyBats - Native Son
This CD, their debut, came out in 1991. I saw the video for the title track on MTV's 120 Minutes. Quite unusual musicianship and vocal phrasing. Kind of a cross between R.E.M. and maybe XTC. Here are some sample lyrics:
She slipped up on daylight
Night was her best companion I've heard it told
She slipped up on daylight
Crack in the sidewalk she up and disappeared
And sang, o' daylight, o' daylight, o' daylight, o' daylight
All the people gathered round
Said, "Gosh, we really liked that girl."
And a boy said he always knew
She was falling slowly going nowhere
And some boy said,
"You really should have been here, I swear
She up and disappeared, it was really too weird."
This CD is out of print but you can find it on Ebay now and then. A couple of years ago I saw another video as I was channel surfing and thought it was the Judybats but it turned out to be a Christian pop band called The Waiting. I like them, too.
XTC - Nonsuch
The 17 songs on this CD are so lush and rich you hear new things every time you listen to it. These guys are of a rare breed who can write pure pop gems, album after album. This CD, as well as "Skylarking", contains no B-sides. Sample lyrics from the song "Wrapped in Grey":
Some folks see the world as a stone
Concrete daubed in dull monotone
Your heart is the big box of paints
And others, the canvas we're dealt
Your heart is the big box of paints
How coloured the flowers all smelled
As they huddled there, in petalled prayer
They told me this, as I knelt there
Awaken you dreamers
Adrift in your beds
Balloons and streamers
Decorate the inside of your heads
Please let some out
Do it today
But don't let the loveless ones sell you
A world wrapped in grey
It's a steal at Amazon.com for only $6.98.

 

[Tony Mirra]

Sunny Day Real Estate Diary
May 10, 1994
Watching another late Sunday night monotonous broadcast of 120 Minutes on MTV, my attention was grabbed by a curious looking video. It wass animated. And all of the characters were similar to the plastic Playskool toys I remembered playing with as a child.
The music was rigorous, urgent. The attention to structure was obvious, but the pace was at an unbelievably furious level. I was enthralled.
The track ended and was identified by the VJ as Sunny Day Real Estate; the song: "Seven". I wrote it down, paced the floor, and was unable to sleep... I needed to get to a record store ASAP!
The next morning, I scoured every record store in Philadelphia until I located a copy of Diary. What I found was a sonic treasure. Certainly, the production was moldy and muddled, but that made it all the more appealing. Singer Jeremy Enigk had a voice that combined the falsetto of Perry Farrell with the rasp sore-throated screaming of Kurt Cobain. The bass and drum section was like nothing I've ever heard... tribal, rhythmic, and fierce. The guitars sounded almost out of tune, but the distortion on tracks like "In Circles" and "the Blankets Were the Stairs" formed soundscapes that still amaze me. "Grendel" was based on a favorite book of mine and sung almost entirely in Greek. And "pheurton skeurto", a piano-based track, provided a perfect soft waltz break in the action.
Some conversations with the local shopkeeps gave me the indication that I was onto something big. It seemed that we were entering the post-grunge revolution that was to be led by Sunny Day Real Estate. From what I can remember, there was a fierce bidding war among the major labels to sign them. The rotation for "Seven" increased in the coming weeks and Sunny Day was dubbed the "next big thing".
Unfortunately, they never made it that far. Incessant touring and personality clashes led to much strife during the recording of their follow-up. Enigk converted to Christianity, and the band imploded.
They've since reunited and broke-up again. With 4 spectacular LPs to their credit, it's a shame that they couldn't hold it together.

 

[Zen Butler]

Steve Roach- The Magnificent Void
I've been a follower of Steve's since about 85. This album was released in 1996. Steve is not a musician in the conventional sense, he is a sonic sculpter, there is nothing else like him in the world and my review:
From the opening, you feel a sense of unbalance. I turned the volume up to get more sense of what was happening. Even at an increase in volume you realize you are not in control here. The music(sounds) pulse and reach very deep places. These sounds are at work mind you, and seem to be constantly breathing. The textures underneath these swells only provide an even more unstable landscape. This is the Magnificent Void though, its self-examination or just simple visualization, I've talked to others about their experiences with this album, and every review is different. Experience this for yourself.
www.steveroach.com (there are free mp3 samples)

 

[Brian Bunn]

Andrew--I went to your web site and listened to some song clips. Sounds pretty good! May have to check it out.
The Choir "Flap Your Wings" CD is available from the Choir web site (linked in post above) for $9.99. I urge you to check it out. Good stuff.
There is a lot of great christian pop/rock stuff available out there...if you are so inclined.
Ever heard of The Innocence Mission? Lost Dogs (made up of members of Daniel Amos, 77's, and The Choir)? The Seventy Sevens? Terry Taylor? Daniel Amos (band name, not a person..Terry Taylor's main band)? Vigilantes of Love?
Go to http://www.pastemusic.com for much more. An excellent site to start searching for outstanding, religiously based music. I just went over and browsed the site and am getting ready to spend some dough!
Check out:
The Innocence Mission - Glow
Lost Dogs - Real Men Cry (I'm gonna picked this one up)
Daniel Amos - Mr. Buechner's Dream (this one too!)
The Seventy Sevens - A Golden Field Of Radioactive Crows (and this one)
Vigilantes Of Love - Summershine
Terry Scott Taylor - Avocado Faultline (sounds good..this one as well)
Wallet is gonna be a bit lighter, but some good stuff coming in. Gotta love it!

 

[Darren H]

Songs in a Northern Key
by Varnaline
If my prayers are answered, Anders Parker might just save rock and roll. For the last six or seven years he's been assembling musicians and recording his songs under the name Varnaline (a mixture of varnish and gasoline, for those of you not from the South). Songs in a Northern Key is his latest release, and it's damn near the best album I've heard in years. If Frank Black had grown up listening to Johnny Cash, Surfer Rosa may have sounded something like Northern Key. Or, maybe if Lucinda Williams sold her record collection and kept nothing but Daydream Nation she might be able to come close.
But Anders has said it better than I ever could . . .

Writing about music, it has been famously noted, is like dancing about architecture. Well, I think I'd much rather do a fucking jig about the Flatiron building than write about the songs I've written. That said, good help is hard to find (and expensive to boot) and since my understanding of the songs changes from minute to minute, I'd hate to hand the job over to some other poor hack. So, here goes:
The songs on the new record were born one stoney night on a frozen lake in the Northeast Kingdom (located in, surprise, the Northeastern corner of Vermont). As the lake creaked and groaned under it's own weight (an unsettling sound), I started to receive the staticky seeds of these songs. Now, I'm all for conversations concerning spiritual mumbo jumbo and chemical interactions, but that's a whole other discussion better suited for another time. I will however recommend reading Written in my Soul, a collection of interviews with songwriters, by Bill Flanagan, specifically, the interviews with Keith Richards and Pete Townshend. I find myself more in Keef's camp of considering the songwriter to be a conduit, or receiver, for what seems to be floating around in the ether. Townsend contends that songs are born more of the person, experience and hard work. Of course, nothing is so cut and dried, but I think the best songs seem to just kind of appear. Not that there isn't work involved, but the interesting ones tend to just show up on your doorstep unannounced. It's your job to clean them up (or throw dirt on them) and send them out into the world. Or lock them in the basement. But, I digress... I managed to get back to shelter where I thawed out the lyrics to the song that became "Difference." That set the wobbly wheels in motion. The next day I dragged my old multi-track into an ice shack and continued recording what would eventually become Songs in a Northern Key.

Check out the rest of this essay at:
http://www.varnaline.com/northern_key_notes.php
Then go buy the best album of this new millennium.
Oh yeah, and Tony's right. That Sunny Day Real Estate album is just about perfect. Some others I'd be glad to sell you on:
Peter Gabriel's Security
Jonatha Brooke's Plumb
Little Feat's Feats Don't Fail Me Now
Bruce Cockburn's The Charity of Night
The Jayhawks' Hollywood Town Hall

 

[Philip Hamm]

Brian Bunn, "Golden Field", huh? If it's still in print, try to find a copy of "Pray Naked" aka "The Seventy Sevens" (second self titled slbum). Really good stuff. I really like the 77s stuff, all except the first album "Ping Pong Over The Abyss" which I think is unlistenable.

Ange, the 77s are incredible, I should make you a mix MD then you can buy the CDs if you like it.

 

[Brian Bunn]

Philip--I have Pray Naked. Remember the big controversey over the album title? The copy I have doesn't even have the album title anywhere on the package. And the song Pray Naked is blacked out in the song list!

Love The Seventy Sevens. But I'm kind of partial to Sticks and Stones and Drowning With Land In Sight, with the great opening track cover of Led Zep's "Nobody's Fault But Mine"...Rockin'!! The whole album is pretty heavy rock. Sticks and Stones should have sold millions...but of course it didn't.

Also Echoes O' Faith is very good. A live acoustic set.

One of the most talented bands that nobody knows about. Shameful! Mike Roe is a musical genius. Check out his solo albums Safe As Milk and The Boat Ashore (Get it? Michael Roe - The Boat Ashore).

I look forward to hearing A Golden Field Of Radoactive Crows...and would also like to know the story behind that album title!

Oh, how could I forget one of the best live albums I have ever heard...Seventy Sevens-Eighty Eight. If you don't have it try and find a copy. I usually don't care for live albums too much but this one is the exception.

 

[Brian Bunn]

I just checked out the Amazon.com site and was surprised to see that they have a pretty good selection of 77's for purchase. Drowning With Land In Sight is only $5.97! They also list Sticks and Stones, Eighty Eight, and two albums listed just as "Seventy-Sevens"...But I believe the first is Pray Naked. I now remember the record company that released "Pray Naked" made them pull the album title altogether. Not sure what the other one is.

Seriously, if you don't have Eighty Eight you MUST get it! I am listening to it now and it is BY FAR the best live album I have ever listened to. Great stuff. And the recording is top notch. Man what a talented group of guys.

Amazon also has the last two Lost Dogs albums available...Gift Horse and Real Men Cry. I just ordered Real Men Cry from PasteMusic.com. Mike Roe is in this "side project" of sorts, along with Derri Daugherty (of The Choir) and Terry Taylor (of Daniel Amos). The late Gene Eugene (of Adam Again) was in the band for the Gift Horse album. He died in his sleep back in the fall of 2000...went to bed complaining he wasn't feeling very well and never woke up.

Lost Dogs falls under the "alt-country/roots rock genre. Good stuff as well.

So much music to buy! And to think many here on the HTF complain of a lack of good music out there these days. I for one am not having any problem finding plenty of stuff to buy!