Sell me your favorite album. (1 Viewer)

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

In just got the new remasters of King Crimson's Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair. Wow, it had been a long time since I really listened to those three albums.

Discpline is just a tour de force of virtuoso performances. Crim is possibly the best collection of musicians to ever record a popular record: Robert Fripp on guitar, Adrian Belew on guitar and vocals, Tony Levin on stick and bass, and Bill Bruford on electronic and acoustic drums. Don't worry if you haven't heard of these names; your musician friends have. And they will be burned into your mind by a couple listens to this album.

The first song, "Elephant Talk" is what made me (and many others) fall in love with Crim to start with. From the opening funky stick line to the driving beat to the noodling guitars and all the way through Belew's strange spoken vocal, you think you're listening to something quite new. That is, until you get to the elephant-guitar solo, then you KNOW you're listening to something quite new. And there's another equally weird guitar solo to come...

While the songwriting on the album is remarkable, it's the playing that amazes me every time I hear it. Every sound that comes out is a mystery. "What instrument is that? That doesn't sound like a guitar. And I didn't know you could play a guitar like that!" Bruford's drumming is a bit fancy for my taste, but he's actually being reined in pretty hard by the mastermind Fripp on this particular album, and he has plenty of room to stretch on "Thela Hun Gingeet" and "Indiscipline." Levin is, well, Tony Levin, that brilliant mix of melodic and off-kilter bass/stick lines you might recall from Peter Gabriel's last few albums. Fripp is vintage Fripp, the soulless mathematician of guitar whose dazzling solos are equalled only by his dazzling syncopated rhythm parts. The star of the record is Belew, who is at his vocal/lyrical peak here, from "Indiscipline" ("I carried it around with me for days, playing little games, like not looking at it for a whole day, and then... looking at it to see if I still liked it... I DID!") to the haunting Matte Kudasi:

Stand by the window pane

Pain like the rain that's falling

She waits in the air

Matte Kudasi

She sleeps in a chair

In her sad America

Even hard-core Crimheads who own the whole catalog are going to want to pick up all three of these remasters. The sound quality is not a huge step up from the already excellent E'G records CDs, but the packaging is. It features vintage photos and magazine articles about the band, including good and bad reviews of the album, all wrapped up in a teeny-tiny reproduction of the original LP sleeve. Neato. But seriously, the album would be worth buying if it came in a sandwich bag.

Faves on this album: "Frame By Frame," "Matte Kudasi," "Thela Hun Gingeet," "Indiscipline."

 

[Mick Wright]

Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun. Imagine if Black Sabbath had been from the mojave desert.
If the title of the album doesn't sell you, there's nothing else I can say.

 

[Mike Broadman]

I worship Crimson. They're probably my favorite band of all time.

Andrew, I assume you're referring to the 30th anniversary editions of the albums. Did you get the regular jewel case ones or the limited edition gatefolds? The gatefolds look really neat, like little record albums. The bright, uniform colored album covers look really cool on the gatefolds.

I like all the incarnations of the great Crim, and Discipline is easily a favorite of mine. Simply stunning.

You're right about Bruford being "reigned in." It was a major point of contention between he and Fripp. I'm surprised those two even managed to play together for that long. Bruford is not in the current lineup, since he objected to Fripp's increasing interest in electronic sounds and percussion. However, the current Crim is still fantaastic!

The interlocking guitars between Fripp and Belew is simply the greatest thing I've ever heard. Funny thing is, people used to say, "With Robert Fripp in the band, you simply do NOT have a second guitar player." Boy, did he show 'em. The new material Crimson is creating goes even further into that dual guitar sound. It's even better than the stuff on Discipline.

The only problem I have with Crimson's studio albums is that they usually lack the fire and intensity of their live performances. I highly recommend Absent Lovers, a recording of the last concert that lineup performed.

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

Mike,

I'm pretty sure the cardboard gatefold reissues are the only ones available-- the last versions available in jewel cases were the earlier 1990 remasters.

I like the designs, but can't stand cardboard (and/or digipak) packaging, as it is wont to get beat up all too quickly.

As for the music, however, it's amazing.

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

The gatefolds are a little annoying in that I have only opened Discipline five or ix times and it is already creased on the spine. But that's a minor problem. Like I said: this is a sandwich bag CD.

Oh, I highly recommend the Three of a Perfect Pair remaster as well, which features the infamous and hilarious "King Crimson Barbershop." If you haven't heard it, I'm not going to spoil the surprise.

EDIT: I was going to fix the "five or ix" typo, but it looked like I was saying "five or nine" with Roman numerals, and that's kind of funny.

 

[Mike Broadman]

I'm pretty sure the cardboard gatefold reissues are the only ones available-- the last versions available in jewel cases were the earlier 1990 remasters.

Actually, they have jewel case versions of the gatefolds- same content, different case.

The Crimson CD releases is quite complex and annoying.

They were initially mastered without the participation of Robert Fripp in the 80s. Supposedly, they sounded awful, and Fripp, both by the fan's demand and his own disgust at the sound quality, remastered them and released them in 1990. I had these- they sounded fine to me, but I'm no audiophile.

They were remastered again and released last year, initially in limited edition gatefold sleeves. Some are now hard to find. They then released the same thing in jewel cases: that is, the CDs and booklets are exactly the same as the gatefolds, but they just come in a standard jewel case.

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

I have to tell you, the gatefolds are pretty darn cool. I was annoyed to see them for $4 less each at the Buy last weekend, but I'm still glad to have them. It's just neat to have the occasional bit of wack packaging on your CD shelves, you know?

I'm listening to Beat right now, which I haven't given much attention to before in favor of Discipline and Three of a Perfect Pair. Man, it's good.

 

[Mike Broadman]

I'm definitely in the camp of those who say that Beat and Perfect Pair are major steps down after Discipline. Discipline is a perfect album. The other two have some good stuff on them, certainly, but they knew they were done with Crimson while making Perfect Pair.
That is, of course, until 10 years later...

 

[Colin Dunn]

My favorite album: Marillion's "Brave."

This album is atmospheric and moody, much like the better Pink Floyd albums. Unlike Pink Floyd, the music has a little more hard-rock edge. The band drew their inspiration from a news story about a girl who was found getting ready to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. Lyrics follow a progression, speculating about the girl's unhappy childhood and adolescence. No shallow teen angst about brief love affairs and breakups; instead, lyrics tell the story of a girl who ran away from home to escape sexual abuse. As sometimes tragically happens to runaway teens, she winds up living on the streets and becomes addicted to drugs. These themes remind me much of the book, "Go Ask Alice," which explored similar territory.

This isn't exactly an uplifting story, but it is presented in a genuine, emotionally wrenching way. Particularly good are Mark Rothery's guitar solos; he can infuse even a simple improvised melody with strong emotions. The denouement is bittersweet, and that is the most 'uplifting' part of this album. After your first listening, you will be thinking for days about a lot of issues.

- Where did her life go wrong, and what could have been done to get her back on track?

- Do people seek illicit drugs and promiscuous sex to fill an emotional void?

- Which is worse: To be safely sheltered but subject to sexual abuse, or to live on the streets but live free of this abuse?

- Do the mass media, in a quest for sensationalized news, take advantage of tragedies in order to sell?

- If your life is bleak and miserable, and you have no future prospects, is suicide a rational choice? Is it EVER a rational choice, or a lack of faith in one's future?

This album also imparts, in a way I have never experienced before or since, how tenuous one's life and sanity can be.

If you can handle this emotionally challenging album, I definitely recommend you check it out. If you like this one, move on to "Clutching at Straws" and "Misplaced Childhood" next.

 

[Michael Caicedo]

I am not much of a salesman either. I like a very eclectic mix of music. Anything from Metal to Blues, Jazz, Techno, alternative(whatever these labels mean, but you get the idea). The album that pops into my head as probably my favorite is:
Elvis Costello - Get Happy
I was turned on to this album by my friend's dad, a brilliant former college professor turned recluse. He had a huge library of Jazz and Rock records and he considered this one of the finest rock albums of all time.
What can I say about it? Well, it is the master at the top of his game. Sparkling, soulful, witty lyrics enveloped in haunting yet never cliche or easy melodies. There are twenty tunes (more in the re-release), almost all about three minutes long that seem to draw you in and leave you wanting for more, at least until the next one hits you. Backed up by The Attractions, possibly one of the tightest rock ensembles I've ever heard, Elvis croons with range and emotion that surprises you.
For me, this is the one album that if I play one song on it, I have to play the rest to feel satisfied.
Anyway, that's my take on it. Give it a listen or two if you get a chance. You might just get hooked.
By the way, Astral Weeks is now on my list to get, you guys sold me on it.

 

[Steve_E]

My favourite album (or one of em anyways... ) is by a English group called Muse. The album title is Origin of Symmetry.
This was the follow up to their critically acclaimed album "Showbiz" and whilst that was relatively a success there were a few claims that they were just another radiohead. With OOS, all that was blown out of the water. An epic album in every sense of the word.
The first track starts off very quiet and very slowly but ends frantic and very loud!
Stand out track is definetly "Plug in Baby" and "Citizen Erased" Theres even a re-make of "Feeling Good"
One of the great thing about Muse is Matt Bellamys singing. Every lyric is dripping in emotion and this is what music should be about. Not a manufactured pop band who sing a bland song with a ditty chorus but a group like Muse, who write their own songs, play their own instruments and write and sing their songs with such passion and gusto that its simply breathtaking!
The last track on the album ends this epic album in almost biblical scale with its pounding organs. I hear they are releasing another album pretty soon and from what I have heard of the bonus OOS track on the Japanse Album (in the form of Futurism) it looks like the 3rd is gonna be even better. :

 

[L. Anton Dencklau]

Since this thread has indirectly caused me to lose several nights sleep by introducing me to Radiohead's "OK Computer" (was I living under a rock?) please allow me to revive it for the moment. I would like to write about several of my favorite albums. I think most are significantly more mainstream than some have described here, but for me anyway they have entertained repeated spins over the years.
Topic One:
Megadeth - Rust In Peace
I don't know whether I can honestly call myself a Heavy Metal fan. The term has kind of aquired a stigma, ("Heavy Metal Parking Lot" anyone?) but I would like to believe that the best music will transcend categorization.
Rust In Piece is pretty much the only metal album from its time period that I can listen to in its entirety. This is the first Megadeth album that guitar virtuso Marty Friedman appeared on, and his presence, along with the multitude of narcotics that bandleader Dave Mustaine was abusing at the time seemed to have sent the band into overdrive. The music is fast, fast, fast. I am not a musician, but the sound of this album is two guitarists acting like their fingers may fall off at any second and working to squeeze out as much music as fast as they can in the remaining time. However, the songs don't sound like they are simply speed for speeds sake, or some sort of guitar hero technical masterbation. Lyrically, the album spends its time exploring a vaguely sci-fi post-nuclear landscape, with references to world leaders, military forces, aliens, and the topic that this band probably knows best: drug use. Dave Mustaine has a terrible, high nasal whining signing voice, but the focus is entirely on the music and instrumentation so it doesn't really matter. At one point ("Poison was the cure") his voice literally becomes song texture as the vocal becomes so gutteral and indecipherable it sounds like he might be forcing the words out faster than his tongue can make them.
Post "Rust In Piece" the band explored more traditional songwriting (what some would call "selling out"), and lost some of the precise sound of this album. I don't think they have any other album as consistently crafted as this. (Although to be fair, I haven't heard any of their albums post 1994's "Youthanasia")
It fascinates me that after leaving the band, Marty Friedman has pursued a career as a new age musician.
(more to come)

 

[L. Anton Dencklau]

Topic Two:
Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstacy
When I was in college I briefly volunteered as a DJ at my college radio station. I knew a couple of people on the staff and they gave me the the show on Mon Night/Tues Morning from 1:00AM to 4:00 AM. (I guess they figured I couldn't screw it up because... who would be listening?) In the booth at the station there was a slide rack directly behind the board where the newly added CD's were placed before they went into the general collection. Whenever an album was added the music director placed a sticker on the back cover (about 2 inches square) which described the artist/music and listed the recommended tracks and whatever other information they felt like putting there. My show was one of the few "open format" shows, so with some guidelines I could basically play whatever I wanted to play. One morning going through the CD's I came across Fumbling Toward Ecstacy.
Ths back sticker read: "? Ethereal, strong female pop with good lyrics. Lucinda Williams + Sinead "
The question mark was what stuck me as odd... like the director didn't quite know how to categorize the album. I thought, Hmm, lets give this a spin. Today I'm still listening to it. I immediately was drawn to the soft vocal and personal lyrics, as well as the muted tone of the music. I think it also helped that it was very early in the morning, and I was in that strange Radio DJ position of complete physical isolation but a shared mass intimacy with whoever might have been listening. There's a strange sort of sad/happy/melancholy immediacy in the music on this album that was very moving in that context. I also think the fact that the lyrics weren't buried under impentratable metaphors made me more receptive to Sarah McLachlan than her chief rival at the time, (despite the fact that the other person I'm thinking of was much more popular then). This album, more than her other records (although her other music is very good also) stands out to me because it is so evocative. I know people sometimes intentionally listen to music that reflects their mood at the time. Angry? Angry music. Happy? Happy music. This album for me had the power to push past that and work towards making the listener (me) adapt my mood to its tone. Does that make sense?
One of the things I really love to do is listen to music. Its albums like this that make me feel entirely...rewarded for my time and effort.

 

[Jim_C]

Tori Amos Little Earthquakes
I'm very bad with descriptions but here goes...
This album is full of powerful lyrics that express the emotional dynamics of love, abuse, family, religion, and unfortunately, rape. I say unfortunately because Tori came upon the inspiration for the song first hand. She was raped and relays that experience to us in Me and a gun:
...It was me and a gun and a man on my back
and I sang "Holy Holy" as he buttoned down his pants...
I have most of her albums but nothing comes close to Little Earthquakes. There are so many tracks on this album that stand out that I have a hard time picking out one. Perhaps Silent All These Years would be a good choice today.

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

I'm so glad to see this thread resuscitated that I have to post again.
Bruce Cockburn - The Charity of Night
You can pick up pretty much any Bruce Cockburn album from about 1975 on and be guaranteed a winner. A disproportionate number of my all-time favorite albums seem to be by this guy; Humans, Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws, World of Wonders, and Dart to the Heart. But I've been listening to 1996's The Charity of Night a lot lately, and the more I listen the more I realize that this just might be the best collection of songs that this imposing songwriter has created.
The cover art begins the album; an abstract, dark yin-yang angel holding a massive machine gun with a look of calm on her face. From the opening shuffle-beat of "Night Train" you can get a sense that this is going to be a bit grittier and edgier than even Cockburn is generally known for:

Not a knife-throw from here you can hear the night train passing
That's the sound somebody makes when they're getting away
Leaving next week's hanging jury far behind them
Prisoner only of the choices they've made
Night train

As usual with Cockburn's albums, the opening track establishes an emotional tone that the rest of the disc is going to follow; in this case with a locomotive brush-stroke drum beat from Gary Craig, droning acoustic guitar, unpredictable and brilliant melody from bassist Rob Wasserman, and screaming, shrill electric guitar solos. The last verse of the song contains the best lyric on the record: "Ice cube in a dark drink shines like starlight / Starlight shines like glass shards in dark hair." The listener is left wondering whose hair, why there might be shards of glass in it, is the person alive or dead?
Long-time fans of Cockburn will recognize certain patterns in the songs, but as always he just does it so well that you forgive him a certain amount of repetition. Legendary vibes player Gary Burton adds a jazzy touch to about half of the songs without overpowering Cockburn's vision; his work is exceptional in "Birmingham Shadows" and the instrumental "Mistress of Storms." Bonnie Raitt's slide guitar brings a ton of soul to "The Whole Night Sky." And Craig and Wasserman are about a great a rhythm section as any guitarist/songwriter has ever had. But the star is as usual Cockburn's guitar. No one makes an acoustic guitar sing the way he does (see the "Pacing the Cage" and the haunting title track), and the growl of his electric just gets better and better every year.
Favorite tracks: "Pacing the Cage" for its gorgeous melody, "Birmingham Shadows" for its evocative lyrics and leisurely pace in setting up its direction, "The Mines of Mozambique" for its driving beat, and the closing "Strange Waters" for everything from its unsettling tone to its deceptively simple structure. But there isn't a loser on this disc.
Cockburn's fixation on the world's injustices contrasted with heaven's compassion is the prevailing theme in all of his music for at least 25 years, but Charity really seems to have the idea refined and honed to a razor-edge of clarity. As always, Cockburn dances along the line between intellectual challenge and complete listenability. His melodies are flawless, his playing peerless, and his lyrics imperative.
If you've come away from this post without a sense of what the album actually sounds like, that's because Cockburn is a little hard to pin down. He's definitely rock and blues, but there's a lot of folk in there with some real honest Canadian country thrown in. If you've ever heard his name and wondered what it is that makes this fairly obscure songwriter one of the most respected musicians of his generation, The Charity of Night is a good place to find out.
NP: They Might Be Giants - Factory Showroom

 

[Darren H]

One addendum to your great review, Andrew. The Charity of Night also features the beautiful voices of Ani DiFranco and Jonatha Brooke. One of my all time top 10 albums, no doubt.

NP: "This is a Man's World" by James Brown

 

[Andy Anderson]

Andrew-

Bruce Cockburn may have some of the best lyrical imagery in his songs that I've ever heard. Charity is an amazing album.

2 quotes from "The Coming Rains":

"I'd come panting to your door, and slide like smoke into your room.."

"Hot breeze ran its fingers through the long grass of a thatched roof eave; they stuck me in the only chair they had while they cooked cassava and a luckless hen."

"Pacing the Cage" may be my favorite track on the album. The recurring lyrical image of a tired, frustrated animal pacing the cage serves well to set the mood. Great song.

 

[Leo Hinze]

I will second the Toy Matinee recommendation.
A little more history behind the band: Kevin Gilbert was later a member of Sheryl Crow's Tuesday Night Music Club.
Patrick Leonard is also a producer of some note. One very good album he produced was Bryan Ferry's Bette Noire.