In Snake's Collection:
The Beatles (White Album) - The Beatles:
There was a long time I considered this my favorite Beatle's album. My preferences have changed since then, but I still love listening through this eclectic group of songs. It showcased the band at the height of their distancing from each other. Everyone was kinda doing their own thing and the results are songs that really display their individual personalities. "It should have been the White & Whiter albums" - Ringo Starr
Beggar's Banquet - The Rolling Stones:
This was one of my first purchases along with Sticky Fingers in my quest to have more Stones albums. I wanted to hear those album tracks that are true gems. No Expectations, Dear Doctor & Prodigal Son are the ones on this album. This is the Stones at some of their raunchiest and it is also the last album Brian Jones was fully a part of before his death. So, I guess it is special in that right as well. I love the solo outro on Sympathy for the Devil, best ever!
Birth of the Cool - Miles Davis:
This was the beginning of something very special. Davis started his own jazz movement with this compilation album. One of the first things I had noticed was there are 9 musicians playing together. This was apparently a big change from the smaller groups, usually quintets & quartets, on previous jazz albums. The experimentation was just getting started with this album. His big fusion time periods are usually highlighted by Kind of Blue & Bitches Brew. However, this was definitely the birth of something cool!
Girl Power!
Beauty & The Beat - The Go - Go's:
Not only is this one of the most successful debut albums ever and a cornerstone of the 80's New Wave movement, it was the first time ever that an album reached #1 on the charts that was written and played solely by women. Pretty impressive.
I Don't Get It
Behaviour - The Pet Shop Boys; The Bends - Radiohead; Better Living Through Chemistry - Fatboy Slim
Here is a good example of 3 bands that I tried to figure out what all the fuss is about at some time or another. I like a few Fatboy Slim songs, but most of them seem to be WAY longer than they need to be. So, they usually past the point of annoying. Every time I read the name Pet Shop Boys, it just seems like a bad play on words and somehow a rip off of the Beach Boys. That one is probably just me. I found a couple Radiohead songs I could stand and the cover for The Bends is kinda cool. But seriously folks, I think they have ridden the hype machine. Plus, compared to their other albums, The Bends tanked in the US.
Exploring A New Frontier
Berlin - Lou Reed; Bert Jansch - Bert Jansch; Beautiful Freak - The Eels
Here are three albums that I like what I hear. I definitely need to dedicate some time to expanding my listening to these. I like the term 'Rock Opera' so Berlin is a plus. I doubt Bert Jansch's debut album is as progressive as the Pentangle stuff, but we all need roots. Beautiful Freak just sounds really interesting and several of the songs have been in movies. So, that means there is some good stuff in there.
Load the Gun!
Eno - nuff said!
The Rest of the Story
The Beach Boys Today! - The Beach Boys
This was the first of 3 Beach Boy albums in 1965. They also released 3 albums in 1964. Brian Wilson was feeling too much pressure to keep up the band's success and compete with the Beatles. He actually decided to stop touring with the band before the making of this album. The interesting note that I learned was Glen Campbell (yes, the Rhinestone Cowboy) was his first replacement for touring before settling with a lesser name to play bass. Wilson devoted his time to mixing in studio, writing songs and smoking pot. He started smoking marijuana as stress relief, but became hooked after he noticed the way it changed how he perceived music. So, Brian Wilson's music growth was fueled by pot, stress/nervous breakdown, and a new dedication to the studio.
Overall, a pretty good week even with Eno showing up. A shout out to Billion Dollar Babies since I didn't highlight it anywhere. Lots of classic songs in there including the title track which seems to be passed over alot, but is featured in several live albums and Guitar Hero!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
I got to thinking about what it must have been like to walk in Brian Wilson's shoes back in the 1960s. He was pretty much the sole creative force in that band. The Beatles and Stones had numerous guys writing songs and creating big ideas for their albums. Wilson had to compete with that.
I was also thinking about what it must have been like to have 3 huge bands, who generally got along, but wrote stuff in direct competition with each other. They were all 3 trying to outdo each other musically. I can't really think of a time when you had two bands going at it, much less 3. Maybe the Snake has an opinion on this.
That is an interesting thought. I wonder if Wilson had much help from a producer even. It seems like he was doing most of that work too and pounding out the albums like they were. Of course that leads to alot of filler songs I think. Quality or quantity I think. But you think the beatles had 3 song writers and then George Martin to help focus them. The Stones were an even bigger group effort when you pull in Brian Jones and Wiedman. Plus it was just common knowledge they were all gunning for each other.
Still it is hard to think of bands that directly targetted each other. I don't think you have had 3 powerful groups like that ever. The things that come to mind where groups out to destory other genres (Metallica wanting to destroy hair bands, Black Sabbath wanting to scare the crap out of the glam rockers, Nirvana acting out against that 80's scene)
Maybe Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam? Although I think that was more the later two trying to be as important as the first. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) has always been out for Metallica but that is because he is a sore loser and they really don't acknowledge his pitiful existance.
There are move copy cats out there in the years since rather the bands trying out outdo each other.
Wilson also had to contend with the idea that the Beach Boys were the American answer to the British Invasion. In all reality, Dylan really was, but I think in the eyes of the public and media it, at least, initially was the Beach Boys.
I'd say Nirvana and Pearl Jam may have reached that point had Cobain not died. There always seemed to be tension between Cobain and Vedder that probably would have pushed them to try and outdo one another. The other problem was that none of the grunge bands seemed very concerned about image or albums sales.
Megadeth also never broke into a mainstream audience like Metallica did.
Otherwise, I don't think the culture of entertainment allows for bands of any genre to capture that supreme of a hold on the market. Plus, consumers are more saavy (maybe smarter) and fragmented.
Post a Comment