Note: Since I am behind I combined the two weeks worth of albums. Then I wrote quite a bit for the albums I do have so I am cutting it off there. I might post some more comments to the original postings instead.
In Snake's Collection:
Dookie - Green Day
This one started it all for this band that has grown up with my generation. It was fast, loud and edgy. There are four amazing songs that continue to stand the test of time as well as some gems hidden in there for the more adventurous listener (She, Chump, Coming Clean). Overall the album carries a certain sound through it that would probably be a bad thing for an older band, but served Green Day well to identify themselves.
Dr. Octagonecologyst - Dr. Octagon
I am confident in saying this is the craziest album I own. Rapper Keith 'Kool Keith' Thornton and producer Dan 'The Automater' Nakamura came together to create this hip-hop/psychedelic/trip-hop/pornographic/underground concept album (I think that was enough slashes to cover it). Dr. Octagon is an extraterresetrial time traveling gynecologist and surgeon. The rhymes are surreal, imaginative, humorous, and unconventional to say the least. This album never made it out of the underground, but most who've heard it praise it. 'Earth People', '3000', 'Blue Flowers' are the singles and very cool songs. The real gems are 'Real Raw' and 'halfsharkalligatorhalfman'. The latter is the funniest, crazy coolest thing I've ever heard. As you listen through the songs, we learn what Dr. Octagon looks like and the different services he performs (most often with horrible results). There are also cuts from porn films weaved into the story line too that help outline how the Dr. will disguise himself as a female gynecologist and have sex with patients and nurses. Everyone should experience this entire album at least once. It will blow you away whether it is your thing or not. Come to think of it Red has never really told me what he thought of the songs I gave him, although it is a tough read just listening to 2 songs on their own rather than get the feeling of the entire album.
Elephant - The White Stripes
From the opening thunderous beats of 'Seven Nation Army' to the canny conversations of 'It's True That We Love One Another', this album delivers the goods! Remember how I stated a few weeks ago that "De Stijl" was still my favorite White Stripes album (which I will stubbornly stick to), "Elephant is by far their best. It is hard to argue that Jack and Meg deliver songs at their height of perfection. This was certainly their apex as the Stripes looking at their follow-ups "Get Behind Me Satan" and "Icky Thump" with Jack on to starting random bands now it seems. This CD lived in my car for about 2 years. It is impossible to find a better minimalist blues sound. 'Black Math' is another hard hitting fuzz laden blues piece that is very typical of their sound. I love the overdubbed harmonies on 'There's No Home For You Here'. 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself' is one of those painful blues songs where Jack can just pull at your heart strings with his aching vocals. 'In The Cold, Cold Night' is a pure gem in this heavy blues fest. Meg takes the mic and paints this dark seductive picture backed only by a light keyboard and some minimal guitar notes. I like the innocence that Jack's voice can deliver with 'I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart' sounding like a young high school kid trying to win over the prom queen. 'You've Got Her In Your Pocket' follows the same soft mood. 'Ball And Biscuit' follows the more traditional blue setup with a heavy riff followed by some runs on the guitar and move of the chanting vocals. The pure bluest 7 minutes anyone has done in some time. 'The Hardest Button to Button' drives with Meg pounding the kick drum nailing a simple beat and Jack's short and tight guitar playing. 'Little Acorns' starts with a very inspirational story that kinda throws the listener off, but has a good moral that comes out in the song that follows. 'Hypnotize' is my other gem. It is a short snappy tune that is very polished, very reminiscent of the 60's singles (with a little more fuzz). 'The Air Near My Fingers' is another solid blues tune. 'Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine' is a classic, frantic romp through a medicine cabinet. Jack shows off some of those classic vocal stylings. The cover art is awesome and it is hard to find anything wrong with this album. I think this is one I can look back on as I grow older and will be one of those key albums of rock history. It would be one that I would use to help explain to my grandchildren was rock and especially the blues sounded like.
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2 comments:
I'm just glad to see you're still breathing. I wasn't sure there for a few days.
I can't say I have any strong feelings either way for Dr. Octagonecologyst. I remember it being very different from anything else on that CD you made, but like you said, it was two songs, and it's sounds like I was jumping into the middle of a album long narrative.
That reminds me, what'd you think of the CD, I made you? Just curious what passed the test and what didn't.
Yeah you gotta hear the opening track of Dr. Octagon with the porn film soundclips to really help set the mood of the album :) BTW, Yes I am still breathing although I've had to check a few times over the last week. Been non stop. I felt like I could have added more stuff in here but I didn't. Oh well had to get it done.
I've tried to give your CD several listens (which is tough since there are so many songs) before I give feedback. I am hoping to put together a post on it shortly. And as for my CD maybe I will finally get my track listing put together so i can send it out to you.
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