Album of the Year: 1980's

1980:  Seconds of Pleasure - Rockpile



Seconds of Pleasure was the culmination of work by the Nick Lowe (Cruel to Be Kind) and Dave Edmunds (I Hear you Knockin') session band.  Despite playing on many Lowe and Edmunds records, Rockpile only released this one album under their own name.  Featuring both original compositions and covers, Seconds of Pleasure unleashed a brand of Welsh rockabilly matched by none.

1981:  Computerwelt - Kraftwerk



Kraftwerk's 1981 classic is a sure sign of the world's optimism concerning the future of computers.  With songs like "Pocket Calculator" and "Computer Love" we can imagine Louis Skolnick  and Gilbert Lowe oscillating wildly...and frankly.... what could be better than that?

1982:  Pornography - The Cure



Pornography is one of the 3 best cure albums (imo).  It starts off dark and gets darker.  Each of the songs are long enough to let the listener to sink into some sort of a trance.  A great accompaniment to 3 Imaginary Boys and The Head on the Door.

1983:  Holy Diver - Dio



Dio hit home with this one.  "Stand Up and Shout " "Holy Diver," "Rainbow in the Dark."  This record is ALL that 80's metal could ever hope to be.  We lost Dio way too soon and this is as good of a remembrance as any.  That being said, the "Holy Diver" music video may be one of the silliest ones in MTV history.

1984:  Ocean Rain - Echo and the Bunnymen



One of the BEST albums ever made.  Ian and the boys are able to bounce back and forth between upbeat, albeit reverb soaked, songs and songs in the complete opposite direction.  Sadly Echo never had the commercial success that many of their "Post Punk" contemporaries.  Luckily Donnie Darko introduced many younger listeners to their biggest hit, "The Killing Moon," which can be found on this record.  Overall, I would say that the title track is my favourite, followed closely by "Nocturnal Me."  This album will not let you down.

1985:  Tim - The Replacements



A great alternative album.  Remembered mostly for "Bastards of Young," Tim is a nice angsty album with some good guitar work.  My favourite track is "Waitress in the Sky."

1986:  The Queen is Dead - The Smiths



The Smiths' crowning achievement is most certainly The Queen is Dead.  From start to finish, the band delivers finely crafted music by Johnny Marr and haunting lyrics by the great Morrissey.  Despite all of the songs having some sort of bizarre basis, most listeners are able to identify with what the narrator (Mozz) is singing about.  This album is perfect.  Everybody deserves to hear this album at least once.

1987:  Darklands - The Jesus and Mary Chain



Another great new wave record.  The Jesus and Mary chain was able to pull off the reverb fueled sound of The Bunnymen while being able to keep the lyrics a "little" more positive. "Happy When it Rains" is a classic and all of the other songs hold up just as well.  It has always puzzled by why these guys were not able to maintain the same longevity as some of their counterparts.

1988:  Surfer Rosa - The Pixies



Surfer Rosa is another great one.  Produced by Steve Albini (of Big Black fame), this record harnesses the raw sound of The Pixies, (i.e. "Bone Machine").  Thanks to Ablini's concept of having an album with a lot of studio banter we get some pretty funny, but slightly forced, commentary between band mates (Buy me a soda?).  I rather like "Gigantic" and "Broken Face."

1989:  Bleach - Nirvana



Not much going on in 1989.  It was more or less a toss up between this and The Pogues.  This is my favourite of the Nirvana albums.  It's nice and heavy and showcases Cobain and Novoselic's talent for playing fast and loud (Grohl didn't play on this one).  "Negative Creep" is certainly a great song to listen to before playing hockey or anything else that requires you to beat the crap out of other people.  I just wonder how Cobain didn't permanently lose his voice singing on this album.

Album of the Year: 1970's

1970:  After the Gold Rush - Neil Young



Perhaps the greatest of 'rainy day' records, Neil Young's After the Gold Rush is a perfect blend of quiet Neil Young with the more rocking Crazy Horse sound.  The album's title track "After the Goldrush" is, in my opinion, one of the greatest songs ever written.  Good music:  check.  Good lyrics:  check.  Pretty much perfection.

1971: Electric Warrior - T. Rex



The Glam king...Bowie or Bolan?  The band was fronted by boa wearing Marc Bolan (sadly died 11 years to the day before I was born).  The album was produced by glam producer king Tony Visconti.  The TOTP of Bang a Gong featured Elton John on piano....pretty glam indeed.  Like After the Gold Rush, Electric Warrior is a perfect blend of acoustic songs ("God") with good old rock and roll "Jeepster."  It is hard to find a better British record from the 1970's... that is unless you consider the top pick for 1972

1972:  The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stadust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie



So here we go...the greatest album ever recorded.  Ziggy tells the tale of a doomed planet that is visited be a far superior species.  The alien is capable of saving the world, but instead gets caught up in its hedonistic ways.  From the fading drum into to "Five Years" to the big string finale of "Rock and Roll Suicide" every ounce of the album is perfection.  Strangely enough it includes a cover of Three Dog Night's "It Ain't Easy."  One of the strongest point of the Pitt produced (remember Tony Visconti left Bowie to produce Electric Warrior) album is Mick Ronson's guitar playing.  Instead of over the top guitar solos, Ronson instead focuses on making a very concrete rhythm track.  Don't get me wrong, the solos are fantastic, but you can tell that Ronno isn't sitting around waiting for them.  Perfect.  Pure and simple.

1973:  Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite -  Elvis Presley




One of the few live albums included on this list.  Here we find Elvis at his performing peak.  There is a fast paced version of "Suspicious Minds."  There are the Elvis standards that you would expect.  He does a selection of great covers including Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," Harrison's "Something," and the most superior version of "My Way" that I have ever heard (I apologize to all of the Sinatra fans out there).  Elvis is the KING, and we clearly can see him here filling those shoes without much effort.

1974:  The Hoople - Mott the Hoople



The last Mott the Hoople record ever recorded.  Paul Rodger's had convinced Mick Ralphs to leave and join Bad Company.  Here we see new guitarist Ariel Bender.  It sounds different from every other Mott record.  Sure, you can tell the glam influence seeping in after Bowie wrote "All the Young Dudes" for them.  Check out the first two tracks:  "The Golden Age of Rock and Roll" and "Marionette."  You won't be let down

1975:  The Rocky Horror Picture Show - Richard O'Brien



A great weird movie with a great soundtrack.  Richard O'Brien was able to write an album that would have been able to stand the test of time without being a movie soundtrack (nod also goes to Curtis Mayfield's 1972 classic Superfly).  Let's do the time warp again?  Sure!

1976:  Small Change - Tom Waits



No, that isn't a drunken homeless man attacking you from inside of your speakers -- its Tom Waits!  Mr. Raspy himself presents a tale of an alcoholic.  The album starts with an arrangement of Waltzing Matilda and then gets right into the boozing.  The piano has been drinking ( a tale about the denial of a drunk man) is the album's highlight.

1977:  One on One - Performed by Seals and Crofts, written by Paul Williams




This is a soundtrack from a film that has never made it DVD (I've never seen it either).  My dad has a vinyl copy of the soundtrack and used to play it often when I was a kid.  This is one of my all time favourite albums.  When you take the song writing power of Charles Fox and Paul Williams and combine it with the vocal power of Seals and Crofts, you can't lose.  One song in particular, John Wayne, is certainly worth a listen.

1978:  Van Halen - Van Halen



  This may very well be the greatest debut album of all time.  Eddie Van Halen invented a style of guitar playing that would be unsuccessfully emulated for the next 20 years.  Once we board the train, there is no looking back.  I would name some of my favourite songs, but I'd wind up listing them all....just listen!

1979:  At Budokan - Cheap Trick



Technically it was released in Japan in 1978, but didn't make it to the USA or UK until 1979, so I'll count it. It has always bothered me that Rick Nielsen is not on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists.  If you have heard him play, it is obvious that it should be.  This album rocks like no other.  There is some sort of mesmerizing clash between Rick's guitar and Tom Peterson's bass that I have never been able to figure out.  The group covered Fats Domino's "Ain't that a Shame" on this record.  When Fats heard it, he was so pleased that he gave Cheap Trick his ORIGINAL gold record for his single.  If that doesn't speak enough about the album, check out "Big Eyes."  You'll be a convert for sure!

Album of the Year: 1960's

Best Albums of the Decade - 1960's

1960:  Lonely and Blue - Roy Orbison




This album was Roy's first full album effort after a string of singles released under the Sun Records label.  Feeling that his vocal power was wasted on the blues based rock and roll tunes coming out of Memphis, Roy moved to Monument.  Featuring the Roy co-authored "Only the Lonely," this was the first chance listeners got to hear the true power of the 'soul of rock and roll.'

1961:  My Favorite Things - John Coltrane





This album is, in my opinion, the best example of Coltrane's studio work.  Playing a selection of songs from the likes of Porter, Rogers and Hammerstein, and The Gershwins, Coltrane's command of the soprano and tenor saxophones is very apparent.  Being a Cole Porter fan, my favorite track is Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye.

1962:  Peter, Paul and Mary - Peter, Paul and Mary



Peter, Paul and Mary's debut album came packed with hits such as 'If I had a Hammer,' '500 Miles,' and 'Lemon Tree.'  The album climbed to number 1 in the US charts and set the stage for a folk revolution (in this year Bob Dylan released his flop debut album and Joan Baez was still struggling for the acclaim that she would reach a few years later).

1963:  Please, Please Me - The Beatles



The Beatles first album is packed with great songs and has great production quality despite being recorded in just one day.  Kicking off with 'I Saw Her Standing There' and finishing with 'Twist and Shout' (interestingly, Lennon had a terrible cold and was drinking tea throughout the day.  'Twist and Shout' was recorded last for fear of John losing his voice.  But thanks to that cold, we have the raspy album version which was never recreated with the same emotion in a live format.)  While this album does not have any of the "deep acid tunes" its songs are still timeless and have the same quality of craftsmanship that can be found on later albums.

1964:  Kinks - The Kinks



The Kinks were a poor band from England.  Due to their obsession with playing their guitars at maximum volume, the wound up gigging with blown amplifiers.  The damaged amps coupled with a maximum gain setting were the perfect recipe to allow the Kinks to be the first hard rock group.  Their debut effort features a selection of 50's rock and roll tunes along with their most popular self-written tune:  'You Really Got Me.'

1965:  Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan



After receiving harsh criticism for going electric on his last album, Dylan ignored his fans and put out another electric album.  Featuring one of his biggest hits (one of my least favorite on the album) 'Like a Rolling Stone' Dylan was able to win over both fans and critics.  The album features a selection of songs with lyrics based more on image creation and less on the story format of his earlier albums.  The album closes with the 10+ minute 'Desolation Row.'  In my opinion, it is hard to find a better song.

1966:  The Sounds of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel



"Sounds of Silence" is an album made up of unreleased 1964 recordings, with new producing and arranging.  The album features many great songs beyond the title track including, 'I am a Rock,' 'Kathy's Song' and 'A Most Peculiar Man.'  Overall I would say this is one of the top 3 rainy day albums.  It is worth noting that later in 1964, Simon and Garfunkel released "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Tyne,"  which contains my favorite S&G song:  'The Dangling Conversation.'

1967:  The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground



This is where things really start to get challenging.  1967 saw the debut efforts of, The Doors, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix.  I believe that this album beats them all.  A bunch of junkies from Andy Warhol's factory got together and produced an album that pushed into the psychedelic realms far further than anything done by The Beatles.  The songs all have power, but lack any sort of great message.  They just have a way of making you squirm in your seat.  During the recording sessions, Lou Reed used what he referred to as an Ostrich Guitar.  Basically, all 6 of Lou's strings were tuned to the same note.  This allowed him to play octave solos by barring any particular fret on his guitar.  It's madness and it's wonderful.

1968:  Dance to the Music - Sly and the Family Stone




The Family Stone blended psychedelic rock with soul to lay the foundation for funk music.  This album urges the listener to get up and dance, as well as just stare at the ceiling and think.  Based on the popularity of this album, Sly and the Family Stone were invited to perform at Woodstock.  The group was able to put out a fair amount of albums before their disbandment, but this one is my favorite.  Check out 'Color Me True!'

1969:  In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson



Welcome to the wild world of prog rock.  Robert Fripp, Greg Lake and the rest of the gang put out a cosmic album that combines all the hard rockin' man would love with musical structure from baroque era music.  There was never and album like it before or after, but if you really like it, I suggest you check out some Hawkwind.

A Comparison

A silly bit of evolution.... I really need to stop making lists.

July 2012
1. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars – David Bowie
2. Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
3. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Tyne - Simon and Garfunkel
4. Funeral - Arcade Fire
5. Full House Live - J Geils Band
6. The Slider - T. Rex
7. After the Goldrush - Neil Young
8. Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles
9. Ocean Rain – Echo and the Bunnymen
10. The Queen is Dead - The Smiths


March 2010
1.  The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars – David Bowie
2. Seconds of Pleasure - Rockpile
3. Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan
4. After the Goldrush – Neil Young
5. Funeral – Arcade Fire
6. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn – Pink Floyd
7. The Hoople – Mott the Hoople
8. The Sounds of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel
9. Ocean Rain – Echo and the Bunnymen
10. Abbey Road – The Beatles





June 2008
1. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars – David Bowie
2. Seconds of Pleasure – Rockpile
3. Abbey Road – The Beatles
4. Ocean Rain – Echo and the Bunnymen
5. Piano Man – Billy Joel
6. Funeral - Arcade Fire
7. The Slider – T. Rex
8. The Hoople – Mott the Hoople
9. Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite – Elvis Presley
10. London Calling – The Clash

Davy, The Monkees, and Me

Today, we lost a great entertainer, and a great human being -- Davy Jones. I find that I am much more upset than I thought I would be. While trying to figure out why I was so upset about a seemingly "no longer relevant" musician dying, I realized that The Monkees had much more significance to me than I really understood:


I don't believe that I had any proper introduction to The Monkees until about 1995 (7 years old) when we gave my Dad the newly released Rhino "Greatest Hits" album. By this time I was a massive Beatles fan, so The Monkees 60's sound was familiar and welcomed. At this point I had no idea that a television program existed. When I first heard that tape, I was blown away by all of the material, but particularly by I'm Not Your Stepping Stone, and Daydream Believer. By listening to that album it was easy to figure (incorrectly) that The Monkees were basically Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones with some other guys helping them out. Needless to say, this album was in pretty standard rotation (along with "Born in the USA" and Rockpile's "Seconds of Pleasure") in my dad's jeep for years to come.

My next Monkee memories come from 1997 when they released a new album "Justus," the television program returned to tv, and they embarked on a tour. I had no idea that they put out a record, but I can clearly remember sitting in my grandmother's living room and listening to my cousin and mother discussing that The Monkees were playing a concert in the area. Sadly we did not go (this would have been my last chance to see my now favorite Monkee, Mike Nesmith, play with the band). Around this same time, I began watching the television program. The magnificent thing about The Monkees is that it appeals to many age groups over many years. Watching the show as a child, it did not seem dated (this turned out to be a slightly funny problem for a friend of mine). Of course watching it now seems dated, but it is so fun that it really doesn't matter. I really liked Davy because he acted and talked "funny."

The Monkees run on television did not last very long. Like many other flash in the pan revivals, The Monkees fell out of favor. I did not meet anyone my age that liked The Monkees until the next year. By this time, I had moved from NJ to Pa and did not have a lot of friends. I was lucky enough to become friends with William White, who I spend a good portion of my childhood playing guns with. William had a CD copy of the same Greatest Hits album (the cd contained more tracks). We used to sit in his basement and listen to that cd over and over again. I was getting a little older and the songs were starting to develop both a deeper meaning, and a connection to my memory. In 2000, I bought a record player and began to scour every thrift store in the area for records. During this time (mind you, this is before I could just jump online and download what I wanted) I was able to get most of the Monkee records. All of a sudden, the flood gates opened and I was hit with all of these songs that I hadn't heard since the television program was airing (Your Aunty Grizelda for instance).

In 2003, I moved back to New Jersey and enrolled in a High School where again, I didn't know anybody. My sophomore year, I met a girl whose favorite band was The Monkees. As these things go, being at the awkward age I was, I developed a crush on her and decided that the best thing I could do was to smugly tell her that The Monkees didn't play their own instruments (this is mostly not true). I guess it pissed her off, but in the long run I think it got our friendship rolling, so I can't complain. Also during my high school years, I spent hours in my basement trying to figure out how to play Daydream Believer on the piano. I figured it out, but have forgotten it by this point. Maybe I will try to relearn it.

By the time I went to college, I found myself deeply moved by the songs sung by Davy Jones. The Monkees seemed to reserve the deeper/romantic/unrequited love songs (I Wanna Be Free, Shades of Gray....) for Davy to sing. I had made some pretty big mistakes and this music was very comforting.

In 2009 I bought the complete Monkees series on dvd (first time I had watched the show in over 10 years). It was a lovely treat to see Mickey, Davy, Peter, and Mike fooling around on my television set. In 2011 I was lucky enough to see The Monkees sans Mike Nesmith perform in Atlantic City. I bought two tickets and, oddly enough, every person I asked to go either declined or didn't answer at all. I finally convinced my mom (who originally said no) to go with me. My mom (who bought the tape for my dad) is really responsible for getting me into The Monkees. She said that it is one of the best concerts she has ever been to -- I agree.

The Monkees are magical. They are the perfect blend, of talent, humor, and sincerity. Today, when watching the show I most enjoy Mike's character (also I am trying very hard to get my band to cover "Listen to the Band."). Nonetheless, Davy Jones commitment to love and happiness strikes a chord with me. I don't think that he was very much different off screen. When I saw The Monkees perform live, Davy seemed to have a very genuine smile. He sang, did a soft shoe routine, and told stories to the crowd and REALLY seemed delighted to be on stage with his friend's bringing joy to the crowd the very same way that they did in the 1960's. I am thankful for the small part that Davy and The Monkees have played in my life. I'm sure there is much more to come.

Tada

I've heard you coming slowly,
rapping at my door.
You showed up, hung around
nothing more.

You've moved so far
Here am I
left behind.