Sunday, August 24, 2003

The 50 Most Important Albums (31 - 40) (41 - 50) Richard D. James Album - Aphex Twin: Richard D. James (a.k.a. Aphex Twin) was named after his dead older brother. Not surprisingly, his music gives every indication of being made by a troubled soul (see "Milkman" on this album). Yet from cold, jagged sounds that are hard to hear as anything but pieces of his pain, he made an album of deceptively smooth, warm songs. Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin II was quite an album, but it didn't give an adequate picture of all the ground this band could cover. Led Zeppelin IV was more accomplished, but for the unfortunate inclusion of "Stairway to Heaven." It was on Physical Graffiti that Led Zeppelin fulfilled their promise, touching on a little bit of everything. The high point is probably "Trampled Under Foot," and it slides into bombast only on the dreaded "Kashmir." Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan: By 1975, Bob Dylan had been pretty much everything: folk singer, blues singer, country singer, protest singer, rock star, and poet. He brought a little of each of them to this collection--the last masterpiece he was to release for twenty years--which includes personal favorites like "Tangled Up In Blue," "Idiot Wind," and "Shelter From the Storm." Sings the Rodgers & Hart Song Book - Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald systematically recorded virtually all of the American standards in the course of her song book project. Hers were the definitive versions of most of those songs. This album stand out a bit from the rest by virtue of the sly sophistication of Rodgers and Hart's songs. Check Your Head - Beastie Boys: The Beastie Boys released Licensed to Ill and sold more records than any rap artist before them, causing a great deal of consternation in the hip hop community. A few years later, they released Paul's Boutique--as dense a mass of sampling as is ever likely to be recorded--which suggested to many that they were no flukes or one-hit wonders. But others saw the brilliance of that album in the Dust Brothers' production. So after another few years, they released this album, on which they played hip hop and its component forms (reggae, soul, rhythm and blues, funk, etc.) as a punk band and established their credibility beyond a reasonable doubt. Ramones - Ramones: 1-2-3-4 and in came simple rock n' roll played with tremendous energy and limited skill (just like it was meant to be), and out went every pretentious affectation, from long and winding solos to concepts. It was only later, after the Ramones toured England and spawned legions of followers (who, in turn, came to the States and spawned their own followers) that this became known as punk rock. Te Deum - Arvo Pärt: This might just be Dante's music of the spheres. It's fast and slow, loud and soft, wrenching and soothing, sometimes all at once. It pulses with all the majesty of minimalism, but none of its sterility. 3 Feet High and Rising - De La Soul: Just when hip hop was all about hard poses struck under fat gold chains, along came these bohemian brothers from Long Island sampling Johnny Cash, Steely Dan, and French instruction records, and rapping about potholes in their lawns and the curative powers of Ludens cough drops. New Adventures in Hi-Fi - R.E.M.: Everyone points to Murmur as the great R.E.M. album, but I've never been able to understand how listeners could see all that this band would become from that album. For me, this album--recorded on the Monster tour--is a better indication of what they could do, with songs like "New Test Leper," "Bittersweet Me," and "So Fast, So Numb." It's R.E.M. as a working rock band. Endtroducing... - DJ Shadow: It's difficult to determine where the music is coming from on this uncanny album. Though built up entirely from samples, it sounds more like some combination of a live band and electronic instruments. It's hypnotic, but still manages to swing. 10:14:49 AM     What do you think? ()

© Copyright 2003 Morgan N. Sandquist. Last update: 11/2/03; 10:36:07 AM.

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