Tag: SamuraiFrog

Now we are hitting those albums that matter the most to me. It should be no surprise that the Beatles show up, more than once.

25. Bill Cosby: Why Is There Air? (1965)
Answer: “To blow up volleyball, basketballs.” It’s how I could ‘”see” Lombard Street in San Francisco a couple of decades before visiting it in person. I learned that “traffic tickets are like savings bonds; the longer you keep them, the greater they mature.”

24. Paul Butterfield Blues Band: East West (1966)
The band with Michael Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. Features a Monkees song (‘Mary, Mary’) and the classic jazz tune ‘The Work Song’.

23. Sly & The Family Stone: Stand (1969)
If I can’t put the greatest hits on the list, this is the album: ‘I Want to Take You Higher’, ‘Sing a Simple Song,’ ‘Everyday People,’ ‘You Can Make It If You Try’, and the title track, plus some interesting non-singles tracks, too.

22. Neil Young: After The Gold Rush (1970)
‘When You Dance, I Can Really Love’ was my song to the college girlfriend. Has a bunch of other good stuff too.

21. Led Zeppelin: I (1969)
I’m sure I mentioned how the day I first heard this album is seared in my memory. It was literally mind-altering.

20. George Harrison: All Things Must Pass (1970)
If I were to guess, in the day, which ex-Beatles album I would most enjoy, I would have picked John, or maybe Paul. Yet it was George’s triple album I played the most. OK, not so much that third LP jam, but the first two for sure. ‘What Is Life’, ‘Wah Wah’, and a lot more. BTW, my high school prom theme was the title of the album.

19. The Sound of Music movie soundtrack (1965)
I love this from the beginning – the nuns singing together, to the melancholy ‘Edelweiss’.

18. Supremes: Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland (1967)
A peculiarly-titled album in that most of their songs at that period were being written and produced by H-D-H. Besides the hits, the standout track is ‘Remove This Doubt’, later covered by Elvis Costello.

17. Lovin’ Spoonful: Daydream (1966)
Bought this when I got a bunch of Beatles albums early on, and it’s been a touchstone since. My 1998 visit to Savannah was ‘Jug Band Music’. The 1980 Democratic primary was ‘It’s Not Time Now’, with Jerry Brown singing, “I can’t seem to get a word in edgewise anyhow.” Lots more.

16. Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed (1969)
From the glorious Merry Clayton vocals on ‘Gimme Shelter’ to the chorale on ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’, it’s the most consistent Stones album. And the US and UK versions are the same, which was NOT always the case in the past.

15. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Deja Vu (1970)
Among other things, appreciated the near-democratic nature of the album: two songs each by the four, one by Stills-Young, and ‘Woodstock’ by Joni Mitchell.

14. Judy Collins: Wildflowers (1967)
Songs in Latin and French, plus the hit ‘Both Sides Now.’ But it is ‘Albatross’ that is the key song for me.

13. The Who: Tommy (1968)
I remember listening to this first rock opera when my father walked by, overheard, “We forsake you, gonna rape you,” and gave me that “What is that boy listening to?” look.

12. Beatles: A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
In the midst of the insanity of Beatlemania touring, Lennon & McCartney came up with seven great songs for the movie, plus six others for the album; my favorite from the latter group is ‘I’ll Be Back.’

11. Elton John: Elton John (1970)
His second album with classics such as ‘Your Song,’ ‘Take Me to the Pilot’, and ‘Border Song’.

10. Cream: Disraeli Gears (1967)
Interesting: ALSO the second album. ‘Strange Brew’, ‘Tales of Brave Ulysses’, ‘We’re Going Wrong’. Not to mention the shared vocals by Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton on ‘Sunshine of Your Love,’ which also features that ‘Blue Moon’ guitar riff.

9. The Band: The Band (1969)
ANOTHER second album. Slice of Americana from four Canadians, and one guy from Arkansas. ‘Rag Mama Rag’, ‘Up on Cripple Creek’ and much more.

8. Pete Seeger: Live at Carnegie Hall (1963)
Wrote about it HERE.

7. Woodstock movie soundtrack (1970)
It’s not just the litany of groups, some of which I’d never heard before, such as Santana. It’s even all the dialogue about the “brown acid,” the “kosher bacon,” and Max Yasgur getting a roar of applause just for saying, “I’m a farmer.” Saw the film twice in a row at the movie theater when it was first released, and I’m sure that had an effect on my appreciation of the triple LP.

6. Beatles: Rubber Soul (1965)
Ten common songs on the US and UK versions, and I like both collections.

5. Simon And Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
It was the duo in disintegration; ‘So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright’ was only tangentially about the architect. I wrote about “The Boxer’ and the title song on Art Garfunkel’s 70th birthday.

4. Jesus Christ Superstar (1970)
The source of a lot of theological discussions in my circle of friends. You don’t have to agree with it to appreciate the songwriting and vocals.

3. Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (1966)
Speaking of religion, this album contains probably my favorite pop tune of all time, ‘God Only Knows.’ But it’s pretty much perfect from beginning to end. Paul McCartney gave copies to all his children as an example of great music.

2. West Side Story movie soundtrack (1961)
Seeing this movie was transformational. But it wasn’t just the story, it was the music. Quintet, the Tonight reprise, where the Jets and Sharks are preparing for the Rumble, Maria and Tony for their date, and Anita for her “private little mix” with Bernardo after the fight. Leonard Bernstein was right to get Stephen Sondheim to change one lyric of ‘Gee, Officer Krupke.’. Our family just saw the Albany High School production of the play, and my daughter is entranced by ‘America.’

1. The Beatles: Revolver (1966)
Still, this is my favorite album. From a kiddie song (‘Yellow Submarine’) to painful songs about loss (“Eleanor Rigby’, ‘For No One’), a most eclectic album, enriched by the three Lennon songs that had been purloined to make the US album Yesterday and Today. For my feelings about the last two songs on the album, read here.

That was fun; thanks to SamuraiFrog for the idea. But I won’t do the 1970s any time soon; too many to select from – the singer-songwriters from the early period, the mid-decade disco era, and the punk rock at the end, not to mention a LOT of Stevie Wonder. I think I’ll do, over time, the 1950s, 1990s, 1980s, and eventually the 1970s. Maybe by then, I’ll have enough 21st-century albums to try that period.

More of the SamuraiFrog-inspired madness shortly. You may find this article interesting: Many classic hits are secretly re-recorded. I remember buying a soul collection (3 CDs), and all but a half dozen tracks were by the original artists, but NOT the original tracks. Likewise with a Herman’s Hermits’ greatest hits collection. VERY disappointing when one discovers it; the ear knows.

50. Temptations: With A Lot O’ Soul (1967)
Usually, a Temptations album is under the direction of one producer, such as Smokey Robinson or Norman Whitfield. But this was a transitional time, which made the album more eclectic.

49. Beatles: White Album (1968)
Remember hearing it for the first time in the basement of the Unitarian church in Binghamton, NY.

48. Roberta Flack: Chapter Two (1970)
Three extraordinary songs out of the eight.

47. Doors: Waiting For The Sun (1968)
‘Hello, I Love You’ is the single, and the least interesting song on the album.

46. Cream: Goodbye (1969)
Album has three live songs, including the definitive version of ‘I’m So Glad’. It also features Badge, written by Clapton and George Harrison.

45. Janis Joplin: Pearl (1970)
Contains the posthumous #1 single Me and Bobby McGee. I was singing ‘Mercedes Benz’ at work around that time. and someone thought it was a Temptations song. Weird.

44. Aretha Franklin: Lady Soul (1968)
It was my sister’s album, so I played it less than it warranted.

43. Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow (1967)
Their second album, with ‘White Rabbit.’

42. Neil Young: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)
Two very long songs, but also my second favorite Neil song, Cinnamon Girl.

41. Vanilla Fudge: Vanilla Fudge (1967)
Great covers of the Beatles, Supremes, Zombies, Sonny & Cher.

40. Led Zeppelin: III (1970)
The worst-selling LZ album. I liked it because it was more mellow.

39. Four Tops: Reach Out (1967)
I believe it was my sister’s album.

38. Temptations: Psychedelic Shack (1970)
That’s where it’s at.

37. Supremes: Meet the Supremes (1962)
The first several singles from the former Primettes were commercial flops, but I enjoyed them, especially ‘Buttered Popcorn.’

36. Traffic: John Barleycorn Must Die (1970)
Was always ‘Glad’ to listen to this album.

35. Jefferson Airplane: Volunteers (1969)
Heavily political, but also has the lovely ‘Good Shepherd.’

34. Judy Collins: Who Knows Where The Time Goes (1968)
My grade school friend Lois gave this to me on my 16th birthday. She said apologetically, “I don’t know if you’ll like it; it’s kinda countryish.” Yes, there is a pedal steel guitar on a couple of songs, but I liked it very much, thank you.

33. Best of Joan Baez (1963)
After Joan made it big on Vanguard Records, a minor label put out this misleading title, which I wrote about.

32. King Crimson: In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969)
I was in a mall in Oneonta, NY a few years ago and heard some really irritating remake of ‘21st Century Schizoid Man,’ a song I loved. Used to play it as loud as the neighborhood would bear.

31. Steppenwolf: Steppenwolf (1968)
This album contains ‘Born To Be Wild’ and ‘The Pusher’, both of which would end up on the Easy Rider soundtrack, but it is ‘The Ostrich’ that was the highlight for me. I forgot that I used to have a feature on this blog called Underplayed Vinyl.

30. Diana Ross and the Supremes: Love Child (1968)
The last good Supremes album, with ‘Keep An Eye’ and ‘Honey Bee’ standouts for me.

29. Paul McCartney: McCartney (1970)
It was like a home recording, Paul, with Linda, noodling about. Yet created my favorite Macca song ever, ‘Maybe I’m Amazed.’

28. Santana: Abraxas (1970)
The segue from ‘Black Magic Woman to Gypsy Queen’ was, well, magical, then followed by ‘Oye Como Va’. The second album, and the first after Woodstock.

27. Hair: Original Broadway Cast Recording (1968)
Played this so much on vinyl that I knew where all the pops and skips were.

26. James Taylor: Sweet Baby James (1970)
There was a law passed in 1971 that every college dorm room in the US HAD to have Carole King’s Tapestry and this album.

SamuraiFrog turned me onto a Beach Boys song I had forgotten, even though I own it.

Now back to our regularly scheduled list:

75. Donovan: Barababajagal (1969)
Love IS hot.

74. Bob Dylan: John Wesley Harding (1967)

73. Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass: The Lonely Bull (1962)
I preferred the cover of Whipped Cream and Other Delights, but I liked the music of this album better, which was not only the first one by the TJB, but also the first album on A&M Records.

72. Big Brother And The Holding Company: Cheap Thrills (1968)
This is the Janis Joplin album with the R. Crumb artwork

71. Crosby Stills & Nash: Crosby, Stills, and Nash (1969)
The first supergroup: guys from The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and the Hollies, though I did not know this at the time.

70. The Jackson 5: Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (1969)
My near-twin Gordon once noted that Michael’s vocal on Smokey Robinson’s ‘Who’s Loving you’ belied his tender age.

69. Bob Dylan: Nashville Skyline (1969)
My high school girlfriend really turned me on to Dylan generally, and this album specifically.

68. Beatles: Please Please Me (1963)
I didn’t grow up with those early UK Beatles albums, but with the US equivalents, which were, more or less Introducing the Beatles (VeeJay Records) and The Early Beatles (Capitol Records).

67. Simon & Garfunkel: Bookends(1968)
Wrote about ‘At the Zoo’ HERE.

66. Walter Carlos (Wendy Carlos): Switched-On Bach (1968)

65. John Lennon: Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Sometimes painful, but sincere.

64. Three Dog Night: Three Dog Night (1969)
Though it always bugged me that the a cappella ‘It’s For You’ is flat.

63. Yes: Yes (1969)

62. Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland (1968)
Just THINKING about this album gives me a buzz.

61. Van Morrison: His Band and Street Choir (1970)
‘Domino’ and ‘Blue Money’ and a bunch of songs you don’t know, but should.

60. Chicago: Chicago Transit Authority (1969)
The first album, which didn’t really hit its peak until after the second album was released. Especially love ‘I’m a Man.’

59. Mamas And Papas: If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears (1966)
That first album.

58. Rascals: Groovin’ (1967)
In addition to the hits, ‘It’s Love.’

57. Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
The UK never had a comparable album, so they adopted the US model in 1976.

56. Simon & Garfunkel: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme (1966)
Actually, my father bought this album. He liked ‘7 O’clock News/Silent Night.’

55. Isaac Hayes: Hot Buttered Soul (1969)
Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic!

54. Bill Cosby: I Started Out As a Child (1964)
Loved the liner notes, how it described how his descriptions weren’t jokes but slices of life that caused one to laugh in recognition.

53. Beatles: Help (1965)
Though I missed the instruments from the US version – which was finally released a few years back – the rest of the songs make up for the loss.

52. Blood Sweat & Tears: Blood, Sweat, and Tears (1969)
Yup, that second album, the one with all the hits.

51. Rolling Stones: Aftermath (1966)
The first LP of theirs I considered an album, rather than singles and filler.
Slightly different in the US and the UK, but I have both.

George Jones’ death reminded me of an album I didn’t put on the list, because I suppose it’s a greatest hits, of a sort: 50 Stars! 50 Hits! of Country Songs, “on two great country albums,” it said on the TV ad. But I didn’t buy it. My grandfather, who worked as a janitor at a radio/TV station, brought it home one day. Being a fan of WWVA, Wheeling, WV, which I could hear at night, I loved it.

Re: Amy’s question about Dusty Springfield: I’ve had a greatest hits album for quite a while, but I’ve only gotten Dusty in Memphis fairly recently, certainly since she died, so it doesn’t have the multiple plays to make the list. Also, there are additional songs on the CD (some leaking into the next decade – 1971) which I like as well or better than the songs on the original LP.

More of my favorite albums; thanks to SamuraiFrog for the inspiration. This is difficult in that the difference between 73 and 72 is really insignificant. The difference between 70 and 7 would be another matter.

100. Beach Boys: Smiley Smile (1967)
This was the weak substitute for SMiLE, the legendary album that was nearly four decades. Still, it has its goofy charm.

99. MC5: Back In The USA (1970)
My high school friends made an antiwar film to ‘High School’

98. Blood Sweat & Tears: Child Is Father To The Man (1968)
That first album, before David Clayton Thomas.

97. Santana: Santana (1969)
First album; songs of this ended up at Woodstock.

96. Jefferson Airplane: After Bathing At Baxter’s (1967)
That strange experimental third album.

95. Rare Earth: Ecology (1970)
The CD was on a twofer, with another Rare Earth album, but the Ecology songs were obviously trimmed. They substituted the 10-minute album version of ‘I’m Losing You’ with the three-minute single version! Outrageous.

94. Jackson Five: ABC (1970)
This was my sister’s album. In the J5 in the day, my voice was very similar in range to Jermaine, who usually did the second leads.

93. Chicago: II (1970)
The album with the first wave of big hits.

92. Jimi Hendrix: Are You Experienced? (1967)
“Have you ever been experienced?”

91. Johnny Cash: At Folsom Prison (1968)

90. Temptations: Puzzle People (1969)
The second of the psychedelic soul albums, with “I Can’t Get Next To You.”

89. Vince Guaraldi: A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
This album, and a biography about him, made me more appreciative of his greater body of work.

88. Steppenwolf: Monster (1969)
The lyrics to the title song are still, unfortunately, most relevant.

87. Simon and Garfunkel: Sounds of Silence (1966)

86. Beach Boys: Friends (1968)

85. Supremes: Where Did Our Love Go? (1964)
The first batch of hits.

84. Arlo Guthrie: Alice’s Restaurant (1967)
Mostly for the title song.

83. Moody Blues: Days Of Future Passed (1967)
This is the album from which ‘Nights in White Satin’ emerged as a hit, four or five years later.

82. Band: Music From Big Pink (1968)
Some people prefer this first Band album to the second, but not I.

81. Led Zeppelin: II (1969)
This fell several notches because the song credit debacle really ticked me off for quite some time.

80. Three Dog Night: Suitable for Framing (1969)
My best female friend in college loved ‘Lady Samantha,’ a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

79. Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
I came to this album fairly late; this century for sure.

78. Grateful Dead: American Beauty (1970)
New Paltz was a Dead college, and while I got bored with their extensive noodling, I liked their shorter songs.

77. Beatles: Abbey Road (1969)
The medley is clever but got overplayed, and perhaps overpraised. Love the Harrison songs on here, though, and a couple of others.

76. Arlo Guthrie: Running Down the Road (1969)
I suppose I had an overfondness for the Woodstock artists.

Continuing with this list of my favorite albums of the decade. I want to specifically reiterate that they are not necessarily the best, but that they gave, and not infrequently give me enjoyment.

Before that, though, gotta mention one album on SamuraiFrog’s excellent finale. Judy Garland: Judy at Carnegie Hall (1961) is not on my list. I never owned it, though I was certainly aware of it. The Capitol Records LP inner sleeves from the mid-1960s – the Beatles and Beach Boys were on the label – always featured it. Probably the first of several albums on his list I’ll have to check out.

125. The Who: Sell Out (1967)
Another album I discovered only in the past decade, via my old friend Fred Hembeck. The motif of faux ads was stolen on some SpongeBob SquarePants CD I own.

124. Joe Cocker: Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1970)
Love the Frenchman’s introduction – “Joe Co-CARE”

123. Rascals: Collections (1967)
The second album, not the greatest hits.

122. Beach Boys: Sunflower (1970)
Underrated at a point the Beach Boys were pretty much written off commercially.

121. Doors: Strange Days (1967)

120. Rolling Stones: Between The Buttons (1967)

119. Van Morrison: Moondance (1970)

118. Righteous Brothers: Back to Back (1965)
Features ‘Hung On You’, written by Goffin/King/Spector plus ‘Ebb Tide.’

117. Ramsey Lewis Trio: Hang On Ramsey! (1965)
A live jazz album that features ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ and ‘Hang On, Sloopy’.

116. Donovan: Open Road (1970)
‘Celtic Rock’ is a particularly engaging tune.

115. Cream: Fresh (1966)
My 7th-grade history group referred to the group as The Cream. My friend Karen disdainfully corrected him: “It’s Cream.”

114. Peter, Paul, and Mary: Album 1700 (1967)
This album, with ‘Leaving On A Jet Plane,” was named for its Warner Brothers Records catalog number.

113. Bill Cosby: Wonderfulness (1966)

112. Laura Nyro: Eli And The 13th Confession (1968)
This woman belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, if only as a songwriter.

111. Herbie Hancock: Maiden Voyage (1965)

110. Mamas & the Papas: The Mamas & The Papas (1966)
The second album.

109. The Night They Raided Minsky’s – movie soundtrack (1968)
This is a slight album – only four or five songs, repeated – in a film I saw at the time. I went with my friend Carol and her friend Judy, for whom I developed a bit of a crush; nothing ever came of it. I know the lyrics to the verse of ‘Take 10 Terrific Girls (But Only 9 Costumes)’ by heart.

108. Derek and the Dominoes: Layla (1970)
My neighbor’s cat in college was named Layla. (My cat, Layla’s sister, was named Doris.)

107. Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde (1966)
This is about the time I first really knew Dylan as the artist, rather than as the songwriter, but bought much later.

106. Doors: The Doors (1967)
I prefer the single version of ‘Light My Fire’, actually. The organ solo was boring to me.

105. Beatles: Beatles for Sale (1964)
Now we get into the murky Beatles territory since this did not exist in the US when I was growing up, only in most of the rest of the world. So it’s a new collection for me – OK, 25 years old, but not nearly 50.

104. Mamas & the Papas: The Papas & The Mamas (1968)
The group went on hiatus, had a greatest hits album, then got together again.

103. Simon & Garfunkel: Wednesday Morning 3 AM (1964)
Much more folky than their later output.

102. Grateful Dead: Workingman’s Dead (1970)

101. Joni Mitchell: Ladies Of The Canyon (1970)
When I was in the play Boys in the Band in the spring of 1975, the cast was at someone’s house and played side one. Enough folks had disdain for the album so that we never heard Side 2, which is more uptempo and might have gone over better with the group.
***
Re: my previous post on the topic, Dustbury discusses the song ‘Reflections.’