rjs@hpfclo.UUCP (rjs) (09/05/84)
[8-)] I'm in the process of updating my record collection and I thought that it might be interesting to get a list of "classic" R&R (and R&B) albums that NO RECORD COLLECTION should be without! While I'm sure that everyone has their own personal preferences, I'm curious to see what the intersection would be. I'll start the ball rolling with: Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd Bob Schneider ihnp4!hpfcla!hpfclo!rjs
rodean@hpfclo.UUCP (rodean) (09/08/84)
[Hey, hey, my, my. Rock 'n Roll will never die]
I have two criteria for albums to be considered "classics". First they
must be at least five years old to stand the test of time. Second they
must sound as good today as when they first came out (subjective I
admit).
After looking through my collection (which of course reflects my taste),
I would consider these six albums to be classics (in order of my
preference):
1) Who's Next - The Who
2) Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
3) Moondance - Van Morrison
4) The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys - Traffic
5) Crime of the Century - Supertramp
6) Year of the Cat - Al Stewart
I would also put Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon on my list but Bob
has already nominated it.
Bruce Rodean
{ihnp4|hplabs}!hpfcla!rodeandid@ucla-cs.UUCP (09/09/84)
The Wall -- Pink Floyd
Also a must for a record collection.
Dave
Arpa: did@UCLA-LOCUS.ARPA
UUCP: {ihnp4 | randvax | sdcrdcf | trwspp | ucbvax}!ucla-cs!didmyers@uwvax.ARPA (Jeff Myers) (09/09/84)
Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow The Who - Who's Next Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks Grateful Dead - Europe '72 (and all their others, of course) Creedence Clearwater Revival - Creedence Gold The Clash - The Clash The Jam - This is the Modern World This sure beats beating the ole' Great Guitarist debate to death...
merchant@dartvax.UUCP (Peter Merchant) (09/09/84)
{ }
Personally, I have yet to see a record collection (among my friends)
that does not contain Meatloaf's "Bat Out Of Hell."
--
"I'm prayin' for the end of time Peter Merchant
so I can end my time with you."strock@fortune.UUCP (Gregory Strockbine) (09/12/84)
Never Mind the Bollocks - Sex Pistols an early Presley album a Little Richard album Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers something by Hendrix Here Come the Warm Jets - Eno Velvet Underground - the album with the banana on the cover Chairs Missing - Wire Live at the Witch Trails - the Fall the first and only album by X-Ray Specs first album by Throbbing Gristle that's all I can think of right now.
gibson@unc.UUCP (Bill Gibson) (09/17/84)
The only one I can think of that I haven't seen in the many postings thus far is Boston's "More Than a Feeling". It hasn't been around for decades yet, but apparently that's not vital in being a classic. Bill Gibson [gibson@unc]
rch@brunix.UUCP (Rich Yampell) (09/18/84)
Having just joined this net, I've missed, I'm sure, much of this list, so
I apologise in advance for any duplication, but if you're going to list
'Classic Records', then a couple come to mind that may well have escaped
the list thus far:
Return to Forever: Romantic Warrior
Kansas: Song for America
Al DiMeola: Elegant Gypsy
Chicago: Chicago Transit Authority (Chicago I)
Beethoven: Any good recording of Symphony 3 ('Eroica')
-----
Note: One axiom which I have often found true in music is that if you
want to hear the *really* good stuff a band has done, you should go back
to the *early* albums. Many bands seem to degenerate as time goes on and
they become wealthy and comfortable, and become more interested in being{
wealthy and comfortable than in making great music [one of the few
exceptions to this pattern is the Beatles, which is really what made them
so great]. Thus, if you haven't heard *early* Kansas or *early* Chicago
and are only familiar with their more recent works, then you'll be very{
surprised if you listen to the albums I mention for them. Particularly
Chicago. Most people today don't tend to think of Chicago as a band
capable of doing excellent 15-minute guitar jams, for example.strock@fortune.UUCP (Gregory Strockbine) (09/19/84)
What about Patti Smith's Horses album.
strock@fortune.UUCP (Gregory Strockbine) (09/21/84)
> Thus, if you haven't heard *early* Kansas or *early* Chicago > and are only familiar with their more recent works, then you'll be very{ > surprised if you listen to the albums I mention for them. Particularly > Chicago. Most people today don't tend to think of Chicago as a band > capable of doing excellent 15-minute guitar jams, for example. I saw Chicago back in the 60's at the Fillmore East. They announced they had changed their name from "Chicago Transit Authority" to "Chicago". They played material off their first album and were quite good. I didn't care for any of their later albums. The other group on the bill that night was Frank Zappa and the Mothers.
adler@aecom.UUCP (Elliott Adler) (09/26/84)
> I tried to think of this as 10 records I'd pick if I had to > only have 10 records on a desert island: > (no order of preference) > > Thus, this is my preference, not my view of what records were > "most influential". Also, I'll try to not "wimp out" by choosing > compilation ("best of") albums. > > 1. Bruce Springsteen - "Born To Run" > 2. Rod Stewart - "every Picture Tells A Story" > 3. Nick Lowe - "Labour of Lust" > 4. Dave Edmunds - Trax on Wax" (or, maybe "Repeat When Necessary") > 5. Rolling Stones - "Let It Bleed" (I was tempted by "Get Your Ya-Yas Out") > 6. Beatles - White Album > 7. Derek and the Dominoes - "Layla" > 8. Beatles '63-'67 (I had to) > 9. Elvis Presley - some greatest hits disk, which would have to include > Heartbreak Hotel, Jailhouse Rock, Don't Be Crual, etc. just so I'd > have something to practice my "shower-singing" with. > 10. Prince - "Dirty Mind" - this is a little shaky, but I like it a lot > > Bob Schleicher > ihuxk!rs55611 > AT&T Bell Laboratories, Naperville, Ill. *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE *** OK, I am not caught up on the net yet... but I am really suprised at you folks... so what if you don't like Neil Young... BUT HOW CAN YOU LEAVE "HARVEST" off the list... please... if this isn't a classic... then what is... oh, somewhere there is justice in this world. Elliott Adler.
clark@sdcsla.UUCP (Clark Quinn) (10/02/84)
Well, I guess it is time to add fuel to the flames regarding "classic albums". I think one thing to consider is 'who are the classic bands, and what is their classic album'? My own humble :-) suggestions follow: Sgt Peppers , Beatles (not an original recommendation) After the Goldrush, Neil Young (I am aware that one correspondent believes Harvest should get the nod, but I prefer this one). Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen (Just got floor ticket for LA concert, Halloween!) (Already suggested once) Skeletons and Roses, Grateful Dead Who's Next, The Who Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie (Not David Live, altho that's a better intro) Layla, Derek and the Dominos (already suggested once) Dark of the Moon, Pink Floyd Old and in the Way Blows Against the Empire, Jefferson Starship (Already suggested once Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, Traffic .......................................... For some artists, I like greatest hits compilations, altho there are more representative collections. Since I don't know the definitive albums for the following, I will just mention the group (I am open to suggestions). The Band (Best of) The Doors (Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine) Bob Dylan (Greatest Hits, Vol I and II) Santana (?) Bob Segar (Nine Tonight) Jimmy Buffett (?) Jefferson Airplane (Worst of) Rolling Stones (Hot Rocks) (And something else more recent) The Allman Bros. (The Road Goes on Forever) Lynard Skynard (One More From The Road) .......................................... The following are bands I am currently enamored of, but still need to stand the test of time. The English Beat (Special Beat Service) (They were great live!) Greg Kihn (Kihntinued or Rock'Kihn'roll) (Not much on lyrics, but fun!) George Thoroughgood (George Thoroughgood and the Delaware Destroyers) (See Live!) Elvis Costello (My Aim is True) Prince (1999) .......................................... And a few soundtracks I find indispensable... Hair (Yeah, I don't listen to it much anymore, but oh when I do) The Harder They Come (With the title song always ringing in my head) Rockers (You mean you haven't heard of this? Get crackin!) .......................................... And a few scattered other recommendations... Jackson Browne Eagles (At least for nostalgia) Tom Petty (Live was fun in '81) Police .......................................... Need to hear more of... Clash Juluka (Saw live, incredible!) U2 (A Christian band, you say?) Genesis (sp?) Roxy Music .......................................... Well, that should offend just about everybody. Hope that some people have spotted something that they will want to hear more of, and that I haven't dated myself too badly. And I'm sure I've forgotten some, but I hope the rest of you netugees will take care of that. -- Clark "Do you believe in magic?" John Sebastian
michaelf@ism780.UUCP (10/05/84)
#R:sdcsla:-67800:ism780:20500025:000:391 ism780!michaelf Oct 4 12:11:00 1984 Check out Roxy Music first. You wanted MORE of them? They've been around since 1972. Ferry (the crooner), Eno( the Hendrix of synthesizers) and Manzanera (rhythmic aloofnes personified) produced a sound that most "New Wave/Dance-Oriented/Talking Headish" stylists can't seem to escape from mimicking. Stranded Siren For Your Pleasure Country Life Take your pick.
howard@sci.UUCP (Howard Landman) (01/19/85)
Sorry, but I'd have to veto the Santana Abraxas album. I too remembered it as being great, but I just listened to it for the first time in ~12 years and it really doesn't stand up, even on Compact Disk. Besides "Black Magic Woman" and some nice instrumental work there's nothing to recommend it. Their FIRST album, Santana, now that might be a different story. My own recommendations in no particular order: Beatles, Abbey Road Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band Grateful Dead, Terrapin Station Ultravox, Systems of Romance It's a Beautiful Day, It's a Beautiful Day Jefferson Airplane, Surrealistic Pillow Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon Fleetwood Mac, Rumours Phil Manzanera, Diamond Head (English import only, I think) Moody Blues, In Search of the Lost Chord Country Joe & the Fish, Electric Music for the Mind and Body Alan Parsons Project, I Robot Howard A. Landman "One doesn't want to drink one wine one's whole life, one wants to try them all!"
ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (01/23/85)
To all who think Abbey Road, the White Album, or Sgt. Pepper is the best Beatles record, go back and listen to Revolver. It's a real sleeper.
rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Pesmard Flurrmn) (01/29/85)
> To all who think Abbey Road, the White Album, or Sgt. Pepper > is the best Beatles record, go back and listen to Revolver. > > It's a real sleeper. [ANDREW KOENIG] Seconded. Most especially the (original) British release and not the American version. Capitol had gotten the Revolver tapes early somehow, so they included three songs from the then upcoming Revolver album onto a collection called "Yesterday and Today", noted most for its original intended cover. "Y&T" [not the schlockometal band, the aforementioned album!] contained just about everything that Capitol HADN'T released in America previously, including Yesterday, several tracks from Rubber Soul, and three songs that would have been included on Revolver [they ARE on the British version]. I think they were "She Said She Said", "Doctor Robert", and "I'm Only Sleeping" (???). (I do remember that they were ALL Lennon songs that were transferred.) With or without these cuts, Revolver still stands up as perhaps the most finely crafted Beatles album of all. It presaged the psychedelic period without getting into its excessiveness (not that I disliked the excesses). It featured McCartney with some of his finest compositions: beautiful melodies without the gushy wimpy sentimentality that marred much of his later work, including "For No One", "Here There Everywhere", "Good Day Sunshine". It featured Lennon at his most eclectic and innovative with "Tomorrow Never Knows", "I'm Only Sleeping", "And Your Bird Can Sing" (a great "up" song for Lennon). It featured perhaps Harrison's finest rock composition ("Taxman") ever. Did anyone else recall that at one point the second Devo album was going to be called "Devolver"? -- "I don't understand. Is it modern?" Rich Rosen pyuxd!rlr
bills@grkermit.UUCP (Bill E. Schaffer) (01/30/85)
>> To all who think Abbey Road, the White Album, or Sgt. Pepper >> is the best Beatles record, go back and listen to Revolver. >> >> It's a real sleeper. [ANDREW KOENIG] > >Seconded. Most especially the (original) British release and not the >American version.... [RICH ROSEN] I agree - "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" (US *or* UK) are my favorite Beatles albums for basically the same reasons RR points out - consistently good material plus the ability to use the studio creatively (without overindulging in studio gimmickry to nearly the extent of much of their later work.) The care that went into the arrangements is particularly evident on "RS"; note how the instrumentation varies between songs and the textures vary within songs. (Yes, they had begun experimenting with different instruments back in the Beatles '65 - Beatles VI era, but then they seemed to be just dabbling with effects to compensate for generally lackluster material. On "RS" and "R" the unusual instruments - sitar, french horn, double-speed piano, harmonium, fuzz bass, etc. work with the material instead of appearing merely as decoration.) The US release of "Rubber Soul" omits four tracks from the UK release ("Nowhere Man", "What Goes On", "If I Needed Someone", "Drive My Car"), replacing them with two tracks *not* on the UK release ("I've Just Seen a Face" and "It's Only Love" - did they *ever* appear in the UK?). As RR pointed out, those four tracks, plus four from recent US singles and three premature releases from the "Revolver" sessions ("Dr. Robert", "I'm Only Sleeping", and "And Your Bird Can Sing" [not "She Said She Said"]) were thrown together as "Yesterday and Today" for US release. (I believe one of the latter is an alternate take of the version on the UK "Revolver".) Reportedly, the Beatles' displeasure at such an obvious ripoff (hardly the first one, either) prompted them to pose for the notorious "butcher" cover. (Capitol didn't have the balls to release it in '66 - but once they knew they could cash in on it, they not only re-issued the cover in "Rarities" but actually *advertised* the fact! Shpxvat hypocrites!) On a related subject - a while back there was a TP question concerning the Stones' "12 x 5" LP. I'm sure the British netters are scratching their heads over that one! Like "Yesterday and Today", "12 x 5" was a U.S.-only release - the Stones' US label (London) turned two UK albums (plus singles and outtakes) into three US albums. The first ("The Rolling Stones") made the transition abridged and retitled ("England's Newest Hit Makers"); the second ("The Rolling Stones No. 2") was literally split in half - the cover photo appeared on the US "12 x 5", while the liner notes appeared on the US "The Rolling Stones Now"! BTW, An alternate take of "Time Is On My Side", recorded at Chess Studios, appears on "12 x 5". AW Rogers
jeff@dciem.UUCP (Jeff Richardson) (01/30/85)
There isn't much I can add to Rich Rosen's article on The Beatles' "Revolver"
album, except for a little correction (actually, Rich said he wasn't sure
anyway, but I am): Assuming the US version of "Revolver" is the same as the
Canadian version, the three songs from the British version of the album that
do not appear on the American version are "I'm Only Sleeping", "And Your Bird
Can Sing", and "Dr. Robert". ("She Said She Said" IS on both versions.)
All three appear on "Yesterday And Today", but I think they fit in with the
style of "Revolver" a lot better, especially "I'm Only Sleeping".
For those of you who only know the American version, send me mail if you want
to know where those songs appear on the British version. In fact, I could
even send you a complete list of what songs were on all of The Beatles'
British albums which, prior to Sgt. Pepper, were all different from the
American releases. (I don't have a list of what's on the American releases,
but if somebody would send me one I'd be grateful. I went for the British
versions because they contain more songs and because they're the way the
Beatles intended the albums to be released.)
--
Jeff Richardson, DCIEM, Toronto (416) 635-2073
{linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd}!utcsrgv!dciem!jeff
{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!dciem!jeffCarl Moore (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@BRL-VLD.ARPA> (01/31/85)
You got 2 songs switched. The 3 Lennon songs from the British "Revolver"
appearing on U.S. "'Yesterday'...and Today" (note the pun) are "I'm
Only Sleeping", "Dr. Robert", and "And Your Bird Can Sing" (not "She
Said She Said", which uses both 4/4 and 3/4 time, apparently not con-
sidered "conventional").
"Y & T" album has these songs:
Drive My Car (on British "Rubber Soul"); I'm Only Sleeping (see above);
Nowhere Man (Rubber Soul); Dr. Robert (see above); Yesterday (Help!,
which does not have soundtrack instrumentals); Act Naturally (Help!).
Begin side 2: And Your Bird Can Sing (see above); If I Needed Someone
(Rubber Soul); We Can Work It Out (single); What Goes On (Rubber Soul);
Day Tripper (flip side of "We Can Work It Out").
It was the last Capitol Beatles album to list preceding Beatles albums
on the back.
Capitol albums thru Revolver are generally repackings; use British to
get better idea of chronological order of songs.
A magazine article coming out around the time of Sgt. Pepper release
was about the "new way-out Beatles" and noted the use of 3/4 and 4/4
within the same song (did not mention any song by name, but see above).
But the Beatles had done just that in their arrangement of "A Taste of
Honey"! ("Please Please Me" LP in Britain; "Introducing the Beatles"
on VeeJay and "The Early Beatles" on Capitol in U.S.).Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@BRL-VLD.ARPA> (01/31/85)
You think that one of the 3 songs on British "Revolver" and also on U.S. "Yesterday & Today" exists in different versions on those LPs. I have heard different guitar parts in "I'm Only Sleeping" in different copies of "Y&T". "I've Just Seen a Face" and "It's Only Love", appearing on U.S. "Rubber Soul", did indeed appear in the UK, but on "Help!" LP.
marno@ihuxm.UUCP (Marilyn Ashley) (02/04/85)
> "Yesterday and Today" [not the schlockometal band, the aforementioned > album!] contained just about everything that Capitol HADN'T released > in America previously, including Yesterday, several tracks from Rubber > Soul, and three songs that would have been included on Revolver [they > ARE on the British version]. I think they were "She Said She Said", > "Doctor Robert", and "I'm Only Sleeping" (???). (I do remember that they > were ALL Lennon songs that were transferred.) That's correct. "Yesterday" was originally released on the Help album in the U.K. The big surprise for me was the British Hard Day's Night album which has no instrumental music as on the USA version, and contains some great sleepers as "Things We Said Today" - I can't recall the others, but there are a bunch. I just love this stuff. I wish we could organize a Beatle net. Marilyn Ashley ihnp4!ihuxm!marno
Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@BRL-VLD.ARPA> (02/04/85)
"I'm Only Sleeping", "Dr. Robert", and "And Your Bird Can Sing" fitting in better on British "Revolver" than on U.S. "Yesterday & Today"? I thought they fit in well with "Yesterday & Today".
Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@BRL-VLD.ARPA> (02/06/85)
British "A Hard Day's Night" LP has: A Hard Day's Night; I Should Have Known Better; If I Fell; I'm Happy Just to Dance With You; And I Love Her; Tell Me Why; Can't Buy Me Love. Side 2: Any Time At All; I'll Cry Instead; Things We Said Today; When I Get Home; You Can't Do That; I'll Be Back. All songs composed by Lennon-McCartney; You Can't Do That has less reverb than on "The Beatles' Second Album" in U.S., and I'll Be Back is on "Beatles '65" in U.S.