My Favorite Albums Evar: 70-61
Episode 70-61
Things are heating up, people. Things are really heating up. I almost feel like I’m betraying some of these for leaving them up so high, but hey, that’s the breaks. As always, feel free to argue or encourage me in the comments section.
70 Heavy Vegetable - Frisbie (1995)
I’m beginning to feel like some of my choices are pretty obtuse, but you have to understand something about me. I really enjoy difficult music, and while a spare and simple ballad can move me just as much, musicians who bend the rules and break out of traditional ruts always stick with me. Rob Crow’s Heavy Vegetable wasn’t just melodic and swinging and toe-tapping, it was drop-D metal, and furious punk, and lovely male-female harmony and indirect approaches to songwriting that resulted in, if nothing else, some of the most innovative songs of the 90s. The compositions are electric jolts of WTF, most of them over just as you’re starting to catch on to the time changes and patterns. Most people want to ejaculate all over Pinback, but as nice as Pinback is, it doesn’t come close to reaching the creativity and sheer interestingness of Heavy Vegetable.
69 MC5 - Kick Out the Jams (1969)
Who else could make their debut album live? Well, it could be argued that KISS should have, but they didn’t. MC5’s raucous Detroit performance rivals any other live recorded performance in history, and though it doesn’t totally represent their sound as a whole, it’s by far the most energetic and exciting album they ever released. Bust it out, turn it up, get free.
68 Big Black - Songs About Fucking (1987)
Can music sound like razors? Can grumbly bass and songs about fucking really be this high on the list? Fuck, higher than Nina Simone’s classic? Hell yeah, that’s right. Steve Albini has gone on to become one of the most influential producers in independent music, but in 1987, he was washing blood out of the back of his pickup truck, and without any of that squirrelly cryptic shit so popular among bands of the day. No metaphor, no bullshit, just songs at the speed of light. I had this on vinyl for years, but gave in to get the CD when I learned that Cheap Trick’s “He’s a Whore” was included.
67 Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996)
Just in terms of musical landscape and compositional excellence, this album tops all other Tortoise recordings, but it’s not just that. The production is immaculate, and “Djed” persists as one of the most incredible songs they’ve ever created. And it’s a good thing, too, because if you’re going to open an album with a 21 minute song, it had better be one of the best songs ever, am I right? This album moved Tortoise out of the ecclectic guitar-driven theme of the day, and into experimentation with sparse compositions as well as meanderings into pure electronica, jazz, and dub. If you’re into any sort of electronic or instrumental music at all, you’re already quite familiar with this, and if you’re not, you really should be.
66 INXS - Shabooh Shoobah (1982)
Most people think this is their “almost there” work, still working up to Kick, and while that’s probably true, I could survive without Kick in my collection easier than I could survive without “Don’t Change” or “The One Thing”, both classic songs regardless of whatever came after Shabooh. In fact, if Kick had never appeared, this album would be their indisputably strongest effort, taking cues from U2, Bowie and Roxy Music to put together a cohesive album rounded by a couple of the greatest songs of the 80’s. It’s not often you can claim the last track on an album as your favorite (or if it is often for you, please explain), but it’s a no-brainer with Shabooh.
65 Codeine - White Birch (1994)
Codeine didn’t get to revel in sounding like nothing else out there for long, as “slow-core” rapidly became omnipresent after the release of White Birch in 1994. While it’s a good thing they ended there (nowhere to go after this one, not without releasing a handful of Weezer-inspired “Hey we still sound the same but aren’t you still excited?” albums), it’s no less impressive as a release. White Birch is not hopeful, not inspiring (unless you’re looking for that last push before pushing that razor down your forearm), not rushed. It’s filled with moments of waiting and longing, and is one of those rare albums that perfectly marries mood and purpose: “A white ship sails on a black sea, Takes my love from me. And it takes so long, But then I understand,” can only be appreciated for how incredible it is by being listened to within Codeine’s soundscape and tone. Oh, and David Grubbs is there. I love David Grubbs. I could really go on about this one, but I’ll leave it to someone who has taken the time to really get to the heart of it.
64 AC/DC - Back in Black (1980)
I feel like a traitor choosing this album, because I can get teary-eyed if you talk to me about Bon Scott after I’ve had a few Lone Stars, but this album isn’t just an album, it’s a rock ‘n roll statement. Triumphing past what had to be one of the most tragic experiences in any of their lives (Scott’s death), Angus Young et al replaced a lead singer (no easy task) and released one of the most influential rock albums of all time. There’s not a weak track to be found.
63 Paul McCartney - McCartney (1970)
As much as I love Band on the Run (look at that album art! “Jet”!), this album still strikes me as his best solo effort. Recorded at home, McCartney performing all the instruments himself (no shit? I just learned that), McCartney was treated as a throwaway, a mediocre work by many expecting Beatles-ish stuff from him, but the simplistic and charming album was probably exactly what he (and his fans) needed to get used to after coming down from Beatlemania. And then there’s “Maybe I’m Amazed”.
62 Patti Smith - Horses (1975)
Unconventional (you’ve realized I’m into that by now, right?), stunning and poetic in the truest sense of the word, Horses is one of those that changes you the first time you listen. Songs about death, sex, lesbian suicide, and familial relationships emerge in between concentrated vocal tracks and pure rock. Along with Bob Dylan and (though I say this begrudgingly) Jim Morrison, Smith crafted a gorgeous and truly artistic collection of songs with Horses, worthy of as many listenings as you are willing to give it.
61 Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)
In the mood for some freewheelin’ punk ideals spat at you in 1 min. 30 second intervals 44 times? Bust this record out of your storage room and give it a whirl, you’ll find it’s still as kick ass, still as wonderful, still as broad in its range of influences, while remaining firmly planted in undeniable punk rock greatness. We’d probably still be listening to them in some way or another had Boon not passed away, but you know, we’ve still got Mike Watt.
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