Friday, September 28, 2012

Counterbalance – Top 100 Albums

Counterbalance:

The Top 100 Albums

“Counterbalance” was a weekly column featured at PopMatters.com which dissected the top 100 albums of all time, as determined by AcclaimedMusic.net. The first post was on September 9, 2010. Number 100 was posted on September 28, 2012. Writers Jason Mendelsohn and Eric Klinger debated the merits of the albums with some of the most entertaining and insightful critiques I’ve seen. Here are the top 100.

Check out other publications and organizations’ best-of album lists here.

1. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
2. The Beatles Revolver (1966)
3. Nirvana Nevermind (1991)
4. The Velvet Underground & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
5. The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
6. Marvin Gaye What’s Going On (1971)
7. Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (1966)
8. The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street (1972)
9. The Clash London Calling (1979)
10. The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)

11. Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
12. Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967)
13. Radiohead OK Computer (1997)
14. The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
15. Van Morrison Astral Weeks (1968)
16. David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
17. Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
18. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975)
19. Patti Smith Horses (1975)
20. The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)

21. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
22. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland (1968)
23. Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975)
24. The Doors The Doors (1967)
25. Television Marquee Moon (1977)
26. Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987)
27. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)
28. The Smiths The Queen Is Dead (1986)
29. The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965)
30. The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet (1968)

31. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
32. Massive Attack Blue Lines (1991)
33. The Who Who’s Next (1971)
34. Arcade Fire Funeral (2004)
35. Talking Heads Remain in Light (1980)
36. The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed (1969)
37. Ramones Ramones (1976)
38. U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)
39. Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959)
40. James Brown Live at the Apollo Volume 1 (live, 1962)

41. Joy Division Closer (1980)
42. Stevie Wonder Innervisions (1973)
43. The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers (1971)
44. Neil Young After the Gold Rush (1970)
45. The Strokes Is This It (2001)
46. Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
47. The Band The Band (1969)
48. Joni Mitchell Blue (1971)
49. Love Forever Changes (1967)
50. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984)

51. Sly & the Family Stone There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
52. Radiohead Kid A (2000)
53. R.E.M. Automatic for the People (1992)
54. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band Trout Mask Replica (1969)
55. The Stone Roses The Stone Roses (1989)
56. The Clash The Clash (1977)
57. Beck Odelay (1996)
58. Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977)
59. Pixies Doolittle (1989)
60. Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)

61. Otis Redding Otis Blue (1965)
62. David Bowie Hunky Dory (1971)
63. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II (1969)
64. Joy Division Unknown Pleasures (1979)
65. R.E.M. Murmur (1983)
66. Carole King Tapestry (1971)
67. John Coltrane A Love Supreme (1965)
68. John Lennon Plastic Ono Band (1970)
69. Jeff Buckley Grace (1994)
70. Portishead Dummy (1994)

71. Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001)
72. Sonic Youth Daydream Nation (1988)
73. Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
74. My Bloody Valentine Loveless (1991)
75. Derek and the Dominos Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
76. Paul Simon Graceland (1986)
77. De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
78. Lou Reed Transformer (1972)
79. Elvis Costello & The Attractions This Year’s Model (1978)
80. The Band Music from Big Pink (1968)

81. Aretha Franklin I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)
82. U2 Achtung Baby (1991)
The Stooges Fun House (1970)
83. Jesus and Mary Chain Psychocandy (1985)
84. Primal Scream Screamadelica (1991)
85. Radiohead The Bends (1995)
86. Oasis (What’s the Story) Morning Glory (1995)
87. Miles Davis Bitches Brew (1970)
88. David Bowie Low (1/14/77)
89. The Stooges Raw Power (1973)

90. DJ Shadow Endtroducing… (1996)
91. Kraftwerk Trans-Europa Express (Trans Europe Express) (1977)
92. John Lennon Imagine (1971)
93. Van Morrison Moondance (1970)
94. AC/DC Back in Black (1980)
95. Pixies Surfer Rosa (1988)
96. Neil Young Harvest (1972)
97. Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti (1975)
98. Pink Floyd The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
99. Tom Waits Swordfishtrombones (1983)

Resources and Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: Best-of Album Lists by Publications/Organizations
AcclaimedMusic.net
Counterbalance
PopMatters.com

First posted 9/28/2012; last updated 11/10/2022.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Entertainment Weekly: Greatest Albums

Entertainment Weekly:

Greatest Albums

This list is an aggregate of three different lists published by the following three Entertainment Weekly lists:

“Top 100 Albums” (9/27/2012)
“The New Classics: The 100 Best Albums from 1983 to 2008” (6/20/2008)
“100 Greatest CDs: A Love-It-Or-Loathe-It Guide to the Essential Disc Library” (10/29/1993)

A total of 245 albums appeared over the three lists. Only 46 titles appeared on two of the lists. Only five albums appeared on all three lists. The 2012 list is the strongest as it encompasses the widest swath of music in terms of eras and genres and best representation of albums universally considered classics. The 2008 list only focuses on a quarter century – it was a celebration of Entertainment Weekly’s 25th anniversary. Finally, the 1993 list includes a lot of compilations and box sets which are often overlooked on best-of lists. Some of these are welcome additions while others seem inappropriate substitutes for acts’ more celebrated classic albums.

Check out other publications and organizations’ best-of album lists here.

Albums Appearing on All 3 Lists:

1. Paul Simon Graceland (1986)
2. U2 Achtung Baby (1991)
3. Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)
4. Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
5. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984)

Albums Appearing on 2 Lists:

6. The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street (1972)
7. Elvis Presley The Sun Sessions (archives, recorded 1954-55, released 1976)
8. Nirvana Nevermind (1991)
9. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
10. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)

11. Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
12. The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)
13. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
14. Jay-Z The Blueprint (2001)
15. Madonna Madonna (1983)
16. Velvet Underground & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
17. Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
18. OutKast Stankonia (2000)
19. The Cure Disintegration (1989)
20. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967)

21. The Who Who’s Next (1971)
22. The Notorious B.I.G. Ready to Die (1994)
23. The Clash London Calling (1979)
24. Stevie Wonder Innervisions (1973)
25. Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers) (1993)
26. The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin (1999)
27. Beck Odelay (1996)
28. Bob Marley & the Wailers Legend (compilation: 1973-83, released 1984)
29. Chuck Berry The Great Twenty-Eight (compilation: 1955-64, released 1982)
30. Nas Illmatic (1994)

31. Arcade Fire Funeral (2004)
32. De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
33. Amy Winehouse Back to Black (2006)
34. R.E.M. Life’s Rich Pageant (1986)
35. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver (2007)
36. Tom Waits Rain Dogs (1985)
37. Radiohead OK Computer (1997)
38. Beastie Boys Paul’s Boutique (1989)
39. The Smiths The Queen Is Dead (1986)
40. Dr. Dre The Chronic (1992)

41. Metallica Master of Puppets (1986)
42. Patti Smith Horses (1975)
43. The Replacements Let It Be (1984)
44. Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral (1994)
45. My Bloody Valentine Loveless (1991)
46. Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
47. Erykah Badu Mama's Gun (2000)
48. Hole Live Through This (1994)
49. Dixie Chicks Home (2002)
50. PJ Harvey Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000)

51. Elliot Smith Either/Or (1997)

Albums Appearing on 1 List:

52. The Beatles Revolver (1966)
53. Led Zeppelin Remasters (compilation: 1969-79)
54. Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959)
55. Kanye West The College Dropout (2004)
56. Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975)
57. Green Day American Idiot (2004)
58. Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (1966)
59. Aretha Franklin Lady Soul (1968)
60. Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

61. Aretha Franklin 30 Greatest Hits (1985)
62. Johann Sebastian Bach Goldberg Variations (1741)
63. Radiohead In Rainbows (2007)
64. James Brown 20 All-Time Greatest Hits (compilation: 1991)
65. Joni Mitchell Blue (1971)
66. Nirvana MTV Unplugged in New York (recorded live 1993, released 1994)
67. The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
68. Marvin Gaye What’s Going On (1971)
69. Cat Power You Are Free (2003)
70. Various Artists Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 (box set: 1959-71, released 1992)

71. Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison (live, 1968)
72. Various Artists (produced by Phil Spector) Back to Mono (box set: 1958-69, released 1991)
73. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975)
74. Frank Sinatra Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! (1956)
75. Adele 21 (2011)
76. A Tribe Called Quest People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythms (1990)
77. Al Green Call Me (1973)
78. Beyoncé Dangerously in Love (2003)
79. Hank Williams 40 Greatest Hits (compilation: 1947-53, released 1978)
80. The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet (1968)

81. Fiona Apple Tidal (1996)
82. Enya Watermark (1988)
83. Mariah Carey The Emancipation of Mimi (2005)
84. David Bowie ChangesBowie (compilation: 1969-90, released 1990)
85. Louis Armstrong The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings (box set: 1925-28)
86. Van Morrison Best of (1990)
87. Daft Punk Discovery (2001)
88. Shania Twain Come on Over (1997)
89. Bob Marley & the Wailers Catch a Fire (1973)
90. Interpol Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)

91. Roxy Music Avalon (1982)
92. Bob Dylan Time Out of Mind (1997)
93. The Beatles 1962-1966 (compilation: 1962-66, released 1973)
94. Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
95. Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987)
96. Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977)
97. Kelly Clarkson Breakaway (2004)
98. Steely Dan A Decade of Steely Dan (compilation: 1972-80, released 1985)
99. Otis Redding Otis Blue (1965)
100. Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)

101. Sly & the Family Stone Anthology (compilation: 1968-73, released 1981)
102. Alicia Keys As I Am (2007)
103. David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
104. The Strokes Is This It (2001)
105. The Band The Band (1969)
106. The Rolling Stones Some Girls (1978)
107. Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill (1995)
108. Robert Johnson The Complete Recordings (recorded 1936-37, released 1990)
109. TLC Crazy Sexy Cool (1994)
110. Patsy Cline 12 Greatest Hits (compilation: 1957-63, released 1973)

111. Modest Mouse The Moon & Antarctica (2000)
112. Barbra Streisand The Broadway Album (covers: 1985)
113. Run-D.M.C. Raising Hell (1986)
114. Sheryl Crow Sheryl Crow (1996)
115. John Coltrane A Love Supreme (1965)
116. John Lennon Plastic Ono Band (1970)
117. Bruce Springsteen Nebraska (1982)
118. Carpenters The Singles 1969-1973 (compilation: 1969-73, released 1973)
119. AC/DC Back in Black (1980)
120. Ludwig van Beethoven (composer) Symphony No. 9 in D minor (Choral) (1824)

121. Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979)
122. Lucinda Williams Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998)
123. Neil Young Decade (compilation: 1966-76, charted 1977)
124. Belle & Sebastian If You're Feeling Sinister (1996)
125. Madonna The Immaculate Collection (compilation: 1983-90, released 1990)
126. The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965)
127. Björk Homogenic (1997)
128. Run-D.M.C. Together Forever: Greatest Hits 1983-1991 (1991)
129. Liz Phair Exile in Guyville (1993)
130. Duke Ellington The Blanton-Webster Band (box set: 1939-42, released 1990)

131. Johnny Cash American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)
132. Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
133. R.E.M. Murmur (1983)
134. k.d. lang & the Reclines Absolute Torch and Twang (1989)
135. Fugees The Score (1996)
136. Joni Mitchell Court and Spark (1974)
137. A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory (1991)
138. Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)
139. Elvis Costello King of America (1986)
140. The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)

141. Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)
142. Elvis Costello Girls Girls Girls (compilation: 1977-86, released 1989)
143. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Déjà Vu (1970)
144. Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001)
145. various artists Turn the Beat Around: The Disco Years (compilation: 1974-78, released 1990)
146. Alicia Keys Songs in A Minor (2001)
147. Neil Young Harvest Moon (1992)
148. Sinéad O’Connor I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990)
149. Pixies Surfer Rosa (1988)
150. Santana Lotus (1974)

151. Madonna Ray of Light (1998)
152. Rod Stewart The Mercury Anthology (1992)
153. various artists The Best of the Girl Groups (Volumes 1 and 2) (1990)
154. Eric B. & Rakim Paid in Full (1987)
155. Pavement Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
156. Slayer Seasons in the Abyss (1990)
157. Derek and the Dominos Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
158. Television Marquee Moon (1977)
159. U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)
160. Billie Holiday The Legacy Box (1933-1958) (1958)

161. The Stooges Fun House (1970)
162. Love Forever Changes (1967)
163. The White Stripes Elephant (2003)
164. various artists Hip Hop Greats: Classic Raps (1990)
165. Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook (1957)
166. Neil Young After the Gold Rush (1970)
167. Metallica Metallica (aka “The Black Album”) (1991)
168. Emmylou Harris Wrecking Ball (1995)
169. The Spinners One of a Kind Love Affair: The Anthology (1991)
170. Sonic Youth Daydream Nation (1988)

171. The Postal Service Give Up (2003)
172. Jefferson Airplane 2400 Fulton Street (1971)
173. The Stooges Raw Power (1973)
174. Mary J. Blige My Life (1994)
175. The Kinks Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
176. No Doubt Rock Steady (2001)
177. The Police Every Breath You Take – The Singles (compilation: 1978-86; released 1986)
178. Van Halen 1984 (1984)
179. Loretta Lynn Country Music Hall of Fame Series (1991)
180. Various Artists (Jimmy Cliff et al) The Harder They Come (soundtrack, 1972)

181. Anita Baker Rapture (1986)
182. Moby Play (1999)
183. The Smiths Best...I (1992)
184. Elvis Costello My Aim Is True (1977)
185. Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
186. Pet Shop Boys Discography: The Complete Singles Collection (1991)
187. Talking Heads Remain in Light (1980)
188. Ryan Adams Heartbreaker (2000)
189. Various The Indestructible Beat of Soweto (1986)
190. Portishead Dummy (1994)

191. James Taylor Sweet Baby James (1970)
192. Björk Post (1995)
193. Pearl Jam Vs. (1993)
194. The Allman Brothers At Fillmore East (live, 1971)
195. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
196. Johnny Cash The Essential (compilation: 1955-83, released 1983)
197. Christina Aguilera Back to Basics (2006)
198. Aerosmith Toys in the Attic (1975)
199. Pixies Doolittle (1989)
200. The Rolling Stones The Singles Collection: The London Years (box set: 1963-71, released 1989)

201. Pavement Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
202. Jeff Buckley Grace (1994)
203. Eagles Hotel California (1976)
204. James Brown In the Jungle Groove (1971)
205. Pretenders Learning to Crawl (1984)
206. New Order Low-Life (1985)
207. Ornette Coleman Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation (1960)
208. Parliament Tear the Roof Off 1974-1980 (1980)
209. Richard Strauss (composer) Also Sprach Zarathustra (1896)
210. Dolly Parton Coat of Many Colors (1971)

211. Tupac Shakur (2pac) All Eyez on Me (1996)
212. The Quintent (Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie/Bud Powell/Charles Mingus/Max Roach) Jazz at Massey Hall (1953)
213. New Order Power, Corruption, and Lies (1983)
214. Peter Gabriel So (1986)
215. George Jones Best of (1955-1967) (1967)
216. Sleater-Kinney Dig Me Out (1997)
217. Aimee Mann Bachelor No. 2 (2000)
218. Buddy Holly & the Crickets From the Original Master Tapes (1985)
219. The White Stripes White Blood Cells (2001)
220. System of a Down Toxicity (2001)

221. Talking Heads Popular Favourites 1976-1983 / Sand in the Vaseline 1984-1992 (1992)
222. Sly & the Family Stone There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
223. Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream (1993)
224. Bonnie Raitt The Collection (1986)
225. Destiny’s Child The Writing’s on the Wall (1999)
226. Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits (1988)
227. N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton (1989)
228. Lynyrd Skynyrd Gold & Platinum (1977)
229. Beyoncé B'Day (2006)
230. The Police Synchronicity (1983)

231. The Byrds 20 Essential Tracks from the Boxed Set: 1965-1990 (1992)
232. Various artists (Bee Gees et al) Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 1977)
233. T.I. Trap Muzik (2003)
234. The Weavers At Carnegie Hall (1957)
235. Hüsker Dü Warehouse: Songs and Stories (1987)
236. Dusty Springfield Dusty in Memphis (1969)
237. Britney Spears Britney (2001)
238. Curtis Mayfield/The Impressions The Anthology 1966-1977 (1977)
239. Queens of the Stone Age Songs for the Deaf (2002)
240. Death Cab for Cutie Transatlanticism (2003)

241. Big Brother & the Holding Company Cheap Thrills (1968)
242. Neneh Cherry Homebrew (1992)
243. Ramones Ramones (1976)
244. George Michael Faith (1987)
245. various artists Golden Throats: The Great Celebrity Sing-Off (1988)

Resources and Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: Best-of Album Lists by Publications/Organizations
Entertainment Weekly (9/27/2012). “Top 100 Albums”
Entertainment Weekly (6/20/2008). “The New Classics: The 100 Best Albums from 1983 to 2008”
Entertainment Weekly (10/29/1993). “100 Greatest CDs: A Love-It-Or-Loathe-It Guide to the Essential Disc Library”

First posted 6/9/2024; last updated 7/8/2024.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Consequence of Sound - The Top 100 Songs Ever

Consequence of Sound:

Top 100 Songs Ever

Consequence of Sound has released its list of the top 100 songs of all time. As is nearly always the case for these lists, the term “all time” (or in this case, “ever”) is completely inappropriate. Since Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” (1958) is the oldest song on this list, one can only assume that the staff at Consequence of Sound have been misinformed that music wasn’t invented until the 1950s. Either that, or we are supposed to believe that a song like Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea,” which has never shown up on any of the other hundreds of lists I’ve collected, is far superior than anything in the history of recorded music prior to 1958.

One could also rant at the complete neglect of certain genres. This list is more diverse than some, actually includes R&B, rap, rock, pop, punk, and more within one list. However, there are still some genres, such as country, folk, jazz, gospel, reggae, and other world music which are represented with a token song or completely overlooked.

I could also rant about some of the musical giants glaringly absent from this list (Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra) and specific songs. Consider this – only one song is featured on the CoS list which is also in the top ten of the Dave’s Music Database book of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era (see the list here). The latter is determined by aggregating hundreds of best-of lists. So here’s just 9 songs whose incredible pedigrees have been ignored by CoS: The Beatles’ Hey Jude”, The Eagles’ “Hotel California,” Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” John Lennon’s “Imagine,” The Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

In what is also a frequent annoyance with online best-of lists, it takes scrolling through many a page to take in the entire list. While there are nice pieces about the songs, it would still be nice to give readers easy access to the entire list at once and then let them link to songs.

In any event, Dave's Music Database presents the list here, warts and all. Here’s where you can see the original posts: (100-51) and (50-1).

Click here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations.

The Beach Boys “God Only Knows” (1966)
Talking Heads “Once in a Lifetime” (1981)
Bob Dylan “ Like a Rolling Stone” (1965)
Michael Jackson “Man in the Mirror” (1987)
The Beatles “A Day in the Life” (1967)
Velvet Underground “Sister Ray” (1968)
The Rolling Stones “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968)
Aretha Franklin “Respect” (1967)
The Notorious B.I.G. “Juicy” (1994)
Radiohead “Idioteque” (2000)
Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)
Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On” (1971)
Led Zeppelin “Dazed and Confused” (1968)
The Knife “Heartbeats” (2002)
The Jackson 5 “I Want You Back” (1969)
Bruce Springsteen “Jungleland” (1975)
Otis Redding “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966)
Bob Dylan “Shelter from the Storm” (1975)
Prince “When Doves Cry” (1984)
Kate Bush “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” (1985)
Public Enemy “Fight the Power” (1989)
Pulp “Common People” (1995)
The Beatles “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966)
The Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter” (1969)
John Coltrane “Acknowledgement (A Love Supreme, Part 1)” (1965)
Beastie Boys “Shadrach” (1989)
The Who “My Generation” (1965)
Neutral Milk Hotel “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” (1998)
Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (1980)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience “All Along the Watchtower” (1968)
Smith, Patti “Rock ‘n’ Roll Ni**er” (1978)
Black Sabbath “War Pigs” (1970)
Neil Young “Hey Hey My My (Into the Black)” (1979)
Daft Punk “One More Time” (2000)
The Ronettes “Be My Baby” (1963)
The Replacements “I Will Dare” (1984)
Sam Cooke “A Change Is Gonna Come” (1964)
Talking Heads “This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)” (1983)
The Stooges “Search and Destroy” (1973)
Al Green “Let’s Stay Together” (1971)
Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (1982)
The Clash “London Calling” (1979)
David Bowie “Space Oddity” (1969)
LCD Soundsystem “All My Friends” (2007)
N.W.A. “Fuck tha Police” (1989)
Madonna “Like a Virgin” (1984)
The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” (1966)
Can “Halleluwah” (1971)
Metallica “One” (1988)
Pavement “Summer Babe (Winter Version)” (1992)
The Who “Baba O’Riley” (1971)
Jay-Z “99 Problems” (2004)
Arcade Fire “Wake Up” (2004)
Pink Floyd “Comfortably Numb” (1979)
Bob Dylan “The Times They Are A-Changin’” (1964)
Stevie Wonder “Superstition” (1972)
Thin Lizzy “The Boys Are Back in Town” (1976)
Black Flag “Rise Above” (1981)
Television “Marquee Moon” (1977)
Nick Drake “Pink Moon” (1972)
The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” (2003)
Johnny Cash “Hurt” (2003)
U2 “Where the Streets Have No Name” (1987)
OutKast “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)” (2000)
Velvet Underground “I’m Waiting for the Man” (1965)
Portishead “Roads” (1994)
Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode” (1958)
Leonard Cohen “Suzanne” (1967)
The Cure “Just Like Heaven” (1987)
Ben E. King “Stand by Me” (1961)
Björk “Army of Me” (1995)
James Brown “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (1965)
Ramones “Blitzkrieg Bop” (1976)
The Smiths “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side” (1985)
Blondie “Heart of Glass” (1978)
Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott “Get Ur Freak On” (2001)
Sly & The Family Stone “Hot Fun in the Summertime” (1969)
Run-D.M.C. “Rock Box” (1984)
Fleetwood Mac…The Chain” (1977)
Yo La Tengo “Autumn Sweater” (1997)
Wu Tang Clan “Protect Ya Neck” (1993)
Depeche Mode “Enjoy the Silence” (1990)
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five “The Message” (1982)
Sufjan Stevens “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” (2005)
My Bloody Valentine “Only Shallow” (1991)
The Band “The Night They Drove Ol’ Dixie Down” (1969)
PJ Harvey “Down by the Water” (1995)
The Buzzcocks “Ever Fallen in Love” (1978)
Kanye West “Jesus Walks” (2004)
The Pixies “Hey” (1989)
Funkadelic “One Nation Under a Groove” (1978)
Aphex Twin “Windowlicker” (1999)
Devo “Uncontrollable Urge” (1978)
Underworld “Born Slippy” (1995)
Sleater-Kinney “Dig Me Out” (1997)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds “From Her to Eternity” (1984)
A Tribe Called Quest “Scenario” (1992)
Kraftwerk “Autobahn” (1974)
Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot” (1988)
Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight” (1981)

Resources/Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: “Lists from other publications and/or organizations”
Consequence of Sound (9/20/2012). “100 Greatest Songs of All Time: 50-1”
Consequence of Sound (9/20/2012). “100 Greatest Songs of All Time: 100-51”

First posted 9/21/2012; last updated 8/5/2023.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Marillion released Sounds That Can’t Be Made

Sounds That Can’t Be Made

Marillion

Released: September 17, 2012

Peak: -- US, 43 UK, -- CN, -- AU

Sales (in millions): --

Genre: neo-progressive rock

Tracks:

Song Title [time] (date of single release)

Gaza [17:31] (9/4/12, --)
Sounds That Can’t Be Made [7:16]
Pour My Love [6:07]
Power [6:07] (7/17/12, --)
Montreal [14:04]
Invisible Ink [5:47]
Lucky Man [6:54]
The Sky Above the Rain [10:34]

All songs written by Marillion with lyrics by Steve Hogarth except “Pour My Love” which has lyrics by Hogarth and John Helmer.

Total Running Time: 74:19

The Players:

Steve Hogarth (vocals, percussion)
Steve Rothery (guitar)
Pete Trewavas (bass)
Mark Kelly (keyboards)
Ian Mosley (drums)

Rating:

2.943 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings)

About the Album:

“Sounds That Can’t Be Made sounds like vintage Marillion. They’ve returned to prog with a vengeance, delivering an eight-track collection that fires on all cylinders.” ^AMG On Radiation and Marillion.com, [they] began utilizing drum loops, ambient atmospherics, and U2-isms.” ^AMG “2001’s Anoraknophobia (the first ever crowd-funded album) went even further by introducing tropes from trip-hop, Brit-funk, hip-hop, and jazzy dub. While 2004’s Marbles was a marked a return to their sprawling cinematic origins, subsequent long players again backslid toward pop mediocrity.” ^AMG “Tempered by their restless experiments in the pop wilderness, Sounds That Can’t Be Made is evidence that Marillion always knew who they were as a band. If anything, they’ve become better musicians for having taken in all those extant sources.” ^AMG

Things kick off with “the 17-minute epic Gaza. Delivered from the point of view of a young boy living in the region, it looks at the violence, poverty, and Palestinians’ will to independence without going after the nation of Israel.” ^AMG It is “perhaps the most overtly political song Marillion has done since 1989…Steve Hogarth explained, ‘This is a song for the people – especially the children – of Gaza. It was written after many conversations with ordinary Palestinians living in the refugee camps of Gaza and the West Bank...It is not my/our intention to smear the Jewish faith or people…and nothing here is intended to show sympathy for acts of violence…but simply to ponder upon where desperation inevitably leads. Many Gazan children are now the grandchildren of Palestinians BORN in the refugee camps – so called ‘temporary’ shelters…Gazia is today, effectively, a city imprisoned without trial.’” ^WK

“Tempo, texture, and key changes abound throughout as…Hogarth shapeshifts through terrain that recalls Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis at his most emotionally taut. Steve Rothery brandishes a more aggressive guitar attack than he has in years.” ^AMG

“Two other double-digit-length cuts, Montreal (a tribute to Marillion fans) and closer The Sky Above the Rain, offer myriad layers of inventive keyboards and expansive drum and bass work as Rothery and Hogarth deliver with peak prowess.” ^AMG

“While Power flirts with sophisticated pop, it’s set free from such constraints by the interplay between Mark Kelly’s keyboards, Ian Mosley’s drum kit, and Pete Trewavas’ lyrical bassline, while Rothery’s guitar playing moves around Hogarth’s singing, filling the margins with colorful tonalities.” ^AMG

“Closer Lucky Man…begins with majestic aggression and shifts toward a bass-heavy, bluesy melody that evolves into anthemic prog with Hogarth giving his best rockist delivery.” ^AMG

Marillion used pre-ordering again to fun the album. As with Anoraknophobia, Marbles, and Happiness Is the Road, those who pre-ordered got “the special edition deluxe campaign edition box-set.” ^WK In this case, it included a DVD with a full-length documentary about the making of the album and numerous sound checks for songs on the album. There were also videos for “Lucky Man” and “Power.”

Notes: A 2013 special edition added a second CD with three songs recorded for a radio session, a demo of “Lucky Man” and live versions of “Sounds That Can’t Be Made” and “Invisible Ink.”

Resources and Related Links:

DMDB encyclopedia entry for Marillion
^AMG All Music Guide review by Thom Jurek
^WK Wikipedia

Other Related DMDB Pages:

First posted 3/6/2022.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Today in Music (1962): Booker T & the MGs topped the R&B chart with “Green Onions”

Green Onions

Booker T. & the MGs

Writer(s): Steve Cropper, Al Jackson, Jr., Booker T. Jones, Lewie Steinberg

Released: July 1962

First Charted: August 11, 1962

Peak: 3 BB, 3 CB, 3 GR, 3 HR, 1⁴ RB, 7 UK, 39 CN, 73 AU, 7 DF (Click for codes to charts.)

Sales (in millions): 1.0 US

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 42.1 video, 239.82 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

Booker T. & the MGs were the house band for Stax records, “soul’s biggest hit factory after Motown.” ^TB The group of session musicians consisted of keyboardist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, drummer Al Jackson, and bassist Lewis Steinberg. With Donald “Duck” Dunn later replacing Steinberg, the collective would back classics by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Sam & Dave in the 1960s.

The song “Green Onions” came about when the band were waiting to start a session with rockabilly artist Billy Lee “Red Hot” Riley. ^SS They started jamming and engineer Jim Stewart “got an earful of a low-down blues that the MG’s were cooking up. He thought it was dynamite. He quickly switched on the tape and caught it all.” ^SJ Then they played him a dance tune they’d been working on. The latter became “Green Onions.” ^SJ The single was backed by “Behave Yourself,” the first song the group had played for Stuart. ^SJ When it was released, Booker had just graduated from high school. ^SS

The title apparently came about because, according to Cropper, someone said, “Boy, this is some funky music; this music stinks. What’s the stinkiest, nastiest thing you can think of?’” ^SJ Steinberg “declared green onions the funkiest thing he’d ever smelled.” ^SS

Author and critic Dave Marsh said the song was “what happens when the best backup band in the universe decides it’s time to be noticed.” ^DM Thomas Ryan said it was “part R&B, part jazz, the groove was as uncluttered as a rhythm section could get without disappearing altogether.” ^SS

Resources:

DMDB encyclopedia entry for Booker T. & the MGs
^DM Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New American Library: New York, NY. Page 81.
^SJ Bob Shannon and John Javna (1986). Behind the Hits: Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll. Warner Brothers, Inc.: New York, NY. Page 103.
^SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Page 479.
^TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 54.

First posted 1/18/2024.

50 years ago: The Four Seasons hit #1 with “Sherry”