Chris Smith 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music

Chris Smith: 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music

Excerpt of description on Amazon: This book “tells the fascinating stories behind the most groundbreaking, influential, and often controversial albums ever recorded, ranging from Anthology of American Folk Music (1952) to Elephant (2003) by The White Stripes.” “Selected on the basis of their popular appeal and influence on later genres, the albums included represent a wide variety of genres, such as blues, jazz, rock, reggae, rockabilly, folk, soul, hip-hop, and country.” “Organized chronologically to capture the flow of culture from one album to the next, this volume illuminates how these classic recordings reflected – and sometimes changed – the political, social, and economic culture of their eras.” “Among the featured albums are releases from the hard-blues explosion of the ‘60s, including Robert Johnson’s King of the Delta Blues Singers, a landmark collection whose songs were later covered by the likes of Cream, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones. Punk made its mark in the ‘70s with Patti Smith’s Horses and the Clash’s London Calling. In the ‘80s Michael Jackson’s blockbuster LP, Thriller, not only topped the charts, it became the best-selling record of all time. Diversity defined the ‘90s, with the most influential albums ranging from Garth Brooks’ No Fences, which made country one of the hottest musical genres of the decade, to Dr. Dre’s debut, Dr. Dre The Chronic (1992) , a multi-platinum smash hit that brought West Coast hip hop into the mainstream.” Check out other best-of album lists by individuals/critics here. 1. Various Artists compiled by Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music (box set, recorded 1926-32, released 1952) 2. Elvis Presley Elvis Presley (aka Rock ‘N’ Roll) (1956) 3. Miles Davis Birth of the Cool (recorded 1949-50, released 1957) 4. The Weavers At Carnegie Hall (1957) 5. Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959) 6. Dave Brubeck Time Out (1959) 7. Muddy Waters At Newport (live: 1960) 8. Robert Johnson King of the Delta Blues Singers (archives: 1936-37, released 1961) 9. Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962) 10. Bob Dylan The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963) 11. The Beatles Please Please Me (1963) 12. Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home (1965) 13. The Byrds Mr. Tambourine Man (1965) 14. The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965) 15. Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention Freak Out! (1966) 16. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966) 17. The Doors The Doors (1967) 18. Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow (1967) 19. Velvet Underground & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) 20. The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) 21. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967) 22. The Moody Blues Days of Future Passed (1967) 23. The Band Music from Big Pink (1968) 24. The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968) 25. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin I (1969) 26. The MC5 Kick Out the Jams (live, 1969) 27. The Who Tommy (1969) 28. King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King (1969) 29. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band Trout Mask Replica (1969) 30. James Taylor Sweet Baby James (1970) 31. Miles Davis Bitches Brew (1970) 32. Black Sabbath Paranoid (1970) 33. Carole King Tapestry (1971) 34. Marvin Gaye What’s Going On (1971) 35. Sly & the Family Stone There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971) 36. Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin The Inner Mounting Flame (1971) Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 (box set: 1964-68, released 1972) 38. David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) 39. The Stooges Raw Power (1973) 40. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973) 41. New York Dolls New York Dolls (1973) 42. Herbie Hancock Head Hunters (1973) 43. Kraftwerk Autobahn (1974) 44. Linda Ronstadt Heart Like a Wheel (1974) 45. Aerosmith Toys in the Attic (1975) 46. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975) 47. Kiss Alive! (1975) 48. Patti Smith Horses (1975) 49. Brian Eno Discreet Music (1975) 50. Queen A Night at the Opera (1975) 51. Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, & Jessi Colter Wanted! The Outlaws (1976) 52. Parliament Mothership Connection (1975) 53. Ramones Ramones (1976) 54. Boston Boston (1976) 55. Bob Marley & the Wailers Exodus (1977) 56. Various artists (Bee Gees et al) Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 1977) 57. Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977) 58. Television Marquee Moon (1977) 59. Pere Ubu The Modern Dance (1978) 60. Van Halen Van Halen (1978) 61. Funkadelic One Nation Under a Groove (1978) 62. Neil Young & Crazy Horse Rust Never Sleeps (1979) 63. The Clash London Calling (1979) 64. AC/DC Back in Black (1980) 65. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982) 66. Herbie Hancock Future Shock (1983) 67. Def Leppard Pyromania (1983) 68. U2 War (1983) 69. R.E.M. Murmur (1983) 70. Stevie Ray Vaughn Texas Flood (1983) 71. Metallica Kill ‘Em All (1983) 72. Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984) 73. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984) 74. Hüsker Dü Zen Arcade (1984) 75. Madonna Like a Virgin (1984) 76. Run-D.M.C. Raising Hell (1986) 77. Paul Simon Graceland (1986) 78. Beastie Boys Licensed to Ill (1986) 79. Suzanne Vega Solitude Standing (1987) 80. Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987) 81. Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) 82. Sonic Youth Daydream Nation (1988) 83. De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising (1989) 84. N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton (1989) 85. Nine Inch Nails Pretty Hate Machine (1989) 86. Uncle Tupelo No Depression (1990) 87. Garth Brooks No Fences (1990) 88. Ice-T O.G. – Original Gangster (1991) 89. Nirvana Nevermind (1991) 90. Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) 91. Tori Amos Little Earthquakes (1992) 92. Dr. Dre The Chronic (1992) 93. Liz Phair Exile in Guyville (1993) 94. Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers) (1993) 95. Green Day Dookie (1994) 96. Ani DFranco Not a Pretty Girl (1995) 97. Beck Odelay (1996) 98. Spice Girls Spice (1996) 99. Dixie Chicks Wide Open Spaces (1998) 100. Eminem The Slim Shady LP (1999) 101. The White Stripes Elephant (2003) Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Best-of Album Lists by Individuals/Critics Chris Smith (4/14/2009). 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music First posted 3/15/2024

Garth Brooks “Unanswered Prayers” hit #1 on country chart

Unanswered Prayers Garth Brooks

Writer(s): Pat Alger, Larry Bastian, Garth Brooks (see lyrics here) Released: October 12, 1990 First Charted: November 3, 1990 Peak: 12 CW (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 12.0 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Country singer/songwriter Garth Brooks was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1992. With 157 million certified albums in the United States, he is the top-selling solo artist of all time. His 1989 self-titled debut reached #2 on the country album chart and sold ten million copies. In 1990, his sophomore release, No Fences, topped the country charts for 41 weeks and sold 18 million copies in the U.S., making for the best-selling album of his career. The album spawned four #1 country songs, including “Friends in Low Places,” “Unanswered Prayers,” “Two ofa Kind, Workin’ on a Full House,” and “The Thunder Rolls.” “Unanswered Prayers,” the second single, ranked as Billboard’s #9 country song of the year. In the song, a man is at a hometown football game and runs into his high school sweetheart. He remembers how he had once prayed for her to be his forever, but when he looks at his wife, he is grateful that his original prayer wasn’t answered. Brooks says the song was based on a real incident when he and then-wife Sandy bumped into his old high school flame in October 1989. He said, “For the first two years of my married life, I really thought the girl that was for me was still that girl that was in high school. And now man just the realization that what you have is the best for you, and the best you could ever do in your lifetime.” WK Brooks worked on the song with Pat Alger, who said he’d had a similar experience running into an old high school girlfriend about ten years later. He was also pleased things had turned out the way they had. SF The two had worked on the song quite a while, but didn’t have a hook yet. He ran it by songwriter Larry Bastion, who said, “Oh, that’s simple. This song should be called ‘Unanswered Prayers’ because some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.’” WK Brooks said it is “probably the truest song I have ever been involved with as a writer….Every time I sing this song, it teaches me…happiness isn’t getting what you want, it is wanting what you’ve got.” WK Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 12/29/2022.

Garth Brooks topped country chart with “Friends in Low Places”

Friends in Low Places Garth Brooks

Writer(s): DeWayne Blackwell, Earl “Bud” Lee (see lyrics here) Released: August 6, 1990 First Charted: August 18, 1990 Peak: 14 CW, 36 UK (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 156.42 video, 11.27 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: This crowd-pleasing “ballad about a cowboy who turns up at the engagement party or wedding reception of an old flame” AC owes its birth to an embarrassing incident in which one of the song’s writers couldn’t play his restaurant bill. A group of songwriters, including Bud Lee and DeWayne Blackwell, met for lunch and at the end of the meal, Lee confessed that he’d forgotten his wallet. He assured the group there was nothing to worry about – “I have friends in low places. I know the cook.” AC A few days later, the pair were shopping for boots. When the store clerk found out they were songwriters, he said he was trying to make it in Nashville and would love to record some demos for them. They agreed and Garth Brooks’ career was launched. AC Months went by before Lee and Blackwell turned the phrase “friends in low places” into a song. When they asked Brooks to demo it, he had some exciting news – he had landed a deal with Capitol Records. He had finished his first album and its debut single was set for release in a few weeks. It meant that “Friends in Low Places” marked Brooks’ last work as a demo singer. As he said, though, “for the next 2 weeks the chorus to this song kept running through my head. I knew it would be a year and a half before the release of No Fences because Garth Brooks was just getting ready to be released. I asked Bud Lee and Dewayne if I could hold onto it and, without a blink of an eye, they both said yes. Putting that kind of faith into an unknown artist is unheard of. Thanks Bud and Dewayne for believing in me.’” SF In reality, almost a year before Brooks’ rendition of the song emerged, Mark Chesnutt recorded a more down-tempo version for his Too Cold at Home album, but it wasn’t released as a single. SF Brooks recorded the song for his second album, No Fences, and it was released as the first single. It took home Single of the Year honors from both the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and the Country Music Association (CMA). Resources: AC Ace Collins (1996). The Stories Behind Country Music’s All-Time Greatest 100 Songs. New York, NY; The Berkley Publishing Group. Pages 276-8. SF Songfacts.com WK Wikipedia.org Related Links: First posted 8/18/2011; last updated 4/17/2024.

Garth Brooks’ No Fences released

First posted 2/22/2008; updated 12/3/2020.

No Fences Garth Brooks

Released: August 27, 1990 Peak: 3 US, 141 CW, -- UK, 49 CN, 11 AU Sales (in millions): 18.0 US, -- UK, 23.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: country

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. The Thunder Rolls (5/18/91, 1 CW) New Way to Fly Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House (2/9/91, 1 CW) Victim of the Game Friends in Low Places (8/18/90, 1 CW, 36 UK) Wild Horses (11/25/00, 7 CW, 43a US) Unanswered Prayers (11/3/90, 1 CW) Same Old Story Mr. Blue Wolves Total Running Time: 38:29

Rating: 4.250 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings) Quotable: “No Fences captures Garth Brooks just after his initial success yet before superstardom.” – David Cantwell, Amazon.com Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “No Fences captures Garth Brooks just after his initial success yet before superstardom.” DC It remains his “best-selling album to date” WK and was named Album of the Year in 1990 by the Academy of Country Music. It “follows the same pattern as his debut, but it is a more assured and risky record. Brooks still performs neo-traditional country, such as the honky tonk hit Friends in Low Places,” STE, which was the ACM 1990 Single of the Year, “but now he twists it around with clever pop hooks.” STE “Those pop/rock influences are most apparent on the ballads, which alternate between sensitive folk-rock and power ballad bombast. But what makes No Fences such a success is how seamlessly he blends the two seemingly opposing genres, and how he chooses a set of material that makes his genre-bending sound subtle and natural. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the songs are consistently entertaining, either.” STE That attempt at hitting across genres can come across as “impersonations – often catchy and engaging ones, but impersonations nonetheless. Wild Horses is straight-up George Strait, while Two of a Kind and ‘Friends in Low Places’ are John Anderson and Hank Jr. respectively. The best moment, the Dan Fogleberg-like Unanswered Prayers, relays a message either highly spiritual or hugely rationalized. Regardless, it succeeds because its delivery is earnest, sweet, and humble – something Garth wouldn’t be for long.” DC Also on the album is a cover of the Fleetwoods’ Mr. Blue, Victim of the Game (which was covered by Brooks’ future wife, Trisha Yearwood, on her 1991 debut, and The Thunder Rolls, which was CMA’s Video of the Year in 1991. WK Notes: “This Ain’t Tennessee” was added to the album when it was released as part of the Limited Series box set.

Resources and Related Links: Garth Brooks’ DMDB Encyclopedia entry DC David Cantwell, Amazon.com essential recording STE Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide WK Wikipedia