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#17
artist: Elvis Presley
album: Elvis Presley
year: Recorded 1954-56, released 1956
personnel:
Vocals – Elvis Presley
Acoustic Guitar – Elvis Presley and Chet Atkins
Electric Guitar – Scotty Moore
Piano – Floyd Cramer and Shorty Long
Bass – Bill Black
Drums – D. J. Fontana and Johnny Bernero
Producer – Sam Phillips and Stephen H. Sholes
Label – RCA Victor
thoughts:
Not the best Elvis songs/recordings I’ve ever heard to be honest!
Starts off really strong with Blue Suede Shoes, and then sort of is mostly Mediocre or Bad covers of songs with some good instrumental work (Elvis but also Scotty Moore and Chet Atkins) sprinkled in
You can tell that Elvis likes a lot of the songs he’s covering, so maybe I’m biased by having heard the originals and other covers of them but.... I don’t know. If this was the only selection of Elvis songs I’d ever heard I wouldn’t consider him that great
Trying to Get to You is another definite highlight for me! Didn’t realize this is where Paul McCartney got In Spite of All the Danger from
He was 19-21 when recording these songs I think, but it’s interesting how much higher pitched his voice sounds on some songs compared to later songs that I think of when I think of Elvis’s Voice
Don’t think I’ll be revisiting this one as an album
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#16
artist: Frank Sinatra
album: In the Wee Small Hours
year: Released and recorded 1955
personnel:
Frank Sinatra - vocals
Nelson Riddle - arranger, conductor
Voyle Gilmore - producer
Label: Capitol
thoughts:
didn’t know the history behind this album until I was almost through it, but it’s really interesting! basically one of the first real Albums rather than a collection of singles, with a cohesive theme (sadness, loneliness, loss of love, etc), and apparently this album really helped boost the popularity of the 12 inch! very very cool. We Love You Frank Sinatra
I’m on my second listen now and there aren’t specific songs that stand up as much as certain moments in songs- usually sinatra’s singing, but there are some really nice moments with the band
One song that does actually stand out to me is Ill Wind (contradicting the previous point but maybe I just need a few more listens)
Sinatra does a really consistently good job throughout the album- he and the band really do clearly establish a mood that continues throughout the whole album without making the songs sound too similar or boring. really reflects well on his artistry here!
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#15
artist: Nina Simone
album: Wild Is the Wind
year: Released 1966, recorded 1964-5
personnel:
Nina Simone - vocals, writer/arranger for several songs
Hal Mooney - producer
Label: Philips Records
thoughts:
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#14
artist: Ravyn Lenae
album: Crush (EP)
year: Released 2018, recorded 2017
personnel:
Ravyn Lenae - vocals, co-writer
Steve Lacy - co-writer, producer
Label: Atlantic
thoughts:
Love love love the first two tracks, Sticky and Closer (Ode 2 U)
I think it’s a really well done project that works well as a shorter EP
The lyrics are good! I don’t really mind them either way, I think they’re solid but nothing too crazy or exceptional
I do love her vocals! The way she jumps around on The Night Song, for example, really jumps out
I don’t have too much to say about this EP, I might come back and edit this post later, I do think it’s a great release though!
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#13
artist: Nikki Yanofsky
album: Little Secret
year: 2014
personnel:
Nikki Yanofsky - vocals
Quincy Jones - executive producer
Label: A440 Entertainment
thoughts:
This specific style of excited jazzy pop delivered by a female vocalist is so dated that you can immediately tell this album came out at some point close to 2010 - although, I will say that 2014 seems pretty late for this?
It’s not a bad album, it’s just the kind of album that makes you wish you were listening to other, better music that the songs remind you of
My favorite songs were Out Of Nowhere and Knock Knock
I think if I had heard this in 2010 I would’ve really really enjoyed it
Man, Quincy Jones really just produces everything, huh?
I think it might be a bit too heavy on the Jazz Vocal Pop side for me overall? Songs like Mercy by Duffy have that 60s organ riffing and Amy Winehouse adds r&b flair- maybe it’s just the genre? Plus the vocals are more impressive in the
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#12
artist: Taeko Onuki
album: SUNSHOWER
year: 1977 (recorded May-June, released July)
personnel:
Taeko Onuki - vocals, backing vocals, co-producer
Seiji Kuniyoshi and Akira Ikuta - producers
Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yuh Imai - keyboards
Kazumi Watanabe, Kenji Ohmura, Tsunehide Matsuki, Kohichi Hara – guitar
Haruomi Hosono and Tsugutoshi Goto – bass
Christopher Parker and Nov Saitoh – drums and percussion
Shigeharu Mukai and Yasuaki Shimizu – trombone and saxophone (respectively)
Tatsuro Yamashita – background vocal
Released on the label PANAM
thoughts:
I’m currently on the second listen and am definitely enjoying it more- it’s the kind of album where it’s much better when you’re in the right headspace for it, which I think applies to a lot of city pop. Also, her voice took a little bit of time to get used to (at least for me)
I love how much space it gives the instruments! For example, the instrument break/solo on Nani mo Iranai is so smooth- and very 70s I think. I’m really appreciating those instruments on the second listen. Onuki’s voice flows with them so well- she’s capable of fitting in and making her voice stand out depending on what she needs
My favorites right now are: Tokai, Furiko no Hagi, and Summer Connection
Summer Connection is such a bright and pretty song, the lyrics fit it perfectly, just overall a really happy start to the album
Kusuri o Takusan is very funky, also liked the lyrics there! reminded me of a mix of Mother’s Little Helper from the Rolling Stones and Dis-ease by BTS :’)
I love how Nani mo Iranai shifts into a pure instrumental ending, it really fits the lyrics of wanting to throw the world away and start fresh
I love !! the arrangement of Tokai, and it lyrically really flows well from the previous song- just focusing now on the apathy/dislike the singer feels toward the city and a desire to be together with someone (maybe to make a real connection that the city otherwise denies them?) compared to the previous song, where it’s a much more isolated feeling
Then shifting into Karappo no Isu, which very clear completes the idea of wanting to escape a place filled with loneliness and melancholy - if only That Person weren’t still there. really love the lyrical movement in those three songs
I can’t find reliable lyrics for Law of Nature, it’s not my favorite on the album but not bad by any means
Dare no Tame ni.... man!! I love the song a lot now that I’ve read the lyrics. I don’t know any other songs off the top of my head with this kidn of message.
Silent Screamer is in the same tier as Law of Nature for me, the lyrics are fun but that’s about it
Sargasso Sea is a very very cool song, I love the imagery and atmosphere it creates!!!
Taeko Onuki’s vocals are so good at working with the lyrics throughout the album, and you really see that with Furiko no Yagi- the push and pull she provides vocally really fit what she’s saying. AND MAN WHEN THE GUITAR COMES IN!!!
#a lot of the instrumentalists here are from the lineup of Yellow Magic Orchestra !#going to come back to this after my 2nd listen is done and I read the lyrics through for my 3rd listen#today is jan 18 and i'm doing my lyrics listen!#jan 10 was my first listen#also the first time i wasn't super into it but after that first listen everything changed lmao I love it now
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#11
artist: Cannonball Adderley
album: Somethin’ Else
year: 1958 (recorded March, released August)
personnel:
Cannonball Adderley – alto saxophone
Miles Davis – trumpet
Hank Jones – piano
Sam Jones – bass
Art Blakey – drums
Produced by Alfred Lion, Recording Engineer Rudy Van Gelder, released on Blue Note
thoughts:
Autumn Leaves is officially joining my list of favorite jazz pieces, I’ve only heard it a few times but I can’t wait until I know it better and can hum along. It makes me happy to be alive so I can listen to it
It feels stupid to say “Miles Davis is really good !” but I love his solo in Love for Sale (and his playing throughout the album). Same with the sax solo on this one. But I think my favorite part of Love for Sale is the piano/bass/drums in the background, they make this one stand out as a really fun swinging sort of piece
The title track is another really solid one, similar feeling on some way to Love for Sale
loooove the call and response on One for Daddy-O, just a really fun track
Dancing in the Dark is probably my personal least favorite on the album but it’s very romantic, it just sounds a bit too romantic and lounge-y for my tastes. Still good!!
The constant solos on Bangoon (aka Alison’s Uncle) are so fun, I love how they jump around. It sounds very light throughout the piece, and it’s a nice way to close the album out
#first listened to on October 9 2021#despite all my time at kcr I am still incapable of describing jazz in any kind of articulate way lol
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#10
artist: Outkast
album: Aquemini
year: September 29, 1998, recorded 1997–98
personnel: Andre 3000 and Big Boi, produced by Organized Noize, Outkast, Mr. DJ
thoughts:
[add later]
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#9
artist: Stevie Wonder
album: Up-Tight
year: 1966, recorded 1962, 1964, 1965-1966
personnel:
Stevie Wonder: lead + harmony vocals, harmonica, keyboards, percussion
The Andantes, The Originals, The Temptations, etc: backing vocals
The Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra: instrumentation
Henry Cosby, William "Mickey" Stevenson, Clarence Paul, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier: producers
thoughts:
A lot of the record, especially the first few songs, works as a solid soul/pop record, with those songs definitely growing on me after a couple listens
The cover of Blowin' In The Wind is interesting, and I think the arrangement + addition of the call/response bits were well done, but I'm not sure if I'd say it's a Good Cover. It's well done, but I don't love how the tone and mood of the song were shifted
Beyond crazy to think that he was ~15 years old for a lot of these songs.. sixteen when he wrote Uptight (Everything's Alright)??? Are you CRAZY??? God
Nothing's Too Good For My Baby feels like a worse prototype of Uptight (the song)- it's so close to being a standout but it's Off. I think I'd like it a lot more if Uptight didn't exist. But it's funny how it really is just. a worse version
That little James Brown Papa's Got a Brand New Bag instrumentation on Teach Me Tonight is so cute- I'd be interested to hear other versions, since this is apparently a standard
UPTIGHT (EVERYTHING'S ALRIGHT) IS SOOO GOOD IT'S SO GOOD I LOVE IT EVERY TIME I HEAR IT. A JOY!!! absolutely the stand out song on the album, and it's the only one he wrote/co-wrote. king!! the ENERGY! the FEELING! just the way he performs it is crazy to me. i wish we could have heard a sam cooke cover of this in a Harlem Square Club-esque rendition energy-wise
Just read that he was inspired instrumentation-wise by the driving beat of (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.. that's such a weirdly perfect comparison. man.
Second side starts off strong with Ain't That Asking For Trouble! I Want My Baby Back is a solid Motown song, not my favorite but.
Pretty Little Angel is weird because it was recorded only a year before the rest of the album, but his voice sounds so much more childish- wonder how much of that is due to natural changes and how much is due to the studio's demands/interests? either way, it's also like.. fine.
Music Talk is really fun, it's got some slight similarities maybe to Sir Duke, if you squint, but man!! it really reminds me of some (later) Sly and the Family Stone songs! like.. to a Really Noticeable degree. I liked hearing the Andantes in the backing vocals on this one specifically!
Contract on Love is another Fun But Ok song. Man He Could Sing as a kid lmao. short and sweet!
With a Child's Heart was apparently later covered by Michael Jackson and then by Raven-Symoné which is funny. Not the best song on the album, not a super satisfying ending, but it's fine! it's fine. it's cute
Overall, it's interesting to hear an earlier Stevie Wonder album where he's already definitely making the transition into the artist that I know!!
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#8
artist: Yura Yura Teikoku
album: 3x3x3
year: 1999, recorded 1997
personnel:
Shintaro Sakamoto (vocal, guitar, illustration/design)
Chiyo Kamekawa (bass)
Ichiro Shabata (drums)
Hiroshi Okura (exec. producer)
You Ishihara (producer)
Soichiro Nakamura (engineer)
thoughts:
It took me a few weeks to go through the songs and lyrics to the point where I was able to write this, so I’m going to go track by track
Wakatte Hoshii/I Want You to Understand: Strong and fun opening! the instrumentation here is nice, slipping from 2000s indie rock to 1965 Kinks. The lyrics are pretty tame and fit the sound
Konchu Rock/Insect Rock: once again, instrumentation that would feel right at home on any 2000s indie rock radio station in the US- makes me wonder if there was any overlap between the Japanese and American/British rock scene at the time? the lyrics are based on the idea of wanting to live free and content as a beautiful insect. Why Not
Yura Yura Ugoku: this one took a bit to grow on me but I think it’ll be great in the summer, the moments when you’re feeling tired and lazy and a bit depressed, laying down and staring at the ceiling. the lyrics are really nice and fit well with the vibe- “it’s like it’s drowning, it’s like it’s being good, it’s like it’s being squeezed... it seems that this body full of vagueness is not good for me. I’m sorry, I’m drowning, I’m feeling good, I’m feeling, I’m feeling like I’m dying, I’m sure tomorrow, I’m sure tomorrow...” (accuracy unclear)
Dock’N’Doll: just like Konchu Rock, makes me wish I could sing along in Japanese. definitely one of my favorites on the album instrumentally, not 100% sure about the lyrics here
Hakkotai/Luminous Body: instrumentation is really good, 10% more intense than I prefer most of the time but if I were in a Japanese basement in the late 90s I would probably be jumping around wildly which is, I think, high praise. One thing that stands out here is that the guitarist, bassist, and drummer all seem to be at the same level - a good band, and a good song! lyrics seem to invoke the imagery of blood being squeezed out, along with tears and sweat, heads shaking and a fast rhythm. nice.
Tsukinuketa/I Got Through: it’s alright, not bad and I’m sure it would be really fun live, but it seems to be a more intense but worse version of the previous song? clocks in at 1:09 minutes only
Aitsu No Theme/His Theme: LOVE THIS ONE!! lyrics are good, I’m not sure if they’re vague or it’s just the translation but I like the mountain and river imagery. the kind of guitar and singing that makes you want to jump around your room and sing into a hairbrush
3x3x3: THIS ONE IS SO GOOD. the song itself made me lose my mind and then I looked up the lyrics.. the low voice describing how a demon in the shape of a dog skulks around parks and playgrounds to kidnap children, going into the specifics of this one victim who was replaced/changed and no one noticed, then going into "I was hit on my head and my eyes popped out, I had to close the two holes quickly, there were always three mischievous boys in my head”... I don’t know why but that has been repeating in my mind all month. Some good Joe Strummer-esque voice crack screams throughout, the way that it goes from deep voiced narration to background nasal whines to shouts.. this is THE song
Turtle Talk: Nice instrumental! good transition, fun to listen to, well done
Evil Car: another one of my favorites on the album. it’s 9 minutes long and goes through a few different stages, starting off with a slower and powerfully song bit (lyrics about how children can interact with fairies and birds and avoid cars? sure), then moves into this fuzz guitar bit that sounds a bit like Sister Ray by the Velvet Underground, then going to a third phase. I really think the album could have ended right on that final scream
Party Wa Yaranai/Don’t Have a Party: It’s not bad, and I think if it were placed in the earlier middle portion of the album I would like it a lot more- I just think that from Aitsu No Theme to Evil Car you have 4 really great tracks, with Evil Car ending on such a strong note, and then this one is like.. fine!
overall really love this album. definitely want to explore more Japanese rock in full albums, not just individual songs!
#this is really long but i wanted to go through each song since i've listened to this album so much by now#first listen: march 6? 7?#listened to it a lot since then
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#7
artist: Britney Spears
album: ...Baby One More Time
year: 1999, recorded 1997-8
personnel:
Britney Spears – lead vocals, background vocals
Producers: The All Seeing I, Jörgen Elofsson, David Kreuger, Kristian Lundin, Per Magnusson, Max Martin, Rami
thoughts:
obviously i am already Very familiar with the title track and (You Drive Me) Crazy, but!! they still slap AND i didn’t realize there was a guitar bit on Crazy? it’s good though
Sometimes was good!! a good way to show off her vocals earlier in the album after the more pop-y opening two songs
“soda pop’.. yeah. does not get better upon relistening. britney does a good job on it! it’s just a weird song. sounds like it’s made for a commercial airing at 4pm on cartoon network where kids drink gogurt and jump around in front of tie-dye backgrounds, and the kids are wearing tshirts on top of long sleeve shirts. same thing for “the beat goes on”. sounds like they were trying to have a Clash Sandinista moment w these songs but.. they were not
best songs: baby one more time, crazy, i will be there, deep in my heart, thinkin’ about you
in “thinkin’ about you”, the way she quickly says “thinkin’ about you” is so fun
“email my heart” what a title
listening to this album a couple times through has made me realize that britney really is like.. the blueprint for so much kpop of the past 15 years
last real thought about this album is that it makes me wish i knew the words to the songs so i could sing along, and it made me think “she really does have a voice!” a fair amount of times. so i think it’s successful as a debut album!
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#6
artist: Kendrick Lamar
album: good kid, m.A.A.d city
year: 2012
personnel:
Kendrick Lamar – art direction, primary artist
Dr. Dre – executive producer, featured artist, mixing
Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith – executive producer
thoughts:
I already had known a few of these songs like Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe, Backstreet Freestyle, mAAd city, and Swimming Pools for years, and I really liked all of them, but they definitely felt new when I heard them in the context of the album as a whole
I think this album really stands out as one of the best Albums (that I’ve heard) from the 2010s, it’s hard for me to think of too many other albums in general that tell such a good story and do it so well
everything I write here sounds v lame because this album has been discussed to death in the past 9 years. I love the lyrics, I think the instrumentation and mixing is so good and you can obviously see how it influenced later artists/albums/songs. I think I’ll just go with some parts I really liked because I don’t have anything original to say here
The Art of Peer Pressure is like..... so well done. the paranoid checked out feeling... man. MAN! I wish I could tell a story that well.
poetic justice has really good wordplay that i didnt catch the first couple times, and i was surprised that i liked the drake verse a lot tbh
good kid is incredible. it’s on the same level as The Art of Peer Pressure for me I think. mAAd city is...... Something Else.
the changing mood of the skits as they weave in and out.. the role that his friends play is v interesting but so is the role of his parents/family, esp when you reach songs like Swimming Pools
Sing About Me I’m Dying Of Thirst.....yeah. Yeah .
compton is a good closing track but if i’m going to be honest it’s a bit underwhelming after the past 11 songs. it’s good! just not quite as impressive as some of the other tracks
Haha Remember How This Album Lost To A Macklemore Album At The Grammys For Best Rap Album Lol :) :)
#first listened in full at some point in early january#i've listened to it all the way through probably... 6 ? 7 times in the past month#but this was the first time i listened through with the genius lyrics/annotations open
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#5
artist: Billy Joel
album: The Stranger
year: 1977
personnel:
Billy Joel – vocals, acoustic piano, keyboards, synthesizers, Fender Rhodes
Phil Ramone – producer, engineer
thoughts:
I already knew Movin’ Out and Vienna, and I loved both of them. Movin’ Out is a great start to the album and Vienna.. still hits
One of my recurring thoughts on this album is how much he sounds like Paul McCartney sometimes? It’s not a bad thing I guess but some of these songs really do sound like Paul McCartney solo/Wings creations. “Just the Way You Are” feels almost shameless in this. I think some of those songs are notably weaker but that might be v subjective
the lyrics on The Stranger are so good. I already assumed he was a good lyricist from the Billy Joel songs i’ve heard, including the two on this album, but I definitely think more positively of Mr Joel now !
maybe it’s because he says the words “Village Green” but Scenes from an italian restaurant reminds me of a Kinks song :’) Good storytelling!
I think this album hits every single kind of sound I associate with Billy Joel, which is probably why it’s one of his most famous albums
I guess it sometimes veers into cheesiness sound-wise but that might be me coming at it 43 (!!) years later
Speaking of cheesy, “Only the Good Die Young” definitely grew on me
Current Favorites: Movin’ Out, Vienna, The Stranger, Only the Good Die Young, and Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
#doing this again after a Fall Semester Hiatus lol#first listened at some point in mid December then listened throughout the last week fo December 2020
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#4
artist: The Smiths
album: The Queen is Dead
year: 1986
personnel:
Morrissey – lead vocals, backing vocals
Johnny Marr – guitars, orchestration, synthesised strings, harmonium, marimba
Andy Rourke – bass guitar
Mike Joyce – drums
thoughts:
-maybe this is because it’s pretty short, clocking in at only 37 minutes, but the album feels really tight and well done. I can only think of one song that I could maybe do without, which is Vicar in a Tutu, but that’s not really a hard pass, I definitely don’t dislike it/think it doesn’t belong
-I really love Marr’s guitar + the general instrumentation, I’m going to mainly talk about lyrics than the instruments but the sound reminds me of what I like about Kino I think. my favorite examples on the album are probably the title track, I Know It’s Over, and ESPECIALLY on Bigmouth Strikes Again, but to be honest it’s uniformly good, even on simpler tracks like Frankly Mr. Shankly (NOTE: just saw a quote w Johnny Marr comparing the guitar on Bigmouth Strikes Again to Jumpin Jack Flash, and that’s such a good connection)
-The lyrics to the title track are so funny and well done, definitely one of the strongest points of the album for me. the queen/prince charles bits are so well done, it doesn’t come off as unnecessarily snarky, which I think it could be in danger of doing (to be honest, a lot stronger than some of the stuff coming from some british punk bands)
-I Know It’s Over..... man. morrissey’s lyrics are beautiful and devastating, of course, but his singing really shines through in this one I think. adds an extra layer of wistfulness and introspection and buildup.
-Never Had No One Ever has this great almost apocalyptic sounding instrumentation. I wouldn’t put it in my favorites but I think it’s one of the rare moments on the album where the lyrics seem to exist to strengthen the vibe of the instruments, if that makes sense. The words seem to weave into the spaces left by the instruments is what I mean I guess. I would compare that to She’s So Heavy on Abbey Road, if I had to
-Cemetry Gates is so so good, it makes me want to punch Morrissey but it makes me so happy so I can’t in good faith criticize the lyrics. It’s also an interesting tone shift from the bleak and devastating Never Had No One Ever- you moved on from a song about loneliness and desolation into a song where the singer is no longer alone- instead, they’re mocking someone else, gaining some confidence but unable to genuinely connect with the other person or with the graves around them.
-And then you shift into Bigmouth Strikes Again, from a song about being a bit of a dick to a song about how everyone hates you for being a dick. it’s a really good through-line for the themes of the album. you’re alone, no one wants you, you’re devastated, but then you’re unable to make these actual loving connections with people because you’re a jerk, or maybe you’re a jerk because you’re so isolated every day. and Morrissey keeps bringing these glib historical references which ignore the deep emotional stake of the people he’s referencing, finally saying he has no right to take his place with the human race. I don’t know how to properly phrase it but there’s something really clever and infuriating about the whole thing
-The Boy With the Thorn In His Side is good, but it’s sort of like Frankly Mr Shankly where it sounds good but it’s much worse than the songs it’s near on the track list
-There Is A Light That Never Goes Out....man. what can I say. Yeah. oh I will say that I love the flutes!!
-Having the ending song be Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others feels like a twist on the “end it on a rocker” rule, which seems to be “end it on a funny song about boob sizes”. which is fine, it’s a fun song! cute ending. feels a bit like Bob Dylan’s Talkin World War III Blues (funny song that ends on surprisingly tender lyrics)
Favorite Lyrics:
-”I say Charles don't you ever crave/To appear on the front of the Daily Mail/Dressed in your mother's bridal veil?”
-”Life is very long, when you're lonely”
-”Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head/And as I climb into an empty bed/Oh well, enough said”
-”It's so easy to laugh, it's so easy to hate/It takes strength to be gentle and kind/Over, over, over, over”
-”Now I know how Joan of Arc felt/As the flames rose to her roman nose/And her hearing aid started to melt”
-”Take me out tonight/Take me anywhere, I don't care, I don't care/I don't care/And in the darkened underpass/I thought "Oh God, my chance has come at last"/But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask”
-”And if a double-decker bus crashes into us/To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die”
-”Oh, there is a light and it never goes out”
-”Send me the pillow/The one that you dream on/And I'll send you mine”
#first listen was on the night of august 28/early august 29#listened to it like. five times since then. i'm posting this on the night of august 29/early august 30#this post is super long but! these are my thoughts
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#3
artist: Mongo Santamaría
album: Explodes at the Village Gate
year: 1967
personnel: can’t find anywhere online!! presumably Santamaría on the congos/bongos
thoughts:
-I liked the opening number “Philadelphia”, “Mongoettes”, and the “Watermelon Man” parts of “Elephant Pants”
-songs like “Juan Jose” and “Bloodshot” really really make me wish I could sultrily dance in the summer streets at 8pm with one of those nice dresses. man.
-the flute is v fun! esp on “Juan Jose”
-the live elements really make the music so much more enjoyable, even just hearing the faint background noises and the occasional shouts from musicians (or maybe audience members) really adds to the atmosphere
-not my favorite but not bad! would probably listen again casually
#first and second listen late night august 16/early morning august 17#listened again throughout the 17th
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#2
artist: The Kinks
album: Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
year: 1969
personnel:
Mick Avory – drums, percussion
John Dalton – bass guitar, background vocals
Dave Davies – lead guitar, background vocals, co-lead and lead vocals
Ray Davies – lead and background vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards
Pete Quaife – bass guitar
thoughts:
-I was already pretty familiar with Victoria and Shangri-La (and obviously Plastic Man, but that’s a bonus song), but listening through the album and following the story + lyrics made me appreciate Shangri-La so so so much more
-A lot of the instrumentation sounds like the Beatles on Sgt Peppers and, to some extent, Abbey Road + The White Album. It’s mostly the guitar and the use of horns + strings. This sticks out most on “Yes Sir, No Sir”, “Some Mother’s Son”, “Australia” (the middle and end part sounds so much like something off of Abbey Road), and the piano --> guitar --> goofy part in “She’s Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina” sounds exactly like a Paul song from 1968 or 1969
-I think it does really well as a concept/story album. The lyrics tell the story clearly without taking away from the sound
-The Kinks are so so good at toeing the line between sentimental and sarcastic. I can’t think of another band that I like that does that so well- maybe a few Rolling Stones tracks, but Mick tends to overdo it compared to the Kinks. I’ve always loved that on their music but it shines through on this album, esp on tracks like “Arthur” and “Shangri-La”
-I personally really enjoyed this album- especially As An Album. But I think a big part of that enjoyment is due to the fact that I love the Kinks sound (instruments specifically) from this period and in general. There are a few songs on the album that aren’t super strong lyrically but they have a minute where the guitar and percussion are so fun to listen to so I can forgive them. And man!! maybe it’s because I’ve listened the Kinks for 7+ years but. the singing + harmonies are very comforting and familiar-sounding.
-Overall I’d say my favorite songs are Shangri-La (so so so good!! can’t overstate this), She’s Bought a House Like Princess Marina, Mr Churchill Says, Arthur, and Some Mother’s Son. But that might change in a month or two. Loved this album though!! Definitely increased my respect for the Kinks
#first listen through was august 11#listened a few times on the 11th and 12th#listening a bit again as i post this on the 13th#i listened to the stereo version on spotify not the mon#*mono#the kinks#arthur or the decline and fall of the british empire
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artist: Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers
album: Moanin’
year: 1959
Art Blakey – drums
Lee Morgan – trumpet
Benny Golson – tenor saxophone
Bobby Timmons – piano
Jymie Merritt – bass
thoughts:
-I like every single part of Moanin’ (title track), esp the ending, just a really good number
-I love all of the solos in Are You Real, and the trumpet in Along Came Betty
-the drums leading into the BURST of trumpet ~2 min into Drum Thunder Suite!! so so good
-blues march isn’t my favorite, it’s good but it is a bit of a letdown after the super strong opening tracks. come rain or shine brings it back up to Great again though, and the alternate take of moanin’ is a great closer
-I really loved Lee Morgan on this, and I’ve heard his name before but didn’t realize he was on so many famous records
-the album is considered Hard Bop, which is said to originate w art blakey/the jazz messengers. there’s some stuff on wikipedia about hard bop vs bebop vs cool jazz, i definitely want to read more about it and listen to more albums. can’t let p schaap down!
-overall, really really good! I ordered the record bc I like the album so much
#first time listen late night aug 7/early morning aug 8#second listen late night aug 9/early morning aug 10#art blakey and the jazz messengers#moanin
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