Well last week I tackled the scintillating topic of movie quotes from a slew of wonderful movies I love and how some of the lines came into our culture and had bigger meanings than when they were uttered in the movie theatre. This week I thought I would continue my disclosure of media sources which have shaped and impacted me by discussing my favorite albums. First of all, the “albums” I am talking about I once owned on vinyl (you know those big usually black round thing disc things with grooves in them that long time ago played music by application of a stereo needle). In fact, I had quite an extensive collection of “albums” for many years UNTIL I came home one day after my spouse had conducted a yard and garage sale where she was so happy she sold my box of albums we could not play anymore for a whopping $5.00. I am sure the fellow that bought them laughed all the way to bank with my collection of the Beatles “White Album”, Grand Funk Railroad’s “Were an American Band” the original Cars album on the limited blue vinyl release as well as many others nice gems! Oh well ……maybe a subject of another blog someday…..
Secondly, unlike my movie lines the albums are not really in numerical order because it is splitting hairs except for my No. 1 which is my favorite album of all time. Thirdly, I did not include any Beatles albums because well they would occupy the top ten- The Beatles did not make a bad album –all were incredibly spectacular. So just go ahead and pick one it should be on anyone’s top ten lists. Fourthly, I am a huge fan of rock and pop music. I grew up on it and since I had an older brother who brought forward small vinyl (45’s), I was introduced to music from 1950’s through the present. I enjoy other forms of music EXCEPT country and bluegrass but rock and pop were always my bread and butter. Lastly, no compilation or greatest hits albums were allowed on my list as well…..I have to discuss a couple of “honorable mentions” as well such as the Stone’s “Sticky Fingers”, Steely Dan’s “Asia”, Deep Purple’s “Machine Head”, Chicago’s Albums Two and Five, The Who’s “Who are you” and Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy” …
I also must give a special honorable mention to the Eagle’s “Hotel California” which was the best work of their very long and stellar career featuring such ballads as the title track, “Life in the Fast Lane” “Victim of Love” and my personal favorite “The Last Resort” with the classic but haunting line “to call someplace paradise is to kiss it goodbye”
So with that all said here goes it ………..
No.10. Aerosmith- “Toys in the Attic” The bad boys of Rock and Rock followed up the “Rats in the Cellar” single with this smash release in 1975 which featured the screeching vocals of lead singer Steven Tyler and the group is still kicking them out day. The album was rougher than the others listed below but the sound is good and the lyrics catchy as well. “Walk this Way” became a classic which has been remade two times, “Sweet Emotion”, “You see me Crying” the title track itself and the classic play on words from “ Big ten Inch” which slurs the words “except on my” to sound like “suck on my big ten inch……very catchy boys! ….
No.9. Jackson Browne- “Running on Empty” This is a solid album by a talented artist but he was not able to duplicate this work before or after this album. The work featured the title track itself, as well as “Rosie” (a tribute piece to masturbation), “Cocaine” (a tribute to drug addiction) “Love Needs a Heart”, the Load Out and “Stay” and “You Love the Thunder”. In fact, there is a hardly a weak track on this album released in 1976.
No.8. Emerson Lake and Palmer- “Brain Salad Surgery” Oh my I loved this album and played it until the grooves wore out for sure. A great album cover of the opening skull starts it off and inside such gems as “Jerusalem” which is a gripping opening track “Toccata” which was performed with an orchestra, “Still you turn me on”, and of course Karn Evil 9 (first, second and third impressions). This album was released in 1973 and still sounds as good today as it did then.
No.7. The Who- “Tommy” Now the Who had done some fine work before this piece with great hits like My Generation, Magic Bus, Squeeze Box and many others but the concept of the Tommy album as a rock opera was novel and fresh and it flowed as well any piece of vinyl ever could when it was released in 1969. It was a two record set and featured such classics as “Pinball Wizard”, “We’re not Gonna Take it” “I’m Free”, “Acid Queen” “Fiddle About” (now how many albums in 1960’s talked about child molestation?) and “Tommy Can you Hear Me?” as well as my personal favorite “Welcome”.
No.6. Led Zeppelin- “Led Zeppelin No.2. Now Led “the Head” was a phenomenal group and probably the best concert I ever saw in my live what I can remember of it (LOL). They had so many phenomenal pieces of works in their storied history but this album really cut their teeth on the scene and set them up for many more successes to come. Released in 1969, it featured such wonderful songs as “What is and What Should Never Be”, “Whole Lotta Love”, “Thank You”, “Ramble On” and “Heartbreaker”. The classics don’t get much better than this my friends.
No.5. Elton John-“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” Elton John was a celebrated superstar that produced many wonderful albums and crashed the billboards hard with hit after hit but this two record set was a masterpiece not just for the ones that hit the billboard such as “Bennie and the Jets”, the Title track, and Saturday Night’s all Right for Fighting” but the lesser known gems on this work including as song about lesbians entitled “All the Young Girls Love Alice” and delightful pieces such as “Grey Seal”, “Harmony”, “This Song Has no Title”, and Your Sister Can’t Dance but she can Rock and Roll” The album begins hauntingly with “Funeral for a Friend” blended eloquently with “Love Lies Bleeding” 1973 was vintage year indeed!
No.4 Jimmie Hendricks- “Are You Experienced” In 1967, this incredible album featuring one of the greatest guitarists in the world burst on the scene in a tour de force with a debut album the industry had not seen. Delightful gems included “Purple Haze” (which does not contain the line Excuse me while I kiss this guy but instead “excuse me while I kiss the sky”) “Can you see me”, “Hey Joe”, The Title Track itself and “Foxey Lady” and a personal fav of mine “Stone Free”. Sweet riffs at their best for sure.
No 3. The Rolling Stones- Some Girls Released in 1976, the Stones reached a plateau in their career with the release of the phenomenal album which firmly established them as one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time. They had already produced classics such as “Wild Horses”, “Jumping Jack Flash”, “It’s only Rock and Roll”, “Let’s Spend the Night together” and many others. The title track smash of this release, which if you bought one of the original releases as I did, contained the line “Black girls just want to get” Fu**ked all night” ripped the album into a classic and created huge sexist and racial controversy. The songs flowed well on the vinyl and features such classics as “Miss You”, “Far Away Eyes”, “When the Whip Comes Down” (which might be a personal fav of my good friend Mandie- LOL) as well as “Shattered” “Beast of Burden” and Just My Imagination ( running away with me )”.
No. 2 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band- “Born to Run” Oh my did this group with the grumbled voice lead singer burst on the scene in 1975 with the release of this classic gem that skyrocketed them to the simultaneous cover of Time and Newsweek Magazines and the lads of this group of talented musicians have rocked on the scene for over thirty years just releasing a new album last fall which is reminiscent of the earlier work. They had produced a few works before but had only a regional following in the heart of Asbury Park, New Jersey. “Born to Run” featured the Title track which became the band’s anthem but may have been outdone by the other songs on this vinyl including “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out”, “Jungleland”, “Backstreets”, “She’s The One” and of course “Thunder Road” Its no wonder I have seen The Boss and his band a dozen times since 1976.
No. 1 My personal number one album of all time is …..Pink Floyd- “Dark Side of the Moon” This album is as solid as any album can come and features the best work of this very talented and intellectually intense membership in the group. It begins with our heartbeats and ends the same way fading out and features such classics as “Time” which has some of my favorite lyrics of all time …...Ticking Away the moments that make up the dull day…..shorter of breath and one day closer to death….Other pieces on this classic album include “Money” “Brain Damage/Eclipse”, “Us and Them” , “On the Run” and “Breathe” This album seemed to define life in general with b
I’ll see you all…..on the dark side of the Moon…….irth, the breathing our air, racing against time, the pursuit or lack of money, the great Gig in the sky….. until the final closing piece …
I'll see you all...................... on the dark side of th moon
Secondly, unlike my movie lines the albums are not really in numerical order because it is splitting hairs except for my No. 1 which is my favorite album of all time. Thirdly, I did not include any Beatles albums because well they would occupy the top ten- The Beatles did not make a bad album –all were incredibly spectacular. So just go ahead and pick one it should be on anyone’s top ten lists. Fourthly, I am a huge fan of rock and pop music. I grew up on it and since I had an older brother who brought forward small vinyl (45’s), I was introduced to music from 1950’s through the present. I enjoy other forms of music EXCEPT country and bluegrass but rock and pop were always my bread and butter. Lastly, no compilation or greatest hits albums were allowed on my list as well…..I have to discuss a couple of “honorable mentions” as well such as the Stone’s “Sticky Fingers”, Steely Dan’s “Asia”, Deep Purple’s “Machine Head”, Chicago’s Albums Two and Five, The Who’s “Who are you” and Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy” …
I also must give a special honorable mention to the Eagle’s “Hotel California” which was the best work of their very long and stellar career featuring such ballads as the title track, “Life in the Fast Lane” “Victim of Love” and my personal favorite “The Last Resort” with the classic but haunting line “to call someplace paradise is to kiss it goodbye”
So with that all said here goes it ………..
No.10. Aerosmith- “Toys in the Attic” The bad boys of Rock and Rock followed up the “Rats in the Cellar” single with this smash release in 1975 which featured the screeching vocals of lead singer Steven Tyler and the group is still kicking them out day. The album was rougher than the others listed below but the sound is good and the lyrics catchy as well. “Walk this Way” became a classic which has been remade two times, “Sweet Emotion”, “You see me Crying” the title track itself and the classic play on words from “ Big ten Inch” which slurs the words “except on my” to sound like “suck on my big ten inch……very catchy boys! ….
No.9. Jackson Browne- “Running on Empty” This is a solid album by a talented artist but he was not able to duplicate this work before or after this album. The work featured the title track itself, as well as “Rosie” (a tribute piece to masturbation), “Cocaine” (a tribute to drug addiction) “Love Needs a Heart”, the Load Out and “Stay” and “You Love the Thunder”. In fact, there is a hardly a weak track on this album released in 1976.
No.8. Emerson Lake and Palmer- “Brain Salad Surgery” Oh my I loved this album and played it until the grooves wore out for sure. A great album cover of the opening skull starts it off and inside such gems as “Jerusalem” which is a gripping opening track “Toccata” which was performed with an orchestra, “Still you turn me on”, and of course Karn Evil 9 (first, second and third impressions). This album was released in 1973 and still sounds as good today as it did then.
No.7. The Who- “Tommy” Now the Who had done some fine work before this piece with great hits like My Generation, Magic Bus, Squeeze Box and many others but the concept of the Tommy album as a rock opera was novel and fresh and it flowed as well any piece of vinyl ever could when it was released in 1969. It was a two record set and featured such classics as “Pinball Wizard”, “We’re not Gonna Take it” “I’m Free”, “Acid Queen” “Fiddle About” (now how many albums in 1960’s talked about child molestation?) and “Tommy Can you Hear Me?” as well as my personal favorite “Welcome”.
No.6. Led Zeppelin- “Led Zeppelin No.2. Now Led “the Head” was a phenomenal group and probably the best concert I ever saw in my live what I can remember of it (LOL). They had so many phenomenal pieces of works in their storied history but this album really cut their teeth on the scene and set them up for many more successes to come. Released in 1969, it featured such wonderful songs as “What is and What Should Never Be”, “Whole Lotta Love”, “Thank You”, “Ramble On” and “Heartbreaker”. The classics don’t get much better than this my friends.
No.5. Elton John-“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” Elton John was a celebrated superstar that produced many wonderful albums and crashed the billboards hard with hit after hit but this two record set was a masterpiece not just for the ones that hit the billboard such as “Bennie and the Jets”, the Title track, and Saturday Night’s all Right for Fighting” but the lesser known gems on this work including as song about lesbians entitled “All the Young Girls Love Alice” and delightful pieces such as “Grey Seal”, “Harmony”, “This Song Has no Title”, and Your Sister Can’t Dance but she can Rock and Roll” The album begins hauntingly with “Funeral for a Friend” blended eloquently with “Love Lies Bleeding” 1973 was vintage year indeed!
No.4 Jimmie Hendricks- “Are You Experienced” In 1967, this incredible album featuring one of the greatest guitarists in the world burst on the scene in a tour de force with a debut album the industry had not seen. Delightful gems included “Purple Haze” (which does not contain the line Excuse me while I kiss this guy but instead “excuse me while I kiss the sky”) “Can you see me”, “Hey Joe”, The Title Track itself and “Foxey Lady” and a personal fav of mine “Stone Free”. Sweet riffs at their best for sure.
No 3. The Rolling Stones- Some Girls Released in 1976, the Stones reached a plateau in their career with the release of the phenomenal album which firmly established them as one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time. They had already produced classics such as “Wild Horses”, “Jumping Jack Flash”, “It’s only Rock and Roll”, “Let’s Spend the Night together” and many others. The title track smash of this release, which if you bought one of the original releases as I did, contained the line “Black girls just want to get” Fu**ked all night” ripped the album into a classic and created huge sexist and racial controversy. The songs flowed well on the vinyl and features such classics as “Miss You”, “Far Away Eyes”, “When the Whip Comes Down” (which might be a personal fav of my good friend Mandie- LOL) as well as “Shattered” “Beast of Burden” and Just My Imagination ( running away with me )”.
No. 2 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band- “Born to Run” Oh my did this group with the grumbled voice lead singer burst on the scene in 1975 with the release of this classic gem that skyrocketed them to the simultaneous cover of Time and Newsweek Magazines and the lads of this group of talented musicians have rocked on the scene for over thirty years just releasing a new album last fall which is reminiscent of the earlier work. They had produced a few works before but had only a regional following in the heart of Asbury Park, New Jersey. “Born to Run” featured the Title track which became the band’s anthem but may have been outdone by the other songs on this vinyl including “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out”, “Jungleland”, “Backstreets”, “She’s The One” and of course “Thunder Road” Its no wonder I have seen The Boss and his band a dozen times since 1976.
No. 1 My personal number one album of all time is …..Pink Floyd- “Dark Side of the Moon” This album is as solid as any album can come and features the best work of this very talented and intellectually intense membership in the group. It begins with our heartbeats and ends the same way fading out and features such classics as “Time” which has some of my favorite lyrics of all time …...Ticking Away the moments that make up the dull day…..shorter of breath and one day closer to death….Other pieces on this classic album include “Money” “Brain Damage/Eclipse”, “Us and Them” , “On the Run” and “Breathe” This album seemed to define life in general with b
I’ll see you all…..on the dark side of the Moon…….irth, the breathing our air, racing against time, the pursuit or lack of money, the great Gig in the sky….. until the final closing piece …
I'll see you all...................... on the dark side of th moon
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