Every record the Beatles published was a shock when it came out. We used to line-up outside the record store in the mornings of the release days. Compared to rabid R&B evangelists like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles arrived sounding like nothing else (Rolling Stone Magazine). Following up on my earlier post today, on the list of my most memorable albums, we now get to the rest of the Top Ten, in random order (the number is there just to limit them to 10). And one rule here is, that no group can have more than one album on the list.
2. Rolling Stones no. 2
Yes, they are number two on this (random) list, but that was also the name of the album. Also in this case I chose an album that not normally is regarded as one of the band’s greatest. It contains only 3 songs composed by Jagger and Richards, but this is how I learned to listen to The Stones. My favorites on this album are “Everybody needs somebody to love”, “Under the Boardwalk” and particularly “Time is on My Side”.
3. Dance with the Shadows
The Shadows were pioneers of the four-member rock-group format (lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar and drums) in the UK. They were Cliff Richard’s backing band, but had their own career as an almost entirely instrumental group. Cliff and The Shadows dominated the British popular music scene in the pre-beatles period 1958-62. John Lennon is rumored to have said that before Cliff and the Shadows there was nothing to listen to in Brittish music.
As the first backing band to emerge as stars in their own right, they were early trailblazers for the beat-group boom that followed. The Shadows didn’t have any particularly great album, but several chart-topper singles, starting with Apache. For me personally, as a drummer in our garage-band, the most important track was Brian Bennetts drumming on “Big-B”. The best album to buy today would be “20 Golden Greats”, but as an illustration for this post I have chosen the album “Dance with the Shadows (1963).
4. Elvis Presley
The early 1960’s was not musically a good period for Elvis Presley. He got lost in Hollywood and in a few years starred in more than 20 films. They were “musical comedies” accompanied by sound track albums. The movies were dismissed by the critic and by and large, the songs were written on order by men who never really understood Elvis or rock and roll.
Nevertheless, each year we saw at least one new Elvis movie, such as Kid Galahad, Girls girls girls, Fun in Acapulco, Kissin’ Cousins. Three of Elvis’s sound tracks actually reached number one on the charts and a few of his popular songs are from his films, such as “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, “Return to Sender” and “Viva Las Vegas”.
Although we never missed a new Elvis movie in the early 60’s, we didn’t really appreciate many of the songs. Instead we favored the “real” Elvis and the proper album for that is his debut long-playing record, named simply, Elvis Presley.
5. The Best of The Animals
Their 1964 hit House of the Rising sun was probably the first folk rock hit (although the term was not invented until the Birds recorded Mr Tambourine Man). This album by the Animals was not released until 1966, but the songs are recorded in 1964-65. In May 1964 I went to The Animals’ concert in Helsinki. It was the first live performance of an international band I have experienced (except Paul Anka by coincidence at the amusement park in Stockholm 1959, unfortunately I was too young at that time to realise what was going on).
6. The Magnificent Moodies – Moody Blues
Anybody can tell you, that the symphonic “Days of Future Passed” album is considered to be the ground breaking album of the Moody Blues. But I got totally knocked out already by their first, R&B, album in 1965. The first track is a cover of James Brown’s “I’ll Go Crazy”, and this version is the reason I found the album. One of the most popular Finnish groups in the 60’s was Topmost, and they used to open their shows with the Moody Blues version of the song. I thought it was awesome. The album also includes “Go now” and a great version of “Something you got”.
7. Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan was, no doubt, one of the most influential songwriters in the 1960’s. His own performances were initially not easy to digest, the voice very nasal, “as if sandpaper could sing”. Many of his most famous early songs first reached the public through more immediately palatable versions by other performers, such as Joan Baez, Peter Paul and Mary, Sonny and Cher, The Birds, The Association, The Hollies, The Turtles, Jimi Hendrix etc.
Many consider “Blonde on Blonde” to be Dylan’s best album, but I have chosen Higway 61, partly because it includes the fantastic “Like a Rolling Stone”. In those days a typical track lasted between 1:50 and 2:20 minutes. Like a Rolling Stone goes on for more than 6 minutes. The times really were a’changing.
8. Disraeli Gears – Cream
Cream was probably the first so called “Supergroup”, but even so, their front man was Eric Clapton. He played a central part of many groups in the 60’s, and is still very much around, almost 50 years later! Earlier in the 60’s he was part of, among others, The Yardbirds and The Bluesbreakers and after Cream he formed Blind Faith (including Stevie Winwood) and Derek and the Dominoes before leaving on his solo career. Claptons first (solo) Number One was Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff”, probably the first reggae song to top the charts. According to one source, Clapton is the only person who has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times; as a solo performer, as well as a member of rock bands the Yardbirds and Cream.
In 1967 I had the good fortune to experience Cream in a concert in Helsinki. The first song they played was Tales of Brave Ulysses, also included on Disraeli Gears. The record also includes “Sunshine of Your Love” and “Strange Brew”. By the way, the two other super stars of Cream were bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker.
9. Forever Changes – Love
This is my choice for the best album of all times, but I guess I have said enough of them earlier in this blog already (see August 22). I’ll just add, that enigmatic singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Arthur Lee formed the group Love when he was just 20 years old. An other important member of the group on their first three albums (this one was the 3rd) was Bryan MacLean, who wrote the opening track “Alone Again Or”.
Arthur Lee is also known for producing Jimi Hendrix in his early career, and tipping off his label bosses about his friend Jim Morrison’s new band, The Doors.
10. Child is Father to the Man – Blood Sweat and Tears
A classic fusion of jazz, rock and roll, psychedelia and classical music, Child Is Father to the Man is one of bandleader Al Kooper’s greatest works. This album was not a commercial success and Kooper left the band, changing the nature of the group. Later, with a completely different line-up, BS&T had some great hits, but that’s an other story.
My favorite on this album is “I Love You More than You’ll Ever Know”. It also includes Nilssons “Without Her”.
11. Yes that’s the problem,
I already listed ten albums out of ten, and I still have seven more! But I will leave them until tomorrow.