537 Essential Rock Albums – Pt. 1 The first 270: Amazon.co.uk: Goodwin, Opher: 9781502787408: Books
163. Booker T & the MGs – Green Onions
Booker T & the MGs were the house band for Atlantic Stax and not only played on all the Great Soul tracks that came out of there but wrote a lot of them too. They were one of the first racially integrated groups in the States. They were well ahead of their time. Their sound was created out of the seventeen year old Booker T Jones’s keyboard sound with Steve Croppers sparse but clear amplified guitar sound.
Incredibly ‘Green Onions’ came out in 1962 and still sounds as compelling as it did back then. The rest of the album is nowhere near as good as the title track though ‘Mo’ Onions’ is close. It was all very listenable though and creates a totally different sound and mellow mood with instrumental covers of R&B tracks such as ‘I got a woman’, ‘Twist & Shout’ and ‘You can’t sit down’
164. Ry Cooder – Borderline
Ry is an exemplary guitarist and has the reputation for absorbing musical styles ranging from Tex-Mex to Gospel and Reggae.
This was his ninth album and has a bit of a range of influences with a number of memorable tracks delivered with great musicianship and a lot of humour. These include ‘Crazy about an automobile’, ‘That’s the way the girls are in Texas’, ‘Why don’t you try me’, ‘Johnny Porter’, ‘Borderline’ and ‘634-5789’.
Ry went in to producing soundtracks and came up with a number of great ones. He also created a lot of collaborations with top world music artists such as Ali Farka and Mohan Bhatt.
When you have a Ry Cooder album in your hands you can be assured of quality.
165. Shadows – Greatest hits
The Shadows were Cliff Richard’s backing band and went on to have a series of hits with their own instrumentals. This was the first new album I bought in 1963. So I suppose it is to blame for putting me on the road to ruin.
Hank B Marvin’s guitar style was unique and was highly influential to a number of guitarists including Neil Young.
That initial band started out as a good Rock ‘n’ Roll unit and that was evident on their early hits such as ‘Apache’, ‘Man of Mystery’, ‘FBI’, ‘The frightened City’, ‘The stranger’, ‘The savage’, ’36.24.36’ and ‘Geronimo’.
While they were never hard Rock they, like Cliff, veered off into the softer Pop sounds and novelty side and became very middle of the road.
I love those early tracks and the sound of Hank’s guitar over the top of that rhythm section with Jet Harris, Bruce Welch and Brian Bennett. ‘Apache’ is a fabulous sound.
166. Everly Brothers – The Fabulous style of the Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers came into Rock ‘n’ Roll from the Country side – hence all those close-knit harmonies. They were already seasoned performers with their parents on many radio shows before they made the move into Rock ‘n’ Roll.
They originally signed to the Cadence label where they recorded a couple of albums and a string of hit singles. They then split and signed for Warner Brothers where they rerecorded a number of their songs and continued producing hits. Warner Brothers produced a richer sound that was more Pop orientated and commercial. Some of this stuff was excellent but they could also get a bit too saccharin sweet and sentimental. I prefer their Cadence material.
‘The Fabulous Style of the Everly Brothers’ features most of their big numbers recorded with Cadence. These include: ‘Bird Dog’, ‘Like Strangers’, ‘Til I kissed you’, ‘All I have to do is dream’, ‘When will I be loved?’, ‘Take a message to Mary’ and ‘Poor Jenny’.
167. Bob Dylan – Planet waves
I thought we’d lost Bob forever. We’d been taken to the mountain tops with six out of seven of his first releases and then it was all down to mundane stuff like Nashville Skyline and Self-portrait. It looked as if the poetic muse had fled. He was bereft of originality or meaning. It was all banal.
Then there was a slight hint of hope with New Morning but ‘Dylan’ was even worse. It was really scraping the barrel.
We’d been through the sixties and our expectations had been raised. We’d been subjected to real works of art with powerful lyrics and Dylan, supposedly the master of the words, was presenting us with garbage that was trite boring and unimaginative. It was distressing. You can see why that garbologist A J Weberman had come out with the theory that he was a junkie or an impostor.
In reality he was most probably opting out from all the pressure and expectation, all the phoney music biz, and taking some time to get his head together. He did not want to play that role anymore. He wanted out.
Then, finally in 1974, along came ‘Planet Waves’.
I can’t say it was right up there with the genius of those early six wondrous, innovative, passionate masterpieces, but it was a good album at last. There were signs that the monster was rousing itself and starting to stretch and get the circulation going again.
The sound was a lot tougher. It sounded alive. ‘Going, Going, Gone’, was good. ‘Tough Mama’ and ‘Hazel’ sounded good. I was beginning to feel hopeful. Then ‘Something there is about you’ was even better and finally there was the first brilliant song from Dylan for a long, long time – ‘Forever Young’. It would not have been out of place on those early albums. Dylan obviously knew that. He put two versions on the album!
The second side continued the same. I loved ‘Dirge’ and ‘You angel you’.
At last we have a decent Dylan album to get excited about. Did that mean he was back? There were even decent lyrics even if they weren’t dealing with the big issues.
168. Roy Harper – Come out Fighting Ghenghis Smith
This was the first Roy Harper album I bought. I got it the day it came out and shortly after having borrowed Roy’s first album off Roy.
Roy does not rate ‘Come out fighting Ghenghis Smith’ very much but I do. Admittedly the production by CBS is a bit muddy and there is a bit of flawed philosophy in ‘Circle’ but to me it is a beautiful album crammed with great love songs like ‘Moccy my dear’ and ‘In a beautiful rambling mess’. It had its humour with ‘You don’t need money’ and a song about women’s equality with ‘All you need is’ and the busking scene with ‘Aging raver’ and ‘Freak Street’. They were all brilliant songs but it was the second side that really grabbed me. ‘Circle’ was one of those Harper epics in which he looked at his upbringing with all it’s expectations and put it in perspective with the society we were being groomed for. It certainly resonated with me. My parents had great hopes for me and I too had disappointed by taking a more rebellious path. I listened to those words and they all rang true.
I have never tired of it. As it says in the last track on the album ‘The social game we’re playing is based on possession.’ That is what success was measured by.
Both Roy and I wanted something more.
That album was seminal for me. It summed up my life at the time. I think that is what a truly great album or poem should do.
169. Nick Harper – Seed
Nick is Roy’s son. He has obviously inherited both the poetic and musical genes. He is probably the best guitarist I have ever seen and the creator and performer of exceptional songs.
He is different to Roy. His songs and music are different. The only similarity is that they share a perspective on the society we live in.
This is Nick’s second album. It is unadorned with production. The sound is nice and simple so that Nick, his incredible guitar and beautiful songs shine through.
There are so many brilliant songs expertly performed with emotion and passion. The stand out tracks are ‘Kilty Stone’ – the ode to his friends he used to hang out with in Ireland at the Kiltystone pub – ‘Radio Silence’
A song that is almost about narcolepsy or that strange state of consciousness when not fully awake – ‘Three Magpies’ a story on a bus crossing Canada and America with a sense of loss – ‘Thanks for the miracle’ a political comment on the Maggie lied and cheated her way through power – ‘Building our own Temple’ a song about having our spirituality inside us – ‘Peace love and happiness’ another social song with the plea that maybe it not too late; we are opposed to the money grabbing slime of gun-runners and warmongers and will do our best to find a better way.
The complex chords, bent notes and intricate runs flow effortlessly flow through the crafted songs.
What an incredible album.
170. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin 2
By the second album Led Zep had really got their act together. The sound was distinct. There were all the heavy elements – the power chords and guitar solos with the thumping bass and heavy drums. Robert’s voice rose confidently over it all. Yet there was complexity and variation. There was no chance of this being run of the mill.
The album was packed with stand out tracks: ‘Whole lotta love’ set the album off and is a classic. That riff is burned into everyone’s head and the searing phased notes that come with the chorus. They were using the full spectrum of technology to create something else.
‘Living loving maid’ is equally as good with an equally memorable riff. ‘Heartbreaker’ has incredible guitar and grooves along at a slower pace. ‘Ramble on’ starts with an acoustic guitar and gradually builds in intensity. ‘Moby Dick’ is a big song that relies heavily on John Bonham’s drum solo. ‘Bring it on home’ starts with the Sonny Boy Williamson riff and takes it somewhere else.
There were plenty of Blues elements, words and songs and fewer of the Folk elements. Altogether it was a much heavier album.
171. AC/DC – Let there be rock
AC/DC came out of Australia with their brand of High Powered Heavy Metal. The loud heavy riffs and driving music guaranteed them an enthusiastic audience of young males.
Their stage act was really wild with Angus Young dressed up as a school kid in shorts, blazer, tie and cap. He was not quite the type of school kid you’d want your son to be. It was all very macho stuff with a strong sexist attitude expressed on some of the tracks.
Their first albums ‘High Voltage’ and ‘TNT’ set the pace. ‘Let there be Rock’ was their fourth album and developed the themes even more. The title track ‘Let there be Rock’ summarised the history of Rock ‘n’ Roll into an almost biblical setting – let there be drums, let there be guitar – let there be Rock – The heavy power chords of numbers like ‘Hell ain’t a bad place to be’ and ‘Dog eat dog’ were conclusive; there was not going to be anything subtle about them. They were short of nuance. AC/DC went for high energy Rock ‘n’ Roll.
This was epitomised by the track ‘Whole lotta Rosie’. The distinctive riff was infectious and it was no wonder the concert halls were packed with wild kids surging and bouncing around. This had all the energy of Punk. ‘Whole lotta Rosie’ is probable the best heavy metal track ever.
172. Fred McDowell – Shake ’em on down
Mississippi Fred McDowell was born in the North of Mississippi and was the first artist to create the Hill Country Blues style that was later popularised by RL Burnside, Junior Kimbrough and Fat possum label. It had that repetitive driving beat.
Fred was keen on saying that he didn’t play Rock ‘n’ Roll – it just sounded like it. What he did was a loud, hard-driving, heavy-chorded blues with a strong beat.
This style is epitomised on the ‘Shake ‘em on down’ album with its electrified blues. You can imagine him playing in those small blues clubs in Mississippi life the Blue Café. The audience would be up dancing and shimming. This was a live album that featured ‘Shake ‘em on down’ and ‘You gotta move’ as well as other classics like ‘John Henry’ and ‘Baby please don’t go’. The Rolling Stones covered ‘You gotta move’ note for note.
If you like that hypnotic Hill Country Blues and good driving guitar with some slide work you’ll love this.
173. Tinariwen – Aman Iman – Water is life
Tinariwen come out of Algeria and Mali. They are a Tuareg dessert band playing a type of guitar based music straight out of West Africa.
The incredible guitar weaves its way over a complex driving beat complex with a strong vocal and female chorus.
It is like going back to visit the force behind the Blues in America yet this is thoroughly modern. Despite all the cultural layers and language the music talks and communicates directly to the heart.
These guys are real rebels who have seen it all and it shows in the music. Where they come from has seen too much war and death.
This album has a variety of styles all with that quality musicianship and slightly different rhythm to the ones we are familiar with yet it is instantly accessible. I particularly like the opening track ‘Cler Achel’ and the slow infectious ‘Soixante Trois’
An amazing album
174. Mississippi Allstars – Shake hands with Shorty
Just when you thought that the major labels had consumed all that was good in music and spat it out as sanitised, homogenised shit you get something new that comes along with all its raw energy intact. The Mississippi Allstars come out of the North Mississippi Country Blues area and follow in the tradition. They were set up by Luther and Cody Dickinson and featured RL Burnside’s son on guitar in the early days. ‘Shake hands with Shorty’ was their first album and from the moment you put it on you can feel the vitality and enjoyment come right through. This is a band that is enjoying what they are doing and that is conveyed to the audience.
They are not only brilliant musicians but they believe in keeping it real and having fun doing it. You can tell they love it. I have seen them play a couple of times and their shows are a non-stop storm of infectious blues.
This album starts of with the Mississippi Fred McDowell number ‘Shake ‘em on down’ and proceeds through other North Country gems such as ‘Drop Down Mama’, ‘Going down South’, ‘Someday baby’, and ‘Poor Black Betty’.
They have taken the blues style of RL Burnside and Junior Kimbrough and given it an extra shove!