In this thread, describe the things you consider to be the greatest accomplishments of your favorite artists, be it a song, album, performance or anything else they did that you think is the greatest thing they ever did. Here's Mine

Duke Ellington-The Blanton-Webster Years Recordings: Admittedly I have trouble getting into most jazz made in the 40s and earlier just because of how "bad" the sound quality is. For me, Duke Ellington's latter day recordings were what got me into him, but after listening to the blanton webster recordings thoroughly (and yes, blasting them as loud as I can, even adding an EQ boost hehe) I've realized that these really were the peak of his career. How he managed to condense so much excitement and developement into 3-minute 78s is really a testament to the power of technical constraints to enhance art. Songs like Cotton Tail, Giddyup Gallop, Harlem Air Shaft, Ko-ko, are as exciting today as they were decades ago and while it might be easier to appreciate Duke's compositions in their more pristinely recorded latter day incarnations, you really have to hear them here to fully understand them.

Stevie Wonder-Innervisions: Though his 70s run of albums is among the strongest in pop music next to the Beatles, Innervisions is simply his most perfect statement: the most intelligent lyrically, the tightest, the most cohesive, and the one that best captures the darker/edgier side of stevie that most people aren't even aware of. Too high sounds like the best of underground hip-hop from 30 years in the future, Don't you worry bout a thing is among the greatest expressions of joy ever made, and in between there are songs that lull you into a haunting dream world (visions) kick your ass off your seat (higher ground) and move you to tears (all is fair in love) all in a mere 45 minutes.

Sly & The Family Stone-Dance To the Medley: Stand? There's A riot Going On? For some these albums are what sly was all about, but to me the greatest recording he made is also one of the most blatant and unapologetic self ripoffs he (or anyone else) ever made. Sure it's merely an extended version of dance to the music, but dance to the music itself is among the most perfect, joyous and exuberant pop songs ever made and this incarnation expands and enhances it, sustaining an orgasmic peak of dance nirvana for more than 12 minutes. Plus that chugging psychedelic breakdown at the end is just great (kinda makes you wonder if Prince listened to this when he wrote Computer Blue).

Jimi Hendrix:"Woodstock Improvisation"-For all his dazzling techniques, innovative recordings and simply fantastic songs, Jimi's greatest achievement for me is this improvised interstitial in his woodstock performance. It's also my pic for one of the greatest pieces of improvised music ever recorded. As evocative and perfect a performance as jimi, or any other guitarist, ever achieved, and all just to kill time in his set.

Prince-Sign O'The Times:Call it cliche if you wish but I can't think of anything else that would qualify for our man's greatest work. The fact that he could make a collection of leftovers into a magnum opus is a testament to his genius. It may not quite do it, but it comes closer to capturing all his influences and everything he's good at, than anything he's ever done. Ballads, rockers, drum machines, sitars, sly stone crossed with joni-mitchell, drugs, aids, partying, sexual psychosis: no one else could make them all co-exist in the same place as well as prince.

The Beatles-Revolver: Sgt. pepper may have made the biggest impact, Abbey Road may be their tightest statement, and "the Beatles" may be their most stylistically diverse, but this album opened more doors, made more things possible, expanded the whole vocabulary of rock n roll more than anything that came before or since. Others may have dabbled in eastern music, others may have dabbled in acid guitar freakout, others may have made music from tape collages, but nobody did all those things on the same album, or did it as well with as great songwriting supporting it as the Beatles did here. This LP did more towards making rock music as respectable and sophisticated as high art than anything else and ushered in the album age (ok, arguably Rubber Soul had done that) and the era of "artistic growth" in rock bands.

John Coltrane-A Love Supreme: I don't even really consider this "jazz". This album is an acoustic soundscape; a soundscape as rich and beautiful as anything any rock band could have created with a studio full of electronics. Coltrane did it with a completely unamplified quartet. Other albums of his may have been more innovative, or more technically difficult, or more avant-guarde, but the fact of the matter is that coltrane had a goal, a transcendent feeling he wanted to convey here and he succeeded more grandly that he ever did at any other time.

Charles Mingus-Mingus Ah um: Maybe it's just because every single tune here is perfectly constructed, catchy and memorable, maybe it's because it contains so many tributes to mingus' idols (bird, diz, duke, jelly roll morton) or maybe it's because it reintroduces collective improvization into jazz. But if I wanna listen to Charles Mingus, or if I limit myself to one album to convert someone to jazz, this is the one I use. When my brother gave this to me for christmas when I was 15, it initiated me into the wide world of jazz, and made music a much more important part of my life than it ever had been before.

Blackalicious-Blazing Arrow: my personal favorite underground hip-hop act (or hip-hop act period), Blackalicious has always managed to do what few others in the genre try, and do it extremely well: melodicism, groove, organic sounds, real instruments, actual singing, intelligent lyrics, incredible diversity of sounds and moods, tongue-twisting raps. You put together all the best tracks from just about any other act in hip-hop and you still couldn't come up with something as sublime as this. Maybe there's better stuff out there and I just haven't heard it, maybe I'm just uninformed, but this album convinced me that there's more to hip-hop than fatuous posturing and recycled music and better illustrated the glorious potential that the genre possesses than anything else I've yet been exposed to (and yes that includes nation of millions, paul's boutique, criminal minded, paid in full, 3 feet high and rising or any other classic hip-hop album you care to name).

James Brown-Papa's Got a Brand New Bag: Narrowing down James Brown's greatest recording is a difficult task. This may not be his absolute best song, or even my personal favorite, but it set the rules for everything that was to come. The introduction of "chank" guitar, the accentuation of the bottom, the syncopated beat, the spare rhythmic vocalizations, all amount to the first real shot of the funk revolution. For the first time groove and rhythmic interplay were as important considerations as melody or harmony and several genres of music were spawned from it, influencing the climate of popular music of the last 40 years more than almost any other song.

Curtis Mayfield-Curtis: What's Going On often gets the credit for introducing "social consciousness" into soul music, but Curtis Mayfield WAS the conscience of soul and his self-titled debut in 1970 is the REAL birth of the conscious R&B concept album. Lush orchestral sounds mix with deep-down earthy grooves, with Curtis' ever-articulate words over the top. Don't Worry..is my personal pic for the greatest album opening ever, and if Move On up doesn't convince you that a groove can last for more than 8 minutes and not get boring, than you're not gonna get much enjoyment out of soul or funk period.

Parliament/Funkadelic-Greatest Hits Live: Ok so maybe I'm cheating by including a rare live compilation instead of a single album or song but P-funk was always mostly about the live experience. Documenting the band's evolution from an underground acid-rock band in the detroit scene into an ever pulsating amoeba of funk, rock and jazz that grabbed up dozens of extremely talented musical personalities with it's pseudopods, this set shows you exactly what the Parliafunkadelicment Thang was all about.
[Edited 4/16/06 21:51pm]

jacktheimprovident said:

really can't argue, did songs in the key of life get a consideration?





I agree.

Nico - Chelsea Girls
Patti Smith - Horses
Megadeth - Rust In Peace
Dio - Holy Diver
John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band
Prince - SOTT
Iggy Pop -
The Smiths/Moz - Queen is Dead
Mike Jack -
[Edited 4/16/06 17:27pm]

Stevie Wonder: Innervisions & Songs In The Key Of Life
Prince: Sign O The Times
Marvin Gaye: What's Going On, Here My Dear, I Want You, Let's Get It On
Michael Jackson: Off The Wall & Thriller
Rick James: Street Songs
Janet Jackson: The Velvet Rope
Miles Davis: Kind Of Blue & In A Silent Way
John Coltrane: A Love Supreme, Giant Steps, My Favorite Things
Meshell Ndgedeocello: Cookie & Bitter
Aretha Franklin: Lady Soul & Amazing Grace
Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland
Lionel Richie: Can't Slow Down
D'Angelo: Voodoo
Sly & The Family Stone: There's A Riot Going On
James Brown: Live At The Apollo (I guess)

...Just To Name A Few!

U2 - Achtung Baby:

After the major sucess of Joshua Tree, and the critical drubbing they took for Rattle and Hum, Bono and co. really needed to go in a different direction. I love that this era completely reinvented the boys; even though their embrasure of irony and pop-culture would eventually almost derail them, in 1991, it was refreshing. Along with the Zoo-TV tour, I'd say that this was their creative high point. Achtung Baby works as a whole; it's not just a collection of songs. It takes you on a journey, and leaves you feeling accomplished.

REM - Automatic for the People:

The perfect "fall" album; there's a lyric in Nightswimming that sums up the entire disc: "September's coming soon". Coming after their poppiest effort ever (Out of Time), they release their meditation on aging and dying. Another album that works as a cohesive whole, Automatic should convert any non-believer.

Talking Heads - Remain in Light/David Bowie - Low and "Heroes":

This is what losing your mind (Remain in Light) or coming off drugs sounds like (Low/"Heroes"). I love the way that Eno fucks with musical conventions. The first time I heard these albums, there were so many moments that I would have to rewind the album to hear a musical riff that was so wrong in the context of the song, but, at the same time, fit like a glove.

Prince Purple Rain and SOTT
The Beatles Abbey Road
The Band The Band
The Rolling Stones Exile in Main Street
Silvio Rodríguez Tríptico
Van Morrison Moondance

Axchi696 said:

co-sign.

...


This is an odd area for me, because I think it's very subjective--many people would disagree about this or that artist's greatest moments...but anyway, these are my favorites...


Jimi Hendrix - Machine Gun, Star Spangled Banner, Third Stone From The Sun
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue, Miles Ahead, Tribute To Jack Johnson
Maurice Ravel - Le Tombeau de Couperin, Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Sly Stone - There's A Riot Goin' On
Ennio Morricone - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Parliament - Funkadelic - Maggot Brain, Funkentelechy vs The Placebo Syndrome
Stevie Wonder - Talking Book, Innervisions
Marvin Gaye - What's Goin' On
Rotary Connection - Songs, Hey Love
Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Fanfare for the Common Man
Jackson Five - Third Album, ABC
Isley Brothers - The Heat Is On(Album), Voyage To Atlantis
Prince - Sign O' The Times
Todd Rundgren - Something/Anything, The Hermit Of Mink Hollow, Nearly Human
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
Michel Colombier - Old Fool Back On Earth
Narada Michael Walden - Awakening
Jaco Pastorius - Word of Mouth
Earth, Wind and Fire - All N' All
Steely Dan - Aja
Jon Lucien - Rashida
Santana - Welcome, Amigos, Abraxas
Dori Caymmi - Kicking Cans
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia (Ongakuzukan)
Djavan - Bird Of Paradise
Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow, Wired
Slave - Stone Jam, The Concept
Laura Nyro - Mother's Spiritual
Weather Report - Heavy Weather, Mysterious Traveller
Stylistics - People Make The World Go Round, You're As Right As Rain
Kate Bush - The Hounds Of Love, The Sensual World
Luther Vandross - Forever, For Always, For Love, The Night I Fell In Love
David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees, Gone To Earth
Allan Holdsworth - Metal Fatigue
Sergio Mendes - Fool On The Hill, Homecooking, Brasiliero
Pat Metheny Group - First Circle, The Way Up
Jonatha Brooke and The Story - The Angel In The House
Joni Mitchell - Blue, Court and Spark, Hissing Of The Summer Lawns
Level 42 - World Machine, The Pursuit of Accidents
The Yellowjackets - Dreamland
XTC - Skylarking, English Settlement
Take 6 - So Much 2 Say
Jean Paul Bourelly - Rock The Cathartic Spirits
Meshell N'degeocello - Peace Beyond Passion
Lewis Taylor - Lewis II(album), Damn, Cherry Blossom, Consider, Track(acoustic version)




...
[Edited 4/19/06 8:35am]

Prince - "Lovesexy" & "SOTT"
Miles Davis - "In A Silent Way", "Bitches Brew", "Tribute To Jack Johnson" & "On The Corner"
David Bowie - "Low" & "1.Outside"
Ryuichi Sakamoto - "Merry Christmas Mr.Lawrence", "1996", "Alexei And The Spring" & "Chasm"
Peter Gabriel - "Passion"
D'Angelo - "Brown Sugar" & "Voodoo"
TTD - "Neither Fish Nor Flesh" & "Symphony Or Damn"
James Brown - "The Popcorn" & "Hot Pants"

lilgish said:

Yeah, I considered nominating songs in the key of life. I just personally listen to Innervisions a whole lot more.

Here's some more of my nominees

The Beach Boys-Good Vibrations: Sure I think Pet Sounds is pretty good too but let's face it, it's whiny, there's a certain vibe it gives that may you may not be in the mood for all the time. This song single-handedly negates all the confusion and emotional frustration that dominates Pet Sounds. Furthermore it's simply one of the most amazing pieces of production in pop music. 90s hours of music was recorded for it and somehow condensed to a 3 minute mono mix. There are so many layers of instrumentation buried in it that you simply can't hear them at all, but you do FEEL them. What is audible is a sped up bass (almost sounding like a baritone guitar as one musical historian noted), tamborine, drums, cello, theremin, and layers and layers of vocal harmony and damned if that's all you need. A strong candidate for the greatest pop song of all time and the greatest psychedelic production ever made.

Bob Dylan-It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding): This song is proof positive that Bob dylan was more than simply one of the best lyricists in music history, he was among the best poets of the twentieth century, period. Essentially a seven minute rant cataloguing all the problems of the modern world, all wordsheets will pale in comparison after hearing this and yet it's only accompanied by bob's semi-spoken "singing" and bluesy acoustic guitar pattern...somehow it works and magnificently at that. The true miracle though, is that he manages to convey hope and that life is worth living despite all the negativity.

Miles Davis-Kind of Blue: This is undoubtedly a very tough choice as miles was one of the most protean artists who ever entered a recording studio and his career took on all kinds of directions that shifted the course of jazz, and music as whole, each time. This album, though, is the most beautiful, intimate, subtle and romantic music you'll ever hear and miles never managed to capture the same level of perfection again. Sure, "modal jazz" was but one of many genres that miles catalized but it was about the only one that he perfected even as he invented it.

Frank Zappa-Hot Rats: Once again I'm going with a very unconventional choice here, but it just goes to show that in my eyes, and in the eyes of many others, Frank was at his best when he simply shut the hell up. Pioneering acid rock, fusion, satire, vulgarity and all other forms of weirdness in pop music all merely hid the fact that the man was, when he wanted to be, a fantastic composer and guitar player. Here, he wanted to be. This isn't "jazz-rock" or "fusion", really, it's like the doorway to some higher plane of music where heavy jamming and intricate composition, where "stately" and "gritty", co-exist peacefully, a plane very few have entered.

The Rolling Stones-Exile On Main Street: Some like the early stones the best, some prefer their tetrarchy of roots rock epics (of which this is the last) . Some even prefer the late seventies, early 80s stones of Black and Blue, Some Girls and start me up. But in the whole catalogue of Rock's "runner's up" there is one album that best encompasses what they were all about. For in their hearts, they weren't just a "rock n roll outfit" they were the synthesis of the energy and attitude of rock n roll, with the darkness and menace of the blues. A virtual encyclopedia of "roots" sounds, Exile is enough to make you forget that the Stones aren't american, hell it's almost enough to make you forget they're white. Densely (and somewhat incoherently) mixed and full of all sorts of buried layers even in the most "fillerish" of material, Exile plays like one continuous song with a thousand verses; it's a song of tribute to the history of the american music that these british lads loved so much.

The Who-Won't Get Fooled Again: From proto-punk to rock opera and many spaces in between, the who contributed a lot to the history of rock n roll. This song, the closer of their most revered album has a solid place in the top ten rock n roll songs ever made (if I had to pick). An anthem to the futility of revolution, the way striving for change is coopted, it's a perfect expression of the disillusion of the 70s. Furthermore it captures the chemistry of the band more than any of their studio recordings: the inspired chaos of moon's relentless fills, entwhistle's effortlessly dexterous bass, roger's crunchy howls, pete's angry aggressive guitar, and even a synthesizer to both compliment and antagonize the overall groove, the experience is quite breathtaking. And when Roger scream's "YEEEEAAAAAH, meet the new boss..same as the old boss" we have heard the voice of the rock gods.