134) Elton John VS Pnau - Good Morning to the Night.

135. Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure

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Roxy Music's debut in 1972 was so mind-boggling and innovative that it must have been difficult to envision the band ever topping it. Yet, they managed to do just that with For Your Pleasure, and only a little over nine months later at that. Released as glam was reaching its peak, For Your Pleasure stands as not only a benchmark album of the genre, but as one of the greatest albums of the 1970s.

Much like their debut, the first side of For Your Pleasure is remarkably inventive, diverse and awe-inspiring. Launching the album is the wild call to arms of "Do the Strand", a jaunty tune that references dozens of historical and cultural cornerstones to lend it an everlasting and widespread stamp of approval. The dance in question is never described, but if the music is any indication, it must involve some sort of strut. "Do the Strand" would prove to be a signature song for the band, and with its esoteric yet shamelessly accessible power, it's not hard to see why. What follows are two completely different ballads- the resigned "Beauty Queen" and the morose confessions of "Strictly Confidential". Bryan Ferry sings the former in a nearly schmoozing manner which belies the lyrical depiction of a relationship that has seen too much to be salvaged. Offset by a modulating synth, it is an affecting piece. "Strictly Confidential" is entirely darker, as Bryan Ferry's melodrama finds an ally in Andy Mackay's oboe as he relays his anguish. Augmented by some piercing guitar by Phil Manzanera, the narrator's sanity appears to crack as he hears voices that begin to answer him before he finally questions "Could it be evil thoughts become me"? Chilling and moody, it is rather unjustly unheralded among Roxy Music's storied canon, but it nevertheless stands as one of their finest ballads.

Up next is my favorite Roxy Music song. "Editions of You" is a full-on assault from start to finish. The opening keyboard chords gel with a downright dangerous bass line to foster a formidable groove behind Bryan Ferry's maniacally delivered lyrics. After three raucous verses, three absolutely absurd solos erupt- Andy Mackay's saxophone blisters, Phil Manzanera's guitar shredding boils and Brian Eno's VCS3 scalds new sounds to send the song careening into a wonderfully colorful splendor. Bryan Ferry returns for another verse, and even he can hardly keep up as he reckons "this crazy music drives you insane" just before Brian Eno usurps control yet again. The song is attacked with limitless abandon, and it strikes me as more visceral, exciting and threatening than the punk music it supposedly inspired. Closing the first side is the most notorious song on the album, "In Every Dream Home a Heartache". For a good two minutes, organs that sound like electronic insects create a dense claustrophobia that stands in stark contrast to the material wealth portrayed. But not only is this wealth unsatisfying, it ultimately proves isolating, with Ferry highlighting his listlessness by empasizing the "do" in "What to do there". The situation is intensified as he waxes about courting an inflatable doll that only further ignites his delusions before the band launches into a white-hot and heavily-phased outro that returns for good measure after fading out.

After such a thrilling first side, the second side does not let up. Opening it is the spooky, sprawling "The Bogus Man". Rumbling along with a tight rhythm, the song could have justified a title of "The Boogeyman" with its sizable groove. The pursuit is given extra creepiness when Bryan Ferry elongates syllables in a high register. "Grey Lagoons" returns to safer territory. It begins atop a soaring, pretty melody supported by great background vocals, but is overwhelmed by a cracking harmonica solo before really rocking out. Closing the album is the mysterious "For Your Pleasure" with particularly obtuse lyrics. A slightly ominous guitar eventually gives way to some brilliant, peculiar synthesizers that at one point sound like waves emanating outward in quick circles from impact in an alien lake.

For Your Pleasure is an album in which each song surprises individually and amazes in context of the whole. It is also worth noting that the album sports one of the greatest covers that I have ever seen, with Amanda Lear epitomizing glam chic with a truly iconic pose amidst the blackest of nights against the glowing lights of a city, purportedly walking an at first almost unseen panther. The music perfectly fits the bill- nocturnal, wildly entertaining with a furtive danger lurking at every corner. This would be the last album released by Roxy Music with Brian Eno in tow, and although the band would continue to release wonderful music in the ensuing years, For Your Pleasure is the sound of Roxy Music at their most visionary and astonishing.

[Edited 8/26/12 15:00pm]

136) The Royal Scam - Steely Dan

smoothcriminal12 said:

Alej said:

Only for a day.

Where have you been anyways?

Here, just away from the org.

137. Nirvana - Unplugged In New York (1993)

138: George Michael - Older

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139. Rick James - Street Songs

If you have even the slightest interest in rock & roll music, both of Buddy's albums are essentials...

140) Buddy Holly - The "Chirping" Crickets

Note that this album was originally credited to "The Crickets", but these days it's widely considered a Buddy Holly album.

[Edited 8/26/12 16:54pm]

Alej said:

smoothcriminal12 said:

Where have you been anyways?

Here, just away from the org.

Ah, I see.

[Edited 8/26/12 16:53pm]

142.) The Cure - Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me

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143: Talking Heads- Remain in Light

144) Meshell Ndegeocello - Peace Beyond Passion

145)Public Enemy- It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.

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146.Siouxsie and the Banshees - Kaleidoscrope

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Sometimes, adversity can bring out the best in an artist. Surely, the events of September 1979 would have been enough to send any band into a tailspin, as the unexpected departure of drummer Kenny Morris and guitarist John McKay cut the number of active Banshees in half, leaving Sioux and bassist Steve Severin to pick up the pieces, in the midst of a tour, no less. The lineup had cemented their status as punk legends with Bromley credibility and a fervent fanbase who lapped up their acclaimed debut The Scream and its more difficult follow-up Join Hands. Nevertheless, the end of an era drew near, as the fitfully tense late 70s opened up to the forward-looking and culturally sprawling early 80s. In essence, the band used the literal makeover to make an artistic one, and after enlisting the services of former-Slits drummer Budgie and ex-Magazine guitar whiz John McGeogh, Siouxsie and the Banshees would emerge as one of the most potent and diverse bands of the 80s, beginning with the seminal Kaleidoscope.

As its name suggests, Kalediscope offers a wide variety of flavors, yet still sounds coherent. Immediately preceding the album were two singles that revealed that the band was onto something quite special and had suddenly found an ear for catchy melodies. "Happy House" bopped along to a decidedly post-punk bass line and McGeogh's inimitable, razor-sharp guitar piercings in March of 1980 and celebrates the lunacy that had come to define the band. For her part, Sioux showcases a newfound confidence in her vocals, oohing her way eerily through the intro and outro before unabashedly whistling. The single would prove to be among the band's most successful, peaking inside the top 20. Two months later, the success carried over into the subsequent single "Christine", whose interplay between the bass and guitar paced by Budgie's expert cadence unleashes a series of mixed emotions perfectly suited for a song about a woman suffering from dissociative personality disorder. Nevertheless, Siouxsie manages to make these intermingling characters such as the "Strawberry Girl" and "Banana Split Lady" fun, before repeatedly singing "Christine" with increasing vehemence, as if the person had become lost in the midst of her 22 faces. It makes for an absolutely cracking pop song, filled with hooks for instant impact yet weighty enough for lasting appeal.

The success of these singles paved the way for the adventures of the album to reach a wide audience. And what adventures they were! The menacing bass of "Tenants" snakes its way through Sioux's syncopated alliterations about their tendency for tenacity, before "Trophy" churns out an empassioned warning about the futility of relying on past accomplishments. Siouxsie takes aim at aristocratic artifice in the closing two songs, as "Paradise Place" skewers Hollywood's growing plastic surgery craze, while "Skin" scathingly lampoons those who justify their penchant for animal furs by a desire for population control.

Perhaps even more surprising is the flirtation with electro that is evident in a few songs. The dream-inspired "Lunar Camel" matches its abstract subject matter with an experimental synth nightmare over a cheap drum machine, Severin's foreboding bass stabs and some whimsical chimes. "Red Light" takes things a step further into electro-sleaze, with a sauntering sequence of four synth notes setting the stage for Sioux's most impressive vocal of her career up to that point. The way she slinks around the word "falls" in the opening line "She falls into frame with a professional pout" elicits a real tease indeed. This song marks the arrival of Siouxsie as a truly captivating, powerful whirlwind of a singer- not just someone who can entertain, but rather an artist capable of completely commanding an audience with her presence.

As impressive as these songs are, they still offer little preparation for the next great step in the band's journey- the Banshee ballad. First up is the unassailable glory of "Hybrid", which starts with some out-of-tune guitars that gradually come into tune quite poignantly as Steve Severin soars through a beautifully melodic bass line and Budgie pours his heart out in his drumming, paving the way for Siouxsie to paint this truly touching portrait of love- an epic love hyperballad that could have very well inspired "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs decades later. The nearly atonal nature of her voice present on the first two albums shrieks with a new-found depth at the end, proving to be a real show-stopper, before caving in to the emotional exhaustion on a final muted, perfect chorus. Amazing as this is, it is topped by "Desert Kisses", because sometimes the memory of a love lost is more powerful than love itself. Drenched in lonely yearning, this song finds John McGeogh at the very peak of his guitar prowess and Steve Severin sweeping along the upper register of the bass to set the stage for a melody to end all melodies that Sioux sings with complete conviction- the realization that her lover is no longer with her giving way to some truly amazing lyrics: "Thrashed and spat back at the ocean, But there was nothing, no commotion. Just my lonely stupid notions, Trapped again in still life motion." I know that I have gushed with superlatives already, but incandescent ballads like "Desert Kisses" are the reason why ballads exist- they capture the grandeur and power of human emotion better than any other.

As easy as it would have been for Siouxsie and Steve to round up some other musicians to churn out some more jagged punk, or even to call it quits, it is with Kaleidoscope that the Banshees emerged as a band capable of anything. The fruits of this new lineup would yield more great results: 1980 also saw the arrival of "Israel", an orphaned single adopted for the Kaleidoscope remaster that is so surreal, addictive and alien that it warrants a multi-paragraph review in its own right, while Juju and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse would complete a sort of trilogy that would see the band continue to evolve, tackling many styles and incorporating a diverse range of instruments with remarkable ability. In fact, these albums would trump their predecessors by forging what would become the Banshees' signature sound. As such, it is on Kaleidoscope that we get to witness the rare feat of a good band transforming into an unbelievable band.

145. India.Arie - Acoustic Soul

148) Stevie Wonder - Music Of My Mind

[Edited 8/26/12 18:57pm]

smoothcriminal12 said:

Moonbeam said:

108. George Winston - December

Simply put, this album is sacred. December does not fit too comfortably with the rest of my musical collection full of pop, funk, glam and post-punk. Nevertheless, it is absolutely one of my most cherished albums, not only for the content but also for what it has come to mean throughout my life.

Like most other George Winston efforts, December features his evocative piano playing and nothing else. Really, there is nothing else needed to add any more magic to these songs than what is already present. With a brilliant understanding of timing, volume and silence, George Winston creates a wonderful assortment of moods and atmospheres that capture the essence of the holiday season in America. While only a few of the songs touch on Christian themes, the entire album is graced with such a profund sanctity that it plays like a proper hymnal.

While the appeal of December is universal, its effect is also deeply personal for me. December is interwined so deeply in my core that it's difficult for me to envision a world without it. I grew up in Southeastern Michigan, and while my family did not have much in the way of traditions, we always celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with my grandmother, and this album was always there as the soundtrack. So it is that "Joy" takes me back to baking Christmas cookies at her house and "Peace" makes me recall the dorky game my brother and I used to play where we would compete to see who was caught looking at the other when the solitary chords came in. It was there as I was learning to play piano and greatly influenced my style of play, giving me years upon years of enjoyment and release that only playing an instrument can manage. It was there for countless hours of study during high school, college and graduate school. And it was there when I needed inspiration for a piece to play at my father's funeral (The "Pachelbel Kanon") and my grandmother's seven months later ("Some Children See Him").

I have since moved to Sydney, Australia, where Christmas typically finds residents hiding from the heat. And while winter days can get cold here, there is no wintry magic. There isn't the opportunity to stand outside at night in awe of the long, gray shadows stretching out from barren trees over the smooth, snowy, moonlit landscape, but hearing the "Night" suite reminds me just how that feels. My wife had never seen snow before I met her, but it was a real treat to see the childlike wonder in her eyes as she witnessed her first snowstorm and visited the world's largest Christmas store in Frankenmuth. And so it is with the dancing piano keys of Winston's version of "Carol of the Bells" that this vivid imagery rushes back from my memory.

If I had to sum up everything that music means to me and demonstrate its capacity, I would probably rattle off a lengthy diatribe of hyperbole after hyperbole, as I tend to do in many of my album reviews (such as this one). I'd be much better served to just provide this music as an example. Essentially, December isn't so much just an album, but a physical representation of everything I hold near and dear.

Excellent post. Thank you.

Agreed.. Thanks for posting reviews, and I'm off to check out this album right now..

[Edited 8/26/12 19:02pm]

150. BUMBLEFOOT - NORMAL

151. Muse- Origin of Symmetry

[Edited 8/27/12 4:52am]

funkyslsistah said:

145. India.Arie - Acoustic Soul

Loves it.

152) Madonna - Bedtime Stories

153) This Mortal Coil - It'll End in Tears

Seminal album in the history of goth/darkwave music.

[Edited 8/27/12 11:58am]

154) Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

156) Radiohead - In Rainbows

157. Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul

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LiveToTell86 said:

152) Madonna - Bedtime Stories

LOVE this album! nice choice.

158. Björk - Vespertine

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Throughout her storied career, Björk has never ceased to impact the world with her every touch, gaining a cult following and rave reviews. Those unfamiliar with her music may associate her with quirky thoughts and fashion, but Vespertine alone validates her lavish accolades.

Released at the end of summer in 2001, Vespertine came at a time when music was growing stagnant. In the midst of overly processed albums lacking spirit, Björk released an album of unabashed passion and care. To its admirers, Vespertine transcends mere album status and stands as a veritable Godsend. With its acutely emotional lyrics, angelic background choirs and painstakingly beautiful strings, Vespertine is a providential ray of healing. It is apparent from moment one that prudent attention and soul searching were employed into the craft of each song.

Oh and are there songs. For each song of suffocating pain comes one of spiritual calm and healing. For each question posed, there is an answer. On the darker side, the icy standout "Pagan Poetry" grows with guttural anguish as the synth bass pulse and Eastern-tinged harp flourishes form an ominous heartbeat. Björk's vocals grow more emblazoned with pain, until she is left with nothing more than to repeat "I love him" over and over again. Elsewhere, "An Echo, A Stain" creeps along almost atonally wrapped in a thick, ominous cloud of voices and synth strings and the opening "Hidden Place", wrought with its eerie background vocals and unrelenting synth bass throb, hypnotizes the listener into the rest of the album.

As wonderfully emotional and memorable as these songs are, they are incomplete without the sheer beauty and effectiveness of tracks that offer comfort and healing. The lush "It's Not Up to You" and heart-rending "Undo" offer absolution to those struggling to justify themselves. While the former illuminates the presence of God with the help of a choir of seeming angels repeatedly proclaiming the title, the latter invites the listener to succumb to Him. The harp in "Undo" seems to echo the aching heart strings of emotionally impoverished listeners. It works.

As the record builds, it adroitly captures the focus of its listeners and sets the stage for the grand finale- "Unison." Starting at a hush, "Unison" sweetly meanders through playful synths while painting Björk as a stubborn individual capable of going it alone. Then, she repeatedly admits "I never thought I would compromise" before launching into the unforgettable chorus: "Let's unite tonight, we shouldn't fight, embrace you tight, let's unite tonight". As the harps and strings gain momentum, the song continues to coalesce its elements into a greater whole. By the end, the strings and choir coupled with Björk's exceedingly heartfelt vocals are nothing short of magical, with each utterance of a verse marching a step closer to Heaven. After the gut check of the first eleven songs, the simple messages of unity and harmony, relayed over an overwhelmingly beautiful backdrop, effectively exude hope and peace.

Vespertine is not simply successful for its messages. The music is simply timeless- the more electronic elements of the album are overshadowed by harps, strings, choir singing and even a music box. Björk is not afraid to make the music overtly beautiful either, embossing the entire album with her wintry paintbrush. The spiritual and emotional sincerity of the album are abetted by the sense of purity conveyed by a blanket of newly fallen snow. The post-coital cooing of "Cocoon" sounds shiver-induced, while the opening "beats" of "Aurora" are actually plodding footsteps through snow. The instrumental "Frosti" sounds as if it emanates from a snow globe.

With Vespertine, Björk has crafted an album that is nothing short of sacred. Its poignant and endearing messages of hope have made her a hero to many, including me. In my opinion, this easily ranks as not only her best album, but among the greatest albums ever recorded.