Not That You Asked For It - My Top 10s - the 60s

Music

This might be as good a time as any to do some of my Top Ten lists. Usually this is done at the end of the year for that preceding year. But since I’ve been giving your my tour of the last 40 years, that’s where I’m going to begin.

I haven’t addresses the 60s. That is because I didn’t really experience music in the 60s (having been born in 1959) because I didn’t really think about it until the very end of the 60s. My memory of that time was sitting on the floor watching television, usually the news and constant coverage of Viet Nam and all the unrest that resulted in our society. So I’m going to start there. The first two years will not be a full ten, but I feel the few albums must be recognized. 

1962
Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan - whether you like is voice or not, directly or not, he influenced everything after 
Time Further Out - Dave Brubeck

1963
Please Please Me - the Beatles - nothing needs to be added :)
Surfin’ USA  - the Beach Boys - America’s response to the Beatles
The Freewheeling’ Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan
With the Beatles - the Beatles 

1964
A Hard Day’s Night - the Beatles - not just a soundtrack to their movie
Beatles for Sale - the Beatles
The Times They are A-Changin’ - Bob Dylan 
The Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones - rocks bad boys, heavy blues influence in the earlier albums
Another Side of Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan
The Kinks - The Kinks - although never really poplar in the US, very influential 
The Animals - the Animals
Stay With the Hollies - the Hollies - takes the Beatles vocal harmonies to the next level
Here I Go Again - the Hollies
Wednesday Morning, 3am -  Simon & Garfunkel - helps begin the folk influence on rock

1965
Help! - the Beatles - again more than just a movie soundtrack
Rubber Soul - the Beatles - their creativity kicks into high gear
My Generation - the Who - a four man band, each a genius 
Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
For Your Love - the Yardbirds - throughout their career, will feature rocks greatest guitarists
Mr. Tamborine Man - the Byrds - America’s version of the Hollies, however not inferior
Turn! Turn! Turn! - the Byrds
December’s Children (And Everybody’s) - the Rolling Stones
Whipped Cream & Other Delights - Herb Alpert - rocks first horn star. You’d recognize the songs.
A Charlie Brown Christmas - Vince Guaraldo Trio - ok, which album off all time deserves to be in everyone’s collection

1966
Revolver - the Beatles - consider it Rubber Soul part 2
Pet Sounds - the Beach Boys - the ultimate BB album was mostly a Brian Wilson solo album, a true masterpiece
Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield - the most influential band you’ve probably never heard of
Fresh Cream - Cream - the debut of the ultimate power trio, featuring Eric Clapton
Jefferson Airplane Takes Off - Jefferson Airplane - debut album before Grace Slick proves they would have made it without her
Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan - keeps pushing the envelope of song writing featuring Just Like a Woman
A Quick One - the Who
The Monkees - the Monkees - yes, that’s right, used the best songwriters and musicians of the time, can anyone say Neil Diamond?
Sounds of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
Soul & Inspiration - the Righteous Brothers - blue eyed soul magnified

1967
Are You Experienced? - the Jimi Hendrix Experience - the first of three perfect albums before this star burned out
Buffalo Springfield Again - Buffalo Springfield
The Who Sells Out - the Who
The Doors - The Doors - debut of the Lizard King and classic band, what a wonderful mess
Mr. Fantasy - Traffic - supergroup featuring young Steve Winwood
Surrealistic Pillow - Jefferson Airplane - now with Grace and White Rabbit and that other song that’s played every seven minutes
Disraeli Gears - Cream
Days of Future Passed - the Moody Blues - starting to dip a little into prog-rock with extended orchestra
Forever Changes - Love - I don’t quite know how to describe it, just incredible
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hears Club Band - the Beatles - yes, number 10, so many of the albums above it inspired it and did it better

1968
Electric Ladyland - the Jimi Hendrix Experience - amazing two album set
Wheels of Fire - Cream
Last Time Around - Buffalo Springfield
Astral Weeks - Van Morrison - the perfect poet and songwriter debuts after leaving Them
The Beatles - The Beatles - the end of a era featuring many successful experiments, a great single album, too bad there were two in the sleeve 
Cheap Thrills - Big Brother and the Holding Company - Janis Joplin, ‘nuff said
Tons of Sobs - Free - debut album featuring the vocal gold of Paul Rogers
Child is Father to the Man - Blood, Sweat & Tears
Bookends - Simon & Garfunkel
Three Dog Night - Three Dog Night

1969
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash
Tommy - the Who
Goodbye - Cream
Blind Faith - Blind Faith - only release by supergroup with Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood
Chicago Transit Authority - Chicago
The Allman Brothers Band - The Allman Brothers Band - blues and southern rock debut
Yes - Yes - the year progressive rock expends
The Rod Stewart Album - Rod Stewart - did you know Rod used to be able to rock-out? 
Abbey Road - the Beatles

There you have it. So many fantastic album but not enough room (Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Fleetwood Mac, the Guess Who, Santana, Grand Funk Railroad, Elton John, David Bowie, the Zombies, Cat Stevens, Spirit, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Genesis, and others).

 

 

My Music of the 90s - Novocaine for the Soul

Music
At the opening of 1990, we have, comfortably or not, moved from vinyl to compact disc. And hey, I admit I embraced it. The potential for “higher fidelity” and longer albums caught my attention. Part of the problem is, the record companies were so afraid of change that when they finally jumped into the water, they did it half-assed. They eventually realized the potential of making millions more dollars on properties they already owned and could repackage it so people would double and triple-dip. But that was later. For now it was only the records companies producing compact discs of classical music that were trying to take advantage of the technology. Not for for rock. I remember buying the first Elvis Costello album, My Aim is True, on CD expecting it to sound unbelievably clean and clear. Because my vinyl copy was pretty worn out. Holy crap was I disappointed. It sounded muddy and not nearly as good as my worn out vinyl. Another time early on I bought a CD where you could actually hear the needle drop onto the vinyl to record the CD. Wow!

Also, we lost many good traditions and rituals when we lost vinyl albums. Sure, we lost a lot of great large album art to reproductions less than 1/4 the size. But when I bought an album I would sit on the floor next to my bed listening to the album over and over. During which I was reading and analyzing every inch and letter of the album cover and liner notes. I learned song writers, musicians, record producers, recording studios and everything else that drew me in, creating a more complete experience of the music. It did make a difference. Also, let’s face it, there are few albums where we love EVERY song. Now we just hit the skip button or take those songs out of the playlist all together. But listing to the vinyl, we let it play through our less favorite songs. We didn’t break the spell. The only time we stopped was to turn the album over. At least during the onset of the CD, some record companies made an effort and provided booklets in the case with that information. It was very welcome, but it just wasn’t the same.

I got my first CD player as a graduation gift from my parents in the fall of 1986. They said I could have a class ring or the CD player. Well… My first CD was First Circle by the Pat Metheny Group. An undergrad had turned me onto Metheny in my junior year. From there I went in to a little jazz phase. And I needed it, it helped me see other venues in the absence of the rock music of my “youth”.

Musically the 90s started a little weak for me. In 1990, only 10 albums caught my attention throughout the year. That continued to be the average throughout the decade. But it was better than nothing. Even more, some of the music was truly fantastic. The 90s gave us The Sundays, Seal, Barenaked Ladies, The Cranberries, Diana Krall, Oasis, Ben Folds, Sarah McLachlan, Fountains of Wayne, and the beginning of solo careers by such as Neil Finn (Crowded House) and Colin Hay (Men at Work).

Also different this decade is that for some of the artists listed, many had only one or two good albums. For example, to me no matter how popular Barenaked Ladies got, their first album, Gordon, is the only really good one. It was downhill from there. For the most part, gone were the days of following an artist through their career. Sure there are a few exceptions (Fountains of Wayne, Diana Krull, Colin Hay).

The 90s were the eighth of the record producer being the real star of songs (no longer albums). With the magic of digital recording even the most average singer can sound like a dream. And the record producer would call all the shots, from picking out the songs, to making the instrumental arrangements. The singer just had to just stand there and sing. The singer had become a marketing tool. Because then would come the music video to hype the only average song. And since it played on the radio, the general public were fooled into believing “hey, this must be good because it’s on the radio”.

Here are some of my highlights of the 90s:

• Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic and Blind - The Sundays
• Seal and Seal II - Seal
• Woodface - Crowded House
• Fear - Toad the Wet Sprocket
• Gordon - Barenaked Ladies
• Harvest Moon - Neil Young
• Talk - Yes
• (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? - Oasis
• A Few Small Repairs - Shawn Colvin
• Breathe - Midge Ure
• With a Twist - Todd Rundgren
• Imaginary Day - Pat Metheny Group
• Try Whistling This - Neil Finn
• Painted From Memory - Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach
• Transcendental Highway - Colin Hay

And again, a lot more.

Just before the 90s I moved here to Lafayette. My record store of choice was Raccoon Records. My apartment was practically across the street from it. It was a great, privately owned record store that tried to carry what Lafayette wanted. From the symphony orchestra patrons to the cajun and zydeco listeners. They held on as long as they could. And that was longer than most. It was a true loss when they closed their doors.

I’m going to leave you with one of my favorite songs from Colin Hay. Hay was the guitarist and lead singer for the Australian band, Men at Work. His solo albums are phenomenal. His guitar playing is fantastic and his voice is a little haunting. If you decide to listen, I hope you enjoy.



What’s next: The “Oughts”, ordering over the internet, and digital downloads.