Obner Minds Unite! Feed Me.

Hegel · **Posted:** Fri Sep 29, 2006 11:44 am

Yail Bloor Wrote:

Off the top of my head, here are three albums that I consider essential that I don't think have been mentioned:

[n]The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies[/b] others here will tell you to get a different Kinks album but you trust me not them, right? Roots, bluesy, rocky, awesome lyrics.

The Clash - London Calling I was a very late comer to this album but I now consider one of the absolutely most essential records of all time. A blend of punk/post punk, reggae(ish), good ol' rock and or roll, and occasionally brilliant hooks and songwriting.

Frank Black - Teenager of the Year Just a brilliant mess of 20 something songs that fly around in every direction. I consider it the best album of the 1990's.

Thanks for these. The Clash, The Smiths, and The Kinks are all bands that I have maybe heard just a couple tracks from but could hardly tell you who is what if it came on the radio. Definitely will look into these.

Hegel · **Posted:** Fri Sep 29, 2006 11:45 am

pollysix Wrote:

I agree with all the Cure and Smiths recommendations, it sounds like like stuff would be up your alley.

I've some more "proto-punk" (i.e. precursors to punk) and 80s "post-punk" for you. (not in any particular order) Descriptions to follow.

1. The Stooges - (self-titled)

2. Modern Lovers - (self-titled)
[img][250:250]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/00/Modernlovers.jpg[/img]

3.Tones on Tail - Everthing

4. Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
[img][250:250]http://perso.orange.fr/religionnaire/artistes/80s/art/ocean_rain.jpg[/img]

5. The Cure - Standing on a Beach

6. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Juju (or just get one of the compilations)
[img][250:250]http://www.vamp.org/Siouxsie/Images/album-juju.jpg[/img]

7. The Smiths - Louder Than Bombs
[img][250:250]http://static.last.fm/coverart/300x300/1414109.gif[/img]

8. Depeche Mode - Music for the Masses or Violator
[img][250:250]http://www.caltechgirlsworld.mu.nu/archives/images/Depeche-Mode-Music-For-The-Masses.jpg[/img][img][250:250]http://www.depechemode.se/Albums/images/violator_large.jpg[/img]

Oh, in terms of 60s psych-garage you should definitely pick up this:

(it's on rhino)

That's all for now, but feel free to ask for further suggestions or descriptions. I love posting this kind of stuff.

This is great too, thanks Ms. Polly.

pollysix · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2004 2:56 am **Posts:** 5174

Yail Bloor Wrote:

The Clash - London Calling I was a very late comer to this album but I now consider one of the absolutely most essential records of all time. A blend of punk/post punk, reggae(ish), good ol' rock and or roll, and occasionally brilliant hooks and songwriting.

Nice.

I posted mine, left for work and realized I forgot that... it's so essential that it's easy to take for granted. Last year I met a 29 year old woman who had never heard it. Freaked the shit out of me.

pollysix · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2004 2:56 am **Posts:** 5174

Hegel-Oh's Wrote:

This is great too, thanks Ms. Polly.

You're welcome. I tried to pick stuff that fit with both the time period and style you were talking about.

e.g. Echo & the Bunnymen are 80s, and have a dark, pop, ambient feel to them. They were influenced by the Stooges and peers of bands like the Cure and Siouxsie & the Banshees so...

(I had a DJ night for 4 years entirely based on this time period of 60s garage - protopunk - punk - postpunk. I love it.)

Promethium · **Posted:** Fri Sep 29, 2006 12:49 pm

Here are my recommendations, I'm not sure what is on the list already, since I glanced through it:
Here come the Warm Jets and Another Green World by Brian Eno
Roxy Music and For Your Pleasure by Roxy Music
New Order: Power, Corruption and Lies
Slint: Spiderland
Spaceman 3: Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To

I didn't see you mention:
Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane over the Sea
The Wrens: Meadowlands
but I'm guessing you have listened to them, since they are sort of required for this board.

Hegel · **Posted:** Fri Sep 29, 2006 12:59 pm

Promethium Wrote:

Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane over the Sea
The Wrens: Meadowlands
but I'm guessing you have listened to them, since they are sort of required for this board.

Guess again. Well, I have heard the wrens album but never really gave it a good listen.

Dick Meatwood · **Posted:** Fri Sep 29, 2006 2:07 pm

Since you've cast such a "wide net", I'll try to recommend stuff that I think is broadly appealing, not necessarily tailored to what I would perceive your tastes to be based on the bands you listed. I'll just do '60s and '70s right now, and maybe do '80s and '90s later.

Some of these have been mentioned earlier (all the more reason for you to check them out):

Bob Dylan - Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)
You could take a list of Bob Dylan albums from 1963 to 1969, close your eyes and point and not come up with anything short of a classic. This has just been a favorite of mine from his pre-electric folk period. It's a fun, free record, that might make an easier starting point than his later albums. Freewheelin' Bob Dylan would work just as well.

The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
While not everybody's cup o' tea, this is top-tier British Invasion pop. It's maybe a little too British for some people, but I think the songs on it transcend geography as well as time. And unlike their contemporaries, The Stones, The Beatles, and The Who, late-60s Kinks haven't suffered from overexposure (except for "Picture Book" being used in an HP ad).

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Willy and the Poor Boys (1969)
Yeah, that's right. Creedence.

The Velvet Underground - s/t (1969)
I think this might be a better starting point than VU & Nico, and it's also my favorite VU album and Lou Reed's best songwriting, IMO. Completely timeless, and more immediately accessible than the first two records. All four of their original albums are great, though, and any one of them could work as an introduction.

Neil Young - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)
Where I started with NY, and being his first great solo album, it's as good a place to start with him as any. Just get it if you haven't already, and then get Harvest, On the Beach, After the Goldrush, Zuma, Tonight's the Night, etc, etc.

The Stooges - Funhouse (1970)
I didn't really get this album at first, but now it's one of my all-time favorites. Maybe the ultimate example of all-out primitive rock abandon. And yet to call it primitive is a disservice to its perfectly streamlined arrangements and uniform vision.

Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers (1971)
Well, it's shorter than Exile, and it took me a while to come around on that one. This just seems like an "easier" starter to me, and it's just as much of a classic.

David Bowie - Hunky Dory (1971)
I just like this one better than Ziggy Stardust, and since it comes first chronologically, I think it makes a better starting point.

Sly and the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On (1972)
Their stretch of albums from Life (1968) through Fresh (1973) is brilliant, but this one is generally the most revered. It's probably my favorite, too, just for its overall consistency and dark overtones (revelling in addiction, despair) set to imaginative, psychedelic funk.

Modern Lovers - s/t (1976)
Followers of the Velvet Underground and leaders in what would become punk. I need to get some more Jonathan Richman.

Talking Heads - 77 (1977)
Not my favorite of their albums, but with the 'Heads, I think it's best to start from the beginning. This album throws you into David Byrne's world without delving into his world music obsessions that develop later on. Clever, accessible art rock. Who doesn't like this album?

Devo - Q:Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)
No one should ever apologize for Devo, or at least not this album. Completely awesome post-punk nuttiness with a biting wit. Their cover of "Satisfaction" is probably the best one anyone will ever do.

Gang of Four - Entertainment! (1979)
People around here are more divided on this one than they should be. It's just an excellent fusion of the most visceral aspects of punk, funk, and disco with insightful, but never preachy, politically- and socially-themed lyrics. So many bands wouldn't even exist if not for this album.

Elvis Costello - Armed Forces (1979)
Clever lyrics with a sharp, if overly cynical, wit set to some of the catchiest, most inventive post-punk/proto new wave out there. My favorite E. Costello and my starting point. His first three albums are excellent, and the two that followed are great, too.

This leaves out a lot of my favorite stuff, but in my book, this a good portion of what I consider to be essential rock from this period.

pollysix · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2004 2:56 am **Posts:** 5174

Drinky Wrote:

Sly and the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On (1972)
Their stretch of albums from Life (1968) through Fresh (1973) is brilliant, but this one is generally the most revered. It's probably my favorite, too, just for its overall consistency and dark overtones (revelling in addiction, despair) set to imaginative, psychedelic funk.

Devo - Q:Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)
No one should ever apologize for Devo, or at least not this album. Completely awesome post-punk nuttiness with a biting wit. Their cover of "Satisfaction" is probably the best one anyone will ever do.

Nice and nice.

billy g · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 1:41 pm **Posts:** 9020

Brother Fouzone Wrote:

Joe, I'm not criticizing your plea here, but I think you've cast far too wide of a net. Maybe if you narrow it down a bit to one particular genre/sound or band/artist + influences, you can not only explore in manageable and related chunks, but also absorb the chunks and form a more solid opinion on what you're listening to.

People will tell you what they really like, especially when you ask them to throw out essentials. I love the Replacements, but I would most likely not recommend them to you, especially after seeing your list with Kozelek, Elliott Smith, SDRE & Jim Croce. Of course there are always exceptions, but it goes back to Dr. Dean Edell's saying, "If you hear hooves look for horses, not zebras."

I agree with Fu...don't make the mistake of trying to absorb everything. Focus on things you'd be likely to enjoy. Trace back your favorite artists' influences or look for similar artists. Pick a genre and time period and really explore it.

Based the Nick Drake, Kozelak, Elliott Smith and Jim Croce, I'd recommend tackling late 60's/early 70's folk rock. A lot of it wouldn't make the essential rock lists, but you'd probably be more likely to enjoy it than a lot of stuff that would. I'm thinking things like Duncan Browne, Joni Mitchell, Fairport Convention, Jackson Frank, Townes Van Zandt, Tim Buckley, Nick Garrie, etc.

If you're not even sure what you like, dip a toe in a genre by buying one representative album:

eg: The Clash S/T for punk
Gang of Four "Entertainment" for postpunk
Gram Parsons "GP"/"Greivous Angel" for Country Rock
Curtis Mayfield "Superfly" for Soul

and explore the genre further if you dig it. But get some focus before you just jump on with both feet. Otherwise you'll waste a lot of money and time on stuff that just isn't for you.

Elvis Fu · **Posted:** Fri Sep 29, 2006 3:24 pm

Hey, bg, you have a rec. on where to start with Fairport Convention?

cemeterypolka · **Joined:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:40 am **Posts:** 3473

cherry chapstick Wrote:

You have the VU & Nico right? The banana one

that's a good album and usually where everyone starts but i think the rest of their catalogue is much much better than that one.
loaded is sweet. but not as sweet as s/t and white light/white heat.

cemeterypolka · **Joined:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:40 am **Posts:** 3473

billy g Wrote:

Brother Fouzone Wrote:

Joe, I'm not criticizing your plea here, but I think you've cast far too wide of a net. Maybe if you narrow it down a bit to one particular genre/sound or band/artist + influences, you can not only explore in manageable and related chunks, but also absorb the chunks and form a more solid opinion on what you're listening to.

People will tell you what they really like, especially when you ask them to throw out essentials. I love the Replacements, but I would most likely not recommend them to you, especially after seeing your list with Kozelek, Elliott Smith, SDRE & Jim Croce. Of course there are always exceptions, but it goes back to Dr. Dean Edell's saying, "If you hear hooves look for horses, not zebras."

I agree with Fu...don't make the mistake of trying to absorb everything. Focus on things you'd be likely to enjoy. Trace back your favorite artists' influences or look for similar artists. Pick a genre and time period and really explore it.

Based the Nick Drake, Kozelak, Elliott Smith and Jim Croce, I'd recommend tackling late 60's/early 70's folk rock. A lot of it wouldn't make the essential rock lists, but you'd probably be more likely to enjoy it than a lot of stuff that would. I'm thinking things like Duncan Browne, Joni Mitchell, Fairport Convention, Jackson Frank, Townes Van Zandt, Tim Buckley, Nick Garrie, etc.

If you're not even sure what you like, dip a toe in a genre by buying one representative album:

eg: The Clash S/T for punk
Gang of Four "Entertainment" for postpunk
Gram Parsons "GP"/"Greivous Angel" for Country Rock
Curtis Mayfield "Superfly" for Soul

and explore the genre further if you dig it. But get some focus before you just jump on with both feet. Otherwise you'll waste a lot of money and time on stuff that just isn't for you.

and for Curtis Mayfield don't skip over Curtis. It has Move On Up on it! Not only that, but Give It Up and Ghetto Child. Fuck yeah

billy g · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 1:41 pm **Posts:** 9020

Brother Fouzone Wrote:

Hey, bg, you have a rec. on where to start with Fairport Convention?

Either Liege and Lief or Unhalfbricking

both are great

OPA! · **Posted:** Fri Sep 29, 2006 5:31 pm

T. Rex - Tanx...get it now!

pollysix · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2004 2:56 am **Posts:** 5174

OPA! Wrote:

T. Rex - Tanx...get it now!

Amen brother.

Easy Action

Hey hey hey, hey hey hey
Love is the same and it always will be,
Easy as picking foxes from a tree,
But I can't get no satisfaction, all I want is easy action

A stud is a lamb with the thoughts of a tiger,
Moves like a cat and knows how to ride her,
But I can't get no satisfaction, all I want is easy action baby

Hey hey hey, stroll on!
But I can't get no satisfaction, all I want is easy action

A woman from the East with her headlights shining,
Eased my pain and stopped my crying,
But I can't get no satisfaction, all I want is easy action baby

You know my head will keep her smiling
My wondrous walk and my telephone dialing
I can't get no satisfaction, all I want is easy action baby

Hey hey hey, hey hey hey
I know you're shrewd and she's a dude but all I want is easy action
I know you're shrewd and she's a dude but all I want is easy action
I know you're shrewd and she's a dude but all I want is easy action, baby

Hey hey hey, stroll on!
Hey hey hey, hey hey hey ....

MiceElf · **Posted:** Fri Sep 29, 2006 5:57 pm

So many people have chimed in with great suggestions, so I won't repeat. I would recommend PJ Harvey. My favorite is "Dry" but I love pretty much her whole discography.

pollysix · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2004 2:56 am **Posts:** 5174

MiceElf Wrote:

So many people have chimed in with great suggestions, so I won't repeat. I would recommend PJ Harvey. My favorite is "Dry" but I love pretty much her whole discography.

[img][150:150]http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000001F0H.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg[/img]

Seconded.

Hegel · **Posted:** Sun Oct 01, 2006 12:22 pm

Thanks a heap for those of you who have PM'd me with albums and/or mixes.

I have listened to the first 10 tracks of Love - Forever Changes. No formal opinions yet.

I haven't gotten to the Go Betweens mix yet.

Anyone who has the time, more PM's would be greatly appreciated. My inbox is waiting with open arms.

cherry chapstick · **Posted:** Mon Oct 02, 2006 5:42 am

Yail Bloor Wrote:

cherry chapstick Wrote:

The Breeders - Last Splash (1988)

If you like the Pixies I'm guessing you'll like The Breeders. Well, if you like the Kim Deal side of the Pixies anyway.

actually came out in '93 but who's counting?

also, define the "Kim Deal side of the Pixies"? She cowrote two songs that appeared on their albums.

Yeah, I was looking at Pod Demos (the album underneath it on my iTunes) for some reason. I was referring to her vocals. I suppose I should have just said that.

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