#84 Flying Burrito Brothers: The Guilded Palace of Sin

I admit the the Byrd’s Sweetheart of the Rodea took me a long time. In fact, I finally bought the record last spring. This, of course, is much related to that, not only because of the persons, but also it was made about the same time. But, now enlightened, I have no problems to adjust to this. Beautiful pedal steel, nice songs and overall pleasantness is what I instantly perceive. Great version of the Dark End of The Street. Wheels and some other songs has a nice fuzz guitar sound. Fresh stuff! I will certainly hesitate a much shorter time in acquiring this record.

#83 Blood, Sweat & Tears: s/t (1969)

This is a hard pill to swallow. There is so much stuff: great horn arrangements, light pscyhedelics, pop, jazz and especially ART. The album is so ambitious that it hurts. This is like a high-brow colleague who despises everything you like, knowing that he has higher ideals. In a word, I feel like I am not worthy of this album. But I can still dig the undeniable skill of the musicians and the horns are great! If there just wasn’t so much stuff and feelings which to me are helplessly dated…on a national level, it sounds like the Finnish band Tasavallan Presidentti was heavily influenced by B, S & T. I do not like it either 😉 But I like When I Die which is pleasantly playful and Spinning Wheel catches up quickly. But I am very happy once this was over.

#82 Crosby, Stills & Nash: s/t (1969)

To my own surprise I have never heard this before, even though I have owned and liked the Deja vù for decades. Strange. Well, now it is time to correct the fact.

My initial expectation proved to be right. I thought this would be great vocal record with great arrangements and clever musicianship while perhaps lacking a bit on the intense guitarwork in the CSNY. True, but this has other charms. One of them is the complicity of songwriting, exemplifies by the opening track Suite: Judy Blue Eyes. This multipart work for Judy Collins is an interesting song and have to be listened many times more. I also liked the second track, Marrakesh Express which includes all the essential features of later AOR-music, but in a more interesting way: nice singing, light sound and catchability.

Anyway, most of the songs are good on this album. For example, Guinevere has that Byrds vibe to it and Pro-Road Downs nice sound experimentation. On the downside, I miss the edge Neil Young – this is somehow so cute and without urgency (although I like Still’s playing – check out Wooden Ships). Clever, but mostly bit too mellow. Anyway, I think I will get this to my collection.

#81. Mothers of Invention: We’re In It Only for the Money (1968)

This is unique record, of course, but I was little disappointed. Previously I’ve heard Freak Out and this is inferior to that. Nice satire of hippies and so on, but too much bad jokes, “experimental” stuff and noise. This is not to say that this is an interesting record, but I get a bit turned off by the fact that there is more comedy and experimentation than proper good songs. Maybe it’s the drugs…dunno. Well, What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body brought some smiles.

#74 The United States of America: s/t (1968)

I did not know what to expect. I faintly remember hearing from this band, but I always thought it is more garaque…bit like Electric Prunes. Well, it is a little, but far more out there. In other words, this is a very psychedelic record. Pretty “steamy” stuff indeed. It is hard to say much more – listening to this like watching a strange science fiction-movie. I can’t say I am very convinced, but this does not mean that this definitely has moments of its own. But I certainly would want to listen to this after taking LSD. Not that I would want to acid anyway. In fact, this gives me such hippie aversions that I am quite sure I will not want to listen to this for the second time.

#79 Caetano Veloso: s/t (1968)

I have never heard of Caetano Veloso. But it is about time – I can hear a strong effort here. Tropicalia – the opening track – is latin progressive stuff – interesting strings with a nice melody. And the same goes on – challenging structures and rhytms, beautiful melodies with a laidback feel. Why, oh why I am not on the beach with an umbrella drink in my hand? Nice variation, too. Sometimes it gets psychedelic mambo – or something. This certainly isn’t your run-of-the-mill Cobacapana-entertainment. But his voice is very smooth with a lot of tape echo. I am sure this record is a grower, so I’ll mark it to the increasingly long wishlist.

#78 Simon & Garfunkel: Bookends (1968)

I was really surprised to find out that I have never heard this record before. And I even though I thought I own all of their lp’s. But no matter, this is a great find! America is one of their finest songs and there is some interesting experimentation going on here (Save the life of my child, Voices of old people- ok, well, this is a bit too much). On the other hand, this is a very intimate record, with not much than acoustic guitar and a voice (take Overs). Then there is of course Mrs. Robinson – one of the earliest songs I rememeber hearing from radio. What a great acoustic guitar sound!

Punky’s Dilemma is my new favourite S & G-song. Great groovy, jazzy folk-song, very cinematic. Heard the first time Hazy Shade of Winter by S & G. Well, maybe I’ll prefer the version by Bangles. But all in all, this is one of the better S & G-albums, although as usual, there are fodder (At the Zoo). Gotta get this! Perhaps from Uppsala where I am going to be next week.

#77. Pretty Things: S. F. Sorrow (1968)

 

S. F. Sorrow, the first rock-opera. This is always forgotten because Pete Townshend released just a little bit later his Tommy which became an enourmous success. However, S. F. Sorrow is better. In fact, it is much, much better than I remembered. In many ways it is a bit Kinksian effort, but more psychedelic. And great songs, too! Take Baron Saturday. The best song the Small Faces never wrote. And no boring instrumental tracks. I gotta buy this record.

 

#76 Iron Butterfly: In A Gadda-Da-Vida

This must be one the most stupid hard rock records ever. Now that I listen to it, I remember hearing this before (obviously I know the title song), but never bothered to return to it. Well, here we are. Maybe because it is so Gargantuan that it is somehow ingenious. But not so over-the-top as Blue Cheer. So this is difficult to deal with other than ignore.

Naturally the title song is the thing here. It last over seventeen minutes, equipped with a riff which any hard hittin’ rocker would be proud of. The problem is that there is only a riff and the effect of that is soon used up. So what to do? Add some silent organ musings which take an incredible amount of time and then of course return to the riff. This is how “progressive” rock is done. In other words, imitate the classics. But the riff is memorable and it is why Iron Butterfly is remembered.

The rest of the album is average organ-fuelled hard rock, not too far from Steppenwolf. I like the instrumental track “Iron Butterfly theme”, there is some nice unortohodox guitar soundscapin’. My Mirage is a nice melodic pop song. But hippie-butterfly-chant So-lo is awful. And guess what! It has some rokokoo-style classicist organ solos! I guess in 1968 all the jobless pianists got their golden hour in rock bands. Waagh! Gimme some Booker T or Jimmy Smith and quick!

619 Records

As you can see, this is the Finnish translation of 1001 Albums I should listen before I die. Being a stupid and addicted to brainfree projects, I decided to listen the albums I haven not heard of these 1001, that is, 619 records. I started this project last year and first posted stuff on Google+. But there is not much going on, so I will make a blog series out of it. My comments have been brief, but I’ll try to write some extended notes for the forthcoming issues. First I will post again those I have published in Google+. Some of them are in Finnish, unfortunately. My comments are subjective and concern mostly should I or not acquire the album to my collection. As the style of music varies, there will probably be narrow-minded hate notes also 😉 I will proceed in chronological order.

#1 Frank Sinatra: In the Wee Small Hours (1955)

Yritin joskus päästä Sinatraan kiinni Marco Kososen yllyttämänä, mutta se oli silloin ihan liian hidasta ja pehmeätä minun makuuni. Nyt vanhempana tämä kuulostaa vähän samalta kuin hyvä konjakki, laadukkaalta ja ajattomalta. Synkeä levy tämä tietenkin on, viskilasiin itkemistä ja beibin perään kaipaamista. Mutta hienoa kuitenkin.

#2 Elvis Presley: Elvis Presley (1956)

Tästä ei levy kyllä kauheasti parane. One-sided love affair! Just Because! Blue Suede Shoes! Blue Moon! Olen omistanut Elvikseltä lähinnä kokoelmia, joten tämän ekan levyn tasalaataisuus hämmästytti. Myös soittopuoli on vanhan tutun taustabändin hallussa. Aivan parasta.

#3 The Louvin Brothers: Tragic Songs of Life. Tämä onkin vähän uutta, ei tuota kantria ole tullut paljon harrastettua. Mutta kyllähän tämä melankolisen musiikin alalla toimii ihan hyvin, vähän kuin kantriversio Everly Brothersista. Maniska ripsuttelee ja synkät on tunnelmat. En ole kuitenkaan ole niinkään varma tuleeko tämä kestokuunteluun. Huomaan kyllä selvän sukulaisuuden Gram Parsonsiin. Tässähän on muuten Triffidsinkin koveroima In the Pines.

#4 Louis Prima: The Wildest. Enpä muuten tajunnutkaan että sen jonkun jenkkiläisen heavy-yhtyeen laulajan versio I’m just a gigolosta oli NÄIN kesy alkuperäiseen verrattuna! Tässä on ihan mahdoton meininki! Pakko hoitaa tämä levy ihan omaksi. Aivan parasta lauantai-iltapäivän viihdettä.

#5 Duke Ellington: Live at Newport (1956). Tämän “täydellinen” versio löytyy Spotifystä. Leppoisa sunnuntaitunnelma, hyvin siis sattui kohdalle. Kyllä tykkään tämmöisestä jatsista, jossa ei koko ajan yritetä soittaa muita kumoon. Klarinetti ja piano rulaavat. Tämänkin hankkimista voisi tuumata.

#7 Frank Sinatra: Songs for Swingin’ Lovers. Whatever attrocities this project (listening to the 619 albums I have not heard from the book 1001 albums you should hear before your death) brings, it is worth only for these two Sinatra albums I have not heard before. Gotta get this one also. Swingin’ happy songs about love with Nelson Riddle’s arrangements, brilliant stuff!

#8 The Crickets: The Chirping Crickets. This is familiar stuff, but a good album anyways. I love the more low-key-stuff like Not Fade Away and Rock My Baby where the dynamics really change.

#9 Count Basie: Atomic Basie. I do like this kind of uptempo swing. Great arrangements as well. Great album for a friday afternoon.

#10 Thelonius Monk: Brialliant Corners. Ok, so this is more of bebop which I do not care much. But pretty cool this is, I can’t deny. Lots of piano, naturally, and sax. I prefer Count Basie, have to say.

#11 Sabu: Palo Congo. Well, pretty groovy stuff. Tribal in fact in a mainstream way. Nice and entertaining, if not quite authentic. But I think I prefer Tinariwen.

#12 Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (1957). If one thinks of the title, the first two tracks are not cool at all, more like very quick bepop. Of course this is great stuff, very atmospheric. Reminds me of Louis Malle’s movie Ascenseur Pour L’Echafaud which includes Davis’ music, maybe it was from this album?

#13 Machito: Kenya (1957). Siis tämähän on mahtavaa viihdejatsia. Vähän lattarirytmejä ja trumpettikiekausta, hienoa!

#14 Little Richard: Here’s Little Richard (1957). Tutti Frutti. Ready Teddy. Slippin’ and Slidin’. Long Tall Sally. Rip It Up. ‘Nuff said.

#15 Tito Puento & His Orchestra: Dance mania, vol. 1 (1958). Quite elegant dancemusic. One can only wonder how light, featherlight, this is although there is a whole orchestra and at least one singer. This is rhytm indeed.

#16 Billie Holiday: Lady in Satin (1958). This record is kind of heartbreaking. The arrangements are beautiful and lush and the songs are so pretty. But Billie Holiday’s voice is gone and she sounds much older than 43 that she was at the time. The contrast is striking and at sad.

#17 Eero, Jussi & The Boys: Numero 1 (1965). Onhan tämä perin hellyttävä levy. Parhaimmillaan (Liisan koira, Mosse, Saaren haluan) tämän on parasta wanhaa suomirockia, mutta varsinkin englanninkieliset yritelmät ovat vain ja pelkästään kömpelöitä.

#18 Marty Robbins: Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (1959). I guess I would never had bumbed into this record without this project. This is an instant favourite. Heartbreakin country ballads, warmly recommended. Check it out in Spotify!

#19 Esa Pethman: The Modern Sound of Finland (1965). Ihan kiinnostavia äänimaisemia ja kunnianhimoisia sävellyksiä, mutta menee pahasti kikkelijatsin puolelle useampaan kertaa. Ei jatkoon.

#21 Joan Baez: Joan Baez (1960). En nyt oikein jaksa innostua tästä sinänsä ihan nätin herkästä folkhommasta. Hämmentävää kuitenkin huomata miten paljon tosi tuttuja biisejä tässä Baezin ekassa on ja miten komeita biisejä perinnefolkit ovat. Vähän roheimpina versioina samat biisit toimivat kyllä mulle paremmin. Niinkuin vaikka John Riley.

#22 Elvis Presley: Elvis is Back! (1960). Onhan tää toki kovaa kamaa, mutta balladeja on kyllä aika runsaskätisesti menopaloihin verrattuna. It’s now or never tuntuu esimerkiksi aina liian Mantovanilta. Toisaalta Fever on niin kova kuin vaan voi olla. Kelpo levy toki!

#22 Miriam Makeba: Miriam Makeba (1960). Yökerhomusaa ja etnistä tunnelmointia. Onhan tässä tunnelma kohdallaan ja Makeba laulaa kauniisti, mutta … en oikein syty. Hetkittäin kuitenkin loistava.

#23 Everly Brothers: A Date With the Everly Brothers (1960). This is surprisingly great! I remembered the Everlys as balladeers (I have some best of in my shelf), but this both rocks and sweetens! For example, they cover Lucille with success and their Love Hurts is great. The remastered version in Spotify sounds great.

#24 Jimmy Smith: Back at Chicken Shack (1960). I just love Jimmy Smith and his funky Hammond jazz. Every record he ever made is great and this is no exception. Check it out!

#25 Muddy Waters: Live at Newport 1960. Muddy is great and this live presents him and his great band at their best. Such groove!

#26 Bill Evans Trio: Sunday at the Village Vanguard (1961). Tää on tavallaan hyvä sunnuntailevy – livesetti NY:ssä sunnuntaina. Aika leppoisaa pianovetoista jatsia, mutta tyylikkyydestään huolimatta minulle vähän yhdentekevää.

#27 Ray Charles: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music volumes 1 & 2 (1962). The title of the album is misleading: Charles uses a big traditional orchestra to sweeten the c & w-songs. How modern is that? Anyway, to my taste this is far too sugary and watered down, as much as I love the r & b of Ray Charles.

#28 Booker T & The Mg’s: Green Onions (1962). Well, this is an old and dear friend, although I haven’t heard this studio album before. Lots of different stuff as always, from the menace of Green onions to more subtle feelings. One of my all-time favourite bands!

#29 Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd: Jazz Samba (1962). Sweet, laidback bossanova jazz. In principle this would be fun, but there are far too many saxophone solos to my taste and this feels a bit – tacky.

#30 Ray Price: Night Life (1963). Kantri, stilikka, viulu ja pullo. Ryyppäysmurhekantriballadeja. Aika hyvä bluestwangi laulajalla ja onhan tässä tyyliä. En vaan ole ihan täysin liekeissä. Pitäisi varmaan hankkia ensin alkoholiongelma ja käydä Texasissa.

#31 Phil Spector: A Christman Gift for You (1963). Kun tämä ilmestyi, olin lähes puolivuotias. Ja onhan tämä hienoa kuulla ja komeaa tunnelmoida. Vaikka läsnä on koko ajan vahva juuston lemu, monopoppi on parasta ikinä.

#32 Sam Cooke: Live at the Harlem Square Club (1963). Here you can find a party. And what a party it is!

#33 Charles Mingus: The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963). The arrangements on this record are really incredible. Lots of brass, low sounds of tuba, flamenco stuff – very impressive. Have to get this one.

#34 James Brown: Live at the Apollo (1963). Olipa aika lyhyt livelevyksi. Nytpä vasta muistinkin, että minulla oli tämä joskus vinyylinä, mutta myin pois kun tässä tuntui olevan enemmän hypeä kuin lihaa. Onhan tämä tiukkaa menoa, mutta jotenkin se menee ohi pikemmin kuin osaa liimautua tunnelmaan.

#35 Stan Getz & Joa Gilberto (1963). You know this stuff: Girl from Ipanema etc. Stylish bossanova, perfect for a lazy sunday afternoon.

#37 Solomon Burke: Rock’n’soul (1964). This is really hot stuff, no question.

#38 Dusty Springfield: A Girl Called Dusty (1964). Dusty Springfieldissa on jotain pirskahtelevaa elämäniloa. Häntä on mukava kuunnella.

#39 Buck Owens: I’ve got a tiger by the tail (1965). Fine Country & Westers, not quite totally memorable, but sincere.

#40 Jerry Lee Lewis: Live at the Star Club, Hamburg (1965). Wo-hou what a rock & roll party this is!

#41 Otis Redding: Otis Blue (1965). This is top class, of course. Otis’ best album. Great version of My Girl by the way.

#42 The Beach Boys: Today! (1965). Mulla on vähän kaksijakoinen suhde BB:n varhaistuotantoon. Se on välillä vaan liian söpöä, mutta kyllähän siitä kuuntelee. 3 cd:n kokoelma riittää kuitenkin hyvin Pet Soundsin ja Smilen lisäksi eikä tämän kuuntelu varsinaisesti muuta näkemystä.

#43 John Coltrane: A love supreme (1965). I was genuinely relieved when this was over. This is what worst kind of prog rock is to real rock’n’roll – endless solos (even drum solo) and general lameness. Beautiful moments, yes, but this second time of this record will suffice for the rest of my life.

#44 B. B. King: Live at the Regal (1965). One of the best live albums I have ever heard. Reminds me of two B. B. King concerts I attended in the end of -70’s, great warth and mean guitar solos at the same time. Crowd response here is wonderful.

#45 Bert Jansch: Bert Jansch (1965). While some of the songs are rather unimpressive, the playing of acoustic guitar is consistently phenomenal. Guitarists, do not miss this record!

#49 Nina Simone: Wild is the Wind (1966). A beautiful record. I have to get this – the title track is about 1000 times better version than Bowie’s.

#50 Astrud Gilberto: Beach Samba (1967). Certainly this is very smooth music. Sade is punk rock compared to this. Nice, nice, but perhaps too overtly sweet stuff.

#51 Country Joe & The Fish: Electric Music for the Mind and Body (1967). Quite a change from Astrud Gilberto to this hippie stuff. Yes, that is what it is although some may say it is psychedelic rock. To my ears, there is a difference. Psychedelic music seduces, hippie stuff bores. Perhaps I am the only one who can tell the difference 😉 Some good moments, but I prefer Jefferson Airplane.

#53 Beau Brummels: Triangle (1967). Very nice baroque pop. Apparently the one after this is even better. I didn’t know this late stuff, only knew the more r & b-early years. Quite good stuff!

#47 The Mama’s and the Papa’s: If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966). I was surprised how great covers they have done. I call your name is wonderful and Do you wanna dance is also great. There are throwaway songs in the end, but Monday Monday and California Dreamin’ counter them.

#48 Paul Revere & The Raiders: Midnight Ride (1966). This is a great powerpop-record. Kicks is one of the great USA 60’s hits and the general quality of songs is good. Recommended!

#54 The Monkees: Headquarters (1967). While I enjoy immensely the Greatest hits of Monkees, this is getting too far to the moptop-silliness to my taste. Once is enough.

#55 Tim Buckley: Goodbye and Hello (1967). This is a beutiful and ambitious record. Although it lacks the catchiness of melodies I always prefer, it is subtle and convincing music.

#57 Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim: s/t (1967). Laidback highlife-ballads, mambo mostly. Nice and Frankie boy sings handsomely of course. But I can do without.

#60 Donovan: Sunshine Superman (1967). Pretty funny fairytale-nonsense at times, but I like Donovan’s voice a lot and there are some great songs, such as the title track and Season of the Witch.

#61 Merle Haggard: I’m a Lonesome Fugitive (1967). Uhhh. Kantri ei oikein saa otetta minusta. Kyllähän tämä letkeä touhu menettelee, mutta tuskinpa kuuntelen toista kertaa. Ihan vänkää näkkileipäkitaraa toki toisinaan. Mulle mustan miehen blues toimii selkeästi paremmin.

#63 Shiukumar Sharma etc.. : Call of the Valley (1967). Something completely different. Indian/Pakistanian (have no idea) instrumentals with lots of sitar and flutes. Very nice feeling to this, otherwise can’t really be bothered.

#65 Traffic: Traffic (1968). Ääh, hippimusaa. Ihan paikoitellen toimii, mutta tuo “eläytyvä” laulu ja yleinen häröily potuttaa. Ei tää vaan toimi. Ja on varmaan kolmas kerta kun olen yhtyettä yrittänyt kuunnella.

#66 The Incredible String Band: The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter (1968). I knew this before, but hippie music is not my cup of tee. Flutes, druggy chants, out of tune-“singing”. Uh. Some nice folkie moments, though.

#68 Os Mutantes: Os Mutantes (1968). TÄMÄ HÄMMENSI. Aivan käsittämätön yhdistelmä elektronisia kokeiluja, garagerockia, taidemusiikkia ja psykedeliaa. Tällaista ei taatusti ole tehnyt kukaan muu (no korkeintaan Flaming Lips). On sitten vähän eri asia nauttiiko tästä. Hm.

#69 Johnny Cash: At Folsom Prison (1968). Well, this is obviously great. Legenday interaction between the artist and the audience.

#70 Laura Nyro: Eli and the 13th Confession (1968). Nyt vasta muistakin että olenhan mä tämän kuullut ennenkin. Ekalla kerralla otti todella vaikeasti, mutta toisella paremmin. Tässä on silti kaikesta funkystä toiminnasta huolimatta semmoinen pikku hippisävy, joka tökkii. Kolmas kerta toden sanoo?

#71 Aretha Franklin: Lady Soul (1969). This must be Aretha’s best work. Great songs (Chain of Fools, Natural Woman etc.), top notch performance. My favourite was Niki Hoeky, really funky little number. Gotta have this.

#73 Big Brother & The Holding Company: Cheap Trills (1968). The cover is easily the best element in this hippy, guitar soloing, toolongish mess. Can’t really see why this is regarded as a classic. Fortunately Pearl is also named to the book – otherwise Joplin would be done injustice. Ok, Ball and Chain and Summertime are good, but were performed better in Monterey. The band is simply not too good.

#75 Dr. John: Gris Gris (1968). Fascinating and confusing record. There is certainly some mojo going on here. Gotta get this and listen to it a few times more!

#58 The Young Rascals: Groovin’ (1967). This is a great album for summer. Light, beautifully produced and with lots of warm space.

#72 Blue Cheer: Vincebus Ereptum (1968). Well, this is a heavy doze of whining bass tones. I can see why it was revolutionary and influential at its own time and I can remember playing with Big Muff in my teens, but it really is almost unlistenable.