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Joni Mitchell |
001 |
| Court & Spark |
1974
Asylum
UK: 14
US: 2
Producer: Joni Mitchell |
| With her sixth album, her second for her friend and housemate David Geffen's new Asylum label, Joni Mitchell displayed a further move away from the singer-songwriter folk style of her previous releases. Court & Spark was to provide Mitchell with considerable commercial success, partly based on the hit singles 'Help Me' and 'Free Man In Paris', a song written about Geffen and the pressures he felt from the music industry. After this collection Mitchell's interest in jazz music was increasingly reflected in her own writing, as she further developed this interest so her commercial appeal began to wane, much to Geffen's disappointment. Backing was provided by Tom Scott and members of his jazz-rock outfit L.A. Express and also from members of the Crusaders. The Band’s Robbie Robertson guested on 'Raised on Robbery' and Graham Nash and David Crosby offered backing vocals. Never had Mitchell matched such lyrical depth with such melodic ingenuity: her vocals seemed more confident and assured; her depth of song-writing was staggering.
Track Listing: Court & Spark - Help Me - Free Man In Paris - People's Parties - Same Situation - Car On A Hill - Down To You - Just Like This Train - Raised On Robbery - Trouble Child - Twisted.
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Gene Clark |
002 |
| No Other |
1974
Label: Asylum
UK: -
US: -
Producer: Thomas Jefferson Kaye |
| A breathtaking journey of country-soul from the ex-Byrd. Gene Clark abandoned the more stripped back acoustic fare of his previous solo albums, preferring a more grandiose approach to some finely written songs. If it was Gram Parsons who set out to produce Cosmic American Music it was Clark who came as close to that vision on this album than anyone. Apparently Clark incurred the wrath of music mogul David Geffen as he ran up a huge bill on this elaborate music opus, with spiralling recording costs without any prospect of a possible hit single to promote the album - Geffen finally halting recording before all of Clark's planned songs could be finished. Clark's fear of flying and therefore his inability to extensively tour the album consigned it to temporary obscurity; at the time it commercially sunk without a trace. One listen to 'Strength of Strings' would suggest that it deserved so much more attention.
Track Listing: Life's Greatest Fool - Silver Raven - No Other - Strength of Strings - From a Silver Phial - Some Misunderstanding - The True One - Lady of the North.
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The Beach Boys |
003 |
| Sunflower |
1970
Label: Brother/Reprise
UK: 29
US: 151
Producers: The Beach Boys |
| Sunflower was more of a group-effort on the song-writing front; Brian Wilson having begun to lose the creative dominance that had served the band so well in their mid-60s heyday. Bruce Johnston weighed in with the impressive 'Tears In The Morning' and Dennis Wilson offered three tracks including the raucous 'It's About Time' and the heartfelt ballad 'Forever'. However, it was Brian, despite his now well documented personal problems, who still stole the show with the breathtaking 'This Whole World', featuring the emotive falsetto of brother Carl, reminding the music world of his extraordinary talents. On future releases the policy of allowing all members to offer song-writing contributions offered mixed returns, but it did witness a late flowering of the writing talents of Carl and Dennis Wilson, and the occasional gem from Brian. The next album Surf’s Up, while still offering a handful of great songs, was a patchier effort; in retrospect Sunflower was arguably the last great Beach Boys' album.
Track Listing: Slip On Through - This Whole World - Add Some Music To Your Day - Got To Know The Woman - Dierdre - It's About Time - Tears In The Morning - All I Wanna Do - Forever - Our Sweet Love - At My Window - Cool, Cool Water
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David Bowie |
004 |
| Diamond Dogs |
1974
R.C.A.
UK: 1
US: 5
Producer: David Bowie |
| Having jettisoned his Ziggy Stardust persona the previous year and also separating from his right-hand man Mick Ronson, whose considerable talents had graced his previous three releases, Bowie embarked on a more extravagant and sinister journey. Loosely based on Orwell's 1984, Bowie chose to handle guitar and saxophone duties himself, retaining only Mike Garson from the Spiders from Mars line-up. While still able to produce moments of infectious melodic simplicity on the likes of 'Rebel Rebel' and 'Rock N Roll With Me', it was on the ambitious and unnerving 'Sweet Thing/Candidate' medley that Bowie really proved again his impressive song-writing gifts. Bowie was to continue the progression witnessed on this release for the rest of the decade, recasting himself as a soul-boy on Young Americans and Station To Station, and then taking a more electronic and experimental approach with Brian Eno on the trilogy of Berlin albums. Diamond Dogs, however, still remains as one of his most ambitious and cohesive efforts while still retaining his natural melodic instincts.
Track Listing: Future Legend - Diamond Dogs - Sweet Thing - Candidate - Sweet Thing (Reprise) - Rebel Rebel - Rock n' Roll With Me - We Are The Dead - 1984 - Big Brother - Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family.
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Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young |
005 |
| Déjà Vu |
1970
Atlantic
UK: 5
US: 1
Producers: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young |
| Detractors claimed that this album lacked the holistic appeal of the Crosby, Stills & Nash album, which had been a more pastoral affair dominated by the song-writing talents of Stephen Stills (although Nash had penned the fairly trite hit single 'Marrakesh Express'). Arguably Neil Young's inclusion into the group offered a lot more song-writing depth and, as witnessed in Crosby's 'Almost Cut My Hair', a significant move away from a predominantly acoustic sound. The variety of the record, and the fact that all four songwriters' contributions were impressive, helped make this their first US number one album and a significant hit in the UK as well; the songs varied from the Stills acoustic number '4 + 20', Nash's McCartney-esque 'Our House' (a heartfelt ode to life with Joni Mitchell), and Crosby's hypnotic 'Déjà Vu'. Young only served to further his reputation as a heavyweight songwriter with the country-tinged 'Helpless' and the epic 'Country Girl'. Topped off with an upbeat version of Mitchell's 'Woodstock' this collection is almost faultless.
Track Listing: Carry On - Teach Your Children - Almost Cut My Hair - Helpless - Woodstock - Déjà Vu - Our House - 4 + 20 - Country Girl - Everybody I Love You
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Suede |
006 |
| Dog Man Star |
1994
Nude-Sony/Columbia
UK: 3
US: -
Producer: Ed Buller |
| Having experienced critical and commercial acclaim with their impressive debut, Suede were even more adventurous and ambitious on Dog Man Star. Despite guitarist and song-writer Bernard Butler leaving halfway through recording, Suede managed to top the creative peaks of their debut with Butler‘s trademark guitar remaining as enticing and important as ever. While nothing on the album was as immediately accessible as earlier singles ‘Animal Nitrate’ and ‘Stay Together’ there was great depth throughout. Often bleak and despairing and sometimes gloriously over the top, often in the same song, there was an obvious ambition to create a landmark release that was rarely seen amongst their peers. Suede, would return with a new guitarist in 1996 and a decidedly more commercial approach on their next album Coming Up, including five top ten UK singles, possibly in response to a mixed public reaction to the dark overtones of this collection.
Track Listing: Introducing The Band / We Are The Pigs / Heroine / The Wild Ones / Daddy’s Speeding / The Power / New Generation / This Hollywood Life / The 2 Of Us / Black Or Blue / This Asphalt World / Still Life.
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Neil Young |
007 |
| On The Beach |
1974
Reprise
UK: 42
US: 16
Producers: Neil Young, David Briggs, Mark Harman & Al |
| A purposeful lo-fi production and a concerted move further away from the commercial approach of his hugely successful 1972 offering Harvest, Young offered a bleak but often moving and influential collection of songs. Inspiration was drawn from the likes of Nixon, ‘I never knew a man who could tell so many lies’ on ‘Ambulance Blues’, and Charles Manson on ‘Revolution Blues’ where Young’s ragged and unnerving guitar style was matched by the jagged rhythm section of Levon Helm and Rick Danko of The Band. Only ‘Vampire Blues’ didn’t quite match up to the standards of the songs around it; ‘See The Sky About To Rain‘, with Ben Keith’s aching steel guitar, is a particular highlight. The release the following year of Tonight’s The Night, a collection that had been recorded prior to On The Beach but had been temporarily shelved, continued the more darker themes of Young’s imagination with both collections standing out as career highlights.
Track Listing: Walk On / See The Sky About To Rain / Revolution Blues / For The Turnstiles / Vampire Blues / On The Beach / Motion Pictures / Ambulance Blues.
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Stephen Stills & Manassas |
008 |
| Manassas |
1972
Atlantic
UK: 30
US: 4
Producers: Stephen Stills, Chris Hillman & Dallas Tay |
| A sprawling, ambitious work that embraced folk, country, rock and latin influences as Stephen Stills assembled an impressive collection of musicians around him to create one of the highlights of his career. A marked improvement on his rather disappointing second solo album, Stills brought in The Byrds’ Chris Hillman on guitar and vocals, and embarked on an extremely productive period of song-writing. Al Perkins’s steel guitar playing shone throughout the collection, offering graceful flourishes on ‘Colorado’ and ‘Jesus Gave Love Away For Free‘; other particular highlights include ‘It Doesn’t Matter‘, ‘The Treasure’ and ‘Song Of Love‘. The band became a particularly impressive live attraction flipping between various music styles with consummate ease. A less inspiring collection Down The Road would follow a year later, after which Stills would return to the financial comfort of Crosby, Stills & Nash and continue to tread water musically for the remainder of his career.
Track Listing: Song Of Love / (a) Rock & Roll Crazies - (b) Cuban Bluegrass / Jet Set (Sigh) / Anyway / Both Of Us (Bound To Lose) / Fallen Eagle / Jesus Gave Love Away For Free / Colorado / So Begins The Task / Hide It So Deep / Don’t Look At My Shadow / It Doesn’t Matter / Johnny’s Garden / Bound To Fall / How Far / Move Around / The Love Gangster / What To Do / Right Now / The Treasure (Take One) / Blues Man.
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Stevie Wonder |
009 |
| Innervisions |
1973
Tamla Motown
UK: 8
US: 4
Producer: Stevie Wonder |
| Having already released the outstanding Talking Book earlier in the year, Stevie Wonder exceeded all expectations with this follow-up. Playing every instrument on some tracks, Wonder recorded some of his greatest songs on this album; from the gritty funk of ‘Living For the City’ and ‘Higher Ground’ through to the graceful balladry of ‘All In Love Is Fair’ and ‘Golden Lady‘. Impressively, at no point did Wonder give way to cliché or sentimentality; it remains a completely convincing work, lyrically and musically. It was on the last two tracks, ‘Don’t You Worry ’Bout A Thing’ and ‘He’s Misstra Know-It-All‘, in particular, where his formidable talents and wondrous soul voice were let loose. Innervisions was an accomplished and spiritual collection that became the pinnacle of a period in Wonder’s career of outstanding creativity, from 1972’s Music Of My Mind through to Songs In The Key Of Life in 1976
Track Listing: Too High / Visions / Living For The City / Golden Lady / Higher Ground / Jesus Children Of America / All In Love Is Fair / Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing / He’s Misstra Know-It-All.
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David Bowie |
010 |
| Hunky Dory |
1971
R.C.A.
UK: 3
US: 93
Producer: Ken Scott |
| A less rockier affair than its predecessor The Man Who Sold The World, Hunky Dory marked a huge advance in the level of Bowie’s song-writing. Bowie used the opportunity to pay tribute to some of his heroes; Dylan on ’Song For Bob Dylan’ and Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground on ’Queen Bitch’. However, Bowie managed to channel these influences into an original and often eccentric collection of songs; tracks such as ‘Changes’ and ‘Life On Mars?’ would remain fans’ favourites for the rest of his career. While Bowie was a natural at creating great pop songs such as ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’ he also managed to produce delightful oddities such as ‘Quicksand’ and ‘The Bewlay Brothers‘. Often overshadowed by the Ziggy Stardust phenomenon that followed and finally broke him into the commercial mainstream, Hunky Dory remains one of his most eclectic and interesting collections, something recognised by the general public as it belatedly charted at number three in the UK almost a year after its release.
Track Listing: Changes / Oh! You Pretty Thing / Eight Line Poem / Life On Mars? / Kooks / Quicksand / Fill Your Heart / Andy Warhol / Song For Bob Dylan / Queen Bitch / The Bewlay Brothers.
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| THE GREATEST ALBUMS
EVER 1-10 |
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