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Jimi Hendrix |
111 |
| Electric Ladyland |
1968
Track / Reprise
UK: 6
US: 1
Producer: Jimi Hendrix |
| Hendrix’s third album, and last with Experience member’s Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, is perhaps his finest. Manager Chas Chandler, who had also held production duties on Hendrix’s first two albums, had parted company with Hendrix, resulting in Hendrix producing himself and opting for a more experimental approach. As well as the core Experience members, Hendrix also invited in the likes of Al Kooper and various members of Traffic to guest on a number of tracks. Opening with the spaced out soul of ‘Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)’ and closing with the raucous ambition of ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)’, Electric Ladyland includes some of Hendrix’s most mesmerising performances, including the frenetic ‘Crosstown Traffic’, the fascinating ‘Burning Of The Midnight Lamp’ and an inventive reading of Dylan’s ‘All Along The Watchtower’. This collection would provide him with his first number one album in his homeland, following a breathtaking performance at Monterey the previous year and the success of the ‘All Along The Watchtower’ single. Hendrix would follow this album with the live Band Of Gypsys album before his premature death in 1970.
Track Listing: And The Gods Made Love / Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland) / Crosstown Traffic / Voodoo Chile / Little Miss Strange / Long Hot Summer Night / Come On (Let The Good Times Roll) / Gipsy Eyes / Burning Of The Midnight Lamp / Rainy Day, Dream Away / 1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be / Moon, Turn The Tides…Gently Gently Away / Still Raining / Still Dreaming / House Burning Down / All Along The Watchtower / Voodoo Child (Slight Return).
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Janis Joplin |
112 |
| Pearl |
1971
CBS / Columbia
UK: 50
US: 1
Producer: Paul Rothchild |
| Joplin’s second solo album, released posthumously four months after her death, is perhaps her greatest musical offering, refining her innovative mix of soul and psychedelic rock. After two groundbreaking albums with Big Brother & The Holding Company, Joplin had decided to go solo releasing her impressive debut album in 1969. Benefiting from a more polished production courtesy of Paul Rothchild, renowned for his work with the Doors, and some energetic performances from the Full Tilt Boogie Band, Joplin’s impassioned vocals provided definitive readings of some exceptional material on this 1971 release. Particular highlights were the dramatic rock of ‘Cry baby’ with a remarkable vocal performance by Joplin, the heartbreaking soul of Dan Penn’s and Spooner Oldham’s ‘A Woman Left Lonely’ and the gentle country-rock of Kris Kristofferson’s ‘Me And Bobby McGee’, which hit number one in the US singles’ chart, pushing Pearl to the number one spot as well; further contributing to Joplin’s legacy as one of the finest and most unique soul singers of all time.
Track Listing: Move Over / Cry Baby / A Woman Left Lonely / Half Moon / Buried Alive In The Blues / My Baby / Me And Bobby McGee / Mercedes Benz / Trust Me / Get It While You Can.
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Buffalo Springfield |
113 |
| Last Time Around |
1968
Atlantic / Atco
UK: -
US: 42
Producer: Jim Messina |
| Completed and released after the band disbanded, largely to fulfil contractual obligations, Last Time Around was pieced together by singer Richie Furay and producer/bassist Jim Messina; original bassist Bruce Palmer had been deported back to Canada earlier in the year and Neil Young had departed for a solo career. Despite the turmoil within the group and the disjointed nature of the recording, only a handful of tracks would feature performances from the whole group, Last Time Around still remains an impressive collection. Young offered the dynamic opening song ‘On The Way Home’ and the gentle country-rock of ’I Am A Child’, Furay the yearning soul of ‘Kind Woman’ and Stephen Stills contributed five songs, including the impressive ‘Four Days Gone’ and the vibrant ‘Special Care’. Furay and Messina would go on to enjoy considerable success with the country-rock outfit Poco, while Young would embark on an illustrious solo career, periodically hooking up with Stills throughout the rest of their careers, despite their often fraught and competitive relationship, releasing some fine music along the way.
Track Listing: On The Way Home / It’s So Hard To Wait / Pretty Girl Why / Four Days Gone / Carefree Country Day / Special Care / The Hour Of Not Quite Rain / Questions / I Am A Child / Merry-Go-Round / Uno Mundo / Kind Woman.
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The Jam |
114 |
| All Mod Cons |
1978
Polydor
UK: 6
US: -
Producer: Vic Coppersmith-Heaven & Chris Parry |
| Although emerging at the height of punk, and sharing much of the attitude and disillusionment of many of the punk groups, The Jam’s inspiration laid very much in the previous decade. Paul Weller’s eloquent and incisive vignettes of everyday British life, recalled the Kinks’ Ray Davies’s remarkable lyrical gifts, and the frenetic guitar style and innovative rhythm section of the band displayed a musical debt to the likes of The Who, as did their fascination with 60s’ Mod culture and fashion. Despite the obvious influences on the groups musical style and appearance, the Jam were often a startlingly original and compelling musical force, especially on the likes of ‘Down In The Tube Station At Midnight’ and ‘To Be Someone’, fully realising the potential that they had hinted at on their impressive debut. Weller’s disillusionment with the music business began to show on this collection, his biting lyrical cynicism fully evident on the likes of the title track and aforementioned ‘To Be Someone’. The Jam would follow this collection with the impressive Setting Sons, with the band enjoying critical acclaim and considerable commercial success into the next decade.
Track Listing: All Mod Cons / To Be Someone (Didn't We Have a Nice Time) / Mr. Clean / David Watts / English Rose / In the Crowd / Billy Hunt / It's Too Bad / Fly / The Place I Love / 'A' Bomb in Wardour Street / Down in the Tube Station at Midnight.
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Crosby, Stills & Nash |
115 |
| Crosby, Stills & Nash |
1969
Atlantic
UK: 25
US: 6
Producers: Stephen Stills, David Crosby & Graham Nash
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| A great debut album defined by the group’s depth of song-writing talent and their trademark three part harmony, that provided them with almost instant critical and commercial success. After the demise of Buffalo Springfield and with David Crosby being fired from The Byrds, Stephen Stills and Crosby had convinced Graham Nash to jump ship from the Hollies, where he had felt his desire to experiment musically had been restricted. All three members offered impressive song writing contributions: the atmospheric mood pieces of Crosby; the commercial instincts of Nash and his astounding talent for high harmonies; and the effortless ability of Stills to mix blues, country and folk influences into a breathtakingly distinctive style. If there was a personality who dominated the group musically, it was Stills: taking the lead with production duties; playing most of the guitar, bass and organ parts; and also contributing some of the album’s finest songs - including the ambitious ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’, the delightful ‘You Don’t Have To Cry’ and the awe-inspiring ballad ‘Helplessly Hoping’.
Track Listing: Suite - Judy Blue Eyes / Marrakesh Express / Guinnevere / You Don’t Have To Cry / Pre-Road Downs / Wooden Ships / Lady Of The Island / Helplessly Hoping / Long Time Gone / 49 Byes-Byes.
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Steely Dan |
116 |
| Can’t Buy A Thrill |
1972
Probe / A.B.C.
UK: -
US: 17
Producer: Gary Katz |
| Can’t Buy A Thrill met with immediate commercial and critical success on release at the beginning of 1973, with sales buoyed by the hit single ‘Do It Again’ released a couple of months earlier. ‘Do It Again’ had mixed Latin, jazz and rock influences, and like the second single from the album, ‘Reelin’ In The Years’, would enjoy considerable radio airplay for many years to come. Centred around the prodigious song-writing talent of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, who with producer Gary Katz created a polished radio-friendly sound married with the duo’s acerbic and cynical lyrics, the group created some assured and innovative songs on this album, including the nostalgic ‘Midnight Cruiser’ with a great vocal by drummer Jim Hodder, and the emotive ‘Dirty Work’. Steely Dan would release the equally impressive Countdown To Ecstasy only six months later, and although critically acclaimed, it failed to meet the commercial success of Can’t Buy A Thrill, although 1974’s Pretzel Logic would break the US top ten ensuring the group huge success for the remainder of the decade.
Track Listing: Do It Again / Dirty Work / Kings / Midnight Cruiser / Only A Fool Would Say That / Reelin’ In The Years / Fire In The Hole / Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me) / Change Of The Guard / Turn That Heartbeat Over Again.
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Pink Floyd |
117 |
| Wish You Were Here |
1975
Harvest / Columbia
UK: 1
US: 1
Producer: Pink Floyd |
| Following on from the huge success of Dark Side Of The Moon was always going to prove difficult, and it would take Pink Floyd two and a half years before they returned with the highly ambitious Wish You Were Here. Roger Waters’s lyrics were particularly impressive, from the unbridled cynicism of ‘Have A Cigar’, ruing the music industry’s obsession with financial profit over artistic considerations, the edgy paranoia of ‘Welcome To The Machine’ and the familiar themes of alienation in ‘Wish You Were Here’, a melancholy ballad with some assured acoustic guitar and a heartfelt vocal from Dave Gilmour. It was on the epic ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, that the band’s ambition was truly evident; the song was an emotional homage to Syd Barrett, who had put in a wholly unexpected appearance in the studio as the band were recording this album. Wish You Were Here’s themes of disillusionment were something that Waters would return to again and again, knowing that, despite their huge success, divisions in the band were already beginning to show.
Track Listing: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part One) / Welcome To The Machine / Have A Cigar / Wish You Were Here / Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part Two).
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The Beatles |
118 |
| Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band |
1967
Parlophone / Capitol
UK: 1
US: 1
Producer: George Martin |
| Long considered as The Beatles’ finest work and a milestone of popular culture, the group had become increasingly disillusioned with touring and chose to abandon it completely in order to focus on their studio work. This allowed the group the opportunity to indulge their desire to experiment, embracing a variety of musical styles and different types of instrumentation on this musical opus. Opening with the energetic title track, segueing into the delightful ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ with a exceptional vocal from Ringo Starr, and into the complex psychedelic arrangement of ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ the band reached a pinnacle of their unprecedented musical career. While Harrison’s sole contribution ‘Within You Without You’ was a little disappointing, especially given his sterling efforts on Revolver and the remarkable contributions that would grace later Beatles’ records, and McCartney’s ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’ was a little too whimsical, this collection includes some of their finest efforts, especially the graceful ‘She’s Leaving Home’ and the remarkable ambition of ‘A Day In The Life.’
Track Listing: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band / With A Little Help From My Friends / Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds / Getting Better / Fixing A Hole / She’s Leaving Home / Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! / Within You Without You / When I’m Sixty-Four / Lovely Rita / Good Morning Good Morning / Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) / A Day In The Life.
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David Bowie |
119 |
| Aladdin Sane |
1973
R.C.A.
UK: 1
US: 17
Producer: Ken Scott & David Bowie |
| With the pressure on to follow up the hugely successful Ziggy Stardust album, it took Bowie less than a year to release one of the most ambitious and compelling collections of his career. While partly abandoning the conceptual thread that had held his Ziggy Stardust persona together, Bowie continued on a particularly impressive period of song-writing. While maintaining the glam-rock of his previous release, the opening track 'Watch That Man' and a frenzied cover of the Rolling Stones' 'Let's Spend The Night Together' wouldn't have been out of place on the Ziggy Stardust album, Bowie's musical direction began to show a greater desire to experiment, especially with the jazz leanings of the prodigious musical talent of pianist Mike Garson, whose contributions were brought to the fore on the meandering piano parts of the title track and the dramatic 'Time' in particular. The closing song 'Lady Grinning Soul' is perhaps one of Bowie's finest, an effortless, sweeping ballad with Bowie's soaring vocals being complimented by Garson's graceful piano playing and Mick Ronson's elegant guitar.
Track Listing: Watch That Man / Aladdin Sane / Drive In Saturday / Panic In Detroit / Cracked Actor / Time / The Prettiest Star / Let’s Spend The Night Together / The Jean Genie / Lady Grinning Soul.
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Bruce Springsteen |
120 |
| Born To Run |
1975
C.B.S. / Columbia
UK: 17
US: 3
Producer: Bruce Springsteen, Mike Appel & Jon Landau |
| Following on from the impressive The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle Springsteen knew that critical acclaim wasn’t enough, and that his next release had to be a commercial success. He therefore embarked on his most ambitious project; lyrics rewritten countless times, instrument layered upon instrument to create a Spector-esque wall of sound with countless arrangements being tried and rejected. On the title track in particular his remarkable vision was realised; a heartfelt, frenetic ode to youthful desire to escape from small town life. Initial praise from the critics soon erupted into widespread hype, Springsteen simultaneously appearing on the front covers of Newsweek and Time magazine. The classic line up of the E Street Band would finally come together on this collection, with Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan being drafted in on drums and piano respectively. It would take Springsteen another three years to follow up this album, due to contractual disputes with his management team, with Jon Landau becoming his producer, mentor and manager, declaring Springsteen as the ‘future’ of rock n’ roll; for the forty breathtaking minutes of Born To Run he pretty much was.
Track Listing: Thunder Road / Tenth Avenue Freeze Out / Night / Backstreets / Born To Run / She’s The One / Meeting Across The River / Jungleland.
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| THE GREATEST ALBUMS
EVER 111-120 |
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