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Van Morrison |
031 |
| Astral Weeks |
1968
Warner Bros.
UK: -
US: -
Producer: Lewis Merenstein |
| Recorded in just a couple of days, Morrison moved away from the soulful R&B that had brought him such success with Them and his first solo single ‘Brown Eyed Girl’. Surrounding himself with experienced jazz musicians, including guitarist Jay Berliner and drummer Connie Kay, and allowing them the freedom to improvise over his compositions, Morrison created a deeply moving collection of jazz-inflected folk songs, with lyrics rich with imagery. The songs also benefited from the insistent double bass playing of Richard Davis and the graceful flute parts of John Payne, none more so than on the emotive ‘Sweet Thing’ with Larry Fallon’s dramatic string arrangements. Morrison and the band really excelled themselves on the epic ‘Madam George’ and ‘Ballerina’ where each musician, Morrison included, was given free rein to really develop and explore his musical ideas. Astral Weeks would meet with mixed reviews and, initially at least, disappointing sales; possibly prompting Morrison to return to his R&B roots on the follow up album Moondance.
Track Listing: Astral Weeks / Beside You / Sweet Thing / Cyprus Avenue / The Way Young Lovers Do / Madame George / Ballerina / Slim Slow Slider.
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The Band |
032 |
| The Band |
1970
Capitol
UK: 25
US: 9
Producer: John Simon |
| Continuing in the same laid back organic feel of their debut, The Band set an ever higher standard for themselves with this 1970 album. Robbie Robertson’s song-writing talent dominated on the likes of ‘Rag Mama Rag’, ‘Up On Cripple Creek’ and ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down‘, the latter a top ten hit for Joan Baez the following year. Once again the musicianship of the group and the unique vocal talents of the band shone through; drummer Levon Helm’s southern drawl on ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’ and ‘Up On Cripple Creek’, bassist Rick Danko’s fragile reading of the emotive ‘Unfaithful Servant’ and Richard Manuel’s soulful vocals on ‘Whispering Pines’ set the group apart as one of the leading lights of the American music scene, although they had set out to distance themselves from the heavy blues rock and psychedelic jams that were popular at the time. The Stage Fright album would follow shortly after, and although it offered a batch of strong songs The Band would never quite capture the magic of their first two albums.
Track Listing: Across the Great Divide / Rag Mama Rag / The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down / When You Awake / Up on Cripple Creek / Whispering Pines / Jemima Surrender / Rockin' Chair / Look Out Cleveland / Jawbone / The Unfaithful Servant / King Harvest (Has Surely Come).
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Joni Mitchell |
033 |
| Blue |
1971
Reprise
UK: 3
US: 15
Producer: Joni Mitchell |
| Mitchell had already received critical acclaim for previous releases, experiencing commercial success with the 1970 album Ladies Of The Canyon, in no small part due to the hit single ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, and had had several of her songs covered by other artists, including the likes of Fairport Convention and Judy Collins. However, no-one was quite expecting the emotional intensity of this, her fourth release. Drawing inspiration from her relationship with James Taylor in ‘All I Want’ and ‘My Old Man’, and addressing her heartbreaking decision to put her daughter up for adoption in ‘Little Green’, Mitchell often relied on sparse arrangements, mainly backing up her wondrous voice with either just acoustic guitar or piano. Pedal steel player Sneeky Pete would guest on the classic ‘California’ and the aforementioned James Taylor would contribute some guitar, as would Stephen Stills. After the release of Blue, Mitchell would leave Reprise for her friend David Geffen’s Asylum label, increasingly following her interest in jazz music, achieving considerable commercial success for must of the 1970s, until her jazz leanings became too strong for many fans.
Track Listing: All I Want / My Old Man / Little Green / Carey / Blue / California / This Flight Tonight / River / A Case Of You / The Last Time I Saw Richard.
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Black Sabbath |
034 |
| Paranoid |
1970
Vertigo / Warners
UK: 1
US: 12
Producer: Roger Bain |
| Further cementing their reputation as musical pioneers, Black Sabbath’s second album brought them their first, and only UK number one; also narrowly missing out on a top ten placing in the US. While the production was possibly as not as spirited as their debut the song-writing was certainly a lot more assured. Based around the triumvirate of classic Black Sabbath songs: the hit UK single ‘Paranoid‘; the doom-laden dynamics of ‘War Pigs‘; and the menacing ‘Iron Man‘, inspired by Ted Hughes’s book of the same name. Other highlights included ‘Hand Of Doom‘, slowing their melodic rock from a hypnotic crawl to a frenetic crescendo and back again, and the spaced-out ‘Planet Caravan’ where Tony Iommi demonstrated his jazz-inflected playing on the outro guitar solo. The influence of this album was far reaching, from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the late 1970s to the grunge movement of the early 1990s, although few of those bands would achieve the stunning originality of this collection.
Track Listing: War Pigs / Paranoid / Planet Caravan / Iron Man / Electric Funeral / Hand Of Doom / Rat Salad / Fairies Wear Boots.
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Bob Dylan |
035 |
| Nashville Skyline |
1969
C.B.S. / Columbia
UK: 1
US: 3
Producer: Bob Johnston |
| A more relaxed Dylan continued to usher in the country-rock sound that would dominate the musical landscape in the US for the next ten years. Gone was the gruff scowl and political content of his early work, opting for a more rustic approach as he immersed himself into the heart of country music, recording the album with the cream of Nashville‘s session musicians and adopting a soft, laidback country croon. ‘Lay Lady Lay’ would provide him with a hit single, and a radio favourite for the next four decades. Another highlight would be a reworking of his ‘Girl From The North Country’ as a duet with Johnny Cash, by then very much a giant of the country music scene. Dylan would follow this release with a run of underwhelming and disappointing collections before returning in 1975 to widespread critical acclaim and commercial success with Blood On The Tracks, exploring darker lyrical themes in complete contrast to Nashville Skyline.
Track Listing: Girl from the North Country / Nashville Skyline Rag / To Be Alone with You / I Threw It All Away / Peggy Day / Lay Lady Lay / One More Night / Tell Me That It Isn't True / Country Pie / Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You.
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Tori Amos |
036 |
| Little Earthquakes |
1992
East West / Atlantic
UK: 14
US: 54
Producers: Davitt Sigerson, Eric Rosse, |
| A debut of dramatic emotion and great depth. Amos created a collection of great beauty and intelligence, vocally influenced by Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell, but with enough individuality to create her own engaging identity. Amos’s haunting voice was a perfect foil for the honest, and sometimes harrowing, lyrical content, whether backing herself on piano or with Nick DeCaro’s inspiring string arrangements, especially on the outstanding ‘Winter’. Despite working with a number of different producers on this release Little Earthquakes comes across as very much a coherent and fluid collection, probably due to Amos’s distinctive creative vision. Amos would experience modest commercial success with this release, making a dent on the singles’ chart in the UK with ‘Silent All These Years’, ‘China’, ‘Winter’ and ‘Crucify’. On subsequent releases Tori Amos would achieve markedly higher sales but would never quite achieve the critical acclaim that was heaped upon her debut.
Track Listing: Crucify / Girl / Silent All These Years / Precious Things / Winter / Happy Phantom / China / Leather / Mother / Tear In Your Hand / Me And A Gun / Little Earthquakes.
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Scott Walker |
037 |
| Scott 4 |
1969
Philips / Fontana
UK: -
US: -
Producer: John Franz |
| Having relied primarily on covers on previous releases, Jacques Brel songs in particular, this was Walker’s first collection that consisted purely of his own material. Walker had always hinted at a strong song-writing gift; ‘Montague Terrace In Blue’ from his first solo album had been a particularly dramatic and impressive effort. Walker managed to maintain the lyrical and musical sense of drama that had infused previous recordings, partly due to the sympathetic orchestrations throughout, and his own assured and stately vocals. His sonorous, soaring baritone was used to great effect throughout; on ‘Duchess’ and ‘The World’s Strongest Man’, and the country-tinged ‘Rhymes of Goodbye’ especially. The lyrical themes of his own material had become much darker on the likes of ‘Hero Of The War’ and ‘The Old Man’s Back Again’. Deleted soon after release, unlike previous efforts (his Scott 2 album had hit number one in the UK the previous year) it was not a commercial success. Walker’s output throughout the 70s would be sporadic and patchy, never achieving the artistic heights of his first four solo albums.
Track Listing: The Seventh Seal / On Your Own Again / The World’s Strongest Man / Angels Of Ashes / Boy Child / Hero Of The War / The Old Man’s Back Again (Dedicated To The Neo-Stalinist Regime) / Duchess / Get Behind Me / Rhymes Of Goodbye.
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Gram Parsons |
038 |
| Grievous Angel |
1974
Reprise
UK: -
US: -
Producer: Gram Parsons |
| Released the year following his death, Grievous Angel ensured Parsons a place amongst the greats of modern music that he had craved all his life. Following five albums that had explored the then nascent country-rock genre (one with the International Submarine Band, one with the Byrds, two with the Flying Burrito Brothers, and his first solo album in 1973), Parsons, despite slipping into a heavy drug dependency, returned to a more country based approach for this release. Parson managed an impressive reading of both covers and startlingly emotive originals, none more so on his own number ‘$1000 Wedding’ and Boudleaux Bryant’s ‘Love Hurts‘, backed throughout the album once again by the haunting harmonies of Emmylou Harris. Commercial success eluded Parsons throughout his career, and it was not until many years later that his pioneering work was finally recognised, both as a member of some of rock’s most seminal outfits and as a solo artist of great ability.
Track Listing: Return Of The Grievous Angel / Hearts On Fire / I Can’t Dance / Brass Buttons / $1000 Wedding / Medley Live From Northern Quebec a) Cash On The Barrelhead b) Hickory Wind / Love Hurst / Ooh Las Vegas / In My Hour Of Darkness.
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Traffic |
039 |
| The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys |
1971
Island
UK: -
US: 7
Producer: Steve Winwood |
| Despite a failure to chart in the UK, this 1971 release was a critical success, in no small part to the wonderful title track where Steve Winwood matched his peerless soul vocal to a meandering jazz influenced backing, with Jim Capaldi’s lyrics rueing the machinations of the music business; ‘the man in the suit has just bought a new car from the profit he’s made on your dreams’. The group had expanded to a six piece prior to this release but their sound was still dominated by the original three members; the Winwood and Capaldi writing team and the graceful flute and saxophone flourishes of Chris Wood. Drummer Jim Capaldi also took lead vocal duties on the bluesy ‘Light Up Or Leave Me Alone‘; apart from this track it was Winwood, in the absence of the previously departed Dave Mason, who carried the remainder of the vocal duties - ‘Many ‘A Mile To Freedom’ and Rainmaker’ were particularly impressive. This collection would be followed by the disappointing Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory and When The Eagle Flies, with the group disbanding in 1975, leaving this as their last great studio success.
Track Listing: Hidden Treasure / The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys / Rock ‘N’ Roll Stew / Many A Mile To Freedom / Light Up Or Leave Me Alone / Rainmaker.
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Black Sabbath |
040 |
| Black Sabbath |
1970
Vertigo / Warners
UK: 8
US: 23
Producer: Roger Bain |
| A truly groundbreaking debut. Black Sabbath emerged on a music scene where the likes of Cream and Led Zeppelin had already gained critical acclaim for inventive blues-based rock. However, Sabbath managed to still carve themselves a credible and original niche with this collection. The band soon became well renowned for their melodramatic and breathtaking sense of musical dynamics, none more so than on the highly original title track; where the lumbering opening riff eventually morphed into a frenzied crescendo of a finale that set the template for most of what was to be termed heavy metal that would follow this release. Other highlights included the driving ‘The Wizard’ and the energetic ‘N.I.B.’, reputedly titled so as drummer Bill Ward’s beard looked like a pen-nib! Guitarist Tony Iommi demonstrated his original style throughout, especially on the extended solo during the lengthy ‘Warning‘. Black Sabbath would continue an extraordinary creative period for the next four albums, continuing to experiment but never straying far from the sounds of their debut.
Track Listing: Black Sabbath / The Wizard / Behind The Wall Of Sleep / N.I.B. / Evil Woman / Sleeping Village / Warning.
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| THE GREATEST ALBUMS
EVER 31-40 |
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