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The Verve |
091 |
| Urban Hymns |
1997
Hut / Virgin
UK: 1
US: 23
Producers: The Verve, Chris Potter & Youth. |
| The Verve had hinted at the majesty of Urban Hymns on their previous release A Northern Soul, after which the group had temporarily split. While the title certainly hinted at their ambition and belief, nothing quite prepared the listener for the dynamic opening song ’Bittersweet Symphony’. Singer Richard Ashcroft’s song-writing talents were formidable, including the number one single ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’, a heartfelt ode to his dying father, the graceful ‘Sonnet’ and the grand ambition of ‘Lucky Man’, with inventive and atmospheric guitar work from Nick McCabe. But the group also demonstrated that they could do more than just ballads, with the likes of the euphoric and fiery ‘Come On’ proving that the band could rock out as well. Urban Hymns would bring The Verve the commercial success and critical acclaim that they had craved for so long, selling over a million copies in just the US. Despite their success the group would disband in 1999 with Ashcroft embarking on an often less than inspiring solo career.
Track Listing: Bitter Sweet Symphony / Sonnet / The Rolling People / The Drugs Don’t Work / Catching The Butterfly / Neon Wilderness / Space And Time / Weeping Willow / Lucky Man / One Day / This Time / Velvet Morning / Come On.
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Townes Van Zandt |
092 |
| The Late, Great Townes Van Zandt |
1972
U.A. / Poppy
UK: -
US: -
Producer: Kevin Eggers |
| Van Zandt wouldn’t release another record for six years after this 1972 release, the last in a run of six albums of outstanding quality. The Texan troubadour would tackle three covers on this set, including Hank William’s ‘Honky Tonkin’’ and Gene Clark’s ‘Don’t Let The Sunshine Fool Ya’. Like Clark‘s solo career, Van Zandt had created a wealth of folk and country influenced material, without commercial success but with lasting appeal and influence. As expected, it was Van Zandt’s own material that was the main attraction; tales of bandits on ‘Pancho And Lefty’, later recorded by Emmylou Harris and Kenny Rogers, and the ballad ‘If I Needed You’ were particular highlights. As usual the instrumentation was minimal, Van Zandt carrying the whole set mainly with just finger-picked guitar and his rich, emotive vocals. Van Zandt would remain a recluse for much of the decade, returning for the 1978 album Flying Shoes and sporadic activity in the 1980s but nothing would quite match his output from 1968 to 1972.
Track Listing: No Lonesome Tune / Sad Cinderella / German Mustard (A Clapalong) / Don’t Let The Sunshine Fool Ya’ / Honky Tonkin’ / Snow Don’t Fall / Fraulein / Pancho And Lefty / If I Needed You / Silver Ships Of Andilar / Heavenly Houseboat Blues.
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Moby Grape |
093 |
| Moby Grape |
1967
C.B.S. / Columbia
UK: -
US: 24
Producer: David Rubinson |
| Moby Grape emerged out of San Francisco in 1966 with their highly charged take on psychedelic rock with this formidable debut. What really set the band apart from their peers was that all five members were impressive songwriters: Bob Mosley brought his soulful blues (‘Mr. Blues’ and ‘Come In The Morning’); Jerry Miller and Don Stevenson’s offered their acid rock pastiche (‘Hey Grandma‘) and their graceful country rock (‘8:05’); and there was also the spaced out contributions of Peter Lewis (‘Looper’ and ‘Sitting By The Window‘) and ex-Jefferson Airplane member Skip Spence (‘Omaha’ and ‘Indifference’). Columbia decided to release ten of the album’s songs as singles on the same day in an audacious publicity stunt that backfired; from which the band never really recovered from, suffering from over-hype and a serious dent in their credibility. Band members’ over reliance on drugs, legal wrangles and tensions with management seriously hindered the band’s creative output and their follow-up Wow was a disappointing effort, never realising the true potential that they evidently had judging by this remarkable debut.
Track Listing: Hey Grandma / Mister Blues / Fall on You / 8:05 / Come in the Morning / Omaha / Naked, If I Want To / Someday / Ain't No Use / Sitting by the Window / Changes / Lazy Me / Indifference.
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The Beach Boys |
094 |
| Friends |
1968
Capitol
UK: 13
US: 126
Producers: The Beach Boys |
| The shortest Beach Boys album, at just twenty five and a half minutes, and the last to feature Brian Wilson as the musical leader of the group. Mike Love’s contribution was minimal, having departed for India to study with the Maharishi Yogi but Friends remains much more of a group effort, witnessing the diminishing creative dominance of Brian and the emergence of Dennis Wilson as a songwriter of considerable talent; his contributions ‘Little Bird‘ and ‘Be Still‘ were emotive and engaging efforts. Reportedly Brian Wilson’s favourite Beach Boys’ album, Friends is a laid-back collection that avoided the more leftfield experimentation of previous albums Smiley Smile and Wild Honey, relying on the harmony driven pop of the likes of ‘Wake The World’ and ‘When A Man Needs A Woman’. The Beach Boys would regain some of their commercial status with the follow-up 20/20 album which boasted three top ten singles, amongst them the UK number one ‘Do It Again’ continuing on a remarkable creative period until the early 1970s when their output became ever more lacklustre.
Track Listing: Meant For You / Friends / Wake The World / Be Here In The Mornin’ / When A Man Needs A Woman / Passing By / Anna Lee, The Healer / Little Bird / Be Still / Busy Doing Nothing’ / Diamondhead / Transcendental Meditation.
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Joni Mitchell |
095 |
| Ladies Of The Canyon |
1970
Reprise
UK: 8
US: 27
Producer: Joni Mitchell |
| Mitchell’s third album continued in the folk direction of her first two releases, but was infused with a much more evident depth and maturity in her song-writing. The accompaniment again was minimal with Mitchell’s piano and guitar playing especially as inventive as ever, with her experimental streak exploring alternative guitar tunings to great effect. Ladies of the Canyon includes some of Mitchell’s most enduring songs: ‘Willy’, her bittersweet paean to Graham Nash; the environmentally-themed radio staple ‘Big Yellow Taxi’; the haunting ‘Woodstock’, later a hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Matthews’ Southern Comfort; and the graceful ‘For Free’ (covered by The Byrds on their 1973 reunion album). From the spirited opening song ‘Morning Morgantown’ to the wistful ‘The Circle Game’ there was a standard of song-writing and intellect that set Mitchell above many of her contemporaries. Mitchell would return the following year with the landmark Blue album, a collection rich with stark emotion that many consider a highlight of her undeniably impressive musical career.
Track Listing: Morning Morgantown / For Free / Conversation / Ladies Of The Canyon / Willy / The Arrangement / Rainy Night House / The Priest / Blue Boy / Big Yellow Taxi / Woodstock / The Circle Game.
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Doug Ashdown |
096 |
| Winter In America |
1977
Decca
UK: -
US: -
Producers: Jimmy Stewart & Doug Ashdown |
| Thirteen songs of rejection and love lost. Doug Ashdown, with songwriter and producer Jimmy Stewart, created a convincing portrait of a man consumed by sadness for missed opportunities, none more so than the stately title track which opens and closes this album. It is indeed the song ‘Winter In America’ that dominates the album, starting with a dramatic orchestral introduction melting into a lilting and epic ballad, with sincere lyrics of regret and loneliness, reputedly written in a particularly cold winter while its writers pined for the warmer climes of their native Australia; the single would provide Ashdown with considerable success and become a cornerstone of a career of modest longevity. Erstwhile Neil Young producer David Briggs guested on piano and Wayne Findlay contributed sweeping, grand string arrangements, but it remains very much a notable effort by the Australian singer-songwriter. This collection would bring Ashdown fleeting fame, but its heartfelt and emotive content continues to impress thirty years later.
Track Listing: Winter In America / Willie’s Shades / (I Know You) You’re The Song / Love Ain’t Worth The Livin’ When It Dies / The Flowers And The Wine / Skid Row / Sally Broome / You Are All I Need To Know Of Love / Jeannie / They Always Seem To Look Like Marianne / Tomorrow Is The Last Time / No Other Words / Winter In America (Reprise).
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David Ackles |
097 |
| American Gothic |
1972
Elektra
UK: -
US: -
Producer: Bernie Taupin |
| Ackles had emerged onto the singer-songwriter scene in the late 1960s with his eponymous debut and its impressive follow-up Subway To The Country. Critically acclaimed at the time of release and ever since, David Ackles’s third album is a moving collection of songs that never achieved the financial success it deserved. Recorded in London, with a sympathetic production from Bernie Taupin and graceful string arrangements by Robert Kirby, American Gothic is a dramatic and original offering. Out of step with his contemporaries, Ackles’s approach owed more to theatre (‘Blues For Billy Whitecloud’ and ‘Midnight Carousel’) and music hall (‘Oh, California!’) than the introspective country rock of most singer-songwriters of the day, offering wry and heartfelt lyrics on the likes of ‘Another Friday Night’ and ‘Waiting For The Moving Van’. Ackles would move to Columbia Records after the release of American Gothic and make only one album for his new label, ending his recording career due to acute disappointment at his lack of success, concentrating on song-writing and teaching.
Track Listing: American Gothic / Love’s Wnough / Ballad Of The Ship Of State / One Night Stand / Oh, California! / Another Friday Night / Family Band / Midnight Carousel / Waiting For The Moving Van / Blues For Billy Whitecloud / Montana Song
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The Strokes |
098 |
| Is This It |
2001
RCA / Rough Trade
UK: 2
US: 33
Producer: Gordon Raphael |
| Hugely hyped before its release particularly amongst certain quarters of the music press, The Strokes’ debut is nonetheless an impressive and substantial collection. Drawing much influence from the likes of Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and Television, the band created a forceful and melodic album, which benefited from the stripped down approach of producer Gordon Raphael who managed to capture the urgency and rawness of the band’s sound; on the three singles taken from this collection, ‘Hard To Explain’, ‘Someday’ and ‘Last Nite’, the group’s sense of melody and their relaxed nonchalance were most evident. Following the Strokes’ success a whole raft of bands emerged in both the US and the UK, drawing on similar post-punk and new wave influences, with very few getting close to reaching the artistic heights of Is This It. Interest in the group has continued unabated since their debut, with subsequent releases Room On Fire and First Impressions Of Earth performing well, but without the feverish expectation that was witnessed with their debut.
Track Listing: Is This It / The Modern Age / Soma / Barely Legal / Someday / Alone, Together / Last Nite / Hard To Explain / New York City Cops / Trying Your Luck / Take It Or Leave It.
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Paul Giovanni & Magnet |
099 |
| The Wicker Man OST |
2002
Silva Screen
UK: -
US: -
Producer: Paul Giovanni |
| Mixing original folk numbers and adaptations of traditional folk songs from England, Ireland and Scotland, Giovanni and the folk group Magnet, apparently assembled just for this soundtrack recording, created a unique set of songs. The collection opened with the charming ‘Corn Rigs’, and included the ribald eroticism of ‘The Landlords Daughter’ and the more subtle ‘Gentle Johnny‘, the hypnotic ‘Willow’s Song’, the rousing vocal of Christopher Lee in the ‘Tinker Of Rye’ and closing with the sinister malice of ‘Sumer Is A-Cumen In’. Despite being a native New Yorker, Giovanni would prove a completing convincing folk tenor as well as a gifted songwriter; his research into traditional British and Irish folk music paid dividends with this appealing and often bizarre collection. ‘Willow’s Song’ would prove perhaps the most enduring song from this release, with a enchanting vocal courtesy of Lesley Mackie and haunting accompaniment from Magnet. It would take twenty five years after the release of the film for the soundtrack to surface, and another four before this superior stereo version became available.
Corn Rigs / The Landlords Daughter / Gently Johnny / Maypole / Fire Leap / The Tinker Of Rye / Willow's Song / Procession / Chop Chop / Lullaby / Festival / Mirie It Is / Sumer Is A-Cumen In / Opening Music / Loving Couples / The Ruined Church / The Masks / The Hobby Horse / Searching For Rowan / Appointment With The Wicker Man / Sunset.
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Sufjan Stevens |
100 |
| Illinois |
2005
Asthmatic Kitty / Rough Trade
UK: -
US: 121
Producer: Sufjan Stevens |
| Stretching to over seventy-four minutes, Illinois, the second in Sufjan Stevens’s series of concept albums of US states, is an ambitious and inventive album, embracing folk, pop and electronica influences that was released to widespread critical acclaim in 2005. Drawing lyrical inspiration from historical figures and geographical landmarks of the state of Illinois, multi-instrumentalist Stevens created a rich musical template that varied from simple acoustic folk on the likes of ‘Casimir Pulaski Day’ to grand orchestral pop on ‘The Black Hawk War‘. It was on the graceful melody of ‘John Wayne Cay, Jr.’ that Stevens’s gifts were most evident; a fragile, soaring melody and delicate acoustic instrumentation that veiled the almost sympathetic narrative concerning the infamous serial killer. Remarkably Stevens had intended for Illinois to be a double album with up to fifty songs on, but this idea was scrapped, although tracks planned for the album but not released, did finally surface on The Avalanche album in 2006.
Track Listing: Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois / The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience but You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, 'I Have Fought the Big Knives and Will Continue to Fight Them Until They Are Off Our Lands! / Come On! Feel the Illinoise! (Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition & Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream) / John Wayne Gacy Jr. / Jacksonville / A Short Reprise for Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, but for Very Good Reasons / Decatur, or, Round of Applause For Your Step Mother / One Last 'Whoo-Hoo!' for the Pullman / Chicago / Casimir Pulaski Day / To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament / The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts / Prairie Fire That Wanders About / A Conjunction of Drones Simulating the Way in Which Sufjan Stevens Has an Existential Crisis in the Great Godfrey
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| THE GREATEST ALBUMS
EVER 91-100 |
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