Iconic Albums
My 10 best albums
I have been asked by my friend Fran Gluck to nominate 10 favourite albums. Unfortunately, when you start making a list it instantly climbs over 10. This is going to be difficult!
I will choose some classic albums, but some may represent a specific genre/artist as well as a specific favourite. Only allowed to highlight one album per artist.
Happy to do this as a way to generate discussion and take people's minds off Covid-19 which appears to dominate social media everywhere
Album number 1
Robert Johnson: King to the Delta Blues Singers
Robert Johnson: King to the Delta Blues Singers
Let's start at the beginning. This album cover represents all those bluesmen that I listened to in the late 60s and early 70s (Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, John Lee Hooke, Mississippi John Hurt, Elmore James etc. etc....)
King of the Delta Blues Singers is a compilation album by American Delta blues musician Robert Johnson, released in 1961 on Columbia Records. It is considered one of the greatest and most influential blues releases of all time.
Robert Johnson was an itinerant Delta Blues musician, playing in Juke Joints around the Mississippi Delta. Little is known about his life and even less about his death. According to legend he was murdered. He recorded for a very short period of time in 1936/7 and we have a very limited body of his work to remember him by.
He is reputed to have sold his soul to the devil at the Clarkesdale crossroads in order to become one of the greatest bluesmen of all time. He is so important because of his lasting influence on Rock & Roll and Rock Music. Influencing people such as Elvis,Chuck Berry, John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and so many more.
Enjoy!
King of the Delta Blues Singers is a compilation album by American Delta blues musician Robert Johnson, released in 1961 on Columbia Records. It is considered one of the greatest and most influential blues releases of all time.
Robert Johnson was an itinerant Delta Blues musician, playing in Juke Joints around the Mississippi Delta. Little is known about his life and even less about his death. According to legend he was murdered. He recorded for a very short period of time in 1936/7 and we have a very limited body of his work to remember him by.
He is reputed to have sold his soul to the devil at the Clarkesdale crossroads in order to become one of the greatest bluesmen of all time. He is so important because of his lasting influence on Rock & Roll and Rock Music. Influencing people such as Elvis,Chuck Berry, John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and so many more.
Enjoy!
I visited his grave in 2010 while driving up the Mississippi along Highway 61 with No Bones Jones and Tim Thornton. There are 3 possible graves for this enigmatic musician but Frank "Rat" Ratliff who runs the Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale assured us that this one near Greenwood Mississippi is the one because he knew the man who dug the grave. Apparently recent research concurs with this
The Crossroads at Clarksdale where Robert Johnson reputedly sold his soul.
The famous crossroads is where Highway 61 meets Route 49. This is an area so steeped in Blues history and the great musicians that shaped our contemporary music
Frank "Rat" Ratliff who runs the Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale. His mother set up the hotel in an old nursing home where the great Bessie Smith died after a road traffic accident. Regular guests included Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Sony Boy Williamson and many more. His mother took in the young Ike Turner who had been thrown out by his own mother. Frank grew up with Ike and told us that he wrote what is reputed to be the first ever Rock & Roll Song in the basement of the hotel called Rocket 88
Album Number 2
Elvis Presley: Elvis Presley Rock n' Roll
Elvis Presley: Elvis Presley Rock n' Roll
Elvis was one of the most significant icons of the 20th century, he is referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "The King".
How can you nominate 10 records without including one from “The King”? This nomination is also for all the other great stars that I listened to as a kid (listening to my big brother’s records) including Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, Tommy Steele, Cliff Richard etc…..
How can you nominate 10 records without including one from “The King”? This nomination is also for all the other great stars that I listened to as a kid (listening to my big brother’s records) including Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, Tommy Steele, Cliff Richard etc…..
Elvis Presley (released in the UK as Elvis Presley Rock n' Roll) was his debut album. It was released on RCA Victor in March 1956. The recording sessions took place at the RCA Victor recording studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and RCA Victor studios in New York. Additional material originated from the original sessions at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, in1954, and 1955.
By the second half of 1955, singles on Sun Records by Presley began making the national country and western singles chart.]Colonel Tom Parker, his new manager, had extensive dealings with RCA, especially with the head of the Country and Western and Rhythm and blues division, Steve Sholes. At the urging of Parker, on November 21, 1955, Sholes bought Presley's contract from Sam Phillips, the head of Sun Records and Studio, for the unprecedented sum of $35,000 (approximately $318,500 in 2017 dollars). Presley and rock and roll were still untested properties for the major labels in the music business, but this album, along with the number 1 single "Heartbreak Hotel", proved the selling power of both: it was the first RCA Victor pop album to earn more than $1,000,000, and in 1956 it had sold over one million units
Album number 2: Its for Elvis and all those great rock and rollers over the decades
Elvis' grave at Graceland. If you every get the chance, its a trip worth taking
Elvis was such a smart guy. He loved fine clothes and he always bought his clothes at Lansky's on Beale Street in Memphis. The shop which catered mainly for the black community, was run by the 2 Lansky brothers. The shop has now moved to the Peabody Hotel and we were honoured to meet Bernard Lannsky's son Hal who knew Elvis well. Here I am with Hal and my 2 traveling troubadours Hugh "No Bones Jones" and Tim Thornton — with Hugh Jones.
He is everywhere in Memphis.
He is of course "The King"
He is of course "The King"
Album Number 3
Compilation Record: This is Soul
Compilation Record: This is Soul
Some of you might be confused as to why I nominated a cheap compilation “sample album” from 1968 as my 3rd album. From the moment I heard this sweet soul music for the first time, I was hooked. Not only did it have an amazing array of the superstars of Soul, but they chose some of their best tracks. The stars included: Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Carla Thomas, Arthur Conley, Percy Sledge, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd, Solomon Burke, Aretha Franklin.Elvis came out of Memphis and so did Soul music, under the Stax label.
If you haven’t heard this amazing album, I implore you to listen to it. The recordings may sound a bit flat now due to the recording technology then but I can’t find the words to tell you how good it was. Otis Redding was the undisputed “King of Soul”, some referred to Aretha as the Queen, while others hailed Clara Thomas (Otis and she produced an album called the King and Queen of Soul)
Stax Records was founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961 and was influential in the creation of Southern soul and Memphis soul music. The label’s house band was Booker T. & the M.G.'s and using the same musicians gave the records a distinctive Stax sound. The music became known as Southern Soul Music." Stax records were distributed by Atlantic Records and Stax saw Motown as one of its biggest rivals.
A recent article suggested that Stax ’68 “Eased a nation’s sorrows, one song at a time
as political unrest swept the world in 1968, Stax Records faced a tumultuous year saved only by the legendary label’s own soul power”.
Stax Records was founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961 and was influential in the creation of Southern soul and Memphis soul music. The label’s house band was Booker T. & the M.G.'s and using the same musicians gave the records a distinctive Stax sound. The music became known as Southern Soul Music." Stax records were distributed by Atlantic Records and Stax saw Motown as one of its biggest rivals.
A recent article suggested that Stax ’68 “Eased a nation’s sorrows, one song at a time
as political unrest swept the world in 1968, Stax Records faced a tumultuous year saved only by the legendary label’s own soul power”.
Not bad for 12 Shillings when most records cost 30 Shillings. Only wish that they would re-release some other great sample albums from that era such as Nice Enough to Eat, The Rock Machine Turns you on, Fill your Head with Rock etc….
This is Soul
Track listing on the original vinyl release. More recent releases have more tracks
The original Stax studios in downtown Memphis, visited by myself, Tim and No Bones in 2010
Album Number 4
John Mayall and the Blues Breakers: Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (known also as “The Beano Album”)
John Mayall and the Blues Breakers: Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (known also as “The Beano Album”)
Back in the late 60s any self-respecting blues/rock music fan would be listening to John Mayall. So many great musicians worked with him and launched their careers through his ever-changing Blues Breakers line up. These included, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, Aynsley Dunbar, Dick Heckstall- Smith, John Almond and more. He also collaborated with other blues groups such as “Canned Heat”
The band on this album includes John Mayall on piano, Hammond organ, harmonica and most vocals; bassist John McVie; drummer Hughie Flint; and Eric Clapton. Augmenting the band on this album was a horn section added during post-production with Alan Skidmore, Johnny Almond, and Derek Healey. The album consists of blues standards by bluesmen such as Otis Rush, Freddie King and Robert Johnson, as well as a few originals penned by Mayall and Clapton. Most tracks serve as a showcase for Clapton's playing. Although he sang on several Yardbirds' recordings, "Ramblin' on My Mind" was Clapton's first recorded solo lead vocal performance, which Eric had been reluctant to record.
Together with this classic recording, I am adding pictures of other great John Mayall Albums. Too good to leave out + my very favourite, Blues from Laurel Canyon.
The Beano Album
This Bluesbreakers lineup became the backbone of Fleetwood Mac. Much prefer the original band to what came after in more recent Fleetwood Mac
More of a Jazz Direction
My very favourite John Mayall Album. Relaxed and Chilled after his move to Laurel Canyon
Album Number 5
Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited
It’s really difficult to nominate one particular album from his “Holly Bobness” as they are all different. This is what makes him so unique. You think that you have got your head around a certain album and the next one takes you in a very different direction.
He has shaped contemporary popular, folk and rock music ever since he burst on the scene with his first album in 1962
Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota. When he was six and due to his father’s poor health he moved to Hibbing, Minnesota. He formed a number of bands while at High School, playing classics by Little Richard and Elvis. On one occasion he hitched a lift back to Duluth, where he saw one of Buddy Holly’s last concerts before his death, in the “Duluth Armory”. He said that he felt Buddy Holly appeared to reach out to him.
Reflecting on those early songs, Dylan said:
“The thing about rock'n'roll is that for me anyway it wasn't enough... There were great catch-phrases and driving pulse rhythms... but the songs weren't serious or didn't reflect life in a realistic way. I knew that when I got into folk music, it was more of a serious type of thing. The songs are filled with more despair, more sadness, more triumph, more faith in the supernatural, much deeper feelings.
In 1960 he dropped out of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis St Paul, moved to New York and the rest is history
He has shaped contemporary popular, folk and rock music ever since he burst on the scene with his first album in 1962
Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota. When he was six and due to his father’s poor health he moved to Hibbing, Minnesota. He formed a number of bands while at High School, playing classics by Little Richard and Elvis. On one occasion he hitched a lift back to Duluth, where he saw one of Buddy Holly’s last concerts before his death, in the “Duluth Armory”. He said that he felt Buddy Holly appeared to reach out to him.
Reflecting on those early songs, Dylan said:
“The thing about rock'n'roll is that for me anyway it wasn't enough... There were great catch-phrases and driving pulse rhythms... but the songs weren't serious or didn't reflect life in a realistic way. I knew that when I got into folk music, it was more of a serious type of thing. The songs are filled with more despair, more sadness, more triumph, more faith in the supernatural, much deeper feelings.
In 1960 he dropped out of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis St Paul, moved to New York and the rest is history
This album really changed the world of rock and folk music for ever. It was recorded in July/August 1965. In the middle of the recording session Dylan shocked the “folk” world by playing and electric set in the Newport Folk Festival. The resulting storm took years to settle and many never forgave him for what they saw as betrayal of his folk roots but to many of us Rock was born
With this album we first meet the exciting electric Bob Dylan and every song except the last is backed by electric musicians (Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield, etc..). I would say that this was the start of modern “Rock Music” where words and music mattered equally. Phil Ochs, the contemporary Canadian folk singer described it at the time as “the greatest piece of plastic ever pressed”
If you don’t know the album, enjoy timeless classics such as Like a rolling Stone, Tombstone Blues, Highway 61, Queen Jane Approximately but also listen to the long and the only acoustic track, Desolation Row. This apocalyptic song is inspired by a horrible lynching of 3 black circus workers by a white mob that took place in Duluth in 1920. They actually did “Sell postcards of the hanging”!
With this album we first meet the exciting electric Bob Dylan and every song except the last is backed by electric musicians (Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield, etc..). I would say that this was the start of modern “Rock Music” where words and music mattered equally. Phil Ochs, the contemporary Canadian folk singer described it at the time as “the greatest piece of plastic ever pressed”
If you don’t know the album, enjoy timeless classics such as Like a rolling Stone, Tombstone Blues, Highway 61, Queen Jane Approximately but also listen to the long and the only acoustic track, Desolation Row. This apocalyptic song is inspired by a horrible lynching of 3 black circus workers by a white mob that took place in Duluth in 1920. They actually did “Sell postcards of the hanging”!
Back to Highway 61. Its starts in New Orleans and finishes on the Canadian border, hugging the mighty Mississippi all the way. This was the route that the migrants and musicians from the deep south took to reach the rich northern cities. In his memoir Chronicles, Dylan described the kinship he felt with the route that supplied the title for the album "Highway 61, the main thoroughfare of the country blues, begins about where I began. I always felt like I'd started on it, always had been on it and could go anywhere, even down in to the deep Delta country. It was the same road, full of the same contradictions, the same one-horse towns, the same spiritual ancestors ... It was my place in the universe, always felt like it was in my blood." Three of us travelled up Highway 61 in 2010 and fished visiting the roots of Bob Dylan
This record IS the greatest piece of plastic ever pressed!
The greatest piece of plastic ever pressed
Tim and Hugh Jones (No Bones) outside the Dylan home in Duluth
They were invited by the owner to play on the veranda
The Armoury in Duluth where Dylan saw Buddy Holly. He dies along with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper soon after
Dylan's home in Hibbing from the age of 6.
The music shop where he bought his first guitar.
Zimmy's Bar in Hibbing, full of Dylan memorabilia.
Zimmy was his nickname at school.
The "Girl from the North Country" was his home town sweetheart.
Zimmy was his nickname at school.
The "Girl from the North Country" was his home town sweetheart.
A copy of Bob's Birth Certificate from the library in Hibbing
Album Number 6
The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main Street
The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main Street
I consider this to be the very best of the Rolling Stones. It’s stamped with Keith Richard’s rock’n’roll signature more than any other. The Stones were in a period of uncertainty. They were tax exiles (hence the title of the album) as they had spent all their tax money and had decided to leave the country before the Inland Revenue repossessed their possessions. In addition, there were already tensions between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
Keith hired a large villa in the South of France near Nice called Nellcôte, which had been the local headquarters of the Nazi SS during the war. Other band members lived close by. The villa was frequented by numerous guests and their retinues. The band brought 2 old trucks down from the UK filled with recording equipment and set up the recording studio in the basement rooms, which were small and had a sinister dark history during WW2.
Mick has just married Bianca and was less interested in recording and took up residence across the bay. Keith was left with more freedom than usual to produce the album.
Exile on Main Street was initially released as a double vinyl album in 1972 and was recorded between 1969 and 1972. A few of the tracks were recorded in the UK while recording “Sticky Fingers” in 1969. The band sometimes without Mick or Bill Wyman (who was did not like the ambience of the villa) would record through the night, every night. Richards was occasionally unable to participate due to his drug habit. All accounts describe how frustrated everyone was and the tensions that existed. The album was eventually over-dubbed and finished in Los Angeles. The track “Happy” was originally a solo by Keith Richards. Its his way of saying that he was OK on his own. Its apparent that it was quite miraculous that such a masterpiece appeared as the end result.
Mick has just married Bianca and was less interested in recording and took up residence across the bay. Keith was left with more freedom than usual to produce the album.
Exile on Main Street was initially released as a double vinyl album in 1972 and was recorded between 1969 and 1972. A few of the tracks were recorded in the UK while recording “Sticky Fingers” in 1969. The band sometimes without Mick or Bill Wyman (who was did not like the ambience of the villa) would record through the night, every night. Richards was occasionally unable to participate due to his drug habit. All accounts describe how frustrated everyone was and the tensions that existed. The album was eventually over-dubbed and finished in Los Angeles. The track “Happy” was originally a solo by Keith Richards. Its his way of saying that he was OK on his own. Its apparent that it was quite miraculous that such a masterpiece appeared as the end result.
One of the many guests was the brilliant and alternative country musician Gram Parsons who had a major impact on Keith and his music. It’s a tragedy that Gram died from a drugs overdose a year later. Gram was eventually asked to leave due to his bad behaviour. Other visitors included William Burroughs, Terry Southern, John Lennon, Eric Clapton and Marshall Chess (Chess Records)
I found an article from the Daily Mail which reported on the re-issue of this album:
“The most debauched album ever made: As a Stones classic is re-released, the truth about wife-swapping, all-out war between Mick and Keith and heroin on tap in an old Nazi HQ”
They would say that would wouldn’t they but whatever sparked that great creativity, the result was a brilliant, hard hitting album. Perhaps coming from the ultra-reactionary Daily Mail, we should see it as a compliment.
“The most debauched album ever made: As a Stones classic is re-released, the truth about wife-swapping, all-out war between Mick and Keith and heroin on tap in an old Nazi HQ”
They would say that would wouldn’t they but whatever sparked that great creativity, the result was a brilliant, hard hitting album. Perhaps coming from the ultra-reactionary Daily Mail, we should see it as a compliment.
Please go and listen to it again (or for some the first time). Best on Vinyl but failing that listen on CD or stream it.
Exile on Main Street
Nellcôte, the villa near Nice where it all happened
Not a happy relationship at the time
Mick Taylor, started talking about leaving and forming own group at the time. His substance abuse begging to get in the way!
He was a young genius in his time
He was a young genius in his time
Keith withthe enigmatic country music genius, Gram Parsons
Keith took on the Villa with then girlfriend Anita Pallenberg
Mick had just married Bianca
The genius behind it all
No caption needed
Rolling Stone Magazine video about the recording of Exile on Main Street at Nellcôte
https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/stones-in-exile-a-first-look-at-the-rolling-stones-new-documentary-94807/?fbclid=IwAR2UWQKpkcXftIfPC4Qd3Lq37j375eom5616JoHsGOYjVGH2XkrlznANXUY
Album Number 7
Jimi Hendrix: Smash Hits
As we approach number 7, it’s getting harder all the time to single out those iconic albums that make your ten best! There are so many great albums that I want to highlight!
I have chosen another compilation album rather than those other great studio albums with the Experience (Are you Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love & Electric Ladyland). This was because that this was the first Jimi Hendrix Album I listened to.
People will always talk about the first time that they became aware of the Hendrix Phenomenon. Mine was on “Top of The Pops”. I cant remember who the DJ was but he warned us that we have never seen anything like this before and it was true. Hendrix played Purple Haze and from that moment Rock Music changed for ever. It was one of those rare lightbulb moments. The Album is a bit “popish” but those great singles and iconic songs are all there. Purple Haze, Fire, Wind Cries Mary, Can you see me?, Hey Joe, Stone Free, Manic Depression, Highway Chile, Foxy Lady etc… The major omission of course is “All along the watchtower”
Jimi Hendrix: Smash Hits
As we approach number 7, it’s getting harder all the time to single out those iconic albums that make your ten best! There are so many great albums that I want to highlight!
I have chosen another compilation album rather than those other great studio albums with the Experience (Are you Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love & Electric Ladyland). This was because that this was the first Jimi Hendrix Album I listened to.
People will always talk about the first time that they became aware of the Hendrix Phenomenon. Mine was on “Top of The Pops”. I cant remember who the DJ was but he warned us that we have never seen anything like this before and it was true. Hendrix played Purple Haze and from that moment Rock Music changed for ever. It was one of those rare lightbulb moments. The Album is a bit “popish” but those great singles and iconic songs are all there. Purple Haze, Fire, Wind Cries Mary, Can you see me?, Hey Joe, Stone Free, Manic Depression, Highway Chile, Foxy Lady etc… The major omission of course is “All along the watchtower”
James Marshall Hendrix was born in Seattle in 1942. His mainstream career lasted only four years, but he is widely regarded as one of the most influential guitarists in history and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as "the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music”. He enlisted briefly in the US army but left the year after. He started work as a backing musician, backing acts such as the Isley Brothers, Little Richard, Curtis Knight and probably Arethra Franklin. He was discovered by Chas Chandler (Animals) & Linda Keith and brought to England in 1966. He had 3 “ Top Ten” records within months with the Jimi Hendrix Experience (Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding)
His most famous appearances were at the Monterey Pop Festival (1967), headlining Woodstock (1969) and the Isle of Wight (1970). He died of a drugs related death in September 1970 at the age of 27. He was for a while the highest paid performer in the world.
Hendrix was inspired by American rock’n’roll and electric blues. He favoured overdriven amplifiers with high volume and gain and was instrumental in popularizing the previously undesirable sounds caused by guitar amplifier feedback. He played a variety of guitars, but was most associated with the Fender Stratocaster. He mainly played right-handed guitars that were turned upside down and restrung for left-hand playing. But he could play the guitar both right and left handed (and behind his back and with his teeth) Apparently is did jam briefly with Clapton when he asked to jam with Cream soon after coming to London. Clapton was apparently “gobsmacked” and walked off the stage. Jack Bruce is quoted as saying: “Clapton was a guitarist while Hendrix was a force of nature”
Jimi Hendrix was one of a number of great rock musicians who died tragically in their prime at the age of 27, including Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Robert Johnson, Brian Jones etc…
We can only wonder at what we have lost as a result.
We can only wonder at what we have lost as a result.
See him play The American National Anthem at Woodstock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIymq0iTsw
Enjoy and let all these memories flood back!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIymq0iTsw
Enjoy and let all these memories flood back!
Smash Hits
Iconic image of Hendrix
I visited MoPOP (Museum of Pop Culture) in Seattle 9 years ago. There is a Jimi Hendrix museum there. One of his jump suits. I was really surprised how small he was
The famous Fender Stratocaster guitar that he played the "The Star-Spangled Banner" on at Woodstock
See him play
https://www.youtube.com/
See him play
https://www.youtube.com/
Album Number 8
Cream: Disraeli Gears
Cream were considered to be the first great supergroup. They were formed in 1966, Disraeli Gears was their second studio album. The band consisted of Jack Bruce (Bass), Ginger Baker (Drums) and Eric Clapton (Guitar)
Bruce was the primary songwriter and vocalist, although Clapton and Baker also sang and contributed songs. There were always tensions between Bruce and Baker which eventually led to their decision in May 1968 to break up. The band were persuaded to make a final album and a tour ending in two “Goodbye Concerts” at the Albert Hall. The 2 final concerts were recorded by the BBC. Their music spanned a number of genres including rock, blues, psychedelic rock etc…
Cream Farewell Concert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBKUj6XYqD0
After playing with the Yardbirds and John Mayall, Clapton’s reputation was flying high and he wanted to expand his range of music (especially after playing in the blues orientated Bluesbreakers). Ginger Baker was leading a band called the Graham Bond Organisation which at one point had Jack Bruce playing bass, harmonica and piano. Both Ginger and Clapton wanted to start a new band. Clapton agreed on condition that Jack Bruce also joined despite the fact that both Ginger and Bruce already had a history of quarrelling (on one occasion Baker pulled a knife on Bruce). The band was called Cream because they were considered to be the cream of the British music scene. In October 1966 the band also got a chance to jam with Jimi Hendrix, who had recently arrived in London. Hendrix was a fan of Clapton's music, and wanted a chance to play with him onstage.
Following their first album “Fresh Cream”, they recorded “Disraeli Gears” in New York in 1967 and its often considered to be the bands defining effort blending psychedelic British rock with American blues. Tracks include “Strange Brew”, “Tales of Brave Ulysses”, “Sunshine of your love”, “Blue Condition”, “Take it Back” etc…
Video: Full Album: https://www.youtube.com/playlist…
It’s a very different album to what came before and what came after and was generally dropped from their routine as the band became more interested in longer sets and progressive rock. Their 3rd Album, “Wheels of Fire (1968)” represents more of what we now view as the legacy of this band. It topped the album charts in the US and earned them their only Platinum Disc. Its probably their best album but I have chosen Disraeli Gears because it’s what I listened to first and cut my teeth on! For many Cream fans, it is considered a bit too “popish”, polished with short tracks, less improvisation and lacking that exciting energy that the Cream created.
At Clapton's request, Cream reunited for a series of four shows in May 2005 at the Royal Albert Hall in London (the venue of their final concerts in 1968). Although the three musicians chose not to speak publicly about the shows, Clapton would later stated that the physical health of Bruce and Baker was a major factor (Bruce had recently undergone a transplant for liver cancer in 2003, and had almost lost his life, while Baker had severe arthritis).
Video: 2005 Reunion Concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNfs2-bw09U
What was their legacy in the end? They were the first supergroup (something that Clapton and Baker tried to emulate in the ill-fated “Blind Faith”). Their music blended so many styles and genres that underpinned modern popular music and they laid the foundations for the rock music that was to follow. As a result of the BBC programme and wide journalistic & media interest, it also marked a moment when the world started to take this music seriously as a progressive cultural movement.
Great band and great music. Please listen.
Psychedelic to Disraeli Gears
Cream: Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton
Wheels of Fire. Arguably their most iconic/emblematic album
Goodbye Cream. Their collective star shone for too short a time! Also a great album, especially the marvellous Howling Wolf classic "Sittin on Top of the World"
The Goodbye Concert at the Albert Hall 1968
The Reunion Concert at the Albert Hall 22005
Album Number 9
Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
Pink Floyd’s 8th studio album, released in March 1973. It’s getting tight at number 9. Although there is no order of preference to the albums, so many great albums have been discarded from the final list.
The choice of albums is so often triggered by enduring memories. This one was sitting on an empty beach in Minorca watching the sun going down and then driving back to our villa through wonderful aromatic pine trees in June 1973. Dark Side of the Moon was just right for that!
Pink Floyd saw this as a concept album. Its themes explore conflict, greed, time, death, and mental illness, the latter partly inspired by the deteriorating health of founding member Syd Barrett, who departed the group in 1968. The group used recording techniques such as multitrack recording, tape loops, and analogue synthesisers. Snippets from interviews with the band's road crew, as well as philosophical quotations, were also used.
The sleeve is one of the most memorable in rock history. It depicts a prism spectrum and was designed by the English graphic and video designer Storm Thorgerson ( who also worked with Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Genesis, Yes, and Muse) Keyboardist, Richard Wright's requested a "simple and bold" design, representing the band's lighting and the record's themes.
The album received immediate critical acclaim and is often acknowledged as one of the greatest albums of all time. It reached number one in the American charts and remained in the US charts for 900 weeks. It is their most successful album and one of the most successful albums of all time with estimated sales over 45 million
The band were embarking on an extensive international (UK, USA, Japan, Europe) tour and Roger Waters suggested that a new album could form part of that tour. With the memory of Syd Barretts journey into deep psychosis, they planed to build an album on the themes that drive people mad. They soon discovered that the title had already been used on an album by Medicine Head and they changed it to “Eclipse”. Fortunately for Pink Floyd and us all, the Medicine Head album was a commercial failure and they reverted to the old title. Eclipse doesn’t sound quite right! Its original title was “Dark Side of the Moon: A Piece for Assorted Lunatics”
Each side of the Vinyl album is a continuous piece of music. The five tracks on each side reflect various stages of human life, beginning and ending with a heartbeat, exploring the nature of the human experience, and (according to Waters) "empathy”. The tracks explore the threats of stress anxiety, madness and greed. The sound of cash registers and money in “Money” at the beginning of side 2 (probably the most memorable track of the album) mocks greed and consumerism. "Brain Damage" looks at a mental illness resulting from the elevation of fame and success and reflects the mental breakdown of former bandmate Syd Barrett.
I saw Pink Floyd only once in Crystal Palace prior to the Dark Side of the Moon release. Just before they headlined the day long concert (where Rod Stuart first played with the Faces) a huge thunderstorm drenched us all. I will never forget their haunting rendition of “Set the Controls for the heart of the sun” in an eerie misty environment. It’s what lasting memories are made of!
Take a look at this video on the remastering of the original
Iconic album design by Storm Thorgerson
Pink Floyd in January 1968, from the only known photoshoot during the five months that all five members were together.
Clockwise from bottom: Gilmour, Mason, Barrett, Waters and Wright.
Clockwise from bottom: Gilmour, Mason, Barrett, Waters and Wright.
The Band at the time of "Dark Side of the Moon"
The only time that I saw Pink Floyd in 1971.
It was also the first time that Rod Stewart appeared with the Faces
It was also the first time that Rod Stewart appeared with the Faces
It was a crazy concert. Inflatable monsters everywhere, pyrotechnics, psychedelic lights, underwater explosions etc..So many people ended up in the lake. Pink Floyd had a huge bill to replace all the fish that died as a result!
Album Number 10
The Beatles: Abbey Road
The Beatles: Abbey Road
Well it’s the last one. How could someone my age grow up, without experiencing the influence of the “Fab Four”. I have chosen, my favourite and their last recording. It wasn’t their last release, because what was to be “Let it Be/Get Back Album” languished in recording tapes until Phil Spector gave it his lavish uncharacteristic (for the beatles) “Wall of Sound“ treatment.
After the tense and unpleasant recording sessions for the proposed Get Back album, Paul McCartney suggested to music producer George Martin that the group get together and make an album "the way we used to do it". Martin agreed, but on the strict condition that all the group – particularly John Lennon – allow him to produce the record in the same manner as earlier albums and that discipline would be adhered to. No one was entirely sure that the work was going to be the group's last, though George Harrison said "it felt as if we were reaching the end of the line". Personal issues remained a problem, however. John privately left the band just before the record’s release and Paul officially declared the end of the Beatles the next April.
It was their eleventh studio album and it was released in September 1969 by Apple Records. The Album was named after the EMI recording studios in Central London. The album and the famous zebra crossing photograph has made the studios the most famous in the world attracting big names and tourists from across the globe. (some of Dark Side of the Moon were also recorded there) The album faced mixed reviews from the press on release but it is now hailed as one of their very best.
During the sessions, Lennon expressed a desire to have all of his songs on one side of the album, and McCartney's on the other. The album's two halves represented a compromise: Lennon wanted a traditional release with distinct and unrelated songs while McCartney and Martin wanted to continue their thematic approach from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by incorporating a medley. Lennon ultimately said that he disliked Abbey Road as a whole and felt that it lacked authenticity, calling McCartney's contributions "[music] for the grannies to dig" and not "real songs", and describing the medley as "junk ... just bits of songs thrown together". For me, the 2 songs that really stand out are those written by George Harrison, “Something” (inspired by the title of James Taylors’s “Something in the way she moves) and “Here Comes the Sun” (written in Eric Clapton’s garden). Both songs demonstrate what a mature and brilliant songwriter he had already become.
Other classics were Come Together, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, Oh! Darling, I Want You (She’s So Heavy), Because, You Never Gave Me your Money, She Came in Through the Bathroom Window. Rather prophetically the last song, “The End” (except the hidden "Her Majesty") appears to signal that it was really the end. So many of us who grew up with The Beatles were in deep shock when the split up. How could they, they belonged to us and life would never be the same again!
Other classics were Come Together, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, Oh! Darling, I Want You (She’s So Heavy), Because, You Never Gave Me your Money, She Came in Through the Bathroom Window. Rather prophetically the last song, “The End” (except the hidden "Her Majesty") appears to signal that it was really the end. So many of us who grew up with The Beatles were in deep shock when the split up. How could they, they belonged to us and life would never be the same again!
The sleeve photograph has become as important as the record itself. Daily tourists, celebrities and media emulate the picture by holding up traffic on Abbey Road. It’s the only Beatles sleeve not to have their name or title on it, but as Apple’s creative designer said “We didn’t need to, they were the most famous band in the world” It was taken at 11.30 am on 8th August 1969. A policeman held up the traffic and they were given 10 minutes to get it done while the photographer stood on a stepladder. The crossing was subsequently given Grade 2 Listed Status.
Shortly after the album's release, the cover became part of the "Paul is dead" theory. According to followers of the rumour, the cover depicted the Beatles walking out of a cemetery in a funeral procession. The procession was led by Lennon dressed in white as a religious figure; Starr was dressed in black as the undertaker; McCartney, out of step with the others, was a barefoot corpse; and Harrison dressed in denim was the gravedigger. The left-handed McCartney is holding a cigarette in his right hand, indicating that he is an imposter, and the number plate on the Volkswagen parked on the street is 28IF, meaning that McCartney would have been 28 if he had lived – despite the fact that he was only 27 at the time of the photo and subsequent release of the record. The escalation of the "Paul is dead" contributed to Abbey Road's commercial success in the US. False news is nothing new. Can we imagine how this would have unfolded with social media now.
Thanks to you all for following the 10 posts and for your patience. I will finish tomorrow with just some of the great albums that I had to leave out.
I pass the baton on to the next person who wants to take it on and to take our minds off global pandemics. I will not nominate anyone, because you know who they are.
Finally, special thanks to Fran Gluck who made me do this
Please take a look at this video to bring those memories flooding back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oru7dYjEem0
Shortly after the album's release, the cover became part of the "Paul is dead" theory. According to followers of the rumour, the cover depicted the Beatles walking out of a cemetery in a funeral procession. The procession was led by Lennon dressed in white as a religious figure; Starr was dressed in black as the undertaker; McCartney, out of step with the others, was a barefoot corpse; and Harrison dressed in denim was the gravedigger. The left-handed McCartney is holding a cigarette in his right hand, indicating that he is an imposter, and the number plate on the Volkswagen parked on the street is 28IF, meaning that McCartney would have been 28 if he had lived – despite the fact that he was only 27 at the time of the photo and subsequent release of the record. The escalation of the "Paul is dead" contributed to Abbey Road's commercial success in the US. False news is nothing new. Can we imagine how this would have unfolded with social media now.
Thanks to you all for following the 10 posts and for your patience. I will finish tomorrow with just some of the great albums that I had to leave out.
I pass the baton on to the next person who wants to take it on and to take our minds off global pandemics. I will not nominate anyone, because you know who they are.
Finally, special thanks to Fran Gluck who made me do this
Please take a look at this video to bring those memories flooding back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oru7dYjEem0
The iconic album cover
(Sorry to use the word iconic too many times, but those times were iconic!)
(Sorry to use the word iconic too many times, but those times were iconic!)
Recording Abbey Road at Abbey Road
The FAB FOUR. Time and fun running out!
Everybody wants to be seen on the crossing!
We all want a piece of the Beatles!
We all want a piece of the Beatles!
All good things come to an end
And its goodbye from THEM!
And its goodbye from THEM!
When you try to put 10 iconic records together, you will have to leave some equally influential albums out. My list was long and I still suddenly remember an album that I should have added. I have left out classical music and only allowed one album per artist (otherwise it would have been full of Dylan!)
Some genres are missing, especialy jazz and many apologies to the memory of great Jazz hero such as Miles Davies and Dave Brubeck.
Well here they are, the next 20 or so. Not in order but each one was a coveted piece of vinyl or later on CD.
Please tell me if any of these were your favourites?
What next? Favourite paintings, poems and books to come.
To paraphrase the book by Garbriel Marquez
"Stuff in the Time of Covid"
Please tell me if any of these were your favourites?
What next? Favourite paintings, poems and books to come.
To paraphrase the book by Garbriel Marquez
"Stuff in the Time of Covid"
My very favourite Bluesman. I would have loved to have met him. The films and talking to people who knew him, tell us that he was a really nice humble guy.
The late very great Muddy Waters
A rebel all his life. Social campaigner and fighter for the invisible and the dispossessed.
He came before Dylan and led the way!
Also take a look at his son Arlo.
With this album you must read the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
He came before Dylan and led the way!
Also take a look at his son Arlo.
With this album you must read the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
My brother had this album. It was produced after his untimely death
First Taj Mahal album. A classic. Rhythm and Blues at its very best
One of the greatest musicians of the 20th Century of any genre. This album changed the world
Early Janis Joplin. Ball and Chain is the classic track.
She died at 27 also. Would have become one of the greatest Rock Diva's had she lived but she sadly hell bent of her own self destruction
She died at 27 also. Would have become one of the greatest Rock Diva's had she lived but she sadly hell bent of her own self destruction
What can one say. I rare musical genius.
I can't quite get my head around the 2nd incarnation of Fleetwood Mac. Peter Green shone for such a short time before sinking in severe mental health (after taking LSD). They wrote enduring blues and rock classics.He was such a loss to the music world.
My mate, Steve Young could not believe that I had omitted this album from my best 10. Punk was not new. Raw, raw, inspiring energetic music
Great Mod Band. Again the 1st incarnation was the best. The great talented Ronnie Lane stands out
The Man in Black. One of the first albums that I bought.
Not so well known album but heavily influenced by their link with Dylan. This was however the moment that they stepped out of Dylan's shadow.
The cover was designed by his "Holly Bobness" himself
The cover was designed by his "Holly Bobness" himself
Such a sweet beautiful album. Listen if you haven't heard it. What a musical genius he is!
Saw him at Glastonbury in 2010. Can still hold a crowd
Saw him at Glastonbury in 2010. Can still hold a crowd
Arguably their greatest and most innovative album, created and sculpted by Brian Wilson. This is when they stopped being a "surfer band"
Some might argue but this probably commands the same status as albums such as Sgt. Pepper.
Some might argue but this probably commands the same status as albums such as Sgt. Pepper.
West Coast Rock. Haunting vocals from Jim Morrison and wonderful keyboards from Ray Manzarek (listen to him on "Light my Fire")
Jim Morrison was another to die to young at the age of 27
Jim Morrison was another to die to young at the age of 27
I really tried to add this to the first 10. It's rare that he does "Madam George" live but I heard him once.
I still think his best and its a beautiful sound.
I still think his best and its a beautiful sound.
Sweet music with a sharp message. Again what could he have done, had he lived!
Could have chosen many albums but Tommy stands out. We always thought that the Who came 3rd in line after the Beatles and the Stones
I love this album and played it again and again as a 2nd year medical student. A very successful post-Beatles career. A humble man who carried himself with great dignity.
Finally, could not leave Leonard out. His later albums just got better and better (as did his husky voice) This is one on my favourites. Possibly could have replaced it by "10 Songs"
This is the last album and probably of all those albums above, I have listened to this more. Could have chosen any Neil Young album. He is a creative genius. produces a masterpiece and then moves on to do something different. A restless but brilliant spirit
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