Still, that's what we're suggesting to you. I'll offer a few more, though I'm not certain if you've heard them yet.

The Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin

Dude...no to Psychocandy? I'm just going to assume that there's something wrong with you ears.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qw1xkAWDzo...es_-_front.jpg
Title: Tres hombres
Artiste: ZZ Top
Year: 1973
Chronological position: Third album
Previous experience of this artiste: "Eliminator", "Afterburner", the Greatest Hits, "La futura" and some singles.
Why is this considered a classic? This was ZZ's breakthrough album (first time) and their first hit single, "La Grange" was on it

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Ger-eat!
One track in --- Great!
Halfway through --- Great!
Finished --- Great!

Comments: I'd love to tell you I was one of those people who was into ZZ at the start, long before they kicked the **** out of the charts with "Legs", "Gimme all your lovin'" etc and made having a beard cool and synonymous with sexy girls in leather minis (ahhh!) but no, I can't. Although I had heard "Tush" previously, and that only on the basis of wanting to know what the original sounded like having heard the Girlschool version, I knew nothing of the tres hombres prior to the explosion that was "Eliminator". I also got to hear Jesus just left Chicago, as it was the B-side of Tush, if I recall correctly. But now I can hear them in all their glory, before fame, before videos, before synthesisers and drum machines.

I did however know that ZZ were all about the blues, and this certainly shows on their third album, widely regarded I believe as one of their finest. Unknown Soldier, correct me if I'm wrong! This is just pure blues heaven all the way through, and while some of the tracks are a little weaker compared to giants like Jesus just left Chicago and La Grange it's a solid album with pretty much nothing on it I don't like.

Favourite track(s): Jesus just left Chicago, Hot blue and righteous, La Grange, Have you heard?, Move me on down the line
Least favourite track(s): Non Sequitor, Senor!

Final impression --- ZZ as they were meant to be, as they started out, before all this electronic nonsense made them pop stars. Ah yeah, I loved "Eliminator" but this is REAL music!

Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
Definitely a big A!

Cool sounding album eh! The sound of the band around this time is described usually as being boogie blues rather than a straight-up blues rock. ZZ Top were highly distinctive especially with Billy Gibbons' strangled sounded vocals. What's so good about Tres Hombres is that it was the album where the band finally released a studio record to match their live reputation.

Which version of Tres Hombres did you listen to?

Up till 2006 you could only get the awful 80s remixed album on CD.

Yeah it was the only one I could get. I tried for the original 73 version but no dice: none of the torrents would work. So I ended up getting the "expanded, remastered edition". Probably lost something there (the sound level was very low I thought), but still an excellent album, whatever version you listen to...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...ste/zz-top.jpg

Z.Z. Top scares the hell out of me.

They're scarier than psychotic circus clowns riding around in midget cars. :eek:

Scarier than truck stop waitresses with beehive hairdos and rhinestone studded eyeglasses.

Scarier than guys with snake tattoos all over their faces.

Okay... that's it... I've covered everything that scares me.

Oh you're OK then, the expanded remastered version IS the original 73 recordings.

You got a thing about beards? ZZ scary? Really? BOO!
http://api.ning.com/files/4c0W6laACQ...Zz_top_pic.jpg

Maybe I should try the hat, shades, long beard combo.

You look at pictures of them from 30 years ago and they look exactly the same.

I don't really know how much music I listen to would be classified as "classic" but if you haven't heard Maggot Brain by Funkadelic it definitely needs to go onto your list.

A quick bit of trivia here. The only member of ZZ Top that doesn't have a beard and has never had a beard with the band as far as I know, happens to be the drummer who is called Frank Beard strangely enough.

I've also got the remastered cd version, I don't think I've ever heard the remix that Urban was referring to.

That's. Just. Awesome. I hope to god that that was intentional.

http://donignacio.com/art/zztoppic.jpg
:)


There was a time when Billy Gibbons didn't have a beard..
http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/8045...12/04/ZZ73.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58...SparkleIce.jpg


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58...Top/zzTop1.jpg

Yes but that's not a proper beard in the first picture though!

The first time I ever saw and heard of ZZ Top was in 1983, when I saw them on the Tube which for any non-Brits here was a great Friday early evening music show that featured all kinds of great bands that did about 3 or 4 songs and ZZ Top were one of the best to feature on there, I usually used to rush home from school to see it.

I'm sure Urban knows it and probably Trollheart if they had TV in Ireland at that time:p:


ZZ TOP-UNDER PRESSURE+2-THE TUBE-C4-1983 - YouTube

I missed the whole Tube thing. I don't think we got Channel 4 till something like 1987.

OK I think I can safely say I like ZZ, no big surprise there.
BTW yes US I do know of the Tube and watched it many times. Let's not forget OGWT though! Now THERE was a show...

Anyhoo, on we go and next out of the bag is one I heard once but was too young and stoopid to appreciate, probably, so here's giving it another go with the wisdom (huh?) of another thirty years added on...

http://www.nachtkabarett.com/ihvh/im..._low_cover.jpg

My report will be on your desk first thing whenever I feel like it...

I like Low but it's definitely not the magnum opus people make it out to be. Give me Station to Station, Aladdin Sane... Hell, even Ziggy before Low. That's not to say it's not a great album... It is... That just goes to show you how great Bowie is.

Station To Station has always been my favourite Bowie album. I don't know if it was because it was my first Bowie album outside of a Greatest Hits I got for Christmas one year, but it is always the one I go back to.

I'd probably go Low, Aladdin Sane, Heroes. I'm a big fan of Eno though so maybe the B-side of Low appeals to me more than it would to others.

I change my favourite Bowie album more often than I change my underwear.

So about once a month?

http://www.nachtkabarett.com/ihvh/im..._low_cover.jpg
Title: Low
Artiste: David Bowie
Year: 1977
Chronological position: Eleventh album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Ziggy Stardust, Diamond Dogs, Never let me down, Heathen, The next day plus of course the greatest hits packages
Why is this considered a classic? Believed to have influenced the art-rock/new-wave movements and also the first of the "Berlin trilogy", which seems to have characterised Bowie's struggle to kick cocaine. Also heavily influenced by and featuring Brian Eno.

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Good
One track in --- Good
Halfway through --- Great
Finished --- Great (and that's only because I've restricted myself and kept "Great" as the highest praise I can give here. But it's miles better than just Great...)

Comments: Just shows what a dickhead you can be in your youth. "Bloody hell!" thought 16-year-old Trollheart. "This is nothing like Ziggy or Diamond Dogs! Man, it's boring!" If only I could invent a time machine and travel back to 1979 and kick my own arse! What a classic and I completely underestimated and misunderstood it. The instrumental songs are almost better than the vocal ones, and there's nothing here I don't like, bar the first three which somehow I think I'll end up getting to like. What an album! No wonder it's considered a classic.

Favourite track(s): Almost everything after What in the world (Of course, I, like the rest of the Known World, knew Sound and vision
Least favourite track(s): At the moment, not crazy about the opening three tracks, but that will probably change. Also, the version I have has three extra tracks. They're great, but the remix of Sound and vision which closes the album I find totally unnecessary, and not that different to the original, certainly not enough to justify its inclusion here.

Final impression --- Total classic and I'm glad I finally got to appreciate it, even if it did take over thirty years! The collaborations with Eno really work here; did he stay working with him later on? The man has a real way of painting an atmosphere for an album.

Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see

Very much A, with a qualification of "properly before" (In other words, wish I had listened to it properly before).

Now listen to Lodger

I'm convinced I'm the only person in the world that likes that album

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/70819094/Dare.png
Title: Dare!
Artiste: The Human League
Year: 1981
Chronological position: Third album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Apart from the singles and greatest hits, nothing.
Why is this considered a classic? According to my good friend Wiki, this was where Phil Oakey changed the direction of the band from art-rock and experimental to a basic pop band, ensuring big hits for them. But more importantly this album had an influence on just about every aspect of pop, new wave, avant-garde and other music. They call it a "genre-defining" album, and you can certainly hear Human League's influence on many many pop bands down the eighties and nineties, and further.

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Good
One track in --- Great
Halfway through --- Great
Finished --- Great

Comments: Is this Tubeway Army or Kraftwerk? Well once our Phil starts to sing, the question is answered: it's neither, it's Human League. Just a blip there at the start. I don't know the opening track but I really like it, which says something considering I know much of this album, as would anyone who's been subjected to the charts and radio airplay around this time. Always liked Open your heart though. Have to say gets a little tedious with I am the law (come on! Everybody knows DREDD is the Law!) but ah, then comes Seconds and we're on a pleasant ride to the end of the album. Love-lah!

Favourite track(s): Of those I didn't already know? Seconds, Darkness, Do or die and That's what dreams are made of.
Least favourite track(s): Get Carter, I am the Law

Final impression --- Great synthpop album, certainly deserves its place as a classic. Even given the obvious hit singles I knew, some great tracks here.

Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see

Again, A is for Ah why didn't I listen to this years ago?

http://o.scdn.co/300/2c19311f4ab5866...26f6c6dfb20245
Title: That's the way of the world
Artiste: Earth, Wind and Fire
Year: 1975
Chronological position: Sixth album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Nothing other than the singles
Why is this considered a classic? I really have to admit I have no idea. It has a number one hit on it yes, but none of the EWF songs I heard when I was growing up, like those detailed below in the comments. It's an okay album but I don't find anything classic about it personally.

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Meh
One track in --- Meh but then....
Halfway through --- Good
Finished --- Good

Comments: First thing I'm surprised to see, looking down the tracklist is that there are none of the big hits on this. Sure, Shinin' star was a hit, but I'm talking After the love has gone, September, Boogie wonderland ... you know, the BIG hits! Still, after a so-so beginning we settle down with a lovely slow soul smoocher in the title track, and I'm right back in the seventies, accidentally listening to Tony Prince on Radio Luxembourg after the rock show has ended, and thinking hey this ain't bad. Mind you, once Sylvester or the Jackson Five come on, I'm out of here! But this is nice.

I like the super-tight vocal harmonies, one of the things EWF were known for, and the musicianship can't be faulted. Big band: nine members! So really they should sound like a wall of sound. And they do, but not in an overbearing way. This music just kind of washes over you and, well, makes love to you, ya know? It's Barry White but without the deep voice. I also like the alternating vocal styles, with altos and basses and baritones all in the mix. Hmm, only eight tracks? This will be easy to get through. All about love is a great soul ballad in the style of Luther, or maybe I should say he sings in the style of EWF? Anyway, it's damn good. Some pretty bad seventies jargon at the end of it though! Oh and hold on: the ending is just terrible, with some sort of looped piano run or something going out of phase. Oh my ears! Almost ruined the song.

Africano is nice, different, very ethnic and I like the flute and kalimba (I think that's what it is) but then it goes into some funky jam like you'd get in one of those old seventies cop shows, and it just sort of sounds silly. Almost a parody really. Maybe it's the guys laughing at themselves, not sure. Bit too jazzy for my tastes too. Sort of goes downhill from there and I lose interest mostly. After a promising beginning a disappointing ending.

Favourite track(s): That's the way of the world, Happy feelin', All about love
Least favourite track(s): Probably Shinin' star and I don't like the way Africano develops. Not mad about Yearnin', learnin' either...

Final impression --- A good disco/soul record but not something I believe I could not have lived without. It's okay but that's about it.

Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?

Added in an extra category for this as I really don't feel any of the original four apply.
So it's obviously an E here. And I'm quite surprised, as this isn't Chic, Sister Sledge or any of a hundred other generic dance/soul artistes I have no interest in. I actually quite like Earth, Wind and Fire, but I'm very disappointed with this album. Well, not disappointed, but not singularly impressed, that's for sure.

Chic generic?

I'm not having that. Nile Rodgers is a genius.

Hm...My brother has this album, and I'm kinda interested in hearing it now. Also, going out to look for crap at the mall today, so I might pick up The Next Day...I really like Bowie.

Yeah well I find little interesting in any dance band to be honest. It's maybe not fair to say generic, but to be totally musically racist, it all sounds the same to me....

The Next Day is a great album. You'll enjoy it I would think. Definitely give Low a shot; pretty mindblowing I found.

Just an update on what I've listened to and reviewed so far. I'll update the update, as it were, as I go along. Albums in RED have been reviewed, albums in GREEN have been listened to but not yet reviewed, or reviewed but not submitted for posting yet. Albums in PINK have been added since the original list was compiled.

The White Stripes --- Elephant
ZZ Top --- Tres hombres
Lynyrd Skynyrd --- Pronounced...
RHCP --- Californication
David Bowie --- Low
Massive Attack --- Mezzanine
PIL --- Metal box
Peter Tosh --- Wanted dread or alive
Captain Beefheart --- Trout Mask replica
Earth Wind and Fire --- That's the way of the world
Janet Jackson --- Rhythm nation 1814
The Clash --- London calling
Yes --- Close to the edge
Slayer --- Reign in blood
Moby --- Play
Pink Floyd --- Animals (Note 2)
The Smiths --- The queen is dead
REM --- Automatic for the people
U2 --- The Joshua Tree
My Bloody Valentine --- Loveless
AC/DC --- Back in black
Neil Young --- After the gold rush
Paul Simon --- Graceland (Note 3)
Stevie Wonder --- Songs in the key of life
Simon and Garfunkel --- Bridge over troubled water
Bob Marley --- Legend (Note 4)
Nirvana --- Nevermind
Bob Dylan --- Blood on the tracks
Michael Jackson --- Thriller
Metallica --- Master of puppets
Human League --- Dare!
ELP --- Tarkus (Note 5)
ABC --- The lexicon of love
Kate Bush --- The hounds of love
Waterboys --- Fisherman's blues
Terence Trent D'Arby --- Introducing the hardline according to...
Pulp --- Different class
Judas Priest --- British Steel
The Jesus and Mary Chain --- Psychocandy
Funkadelic --- Maggot brain
Faith No More --- Angel dust
Slowdive --- Souvlaki
Sisters of Mercy --- Floodlands
Talking Heads --- Remain in Light
Arcade Fire --- Funeral
Neutral Milk Hotel --- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Sonic Youth --- Daydream Nation
Wilco --- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Thanks to all who suggested albums. Keep 'em coming! :)

Can - Tago Mago

R.E.M.'s debut album Murmur could be up there too, it was a pretty pivotal album for alternative college rock in the early 80's.

Well I already have Automatic in there, and I did say I wanted to try to restrict it (at least at first) to one album per artiste. Do you think Murmur is a better choice than Automatic?

Oh, I missed that in the list, d'oh. I think if you're fairly new to REM (as in, you've only heard Man on the Moon or Losing My Religion on the radio), then start with Automatic. Whoever suggested that to you made a good call.

^^^ this ^^^


Nope :)

Picked up the album. Listening to it now, I'm on "Dancing Out In Space." Amazing album so far. Favorite track is "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)"

Yeah, I know it's not on the list, even the updated one, but what the hey? This is my journal, so I'm just gonna review this.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_X5BeEPA8T...torpedoes.jpeg
Title: Damn the torpedoes
Artiste: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Year: 1979
Chronological position: Third album
Previous experience of this artiste?: "Into the great wide open", "Full moon fever", "Southern accents", "Highway companion". Oh, and the Travelling Wilburys. Yeah.
Why is this considered a classic? Again I'm really not sure, but I think it may have had something to do with his stand against MCA and the input of producer Jimmy Iovine.

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Great
One track in --- Great
Halfway through --- Great
Finished --- Great, again only because I have no higher choice. But Great x 100 to the power of infinity. At least. Maybe double that. Or triple.

Comments: My earliest memories of Tom Petty, before I even heard his music, was of one of my boss's raving about this very album, and later I saw the videos for You got lucky and a live video that really stayed with me, with Petty wrapped in the Southern flag playing Refugees. I bought "Southern accents" and was really upset when it wasn't on it (what? No, I didn't look at the track listing! "Southern accents"? It had to be on it! Well dagnab it!) It's the track that kicks this album off and it sounds as good to me now as it did thirty-odd years ago. As The Batlord would say, a bitchin' track! The next one is nearly as good, and I'm getting a good feeling about this album.

Yeah, this just keeps getting better. Surprisingly, though the guitar work is great as I would expect from Petty and Campbell, I find myself being more drawn to the exceptional organ work of that man, Benmont Tench. Just superb. Ah hell, stop talking Trollheart! This is flawless. I love this so much it's getting a full review on the Playlist some time soon. I'm in love. Not in a gay way, you understand. Just platonically and musically. This guy is a god. Eric who?

Favourite track(s): Refugee, Here comes my girl, Even the... Ah, hell! Just everything! I love this album!
Least favourite track(s): We don' need no steenking least fah-vor-eet trax!

Final impression --- This is fucking amazing!

Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
F) Definitely enjoyed it, but again would I consider it a classic?

A. A! Oh God, A!

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/i...eWwtl5owSaGmSB
Title: Souvlaki
Artiste: Slowdive
Year: 1993
Chronological position: Second album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Not a thing
Why is this considered a classic? I really don't know. It was recommended to me. But I can see how it is. Mind you, I've never heard their other albums: are they all this good?

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Great
One track in --- Great
Halfway through --- Great
Finished --- Great

Comments: I don't know why but I thought this would be something totally different, but from the very first chords I really loved it. A real wall of sound with laidback, I guess you'd say dreamy vocals, which only get better with track two when the female vocalist (Rachel Goswell, it says here) takes over and I just sort of float away and turn up the volume. Sublime! The appearance of Brian Eno on synth during Sing is a great bonus.

I see why Slowdive are being compared to My Bloody Valentine (Spotify "suggested" them to me on the basis of having listened to MBV, though the rec itself came from Duga I think?) : the same feedback and low vocals with an almost lazy quality is here, but Slowdive do it much better for my money. Of course that's only my opinion, but if MBV were like this I'd be more inclined to listen to them. So this is Shoegaze/Dreampop, is it? I like this. I like this a lot.

Favourite track(s): No point: I love everything here
Least favourite track(s): See above

Final impression --- Excellent album, excellent band and I need to hear more.

Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
F) Definitely enjoyed it, but again would I consider it a classic?

Another big A here!

Shoegaze is half noise pop, half dream pop. Between Slowdive and MBV, you get a good picture of the same genre.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...kMezzanine.jpg
Title: Mezzanine
Artiste: Massive Attack
Year: 1998
Chronological position: Third album
Previous experience of this artiste?: "Teardrop" and that's about it.
Why is this considered a classic? Stop asking me that question! I don't know...

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Good
One track in --- Good
Halfway through --- Meh
Finished --- Meh verging on Bad

Comments: I know only one Massive Attack song --- Teardrop --- and I love that, but will that love prove to run through this album or will that song be the exception in a collection of tracks I won't enjoy at all? Time to find out. Oh wait! There is one other MA song I know, something called Keep my baby safe or something. It's not on this album. So why do I mention it? Well, I just do, is all. Never mind all that: on with the album. So Wiki tells me that Angel was used in "The West Wing" for the episode where Zoey was kidnapped, and I remember that being very dramatic and atmospheric. I don't to be honest remember the track but I do like it now I hear it. Don't like Risingson and of course I love Teardrop, who doesn't?

Next one's good but the low vocal is a little distracting, sitar-ish sound is nice. Lovely instrumental follows, then I'm not mad about the next one. Yeah, I doubt this band would be for me. Kind of a case of I like a few songs but would be unlikely to last through a whole album. Again. Like, I sort of like it, but I don't love it. You know? Seriously, by the time we get to the title track I'm bored and just doing other stuff while letting it play in the background. Bit of a fail really.



Favourite track(s): Angel, Teardrop, Inertia creeps, Exchange
Least favourite track(s): Risingson, Man next door and pretty much everything after that.

Final impression --- Didn't leave any real impression on me. Other than the tracks I knew and one or two others all sort of blended into a dirgey haze of low-key music and even lower-key vocals. Not my thing at all.

Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
F) Definitely enjoyed it, but again would I consider it a classic?

For the first time, I award this album a B.