A Lifetime-Plus of Music

    Another female country music legend today, we head south from Kentucky to Tennessee for Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors”.  This album is #2 on the tasteofcountry.com list of Top 10 Country Music albums of all time.  I really did enjoy “Coal Miner’s Daughter” by Loretta Lynn, but in total, I think I liked this album even more.

     There are notable similarities between the two.  Both albums open with a title track, authored by the vocalist as she looks back at her humble beginnings.  In this track, Dolly reflects on a moment from her childhood when her mother made her a jacket out of household rags as a heartfelt tribute to Joseph’s biblical coat.  The song tells us how much she loved that jacket, even as her school-age peers mocked her for this coat.   In both songs, you hear the affection for her family, her background, and her humble beginnings. 

     Almost all of the songs on this album are Dolly Parton originals, and once again this is just pure, authentic country music, rooted in the Americana of the rural United States.  We hear once again, the turmoil and trouble that comes from a man who won’t be faithful on “She Never Met A Man She Didn’t Like”, and longing for a more exciting life in “Traveling Man”.  Two other songs that really stand out, although I like the entire album, is the simple ballad “Early Morning Breeze”, and the surprisingly contemporary piano-based track “The Way I See You”, which I think is my favorite on the album.

     I have wondered for years if I have what it takes to hike the entire Appalachian Trail, which runs from Georgia to Maine, and cuts through the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.  If I make that trek happen, I can guarantee this album goes on as I enter those hallowed hills.  Great work, Dolly.

    Most of us have been through a bad breakup at some point in our past.  In the world of music, there wasn’t one much more visible or clearly full of animosity than early 1970s John Lennon and Paul McCartney.  Not only did they break up the Beatles, they started taking musical shots at each other with their solo albums.  That is not the most notable element of the album “Imagine”, by John Lennon, but it certainly sticks out.  At its best, this album, which is rated #223 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, is John at his symbolic and hopeful self.  I find it to be a much more enjoyable album than his previous release, “The Plastic Ono Band”.

     Of course, the title track “Imagine” stands out as a John’s most timeless and recognizable song, and even more so than any Beatles track, was the song the world listened to in tragic mourning when John was shot and killed on the streets of New York in December of 1980.  To the most cynical, this song may be a bit too much, but for idealistic people like me, the message is powerful and the melody with John on piano is beautiful.  Another standout track from side one of this album is the regretful ballad, “Jealous Guy”.  However, if you know John’s history with women, it is a bit ominous, not completely unlike seemingly innocent early Beatles tracks like “You Can’t Do That”.

     “How Do You Sleep” is the clearly identifiable attack track on Paul; it is hostile and aggressive and pretty insulting.  It also happens to be a pretty funky and edgy track.  Interestingly enough, George Harrison once again appeared on this album, and on this track.  Let there be no mistake, in the aftermath of the Beatles breakup, it was clearly John, George and Ringo vs. Paul in the battle of hard feelings.

      The rest of the album is a bit hit or miss, although still a better collection of tracks than his previous album.  I liked “Crippled Inside”, “It’s So Hard”, which reminds me a bit of the opening of “Revolution”, and “Gimme Some Truth”.  John remained a troubled and complicated individual, but he was continuing to make solid forward progress as a solo musician with this album, and gave us one timeless song that will forever be his number one trademark.  He is assuredly the only Beatle of the four who was so closely and primarily associated with a solo song, so that certainly serves as another point of validation for this effort.

    I will be honest, when I got to today’s album, and I saw the artist’s name, Gil Scott-Heron, I was expecting something in the folk genre, perhaps some Gaelic blue-grass.  As another of my son’s 10 bonus picks on the list, I had no genre to give it away, so I just selected today’s album, “Pieces of a Man”, and hit play.

     Much to my surprise, Gil Scott-Heron is a spoken word poet who doubles on this album with a blend of soul, funk and R&B.  Like many other black artists of his time, he was very politically focused, which quickly became apparent on the first song, a spoken word track, “The Revolution Will Not Be Terrorized”.  Almost as if we were looking ahead to Public Enemy, it is very clear what a revolutionary sound this song was as an early, early predecessor to the explosion of hip-hop a decade later.  Following this powerful and militant opening song, he switches gears into a chill R&B track, “Save the Children”.  If you think the drumming is really good on this song, and on this album as a whole, there is a very good reason.  Famous session drummer Bernard Purdie, credited with creating the sound of the “Purdie Shuffle”, plays drums on all of the tracks on this album.  For rock fans, one of the most well known duplications of this sound, done to perfect precision, is the drum track for “Fool In The Rain” by John Bonham of Led Zeppelin.  Purdie fits in well with a talented backing band who gives Scott-Heron a rich and full sound throughout the album.

     Another chill vibe comes with this tribute track, “Lady Day and John Coltrane”, both previously featured in our blog.  The activist voice continues on “Home is Where the Hatred Is”, and other tracks I really enjoyed include “I Think I’ll Call It Morning”, the title track “Pieces of a Man”, which opens a bit like “Aja” by Steely Dan, the funky “Chains”, and the soulful ballad “Peace”.

     Once again, my son nailed it with his surprise addition to my list.  Remember when I highlighted Sixto Rodriguez as an unsung and nearly anonymous version of Bob Dylan?  This discovery of Gil Scott-Herron feels similar to me, with the comparison this time to the much more widely appreciated socially conscious offerings of Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield.  I probably should have been familiar with this album and artist a long time ago, but better late than never.  Well played, my son…

    I recall that at the beginning of this process, I had some explaining to do after listening to “A Quick One” by The Who.  Overall, it wasn’t very good, and I had to offer some reassurances that this band I loved had much more to offer down the road.  Well, if you haven’t been fully convinced by “Tommy” or “Live at Leeds”, surely today’s selection will do the trick.  In 1971, The Who released their classic rock hit factory, “Who’s Next”.  Rated number 77 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, this album contains five songs any rock music fan will instantly recognize, and several other excellent “deeper cuts”.

     The album opens with the frenzied keyboard of “Baba O’Riley”, known to many people incorrectly as “Teenage Wasteland”.  One of two legendary Who rockers that open and close this album, this song is virtually overflowing with Keith Moon drum fills and Pete Townshend power chords.  Another thing I love about this song, and this album and band as a whole, is the way they selectively use Pete Townshend’s voice as a second singer and contrast to lead vocalist Roger Daltrey.  Next comes “Bargain”, another powerhouse guitar rock hit, and another favorite of mine featuring both Roger and Pete on vocals.  The rest of side one is less familiar to many, but very strong.  “Love Ain’t For Keeping” and “The Song Is Over”, featuring their frequent session keyboard player Nicky Hopkins, are wrapped around the hilarious John Entwistle song “My Wife”, which is an interesting tribute to her “affection” for John and to fun-loving husbands everywhere.

     Hopkins appears again to open side two with a beautiful ballad, “Getting In Tune”, which I recall to be a favorite of one of my most faithful readers.  The rest of side two brings us back to familiar grounds with three more legendary songs.  First comes “Going Mobile”, sung completely by Townshend.  An up-tempo ode to living life at a fast and urgent pace, it feels like a bit of a soundtrack to my life these days.  In addition to Pete’s great singing and guitar backing, Keith Moon is remarkable on this song.  Next we have “Behind Blue Eyes”.  Borrowing from Led Zeppelin’s concept of “light and shade”, we have a really pretty and emotional ballad that bursts halfway through with intense emotion and urgency, fighting back hard at the pains of life, sadness and isolation.

     To close the album, the band rocks at maximum fury, or perhaps “Maximum R&B”, a favorite catch-phrase of the band.  “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is a perfect mix of anger-filled lyrics, championing the highs and lows of exploding political unrest and change, with more Townshend power chords, Entwistle’s frenetic bass lines, and Keith Moon just out of control, being Keith Moon.  I once remember hearing this song at a concert as we waited for the band to come on, watching 17,000 eager rock fans air-drum in unison to Keith’s solo leading into Roger’s powerful scream-filled song ending.  Any rock fan has probably heard this song one too many times, and Roger himself has told us he would be fine if he never had to sing this song again, but stepping back and just taking it in, it is truly the Who at their finest, just as this entire album represents a band taking it to a intellectual and musical level rarely approached by any act.

“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss…”

    I didn’t expect my list to contain a third Black Sabbath album, and after listening, I’m not so convinced that it should have, but interestingly enough, this album was the #10 rated heavy metal album of all time, so here we go with today’s selection, “Master of Reality”.

     The album opens with the only song I definitely recognized from the past, “Sweet Leaf”.  If you aren’t familiar, I’m pretty sure you can figure out what Ozzy is singing about there.  Not too much else stands out to me, other than I can definitely see the trend evolving further into what we would recognize as the British metal sound.  A bit faster at times, and more aggressive, songs like “Solitude” and “Into the Void” embrace this metal movement, and others such as “After Forever” and “Children of the Grave”, keep their dark theme with some variation on sound.

     Beyond that, I just don’t have too much to say about this album.  It does serve, in my opinion, as an example of why I rate Black Sabbath a notch below some of the best British rock bands.  While their sound is pioneering for the metal movement, their overall range just isn’t as diverse as the Stones, the Who, or Led Zeppelin.  They can play hard or soft, but you would never hear the blues, funk, honky-tonk and folk sounds that emerge through those other noted acts.  I do love Black Sabbath for who and what they were, however I don’t think this album rates with their first two classic releases.

    An unusual and unique choice today, as we enter the mind and world of George Clinton.  His band “Funkadelic” released the psychedelic-funk blend album “Maggot Brain” in 1971.  This interesting album is the #10 rated album on digitaldreamdoor.com’s Top 10 Funk Albums of All Time.  It was definitely a challenging and complicated listen, but one that has grown on me with each listen.

     My first reaction to this album was that it was too much psychedelic, and not enough funk.  After listening multiple times, I find that description applies primarily to the first and last song.  The title track, “Maggot Brain”, and the closing track, “Wars of Armageddon” are each roughly 10 minutes in length.  Despite some pretty intense guitar on each, particularly on “Maggot Brain”, by Eddie Hazel, both of these songs strike me a bit like a Pink Floyd song that missed the mark.

     On a more positive note, I really like the five remaining songs in between.  In particular, I really love “Can You Get That”, an upbeat song dripping with deep bass funk vocals and high harmony vocals.  The next song, “Hit and Quit It” is also super-heavy on the funk, along with “You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks”  I’m not quite as high on “Super Stupid” or “Back In Our Minds”, but both lay down more funk grooves, all of which are just good for the soul.

     This song feels a bit like Sly and the Family Stone on steroids, but as noted, I really enjoyed most of this album and even appreciate the musicality on the songs that didn’t pull me in as much.  George Clinton and Funkadelic are a one-of-a-kind sound, and an important cog in the funk machine of modern music.

    Another classic live album today, we explore the fusion of southern rock and jam bands with the famous album “At Fillmore East”, by the Allman Brothers.  This album captures this band at their peak, sadly confirmed months after the release when band founder and slide guitar legend Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident.  “At Fillmore East” is rated #105 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums of All Time, and captures not only the band in one of their final great moments, but one of the last major performances at New York’s iconic Fillmore East music club, owned by Bill Graham.  The Fillmore East closed not long after this album was recorded.

     True to form, this production is only seven songs over 4 album sides, stretching out some of their biggest hits giving Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, their other lead guitarist, an opportunity to shine and jam at length.  At times, the slide guitar is a bit too harsh or high in pitch for my taste, but the intersection between the two also produces a lot of magical moments.  I love that they have two drummers, a trend we also see with the Grateful Dead, and I also think it is incredibly significant that one of their six primary members of the band, drummer Jamoe Johanson, was black, which had to help open some minds above and below the Mason-Dixon line.

     The setlist is pure Allman Brothers, opening with their cover of “Statesboro Blues”, with a continued build through “Done Somebody Wrong”, “Stormy Monday”, and “You Don’t Love Me”.  I really enjoyed the Dickey Betts composition “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”, and as their signature closer, they crush a 23 minute version of “Whipping Post”.

     Like many musicians from this time, Duane Allman’s life was cut way too short.  He remains one of the most influential and highly regarded rock guitarists of all time, and this album will always be his signature showcase.

     On a side note, I was reminded once again today the bonding power of music.  As my friends and I took on the extreme (for me) challenge of climbing a 14,000 foot mountain, we passed the time discussing music, resonating on what we all enjoyed and sharing experiences from recordings and live events.  Music is a treasure and a gift in my life, as are my friends.  I can’t imagine a single day without either.

    After two of the most well celebrated albums of all time, we take a deeper cut, and perhaps a bit of a time travel, with today’s selection.  The challenge with compilation albums is trying to decide where to sequence them.  In 1971, Freddie King was still a very successful performing and recording artist, appearing on main-stream rock bills with rock legends like Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton.  That being said, his recording career dates way back to the 1950s, and the sound of this album is very consistent with some of the other blues artists of that era, including the other two “Kings”, B.B. and Albert.  Freddie King is Texas born, and after moving to Chicago, was ultimately recognized by both locations as a favorite son.  On this album, “Blues 20 Hits”, you get a full range of his talent, and it is the 10^th rated blues album of all time on digitaldreamdoors.com. 

     Approximately half the album is instrumental with King on guitar, but his vocals shine through strongly on the songs he does sing.  Having listened to as much blues music as I have during this journey, this album certainly rates up there with his contemporaries, and is a great addition to the blues library.  Like many of these albums, there aren’t many songs that stand out above the rest, but that is more a testament to the consistency of the sound.  I do really like “I’m Tore Down”, “San-Ho-Zay”, “Nickel Plated”, “Just Pickin’”, which sounds like the natural predecessor to “Scuttle Buttin’” by Stevie Ray Vaughan, and “Man Hole”.  There isn’t a bad song on this album; Freddie King stands proudly among the 3 Kings of Blues, and all of his other peers of the era.

    The Rolling Stone Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time has been a key source of content for this blog, as most of you have probably realized.  Only once during this entire exercise can we discuss their #1 rated album, and today is that day.  “What’s Going On”, the impactful concept album from Motown recording artist Marvin Gaye has been selected in that top spot, and it is certainly a worthy contender.  Who is to say what is THE greatest album of all time?  Perhaps there is a different between “greatest”, and your “favorite”?  Hard to say, but regardless of how it is rated, “What’s Going On” is a fantastic record.

     As I researched this album in greater detail, I learned what an uphill battle Marvin Gaye faced to record and release this album.  Still contractually bound to hitmaker Berry Gordy and Motown Records, this album shaped up as a big departure from a singles artist, complete with a blend of connected songs that ran together as one piece.  Additionally, this album directly confronted several issues Marvin was passionate about, the dissension over the Vietnam War, the racial conflict within the United States, and the ongoing crisis of poverty in America’s inner cities.  All of this ran completely counter to Gordy’s desire to appeal to a mass cross-over audience, by avoiding conflict and making “happy” music.

     Because of his perseverance, and the caliber of music he created, Gordy eventually relented, and Marvin Gaye and a select group of musicians known as The Funk Brothers, were able to record the entire album in about ten days.    Like Curtis Mayfield previously, as well as Sly and the Family Stone, this record is an excellent time capsule of the emotions and struggles of America’s black community in the early 1970s.

     The album opens with the epic title track, which sets the mood for the entire album.  The song, and the rest of the album, is intended to portray the reaction of a black US veteran returning home after a painful stint in Vietnam.  This was a very personal issue, as Marvin’s brother served during this time, as captured in the next song, “What’s Happening Brother”.  With a beautiful mix of funk, soul and strings, the album sails through the rest of side one, with “Save The Children”, “God Is Love”, and a warm transition into “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”.  Hearing that song surface as I listened to the album was a great experience, and exactly why I don’t look at the track listing before I begin each album.

     The first clear break in the sound came as we start side two with the slow jam of “Right On”.  Religion and poverty also get their focus point as the album continues to groove through “Wholy Holy” and the closer, “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler).

     Marvin Gaye is just one of many artists who worked hard to evolve their sound and deliver something with greater depth and meaning.  He faced several visible and hidden obstacles along the way, some of them self-imposed, but nonetheless he saw this project through to conclusion and to his credit, it was a major commercial success in addition to being a critical success.  In doing so, he likely impacted artists and recording executives around the world to give greater license and freedom to the real talent who created the music, thereby making all of us beneficiaries for his commitment.

“Mother, mother, There’s too many of you crying”

Brother, brother, brother, there’s far too many of you dying”

“You know we’ve got to find a way, To bring some loving here today, yeah”

“What’s going on…”

    As we move from the 60s to the 70s, we see sad endings for many, but some bands and artists stayed on the right track.  Perhaps none more resilient than the Rolling Stones, in 1971 they gave us one of their most authentic and real albums, the straight up rocker “Sticky Fingers”.  There is a lot to like here, and it is rated as album #104 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

      The album opens with the classic hit “Brown Sugar”, which merits some contemporary conversation.  I honestly believe that Mick and the Stones are an ally and friend to the black community, and have always been so, but clearly this song is one, while perhaps meant with a degree of debauchery and affection, did not age well.  The fact that they have altered the lyrics over time as they play it live, says it all. 

     Like the opening track, this album is pure Stones guitar rock.  Reaching their stride with Mick Taylor replacing Brian Jones, this era is the Stones at their best.  Following rocker “Sway” we have the beautiful ballad “Wild Horses”.  Some believe this was meant as a tribute for his love for Marianne Faithfull, but he and Keith both claim it is more general, focusing on the sadness of being somewhere far from where you want and need to be.  I certainly get that, and I love this song. 

     Side one continues with the riff-heavy “Can You Hear Me Knocking”, a great song that probably runs a bit too long.  The first side ends with blues-heavy “You Gotta Move”, a rare track from this era not written by Mick and Keith, but instead created by Fred McDowell and Gary Davis.

     One of their most aggressive and up-tempo hits “Bitch”, with awesome guitar work, Mick at his angry best, and a perfect horn mix, is probably my favorite song on the album.  Other standouts on side two are the country track “Dead Flowers” and the eerie “Sister Morphine”.

     I won’t go so far as to declare this the best Stones album ever, but it is not far off.  It does make me appreciate their ability to evolve and stay relevant as many of their early contemporaries were headed in a much different trajectory.