The album kicks off with Aretha’s anthem. A song which kicked down the dors of female oppression, and is considered to be one of the most important pieces of art in the history of the women’s movement. It’s being written originally by a man (soul master Otis Redding) seems no to factor into the equation. And really, this IS Aretha’s song. Like how Jimi jacked Watchtower, Tina Turner took Proud Mary, and Johnny Cash claimed Hurt, Aretha took “Respect” and made it hers. “Respect” is a flawless single, it alone would be a masterpiece, but followed by Aretha’s unbeatable rendition of “Drown In My Own Tears” (Sorry, Ray Charles, but I prefer Ms. Franklin’s), it is only the most shining diamond in a pile of precious jewels.
The title track speaks to a feeling we’ve all had. Being in love with someone who’s just no damn good. The verse all feature Aretha berating the man for how bad he is, but in the chorus, she admits she’s “never loved a man the way that {she} love{s} {him}”. Just listen to the horn section blast while she wails it out at the end of this track. Aretha is a queen, and she can blast you away, or cradle you in her gentle tones, on a track like “Soul Serenade”. It’s less popular, more emotional tracks like these where the listener gets a real appreciation for Aretha’s voice, not her power. “Respect” and “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)” may be tracks with more life, but this track has enough soul to match. So maybe she’s not howling, or getting pissed, or burning the air with the beat. Aretha carries this track the same way she does with the next two (“Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream” and “Baby, Baby, Baby”). With the sheer beauty and range of her voice. There’s an emotion, soul to her voice that has never been matched by a female vocalist in the history of recorded music, in my opinion. There have been prettier voices, raspier voices, but for her genre, Aretha can not be dethroned. Aretha is to soul what Janis is for rock and Patti is to punk. Perfection.
It is unfortunate that for many of us (myself included), getting up to the track “Dr. Feel good (Love Is A Serious Business)” leads to us having the desire to listen to Motley Crue. I implore you to hold out at least until the album’s conclusion, or you’re gonna miss some great stuff, including this forgotten track. The organ, the piano, the saxophone, they all work as a perfect frame to Aretha’s emotive performance. Especially on tracks like this, that in other hands would have just been ok, you discover Aretha to be one of the master song interpreters, on the level of the King himself. The next track, “Good Times” is one that, for one of only two times on this album, I prefer a different cover version (in this case, The Rolling Stones). However, it is still a great performance of a Sam Cooke classic.
“Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” is one of the more sentimental of the album’s tracks, and one where Aretha’s voice seems most like it’s gliding, rather than attacking. If you ever want to show the range of one of music’s greatest women, look no further than this album. Go from something like the title track to this, and the skill, the mastery, and beauty and the brilliance are undeniable. “Save Me” brings the rock feel back to the album, with the best bass line of any song on this collection. The album closes on the Sam Cooke classic “A Change Is Gonna Come”. While I prefer the Otis Redding cover, it’s undeniable that Aretha brings her own unique panash to the a song, and it’s a great way to close a brilliant album.
This album contains some of the greatest soul songs ever composed, and performed by one of the greatest and most influential soul singers to ever live (though not THE greatest. Sorry, Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Rock And Roll Singers list. Nobody’s buying it). It’s virtually flawless, and THE definitive Aretha album. This is a shining example of a gifted performer at her peak. For those who only see Aretha as the woman with the funny things on her head at various ceremonies, do yourself a favor and look this one up. A true classic.
-Mike
Next up, one of the greatest, #6: What’s going On by Marvin Gaye.
Ah, The Pixies first album. Who are The Pixies, you ask? Only one of the most influential bands of the late 80’s. Influenced who, you ask? Well, Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, and pretty much any alternative band thereafter. You don’t listen to “hipster” bands, you say? Ugh. Ok, are you a tool? Yes? Ok, then you know them as “that song at the end of “Fight Club”. Yeah, you liked that movie, right? ‘Cause it was cool how they hit each other, right? Ok, good. Now, the grown-ups are gonna discuss good music. Run along and get sterilized, now.
Surfer Rosa brought the world Black Francis’ song-writing, a blend of soft and loud, rock and pop, howling and whispering, kick-ass and…just kick-ass. The album opens on “Bone Machine”, and it’s a great feeling to just imagine what it was like putting the needle down on this record for the first time, before it was a classic. Hearing David Lovering’s pounding drums, Black Francis yelling and wailing, and hearing Kim Deal’s slightly off yet so perfect harmonies. Just listen to that almost cacophony that drops out for the calm “Your bone’s got a little machine”. This opened up a whole new world of song-writing, friends. Nothing would smell like teen anything were it not for songs like this. Track number 2, “Break My Body”, shows how perfectly Black could craft a simple pop song, and then decide to mask all that pop in distorted vocals and guitars, and do it so perfectly as to create something even better. This is rock and roll. This is violent, nasty, gritty, while still being indie, and unique, and breaking the molds just as it fills into them.
“Something Against You” is a frenetic free for all of guitar sounds. You have Sex Pistols punk meets Sublime upstrokes, while Francis’ vocals were recorded through a guitar amp, giving it that sick, growling, indecipherable sound. This, of course, was brilliant producer Steve Albini’s idea. You remember him from Rid Of Me, don’t you? “Broken Face” keeps the punk feel from the last track, but now goes for a bizarre, high pitched chorus, and the concern on the vocals is not so much to make notes as to make noise. Many bands try this and sound like shit, but The Pixies, under the guidance of Albini, make masterpieces.
“Gigantic” is the only song on the album not by Black Francis. It is written and sung by bassist Kim Deal, and due to this the song takes on a much more pop feel. Maybe it’s just because her vocals are cleaner than Francis’, but that doesn’t make the song any less great than any other on the album. The song repeats the same bass line, supposedly influenced by Lou Reed. It’s about a girl watching a black man have sex with another woman. You can guess why it’s called “Gigantic”. “River Euphrates” sounds very similar to the type of material that would appear on their next album, 1989’s Doolittle, but quite frankly, once you’ve heard this album a few times, “River Euphrates” is just 2:33 you kill before the next track, the most popular off of the album, and one of the tracks that even your most “mainstream” friends know by The Pixies.
Yes, let’s get this out of the way, “Where Is My Mind?” was at the end of Fight Club. Yes, they used in in an HBO commercial for The Dark Knight. But all that goes away when you hear “Stop!” Then you’re just engrossed in the song. Francis said he was inspired by a small fish chasing him in the Caribbean. I’m not sure how on led to the other, but thank god it did. The structure of the song, the chords, the melody, even the “ooos” in the background, everything on this song is great. Bizarre, creepy, indie, rock and roll, pop perfection. Every note the guitar plays strikes a sonic blow to your mind, and the jarring drop-out, with just the echoing “oo” at the end is terrific. Undoubtedly, one of the best songs on the 80’s (then again, I hate the 80’s). “Cactus”, a song I first heard on Bowie’s Heathen album, is another example of the mix of soft and loud vocals The Pixies are famous for. The verses of this song are hidden behind pounding bass, guitar and drums, and only when Kim Deal comes in do you even know there’s singing happening. At the mid-point, they spell out Pixies (Bowie spelled out David on his record), though that’s something you don’t even notice till your third or fourth listen. Well, now you’ll notice it. Sorry I ruined that for you.
Here’s one of my favorites on the album, “Tony’s Theme”. Just for the way the scream out “To-ny!” for the chorus. It just seems like it had to be so much fun to play. “Oh My Golly” is the track that gave the album it’s title, with the lyric “Besando chichando con surfer rosa.” Yes, they are speaking in Spanish and then shouting “Oh My Golly”. there is no way to explain the elements of this song and make it sound as awesome as it is. By all logic, it shouldn’t work, but it does. “Oh My Golly” has one of the best bass lines and best choruses of any song on this album, and is one of it’s true highlights, especially with that drum and bass interlude towards the end. At the end of “Oh My Golly”, you hear Black explaining something Kim said in the studio. Albini tacked it on thinking it would sound cool. He later regretted it, proving even gifted producers make mistakes.
(That still doesn’t excuse Phil Spector)
“Vamos” is one of the more erratic tracks on the album, but once again, when Kim’s back-ups come on, the song becomes infectiously catchy. Try not to bounce around to that bass line. I dare you. Again, this song shouldn’t work, but god damn it, it does. You never hear something like this on a studio album. Maybe live, when the guitarist is drunk and fucking around, but never on a studio album. You say that a lot while listening to Surfer Rosa, and that’s what makes it so unique.
“I’m Amazed” (which begins with Kim explaining how a teacher from her school got fired for being “into field hockey players”) and “Brick Is Red” go on to confirm the point I’ve been trying to make in this review, which is that The Pixies genius comes not from rebelling against or pandering to mainstream music, but fusing alternative styles of playing recording, and applying them to songs which at their core are pop.
Without a doubt, The Pixies are one of the most influential bands in recent memory, and if their sold out reunion shows prove anything, it’s that they may finally be getting their due. The band is unique, incredibly talented, and certainly worth a listen. Surfer Rosa is a genius album, and maybe some folks won’t dig it, but if I’ve turned at least one person on to these guys, I’ve done my job on this blog. So give Surfer Rosa a listen. I don’t think you’ll regret it.
-Mike
See you next for #83: I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You by Aretha Franklin. Yep, right after The Pixies. I love this gig.
P.S. Kim Deal is one of the most underrated women in rock. Just sayin’.
Superfly (or Super Fly, depending on which way you want to write it). A social statement? Yes. One of the most popular film soundtracks of the 70’s? Yes. A revolutionary and influential soul album? Yes. A great record? You bet your sweet ass it is.
Opening on “Little Child Running Wild”, this album proves to be as alive and funk today as it was in it’s heyday, while still being a time-capsule to the type of blaxploitation films of the 70’s. Having never seen Super Fly, the soundtrack alone suggests the protagonist is either a cop, a detective or a pimp. Curtis Mayfield’s voice carries these tunes, as it’s soft without being too mellow. These songs all have a smooth, sexy funk vibe, the type of music that just doesn’t find it’s way into films anymore (besides Black Dynamite). Strung throughout all these tracks is an anti-drug message, and a very obvious ones, especially on tracks like “Little Child Running Wild” (“Gotta take the pain away”) and “Pusherman”. To go track by track would be an insult to the album, since all the tracks work together so well. They all keep that street-wise, funky groove. But let me just say the two tracks that I love off of this album are “Pusherman”, not only for it being the Taxman of drugs, and the title track, “Superfly”, one of the coolest, funkiest, greatest movie theme songs of all time. Yes, when this comes on my iPod on the tredmill, I do proceed to stop running and begin to strut.
This review isn’t brief for lack of things to say, but rather that great funk, like great jazz or great comedy, loses something when it is explained or dissected. Rock and pop, classical and rap, these can be picked apart for lyrics, or movements, but funk is a collective magic. It’s not guitars, or lyrics, or melodies that makes funk great. It’s a magical, natural synergy. And look no further than Super Fly for funk that works at it’s best. I absolutely recommend this album.
In honor of today’s review of Superfly, I thought I’d put together a list of, in my opinion, the Top 20 Greatest Movie Soundtracks of all time. Now, this is different then my favorite soundtracks, I assure you. I tred to be as objective as possible with these. Disagree with my choices? Leave a comment, or message me, whatever works for you. I’m down for arguing my choices.
20. Boogie Nights
P.T. Anderson’s 1997 film about the rise and fall of Dirk Diggler, a John Holmes-esque 70’s porn star, is also a time capsule of the grandiose magic of the 70’s shifting into the saccharine horror that was the 80’s. The album features such 70’s feel-good, boogie-down treats as “Best Of My Love” by The Emotions (used in the famous 11-minute take from the beginning of the film), “Livin’ Thing” by The Electric Light Orchestra, and “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” by McFadden & Whitehead, as well as “Sister Christian” from Night Ranger (from the great coke scene featuring that phenomenal Alfred Molina), and the touching “God Only Knows by The Beach Boys, as well as many other great 70’s dance tunes. Michael Penn and Patrick Warren’s eerie theme “The Big Top” finishes off this album, on the track listing, but the true gem of this album is afterward. A hidden track rests at the end of this soundtrack, and if you’re a fan of the film, trust me, it’s well worth the wait.
19. Lola Rennt
1999’s mind-bending German masterpiece, Lola Rennt (English title: Run, Lola Run) has fantastic visuals, a philosophical and trippy premise, and let’s not forget, a gorgeous lead actress. But it’s the soundtrack of this film that always stuck with me. German dance hall techno with a purpose. One can’t help but bounce to tracks like “Believe” Franka Potente or any of the instrumental tracks by Tykwer, Klimek and Heil. The industrial sexuality of “Somebody Has To Pay” Susie Van Der Meer is about as “mellow” as this high-octane album gets, and “Wish (Komm Zu Mir)” is so awesome, you don’t even mind that half of it is in German. Overall, the soundtrack to Lola Rennt is Kraftwerk on crack, and for that alone, I give it the highest thumbs-up I can. Definitely check out this forgotten Germa gem, but the film and soundtrack.
18. Across The Universe
From the opening track that we all remember from the trailer, Jim Sturgess lamenting “Is there anybody going to listen to my story, all about the girl who came to stay?”, I think everyone knew they were in for something special. Movies whose soundtracks feature Beatles covers tend to range from the mediocre (I Am Sam) to the horrendous (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band). So when I heard about Julie Taymor attempting to make a film whose soundtrack was all Beatles covers, the image of George Burns and The BeeGees could not be purged from my mind. But the trailer for the film gave me and everyone else hope, and a musical hard-on. The film did not disappoint. This soundtrack is comprised of some of the best Beatles covers ever laid down on record, from the moving gospel-rendition of “Let It Be”, to the surreal Bono take on “I Am The Walrus”, to the gorgeous performance of “If I Fell”, the track that most truly discovers the heart in the song it tackles. Sure, the songs suffer without their cinematic accompaniment, but the soundtrack manages to still be awesome as a tribute album without it. Across The Universe is a revelation in how to cover songs, and should be a lesson to all those daring to do it in the future.
17. (500) Days Of Summer
This year, the awards season sinfully ignored tis brilliant Gen-Y Annie Hall for…plotless blue cat-monkeys and a Hallmark flick about football. But enough about that. Let’s focus on the positive. Like the best compilation soundtrack since Garden State, featuring the lilting, tragic vocals of Regina Spektor, the perky “Mushaboom” by Feist, some terrific Smith tracks (bringing the band to a whole new generation), and lest we forget the lovely She & Him, featuring one of the film’s two stars, Zooey Deschannel. Of course, for those who’ve seen the film, the staple track is Hall & Oates, and I’ll explain no more for those who haven’t seen it yet. Suffice to say, the soundtrack on this film is beautiful, unique, eclectic in the best way possible, and I suspect it will be for the younger generation what a certain Zach Braff helmed soundtrack is to most of us.
16. Hustle & Flow
Featuring the second rap song ever to win Best Original song at the Oscars, the Hustle & Flow soundtrack is a fantastic collection of unknown (at least to me) artists. From the opening jam “I’m A King” to “Pussy Niggas” (which actually uses gunfire as percussion), Hustle & Flow manages to make a rap music film soundtrack that succeeds not only as great mix of hip-hop gems, but that work well within the context of the film. The title track, by Djayz, could have come off being the most memorable from the soundtrack, since it’s composition is one of my favorites in rap music in general, but it’s impossible to ignore the soundtrack’s true highlight, the award winning Three 6 Mafia track “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp”. Encapsulating the film’s theme (a street pimp trying to make it in the rap industry), the track features an infectiously catchy hook, some sick lyrical licks, and a beat that makes to turn the bass up to the top. Who can forget Three 6 Mafia’s insane performance on Oscar night? No one. And who can deny that Hustle & Flow is one of the best rap soundtracks? No one who isn’t a complete dumb ass.
15. Manhattan
Perhaps I’m biased, being that this is my #2 favorite film, and I’m a profuse Woody Allen fan, but you can’t deny what a great collection this soundtrack is. From the beginning of Manhattan, Issaac (Woody’s character) says he always sees Manhattan “in black and white, set to the music of George Gershwin”. and so begins a montage of Manhattan set to Gershwin’s masterpiece, Rhapsody in Blue. The soundtrack consists entirely of instrumental Gershwin tunes, all performed by the New York Philharmonic. These are the best performances of these songs you’ll ever get on recording if you want my opinion (and if you don’t want my opinion, I wouldn’t suggest reading a web page entirely devoted to said opinions), and the music works in the film so well it becomes an integral character, at times, accentuating every moment perfectly. This is a terrific collection of the works of Gershwin, and even if I’d never seen the film, I’d certainly still listen to this record on a weekly basis. Highly worth looking into, even is you’re not nebbish-y enough to like Woody’s work.
14. Shaft
A grossly ignored soundtrack album on Rolling Stone’s list, Issaac Hayes award winning soundtrack to Shaft is the origin of rap music, and undoubtedly one of the best film soundtracks of all time. Here, instead of giving another long paragraph of praise, just watch, and try and tell em this isn’t one of the greatest soundtracks ever recorded.
13. Magnolia
Not since Elliott Smith in ‘98 was anyone so robbed of a Best Original Song Oscar. Aimee Mann’s soundtrack to P.T. Anderson’s 1999 Magnolia is one of the film’s best features, and it introduced the world to one of the best singer-songwriter music talents out there today. From the cover of “One” to the rocking “momentum”, Mann’s range is in full display on this album. The tear-jerking “Wise Up”, seen during the group sing-along scene, seems the hopeless parallel to the album’s highlight, the gorgeous plea of “Save Me”, the Oscar nominated track that should have been Mann’s victory song. The soundtrack also features two songs by Supertramp, “Dreams” by Gabrielle (a favorite of Quiz Kid Donnie Smith), and “Magnolia” Jon Brion’s score for the film. Though, this truly is Mann’s shining album, and god damn does she shine. I cannot recommend this record highly enough, in this ranks in the top 3 of my favorite film soundtracks of all time. However, I’m trying to be objective here, so let’s move on.
12. Top Gun
Let me make this clear: On a personal level, I dislike this movie and it’s soundtrack. 80’s anthems like Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” and Berlin’s Oscar winner “Take My Breath Away” just ain’t my dig, man. However, for those whose dig it is, you can’t do better than this. This movie was as much about the music as it was about the planes, and you can’t find a better example of 80’s movie soundtrack than what you’re listening to right here. One cannot deny the significance of a soundtrack like Top Gun (no matter how much one tries. And believe me, one has tried. Very hard), and I’m sure many now in the air force have these songs in part to blame…I mean, thank.
11. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
This Grammy winning soundtrack is a revelation. I massive seller, hugely popular soundtrack that features no hip, trendy songs, but instead revived interest in…bluegrass? Yes, the Coen Brother’s retelling of The Odyssey features great tracks like Harry McClintock’s “Big Rock Candy Mountain”, Alison Krauss siren song “Didn’t Leave Nobody But The Baby”, and of course the virtual theme song of the film “Man Of Constant Sorrow” by The Soggy Bottom Boys. The film is a hilarious, quirky, twisted take on Homer but the soundtrack is pure American folk and bluegrass mastery. The idea that the Coen brothers could produce a massively popular soundtrack made entirely of bluegrass tunes is unbelievable, but after one listen, the only unbelievable thing is that it didn’t make Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest albums.
10. That Thing You Do!
That Thing You Do! Is for 60’s pop music what O Brother, Where Art Thou is to Dustbowl folk. The soundtrack is the most important part of this film, the story of the one-hit wonder band appropriately name The Wonders (or The Oneders), and the songwriters (including producer and actor Tom Hanks, who penned “Lovin’ You Lots and Lots”) do the job tenfold, crafting a brilliant soundscape of the pre-psychedelic world of 60’s music. Everyone looks back on the 60’s now and thinks Woodstock, but this, from all reports, is really what the radios sounded like. And even more screwed out of an oscar than either Aimee Mann or Elliott Smith was the title track for this film, that is undoubtedly one of the best pop songs ever composed. This album is a more perfect time-capsule of “classic” pop-rock music from the 50’s and 60’s than most of the albums meant to be said time capsules on Rolling Stone’s 500 list, and none of the songs were even written back then. Great soundtrack, great film, and a truly brilliant title song.
9. Superfly
See my review of the album coming up next, #69.
8. Once
This, right here, is my favorite film soundtrack of all time, and it brought me so much joy when Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova accepted the Oscar for Falling Slowly in 2008. Hansard is one of my heroes, and I own this soundtrack in every form, including a record autographed by the two. So it pains me to put this only as number 8, but again, I’m trying to be objective. Even so, this is one of the greatest original soundtracks ever recorded, to one of the best films of the 00 decade, and it introduced Glen and Marketa to a wide audience. The film is a musical, and all the songs work in a believable fashion. From the opening powerhouse of Hansard’s “Say It To Me Now” (the man has one of the best yells in music) to the somber, tragic ballad of Marketa’s “The Hill”, the soundtrack to Once is a gorgeous collection of pain and suffering in the most beautiful of moments. Painful songs like “Leave”, “Lies”, “All The Way Down” and “When Your Mind’s Made Up” are rivaled by rare upbeat tunes like “Fallen From The Sky” and the playful “Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy” (it makes sense if you watch the film). Though it’s undeniable that the highlight of this soundtrack is the beautiful love song “Falling Slowly”. This is one of those songs every songwriter wishes they were good enough to write, and the scene in which it’s sung in the film is one of the most incredible and beautiful things I’ve seen thus far in my life. The soundtrack to this film is incredible, and the film itself is a grossly ignored masterpiece of simplicity. I cannot beg enough for every person who reads it to seek these piece out. Hansard and Irglova are geniuses of our time, and I mean that without hyperbole. Put on “Falling Slowly”, and I defy you to argue with me.
7. 8 Mile
Every decade has an artist who encapsulates the generation, and pens a song that will forever belong to that time. Like the 90’s had Nirvana and “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, we who came of age in the 00’s will always have Eminem, and his anthemic film theme “Lose Yourself”. The first rap song to ever win the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the triumphant track will always be remembered as a classic, and the film’s soundtrack is, in my opinion, the best rap soundtrack ever produced. Featuring 50 Cent, Nas, Rakim, Gang Starr, Xzibit and Jay-Z, this soundtrack is a who’s who of ‘00 hip-hop. Eminem’s “8 Mile” could have easily been the highlight of the album, but as is the case with most great film soundtracks, all the great tracks are over-shadowed by a true classic. In this case, no matter what great tracks got laid down (“Wanksta” by 50 Cent, “Battle” Gang Starr) “Lose Yourself” will always come out on top. Who can’t recite the chorus from memory, or remember that chilling piano intro. The image burned into our minds of Eminem warming up for the rap battle accompanied by that intro (from the music video, not the film) is a modern day Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull as he bounces in slo-mo around the ring. The lyrics, telling the story of the film, display Em’s poetic sensibility, and the track served is the official welcome part of rap into the mainstream, even more than Will Smith’s Grammy. This soundtrack proved two things to the world: 1) Rap was here to stay and 2) Eminem is one of the kings of the game.
6. The Harder They Come
Review to come. It was supposed to be up on May 4th. Paying catch up, folks. #119.
5. Almost Famous
Cameron Crowe’s masterpiece, a veiled autobiography, would have been half the film it was were it not for the great collection of songs sprinkled without. From Zooey Descanter’s (yeah, she was in this) goodbye set to “America” by Simon & Garfunkel, to the bus-wide sing-along of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”, the songs work as well in the film as they do on their own. Tracks like “I’ve Seen All good People: Your Move” by Yes, “Something In The Air” by Thunderclap Newman, and “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd are all classics in their own right. Crowe just crafted a soundtrack to say “Remember how awesome it was when music didn’t suck?” And, yes, it was awesome. Thank you, Cameron Crowe.
4. Garden State
Undeniably one of the best, most popular, and most influential film soundtracks of all time, Zach Braff’s first (and best) film is a modern classic, a tale of disillusionment and confusion whose soundtrack went on to win a Grammy, and the hearts of thousands of lost, confused “indie”, “hipster” high school kids. I’ve listened to this album so many times, I could list the tracks by memory, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. It introduced us to The Shins, Iron & Wine, and Zero 7, and reminded us of greats like Simon & Garfunkel, Colin Hay, and Nick Drake. Braff’s portrait of dissatisfaction in disassociation works so well it feels as if the songs were written for the film. Every great soundtrack since has been called “the next Garden State soundtrack”, so if that doesn’t prove it’s merits, god knows what will. A true classic, as significant to our generation (if not necessarily every single person in it) as any other album of the past 10 years.
3. Star Wars: The Original Soundtrack Anthology
It is undeniable that John Williams’ Star Wars theme is the finest orchestral piece of the past 50 years. Classical music is not dead, my friends. Rather it finds itself in films like Nolan’s Batman trilogy, or in the best example possible, in John Williams’ oeuvre. The theme to Star Wars, as those yellow words roll into space, is one of the most copied, most beloved moments in cinema, and Williams’ scores are inseparable from any great moment in Lucas’ epic trilogy. It’s amazing, however, how well these tracks stand alone, as great orchestral compositions. Sure, one cannot help but think of the Millennium Falcon or Darth Vader when hearing these tracks, but it’s amazing that even without the Jedi, the blasters, or any visuals at all, Williams’ masterful score stands out as genius. I would go so far as to say that the opening overture is as grand, as gorgeous, and s brilliant a composition as any of the great master composers produced. Were John Williams alive in Mozart’s day, Salieri would have been double pissed. If you do not own this anthology of Williams score, it’s without a doubt worth the purchase. This right here is some of the greatest music composed this century.
2. The Graduate
Now, I may take some criticism for being biased (The Graduate is my favorite film) but it cannot be denied that The Graduate is the granddaddy of all film soundtracks. Nichols’ choice to score the film, not with orchestral or mood music, but instead with the songs of popular folk duo Simon & Garfunkel, turned out to be a revolutionary idea, sparking millions of copycats to this day. Every song works so intricately in the film, from the opening sequence cut to “The Sound Of Silence”, to the haunting “Scarborough Fair” sequence, and of course, the famous track “Mrs. Robinson”, written for the film, but not actually completed on time, so never included in it’s full form. I assure you, any film soundtrack you adore, and almost any of the soundtracks from 4-20, owe their life to this soundtrack. Aside from being some of the greatest music of the 60’s, it’s influence and significance alone should earn it’s place at #2. It could have been number 1, but the top slot is undeniable.
1. Saturday Night Fever
The highest selling soundtrack of all time is also the greatest, and THE album of the 70’s. My review of this album is still to come (#131), but let me just say that it is almost undeniable that this album IS what a movie soundtrack should be. Go check your parents record collection. 90% of you will find this there.
I believe in my last review I made it abundantly clear what admiration and adoration I have for Ms. Polly Jean Harvey. Rid Of Me is her second album, which was recorded by Steve Albini, who is responsible for the sound of such albums as The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa and Nirvana‘s In Utero. The album starts off with the title track, and is an example of the habit PJ has that I’m not so much a fan of, which is keeping that fantastically jarring, emotive voice hidden behind all the other instruments. Thankfully, the track picks up volume, if only for moments, on the midpoint of the song, on the “Don’t you don’t you wish you never never met her?”s. Lyrically, the song is dark, violent, erotic, just like PJ Harvey songs should be. What it’s about, beyond bondage and leg licking, well, I leave that up to interpretation. But god damn if it isn’t a great start. The second track, “Missed”, keeps the ethereal feel of the first track, and of the music that would come on To Bring You My Love, and PJ’s voice is easier to hear, thankfully, so you can more appreciate that lilting agony she carries in each lyric. Lines like “Show yourself to me/And I'd believe/I'd moan and I'd weep/Fall silent at your speak/I'd burst in/Full to the brim” are so serenely, painfully beautiful that you need only read them and feel the emotion wash over you. Matched with Harvey’s vocals, and you have a tremendous musical moment.
“Legs” has a bizarre guitar track and Harvey taking on an odd vocal tone, yet it all works in this thinly heavy track that, well, I really don’t know the meaning of. But listen to those wails. The power in this woman’s voice is astounding. “Rub It ‘Til It Bleeds” is lyrically, by far, one of Harvey’s creepiest songs. “I lie steady/Rest your head on me/I'll smooth it nicely/Rub it better 'till it bleeds” is song so sensually as to almost be sexy, were one not paying attention to the words being sung. The song switches from that smoky feel into heavy guitars and pounding drums, and if for nothing else but the sheer musical dynamics of this track, it’s worth a listen. “Hook” moves into the story-telling type songs you find a lot on To Bring You My Love, this time the story of a woman in love, abandoned by her lover, an reduced to nothing. The medieval, tragic feel of the lyrics is contrasted by the buried vocals, the industrial feel of the production, and the sound of what seems like a trash can being pounded. Harvey is like the anti-Jim Morrison, in the sense that she composes fantastic lyrical poetry, but hides them in instrumentation and melody, rather than try to bring them to the forefront as Morrison often did. “Man-Size Sextet” is inexplicably sexy in it’s lyrical imagery musical composition, and is one of the best tracks on the album, without a doubt. I could describe it further, but I’d rather leave it vague and encourage you to seek it out yourself.
The next two tracks are the best on the album, without a doubt. Harvey’s interpretation of “Highway ‘61 Revisited” by Bob Dylan is refreshingly and blessedly unique, shattering the mold of Dylan covers being, well, anything like the original. Even if you don’t enjoy what she did with the song, you have to admire the originality. “50ft Queenie” is the first Harvey track I’ve ever heard (played on WFUV junior year, if I remember correctly) and so began my fascination with Miss Polly Jean. This is probably the most commercially accessible song from this album, which is why they released it as a single. This track fits in the Jane‘s Addiction, RHCP world of the 90’s music industry, but the song is made unique by Harvey’s voice, and her typically perplexing, violently sexual lyrics. For anyone looking to dip their toe into the water of PJ Harvey, this is a great track to start with.
The album continues with “Yuri-G”, “Dry”, “Me-Jane”, “Snake”, and “Ecstasy”, but if I haven’t convinced you to listen to this album yet, praising four more tracks won’t help (plus, I’m trying to give as good a review as possible while saving time to catch up on all of these reviews that are well over-due).
So, in conclusion, Rid Of Me is another great album by PJ Harvey that I recommend, however, I would choose To Bring You My Love or Stores From The City, Stories From The Sea over it. Just saying. It deserves a place on this list, and for those interested, I would say it’s worth a listen, but listen to just “50ft Queenie”, then the other two albums, first. Come to this later. You’ll appreciate it much more then.
-Mike
See you next for #69: Superfly by Curtis Mayfield.
Loveless, the second album by My Bloody Valentine, kicks off with “Only Shallow”, a track that shows where The Smashing Pumpkins stole their style from. Heavy swirling guitars that would make Jonny Greenwood jealous, and buried vocals that just become another instrument, this is the kind of track Buffy would dance to at The Bronze. Here, ladies and gentlemen, is a piece of history. You are witnessing the big bang of 90’s alternative rock.
The album continues with track after track of this kind of music, which quite frankly isn’t my favorite, but hey, it’s a classic album, and a staple of it’s genre. The songs all seem to blend together stylistically, quite frankly, and it would be a disservice to the record to sit and dissect it, and I don’t actually love it or hate it enough to go on for pages. It’s a great album of music I don’t particularly enjoy, if that makes sense. Some of the tracks, like “To Here Knows When” are over-blown and overly long. So I do encourage you to listen to it. Maybe you’ll never listen to it more than once, but if for nothing else but to see where Radiohead, Muse, The Smashing Pumpkins, and most other lilting voiced, swirling guitar bands got their sound from, Loveless should be given a listen.
So, on the 500 list in undoubtedly stays, despite my not terribly much enjoying it. It’s not my cup of tea, though I will admit certain tracks, like “When You Sleep” and “I Only Said” were enjoyable. Maybe I’ll get Nick Young to come back and explain the album’s greatness better, but for now, let me say it’s worth listening to for the significance, if not so much the music.
Let’s just say on the outset: Eric Clapton is the man. The. Man. The master is always in good form, and his stellar 1977 album Slowhand is no different. I already can say from the outset that I will beg you all to listen to this blues-rock masterpiece, but let’s praise it as a formality, shall we?
The album opens on “Cocaine”, one of Clapton’s most laid-back, yet heaviest tracks. “Cocaine” is originally a J.J. Cale song, but lord knows no one remembers that. All anyone remembers is Clapton’s chill vocals proclaiming “She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie, cocaine.” No one realizes it’s an anti-drug song, and that’s exactly how Clapton wanted it. Of course, just like any Clapton song, it’s not really about the meaning, or the lyrics, or the chorus, or the melody. It’s hearing that guitar tear up your stereo. You can’t help put air-guitar to every note bend during that solo. “Cocaine” remains to this day one of the best jam-songs Clapton ever recorded, and is followed up by one of the most beautiful love songs Eric Clapton has ever composed.
Written for Patti Boyd, the subject of “Layla” and George Harrison’s former wife, “Wonderful Tonight”, is one of the simplest, sweetest, and most tender love songs ever recorded. The lyrics read like a poem, the type that Keats or Shelley would read to a lover, and the guitar only highlights the gentle beauty in the sheer marvel and admiration Clapton feels for this woman. There are four love songs I look at and wish I’d written. This is one of them. Clapton follows up this sweet ballad with one of hi most country tinged tracks, the classic “Lay Down Sally”, that sounds more like a song by Bad Blake than Eric Clapton, but that’s just what makes him so incredible. The man was a member of the psychedelic Cream, the bluesy Derek and the Dominoes, Blind Faith, and yet here he is, writing love songs, hard rock, and southern blues, all in a row. And just listen to that guitar solo. If that isn’t a fine young Englishman returning to his blues roots, I don’t know what is.
The next track is the Clapton-classic (as in, classic only to Clapton fans) “Next Time You See Her”. This is one of those tracks that has such power live, even though it comes off kind of subdued on this album. And that is to the album’s advantage. After rip-roaring albums like Disreali Gears and Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, Clapton crafted an album of soft tock tunes, gentle blues where you can just sit in your chair with your guitar and play along. Sure, you’re not gonna be dancing in the aisle, but he doesn’t want you to. Just relax, mellow out and slow-jam with the master. (That’s right, get out your guitars. You’re never gonna get better without practice. What am I paying for all those lessons for?)
“We’re All The Way” is a Don Williams composition that Clapton turns into a relaxing camp-fire-esque song, with Eric gently singing us into the night. It’s a brief tribute to all the gnelte songs that came prior, before we bust into the 8 minute hard-rock track “The Core”. Here Clapton gets as heavy as ever, crafting a real guitar song, with guest vocals from Yvonne Elliman, of “I Don‘t Know How To Love Him” fame. Just listen to that riff, and tell me this song wasn’t crafted for ol’ Slowhand himself (yes, his nickname is Slowhand. That’s the album’s namesake). After a terrific sax solo, just listen to Clapton rip it up like his life depended on it. This is Doobie Brothers. This is Allman Brothers. This is Clapton doing what Clapton does best.
“May You Never” switches back to the soft jam, complete with soft-sung vocals and light organ inflections. Though less country-tinged than “Lay Down Sally”, you can still feel the country influence. Speaking of country music influencing Clapton’s songs, we move to “Mean Old Frisco”. This is a deep, pounding blues track, the type Buddy Guy or B.B. King would play. To hear this kind of music from a scrawny white English guy is mind-rattling, but lord knows, Clapton can keep up with the best of them. The soul in the man’s guitar playing comes out clear as day on this track, and shows once more why “Clapton Is God”.
The album ends on “Peaches & Diesel”, a gorgeous finale track that’s all guitar, acting as a sort of reminder of the content of the album, giving variations on the theme of “Wonderful Tonight”. It’s a terrific final track to one of the best albums Clapton has ever recorded.
I truly and deeply recommend this album. If you go on looking for heavy rock and roll, you’ll be let down, but if you want to put on a record with some of the best guitar playing of all time, and don’t mind it being gentle and smooth, then you can’t do better than this.
Listened to: CD
