The Bulldog 150

Bulldog · 02-09-2009, 05:09 PM

On with this thing then...

96. Third World - 96 Degrees In the Shade (1977)

I was looking for a little bit of info on this album earlier today and amazed to see how little there was. In fact, allmusic summed this album up in one sentence; 'the album that cemented their stateside popularity'. Hardly does this album justice really. Alright I can't really be arsed to do much better, but it's still a shame this album's so obscure. This, the Jamaican reggae outfit's second album, is their best effort to me, being one of the finest roots reggae albums I've ever heard, merging the rhythms of Big Youth with the intense, thought-provoking lyrics of Burning Spear, producing some pretty damn fine results too. The production is wonderful too; it's clean, polished sound paving the way for bands like the mighty mighty Steel Pulse. Oh, and Human Marketplace is an absolute gem of classic reggae too.
The best bits: Feel a Little Better, Human Marketplace, 1865

95. Frank Zappa - Jazz From Hell (1986)

It's hard to pick a favourite Zappa album among not only such a huge discography but also such a musically varied and, of course, brilliant one. As much as I love Absolutely Free, Freak Out!, Sheik Yerbouti and so on, if I had to pick one album it'd probably be this. Seven instrumentals composed (and performed) entirely on the Synclavier DMS synthesizer and one blissful, 6 1/2 minute-long guitar solo really struck a chord with me the way the others have yet to do. No doubt I'll wake up tomorrow morning, look at this post and regret not choosing another album, but f*ck it. Jazz From Hell; terrific album, aptly titled too.
The best bits: Night School, While You Were Art II, St. Etiene

94. Souad Massi - Deb (2003)

I won't claim to know much about French music, but I bought this album when I was going on a world music spree when I was teenager. Combining elements of modern chanson, soft jazz and good old folk rock, this is one of the standouts of the many such albums I blew my hard-earned cash on. One of the features of truly great, non-English-speaking (for want of a better phrase) music is that the music is strong to render the vocals as another instrument in itself, and in this case Souad Massi's wonderful voice becomes as such. I only know how to say hello, goodbye and one, two, three in French, but I still love this album. She's a lot better than Edith bleedin' Piaf as well.
The best bits: Le Bien et le Mal, Deb, Bel el Mahdi

93. Ohio Players - Skin Tight (1974)

The seventh Ohio Players album delivers six tracks of sheer energy and passion. When it's not delivering the funk, the whole funk and nothing but the funk (like on the terrific Jive Turkey) it conjures some pretty convincing soul ballads (Heaven Must Be Like This). A pretty damn sexy album.
The best bits: Skin Tight, Jive Turkey, Is Anybody Gonna Be Saved?

02-09-2009, 05:09 PM	#5 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	On with this thing then... 96. Third World - 96 Degrees In the Shade (1977) I was looking for a little bit of info on this album earlier today and amazed to see how little there was. In fact, allmusic summed this album up in one sentence; 'the album that cemented their stateside popularity'. Hardly does this album justice really. Alright I can't really be arsed to do much better, but it's still a shame this album's so obscure. This, the Jamaican reggae outfit's second album, is their best effort to me, being one of the finest roots reggae albums I've ever heard, merging the rhythms of Big Youth with the intense, thought-provoking lyrics of Burning Spear, producing some pretty damn fine results too. The production is wonderful too; it's clean, polished sound paving the way for bands like the mighty mighty Steel Pulse. Oh, and Human Marketplace is an absolute gem of classic reggae too. The best bits: Feel a Little Better, Human Marketplace, 1865 95. Frank Zappa - Jazz From Hell (1986) It's hard to pick a favourite Zappa album among not only such a huge discography but also such a musically varied and, of course, brilliant one. As much as I love Absolutely Free, Freak Out!, Sheik Yerbouti and so on, if I had to pick one album it'd probably be this. Seven instrumentals composed (and performed) entirely on the Synclavier DMS synthesizer and one blissful, 6 1/2 minute-long guitar solo really struck a chord with me the way the others have yet to do. No doubt I'll wake up tomorrow morning, look at this post and regret not choosing another album, but fck it. Jazz From Hell; terrific album, aptly titled too. The best bits:* Night School, While You Were Art II, St. Etiene 94. Souad Massi - Deb (2003) I won't claim to know much about French music, but I bought this album when I was going on a world music spree when I was teenager. Combining elements of modern chanson, soft jazz and good old folk rock, this is one of the standouts of the many such albums I blew my hard-earned cash on. One of the features of truly great, non-English-speaking (for want of a better phrase) music is that the music is strong to render the vocals as another instrument in itself, and in this case Souad Massi's wonderful voice becomes as such. I only know how to say hello, goodbye and one, two, three in French, but I still love this album. She's a lot better than Edith bleedin' Piaf as well. The best bits: Le Bien et le Mal, Deb, Bel el Mahdi 93. Ohio Players - Skin Tight (1974) The seventh Ohio Players album delivers six tracks of sheer energy and passion. When it's not delivering the funk, the whole funk and nothing but the funk (like on the terrific Jive Turkey) it conjures some pretty convincing soul ballads (Heaven Must Be Like This). A pretty damn sexy album. The best bits: Skin Tight, Jive Turkey, Is Anybody Gonna Be Saved?