1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die- Music Banter Edition

**Frownland** · 09-07-2014, 12:24 PM

105. Derek Bailey - Ballads (2002)

Derek Bailey takes on jazz standards in this album comprised of solely acoustic guitar. For those of you who aren't familiar with Bailey, his approach towards a new form of improvisation began in the 70s with Tony Oxley and Gavin Bryars. His style is generally atonal as Bailey shows us unexplored territories of the guitar both melodically and texturally, but this album (along with its sister album released in 2007, "Standards") is a bit different. As opposed to his somewhat confrontational or abrasive style that you see in albums like Improvisations and Carpal Tunnel, we're given a taste of the theme, often played more with a more melancholic feel than normal, until Bailey uses these old ideas as a jumping off point for improvisation which leads to some interesting places. Even if you don't enjoy the style, as it can be hard to get into, one thing that everyone can appreciate is the passion and soul that Bailey breathes into his instrument. Some songs are outright beautiful throughout, others begin as pretty little ducks and turn into ugly swans. A real masterpiece, this album.

106. Marc Ribot - Saints (2001)

This is another album of cover songs for solo guitar. The covers range from spirituals such as "Go Down Moses" to Ayler's free jazz standards like "Witches and Devils", and Ribot even pays respect to artists like Django and The Beatles on this album. Many of the songs on this album start off with the theme and travels to very new directions; however, as opposed to the Bailey album mentioned above, Ribot heavily injects his style into the pieces by way of new arrangements. Saints has a lot of diversity, covering some of the many musical faces of Marc Ribot. Tracks like "Saints" and "Book of Heads #13" are Bailey-esque due to their extremely textural nature, while tracks such as "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)" reveal a more refined and classically based edge of Ribot's playing (while still going into more avant-garde regions of course). Initially I was disappointed by this album because I was expecting the exciting free jazz rock manner that Ribot plays on the album Asmodeus: Book of Angels Vol. 7, which is a style that's not touched so much on this album save for "St. James Infirmary". However, returning to it with a more open mind made this my favourite Ribot album as it really is astounding.

107. Joe Pass - Virtuoso (1973)

Virtuoso is the most technically talented (though Ribot is a VERY close second) and accessible of these three jazz guitar albums. The title says it all as Joe Pass is an impeccable guitarist as his playing glides through seemingly impossible passages while still introducing soul to the music. This is also made up of standards save for the track "Blues for Alican." I think my favourite part of this album is Pass's phrasing and the way he adds in fills to the theme in a style that's very much his own. I don't have as much to say about this album as the other two but Virtuoso has more than earned its place on this list and it's worth your time whether you're a jazz fan or not.

Josef K · 09-07-2014, 12:32 PM

Love that Ribot album, nice pick.

slickthomas · 09-08-2014, 10:38 AM

108 - Melt-Banana - Cellscape (2003)

A Japanese sonic assault on the senses, but with well written songs. The album starts off with a sound effects piece as a warmup. Then the second song "Shield for your eyes, a beast in the well on your hands" (gotta love the song titles) kicks off what the album is really about with fast brilliant guitar work using tons of effect pedals (Agata is the best relatively unknown guitarist and definitely the best at effects). About halfway through the song Yasuko starts her barking singing style in English though you can't make out most of the words. Rika the bassist is good and the drum machine programming is so good there was a debate for a long time if it was a machine or a person.

The next 6 songs are each very unique though follow the description I mentioned above. "If it is the deep sea, I can see you there" the band slows down and has a very normal rock song with normal singing. Finally, the outro is a 10 minute ambient piece that chills you out.

I am recommending this album because the combination of high energy, melody, and unique sound (all the guitar effects in particular) is so rare and has never been executed better IMHO.

PS I'm too new here to be allow to post the covert art.

Anteater · 09-08-2014, 03:48 PM

109. David Sylvian & Robert Fripp - The First Day (1993)

What would King Crimson have been like with David Sylvian as lead vocalist and some early 90's House beats? As it turns out, the results are brilliant, strange, hooky and even puzzling at times. A shame they didn't put out a few more recordings under this partnership.

Psy-Fi · 09-10-2014, 06:14 PM

110. Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers - Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers (1971)

The debut album of Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor, one of my top 10 all-time favorite blues albums and one I never get tired of hearing. Sort of like John Lee Hooker crossed with Elmore James, backed by another guitar player, cranked up through some cheap amplifiers with generous helpings of distortion and fuzz, with a drummer pounding out a primitive, steady beat. The opposite of slick, smooth, sterile, boring blues... this is the real stuff... straight, no chaser and a kick like a mule!

"When I die," Taylor once said, "they'll say, 'he couldn't play **** but he sure made it sound good.'"

He sure did make it sound good! And a hell of a lot of fun too!

Black Francis · 09-11-2014, 11:34 PM

111. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are you the destroyer? 2007

im a little surprised this album hasn't been mentioned, this album was my introduction to Of Montreal and from what ive heard from fans of the band is among their best work.

At first it took me awhile to get into their sound which is like Indie psychedelic pop a genre i never liked before but something their song arrangements keep me intrigued in the band.

Kevin Barnes vocals have like a super sonic quality to them that just blend with the cheery sometimes irreverent mood of the album.
Track wise this album is diverse and experimental yet consistently good and the tracks you didn't like at first (in my case 'Cato as a pun') pretty soon became your favorites after you get used to the sound of the band.

I love this Album and constantly recommend it to ppl who never heard Of Montreal and most times they end up loving it too.

Dylstew · 09-12-2014, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

Robbin the Hood has always been my favorite Sublime album. I really dig it.

It just left me with a ''Wtf did I just listen to?'', aside from a few songs.

Ninetales · 09-15-2014, 11:16 PM

well I figure its about time to add another to this so here we go

112. Zauberberg by Gas (1997)

and we're back to ambient for me. I like to describe this album as an essential "lonely" album. It instills this feeling of being hopelessly lost in the dark. But it manages to be maintain this frightening atmosphere, while being soothing as well. I think it's this calmness that makes it so uneasy. You can hear your heartbeat throughout the entire album...

If you're a fan of ambient music and have never heard this, please remedy this immediately.

**Frownland** · 09-15-2014, 11:25 PM

113. The Peter Brotzmann Octet - The Complete Machine Gun Sessions (1968)

Screeching saxophones, clarinets, clattering and somewhat senseless drums, bassists making their bows pay for what they did, and fumbling piano. It's a ****ing mess...but it's the best mess you've ever heard. This is the loudest jazz out there, and it's probably heavier than most of the metal bands you listen to. Led by the great saxophonist Peter Brotzmann, the group has other great reed aficionados Evan Parker and William Breuker. We also have Fred Van Hove on the piano with Peter Kovald and Buschi Niebegall on basses. What really steals the show, for me at least, are the drums which are provided by Sven-Ake Johansson and Han Bennink. Bennink is a ****ing madman. This is free jazz at its best and most abrasive, well worth the time to listen to if you're a free jazz or cacophony fan in any way. It's basically Albert Ayler on crack-cocaine.

Anteater · 09-16-2014, 03:51 PM

114. The Diogenes Club - The Diogenes Club (2011)

Easily the best full length synth-pop LP of last ten years or more, and I don't levy that sort of praise easily. You can hear echoes of all sorts of bands and artists in their approach (that includes Roxy Music, Smashing Pumpkins, even soft-rock groups like Firefall and Ambrosia) but the songwriting is at such an uniform level of excellence that I think it would be a shame not to give it a place on this list.

09-07-2014, 12:24 PM	#211 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Solo Guitar 105. Derek Bailey - Ballads (2002) Derek Bailey takes on jazz standards in this album comprised of solely acoustic guitar. For those of you who aren't familiar with Bailey, his approach towards a new form of improvisation began in the 70s with Tony Oxley and Gavin Bryars. His style is generally atonal as Bailey shows us unexplored territories of the guitar both melodically and texturally, but this album (along with its sister album released in 2007, "Standards") is a bit different. As opposed to his somewhat confrontational or abrasive style that you see in albums like Improvisations and Carpal Tunnel, we're given a taste of the theme, often played more with a more melancholic feel than normal, until Bailey uses these old ideas as a jumping off point for improvisation which leads to some interesting places. Even if you don't enjoy the style, as it can be hard to get into, one thing that everyone can appreciate is the passion and soul that Bailey breathes into his instrument. Some songs are outright beautiful throughout, others begin as pretty little ducks and turn into ugly swans. A real masterpiece, this album. 106. Marc Ribot - Saints (2001) This is another album of cover songs for solo guitar. The covers range from spirituals such as "Go Down Moses" to Ayler's free jazz standards like "Witches and Devils", and Ribot even pays respect to artists like Django and The Beatles on this album. Many of the songs on this album start off with the theme and travels to very new directions; however, as opposed to the Bailey album mentioned above, Ribot heavily injects his style into the pieces by way of new arrangements. Saints has a lot of diversity, covering some of the many musical faces of Marc Ribot. Tracks like "Saints" and "Book of Heads #13" are Bailey-esque due to their extremely textural nature, while tracks such as "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)" reveal a more refined and classically based edge of Ribot's playing (while still going into more avant-garde regions of course). Initially I was disappointed by this album because I was expecting the exciting free jazz rock manner that Ribot plays on the album Asmodeus: Book of Angels Vol. 7, which is a style that's not touched so much on this album save for "St. James Infirmary". However, returning to it with a more open mind made this my favourite Ribot album as it really is astounding. 107. Joe Pass - Virtuoso (1973) Virtuoso is the most technically talented (though Ribot is a VERY close second) and accessible of these three jazz guitar albums. The title says it all as Joe Pass is an impeccable guitarist as his playing glides through seemingly impossible passages while still introducing soul to the music. This is also made up of standards save for the track "Blues for Alican." I think my favourite part of this album is Pass's phrasing and the way he adds in fills to the theme in a style that's very much his own. I don't have as much to say about this album as the other two but Virtuoso has more than earned its place on this list and it's worth your time whether you're a jazz fan or not. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

09-11-2014, 11:34 PM	#216 (permalink)
Black Francis Out of Place Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: in an abstract house Posts: 4,111	111. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are you the destroyer? 2007 im a little surprised this album hasn't been mentioned, this album was my introduction to Of Montreal and from what ive heard from fans of the band is among their best work. At first it took me awhile to get into their sound which is like Indie psychedelic pop a genre i never liked before but something their song arrangements keep me intrigued in the band. Kevin Barnes vocals have like a super sonic quality to them that just blend with the cheery sometimes irreverent mood of the album. Track wise this album is diverse and experimental yet consistently good and the tracks you didn't like at first (in my case 'Cato as a pun') pretty soon became your favorites after you get used to the sound of the band. I love this Album and constantly recommend it to ppl who never heard Of Montreal and most times they end up loving it too. __________________ "Hey Kids you got to meet the MIGHTY PIXIES!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbRbCtIgW3A

09-15-2014, 11:25 PM	#219 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	113. The Peter Brotzmann Octet - The Complete Machine Gun Sessions (1968) Screeching saxophones, clarinets, clattering and somewhat senseless drums, bassists making their bows pay for what they did, and fumbling piano. It's a **ing mess...but it's the best mess you've ever heard. This is the loudest jazz out there, and it's probably heavier than most of the metal bands you listen to. Led by the great saxophonist Peter Brotzmann, the group has other great reed aficionados Evan Parker and William Breuker. We also have Fred Van Hove on the piano with Peter Kovald and Buschi Niebegall on basses. What really steals the show, for me at least, are the drums which are provided by Sven-Ake Johansson and Han Bennink. Bennink is a *ing madman. This is free jazz at its best and most abrasive, well worth the time to listen to if you're a free jazz or cacophony fan in any way. It's basically Albert Ayler on crack-cocaine. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.* d e a f b o x

09-07-2014, 12:32 PM	#212 (permalink)
Josef K A Jew on a motorbike! Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 800	Love that Ribot album, nice pick.

09-08-2014, 10:38 AM	#213 (permalink)
slickthomas Groupie Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 17	108 - Melt-Banana - Cellscape (2003) A Japanese sonic assault on the senses, but with well written songs. The album starts off with a sound effects piece as a warmup. Then the second song "Shield for your eyes, a beast in the well on your hands" (gotta love the song titles) kicks off what the album is really about with fast brilliant guitar work using tons of effect pedals (Agata is the best relatively unknown guitarist and definitely the best at effects). About halfway through the song Yasuko starts her barking singing style in English though you can't make out most of the words. Rika the bassist is good and the drum machine programming is so good there was a debate for a long time if it was a machine or a person. The next 6 songs are each very unique though follow the description I mentioned above. "If it is the deep sea, I can see you there" the band slows down and has a very normal rock song with normal singing. Finally, the outro is a 10 minute ambient piece that chills you out. I am recommending this album because the combination of high energy, melody, and unique sound (all the guitar effects in particular) is so rare and has never been executed better IMHO. PS I'm too new here to be allow to post the covert art.

09-15-2014, 11:16 PM	#218 (permalink)
Ninetales Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: livin wild Posts: 2,179	well I figure its about time to add another to this so here we go 112. Zauberberg by Gas (1997) and we're back to ambient for me. I like to describe this album as an essential "lonely" album. It instills this feeling of being hopelessly lost in the dark. But it manages to be maintain this frightening atmosphere, while being soothing as well. I think it's this calmness that makes it so uneasy. You can hear your heartbeat throughout the entire album... If you're a fan of ambient music and have never heard this, please remedy this immediately.