Muruch's Classic Albums Appreciation Club
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Since a few of you requested I keep posting about this here, I made a new category so we won't clutter up the YayBlog! thread.
For those that missed it, I started a "Classic Albums Appreciation Club" on my site Muruch. At the beginning of every week, I select a classic album (from any decade) to listen to from beginning to end with no distractions. The next week, I post about the previous week's listening experience along with the new selection.
Week 1 (Led Zeppelin IV)
Week 2 (The Who's Tommy)
This week's selection...
U2's The Joshua Tree
Click on the links to read my thoughts about each album (long story short - I loved Zep, hated Tommy), comment with your own opinions and suggestions for future album. Or just click on it to help my traffic stats. ;)
And for those that already suggested albums in the YayBlog! thread, I added them all to my list. Thanks! -
We do something similar every once in a while but call it Albums Revisited. I don't think I'd ever be able to pull it off every week, however. That's an admirable commitment to take on!
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"We do something similar every once in a while but call it Albums Revisited."
follow biyl daily, enjoy albums revisited whenever it shows up!
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Aww, thanks Merz! I need to get back on the wagon with regard to AR, I really enjoy doing them but they seem to take me a very long time to do.
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Sean - oh yeah I forgot about your albums revisted series. You should do that again! :) I'm not writing proper reviews of the classic albums I choose, just brief thoughts or opinions I had when I listened to them. The focus is more on the listening experience itself and encouraging others to give the whole album their attention without any distractions. So few people listen to albums from beginning to end, and even those few usually do it while sitting infront of the computer (or in my case while driving).
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@Muruch - I like the brief thoughts and opinions approach too. And having the approach to encourage others to give the whole album their attention.
Regarding "Tommy", I agree with your comments/opinions on that one. It's most definitely a "difficult listen". It probably goes down in history as one of the first "rock operas" but is not The Who's best work (imo). My favorite is 71s "Who's Next".
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This Week's Selection:
Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes
Click on the link for my thoughts on last week's U2 pick.
@nullity - I agree about "Who's Next." :) -
Tori Amos and Sean do not mix. You'd think I'd like her because I like a lot of people that are compared to her, but for some reason her voice drives me up the wall. It might be because I had a roommate that was 'TORI! TORI! TORI!' 24/7. Like nails on a freakin' chalkboard.
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yeah, i'm with sean on this one. i respect what she does, and can understand the appeal, but her music is not for me.
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While I don't want to take anything away from you, Vic (because I think these columns are awesome), I thought it'd be worth sharing our feature called "The Past Presents", if you haven't already seen it. I worked with one of our wiser-than-I'll-ever-be contributors Jesse on framing the idea and he has ran with it. Only three have been written so far, but I think you'll enjoy...
http://www.knoxroad.com/category/the-past-presents/
Here's my little Editor's Note about it:
"We’re proud to announce a new feature here on Knox Road, titled “The Past Presents”. Author Jesse Croom will be a regular contributor to KR with this column and a column about cassette culture. Essentially, The Past Presents explores the importance of context. It revisits revered albums from the past 20-25 years to ask the question, “Is this album still a classic, or has it lost its edge over the years?”. Was it a great record for that particular time and place, or is it something we’ll be passing on to our kids? It will also look at the “lost classics” – countless albums that should have earned more attention but for one reason or another fell through the cracks. Enjoy." -
Sean & Lips - I knew it would be a somewhat controversial pick given the polarizing effect Tori seems to have on people. Are you talking about Little Earthquakes-era Tori or her post-Choirgirl Hotel releases? There's a big difference, it's like two different artists. Actually three artists, because she got even worse after Scarlet's Walk and I haven't been able to stand listening to her since then. And Sean I totally get the fan turn off factor. After Boys for Pele (her 3rd album), I hated to admit I even liked her music because her fanbase became so ridiculous. Anyway, to each his own. As I said, I don't like her recent releases at all, but I think Little Earthquakes was a landmark album at the time and still holds up well.
Lee - great series! I especially like that you've chosen albums that are a little obscure (at least to mainstream fans). I've been thinking of doing Dead Can Dance's Toward the Within, but I'm not sure how accessible/available it would be for my readers to play along. Anyway, I'm taking a less in-depth approach and focusing on just the listening experience, but I do try to address on whether an album is still great (Led Zeppelin IV) or only classic for the time it was released in (The Who's Tommy:p). -
Week 5
In which I rant a bit about anti-Tori Amos sentiment, then reveal next week's Beatles selection. :) -
Never listened to Tori Amos until now. "Little Earthquakes" is a stellar, gem album. Thanks Muruch, for turning me onto Tori!
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Nullity - Wow, thanks for telling me! I love introducing people to music, especially an old favorite album like that. :) I also highly recommend the Tori albums "Under the Pink," "Boys for Pele" and "From the Choirgirl Hotel." "To Venus and Back" and "Scarlet's Walk" are ok, too. But I don't like her other albums.
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In which I share my lifelong affection for Carole King's Tapestry and reveal this week's obscure 1990s pick. :)
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Yes, Dead Can Dance!"Toward the Within" is a fantastic live album from a fantastic band. "Spleen and Ideal", "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun" are tops for me."Black Sun" is one of my favorite songs of theirs from 1990's superb "Aion". This "homegrown" vid ain't the best but the music and lyrics are awesome.
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Dead Can Dance is one of those bands that I felt like I should be into but never quite got around to. I love a lot of moody goth stuff but somehow they seemed a bit *too* morose and dirge-y.
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Actually, "moody goth" is a totally wrong description of their music. I just posted a moody, gothy, morose, dirge-y song (Black Sun) because I am moody and morose. And "Black Sun" is not a good example, at all, of their work as a whole. It's more a good example of what my fucked up brain likes in music.I would correctly classify their music as "dream" or "ambient" pop. They fantastically combine Euro folk music with classic pop music. I hate to use wiki as a source but their description nails it I think - "ethereal neoclassical world music". The "neoclassical" part is what some refer to as "Dark Wave". So, that's maybe where people get the gothy thing when hearing about them. But to wiki again - "Dark Wave is characterized by the use of ethereal atmosphere and angelic female voices but also adds strong influences from classical music". Like I said, I really don't like quoting from wiki but their description fits perfectly to what I hear in DCD's music.Anyways, Muruch's pick of "Toward the Within" is a live album and I think portrays what their music is. I think it is fantastic and they are/were extremely talented. It might be time to get around to checking them out.
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Daavid - Thanks for your enthusiasm. :) I was afraid this wouldn't be a popular choice, so I'm glad I'm not alone in my Dead Can Dance love.
Sean - I don't know about the rest of their releases, but "Toward the Within" was the album that first introduced me to the traditional Irish songs "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" and "I am Stretched on Your Grave." There is a somber, dirge-like tone to the singing style, but the music is a more exotic mix of Celtic and Middle Eastern folk. And both Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry had powerful, chill-producing voices. Anyway, to each his own, but I think it's one of the most unique and interesting albums ever recorded.
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@Muruch - Yes, "exotic mix of Celtic and Middle Eastern folk" is a way better explanation of their music than the wiki explanation I plagiarized.Also, I think some folks get the "feeling" of the goth classification mainly from the band's name. "Dead Can Dance" does provoke a somber, gothy, morose feeling when mentioned.Plus the song "Black Sun" is not, at all, a good example of their music.
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Here's a brief interview with Brendan Perry and live vid of "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" (that Muruch mentioned). Lisa Gerrard is totally mesmerizing in this footage and song.
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It wasn't just the mp3 you posted David, I've had their stuff routed my way here and there over the years and I just couldn't quite wrap myself around it. I'll have to revisit their catalog and see if my tastes have shifted.
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Sean, yeah I definitely agree, it's not the most accessible music and requires some serious time to absorb. But having said that, I think it would be worth checking them out again. My tastes shift all the time too, so I definitely can relate. I always said I hated rap. But recently, have really been getting into it. Especially the gansta stuff.So yeah, give it a spin again if you got the time. Curious to hear what you think after another spin.
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Had a girlfriend who was obsessed with DCD. She was a little nutty. We had fun!
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so r u saying dcd's music is nutty OR that u r nutty? isnt it time to pen another motherfucking yay blog post?
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Tsuru - I don't remember dating you! ;) I guess DCD attracts nutty girls.
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In which I reiterate & expound on my comments about Toward the Within and reveal the more mainstream, retro pick for this week.
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@Tsuru - My name's Victoria (or Vic), but I was still in high school in the 90s, so it must've been some other nutty girl.
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I didn't really think it was you... but.... can you imagine if it was?
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In which I share my Doors love & reveal this week's pick from the '90s. Two words: Courtney Love.
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In which I teach the kids about Hole and pay homage to Freaks & Geeks with this week's classic album.
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Hole a classic?! I'm not sure I'm down with that.Celebrity Skin was a catchy and all, my old band even paid homage with a cover version at one point, but I'm not sure I'd call them a classic...
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Tim - It was Live Through This, not Celebrity Skin. Very different albums. And yes, I personally consider Live Through This as much a classic as Nevermind or Ten.
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I'm backing up Vic on this one. 'Live Through This' is definitely a landmark album. Hard to believe it's almost 20 years old.
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Maybe I was just too young to experience it at the time - if you two say so it's a classic it probably is.I live and learn...
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Waiting for a Yes album to show up.
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In which I imitate Lindsay on Freaks & Geeks and reveal another '90s pick. Thom Yorke, everybody.
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The Bends and Cyndi Lauper - some quality classics from my childhood right there!
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Tim - It was Live Through This, not Celebrity Skin. Very different albums. And yes, I personally consider Live Through This as much a classic as Nevermind or Ten.
I agree. Live Through This is a great album. Other than that Hole have done the odd good tune but I wouldn't bother with any of their other albums.
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@muruch wow, great series. We tried something similar once we first started but no-one ever read the posts so I kinda gave up http://soundsgoodtometoo.com/category/classic-albums/
Your series is much better though..
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