Volume 7, Track 14
“I Got The Blues” by The Rolling Stones (1971) Sticky Fingers found the Rolling Stones in a back-to-basics, let’s-work-on-reinventing-ourselves-blues-and-rock-wise kind of mood. The overall sound was heavier (thanks in large part to the addition of Mick Taylor) and the lyrics became a little darker and heavier too (thanks in large part to the new environment [...]
Volume 7, Track 13
“If” by Pink Floyd (1970) “If” is not only the shortest-titled song in Pink Floyd’s catalog[1] but it may be the most mellow song the band has ever done too. Roger Waters’ voice is barely a couple levels above a whisper, Waters’ accoustic guitar is just as gentle, David Gilmour’s electric guitar is still tucked [...]
Volume 7, Track 12
“Motorpsycho Nitemare” by Bob Dylan (1964) In 1965, Bob Dylan would record “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream” on Bringing It All Back Home using almost exactly the same chords used on “Motorpsycho Nitemare” in the previous year. Both songs share a similar story set-up as well: in the former, a dream is the narrative device for [...]
Volume 7, Track 11
“New Age” by The Velvet Underground (1970) “New Age,” with its caustic opening lyrics “Can I have your autograph?/He said to the fat blonde actress” and its intermittent feeling of is-this-sarcasm-or-is-this-stalking in lines like “You’re over the hill right now/And you’re looking for love/I’ll come running to you/Honey when you want me” give the song [...]
Volume 7, Track 10
“Peace Frog” by The Doors (1970) While I respect The Doors I am ultimately not a huge fan of their music; their catalog is too inconsistent and, on the whole, I am not enamored with Jim Morrison’s image or songwriting ability. (Though their debut album is definitely worth its salt.) Now, my opinion would be [...]
Volume 7, Track 9
“Christmas” by The Who (1969) “Christmas” represents, lyrically, the first major transition on Tommy, as it is the first song to deal with Tommy’s issues in a very different and even philosophical manner (“I believe in love but how can men who’ve never seen light be enlightened?”). It is also the first song of the [...]
Volume 7, Track 8
“Friends” by Led Zeppelin (1970) Okay, I understand why “Immigrant Song” was the single from Led Zeppelin III. It rocks, it’s catchy, and we all try to mimic Robert Plant’s screams at the beginning when we listen to it alone. I get it. Additonally, I also understand that it was selected because, well, Led Zeppelin [...]
Volume 7, Track 7
“Third Stone From The Sun” by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967) “Third Stone From The Sun,” the title of which refers to Earth, is Hendrix’s best all-out expiremental song and it also serves as a bridge to “EXP” and “Up From The Skies,” off of his follow-up album Axis: Bold As Love. “Third Stone From [...]
Volume 7, Track 6
“Morning Dew” by The Grateful Dead (1967) The Grateful Dead’s eponymous debut album, if you were to hear it now, would most likely sound very dated. It is very indicative, musically, of the 1966-67 San Francisco sound; so much so that it almost seems to have been stored in the same vacuum that Surrealistic Pillow [...]
Volume 7, Track 5
“I Know There’s An Answer” by The Beach Boys (1966) One of the primary reasons, I think, that Pet Sounds is such a beloved favorite of so many critics and casual rock listeners is that the music is, for the most part, so playful, bright, inviting, lush, and mesmerizing. (Full review can be found here.) [...]
Volume 7, Track 4
“Can’t Find My Way Home” by Blind Faith (1969) It seems like Eric Clapton has been a part of roughly thirty bands throughout his career and the most ironic thing about all of it is that the one band he was in that was one of the first to be billed as a “supergroup”—the one [...]
Volume 7, Track 3
“Yer Blues” by The Beatles (1968) Disc two of the “white album” has the best glimpses of what The Beatles would have sounded like if they had ever become a full-time rock band or power blues band. “Helter Skelter” is the most hardcore (and notorious) example[1] whereas “Yer Blues” is a more complete example of [...]
Volume 7, Track 2
“Safe European Home” by The Clash (1978) For whatever reason, when I was growing up, mainstream radio barely acknowledged “the only band that matters.” Oh sure, once in a blue moon you might hear “Train In Vain” or “I Fought The Law” but, at the end of the day, you were more likely to find [...]
Volume 7, Track 1
“Trenchtown Rock” by Bob Marley and The Wailers (1975) Live! is best known (and rightfully so) for having arguably one of the greatest live songs ever on it, “No Woman, No Cry.” “Trenchtown Rock,” which opens this 1975 London performance, is a powerhouse track in its own way. The song opens up with a great [...]
Volume 7 Introduction
The last volume was all about the final tracks of albums, and Volume 8 will be all about the opening tracks of albums but before I delve into that I will delve into a volume of songs by icons of the ’60′s and ’70′s. This volume could best be described as “Songs You May Not [...]
Follow
