[Severian]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

On the subject of early(-ish) works by bands who would then move on to create giant masterworks, I prefer the Stones and the Beach Boys.

I love the Stones, but I'm not sure they ever made what I would call a true masterpiece. They're responsible for one of the best six-album runs in rock history (Satanic Majesty through Goat's Head Soup), but all of those albums were defined by their soaring highlights rather than their all around brilliance. Maybe I'm just picky about the word "masterpiece," but to me, that means, more or less, perfection. And I don't think the Stones have a truly perfect record to their name, much as I love them.

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by Severian

I love the Stones, but I'm not sure they ever made what I would call a true masterpiece. They're responsible for one of the best six-album runs in rock history (Satanic Majesty through Goat's Head Soup), but all of those albums were defined by their soaring highlights rather than their all around brilliance. Maybe I'm just picky about the word "masterpiece," but to me, that means, more or less, perfection. And I don't think the Stones have a truly perfect record to their name, much as I love them.

You have neurological problems and should see a specialist ASAP or stop posting.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

You have neurological problems and should see a specialist ASAP or stop posting.

Haha!! Ok ok. Sorry.

Exile probably qualifies. Not my favorite but it probably qualifies.

They've just never made a White Album or a Revolver or a Kind of Blue, Highway 61 Revisited, etc.

[pepper_green]

I would say Let it Bleed but it has hat hoedown version of Honky Tonk Women that I skip. not hatin on hoedowns but y'know. it's not THE Honky Tonk version with the killer groove and that riff.

funny, Sev, you mention Satanic as part of the classic period. fun to hear them attempt something like that whle still being the Stones. usually people start with Jumpin Jack Flash or Beggar's to describe that era. to each their own I gues.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by pepper_green

I would say Let it Bleed but it has hat hoedown version of Honky Tonk Women that I skip. not hatin on hoedowns but y'know. it's not THE Honky Tonk version with the killer groove and that riff.

funny, Sev, you mention Satanic as part of the classic period. fun to hear them attempt something like that whle still being the Stones. usually people start with Jumpin Jack Flash or Beggar's to describe that era. to each their own I gues.

Yeah I know it's not considered part of their classic run by most Stones purists (or pop culture in general) but fuck it, I love that record. Some great tunes on that one, and I think it's where they kicked things up. An obviously snarky nod to the Beatles, in whose shadow the band lived for so long. It's part of the Stones taking ownership of their identity and legacy.

Plus, "Citadel" is incredible and "She's a Rainbow" is perfect. It was an influential record in its own right. The outsider's Sgt. Pepper, or whatever. Inspiring tons of great bands from the Flaming Lips to the Brian Jonestown Massacre.

[evollove]

To keep it simple, I'll call a "masterpiece" an album where I don't skip any tracks. I skip a few on PEPPERS, I skip all over the place on WHITE, and I skip nearly half of ABBY. I maybe skip one or two on HARD or HELP!

Is someone going to trade ALIEN LANES with me?

[Severian]

Originally Posted by evollove

To keep it simple, I'll call a "masterpiece" an album where I don't skip any tracks. I skip a few on PEPPERS, I skip all over the place on WHITE, and I skip nearly half of ABBY. I maybe skip one or two on HARD or HELP!

Is someone going to trade ALIEN LANES with me?

Probably not, because Alien Lanes is one of those albums that has burrowed its way into used bins everywhere. Not to the extent of, say, REM's Monster, but still, it's pretty easy to find.

Re: Masterpieces/"masterpieces"
You skip through half of Abbey Road? Wow. Which half, out of curiosity? The first half has the sometimes grating Octopus's Garden, and Maxwell's Solver Hammer isn't always what I want to hear. But it had George's defining statement (Something), and the world's favorite Beatles song according to Internets (Come Together), also Oh! Darling and I Want You (She's so Heavy), which is one of my personal favorites.

The second half is like one big, busy, wonderful song. Remember back when radio was an actual thing, how they'd often play the entire "Abbey Road Medley" starting with Mr. Mustard (sometimes even You Never Give Me Your Money) and go straight through The End (often leaving out Her Majesty, which bothered me)... anyway, 'member that? It's hard to imagine listening to, like, every other track in that sequence, so I assume you're skipping the first half, or just some scattered songs throughout. No bggie, just curious.

I skip tracks on The White Album too, even though it's my fave. But I skip weird ones that most people like. Blackbird, which I like very much, but it's been quite overused in popular culture as a go-to soundtrack for "I'm sad but I'm inspired, not giving up, blah, blah" moments. I also skip While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which I really don't like much (sorry!!), and find rather boring. But still, all things considered, regardless of which version, White is my favorite and I'd call it a masterpiece, despite the fact that it has skippable tracks ("number nine..").

As far as albums go, Revolver is the "best." I feel that it's a bit overshadowed by Sgt. Pepper's, which is a mighty album indeed, but in terms of consistency and just plain remarkable and enterprising pop songcraft, Revolver is the gold standard for the Beatles as a band. Even though I technically like the White Album more, it would be silly to argue that it's superior as an album.

[noisereductions]

trade Alien Lanes what?

[evollove]

Trade for something better. I'd like to have CD collection where I'll actually listen to everything. I'm getting close. Also have a shitty LADYTRON Cd for some reason I want to unload.

--

I really like "You Never Give Me Yr Money" and "I Want You," but I gotta say, ABBY has always left me a little cold.

Oh yeah. Check out this podcast: The Beatles Multi-Track Meltdown by Anthony Robustelli

Dude isolates individual tracks from the Beatles. Like, hear nothing but the vocals to "Nowhere Man" or the guitar plus sitar in "She Said," etc. A revelation, or at least a neat way to hear the same songs afresh.

[noisereductions]

oh I got you. Yeah, I've been trying to kind of do the same. It'd be cool to look at shelves of CDs' and saying "each one of those is an album I love."

[Severian]

Originally Posted by noisereductions

oh I got you. Yeah, I've been trying to kind of do the same. It'd be cool to look at shelves of CDs' and saying "each one of those is an album I love."

I purged a TON of CDs years ago. Just a fuckton. Got a couple hundred bucks for them at an independent store when I was getting ready to leave the city.

But now I have a bunch MORE CDs and a bunch of NEWER CDs that I don't really need. But I think I at least got rid of all the stuff I actively disliked.

[noisereductions]

my problem is that nobody wants CD's really. I have 200-300 of them sitting in my closet that I've deemed "I don't need these ones." :\

[evollove]

Fuck. If anyone wants to sell some stuff dirt cheap, lemme know.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by evollove

Trade for something better. I'd like to have CD collection where I'll actually listen to everything. I'm getting close. Also have a shitty LADYTRON Cd for some reason I want to unload.

--

I really like "You Never Give Me Yr Money" and "I Want You," but I gotta say, ABBY has always left me a little cold.

Oh yeah. Check out this podcast: The Beatles Multi-Track Meltdown by Anthony Robustelli

Dude isolates individual tracks from the Beatles. Like, hear nothing but the vocals to "Nowhere Man" or the guitar plus sitar in "She Said," etc. A revelation, or at least a neat way to hear the same songs afresh.

Have you read "Here, There and Everywhere" by Geoff Emerick? Nice little book about the Beatles in the studio, describing various techniques and things, during the Revolver and Sgt. Pepper years. Fun read, though it's been a while for me.

[noisereductions]

Originally Posted by evollove

Fuck. If anyone wants to sell some stuff dirt cheap, lemme know.

the vast majority of CD's I'm getting rid of are hip hop.

[evollove]

Damn. I already own every hip-hop album I love. Actually, I could use a copy of Ice T's OG.

Originally Posted by Severian

Have you read "Here, There and Everywhere" by Geoff Emerick? Nice little book about the Beatles in the studio, describing various techniques and things, during the Revolver and Sgt. Pepper years. Fun read, though it's been a while for me.

!!! I acquired it last night. I've been on a rock memoir binge. (See "What are you reading?") Looking forward to it.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by noisereductions

the vast majority of CD's I'm getting rid of are hip hop.

Were you the one who had the Jay-Z special edition "sneakers" bonus disc from the Black Album era?

If so maybe we could talk some turkey. It's the rare hip-hop album that I want and don't own, but that there is one of them.

[noisereductions]

yes, I have that one - and yes it is one that I was planning to get rid of.

If you have an actual list of "want and don't own" lemme know. Maybe I can cross a few off the list at one time?

[Severian]

Originally Posted by evollove

!!! I acquired it last night. I've been on a rock memoir binge. (See "What are you reading?") Looking forward to it.

cool! Let's talk about it when you finish. I'll even re-read it.

[Severian]

Oh, and I'm listening to this:

 

This really holds up. It's been a while, and I'd kinda forgotten about it in my mental list of hip-hop's best of, but shit man. This is one of the all time greats. Got me bouncing in my Subaru in a snow storm. Ha!