I was thinking the other day about the idea of an "album." Most releases are not really albums. They don't hold together on concept and they don't lend themselves to start to finish listening. I have tons of records and CDs that have some songs I really love, but others I do not like at all on that same album. Moreover, they just lack coherence. In today's environment of MP3s and iPod shuffling the need to produce a unified concept album seems even less necessary than ever.
I was born in 1965, so that gives you an idea of my time context. There are two things that I discovered when I forced myself to choose my "Top 5." Point number one was that 4 out of my 5 came from my formative years--18-25, and the second was that the music that ends up most enduring generally does not hit you hard right away--it grows on you. See what you think...
Number 5
Chaise Lounge--The Early Years
Before you turn away, this is my only selection that you most likely have not heard of. They are a DC band and this album came out in 1999. I had it in my car for the entire summer. They are a real DC group and they all have lives outside of this, with the exception of Charlie Barnett--he does nothing but music. As you might guess from their name they do "lounge" kind of songs. This little gem is a mix of many originals and some good covers: Burnin' Down the House, Heatwave, One etc. They really have a great chemistry and I try to go and see them in many of the small clubs they play from time to time in the DC area. You can check them out here on Myspace: Chaise Lounge
This still does not capture their live act. They're really good, and very DC.
Number 4
David Sylvian--Secrets of the Beehive
David Sylvian is like David Bowie without the Glam, and he's more spiritual and literate. There are a number of other works from him that are excellent, but nothing holds together like this one. You might be familiar with Brilliant Trees or Gone to Earth, but Secrets of the Beehive is really something special. This album is poetic; the images will haunt you. Tracks like "Orpheus" and "When the Poets Dreamed of Angels" burn into your consciousness. Toward the end he placed an updated version of "Forbidden Colours." This was originally done with Ryuichi Sakomoto for the film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence starring David Bowie among others. On this album it helps climax the feel with the other ephemerel images. You can see much of David Sylvian on Youtube; many of his videos are there--check him out.
Number 3
Prince--Purple Rain
I started listening to Prince with the Controversy album and continued with 1999. Purple Rain, however, was shocking. I still remember when I first heard "When Doves Cry," and I thought that he had gone off the deep end. It was so different, so wierd. But then, over time it revealed itself with the whole album. It was such a departure from what he did previously, and so original. The movie was outstanding from a musical standpoint, I realize the plot was a bit trite. It still stands up, and over and over I cue it up again from time to time. From first to last-it sustains to this day, and he has not been able to come close to matching it.
Number 2
Roxy Music--Avalon
My freshman roomate introduced me to Roxy Music in the fall of 1983. It clicked in the spring of 1984. I heard it many times before, but one day it just started to open up. Avalon was released in 1982, and the big single in the US was "The Space Between." Initially that song turned me off; it still is not my favorite from Avalon, but like everything else: it grows on you. So many of the tracks way exceed the sum of their parts. There's just such outstanding production quality on this album. It is so nuanced and so romantic. "More Than This" (Which has been covered many times) plus "Take a Chance With Me," and "To Turn You On" are so perfect from start to finish. A hippie chick I knew once told me, "Good drugs come on slow." She was mostly referring to acid, and this album is just like that. It takes awhile, but the more you listen to it, the more it takes over. This was the first CD I bought when converting over to the "new" media. Brain Ferry has done some good things after Roxy--Boys and Girls, Bete Noire and other solo efforts, but nothing matches the coherence and strength of Avalon. There is also a concert video from Roxy's reunion tour back in 2001. It is very well done and it captures the entire Roxy range and experience: Live at the Apollo
NUMBER 1
Talking Heads--Remain in Light
If you asked me in college, my favorite TH album would probably have been Little Creatures. After college I rediscovered Remain In Light. This album, like Prince's Purple Rain was shocking when it came out. It just sounded so different from what came before. We were familiar with "Psycho Killer," "Take Me to the River," and "Life During Wartime." This was totally new. When I was in high school I could not really listen to the 2nd side. After college, I rediscovered it. I think that "Once in a Lifetime," is the song of a generation (thus my sig. line), but the other tracks are original, ethnic and so compelling. Take a close look at "The Great Curve,"--"The world moves on a woman's hips, the world moves and it swivels and bops.." or "Seen and Not Seen,"--"he used to see faces on TV, in magazines, and in books. He wondered if some of these faces might be right for him..." or the prescient "Listening Wind." I won't quote the lyrics, but when I played it for my wife recently it brought her to tears. In 1980, David Byrne perfectly depicted the suffering and psychological heartbreak of the 3rd World. He really is a genius, and Stop Making Sense is the best concert movie EVER!! Directed by Jonathan Demme, Stop Making Sense is an interesting combination with some of his other film like Silence of the Lambs. What a range!!
Here's a quick list of some albums I had to leave off: 10,000 Maniacs--In My Tribe, Agent Orange--Living in Darkness, Laurie Anderson--Big Science-Life on a String, Aztec Camera--High Land, Hard Rain, The Beatles--Rubber Soul, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy--Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Dave Bruebeck--Time Out, The Cardigans--Life, The Clash--London Calling, Elvis Costello--This Year's Girl-Armed Forces-When I Was Cruel, The Cure--Boys Don't Cry, Dead Kennedys--Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, Devo--Freedom of Choice, The Doors--The Doors, The Jam--Setting Sons, New Order--Technique, Pink Martini--Hang On Little Tomato-Hey Eugene, Pink Floyd--Dark Side of the Moon-The Wall, The Police--Regatta de Blanc-Syncronicity, Sade--Diamond Life, Sinatra and Basie--It Might as Well Be Swing (1964), The Smiths--Hatful of Hollow-Strangeways Here We Come, Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers-12 Hour Mama, Squeeze--Argybargy,The The--Soul Mining, The Three O'Clock--Sixteen Tambourines, U2--Boy, Violent Femmes--Violent Femmes, The Who--Who's Next, X--Los Angeles, XTC--Black Sea.
What's your personal top 5?