A young'uns guide to purusing extensive artist discographies

[bmack86]

I just read the Tom/Yablo Springsteen reviews and am incredibly frustrated that Yablo only actually wrote insight for three of the albums. Hey Greg, it's six years later: finish what you started!

And also, how wrong was he about Thunder Road?

[HowToDisappear]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

So, is that why Yablo hates Tom?




Also, nice job compiling the list, Bryan.

[bmack86]

I take no credit for that. The list has been running since about the 15th page or something. I think John started it initially, it's just been a collaborative work after that.

And I'd like to see this thread revived, and I have a proposition:

Most of the big artists were reviewed 5+ years ago. I would love to see people (new people, not the original reviewers) take on some of the artists reviewed in here and give their own views. Even if the grades occasionally agree, the views are going to differ, and it'd make for interesting reading. C'mon kids, give me a reason to want to listen to Pixies again.

[getbetter]

I want to do a whole jeffery lee piecre write up yet I have maybe three or five albums I havent listen to .




Mike Patton would take me a long time to complete...for now you should listen to Loveage

[FEELS]

Give me a few weeks (just need to digest a couple more albums) and I could take on Smog/Bill Callahan. Not too confident in my writing skills, but hey whatever.

[gillster17]

Loveage??

[getbetter]

Oops lovage

[gillster17]

Intersting the video felt like it was out of a david lynch film.

[bmack86]

Give me a few weeks (just need to digest a couple more albums) and I could take on Smog/Bill Callahan. Not too confident in my writing skills, but hey whatever.

I'd love this. I've been familiarizing myself with his material over the past year, and I've pretty much adored everything I've listened to. I'm now intimately familiar with six albums and would like to know more. I just wish I knew more of his stuff when I saw him in '06.

[fastmusicfan]

I could do Frank Black/Francis, I've pretty much kept up with all of his releases over the past 20 (Holy Shit! 20?...quick Allmusic check....yep, 20) years. Dude puts out a lot of music.

[bmack86]

Please? I only know Los Angeles, and I love it.

[FEELS]

I'd love this. I've been familiarizing myself with his material over the past year, and I've pretty much adored everything I've listened to. I'm now intimately familiar with six albums and would like to know more. I just wish I knew more of his stuff when I saw him in '06.

Yeah, pretty much every album of his amazing. It'd take a while because he's put out 15 albums (plus EP's, which I probably won't do). I just need to give his debut Sewn To The Sky a listen, it's pretty impossible to find though.

[FEELS]

I could also give an updated Animal Collective post, since MPP and Centipede HZ (plus EP's) hadn't been released yet when you did it.

[bmack86]

Do it.

[TallGuyCM]

C'mon kids, give me a reason to want to listen to Pixies again.

I need no push to listen to the Pixies. Some of the most re-listenable music I've come across in my time here on Earth.

[bmack86]

First off: Pixies.

And second, they were one of my first obsessions indie-wise and I listened to them so all-consumingly from 2000 to about 2005 that, like many people for the Beatles, I've got most notes memorized. I still love them, but find little reason to put them on anymore. I'd love to read a fresh opinion from someone here as to why I should that might inspire me to really dive headfirst into their catalog again.

Pixies just being one of many examples.

[TallGuyCM]

I get that. We all have those bands that have suffered from inadvertent overkill due to being so good.

[ods..]

First off: Pixies.

You can be, and are, wrong, Tallguy.

[TallGuyCM]

lol. There are plenty of bands that are just one word that people put a "the" in front of. I'm not sure why Pixies are the one band that I've seen so many people be uptight about that rule with.

[getbetter]

I hate the stupid "the" shanngians.

[ods..]

Shanngians.

From Shanngia, planet outside our solar system.

[TallGuyCM]

First off: Pixies.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[bmack86]

One out of twenty ain't bad I guess.

Edit: And, that was the slogan they used to advertise their first gigs around Boston. Jeez Chris, the thin air up there must be getting to ya.

[nosurprises12]

The live album/2nd disc of this release is fucking incredible.

[getbetter]

First off: Pixies.

And second, they were one of my first obsessions indie-wise and I listened to them so all-consumingly from 2000 to about 2005 that, like many people for the Beatles, I've got most notes memorized. I still love them, but find little reason to put them on anymore. I'd love to read a fresh opinion from someone here as to why I should that might inspire me to really dive headfirst into their catalog again.

Pixies just being one of many examples.

Your collection of pixies cds/vinyls/mp3 are going "You're so pretty when your unfaithful to me." Everytime you play a indie record.....I like to echo how much I enjoy Bossnova the most yet I love all their albums expect that fucking horrible single they put out in the 00's.Such fun memories of being stoned off my ass in science class just listening to surfer rosa and doolittle...sigh even the other weird kids though I was weird singing "broken face" and generally disrupting people around me.



Fuck I am so upset with myself for not seeing that fonda show .

[TomAz]

So, is that why Yablo hates Tom?

oh that's just the beginning. lol.

[AlecEiffel]

I could do Frank Black/Francis, I've pretty much kept up with all of his releases over the past 20 (Holy Shit! 20?...quick Allmusic check....yep, 20) years. Dude puts out a lot of music.

I can do this too, we should do dueling pieces on his post Pixies out put.

[getbetter]

The more Pixies music love the better.

[FEELS]

Gonna get started on Animal Collective tonight, it'll be done by Friday.

[roboticwaltz]

I posted this Joni Mitchell write-up on a music site a couple years ago, figured I would offer it up here while I attempt to do a Nick Drake one, and a re-write of Husker Du or Led Zeppelin afterward. Don't know how I missed this thread, you guys are awesome for doing this and resurrecting it.

Joni Mitchell is my favorite female musician, and she has influenced countless artists from Sonic Youth to Sarah McLachlan. Her alternate tunings, experimentation with jazz and world music, and unusual harmonies truly set her apart from any other songwriter I've heard.

Joni Mitchell [aka Song to a Seagull] (1968)
Her understated yet idiosyncratic debut. Acoustic and folksy, her chords are nevertheless very inventive and unique and her voice is alternately high and girlish and low and booming. The songs are among her best and purest, and this is more of a romantic, fantasy-inspired album than the "lonely lover" records that followed.

Clouds (1969)
This is the weakest of her early acoustic albums, but it's not bad by any means. Her voice is brilliant and radiant throughout, and it's clearer and less mysterious than her rather opaque debut. It boasts some of her most beautiful melodies, and she tackles issues including mental illness and the occult. However, Mitchell pointed out that it's not her most original album and she termed it her "artistic nadir."

Ladies of the Canyon (1970)
Joni really starts to hit her stride here. This is one of her most famous albums and best-selling, but as time has passed other Mitchell albums have overtaken it in terms of popularity and intrigue. Nevertheless, it's great for nostalgics and is the definitive stop for those seeking the sound behind that long blonde-haired Woodstock-era folk queen (although she was already experimenting with chords and textures.) This features some classic songs. such as "Woodstock" which would later be popularized even more by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Blue (1971)
Consistently lauded as her best album, it's not the most adventurous or groundbreaking, but is a textbook example of singer-songwriting excellence. That said, the melodies are highly memorable, always of high quality, and Mitchell's high-pitched voice is a wonder to behold. Most of the songs on this record are absolutely heartbreaking and it really feels like she's exposing the most raw part of her psyche for everyone to hear.

For the Roses (1972)
Vastly underrated, the beautiful and beguiling For the Roses suffers because it is stuck between two of Mitchell's lauded classics, and therefore is seen often as merely a "bridge." Far more than that, her melodies are riveting, her voice soars, and the arrangements are unique and invigorating. One of her best.

Court and Spark (1974)
My favorite Joni Mitchell record. This album shows off Mitchell's brilliant skills as a pop composer. It is sophisticated and melodic, but she is slowly bringing in the jazz elements that made up the rest of her '70s output. It was rightfully hugely commercially successful, but was the tip of the iceberg in terms of what she would go on to achieve musically. "Help Me" is perpetually stuck in my head until the day I die.

The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975)
Mitchell here turned her back on the mainstream with a smooth collection of jazz-flavoured gems, all with her alluring observational detail, wry social commentary, and incredible songwriting abilities. The arrangements are her most imaginative, and it has a sultry, sensual quality throughout. An unquestionable masterpiece. Here, she also starts to experiment with world-music and African rhythms, long before Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins or Sting made it a popular thing.

Hejira (1976)
After the smooth beauty of its predecessor, Mitchell abandoned opulent arrangements for a dark and moody record with Hejira. She reached a new pinnacle of excellence with her lyrics, and this shows off her guitar skills and deepening voice brilliantly. It's jazz-inspired, but in the chords rather than arrangements. Elegant, mature, and refined.

Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (1977)
Experimental and adventurous, this double LP turned many Joni Mitchell fans off after its release in 1977. It gets better and more appreciated with age, perhaps because it was too ahead-of-its-time. She uses world music rhythms and textures to create an interesting and quirky record that is still melodic but more of an acquired taste than before.

Mingus (1979)
The intentions were good, and there's no doubting it's a challenging and intriguing album. But the music just doesn't come up to scratch. Mitchell had been flirting with jazz for almost ten years when this was released and it's a fairly typical '70s jazz fusion record. There are some hidden gems ("The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines") amid the other tediously slow numbers, but it drags and drags. When you consider that another jazzy performer, Rickie Lee Jones, swaggered onto the scene in this very year and sounded authentic, genuine, and cool, this sounds tired, silly, and embarrassing.

Wild Things Run Fast (1982)
Her original desire was to work with The Police in 1981, but they had other commitments. Instead, Mitchell imitated their calypso-style grooves and reggae rhythms for one of her most light-hearted and easygoing albums. She was in a fine mood, and it shows, although some weaker songs prevent it from true classic status.

Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm (1988)
This is one of Mitchell's most difficult albums to digest because there's a stark contrast. Usually, a Mitchell album features 90% undoubted brilliant songs, while the others you can appreciate their worth yet you may not like them. This album, however, features songs that are either truly great ("My Secret Place") or terrible ("The Reoccuring Dream"). The bad songs are bad, and it's not a question of preference. Mitchell comes off heavy-handed, preachy, and whiny on the bad songs. But it's worth investigation for the hidden gems.

Night Ride Home (1991)
After a decade of full-sounding, multi-layered works, Mitchell turned low-key for this sophisticated affair. It's acoustic, but not particularly folksy - Mitchell's smoky voice and intelligent lyrics see to that. It's a high-quality album, though loses some edge with errors in judgement and a couple of irritating arrangements.

Taming the Tiger (1998)
This is unquestionably one of Mitchell's weakest albums but is saved from the bottom of the list by "Harlem in Havana" and "Man from Mars," two great songs that match some of her best. "The Crazy Cries of Love" and "Lead Balloon" are also good songs, but the rest just blend into one dreary, miserable, menopausal whine, with the synthesized guitar sound making matters worse. At least she didn't leave this as her last album, but it was her last of brand new songs for almost a decade.

Both Sides Now (2000)
A standards collection, Mitchell wisely left it until the age of 55 to record the album. After a lifetime of smoking, her voice is suitably smoky and husky to take on this vintage, sophisticated '30s and '40s material, which borrows from the realms of jazz and blues. It can be hardgoing at times, but she perfected the sound on Travelogue.

Travelogue (2002)
Billed as her last new studio work, Travelogue is the perfect epitaph to a great career. These are sophisticated and revitalized symphonic versions of older songs. Mitchell's voice is now smoky and husky, and the perfect complement to the jazzy orchestra.

Shine (2007)
She vowed that she would never record a new album again upon the release of 2002's Travelogue - but Mitchell was moved to create a new work of new, original songs as the issues of global warming, the Iraq War, and corporate greed became ingrained in the public consciousness. Not new themes, then, and no different from Mitchell's pessimistic laments of the past two decades, but this is an elegant, refined, mature affair that features the welcome return of the piano to her sound palette.

For anyone interested, start with Blue, Court and Spark, and the Hissing of Summer of Lawns as a primer.