Primer: 10 Essential Albums

[SoulDischarge]

This is kind of like the young'uns guide thread, only covering specific genres of music. Post short, helpful write ups of ten essential albums that best represent a certain genre with the objective of introducing that genre to a neophyte (as opposed to covering a selection of more obscure, difficult gems). Try to be as narrow as possible with your genre selections without becoming absurd. "G-Funk" and "West Coast Hardcore" as opposed to "Hip Hop" or "Punk." If you can't come up with ten essential albums, you're either being too specific or the wrong person for the job. Don't just post a list of 10 albums. Try to explain why each album is important in the context of the chosen genre, and then maybe do an alternates or further explorations list without write ups. Three or four sentences per album would suffice. Place requests for genres you'd like to see covered. Try to be helpful instead of a jackass.

[Jman4321]

I’m going to post 5 and return with the others. This is actually a pretty straining task and I'm too tired to finish. Anyway here’s my shot.

1. Faust IV by Faust Krautrock(?)

I have some trouble placing this album within the confines of the general idea of "Krautrock", however considering that it's opener is named just that calls my train of thought into question. Regardless, the songs on this album move effortlessly from gorgeous drones ("Krautrock") to hazy psych rock ("Jennifer) to jaunty quasi-garage ("The Sad Skinhead") and back, all with a sense of craftsmanship that's difficult for me to put into words (someone better versed can do so). Yeah, there are probably better examples of the Krautrock aesthetic in bands like Neu! and Harmonik, however what keeps me coming back to this one is how absolutely refreshing and exciting it feels every time. I suppose its importance to the genre lies in the very fact that it is so difficult to place, as it displays the furthest heights to which one can climb within this fairly specific style.

2.Entertainment by Gang of Four: Post-Punk

I'd argue to the death that The Fall and Mission of Burma are better bands than Gang of Four, however this is the album that comes to my mind whenever I think about post-punk. The jagged guitars, panic-attack vocals, disco stomp, social anxiety, pulsing bass, all show up on this album in some form or another, and "Damaged Goods" is basically one of the best songs ever. While other post-punk bands may have evolved and expanded the style to new territory, as far as capturing the distilled form of the genre goes, this one destroys them all. Above all else, it's really fucking fun.

3. Loveless by My Bloody Valentine: Shoegaze

This album is shoegaze incarnate. Besides being one of the most amazing sounding things tone-wise, the songs themselves are pretty much sublime. They are basically clouds of melody the float around until suddenly vanishing (minus "Soon"). "To Here Knows When" could possibly be one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard, and a great entrance to the rest of the album. It's just a wash of guitar blown through a string of effects that I can't identify, a drum loop, and an unintelligible vocal line, that when combined sound like a warped record playing a dream's soundtrack. Even though this album is technically considered a precursor to the shoegaze genre, it is (for me at least) in retrospect the fucking platonic form of the style.

4. Dummy by Portishead: Trip-Hop

I struggled between this and Endtroducing by DJ Shadow. I ultimately landed on this album because for me it perfectly displays the despair and gloom that trip-hop is astonishingly effective at capturing. The beats are grimy and noir-influenced, with Beth anchoring them all together with a voice that can turn from despondent and weary to searing and sexy at the drop of a hat. The whole thing has a sense of menace about it, and I really enjoy that streak in trip-hop.

5. Trans-Europe Express by Kraftwerk: Synth-Pop

This album is realistically very important in the context of electronic music as a whole, however that is far too wide to attempt to discuss and I honestly am not qualified to do so. Still, this album is a huge step forward for the genre of synth-pop, simply for the fact that it is one of the earlier examples of it. Besides that technicality, it is also absolutely amazing from front to back. Its drum machines tick along at a surgically precise beat with synths twinkling and buzzing around like clockwork. Really for me, it's the synth tones that do it. Everything is so clean and bright, warm and thick sounding: analog. Synth-pop is still a vast genre with numerous bands borrowing and reworking old ideas. However, Kraftwerk still sound like only Kraftwerk, and if you want to become familiar with that style then this is the album with which to do so.

[SoulDischarge]

Actually, I meant ten albums from the same genre, as a sort of introduction to that genre for the curious and uninformed. So for krautrock, you'd write about Faust, Can, Amon Duul II, etc. But thanks for contributing at all.

[Jman4321]

Whoops. That would probably make the task significantly easier. I was struggling to decide on one representative thing. I'll try post-punk when I'm less fatigued.

[Abe Lincoln]

That was good,though.Very good.

[SoulDischarge]

First Wave British Punk

1. Sex Pistols - Nevermind The Bollocks
You already know everything about this album. You already love it or hate it or are totally apathetic about it. Even more apathetic than Johnny Rotten tries to seem. Still, it's an important part of the story of early British punk and it has the added bonus of being a really good record full of great rock songs. If you're too punk rock to sing along with "Bodies," you're probably an insufferable twat. Even more of an insufferable twat than Johnny Rotten

2. The Adverts - Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts
With opener "One Chord Wonders," the Adverts perfectly sum up their (and punk's) entire existence with sloppy precision. They then play 13 more songs. Each one is as good as that first one.

3. Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady
They were more raw with Howard Devoto, but anyone will tell you this is all you really need to know about pop-punk. Proof that you can mope about lovelessness and not be all Morrissey about it.

4. Wire - Pink Flag
Everything else would count as "post-punk," but here Wire proved they could write catchier and smarter songs than anyone else in the world in only 45 seconds.

5. The Damned - Damned Damned Damned
The darkness that made them a pioneering goth band is present ("Feel The Pain" anyone?), but lays mostly dormant here in favor of just having a total fucking blast. The cover tells you everything you need to know about these guys.

6. X-Ray Spex - Germfree Adolescents
Some angry girls, one with braces and a distinctive shriek, one with a fucking saxophone, rage against the artificiality of their day and make a feminist and punk classic, along with one of the dreamiest songs about hypochondriacs.

7. The Clash - The Clash
Yeah, London Calling is THEGREATESTALBUMOFALLTIME or whatever, but this one epitomizes the sound of British punk. Snotty vocals, singalong choruses, memorable riffs, self righteous working class anger, it's all here. Hundreds of bands ripped this album off and sounded fucking terrible doing it.

8. The Boys - The Boys
They weren't really punk, but they played their unbelievably catchy power pop songs fast and dirty enough to pass.

9. The Rezillos - Can't Stand The Rezillos
Poppy, peppy, goofy, and yet still ferocious, the Rezillos wrote some of the best punk songs about alien invasions and art snobs. Totally inconsequential and essential.

10. The Slits - Cut
It's definitely punk, but is it punk? It's closer to botched reggae as performed by a group of enthusiastic amateurs, but it doesn't really matter. Nothing sounds like this.


I'll probably edit this and add album art later but it's late and I just wanted to put up an example.

[TomAz]

That's a very nice list Patrick, and I understand why (in retrospect) you'd not want to mention Generation X, given Billy Idol's later solo mediocrity. But I'm curious why you chose to exclude The Jam, The Stranglers, and Siouxsie and the Banshees?

[liquidsnake28]

Good idea for a thread. I might do one for black metal if anyone would be interested.

[TomAz]

I am trying to think through a list for 80s cowpunk. I have a couple gaps to fill though.

edit: or maybe 80s southern jangle pop?

[vinylmartyr]

Someone do 60's California Sunshine Pop. I would like to learn something about that from a person in the know.

[vinylmartyr]

I picked up this record yesterday. It's excellent.

[summerkid]

I am trying to think through a list for 80s cowpunk. I have a couple gaps to fill though.
?

That would be difficult to come up with ten names. I can think of maybe 4 and that's about it. I have a feeling you'd put X over the Gun Club though.

[Mr. Fuzz]

Ten essential American punk rock albums

MC5 - Kick Out the Jams

The Stooges – Funhouse

New York Dolls - New York Dolls

Patti Smith - Horses

The Ramones – Self Titled

The Modern Lovers – Self Titled

Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Blank Generation

The Heartbreakers – L.A.M.F.

Television - Marquee Moon

Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!

[Mr. Fuzz]

I'd like for someone to do the blues.

[liquidsnake28]

I'd like for Mr. Fuzz to read the first post.
"Try to be as narrow as possible with your genre selections"

[SoulDischarge]

That's a very nice list Patrick, and I understand why (in retrospect) you'd not want to mention Generation X, given Billy Idol's later solo mediocrity. But I'm curious why you chose to exclude The Jam, The Stranglers, and Siouxsie and the Banshees?

I really am not familiar enough with Generation X and the Stranglers to have included them. I know a few songs but not any full albums (although I have them on my computer). I don't really love the Jam and I guess I feel they're more mod than punk. I adore Siouxsie & The Banshees, but would probably include them in a post-punk or goth type list. Just be glad I chose Cut over 999's debut album at the last moment.

[Mr. Fuzz]

I'd like for Mr. Fuzz to read the first post.
"Try to be as narrow as possible with your genre selections"

Help me out, dude. It's tuff to get a narrow category (especially since I don't categorize my music much). What bands don't fit in which genere?

[SoulDischarge]

Also, I'm thinking it might be a good idea to limit your lists to one album per artist except in extremely rare circumstances. That way you get a fuller overview of the genre.

[TomAz]

80s cowpunk. This music is the bridge between 70s cosmic country and 90s alt-country/americana. Many of these bands were very much influenced by (or a part of) the LA punk scene of the time.



1. The Blasters, The Blasters. From the opening chords to "Marie Marie" this album was a breath of fresh air -- old style rock and roll played with punk energy and commitment. This album is so damned good from beginning to end, not a weak moment on it anywhere. Unfortunately, nothing they did later came anywhere close to this.




2. Jason & the Scorchers, Lost & Found. Jason Ringenberg was the son of an Illinois hog farmer; once he grew up, Jason moved to Nashville and started a hard rock band. Their debut is a classic, almost perfect blend of country and punk.




3. The Mekons, Fear and Whiskey. The Mekons were a 70s brit punk band (from the Leeds scene that also produced Gang of Four), in the 80s they took a surprising country turn with this great album. It's pretty damned weird but it works great.




4. Rank & File , Sundown. The Kinman brothers (of LA punk band The Dils) joined with Alejandro Escovedo (from SF punk band The Nuns) to make this fun, kitschy debut record. Really nice vocal harmonies, very lean guitar work. More Bakersfield than Nashville.




5. Los Lobos, How Will the Wolf Survive?. A band playing wedding receptions and quinceaneras somehow evolved into a group with its own sound and identity. Hard rocking blues followed by countryish ballads. Something for everyone, and always passionate. This is before "La Bamba" made them millionaires, and you can hear the talent and hunger shine through on this record.




6. The Beat Farmers, Tales of the New West. I've talked before on the board about how much I loved this band. One of the best live bands I've ever seen (picture, oh, I don't know, a really, really, really amped-up version of the Hold Steady, but drunker and not trying so hard to be important). This is their debut and the expanded re-release also includes a lot of the great stuff off their later albums. Check out "Gun Sale at the Church" for example. Also great covers of Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen, and Neil Young.




7. Lone Justice, Lone Justice. This band went through two different incarnations -- the band on the debut record, which is a great example of the 80s cowpunk style, and then the band after the record label fucked around with it, fired everyone except the singer, and tried to turn them into a slick pop group. Ignore the latter, but the former is really great. Maria McKee has an unforgettable voice and the songs are first-rate. (Her solo album You Gotta Sin to Get Saved is also highly recommended).




8. The Long Ryders, State of Our Union. This album would be worth having if all it contained was the lead track "Looking for Lewis and Clark", as hard an anti-Reagan rip as you'll find. The rest of the album is in much the same vein and worth hearing.




9. The Knitters, Poor Little Critter on the Road. The Knitters were seminal LA punk band X's country-folk alter egos, with Dave Alvin (from the Blasters) subbing for Billy Zoom on guitar. Spare and acoustic, including two "unplugged" versions of X classics. "The Call of the Wrecking Ball" is pretty fun too.




10. True Believers, True Believers Alejandro Escovedo left Rank & File after one album, moved to Austin, and started this band with his brother Javier and ex-Skunks guitarist Jon Dee Graham. The album was later re-released in expanded version as Hard Road after Escovedo had some success in his solo career. To be honest I think this album is 'ok' but doesn't come close to capturing the amazing sounds I heard from these guys when I saw them live a few times.




Honorable mention, or didn't fit the category close enough, or something: The Georgia Satellites, Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper, the Meat Puppets

[TomAz]

That would be difficult to come up with ten names. I can think of maybe 4 and that's about it. I have a feeling you'd put X over the Gun Club though.

Ha. I totally forgot about the Gun Club.

[zimmy1222]

Trip-hop; Portishead and MA excluded... can anyone take that one?

[guedita]

I hope Donald does DnB, I've literally never listened to that genre and am clueless on where to start.

[greghead]

I'd like for someone to do the blues.

Chicago? Delta? Jump? Piedmont? Vocal? Pre-War?

Specificity helps.

[Mr. Fuzz]

Delta

[fatbastard]

Your kiss so sweet
Your sweat so sour

[Drinkey McDrinkerstein]

Oh man, I had never even heard of cowpunk before, but I think I'd like it. Tom, the only band on that list i've ever even heard of it Los Lobos. I look forward to digging into some of those.

Tim, do a black metal list.

[greghead]

Delta

Of course. The blues genre defined by singles and composed of a handful of itinerant musicians who recorded under dozens of pseudonyms. I'll try this one, but listing albums will be nearly impossible, I'll likely rely on songs.


And Drinkey, cowpunk is really great, fun music. I suggest you dive headlong into it.

[fatbastard]

All those nights in Fillmore, who could ask for anything more?

[hawkingvsreeve]

Post-punk / 2nd wave emo / math-rock


Jawbox - Jawbox

Q And Not U - No Kill No Beep Beep

Shiner - The Egg

No Knife - Fire In The City Of Automatons

The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I

Engine Down - Demure

Sunny Day Real Estate - How It Feels To Be Something On

Cursive - Domestica

Faraquet - The View From This Tower

Bluetip - Polymer




For the 5 or so of us here that like these bands, yes I know I didn't put ATDI on the list. I'm not a fan.

[Drinkey McDrinkerstein]

I'm surprised to not see Farside's The Monroe Doctrine in that list