#379: The Electric Prunes - The Electric Prunes (1967)

Zack: This was one of the hardest albums for me to obtain, for reasons that I don’t quite understand. Most of the ones that are hard to track down (including the 10 or so I’m still missing, 5 years into this endeavor) are weird world albums that involve going through a translator. And then there’s the Electric Prunes, for some strange reason, which involved a series of mazes to avoid relying on Spotify. Overall, I kind of liked this album. It was short (something I am very much on record endorsing) but also had an innovative vibe to it. It didn’t give itself all the way over into psychedelia, but there was enough there mixed with a nice ambient rock thing to keep it fresh. Overall, you can hear how this was probably a major touchstone for both bands that came out a few years later as well as some a few decades later, Radiohead especially.

Favorite Tracks: I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night); Onie; Try Me On For Size

Emily: I decided that we should listen to this album purely because of the band name. Anything with the word prune in it is always amusing to me. In Ocean City, MD, where my family has gone on vacation for years, there's a donut shop called The Fractured Prune that has a logo depicting an anthropomorphic prune on crutches with bandages. The donuts are quite delicious, but it's the name and logo that I always remember. I think the same will be true for The Electric Prunes. Their self-titled album is a solid example of '60s early psychedelia, with the trippiness balanced out by atmospheric rock. However, the name is still my favorite part, and I know that's what I'll remember down the line.

Favorite Tracks: I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night); Train For Tomorrow; Get Me to the World On Time

#378: Missy Elliott - Supa Dupa Fly (1997)

Zack: When we first started this whole ordeal and I looked over the albums that had been selected to represent hip-hop, I was really confused why Missy Elliot was elected to be represented twice. A very small number of rappers got more than one album, and the list of people who didn’t included names like Jay-Z, Nas, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Kanye, and (I admit I’m biased on this one) Lupe Fiasco. I even came to resent Missy a little bit for taking two spots when I wasn’t completely convinced she should even have one (I’ve named the rappers who are so notably shunned by the list before). But over the course of the past year or so, my stance has softened. Part of that was probably that moment when I found out Missy Elliot would be joining Katy Perry at the Super Bowl halftime shows and I thought that would be cool. Part was probably that time I got a girl in my PhD program to sing Work It in the grad lab, because that was hysterical. And now, we’re here, and I’m happy to report that Supa Dupa Fly deserves its place. Honestly, Missy Elliot’s rapping has very little to do with it. She’s pretty subpar, from start to finish. But Timbaland’s production is absolutely ridiculous, and Missy works it (the production that is) to create a certain aesthetic. It’s the same general air that manifests in her famous music videos from this era, as well. Supa Dupa Fly isn’t about the lyrical skills or technical rapping proficiency; it’s about a general atmosphere that emerges from an incredible partnership between Missy and Timbaland. It also helps that Missy’s shortcomings are offset some by the liberal use of guest features (Da Brat’s verse in particular is awesome). In general, Supa Dupa Fly deserves its spot, although I reserve judgment on whether she should have two albums until I hear Under Construction.

Favorite Tracks: Sock It 2 Me; Friendly Skies; Hit ‘Em Wit Da Hee

Emily: Missy Elliot recently released her first single, WTF, after a ten-year hiatus from recording albums. She's produced and done some guest spots and soundtrack stuff in the meantime, but with word out now that she's almost done her new album with Timbaland, now is a more appropriate time than ever to visit her debut album, Supa Dupa Fly. And we didn't even plan it that way! I definitely had the new song in mind while I was listening to her debut, as well as some of her later hits like Lose Control and Work It. Probably because of this influence, I was surprised that Supa Dupa Fly wasn't more energetic and explosive. It didn't even have that much rapping. What it does have, though, is some super-unique production from Timbaland that shows just how much potential there was in their partnership that emerged in her subsequent hits. Although this wasn't my favorite hip-hop album we've listened to on here, it did make me really excited to hear what's next - Under Construction, later on the list, as well as this new album that could bring the Missy-Timbaland sound into 2015.

Favorite Tracks: The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly); Sock It 2 Me; They Don't Wanna Fuck Wit Me

#377: Fishbone - Truth and Soul (1988)

Emily: In high school and early college, I was hugely into ska music. I went to local concerts, saw the bigger artists every time they came to town at the TLA or the Trocadero, and nearly wore out my Reel Big Fish live CD that I got for Hanukkah in the tenth grade. My music tastes have evolved and expanded since then (thanks in part to this blog), but every once in a while I'll turn on some ska or ska-punk and dance around like I did when I was 16. During my ska era, I had never heard of Fishbone. That's likely for a few reasons: one, they were active more in the '80s than in the '90s and 2000s, and two, their sound is way more than just ska or ska-punk. Based on Truth and Soul, the Fishbone sound can best be classified as funk-punk-ska-rock-metal. It defies genre, and that's what makes it work. The ska horns and two-tone beats are there to an extent, but they play alongside funk grooves and three-chord punk tracks. This creates a wholly unique sound that seems suited for a great live show.
Favorite Tracks: Freddie's Dead; One Day; Pouring Rain

Zack: I had this album classified as “punk,” which is a label that really only tells part of the story. Fishbone are, apparently, a band known for being really eclectic. There are a lot of genres that really leap out form Truth and Soul, including alternative, punk, funk, I think some disco, and hard rock. But ska really is the biggest attention-grabber. Which is interesting, since temporarily that would make them one of the earliest sources of the 3^rd wave ska cohort. While the ska influences might have really drawn me in 5-6 years ago, I actually found those to be the least interesting components. The funk that pulsated under certain songs was really what I found to be the most appealing. Regardless, Truth and Soul is the type of album that has something for just about everyone.

Favorite Tracks: One Day; Pouring Rain; Change

#376: Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)

Zack: For about 60% of the albums we listen to, I have no idea what to write about. The albums I have listened to before we started or those that make a strong initial impression (either good or bad) usually aren’t too hard. But most albums fall somewhere in the range between “that was a totally fine album” to “I really enjoyed this album” and it’s hard to come up with anything insightful when an album (after one listen) is in that range. Basically, if my immediate reaction doesn’t involve at least two exclamation points, either good or bad, I have no clue what to do. In those cases, I usually go to Wikipedia and find something to inspire me. Sometimes there’s something interesting there. Sometimes there isn’t, and then I usually just end up closing my eyes and mashing my laptop keys until some string of bad puns emerges. It’s important to understand that process to understand why I now know that The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway involves a juvenile Puerto Rican youth living in New York City coming to terms with his multiple personalities via having sex with some snake monsters and volunteering to be castrated before walking around NYC with his severed penis around his neck. Had this album made a really strong impression, I probably would have just written straight from the gut and never picked up on that. Seriously, I don’t know if any amount of relistens would have made that plot clear. But all I got from the album was that it was musically pretty impressive and I continue to like the way Peter Gabriel sings. Without much else, I turned to Wikipedia where I learned…things. I’ve listened to plenty of concept albums before, but I don’t remember any like this. That’s a fucked up plot, members of Genesis. That’s about all I have to say about that.

Favorite Tracks: The Lamia; The Light Dies Down on Broadway; The Chamber of 32 Doors

Emily: I truly think that there should be a time limit on album length. Generally, if you think you have more than an hour of material to contribute, you probably don't. You're just hiding the good stuff behind filler and weird experimentation. Prog-rock albums are especially guilty of this. I understand that the bands are trying to tell a story through their experimental, electric, "progressive" sound, but these long albums are just overkill. I think I'd appreciate them much more if everything was culled back to an hour or less. That really was my main problem with The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Since it clocks in at 90 minutes, I listened to it in two separate phases a few days apart. Some of it is very interesting - Peter Gabriel is a great singer, and the band does some interesting things with the rock sound that understandably makes them pioneers of the prog-rock genre. But the concept makes no sense, and an hour and a half of it is just hard to follow and focus on. I'm not exactly sure what Genesis did after this, but I hope that they kept refining their sound and technique down to shorter albums by focusing less on the crazy concepts and more on their music, which is where I think they shine.

Favorite Tracks: The Chamber of 32 Doors; Fly on a Windshield; In the Cage

#375: Randy Newman - Sail Away (1972)

Emily: The only reason I even know who Randy Newman is is You've Got a Friend in Me. Toy Story was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and I still maintain that it is the best Pixar movie even after 20 years of Pixar movies. So I kind of expected that Sail Away would sound like the simple folk-pop of You've Got a Friend in Me and the rest of the Toy Story soundtrack, even though the albums were recorded over 20 years apart in time. Turns out I was pretty much right, though. The style of Sail Away is very similar to the Toy Story sound - pop songs with pretty piano arrangements and simple lyrics that make for a wholly enjoyable listen. Perhaps that's why Pixar tapped Newman for the soundtrack in the first place.
Favorite Tracks: Political Science; Dayton, Ohio - 1903; Last Night I Had a Dream

Zack: Randy Newman is best known today for writing music for Pixar films. Unfortunately, I am apparently the only person from my generation who is ambivalent to Pixar, so this doesn’t do a hell of a lot for me. I went into Sail Away mostly curious if Newman always sang that way or if his current voice was some terrible accident. Turns out that he’s the only singer from the 1970s who sounds the same today. It also turns out that he’s a lyrical genius. His song Last Night I Had a Dream perfectly captures what it’s like to try and explain your dream to someone. And I quote (clears throat):

Last night I had a dream

You were in it, I was in it with you
Everyone that I knew
And everyone that you know was in my dream
I saw a vampire
I saw a ghost
Everybody scared me but you sacred me the most
In the dream I had last night
In the dream I had last night
In my dream

It started out in a barnyard at sundown

And everyone was laughing and you were lying on the ground
You said, "Honey, can you tell me what you name is?"
"Honey, can you tell me what your name is?"
I said, "You know what my name is."

Last night I had a dream
You were in it, I was in it with you
Everyone that I knew
And everyone that you know was in my dream
I saw a vampire
I saw a ghost
Everybody scared me but you sacred me the most
In the dream I had last night
In the dream I had last night
In my dream

Absolute magic. The rising action. The character development. The romantic subplot. Simply superb. In all honesty, not every song was as vapid as Last Night I Had a Dream. Some, like Political Science, had real heart to it (although it certainly is not up to the statistical methods of the field even in his era, but I suppose I’ll let that go). They’re almost all backed by a soothing piano. Nothing on Sail Away was particularly exciting, but it was a simple and fun listen.

Favorite Tracks: Political Science; Lonely at the Top; You Can Leave Your Hat On

#374: Anthrax - Among the Living (1987)

Zack: Of the Big 4 thrash metal bands, Anthrax was the one I was least excited to listen to. Metallica and Megadeth are just such big names that you want to see what all the fuss is about, and the few Slayer songs I know pique my interest enough that I want to know what a whole album of violent pandemonium (is that redundant?) sounds like. But I’ve got nothing on Anthrax, other than Scott Ian always seemed pleasant when he was giving commentary on VH1 shows and that time he was in a band for a reality show (also on VH1) with Ted Nugent and a bunch of other seemingly insane people. Also, they had a song called Madhouse on one of the Guitar Heroes, although I don’t remember really liking that song and it isn’t on this album anyway. Having officially dumped all of my Anthrax-related knowledge on the table, I found Among the Living to be kind of dull. It didn’t really have the same weight or ferocity that other thrash metal albums we’ve come across have. If you’ve read my reviews for lots of those albums, you’ll know that that could easily end up being a good thing. But here, it really just felt a bit too tame.

Favorite Tracks: One World; I Am the Law; the A.D.I. half of A.D.I./Horror of it All

Emily: Much like Zack, my main exposure to Anthrax was Scott Ian's near-constant presence on VH1 countdown and nostalgia shows throughout the mid-2000s. He usually had reasonable stuff to say, but his weird pointy beard is the main thing I remember about them. Has anyone else ever grown just the bottom of their beard out like 2 feet and then dyed it in various colors and stripes? Doubtful. And it turns out that Ian isn't even the main guy in Anthrax! He just plays rhythm guitar and sings backup. I guess an unusual beard and an appreciation for pop culture can really send a guy to the forefront. Anyway, Among the Living has absolutely nothing to do with any of that aside from the fact that Scott Ian is a member of Anthrax and played on the album. For a thrash metal album, I found it surprisingly listenable. There's loud and fast guitar and some screaming, but there's also some melody going on in there too. I'm not sure how actual metal fans feel about that, but for me it was a welcome change of pace.

Favorite Tracks: Indians; I Am the Law; Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)