#262: Aretha Franklin - Lady Soul (1968)

Zack: I’m writing this just a few days after the surprise release of Beyonce’s latest album, and I still haven’t listened to it. I had a fierce internal debate over whether I should knock out another blog album or that. When I saw that next up for me was Aretha Franklin, I figured I might as well tackle the original diva before moving on to her (goddess) understudy. Unfortunately, I’m also writing this before listening to said Beyonce album, so I as of yet can’t compare them. But that may work out well for Beyonce, because it would be hard to compare to the complete package that is Lady Soul. It has its groovy songs, its bluesy songs, and more than enough soul to go around. Lady Soul may only have 10 very short songs, but it has more heart and talent than a triple album from most artists. That last sentence sort of got away from me there at the end, but Lady Soul never deviates from its excellence. Overall, it’s the tight, consistent work of a masterful singer that doesn’t need the pomp of 17 videos to make it excellent.

Favorite Tracks: (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman; Good to Me As I Am to You; Chain of Fools

Emily: As I listened to Lady Soul today, I felt like it was speaking directly to me. This may be because of what's going on in my mind and life right now, but I think I would have the same reaction any day under any circumstance. Aretha, the original diva and current most fabulous wearer of hats, created an album of soul and blues that speaks to what it's like to be in love (or not) on multiple universal levels. If you've ever been head over heels in love in with someone, or been incredibly angry at what someone you thought you loved did, or did something you thought screwed up a relationship, or apologized for screwing up said relationship, or forgave someone for screwing up, or moved on with your life from someone not good for you in the most fabulous way possible, or pretty much any other emotion that goes along with relationships - you will find something that you relate to on Lady Soul. Aretha can make anyone sad, angry, grateful, and incredibly happy, all with her amazing voice, emotional lyrics, and the power of soul.

Favorite Tracks: (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman; Chain of Fools; Since You've Been Gone

#261: Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out (1997)

Zack: Wikipedia refers to Sleater-Kinney as “critical darlings,” which I’m pretty sure is sexist. Although, that isn’t to say that it isn’t true. The critics love Sleater-Kinney, and it’s not hard to see why. Everything – that voice, the buzzing guitars, that voice, the crispness of the drums, THAT VOICE – all mesh together perfectly to create something that is simultaneously an entire album of punk anthems and yet still so much more. I understand that Sleater-Kinney were a little more aggressive on previous albums and moved in some new, classic rockish directions later on. I’m excited to go check out all of the twists and turns in their career as well. For now, though, Dig Me Out is going to be playing very loud and very often, and I don’t expect it to ever get old.

Favorite Tracks: Dig Me Out; Jenny; Dance Song ‘97

Emily: As if I didn't already love Carrie Brownstein from Portlandia, today has introduced me to her first career as the badass frontwoman of the badass '90s punk band Sleater-Kinney. Punk has been one of my favorite genres for a while, and the '90s are one of my favorite musical decades. Throw in some feminist lyrics, classic rock sensibilities, and amazing singing, and you get Dig Me Out. I didn't realize I needed more (or any) '90s riot-grrl punk in my life, but now that I've heard one Sleater-Kinney album I'm excited to check out the rest. And, of course, listen to Dig Me Out many more times over.

Favorite Tracks: One More Hour; Dance Song 97; Turn It On

#260: Chicago Transit Authority - Chicago Transit Authority (1969)

Emily: A few years ago, my parents went to a concert co-headlined by Chicago and Earth, Wind, and Fire. I don't really know why this pairing came to be, but it's a tour that succeeded summer after summer for at least a few years and may still be continuing to this day. Besides the fact that both bands rose to prominence around the same time and now attract a similar age demographic, I can't imagine that there's a lot of fan overlap (well, besides my parents). The bands share little in common musically beyond the use of brass instruments - maybe they shared the same saxophone player, but he would need to be well-versed in different musical stylings. While EWF embodies '70s funk in a way that few bands, if any, can replicate, Chicago takes on classic rock and infuses it with jazz and experimental touches. Here, with their debut double album (back when they were still called the Chicago Transit Authority), the band ambitiously and successfully fuses rock with jazz to create smooth yet exciting pop music. Even though the songs routinely pushed the 6 minute mark (with the final track almost reaching 15 minutes), they never repeat or devolve into unnecessary jam sessions. The band found greater commercial success in the '70s and clearly continue to have fans today, but Chicago's great debut is worth a listen to discover how strongly and uniquely they started out.
Favorite Tracks: Listen; South California Purples; I'm a Man

Zack: I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I listened to Chicago Transit Authority while outlining an article about railway delivery by the post office from 1883-1913. I’m kidding. The article was only partially about that, also focusing on the expansion of rural free delivery over that time. It was really thrilling. It’s a good thing I had the smooth stylings of Chicago (Transit Authority) to keep me calm. And this double album proved to be just the thing I needed. The majority of this album is a work of masterful musicianship and song crafting. Songs like Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is? and Beginnings are just beautiful jazz fusion jams. But then there’s just the right balance of experimentation to keep things interesting; Free Form Guitar is exactly what its name purports. CTA is one of those rare double albums that are entertaining all the way through. It’s constantly engaging and hardly ever seems to repeat itself. No wonder it’s considered a classic.

Favorite Tracks: Does Anybody Really Know What Time is Is?; I’m a Man; South California Purples

#259: New Order - Low-Life (1985)

Zack: It’s been a while since we listened to Joy Division, and I haven’t really gone back and listened to anything by them in a while. I knew New Order was basically Joy Division sans lead singer, and a friend had told me that New Order had their moments but generally weren’t as good. Still, when I first started listening to this album, I was struck by how different it sounded than my memory of Joy Division. It reminded me a lot of some of the happier tracks by The Cure. Wikipedia informs me that this is the album where New Order really started to break away from its post-punk ancestry and adopt a new face as a dance rock group. That definitely shone through. At first, I wasn’t really feeling this album. It had the popiness of Scissor Sisters or The Cardigans, both of whom I loved, but with that certain '80s cheese. But I realized comparing Low-Life to either of the albums by those two bands we listened to isn’t a fair comparison. What I should be comparing Low-Life to is all those other post-punk albums from this era, which I have repeatedly bashed for all sounding the same. This definitely didn’t sound like those, and I appreciated it for that. Most of the songs had a catchy riff, and Elegia was a phenomenal instrumental track. It wasn’t the best pop rock album I’ve ever listened to, but it was solid and certainly contributed a few songs to a playlist I may make sometime in the future. Isn’t that what really matters?

Favorite Tracks: Elegia; This Time of Night; Love Vigilantes

Emily: I'm usually a fan of the '80s pop/new wave/post-punk albums we listened to. Their bright, synthesizer-enhanced sound draws me in and gets me to dance or at least bob my head for a good 45 minutes, as I happily rank each song as excellent or very good. However, after the initial listen and blog post, I rarely go back to these albums. They're like candy for the ears: sweet for a bit, but with no lasting value. And listen too much, and you'll definitely get sick of it. That's how I felt about New Order. Low-Life has whispers of the band's post-punk incarnations, but with a glossy '80s synthesizer pop sheen. I really liked it for the first few tracks, then got a little bored (though the last track pulled me back in). And will I listen to this album again? Doubtful, but at least I know it's here if I need a little ear candy.

Favorite Tracks: Love Vigilantes; This Time of Night; Face Up

#258: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five - The Message (1982)

Zack: I’ve been thinking a lot about the legacy of rappers lately, partially because I think it’s an interesting topic and partially because it affords me an opportunity to stop thinking about other, real-life stuff. What brought me to this topic was the release of Eminem’s latest album, Marshall Mathers LP 2. Beyond just the title, the album is often a blatant reflection on his legacy as an artist and where he’s matured and where (more often) he’s just the same as he was back when the Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers LP were both being denied to prepubescent children across the land by parents who didn’t find being regaled by tales of stapling English teachers nuts to stacks of paper as obviously fantastic as they clearly are. MMLP2 is, overall, a pretty good album that has a handful of absolutely brilliant moments. More importantly, it’s my second favorite rap album of the 2013. Now obviously I can’t listen to everything and this could certainly change if Atmosphere somehow set a date for their “late 2013” release. Still, considering this was Eminem’s eighth studio album and his best since his fourth (The Eminem Show – also the first one I was actually allowed to get), it’s a pretty impressive accomplishment. Also impressive is the two rappers on either side of his. Kanye West’s Yeezus (his seventh solo album) and Jay-Z’s Magna Carta…Holy Grail (his eleventh solo album) take the pole position and a distant third, respectively. Staying power is actually achievable for modern hip-hop artists. Meanwhile, there’s Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. On the strength of just one song, they’ve had some of their material preserved in the Library of Congress and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. One. Song. That’s incredible. And that’s not to say that all of The Message (the album) isn’t fantastic – it is. But it’s that one song, that seven minutes right at the end, that cemented a legacy. After that, well there’s White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) that I guess add to Melle Mel’s status as one of the top socially conscious guys to ever bless the mic, but even them I’ve always just rolled my eyes at that song as just another example of 80s cheesiness. Like any copies of the record sold should come with a sticker of the Gipper with a perm giving a thumbs up. That’s pretty much it, but that was more than enough to book time at the Grammy’s for a reunion more than 25 years later. And the early years of hip-hop are littered with similar stories (see: Blow, Curtis). But now? The rap world – the one created by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five – is one where artists can actually achieve consistent commercial and critical success. The genre has progressed wildly since the final seven minutes of The Message came out, but I don’t think any of that change would be possible if the annals of rap were short those seven minutes.

Favorite Tracks: The Message; She’s Fresh; You Nasty

Emily: What I didn't realize about Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five before today is that The Message is essentially their only album. They broke up soon after, reunited in '88 with most of the the full lineup, and then disbanded entirely save for the reunion at the Grammy's a few years back. I thought they were significantly more prolific than that - they are certainly well-known and well-respected, enough to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame no less. But no, The Message is their one and only success, and its title track their long-lasting legacy. Every hip-hop group in the '80s seems to be like that, except for Run-DMC, and perhaps others that have slipped my mind. But each one has become so influential because they shaped the genre that has become one of the most popular, prolific, and critically acclaimed 30+ years later. I see that with The Message, as an album but more specifically with the song. It draws from funk and other sounds of the era, bringing the beats together with rhymes and tongue twisting lyrics - some silly, some serious, but all fitting together to help shape what hip-hop was, is, and will become.

Favorite Tracks: The Message; She's Fresh; Dreamin'

#257: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976)

Emily: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is one of those bands that's always around, but I don't really know anyone who's actually a big fan of them. Or even anyone who could name more than 2 of their songs off the top of their heads. But yet, every summer they're touring outdoor amphitheaters and headlining music festivals, somehow drawing huge crowds year after year after year. My exposure to Petty has been limited, albeit, so I had hoped that listening to this album would shed some light on the Heartbreakers ongoing popularity. Well, 30-some minutes later, I still don't get it. This self-titled debut is a perfectly pleasant collection of American rock-and-roll songs, and would probably work quite well as background tunes at a summer barbecue. But, beyond the classic American Girl, it wasn't anything that special. Certainly not worth paying arena or festival prices to see live. But hey, maybe their whole catalog is a bit more impressive than this just-okay debut.
Favorite Tracks: American Girl; Breakdown; Strangered in the Night

Zack: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are such a perfect representation of Americana rock and roll that arguably their most well-known song was featured in a Scrubs montage. I know of no higher honor. And, as JD so eloquently puts it, “Wow.” American Girl is what we – in the modern day – would refer to as a “banger.” I also like to think that The Guess Who traveled forward in time, heard it, then decided to upgrade the subject to woman status before penning their own masterpiece. Anyway, Tom Petty’s debut is loaded with heartland rock jams like American Girl, and I can certainly appreciate it for that. I’d never listened to this album, but I went through a pretty hard Full Moon Fever phase a few years back that prepared me for the Tom Petty Experience. No song is ever too deep that it requires real concentration. They’re all simple, yet still elegant. Their debut is no different: it’s not the most challenging of albums, but it’s still plenty enjoyable.

Favorite Tracks: American Girl; Anything That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll; Luna

#256: Billy Bragg & Wilco - Mermaid Avenue (1998)

Zack: I have absolutely no experience with the music of either Billy Bragg or Woody Guthrie (whose lyrics are being sung here). But I’ve now listened to enough Wilco that people just assume I’m middle age due to my exposure to Dad rock. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, as has been documented here, was an eye-opening album for me on what I had been missing. Since then, I’ve moved through several more of their albums and enjoyed them (although certainly nothing has compared to the brilliance of I Am Trying to Break Your Heart). Anyway, Jeff Tweedy’s presence here was enough of a sell for me to move all in on this album before I even pressed play. I rated my excitement at a 9 out of 10, which is pretty damn good for any album that I haven’t seen ranked on a “Top 10 Albums That Will Make You Weep Openly and Without Shame” list. Mermaid Avenue definitely lived up to that hype too. It had the folksy appeal that Wikipedia tells me I should cherish from Guthrie, but there was more complexity to the actual music to match the insightfulness of the lyrics. Because of the nature of this album, I don’t really know who to attribute my enjoyment of it too, so I’ll just say a hearty thank you to all parties involved that brought Mermaid Avenue Volume 1 (and the subsequent Volume 2 which I plan on listening to post-haste) into existence.

Favorite Tracks: California Stars; At My Window Sad and Lonely; Eisler on the Go

Emily: What I loved about this album was just how it came together. You see, Woody Guthrie left behind more than 1000 unrecorded songs upon his death, and Guthrie's daughter approached Billy Bragg to see if he was interested in recording some of them. The catch is, however, that Guthrie didn't write any music for the songs, just lyrics with very limited musical notation. It was essentially a giant catalog of poems, but instead of publishing them in a posthumous anthology, Guthrie's daughter thought it would be best to carry out the music in her late father's folk tradition. Bragg, recruiting Wilco along the way, was tasked with turning unfinished folk poems into folk songs, all while keeping the spirit of Woody Guthrie alive in the recordings. It was a tall order indeed, and it was accomplished beautifully in Mermaid Avenue. Without this background knowledge, it would be impossible to tell that the music and lyrics of these songs were separately developed decades apart by men who probably never even met each other. I think Guthrie would be pleased with how Bragg and Wilco melded their own musical senses and spirits with the spirit of his lyrics. Each song takes the emotional tone of the lyrics and reflects it in the music, as if the two were always meant to be together. 

Favorite Tracks: California Stars; Hoodoo Voodoo; Birds and Ships