43. Jacques Brel - Olympia 64

1. Amsterdam
2. Les Timides
3. Le Dernier Repas
4. Les Jardins de Casino
5. Les Vieux
6. Les Toros
7. Tango Funèbre
8. Le Plat Pays
9. Les Bonbons
10. Mathilde
11. Les Bigotes
12. Les Bourgeois
13. Jef
14. Au Suivant
15. Madeleine

Thrill! as I frantically search online for translated lyrics as an enraged Belgian bellows at me. Such is my life, now that I have started this blog.

I seem to be unable to escape live albums lately. After the wild and raucous crowds of Sam Cooke and James Brown, it's a bit of a strange transition to suddenly have to deal with a crowd of relatively polite Europeans. Fortunately, Jacques makes up for their calmness by displaying a wide range of emotions via the magic of song. They're all showtunes or cabaret songs or whatever you want to call them, and that type of material just doesn't work if you're not going to belt them out. And that's exactly what he does here, taking the roles of each character in the songs. It's certainly an impressive range.

The lyrics are naturally wonderful, at least when I can understand them. The translated lyrics certainly look good. It's a nice change from the youth-oriented pop songs that still dominated rock music in this era. These songs were clearly written by an adult, with beautiful lyrics covering everything from getting old to lots and lots of whores and everything in between.

I haven't said all that much about the music, because this album treats it as a way to move the lyrics along. I enjoyed this album, but mainly it made me want to improve my French to the exalted level of "Not Shit". 8/10

42. The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night (1964)

1. A Hard Day's Night
2. I Should Have Known Better
3. If I Fell
4. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You
5. And I Love Her
6. Tell Me Why
7. Can't Buy Me Love
8. Any Time At All
9. I'll Cry Instead
10. Things We Said Today
11. When I Get Home
12. You Can't Do That
13. I'll Be Back


CLANG! One of the most recognizable opening chords in history, so recognizable that musicologists have trouble deciphering exactly what it is. It is this exclamation mark at the beginning of the sentence that launches us into a rather exciting LP in a rather exciting time. This album came out in July and serves as a soundtrack to the sounds and sights of Beatlemania run rampant across the globe. Since With The Beatles came out in November of last year, the Beatles had conquered America in a grandiose fashion that Elvis could only have dreamed of. Not only did they knock themselves off the #1 position twice in a row (not even Black Eyed Peas can do that yet!) but they held the entire top 5 for one week (and 7 other songs spread throughout the top 100). They were even more inescapable than Twilight and Harry Potter combined.

Not only did they have all that happen to them, they also found time to improve as a band. This album is a marked improvement for what was only a few months of development. Not only did they chuck out the covers, which I'm pretty sure makes this the first non-jazz album of all original songwriting (Even Bob Dylan still had one on Freewheelin', much to my surprise) on the list, but they also got better at it. There aren't any obviously deficient songs like 'Hold Me Tight' or 'I Wanna Be Your Man' here. Instead, we get 13 small slices of Lennon-McCartney goodness.

Lennon goodness, actually. I never realized this until I was listening again for this review, but he friggin' dominates the album, writing 10 out of 13 tracks! He sings almost all of them too, except for 'I'm Happy Just To Dance With You' which sucked too much so he gave it to George (Ah, the politics of the Beatles...). But even this apparent filler song holds its own with the best material of their last album. Leaps and bounds, people!

The innovations of this record lie not in instrumental flourishes but in neat songwriting touches. While their earlier work stuck to the tried and true verse-chorus-verse format, this album mixes it up slightly in songs like "If I Fell" and "I'll Be Back" and "I Should Have Known Better" where you're never quite sure what the verse or the chorus is. Nothing stunningly innovative, but indicative of their growth as songwriters, which is always neat.

And I do mean their growth. Though Paul only gets 3 songs, they're all great. 'And I Love Her' is one of those trademark Paul ballads where it's sappy but not excessively so (How did he do that? More importantly, how did he forget how to do that almost as soon as he left the band?). 'Can't Buy Me Love' is an exuberant rock song with a nice simple solo (By the horrifying standards, Steve Vais and Yngwie Malmsteens of this day and age all of these solos are simple). I've always been intrigued by 'Things We Said Today', because the music sounds so melancholy but the sentiment expressed by the lyrics is really rather cheerful. Even when Paul's trying to sound sad, there's always that optimistic spark there.

Although I'm not too sure about the order of the songs (Hey, here's 7 songs from the hit film! Now, here's 6 songs that weren't good enough to make the film!), the result is still a fine artistic achievement and a very solid album. In fact, I may be jumping at straws here, but the harmonica on 'I Should Have Known Better' sounds almost Dylanesque. Already, the influences of the new decade are creeping in. Buckle your seatbelts, we're in for a turbulent decade. 8.5/10

41. Stan Getz and João Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto (1964)

1. The Girl From Ipanema
2. Doralice
3. Para Machuchar Meu Coracao
4. Desafinado
5. Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars)
6. So Danco Samba
7. O Grande Amor
8. Vivo Sonhando (Dreamer)

Bossa Nova part 2: Electric Boogaloo. Except you can't boogaloo to this at all! It's too relaxing!!
Horror of horrors.

Anyhow, this album is the polar opposite of that Christmas album I suffered a few days ago, in that it is perfectly suited for summertime listening. It is ideal for it, in fact. It is so breezy and floats along at such a languid pace that you might fall asleep halfway through. Not that this is a bad or boring (well, maybe a little) album. There is a beauty in its lazy qualities, even in 'The Girl from Ipanema', which has become the anthem of elevators, supermarkets, and hotel lobbies all across the world. Would that all muzak sounded so pleasant without causing you to gag on the excess treacly sweetness! For something called easy listening, it sure is hard to listen to!!! *pause for laughter*

Considering how boring I thought Jazz Samba was, I was rather surprised that I liked this more. They aren't really all that different, except that this one has singing in it. Maybe I'm a superficial jerk and that's the only reason. Or, it could be the fact that the album has actual Brazilian musicians instead of Americans (besides Getz) that makes it superior? Possibly. In the grand scheme of things, however, such things are not important. 8/10

40. James Brown - Live at the Apollo (1963)

1. Introduction To James Brown
2. I'll Go Crazy
3. Try Me
4. Think
5. I Don't Mind
6. Lost Someone
7. Medley: Please, Please, Please/You've Got The Power/I Found Someone/Why Do You Do Me/I Want You So Bad/I Love You So Bad/I Love You, Yes I Do/Strange Things Happen/Bewildered/Please, Please, Please
8. Night Train

Hooray, it's a live soul album sandwich! AIN'T IT FUNKY?!

Well, sort of. Things weren't exactly too funky back in '63. That wouldn't happen for another few years. Until then, this album would suffice. Since it's a live album, it's got that energy and joie de vivre that is quite a bit harder to capture in the studio. Since it's a James Brown live album, doubly so. He definitely deserved the 500-odd titles he was given throughout his career, which apparently includes the rather lofty position of 'Minister of The New New Super Heavy Funk'.

This album frequently appears on 'Greatest live albums EVER' list. It's been hyped to death over 47 years. I don't think anything can really survive all that hype, and to be honest I preferred the Sam Cooke live album. They both share one thing in common, though: excitement. The crowd is, of course, going absolutely wild. Brown hammers out hit after hit in the first half of the set, in short 2 minute bursts of energy working the crowd into a frenzy before slowing things down with an almost 11 minute version of 'Lost Someone'. The band doesn't turn it into an all-out funk jam, it simply extends the song far past its running time to give James Brown more time to make love to the audience. And boy, does it work. Some of those screaming girls seem like they're about to faint. And if that wasn't enough, he immediately goes into a medley that seems to change songs every 30 seconds. By the time he closes the set with a blistering version of 'Night Train', you're probably exhausted yourself.

Although Brown doesn't really possess the fury of Sam Cooke's live performances, he more than certainly has the energy (not to mention a band and a healthy dose of sex appeal!) to make this an album worth listening to. 8/10

39. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963)

1. Solo Dancer
2. Duet Solo Dancers
3. Group Dancers
4. Trio And Group Dancers

What the hell did I just listen to? I'm pretty sure jazz doesn't regularly feature tuba fart noises. In fact, I'm almost certain it doesn't. It definitely doesn't have random interludes of flamenco guitar. Not that Charles Mingus cares. Considering the liner notes were written by his therapist of all people, I don't think he cared at all.

As you might've discerned, in this release we enter (before leaving just as promptly) the exciting world of avant garde jazz. This is some dense stuff, too. I'm not even quite sure how to review it. It's sort of like when you try to read Finnegans Wake but your attention lapses for a bit and you look back and oh god what the hell is happening? Like a dream, this album keeps shifting around in a manner that is frequently bizarre. One moment it'll be nice and easy, the next you're getting bombarded with a sonic wall of sound that would make Phil Spector shit his pants. It's both beautiful and terrifying. In fact, there's all sorts of moods to this album. No wonder his therapist had to write about it.

This album is one of the first to really use the studio as an instrument to its full potential. Although it is instrumental, I find it manages to convey the most emotion of all the albums so far. Challenging, of course, but thoroughly rewarding. I have tasted the maggots in the mind of the universe. 10/10

38. Sam Cooke - Live at the Harlem Square Club (1963)

1. Feel It
2. Chain Gang
3. Cupid
4. Medley: It's All Right/For Sentimental Reasons
5. Twistin' the Night Away
6. Somebody Have Mercy
7. Bring It on Home to Me
8. Nothing Can Change This Love
9. Having a Party

Oh, so we're back to good albums then, that's a relief. Sam Cooke swoops in to rescue me from my Christmas torture with the most soulful album yet. Since this is a live album, it eschews the big band, with jazzy brass and dramatic strings, that were ever constant in Ray Charles' albums and other soul music at the time. It's very stripped down in comparison, which gives it a bit more feeling than the meticulously constructed studio orchestrations.

Although I've mentioned Ray Charles primarily, Sam Cooke also followed that lush recording style. As a result, this album came as quite a shock. I'm used to Cooke sounding like Nat King Cole or something, but on this album he completely ignores that aspect of his voice and goes straight to the old gospel tradition. In this live document, Cooke is unrestrained and wild, imbuing his familiar hits with a raw, gritty sound that you just couldn't get in the studio in those commercially-minded days. There's nothing at all refined in this performance, with Cooke working the audience into a frenzy unrivaled by any of the other live albums so far. They even sing along quite loudly on a couple tracks. All his shouting and random asides make this by far the most exciting album on the list so far. Definitely not something I expected from Sam Cooke. Just be sure you don't twist too hard when you listen to it. 8.5/10

37. Various Artists - A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (1963)

1. White Christmas - Darlene Love
2. Frosty The Snowman - The Ronettes
3. The Bells of St. Mary's - Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans
4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - The Crystals
5. Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes
6. Marshmallow World - Darlene Love
7. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Ronettes
8. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - The Crystals
9. Winter Wonderland - Darlene Love
10. Parade of the Wooden Soldiers - The Crystals
11. Christmas - Baby Please Come Home - Darlene Love
12. Here Comes Santa Claus - Bob B Soxx & The Blue Jeans
13. Silent Night - Phil Spector & Artists

I have suffered many slights and injustices to my person over the years, but never have I been forced to listen to Christmas music outside of December. Whoever decided this album should be placed in the list is a very cruel human being who's probably cackling with glee right now, the bastard.

For the past couple of days, the wicked Sun God has been doing its level best to punish California for repealing Prop 8 or something, and here I am listening to a Christmas album with the fan on. This is it. I've finally gone completely mad. Mad as Phil Spector, even. Don't think I'll wind up killing an actress, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Anyway, this album showcases Phil Spector, and his influential Wall of dead women Sound, which is basically code for sticking enough musicians on one song to make Wagner jealous, complete with glockenspiels and English horns and shit like that, but for pop music instead of classical pieces. This technique resulted in many of the most distinctive hits of the '60s and has influenced countless bands and producers since then. So I can understand the need to put Phil Spector on this list, but did it have to be a Christmas album? I know all of these songs. The arrangements, while sort of neat, are nothing new, because it's Christmas music. And while it's ninety-whatever degrees outside, that is the last thing I want to hear. It's one step away from shitty novelty music. I don't care how much of a Scrooge I sound like, it's August. The best part of the album is when it ends and Phil Spector comes on with his comically wimpy voice delivering a monologue about how that bitch deserved it love and harmony and goodwill and all that. It made me laugh, but not for the right reasons. For that, I suppose I could at least give this a little leeway. 4/10

36. Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)

1. Blowin' In The Wind
2. Girl From The North Country
3. Masters Of War
4. Down The Highway
5. Bob Dylan's Blues
6. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
7. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
8. Bob Dylan's Dream
9. Oxford Town
10. Talkin' World War III Blues
11. Corrina, Corrina
12. Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance
13. I Shall Be Free

First the Beatles, and now Dylan! It seems the '60s have finally begun in earnest. 'Bout friggin' time, too. I was getting sick of the constant, never-ending jazz-pop albums that were seemingly inescapable.

This album is quite unlike any album I've listened to so far. It's actually intelligent. Sure, Thelonius Monk and Miles Davis and all those albums are intelligent, but they don't have any lyrics. This album totally wrecks the established songwriting tropes that dominated the early '60s, thank goodness. It was only able to do that because it was a folk album, but Dylan's growing popularity in rock circles (not to mention his conversion to rock music 2 years later) meant that this album completely changed the way rock musicians wrote their lyrics. Quite the feat.

Anyway, compared with the lyrical material of the past month this album is nothing short of amazing. A multitude of topics and moods are strewn about the album and none of it feels out of place. 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall' is such a lyrically complex song that it's a wonder it managed to coalesce in 1963. 'Don't Think Twice, It's Alright' completely turns the lost love song trope on its head, and by doing so writes perhaps the greatest breakup song of all time.

'Masters Of War', similarly speaking, is one of the greatest of protest songs. It's completely unsubtle, but makes up for by being scathing as all hell. Even better, it's non-specific enough that you can apply it to many situations. It works just as well for all the War on Terror nonsense of the last decade as it does for the Cold War nuke-stockpiling warmongering maniacs of '63. Plus if you can fit Obama's name in the last verse you can sing it at Tea Party rallies.

Oh, did I mention there's this song on here called 'Blowing in the Wind'? You might have heard of it.

It's not all deathly serious doom and gloom stuff, though. There's a good amount of humorous songs on here that are actually (gasp) funny! Don't get used to it though. Later period Dylan is about as humorous as a deflated tire whose mother has just died. Except for the Christmas album.

Unfortunately, Dylan isn't quite as good a tunesmith as he is a lyricist, at least not yet. Most of the melodies of these songs, from what I've read, are taken from classic folk tunes. As I am not a foremost expert on old folk songs, I don't really mind a bit, because Bob Dylan's lyrics are probably better than most of the originals anyway. Also, this album is a bit sparse musically, being made up of nothing but acoustic guitar and harmonica save for one song. This might be a bit challenging for dumb people who suck, but Bob Dylan kicks ass so much that this album very rarely drags on at all. You go, Dylan! An extra large cookie for you. 9/10

35. The Beatles - With The Beatles (1963)

1. It Won't Be Long
2. All I've Got To Do
3. All My Loving
4. Don't Bother Me
5. Little Child
6. Till There Was You
7. Please Mr Postman
8. Roll Over Beethoven
9. Hold Me Tight
10. You've Really Got A Hold On Me
11. I Wanna Be Your Man
12. Devil In Her Heart
13. Not A Second Time
14. Money


Heraldic trumpet fanfares and a choir of heavenly cherubim sing, it's the Beatles! Although we're not quite at the threshold of musical awesomeness, we've taken a bold, purposeful step towards it. I've been looking forward to this album, it's kind of like the snowball thrown down a mountain that turns into a giant ball, crushing all those foolish enough to stand in its path. But enough about my blog, let's focus on the matter at hand, shall we?

So, the Beatles. So much has been said and written about them and their music that this review is almost certainly superfluous. They're perceived as musical demigods y the general public, and for six years they may as well have been. Even now, things like Across The Universe and the Rock Band game prove that they can transcend generational gaps (gee, what a concept!). And, on a more personal note, these guys not only got me into music, but by doing so they totally changed my entire life around. So expect a big heaping pile of bias.

Despite all of that hype, this album isn't really that great. Although the Beatles get credited with inventing or pioneering countless achievements, technical or otherwise, they really didn't invent shit. Almost everything that gets attributed to them was done by a less popular band first. Their achievement was taking all these technical innovations and popularizing them for an extremely large audience, and thus legitimizing them. Sgt. Pepper wasn't the first 'serious' rock album or the greatest by any means, but it was the first album to make people realize that rock music was a legitimate art form. These guys pick up some backlash from music critics nowadays for not being as innovative as everyone thinks they are, but what they did for music is probably just as important, if not even more so, in the long run.

...So, the album. As I've already said, it's not particularly groundbreaking or bowel-shattering. It sounds like most other rock albums in 1963. In fact, now that I've had 7 years of music history preceding this album, it's a lot easier to perceive that the Beatles are just a slightly more raw Everly Brothers with a more pronounced R&B influence. You've got the usual mixture of original songs and covers, generally of girl groups and Motown. Oh, and a song from a musical. I'm pretty sure the only reason 'Till There Was You' is on here is to pander to older, more square audiences since it represents what was viewed as an 'acceptable' pop song before Tin Pan Alley got completely wiped off the map. Once you get past the incredibly corny lyrics, it's not all that bad, featuring probably the best solo on the record (George Harrison's solos were never his strong point, especially not in this period.

The Motown covers are done surprisingly well for a bunch of white Brits. Lennon really sinks his teeth into 'You Really Got A Hold On Me' and 'Money'. The former is one of the best songs on the album, actually. They both share a comparatively darker tone with the rest of the songs, displaying a good deal of anguish and greed that you just don't get with the albums I've reviewed so far. Same with 'Please Mr. Postman', now that I think about it. They're all just covers, sure, but the Beatles certainly knew how to choose their covers. John sounds like he's gonna kick that postman's ass! After listening to these songs, I am filled with a renewed sorrow that '60s classic Motown isn't as covered on this list as it should be.

But it's the originals that are the real meat and potatoes here-The Beatles make sure to stick 5 of them at the beginning as to leave no doubt about their songwriting ability. 'It Won't Be Long' practically explodes off the record. And let's not leave Paul out: 'All My Loving' is definitely the classic of the record, combining an engaging vocal melody and a spiffy rhythm guitar part. Unfortunately, Paul didn't do so well for the rest of the album, because 'Hold Me Tight' is the worst song, let's face it.

George Harrison takes a big step on this album, writing his first song, 'Don't Bother Me'. Fitting title, isn't it? It's the awkward downbeat song amongst the chipper Lennon-McCartney numbers, setting him apart from the get-go. Ringo is thrown 'I Wanna Be Your Man' from the songwriting scraps, a song whose lyrical complexity can not be adequately described here.

Overall, this album was pretty much as good as rock music got in 1963. Not very complicated at all, but catchy and engaging enough to warrant listening. 7/10

34. Ray Price - Night Life (1962)

1. Introduction And Theme/Night Life
2. Lonely Street
3. Wild Side Of Life
4. Sittin' And Thinkin'
5. Twenty-Fourth Hour
6. Girl In The Night
7. Pride
8. There's No Fool Like A Young Fool
9. If She Could See Me Now
10. Bright Lights And Blonde Haired Women
11. Are You Sure
12. Let Me Talk To You

I'm literally one album away from the Beatles and this is the best you can give me? I could name at least 100 other albums that they could've put in this list, but tragically I was not consulted and now I have to deal with this leaden turd.

The problems start immediately. For some reason, rather than starting the record with a song, Ray chooses to begin the record with a song that is then rudely interrupted a few seconds in by a two minute spoken word introduction that explains the concept of the record. Why did this need to be here? This isn't Tommy. This isn't even Sgt. Fucking Pepper. The "concept" of this album could be explained in one sentence. Do you really think we're that stupid, Mr. Price? As if that wasn't enough, after this wooden intro, the song starts over sans dialogue. It being the first song on the album, as well as being written by Willie Nelson, make it the only thing approaching quality on this album.

From there, we're set adrift in a sea of tunes so bland, it makes Jazz Samba sound like Cannibal Corpse. Since this record claims to be a concept album, the lyrics are uniformly about the perils of the night life, all drinking and loose women and what have you (how do you make that uninteresting?). And boy are they preachy. It's more or less setting the bar for everything I dislike in modern country music! There's not even any of the wry, homespun humor that vindicates a lot of country. He sings lines like "I didn't know God made honky-tonk angels" with bland seriousness, with the result of an album that's about as fun as a turnip.

I guess it entered their heads that since all of the songs sound alike lyrically, they should all sound the same musically as well. Sure, there's one or two slight exceptions, but other than that these songs are more or less interchangeable. I know, I've been complaining about songs sounding the same or blending together for as long as I've had this blog and you're probably all sick of me saying it, but it is exceptionally bad here. If I didn't know better (which I don't), I'd say that at least half of these songs use the exact same backing music. Sure, the fiddle or steel guitar may be playing a slightly different lead, but when you're listening to 12 of these things in a row they all come together to form what seems to be a Megazord of preachy, patronizing lyrics and near-identical instrumentation. If I wanted a bunch of songs that all sounded the same, I would've listened to the Ramones and then I might've at least enjoyed myself.

It's not that I have an innate dislike of country music, as you might think. This album just happens to contain what I dislike about country music in a conveniently wrapped package. The steel guitars sounded nice enough, but not even they could save this album by launching it into the Hallowed Hall of Mediocrity. Tragically, this album is left to founder and fester in the Pit of Shame and Despair, forced to exchange pleasantries with St. Anger and Limp Bizkit albums for the rest of its damned days. 2/10

33. Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd - Jazz Samba (1962)

1. Desafinado
2. Samba Dees Days
3. O Pato
4. Samba Triste
5. Samba De Uma Nota Só
6. É Luxo Só
7. Bahia

It's bossa nova time! I reviewed this at the right time, as this album is ideal for a lazy summer day. So ideal, in fact, that I almost feel asleep. It's not exactly the liveliest of albums. It's about as laid back as an album can get, even smoother than Birth of the Cool, for crying out loud! I didn't even think that was possible!

This album, particularly the lead single 'Desafinado', did much to popularize bossa nova in the US. Finally, socialites in tweed jackets had music to play in their horrendously decorated lounges. The thing is, this album was performed by white people, so it's not really straight from the soul of Brazil. It was probably filtered for mainstream consumption as so many things were in that era, and the result is an album that largely goes in one ear and out the other. It's nice and breezy, at the very least. 6/10

32. Booker T. & the M.G.'s - Green Onions (1962)

1. Green Onions
2. Rinky Dink
3. I Got A Woman
4. Mo' Onions
5. Twist And Shout
6. Behave Yourself
7. Stranger On The Shore
8. Lonely Avenue
9. One Who Really Loves You
10. You Can't Sit Down
11. Woman A Lover A Friend
12. Comin' Home Baby

This album is basically Jimmy Smith, but in an R&B style rather than jazz. Unfortunately, it's aged about half as well. This album was largely recorded in that great early '60s fashion, when the title track became a massive hit and they realized they needed to capitalize on that. and quickly. The result is one amazing track and 11 other 'well, alright, if you must' tracks.

Of course, most people have heard the title track. It's a well deserved classic, oozing cool from every funky pore. Booker T.'s organ playing is both soulful and laid back, leading the song but not trying to play too much. Steve Cropper's guitar playing is funky enough that you'd swear he wasn't white. Fitting that this should come right after Ray Charles doing an album of country music.

The rest of the tracks are either more instrumental jams in a similar style (including 'Mo' Onions', which sounds like a commercial wanted to use 'Green Onions' but couldn't quite get the licensing), or instrumental covers of currently popular R&B tunes. And for some reason, 'Stranger on the Shore'. Sure, why not? These covers aren't necessarily bad, but listening to them now they contain a rather high level of early '60s kitsch. Half of the time it sounds like music you'd hear watching one of those hilarious old music shows with titles like Hullabaloo or Shindig. Go-go dancers as far as the eye can see. It was a simpler time. 7/10

31. Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962)

1. Bye Bye Love
2. You Don't Know Me
3. Half as Much
4. I Love You So Much It Hurts
5. Just a Little Lovin' (Will Go a Long Way)
6. Born to Lose
7. Worried Mind
8. It Makes No Difference Now
9. You Win Again
10. Careless Love
11. I Can't Stop Loving You
12. Hey, Good Lookin'

This album caused quite a stir in its day. Though an ever-growing amount of black performers were reaching the pop charts due to the increasing crossover success of R&B, as well as the growing amount of artists from the new record label called Motown, the divide between black music and white music remained solid as ever. Since rock music had essentially been reclaimed by white people in the early '60s, which was later cemented by the meteoric rise in popularity of British rock, only served to widen this division. This division was merely social, however, constructed by a nation whose racial problem was swiftly spiraling out of control. Although the music was split by racial barriers, it all had a common original in the mix of folk, blues, and country. That point is exactly what Ray Charles was trying to drive home with this album.

If anyone was going to make a successful crossover album, Ray Charles was going to be it. His career was started by his fusion of gospel and blues, making him one of the architects of soul music, so why not country music? After all, country and blues are extremely similar.

So after bludgeoning you with context, how does the album sound? Well, 'Modern Sounds' is definitely taken literally here. This album is laden with all the pop production one needed in 1962, all sorts of cheesy strings and backing vocals that really haven't aged all too well. Ray's voice, however, is timeless, and he makes every track his own. If it weren't for the title, you wouldn't even know that these were originally country songs. 'Bye Bye Love' and 'Hey Good Lookin'' are positively swingin', something that I wasn't aware that any country song could do. His singing is so good that you won't even notice the rather cheesy arrangements on the ballads (well, most of the time).

As far as final judgments go, this album's concept is innovative and fearless, especially for the time period. In execution it's not quite as amazing, but it's still worth a listen nonetheless. 8/10

30. Bill Evans - Sunday at the Village Vanguard (1961)

1. Gloria's Step (Take 2)
2. Gloria's Step (Take 3)
3. My Man's Gone Now
4. Solar
5. Alice In Wonderland (Take 2)
6. Alice In Wonderland (Take 1)
7. All Of You (Take 2)
8. All Of You (Take 3)
9. Jade Visions (Take 2)
10. Jade Visions (Take 1)


One of the more unfortunate things about this project is that I generally only have time to listen to an album once before reviewing it. It's not the worst thing in the world, sure, but every time I listen to a critically acclaimed masterpiece of jazz music, there's always that certain tinge of regret. Things like this and 'Kind of Blue' are meant to be listened to more than once, to allow you to pick apart the record and thus truly appreciate it. Since I wasn't exactly an expert on jazz before starting this blog, it can be kind of daunting getting all these jazz classics thrown at me.

This album works both as background music and something to be actively listened to. Bill Evans is certainly a skilled pianist and he lets you know it. However, though this album was credited to Evans, I found myself more drawn to the work of bassist Scott LaFaro. He actually takes quite a few solos here, something that I haven't heard from any other bassist yet. Innovation! It's enough to raise the quality of the album, because without his progressive bass performance this album would be two steps from very well performed elevator music. Unfortunately, he died 10 days after recording this.

1961 was not a great year for albums, this book would have me believe. Perhaps if I gave it 2 or 3 more listens this would start to click with me, but until then I'd rather listen to something that's able to command my attention for more than a couple minutes at a time. 7/10

29. Muddy Waters - At Newport (1960)

1. I Got My Brand on You
2. Hoochie Coochie Man
3. Baby Please Don't Go
4. Soon Forgotten
5. Tiger in Your Tank
6. I Feel So Good
7. I've Got My Mojo Working
8. I've Got My Mojo Working, Pt. 2
9. Goodbye Newport Blues

Due to the nature of this list, we're going to hear far more British white guys inspired by the blues than actual original blues performers. With that in mind, it's nice to have this live document showing the power of blues before all those white people with their fuzztone guitars and wild soloing got to it. It's not as loud and wild as they are, but it more than makes up for it in sheer swagger. The band is like a well-oiled machine, not putting too much emphasis on one performer, but delivering a nice solid slab of blues for Muddy Waters to work his mojo over. And it is quite some mojo. Although he starts off slow and steady with Willie Dixon's 'I Got My Brand on You' and then slowly picks up throughout the show until by the time we get to 'Tiger in Your Tank' the band are rocking out at quite a pace.

Muddy Waters himself (well, he wouldn't have got very far in the blues with a name like McKinley Morganfield, would he?) sings each song with the bravado necessary for any proper blues musician. The music here is far more sexual than anything else here so far. It's not something that has to be watered down for white radio listeners, and it is much better for it. He boasts that he'll have all the women under his command, and he certainly has the audience in the palm of his hand. They sound like they're having a great time, especially for a pre-Beatles live document. His mojo is definitely workin'. 8/10

28. Jimmy Smith - Back at the Chicken Shack (1960)

1. Back At The Chicken Shack
2. When I Grow Too Old To Dream
3. Minor Chant
4. Messy Bessy
5. On The Sunny Side Of The Street


Even in the 1960s we cannot escape the allure of relaxing jazz music. In fact, this album was so relaxing that I occasionally forgot it was there! This album brings an element of soul into jazz, and it also brings in the Hammond organ! We're going to be hearing a lot of organs in this decade, they couldn't get enough of them back in the day.

Anyway, this album is...well, it's pleasant. There's not all that much to talk about, really. Other than the presence of a new instrument, there's nothing that makes this album a Big Deal for me. The solos are generally nice, but aside from one cool drum solo bit this album shuffles along at a laid back pace. I don't know what chicken shack he's supposed to be at, but it is one goddamned sophisticated chicken shack.

Anyhow, I'm really at a loss of words here. I can't hack it to pieces like Elvis, but it's not exactly setting my ears on fire either. Good background music for an art exhibition, perhaps. 6.5/10

27. Everly Brothers - A Date with the Everly Brothers (1961)

1. Made To Love
2. That's Just Too Much
3. Stick With Me Baby
4. Baby What You Want Me To Do
5. Sigh, Cry, Almost Die
6. Always It's You
7. Love Hurts
8. Lucille
9. So How Come
10. Donna, Donna
11. Change Of Heart
12. Cathy's Clown

This is the first recognizably '60s album on the list! It's about bloody time that happened. Although I bemoaned the state of rock music during this era during my Elvis review, this is undoubtedly the best rock album I've reviewed on the list so far. Its fusion of rock with a more streamlined pop sound and production succeeds where Presley failed, for a multitude of reasons. For one, the songwriting doesn't suck. These songs sound more vital and exciting than the languid bore that was 'Elvis is Back'. They pop out at you in all their early '60s charm in a manner reminiscent of early Beatles. In fact, the influence these guys had on the early Beatles sound is rather striking, considering that not much seems to be said about it. Their first hits were practically built on the Everly sound, and the brothers were promptly rewarded by being swept out of popularity in a fearsome musical coup d'état and scarcely managing a top 100 hit between them for the rest of the decade. I'm sure they felt the way many Africans and Indians did when they woke up one morning only to find that they were now ruled by Britons.

The songwriting is all teenage melodrama stuff. Music to give your best girl your high school ring in a malt shop by, so to speak. A bit hard to relate to in this modern day world of songs called "OMG", and the fact that song lyrics are that much more likely to mention texting as a means of courtship. Not to mention Bangs' new summer jam "Meet Me On Facebook", which I am linking here. Jam of the year, without a doubt.

Tangent on the state of pop music aside, the songs sound good as well. The Everlys' trademark harmonies are all over this, and their presence manages to make every song sound better in the pop context. This album has more instrumental touches too. The guitars have finally entered this decade, either sounding like watered-down surf rock or like the Beatles (yet again!). There's even a glockenspiel on one track! It's all so tremendously exciting.

All in all, this album rather surprised me. Although the tracks do sound rather similar, they managed to escape blending into each other like every rock album so far. They're catchy and well-written enough to positively shine by comparison. They even manage to do justice to a Little Richard song ('Lucille'), something which I thought few white people could manage. This may be a bit high of a rating considering what's the come, but in a desert of blandness it makes sense to give praise to the oasis.

Not the band Oasis though. 9/10

26. Miriam Makeba - Miriam Makeba (1960)

1. The Retreat Song
2. Suliram
3. The Click Song
4. Umhome
5. Olilili
6. Lakutshn, Ilanga
7. Mbube
8. The Naughty Little Flea
9. Where Does It Lead?
10. Nomeva
11. House Of The Rising Sun
12. Saduva
13. One More Dance
14. Iya Guduza


Next on our list is an album that's more fun than a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Although this album is purportedly African music, it unfortunately falls prey to the sweet sweet lure of crossover success. The songs that aren't sung in English (At least one of the tracks is in Xhosa, but African languages really aren't my specialty) are by far the highlights. After listening to what felt like an eternity of '50s backing vocals, these wonderfully expressive African-style voices are very much appreciated. I have utterly no clue what they're saying, but it sounds really interesting!

The English language tracks drag this LP down a bit, unfortunately. Compared with the other songs, they clash rather violently. It's not like Miriam's a bad singer, I just generally dislike it when my African music is mixed up with incredibly stupid novelty songs (There is a special place in hell, or perhaps Disneyland, for 'The Naughty Little Flea'). I'm willing to give a pass to 'One More Dance' because of how bizarre it is. The song tells the rather gripping tale of a woman who is putting off tending to her dying husband to dance with someone else, a man who cannot stop laughing hysterically throughout the entire song. You can't really make that sort of thing up.

Aside from those tracks, this album is pretty awesome. Although I can't understand them, their voices evoke far more emotion than the often bland material of this time period. 8.5/10

25. Elvis Presley - Elvis is Back! (1960)

1. Make Me Know It
2. Fever
3. Girl Of My Best Friend
4. I Will Be Home Again
5. Dirty Dirty Feeling
6. Thrill Of Your Love
7. Soldier Boy
8. Such A Night
9. It Feels So Right
10. Girl Next Door
11. Like A Baby
12. Reconsider Baby

This guy again? Oh great....

I can't even go two albums in this decade without running into this asshole. Anyway, Elvis was back from 2 years in the Army, where he was drafted during peacetime in a government conspiracy to destroy rock music or something. That may not seem that long now, but back in the 50s you were expected at least two albums a year, so this probably felt like Chinese Democracy-levels of waiting.

Unfortunately those two years didn't improve Elvis any. Although his voice has improved a bit since the debut album, the material hasn't much. Where his first album was a thrown together mess of country and rock, the songs on this album consistently fall into a bland rock-esque middle of the road pop category. It rocks in a couple places, but not very hard at all, and certainly nothing that inspires more than a passing interest. Unfortunately, this album falls into what is often called the nadir of rock music, a period that lasted from the late 50s to the early 60s. Many of the leading stars in the first generation of rock were incapacitated in some way: Elvis was drafted, Little Richard had (temporarily) quit the business to become a preacher, Chuck Berry was arrested for transporting a minor across state lines, Jerry Lee Lewis was embroiled in a scandal in which he married his 13 year old first cousin, and Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper were all killed in a plane crash. Not a very rockin' time. Aside from surf rock groups, the majority of popular music was made up of excessively bland pop music that had the energy of a dead fish.

This album is no exception. Although there are a couple of numbers that have a flicker of life in them, most of this album is largely forgettable early 60s pop. 'Fever' is an interesting jazzy-type number, but it's also a near carbon copy of the Peggy Lee version, so I can't praise it all that much. 'Such A Night' is easily the best song on the album, with Elvis turning in a spirited (and rather sexual!) vocal. He does an okay job with the material he's given, it's just that the material sucks. And the instrumentation is awash in those annoying 1950s-style backing singers. There's nothing really groundbreaking or indeed noteworthy about this album, and I thoroughly resent its placing in this list when a Chuck Berry album could've easily covered for it. 5/10

24. Joan Baez - Joan Baez (1960)

1. Silver Dagger
2. East Virginia
3. Fare Thee Well (Or Then Thousand Miles)
4. House Of The Rising Sun
5. All My Trials
6. Wildwood Flower
7. Donna Donna
8. John Riley
9. Rake and Rambling Boy
10. Little Moses
11. Mary Hamilton
12. Henry Martin
13. El Preso Numero Nueve

Welcome to the sixties! Spark up a joint, drop some acid, burn your draft card, get sprayed with a fire hose, kill a commie or two, we're in for one turbulent (and far, far more interesting) decade. And what better way to start than Joan Baez? She's the archetype for the cliche female folk singer singing about Problems!

Ain't no Problems on this album, though (At least, nothing from the 20th century). The songs are all ancient folk ballads, complete with lost love and a forlorn demeanor. What a miserable time the past must have been. One can tell that the Beatles/Dylan wave of self-expression hadn't quite hit: these are all interpretations of other people's stories, and Joan changes personality and even gender to suit the song.

Musically, this album is as simple as you'd expect. Nothing but acoustic guitars and singing throughout. Baez's voice is definitely strong enough to carry the album, and displays a surprising amount of control for her debut album. Her high notes command attention, and frankly I haven't heard that much vibrato on a person's voice since that one time I saw Dream Theater in concert (He's called James LaBrie because he's cheesy as hell).

Other than that, there's not all that much to say. The song choices are pretty decent overall, especially 'House of the Rising Sun' which is just as powerful (if not more so) than the Animals version, even without all the bells and whistles. None of the songs are noticeably bad. There's great stuff on here, but the general sound of this album has been covered so many times by so many artists it's impossible to review without bias creeping in. 8/10

23. Dave Brubeck Quartet -Time Out (1959)

1. Blue Rondo A La Turk
2. Strange Meadow Lark
3. Take Five
4. Three To Get Ready
5. Kathy's Waltz
6. Everybody's Jumpin'
7. Pick Up Sticks


Ah, nothing like reading Finnegans Wake while listening to some nice intellectual jazz.....wait a minute, crossover success!?! I can't listen to this shit!! It's got the stench of the unwashed masses all over it!

Anyhow, this album does sound a fair bit different from the jazz I've reviewed so far. As the record title indicates, time signatures are the main focus of this thing. Jazz had labored under 4/4 for far too long, and Dave Brubeck sought to change that with a host of wacky time signatures (9/8? What the hell is that?). Apparently this pissed off a bunch of jazz purists, proving that they're even easier to anger than indie fans.

All those different time signatures give this record a more diverse sound than you would normally associate with 1950s jazz. 'Blue Rondo A La Turk' was influenced by Turkish folk music, and it sounds pretty swingin', even though it turns into a more conventional jazz piece partway through. The intro just might be my favorite spot on the record. Why can't we use 9/8 more often? According to Wikipedia, this part sounds very similar to some battle music in Final Fantasy 7. I am so very glad they've got the truly important things in mind over there.

'Take Five' is recognizable from the first piano notes onward. It's one of the few jazz pieces to actually hit the top 40 and not immediately remind one of the dentist's office. There's even a drum solo that doesn't bore me! Any song that can pull both of those off has got to be extremely well written, and it's no surprise that this is one of the most well known jazz songs ever.

The rest of the album isn't quite as strikingly innovate, but still pleasant. 'Strange Meadow Lark' is as pretty as it sounds, and there's a part in 'Kathy's Waltz' where the piano sounds exactly like the melody of 'All My Loving' by the Beatles. The piano is great all across the album, now that I think about it.

So, how do the 1950s end? Not exactly with a bang, but perhaps a slightly smaller explosion. Not brain-meltingly innovative and flawless, but pretty unique and very listenable. There are much worse ways to end a decade!

22. Marty Robbins - Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (1959)

1. Big Iron
2. Cool Water
3. Billy The Kid
4. Hundred And Sixty Acres
5. They're Hanging Me Tonight
6. Strawberry Roan
7. El Paso
8. In The Valley
9. Master's Call
10. Running Gun
11. Little Green Valley
12. Utah Carol


Music to have gunfights by, most assuredly. This album came out during an era where westerns made up approximately 95% percent of all television, and that's definitely reflected in the subject matter. I'm pretty sure all of these songs were reenacted through Gunsmoke episodes at some point. It's another country album, but once again flying in the face of my flagrant blue state bias against country it's not terrible! In fact, it's a lot like the Louvin Brothers album I reviewed here but with a good deal more cheeriness and pop flair. In fact, 'El Paso' was the first #1 hit of the 60s on the Billboard charts!

This record is pretty much how I imagine all those old 50s westerns would've been like. All exaggerated characters and gunfights breaking out every 20 minutes. Much like Tragic Songs of Life, stories about desperation and jealousy abound. Particularly amusing is 'The Master's Call', a tale of a man who turns to religion after God almost nukes the bastard with lightning (this must be the Old Testament God here). Sure, it may be a tad kitschy and overwrought, but look at the cover of this thing!

The production is a lot more polished than I like my country records to be, complete with oh-so-50s backing vocals (I can't wait to get rid of those, though I have to admit they work well here), but these songs are all well played and the lyrics are generally interesting enough to make you pay close attention most of the time. Sure, it can drag on a bit, but what 50s album doesn't? I'd take this over Elvis any day. 8/10

21. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (1959)

1. So What
2. Freddie the Freeloader
3. Blue in Green
4. All Blues
5. Flamenco Sketches


Another Miles Davis album! And it's better than Birth of the Cool! In fact, it's one of the Most High Revered Jazz Albums Of All Time not to mention the best selling one. I can't go around giving this a 6 like I did the last one, or else I'll get shot by that guy who teaches history of "jazz" at UCSC.

You can definitely tell that a lot of time has passed between this and Birth of the Cool (about 10 years, in fact!). While that album is made up of really structured 3 minute songs, this album is long and meandering. Rather than giving the musicians a score or chord progressions to improvise around, Miles just stuck them with a list of scales to play. Also, he apparently wrote (as much as you can write these sort of songs) them mere hours before they were performed. I guess when you're Miles Davis and you have Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley and Coltrane playing with you, you can get away with that sort of thing.

This album is about as ethereal as the 50s got. It's very reminiscent of Brilliant Corners, the way the songs sort of float around dreamily, with only small bits of string tying them together. It's a lot more melodic than that album, even though most of the songs are sparse and simplistic. The solos are all extremely well done, naturally. I mean, look who played on this album! Miles Davis does not fuck around. This is probably the perfect album to play after a long hard day of work. 9/10

20. Ray Charles - The Genius of Ray Charles (1959)

1. Let The Good Times Roll
2. It Had To Be You
3. Alexander's Ragtime Band
4. Two Years Of Torture
5. When Your Lover Has Gone
6. Deed I Do
7. Just For A Thrill
8. You Won't Let Me Go
9. Tell Me You'll Wait For Me
10. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin'
11. Am I Blue
12. Come Rain Or Come Shine

You can tell that Ray Charles got to name his own albums, because the word "genius" pops up about 50 times. One thing working in the music industry does not teach artists is modesty. Except for that one part in 'Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')' where Dr. Dre says "gap teeth in your mouth so my dick's got to fit". I never quite got that lyric, unless he thinks Eazy-E is going to be intimidated by him having a small dick. I mean, I realize the rap game was pretty different in 1992, but


I have to admit, this is definitely my favorite Jamie Foxx alb


Finally, some soul on this list! On the surface, this album sounds like the 20,000 other vocal jazz pop albums, this album has a clear difference in that this man got pipes. After listening to album after album of pleasant sounding but fairly straight laced rendition, this album came as nothing but a relief. Ray Charles sings the hell out of every song on here, particularly the exciting opening numbers. If 'Let The Good Time Roll' doesn't make you want to go out and party, I have sincere doubts about your possessing a soul.

One of the cool things about this album is that it's the first on the list to actually change up the format of the album! While side A consists of more jazzy uptempo tunes, the B side has a bunch of slow ballads. Not exactly the most groundbreaking stuff by our standards, sure, but this is 1959! This was an era where Frankie Avalon was the hottest new talent, so you can't exactly expect innovations in the field of albums when there were communists to be fought.

Though the orchestration sounds pretty much the same as it does in all these other albums, Ray Charles' soulful voice made it that much more listenable. I have to admit, so far on this list black people are kicking our asses. Step it up, white people!

While this album wasn't exactly mind-blowing, in my heart I'm giving it a ten simply for not being Ella fucking Fitzgerald. 8/10

19. Ella Fitzgerald - Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959

1. Ambulatory Suite
2. Prelude
3. Sam And Delilah
4. But Not For Me
5. My One And Only
6. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
7. I've Got Beginner's Luck
8. Oh Lady Be Good
9. Nice Work If You Can Get It
10. Things Are Looking Up
11. Just Another Rumba
12. How Long Has This Been Going On
13. It's Wonderful
14. Man I Love
15. That Certain Feeling
16. By Strauss
17. Someone To Watch Over Me
18. Real American Folk Song Is A Rag
19. Who Cares
20. Looking For A Boy
21. They All Laughed
22. My Cousin In Milwaukee
23. Somebody From Somewhere
24. Foggy Day
25. Clap Yo' Hands
26. For You For Me For Evermore
27. Stiff Upper Lip
28. Boy Wanted
29. Strike Up The Band
30. Soon
31. I've Got A Crush On You
32. Bidin' My Time
33. Aren't You Kind Of Glad We Did
34. Of Thee I Sing
35. Half Of It Dearie Blues
36. I Was Doing All Right
37. He Loves And She Loves
38. Love Is Sweeping The Country
39. Treat Me Rough
40. Love Is Here To Stay
41. Slap That Bass
42. Isn't It A Pity
43. Shall We Dance
44. Love Walked In
45. You've Got What Gets Me
46. They Can't Take That Away From Me
47. Embraceable You
48. I Can't Be Bothered Now
49. Boy What Love Has Done To Me
50. Fascinating Rhythm
51. Funny Face
52. Lorelei
53. Oh So Nice
54. Let's Kiss And Make Up
55. I Got Rhythm
56. Somebody Loves Me
57. Cheerful Little Earful


Curse you Ella Fitzgerald, you came oh so deliciously close to derailing my blog, as well as my stable way of life. This album turned me from a diligent updating man into an alcoholic wreck, a mere shell of my former self. Just look at the track list! I can't imagine buying this thing in 1959. It must've taken up like 6 LPs! It's 3 hours long, for Chrissakes!

I'm not even sure how to start off reviewing this album. It's....consistent? Sure, there were a few duds, but when you're dealing with a monolithic set of 57 songs they all seem to get dragged together into one well orchestrated muddle. After listening to all these vocal jazz albums I've got to be a certified expert of 30s-40s pop music (Aren't I supposed to be in the 50s??).

Naturally, since there's so many of these songs they're about all sorts of topics. Most of them are about romance, obviously, but some of these songs are just strange, like 'Cousin from Milwaukee' and the nice bit of cheerio-jolly-good-pip-pip British stereotyping of 'Stiff Upper Lip'. I was particularly amused by 'Treat Me Rough', a swingin' 1930s ode to BDSM (well, almost).

At the end of the day, this album is just too unlistenably vast to give a truly fair review. Ella sings the songs well, though I expected a bit more sass coming off that Sarah Vaughan album. And I do have to give her credit for the scope of this project. Unfortunately, the scope was so vast that this album is rather a chore to get through. 5/10