50. Bob Dylan - Bringing it All Back Home

1. Subterranean Homesick Blues
2. She Belongs To Me
3. Maggie's Farm
4. Love Minus Zero/No Limit
5. Outlaw Blues
6. On The Road Again
7. Bob Dylan's 115th Dream
8. Mr. Tambourine Man
9. Gates Of Eden
10. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
11. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

The sound you hear at the beginning of this record is the sound of millions of hardcore folk music fans shitting their pants with abject fury over what Bob Dylan has just done. After growing increasingly disillusioned with the folk scene, writing protest songs, and being labeled as the "spokesman for a generation", Dylan went electric. In this post-Bowie world, an artist changing their image and/or sound isn't exactly the most shocking thing in the world, but it was a hell of a surprise to people back then. Dylan had to deal with fans booing at concerts and deriding him for "selling out". Fortunately historical hindsight has shown us that those people are stupid.

This album wasn't a complete genre-change, though. While side A contained rock songs, side B kept the more familiar acoustic material. And is it just me, or is the acoustic side of this album better? I know that there's some groundbreaking stuff on side A, but the music itself is mostly pretty simplistic blues-rock stuff, whereas the second side has perhaps the most brilliantly written and poetic songs that have shown up on the list so far.

The electric side is some electrifyin' (shocking, I know? Okay, I'll stop.) stuff, though. 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' is so lyrically dense that it's hard to believe it's only 2 minutes long. The song sounds like the entire story of the '60s radical movement, and the music is equally radical, sounding like it's going to break your speakers.

The next song 'She Belongs To Me', is, along with 'Love Minus Zero/No Limit' are love songs like none before, with lyrics that went beyond the boy-meets-girl surface to plunge the as-yet unexplored depths of poetic expression in rock music. His increasingly abstract lyrics have nothing to do with the problems of society, but they possess a stream of consciousness mode that is quite beautiful. It just goes to show that sometimes you need to follow your own artistic vision, no matter what fans might think.

There's nothing beautiful about 'Maggie's Farm', though. I've always liked this song in particular, because it's essentially a protest song against the people who want him to keep writing protest songs. He even finds time to justify his new direction: 'I try my best/To be just like I am/But everybody wants you/To be just like them/They say "Sing while you slave," and I just get bored.' Bob Dylan doesn't take any shit.

'Bob Dylan's 115th Dream' is one of those bizarre dream narratives that he used to do before his sense of humor was forcibly sucked out of him, and it's totally hilarious. He leaps from one surreal image to the next without giving you any time to rest in between. I wish my dreams were half as interesting.

The acoustic side is where Dylan's newfound appreciation for surrealism truly shines. 'Mr. Tambourine Man' is practically an acid trip set to music! What's not to like? And 'It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding' is the best song on the record, a fully realized grim indictment against American society. Finally, after defying listeners' expectations for an entire record, he says his goodbye to the folk music scene in 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue'.

This is one of those albums that totally rewrites the rules of what you can do in rock music that seemed so frequent back then. Dylan's lyrical freedom on this album would go on to inspire countless musicians to follow. Finally, we can escape the Spectre of Filler at last. 9.5/10

49. The Sonics - Here Are The Sonics (1965)

1. Witch
2. Do You Love Me
3. Roll Over Beethoven
4. Boss Hoss
5. Dirty Robber
6. Have Love, Will Travel
7. Psycho
8. Money
9. Walkin' the Dog
10. Night Time Is the Right Time
11. Strychnine
12. Good Golly Miss Molly

After listening to this album, all the stuff they said about that Jerry Lee Lewis album seems a tad more ridiculous. These guys make it sound weak and unenthusiastic. In fact, the comparisons made to the Stooges and Sex Pistols would be far more apt if they described these guys, for it is here we delve into the magical world of proto-punk.

'Protopunk' isn't really a genre name, of course, but it serves as a useful retroactive term to refer to a whole bunch of bands in the '60s and early '70s that had a large influence on the punk sound. It most definitely applies here. These guys take the same tried and true rock 'n' roll classics that every other garage band in the world was playing, and play them as loud and as wild as they can. Complete with some awesome screaming. I mean, we've had screams in rock since Little Richard, but in this context they sound absolutely psychotic.

Pretty much all the touchstones of punk are here-simplistic playing, amps turned up to 11, everything louder than everything else...it's all here! They may take their cues from Little Richard rather than the Ramones, but the sound and feel are still there, practically 10 years early. What makes this even more interesting are the original songs, with bizarre lyrics concerning topics ranging from witches to insanity to getting hammered from drinking strychnine. You don't have to stretch too far to see the influence those songs would have on countless bands later on.

The only problem I had with this album was the same bloody covers that were inescapable in those days, but the Sonics are demented enough to make boring old songs sound alive and kicking (Ever been kicked in the eardrums? It's not fun). This album's got what has to be the hardest hitting drum sound that was possible back then, and hopefully gave square parents splitting headaches. It's like a half-hour maelstrom of the early '60s, though this band's influence stretches far longer. 9/10

48. Jerry Lee Lewis - Live at the Star Club (1965)

1. Mean Woman Blues
2. High School Confidential
3. Money
4. Matchbox
5. What'd I Say
6. Great Balls Of Fire
7. Good Golly Miss Molly
8. Lewis Boogie
9. Your Cheatin' Heart
10. Hound Dog
11. Long Tall Sally
12. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On


I know what you're thinking. What could this old dinosaur be doing with an album right in the middle of 1965? This list works in mysterious ways! This live album is from the lowest point in his career, after he hadn't had a hit for years and years. You see, when you marry your 13 year old cousin, it's not exactly the best thing to have the public find out about it. It can get kind of awkward.

He seems to have channeled his bitterness into his piano playing, if this album is any indication. Dude plays like a man possessed. Sure, he always played like that, but this is even more so. Without the constraints of studio recording, Jerry Lee breaks out with a truly frantic performance. In fact, it actually sounds like he's playing too fast for the band in a couple spots. This must've been a special night, because I'd be surprised if he performed like that at all his concerts back then.

Though it certainly has an impressive amount of energy, this album definitely isn't the greatest live album ever, as I've seen it called. Since this album isn't really well known in comparison to more legendary live albums like At Fillmore East or Made in Japan or whatever, people use it as an excuse to drown the poor thing in a sea of superlatives. I mean, check out this review from Allmusic: 'Compared to this, thrash metal sounds tame, the Stooges sound constrained, hardcore punk seems neutered, and the Sex Pistols sound like wimps. Rock & roll is about the fire in the performance, and nothing sounds as fiery as this; nothing hits as hard or sounds as loud, either.'

I mean, Jesus. This album is incredibly exciting and loud, but to say that it outstrips things like hardcore punk seems a bit much. It's not like Jerry Lee was out to make the audience feel the anguish of his failing career by wearing safety pins on his clothing, burning a picture of Elvis screaming 'KILL YOUR IDOLS' and kicking Glenn Danzig in the balls. It's not that intense! Sure, it would've felt that way if you were actually there, but in this modern era where we have things like hardcore punk and thrash metal, calling this the most furious thing ever recorded seems really excessive. The songs themselves aren't that amazing, either! They're the same ol' bunch of early rock covers that every fucking rock band was doing at that point (well, except for that Hank Williams cover that was nice enough to slow things down a bit). These songs have similar enough structures that they would all sound the same if you didn't know the original songs, and even if you do it's kind of touchy. I didn't really need to hear yet another version of 'Money'.

This is truly a wild live album, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's that good. The way I see it, this album shows the extremes that pre-'65 rock could go to, before new sounds and new scenes turned rock into something more than a bunch of hopped-up blues progressions. 7/10

47. Buck Owens - I've Got a Tiger by the Tail (1965)

1. I've Got a Tiger by the Tail
2. Trouble and Me
3. Let the Sad Times Roll On
4. Wham Bam
5. If You Fall Out of Love With Me
6. Fallin' for You
7. We're Gonna Let the Good Times Roll
8. Band Keeps Playin' On
9. Streets of Laredo
10. Cryin' Time
11. Maiden's Prayer
12. Memphis

Oh boy, it's 1965! I've been waiting for this year for ages! It's the year that rock music finally began to shake off the evil Spectre of Filler and produce truly classic albums that stand on their own as artistic works. From this point onward, the list starts really shaping up. Although each year has only had a smattering of albums so far, from now on we'll be getting a lot of albums for every one. It's going to be ever so fantastic!

So after all that hype, it's a bit of a disappointment to kick off this landmark year for the album with a mediocre country album. Although Ray Price had me frothing at the mouth and caused me to avoid country like the plague, this was actually listenable. The songs sounded different, for one. Not nearly as much polish, too. This album wouldn't make any friends on the overproduced Nashville scene.

I'm going to come right out and say that 'I've Got A Tiger By The Tail' is the best song on here. I know what you're thinking: "But Clay, how could a song that the album is named after, and which is carefully placed at the very beginning of the record so it would be the first thing we'd hear and thus color our opinion of the album as a whole with a favorable first impression be the best song?" I know it sounds a little crazy, but work with me here.

There's other neat material on the album, though! 'Streets of Laredo' is a song about dying cowboys that could've come right out of Marty Robbins' songbook, with vocals that appear to be sung by someone in Buck's band. I guess democracy is always nice on a record billed to one person!

Oh, and there's a Chuck Berry cover. On a country album, no less, though it sounds more rockabilly than anything. Also, I would like to note the rather high amount of Chuck Berry covers showing up on these albums. Why the fuck doesn't he get his own album?! You'd think it would've been a given! Bastards.

But anyway, the songs that Owns wrote are also pretty good. The lyrics are that style of humorous storytelling that country music does so well. Thankfully, it's not preachy. This is supposed to be a classic of country music, but since the grand total of true country albums I've heard totals to 'whatever's been on this list so far', it's harder for me to tell. Generally classic albums have more standout songs, don't they?

Well, it's not the greatest album ever, but it at least showed me that Buck Owens is more than that guy who wrote that song that Ringo sang once. And truly, that is its own reward. 6.5/10

46. The Rolling Stones - Rolling Stones (1964)

1. Not Fade Away
2. Route 66
3. I Just Want To Make Love To You
4. Honest I Do
5. Now I’ve Got A Witness
6. Little By Little
7. I’m A King Bee
8. Carol
9. Tell Me
10. Can I Get A Witness
11. You Can Make It If You Try
12. Walking The Dog

In the 21st century, the Rolling Stones are more or less synonymous with "over-the-hill rock band". We've all been horrified by Mick Jagger's continued prancing around the stage despite appearing in imminent danger of breaking a hip, and we've all marveled at how Keith Richards can still be alive when he looks like that. Considering all this, it's weird hearing these guys sound so young and innocent (compared to their later records, certainly).

The Stones were billed basically from the beginning as the anti-Beatles, and it's immediately apparent. The songs are much more rough around the edges, and their attempts at harmonies are rather ramshackle (and kind of funny!). One thing they had in contrast with the Beatles is they hadn't quite figured out the whole songwriting thing yet. All of these songs are either covers or instrumentals, with only 'Tell Me' written by the group. It's kind of weird that a band so blatantly steeped in the blues would write such an obvious pop song, but I suppose you've got to sell records somehow.

The rest of these songs are a mixed bag of blues and early rock covers, and for the most part they are pretty rockin'. 'I'm A King Bee' has got quite a bit of swagger for a bunch of white boys, not to mention a nifty bassline. In fact, Bill Wyman's bass playing on this album is by far the most interesting bass I've heard outside of Motown for the early '60s. Considering how on most early Beatles records you can't even hear the bass made this a rather nice change.

Also, the stinging slide guitar solo while Mick Jagger desperately tries to sound black is awesome. Kudos to Brian Jones, you insane, dead bastard, you.

On the faster-paced songs, the band blows the Beatles away with their fury and speed. While the fab four would have made very catchy versions of songs like 'Carol' and 'Not Fade Away', the Stones turn them into loud raucous celebrations. Even the blues classic 'I Just Want To Make Love To You' is given a furious rock makeover, complete with howling harmonica and a break that sounds like the band are about ready to explode. Exciting stuff!

It's not all fun and games, though. The Rolling Stones stick a couple of soul covers on the album ('Can I Get A Witness' and 'You Can Make It If You Try') and frankly neither of them sound very good. The band sounds a bit forced, especially Mick Jagger, who just wasn't a good enough singer yet to try to tackle Marvin Gaye.

Although there's definitely a fair share of filler, this album is a pretty solid debut, especially for 1964. Instrumentally they are already very good, but it's not until the songwriting began in earnest before they could really stake a claim for the greatest rock band of all time, or whatever it is they call themselves. 8/10

45. Dusty Springfield - A Girl Called Dusty (1964)

1. Mama Said
2. You Don't Own Me
3. Do Re Mi
4. When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes
5. My Colouring Book
6. Mockingbird
7. Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa
8. Nothing
9. Anyone Who Had A Heart
10. Will You Love Me Tomorrow
11. Wishin' And Hopin'
12. Don't You Know

Bisexual white Britons make the best soul singers. Just sayin'.

Anyhow, the Soul Train continues on its merry little way, with probably the best-produced soul studio album so far. Dusty Springfield apparently had a great ear for choosing material, because these are all great songs (Except for 'My Coloring Book' because it still has the stench of Barbara Streisand on it). She's a fantastic singer too, coloring each song with Pep and Zazz. No wonder the Pet Shop Boys like her.

Although Dusty (and all the musicians, I assume) are British, you certainly couldn't tell just listening to the album. They're trying their hardest to sound as American as possible. While you'd think this would enrage the Anglophile in me, but when I'm listening to soul I sure as hell don't want it to sound British, let's face it. In fact, it's fairly impressive how they get the sound down.

This is probably the closest we'll get to an early-period Motown album, which is a shame, but I'll take this! The big production ballads here-'Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa' and 'Anyone Who Had A Heart'- are stellar and will surely take their place in the hall of Songs That Sound Like Phil Spector Produced Them. Big swooping arrangements, thundering timpanis, Dusty belting out the choruses with wild abandon...what's not to like? Also, 'You Don't Own Me', a Lesley Gore (of 'It's My Party' fame) song of all things, is a really neat song because it's about as close to feminism as pop music could get in this time, when demanding sandwiches wasn't just a shitty ironic "joke". Empowering as HELL.

Dusty Springfield's apparent perfectionism in the studio means that the evil Spectre of Filler does not haunt this album quite as badly, for which I am tremendously pleased. This is an album for all of you who still mourn the passing of the beehive hairdo, or those who like Amy Winehouse except without the tragic downward spiral (not in THIS decade, at least!). 8/10

44. Solomon Burke - Rock 'n' Soul (1964)

1. Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)
2. Cry to Me
3. Won't You Give Him (One More Chance)
4. If You Need Me
5. Hard, Ain't It Hard
6. Can't Nobody Love You
7. Just Out of Reach
8. You're Good for Me
9. You Can't Love 'Em All
10. Someone to Love Me
11. Beautiful Brown Eyes
12. He'll Have to Go


The march of soul continues, with a lesser known singer this time. Solomon Burke never quite got the crossover success that Sam Cooke or Otis Redding had, though he did come by the title of 'King of Rock 'n' Soul' somehow. Recognition was largely limited to black listeners and other musicians like the Rolling Stones, who covered his songs a few times in their earlier days. And although there are great songs on this album, I didn't really find myself feeling too strongly about most of it. It looks like I've been sent back to the cruel world of 2 hits and 10 afterthoughts once again. It's like purgatory.

I will say that this album is diverse in its own way, though. Some songs have a pronounced Latin beat that you wouldn't really expect from that period. Burke also takes a page out of Ray Charles' book and covers a country ballad, as well as a Woody Guthrie song, of all things! There's even a fiddle!

This album is surprisingly stripped down for early '60s soul. I mean, the live albums are too, but since obviously you can't afford to pay a 40 piece orchestra to tour across the country with you, so they don't really count. But generally you had to have brass and strings all over the place, and this doesn't!

Having said that, this album is still nothing to rave about. Perhaps it's because the last 2 soul albums I reviewed were such fiery and energetic pieces of work that this seems sort of tame by comparison. Also, the backing vocalists needed to cool it sometimes. Just because you can sing doesn't mean you should. 7/10