{"id":15098,"date":"2012-03-16T08:06:58","date_gmt":"2012-03-16T13:06:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ok-cleek.com\/blogs\/?p=15098"},"modified":"2012-03-16T08:06:58","modified_gmt":"2012-03-16T13:06:58","slug":"2012-favorite-records-list-30-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ok-cleek.com\/blogs\/?p=15098","title":{"rendered":"2012 Favorite Records List. 30-21"},"content":{"rendered":"

The finish line is in sight!<\/p>\n\n\n
30<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The Shins<\/td>\n2003<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chutes Too Narrow<\/td>\n\n \t <\/a><\/a><\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Score: 718<\/td>\nW\/L\/T: 48 \/ 9 \/ 9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\nI like their first record, and am a bit surprised it didn't make the list. But I'm not a bit surprised to see this one so high up. <\/p>\n

It's punchy and jangly and fun. And where it's not giddily-upbeat it's still super-catchy; and the lyrics are always awesome. Plus, it's very short, so it always leaves you wanting more. It's a perfect little record.\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n
29<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Black Sabbath<\/td>\n1970<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Black Sabbath<\/td>\n\n \t <\/a><\/a><\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Score: 722<\/td>\nW\/L\/T: 10 \/ 1 \/ 0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\nAnother first-timer! And a bit of a late entry - which might explain its rather high position.<\/p>\n

Referring to the original North American release, here. It doesn't have the covers \"Evil Woman\" and \"Crow\"; and both \"Wasp\/Behind The Wall of Sleep\/Basically\/NIB\" and \"A Bit of Finger\/Sleeping Village\/Warning\" are counted as single tracks.<\/p>\n

My roommate had this in college and for some reason, we got it into our heads that this was a goofy stoner-space-jazz record. So we never listened to it much. But, I wanted to give it another chance, 20 year later, so I bought it this year. This time, I was blown away. <\/p>\n

No, it's not a jazz record. It's really more of a blues-rock record with scary lyrics than a metal<\/i> record. But it's a grimy, sludgy, ominous blues; not as deliberately messy as, say, Blue Cheer, but it's nothing like Clapton either. It's definitely not about precision of technique, purity to the form, and the worship of old blues legends. The blues is the foundation, not the goal. And there's more than blues, of course; there's that yummy tritone thing - those unmistakably metal<\/i> notes that you hear in the first seconds of the first song (\"Black Sabbath\"). Instantly, you know this isn't going to be a Cream record. Hell of a debut.\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n
28<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Gillian Welch<\/td>\n2001<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Time (The Revelator)<\/td>\n\n \t <\/a><\/a><\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Score: 722<\/td>\nW\/L\/T: 42 \/ 5 \/ 6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\nThis is a fantastic record. Unless you must avoid old-time country music for medical reasons, you should buy this record and listen to it often. The songs are great, the recordings are great, their voices are great, the guitar playing is off the charts great.<\/p>\n

I'm not kidding. It is important that you hear this.\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n
27<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
King Crimson<\/td>\n1981<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Discipline<\/td>\n\n \t <\/a><\/a><\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Score: 727<\/td>\nW\/L\/T: 34 \/ 13 \/ 10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\nWhile there are traces of the original King Crimson's hard 70's prog sound here and there, this is definitely an 80's record. Long gone are the ponderous chin-scratching epics of early KC. Instead, the songs are mostly short, sharp and direct (though still, only one is shorter than four minutes) and many of them feel more like pop songs than anthems - thanks to Belew's pop tendencies, I assume. Tony Levin's funky athletic bass and Stick playing is nothing like previous KC bass work. And with Belew in charge of lyrics, the words no longer had that arty grandiosity - Belew is much more into clever wordplay and introspection. There's a slight Talking Heads feel to it all, since Belew's voice and style is similar to David Byrne's and he had just come off a long engagement with the Heads. And, of course, Belew's guitar approach and sound was unique then, (and still is, even today). So, it was a brand new band, full of brand new sounds, made a record that sounded brand new. <\/p>\n

But even more important than all that: it rocks<\/em>.\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n
26<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Van Halen<\/td>\n1978<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Van Halen<\/td>\n\n \t <\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Score: 732<\/td>\nW\/L\/T: 40 \/ 15 \/ 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\nAnd speaking of a brand new band, full of brand new sounds, who made a record that sounded brand new... <\/p>\n

I was only seven when this came out, so I was too young to really know what it's impact was at the time. But looking back, there's a pretty clear line between hard rock \/ metal guitar playing pre-VH and post-VH. After this record, everybody was a-tappin' and a-shreddin'. Eddie really changed the world, in that respect. Overall, though, it seems like it took metal until the mid 80's (and the advent of hair metal) to really catch up to VH's blend of jet-fueled guitar playing, hammy good-time frontman, and overall sense of \"Woohoo! Let's party!\" The whole \"new wave of British heavy metal\" thing had to get thrashed out, first, I guess. <\/p>\n

History aside, this album just plain kicks ass. The awesome pop songs, the hard rockers, the punky bits, \"Eruption\". It all flies by in 35 minutes and only slows down late on side 2 for the album's only real low point, \"Little Dreamer\". Fucker makes me want to grow a mullet and buy a '78 Trans Am.\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n
25<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
White Stripes<\/td>\n2001<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
White Blood Cells<\/td>\n\n \t <\/a><\/a><\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Score: 736<\/td>\nW\/L\/T: 37 \/ 4 \/ 8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\nIt's a bit of a transition from the raw, blues-oriented records that preceded it, and the louder, slightly-more-polished records that followed. But, it's still a White Stripes record, so you basically know what you're getting. And since this is the first one I heard, it's the one I go back to when I want to hear that White Stripes sound.\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n
24<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Wilco<\/td>\n2007<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sky Blue Sky<\/td>\n\n \t <\/a><\/a><\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Score: 739<\/td>\nW\/L\/T: 43 \/ 8 \/ 8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\nWhile I do think the older experimental Wilco is more interesting than today's simpler Wilco, I just love the songs <\/em>on this one. It's been in my car CD player for five years now. And yeah, maybe they end up in Eagles-style light country-rock territory sometimes, but I don't care. Tweedy's vocals and lyrics are more interesting than anything Henley and Fry ever came up with, and Nils Cline's guitar attacks add just enough chaos to keep things from getting too comfortable.\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n
23<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Led Zeppelin<\/td>\n1973<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Houses Of The Holy<\/td>\n\n \t <\/a><\/a><\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Score: 745<\/td>\nW\/L\/T: 41 \/ 11 \/ 13<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\nI am a little<\/em> surprised to see this above Zep II (@ #32). I'd be totally unsurprised if the positions were reversed. But...!<\/p>\n

This is Zep at their richest and most melodic. Though the songs have plenty of rawk<\/em> in them, there's a lot of beauty in there, too. Quite a nice record.\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n
22<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Pink Floyd<\/td>\n1973<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dark Side Of The Moon<\/td>\n\n \t <\/a><\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Score: 784<\/td>\nW\/L\/T: 59 \/ 8 \/ 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\nOh, you all know this. <\/p>\n

It's another one that I think I'm done with until I hear it again in the right setting, and then I cannot deny it.\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n
21<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The Beatles<\/td>\n1968<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Beatles (white album)<\/td>\n\n \t <\/a><\/a><\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Score: 788<\/td>\nW\/L\/T: 47 \/ 7 \/ 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\nIt feels like this is the album where the Beatles went all-in on self-indulgence. As if they closed their eyes, reached down deep, and recorded everything they pulled out. For any other band, this would be a disaster. But, being the Beatles, they had the skills to make it all work (well, nearly<\/em> all), no matter how strange the material.\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The finish line is in sight! 30 The Shins 2003 Chutes Too Narrow Score: 718 W\/L\/T: 48 \/ 9 \/ 9 I like their first record, and am a bit surprised it didn't make the list. But I'm not a bit surprised to see this one so high up. It's punchy and jangly and fun. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-list-2012"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ok-cleek.com\/blogs\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ok-cleek.com\/blogs\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ok-cleek.com\/blogs\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ok-cleek.com\/blogs\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ok-cleek.com\/blogs\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ok-cleek.com\/blogs\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15098\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ok-cleek.com\/blogs\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ok-cleek.com\/blogs\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ok-cleek.com\/blogs\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}