comments on 10-1:
10. on tracks, dylan is hounded by the press, and hunted by the law. he is a wronged man and misunderstood. he's on bended knee one minute and going straight for the jugular the next, armed with his best array of melodies and the most professional backing he'd had up until then. the album's tone is scattershot -- conciliatory, mocking, tender, and rueful, all of the emotions that must run through a man's head when his wife has begun divorce proceedings against him. blood on the tracks, and it's probably his.
9. the stones sound like a very tired band, running on empty, glad to have made it through the 60s with their membership mostly intact. they resort to covering themselves ("country honk") and richard is even allowed to sing ("you got the silver.") the pace never gets past the shuffle of "midnight rambler"; "love in vain" might be their slowest recording ever. listening to this album, you're amazed they still had two more classic albums in them, and even more shocked that they assembled this album, their best collection of songs ever. they're hedonists and solipsists right to the end, when they get to "you can't always get what you want," and you're left feeling that maybe, at the end of the decade, after brian jones' death, after altamont, just maybe the stones care about the universal plight too.
8. welcome to the lou reed show, ladies and gentlemen. with cale off on his own (producing nico and the stooges), reed was left to his own devices -- the amps were turned down to 1 and what you got was a very quiet, instrospective album that also happened to contain their best rocker ("what goes on.") apparently, the lyrics are quite important -- lou's original mix had them pushed to the fore -- but it's the floating guitars and spectral harmonies that make this my favorite vu album. and to prove this is the same velvet underground you've always loved, there's "the murder mystery," a fairly successful outlet for reed's fiction. but to show that is also a very different vu, that experiment is followed by the mo tucker-sung "after hours," the most affecting thing reed has ever written. not their most revolutionary album, just their best.
7. the vocal mastery and the deftness of the arrangements rival number 4. in terms of elegance and delicacy, green's voice is a match for number 1. the originals are his best; the covers, his most startling. beautifully simple, and simply beautiful.
6. proof for those who only know stevie through "i just called to say i love you" that, not only was he godhead, but he was also something of a skeptic. sure, pure love can be heard on "you and i" and "you are the sunshine...," but there's also the broken heart of "blame it on the sun" (arguably his loveliest recording), the paranoia of "maybe your baby," a jilted lover on "tuesday heartbreak," and a recalcitrant young miss on "you've got it bad, girl." he's also suspicious of the government ("big brother") and, well, very superstitious. still, the song that would be his trademark if it were only a hit, the one that concludes the album and, despite all that came before it, states his beliefs unequivocally regarding the matter is called "i believe when i fall in love (it will be forever.)" how else could his greatest album end?
5. the dolls went from quoting 50s rock n' roll and girl groups on their debut, to writing themselves into that grand tradition on too much too soon. with the help of legendary producer "shadow" morton, they mixed fantastic originals with apt covers. the finished product wasn't so much an album as a stage show with a cast of thousands. and if that isn't enough, they also invented the serrated tone of punk rock guitar on "human being."
4. the polar opposite of number 23: the happiest album ever recorded? not just happy, though: triumphant. even on the songs where things weren't as they should be, one gets the sense that it's a mere matter of time before they'd be put right. from the opening fanfare of "you make me feel so young," to the final vocal descent on "how about you," never before has a man celebrated his return to the top so thorougly.
3. an argument for the album, if there ever was one. hot rocks has a better batting average, but i'd rather listen to this six out of seven days of the week. a much better batting average, really: only 7 of the 18 are certified stone classics. the album's strength is its ability to make you return to it again and again despite this. credit it to the consistent songwriting of jagger/richard, to a band that really knows how to play together, and to the inspired production of jimmy miller who keeps some tracks clean and submerges others in the murky depths, allowing precious little of their elements to rise above the surface. as a result, the album is mysterious, alluring, and ageless. unlike number 9, exile is about cumulative effect and not individual standouts. in other words: don't start here.
2. the antithesis of number 3: the whole is equal to the sum of its very impressive parts. a better introduction to prince than the hits. everything he does well is done as its very peak here: guitar heroics, sexual politics and congress, soul balladry, storming dance numbers, songs of the spirit and songs of the flesh. his state of the union address, ca. 1987: he'd never be better, but neither would anyone else.
1. what to say? this, i guess: it's as if someone took my personal fears and my private wishes and set them to the most exquisite music this side of heaven, with harmony provided by God's own choir. it's very much a personal statement, as was the creation of this list: pet sounds will continue to hold the top spot for as long as it holds a mirror up to my life and for as long as it remains the album i hold closest to my heart.