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Joose Caboose posted:Where do I go with Beach Boys beyond Pet Sounds and Smile Sessions? Obviously I know a lot of their singles/hits but don't really know any of their albums besides those. It depends on which Beach Boys you want to experience. There are a lot of changes. If you like the experimentalness of Smile, go forward. Smiley Smile isn't nearly as good as the Smile material, but there are a lot of Smile tracks. 20/20 has the "finished" version of Cabinessence and Our Prayer. The material wraps up on Surf's Up, which is a big mess of an album - there's an environmental theme mixed in and it's bad (Lookin' at Tomorrow is a guilty favorite, though), but outside of Surf's Up, you get Long Promised Road, Feel Flows and 'Til I Die, which is one of their best tracks ever. I also might suggest Brian Wilson's solo release of Smile from 2004. Wilson's solo material is a very mixed bag, but it's probably his best. If you prefer Pet Sounds, go back a bit to Today, which is the most similar to it. Kiss Me, Baby, I'm So Young, She Knows Me Too Well are great and you get the first really nice Dennis Wilson lead on In the Back of My Mind. Summer Days (And Summer Nights) was the last full blown album before Pet Sounds, but it's a bit of a step back. Not bad, though, especially for Let Him Run Wild. Brian Wilson was in charge pretty much from day one, but you're not going to find a full album of good stuff before Today. Post-Pet Sounds, the next closest album in sound is Holland, which shockingly had very little help from Brian Wilson. Friends has plenty of instrumentation, but it's peaceful compared to Pet Sounds and it's short, something like 25 minutes long. The material's not nearly as complex, too. Sunflower and Wild Honey are also good, but sound different. They're louder, with Wild Honey about as far away from the orchestration of Pet Sounds as you can get. It does contain Wild Honey, Darlin' and I'd Love Just Once to See You (don't read about it before you hear it). The earliest days have a lot of filler and are filled to the brim about cars and surfing. You get an occasional gem, such as Lonely Sea, No-Go Showboat, The Warmth of the Sun, Don't Worry Baby and Surfer Girl, but there is a lot of crap. All Summer Long is probably the best of everything before Today. Post-Pet Sounds? A lot of people like Carl and the Passions: So Tough, but I'm not one of them. Love You is a strange, strange album which you have to work up to. It's quirky and cheezy and will either charm you or give you the creeps. Avoid 15 Big Ones and even I'm too scared to venture beyond Love You. Love You was the last significant Brian Wilson contribution and the whole band falls into drug abuse and/or a vast array of personal problems. As for the medium: Vinyl is probably best. Even the early stuff sounds good. There's just an issue of finding it in good shape. I do not recommend the vinyl 2-for re-releases in the 1970s. I have Friends/Smiley Smile and it's way too quiet. The whole catalog was released on 2-for CDs in the early 1990s. They're not the best mixes, but they're best value and have good liner notes. You also get a good array as you get Smiley Smile and Wild Honey together and Friends and 20/20, etc. Other releases: Good Vibrations box set. Most of the stuff on it is on the albums, but there are a few rarities that I don't think have popped up elsewhere, like San Miguel. Endless Harmony soundtrack is slightly recommended. Pet Sounds Sessions is another box set. I own it, but have never made my way fully through it. RC and Moon Pie fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Mar 31, 2014 |
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Mar 31, 2014 03:07
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Queen gives you something different on every album and best is entirely subjective with them. It's probably not best to start with The Miracle, Hot Space or Made in Heaven, but just about everything else is a good entry point. Queen II is nearly totally unlike anything else they issued because of its heaviness and mystical lyrics, but they're so good at it it's one of their best. I actually think I prefer it as a whole to everything else, though only a couple of songs on it would compete for my individual favorites. There's nothing really wrong with Hot Space, but one of Queen's biggest calling cards was their instrumental ability and this is sparse as they were experimenting with funk. You've heard about 3-4 songs off The Game already. A Night at the Opera was my first Queen album and it's one of their most playful (except for Death on Two Legs. especially that one). A Day at the Races is "how many different sounds can Brian May's guitar make?". Sheer Heart Attack has them fully realizing the familiar Queen sound. Jazz has a sense of humor. The Works was a return to form. A Kind of Magic was the last real hurrah and Innuendo was a bit of a sound change, but good considering it was a race against time and has a few legit good songs.
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Apr 14, 2014 04:14
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Uriah Heep. I like July Morning and Lady in Black, but their Spotify listings are a bit long.
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Nov 10, 2014 05:23
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I got a ticket for an upcoming Toto and Yes concert. I realize that I am familiar with a grand total of three Toto songs: Africa, Rosanna and Hold the Line. I like all three and Africa actually represents some good childhood memories. Where's a good place to start with them? Is there a good starting place for Toto?
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Aug 6, 2015 03:32
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El Gallinero Gros posted:Where do I start with Jonathan Richman? As well as Hawkwind? For Hawkwind, the early 1970s is their best quality stuff. In Search of Space, In the Hall of the Mountain Grill and Doremi Fasol Latido are great and Space Ritual is arguably one of the best live albums to exist. If you're OK with noodly stuff, their debut, Hawkwind, isn't bad. In the Hall of the Mountain Grill is more focused and overall less space-y. I have difficulty getting into Hawkwind's later stuff, but am strangely OK with Xenon Codex.
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Mar 11, 2018 03:57
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Electric Warrior and The Slider are equally good albums, though different. Electric Warrior has more of a rock tinge, The Slider is glam as all hell. I'm not a fan of the next few albums, but if you like those two, I'd then recommend Dandy in the Underworld. It's not as good, but has more of that era of sound. I've given the druggy folk a try and can't get into it, but the self-titled T. Rex starts the development into glam T. Rex. There are word salads on it, but you get Ride a White Swan, Jewel, Beltane Walk and Diamond Meadows. T. Rex also has a good many non-album songs. The Rhino reissue of Electric Warrior has the best selection of these (King of the Mountain Cometh, Hot Love, Woodland Rock, etc.). 20th Century Boy: The Ultimate Collection has a good selection, too, including the best of the druggy folk, what I consider the best version of One Inch Rock. and singles 20th Century Boy, Children of the Revolution and Solid Gold Easy Action.
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Jul 6, 2019 02:42
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Turbinosamente posted:Speaking of prog rock, I'm kinda bouncing off of Yes, I think. I'm not really getting into their album Fragile, do I even try to continue with the random copy of 90125 I have or jump ship to another band, ie follow the Rush suggestions above? I'm going against the grain here. Close to the Edge is their best work, but might not be the most accessible for someone unsure if they like Yes. Fragile is varied, but a bit disjointed. The band members were asked to contribute individually and Rick Wakeman was under a weird contract thing that meant he couldn't be credited with any writing credits. Hence, his individual piece was the eh Cans and Brahms. All Bill Bruford can say about Five Per Cent for Nothing is, they asked me to contribute. So, my next suggestion is The Yes Album (not to be confused with their debut, Yes). No Wakeman, but it does include Starship Trooper, Yours Is No Disgrace and I've Seen All Good People. All three have made classic rock radio, so it's possibly a bit friendlier than even Fragile. There's the better of Steve Howe's Yes solo guitar pieces in Clap. Going for the One is another possible suggestion. It's not nearly as proggy and actually opens with something that, uh, ... rocks (the title track). Everything except the end track is pretty compact - at least by their standards - and the end track, Awaken, is one of their best.
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Dec 21, 2019 05:05
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Artists, with some song suggestions: Ricky Nelson - Hello Mary Lou, Garden Party (which came years after his teen idol days) Dion and the Belmonts - Runaround Sue, The Wanderer, Teenager in Love Del Shannon - Runaway, Keep Searchin', Hats off to Larry Jan and Dean - Surf City, Dead Man's Curve, Drag City The Ventures - for instrumentals. Many are covers, but songs such as the 2000 Pound Bee and Walk Don't Run are solid. Phil Spector stuff - a horrible person, but extremely innovative and influential. The early years of the Beach Boys has some really good stuff (and a lot of filler) and I can get really specific on recommendations for them for the pre-Pet Sounds time.
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May 10, 2020 02:33
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Thought of a couple of more 1950s groups to explore. Everly Brothers - some of their hits were country crossovers as well. All I Have to Is Dream and Devoted to You are standouts. The Platters - They did a ton of good stuff and it's timeless. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfBboBz3yoc
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May 11, 2020 22:32
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regulargonzalez posted:Now, what's the worst Floyd album for a first timer? Gotta be The Final Cut, right? Atom Heart Mother
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Mar 12, 2021 03:22
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Ras Het posted:Boogaloo was one of the Latin music crazes of the 60s, and kinda like mambo I think the word stopped having any definite meaning very quickly Considering that "How She Boogalooed It" appears on a 1967 Beach Boys album and has no relation whatsoever to the above, I'd imagine so.
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Apr 13, 2021 05:40
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The 5th Dimension. Age of Aquarius is awesome. I've heard Wedding Bell Blues and Up, Up and Away and are alright with both. Is anything else worth it?
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May 24, 2021 02:11
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George Harrison's My Sweet Lord, but I figure you've heard that before. The Beach Boys had He Come Down, a very gospel sound, but about TM.
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Dec 20, 2021 04:00
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Cher? All i know are a few of her hits. Gypsys Tramps and Thieves is OK. I liked Dark Lady. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) was bad with I Got You Babe is as cheesy good. Believe is something I'm cool with once in a blue moon, but I'm not into that sort of beat. Half-Breed is cringy as all hell. In the Todd in the Shadows episode of her bad idea album with Gregg Allman, I admit to kinda liking the bit I heard of You've Really Got a Hold on Me.
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Aug 13, 2023 21:03
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BigFactory posted:Is there a reason you need to listen to Cher? My taste in music is already bad and I wanted to make it even cheesier.
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Aug 14, 2023 02:27
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| # ¿ May 9, 2024 01:09 |
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Henchman of Santa posted:Selling England by the Pound is my favorite all-around one. That and Nursery Cryme for me. Nursery Cryme has some variation from comedy (Harold the Barrel) to comedy-prog (Return of the Giant Hogweed) to gentle little ditties (Harlequin) and prog-rear end prog (Musical Box).
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May 4, 2024 02:29
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