Röyksopp "The Understanding" (2005)

The Understanding
release date: Jun. 27, 2005
format: cd (LTD.)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,32]
producer: Röyksopp
label: Wall of Sound - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: 1. "Triumphant" - 2. "Only This Moment" - 3. "49 Percent" - 7. "What Else Is There?" - 8. "Circuit Breaker" - 9. "Alpha Male" - *17. "Looser Now"
*Track 5 on bonus disc

2nd studio album by Norwegian duo Röyksopp continues where Melody A.M. ended - perhaps with an even stronger focus on synthpop on this.
The album was preceded by the single "Only This Moment", which fared quite Okay peaking at number #33 in the UK and as number #18 on the Dance list in the US. "49 Percent" was released after the album and it reached number #55 in the UK, but the single "What Else Is There?" featuring Karin Dreijer of the Swedish band The Knife became the best-selling single of the album peaking at number #32 on the general singles chart list in the UK; however, on top of the UK Dance list - and as number #4 in Norway. A fourth and final single release was issued in 2006 with the song "Beautiful Day Without You", which didn't leave traces on singles lists. The album entered the national albums chart list as number #1, peaked at number #7 in Sweden and number #13 in the UK.
The album doesn't contain a great number of hit songs but still serve to document how the duo is fully capable of making simplistic but alternative dance-friendly compositions without focusing on strong vocal harmonies, although, I still think they are best when making music with guest / featuring artists, which also is the case here with Chelonis R. Jones (tracks #3 and #13) and Karin Dreijer (track #7). Another thing, I like about the music is the way they make use of progressiveness as a musical trait, in a Jean-Michel Jarre (#9 "Alpha Male" and on other tracks) kind-of-way. It makes their music less confined though it often leaves me wanting it to lead to something instead of just running out.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, Slant 3 / 5, The Guardian, NME 4 / 5 stars ]

Ellen Foley "Spirit of St. Louis" (1981)

Spirit of St. Louis
release date: Mar. 1981
format: vinyl
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]
producer: Mick Jones
label: Epic / Cleveland International - nationality: USA

2nd studio album by American singer an actress Ellen Foley. The album is produced by Mick Jones of The Clash, who was her then romantic affair. Foley had participated as background vocalist on the triple album Sandinista! (1980) by The Clash, and for Foley, Mick Jones and Joe Strummer have composed half of the album's twelve tracks and together with the two remaining members of The Clash, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon, they are all featuring musicians on all tracks.

The 101ers "Elgin Avenue Breakdown" (1981)

Elgin Avenue Breakdown (compilation)
release date: Mar. 1981
format: vinyl (AND 101) / digital (2005 reissue)
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: various
label: Andalucia Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: B) 4. "Keys to Your Heart" (4 / 5) (2005 remaster)

Compilation album by British pub-rock band The 101ers consisting of Joe Strummer (aka Woodie) on vocals and rhythm guitar, 'Evil' Clive Timperley on lead guitar and vocals, 'Desperate' Dan Kelleher on bass, keyboards and backing vocals, John Mole on bass, and with Richard 'Snakes' Dudanski on drums and backing vocals. The album contains compositions recorded on four occasions from Nov. 1975 to Apr. 1976 and are with slightly different line-ups as John Mole only handles bass on four tracks. Joe Strummer is credited for lyrics on six of the album's twelve compositions - and the only song exclusively by Strummer is also the best track on what appears as an incoherent album. "Keys to Your Heart" was also the band's first of only two original single releases, and the compilation album wasn't issued until The Clash had become a major band.

The Clash "Sandinista!" (1980)

Sandinista!
release date: Dec. 12, 1980
format: 3 lp vinyl (CBS 66363) / cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,74]
producer: Mickey Dread, The Clash
label: CBS Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. "The Magnificent Seven" (4 / 5) - 3. "Junco Partner" - 4. "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" - 5. "The Leader" (4 / 5) - - B) 1. "Rebel Waltz" - 3. "The Crooked Beat" - 4. "Somebody Got Murdered" (4 / 5) - 5. "One More Time" (4,5 / 5) - 6. "One More Dub" - - C) 1. "Lighting Strikes (Not Once But Twice)" - 2. "Up in Heaven (Not Only Here)" (4 / 5) - 3. "Corner Soul" (4 / 5) - 4. "Let's Go Crazy" (4,5 / 5) - - D) 1. "Police on My Back" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "The Equaliser" - 4. "The Call Up" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "Washington Bullets" - - E) 1. "Lose This Skin" - 2. "Charlie Don't Surf" (4 / 5) - 4. "Junkie Slip" - 5. "Kingston Advice" - - F) 1. "Version City" - 3. "Silicone on Sapphire" - 4. "Version Pardner"
[ full album playlist ]

4th studio album by The Clash is a triple vinyl album introducing the band's perhaps most radical work of art. If London Calling is acclaimed for its daring huge blend of styles, then this should simply be the best album of all times, if ever that was enough to make great music. With this, The Clash has composed music in punk rock, rockabilly, jazz rock, reggae, dub, post-punk, rock & roll, experimental rock and several tracks with no familiar style to label it with. It was tremendously daring to release an album of this sort - at this point of time. My initial feelings towards the album undoubtedly were shaped by disappointment and delusion. "Where were the great punk songs? What was wrong with punk rock?", I thought. I had only just discovered punk rock - loved it, and then this! From one of my absolute favourite bands! For the first 5 years, I felt they could have released a great regular album using 10-15 tracks from this abundance of... 36 [!]. But it's an album, I have only come to like and enjoy more and more over the years. Today, I'm close to handing it 4 / 5 stars, and then, back in '81, I would probably have handed it 2 / 5 - maybe 2,5 'cause it is The Clash after all. Yes, they could have scraped everything away, all the experiments with styles and genres and released a hell of an album, but this is so... much fun. I think, in the future this could be on par with the works of Mozart, Stravinsky or other major classical composers' work 'cause it's really unlike anything else, and not just that. There are so many layers here that once you find into the substance / the essence, it will keep you entertained for years and perhaps decades. Critics have also been divided on this - and they still are. I think, the album fits perfectly on any best of lists comprising the most valuable, most important albums of all time. Because 'best' is such a defining label. How about the importance of an album instead of just 'best'? This would be nominated for exactly such a prize.
[ allmusic.com 2,5 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 5 / 5 stars ]

The Band "Cahoots" (1971)

Cahoots
release date: Sep. 15, 1971
format: cd (2009)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: The Band
label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab  - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Life Is a Carnival" - 2. "When I Paint My Masterpiece" - 5. "4% Pantomime" - 7. "The Moon Struck One"

4th studio album by The Band recorded in a newly built studio in Bearsville, New York, originally released on Capitol Records, is the group's last album of original material in the following four years. The songs here are credited Robbie Robertson (eight alone), Rick Danko and Levon Helm (one song as co-writers with Robertson), one original by Bob Dylan (track #2) and one song by Van Morrison (track #5 together with Robertson). None of the songs are credited Richard Manuel or Garth Hudson and according to Helm, Manuel only appeared to play his parts before going his own ways.

Success hasn't made things easier for The Band. Internal conflicts about writing credits split the members and on top of that alcohol and drugs stood in the way of artistic outcome.

The album was met by luke-warm reviews and didn't sell as their two previous albums had done, although, it went as high as #15 and #21 on the Canadian and US album charts lists, respectively.

It's, however, no bad album at all. The band members themselves may have bad memories about the process, but they still play better than most despite the fact that a few of the tracks sound more like blue-prints or demo-takes of songs that were simply left as they came to be, e.g. "Last of the Blacksmiths", "Thinkin' Out Loud" and "Smoke Signal", but the remaining tracks only serve to document how well these guys played as a unit.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Van Morrison "Blowin' Your Mind!" (1967)

Blowin' Your Mind!
release date: Sep. 1967
format: cd (1998 remaster)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,16]
producer: Bert Berns
label: Epic / Legacy - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Brown Eyed Girl" (5 / 5) (live) - 4. "Spanish Rose" - 7. "Who Drove the Red Sports Car?" - 8. "Midnight Special"

Studio album debut by Van Morrison [aka George Ivan Morrison] originally released on Bang Records (co-founded by producer Bert Berns). While still a part of Them, he was too much wanted as a solo singer - and at live concerts - and the band was often referred to as 'Them and Van Morrison' a name they never officially accepted but that was how the public and the press saw... Them. The success of the band led Morrison to initiate a solo career, which apparently, had him sign a contract with Bert Berns label Bang Records without giving it much attention.

Blowin' Your Mind! is not an album in the hands of Morrison himself, as Berns compiled the recordings and had the album released without Morrison's knowledge, which seems plausible looking at the song titles, the album cover, and also his second album release Astral Weeks on which Morrison had more control and what also reveals his true potential.
Anyway, the album is "filed" as his debut, and it does contain a few memorable tracks including his own classic "Brown Eyed Girl", but the sound and style of the album is very much bound to his successes with Them proving Berns directional wish to continue in the pop soul and uptempo sound that seemed the obvious choice but basically wasn't what Morrison himself wanted at the time.
Nevertheless, the album is there - it isn't a great release but it can't disguise the fact that Morrison has a remarkable talent and a strong singing voice.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Best of 1975:Bruce Springsteen "Born to Run" (1975)

Born to Run
release date: Aug. 25, 1975
format: cd (1988 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,18]
producer: Bruce Springsteen, Mike Appel, Jon Landau
label: CBS Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Thunder Road" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "Night" (4 / 5) - 4. "Backstreets" (5 / 5) - 5. "Born to Run" (5 / 5) - 6. "She's the One" (4 / 5) - 7. "Meeting Across the River" (3,5 / 5) - 8. "Jungleland" (3,5 / 5)
[ full album ]

3rd studio album by Bruce Springsteen originally released on Columbia Records. The r&b and folk rock elements are tuned down, and instead there's much more focus on rock and what has become a term as heartland rock, which basically is a blend of more traditional American genres of folk, country, r&b, roots rock with electrified and energetic harmony-based pop / rock. New Springsteen producer, Jon Landau, helps building layers on the music, which complete the major difference from his previous two albums. The songs are more simple constructs, although, they're perhaps even more orchestrated. Several songs from the album have become staples at Springsteen concerts: "Thunder Road", "Backstreets", She's the One" and the title track, which became Springsteen's first (and perhaps biggest) million-dollar selling single hit.
Although, early familiar with the title track, I didn't listen to the album in its entirety until after Darkness on the Edge of Town.
The album is by most critics considered his breakthrough album and one of his best ever. Naturally, the album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone Album Guide, Sputnikmusic 5 / 5, Uncut, Mojo 4 / 5 stars ]

1975 Favourite releases: 1. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run - 2. Patti Smith Horses - 3. Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here

The Everly Brothers "That'll Be the Day" (1965) (single)

That'll Be the Day / Give Me a Sweetheart, 7'' single

release date: 1965

format: vinyl

[single rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]

producer: Jimmy Hilliard

label: Warner Bros. - nationality: USA

Tracklist: A) "That'll Be the Day" - - B) "Give Me a Sweetheart"

Single release by The Everly Brothers taken from the duo's album Rock'n Soul (Mar. 1965). The title song is a cover song, written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison, first recorded by the Three Tunes (aka Buddy and the Two Tones) in 1956 and made famous from a recorded version by The Crickets in 1957.

This particular German issue comes from my parents' singles collection.

~ ~ ~

This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

The Undertones "Teenage Kicks" (1978), ep

A) 1. "Teenage Kicks" (5 / 5) - 2. "Smarter Than You" (4 / 5)
B) 1. "True Confessions" (4 / 5) - 2. "Emergency Cases"

Nina Hagen Band "Nina Hagen Band" (1978)

2. "Rangehn"

Chaos U.K. "Chaos U.K." (1983)

11. "Farmyard Boogie" 

The Band "Stage Fright" (1970)

Stage Fright
release date: Aug. 17, 1970
format: vinyl (gatefold) / cd (2011)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: The Band
label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Strawberry Wine" - 3. "Time to Kill" - 6. "The Shape I'm In" (4 / 5) - 7. "The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show" - 9. "Stage Fright" (4 / 5) - 10. "The Rumor"

3rd studio album by The Band originally released on Capitol Records was initially intended as live recordings, which was shelved as rumors about the concert place became too overwhelming with people arrangers selling more tickets than was available, so the end-production setting was established to record the songs as is. The Band make the attempt to continue in their already familier style, but what appear most striking here is twofold: an immediate absence of enough good songs for a full album and what may sound like lack of presence. It's no big secret that the lifestyle they led at this point with too much alcohol and drugs didn't make things easier and tensions withing the band had become increasingly difficult just to stove away, but also Capitol, who had signed the band for 10 albums, was eager to see another album out that summer and pressed the band into the studio.
"The Shape I'm In" and "Stage Fright" are signature tracks and among their very best but the majority of the remainders seem to lack that quality one will find on The Band's first two albums. The album is far from poor but it may feel like a bit of a disappointment, although, it still contains classic material. I think the biggest complaint about the album is the sensation that you know they could've nailed these songs better proving that they could make a lesser song sound great just by being such great musicians as they truly were. And what are the lesser songs, you may ask. Well, songs like "Sleeping", "Just Another Whistle Stop", "All LA Glory" and "Daniel and the Sacred Harp" just don't rocket the band up the charts, but really, they are quite fine examples of an inner perspective that may have changed. And that's really what the album may be about: all the things that came with fame, and for once they sing about their own present story instead of glory days of the past.
The album sold quite well, reaching number #5 on the US album charts list (number #6 in Canada) but it wasn't met by the same overwhelming enthusiasm from critics as their two previous albums, although, most still saw the album as yet another fine classic release from The Band.
I think, it's better than its reputation as their first album out, or a minor release. Later on, the band members talked the album down, but that may likely reflect the negative emotions that tie around their relationships and unsound lifestyle more than this was about their musical skills and what they actually still produced together.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Rod Stewart "Atlantic Crossing" (1975)

Atlantic Crossing
release date: Aug.15, 1975
format: vinyl (gatefold - BS 2875)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,86]
producer: Tom Dowd
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: England, UK

6th studio album by Rod Stewart containing one of his major hits: "Sailing" written by Scottish songwriter Gavin Sutherland and first performed by the Sutherland Brothers - initially released as a single in '72 and included on the US album of Lifeboat credited Sutherland Brothers & Quiver (Quiver was a band preceding the formation of Sutherland Brothers). Original version.

"Radio-Active - 20 Electric Hits" (1980)

Radio-Active - 20 Electric Hits (compilation)
release date: 1980
format: vinyl (RTL 2049)
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: various
label: Ronco - nationality: England, UK

Compilation album of various artists released on British low-budget label, Ronco.
The album is a bit of a strange collection - some great tracks but mixed with songs of too different artists, e.g. Gillan, Genesis, Black Sabbath together with Robert Palmer, Ottowan, Kelly Marie, UB40 and XTC, OMD and Gary Numan... The common denominator being the UK and with some bonds to the establisment of an electronic / synth style, I guess.

Johnny Cash & June Carter "If I Were a Carpenter" (1969) (single)

If I Were a Carpenter, 7'' single

release date: Dec. 1969

format: vinyl (1970 reissue)

[single rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]

producer: Bob Johnston

label: CBS - nationality: USA

Tracklis: A) "If I Were a Carpenter" (4 / 5) (live) - - B) " 'Cause I Love You"

Single by Johnny Cash & June Carter taken from the album Hello, I'm Johnny Cash (Dec. 1969).

The single was part of my parents' record collection, and I got this with a bunch of other singles and lps at some point in the mid to late 1970s.

~ ~ ~

This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

The Clash "Black Market Clash" (1980)

Black Market Clash (compilation)
release date: Nov. 1980
format: vinyl (12EXP-304) / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: Mickey Foote; The Clash; Mickey Dread
label: Epic Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "Capital Radio One" (4 / 5) - 2. "The Prisoner" (4 / 5) - 3. "Pressure Drop" (5 / 5) (alt. version) - 4. "Cheat" (4 / 5) - 5. "City of the Dead" (5 / 5) - 6. "Time Is Tight" (3 / 5) - - B) 1. "Bankrobber / Robber Dub" (4 / 5) - 2. "Armagideon Time" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Justice Tonight / Kick It Over" (4 / 5)

Compilation album by The Clash only for the North American market issued by Epic Records (sub-label of CBS Records). Most of the tracks had been issued as B-sides to single releases for the UK and European market only. The decision to release it only one month before the band's third studio album, the triple lp Sandinista!, may seem a bit strange, but that release was postponed until Jan. 1981 on the American continent, and Black Market Clash wasn't released in Europe until 1991. I found the 12'' vinyl at my local record store (the first US issues were 10'' vinyl), as an import item back in 1983 or '84. At first, I thought of it as a non-official release, as no-one really new of it. Back then, The Clash was huge, although Sandinista! was a bit of a peculiar experience / development in sound. I remember that I was quite fond of this one, and primarily saw it as an album that linked the epic London Calling (1979) and Sandinista! rather nicely.
Over the years, I have come to appreciate it even more. In the early '80s, I had some difficulty in getting along with reggae and many punk rock and ska revival artists' honouring and trying out the genre. A lot of punk and new wave artists had to do some reggae track sooner or later, and often with little success. But The Clash didn't just try it, they combined, mixed, and altered the original Jamaican style into a new blend. Actually, many of the new ska revival bands played a British version that was close to rocksteady and Jamaican ska, but The Clash was more reggae-minded in a more experimental way using dub in nearly all their reggae inspired tracks. "Pressure Drop" is originally by Toots & The Maytals but The Clash completely changed the track into a more energetic punk rock AND reggae song, which is amazing. The original song IS really great, and it's only a mystery how Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert never was hailed as much as Bob Marley. Joe Strummer's vocal is characteristically crisp as ever, and the harmonic Strummer / Jones backing vocals are just top-notch together with tight but also reggae styled guitar, bass and drums. Half of the tracks are in the reggae dub category, and the other half is punk rock as in 'Best The Clash way possible'. The album was reissued as "Super Black Market Clash" (1993) with 21 tracks but that issue seems way to uneven, and some of the best tracks from the original release are strangely omitted.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

[ collectors' item ]

Melody Mixers "I Napoli" (1967) (single)

I Napoli, 7'' single

release date: 1967

format: vinyl (XM 62075)

[single rate: 2 / 5] [2,24]

producer: ?

label: Polydor - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: A) "I Napoli" - - B) "La bostella"

Single release by Danish pop and schlager quartet Melody Mixers consisting of band leader and guitarist Jørgen Artby together with a changing line-up counting names such as Mogens Billing, Kell Billing, Annie Lykke, Leif Petersen, and Ullrik Lie Arlieth. The quartet was founded in Copenhagen in 1955 and existed with changing line-ups until 1970 and especially saw a change of female lead vocalists. On this, Annie Lykke is new vocalist in replacement of Kate Sand, in '69 they were expanded to a quintet with Alice Anders on vocals, and for a time they played as a sextet with the addition of Annelise Brixager, also as vocalist, before dissolving in 1970.

The A-side track is a cover by Carlo Donida and with Danish lyrics by Peter Mynte, and the B-side is a cover by Perez Pilar with Danish lyrics by Peter Spar.

The single was part of my parents record collection, and it's an item that I never found entertaining, although, it's part of my first music memories that wasn't purely children's songs.

~ ~ ~

This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

Familien Andersen "Hej sol - skin på mig! (1972 (single)

Hej sol - skin på mig!, 7'' single

release date: 1972

format: vinyl

[single rate: 2 / 5] [1,82]

producer: Helmer Olsesen

label: Polydor - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: A) "Hej sol - skin på mig!" - - B) "Cirkus! Cirkus!"

Single release by Danish seven-members family act Familien Andersen fronted by the youngest 'star' of the family, Lille Bo (aka Bo Andersen). The family and especially Bo became stars overnight after performing the song "Jeg har set en rigtig negermand" on the national TV show "Musikalske venner" in 1970 (Bo as 4-year-old). The song was later included in the family film "Far til fire i højt humør" (1971) directed by Ib Mossin with Bo as Lille Per in one of the main parts performing the song, and with that, the family and Bo in particular experienced an overwhelming national popularity. Familien Andersen released at least two full-length albums: a Christmas album Jul med Familien Andersen (1970) with its renditions of popular Christmas Carrols, and their final album, for the most part consisting of original songs Familien Andersen (1975), after which they withdrew from performing.

The single was part of my parents record collection, and it's an item I never found entertaining, although, it's one of my very first music memories that wasn't purely children's songs.

👉 Another one from that earliest stage.

~ ~ ~

This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

The Clash "London Calling" (1979)

London Calling
release date: Dec. 14, 1979
format: vinyl 2 lp (CBS 88478) / cd
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,68]
producer: Guy Stevens, Mick Jones
label: CBS Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. "London Calling" (5 / 5) (live) - 4. "Hateful" (5 / 5) - - B) 1. "Spanish Bombs" (5 / 5) - 3. "Lost in the Supermarket" (5 / 5) - 5. "The Guns of Brixton" (4,5 / 5) - - C) 2. "Death or Glory" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "The Card Cheat" (4,5 / 5) - - D) 1. "Lover's Rock" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Four Horseman" (4 / 5) - 3. "I'm Not Down" (4 / 5) - 4. "Revolution Rock" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "Train in Vain" (5 / 5) (live)

3rd studio album by The Clash is a double vinyl album regarded as the band's best album. The style has evolved to a more quiet, subdued punk rock combined with ska, reggae, rockabilly / rock & roll, and jazz. Almost all tracks are co-written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, commonly known with Strummer as the lyricist and Jones as the musical composer - sometimes vice-versa. I recall, buying the album one or perhaps two years after its release, and the album was for a period of time, my most beloved album, although, this was at a time with so much new music coming to my attention that it was hard to keep an album as favourite for more than a few weeks. I really loved the energy of the punk rock era, and was of the impression that this was not entirely as great as Give 'Em Enough Rope, which I till this day still feel. The album was, and still is, considered a milestone of modern rock. Some claim that it's the first real post-punk album in the sense that a genuine punk rock band explores and incorporates other styles and genres from a punk rock perspective. The album is enlisted at the very top of numerous best of lists comprising the best albums of all time, and naturally, it's also in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
btw.: The front cover design is inspired by the debut album (1956) by Elvis Presley.
[ allmusic.com, Sputnikmusic, Rolling Stone, Q Magazine 5 / 5 stars ]

1979 Favourite releases: 1. Joy Division Unknown Pleasures - 2. The Jam Setting Sons - 3. The Clash London Calling

"Collector's item".
[ from €30,- ]

Best of 1967:The Velvet Underground and Nico "The Velvet Underground & Nico" (1967)

The Velvet Underground & Nico [debut]
release date: Mar. 12, 1967
format: vinyl (reissue) / cd (2012, 45th Anniversary Edition)
[album rate: 5 / 5] [4,88]
producer: Andy Warhol
label: Polydor Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: A) 1. "Sunday Morning" - 2. "I'm Waiting for the Man" - 3. "Femme Fatale" (5 / 5) - 4. "Venus in Furs" (5 / 5) - 5. "Run Run Run" - 6. "All Tomorrow's Parties" (5 / 5) - - B) 1. "Heroin" - 2. "There She Goes Again" (5 / 5) - 3. "I'll Be Your Mirror" - 4. "The Black Angel's Death Song" - 5. "European Son"
[ full album ]

Studio album debut by The Velvet Underground originally released on Verve Records and, according to the album credits, produced by Andy Warhol, which does sound unlikely as Warhol didn't have any recording experiences - however, he did pay for the studio sessions. Allegedly, his producing method was to direct the band that they should go ahead and do whatever they felt like. Actual technical producer is most likely Tom Wilson. The Velvet Underground is in its classic line-up with Lou Reed on lead vocals & lead guitar, John Cale on electric viola, piano & bass guitar, Sterling Morrison on guitar, bass guitar & backing vocals, and with Maureen Tucker on drums & percussion. Nico was never part of the band but she often participated when playing live, and she is here credited as lead vocalist on tracks #3, #6 and #9 and doing backing vocals on track #1. And although, Warhol may have suggested to include Nico in the band - as he liked the idea of having a woman in front of this masculine project, but both Cale and Reed was against his idea, and then again Warhol's untrained musical background didn't help him to pursuade Reed nor Cale. Instead, Nico participates as featuring solo artist, and she already released her solo album debut Chelsea Girl in October that same year. Lou Reed is songwriter and composer of all songs - only tracks #A1 and #B4 are co-written with Cale and #B5 is credited the whole band.
The album is one of the most iconic and legendary albums in rock history. Although, the initial reception wasn't just positive, its status has put it among the utmost influential albums ever released. The cover has its own story, and the tracks, dealing with all kinds of touchy subjects, have their particular background stories. Soundwise and in terms of style, there's a lot to be said about the album - for one thing, the band was from New York, which was a place that didn't play the same strong role back then when San Francisco and Los Angeles were where most contemporary new music came from. This fact alone explains a little about the stylistic differencies from bands like Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds etc., who all made remarkable albums in '67, but this very album was something out of the blue highly original, and then they didn't exactly do much good for a potential career by choosing to sing about drugs and sex. Anyway, the band stood on its own values and most certainly didn't give a hoot about anyone's opinion. Nowadays, it's dificult to point to a rock album of greater influence than this one.
I don't remember exactly the first time, I listened to this album but in the late 1970s my older brother introduced it to me, and I do remember that I liked it from the first minut on, and I have loved it ever since. Every now and then, I put it on, and I'm always amazed of how fine and fresh it still sounds production-wise, as well as the immediate and direct appeal every single track conveys.
Naturally, this is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
This very album is a strong contender to the best and the most important rock-album ever released.
Highly recommended.

1967 Favourite releases: 1. The Velvet Underground and Nico The Velvet Underground & Nico - 2. Jimi Hendrix Are You Experienced? - 3. The Doors The Doors

org. cover

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This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.