1001 Album Club

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199 Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die Dec 30, 2019

Show notes

John Barleycorn Must Die moved beyond the jamming that had characterized some of Traffic’s earlier work to approach the emerging field of jazz-rock. And that helped the band to achieve its commercial potential; this became Traffic’s first gold album but we aren’t quite sure why.

198 Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman Dec 26, 2019

Show notes

After a long recover from Tuberculosis in 1968 Cat Stevens gives us Tea for the Tillerman. The story of a young man’s search for spiritual meaning in a soulless class society he found abhorrent. He hadn’t yet reached his destination, but he was confident he was going in the right direction, traveling at his own, unhurried pace.

197 Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water Dec 23, 2019

Show notes

One of the biggest-selling albums of its decade, and arguable the best album Simon an Garfunkel ever produced as a duo. The production and arrangements are stunning.

196 George Harrison - All Things Must Pass Dec 19, 2019

Show notes

Drawing on his backlog of unused compositions from the late Beatles era, Harrison crafted material that managed the rare feat of conveying spiritual mysticism without sacrificing his gifts for melody and grand, sweeping arrangements. Enhanced by Phil Spector’s lush orchestral production and Harrison’s own superb slide guitar, nearly every song is excellent. We discuss if it’s a triple album or a double album with a bonus disc.

195 Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley Dec 16, 2019

Show notes

known for its loose and scrappy approach Rod Stewart’s band members break out acoustic guitars and mandolins to play music that was never going to sound overly pretty because of the grit and gruff of Rod. This is great first attempt for Rod but we all know the album that is going to really shine.

194 Soft Machine - Third Dec 12, 2019

Show notes

Soft Machine plunged deeper into jazz and contemporary electronic music on this pivotal release, which incited The Village Voice to call it a milestone achievement when it was released. We are surprised by how out there it gets while remaining somewhat accessible. However Robert Wyatt vocals are terrible.

193 The Who - Live at Leeds Dec 09, 2019

Show notes

The prove that just because they can make an important artistic statement like Tommy that they are still one of the most uproariously exciting live band. This was a crucial album to hold over the Mod rocking Who crowd till Who’s Next arrives. If you want to know how to put on a good maximum R’n’B live show this should be your bible.

192 Ananda Shankar - Ananda Shankar Dec 05, 2019

Show notes

Shankar envisioned a musical form that blended Indian classical music with Western rock and electronic styles. Shankar’s first album was one of the first to successfully explore the crossover of psychedelic rock with Indian music including simplified sitar covers of jumpin jack flash and light my fire . What sounds like a parody to use now was ahead of it’s time.

191 Nick Drake - Bryter Layter Dec 02, 2019

Show notes

Another Nick Drake album and more great tunes that is heavy on the polish and light on the sales David Hepworth described “At the Chime of a City Clock” as “the perfect soundtrack for the dispensing of a cup of tea in a polysytrene cup, marrying sound and image in a way that made me unsure whether I was watching a commercial or actually in a commercial.”.

190 Grateful Dead - American Beauty Nov 28, 2019

Show notes

American Beauty eventually spawned the band’s highest charting single — “Truckin’,” the greasy blues-rock tribute to nomadic counterculture — but it also contained some of their most spiritual and open-hearted sentiments ever. While the Dead eventually amassed a following so devoted that following the band from city to city became the center of many people’s lives, the majority of the band’s magic came in the boundless heights it reached in its live sets but rarely managed to capture in the studio setting. American Beauty is a categorical exception to this.

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