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Classic Album Discussion Contest - The Members Decide

Which, in your opinion, is the best Classic Album Review?

  • Bob Dylan - Modern Times

  • Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy

  • Dexter Gordon - Go

  • Rush - Permanent Waves

  • Robert Johnson - King of the Delta Blues Singers 1961

Results are only viewable after voting.
professorchaos

professorchaos

The Carnival of Smiles Classic Album Discussion Contest

The Members Decide

Gentlemen, we need your input. You can find below the 5 finalists from the Classic Album Discussion Contest, selected by your mods. It is now up to you to decide which of these five wins the Carnival of Smiles Classic Album Discussion Contest. Please vote for the one you consider best. The review receiving the most votes before the contest ends (when the poll closes on 11-06-2009 at 08:21 PM) wins. Get yer votes in!

Remember, the winner of this contest wins a handsome black satin Goodfella razor! So without further ado, I give you the five finalists! Good luck!!

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Operation Smile:smile:

*A donation to Operation Smile is not required to win.

**Badger & Blade.com is not affiliated with Operation Smile nor does B&B derive any

benefit from donations made in the name of Badger & Blade.com.

*** Prizes may be subject to change.

**** The final decision on the outcome of all contests rest within the sole discretion

of the Moderators and all decisions are final. Any belly-aching will result in an automatic

disqualification and removal from any further participation in any other contests for the duration of the

Carnival.

*****B&B is not responsible for any prizes that are undelivered to recipient from

vendors and/or companies.​
 
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professorchaos

professorchaos

Review 1: Bob Dylan - Modern Times​

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Bob Dylan: Modern Times

Side One
1. Thunder On The Mountain
2. Spirit On The Water

Side Two
1. Rollin' and Tumblin'
2. When The Deal Goes Down
3. Someday Baby

Side Three
1. Workingman's Blues #2
2. Beyond The Horizon
3. Nettie Moore

Side Four
1. The Levee's Gonna Break
2. Ain't Talkin'

Spread over four sides of thick, luxurious vinyl, and presented in a heavy, gatefold jacket, the LP version of Dylan's 2006 Tour de Force, 'Modern Times', feels like a throwback to an earlier, grittier time from the moment you pick it up. It is brimming with chilling criticism and sardonic wit right from the opening salvo, 'Thunder on the Mountain.'

"Shame on your greed, shame on your wicked schemes
I'll say this, I don't give a damn about your dreams."

I know, you think this can't be a classic; it's only 3 years old and, besides, Dylan's washed up. Well, let me tell you, it is and he's not. Dylan is back, and just as cynical and dark as ever, often resigned but never really caring enough to be preachy. Sure, this album sounds like it was recorded with the very last shreds of his ragged vocal cords, but that only adds to its wizened charm.

"I did all I could, did it right there and then
I've already confessed, no need to confess again."

The facetiously named 'Modern Times' is, in fact, timeless. It could just as easily have been recorded in 1946 as in 2006. There is nothing musically ground-breaking here, but that has never been what Bob Dylan was about. This is the work of a jaded, world-weary Dylan, trying to make peace with himself and, to a lesser extent, his audience. He is writing about the human condition, still influenced by the front page, but no longer distracted by it.

"I wanna be with you in paradise, and it seems so unfair
I can't go back to paradise no more, I killed a man back there."

This is grown man's music, meant to be appreciated by mature adults with plenty of life experience. It will never be considered "pop." Yet, it is at once familiar and comfortable, confrontational and unsettling.

"In the dark, I hear the night bird's call,
I can feel a lovers breath.
I sleep in the kitchen with my feet in the hall,
Sleep is like a temporary death."

Who else but Bob Dylan could write so wistfully about contentment and depression in one couplet and, with an absolutely straight face, make it sound so righteous?

Get down and boogie!
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Review 2: Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy​

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****** has already chosen Led Zeppelin IV, but in my opinion Houses of the Holy is the ultimate Led Zep album. And for many reasons (not just because it was the first record I heard from them).
Well, what to say about this chef d'oeuvre? After one of the best selling albums in Rock history, our band o'four decided to embark on a sonic experience and embrace a whole bunch of musical influences to accomplish a sort of potpourri that normally would be miles away from pleasing the die-hard fans of heavy rock and the likes. But in fact Houses of the Holy did pretty well on the charts, quickly becoming an instant classic (the psychadelic cover must have helped), and was followed by an extremely (in)famous American tour that glued a label of excess and extravaganza on the British quartet forever.
The thing about this album is the incredible variety of tunes Led Zep managed to assemble. There's a little for every-one's taste: the melancholic ballad (“Rain Song”), the folk-rock speedy track (“The Song Remains the Same”), the funky off-beat experiment (“The Crunge”), the progressive Rock inner epic (“No Quarter”), the Jamaican reggae tune (“D'yer Mak'er”), and the quintessential classic hard-rock anthem with a surprising closure (“The Ocean”). In fact this record is a kind of kaleidoscope of the 1970's pop music. And the most extraordinary is that Page, Plant, Jones & Bonham proved they could perform any kind of music like no-one else. Every single track is a winner and reveals the individual qualities of each one of the group's members: versatile powerful singing, electric guitar virtuosity, keyboard playing talent and percussions ingeniosity.
If you have eclectic interests and wonder if it's possible for a rock band to deal with completely different musical genres, you have to give Houses of the Holy a listening. In a word (okay, in two words): sheer genius.

A Side
1.“The Song Remains the Same”
2.“The Rain Song”
3.“Over the Hills and Far Away”
4.“The Crunge”

B Side
5.“Dancing Days”
6.“D'yer Mak'er”
7.“No Quarter”
8.“The Ocean”
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Review 3: Dexter Gordon - Go​

This is my favorite jazz album. Dexter Gordon combines all of the jazz elements of his day into the most entertaining and interesting style, and Go! is his masterpiece.

His composition “Cheese Cake” starts things off at a fast tempo, with inventive flips on the melody, followed by a short solo by Blue Note’s house pianist of that time, Sonny Clark.

“I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry” follows that exciting opening with a beautiful, rarely recorded old ballad. No one was better at squeezing emotion out of a tenor sax. Billy Higgins’s brushed cymbals add just the right touch during the breathy exposition, with Clark’s understated chords applying other aspects of the melody until he seamlessly takes the spotlight for a chorus.

The first LP side closes with the medium-fast “Second Balcony Jump.” Dex shows us how swing, bop, and post-bop elements can come together in the right hands. His habit of quoting other popular tunes in his solos shows up with Nat King Cole’s “Mona Lisa.” Bassist Butch Warren keeps things moving but grounded as Clark delivers a longer, intense solo. Gordon’s second solo is blistering.

A tune Billie Holiday famously recorded, “Love For Sale,” gets a fast Latin treatment with Higgins knocking on a wood block to set the mood for a chorus before the quartet launches into a wild 4/4 standard jazz rhythm.

“Where Are You” slows things down for another gorgeous ballad. Gordon reminds us of Ben Webster and other swing era tenors with his deep, sexy variations.

“Three O’clock in the Morning” finishes the album at a medium, bouncy pace. Gordon quotes Ellington’s “Five Oclock Whistle” and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during his incredible, improvised variations on this old big band number.

The 6’5” “Long Tall Dexter” was the first person to apply Charlie Parker’s modern jazz style to the tenor saxophone. He began his recording career in 1945, influencing John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and every other major sax star of the ‘50’s and ‘60’s. By the time he recorded this album in 1962, he had incorporated parts of Coltrane’s and Rollins’s influences, himself. Fortunately, I was able to see him perform twice in the late ‘70’s and mid-‘80’s. The first time was in a relatively small club, an unbelievable experience. If you can find it, don’t miss his Oscar-nominated lead acting role in ‘Round Midnight, filmed in the ‘80’s.

Side 1
1. Cheese Cake
2. I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry
3. Second Balcony Jump
Side 2
1. Love For Sale
2. Where Are You
3. Three O'clock in the Morning

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Review 4: Rush - Permanent Waves​

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"The genre called “progressive rock” is much maligned today, of course, but at its best progressive rock stood for an honesty that is rarely present in popular music today." - Neil Peart

A mixture of hard driving rock merging with softer, ethereal segments combined with complex, meaningful lyrics and top notch musicianship make Rush what they are. This album does not disappoint. Analog or electronic, they have a trademark sound that is unmistakable regardless of the decade in which the music was made.

Rush has always been one of my favorite bands and is still going strong since their debut album in 1974. With the exception that first, self-titled album, the band's lineup has remained the same all of these years with Geddy Lee on bass/synths and vocals, Alex Lifeson on guitar, and primary lyricist Neil Peart on drums/percussion. 1980's Permanent Waves was a significant departure from previous albums in that subjectively, the songs were more worldly and philosophical in nature rather than being based on science fiction, fantasy, mythology, and mysticism. Some of the music on the album is also more "upbeat" than that heard on previous albums. The albums 6 tracks make up only a 35 minute playtime whereas previous albums tended to contain at least one marathon, side consuming (on vinyl) track. The track listing and song times are as follows:

  1. The Spirit Of Radio 4:59m
  2. Freewill 5:24m
  3. Jacob's Ladder 7:28m
  4. Entre Nous 4:37m
  5. Different Strings 3:50m
  6. Natural Science 9:17m
The Spirit of the Radio is probably my favorite Rush song. Upbeat and inspiring, it reflects Mr. Peart's above quote in that it deals with (in a positive manner) what music should be to the listener and warns of the direction the corporate suits attempt to push it.

Freewill is another favorite and is about, you guessed it, freewill. The song stresses the need to understand that one's choices are your own and are not determined or preordained by some outside power. Another upbeat, positive, driving track.

Jacob's Ladder returns the band to it's longer, more ethereal and changing tunes. It is representive of the bands more "progressive" past. Primarily instrumental and somewhat dark in nature, this was not a track that would have gotten much radio air time.

Entre Nous gets us back to a more driving song. Lyrically, it's a love song but not in the typical sense. It's point is that two people will never truly "know" each other, but recognizing the distances between them and sharing their differences may actually help strengthen the relationship. As much in agreement with the lyrics as I am, I doubt I'll ever buy, or find for that matter, a Valentine's Day or Anniversary card for my wife to reflect these sentiments. :)

Different Strings slows things down again, and to me is a continuation or compliment of the lyrics in Entre Nous.

Natural Science is something of an epic song and closes the album. It deals with the environment and is more complex musically with three sections that change in strength and feel. A very moving track that varies emotionally with the lyrics.

When a band is around for a significant amount of time, we often see it mature on one end of the spectrum, or try to reinvent itself at the other end. Rush, after 30+ years, has simply evolved. Musically and lyrically, they have changed yet they have managed to maintain a consistant personality. The three band members work together as one, balanced perfectly in their contribution to the music they make. 2112 was a breakout for Rush and it's general feel and style continued for several successive album releases. Permanent Waves was the first real change in course for Rush, their debut album notwithstanding, as a band and kicked off the 80s in a style I have fond memories of and continue to enjoy to this day.
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Review 5: Robert Johnson - King of the Delta Blues Singers​

Robert Johnson has been described as the most important blues singer that ever lived. Most are familiar with the story of the musician at the crossroads selling his soul to the devil in order to develop profound abilities, and the belief is that Johnson was that musician. Recording only 29 songs during his short 27 years, the King of the Delta Blues Singers contains 16 of those recordings, with the reissue in 1998 containing a 17th song, an alternate take of "Traveling Riverside Blues", which I believe was found in the Library of Congress.
This recording was mastered off of the original 78s available that were recorded in 1936-37, and the final three came from unreleased recordings, so the quality of the recording is not fantastic. The reissue in 1998 improved the quality, but hissing still occurs.
While this is not the great rock and roll music that most people enjoy, we can thank Robert Johnson for his influence on groups like the Rolling Stones, Cream and Led Zeppelin and his influence on individuals like Bob Dylan and Muddy Waters. Most, if not all, of his work has been covered by artists from many genres of music.

01. Cross Road Blues
02. Terraplane Blues
03. Come On In My Kitchen
04. Walkin' Blues
05. Last Fair Deal Gone Down
06. 32-20 Blues
07. Kind Hearted Woman Blues
08. If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day
09. Preachin' Blues (Up Jumped The Devil)
10. When You Got A Good Friend
11. Ramblin' On My Mind
12. Stones In My Passway
13. Traveling Riverside Blues
14. Milkcow's Calf Blues
15. Me And The Devil Blues
16. Hell Hound On My Trail

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mansquatch

mansquatch

My vote is in and as a result of the review I voted for will probably check that album out. This was a pretty cool contest, thanks B&B!
 
stobes21

stobes21

Wow, the voting is really close. This was a tough one because the reviews were really well written. A hearty well done to all the entrants!

And vote you scallywags!
 
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