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You searched for ‘masterpiece’, which matched 65 songs.
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House of Mirrors  performed by David McAllum
Recommended by Maximum_Bygraves [profile]

Another Axelrod mini masterpiece on display here. Big twangy guitars and a wonderfully modernistic haze of modal horns strings and flutes snake around rock solid bass and drums. Whoooo-heee




Hellhound on my trail  performed by Robert Johnson
Recommended by dwmjuk [profile]

The most eeire, scary and downright supernatural blues track ever recorded. Robert Johnson's vocal style sends shivers down anyone's back on the first, and repeat, hearings of this masterpiece.

Take time and notice the evidence of Hoodoo pratice in lyrics (hot foot powder) and a brief history of a failed relationship once believed to have been Robert Johnsons...




Hard Time Killing Floor Blues  performed by Skip James
Recommended by dwmjuk [profile]

Despite the vocal style of James (not appreciated by myself) this track is a true masterpiece - listful, solemn and mysterious. Numerous good covers inc. Kelly Joe Phelps, & Chris Thomas King (O Brother Where art thou). The original's guitarwork is superior to other versions - sparse and perfectly timed. However Phelps has, in my oppinion, a more appripraite voice for the track.






  dyfl: The Twilight Singers (actually just Greg Dulli, from the Afghan Whigs, and Mark Lanegan from The Screaming Trees) just released a very good cover of this on their album SHE LOVES YOU, which I highly recommend...
En vieillissant peut-être ...  performed by Arnaud Fleurent Didier
Recommended by moondog [profile]

I adore this man. A-D-O-R-E. But i seem to be quite alone in doing this outside france. And i can´t figure out why. For my money he (pardon my language)pisses all over katerine, benjamin biolay, divine comedy and louis phillipe etc. In fact the closest description of his music would be if The Divine Comedy came from france. Perhaps Arnaud is the kind of artist that you either go totally nuts about or you don´t get it all. A bit like Prefab Sprout. So, to pick any track is virtually impossible since i love nearly everything he has done but i go for "En vieillisant peut-etre" from his towering masterpiece "Portrait du jeune homme en artiste".

from Portrait du jeune, available on CD



  delicado: hi there... well, you converted me to this guy pretty much immediately after playing it to me as well. I was then amazed to find no one really talking about him. where did you hear about him first of all? Did he do a follow up LP yet?
  moondog: Hi, glad you liked it, well i first heard of him on the site www.poppolar, a sympathetic canadian indiemailorder site which distrubutes his records. I think i crammed in the best of what he has done for you, both the Notre Dame album "Chansons Francaises" which preceeded the portrait de jeune cd and some other tracks. He has done one cd with singer ema Derton called "Comment de l`amour" under Notre Dame as well but it�s not up to the standard of the other ones i mentioned since her voice is quite weak. At www.frenchtouche.com you can see about all his projects and other french artists.
  texjernigan: I'm with you guys on the love. I started talking with Arnaud Fleurent Didier because his record label, french touche, seems to be run by him. I find it really hard to get this music by ANY means (rapidshare, slsk, etc). The label has been hit or miss (I've lost $20) Where have the two of you gotten a hold of it?
  texjernigan: I take it back nevermind, french touche records has awesome service.
  moondog: good to see another afd fan. Well, texjernigan i got my first afd records from poppolar.com but after that french touche has worked well. I still scratch my head on why arnaud seems to be so completely unknow outside france. But perhaps that explains the lack of slsk, radpidshare on his behalf. From what i have heard there is a new longplayer in the works called "la reproduction". i have mailed arnaud but gotten no answer, do you know more tex jernigan perhaps ?
  moondog: And his new record is on its way now, sounds unsurprisingly amazing ; arnaudfleurentdidier.com/lareproduction/
  moondog: and now the new album finally is here, Listen here and swoon ; publikart.net/album-de-la-semaine-la-reproduction-d%E2%80%99arnaud-fleurent-didier-en-libre-ecoute
Ready, Able  performed by Grizzly Bear
Recommended by visuallynoisy [profile]

If this song was a person, it would have filed a restraining order against me within 3 days of its release. As a part of last year's second best album, "Veckatimest", this song features unconventional musical arrangements which could at times sound dissonant. However, its mystical lyrics and impeccable vocals make this song a masterpiece.




L’anthracite  performed by Serge Gainsbourg  1959
Recommended by whoops [profile]

Early Serge Gainsbourg masterpiece with an "exotica" feel. The backing track is a far-east melody while the lyrics are simply beautiful. Gainsbourg used the characteristics of the anthracite to describe his feelings about a girl. It's a kind of first step into what was to be the apex of his first period, the "Gainsbourg percussions" LP of 1964.

from N�2 (Philips)
available on CD - Couleur caf� (Mercury/Philips)



  whoops: sorry, in place of "far east" please read "middle east" in the recommendation above.
Out of this World  performed by Tony Hatch  1962
Recommended by delicado [profile]

A superb twangy, bongo-ridden theme from Tony Hatch. It's hard to believe this is the same man who wrote the themes for soap operas like 'Crossroads' and 'Neighbours', but it is... Overall this sounds kind of how I once expected/hoped John Barry's early 60s work might sound - harpsichord, twangy guitar etc. It opens with some eerie effects, bongoes and spare harpsichord sound before breaking into a fully fledged shadows/spy theme style masterpiece, stopping abruptly after just over two minutes. Since I heard this on a compilation, I have no idea as to its origin, which is a shame, as I would love to track down any similar work Tony Hatch may have done. I did some research, and it seems that the session guitarist on this track was none other than Big Jim Sullivan, who cut a couple of sitar LPs on Mercury in the 60s.
n.b. this is not the same tune as the much recorded and superb Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer 'out of this world'.

from the single Out of this World
available on CD - Easy Project II: House of Loungecore (Sequel)




  n-jeff: For some reason my parents acquired 2 mint copies of this on 7. Needless to say they didn't keep 'em long, heh, heh. Its a nice enough track, don't I remember some flute in there. but Tony was also the composer of some great early 60's pop, he did a number of LP's with Petula Clark, including the hits 'Downtown' and 'Don't sleep in the Subway' written with Jackie Trent (I think- Oh names, names, names). So to only remember him for Neighbours is cruel (and don't forget one variant of the Crossroads theme was recorded by paul Macartney and Wings, bet that isn't on the greates hits LP).
  delicado: totally; I think Tony's a genius; don't get me wrong! 'I know a place' and 'I couldn't live without your love' are two other great pop songs he was responsible for...
Maigret  performed by Tony Hatch  1962
Recommended by delicado [profile]

This is one of those mindblowing tracks that occasionally turns up when you least expect it. I bought a generic looking 'Top TV Themes' EP on the Pye Golden Guinea label, mainly because it had a version of the 'Out of this World' theme, which I've recommended elsewhere on this site. But I was disappointed - it turned out that this 'Out of this World' was exactly the same Tony Hatch version that I already had (the EP does not list any track credits).

I listened on, not expecting much, particularly from 'Maigret', a nice enough theme by Ron Grainer, but one that is a kind of accordian waltz!

Imagine my surprise when this turned out to be some kind of trashy, twangy, swampy surf pop masterpiece! It sounds like one of the very best Joe Meek produced instrumentals from the early 60s.

I'm inferring that this is Tony Hatch, since he did the 'Out of this World' and was a staff arranger at Pye in the early 60s. But if anyone else can shed a different light on this recording, I'd be pleased to hear about it!

from Top TV Themes (Pye Golden Guinea W03)




  olli: Funny how anything can be transformed into a masterpiece with the right arrangement, isn't it?
Yes it is  performed by Beatles  1965
Recommended by Mike [profile]

Not a particularly well-known song which was originally a B side and not on any of their original albums, it's actually particularly musically advanced for the time. A pity that George Martin didn't get them to do a few extra takes of the vocals, as the difficult harmony signing which starts the song sounds...difficult. The song, which deserves to be more talked about, contains interest and variety in its melody, rhythm, harmony and arrangement. In its way this is truly a masterpiece.


available on CD - Past Masters Volume 1 (EMI)




  delicado: It's a very nice song, but it is indeed a shame about the vocals. I wish the Beach Boys had recorded this song. I just heard a demo version (from the Anthology vol 3 cd) that is perhaps better - it's barer, with some nice acoustic guitar work and mostly just John singing.
  Mike: The demo version screams out for the harmony singing heard on the final version, in my opinion. All we really needed was an extra take or two. George Martin should have sorted it!
Exodus  performed by Tielman Brothers  1965
Recommended by eleki-san [profile]

Vocal version of the classic 'Exodus' Theme. Reverberated deep 60s stereophonic sound, Andy Tielman's voice, the powerful background choir and the reverberated guitars make this version a true masterpiece.
(there's an incredible story on the listener reviews at Amazon about this band)




For one moment  performed by Lee Hazlewood  1966
Recommended by delicado [profile]

An incredible doomy pop masterpiece, 'For one moment' is a dark, haunting ballad, laden with rich strings. I guess what makes it stand out is the recording itself - Lee was a master of studio techniques, and so the whole thing has an uncanny, almost Phil Spector type feel to it.

from The Very Special World of Lee Hazlewood (MGM)




  plasticsun: Have you noticed that the string part sounds a lot like the string part in Scott Walker's "Plastic Palace People"?
  olli: Brilliant song, was going to recommend it myself, but luckily remembered to check for earlier entries. Always thougt this had kind of a Michel Magne feel myself..it's the swirling strings, i guess. Check out his version of Poinciana and Petrol Pop to see what i mean.
Wonderful  performed by The Beach Boys  1966
Recommended by Yammer [profile]

By 1965, Brian Wilson's professional and personal lives were in such a state of constant panic that it was almost inevitable that he would turn to readily available forms of rock star relief. While his self-medication (and underlying mental illness) would ultimately render him into a poster boy for an imaginary DARE campaign, the early, merely marijuanic phase of his regimen yielded a brief but vivid string of almost absurdly gorgeous pop masterpieces. While a couple of these are permanently stamped into the forebrains of all radio listeners over a certain age ("God Only Knows," "Good Vibrations"), some remain almost unknown. Which brings us to "Wonderful," found on the Beach Boys box set, and remade a few years ago as part of the Don Was hagiography. It is a curious, brief (2 minutes) tune, austere in production (harpsichord and vocal) but staggeringly rich in harmonic interest. The melody evokes pure serenity and has no noticeable roots in any previous American pop style. Van Dyke Park's lyric is typically insane; what little one can make of it seems to dovetail with Wilson's growing religiousity, yet feels entirely physical, even pagan -- a sort of boy-loves-wood sprite nature idyll making the first movement of a really great ballet with set design by Maurice Sendak. Or something.


available on CD - Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys (Capitol)


who needs forever  performed by astrud gilberto  1966
Recommended by coffman [profile]

This exceptionally haunting and lyrical song by Quincy Jones has received its definitive interpretion by Astrud Gilberto with arrangement and accompaniment by the Brazilian organist Walter Wanderley. The melancholy urgency of the piece resonates well with the dark/sad tonality that pervades so much of Bossa Nova music, though its character is also reminiscent of certain otherwise very different pieces from the bebop era, which had a formative influence on Quincy Jones' music. There is definitely the remote influence of Charlie Parker and especially Dizzy Gillespie. It's truly a completely unique piece. The drifting melody which seems to skirt over the chord changes has a beautiful inevitability. Only a very gifted and skilled musician could have contrived such a beautiful work. So Quincy Jones deserves especial credit for crafting this song from the film "The Deadly Affair."

Astrud's delivery, so typically limpid and restrained, only serves to heighten the intensity of this darkly passionate song. The subtle but somehow fierce organ playing of Walter Wanderley acheives a sizzling romanticism that perfectly complements the reading of Astrud's apparently detached fatalism.

In my opinion, this track is a true musical masterpiece. Its remarkable economy of means is a testament to the skill of the composer as well as the artistry of the performers. In fact, it's a nearly perfect combination of expressive means and poetic intent. The beautiful resolution, with Astrud's perfect striking of the high B-flat over the half-diminished F-minor seventh, is a moment of sublime dramatic intensity, though profoundly understated, as is typical of her finest artistic moments. One is reminded of Miles Davis. Her poetic skill is rooted in subtlety.

I have listened to this extraordinary track hundreds of times, and always experienced chills rising up on the back of my neck. How amazing that this incredible musical gem was omitted from the original album A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness. Perhaps it was too intense, too heavy; whatever the case, it's a truly remarkable piece of music.

I'm truly grateful to have discovered this great albeit minor musical masterpiece. There's really nothing else quite like it! The sizzling but subtle sensitivity of the rhythm section (Claudio Slon on drums, possibly Joao Gilberto on guitar and Jose Marino on bass) adds an intensity to the piece which helps project the almost existential tone of the song.

I'm really swept away by this obscure and neglected work, which attains -- for me at least -- to a peak of poetic intensity really rare in music. As is usual with Astrud at her best, it accomplishes its artistic ends with what seems like the most minimal of means. But subtlety is always the avenue to the most profound of artistic experiences. I think this is a remarkable example -- one of the greatest -- of the wedding of popular music and high art. It is a truly perfect performance. In my opinion, its greatness increases rather than diminshes with repeated listenings. There is only one word for that -- it's magic!

from A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness, available on CD



  rio: you must pick-up the quincy jones soundtrack (released with the score to "the pawnbroker") with astrud singing "who needs forever". The lush quincy jones score is hauntingly beautiful, and astrud never sounded better. This version is the real deal for me..
  rferus: Amazing guitar on this piece.
Mrs. Bluebird  performed by Eternity’s Children  1967
Recommended by tempted [profile]

A fabulous acid-pop masterpiece featuring one of the most intriguing intros in pop history. Everything I love about psychedelic pop made in the US in the late 6t's comes together in Mrs. Bluebird: the softly mythical, escapist feeling that the harmony and orchestration bring into this music. I frequently use it as a getaway. I think indulging in this music is not sad but it shows you've got the means to make you happy. This song is a Curt Boettcher (The Millennium, Sagittarius) production that cannot have been made while under the influence of drugs!!

from Eternity's Children (Tower)
available on CD - Best of Eternity's Children




  493440: I appreciate the nice comments about "Mrs Bluebird." My name is Bruce Blackman and I wrote Mrs Bluebird. I was the founder of Eternity's Children in 1966. We did not survive because of incredibly bad management. Our two managers had the middle names of "Karl" and "Marion." After I left the group, they tried to cheat me (unsuccessfuly) out of any credit. A few years after Eternity's Children I formed my group Starbuck and we scored a top 3 with my song "Moonlight Feels Right." Three of the members of Eternity's Children were with me in Starbuck.
  john_l: I agree, this is a wonderful song! The organ keeps the beat (after the dreamy intro), the harmonies are great and there's that heavy psychedelic guitar solo in the bridge, although I believe that was edited out of a 45 or radio edit version.
  royjudywhi: In response to Bruce Blackman's comments under response 493440, he is absolutely correct about his penning of Mrs Bluebird. It was a great song off a great album. He is a talented songwriter but a lousey historian. The group was formed by Roy Whittaker when he was at Delta State College in Cleveland Mississippi. Bruce was an important part of the group but failed to survive the rigors of bad management. Bruce and Johnny Walker were the only members of Starbuck who were part of the original Eternity's Children group.
  tbrown: I too am a long time Eternity's Children fan. Grew up in Biloxi, played in a local band in high school. Used to go hear the Children at the Biloxi Hotel and at the Vapors in about 1967. Along with Little David and the Giants, they were the hottest groups around at the time....great memories. I see messages here by Bruce, and it looks like Roy maybe, and also saw one from Charlie Ross. Would love to hear from any of you guys just to find out what you are all up to these days.
  jwalker: Thought you Eternity's Children fans might like an update on another member. Johnny Walker played lead guitar and I believe was the lead vocalist on "Mrs Bluebird". He was also a member of Starbuck with Bruce Blackman later. Johnny's my brother and anybody that wants to contact him may do so through me. He lives 2 miles from here and has no internet access but I'm sure he'd like to hear from anybody out there that remembers Eternity's Children so please feel free to post and date your messages and we'll see that he gets them. Oh, by the way, Charlie Ross, another original member of the Children, is and has been for many years a founding member and the bass player/lead vocalist for the Krackerjacks, a kick-ass band in Greenville, Mississippi, the hometown of Johnny, Charlie and Bruce Blackman. My husband was also their keyboard player for several years.
  luna: For jwalker: Where in the world are you two these days? How's Johnny doin? I'm the other k-board player. Tell Johnny DDD said hello, also hello to your husband.
  trucol: For jwalker: Thanks for the compliment about the KrackerJacks. I have been the drummer since about 1983. Tell Johnny that T.C. said hello. He's one of most incredible guitar players I have ever heard. I first met him in P'cola. He was with another kick-ass band, Lazy Day.
  tempted: Hey guys, have you realized that there's a new 'Children "Lost Sessions" record out on Gear Fab Recs. Congrats!
  tempted: To John_I: the guitar solo remains there on the single version, too. It still gives me shivers.
  musicmars: Hey Bruce, it's an honor to post on a board that you read. I've loved Starbuck since I was 12 or 13. Moonlight Feels Right really is one of the best pop songs of the 70's. All three albums were great. I still have to find the Korona album. Anyway, Mrs. Bluebird, what a song. One of the best pop songs of the 60's. I first heard the remake a few years back from the UK? studio band Sunshine Day. It was a great remake but then my psychedelic record collecting led me to Eternity's Children and their version is even better. I only recently realized that it is the same Bruce Blackman that was in both bands. I'd love to hear some new music from you Bruce.
  luna: For tbrown: I don't you, but I was in Substantial Evidence in the late 60's on the coast.Do you know where Mark Simon,Pat Gill,Ray Zoler,Ted Tearse,Artie Desporte or any of these guys may be? Any info appreciated.
  jscarbo4: Does anybody have pictures of the entire Eternity's Children group? It was always irritating that only four of them were used on the album cover. I'd also like some update info on Roy Whitaker if anyone knows..........Also, does anyone know if Bruce Blackman ever recorded "For Crying Out Loud"? I heard him do it live at Dock-of-the-Bay, and was knocked out by it. Would love to have the recording if it's available.
  jscarbo4: Hey Luna, I wasn't aware of a 6th member of Substantial Evidence...tell me more so that I can add to my site: http://www.artist-murals.com/images/Pictures/Joel_Scarborough/Ray_zoller.htm
  tbrown: to Luna: Drop me an email at [email protected] and I will tell you who I am. WE probably know each other if you were with Substantial Evidence.
  ThomasInPlano: To Charlie Ross: During late '66 and '67 sessions at The Vapors me and some of my Biloxi USAF buddies used to chat with you between sessions talking music and it's direction. I was from Houston so we talked a lot about the Thirteenth Floor Elevators. At the time I didn't know much about acid so we talked like it was a pretty cool thing. I hope that didn't create any problems for you. I later got a tape of one of your reel-to-reel amateur recordings made at The Vapors. Later I was sent to Las Vegas ('67)and then Vietnam('68) so I lost track of how you guys were doing until I came back and was stationed north of Memphis. In '69 Eternity's Children did a TV performance in Memphis and I went to catch that performance on Saturday, only to find that it was taped earlier. I so much wanted to re-establish contact with you and catch up on what had been happening to you while I was away. Well, that was all for not but I hope maybe this will tell you how much your music that we knew back in late '66 and early '67 as Eternity's Children meant to us. Not everyone makes it to the very top, but it doesn't mean that they didn't have a wonderful effect on peoples memories. Your wonderful covers of so many types of music and your great originals will always remain in many peoples hearts. Someday I hope to get to chat with you by phone or email as we did at The Vapors Lounge. Mostly I remember you and Johnny Walker (who was such an inspiration on guitar) and Roy Whittaker. I hope that all of you are doing well as we have all had so many years go by and time starts to take it's toll on the body. Best regards, Thomas
  JKing2: I too am a big fan. I followed the band from Biloxi to Baton Rouge. Why no mention of Linda Lawley? Does anyone know what happened to her and/or her career?
  Roy5: I'm glad so many people remember Mrs Bluebird. I haven't even heard the song since 1968, when it charted, but I haven't forgotten it. I remember staying up one night waiting for our local station to play it. Finally it did--I think about 2:00 in the morning. But it was worth the wait. And I saw them perform on It's Happening, the summer replacement rock show from '68 hosted by Mark Lindsay and Paul Revere. Everything about the song is top of the line. Especially the organ, guitar and the vocal harmonies.
  JohnB: I've been a fan of Eternity's Children since the late 60's when they played the Vapors. Still have an original LP of theirs. God where have the years gone- that was music, and why they didn't go right to the top, well somebody made a big mistake not publicizing them properly. And where is Linda Lawley? Beautiful voice and a beautiful girl.
  dpinsd: In the summer of '68 I had just graduated and was leaving the country during the Vietnam War. I remember Mrs Bluebird by Eternities Children as being the last song I heard in San Diego before I left for New England then on to Portugal. I remember hearing this great song when I was in Rhode Island. I never forgot it. Apparently it is no longer available. I checked on Napster and it is not there either. I really want this song in my music library. It was good to read other comments from others that were also touched by this song that unfortunately did not go high on the charts. Dan in San Diego
  txsdrmr: To all, I grew up in greenville, MS in the 60's and went to Greenville High School with Charlie Ross, Bruce Blackmon and Johnny Walker. Before they hit the big time in the late 60's and 70's they were in some very tight group groups and played gigs in the MS delta almost every weekend. Charlie's original group was the Phantoms while Johnny and Bruce were in the Lancers. Another Greenville native to make the big time was James "Bud" Cockrell, founder of the San Francisco group, Pablo Cruise. If you count Joe Frank Carolla of Hamilton, Joe Fank & Reynolds who was from Leland, MS just 7 miles away, the Delta produced some really great talent. Those of us lucky enough to be there enjoyed some fine music. I've been fans of all these guys ever since and have collected all their 12" vinyls I could find. I'm in Houston, Texas now but still listen to Eternity's Chidren, Starbudk and H,JF, & R to take me back to those great days. -pope-
  raymar: My friends and I used to see Eternity's Children at a club called Jamie's in New Orleans every Wednesday night in 1967-68. We idolized this band and, of course, we were in love with Linda Lawley. It's so great to see that others remeber this group as weel.
  mac: My name is Mike McClain and I played organ with Eternity's Children right after Bruce Blackman left the group. We recorded lots of good music but never really got the push from Tower Records that we needed. I was thrilled when all our stuff that was in the can was released in that album from Europe. It was fun to hear all the old songs again. Wish I knew how to get in touch with Linda. Anyone know?Hey Charlie, Johnny,and Roy,as well as Bo Wagner the great vibe/marimba man that also played on Moonlight Feels Right...(he could also tap dance like crazy..no kidding)What fun those days were..
  luna: I was in substantial evidence briefly in the summer of 1969, after Ted T. quit and went with Flower Power(think that was the name of the group).I sang lead, before the hurricane destroyed everything.Wonderful summer. I now play and sing in the Krackerjacks.
  luna: A few more facts: I've been in touch with Ray Zoller, he's in Colorado. Also, Charlie Ross is our bassist in the KJ's. There was aband in '68' at the Fiesta, called The Omen; the group consisted of;Bruce Blackman on keyboards,Bud Cockrell on bass, Roy Whitaker on drums, Bo Wagner on vibes and percussion,a guy named(believe it or not)David Jones sang lead(should of been me Bruce dammit!),and I think Julie Landry may have been the female vocalist.Lots of known people in lots of groups in those days!I was also in the Lancers' latter days(middle 60's)Ray Z. is doin well.Anyway, just some tid-bits.
  cks6: Does anyone know where I can buy a copy of the Krackerjack's album entilted "Rockin' in the Delta"? Please contact me at [email protected] if you have any information. Thanks!!
  coochiekisser: The band was great. Sista Linda Lawleys rendetion of Hush may be one of the best versions since Billy Joe Royal
  h2obug: jwalker: Were you at anytime ever referred to a 'Fuzzy Walker'? or do you know who may have been? I have a Gibson Custom guitar with a name plate embossed "Fuzzy Walker". Trying to find out who actually owed this guitar before me. email me at [email protected]. Thanks P.S. I was a teenager when 'Moonlight Feels Right' hit the air. I seen the group in concert at Six Flags in St. Louis, MO and had photo's with the band members. I loved that song.
  Outlaw: Some Substantial Evidence info from the mouth of Artie Desporte... of the first (5) original band members, Ted Tearse was the first to leave the band. David Dodd took his place as the singer. David was discovered by Substantial Evidence while he was preforming at a club called the Fiesta. The band members approached David and offered him a spot in their band and he accepted. According to Artie, David was with the Band for about 5 or 6 months and for whatever reasons he left the band, and Ted Tearse rejoined. Substantial Evidence eventually added a 10 piece horn section and became known as Substantial Evidence Showband. They had quite a following but none as strange as 4 girls that called themselves " The Fearsome Foursome. " These girls kept journals on all the members of Substantial Evidence. Somehow they knew everywhere they went, what time they arrived and left. Anyway, about the time the Vietnam War broke out, the band members started to come and go. Eventually the band split up and everyone went their seperate ways. The City of Biloxi offered to pay all expenses to have the Band reunite and play at the Gulf Coast Coliseum for a charity event. The offer was extended by Gerald Blessey who also was our Mayor at the time and who played in a band called The Rocking (Rock'n?) Rebels. By this time everyone had their own lives, family and children. The reunion never took place.
  luna: For Outlaw: What's new putty kat? That's for Artie, if you're not him. The reason I used David as my first name was because they already had a guy named Doug! Great memories, great group!
  luna: Hey Artie; Do you remember when we took a train from Stamford Connecticut to Boston? We played in Rhode Island at a club called "The Edge".Anyway, I met a guy in the Army that heard us there.He lives in NJ.The reason I got out of SE was because my draft # was 3!!!(and big daddy Brad, aka Herchel, didn't like my rebellious ways)! The KJ's will be down that way probably this summer, and I'll give you a call.Did Pat and Carol get married??? She has a bunch of pictures I'd love to see.OutLaw, if you're not Artie, please pass this along to him. Thankx
  jumphigher: hi this is to luna pat gill from substatial evidence still lives on the coast and is not married to carol newman and he still owns a cigar shop in the mall.
  luna: for ck6;We did a double cd for our reunion last yr. and "Rockin In The Delta" was included on it along with some other songs from over the yrs. If you go to thekrackerjacks.com, you can contact us for info. Also our last cd "Timeless" is available.
  luna: For jumphigher: What is the name of your dad's store in the mall, and which mall is it in. I'll call him. Tell him I am David from '69. He'll know me. Thanks
  Outlaw1: Luna, Been a while since visiting this site. Forgot my PW and changed email Address. Had to change my username a bit. I am Artie's sista'-n- law. Now that he has a computer, I am sending him this site. Maybe he will stop by and you can talk over old times.
  luna: For Outlaw1: FINALLY, Im on the right trail to some S.E. players. Thank you for revealing yourself. If you see or know where Mark and Pat can be reached, please let me know. I've been in touch with Ray....Thankx--Luna(David)
  mike mcgann: Bruce...I played Mrs. Bluebird over and over at WLOX in Biloxi when I broke into radio in 1968. Saw the group at The Vapors one night that summer...Often wondered what happened to you, then Starbuck hit...I'm about to play 'Moonlight" on the air in a few minutes at WJAS (on 3-7PM) in Pittsburgh, PA. Thanks for the tunes and best of luck Mike
  Denny: Tower Records sure had an amazing roster in its six year existence and Eternity's Children was one of its hottest prospects! As I am writing this, I am listening to side 2 of the LP. "Mrs. Bluebird" has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid growing up in the 70's. With its unique mixture of mellow and upbeat, along with a stun gun guitar solo for the bridge, it should have gone much higher than its #69 peak on Billboard; at least it made the Top 40 on KQV Radio's survey from my hometown of Pittsburgh. I never heard it on radio itself, but if I ever get my own radio show, I guarantee that Eternity's Children will be among my playlist (none of that "same 50 oldies" stuff here). I'd sure love to see some of EC's televison appearances also, particularly "American Bandstand" and "Happening". Perhaps a DVD could be in the works in the future. And like many, I'd also like to know what has become of the lovely Linda Lawley.
  bwagner: bwagner: My name is Bo Wagner member of Eternity's Children and Starbuck. First of all I would love to thank all of our fans for all of their support and wonderful comments over the years. I know all of the band members appreciate it very much. I have been out of contact with everyone (all the band members for a long time)except for Bruce Blackman. We always seem to semi keep in touch. I send best wishes to all of the band members: Johnny, Linda, Charlie, Roy, Bud, Julie, Davie, and one that is never mentioned Bobby Dominquez (the best man at my wedding), all the other Starbuck members and especially Mike Kidd McClain. Mike I have been trying to find you for years. Would love to hear from you as well as all the other members if any of you would like to reconnect. I have read many versions over the years of who was in the band and how things happen and I feel there has been some mistakes. I would like to give my version. This will have to be lengthy, so please excuse the long story in advance. I don't know how else to do it.I was a LA studio musician and former drummer with the Fifth Dimension and currently a member of Lewis and Clark Expedetion with Michael Martin Murphy when I was hired to play drums, vibes, marimba and percussion for the 2nd Eternity's Children album "Timeless" who I was a big fan of. Having been with the Fifth Dimension I truly appreciated their fine vocals and great music. I played drums on every song on the "Timeless" album and added vibes and marimba on many of the songs. The instruments I played fit well with the Children's songs and I truly loved playing with them and we really took to each other.I had always wanted to feature vibes and marimba within a rock format and it worked well with the Children. Roy had left the band and the group asked me to join them. So I left Lewis and Clark and joined the Children. We added another Mississippi musician Bobby Dominquez to play drums so I could play vibes etc. Bruce and Johnny had left the band earlier and I sort of took the place of a guitar player since they had not replaced Johnny. (How can you ever replace Johnny Walker!!!)I sold everything (my car, home, everything ) and moved to Baton Rouge, LA and we all lived in one apartment. We constantly played gigs all over Louisana, Mississippi in every little town there was and I got very familar with the south very quickly and fell in love with the whole southern lifestlye and music scene. It has been written on sites like this over and over again and on our album, CD sleeves that I wasn't a member of the Children, only a studio player. I don't get that. I move to the south, lived with the band, practiced everyday and performed at every gig, tour, TV show as a full fledge member for quite awhile (almost a year), how can I not be considered a member. No I was not part of the original group but I certainly was a member from the beginning of the 2nd album. I was very happy playing with them and proud to be a member and would like to be considered one. I know if you ask Johnny, Bruce, Mike McClain, Bobby, Charlie or Linda they will tell you I was a full fledge member. I'm not sure who is writing the info on the group but my picture is on the front of the "Timeless" album. That should speak for itself. During this time I had met Bruce and Johnny and became good friends. Because of the bad management that had cause Bruce and Johnny to quit, Bobby Dominquez and I quit too. At first everyone was going to quit but back out and Johnny, Bruce and I decided to form our own version of the group and Roy rejoined us on drums at this time too. Bobby joined another group and worked across the street at the Vapors and we added Bud Cockrell and Julie and started working as the Omen at the Fiesta in Biloxi. We were a carbon copy of the original group. I brought in a friend of mine from LA who was a great Canadian singer, Davie Jones, and we had one hell of a good group. We worked very hard to develope new original songs and I feel we came up with really great material. We moved to Pensacola, FL to work with the producer Papa Don and one by one the other members left the original group and joined us. Finally everyone was there and we had double everything and was trying to work out who was going to do what. We were about to sign a new record deal and the bad managers showed up with fake contracts and prevented us from gettint a new deal and we had to dispand. So a year or less went by and Bud Cockrell called me and wanted to get back together and we did and tried to put a group together in Texas. We soon added Bruce to the group but it didn't quite work out so Bruce and I went back to Biloxi and reformed another group with Johnny Walker, Bob Gauthier and Tommy Allred. It lasted for awhile but again didn't gel for what we were really looking for. Again we separated and another year or so past and again Bruce, Johnny and I got back together (now in Atlanta, GA) and formed "Mississippi" and recorded an album in Nashville with Gary Paxton the producer of the Children's "Timeless" album. A great group but to many lead male vocalist. Couldn't really find our own sound. So Johnny went back to Florida and Bruce and I joined up with Elgin Wells,a guitar player and lead singer, a bass player and once again Bobby Dominquez on drums and the first "Starbuck" was formed. It never did click at all. So we broke up again and I went to Disneyworld. Couldn't handle that gig so came back to Atlanta which is where we had formed "Mississippi" and "Starbuck", and rejoined up with Elgin, keyboard player Sloan Hayes, drummer Brian and added bass player Jimmy Cobb. Very soon I was playing drums and we really wanted to do it right this time so I rented a farm and we all lived there and wrote and recorded songs in the daytime and played at clubs in the evening as "Extravaganza". We added David Snavley on drums and after a year added Bruce back to the band. Bruce had been writing songs all the time we were getting strong as a group and it was a good merger. So in a short time we became "Starbuck" once again. Elgin left and we hire Ron Norris for vocals and guitar and Tommy Strain as lead guitar. Finally we were back in the studio and recorded "Moonlight Feels Right" with Bruce as the lead singer. In all these years he had never sang, maybe a little backup. He sang on our demos and the recorded company like his voice and overnight he was our front man. We released "Moonlight Feels Right" and Bruce and I hit the road and went to radio station after radio station separately for a month. Moonlight got play but didn't take off. We broke up again I move back to CA. and the following spring I get a call from Bruce that "Moonlight" had taken off and we had a hit. So I quit the band I was in, in one second, drove straight thru to Atlanta and joined the rest of the guys who had gotten back toghter and we recorded our album straight thru. We were on a roll and didn't stop. "Moonlight" became a hugh hit with Bruce singing and I finally got to feature my marimba as a solo instrument (the reason I joined them in the first place years and years ago) and it worked. I must thank Roy Whittaker for helping to promote "Moonlight Feels Right". He was head of a major radio station in Florida and promoted and played the hell out our song. He helped us a lot. Thanks Roy. After our second album, Johnny Walker rejoined us and we were on tour all the time and lots of TV shows. We ran into Bud Cockrell all the time when he was with Pablo Cruise and did TV shows with him too. Small world. We started our third album and had a few differences and I left the group. They finished the album without me and the following year the group broke up completely. Bruce and I got back together in '84 and recorded two songs "Another Beat of My Heart" and "The Full Cleveland" just the two of us and released them and they were doing well but we decided not to continue. So that is my story. The whole story involves the same players over and over again so that is why I told all of it. I have never responded to one of these sites in all these years but felt compelled to do so now. So I made all of my comments at one time to get it over with. The real moral of this story is never give up. We were persistent and it finally payed off. Again I thank the fans for supporting us all these many years and it is really nice that people are still enjoying and buying our music even though a lot of it is badly mixed and under ground. Bruce and I talked last year and he said there was interest in "Starbuck" getting back together and doing "Where are they Now" or one of those TV shows. I would love to do it. So who knows, maybe we will do it one more time. I live in LA and am now a doctor and have a natural healthcare clinic and make nutritional products. I can be reached at [email protected]. Hey Johnny, Mike and any of you that would like to catch up let me hear from you. Thanks everyone for listening to me.
  luna: It is with a heavy heavy heart that I must inform all "The Children" fans that Johnny Walker and Linda Lawley,both, have passed away; both after long illness' that I can't elaborate on. I don't know the details,but I do know to all us who knew and loved them, it is shock and there will be 2 voids in my world.Johnny passed away in Florida a few months back, and Linda in CA.thanksgiving wk'end. Two great people and singers and players.GOD rest them, they will never be forgotten.
  Centerfield: The drummer for Eternity's Children used the name Frank Stevens when he was a DJ for us at WTIX New Orleans in the early 70's. I think his real first name was Roy. What was his last name? Thanks. Bob Walker
  funkypoormusician: Hi folks! My name is Ken Hilley and I am a former resident of the MS Gulf Coast. I ran across this site and this post just by chance while thinking about Juli Landry (the search lead me here). At any rate, I was enjoying the read and thinking of good old days until I read about Johnny Walker and Linda Lawley passing... Just couldn't believe it! What a loss of great talent! I remember Johnny playing that Gretsch guitar and making it sound so wonderful... that coupled with his powerful voice my, my, my! Linda of course was a beautiful lady with the look and the talent to impress anyone. I saw Linda once back in the early 70's at a club above the Fiesta in Biloxi one night. We sat and talked and partied (imagine that) for hours. As I remember we said goodbye early the next morning as the sun came up over the parking lot. I also saw Johnny about that time on several different occasions. He was living in Pensacola, FL and was playing music there. His wife Sue was a friend of mine. I introduced them many years back when Johnny and I lived in the Biloxi Hotel. Anybody remember that place? ha... Charlie Ross where are you! Anyway, those days were great cause there was so much great music, the times were a changing! Just in case you should read this I'd like to say hello to Bruce Blackman, Charlie Ross, Roy Whittaker (sister Sue too), Bo Wagner (wow what a dancer) and all the old friends from those times. A special prayer for Johnny and Linda and their loved ones! I now live in Nashville, TN and am still playing and writing music here. You can catch up with me on my website www.funkypoormusician.com and/or see my video's on youtube at www.youtube.com/funkypoormusician Peace
  lbwdog: Eric Watkins here: Great blog folks!! I see some old friends here. In 1969, I left the MS coast to join one of the last incarnations of "The Omen" with Johnny Walker in Pensacola. Bud Cockrell had left and Johnny came to Biloxi looking for a replacement. At that time, the band consisted of Johnny, Billy Haynes on Hammond, & Ralph Nolan on drums. Looking back, I relished the experience working with Johnny and learned a lot (as I was only 17/18 yrs. old). That band was almost a Procol Harum tribute band, as we did most of the first album, several selections from "Shine On Brightly", and some from "A Salty Dog". I'll never forget Walker singing these great compositions, especially "A Salty Dog", not to mention his great playing. This lasted about a year, and as young people will do, I decided to move on to something else. In late fall of 1970, I was called to join a band in Jackson, MS, which was comprised of Bo Wagner, Bruce Blackman, Tommy Aldridge (Later of Black Oak Arkansas, Ozzy Osborne, Whitesnake, etc.) Darell Gunter, Sara Fulcher, and Danny Lancaster who is the most soulful white singer I know (as well as my soul brother). The band was named Om Shanti (I think by Bo) and debuted at B.J.'s to a packed house. After a couple of months there were some musical differences and the band downsized to a four piece (Danny, Tommy, Darrell, and myself) called "Milk & Honey". We played around the south for about a year and went our own ways, some to reunite at times. Anyway, I recently heard of Johnny's passing and somewhere in the back of my mind, I always wished to do a real "Procol Harum" tribute with him. Well....some things are not to be. Let me leave you with a Johnny W. anecdote. I moved back to P'cola in '74 when he played with "Lazy Day". Went to visit at Johnny & Sue's apartment. If you knew Johnny, you'd know he hated cats!! I walk in to his house, and there are four or five Persians lounging around. I said "Walker, I thought you hated cats!" He says " I did, till I found out you could sell the damned things!!" RIP, J.W. and hi to Bo, Bruce, Ken Hilley, et al.....Many thanks E. W.
  lbwdog: Oh, BTW, to answer a four year old question...... [Quote]/03 Apr 04 �jscarbo4: ..........Also, does anyone know if Bruce Blackman ever recorded "For Crying Out Loud"? I heard him do it live at Dock-of-the-Bay, and was knocked out by it. Would love to have the recording if it's available.[quote] I was the bassist for Jerry Fisher & The Music Company at Dock of the Bay in Bay St Louis from '81-'98, Jerry was with B,S,&T in the mid seventies. We recorded an album called "In and Outa the Blues" in '92 and several tracks were written by Greg Barnhill who wrote "For Cryin' Out Loud", but don't know that B.B. performed it at The Dock of The Bay.....for the record....EW
  Telewacker: I met Johnny Walker in Atlanta in 1979. He joined a band I was leaving called Misty Morning. I played bass in the group, & the drummer, guitarist, & I left to form our own group with a keyboard player we knew. I will never forget the night he sat in,
  Telewacker: I was blown away! What a great guitarist! And that voice! OMG! I later rejoined Misty Morning, & had the pleasure of sharing many a stage with Johnny. Later, after leaving the group again & switching to guitar, I used a lot of what I heard Johnny do
  Telewacker: To form my style. I\'ll never be as good as he was, he was just a natural, but whenever someone compliments my playing, I tell them about this guy I knew named Johnny Walker & the inspiration he was to me. If they said they\'d never heard of him, I\'d
  Telewacker: think to myself, \"Your loss\". Before I go, I\'ll leave you with an example of his amazing voice. We got a request for \"Danny Boy\" at a club on St Patricks Day, & Johnny said he could sing it, so we said go for it. He did the tune solo, just his guitar
  Telewacker: and voice. From beginning to end, the joint was silent. No one made a sound, mesmerised by his performance. At the end, applause erupted for what sermed like forever.
  Telewacker: I was actually moved to tears, only time that has ever happened to me on stage. If I live to be 100, I doubt I\'ll ever hear anything like it again. I was heart broken by his passing. R.I.P. Johnny.
I Close My Eyes  performed by Bee Gees  1967
Recommended by tinks [profile]

It's a sad fact that the Bee Gees are a group primarily remembered for only one thing. If this were a perfect world, people would realize what an jaw-droppingly amazing group they once were. To me, their first LP is an orchestral psychedelic pop masterpiece easily the equal of the Kinks' "Village Green" or Billy Nicholls' "Would You Believe", and also just about as close at Britain ever got to replicating "Pet Sounds". On this track, listen for the insane rubber-band bassline, the staccato organ fills, the odd timbre of the voices or the occassional flute bit. It's a song bursting with an enthusiam the likes of which people only had during the middle 60s.

from Bee Gees' 1st, available on CD




  ronin: Ah, 1967. "NY Mining Disaster 1941" is a major hit in Boston. And Bee Gees 1st, complete w/cover art by Klaus Voorman, was the 1st lp I ever bought. If only the Bee Gees had kept singing like this instead of the whole falsetto/disco bit! "Odd timbre of voices" indeed! Robin (we always assumed) had his top teeth hanging out when he did this one. His vocal versatility is amazing. "Craise Finton Kirk," with its simple piano accompaniment, is a standout from this lp., too.
Theme From "Blow Up"  performed by Bobby Hutcherson  1967
Recommended by gregcaz [profile]

This whole album is a masterpiece, but "Blow Up" is a track that should definitely be better known. It's a vibes-piano-bass-drums quartet session with Herbie on piano that inexplicably was never released at the time, only in Japan over a decade later. It was available on CD for a while in the early 90s, but has since been deleted. The track builds on a steady, understated 4/4 groove anchored heavy bass and creative drumming courtesy of Joe Chambers. Eight minutes of relaxed heaven, with messrs. Hutcherson and Hancock engaging in sublime vibes/piano dialogue over a very catchy theme. Seek out this album any way you can!

from Oblique (Blue Note)



Make The Madness Stop  performed by Free Design  1967
Recommended by charlesives [profile]

Masterpiece! This record, a legend amongst those who know it, with its fine writing, arranging and singing clearly deserves its place in the Pantheon of great pop. It may have failed commercially in its time but the beauty of their pop puts it amongst the best of our times and explains why 37 years after its creation it remains exquisitely artful to our ears. I could write 100,000 words scratching at what I love about this group and their first 4 records, and this song alone.But, the Free Design deserve, rather than my dull hyperbole, a good listen. Rousing and sublime, almost TOO GOOD to have been a big hit. If you read a bit about them you realize that these singing siblings made some naive career choices that favored music over money. Our gain.
Some bonehead on this site claimed The Free Design sound like Stereolab. That writer got it butt backwards. Sadly, Stereolab doesn't have the skill to really reach the musical and spiritual depth of the Free Design. Stereolab's OK, don't get me wrong, but they are often a pale imitation of a much richer source. Letitia from Stereolab cites The Free Design as one of her all-time favorite bands, so at least they have sublime taste and honesty when it comes to revealing their sources.

Guaranteed to lift you up way high.
Buy or download NOW!!!

Fave part: "Wish that I were corny....:

from Kites Are Fun, available on CD



  konsu: No, you have it backwards, because your emotions get in the way. Understandable though, with this group, and particularly this song (which is one of my all-time faves). It "blows your mind but not completely..." is what I like to say. Stereolab have always worn their influences on their sleeves, from the Beach Boys to Can. And it seems like I should explain by saying that they are a gateway group for so many young people to discover older pop, but shallow as some are, they only like the FD songs that sound like more contemporary artists. Not that it's a super bad thing, just a little dissapointing, considering the depth and beauty of this groups entire body of work... Dig? Love, Bonehead.
How to open at will the most beautiful window  performed by Lalo Schifrin  1968
Recommended by delicado [profile]

A beautiful, lush masterpiece with a bossa nova beat (hmm, is there a pattern to the songs I'm submitting?), 'how to open...' is one of my top tracks ever. It opens quietly with a slightly cheesy flute sound over a gentle guitar. A great wordless vocal then comes in coupled with strings. Superb. If you never listen to music like this, what I'm saying probably doesn't exactly make it sound cool. But it really is cool, very very cool indeed.

from There's a Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' on (Dot)




  Sem Sinatra: A lot of Lalo Schifrin's music doesn't seem to adhere to a formula, and this is one of those ... I never get tired of hearing it
  Fox: This track is so quiet and peaceful. Lalo is a genious. We got in France, an electronic artist called Alex Gopher (I think he took his name from the soap opera "Love Boat", it's a sign!) that sampled the three first strings notes from that track. His album is called "You, my baby and I" but is more famous for the interpretation he made on "The child" based on a beautiful song from Billie Holliday "God bless the child". For those who want notice the fruits that have grown from the roots! Ennio Morricone made a concert recently in Paris, if Lalo could do the same soon...
Paper Castle  performed by Rotary Connection  1968
Recommended by tinks [profile]

The Temptations may be first in your mind when you think of psychedelic soul, but this group, featuring former Turnkeys leader Maurice Dollison and the woman we can blame for "Lovin' You", Minnie Riperton, defined it with this single scorching, fuzzy, crunchy, swirling, doped-up masterpiece. Long-time Chess arranger Charles Stepney milks the string section for all it's worth.

from Aladdin (Cadet Concept)
available on CD - Aladdin/Dinner Music (Raven)




  Liv: A strange hybrid of styles.. Psychedelic soul?
  tinks: yeah, and it wasn't even the strangest...there was an off-shoot that i'll hereby dub "native soul", which was a blend of psychedelic soul, with it's fuzz guitars and such, and native american drums. the sound is best exemplified by the instrumental group the electric indian, who were from philadelphia (and featured len barry of "1-2-3" fame") and had a moderate-sized hit with "keem-o-sabe". they recorded a couple of lps in the idiom, while all other examples i've heard have been one-off attempts. there's also good stuff out there by a group called the little big horns and a song called "warpath" by the isley brothers which is an all-out masterpiece.
  Swinging London: Thought I didn't like The Rotary connection. Hearing that, I've changed my mind. It's outa-sight!
Question Mark  performed by Billy Nicholls  1968
Recommended by tinks [profile]

This album has been called "Britain's answer to 'Pet Sounds'", and while I wouldn't necessarily agree with that, it is certainly a masterpiece of psychedelic pop, and even more impressive when you factor in that Nicholls was barely 19 when he wrote & recorded it. Nicholls was indeed influenced by Brian Wilson in his melodic construction and orchestration, however...the album's sound is very reminiscent of the pseudo-Spector work that Andrew Loog Oldham was using with Del Shannon at this period (Oldham, not so coincidentally, also produced this LP). This song in particular, with it's intricate multi-tracked harmonies really hints at the kind of promise Nicholls' career had, and had this album not been shelved at the last minute, it's anybody's guess what may have followed.

from Would You Believe?, available on CD



America  performed by Simon & Garfunkel  1968
Recommended by LawrenceM [profile]

In my opinion, the best S&G song, from their '68 masterpiece "Bookends". Lyrically beautiful, with a haunting melody and beautiful vocals care of Artie and Paul. A beautiful, soothing song for a turbulant time.

from Bookends, available on CD




  phil: DEFINITELY the best Simon and Garfunkel song - Paul at last raises himself to some excellent lyrics , and the singing is just sensational - when they sing 'so I looked at the scenery/ she read her magazines/ and the moon rose over an open field' tears spring to my eyes.

Seriously, people diss Art Garfunkel, but the man is truly a singing genius. It's all very well to go on about the importance of writing blah blah blah second most talented member of Simon and Garfunkel blah blah blah, but when you can sing as well as Art, what does it matter? He adds so much to their songs just with the beauty of his voice. Paul should never have got rid of him.

  G400 Custom: Nice to see someone standing up for Art Garfunkel's often wonderful singing. His 1978 album 'Watermark' is largely composed of Jimmy Webb songs and is well worth a listen, particularly 'Mr Shuck'n'Jive' and 'Shine It On Me'.
Georgy Girl  performed by Alan Tew Sound  1968
Recommended by n-jeff [profile]

It starts the LP with a blast of horns and a wail of Harry Stoneham on Organ, with a big intro that makes you check the LP sleeve - Is this really that folky ballad?

A drop down to a cowbell latin beat, and then back into the song proper. The main rendition is pretty good, but theres just something about that introduction that just turns it into a cheeseball, high kicking masterpiece. I start grinning every time I hear it, never fails to lift my spirits.

from Latin Style..plys the hits of Tom Springfield (Contour)


Magic Garden  performed by Dusty Springfield  1968
Recommended by audvoid [profile]

I discovered this on The Dusty Springfield Anthology 3CD set (1997) and fell in love with it instantly. Until this release Magic Garden had never been available in the U.S. and was originally released on an obscure British-only EP. The song's an absolute classic that veers between Phil Spector-esque surging pop and dreamy summer of love escapism. Truly a rediscovered lost masterpiece.

from If You Go Away EP (Phillips BE 12605)
available on CD - The Dusty Springfield Anthology (3CD) (Chronicles)


Rosemary  performed by Scott Walker  1969
Recommended by delicado [profile]

It's another doomy orchestral vocal masterpiece! A devastating piece, this would be a depressing song if it weren't for the incredible string arrangement, which is like warm sunlight. I can't recommend this (and the album it's taken from) highly enough.

from Scott 3, available on CD




  nighteye: I feel like making a movie just based on this song alone. This is a great piece of music and probably one of Scott Walkers best achivements. I love the gloomy, rainy feeling you get listening to it, Walker's voice is incredible.
Mahahbalipuram  performed by Stu Phillips  1969
Recommended by delicado [profile]

An exotic, atmospheric and unique masterpiece, this is taken from the portion of surfer flick 'Follow Me' in which the surfers visit India. The tune drifts along with some sitar and spooky vocals before exploding into life with a furiously catchy and groovy segment with piano and plucked strings.

from Follow Me (soundtrack) (Universal City 73056)




  chukelley: Great taste!
  bsgkr: Thank you "delicado" for your wonderful review of "Mahabalipuram." I'm only three years late in thanking you, so please forgive me. Stu Phillips
Kolumbo  performed by Dick Hyman  1969
Recommended by bobbyspacetroup [profile]

Is it just me or are the original compositions on Command LPs almost always the best and most adventurous? Here is one my all-time favorite Command recordings. A far-out, moogy masterpiece by Hyman. It's about 8 minutes long, not nearly as pop as the rest of the record, and totally brilliant. According to the liner notes, Kolumbo was improvised on the Moog and the Maestro Rhythmaster, "a mechanical drum device," fed through a Echoplex-tape reverberation unit. Improvised Moog? Is that possible? This is very strange stuff. From the liner notes: "[...] there is an effect of a battery of African drummers following an improvised soloist. The listener can provide his own scenario of what seems to be a musical battle, as a second soloist abruptly materializes, challenging the first man. At the end, the original soloist states a brief epilogue, packs up his horn, and splits."

from The Age Of Electronicus (Command RS 946 SD)



Lynn�s Baby  performed by Mark Eric  1969
Recommended by artlongjr [profile]

It's hard to recommend a single track from this album, the whole thing is a classic of California pop. I'm glad it's finally been reissued on CD.

Mark Eric Malmborg created a genuine masterpiece with this recording, which has a bittersweet mood throughout that reminds me of "Pet Sounds". I originally came across this LP in 1989 when I found a copy at a thrift store (it had once been in the collection of the local public library!)and just looking at the cover I figured it would be great, and it was!

"Lynn's Baby" is the last track on the original LP and is a beautiful song about a girl who has been seduced and left with an out of wedlock baby by an older, manipulative guy who's left her after the usual empty promises...rather an unusual theme for a pop song! The combination of Mark Eric's voice (somewhat reminiscent of Brian Wilson) and the gorgeous string arrangement are enough to really bring out the goose bumps.

This CD is one that I absolutely can't recommend enough to fans of the beautiful 1960's pop music.

from A Midsummer's Day Dream, available on CD


I Stand Accused  performed by Isaac Hayes  1970
Recommended by tinks [profile]

A breathtaking cover of the Jerry Butler classic, drawn out to 11 1/2 minutes of heartwrenching glory. A true masterpiece from Hayes' most brilliant period. Beautiful string arrangements by Dale Warren, and ghostly backing vocals make this something that you won't soon forget.

from The Isaac Hayes Movement, available on CD



Son of Mr Green Genes  performed by Frank Zappa  1970
Recommended by Samuel [profile]

Early Zappa. This song is a masterpiece of instrumental songwriting. If you like crazy horn lines, kickin' guitar solos, and a late sixties (although the record was done in 1970) feel, you'll like this.

from Hot Rats, available on CD


Cruel Sister  performed by Pentangle  1970
Recommended by rum [profile]

A bewitching song about a young woman who, to win the hand of a handsome knight, does her rival sister in. The dead girl then comes back to haunt the �black-haired bride� as a harp fashioned from her breast bone and three locks of her hair. �Cruel� may seem too kindly a description of a girl who when her sister pleads, �Oh Sister, Sister, let me live, and all that�s mine I�ll surely give� says, �It�s your own true love I have and more, but thou shalt never come ashore� before abandoning her body to the rough North Sea. Cruel? Should the sister therefore be scalded for her little� transgression? She�s an evil and monstrous sister, surely? But then this is centuries past, a time when sibling murder and human harps were commonplace. I am not likely to understand in this more civilised 21st century. Which may be why the kids don�t really dig British folk music anymore, or the mighty Pentangle. And it�s a crying shame because this is a stunning track, hauntingly sung by Jacqui McShee. I hesitate to use the term �masterpiece� in case that great oracle of musicaltaste.com, fmars, overhears and tells me that I�m wrong.

from Cruel Sister



  konsu: Alright.In your own special way you've convinced me rum. I've been told for years to pick up some Pentangle by certain freinds (the ones who hear me playing Steeleye Span). Surely I must be missing out on something... I will consult the great one.
  rum: Heh-heh, thank you. I�m certain you�ll appreciate these, you�ve got eclectic taste, you�re not gonna be out for my blood (unlike all those that have begged and borrowed, stolen from their dying grandmothers, to buy Manowar CDs). And they�re no way as folk folk as the Span, they spin out an equally eclectic mix of folk, jazz, blues, rock and Elizabethan dances. It�s time people stopped harping on how great it was that the Velvets, the Stooges, punk etc made you wanna go out and form a band. So simple they sounded. Pentangle are so incredibly talented, so learned, so jazz, but still so unassuming and cool, they make you want pack up the band, trash the guitar, and burn down your house. Or is that Jet? I don�t know now. Well anyway the �Sweet Child� album is the one.
I'm Gonna Miss You  performed by The Mingles  1971
Recommended by john_l [profile]

My favourite Canadian rock single of all time. It's a slow one, which starts with solo piano, picks up the acoustic guitar, then gets a heavy fuzzy guitar in the chorus that complements the melody perfectly. Then repeat! With an organ and full band. Followed by a nice guitar solo at the end! Add in some interestingly-placed key changes (which are necessary to keep it level) and you've got a masterpiece, says I. Needless to say, I'm the only person on the planet outside the artists themselves who remembers it ...




Melody  performed by Serge Gainsbourg  1971
Recommended by lilly747 [profile]

Stunning melancholy and wonderously modern opener to Gainsboroug's concept album about jailbait love, road accidents & brightly coloured rolls-royces - a masterpiece...

from L'Histoire de Melody Nelson (Mercury)


Gutter Cat vs. The Jets  performed by Alice Cooper Band  1972
Recommended by Tangento [profile]

Here is a prime example of the endless amount of creativity this band had.
They take a song/ concept from a broadway musical, and transform it into an unparalelled, irresistable rock classic.
(That you will NEVER F*#%ing HEAR on a "Classic Rock Station" - They choose stale ClearChannel Playlists over quality & taste)

Alice & the band (his best lineup ever, 1969-74) have created a masterpiece of imaginative rock music here.

The sequence beginning with:
"...Midnight/ Catfight/ Neckbite/ ...Die!"
...and the following interlude leading up to the
'Street Fight' and including the 'Jets Chant'
is one of my favorite pieces of music EVER, by ANYONE.
I get chills to this day.
I wonder if Leonard Bernstein ever heard this, and what he thought.

from School's Out, available on CD


Pelas Sombras  performed by Arthur Verocai  1972
Recommended by mr_klenster [profile]

I'm really blown away by this song (and this entire album), it's simply a masterpiece to my ears. A possible comparison might be to Oba, La Vem Ela by Jorge Ben (who Verocai arranged for), as the guitar chords and lush, cool tones are quite similar. This song however moves with a much greater sense of urgency, and right from the start, it a spills out like a mournful plea. As a listener, the attention to detail in the arrangement and instrumentation is obvious. The song is packed densely with sound and great short soloing, all played skillfully by a large band of famous contemporaries, whom Verocai personally recruited. There's something very magical about how the vocals and instruments combine, and how the song plays out. It feels as though you are witness to a uniquely perfect and possessed performance that would be impossible to reproduce. A beautifully moving and perfect song that leaves you craving more.


available on CD - Arthur Verocai (Luv N' Haight)



ano zero  performed by egberto gismonti  1972
Recommended by 77lemming [profile]

astonishingly beautiful, early 70s brazilian masterpiece. a classical piece disguised as a pop song, with a simple piano playing a wistful melody punctuated by an amazing unexpected ascending chord hook. gismonti sings the original version, with a string section and morricone-like wordless vocal backing him. for the final minute the key changes and the vocals and accompaniment stop, and the solo piano veers off into satie territory, before resolving back into the refrain. gismonti re-recorded this a few times, after finding success in europe as an avant/classical composer. this song also inspired the guitar and mandolin trio agua e vinho, who cover it on their self-titled album along with a few other gismonti compositions.

from agua e vinho, available on CD


Footprints on the Moon  performed by Francis Lai  1973
Recommended by delicado [profile]

An incredibly perfect easy listening piece, this opens with an other-worldly, John-Barry-ish synth sound, and then leads into a groovy, lightly funky piano riff, with shimmering strings. Francis Lai's signature organ sound carries the tune as the song builds into a dramatic orchestral pop masterpiece. A standout track, with superb wistful, lazy, summer day feel, rather like some of the best tracks on the 'Sound Gallery' compilation of a few years ago.

from Plays the compositions of... (UA UA-LA095-F)




  scrubbles: Yow! That sound snippet alone is so cool.
  AndreasNystrom: I finally got the version by Francis Lai, and i think its better then Johnny Harris one. Splendid song!. I love the ending part of it.. cant get that part out of my head :)
  standish: I'd have to go for the Johnny Harris original over the Francis Lai version. It's colder and spookier with less obtrusive strings. "Movements" is available on CD (great sleeve - his expression suggests a combined photo shoot/visit to his proctologist) - but the mono single version (w/"Lulu's Theme") is all you need.
  leonthedog: Well, thanks to all of you I had to track down BOTH versions! Amazing what a difference an arrangement makes. I agree with scrubbles: the clip of Lai's version is the most infectious thing around!
Pavane for a Dead Princess  performed by Eumir Deodato  1973
Recommended by delicado [profile]

This stunning instrumental is a reasonably straight version of a classical piece by Maurice Ravel, originally written in 1899. Eumir plays piano over a dense string background, adding a tiny bit of jazz phrasing. The texture of the layered strings and piano is remarkably intense and beautiful, and the piece is quite exquisite. I expect this recording would offend classical purists, but I must admit that having heard this version first, I still like it the best. Perhaps this is down to the sheer richness of the string recording, which may be endowed by studio wizardry rarely used in classical recordings. Either way, it's really quite incredible, and I urge you to check it out.

from Deodato 2, available on CD




  Mike: While I find Deodato to be a stimulating and interesting artist (and am far from being a "classical purist" of any sort), I can't really muster any great enthusiasm for this recording. Too close to being a kind of synthesis of Ravel's original for solo piano (1899) and version for full orchestra (1910), I find Deodato's funky adaptations of Stauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra" and, particularly Debussy's "Prelude to the afternoon of a faun" somewhat more worthwhile. Maybe I should listen again to the Ravel adaptation, but in the past I have found its blandness a little irritating...
  G400 Custom: What I like about this track is the fact that it's a very black, funky take on a piece with questionable Aryan overtones. It can be heard to great affect in Hal Ashby's 'Being There', which I think was Peter Sellers' last film.
  G400 Custom: Re the above comment: I was talking about 'Also Sprach Zarathrustra', not the Ravel piece. Sorry for any confusion.
  G400 Custom: As far as the Ravel adaptation goes, I find it pleasant if a little bit chocolate-boxey, reminiscent of the 60s soundtracks of Francis Lai. I can't argue with Delicado's comments about the string sound though, which is astonishing.
  sodapop650: Bore - Ring! If you are going to listen to Deodato. Listen to the early Equipe LPs. When his sound was so hip, hipper than hip, the bastard brazilian son of Henry Mancini hip. Get a copy of "Tremendao" grab a beer and try to find a nice warm spot of sunshine.
  delicado: Well, you have to remember that I'm someone who is obsessed with string sounds. I listen fanatically to late 50s and 60s mood music records, and am a fan of both Percy Faith and Jackie Gleason's records. Yes, I love Brazilian music, and enjoy all of Deodato's 60s Equipe LPs, but I also have a very real and intense love of what my pal G400 defines as 'chocolate-boxy' easy listening music. Deodato's 1972 LP 'Percepcao' (recently reissued on CD in Brazil) also falls into this category, and I adore it!
  [email protected]: One of the purist fusion jazz artists of his time. Listen to the music, don't try to interpret it or rationalize it. Your missing the point. Eumir is unmistakeably one of the pioneers in this gendre.
previsao do tempo  performed by Marcos Valle  1973
Recommended by klatu [profile]

I arbitrarily chose the title track, as this is a very flowing album that needs to be listened to in one piece. Very experimental use of Brazilian sounds. It seems like Garra is the popular Valle of the period, but I give the edge on this one and Vento Sul. His other masterpiece is "Samba '68", with the best of his early compositions arranged and produced into their perfect forms by Deodato.

from Previsao Do Tempo, available on CD


La Discotheque  performed by Mike Rozakis  1973
Recommended by human-cannonball [profile]

This is an absolutely impossible rarity, as it has never been released out of the original master-tape (until 1 year ago)! Part of the soundtrack of a 1973 Greek psychedelic underground film with the international title 'She Knew No Other Way' (local title: Children of the Flowers). However, this is not a mad freak-beat groovy tune (which is the case for most of the rest of the tunes in the soundtrack score); instead, it's a warm, classy, mid-tempo, funky jam with wah-wah guitar & sax solos and a very discreet piano backing. As a Greek, I was astounded by the discovery of this 70s funky gem from a totally unknown composer (Mike Rozakis). A true obscurity masterpiece, seek the proper vinyl release from Greek label 'Potfleur'.

from She Knew No Other Way OST (Potfleur)



  n-jeff: Thanks for the heads up on this LP! Its a great one, I love the way its at once stumbling and psychedlic, but at the same time maintains the great groove. Good fuzz guitar and great strings, plus that lovely wayward organ. Is there any more Mike Rozakis music lurking around?
Claudine (Instrumental Theme)  performed by Gladys Knight/Curtis Mayfield  1974
Recommended by dacottom [profile]

What a wonderful gem of a song. It gives a "Shaft" type of feel with an fresh air feel to it. A great underated masterpiece written by the late great Curtis Mayfield for this movie. Apparently this is a forgotten track on this album and overshadowed by the sublime on and on. Break this song out during a party and you become the definition of hip. Enjoy!

from Claudine Soundtrack
available on CD - Claudine (Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Capitol)


Sly  performed by Herbie Hancock  1974
Recommended by charlesives [profile]

This 1974, 12-minute electric-jazz masterpiece starts with an attractively sexy, slinky soprano melody and sneakily mutates into blistering solo sections played at a blinding tempo. Recorded before the word "fusion" became a tag for a tired genre this track comes from the seminal album, Headhunters. If you have ears for Hancock's cool Fender-Rhodes shadings and the Headhunter's blazing rhythmic kinetics this could be the very strongest music of this period. Harvey Mason drums brilliantly, forging new rhythms that are peculiarly unique to this recording. I don't know where he comes up with this shit; brilliantly inventive, his energy is unflagging set amidst ascending levels of white hot, mercurial tempo. Paul Jackson plays electric bass with concentrate funk phrasing, his coolly repeated ostinato line is a satisfying compliment to the hyperactivity of the chattering drums and clavinet. The track builds and as it sheds its skins each level is slightly more intense. This is a great record, ignore all the amateur web critics and get this track now!
Note: Many people seem to prefer the sequel album THRUST with the decent Mike Clark on drums. I wish it was as good or better than HEADHUNTERS but it is not.

from Headhunters, available on CD


Cough/ Cool  performed by The Misfits  1976
Recommended by Kriswell [profile]

This is by no means a new release, but I've recently gotten back in to it. Most people have a misconception about The Misfits. Yes they have recorded some very 'crap' songs, and the newly re-vised band and almost everything Danzig has done lately is complete garbage in my eyes, however the original Misfits early recordings, circa 1975-77 are simply amazing. 'Cough/ Cool' is a Hammond/ Fender Rhodes driven, atmospheric masterpiece. Danzig croons like Jim Morrison in this emotionally charged ballad(?). Granted, the lyrics are kind of dark, "scent of blood when you cough, cool, cool, cool, cough, cool ", and most of the other words are relatively indeciphrable, yet shockingly 'pretty'...at least in their tonal quality. The song is very scaled-down and under produced (organ, electric piano, bass and drums), but this is a good thing, it's part of its charm. The amount of reverb and slap-back echo on Glenn's voice is brilliant. So, I urge anyone who has never listened to The Misfits due to the forementioned reasons to get off their collective 'high horses' and give it a listen, they have some really great songs. Other good tracks from the same era include; "Return of The Fly", "She", "Hybrid Moments", "Come Back", "American Nightmare", etc...

from the single Cough/ Cool (Caroline)
available on CD - Coffin Box Set (Caroline)




  yoakamae: Ya I'd have to say, the Misfits were an amazing band during the 70's. Their old work was all so original, I can't get a feel for Danzig's new material with his current band. Last Caress is a great old track as well, one of my favourites with that awesome guitar riff, circa '79?
Kid Charlemagne  performed by Steely Dan  1976
Recommended by thewilyfilipino [profile]

"Kid Charlemagne" sounds like it's starting in the middle -- a little instrumental passage between stanzas, or the middle of a drug bust. Whatever it is, it works: the song drops you right into a seedy, sun-soaked, coke-fueled, sour-tasting hangover of a scene, populated by "Day-Glo freaks" and "low-rent friends."

What makes the song most memorable for me are the two all-too-brief soaring guitar solos unleashed by Larry Carlton (and drums by Bernard Purdie!), particularly the one that still echoes in the ears of the listener on the way out. That and the unforgettable couplet, bracketed in the last verse (and sung by Donald Fagen with a half-faltering note that makes it sound like undisguised joy) for maximum effect:

"Is there gas in the car?
Yes, there's gas in the car."

Sometimes it's just the slightest detail that turns a song into a masterpiece.

from A Decade of Steely Dan, available on CD



  tinks: i've never thought much of steely dan. and i still don't. but reading this review set off a frenzy of activity in my little brain trying to figure out where i knew "kid charlemagne" from as a pop-culture reference. at first i thought..."was it the name of a boxer on the simpsons?" was it from mr. show? no...it was the college radio handle of the dad on "malcolm in the middle".
  Latimer: Chuck Rainey's bass work on this track is absolutely great. It's the epitome of his style, a veritable thesaurus of syncopation. - Kid Charlemagne supposedly refers to Augustus Owsley Stanley III, sometime purveyor of high-grade acid to the hippie elite, and raided in 1967.
White Riot  performed by The Clash  1977
Recommended by xfanatic50 [profile]

This song is a perfect punk masterpiece. It's short, it's superfast and it's pissed off. It doesn't get much better.

from The Clash (Epic)




  inbloom44: I love this song as well!
lost in the supermarket  performed by the clash  1979
Recommended by shaka_klaus [profile]

first: the whole london calling lp is a great record, a diverse masterpiece. this song reminds me of the flaming groovies 'shake some action' but it has it's own sound and the lyrics are great too.

from london calling, available on CD


A view from her room  performed by Week end  1982
Recommended by whoops [profile]

After the split of the Young Marble Giants, Alison Statton dreamed herself as Helen Merill and ended up to be the most convincing Astrud Gilberto impersonator of the eighties. A view from her room begins as a bossa and ends in a blast of percussions.
One of the true masterpiece of the first half of this decade ans it's a shame that it is not currently available.

from La vari�t� by Week end (Rough trade)



  delicado: By coincidence, I bought this record on Monday in a charity shop in England. I like it very much. Alison Statton and Spike toured England about 6 years ago and were excellent.
Tinseltown In The Rain  performed by The Blue Nile  1983
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

The Blue Nile must be one of the most enigmatic and fascinating bands of all time. Formed in Glasgow in 1981 they released just 4 albums in 23 years with 6 years between the debut "A Walk Across The Rooftops" (1983) and their sophomore effort "Hats" (1989), 7 years between this and their third album "Peace At Last" (1996) and an 8 year break until their latest record "High" was released in 2004. That sums up to a mere 33 album tracks in almost a quarter of a decade, but what they lack in quantity they make up in quality. While "Hats" is undoubtedly their masterpiece, "Tinseltown In The Rain" may be their strongest single track. Backed by a strong, funky bassline combined with jazz-like piano chords and incredibly lush strings the track shines with a wonderfully clear, sophisticated arrangement and production. Paul Buchanan delivers wonderfully emotional, heartfelt vocals to it that tinges the song in a melancholic and uplifting mood at the same time.

from A Walk Across The Rooftops, available on CD




  ronin: "Tinseltown in the Rain" brought BN to the DC airwaves, as also did "Stay." A band not based on 3 guitars, and I actually liked it! "Easter Parade," also on lp, is a very slow, detailed description of an event, loaded w/haunting atmospherics, coming to an understated climax. (To me "Hats" is their least exciting work.) "Peace at Last" and "A Walk Across.." are the most exhilarating... electronics/Linn drum machines aside, it's the magic of Paul Buchanan's incredibly moving voice. His heart's on his sleeve... a big sleeve. Emotion drips from every syllable. These get constant airplay at home.
Don’t Talk to Me About Love  performed by Altered Images  1983
Recommended by dsalmones [profile]

By late 1983, when Altered Images' third and final album, Bite, was released, Altered Images were already dead in the water. The group had never made any particular headway in the US, where their blend of Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Monkees (not to mention Claire Grogan's bizarre, baby-talk hiccup of a singing voice) was just a little too weird for mainstream tastes, and in their native UK, their colorful look and bubblegummy 1982 singles "I Could Be Happy" and "See Those Eyes" had forever typecast them as a kiddie-pop band. Grogan was already branching off in her second career as an actress (she played the title role in Bill Forsyth's 1982 cult classic Gregory's Girl), and Bite seemed like a mere contractual obligation. For the most part, it sounds like it, too, but the brilliant single "Don't Talk To Me About Love," which led off side two, was a welcome surprise, and possibly the best song they ever did. Mike Chapman's production recalls his work with Blondie, while the disco-tinged electronic beat, chicken-scratch electric guitar part and rubbery, melodic bass part all sound closer to New Order's "Blue Monday" than Bananarama's "Cruel Summer." Grogan herself is in an entirely different mood than usual, with her newly-lowered singing voice (and slightly improved enunciation) displaying a rueful, almost petulant edge that suits the cranky lyrics. Only at the very end does she shoot into her usual helium-pitched unintelligibility, with an air of "See, I can still do this, I just choose not to anymore." Coupled with the most indelible chorus of the band's entire career, it all adds up to a minor masterpiece. Sadly, however, nobody wanted to know.
(AMG)

from Bite (Portrait 25413)
available on CD - Bite...Plus (Edsel)


Everyday I Write the Book  performed by Elvis Costello  1983
Recommended by geezer [profile]

In which Costello lands the role of Smokey Robinson,a bittersweet lament to the unluckiest man in love in the style of The Miracles at their best,the usual lyrical brilliance assisted by the wonderfully eclectic Attractions,a pop masterpiece in the form of homage to one of his own idols

from Punch The Clock
available on CD - Punch the Clock


helpless  performed by the flirts  1984
Recommended by olli [profile]

fine little new wave bubblegum desperation pop song, with lyrics wich borrow heavily from the beatles' "yesterday". great bassline and some great new-wavey dance effects. not exactly a masterpiece, it's way too long and a bit clumsy in places, but it has that something that keeps me returning to it from time to time. usually when drunk at parties.





Are you happy ?  performed by Microdisney  1985
Recommended by whoops [profile]

During the summer of 1985 Microdisney had already lost all illusions about their potential commercially speaking. This second album was not what people would called a long awaited one. Recorded in a chaotic way (the drum part was the last thing to be put on the tape), this is a true masterpiece from track 1 to track 10 and "Are you happy ?" is its epicenter.
Cathal Coughlan (who at the time renamed himself Blah Blah and claimed to play keyboards and plastic pubis)is now a solo artist and still one of the most beautiful voice in england. Sean O'Hagan have finally achieved success through the High Llamas and Stereolab.

from The clock comes down the stairs, available on CD



  felonius: I have to agree. This is one of the most poignant, plaintive tracks I have ever heard, O'Hagan's soaring Telecaster solo launching it into orbit far above the mire of other 80's indie rock. (I think it might have been influenced by Stephen Stills' solo on 'Bound to Lose' from the Manassas album - another guitar solo to make you weep).
Honeytree  performed by The Wolfgang Press  1991
Recommended by robert[o] [profile]

A great track from a truly great LP that I fear might have slipped through the cracks in the floorboards in the decade or so since it's release. TWP's "Queer" remains the band masterpiece, an ungodly amalgam of Can, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, King Tubby and De La Soul. This song perfectly highlights the record's/band's strengths - Mark Cox's cut and paste/dub programming, Andrew Gray's blistering guitar, Mick Allen's brilliant "Tom Waits sings the Mark E. Smith Songbook" voice/words, aided by then Throwing Muses Leslie Langston's sexy bass/backgrounds vocals. The song is both seductive and sinister - the spoonful of sugar being the its' "The Fall Plays The Burt Bacharach Songbook" shambling groove that helps down the medicine that is Mick Allen's venomous lyrics in re: America's inaction/indifference in the face of the AIDS crisis. Rarely has subject matter so heavy, been dealt with in such light/deft manner. I recommend the whole "Queer" LP - particularly the British edition , which differs in tracklisting and uses of samples. (It is likewise available on the band's fine - if somewhat short - best of "Everything is Beautiful 1983-1995"

from Queer &/or Everything is Beautiful 1983-1995, available on CD



  konsu: I always liked these guys too. Queer did miss the mark in america for sure, although I think "Going South" got some airplay... I'm a big fan of the Birdwood Cage LP. A very underrated group from a very popular label.
Heliosphan  performed by Aphex Twin  1992
Recommended by Genza [profile]

In my humble opinion, the great Aphex Twin has never again hit the highs of 1992's Selected Ambient Works 85-92. In fits and starts he's got close - but he's never managed to compete with the work here. And Heliosphan is his masterpiece. With a rumbling bass acompaniment and trademark break-beats, Aphex sleighs the listener with 4 plus minutes of choral beauty. Get in!

from Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (R&S Belgium)



absent friend  performed by Bark Psychosis  1994
Recommended by anarhikos [profile]

A masterpiece of post rock genre! cheerful, jazzy, incredible sound..it takes you to another world..

from Hex


King of the Carrot Flowers Prt. 1,2 & 3.  performed by Neutral Milk Hotel  1997
Recommended by two-headed boy [profile]

A perfect segue into a perfect album, King of the Carrot Flowers is a masterpiece. This is the way songs should be written, performed, and produced. Jeff Mangum strums the catchiest 3 chords on his acoustic guitar while his piercing vocals spill lyrics of psychedelic sophistication. I can still remember the first time I heard him sing the lyric - 'and your mom would drink until she was no longer speaking, and dad would dream of all the different ways to die, each one a little more than he would dare to try' - in a rising climax. The energy and power is then sustained into a C drone from an organ, followed by an amped acoustic guitar being plucked clumsily. And like a street preacher we again hear Jeff, he belts 'I love you Jesus Christ' while the rest of the band hit fuzzed-out power chords F and C until a storm swells with cymbals, horn, bass, guitar, Jeff's voice and another rising movement to yet another climax. Propelled by an electric frequency that chops like a helicopter blade inches over-head we are lead into Part 3, often referred to as 'Up and Over'. This last part explodes into fuzz rock in all it's garage-roots glory with lyrics like - 'I will shout until they know what I mean, I mean the marriage of a dead dog sing, in a synthetic flying machine'. As the fuzz is sustained heavily the song ends with 1 last climax; the one-note piano brings us to a close.

King of the Carrot Flowers Part 1 introduces the theme of 'loss of innocence'. The narrator, addressing his lover nostalgically, compares the emotional deterioration of the older parents with the emotional and sexual discovery of their youth - 'your mom would stick a fork right into daddy's shoulder, and dad would throw the garbage all across the floor, as we would lay and learn what each other's bodies were for.' This motive returns later in the album, as does his 'Jesus Christ' theme. Jeff Mangum alerts the listener in his lyric sheet that he believes what he sings, and that this 'Christ' theme is but the spiritual light he finds within everything. The album further treats themes like the Holocaust, death of loved ones, visions of ghosts, and all the horrors of man with this light. It is a beautiful and terrifying experience unlike any rock record to date. Personally, my favorite song of all time.

from In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Elephant 6)


In the Aeroplane Over the Sea  performed by Neutral Milk Hotel  1997
Recommended by two-headed boy [profile]

I didn't know it then, but when I purchased the album 'In the Aeroplane Over the Sea' my world changed. When I put the album into my CD player, I did it with a naivete of someone who thought they'd 'heard it all.' I did it clumsily, with haste, handled like a Beatles or Beach Boys album, the way I had done for years. When I listened to the album I did it with reckless abandon while driving 38 miles per hour on my lunch break, and later in the drive-through at McDonald�s. These mistakes were inherited, and I refuse blame. They were passed through the genetic make-up of our peers and born out of the music we've been given; I didn't expect this! Well, our music has changed, and it did so without our knowing and our approval. This album proved and disproved an entire treatise of critical analysis on a generation of music that I thought I had known, and it did so with a fucking velvet sledgehammer.

The lyrics: "And one day we will die and our ashes will fly from the aeroplane over the sea, but for now we are young let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see." More lyrics: "What a beautiful face I have found in this place that is circling all around the sun, what a beautiful dream that would flash in the screen in a blink of an eye and be gone from me." The melody: A timeless, haunting thing that was metaphysically resurrected from a wiser place. The voice: Wrenched out of the jaws of a holocaust from 50 years ago, we hear a possessed Jeff Mangum invest his soul. The sound: An apocalypse that can reinvent the turntable by it�s simplistic form; with a saw, guitar, drum, bass, horns, and lord knows what else all handled with deceptive elegance of a garage mechanic constructing a supermodel. And, lastly, the spirit: A tragedy and rape of virginity known only to the persecuted and executed; the ghost of Anne Frank materializes long enough to show us her world, and in her hands we are strangely at peace.

This song is a gift very few will experience. It is endless in its reach and should be accepted like a sibling into your collection. It will one day prove itself beyond category, but for now it is a masterful novel from the hands of a mysterious songwriter who should know how sincerely I cherish his songs.

from In the Aeroplane Over the Sea



  karlmort: this album is going to make a huge impact on you if you dare to listen.
  evolutum: All I have to say is that I agree with the above. My wife and I had this song played at our wedding reception. With tears in our eyes we danced. I would like to have it played at my funeral.
  umbrellasfollowrain: Whenever I hear that someone loves this album as much as I do this strange things happens where I want to draw you all into a bearhug where we cry our fears away all through the long night.
  el.oh man.: this song can make you feel so many emotions at once. it truly is a wrok of art. there is almost no way that you wouldnt like it. everytime i hear it, i fall in love with the amazing writing talents of these guys.
  pullmyhair: This is one of my most life-changing albums. It does something to me, almost spiritually. If people have an open mind, they need to hear this.
When Dreams Turn to Dust  performed by Cathy Dennis  1997
Recommended by Genza [profile]

Cathy Dennis' music is predominantly rubbish. As UK residents know, she is now the writer behind much of the teeny crap that fills the top 40 singles chart every week. But When Dreams Turn to Dust shines like a beacon amongst a fog of blandness. I bought the single for 50 pence from a charity shop in 2000. I thought I'd paid too much. I was wrong.

I was out of work at the time and looking for a job. Dennis' masterpiece is the sound of those crazy job-search days - there was a good two week period when I listened to this song continually. Hard times economically - even tougher times on the turntable...

The song has a king of warped Beatles/Byrds quality. And an amazing minor chord chorus. To top it all, she shifts the whole chorus up an octave in the final eight or so bars and kills the listener with a repetitive and insistent refrain.

Convinced by its majesty, I then bought one of her dance albums from a car boot sale for �1. Never has money been so well intentionally spent and inevitably wasted.




Stuck Behind a Truck  performed by Ken Butler  1997
Recommended by HoboTech [profile]

A masterpiece of jazz meets garage rock meets middle eastern music by a musician who constructs his own instruments out of junk. The whole album is fantastic.

from Voices of Anxious Objects (Tzadik)


"The Glow" pt. 2  performed by Microphones  2001
Recommended by Open Book [profile]

I call it "THE - concept album." It's almost as if Phil Elvrum nearly single-handedly did what all others before him had tried to accomplish in attempting a thematically based musical piece of artwork. The title track from his stunning masterpiece digs deep into the thoughts of the main character as he battles life, struggles with suicide, and breaks down entirely. Besides the heart-wrenching lyrics, musically, the song is equally brilliant- utilizing both channels of the stereo to spin the listener around, sweeping organs, and a drop-dead gorgeous vocal performance all beginning with a kick ass fuzz-drone rock out featuring blazing drum fills. This songs brings me to tears every time I hear it.

from "The Glow" pt. 2 (K Records)
available on CD - "The Glow" pt.2 (K Records)


Soul For Hire  performed by Elvis Costello  2002
Recommended by elfslut [profile]

Here's a great track from last years masterpiece 'When I Was Cruel'. Costello is lyrically at his best on this album and this song about the corruptness of lawyers is no exception.

from When I Was Cruel (Island)


Unas the Slayer of the Gods  performed by Nile  2002
Recommended by King Charles [profile]

If you are looking for an epic, detailed, scriptured text, infused with the basal roots of death metal, this song is it. Standing at a whopping 11:43 (minutes and seconds), this is one of the longest songs I've ever heard, apart from Dream Theater. Listen to the lyrics here, we don't have a bunch of nihilistic meatheads preaching about death and lost love, it rather contains text from the Pyramid of Unas (known as the Pyramid Texts). These texts are dated in Unas's reign, who was the last ruler of the 5th dynasty- most agree he was alive from 2375 to 2345 B.C., but as is seen on elyrics.net, some date him back to 5330 B.C. This date, combined with it's deific juggernaut of sound (perpetrated in the beginning with an echoed 'vena' intro compimented by an all mighty gong, and again in the bridge which sounds like the intro to the Dark Army from LOTR: Return of the King, with it's French horns and marcato kettle drum foundation), make for a truly musical masterpiece. This is the first death metal band I encountered whose lyrics had real meaning, origin, and context (much like DJ Cheb i Sabah's portrayal of texts from the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita). Listen to this the whole way through, the instrumentation is incredible, with a massive orchestrated sound about as subtle as a tidal wave. The bass drums constantly set up the rhythm for the entire work (hold the beginning, and about 8:20 through, as well as the conclusion), and the instinctive deep-throat, albeit gut lyrics add for the dark yet impressive overtone of this piece. I believe I can hear sitar, vena, and even 12-string guitar in this piece. Also, it is critical to acknowledge the chorus in the background- this really highlights the sovereign, godly quality of the song's tone. The arrangement is tight, constantly in rhythm, never behind, and well meshed together, indicating well thought-out composing. Great to listen to before a game of hockey, going to the gym, or if you are feeling weak and helpless- this piece will give you power. Enjoy it for what it is- a new, comforting taste in death metal. Listen to this piece, buy the album, and do research on Unas himself- you'll find a quite interesting history behind this ancient Egyptian ruler, which is the embodiment of Nile- their obsession with the ancient kingdom. 5 out of 5 starts for its genre.

from In Their Darkened Shrines



Riding to Vanity Fair  performed by Paul McCartney  2004
Recommended by Waterboy [profile]

The centre piece of Paul McCartney's 2005 album Chaos and Creation. This song is the equivalent to Dylan's Tangled Up in Blue on Blood on the Tracks. An extraordinarily personal song for McCartney and without an obvious chorus. The album is a masterpiece - all instruments played by the man - sympathetically produced by Nigel Goodrich but in the end it is the songs - fantastic. I can tell you that Lennon would approve - best ever solo album by a Beatle ... maybe but up there with Plastic Ono Band and all Things Must Pass and Ram.

You can't keep talent down is the message.


available on CD - Chaos and Creation


We might as well be strangers  performed by Keane  2004
Recommended by Mike [profile]

An absolute masterpiece whose deceptive simplicity always moves.

from Hopes and Fears, available on CD



  daniela_por: it's fantastic, just like the whole album. And the lyrics are wonderful
Losin Yo Head  performed by Monsters of Folk  2009
Recommended by vinnyshades [profile]

Jim James from My Morning Jacket sings this rock masterpiece with his new super-group side project Monsters of Folk (with M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and Mike Mogis). Totally catchy with a brilliant theme. Not too "hooky," but very melodic and catchy. Jim's voice will MAKE you sing along to this song every time.

from Monsters of Folk


clip clap  performed by kahimi karie  200x
Recommended by olli [profile]

cute little song about a girl stalking someone she's fallen in love with, listening to the "clip clops" of his shoes. the melody in the song is very similar to "cosmonaute" by stereo total, only more upbeat (it was written by brezel g�ring from stereo t., so i guess that's excusable). kahimi's ultra-bright voice fits this song perfectly.

(there's WAY too few sweet and uplifting songs about stalking, by the way.)


available on CD - k.k.k.k.k



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