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Classic Album Discussion Thread: The Kinks-Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Pt. 1 (2 Viewers)

Ghost Rider said:
It has to be asked again:  why does it matter if it is critically acclaimed?  You seem to be implying that being critically acclaimed automatically makes it classic-worthy. 
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It’s a good question. And it’s true that not every album chosen is critically acclaimed- Slippery When Wet was mostly acclaimed by fans and despised by critics. 

I think that in most cases it matters because critical acclaim makes it worthy of discussion. If an album is that well thought of I’m going to try to get to it eventually. But it helps if I like it. Of all the albums I’ve chosen so far, the only ones I had never listened to before was Lauryn Hill, Rush, and Metallica. (Though in the latter two cases, I recognized some of it when I listened.) 

 
Just gave some of this a listen.  Seems to be in my wheelhouse but nothing I listened to really grabbed me.

 
timschochet said:
Neutral Milk Hotel- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)

The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1

The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 2 & 3

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Two-Headed Boy

The Fool

Holland, 1945

Communist Daughter

Oh Comely

Ghost

Untitled

Two-Headed Boy, Pt. 2

Although this record is now 20 years old, I had never heard of it, or the artist, until it was mentioned by a few people in this forum a couple of years back. I read about it and learned it was critically acclaimed; then I listened to it and found it outstanding: lush, great melodies. Apparently the whole album is about Anne Frank, though I’m not sure so would get that from the lyrics without having been told it beforehand. Whatever; it’s an impressive work of alternative rock nonetheless. 
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Just gave the album a listen. Meh. Slightly irritating at times.

 
timschochet said:
As to this: I don’t know. It’s certainly a factor. But I have no idea what makes something classic or even how to define the term. 
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True, it is difficult, but I just think the suggesting that it is worthy of discussion status in a classic album thread simply because of critics is just odd.  

Gr00vus said:
Just gave the album a listen. Meh. Slightly irritating at times.
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That has always been my thought.  Despite the painful vocals, it is sorta catchy, but it didn't just grab me.  

 
CletiusMaximus said:
Blister in the Sun was used in a Wendy's commercial years ago, which caused a lawsuit among band members.  Its also shown up in numerous movies and television episodes.
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Oh yeah it’s a very famous song and it’s actually grown on me over the years. I didn’t love in middle school/high school.

 
Aeroplane never really signified to me.  It came out during my mid-late 90s musical deadzone so I missed it the first time around.  It doesn't have much in the way of musical hooks that jump out at you like their Elephant 6 cohorts Apples in Stereo.   I think it's one of those records that grows with repeated listens and I just never gave it enough time. 

 
Eephus said:
Aeroplane never really signified to me.  It came out during my mid-late 90s musical deadzone so I missed it the first time around.  It doesn't have much in the way of musical hooks that jump out at you like their Elephant 6 cohorts Apples in Stereo.   I think it's one of those records that grows with repeated listens and I just never gave it enough time. 
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I highly recommend you do. My favorite record.

 
DocHolliday said:
Tim needs to choose classic albums to get the classic albums thread back on track.  
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Agreed.

There are a bunch of Beatles album that can be featured. 

Has Yes been featured yet?? 

Still waiting on The Captain and Me by the Doobies.

What about Steely Dan's Aja (or did I miss it?)?  Or ELP?  

 
And when we meet on a cloud
I'll be laughing out loud
I'll be laughing with everyone I see
Can't believe how strange it is to be anything at all

 
Apple Jack said:
Yeah when are you going to get to Aldo Nova, TIM?
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Don't you DARE besmirch Aldo Nova.  His debut album soundtracked what was at the time one of the greatest nights of my 14 year old life.  

I'm listening to Fantasy right now.

 
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Northern Voice said:
This thread is hilarious. Rename it albums that have songs that are played every ### ####ed day on classic rock radio. 

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea kicks the #### out of 95% of the albums discussed here so far. 

Anyway, I look forward to the upcoming discussion on how great Hotel California is... unless I already missed that one. 
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You did. All the albums discussed so far are listed in bold in the OP. 

As for most  of the ones mentioned tonight- be patient, everybody. We’ll get there. 

 
Jackson Browne (1972)

Jamaica Say You Will

A Child In These Hills

Song For Adam

Doctor My Eyes

From Silver Lake

Something Fine

Under the Falling Sky

Looking Into You

Rock Me On the Water

My Opening Farewell

With all apologies to Tapestry as well as a few other albums I’ll be bringing up later, I think Jackson Browne’s debut is probably the finest singer-songwriter record ever, and that is pretty high praise coming from me. Unlike later albums Browne’s instrumentation is subdued here; it’s mostly just him on guitar or piano, and only a few of the songs even feature percussion. But there’s not a weak tune in this bunch- everything here has top notch melody and lyrics. My favorite is probably “Looking Into You” but I go back and forth. “Jamaica Say You Will” is about as perfect a love song as I’ve ever heard, while “Song For Adam”, about the suicide of one of Browne’s best friends, is simply breathtaking. His best effort. 

 
Thought you might have gone with Late For The Sky as the representative Jackson album, but the debut is just as good.

His songwriting is as consistent as his haircut.

 
Herb said:
Don't you DARE besmirch Aldo Nova.  His debut album soundtracked what was at the time one of the greatest nights of my 14 year old life.  

I'm listening to Fantasy right now.
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Fantasy is a great and classic song.  I love when it pops on the radio.  The album....not so much. 

 
DocHolliday said:
Fantasy is a great and classic song.  I love when it pops on the radio.  The album....not so much. 
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"Fantasy" is one of the great tunes from the early MTV era, but agree on the meh quality of the rest of this stuff. He's a much better songwriter/producer for other folks, although a terrific guitarist. And like Jackson Browne, still has a good head of hair.

But I digress.

 
Not my cuppa, but Browne was part of Bonnie Raitt's socio-musical fam when i was and boyEEEE could that li'l bastage get some trim

 
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Like a lot of debut albums by singer/songwriters, "Saturate" has a strong collection of songs.  Browne had been writing for at least six years before his solo album and was able to pick and choose his best ("These Days" was famously written when Browne was only 16).   But aside from the quality of the songwriting,  I think the album suffers a bit from a very generic production style.

I much prefer Browne's two follow-up records "For Everyman" and "Late for the Sky".  Browne found a more personal voice on these with a major assist from David Lindley on a variety of string instruments.  Lindley was a perfect musical foil for Browne; the guitarist has a distinctive sound that fit well with Browne's often plaintive lyrics.  When I think of Browne's music, it always has Lindley in the background.

Outside of his first three records and his road concept album "Running on Empty", Browne's catalog is more miss than hit for me.  His songwriting became less personal and more mannered after he got wealthy and started hanging out with movie stars and politicians.  He was still a capable songwriter who could turn a phrase with the best but man, he put out some clunkers.

 
DocHolliday said:
I like some Jackson Browne songs but not enough to own any of his albums.  His greatest hits album is probably pretty good. 
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If you like the singer-songwriter thing, his albums are really strong. His debut album practically plays like a greatest hits. 

 
DocHolliday said:
I like some Jackson Browne songs but not enough to own any of his albums.  His greatest hits album is probably pretty good. 
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That's about where I am on him. In fact, the less earnest he got the more I liked him - until he just became completely bitter and unlistenable. I think "Running On Empty" (the song) is probably the nexus of his lyrics and backing music when the quality of both were about equal in quality.

I know Jackson Browne super fans and the paragraph below - written tongue-in-cheek by a non-fan - pretty much sums up how most of them feel (tim included, apparently).

Easily the most important musician to come out of the West Coast scene, Jackson Browne is more than that. A cultural icon, a political visionary, a seer. His greatest strengths are his focused and accessible melodies; his unique, varied, and exciting vocal delivery; his startling instrumental virtuosity on his chosen instruments, guitar and keyboard; and his relentless avant-garde attitude. The star ratings on this page are only a relative guide: really, you can't go wrong with any record he's ever been involved with. If you're ready for a brush with greatness, check out the very thorough Jackson Browne FAQ. (DBW)

Link to the entire JB page on warr.org

 
Uruk-Hai said:
That's about where I am on him. In fact, the less earnest he got the more I liked him - until he just became completely bitter and unlistenable. I think "Running On Empty" (the song) is probably the nexus of his lyrics and backing music when the quality of both were about equal in quality.

I know Jackson Browne super fans and the paragraph below - written tongue-in-cheek by a non-fan - pretty much sums up how most of them feel (tim included, apparently).

Easily the most important musician to come out of the West Coast scene, Jackson Browne is more than that. A cultural icon, a political visionary, a seer. His greatest strengths are his focused and accessible melodies; his unique, varied, and exciting vocal delivery; his startling instrumental virtuosity on his chosen instruments, guitar and keyboard; and his relentless avant-garde attitude. The star ratings on this page are only a relative guide: really, you can't go wrong with any record he's ever been involved with. If you're ready for a brush with greatness, check out the very thorough Jackson Browne FAQ. (DBW)

Link to the entire JB page on warr.org
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No. I certainly don't see him as a cultural icon, nor a political visionary.  (If anything, much like Bob Dylan, I prefer when Browne's lyrics are NOT political; his best songs deal with personal experiences.) I've never found his vocal delivery particularly exciting. It's fine. And as far as his "relentless avant-garde attitude", I don't even know what the #### that means.

I love this album for the same reason I love most of the albums I have selected thus far: I love the tunes. I love the craft, even if I don't know enough about music to explain why I love it. I love singing along. I love the melodies; they stick in my head, and in a good way, not as an earwig. The other stuff you quoted is just meaningless background noise to me.  I'm a pretty simple guy when it comes to this stuff. 

 
I like Jackson Browne's debut album, although it isn't my favorite of his. My favorite is Late for the Sky followed by Running on Empty. "Doctor My Eyes" is my favorite song off his debut album.

 
Browne's line "...and the children solemnly wait for the ice cream vendor" from "The Pretender" has always bothered me much more than it should.

First of all, children, ice cream and solemnly don't belong in the same sentence.  Browne had a three year old son at the time this record came out.  Even iIf he was waiting for vegan ice cream to be invented, he'd probably have seen other kids waiting on their ice cream and I seriously doubt they did so solemnly.  There are plenty of three syllable adverbs that he could have used if he wasn't such a pretentious killjoy.

And who uses the term ice cream vendor other than a songwriter who's used up every other couplet that rhymes with pretender?  You wait for the ice cream man or the ice cream truck.  Even if you're at a ball game where beer and peanut sellers are typically called vendors, I don't think guys selling ice cream get called vendors.  If the Family Feud category was "Ice Cream _____", vendor would be a zero point answer.  Steve Harvey (or Richard Dawson at the time) would be rolling his eyes at that one and the Browne family would go home as losers.

 
If someone asked me to name a Jackson Browne song, I couldn't. Now, after looking up his songs, I'm surprised how many I knew. None have ever driven me to look further into his music but I don't hate any of them. Some solid songs.

 
Eephus said:
Browne's line "...and the children solemnly wait for the ice cream vendor" from "The Pretender" has always bothered me much more than it should.

First of all, children, ice cream and solemnly don't belong in the same sentence.  Browne had a three year old son at the time this record came out.  Even iIf he was waiting for vegan ice cream to be invented, he'd probably have seen other kids waiting on their ice cream and I seriously doubt they did so solemnly.  There are plenty of three syllable adverbs that he could have used if he wasn't such a pretentious killjoy.

And who uses the term ice cream vendor other than a songwriter who's used up every other couplet that rhymes with pretender?  You wait for the ice cream man or the ice cream truck.  Even if you're at a ball game where beer and peanut sellers are typically called vendors, I don't think guys selling ice cream get called vendors.  If the Family Feud category was "Ice Cream _____", vendor would be a zero point answer.  Steve Harvey (or Richard Dawson at the time) would be rolling his eyes at that one and the Browne family would go home as losers.
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Hard to argue with any of this. Even Van Halen knew enough to call him the ice cream man.

 
timschochet said:
No. I certainly don't see him as a cultural icon, nor a political visionary.  (If anything, much like Bob Dylan, I prefer when Browne's lyrics are NOT political; his best songs deal with personal experiences.) I've never found his vocal delivery particularly exciting. It's fine. And as far as his "relentless avant-garde attitude", I don't even know what the #### that means.

I love this album for the same reason I love most of the albums I have selected thus far: I love the tunes. I love the craft, even if I don't know enough about music to explain why I love it. I love singing along. I love the melodies; they stick in my head, and in a good way, not as an earwig. The other stuff you quoted is just meaningless background noise to me.  I'm a pretty simple guy when it comes to this stuff. 
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Relax - just funning you. This record isn't better than Tapestry, though.

 
Eephus said:
Browne's line "...and the children solemnly wait for the ice cream vendor" from "The Pretender" has always bothered me much more than it should.

First of all, children, ice cream and solemnly don't belong in the same sentence.  Browne had a three year old son at the time this record came out.  Even iIf he was waiting for vegan ice cream to be invented, he'd probably have seen other kids waiting on their ice cream and I seriously doubt they did so solemnly.  There are plenty of three syllable adverbs that he could have used if he wasn't such a pretentious killjoy.

And who uses the term ice cream vendor other than a songwriter who's used up every other couplet that rhymes with pretender?  You wait for the ice cream man or the ice cream truck.  Even if you're at a ball game where beer and peanut sellers are typically called vendors, I don't think guys selling ice cream get called vendors.  If the Family Feud category was "Ice Cream _____", vendor would be a zero point answer.  Steve Harvey (or Richard Dawson at the time) would be rolling his eyes at that one and the Browne family would go home as losers.
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I'm the Ice Cream Vendor. Stop me as I'm passing by.

 
jamny said:
If someone asked me to name a Jackson Browne song, I couldn't. Now, after looking up his songs, I'm surprised how many I knew. None have ever driven me to look further into his music but I don't hate any of them. Some solid songs.
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I think even his second level cuts are good. It’s nice music to just chill out too- grill and have a beer on the deck on a late summer evening. 

 
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