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

Ilov80s said:
Also, is this Violent Femmes album a real classic? I don't think I have ever heard it. 
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How is this possible? Do you really love the 80's?

This album has been everywhere I've gone my entire life, and I don't own it.

On the playground in grade school a few years after it came out, listening to it on someone's walkman during recess.

At high school parties or in many various cassette players of others' cars.

House parties in college, an absolute staple.

And ever since sprinkled in on independent radio stations.

 
shuke said:
How is this possible? Do you really love the 80's?

This album has been everywhere I've gone my entire life, and I don't own it.

On the playground in grade school a few years after it came out, listening to it on someone's walkman during recess.

At high school parties or in many various cassette players of others' cars.

House parties in college, an absolute staple.

And ever since sprinkled in on independent radio stations.
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The 80s are fine- my name’s origin isn’t really connected to a deep love of the decade. It was my first AOL name that stuck (those were the days of free aol discs that lasted 60 hours) so I had dozens. This was just the last random variation that stuck when my parents decided we would pay to keep it.

Blister was a song I’ve always known but not the rest. It definitely didn’t get play at college parties in the aughts. 

 
Ilov80s said:
The 80s are fine- my name’s origin isn’t really connected to a deep love of the decade. It was my first AOL name that stuck (those were the days of free aol discs that lasted 60 hours) so I had dozens. This was just the last random variation that stuck when my parents decided we would pay to keep it.

Blister was a song I’ve always known but not the rest. It definitely didn’t get play at college parties in the aughts. 
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Like I mentioned upthread, this album never left our college stereo system -- we had a five-person suite - from Christmas break onward. There's a lot about mud and spring in this album that's for sure. 

 
Oh, and shuke, Ilov is probably a decade younger than us and we were really young in the 80s, so...

He probably missed them cognitively, for the most part.  

 
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The Who- Tommy (1969)

Overture

It’s a Boy

1921

Amazing Journey

 Sparks

Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)

Christmas

Cousin Kevin

The Acid Queen

Underture

Do You Think It’s All Right?

Fiddle About

Pinball Wizard

There’s a Doctor I’ve Found

Go to the Mirror! 

Tommy, Can You Hear Me? 

Smash the Mirror

Sensation

Miracle Cure

Sally Simpson

I’m Free

Welcome

Tommy’s Holiday Camp

We’re Not Gonna Take It

Sometimes I think the bizarre conceit of the plot line (deaf and blind kid becomes pinball star and later pop guru) hides the fact that this is one of the greatest selection of songs ever put on a double record. So much goodness here, from 1921 to Eyesight for the Blind to Pinball Wizard, Go to the Mirror, Sally Simpson, I could go on and on. And that doesn’t even mention the extraordinary instrumental works of Overtuee, Underture, and Sparks. 

One element that really shines here is the drum playing of Keith Moon. He is at his best on Tommy, and in fact makes a good argument for greatest rock drummer ever. 

 
I think Tommy is a terrific album, but a bit too gimmicky for my taste. I think Quadrophenia is a better output in terms of their concept albums. And IMO neither compares to the mighty Who's Next. 

 
timschochet said:
The Who- Tommy (1969)
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The Great Social Divide - if you like one thing, you have to hate another to do so - for kids listening to music in the 60s, which i'm apparently the only one around here who remembers, culminated with Tommy. Beatles v Stones, Beach Boys v Dylan, Blues v R&B all paid off with this.

The town i went to high school is very two-sides-of-the-tracks. The poverty was nowhere as great as in the Roxbury/Jamaica Plain hoods i grew up in, but the upper levels of wealth were extreme. We lived down by Salem harbor in suburban box houses, but i went to school with kids who lived in mansions, had night-lit tennis courts and regatta yachts and summer "cottages" bigger than any three of our houses.I HATED those people but the girls were hawwwwt and even our girls went for their guys. I seethed with resentment for the Scooters & Bitsys, but i also immediately went about discarding my shanty Boston accent so i might not be seen as a commoner. Didn't really get to swim in their waters until i achieved the cachet of cool that running away for a year and living in communes & stuff conferred upon me. HATED em.

And their "must" album was Tommy. All the gentrybot kids had Mustangs w 8tracks while we had Corvairs w the floors rusted out if we had cars at all and the rich kids circle of cars blaring Pinball Wizard and See Me, Feel Me had me singing "Beat Me, Killlll Me-e-e, Cut Me, Spill Me-e-e" with jealous fury. To this day every Tommy song raises my hackles for a few seconds before i can settle in to enjoy.

 
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zamboni said:
I think Tommy is a terrific album, but a bit too gimmicky for my taste. I think Quadrophenia is a better output in terms of their concept albums. And IMO neither compares to the mighty Who's Next. 
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These albums are so different it’s almost like it’s not the same band. I do acknowledge the greatness of Who’s Next obviously- it was the first Who album I chose to discuss- but personally I enjoy listening to Tommy more. 

We’ll no doubt cover the third album at a later date. 

 
zamboni said:
I think Tommy is a terrific album, but a bit too gimmicky for my taste. I think Quadrophenia is a better output in terms of their concept albums. And IMO neither compares to the mighty Who's Next. 
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Pretty much my feelings too. Other than when I saw them live doing the whole album about 12 years ago I can't remember the last time I listened to either whole disc of Tommy.

The Who don't crack my top 10 so if I listen to them it's either Who's Next or greatest hits.

 
"Tommy" is a great album but not a particularly good one.  I can appreciate its ambitious intent but can't remember the last time I listened to it.

It has a handful of strong songs surrounded by a lot of padding to extend it to double album length.  It starts off promisingly enough--side one of the LP version is the best of the four, but it tails off badly after that as Townshend tries to make his statement.  Ten minutes of "Underture" is about five minutes too many.  Sides 3 and 4 are hampered by short tracks to move the plot along but fall flat musically IMO.

The 1972 version with an all-star cast and the London Symphony Orchestra is interesting if you've never heard it.  The original LP version had some of the greatest packaging ever.

 
Love Tommy.  The movie scared me when I first saw it at age 11.  Freaked me out.

The ending trio of We're not Gonna Take It/See Me, Feel Me/Listening to You is tremendous.  My first religious experience at a live show.

 
timschochet said:
The Who- Tommy (1969)
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My favorite all time record - I'm a sucker for concept albums and this is a sonic and symphonic blast. One of my favorite memories was hanging out in central park, and then drinking at bars all day one fourth of July and then heading back to my condo in Weehawken with a NYC Skyline view and watching the Macy's fireworks show in sync with Tommy as the soundtrack - it worked so well.

 
Eephus said:
but it tails off badly after that as Townshend tries to make his statement. 
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And that's where almost all of the 60s/70s bands failed when they tried to SAY A BIG THING, especially at album-length (hello, dope!).

I think Townsend did the best of most of his peers (the proggers ran it into an extremely boring ground).

As far as staying on point goes with a concept, Parliament's 70's albums are better than any of the Woodstock bands or the 33 RPM farts of dudes like Rick Wakeman.

 
Uruk-Hai said:
And that's where almost all of the 60s/70s bands failed when they tried to SAY A BIG THING, especially at album-length (hello, dope!).

I think Townsend did the best of most of his peers (the proggers ran it into an extremely boring ground).

As far as staying on point goes with a concept, Parliament's 70's albums are better than any of the Woodstock bands or the 33 RPM farts of dudes like Rick Wakeman.
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not when Wakeman farts simultaneously thru a Leslie, a Moog and a ring modulator, dood - frikkin AWEsome!!!!

 
Tommy is, hands down, the best album the Who ever did.  It is a cohesive record, it flows wonderfully, tells an interesting story, and (for its time) sounds great.  I'll take the Who and their gritty, raw sound of the 60's over their emasculated 70's sound any day. 

 
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. 

 
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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The title of the thread says "classic". Maybe 4 or 5 people have even heard of this.

 
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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Quintessential hipster trash.  Nobody actually likes this, people just pretend to because they saw some dorks on pitchfork rank it highly 

 
irish eyes said:
The title of the thread says "classic". Maybe 4 or 5 people have even heard of this.
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I also only learned about this album from this board several years ago. Gave it a listen or two, but didn't resonate with me. I would like to give it another shot though. 

 
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I heard the name Violent Femmes and upon playing it, I recognized the first song.

No idea who this new one is.

 
I feared that when I selected this people might find it too obscure. But it really is critically acclaimed or I never would have chosen it, no matter how much I might like it personally. 

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

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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Like many here, I found this via word of mouth at FBG and originally, outside of Holland, 1945 which is pure brilliance, the album didn't grab me.

I found myself listening to that song a bunch though and would end getting occupied and inadvertently letting the rest of the album play through. Slowly, but surely, it won me over. Not sure that's because its great, or if familiarity in this case bred content instead of contempt. 

To this day there are parts of it that grind on me, but overall it's become a staple in my listening rotation. 

 
I love this album. Just checking. Too tired today to do a write up or sing its praises to simply be dismissed as a hipster or having discovered it through this board, which I didn't as I'd heard it long before. 

 
timschochet said:
I feared that when I selected this people might find it too obscure. But it really is critically acclaimed or I never would have chosen it, no matter how much I might like it personally. 
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It's one of my favorite albums. 

:putsheadphonesbackonpullshoodoverheadandslinksbackinthecorner:

 
zamboni said:
irish eyes said:
The title of the thread says "classic". Maybe 4 or 5 people have even heard of this.
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I also only learned about this album from this board several years ago. Gave it a listen or two, but didn't resonate with me. I would like to give it another shot though. 
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Music "stopped in time" for me before Aeroplane came out. Don't know any of the songs and I am fairly certain I've never been even exposed to any of them. Something internally stops me from really embracing newer music ... either I'll tell myself "It reminds me of [something older], and I kinda dig it" or it'll fall to the wayside without leaving an impression.

 
Just like Tim, I had never heard of this album before rave reviews in the FFA.  Must have been three years ago or so.  Both their albums are terrific.  I might like the first one better although there are several minutes of boring instrumental filler at the end.

 
To me, "Classic" means more than "loved by college kids at the time and will always resonate with them". This last one (which I never heard of) sounds like a typical 90's lo-fi band with an acoustic guitar and something "deep" to sing about. If that puts me into get off my lawn territory, so be it. 

 
Doug B said:
Music "stopped in time" for me before Aeroplane came out. Don't know any of the songs and I am fairly certain I've never been even exposed to any of them. Something internally stops me from really embracing newer music ... either I'll tell myself "It reminds me of [something older], and I kinda dig it" or it'll fall to the wayside without leaving an impression.
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yea, this happens to most of us. For me, the Grunge era was the last big thing that made me notice. There are a few "newish" bands that I've liked, like Fitz and The Tantrums or Young the Giant, but it's different now that I'm on the wrong side of 50. I'm not the least bit interested in the remastered Fitz box set with the handwritten liner notes, etc. But I might buy the Velvet Underground or Zep or Metallica reissue. 

 
jwb said:
yea, this happens to most of us. For me, the Grunge era was the last big thing that made me notice. There are a few "newish" bands that I've liked, like Fitz and The Tantrums or Young the Giant, but it's different now that I'm on the wrong side of 50. I'm not the least bit interested in the remastered Fitz box set with the handwritten liner notes, etc. But I might buy the Velvet Underground or Zep or Metallica reissue. 
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It's funny you mention Fitz and the Tantrums ... that's one of the acts who have had a song (a) I heard in public in recent years [well, 2011], and (b) liked enough on first listen to note the lyrics and Google them later. The song was "MoneyGrabber".

 
When i got more than 10 yrs into this century and realized my favorite albums from it were Robert Plant & Alison Krause's Raising Sand and the soundtrack to the Sweeney Todd movie, i set about to get some "new" music. I'd already given up on hiphop, so i listened for recommendations, on FFA & elsewhere, from the young folk & got NMH, Decemberists, Fleet Foxes & Modest Mice & White Stripes & Black Keys and National Arcades or whatever. IAAOTS is nice enough and i remember it being vital to a lot of FFAppers onceuponatime but i aint put it on in forever.

 
Dan Lambskin said:
Quintessential hipster trash.  Nobody actually likes this, people just pretend to because they saw some dorks on pitchfork rank it highly 
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I love the album but always wondered if this was part of its appeal, since I'm exactly the sort of weak-willed, easily influenced, constantly online loser that can be persuaded by critical acclaim.

But about a decade ago my wife- who is none of those things and whose favorite artist is Taylor Swift- stumbled across it and she loved it. Like to the point of playing it for her dad and getting us tickets when NMH got back together and went on tour.  So now I think it just connects with some people and not others for reasons I can't possibly understand.

 
Ilov80s said:
Blister was a song I’ve always known but not the rest. It definitely didn’t get play at college parties in the aughts. 
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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.

 
timschochet said:
I feared that when I selected this people might find it too obscure. But it really is critically acclaimed or I never would have chosen it, no matter how much I might like it personally. 
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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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