SeriouslyIll: Six Essential Albums

    Seriouslyill (Kevin)  
 # 1
 # 2
Name: Kevin
Email: drkmiller@mediaone.net
Location: Lomita, California, USA
 
1. Pet Sounds Beach Boys
2. Spilt Milk Jellyfish
3. Axis: Bold As Love Jimi Hendrix Experience
4. Obscured by Clouds Pink Floyd
5. #1 Record/Radio City Big Star
6. The Royal Scam Steely Dan

Comments: Pet Sounds is my favorite album of all time. I still listen to it several times a month. It's one of those "2nd time around" albums (like the first time I heard the Beatles' Revolver) where, when I heard it originally, I didn't think it was that great, but on a 2nd listen I realized it's pure genius on many levels. It also con-verted me from judging the Beach Boys as just a kiddie surf band. Brian Wilson (or more likely the Capitol record people) used the surf gimmick to get the Beach Boys in the business and sell lots of records. Brian pushed out of that mold with Pet Sounds. Too bad he was miles ahead of the record execs (and a lot of Americans) in his genius. Pet Sounds was not as great a commercial success in America (the U.K. loved it however). The "failure" of Pet Sounds caused Brian to start breaking down mentally. But 34 years later after seeing him perform the complete Pet Sounds album at the Hollywood Bowl on 9. 24.2000 (backed up by the incredible Wondermints) I see he is starting to realize that fans do love him, recognize & respect him for his incredible work.

Jellyfish's two albums, Bellybutton & Spilt Milk. I rec-ommend both, but chose Spilt Milk because it is slightly better (people may argue that point). The opening track reminds me of something Brian Wilson could have written. The rest is all power pop at its greatest. Jellyfish started as a '70s group clone, dressing in the most cliche outfits & gear that anyone could think of. They would do covers of '70s pop songs in concert (examples are Jet, Hold Your Head Up) with great style. The first time I saw them they were so full of energy, talking in the audience & getting along with each other. By the 3rd time I saw them (before Spilt Milk was released) they seemed tired, not putting out their 110%. They reformed, without Jason Falkner (another favorite of mine) & the bassist (guitarist Roger Manning's brother) & put out Spilt Milk. I wanted to see them at the DNA lounge in Frisco for their opening concert butI never did & they broke up shortly after. I think they wanted the MTV audience to like them but they never caught on like so many great groups.

Axis: Bold as Love by Jimi and the Experience is an incredible album in so many ways. I believe i'ts Hendrix' most "poppy" album & the guitar is awesome. Considering it was made in 196,7 the recording effects are phenominal. Much has been written about this album & I don't think I can add anything new or insightful except that this is one of those "must-buy" albums for any music lover.

I like the Floyd album because it sounds the least like their other albums in that it was a sountrack to a (horrible) movie called "The Valley" & so the songs are shorter, lesst drawn out like a lot of their other works. The songs are very poppy in their own way too. Maybe I should have picked that one for my obscure" list?

Thanks to the advise of MrQwerty (Fil) I decided to buy the double CD of Big Star. I have been listening to it every day now. Few albums/CD's have motivated me to such intense listening since my days of first listening to the Beatles (Revolver, SPLHCB, White Album) or the Beach Boys (Pet Sounds). I love the lyrics & the guitar on these albums and I have been prompted to pull out my guitar and learn the songs. These criteria make Big Star's first two albums (on one CD) an essential pick in PP.

I like the Royal Scam because it's Steely Dan's "guitar" album, showcasing (arguably) the best guitar stylings of all their albums (mostly by Larry Carlton). The lyrics are extra cool too, showing off lots of the deranged characters that typify Fagan and Becker's work.

Pet Sounds Beach Boys (1966)

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
2. You Still Believe in Me
3. That's Not Me
4. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
5. I'm Waiting For the Day
6. Let's Go Away For a While
7. Sloop John B
8. God Only Knows
9. I Know There's An Answer
10. Here Today
11. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
12. Pet Sounds
13. Caroline No

Spilt Milk Jellyfish (1993)

1. Hush
2. Joining A Fan Club
3. Sebrina Paste and Plato
4. New Mistake
5. Glutton of Sympathy
6. The Ghost at Number One
7. Bye Bye Bye
8. All is Forgiven
9. Russian Hill
10. He's My Best Friend
11. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late
12. Brighter Day
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Axis: Bold As Love Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

1. EXP
2. Up From The Skies
3. Spanish Castle Magic
4. Wait Until Tomorrow
5. Ain't No Telling
6. Little Wing
7. If 6 Was 9
8. You Got Me Floatin'
9. Castles Made of Sand
10. She's So Fine
11. One Rainy Wish
12. Little Miss Lover
13. Bold As Love
 		Obscured by Clouds Pink Floyd

1.Obscured By Clouds
2. When You're In
3. Burning Bridges
4. The Gold It's In The...
5. Wots...Uh the Deal
6. Mudmen
7. Childhood's End
8. Free Four
9. Stay
10. Absolutely Curtains

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#1 Record/Radio City Big Star
(1972-73)

1. Feel
2. The Ballad Of El Goodo
3. In the Street
4. Thirteen
5. Don't Lie To Me
6. The India Song
7. When My Baby's Beside Me
8. My Life Is Right
9. Give Me Another Chance
10. Try Again
11. Watch the Sunrise
12. ST 100/6
13. O My Soul
14. Life Is White
15. Way Out West
16. What's Going Ahn
17. You Get What You Deserve
18. Mod Lang
19. Back of a Car
20. Daisy Glaze
21. She's a Mover
22. September Gurls
23. Morpha Too
24. I'm in Love With a Girl

The Royal Scam Steely Dan
(1976)

1. Kid Charlemagne
2. The Caves Of Altamira
3. Don't Take Me Alive
4. Sign In Stranger
5. The Fez
6. Green Earrings
7. Haitian Divorce
8. Everything You Did
9. The Royal Scam