what was the last 'classic album' you got and were knocked out by?

L' Enfant Assassin des Mouches - Jean Claude Vannier

given my love of axelrod i had been told many times to pick this one up ..
eventually i saw a copy and got it.
not what i expected at all, and to be honest, its rarely dropped in the playlist due to all the random noise excerpts that spoil the flow for me.
however, when its good, its very good.

it's pretty "experimental" I guess. He arranged a lot of Histoire Du Melodie Nelson, and you can certainly hear that in Les Enfants... Some friends of mine went to a concert he did at the Royal Festival Hall a few years ago, said it was both far out and groovy.

bruce springsteen - the river
max romeo - war ina babylon
stevie wonder - songs in the key of life

bowie -- hunky dory

Can - Tago Mago.

http://www.peacefrog.com/thumb.php?src=_graphics/press/260.jpg&w=550&zc=0

I just "got" syd barrett its p great to "get" something

Isn't it, though?! Man, I live in hope that different stuff clicks for me, it's what makes me periodically revisit certain artists and albums. I just spun "Psychocandy" and while it sounded better than ever, the vocals still don't work for me.

I tried and failed with Syd long ago. What helped you get him?

Also Suicide and Tago Mago. And Neu! as well

Tago Mago clicked in with me a few months ago after leaving them for ages, I guess I learned to ignore the bad bits. Yes to german funk, no to screetchy noise shit.

Notorious BIG - Ready To Die
EPMD - Strictly Business / Unfinished Business
Robert Palmer - Sneaking Sally Through The Alley
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood

These all have the added sweetness of being by artists I'd never have imagined would become favourites of mine. Love it when that happens.

David Bowie - Hunky Dory

i should have already know this album but didn't. knew it was going to be great but wasn't prepared for this. i think "Kooks" might be my favorite song on this album. it comes so natural to David Bowie that it almost scary. how is it possible to be this good?

known

Kooks is amazing. I like Bowie's advice to young Zowie that he should stay out of trouble with bullies because he's "not too good at punching other peoples' dads" or something. i also like the bold (i think it's bold) decision to put this easy, casual, personal song right after the transcendent Life on Mars?

in that song i always heard the lyric in the chorus as "sailors fighting in the dancehall/ oh man, look at those gay men go" and was upset to learn that the real lyric is "cavemen." it's one of my favorites ever. the only shitty song is Quicksand which is tedious and also sort of fascist, i think.

David Bowie - Heroes

My mate was so disappointed when he found out that on 'Sufragette City', Bowie wasn't singing 'the smell of my dick has put my spine out of place'

there's an excellent version of Kooks on Bowie at the Beeb which doesn't unfortunately seem to be online anywhere.

I've been catching up on later Love albums Four Sail, Out Here, False Start and Black Beauty. I guess not classic, but I like some of the heavier tracks.

the only shitty song is Quicksand which is tedious and also sort of fascist, i think.

Crazy talk, it's awesome and sort of fascist

Not quite the same thing, but I had totally forgotten that Jungle Brothers "Done By the Forces of Nature" used to be one of my favorite records - how do you forget something like that? - until I read a recent interview with Talib Kweli extolling its virtues. The soggy cardboard underwater mix still does it no favors, but it's an awesome record, with some neat samples and diverse tunes.

I like the alt version of Quicksand that's a bonus track on the Ryko Hunky Dory CD even better. What happened to all those bonus tracks, on the later round of reissues they stuck to the original album tracks? Was there ever a comp of box set of them?

Those Ryko reissues were awesome.

Pre-Ryko Bowie and Ryko Costello, were there any other high-profile reissue roll-outs?

When were the Beach Boys twofers?

I want to say later. But I also want to say the Beach Boys two-fers were also reissued.

Reissue of a reissue.

Ah

Rollout began 1990. "Sound and Vision" box was 1989. Costello rollout began 1993.

So Bowie (and hits tour), then Beach Boys began, the Costello (and reunion tour).

Wishbone Ash - Argus

aerosmith - draw the line.

i actually got it around the time it was released, lent it away, and now decades later it's come back to me. it's an album unencumbered by "classic-ness". it just smokes. perry's guitar sounds incredible here - filthy and loud.

don't that sunnn look good going dowwwwn

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman

That's a really good one.

"coney island baby", oddly enough. and wire "chairs missing" too.

can't really be considered a classic, but the criminally obscure 'l'amour' from lewis has been an obsession the last couple of months. best album i've heard all year, defo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjwaVKAD1l0

Tusk by Fleetwood Mac.

Crass' Penis Envy is a lot more tuneful and proggy and witty than I would've expected. Also I like the voices a lot.

^^^ one of my favorite albums ever!

Lou's Berlin. Wish I'd checked this out sooner.

I love the Coltrane/Hartman album. That and Coltrane's Ballads always seem to be played on the same evenings at our house.

Rai Rebels

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman

― zanana rebozo (abanana), Tuesday, October 29, 2013 2:49 AM (8 hours ago)

all-time

for me I think the current answer is Dusty In Memphis

Picked up McCartney's 'Ram' recently which, despite my being a long time McCartney sceptic, blew me away. Wonderful album.

Colossal Youth - Young Marble Giants

I dunno about "knocked out" but finally hearing the Derek & the dominoes album was way more enjoyable than I expected

The Urinals "Negative Capability...Check it Out!!" has been ruling my year.

Xaman by Skullflower great to have this on a playable cd. Pretty stunning primitive groove frpom the late 80s which people haven't been able to listen to on cd for years thanks to cd rot on the original cd version.

Sunshine Daydream by Grateful Dead nice to have this out officially finally and it is a pretty stunning set. Been regarded as one of their best gigs for years as it circulated on the bootleg circuit.

Scott 4 though i don't know if the Scott box actually has the greatest sound, the material on it is awesome.

& the Pharaoh Sanders Anthology which I got a new copy of recentl;y and has shorter edits of tracks from his classic late 60s lps with Leon Thomas, Lonnie Liston Smith , Sonny Sharrock etc. But since it's an anthology maybe it doesn't fit but it does remain a great anthology of classic material. & does levitate yer socks off.