Listen to an album you've never heard by an artist you never listen to and then tell us about it!

Try South of Heaven or Seasons in the Abyss instead. They're a little more polished, but they still have the power and aggression you want from Slayer.

And yeah, if you're gonna listen to just one Iron Maiden album (my controversial opinion is that Iron Maiden are not actually a great album band, but are one of the greatest live acts ever), it should probably be Powerslave just to see if you make it through "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" with your sanity intact.

The Dwight Yoakam did not really grab me on first listen. It wasn't bad, but much like with a lot of Springsteen, I found myself thinking it was good while not feeling it. The songwriting is pretty strong and the lyrics have some interesting twists on typical country lyrics. Will try to give it a more focused listen and offer more thoughts.

Separately, I would like to propose someone else ITT tackle an album by an artist that I believe has never been mentioned before on ILM -- Larry Sparks. I would either suggest John Deere Tractor or Silver Reflections, and if you need any convincing just listen to either the title track of the first one or Blue Virginia Blues from the second.

someone who hasn't listened to a new hip-hop album this decade should listen to playboi carti's whole lotta red plz

I did announce I'd be listening to the Asha Bosle compilation. Having played some of it though I can't think of anything much to say about it other than "oh yeah this kind of thing, she has a very nice voice".

So instead I decided on NRBQ - At Yankee Stadium. This is a band that the likes of Byron Coley would rave about back in the day but I'd never really heard. I was expecting something kind of swampy, Dr John meets Little Feat meets The Band. In reality they're more of a power pop band! For the first half of the album anyway - you could mistake some of it for The Raspberries filtered through those American rock-soul bands of the era like J. Geils or Southside Johnny, all played by guys with proper jazz chops. Maybe it was the era (late 70s)?

It's actually really good, does this album have better songs than the others or did they keep the quality up? I can kind of see why they never got bigger than being a respected cult act though, it's too eclectic for mass appeal. Then again you could say the same thing about Todd Rundgren and he was popular. But he was pretty image-conscious, and these guys looked like a bunch of dads, so that was probably the difference.

So the verdict on NRBQ is (pretty much) a thumbs up!

great band yeah

Yankee Stadium is peak NRBQ. They have the same quality on a few other releases (1977 - 1980), but the signal-to-noise ratio drops off pretty quickly. There are several times I've had their records on at home, and my wife says "is this a children's album?"

its weird, i love metal but i do not love iron maiden. i like those first two albums but i don't even know if i've made it through an entire album after those. maybe i should listen to one! i like "the trooper". i even reviewed a bruce dickinson album for a metal magazine once. my brother used to bring their stuff home from his job at record world. i loved the covers. he would get the 12-inch singles too. but i was more fascinated by the motorhead albums he brought home. they were insane to me. at the time 1979/1980 all i wanted to hear was judas priest and black sabbath though. and rush.

i was actually thinking i should listen to a devo album for this thread. i know for a fact that i have never listened to an entire album by them. i mean obviously i know what devo sound like but maybe the entire album experience would be different.

terry of nrbq has been a good customer of mine over the years. he's fun to talk to. he's a weirdo. he loves weird 45s. he got the test pressing of one of their latter-day records (2014) with the newer line-up from germany and he played it at the store with me for the first time to hear how it sounded. that was fun. and he also introduced me to legendary record collector and nrbq drummer tom ardolino before he passed away. which was cool. i think byron got tom's records. speaking of byron. if you ever get a chance to listen to tom's Unknown Brain album i highly recommend it. tape recordings he made when he was a kid.

Tom T. Hall - In Search of a Song

I'd been interested in hearing one of Hall's records since his death a couple of years ago, and this 1971 album seemed to be his most highly regarded.

Lyrically, Hall relays stories and anecdotes he's picked up, memories, and some aphoristic parables. A number of songs end with a meta-commentary about how he ended up writing the very song you're listening to, which might have been too-clever in someone else's hands. It struck me as unusual that he often used an ABAB rhyme scheme; without it perhaps the words might have risked being doggerel. I tried to think of who else at the time outside of the country genre was writing about these sort of quotidian details and scenes: John Prine, Paul Simon sometimes, Ray Davies maybe?

As you'd expect, the songs are based on simple I - IV - V progressions with an occasional key change up a tone for the final verse to goose the song along, but when he tosses in a iv (on "Tulsa Telephone Book") or a ♭VII ("Kentucky, February 27, 1971") it adds some unexpected emotional colour. The songs kept up a peppy tempo but a slower, less arranged track might have made for a bit of variety.

I was unprepared for the mix: two completely discreet instrumental arrangements in either speaker with Tom alone dead-centre in a haze of reverb. Sometimes an instrument would bounce from one speaker to the other. Arrangements are provided by a low-key small group but once in a while there'd be a touch of vibes or dobro to fill things out. Didn't notice any strings or choirs. Overdubs of church organ (at the end of "The Little Lady Preacher") and electric sitar (in "L.A. Blues", not a Stooges cover) seem to be used for satirical purposes.

Great thread.

I like the second half of Stop Breathin, kinda Radiohead-y for a bit?

― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, March 7, 2024 11:13 AM (one week ago)

this bit rips CAN's "Sing Swan Song" off pretty shamelessly...

(also i don't think Radiohead had any cred at the time of CR,CR... unless you think "Creep" was influential lol)

I have a huge blind spot that I need help with: Teenage Fanclub.

I only know a few songs from my college radio days "Everything Flows" (awesome/great), "The Concept" & "Star Song" (very listenable/good) and then "What You Do To Me" which I get is like a Big Star homage but never really clicked with me. I saw them open for the Afghan Whigs in 1991 or 1992 and they didn't leave any impression with their live show, it was kinda sloppy and underwhelming.

From what I understand they were a band with several prominent songwriters and they have a deep catalog, but I have not heard any of their records in full and maybe it's time to correct that.

[catching up]: I also have never heard a Cat Power full-length EXCEPT the Covers Record (Michael Hurley x2, Nina Simone, Smog, VU, "Sea Of Love", et al) but I do know her early singles and was "lucky" to see her with Mick & Jim from The Dirty 3... but she was a wreck, it took her about 20mins to finish a song... super painful to watch. But "Moon Pix" has 3 very good songs ("XBones Style" & "Colour & The Kids" & "Metal Heart") so that has to be one of her better records.

Wait, wasn't there another thread like this one? My old neighbor let me borrow his Alice Cooper records after telling me I *had* to hear them and he seemed like a decent enough guy and they were NOTHING like I thought they'd be.

This week I listened to both of Alice Cooper (band)'s 1971 LPs: Love It To Death & Killer, borrowed from an old head in the hood. Huge blindspot for me.

Compared to my "canonical analogues" of this era (Sticky Fingers, Hunky Dory, Meddle, IV/Zoso, #1 Record, Every Picture..., et. al.), I was genuinely surprised at how catchy and genre-less both these records are. Definitely some Detroit (Stooges/MC5) microflora seeping through at times, some southern-fried boogie/glam, some post-Altamont proggy psych, but honestly a lot more proto-punk than the proto-metal I expected.

4 bags of popcorn and maybe a little spidery eyeliner to add some drama.

― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Friday, May 12, 2023 12:26 PM (ten months ago)

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

Hi Scott.

First thing first. Thanks for your contributions to this board!

Although I have been in a slump lately with new music, I will try to find something new and report back.

If you haven't listened to Dumptruck, please give For The Country and Positively a try!!

i guess i didn't think that thread was always things that people hadn't heard before. and i wanted this thread to be a little more deliberate. or pre-meditated. choosing something to listen to that might not be the thing you ordinarily listen to as well maybe. and hopefully being surprised by something. people have really written some great stuff on here! kudos to all.

i love tom t. hall by the way! one of my fave songwriters.

if anyone here hasn't heard a 70s mickey newbury album, you should give one a try. they are very unique. i am always floored by his songs. I Came To Hear The Music/Lovers are two mid-70s records that don't get a lot of ink anymore probably but are so cool.

also: if you have never listened to him, David Ackles. i love him to bits. i can't believe that nobody has done a David Ackles jukebox musical but maybe he's just a little too off-center.

x-post

you are welcome! i will give dumptruck a try. i never really listened to them! i always think of big dipper when i think of dumptruck. probably just saw them in the D section together a lot in the 80s.

the 80s band that i became a BIG fan of late in life/21st century was Love Tractor. I had no idea! nobody told me how awesome those early records were. sometimes they almost reminded me of an american durutti column or something. or something that should have been on Factory anyway. i think i just assumed they were twangy or like the Dbs.

i mean i love Dbs and Pylon and REM and Lets Active obviously but i missed that band all throughout the 80s and 90s. better late than never.

if anyone here hasn't heard a 70s mickey newbury album, you should give one a try. they are very unique. i am always floored by his songs. I Came To Hear The Music/Lovers are two mid-70s records that don't get a lot of ink anymore probably but are so cool.

Agreed (and I too love your posts to this thread scott) but also people ought not sleep on later newbury stuff. Kind of amazes me that A Long Road Home is from 2002.

Tim, are you a David Ackles fan?

he only had four albums. broadway/cabaret-style songs. with an old-fashioned sensibility that might seem maudlin or overly sentimental but his lyrics are sneaky and can be pretty dark. he reminds me of sherwood anderson a little bit. or early john o'hara. he isn't bitter though.

this song breaks my heart every time. i'm such a sap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlKBfMxHA7E

Big Dipper was also from Boston and I think that they may have shared a band member or two.

Probably a toss up for me between For The Country and Big Plans for Everybody...

Thanks to man alive I listened to the two Larry Sparks albums they recommended, thank you man alive. I listened to and played a lot of bluegrass fiddle as a kid and enjoyed them, interesting not-Nashville production (or maybe it was? and just of its time, but the production was oddball in an appealing way). Title track of John Deer Tractor set me up for a consistently slant approach to the genre but it was not so, excellent standard bluegrass music and I look forward to listening again and hearing more. Larry is a fabulous guitarist/mandolinist

I have a huge blind spot that I need help with: Teenage Fanclub.

I only know a few songs from my college radio days "Everything Flows" (awesome/great), "The Concept" & "Star Song" (very listenable/good) and then "What You Do To Me" which I get is like a Big Star homage but never really clicked with me.

OK so Everything Flows is off their 1st album A Catholic Education which is OK but kinda patchy

The other 3 songs you mention are from Bandwagonesque which is their 2nd album and usually thought of as their most "classic" album, so maybe go for that one first

After that I would recommend Grand Prix as their other "classic" album

scott please listen to mellon collie in full

i listened to let it bleed a few weeks ago for the first time and i was a bit surprised just how bluesy and rootsy it is (i'm really unfamiliar with the stones). really not my thing at all past "gimme shelter" and "you can't always get what you want"

Re: Teenage Fanclub, Songs from Northern Britain and Man-Made are just as good, they have a lot of great albums!

2nd time this morning I have seen mention of Larry Sparks, who I had never heard of before today

I've heard of him via Soulseek when I was downloading Sparks albums :) Ditto for Beachwood Sparks

I decided to listen to a Taylor Swift album for the first time, so I picked her first one. I thought it was good! I didn't think it was anything particularly special compared to my other favorite country albums in the last couple decades, but it's a good listen. The only other Taylor Swift I've really heard were a few of the inescapable singles, when I've had a chance to listen to anything escapable I escaped.

(also i don't think Radiohead had any cred at the time of CR,CR... unless you think "Creep" was influential lol)

Oh yeah, I meant this in an anachronistic sense, like it coincidentally reminded me of later Radiohead for a few bars.

Are you familiar with CAN? Please listen to Ege Bamyasi and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for the TFC recs everyone, I'll jam some later this afternoon.

You know Can has never clicked for me, even though I should love it on paper + I love Neu and other krautrock + I love Jaki and recently got super into his late period percussion ensemble Drums Off Chaos (highly recommended!). I had Ege Bamyasi on cd but honestly haven't heard it for, uh, over 15 years. I put Tago Mago on sometime in the last year but wasn't in the right headspace to really take it in. So I'll listen to both today.

Post-Damo Suzuki CAN doesn't get quite as much love, but I think it's just as worthwhile to check out, these albums are a bit more song focused and funky as opposed to the loose psychedelic jam vibes of the Damo years. I highly recommend Soon Over Babaluma, Landed, and Saw Delight.

Can - Ege Bamyasi

Ok Jaki sounds amazing on this so far. The sparseness of the kick drum in the busy funk on Pinch, the tightness and the jazz touch on the ride cymbal crashes on Sing Swan Song, so good.

Love the interlocking bass/keyboard groove in 7 on One More Night, and the knife scrapes. I know this isn't a fresh take, but I like the reverse of the usual focus, how the vocals act as a sort of textural element to add some variation to the music.

Vitamin C, of course I know this from samples.

Soup is funky, some crazy left hand snare business. Not as into the jam/freak out section but the tones are pretty insane for 1972.

I'm So Green is almost a little too normal? Although that kinda highlights the weirdness even more. There's the thinnest line separating this from terrible hippie jam nonsense (a little dissonance, a little danger, and Jaki?).

Spoon is a nice simmer, maybe the closest it gets to motorik? Cool beat. Seems like it could go on for another 7 minutes.

i kinda love all can. landed and saw delight are so amazing.

"scott please listen to mellon collie in full"

oh man i would have to be in a good mood. maybe though. ned won't see what i write, right? isn't he a big pumpkin guy? my youngest kid was telling me how he was enjoying a SP song and played it for me and it was luckily one of the earlier ones that was less histrionic. then we were at a used record store and he asked me if i would buy him a SP best-of cd and i said no. no i wouldn't. for an 18 year old he has amazing taste thanks to spotify. such a wide range of stuff that he likes.

ege bamyasi is really easy to love! its so cool. its one of a kind for sure.

Ok I'm moving on to those post-Damo records before going back to Tago Mago.

when i left home as a kid i moved to Philly and got a job at a Saladalley restaurant at the Bourse across from the Liberty Bell. it was a local 80s chain with a big salad bar. i didn't have much money or even a real place to live - this was 1988 - and i would go to 3rd Street Jazz once a week and buy one Can album until i had most of them. it was a better education than college would have been. they had nice new German Spoon reissues on vinyl back then.

when all is said and done, Tago Mago might be my fave Can album. but its hard to pick. i just don't pick usually. its easier that way.

'Soon Over Babaluma' is cool, it sounds amazing. Everything has a nicely restrained dynamic to it, and the grooves and drumming are less traditional (no snares, hardly a backbeat to be found), but some of the tracks have a more conventional 'jamming' arc that I don't love?

Listening to 'Saw Delight' now and I wasn't expecting the reggae/ska/almost highlife vibes on some tracks. Interesting how conventional the drumming is compared to those other records. 'Animal Waves' would be a good one for the weirdo dj night.

maybe it's too obvious as it was actually a hit but I Want More is my favourite post-Damo Can song, but I'm not that keen on Flow Motion as an album so maybe that's why nobody is mentioning it

then we were at a used record store and he asked me if i would buy him a SP best-of cd and i said no. no i wouldn't.

I would like to nominate scott for father of the year. You can make a difference people - start with your own kids!

xp Flow Motion is as good as the other post-Damo records mentioned above.

cosign on Flow Motion, I really like it

Soon Over Babaluma is imho the best Can album-as-album

I only first heard the later Can records thirty years after I heard the 1968 to 1974 run, and I guess my low expectations had been built up so long that I was surprised at how pleasant Flow Motion and Saw Delight were. If I had been a Can fan when they came out, my reactions might have been more critical.

I want more is my fav top of the pops performance ever