45. Electric Warrior - T-Rex
44. Blue - Joni Mitchell
43. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
41. Histoire de Melody Nelson - Serge Gainsbourg(Fly 1971, Tony Visconti)
"I Danced My Self Into The Tomb", a line from the sublime "Cosmic Dancer" offers the perfect one sentence synopsis of Electric Warrior. As this record appears to be on a mission to dance, groove, and fuck its way to heaven. As the listener finds himself bombarded with luscious sexy beat, after luscious sexy beat. The lyricism may sound shallow, but the musician ship is anything but. The arrangements are surprisingly weighty and remarkably subtle. "Cosmic Dancer" feels like a great melodrama, remarkably, as the instrumentation swells you may actually find yourself being moved by this the silliest of tracks. While elsewhere the seemingly single groove and riffs combos are actually richly layered walls of noise that continue to grow in mass and potency until the explode into one great musical orgasm (seriously give "Jeepster" a closer listen). Of course at the centre of the LP is a raucous "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" but you'll find it playing second fiddle to the gloriously elusive "Monolith" or the bizarrely serious "Girl". Electric Warrior is one glorious mess of contradictions; it should be (and really is) a very silly Glam record full of cheap thrills and OTT sexuality, but it's ends up feeling like a smart, sassy, and complexly arranged masterpiece (one which effortless transcends Glam-rock's brief moment in time). Whatever the case Electric Warrior is one hell of a smoky, sexy, gorgeous record, and that cannot be denied.
(Reprise 1971, Joni Mitchell)
Blue is still the album that the majority of female singer songwriters aspire to. It really sets the template for the confessional, bare bones, my life is an open book LP. Mitchell has often said that she had nothing to hide at this point in her life. She was happy to lay everything down for the listener, and to just get it off her chest. More impressive, however, than Mitchell's sad tales are her piercing melodies. Her voice was always an underrated tool, when her vocal spikes it can really touch the listener deep inside. Her vocals just grab you on the comparatively lighthearted openers "All I Want" and "My Old Man". Her playing while subtly is still remarkable; using usual tunning allowed Mitchell to switch chords and sounds with great ease. This enables tracks to change both sonically and emotionally at any moment. At times Mitchell's melody and engaging playing can actually distract the listener from a track's emotion depths (You can forgiven for missing the sorry story of a little girl being put up for adoption on "Little Green"). "Blue" (what else) serves as the album's centrepiece, and the melancholy resigned flatness of Mitchell's delivery of the line "Lots Of Laughs, Lots Of Laughs" is just heart breaking. Blue's greatest success is ultimately its ability to be both engaging and miserable. Mitchell's arrangements and singing are so consistently vibrant that record is never allowed to become moribund. In the end, Blue is beautiful, smart, honest, complex, and more moving than you could ever imagine.
(Columbia 1970, Simon, Garfunkel & Halee)
We often talk about bands going out at the top of their game. This often refers to an early death like Curt Cobain or Jeff Buckley, or after a fractiously split (see The Smiths), but what we really mean is that these acts broke up in their prime. Not necessarily at the very top of their game, whereas we can legitimately say that the partnership of Simon & Garfunkel dissolved at its absolute apex; both creatively and commercially. Bridge Over Troubled Water wasn't only their biggest hit maker, it is widely regarded as their best album, and their moment of undisputed mainstream dominance. At the time it must of been hard to imagine that Paul Simon wanted to do more artistically, after all what could top this? Thirty-six minutes of the most beautiful pop folk music imaginable. It is no wonder the public bought this album in their millions, each track is somehow more charming than last (and that's no mean feat considering the album's title track is also its opener). "The Boxer" is subtly emotive without sacrificing it's direct accessibility, "Celcia" and "If I Could" are addictive pop of the highest order, and almost any track could have been released as a single. The sneaky lyricism of the Beatles apping "Baby Driver" along with the steadfast sorrow of the album's title track suggest the misery and unrest of the times without ever threatening to bring the mood down. Simply put Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of the greatest pop album's ever penned; irresistible, addictive, and oozing with soul and artistry, what else could you possibly ask for?
42. Neu! - Neu!
(Brain Records 1972, Conny Plank)
Neu! must have been insane. Seriously, Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother must have been certifiable. Who in their right mind would break from Kraftwerk? Who on earth in 1972 would suggest that Kraftwerk weren't creative enough, weren't daring enough, and weren't pushing the envelop far enough? Well Neu! did and against all the conventional wisdom in the world they were right. They took the best elements of Kraftwerk's early sound, and threw the gauntlet down with their brilliant self titled debut. Taking the harsh minimalist electronic structures and introducing driving rhythm. Giving the tracks genuine grooves and sense of propulsion; laying the foundation for thirty years of experimentation and the development of modern day electronica and anything that even vaguely described as indie disco. After all that's what Neu! were. At their best they created music that was fascinating, challenging but danceable at the same time. When all the coolest kids around the world heard "Hallogallo" they were floored; this was cool, this was beautiful, and this was something that they could all do themselves. Soon every band worth its salt would need a synth player, and soon Kraftwerk would have to pull their fingers out and respond. These were exciting times, this was creative warfare, this was true innovation, this was a glimpse into the future sound of popular music, and boy oh boy did we like it.
41. Histoire de Melody Nelson - Serge Gainsbourg(Philips 1971, Jean-Claude Desmarty)
The expression "dirty old man" is normally good for a giggle or a shudder, but when it comes to Histoire de Melody Nelson it feels strangely appropriate summation. Serge Gainsbourg always had the image of an old letch, smoky, dirty but somehow endearing, but on Histoire de Melody Nelson he kicked things up to a whole new level. The musical equivalent of Lolita, it feels as though the dirty but captivating old man is whispering softly in your ear. As if he's trying to ensnare a young nymph. The result is both strangely captivating but also unconformable, you feel both engaged and on edge. This sense of fractious tension is heighten by the gorgeous arrangements that stab and saw with an uneasy menace. At times the arrangements conjure images of chases and struggles as seen on the brilliant L'Hotel Particulier. Through the thick groovy arrangements, and amidst Serge's many lines and lamentations, is the consistent plea, or perhaps cry, of "Melody"; it has the bizarre air of a father, a lover and a threat all at once. It's certainly creepy stuff, but more often than not you'll find Histoire de Melody Nelson utterly irresistible, even if your left unsure whether you've just experienced love, lust, or rape.
