(September 2016) I have completed episode 96 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to an artist’s full discography. This edition: BOARDS OF CANADA. I prefer my ambient music without beats, but if you like them together, this outfit is for you.
Favorite album: The Campfire Headphase
Favorite song: Dayvan Cowboy
Compared to expectations: same
(September 2016) I have completed episode 95 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to an artist’s full discography. This edition: MIKE OLDFIELD. A pioneer of new age and world music, it would be a mistake to categorize his music through the banality and pretention that those genres are known for. In fact, his first three albums are true masterpieces — inventive, diverse rock symphonies. After a venture into forgettable pop music in the 1980s, he fully succumbs to new age drivel by the mid-1990s.
Favourite album: Ommadawn
Favourite song: Tubular Bells, part 1
Favourite Period: 1973-78
Worst Album: Earth Moving
Special sauce: Piltdown Man
Compared to expectations: ↓
(September 2016) I have completed episode 94 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to an artist’s full discography. This edition: ERIC CLAPTON (except the Yardbirds and Cream, which I did previously). While certainly deserving the Hall of Fame, I would rank him a couple notches below contemporaries who started in the 60s and continued until the present day (McCartney, Simon, Dylan, Bowie, Young) as his songwriting is relatively not as strong. For me, his songs provide the Sountrack to the 70s: Lay Down Sally, Cocaine, Wonderful Tonight, Let it Grow, Promises.
Favorite album: 461 Ocean Boulevard
Favorite song: The Core
Favorite Period: 1970-1977
Worst Album: Pilgrim*
Best late period album: Road to Escondido (with JJ Cale)
Compared to expectations: same
* Pilgrim (1998) was chosen as worst album because, at a time when his contemporaries were putting out return-to-form or innovative work (McCartney’s Flaming Pie, Dylan’s Time Out of Mind, Ringo’s Vertical Man, Bowie’s Earthling), Clapton recorded this bland adult contemporary light rock mush.
(August 2016) I have completed episode 93 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: FOO FIGHTERS. Accessible, clean hard rock. After a while, all the songs start to sound the same. But that first album is still kick-ass fun.
Favorite album: Foo Fighters
Favorite song: Monkey Wrench
Compared to expectations: ↓
(July 2016) I have completed episode 92 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: BIG STAR. Power pop perfection!
Favorite album: #1 Record
Favorite song: Try Again
Compared to expectations: same
(July 2016) I have completed episode 91 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to an artist’s full discography. This edition: THE YARDBIRDS. Known best as the launching pad for Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, they also had several hits (you would recognize more than you think). They helped build the bridge from R&B to psychadelic, but their constant lineup changes limited their ability to establish a signature sound.
Favourite album: Yardbirds (Roger the Engineer)
Favourite song: Heart Full of Soul
Compared to expectations: same
(July 2016) I have completed episode 90 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to an artist’s full discography. This edition: NEIL YOUNG. Always a huge fan, this review deepened my appreciation. Restlessly prolific (36 studio albums in 46 years), he has ranged from noise rock, folk, country, rockabilly, blues and synth pop. The one constant is that he always pursued what he wanted, not afraid to stick it to the record companies, big corporations and politicians. While there are plenty of forgettable releases, I find him at his best when he is quiet and intimate (Sugar Mountain, Comes a Time, Silver and Gold) or loud and gritty (Cinnamon Girl, Rust Never Sleeps, Greendale).
Favorite album: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Favorite song: Down By the River
Favorite period: 1969-75
Worst period: 1980-88
Worst album: Trans
Goes best with: Crazy Horse
Compared to expectations: ↑
(July 2016) I have completed phase 89 of my “opus project” in which I listen to the complete works of an artist. This episode: PHILIP GLASS, perhaps the greatest living composer. I am drawn to his early/mid minimalist work, although there is much to offer in the variety in his compositions, including in classic forms, vocal works, and film scores. I would be curious to see a scan of a person’s brain waves when he listens to Glass, because I sense it elicits a different emotional response than other forms of music; I can’t describe it.
Favorite album: Dancepieces
Favorite “song”: In the Upper Room Dance IX
Favorite Symphony: #3
Favorite opera: Akhenaten
Favorite soundtrack: Koyaanisqatsi
Favorite piece of severe minimalism: Music in Twelve Parts (his masterpiece, I would argue)
Compared to expectations: same
(June 2016) I have completed episode 88 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: TELEVISION. Glam proto-punk, or something like that. Give ’em a spin!
Favorite album: Marquee Moon
Favorite song: Marquee Moon
Compared to expectations: same
I have completed episode 87 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: CAKE. Sacramento’s finest rock and droll!
Favorite album: Fashion Nugget
Favorite song: The Distance
Compared to expectations: same
Opus Project 