Tag: folk rock

101. Jethro Tull

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(November 2016) I have completed episode 101 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to an band’s full discography. This edition: JETHRO TULL. I still adore their first five albums (plus the 10th) with their unique roguish blues/folks/prog rock sound. But beyond that, it gets tedious and unremarkable (I listen so you don’t have to).

Favorite album: Aqualung

Favorite song: To Cry You A Song

Worst album: Under Wraps

Best album cover by any band EVER: Thick as a Brick

Compared to expectations: same

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90. Neil Young

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(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: ↑

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82. The Byrds

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(April 2016) I have completed episode 82 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s complete discography. This edition: THE BYRDS. Very influential, first in the development of folk rock and jangle rock (want proof? listen to Revolver), and later in country rock (and on into the California Sound of the 1970s). Amazingly, they put out 12 albums in 8 years.

Favorite album: Mr. Tambourine Man

Favorite song: I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better

Worst Album (and title): Byrdmaniax

Compared to expectations:  same

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81. Crosby Stills & Nash (& Young)

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(April 2016) I have completed episode 81 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s complete discography. This edition: CROSBY STILLS & NASH (& YOUNG), plus CROSBY-NASH. Their first two albums are classics, so much so that my cassette tape wore thin back in the day. But there is no need to listen to anything after those. No one has gotten as much mileage off the fumes of a 1960s heyday as these guys (excepting Neil Young, who still brings it).

Favorite album: Crosby Stills & Nash

Favorite song: Helplessly Hoping

Worst Album: American Dream

Special sauce: Neil Young

Compared to expectations:↓

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79. Buffalo Springfield

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(March 2016) I have completed phase 79 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s complete discography. This edition: BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD. More than a launching pad for Neil Young and Stephen Stills, Buffalo Springfield made an indelible contribution to the explosion of music in the mid-1960s.

Favorite album: Buffalo Springfield Again
Favorite song: Mr. Soul .

Special sauce: Neil Young

Compared to expectations:  same

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54. Bob Dylan

~ ernopepper ~ 2 Comments

(July 2015) I have completed phase 54 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to an artist’s full discography from beginning to end. This episode: BOB DYLAN. This was a long one, some three dozen studio albums across a 5+ decade career. Lots in here to cherish, lots to forget, and plenty in between. He’ll inspire you and then he’ll bore you, but there is no doubt that Zimmerman is one of the premier songwriters ever.

Favorite album: Blonde on Blonde

Favorite song: Subterranean Homesick Blues

Favorite period: 1963-1966

Strong comeback: 1997-2006

Great song you’ve never heard: Nettie Moore

Least favorite period: the 1980s

Worst album: Self Portrait

The world could live without : Christmas in the Heart

Compared to expectations: same

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39. Jefferson Airplane

~ ernopepper ~ 1 Comment

(September 2014) I have completed phase 39 of my “opus project,’ in which I listen to a band’s discography from beginning to end. This episode: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE (but not Jefferson Starship or Starship).

 

I love the 1960s, San Francisco, and psychedelic music. But despite trying, I have not been able to love 1960s San Francisco psychedelic music. I prefer the British variety. But JA still offers some good stuff.

Favorite album: Surrealistic Pillow

Favorite song: Third Week in the Chelsea

Favorite member: Jorma Kaukonen

Hidden gem: the eclectic mix on side two of “Bark” — including “Third Week in the Chelsea,” “Never Argue With a German If You’re Tired or European Song,” and “Thunk”

Special sauce: Jorma Kaukonen

Compared to expectations: same

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