Is the album as an art form lost?

Post by **Dale** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 9:53 pm

I hate it, though, when an album I want to like just doesn't gel with me. So it goes with the latest Springsteen album. And the most recent Radiohead album. I've listened to both of those CDs a few times, all the way through, but found nothing memorable in either one, as much as I like both artists.

Dale

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 9:58 pm

DaleWisely wrote:
I used to really love those Roger Dean covers. The best known were the ones for Yes but the BEST ones were for a band called "Osibisa" which was an African Band with a bad-ass horn section. Those album covers by Roger Dean featured these gorgeous winged elephants.

I like those covers and albums too. The covers just aren't the same on CD.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 10:04 pm

Wombat wrote:
DaleWisely wrote:
I used to really love those Roger Dean covers. The best known were the ones for Yes but the BEST ones were for a band called "Osibisa" which was an African Band with a bad-ass horn section. Those album covers by Roger Dean featured these gorgeous winged elephants.

I like those covers and albums too. The covers just aren't the same on CD.

Yep! Bought the first one for the cover. Bought the next for the horn section.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 5:03 am

Sinéad O'Connor releases consistently good albums (I mean the actual albums, not best of or compilations types).

This is probably why she isn't very popular--it doesn't sell well.

chas · Post by **chas** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 5:42 am

Wormdiet wrote: XTC's Skylarking is one of the best "theme" albums ever. NOt just in my opinion, but as a scientifically proven fact

I think I'd have to go with something by the Moody Blues or Alan Parsons or Camel or Nektar.

Or possibly Tommy by the Who. Actually this post was just a DOH! post to say that I'd forgotten Tommy and Quadraphenia in a list of great double albums, although Quadraphenia isn't really to my taste. Tommy, in addition to being a great album has possibly the best drumming ever over a whole rock album. Drums as a melody instrument for 70 minutes -- remarkable.

djm · Post by **djm** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 6:53 am

Man, this is getting bad. You guys are bringing up all these old album memories. I can't think how many years its been since I listened to Quad or Tommy. What about Sgt. Pepper's, Magical Mystery Tour or Abbey Road for complete musical statements? Or All Things Must Pass, Dark Side of the Moon (the concept album of all time - in fact anything by PF)?

Enough of this! I'd better get some new Sam Roberts CDs or something ....

djm

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 8:39 am

djm wrote:Man, this is getting bad. You guys are bringing up all these old album memories. I can't think how many years its been since I listened to Quad or Tommy. What about Sgt. Pepper's, Magical Mystery Tour or Abbey Road for complete musical statements? Or All Things Must Pass, Dark Side of the Moon (the concept album of all time - in fact anything by PF)?

Enough of this! I'd better get some new Sam Roberts CDs or something ....

djm

Although we'd have plenty of disagreements, I bet we could come up with loads of great coherent single albums. The challenge was to come up with great doubles conceived originally as albums and even if you accept all our nominations, that still isn't many. I guess it would help to explain why few modern bands can fill a CD without including stuff we'd just as soon do without.

chas · Post by **chas** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 11:37 am

djm wrote:Man, this is getting bad. You guys are bringing up all these old album memories. I can't think how many years its been since I listened to Quad or Tommy. What about Sgt. Pepper's, Magical Mystery Tour or Abbey Road for complete musical statements? Or All Things Must Pass, Dark Side of the Moon (the concept album of all time - in fact anything by PF)?

Another big DOH!: Genesis, Lamb lies down on Broadway. A great concept album, a day in the life of Rael, imperial aerosol kid, and great from top to bottom.

Pink Floyd did a couple of pretty good double albums, including the one with "Several species of small furry animals gathered in a cave and grooving to a pict." (Was that Animals?) The Wall didn't do much for me, but did for a lot of people.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 11:57 am

Ummagumma
Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict

djm · Post by **djm** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 12:02 pm

Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast is still one of my favourites by PF.

Not on a double album, but the thread started out regarding the album, so I don't feel constrained to double-albums.

djm

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 12:08 pm

djm wrote:Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast is still one of my favourites by PF. Not on a double album, but the thread started out regarding the album, so I don't feel constrained to double-albums.

djm

Now there's something ya don't see everyday

djm explaining his lack of constraint

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 10:33 pm

djm wrote:Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast is still one of my favourites by PF. Not on a double album, but the thread started out regarding the album, so I don't feel constrained to double-albums.

djm

Nobody's constrained to do anything of course but since CDs are double album length and Susan was interested in why there are so few good ones that seemed like the best approach to explain the situation. A just thought of another superb double: Can's Tago Mago.

There are so many good, well integrated, single LPs many of the them collections of singles that sound as though they might have been conceived as albums: Howling Wolf's Rocking Chair album comes to mind here.

Here's a random list of single albums that strike me as very coherent and very good. Rock or rock related albums only.

Soft Machine — One
The Beatles — Rubber Soul; Revolver
Small Faces — Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
Stomu Yamashta — Red Buddha Theatre
Mothers of Invention — Absolutely Free
Bob Dylan — Highway 61 Revisted; Blood on the Tracks
The Band — Music From Big Pink
Van Morrison — Astral Weeks
The Specials — Self titled
Captain Beefheart — Lick My Decals Off
Byrds — Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Fairport Convention — Liege and Lief
Manfred Mann's Chapter III — First Album
Tom Rush — The Circle Game

Loads of others of course and most of the ones I mamed are pretty obvious.