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50 Albums you must hear before you buy a house (10): 5-1

First of all a happy new year to all the loyal and less loyal readers of albumblog. I wish you all a lot of listening pleasure in the new year and hope that all your future discoveries may come true. Let’s give everybody a push in the right direction by presenting you the absolute best albums you should hear before you buy a house:

RKH:

1. Genesis – Selling England by the Pound (1973)
2. Beatles – Revolver (1966)
3. The Band – The Band (1969)
4. Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
5. Guided By Voices – Alien Lanes (1995)

GvZ:

1. Genesis – Selling England by the Pound (1973)
2. Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
3. Beatles – Revolver (1966)
4. The Band – The Band (1969)
5. Moody Blues – In Search of the Lost Chord (1968)

Although we witnessed two quite different lists in general from our music professors, it was already noticed last time that the similarities grew as we proceeded to the top of the lists. The absolute top perfectly demonstrates this trend, as 3 out of 5 albums are the same. Mister Hofmeijer starts with a surprise on #5, presenting his idol Robert Pollard and his band. This is of course a true landmark album as  something like playing 28 songs within 40 minutes using your own toilet as a studio was never performed again afterwards. Mister van Zwanendonk’s #5 was earlier to be found on #17 in his list, just like Kid A appeared earlier on #21 in the  first ones list.

The legendary brown album The Band from the Canadian rockers of the same name can be found on #4 and #3, and is best served on a dark Greek beach before some casual nightswimming, with only the stars above you to accompany the pure Americana sounds coming out of your speakers. Both professors also rate Revolver as the best of four listed Beatles albums, on #3 and #2. Lennon, McCartney as well as Harrison are maximally showing off their songwriting capabilities on this album, which makes the album so diverse and at the same time so homogenous concerning the quality of each song separately. An album that is totally ignored by mister Hofmeijer is The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967, added to the poll), runner-up in van Zwanendonk’s list. Let’s not mention the fact that the album was influential, that remark being both boring and redundant, but let’s say that this album is just loaded with brilliant songs.

Both lists are topped by Genesis‘ 1973 masterpiece Selling England by the Pound. I think there’s no explanation needed here if you’ve ever heard this. If you haven’t, just don’t buy a house. At least not one with its own lawn.

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50 Albums you must hear before you buy a house (9): 10-6

We can see the end of the year now, just like the absolute top of our lists looms up slowly. Entering the top 10, the lists of both music professors finally start to display some resemblances. Let’s have a look at some of the last albums you have to dig through before signing that contract of your new house:

RKH:

6. Paul Simon – Graceland (1986)
7. Brian Wilson – SMiLE (2004)
8. Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)
9. Paul McCartney & Wings – Band on the Run (1973)
10. Lee Hazlewood – Cowboy in Sweden (1970)

GvZ:

6. Paul Simon – Graceland (1986)
7. Paul McCartney & Wings – Band on the Run (1973)
8. Panda Bear – Person Pitch (2007)
9. Beatles – Rubber Soul (1965)
10. Jefferson Airplane – Surrealistic Pillow (1967)

Something that immediately stands out is the fact that both lists are topped by Mister Simon’s Graceland. This fantastic album full of melody and fascinating little stories has already become a true classic throughout the years and is best served on a Greek beach full of second hand beer salesmen. Another album that appears in both lists is Paul McCartney’s Band on the Run. Three years after the dissolution of the Beatles, Macca (just like Simon would do 13 years later to record Graceland) went to Africa to make the most successful (at least commercially) album of an ex-Beatle. It goes without saying that both albums are absolute must haves in your record collection.

McCartney is represented two more times this week, together with his three former buddies. Mister Hofmeijer presents Abbey Road on #8 (earlier to be found at GvZ’s #11), while mister van Zwanendonk presents his third Fab Four album at #9 with Rubber Soul (RKH: #21). Two other albums that were met earlier are SMiLE (GvZ: #14) and Person Pitch (RKH: #39). What remains are the two number tens. Mister Hofmeijer offers this spot to his personal idol Lee Hazlewood, who he is trying to become since he first saw him. Meanwhile, mister van Zwanendonk gives you a Surrealistic Pillow to spend the holidays with, as psychedelic distorted guitars and westcoast vocal harmonies were never fused together better than on this 1967 classic, which is of course added to the poll. See you next time for the final end of the lists!

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50 Albums you must hear before you buy a house (8): 15-11

Since the world did not explode for no reason this morning, we continue with our lists of all-time best albums. As the year approaches its end, we approach the absolute top of those lists, presenting #15-11. Mister Hofmeijer brings along his seventies record collection, while mister van Zwanendonk presents you the record that can ultimately give meaning to your dark winter weekend, Genesis’ Lamb:

RKH:

11. Bob Dylan – Desire (1976)
12. Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On (1971)
13. Talking Heads – Remain in Light (1980)
14. Electric Light Orchestra – Out of the Blue  (1977)
15. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977)

GvZ:

11. Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)
12. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)
13. Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)
14. Brian Wilson – SMiLE (2004)
15. Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)

Hofmeijer first offers Rumours, a perfect album to listen to while playing some cards, for example on the terrace of your private appartment in the middle of a Greek beach. After that we fly to the planet of joy with the Electric Light Orchestra once again (GvZ: #16) in the same year. Another album we met earlier (GvZ: #36) is Talking Heads’ masterpiece Remain In Light, an album you can talk about during a complete holiday without even playing it, can you figure.

While I’m still wondering what’s going on on #12, you can notice his second Dylan album on top. This is truly one of his favorites, as he personally brought his Desire to Poland to satisfy it right there. Well known for being a huge fan of  Blood On The Tracks, we may even expect that this is not the last Dylan album in his list.

Having a look at the other list, we meet the best friend of your headphones: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. Feel free to experience the melody rollercoaster yourself while listening to the adventures of Rael, right here. The next one perfectly illustrates that the masterpieces are following one after another now; it was all worth it, Brian. In Rainbows is the third Radiohead album in this list, and was found earlier at Hofmeijer’s one  (#22). Another band delivering his third album is Pink Floyd with one of rock’s true classics. The end of this week is symbolically illustrated by the end of the Fab Four on #11, but I’m sure we’ll see them again very soon. Have a nice weekend and keep the end of the end in mind:
And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

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50 Albums you must hear before you buy a house (7): 20-16

We continue with our list today, having another ten splendid albums to fill your cold winter evenings with. Some big all-time classics are delivered by mister Hofmeijer while mister van Zwanendonk gives you the opportunity to complete your prog collection further.

RKH:

16. Van Morrison – Astral Weeks (1968)
17. The Moody Blues – In Search of the Lost Chord (1968)
18. Eagles – Hotel California (1976)
19. The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (1966)
20. Prince – Purple Rain (1984)

GvZ:

16. Electric Light Orchestra – Out of the Blue (1977)
17. Pink Floyd – Atom Heart Mother (1970)
18. King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)
19. The Move – Shazam (1970)
20. Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

Hofmeijer starts with a little fetish on #20, after which two absolute Westcoast classics follow, Pet Sounds and Hotel California respectively. Both albums go together well with eating a Greek souflaki, or even better with thinking about eating a souflaki while you’re sitting in a hot van. The list is topped by two 1968 classics, with an absolute masterpiece at #17 and an album we found earlier in the other list at #41.

The only common album in van Zwanendonk’s part also appeared on #41 in the opposite list, more precisely Dark Side of the Moon. Other absolute prog classics can be found on 17 and 18, with Floyd’s heavily orchestrated Atom Heart Mother and the epic In the Court of the Crimson King. Also from 1970: the magnificent second album from The Move, one of the greatest British sixties bands that was never successful overseas. These guys started covering songs from The Byrds, and while the typical sixties pop sound still can be heard on this album, the band is already moving towards something different with longer and more complex compositions. That something different would end up to be Electric Light Orchestra, after Jeff Lynne joined the band. Their ultimate pop explosion of happiness can be found on #16.

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50 Albums you must hear before you buy a house (6): 25-21

Although not everybody seems to get the cryptical goal of our list, to be sure that you have listened to a certain 50 albums before you buy a house, we continue today with the upper half of the list. Remarkably, the first part of this half is totally dominated by the year 1970, scoring not less than 5/10. Even more remarkable is that Cat Stevens is represented by two different albums from that same year, Tea for the Tillerman (RKH #25) and Mona Bone Jakon (GvZ #23). Also Radiohead is represented by two different albums, both being the second album from the band in each list till now, after OK Computer:

RKH:

21. The Beatles – Rubber Soul(1965)
22. Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)
23. CSNY – Déjà Vu (1970)
24. John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band (1970)
25. Cat Stevens – Tea for the Tillerman (1970)

GvZ:

21. Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
22. Fleetwood Mac – Bare Trees (1972)
23. Cat Stevens – Mona Bone Jakon (1970)
24. Santana – Abraxas (1970)
25. Cream – Disraeli Gears (1967)

RKH also delivers his second Beatles album with the magnificent Rubber Soul, the reincarnation of the Fab Four. Déjà-Vu and Plastic Ono Band are both albums we found earlier in GvZ’s list at #39 and #44 respectively. In that list Abraxas was earlier found at RKH on #34, and together with Disraeli Gears (added to the 1967 poll), they form an excellent couple of albums to cross the Greek mountains, whether or not you’re thinking about buying a house. More epic vinyl next time.

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50 Albums you must hear before you buy a house (5): 30-26

Contributed by RKH
BLASPHEMY!

We’re halfway now in our trip to find out what albums are regarded fundamentally important before becoming an house-owner. And frankly, these lists from our two professors couldn’t be further apart at this point.

RKH:

26. DJ Shadow – Endtroducing….. (1996)
27. Patti Smith – Horses (1975)
28. Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)
29. Grateful Dead – Workingman’s Dead (1970)
30. Radiohead – OK Computer (1997)

GvZ:

26. The Byrds –  The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968)
27. Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
28. Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde (1966)
29. Traveling Wilburys – Vol.1 (1988)
30. Simon&Garfunkel – Bridge over Troubled Waters (1970)

Dr. RKH shows an almost insulting disregard for the sixties and appears to have some unexplainable fetish with the nineties this week. Granted, albums like OK Computer and Entroducing….. are hallmark albums who gave music a new direction; hell, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is even featured in the design of this website! But still, Dr. GvZ is deeply disappointed in his colleague, especially because he already admitted to -spoilers!- not including The Notorious Byrd Brothers in his list. He even spoke words of blasphemy.