79. Electric Music for the Mind and Body

Electric Music for the Mind and Body
Country Joe and The Fish
1967

Tracks
1. Flying High
2. Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine
3. Death Sound Blues
4. Porpoise Mouth
5. Section 43
6. Super Bird
7. Sad And Lonely Times
8. Love
9. Bass Strings
10. Masked Marauder
11. Grace

Amanda: I am in a really good mood tonight.  Modern Family, Survivor, Psych, and pizza!  What more can a girl ask for (several hundred things just popped into my head)?  You have probably heard that this album is really trippy.  You don't need to be on LSD to enjoy it though.  As far as psychadelic rock goes, I found this album tame, although the song "Super Bird" is pretty wild.  This song just bags on Lyndon B. Johnson, who my dad really likes (though not as much as Regan).  I appreciate the liberal propaganda in this album.  In a high school world studies class, I was one of two people in all of Mr. Landsberg's classes to be in the -10 to -5 range on the political spectrum (the other guy was a communist).  Definitely worth a listen.

RATING:

  Brie: I, too, am very liberal (farther left than Gandhi). Love a good protest album. There is something for everyone on this album; blues, folk, rock, psychedelic, it's all good. The only complaint I have is that "Section 43" went on forever. Electric Music for the Mind and Body could be considered a large component of the Summer of Love soundtrack and the theme for the hippie generation. I have live albums from Woodstock, and the Country Joe and the Fish songs are incredible. They played "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine". This album is definitely an essential for anybody's music collection. I have to agree with Amanda that it seemed kind of tame as far as psychedelic rock goes, but that is probably just because I've heard Jimi Hendrix.  
RATING:

78. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles
1967

Tracks
1. Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. With A Little Help From My Friends
3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
4. Getting Better
5. Fixing A Hole
6. She's Leaving Home
7. Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite
8. Within You Without You
9. When I'm Sixty Four
10. Lovely Rita
11. Good Morning Good Morning
12. Day In The Life
Amanda: The pressure is on to like this album!  Even people who aren't die hard Beatles fans love this one.  Frankly, I would fear for my life if I had never heard of this album, and I am so relieved that I finally listened to it from start to finish.  Other internet bloggers are scary when it comes to this stuff!

That being said, this album is hard not to love.  I can't really point to a single track that has a notable flaw nor can I point to a favorite track because they are all so fucking fantastic.  The vocal harmonies are perfected and the lyrics are genius.  I love The Beatles no matter what year we look at but I can still admit they really have evolved since With the Beatles.  You can tell they have gotten more mature and thoughtful.  I love my boys.

RATING:  (you counted correctly)

VOTE BEATLES!

Brie: Sgt. Pepper's is definitely an improvement from With The Beatles. I'd have to say that it is my favorite Beatles album we have listened to so far. I think it is also the most extravagant Beatles album ever. My favorite tracks were "With A Little Help From My Friends" and "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds". I have a friend who hates the Beatles. And when I asked her why her reasoning was "Well, John Lennon wrote 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' and it's about LSD". That was all she could come up with. Come on, at least I have better arguments. However, I really enjoyed this album and plan to add it to my iPod. I don't think the Beatles were the greatest group ever, though. Sure, they were revolutionary and all that jazz, I just can't connect with them in the same way that I do with other artists. I was more touched by Nico's album than this.

RATING:

77. Chelsea Girl

Chelsea Girl
Nico
1967

Tracks
1. Fairest Of The Seasons
2. These Days
3. Little Sister
4. Winter Song
5. It Was A Pleasure Then
6. Chelsea Girl
7. I'll Keep It With Mine
8. Somewhere There's A Feather
9. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away)
10. Eulogy To Lenny Bruce

Amanda: I have officially joined Nico's team.

I can see why a lot of people love her and I can also see why people would hate her.  But, yes, I am a Nico supporter.  And no, it is not just because I thought The Royal Tenebaums was a really good movie (anyone get the reference?).  Even people that dislike her unusual voice must admit that the song lyrics and melodies are beautiful.  "Winter Song" and "Fairest of all the Seasons" are unlike anything I have ever heard before. I admit her voice takes some getting used to.  At first, you are like "why is this woman singing?" but as the album progresses it becomes more and more apparent that everything just works.  Truly an amazing experience.

RATING:

Brie: I was familiar with Nico from her work with the Velvet Underground, but I wasn't really a big fan until I heard this album. "Chelsea Girl" is truly a masterpiece. I guess you either love or hate her voice, but I love it. And the music was just incredible! It was pop-folk with strings and flutes. It is very difficult to describe how amazing "Chelsea Girl" is, so you will just have to listen to it. :)
I loved the line in "Fairest Of The Seasons" that goes "Do I stay or do I go and do I have to do just one". Joy Division also did a pretty cool cover of "These Days". Ever once in a while a song comes along that changes me, and changes my way of thinking or my perception. Right now, "These Days" is that song. There is this great line that goes "Please don't confront me with my failures, I have not forgotten them". Breathtaking. "Little Sister", "Winter Song", "It Was A Pleasure Then", "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams" and "Chelsea Girls" are all at the end of The Velvet Underground & Nico album. "Chelsea Girls" was composed by the members of the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, John Cale and Sterling Morrison, and offered a detailed account of life at Andy Warhol's Factory. *Sighs dreamily*. You should have seen my face when I realized that there was a Bob Dylan song on here. :) I loved Nico's version of "I'll Keep It With Mine", and I usually don't like covers of Bob's songs.

RATING:

76. Beach Samba

Beach Samba
Astrud Gilberto
1967!!!!!!

Tracks
1. Stay
2. Misty Roses
3. Face I Love
4. Banda
5. Oba, Oba
6. Canoeiro
7. I Had the Craziest Dream
8. Bossa Na Praia
9. My Foolish Heart
10. Dia das Rosas
11. You Didn't Have to Be So Nice
12. Não Bate O Coração

Amanda: I just read a review of this album from a guy I really respect and he completely trashed it.  He also said that it was lounge music for the braindead.  This kind of sucks, because I was going to say it was nice lounge music.  Wait...

Well, whatever, I liked it.  I cannot speak Portugese so in some of the songs she could have being saying anything she wanted.  I found her voice very soothing and the duet was adorable.  I really liked the track "Dia das Rosas" (which I think means I Think of You).  I mean, I would lose instantly in an argument against the actual merit of this album (just like I lose my Dan Brown arguments) but make it your guilty pleasure album!

RATING:

Brie: I for one thought Beach Samba was kind of mediocre. It was 'hotel lobby' music.There were some highlights, such as "Stay" and "Dia das Rosas". Astrud Gilberto has such a beautiful voice. I do not know why this album of hers was chosen to be in our book, because she made much better music. I find it hard to listen to music in languages which I do not understand, so that might have contributed to my not liking this album.

Observation: Every Portugese/Brazilian album in our 1001 Albums book got really bad reviews from people who speak Portugese.

RATING:

75. Wild is the Wind

Wild is the Wind
Nina Simone
1966 (will 1966 ever end?!?!)

Tracks
1. I Love Your Lovin' Ways
2. Four Women
3. What More Can I Say
4. Lilac Wine
5. That's All I Ask
6. Break Down And Let It All Out
7. Why Keep On Breaking My Heart
8. Wild Is The Wind
9. Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Hair
10. If I Should Lose You
11. Either Way I Lose

Amanda: This is one of those albums that the book feels like it must defend, and that always makes me nervous.  Apparently, a lot of people dislike this album because of its inconsistencies.  Simone bounces from genre to genre as if she was challenged to touch on as many as possible.  I didn't mind that so much; her voice is what annoyed me.  I usually like a voice that is different but her's was like a mix of a man's and a woman's.  I didn't feel like it fit the songs.  None of the tracks really stood out for me either.  I liked the message of "Four Women" but hated the melody. I did really like "What More Can I Say" but this didn't make up for the rest of the album. This was disappointing, because we haven't listened to a woman in a really long time and I was looking forward to it.  Oh well, we can try again tomorrow.

RATING:

The piano was pretty beautiful.

Brie: Man, this is the first women artist we have had in what seems like forever!!! I went back through the book and the last female singers were in the Mamas and the Papas (if that counts). And if you don't count them, it goes back two years in 1964 with Dusty Springfield. Egads! We need some more representation!
Onto the review. I really wish Nina Simone would stick to one style/concept per album. Now, I realize that this album is a compilation, but all of her albums were like that. Nina was so indecisive; she experimented with jazz, broadway, gospel, folk, and pop music. Her voice takes a few minutes to get used to, but after that I decided that her voice has a lot of character and is very expressive. I really loved "Four Women". Jeff Buckley does an amazing cover of her song "Lilac Wine", which I absolutely recommend. "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair" was another one of my favorites. Those were pretty much the only highlights for me.

On the plus side, though, Nina did a lot of awesome Bob Dylan covers. (See below.)

RATING:

74. The Yardbirds

The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
1966

Tracks
1. Lost Woman
2. Over, Under, Sideways, Down
3. The Nazz Are Blue
4. I Can't Make Your Way
5. Rack My Mind
6. Farewell
7. Hot House Of Omagarashid
8. Jeff's Boogie
9. He's Always There
10. Turn Into Earth
11. What Do You Want
12. Ever Since The World Began
13. Psycho Dasies

Amanda: It is 6:56 in the morning right now.  On a Saturday.  I am sitting here waiting for my best friend Mara to get here so that we can commute together.  She is coming at 7:15 so I figure I have time for this.

So The Yardbirds! I started this album last night but my sister is visiting so I got a little off track.  These guys are fun.  I mean, I am not saying they are the most talented or entertaining band I have ever heard, but they were still enjoyable (deja vu; did I say this already?).  I can't really remember the tunes to any of their songs.  I think I liked the second track just because it was pretty familar.  I hadn't ever heard of The Yardbirds before this though.

Sidenote: this album is really short; the songs are like two and half minutes each.  Which means I still have time!  I should go finish Queen Christina...

RATING:

Brie: The Yardbirds recorded this album after Eric Clapton left them. And let me just say that they certainly were better off without him. Clapton was replaced by Jeff Beck. Now, I am not going to pretend that I am an expert on guitar players or anything, but I liked Beck's work a lot better than Clapton's. This album is kind of hard to describe; it has a punky 80s feel (Joy Division-esque) with a splash of blues and psychedelia. The Yardbirds also sounded like a jam band at times. I came across another one of their albums while reading about this one online: Live at BB King Blues Club. The album is such fun to listen to, you will get lost in the awesomeness of Jeff Beck. The only song I felt was out of place was "Turn Into Earth" which had something resembling monks chanting. Kind of bizarre.

RATING: