poisoned rose
2008-06-30 19:12:05 UTC
http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/15327933
Stumbled upon this yesterday, while looking for something else.
Nothing too controversial about this list (especially since it's unranked), but I do gotta wonder
about including the Serpent Power (who??) at the expense of other pop/rock staples including three
Monkees records, Their Satanic Majesties Request, the Mothers' Absolutely Free and Captain
Beefheart's Safe as Milk. And if blues albums are fair game (see Mississippi John Hurt), where is
Magic Sam's legendary West Side Soul?
(My own personal bent would dictate substituting some quirkier items such as Nico/Chelsea Girl,
Love/Da Capo, the Merry-Go-Round's debut, Morton Subotnick/Silver Apples of the Moon, the Lovin'
Spoonful/Everything Playing, the Incredible String Band's second album and a couple of jazz records.
But that's just me.)
Anyone heard the Serpent Power? The AllMusic soundclips sound dated, but not too bad. Kinda like
Jefferson Airplane in their early folk-rock phase, plus tinny Ray Manzarek organ? Though I bet the
13-minute track is a chore to sit through.
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hjfuxqugldfe
The peculiar Serpent Power pick makes me wonder if this list was composed back in the '60s, rather
than assembled with hindsight in recent times. (Though the accompanying blurbs are obviously more
contemporary.)
Further notes on the text:
1. I like the description of "Something Happened to Me Yesterday" as "the Stones' drollest
odd-track-out ever."
2. I might not have heard before that Jerry Garcia was responsible for the title "Surrealistic
Pillow." Maybe I've just forgotten.
3. The Grateful Dead's debut has a user rating of one star! Heh.
4. I didn't know "the Fish" in Country Joe & the Fish was a Mao Tse-Tung allusion. Says Wikipedia:
"...'the fish' refers to Mao Tse-Tung's statement that the true revolutionary must 'swim among the
people as a fish.'"
5. I also didn't know Arlo Guthrie re-recorded the entire Alice's Restaurant album in 1997. That's a
little...pathetic.
6. Also didn't know Days of Future Passed came in the aftermath of the Moodies being asked to record
an adaptation of Dvorak's Ninth Symphony. Strange.
7. Twenty-three (complete?) takes for Tim Buckley's "I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain," including
band!
8. A bit irked by the "sappy" description of "Fool on the Hill," but the "Flying"/Beck comparison is
interesting.
9. A bit irked by the passive-aggressive jabs aimed at Love's Forever Changes. I'd agree that it's
slightly overrated by the "lost masterpiece!" sect, but "lionized beyond all reason" and "occult
folderol" seem a bit strong. "Somewhat fussy" and lyrically "obscure"...OK, maybe.
10. Wow...was Wild Honey really only 24 minutes? Having it on CD as a two-fer plus bonus tracks, I
never noticed this before.
11. By general standards, I'd say Band of Gypsies easily tops Axis: Bold as Love as Hendrix's "most
overlooked album." Didn't know Hendrix lost the original side-one mixes in a taxi, though. Nice one!
Stumbled upon this yesterday, while looking for something else.
Nothing too controversial about this list (especially since it's unranked), but I do gotta wonder
about including the Serpent Power (who??) at the expense of other pop/rock staples including three
Monkees records, Their Satanic Majesties Request, the Mothers' Absolutely Free and Captain
Beefheart's Safe as Milk. And if blues albums are fair game (see Mississippi John Hurt), where is
Magic Sam's legendary West Side Soul?
(My own personal bent would dictate substituting some quirkier items such as Nico/Chelsea Girl,
Love/Da Capo, the Merry-Go-Round's debut, Morton Subotnick/Silver Apples of the Moon, the Lovin'
Spoonful/Everything Playing, the Incredible String Band's second album and a couple of jazz records.
But that's just me.)
Anyone heard the Serpent Power? The AllMusic soundclips sound dated, but not too bad. Kinda like
Jefferson Airplane in their early folk-rock phase, plus tinny Ray Manzarek organ? Though I bet the
13-minute track is a chore to sit through.
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hjfuxqugldfe
The peculiar Serpent Power pick makes me wonder if this list was composed back in the '60s, rather
than assembled with hindsight in recent times. (Though the accompanying blurbs are obviously more
contemporary.)
Further notes on the text:
1. I like the description of "Something Happened to Me Yesterday" as "the Stones' drollest
odd-track-out ever."
2. I might not have heard before that Jerry Garcia was responsible for the title "Surrealistic
Pillow." Maybe I've just forgotten.
3. The Grateful Dead's debut has a user rating of one star! Heh.
4. I didn't know "the Fish" in Country Joe & the Fish was a Mao Tse-Tung allusion. Says Wikipedia:
"...'the fish' refers to Mao Tse-Tung's statement that the true revolutionary must 'swim among the
people as a fish.'"
5. I also didn't know Arlo Guthrie re-recorded the entire Alice's Restaurant album in 1997. That's a
little...pathetic.
6. Also didn't know Days of Future Passed came in the aftermath of the Moodies being asked to record
an adaptation of Dvorak's Ninth Symphony. Strange.
7. Twenty-three (complete?) takes for Tim Buckley's "I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain," including
band!
8. A bit irked by the "sappy" description of "Fool on the Hill," but the "Flying"/Beck comparison is
interesting.
9. A bit irked by the passive-aggressive jabs aimed at Love's Forever Changes. I'd agree that it's
slightly overrated by the "lost masterpiece!" sect, but "lionized beyond all reason" and "occult
folderol" seem a bit strong. "Somewhat fussy" and lyrically "obscure"...OK, maybe.
10. Wow...was Wild Honey really only 24 minutes? Having it on CD as a two-fer plus bonus tracks, I
never noticed this before.
11. By general standards, I'd say Band of Gypsies easily tops Axis: Bold as Love as Hendrix's "most
overlooked album." Didn't know Hendrix lost the original side-one mixes in a taxi, though. Nice one!