I roll with Ghost and cats that carry they toast

Continuing my trip up Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time...

#404 : Rapture - Anita Baker (1986)

Before releasing Rapture, her breakout album, Anita Baker spent months “going to every publishing house in Los Angeles” hunting for what she described as “fireside love songs with jazz overtones.” She found eight songs that satisfied her requirements and polished them until they gleamed, combining an unpredictability that hinted at jazz with reassuring, unimpeachable hooks to create an album of deep romantic intimacy that sounded like little else in Eighties pop but still went multiplatinum.

I can't claim to know a lot about Anita Baker, but I was aware of "Sweet Love" which, whilst it's much more my wife's cup of tea, I view as a great example of "that sort of thing" - so was expecting more of "that sort of thing" from this album.  And "that sort of thing" is exactly what she delivers.

And I find it hard to believe that too many people could really criticise this album - they may not like the style, but they'd grudgingly admit there's quality there.  It doesn't even feel too "samey" which feels like a trap it could easily fall into.  It's just smoooooth.

Anita is still hanging in there - despite having retired several times over the years.  One thing I did learn from WIkipedia is that this style of R&B is called "quiet storm" - which is a phrase I recognised from Sade's "Sweetest Taboo" but it originally comes from the title of a Smokey Robinson album.  So there you go!  "Customers also listened to" a load of other people I've never heard of, but the album covers suggest they're going for a very Anita Baker kinda thang.  I'm unlikely to listen to this album again (I'd pick Sade over this) but if it was on, I'd have no objections - that's the reasonable kinda guy I am.

#403 : Supreme Clientele - Ghostface Killah (2000)

“I feel like I got my whole style from Ghostface,” Kanye West has said. Lavishly unhinged and viciously hard-hitting, Ghostface Killah’s second solo album helped revive the Wu-Tang franchise, marinating lines like “Ghost is back, stretch Cadillacs, fruit cocktails/Hit the shelves at Paul’s pastry rack,” in serrated Seventies-soul samples. On “Nutmeg” he drops a mind-boxing cluster of psychedelic bullshit, then simply stands back during the chorus, letting the tape roll as he mocks all comers — an untouchable champ at the top of his game.

I'd heard of Mr Killah, but had no expectations which of the two rap sub-genres it would fit into (namely "rap I like" and "rap I don't like") - but if Kanye's a fan, then I felt he was in a good chance of being liked.  And yeah, I did - there's some strong lyrics clearly delivered over a range of strange noises, with some wacky interludes included for fun.  There were a couple of tracks that stood out for me, but I'm afraid I've been super-unprofessional and not noted down what they were - I think "We Made It" was one of them, will that do?  But it was a fun album and I suspect a relisten or two wouldn't hurt.

WIkipedia has a ton of facts on both him and the album but far and away the most amusing are that Ghostie's really name is Dennis (very street) and his kids are called Sun God, Supreme and Infinite (let's hope they don't grow up with inferiority complexes).  "Customers also listened to" Wu-Tang Clan which is kinda obvious - even my mum gets that link, although she's more of an Ol' Dirty Bastard fan.  I'm unlikely to put the effort in to listen to this the number of times it needs for full appreciation, but I enjoyed it at first listen so would be happy to hear it again.

#402 : Expensive Shit - Fela Kuti And Africa 70 (1975)

The title track is a 13-minute odyssey that epitomizes Nigerian funk king Fela Kuti’s knack for channeling fearless social commentary into body-moving grooves; the Africa 70 horns blare out infectious riffs as peerless drummer Tony Allen keeps up an indefatigable shuffling pulse, while Fela calls out the “fools” who would “use your shit to put you for jail.” Side Two’s “Water No Get Enemy” slows things down to a celebratory strut, concluding a short-yet-sweet effort that plays like a primer on the joys of Afrobeat.

I'm not a huge fan of African music, so wasn't expecting to get too much out of this album - but I was expecting to be able to find it.  Amazon Music kindly presented me with a short version of the album - which consisted of two versions of the title track, which seems excessively short to me (despite it being a 13 minute track).  I listened to it anyway and some random tracks from Fela's "best of" working on the assumption they've give me the general idea - and I actually quite liked it.

It's got a very strong (and very skilful) beat at its core and then various instruments work around that in generally quite a playful manner, which makes it sound as though a lot of fun is being had by all.  The tracks I listened to however tended to be, shall we say, somewhat lengthy - I must admit to having given up after the 100th 10 minute+ track (I might be exaggerating here).

Wikipedia gives an amusing anecdote about the album title - I assumed it was a comment on materialism, but no.  Apparently the Nigerian police planted a joint on him, but he managed to eat it before they got there - so they arrested him anyway and took him to the police station, waiting for him to do what would have been an "expensive shit".  His Wikipedia entry is extremely lengthy - he had an interesting life.  "Customers also listened to" a load of people I've never heard of - no major surprise there.  Overall, I enjoyed the sound, but thought it was the very definition of "too much of a good thing".

#401 : Blondie, Blondie (1977)

“We’re gonna shoot the tube!” Debbie Harry promises on “In the Sun,” hanging 10 on the Bowery. Blondie had a hard time getting taken seriously in the CBGB punk scene. But while the band’s debut celebrates Sixties rock & roll at its campiest — girl groups, garage trash, surf bubblegum — Harry’s heart-on-sleeve swoon during “In the Flesh “ sincerely updated the Shangri-Las for the Lower East Side circa 1977, and the gritty “Rip Her to Shreds” showed Blondie could get down with the tough guys, too.

Debbie Harry played Glasto one year I was there, and I wandered over out of interest - although I didn't get all that close because it was one of the biggest crowds I've ever seen there.  I didn't stay for long though and left completely intrigued because, how can I put this, she can't actually hold a note. I just put it down to her, shall we say, "advancing years" (she is 75, after all!) and wandered on my way reminiscing about 70s/80s Blondie (as did quite a few others).  So, it was great that this album gave me a chance to revisit 70s Blondie for the real deal...

...woah, hold on a minute.  SHE COULDN"T SING BACK THEN EITHER!!!  How did I not know this?!?  To be fair, this album wasn't on Amazon Music so I had to kinda recreate it, but most of the tracks were available on one of the million Blondie Greatest Hits albums out there and they were distinctly average.  The other tracks were available on live albums - and they were even worse...

WIkipedia has virtually nothing to say about the album and a million things to say about the group - let's just say they've had their issues over the years.  "Customers also listened to" Joan Jett and Pat Benatar - I guess some people like a strong female singer.  But this album was very much not for me - I'll stick to the best of the best of Blondie (which is about 3 tracks, I think).

4 albums this time around to round off the first 100 (which I'll do a review of at some point) but the winner of this round comes down to either Anita or Ghostface - both fine albums which can't be compared in any way whatsoever.  So I'm giving it to Ghostface because I'll be more likely to listen to that one again. Maybe.

#407-405 - Not a good selection
Pause - 20% of the way there