Sinking low and so am i

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

#428 : New Day Rising - Hüsker Dü (1985)

These three Minneapolis dudes played savagely emotional hardcore punk that became a key influence on Nirvana, among others (Hüsker Dü guitarist Bob Mould was an early candidate to produce Nevermind, before the job went to Butch Vig). Mould and the band created a roar like garbage trucks trying to sing Beach Boys songs, especially on the anthems “Celebrated Summer” and “Perfect Example,” and on the wondrous “Books About UFOs,” drummer Grant Hart gets on the piano and plunks out a jaunty love song to an amateur astronomer.

I vaguely remembered Hüsker Dü and I vaguely remember not liking them.  And when I listened to a whole album's worth of their stuff, this vague recollection quickly crystallised into actually not liking them.  All it really is a load of noise - although I do believe that there's some skill involved here and they are making the noise the want to make.  And for one or two tracks, I kinda got into the noise - but for 15 tracks?  Please make it stop...

"Amusingly", Wikipedia informs me that this album "continued the move away from the fast hardcore punk of the band's earliest releases toward slower, more melodic material.".  If this is more melodic, then I hate to imagine what the earlier albums sound like - and I can assure you that I will be making no attempt to find out.  "Customers also listened to" Minutemen and The Replacements - which is useful because I now know to avoid these groups at all costs.  And that's all I have to say on this album.

#427 : Call Me - Al Green (1973)

Green was absolutely fearless at this point, an innovator willing to try any crazy idea — country ballads, jazz chords, even a gospel tune. Producer Willie Mitchell and his studio band of virtuoso Memphis R&B pros create the sultriest grooves south of the Mason-Dixon line. Green testifies to the glories of love in “Call Me” and “Have You Been Making Out O.K.” When he reaches up for that falsetto growl at the end of “Your Love Is Like the Morning Sun,” it’s like he’s bringing down the sugar walls of Jericho.

We've already had Al Green's greatest hits (here) and I was somewhat underwhelmed, so what hope did this have?  Somewhat surprisingly, I actually enjoyed it more - maybe I was just more in the mood for it or maybe I'd been grumpy because I didn't think they should be including greatest hits albums in the list!  Whatever the reason, it seemed a better collection of tracks and I found myself getting into it.  Obviously, I'll never bother revisiting it, but I don't feel the need to be rude about it.

What I do feel the need to be rude about is Rolling Stone using the phrase "bringing down the sugar walls of Jericho" - what does that even mean?  Nonsense, I tell you!  "Customers also listened to" Disclosure apparently - which seems a particularly random connection until I listened to that particular Disclosure track, which heavily samples Al Green.  So, to sum up, this album was a pleasant surprise and his music has somewhat redeemed itself, even if he still sounds like a most unpleasant man.

#426 : Lucinda Williams - Lucinda Williams (1988)

In 1988, this album didn’t make sense. It was twangy, but it wasn’t country. It rocked, but it wasn’t rock. It was blue, but wasn’t the blues. Williams hadn’t released an album in eight years, perhaps worn down by the lack of attention her music received. That began to change with this self-titled LP, recorded with a taut three-piece band. Her consistent theme is longing (“I Just Wanted to See You So Bad,” “Passionate Kisses”), but there’s also defiance and desperation in “Changed the Locks,” later covered by Tom Petty.

Another US singer I'm vaguely aware of and just assumed they're a country singer - and I was in the right ballpark at least.  As Wikipedia puts it "The L.A. people said, 'It's too country for rock.' The Nashville people said, 'It's too rock for country.'" and I can certainly see where they're coming from.  It's probably best to describe it as "female singer-songwriter" because we know I'll like it then - and I pretty much did.  No particular track leaped out at me (maybe "Big Red Sun Blues") but I liked her voice, nodded along to most of the tracks and suspect it would be a grower if given a chance.

The main thing I took away from Wikipedia was that the guitar player on this album is called Gurf Morlix, which is just the best name ever.  Apparently, Lucinda Williams went on to big things following on from this album - we'll have to wait and see whether she pops up again in the list, but I'm tempted to investigate her back catalogue a bit further as a result of this album.

And she's certainly done enough to win this round - well done, Lucinda!

#431-429 - An enjoyable selection
#425-423 - Your choice is folk or quirk