Temperature's dropping at the rotten oasis

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

#425 : Paul Simon - Paul Simon (1972)

Simon’s first solo effort after the breakup of Simon & Garfunkel had plenty to prove, and it did, with a tour de force of songcraft, virtuosic guitar picking, upper-register vocal dazzle, and vivid storytelling about sex (“Duncan”), politics (“Peace Like a River”), and everyday life in New York (“Paranoia Blues”). The album also laid a blueprint for the fluid international fusion Simon explored further on Graceland — from the reggae of “Mother and Child Reunion” to the samba-inflected “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.”

I'd never heard this album, but I considered I was unlikely to be overly surprised by its contents - and so it proved to be.  It's perfectly inoffensive and has some nice songs on it, but with a few exceptions, I can't say there's a lot there to drag me back.  I do like "Me and Julio..." and "Mother And Child Reunion" but apart from that, it didn't feel to me like he'd put a lot of effort in.

"Customers also listened to" Paul McCartney and Billy Joel - and I can see a definite connection there.  Amusingly, they allegedly also listened to Elvis Costello's My Aim Is True, which is a somewhat more tenuous link and makes me wonder how many other people are working their way down Rolling Stone's list.  I like the album cover and the fact that he had a similar but updated picture for a later greatest hits album, but unfortunately, I'd be much more likely to listen to the latter.  However, I have a sneaking suspicion that this won't be the last of Mr Simon on this list.

#424 : Odelay - Beck (1996)

Burrowing into the studio with the Dust Brothers, Beck came back with a Technicolor version of his Woody Guthrie-meets-Grandmaster Flash vision, demonstrating to all his rock peers on “Devil’s Haircut” and “Where It’s At” that turntables had a brighter future than refried grunge, while reminding listeners of the Sixties and his own folk roots with the shabby, lovely “Jack-Ass.” As he told Rolling Stone in 1997, “I’m a traditionalist in a lot of ways. A lot of what my generation is into, what it represents, I’m totally against.”

Another one I've got and like, but haven't revisited in years.  I'm not entirely sure how I'd describe it, but I'm totally unconvinced by Rolling Stone's "Technicolor version of his Woody Guthrie-meets-Grandmaster Flash vision".  It's basically just Beck being Beck - interesting noises, beats and lyrics all kinda thrown together.  "Devil's Haircut", "The New Pollution" and "Where It's At" work best for me, but the rest of the album holds together well in my opinion.

"Customers also listened to" The Beta Band, who I desperately tried to like on several occasions but never quite managed it.  Looking at Wikipedia, I never realised this was Beck's fifth album - he's put out fourteen over the years now and apparently we're going to get to listen to another one of them later, so it will be interesting to see where that comes in at.  

Far and away the most interesting fact on Wikipedia about the album is "The album's cover is a photo of a Komondor, a rare Hungarian breed of dog with a heavy, corded coat." - I want one!  I was happy I got to revisit this album and was pleased it didn't let me down.

#423 : I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One : Yo La Tengo (1997)

In rock, as in life, breakups get all the attention; successful marriages tend to generate fewer headlines. But Yo La Tengo — the long-married couple of Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan, plus bassist James McNew — is a testament to figuring it out together. The band’s 1997 masterpiece is indie rock at its most joyfully exploratory, with deeply catchy fuzz-jams, some Casio-keyboard bossa nova, a cover of the Beach Boys’ “Little Honda, and “Autumn Sweater,” a stone-cold classic that turns organ, percussion, and shy murmuring into something mesmerizing and beautiful.

I'd heard of Yo La Tengo, but couldn't recall ever actually listening to anything by them, so was intrigued to check them out.  And it's an interesting one - I think I like it, but I'm not entirely sure.  A lot of it reminds me of The Stone Roses' first album and it took me a few listens to get into that, so I suspect this would be a bit of a grower.  There's also hints of St Etienne and Belle and Sebastian in there, so if you're into that kinda stuff this is probably worth checking out.

WIkipedia tells me that they are "the quintessential critics band" and I can quite believe that, but I also imagine they have some super-hardcore fans.  Amusingly, the couple at the centre of the band have always been members, but during the lifetime of the band they have had 14 bass players.  "Customers also listened to" Wilco and Big Thief - two bands who I'd tried to like over the years but never quite made it happen.  I feel Yo La Tengo stand more chance of me liking them if I can just give them the time - unfortunately that rarely seems to happen these days.

Beck for the win this time round, although I suspect Yo La Tengo could have been there if I'd just bought the album 23 years ago.

#428-426 - Not much competition offered from the lads here
#422-420 - Another plucky UK underdog taking on the US giants