Let me know that love is really real

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

#307 : Portrait Of A Legend - Sam Cooke (2003)

“Sam Cooke was the best singer who ever lived, no contest,” asserted Atlantic Records’ Jerry Wexler. Cooke was a gospel star who crossed over to rock & roll, helping to invent the music that would become known as soul. This collection spans his whole career, from his early work with gospel kings the Soul Stirrers to the civil rights anthem “A Change Is Gonna Come,” which became a posthumous hit after Cooke was shot to death at an L.A. motel in 1964.

I like Sam Cooke's voice and his best tracks are undoubtedly classics, but an album released 49 years after his death is most definitely a greatest hits album and hence is not available for consideration.  I listened to it though and even the lesser tracks are still pretty good - "Wonderful World" and "A Change Is Gonna Come" are probably the highlights for me, but there's plenty on there to enjoy.  But unfortunately whilst it's a great album, it's not a "greatest album"...

Wikipedia has very little to say about the album other than it's viewed as "the best of his best ofs" and listing the 180 people involved across all the tracks.  His Wikipedia entry is more interesting, but unfortunately focuses mostly on his death - and I know the internet loves a conspiracy theory, but there certainly feels enough there to warrant more questions being asked than seemed to happen at the time.  Your time is better spent looking at the pages for "Wonderful World" and "A Change Is Gonna Come" - a much better legacy for the man than questions about being shot in a seedy motel.  "Customers also listened to" all the other "best of Sam Cooke" albums it appears, which seems odd - and they wouldn't be valid for consideration on this list either.

#306 : I'm Still In Love With You - Al Green (1972)

Al Green made one classic after another in the early Seventies — the Memphis soul master turned each LP into an all-out passion play, capturing the highs and lows of romance. After his smash Let’s Stay Together, I’m Still in Love With You was his second great album of 1972. It’s an even more sensual experience, with the sweat-dripping acoustic groove of “Simply Beautiful” and the vulnerable confessions of “Look What You Done for Me.” “We used chords that people never used before,” producer Willie Mitchell said. “Al Green always wanted to advance.”

Our third meeting with Mr Green on this list (although one was a greatest hits - grrr) and I was expecting more of the same - or more accurately, if it wasn't more of the same, I wouldn't notice any difference.  And that was about it - they were all fine songs but I couldn't distinguish between them with the exception of "Pretty Woman" which was an interesting, if not exactly essential cover.  All in all, it's fine but not something I need in my life.

Wikipedia has pretty much nothing to say about the album and we've been through how unpleasant the man is already, so let's just leave it there, shall we?  "Customers also listened to" all the usual suspects - and as before, I'd go with them rather than going with The Reverend.

#305 : Alive! - Kiss (1972)

“We wanted to put out a souvenir, almost like when you go to the circus,” said Kiss lead singer Paul Stanley. This double live album, recorded largely in Detroit (with some bonus material from Iowa, New Jersey, and Ohio, plus a whole bunch of studio overdubs), was the breakthrough record for Kiss, with exuberant versions of “Strutter” and “Rock & Roll All Nite,” and a classic litany of alcohol choices in the intro to “Cold Gin.”

I was not expecting to like this and, reader, I did not.  Yes, there's some fine guitar playing on it, but that's no excuse for putting out an 80 minute album where every track sounds EXACTLY-the-bleeding-same.

Wikipedia makes some interesting points about the album only being released to save the record label and because their previous studio albums had done so badly, but I can assure you I don't care.  It also makes the point they were ahead of their time, but that just means I blame them for everyone that came after them.  "Customers also listened to" a load of other people that I blame Kiss for - I'm sorry, but it's been a bad run recently and I'm just not in the mood for this and I never will be.

Which leaves me with no choice other than to award the round to Al Green, although I'm sorely tempted to break the rules and give to Sam, since it's the only one that features any tracks I'll ever listen to again.  But, without rules and people following them, life will just descend into anarchy, so Al gets the round.

#310-313 - Three "challenging" albums
#304-301 - very disappointing use of a greatest hits album