The Sounds In My Head: Five of my favorite albums.

Hello again, my friends! Thanks for visiting Deep in the Grooves. Today, I’ll be sharing five records that are spinning on my own turntable on a weekly basis; albums that never seem to escape my mind. I chose these records not only because they have a diverse collection of songs, but also because they have an interesting background history. I’m not composing this post so you all know what I’m listening to; rather, I want you to all be inspired to visit YouTube and listen to them for yourself. I love each and every one of these albums. They may not be your cup of tea, but hey, give them a try; you may end up falling in love with the music. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it!

No. 5: Neil Young “On the Beach”

 

There have been a lot of talented musicians to come out of Canada, but my favorite has always been Neil Young. In my opinion, he is comparable to Bob Dylan in terms of his song writing skills, and his ability to play breath-taking guitar riffs and sing these beautiful songs, all at the same time. I’ve listening to many of Young’s albums, in fact there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t listen to Neil’s music, but the album that has always stood out to me the most is On The Beach. The album was released in 1975, and around that time, Neil was going through a very, very difficult stage in his life; His good friend and bandmate Danny Whittman died of a heroin overdose. Neil’s grief inspired both the album’s Tonight’s The Night and On the Beach. At this time, Young felt very isolated from the people in his life, and this feeling of isolation is evident all throughout the album, especially on songs such as “On the Beach” and “Motion Pictures.” But that’s what gives this album such a special place in my heart. Dark emotions have always inspired some of the greatest recordings in the history of rock music, and this is the case for On the Beach. I feel as if every one of us has felt isolated from the world, usually when we are experiencing a difficult stage in our life. Anytime those emotions cross my mind, I always have On the Beach to turn to. I feel golden after wards because I know that even my idols experience thoughts of despair that I do. For that, I thank Neil Young for this sensational album. Interestingly enough, this album was never released on CD until it was digitally premastered in 2003; it was only ever available on vinyl, which is part of the reason why it’s such a hidden gem in Young’s discography. Since it was such a limited release, I paid a whopping $40 for my copy, but it was worth every cent.

 Best songs: “Motion Pictures” “On The Beach” “See the Sky About To Rain” 

 No. 4: Derek and the Domino’s “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs”

   

 ‘Love’ is by far the most common theme in just about every genre of music on the planet, and sometimes I get so sick of hearing these corny songs on the radio. But in all my life, I’ve never heard such an incredible collection of love songs than on the album Layla by Dereck and the Dominos. You may be unfamiliar with the group Derek and the Domino’s, but I’m sure you are all familiar with one of the men behind their creative genius; Mr. Eric Clapton. In fact, many music critics consider Layla to be the greatest achievement in Clapton’s career. The album’s creativity was driven by Clapton’s love for Patti Boyd, his best friend’s wife. Just take a guess of who his best friend was at the time? George Harrison of the Beatles! His mind was filled with anger, love, depression, and faith, and every single one of the songs on this record are doused with those emotions. But what really made this album such an important record is the combination of Eric Clapton and Duane Allman’s face-melting guitar work. Duane Allman is a name you all will be very used to, because he is going to be mentioned several times on this blog. Clapton seeked after Duane after hearing his group, The Allman Brothers preform live, as well as his session guitar work on R&B singer Wilson Pickett’s cover of “Hey Jude”. He was so moved by his guitar work that he asked him to join the sessions of Layla, and the two immediately bonded. Sadly, Duane Allman passed away a year after the album was released, but Clapton regarded Duane as “The musical brother I never had, but I wished I did.” This album is essential for every blues guitarist in my opinion, because it will help one understand the difference between how a Gibson instrument sounds, and how a Fender instrument sounds since Duane only played Gibson instruments, while Clapton remanded loyal to his trusty Fender Stratocaster. But the songs on this album are so touching; you can feel all of Clapton (Who was the primary song writer) angst in just about every song. Along with the amazing guitar work, I’ll always consider this album one of the greatest blues/rock recordings in history. 

Best Songs: “Layla” “Key To The Highway” “Bell Bottom Blues” 

 No. 3 The Allman Brothers Band “At Fillmore East” 

Every artist has that one album that puts them on the charts, and makes their name known across the world. At Fillmore East was that album for the southern rock group, The Allman Brothers. The content on this album is incredible, pure musical genius from every member of the band. The Allman Brothers weren’t just a group; they were literally a brotherhood. Every one of the band members connected to each other so well musically, that they could turn their five minute recording of the song “Whipping post” into a jam song that’s over 20 minutes long. The brothers were quite the controversial band. They were from the south, and they not only had two drummers, but one of them was African American, which is a norm in our modern society, but completely out of the ordinary at the time. For that reason, the band avoided playing much in the South, so they decided to play in major cities such as New York, and Los Angeles. Duane Allman was the leader of the group, and he insisted that they record a live album since he believed that the group’s musical potential simply couldn’t be captured on a studio album. What I love so much about this album is how the Brothers fused so many genres together -- blues, jazz, southern rock, and country. But what is truly amazing about this album is that it opened my eyes to the importance of improvisation skills. The band just works so well together, and that’s so inspiring to me.

 Best songs: “Statesboro Blues” “Whipping Post” “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reid” 

 Number 2: Rolling Stones “Exile on Main Street” 

There’s no doubt about it: The Rolling Stones were, and still are, one of the most important rock groups in the world. They’ve done it all and more, and they are often compared to the Beatles in terms of musical genius. They’ve released so many incredible albums over their career, but Exile on Main Street is by far their greatest achievement. It’s such an amazing combination of rock, blues, jazz, country and gospel and The Stones have never quite done anything like it. A majority of the album was recorded in a villa in a, Nellcôte, in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France. But get this--they couldn’t manage to book a studio there, so they recorded several songs on the album in a cramped little room. Some of the recordings just came together without any planning even. Keith Richards wrote his signature song “Happy” and it was recorded in one take, with many of the band members missing. It’s one of the few Stones songs were he actually is on vocals. Out of that cramped little room came a double LP of the Rolling Stones at their absolute best. From the minute I heard “Shine a Light” I was so emotionally moved that I just had to check out the rest of the album. It has had such a powerful influence on my musical taste, and I listen to this album almost daily. From the very opening of “Rocks off” right down to “Soul Survivor” this album is an absolute gem. It’s also ranked as the 7th best album of all time on Rolling Stones magazine, and you have to admit, that is impressive.

 Best songs: “Shine a light” “Let It Loose” “Sweet Virginia” 

No. 1: Led Zeppelin “Physical Graffiti”

 Capturing the No. 1 spot on my list is Led Zeppelin’s double lp, Physical Graffiti. What makes this album so great you may wonder? Well, it was my first-ever record. I received it from my aunt one summer when I was visiting her in Salt Lake City. I had just started listening to rock music. One day, she was telling me all about her vinyl record collection, and she told me that I could pick one album from her collection to keep. As I flipped thought every dusty record cover in her milk crate, my heart leapt when I saw Physical Graffiti. At that very moment, I knew I had to start my own record collection. So this album is what started it all -- my love for music, my obsession with records, and even my interest in playing guitar. In addition to my sentimental attachment, this is also a great record because the music is so beautiful. There are moments when you are hearing elements of heavy metal, and, all of a sudden, a beautiful acoustic piece of music comes on, and the combination can give you chills down your spine. Interestingly, the album was meant to actually be a single, but since the group was barely over the maximum time of a single album, they used outtakes from their previous albums on Physical Graffiti. Two of the songs are masterpieces: “In the Light” and “Kashmir.” Both were written by Robert Plant while taking a trip to India. The entire album is heavily influenced by Middle Eastern music, and there are even times when Jimmy Page, the guitarist of the group, plays a sitar. Overall, this is the true definition of a great album. It captures the band at the height of their musical creativity and skills. All of these factors fused together are why Physical Graffiti is my favorite album of all time. 

Best songs: “Kashmir” “In The Light” “Ten years gone”

 So there you have it! I know I rambled a bit, but as writers, we need to express what we need to express, and that’s exactly what I did. I hope you all enjoyed this blog, and, please, if you have some spare time head over to YouTube and give these albums a listen! You won’t regret it. 

 Various information and photos found at the following websites: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11868-on-the-beach-american-stars-n-bars-hawks-doves-re-ac-tor/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layla_and_Other_Assorted_Love_Songs http://www.popmatters.com/post/169307-allman-bros/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exile_on_Main_St. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Graffiti