Listen Up: Classic Artist of the Week • Page 12

And the thread:
Band - Jorge Ben

 

Dang I was just about to start last week's

 

Hah you still can

 

Thought it was a Disney vault situation

 

Think that's THE prototypical example of corporate greed? Gotta be up there

 

Think they make more money off reissuing those titles every few years than they would making them regularly available?

 

I would assume so, since there is no way ANY aspect of that business goes unscrutinized

 

Martin Shkreli still wins or loses depending on how you want to phrase it but come to think about it they're making children sad for money which is messed up

 

Sam Cooke
The King of Soul. Perhaps more than any other artist, the man who created the genre we know a soul music. Coming out of a gospel background and blazing the trail for the genre that is arguably America's biggest contribution to music. From the outset of his career to his tragic death in his prime, Cooke was the rarest of combinations, an innovator AND a hitmaker. There may never have been a singer quite like him, able to move from the smoothest and most charming performances (At the Copa) to gritty and gutbucket raves (At the Harlem Square Club) with equal skill.

Recommended Listen:
Live at the Harlem Square Club

Crash Course:
1. Live at the Harlem Square Club
2. Live at the Copa
3. Night Beat

Compilation Replacement:
Portrait of a Legend: 1951-1964

Signature Songs:
1. "You Send Me"
2. "Cupid"
3. "Chain Gang"
4. "Wonderful World"
5. "A Change Is Gonna Come"

Personal Note:
The two live albums, to me, are always best paired together to really show you the breadth of what Sam could do. Copa is a mostly white audience at an expensive supper club gig. Harlem Square Club is rowdy and ferocious. I could easily have swapped Night Beat for Ain't That Good News, which is an exceptional album, but Night Beat just has the unique mood to it.

 

And the thread:
Band - Sam Cooke

 

Steely Dan
Masters of studio craft and purveyors of smart, ironic songwriting, Steely Dan had a fantastic run in the 70s. Eschewing popular trends and music industry conventions (having a band, touring, etc.) they made a unique mark on pop music. Their incorporation of jazz was also a fairly major crossover of the genre to radio.

Recommended Listen:
Aja

Crash Course:
1. Aja
2. Can't Buy a Thrill
3. Pretzel Logic

Compilation Replacement:
A Decade of Steely Dan

Signature Songs:
1. "Reelin' in the Years"
2. "Do It Again"
3. "Rikki Don't Lose That Number"
4. "Aja"
5. "Peg"

Personal Note:
I'm not expert. I have also heard Katy Lied which is on the same level of excellence. Countdown to Ecstasy is similarly adored, and Gaucho has its following too. We'll all be discovering a little together this week.

 

Fucking ready for this one! Love their singles and I hear they have some of the best sounding albums out there, so I'm down.

 

And the thread:

Album - Steely Dan

 

Sorry, guys I had to skip one more week. I'll be back to it for good next week.

 

I've had a tough few weeks the first two weeks of school. I'm really sorry, guys. This will return this Sunday, without fail.

Hopefully the little break will have people ready to start listening again.

 

Leonard Cohen

Laughing Len. The Ladies' Man. The Existential Comedian. The Bard of Our Great Depression. The High Priest of Solitude. One of the greatest songwriters to ever live, bar none. While not, in any traditional sense, a "singer", Cohen brought his talents as a poet to bear in creating one of the most impressive songbooks of any artist. His sound changed a bit over the years, but the production and music were always a vehicle for the lyrics, and they were consistently exceptional.

Recommended Listen:
The Songs of Leonard Cohen

Crash Course:
1. The Songs of Leonard Cohen
2. Death of a Ladies Man
3. I'm Your Man

Compilation Replacement:
The Essential Leonard Cohen

Signature Songs:
1. "Suzanne"
2. "Bird on a Wire"
3. "Famous Blue Raincoat"
4. "Chelsea Hotel No. 2"
5. "Hallelujah"

Personal Note:
I chose the albums not necessarily to shoot for his three "best" so much as to give the best spread of his career. Also because I think Death of a Ladies' Man (his most controversial record) is his masterpiece, so I'm biased. You really can't go wrong with Songs of Love and Hate or New Skin for the Old Ceremony. Also some of his later records like The Future and Ten New Songs are pretty essential.

 

And his thread:

Band - Leonard Cohen

We're back!

 

Paging @ChaseTx and @ChiliTacos that we're back in business, in case you're interested.

 

I'm definitely gonna make some time for it, possibly not till this weekend though.

 

The Allman Brothers Band
One of the definitive Southern Rock bands and a forerunner of the "jam band" moniker, The Allman Brothers Band sustained a long, successful career as both hitmakers and lauded live performers. After the tragic loss of the gifted Duane Allman, the band regrouped with Dicky Betts at the fore and made music just as vital as their peak before Duane's death. Their chops were southern and blues based, but they were versed in country and jazz as well, making for an ever-shifting amalgam of sounds.

Recommended Listen:
Brothers and Sisters

Crash Course:
1. At Fillmore East
2. Eat a Peach
3. Brothers and Sisters

Compilation Replacement:
The Road Goes on Forever

Signature Songs:
1. "Whipping Post"
2. "Midnight Rider"
3. "Melissa"
4. "Ramblin' Man"
5. "Jessica"

Personal Note:
I honestly picked them because I have this bizarre but strong affinity for Brothers and Sisters as a perfect fall album. The only other one outside the crash course that I've heard is Idlewild South and I could easily have included it. Excited to explore a bit more.

 

And their thread:

Band - The Allman Brothers Band

 

I wasn't to into the Leonard Cohen album I checked out so I didn't want to weigh in. I'll definitely be in on this one

 

By all means, don't silence yourself, even if you're not a fan. Would hate to think people are censoring.

 

Heart
Ann and Nancy Wilson, rock goddesses. Maybe still the most underrated band around, despite making the rock hall, they paved the way for women in rock music and have survived changes in trends and lineups to make music together for over 40 years. They could play pummeling Zeppelin-esque rock and wistful folk with their outstanding original lineup of the Wilsons, Howard Leese, Roger Fisher, Michael Derosier and Steve Fossen, and then conquered the airwaves playing arena rock with Mark Andes and Denny Carmassi in the 80s. They never had a chance to go on the kind of sustained run that other legendary acts put together through circumstance, but their catalog is loaded with great variety and great quality.

Recommended Listen:
Dog and Butterfly

Crash Course:
1. Dog and Butterfly
2. Little Queen
3. Heart

Compilation Replacement:
The Essential Heart

Signature Songs:
1. "Magic Man"
2. "Crazy on You"
3. "Barracuda"
4. "Straight On"
5. "Alone"

Personal Note:
They're a hard band to pick 3 for. Bad Animals is a valid a pick as the s/t to represent their 80s period, and honestly Brigade is insanely underrated, too. Dreamboat Annie is a favorite with fans, but I just don't think the songwriting matches their next two records. Passionworks has some sonic growing pains but some awesome songs. Bebe Le Strange was ambitiously diverse and flirted with absorbing punk and new wave. Really anywhere you look in their catalog, you can find some outstanding songs, which don't always overlap with their best-known hits.

 

And their thread:

Band - Heart