The Crucial Albums (UPDATE!)

When I first purchased Congratulations by MGMT I listened to it (or parts, or most of it) at least once, oftentimes 2ce or three times a day.

Then I took a break, as I am wont to do, and I reckon many other music fiends do the same.

Listened to it today, expecting my love to have soured or grown cold.

Not the case.

The Siberian 'Suite' sounds much better today, w/ its' slightly out of phase version of Cohen's So Long Maryanne, & the e'er so lovely mostly instrumental middle piece inducing The Hill's Climb swoons.

Song for Dan Treacy is as crisp, smart, & sassy as ever.  & the vocal performance on Flash Delirium is as brilliant, nuanced, & sophisticated as some of the best of Lennon's later Beatles work.

Still fantastic.

But, I claimed it was the best new album I'd bought since Crooked Rain by Pavement (1994).


I still stand by that today.


Here are the crucial NEW albums I have loved since R.E.M. changed my life in 1984:

• White Denim/Fits (2009) 
• Other Lives/Other Lives (April 7, 2009  -my birthday!)
• Mary Weiss/Dangerous Game (2007)
• Lily Allen/Alright, Still (2006)
• Continental Stomp/Hot Club of Cowtown (2003)
• Slanted and Enchanted/Pavement (1992)
• Wowee Zowee/Pavement (1995)
• Chrome Cranks/Chrome Cranks (1994)
• High Llamas/Hawaii (1996)
• Stereolab/Refried Ectoplasm (1995)
• Stereolab/Sound Dust (2001)
• Nirvana/Nevermind (1991)
• Pixies/Bossanova (1990)
• Pixies/Trompe le Monde (1991)
• Oblivians/The Oblivians play 9 songs w/ Mr Quintron (1997)
• High Llamas/Gideon Gaye (1994)
• High Llamas/Cold and Bouncy (1995)
• Teenage Fanclub/Grand Prix (1995)
• Teenage Fanclub/The Concept (1991)
• Belle & Sebastian/Tigermilk (1999-  US release!)
• The Perfect Disaster/Heaven Scent (1990)
• Cheater Slicks/Don't Like You (1995)
• Cheater Slicks/Forgive Thee (1998)
• Belle & Sebastian/If You're Feeling Sinister (1996)
• The Smiths/The Smiths (1984)
• The Cure/Disintegration (1989)
• The Smiths/Strangeways Here We Come (1987)
• R.E.M./Murmur (1983)
• R.E.M./Reckoning (1984)
• R.E.M./Document (1987)
• R.E.M./Life's Rich Pageant (1986)
• R.E.M./Green (1998)
• Stereolab/Space-age Bachelor Pad Music (1993)
• The Perfect Disaster/Up (1989)
• Dirtbombs/Ultra-glide in Black (2001)
• Rocket from the Crypt/Scream Dracula Scream (1995)
• Radiohead/OK Computer (1997)
• Hot Club of Cowtown/Tall Tales (1999)
• Hot Club of Cowtown/Swingin' Stampede (1998)
• Rocket from the Crypt/Circa:  Now! (1995)
• Cheater Slicks/Refried Dreams (1999)
• Jon Spencer Blues Explosion/Orange (1994)
• Stereolab/Transient Random Noise Bursts (1993)
• Pavement/Crooked Rain Crooked Rain (1994)
• My Bloody Valentine/Loveless (1991)
• Pixies/Doolittle (1989)
• Oblivians/Popular Favorites (1996)
• High Llamas/Snowbug (1999)
• Stereolab/Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1996)
• Lord High Fixers/Is Your Club a Secret Weapon? (1999)
• Lord High Fixers/Group Improviastion ... That's Music (1997)
• Spacemen 3/Recurring (1991)
• The Smiths/Louder Than Bombs (1987)
• XTC/Skylarking (1986)
• Beulah/The Coast is Never Clear (released on 9/11/2001!)

NOTES:  It seems the best years were 1996 & particularly 1999.  Now, I have heard theories before re the double digits for great rock, i.e. '55, '66, '77, '88, etc, ... Maybe they were right or maybe the end of the century put enough of a burden on rock artists to produce seminal work before the century ended.  What was I listening to between 2001 & 2007, you might ask:  STAX.  STAX.  & more STAX.  I'm so glad I love MGMT now b/c it gives me a 'Holy Trinity' of new bands to love (Other Lives, White Denim, & MGMT.)  I truly dedicated myself to Stax records for 7 years.  I wanted to know EVERYTHING aboot the Memphis label.  It was a mySpace 'mall diva', Lily Allen (& Mary Weiss [Reigning Sound, nee Oblivians backing her] & Amy Winehouse) of all folks to wake me from my STAX slumber.  I still consider the Beatles/STAX/Bonzo Dog Band/Steely Dan/Spacemen 3 the greatest groups of all-time.  Smiths fan might wonder, What about Meat Is Murder & The Queen is Dead? I did not hear those records, partic. Queen until well after they were released.  I loved The Smiths/The Smiths but took a snooze (except for the singles comp, Louder Than Bombs-   ah! tearing down Austin freeways w/ Kate & Dave & Allison blaring London on my crappy jambox from the backseat, ... ) until I read in the NME that the Smiths had broken up & that Strangeways would be their swansong.  I read that in the smoking section of the Drama Dept, UT; bought Strangeways a day later & still think it's fantastic.  Meat is my fave Smiths record, their best by far, I think, anyway.  I din't get in to the Replacements until they started releasing crappy records.  I believe they're the unrighteous band, compared to the righteous R.E.M, in Lester Bangs insightful & prescient theory of righteous/unrighteous band duos:  Stones: un, Beatles: righteous; Sex Pistols: un, Clash: righteous, etc, ... R.E.M. were righteous, the Replacements were not.  It is possible this duopoly is still playing out, perhaps Blur & Oasis? But I just can't be bothered, I'd rather listen to Otis Redding.  Finally, I'd like to point oot that STAX kicks Motown's ass every day of the week & sideways, to boot.  If you do anything after reading this, please, start by listening to Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, Booker T. & the MGs, Rufus Thomas, Johnny Taylor, the Dramatics, the Mar-Keys, the Bar-Kays, Isaac Hayes, Albert King, Barbara Brown, Sam & Dave, Wendy Rene, Wm. Bell, the Astors, the Staple Singers, etc, ... 

Honestly, even after this huge list, if I was homeless & could pick only 10 cds they would be The STAX story boxset, Rubber Soul, Revolver, White Album, With the Beatles, & Beatles for Sale.  all Beatle albums would be in their orig mono versions (just like those great STAX records.)

UPDATE!:  I have just added 2 albums I had forgotten about.  They are now included underneath The Smiths/Louder Than Bombs.  I will keep doing updates as I see fit.  One note aboot XTC/Skylarking (1986):  I bought the UK import vinyl (embossed cover) version (& no Dear God on the record- instead: Mermaid Smiled) at Waterloo records (when it was south of the river) on election day in Texas.  It was my first election & I lost.  I voted for Mark White but Turdblossom's Bill Clements won, prob due to Turdblossom's 'imaginary' Democratic bugging of his office.  You see, he was an asshole even back in 1986!