Scott Halverson
I've looked over this list and for me, an aging boomer, it seems to be a strange collection. There are no Beatles, Rolling Stones, Springsteen, Beach Boys, Dylan or Led Zeppelin. Those groups have all produced classic albums. There is also little techno on my list and I love techno (as long as it does not sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks). This list came to me fast with few changes, and I do like to listen to these, the whole album, and have quite a few times.
This is a covers album of sorts in that Waters covers some of his old blues standards in 1977. These original blues masters out of the South via Chicago just kept doing it. One big difference here is Johnny Winters plays on and produced this album bringing in some rock and roll phrasing as well. You can also hear Winters doing the response shouts on Mannish Boy.
Just loved this whole album from the first listen. Otherwise, don't know much about David Gray, and I don't like his other albums very much.
Tony Bennett, I believe, said this album reminds him of the great American songbook. Jones covered Hank Williams' Cold Cold Heart, which Bennett had a huge hit with in 1958. The only other songbook standard I noticed on this album was Hoagy Carmichael's The Nearness of You; otherwise, they were written by Jones and her collaborators. Whenever I hear Norah Jones sing "come away with me" all I can think is "yes." How she can get so much feeling into one little phrase I don't know.
This is the Animals third album and the first without keyboardist Alan Parsons, who arranged most of their hits, including House of the Rising Sun. Even though they lose their best musician, the rest of the group puts out my favorite Animals album. Eric Burden's voice, I think, is the best of the British Invasion. Gin House Blues was originally recorded in 1928 by Bessie Smith and entitled Me and My Gin.
Heard a cut from this album on the radio, bought it and loved it. Their music is termed English indie pop. They're a trio from London.
Randy Newman wrote a lot of great songs (Mama Told Me Not to Come, a Three Dog Night hit). Nilsson was a great singer (also wrote One is the Loneliest Number, a Three Dog Night Hit). This album was 1970's record of the year but did not sell well. At one time Nilsson and John Lennon teamed up for a few nights of drunken carousing, being complete assholes, that made the news.
To me this group combines funk and disco. Love the bass beats. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards wrote the songs. Nile Rogers and Pharrell Williams teamed up in 2013 with the French electronic duo Daft Punk for the song Get Lucky. I've noticed my list has a bit of a French connection.
This album was released after Duane Allman's fatal motorcycle accident. Again, a group loses a musical genius and the rest of the band puts out a great album. Duane Allman is on six of the tracks from already recorded studio sessions. Dickey Betts does a lot for the group on this album (Blue Sky is fantastic). I think the Allman Brothers Band is the greatest white band to cover the blues; even better than the early Rolling Stones' albums.
Just always liked Taj Mahal. I believe he was influenced by Mississippi John Hurt, and also Caribbean music, West African music, jazz and country blues.
Heloise Letissier (French) has, I think, a Lady Gaga (in a Star is Born) story. She left France and went to London and frequented drag clubs that had music performers. She later toured with some of the "Queens" as her backup singers. This woman can also dance and her music videos are well worth watching because of that talent, and I think her music is great.
St. Germaine is the stage name for Ludovic Navarre (French), a producer. I think of his stuff as techno with jazz. He samples John Lee Hooker and Miles Davis in Sure Thing, and samples Dave Brubeck and others as well.
Doc Watson and his son Merle play on this album and it is pure fantastic guitar picking. I saw the Watsons in concert in 1976 at the West Bank Auditorium. The best concert I've ever been to.
Tommy Emmanuel is, again, a fantastic guitar picker. He is from Australia. I saw this album on a list promoting albums in the liner notes of another CD. Listened to a couple of cuts and purchased it. It is one of those albums that has stars like Jason Isbell, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas and others each collaborating on a different song. It works though because Emmanual is so talented.
I just like everything Beck has done.
Great guitar work and I even like Meg's minimalist drumming. Unfortunately, I think Jack White was cruel to her.
Besides LL Cool J's album Radio, this is the only rap album I truly enjoy. (Guess I'm too old and too white). Kayne West is a musical genuis, like other musical geniuses in the past, teetering on the edge of sanity. He seems to combine his music with classical on this album.
Great album produced by Daniel Lanois, a Canadian, who produced albums for a lot of people, including Neil Young and Bob Dylan. My favorite song, Sweet Old World, was written by Lucinda Williams.
Johnny Cash and his daughter, Rosanne, were touring together and he realized Rosanne did not know of some songs that he thought were essential songs. So he made a list of 100 essential country songs for her. She has never released the list but the songs on this album are from it. They are all great songs.
Billy Bragg (British unionist) and Joe Henry went together on a long train ride and recorded songs in waiting rooms and along the tracks at train stations starting in Chicago. At each station they give some history about the song they play. This is not a studio recording and you can tell it, but I don't think it is "live" either so can be on my list. These songs are so good that you can even get Glen Campbell's version out of your head and really enjoy Gentle on my Mind.
Janis died before this was released. I think it is her best work. She is right up there with Dinah Washington and Etta James.