184. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young - Deja Vu

Artist: Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young
Album: Deja Vu
Year: 1970

So I loved Crosby, Stills, and Nash's self-titled debut, and for some reason they decided to let that nasally Canadian Neil Young into the group for Round 2. And they followed up the debut with an even more spectacular set of songs. This one is probably Top 10 out of the 184 I've heard to date.

The first seven...seven(!!!!)....songs on this album are absolutely out of this world. Remarkably consistent songwriting here from all four band members. The country-rock of "Teach Your Children" is absolutely charming and the song, for all of its M.O.R. leanings, carries a strong message. "Helpless" features Mr. Young in fine form with one of his most famous songs, a slow anthem buoyed by its backing vocals. "Woodstock" is an anthem befitting of the festival it canonizes. "Deja Vu" has a bouncy, jazzy feel. "Our House" is another one like "Teach Your Children" which would be schmaltzy in a different context, but works so well as part of this album.

The last three songs, in my estimation, don't quite match up with the first seven (although "Country Girl" is pretty good in its own right), but that's quite the tall task to live up to. I'd already made up my mind that this one's a masterpiece, and I'm not about to change my mind. Amazing.

Rating: Indispensable

183. John Lennon - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

Artist: John Lennon
Album: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
Year: 1970

Overall, I'd have to say that John Lennon is my favorite Beatle. His songs always ranged from insidiously melodic to deliciously weird, a combination I rather enjoy. Here he is, Yoko in tow, for Plastic Ono Band, his first solo album.

This one is an unflinching portrait of Lennon's personal demons, his distaste of modern class structure and religion, and his general worldview. The songs are a mix of soulful piano ballads and mid-tempo rockers for the most part.

I have to say I'm not crazy about this album like some people are. Plastic Ono Band seems to have quite a following since it was one of the first real "confessional" albums and was a real artistic statement during a time when John could've just tried to cash in on his celebrity. But an album for me is always about the songs, and I don't really love any of the songs on this album. The folky dirge "Working Class Hero" is the one I like best, but when compared with the "John Songs" from any latter day Beatles album, it pales by comparison. "Isolation," "Remember," and "Love" form a solid trifecta of affecting tunes in the middle of the album, demonstrating Lennon's range and depth as a songwriter.

Plastic Ono Band is definitely an album that deserves to be heard. It's unique in the rock canon up to this point and its confessional style would spawn many imitators. Is it an album I'd want to listen to every day? Absolutely not. Like I said, there aren't really many songs here that bring me back for repeat listens, and some like "Well, Well, Well" are just annoying to me, even if you do get to hear John Lennon positively scream--which I guess has to be worth something.

Rating: Worth a listen

182. Stephen Stills - Stephen Stills

Artist: Stephen Stills
Album: Stephen Stills
Year: 1970

Been a while since a post here...life getting busy with the upcoming baby arrival, etc, etc...

Anyhow, the "middle" guy from Crosby, Stills, & Nash is here with a solo effort. I've gotta say, this one was pretty good, even if not really different at all from the CSN formula. "Love the One You're With" is the big hit here and is kind of a "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" redux. A good song, and a hippie anthem. This album is most notable for its long list of famous guest stars: Clapton, Hendrix, Ringo Starr, Booker T. Jones, John Sebastian, and of course Crosby and Nash among them.

I would've liked something a little different coming from a solo album. I do love CSN(Y) but there's no reason Stills couldn't have used these songs on the next CSN album or whatever. Anyhow, the bookend tracks "Love the One You're With" and "We Are Not Helpless" are the best tracks here and show a kind of everyman appeal.

Rating: Worth a listen

181. Carpenters - Close to You

Artist: Carpenters
Album: Close to You
Year: 1970

Carpenters were the duo of Richard and Karen Carpenter. They became one of the 1970's best selling artists with their somewhat jazzy AM-radio ready pop.

And what an album this is! It's a surprisingly varied set of songs, with forays into light jazz, country, close harmony, and more--but everything seems to work remarkably well. There are classic songs sprinkled throughout here, and many others that could've reached that status if given the chance. The title track, "We've Only Just Begun," and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" were hits here, but I'd say the gentle piano ballad "Maybe It's You" is just as good, despite its somewhat schmaltzy lyrics. What carries these songs is the absolutely gorgeous voice of Karen Carpenter, who takes these songs to the next level.

This is what you get when you cross The Mamas & The Papas sunshine pop with Laura Nyro's Brill Building tunesmithery...and the results are slick and stunning. Thumbs up!

Rating: Worth repeated listens

180. The Doors - Morrison Hotel

Artist: The Doors
Album: Morrison Hotel
Year: 1970

This is the second Doors album of the 1001. The first album was their self titled debut, which I thought was quite good. It had a lot of their bigger hits but I found the album tracks that weren't hits to be in some cases even better than their single counterparts.

Anyhow, Morrison Hotel. Pretty decent album. Starts off with the classic "Roadhouse Blues," which I have never really cared for. I have a personal vendetta against songs where "beer" is pronounced as a two-syllable word. All one of them. But anyhow, not my thing. I found some other good songs here, the funk-inflected "Peace Frog" and the mysterious "Waiting for the Sun" among them. Then there's "Blue Sunday," which was not at all far off from Scott Walker territory...a nice mellow tune.

The second half of the album was just a bore to me.

I want to like The Doors more than I do, but this album really did not connect with me. A few good songs here and there but it just feels "lesser" to me. Meh.

Rating: Not worth a listen

179. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

Artist: Black Sabbath
Album: Black Sabbath
Year: 1970

This was my first experience listening to a Black Sabbath album. Metal has never been "my" genre, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect here. I figured it would be loud vocals, really heavy guitars with extended solos, and a major emphasis on bass.

What I got was not at all dissimilar from stuff I've heard before on this list. It wasn't too far from Jeff Beck or Led Zeppelin, really--blues rock with virtuosic guitars. If anything, a lot of these songs had a really poppy sensibility to them. "N.I.B." was my favorite of the group, a song with the kind of chunky riff that was even reminiscent of what the Detroit garage rockers were doing around the same time. The vocals, courtesy of none other than Ozzy Osbourne, suit the band's style quite well. The lyrics are stereotypically metal--myth-based with devil reference popping up all about.

I didn't love this stuff and probably won't listen to Black Sabbath outside of this countdown, but I can see how certain people would connect with this kind of thing. If anything I was surprised at how melodic it is...but I guess any "riff-based" music would/should be...

Rating: Worth a listen

178. Spirit - Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus

Artist: Spirit
Album: Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
Year: 1970

Never heard of Spirit before listening to this album.

They were good. Some catchy tunes like "Animal Zoo" and "Mr. Skin." Basically they follow a blues-rock kind of blueprint at their core, but add little orchestral and choral flourishes and approach the material from a poppier standpoint. As a result they sound like a hybrid of some of the 60's psych rock bands with a slightly more progressive take on the genre. Honestly this album really isn't too far from some recent indie faves like MGMT...a poppy, proggy take on psych rock.

A little too much filler here in my opinion, especially in the second half of the album. But I'd have to say this band is a pleasant surprise, and this is an album I may revisit in the future.

Rating: Worth a listen