Albums regarded as classics that are absolute gash

[Richey Edwards]

27 minutes ago, Principal Flutie said:

S&M is an album I always go back to. Absolutely love it. Load and Reload both have their moments. Load has a lot more good than bad.

They could have combined the best bits from both albums and made one cracking album.

[tongue_tied_danny]

Sandinista and London Calling by The Clash are both pretty poor.

Combat Rock is far superior to either.

[Richey Edwards]

5 minutes ago, tongue_tied_danny said:

Sandinista and London Calling by The Clash are both pretty poor.

I think I have listened to Sandinista all the way through once. I have never felt the need to do it again.

[pittsburgh phil]

Billy Joel - An innocent man. I suppose anything by him to be fair but this record certainly hits gash mark 10. My girlfriend at the time's sister used to play it non bloody stop and I think I'm still bearing the psychological scars.

My dad liked both this and Steely Dan back in the day. I used to always get confused between Innocent Man and Rikki Don't Lose That Number. Although there can only be one winner here.

[Dan Steele]

6 hours ago, pittsburgh phil said:

 

 

My dad liked both this and Steely Dan back in the day. I used to always get confused between Innocent Man and Rikki Don't Lose That Number. Although there can only be one winner here.

 

I try and avoid Billy Joel songs but love Steely Dan, so was intrigued by your confusing those two. Just listened to Innocent Man, well, the start anyway. Definitely similarities. Both owe a huge thank you to Horace Silver's Song for my Father.

[pittsburgh phil]

I try and avoid Billy Joel songs but love Steely Dan, so was intrigued by your confusing those two. Just listened to Innocent Man, well, the start anyway. Definitely similarities. Both owe a huge thank you to Horace Silver's Song for my Father.

I've become a huge fan of Steely Dan since those formative years and you're right. In fact I think they were sued by Silver and have had to give him a co credit (and presumably royalties) since.

[pittsburgh phil]

I should have said the intro was always what I mixed up as a kid. The two songs could not be more different!

[Dan Steele]

5 hours ago, pittsburgh phil said:

I should have said the intro was always what I mixed up as a kid. The two songs could not be more different!

That's all it took! The Dan also had a wee run in with Keith Jarrett over a sample of his on Gaucho. Well, if you're gonna borrow, borrow from the best.

[pittsburgh phil]

Worth noting that Steely Dan have a Spinal Tap relation with drummers.

[pittsburgh phil]

On topic, there are no gash Steely Dan albums. They did not do gash.

[RockMusic]

11 hours ago, pittsburgh phil said:

On topic, there are no gash Steely Dan albums. They did not do gash.

Yep! Steely Dan were a gash-free zone.

[pittsburgh phil]

I try and avoid Billy Joel songs but love Steely Dan, so was intrigued by your confusing those two. Just listened to Innocent Man, well, the start anyway. Definitely similarities. Both owe a huge thank you to Horace Silver's Song for my Father.

I've listened to them back to back (Song For My Father and Rikki Don't Lose That Number) and tbf it's just a direct lift. No wonder Horace Silver wanted $$$'s.

Billy Joel can get himself away with his pish mind you. Not so similar at all apart from that two note intro.

[paranoid android]

I hate Steely Dan - I like a handful of their tunes very much, and they are top notch players, but there's too much jazz in it for my liking - not a fan of jazz harmony.

The documentary on the making of Aja is better than the album Aja.

[pittsburgh phil]

TBF Aja is the very definition of 70's jazz rock. The earlier albums were more rock orientated, and Pretzel Logic is a peerless piece of work. Each to their own I guess but I get something from every album of theirs.

[Dan Steele]

One thing the music of Steely Dan does is divide opinion! I love the incredibly well crafted songs and the musicians Beckerand Fagen got on board. I've enjoyed all their output through the years and on to Fagen's solo work. 

When it dawned on me that I was being introduced to jazz I was astounded. Yet the clues were there from early doors. It took me a while to make it out but the opening line from Midnite Cruiser on the debut album is 'Thelonious, my old friend' so the jazz roots were already there. Bit of a shock as I thought it was a rock album. Well, I guess it is but genre crossing and boundary crossing as ever.

Always something new at every listen as pittsburgh phil says.

[topcat(The most tip top)]

TBF Aja is the very definition of 70's jazz rock. The earlier albums were more rock orientated, and Pretzel Logic is a peerless piece of work. Each to their own I guess but I get something from every album of theirs.

I’m listening to Aja for the first time and this is clearly what they should have been doing all along.

Their “rock oriented” stuff simply doesn’t rock enough but this is cool accessible Jazz

Of course if I knew more about jazz and less about rock I might feel differently

[paranoid android]

11 hours ago, pittsburgh phil said:

TBF Aja is the very definition of 70's jazz rock. The earlier albums were more rock orientated, and Pretzel Logic is a peerless piece of work. Each to their own I guess but I get something from every album of theirs.

For me, this here is the high point of jazz rock -  top drawer jazzers firing furiously at each other with intensity and at volume, with no-one feeling the need to introduce too many chords - very much riff-based, and utterly brilliant. Lila's Dance is the best track, imo, but the album explodes into its peak with 'Be Happy' 26 minutes in. 

 

Edited May 5, 2019 by paranoid android

[Daydream]

For me, this here is the high point of jazz rock -  top drawer jazzers firing furiously at each other with intensity and at volume, with no-one feeling the need to introduce too many chords - very much riff-based, and utterly brilliant. Lila's Dance is the best track, imo, but the album explodes into its peak with 'Be Happy' 26 minutes in. 
 

Do you like the jazzy Zappa stuff? I think I remember you saying you liked Zappa/Mothers before.

[paranoid android]

4 hours ago, Daydream said:

Do you like the jazzy Zappa stuff? I think I remember you saying you liked Zappa/Mothers before.

I like a lot of Zappa, and admire him very much - I'm not sure there's a lot of actual jazz in it, mind - it's certainly very complex.

I mind he was asked by a British journalist about his jazzy side, and he denied that it was jazz - when the journalist reminded Zappa that there was a lot of improvisation in his music, he said 'Just because it's improvised, doesn't mean it's jazz!"  Typical Zappa!

Things like Water Melon in Easter Hay, and Outside Now  are brilliant, as is stuff like Inca Roads.

At the end of a rehearsal last week, we went into impromptu jams of Stinkfoot (which is bluesy), and Muffin Man, which is basically a rock riff.

What stuff of Zappa's would you class as jazzy, out of interest?

[Daydream]

I like a lot of Zappa, and admire him very much - I'm not sure there's a lot of actual jazz in it, mind - it's certainly very complex.
I mind he was asked by a British journalist about his jazzy side, and he denied that it was jazz - when the journalist reminded Zappa that there was a lot of improvisation in his music, he said 'Just because it's improvised, doesn't mean it's jazz!"  Typical Zappa!
Things like Water Melon in Easter Hay, and Outside Now  are brilliant, as is stuff like Inca Roads.
At the end of a rehearsal last week, we went into impromptu jams of Stinkfoot (which is bluesy), and Muffin Man, which is basically a rock riff.
What stuff of Zappa's would you class as jazzy, out of interest?

I’m thinking Hot Rats, Waka/Jawaka and Grand Wazoo. These seem jazzy, at least in part, to my ears.