The random selection of another early album we'd never heard of did not lead our hearts to beat faster with excitement. It'd be nice to hear something slightly more familiar at this very early stage of our journey through music history. Indeed, we changed our original chronological plan for this project for the very reason that we wouldn't be listening to anything post 1990 until around 2030. Still, that is what was chosen, so we went with it.
First impressions were not bad. Sunshine Superman opens with the track of the same name, and it is very catchy, with a nice depth of sound. There's plenty of psychedelia on the album too, and liberal use of the sitar, representing an interesting look at Swinging Sixties London. There are other good tracks, notably the more traditionally rock-based Season of the Witch and the creepy yet noticeable Superlungs (not on the original UK release). However, other songs seem decent one listen, and frankly irritating the next time they come around. The more Donovan tries to produce a classic folk type song, the less convincing his sound is.
This was Donovan's third studio album, and it built on his previous success. By this stage, he was a well-known figure, close to the Beatles and selling large numbers of records both sides of the Atlantic. This album contains some of the first examples of psychedelia committed and released on record, and so it deserves praise for that.
I think the overwhelming feeling I get when listening to the album is that Donovan is simultaneously taking it very seriously, yet producing whimsy. And lyrically it has not aged well, with lots of frankly disturbing images about school girls littering the words. I reckon that this album was probably very important at the time of its release, and played a formative role for some (many?) growing up in the 60s, but to my ears, it just isn't that cohesive, and I can't imagine that I will regularly be revisiting it.
Chloe's album rating: 4
Chloe's favourite track: 6 - Season of the Witch
Olly's album rating: 3
Olly's favourite track: 1 - Sunshine Superman
Our next album is 332. The Dictators - Go Girl Crazy from 1975. Viva la Punk.
So once again Chloe and I have an album that we know little to nothing about. Furthermore, my knowledge of Jazz would certainly fall into the 'limited' section, as the only album of the genre I own is Blue Train by John Coltrane. But I am a big prog fan, so I had pretty high expectations that this would be a type of music that would appeal.
After the first couple of listens, I honestly thought that this would be an album I would really, really like. There's an intensity to the playing from all instruments that draws you in, and there is a real assortment of rhythms and melodies, as you would expect, that you find yourself humming snippets of a few hours later. Mingus is clearly obscenely talented, and the orchestration of the pieces is very impressive, to a lay person.
Over the week though, I didn't really feel that the album grew on me particularly. Perhaps saturating oneself in one album from a genre you don't know is not the best way to truly enjoy it. There are parts of the album that really stand out, like the hectic, frantic ending to the final track, and the opening of the first track, but the album as a whole seemed a bit less than the sum of its parts. I do like the album, and I can imagine myself returning to it from time to time, but I can't see it becoming a real staple of my collection. And it hasn't made me particularly want to hear more Jazz, which is a bit of a shame in a way.
Chloe's album rating: 6
Chloe's favourite track: 2 - Track B - Duet Solo Dancers
Olly's album rating: 6
Olly's favourite track: 3 - Track C - Group Dancers
Next week it's another pretty early one that we know nothing about - Donovan - Sunshine Superman from 1966.
Once again we have an album that Chloe and I do not know at all. The little I knew about Nick Drake was that he did acoustic-y type numbers that were pretty pared back, and he was quite important. It turns out that only the latter of those is really correct, as the orchestration and arrangements on this album take it far beyond the "one man and his guitar" territory I'd expected.
This album is frankly excellent. There are a number of outstanding songs that make up this album, and the range of instruments used is very impressive, and makes for a very full sounding record. "One of these things first" stood out straight away as an excellent track, with interesting lyrics and a great piano and guitar interplay. I am not usually a fan of instrumentals, but the beautifully delicate "Introduction" sets up the album perfectly too. Chloe thinks the album sounds pretty up-to-date, whereas I think it's more that this style of music still sounds old-fashioned, but either way it certainly has been a very influential recording.
Nick Drake's history is a pretty tragic one, as he ended up dying from an overdose of antidepressants following his lack of commercial success at the age of just 26. All three of his albums feature in the 1001, and so my earlier statement that he was pretty important does seem accurate. I'm really looking forward to listening to the next two, as I don't think there's a weak song on this one.
Over the course of the week, one track really started to set itself apart for both of us, and so Chloe and I have both plumped for Northern Sky as our favourite. It is a reserved yet uplifting song, with a wonderfully lush set of instruments laying out a backdrop for Nick Drake's voice.
Chloe's rating: 9
Chloe's favourite song: 9- Northern Sky
Olly's rating: 8
Olly's favourite song: 9 - Northern Sky
Next up is a very early one - 38. The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady - Charles Mingus. Good thing I love instrumentals...
So Chloe and I were slightly sceptical when we got the Bee Gees, as we weren't sure how much falsetto we could manage in a week. As it transpires, the pre-Disco era Bee Gees were a very different band, and it's fair to say their songwriting has always been their strength, so this album was a pleasant surprise. Not a jaw-dropping, demanding to be listened to, all-time classic gold album, but a decent slice of pop music that is entirely influenced by the Beatles. I mean entirely. But that is not a bad thing when it's done fairly well.
One thing that was a slight annoyance was the use of strange vocals throughout the album. Whilst hearing a tremulous voice from time to time can accentuate the emotion, when it is overdone it just gets annoying, and two songs are guilty of this in particular - Dearest and Remembering. When the group get it most right is on It's Just the Way and Trafalgar, both of which could be later Beatles tracks.
The production on the album caused a bit of disagreement between myself and Chloe, as she found it completely overblown, whilst I quite enjoyed the lush arrangements of backing strings etc. This shouldn't come as a surprise, as Chloe also prefers Let It Be Naked, as opposed to the original.
Which is the incorrect preference, but whatever.
So we enjoyed the album, and I may come back to it from time to time, but it wasn't a stand-out success.
Chloe's rating: 5
Chloe's favourite song: It's Just the Way
Olly's rating: 5
Olly's favourite song: Somebody Stop the Music
The next album we've had selected for us is 182. Bryter Later - Nick Drake
First off, Chloe and I really liked the album, which was good given that this project may have struggled to take off had it been crap. I'm not saying that I don't commit to a project, but I'm not yet a world-class DJ following a rash promise I made years ago, so you can draw your own conclusions.
The album is very listenable, and inoffensive in an inoffensive way. There is a hint of early U2 about them, crossed with Teenage Fanclub, which I will never complain about. There is a nice hint of Aussie twang to the vocals from the Brisbane-based band, which gives a slightly different perspective. This was the band's final album before they split up, and whilst I am not tempted to delve through their entire back catalogue straight away, intelligent song-writing doesn't grow on tress, so I'm sure I will have a dabble later on.
It has been described as the indie 'Rumours', due to the relationships within the band. Robert Forster and Lindy Morrison were starting to split up, and Grant McLennan and Amanda Brown had a burgeoning relationship. This leads to a range of songs from the beautiful Quiet Heart to the slightly desperate Streets of Your Town. Grant McLennan passed away at the age of 48, which is a real shame as his song-writing is excellent. Lindy Morrison became an Aboriginal Rights Activist, showing the depths of this intelligent band.
Chloe's Rating: 7
Chloe's favourite song: Quiet Heart
Olly's Rating: 8
Olly's favourite song: Was there anything I could do?
Next up is the 235. Bee Gees - Trafalgar.
