"Led Zeppelin" by Led Zeppelin (January, 1969)

Brad's Take:

Led Zeppelin is a band I've become very familiar with in the last few years. So when I saw that this album was next on our list, I was really excited to dive into it. Led Zeppelin (or as some refer to it: I) contains some of my favorite tracks by the band.

This album was recorded in only about 36 hours, over the course of a few weeks.

The album kicks off with guitarist Jimmy Page and drummer John Bonham having a conversation with each other on their respective instruments on the classic tune "Good Times Bad Times." The song's intro must be one of the most instantly familiar rock intros of all time.

Next up is another great song, and my personal favorite Led Zeppelin jam, "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You." To me, this song encompasses everything that Led Zeppelin is. It starts with beautiful classic-styled acoustic guitar playing by Page with vocalist Robert Plant crooning about (you guessed it) leaving his babe. Then, the song busts into a hard hitting rockin' riff that you can't help but headbang to. The song is almost 7 minutes long, but it could play all day, and I wouldn't even mind.

The fact that this album was Led Zeppelin's debut is very impressive. Right from the beginning of their professional career, these guys were already destined to become a classic household name. It was recorded and mixed in only 36 hours over the span of just a few weeks. A very impressive feat. It contains a whole slew of recognizable hits. The ones I mentioned above as well as "Dazed and Confused" and "Communication Breakdown." Listening to this record feels like a vacation for me. It's pretty much all gold.

Part of what makes this album so great is Jimmy Page's production. There are no points on here that feel sloppy at all. Everything was very well organized and pre-calculated before they even hit the record button. Page knew exactly what he wanted this album to sound like, and he nailed it.

I really only have good things to say about Led Zeppelin's debut. There are songs I like better than others, but there isn't a single note on here that is bad. This is a perfect album to start with if you're wanting to get into the band.

Dad's Take:

It's hard now to think of a time when Led Zeppelin was new, when their first album came out and nobody knew who they were. The members of the band were not complete unknowns. Jimmy Page had kicked around British recording studios for quite some time appearing on several well-known records as a session guitarist, and had joined the Yardbirds not long before Zeppelin's debut. The other members were also busy studio musicians or had been in other local bands of decent reputation.

But there had been no Led Zeppelin.

Then, in April, 1969, that iconic intro to "Good Times, Bad Times," introduced the new band to the world, and the music changed.

On their debut record, Zeppelin moved into the heavy blues rock world of Hendrix, Mayall, Butterfield, the Yardbirds, Cream, and others who had come before, but it's sometimes hard to recognize today that they came in with a fresh, new take on what was by then a common genre. It wasn't a new style of music, but the interpretation and presentation and reimagining of what had come before them resulted in something that was, and remains, absolutely unique.

Songs like "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" fit perfectly with the psychedelic-infused blues of those other bands. If you were a fan of other heavy blues rock bands of the day, much of this album would have felt comfortable and familiar. But then songs like "Communication Breakdown" would have made you sit up and realize that this was something fresh, and these guys were something special. Critics weren't crazy about the album, but rock fans ate it up, and it became even bigger as people discovered their subsequent albums and looked back to the band's beginnings.

This is a difficult album to write about, because so much has been said about it. But an album with the songs I've mentioned already, plus "Dazed and Confused" and "Communication Breakdown" couldn't become anything but an instant classic.

Every song, thanks to Page, Plant, Bonham, and Jones' impeccable playing and singing (and, no doubt, thanks to almost 45 years of frequent play) is now familiar and classic. You might not be as familiar with"You Shook Me" or "Your Time Is Gonna Come,"  but you'll immediately recognize them.

What I like best about this album is how firmly blues-based it is. Everything that Led Zeppelin added to the blues to create their unique sound is here, but it's wrapped tightly around the blues. For example, the album's closer, "How Many More Times," is at its root a basic blues tune, but by the time Led Zeppelin is done with it, it's something much more, something unusual that transcends the blues and psychedelia and anything that had been heard before. Sure, you could hear the influence of bands like Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, but this was no copy-cat band.

I don't want to write any more. I just want to listen. Many records are called great, but this one truly deserves that over-used adjective. It builds on what had come before, but there had never been anything like it, and all imitators since then have fallen short. This is an iconic, classic album.

"Uncle Meat" by Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention (April, 1969)

Dad's Take:

I can agree that Zappa was a genius. I can really enjoy his music in the right mood and the right dosage. But I must admit I've been dreading listening to four sides at once. So now I'll just let it play, for better or for worse.

From the first moment, Zappa's instrumentation gets me. A little weird, which I can enjoy, inventive, creative, stand-up comedy with a keyboard. The arrangement is interesting and unusual, a little reminiscent of Brian Wilson or Van Dyke Parks in 1967. This is not your typical pop or rock or jazz music. This isn't what you put on the hi-fi for your teenage dance party, or to bandage your aching heart. It turns the conventions of popular music on their ear, obliterates all of the usual rules about what makes a song, and creates something completely new and different. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to each listener. To me, it's pretty mixed. There are moments that blow me away. There are moments that make me want to get on to the next thing and see if I like it more. There are moments when I want to stick sharp objects in my ears but Zappa beats me to it. I think that's what he was going for, though.

It's the "height" of 1960s experimentation, of trying new sounds and forms, of mixing strangeness, rock, and jazz with something that's none of the above, none of whatever "above" you might think of. I can appreciate that. I don't always like it, though.

This isn't an easy album to listen to, but I don't think it's supposed to be. Call it avant garde, musique concrete, or whatever. Zappa and the Mothers are making fun of music, and of themselves, while moving into new territory. The are tracks I like, usually those that are more commercial sounding, like "Dog Breath, The Year of the Plague," which sounds like a funky R&B song until it starts to go in directions that make fun of the genre, while paying homage at the same time. He does the same thing with doo-wop on the infectious "Electric Aunt Jemima," one of my favorite tracks on this album. Or his other bit of doo-wop humor, "The Air."

Zappa is flipping off convention and rules, and having a good time doing it. And at times we can share their fun. Spike Jones meets rock and roll meets your best friend's drunken mom's hippie boyfriend and his dancing bear. 

The centerpiece is the King Kong suite, which tears jazz apart and brings it into the age of the hippie. And isn't particularly easy to listen to. It's an interesting work, but by the time you get there, it's not hard to be Zappa'd out.

During my youth, Zappa was renowned for his cosmic creative craziness. It would have been interesting to sit down with the critics when they first put this on their turntable in 1969, when they wondered if this was all a big put-on.

It's often self-indulgent ego music, experimentation for the sake of geeky hipness. It takes itself too seriously while demanding that we don't take it seriously. And sometimes it works. Sometimes it's frustrating, or scary, or annoying, or funny, or brilliant, or maddening. It's exhausting and heavy and thick. But that's Zappa for you.

This will never be my favorite album. I'm not likely to put it on very often. I can't say I was sorry to see it end. But it's not like anything else, and sometimes that makes something a classic bit of art, and sometimes it makes something incomprehensible. With this album, either response is justified.

Brad's Take:

Frank Zappa is an animal. This dude is like a hyena who learned that banging on instruments can make noise. And once he discovered that he could make sounds, he taught his little hyena self to hit the record button. Then, he never stopped. For two whole hours. This album is the definition of "cacophony."

It wasn't until track 5 ("Dog Breath: The Year of the Plague") (which was 10 minutes into the album) that actual music started to play through the speakers. Up until that point, it was just sounds layered on top of a million other sounds.

"Electric Aunt Jemima" (track 12) is the first song that I could actually say I legitimately enjoyed. It's sounds like a Buddy Holly song being covered by Frank Zappa. It was interesting and fun. I don't know if it's actually any good though, to be honest. It's like this.... If this album was a wild river and I was careening down it panicking, looking for something to grab onto, this song would be the first tree branch that I could finally grab hold of to feel like I was somewhat safe. But then, by golly, not even two minutes go by before the tree branch snaps and I go right back under the water. Dammit!

"Mr. Green Genes" contains the lyrics: "Eat your shoes. Don't forget the strings and socks. Even eat the box you bought them in." Can you sense my eyes rolling right now? That song did make me chuckle a little bit though. I'll give it that. It was yet again, another tree branch, but I grabbed onto it just because it looked like a penis and I thought that was funny. I knew it wouldn't save me, but my sense of humor is still intact, even while struggling to breathe in a crazy river.

After two solid hours, I got out of the river alive. It sucked though. Really bad. And I am cold and wet and all banged up. I probably have a concussion. But at least I made it out alive, and I can move on with my life. At least I have a story to tell...

Thank goodness Led Zeppelin is next. I need Robert Plant and Jimmy Page to nurse me back to health.

Cacophony. That is all there really is to say about this album.

"Velvet Underground" by The Velvet Underground (March, 1969)

Dad's Take

As has been clear in previous reviews, The Velvet Underground are not a personal favorite. That said, I might like their third album best of their records, even though it does not include John Cale, whose solo efforts are my favorite of any band member.

This album takes a somewhat more subdued approach than the two previous albums, beginning with the opening track, "Candy Says," which I really like. A lot, actually. I also like "Pale Blue Eyes" for its deceptive simplicity and confessional nature.It's not surprising that this is one of their most covered songs. This might be my favorite Lou Reed vocal. "Jesus" is another pretty little confession, performed softly and intimately, to draw the listener in.

In general, the album feels more mature than the two before it, and less self-indulgent. Even the more rocking tunes like "What Goes On" (which reminds me a little, strangely, of The Grateful Dead), have a more enjoyable sound, or at least more to my taste, whatever that's worth. On the first two albums, "What Goes On" might have become a ten-minute epic. Here, they keep it to a more enjoyable length, keeping it from becoming dull.

There's really not much here that I dislike, something I couldn't say of their first two albums. I'm not overly fond of songs like "Beginning To See The Light," but I actually kind of like the verses, although the choruses become a bit repetitive and uninteresting. "The Murder Mystery" might be my least favorite tune here, mostly because it's hard to follow what's being said, and because, at eight and a half minutes, it's too long, and features a kind of annoying attempt at self-indulgent poetry. Mostly, it just doesn't have the same vibe as the rest of the record. Still, I find it more listenable than many of their earlier avant garde pieces. I was glad when it ended, though. It left me feeling tired. But maybe that was the point, if there was one. On the other hand, the following track, the closer of the album, is the fun little ditty (and that's an appropriate word in this case) "After Hours." Fun little child-like tune that provides a nice recovery period following "The Murder Mystery." Nice sequencing choice.

This is still obviously a VU album. It's not like they completely changed their sound. But by taking a somewhat more restrained approach, they created an album that, if not more commercial, is more accessible to people who are not used to that particular type of East Coast precious experimentation that can quickly become annoying to people who have not spent significant time on the dark streets of New York City. This album feels almost like sitting in a coffee shop and listening to an artistic band in an intimate setting. I can't help but think that, by this time, they had been influenced by the sounds coming out of California. The ballads have a bit of an L.A. feel, while the faster songs remind me of San Francisco artists like The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane ("I'm Set Free").

Of course, it's the New York-style experimentation of the early albums that appeals to many VU fans. But for me, not really a fan, this album is the one I'm most likely to return to of their first three. Fact is, I really kind of like it, enough to rethink my opinion of the band.

Brad's Take:

In the review that we wrote for The Velvet Underground's first record, The Velvet Underground & Nico (the Andy Warhol banana one), I stated that the band sounded immature and like they were just trying to replicate the folky rock stuff that was popular at the time, but that they fell short. It was a nice try, but it wasn't good. It sounds like they finally found a nice little comfy place on their third album though, The Velvet Underground.

The opening track "Candy Says" was a surprise right from the get go. Immediately, I noticed that this was a more mature band compared to who we heard on their first two albums. Like my dad said above, this doesn't sound like a completely new band or anything. They didn't change their sound necessarily, but they pulled back to a something more in their expertise and then tightened up what they needed to. Making those very necessary changes makes this album feel a lot more focused and mature.

As the album goes forward, we hear some more upbeat tracks that have obvious traces of some of their influences, like Bob Dylan ("Some Kind of Love") and The Beatles ("Beginning to See the Light"). Although those songs are great, they shine the most on the mellower more stripped down songs. "Pale Blue Eyes" is a great example of that. It's a very pretty song.

And now, as you see, I don't think I've said a bad thing about this album yet. And that's because the majority of the album is as great as VU has sounded up to this point in their discography. But then we get to "The Murder Mystery"... I don't want to talk about it, but let's just say that this less-than-casual Velvet Underground listener has a very disappointing headache now. Thankfully, the end of the record recovers with a bouncy bass driven jam called "After Hours."

Despite its very few flops, this album was a pleasant surprise. Especially compared to the other VU albums we've reviewed so far. It's not perfect, but I'm proud of them for making an album like this. I compared them to junior high school kids who just started a band to emulate their heroes on their first album, but on this one, I feel like they've matured and found their own little place that's a little more unique. Not bad, boys, not bad.

"Dusty In Memphis" by Dusty Springfield (March, 1969)

Dad's Take:

This is the album where Dusty Springfield switches from Phil Spector-ish productions to a more soulful sound, Memphis style.

After heavy albums like "S.F. Sorrow," this feels a little light, but it's a good album, full of good songwriting by people like Bacharach and David, Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Randy Newman, and Barry Mann. Dusty is no Aretha, but she handles herself well on these tunes, providing a pleasant listening experience. 

The standout is, of course, the major hit "Son Of A Preacher Man," but it's not the only worthy track here. I also really like "So Much Love," "Don't Forget About Me," "Breakfast In Bed," "Just One Smile," and the minor hit "The Windmill Of Your Mind." There's not a dud in the set.

This album is, for the most part, a gentle version of R&B, but it's a great album for those mellow or romantic times. Much of side two feels more like light jazz than soul, actually. Dusty's legendary insistence on perfection comes through loud and clear on these eleven impeccably produced and performed songs. The songs flow well together, so the record holds up as a complete album, and not just a collection of songs. This is one of the softer albums on our list, but it's enjoyable and pretty darn close to flawless.

Brad's Take: 

I liked this album. I wouldn't go as far as saying that I loved it, but it was a pleasant change of pace from the last few on our list. Easy listening jazzy R&B/soul is always nice to listen to. It makes me want to sit back in a comfy couch sipping a glass of wine in the dark.

"Son Of A Preacher Man" and "Don't Forget About Me" were a couple of my favorites on first listen. While listening, I read a little bit about Dusty Springfield and the making of this album. It's interesting that she was such a perfectionist. She knew she'd be compared to all the soul greats at the time, like Aretha Franklin, but Dust succeeded. Her voice may not be as huge and powerful as Aretha's, but Dusty doesn't miss a note. I actually enjoyed the mellowness of her vocals.

Especially for the time, I can totally see why this album would be considered a classic and be on our list. At this point, I'd probably put it in the lower half of the top 20 albums we've listen to so far.

"S.F. Sorrow" by The Pretty Things (December, 1968)

Dad's Take:

1968, like many other years in that musical decade, was a year of firsts. "S.F. Sorrow" by The Pretty Things is best known as the first rock opera, beating The Who's "Tommy" by a full six months. Would it make everybody's great albums lists if it wasn't? Is it actually any good? Let's see, shall we?

It's tempting to write about this album in the context of "Tommy." Both albums came out of the same general area and the same generational attitudes of breaking away from conventions in a somewhat oppressive culture shaped by post-war attitudes. It's an inevitable comparison, but not really fair, since "Tommy" did not yet exist on record when this one came out. I'll try to review it in its own terms, rather than how it compares to The Who's better-known classic. It won't always be easy though.

I like the orchestral psychedelia of the first song. It's musically interesting, and portends a tragic life when Sebastian F. Sorrow is born. Next is a song about love, that seems to lack love, then moves into another psychedelic gem. I can imagine my little Bradley cringing at brilliant lyrics like "Fly to the Moon on the curve of a spoon I turn upside-down," but I'm digging it. There's a bleak overtone to this album, but the music and lyrics are playful, even if far from cheerful.

Three songs in, the characters are not nearly as strongly portrayed as in "Tommy" (Doh! I compared them). The end of "She Says Good Morning" could have come from "Sgt. Pepper's," though. The influence there is obvious, as it is at other times on this record.Then It moves into "Private Sorrow," one of my favorites on the album. But with 13 cuts on the album (20 on our reissued version), I can't do a track-by-track without going really long. So let's stop that right now. There are many highlights on this album for me, including the huge percussion break of "Baron Saturday," the spaced-out use of the studio on "I See You," the swirling Beatlesque feel of "Trust," the almost modern alternative rock feel (especially on the verses) of "Old Man Going," And the mellow--even pretty--"Loneliest Person" that ends the album. I'll refrain from detailing the five bonus tracks for this review, because I want to stick to the original album, but I think they add to the album nicely. I especially like the sudden unexpected explosions of guitar and bass on the wonderfully schizophrenic bonus track "Defecting Grey." 

Here's the thing. This album doesn't really work as an opera. It tells an interesting and dark story about S.F. trying to break out from a world that tries to keep him down and eventually descending into madness. It takes multiple close listens (and maybe some internet help) to really figure out the story. It is not a happy album. You don't get the feeling of freedom and success at the end like you do on "Tommy" (I did it again, didn't I?), but I think it's a very good album, much better than its US sales would indicate. Then again, it didn't see store shelves in the US until after Tommy came out, by which time it would seem like a pale imitation. (Ack! It's so hard not to review this in the context of "Tommy.") Its relative failure led to the demise of the band. Like so many classics, it is recognized now, but at the time, nobody knew quite what to do with it. That's what happens when you break down barriers.

It's not quite like anything that had ever been done before, and is full of great playing and unusual touches. It works for me. The songs are often melodic, inventive, and trippy (in a good way). It holds together well musically and lyrically as a good concept album should. I like it.

And, yes, it belongs on all of those classic album lists, in its own right.

Brad's Take:

This album really didn't do much for me. The psychedelic genre as a whole all blends together and sounds the same to me. It seems like the bands that went this route are all just imitating each other with their organs and sitars, but they just try to out-weird each other. But even the weird experimental stuff sounds familiar.

I wouldn't say that there were any songs on this album that I liked, but there also were none that I hated. To me, the music just went in and out of my head. I couldn't connect with it at all. I wouldn't say that I wasted 41 minutes of my life by listening to it because I honestly don't remember the time going by. Maybe the music hypnotized me and made me feel tripped out, or it's because it's 7:30am right now, but either way, I couldn't care less about what I just listened to, unfortunately. Sorry, Dad!

"NBC Special" by Elvis Presley (December, 1968)

Dad's Take:

Elvis made a big comeback with this TV special. It shows him at his Vegas-y best, with a mixture of rock 'n' roll, gospel, and cheesy nightclub music. This is the Elvis that the Elvis imitators emulate and parody.

Through it all, though, Elvis shows his sense of humor and a big ol' pile of energy. If you could only buy one Elvis album, this probably shouldn't be the one, but there's no denying it's fun.

Drenched with late-sixties horns, the songs have an appeal that is as rocking as it is cheesy. The King is in fine vocal form, even if the arrangements are often a bit too over-the-top. If you're not much an Elvis fan, this probably won't convert you, but as a document of a time and place and of the mainstreaming of a rebellious teen idol, this is an important record.

Brad's Take:

For me, Elvis is very hit or miss. From previous albums we've reviewed, I've enjoyed most of his upbeat songs way more than his ballads. This NBC special is mostly upbeat, but the arrangements (like my old man said) are over the top a lot of the time, and again, the slow songs bore me.


This special mostly consisted of a bunch of medleys with some dialogue in between. He busts out some classics, like "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock", which are always fun to hear. When he's yelling and rocking out, it's pretty great, but overall, this was pretty hard to get all the way through in one sitting with all the ballads and gospel songs. Honestly, I don't know why this album is on this list.

"The Kinks Are The Village Green Society," by The Kinks (November, 1968)

Dad's Take:

If you only get one Kinks album, this should be one of the ones you consider. Not only is it the last Kinks album to feature all four original members, but it's probably the most influential album they ever did. And, like so many of these classic, influential records, it didn't sell well when first releases.

This is a concept album that explores the old-fashioned British traditions that were passing into history.

The first three songs are as good an album opening as you're likely to find. "The Village Green Preservation Society" is the obvious opener, and is a fun little singalong that sets the themes of the collection. "Do You Remember Walter?" is an often funny character study that makes me wish I did remember him. You'll probably recognize the next song, "Picture Book," from the printer commercial a few years ago. It's fun, and catchy, and sounds too modern to be almost 45 years old.

The rest of the songs continue in the same vein, exploring people, objects, and cultural artifacts that were disappearing. Most of the songs are the kind of timeless rock and roll that could belong to just about any era. Of course, there are nods to 1968 psychedelia and late sixties style rock and roll, but this album very rarely sounds dated. The total effect is a transition from psychedelia to the heavier rock that followed.

Song after song is loaded with straight-up rock and roll and the Kinks' usual quirky lyrics. This is another of those albums where singling out favorites is almost futile, because I like the whole album. And an album it is. One of the reasons it failed commercially despite nearly universal acclaim from the critics is that it didn't have an obvious single. Even now, although I can enjoy individual songs, each track works best in the context of the whole, where they fit musical and lyrical themes that make them even better than they are on their own. But songs like the aforementioned "Picture Book," Big Sky," and the psychedelic-but-not-cloyingly-so nod to nostalgia, "Sitting By The Riverside," are all excellent songs. On side two, standout tracks include "Animal Farm," "Village Green," "Starstruck," the whimsical "Phenomenal Cat" (or "Phenominal Cat" as it's spelled on the LP jacket), "Wicked Annabella" (maybe my favorite on the record), and "People Take Pictures Of Each Other."

But even the songs I didn't mention are great tunes. The funny tale of embarrassment, "All Of My Friends Were There," "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains"--I want to add every song to the list of standout tracks, but if I do that, they no longer stand out, i suppose. But it's really hard to leave anything out.

In other words, I love this album.  Front to back, top to bottom, start to finish, this is a great record, sheer brilliance, a great example of its period without sounding out of place today. If you don't know this one, you really should.

Brad's Take: 


I've listened to The Kinks here and there for awhile now, and I think I'll just stick with the hits. Nothing on this album really wowed me. It kind of blends in with the other mediocre British 60s trip-rock albums. Is "trip-rock" a real phrase? Trippy rock... Anyway...

Listening to this album as background music was enjoyable. It's pretty catchy music, and what they are doing they do very well. When you listen to the lyrics though, you realize these guys were borderline nuts, as were most musicians in the late 60s, I guess. The odd lyrics don't take away from the songs though. They're still enjoyable. Maybe even more enjoyable if you're actually paying attention to the lyrics because you can at least chuckle at them a bit.

The first half of the album is a lot stronger than the second, which gets a little more psychedelic/weird. When I wasn't paying close attention, I got a little bored about halfway through the album. It's good for what it is, but the weird lyrics and the overdone style just didn't interest me for very long. I give this album a solid "meh."