As a matter of interest, did we reduce the 24 hour posting period? In any event, my pick in the 2000-2002 category is the White Stripes' "White Blood Cells"
Excellent, excellent pick. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground is such an awesome song.
__________________
"The problem with any ideology is that it gives the answer before you look at the evidence."
—Bill Clinton
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge."
—Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, former Librarian of Congress
"But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity"
—WKRP in Cincinatti
With my next pick I will fill the POP category with perhaps the most overlooked album of the 90's. One of the greatest one and done albums in music history, Denzil's Pub.
It's quite possible that this could have dropped to the last round, but I don't trust Jagger. I wish I could say I was on this record in 1994 when it was released, but I can't. I was introduced to this album just this past year by a great friend of mine who seems to just know when I'm going to like something. He is really the one to credit as it has been in his collection for 14 years! Thanks Harv!
Pub is the only release by Denzil (Denzil Thomas) and is a wild ride through all sorts of moods and topics. The constants are Thomas' voice and his acoustic guitar playing. Why this album wasn't bigger is a mystery to me. It's great.
Here's a link to a myspace page (Thomas') with some songs that aren't on this album and haven't been released anywhere that I know of.
Tracklisting:
1 Fat Loose Fancies Me
2 Running This Family
3 Rake Around The Grave
4 Useless
5 Sunday Service Hengistbury Head
6 Too Scared To Be True
7 Son Of Elvis
8 Funnymoon
9 Shame
10 Who Made You So Cynical About Me?
11 Autistic
12 If Only Alan Won The Pools
13 Seven Years In These Boots
14 Your Sister Song
15 Cutie
16 Goodnight Darling
Youtube goodness (not enough on here obviously) if you get a chance check out the last two tracks on the record, fantastic. The videos are not the best songs on the album, although they are quite lovely!
Fat & Loose and Fancies Me
Useless
__________________ I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love." - John Steinbeck
Last edited by Displaced Flames fan; 01-07-2009 at 06:52 PM.
Almost managed to forget this draft, good thing I checked back in time.
For the 8th round pick, team Twist/Shout picks Live aus Berlin (1999) by Rammstein in the Live category.
I've seen hundreds of live gigs. (I counted that I managed to clock over 100 in a single year, although most were of course in festivals or small bars.) Rammstein is definitely among the best acts I've ever seen, head and shoulders above your average stadium acts. They're one of the few rock bands that can make a big visual show feel like a complete theatrical performance instead of a simple series of songs and pyrotechnics. And of course, they had some very creative pyros, the coolest lights and damn those are some killer songs. A lot of their ideas have become much more popular since (the retrofuturistic uniforms for example), but these guys were still pretty original in their prime.
Live aus Berlin feels almost like a "best of" gig, even though it's recorded after the second album (they're released three more since), which is just a statement of how strong the first two albums (Herzeleid and Sehnsucht) were. Yes, they're over the top, but in a good way.
Some band members got arrested during the US tour for the performance of Bück Dich, and the band was accused of many things, among them nazism, which is simply a misunderstanding, and an example of how easily people jump into conclusions without thinking. They did take a lot of their visual style from Laibach, a classic industrial band /art collective often mistaken for neonazis/nationalists. (Read more about it in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laibach_(band) ) Most notably, Rammstein uses a similar cross-symbol as Laibach, (actually in reference to Laibach) but because a similar cross is also used by neo-nazis, this all got too complicated for some controversy-loving Americans. However, while Laibach isn't always easy to wrap your head around, Rammstein doesn't exactly need a PhD to get. Just nod your head and don't worry. It's not a sin to like nazi homo disco metal.
Here's some picks from YouTube. The track numbes are from the limited edition, which is a bit longer than the standard version.
I select in the 1982 category, AVALON by ROXY MUSIC:
This is one sexy record. I can't think of many more romantic albums. I think one of the first videos I ever saw was Avalon on FM Moving Pictures way back in the day. Makes me want to put on a white tuxedo and pursue super-models like Brian Ferry. Pull this out for your next booty call. Roxy Music has re-united (with Brian Eno) and will be releasing a new record this year.
Flesh + Blood suggested that Roxy Music were at the end of the line, but they regrouped and recorded the lovely Avalon, one of their finest albums. Certainly, the lush, elegant soundscapes of Avalon are far removed from the edgy avant-pop of their early records, yet it represents another landmark in their career. With its stylish, romantic washes of synthesizers and Bryan Ferry's elegant, seductive croon, Avalon simultaneously functioned as sophisticated make-out music for yuppies and as the maturation of synth pop. Ferry was never this romantic or seductive, either with Roxy or as a solo artist, and Avalon shimmers with elegance in both its music and its lyrics. "More Than This," "Take a Chance With Me," "While My Heart Is Still Beating," and the title track are immaculately crafted and subtle songs, where the shifting synthesizers and murmured vocals gradually reveal the melodies. It's a rich, textured album and a graceful way to end the band's career. [Virgin's 2003 version included the bonus track "Always Unknowing."]
More Than This
Bill Murray touchingly sings More Than This in Lost In Translation
Avalon
Last edited by troutman; 02-08-2009 at 01:20 PM.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to troutman For This Useful Post:
Is it my imagination, or have a bunch of people bailed on the draft?
Peter12 - asked to be perma ak'ed (although we can still hope he'll be back)
Ro - hasn't posted in a month, but he has logged in
Sparks - hasn't posted since his last pick but is logging in
Sowa - has posted as recently as 2 days ago.
Anyone know what is up with these folks?
I'm back in I'll post my pick in a sec. I never check the Contest forum so it slipped my mind.
I'll take in the Folk category, the master himself, Bob Dylan... So many to choose from, always a tough call... but this one has been the album I've listened to most, so I guess I have to consider it my "favorite", if such a thing exists... 1975's Blood on the Tracks.
For the 8th round pick, team Twist/Shout picks Live aus Berlin (1999) by Rammstein in the Live category.
Best record so far in my opinion, major thumbs up. Herzeleid and Sehnsucht are their best studio albums, no arguments from me there.
However, I don't really get the buzz about Laibach at all. I'm a huge fan of industrial and industrial rock/metal but I can't say I like a single Laibach song. Rammstein is miles ahead as far as I am concerned.
For my selection in the Greatest Hits/Compilation category I select The TemptationsEmperors of Soul box set. The Temptations are probably my favorite act of all time. No other artist consistently stays in my ever changing top ten groups of all time. Ruffin, Kendricks, the Williams', and Franklin are the kings of R&B and Whitfield made them one of the best funk groups of all time as well.
I don't really think this should require any more explanation.
OK, for 1997 - 1999 I will select John Scofield - A Go Go. (It's really Medeski, Scofield, Martin and Wood).
A Go Go
Chank
Boozer
Southern Pacific
Jeep on 35
Kubrick
Green Tea
Hottentot
Chicken Dog
Deadzy
Chank
For 1986 - 1990 I will be a bit boring and pick The Smiths - The Queen is Dead. I've agonized for a while about what to pick in this category - screw it, The Smiths it is.
Actually Sowa, you were 2 behind so we need one more from you.
__________________
"The problem with any ideology is that it gives the answer before you look at the evidence."
—Bill Clinton
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge."
—Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, former Librarian of Congress
"But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity"
—WKRP in Cincinatti