Press Play and Sit Your Ass Down Vol. 5
It’s the age of the ipod, shuffle and playlists. But for some artists, albums matter. Some musicians don’t just write and perform songs, they create whole albums to be a start to finish listening experience. Here’s another great list of albums where you just have to press play. Want more? Press Play Vol 1 , Press Play Vol 2. , Press Play Vol. 3 and Press Play Vol 4.
So just press play. Sit your ass down. And listen.
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The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds
It’s hard to believe that this 1966 masterpiece was met by indifference by fans (it was first BB release not to go gold), their label (which issued Brian Wilson’s aching ballad of lost innocence ‘Caroline, No’ as a Wilson solo single), and even the band themselves (Mike Love was particularly vocal about how Wilson went so far away from the ‘surf, cars, girls’ sound that made them international superstars). Time proved them all wrong. With steady support by The Wrecking Crew, Wilson & Co – crafted this beautiful song cycle that just oozes raw emotion. ‘God Only Knows’, ‘Wouldn’t Be Nice’ and ‘Sloop John B’ are the standout cuts, but ‘You Still Believe In Me’, ‘Don’t Talk’, and ‘I’m Waiting For The Day’ are just as strong. ‘I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times’ and ‘I Know There’s An Answer’ gave us an early glimpse into Wilson’s fragile psyche. Pet Sounds laid the blueprint for concept albums, confessional singer-songwriter album and avant garde pop. Pure art.
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Stevie Wonder, Songs In The Key Of Life
Stevie Wonder capped off one of the greatest runs in the history of popular music with…one of the greatest albums ever made. Recorded over a two-year span and employing over 130 musicians, Songs In The Key Of Life is both an affirmation and a summation of Stevie’s musical and creative genius. It covers the political (‘Black Man’, ‘As’, ‘Village Ghetto Land’), spiritual (‘Love Is Need Of Love Today’, ‘Pastime Paradise’, ‘Joy Inside My Tears’), personal (‘Isn’t She Lovely’, ‘Sir Duke’, ‘I Wish’), multi-cultural (‘Another Star’, ‘Ngiculela – Es Una Historia – I Am Singing’). It also dabbles with fusion (the all-instrumental ‘Contusion’), electro-funk (‘All Day Sucker’), laid back blues (‘Easy Goin’ Evening’), classical (‘If Its Magic), and experimental (‘Saturn’). A double album that has ZERO filler, Songs In The Key Of Life is a master’s masterwork.
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Roxy Music, Avalon
From its iconic album cover to the final notes in the short coda ‘Tara’, everything about Avalon – Roxy Music’s 8th (and so far, last) studio album – shows a band ready to take it to the next level. Core members Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera and Andy Mackey – backed by an array of seasoned session musicians – recorded the album at Chris Blackwell’s Compass Point Studios in Nassau and it perfectly captures the laid back, serene nature of the island. It’s loaded with classics: ‘More Than This’, ‘The Main Thing’, ‘To Turn You On’, ‘True To Life’, ‘The Space Between’ and of course, the epic title track. Romantic, introspective, lush, and dreamlike, Avalon is Roxy Music’s crowning achievement. It’s no wonder they haven’t made another studio album. It’s hard to top perfection.
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Prince, Sign O’ The Times
Released in the spring of 1987, this sprawling double album marked Prince’s return to the the D.I.Y approach of his early albums. The title track was notable for it addresses the AIDS crisis, gang violence, the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger and the ever present threat of nuclear war. Though miminalism runs throughout, the collection features an array of musical styles. There’s hard driving funk (‘Housequake’, ‘It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night’), sly updates of the blues (‘Forever In My Life’, ‘I Can Never Take The Place Of Your Man’), lust-based rock (‘Hot Thing’, ‘It’), spine tingling spirituality (‘The Cross’) and classic R&B slow jams (‘Slow Love’, ‘Adore’). It was Prince at his most experimental, diverse and most accessible. In a career loaded with highlights, Sign O’ The Times is far and away his best work.
