Soulstrut 5-star albums ** 2006 revision
On_the_Red_Clay
1,728 Posts
(Thanks to Drewn for the idea)How about updating the top-100 "must have" lp's as defined by Soulstrut as a whole? Or: what's the current strut canon? Allow me to kick things off. * = undisputed classic# = time to move on
source...GO! [/b]*Al Green "Let's Stay Together" (Hi) Al Jarreau - Lonely Town *Albert Ayler - "Spiritual Unity" Alice Clark "S/T" (Mainstream) Aposento Alto - goodbye old friends *Baby Huey "Living Legend" (Curtom) #Ballin??Jack - Same Barbara and Ernie-"Prelude to..." (Cotillion) *Bill Withers "Still Bill" (Sussex) Black Caesar OST (Polydor) Black Sabbath. "S/T" #Bob Marley & the Wailers - "Exodus" Bobbi Humphrey - Blacks and Blues (Blue Note) Bohannon - "Stop & Go" (Dakar) CAN - "Ege Bamyasi" Certain Lions and Tigers - Soul Condor Charles Mingus--The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady *Curtis Mayfield "Curtis" (Curtom) #Cymande "S/T" (Janus) Cymande "Promised Heights" (Janus) Demon Fuzz - Afreka! (Janus) Donald Byrd - "Places and Spaces" (Blue Note) Donny Hathaway "Everything is Everything" (Atco) *Donny Hathaway "LIVE" Earth Wind and Fire - S/T (Warner Brothers) *Eddie Fisher - Next 100 Years (Cadet) *Eddie Kendricks "People...Hold On" (Tamla) Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch *ESG "S/T" (99) Funkadelic "America Eats Its Young" *Funkadelic "Maggot Brain" (Westbound) *Gal Costa-s/t (naoo identificado) Gary Wilson - "You Think You Really Know Me" Hank Mobley -"Soul Station" (Blue Note) *Harlem River Drive "S/T" (Roulette) Hell's Belles OST Herbie Hancock "Maiden Voyage" (Blue Note) Herbie Hancock "Headhunters" Impressions "Young Mod's Forgotten Story" (Curtom) Jackson 5 - abc (Motown) Jefferson Airplane - "Surrealistic Pillow" Jimi Hendrix - Axis Bold as Love (Reprise) Jimi Hendrix Experience "Are You Experienced?" (Reprise) #Jimmy Castor Bunch - It??s just begun (Polydor) Joe Bataan - Gypsy Woman (Fania) Joe Bataan - Subway Joe (Fania) John Coltrane "Giant Steps" John Coltrane "A Love Supreme " Jorge Ben - A T??bua de Esmeralda Jorge Ben - For??a Bruta" Jorge Ben - "Samba Esquema Novo" Kool and the Gang - S/T (De-Lite) Larry Young - Unity (Blue Note) Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy Led Zeppelin "Physical Graffiti" (Atlantic) Lonnie Smith - Drives (Blue Note) Lou Courtney "I'm in Need of Love" (Epic) Love-Forever Changes (Elektra) Mandrill "Just Outside of Town" (Polydor) Marvin Gaye - "Let's Get It On" (Tamla) Marvin Gaye "I Want You" (Tamla) Marvin Gaye "Whats Going On" (Tamla) Michael Jackson. "Off the Wall" (Epic) *Miles Davis - "Kind of Blue" (Columbia) Miles Davis "Sketches in Spain" and "In a Silent Way" Minnie Ripperton "Come to My Garden" (Janus) Muddy Waters "Electric Mud" (Cadet Concept) Ohio Players Pain (Westbound) Ohio Players "Pleasure" (Westbound) OST - Willie Dynamite Parliament - "Osmium" (Invictus) *PE - nation of millions Pink Floyd - More ost, Dark Side of the Moon Ramsey Lewis - Mother Nature's Son Rene & Angela "Wall to Wall" (Capitol) Roy Ayers - He's Coming (Polydor) S.O.U.L. - What Is It #Senor Soul - It's Your Thing #Sonic Youth - "EVOL" Stairsteps- "2nd Resurrection" (Dark Horse) Stark Reality - "Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop" Steely Dan "Aja" #Stevie Wonder - "Talking Book" (Tamla) Stevie Wonder Innervisions (Tamla) Stevie Wonder "Songs In the Key of Life (Tamla) Stooges - "S/T" (Elektra) Superfly OST (Curtom) Sweet Inspriations "Estelle, Myna, & Sylvia" (Stax) Syl Johnson - Dresses Too Short (Twinight) *Syl Johnson "Is It Because I'm Back" (Twilight) *Terry Callier - What Color Is Love (Cadet) The Coup - Kill My Landlord, (Wild Pitch) The Coup - "Genocide & Juice" (Wild Pitch) *The Meters "S/T" (Josie) The Meters "Struttin" (Josie) Thelonious Monk--Brilliant Corners (Riverside) Turner Brothers - "Act 1" *Van Morrison "Astral Weeks" (warner Brothers) Whispers - "shhh" (Solar)
Comments
Only 3 hip hop albums on that list and these are 2 of them ???
I love how *d*m snuck that one on there...
a matter of taste. some of these albums need to move over.. to make room for Horace Silver, Pharoah Sanders, Burning Spear and more
...GO! [/b]
Lots of great albums, but essential? From whose perspective?
And here we go???
I think this whole idea of rating cornerstones has to be web-organized something like:
1. The peepl submit titles
2. The peepl vote for titles
3. The top xx titles are divided into hit lists based on genres.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 continually.
This would create lists of rated items that would change dynamically according to the current constituency and taste of the peepl.
This thread is just going to turn into a 10-page mess of subjective opinions that will lead into a polemic abyss of e-squabble.
I would love to say I could step up and technically create the democratic foundation for this, but alas I don't have the www-skills for it.
Just sayin'???
This is why I'm a leave this thread alone. Time to go see the dentist!!
Later.
That's sort of the whole point!
Yes that would be one way, but still - it's 2006. There must be smarter ways to do this. There's got to be some SS databass nerds out there who's got the tech knowledge. But if someone is willing to sift through the mire of suggestions and do it the ballpoint'n'math way, that's great.
Whoa, you're telling me we need to move on from "Talking Book," but we can let "Demon Fuzz," "Come To My Garden" and "You Think You Really Know Me" stay on there. Not saying those aren't good albums, but "Talking Book" is an essential.
Also, and I know I'll get flack for this, but Superfly needs to go. I love Curtis, but there are a lot of albums I'd put above that (many by Curtis himself).
I think "Let It Bleed" is pretty essential as well...
Not saying it should replace "Let's Stay Together"...but AG's "I'm Still in Love with You" has to be considered. Such a strong album from end to end. The only semi-weak track is "Pretty Woman".
This thread is about 5 Star Albums, not necessarily essential records.
Superfly -
Come To My Garden -
I'll give you:
Demon Fuzz -
And Al Green is five stars only if you've run out of Ambien.
respectfully disagree.....
Anyone else prefer "Tago Mago" to "Ege Bamyasi"??? Shit, I listen to "Future Days" more than any of 'em...more sleepy-time music I guess.
Or Swamp Dogg?
I remember starting this list last year and thinking "What could possibly go wrong?".
Then sure enough someone came into the thread and shit on what seemed to be a majority opinion with thier personal music bias.
The truth is ou are not going to get everyone to agree on whats a 5 star album. There are going to be those that think their tastes are superior to others and they will shit on what 10 or so other people all agreed to be a good album.
It's best to keep in mind that this list is not set in stone and it is not endorsed by the network The expressed opinions of said list are solely that of the internet posters who are collectro legends in their own minds.
oh and Drew, that Stairsteps is something you need if you don't already got it
That's why it's such a daunting task.
Lil Kim's last album should be on this list though..............
Drewn,
I guess I'm looking at 5-star albums as essentials and vice versa. I'm not thinking of essential as albums that are necessary to understanding a sub-genre or a musical movement, or even an album that is a thought provoking album that spawned important music questions, but may not have been a (near) perfect record.
So, when I say "Talking Book" is essential, I mean it is 5-stars. Further, there are, I gather, more than 100 5-star records, so at some point one would have to put some above others based on some sort of practice. I believe "Talking Book" is a 5-star album, no question, and one, further, that belongs on the list above many other albums on there (5-star or not).
It is the first of his (near) flawless albums IMHO (I know others may say Music of My Mind), which makes it important historically in terms of the artist's output. But, even moreso, it is just an amazing, well-paced record with great songs. "Maybe Your Baby," "You and I," "Big Brother," etc...
And, about Curtis: If I recall correctly, your a huge fan. What is is about Superfly? I guess I understand why it would be a big draw for those raised on hip hop (not only in terms of being sampled, but jiving more with the hip hop aesthetic), but in terms quality in the Curtis catalogue is it really better than Roots? I don't think anyone here would argue it is better than Curtis, but I imagine many would pit it against any of his other albums. I'd definitely put Roots above it, along with a few Impressions albums.
theres gotta be a way to do it via a 'write in' online poll or something?
respectfully disagree.....
Anyone else prefer "Tago Mago" to "Ege Bamyasi"??? Shit, I listen to "Future Days" more than any of 'em...more sleepy-time music I guess.
Yeah I prefer Tago Mago as well... I still don't have Future Days
co-scion
and for the record It was Wholewheat that suggest Stairsteps "2nd Ressurection" was a 5 star LP, but I second it
No, no anonymous polls--votes need to be attachable to a personality so that they can be properly weighted or, in some cases, discarded entirely.
There are at least two Stairsteps records I'd rate higher than that
really? speak on it
I like 2nd ressurection cause its got a solid vibe all the way through, not one that you really need to skip tracks on. Grown and sexy all the way.