When I was in the middle of writing last month's recap, the Kinks were still in my "eventually" list of artists. (For those of who don't know, this simply consists of artists whom I know I should do at some point in the future but for whom I have little motivation to do in the near future.) Then, for no apparent reason, I had a sudden urge to check them out and let them cut the line in front of the likes of Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen, Rod Stewart, and Fleetwood Mac, all artists I've been waiting for several months to do. So far, this decision has paid off--I might not end up liking the Kinks more than any of those artists, but I'm glad I finally got around to the most influential 60s band I had yet to check out. Three listens in, Something Else by the Kinks appears to be about equal in quality to Face to Face, which made my top five albums for this month, but "Waterloo Sunset" is by far the band's song yet. Robert Christgau think it's a candidate for the most beautiful song in the English language. I'm looking forward to The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, which many people consider to be the band's masterpiece. I don't usually enjoy concept albums very much, but so far frontman and lyricist Ray Davies has showed himself to be quite capable, so I'm cautiously optimistic.
I also began listening the Eagles this month after wrapping Paul Simon's discography, which ended quite strongly with one of his later albums So Beautiful or So What making the top five for the month. I was on the fence about Eagles' debut, but by their second album, I had gained a mild dislike for the band and a major dislike for drummer and vocalist Don Henley, who slowly took over the band until he had almost complete control by their fifth album Hotel California. Consequently, I thought it was their worst. Too bad. Almost everyone, including people who dislike the band, thinks it's their best. Their third and sixth album--with their debut not far behind--are their most enjoyable LPs to me. Not ones I'm likely to return to, but decent enough.
Bonnie Raitt has started off strongly. I've been meaning to review her second album Give It Up for several days now, but I've been too busy with school work. Without spoiling too much of the review, it's the best album of the month. Hopefully, I'll get to review in three days, but I won't make any promises. Finals are coming up and it's been difficult to review anything this past week. I also began listening the psychedelic LA band Love this month. For their debut, I opinioned that the band had yet to find the genre and style that suited them best. I was quite pleased to discover they completely changed direction on their sophomore record, which validated my criticism. Despite finding a plausible, unique sound on their second record, they changed directions just as sharply on their third album Forever Changes--I wasn't even sure if it was the same lead vocalist, Arthur Lee, for the first three songs. The band utilizes string arrangements a tad too much for my taste but everything is pleasant and original. Certainly a minor masterpiece and a major one in the psychedelic genre.
Unlike the usual two, I got to three blues guitarists this month: Blind Willie Johnson, Memphis Minnie, and Lead Belly. First recorded in 1927, Blind Willie Johnson was a gospel blues singer and guitarist. He was blind from an early age and his slide guitar was influential to many after him including Robert Johnson. His records were moderately successful but he lived in poverty his whole life and died before he was rediscovered in the folk revival. Led Zeppelin covered two of his songs: "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed" ("In My Time of Dying"). It took me a while to warm up to him because of his challenging voice and his singular interest in religious music, but in time he's become one of my favorites because of his slide guitar and his unique voice.
First recorded in 1929, Memphis Minnie was the second blues guitarist I checked out. She was one of the only successful female blues guitarists of her time. Although she lived past the folk revival and died two years after Led Zeppelin famously covered her song "When the Levee Breaks" on their best selling album Led Zeppelin IV, she died in relative obscurity and was buried in an unmarked grave until Bonnie Raitt paid for one to be erected in 1996. I found many of her songs to be fantastic and just as good as any blues artist I've listened to but, unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a single compilation that collected all her best material--"Me and My Chauffeur Blues," "Kissing in the Dark," "Down in the Alley," and "Bumble Bee"--which resulted in a low grade for her album on the Blues Albums/Artists page.
Finally, I checked out Lead Belly. He was popular among black and white crowds in his lifetime and was first recorded in 1933. Lead Belly is actually more of a folk artist than a blues artists, which is apparent in the traditions he sings--"The House of the Rising Sun," "Midnight Special," and "The Gallis Pole" ("Gallows Pole")--and his style of guitar playing. Although his album Absolutely the Best missed the mark for this month's recap, I recommend listening to it if you've found enjoyment from any of the other blues albums I've recommended.
In May, I'll start Leonard Cohen and the female rock group Joy of Cooking after finishing the Eagles and Love. I'll also be listening to Blind Willie McTell and Reverend Gary Davis, two Piedmont (Appalachian) blues artists. Since my finals end in the middle of the month, I'll have more time to review and listen to music, which is exciting for me because that means getting to more albums and artists. Hopefully, that means a really good recap too.
My 5 Favorite Albums from April:
Blind Willie Johnson: Dark Was the Night (1998)
Bonnie Raitt: Give It Up (1972)
The Kinks: Face to Face (1966)
Love: Forever Changes (1967)
Paul Simon: So Beautiful or So What (2011)
