My First Decade Pt. 1 [1968-1972]

Many things conspired to prompt me into doing this here post: the fact that I turned 40, which nicely breaks down into 4 easily digestible pieces, the fact that Super-Extra over there on the right posted his own list, the fact that I'm an easily diverted obsessive-compulsive and the fact that I'm a flat-out, no-holds-barred music geek.

So, here's the deal: You have to pick one album for every year that you've been alive. That's it. How you wish to choose the album is entirely up to you. Basically, Super-Extra got this idea from someone who got the idea from someone else. Being all of the things I mentioned above, I thought it would make a great idea for a post and I used the following rules:

• No more than one appearance for any artist.
• No compilation albums would be included.
• It has to be the best album of the year.

Then I decided one album was cool and all, but I should really take it up a notch and select the ten best albums of each and every year I've been alive. I'll start posting about that at the Music Club site in the coming days. But, let us remain focused and carry on with my first decade of life. Well, actually, let me be easily diverted first: Mr. Super-Extra had this to say about his digging through the musical past of his life:

The boon years for music in my lifetime definitely occurred during the late '80s and early to mid-'90s [...] The late '70s and early '80s had much sparser offerings (especially in 1977, 1980, and 1981, which were easily the weakest individual years overall), but made up for the lack of quantity in quality and influence.

Now, there was some great music in the 80s and 90s, and it's nice that S-E gave props to the influence of the late 70s and early 80s musically, but I must strenuously disagree with the sentiment that there was a dearth of quality music during that time. In fact, I can't even begin to imagine saying anything but the opposite. As hard as it was to narrow it down to 10 albums per year for every year during the first decade of my existence, it didn't *really* get difficult until 1977, and 1978 was even worse. I haven't progressed beyond that yet, but when I do, I know the next few years will be very challenging indeed. Alright, on to the list:

1968: Astral Weeks - Van Morrison

This might just be my favorite album of all time. It is so beautiful and painful and just, I don't know, devastating, that I can guarantee that it would be on a very, very, short lists of albums I'd take with me to that proverbial desert island. As a plus, it also helps affirm my "don't confuse the artist with the art" mantra, as Van was a major asshole. RUNNERS-UP Odessey & Oracle - Zombies, Lady Soul - Aretha Franklin.

1969: Stand - Sly & The Family Stone

There's A Riot Goin' On is more adventurous and deserving of all the accolades heaped upon it, but I always felt Stand was under appreciated. My thinking was this: Riot was a mind-blower alright, but Stand was aural revolution masquerading as pop music. And, it's that subversive element that really pushes it over the top, for me at least. It is an amazing album to listen to on headphones, which you really need to do if you want to understand what I'm babbling about. RUNNERS-UP Let It Bleed - Rolling Stones, Dusty In Memphis - Dusty Springfield.



1970: Loaded - Velvet Underground

Huddled in the kitchen, avoiding all contact with anyone else at the party, is where you'll find them, obsessively comparing and arguing the finer (and not so fine) points of minutiae from albums great and small. If you were to ask these sad people what the best VU ablum is/was, I'm sure the majority would offer Nico, the next highest vote-getter would probably be White Light, and there is a chance that a small minority might say "VU/VU." Well, they're all wrong. Loaded is the pivot point between the outrageous originality and inventiveness of the Velvet Underground and the banality of Lou Reed's solo career to follow. Loaded is the place where, despite pressure from the record label (the title is a mockery of the directive to make sure the album was "loaded with hits"), the band was finally able to just be who they were. This is loose and relaxed, and while it may not host the greatest of Velvet Underground songs--although one could argue that point--it certainly hosts the band's most well known. RUNNERS-UP Funhouse - Stooges, Cosmo's Factory - Creedence Clearwater Revival.

1971: High Time - MC5

So, you've gone from being hyped as the next great thing on the cover of Rolling Stone--before you've even signed a contract or recorded an album--to being never was-es just one album later. Your debut album failed miserably when you mistook the sounds of cash registers for the bells of the revolution chiming. Your second album, while still better than most of the stuff being released that year, fails commercially and--even worse--is resented by your core fan-base for being an emasculation on vinyl, which it was. Police harassment, hard drugs and a complete lack of interest--even in the Motor City--has already made your yet to be recorded third album irrelevant. What do you do? Well, if you're the Five, you let one of your own produce your record for a change and you go ahead and make the album you've always had in you. You write an epitaph to everything that was good and wrong and fucked up about the 60s, and you create a masterpiece. From the opener of their first (live) album:

"...Brothers and Sisters the time has come for each and everyone of you to decide, whether you are gonna be the problem or whether you are gonna be the solution. (That's right!) You must choose, Brothers, you must choose. It takes five seconds, five seconds of decision, five seconds to realize your purpose here on the planet. It take five seconds to realize that it's time to move. It's time to get down with it. Brothers, it's time to testify, and I want to know: Are you ready to testify? Are you ready? I give you a testimonial--THE MC5!"

Fuckin' A. RUNNERS-UP There's A Riot Goin' On - Sly & The Family Stone, Staple Swingers - Staple Singers.

1972: Pink Moon - Nick Drake

Unlike the rest of the albums on this here post, I came to the critically lauded Pink Moon very late. I could give you some choice excuses, but the simple truth was reverse-snobbery. I couldn't get over my aversion to all the junk attached to the album: Drake died young and pretty from an "accidental" suicide, Drake was criminally overlooked in his lifetime, Drake was a misunderstood genius, etc. When I finally got around to listening to this haunting, brilliant album, I was in my mid-to-late 30s and finally able to just focus in on the music. It's one of the few times I've actually been rewarded for getting old. RUNNERS-UP Talking Book - Stevie Wonder, Exile On Main St. - Rolling Stones.

I was actually surprised how long it took to write this post, I've been working on it off and on all day, which is why I ended up truncating it from the originally planned ten albums down to five. Lord knows when I'll get to the next five, but I'll try not to make it too long.