|
|
|
The Beatles (The White Album)
: essential recording:Better known as the 'White Album,' this was meant to be the record that brought them back to earth after three years of studio experimentation. Instead, it took them all over the place, continuing to burst the envelope of pop music. Lennon and McCartney were still at the height of their powers, with Lennon in particular growing into one of rock's towering figures. But even McCartney could still rock, and the amazement on 'Helter Skelter' was that he had vocal cords at the end. ...
|
|
|
Abbey Road
: essential recording:The Beatles' last days as a band were as productive as any major pop phenomenon that was about to split. After recording the ragged-but-right Let It Be, the group held on for this ambitious effort, an album that was to become their best-selling. Though all four contribute to the first side's writing, John Lennon's hard-rocking, 'Come Together' and 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' make the strongest impression. A series of song fragments edited together in suite form dominates side two; its portentous, touching, ...
|
|
|
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
: :\N essential recording:Before Sgt. Pepper, no one seriously thought of rock music as actual art. That all changed in 1967, though, when John, Paul, George and Ringo (with 'A Little Help' from their friend, producer George Martin) created an undeniable work of art which remains, after 30-plus years, one of the most influential albums of all time. From Lennon's evocative word/sound pictures (the trippy 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,' the carnival-like 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite') and McCartney's music hall-styled 'When ...
|
|
|
Dark Side Of The Moon
: :No Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: PINK FLOYDTitle: DARK SIDE OF THE MOONStreet Release Date: 07/07/1987DomesticGenre: ROCK/POP essential recording:Dark Side of the Moon, originally released in 1973, is one of those albums that is discovered anew by each generation of rock listeners. This complex, often psychedelic music works very well because Pink Floyd doesn't rush anything; the songs are mainly slow to mid-tempo, with attention paid throughout to musical texture and mood. The sound effects on songs like 'On the Run,' 'Time' ...
|
|
|
Rubber Soul
: :No Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: BEATLESTitle: RUBBER SOUL (BRITISH)Street Release Date: 08/09/1988DomesticGenre: ROCK/POP essential recording:Rank 'em how you like, Rubber Soul is an undeniable pivot point in the Fab Four's varied discography no matter where, or how, you first heard it. The album was softened up in its original 12-song American edition to jibe with the Dylan/Byrds folk-rock sound, as well as squeeze money from the Parlophone catalog. The 14-song U.K. edition--the version now available on compact disc--is a different, more ...
|
|
|
The Beatles 1
: :No Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: BEATLESTitle: BEATLES 1Street Release Date: 11/14/2000DomesticGenre: ROCK/POP essential recording: Proving yet again their willingness to dice 'n' slice their burgeoning legacy into new--if not exactly fresh--product, the Fab Four Minus One have released this single-disc compendium of their No. 1 hits. Though obviously superfluous to the faithful (who may also find themselves quibbling over the precise definition of 'No. 1 hit' and the exclusion of seeming contenders like 'Please Please Me' and 'Strawberry Fields'), newly arrived ...
|
|
|
The Wall (Deluxe Packaging Digitally Remastered)
: Essential Recording:The Wall is less a collection of songs than a single work, which is sometimes frustrating; the plot lacks enough coherence to hold the snippets of music together. However, there are occasional flashes of brilliance on what ranks as Pink Floyd's most ambitious project. Most of these come from the fully developed songs, which have become classics in their own right. 'Hey You,' 'Mother,' and especially 'Comfortably Numb' are subtle, incredible pieces of music. Though complex, they move at a relaxed pace, allowing the ...
|
|
|
The Who: The Ultimate Collection
: :\N :The Who's mighty catalog of beautiful, poignant, and often silly pop songs bashed out with Cassius Clay finesse has suffered in the past at the hands of multiple, butcher-shop best-ofs and horrible packaging. But this thrilling band--undeniably one of ye classicke rocke's greatest--gets the career-spanning entry-point compilation it deserves with the double-disc Ultimate Collection. The songs included here are no-brainers, for the most part--if they aren't huge hits like 'My Generation,' 'I Can See for Miles,' or 'Baba O'Riley,' they're long-standing fan favorites such ...
|
|
|
Revolver [UK]
:Album Description:Japanese exclusive reissue of 1966 album. This Toshiba/EMI pressing features an OBI strip (different from the last Japanese pressings issued in 1990) & an insert with Japanese text & lyrics in Japanese & English. Manufactured & pressed in Japan. This album has been direct metal mastered from a digitally remastered original tape to give the best possible sound quality. 2004. essential recording:Revolver wouldn't remain the Beatles' most ambitious LP for long, but many fans--including this one--remember it as their best. An object lesson in ...
|
|
|
Wish You Were Here
: Essential Recording:Wish You Were Here is a song cycle dedicated to Pink Floyd's original frontman, Syd Barrett, who'd flamed out years before: two grimly funny songs about the evils of the music business ('By the way, which one's Pink?'), and two long, touching ones about the band's vanished friend. The real star of the show, though, is the production: sparkling, convoluted, designed to sound deeply oh-wow under the influence--and pretty great sober too--with David Gilmour getting lots of space for his most lyrical guitar playing ...
|
|