Rep's Top Fifty Albums Of All-Time

This is a good place to drop general and weird news, entertainment, and general show prep material that might be interesting to air talent or producers. Hot dog threads ALWAYS welcome.

Moderators: The People's DJ, David Paleg

Post Reply
User avatar
Scott Reppert
Member
Member
Posts: 1442
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2001 12:50 pm
Location: Fairmont, WV

Re: Rep's Top Fifty Albums Of All-Time

Post by Scott Reppert »

First off, I will try to finish this thing here up by posting #1 on Christmas morning.
If I do not get to it, I will do it on Tuesday when I return to work.


Secondly...
Crottinger wrote:Speaking of the Monkees, I have a vinyl solo album for Michael Nesmith and it was titled something like "Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash." It was a very big departure into country rock from the Monkees type style.
Here are the Mike Nesmith songs from his time with The Monkees that have caused many to dub him the "Father Of Country Rock":

6. "Sweet Young Thing"


5. "Papa Gene's Blues"


4. "Different Drum" (no YouTube video of The Monkees version from 1967)


3. "Some Of Shelly's Blues" (no YouTube video of The Monkees version from 1968)


2. "St. Matthew"


1. "If I Ever Get To Saginaw Again"

Scott Reppert
Music Director/Program Director/On-Air Personality
WTCS/WFGM/WMQC/WAIJ/WLIC/WRIJ/WKJL/WRWJ/WPCL/WWPN
Operations Manager: Hope Radio, T8WH, Palau
Production/Editor: "Believe Right" and "MFC WorldWide"
"For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation"--Luke 2:30
User avatar
Scott Reppert
Member
Member
Posts: 1442
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2001 12:50 pm
Location: Fairmont, WV

Re: Rep's Top Fifty Albums Of All-Time

Post by Scott Reppert »

1. The Move "Shazam!"
Year Of Release: 1970
Top Tracks: "Hello Susie", "Don't Make My Baby Blue", "The Last Thing On My Mind", "Fields Of People" "Beautful Daughter"

I thought about a one word review for this album: "Perfection". Then I thought that all you may need to know is that I ordered the album from the Middletown Mall Camelot Music store in mid-1974 and was home from school the day that it came in...also the day that I got 75 different 1954 Bowman baseball cards in a trade with Ralph Nozaki from Missouri. But then I realized that you needed to know about the album, so I will go into it in a fuller capacity than I had originally planned. This is the second album from Roy Wood and The Move. Their first came out in 1968 ("First Move") and this came out two years later. It was released on A&M in the States, but one of the driving factors behind this album as being my all-time favorite is the fact that I purchased the Japanese limited edition "Master Pressing" copy back in the early 90's. It is, by far, the greatest SOUNDING recording I have ever heard. There was no single from the album, although the band Amen Corner had a U.K. hit with "Hello Susie" in a far different but still powerful version. It is "Hello Susie" that kicks the thing off on side one...which is comprised of three Roy Wood originals. The initial power of the guitar, bass and drums played by Roy Wood, Rick Price and Bev Bevan is amplified over and over with layer after layer of multi-tracking courtesy of Roy Wood's pristine production. This is followed up by the acoustic "Beautiful Daughter"...a song that was recorded slightly before the actual "Shazam!" sessions and sounds a tad bit out of place. It is a slight donut hole of pastoral beauty that takes up the two and a half minute space between the bombastic fade of "Hello Susie" and the initial onslaught of "Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited"...which is a song that was originally done in a three minute version on "First Move". What comes up here is a complete re-working of the tune...insane asylum patient spoken word intro, Black Sabbath-like pounding/plodding instruments, classical interlude, vocal chorale trucked in from the previously mentioned insane asylum, and Roy Wood's top notch vocals. And then comes Side Two (in vinylspeak). I had the great pleasure of doing what turned out to be a "mini interview" with Carl Wayne before his untimely passing. We talked about The Move, his solo career and his favorite songs. At one point I said this: "Do you know what I just realized?" and he answered, "No. What?"...to which I replied, "You sang lead vocals on what I consider to be the greatest side of a rock and roll album that I have ever heard". The man got quiet. Very quiet. And then he just said, "Thank you". You see, side two of "Shazam!" is (A). all cover versions and (B). completely sung by Carl Wayne. The band had been touring some circuit in Europe where the rock scene was 5-10 years behind the rest of the world, thus they had adapted the policy of doing some "oldies" live. Well, three of these songs comprise side two of this album, and they have to be heard to be believed. The first is "Fields Of People", originally done by Ars Nova (now THERE'S a band you need to Google). This is the song that was featured on an early 1990's "Flashback" show and is the "centerpiece" of the album...clocking in at over ten minutes. The middle of side two is actually my favorite track on the LP and is a remake of Frankie Laine's "Don't Make My Baby Blue". Folks, just give this thing a listen on the video link below (also give a listen to the Frankie Laine version on YouTube...which features the ROCKINGEST guitar solo you have ever heard come out of 1963). The album wraps up with the final of the three covers, Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing On My Mind". You may have heard his original, you may have heard the Peter, Paul & Mary hit version, but this is signature version for a rock band and not just some coffee house beatnik. So there it is. The greatest album I have ever heard. A living legend in rock and roll only wrote one new song for it and did not sing lead at all on side two. Half of the album is cover versions. Two strikes right there. But the production, the musicianship, and the impeccable lead vocals of Carl Wayne (who would leave the band shortly after it's release to be replaced by Jeff Lynne) make up for any shortcomings. As a matter of fact, you could lop off two songs on here and still have a masterpiece. Going back to the allmusic.com quote from contributor Richie Unterberger: “The Move were the best and most important British group of the late 60’s that never made a significant dent in the American market”. Don't be counted in that group. Discover The Move. Discover "Shazam!". Go to iTunes and spend the best $5.99 you've ever spent there.



Scott Reppert
Music Director/Program Director/On-Air Personality
WTCS/WFGM/WMQC/WAIJ/WLIC/WRIJ/WKJL/WRWJ/WPCL/WWPN
Operations Manager: Hope Radio, T8WH, Palau
Production/Editor: "Believe Right" and "MFC WorldWide"
"For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation"--Luke 2:30
User avatar
Scott Reppert
Member
Member
Posts: 1442
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2001 12:50 pm
Location: Fairmont, WV

Re: Rep's Top Fifty Albums Of All-Time

Post by Scott Reppert »

1. Honeybus "Story"
Year Of Release: 1970
Top Tracks: "Ceilings #2", "The Right To Choose", "She Sold Blackpool Rock", "Black Mourning Band", "He Was Columbus", "How Long?","Girl Of Independent Means", "Fresher Than The Sweetness", "She's OUt There", "Ceilings #1"

So I was looking on http://www.allmusic.com a week or three ago and researching something about The Beatles from one of their later 60's albums. And you know how they always put the thing down at the bottom that says: "You may also be interested in..."? Well, I looked down and saw the usual: The Animals, The Rolling Stones, The Monkees, CCR, The Kinks. And then then there was an icon for Honeybus. The others I know. By heart. Since my childhood. But Honeybus? I had to look in to this, having never heard of them before. What I discovered has turned into the best album I have ever heard and one of the more amazing stories in rock and roll history that you have probably never heard.

The band started in '66 or so and released two failed singles on the Deram label in England. The one sounds extremely Hollies-ish ("Delighted To See You") and the other was covered by Joe Cocker, Dave Matthews, Rod Stewart and a host of others ("(Do I Figure) In Your Life"). Then came the third single, which was their lone British chart entry and only hit in the U.K. ("I Can't Let Maggie Go", #8, April 1968). It is after the release of this single that things get amazing. The song's writer, Pete Dello, was in the position that The Beatles and Roy Wood have faced: he was upset that the sound on the records could NOT be duplicated live. So he quit. Ray Kane took over as the lead singer/writer and they put out a couple of follow up singles ("Girl Of Independent Means", "She Sold Blackpool Rock") and neither of them charted. Well, it is now late 1968 and they got their crack at recording a full album.

"Story" was recorded at this point and then...never released. The band was dismayed. The band broke up. Time rolls on and it is now 1970 and Deram Records has new management, one of which finds the master recordings and asks, "How come THIS has never been released?" He is informed that there is technically not a Honeybus even around anymore, but he persists in his thinking that "something this great needs to be heard"! So Deram releases the "Story" album and it bombs.

All of the members aside from Colin Hare left the music business. Ray Kane will not even speak publicly about the band today. Why? "If we made the perfect record and no one listened, why go on?"

Ray calls it 'perfect'. The liner notes call it 'flawless'. The first time I heard it I called it 'immaculate'.

If you enjoy late 1960's music such as The Beatles, Status Quo, early Bee Gees, SImon & Garfunkel, and The Hollies...you MORE THAN OWE it to yourself to check out Honeybus. They recorded 22 songs over a two and a half year period and there is not a loser in the bunch.

That is why I felt I had to update this list.

Link to their hit...

http://youtu.be/ih4zwp-0GeQ
Scott Reppert
Music Director/Program Director/On-Air Personality
WTCS/WFGM/WMQC/WAIJ/WLIC/WRIJ/WKJL/WRWJ/WPCL/WWPN
Operations Manager: Hope Radio, T8WH, Palau
Production/Editor: "Believe Right" and "MFC WorldWide"
"For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation"--Luke 2:30
Post Reply