#115 Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison

Back in December I listened to my first Johnny Cash album. Of course I had heard some of his music, who hasn't. I was really impressed by it and added quite a bit of his music to my music library. I didn't add this one however since it is a live album and we all know how I feel about live albums. Well this album was great for a number of reasons. First his voice is amazing. Secondly, most all of the songs are prison themed. Finally, even though it is a live album it is so good the way he entertains the inmates and interacts with them in between songs. He even sings a song written by one of the inmates as the final songs.



Usually I just highlight one or two of the songs on the album but this one was just so good here is the whole album:

Tomorrow's Album #387 Talking Heads - Talking Heads 77

#738 Ice Cube - Predator

No clean version available














Tomorrow's Album #115 Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison

#206 Carole King - Tapestry

This wasn't really my style of music but I was amazed by one think. For a singer that I had never heard of before, and for an album I had never heard before I was surprised by the number of songs on the album, all written or co-written by her, that are hugely popular and have been covered over and over again. I had heard many of them before but by other artists that have re-done them. In fact this album has sold over 25 million copies, making it one of the best selling of all time and it won her four Grammy Awards.

"I Feel the Earth Move"

"So Far Away"

"It's Too Late"

"You've Got a Friend"

"Will You Love Me Tomorrow"

"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"

"Tapestry" - this is a great song

Tomorrow's Album #738 Ice Cube - Predator

#526 REM - Murmur

I've said previously that I am a fan of REM. I haven't, however, listened to this, their debut album, and I didn't really like it. I started listening to the band with their album "Green" and this doesn't sound much like the REM that I know and love.










"Radio Free Europe"

Tomorrow's Album #206 Carole King - Tapestry

#279 Hawkwind - Space Ritual

So. The band Hawkwind is classified in the genre of "Space Rock". I didn't even know that that was a thing. Apparently it is a rock band that primarily writes their lyrics around science fiction themes. And boy they have done that. In total they have recorded 30  albums since 1970.

This album is a live album, which was really hard to tell cause any crowd noise was pretty much eliminated. In fact I didn't even realize it was live until well into the album when there was a bit of crowd cheering. It was o.k. A little strange at times and a lot of the songs were pretty long and drawn out. Overall it was fine to listen to one time but I'm not going to do it again.

"Space is Deep"

Tomorrow's Album #526 REM - Murmur

#924 Red Snapper - Our Aim is to Satisfy

An electronic band from England, they remind me of another band, Recoil, which I like a lot. Out of all of the electronic albums I have listened too for the 1001 this is the best one so far.









"Shellback"

Tomorrow's Album #279 Hawkwind - Space Ritual

#404 Elvis Costello - This Year's Model

With every Elvis Costello album I hear I like his music a bit more. I think this is number four and while they haven't been in chronological order they seem to be better as I go along. I think his music is growing on me.










"Pump It Up"

Tomorrow's Album #924 Red Snapper - Our Aim is to Satisfy

#308 Gene Clark - No Other

A member of the band The Byrds for a couple of years he was responsible for most of their hits. Unfortunately for him his solo career never took off for him. This album was a failure when it was released and his record company didn't even bother to promote the album. I can see why. It was just not very good.







"No Other"

Tomorrow's Album #404 Elvis Costello - This Year's Model

#314 Kraftwerk - Autobahn

I have had limited exposure to Kraftwerk prior to now. A friend bought their "Electric Cafe" album and I heard it a couple times. From what I remember about it it was better than this one. The songs on this album were so blah. The album is strictly instrumentals, and even at that they have no "umph" to them. They vary very little through out the songs. Think along the lines of repetative elevator music.







"kometenmelodie 1"

Tomorrow's Album #308 Gene Clark - No Other

#674 Megadeth - Rust in Peace

I love Metallica. They are my favorite heavy metal band. I had never really listened to Megadeth before now, mostly because I didn't really feel that I needed to. After listening to this album I think it was fine that I didn't. Musically it was fairly similar to Metallica, although slightly inferior. Vocally and lyrically it didn't hit the mark.








"Dawn Patrol"

Tomorrow's Album #314 Kraftwerk - Autobahn

#299 Todd Rundgren - A Wizard, A True Star

I really had no idea what was going on with this album. I had no idea who Todd Rundgren was before listening to it and I actually still don't. Other than learning that he is an American multi-instrumentalist, the album was just kind of a mess. Most of the songs were only 1 to 2 minutes long and never really got going before they ended. I just don't know what Todd was going for.








"Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel"

Tomorrow's Album #674 Megadeth - Rust in Peace

#54 Otis Redding - Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul

This album was actually really good. Otis Redding only records 4 or 5 albums before his untimely death in a plane crash on the way to a gig. What I liked about the album was the addition of horns to many of the songs, that gets me almost every time. The other think was that, even though Otis only wrote 3 of the songs they were all really good. He did a great job of picking songs to cover, including one of my all time favorites "Change Gonna Come". I also had no idea that Otis wrote "Respect", the song that Aretha Franklin made hugely popular.





"Change Gonna Come"

Tomorrow's Album #299 Todd Rundgren - A Wizard, A True Star

#329 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Natty Dread

I liked this album slightly more than I expected. I don't really reggae but I do understand it's appeal. It is the genre of the peaceful protest. A lot of the lyrics have to do with oppression, protest, and encouraging people to rebel against the establishment. I definitely think the music is so mellow and peaceful because of all the weed that they smoke while recording it.







"No Woman, No Cry"

Tomorrow's Album #54 Otis Redding - Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul

#59 The Who - My Generation

I remember that The Who played the Super Bowl half-time show in 2010, and thinking, at the time, that it was a very odd choice for a half-time performer. Usually the NFL had performers that are current or relevant, or maybe have a new album coming out that has them in the public eye. I know The Who were a huge band once upon a time but they haven't been relevant for a long time. Their last album was in 2006 and the last time they had a hit single was in 1981. Maybe the NFL figured that a lot of baby-boomers were going to be watching that particular Super Bowl.

As for this album I thought it was kind of blah. Granted it is the bands debut album and sometimes they are really good and sometimes it is really just the starting point for a band. While the album does have a very recognizable classic rock song, the rest of the album was kind of throw away to me.

"My Generation"

 Tomorrow's Album #329 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Natty Dread

#274 Deep Purple - Made in Japan

Essentially a live album of the band's greatest hit to that point, the album didn't really offer anything new or different from their other album on the list, Machine Head. Most of the songs are on both albums, and in my opinion a live version is rarely better than a studio recording.








"Smoke on the Water"

Tomorrow's Album #59 The Who - My Generation

#325 Supertramp - Crime of the Century

An English 70's rock band, they had a bit of a rough start before gaining success. The band's first two albums were failure, and the band actually broke up for a spell. After a bit the band reformed with a couple new members and went in to the studio to record this album. It was good but not great, but did produce two very recognizable classic rock songs.








"Bloody Well Right"

"Dreamer"

Tomorrow's Album #274 Deep Purple - Made in Japan

#204 Van Morrison - Moondance

This album was similar to yesterday's album in sound and style, but lyrically it was much better. After listening to it I didn't realize that I had heard a few of these songs before, or rather I didn't know they were Van Morrison songs.










"Moondance"

"Crazy love"

"Into the Mystic" - my favorite song on the album

Tomorrow's Album #325 Supertramp - Crime of the Century

#285 Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd

When you talk about iconic songs you have to include the song "Freebird". Included on this, their debut album, it has become the band's best know song. Overall the album was pretty good. It is a straight ahead 70's rock album.










"Freebird" - Rolling Stone lists rates the guitar solo as the #3 greatest of all time

Metallica covering "Tuesdays Gone"

Tomorrow's Album #204 Van Morrison - Moondance

#645 De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising

This album was unavailable on Apple Music













Tomorrow's Album #285 Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd

#1061 Taylor Swift - 1989

So Taylor Swift's music is not my style. Way too geared towards teenage girls for my liking. But I can admit that she knew how to take a country music career that was pretty good and turn it into becoming one of the biggest pop stars in the planet. Her six albums, three country and three pop, since 2006 have sold, as far as I can tell, around 40 million copies total. Since her fourth album, her first pop album, she is listed as the writer of all of her songs, with some help at times, and she knows how to write a catchy pop song, that is for sure. She also seems to be really smart when it comes to the music business. At a time when album sales are pretty much in the toilet, and a good first week sales for an album release are now measured in the thousands, she refused to release her latest album to streaming services for the first two weeks it was out and that helped her to sell 1.2 million copies of the album in the first week.

"Blank Space"

"Out of the Woods"

"Shake it Off"

"Bad Blood"

Tomorrow's Album #645 De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising