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Every now and again a record comes out that re-affirms everything that you inspired your love for music. King Khan & The Shrines are a refreshing hot furnace blast that will re-invigorate your love of music and have you swinging like it's 1969. There are barely enough adjectives to describe the sound of this band, who are an electrifying blend of psychedelic soul, rhythm & blues, garage, funk, & 60's Blow-Up-A-Go-Go style retro dancefloor.... and boy do they bring it. From the belting opener, 'How Can I Keep You (Outta Harms Way)’ will have you shakin' your booty around your living room, and wildly foot-tapping in the bus queue. It's the perfect summer album, and i'm secretly hoping could be the sound of the Summer... fingers crossed.

The wall of sound created by this band is powered along by an amazingly tight and powerful brass section that wouldn't sound of out place on some of Motown's greatest hits backed up by the pedigree percussion of Ron Streeter (who performed with all the greats back in the day, (Ike & Tina Turner, Bo Diddley, Curtis Mayfield). I think they must have a tardis as the music sounds so authentically 60's it's like they've been transported from a different time and they certainly get around, now based in Berlin, and originally from Canada, (and if you believe their myspace page via South Georgia & the Sandwich Islands) they have been picked up by Vice Records and now have a greater distribution which is great news.

The deliciously psychedelically daft " I Wanna Be A Girl" is a fun little number, "Welfare Bread" bringing up the rear with a slower paced slouchy number that'll have you reaching for a spliff and rose tinted glasses.

"Land Of The Freak'' is the stand-out track of the album bringing showcasing the tightest horn section and funkiest Hammond organ sound ever. Sly & The Family Stone eat your heart out. The amphetamine fueled pace makes you feel like you're wired on some damn good drugs or a gazillion espresso's.

The album bounds along, occasionally taking a breather in '69 Faces of Love' an uber cool track that wouldn't be out of place in a Tarantino film, in fact if Tarantino doesn't use one of their tracks in one of his next films i'll eat my hat. King Khan's vocals are blisteringly raw and ready throughout lending an Iggy Pop inspired influence especially on 'No Regrets' which sounds like it would be perfectly at home on a Stooges record.

A psychedelic influenced album wouldn't be complete without the obligatory freak-out track, in this case 'Cosmic Serenade' that sounds inspired by Sun Ra's cosmic free jazz, (not everyone's cuppa tea i'll admit), and also 'Fear and Love'. It's an album that wears it's influences heavily on it's sleeve and it doesn't break any new ground in the originality stakes. That doesn't matter however, it's a sound that's been forgotten somewhat and diluted over time into a pale imitation and parody of itself, (The Dolly Rocker Movement & Tame Impala would love to be this band I suspect). These guys are the real deal, bringing the immediacy, power and fun of great music to shake your booty to and great musicianship back to the table.

If you don’t like this album you must be dead inside.

My top 50 Albums as posted on fok!, version 2009.

--------

1 1 1 ::: Pink Floyd ::: Wish You Were Here
2 20 11 ::: Bruce Springsteen ::: Born To Run
3 6 6 ::: Supertramp ::: Crime Of The Century
4 4 3 ::: Dire Straits ::: Alchemy Live
5 -- -- ::: Calexico / Iron & Wine ::: In The Reins
6 7 17 ::: Bruce Springsteen ::: Darkness On The Edge Of Town
7 8 12 ::: Pink Floyd ::: The Wall
8 5 -- ::: Bruce Springsteen ::: The Wild, the Innocent & the E-street Shuffle
9 3 2 ::: Keith Jarrett ::: Köln Concert
10 12 13 ::: Coldplay ::: A Rush Of Blood To The Head

11 9 4 ::: Alan Parsons Project ::: Tales Of Mystery And Imagination
12 -- -- ::: Wilco::: Summerteeth
13 -- -- ::: M. Ward ::: Post-War
14 11 -- ::: Pink Floyd ::: Final Cut
15 -- -- ::: Curtis Mayfield ::: Curtis
16 -- -- ::: Wilco ::: Sky Blue Sky
17 17 16 ::: Miles Davis ::: Round About Midnight
18 -- -- ::: Calexico ::: The Black Light
19 -- -- ::: Andrew Bird ::: The Mysterious Production Of Eggs
20 -- -- ::: Radiohead ::: OK Computer

21 21 63 ::: Led Zeppelin ::: Physical Graffiti
22 10 25 ::: Mark Knopfler ::: Sailing To Philadelphia
23 94 78 ::: Damien Rice ::: O
24 -- -- ::: My Morning Jacket ::: Z
25 18 8 ::: Dire Straits ::: Love Over Gold
26 -- -- ::: Nick Drake ::: Five Leaves Left
27 14 49 ::: David Bowie ::: Ziggy Stardust
28 19 19 ::: Van Morrison ::: Into The Music
29 22 23 ::: Fleetwood Mac ::: Rumours
30 -- -- ::: Prince ::: Sign 'O' The Times

31 -- -- ::: Bob Dylan ::: Highway 61 Revisited
32 -- -- ::: Weather Report ::: Heavy Weather
33 -- -- ::: Pavement ::: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
34 -- -- ::: Andrew Bird ::: Armchair Apocrypha
35 13 -- ::: Pat Metheny & Brad Mehldau ::: Metheny Mehldau
36 -- -- ::: Curtis Mayfield ::: Superfly
37 59 35 ::: Miles Davis ::: Kind Of Blue
38 46 45 ::: Michael Jackson ::: Thriller
39 -- -- ::: Pavement ::: Terror Twilight
40 78 57 ::: Cardigans ::: Long Before Daylight

41 -- -- ::: Ben Folds Five ::: Whatever & Ever Amen
42 -- -- ::: Beck ::: Mutations
43 24 15 ::: Deep Purple ::: Made In Japan
44 -- -- ::: Jeff Buckley ::: Grace
45 -- -- ::: Arcade Fire ::: Funeral
46 30 40 ::: Beatles ::: The White Album
47 35 31 ::: Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers ::: Moanin'
48 -- -- ::: Jayhawks ::: Hollywood Town Hall
49 -- -- ::: Arctic Monkeys ::: Favourite Worst Nightmare
50 -- -- ::: Elbow ::: The Seldom Seen Kid

Atículo en castellano e inglés


Article in spanish and english



Tras mucho investigar e indagar por varias páginas de la red que tratan sobre música, recompilé la información necesaria para encontrar los mejores grupos y solistas de la historia de la música.

Todo el mundo sabe que la mejor música siempre será la música clásica pero para los que no están aún preparados ante tal maestría y talento se puede acceder a música más "fácil" de escuchar como lo es el Rock o similar.

A pesar de no ser música tan grandiosa como Mozart, Beethoven, Bach o compañia, se puede encontrar verdaderas preciosidades dignas de ser escuchadas para el oído entrenado o la mente abierta.

Repito, he indagado mucho para encontrar, al fín, la lista de los verdaderamente mejores músicos de los ultimos tiempos. Son para degustar delicadamente por esas personas que de verdad sepan apreciarlos. Abtenerse los necios.



After much investigate on several pages of the net about music, I re-compiled the necessary information to find the best groups and soloists of the history of music.

The whole world knows that the best music always will be the classic music, but for those who are not prepared such mastery and talent, one can accede to "easier" music to listen like it is the Rock or similar.

In spite of not being a music so grand as Mozart, Beethoven, Bach or company, it is possible to find real preciousness worth being listened for the trained ear or the opened mind.

I repeat, I have investigated very much to find the list of really better musicians of last times. They are for these persons with delicately taste and who indeed can estimate them. Don't for fools.



La lista/the list:


- A Tribe Called Quest

- AC/DC

- Agalloch

- Al Green

- Albert Ayler

- Alice Cooper

- Andrew Hill

- Arcturus

- Aretha Franklin

- Art Blakey

- Arvo Pärt

- Big Star

- Bill Evans

- Bill Hicks

- Billie Holiday

- Björk

- Black Sabbath

- Blind Guardian

- Bob Dylan

- Bob Marley

- Boogie Down Productions

- Boredoms

- Brian Eno

- Bruce Springsteen

- Caetano Veloso

- Camel

- Can

- Candlemass

- Captain Beefheart

- Carcass

- Cecil Taylor

- Cocteau Twins

- Coil

- Creedence Clearwater Revival

- Current 93

- Curtis Mayfield

- Charles Mingus

- Danny Elfman

- David Bowie

- Dead Can Dance

- Death

- Deep Purple

- De La Soul

- Depeche Mode

- Devin Townsend

- Dream Theater

- Duke Ellington

- Elvis Costello

- Elvis Presley

- Ella Fitzgerald

- Elliott Smith

- Emperor

- Ennio Morricone

- Eric B. & Rakim

- Eric Dolphy

- Fairport Convention

- Faust

- Fleetwood Mac

- Frank Sinatra

- Frank Zappa

- Fugazi

- Funkadelic

- Gal Costa

- Gene Clark

- Genesis

- Gentle Giant

- Glenn Gould

- Godspeed You! Black Emperor

- Gong

- Grateful Dead

- Guided by Voices

- Herbie Hancock

- Howard Shore

- Howlin' Wolf

- Hüsker Dü

- Ice Cube

- Iron Maiden

- Isis

- Jackie McLean

- James Brown

- Jay-Z

- Jethro Tull

- Jimi Hendrix

- John Coltrane

- John Fahey

- John Lennon

- John Williams

- John Zorn

- Johnny Cash

- Joni Mitchell

- Jorge Ben

- Joy Division

- Judas Priest

- Judee Sill

- Kate Bush

- Keith Jarrett

- King Crimson

- Klaus Schulze

- Kraftwerk

- Kreator

- Led Zeppelin

- Leonard Cohen

- Los Hermanos

- Lou Reed

- Magma

- Marillion

- Marvin Gaye

- maudlin of the Well

- Melvins

- Mercyful Fate

- Metallica

- Miles Davis

- Modest Mouse

- Motörhead

- Neil Young

- Neu!

- Neurosis

- Nevermore

- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

- Nick Drake

- Nico

- Nirvana

- Nobuo Uematsu

- Opeth

- Ornette Coleman

- Os Mutantes

- Otis Redding

- OutKast

- Pain of Salvation

- Parliament

- Paul Simon

- Pavement

- Pearl Jam

- Pere Ubu

- Peter Gabriel

- Philip Glass

- Pink Floyd

- Pixies

- PJ Harvey

- Porcupine Tree

- Portishead

- Premiata Forneria Marconi

- Prince

- Public Enemy

- R.E.M.

- Radiohead

- Rahsaan Roland Kirk

- Rainbow

- Ramones

- Randy Newman

- Red House Painters

- Richard & Linda Thompson

- Robert Wyatt

- Roxy Music

- Rush

- Sam Rivers

- Santana

- Sepultura

- Serge Gainsbourg

- Simon and Garfunkel

- Skinny Puppy

- Slayer

- Sly and the Family Stone

- Smashing Pumpkins

- Soft Machine

- Sonic Youth

- Sonny Rollins

- Sparks

- Steely Dan

- Steve Reich

- Stevie Ray Vaughan

- Stevie Wonder

- Sun Ra

- Swans

- T. Rex

- Talk Talk

- Talking Heads

- Tangerine Dream

- The Allman Brothers Band

- The Band

- The Beach Boys

- The Beatles

- The Byrds

- The Clash

- The Cure

- The Chameleons

- The Doors

- The Fall

- The Flaming Lips

- The Gathering

- The Jam

- The Kinks

- The Misfits

- The Mothers of Invention

- The Olivia Tremor Control

- The Pogues

- The Replacements

- The Rolling Stones

- The Smiths

- The Stooges

- The Velvet Underground

- The Who

- Thelonious Monk

- Tim Buckley

- Tindersticks

- Todd Rundgren

- Tom Waits

- Tool

- Townes Van Zandt

- U2

- Ulver

- Van der Graaf Generator

- Van Morrison

- Wayne Shorter

- Ween

- Weezer

- Wes Montgomery

- Wilco

- Willie Nelson

- Wire

- XTC

- Yasunori Mitsuda

- Yes




Todos estos artistas han logrado cambiar la música de su momento de alguna u otra manera o grabaron discos dignos de ser joyas preciosas de las mejores colecciones.

Si entiendes de música sabrás apreciar a todos ellos, si no, te pierdes la vida chico/a y no puedes llamarte a tí mismo amante con mayusculas de la música. Dejad de perder el tiempo y dedicarselo a lo que de verdad vale, hay mucho alrededor y solo el que sabe buscar encuentra. ¿eres uno de ellos?

Repito, deja de perder el tiempo y sé más exigente, sube un nivel y escucha algo de esto, te aseguró que en un futuro te darás cuenta de como esos grupos que idolatrabas no expresaban nada.


Siento que mi esfuerzo a merecido la pena y he logrado al fín la lista de la mejor música actual definitiva dentro del siglo XX y XXI.



All these artists change the music of his moment or they recorded discs worth being precious jewels for the best collections.

If you deal on music you will be able to estimate all of them, if not, you get lost the life dude and cannot be call you lover with capital letters of the music. Stop losing the time and devoting it what indeed costs, it is very much around and only the one that can search finds. Are you one of them?

I repeat, stop losing the time and be more demanding, raise a level and listen to something of this, assured you that in a future you will realize since these groups that you were adoring they were not expressing anything.


I feel that my effort to been worth it and I have achieved the list of the best current definitive music inside the 20th and the 21st century.

Recommended Songs (sorted by most recommended songs)

She'd Rather Be With Me : The Turtles (Score = 63.59)
Under My Thumb : The Rolling Stones (Score = 55.7)
Time Between : The Byrds (Score = 54.01)
People Get Ready : The Impressions (Score = 51.6)
Die! : The Mummies (Score = 49.15)
Silly Kids Games : The Damned (Score = 47.46)
I'm Alive : The Hollies (Score = 46.02)
Cry To Me : Solomon Burke (Score = 41.57)
Electric Sweat : The Mooney Suzuki (Score = 40.79)
Mr. Soul : Buffalo Springfield (Score = 40.01)
Mo' Onions : Booker T. &Amp; The Mg's (Score = 39.21)
Money (That's What I Want) : Barrett Strong (Score = 38.73)
When A Man Loves A Woman : Percy Sledge (Score = 37.54)
Space Junk : Devo (Score = 35.69)
Supersonic : Oasis (Score = 35.54)
Ain't No Mountain High Enough : Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (Score = 35.53)
Rainy Day, Dream Away : The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Score = 35.51)
River Deep, Mountain High : Ike & Tina Turner (Score = 35.45)
You're All I Need to Get By : Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (Score = 34.36)
Daydream : The Lovin' Spoonful (Score = 34.12)
Test Drive : The Mummies (Score = 33.45)
Proud Mary : Ike & Tina Turner (Score = 33.12)
Masculine Intuition : The Music Machine (Score = 33.06)
It's Raining : Irma Thomas (Score = 32.68)
Patches : Clarence Carter (Score = 32.65)
Standing in the Shadows of Love : The Four Tops (Score = 32.4)
Love Machine : The Miracles (Score = 32.29)
Paper Sun : Traffic (Score = 31.99)
I Can't Stand the Rain : Ann Peebles (Score = 31.72)
Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing : Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (Score = 31.64)
Build Me Up Buttercup : The Foundations (Score = 31.46)
Babelogue : Patti Smith (Score = 31.16)
Hey Grandma : Moby Grape (Score = 31.12)
We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place : The Animals (Score = 31.09)
Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody : Sam & Dave (Score = 31.05)
The Tracks of My Tears : Smokey Robinson (Score = 31.02)
Higher and Higher : Jackie Wilson (Score = 30.41)
Flowers in the Rain : The Move (Score = 29.75)
Octopus : Syd Barrett (Score = 29.02)
The Tracks of My Tears : Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (Score = 29)
It's My Life : The Animals (Score = 27.64)
Last Night : The Mar-Keys (Score = 27.54)
Midnight train to Georgia : Gladys Knight & The Pips (Score = 26.69)
Wish Someone Would Care : Irma Thomas (Score = 26.38)
Fire : Arthur Brown (Score = 25.93)
Purple Haze : Jimi Hendrix (Score = 25.7)
I Found a True Love : Wilson Pickett (Score = 25.65)
She's A Rainbow : The Rolling Stones (Score = 25.58)
American Woman : The Guess Who (Score = 25.42)
Harry Hippie : Bobby Womack (Score = 25.36)
What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted : Jimmy Ruffin (Score = 25.08)
Keep On Running : The Spencer Davis Group (Score = 24.91)
Why Do I Cry : The Remains (Score = 24.75)
Suburban Knights : Hard-Fi (Score = 24.36)
Oh, Pretty Woman : Roy Orbison (Score = 24.31)
People Get Ready : Curtis Mayfield (Score = 24.08)
Volunteers : Jefferson Airplane (Score = 24.08)
Away From Here : The Enemy (Score = 24.04)
Naked, If I Want To : Moby Grape (Score = 24.04)
Baby Love : The Supremes (Score = 23.53)
Time To Operate : We the People (Score = 23.39)
Every Little Bit Hurts : Brenda Holloway (Score = 23.14)
Bennie And The Jets : Elton John (Score = 22.65)
Trouble : Oblivians (Score = 22.49)
See See Rider : The Music Machine (Score = 22.36)
Don't Stop : Fleetwood Mac (Score = 22.33)
Hold On, I'm Coming : Sam & Dave (Score = 22.33)
Baby, Baby Don't Cry : Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (Score = 22.13)
I Can Understand It : Bobby Womack (Score = 21.91)
Kingdom Of Heaven : 13th Floor Elevators (Score = 21.34)
Ain't No Mountain High Enough : Diana Ross (Score = 21.26)
Teeny Bopper, Teeny Bopper : The Count Five (Score = 21.03)
Painted Doll : The Seeds (Score = 21)
Do You Love Me : The Contours (Score = 20.93)
Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While) : Kim Weston (Score = 20.89)
Out Of Left Field : Percy Sledge (Score = 20.81)
I Get the Sweetest Feeling : Jackie Wilson (Score = 20.73)
Lean On Me : Bill Withers (Score = 20.66)
She Took a Long Cold Look : Syd Barrett (Score = 20.66)
Runaround Sue : Dion (Score = 20.58)
Mr Tambourine Man : The Byrds (Score = 20.33)
Go Now : The Moody Blues (Score = 20.32)
Happiness Stan : The Small Faces (Score = 20.29)
Baby Blue : Badfinger (Score = 20.13)
The Times They Are A-Changin' : Mason Jennings (Score = 20.12)
Bang Bang You're Dead : Dirty Pretty Things (Score = 20.11)
The Don : The View (Score = 19.91)
A Fool In Love : Ike & Tina Turner (Score = 19.87)
Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get : The Dramatics (Score = 19.74)
With A Little Help From My Friends : Joe Cocker (Score = 19.71)
Can't Stand Me Now : The Libertines (Score = 19.48)
Hole in my Shoe : Traffic (Score = 19.47)
The Logical Song : Supertramp (Score = 19.42)
The Joker : Steve Miller Band (Score = 19.29)
Long Agos And Worlds Apart : The Small Faces (Score = 19.26)
Going to a Go-Go : Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (Score = 19.22)
In The Rain : The Dramatics (Score = 19.22)
I'm Not Sorry : The Pigeon Detectives (Score = 19.07)
Sexy In Latin : Little Man Tate (Score = 19.07)
I Need a Man to Love : Big Brother & The Holding Company (Score = 19.06)

1979;

1 Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
2 The Clash - London Calling
3 Pink Floyd - The Wall
4 Frank Zappa - Sheik Yerbouti
5 Public Image Ltd. - Metal Box
6 The B 52's - The B 52's
7 The Specials - The Specials
8 Linton Kwesi Johnson - Forces of Victory
9 Wire - 154
10 Marianne Faithfull - Broken English
11 XTC - Drums And Wires
12 Michael Jackson - Off the Wall
13 Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
14 Chic - Risqué
15 Elvis Costello & The Attraction - Armed Forces

1978;

1 Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street band - Darkness On The Edge Of Town
2 Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food
3 Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance
4 Willie Colón - Siembra
5 Dire Straits - Dire Straits
6 Elvis Costello & The Attractions - This Year's Model
7 Kate Bush - The Kick Inside
8 Siouxsie & The Banshees - The Scream
9 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Babylon By Bus
10 The Police - Outlandos D'Amour
11 Steel Pulse - Handsworth Revolution
12 Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
13 Blondie - Parallel Lines
14 Funkadelic - One Nation Under a Groove
15 The Cars - The Cars

1977;

1 The Congos - The Heart of the Congos
2 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Exodus
3 Ian Dury - New Boots and Panties!!
4 Iggy Pop - Lust for Life
5 Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue
6 Horace Andy - In the Light
7 Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
8 Fela Kuti - No Agreement
9 David Bowie - Heroes
10 Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express
11 Muddy Waters - Hard Again
12 Television - Marquee Moon
13 Junior Murvin - Police & Thieves
14 Suicide - Suicide
15 Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols

1976;

1 Jorge Ben - África Brasil
2 Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters - Super Ape
3 The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
4 Parliament - Mothership Connection
5 Tom Waits - Small Change
6 Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life
7 The Abyssinians - Satta Massagana
8 Robert Palmer - Pressure Drop
9 Ramones - Ramones
10 Peter Tosh - Legalize It
11 The Mighty Diamonds - Right Time
12 Ry Cooder - Chicken Skin Music
13 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Rastaman Vibration
14 Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
15 The Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Music From the Penguin Cafe

1975;

1 Patti Smith - Horses
2 Fela Kuti - Expensive Shit
3 Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey
4 Curtis Mayfield - There's No Place Like America Today
5 Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
6 Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
7 Terry Callier - I Just Can't Help Myself
8 Hugh Masekela - The boys doin' it
9 Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
10 Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
11 The Pointer Sisters - Steppin'
12 Queen - A Night At The Opera
13 Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger
14 Donna Summer - Love To Love You Baby
15 Junior Wells - On Tap

1974;

1 Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets
2 Neil Young - On the Beach
3 Betty Davis - They Say I'm Different
4 J.J. Cale - Okie
5 Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic
6 Tom Waits - The Heart of Saturday Night
7 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Natty Dread
8 Cymande - Second Time Round
9 Gil Scott-Heron/Brian Jackson - Winter In America
10 Sparks - Kimono My House
11 Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom
12 Marlena Shaw - Who Is This Bitch, Anyway
13 Supertramp - Crime of the Century
14 Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (')
15 Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

1973;

1 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Catch a Fire
2 John Martyn - Solid Air
3 ZZ Top - Tres Hombres
4 Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
5 Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Next
6 Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On
7 Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
8 Can - Future Days
9 Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd
10 Herbie Hancock - Headhunters
11 Roxy Music - Stranded
12 Iggy & the Stooges - Raw Power
13 Roy Ayers - Coffy
14 Lou Reed - Berlin
15 Dr. John - In the Right Place

1972;

1 Neil Young - Harvest
2 David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
3 Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
4 Frankie Miller - Once in a Blue Moon
5 Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come
6 Al Green - Let's Stay Together
7 Parliament - First Thangs
8 Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Clear Spot
9 The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main St
10 Lou Reed - Transformer
11 The Temptations - All Directions
12 Paul Simon - Paul Simon
13 Fela Kuti - Shakara
14 Nick Drake - Pink Moon
15 Tangerine Dream - Zeit

1971;

1 Marvin Gaye - What's Goin' on
2 Sly & The Family Stone - There's A Riot Going On
3 J.J. Cale - Naturally
4 T. Rex - Electric Warrior
5 Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
6 Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
7 John Lennon - Imagine
8 The Doors - L.A. Woman
9 David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name
10 Faces - A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse
11 Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
12 Jethro Tull - Aqualung
13 The Who - Who's Next
14 Can - Tago Mago
15 Karen Dalton - In My Own Time

1970;

1 The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
2 Santana - Abraxas
3 Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
4 Allen Toussaint - From a Whisper to a Scream
5 Black Sabbath - Paranoid
6 John Lennon - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
7 Janis Joplin - Pearl
8 Neil Young - After The Goldrush
9 The Stooges - Fun House
10 Grateful Dead - American Beauty
11 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Deja Vu
12 The Beatles - Let It Be
13 Demon Fuzz - Afreaka!
14 Amon Düül II - Yeti
15 The Doors - Morrison Hotel

See also;
Best Albums of The Late Fifties;
http://www.last.fm/user/thomas10/journal/2009/08/17/2y26bt_best_albums_of_the_late_fifties_%281956-1959%29

Best Albums of The Sixties;
http://www.last.fm/user/thomas10/journal/2009/08/17/2y23k7_best_albums_of_the_sixties_%281960-1969%29

Best Albums of the Eighties;
http://www.last.fm/user/thomas10/journal/2009/08/17/2y24lq_best_albums_of_the_eighties_%281980-1989%29

Best Albums of The Nineties;
http://www.last.fm/user/thomas10/journal/2009/08/17/2y25kn_best_albums_of_the_nineties_%281990-1999%29

Best Albums of The Noughties;
http://www.last.fm/user/thomas10/journal/2009/09/08/2zux3s_best_albums_of_the_noughties_%282000-2009%29

In alphabetical order by artist:

Revival - The Allman Brothers Band - from the album Idlewild South


War Pigs - Black Sabbath - from the album Paranoid


Samba e amor - Chico Buarque - from the album Chico Buarque De Hollanda - Volume 4


I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Creedence Clearwater Revival - from the album Cosmo's Factory


Move On Up = Curtis Mayfield - from the album Curtis


Layla - Derek and the Dominos - from the album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs


My Sweet Lord - George Harrison - from the album All Things Must Pass


Tangerine - Led Zeppelin - from the album Led Zeppelin III


Oye Como Va - Santana - from the album Abraxas


Moondance - Van Morisson - from the album Moondance

Belcima koji se bave soulom, hip hopom i ostalim muzičkim žanrovima koji potiču iz afro-američke zajednice potrebno je duplo više dokazivanja i truda nego njihovim kolegama tamne puti. Srećom, imamo dosta primera veoma uspešnog oslanjanja na jedan žanr pa čak i prevazilaženje ili nadogradjivanje istog sopstvenim idejama koje afro-amerikanci verovatno nisu ni uzimali u obzir kao što je korišćenje elektronike umesto fanki ili džez semplova. Nažalost Mayer Hawthorne nije primer takvog izvodjača. Iako ga zaljubljenici u muziku hvale kao nekoga ko oživljava stari soul, ovaj dečko iz Detroita nije nam svojim prvim albumom A Strange Arrangement pružio ništa što već nismo čuli. Raphael Saadiq je pokušao istu stvar prošle godine i nije se baš proslavio, ali Raphael kao neko ko je dobrim delom zaslužan za razvoj neo-soula može sebi da dozvoli takve izlete, a novajlija kao Mayer tek treba da se pokaže!Deluje da su kritičari i sami svesni toga, ali verovatno se vode principom-bolje išta nego ništa!E pa nije!Ne želimo šećernu vodicu da nas drži u životu dok ne stigne hrana!
Ceo album je manje-više suva kopija opusa Marvin Gaye-a i Curtis Mayfield-a, a Mayer ide toliko daleko da menja visinu i boju (i tako jadnog i nedefinisanog) glasa po sličnosti sa pesmom koju je uzeo kao osnovu. Posebno ubija u pojam kada otpeva Come’on darlin’ don’t be scurred samo da bi se rimovalo sa bird. Numere već na prvo slušanje ukazuju na kopiranje kako retorskim delovima u pesmama tako nazivima poput ,,One Track Mind” i ,,Your Easy Lovin Ain’t Pleasin Nothin. ,,Maybe So, Maybe No” je jedina pesma koja je delovala kao autorsko neprekopirano delo, jedina za koju se moglo reći da je nastala u 21. veku jer veoma podseća na ono što radi Jazzanova, ali tu odmah sledi razočarenje kada saznate da je ovo zapravo jedina obrada na albumu i to grupe New Holidays. Ovaj primer pokazuje da bi album verovatno bio mnogo bolji da je Mayer zaista obradio stare pesme, ali dajući im svežinu i unoseći nešto lično u njih, da nam je pružio svoju viziju već pomalo zaboravljenih hitova.
Mayor kao izgovor navodi sve uticaje koje je sakupio odrastajući u srcu soula, ali i drugi su bili pod istim uticajima i ugledali se na iste izvodjače pa su izgradili sopstveni zvuk.
Očigledno da nije dovoljno slikati se ispred prvog Motown-ovog studija Hitsville U.S.A. i napraviti plagijate njihovih pesama već se mora malo napredovati. U poredjenju sa savremenim soul izvodjačima, posebno kolegama iz Stones Throw-a na primer Dudley Perkins-om i Georgia Ann Moldrow, Mayor je svetlosnim godinama iza! Mayore, dragi, nisi nas ubedio!
Ukoliko ste dugogodišnji ljubitelj soula može se desiti da vam sadržaj albuma promakne tražeći sličnosti izmedju Mayer-a i njegovih uzora, ali album takav kakav je predstavlja odličan početak za slušaoca koji tek želi da se otisne u soul vode, iako je jedina inovacija vinil u obliku srca!

Ernie Halter - Starting Over


Tracklist:
1. Different Lives
2. Try
3. Blue Dress
4. Count The Days
5. My Heart Is With You
6. Pretty Girl
7. Just Friends
8. Crazy Love
9. Cyclone
10. Played
11. Lighthouse


Ernie Halter returns with his third album. The singer with the incredible vocals and the comforting, soulful arrangements is back with "Starting Over". He left us with an impressive album last time and this new chapter in his life and career is something we've been waiting on.

The groovy pop/rocker Different Lives starts the album strong. And after his last album, we wouldn't have expected any less. It's a nice song that keeps carrying on. Solid opener. Try was co-written by Ron Aniello & Will Hoge and you can hear that in the arrangement. Aniello worked with many great mainstream rock bands and Will Hoge's a very accomplished singer/songwriter himself. But that mainstream rock feel is definitely there, as well as Halter's soulful vocal color and Will Hoge's love for accentuating the song's strongest points. Try is a very fresh and powerful, yet soulful pop/rock song that ranks amongst the better songs on the album.

Blue Dress has that groovy, swingy 70s feel that we know from artists like Stevie Wonder and Curtis Mayfield. This musical era has a big influence on Ernie Halter, it's quite obvious listening to his music. And it suits his powerful vocals and his songwriting. Another strong song.

It took me a couple listens to really appreciate Count The Days to the fullest. I like how the vocals take center stage in the song, but the arrangement of the song took some time for me to sink in. It's quite laid-back and it feels a little 'off' sometimes. But it's also the charm of the song, but it took me awhile to figure that out.

The sweet My Heart Is With You is a little sappy at times, but the song is very nice. The strong piano arrangement and breezy vocals give a very folky feel to the song. Nice accents by the bass and nice bluesy undertone. The acoustic-based Pretty Girl is one of the better songs, because you can really focus on Halter's excellent vocals. Just the guitar accompanying him for most of the song has a sort of purity to it.

Just Friends, no it's not a Gavin DeGraw cover, it's a completely different song. And it's a pretty strong one too. It has a cool flow and carries on effortlessly. On Crazy Love, Halter gets a little more uptempo again, and the album needed that. He timed it exactly right. It has a bit of an 80s feel to it at some points, but it's such a cool, friendly song. Could be in a Disney movie.

The build-up in Cyclone is pretty good and it sounds very current. The strong vocals and excellent arrangement of the song make this perhaps the best track on the album. And he carries on in the same fashion, just a little smoother maybe on Played.

The stripped down piano love ballad Lighthouse is a real gem. The piano amplifies Halter's excellent vocals and the whole thing just fits. To end the album with such ear candy is a sign of the true musician.

Ernie Halter keeps convincing us with his excellent songs and astonishing vocals. If he keeps doing this his success will only continue to grow. "Starting Over" is an excellent record by an excellent musician.