The Zimmermann Note

Well I can lay one thing to rest by stating that this is my favorite album of the early 90’s era. It was the “Goto Album” so to speak and part of it probably had to do with the fact that I had a huge crush on Miki Berenyi.

Click to Listen to Ocean

Her cherry-red dyed hair and siren singing style wooed me in to the point it was constantly playing in my Pontiac stationwagon. The shoegazing along with the vocals of both her and bandmate Emma Anderson essentially started my love for “Shoegaze” music. It all started on this album. For what it’s worth, Spooky was their first official album that was not a compilation and while I have always been a fan of Gala, it was Spooky that hit a chord with me.

On songs such as ‘Covert’ offered an emotional whallop to a 20 year old. A sound that was still in a relative infancy, coupled by my own naivete, and well also for the simple fact of being 20. I could not fathom the amount of time that I spent driving around to this album.

Songs like ‘Covert’ rip your insides up. “Untogether” …well you pretty much get the idea from the title. Berenyi and Anderson would just kick me in the face with their vocals and you realize that you have been maimed by rock and roll.

What I appreciated about Spooky more than the follow-ups was for the vocals to become part of the music, this exotic siren songs where the emotion of the music took over. As the band had matured, their sound did as well and I felt ruined some of the magic of their earlier recordings. I wanted them to remain that band where you could only make out every third word rather than have to get the message.

There was that great scene in Mad Men when Don Draper sat down and listened to the last track on Revolver, ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ and you realize in this epic TV show is this that you have to think about music up to this point, that psychadelic music is just at it’s infancy and the biggest band in the world is sitting and setting a bar over 2 minutes and 57 seconds that could only be considered mind blowing. The song could be considered the core of several psychadelic movements. The lyrics have been recycled in songs several times over.

Of course, if you capture the history of rock and roll and you are sitting in front of a speaker system listening to this album for the first time and realize that only a couple years prior it was Buddy Holly making the scenes. The dimension at which ‘Rock and Roll’ had changed had shifted to a quick and furious pace. For me, Revolver has always been about the efforts of George Harrison who never gets enough credit but offers the underappreciated ‘Love You To’, offering his sitar which becomes the crux of the psychedelic sounds on this album.

While ‘Rubber Soul’ might have gotten bands like the Beach Boys to notice, Revolver is their statement album.

The Clash – The Clash

My first real “experience” with the Clash was picking up “The Clash on Broadway” and it could be that there was part of me that fell in love with ‘Janie Jones’. The former convict and singer of the schlocky “Witches Brew” became a rare rallying cry for a punk band on their debut album. For me, she was that rock and roll girlfriend as there have been several (The Who’s ‘Pictures of Lily’ and Neutral Milk Hotel’s ‘Naomi’ to name a few. But it was the first ever song that I had listened to on a CD that I had owned and for some reason I think that I picked a great song for that virgin experience. It wraps up the teenage mindset perfectly in two minutes.

The first thing to note is that there is different UK and US versions. The UK version was released about 18 months prior to the US version. Both versions contain the essential tracks of the album but there are notable differences such as the US inclusion of the cover song “I Fought the Law” as well as ‘(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais’, which was one of the first songs that attempted to merge reggae and punk.

The album focuses much on the economics during this time during the UK. Songs like “White Riot” and “Career Opportunities” discuss politics and race in a manner that engaged youth. The necessity of punk was it’s need not just to tear down the established roles in society, government and politics but also music. The sense of urgency in their music and live performances.

The Clash go beyond your typical “Punk” album by covering Junior Murvin’s ‘Police & Thieves’ with its perfect bass line and reggae style backing that was a perfect compliment for this album.

But over the years there was something else. The Sex Pistols were a freakshow, and the Clash had a message. They were not perfect as Lester Bangs could attest but they were the working man’s band. Songs like “I’m so Bored with the USA” spoke to me about the culture that I have lived in and helped propogate to the rest of the world. I am reminded of this song because I think I something like McDonald’s. It exists as this cultural safetynet. The caloric intake might be through the roof but you never hear of any health violations or people getting sick. It becomes a fail safe.

For Bangs, he had gone on tour with them and listened to them speak of how they wanted to demystify rock and roll and tear down the walls between artist and fan and create a more democratic form only to see the bands security picking on a fan and the band laughing about it. But Bangs realized that he did not do anything in this situation either. I am not sure whether this final paragraph is going to make you run out and get their debut album but I think for me it was one of those important moments to remind myself that as much as you see me writing about it, music is sorta bullshit as well. You need to find a healthy balance between complete adulation and believing that your rockstar lover can do no wrong and talking during the fucking show.

Their apex. The story of YHF has been told many times about a record company (Warner Bros.) selling the album back to the band due to the fact the record company did not like it. In the meantime the record gets leaked and creates a tremendous buzz among fans and critics alike. A subsidiary of Warner Bros. (Nonesuch Records) ends up buying the album back from the band for a profit on top of signing a record deal with Wilco. This album creates an aura around it, possibly due to some of the overriding themes of the album and the fact that it was around 9/11. Where this album stunned was with the addition of Glen Kotche on drums whose percussion was central in it’s sound.

It’s the Wilco album with the magic. It is the one, if you have not paid attention to them yet, to start with and I think that theme wise it’s not just good songs but topics that feel a little broader than Wilco’s typical relationship blues.

The title of the album came from a recording that Tweedy had listened to that went by the name of “The Conant Project” which included individuals giving transmissions to spies. A section of this recording ended up on the song “Poor Places”, and thus also became the title.

The combination of the title, the aura of putting a photo of Marina Towers in Chicago made several allusions to the events of 9/11 but the fact remains is that while the album had been released after 9/11, the entire album had been completed and sent to the record company (and rejected), in early summer.

But the topics were grander and just fit for the moment. “Ashes Of American Flags”, Tweedy suggests, ‘I wonder why we listen to poets, nobody gives a fuck”, and it has often just punched me in the face. I guess the easiest way to describe it would be like going to a Wilco show and sitting there talking to your friend all night. The concept of going to a rock concert is a fairly anti-social endeavor. If I am truly interested in going to see a band live, I am spending that money to go see that band live and not to talk to you. How do you value the artist? That individual is writing shit on a piece of paper and making it public and you have decided to pay good money to talk away to your friend and that I do not understand.

On a larger scale how do you view the concept of America, as Tweedy alludes that it would appear that it’s not “Freedom” we are fighting for but “Convenience”.

The concept of the album feels more central around a general disillusionment with our society. Listeners were dealing with post 9/11 thoughts and the tragedy that had surrounded us and had to examine what did America really mean as well as the relationships that we had.

Behind the blips, the psychedelic sounds was something very visual to me. I often remembered just walking about the city and staring at the buildings, the lights and the people when I would listen and figure that this feeling is not going to end anytime soon.

R.E.M. – Monster

So what better than coming off a slew of acoustic-minded albums than to return with an electric blitz of guitars. Monster feels at times big and bloated. It’s R.E.M.’s way of making an album with a huge sound to tour around.

Monster gets a bad rap sometimes. There have been about 15 different times over the years that R.E.M. has sold out according to critics and fans of the band and I think that Monster was one of those times. I felt that I had even gone with the crowd a little bit on it until I realized subconsciously how much I would listen to the album. I think that the album might be a bit more mature than your standard 17 year old fare and it truly does not mesh at all with the 90’s grunge sound that came from the land of Starbucks.

Instead, Monster feels like R.E.M. making an album that should have been dedicated to some of the bands favorites of the 70’s: Iggy Pop and The Stooges, New York Dolls and T. Rex to name a few. Just like albums prior, the album is dark but still sexy enough and not deliberate. It has a bit of a neon hue attached to it and I think I am reminded often of the video for Crush with Eyeliner when I say that.

From the standpoint of Stipe, it’s one of the few where he is allowed to take on some different characters. He writes “Tongue” from the point of view of a female with falsetto voice and all but it’s also the use of tools, filters and gadgets to give it some character.

When he does need to get personal we get ‘Let Me In’ a tribute to Kurt Cobain. Stipe had befriended Cobain and there were talks of writing music together, but the song works for it’s simple message but one that R.E.M. could relate to. R.E.M. had already been together for 14 years. They had gone through the same growing pains of success from years prior and had become comfortable in their own skin and they had used their goodwill to aid bands under similar circumstances that were feeling those same pressures and kept them from falling over the edge.

What I think that the band does not get enough credit for was that they took something that worked for them and went in the complete opposite direction. This is not Automatic Part 2. This was not R.E.M. by numbers. It still stands by itself as a unique direction that the band took, one that was not always easy to complete but the end product is something that is still cherished from my ears.

One cannot play ‘Foreground’, the last song on Veckatimest, in the presence of my wife without her getting anxious. See, we had decided to play about 10 of the 12 songs as the prelude to our wedding reception and Foreground was the last song that we played before she walked down the aisle. The combination of the DJ playing the music way too loud and our venue Architechtural Artifacts, being cavernous, seemed like the perfect album to play for the typically nervous soon-to-be-husband who had somehow found a way to stay calm and I will have to give some credit to this album.

I think that we would both agree that the songs on the album are stellar, still mixing the artsy side of their previous works with more pop enthusiasm and hooks. From their early days when the band pretty much consisted of only Ed Droste, the band has matured by becoming more than just a name but an actual 4 piece that has moved away from it’s artsyness of earlier incarnations to becoming more pop oriented. There are songs like “Southern Point” and “Two Weeks” which are full of hooks and melodic with a much more produced sound than the debut album “Horn of Plenty” and their follow-up “Yellow House”. While there are plenty of highlights for these two albums, this album is a true combination of all 4 members efforts.

The fear of a band like Grizzly Bear is trying to decide what they want to be. It was Drost, that was disappointed, in fact, when the band was not nominated for a Grammy for their latest effort “Shields”. In my best Yoda impression: “Awards not make one great!”.

For me and my wife, the album will always have a special place in our hearts for that moment mentioned above, and maybe one day she will be able to listen to it without getting anxious.

Elvis Costello has been all over the map music-wise. He has tackled just about every music genre and been prolific in the process. The words just roll off his lips.

Elvis has been in my life for a good 20+ years and through all his works, whether it was his early debut works, his clashes with various genres of music whether it was country, bluegrass or classical, Blood and Chocolate was always the most deeply emotional album that seemed to truly pull out Costello’s soul. A song like “Uncomplicated” is written for Costello’s voice and you feel the pain in Costello’s voice in “I Want You”.

Costello has that voice that nasally voice that is either reveled or reviled by music listeners. I think that often that when Costello is direct and tries to get his point across he is at his best. Songs like Radio, Radio and Allison from earlier albums point to his strengths. While ‘Blood and Chocolate’ does not contain many of his so-called hits, the personal nature of the songs bring both the alkaline of blood and the sweetness of Chocolate to your lips and yet still darker than some of his previous albums.

There is a sense of urgency on the album which might be related to the manner at which the band recorded the album, done in a single room at high volume.

But there is something deeper in this album. You just cannot write shit situations in your life and put some fancy production values on top and release it. There is a back to basics approach with this album but also in “R.E.M. Talk” a feeling that this is Elvis and The Attractions, “Fables of the Reconstruction”, an album made under strife and that strife creating something very personal.

Elvis has made a host load of albums and there are several which are more note-worthy among critics (Armed Forces, This Years Model, My Aim Is True) but this is the album that I keep on coming back to. I would still say for the Elvis Costello novice to get “Armed Forces” first but if you want something special, this is the one to get.

What is there to say about the Beatles? Probably nothing.

Magical Mystery Tour is a unique album in that it contains both a critically awful movie, but great soundtrack with a couple singles stuck at the end of it to make it long enough to be an album. Although you could say that an album such as Sgt. Peppers is more consistent in it’s effort to act like an album, Magical Mystery Tour, in my opinion has always had better songs.

The only other thing that should be mentioned about this album is that “Blue Jay Way” is the best song on the album. Maybe it’s the presentation as if the song was performed underwater. It could be that it was written by my favorite Beatle, George Harrision. Or maybe it’s the fact that it’s underappreciated due to the other hits on the record: Strawberry Fields and I am the Walrus come to mind first.

Otherwise, when discussing the biggest band rock and roll band ever, there is not much to discuss. If you have not listened to this album, I guess I would feel sorry for you.

(I do apologize for my outburst about the Beatles. They are such a great band that writing anything about them is about as enjoyable as sticking my tongue on a 9 volt battery.)

To promote the launch of my top 25 albums I should go back and review for all you viewers that are keeping score at home, how we got here. While I have decided to discuss the top 60 albums, this list is much longer than that so here is the list from 100 – 25. On with the festivities.

100 The Kinks – The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
99 The National – The Boxer
98 Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
97 Yo La Tengo – Electr-O-Pura
96 The Velvet Underground – 1969 Live
95 R.E.M. – Green
94 U2 – War
93 Spacemen 3 – The Perfect Prescription
92 Luna – Bewitched
91 Massive Attack – Blue Lines
90 Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
89 Deerhunter – Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.
88 Galaxie 500 – On Fire
87 Ministry – The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste
86 Portishead – Dummy
85 Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night
84 The Moldy Peaches – The Moldy Peaches
83 R.E.M. – New Adventures in Hi-Fi
82 Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
81 LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
80 Wire – Pink Flag
79 Sonic Youth – Goo
78 Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
77 Radiohead – Hail to the Thief
76 Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II
75 Jesus & Mary Chain – Psychocandy
74 The National – Alligator
73 Lush – Gala
72 Lou Reed – Transformer
71 Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Armed Forces
70 The Breeders – Last Splash
69 Liz Phair – Exile In Guyville
68 The Pixies – Debaser
67 Yo La Tengo – May I Sing With Me
66 The Feelies – The Good Earth
65 The Beatles – Rubber Soul
64 The Cure – Disentegration
63 Elf Power – A Dream In Sound
62 Animal Collective – Feels
61 Caribou – The Milk of Human Kindness
60 R.E.M. – Out of Time
59 Animal Collective – Sung Tongs
58 Mission of Burma – Signals, Calls and Marches
57 Leonard Cohen – Songs
56 Tame Impala – Tame Impala
55 Galaxie 500 – Today
54 The Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat
53 Patti Smith – Horses
52 Olivia Tremor Control – Dusk At Cubist Castle
51 David Bowie – The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
50 Wire – Chairs Missing
49 Elliot Smith – XO
48 Jane’s Addiction – Ritual de lo Habitual
47 The Smiths – Strangeways Here We Come
46 Arcade Fire – Funeral
45 Wilco – Summerteeth
44 The Clash – London Calling
43 My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
42 Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV
41 Pink Floyd – Meddle
40 Nirvana – In Utero
39 The New York Dolls – The New York Dolls
38 Radiohead – In Rainbows
37 The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico
36 The Beatles – Let It Be
35 U2 – Achtung Baby
34 Neutral Milk Hotel – On Avery Island
33 Leonard Cohen – I’m Your Man
32 R.E.M. – Automatic For the People
31 Radiohead – Kid A
30 Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
29 Nirvana – Nevermind
28 Wilco – Being There
27 Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols
26 Japancakes – If I Could See Dallas
25 R.E.M. – Document

File Under Fire. By the time 1987 arrived, R.E.M.’s sound had mutated. Stipe was enunciating, and the the band had slowly grown from playing pizza parlors to playing arenas. They were leading a resurgence of American rock bands that had remained, for the most part under the radar. Document marks an era where the band had received some mainstream exposure, both with “The One I Love” and “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) but the album does not shine just for the singles but all the album tracks in-between which expand upon the themes of Lifes Rich Pageant to make their most rocking album to date.

From it’s simplicity, “The One I Love” is fascinating for it’s dual meanings. On the surface, some have interpreted it as a love song, however, the verse “a simple prop to occupy my time” would suggest otherwise. I have looked at it from several perspectives with most recently comparing said prop to Hurricane Sandy and suggesting it was an ode to someone that had lost someone in the storm. It’s been moments like the one above that have strengthened my resolve for R.E.M. by pulling a song out of their canon of work and interpreting it the way that I wanted to.

And what was wrong with that? By 1987 Michael Stipe had become more studious about writing lyrics with meaning and multiple interpretations and not just about rhyming words or nonsense. But the prevailing opinion at the time was not to try to force feed the audience what the songs were about but rather let fans decide for themselves.

For example, “Finest Worksong”, might be considered an anthem for a Workers Party, “Oddfellow Local 151” by the title alone might suggest that it’s about unions only to realize that later the song actually refers to people drinking behind a specific Athens bar called the “Firehouse”.

The album is their angriest and loudest record. It’s an album that needs to be played in arenas but behind the music are delicate songs that were just as impressive in an acoustic setting such as “Disturbance at the Heron House”.

The subjects are political and yet, unlike many other politically motivated, socially conscious songs, they do not sound dated but are just as relevant today as the day that they were released onto record.