More great LPs on this list, from Pierre Dorge through Bob Dylan.
I bought the Pierre Dorge record & the New Jungle Orchestra around the time that I had some gigs with John Tchicai (and the E/O). He was an amazing person, musician, saxophone player, composer. Just wonderful. He’s not featured on this particular record as much as I would have liked, but when he plays, he sounds amazing. RIP, John.
Kenny Dorham – But Beautiful – Another Prestige 2-fer, this one of Jazz Contrasts, Two Horns/Two Rhythm, Blue Spring, This is the Moment, and That’s Him. I got stuck on this LP, partly because I was having WordPress problems, and partly because it’s just great. It’s a bass player’s dream – Oscar Pettiford, Wilbur Ware, and Paul Chambers. Youch. “My Little Suede Shoes” is especially great. Ok, update: This whole freaking record is ridiculous. You should hear the “Oleo” they do. Gonna go practice now…
Duran Duran – Rio – Yes, I have this record. And, yes, I like it. Sure, the lyrics are…uh…well, they leave a lot to be desired. But the writing itself is really crafty and John Taylor is a great pop bass player.
Bob Dylan records:
Bob Dylan – When I was a kid, I made fun of Bob Dylan. Then, as a teenager, I…still made fun of him. In my 20s, I wanted to like him, but I just couldn’t. Sometime around 30, I finally heard something in his music that I dug, and now I’m totally a fan. No, I’m not silly about it – I don’t have all of his records and thousands of bootlegs, but I have enough to feel like I know something about his music, and I genuinely love most of them. This one, the first(?), is nice, but not one I go to very often. To me, this record really demonstrates what he said in “Chronicles Vol 1” about being under the influence of Woody Guthrie. You really hear it on this LP. That’s not a bad thing! And there is a LOT of Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen on this here record. “Gostpel Plow” sure reminds me of “Don’t Think Twice, it’s All Right.”
The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Now, this is a Bob Dylan record! It also has my favorite Dylan tune, “Boots of Spanish Leather.” Incredible.
Bringing It All Back Home – Even though “Boots of Spanish Leather” is my favorite Dylan tune, and it’s on a different record, this is my favorite Dylan album. Side 2 is flawless. “Love Minus Zero/No Limit” always seemed…limited…to me. I wish there was more!
Highway 61 Revisited – Plugged in Dylan. So, “Like a Rolling Stone” is the defining music of a generation? What a great tune. There’s a nice Boston connection here, too, with Al(an) Kooper on organ. He’s at Berklee, and generally around town. He also was the head honcho of Blood, Sweat & Tears, and wrote most of the stuff on my favorite BS&T record, Child is Father to the Man. More here.
Nashville Skyline – Ok, this record is great, but it took me some getting used to. Dylan changed his voice to a more smooth, croon-y, velvety kind of timbre. When I listen to his voice, I’m not that psyched. But the writing and the playing and the production and the rest of it is just great. Plus there is a really nice duet with Johnny Cash (“Girl from the North Country”), who I love. It also has “Lay Lady, Lay,” one of the greatest of his tunes.
Greatest Hits – I’m a bit on the fence about Greatest Hits records. I mean, just a collection of the hits? What if there is other, more amazing music to be found on the other records? Plus, I come from the “Completist” point of view, so a Greatest Hits is nothing more than a repackaging of the material I already own…in theory. In this case, this Greatest Hits fills in some nice blanks, especially “It Ain’t Me, Babe,” which I love but don’t have anywhere else. Same with “Just Like a Woman.” I guess it should be obvious by now that I love ballads…
Blood on the Tracks – Wow. This record is a whole different kind of flavor. Less folk, less rock, less country, more just a thing that sounds like Blood on the Tracks and that’s it. I love “Tangled Up in Blue,” of course.