Louis Prima | The Wildest (1956)

Label: Capitol

Producer: Voyle Gilmore

Art Direction: Uncredited

Running Time: 32:00

 

Now THIS was a fun album to listen to. Here we have Louis Prima, a popular nightclub singer and trumpeter in the 1930s and '40s, showing the world that he still has that spark. I mean just look at the album cover, if that doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will.

This album is the kind of stuff I imagine being played in 1950s Las Vegas. The kind of brassy, big band sound that encapsulates an era for all time. That doesn't say this music is dated, however, as tracks from this album have been covered by other artists in the modern day (see below). Overall, this is a great album all-around, and I definitely had a lot of fun listening to this one.

RATING: 4 out of 5

NOTABLE TRACKS:

Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody

Jump Jive, An' Wail

The Lip

(I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You

Albums Reviewed: 4

Albums Remaining: 997

The Louvin Brothers | Tragic Songs of Life (1956)

Label: Capitol

Producer: Ken Nelson

Art Direction: Uncredited

Running Time: 35:58

Once upon a time, country music actually SOUNDED like country music. This is an album that is from the first note to the last full of southern-fried goodness. Songs about heartbreak, homesickness, and (in the case of at least one song) murder.

There is something about brothers singing in 2-part harmony that will get me every time. It has a certain "twang" to it that I can't help but smile when I hear it. Images that come to mind when listening to this: dirt roads, moonshine, and the Dukes of Hazzard. If you're craving some good down-home "pickin-and-grinnin", this one is sure to please.

RATING: 4 out of 5

NOTABLE TRACKS:

Knoxville Girl

 

In The Pines

Katie Dear

Albums Reviewed: 3

Albums Remaining: 998



Elvis Presley | Elvis Presley (1956)

Label: RCA

Producer: Uncredited

Art Direction: William V Roberts

Running Time: 28:42

How long does it take to change the world? Apparently, only 28 minutes and 42 seconds.

Listening to this album in 2011, it would be easy to just dismiss this as "just more Elvis", as those of my generation and after are used to hearing about Elvis everywhere, from movies to commericals to TV specials debating if he faked his death or not. But if you stop and really listen to this album, and place yourself in 1950s America, then you can start to understand why this guy blew the ever-loving minds of parents everywhere.

This is a pretty fun album to listen to, albeit disjointed at times. Which makes sense, because half of this album was recorded over two years prior to its release, while the other half was recorded only weeks before its release. This is Elvis before the fame, before the money, and (sadly) before the drug addiction. Here, he is just a young guy from Tupelo, Mississippl with a guitar, playing music that until then had been considered "black music". While he didn't event rock n' roll, Elvis certainly introduced it to an entire generation, and the world was never the same.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

NOTABLE TRACKS:

Blue Suede Shoes

I Got A Woman

Just Because



Albums Reviewed: 2

Albums Remaining: 999

Frank Sinatra | In The Wee Small Hours (1955)

Label: Capitol

Producer: Voyle Gilmore

Art Direction: Tommy Steele

Running Time: 50:25

Now, of course I was familiar with Frank Sinatra. How could you not? But I was used to the cool, smooth Sinatra. The Rat Pack Sinatra. This is not THAT Frank Sinatra.

By the early 1950s, Sinatra had become something of a washed-up has-been. After being dropped by his previous record labels and a failed attempt at entering the then-new medium of television, his future in entertainment became doubtful. However, upon his signing to Capitol Records, Sinatra set out to reinvent himself. By working with renowned composer Nelson Riddle, Sinatra released In The Wee Small Hours in 1955. Regarded as one of the first "concept albums", In The Wee Small Hours is an album that focuses on sadness, heartbreak, and loss.

This album was pretty depressing, although not unenjoyable to listen to. While some of the songs do tend to blend together, this is fitting given the depressive mood that the album is attempting to portray. Anyone who has ever found themselves in a "funk" knows that everything can sort of blend together into one depressing situation.  I couldn't help but picture Sinatra sitting in a small, empty bar with a gin and tonic, confessing his sadness to anyone that would listen. This is a man that has suffered heartbreak (he had recently been separated from his then-wife Ava Gardner), and is laying it all out there as a kind of cathartic healing.

I would think that this album would be best listened to alone, at night, with a stiff drink and a cigarette. If you have ever been down-and-out, or at least felt that way, then you were absolutely be able to relate to this album.

RATING: 4 out of 5

NOTABLE TRACKS:

In The Wee Small Hours

I'll Be Around

Albums Reviewed: 1
Albums Remaining: 1000

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

1001 albums. 1001 days.

 

I've always been a big music fan, but my knowledge of bands/artists has been sporadic at best.....a particular time of my life, or a memory, will make me want to listen to a certain song by a certain artist, without even considering the albums the song came from. It seems that, thanks to mp3s and iTunes, the art form that was the "album" is becoming a thing of the past for my generation, with the hit song being the only memorable piece of work by a certain artist.

When I first came across 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, I knew that this could be an interesting way to expand my knowledge of artists throughout the decades. This starts with Frank Sinatra in 1955,  and ends with The White Stripes in 2005 (there have been revisions to the books with additional artists added, but I'll worry about that later). There are other blogs out there that review the albums contained within this book, and it is my hope that writing about these albums in the same way will keep me motivated to accomplish such a daunting task.

If I were to review one album a day, starting tomorrow, I should be finished with all 1001 albums by June 18, 2014. Think I can keep it up? It's worth a shot.......