The Essentials?

[TakebackOPACY]

So I'm looking to expand my library. What are some of the 'absolute essentials' in your favorite genre. Take any of the following approaches:

1. "If you like [place genre of music here], you have to have this song in your library."

2. "I don't care what you listen to, this song will move you (unless, of course, you just can't stomach this genre at all. In that case, listen for a while, let it grow on you, and then this song will move you.)"

3. "If you're only going to have a few songs in this genre, this might be one of them."

4. "I couldn't imagine not having this song. Period."

Here are a few from me:

The Band - The Weight
Alicia Keys - Fallin'
Live - Lightning Crashes
Alice in Chains - Rooster
The Marshall Tucker Band - Can't You See
The Allman Brothers - The Whipping Post
The Black Crowes - Sometimes Salvation
Gorillaz - Dirty Harry
Neil Young - Down by the River
Nick Drake - Pink Moon
Pixies - Gigantic
Robert Randolph - Soul Refreshing

Note: while it's nice to pick songs off some Top 10 list on the internet, it has more validity if it's at least in your library.

[MChance]

You must have forgotten Jimmy Eat World's "For Me This Is Heaven".

[scOtt]

Nick Drake - Things Behind the Sun
Allman Bros. - The whole first album (The Allman Brothers) and/or Idlewild South and/or Eat a Peach... and/or Brothers and Sisters... and/or (if it's still even available....) The 4 CD box set. GREAT stuff!

If you like Neil Young, you might like Buffalo Springfield (http://www.amazon.com/Retrospective-Best-Buffalo-Springfield/dp/B000002IAZ/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1206787840&sr=8-1).

And I would be remiss if I didn't suggest some Jimi (http://www.amazon.com/Smash-Hits-Jimi-Hendrix-Experience/dp/B00006GEWW/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1206787996&sr=1-7). :p Get THE one I linked, it has a couple extra tunes from the original. ;)

[Spoonless]

Man, I don't even know where to start...

John Coltrane - "Giant Steps"
Miles Davis - "All Blues"
Ella Fitzgerald - "How High the Moon"
Dizzy Gillespie - "A Night in Tunesia"
Dizzy Gillespie - "Manteca"
Charles Mingus - "Goodbye Porkpie Hat"
Charles Mingus - "Haitian Fight Song"
Charlie Parker - "Ornithology"
Sonny Rollins - "St. Thomas"

I could come up with more, but those are the ones that popped into my head.

[TakebackOPACY]

Nick Drake - Things Behind the Sun
Allman Bros. - The whole first album (The Allman Brothers) and/or Idlewild South and/or Eat a Peach... and/or Brothers and Sisters... and/or (if it's still even available....) The 4 CD box set. GREAT stuff!

If you like Neil Young, you might like Buffalo Springfield (http://www.amazon.com/Retrospective-Best-Buffalo-Springfield/dp/B000002IAZ/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1206787840&sr=8-1).

And I would be remiss if I didn't suggest some Jimi (http://www.amazon.com/Smash-Hits-Jimi-Hendrix-Experience/dp/B00006GEWW/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1206787996&sr=1-7). :p Get THE one I linked, it has a couple extra tunes from the original. ;)

Thanks! I don't know if this thread is gonna just die. But what I'm looking for is to cherry-pick singles (for starters) in other genres. Example: I'm looking for someone who listens to punk to come in and say you have to have:

Anarchy in the UK - Sex Pistols
Holiday in Cambodia - Dead Kennedys
I Wanna Be Your Dog - The Stooges
Roadrunner - Modern Lovers (tangent: I know you might not consider this punk, but it's the best example because it transcends the genre and strikes the interest of those who might not have liked punk. In that ilk, a good ol' jamming Elvis Costello song might be an even better example. Maybe "Pump It Up" or "Radio Radio", or Talking Heads "Psycho Killer". But if you really want the source of much punk/new wave/prog rock, you might look here (http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Underground-Nico/dp/B000002G7C).)

I'm looking for someone to say that a rock fan who wants to give jazz a try might start with John Zorn. (Or tell me I'm wrong.)

Anyway, I don't mean to come across like I'm an expert. I'M NOT! (Unless I stick with what I know, which is what I did.)



Btw, Scott pointed out that if you like The Allman Brothers, the 'Essentials' are the early stuff. Duane Allman died in 1971 (and Berry Oakley, the original bassist, died in 1972). It's all great stuff, but D. Allman/Betts/Oakley together is as good as it gets in 'southern rock'. IMHO, if you choose to own one Allman Brothers album it should be 'Allman Brothers at Fillmore East' (actually that's two albums anyway). EDIT: I had to look up the dates that they died. And sadly, I had to look up Oakley's name. I just knew they died before the first live album I owned ('Wipe the windows...'), which is great but not as great.

[Spoonless]

Stevie Wonder - "Higher Ground"
The Brecker Brothers - "Some Skunk Funk"
Parliament - "Flash Light"
Weather Report - "Birdland"
The Meters - "Chicken Strut"
Herbie Hancock - "Chameleon"

[TakebackOPACY]

Stevie Wonder - "Higher Ground"
The Brecker Brothers - "Some Skunk Funk"
Parliament - "Flash Light"
Weather Report - "Birdland"
The Meters - "Chicken Strut"
Herbie Hancock - "Chameleon"

Great stuff!!

Do you have Miles Davis' Tribute to Jack Johnson? (If not, get it now! You'll obviously love it.) Is it blasphemy if I download just parts of it?

Do you have a lot of funk or fusion?

Anyone listen to Mandrill? I love it, and own none. If I get one or two songs from Mandrill, what should they be? If I get one album, which should it be?

[TakebackOPACY]

Is it blasphemy if I download parts of it?

Anyone listen to Mandrill? I love it, and own none. If I get one or two songs from Mandrill, what should they be? If I get one album, which should it be?

Okay, I realize there are better forums out there for these questions. But I feel like asking these basic questions on those forums is like coming here and asking who should play right field.

[Spoonless]

I don't think it's blasphemy if you only download parts of an album. Personally, I don't really do a lot of Random playlists. I usually listen to full albums, and very rarely skip tracks.

I don't have a ton of funk and fusion. I do enjoy listening to it, but for some reason have never really owned much.

The only Mandrill song I've heard is "Fencewalk," so I really can't give you any information on them.

[scOtt]

Wow! So many great suggestions in this thread! Just a few (that I know of... and have swiped copies of... :D ) are easily searchable on YouTube. ;)

Stevie - Higher Ground (Chili peppers also have a torrid version of this, on the "Mother's Milk" album)
There's also a copy on there of Stevie doing Superstition, live on (of all things...) Sesame Street. Like '74ish. Great stuff.

Anarchy in the U.K

Iggy doing "Dog"... and "Passenger" live in '77.

I don't even know if it's on YouTube.... Elvis Costello played Saturday Night Live... I don't even know when, early '80's. He started playing a kinda slow song, then stops playing... says "Wait, wait! We can't play this!" Then launches into some really torrid, rocking song. I have to go find that one now... I'll prolly check back on this thread. :D

After-preview-EDIT... The Elvis vid above is almost certainly NOT on YouTube. NBC is real funny about leaving their clips on YouTube. :( Everybody funny... now you funny too!

BTW, I'm feeling too lazy to link some of these. If you want, PM me and I can search out the links to these and others. If you're REALLY serious... I can tell you how to grab all these vids... and convert them all into mpgs or wmvs or mp3 or any file format you want. There on your hard drive, waiting to be jammed too. ;)

[scOtt]

Holy [CRAP]!!! (http://youtube.com/watch?v=kuFPafeBSmw) Not the one I meant, but a WONDERFUL joke on it! Starts with Beastie Boys and then Elvis comes out of the wings and steals the stage.


Personally, I'd rather have seen Sabotage (http://youtube.com/watch?v=-sbqIyeed4g)... or Sure Shot (http://youtube.com/watch?v=M5GXj1jwb1U) or You Gotta Fight... (http://youtube.com/watch?v=6NdAUnnU9Ac) For Your Right (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v340/if6was9/?action=view&current=BeastieBoysFightForYourRightlive.flv)

[TakebackOPACY]

Great find, Scott
Here's an article about performers who were banned from SNL. (http://www.zimbio.com/Infamous+moments+in+Saturday+Night+Live+history/notes/1/People+banned+from+SNL)

Here's the piece that relates to Costello:

On December 17, 1977, Elvis Costello and the Attractions performed as a last-minute replacement for the Sex Pistols, who were unable to obtain passports. NBC and the show's producer Lorne Michaels didn't want the band to perform "Radio Radio", since the song protests the state of the media. The band defied them by beginning to play their song "Less Than Zero", stopping, with Costello telling the audience that there was no reason to do that song, and telling the band to play "Radio Radio" instead. It infuriated Michaels because it put the show off schedule, and the band were barred from performing again.

Note: Eventually Lorne Michaels put his grievances aside, lifting the ban, and Elvis Costello would appear as musical guest in 1989 and 1991. He also reprised his performance of "Radio Radio" with the Beastie Boys for a 25th anniversary special aired on September 26, 1999.

[scOtt]

Yeah! Both times. It's TOO cool to say "I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen, but there's really no reason to do this song!" :p