July 22, 2022 - Esstential Albums: Dark Side of the Moon

 No 2.  Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon  (1973)

With over a thousand weeks on the Billboard Album chart, I'd be surprised to meet anyone who doesn't already own this album, or heard it.

Much like Sgt. Pepper, the recording and production of the album are both integral to the finished product.  Also like Sgt. Pepper, I view it as a complete piece to be listened to start to finish.

Pink Floyd were already a well established band by the time they released DSOTM, as it is often abbreviated online. But this is the album that pushed them into the stratosphere.

From themes of mental illness, to isolation, this album resonated with people; and you could argue that those themes resonate even more in our current world, nearly fifty years after its release.

Probably best listened to with headphones, or with a properly set up stereo system, the album rewards careful listening to the sonic landscape.  This is after all, the album that for many heralded space-rock for many people with voices dropped in and the creative use of panning and placement of things in the soundstage.

At this point, I think I have four, or more, copies of the album.  You should too.

June 13, 2022 - Essential Albums: Sgt. Pepper

 No. 1:  The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

For me, this is ground zero - where what we accept as classic rock comes together.  For many, this was the first time an album brought together all the elements that make up an album.

There was a lot to digest when this first came out - certainly more than just the music.  At a time when many albums were vehicles to collect past hit singles plus some filler tracks, Sgt. Pepper was meant to be an album where there was a flow and a narrative from song to song. The idea came to be known as a concept album and many bands attempted it.  But, arguably, The Beatles set the template.  It was an album of new music. There was a story that connected the songs.  The band itself played the parts of a fictional band.  The bookending of the album, more or less, with an opening and reprise.

The packaging was as innovative as the music inside.  A gatefold cover, the cutouts insert, lyrics printed on the cover, and that wonderful front cover of the band amid celebrities, cutouts, and some in jokes.  There was a lot to look at while you listened to the album.

You could probably spend a day or more reading about the music or the impact the album had at the time.  And you could certainly spend a week or more listening to the album and it's various reissues and remasterings. Then there are the tribute albums inspired by Sgt. Pepper.

All of which are tributes to the importance and influence of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in popular culture.  And why you should have it in your collection.