September found Strange Currencies — and our year-long focus on debut records — reflecting back on our favorite decade of pop music: the turbulent and always-fascinating sixties. At the risk of further inflating the collective ego of the Boomer generation, there really was an explosion of creativity that no other decade in the modern era has matched, let alone surpassed.
And despite the fact that earlier months had already seen us feature debuts from sixties-era giants like Nina Simone, The Beach Boys, and The Beatles, there were still plenty of classics left to choose from. Among these thirty records are genuine masterpieces — including what yours truly would consider the best debut album of all-time — lesser-celebrated gems, and promising beginnings. And as is often the case, some of our favorite genres (including garage rock and Tropicália) feature prominently throughout.
We’ll be shifting our emphasis to a new theme in October. To see those picks in real-time — and to read our past and future mini-reviews in full — give our Instagram and Facebook pages a follow.
What We Said: “The fake crowd noises get annoying really fast, but once you give up on expecting anything else on the level of “Louie, Louie,” The Kingsmen in Person is a pretty decent listen. The Kingsmen were never the tightest band — nearly sixty years later, “Louie, Louie” may still be the sloppiest recording to ever hit the American top ten — but there’s a relentless energy that keeps In Person at least mildly compelling throughout.”
What We Said: “It must’ve sounded like nothing else when it arrived in the summer of 1966. Even The Beatles reportedly loved it, and it’s not hard to see this album pushing them in a more experimental and irreverent direction.”
What We Said: “Maybe it’s the garage/psych fanatic in me. Maybe it’s the wholly accessible melodies, riffs, and stomping rhythms spread all throughout a record that is simultaneously wild in its eclecticism. Maybe it’s the fact that Milk is one of the most endlessly replayable albums in my collection. Whatever it is, when I want to hear the Magic Band, this is, hands down, the record that I reach for most often.”
What We Said: “Aside from the mostly-bullshit arguments about The Monkees not playing their own instruments or writing their own songs, consider that people also had a problem with the group’s early hits because they were considered ‘disposable teen fodder.’ Oh, the horrors of living in a time where songs this catchy, well-written, and strongly-performed could be considered pandering to the lowest common denominator.”
What We Said: “With a little help from [Bob] Dylan, Robertson/Danko/Manuel/Helm/Hudson authored a few new pages in the Americana dictionary: ones that respected traditions worth respecting, and, in doing so, indirectly addressed the monumental weight of their own time.”
What We Said: “[It] was an artistic arrival for the Bahian singer-songwriter, and the first shot fired by the close-knit musical wing of the loosely-organized, multi-media Tropicalismo scene. While fine in its own right, Veloso’s official debut, 1967’s Domingo — a collaboration with Gal Costa — was essentially a standard late-era bossa nova record: Caetano Veloso was a statement.”
What We Said: “Whether viewed on its own or as a prelude, it’s hard to come to the conclusion that this is anything more than ‘pleasant but minor.’ In 1962, other folkies on the New York scene were doing this bit just as well, if not better. Dylan was just one of the pack. Still, when this kid starts to get sentimental in the tribute to his dying idol, you start to think there might be something happening here.”
September 8 (#251)
The Psychedelic Sounds of The 13th Floor Elevators
(1966)
Rating: 9.0
What We Said: “Of course, this is one of those records where it’s easy to throw around the word ‘influencer,’ but let’s be honest: sometimes those records are more academic than enjoyable. This is definitely the latter, as long as you’re in the right headspace for it.”
What We Said: “When the material is great — as it often is — it’s damn near irresistible. The Dylan interpretations are all excellent, and Gene Clark’s “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” is nearly the equal of the landmark title track. Beyond those highlights however, it’s a little bit of a mixed bag. But that sound… Well, it just doesn’t get much better.”
What We Said: “Song Cycle isn’t just Brian Wilson. Or Randy Newman. It’s Tin Pan Alley. Charles Ives. Walt Disney. Mark Twain. Parks picks up the semi-narrative thread of SMiLE‘s journey across America, and crafts something that hits at the idiosyncracies of a profoundly weird nation.”
What We Said: “While it’s easy to let the classic title track overshadow everything else here, Etta James’ debut is truly a splendid little record. This is as consistent a pop record as you’ll hear from the early sixties. The material is great, the production is solid — though I wish the engineer had remembered a pop filter — and James’ vocal performances are stellar across the board.”
What We Said: “Let’s not forget just how many earth-shattering records were released in 1967 alone. That this one continues to stand out as something so special is truly a testament to its greatness. Again, it’s easy to be desensitized by the ubiquity of this album’s better known tracks, but it is front-to-back phenomenal.”
What We Said: “After opening with [“I Put a Spell on You”], the rest seems anticlimactic in comparison. However, the band would release an astonishing run of five LPs within the next two years: albums that would cement their reputation as one of America’s quintessential rock groups. Viewed from that perspective, one can appreciate this comparatively tentative debut as a necessary first step toward the band’s impending greatness.”
What We Said: “Ochs had a calling, and while he wasn’t presumptuous enough to believe that he was carrying the conversation for the likes of William Worthy, Medgar Evers, or the people of South Vietnam, his commitment in lending his voice to their causes remains palpable.”
What We Said: “The two side-openers (“Pain in My Heart” and “These Arms of Mine”) deservedly receive the most attention, but the covers of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me,” Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me,” and Redding’s own “Security” are all standouts: especially the latter, with its cracking horn section.”
What We Said: “Borrowing heavily from contemporary baroque pop from the likes of The Beatles and Beach Boys, The Smoke — which is largely the studio creation of multi-instrumentalist Michael Lloyd — pales in comparison to those titans, but there is still some utterly charming stuff to be found here.”
What We Said: “”The Sounds of Silence” is untouchable, of course — even in the original, stripped-down version presented here. “Bleeker Street” is another easy highlight, and the title track is an overlooked gem as well. Either of these wouldn’t sound out of place with the group’s best material. But really, even the ‘lesser’ tracks — namely the gospel songs — are a welcome excuse to hear the harmonies that, on their own, make Simon & Garfunkel such a touchstone.”
What We Said: “Pandemonium Shadow Show contains three of Nilsson’s finest baroque pop moments in “1941,” “Cuddly Toy,” and the understated “Without Her.” Each display his penchant for Beatle-esque melodies and arrangements, and showcase Nilsson’s dazzling vocal abilities.”
What We Said: “This isn’t just another one of those records that would merely influence a bunch of great stuff down the road. This album itself is great. And it still holds the capacity to blow minds, over fifty-five years after its arrival.”
What We Said: “There’s a palpable ‘feel’ to these songs: as if they represent something that hadn’t ever been done this way before. As we know, punk evolved more than it arrived, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a record that sounds like more of a step in its direction than this one.”
What We Said: “No matter how eclectic it is — and it’s pretty damn eclectic — there is an undeniable warmth that flows throughout this album: one that provides more than enough of a unifying quality. But never once does it come off as showy, or anything less than wholly natural. Rather, this is an artist firmly within her element, and firmly in control of her considerable artistic gifts.”
What We Said: “Fans of that landmark trio [Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi, and Future Days] should find plenty to appreciate on these four tracks. The side-long “Yoo Doo Right” looms large over the proceedings, but the album’s first half — highlighted by opener “Father Cannot Yell” — is every bit as impressive.”
What We Said: “Sure, I can buy the argument that Van Zandt was at his best when the instrumental backing was at its most minimal — count me among those that view Live at the Old Quarter as his finest record. But again, this is stellar material, surrounded by interesting (and mostly complimentary) arrangements.”
What We Said: “These songs, all eleven of them, are truly special. And they’re not just smut, drugs, and nihilism. There are genuinely life-affirming moments on this record. There are pieces that redefine the parameters of pop. There are hooks that burrow in deep. This is a fascinating record: one that deserves to be analyzed and studied, sure. But it’s also one that is a joy to listen to, again and again and again.”
What We Said: “I’ll Cry If I Want To is a more-than-solid record, and not just in the “…for a pop album from 1963″ way. These songs are well crafted, produced, and performed. Even though Gore would ultimately improve on the formula established here, this one is fully worthwhile.”
What We Said: “These deep soul tracks hit — from Steve Cropper’s instantly-recognizable guitar work to the crisp brass. There are a handful of no-doubt standouts — particularly Carr’s take on “The Dark End of the Street,” and the stellar opener, “Pouring Water on a Drowning Man” — but everything here is excellent.”
What We Said: “Granted, none of the songs that would make him an AM radio staple in the seventies are present here — at least not in their most familiar forms — but these fourteen tracks display both the range and depth of Lightfoot’s considerable charm.”
What We Said: “There’s not only the sense of well-documented randomness that persists throughout, but also enough small little details that every listen — no matter how many you’ve taken in — seems to reveal something new. So yeah, this is a rich record. And a continually surprising one.”
What We Said: “It’s always endearing, even when it’s not great; and for the record, it often falls short of great. Some of these tracks are clearly phoned-in, but even on the weaker tracks, the arrangements display an off-kiter charm — particularly in the use of the clavoline and Ondioline.”
What We Said: “There are plenty of glimpses where you realize that it could’ve been truly great — moments where The Music Machine seem particularly confident about the band that they could/should have been. But while somewhere in here lurks a truly classic proto-punk record, we just have to settle for a pretty solid variety pack.”
