Everyone has at least one or two, maybe more, "perfect" albums they'd cite as ones they will always enjoy from start to finish, never skipping a single song. Every track is excellent and stands the test of time, providing an amazing listening experience every time, for years and years.
Albums like that aren't the rule... they are the exception. From the very beginning of recorded music in LP format, there have been "filler" tracks, songs that weren't truly up to snuff and were likely churned out at the last minute just to satisfy time requirements on an album. Of course, those requirements are imposed by the recording company. It's all dollars and cents for them, and if they can pad an album with one or two extra songs just to make it look like more for your dollar, they'll do it. And then the pressure is on the artist to come up with something more.
Some musicians can rise to the task, others can't. Some can do it sometimes. But it must be a daunting challenge, especially when the artist already feels drained of all their best ideas and the album feels satisfyingly complete. Then along comes the demand for another song or two.
Today, I'll tell you about some perfect albums, as I see them, anyway. These aren't necessarily my favourite albums by these artists - though some are, but they are the ones I feel are super strong from start to finish, not a single dud.
The first one I thought of is Fleetwood Mac's classic Rumours. To begin with, this album boasts so many great hits (as in top selling, high charting, and radio staples) that it makes your head spin. Then add in the fact that there isn't a weak song in sight. Even the lesser known tracks are impressive, if everyone would just move past the greatest hits. Never Going Back Again, Oh Daddy, Gold Dust Woman. I mean, these are, to me, just as good as the radio singles. All amazing music by primo singers and musicians at their peak. Perfection.
Then... Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath. Yeah, you saw that one coming. I've raved about this Dio-fronted Sab album many times on this blog, so I'll keep it brief today. For me, it's powerful from front to back, not a single weak tune. There are songs that may not rival the biggies like the title track and Neon Nights, but even Wishing Well and Lonely is the Word are still great, highly listenable pieces. I'd say Sabbath had peaked here, though some might disagree. Dio brought new energy and creative ideas to the table when he joined the troupe, and the rest of the guys answered with more passion and electricity than ever before. A new band was born here, and their resulting "first" album (of the Dio era) is chock full of bangers.
Fragile is not necessarily my favourite Yes album, and yet I'd say it's more consistently excellent throughout than my fave... which happens to be Going For the One. Going For the One contains some of my very favourite Yes songs of all time, including Turn of the Century, Wonderous Stories, and Awaken. BUT... there are at least aspects of other songs, if not whole songs, on there that don't maintain excellence. Understand? On Fragile, everything is top notch progressive rock conceived as a concept album in a very abstruse way... it's not a story in the vein of Rush's 2112 but is instead a technical and creative instrumental exercise in presenting the band in both a cohesive form and as individuals writing solo pieces. Each member of Yes wrote a song and conducted the rest of the band to fulfill his needs on the track.
And when you're as good a musician as the guys in Yes, you've gotta show off a bit. And they did, perhaps not intentionally, through their intelligent and imaginative arrangements that set the standard for prog rock bands to come. So not only did the band as a whole pen such gems as Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround, and Heart of the Sunrise, but they knocked it completely out of the park with their "solo" contributions. Mood For a Day, Steve Howe's exquisite Spanish guitar piece, is perhaps my favourite on the whole album. Maybe. If you want progressive rock excellence, look no further than Fragile.
Van Halen's debut qualifies as a perfect album. Is there anything on there you're tired of, that you'd rather not hear today? For me, nope. I think I've heard every single song from the VH debut played on the radio at some point in time. Nothing is overlooked, and that says something. It doesn't hurt that this disc is among the top selling debut albums of all time. The first four tracks are among the most famous VH tunes, including Runnin' With the Devil and the most famous guitar solo of all time... Eruption. Not just excellent and spine-chillingly explosive, but jaw-droppingly groundbreaking at the time, too. Even now, it's the template for guitarists the world over.
Even after side one (on a vinyl record) ends, you're in for a further blast of rock heaven on side two with pop metal radio hit Jamie's Crying, the supersonic blast of Atomic Punk, and histrionic tour-de-force Fire. Whew!
Last, but not least, is the 90's thrash masterpiece Rust in Peace, by Megadeth. Yes, it's regarded by many metalheads as one of the best of the genre, but tear it down for analysis, and you've got a dissection of perfection (sounds like a good Megadeth song title). If the ferocity of opening track Holy Wars doesn't completely incapacitate you, then maybe its follow-up Hangar 18 will, with its eleven (yes, 11) guitar solos! All blisteringly tasty, in that eloquent Mega-blend of the melodic, the technical, and the aggressive.
Moving from track to track, RIP is all massive bangers, with one exception. In my early years of owning and listening to the album, I wasn't sure about the second to last song, Dawn Patrol. It's a short, slow-ish tune, just drums and a hypnotic bassline accompanying Dave Mustaine reciting eerie, cautionary lyrics about a nuclear post-apocalyptic Earth... it's really rather chilling and effective, I felt, as I later came to appreciate the song more fully. Now I love it as much as everything else on Rust in Peace. Perfect!
Very quickly, some honourable mentions are:
Hall of the Mountain King, by Savatage - 80's power metal that absolutely slays, and influenced more than just one genre. All killer, no filler.
Meliora, by Ghost - from 2015, with expert catchy songwriting, light and heavy contrasts, and mostly dark themes... completely solid throughout, from wispy to crunchy.
Breakfast in America, by Supertramp - their brightest, most fun and successful album, containing hit after hit after hit... not a bad tune in the bunch. The Logical Song, anyone?
Dark Side of the Moon, by Pink Floyd - duh! This potential best album of all time candidate (being totally objective) would be incomplete without every genius track in place. The strength and beauty of each song, and the flow from one to the next, create the perfect listening experience. The true definition of a concept album.
No comments:
Post a Comment