The Official Needles and Grooves 1001 Album Generator Project (aka Preachin’ about the Preachers if today’s selection sucks)

Love this one. Every track is fire. Like they do with Paul’s Boutique, The Dust Brothers production raises this album to another level.

I'm probably the resident Beck fan here on the forum. My wife and I both were Beck completionists (completists?) before we ever met each other.

Odelay is his first great album, although I'll say that Guero is probably my favorite Beck album overall (and it's also produced by The Dust Brothers).
 
I know the Dust Brothers had a lot to do with the sound of this album but I really love this whole hipster countrified funky hip hoppy sound. In an alternative universe the Kid Rocks and the Florida Georgia lines never rose to prominence and this sound rules all the air waves.
 
I know the Dust Brothers had a lot to do with the sound of this album but I really love this whole hipster countrified funky hip hoppy sound. In an alternative universe the Kid Rocks and the Florida Georgia lines never rose to prominence and this sound rules all the air waves.
The early to mid 90s were great for this with Beck, Beastie Boys, Cornershop, Bran Van 3000, Cornelius, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion! etc… all kind of reside in that same place where Alternative Rock and Hip-Hop were melded together perfectly. Then folks got lazy and bands like Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth. Wheetus, New Radicals, Len all came along and added some DJ scratches like a a superfluous third nipple to songs that add nothing of note to these tracks.

There are many reason’s to hate on Hanson’s “Mmmbop” but the production isn’t one of them.
 
09-26-23
d256dac3a66e823efb3f6aee334605121e65ac8b

Sonic Youth - Evol



 
09-26-23
d256dac3a66e823efb3f6aee334605121e65ac8b

Sonic Youth - Evol




EVOL seems to be where they turned their first (of many) corners as a band stylistically. Bad Moon Rising was was probably their transitional album from their No Wave starting point to a more traditional style of a song based album concepts but EVOL was their first full album structured in this way and it’s great though they will come to top it quite a few times over the next quarter century.

This album does contain a couple of my all time favorite SY tracks, “Tom Violence” and especially “Expressway To Yr Skull” which is probably a top 5 all time SY track.
 
Last edited:
09-26-23
d256dac3a66e823efb3f6aee334605121e65ac8b

Sonic Youth - Evol




I picked up basically the entire early Sonic Youth discography when Geffen rereleased them on CD in 1994 (most of them were at "Nice Price" as well). I had only heard Dirty, Goo and Daydream Nation by then, and what a complete revelation especially this and Sister was when I heard them. It felt like I got to discover an expanded universe of sound and noise.
Today EVOL is the sound of classic Sonic Youth for me, although I do think they have made at least five other albums that I think are better in some way. Although you can't get to whatever "alternative rock" was in the 90s without first passing through "Expressway to yr skull".
So still 5 stars.
 
Back
Top