AMF 1900-1959 Album Poll Results

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Fri Nov 25, 2016 3:12 am

14 voters voted for 257 different albums.

Number of albums in the AMF top 50 not ranked on AM: 14 (of which 2 are classical)

Highest ranking for album not in AM: 9

Number of new entries (c.f. 2010 poll): 20

Highest new entry: 9

Albums dropping out of top 50:

2016..........2010........Album
Rank..........Rank

No votes.......48.........Pete Seeger-Darling Corey
No votes.......31.........Les Baxter-Le sacre du sauvage
No votes.......40.........Art Blakey-A Night at Birdland Vol. 1
230.............42.........Thelonious Monk-Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2
222.............41.........Bud Powell-The Amazing Bud Powell
140.............36.........Yma Sumac-Legend of the Sun Virgin
132.............38.........Charlie Parker-Charlie Parker with Strings
127.............50.........Georges Brassens-n°2 (Le Vent)
120.............47.........Thelonious Monk-Thelonious Monk Trio
112.............44.........Benny Goodman-The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert
106.............49.........The Quintet-Jazz at Massey Hall, Vol. 1
103.............37.........Ella Fitzgerald-Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook
97..............45.........Bill Haley and His Comets-Rock Around the Clock
87..............21.........Clifford Brown-Study in Brown[/color]
79..............32.........Pérez Prado-Pérez Prado Plays Mucho Mambo for Dancing
76..............39.........Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds-Singin' in the Rain
75..............12.........Yma Sumac-Voice of the Xtabay
70..............33.........Ella Fitzgerald-Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook
58..............29.........Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie-Bird & Diz
52..............35.........Dizzy Gillespie-Afro

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Fri Nov 25, 2016 3:15 am

50. Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy

Year of release: 1954
Points: 119.11
Voters: 5
AM 50s Albums Rank: 57 (1629 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 43 (Change -7)
Biggest fans: Honorio(22)

Scott Yanow for AllMusic: This recording was not only Louis Armstrong's finest record of the 1950s but one of the truly classic jazz sets. Essential music for all serious jazz collections.

49. Champion Jack Dupree - Blues from the Gutter

Year of release: 1959
Points: 119.14
Voters: 4
AM 50s Albums Rank: 127 (2792 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: DaveC(18), nicolas(16)

Bill Dahl for AllMusic: The masterwork album of Champion Jack Dupree's long and prolific career. Cut in New York (in stereo!) with a blasting band that included saxist Pete Brown and guitarist Larry Dale, the Jerry Wexler-produced Atlantic collection provides eloquent testimony to Dupree's eternal place in the New Orleans blues and barrelhouse firmament. There's some decidedly down-in-the-alley subject matter -- "Can't Kick the Habit," "T.B. Blues," a revival of "Junker's Blues" -- along with the stomping "Nasty Boogie" and treatments of the ancient themes "Stack-O-Lee" and "Frankie & Johnny."

48. Thelonious Monk - Monk's Music

Year of release: 1958
Points: 120.52
Voters: 3
AM 50s Albums Rank: 63 (1688 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: Brad(4)

Lindsay Planer for AllMusic: If his ability to swing and his utilization of atomic clock accuracy have ever been questioned, the answer lies no further. So utterly free and fantastic, certain passages command immediate review to be fully comprehended. Hearing Coltrane and Hawkins together is admittedly part of the charm in these sides. "Ruby, My Dear" is bathed in the smoky essence of Hawkins' rich textures and Coltrane's playful cat-and-mouse aggression. Blakey gently propels the rhythm, never getting in the way and sporting a serene snare groove throughout. "Off Minor" is largely led by Monk, with solos that follow into and out of the memorable chorus that sparkles with the full involvement of the horn and rhythm sections. The same is true for this definitive version of "Epistrophy" -- perhaps the zenith collaborative effort between Coltrane and Monk.

47. Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Reiner - Concerto for Orchestra [Bartók]

Year of release: 1956
Points: 123.71
Voters: 3
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: bonnielaurel(14), sonofsamiam(10)

npr: The Concerto for Orchestra has proven to be Bartok's most popular work, due in large part to the directness of its language. As the title suggests, the Concerto for Orchestra treats the various sections and solo instruments of the orchestra as if they were protagonists in a concerto. The idea goes back as far as the Baroque concerto grosso, but Bartok's idiom and scoring are entirely modern. Sooner or later, every principal player is called upon to solo, yet all this virtuosity is integrated into a work of deep expressive content. Even the excitement of the finale is tempered by feelings of mystery and urgency, conveyed via Bartok's tonal ambivalence — he uses modes other than the standard major and minor — and the acerbic quality of his orchestration.

46. Odetta - Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues

Year of release: 1956
Points: 124.44
Voters: 5
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: DaveC(19)

Richie Unterberger for AllMusic: Odetta's debut album was a strong, confident effort featuring just her and her guitar on 16 tracks, most of which were traditional in origin. In its day, it was quite an influential recording; Bob Dylan, in fact, once cited this record in particular as the one that made him decide to trade in his electric guitar and amplifier for an acoustic guitar. Several of the songs would find their ways into the repertoires of subsequent folkies, and even some folk-rock bands. There's no way of knowing whether they heard the tunes first on this release, but it's entirely possible, as it was one of the first strong traditional folk LPs. It's now been reissued on CD, and retains a lot of its original appeal in the power and emotional depth of the performances.

bonnielaurel · Post by **bonnielaurel** » Fri Nov 25, 2016 10:49 am

Finally underway! The presentation looks neat. This is going to be a quality list. I know Odetta from her duet with Harry Belafonte. I have to listen to this album too.

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Fri Nov 25, 2016 2:10 pm

And away we go! This is gonna be good.

Very sexy presentation.

jamieW · Post by **jamieW** » Fri Nov 25, 2016 5:24 pm

Thanks again for volunteering for the presentation, Dave - it looks great so far!

Also, I wanted to warn everyone in advance that, during the later stages, when I discovered a song that was in the wrong list/recorded after 1959/two or more versions of a song in the 1900-49 list/etc., I simply moved everything below it up a notch. In the case of some lists, this could make anywhere between a 1 to 5 notch difference (depending on how many I found), so the ranking in some lists will vary from where the voter ranked them. If there are any errors, I take full responsibility. (Dave already caught a couple of errors of mine that would've made a difference.) Hopefully, there aren't more...

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Fri Nov 25, 2016 7:22 pm

45. Moondog - Moondog and His Friends

Year of release: 1953
Points: 125.68
Voters: 2
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: 30 (Change -15)
Biggest fans: DaveC(9), PlasticRam(6)

Review by bruklover on RYM: A fantastic study in rhythms and wordly sounds from the eccentric mind of Louis Hardin. Here we have Moondog playing short tracks in his own unique style. The first side of this LP is similar in feel to his work on Prestige but there is a little more instrumentation and piano,harp and various strings are introduced into the mix. As always the time structures are unusual and challenging and the sound is unmistakably that of Hardin. Side 2 features a couple of suites each in three parts that have more of a classical feel. They make for great late night listening. It is so good to see this man's early work being slowly reissued as it deserves to be heard and much more widely available

44. Chuck Berry - After School Session with Chuck Berry

Year of release: 1957
Points: 126.26
Voters: 3
AM 50s Albums Rank: 50 (1527 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: PlasticRam(2)

Review by CrazyFoxMachine on RYM: It's taken me ages to actually sit down and listen to a Chuck Berry album and I was not at all disappointed. The charismatic and enduring rocker is amazing here, amazingly lyrically witty tunes wound around pleasant instrumentals. Havana Moon particularly was quite atmospheric - bordering on singer/songwriter material. Has aged remarkably well.

43. Lotte Lenya - Lotte Lenya singt Kurt Weill

Year of release: 1955
Points: 127.44
Voters: 3
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: 17 (Change -26)
Biggest fans: Honorio(5)

Honorio: More that twenty years after her exile, Lotte came back to Berlin to find it in a period of recovery but with the wounds still open. Aptly she took up again where she left, giving new life to the Kurt Weill songs from the old Weimar days, backing her fragile but expressive voice with out-of-tune pianos ("Bilbao Song") or amateur-sounding banjo and harmonium ("Moritat").

42. Bernard Herrmann - Vertigo [soundtrack]

Year of release: 1958
Points: 127.52
Voters: 2
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: bonnielaurel(15), notbrianeno(3)

Alex Ross of the New Yorker: The "Vertigo" score vastly enriches the images it accompanies, but it has also found a life outside the film. It can be heard on its own terms -- if not quite as a coherent narrative, then as a mesmerizing succession of fragments. Herrmann is a puzzling paradox: most of his ''serious'' compositions don't quite come off, yet his film scores can be taken seriously as concert music.

41. Little Richard - Little Richard

Year of release: 1958
Points: 129.59
Voters: 3
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: Mindrocker(17), Dan(11), nicolas(18)

Mark Diming for AllMusic: Little Richard was too crazed to win over many suspicious parents in 1958, but thankfully it wails loud enough that no one was likely to hear them complain, and it still gets the party started 50 years on.

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Fri Nov 25, 2016 9:59 pm

40. Hank Williams - Memorial Album

Year of release: 1953
Points: 130.23
Voters: 3
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: 27 (Change -13)
Biggest fans: Miguel(3)

WikiPedia: Memorial Album is significant for being the first MGM retrospective of Hank Williams' career (issued after the singer's death on New Year's Day 1953). Only two LPs had been released under Williams' name during his lifetime, largely because singles were most valued in the country music business, but in the wake of his passing demand for his work increased. While Hank Williams Sings (1951) and Moanin' the Blues (1952) had contained several non-charting B-sides dating back to Hank's earliest recordings with the label, Memorial Album featured many of his most recent hits singles.

39. Patsy Cline - Patsy Cline

Year of release: 1957
Points: 135.37
Voters: 3
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: andyd1010(8), DaveC(11)

Review by barlights on RYM: Although her image is that of a clean-cut 50's housewife-type, in reality, Cline was a tough-talking, rough-living type, who should be placed in the same class as George Jones or Merle Haggard. This tough-talking comes through on this album. Oh, not in words, really, but in attitude. At times sounding more like a soul singer than what one would think of as country, Cline growls through songs like "Don't Ever Leave Me Again" and "Hungry for Love" like a woman on a mission. This is essential listening for any country music fan. If you think Shania Twain is the greatest female country singer you've ever heard, prepare to be blown away.

38. Boris Vian - Chansons possibles et impossibles

Year of release: 1956
Points: 142.58
Voters: 2
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: Dan(7), nicolas(4)

Review by derek_g on RYM: Boris Vian was a true renaissance man. Though known primarily as a writer (his absurdist masterpiece L'écume des jours is one of the greatest French novels of the 20th century) and as the man who brought the works of Raymond Chandler to France, Vian was also a poet, critic, translator, inventor, engineer, actor and singer. He was instrumental in the birth of the French jazz scene, and Chansons possibles et impossibles features him at his snarky best. The protagonist of "J'suis snob" is a pitch-perfect parody of highfalutin types, while "Le déserteur" is as fine an anti-war song as they come. Great if you like cool jazz, even better if you understand French.

37. Miles Davis - Porgy & Bess

Year of release: 1959
Points: 143.26
Voters: 2
AM 50s Albums Rank: 22 (789 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 46 (Change +9)
Biggest fans: notbrianeno(2), Brad(11)

Lindsay Planer for AllMusic: Tomes are available annotating the importance of this recording. The musical and social impact of Miles Davis, his collaborative efforts with Gil Evans, and in particular their reinvention of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess are indeed profound. However, the most efficient method of extricating the rhetoric and opining is to experience the recording. Few other musical teams would have had the ability to remain true to the undiluted spirit and multifaceted nuance of this epic work. However, no other musical teams were Miles Davis and Gil Evans.

36. The Everly Brothers - The Everly Brothers (They're Off and Rollin')

Year of release: 1958
Points: 143.4
Voters: 4
AM 50s Albums Rank: 65 (1702 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: Miguel(13), PlasticRam(9)

Richie Unterberger for AllMusic: Although the Everlys hadn't quite fully matured as artists, their debut is a fine, consistent effort divided between original material and respectably energetic covers of early rockers by Little Richard, Gene Vincent, and Ray Charles. Besides their first few hits, it includes some superb, underappreciated tracks that are nearly as good, like "Should We Tell Him" and "I Wonder If I Cared as Much."

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Sat Nov 26, 2016 6:17 pm

35. Original Broadway Cast - West Side Story

Year of release: 1957
Points: 149.3
Voters: 3
AM 50s Albums Rank: 43 (1297 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 23 (Change -12)
Biggest fans: Honorio(9), Dexter(13), Brad(14)

Honorio: Never before and after (with maybe the exceptions of Gershwin and Weill) high and low culture were so close. But not juxtaposed. The classical background of Bernstein fused so tighly with jazz, latin and musical that a dodecaphonic serie with a swing beat (as we can hear in "Cool") not only does not sound out of place but fresh and new. I like to live in America.

34. Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus

Year of release: 1957
Points: 169.46
Voters: 6
AM 50s Albums Rank: 11 (466 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 34 (No change)
Biggest fans: notbrianeno(15), Dexter(15)

John Fordham writing in the Guardian: The phrase "saxophone colossus" regularly comes up when Rollins is discussed - not just because he continues to be one, but because the album of that title was the high point of the astonishing creative breakout he made in 1956. Through a succession of improvisational masterpieces that year, his torrential inventiveness began to inspire sax-players everywhere, including John Coltrane.

33. Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 1

Year of release: 1951
Points: 170.06
Voters: 5
AM 50s Albums Rank: 13 (567 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 19 (Change -14)
Biggest fans: sonofsamiam(11), Brad(12)

Rick Anderson for AllMusic: Volume 1 of the two-volume Genius of Modern Music set comprises the first sessions Thelonious Monk recorded as a leader, on October 15 and 24 and November 21 of 1947. It's impossible to overstate the importance of these sessions. They include some of the earliest recordings of Monk compositions that would become standards.

32. Ray Charles - The Genius of Ray Charles

Year of release: 1959
Points: 176.04
Voters: 5
AM 50s Albums Rank: 29 (899 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: bonnielaurel(7), Dexter(10)

Rolling Stone: Charles spent the Fifties working hard to pioneer his own sound: fusing jazz, gospel and the blues into the new soul style that reshaped American music. But on Genius he relaxes for some easy-swinging pop, with big-band arrangements.

31. Billie Holiday w/ Ray Ellis & His Orchestra - Lady In Satin

Year of release: 1958
Points: 191
Voters: 5
AM 50s Albums Rank: 17 (669 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 7 (Change -24)
Biggest fans: Honorio(8), nicolas(10)

Honorio: The sound of desolation. Billie Holiday tried to dress in satin for one of her last recordings, wrapping herself in a lush orchestral backing. Nice try, but it was in vain. Not even a thousand violins could have sweetened her bitter moan, not even a thousand layers of paint could have disguised the cracks in her voice, the scars of a whole life. The end of a love affair.

bonnielaurel · Post by **bonnielaurel** » Sat Nov 26, 2016 6:42 pm

I like the diversity in styles, showing what a rich musical period this was. Good comments by Honorio too.

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Sat Nov 26, 2016 9:14 pm

bonnielaurel wrote:I like the diversity in styles, showing what a rich musical period this was. Good comments by Honorio too.

Agreed. There is also very pleasing diversity in our song poll results. JamieW did a huge job getting all the details sorted out.

The album that dropped from high in the previous poll to 75 this time is a bit of diversity I would have liked to have retained, but you can't have everything.

Post by **Honorio** » Sat Nov 26, 2016 9:19 pm

Thanks a lot, bonnielaurel and DaveC!
Excellent presentation, DaveC nd jamieW!
And fantastic selections so far!

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Sun Nov 27, 2016 2:00 am

Coming up we have our first #1 vote that made the top 50.

Mindrocker's lone #1 vote for Yma Sumac's "Mambo!" was only good for position 65.
My #1 vote for Maria Callas' "Puccini Arias" + Mindrocker's #50 made position 54.

30. Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - Masterpieces By Ellington

Year of release: 1951
Points: 194.63
Voters: 4
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: 28 (Change -2)
Biggest fans: Honorio(10), Brad(2)

Honorio: Technology influences art. Every technological advance changes the way of creating music and, as the mic allowed the singers to whisper directly into you ear, the long play albums allowed musicians to express themselves out of the jail of the 3 minutes single. And Duke Ellington sounded in his second album (46 minutes, 4 songs) like a just released prisoner running free.

29. E = MC2 + Count Basie + Neal Hafti Arrangements - Basie [The Atomic Mr. Basie]

Year of release: 1958
Points: 196.77
Voters: 5
AM 50s Albums Rank: 25 (812 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: bonnielaurel(4), Dexter(11)

Bruce Eder for AllMusic: The release of this album in late 1957 marked the beginning of a glorious new phase in Count Basie's career. It took Basie's core audience and a lot of other people by surprise, as a bold, forward-looking statement within the context of a big-band recording -- if not as daring as what Duke Ellington had done at Newport in 1956, still a reminder that there was room for fresh, even dazzling improvisation within the framework of a big-band jazz unit.

28. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Moanin'

Year of release: 1959
Points: 197.23
Voters: 7
AM 50s Albums Rank: 20 (736 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 15 (Change -13)
Biggest fans: notbrianeno(19), Brad(18)

Dan Ouellette for Blue Note: The album stands as one of jazz’s all-time recordings.. It’s rare that a jazz album let alone a pop album includes so many hits. That’s what Blakey accomplishes on Moanin’ with ease, swing and rumble.

27. Duke Ellington - Ellington at Newport

Year of release: 1956
Points: 200
Voters: 5
AM 50s Albums Rank: 12 (562 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 25 (Change -2)
Biggest fans: sonofsamiam(18), Brad(7), Dan(15)

Scott Yanow for AllMusic: Duke Ellington's appearance at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival has long been famous, and justifiably so. Paul Gonsalves' 27-chorus tenor solo on "Diminuendo in Blue and Crescendo in Blue" practically started a riot at Newport and made headlines around the world. The momentum generated by this concert led to Ellington's comeback and never let up during his 18 remaining years

26. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes)

Year of release: 1953
Points: 200.97
Voters: 4
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: 24 (Change -2)
Biggest fans: Honorio(11), nicolas(1)

Honorio: Chanson. Inside this heterogeneous style (with the melodramatic Brel, the provocateur Gainsbourg and the poetic Ferré), Brassens played the sarcastic ("Le gorille"), combative ("La mauvaise réputation"), humorous ("Hécatombe") but also tender ("Le parapluie").

nicolas: These songs were like a bomb on the French music hall establishment. Here comes this shaggy, sweating man with his mustache, his strong southern accent and a guitar he holds like a lumberjack would hold his axe. And these songs, these wonderful songs, full of life, sketches of country living, anarchist fables that would establish the singer/songwriter genre for ever on the French scene.

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Sun Nov 27, 2016 6:02 pm

25. Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan/Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown

Year of release: 1955
Points: 208.13
Voters: 6
AM 50s Albums Rank: 36 (1112 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 18 (Change -7)
Biggest fans: bonnielaurel(13), Honorio(18), Miguel(12)

John Bush for AllMusic: In whichever incarnation it's reissued, Sarah Vaughan With Clifford Brown is one of the most important jazz-meets-vocal sessions ever recorded.

24. Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!

Year of release: 1957
Points: 212.56
Voters: 6
AM 50s Albums Rank: 92 (2115 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: andyd1010(3)

Sundazed: A gritty bodacious masterpiece! Johnny Cash With His Hot and Blue Guitar was not only Cash’s debut album, it was also the first full-length LP released by Sun. The LP’s twelve tracks include one side of his debut single, “Cry, Cry, Cry,” along with two of his best-known recordings, “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I Walk the Line.” Backed by “The Tennessee Two,” Luther Perkins on guitar and Marshall Grant on bass, the tracks are spare, direct and intense. Cash’s distinctive “boom-chicka” rhythm propels every song as his commanding voice captures and holds the listener.

23. Harry Belafonte - Calypso

Year of release: 1959
Points: 217.72
Voters: 5
AM 50s Albums Rank: 94 (2131 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: Dexter(14), PlasticRam(1)

Cary Ginell for AllMusic: The first million-selling album by a single artist, spending an incredible 31 weeks at the top of the Billboard album charts, remaining on the charts for 99 weeks. It triggered a veritable tidal wave of imitators, parodists, and artists wishing to capitalize on its success. Years later, it remains a record of inestimable influence, inspiring many folksingers and groups to perform. For a decade, just about every folksinger and folk group featured in their repertoire at least one song that was of West Indian origin or one that had a calypso beat. They all can be attributed to this one remarkable album.

22. Ravi Shankar - Music of India: Three Classical Ragas

Year of release: 1956
Points: 220.91
Voters: 7
AM 50s Albums Rank: Bubbling
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: DaveC(13), Brad(19), nicolas(13)

Matthew Greenwald for AllMusic: Three Ragas is not only a fantastic artistic statement, but also an excellent introduction to the medium of Indian music itself. Performed by Shankar and a very simple trio, the pieces on this record show the true heart of Indian music at its most intimate. The second side, "Raga Jog," will take your breath away. A showcase in Indian ensemble performing as well as in Shankar's own endurance and grace, this side truly shows why he has been called (by David Crosby, no less) the finest musician on the planet. This recording was put together at a time far earlier than Shankar's mass-audience breakthrough, and is an excellent record by a true master.

21. Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come

Year of release: 1959
Points: 243.88
Voters: 5
AM 50s Albums Rank: 7 (373 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: notbrianeno(1), sonofsamiam(7)

Steve Huey for AllMusic : The Shape of Jazz to Come, was a watershed event in the genesis of avant-garde jazz, profoundly steering its future course and throwing down a gauntlet that some still haven't come to grips with. The record shattered traditional concepts of harmony in jazz, getting rid of not only the piano player but the whole idea of concretely outlined chord changes. The pieces here follow almost no predetermined harmonic structure, which allows Coleman and partner Don Cherry an unprecedented freedom to take the melodies of their solo lines wherever they felt like going in the moment, regardless of what the piece's tonal center had seemed to be. Any understanding of jazz's avant-garde should begin here.

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Mon Nov 28, 2016 1:15 am

20. Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours

Year of release: 1955
Points: 251.82
Voters: 6
AM 50s Albums Rank: 3 (306 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 13 (Change -7)
Biggest fans: Honorio(3), Dexter(4)

Honorio: The first concept album? Maybe not, but Sinatra's thorny love affair with Ava Gardner resulted in a cohesive album filled with heartache and despair. Since Sinatra was not a songwriter, the cohesiveness relies in an impeccable collection of standards, in soft and delicate late-night musical arrangements (that celesta!) and, of course, in that desolate and heartbreaking Voice.

19. John Coltrane - Blue Train

Year of release: 1958
Points: 261.09
Voters: 6
AM 50s Albums Rank: 24 (806 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 26 (Change +7)
Biggest fans: notbrianeno(14), Dexter(6), Brad(20), nicolas(14)

Lindsay Planer for AllMusic: Without reservation, Blue Train can easily be considered in and among the most important and influential entries not only of John Coltrane's career, but of the entire genre of jazz music as well.

18. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly

Year of release: 1958
Points: 278.24
Voters: 7
AM 50s Albums Rank: 51 (1542 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: notbrianeno(9), Miguel(18), PlasticRam(3)

Review by mmenace on RYM: I'm seventeen years old and I own and like albums by Drake and Kid Cudi. That I listened to this album all the way through and was immediately enamored by it really reveals how powerful and transcendent Buddy Holly's work really was.

17. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out

Year of release: 1959
Points: 279.37
Voters: 8
AM 50s Albums Rank: 4 (333 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 8 (Change -9)
Biggest fans: Honorio(13), sonofsamiam(16), Dan(8), nicolas(19)

Honorio: Sophisti-Jazz. It's amazing to know that an album designed to experiment with odd time signatures (you can listen here 9/8, 5/4, 6/4, 3/4 and only occasionally 4/4) ended being one of the most sold albums in the history of Jazz. Cool, really cool.

16. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley

Year of release: 1958
Points: 293.16
Voters: 7
AM 50s Albums Rank: 21 (741 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 16 (No change)
Biggest fans: andyd1010(9), Mindrocker(4), Dan(6)

Matthew Greenwald for AllMusic: For anyone who wants to play rock & roll, real rock & roll, this is one of the few records that you really need.

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Mon Nov 28, 2016 6:45 pm

15. Jacques Brel - Jacques Brel No. 4 (La vals a mille temps)

Year of release: 1959
Points: 304.99
Voters: 7
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: bonnielaurel(8), Honorio(17), Miguel(15), DaveC(6)

Dave Thompson for AllMusic: If any one Jacques Brel album can be said to encapsulate everything he means to a rock/pop-oriented audience, his fourth LP is the one.

DaveC: Third highest new entry.

14. Howlin' Wolf - Moanin' In the Moonlight

Year of release: 1959
Points: 313.67
Voters: 6
AM 50s Albums Rank: 32 (931 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 5 (Change -9)
Biggest fans: sonofsamiam(19), DaveC(2), Mindrocker(2), Dan(13)

AllMusic: The last word in electric Chicago blues, Wolf was possessed of fine guitar and harp skills, a voice that could separate skin from bone, and a sheer magnetism and charisma that knew (and has known) no equal.

13. Hank Williams - Moanin' the Blues

Year of release: 1952
Points: 314.19
Voters: 7
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: 10 (Change -3)
Biggest fans: Honorio(7), Miguel(17), Mindrocker(13), Dan(3), nicolas(20)

Honorio: I'm aware that it's really a compilation but it could work as a concept album, as in fact every one of the first Hank Williams albums: "Sings" set (the woods) on fire while "Memorial" was his testament, "Luke the Drifter" showed his spiritual side while "Ramblin' Man" his wild side. In "Moanin' the Blues" he portrayed with sharp precission despair, loneliness and... blues.

12. Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers!

Year of release: 1956
Points: 315.33
Voters: 7
AM 50s Albums Rank: 5 (335 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 22 (Change +10)
Biggest fans: bonnielaurel(5), Honorio(19), Dexter(2), Brad(17), Dan(20)

Stephen Thomas Erlewine for AllMusic: Sinatra is supremely confident throughout the album, singing with authority and joy. That joy is replicated in Riddle's arrangements, which manage to rethink these standards in fresh yet reverent ways. Working with a core rhythm section and a full string orchestra, Riddle writes scores that are surprisingly subtle. "I've Got You Under My Skin," with its breathtaking middle section, is a perfect example of how Sinatra works with the band. Both swing hard, stretching out the rhythms and melodies but never losing sight of the original song. Songs for Swingin' Lovers! never loses momentum. The great songs keep coming and the performances are all stellar, resulting in one of Sinatra's true classics.

11. Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners

Year of release: 1957
Points: 351.48
Voters: 6
AM 50s Albums Rank: 14 (578 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: bonnielaurel(6), notbrianeno(11), sonofsamiam(3), Dexter(8), Brad(8)

Lindsay Planer for AllMusic: Brilliant Corners may well be considered the alpha and omega of post-World War II American jazz. No serious jazz collection should be without it.

DaveC: Second highest new entry, and Thelonious Monk becomes the only artist to have three albums ranked in our top 50.

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Mon Nov 28, 2016 11:18 pm

10. Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings

Year of release: 1954
Points: 357.71
Voters: 5
AM 50s Albums Rank: 80 (2002 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 3 (Change -7)
Biggest fans: notbrianeno(10), Honorio(4), sonofsamiam(4), Dan(4), nicolas(6)

Honorio: As indispensable for a romantic rendez-vous as candlelights or champagne. A music that floats in the air as light as a feather and creates an atmosphere capable of melting the ice of the coldest heart, a voice so near, so natural, so vulnerable and so intimate whispering sad love songs into your lover's ear. But be careful: she could fall in love with Chet instead of you.

babydoll: Now this is one of my favorite albums of all time. Chet Baker Sings is a stunning album with pure emotion. It's a really unique album, and I can't strongly recommend this album enough.

9. New York Philharmonic/Leonard Bernstein - Le Sacre du printemps [Stravinsky]

Year of release: 1958
Points: 360.74
Voters: 6
AM 50s Albums Rank: Unranked
2010 poll top 50 position: - NEW ENTRY
Biggest fans: notbrianeno(7), sonofsamiam(2), DaveC(17), luney6(1)

Blair Sanderson for AllMusic: Leonard Bernstein's 1958 recording of Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps with the New York Philharmonic is ranked among the most exciting renditions ever recorded. Indeed, Stravinsky was sufficiently impressed with this recording to exclaim, "Wow!"

8. Chuck Berry - Chuck Berry Is On Top

Year of release: 1959
Points: 406.59
Voters: 8
AM 50s Albums Rank: 26 (868 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 6 (Change -2)
Biggest fans: Honorio(14), Miguel(9), andyd1010(1), Mindrocker(14), Dan(10), nicolas(8)

Honorio: Pure history of Rock 'n' Roll. In only 4 years ("Berry Is on Top" was released in July of 1959 exactly four years after the release of "Maybellene") Berry had released enough genre-defining hymns to deserve a prominent place in the Rock 'n' Roll pantheon.

7. Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley

Year of release: 1956
Points: 407.33
Voters: 8
AM 50s Albums Rank: 2 (118 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 9 (Change +2)
Biggest fans: Honorio(1), Dexter(3), Dan(5), nicolas(9)

Honorio: The king is gone but it's not forgotten. The first album by Elvis Presley balanced from the leftovers of the mythical sessions at Memphis Sun Studios with a roots sound, sometimes even hillybilly (but including an ethereal and otherwordly take on the standard "Blue Moon") to the more urban, urgent, modern, arrogant and wild Rock & Roll sound of the first sessions for RCA in Nashville and New York, with vibrant reworkings of Perkins and Penniman songs. Long live the King. The King of Rock & Roll.

6. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook

Year of release: 1956
Points: 410.92
Voters: 7
AM 50s Albums Rank: 19 (731 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 11 (Change +5)
Biggest fans: bonnielaurel(1), Miguel(1), sonofsamiam(8), Brad(6)

Al Campbell for AllMusic: the combination of Cole Porter's words and Fitzgerald's interpretation of them created one of the most sought after sessions in vocal history -- embraced by jazz and pop fans alike, transcending boundaries often associated with those genres.

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 1:44 am

Great poll so far, DaveC.

Thanks!

Post by **Honorio** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 2:05 pm

I can't figure out which album was on Top 5 last time and now it's on #75. And I don't want to make a spoiler. There are 3 candidates that I can think of but I think they received quite a lot of votes on the nomination phase. The suspense is killing me...

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 6:09 pm

Honorio wrote:I can't figure out which album was on Top 5 last time and now it's on #75. And I don't want to make a spoiler. There are 3 candidates that I can think of but I think they received quite a lot of votes on the nomination phase. The suspense is killing me...

Ah - sorry - I mislead you slightly....

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 6:13 pm

5. Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue/Jazz as Played at an Exclusive Side-Street Club 1958

Year of release: 1959
Points: 459.83
Voters: 8
AM 50s Albums Rank: Bubbling
2010 poll top 50 position: 4 (Change -1)
Biggest fans: bonnielaurel(3), Honorio(12), sonofsamiam(9), DaveC(4), Brad(10), Dan(1)

Honorio: Simone's discographical debut shows "an artist who arrives fully formed " (Thom Jurek for AMG). Recorded with a spare format of Jazz trio, this great album showcases the versatility of Nina, her Blues/Gospel/Jazz roots but also her Classical training.

4. The Crickets - The "Chirping" Crickets

Year of release: 1957
Points: 482.04
Voters: 9
AM 50s Albums Rank: 9 (399 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 20 (Change +16)
Biggest fans: Honorio(15), Miguel(4), andyd1010(5), DaveC(10), Dexter(7), PlasticRam(4), Dan(16)

Honorio: Forever young. Sadly the premature death of Buddy Holly hasn't allowed us to be witnesses of his evolution (probably he would have been relevant well into the 1960s) but let us a frozen image of when the Rock 'n' Roll was fresh and new. And young. Forever.Forever young. Sadly the premature death of Buddy Holly hasn't allowed us to be witnesses of his evolution (probably he would have been relevant well into the 1960s) but let us a frozen image of when the Rock 'n' Roll was fresh and new. And young. Forever.

3. Little Richard - Here's Little Richard

Year of release: 1957
Points: 502.8
Voters: 10
AM 50s Albums Rank: 6 (362 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 14 (Change +11)
Biggest fans: Miguel(6), sonofsamiam(17), andyd1010(2), Dexter(16), PlasticRam(10), Dan(2), nicolas(17)

Rolling Stone: Richard's raucous debut collected singles such as "Good Golly, Miss Molly," in which his rollicking boogie-woogie piano and falsetto scream ignited the unfettered possibilities of rock & roll. "Tutti Frutti" still contains what has to be considered the most inspired rock lyric on record: "A wop bop alu bop, a wop bam boom!"

2. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um

Year of release: 1959
Points: 506.53
Voters: 11
AM 50s Albums Rank: 10 (454 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 2 (No change)
Biggest fans: notbrianeno(8), sonofsamiam(5), Mindrocker(6), Dan(12), nicolas(11), luney6(4)

Steve Huey for AllMusic: razor-sharp performances tie together what may well be Mingus' greatest, most emotionally varied set of compositions.

1. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

Year of release: 1959
Points: 830.09
Voters: 11
AM 50s Albums Rank: 1 (44 all time)
2010 poll top 50 position: 1 (No change)
Biggest fans: bonnielaurel(2), notbrianeno(4), Honorio(2), sonofsamiam(1), DaveC(14), Dexter(1), Mindrocker(5), Brad(1), Dan(9), nicolas(7)

Rolling Stone: This painterly masterpiece would become one of the most important, influential and popular albums in jazz. But at the time it was made, Kind of Blue was a revolution all its own, a radical break from everything going on. Turning his back on standard chord progressions, trumpeter Miles Davis used modal scales as a starting point for composition and improvisation – breaking new ground with warmth, subtlety and understatement in the thick of hard bop.

Honorio: I'm not quite sure about what's Modal Jazz, but I really don't need to know it to enjoy "Kind of Blue". An awesome line-up including Bill Evans and John Coltrane (no less!) improvised at the very moment the best album on Jazz history (Miles Davis laid out the themes just before the session), with astonishing performances of an extraordinary depth and a cool atmosphere.

I will post the full list shortly...

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 7:23 pm

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 7:31 pm

Excellent list - well done everyone for making it so diverse and interesting.

Thanks for the kind comments bonnielaurel & Dan & JamieW & Honorio & Bruno.

Dexter · Post by **Dexter** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 8:23 pm

Superb presentation DaveC! The best I've seen in the forums.
Great job to you and to JamieW as well. Know that your hard work is appreciated in coming up with the list.
Although I noticed the following:

DaveC wrote:The full list:

25 | Sarah Vaughan | Sarah Vaughan

121 | Sarah Vaughan | Sarah Vaughan

171 | Miles Davis | Round About Midnight

213 | Miles Davis | Round About Midnight

DaveC · Post by **DaveC** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 8:46 pm

Dexter wrote:Superb presentation DaveC! The best I've seen in the forums.
Great job to you and to JamieW as well. Know that your hard work is appreciated in coming up with the list.
Although I noticed the following:

DaveC wrote:The full list:

25 | Sarah Vaughan | Sarah Vaughan

121 | Sarah Vaughan | Sarah Vaughan

171 | Miles Davis | Round About Midnight

213 | Miles Davis | Round About Midnight

Good spot Dexter.

Sarah Vaughan released two self titled albums. I should add the year of release to the list for clarity.

Round About Midnight looks like a genuine double up - it should rank around 115. I will edit the list shortly...

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:04 pm

DaveC wrote:Excellent list - well done everyone for making it so diverse and interesting.

Thanks for the kind comments bonnielaurel & Dan & JamieW & Honorio & Bruno.

Thank you, DaveC! Great results!

jamieW · Post by **jamieW** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:30 pm

Thanks again, DaveC! The presentation was outstanding (and well beyond my skills, which is why I asked for help).

Speaking of skills (or lack thereof), I checked my spreadsheet and I (indeed) somehow had "Round About Midnight" listed twice. Fortunately, it didn't affect the top 50, but before the presentation even began, Dave caught separate listings for the 1955 Sarah Vaughan/Sarah Vaughan w/ Clifford Brown, which is the same album and would've affected the top 50. And this isn't even the part I was worried about, since I needed to move songs up, check for differently named versions, etc. in the 1900-49 songs poll. Needless to say, I have an ominous feeling about that one...

bonnielaurel · Post by **bonnielaurel** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 10:18 pm

Great work, JamieW and DaveC! The result is terrific, a good overview for anyone who wants to get to know this period. I look forward to the song lists as well.

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