So in the Quietus there was this feature where Frank Black (Black Francis in his heyday as lead singer of Pixies) spills his 13 favourite albums. Here's the list in full (not in order I don't think):
Baxter Dury - Happy Soup
Lou Reed - Sally Can't Dance
Neil Young - Le Noise
Musique De La Grece Antique - Atrium Musicae De Madrid Gregorio Paniagua
Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska
Tom Waits - Frank's Wild Years
Iggy Pop - New Values
Kurt Weill - The Threepenny Opera
Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians - Fegmania!
Carbon/Silicon – The Last Post
The Good, The Bad And The Queen – The Good, The Bad And The Queen
The Heptones - Peace & Harmony
The Clash - Combat Rock
Weird picks. Not only have I never heard of half the albums, the ones that I have heard of (Young, Reed, Bruce, Iggy, Clash) are rather leftfield atypical picks. But could we have expected anything less from someone like Frank Black? Despite the Pixies being a rather raw stripped down band, there was always a lot more complexity than critics give credit for in my opinion (check out the biblical lyrics in Doolittle, and the songs about global warming and Hiroshima). And then the Good, the Bad and the Queen? That seems to have come from nowhere...
Thoughts? Opinions? I personally wait for the day when "cool" artists pick an artist, and then actually pick their most acclaimed album, as opposed to a weirder, more out-there pick.
Link here: http://thequietus.com/articles/08613-fr ... ies?page=1
Frank Black's Baker's Dozen of albums
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Honorio
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Re: Frank Black's Baker's Dozen of albums
An interesting list from Frank Black, many thanks, Zorg. Even more interesting are the comments that you can find on the link that Zorg provided.
That opens an interesting issue, the lists from rock stars. I remember a old thread on the old acclaimed music forum with the best albums of Thurston Moore and Tom Waits (Waits' list was much more adventurous). Both lists served to understand where they come from and why their music is like it is.
I remember also brilliant lists like a Top 50 by Kurt Cobain(caution: turn down the volume of your computer before clicking the link) and a Top 500 by Elvis Costello. Oddly both Cobain and Francis picked "Combat Rock" as his favourite album from The Clash.
Sometimes the covers performed by an artist are like a list, as an example David Bowie released a lot of different covers that may serve as clue to see his different faces.
Any other pop star lists out there?
That opens an interesting issue, the lists from rock stars. I remember a old thread on the old acclaimed music forum with the best albums of Thurston Moore and Tom Waits (Waits' list was much more adventurous). Both lists served to understand where they come from and why their music is like it is.
I remember also brilliant lists like a Top 50 by Kurt Cobain(caution: turn down the volume of your computer before clicking the link) and a Top 500 by Elvis Costello. Oddly both Cobain and Francis picked "Combat Rock" as his favourite album from The Clash.
Sometimes the covers performed by an artist are like a list, as an example David Bowie released a lot of different covers that may serve as clue to see his different faces.
Any other pop star lists out there?
Re: Frank Black's Baker's Dozen of albums
Here's an article by Tom Waits about his favourite albums which he wrote for the Guardian a few years ago. I never would have thought that Frank Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours would be his favourite album of all time.Honorio wrote:Any other pop star lists out there?
...will keep us together.
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Honorio
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Re: Frank Black's Baker's Dozen of albums
Great!! I already knew the list but I've enjoyed a lot Waits' brilliant comments, especially this one: "I heard 'Nessun Dorma' in the kitchen at Coppola's with Raul Julia one night, and it changed my life, that particular Aria. I had never heard it. He asked me if I had ever heard it, and I said no, and he was like, as if I said I've never had spaghetti and meatballs - 'Oh My God, Oh My God!' - and he grabbed me and he brought me into the jukebox (there was a jukebox in the kitchen) and he put that on and he just kind of left me there. It was like giving a cigar to a five-year old. I turned blue, and I cried."
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Zorg
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Re: Frank Black's Baker's Dozen of albums
I don't think In The Wee Small Hours is his favourite album, it's just in order of release date, which is why Sinatra comes first.
Thurston Moore's list is incredibly conservative, considering the fact that he's an "alternative" hero...
Thurston Moore's list is incredibly conservative, considering the fact that he's an "alternative" hero...
Re: Frank Black's Baker's Dozen of albums
I posted this on the old forum, but here it is again. In fact, I Googled "Patterson Hood's All time favorite albums" and my old post came up as the second choice! Weird!
Patterson Hood's All Time Favorite Albums From August 2008
Athens-based rockers the Drive By Truckers are co-headlining a slew of dates this fall with The Hold Steady, who happen to be one of rock’s hottest bands. The itinerary calls for a stop at Atlanta’s Tabernacle on Nov. 1. Recently, main Trucker Patterson Hood shared his thoughts about his top 10 favorite albums.
1. Tom Waits: “Swordfishtrombones”
“This pick could as easily have been ‘Rain Dogs’ or ‘Blue Valentine,’ but alas, it had to be this one. The album is still growing on me, even after 25 years.”
2. Todd Rundgren: “Something / Anything?”
“This may be the single most important album of my childhood (since the age of 12, anyway). ‘Hello It’s Me’ is easily one of my top three fave songs. I probably learned more about songwriting from this album than from any other record.”
3. Big Star: “Third” (vinyl reissue)
“I always liked ‘Radio City’ better until I heard this album — and its new song sequence — on vinyl. It’s still pretty close, but this version is a revelation. ‘Kangaroo’ is on my top five all-time fave song list.”
4. The Glands: “The Glands”
“This is the best album ever to come out of Athens, Georgia. It’s a little hard to find, but it’s well worth the effort. In 10 years it may well move up on my list of favorites.”
5. Bob Dylan and The Band: “The Basement Tapes”
“I almost put The Band’s self-titled album here, but right now I like this one better. American music never sounded so good.”
6. Neil Young: “Tonight’s The Night”
“ ‘Rust Never Sleeps’ could have easily gone here, but this one has ‘Albuquerque’ on it, which features one of my favorite choruses ever. It sounds as if Young did that song on a bet. And won.”
7. The Rolling Stones: “Exile On Main Street”
“Here I could have substituted ‘Sticky Fingers,’ ‘Let It Bleed,’ or ‘Beggars Banquet’ (or even Liz Phair’s ‘Exile In Guyville’), but tonight I didn’t.”
8. Eddie Hinton: “Dear Y’all” (The Songwriter Sessions Vol. 1)
“This is another album that’s hard to find. It’s as great a bunch of soul songs as you’ll ever hear, stripped down to songwriter demo essentials. It gets better with every listen.”
9. The Replacements: “Tim”
“This little album inspired me to drop out of college and form Adam’s House Cat with my roommate Mike Cooley back in 1985. ‘Let It Be’ might be a better album, but this one is why I’m here doing this tonight.”
10. John Lennon: “Plastic Ono Band”
“I had to have an album by a Beatle, and this one’s my favorite. ‘Rubber Soul’ and ‘Band on the Run’ rank pretty high too.”
Patterson Hood's All Time Favorite Albums From August 2008
Athens-based rockers the Drive By Truckers are co-headlining a slew of dates this fall with The Hold Steady, who happen to be one of rock’s hottest bands. The itinerary calls for a stop at Atlanta’s Tabernacle on Nov. 1. Recently, main Trucker Patterson Hood shared his thoughts about his top 10 favorite albums.
1. Tom Waits: “Swordfishtrombones”
“This pick could as easily have been ‘Rain Dogs’ or ‘Blue Valentine,’ but alas, it had to be this one. The album is still growing on me, even after 25 years.”
2. Todd Rundgren: “Something / Anything?”
“This may be the single most important album of my childhood (since the age of 12, anyway). ‘Hello It’s Me’ is easily one of my top three fave songs. I probably learned more about songwriting from this album than from any other record.”
3. Big Star: “Third” (vinyl reissue)
“I always liked ‘Radio City’ better until I heard this album — and its new song sequence — on vinyl. It’s still pretty close, but this version is a revelation. ‘Kangaroo’ is on my top five all-time fave song list.”
4. The Glands: “The Glands”
“This is the best album ever to come out of Athens, Georgia. It’s a little hard to find, but it’s well worth the effort. In 10 years it may well move up on my list of favorites.”
5. Bob Dylan and The Band: “The Basement Tapes”
“I almost put The Band’s self-titled album here, but right now I like this one better. American music never sounded so good.”
6. Neil Young: “Tonight’s The Night”
“ ‘Rust Never Sleeps’ could have easily gone here, but this one has ‘Albuquerque’ on it, which features one of my favorite choruses ever. It sounds as if Young did that song on a bet. And won.”
7. The Rolling Stones: “Exile On Main Street”
“Here I could have substituted ‘Sticky Fingers,’ ‘Let It Bleed,’ or ‘Beggars Banquet’ (or even Liz Phair’s ‘Exile In Guyville’), but tonight I didn’t.”
8. Eddie Hinton: “Dear Y’all” (The Songwriter Sessions Vol. 1)
“This is another album that’s hard to find. It’s as great a bunch of soul songs as you’ll ever hear, stripped down to songwriter demo essentials. It gets better with every listen.”
9. The Replacements: “Tim”
“This little album inspired me to drop out of college and form Adam’s House Cat with my roommate Mike Cooley back in 1985. ‘Let It Be’ might be a better album, but this one is why I’m here doing this tonight.”
10. John Lennon: “Plastic Ono Band”
“I had to have an album by a Beatle, and this one’s my favorite. ‘Rubber Soul’ and ‘Band on the Run’ rank pretty high too.”
Re: Frank Black's Baker's Dozen of albums
After reading all the notes, it appears this is more of a list of music Frank Black is into right now. I know it's supposed to be his favorite albums of all time, but I just don't think he's put that level of thought into it.
Oh, and by the way--Patterson Hood doesn't shy away from picking acclaimed albums as his favs!
Oh, and by the way--Patterson Hood doesn't shy away from picking acclaimed albums as his favs!