We’re about to publish 3 more books! #104 (Devo’s Freedom of Choice), #105 (Dead Kennedy’s Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables), and #106 (Koji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros Soundtrack) will be available May 21st. One hundred and six!!!
In our old age we’re feeling wrinkly and forgetful but pretty satisfied with the life we’ve lead. Still, in many ways the life of this series is just beginning! We have an open call coming up this summer and the email queries are coming in by the boat load. To reiterate here, we are NOT currently accepting proposal but will be in JUNE of 2015.
Reflecting on our first 100 books, we did an okay job of covering the infinite possibilities of albums. We could have used more women (both artists and authors), definitely more R&B, and sure, we had a few missteps.
So what’s next? What ethereal, ground-breaking, seminal, pastoral, brilliant, albatross-like records deserve the 33 1/3 treatment?
What’s missing?
There are still classics up for grabs: Astral Weeks, London Calling, and The Idiot immediately come to mind. What about newer game changers? Wu-Tang? Bjork? Spacemen 3? Pulp? The Diplomats? Amy Winehouse? De La Soul? Kendrick Lamar?
We’re genuinely interested in what our readers want to read.
Share your thoughts in the comments!
(If your comment is unnecessarily nasty we may choose not approve it.) And once again we’re very sorry that we can’t reply to every email we receive.
The Wedding Present – Seamonsters
Madonna – Like A Prayer or Madonna – Ray Of Light
The Avalanches – Since I Left You and The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole. Two electronic and sample-based music masterpieces with a magical history behind them, for sure.
rock bottom- robert wyatt
odelay- beck
there’s nothing wrong with love (or perfect from now on)- built to spill
london calling (or s/t)- the clash
vision creation newsun- boredoms
bookends- simon & garfunkel
desertshore- nico
the kick inside- kate bush
trans-europe express- kraftwerk
paid in full- eric b & rakim
kimono my house- sparks
Beck – Odelay
Dr. Octagon – Dr. Octagonecologyst
ABC – The Lexacon of Love
Sparks – Lil Beethoven
Barenaked Ladies – Gordon
De La Soul-Buhloone Mindstate
De La Soul-Stakes is High
A Tribe Called Quest-Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest-Midnight Maruaders
Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Blackstar-Blackstar
MF DOOM-Operation Dooms Day
Little Brother- The Listening
Little Brother The Minstrel Show
The Roots-Things fall apart
Firsts thing first: thank you. You’re doing an amazing job for us, music lovers all around the world.
Here’s a few suggestions, some of them pretty unrealistic:
Burial – Untrue
Nina Nastasia – Run to Ruin
Alice In Chains – Dirt
The Cure – Disintegration / Wish / Pornography
Neurosis – Times of Grace
Leila – Like Weather
Dead milkmen beelzebubba
Led It Bleed, Astral Weeks, Revolver, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Graceland, Rubber Soul, London Calling, The White Album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, Nebraska, Blue, Remain in Light, Blood on the Tracks, What’s Going On, Who’s Next, Purple Rain, Born to Run, Physical Graffiti, Nevermind, Off the Wall, Thriller, Funeral, Sticky Fingers, Tattoo You, Turn On the Bright Lights, At Folsom Prison, Knock Knock, Help!, Modern Vampires of the City, Abbey Road, Magical Mystery Tour, and American Beauty. Just to name a few.
of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? – of Montreal
The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
Stooges!!! Jane’s Addiction – either Ritual or Nothing’s Shocking; Queens of the Stone Age? Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker, Black Crowes’ Southern Harmony. GnR should have been Appetite. Big Country’s the Crossing is pretty underrated. Yes to Roxy Music. Yes to Townes Van Zandt. Yes to Kate Bush, yes to Talk Talk. Tears For Fears for sure. There are so many great ones this series can go forever.
Björk – Vespertine
Burial – Untrue
Aphex Twin – Drukqs
Dizzee Rascal – Boy In Da Corner
Daft Punk – Discovery
Cowboy Junkies – Trinity Session
Townes Van Zandt – Live At the Old Quarter
Tubeway Army – Replicas
Ani Difranco – Out Of Range
Kill City – Iggy
Modern Lovers – Ist
Roxy Music – 1st
Stands for Decibels – dBs
Super Ape – Lee Perry
There’s gotta be a James Booker, Bobby Marchan, Merrill Fankhauser or Hawkwind story we need to hear.
All the Natios Airports – Archers of Loaf
Maggotbrain – Funkadelic
She’s So Unusual – Cyndi Lauper
Cuatro Caminos – Cafe Tacuba
Songs The Lord Taught Us – Cramps
Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart – Camper Van Beethoven
Life’s Too Good – Sugarcubes
King Yelliwman – Yellowman
Calle 13 – s/t
Titanic Days – Kirsty Mac Koll
New York Dolls s/t
Spiritualized – Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating In Space
Midtown 120 Blues.
Peter Gabriel, Security (1982)
The Blue Nile, A Walk Across the Rooftops (1984)
Kate Bush, Hounds of Love (1985)
Prefab Sprout, Steve McQueen (1985)
XTC, Skylarking (1986)
Talk Talk, Laughing Stock (1991)
Blur, Parklife (1994)
As several have commented, this is almost an invitation to list our individual “1000 albums you must hear before you die”. I’m not going to do that.
Also, iis this a possible change in direction, where you commission books on albums that are requested and make a connection with yourselves?
Anyway, to quote the internet, for what it’s worth, there are two major artistes I think which have not yet had the pleasure of being proposed AND accepted; I would like to see Todd RUndgren’s Nearly Human and The Pretenders. debut album in the series.
Other albums I would like to see written about are
The Yes Album
Pyromania (Def Leppard)
Dare (Human League)
Liege & Lief (Fairport Convention)
The White Album (Diamond Head – without which there would be no Metallica!)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
And then there were three
The Works (Queen)
Graceland
Bat out of Hell
1984 (Van Halen)
Pyschoderelict (Pete Townshend solo)
I don’t think in the past I have seen an album by Frank Zappa or Tangerine Dream proposed; this surprises me. I’m not a fan of Zappa, and am a dipping in and out fan of Tangerine Dream, but given their influence I think there must be at least one of each artiste’s impressive catalogue that would form the basis for a really good book.
London Calling for sure — also Blackberry Belle by the Twilight Singers
The Clash – London Calling
Monks – Black Monk Time
Godspeed You Black Emperor – Lift Your Skinny Fists Liek Antenae to Heaven
My Wishlist:
The Cure-Disintergration
Mobb Deep-The Infamous
Bauhaus-In the Flat Field
Cabaret Voltaire-Micro-Phonies
New Order-Low Life/Power Corruption and Lies
Neu!-Neu! 1
Depeche Mode-Music for the Masses/Black Celebration/Violator
Cult-Love
Raekwon-Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Echo & the Bunnymen-Ocean Rain
Low-I Could Live in Hope
Placebo-Black Market Music
Skinny Puppy-Vivisect/Cleanse Fold and Manipulate/Too Dark Park
Dead Can Dance-Into the Labyrinth
Kraftwerk-Man Machine
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds-Let Love In
Nico-Desertshore
Suicide-Suicide
Swans-Anything
Cocteau Twins-Treasure
Ocean Rain. God, there needs to be a book on Ocean Rain. There’s even a live recording on a special version of the album in which Ian McCulloch calls it “the greatest album ever made.”
My Wishlist:
The Cure-Disintergration
Mobb Deep-The Infamous
Bauhaus-In the Flat Field
Cabaret Voltaire-Micro-Phonies
New Order-Low Life/Power Corruption and Lies
Neu!-Neu! 1
Depeche Mode-Music for the Masses/Black Celebration/Violator
Cult-Love
Raekwon-Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Echo & the Bunnymen-Ocean Rain
Low-I Could Live in Hope
Placebo-Black Market Music
Skinny Puppy-Vivisect/Cleanse Fold and Manipulate/Too Dark Park
Dead Can Dance-Into the Labyrinth
Kraftwerk-Man Machine/Computer World/Trans Europe Express
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds-Let Love In
Nico-Desertshore
Suicide-Suicide
Swans-Anything
Cocteau Twins-Treasure
Agree with prior votes for a bit more prog/metal (Lateralus, Mars Volta, Close to the Edge among those mentioned)–Rush – Moving Pictures would be an obvious choice. Pink Floyd, maybe Animals for a bit of a change. Just about anything by King Crimson +/- Robert Fripp would be worth exploring. (The Eno is possibly my favorite 33 1/3 book!)
Adam and the Ants (Dirk or Kings as mentioned) as well. Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair? Something by Cheap Trick, perhaps? The Repo Man soundtrack! The Sundays – Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.
A classical album would be nice. Glenn Gould’s Goldberg Variations and Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians have been explored to death, but for classical with popular appeal it is hard to beat them.
I think there is no question – the most pivotal album of the 80’s, the seque from performance art to straight-up-rock-n-roll…”Outside Inside” by The Tubes. “I’m out of the business and into rock and roll” says it all, but in case it doesn’t “She’s a Beauty” (written about a frustrating peepshow experience) and my favorite song of all time, “Theme Park.” The Tubes are the most under appreciated band in the history of recorded music. 33 1/3 can change that and give the band it’s due. The Tubes are still on the road and Michael Cotton (founding keyboardist) is working on a documentary for all you White Punks on Dope!
Blood Sugar Sex Magik – Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place – Explosions in the Sky
Lift your skinny fists – Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Burial – Burial
Madonna – True Blue
The Antichrist Superstar by Marilyn Manson
Not enough music from Down Under – though AC/DC is obvious. (“Highway to Hell” was a great read!)
But where’s Nick Cave? Where’s INXS? Where’s Silverchair’s “Freak Show”? Where’s Midnight Oil’s “Diesel and Dust”? Remember the Vines’ “Highly Evolved”? How about the Church’s “Starfish!? Don’t forget the Avalanches’ “Since I Left You”!
For me personally, if I had the time, I would’ve written one about one of my favourite albums of all time – Crowded House’s debut.
(Are the Bee Gee’s counted as Aussie anymore?)
How about Hoodoo Gurus? First album.
Not enough music from Down Under – though AC/DC is obvious. (“Highway to Hell” was a great read!)
But where’s Nick Cave? Where’s INXS? Where’s Silverchair’s “Freak Show”? Where’s Midnight Oil’s “Diesel and Dust”? Remember the Vines’ “Highly Evolved”? How about the Church’s “Starfish!? Don’t forget the Avalanches’ “Since I Left You”!
For me personally, if I had the time, I would’ve written one about one of my favourite albums of all time – Crowded House’s debut.
(Are the Bee Gee’s counted as Aussie anymore?)
Liars: ‘Drum’s Not Dead.’ Scott Walker: ‘Tilt.’ Sunn O))): ‘Monoliths and Dimensions.’ Miles Davis: ‘Bitches Brew.’
The first thing that comes to mind is The Infamous Mobb Deep – 20 years old and still one of the best rap albums of all time.
Others could be both albums called Killing Joke by Killing Joke – the seismic debut or the one made years later with Dave Grohl on drums.
King of the Delta Blues by Robert Johnson
East India Youth [album coming out in April] & Shura [album coming out June – hopefully] – Zun Zun Egui – their current album out now!
@China – so glad someone mentioned XTC – probably one of the most underrated groups ever. London Calling was mentioned in the introduction already and is obvious, but the Clash’s first album maybe is even more important. For my life you have to add Tom Robinson Band’s “Power in the darkness” and finally, to give a non-english proposal, the Fehlfarben’s classic album (with a fantastic cover artwork that sums up all of late 70s Germany) “Monarchie und Alltag”.
Burial – Untrue
David Axelrod – Earth Rot
Joanna Newsom – any album
Smashing Pumpkins – any of the first 5 albums
John Frusciante – Smile From The Streets You Hold
Coldcut – Let Us Play
Quasimoto – any of the 1st 2 albums
you’re doing a holy work. thank you
The Motor Booty Affair by Parliament
The Damned – Machine Gun Etiquette (or Damned Damned Damned)
Adam And The Ants – Dirk Wears White Sox (or Kings Of The Wild Frontier)
Sex Pistols – The Great Rock N Roll Swindle (Soundtrack) (Double album version)
The Cult – Love
Gene McDaniels – Headless Heroes Of The Apocalypse
So many
Blood on the Tracks
Bitches Brew
A Love Supreme
Oddessey and Oracle
Deltron 3030
The Cold Vein
Songs For the Deaf
Phaedra
The Sunset Tree
Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Skylarking
The Blueprint
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Close to the Edge
Larks’ Tongues in Aspic
Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation
Mezzanine
Rust in Peace
Slaughter of the Soul
this is already way too many to lend credibility to this comment, but…many. there are many albums you could choose :p
A Love Supreme – John Coltrane
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady – Charles Mingus
Lateralus – Tool
De-loused in the Comatorium – Mars Volta
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill
Locust Abortion Technition
Is This Real?
Requiem For An Almost Lady
Freaks, Faggots, Drunks, and Junkies
Trans (Neil Young)
Goblin – Suspiria
Bedhead: “Beheaded”
Bardo Pond:Bufo Alvarius
Silkworm: Firewater
Helium: Dirt of the Luck
Grifters: Crappin U Negative
Every Picture Tells A Story. For a brief moment, Rod Stewart was the best male singer in Rock music.
LAMF Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers
GENERIC FLIPPER (Even if you don’t take my proposal–take someones on this).
Lolita Nation Game Theory.
Avengers S/T
Kate Bush (I’d suggest Never For Ever).
Kate Bush ( I’d suggest Never For Ever).
Hawkwind – space ritual
records i’d like to see get written on:
1. Filth – Swans
2. Heroin Man – Cherubs
3. Hide – Foetus
Elevator to Hell, pt 1-3
Turn On The Bright Lights
slowdive’s souvlaki surely needs one. same with galaxie 500’s on fire and asobi seksu’s debut record. also where’s the psychocandy book?
NRBQ – Yankee Stadium
Propaganda – A Secret Wish
Denim – Back In Denim
The Fall – Hex Enduction Hour
Saint Etienne – Foxbase Alpha
T.Rex – The Slider
Various – Now That’s What I Call Music 2 OR 3 OR 11 OR 44 OR 68
Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Welcome To The Pleasure Dome
The Residents – Eskimo
Anita Baker – Rapture
Janet Jackson – Control
Super Furry Animals’ Mwng, the best selling Welsh language album of all time.
Game Theory’s Lolita Nation.
The most important soul album of the ’60s soul music was never the same again. Hot Buttered Soul. Isacc Hayes
Also consider Otis Blue. Otis Redding
There’s so many I’d love to see. Here are a couple off the top of my head:
Curtis or Superfly- Curtis Mayfield
Urban Hymns- The Verve
Bill Withers- Still Bill
Gorillaz- Gorillaz
Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra- Nancy and Lee
Anything by Ariel Pink- would be so interesting to see someone try and delve into that on a more academic level
There’s basically no country/western or even alt-country in this series. The Johnny Cash album is an outlier produced by Rick Rubin, which is cool and all, but…
Uncle Tupelo, ANODYNE
Johnny Cash, AT FOLSOM PRISON
Old 97’s, FIGHT SONGS or TOO FAR TO CARE
Dixie Chicks, WIDE OPEN SPACES
Lucinda Williams, CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD
Whiskeytown, STRANGERS’ ALMANAC
Dwight Yoakam, THIS TIME
George Strait, PURE COUNTRY
Dolly Parton, HERE YOU COME AGAIN
Garth Brooks, NO FENCES
Lyle Lovett, PONTIAC
…are all necessary additions, as is something by Willie Nelson.
Also, hey, Marvin Gaye’s WHAT’s GOING ON and P-Funk’s MOTHERSHIP CONNECTION (and ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE), while we’re at it.
Like.
Tori Amos | Boys For Pele
Kate Bush | The Red Shoes
Madonna | Erotica
Pet Shop Boys | Behaviour
Sade | Diamond Life
Madonna | Ray Of Light
Underworld | Dubnobasswithmyheadman
Leftfield | Leftism
Massive Attack | Protection
A-ha | Hunting High And Low
Anything by XTC, and Inflammable Material by Stiff Little Fingers.
To save space, here are records I think need coverage and analysis, as I think people would be interested in a 33.3 take on them, and they’re all important records.
1. Kind of Blue by Miles Davis
Why? Miles’s band is at a pinnacle of performance – this is the biggest selling jazz record of all time – for a good reason – dead brilliant.
2. Love Supreme by John Coltrane
One of the greatest jazz recordings of all time, ever. Brilliant playing by everyone, a ground breaking and important and influential record.
3. NEU! by NEU!
Neu influenced so many people – from Stereolab to Negativland (heck – Negativland is a title of a Neu song from this album!) just dead brilliant example of Krautrock and the motorik beat that just won’t quit…
4. Dots and Loops by Stereolab
Stereolab worshipped at the feet of Neu and Faust for a long time, and with this record they found a new voice – highly electronic, but cool and smart. A landmark record of its time.
5. Close to the Edge by Yes
The best record by one of the kings of progressive music. To think that the shortest song is 9 minutes long and this record sold millions of copies shows how much popular music tastes have changed… Another landmark recording, and Yes at their pinnacle…
6. In Praise of Learning by Henry Cow
Henry Cow (with Slapp Happy) singing Communist propaganda over complex and shifting music. This is a great recording that never got its proper due and shows where music could have gone.
7. Treasure by Cocteau Twins
Pinnacle of the Cocteau Twins – everything before seemed crude and everything after seemed slick. This record went places no one else has gone, and that’s sad.
8. Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh by Magma
One of the most singular and peculiar and brilliant records ever made. A landmark of weirdness.
9. Luxury Gap by Heaven 17
Left wing dance music – what’s not to like? Heaven 17 at their best, and a big influence on future technopop.
10. BGM by Yellow Magic Orchestra
Like Heaven 17 – big influence on future technopop music. Every song is a gem.
11. English Settlement by XTC
Another great example of a a great idea never pursued – everything in this record could have inspired entire genres and subgenres of music. But it didn’t – so it’s a brilliant record of great song writing.
12. Cosmic Thing by B-52s
The B52s knocked it out of the park with this record. Not a single bad song on the entire record, from Love Shack to Topaz to Roam to Bushfire – classic. They never made another record like this one.
13. United States of America by The United States of America
Amazing Psychedelic Progressive rock from the late 60s. VERY influential – from Portishead to Broadcast to many many others.
14. Fairytales of Slavery by Miranda Sex Garden
The best thing Miranda Sex Garden did, and a brilliant and powerful record.
15. Lark’s Tongues in Aspic by King Crimson
There’s Crimson before and Crimson after this record. The LTIA saga is a recurring theme in King Crimson’s music and this record is a masterpiece.
I strongly second the suggestion of Pirates by Rickie Lee Jones. Also: ANYTHING by XTC, Prefab Sprout, or the Pet Shop Boys.
Pretty Things S..F Sorrow; Neil Young, Zuma.
well, for starters …soft machine -II, capt.beefheart-ice cream for crow, robt. wyatt -rock bottom, eno -here come the warm jets, mothers of invention -freak-out, roxy music – s/t, tom waits -bone machine, slapp happy/henry cow -desperate straights, robyn hitchcock -i often dream of trains, xtc -english settlement, annette peacock – x-dreams, prince -the black album, flaming lips -the soft bulletin
Marianne Faithfull’s Broken English
Filigree and Shadow by This Mortal Coil
The Colour of Spring by Talk Talk
Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
Burst Apart by The Antlers
Siren by Roxy Music
Definitely Burial!
curtis live
‘Remain In Light’ by Heads
‘Outside’ by Bowie
‘Lust for Life’ or ‘The Idiot’ by Pop
‘Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme’ by S & G
early Kraftwerk or Neu!
Pere Ubu – The Modern Dance, Laibach – Kapital, Associates – Sulk, Plasticland – Wonder, Wonderful, Wonderland, Clockdva- Man-Amplified, Roxy Music – For Your Pleasure, Bill Nelson – The Love That Whirls (Diary of A Thinking Heart)..
Yes! Bill Nelson and Pere Ubu for sure.
Public Image Ltd. – Metal Box/Second Edition, The Clash – Sandinista, Bad Brains, The Modern Lovers
+1 for spirit of Eden and this mortal coil. Other suggestions Astral Weeks, Born sandy devotional (triffids), any cocteau twins, this is the sea (waterboys), psychocandy (JAMC), music for 18 musicians.
Madonna: either Like a Prayer, Ray of Light or Confessions on a Dancefloor
Ministry. That is all.
Definitely Hounds of Love. And Dig Me Out if that fell through, I thought it was supposed to come out this year.
Dig Me Out is on track to come out in 2016!
The Streets – Original Pirate Material, and I know it’s not a new album but New Order’s “Low-Life” those two albums have had a huge affect on me in the past 2-3 years.
The Stooges, Fun House (Elektra Records, 1970)
THE HURTING: Tears For Fears, AMERICAN LIFE: Madonna, UNITED STATES LIVE: Laurie Anderson, SECRETS OF THE BEEHIVE: David Sylvian, DIAMOND DOGS: David Bowie, HOUNDS OF LOVE: Kate Bush, SLAVE TO THE RHYTHM: Grace Jones, LOVESEXY: Prince, SAVAGE: Eurythmics, SONGS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION: Depeche Mode, A SECRET WISH: Propaganda; or any of the three THIS MORTAL COIL albums.
Grace Jones! I’m totally entertained by Grace Jones’ Wikipedia page — a whole book would be amazing.
Y’know, it’s not even album I like that much, but maybe there’s an interesting story to be written about the surprise success of the “O Brother Where Art Thou” soundtrack, and how it brought some sort of mainstream attention back to folk music
Fires by Nerina Pallot
Eli and the Thirteenth Confession by Laura Nyro
Aims by Vienna Teng
Burial – Burial
Burial – Untrue
Paul McCartney – Ram
Lou Reed – Berlin
This Mortal Coil – It’ll End in Tears
Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid Madd City
John Cale – Paris 1919
Pirates by Rickie Lee Jones
The Pop Group: Y
Funk Factory: Funk Factory
P-Funk: T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.
How about “F# A# ∞”?
Talk Talk – Spirit Of Eden. And if no one offers I’ll write it myself!
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah’s One in a Million or Aaliyah, Come to my Garden
Justified Ancients of Mu-Mu, ‘1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?’
God, I want, nay, NEED the book on De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising…I like to think I have a good proposal for a few albums, but not that one. I don’t think I can write the book that needs to be written on that beauteous object, but someone can, so, please, whoever you are, do it! Thank you.
Sparks “Kimono my House” Or any Sparks’ album. It’s borderline odd that there is not a Sparks’ album that is part of the 33 1/3 series.
Like!
I hope I’m not alone in being interested in the T Bone Burnett sessions that led to The Counting Crows “August and Everything After”.
August and everything after is a beautiful album. No matter what happened after August, it’s still beautiful.
RILO KILEY!
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot surely needs a title.
i ama different Chris I swear, but I also think that yhf needs one. I will probably be sending in my proposal for one in June.
I am not a chris and i third the yankee hotel foxtrot proposal. that record is legendary.
Also a Kris, but with a ‘Kris’ and adda third recommendation of this album.