Sunday, December 27, 2009

1001 Albums You Must Hear....creative bursts



What artists have had intense creative bursts, as evidenced by numerous entries over a short period?

Getting one album into this list is an achievement. How about two entries in one year? Forteen artists have achieved it. There are some surprises.

Bob Dylan - 1965 - Bringing it All Back Home / Highway 61 Revisited. 'nuff said.

Jimi Hendrix - 1967 - Are You Experienced / Axis: Bold As Love. Guitar heroes give up.

Love - 1967 - Da Capo / Forever Changes. I do like Forever Changes - haven't heard Da Capo - one track taking up a whole side of an LP - pretty unusual in 1967. Must check it out.

Velvet Underground - 1967 - The Velvet Underground and Nico / White Light White Heat. Punks, don't bother.

Byrds - 1968 - Notorious Byrd Brothers / Sweetheart of the Rodeo

Creedence - 1969 - Bayou Country / Green River

Fairport Convention - 1969 - Unhalfbricking / Liege and Lief. Another band I need to check out.

Led Zeppelin - 1969 - Led Zeppelin / Led Zeppelin II

Black Sabbath - 1970 - Black Sabbath / Paranoid. With the exception of Sab's Vol. 4 heavy metal was all down hill from here, until it fractured into a million sub-genres. Symphonicthrashgothspeedmetal with a twist of lemon anyone?

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - 1971 - Tarkus / Pictures at an Exhibition. Prog was never grander.

Yes - 1971 - The Yes Album / Fragile. Once were musicians.

Queen - 1974 - Queen II / Sheer Heart Attack. "As heavy as Sabbath, as dense as Zeppelin, as clever as Cream". Maybe.

David Bowie - 1977 - Low / Heroes. Is it any surprise that a partnership between Bowie and Eno would have been special? Eno himself was on a solo creative roll - entering the list in 1977 with Before and After Science.

Iggy Pop - 1977 - The Idiot / For Life. Bowie strikes again - what a roll!


After this incredible creative outpouring of the golden era it would be nearly twenty years until another artist pulled off the double - not coincidentally in the 1996 mini peak.

Belle and Sebastian - 1996 - Tigermilk / If You're Feeling Sinister


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