Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back


I’ve recently been listening to concerts and tracks (Unfuck the World – amazing video) from the newly formed super-group Prophets of Rage and been enjoying them a good deal. Pumped for their album coming out in September 15, 2017. I also re-watched an episode of Dave Grohl’s Sonic Highways where Public Enemy frontman Chuck D is interviewed and it got me to thinking about Public Enemy. I realized I’d never listened to one of their albums in full. Well it’s time.

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back was released in June 1988 by Def Jam Recordings and was the band’s second studio album. It quickly went on to be named by many to be the best album of the year and has continued to grow in significance since then. The lyrics are poignant and it represents a snapshot of America in the late eighties. Strap in for a rap journey that’s regarded as one of the greatest of the genre…
Links:
Album on iTunes
Album on Amazon
Wikipedia Information on the album.

Neil Young: After the Gold Rush


I’m Canadian, love music, know Neil Young, but strangely have never listened to an entire Neil Young album. While watching music documentary Sound City for the fifth or sixth time, Young was featured and mentioned recording some of After the Gold Rush at the studio and I had my pick for March 2017. It’s time to dive in and get a complete taste of one of Canada’s most famous musical exports.
This is the third studio album by Young and he’s backed by Crazy Horse. The album was originally written as a soundtrack for a movie script by the same name that never got produced. Initial reception was weak but it’s gone on to become one of Young’s most famous albums. Lets see what’s inside?! Listen to why I selected this album and listen with us at The Sonic Collective.
Listen to our review of this album here.
Links
Wikipedia: Neil Young: After the Gold Rush 
Buy the album on iTunes
Buy the album on Amazon
Other Considerations 
The Message: Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five
The Color and the Shape: Foo Fighters
Tibetan Meditation: Phil Thornton

Frank Sinatra: Sinatra at the Sands


sinatraatthesands
Confession – I like Frank Sinatra. While selecting a live album I was really torn. I listened to some really great live albums (see them at the bottom) and was leaning towards a rock album. I then got to looking at Rolling Stone’s list of best live albums of all time and saw this one, Sinatra at the Sands. The songs themselves weren’t the big draw, rather that he was backed by Count Basie’s orchestra and legendary Quincy Jones conducted the concert. Wow – talk about a ton of huge music names on one album.
Then I got to listening and Frank’s personality really comes through – what a live album should be. This sticks out as a wonderful time capsule of an artist and time period.
sinatra-drinkingPlease listen to my audio above revealing my selection of this great album and why I picked it. Enjoy!
Links
Album Link on iTunes
Album Link on Amazon
Album Wikipedia page
Other Albums Considered this Month

Listen to our review of this album here.

Sam Roberts: We Were All Born In a Flame

Sam-RobertsReleased in 2003, We Were All Born In a Flame is the debut full-length studio album by Montreal singer/songwriter Sam Roberts. Some of the album’s songs were re-recorded for the album, having been previously released on an EP or as singles. Roberts played most instruments on the collection, with the exception of drums, making this truly a solo effort.
I moved to Thailand in 1999 and as a result missed much of Roberts’ musical rise and popularity. During one summer visit back to Canada I heard album singles Brother Down and Where Have All The Good People Gone?, which I enjoyed but that’s where my Sam Roberts journey ended. Fast forward more than a decade and We Were All Born In a Flame randomly popped-up on a musical service, suggested as an album I might like. I gave it a listen, did again, and again, and here we are with it as my pick for June 2016.
Perhaps it was inevitable that I’d find this album sooner or later as one of the lyrics in Where Have All The Good People Gone? is “Bangkok to Babylon”. Well here I am in Bangkok, picking a Canadian artist, and delighted to have discovered more music from my homeland. I hope you enjoy this pick and discovering what is now Sam Roberts Band, focusing on the entire collective rather than the man himself.
Scott Coates
Links
Album Link on iTunes
Album Link on Amazon
Sam Roberts Band website
Sam Roberts Band on Twitter
Sam Roberts Wikipedia page
We Were All Born In a Flame Wikipedia page
Other Albums Considered this Month
Iggy Pop – The Idiot
Iggy Pop – Lust for Life
Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
Jay Z – The Black Album
Brian Eno – Apollo: Atmospheres & Sountracks

Motörhead: Ace of Spades

Ace_of_Spades_Motorhead_album_coverI was in the beginning stages of writing up another selection for January when I read that Lemmy Kilmister, lead singer and ringleader of Motorhead, passed away. There were few musical icons as well established, admired, and entrenched as Lemmy, who was truly a rock God among musicians. There was no one else like him and will likely not be another father figure of hard rock like him again. He talked the talk, walked the walk, and drank the drink. It was who he was – period.
 
While looking at Motorhead albums online and listening to some tracks, I realized I don’t remember ever listening to a Motorhead album from start to finish. I’m about 30 years overdue, so this month’s pick is Motorhead’s seminal Ace of Spades in honor of The Man.
 
While this was the band’s fourth release in the UK, it was their first in North America, hitting stores in November 1980. They were clumped into what was referred to as the ‘New Wave of British Heavy Metal’, but Lemmy always insisted they were simply Rock n’ Roll. Their sound influenced countless hard rock bands, including Metallica who credits them for much of their sound.
 
Pour a Jack Daniel’s (Lemmy’s favorite), turn it up real loud, and strap in for Ace of Spades.
RIP Lemmy – it’s no doubt quite a bit louder wherever you are!
 
Links

 
Other Albums Considered

Stevie Wonder: Innervisions

I’ve known of Stevie Wonder my entire life and a handful of his hits are familiar to me, but I’d never consumed an entire album. The time has come. After some digging to determine which of his albums is considered to be the best, Innervisions came out on top and what a treat it’s been delving in to its rich tracks.
Innervisions, Wonder’s 16th studio album, was released on August 3, 1973 (20 days before I was born!) and is cited for its exploration of popular themes at the time: drug abuse, racism, inequality, and toxic politics. The tracks are not only full of funk but challenge the listener at every turn. Jabs at then US President Richard Nixon appear, as do calls against police for their treatment of black Americans, all while keeping your toes tapping – an impressive feat.
Stevie Wonder The Sonic Collective
220px-Steviewonder_innervisionsWonder completed this album more or less on his own, writing, producing, and playing on most tracks, relying heavily on an ARP synthesizer, which set the tone of black music to come. He played all instruments on six of nine tracks and this work firmly cemented him as one of the world’s preeminent musicians. I encourage the listener to put on headphones for an initial, undisturbed listen, to fully absorb the lyrics, before diving in to future sessions. Enjoy!
 
Other albums enjoyed and considered this month include:

Innervisions on iTunes
Innervisions Wikipedia page

Cheap Trick: Heaven Tonight

Most music fans have heard of, and likely listened to some of Cheap Trick at Budokan. The iconic live recording was released in 1979 and propelled Cheap Trick to stardom back in their home country and around the world. But this was actually their fourth album, originally recorded for Japan release only, for their rabid fans that had followed them closely since their first album in 1977. It was recorded on the heels of the release of the band’s third studio album Heaven Tonight, which is now regarded as their best studio effort.

 

The band formed in 1973 in Illinois, USA, and took a number of years to find the right members and gel, but once they did, they went on to crank out an impressive amount of material in a very short period of time. They released five big albums between the winter of 1977 and summer of 1979, forming the backbone of what still today comprises much of their live set. This output is seriously impressive and their sound was never better than on Heaven Tonight.

 

I really got in to Cheap Trick at Budokan in February 2014 and think it’s one of the best live albums ever. Their sound is so raw and authentic; it completely draws me in. But like most live albums it’s more or less a compilation of greatest hits at that time, and I’d never heard an entire Cheap Trick studio album. I’ve seen Cheap Trick guitarist and main composer Rick Nielsen perform with Foo Fighters a few times over the last couple years and this got me interested in diving a bit deeper in to the world of Cheap Trick. 

 

So here we are – selected is what is widely considered to be the greatest studio album by Cheap Trick, a legendary rock band, referenced in countless pop culture sources over the decades, including the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High (the first time I ever heard their name) and yours for devouring – Heaven Tonight. Enjoy the ride.

Read our review of Cheap Trick: Heaven Tonight here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th370QmFtk8

Something new: During the selection process for this month’s pick, I came to enjoy a number of noteworthy albums I recommend you give a listen to if you have time:

 

 

Pixies: Doolittle

Pixies-band-youngI consider myself pretty well versed and rounded when it comes to music. Especially with material produced between 1975-2000. While I enjoy a broad variety of genres on a regular basis, good old Rock is my go-to favorite. Gritty guitars, captivating rhythms, roughish vocals, and occasionally questionable lyrical content satisfy my soul.
I’ve known of Pixies for a couple decades, was familiar with their song Here Comes Your Man, over the years had read of them being an influence to a host of bands I like a lot, but somehow had never listened to one of their albums. The time has come.
Pixies-GraphicWhile searching ‘Best Pixies Album’ online, it seemed there isn’t definitively one. Most websites that rank such things decry that all five of their full-length LPs are pretty solid, but one stood out just a bit more than the others – Doolittle – my pick for The Sonic Collective. It’s Pixies’ second album, was released in 1989, and has gained considerable clout since its release.
NME along with a host of other music magazines regularly rate this their top Pixies album, and a 2003 poll of NME writers ranked Doolittle as the second-greatest album of all time. Add to that Rolling Stone, ranking it 226 on their “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” and this seems like a solid pick.
While watching Dave Grohl’s brilliant Sound City documentary, he was surprised when asking various musicians what their first band was, to which Pixies co-founder Francis Black answered, “Pixies”. Talk about nailing it on the first try!
So put Doolittle on, then again, wait a bit, have another go, and see how it sits. Enjoy my pick.
Scott Coates
Click here to read our reviews of Doolittle.
LinksPixies-now
Buy it on iTunes
Pixies Wikipedia Page
Doolittle Wikipedia Page
Pixies Website
Black Francis talks with Rolling Stone about Doolittle turning 20
NME Ranks Pixies Albums
Check Out the Sound City Movie