Prince: Purple Rain


Prince – Purple Rain
Scott Gregory
We only have a couple rules here at the Sonic Collective on how we pick albums;

  • it has to be at least 5 years old
  • it can be of any genre (I guess that’s more of an affirmation than a rule)
  • Has to be an original album (no greatest hits, soundtracks or compilations)

BUT – It can be a soundtrack if it’s entirely original material, composed and compiled for this purpose.
I’m glad we made this caveat, because there’s an album that’s considered one of the greatest of all time, usually ranked first or second behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller for best album of the 80s. It’s a soundtrack to an album of the same name.
The Sonic Collective’s album for January 2018 is Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution.
The sixth studio album and the first to feature The Revolution, it’s sold over 25 million albums worldwide and is the third best-selling soundtrack behind Whitney Houston’s the Bodyguard and The Bee Gee’s Saturday Night fever.
But, let’s take a moment and reflect on the fact that Meatloaf’s Bat out of Hell, has outsold all three of them. That’s RIGHT. Greg, I miss you.
I’ve put together a little gameplan for this pick to try and really get the most out of this album.
I’ve heard all of Prince’s singles, but never listened to a full album. Apparently this is a real departure from his earlier work, so I think I’m going to start off by listening to the first five Prince albums for context before getting into this album.
After listening to the album a couple times I think I’ll go and watch the movie again. It’s been easily a decade so I can’t even remember most of it, but it’ll be fun to see where the album matches up with the scenes and themes in the movie.
Whether you go all the down the rabbit hole or just want to give the album a couple listens, I hope you join us at the end of January to discuss Prince and the Revolution’s Purple Rain. Cheers.
Purple Rain the album on Wikipedia
Purple Rain the movie on IMDB

Depeche Mode: Some Great Reward


Depeche Mode – Some Great Reward
Alain DuPuis
1984 was a very important year, because that is the year I was thrust kicking and screaming into this mortal coil. Incidentally, a little known band that you’ve probably never heard of called Depeche Mode happened to release an album that same year, called Some Great Reward, which was important. I guess.
All kidding aside, Depeche Mode is often cited as being an extremely influential music group for the impact they had on the electronic music scene, the pop scene, the new-wave the industrial scene… Lots of scenes. The breadth of their influence is what convinced me that this was the album to dive into this month.
Some Great Reward featured some pretty impactful singles. People are People was culturally significant for several reasons: It topped the charts in West Germany and was ultimately used in the ’84 Olympic Coverage. Remember, this was at a point where the East and the West were at odds on a number of social and political issues. It’s even listed in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame’s most list of 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll. Other notable singles are Blasphemous Rumours, a song that tackles divine justice, and Master and Servant, a song that looks into sexual politics. Edgy stuff. Especially for the decade that spawned the “satanic panic.”
Full discolsure: I don’t know Depeche Mode’s body of work very well, and the only song I’ve heard from this album is People are People, which I appreciate for its verrrry 80s aesthetic and it’s industrial percussion. My hope is that I find the rest of the album just as awesome as I find People are People.
Check back at the end of the month for our review!
Further reading:
Depeche Mode Wikipedia
Some Great Reward Wikipedia

DJ Shadow: Entroducing


DJ Shadow: Entroducing…..
Scott Coates
I came upon this album some years ago on a list of top albums of some sort or genre. I listened to pieces of it here and there, forgot about it, then when DJ Shadow’s Nobody Speak track came out in 2016, I was knocked-out and it spurred me to revisit Entroducing…..

Released on September 16, 1996, he set out to create an album composed entirely samples. DJ Shadow spent two years crafting the tracks and it’s since been heralded by many as the best sample-based album ever made. Most samples are quite obscure but there are many by more prominent artists such as Björk and Metallica.
His studio set-up was minimal, with only three primary pieces of equipment being used in making the album: an Akai MPC60 sampler, a Technics SL-1200 turntable and an Alesis ADAT tape recorder. He became a master with the Akai – crediting it with the end-sound of the album.
This is a different album, one I find that requires me to be in the right mood to get all the way through in a single session, but is incredibly creative and unique. Enjoy the journey…..
Links
Sample list from Endtroducing
Endtroducing….. has been frequently ranked in professional lists of the all-time greatest albums
Entroducing…. on Wikipedia
Entroducing…. on iTunes
Entroducing…. on Spotify
Scratch documentary

Tom Petty: Wildflowers


This is a really sad day. Tom Petty has passed away.
I’m actually a bit late getting my pick up as usually we have them ready on the first. I planned to update today and when I woke up I heard that Tom had a cardiac arrest and was taken to the hospital. I since recorded my segment about his pick and now just found out he died shortly after. So sad.
I decided to pick Tom Petty’s Wildflowers album a few days ago after much thought. I’ve always loved Tom Petty and thought to myself that is was about time we picked one of his albums. I knew the hits from Wildflowers but for whatever reason I never actually owned this particular album.
Listen to why I picked this album on this sad day and please join us in celebrating an amazing musician and listen with us this month.
Darren Scott
Wildflowers on Wikipedia
Wildflowers on iTunes
Wildflowers on Spotify

Creedence Clearwater Revival: Pendulum


It’s been a while since we rocked out together, and I think George Thorogood was the closest we got to Swampy. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Pendulum takes us back to the start of the seventies to enjoy one of the Woodstock headliners right before everything came apart.
Their sixth studio album, it was the last one before John Fogerty left the band to pursue a solo career, and the band didn’t last much longer after that. Part blues, part country, Pendulum sticks to the swamp rock roots of the band and stands out as one of their most musically-diverse albums.
Links
Pendulum on Spotify
Rolling Stone review (screw you, Jon Landau)

Alanis Morissette: Jagged Little Pill


July 1st marked the 150th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation, and I guess I’ve been feeling a little bit more patriotic than usual, so for this month’s pick, I’ve decided to stay close to home and celebrate one of Canada’s top female music talents.
Alanis Morissette released the album Jagged Little Pill in June of 1995. I was surprised to learn it was actually her third album, and her first to be released outside of Canada. Full of angst and emotion, a wall of post-grunge instrumentals were complimented by clever, yet relatable lyrics, the album clearly struck a chord with the world at the time, because it ended up topping the charts in 10 different countries. 33 million units were shifted worldwide, and it remains one of the best-selling albums of all time. Additionally, the album spawned 6 singles, which meant that in the 90s, it was unlikely there was anybody on Earth who didn’t know the words to at least one song from JLP. Does familiarity breed contempt when it comes to Alanis? I guess we’re gonna find out.
Let’s put on our flannel shirts, climb into the back of Mom’s Plymouth Voyager, and take a sonic trip through time back to the mid-90s, when for better or worse, Alanis Morissette was all but inescapable.
Links:
Album on iTunes
Album on Amazon
Wikipedia Information on the album.

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.

James Brown: Hell


I’m actually as surprised as you were that we have been a group that specializes in reviewing influential artists and albums, but this is our first review of a James Brown album. I thought for sure that in out live album selection round that his Live at the Apollo album would have been chosen, but alas, it was not.
I am very excited to really dive into the album. I invite you to listen to why I selected this particular album and to join me in rediscovering a classic from a legend*.
*A legend in his music. I actually detest that he was an abusive man and how he took advantage of others close to him.
Links:
Hell on Spotify
Rolling Stone Review

Cyndi Lauper: She's So Unusual


Hey there everybody, Scott G from the Sonic Collective here to introduce our pick for May, 2017. Recently we’ve gone through a number of bands with not only a unique sound, but signature style offstage. They left their stamp on pop culture and helped chart a generation. Read this article and then please listen to my audio above to hear why I selected this album.
This month I really wanted to feature a female artist and continue the unintentional theme of musicians that came onto the scene and threw everything in the air. Tore up the charts and pop culture at the same time.
Everyone will remember Cyndi Lauper for exploding onto the scene in 1984 with the Album She’s So Unusual. Even if the title doesn’t ring a bell, songs like Time after Time, She Bop, and the impossible to get out of your head “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” will certainly be familiar.
Like everyone else, I’ve ran into Cyndi’s songs on the radio, but I’ve never actually sat down and listened to one of her full albums. This first album spent 77 weeks on the Billboard 200, is certified six times platinum, and Slant Magazine ranks it #22 on the Best Albums of the 80s. My sister also thinks she’s pretty cool.
So, join us at the Sonic Collective this month in enjoying Cyndi Lauper’s debut album She’s so Unusual, and tune in at the end of the month to see if your thoughts are the same as ours. See you then.
Hear our review of this album here.
Links:
Album on Wikipedia
Cyndi’s site
Album on iTunes

Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin II

Led Zeppelin


Led Zeppelin is often called one of the most influential bands to emerge from the late 1960s, and are well known for hits including Immigrant Song, Black Dog, and of course, the unforgettable Stairway to Heaven.
Aside from listening to the usual radio-friendly singles, I’ve never formally been acquainted with a full Zeppelin album. That’s why for April 2017, we’ll be listening to the second eponymous album, Led Zeppelin II.
 
Led Zeppelin II - Album cover
 
The album was a commercial success, hitting the number one spot on the charts in both in their home country of England as well as overseas. What intrigues me the most is how the band described the recording process. Songs were written while the band was on tour rotations. They would write whenever they found hours in between concerts. Each track was recorded, mixed, and produced separately at various studios spread out across the UK and North America. The resulting sound is supposedly rife with spontaneity and urgency through necessity. Jimmy Page, the band’s guitarist receives the bulk of the credit for the album’s production oversight. He and engineer Eddie Kramer worked together to cobble the completed album together from recordings taken in piece-meal, sometimes impromptu sessions in cheap studios, hotels and “holes in the wall”.
Interesting? I think so.
Let’s delve into Led Zeppelin II, and we’ll reconvene at the end of the month to see what the group thought.
______
Links:
Album Wikipedia
Band Wikipedia
Buy the album on iTunes
Buy the album on Amazon