What I'm Listening to Today

Perfect?

I went down a rabbit hole recently after thinking to myself “I wonder what kind of crazy stuff people recommend when they ask ‘what’s a perfect album’”. I didn’t realize this had been a recent topic of conversation on that worst-of-all-places (Reddit), and there was a surprisingly cordial thread that had TONS of albums listed. I perused it for a while and then started thinking about all the albums I agreed with and all the things I disagreed with. The person that first posted the topic does a good job of clarifying with something along the lines of: perfect = an album that always causes you to listen from start to finish, no skips”. Which, I think for a music lover that’s not a trained musician, is a good way to gauge a perfect album. Here’s my attempt to put together a list of SOME of the albums I consider “perfect”.

Caveat, I know I’ve done a list of “front to back” great albums before, this list doesn’t include any of those, though they could definitely be added. Second caveat, I have the main, five album list and then a sub-list of what I consider non-traditional albums comprised of one live album, an album that is a pseudo-cover album, and a one-track album. TO THE LIST (in no particular order).

The Royal Scam by Steely Dan (1976)

The Stranger by Billy Joel (1977)

Pink Moon by Nick Drake (1972)

Facelift by Alice in Chains (1990)

Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age (2002)

Roseland NYC Live by Portishead (1998)

Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris (1995)

Mei by Echolyn (2002)

If you like Steely Dan there are probably four or five albums you might put on this list. Most lists include Aja, a few swap that with Can’t Buy a Thrill, personally I like The Royal Scam better. It’s not as well known as previous works, and doesn’t contain any big Billboard hits like the albums Pretzel Logic and Can’t Buy a Thrill had, but I like the songs on here better for that reason. Musically The Royal Scam has so many elements it’s hard to keep track. It’s not just a guitar album, it has wonderful piano and organ work, some horns sprinkled here and there, and a fusion of genres that keep you tapping your toe.

Does Billy Joel have a BAD song? This is album is a no-brainer and generally considered Joel’s best work. That being said, four of my top five Billy Joel songs come from other albums, only “She’s Always a Woman” comes from The Stranger. However, this album is perfect from start to finish, with the tight musicianship from every person playing, heaps of catchy lines both musical and lyrical, and great storytelling. It’s a testament to the sheer power of a talent like Joel that this album is Columbia Records bestselling album of all time, beating out Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Waters.

I came to Nick Drake very late in life, and that’s relatively surprising considering my father’s fondness for singer-songwriters from the 70’s and 80’s. We listened to a lot of Drake’s contemporaries like Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. I’m glad I found Drake thanks to my wife and her love of Elliot Smith. Pink Moon is a masterpiece of acoustic guitar with Drake’s ethereal baritone floating over the sound the strings. It’s guaranteed to give you goosebumps.

I’m sure most people would swap Dirt in place of my Alice in Chains choice of Facelift. Even Jar of Flies often gets more love than this album, but for me Facelift is the correct choice. It’s not often that a band has an absolutely stellar first major label release. A lot of time, there’s a miss. But track after track on Facelift hits home. Lyrically, it’s par for the course with dark themes of drugs, loss, depression, and life in general. Musically the band blends the 80’s metal influences with blues guitar parts thick, punchy basslines, and snappy drums that helped craft the “grunge” sound of the 90s.

Songs for the Deaf is probably not the only Queens of the Stone Age album that could be on this list, but it’s the only complete album for me. The concept of being a “road” album with radio DJ skits in certain parts of the song and the old squeal of changing channels on an analog radio are heavily nostalgic for me. Not only that, it’s a GREAT road trip album. QOTSA at this point is a supergroup and it shows through absolute perfection in all areas of their craft. There’s a reason so many tracks on this album got airplay, their that good.

Portishead almost made the main part of this list, but I couldn’t decide between Dummy or their self-titled album. Then I remember Roseland NYC Live, and I realized I could cheat a bit and add this as a special section. Roseland NYC Live is as good if not better than their studio albums. Having never had the opportunity to see Portishead live, this album (and DVD) does a perfect job of transporting the listener to a front row seat to an absolutely epic performance. I’ve been to a LOT of live shows, hands down this is in the top three of live performances I’ve ever witnessed. Beth croons into the microphone between drags on a cigarette while Geoff runs the decks and Adrian plays haunting guitars and the entire experience is brought together by an orchestra that layer sounds you can’t begin to imagine. In one word, INCREDIBLE.

Wrecking Ball isn’t a traditional “cover” album, but every track on the initial release was someone else’s song. In fact, only the final track has Emmylou Harris listed as a co-writer credit. To be fair, there is an argument that spots one through five could be taken up solely of Emmylou Harris albums. I’m not a big fan of hers, my mom listened to this album and a few others on a weekly basis while I grew up and her music has stuck with me, but it’s not something I listen to often. That being said, Wrecking Ball is front to back a perfect album with tracks from legends like Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, and ever Jimi Hendrix. Harris’ lovely voice does wonders with these songs, and the style of music veers far enough away from her traditional country that this album received almost zero airplay on country stations but was a HUGE on contemporary rock channels in the mid-90s. It may not be her best album, but it’s a perfect album and what I consider her most unique album.

Finally, a one-track album by the progressive rock band Echolyn wraps up this sub-list. There are LOTS of one-track or four-seamless track albums from bands like Sleep and Jethro Tull, but Mei is just better. I’m not sure if it’s because it knows what it is supposed to be where a lot of one-track albums have segments of weird noodling and experimental stuff thrown in, or maybe it’s just the fact that the band keeps it tight even when they do experiment a bit; whatever the reason this is by far my favorite one-track album out there.