Show and Tell
Albums Discussed:
Thriller (1982) - Michael Jackson 🇺🇸 | ARTPOP (2013) - Lady Gaga 🇺🇸 | Tango in the Night (1987) - Fleetwood Mac 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Purple Rain (1984) - Prince 🇺🇸 | Voulez-Vous (1979) - ABBA 🇸🇪 | Blue (1971) - Joni Mitchell 🇨🇦 | The Wall (1979) - Pink Floyd 🇬🇧
Ambient 1: Music for Airports (1978) - Brian Eno 🇬🇧 | Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989) - Janet Jackson 🇺🇸 | Jazz (1978) - Queen 🇬🇧
I figured a good first entry to The Listening Room would be to share a bit of my own listening history, specifically the albums that in one way or another affected me. You’ll notice that these are VERY different in genre/style to the albums that appear in the first log (which is just one simple click away… you should read it after you finish this post… k thanks <3); these are the key albums I listened to since the beginning of my database project, though my relationship with many of them started much, much earlier.
Let’s start in that earlier time, with Michael Jackson’s Thriller. As I think most people were, I was aware of Michael Jackson from pretty much as early as I can remember. He was a monolithic figure in pop and someone that was completely unavoidable because of his music (and, inevitably, the Neverland Ranch accusations). I took a huge interest in the world of dance, theatre and acting as a kid, so my mom thought it would be cool to show me the music video to the title song of the album. And she would’ve been right, as the dancing is iconic and hypnotising to watch. Unfortunately, the video starts with the scene where Michael turns into a werewolf… the literal INSTANT he tilted his head up with those beady yellow eyes, I sprinted out of the room and would go far out of my way to avoid any videos, songs or news clips regarding the singer. That fear has since gone away, and I’m proud to say I can watch the “Thriller” video without fleeing the scene.
I finally checked out the full-length album toward the beginning of my databasing project. I already knew the majority of songs, but was honestly more taken with the ones I didn’t know. “Baby Be Mine", for example, is a slick, addictively groovy post-disco track that became my favourite song off the album, maybe next to “Human Nature.” That general shimmering, hazy quality of Thriller really stuck with me, and while I don’t typically pay mind to any sort of “albums you HAVE to listen to” lists, this one might be an exception.
Next, let’s move to my girl, Lady Gaga. As a closeted teen, I had a sort of strange relationship with her. I vividly remember when Born This Way came out, and the title track caused me to feel some interesting things. To hear someone so boldly sing about how being queer is okay and normal was sort of jolting. I knew deep-down that I was gay, but I refused to believe it for many, many years. Whenever a Gaga track would come on, I’d be subconsciously reminded of that lie I’d told myself, which made me despise her in a way. She also helped me in my coming out process, though. I was so nervous that by me living openly, I’d be defined ONLY as being gay. But look at Gaga’s career; she’s done gothic electro-pop albums, rock-twinged tracks, EDM-influenced singles and even a sort of country/Americana LP. She absolutely refused to let one single (musical) component define her, just as I didn’t want this fact about myself to define me as a person. So for that alone, Gaga will always be one of my favourite artists.
While Born This Way was pivotal for personal reasons, ARTPOP was pivotal for musical ones. The album was, at the time of its release, less than warmly welcomed by both the broader public and by critics. It was described as being totally all-over-the-place and not accessible to people who weren’t already predisposed to electronic music. It has since enjoyed a resurgence, and many of the tracks have entered into the pantheon of Gaga’s “greatest hits.” ARTPOP could certainly be described as “all-over-the-place,” but for me that’s a positive. It’s loud, intense, and demands your attention the whole way through. I hadn’t thought, prior to listening to this album, that I would like that at all. Turns out I do, at least to a large extent. I’m assuming most of you have heard “Applause,” which was the lead single, but if you haven’t checked out the whole thing yet, I highly recommend you do. There are some deeper-cuts that contain some of her best writing in my opinion, like the brutal and haunting “Dope,” and the phrenetic and maximalist “G.U.Y.”
I’ll try and move quicker through the rest of the albums, as I don’t want this to be a super long post. Too late for that I guess…
Prince’s Purple Rain is, I would argue, the closest thing to a perfect album. The pacing is remarkable; each track makes total sense in greater context but also has enough internal originality to be consistently engaging (the tracks “Computer Blue” and the following “Darling Nikki,” for example, show this well). The production is phenomenal, and Prince’s vocals are high-energy and full of humour and pathos. The title track is nothing short of magic, and feels like a massive exhale at the end of a jittery, funky listening experience.
I consider Prince and Janet Jackson to be musical companions. Where Prince went a more groovy/funky route, Janet went a more pop-megahit route that maintained some trademark production elements of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, musicians who worked extensively with both artists. Rhythm Nation 1814 is a sprawling industrial pop album that pretty instantly hooked me. She’s certainly a queen of interlude tracks, making the album feel more like a cinematic experience. The beats are addicting, and her very soft, whispy voice is such an interesting contrast to the aggressiveness of many songs. I’d draw people’s attention to “State Of The World” for a lesser-known track that encapsulates this idea.
Two immaculately-written pop records, ABBA’s Voulez-Vous and Fleetwood Mac’s Tango in the Night, also feel somewhat musically connected. I was introduced to ABBA through the film Mamma Mia!, and as is the case for many, my love of the band only grew from there. I could’ve picked Super Trouper as another favourite, but Voulez-Vous has a higher number of tracks I truly adore. ABBA does the whole “grand Euro-pop” thing phenomenally well; there’s something orchestral and majestic about their songs, something I’d be very interested in discussing more (specifically their referencing and usage of European classical traditions). Maybe a bit less sprawling but equally satisfying to listen to is Tango in the Night, featuring the single “Everywhere” that we all know and love. Fleetwood Mac is incredibly good at the more intimate, guitar-and-voice style of songwriting (as seen on their self-titled album or the iconic Rumours), but Tango is a bit more eclectic and densely packed. In a similar vein to Thriller, the production has a mystical quality that I’m sure Stevie Nicks had fun twirling around to onstage. The songwriting is airtight, and has that ear-wormy 80’s quality that I really can’t get enough of.
More fantastic songwriting is found on Joni Mitchell’s Blue. I remember this one sticking out to me because it was so different from the music I listened to at the time. I wouldn’t have considered myself even remotely interested in folk music, but this changed my mind. I think this album proves that good writing can withstand any sort of instrumentation if it’s done thoughtfully. Many tracks are written only for Joni’s voice and either piano or guitar, alongside the iconic usage of an Appalachian dulcimer, so the texture is generally very sparse but nonetheless with enough backbone to carry the songs forward. This feels like another “album you HAVE to listen to” album, so I highly recommend checking it out if you haven’t already.
I’m going to skip over Brian Eno’s Music for Airports as I talk about it in the first actual album log (again… one click away… check it out). For now, just know it’s awesome.
I’ll finish with two albums by some other classic British artists: Jazz by Queen and The Wall by Pink Floyd. Starting with Jazz (which, although the title alludes to, has really nothing to do with actual jazz music), this is a step away from the theatrical qualities of earlier projects, namely A Night at the Opera. Don’t worry though, there’s still some theatrics in this one as well, like a loud thunderbolt to finish “Dead On Time,” or a sudden, intense volume increase with the entrance of distorted guitars in the opening track, “Mustapha.” Generally speaking, Jazz is just a bit more subdued and sticks more closely to time-proven song structures more explicitly than some other Queen albums. Now, The Wall is many, many things; theatricality maybe being the most obvious. This is a “rock opera” in all sense of the word, as this double LP tells the narrative of a traumatised rock star who goes through a multitude of hallucinatory experiences that confront his internal conflicts head-on. It’s a very intense listen, and not one that I do often all the way through. But it did show me what an album could be. Instead of playing to radio success (besides the hit-single “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2”), The Wall is a harrowing and powerful saga that can be difficult to get into, but offers one of the most unforgettable musical experiences out there.
Alright… well that about wraps things up. As mentioned up top, the types of albums I discuss, at least initially, will probably be very different from the ones here. But I think that’s the cool thing. There’s so much music out there, so let’s get discovering!!!
Ben :)
