Jamwise #21

Master of Reality - Black Sabbath

I remember being kinda scared of Sabbath as a kid, even in the midst of my 70’s and 80’s guitar rock obsession. And then one day my mom told me “Sweet Leaf” was about weed, and that scared young me off even farther. But in high school I figured it out, mostly from reading about them in Guitar World - Black Sabbath is awesome. Controversial? Sure. But they’re the masters of the crunchy guitar riff that got me addicted to guitar music, and I’ll always appreciate that.

Jams

• “Sweet Leaf”

• “Into the Void”

Moving Pictures - Rush

This album blew me away. I’ve heard the Rush hits before obviously, given my adolescent immersion in classic rock, but the album was absolutely captivating as a unit. “Tom Sawyer” opens the album in an absolute banger, and the cinematic jams just keep coming, almost like this was, I don’t know, it’s on the tip of my tongue… like a moving picture or something. 

Jams

• “Tom Sawyer”

• “YYZ”

• “Limelight”

• “Vital Signs”

Close To The Edge - Yes

At 3 songs, 37 minutes, this album is already a bit of an oddity. I’ve heard passing things about Yes and their musicality, but wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one. 

What I loved most was the “stress and release” kind of arrangements throughout - a few minutes of freeform nonsense followed by a cool groove and verse-like thing that hits like a dubstep drop after the tension created by the instrumental intros. 

It was one of my favorite albums with this kind of freeform, experimental sounding vibe. Am I evolving as a listener, or was this simply that good? Read on to find out!

Jams

• It’s not that kind of album - not really possible to separate tracks from the album in any meaningful way

Life After Death - The Notorious B.I.G.

This is a massive album at 24 songs and just under 2 hours. To me it plays like a musical - a mix of narrative, lyrically deeper songs with a few radio-focused singles splashed in every few songs, like the signature chorus in a Broadway show. Biggie was a ridiculous talent, gone far too young. This album was captivating. 

Jams:

• “Hypnotize”

• “What’s Beef?”

• “Mo Money Mo Problems”

• “Notorious Thugs”

Heaven Or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins

I’ve never even heard the name of this artist before in passing. It’s been a while since I jumped in headfirst with zero research or expectations, so that’s what I’m gonna do for this album. 

Is it shoegaze? Is it mildly psychedelic soft rock? I have no idea. But the band was apparently founded in Grangemouth, Scotland. I think Grangemouth would be the perfect genre name for their music. 

Jams

• “Pitch the Baby”