Project BAE - Best Albums Ever

Welcome to the JamWise Best Albums Ever project! I’m listening to the best albums of all time to build my knowledge of music history.

Join me as I take algorithms out of the equation and go on a listening journey that will span all genres and artists (eventually). I’m creating my own catalog of my favorite albums of all time, exploring what sources of recommendations - critics, charts, top lists, and even algorithms - give the best results.

This series will start by focusing on the greatest albums of all time as chosen by Rolling Stone. There will be other series later focused on recommendations and new discoveries from other sources. But I feel the need to build my musical foundation and history, and this is as good a place to start as any. When we’re done, I’ll assess how well this list worked for me to see how much I identify with what the “traditional” critics like.

The list of albums I’ve rated or recommended, new and old, will live here. Make sure to follow along, as I’m always listening to something and there will be many albums in the spreadsheet that don’t make it into the newsletter!

I hope this journey inspires you and sparks ideas for how you can find good music without relying on algorithms to make those judgments for you.

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This week’s randomly selected albums:

An intriguing start. 2 classics that I know very well, which happen to have almost the same all-black album art (confusing) along with 3 that will be totally new to me. Don’t judge my lack of musical knowledge if some of these are your favorites - correcting that gap is the whole point of this activity. 

I’d love to choose the right time to listen to each album, but I don’t know enough about all of these artists to do that. What if Richard and Linda Thompson aren’t the right choice for pumping myself up before trudging to the gym? Or worse yet, what if they pump me up so much I get to the gym and simply can’t leave because of all the adrenaline pumping through my veins? I don’t wanna die on the stair stepper. That reminds me of the saying “die on that hill” but a stairstepper is a never-ending hill that you can never reach the top of, and dying on that sounds like an ancient Greek hell punishment.

Anyway… Let us jam.

Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem - 2007

This was one of the 3 new albums for me this week. At the time of this writing I know absolutely nothing about LCD Soundsystem. This album came out in 2007, it was their second album, and was pretty much a universal hit with critics. 

My favorite description came from the Guardian’s review: 

Well gawdang that gets me hype to listen to this album. I’d love to know what it’s like to feel like an adult.

I listened to this one while working, and man was that a solid decision. The first track “Get Innocuous!” with the electro beat intro got me absolutely laser focused on the report I was writing at the time. I was wiggling and hammering out client deliverables like a weird imitation of a productive employee. My dog stared and tilted her head side to side as bird noises, beats, and other sounds similar to that of silver emanated from my speakers.

I learned in “North American Scum” that LCD Soundsystem is in fact not a European band (which I can only assume was a common misconception at the time), and that they possess some traits similar to the stupid ferrets populating my Instagram message inbox. “Someone Great” was an odd mix of happy little xylophones and wistfully sad lyrics. “Us V Them” was another wiggle-inducer, although I had absolutely no clue what it was about. 

I love when music sounds like it’s not taking itself too seriously. The last song, “New York I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down”, pretty much drove that attitude home for me and kind of flavored how I perceived the rest of the album. No clue if that’s the artist’s intent, but that’s my reaction and I’m sticking to it.

Overall Rating - 7.5

Jamwise Taste Match (1-10) - 5.5

New Jamwise jams: 

• “Get Innocuous!”

• “North American Scum”

• “Us V Them”

Back In Black - AC/DC

I thought about subbing in another album in this place since I know this one so well, but the point of this project is to listen to as many albums as possible, and that includes stuff I already know. That’s a good way to put what I already know and love in perspective relative to the broader musical landscape. We’re gonna follow the process, and take personal preferences out of my music selection, even when it’s positive. So Back In Black stays, and here we GO.

This album was released in 1980, and it was the band’s first with their new singer Brian Johnson. It was recorded in the Bahamas (awesome), and for an album written with a brand new lead singer it did decently well - it’s one of the best-selling records of all time. Listening it to it with fresh ears, in the order the band intended, should be a ton of fun.

First off, the bells in “Hells Bells” are one hell of a way to start an album. Made my tastebuds vibrate a little. And imagine you’re an AC/DC fan in 1980 wondering what your favorite band’s gonna sound like with some new guy on the mic, then hearing basically a Bon Scott clone gloriously shrieking at you through one of the most epic songs ever. I would have been fucking lit at the listening party from minute one. I’ve heard this song at so many sporting events, but it just hits even harder as an album tone-setter

When “Let Me Put My Love Into You” came on I yelled a little. Sick guitar riff and innuendo galore. Hashtag maturity.

And of course, as opposed to seemingly everything else the world is up to these days, don’t forget that “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”. Let’s solve the problems that truly affect the world rather than Rock and Roll. 

This is one of those albums that reminds me of being a young kid, discovering music from previous generations as if it was new, because it was new to me. That’s a super fun feeling. I hope future generations, with the insanely huge amount of music that will be available to them, still take joy in discovering old stuff as if it’s new. It doesn’t matter if someone else has known about it forever, all that matters is when you discover it and how you react to it, good or bad. 

Overall Rating - 8

Jamwise Taste Rating - 8

Jamwise Descriptors - Energetic, Electric Guitar-Wiggle, Shrieking Joyfully at my Dog

New (and/or freshly appreciated) Jamwise jams

• “Hells Bells”

• “What Do You Do For Money”

• “Let Me Put My Love Into You”

I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight  - Richard and Linda Thompson

OK Richard and Linda, y’all have some wiggle-inducing shoes to fill after the first 2 albums this week. Let’s see what you got. You’ve already won “favorite album art of the week” although I must say, the competition on that front wasn’t very fierce.

This one is interesting. It was released in 1974, and apparently nobody listened to it at the time - it wasn’t even released outside the UK until a decade later. Then, gradually, people caught on and started to realize that Rick and Linda are kind of awesome. It’s now considered to be a masterpiece of songwriting, and it’s #479 on the Rolling Stone list and appears on a lot of other top album lists as well. I’ll be honest, I have no clue what I’m getting into here, but here goes.

“When I Got to the Border”, the first track, got me involved right away - it was a little bit Irish Folk music-y (especially when the bagpipes started) and a little bit Neil Young. Probably a dumb take, but that’s why I’m educating myself. Anyway, it was… kind of awesome. 

“Down Where The Drunkards Roll” was like a slow, folky version of Piano Man on first listen - in that it’s about a place of drinking. Totally different musical vibes, but beautifully written. I dug it.

This album somehow sounds a little more modern than I was expecting for 1974. I can’t put my finger on it, but it scratches the same itch as some of the Neo-Retro bands popular today. Maybe the prevalence of that kind of music today is what makes my first listen of this older album sound a little fresher. That’s interesting and kinda cool to think more about as I keep listening.

Overall it scored surprisingly high on my personal Jamwise taste meter. I can see myself adding it to a lot of playlists in the future - some of the songs gave movie soundtrack vibes. 

Overall Rating - 8.5

Jamwise Taste Rating - 7.5

Jamwise Descriptors - BagpipeCore, Songwriting Mastery, Montage Music

New Jamwise jams

• “When I Get to the Border”

• “Down Where The Drunkards Roll”

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Metallica (The Black Album) - Metallica

Hilarious that I got 2 such similar albums in week 1, at least in terms of album art choices. In my mind as a kid The Black Album and Back In Black were the same album, before I started really listening to them with older ears. 

This is Metallica’s 5th album released in 1991. Rolling Stone rates it #235 on its best albums list. I feel like I know a lot of the songs individually, but I don’t really know this album as a unit very well. I could be wrong, but it feels like I’m going to rediscover some things here.

Putting this album on at the end of the day, just before I hit the video games. That feels like the perfect way to relax and unwind after a long day, no?

I love this quote from a review of the album in Entertainment Weekly:

This feels like an album I could learn something from. Self-examination courtesy of Metallica. Wait, that sounds kinda weird - let’s go with introspection instead. So in the spirit of JamWise, learning something is what I intend to do. Teach me things, Metallica, but please leave my soul alone cause I kinda need it for my life.

“Enter Sandman” - I can’t help but think of Mariano Rivera coming in to pitch for the Yankees. It’s a song that’s almost become more than the sum of its parts. Listening to it for its own merits is fun, though. “Holier Than Thou” is an adrenaline rush that I’d forgotten about, really enjoyed re-awakening my love for that song. And hearing “Through the Never” for the first time in years got me… not wiggling, what’s a better word? Convulsing, maybe. Violently twitching. 

Objective Rating - 8.5 (SO MANY HITS…)

Jamwise Taste Rating - 8.2

Jamwise Descriptors - Guitar Godzilla, Arena Thrash, Now I Know What Fire-Tempered Steel Alloy Sounds Like

New (and/or freshly appreciated) Jamwise jams

• “Holier Than Thou”

• “Through the Never”

Blond - Frank Ocean

Another artist that I admit I haven’t listened much to. This album is from 2016, and ranked 79th on the Rolling Stone list - that’s pretty damn high on the list for me not to have it on my radar. Frank Ocean is regarded as an incredible artist, and now it’s finally time for me to see what his music is all about.

As The Independent puts it:

Frank Ocean is a clearly great artist that a lot of people know about, who I haven’t fully appreciated. I feel like an A-7 doofus for not listening to this sooner. 

Pink & White is just a banger. No further commentary necessary. 

“Solo” was a kind of stripped down organ-accompanied jam that I loved except the annoying whistling in the background that freaked my dog out and rattled my laptop speakers, but not enough to diminish the beauty of Frank’s voice and lyrics and the meandering, almost aimless organ jam. Solo and the following track, “Skyline To”, are the kind of middle-of-the-album flyover songs that seem to only have a function in the context of the album and whatever story the artist is trying to tell. 

As The Independent said earlier, the simplicity of the production really is apparent. It seems like these songs would have like 4 tracks on GarageBand and that’s it. It’s an interesting stripped-down effect that I wasn’t expecting, mostly in the middle tracks - and there are a lot of middle tracks in this 17-song album.

It’s also an interesting album because it really seems designed as one unit, with most of the tracks acting like the prepositions (Conjunction Junction, anybody?) that hold the whole thing together. There’s a reason “Pink & White” is the most successful single from this album - it’s almost the only option that could stand alone in the wild. This album is repayable only if you’re gonna listen to the entire album each time. It takes patience. The reward is pretty decent, but not mind-blowing for me. “Siegfried”, the third to last song, was perplexing and trippy. Actually, the entire end of the album is like that. A little stream-of-consciousness and anticlimactic.

Overall Rating - 6.5

JamWise Taste Rating - 3

JamWise Descriptors - Not Overproduced, Immersive, Mega Voice

New JamWise jams:

• “Pink & White”

• “Nights”

JamWise Wisdom

Every week, I’ll rack my pea brain to find some connection, common theme, or reflection that was triggered by this week’s listening. It might include all the albums, or just one, or just whatever I think of when I listen to them. There’s a lot of wisdom and beauty in music, and that’s what I’m trying to pull out. No refunds if all I come up with are butt jokes, though.

Reminds me of the classic scene in Almost Famous where Russell Hammond is searching for some wise last words. May the Lords of the Algorithm bless me with an equal amount of wisdom as I go forth into the musical unknown.

This week, being the first on my journey, taught me some things about the way I listen to music. I’ve been in the rut of listening to playlists of curated songs that have nothing to with each other besides being recommended by the same robot brain that predicts my tastes. Those songs come from albums, which were created as thought-out units by the artists, and meant to be consumed as a whole (by and large), but instead they get plucked out one by one and presented to me in a nice, clean bouquet. Like flowers that can be pretty, but not quite naturally occurring.

I’ve generally liked listening to albums all the way through when I’ve taken the time to do so, but I used to think that was due to the magic of vinyl, which was the main way I’d listen to entire albums - it’s not as easy to skip ahead on vinyl as it is on Spotify. But then I realized the same magic exists when you listen to the album intentionally and all together no matter the medium. 

Now that might sound dry and serious and not so fun, but I don’t mean it to sound that way - listening to music should be fun or satisfying regardless of how you do it, and this is only one way. There are plenty of days when I listen to my curated playlists or top 40 playlists or whatever because that’s what I’m in the mood for. Deep-diving into an album is just a better way to get to know the artists better through larger subsections of their songs. 

What’s more, I’ve found that what I just listened to tints my perception of the next thing I hear. Listening to an album means the previous song is exactly what the artist wanted you to hear, not something random from another artist. This has led to me loving certain songs more when heard in context than if I’d heard them alone. 

And isn’t the point of music to find more stuff you love? I think that’s the definition of happiness in music listening - finding all the songs I love and listening to them. I don’t want to miss out on anything because someone else has already been through the album and decided what I will like. 

Another reason I’m ready to change how I listen to music is the ever-present drive to discover the next new thing, which I consider a hindrance more than a help. People like to be the first to discover something, and some start disdaining that same thing they loved once everybody knows about it. That’s such nonsense. It leads to constantly skipping songs, constantly looking for something overlooked or underplayed, driving forward to discover as much music as possible in a short amount of time. How can you listen to and enjoy the music when you’ve got that mentality? That’s been a problem of mine for a while, as much as I hate to admit it.

Listening to an album altogether is a deeper experience of the music than listening to a group of singles. Sometimes you might want a “broad and shallow” music experience, but I’m finding that more and more often, a deep dive into an artist’s work is exactly what I want. 

So my takeaway this week is that album-listening is my new thing. This might be obvious to older generations or record snobs or Swifties, but in the era in which I’ve grown up, listening to music has mostly been a piecemeal thing. The concept of listening to entire albums is kind of unfamiliar to me because I’ve grown up with radio and shuffled playlists and top song lists driving what I hear. Not my fault, or my generation’s, but it’s a fact. And it’s something I plan to change.