some older bands/albums everyone should own

[Kneel B4 Zod]

Figured I would put this starter list together together since so many people around here are focused on hipster rock or hip hop or some other type of music, but lots of people forget to look to the past 40 years to listen to some awesome music. Here are some classic bands/albums/songs, I’m sure others have different ones, but these should be staples.

(in alphabetical order)

The Allman Brothers Band



Before they became a bit of a tired road show, these guys were pioneers of southern rock and released a few of the best rock albums ever. The studio album Idlewild South is fantastic, but if you buy 1 album buy At Fillmore East, their seminal live album from 1971. Almost the whole album is an incredible showcase of the slide guitar of Duane Allman – the first 10 minutes of Whipping Post being my favorite example.

Sadly, both Allman and bass player Berry Oakley would die within weeks of each other in 1972, and the band took a different (although still very good) direction afterwards. We can be glad the Fillmore Concerts were recorded, b/c they [censored] rock.

The Beatles


Lots and lots to choose from here, but my favorite era is the mid to late 60’s, including the albums Revolver, Rubber Soul, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, The White Album, Abbey Road, Yellow Submarine, and Let it Be. They go through a ton of styles on these albums, from Dylan inspired (Norwegian Wood – Rubber Soul) to psychedelic (A Day in the Life – Sgt. Peppers) to inventive and bleak (Eleanor Rigby – Yellow Submarine), not to mention the technical, stylistic, and creative innovations evident in all these albums. There’s so much to like you should buy them all.

Bob Dylan



I think it takes a little while to ‘get’ Dylan. Jimi Hendrix says of him before a live cover of Like a Rolling Stone “we’re gonna do another slow song, if you don’t mind, it’s a thing that we dig from a certain cat who writes some heavy songs. Poetry – everyone wants to know what happened to modern day poetry, well just dig the records, you can find it all over the place, and this cat just happens to head that scene”. If Jimi Hendrix says you’re a hip cat, you’re a hip cat.

His 4 classic albums are Blonde on Blonde, Blood on the Tracks, Bringing it All Back Home, and Highway 61 Revisited, but his new Modern Times is excellent as well. Some of my favorite tracks include the downbeat and scary It’s Alright Ma, the swaggering Visions of Johanna, and the carnivally Sad Eyes Lady of the Lowlands.

Derek and the Dominoes



This supergroup released only 1 album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, but it’s one of my top 10 favorites. The interplay between Duanne Allman and Eric Clapton brought out the very best in both guitar masters. Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad my favorite example of the interplay between these two.

Grateful Dead



Years 13 – 20 of mine this was basically all I listened to. Hard to sell the group to some, and it’s harder to give specific favorites of mine. The live performances are unquestionably better than the studio albums – perhaps pick up Closing of Winterland in 1978, Dick's Picks Volume 23 (from 1972, Baltimore), Dick's Picks Volume 3 (1977, Pembroke Pines, Florida), and Dick's Picks Volume 4 (1970, Fillmore East). Those are my favorite eras.

Jimi Hendrix



Not much I can say you don’t already know. Are You Experienced? and Electric Ladyland both show the peak of the guitar

Journey

Greatest Hits. Just kidding.

Led Zeppelin



You probably already have a lot of this. I, II, IV, and Physical Graffiti are my favorites. Despite all the hype, this band was groundbreaking and awesome in lots of ways.

Neil Young



Some say he is the father of ‘alternative’ rock. He is also a great guitarist (check out Cowgirl in the Sand on Decade), and songwriter (After the Gold Rush). As a sidenote, the use of Old Man in Dogtown and Z-Boys to reflect on the life of Jay Adams is one of my favorite moments in film – a really perfect blend of song and story.

The Rolling Stones



Like Led Zeppelin, they have become so overhyped that they might be actually underrated as a band now. Exile on Main Street (recorded while band was in exile), Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed, and Sticky Fingers all show various forms of the Stones blend of blues, rock, and country. So many great songs here, Sweet Virginia, Torn and Frayed, All Down the Line, Can’t You Hear Me Knocking….

So those are my favorite old albums. I missed a ton of classics from groups like Pink Floyd and The Who and many others, but that's what everyone else is for.