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There was a thread about 9 months ago on Soulstrut about this, mainly as a result of a piece that appeared in Jaguaro.org. Unfortunately, everyone seemed so indignant that certain albums had been mentioned that no-one debated it very seriously. So I thought it would be good to exhume the subject, particularly in the light of the discussion about Stark Reality.
Which albums would you nominate for such a thread. I have three suggestions.
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
I like Miles Davis a lot. I like Kind Of Blue, I like Sketches Of Spain, I even like Decoy from his later period. But I've always found this an unlistenable dirge. Now I know there are great musicians on it, I know that it was incredibly influential, but would I want to listen to it purely for pleasure? Not on your nelly. Have you ever gone round to someone's house and they're sat casually listening to this? I doubt it.
De La Soul - Three Feet High And Rising
I used to love this album. I played it to death when it came out. I still regularly play some of the singles in clubs. But I recently blagged a CD copy and though I'd give it another listen. I've so far failed to listen to it in its entirety after three attempts. It's too clattery, too noisesome, too irritating. This could be me getting older, and I do feel a traitor for mentioning, but I'm really not sure whether it's the classic we hold it up to be. De La Is Dead, for example, is a really good album, that got killed by critics when it came out. I can still listen to that.
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
Another album that falls into the noisy category. And overrated. I've never loved this album. Even when everyone was declaring it a work of genius, I never really loved it in the way that I did Licensed To Ill. Their debut was fresh, exhilirating, punky. I always felt this was a clever record rather than one you could truly love. It's a record you admire. But love? Nah.
Over to you...
Which albums would you nominate for such a thread. I have three suggestions.
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
I like Miles Davis a lot. I like Kind Of Blue, I like Sketches Of Spain, I even like Decoy from his later period. But I've always found this an unlistenable dirge. Now I know there are great musicians on it, I know that it was incredibly influential, but would I want to listen to it purely for pleasure? Not on your nelly. Have you ever gone round to someone's house and they're sat casually listening to this? I doubt it.
De La Soul - Three Feet High And Rising
I used to love this album. I played it to death when it came out. I still regularly play some of the singles in clubs. But I recently blagged a CD copy and though I'd give it another listen. I've so far failed to listen to it in its entirety after three attempts. It's too clattery, too noisesome, too irritating. This could be me getting older, and I do feel a traitor for mentioning, but I'm really not sure whether it's the classic we hold it up to be. De La Is Dead, for example, is a really good album, that got killed by critics when it came out. I can still listen to that.
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
Another album that falls into the noisy category. And overrated. I've never loved this album. Even when everyone was declaring it a work of genius, I never really loved it in the way that I did Licensed To Ill. Their debut was fresh, exhilirating, punky. I always felt this was a clever record rather than one you could truly love. It's a record you admire. But love? Nah.
Over to you...
). I can still listen to them both and find new elements, hear samples that I never noticed before, and (especially with Paul's Boutique) enjoy the wordplay. I guess it comes down to the definition of 'classic' and how much an LP should be judged purely on musical merit or how much it's 'landmark' status - the amount of innovation, the influence on later artists - matters. For me Paul's Boutique fulfills all those criteria and 3 Feet... is a landmark album that still sounds good, although not mindblowing. 
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). Also:
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