Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1977…
#8 – Exodus – Bob Marley & The Wailers
Four years ago, I did a deep dive of Bob Marley, covering his 13 studio albums. Though I enjoyed every one of those records, 1977’s Exodus topped my eventual ranked list.
This is a perfect album to encapsulate the political, spiritual, and romantic resonance of Marley’s music. If all you’ve ever heard is Legend, like I had before the deep dive, this is a great next step.
Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1977…
#9 – Slowhand – Eric Clapton
Slowhand is Eric Clapton’s fifth solo album and remains his best-performing in the U.S. (setting aside his live Unplugged album). It is best known for its hit singles ‘Lay Down Sally’ and ‘Wonderful Tonight.’
This is the only Clapton album I have ever owned, but I played the hell out of it in and around my college years. It’s a compulsively listenable record, a perfect vibe.
It’s time for another installment of the Decades series, which will eventually have me covering notable albums from every year between 1970 and 2009. Forty years, somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 albums. Wow.
I’ve made it through the first seven years of each decade so far. Twenty-eight years down, 12 to go. Over the next several weeks I’ll be covering the year 1977, first counting down my 10 favorites before covering albums that are new to me.
Concluding a look at notable albums of 1996…
Regular readers know I struggle to enjoy most rap music. I’m not proud of that fact, knowing the musical, cultural, and societal relevance of the genre, but my ears like what they like.
One of the few exceptions is OutKast, the Atlanta-based duo who rank among the most acclaimed and successful hip-hop acts in history. I have enjoyed everything I’ve heard from them, including the two albums I know quite well — 2000’s Stankonia and 2004’s Album of the Year-winning Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
Continuing a look at notable albums of 1996…
For U.S. listeners, the Swedish alt-rock band The Cardigans are a one-hit wonder. That hit was ‘Lovefool,’ a jaunty battle cry for desperate jilted lovers everywhere.
‘Lovefool’ reached the U.S. charts thanks to its inclusion on the soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet and earned critical praise as well as commercial success. But it first appeared on the band’s third album, titled First Band on the Moon.
Meet Me In Montauk 