These are all outstanding albums/films. Your choices are excellent. Your top 50 and top 100 choices were kind of surprising, though by saying that I don't mean they're "wrong". I do think that if you keep listening to those albums, as well as Scaruffi's other top choices, they're all likely to move up. My guess is Rock Bottom could be among the first to ascend your list. For me, as well as others who I've observed when borrowing it from me, 'getting' Rock Bottom seems to happen overwhelmingly and dramatically, and often suddenly. I am curious to see how it works out for you. In most cases Trout Mask takes many, many listens, as well as Faust. They may be some of the last ones to fulfill their potential. As for Parable of Arable Land, I am kind of shocked by its placement considering WL/WH and Twin Infinitives are so higly ranked. You should try it either on headphones (probably about 7-10 times) and playing it loud on a high wattage sound system (300+). I suspect it will come to fruition for you with either of those requisites.
For me, it's simply the phenomenon of: the more I 'get' each and every album on Scaruffi's list(s) the further and further my musical past (not counting classical) falls away from my current views. When I listen to something like Pet Sounds, it begs the question,
"Why this, when I can get so much more out of Astral Weeks, or Rock Bottom, etc?"
I was actually shocked by just how mediocre Pet Sounds was after not listening to it in about a year and a half. Without all the mythology behind it, it really is just a simple, serene, well-produced pop album. It is truly amazing to me how lauded it is.
As for film, I couldn't possible disagree with you more on Citizen Kane, Chinatown and Wild Bunch. 3 of the greatest films ever made, easily.
I do, however agree with you on Touch of Evil, which I find to be incredible, nearly the equal of Kane. I think Heston is excellent in the part but am not particularly fond of him elsewhere.
I actually watched Citizen Kane last night and was in total awe of it. I've found that fully appreciating Scaruffi's album picks has gone a long way towards appreciating many of his film choices, including vastly improving my emotional response towards films I already respected beforehand (such as Citizen Kane).
Thankfully, I didn't keep lists in the 80's, otherwise you'd be seeing the likes of Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson at the top. Good times...
It is pretty amusing to see the likes of Pet Sounds and Revolver up there. Interestingly enough, to most people those choices wouldn't cause the shudder they do for you or I.
Throughout those years I wasted probably a thousand dollars or more on albums that today seem all but worthless to me.
A couple days ago I attempted Revolver and it was incredibly boring. Tomorrow Never Knows is really the only song on there that is worth much. Then a friend of mine and I gave Pet Sounds a shot and I couldn't even take it past the 4th track. I can't believe this used to be an amazing experience for me! I've become spoiled to the point where, with few exceptions, anything 7.25/10 or below is pretty boring.
They certainly fall under the definition of rock. While very talented and excellent vocalists (especially Cooke and Lennon), for me they're just not emotional enough to rank highly on this list.
For example, Lennon uses his primal screaming technique to great effect on Mother (one of his very best songs and among the supreme examples of his vocal talent), but I don't find it nearly as affecting as the astounding Mark Stewart on Pop Group's Y. In order to make the list they must really stand out emotionally as vocalists, far above their peers.
That's an interesting idea...I'd have to see it again to give a more educated response. I got to see it years ago in a beautiful and comfortable theatre with a live supremely talented and emotional cellist playing, which was quite an experience, making the film extra devasting and impactful. I do own it, but haven't watched it in years. From memory, I don't think it explores similar thematic material such as Sunrise or The Mirror, (unless I am missing something) but emotionally it may be fit the bill. What do you see in it that makes you say that? Did it contribute to film history in a similar way that Rock Bottom has towards rock?
I find it intriguing that your film list seems to mirror your rock album list to a certain degree: Persona/Un Chien Andalou being Faust's film equivelant (though I think there must be something closer, perhaps something by Godard such as Weekend or his collected film series Histoire Dus Cinema, neither of which I've seen but are just guesses), 2001 = Irrlicht, perhaps the Mirror = Rock Bottom, and Battleship Potemkin = Parable of Arable Land. Perhaps this isn't your intention and it was mere coincedance but if it is your intention I agree with the logic of it. It is how I would probably go about it as well.
By the way, if you want what is probably the closest film equivelant for Rock Bottom try Murnau's silent masterpiece Sunrise, and for The Modern Dance it is most definitely Lang's Metropolis.
I removed all of the ratings of the songs, continuity, ingenuity, etc., and decided to go with this simpler format. In listening to Rock Bottom and Faust tonight, as well as Trout Mask Replica yesterday afternoon, I was left with the realization that I was going to have to go back and change a bunch of song ratings and expansion of content ratings throughout the list, causing the entire list to shift down about a point per album especially 9.3 and lower (meaning 9.3's were going to drop to 9.2's and so forth). The idea of this task made my head spin. I am a very busy guy and I don't have much time to spend on the internet and it was just too much work to keep all these ratings in line, so here are the albums rated in a much more simplified format. I apologize to anyone who enjoyed the extensive content of ratings I had posted. Hopefully it gave some insight into the absurd "science" I try to use to get these albums rated and ordered as precisely as possible.
I removed all of the ratings of the songs, continuity, ingenuity, etc., and decided to go with this simpler format. In listening to Rock Bottom and Faust tonight, as well as Trout Mask Replica yesterday afternoon, I was left with the realization that I was going to have to go back and change a bunch of song ratings and expansion of content ratings throughout the list, causing the entire list to shift down about a point per album especially 9.3 and lower (meaning 9.3's were going to drop to 9.2's and so forth). The idea of this task made my head spin. I am a very busy guy and I don't have much time to spend on the internet and it was just too much work to keep all these ratings in line, so here are the albums rated in a much more simplified format. I apologize to anyone who enjoyed the extensive content of ratings I had posted. Hopefully it gave some insight into the absurd "science" I try to use to get these albums rated and ordered as precisely as possible.
Wow, thanks for the suggestions. I added Slick and O'Hara. It had been a long time since I heard The Jefferson Airplane and her voice was a revelation this time. O'Hara was a first for me and I am very interested to check out the album Miss America now. Her voice is amazing. I haven't decided yet about Picciotto. He's certainly emotional. If I put him on here he'll be below Jim Morrison somewhere...
With Waits there is so much to choose from I just don't know which song to put up there. He's very consistent so it is difficult to pick the best. Could be "Train Song". I'll probably put one up there soon.
And I'll have to look into Mike Patton a little more before making a decision.
This is a great list that I've never known you had before now. In the best games category, I think you may want to add Fischer vs Spassky, Game 6 of the World Championship 1972 match. It really is a work of stunning "Mozartian" beauty by Fischer. I've never seen a player in such total, effortless control against a World Champion. Spassky is powerless, it seems, from the 1st move to the last. When I first went through it I got goosebumps, as well as butterflies in the pit of my stomach. Still today, I am in total awe of its apparent perfection and flow. It's like a superior version of Capa reborn.
By the way, are you a casual or serious chess player? What is your rating (approximately if you don't know exactly)?
These are all outstanding albums/films. Your choices are excellent. Your top 50 and top 100 choices were kind of surprising, though by saying that I don't mean they're "wrong". I do think that if you keep listening to those albums, as well as Scaruffi's other top choices, they're all likely to move up. My guess is Rock Bottom could be among the first to ascend your list. For me, as well as others who I've observed when borrowing it from me, 'getting' Rock Bottom seems to happen overwhelmingly and dramatically, and often suddenly. I am curious to see how it works out for you. In most cases Trout Mask takes many, many listens, as well as Faust. They may be some of the last ones to fulfill their potential. As for Parable of Arable Land, I am kind of shocked by its placement considering WL/WH and Twin Infinitives are so higly ranked. You should try it either on headphones (probably about 7-10 times) and playing it loud on a high wattage sound system (300+). I suspect it will come to fruition for you with either of those requisites.
I see what you're saying.
For me, it's simply the phenomenon of: the more I 'get' each and every album on Scaruffi's list(s) the further and further my musical past (not counting classical) falls away from my current views. When I listen to something like Pet Sounds, it begs the question,
"Why this, when I can get so much more out of Astral Weeks, or Rock Bottom, etc?"
I was actually shocked by just how mediocre Pet Sounds was after not listening to it in about a year and a half. Without all the mythology behind it, it really is just a simple, serene, well-produced pop album. It is truly amazing to me how lauded it is.
As for film, I couldn't possible disagree with you more on Citizen Kane, Chinatown and Wild Bunch. 3 of the greatest films ever made, easily.
I do, however agree with you on Touch of Evil, which I find to be incredible, nearly the equal of Kane. I think Heston is excellent in the part but am not particularly fond of him elsewhere.
I actually watched Citizen Kane last night and was in total awe of it. I've found that fully appreciating Scaruffi's album picks has gone a long way towards appreciating many of his film choices, including vastly improving my emotional response towards films I already respected beforehand (such as Citizen Kane).
Thankfully, I didn't keep lists in the 80's, otherwise you'd be seeing the likes of Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson at the top. Good times...
It is pretty amusing to see the likes of Pet Sounds and Revolver up there. Interestingly enough, to most people those choices wouldn't cause the shudder they do for you or I.
Throughout those years I wasted probably a thousand dollars or more on albums that today seem all but worthless to me.
A couple days ago I attempted Revolver and it was incredibly boring. Tomorrow Never Knows is really the only song on there that is worth much. Then a friend of mine and I gave Pet Sounds a shot and I couldn't even take it past the 4th track. I can't believe this used to be an amazing experience for me! I've become spoiled to the point where, with few exceptions, anything 7.25/10 or below is pretty boring.
They certainly fall under the definition of rock. While very talented and excellent vocalists (especially Cooke and Lennon), for me they're just not emotional enough to rank highly on this list.
For example, Lennon uses his primal screaming technique to great effect on Mother (one of his very best songs and among the supreme examples of his vocal talent), but I don't find it nearly as affecting as the astounding Mark Stewart on Pop Group's Y. In order to make the list they must really stand out emotionally as vocalists, far above their peers.
Yea, I can see what you're saying. I'll have to watch it again within the next week or so.
Passion of Joan of Arc...
That's an interesting idea...I'd have to see it again to give a more educated response. I got to see it years ago in a beautiful and comfortable theatre with a live supremely talented and emotional cellist playing, which was quite an experience, making the film extra devasting and impactful. I do own it, but haven't watched it in years. From memory, I don't think it explores similar thematic material such as Sunrise or The Mirror, (unless I am missing something) but emotionally it may be fit the bill. What do you see in it that makes you say that? Did it contribute to film history in a similar way that Rock Bottom has towards rock?
I find it intriguing that your film list seems to mirror your rock album list to a certain degree: Persona/Un Chien Andalou being Faust's film equivelant (though I think there must be something closer, perhaps something by Godard such as Weekend or his collected film series Histoire Dus Cinema, neither of which I've seen but are just guesses), 2001 = Irrlicht, perhaps the Mirror = Rock Bottom, and Battleship Potemkin = Parable of Arable Land. Perhaps this isn't your intention and it was mere coincedance but if it is your intention I agree with the logic of it. It is how I would probably go about it as well.
By the way, if you want what is probably the closest film equivelant for Rock Bottom try Murnau's silent masterpiece Sunrise, and for The Modern Dance it is most definitely Lang's Metropolis.
Geek the Girl and Downward Spiral have both been removed and are now 8.75/10.
So then, what is your favorite band? ( :
See my "Greatest Albums of All Time (Rated)" list for ratings. This one is just for reviews now.
I removed all of the ratings of the songs, continuity, ingenuity, etc., and decided to go with this simpler format. In listening to Rock Bottom and Faust tonight, as well as Trout Mask Replica yesterday afternoon, I was left with the realization that I was going to have to go back and change a bunch of song ratings and expansion of content ratings throughout the list, causing the entire list to shift down about a point per album especially 9.3 and lower (meaning 9.3's were going to drop to 9.2's and so forth). The idea of this task made my head spin. I am a very busy guy and I don't have much time to spend on the internet and it was just too much work to keep all these ratings in line, so here are the albums rated in a much more simplified format. I apologize to anyone who enjoyed the extensive content of ratings I had posted. Hopefully it gave some insight into the absurd "science" I try to use to get these albums rated and ordered as precisely as possible.
I removed all of the ratings of the songs, continuity, ingenuity, etc., and decided to go with this simpler format. In listening to Rock Bottom and Faust tonight, as well as Trout Mask Replica yesterday afternoon, I was left with the realization that I was going to have to go back and change a bunch of song ratings and expansion of content ratings throughout the list, causing the entire list to shift down about a point per album especially 9.3 and lower (meaning 9.3's were going to drop to 9.2's and so forth). The idea of this task made my head spin. I am a very busy guy and I don't have much time to spend on the internet and it was just too much work to keep all these ratings in line, so here are the albums rated in a much more simplified format. I apologize to anyone who enjoyed the extensive content of ratings I had posted. Hopefully it gave some insight into the absurd "science" I try to use to get these albums rated and ordered as precisely as possible.
Wow, thanks for the suggestions. I added Slick and O'Hara. It had been a long time since I heard The Jefferson Airplane and her voice was a revelation this time. O'Hara was a first for me and I am very interested to check out the album Miss America now. Her voice is amazing. I haven't decided yet about Picciotto. He's certainly emotional. If I put him on here he'll be below Jim Morrison somewhere...
With Waits there is so much to choose from I just don't know which song to put up there. He's very consistent so it is difficult to pick the best. Could be "Train Song". I'll probably put one up there soon.
And I'll have to look into Mike Patton a little more before making a decision.
Thanks!
This is a great list that I've never known you had before now. In the best games category, I think you may want to add Fischer vs Spassky, Game 6 of the World Championship 1972 match. It really is a work of stunning "Mozartian" beauty by Fischer. I've never seen a player in such total, effortless control against a World Champion. Spassky is powerless, it seems, from the 1st move to the last. When I first went through it I got goosebumps, as well as butterflies in the pit of my stomach. Still today, I am in total awe of its apparent perfection and flow. It's like a superior version of Capa reborn.
By the way, are you a casual or serious chess player? What is your rating (approximately if you don't know exactly)?
I agree with you. A great vocal performance. Thanks for the link!