1001+ Albums: 1957

1001+ Albums: 1957

Album of the Year: This Is Fats
   Artist: Fats Domino

       This was a bit of a pain to find. Not on Spotify, had to search for a while before I found a playlist on Youtube. Anyway. The world of Fats Domino is a happy and easy going one, the problems in his life peaking at such issues as his neighbors rooster dying. Simple songs that work well in there simplicity, giving of an aura of calm and happiness. Bluesy rock n roll that is pretty unchanging throughout, which makes it lucky that it's a good sound, and one that doesn't grow tiresome or repetitive.

   Best Track: Baby Please, A slower, more melancholy (but still light) choice from the album, featuring a beautifully blue guitar.
   Worst Track: As Time Goes By, instrumental, and I've had a lot of that already with all the jazz.
   Rating: B+

The Rest: 

The Atomic Mr. Basie *Best Album Cover*
   Artist: Count Basie

       I don't know about atomic, but it's at least a hand grenade. To me, it sounds like more jazz, but I have to say it's growing on me. It's becoming less of something I have to get through to get to the stuff I want to listen to, and more something I'm, at the very least, somewhat curious about. If this is anything, it's a way to broaden my horizons, and introduce me to music I otherwise probably would not have experienced.

   Best Track: Jazz
   Worst Track: Jazz
   Rating: C


Here's Little Richard
   Artist: Little Richard

       Little Richard has a voice so powerful, so brash, and so dynamic that it seems to be made out of rock n' roll itself (at least what rock was at the time). It's just perfect, just the right balance of growl in those howls and switching easily to that pure, clear voice that will interrupt the raucous yells of rock n' roll soul. Blazing through the songs with such passion and energy, and doing it with such ease, you feel that most of these songs are pretty much made by his voice.

   Best Track: Long Tall Sally (The Thing), for the coarse howls and the sweet woos.
   Worst Track: Oh Why?, because Richard's voice is so good that the songs feel lacking without it.
   Rating: B

Kenya
   Artist: Machito

       Latin jazz seems to be the sexier, spicier, and more foot tappingly vibrant cousin of American jazz of the 1950s. Now as I've said before, I don't know much about jazz, but I know I took to this more than I did the others. I think it's the drumming. Whatever it is, this one moved me to move much more than the other jazz albums I've listened to thus far, and therefore this gets a higher rating in my eyes for it's ability capture my enjoyment as much as it does my attention.

   Best Track: Jazz (aka I have no idea).
   Worst Track: See above.
   Rating: C+

Palo Congo
   Artist: Sabu Martinez

       What makes latin jazz without lyrics better than latin jazz with lyrics, aka what makes Kenya better than Palo Congo. I think it has something to do with out basic relationship to language. In Kenya, there was no lyrics to interpret. In Palo Congo, there are, and while the brain tries to figure out what the lyrics are saying as it would any song I'd typically listen to, it confuses itself because the it can't understand the lyrics. Or so I blindly assume, which I'm probably wrong on. Just a theory. Otherwise, it's fine.

   Best Track: NA (foreign language jazz)
   Worst Track: NA
   Rating: D+


The Chirping Crickets
   Artist: The Crickets

       Full of rollicking rockabilly spirit and tune. While the best of the album is simply superb, it also feels like there are a few throwaways, and just not up to scratch with the rest. In contrast with the classics they just look a little weak. The good stuff though is fantastic, with brilliance in form of tight, perfected song craft. Buddy Holly is the face and voice of Rockabilly, and one of the most recognizable names in all of rock, certainly early 50s stuff. Maybe not the king, but certainly the archbishop.

   Best Track: Not Fade Away, for being the most staying of the many true classics on the album.
   Worst Track: An Empty Cup (A Broken Date), compared to the rest, weak lyrics and a weaker idea and setup. Forgettable.
   Rating: B

Brilliant Corners
   Artist: Thelonious Monk

       Maybe it's the discipline required, or the fine tuned ear, but I seem to get the feeling that while I'm enjoying what I'm hearing, I'm not really appreciating it as I should. Jazz isn't like rock or country or hip hop or rap, it's more abstract, more avant-garde. It, usually, doesn't have lyrics to latch onto or a repetitive melody to follow (or maybe it does, who knows, I obviously don't). All I can really say is it's something I'm liking more and more the more I listen to it, and it's whet my appetite for more of it's kind to follow.

   Best Track: All of it.
   Worst Track: Not much of it.
   Rating: C+