The REAL 500 Best Albums Of All Time - Part 14 of 100 (All But Forgotton 60's Musical Wonders)

Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger and the Trinity - "Open" - This LP from 1968 is an eternally fascinating jewel! It's like Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery went to England and recorded an album with Aretha Franklin, except they're all white, and Aretha has the angelic face of Twiggy! Why this LP is not on Rolling Stone's 500 Best Albums of All Time is an enigma deeper than the Atlantic Ocean! Unforgivable!!

Clear Light made one of the more interesting 60's L.A. scene psychedelic albums of the era, but I think they got lost in the shadows of their label mates The Doors!

What I know ain't always right, but what I've always heard was that when original member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention Elliot Ingber got out of the Army, Frank wouldn't have any more to do with him musically because he wouldn't tolerate any drug use, and Elliot had turned into a stoner. Stoner anthem "Don't Bogart Me" and other great tunes abound on this LP! It deserves to be on the list more than Madonna I'm sure!

Horn based groups like Blood, Sweat and Tears, Chicago, and Lighthouse were getting pretty popular in the late 60's but The Flock blew them all out of the water! With song titles like "Hornschmeyer's Island" and "Uranian Sircus" I just don't understand why they were never a real commercial success!!

Excuse my French, but how in the Fuck is it that Steppenwolf is not in or even ever been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? "Born To Be Wild" is the biker anthem of all time, and this album "Monster" has what I consider the greatest song ever to describe what's wrong with the world today on it, "Monster!" "There's a monster on the loose, it's got our heads into the noose, and it just sits there watchin'!" Hell Yeah!!

The REAL 500 Best Albums Of All Time - Part 13 of 100 (Folk Music Gone Mad)

 It was 1969 in basic training at Fort Ord, California that late one night I tuned my little transistor radio into some radio station in Berkeley, California. The signal was poor and full of static but what I remember hearing was Dave Van Ronk and the Hudson Duster's "Romping Through The Swamp!" My life has never been the same! And if that ain't enough, they also do an amazing version of "Swingin' On A Star!"

 After Dylan went electric, it blew the whole scene wide open! David Blue was one of the weirder purveyors of this new art form! Starting off with "The Gasman Won't Buy Your Love," it just keeps getting better and better!

 I bought this Incredible String Band album in 1968! I had no idea what I was getting myself into, I just knew it had the craziest cover I had ever seen! I still own it!

 Phil Ochs is such a tragic story! He was pretty much gone by this point! One of the most talented protest song folk singers of the time, Phil decided to make an electric album with a cover that was a satirical send up of The King. Even the back said 5000 Phil Ochs fans can't be wrong! What's the joke? Phil never had any hits! I love this album!
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Now there's no way this record should have ever been left off of Rolling Stones top 500 albums list! It's Shel Silverstein, and every song is a jewel! I'll just leave you with just a taste of Shel's genius, "After you been eating steak for a long time, beans, beans taste fine!" This is one of THE best records ever made!

The REAL 500 Best Albums Of All Time - Part 12 of 100 (The Truth)

 There are so many great jazz albums, it's really difficult  not to treat jazz as a completely different category! For now I'll choose this 1972 double album by Cannonball Adderley! Conceptually brilliant and performed beautifully!

 Sometimes you just can't get away from records you had as a kid! This is one of the first albums I ever owned, I think The Columbia Record Club had something to do with it! If you were raised on cowboy movies and TV shows, this is the soundtrack to your life!

 I said I wasn't going to include any greatest hits LPs on this list, but sometimes there's no other choice! To me, Johnny Horton was as much a legend as Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens!

 I got to see Loggins and Messina on their first tour when this record was first released!  They made quite an impression on me. They were truly unique at the time!

Just in case you think I only listen to 60's and 70's music! I nominate this 2000 CD by The Dickinson Brothers! They did their Daddy proud! One of the few bands I'd still like to see 'Live!'

The REAL 500 Best Albums Of All Time (LOVE+) Part 11 of 100

Well, everybody always has LOVE's album "Forever Changes" on their list, but I don't think it's possible to discount the quality of their first two albums either! LOVE's first album was unique and probably had the best Burt Bacharach cover of all time, "My Little Red Book!"

LOVE's 2nd album "da capo" was also fantastic! They moved it way up in the psychedelic department, but it was still gritty! The side two opus "Revelation" is just that, and has never sounded old or tired to me! The single "7 and 7 Is" is precisely that, it IS!!

"Forever Changes" took LOVE in a completely different direction, and is on Rolling Stone's list for good reason! Definitely a timeless classic!!

I said I wouldn't put any 'greatest hits' records on this list, but I lied. I cannot possibly believe that The Animals weren't included in any form on The R.S. list! This record "The Best Of The Animals" has no less than five of the most classic songs of all time on it! "House Of The Rising Sun," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," "Bring It On Home To Me," "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place," and "It's My Life!" Jeez, what more do you want? 

Here's another complete snub on the R.S. list, THEM! How it that possible? Besides "Gloria" the number one most classic angst driven sex song of all time, this record also includes "Here Comes The Night," and the incredibly haunting "Mystic Eyes," so the rest of the songs don't even matter. Those three songs alone are enough to make this record be included on the 500 Greatest of all time!

The REAL 500 Best Albums Of All Time (Great Guitarists) Part 10 of 100

 Here's five albums that have killer guitar work on them! Rolling Stone has Jackson Brown on their Top 500 list, but not David Lindley, the guy who made Jackson Brown's records rock! This 1981 LP is simply fantastic, and has the hottest version of "Mercury Blues" on it that was ever recorded!

Former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck's first solo LP came out in 1979 and was titled "Blow By Blow" and took him from being merely a rock guitar player to being a real innovator in the genre called Jazz Rock or Fusion music! This is a beautiful record!

 Roy Buchanan is one of the most underrated guitarists of all time. You never knew what Roy was going to come up with! This 'live' album released in 1975 shines, and Roy's playing will give you goosebumps! I could listen to one song titled  "Can I Change My Mind" all day long and never get tired of it!

 This album by the 18 year old Shuggie Otis came out in 1971! It was called "Freedom Flight" and just like on Prince's first album,  Shuggie is almost entirely responsible for everything you hear! He did the lead and background vocals, played guitar, bass, organ, drums, bells, bottleneck guitar, and tack piano! Needless to say, my copy is worn out!

I had trouble picking out which Spirit album to put on this list, but this LP from 1969 titled "Clear" is probably my favourite of their records. Jazzy, somewhat laid back, this record sets an unforgettable mood. Randy California's guitar work is always interesting, and I dig it! Not only is this one not on Rolling Stone's list, even worse, no albums by Spirit are! Sorry, that's just wrong!

The REAL 500 Best Albums Of All Time (Almost Unbelievable Omissions) Part 9 of 100

 This 1966 LP by Donovan was totally overlooked despite having the classic song "Season Of The Witch" on it! Without a doubt it deserved to be on the list!

 I love this album from 1990 by Dread Zeppelin! You've got a great Elvis impersonator as a front man while doing Reggae covers of Led Zeppellin!  What the Hell more could you possibly want? These guys have some real imagination!!!

 I'm just not quite sure how this 1971 Nilsson album didn't make Rolling Stone's list! With super classic tunes like "Coconut" and "Jump Into The Fire" with Herbie Flowers driving bass line, the only thing it was missing was the song that was saved for "Son Of Schmilsson," "You're Breaking My Heart" (So Fuck You!) Harry in his bathrobe on the cover is beyond classy!

 Little Feat have more than one classic album, but I think this one is my favourite! With the talents of Lowell George, Paul Barrere, and the keyboard skills of one of the best pianists in rock history, Bill Payne rockin' from start to finish, this 1973 record is amazing, and with the heavenly backup singer combination punch using singers Bonnie Bramlett, Bonnie Raitt, Daring Dan Hutton, Debbie Lindsey, Gloria Jones, Stephanie Spurville, and Tret Fure, it's just almost unbeatable!

From the first time I heard it til the last time I heard it, this 1970 album by Jerry Williams, AKA Swamp Dogg delivers just what it set out to do! "Total Destruction To Your Mind!"  This record should have been a no brainer choice for RS's list, but instead it was totally ignored! What's wrong with people? I guess their minds were already destroyed!!

The REAL 500 Best Albums Of All Time (No Argument) Part 6 - 8 of 100

Here's 15 albums that I agree 100% with Rolling Stone that should be on the Top 500 Albums Of All Time!

Buffalo Springfield - Again

Bob Marley and the Wailers - Natty Dread

Sly and the Family Stone - Stand

Cream - Fresh Cream

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced

The Doors

The Band

The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed

Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home

The WHO - Sings My Generation

The Pretenders

Steely Dan - Aja

Otis Redding - The Dock of the Bay

The Velvet Underground and Nico

Nirvana - Unplugged in NewYork

The REAL 500 Best Albums Of All TIme (In My Humble Opinion) Part 5 of 100 (Give Me A Break!)

 The 1967 album "Boogie With Canned Heat" somehow didn't make it on the Rolling Stone top 500 despite having timeless classics like "On The Road Again," "Amphetamine Annie," and "An Owl Song" on it! Jeez, Buzz for me Henry! 

 This 1967 LP by Country Joe & The Fish titled "Electric Music For The Mind and Body" might be THE most psychedelic album ever made, but somehow didn't manage to make Rolling Stone's list! Unimaginable!

 This 1966 LP called "The Emancipation Of Hugh Masekela was unlike any music ever produced before, and the vocal  tunes "What Is Wrong With Groovin'?" and "Why Are You Blowing My Mind" are standouts among a field of instrumental African Jazz Funk classics! Was it on Rolling Stone's list? Hell No! Thanks to my buddy Rene' for turning me on to it back in the day!

 Here's one that really girds my grid! Not only have they never elected Link Wray into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but this mondo classic 1971 LP by him is all but totally ignored! Link Wray is, was, and will always be, THE MAN, and this album totally reflects his greatness!!

Yep, believe it not, the first Seeds album isn't on Rolling Stone's list either. This 1966 record included the memorable "Pushin' Too Hard" and other awesome tunes like "No Escape," "Try To Understand," and "Nobody Spoil My Fun" that still stand original to this day! Unbelievable!!