top 50 of the last 50 years

[Dan Warburton]

4. Miles Davis - Live in Tokyo (With Sam Rivers! Yeah!)

Never understood why this one wasn't properly reissued along with the other mid 60s Shorter quintet discs. For years it was only available on a ridiculously expensive Jap import. Way to go Alex - and way to go Miles: no wonder he had to sack Sam after this tour.. that cat was taking him much further out than he probably wanted to go.. great record.

30. Captain Beefheart - Doc at the Radar Station

My favourite too, if pushed to choose one, probably because it was the first Beefheart I really got into. The guy who played it to me was reading English at Gonville and Caius and was pushing to do a PhD thesis on Beefheart lyrics, with the support of Caius don JH Prynne. Hard to imagine Prynne digging "Making Love To A Vampire With A Monkey On My Knee", but there you go. The thesis, fwiw, never got written and the student in question ended up running a travel agency in Yorkshire. He still has his copy of the Factory Sampler 2x45 and I haven't excluded a guerrilla raid on Knaresborough.

38. Madonna - Into the Groove. Just the song itself. Not any of her albums.

Nah, I'll take "Lucky Star", like Bullet Tooth Tony.

47. Phosphor - Phosphor II (Yeah, I know hardly anyone liked this. Y'all can go fuck yourselves)

I liked it (more than the first album actually), and so did Bivins:
http://www.paristransatlantic.com/magaz ... ext.html#9
Hey, what happened to Adorno?

[olie brice]

1.Ornette Coleman – This Is Our Music (1961)
2.John Coltrane – The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings (1961)
3.Eric Dolphy & Booker Little – At The Five Spot 1 & 2 (1961)
4.Cecil Taylor – Nefertiti, The Beautiful One Has Come (1962)
5.Sonny Rollins – The Bridge (1962)
6.Duke Ellington / Charles Mingus / Max Roach – Money Jungle (1963)
7.Steve Lacy & Roswell Rudd – School Days (1963)
8.John Coltrane – Crescent (1964)
9.John Coltrane – A Love Supreme (1964)
10.Miles Davis – Live in Japan (1964)
11.Andrew Hill – Black Fire (1964)
12.Albert Ayler – Spiritual Unity (1964)
13.Sam Rivers- Fuschia Swing Song (1964)
14.Miles Davis – Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel (1965)
15.Otis Redding – Otis Blue (1965)
16.Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
17.Sonny Rollins – East Broadway Rundown (1966)
18.The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)
19.Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved a man (1967)
20.Jimmy Lyons – Other Afternoons (1969)
21.Evan Parker / Derek Bailey / Han Bennink – The Topography of the Lungs (1970)
22.Ornette Coleman – Live in Paris (1971)
23.Curtis Mayfield – Curtis Live (1971)
24.Rolling Stones – Exile on Mainstreet (1972)
25.John Martyn – Solid Air (1973)
26.Joni Mitchell – Hejira (1976)
27.Fela Kuti – Zombie (1977)
28.The Congos- Heart of the Congos (1977)
29.Johnny Dyani – Song for Biko (1978)
30.Louis Moholo-Moholo – Spirits Rejoice (1978)
31.Dr. Alimantado – Best Dressed Chicken in Town (1978)
32.Andrew Hill – Strange Serenade (1980)
33.Steve Lacy & Mal Waldron – Round Midnight (1981)
34.Derek Bailey – Aida (1981)
35.Derek Bailey & Steve Lacy – Outcome (1983)
36.Sonic Youth – Bad Moon Rising – (1985)
37.Mal Waldron – The Git Go (1986)
38.Lee Konitz & Red Mitchell – I Concentrate on You (1987)
39.Bill Dixon – Vade Mecum 1 & 2 (1994)
40.Lee Konitz & Paul Bley – Out of Nowhere (1997)
41.Anti-Pop Consortium – Tragic Epilogue (2000)
42.A Silver Mt Zion – Born Into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upwards (2001)
43.Bonnie Prince Billy – Ease Down the Road - (2001)
44.Bill McHenry Quartet – Featuring Paul Motian – (2002)
45.Konono No. 1 – Congotronics (2004)
46.Paul Motian – I Have the Room Above Her (2005)
47.Arditti Quartet – Elliott Carter String Quartets 1-4 (2005)
48.Andrew Hill - Time Lines (2006)
49.Schlippenbach Trio – Winterreise (2006)
50.Barry Guy / Mats Gustafsson / Raymond Strid – Tarfala (2008)

[J.F.]

Yes... in a few months, my list maybe would include some of those free jazz classics instead of the girlie post-punk stuff I've chosen for now. Man... what pearls I left out...

[Wombatz]

4. Miles Davis - Live in Tokyo (With Sam Rivers! Yeah!)

Never understood why this one wasn't properly reissued along with the other mid 60s Shorter quintet discs. For years it was only available on a ridiculously expensive Jap import. Way to go Alex - and way to go Miles: no wonder he had to sack Sam after this tour.. that cat was taking him much further out than he probably wanted to go.. great record.

But it's been properly reissued in 05. (Btw, in the liners again everybody involved stresses Rivers was booked only for the tour and had his own engagements aound Boston coming up, so he wasn't fired. I never understood why he was supposed to sound farther out than the rest of the group anyway. It seems the intensity of the music invited these kind of little myths, for the record before that (Funny Valentine/Four & More) it's said Miles hadn't told his musicians this was a charity, so right before the concert they first heard they wouldn't get paid and everybody was angry, and they played fast tunes extra fast to throw Miles.)

... Now this has made me search for the other two Japan dates on the net. The myth goes: first concert they didn't gel, second was great and got published, third everything fell apart. Listening to the first right now, it's probably superior as a group effort, even, and Rivers' entries are rather more confident (which might have to do with the fact that Miles himself sounds unfocused).

[negative potential]

My favourite too, if pushed to choose one, probably because it was the first Beefheart I really got into.

Maybe it's a generational thing; all these 60s guys like Olewnick and Walter Horn or late-boomers like Reynolds seem to like Trout Mask the best, but I really love the Virgin albums, they sound tighter and more contemporaneous with stuff like Pere Ubu and PIL. Of course those bands were all influenced by Beefheart.

I dunno, I think that was just a great period for music. It's like the soundtrack to a world of European public housing and glass-and-steel office buildings. Trout Mask sounds too much to me like a California record in comparison.

Nah, I'll take "Lucky Star", like Bullet Tooth Tony.

Meh. I don't like her first album at all. No, for me it's "Into The Groove" all the way, maybe also Vogue. Also that song she did a couple years ago where she sampled an Abba song. But only "Into the Groove" makes my top 50 of all time. I have to hear that shit at least once a week.

47. Phosphor - Phosphor II (Yeah, I know hardly anyone liked this. Y'all can go fuck yourselves)

I liked it (more than the first album actually), and so did Bivins:
http://www.paristransatlantic.com/magaz ... ext.html#9

OK, fair enough. You and Bivens will be spared when the revolution comes. Instead, you just have to work in a farm implements factory.

Hey, what happened to Adorno?

Dude, I have no idea what the fuck happened to my avatar. I love that picture, I guess I have to upload it again.

[Wombatz]

Now this has made me search for the other two Japan dates on the net. The myth goes: first concert they didn't gel, second was great and got published, third everything fell apart. Listening to the first right now, it's probably superior as a group effort, even, and Rivers' entries are rather more confident (which might have to do with the fact that Miles himself sounds unfocused).

Third day: Whoa, they come on like they all won't ever get paid again. That's the one!

[Dan Warburton]

Now this has made me search for the other two Japan dates on the net. The myth goes: first concert they didn't gel, second was great and got published, third everything fell apart. Listening to the first right now, it's probably superior as a group effort, even, and Rivers' entries are rather more confident (which might have to do with the fact that Miles himself sounds unfocused).

Third day: Whoa, they come on like they all won't ever get paid again. That's the one!

Got a link? Thanks for the info on this, and above

[Adrian]

negative potential wrote:
47. Phosphor - Phosphor II (Yeah, I know hardly anyone liked this. Y'all can go fuck yourselves)

I love it actually... Don't know (yet) if it'll make my top 50 (if I ever get round to doing it in the first place; and because I've only heard it a few times since getting it 2 weeks ago), but yeah, great album!

[the bird]

I'm a list whore so I usually can't contain myself of doing this kind of lists even though I will later come back and regret to see how many omissions I made.
In no particular order:

John Coltrane - Interstellar Space
Air - Air Lore
George Lewis - Homage to Charles Parker
Keith Rowe, Pimmon, Oren Ambarchi, Pita & Fennesz - Afternoon Tea
AMM - Live in Allentown USA
Södra Bergens Balalaikor - Södra Bergens Balalaikor
Fred Anderson - 2 Days in April
The Stooges - Fun House
Art Ensemble of Chicago - Urban Bushmen
King Sunny Adé - Juju Music
Albert Ayler - Live in Greenwich Village
William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops
Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
Sonic Youth - Confusion Is Sex
Autechre - Confield
Tim Berne - Fractured Fairy Tales
Anthony Braxton - Quartet (Santa Cruz)
Lê Quan Ninh - Ustensiles
Rashied Ali - New Directions in Modern Music
Nuno Canavarro - Plux Quba
Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
Jorge Ben - África Brasil
Konono N°1 - Congotronics
Peter Brötzmann - Never Too Late but Always Too Early
Stars of the Lid - Avec Laudenum
Ryoji Ikeda - 1000 Fragments
Bob Ostertag - Sooner or Later
John Butcher - Fixations
Captain Beefheart - Lick My Decals Off, Baby
Michel Chion - Requiem
Harry Pussy - A: In an Emergency You Can Shit on a Puerto Rican Whore
London Jazz Composers' Orchestra - Double Trouble Two
Clusone Trio - Rara Avis
Brian Eno - Another Green World
Masonna - Ejaculation Generater
Ganelin Trio - Catalogue: Live in East Germany
GOD - Anti-Sex. Anti-Wiretappin
Comus - First Utterance
Evan Parker - At The Vortex
Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance
Keith Rowe - The Room
Schlippenbach Trio - Elf Bagatellen
Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country
Masayuki Takayanagi - Mass Hysterism in Another Situation
Cecil Taylor - One Too Many Salty Swift and Not Goodbye
The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
Fushitsusha - Live
VA - Improvised Music From Japan
4G - Cloud
Iskra 1903 - Buzz Soundtrack
Thomas Köner - Permafrost
Peter Kowald - Duos: Europa America Japan

[mudd]

happy to see harry pussy on a list. reminds me i need to find a copy of that album somehow. pretty sure i have all the contents, but that title...

m

[Dan Warburton]

You can find it on a blog somewhere - I did three or four weeks ago - but I've never really understood the attraction of Harry Pussy, and find Orcutt's recent solo stuff pretty dire. But each to his/her own..

[mudd]

oh i have mp3s all over the place. i want the vinyl, but it seems like it sells for more than it's worth to me.

i haven't been much interested in bill orcutt's recent stuff either, but adris is the best.

m

[presquepartout]

You can find it on a blog somewhere - I did three or four weeks ago - but I've never really understood the attraction of Harry Pussy, and find Orcutt's recent solo stuff pretty dire. But each to his/her own..

i find it enjoyable, though it's probably a bit over-cited as a noise hallmark. i still love that cover of 'showroom dummies' though !

[the bird]

And as an useless data, I've just realized that the word "whore" is mentioned twice on my previous post.

[evil_scientist]

Compiled a top 40 list... Would be a top 50, but I've decided to only mention each artist once. My music taste starts at the end of the 60's and is getting pretty crowded 'round the end: guess I need more older stuff to listen to (if I want a "balanced" taste).
When it comes to Captain Beefheart, I'm a Trout Mask kinda guy.

Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland (1968)
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica (1969)
Amon Düül II - Yeti (1970)
Exuma - Exuma II (1970)
Demon Fuzz - Afreaka! (1970)
Guru Guru - UFO (1970)
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality (1971)
Sun Ra - Space is the Place (1972)
Funkadelic - One Nation Under a Groove (1978)
Kraftwerk - Die Mensch-Maschine (1978)
Borbetomagus - Work on What Has Been Spoiled (1981)
Skullflower - Form Destroyer (1983)
Ramleh - A Return to Slavery/Slaughter at Random (1983)
Hijokaidan - Viva Angel (1984)
Kilslug - Answer the Call (1985)
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (1985)
Jandek - You Walk Alone (1988)
Fields of the Nephilim - The Nephilim (1988)
Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun (1992)
Ruins - Burning Stone (1992)
Butthole Surfers - Indepenent Worm Saloon (1993)
PJ Harvey - Rid of Me (1994)
Ground Zero - Null & Void (1995)
Звуки Му / Zvuki Mu - Простые Вещи (1996)
Goatsnake - Goatsnake I (1999)
Sopor Aeternus - Dead Lover's Sarabande (1999)
The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs (1999)
Electric Wizard - Dopethrone (2000)
Okkervil River - Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See (2002)
Reverend Bizarre - In the Rectory... (2002)
Diamanda Galás - Defixiones, Will and Testament (2003)
Blonde Redhead - Misery is a Butterfly (2004)
Mark Lanegan - Bubblegum (2004)
Melvins - (a) Senile Animal (2006)
Dragonauta - Cabramacabra (2006)
The Knife - Silent Shout (2006)
dälek - Abandoned Language (2007)
Burning Star Core - Operator Dead...Post Abandoned (2007)
Dead Raven Choir - My Firstborn Will Surely Be Blind (2007)
Screaming Females - Power Move (2009)
Extra Life - Made Flesh (2010)

[FifePsy]

Thomas Köner - Permafrost

Great list. Should have had this one on mine as well.

[Lao Tsu Ben]

one per year, to constrain myself

Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Suites (Pierre Fournier) (Archiv, 1961)
Jacques Brel - Olympia 61 (+, 1962)
The Tammys - Egyptian Shumba / What's So Sweet About Sweet Sixteen (United Artists, 1963)
The Ronettes - Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica (Philles, 1964)
Various Artists - Musiques du Cameroun (Ocora, 1965)
France Gall - Baby Pop (Philips, 1966)
Bill Dixon - Intents and Purposes: The Jazz Artistry of Bill Dixon (RCA, 1967)
The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Columbia, 1968)
Toshi Ichiyanagi - Opera Yokoo Tadanori wo utau (+, 1969)

伊東きよ子 - 23時の女―ラブ・イン― (Woman at 23 Hour Love-In) (CBS, 1970)
Arnold Schoenberg / Alban Berg / Anton Webern - Neue Wiener Schule: Die Streichquartette (LaSalle Quartett) (Deutsche Grammophon, 1971)
Kaoru Abe - 木曜日の夜 [Mokuyôbi no Yoru] (+, 1972)
John Fahey - Fare Forward Voyagers (Soldier's Choice) (Takoma, 1973)
Jorge Ben - A Tábua de Esmeralda (Philips, 1974)
Masayuki Takayanagi - New Direction Unit: April Is the Cruellest Month (+, 1975)
Dorothy Carter - Troubadour (+, 1976)
Hans Werner Henze - Tristan – prelude for piano, tapes and orchestra (Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester/Hans Werner Henze; Homero Francesch, piano) (Deutsche Grammophon, 1977)
Ştefan Niculescu - Ison Ia / Echos / Ison II (Abramovici, violin; Ars Nova / Ţăranu; Brâncuşi) (Electrerecord, 1978)
Polly Bradfield - Solo Violin Improvisations (Parachute, 1979)

Ilitch - 10 Suicides (Scopa, 1980)
Derek Bailey - Aida (Incus, 1981) [this year was really tough]
Yoshi Wada - Lament for the Rise and Fall of the Elephantine Crocodile (India Navagation 1982)
Franz Schubert - Quintett C-dur (Schiff, cello/ Alban Berg Quartett) (His Master's Voice, 1983)
Franz Schubert - Le Voyage d'Hiver [Jon Vickers; Geoffrey Parsons] (EMI, 1984)
Hijokaidan - King of Noise (Alchemy, 1985)
Felt - Forever Breathes the Lonely Word (Creation, 1986)
Guillaume de Machaut - The Mirror of Narcissus: Songs by Guillaume de Machaut (Gothic Voices/Christopher Page) (Hyperion, 1987)
Poul Ruders - Corpus Cum Figuris; Thus Saw St. John; Manhattan Abstraction (Ensemble InterContemporain; Danish Radio S.O./Eötvös; Knussen; Schonwandt) (Point, 1988)
John Cage - The Complete String Quartets, Vol. 1 (Arditti Quartet) (Mode, 1989)

Alfred Schnittke - Kremer plays Schnittke: Concerto grosso No.1; Quasi una sonata; Moz-Art à la Haydn; A Paganini (Gidon Kremer, Tatiana Grindenko, Yuri Smirnov; The Chamber Orchestra of Europe; Heinrich Schiff) (Deutsche Grammophon, 1990)
Anton Webern - The Complete String Trios and Quartets (Arditti String Quartet) (Montaigne, 1991)
周璇 - 百代・中国時代曲名典 (Pathe, 1992)
Carlo Gesualdo - Complete Sacred Music for Five Voices (Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly) (Naxos, 1993)
Ludwig van Beethoven - The Late Beethoven Quartets, Vol. 2 (Lindsay String Quartet) (ASV, 1994)
Rev. Utah Smith & Lonnie Farris - Slide Guitar Gospel (Document, 1995)
Sun City Girls - Dante's Disneyland Inferno (Abduction, 1996)
Franz Schubert - "Trout" Quintet; "Death and the Maiden" Quartet (Amadeus Quartet; Emil Gilels; Rainer Zepperitz) (Deutsche Grammophon, 1997)
Taku Sugimoto - Opposite (Hat Hut, 1998)
Oidupaa Vladimir Oiun - Divine Music From a Jail (+, 1999)

Guillaume Dufay - O gemma lux (Huelgas Ensemble/Paul Van Nevel) (Harmonia Mundi, 2000)
Greg Kelley & Jason Lescalleet - Forlorn Green (Erstwhile, 2001)
Morton Feldman - String Quartet No. 2 (FLUX Quartet) (Mode, 2002)
Georg Friedrich Haas - In Vain, for 24 instruments (Klangforum Wien/Sylvain Cambreling) (KAIROS, 2003)
Keith Rowe & John Tilbury - Duos for Doris (Erstwhile, 2004)
Nikos Veliotis, Taku Sugimoto, Kazushige Kinoshita & Taku Unami - Quartet (Hibari, 2005)
Nmperign & Jason Lescalleet - Love Me Two Times (Intransitive, 2006)
Big Blood - Space Gallery Jan. 27, 2007 / Sahara Club Jan. 28, 2007 (Dontrustheruin, 2007) [so much to choose from]
Antoine Beuger - A Young Person's Guide to Antoine Beuger (Slub, 2008)
Michael Pisaro - Hearing Metal 1 (Wandelweiser, 2009)
Annette Krebs & Taku Unami - Motubachii (Erstwhile, 2010)
Taku Unami / Takahiro Kawaguchi - Teatro Assente (Erstwhile, 2011)

This is perhaps the most snobbish top that I have ever seen. Anyway I must thank you for it. A lot of those records were unknown to me, and are also often quite beautiful.

[bedouin]

TOP OF THE TOPS

Not surprisingly lots of entries in this thread (over 1000).
(have the complete Excel file if anyone wants it)

So, here are your top results so far with number of votes on top.
One and two point entries have been left out



Taku Sugimoto - Opposite (hat NOIR) (1998)
The Stooges - Fun House (Elektra) (1970)


Can - Tago Mago (United Artists) (1971)
Keith Rowe and John Tilbury - Duos for Doris
Keith Rowe, Sachiko M, Toshimaru Nakamura, Otomo Yoshihide - Erstlive 005


AMM - AMMMusic
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica
Charles Mingus - The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady
Morton Feldman - String Quartet II Ives Ensemble, Hat Hut.
Peter Brotzmann - Machine Gun


Albert Ayler - Spiritual Unity (1964)
Alex von Schlippenbach - PAKISTANI POMADE
AMM - NEWFOUNDLAND
Anton Webern - Complete Works for String Quartet (3 different entries)
Art Ensemble of Chicago - Urban Bushmen.
Can - Ege Bamyasi
Cecil Taylor - One Too Many Salty Swift and Not Goodbye
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis (1970)
Derek Bailey - Aida
Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch
Evan Parker / Derek Bailey / Han Bennink - The Topography of the Lungs (Incus, 1970)
Gang of Four - Entertainment! [EMI]
Giant Sand - Long Stem Rant
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland (1968)
John Coltrane - Live At The Village Vanguard Again! (1966)
Joy Division - Closer (Factory, 1980)
Martin Siewert/Martin Brandlmayr - Too Beautiful To Burn (2003)
Morton Feldman - All Piano (performed by John TIlbury) (LondonHALL) (2000)
Sun Ra - Space Is the Place.
The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
This Heat - Deceit.
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs, (Island Records, 1985)

[bedouin]

17 - Keith Rowe
16 - Miles Davis
15 - AMM
14 - Morton Feldman
14 - Taku Sugimoto
13 - Evan Parker
12 - John Coltrane
11 - Bob Dylan
11 - Cecil Taylor
10 - Captain Beefheart

...followed by:
9 - Can
8 - Sun Ra
7 - Albert Ayler
7 - Charles Mingus
7 - John Cage
6 - Art Ensemble of Chicago
6 - Gang of Four
6 - Kevin Drumm
6 - Sonic Youth


Corrected, per comments below...

[J.F.]

Wow.

And: Evan Parker is there two times. Maybe one of the Evans has to be Derek?