Top 5's Part Three-Random Shit

What 5 albums do you wish you could've been a fly on the wall forduring the recording sessions? I myself have to think about this but I wanted to post it before I forgot.

1. Animals As Leaders-Weightless
2. AC/DC-Let There Be Rock
3. Thin Lizzy-Jailbreak
4. Miles Davis-Sorcerer
5. Prince-Purple Rain

Too many to even contemplate, I'll just choose 5 at random.

1. Duke Ellington/Charles Mingus/Max Roach - Money Jungle session. This is legendary not only for the music, but the tension between Roach and Mingus who could barely be in the same room together, let alone record a masterpiece jazz album (which they did anyway).

2. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland sessions. The non-stop parade of guest musicians and hangers on during these sessions are legendary, a 24 hour a day drug induced free for all that managed to produce another stunning masterpiece of an album.

3. Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - Tony Iommi took over the production chair (though he's not credited, Sabbath's manager was listed as producer though he had no input on the sessions) for Sabbath's most "mature" offering. I'd love to see how these tunes were arranged, how session players like Rick Wakeman were integrated into the recording, the string overdubs on Spiral Architect, etc.

4. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue - Aside from the rehearsed intro to So What, this session was primarily improvised on the spot. The players showed up and Miles gave each of them a scale sheet, telling them which mode they would play in during each section. Once the players new the modal changes, they were free to improvise as long as they didn't stray from the mode. You can hear Coltrane straining at the bit, poised to break out on his own within the next 6 months. Cannonball Adderley has also evolved, spurred on by Coltrane he hardens his attack and would also go into a very successful solo career. Bill Evans & Wynton Kelly share the piano duties, the ever solid Paul Chambers (who was featured on hundreds of jazz recordings) lays down the bassline and the ever swinging Jimmy Cobb plays the kit.

5. Jethro Tull - Aqualung/Led Zeppelin - IV - These two albums were recorded at the same time in a converted Church studio, Jethro Tull had the large upstairs space, Led Zeppelin had the smaller studios downstairs. Two landmark rock albums recorded at the same time in the same building! Ian Anderson famously made a joke about how good it would sound if he sang for the Page/Jones/Bonham rhythm section...which pissed off Robert Plant and they haven't spoken since!

Ah, good ones, SD. I've got to get Money Jungle post haste! I chose 5 at random as well, there are too many to list like you said. Great in depth descriptions.

Top 5 Guitarists That Influenced Me When I First Picked Up The Guitar:

1. SRV
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. Magic Sam
4. Buddy Guy
5. Albert Collins

Top 5 Guitarists That Influence Me Now:

1. Tosin Abasi (Animals As Leaders)
2. Wino
3. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
4. Jeff Martin (Tea Party)
5. Tracy G. (Dio)

1. The first Ramones album

2. Warrior Soul's SALUTATIONS FROM THE GHETTO NATION

3. Raven's ALL FOR ONE (would be cool to sit in the control booth with Udo Dirkschneider and Michael Wagener and watch the band go f*ckin' nuts!)

4. KISS' debut album (when they were still young and hungry)

5. Megadeth's KILLING IS MY BUSINESS (just to see for myself if the stories about half the recording budget going up the bands' noses were true)

Quote :

What 5 albums do you wish you could've been a fly on the wall forduring the recording sessions?

Any DLR-era Van Halen from the 70's. Dave always made it sound like a party going on during those sessions.

Any Beatles album during their "session years". The bonus disc on Let It Be...Naked gives a little glimpse of the creative process and I find it facinating.

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds. I'd like to watch Brian Wilson come undone.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Ooh, that Pet Sounds would be a great thing to watch.

Akeldama wrote:

Top 5 Guitarists That Influenced Me When I First Picked Up The Guitar:

1. SRV
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. Magic Sam
4. Buddy Guy
5. Albert Collins

Top 5 Guitarists That Influence Me Now:

1. Tosin Abasi (Animals As Leaders)
2. Wino
3. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
4. Jeff Martin (Tea Party)
5. Tracy G. (Dio)

I'll take a stab at the first 5. This is going to be based primarily on the guitarists I was actually trying to learn from records.

1. Jimi Hendrix - though I must admit I sucked at it. It was a good ten years before I could play this stuff and have it not sound anemic.

2. Jimmy Page - I loved the Zep rhythm sound and it seemed like a logical starting place. When I first started playing I really wanted to begin "at the beginning" so to speak, at least from the hard rock perspective.

3. Tony Iommi - I learned most of the debut and Paranoid around the same time as I was jamming the Zep stuff. I would eventually learn most of the early albums (even instrumentals like Laguna Sunrise), because I had come to the conclusion that if I could play everything Iommi could play...then I pretty much had my bases covered as far as metal was concerned.

4. Alex Lifeson - Rush was another band I attacked immediately once getting a guitar. I concentrated primarily on the early albums at the time. I also spent weeks learning La Villa Strangiato...I never practice like that now...and I still remember how to play that song.

5. Metallica - The first album I learned how to jam from beginning to end was Kill 'Em All.


Now:

I don't really get much inspiration from guitar players these days. Songwriting, composition, melody, arranging...that means more to me now than specific players. I don't try and learn songs and solos note for note any longer. If I hear a tune I really like I'll try to figure out what the ingredients are that inspired that feeling in me...then I'll take that vibe and try to create something of my own from it.

Great post, SD. Your "Now" part is exactly how I approach guitarists who inspire me these days. I try to learn the techniques that intrigue me and all of the essentials. Mustaine will always e my biggest influence but at the moment Tosin and Wino are the ones giving me the most inspiration, and fits!

Top 5 American Rock Bands:

I need time to answer this one.

I've been trying to come up w/a top 5 but I just can't.

Akeldama wrote:

Top 5 American Rock Bands:

I need time to answer this one.

yeah, thats hard, I'll have to think about it as well.

Akeldama wrote:

Top 5 Guitarists That Influenced Me When I First Picked Up The Guitar:

1. SRV
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. Magic Sam
4. Buddy Guy
5. Albert Collins

Top 5 Guitarists That Influence Me Now:

1. Tosin Abasi (Animals As Leaders)
2. Wino
3. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
4. Jeff Martin (Tea Party)
5. Tracy G. (Dio)

I'll give this a shot

At first
1. Marty Friedman
2. SRV
3. East Bay Ray (Dead Kennedys)
4. Hendrix
5. Angus Young

Now
1. Frank Zappa
2. Larry LaLonde
3. Dean Ween
4. Jimmy Page
5. Hendrix

I'm more of a keyboard player nowadays anyway

Akeldama wrote:

Top 5 American Rock Bands:

I need time to answer this one.

Do you mean any band not labeled Metal at any time, just labeled Rock?

theJOKERiv wrote:

Akeldama wrote:

Top 5 American Rock Bands:

I need time to answer this one.

Do you mean any band not labeled Metal at any time, just labeled Rock?

Yes, precisely.

Akeldama wrote:

theJOKERiv wrote:

Akeldama wrote:

Top 5 American Rock Bands:

I need time to answer this one.

Do you mean any band not labeled Metal at any time, just labeled Rock?

Yes, precisely.

Thx - trying to figure it out....... Grand Fuck Railroad is an "American Band" LOL!

theJOKERiv wrote:

Akeldama wrote:

theJOKERiv wrote:

Akeldama wrote:

Top 5 American Rock Bands:

I need time to answer this one.

Do you mean any band not labeled Metal at any time, just labeled Rock?

Yes, precisely.

Thx - trying to figure it out....... Grand Fuck Railroad is an "American Band" LOL!

Lol! They seem to creep into my mind while I'm trying to compile my list just b/c of that song as well but they'd NEVER make my top 5.

'rock' is such a broad term, there's no way I'll be able to narrow it down

Ok, let's do this to help narrow things down...

Top 5 American Rock Bands Of The '70s.

Akeldama wrote:

Ok, let's do this to help narrow things down...

Top 5 American Rock Bands Of The '70s.

How broad does the term "rock" extend? Like, would progressive rock be included? Or just the blues/hard rock type styles that seemed to be more popular then?

Prog is good as is Jazz Rock a la Steely Dan...no Soft Rock Dan Fogelberg b/s.

Okay then, I know Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers will be in my list somewhere. Now just to figure out the rest...

Steely Dan will be on mine as well...the Doobies? Maybe...

Akeldama wrote:

Steely Dan will be on mine as well...the Doobies? Maybe...

I'm honestly stumped. I can't think of many more that rank up there, all of the 70's bands that come to mind are freakin' British.