Rank an album's songs thread
i'll start with two short ones:
kind of blue
1. all blues
2. so what
3. freddie freeloader
4. flamenco sketches
5. blue in green
person pitch
1. good girl/carrots
2. bros
3. take pills
4. comfy in nautica
5. ponytail
6. i'm not
7. search for delicious
when a song as good as "i'm not" is the 2nd worst on an album, you know it's a fuckin great record
kind of blue
1. all blues
2. so what
3. freddie freeloader
4. flamenco sketches
5. blue in green
person pitch
1. good girl/carrots
2. bros
3. take pills
4. comfy in nautica
5. ponytail
6. i'm not
7. search for delicious
when a song as good as "i'm not" is the 2nd worst on an album, you know it's a fuckin great record
Comments
Blue Album
1. "Say it Ain't So"
2. "My Name is Jonas"
3. "Holiday"
4. "Surf Wax America"
5. "Undone - The Sweater Song"
6. "Buddy Holly"
7. "In the Garage"
8. "No One Else"
9. "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here"
10. "Only in Dreams"
Pinkerton
1. "Across the Sea"
2. "No Other One"
3. "Tired of Sex"
4. "Butterfly"
5. "Falling for You"
6. "Why Bother?"
7. "Pink Triangle"
8. "El Scorcho"
9. "The Good Life"
10. "Getchoo"
It's also where Rivers' songwriting started to show a more serious side, which is something I really appreciate as a much bigger fan of Pinkerton overall.
I write you
in spite of years of silence
you've cleaned up
found Jesus
things are good or so I hear
This bottle of Steven's
awakens ancient feelings
LIKE FATHER
STEPFATHER
THE SON IS DROWNING IN THE FLOOD
YEAH YEAH
YEAH YEAH"
*bitching guitar solo*
like sure, there's better songs but... they don't make me feel things like that
It's a fun little tidbit, I guess.
my rankin' - Joni Mitchell's awesome period;
Blue (The classic)
1. A Case of You (I seriously get so worked up from this song. The line "I am a lonely painter, I live in a box of paints" is one of the best lines in a song ever, and so poignant to anyone who has found solace in the art they hold so dear to them whenever life brings them down)
2. My Old Man
3. California
4. All I Want
5. This Flight Tonight
6. Carey
7. Little Green (another tear jerker, makes me have sympathy for those who have children while still young and reckless. It's no one's fault)
8. Blue
9. River
10. The Last Time I Saw Richard
For the Roses (my least favourite of this period, but it also has been growing on me over the past year - a little more down tuned than the emotional onslaught that is Blue.):
1. Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire (the sexist guitar phrase to ever appear on a Joni record)
2. Woman of Heart and Mind (probably the sharpest and most pointed lyrics ever penned on a Joni track)
3. For the Roses
4. Blonde in the Bleachers (those lyrics and then the drums come in at that point when the character stands up for herself, it's incredible)
5. Barangrill
6. Electricity
7. Banquet
8. Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig's Tune)
9. See You Sometime
10. Lesson in Survival
11. Let the Wind Carry Me (this track and the previous blend into one and I can never tell when one ends and the other begins, so this is following Lesson in Survival - always listen to Joni records in full, kids)
12. You Turn Me On I'm a Radio (The pop song of the record, but still a brilliant song)
Court and Spark (this record introduces more extravagant instrumentation, and songs are more focused on telling stories of characters than ever before)
1. Just Like this Train
2. Help Me
3. Down to You (An incredible multifaceted track with multiple movements, coupled with a damning shot at one night stands)
4. Trouble Child (I love the arrangement on this one, so gorgeous and sexy)
5. Court and Spark
6. People's Parties (Laughin' and cryin', it's the same release)
7. Same Situation (much like Lesson in Survival and Let the Wind Carry Me on For the Roses, this track and People's Parties blend together. This time it's easier to tell when one ends, but I still enjoy them like they're the one song, so this is here just cuz)
8. A Free Man in Paris
9. Raised on Robbery (I've never heard Joni do a track like this before, but hell, it works. It's fun and has the usual Joni wit.)
10. Car on a Hill
11. Twisted
Hissing of the Summer Lawns (Her most experimental record of this period, with an air of swampy bohemian jazz colouring everything, with an emphasis on storytelling and characters in the lyrics, not really giving any personal insights or life truths)
1. Edith and the Kingpin (I love everything about this track, the bassline, the wandering keys, the jazzy guitars, the woodwinds, the way Joni's voice never seems to settle on a melody... so mysterious and sensual)
2. Shades of Scarlett Conquering
3. Don't Interrupt the Sorrow
4. The Jungle Line
5. The Boho Dance
6. Shadow and Light (an incredibly well crafted experiment in acapella, it's gorgeous and a great way to close out the record)
7. Harry's House/Centrepiece (same trick as the the past records, having tracks blend into each other, but instead of actually splitting them in the track listing, she just blended them together into the one track here. Makes the reprise of Harry's House near the end of the track work, as well.)
8. Hissing of the Summer Lawns
9. In France They Kiss on Main Street
10. Sweet Bird (Not a huge fan of this track, at least in compared to the rest of the record. It's the most obvious weak spot. It's still a decent track, but there's an instrumental break in the track which feels so... off.)
Hejira (these are all split by like, a hair. All incredible songs)
1. Hejira (this track is life summed up, really)
2. Amelia
3. Refuge of the Roads (The best closer on any Joni record. She got better at structuring her records as she went on, and it's clear she had a theme and something to say with this record. It begins with Coyote, and it ends here)
4. Black Crow (She's so vicious on this track, but it's also self critical. Who would thing that one of her most abrasive tracks comes directed at herself.)
5. Song for Sharon
6. A Strange Boy
7. Blue Motel Room
8. Coyote
9. Furry Sings the Blues (I still totally love this track, and the way the track not only deals with aging, but how the world moves around you, and big business taking down the small companies.)
and i appreciate the elaboration, kyle. i have to give those records some more spins
I mean I've just been rethinking of how genius the structure of Hejira is (my favourite album of all time (at this moment, anyway))
My favourite tracks are equally spaced out in the tracklisting, 2, 5 and 9.
The first track is an amazing way of setting up the record, the themes of lost love in small towns, and travelling as a method of healing.
Nearly every track mentions lost love or travelling, and many mention both.
I'd rec Tusk if you haven't heard it yet - It's considered their "weird" album. It's 20 tracks, over an hour in length, and features some experiments into rougher edgier material (for a pop rock band).
1. Cooper's World (the first track being the best track on the record can be seen as a risky move, but here it totally works. Gives you a bit of everything (jazz, beats, crazy drum programming, and a catchy as fuck riff), so you totally know what the album has in store.)
2. Male Pill Part 13 (An epic 8 and a half minutes of relentless drum programming and jazzy keyboard solos. The finish of the track is just incredibly suspenseful in the way it's built, and with how fast the pace is, it feels like a car chase in a 70's cop movie.)
3. Papalon (another one of the epic 8+ minute tracks, this one is much more subdued and is more focused on Jenkinson's composing ability. The track has many movements, with a lot of dynamic and is quite beautiful.)
4. Fat Controller (flat out fun, owing more to hip hop than anything, with an irresistible synth line, and a break with some awesome scratching over a fantastic bass solo)
5. Vic Acid (the first purely electronic track from the record, and this one is a doozy. I think AllMusic said that this track is a testament to how Jenkinson keeps his audience in suspense. The track feels like it's constantly building to something, and while we're waiting with baited breath, Tom just cuts it off. Beautiful.)
6. Beep Street (Behind Cooper's World, probably has the catchiest melody on the record. Somewhat pretty with the amount of airy synths and keys layering the track.)
7. E8 Boogie (The third 8 minute track, and this is fights for Papalon with being the most organic sounding track on the album. That's kind of what makes this album so great, tracks like this have so much live instrumentation, but you know it was all played by one man and assembled on a computer.)
8. Rebus (the quiet closer, but it's interesting in that it's use of hi hats are similar to how modern trap producers uses hi hats in their productions)
9. Rustic Raver (This has some great drum programming, and is a great song, but ultimately lacks an engaging melodic line until about half way through. Has a super badass break in the middle, though.)
10. Rat/P's & Q's (Tension! This track is all about the build up. It just winds tighter and tighter until it feels like it's about to pop)
11. Chin Hippy (I mean the drum programming is on point, but there's nothing much outside of the crazy beats. I mean it's a good song, but if it were any longer than 3 minutes I feel it could become a chore.)
12. Anirog D9 (Hell, even the interludes are cool)
I feel that this is an extremely overlooked and innovative album, people talk about bridging electronic and organic music together, but never mention this.
A damn shame.
gives silly titles to incredibly accomplished efforts.
I think Squarepusher was the one who got me into jazz. At least I followed the references dropped in reviews of Music is Rotted One Note.
AnCo - MPP
1. Bluish
2. Also Frightened
3. Taste
4. In the Flowers
5. Summertime Clothes
6, Guys Eyes
7, Daily Routine
8. My Girls
9. Brothersport
10. No More Runnin
11. Lion in a Coma
SJ:
1. For Reverend Green
2. Cuckoo Cuckoo
3. Unsolved Mysteries
4. #1
5. Derek
6. Peacebone
7. Winter Wonder Land
8. Fireworks
9. Chores
Feels:
1. Daffy Duck
2. Loch Raven
3. The Purple Bottle
4. Flesh Canoe
5. Did You See the Words
6. Bees
7. Turn Into Something
8. Grass
9. Banshee Beat
1. good morning, captain
2. washer
3. breadcrumb trail
4. don, aman
5. nosferatu man
6. for dinner...
Pet Sounds
1. God Only Knows
2. Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)
3. I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
4. Wouldn't It Be Nice
5. Caroline, No
6. You Still Believe In Me
7. Pet Sounds
8. I'm Waiting For The Day
9. That's Not Me
10. Sloop John B
11. Here Today
12. I Know There's An Answer
13. Let's Go Away for Awhile
Ooooh I’m very happy to be answering this!
See: https://btsmerchandise.net/jackets/