Apart from Keith Richards' 'Before They Make Me Run,' what at first sounded fiery now seems sloppy, arrogant, and affected. Rolling Stones, 'Some Girls' (Rolling Stones/Virgin, 1978). All this third LP adds to the equation is a patina of instrumental competence. Musically, the Ramones said all they had to say by the end of their first album. Ramones, 'Rocket to Russia' (Sire, 1977). 'Life in the Fast Lane' vividly depicts the excesses of SoCal yuppie culture. The Eagles, 'Hotel California' (Asylum, 1976). Unfortunately, this album never gets better than crafty. Making interesting sounds involves craft turning them into great music demands artistry. Marshīrian Eno 'Another Green World' (EG/Virgin, 1975). King Crimson, 'Red' (EG, 1974) Pretentious lyrics and mock-portentous singing is bad enough, but it's the needless complexity of the riffage that ultimately sinks this.

Jocelyn Elders thrown out of the Clinton Administration. Dour, airless, emotionally shut down, 'Dark Side of the Moon' made a fetish of a form of artistic solipsism that, in rock, came to be known by the same word that got Dr. Pink Floyd, 'Dark Side of the Moon' (Capitol, 1973). Their jams may have seemed timeless if you were in the audience, but on album they're simply interminable. ChristgauĪllman Brothers Band, 'At Fillmore East' (Capricorn, 1971). Marvin Gaye, 'What's Going On' (Tamla, 1971) Good as the singles are, the album as a whole is remarkably shallow, more a testament to the arranging skills of David Van dePitte than to Gaye's singing or songwriting. The all-time most overrated record, it was praised to the skies at the time, and got five stars in the first Rolling Stone Record Guide. George Harrison, 'All Things Must Pass' (Apple, 1971). Except for the great 'Family Affair,' this aural sludge will have you nodding off faster than whatever Sly was on at the time. Sly and the Family Stone, 'There's a Riot Goin' On' (Epic, 1971). Yes, it's got 'Sweet Jane' and 'Rock & Roll,' but in general too much wimpy light and not enough heat. Velvet Underground, 'Loaded' (Rhino/Atlantic, 1970). Though among the band's best, it's remains unremarkable countrified psychedelia, larded with lumbering hippie jams. The Grateful Dead, 'Workingman's Dead' (Warner Bros., 1970). Weirdness for its own sake may be worth recording, but this virtually makes a fetish of Beefheart's quirks, in the process undermining the band's musical strengths. ConsidineĬaptain Beefheart, 'Trout Mask Replica' (Reprise, 1969). The mother of all overindulgent double albums, its strengths are not enough to justify the amount of filler ('Martha My Dear,' 'Long, Long, Long') on hand. The Beatles, 'The Beatles' (The White Album) (Apple, 1968). And a handful of singles do not a cogent statement make. No, it's not an opera it's barely even a Broadway show.

Exile in Guyville by Dave White