Scott's Favorite Albums

Favorite Track: Mannish Boy

This is a covers album of sorts in that Waters covers some of his old blues standards in 1977. These original blues masters out of the South via Chicago just kept doing it. One big difference here is Johnny Winters plays on and produced this album bringing in some rock and roll phrasing as well. You can also hear Winters doing the response shouts on Mannish Boy.

Favorite Track: Say Hello Wave Goodbye

Just loved this whole album from the first listen. Otherwise, don’t know much about David Gray, and I don’t like his other albums very much.

Favorite Track: Come Away With Me

Tony Bennett, I believe, said this album reminds him of the great American songbook. Jones covered Hank Williams’ Cold Cold Heart, which Bennett had a huge hit with in 1958. The only other songbook standard I noticed on this album was Hoagy Carmichael’s The Nearness of You; otherwise, they were written by Jones and her collaborators. Whenever I hear Norah Jones sing “come away with me” all I can think is “yes.” How she can get so much feeling into one little phrase I don’t know.

Favorite Track: Gin House Blues

This is the Animals third album and the first without keyboardist Alan Parsons, who arranged most of their hits, including House of the Rising Sun. Even though they lose their best musician, the rest of the group puts out my favorite Animals album. Eric Burden’s voice, I think, is the best of the British Invasion. Gin House Blues was originally recorded in 1928 by Bessie Smith and entitled Me and My Gin.

Favorite Track: Heart Skipped a Beat

Heard a cut from this album on the radio, bought it and loved it. Their music is termed English indie pop. They’re a trio from London.

Favorite Track: Cowboy

Randy Newman wrote a lot of great songs (Mama Told Me Not to Come, a Three Dog Night hit). Nilsson was a great singer (also wrote One is the Loneliest Number, a Three Dog Night Hit). This album was 1970’s record of the year but did not sell well. At one time Nilsson and John Lennon teamed up for a few nights of drunken carousing, being complete assholes, that made the news.

Favorite Track: le freak

To me this group combines funk and disco. Love the bass beats. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards wrote the songs. Nile Rogers and Pharrell Williams teamed up in 2013 with the French electronic duo Daft Punk for the song Get Lucky. I’ve noticed my list has a bit of a French connection.

Favorite Track: One Way Out

This album was released after Duane Allman’s fatal motorcycle accident. Again, a group loses a musical genius and the rest of the band puts out a great album. Duane Allman is on six of the tracks from already recorded studio sessions. Dickey Betts does a lot for the group on this album (Blue Sky is fantastic). I think the Allman Brothers Band is the greatest white band to cover the blues; even better than the early Rolling Stones’ albums.

Favorite Track: Going to Need Somebody on your Bond

Just always liked Taj Mahal. I believe he was influenced by Mississippi John Hurt, and also Caribbean music, West African music, jazz and country blues.

Favorite Track: Five Dollars

Heloise Letissier (French) has, I think, a Lady Gaga (in a Star is Born) story. She left France and went to London and frequented drag clubs that had music performers. She later toured with some of the “Queens” as her backup singers. This woman can also dance and her music videos are well worth watching because of that talent, and I think her music is great.