Tag: Pazz and Jop

Pazz and Jop 1971 – #2

The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers

Spotify offers four versions of “Sticky Fingers”: Remastered, Deluxe, Super Deluxe and Spotify Landmark Edition. I want to limit myself – as best I can – to the version of the album released in the year it made the list, and the Remastered (in 2009) version comes closest. And what is there to say about this record? A genuine classic and, despite having owned multiple Stones records over the years, one I never played straight through. I’ve always preferred The Sundays’ cover of “Wild Horses” to the original, but hearing Mick wail into my ears in its intended context elevates the song for me. (The Gram Parsons version, which may slightly predate the Stones release, is a less angsty rendering.) “Can You Hear Me Knocking” feels, during the end stretch, like a jazz improvisation. (Like nothing I’ve ever heard from these guys, which likely shows how poor my knowledge of their catalogue is.) The entire second side, with which I have at most negligible familiarity, is beautiful, especially “I Got the Blues” and the melancholic closer, “Moonlight Mile”.

(Originally posted on Facebook, February 27, 2021)

Pazz and Jop 1971 – #1

The Who – Who’s Next?

My music-loving friends might appreciate this, or maybe no one else gives a crap and this goes into the void. Anyway. I’ve long had it in my head to listen through the entire history of albums that made it onto the annual Pazz and Jop polls (formerly of the late Village Voice, carried on now by dedicated lunatics), because sometimes, in a world full of music, one can feel paralyzed when trying to decide what to listen to next. Today is the day I begin, with 1971’s top album from The Who. “Baba O’Riley”. “Behind Blue Eyes”. “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. Feeling pretty good heading into this.

UPDATE: Remember when albums were all under 45 minutes long because that’s all they could squeeze onto two sides of a hunk of vinyl? What a trip. I’ve always been a passive fan of The Who, enjoying the songs that made it onto my radar but never actively seeking out the rest. A mistake, perhaps. Really enjoyed this album, especially the middle stretch – “My Wife”, “The Song is Over” and “Getting in Tune” – of songs I have no recall of ever having heard before. Just a solid record from start to finish, and a very encouraging start to my project.

(Originally posted on Facebook, February 27, 2021)