Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" is widely known as his masterpiece. One listen and you'll understand why. The eight songs on this album have extraordinary depth and beauty, and its blues, folk, jazz and Celtic influences merge so successfully that they dissolve into something wholly unique and magical. Worth every penny, especially for the previously unreleased long version of "Slim Slow Slider."
A solid, entertaining album though a slight letdown from his previous two efforts, his masterpiece "Astral Weeks" and the classic "Moondance." Nonetheless, "His Band and the Street Choir" paved the way for his future works in its unique synthesis of blues, Celtic and jazz elements.
Dylan's Bootleg Series Vol. 12 is an absolute must-have for those who know his power-trio of landmark '60's albums - "Bringing It All Back Home," "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde on Blonde" - by heart. For newbies, don't start here; save it for after your obsession kicks in.
Beach House's 2nd top 10 album "Depression Cherry" is a 9-song hypnosis that sounds like a cross between the heady guitar & keyboards fireworks of classic My Bloody Valentine and the rootsy Gothic balladry of prime Mazzy Star. Victoria Legrand's vocals are a wonder; it's hard not to be moved by "Levitation," "PPP," or "Bluebird."
The final release in Jimmy Page's deluxe reissuing of Zep's classic catalog, he has turned the slight 8-song album of outtakes into a 3-album epic of additional outtakes, alternate versions and missed opportunities. Way worth the money for the absolutely explosive "Wearing and Tearing" and "Baby Come On Home".
Zep's "Presence" is the absolute underdog in their catalog. Upon first few listens, the album sounds startlingly unfinished. But as time passes on, that weakness becomes a major strength. The shorter songs may not rock as much as one would wish; in fact, those songs have more in common with funk than rock. But go into "Presence" for the epics: if you're not completely blown away by the proto-thrash of "Achilles' Last Stand", the paranoid desperation of "For Your Life", the messy self-loathing of "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and the bluesy despair of "Tea for One", you're really missing what Led Zeppelin's all about.
Led Zeppelin's "In Through the Out Door" is a genuinely weird effort for the band. With the exception of its first two songs "In the Evening" and "South Bound Saurez" and the closing ballad "I'm Gonna Crawl", the album has very little in common with their previous works. Experimental in nature, particularly with now-dated, cheesy '70s keyboards, "In Through the Out Door" is worthwhile for your music collection though the least essential effort in the classic Zep catalog.
From day one of its release, one could obviously say that this album was Kings of Leon's mainstream breakthrough. 7 years later, the album still sounds pretty good. The key to that album's success was how the band made it sound effortlessly modern and catchy. Is it their best album? No. Should you own it? Absolutely.