NORML54601

Elvis Costello's "Spike" for me.

JOE29

Haven't discovered it yet, but for Christmas I asked for Jethro Tull- Aqualung 40th Anniversary edition.

Hokeyboy

Budgie's s/t album from 1971.

adrenaline78

not really a rediscovery.. but Korn-Korn

cungar

This. Have to admit that even though Jethro Tull was the first concert I ever went to, I never listened to Aqualung all the way through. They were always my big brother's band so I stayed away from them. They were not a hip band in my grade (Queen, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Styx were).


Wow what a great album. I never knew the songs that were not radio staples were so good. Extremely strong all the way through. I see now why this album is a favorite of so many people.

Hokeyboy

I think a lot of people who didn't discover it the first time around, turn away from Aqualung because of the radio hits' overexposure. Their loss. It's really a phenomenal work throughout. I've played this album for friends and they've all walked away gobsmacked (plus with a few, "Oh I know THAT song!!"s as they come on, for things like Hymn 43 and Locomotive Breath).

CRM114

Holy shit, that Budgie album is awesome. I remember it well.

I'm still trying to get my head around Elvis Costello's Spike being a "classic" album. I guess I'm old as it seems I was seeing Elvis on that tour yesterday.

arminius

I know what you mean. Elvis, Graham Parker and Warren Zevon seem like new wave not classic. The arrow of time.

Hiro11

Yeah, Houses of the Holy is really, really good.

cungar

I think he's more referring to the fact that it's not a classic album in the sense that My Aim is True, This Year's Model, Armed Forces were classic albums. Not classic rock.

Never, ever though of Warren Zevon as new wave. He was part of the LA circle of artists that included Jackson Browne, the Eagles and Linda Rondstadt. He had some bizarre lyics but his music was piano/guitar based classic rock.

islandclaws

I don't know if it would be considered "classic" (though certainly in terms of age), but I've been practically obsessed with the first 4 records from Camel for the past few months.

wendersfan

Warren Zevon had nothing to do with the new wave.

Not that I listen to much pop music these days (White Stripes/Black Keys excepted...), but I've really been enjoying Supertramp's Breakfast In America - an album from my youth that I never paid any attention to until recently. Supertramp were a band that was always on the radio, and I never bought anything they released until this year.

Hokeyboy

I also discovered Miles Davis's Agharta just over a month ago. I can't stop listening to it.

CRM114

I just bought Supertramp's Crime of the Century out of the cheap bin recently. But I must admit, I think it was after a viewing of Magnolia.

As for Spike being considered "classic" in any way, I don't get that either. It's certainly a decent album but nowhere near the top of even Elvis' post Imperial Bedroom output.

wishbone

Supertramp and Gerry Rafferty remind me of music I heard as a kid in the years just prior to MTV.

cungar

Of their 4 classic albums I would rank them:

1. Crime of the Century
2. Crisis, What Crisis?
3. Even in the Quietest Moments
4. Breakfast in America

Crime of the Century comes close to Dark Side of the Moon as one of the sonic marvels of 70s rock. Great on headphones.

wendersfan

Thanks for the Supertramp recommmendations, guys.

Spike was Costello's first 'CD-era' album, by which I mean that, like a lot of albums of that period, the artists were suddenly expected to fill up a 75 minute CD rather than a 40 minute vinyl album, and quality suffered. It's very uneven, with some great songs ("God's Comic", "Veronica", "Tramp the Dirt Down"), and a bunch of filler. Elvis Costello albums never really had filler before, except for Goodbye Cruel World. (Shudder.)

rw2516

If you haven't heard them, every Tull album that precedes Aqualung is killer also. Only after Aqualung did it become hit or miss.

rw2516

Might as well complete the set and get the last original band album Famous Last Words. Definately the lesser of the five, but has it's moments.

Hokeyboy

Gotta second the Supertramp recommendations. Been listening to the albums on Spotify and have been enjoying them. Don't know why I never really gave them a serious listen before...

whaaat

Phenomenal guitar work by the great Pete Cosey.

n.phelge

I never paid any attention to Blue Oyster Cult (mostly due to having Reaper overload on my classic rock station growing up), but I got their first two albums at gohastings.com new for about $2 each a month ago, and I'm really enjoying them.