Album Recommendations 3
- The American Guitar Academy
- 13 minutes ago
- 6 min read
It has been a while since the last post I made about album recommendations. I always encourage my students, and anyone that will let me talk about music, to listen to as many different genres and try to figure out what they like and do not like - and their reasons for both. Sometimes identifying those reasons is harder than it seems, and requires a fair amount of practice and an impartial perspective.
As per usual, this blog post contains five distinct genres, with a small amount of overlap and a key song from each of those albums. Let us get stuck in!
Fleetwood Mac (self-titled)
Fleetwood Mac are one of the best selling bands in the world; this band have reportedly sold in excess of 120 million records since their inception in the 1960s. Whilst their catalog is full of world class releases, their self-titled album from 1975 is the one I immediately think of. It contains one of their biggest hits ‘The Chain’, which features one of the most famous basslines of all time (thanks to Formula 1 using it within their theme music!). When I saw Fleetwood Mac at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2015, they opened with this song - what a great show!
Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon
This is a very simple song that consists of only three chords - Am, Fmaj7 and C. I like how this song is so simple, yet so effective. The melody perfectly outlines the chords and is great for teaching guitarists double-stop melodies. This chord progression is also nice for introducing major 7th chords.
For musicians who are also interested in other aspects of songwriting, such as vocal harmonies and arrangement, this song can teach us many great lessons. If you listen closely, you will also notice that the main vocal melody in the verses is mirrored by the guitar (though the guitar line does harmonize with itself).
Jamiroquai - A Funk Odyssey
Jamiroquai are a United Kingdom based funk band that started, and subsequently rose to prominence, in the 1990s and early 2000s. There are a few extremely popular songs written and recorded by this band, but there are also a few that I always remember hearing though I could never remember the name. They are fronted by singer Jay Kay, known for his extensive and eccentric hat collection, and are much more than just your run of the mill funk band, especially when you start to peel back the layers.
Jamiroquai - Corner of the Earth
‘Corner of the Earth’ is one of my favorite songs of all time, let alone from ‘A Funk Odyssey’. This is one of their less ‘funky’ songs, and features a brilliantly arranged horn section, culminating in a great trumpet solo.
From a guitarist’s point of view, Rob Harris really brings it home with a bossa nova style rhythm through the song. The chords are not particularly difficult, and Harris is noted as saying boss nova is not something he really studied, so it is a good pathway into that style if you are interested in giving it a go.
Rob Harris has a great YouTube channel, and you can view his lesson on the main parts for this song here.
Dream Theater (self-titled)
I covered Dream Theater in the first Album Recommendations blog post that I wrote (you can read it here). Where the album I previously discussed, Images and Words, is high on my list of favorite albums, this self-titled offering was my first introduction to the band. There are a few distinct eras in Dream Theater’s history, and this album is from the Mike Mangini era - he is the drummer who succeeded, and then preceded Mike Portnoy.
I had read a lot about Dream Theater, but never really given them the light of day until I searched the name and watch a live performance of ‘The Enemy Inside’ (see below) and ‘Enigma Machine’ - check out the live version of the latter here if you want to hear one of the best drum solos ever, at least in my opinion.
Dream Theater - The Enemy Inside
Many years ago I tried a seven string guitar and just could not get on with it, as much as I really wanted to. After a few years I had the urge to try one out again, however, in order to force myself to actually stick to it I bought one - I had made the commitment.
The first song I learned was ‘Down From the Sky’ by Trivium, not too bad, but the second song was ‘The Enemy Inside’ - talk about pressure! The opening riff is a brutal right hand workout, and there are some great technical passages in the solo. If you are interested in guitar effects, John Petrucci uses a wah pedal here, but not in the solo. It is sparingly used to provide a swelling effect on certain parts of riffs throughout the song.
Megadeth - Youthansia
I featured Megadeth’s 2016 album ‘Dystopia’ in my last Album Recommendations blog post (check it out here). This album was the first Megadeth album I ever heard. In fact, I had read about the band and purchased the first CD I saw in the local store. Listening to that album when I got home was the first time I had heard the band! It is perhaps for this reason that the 1994 line-up of Megadeth, the year this album was released, is the number one line-up in my opinion (Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman, David Ellefson and Nick Menza).
Megadeth - Train of Consequences
When you think of thrash metal, this song might not be the first one to come into mind. However, that does not take away from the impact the simple riff has. Mustaine is a master riff writer after all, and the opening riff from ‘Train of Consequences’ does not disappoint. The combination of rhythms, muting and pull-offs makes it unexpectedly challenging, but extremely fun to play.
As always, the solo courtesy of Marty Friedman, fits the song like they were always meant to be. Contrary to his performance of possibly the ebay guitar solo of all time from ‘Tornado of Souls’, this one is not too hard to get under your fingers. Give it a try if you are feeling brave!
Frank Zappa - Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention
Frank Zappa was a successful musician who was active from the 1960s up until the early 1990s before his untimely passing. Some classify him as a jazz or rock musician but, in all honesty I cannot classify him in any way. So many of his songs transcend any particular genre that his style can not really be pinned down.
I came across Frank Zappa when I was young after a family friend donated a box full of old CDs he no longer wanted. This album was one of a few Zappa releases, but upon research I discovered that he had in excess of 60 releases and worked with big industry names like Adrian Belew, Steve Vai and George Duke.
Frank Zappa - Yo Cats
When I first heard this song, the first thing that caught my attention was the super cool organ part at the beginning of the song. As the song progresses, there are lots of little things that happen such as the inclusion of a saxophone as he sings the word “saxophone”. Conventionally, you may consider the song as being a bit wacky and all over the place, but I see it as more of a story being told through the medium of song… if that makes any sense!?
The mixture of many different genres, thematic changes and a plethora of instruments just goes to show that your own music does not need to be a one trick pony. If you think something sounds cool or interesting, add it in there and do not worry too much if it belongs there based on ordinary standards.
Final Thoughts
It should be obvious, but it would be good for you to listen to the whole album rather than just the suggested songs that I have listed above. However, if you only listen to one song from each, try to take something away from that experience - do you like the guitar tone? What about the potential implications from practicing certain parts or how different genres blend together? I have mentioned it before, but think critically in the opposite direction also. If you do not like it, try to make some valid points as to why that is.
As an extra challenge, why don’t you think of favorite albums that epitomize you as a person; what would your desert island playlist look like? Very few people have a proper answer when I ask them that question!
Until next time, keep rocking out!
