CLASSIC ALBUMS

I’ll state my opinion from the outset – I am a HUGE fan of the “Classic Albums” documentary series which has been broadcast on television over the past decade. This statement has much to do with the fact that I love the concept of an album per se; I’ll list my “key ingredients” of a Classic Album:

• At least 5 strong individual songs, with the balance of the album being comprised of above-average songs suitable for airplay on commercial radio
• Excellent musicianship and production skills
• A high standard of lyrical content
• The Album must still “sound fresh” when listened to in the present era.

One of the most attractive points of the “Classic Albums” series revolves around the artists and/or producers recreating the process of the album’s song writing and recording. I am a producer at heart, thus I love to view and compare each artists’ skills; it’s simply magic to observe the masters at play.

It’s important to respect all levels of music, even if you are not a fan of a particular musical genre. This being said, the “Classic Albums” series may have overdone itself in labelling particular albums as being “classic”. Let’s review some examples:

• Deep Purple’s “Machine Head”, Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast”, Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”, Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” and Judas Priest’s “British Steel” are albums which snugly fit into the British Heavy Rock genre. Are all of these album’s “classic”? If you were to choose only one of these albums, what would be the defining qualifying criteria – commercial success or artistic merit?
• If “John Lennon/ Plastic Ono Band” is deemed to be a classic album, then why have none of The Beatles’ albums been reviewed thus far?
• “Never Mind The Bollocks” by The Sex Pistols is famous primarily due to the notoriety of the band’s image. One would assume that there are many other Punk albums of greater artistic merit than this offering.
• Has the greater listening audience ever heard Primal Scream’s “Screamdelica”?
• Duran Duran is famous for individual single releases and their accompanying music videos. “Rio” does not set the benchmark for early 1980’s pop music.

“Classic Albums” has paid homage to genuine Classic Albums such as “Dark Side of the Moon”, “Bat out of Hell”, “Rumours”, “A Night at the Opera” & “Graceland”. I don’t need to state the artists’ names for these albums, as they are all universally known by all generations of music lovers. Within reason, “Classic Albums” has cheapened itself by letting too many artists into the Classic Album club.

So, where to from here for “Classic Albums”? I love music, and I love the documentary series, however I would hate to see “Classic Albums” lose its importance.