Petrus Antonius Laurentius ("Pierre") Kartner, aka Father Abraham, 'lead' singer of The Smurf Song. He captured the essence of The Smurfs (Les Schtroumpfs) like no other.
Hmm. Perfection I think is a near-unattainable standard, but here's a partial list of what I would consider. Please note that some of this stuff, while I enjoy it, is not necessarily my favourite selection from each genre/artist (jazz, in particular for me, has immense beauty in its flaws, if I may sound like a prick temporarily). There's a lot of music here, and hopefully some stuff you're unfamiliar with:
- The Undertones - Teenage Kicks ("classic" pop? Pop-rock? Whatever it is, it's well up there. It made John Peel cry the first time he heard it, for God's sake).
- Led Zeppelin - both Stairway To Heaven and Achilles Last Stand. One might have a go at me for being cliche re Stairway, but... It's cited so often for a reason. I see both as colossuses of the rock world.
- Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (jazz - particularly modal jazz). Sorry to go for an album, but for me (a jazz pianist) that's the nature of jazz in terms of concept - I think it's one of the greatest sound worlds ever created.
- John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (spiritual jazz/free jazz/bop). His exploration of faith through music is... Wow. (Again, another album choice - sorry)
- Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should've Come Over (folk/blues/rock/pop, or however one might want to compartmentalise it - not that I know.) I don't think I need to justify this choice. It's just beautiful.
- It would be remiss to mention albums to this demographic and not mention Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. (Can't find a YouTube link, unfortunately.)
- Bill Evans - Waltz For Debby, Take 2, from Live at the Village Vanguard (jazz). Some of the most emotive jazz trio work ever (in my opinion, the best that's out there). It is tragic that bassist Scotty LaFaro passed away in a car crash less than two weeks after this was recorded, at the age of 25. I do in fact recommend the whole album, in the form of "the Complete Live at the Village Vanguard" from Spotify or something. My Romance and Alice In Wonderland are other treats, as is Danny Boy.
- The Notorious B.I.G - Juicy (gangsta rap, East Coast rap). This is almost archetypal. On the West Coast - I therefore have to mention 2Pac's Changes which is an ultimately more political and less materialistic song - "deeper", as it were. Though hip-hop is WAY too big a movement to explore in two songs, these for me are just fucking massive tunes. Also recommend this Spotify playlist of Rolling Stone's Greatest 50 Hip-Hop Songs.
- Again, cliche, but Beethoven's 5th Symphony. That first movement is near-faultless. The exposition is masterful, motivic development incredible... too much to discuss, man. Wonderful wonderful sonata form. It's pretty much perfect - and that's what the thread calls for.
- Tower of Power - What Is Hip? (funk). I may have a bias as I am intimately familiar with this piece, but the entire thing is pretty much everything a funk piece with ridiculous horns could ever want or need. Tight, syncopated, groovy, fantastic soloing, funky lyrics, danceable, great breakdown groove, drumming with insane feel... all of it is there. Of course, the OG of Funk is James Brown. Go listen to him, too.
- Faure - Requiem in Dmin (my favourite mass for the dead). One of the best turn-of-the-century large scale choral-orchestral works.
- The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again (rock). I wouldn't be able to improve any aspect of this song. It's so British, so quintessentially rock, brilliantly challenging of authority and similar... Everything for its genre. This song almost teleologically HAD to happen.
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Sorry for the essay. If anyone wants guidance on a genre of music they're unfamiliar with, then please let me know and I'll try and give some pointers from my knowledge. I studied everything from Wagner to hip-hop to jazz to Radiohead to musicals to Medieval in my degree, so yeah.
FOCUS - Hamburger Concerto (from the LP of the same name)
The Dutch masters of Prog-Rock / Jazz / Funk / Medieval / Baroque, FOCUS play once a year at The Beaverwood Club in Chislehurst. Their concerts are superb and they are the most entertaining band I have had the pleasure to witness.
Ballad - Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers Prog Rock - Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd Blues - Born Under a Bad Sign - Albert King Rock n Roll - Johnny b Goode - Chuck Berry Soul - Heard it Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye Folk - Reynardine - Fairport Convention
Missa Luba - Brilliant to hear the joy in those young voices from all those years ago! Written by a Belgian Friar & recorded in 1958 with a young Congolese choir. Shame we can't be as uplifted by our Belgian's!! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missa_Luba
Together in Electric Dreams - Phil Oakey and Girorgio Moroder (New Wave, synth) apart from that horrible solo in the middle this would be a perfect song. so close.
Swing - American Patrol, Glenn Miller Metal - Ace of Spades, Motorhead Rockabilly - That's Alright Mama, Elvis Presley Psychedelic - Lucifer Sam, Pink Floyd
Comments
He captured the essence of The Smurfs (Les Schtroumpfs) like no other.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vt1Pwfnh5pc
- The Undertones - Teenage Kicks ("classic" pop? Pop-rock? Whatever it is, it's well up there. It made John Peel cry the first time he heard it, for God's sake).
- Led Zeppelin - both Stairway To Heaven and Achilles Last Stand. One might have a go at me for being cliche re Stairway, but... It's cited so often for a reason. I see both as colossuses of the rock world.
- Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (jazz - particularly modal jazz). Sorry to go for an album, but for me (a jazz pianist) that's the nature of jazz in terms of concept - I think it's one of the greatest sound worlds ever created.
- John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (spiritual jazz/free jazz/bop). His exploration of faith through music is... Wow. (Again, another album choice - sorry)
- Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should've Come Over (folk/blues/rock/pop, or however one might want to compartmentalise it - not that I know.) I don't think I need to justify this choice. It's just beautiful.
- It would be remiss to mention albums to this demographic and not mention Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. (Can't find a YouTube link, unfortunately.)
- Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, Prelude. To me, this is almost as pure as Baroque music can get. Also for consideration is the keyboard Prelude No. 1 in C major (you know the one, that really famous one).
- Bill Evans - Waltz For Debby, Take 2, from Live at the Village Vanguard (jazz). Some of the most emotive jazz trio work ever (in my opinion, the best that's out there). It is tragic that bassist Scotty LaFaro passed away in a car crash less than two weeks after this was recorded, at the age of 25. I do in fact recommend the whole album, in the form of "the Complete Live at the Village Vanguard" from Spotify or something. My Romance and Alice In Wonderland are other treats, as is Danny Boy.
- The Notorious B.I.G - Juicy (gangsta rap, East Coast rap). This is almost archetypal. On the West Coast - I therefore have to mention 2Pac's Changes which is an ultimately more political and less materialistic song - "deeper", as it were. Though hip-hop is WAY too big a movement to explore in two songs, these for me are just fucking massive tunes. Also recommend this Spotify playlist of Rolling Stone's Greatest 50 Hip-Hop Songs.
- Again, cliche, but Beethoven's 5th Symphony. That first movement is near-faultless. The exposition is masterful, motivic development incredible... too much to discuss, man. Wonderful wonderful sonata form. It's pretty much perfect - and that's what the thread calls for.
- Tower of Power - What Is Hip? (funk). I may have a bias as I am intimately familiar with this piece, but the entire thing is pretty much everything a funk piece with ridiculous horns could ever want or need. Tight, syncopated, groovy, fantastic soloing, funky lyrics, danceable, great breakdown groove, drumming with insane feel... all of it is there. Of course, the OG of Funk is James Brown. Go listen to him, too.
- Faure - Requiem in Dmin (my favourite mass for the dead). One of the best turn-of-the-century large scale choral-orchestral works.
- Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (soul, RnB). His voice; the chord progression; the subject matter; the instrumentation; the backing vocals - it's all... correct.
- The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again (rock). I wouldn't be able to improve any aspect of this song. It's so British, so quintessentially rock, brilliantly challenging of authority and similar... Everything for its genre. This song almost teleologically HAD to happen.
-------------
Sorry for the essay. If anyone wants guidance on a genre of music they're unfamiliar with, then please let me know and I'll try and give some pointers from my knowledge. I studied everything from Wagner to hip-hop to jazz to Radiohead to musicals to Medieval in my degree, so yeah.
Pete Tosh Steppin Razor
Howlin' wolf- Smokestack lightning
(from the LP of the same name)
The Dutch masters of Prog-Rock / Jazz / Funk / Medieval / Baroque, FOCUS play once a year at The Beaverwood Club in Chislehurst. Their concerts are superb and they are the most entertaining band I have had the pleasure to witness.
REM - Losing My Religion
Stone Roses - I Am The Resurrection
(encapsulate late 80s/early 90s)
Prog Rock - Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
Blues - Born Under a Bad Sign - Albert King
Rock n Roll - Johnny b Goode - Chuck Berry
Soul - Heard it Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
Folk - Reynardine - Fairport Convention
I'll change my mind tomorrow - on some.
The solo just tops it off for me.
Nas - daughters
Perfect conscientious east coast hip hop
Written by a Belgian Friar & recorded in 1958 with a young Congolese choir.
Shame we can't be as uplifted by our Belgian's!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missa_Luba
The Waterboys - Stolen Child (Spoken Poetry, Celtic folk)
Metal - Ace of Spades, Motorhead
Rockabilly - That's Alright Mama, Elvis Presley
Psychedelic - Lucifer Sam, Pink Floyd