wyfbane, a commendable list, albeit lengthy. Some observations:
Tres Hombres - incredible album, their highpoint, but downhill from there, with a recovery on Degüello, then more descent with El Loco and M-TV oblivion with the commercial overkill Eliminator. When 6th graders start popularising your music, time for a rethink. But am I critical they went for the money sound, synthesisers, drum machines? No way. More power to them! But they became a parody caricature of themselves. Well, that’s what I think. Obviously, with their success, very few thought the way I did. Long live Tres Hombres!
At Fillmore East - wow, is that just an absolutely fantastic live album or what?
Disraeli Gears - I believe it is just “Cream”, not “The Cream”, unless you’re intentionally implying “the cream of the crop”, in which case I completely back you up.
You Had To Be There - you absolutely nailed it with this one! And also a high water mark for this musician. This is the point where my collection stops. It’s all acceptable (with much greatness too) before, but downhill after this 1978 live album, into the mass market Parrothead circus era, not my taste. He honed in on a commercial pop sound and spotted an opportunity and he went gangbusters for merchandising, branding, restaurants, beverages, and money, and who in their right mind could blame him for that? Not me. Not ever. Well done, Jimmy! It’s rare in entertainment to not seize the moment if it comes along. I believe it’s Gerry Rafferty, in a description attributed to Billy Connolly, who said “Gerry didn’t want to be famous, didn’t care about the money, he just wanted respect as a musician.” And Buffett up to 1978 is good and respectable as any and has a certain charm.
Exodus - if you could only own one Marley album, which would it be? Exodus has to be in the conversation, no? Which ones are the other contenders?
Happy listening!
