#42 Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water (January 26, 1970)

The first time I saw this album cover, I mistook Paul Simon's hair for a sweet handlebar mustache hanging from Art Garfunkel's upper lip. Go ahead, place your finger over Paul's face and tell me Garfunkel doesn't look like a Civil War soldier in a Ken Burns documentary.

What stands out about this record is the way most of the songs tend to grow from a simple melody partnered with quiet vocals into a full aureately orchestral assailment. The reassuring title track climbs its way to a level of triumphant sentimentality while "The Only Living Boy in New York" proved its poignancy long before Zach Braff turned it into a melancholic anthem of uncertainty for teenagers and twenty-somethings alike.

"Cecilia", a playful tale of female abandonment, is driven by a layered mix of instrumental and manual percussion. And "The Boxer" is a prime example of the impeccable harmony shared by the greatest folk duo ever.

favorite song: "Cecilia"

#41 The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed (November 28, 1969)

And I've reached the end of the 60's. Apart from the 39 records I own from that decade, most of them classics, there's hundreds more that make it an unbelievable era for music. But I have about double that number from the 70's so I have that to look forward to.

I always thought the title of this album was a humorous allusion to The Beatles' Let It Be, but this record pre-dates that one by about six months so I guess it's just a coincidence. But regardless, those two titles seem to perfectly encapsulate the difference between these bands; the Stones were always willing to get a little dirtier.

On the cover, a cake rests atop four more layers: a tire, a pizza, a clock, and a film canister. I'm sure all these are representative of something, but I have no clue. Either way, it looks pretty cool.

And the music? "Gimmie Shelter" slowly builds with an unsettling guitar and howl that just crawls into your ears. Keith Richards changed things up a lot on this album, making every riff seem to cry out with a heavy vehemence that dances with Jagger's own gritty growl.

The Robert Johnson cover "Love In Vain", classic and heartbreaking, is attributed to the blues legend's pseudonym Woody Payne on the record sleeve. The album closer, "You Can't Always Get What You Want", features a church choir that seems to poke fun of the band's reputation at the time as a group of satanists, while the lyrics summarize the theme of the album - imperfection is perfect.


favorite song: "Love In Vain"

#40 Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II (October 22, 1969)

A quarter of the way. Yes, it took me nearly ten months and at this rate, I should be done somewhere around July 2013 but I can say I've enjoyed doing this and I have no plans of quitting. I can't say I won't slip into another four month hiatus, but this is a project I'm determined to finish one way or another, even if I do only have one reader (Hi Samantha). Anyway, Zeppelin, Part Deux:

I have trouble remembering which Zeppelin songs are on which records, due partly to the fact that they titled their first four albums only by the numerical order in which they were released. But also, they have a style that remained consistent throughout their early records. Any song on this album would have fit right in on Zeppelin I and vice versa. And that's a good thing. If it's not broke...

Plant sings with a carnal veracity on "Whole Lotta Love", which makes for an awesome opener to side one but is an odd contrast to the side closer, the sentimental "Thank You." "Heartbreaker" and "Living Loving Maid", Jimmy Page's strongest guitar moments on the album, are forever paired together on the radio while the Lord of The Rings-inspired "Ramble On" is proof that rock and roll can be both heavy and dorky at the same time.

The instrumental "Moby Dick" gives Robert Plant's pipes a break while prominently recognizing the immortal drum-work of John Bonham. And the blues of "Bring It On Home" concludes the second chapter of the heaviest band of the sixties.

favorite song: "What Is and What Should Never Be"