Home >  A & E

Friday, March 08, 2002

Top 25 Debut Albums: Where are the Band, Crimson, Zappa?

I enjoyed reading Ed Masley's piece regarding the "Top 25 Debut Albums of All Time" (Sunday Magazine, March 3). I agreed with a lot of his picks. However, in my humble opinion, there were three glaring omissions.

	We want your feedback Send letters, along with your real name, neighborhood and daytime phone number to Feedback: E-mail: letters@post-gazette.com. Fax: 412-263-1313. Mail: Feedback, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh

When King Crimson released "In The Court Of The Crimson King" in 1969, it was hailed as "an uncanny masterpiece" by none other than Pete Townsend. This album established the benchmark by which all other art rock bands (Gentle Giant, Yes, ELP, Genesis) would be judged. Great album cover, too!!

Along with "Blonde on Blonde," "Freak Out," the debut by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, was the only other noteworthy double LP of the time. Listening to Zappa's takes on society is not unlike watching a "Simpsons" episode; the content is intelligent, humorous and sarcastic, and the messenger is seemingly fearless.

Finally, there is "Music from Big Pink" by The Band. In describing his No. 12 pick, Ed Masley writes about The Muffs album having a "Hey, I know! Let's start a band" charm/quality. When The Band released their debut in 1968, they had already toured together for eight years, backing Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan. They had forgotten about more gigs than The Muffs had probably ever played. Eric Clapton was touring with Cream when he got his first dose of "Music from Big Pink." He is on record as saying that he disbanded Cream after hearing The Band's debut, feeling their album made his current band obsolete. The Beatles, particularly George Harrison, also sang the praises of this record.

"Music from Big Pink" and "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" by The Byrds are where country-rock began. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, it never got any better. As Al Kooper wrote in Rolling Stone, " 'Music from Big Pink' is an event and should be treated as one. This album was recorded in approximately two weeks. There are people who will work their lives away in vain and not touch it."

JOE WASLOUKSY
McKees Rocks

What about Van Halen?

Enjoyed Ed Masley's piece on top 25 debut albums in "rock" history. But I think he missed one -- Van Halen. How could Masley overlook the album that influenced thousands of two-handed tapping wannabes and helped to define '80s rock shredding, whether it was for better or worse?

Besides Hendrix, how many other debut "rock" albums made us want to pick up the guitar? I never realized Bob Marley and the Wailers' "Catch a Fire" would be found under the "rock" category. I always thought he was reggae. And I thought D'Angelo was R&B. I guess we'll have to call up DVE and have them play more D'Angelo.

Oh yeah, what about Pearl Jam's "Ten"?

DAMIAN BUELER
Fox Chapel

Mad TV

I'm continuously disappointed in the quality of work from Rob Owen. As a writer/editor, Owen leaves a lot to be desired, and I think the PG could do much better.

For example, in the weeks following the 9-11 attacks, I sent an e-mail to Owen inquiring as to why regular CNN programming was being simulcast on its sister Headline News network. His response: I don't know, but I see that they are back to their regular format on Headline News. I would have probably received better information from "Ask Jeeves."

Let's take the current TV Week's cover story on "Six Feet Under" as another example. His excessive quoting of lines from the show requires few writing skills or creativity. Also, regarding his commentary on the language used in this show, he did realize he was tuned in to HBO and not the Disney channel -- didn't he?

Finally, somebody please get this man a thesaurus. Perhaps then he will find some synonyms and not have to use the same adjective to describe two different "creepy" characters in the same article. He may even come across a non-slang term to describe the "whacked out" mother in the series.

Perhaps I'm being too harsh? I realize Robert Bianco's are some tough shoes to fill.

BRADY LUTSKO
Green Tree

Ecstatic over Elastica

When I discovered that Elastica had surfaced on Ed Masley's Top 25 Album Debuts of all time, I was ecstatic to say the least. Just days ago, I pulled out the record and indulged myself with all 16 of those bite-sized bits of manna bestowed from the Wire gods of rock.

Elastica was one of the first female-fronted bands in '95 that didn't shame the gender during those I-can't-walk-or-talk Courtney Love days, stumbling and mumbling through her set. Elastica was an album that we cranked in our mall record store, and before you can say "Down with Hootie," the CD player shifted gears and we had to ingest "Jagged Little Pill" one more painful time. Well, at least my throat was coated with Elastica's pop rocks sparking with a sweet aftertaste to hasten the swallow.

JENNIFER EMSWILLER
Salt Lake City, Utah
Pittsburgh native

PCA is important for emerging artists

I want to make a measured reply to Tom Sokolowski's outburst about the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts ("Leave art to the artists and guilds to steelworkers," March 3).

The PCA has had a balanced exhibition program for many years. The majority of shows are thematic explorations by artists from all over the world chosen by the curator. Also, there is an ongoing program of exhibitions sponsored by the 10 artist organizations (guilds) which are part of PCA. Three or four such shows are carefully scheduled each year to include a variety of media, using less than half the center's exhibition areas. They are a wonderful opportunity for area artists to put their work forward to be juried and, if accepted, to see it professionally hung in a gallery setting ... and perhaps even critically reviewed.

The work of these artists is serious ... it cannot be flippantly dismissed as "decorative." Part of the mission of PCA is to be a regional resource for emerging and established artists. Certainly the hope is to resume the curated thematic exhibitions at PCA when resources become available. Maligning the work of area artists does not help in the effort to obtain such funding.

CYNTHIA F. COOLEY
O'Hara

Worthless at Warhol

It appears that the time to reevaluate the facility that is The Andy Warhol Museum is closely approaching. The newest exhibition, "Possession/Obsession," sounds to me to be nothing more than a heap of trash.

Apparently the painting of totally nude bodies in gold flakes with interactive audience participation is being promoted as the 2002 equivalent of a Rodgers and Hammerstein production (SEEN, March 4). The good sense of moral people is now routinely insulted by "artists" of little or no talent who can only make a name for themselves by shocking audiences.

The talent is replaced by raw sewage unfit for viewing in the company of gentlemen or gentlewomen. Our culture of morality is being attacked daily by such efforts. Call me provincial if you like, but do not expect me to accept such worthless drivel as art.

Perhaps the traditional Carnegie Museum should reevaluate its commitment to the Warhol and its administration.

MARK TROMBETTA
Upper St. Clair

No nudes -- good news

What did the Post-Gazette think in running that picture of the director of The Andy Warhol Museum putting his hands where he had no business doing so?

Two nudes don't make a right! I'm sure glad I didn't have a hand in it, or even on it for that matter!

This being a family newspaper, I don't think the PG should publish these kind of pictures, even if there are some people who want to be SEEN.

As for Andy Warhol's famous painting of a soup label, I find the only thing good about that was the soup in the can!

JACK REISSMAN
Bloomfield

Monday shocker

Please!! Monday mornings are hard enough without having to open the paper and see a picture as offensive and ugly as the one you saw fit to publish of the Warhol Museum director and those people. He should have had his hands over his face in embarrassment instead of where he had them.

BARBARA M. BENEDETTI
Monroeville

The writer is a Pittsburgh-based artist.