Greatest Classic Rock Studio Double-LP?

Can somebody please open up a window, and maybe get out one of those Glade air freshener thingies? It's hard to stay in a thread after somebody's taken a great big crap like that.

 

While I agree that it seems to sully the Donna Summer masterpiece to place it side-by-side with four sides of non-danceable English art school self-pity and self-loathing, complete with sound effects, "concept," and children's choir -- just what Chuck Berry had in mind -- THE WALL is a forum favorite, and I didn't want to exclude titles just because I don't personally like them.

See how easy that was?

Seriously, I tried to include all the major double-LPs, and BAD GIRLS is certainly one of them. For what it's worth, it's critical rep exceeds that of THE WALL. If someone refuses to listen to it because it's labeled as "disco," it's their loss.

Can I get a "toot-toot" -- Grant?

 

Is there still a debate as to which was the first double album- "Freak Out" or "Blonde On Blonde"? The last I heard it was "Freak Out" - I know they were pretty close.

 

I think Dylan would be the "theoretical" winner anyway because his was a "proper" 2-LP collection of songs whereas Zappa's set was one album of "proper" songs and another album of experimental music. Not that that really matters I guess...

 

You can definitely get a toot-toot from me, although I am not Grant, nor do I play him on TV. I have been playing the new Bad Girls deluxe edition A LOT lately. What a fine album. Definitely landmark material.

I am glad you clarified your rationale why The Wall made it to the poll. I was wondering that myself.

 

Given the narrow choices, I voted for 'Trout Mask Replica', but the following three ought to be on the list:

CAN - Tago Mago
AMON DÜÜL 2 - Yeti
AMON DÜÜL 2 - Tanz der Lemminge

 

In Defense of BAD GIRLS

From Robertchristgau.com:

BAD GIRLS [Casablanca, 1979]
You tend to suspect anyone who releases three double-LPs in eighteen months of delusions of Chicago, but Donna is here to stay and this is her best album. The first two sides, four songs per, never let up -- the voice breaks and the guitars moan over a bass-drum thump in what amounts to empty-headed girl-group rock and roll brought cannily up-to-date. Moroder makes his Europercussion play on side four, which is nice too, but side three drags, suggesting that the rock and roll that surfaces here is perhaps only a stop along the way to a totally bleh total performance. Me, I still love my Marvelettes records. A-

The Wall [Columbia, 1979]
For a dumb tribulations-of-a-rock-star epic, this isn't bad -- unlikely to arouse much pity or envy, anyway. The music is all right, too -- kitschy minimal maximalism with sound effects and speech fragments. But the story is confused, "mother" and "modern life" make unconvincing villains, and if the recontextualization of "up against the wall" is intended ironically, I don't get it. B-

I'm not arguing that THE VILLAGE VOICE house critic decides these matters, but I wanted to point out that there are perfectly sensible people (including me) who prefer BAD GIRLS to THE WALL. I had no doubt THE WALL would win more votes in this poll -- in fact, I'm surprised it's not polling better -- but someone (not including me) voted for BAD GIRLS, indicating I was right to include it.

 

I'm absolutely thrilled that "Trout Mask Replica" has three votes!

 

As Paul McCartney once said "it's the Beatles White Album for *&%$'# sake" (or some such!)
Second places in my list go to Electric Ladyland and Tommy

 

There are definitely albums on the list that I listen to more, and maybe even some that i like more, but I don't know how you can argue with the White Album as the greatest.

 

Re: In Defense of BAD GIRLS

I don't get how Donna Summer qualifies as classic rock.

 

Here you go:

"We're The Beatles, we like it. Now shut up."

Phil