The current T-Boy Society of Film & Music poll is devoted to our writers’ five favorite albums of all-time. An album is a collection of songs & music available in any forum: Vinyl, CD, Tape, etc. Initially, the theme of the poll was top five albums you’d take on a deserted island; but it made the poll a little confusing, plus we all understand the concept. It may be our most passionate poll, with some sending numerous revisions. And, yes; I was countlessly reminded by writers that their lists can change at the flip of a coin. What’s interesting is for readers to learn more about our writers in a very different capacity. And that includes me, as well.

You’ll find individual lists below, followed by results of top ten albums and selection of artists and bands. What did the lists tell me? Well, the years are passing too quickly.

• EB, Editor

MEMBERS: Selections in Order

T.E. Mattox

T-Boy Writer & Musician:

• Hard Again (1977) 
  Muddy Waters
• Father of the Folk Blues (1965)
  Son House
• Stronger For It (2012)
  Janiva Magness
• Together for the First Time Live (1974)
  B.B.King & Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland
• Masterpiece (2019)
  Albert Castiglia

Brom Wikstrom

Mouth Painter & T-Boy Writer:

• Rejuvenation (1974) – The Meters
• Kind of Blue (1959) – Miles Davis
• My Favorite Things (1961) – John Coltrane
• Swiss Movement (1969) – Les McCan and Eddie Harris
• Blonde on Blonde (1966) – Bob Dylan

Honorable Mention

East-West/Paul Butterfield Blues Band* Delaney, Bonnie & Friends on Tour with Eric Clapton/Delaney, Bonnie & Friends * Al Kooper/I Stand Alone * Revolver/The Beatles * The Harder They Come (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack/Jimmy Cliff * Lady Soul/Aretha Franklin

Mike Rand

T-Boy Writer & Musician:

• Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
  The Beatles
• Let It Bleed (1969)
  The Rolling Stones
• The Joshua Tree (1987)
  U2
• The Bends (1995)
  Radiohead
• Appetite for Destruction (1987)
  Guns N’ Roses

Susan Breslow

T-Boy Writer:

• Moondance (1970)
  Van Morrison
• Blue (1971)
  Joni Mitchell
• You Want it Darker (2016)
  Leonard Cohen

Weave Cleveland

T-Boy Writer & Musician:

• The Nightfly (1982)
  Donald Fagen [I am going to regret not choosing a Beatles album]
• Halcyon Days (2004)
  Bruce Hornsby [I am going to regret not choosing some Vince Gill]
• Emancipation (1996)
  Prince [I am going to regret not choosing 5 Prince Albums]
• Seeds Of Love (1989)
  Tears for Fears [I am going to regret not choosing some Thelonious Monk]
• Djesse Vol. 3 (2020)
  Jacob Collier [I am going to regret not choosing VooDoo by D’Angelo]

Honorable Mention

Symphony No. 6 (Pathetique)/Tchaikovsky [And God will strike me down for not choosing any Stevie Wonder! May this island have no electricity!]

Terry Cassel

T-Boy Writer & Musician:

• A Love Supreme (1965)
  John Coltrane
• Kind of Blue (1959)
  Miles Davis
• The Best of the Bothy Band (1993)
  The Bothy Band
• Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
  Bob Dylan
• J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1955)
  Glenn Gould, piano

James Boitano

T-Boy Writer:

Tusk (1979) – Fleetwood Mac

The island for listening: Elephant island, Antarctica

Allan Smith

T-Boy Writer & Photographer:

• Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter (1977)
  Joni Mitchell
• Blonde on Blonde (1966)
  Bob Dylan
• Rubber Soul (UK) (1965)
  The Beatles
• The Nine Symphonies (1963)
  Ludwig von Beethoven, Herbert von Karajan, conductor
• Legend (The Best Of Bob Marley And The Wailers) (1984)
  Bob Marley & The Wailers

Emperor of Oldies

Musicologist:

• Sticky Fingers (1971)
  The Rolling Stones
• Bridge Over Troubled Water (1967)
  Simon & Garfunkel
• Help! (Capitol Records ) (1965)
  The Beatles
• Rubber Soul (Capitol Records ) (1965)
  The Beatles
• Sweet Baby James (1969)
  James Taylor

Honorable Mention (could be in my top five on any given day)

Every Picture Tells A Story/Rod Stewart * Who’s Next/The Who * Tommy/The Who * Four Way Street/Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young * Aqualung/Jethro Troll * Abbey Road/The Beatles * Get Yer Ya Yas Out/The Rolling Stones/ Harvest/Neil Young * Déjà Vu/Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young * Desperado/The Eagles * 461 Ocean Blvd/Eric Clapton * Blind Faith/Blind Faith * Greatest Hits/Linda Ronstadt * All Things Must Pass/George Harrison * Band on the Run/Paul McCartney And Wings

Jay Boggs

Historian & Musicologist:

• Electric Ladyland (1968)
  The Jimi Hendrix Experience
• Beggars Banquet (1968)
  The Rolling Stones
• Blues from Laurel Canyon (1968)
  John Mayall
• American Beauty (1970)
  The Grateful Dead
• Natty Dread (1974)
  Bob Marley & The Wailers

Honorable Mention

Monkey Man/Toots and the Maytals * Studio One Presents Burning Spear/Burning Spear

Roy Endersby

Philosopher:

• Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
  Bob Dylan
• Bitches Brew (1970)
  Miles Davis
• Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
  The Beatles
• Ladies of the Canyon (1970)
  Joni Mitchell
• A Love Supreme (1965)
  John Coltrane

Phil Marley

Montreal Poet:

• Beggars Banquet (1968)
  The Rolling Stones
• Are you Experienced? (1967)
  The Jimi Hendrix Experience
• Me Against the World (1995)
  2Pac
• Nevermind (1991)
  Nirvana
• Disraeli Gears (1967)
  Cream

Honorable Mention

Let it Bleed/The Rolling Stones/ * Who’s Next/The Who.* Ladies of the Canyon/Joni Mitchell * After the Goldrush/Neil Young * Strange Days/The Doors

Brent Campbell

T-Boy Writer & Musician:

• Modern Sounds of Country and Western Music (1962)
  Ray Charles
• Mingus Ah Um (1962)
  Charles Mingus
• Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. (1986)
  Dwight Yoakam
• Blood on the Tracks (1975 )
  Bob Dylan
• Made in USA (1986)
  The Beach Boys

Honorable Mention

Old 97s/Fight Songs * Pleased to Meet Me/The Replacements * Twisted/Del Amitri * #1 Record/Big Star * Time Traveller/The Moody Blues

Deb Roskamp

T-Boy Photographer:

• Bridge Over Troubled Water (1967)
  Simon & Garfunkel
• Peter, Paul and Mary (1962)
  Peter, Paul and Mary
• Moondance (1970)
  Van Morrison
• Canciones de Mi Padre (1987)
  Linda Ronstadt
• A Night at the Opera (1975)
  Queen

Raoul Pascual

T-Boy Writer & Illustrator:

• Sweet Baby James (1969)
  James Taylor
• All ‘N All (1977)
  Earth, Wind & Fire
• A Christmas Album (1983)
  Amy Grant
• A Chorus Line (1975)
  Original Broadway Cast Recording
• Thriller (1982)
  Michael Jackson

Ed Boitano

T-Boy Editor:

• Revolver (UK) (1966)
  The Beatles
  Sticky Fingers (1971)
  The Rolling Stones
• Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
  Bob Dylan
• Hejira (1976)
  Joni Mitchell
• London Calling (1979)
  The Clash

Honorable Mention

Darkness on the Edge of Town/Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band * The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust/David Bowie * Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols/Sex Pistols * Ladies of the Canyon/Joni Mitchell * Beggars Banquet/The Rolling Stones * Blonde on Blonde/Bob Dylan * Songs of Leonard Cohen/Leonard Cohen * Patti Smith/Land * Disraeli Gears/Cream

Top 10 albums selected

1. Beggars Banquet (1968)
   The Rolling Stones
2. Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
   Bob Dylan
3. Bridge Over Troubled Water (1967)
   Simon & Garfunkel
4. Sticky Fingers (1971)
   The Rolling Stones
5. Kind of Blue (1959)
   Miles Davis
6. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
   The Beatles
7. Moondance (1970)
   Van Morrison
8. Sweet Baby James (1969)
   James Taylor
9. A Love Supreme (1965)
   John Coltrane
10. Rubber Soul (UK) (1965)
    The Beatles

In order, Bands & Artists most frequently listed in the Top Five

• The Beatles
• Bob Dylan
• The Rolling Stones
• Miles Davis
• Joni Mitchell
• John Coltrane
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience
• James Taylor
• Van Morrison
• Simon & Garfunkel
• Prince
• Ray Charles

The post Five Favorite Albums of All-Time appeared first on Traveling Archive.

11. On the Road Again – Canned Heat

On the Road Again was recorded by the blues-rock group Canned Heat in 1967. A driving blues-rock boogie, it was adapted from the 1953 Floyd Jones song of the same name, which is reportedly based on the Tommy Johnson song Big Road Blues, recorded in 1928. Canned Heat included mid-1960’s psychedelic rock elements in their songs which added to their popularity. Though guitarist Alan Wilson sang lead vocals on On the Road Again and their smash hit Going Up the Country, Bob (The Bear) Hite was the co-lead vocalist and unofficial leader of Canned Heat, much due to his massive weight and presence on stage. The group has been noted for their interpretations of blues material and efforts to promote interest in its original artists. 

12. Willin’ – Little Feat

Willin’ is a song written by Lowell George before he had formed his band, Little Feat. Released on their 1971 Little Feat album, the band re-recorded the song at a slower tempo to much greater success on their 1972 Sailin’ Shoes album. The song tells a story of a truck driver traveling from Tucson to Tucumcari; Tehachapi to Tonopah and became a trucker anthem. Though not confirmed, some believe the lyrics, ” . . . from Tucson to Tucumcari . . . ” were taken from the 1961 Sam Peckinpah film, The Deadly Companions.

13. Moonlight in Vermont – Frank Sinatra Version

Moonlight in Vermont, considered the unofficial state song of Vermont, was written by John Blackburn (lyrics), Karl Suessdorf (music) and published in 1944. The lyrics are unusual in that they do not rhyme, with each verse (not counting the bridge) a haiku. The song was first introduced by Margaret Whiting in a 1944 recording, and has been covered by numerous other artists over the years, including our favorite version by Ol‘  Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra.

14. Walkin’ Blues – Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson was born in the Mississippi Delta, a dirt-poor, African-American who would grow up, learn to sing and play the blues, and eventually achieve worldwide renown in the decades after his death. He has become known as the King of the Delta Blues Singers, with his music expanding in influence to the point that rock stars – the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers – sing his praise and have recorded his songs. The itinerant blues singer and guitarist lived from 1911 to 1938, recording 29 songs between 1936 and ’37.  Most of these songs have attained canonical status, and are now considered enduring anthems of the genre: Walkin’ Blues, Cross Road Blues, Love In Vain, Hellhound On My Trail,I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom and Sweet Home Chicago. Never had the hardships of the world been transformed into such a poetic height; never had the blues plumbed such an emotional depth. Johnson took the intense loneliness, terrors and tortuous lifestyle that came with being an African-American in the South during the Great Depression, and transformed that personal experience into music of universal relevance and global reach.

15. Route 66 – Rolling Stones Version

(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 is a popular rhythm and blues standard, composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troup. The song became popular for the British Invasion crowd as it appeared on the Rolling Stones’ first U.S. LP, England’s Newest Hitmakers. It was a route well-taken by mid-1960’s rock-and-roll British Invasion groups whose popularity in North America stemmed from anglicizing U.S. music, generally Afro-American, and sending it back to the America’s as something new and exciting. Like the French New Wave, whose late 1950s and 60’s films were highly influenced by Hollywood genre films, they were reintroducing America to their own music.  

16. Six Days on the Road – Dave Dudley Version

Six Days on the Road is written by Earl Green and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio songwriter Carl Montgomery. It was made famous in 1963 by country music singer Dave Dudley, leading to it being hailed as the definitive celebration of the North American truck driver. There  have been countless cover versions of the song, but Canadian Jerry Doucette does a rockin’ blues of it like no one else, but is hard to find.

17. Where the Streets Have No Name – U2

Where the Streets Have No Name is a track by Irish rock band U2. As the opening song from their 1987 album The Joshua Tree, it was released as the album’s third single in August 1987. The song’s hook is a repeating guitar arpeggio using a delay effect, played during the song’s introduction and again at the end. The Joshua Tree cemented U2’s status as one of the 1980’s preeminent groups, assimilating their initial post-punk energy with their fascination and immersion in American roots music.

18. On the Road Again – Willie Nelson

On the Road Again is written and made famous by country music legend Willie Nelson in the Jerry Schatzberg film, Honeysuckle Rose. The song, about life on a tour, was born when Nelson was on a plane with one of the film’s executive producers. Nelson had just signed a contract to play the film’s lead character, which would prove to be a box office hit, introducing him to a new legion of fans. He was asked  to write a theme song for the movie, and purportedly scribbled the lyrics on one of the plane’s barf bags.

19. Running on Empty – Jackson Browne

Running on Empty is  written and performed by singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. It is the title track to his 1977 live album of the same name, recorded at a concert in Columbia, Maryland on August 27, 1977.  The album itself consists of live performances while Browne and his band were touring on the road. Breaking the usual conventions for a live album, Browne used only new material and combined live concert performances with recordings made on buses, in hotel rooms, and back stage. The collection of songs, along with the LPs’ Late for the Sky (1974) and The Pretender (1976), are indicative of the heyday of Browne’s remarkable popularity in the mid-1970s and early 1980s.

20. Peace Train – Cat Stevens

Peace Train is a 1971 song by Cat Stevens, taken from his album Teaser and the Firecat. Pop songs with messages of peace were common in the Vietnam War era. Stevens later converted to Islam, and changed his name to Yusuf Islam. During the Iraq War he commented on the song’s renewed relevance, saying: ‘Peace Train’ is a song I wrote, where the message is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again. Following 9/11, the song was placed on the list of post-9/11 inappropriate titles.

The post The Top Twenty Songs of the Road (#11-20) appeared first on Traveling Archive.