AM is
Absolute Magnitude, a measure of brightness without regard to distance. AM, the website, applies this concept to Music (and occasionally to
film and the arts). In this forum, hosts
and readers alike critique the brightest as well as the darkest stars on an AM
scale of 10. There are indeed tens in
AM; they’re just few and far between.
Sgt. Pepper is a ten. So is Joni
Mitchell’s Blue. AM’s goal is to create
an objective forum. A rubric is in place
as the AM litmus test and was designed specifically for the album format,
though the same rubric is in place for singles as well:
Songwriting/Lyrics
(2 points): This combined category is the most subjective of the five. Here the critique analyzes both songwriting
and/or lyricism. Instrumentals, from
King Crimson’s “Lark’s Tongue In Aspic” to “Tubular Bells,” both max out in
this category; so does “The Great Gig in the Sky,” despite not having any
lyrics. From Bernie Taupin’s lyricism to
Hal Asher’s realism, lyrics may often provide the key to a 2.
Musicality
(2 points): Bands like The Who and Led Zeppelin have arguably the most talented
line-ups in music. If your drummer is
someone people fight over (Moony/John Bonham), chances are the category’s worth
2. Conversely, no one will deny the
musicality on the Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t it Be Nice.” Notwithstanding the studio musicians’
overwhelming role in the single, “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” still gets a 2.
Production
(2 points): Without Brian Wilson’s
impeccable production, no one would have listened to Pet Sounds. Production is often the difference between a
ten and a one. Pet Sounds gets a 2, so
does Dark Side of the Moon. Exile on
Main Street’s muddy lyrics and monotone production values keep Exile from the
ten it may have otherwise garnered.
Impact (2 points): No one bought a Van Gogh before he died. The album being critiqued may not have even
made the radar when it was new, so impact is a hard call. Nobody denies the influence of the yellow
B-52s album – like it or not, the impact is undeniable. Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush was a bust in
1970, but today it shines as one of the great folk-rock albums. This is a category that may change with time
– up or down.
Longevity (2
points): Does the critiqued album have
legs? After the Goldrush, Sgt. Pepper,
The Cure’s Disintegration – just as incredible today as ever. Country Joe and the Fish – not so much.
Let’s put it
into place: Crosby, Stills & Nash by
Crosby, Stills & Nash - AM10
Songwriting: “Suite Judy Blue Eyes”, Stephen Stills’
love paean to Judy Collins, is still fun 40 years on. The doo-wop coda is the
coolest thing on radio takeaway “Bennie and the Jets.” The album is chock full of folk rock sounds
and harmonies, from Crosby's evocative “Guinevere” to Graham Nash's perky
"Marrakesh Express" and Stills’ “49 Bye-Byes.” “Wooden Ships,” is another stand-out, not to
mention “Long Time Gone,” David Crosby's moving, if cynical, tribute to Robert
Kennedy. Every song here is class and
quality.
Musicality/Production:
With CSN performing all of the instrumentation and Dallas Taylor on drums, the
album’s sound is rich and full, if simple.
Production and Post-Production work was CSN as well and the clarity and
engineering is unsurpassed.
Impact:
Didn’t hurt that these songs were well-represented at Woodstock; the film’s
opening scenes with “Long Time Gone” still bring a chill. That aside, this was a new step in truly
American music capturing our sensibilities and our dissatisfactions. This album was a stepping stone into the 70s.
Longevity: And here it is the 80s, the 90s, the naughts,
the teens; still just as good.
