Before I begin, I should note a few things on the brief list you are about to read. It was nearly impossible to limit this to two bands per decade, but for the sake of time and space, I have chosen (with the exception of a certain few) albums that came out early in each decade. Also, while most of these album were highly praised upon their initial release, they only grew in popularity year after year and became trend setters. Nothing like them had existed before their creation and they certainly set the tone musically for quite some time after, making them in our eyes 'ahead of their time'. There are quite a number of albums that deserve to be on this list. That being said…
60’s – The MC5 – Kick Out The Jams; The Beatles – Rubber Soul
When the Beatles released Rubber Soul, it sent shock waves through music. They were in their post-India phase, and had stop being the cookie cutter musicians that their record labels had wanted them to be. The incorporation of eastern music on this album produced several timeless songs, assuaged society’s need for a cultural revolution. The Beatles became the hinge opening the door to a peaceful revolution…and in 1969 MC5 kicked that door down. As the Beatles were jamming with Ravi Shankar, Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith were in Detroit taking their love for Chuck Berry in a different direction. Kick Out The Jams is an amazingly raw and powerful live album, and though it didn’t appeal to most flower children, it laid the foundation for punk rock.
70’s – The Mahavishnu Orchestra – The Inner Mounting Flame; Frank Zappa – Apostrophe
The first album by ex-Bitches Brew guitarist John McGlaughlin and legendary drummer Billy Cobham, technically considered jazz fusion, The Inner Mounting Flame invokes a nearly transcendent feeling out of the listener, and lays down the foundations for progressive rock, jam rock, and progressive metal. The album has been sampled by artists ranging from Massive Attack to Mos Def, and can go from ethereally soft, to incredibly wild and chaotic at the drop of a hat.
Zappa’s Apostrophe was a commercial success, and one of his most notable albums (as there are oh so many). It contained several singles including “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” and “Cosmik Debris”; both of which have been mimicked in musical content and absurdity of lyrics by most jam bands since (most notably Phish). Zappa was never the most commercially successful musician, but his vision and his “no holds barred” attitude towards his stage show and song writing were definitely ahead of their time.
80's - The Talking Heads - Remain in Light; Pink Flloyd - The Wall (released Nov 30th 1979) Remain In Light was the Talking Heads’ fourth studio album, and is a land mark album in music history. While recording, Brian Eno and David Byrne experimented with sampling African percussion, and layering those tracks. As a result, they were forced to expand their live ensemble to nine. This album was a break-through for sampling, electric, and African musical influence in the mainstream.
Pink Floyd’s The Wall is a land mark in both music and cinema the likes of which has not been seen ever. It is a full on rock opera; a masterpiece concept album, that blends a powerfully compelling story line, elegantly composed music, and horrifically beautiful animation and imagery that has been 100% duplicated live many times. The Wall stands as one of the definitive albums of the 1980s.
Dirty was arguably the greatest album of 1992 (a year that saw a number of big time records), and, unknowingly, laid the foundations for the stoner rock genre, and given inspiration to a lot of new music; their influence can be heard when listening to bands like Dub Trio, Torche, and even groups like Sigur Ros. This album would play just as well if it were released last year, if not better. (Remember kiddies Sonic Youth is still putting out albums)
Ritual de lo Habitual was and incredible blend of infectious bass grooves, spiritually awakening ambient moments, and so-Cal punk. Jane’s Addiction front man Perry Farrell wrote the second half of the album about a friend of his, whom had died from a heroin overdose. The lyrics of songs like “Three Days”, along with the cover art, and Farrell’s film Gift hints to his audience the bleak truth of his early days, but through an incorporation of many eastern musical influences, he softens the blow for the listener; leaving them will a belly full and the smell of an extinguished nag champa.
00’s – At the Drive-In – Relationship of Command; Deftones – White Pony
Relationship of Command was the last studio album by progressive rock group At the Drive-In. Poorly labeled as “emo-core” when they first hit the music scene, along with one time producer Ross Robinson, they put for their best work. This album lays down the foundation for what is now considered “post-hardcore” (stupid labels), and the progressive seen on this record has been seen more and more. The band split, and went on to form the occasionally poppy, but still intriguing Sparta, and the chaotic maelstrom of greatness that is the Mars Volta.
White Pony was a transitional album for Sacramento rock group the Deftones, and began to shift the paradigm in heavy music. Up to that point, heavy metal had become convoluted with rap rock, and the Deftones were dangerously close to becoming drawn into that class because of the company they kept. The developed a bit of a new style, and began hanging around with the likes of TOOL front man Maynard James Keenan (featured on the track “Passenger”). The album earned a Grammy, and has help progressive metal and rock move forward to something a little more serious than Limp Bizkit.
10’s – Bonobo – Black Sands; Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
With Black Sands, Brighton DJ Bonobo has begun to outgrow the term DJ, and begun to become more of a composer. Now touring with an 8 piece band, Bonobo aka Simon Green constructed this studio album alone, with only the help of a vocalist or two. He constantly reproduces it live, and turns a traditional DJ set into a musical exploration. Drawing on a variety of different styles, this album is perfectly titled; it produces emotions that can only be felt on an imaginary black sand beach, gazing out into vast ocean of potential tone.
The Gorillaz are on that same Plastic Beach. Their new album mixes a plethora of worldly sounds, along with what can only be described as beautiful factory noises. The conceptual art and imagery that goes along with the music can be felt throughout the album, and the Gorillaz have a chance at saving the LP. By creating an ongoing narrative, and writing concept albums, Damon Albarn and animator Jamie Hewlett have attracted a slew of fantastic musicians and emcees to feature like Snopp Dogg, Lou Reed, and frequent Gorillaz collaborators De La Soul. The album still maintains trace elements of Albarn’s indie-folk background, but blends it smoothly with great hip hop, and occasionally worldly break downs. This is a conceptual masterpiece, and should be accompanied with any/all videos, comics, etc.
~sm
I wholeheartedly agree with this post. At-the-Drive-In's "Relationship of Command" blew me away when I first heard it. I was like I was handed music from the future. Incredible music!