What are the Final Four?

Here we go. I’m just going to go through the pile first and decide “no” or “maybe.” No yesses yet.

John Wesley Harding is a huge influence on me. Gorgeous record — one of the things I found inspiring was just the atmosphere of the thing. This one’s a “maybe.”

Absolutely Free is the one of the original trilogy that I’m least familiar with. I have copies of Freak Out and We’re Only In It For the Money. Both of which I like very much. Still, I’d have to seek out Absolutely Free on Youtube to hear it, which somehow seems less of an authentic way of doing this battle. I think they all have to be CDs so that format doesn’t affect my thinking. This one’s a “no.”

Piper at the Gates of Dawn is also a super-monolithic album for me. There are several Floyd albums that I rank as approximately equal to this one in value, And this is a first-tier Pink Floyd album. I’m going to call it a strong “maybe. “

Françoise Hardy’s Ma Jeunesse Fout le Camp might be of insterest. I think it’s a no but I definitely need to look it up. Her first album, Tous les garçons et les filles is one of my very favorite records. But for now, she’s a “no.”

Days of Future Passed is an album I’m less familiar with, but I’ve been listening to it quite a bit, lately, and I might just include it. Officially a “maybe.”

Disraeili Gears is the state-of-the-art heavy album of its time. It’s also a great psych album and a great blues/rock album. Very boy. “Maybe.”

Interstellar Space shocked me when I first heard it. This is avant-garde jazz at its most out-there. It is astrology-inspired free jazz made by a duo – Coltrane and drummer Rashied Ali. This is a strong “maybe.”

I think this The Nice CD is unlikely, unfortunately. Not a contender, I think, considering what else there is on this list. Still, I’m going to list it as a “maybe.” I think there are probably things I have more to say about, for instance —

Revolver. Quite honestly, I think this is the greatest rock album ever made. I’m listing it as a “maybe” but I am so tempted to just call it a yes. Spoiler alert, I guess.

Smiley Smile is as important to my sensibilites as a music fan as John Welsey Harding. This is also a maybe.

Of the two Byrds albums, I think I’m more likely to have something to say about Younger that Yesterday. Sweetheart of the Rodeo has been written about way more, and I resonate more with the psychedelic touches of YtY, so I will pick that over SotR.

So the “maybes” are

• John Wesley Harding
• Piper at the Gates of Dawn
• Days of Future Passed
• Disraeli Gears
• Interstellar Space
• Revolver
• Smiley Smile
• Younger than Yesterday

So let’s do brackets…

Bracket One: JWH v YtY. I’ll go with John Wesley Harding.

Bracket Two: Piper at the Gates of Dawn versus Disraeli Gears. I’ll go with the Floyd.

Bracket Three: Interstellar Space versus Smiley Smile. I’ll go with Smiley Smile. EDIT: Having trouble finding my copy on CD. Might have to go with Interstellar Space instead.

And finally…

Bracket Four: Revolver versus Days of Future Passed. I think I have more to say about that Beatles record. Maybe I’ll do a consolation battle…

But the official choices for this battle are:

Bob Dylan – John Wesley Harding
Pink Floyd – Piper at the Gates of Dawn
The Beach Boys – Smiley Smile
The Beatles – Revolver

Coming next: The Big Battle.