Rudi Protrudi of legendary Fuzztones writes his top albums of all time, especially for the readers of "FM to Web" column and Mix Grill.
The dirty guitars of Fuzztones will be on Gagarin's stage, in Athens on the 25th of May, 2014.
Which are the favourite albums of Rudi? Check them below:
1. JERRY LEE LEWIS - LIVE AT THE STAR CLUB/GREATEST LIVE SHOW ON EARTH
When it comes to The Killer, it's impossible for me to name just one album,
so I've chosen his two live albums, which, in my opinion, are very possibly
the greatest ever recorded, and in the case of "Live At The Star Club," the
wildest live Rock 'n' Roll album of all time. If you think MC5's "Kick Out The Jams" is over-the-top, brace yourself, as "Live At The Star Club," recorded at least ten years earlier, leaves it in the dust.
Although the band tries valiantly, they simply cannot keep up with amphetamine frenzy of Jerry Lee. He's not called The Killer for nothing!
2. STOOGES - FUN HOUSE
Sure, everyone knows the Stooges rule, but what makes this album so special? While it joins the Velvet Underground, Modern Lovers, and even the
Stooges first album as being an important progenitor of what is today known
as "Punk Rock," it's actually far more than that. What this album succeeded in
doing so effectively was to merge two highly unlikely musical forms, primal Pre-Punk and JAZZ, into one highly volatile musical statement that was, and still remains, WAY ahead of it's time. Pure genius.
3. NEW YORK DOLLS debut album
Dismissed, at the time of their debut, as a no-talent Stones rip-off, by rock critics and hi-brow Rock fans weaned on Kansas, Rush, and their progressive ilk, the Dolls had the last laugh when, over the years, the world finally caught up to them. While their cacophonous guitar grunge and Puerto Rican tri-sexual ("I'll "try" anything," quipped smart-ass lead singer David JoHansen) drag queen street hooker garb set them apart from the mind-numbing shlock that passed for Rock in the 70's, it was their cleverly concocted combination of 60's Girl Group (off-key) harmonies and song structure, Eddie Cochran by way of MC5 guitar riffs, wailing Sonny Boy Williamson-style harp action, and street-wise lyrical content that made the Dolls special. And their re-establishing of the 3 minute pop song made them ICONS.
4. PRETTY THINGS - SF Sorrow & Parachute
Like Jerry Lee, it's impossible to name just one Pretty Things album. Their early R&B rates as among the very best of the early British Invasion, and certainly the most uncontrolled. But it's their Psych stuff that really set them apart from their peers. These two albums are, in my opinion, hands-down, the best Psych albums of all time. Song structure and musicianship to rival only The Beatles, but taking the Psychedelic aspect farther than the Fab Four ever dared. Vastly underrated genius.
5. THE DOORS - Debut album & Strange Days
Nothing ever sounded like The Doors. When these albums came out it was the equivalent to listening to music from another, darker, and much more mysterious world. Combining poetry with Jazz, Blues, Psych and Rock 'n' Roll, the Doors created music as timeless as The Beatles, albeit much less cozy and safe. Combining inventive musical skills with a sense of drama, The Doors created Rock as theatre. Much has been written about Morrison's obvious sex appeal, charisma, and outrageous onstage/offstage behavior, but the core of The Doors magic was and will always be That Voice. Rock's first crooner (unless you count Dion, another of my heroes), and the vehicle that was absolutely essential to convey The Doors' magic.
6. FUGS second album
I was addicted to the Fugs ever since I'd bought "The Fugs First Album," but their second, simply titled "The Fugs," shows them evolving from an extremely amateur (yet inspiringly genius) Jug-cum-garage band fronted by three crazed beatnik poets, to a genuine Rock band, fronted by three crazed beatnik poets! Still "Garage" but much more electric-oriented and just as, if not more outrageous lyrically and politically. Predecessors of both the Doors and Dylan (his electric debut at least), The Fugs were the FIRST rock poets. GROUNDBREAKING and quite possibly the first Punk band in the true sense of the word.
7. ALICE -COOPER - Love It To Death
I was already a fan of their first two albums, both of which were heavily influenced by Syd Barrett era Floyd, It was this album that featured their anthemic hit, "Eighteen," quite possibly the LAST "Garage" song to ever become a hit on AM radio. Their outrageous image and disturbing lyrics caused parents much emotional distress, which of course made them my heroes. The voice of my generation.
8. CHUCK BERRY - More
As far as I'm concerned, Chuck Berry INVENTED Rock & Roll. His guitar playing inspired every single guitarist that came after him. He wrote more great songs than any individual artist I can think of - his only rival being the Beatles, and it took three of them to match his output. This is the first album Chuck Berry album I ever bought. I was 12, and I had to mow my neighbor's lawn six times to be able to afford it. This is the album that I learned guitar to.
9. BO DIDDLEY - Go
Bo's second album. He has better albums but this is the first I ever bought, back when I was 13. Like the Dolls, it was the cover that sold me. A boldly confident black dude looking very bad-ass, dressed in red plaid jacket and strumming a red Gretsch Duo Jet guitar (the inspiration for me buying one ten years later) staring at the camera with a look of defiance that was unheard of for a black performer in the predominantly white and predominantly prejudiced 1950's. The man that pushed rhythm guitar to the forefront and invented the world's most imitated Rock beat.
10. UNDERGROUND BLUES - Various Artists
When I was 15 I made a trip to NY's Greenwich Village which was, at the time, the heart of the East Coast hippie movement of the 60's. Inspired by Rolling Stones cover versions, I picked up my first blues album, a comp titled "Underground Blues," which featured cuts by John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed, Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James and BB King - all of which made a huge impression on me immediately after discovering them through this album. I can't imagine a better introduction to Blues.
11. FRANK SINATRA - Only The Lonely
When it comes to torch singing, I always preferred Julie London or Dean Martin. Until I heard this album, that is. Supposedly the first "concept" album; In each song, Old Blue Eyes conveys loneliness, despair and melancholy more convin cingly than anyone before or since, with the most incredibly sympathetic orches-tration imaginable. One listen will convert anyone.
The dirty guitars of Fuzztones will be on Gagarin's stage, in Athens on the 25th of May, 2014.
Which are the favourite albums of Rudi? Check them below:
1. JERRY LEE LEWIS - LIVE AT THE STAR CLUB/GREATEST LIVE SHOW ON EARTH
When it comes to The Killer, it's impossible for me to name just one album,
so I've chosen his two live albums, which, in my opinion, are very possibly
the greatest ever recorded, and in the case of "Live At The Star Club," the
wildest live Rock 'n' Roll album of all time. If you think MC5's "Kick Out The Jams" is over-the-top, brace yourself, as "Live At The Star Club," recorded at least ten years earlier, leaves it in the dust.
Although the band tries valiantly, they simply cannot keep up with amphetamine frenzy of Jerry Lee. He's not called The Killer for nothing!
2. STOOGES - FUN HOUSE
Sure, everyone knows the Stooges rule, but what makes this album so special? While it joins the Velvet Underground, Modern Lovers, and even the
Stooges first album as being an important progenitor of what is today known
as "Punk Rock," it's actually far more than that. What this album succeeded in
doing so effectively was to merge two highly unlikely musical forms, primal Pre-Punk and JAZZ, into one highly volatile musical statement that was, and still remains, WAY ahead of it's time. Pure genius.
3. NEW YORK DOLLS debut albumDismissed, at the time of their debut, as a no-talent Stones rip-off, by rock critics and hi-brow Rock fans weaned on Kansas, Rush, and their progressive ilk, the Dolls had the last laugh when, over the years, the world finally caught up to them. While their cacophonous guitar grunge and Puerto Rican tri-sexual ("I'll "try" anything," quipped smart-ass lead singer David JoHansen) drag queen street hooker garb set them apart from the mind-numbing shlock that passed for Rock in the 70's, it was their cleverly concocted combination of 60's Girl Group (off-key) harmonies and song structure, Eddie Cochran by way of MC5 guitar riffs, wailing Sonny Boy Williamson-style harp action, and street-wise lyrical content that made the Dolls special. And their re-establishing of the 3 minute pop song made them ICONS.
4. PRETTY THINGS - SF Sorrow & Parachute
Like Jerry Lee, it's impossible to name just one Pretty Things album. Their early R&B rates as among the very best of the early British Invasion, and certainly the most uncontrolled. But it's their Psych stuff that really set them apart from their peers. These two albums are, in my opinion, hands-down, the best Psych albums of all time. Song structure and musicianship to rival only The Beatles, but taking the Psychedelic aspect farther than the Fab Four ever dared. Vastly underrated genius.
5. THE DOORS - Debut album & Strange Days
Nothing ever sounded like The Doors. When these albums came out it was the equivalent to listening to music from another, darker, and much more mysterious world. Combining poetry with Jazz, Blues, Psych and Rock 'n' Roll, the Doors created music as timeless as The Beatles, albeit much less cozy and safe. Combining inventive musical skills with a sense of drama, The Doors created Rock as theatre. Much has been written about Morrison's obvious sex appeal, charisma, and outrageous onstage/offstage behavior, but the core of The Doors magic was and will always be That Voice. Rock's first crooner (unless you count Dion, another of my heroes), and the vehicle that was absolutely essential to convey The Doors' magic.
6. FUGS second album
I was addicted to the Fugs ever since I'd bought "The Fugs First Album," but their second, simply titled "The Fugs," shows them evolving from an extremely amateur (yet inspiringly genius) Jug-cum-garage band fronted by three crazed beatnik poets, to a genuine Rock band, fronted by three crazed beatnik poets! Still "Garage" but much more electric-oriented and just as, if not more outrageous lyrically and politically. Predecessors of both the Doors and Dylan (his electric debut at least), The Fugs were the FIRST rock poets. GROUNDBREAKING and quite possibly the first Punk band in the true sense of the word.
7. ALICE -COOPER - Love It To Death
I was already a fan of their first two albums, both of which were heavily influenced by Syd Barrett era Floyd, It was this album that featured their anthemic hit, "Eighteen," quite possibly the LAST "Garage" song to ever become a hit on AM radio. Their outrageous image and disturbing lyrics caused parents much emotional distress, which of course made them my heroes. The voice of my generation.
8. CHUCK BERRY - More
As far as I'm concerned, Chuck Berry INVENTED Rock & Roll. His guitar playing inspired every single guitarist that came after him. He wrote more great songs than any individual artist I can think of - his only rival being the Beatles, and it took three of them to match his output. This is the first album Chuck Berry album I ever bought. I was 12, and I had to mow my neighbor's lawn six times to be able to afford it. This is the album that I learned guitar to.
9. BO DIDDLEY - Go
Bo's second album. He has better albums but this is the first I ever bought, back when I was 13. Like the Dolls, it was the cover that sold me. A boldly confident black dude looking very bad-ass, dressed in red plaid jacket and strumming a red Gretsch Duo Jet guitar (the inspiration for me buying one ten years later) staring at the camera with a look of defiance that was unheard of for a black performer in the predominantly white and predominantly prejudiced 1950's. The man that pushed rhythm guitar to the forefront and invented the world's most imitated Rock beat.
10. UNDERGROUND BLUES - Various Artists
When I was 15 I made a trip to NY's Greenwich Village which was, at the time, the heart of the East Coast hippie movement of the 60's. Inspired by Rolling Stones cover versions, I picked up my first blues album, a comp titled "Underground Blues," which featured cuts by John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed, Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James and BB King - all of which made a huge impression on me immediately after discovering them through this album. I can't imagine a better introduction to Blues.
11. FRANK SINATRA - Only The Lonely
When it comes to torch singing, I always preferred Julie London or Dean Martin. Until I heard this album, that is. Supposedly the first "concept" album; In each song, Old Blue Eyes conveys loneliness, despair and melancholy more convin cingly than anyone before or since, with the most incredibly sympathetic orches-tration imaginable. One listen will convert anyone.
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