The Greatest Songwriter/Performer Albums In Recorded Music History

THE GREATEST SONGWRITER-PERFORMER ALBUMS IN RECORDED POPULAR MUSIC HISTORY

Part One

Artists A through L

By Ed Manolio

Copyright 2015-Smashwords Edition

Introduction

Music lovers know that many lists have been compiled over the years regarding the best or the greatest albums of all time, whether in a specific genre or period of popular music or perhaps in the entire popular music era. How were these conclusions usually reached? Some were computed by record sales; some were measured by popular voting and some discerned by tabulating the music charts and some were simply formed by a critic’s own judgment. Most of these lists relate to music from a certain specific category like jazz or rhythm and blues or rock. There really can never be a definitive official list because everybody has their favorites and opinions. It is a normal feeling to favor the music we naturally enjoy most in our lifetime. That is where our book varies containing a totally different approach.

We chose to go in a dissimilar direction. I guess we could have entitled it The Greatest Vocalist-Composer Albums In Popular Music History or The Greatest Songster-Songsmith Albums In Popular Music History, had we desired to describe it that way. But after some thought we chose to keep the title a bit more accurate. By naming it THE GREATEST SONGWRITER-PERFORMER ALBUMS IN RECORDED POPULAR MUSIC HISTORY it would really imply the goal and purpose of our book. So let me simplify our definition and prerequisites.

First of all, songwriter-performers are extremely talented artists who compose or contribute to the composition of songs they end up executing on their own albums and in concert. In choosing these albums, our requirement was that the particular artist or artists must have contributed to each and every track on their entire album by employing both talents. In other words, all must be songwriters and either vocalists and/or musicians. Sometimes, in addition, these talented people have even produced their own songs, although that was not a criterion for this book.

All of the individuals or groups mentioned here are extremely gifted artists who excel in more than one field in the creation of their product. We personally consider them the most talented people in popular music history and these selected albums represent the best of their work and therefore THE GREATEST SONGWRITER-PERFORMER ALBUMS IN RECORDED POPULAR MUSIC HISTORY title was generated.

A Little Technical History Lesson

In 1931, the Victor Recording Company created a long-playing recordable disc. Its purpose was to surpass the very limited three-to-four-minute constraint allotted by the 78rpm (revolutions per minute) disc that was the standard for the recording industry up to that point. The maximum an artist could generally record was only two songs per side on these 78’s. This new disc was a great idea; however, it had to be aborted by Victor mostly because of its bad timing. The then struggling American economy along with the price increase of these records proved to be too much of a negative factor, so Victor shelved their new creation.

Seventeen years later in 1948, Columbia Records (see above picture) introduced their version of long playing micro-grooved discs. This new innovation used 33 1/3 rpm’s and allowed for over 20 minutes per side, which usually meant, depending on their length, 10 to 12 songs per disc. In addition, the discs themselves were more durable and less apt to damage. It was a major upgrade in the music industry that would be felt for years. 78 rpm albums needed several discs to contain the same amount of recording time that fit onto one of Columbia’s new records. Other major companies followed suit and within ten years 78’s became virtually extinct.

As far as albums were concerned the next change occurred in 1964 and it featured the advent of the Eight Track (see above picture). It used only one single reel containing a continuous endless loop of recording tape. In the beginning it was created specifically for the new Ford car models of 1965. The ability to play one’s own chosen music in a car became very popular and was quickly offered by all the other competing car companies. Soon after, 8 track players were on sale for the home market. They could contain the same amount of music or even a little bit more as 33 1/3 records.

Four years after the 8-track tape was introduced to the public, another new addition to the recording industry was presented. The compact cassette (see above picture) had some different advantages. It was much smaller and could be recorded on two sides. Over the next few years, the quality of the cassette greatly improved and by 1971 the format, which was originally created for the spoken word, was taken more seriously for musical use, thus starting the era of high-fidelity cassettes and their player/recorders.

In 1979 Sony upped the ante offering its Walkman (see above picture) to the public. The main innovation was its size, measuring only slightly larger than a cassette tape itself, and it came with a pair of portable, lightweight earphones and held a much smaller cassette that still contained the same amount of recorded music as its larger version. Sales of recorded compact cassettes (audio cassettes) exceed LP record sales for the first time in 1984. Technology was swiftly changing the way we listened to music.

The Compact Disc (CD), (see above picture) an optical disc used to store digital data or audio, reached the market in 1983. When a laser beam is focused onto its spinning surface sound is generated. It was enthusiastically received by the general public because of its superior sound quality and long-lasting playability. No more scratched or damaged records or snapped or jammed tapes were technological advances almost everybody welcomed. In fact, by 1989 the CD dominated the recorded music scene virtually ending the mass manufacturing of tapes and records.

Since then DVD’s, flash drives, phones and other forms of ways to playback music have emerged and continue to change the industry. Of course these days downloading music directly from web sites dominates the way one gets the music they enjoy and wish to own. However, the term album, (which is a set of musical recordings stored together), continues and is a term still used by most today.

Our book covers albums from 1948 forward, (when the era of the long-playing record began), and runs through 2012, covering the first sixty plus years of album history. We chose performer-songwriter albums because these artists present their music in its most original form and the ways they best see fit to interpret it. Besides, they can be considered the most creative people in the industry by both writing and performing (either vocally and/or instrumentally) their own works. This list is not meant to derogate any other artists that are just pure songwriters, vocal interpreters or musicians in the industry. It is meant purely to present what we think are the best performer-songwriter albums of all time.

If you are a music lover, as we both are, and you have not heard the albums we are about to disclose, we strongly suggest that you give them a listen. They truly vary in their content and genre and are among the very best popular music industry has to offer.

How The Book Works

We list the individual artist or group, (identifying each member), and their specific album which fit our criteria. Our catalog will contain all the tracks on the chosen album with an * and bold typeface next to what we believe to be the strongest or best songs on each particular collection and then we offer a brief synopsis and explanation containing the reasoning each overall collection was chosen along with other interesting tidbits.

The Criteria

We chose the following conditions in order to make this list fit our title:

Any album in popular music, which is music of general appeal that is not of a classical nature, recorded by a solo artist, duo or group except for hit compilations, live performances or albums containing unrelated various artists.

Solo artist-must be involved in writing part or all of every song contained on their album.

Duo or group-at least one of the members must have written part or all of every song contained on their album

Each album must contain minimally three or more hits, recognizable or outstanding songs. (In this case hit does not have to mean the song charted; it refers to a song that is of high quality or distinguishable by that or another particular artist or artists who have borrow the song). These albums must contain what we consider no filler (songs of much lesser quality) tracks. Double albums must include five hits, recognizable or outstanding songs. Again, these tracks are noted in bold typeface and with an asterisk. Overall, all the tracks on the given album must be worthwhile in our humble estimation.

The albums were judged by the way they were released originally. No re-issues or bootlegged albums were considered.

We have done careful research while going through artist after artist to be able to determine those albums we deem the best in the category of performer-songwriter. Of course there are many top notch singer/performer albums not listed, but we feel we have chosen the cream of the crop. We certainly hope you enjoy viewing this list and also hope you give a listen to any of these albums that you have not had the pleasure of hearing previously. They are well worth your time! These are simply the cream of the crop of performer-songwriter albums.

Note: These albums are certainly worth listening to if you so desire. They were all crafted beautifully and will provide you with pleasurable music. For those of you just discovering any of these classic artists or collections, we suggest you begin enjoying any of the albums on this list. Just pick a genre that you favor.

About Me

I am is a lifetime music collector since I was nine years old when I began accumulating 45’s with my weekly allowance. I am a lover of all different genres and I own one of the most immense collections of the greatest music in the 20th century. I also collect music reference chart books and artist’s biographies. I am a weekly follower of the popular Billboard music charts through the years. I have also published one other book, Tails From Dublin, a true life story about my beloved Irish Setter dog. It is available through these same outlets.

For me music is such a joy to discover, listen to and discuss and it has been a labor of love to create this book. I have attended countless concerts together featuring many different musical genres. I feel we have been impartial and completely honest in our endeavor. It has taken a great deal of time and work to gather the criteria in order to make it an accurate list. Music is the background wallpaper of life for many and the following albums have provided us with many memories.

This is part of one of a two-part series. We cover all the artists that fall between the letters A thru L. Part two continues our list with artists M thru Z. It is available now and contains more of a myriad of fabulous collections by The Greatest Songwriter-Performer Albums Of All Time.

******************************************************************

ABBA

(Benny Andersson / Agnetha Fältskog / Anni-Frid Lyngstad / Björn Ulvaeus)

Arrival (1976)

Label-Atlantic Records

Genre: Pop

When I Kissed The Teacher (Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus

Dancing Queen* (Stig Anderson / Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus)

My Love My Life (Stig Anderson / Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus)

Dum Dum Diddle (Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus

Knowing Me Knowing You* (Stig Anderson / Benny Andersson / Agnetha Fältskog / Anni-Frid Lyngstad / Björn Ulvaeus)

Money Money Money (Benny Andersson / Agnetha Fältskog / Anni-Frid Lyngstad / Björn Ulvaeus)

That’s Me (Stig Anderson / Benny Andersson / Tony Banks / Peter Gabriel / Anthony Phillips / Mike Rutherford / John Silver / Chris Stewart / Björn Ulvaeus)

Why Did It Have To Be Me? (Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus)

Tiger (Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus)

Arrival (Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus)

Fernando* (Stig Anderson / Benny Andersson / Anni-Frid Lyngstad / Björn Ulvaeus)

This Swedish group is one of the most internationally popular musical acts in history. All the songs on this album were written by at least two members of the band. Benny Anderson’s keyboards and Rutger Gunnarsson's bass are the main focus on most of the tracks. Dancing Queen became an international number one hit song in 1979 and both Fernando and Knowing Me Knowing You also ranked high on the

Billboard singles chart. Other highlights include When I Kissed The Teacher an upbeat, spirited lead off track and Tiger a pretty pop-rock tune. The harmonies are rich and deep and as good as any you will find on an album. Money Money Money is a beautiful crafted version of a pop song that should not be lost on this fine collection. This was Abba’s fourth studio album release.

____________________________________________________________

BRYAN ADAMS

Cuts Like A Knife (1983)

Label: A&M Records

Genre: Rock

The Only One Take Me Back

This Time*

Straight From The Heart*(Bryan Adams / Eric Kagna)

Cuts Like A Knife*

I'm Ready

What's It Gonna Be

Don't Leave Me Lonely (Bryan Adams / Jim Vallance / Eric Carr)

Let Him Know

The Best Was Yet To Come

(All songs written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance unless otherwise noted)

Bryan Adams found the styles that best suit his music on this album – hard rock and ballads. Straight from the Heart, Cuts Like a Knife and This Time; the three were responsible for launching Adams into mainstream popularity as all made Billboard’s top twenty-five. Don't Leave Me Lonely was co-written with Kiss drummer Eric Carr and The Best Is Yet To Come was later covered by Laura Branigan. Take Me Back and The Only One were rock radio station favorites. I’m Ready was originally recorded by the Stories’ Ian Lloyd. Adams’ distinct voice is certainly a strong point and one that makes his vocals easily identifiable while his songwriting ability made him one of rock’s key artists in the 80’s and 90’s.

------------------------

Reckless (1984)

Label: A & M

Genre:Rock

She's Only Happy When She's Dancin’

Run To You*

Heaven*

Somebody

Summer Of '69*

Kids Wanna Rock

It's Only Love (With Tina Turner)

Long Gone

Ain't Gonna Cry

(All songs written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance)

All the songs on this album were written by Canadians Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. This duo has composed over fifty songs together. This was Adams fourth studio album and it contained his first number one single Heaven. In addition to the highlighted songs above, One Night Love Affair, It’s Only Love (with Tina Turner), Summer Of 69 (a classic), Run To You and Somebody all reached the top 40, making 6 out of the 12 songs hit singles. Quite a feat for the time, it had only been accomplished previously by Michael Jackson's Thriller and Bruce Springsteen's Born In The USA albums. Overall, this album is a faultless collection of melodic hard rock by an underestimated singer-songwriter.

AEROSMITH

(Steven Tyler / Joe Perry/ Brad Whitford / Tom Hamilton / Joey Kramer)

Pump (1989) Label Geffen Records

Genre: Hard Rock

Young Lust (Joe Perry / Steven Tyler / Jim Vallance)

F.I.N.E. (Joe Perry / Steven Tyler)

Going Down/Love In An Elevator* (Joe Perry / Steven Tyler)

Monkey On My Back (Joe Perry / Steven Tyler)

Water Song/Janie's Got A Gun* (Tom Hamilton / Steven Tyler)

Dulcimer Stomp/The Other Side (Steven Tyler / Jim Vallance /Brian Holland / Lamont Dozier / Eddie Holland)

My Girl (Joe Perry / Steven Tyler)

Don't Get Mad, Get Even (Joe Perry / Steven Tyler)

Hoodoo/Voodoo Medicine Man (Steven Tyler / Brad Whitford)

What It Takes* (Desmond Child / Joe Perry / Steven Tyler)

Aerosmith’s tenth studio album features terrific power ballads and rockers. Complex issues fill the songs on this album. From murder and incest to drugs and alcohol, the songs are deeper than on any previous Aerosmith releases. Four Billboard top 40 songs are included in this collection, the ones highlighted above along with The Other Side. Janie’s Got A Gun won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. The group added horns to some of the tracks which gave those particular songs a fast, fun feel. All of the tunes are well constructed and produced by Bruce Fairbairn. Pump peaked at number five on the Billboard album chart. It is the band’s second best-selling album of their career as of this writing.

--------------------------

Get A Grip (1993)

Label: Geffen Records

Genre: Hard Rock

Intro (Joe Perry / Steven Tyler / Jim

Vallance)

Eat The Rich (Joe Perry / Steven Tyler / Jim Vallance)

Get A Grip (Joe Perry / Steven Tyler / Jim Valance) Fever (Joe Perry / Steven Tyler)

Livin' On The Edge*(Mark Hudson / Joe Perry / Steven Tyler)

Flesh (Desmond Child / Joe Perry / Steven Tyler)

Walk On Down (Joe Perry)

Shut Up And Dance (Jack Blades / Joe Perry / Tommy Shaw / Steven Tyler)

Cryin' (Joe Perry / Taylor Rhodes / Steven Tyler)

Gotta Love It (Mark Hudson / Joe Perry / Steven Tyler)

Crazy* (Desmond Child / Joe Perry / Steven Tyler)

Line Up (Lenny Kravitz / Joe Perry / Steven Tyler)

Amazing* (Richard Supa / Steven Tyler)

Boogie Man (Joe Perry / Steven Tyler / Jim Vallance)

It took four years for Aerosmith to follow up Pump, but they made it worth the wait. Get A Grip includes social commentary with Livin’ On The Edge, which won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1993, hard rock with (Get a Grip and Eat the Rich) and four Billboard top twenty-five chart hits which include the highlighted songs above as well as Cryin. Guess stars include the Eagles’ Don Henley doing background vocals on Amazing and Lenny Kravitz doing the same on Line Up. MTV showed quite a few videos from this collection in regular rotation during that era. This is Aerosmith’s best-selling album to date, peaking at the number one position on the Billboard album chart.

_______________________________________________________

THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS

(Tyson Ritter / Nick Wheeler / Mike Kennerty / Chris Gaylor)

Move Along (2005)

Label: DGC Records

Genre:Pop/Rock

Dirty Little Secret*

Stab My Back

Move Along*

It Ends Tonight*

Change Your Mind

Night Drive

11:11 P.M.

Dance Inside

Top Of The World

Straitjacket Feeling

I'm Waiting

Can't Take It

(All songs written by Nick Wheeler and Tyson Ritter)

The All-American Rejects' sophomore effort really showcases the band's songwriters Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler because they also put together fine vocal harmonies throughout this collection that features some of their best tunes. Move Along has some memorable hooks, such as those on Stab My Back and Change Your Mind. Three Billboard top fifteen songs highlight the album, Dirty Little Secrets, their signature tune, It Ends Tonight and the title track. Night Drive is straight ahead rock with great guitar riffs and Can’t Take It feature violins that give it a nice, dramatic tone. This album is all about 21st century rock with a pure pop element and is a surprisingly good collection that came along when not much good, fresh rock was being created. ____________________________________________________________

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND

(Gregg Allman / Dickey Betts / Warren Haynes / Allen Woody / Jaimoe / Butch Trucks / Marc Quinones)

Where It All Begins (1994)

Label: Sony Records

Genre: Blues- ]\Rock

All Night Train* (Gregg Allman / Warren / Chuck Leavell)

Sailin' Cross The Devil's Sea (Gregg Allman / Warren Haynes / Jack Pearson / Allen Woody)

Back Where It All Begins* (Dickey Betts)

Soulshine (Warren Haynes)

No One To Run With* (Dickey Betts / John Prestia)

Change My Way Of Living (Dickey Betts)

Mean Woman Blues (Dickey Betts)

Everybody's Got A Mountain To Climb (Dickey Betts)

What's Done Is Done (Gregg Allman / Allen Woody)

Their first album after an absence of over three years became an instant

Allman Brothers’ classic. Where It All Begins is more diverse than most

of the band's previous records, spanning rock, soul, blues and a little bit of jazz and funk, yet it still retains their classic sound. Two airplay rock hits Back Where It All Begins and No One To Run With are as good as anything they have ever done. Haynes’ Soulshine became a big concert favorite. Betts’ vocals on Mean Woman Blues remind us of why he is such an essential member of the band but unfortunately, this would be his last recording with the band. More mainstream than their early 70’s stuff, this collection proved to be a good introduction for their newer fans.

____________________________________________________________

AMERICA

(Dewey Bunnell / Dan Peek / Gerry Beckley)

America (1972)

Label: Warner Brothers Records

Genre: Folk Pop

Riverside (Dewey Bunnell)

Sandman* (Dewey Bunnell)

Three Roses (Dewey Bunnell)

Children (Dewey Bunnell)

A Horse With No Name* (Dewey Bunnell)

Here (Gerry Beckley)

I Need You* (Gerry Beckley)

Rainy Day (Dan Peek)

Never Found The Time (Dan Peek)

Clarice (Gerry Beckley)

Donkey Jaw (Dan Peek)

Pigeon Song (Dewey Bunnell)

Influenced by Neil Young, the Eagles and Poco, this was the band America’s debut album. Strummed acoustic guitar arrangements and perfect vocal harmony helped make this threesome create a folk-pop classic collection. A Horse With No Name, their first single release, hit the top spot for three weeks and I Need You reached number nine on the Billboard singles chart. Never Found The Time, a beautiful tune, and Riverside have terrific acoustic interplay and harmonies. Sandman is a threating, electrifying tune and Three Roses along with Rainy Days showcase Bunnell’s songwriting talents. This album peaked at number one on the Billboard album chart and remained there for five weeks.

------------------

Hearts (1975)

Label: Sony Records

Genre: Blues- Rock

Daisy Jane* (Gerry Beckley)

Half A Man (Dan Peek)

Midnight (Gerry Beckley / Dewey Bunnell)

Bell Tree (Gerry Beckley)

Old Virginia (Dan Peek)

People In The Valley (Dewey Bunnell )

Company (Dewey Bunnell)

Woman Tonight* (Dan Peek)

The Story Of A Teenager (Gerry Beckley / Dan Peek)

Sister Golden Hair* (Gerry Beckley)

Tomorrow (Dan Peek)

Seasons (Dewey Bunnell)

America’s fifth studio album was produced by legendary Beatles producer George Martin. This collection contains America’s second number one single Sister Golden Hair, which is a beautifully crafted song. Daisy Jane, a mellow love tune and Woman Tonight, containing reggae overtones also charted. Old Virginia, Bell Tree and Midnight, three well written tunes provided the group with heavy FM airplay and Half A Man is an outstanding