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The 1950s album poll: the results

Welcome my friends to the thread about the best albums of the 1950s.



The 1950s, politically marked by the transition from the World War II of the 1940s to the Cool War of the 1960s, musically also lived the transition from jazz to rock & roll, from saxophones to electric guitars. The decade began deepening into the jazz renewal that Parker or Gillespie ignited in the 1940s, with bebop evolving during the decade to hard bop and cool jazz. But in the mid50s some young musicians fused black rhythm & blues and white country & western to create a brand new and exciting style, rock & roll, that in the end defined the sound of the decade. In our list you will find excellent examples of both genres, with the album list dominated by jazz and the song list with more predominance of rock & roll, but also you will find excellent samples of many other styles like exotica, chanson, folk or avantgarde. Please stay tuned, the results of the 50s poll are coming.
The presentation is going to be much simpler than the 1900-1949 one, I would like to end with the posting of the results before summer.

Hope you like it anyway. Let's begin with positions 50-41:


50. Georges Brassens - Interprète ses dernières compositions

Georges Brassens - 2e série: Georges Brassens interprète ses dernières compositions


Points: 359
Biggest fans: nicolas (#10), Miguel (#32), Henrik (#37), Honorio (#37)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #5
Year of release: 1954
Style: Chanson

Comments: nicolas: "In fact it is one of my least favorite of early Brassens albums but it is still #10…"

The album in You Tube:
01. Le vent
02. J'ai rendez-vous avec vous
03. Les amoureux des bancs publics
04. Ballade des dames des temps jadis
05. Comme hier
06. Pauvre Martin
07. Brave Margot
08. Il suffit de passer le pont
09. La cane de Jeanne
10. La marine
11. Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux


49. The Quintet - Jazz at Massey Hall, Vol. 1

The Quintet - Jazz at Massey Hall, Vol. 1

Points: 359
Biggest fans: Brad (#10), sonofsamiam (#25), Charlie Driggs (#29)
Position in AM 3000: 18
Position in yearly poll: #4
Year of release: 1953
Style: Bop

Comments: Scott Yanow for allmusic: "... the famous Massey Hall concert which teamed together (for the last time on records) the unbeatable team of altoist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie along with pianist Bud Powell, bassist Charles Mingus, and drummer Max Roach. (...) This is timeless and highly recommended music."

The album in You Tube:
01. Perdido
02. Salt Peanuts
03. All the Things You Are


48. Pete Seeger - Darling Corey



Points: 364
Biggest fans: Miguel (#20), Mindrocker (#21), Henrik (#30)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #5
Year of release: 1950
Style: Folk

Comments: William Ruhlmann for allmusic: "... he makes no attempt to affect the kind of rural accent that might be expected in these songs. Instead, he picks his banjo steadily and renders the songs in a clear, direct manner, as if in the aural version of a musicologist's transcription."

The album in You Tube:
01. John Riley
02. Risselty-Rosselty
03. Devilish Mary
04. Come All Fair Maids
08. Darling Corey
13. Whoopie Ti-Yi-Yo, Get Along Little Dogies


47. Thelonious Monk Trio - Thelonoius Monk Trio

Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Monk Trio

Points: 378
Biggest fans: Mindrocker (#11), Charlie Driggs (#23), Miguel (#25)
Position in AM 3000: 108
Position in yearly poll: #2
Year of release: 1953
Style: Bop

Comments: Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. for allmusic: "... conjure up images of a mathematician working out geometric patters on the keyboard. While mathematical music may sound a bit cold and soulless, pieces like "Monk's Dream" and "Trinkle, Tinkle" evoke a sublime beauty as they build order out of chaos."

The album in You Tube:
01. Little Rootie Tootie
02. Sweet and Lovely
03. Bye-Ya
04. Monk's Dream
05. Trinkle Tinkle
06. These Foolish Things
07. Bemsha Swing
08. Reflections


46. Miles Davis - Porgy and Bess

Miles Davis - Porgy and Bess

Points: 380
Biggest fans: Brad (#9), Charlie Driggs (#25), Henrik (#26)
Position in AM 3000: 22
Position in yearly poll: #4
Year of release: 1958
Style: Cool Jazz

Comments: Lindsay Planer for allmusic: "Few other musical teams would have had the ability to remain true to the undiluted spirit and multifaceted nuance of this epic work. However, no other musical teams were Miles Davis and Gil Evans. It was Evans' intimate knowledge of the composition as well as the performer that allowed him to so definitively capture the essence of both."

The album in You Tube:
01. The Buzzard Song
02. Bess, You Is My Woman Now
03. Gone
04. Gone, Gone, Gone
05. Summertime
07. Prayer
08. Fishermen, Strawberry and Devil Crab
10. It Ain't Necessarily So
11. Here Come de Honey Man
13. There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York


45. Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around the Clock

Bill Haley (and His Comets) - Rock Around the Clock

Points: 388
Biggest fans: Miguel (#10), Mindrocker (#17), Honorio (#30)
Position in AM 3000: 120
Position in yearly poll: #4
Year of release: 1955
Style: Rock & Roll

Comments: Bruce Eder for allmusic: "The first great LP of the rock & roll era, Rock Around the Clock never got the recognition it deserved from historians, mostly owing to the neglect that attached itself to Bill Haley in the decades after his heyday, and the fact that its biggest hits were parceled out to various compilations."

The album in You Tube:
01. (We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock
02. Shake, Rattle and Roll
03. A.B.C. Boogie
04. Thirteen Women (And Only One Man in Town)
05. Razzle-Dazzle
06. Two Hound Dogs
07. Dim Dim the Lights (I Want Some Atmosphere)
08. Happy Baby
09. Birth of the Boogie
10. Mambo Rock
11. Burn That Candle
12. Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie


44. Benny Goodman - The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert

Benny Goodman - The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert

Points: 389
Biggest fans: Brad (#3), Henrik (#23), sonofsamiam (#29)
Position in AM 3000: 16
Position in yearly poll: #4
Year of release: 1950
Style: Big Band

Comments:
Bruce Eder for allmusic: "...and what music! -- the versions of "Don't Be That Way," "Sing Sing Sing," and "One O'Clock Jump" alone are priceless (and arguably definitive, in the case of the first two), and they represent only a fraction of what's here."
Wikipedia: "A landmark recording, it was the premiere performance given by a jazz orchestra in the famed Carnegie Hall in New Yourk City. It is the first ever double album."

The album in You Tube:
01. Don't Be That Way
02. One O'Clock Jump
07. Blue Reverie
09. Honeysuckle Rose
11. Avalon
15. Loch Lomond
16. Blue Room
18. Bei Mir Bist Du Schön
21. Dizzy Spells
22. Sing, Sing, Sing


43. Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy

Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy

Points: 394
Biggest fans: Miguel (#15), Honorio (#19), nicolas (#19)
Position in AM 3000: 52
Position in yearly poll: #2
Year of release: 1954
Style: Dixieland

Comments: Scott Janow for allmusic: "This recording was not only Louis Armstrong's finest record of the 1950s but one of the truly classic jazz sets. (...) Their nearly nine-minute version of "St. Louis Blues" (with witty vocals, roaring Young trombone, and a couple of long majestic trumpet solos) is arguably the greatest version of the oft-recorded song."

The album in You Tube:
01. St. Louis Blues
02. Yellow Dog Blues
04. Aunt Hagar's Blues
05. Long Gone (From Bowling Green)
09. Chantez Les Bas (Sing 'Em Low)


42. Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2

Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2

Points: 395
Biggest fans: nj (#18 ), Brad (#21), sonofsamiam (#24), Miguel (#24)
Position in AM 3000: 31
Position in yearly poll: #2
Year of release: 1952
Style: Bop

Comments: Rick Anderson for allmusic: "On the second volume (...) Thelonious Monk has come fully into his own as a leader. The program consists almost entirely of original compositions, and in fact it opens with two of his most difficult: "Four in One" (with its conventional bop intro that leads into a bizarre, repeated five-against-two quintuplet sequence) (...). Get through those and you'll eventually be rewarded with the relatively straightforward, blues-based "Straight No Chaser" and the sweet ballad "Ask Me Now," among other treats."

The album in You Tube:
01. Four in One
02. Who Knows?
03. Nice Work If You Can Get It
04. In Walked Bud
05. Humph
06. Straight, No Chaser
07. Suburban Eyes
08. Ask Me Now


41. Bud Powell - The Amazing Bud Powell

Bud Powell - The Amazing Bud Powell

Points: 399
Biggest fans: nj (#14), Brad (#22), Henrik (#24), nicolas (#24)
Position in AM 3000: 32
Position in yearly poll: #2
Year of release: 1951
Style: Bop

Comments: Scott Yanow for allmusic: "Powell is heard in a classic session with trumpeter Fats Navarro and tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins (which is highlighted by exciting versions of (...) "Bouncing With Bud") and in a trio performing "Over the Rainbow" and (...) his intense "Un Poco Loco"."

The album in You Tube:
01. Un poco loco
02. Over the Rainbow
04. Wail
06. It Could Happen to You
07. You Go to My Head
08. Bouncing With Bud

Re: The 1950s album poll: the results

Honorio
The presentation is going to be much simpler than the 1900-1949 one
With links to everything available at youtube. Yeah, right...

Re: The 1950s album poll: the results

Perfect Honorio, as usual !
I discover so much good music with the previous poll, I hope the 50's will be magnificiant.

Re: The 1950s album poll: the results

Chet Baker is very photogenic indeed.

Re: The 1950s album poll: the results

Honorio, did you get my 60's lists?

Re: The 1950s album poll: positions 40-31

Thanks, everyone. Listyguy, sorry, your list is received, I will reply to you soon.


40. Art Blakey Quintet - A Night in Birdland, Vol. 1

Art Blakey - A Night at Birdland, Vol. 1

Points: 400
Biggest fans: Charlie Driggs (#10), Mindrocker (#13), Brad (#25), nj (#25)
Position in AM 3000: 58
Position in yearly poll: #3
Year of release: 1954
Style: Hard Bop

Comments: Michael G. Nastos for allmusic: "This recording, as well as subsequent editions of these performances, launches an initial breakthrough for Blakey and modern jazz in general, and defines the way jazz music could be heard for decades thereafter. Everybody must own copies of all volumes of "A Night at Birdland"."

The album in You Tube:
01. Split Kick
02. Once in a While
03. Quicksilver
04. A Night in Tunisia
05. Mayreh


39. Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds - Singin' in the Rain

 - Singin' in the Rain

Points: 407
Biggest fans: Miguel (#6), Honorio (#17), Henrik (#20)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #4
Year of release: 1952
Style: Musical

Comments: Bruce Eder for allmusic: "...the music provides a vivid portrait of what popular songs were like during the period in which sound came to motion pictures. Beyond the title track and numbers like "Wedding of the Painted Doll," there are burlesques of styles that were in vogue at the time, although the soundtrack's really popular numbers are done in a straight popular vein."

The album in You Tube:
01. Singin' in the Rain
02. Make 'em Laugh
03. You Were Meant for Me
04. All I Do Is Dream of You
05. Fit As a Fiddle
06. Moses
08. Good Morning
09. You Are My Lucky Star


38. Charlie Parker - Charlie Parker with Strings

Charlie Parker - Charlie Parker With Strings

Points: 409
Biggest fans: nj (#8 ), Charlie Driggs (#18 ), Honorio (#21)
Position in AM 3000: 75
Position in yearly poll: #3
Year of release: 1950
Style: Bop

Comments: Cub Koda for allmusic: "When producer Norman Granz decided to let Charlie Parker record standards with a full string section (featuring Mitch Miller on oboe!), the purists cried sellout, but nothing could be further from the truth. (...) The music on this collection is lush, poetic, romantic as hell, and the perfect antidote to a surfeit of jazz records featuring undisciplined blowing. There's a lot of jazz, but there's only one Bird."

The album in You Tube:
01. April in Paris
02. Summertime
03. If I Should Lose You
04. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
05. Everything Happens to Me
06. Just Friends


37. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Sings Gershwin

Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Sings Gershwin

Points: 410
Biggest fans: Miguel (#7), Honorio (#14), Henrik (#25)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #2
Year of release: 1950
Style: Vocal

Comments: Scott Yanow for allmusic: "Ella Fitzgerald's very first LP (a ten-inch) was this gem. In duets with pianist Ellis Larkins, eight Gershwin songs are given intimate and lightly swinging treatment and the results are quite memorable with the singer heard at her most expressive."

The album in You Tube:
01. Someone to Watch Over Me
03. But Not for Me
05. I've Got a Crush On You
06. How Long Has This Been Going On?


36. Yma Sumac - Legend of the Sun Virgin

Yma Sumac - Legend of the Sun Virgin

Points: 411
Biggest fans: nj (#6), Charlie Driggs (#17), Mindrocker (#20)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #5
Year of release: 1952
Style: Exotica

Comments: Richie Unterberger for allmusic: "One of Sumac's most operatic and melodramatic outings, incantationally performed to approximate an Incan ritual. The cinematic string arrangements, though, are pure Hollywood."

The album in You Tube:
01. Karibe taki
02. Witallia! (Fire in the Andes)
03. Lament
04. Kon tiki
05. Montana
06. Zana
07. No es vida
08. Kuyaway (Inca Love Song)
09. Suray Surita
10. Mamallay!
11. Panarima
12. Ccori Canastitay


35. Dizzy Gillespie - Afro

Dizzy Gillespie - Afro

Points: 418
Biggest fans: Charlie Driggs (#8 ), Brad (#19), Mindrocker (#22)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #4
Year of release: 1954
Style: Afro-Cuban Jazz

Comments: Ken Dryden for allmusic: "Pairing Dizzy Gillespie with Cuban arranger/composer Chico O'Farrill produced a stunning session which originally made up the first half of a Norgran LP. O'Farrill conducts an expanded orchestra which combines a jazz band with a Latin rhythm section."

The album in You Tube:
01. Manteca Theme
02. Contraste
06. Con Alma


34. Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus

Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus

Points: 435
Biggest fans: nj (#10), nicolas (#14), Charlie Driggs (#22), sonofsamiam (#22)
Position in AM 3000: 9
Position in yearly poll: #4
Year of release: 1956
Style: Hard Bop

Comments: Ken Dryden for allmusic: "Joined by pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Max Roach, Rollins debuts and performs the definitive version of "St. Thomas," tears into the chord changes of "Mack the Knife" (here called "Moritat"), introduces "Strode Rode," is lyrical on "You Don't Know What Love Is," and constructs a solo on "Blue Seven" that practically defines his style"

The album in You Tube:
01. St. Thomas
02. You Don't Know What Love Is
03. Strode Rode
04. Moritat
05. Blue 7


33. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book

Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book

Points: 436
Biggest fans: sonofsamiam (#7), Brad (#8 ), Miguel (#17)
Position in AM 3000: 66
Position in yearly poll: #5
Year of release: 1957
Style: Vocal Jazz

Comments: Scott Yanow for allmusic: "The first lady of song meets the genius of jazz on this delightful two-LP set. Unlike many other albums in which a singer is backed by a big band, there are many spots for Ellington's sidemen to shine (...) It is wonderful to hear her sing such songs as "Drop Me Off in Harlem," "Rockin' in Rhythm" and "Perdido" along with the ballads. Recommended."

The album in You Tube:
01. Rockin' in Rhythm
02. Drop Me Off in Harlem
03. Day Dream
04. Caravan
05. Take the A Train
06. I Ain't Got Nothing but the Blues
08. I Didn't Know About You
09. I'm Beginning to See the Light
12. Cottontail
13. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
14. Just a Sittin' and a Rockin'
15. Solitude
17. Satin Doll
18. Sophisticated Lady
21. Azure


32. Pérez Prado – Pérez Prado Plays Mucho Mambo for Dancing

Pérez Prado - Pérez Prado Plays Mucho Mambo for Dancing

Points: 441
Biggest fans: Mindrocker (#9), Charlie Driggs (#11), Miguel (#11)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #5
Year of release: 1951
Style: Vocal Jazz

Comments: Tony Wilds for allmusic: " Mucho Mambo is Prado's first LP, as well as one of Victor's earliest. Released a year after Prado's first North American single ("Que Rico El Mambo") created a sensation, it was received with tremendous anticipation. (...) It must have challenged dancers as much as listeners; most tracks went on to become Prado, if not universal, mambo standards."

The album in You Tube:
01. Mambo No. 18
02. Pachito e Che
05. Mambo No. 5


31. Les Baxter - Le sacre du sauvage

Les Baxter - Ritual of the Savage (Le sacre du sauvage)

Points: 442
Biggest fans: Henrik (#8 ), nj (#9), sonofsamiam (#14)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #4
Year of release: 1951
Style: Exotica

Comments: Jo-Ann Greene for allmusic: "Having already single-handedly invented space pop, with his pioneering use of the theremin in the early '50s, Baxter turned from "Music Out of the Moon" back to this planet, with a stream of albums that captured Earth's more exotic styles."

The album in You Tube:
01. Busy Port
03. Jungle Flower
05. Quiet Village

Re: The 1950s album poll: positions 30-26

With the two first personal number ones!


30. Moondog - Moondog and His Friends



Points: 443
Biggest fans: Charlie Driggs (#1), sonofsamiam (#12), nj (#19)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #5
Year of release: 1953
Style: Avant-Garde

Comments: Sean Westergaard for allmusic: "Moondog, much like Sun Ra, was a notorious musical eccentric whose reputation almost certainly reached more ears than his music (...) Moondog is surely a major figure in avant-garde music, but it's some of the most listenable and even catchy avant-garde music you're likely to hear."

The album in You Tube (allthough some of the songs are probably re-recordings for the 1971's album "Moondog II"):
01b. Voices of Spring
02. Oasis
03b. Be a Hobo
04c. Why Spend the Dark Night With You?
05a. Theme and Variations
07c. Suite No. 2, Third Movement


29. Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie - Bird & Diz



Points: 449
Biggest fans: Honorio (#13), Brad (#15), nicolas (#16)
Position in AM 3000: 86
Position in yearly poll: #1
Year of release: 1952
Style: Bop

Comments: Rick Anderson for allmusic: "... that sounds very much like those that Parker and Dizzy Gillespie recorded for Savoy and Dial, except with top-of-the-line production quality. Even more interesting, though, is Parker's choice of Thelonious Monk as pianist. Unfortunately, Monk is buried in the mix and gets very little solo space, so his highly idiosyncratic genius doesn't get much exposure here."

The album in You Tube:
01. Bloomdido
02. My Melancholy Baby
03. Relaxin' With Lee
05. Leap Frog (very funny!)
06. An Oscar for Treadwell
07. Mohawk
08. Visa


28. Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - Masterpieces by Ellington



Points: 449
Biggest fans: Honorio (#13), Brad (#15), nicolas (#16)
Position in AM 3000: 86
Position in yearly poll: #1
Year of release: 1952
Style: Bop

Comments: Honorio Barranco for Acclaimed Music (haha): "Technology influences art. Every technological advance changes the way of creating music and, as the mic allowed the singers to whisper directly into you ear, the long play albums allowed musicians to express themselves out of the jail of the 3 minutes single. Ellington sounded in his first album (46 minutes, 4 songs) like a just released prisoner running free."

The album in You Tube:
01. Mood Indigo
03. The Tattooed Bride (uploaded by me)


27. Hank Williams - Memorial Album



Points: 457
Biggest fans: Miguel (#1), nicolas (#12), Mindrocker (#14)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #3
Year of release: 1953
Style: Honky Tonk

Comments: Steve Leggett for Allmusic: "... itis Williams' songwriting that has ensured his legacy more than anything, and his songs -- which mixed hillbilly elements with blues and gospel, all with a firm grasp of how to shade in some Tin Pan Alley techniques -- crossed over regularly to the pop charts, and have continued to hold up well even into the 21st century."

The album in You Tube:
01. Your Cheating Heart
02. Settin' the Woods on Fire
03. You Win Again
04. Hey, Good Lookin'
05. Cold, Cold Heart
06. Kaw-Liga
08. Half As Much


26. John Coltrane - Blue Train



Points: 458
Biggest fans: nicolas (#6), sonofsamiam (#8), Brad (#14), Charlie Driggs (#14)
Position in AM 3000: 20
Position in yearly poll: #3
Year of release: 1957
Style: Hard Bop

Comments: Lindsay Planer for Allmusic: "The disc is packed solid with sonic evidence of Coltrane's innate leadership abilities. He not only addresses the tunes at hand, but also simultaneously reinvents himself as a multifaceted interpreter of both hard bop as well as sensitive balladry -- touching upon all forms in between."

The album in You Tube:
01. Blue Train
02. Moment's Notice
03. Locomotion
04. I'm Old Fashioned
05. Lazy Bird

Re: The 1950s album poll: positions 30-26

Mistake: about "Masterpieces by Ellington":

Points: 453
Biggest fans: Brad (#4), Honorio (#5), Henrik (#22)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #3
Year of release: 1951
Style: Big Band

Sorry (I copied and pasted the previous)

Re: The 1950s album poll: positions 25-21

25. Duke Ellington - Ellington at Newport



Points: 459
Biggest fans: Brad (#6), nj (#13), sonofsamiam (#18 )
Position in AM 3000: #13 of the 1950s, #435 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #5
Year of release: 1956
Style: Progressive Jazz

Comments: Scott Yanow for allmusic: "Duke Ellington's appearance at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival has long been famous, and justifiably so. Paul Gonsalves' 27-chorus tenor solo on "Diminuendo in Blue and Crescendo in Blue" practically started a riot at Newport and made headlines around the world. The momentum generated by this concert led to Ellington's comeback and never let up during his 18 remaining years."

The album in You Tube:
01. Festival Junction
02. Blues to Be There
04. Jeep's Blues
05. Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue (Part One) and Part Two


24. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques… et souvent gaillardes



Points: 460
Biggest fans: nicolas (#1), Honorio (#8 ), Miguel (#16)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #1
Year of release: 1953
Style: Chanson

Comments:
Honorio: "Chanson. Inside this fascinating, underated and heterogeneous style (you can find there too the melodramatic Brel, the enfant terrible Gainsbourg or the poetic Ferré), Brassens played the sarcastic ("Le gorille"), combative ("La mauvaise réputation"), humorous ("Hécatombe") but also tender ("Le parapluie"), an idiosyncratic voice with a spare music backing."
nicolas: "These songs were like a bomb on the French music hall establishment. Here comes this shaggy, sweating man with his mustache, his strong southern accent and a guitar he holds like a lumberjack would hold his axe. And these songs, these wonderful songs, full of life, sketches of country living, anarchist fables that would establish the singer/songwriter genre for ever on the French scene."

The album in You Tube:
01. La mauvaise réputation
02. Le parapluie
03. Le petit cheval
04. Le fossoyeur
05. Le gorille
06. Corne d'auroch
07. La chasse aux papillons
08. Hécatombe


23. Original Broadway Cast - West Side Story



Points: 469
Biggest fans: Brad (#7), Honorio (#7), Mindrocker (#15)
Position in AM 3000: #47 of the 1950s, #1202 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #4
Year of release: 1957
Style: Musical

Comments: Honorio: "Never before and after (with maybe the exceptions of Gershwin and Weill) high and low culture were so close. But not yuxtaposed. The classical background of Bernstein fused so tighly with jazz, latin and musical that a dodecaphonic serie with a swing beat (as we can hear in "Cool") not only does not sound out of place but it sounds fresh and new. I'd like to live in America."

The album in You Tube:
02. Something's Coming
03. The Dance at the Gym
04. Maria
05. Tonight
06. America
08. One Hand, One Heart
12. Somewhere
13. Gee, Officer Krupke


22. Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers!



Points: 473
Biggest fans: Henrik (#5), Brad (#13), Honorio (#14)
Position in AM 3000: #4 of the 1950s, #272 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #2
Year of release: 1956
Style: Vocal Jazz

Comments: Stephen Thomas Erlewine for allmusic: ""I've Got You Under My Skin," with its breathtaking middle section, is a perfect example of how Sinatra works with the band. Both swing hard, stretching out the rhythms and melodies but never losing sight of the original song. Songs for Swingin' Lovers! never loses momentum. The great songs keep coming and the performances are all stellar, resulting in one of Sinatra's true classics."

The album in You Tube:
01. You Make Me Feel So Young
02. It Happened in Monterey
03. You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me
04. You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me
05. Too Marvelous for Words
06. Old Devil Moon
07. Pennies From Heaven
08. Love Is Here to Stay
09. I've Got You Under My Skin
10. I Thought About You
11. We'll Be Together Again
12. Makin' Whoopee
13. Swingin' Down the Lane
14. Anything Goes
15. How About You?


21. Clifford Brown and Max Roach - Study in Brown



Points: 477
Biggest fans: Mindrocker (#3), Charlie Driggs (#6), nj (#16)
Position in AM 3000: #117 of the 1950s, #2110 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #3
Year of release: 1955
Style: Hard Bop

Comments: Scott Yanow for allmusic: "... the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet, a group also including tenor-saxophonist Harold Land, pianist Richie Powell and bassist George Morrow. One of the premiere early hard bop units, this band had unlimited potential. Highlights of this set are "Cherokee" (during which trumpeter Brownie is brilliant), "Swingin"' and "Sandu"."

The album in You Tube:
01. Cherokee
02. Jacqui
03. Swingin'
04. Lands End
05. George's Dilemma
06. Sandu
09. Take the A Train

Re: The 1950s album poll: positions 20-16

20. The Crickets - The "Chirping" Crickets



Points: 484
Biggest fans: Miguel (#4), Mindrocker (#8 ), Charlie Driggs (#15), Honorio (#15)
Position in AM 3000: #8 of the 1950s, #363 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #2
Year of release: 1957
Style: Rock & Roll

Comments: William Ruhlmann for allmusic: "The debut album by the Crickets and the only one featuring Buddy Holly released during his lifetime, "The "Chirping" Crickets" contains (...) among the best rock & roll songs of the 1950s or ever, making this one of the most significant album debuts in rock & roll history, ranking with "Elvis Presley" and "Meet the Beatles"."

The album in You Tube:
01. Oh Boy
02. Not Fade Away
03. You've Got Love
04. Maybe Baby
05. It's Too Late
06. Tell Me How
07. That'll Be the Day
08. I'm Looking for Someone to Love
09. An Empty Cup (And a Broken Date)
10. Send Me Some Lovin'
11. Last Night
12. Rock Me My Baby


19. Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music



Points: 491
Biggest fans: Brad (#5), sonofsamiam (#6), nj (#15)
Position in AM 3000: #14 of the 1950s, #484 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #1
Year of release: 1951
Style: Bop

Comments: Rick Anderson for allmusic: "It's impossible to overstate the importance of these sessions. They include some of the earliest recordings of Monk compositions that would become standards, despite their angularity and technical difficulty (...) The excitement of discovery permeates every measure, and Monk himself is in top form, his solos jagged and strange, yet utterly beautiful."

The album in You Tube:
01. 'Round About Midnight
02. Ruby, My Dear
03. Off Minor
04. I Mean You
05. Thelonious
06. Epistrophy
07. Well, You Needn't
08. Misterioso


18. Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan



Points: 495
Biggest fans: nj (#5), Miguel (#8 ), Honorio (#16)
Position in AM 3000: #36 of the 1950s, #997 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #2
Year of release: 1955
Style: Vocal Jazz

Comments: John Bush for allmusic: "Vaughan is arguably in the best voice of her career here, pausing and lingering over notes on the standards "April in Paris," "Jim," and "Lullaby of Birdland." As touching as Vaughan is, however, Brown almost equals her with his solos on "Lullaby of Birdland," "Jim," and "September Song," displaying his incredible bop virtuosity in a restrained setting without sacrificing either the simple feeling of his notes or the extraordinary flair of his choices."

The album in You Tube:
01. Lullaby of Birdland
02. April in Paris
03. He's My Guy
05. You're Not the Kind
07. I'm Glad There Is You
08. September Song


17. Lotte Lenya - Lotte Lenya Singt Kurt Weill



Points: 501
Biggest fans: Charlie Driggs (#4), nj (#7), Honorio (#10)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #5
Year of release: 1955
Style: Cabaret Opera

Comments: Honorio: "More that twenty years after her exile, Lotte came back to Berlin to find it in a period of recovery but with the wounds still open. Aptly she took up again where she left, giving new life to the songs from the old Weimar days, backing her fragile but expressive voice with out-of-tune pianos ("Bilbao Song") or amateur-sounding banjo and harmonium ("Moritat")."

The album in You Tube:
01. Moritat
02. Barbara-Song
03. Seeraüberjenny
04. Havanna-Lied
05. Alabama-Song
06. Wie Man Sich Bettet
07. Bilbao-Song
08. Surabaya-Johnny
10. Vom Ertrunkenen Mädchen
11. Lied der Fennimore


16. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley



Points: 505
Biggest fans: Mindrocker (#4), Charlie Driggs (#7), nj (#11)
Position in AM 3000: #19 of the 1950s, #624 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #2
Year of release: 1958
Style: Rhythm & Blues

Comments: Matthew Greenwald for allmusic: "Diddley had only one real style, that being the Bo Diddley beat: a syncopated, rhythmic drive, loaded with tremolo. There are 12 examples of it on this record, and that is about all you need. It's one of those records that, after listening to just a few cuts, will find you tapping the beats on every available surface. (...) This is one of the greatest rock sounds that you're likely to hear, and it's all on this one record, too."

The album in You Tube:
01. Bo Diddley
02. I'm a Man
03. Bring It to Jerome
04. Before You Accuse Me
05. Hey Bo Diddley
06. Dearest Darling
08. Say Bossman
09. Diddley Daddy
10. Diddey Wah Diddey
11. Who Do You Love
12. Pretty Thing

Re: The 1950s album poll: positions 20-16

Man, I wish I had voted for the albums. I could have boosted up the Chirping Crickets.

Re: The 1950s album poll: positions 15-11

Yes, Henrik, you better believe it, Frank Sinatra is out of the Top 10!


15. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Moanin'



Points: 507
Biggest fans: Charlie Driggs (#5), sonofsamiam (#10), Brad (#12)
Position in AM 3000: #28 of the 1950s, #704 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #5
Year of release: 1958
Style: Hard Bop

Comments: Michael G Nastos for allmusic: ""Moanin'" includes some of the greatest music Blakey produced in the studio with arguably his very best band. There are three tracks that are immortal and will always stand the test of time.. (...) Certainly a complete and wholly satisfying album, "Moanin'" ranks with the very best of Blakey and what modern jazz offered in the late '50s and beyond."

The album in You Tube:
01. Moanin'
02. Are You Real
03. Along Came Betty
04. The Drum Thunder (Miniature) Suite
05. Blues March
06. Come Rain or Come Shine


14. Little Richard - Here's Little Richard



Points: 516
Biggest fans: Miguel (#5), nicolas (#8 ), Henrik (#10)
Position in AM 3000: #10 of the 1950s, #407 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #1
Year of release: 1957
Style: Rock & Roll

Comments: Mark Deming for allmusic: "These 12 tunes may not represent the alpha and omega of Little Richard's best music, but every song is a classic and unlike many of his peers, time has refused to render this first album quaint -- Richard's grainy scream remains one of the great sounds in rock & roll history, and the thunder of his piano and the frantic wail of the band is still the glorious call of a Friday night with pay in the pocket and trouble in mind. Brilliant stuff."

The album in You Tube:
01. Tutti Frutti
02. True Fine Mama
03. Can't Believe You Wanna Leave
04. Ready Teddy
05. Baby
06. Slippin' and Slidin'
07. Long Tall Sally
08. Miss Ann
10. Rip It Up
11. Jenny Jenny
12. She's Got It



13. Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours



Points: 521
Biggest fans: Henrik (#3), Honorio (#3), Brad (#18 )
Position in AM 3000: #3 of the 1950s, #258 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #1
Year of release: 1955
Style: Vocal Jazz

Comments: Honorio for Acclaimed Music: "The first concept album ever? Maybe not, but the thorny love affair with Ava Gardner rendered a cohesive album filled with heartache and despair. Since Sinatra was not a songwriter, the cohesiveness relies in an impeccable collection of standards, in late-night musical arrangements (that celesta!) and, of course, in that desolate and heartbreaking Voice."

The album in You Tube:
01. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
02. Mood Indigo
03. Glad to Be Unhappy
04. I Get Along Without You Very Well
05. Deep in a Dream
06. I See Your Face Before Me
07. Can't We Be Friends?
08. When Your Lover Has Gone
09. What Is This Thing Called Love
10. Last Night When We Were Young
11. I'll Be Around
12. Ill Wind
13. It Never Entered My Mind
14. Dancing on the Ceiling
15. I'll Never Be the Same
16. This Love of Mine


12. Yma Sumac - Voice of the Xtabay



Points: 526
Biggest fans: nj (#2), Charlie Driggs (#3), Mindrocker (#7)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #1
Year of release: 1950
Style: Exotica

Comments: Richie Unterberger for allmusic: "Sumac first and most popular release, and also one of her least hokey or pop-oriented. That's not to say it's without its mass-appeal elements, especially in the arrangements, conducted by Les Baxter."

The album in You Tube:
01. Taita Inty (Virgin of the Sun God)
02. Ataypura! (High Andes!)
04. Tumpa! (Earthquake!)
05. Choladas (Dance of the Moon Festival)
06. Wayra (Dance of the Winds)
07. Monos (Monkeys)
08. Xtabay (Lure of the Unknown Love)


11. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book



Points: 526
Biggest fans: Brad (#2), Miguel (#2), sonofsamiam (#9)
Position in AM 3000: #23 of the 1950s, #655 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #3
Year of release: 1956
Style: Vocal Jazz

Comments: Zac Johnson for allmusic: "A striking two-LP set featuring arguably history's finest jazz singer singing some of the best-written American pop standards on one of jazz's most prolific labels. Ella Fitzgerald shines as the perfect interpreter of Cole Porter's bittersweet love songs on these 32 tracks from the Verve label."

The album in You Tube:
02. Anything Goes
03. Miss Otis Regrets
04. Too Darn Hot
05. In the Still of the Night
06. I Get a Kick Out of You
09. Let's Do It
10. Just One of Those Things
11. Ev'ry Time We Say Good-Bye
12. All of You
13. Begin the Beguine
16. From This Moment On
17. I Love Paris
18. You Do Something to Me
20. Easy to Love
22. Why Can't You Behave
24. You're the Top
25. Love for Sale
27. Night and Day
29. So in Love
30. I've Got You Under My Skin
31. I Concentrate on You
32. Don't Fence Me In

Re: The 1950s album poll: positions 15-11

Honorio
Yes, Henrik, you better believe it, Frank Sinatra is out of the Top 10!
Well, as long as the albums ahead are as good as Xtabay and Cole Porter Songbook I don't mind that much. This is another deliciously eclectic list!

Re: The 1950s album poll: positions 10-6

So we are getting to...
The Top 10

Since the final Top 5 has been quite unexpected (and I don't want to spoil the surprise) some of the next 5 albums were initially supposed to end into the Top 5, especially the one in position #9. Without further ado,


10. Hank Williams - Moanin' the Blues



Points: 539
Biggest fans: Miguel (#3), Honorio (#6), Henrik (#9), Mindrocker (#10), nicolas (#11)
Position in AM 3000: not listed
Position in yearly poll: #2
Year of release: 1952
Style: Honky Tonk

Comments:
nicolas: "The king of the era in country music, the singer that just set the genre standards for the years to come, I named Hank Williams, the father of contemporary country, a superstar at 25, dead at 29."
Honorio: "I'm aware that it's really a compilation but it could work as a concept album, as in fact every one of the first Hank Williams albums: "Sings" set (the woods) on fire while "Memorial" was his testament, "Luke the Drifter" showed his spiritual side while "Ramblin' Man" his wild side. In "Moanin' the Blues" he portrayed with sharp precission despair, loneliness and... blues."

The album in You Tube:
01. Lovesick Blues
02. Moanin' the Blues
03. The Blues Come Around
04. I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry
05. I'm a Long Gone Daddy
06. My Sweet Love Ain't Around
07. Long Gone Lonesome Blues
08. Honky Tonk Blues


9. Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley



Points: 539
Biggest fans: Honorio (#1), Henrik (#7), nicolas (#7), Mindrocker (#12), Miguel (#18 )
Position in AM 3000: #2 of the 1950s, #106 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #1
Year of release: 1956
Style: Rock & Roll

Comments: Honorio: "The King is gone but it’s not forgotten. The first album by Elvis Presley balanced from the leftovers of the mythical sessions for Sun Studios (including an ethereal and otherwordly take on the standard "Blue Moon") to the more urban, contemporary, urgent, arrogant and wild rock & roll sound of the first sessions for RCA in Nashville and New York, with vibrant reworking of Perkins and Penniman songs. Long live the King. The King of rock & roll."

The album in You Tube:
01. Blue Suede Shoes
02. I'm Counting on You
03. I Got a Woman
04. One-Sided Love Affair
05. I Love You Because
06. Just Because
07. Tutti Frutti
08. Trying to Get to You
09. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)
10. I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')
11. Blue Moon
12. Money Honey


8. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out



Points: 545
Biggest fans: Henrik (#2), sonofsamiam (#4), nicolas (#7), Honorio (#12), Mindrocker (#16)
Position in AM 3000: #5 of the 1950s, #313 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #2
Year of release: 1959
Style: Cool Jazz

Comments: Steve Huey for allmusic: "Dave Brubeck's defining masterpiece, "Time Out" is one of the most rhythmically innovative albums in jazz history, the first to consciously explore time signatures outside of the standard 4/4 beat or 3/4 waltz time. It was a risky move -- Brubeck's record company wasn't keen on releasing such an arty project, and many critics initially roasted him for tampering with jazz's rhythmic foundation. But for once, public taste was more advanced than that of the critics. Buoyed by a hit single in altoist Paul Desmond's ubiquitous "Take Five", "Time Out" became an unexpectedly huge success, and still ranks as one of the most popular jazz albums ever."

The album in You Tube:
01. Blue Rondo a la Turk
02. Strange Meadow Lark
03. Take Five
04. Three to Get Ready (music and live painting!).
05. Kathy's Waltz
06. Everybody's Jumpin'
07. Pick Up Sticks


7. Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin



Points: 555
Biggest fans: nj (#1), Honorio (#4), nicolas (#5), Henrik (#11), sonofsamiam (#15)
Position in AM 3000: #21 of the 1950s, #646 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #1
Year of release: 1958
Style: Vocal Jazz

Comments:
nicolas: "The contrast between the beautiful arrangements and Lady Soul's broken voice makes this record. Although her voice doesn't follow anymore, she stills knows how to sing."
Honorio: "The sound of desolation. Billie Holiday tried to dress in satin for one of her last recordings, wrapping herself in a lush orchestral backing. But it was in vain. Not even a thousand violins could have sweetened her bitter moan, not even a thousand layers of paint could have disguised the cracks in her voice, the scars of a whole life. The end of a love affair."

The album in You Tube:
01. I'm a Fool to Want You
02. For Heaven's Sake
03. You Don't Know What Love Is
04. I Get Along Without You Very Well
05. For All We Know
06. Violets for Your Furs
07. You've Changed
08. It's Easy to Remember
09. But Beautiful
10. Glad to Be Unhappy
11. I'll Be Around
12. The End of a Love Affair


6. Chuck Berry - Chuck Berry Is on Top



Points: 558
Biggest fans: nicolas (#3), Henrik (#4), Mindrocker (#6), Miguel (#9), Charlie Driggs (#13)
Position in AM 3000: #48 of the 1950s, #1218 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #3
Year of release: 1959
Style: Rock & Roll

Comments: nicolas for Acclaimed Music: "A collection of his greatest stuff, all written in a 3-year time span. Great songwriter, huge guitarist, good singer fed on blues and country music."

The album in You Tube:
01. Almost Grown
02. Carol
03. Maybellene
04. Sweet Little Rock & Roller
05. Anthony Boy
06. Johnny B. Goode
07. Little Queenie
09. Roll Over Beethoven
10. Around and Around
11. Hey Pedro

Re: The 1950s album poll: positions 5-4

Our Top 5 includes 4 quite unexpected choices, none of them inside the AM Top 10 (one of them even it's only bubbling under). And all those 4 are great albums! These are the kind of things that makes me proud of being part of the AM Forum.
On the other side, I think that you all know which one is the “expected” choice.


5. Howlin' Wolf - Moanin' in the Moonlight



Points: 566
Biggest fans: Mindrocker (#1), nj (#3), sonofsamiam (#11), Charlie Driggs (#12), Henrik (#12)
Position in AM 3000: #17 of the 1950s, #571 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #5
Year of release: 1959
Style: Chicago Blues

Comments: Richie Unterberger for allmusic: "The electric guitar had rarely been recorded with as much fuzzy power as it was here, for one thing, and Howlin' Wolf's vocals were already possessed of magnificent, sometimes scary intensity. The same could be said of his lyrical imagery."

The album in You Tube:
01. Moanin' at Midnight
02. How Many More Years
03. Smokestack Lightnin'
05. No Place to Go
06. All Night Boogie
07. Evil
08. I'm Leavin' You
09. Moanin' for My Baby
10. I Asked for Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)
11. Forty-Four


4. Nina Simone - Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club



Points: 569
Biggest fans: sonofsamiam (#5), Henrik (#6), Charlie Driggs (#9), Brad (#11), Miguel (#14)
Position in AM 3000: bubbling under
Position in yearly poll: #3
Year of release: 1958
Style: Vocal Jazz

Comments: Joe Viglione for allmusic: "Nina Simone's first official album, 1958's "Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club", is pure perfection, an amazing accomplishment for a 24-year-old pianist arranging and singing studio renditions of songs from her live set. Captured here are moments of intrigue, as Simone magically takes the listener through musical caverns that want to be explored again with repeated spins. (...) ... an album that sets different tones with each melodic adventure. The uptempo blues of "Mood Indigo" drops quietly into "Don't Smoke in Bed" and the even deeper blues of "He Needs Me"."

The album in You Tube:
01. Mood Indigo
02. Don't Smoke in Bed
03. He Needs Me
04. Little Girl Blue
05. Love Me or Leave Me
06. My Baby Just Cares for Me
07. Good Bait
08. Plain Gold Ring
09. You'll Never Walk Alone
10. I Loves You Porgy
11. Central Park Blues

Re: The 1950s album poll: positions 10-6

I just realised that I have all albums in the top 14 in my personal top 16!!! Never before have you agreed so much with me!

Re: The 1950s album poll: positions 3-2

As with Nina Simone before, we put on #3 a underated gem, the first album by Chet Baker (and I'm absolutely delighted with that decision!). And the #2 was a pleasant surprise too!


3. Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings



Points: 578
Biggest fans: nicolas (#2), sonofsamiam (#3), Honorio (#9), nj (#12), Henrik (#13)
Position in AM 3000: #134 of the 1950s, #2335 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #1
Year of release: 1954
Style: Cool Vocal Jazz

Comments:
Honorio: "As indispensable for a romantic rendez-vous as candlelights or champagne. A music that floats in the air lightly as a feather and creates an atmosphere capable of melting the ice of the coldest heart, a voice so near, so natural, so vulnerable and so intimate whispering sad love songs into your lover's ear. But be careful: she could fall in love with Chet instead of you."
nicolas: "Nothing is more suitable than this record's name : it's all about the extraordinary way that Chet sings. Being a trumpet player, he knows exactly how to phrase his voice, how to make a note last, how to place his words. Just like Chet the trumpet player is a sort of anti-Armstrong, Chet the singer is the anti Sinatra: instead of making his voice sound, which he cannot do, he choses to sing in a very intimate way. He's not afraid of letting us see him stripped. Every man has his own rhythm, his own pace, and his is a slow and cool one. And very romantic. The result is absolutely unique, a fantastic listening experience, especially the ballads (of course, "My Funny Valentine", but also "The Thrill Is Gone", or my very favorite "I Fall In Love Too Easily")."

The album in You Tube:
01. But Not for Me
02. Time After Time
03. My Funny Valentine
04. I Fall in Love Too Easily
05. I Get Along Without You Very Well
06. There Will Never Be Another You
07. The Thrill Is Gone
08. Look for the Silver Lining


2. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um



Points: 654
Biggest fans: Charlie Driggs (#2), sonofsamiam (#2), nicolas (#4), nj (#4), Mindrocker (#5)
Position in AM 3000: #11 of the 1950s, #410 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #4
Year of release: 1959
Style: Post-Bop

Comments: nicolas: "Powerful figure. Mingus could reunite mainstream jazz and be-bop with a warming touch of soul. This record is a tribute to his masters. He recovers the spirit of the Holiness Church ("Better Git It In Your Soul"), and always requires from his musicians a total involvement in their performances (on the great tribute to Lester Young, "Goodbye Porkpie Hat")."

The album in You Tube:
01. Better Git It in Your Soul
02. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
03. Boogie Stop Shuffle
04. Self-Portrait in Three Colors
05. Open Letter to Duke
06. Bird Calls
07. Fables of Faubus
09. Jelly Roll

Re: The 1950s album poll: number 1

As everyone expected Miles Davis topped our list with his immortal "Kind of Blue" with more than 50 points of difference with the second qualified. Nothing to object, this masterpiece deserve all its acclaim, so ladies and gentlemen please welcome...


1. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue



Points: 705
Biggest fans: Brad (#1), Henrik (#1), sonofsamiam (#1), Honorio (#2), Mindrocker (#2)
Position in AM 3000: #1 of the 1950s, #39 of all-time
Position in yearly poll: #1
Year of release: 1959
Style: Modal Jazz

Comments:
Honorio: "I'm not quite sure about what's modal jazz, but I really don’t need to know it to enjoy "Kind of Blue". An awesome line-up including Bill Evans and John Coltrane improvised at the very moment the best album in jazz history (Miles Davis laid out the themes just before the session), with astonishing performances of an extraordinary depth and a cool atmosphere."
Stephen Thomas Erlewine for allmusic: ""Kind of Blue" isn't merely an artistic highlight for Miles Davis, it's an album that towers above its peers, a record generally considered as the definitive jazz album, a universally acknowledged standard of excellence. Why does "Kind of Blue" posses such a mystique? Perhaps because this music never flaunts its genius. It lures listeners in with the slow, luxurious bassline and gentle piano chords of "So What." From that moment on, the record never really changes pace -- each tune has a similar relaxed feel, as the music flows easily. Yet "Kind of Blue" is more than easy listening. It's the pinnacle of modal jazz -- tonality and solos build from the overall key, not chord changes, giving the music a subtly shifting quality."

The album in You Tube:
01. So What
02. Freddie Freeloader
03. Blue in Green
04. All Blues (Part One) and Part Two
05. Flamenco Sketches


And that was all, my dear friends. Thanks to everyone that participated and commented, thanks to the Magnificent Seven and especially to nj (for sending such a great list despite not having particated in the yearly poll) and to nicolas (for writing such great comments, I love the one about Chet Baker).

The Spotify links with the complete albums (in artist alphabetical order): Part 1 (albums 1-25) and Part 2 (albums 26-50).

Tomorrow the individual Top 10s and very soon... the best songs of the 1950s!!

Re: The 1950s album poll: number 1

Spectacular presentation once again, really makes me wish I could've found some time to make a list. You set the bar way too high Honorio!

Re: The 1950s album poll: number 1

Wow excellent again!
Thank you Honorio and well done!

Re: The 1950s album poll: number 1

Altough I didn't participate - still have some time to go before I know the 50s as well as you guys - I really enjoyed the unveiling of this list. Thanks Honorio!

And Kind of Blue always makes me Kind of Happy.

Re: The 1950s album poll: the individual Top 10s

Many thanks, Stephan, Zorg, Gillingham, I’m glad you enjoyed it.
The individual Top 10s:


Brad:
1. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
2. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book
3. Benny Goodman - The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert
4. Duke Ellington - Masterpieces by Ellington
5. Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music
6. Duke Ellington - Ellington at Newport
7. Original Broadway Cast West Side Story
8. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Book
9. Miles Davis - Porgy and Bess
10. - The Quintet - Jazz at Massey Hall, Vol. 1


Charlie Driggs:
1. Moondog - Moondog and His Friends
2. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
3. Yma Sumac - Voice of the Xtabay
4. Lotte Lenya - Lotte Lenya Singt Kurt Weill
5. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Moanin'
6. Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Study in Brown
7. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
8. Dizzy Gillespie - Afro
9. Nina Simone - Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club
10. Art Blakey Quintet - A Night at Birdland, Vol. 1


Henrik:
1. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
2. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
3. Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours
4. Chuck Berry - Chuck Berry Is on Top
5. Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers!
6. Nina Simone - Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club
7. Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley
8. Les Baxter - Le sacre du sauvage
9. Hank Williams - Moanin' the Blues
10. Little Richard - Here's Little Richard


Honorio:
1. Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley
2. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
3. Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours
4. Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin
5. Duke Ellington - Masterpieces by Ellington
6. Hank Williams - Moanin' the Blues
7. Original Broadway Cast - West Side Story
8. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques… (et souvent gaillardes)
9. Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings
10. Lotte Lenya - Lotte Lenya Singt Kurt Weill


Miguel:
1. Hank Williams - Memorial Album
2. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book
3. Hank Williams - Moanin' the Blues
4. The Crickets - The "Chirping" Crickets
5. Little Richard - Here's Little Richard
6. Original Soundtrack - Singin' in the Rain
7. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Sings Gershwin
8. Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan
9. Chuck Berry - Chuck Berry Is on Top
10. Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around the Clock


Mindrocker:
1. Howlin' Wolf - Moanin' in the Moonlight
2. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
3. Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Study in Brown
4. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
5. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
6. Chuck Berry - Chuck Berry Is on Top
7. Yma Sumac - Voice of the Xtabay
8. The Crickets - The "Chirping" Crickets
9. Pérez Prado Plays Mucho Mambo for Dancing
10. Hank Williams - Moanin' the Blues


nicolas:
1. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques… (et souvent gaillardes)
2. Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings
3. Chuck Berry - Chuck Berry Is on Top
4. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
5. Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin
6. John Coltrane - Blue Train
7. Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley
8. Little Richard - Here's Little Richard
9. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
10. Georges Brassens - Interprète ses dernières compositions/Vol. 2 - Le vent


nj:
1. Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin
2. Yma Sumac - Voice of the Xtabay
3. Howlin' Wolf Moanin' in the Moonlight
4. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
5. Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan
6. Yma Sumac - Legend of the Sun Virgin
7. Lotte Lenya - Lotte Lenya Singt Kurt Weill
8. Charlie Parker - Charlie Parker with Strings
9. Les Baxter - Le sacre du sauvage
10. Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus


sonofsamiam:
1. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
2. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
3. Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings
4. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
5. Nina Simone - Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club
6. Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music
7. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Book
8. John Coltrane - Blue Train
9. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book
10. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Moanin'

Re: The 1950s album poll: the individual Top 10s

Fantastic show again, Honorio!

Here is the list in short...

1. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
2. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
3. Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings
4. Nina Simone - Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club
5. Howlin' Wolf - Moanin' in the Moonlight
6. Chuck Berry - Chuck Berry Is on Top
7. Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin
8. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
9. Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley
10. Hank Williams - Moanin' the Blues
11. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book
12. Yma Sumac - Voice of the Xtabay
13. Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours
14. Little Richard - Here's Little Richard
15. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Moanin'
16. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
17. Lotte Lenya - Lotte Lenya Singt Kurt Weill
18. Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan
19. Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music
20. The Crickets - The "Chirping" Crickets
21. Clifford Brown and Max Roach - Study in Brown
22. Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers!
23. Original Broadway Cast - West Side Story
24. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques… et souvent gaillardes
25. Duke Ellington - Ellington at Newport
26. John Coltrane - Blue Train
27. Hank Williams - Memorial Album
28. Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - Masterpieces by Ellington
29. Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie - Bird & Diz
30. Moondog - Moondog and His Friends
31. Les Baxter - Le sacre du sauvage
32. Pérez Prado – Pérez Prado Plays Mucho Mambo for Dancing
33. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
34. Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
35. Dizzy Gillespie - Afro
36. Yma Sumac - Legend of the Sun Virgin
37. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Sings Gershwin
38. Charlie Parker - Charlie Parker with Strings
39. Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds - Singin' in the Rain
40. Art Blakey Quintet - A Night in Birdland, Vol. 1
41. Bud Powell - The Amazing Bud Powell
42. Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2
43. Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy
44. Benny Goodman - The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert
45. Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around the Clock
46. Miles Davis - Porgy and Bess
47. Thelonious Monk Trio - Thelonoius Monk Trio
48. Pete Seeger - Darling Corey
49. The Quintet - Jazz at Massey Hall, Vol. 1
50. Georges Brassens - Interprète ses dernières compositions

As I said in another post, all albums in the top 14 were also in my personal top 16, so I really love this list. However, in my real top 16 I have room for
Count Basie - Basie
Nat King Cole - Love Is the Thing
Odetta - Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues
Bernard Herrmann - Vertigo

I sadly missed all of these in this final, but you can't always get what you want...

Re: The 1950s album poll: the individual Top 10s

A huge bravo for you Honorio..and for all the voters.
I found this list a little bit surprising. Much more "no mainstream" (sorry, I don't find the good word in english)than other decade lists.
But a very good list. And a lot of album I don't listen correctly since a long time.
So thanks to everybody.

Re: The 1950s album poll

Many thanks, Henrik and Romaint. Yes, Henrik, those albums you mention are great. And yes, Romaint, this was not a mainstream list, and that's why I like it so much.
Stay tuned, the 50 songs are coming...

Re: The 1950s album poll

As in the previous presentation, I have no words to describe this extraordinary work. Congratulations again, Mr. Barranco!

Re: The 1950s album poll

El Doctor strikes again !! Many many thanks Hon, it's been a great trip

Re: The 1950s album poll

Many thanks, boys. Love that picture of Basile the guitar-hero!