Why is Death’s …For the Whole World to See on my best 1,000 albums ever list?
A great big blast of proto-punk angst and passion and loud crashing guitars.
What does Death’s …For the Whole World to See mean to me? What does it make me feel? Why is it exciting or compelling?
There’s a pretty fascinating story behind this band and this album which relates to the name of the band itself, which is why while the songs on …For The Whole World To See were recorded in 1975, the album was only officially released in 2009(!). Nonetheless, I’m sticking with 1975 as the year this album “came out” for best 1,000 albums ever purposes as I think you’d agree this qualifies as a “1975 album.”
Nonetheless, it’s the music that qualifies the album for consideration, and a great big blast of proto-punk angst and passion and loud crashing guitars it is. My favorite song is “Freakin’ Out,” which starts with the exclamation, “Death!” and then proceeds with guitars chugging at high speed and staccato yet super catchy vocals.
I can imagine the guitar lick on “You’re A Prisoner” being practiced with intensity by a young Mark Arm, and used as inspiration later for Mudhoney’s “Touch Me I’m Sick.”
“Let the World Turn” offers a different sound, much more David Bowie 1970s hard rock with an experimental edge. At close to six minutes, it’s a bit of an epic and well worth the trip.
This is one of those ultimate “I wonder what could have happened if they had produced more music” albums, which I always bend around back to feeling lucky that we got what we got when we did.
This album also sounds like
There’s a lot of both a classic proto-punk sound and a Detroit sound a la the MC5 on …For the Whole the World to See on this album.
Personal stuff that’s somehow related to Death’s …For the Whole World to See
I’ve mentioned rugby “nicknames” back from my playing days at Binghamton University from time to time, including “Cobain” in the previous installment about Redman’s Muddy Waters. What I don’t think I’ve explained is that everyone on the team had an “official” nickname, and if you think that’s a little fraternity-ish, well, it kind of is.
Here’s the classic “I, state your name” scene from Animal House.
To be sure, our “naming ceremony” was much more Delta House versus Omega, and it was only one night as opposed to a full semester of hazing or some such.
For reasons that are not completely clear, some nicknames “stuck” while others did not. For example, Cobain is still known as Cobain lo these many years later. Right Guard, Sonic, Stimpy, Two Bit, Sloth, Turgeon, Gwar (who would and does also answer to Louie Gwar), same thing.
Others, not so much. Gump, for example, for the tall future cop Joe? Didn’t stick. Death, for my high school friend Jake? Same thing. Sometimes, it’s for the best.
What’s my nickname, you ask? Well, I had long curly hair when I joined the team, you see…
Some stats & info about Death – …For the Whole World to See
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Punk, Punk Rock, Hard Rock, Proto-Punk, Detroit Bands, Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was …For the Whole World to See released? 1975
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #931 out of 1,000
Death’s …For the Whole World to See on Spotify
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective take on what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.