Critical Comparison Between Two Albums

[jinp6301]

So for my english paper, I have to write a critical comparison between two albums.

From my syllabus

Option Two: Critical Comparison. If you choose this option you will choose TWO albums/CDs (by two different artists) and write a critical comparison. You must choose the albums to write about and also have a primary argument (or, claim or

[JBLoudG20]

Jay-Z black album, Beatles White Album, dangermouse grey album to tie it all in as one big happy family.

[postjack]

Suggestions: The best critical comparison papers, in my experience, are comparisons that make broader connections to the world that these albums and their listeners live in. Cultural context, values, messages and codes are what make music meaningful to us, and your paper should address these issues. Think of albums as

[JBLoudG20]

Jay-Z Kingdom come, and American Gangster.

Do a britney/christina shootout

Or def the greatest possible choices: Daft Punk: homework and discovery. I could write novels on those albums.

[postjack]

Comparing "The Chronic" with an early rap classic like "Paid In Full" would be amazing. Remember that Dre injected melody into hip hop, which is why he is a fucking legend.

[grawk]

phil collins vs peter gabriel

[Smeggy]

I vote The Partridge family Vs. The Monkees.

[grawk]

Joan Jett vs Lita Ford

[Fungi]

The Zombies vs The Beatles

[recstar24]

I'm with the jackmeister on this one, pet sounds vs. rubber soul would be a pretty standard and conservative route to go, you would have plenty to work with.

[jinp6301]

Here's some advice you probably don't need, but always listen to your professors suggestions! As badly as you may want to do a comparison between two albums you think are really cool but nobody else has heard of, resist! Do albums that at least had some popularity, even better perhaps albums that are accepted into the canon of classic rock. That way you can make those "broader connections to the world that these albums and their listeners live in" that your professor is asking for. "Pet Sounds" vs. "Sgt. Peppers" or "Revolver" would be a good choice. Sex Pistols "Bollocks" vs. Ramones s/t is another good one (here's a hint: ramones win). You could do a New Wave vs. Hardcore thing, like an early Talking Heads record vs. a Black Flag. A Zeppelin vs. Sabbath thing would be cool, but I don't like Zeppelin that much. Comparing Motorhead and Metallica would be fun.

it doesn't necessarily have to be a old record, but an album that has had time to ferment in the popular consciousness has more obvious repercussions, as opposed to a newer album whose full import is not yet known.

Postjack, did I tell you that I love you?

My prof's example was Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (yes, my prof is awesome) they were both released in the same year

I'm thinking of doing Nas - Illmatic and Nirvana - Nevermind or Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisted and The Roots - Things Fall Apart or A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory

Jay-Z Kingdom come, and American Gangster.

Do a britney/christina shootout

Or def the greatest possible choices: Daft Punk: homework and discovery. I could write novels on those albums.

I have to use two different artists

[Dusty Chalk]

I did that once.

Mine was Jean-Michel Jarre, Zoolook vs. Michael McNabb, Computer Music. I believe the word that my prof said to me (he wasn't sure how serious I was, therefore didn't write it down) was, "stretching".

[boomana]

Postjack ftw. I'm not going to recommend albums, but suggest you choose from the clues your prof placed in the assignment. The mention of cultural relevance and codes should be key. I'd pick albums that are from time periods that you know about well, and ones that are known to both lyrically and musically represent them. The paper should be easy after that.

[jinp6301]

Comparing "The Chronic" with an early rap classic like "Paid In Full" would be amazing. Remember that Dre injected melody into hip hop, which is why he is a fucking legend.

Heh, I was also thinking about doing 2 rap albums, but one showing the positivity of hip hop vs the darker gang side of rap.

I'm with the jackmeister on this one, pet sounds vs. rubber soul would be a pretty standard and conservative route to go, you would have plenty to work with.

Yea, pet sounds vs sgt. pepper is my backup.

[aardvark baguette]

The one piece of advice I can offer is this: write for your audience. For school work, I've found pretty much nothing else matters. If you don't write to your audience, you can expect confusion, disappointment and a poor grade.

I made my way to honors English by not reading the complete texts, and writing for my audience

[LFF]

Rubber Soul v. Pet Sounds would probably be the most obvious.

Here are some I would choose:

SMiLE (Beach Boys) v. Sgt. Pepper (The Beatles)

Songs For Swingin' Lovers (Sinatra) v. modern romantic album

Kind of Blue (Miles Davis) v. Time Out (Dave Brubeck)

If I think of any other ones, I'll post them here.

[postjack]

Postjack, did I tell you that I love you?

My prof's example was Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (yes, my prof is awesome) they were both released in the same year

I'm thinking of doing Nas - Illmatic and Nirvana - Nevermind or Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisted and The Roots - Things Fall Apart or A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory

Wow, your professor is awesome, those are two albums that would be cool to compare. Illmatic and Nevermind would also be damn good, as both albums represent their generation so well but in wildly different ways. Talk about two artists who knew their audience!

[laxx]

Do a britney/christina shootout

What's there to compare?

no talent/talented ggkthxnore

[aardvark baguette]

What's there to compare?

no talent/talented ggkthxnore

Which is better for a porno.

[hungrych]

I think Illmatic and The Chronic would be good, or Low End Theory and Enter The Wu-Tang.

[jinp6301]

Low End Theory and Enter The Wu-Tang.

That was another one I was thinking of. It'll be interesting to say the least

[hungrych]

Or if you want to go really crazy, Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz and John Coltrane's Ascension.

[Thelonious Monk]

Comparing "The Chronic" with an early rap classic like "Paid In Full" would be amazing. Remember that Dre injected melody into hip hop, which is why he is a fucking legend.

More like Dre injected Parliament samples into hip-hop.

[hungrych]

Remember that Dre injected melody into hip hop,

That is so amazingly untrue.

[Duggeh]

Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music For Airports and David Bedford - Great Equatorial.

If you can write a paper about those two, you deserve some sort of international prize.

(Duggeh is, because it was mentioned next to Zoolook, a kingly kingly album, downloading Michael McNabb - Computer Music)