[Column] The 100 most influential records in music history: A new history of music reconstructed solely based on the degree of influence on modern music (Part 1, 1-10: 10 revolutions that gave birth to modern music)

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26 Jun 2026

[Column] The 100 most influential records in music history: A new history of music reconstructed solely based on the degree of influence on modern music (Part 1, 1-10: 10 revolutions that gave birth to modern music)

Prologue: Reading music history not as a “story” but as “structural change”

Text: mmr｜Theme: A new history of music reconstructed solely based on its influence on contemporary music

Music history is often talked about as ““the history of masterpieces.’’ However, in this article, I will abandon that view.

We are not talking about “masterpieces” here, but only works that have rewritten the very rules of modern music.

This is not a work that created a genre, but a work that broke the premise of the genre. It’s not music that creates emotion, but music that changes the way music is made.

Music history is not a genealogy of talent, but a chain of breaking rules.

Evaluation criteria: What is the impact?

In this series, “influence” is not an intuitive evaluation. Judgment is made only on the following four axes.

Structure: Did you change the song design itself?
Technique: Have you changed the way you use recording, editing, and equipment?
Expansion: Did we create a new genre?
Spread: Did it have an impact on things other than music (club culture, politics, design)?

flowchart LR A[Album] --> B[Structure] A --> C[Technology] A --> D[Genre Creation] A --> E[Cultural Spread] B --> F[Modern Music System] C --> F D --> F E --> F

1st (1st place)

1st Place Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band — The Studio as a New Instrument

1967年のロンドン。ビートルズはすでにツアー活動を停止し、ステージから撤退していた。その空白は単なる休止ではなく、録音という行為そのものを再設計するための時間だった。

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is an album born as a result of this, with the concept of “a fictional live performance by a fictional band,” and at the same time, it is a work that fundamentally rewrites the prerequisites for music production.

At the time, pop music was still dominated by a ““single-centered’’ industrial structure. However, this work deviates from that structure and introduces a new concept of time, in which the entire album is designed as a single work.

Recorded at EMI Studios (later Abbey Road Studios) in London, produced by George Martin. He brought the arrangement perspective of classical music to pop, integrating strings, brass, tape editing, reverse playback, and variable speed recording.

特に象徴的なのは、楽曲同士の“切れ目の消失”である。観客の拍手、環境音、オーケストラのグリッサンドが曲間を溶解させ、アルバム全体が一つの連続した意識流として機能する。

This structure became a reference point for later concept albums and established the concept of a ““work unit’’ in rock music.

In terms of recording technology, countless tape dubbings were performed within the constraints of a four-track recorder, creating artificial layers of sound. This “excessive density born from constraints” became the prototype for later studio productions.

Furthermore, as exemplified by ““A Day in the Life,” the method of connecting different songwriting fragments through editing transformed traditional songwriting into ““the art of editing.”

文化的には、1967年のサマー・オブ・ラブと完全に同期し、サイケデリック文化の象徴となる。しかし重要なのは、それが単なる時代の反映ではなく、時代そのものの“編集者”として機能した点である。

音楽が社会を反映するのではなく、音楽が社会の知覚構造を再設計する。この逆転がここで起きている。

The subsequent impact is direct. Progressive rock, art rock, and even modern pop album design are all under the influence of this work.

This album does not exist as a ““collection of songs,” but as an ““edited conscious space.”

flowchart LR A[Single-Oriented Pop] --> B[Sgt. Pepper Concept Album] B --> C[Progressive Rock] B --> D[Studio-as-Instrument Model] C --> E[1970s Art Rock] D --> F[Modern Pop Production]

timeline 1965 : Touring stops for The Beatles 1966 : Revolver experimentation 1967 : Sgt. Pepper released 1970 : Concept album era expands 1980s : Digital studio logic emerges

“We were trying to get away from ourselves and into something else — a fictional world that could only exist on tape.”

2nd place Pet Sounds — Internalized pop structural revolution

1966, America’s West Coast. Brian Wilson left the tour and confined himself in the studio to work on the album. The result was Pet Sounds.

Although this work is often described as a “response to the Beatles,” it is actually much more complex than that. This work redesigned the very inner workings of pop music and became the blueprint for all subsequent studio music.

What is distinctive about this is that the organization of the rock band has almost been dismantled. Much of the actual performance is performed by studio musicians known as the Wrecking Crew, with the Beach Boys primarily serving as the vocal layer.

What is important here is the collapse of the concept of ““band = performance unit.’’ What emerges in its place is a sound structure completely engineered by the producer.

Recording took place at a number of studios in Los Angeles, with the environments of Sanborn and Western Studio playing an especially important role. Brian Wilson considered the composition based on the “color of sound” and designed the music based on acoustic density rather than harmony.

The instruments used are also unique. It incorporates sound materials that deviate from pop grammar, such as percussion that sounds like a hammered salmon can, bells, cello, and the theremin-like tone of the ondes martenot.

The result is “structural music for emotion.” The hooks and riffs of traditional hit songs have been diluted, and instead the emotional flow itself is structured.

このアルバムは後のインディーポップ、ドリームポップ、さらにはアンビエント的ポップの起点となる。音楽が“外向的な表現”から“内面的な構築物”へと移行する転換点である。

Brian Wilson’s mental stress during the production process was later talked about as a symbol of the relationship between creativity and isolation.

His approach became the prototype for later producer-driven music production, anticipating the modern studio artist.

flowchart LR A[Band Performance Model] --> B[Brian Wilson Studio Model] B --> C[Producer as Composer] C --> D[Layered Vocal Architecture] D --> E[Dream Pop] D --> F[Baroque Pop Evolution]

timeline 1965 : Touring exhaustion increases 1966 : Pet Sounds recorded 1966 : Released in US 1967 : Influences Sgt. Pepper sessions 1980s : Indie pop emerges 1990s : Dream pop codified

flowchart TB A[Emotion] --> B[Arrangement] B --> C[Sound Texture] C --> D[Recording Process] D --> E[Final Album]

“I was trying to make the most beautiful record ever made, even if nobody understood it at the time.”

3rd place The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

The album that turned a “commercial failure” into one of the biggest successes in music history

The Velvet Underground & Nico, released in March 1967, was a commercial failure at the time of its release. However, it is now regarded as one of the works that represents not only rock history but 20th century music as a whole.

“Albums that didn’t sell gave birth to the most bands.”

This famous phrase has become semi-legendary as it symbolizes this work.

In fact, without this album, the history of punk, alternative rock, noise rock, indie rock, gothic rock, dream pop, and even modern experimental music would be vastly different.

A heresy born from the city of New York

Mid 1960s.

Hippie culture and the ““Summer of Love’’ were spreading in America, and rock music was moving towards music that sang about love and peace.

On the other hand, New York had a completely different atmosphere.

There are

drag
Underground movies
Contemporary art
Avant-garde theater
Experimental music

There existed a unique artistic realm in which both were mixed.

その中心人物こそ芸術家のAndy Warholである。

Warhol went to a studio called the Factory.

Painter
Film director
poets
drag queen *Musician

were brought together to form a new artistic community.

そこへ現れたのが、

Lou Reed *John Cale
Sterling Morrison *Maureen Tucker

It was The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground.

They weren’t psychedelic or blues rock.

They were the first rock band to bring the dark side of city life directly into their music.

The miraculous combination of Lou Reed and John Cale

The biggest feature of this work is

Lou Reed, a pop song craftsman,

They were two contrasting talents: avant-garde musician John Cale.

Reed has been writing short stories since his student days, translating the realities of the city into lyrics.

Cale, on the other hand, was researching drone music with the avant-garde music group Theater of Eternal Music led by La Monte Young.

What he was learning was

Long lasting sound
Overtone
Microtone
Minimalism

It was.

As this idea of modern music was brought into rock,

A unique sense of tension was created that cannot be explained by a simple chord progression.

graph LR A[Lou Reed] A --> B[Rock Songwriting] A --> C[Urban Lyrics] D[John Cale] D --> E[Drone] D --> F[Avant-Garde] D --> G[Minimalism] B --> H[The Velvet Underground] E --> H F --> H G --> H C --> H

This fusion was almost unprecedented at the time.

It was the first successful example of a serious combination of rock and contemporary music.

The meaning of Andy Warhol being a “producer”

The album lists Andy Warhol as its producer.

But in reality,

It is believed that Tom Wilson was primarily in charge of the recording technology itself, with Warhol acting more like an artistic director.

Warhol’s greatest work was

“Do not interfere with the band”

That was it.

The record company at the time was

Shorten the song
Reduce noise
Rewrite the lyrics

と要求することが普通だった。

But Warhol gave no such instructions.

He became a negotiator with record companies.

We protected an environment where the band could record as they were.

He also suggested that Nico, a model and singer from Germany, join the band.

This decision was not necessarily welcomed by the band members, especially Lou Reed, but it ended up giving the album a unique contrast.

Recording studio and production environment

Recordings were made multiple times in 1966.

The main recording location is

Scepter Studios
TTG Studios

It is.

The original master recording was not immediately released, and after additional recordings and re-editing, it became the album we know today.

The equipment used was the analog multitrack environment that was common at the time, and recording was relatively simple.

Rather, the characteristic

“Performance itself rather than recording technology”

だった。

John Cale distorts the viola;

Incorporating sustained sounds into a rock band.

In addition, Lou Reed’s guitar used different tunings and repeated rhythms than a typical rock guitar, and he performed with an emphasis on texture rather than chords.

一方、Maureen Tuckerはドラムセットを一般的なロックドラマーとは異なる構成で演奏し、シンバルの使用を極力抑えたミニマルなビートを生み出した。

As a result, each instrument did not compete with each other in terms of skill, but instead created a unique sense of immersion through the overlapping of constant rhythms and sustained sounds.

flowchart TD A[Minimal Drums] B[Drone Viola] C[Simple Guitar] D[Repetitive Bass] A --> E[Hypnotic Groove] B --> E C --> E D --> E E --> F[Proto Punk] E --> G[Noise Rock] E --> H[Alternative Rock]

タブーを正面から描いた歌詞

In 1967, many pop songs were about love.

But Lou Reed

ヘロイン
Prostitution *BDSM
urban solitude *Drug addiction
Violence
性

was depicted from a surprisingly calm perspective.

Rather than glorifying drugs, ““Heroin’’ depicts the inner lives of addicts in the first person.

"”I’m Waiting for the Man’’ features a character waiting for a drug dealer on the streets of New York.

"”Venus in Furs’’ is based on Venus in Furs and deals with sexual themes that were highly unusual in pop music at the time.

これらの歌詞はセンセーショナルであること自体を目的としたものではなく、「都市に存在する現実」を装飾せず記録しようとする姿勢から生まれていた。

"”The greatest innovation of this work is that it presents not only a beautiful world, but a reality that no one has ever tried to sing about in the words of rock.’’

Evaluation at the time of release - an album that was too early for its time

The Velvet Underground & Nico, released on March 12, 1967, was not exactly well-received.

The release label, Verve Records, is a prestigious label that handles a lot of jazz music, and they didn’t have a clear strategy for how to market avant-garde rock music like this album.

Immediately after its release, problems arose including the issue of Warhol’s ““Banana’’ sticker on the album jacket and the rights of the person appearing in the photo on the back, which forced a temporary suspension of shipments.

As a result, many regions disappeared from the market without sufficient distribution.

In addition, this work had many elements that made it difficult for radio stations to broadcast it.

"”Heroin” deals with drugs, ““Venus in Furs” deals with SM, and ““I’m Waiting for the Man’’ depicts drug dealing.

Many songs were not eligible for airplay due to the high possibility of violating the Broadcasting Code.

Commercial results were also poor, with initial sales being extremely limited.

当時のアルバム・チャートでは一時的にランクインしたものの、大ヒット作品には遠く及ばず、レコード会社から見れば成功作とは言えなかった。

However, what is interesting is that the reactions of critics were also very divided.

While some critics gave it a negative review, calling it ““uncomfortable,” ““the playing is shoddy,” and ““the lyrics are decadent,” there were also a few who praised it highly, saying it ““showed a new direction for rock.”

In other words, it”s not that this album wasn”t understood, but that ““very few people could understand it.’’

It became a legend because it “didn”t sell”

In the 1970s, this album became a secret topic of conversation among used record stores and music lovers.

A famous quote by music producer Brian Eno symbolizes this.

“The first album only sold 30,000 copies. But all 30,000 people started a band.”

There are various theories about this statement, and no clear primary source material has been confirmed as to where Eno actually used this expression.

However, the reason this phrase continues to be widely quoted is that it effectively describes the historical impact of the work so accurately.

Young musicians who listened to this work received a new sense of value: ““The performance doesn”t have to be perfect,” ““You can create music even if you don”t have a big studio,” and ““It’s okay to sing songs other than existing themes.’’

In other words, this album is not a work that teaches ““how to be successful.’’

It was a work that spread the idea that ““it is okay to express oneself freely.’’

timeline title The Velvet Underground & Nico の評価の変遷 ``` 1967 : 発売 : 商業的失敗 : 賛否両論 1970s : カルト的人気 : 若いバンドへ浸透 1980s : パンク・ニューウェーブが再評価 1990s : オルタナティブ・ロックの古典 2000s : 音楽史的名盤として定着 ```

Album that made “punk” before punk

When punk rock emerged in the late 1970s, many of its core figures were directly influenced by the Velvet Underground.

Patti Smith inherited Lou Reed’s literary lyricism and fused New York poetry with rock.

The Ramones established the basic form of punk rock by developing simple, short song structures and repetitive rhythms.

Television further pushed the possibilities of urban tension and guitar ensembles.

Furthermore, from the 1980s onwards, its influence became even more widespread.

*Sonic Youth fuses noise and alternative rock.

R.E.M. established an indie rock aesthetic.
The Jesus and Mary Chain brought feedback noise to the fore.
Galaxie 500 has a deeper minimalist performance and floating feeling.
My Bloody Valentine elevated the roaring guitar to an artistic expression and laid the foundation for shoegaze.

Although these bands have different musical styles, they share the same attitude of ““rewriting the rules of existing rock’’ and are positioned in the lineage of the Velvet Underground.

The origin of the independent spirit

This work’s influence on music history goes beyond its sound.

It is also extremely important that he rooted in rock the idea that ““selling” and ““expressing” are not necessarily the same thing.

The later formation of indie label culture, the DIY spirit, and the underground scene cannot be separated from the values expressed by this album.

This lack of prioritizing commercial success is a continuum of 1980s indie rock, 1990s alternative, and 21st century bedroom music and independent production culture in the digital age.

Today, the cultural environment in which countless artists around the world are able to freely present their work in small-scale environments resonates deeply with the idea of ”“freedom of expression’’ that this work represents.

“‘The Velvet Underground & Nico” was not a hit, but its influence went far beyond sales, expanding rock from “music” to a “means of expression’. Its innovation is the biggest reason why it ranks third in this ranking.”

4th place What’s Going On (1971)

An album that turned “love” into politics in an era when the world is broken.

What”s Going On, released on May 21, 1971, didn”t just change the history of soul music.

This work was one of the biggest turning points in 20th century music, establishing the idea that ““pop music can speak about society.’’

それまでのヒット・ソングが恋愛やダンスを中心に描いていた時代に、本作は戦争、人種差別、警察暴力、環境破壊、貧困、信仰、家族という現実社会そのものをアルバム全体のテーマに据えた。

Moreover, it was not a sermon, but an enveloping expression with an overwhelmingly beautiful melody and smooth groove.

After this work, Seoul gained a new status as not just entertainment, but as ““art that reflects society.’’

激動するアメリカ社会

Around 1970, America was in the midst of one of the greatest social unrests of the post-war era.

The Vietnam War turned into a quagmire, many young people were drafted into the military, and returning soldiers were left with deep physical and mental scars.

In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, followed by Robert F. Kennedy.

The civil rights movement was entering a new phase, with riots occurring one after another in urban areas.

Furthermore, there was a growing sense of crisis over pollution and environmental contamination caused by industrialization, and people began to question what they were losing in exchange for ““abundance.’’

Against this backdrop, music has come to be expected to play a social role.

However, at the time, Motown’s main product was sophisticated pop-soul.

Works with strong political overtones were considered to have little marketability, and the artists affiliated with the group were often asked to write songs with love themes.

Marvin Gaye directly objected to this policy.

What changed Marvin Gaye

In the 1960s, Marvin Gaye was a Motown star with numerous hits including “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”

However, around 1970, he was suffering from severe mental distress.

One of the major factors was the death of singer Tammi Terrell, with whom she was close both in public and private life.

Terrell, who performed with the band for many years, died in 1970 at the age of 24 after battling brain cancer.

That sense of loss led Marvin Gaye to at one point refuse to even appear on stage.

It was also important that his younger brother, Frankie Gaye, returned from the Vietnam War and told of his harrowing experiences on the battlefield.

His testimony strongly instilled in Marvin Gaye the awareness that ““war is not a heroic tale, but a reality that destroys human beings.’’

At the same time, police brutality against black people, the stagnation of the civil rights movement, and the issue of poverty were looming as familiar realities.

He begins to feel strongly uncomfortable about ““continuing to sing only about love.’’

Background of the birth of the title song

The inspiration for ““What’s Going On’’ came from Renaldo Benson (Four Tops)’ experience witnessing violent suppression of protests by police.

Benson felt, ““Why doesn’t anyone sing about this situation?’’ and began writing songs that looked at society.

Later, composer Al Cleveland joined the band, and eventually Marvin Gaye himself rewrote the lyrics, developing the song into a more universally oriented piece.

“What”s Going On” in the title is more than just a question, “What”s going on?”

There are

“Why do we keep fighting each other?”

It contains a question for all of humanity.

Conflict with Motown

When Motown founder Berry Gordy heard the finished title song, he expressed disapproval.

he,

Too political
Not commercially viable
Not suitable for radio

Therefore, they refused to release the single.

But Marvin Gaye wouldn’t budge.

“If we don”t release this song, we won”t record it anymore.”

With that declaration, they effectively go on strike.

Motownにとって最大級のスターを失うことは大きな損失だった。

Berry Gordy eventually relented, and the title track was released as a single in January 1971.

The results exceeded expectations.

The song was a huge hit on the R&B charts and had success on the pop charts as well.

Due to this success, the record company officially approved the production of the album.

flowchart LR A[social issues] B[Marvin Gaye] C[Against Motown] D[Release] E[big hit] F[Album production decided] A --> B B --> C C --> D D --> E E --> F

Recording studio and innovative production methods

The album was recorded primarily at Hitsville U.S.A. Studio A (Detroit) and a studio in Los Angeles, where Motown was relocating.

The Funk Brothers, Motown’s talented group of studio musicians, participated in the production, and their outstanding playing skills supported the overall sense of unity of the work.

Unusually for the time, Marvin Gaye recorded his vocals not just once, but multiple times.

The reason for this was a coincidence.

When the engineer mistakenly played different takes at the same time, Marvin Gaye liked the sound and asked to keep both.

This double vocal technique created a unique floating feeling, as if the main melody and free fakes were having a conversation, and became the iconic sound of this work.

Furthermore, the structure that connects songs with almost no interruptions was groundbreaking.

Each song is not an independent single, but flows continuously as a single story.

This structure would have a major influence on later concept albums.

graph TD A[multiple vocal recordings] B[strings] C[The Funk Brothers] D[Connect between songs] A --> E[smooth sound] B --> E C --> E D --> F[concept album] E --> G[new soul expression]

コンセプト・アルバムという「一つの祈り」

『What’s Going On』を語る上で欠かせないのが、その構成である。

An album is not just a collection of songs.

It is designed as a story about a veteran returning home, looking at a changed society, and thinking about human conflict, environmental destruction, faith, family, and hope.

The opening song, ““What’s Going On,” begins with the call, ““Brother, brother, brother,” demonstrating the need for dialogue that transcends race and position.

The following song, ““What’s Happening Brother,’’ is told from the perspective of a soldier returning from the battlefield, expressing his confusion about his homeland, where both work and society have changed.

"”Flyin’ High (In the Friendly Sky)” deals with drug addiction, ““Save the Children” deals with responsibility for future generations, and ““Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)’’ deals with the crisis of environmental destruction.

In 1971, hit albums that dealt head-on with environmental issues were extremely rare.

"”Mercy Mercy Me’’ expressed concerns about air pollution, oil pollution, and radiation, and resonated with the growing environmental movement that began that year.

The album’s final song, “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler),” expresses with quiet anger the contradictions of American society, such as urban poverty, tax burdens, and tensions with the police.

And it doesn’t end in complete despair.

Throughout the album, there is a sense of hope that resembles a prayer: ““Love can change the world.’’

flowchart TD A[What's Going On] B[returning soldier] C[drug dependence] D[children] E[environmental issues] F[urban poverty] G[hope] A --> B B --> C C --> D D --> E E --> F F --> G

Evaluation at the time of release and historical success

The album received high praise immediately after its release in May 1971.

Following the title song, ““Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” and ““Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” were also hits, achieving great commercial success.

What is noteworthy is that its success overturned the conventional wisdom in the music industry at the time that ““works that deal with social issues will not sell.’’

Critics hailed it as Marvin Gaye’s breakthrough from soul singer to all-around artist.

This album also gave Motown artists greater creative freedom, allowing them to become more actively involved in album production.

The idea of having the artists themselves create the overall theme and sound of their work, rather than being led by a record company, had a major influence on black music as a whole thereafter.

Rewritten the future of black music

Even before ““What’s Going On,’’ there were songs with social themes.

However, they were often released as singles.

This work was groundbreaking in that it depicted a single social message throughout the album.

This approach was inherited by many later artists.

Stevie Wonder’s works, such as Music of My Mind, Innervisions, and Songs in the Key of Life, combine personal expression with social themes.

Curtis Mayfield further pushed the social nature of Soul with sharper depictions of urban realities and black communities.

From the 1980s onward, Prince developed an artist-driven creative approach to producing albums that crossed genres.

Furthermore, in the era of hip-hop, this spirit was inherited in a new form.

Public Enemy, 2Pac, Kendrick Lamar, and others have taken social inequality and racial issues as central themes in their works, and have continued the ““dialogue with society through music’’ that this work opened up into the present day.

In addition, neo-soul standard-bearers such as D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, and Maxwell were greatly influenced by this work in their approach to constructing the entire work as a single idea.

Why is it ranked 4th in this ranking?

What”s Going On doesn”t change rock history.

However, it is an album that fundamentally changed the way music speaks about society.

Rather than shouting political statements, she was extremely innovative in encouraging people to have a dialogue with her compassionate voice and sophisticated sound.

Furthermore, the fact that it set a precedent for artists to express their ideas in the form of albums without being influenced by the intentions of record companies increases its historical value.

Today, expressing social issues and personal beliefs throughout a work is commonplace in many genres.

One of the works that built this cultural foundation is ““What’s Going On.’’

“‘What’s Going On’ confronts soul music with society and sublimates the album format into a single ideology. Can music change the world? - It is a historical masterpiece that answers the question with beauty and empathy, and is worthy of being ranked 4th in this ranking.”

5th place Kind of Blue

An album that rewrote the future of jazz in “just two days”

Kind of Blue, released on August 17, 1959, is the best-selling album in jazz history, and one of the most influential works in all of music history.

This work is not just a masterpiece.

It was a revolutionary work that completely overturned the conventional wisdom of jazz performance and changed the way of thinking from ““performances that follow chord progressions” to ““performances that sing freely within a scale (mode).”

This single album spread the new concept of mode jazz to the world, and had an immeasurable influence not only on subsequent jazz, but also on rock, fusion, ambient, film music, and contemporary music.

Despite its innovation, it only took two days to record.

Turning point in 1950s jazz

Established in the 1940s by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, bebop was characterized by fast, complex chord progressions and a high degree of improvisation.

Although hard bop and cool jazz later developed, many performers were still required to improvise within complex chord progressions.

Miles Davis begins to feel the limits of this situation.

He believed that by changing chords one after another, the performer was forced to concentrate on following the harmony, and the room for singing the melody itself was limited.

He sought a wider musical space and was searching for new ways to improvise.

The hint was the modal theory proposed by composer and theorist George Russell.

Russell published ““Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization’’ in 1953, presenting a musical theory centered on modes, rather than the conventional idea centered on harmony.

Miles Davis is deeply interested in this idea, and envisions ““Kind of Blue’’ as an album that puts it into practice.

Miraculous members gather together

It’s not just the theory that makes Kind of Blue special.

The members who participated were some of the best in jazz history.

Miles Davis (trumpet)
John Coltrane (tenor saxophone)
Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley (alto saxophone)
Bill Evans (piano)
Wynton Kelly (“Freddie Freeloader” only) *Paul Chambers
Jimmy Cobb

In later years, performers who would each become masters representing the history of jazz gathered in one studio.

In particular, the presence of Bill Evans was decisive.

He was strongly influenced by impressionist music such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, and had a clear sense of harmony that was lacking in traditional jazz.

The sound perfectly matched Miles Davis’s goal of ““music with blank space’’.

graph LR A[George Russell] A --> B[Modal Theory] B --> C[Miles Davis] C --> D[Bill Evans] C --> E[John Coltrane] C --> F[Cannonball Adderley] D --> G[Kind of Blue] E --> G F --> G

Why we hardly rehearsed

The biggest feature of this work is its thorough emphasis on the ““moment of playing for the first time’’.

Rather than handing out completed scores, Miles Davis only gave the members a quick sketch right before the performance.

There is no detailed arrangement written there,

*mode

Song flow
Rough structure

Only was written.

In other words, performers had to ““discover’’ music on the spot.

In later years, Bill Evans talked about this production method in his liner notes, comparing it to Japanese ink painting.

Like calligraphy or ink painting done with a single stroke, improvisation is a one-time act that cannot be modified, and the state of mind at that moment becomes the work itself.This idea runs throughout this work.

Therefore, the recording was not overly rehearsed.

Rather than perfection, priority was placed on the tension and natural dialogue that comes with creating sounds for the first time.

Sounds of Columbia 30th Street Studio

Recording took place over two days, March 2 and April 22, 1959, at Columbia 30th Street Studio.

This studio is a renovated building originally built as a church, and was known for its high ceilings and rich reverberation.

It was an environment in which the original sound of the instrument spread naturally throughout the space without relying on artificial reverb.

Fred Plaut, who served as the recording engineer, took advantage of its acoustic characteristics to faithfully record the distance and atmosphere of each instrument.

Although it was recorded on analog tape, which was common at the time, editing was kept to a minimum, with many performances being recorded on the first take or only a few takes.

As a result, the album as a whole retains a natural feel, as if you were listening to a live session in front of your eyes, rather than a studio work.

flowchart TD A[concise sketch] B[minimal rehearsal] C[natural church space] D[near-live recording] A --> E[improvisation] B --> E C --> F[rich reverberation] D --> F E --> G[Sound of Kind of Blue] F --> G

“Design of freedom” called mode

The core of ““Kind of Blue’’ lies in the idea of modal improvisation.

In traditional jazz, chord progressions change minutely, and improvisations are built on top of them. In other words, the performer had to constantly anticipate the ““next chord’’ while assembling a phrase.

However, in modal jazz, a certain scale space is maintained for a long time. In this way, the performer can concentrate on the ““color changes within the scale” rather than ““the movement of chords”.

As a result, improvisation was freed from competition in technique and changed to expressions more like singing or speaking.

This structure is not just a theory; it determines the atmosphere of the album as a whole.

For example, in ““So What,’’ the same mode is maintained for a long time, with the bass and horns continuing to interact.

"”Blue in Green’’ focuses on shifting sounds rather than a clear chord progression, creating the feeling that time itself is slowly dissolving.

flowchart LR A[traditional jazz] A --> B[complex chord progressions] B --> C[fast improvisation] C --> D[Technology-centered] E[Kind of Blue] E --> F[mode (fixed scale)] F --> G[spatial improvisation] G --> H[Tone/pause/breathing]

The recording scene that changed the world in 2 takes

Recording Kind of Blue was surprisingly simple.

The sessions took place over just two days, and most of the songs were recorded in a state close to how they were first heard.

Miles Davis did not prepare detailed arrangements before entering the studio, and only gave the members very simple instructions.

Although this method may seem haphazard at first glance, it is actually a highly designed ““aesthetics of constraints.’’

While giving freedom to the performers, by setting the framework of a mode, the infinite options were converged in a certain direction.

Bill Evans later said of this production method, ““The work itself was not the finished painting, but the moment it was painted.’’

As those words suggest, ““Kind of Blue’’ was an album that recorded the process itself, rather than the resulting music.

Extended influence from jazz history to “music history”

The influence of this work goes beyond the jazz genre.

From the late 1960s onwards, ““modal thinking’’ spread in the fields of rock, film music, and electronic music.

The Doors took a modal approach to their long improvisational structures, expanding the song’s sense of time itself.

In film music, it became common to create psychological tension by maintaining minimal harmony.

Furthermore, in fusion from the 1970s, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter developed modal ideas and blurred the boundaries between jazz and rock.

In modern times, ““musical spaces without chord progressions’’ have become a standard method even in ambient and electronic music.

This album is one of the origins of that.

Re-evaluation and “Jazz Textbook”

When it was first released, Kind of Blue wasn’t necessarily a huge hit.

However, its reputation gradually increased from the late 1960s, and by the 1970s it was widely recognized as a standard introduction to jazz.

Later, in the CD era, it was repeatedly reissued and established itself as the best-selling album in jazz history.

However, this ““textbook conversion’’ also creates a certain contradiction.

Originally, this work was a record of free improvisation, music that refused to be confined by theory or form.

Despite this, it continues to be analyzed as a ““textbook of mode jazz’’ in later generations.

In other words, this album

“The freest music has become the most structured music.”

It is also an existence with a paradox.

Why is it ranked 5th?

"”Kind of Blue” can be described as a ““reinvention of language” in the history of music.

However, in this ranking, it is not positioned as a work that destroys the structure itself, but as a work that expands on the inside of the structure.

The shift from bebop to mode was revolutionary, but still within the framework of jazz.

In contrast, the top works redefine the boundaries of genres, social structures, and the relationship between music and culture.

However, the idea of ”“design for freedom’’ presented by Kind of Blue became the premise for all subsequent musical improvisation.

“‘Kind of Blue’ is a work designed with a minimal structure to maximize the freedom of improvisation. Its quiet innovation went beyond jazz and changed the way we think about music itself. Therefore, we rank it fifth in this ranking.”

6th place Nevermind

The moment when “the last rock revolution” destroyed pop culture

Nevermind, released on September 24, 1991, was more than just a hit.

It was a turning point that disrupted the “commercial rock order” that had lasted until the 1980s and pushed indie culture into the mainstream.

After this album, the center of the music industry changed dramatically.

L.A.’s hard rock scene and MTV-style star system quickly lost influence, and Seattle-based grunge rose to the center of global pop culture in its place.

This work was a symbol of that.

The “invisible city” of Seattle

The American music scene in the late 1980s was leaning toward extreme commercialization.

Glamorous hair metal, flashy PVs, and excessive production.

However, behind the scenes, a completely different music was growing.

That’s the underground scene in Seattle, Washington.

The rainy and gloomy climate, isolated geographical conditions, and distance from major metropolitan areas created a unique musical culture.

At the center of this was Nirvana, with vocalist/guitarist Kurt Cobain.

They initially debuted on the indie label Sub Pop and were only a local presence.

However, the music was already packed with elements that would disrupt traditional rock.

Definitive change in producer and sound

Butch Vig was the producer of this work.

He had a sense of balance that allowed him to create a commercially viable sound while retaining the roughness of an indie style.

Recording was primarily done at Sound City Studios.

This studio is known for its thick drum sound and is the place where many rock classics were created.

In particular, Dave Grohl’s drums acquired an extremely strong sense of attack and spatial expanse by recording here.

The guitar was intentionally distorted and mixed to emphasize the low range.

This is an approach that is the complete opposite of the ““clear and well-defined 80’s sound’’ that had been mainstream up until then.

Pop album as “anti-pop”

The greatest feature of Nevermind lies in its contradictions.

Although it had a catchy melody at first glance, the sound was extremely rough, the structure simple, and the lyrics unstable and introspective.

Their signature song, ““Smells Like Teen Spirit,’’ has been hailed as a youth anthem around the world, but its lyrics are full of irony and weariness.

Kurt Cobain has often said that he “didn’t intend to write a hit song,” but the song ended up dominating MTV and radio.

This phenomenon became a classic example of underground culture being absorbed into the mainstream.

flowchart TD A[indie scene] B[Sub Pop] C[Produced by Nevermind] D[MTV hit] E[mainstream] F[grunge diffusion] A --> B --> C --> D --> E --> F

Structural changes in the music industry

The success of Nevermind wasn”t just the band”s breakthrough.

It changed the structure of the entire music industry.

The previously dominant hair metal scene rapidly declined, and many bands lost their label contracts.

In its place, grunge and alternative rock entered mainstream markets, and major labels such as Geffen Records began to actively incorporate indie sounds.

Furthermore, MTV’s music programs were forced to change direction from focusing on visuals to ““realistic images of bands.’’

This trend would reshape the music business model for the entire 1990s.

The contradiction that is Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain had a strong sense of discomfort with success itself.

He was originally an artist with a punk and hardcore spirit, and was not aiming for commercial success.

However, ““Nevermind’’ quickly became a worldwide hit, expanding to a scale beyond his control.

This ““runaway success’’ deepens his inner conflict.

It was this incompatibility between fame and alienation, influence and self-denial that cast a great shadow over his later works and life.

Influence on subsequent music

The influence of ““Nevermind’’ extends throughout rock from the 1990s onwards.

Post-grunge
Alternative rock
Emo
Indie rock

Genres like this have expanded rapidly.

Some bands, such as Foo Fighters, rearranged the structure of pop after grunge.

Additionally, the number of artists who are oriented toward more introspective expressions is increasing, and values that place more emphasis on ““emotional reality” than ““perfect performance” are becoming established.

Why is it ranked 6th?

"”Nevermind” is a work that can be called ““the last great rock revolution” in music history.

However, the essence of this is not the creation of a genre, but the ““reorganization of the existing rock industry’’.

While their top works changed the very language of music or the very fabric of culture, ““Nevermind’’ changed the era by renewing the core of pop-rock.

Nevertheless, the destructive power of this work is overwhelming.

“‘Nevermind’ is a work that brought the indie spirit to the mainstream and reset the commercial structure of rock once and for all. Its impact became a prerequisite for music culture from the 1990s onwards, and it is ranked 6th in this ranking.”

7th place The Dark Side of the Moon

“An album that converts the very inner thoughts of humans into sound”

The Dark Side of the Moon, released in 1973, redefined the concept of “perfection” in rock history.

Before that, rock music focused on performance, lyrics, and structure. However, this album integrates all of these and steps into the realm of ““designing life itself with sound.’’

The theme is both extremely universal and abstract.

time
Money
Madness
death
Labor
Alienation

These are not individual song themes, but are designed as a “single consciousness structure” that runs through the entire album.

A “laboratory” called a studio

Recording took place at Abbey Road Studios, with engineer Alan Parsons leading the sound design.

What is important here is that the recording was not just a record, but a “construction.”

Time distortion due to tape loops
Multi-layer arrangement of clock sounds
Ambient sound collage
Space generation using analog synth

These are all ““rearrangements of real sounds’’ and are not performance-centered structures like traditional rock.

flowchart TD A[Real sounds (conversation/mechanical sounds)] B[music performance] C[Editing/Processing] D[psychological theme] A --> D B --> D C --> D D --> E[sonification of consciousness]

Paradox of music with the theme of “time”

At the core of this album is the concept of “time.”

In ““Time’’, the sound of a clock invades as a rhythm, and time itself is depicted as being forced from outside.

On the other hand, in Breathe, breathing becomes the standard for tempo, and time becomes internalized.

In other words, this album

External time (social)
Internal time (body)

The tension between these two is expressed in music.

The moment when music becomes a “state”

Before ““The Dark Side of the Moon,’’ rock music was a collection of songs.

However, this work is different.

Although each track is independent, they are seamlessly connected and function as a “continuous psychological state.”

As a result, listeners don’t just “listen” to the album, they “experience” it.

Why is it ranked 7th?

This work is one of the complete forms of rock.

However, at the same time, it remains at the “maximum reach within the framework of rock.”

While his top works move toward the dismantling of genres themselves and the redefinition of social structures, this album is positioned at the “ultimate refinement of the inner world.”

“‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ is a work that completely visualizes human consciousness as a sound structure. Its level of perfection is a milestone in the history of rock, and ranks it 7th in this ranking.”

8th place Autobahn

“The moment the machine started playing music”

Autobahn, released in 1974, marked the “end of anthropocentrism” in music history.

Kraftwerk intentionally eliminated the ““human performance,” ““emotional expression,” and ““improvisation’’ that had been the premise of rock up until then.

What was presented instead was a mechanical rhythm and a structured sound system.

“Music” on the expressway

The album’s centerpiece, ““Autobahn,’’ is about German highways.

However, this is not a landscape depiction.

This is an attempt to musicalize the ““phenomenon of movement itself.’’

Constant speed repetitive rhythm
Mechanical tone change
minimal melody
Long-term structure maintenance

As a result of these, music changes from “development” to “sustainment.”

flowchart LR A[Rock (human centered)] B[Emotion/Improvisation/Song] C[Autobahn] D[Machine/Repetition/System] A --> B C --> D D --> E[inhuman musical structure]

Disappearance of the “performing subject”

In traditional music, the physicality of the performer was central.

But Kraftwerk reverses that structure.

*Program, not performance

Design, not emotion
Repetition instead of improvisation

Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider transformed music from “human expression” to “system output”.

Not the “origin” but the “branching point” of electronic music

What is important is that this work is not just the beginning of electronic music.

Rather, it is

The first clear moment when music leaves human hands

It was.

After:

Techno
House
Electro
Ambient *EDM

This is the structural starting point for all of this.

Why is it ranked 8th?

"”Autobahn” is a revolutionary work that turns music into a ““mechanical system.”

However, its scope is still limited to the ““internal evolution of music.’’

In the top works, music transforms the social structure and cultural system itself.

In contrast, this work is at the stage where the form of existence of music itself is connected to machines.

“‘Autobahn’ is a work that takes human hands away from music and establishes music as a system. Due to its significance as a historical turning point, we rank it 8th in this ranking.”

The moment when rock became the “language of world domination”

Music has already gone through three stages of transformation.

Internalization (Pet Sounds / Kind of Blue)
Structuring (Sgt. Pepper / Dark Side of the Moon)
Mechanization (Autobahn)
Socialization (What’s Going On / Nevermind)

What remains at the end is a stage in which music has become an ““industry’’ and has a worldwide control structure.

The symbols are 9th and 10th.

9th place: Thriller
10th place: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

Although these two albums are contrasting, they are both works that have reached the concept of ““music = the world system.’’

9th place Thriller

The album that turned pop music into “world infrastructure”

Thriller, released in 1982, was more than just a global hit.

This was the moment when music went beyond a cultural phenomenon and transformed into a global device that integrated “economy, media, race, and visual culture.”

With this work, Michael Jackson redefined the very idea of being a pop star.

“Industrial equipment” called a studio

Production was centered around Westlake Recording Studios.

Producer Quincy Jones is the person who perfected pop music as a ““designable product.’’

This work is not a traditional band recording,

Division of labor for session musicians
Precise mix design
Fusion of different genres (rock, soul, funk) *Song structure based on MV premise

was thoroughly implemented.

flowchart TD A[soul/funk] B[rock] C[pop industry] D[video media] E[Thriller] A --> E B --> E C --> E D --> E

The transformation of “music = video”

The essence of “Thriller” lies not in the music alone, but in its integration with the images.

In particular, the short film ““Thriller” elevated music videos to a ““movie-level narrative device.”

From then on, music expanded from ““something you listen to” to ““something you see.”

Perfectly in sync with the rise of MTV, pop music moved to the center of visual culture.

Why is it ranked 9th?

Thriller expands on musical expression, but remains within pop.

However, it is historically extremely important in that it completely integrated music, video, industry, and the global market within it.

“‘Thriller’ transformed pop music into a global infrastructure and evolved music into an integrated system of industry, video, and culture. As a result of this, we place it at No. 9 in this ranking.”

10th place It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

The moment music became a “political weapon”

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, released in 1988, transformed hip-hop from “entertainment” to “political media.”

Public Enemy redefined the role of music with this album.

Sound=information warfare

The Bomb Squad was involved in the production, and an extremely dense sampling structure was used.

Noise
Speech fragment
Funk Fragments
siren sound
Media audio

By arranging these elements simultaneously, music becomes an ““information environment” rather than ““a single message.”

flowchart LR A[funk] B[news audio] C[noise] D[sampling] A --> E B --> E C --> E D --> E E --> F[information overload sound]

Redefining Hip Hop

Before that, hip-hop was primarily about party culture and self-expression.

However, this work brings a clear political aspect to it.

Racial issues
Media criticism
Criticism of social structure

Music has changed from something to dance to to something to read.

Why is it ranked 10th?

"”It Takes a Nation of Millions…” is a work that turns music into a ““weapon.”

However, rather than destroying the form of music itself, we are still at a stage where politics has been expanded to the maximum extent within it.

“‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’ elevated hip-hop to the level of information warfare and transformed music into political media. Due to its historical significance, we rank it 10th in this ranking.”