It's always tough to pin down a top 10 list of albums. I really try to see every album I listen to through an objective lens, making my best effort to focus on an album's strengths and not be put off by its weaknesses. In summary, I try to love every album, and often that makes it difficult to separate the good from the great. Now and then, an album comes along that just floors me, making this distinction completely irrelevant. '77 Live, which I was first introduced to no more than 6 months ago, is a perfect album. I can't imagine making a serious top 10 list without including it. It's not an album I can recommend to everyone. It's almost annoyingly lo-fi; it's impossible to decipher the Japanese lyrics; and it's louder than hell. But, in so many ways, it sets the standard for every noise/psych record I've ever heard. It would be arrogant and short-sighted of me to think that i can say anything about this album that hasn't been said before. But, I'll say this: it's completely earth-shattering. From the blissfully cacophonous guitar freakouts to the surprisingly melodic bass lines, '77 Live is the best psychedelic record I've ever heard. If this is what the apocalypse sounds like, I can't wait.
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