#315Albums is a list of 315 albums that appear on both the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, as well as the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die book, edited by Robert Dimery. At its best, it is a representation of some of the greatest music ever released; at its worst, it is a journey through the history of music that the majority see as important, influential, and/or relevant. If nothing else, these albums are worth experiencing at least once to get a better understanding of music, which is why we are working to complete all #315Albums.
No. 043
“It was Curtis Mayfield who made a blaxploitation soundtrack album that packed more drama than the movie it accompanied. Musically, Superfly is astonishing, marrying lush string parts to deep bass grooves, with lots of wah-wah guitar. On top, Mayfield sings in his worldly-wise falsetto, […] telling hard truths about the drug trade and black life in the 1970s.”
Artist: Curtis Mayfield
Album: Superfly
Released: 1972
Label: Curtom
Rolling Stones Ranking: 72
I had no idea what to expect with this album, which is the soundtrack for the blaxploitation
film of the same name, and it was really interesting. “Pusherman” is a great, funky song that stands out to me quite a bit. I definitely respect what Curtis Mayfield was able to create here, but it’s just not something I’d spend any additional time with. There is clearly a lot of heart behind this album, but I still struggled to connect with it on anything more than a surface level.
Cinefessions’ #315Albums Rating: 54%
Image and quote courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine.
Branden has been a film fan since he was young, roaming the halls of Blockbuster Video, trying to find the grossest, scariest looking VHS covers to rent and watch alone in the basement. It wasn’t until recently, though, that Branden started seeking out the classics of cinema, and began to develop his true passion for the art form. Branden approaches each film with the unique perspective of having studied the art from the inside, having both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in acting. He has been a film critic since 2010, and has previously written for Inside Pulse Movies, We Love Cult, and Diehard Gamefan. His biggest achievement as a film critic, to date, has been founding Cinefessions and turning it from a personal blog to a true film website, housing hundreds of film and television reviews, and dozens of podcasts.
