1001 Albums Summary

Rating (1/10): 6-9. DOYM (depends on your mood) Is there already a genre called TranceFunk? Prince without the sex, but that just means dancing can exist without lust; bigger frontiers for physical expression of the mind and soul. I'd forgotten what a great bass player Tina Weymouth is; totally underappreciated. Tom-Tom Club: https://youtu.be/aCWCF19nUhA Adrien Belew (via King Crimson): https://youtu.be/zqhhZRcFlws Remain In Light was on heavy rotation in the restaurant kitchen where I worked; this is great music to cook to. (Eno might find that quite the compliment.)

I'm so glad Louis made The List. They live on nowadays mostly being played over the house PA in Italian restaurant chains like Buca de Beppo, but damn they were a great band, and Louis a great bandleader. Reminds me of a little bit Satchmo, a little bit Count Basie. So many songs were covered later, right? "Just a Gigolo" by David Lee Roth (hit in the 80s). "Jump Jive and Wail" by Brian Setzer (late 90s/early-oughts). I always hated how in "It's a Wonderful Life", in the Good Side version of the Universe, Bedford Falls is all white bread and black people are hired help and Martini's is a quaint little Italian tavern playing lame music, while in the Dark Side version of the universe, Potterville, the streets are lined with bars blasting seriously great music, and Martini's is manifested as Nick's, where Louis Prima and his band would totally fill up the juke box.

Such beautiful music. A soundtrack to a very sad story. Elliott Smith is one of those artists, like so many on this list, who exist in the periphery: you've heard of them, meant to pull off the highway and go explore them, but you never get around to saying yes to the exit and then meander down an unknown road. This is a terrible album to listen to on a gray day. This is a perfect album to listen to on a grey day.

Can we just look at the cover and make comments on that? I don't think I've ever heard this entire album. Through a long backward lens it sounds like an amalgam of Motorhead (although less badass), Deep Purple (although less talented), and Status Quo. Yes, Status Quo: There are in fact little bits of high-energy boogie in here. Can't help but feel that with the timing, Rob Reiner had to have been aware of Iron Maiden when he made "This Is Spinal Tap" over the next couple of years. (Released in '84) Not that the film was all about just I.M., but the genre was definitely hitting its fix-your-hair-and-crank-everything-to-11 stride after a slow build all during the 70s. YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

There will be days when the fit isn't there, or totally there. No doubt this is a better experience when the listener is in a better mood.