My 1001 Albums Journey

My first thought when queuing this up was what it would sound like if Sixpence None The Richer covered "Kizza Me." Then I heard the songs. I'm impressed. There's a bit of a Velvet Underground repetitive-but-interesting drone going on (which ironically we see less on display in their VU cover of "Femme Fatale"), as well as some Bowie here, similar in vocal delivery and in trying to stay accessible while attempting new things in production, instrumentation, or chord and song structure. I even hear early Flaming Lips' guitar rockets à la "Five Stop Mother Superior Rain." This is not heavy Zeppelin 1978, nor full-on 70's psychedelia, but some sort of proper tea sippin' pseudo-glam. I love the "Nature Boy" cover as well; this and some other songs sort of fall apart timelessly while it's playing. There is something cinematic about much of the album, but more like a dramatic blockbuster movie performed live by your local amateur theatre company and local volunteer orchestra. The mid-tempo and slower songs are really the heart and soul of Third/Sister Lovers; the faster rockers aren't bad, but feel a little more pomp and fluff compared to the beautiful arrangements and performances that over-shadow them. The inability to label Third/Sister Lovers accurately is one of the things I love about it. As the album continues, it stays in and explores the world it creates. You don't know what's coming next, but it is always true to form, even though you can't quite find the form. It defines itself. This is truly a unique album. Big Star, I'm now a big fan.

First thing I see on this album is the logo for the IRS label; you know, the group that introduced the world to R.E.M., Oingo Boingo, and . . . Fine Young Cannibals. Knowing a few Go-Go's songs, IRS seems to enjoy an eclectic roster of artists. Let's dig in . . . The light-punk-pop sound and surf-jangly guitars of "How Much More" reminds me of The Kids In The Hall theme song. The vocal harmonies gives me the impression that this is the natural progression of the Ronettes and the Supremes. This is the girl power of the day. "Lust To Love" is reminiscent of the early years of The Cure's no-distortian punk while "This Town" continues in the shagadelic post-disco stylings of the B-52's. "We Got The Beat" has a Toni Basil "Hey Mickey" cheering and breakdown I haven't noticed before. "Can't Stop The World" starts off feeling like lablemates R.E.M.'s "Radio Free Europe." The upbeat "You Can't Walk In Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)" makes you realize just how tight the band are; I had to look up if they played their instruments or if they were figureheads for a manufactured girl group. Not only do they play every note, they write all of their own songs. They are no gimmic, the Go-Go's are the real deal. They are hard to categorize. Punk, but not punk, pop but not bubblegum pop, familiar yet unique. A little surf in there too. Extra points for doing their own thing.

I've always held "Come On Eileen" as one of the three quintessential one-hit-wonder songs of the 80's. It is perfect, and so I'm very curious to see what else is going on under the hood. What?! This song isn't even on this album?? Now I'm REALLY curious what they got going on on this album. "This Is What She's Like" is half-sung, half-spoken in the fashion of a lounge singer's approach while conversing with the audience, though the music is less "dark basement" and more "department store overhead speakers," specifically in the furniture section, until the throwback to Come On Eileen at the end where you exit the store to the overly glossy white floor tiles reflecting all of the neon lights of the mall food court as you make your way to get a you-so-deserve-this ice cream shake. I keep hearing "Come On Eileen" in these songs, even the "Werewolves of London" chord patterns of "One Of Those Things". There's something rollicking and simultaneously 50's and 80's in their sound. Though I only know the one song, The Boomtown Rats come to mind. I seriously had to look up if this was some sort artistic attempt to deconstruct "Come On Eileen" and re-write it into other songs. That's when I learned that the once 10-piece band was a four-piece by this, their third album, and that those other members left the group after recording the album. Maybe that influences my headspace some, but Don't Stand Me Down does seem to take the approach of a band who has one last thing to say, not really striving for a 3-minute radio hit or caring to capitulate to marketers or producers, and just doing whatever they feel like. "The Waltz" follows suit as the final swansong, a band's last brilliant flash before accepting their own demise. Passionate, heroic, proud in the face of being ignored, and beautifully sad. I believe it.

Solemn, earnest, and poetic, Leonard Cohen helped usher in the “sensitive singer/songwriter” genre. His reverent voice serves his artistic intentions, but this album suffers from the tracklist order. However lyrical, the first four songs are monochromatic in style, tempo, and instrumentation, serving the listener either as an elongated meditation or a mesmerizing soporific. If one can stay awake, they are greatly rewarded as more instruments are added and the tempo picks up a bit. This change in direction is not echoed by the lyrics, which benefit from remaining poetic, visual, and a studied reflection of the human condition. The album remains at its full potential onwards, stirring emotional longing with concise phrases. The opening songs are individual works of art, but detract from the art form of a cohesive album. Once that early chrysalis is shed, this rest of album takes to the heavens. Great songs, but as an album it feels like two separate works.

A galloping cocksure cocktail of excess, speed, and libidinous glutton, this album packs in more notes per second than the Micro Machine Man’s stenographer, all the while trailblazing headlong into self-centered hedonism while the rest of the 80’s followed obediently in its wake. Gloriously self-indulgent