Strap in. This is going to be a long one. I've always had mixed feelings about The Who. Generally, I think they're overrated. The first time I heard the song "Bargain" from "Who's Next" was during a pick-up truck commercial. Their band name is a pun. They're not the only band to do that, (the BEATles...) but they kept trying to make it funny like that idiot who doesn't know when the joke is over. The album "Who's Next", the song and album "Who Are You". For fuck's sake. But I digress. There are plenty of things I like about The Who. They sing "Cello Cello Cello" instead of hiring someone to play cello in "A Quick One". I revel in the exquisite irony of stadiums packed with Boomers in $200/person seats singing along with "I hope I die before I get old" while the band plays "My Generation". I love Keith Moon (his batshit drumming and he DID die before he got old). And I LOVE this album. Pete Townshend tried to elevate Rock and Roll to "High Art" throughout The Who's lifespan. Before this album, there was "A Quick One, While He's Away", a multi-suite story song. After this album, there's "Tommy", the double-album "Rock Opera". Later there's Quadrophenia, another Rock Opera. Both Tommy and Quadrophenia were made into movies. Zooey Deschanel says to the young Cameron Crowe character in the movie Almost Famous to stare at a candle while listening to "Tommy" and see your future. Whoa...deeeep. "A Quick One" kicks ass. The aforementioned "cello cello" part is endearing. The story is about a girl who is sad because her boy is away, and then he comes back, and she forgives him for kissing other girls and sitting on Iver the Engine Driver's lap and napping with him (weird wacky nonsense I know). The Who are reaching for something grand, but they are young scrappy lads, and they can't quite reach, and that's why it's great. Then, we get The Who Sell Out. This is a concept album. As a general rule, these don't really work. Usually, the "concept" is placed on the album after the fact (Songs for the Deaf comes to mind. This album has to be one of the 1001, I'll have way too much to say about this later) because setting out to make a concept record can be an exercise in futility, or it can drive you insane (see Brian Wilson). More often than not, concept records fail because they are trying way to hard to be smart and end up lacking with a cohesive record of great songs. Sell Out avoid all of these pitfalls, and it has all of the things I love about The Who. The Who really wanted to write radio jingles, and in-between song snippet bits for the BBC. Somehow, it didn't work out, so we got this record instead. This record plays like you're listening to the radio. There are ads for baked beans, deodorant, guitar strings, and acne cream. In between, there are Who songs that range from raucous, sweet, goofy, beautiful, strange, and epic, and you're never really sure what's coming next. The whole thing sounds effortless, and you don't have to think to hard about what the "concept" is. It's just there. It drifts by, you enjoy it. Look at that! Roger Daltry is in a bathtub full of Baked Beans! So two years after this comes "Tommy". And you know what? Fuck "Tommy"! I've tried with this record. I own a copy, I've listened to it many times. Is this The Miracle Worker but the Rock version? With Pinball? And a creepy uncle? The songs aren't great, it's too long, and it ends, and I couldn't tell you what the FUCK the story was about or why everyone loves this record or why they made a movie out of this and why Pete Townshend went back to the studio and made another "Rock Opera" and whew I need to breathe. The Who hit oil, and they kept digging. TL;DR: This is the best Who album, Tommy can fuck off. Fight me.

One of the many solid albums R.E.M. albums. I’m glad I have this LP in my collection. I was happy to give this one a spin again; I didn’t catch their cover of “Strange” the first time around. It’s pretty good, but I still prefer the original Wire version. “The One I Love” still slaps. I tried to find some sort of relevance in the lyrics to “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” in relation to you know, everything being terrible, but no such luck. It’s a fun song! The lyrics are straight stream-of-consciousness nonsense. This is basically all I have to say about this record, but it’s making me think about this band in general, so follow me off on a tangent if you will. I like R.E.M. They have a lot of great albums (and some not so great), but I can’t quite decide if they’re a “Greatest Hits Band”. Let me give you an example of what I mean by this- Tom Petty. I fucking love Tom Petty, but pick up his Greatest Hits. It’s all you really need.* He’s got a couple of really good albums, like Damn the Torpedoes and Full Moon Fever, but that Greatest Hits comp is perfect. You’re not missing out on anything by just having the greatest hits. *Later on, after Greatest Hits was released, Petty got together with Rick Ruben and made Wildflowers. This album is perfect, and is essential listening. I’ll give you an opposite example- Bob Dylan. He’s got Greatest Hits records, but if you just stick to those you’re missing out on SO much. This is an artist with a fascinating multi-faceted career with so many changes and phases and multitudes of style and sound. You need to dig deep. Where does R.E.M. fall here? I can’t decide. There are people out there who are 5 or 10 years my senior who revere this band for how groundbreaking they were, and I feel like I’m missing something. I’ve got 3 of the early records that are considered some of their best, and I like them, but I still haven’t had that epiphany moment with them yet. Well, I’ll keep listening. That’s what this whole thing is all about.

First listened in High School, got me through some angst for sure. Still a classic. It’s no Siamese Dream, but it’s a great ridiculous mess with so many classic Pumpkins tracks. I’ve got the box set on vinyl and it’s one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.

First heard this in my car in high school, it must have been junior or senior year. I had heard that this was a punk rock masterpiece, but this did not sound like punk rock at all. This is reggae, this is soul, this is (Jimmy) jazz, this is revolution rock.

Not the first Dylan record I heard, not my favorite Dylan record, but unfucking deniable. The cliche is that the first snare hit at the beginning of “Like a Rolling Stone” is the sound of the door of your mind being kicked open. Not sure if that song blew my mind, but I still love it regardless of how many times I hear it. “Queen Jane Approximately” and “Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues” are two of my favorite Dylan songs. They capture a perfect combination of melancholy, sarcasm, and drugged out poetry that he does so well in this phase of his career. It’s a perfect record, but it’s no Blonde on Blonde. But hell, what is?

Some good tracks, but plenty that I skip. Still haven’t picked it up on vinyl for this reason. Better than most of White’s solo stuff, but that’s a pretty low bar.

Arguably the best solo McCartney record. Seeing the cover makes me hear the first little guitar lick play in my head, then the ear worm wakes up, and now I have to listen to the whole fucking thing. This record is unstoppable.

Haven’t listened, but it’s been on my list

Perfect, just perfect. Probably 2nd favorite after Blonde on Blonde. The “topical” songs were never really topical, they expressed universal truths that ring just as true today as they did then. This is the quintessential timeless record. It spins like it’s always been and always will be.

Goddamn, been too long since I’ve given this one a spin and listen to Crazy Horse blow doors down. Cinnamon Girl/Down By the River/ Cowgirl in the Sand make this record, the rest of the record is solid, but it doesn’t waste time with a lot of filler. It breathes easy and leaves plenty of room for just the right amount of jamming when necessary.

Never heard it, s’posed t’be good. On my list!

I’ve heard some of Pet Shop Boys, but not much past the well known stuff. I’ll give a listen!

The only record I stole from my mom. My #2 favorite Boss. Haunting, but not creepy, sad, but not depressing. It’s a record that you can’t always throw on, and it’s weird, but I somehow always forget that it exists, because it’s such an oddball Springsteen record. That’s it. It’s a ghost.

First afrobeat album I ever heard! Wish I had stumbled upon this on my own, but this is why we make friends with people cooler than ourselves. Simple and powerful message, funky and primal as fuck.

I spun this record a lot when I was living in Greeley, CO, working at the Windsor Finest Record Store, and deep in my Dilla obsession. This record totally slaps. I would say it ranks with one of Common’s best. If I was a professional critic, I wouldn’t give it a 5, because Resurrection is the zenith for Common Sense, and this record can’t really match up to that. But personally, LWFC had just as much of an impact on me if not more.

Tapestry, aka Carole Kings Greatest Hits. Perfect record, great Christmas gift for Mother’s Day, spin it when the family is around, or anytime really. Sunday morning, sipping coffee, petting a cat, feeling the morning sun. Keep an eye out for this at your local thrift store or see if you can sneak it out of your Mom’s collection if it’s not already totally worn out.

If I saw this in a bin at a record store for a reasonable price, I’d pick it up, and I’d consider my AC/DC collection complete. I know it’s a great record, but I don’t see myself spinning it anytime soon, and if I do I’ll probably be shit-faced on Aussie beer or something.

Don’t need to say much about this. All killer, no filler, one of the many 5-star Zep records. I skip Stairway most of the time, but that’s just a personal preference (denied!). Damn, trying to find something nit-picky to say about this record, but I’m coming up with nothing.

Your dad was on drugs, bro. Liked it! Will for sure pick up a copy if I see one.

By Brian Eno only? We’re leaving out David Byrne? Either way, this is a fun album. Throw this on late in the evening in the background at your party and hear strange skronks and sermons drift across the room as drum loops play. I would give this a 4.5, I don’t really re-visit this that often, not the best work for either artist, but 4 stars seems too low. Ah well. These global scores seem too low already.

Okay, now I’ve listened once. Definite 60s Woodstock vibes. I’m sure these dudes jammed the fuck out live, and there was much mud covered lysergic free love swaying and damn can that Carlos play man and pass that over here cough. It’s cool, I enjoyed the overplayed stuff more in the context of the album, but I don’t see myself revisiting this one much. I’d pick this one up at an estate sale or out of a dollar bin.

I had never heard of this band or this album. The first thing I thought when I saw this record cover was "New Jack Swing"? I was 100% right. This album asks and answers a couple questions. Can you judge an album by it's cover? Sometimes. In this case, yes. Do raps REALLY need to rhyme? Yes. Yes they do. What is New Jack Swing? It's like Trip Hop, but really lame. Why is this album on this list? That song "Back to Life"? I really don't know. Were the pop charts in 1989 full of straight garbage? For the most part, yes. This must have seemed super innovative at the time. Was Ice Cube Right? .....um about what? "And you can New Jack Swing on my nuts" Yes, truer words have never been spoken.

Strap in. This is going to be a long one. I've always had mixed feelings about The Who. Generally, I think they're overrated. The first time I heard the song "Bargain" from "Who's Next" was during a pick-up truck commercial. Their band name is a pun. They're not the only band to do that, (the BEATles...) but they kept trying to make it funny like that idiot who doesn't know when the joke is over. The album "Who's Next", the song and album "Who Are You". For fuck's sake. But I digress. There are plenty of things I like about The Who. They sing "Cello Cello Cello" instead of hiring someone to play cello in "A Quick One". I revel in the exquisite irony of stadiums packed with Boomers in $200/person seats singing along with "I hope I die before I get old" while the band plays "My Generation". I love Keith Moon (his batshit drumming and he DID die before he got old). And I LOVE this album. Pete Townshend tried to elevate Rock and Roll to "High Art" throughout The Who's lifespan. Before this album, there was "A Quick One, While He's Away", a multi-suite story song. After this album, there's "Tommy", the double-album "Rock Opera". Later there's Quadrophenia, another Rock Opera. Both Tommy and Quadrophenia were made into movies. Zooey Deschanel says to the young Cameron Crowe character in the movie Almost Famous to stare at a candle while listening to "Tommy" and see your future. Whoa...deeeep. "A Quick One" kicks ass. The aforementioned "cello cello" part is endearing. The story is about a girl who is sad because her boy is away, and then he comes back, and she forgives him for kissing other girls and sitting on Iver the Engine Driver's lap and napping with him (weird wacky nonsense I know). The Who are reaching for something grand, but they are young scrappy lads, and they can't quite reach, and that's why it's great. Then, we get The Who Sell Out. This is a concept album. As a general rule, these don't really work. Usually, the "concept" is placed on the album after the fact (Songs for the Deaf comes to mind. This album has to be one of the 1001, I'll have way too much to say about this later) because setting out to make a concept record can be an exercise in futility, or it can drive you insane (see Brian Wilson). More often than not, concept records fail because they are trying way to hard to be smart and end up lacking with a cohesive record of great songs. Sell Out avoid all of these pitfalls, and it has all of the things I love about The Who. The Who really wanted to write radio jingles, and in-between song snippet bits for the BBC. Somehow, it didn't work out, so we got this record instead. This record plays like you're listening to the radio. There are ads for baked beans, deodorant, guitar strings, and acne cream. In between, there are Who songs that range from raucous, sweet, goofy, beautiful, strange, and epic, and you're never really sure what's coming next. The whole thing sounds effortless, and you don't have to think to hard about what the "concept" is. It's just there. It drifts by, you enjoy it. Look at that! Roger Daltry is in a bathtub full of Baked Beans! So two years after this comes "Tommy". And you know what? Fuck "Tommy"! I've tried with this record. I own a copy, I've listened to it many times. Is this The Miracle Worker but the Rock version? With Pinball? And a creepy uncle? The songs aren't great, it's too long, and it ends, and I couldn't tell you what the FUCK the story was about or why everyone loves this record or why they made a movie out of this and why Pete Townshend went back to the studio and made another "Rock Opera" and whew I need to breathe. The Who hit oil, and they kept digging. TL;DR: This is the best Who album, Tommy can fuck off. Fight me.

One of the many solid albums R.E.M. albums. I’m glad I have this LP in my collection. I was happy to give this one a spin again; I didn’t catch their cover of “Strange” the first time around. It’s pretty good, but I still prefer the original Wire version. “The One I Love” still slaps. I tried to find some sort of relevance in the lyrics to “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” in relation to you know, everything being terrible, but no such luck. It’s a fun song! The lyrics are straight stream-of-consciousness nonsense. This is basically all I have to say about this record, but it’s making me think about this band in general, so follow me off on a tangent if you will. I like R.E.M. They have a lot of great albums (and some not so great), but I can’t quite decide if they’re a “Greatest Hits Band”. Let me give you an example of what I mean by this- Tom Petty. I fucking love Tom Petty, but pick up his Greatest Hits. It’s all you really need.* He’s got a couple of really good albums, like Damn the Torpedoes and Full Moon Fever, but that Greatest Hits comp is perfect. You’re not missing out on anything by just having the greatest hits. *Later on, after Greatest Hits was released, Petty got together with Rick Ruben and made Wildflowers. This album is perfect, and is essential listening. I’ll give you an opposite example- Bob Dylan. He’s got Greatest Hits records, but if you just stick to those you’re missing out on SO much. This is an artist with a fascinating multi-faceted career with so many changes and phases and multitudes of style and sound. You need to dig deep. Where does R.E.M. fall here? I can’t decide. There are people out there who are 5 or 10 years my senior who revere this band for how groundbreaking they were, and I feel like I’m missing something. I’ve got 3 of the early records that are considered some of their best, and I like them, but I still haven’t had that epiphany moment with them yet. Well, I’ll keep listening. That’s what this whole thing is all about.

For those of you at home keeping score, I've had 2 by Dylan, and now the score is tied with 2 by The Boss! Previously on the Springsteen Files, we found The Boss working on "Nebraska". He recorded demos to play for the E-Street band to make the album, then just released the demos AS the album. It's stripped down, beautiful but spooky and sad; critically acclaimed, but doesn't exactly top the charts like "Born to Run". The door to the world-famous recording studio The Hit Factory swings open, and in walks a man smoking a long cigar. Our Hero dreads seeing this visage yet he pays close attention as this man speaks: "C'mon, Bruce my boy, let's give the people what they want! You're a Rock Star! These people need something to play at their July 4th block party BBQs! There's a cowboy running for president, and he needs a campaign anthem, cheer up, will ya?" Bruce Springsteen is a true artist. He's a poet who writes about the struggle of the everyman. But hell, he's no fool. This is music, but it also business, so he releases one of the top selling records of all time. ******* This is an excerpt from my failed pitch for a Netflix movie about the life of Bruce Springsteen. It never got off the ground. Apparently Warren Zanes already wrote a book about this time period of his life, and they already made a movie starring Jeremy Allen White as The Man Himself. Oh well, I guess I'll get back to work on my Bob Dylan biopic pitch. Nobody's done that yet, right? Okay, seriously folks, review time. Funny thing about records, sometimes you can judge them by their cover, sometimes you can't (see my Soul II Soul review, coming soon). I remember knowing nothing about this record, and seeing the cover of the CD in high school. Bruce's ass, standing in front of the stripes of an American flag, give me a break! Born in the USA? So fucking lame. Karma police, arrest this man. This is another record that I love so much because people still think "Born in the USA" is patriotic, that "Glory Days" is a Jock Jam, and "Dancing in the Dark" is a party song. This record sold 17 million copies in the US alone. It's so subversive, yet so commercial, and 40 FUCKING YEAR LATER, it still flys under the radar. Suck it, American Idiot. Here are the words Ronald Reagan used for his presidential campaign song: Born down in a dead man’s town The first kick I took was when I hit the ground You end up like a dog that’s been beat too much Till you spend half your life just covering up Got in a little hometown jam So they put a rifle in my hand Sent me off to a foreign land To go and kill the yellow man Come back home to the refinery Hiring man says “Son if it was up to me” Went down to see my V.A. man He said “Son, don’t you understand” I had a brother at Khe Sanh fighting off the Viet Cong They’re still there, he’s all gone He had a woman he loved in Saigon I got a picture of him in her arms now Down in the shadow of the penitentiary Out by the gas fires of the refinery I’m ten years burning down the road Nowhere to run ain’t got nowhere to go "Born in the USA" was a cry of anger and pain, not a declaration of pride. This is the first song on the record, and it lays out the exact theme of the record. The American Dream is bullshit. From here, we head to paranoia "Cover Me", lost love, "Downbound Train", "I'm Goin' Down", "Bobby Jean", and trying to find work but getting arrested instead "Darlington County", "Working On The Highway". Then there's feeling trapped in a rut and doing something, anything, to get out "I'm On Fire", "No Surrender", "Dancing In The Dark". And we've got "Glory Days", the anthem for peaking in high school and mild alcoholism. We've got all of these songs about how bad everything is, but the music itself is jaunty and anthemic, and sounds readymade to be blasted from stadium speaker towers and car radios at the same time. It's the E Street Band in full force, sax solos and bouncy organ stabs. "Darlington County" has a "sha la la" chorus. "Working On The Highway" has this chugging, exciting beat and it makes you feel like this guy is gonna make it! You he's just moving on man, we don't need to hear how it ends. "No Surrender" sounds like a valiant champions anthem! "Glory Days" and "Dancing In The Dark", no explanation needed. Pure pop radio gold. If the sound of these songs matched the subject matter, it would still be a great record. Hell, it'd be Nebraska part 2, and I'd fucking love it! But it wouldn't be Born in the USA, because this is exactly how the American Dream comes packaged. It's sold in this bright shiny wrapper, but it's broken on the inside. The exception here is "My Hometown". it closes out the album. It's as if Bruce can't keep up the facade any longer. This song was one of the 7 Top-Ten Billboard hits! I cannot believe a song this devastating was on the radio and MTV and was in the Top Ten. I was eight years old And running with a dime in my hand To the bus stop to pick Up a paper for my old man I'd sit on his lap in that big old Buick And steer as we drove through town He'd tousle my hair And say, "Son, take a good look around" This is your hometown In '65 tension was running high At my high school There was a lot of fights Between the black and white There was nothing you could do Two cars at a light on a Saturday night In the back seat there was a gun Words were passed in a shotgun blast Troubled times had come To my hometown Now Main Street's whitewashed windows And vacant stores Seems like there ain't nobody Wants to come down here no more They're closing down the textile mill Across the railroad tracks Foreman says, "These jobs are going, boys And they ain't coming back To your hometown" Last night me and Kate we laid in bed Talking about getting out Packing up our bags, maybe heading south I'm thirty-five, we got a boy of our own now Last night I sat him up behind the wheel And said, "Son, take a good look around This is your hometown" We've followed these characters as they grew up. They were Wild, Innocent, they were doing the E-Street Shuffle out in Asbury Park with Rosalita, and Sandy, and Kitty, and Wild Billy. They looked around and decided that they wanted more. Come on, Mary, take hold, let's hit Thunder Road, let's step out into the Night, we'll take the Backstreets. We'll Run as fast as we can, maybe this Meeting Across the River will pay off, I'll do this one last job and we'll get out of this town. Now we head to the sea to wash these sins off our hands. Racing in the Street was fun back then, but now there's a shadow cast over the whole thing. Tomorrow it's back to the Factory. The Promised Land is now the Badlands. Then finally, its up the hill, towards the Darkness at the Edge of Town, where dreams are found and lost. This is the dream, found and lost at the same time.

This is the second album that has popped up so far that not only have I not listened to it, but it’s not on my radar whatsoever. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. As soon as I heard the opening riff of the first track of this record, I was down for the ride. Then I started reading the lyrics, reading about the title “The Age of Pamparius”… Where the FUCK has this record been all my life?! So you think you had an Opera? Well not like this! So you think you had a Napoli? Well not like this! So you think you had a decent pizza? Well not like this! So you think you had a real good pizza? Well not like this! [Chorus] You got nothing to lose at Pamparius Gonna wear them happy shoes tonight You got nothing to lose at Pamparius Gonna bake a motherfucking pizza tonight! If a cursory internet search is to be believed, the keyboard player owns a pizza parlour in a suburb of Oslo called Pamparius. Yes, Norwegian punk/metal/glam rock. Anthems for pizza like you’ve never fucking had before, rocking for and against Ass (aren’t we all pro-ass, yet anti-ass at the same time?), denim, and getting it on (whatever “it” it may be). Are you ready for some darkness? Yes you fucking are. Step into the night. That’s where the fun is. Put your denim jacket on, let’s go asshole.

What’s this? A punk record from 1979 I’ve never heard? It’s like Christmas morning! I’ve only heard the first Damned record, there’s absolutely no reason I didn’t dig in further. This record is excellent. I’ll probably end up revisiting this one more often than the first one. This is such a badass name for an album.

I remember reading about Big Black in “Our Band Could Be Your Life”. I never got around to listening to them, but I remember their M.O. Loud guitars and a drum machine (His name is Roland). This record is dark and punishing, so brutal, it threatens to crush you. This isn’t heavy metal posturing or machismo, it’s a sound that matches the grim reality of songs about sexual abuse, alcoholism, ptsd, domestic violence, arson…things most folks in Steve Albini’s hometown in the Mid-West would rather just sweep under the rug and not talk about. This is industrial punk rock. Nine Inch Nails used this sound to sing about emotional nihilism? Ministry used this sound for…goth creepiness? (Okay I really don’t know that much about Ministry take this with a grain of salt) Big Black are using this sound in the best way possible.

What do you think of when you hear the genre "Jazz Fusion" mentioned? ***** I open my eyes, and I'm either in Dentist's office, or a suburban "jazz"bar. I see framed dorm-room posters of Billie Holiday, for that college freshman who was too cool for the Bob Marley and Pink Floyd posters. I hear music in the distance. It's smooth, but that's not exactly the right word...it's more slimy...or moist. Eww. And, is that a horn? No, it can't be. I swear that's coming from the keyboards. I hear an electric guitar, but they removed everything cool about it, and it's impossibly lame and limp. Where is this music coming from? I turn the corner and...oh god. Oh god no. I see...Kenny G! That's when I wake up. Thank god, it was just a nightmare. ****** Smooth Jazz and the hacky crackers that have perpetrated this musical travesty have piled dogshit over the legacy of musical visionaries like Miles Davis. Jazz Fusion is not a bad word. Forget all the negative connotations you may have about this genre. It's okay, you're safe now. Shhh, Peaceful. Miles Davis went electric in the late 60s. John Coltrane had passed away, and he was listening to Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and Sly and the Family Stone. He got a new group together that could bring his new direction in jazz to life. Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock on electric piano, Joe Zawinul on organ, Wayne Shorter on sax, John McLaughlin on guitar, Dave Holland on bass, Tony Williams on drums. This is the first of a string of records that Miles Davis recorded with producer Teo Macero. The record is 2 tracks, but these tracks are comprised of multiple jam sessions edited and spliced together masterfully by Macero and Davis. The music blends together so perfectly that it feels like no editing was needed. The music flows by in this ethereal way that's calming yet exciting. Jazz Fusion by definition is Jazz with different genres thrown in the mix. Miles would fuse Jazz with Rock, Funk and Psychedelia on future records. What genre did he fuse to Jazz on this record? I honestly don't know. That's what's so special about it. It's hard to pin down what's going on here, it just sounds good. It's complex but it isn't challenging. You can just lay back, and ease into this sweet dream of a record.