1001 Albums Summary

I was in my early 20s when this came out in 1996, which meant if it wasn't metal it was crap. I outgrew that attitude, thankfully, and grew to like some dance music, like Daft Punk, Justice, Royksopp and Robyn. Fatboy Slim's BLTC is good, and it has some tasty grooves, but as a whole, I doubt I'll listen to it again. Highlights for me were Song for Lindy, Going Out of My Head (the one song I'd heard before) and my fave song The Weekend Starts Here with a tasty sample of Black Sabbath's The Wizard.

Fleet Foxes popped onto the scene during the time roots music had its big moment with Arcade Fire and Mumford & Sons gaining huge popularity. So around the late-2000s-mid-2010s. Fleet Foxes had a nice little run as the little brothers of those two. My Morning Jacket kind of jump-started this trend about 10 years before it got huge, and frankly, MMJ does it better. This album is full of great harmonies and folk mixed with a dash of rock. As I’m listening back to it now, I’m finding it more enjoyable than yesterday’s listen. I enjoy this type of music, but I need to be in the right mood for it. The whole time I listened to this album yesterday, I thought, “I need to listen to more MMJ." Standout tracks for me on Fleet Foxes' self-titled debut are Sun It Rises, Ragged Woods, Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, He Doesn’t Know Why, with my favorite track being Your Protector.

I was never an Oasis guy when they first came out. I was a metalhead, so these guys were wusses. But I enjoyed this album. Definitely Maybe was Oasis’s debut album, so I had only heard one or two songs before my listen. But after listening to it twice, this will make it into my saved albums list. What struck me was, they reminded me of two bands I love, the Sex Pistols & the underrated hair/blues metal band, Junkyard. The similarities are all have a unique singer and the band plays simple rock ‘n’ roll, though Oasis has more bells and whistles. The standouts for me were Rock ‘n’ Roll Star, Up in the Sky, Digsy’s Diner and my fave was Cigarettes & Alcohol. Maybe I liked C&A because I’m a big Marc Bolan fan and the riff is straight Bolan.

Today’s album was one I’d heard a bunch, as I’m a huge Sabbath fan. Ir may be my favorite Sabbath album, tho they had a great run early on as their first 5 albums are classics. Vol. 4 was released in 1972, which blows my mind because it’s just so heavy. It was also the first album the band produced themselves. This was also one of the most drug-fueled albums they’d recorded at that point, see Snow Blind. All songs were credited to the band and bassist Geezer Butler wrote all the lyrics. The album was critically acclaimed when it was released. And there were no real singles released because A. Black Sabbath was not a singles band, 2. most Black Sabbath songs were too long for the radio and III. they scared mom and the kids. The most intriguing thing about this album, besides being great when everyone who made it was super-high on coke, is that at points it’s the heaviest ever and then you get a song like Changes, a slower, piano-driven ballad. Or you’ll get a very melodic bridge in the middle of Tomorrow’s Dream. The standouts on this album for me are….all of them. This is almost a perfect album. Even tho Sabbath had the same vibe on each record, this one has several curveballs, like Changes, the very weird FX and the amazing Laguna Sunrise. My personal fave is Snowblind. I’ve loved that song since the first time I heard it. It’s heavy and it’s about cocaine. Two things a young kid from the rural south is fascinated by. Black Sabbath Vol. 4 is a must listen in my opinion.

I never got into Neil Young; it’s the voice. But as I get older, I’ve softened on Young, especially after reading 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music and listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young while I read it. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere was supposed to be Young’s 2nd solo album. He borrowed 3 guys from another band that he was supposed to help record their album, but after recording and touring with those guys, Young decided the album would become his & Crazy Horse’s 1st album, rather than a solo album. And the band he "borrowed" his bandmates from was finished. This album is a classic to me just because of Cinnamon Girl. I'm sure you've heard it. It has one of the best guitar solos of all time. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere does have its misses with Round and Round and The Losing End, but the other 5 songs are bangers. Down By the River, about a man killing his gf for cheating, is badass, tho some might say problematic with the subject matter. But I can assure you, Young didn't actually kill his gf down by the river…I think. Other standouts are the title track & Cowgirl In the Sand. This album is filled with folky country and hard rock. It will go into my regular rotation.

David Bowie became the Thin White Duke during this time in his career, less fun than Ziggy Stardust, but still as sexy. This album is less rock n roll and more funk, disco, soul of the Young Americans album but with more electronica which was hot in Europe at that time. This album is a masterpiece in which at no time did I want to skip ahead to the next song. This album was created while Bowie was in the throes of cocaine addiction, so there goes the thought that nothing good ever came out of doing cocaine. The standout tracks are all of them, but especially the title track, TVC 15, about being high and seeing the TV eat your girlfriend, and I loved Wild as the Wind which is practically a straight love song, but I guess I was in the mood when I listened last night. Station to Station is the best album I’ve heard so far. You need to hear it to.

As a metalhead from way back, you might think I’d cringe at having to listen to Norah Jones. However, as I’ve aged, my palate has expanded, and there was a period when I listened to this album for weeks on end. In fact, I was obsessed with Norah Jones. Listening to this album now, I still really like it, but I’m not in love with it anymore. The songs are still good and Jones' voice is top-notch, but musically, many of the songs bored me. As I told someone yesterday, I'm more likely to be able to whistle you a guitar solo by heart than recite song lyrics. But the two big hits, Don’t Know Why and Come Away with Me still do it for me and are perfect. They still give me chills, and I wonder someday if Ms. Jones will be the future ex-Mrs. Bratcher. The rest of the album didn’t hit me like Bowie's Station to Station. Maybe that’s it, it’s hard to follow Bowie. However, if you’ve never heard this album before, it’s definitely worth a listen and maybe worth a few weeks’ obsession.

Two words: S**t sandwich. I can’t express how much I hated this album. Maybe because I’m an old man, but I believe I’d have hated it when it came out in the '90s. It’s a lot of samples, drum machine, and nonsense. If it’s your favorite album and you enjoy it, God bless you. As for me and mine, we say blech. And I like a bit of dance or electronic music. Maybe I needed to be in a rave on drugs to really get this album, but sitting in my chair trying to relax, it did the opposite. I started getting annoyed and anxious. I won't listen to this again and regret having done so this time.

This album came out in late 1993, but I was in love with metal, so it wasn’t on my radar. After listening to it 2-3 times, I should have gotten into the Wu-Tang because the beats are cool, simple, and they sound great. The rapping is very inventive and I think it’s better than anything people are doing today for the most part. Old Dirty Bastard just sounds completely different from anybody and Method Man and Ghostface Killah are legends. Hip-hop today seems too simple and uncreative from what little I hear. The skits aren’t that great, but most weren’t back then. Rappers were not comedians for a reason. The standouts are Bring Da Ruckus, Shame on a N,, C.R.E.A.M., Method Man, and my personal favorite Can It All Be So Simple. I’ll go back to this in the future.

Have you ever thought you knew exactly what you were getting into, only to be totally surprised by what you got into? That’s me with Simply Red. I thought I knew what the band’s album Picture Book was going to be: heavy synths, electronic drums with a new wave sound. Nope. Simply Red’s Picture Book is jazzy and soulful, with powerhouse vocals by lead singer/songwriter Mick Hucknall. The album has an 80’s production style, you know it when you hear it. Otherwise, this album could have been made in Memphis at Stax in 1966. As for standouts, for me, there’s really not a bad song on here. However, I loved Money’s Too Tight, Sad Old Red, and Holding Back the Years, which was the big single off this album. My favorite song on the album is probably Jericho, a Boz Scaggs-type jam. If you’re not a fan of a jazzy/soul sound, you might proceed with caution. I enjoyed this album & while it may not be something I listen to over and over, I will break it out on occasion.

I’d never heard this whole album before but I’ve heard the singles, including one of the best pure pop songs of that era, Malibu. This album came out after the death of Kurt Cobain & his ghost haunts a lot of the lyrics on this album, some sweet, some sad, others angry. As I listened to the music & read the lyrics, I kept thinking, we were pretty damn crappy to Courtney Love, a grieving widow with a child who had just lost her husband, but I digress. Celebrity Skin isn’t a perfect album, but for Hole and Love, it was their best work up to & beyond that point. It helped that 5 of the songs, including Malibu and Celebrity Skin, were written by the alt hitmaker Billy Corgan, & he’ll gladly tell you. One of the many unions of Love's that ended up playing out in the press. Beyond the Corgan songs, there are other highlights on the album and Love wrote all the lyrics, proving she can hold her own in that department. The album has a California theme and contains several songs about Hollywood and how it can chew up & spit out women looking for stardom. The standouts on the album are, of course, my personal fave, Malibu; Celebrity Skin; Awful; Reason to Be Beautiful; and Heaven Tonight. If you’ve never heard this album, it’s worth checking out just for Celebrity Skin & Malibu.

At first listen, T.Rex songs kind of sound the same, & are kind of simple, but there’s a lot packed into each song. Electric Warrior was T.Rex’s 2nd album & it essentially created Glam Rock in the 70s. Without Electric Warrior, we have no Ziggy Stardust, & most certainly no Sweet & Slade & all the other clones trying to capitalize on the T.Rex formula, rock riffs, androgenous fashion and just being rock gods. Electric Warrior is a mix of folk, hard rock and strings. This album also features a song that everyone has heard, "Bang a Gong (Get It On)". The rest of the album is based on a similar groove, the Marc Bolan groove, who was T.Rex. Bolan created this movement after several tries at becoming a rock god. The whole album is a standout, but Cosmic Dancer, Jeepster, Bang a Gong, Planet Queen are my faves. This is an album you for sure must listen to before you die. Plus it has one of the coolest album covers ever.

Tusk is Fleetwood Mac’s double album follow-up to their biggest album ever, Dreams, one of the best-selling albums of all time. When the Mac wrote & recorded Tusk, Lindsey Buckingham wanted something totally different from Dreams, & Lord, was it. Tusk showcases 3 songwriters across 20 songs, Christine McVie wrote 6, Stevie Nicks wrote 5 & Buckingham wrote 9 songs. McVie, who is extremely under-rated, wrote songs that could’ve worked on Dreams & Nicks too wrote songs that for the most part could have been on Dreams, but Buckingham was inspired by punk & new wave & his songs are so different from what Dreams was, it’s almost like he wasn’t even in the same band anymore. Buckingham’s songs were almost punk rockabilly mixed with the Beach Boys. You need a couple of listens to see what he was going for, while McVie’s songs brought you back down to earth, & Nicks was going to Nicks. The song Tusk is one of the weirdest songs ever. It’s nonsensical, it has a marching band playing in it, but it’s got that riff that keeps it locked into your brainpan for days. Standout tracks are Over & Over, That’s All for Everyone, That’s Enough for Me, Beautiful Child, Tusk, & my favorite track, Sara, Sara is about Nicks’s doomed relationships with Mick Fleetwood, Don Henley & a terminated pregnancy. Not a fun song lyrically, but it’s beautiful. While I can see why this album only sold like 4 million compared to Dreams' 10 million & it could have some of the fat trimmed down to an incredible 10-12 track album, Tusk is definitely a great album on its own merit.

Shuggie Otis produced & pretty much played all instruments on Inspiration Information. He was also one of the 1st musicians to use analog drum machines. Pitchfork described the album as "smooth, organ-driven California funk, quasi-new age psychedelia, loungey jazz instrumentals, [and] string interludes—all propelled by the same kind of analog drum machine.” That fits perfectly. It was the last album for a contract with Electra Records, & they dropped Otis after it went nowhere commercially.. You can understand why after listening. The world probably wasn’t ready for Otis’s take on his style of r&b. The album is weird, for what you expect, with the last 4 songs being short instrumentals. The album probably inspired artists to push boundaries using new technology. The first 5 songs are really good with the title track, Island Letter & Sparkle City being my favorites. Not sure the album will enter my rotation, but a few songs will. Must listen for R&B nerds.

Album #15 of my 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart - Rising Above Bedlam At some point, many white musicians got into world music around the same time. Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, David Byrne, etc. Jah Wobble, or John Wardle, got into it as well forming the Invaders of the Heart. The group released Rising Above Bedlam in 1991. I’d never heard of the band or the album. I just never got into world music, though Simon’s Graceland is a great album. It appears Jah Wobble & the Invaders of the Heart put out one good album & Rising Above Bedlam was it. And it’s fine. I probably won't ever listen to it again, but it has nice rhythms throughout, but this ain’t me, babe. Sinead O’Conner even pop up on the 1st track. Trouser Press, whoever they are, called Rising Above Bedlam, “a refreshing departure from some of the flat, occasionally tedious & self-conscious material [Wobble] lobbed out in the '80s." So, that explains Wobble &the Invaders. Nothing stood out to me on this album, but Visions of You features O’Connor & it was very nostalgic to hear her. Maybe I'm just being stubborn & not opening my mind enough, but I'm ready for my next album

I wasn’t a fan of the Brit Pop thing back in the day. I was still stuck in my narrow-minded metal or die mode. Tho I was beginning to grow a bit. By the time Blur’s self-titled album had come out, they’d already been to the mountain top & were on the way down. So, they changed their style and became less Brit Pop and more U.S. Indie Rock. You can also hear that this Blur album is the precursor to what the Gorillaz would be in the future, as Blur’s lead singer Damon Albarn would form that band about 15 years after this album. I can see why Blur caused such a sensation. This album is very good. Song 2, or the Woo-Hoo song, is brilliant nonesense & On Your Own is built around a great riff, but is a bit annoying, which you need in rock ‘n’ roll sometimes. I loved Song 2, of course, Beetlebum, Death of a Party and You’re So Great. I highly recommend listening to this album.

Album #17 of my 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list Faith No More - The Real Thing Not only have I heard this album before, I bought the CD after seeing the vidoe for Epic on MTV about 1,000 times. That song was a phenomenon. FNM sold 4 million albums worldwide & without that song, I’m not sure it would have gotten to 1 million. Singer Mike Patton just joined the band & he was the catalyst it seemed. FNM is weird, just looking at the band members, they didn’t look like they matched and the songs were eclectic, though mostly metal/hard rock based. Patton liked to rap a bit, but it only occurs in 2 of the 13 songs on the album. There seems to be a running theme throughout the album & that is vampirism/death, which can be the same thing, I guess. Supposedly, 3 of the songs were overtly about murder & Patton was asked to be a bit more subtle with the lyrics. At the time I bought this CD I was 15 or 16, and I didn’t get it immediately. It was too eclectic for my developing brain, I guess. But as I revisit it, this really is a fun and unique album. The highlights for me are Epic, Surprise! You’re Dead, Zombie Eaters (babies are the zombies in this case), Underwater Love (about drowning a lover), and Woodpecker From Mars. If you’ve never heard this album and love metal or weird music, this is a must listen.

I was looking forward to listening to this, but then I heard the first record scratch and sample, & it gave me the nu metal cringe immediately. Then all the song lyrics were about killing or self-harm or I don't care what you think, but stop being so judgey. Slipknot has two percussionists & one of them plays garbage cans or scrap metal. In some cases, I heard the snare drum from Metallica’s St. Anger pop up & I didn’t like that. I didn’t get into Slipknot when this came out in 1999 & nothing has changed, it seems. I liked Wait and Bleed & that’s about it. The other single, Spit It Out, sounded like a heavy 311 song to me in the chorus. For really angry people, which at this point is most of the country and fans of record scratching in their metal, this album is for you, but as for me, I’m sticking with old metal, not nu metal.

I remember the Meat Puppets from their 1994 semi-hit Backwater & for Kurt Cobain expressing his love for the band. Listening to II, it’s easy to see how Cobain’s vocal styling was influenced by Curt Kirkwood's singing. Kirkwood’s singing is not good, at least for my taste, but there are times you would swear it was Cobain singing. II is weird. The first MP’s album was a noisy hardcore punk, but for II the MP’s invented something called “cow punk.” Cow Punk is essentially punk country music. It’s hard to explain, but I like it, except that the vocals are terrible. While I was surprised by how much I liked the album, tho not Kirkwood’s vocals. The instrumentals are great. Highlights for me are Aurora Borealis, & I’m a Mindless Idiot. The Whistling Song & Lake of Fire are 2 good songs with vocals. Lake of Fire’s vocals especially sound like Cobain; in fact, the Meat Puppets joined Cobain on the Nirvana Unplugged show to sing 3 MP songs, including Lake of Fire. For history’s sake, it’s worth a listen, but for me, that’s about it.

Fats Domino is “the real king of rock ‘n’ roll” according to Elvis, who was heavily influenced by Domino. The Beatles, too, were heavily influenced by Domino. This Is Fats Domino was his third album & it includes his biggest hit, the song most everybody has heard: Blueberry Hill. Elvis, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles all covered Blueberry Hill. Blue Monday is also on this album & probably my favorite Domino song. Domino has a distinct style of rock 'n'' roll, driven by the piano, as he was a piano player. The electric guitar as a lead instrument in rock 'n' roll would come later with Chuck Berry. The songs are all a bit similar due to Domino’s piano playing, but every song is just pure rock ‘n’ roll. Domino is like AC/DC in that, you know what you’re getting when you put on one of their albums. You can hear how Domino’s music inspired early Beatles, Led Zep & others to create their own style. For someone who wants to see where rock ‘n’ roll came from and hear one of its main architects, This Is Fats Domino is a great album to check out.

I got into punk rock in my adult years, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, & a smattering of the Misfits. But never the Clash. Though most of the Clash songs I heard didn’t remind me of punk, like Train In Vain & Rock the Casbah. However, their debut album, The Clash, is "typical" punk for the most part. The songs are short, fast, & full of angry lyrics, tho not all are. Protex Blue is about a condom. I was surprised at how good this album sounded, sonically. Lots of punk albums sound like the bands cranked out the songs in a few hours & then were off to the pub. I loved this album & it's my favorite of the 20 I’ve listened to from the 1,001 list. My fave tracks are White Riot, I’m so Bored with the USA, and London’s Burning. There isn't a bad cut on this album. You definitely must hear this before the end of the week.

I must admit, I wasn’t looking for to listening to this album. I’m not a huge fan of 60s psychedelic with the sitars, harpsichords & just nonsense fueled by LSD. However, I loved this album. First off, it’s mostly acoustic folk music with orchestral highlights. There's very little electric guitar on the album. There are great horn parts, though. It’s kind of a cross between the 60’s psychedelic and folk music mixed with Burt Bacharach. The music is very soft, which I generally don’t care for, but this album is kind of like ASMR. It’s soothing, but the lyrics are about death, freedom, and how the counterculture at the time was not all flowers and peace. If you’re a fan of the music coming out in the '60s, this is the album for you. I’ll be putting it in my rotation.

I don’t know if you’re like me, but there are times when I hear a piece of music & it will almost, or actually, bring me to tears. Not sure why, but it's happened to me quite often while listening to the album. This album has 59 of the greatest songs ever written. You could talk me into saying this is the greatest album ever. I loved it and had so much fun listening to it. It made me happy all day...until my day kind of fell apart. The music is played by a jazz orchestra, with some of the songs being updated from the 1920s-1930s when they were written to better fit the 1960s. My fave tracks are all of them, but I love But Not for Me, Just Another Rhumba, ‘S Wonderful, & Someone To Watch Over Me. That song always gets me. Give this a try and see if it doesn’t tickle you right where you need it.

Album #23 of my 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour This album isn’t a new one for me, as I listened to it for about 3 months straight when it came out. I had already been a fan of Musgraves, but this album probably tripled her fanbase, if not more. It’s a very sleek blend of country-pop. The kind of sound country music radio loves these days, except Musgraves is a woman & isn’t talking about getting her teenage queen liquored up in the bed of her pickup. I’m not sure how the song Rainbow wasn’t a huge smash crossover hit, & maybe it was, but it should have also won all the awards because it’s just beautiful. Space Cowboy & High Horse are also great jams. Even if you don’t like country music, you’ll dig this.

I never got into the Britpop scene, but after listening to this album and Oasis’ debut album, I’m thinking I missed some good music. I wasn’t looking forward to hearing this album after a long day, but I was surprised at how good it was. I have no idea why it didn’t make a bigger splash. I even enjoy Richard Ashcroft’s singing more than Liam Gallagher's in a way, though Gallagher has a more unique voice. It seems once Oasis blew up, The Verve was next, but it didn’t happen. One reason might be that it seemed the singer, Ashcroft, & the guitarist, Nick McCabe, started to hate each other. McCabe seemed to be the more serious member of the group & others liked the fringe benefits of rock ‘n’ roll more. The Verve broke up after making this album, reformed without McCabe & made 1 album, then was kaput. This album is enjoyable, but it’s loud. I’m no producer, but something they did during production makes the music become grating after a while & you have to turn it off to give your ears a rest. With that said. I really liked this album & will listen to it in the future. Best songs for me are A New Decade, This Is Music, A Northern Soul, and History. If you’ve never messed with Britpop before, this album is a good one to hear.

Sometimes, this thing I’m doing seems like a pain in the arse, but if I didn’t embark on this journey, I’d probably have never heard incredible albums like this one. It’s just so brilliant. Ry Cooder and others were going to Cuba to record 2 high-profile African musicians with Cuban musicians. The 2 Africans couldn’t get into the country, Cooder & others decided to record an album of Cuban music, which is a mix of African & Spanish music. The album is beautiful & will get you wiggling in your chair. Lots of flamenco-style guitars and syncopated beats. The songs are old standards of sones, guajiras & boleros, which means nothing to me. All I know is it’s incredible stuff. Highlights are Chan Chan, Veinte Anos, Candela and Orgullecida, which sounds like it could have been a Bob Wills country song from the 1930s. I think everyone should check this out, if for nothing else than to broaden their mind.

This is an album I’m very familiar with, as I had a bit of a Stevie Wonder obsession not too long ago. FFF may not be his greatest album, but for anyone else, it would be. FFF came near the end of a 5-album run untouched by any other artist. This album should be on the list just for Boogie on Reggae Woman and You Haven’t Done Nothin,’ with the latter being aimed at Richard Nixon. The rest of the songs are more personal, with several being about Wonder’s relationship with God. They Won’t Go When I Go is a haunting song about how Wonder will leave this earth and go to heaven, while those who aren’t right with God will be taking a short trip to hell. Mostly, the album is about love and no one writes love songs like Stevie. This album is a must listen.

Nirvana's Nevermind gets all the praise for being arguably the greatest grunge album ever. I hate that buzzword grunge. All of those bands at that time weren't playing the same music like boy bands or hair metal, but we've got to classify it somehow. I digress. Pearl Jam's Ten is probably the best grunge album at least the best debut album of that period of time. Each song has meaning and weight. The songs still hold up today as Alive, Evenflow & Jeremy sound just as fresh and vital as when they first came out. It’s hard to believe that 99% of people haven't already heard this album but for those who haven't, it's a must listen.

Most of the lyrics to the songs on Electric seem like a word jumble, while some are kind of elementary. I think that’s what the Cult wanted to do. After being more of an alt-goth rock band, they went to Rick Rubin & asked him to make them sound more like hair metal that was popular at the time. Instead, Rubin asked, “Do you guys like AC/DC?” & they were off to the races. Electric is about the riffs, while the charisma of lead singer Ian Astbury helps sell the sometimes goofy lyrics. Pair Astbury with the riff machine Billy Duffy & you have a recipe for rock success. There isn't a bad song on the album, except for maybe their cover Born To Be Wild, which is not the Cult’s fault; I just hate that song. Wild Flower rules. Peace Dog is an anti-war song, I think. Love Removal Machine is a great title for a great song. This album just rocks hard. If you’ve never heard the Cult, this album is a good place to start. Then you’ll be converted.

Album #30 of my 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die List Simon and Garfunkel - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme I’ve dabbled in Simon & Garfunkel before, though not this album. It’s loaded with songs that filled me with melancholy, as in, the songs kind of depressed me. It’s not just this album, but a lot of folk music kind of depresses me. No idea why. There are some upbeat moments like A Simple Desultory Phillipic, in which Paul Simon does pretty good impression of Bob Dylan. But otherwise, it's a lot of acoustic guitar & heartbreak. The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine is a hoot. The album is a masterpiece & I find myself listening to it over & over. Many of the songs or their arrangements make them feel like they were sung in the woods by knights who are drinking grog in a tavern in the forest on their way to slay a dragon. The fancy way of saying that is baroque. The album is really short, which is commendable. All the songs are great, & you are likely to have heard Homeward Bound. If you want a taste of why S&G were such a huge influence on folk and music in general, this is a great album to listen to.

This album I know well, not because I listened to it over & over as a kid, but most of these songs are mainstream now, War Pigs, Iron Man, Paranoid. It seems like your grandma knows about Black Sabbath & the late Ozzy Osborne. This was Sabbath’s 2nd album & it’s the one that really broke them. Paranoid was a hit single for the group. That had to really broaden their audience, which led to the right people finding this music, which led to the best metal bands being birthed. It’s amazing how things come together & work perfectly. Tony Iommi with the riffs, Ozzy with the melodies, Geezer Butler with the lyrics, and Bill Ward with a jazzy drum style that really kept the group tight. This isn’t my favorite Sabbath album, probably because I’m still an a-hole at heart, but it’s a must-listen masterpiece. Hand of Doom and Faeries Wear Boots are my faves off this album. Mostly because they are heard less than the hits. Electric Funeral just sounds evil, so it's great as well. Paranoid is a masterpiece & you can hear where heavy metal came from after one listen.

I keep seeing these news stories about how the population is shrinking because younger folks aren’t interested in getting married and having babies. I have the solution, Reverend Al Green’s Let’s Stay Together. I imagine Reverend Green is already responsible for millions of births throughout the world, & I’m damn certain he’s the answer to our current issue plaguing society. I have no desire for children, but when listening to this album, I find myself perusing Facebook for a suitable future ex-Mrs. Lee Bratcher. You’ve probably heard a lot of the songs on this album, but it won’t keep you from wanting to hear them over & over again. Stop what you’re doing, find yourself a sweetheart, put on this album & help the human race survive. If you don't have a sweetheart, this album is still incredible; you just won't be cutting an umbilical cord in 9 months.

I’m a huge fan of Aerosmith from way back. As in, I know their career didn’t begin in 1987 with their Permanent Vacation album. While Aerosmith did good work from 1987 & on, they became legends with their 1st 4 albums, with Rocks being the last in that run. Rocks' creation was fueled by cocaine & heroin, which makes it amazing it was so damn good. Rocks begins with Back In the Saddle, arguably, their best song & each song from there is a banger, ending with my favorite Aerosmith ballad, Home Tonight. The album also contains the best lyric Joe Perry ever wrote, according to Steven Tyler. In the song Combination, which was written by Perry about the combo of heroin, cocaine & him, Perry wrote, "Walkin' on Gucci, wearing Yves St. Laurent Barely stay on 'cause I'm so goddamn gaunt.” Kurt Cobain named Rocks as one of the most influential albums in his and Nirvana’s career. Guns ‘N’ Roses, Metallica & Motley Crue all list Rocks as having a huge influence on their careers. Do yourself a favor, & check out Rocks.

The thing that bugged me about dance/electronic music from the '90s was that many songs were one verse of singing taken from another song that was played over & over throughout the "new" song. I can’t even understand the sample in most cases & the song gets annoying or boring. Moby was 2 for 2 in annoying me from the start of the album, then we get Porcelain, which was pretty good. As I continued to listen, it hit me, this is montage music for shows like House, or Bones, or other one-name TV shows, maybe Suits, yeah, Suits would work too. I couldn’t sit around & enjoy this music, but, good on you if you can. Oh crap! South Side, a song I’ve heard. It’s also a song that sounds like a real song, with Mody singing. I can get into this, but most of the songs seem to be made by AI for AI. As I moved further through the album, a lot of it sounded like it was made with GarageBand and used as royalty-free music for podcasts. I’m an old guy who is set in my ways. This stuff isn’t for me; I won’t be giving this a second listening.

I don’t believe I’ve ever heard an Elliott Smith song, at least not one that I recognized as his. I did remember that he died tragically, either by his own hand or at the hands of his girlfriend. I really wasn’t in the singer/songwriter mood yesterday, but by track 3, Ballad of Big Nothing, I was in. Smith’s album is full of great harmonies & beautiful, though at times, dark lyrics. The music took me right back to the 1990s, for better or worse. Apparently, this album was a bit of a change from Smith’s previous 2 albums, with Either Or having more of a pop feel to it. Whatever Smith did, it worked. It’s a brilliant album. My fave tracks are Pictures of Me, No Name No. 5 and Cupid's Trick.

Album #36 of my 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die List The Kinks - Face To Face I love the Kinks, they rocked hard, were obnoxious & wrote songs that poked at certain muckety-mucks in society. The album Face to Face was a change from the You Really Got Me days. The songs were a little smarter, though still poppy, with a more baroque style. The Kinks never really broke big in the US, mostly due to being banned due to their all-around crappy behavior. Had they been able to tour here, I believe they’d be in the same stratosphere as the Rolling Stones & the Beatles. According to Kinks historians, this is the album that kicked off their golden age & was also the 1st, or 1 of the 1st, concept albums in rock music. The highlights for me are Party Line, Dandy, Session Man, You're Looking Fine & the hit, Sunny Afternoon. This album is phenomenal & would be a great introduction for someone who wanted to explore the Kinks.

I’ll readily admit I’m not the biggest Eric Clapton fan. I think he was god before he became more of a solo singer/songwriter. However, Derek and the Dominoes’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs contains no filler & may be the perfect album. I heard the album before, but it was many years ago & probably just once or twice. After listening to it a couple of times over the last day, it blew me away. Clapton is brilliant on this album & I think it's because he had Duane Allman, an alien, pushing him on to greatness. When Clapton is cutting heads with other great guitarists, he always pushes himself. When he’s by himself, he doesn’t seem to have the same fire, in my opinion. If Allman isn't the MVP of this album, then the late Bobby Whitlock is. I’m certain this album wouldn’t be the same without Whitlock's singing & writing. Whitlock is so soulful in his backing vocals and the songs he sang. I can’t pick a favorite song. They’re all good. As I listened, I just kept thinking, “All these songs are so good, one right after the other.” I think this is a masterpiece and probably Clapton’s last great album.

I’m not a big punk guy, but I know what I like. I listened to this album during work & nothing really stuck out to me. It all sounded the same & the singer, while definitely unique, didn’t appeal to me in the least. After listening a second time, with the lyrics & background from Wikipedia, I became a fan. The reason this is in the 1,001 Albums You Must Hear is that the Dead Kennedys are essentially our Sex Pistols, though DK arguably has the better musicians. DK can also match or even better the Pistols with lyrics. Jello Biafra, the lead singer & songwriter of most of the songs, was very into the national & world issues of the day. You can tell from the first song, which is called Kill the Poor. As in, drop a bomb on the poor & clear out real estate that the rich can buy & use. The songs are satirical & hilarious, but Biafra still makes his point. Other songs on the album are, Let’s Lynch the Landlord, I Kill Children, Stealing People’s Mail, Ill in the Head, and their biggest “hit,” Holiday in Cambodia. It’s amazing, or sad, how we seem to have the same issues today that Biafra was writing about in 1980. I think this album is worth checking out for historical purposes & the lyrics of the songs, but it’s not my kind of punk.

I’d heard of the Stranglers & thought they were a punk band, but I never heard them before. Upon hearing the first 30 seconds of Ratticus Norvegious, I realized they weren’t just another punk band. The Stranglers were described by 1 critic as “hardcore pop.” I thought they sounded like the Cars, though not as slick. Not that the Cars ripped them off, but the Stranglers are the perfect melding of punk, new wave & rock with grimy lyrics about the London streets. In addition, this is another “punk” band in which the musicianship is excellent. Jean-Jacques Burnel’s bass is the instrument that holds everything together. The bassline for the song Peaches is iconic. Keyboardist Dave Greenfield’s playing gives the music a ’60s vibe, which I usually hate, but I thought it really elevated the songs. While listening, I couldn’t help but think these songs would work today. I imagine the Stranglers inspired copycat bands that evolved into what became new wave in the '80s. Do yourself a favor & listen to this album just once and you’ll see the Stranglers aren’t just another punk band. This is going in my playlist for further listening.

I was deep into nu metal when this album came out, I know, I regret it too. So, I was excited to listen to this & it started off great, but after about 10 songs, for me, the album ran out of steam. This is a Motown album, but it ain’t your dadd…or your great-grandaddy’s Motown. The musicianship was incredible. Around 2000, Questlove & others started the neo-soul movement & Badu was the high priestess. At least, according to what Wikipedia told me. I enjoyed the album for what it was, but in the end, it was too long & I got bored in the middle. I think the more boring songs were less neo-soul & more samples of other songs. Penitentiary Philosophy is going into my favorite songs playlist, but that’s about it. However, this is prime baby-making music if you want to add to or start a family.

Like most music of the '90s & '00s, I was a young idiot who only really listened to heavy metal, so I missed out on Radiohead. I knew the Creep song & a few others, but never bought one of their albums. CDs cost money & all music wasn't available for pennies like today. After listening to OK Computer, I realize I should have just bought this album because it’s brilliant. There’s not a bad song on it & it still sounds fresh today, though with a 90s sheen. From the beginning, the whole album sounded like the soundtrack to a movie that hasn't been made. You can tell the band really wanted to be artists & not just the Creep band. '90s Radiohead is like the experimental band whose music works & sounds great, instead of being mindless trash. I can’t wait to dive further into their catalog.

I was very unfamiliar with The Modern Lovers, though I recognized their biggest “hit,” Roadrunner. The reason I was unfamiliar is that the group broke up before their first album came out. The songs were recorded in 1971 & 1972, but the album debuted in 1976. Their history & influence on music afterwards are fascinating. If you’re a fan of the NeW York punk scene & 80’s new wave, then this may be the album for you. However, I just plain didn’t like it. The Modern Lovers were influenced by The Velvet Underground, another band I can’t get into. The songs have a Velvet Underground sound, but also a bit of 60s psychedelic with the keyboards. It’s easy to see how The Modern Lovers influenced rock in the 80s; in fact, keyboardist Jerry Harrison later went on to play for the Talking Heads, & drummer David Robinson went on to play drums with The Cars. Those bands were just two of the many bands influenced by The Modern Lovers. I hate being an old man about music that came out before I was born, but the songs are kind of simple & the lyrics are very teen angsty. Founder/lead singer/songwriter, Jonathan Richman isn’t a good singer. He sounds like he’s half asleep when singing, which is more like talking. The lyrics are weird, he has a song about trying to snake a girl from a hippie, & his main argument is that he doesn’t get high & her bf is always stoned. Another song is about his love for the 50s & how he'd rather things stayed the same, which is weird for a rock band in the 70s, especially a proto-punk band. Other songs are about how he can’t pick up chicks. Maybe it’s satire I’m not getting. I will not listen to this again, I don’t think, but I appreciate the band’s influence on music in the '70s & '80s. It's at least worth a listen for music history's sake.

If the Modern Lovers album shaped music history in the '70s & '80s punk and new wave crowd, then Booker T. and the MGs shaped all of rock music before that & still today. They were the house band for Stax Records, out of Memphis, which, for my money, was the best soul label in the '60s. In fact, this album was the first issued by Stax Records. It’s all instrumentals, and you’ve likely heard at least one song, if not several, from this album. The album features several cover versions of well-known songs, like Ray Charles’s I Got a Woman, Twist and Shout and One Who Really Loves You originally sung by Mary Wells. However, the most well-known song is "Green Onions," which can be heard in 1 out of every 10 movies, TV shows & commercials. This is the song that screams early '60s rock. The familiar organ riff by Booker T. has to be one of the best-known riffs ever. This is the epitome of party records. You just turn it on, hit repeat & you never have to worry about the music the rest of the night. This is an album that will be listened to forever.

I’ve always been a Rolling Stones guy, but I appreciate what the Beatles did for modern rock music and recognize they are the best band ever. They are the band that paved the way for all subsequent bands. Near the end of their run, George Harrison had a breakthrough in songwriting and began writing great songs, though sometimes John Lennon and Paul McCartney couldn’t see it. The Beatles' loss was Harrison's gain as his solo debut triple album is a masterpiece. I’d heard several songs off All Things Must Pass, but never sat down and listened to it straight through. What an idiot I am. The album is a crusher, even the instrumental jams included as just filler were incredible. Of course, any music made with Derek and the Dominos and the Stones' horn section, plus other rock legends as your backing band, is going to be incredible. For my money, All Things Must Pass is the best solo work of the Beatles’ members. Lennon’s output was hit and miss and McCartney’s best solo work was with Wings. Ringo, generally the joke of the band, has done quite well for himself with his solo career, but can't touch the other members. Though he is still underrated as a drummer. If you’ve never listened to any of Harrison’s solo work, this album has it all: country music, solid old school 50’s rock, hymns, love songs and all-star rock jams with the likes of Eric Clapton. Speaking of Clapton, I’m guessing that during the recording of All Things Must Pass, Clapton was falling in love with Harrison’s wife and Clapton’s future wife, Pattie Boyd. That’s wild, isn't it? Clapton was so infatuated with Boyd, he even dated her sister. The whole episode could inspire a book, which Boyd wrote in 2008. She must have been an incredible muse. Anyway, beyond the gossip being incredible, All Things Must Pass is for sure one of the greatest albums ever, and you should do yourself a favor and bask in its glory.

Everybody knows The Temptations, you know, My Girl, Ain’t Too Proud To Beg, The Way You Do the Things You Do, but in 1968, radical changes were happening. First, David Ruffin, one of the main voices of the group, was fired for missing shows and regularly powdering his nose. He was replaced by Dennis Edwards. Another radical change was that Sly & the Family Stone was changing R&B/soul music, making it more psychedelic and funkier. Otis Williams, the de facto leader of the Temptations, talked Motown into letting them try a more psychedelic sound and spreading the vocals around a bit. The result was Cloud 9, which was a hit and won the singing group a Grammy. I like the Temptations, both the more pure Motown R&B pop sound, but I really liked the 70s psychedelic Temptations. Cloud 9 had examples of both sounds, with the songs Cloud 9 and Runaway Child, Running Wild being more psychedelic and the lyrics having more of a social bent and not just about wooing a pretty girl. I listened to this album three times and I really liked it, but did I think it was a great album that needed to be on the 1,001 list? Not really. Maybe it’s on the list more for history’s sake. But, as a preview of what the Temptations later became with a look back at what they were, it’s a fun listen. Maybe after All Things Pass, anything I listened to would fall flat. For R&B/soul fans, you’ll like this album, but it’s not one you have to hear before you die.

I’m out of my element when it comes to trip hop, especially British trip hop, but I'd heard of Tricky. I remember reading about him in Rolling Stone and SPIN magazine back in the day. I miss magazines. Anyway, after listening to Maxinquaye, I realized I’d heard a couple of songs off the album, though I’m sure I had no idea it was Tricky. Maybe I heard them in shows or as background music to ads. I didn’t hate the album, but maybe I didn’t get the album? It’s better than Roni Size, but again, a squawking crows choir is better than Roni Size. I can appreciate much of the album, but sometimes the songs do sound like the same thing over and over. However, as far as putting it on for background music, I think it works. It’s got a slow, chill groove, and you can really get some work done when it’s on in the background. But you can check that out for yourself. As for me, I’ve had enough.

Among the Living is an album I've known since it debuted, though it took a few years before I actually listened to the whole album. It's Anthrax's breakthrough album that solidified them as a member of the Big 4 of thrash metal, joining Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer. The big difference between Anthrax and the other 3 bands is that Anthrax was from New Your City and had an actual singer, who had more old school New Wave of Heavy Metal vocals instead of screaming and yelling. But Anthrax was just as heavy and had chunky riffs. Among the Living holds up today as it's so heavy, and filled with lyrics about societal issues, featuring an anti-war song about the massacre of Native Americans and an anti-drug song, called N.F.L. I think this album can appeal to everybody in some way or another. While I won't say it's a perfect album, I do find myself returning to it about every year for a listen or two. For metal fans, if you've never heard this album, it's a must. They also may have been the first metal band to get into rap music at the time, as Anthrax recorded I'm the Man during these sessions, a rap song that became a pretty big cult classic.

It’s pretty cool to get George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, which was incredible, and then Paul McCartney and Wings’ Band on the Run just days later. It gives you a chance to listen and compare solo work from two members of the best rock and roll band ever. I thought Harrison’s All Things Must Pass clearly showed he had the best solo stuff of the Beatles, but when you listen to Band on the Run, you might rethink that just a bit. Band on the Run wasn't as epic as All Things Must Pass, but it’s a damn great album. I’d listened to it in the past, but not more than a few times. Again, I was a metalhead for half of my life before realizing there are other kinds of cool music. Band on the Run has great songs, but unlike All Things Must Pass, some of the song lyrics are just words that sound good together. McCartney was someone who could write a song with placeholder lyrics and then decide those lyrics were good enough. For instance, Jet is a song about McCartney marrying Linda McCartney and how her father wasn’t a big fan. The title comes from the name of a dog McCartney had, and the song appears to be sung to Jet the dog. At one point, McCartney sings, “And Jet, I thought the major was a little lady suffragette.” McCartney said he just liked the sound of the word suffragette and put it in the song. I’m not saying silly lyrics are bad, because they aren’t. I’m not much of a lyric guy anyway; I like a song more for its groove. I’m just saying that Harrison had maybe the more thoughtful lyrics. However, McCartmey’s songs are so good, you don’t even care. Much like All Things Must Pass, Band on the Run doesn’t have a bad song on it. In fact, when the album came out in 1973, the U.S. version had an added song, Helen Wheels, missing from the U.K. version. Helen Wheels itself is a banger. As for which had the Beatles' solo work, I still give Harrison the edge, at least in quality. McCartney has the others beat on quantity. Band on the Run is an incredible album and probably his greatest work beyond the Beatles.

I love the name of this band, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and their debut The Gilded Palace of Sin is a pretty incredible album as it was a big influence on rock and country music in the 70’s and beyond. The FBB was formed by Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman. Both were former members of The Byrds, another influential band in the same kind of genre, though the Byrds leaned more toward pop music than the FBB. Parsons was more the mastermind of the debut album. He wanted to bring the Bakersfield sound, made famous by country legend Buck Owens, into the psychedelic 60’s. At the time, I imagine when people heard the record, they either loved it or just didn’t quite get it, as it was not a commercial success. For someone today listening to the album, there really isn’t much groundbreaking stuff because you’ve heard the Eagles and other countryfied rock bands, including the outlaw country music of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. I guess the key to the FBB’s sound is the steel guitar playing of Sneaky Pete Kleinow. His playing “provides an almost continuous commentary throughout some of the songs,” according to Wikipedia. Sneaky Pete also supposedly built a fuzz box for his steel guitar and in the song Wheels I couldn’t figure out this sound I was hearing. It sounded like trombones playing one long note and then I thought maybe they found a ship’s horn to put on the song. Turns out it was Sneaky Pete on the steel guitar with the fuzz box. The album is chock full of great country songs that combine folk, rock, psychedelic and gospel music. It’s a great album and I know why it’s included in the 1,001 Records You Must Hear book. It’s both a great musical experience and it’s a historic record that influenced and changed music in the era. This formation of the band broke up after their second album and Gram Parsons got into the rock star life and was dead of a drug overdose right before his 24th birthday. I think just about everyone can enjoy this album, not just musically, but for how you can hear how they influenced others.

I’ll admit, I’d never heard of Barry Adamson and certainly never heard his Moss Side Story album. After doing a little research, I was already in. Adamson, who played in the post-punk band Magazine and worked with other artists in the 70s and 80s, was getting interested in film music. He decided to record a soundtrack for a non-existent film noir movie and use that as his way of auditioning for work in film and TV. Turns out, it worked well as his first solo album. film As I said, once I heard the premise, I was in. The songs are all instrumentals, except for sampled dialogue, screams and a choir. There are three acts in the story and then there are three bonus songs, one of which is Adamson’s verion of the Alfred Hitchcock Presents theme and the theme from the movie, The Man with the Golden Arm. If you’re a fan of Sergio Leone and Quentin Tarantino, you know how important music can be to a movie. In this case, the music is more important than the movie because the movie doesn’t exist. As you're listening to it, you’re imagining the movie playing out in your head. It makes me want to listen to more flim music. Is this something I’m going to listen to over and over or put on at a party? Probably not, but it’s just so cool, I think everyone should at least experience it.

I have mentioned several times that as a younger, dumber dude back in the day, I was just straight up Metal ‘til I die! So, I missed a lot of alternative bands that are now some of my favorites, like Rage Against the Machine, Tool, and Jane’s Addiction. I know, they are metal-ish, but when they came on the scene, I was still grieving the death of hair metal. I would have thought by 2010 I would have been more open-minded, but alas, still dumb. I missed out on The Arcade Fire. At that time, I was listening to the Dan Patrick Show and he’d play their song, Wake Up every Friday to send us into the weekend and that was a great song. I listened to an Arcade Fire album and was not impressed. Perhaps The Suburbs is their only good album, because it is good. Around 2010, we were in a kind of folk rock revival with Fleet Foxes, Blitzen Trapper and Mumford and Sons. I was against this movement, not heavy enough. Though it must be mentioned, I actually liked Blitzen Trapper. I’m a stubborn, stubborn idiot, turns out. Anyway, as I listen to The Suburbs, I see the error of my ways. It’s not some country/folk album, it’s an album that rocks. Maybe they pulled a Dylan and went electric on this album, but every song is good. Month of May sounds like a lost Queens of the Stone Age song. Lately, I’ve decided to weigh the importance of these albums less, even though some truly are, and more judge the albums by, “Did I enjoy this?” The Suburbs, is it important? I don’t know, but I sure as hell enjoyed it.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Doors. I hate just about all the singles, but I love the album tracks. The Doors' debut album has arguably their two biggest hits, Break on Through (To the Other Side) and Light My Fire. I’ve heard those songs since I was born, so I’ve gotten burnt out. I love Soul Kitchen, The Crystal Ship, 20th Century Fox and Back Door Man. Those songs do get some radio play today, but not as much as the hits. I’ve heard 7 of the 11 songs on this album on the radio at some point in my life, which is incredible for a debut album. No wonder it’s on the list. The Doors are the quintessential 60s band with Ray Manzarek’s organ and Jim Morrison’s “poetic” lyrics. The organs supply the psychedelic sound and Morrison’s lyrics supply the drug-fueled poetry that appealed to young people in the 60s. Both, at times, drive me crazy. Plus, I’ve never really been convinced Morrison was a poetic genius. He was insane, which actually works better for rock ‘n’ roll. I’m not a lyric guy, as I’ve explained before, so maybe that’s why I like more of the “easy” songs, like Back Door Man, though it takes on a whole new meaning these days than it did in the '60s. Songs like The End sound cool, but you have to do some research to see what Morrison was trying to say. At the time, this album blew people’s minds. Paul McCartney said it was an influence on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Since that time, and Morrison’s untimely death, the praise and love for the album have only increased. The closing song, The End, is a psychedelic masterpiece, though I can imagine in 1967, it scared the squares to death. If for nothing else, that brings me back around to loving the Doors. Get into the Doors, they’ll get you fired up, make you scratch your head and maybe open up your mind, dude. Ride the snake!

Traffic was a supergroup formed in 1967 featuring Steve Winwood and Dave Mason. Winwood and Mason were the two who put the super in the group and wouldn’t you know, it seems they had trouble working together. One way you can tell is that this 10-track album includes five songs written and sung by Dave Mason and five songs written and sung by Steve Winwood. Also, this version of Traffic had broken up by 1969, though other versions would come together over the years to record and tour. Mason’s songs were more folky rock songs with pop sensibilities. Some of his songs sounded like lutes were being played on them. Winwood’s songs were jazzy, bluesy rock songs, and I liked his half better. Mason’s songs weren’t bad, in fact, Mason wrote the hit on the album, which you might have heard, it’s called Feelin’ Alright. With some of these albums on the 1,001 list, I have to figure out why they were included. I’m not saying this album is good, it is. But it just doesn’t blow me away. The musicianship is great, the songwriting is good. The lyrics are plain enough, save for a few songs that leave you to wonder what they’re singing about. At the end of the day, I enjoyed the album, but it’s not going in regular rotation. However, I think you'll be fine if you want to skip this, but if you like folky/bluesy/rock/pop music from the 1960s, this might be your jam.

You may not know this about me, but I love a good pure pop song and dance music. I grew up in the mid-70s into the early 80s and disco was going strong. My heart may belong to heavy metal, but my booty belongs to dance music. Hot Chip is dance music or alternative dance music or whatever weird genre you have, but at its heart, it's dance music. What makes Hot Chip more alternative, I guess is that it's a band and not a DJ spinning records. Most of the instruments are synths, but that's okay. For the first listen, I was at my desk working, and the next thing I knew, I was chair dancing while typing up the real estate report. Upon second listen last night, I again was dancing in my chair, but paying more attention to the lyrics and the sounds. I swear I heard video game noise samples in the songs. You don’t hink much about the lyrics of dance music, but the first track, Motion Sickness, seemed to by about a Sony Discman playing music for you. I loved Sony Discmans…or is it Discmen? Anyway, other songs are about God, love and the loss of a brother. Pretty deep stuff for a booty-shaking record. At first I wondered why is this album on the 1,001 list, but as I kept going, I kept feeling good and getting happy. This album, at least for me, brought me joy. And it wasn’t like I was sad or down before listening, but it wasn’t until I listened to In Our Heads that I noticed I felt really good. It reminded me a bit of the same feeling I had the first time I heard The Scissor Sisters' debut album. Just pure pop joy. If you’re a fan of dance music or synth-pop, or you just want a bit of a boost, then this album will get you off.

I was still kind of plugged in to the music scene when The xx released their debut album xx. In fact, there was such a buzz about that album that I listened to it. I don’t remember it making a very big impression, but I could have been a narrow-minded music nerd at the time. So, I was kind of excited to be giving it another try. Upon first listen, as I was working at my desk, I really liked it. I thought I’d made a huge mistake back then. While the songs were kind of simple with just a few instruments and some digital sounds, the vibe was very chill and relaxed. And, surprisingly, the songs had a bit of a beat to kind of bop to a bit. After listening to it, sitting in a chair, concentrating and reading the lyrics, I kind of came back to earth. The songs are simple and kind of sound the same, which isn’t bad necessarily, look at AC/DC. The lyrics to me sounded very high school teen, angsty, kind of “I’ll never love again” at age 16. Plus, you can tell this band was a fan of New Order, The Cure, Joy Division, and other 80’s new wave, but what really hit me was The Kills. The Kills are a two-person alt/rock group that is very minimalist and I love that band so much. Check out The Kills’ Midnight Boom. But several songs, I thought, this could have been off of a Kills album. Because I could easily pick out the influences, I thought it was weird that this album got so much love. I remember a band called She Wants Revenge, which I really liked, but the critics killed them for sounding just like their influences. Many of which were shared by The xx. It was confusing. Not that I don’t listen to trashy music, I do, but I really thought She Wants Revenge was going to be around for a while. Nope. Maybe the critics were just being narrow-minded idiots at that time, and 3 years later, they were all in. This album was great when it was just on in the background while you're working. But when I sat down and really got into it, even at 37 minutes, I kept wondering, “When is this going to be done?” Not sure it’s one of the best albums of the 21st century, or of 1,001 you need to hear, but it’s alright.

Ugh. When I saw this was my album for the day, I was not looking forward to it. Mainly because its kind of everything I dislike about 60s music. What really drives me up the wall are the organs. Once the organ made its appearance, it seemed to be in every song. You hear an organ in a song, it's most likely the 60s. I began listening and the organ was there, but it didin’t drive me crazy. But I’ll admit I almost quit listening and was just going to chalk this up to a Roni Size album, unlistenable. But I persevered, dammit! As I continued, I started to groove a bit. I’m certain In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was the only song I had heard from this album. The other songs are alright. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the highlight, especially the 17-minute album version. I mean, there’s a 3-minute drum solo in the middle. I think the reason this album is in the 1,001 albums you need to hear is just for history's sake. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was arguably the first attempt at heavy metal, though I’m sure some could provide earlier examples. The other songs are just good examples of 60s rock, but nothing special. I’d say you don’t even have to hear the other songs, but listening to the 17-minute version of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is a must, at least once.

What in the hell did I listen to? I’d never heard of Laibach and I can understand why. It sounded like music for a fictional fascist regime in a movie, or current hate groups in the world today. Laibach is described as avant-garde in Wikipedia, and I agree. Wiki also says they are associated with industrial, martial and neoclassical music. That sums it up. I’ve never been a fan of industrial-type rock and metal. While there are a couple of Ministry songs that tickle me, they aren’t really my type. I’m not even a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, who dabble in industrial rock. Laibach seems to be a satirical band playing with some really crazy imagery and ideas. The problem is, when you’re creating satire, making fun of something really evil, some people don’t get satire and are legit into the really evil thing you’re just trying to make fun of. Beyond that stuff, which can be scary, Laibach apparently are huge Queen fans. The reason I know this is because on Opus Dei Laibach includes a cover of One Vision and a few samples from Queen’s A Kind of Magic album. It’s weird to hear One Vision sung as a kind of German military song. The whole album kind of gives me the piss shivers. That’s not to say there aren’t some very musical parts, but when the vocalist keeps shouting, “Jawohl!” throughout the song, it can become comical. By the way, Jawohl is pronounced yah-VOL, with the emphasis on VOL! So, if you’re favorite band is Rammstein, Laibach’s Opus Dei is the album for you. Otherwise, you can skip it….I wish I did.

Songhoy Blues has an incredible story behind its formation and quite frankly, it’s probably the main reason it's on the 1,001, list. Songhoy Blues is made up of a group of people from Timbuktu, Mali. They were forced out of their home during civil unrest, where the people in charge imposed Sharia Law. Under Sharia Law, music is banned. So these musicians moved to another part of Africa and formed Songhoy Blues. The name comes from the fact that three of the members of the band were part of the Songhoy people in Africa. Their style of music has been described as desert blues. I don’t know about all that, but Songhoy Blues are definitely a blues band. They were inspired by the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and John Lee Hooker, according to the band. You can hear it all in their songs. They sing in French and these guys can wail. Songhoy Blues doesn’t play the regular style of American blues we’re used to hearing, But you know it's in there. They’ve added more African rhythms to their songs, making yheir music something new altogether. Well, new to Americans, moat likely. I’d heard of the band before getting into the 1,001 challenge I’m doing here. I’m not sure if I ever listened to them, but I have heard Bombino, who became really popular around the same time as Songhoy Blues. Bombino and Songhoy Blues play a similar style of music. Also, there is some really cool psychedelic African blues from back in the 1970s that will blow your mind. So Songhoy Blues isn’t that new for African rock, but they really brought it to the world stage in 2015. Songhoy Blues is definitely worth checking out. They have a unique way of playing the blues. It’s fun to hear how Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles go into their ears and come out Songhoy Blues. I’m not sure if this album will be a part of my regular playlist, but I’ll definitely come back to it occasionally to kind of refire my synapses.

When I saw Led Zep III come up yesterday, I thought this was going to be easy, as I’ve heard this album about 100 times. I became familiar with it when Robert Plant and Jimmy Page got together for their Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded tour thing. They took about a dozen Led Zep songs and re-arranged them acoustically or using weird instruments. One of the songs they did was Gallow’s Pole, which I had never heard, and it was on LZ III. By the Way, what happened to John Paul Jones in that deal? JPJ is a badass and was a huge part of that group, but consistently gets overlooked. But I digress. The first thing that kind of strikes you about LZ III is that it has a few more softer/acoustic songs on the album, and the lore says it's because LZ wanted to prove to the snobs who had their noses up the butts of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and quite possibly Young, that they could also write cool folky acoustic rock songs. At the time, most critics were lukewarm, at best, about LZ III. Of course, most critics were lukewarm on LZ I & II and by LZ III, LZ were arguably the biggest rock band in the world. It shows you what critics know in the heat of the moment. Now of course, just about every LZ album is universally loved and deemed a classic. For me, the standout on LZ III is Since I’ve Been Loving You, mostly because I’m a huge blues fan and this song is white boy blues at its best. All the songs on the album were written by the boys in the band except for Gallow’s Pole, which was based on an English old-timey folk song, and Hats Off To (Roy) Harper, which was based on an old blues song by Bukka White. A song called Tangerine is on this album, which didin't mean anything to me until I saw Almost Famous and now it's one of my favorite LZ songs. Fills me with such sweet melancholia. LZ III isn’t my favorite LZ album, but it is great and there isn’t a song on it that I’d skip when listening to it. When I was listening to this fervently back in 1994-1995, I wasn’t really paying attention to lyrics, because it wasn’t until yesterday that I found out the song, That’s The Way, wasn’t just a love song about Plant having to leave a girl because he’s got to ramble or whatever. No, That’s The Way is about a mother telling her little boy not to play with the little boy from across town because he’s got long hair and is literally from the bad side of town. Plant wrote it after LZ toured America because the group would get harassed because of their long hair. Man, could we go back to the days were people just cared about the length of your hair? Anyway, That’s The Way still has a message for us idiots today. That's The Way is also in Almost Famous and it just fills me with the same sweet melancholia. Man, I love Penny Lane. LZ III is an album you have to hear, but I expect we’ll see at least 3-4 Led Zep albums in the list.

This album is brilliant. That’s all that really needs to be said about it. Sufjan Stevens is a musical genius, and I think this album will end up being one of the best albums of the century. Now that the hyperbole is out of the way, I’d heard about this album in 2005 when it came out because all I heard was this album was incredible, it was the best of the decade thus far, and blah, blah, blah. I was knee deep in System of a Down, the White Stripes, and other metal-ish music, probably even nu-metal, ugh. I’m not sure I would have appreciated this album as much if I had heard it in 2005. Sufjan Stevens is a singer/songwriter who claimed he was going to write an album about each state. He started with Michigan, which is where he was born, and then Illinois was the second album. Turns out he was joking about his 50 albums for 50 states, but thank God he at least got to Illinois. This album is hard to explain. The style is indie rock? I guess? It’s not the Strokes or Wilco or whatever indie rock is supposed to be, I don’t think. There are orchestras, lwith oboes and strings and bells and it’s like the soundtrack to a musical that wasn’t created yet. Though they did make a musical out of this album in later years. Here’s a peek inside my brain, I love musicals. Don’t know why. Maybe it's because I love music, I've got to have it in my life. So if the songs are good, I’ll buy into people singing to each other all day long. The songs are a mixture of history about Illinois and Stevens' life growing up in and around Illinois. There’s a song about losing a friend to cancer, that almost had me bawling at my desk here. There’s another song about the dead rising from their graves to attack the living. There’s a very beautiful but creepy song about John Wayne Gacy and how each of us has that evil side that we try to hide from everybody else. This album is a must-listen in my mind. Check it out one time and if you don’t like it, I’ll give you your money back. As long as the listen costs you nothing. I’m excited to add this to my regular rotation of albums to revisit every so often, to explore it even deeper than the two listens I had yesterday.

I wasn’t a PJ Harvey fan when she was at her peak, though I wasn’t against her. About the only thing I knew from her was her appearance on Beavis & Butthead with the song, 50 Ft. Queenie. I also heard her on Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions album, vol. 9 & 10, I think. So I went into this album cold, though not afraid. She’s a rocker. Pretenders Critics say this album is her best, and it is really good. The album came out in 2000, so it still has a ’90s sound to it. Harvey is a great singer, and she reminded me immediately of Chrissy Hynde from the Pretenders, a band I like, though I'm not a superfan. The album also includes an appearance by Thom Yorke from Radiohead. While I enjoyed the album, and maybe this is a Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois hangover, it just didn’t make that big an impression on me. It’s good and I’m sure some of you would really like it, but I’m not sure I’ll even remember the title in a year. Perhaps I’ve heard too much in my day. This sounds like 1995-2003. It’s good, but not great. I do love the song Big Exit, which is Harvey’s feelings about being exposed to the gun culture in America. Both songs with Yorke are great, and I loved The Whores Hustle The Hustlers Whore. If you like that kind of alt-rock from the late 90s, I think you’d dig this album, but I don’t really think it’s that special. Maybe three weeks from now, it’ll draw me back for another listen, who knows?

Hot damn, I got a good album for today. If you all didn’t know, in the last decade or so, I’ve really gotten into Motown and Stax records. Rock ‘n’ roll is dead, or at least boring, so I jumped in a time machine and went back to the 1960s and 1970s to hear the jams I missed. And this album is right in my wheelhouse. There are songs on this album that are just imprinted in our brains and we don’t even know how or why. It’s like Aretha Franklin’s music is in the air and you pick it up without even realizing it. While listening to this album at work yesterday, I had to stop working a few times and just listen to these songs. For example, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, is just jaw-dropping and I’ve heard it 1,000 times. That song is so good that if you’re a dude, it’ll make you wish you were a woman just so you can really feel what that song means. I mean, it gets to you in your guts. Chain of Fools is a perfect song. It was her biggest hit off this album and was covered very nicely by a band in the hair metal era called Little Caesar. Embarrassingly, that’s how I first heard the song. I loved it then and when I heard Aretha’s version, I quickly realized she, of course, had the better version. People Get Ready takes you to church and for a southern boy like me, growing up in the church, this song reminds me of the incredible music I got to hear all my life. It’s music that swings and makes you feel good. It makes you want to go out and get baptized. Beyond Aretha’s voice, which is universally known and perhaps the greatest singing voice ever, the music is played by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, or the Swampers. The Swampers played with everybody back in the day, including, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Wilson Pickett, Aretha, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Paul Simon and more. It’s like fate meant for these two entities to come together. Hell, even Eric Clapton pops up on the song, Good To Me As I Am To You. I’m talking good Clapton, CREAM Clapton. I’ve often wondered if I’m the only one this happens to, but I get this thing where I’ll be listening to music, like great music, music that’s just so good that I start to feel emotional, like I’m going to bust out crying just because, I don’t know, it’s so beautiful. Anyone else like that? No, just me? Listening to this album there were several times I had to literally stop and compose myself. I haven’t had that happen in a while and that’s why I know this is a legendary album everyone must hear before they die.

For the picture I have in my mind of Neil Young, the album cover of On the Beach ain’t it. Neil Young is buckskin coats, moccasins, a flannel shirt, standing in the forest in the fall. On the Beach has him, literally, on the beach in white pants and a yellow sweater. It’s weird. The music, though, is Neil Young. Good music with lyrics that mean something, and his patented stop-and-start, weird guitar solos. This album was his attempt at not doing what he had been doing to get big and famous. I can appreciate that, but without knowing what the albums before this sounded like, I’m not sure I’ll get the big deal. There are a lot of blues songs on here, at least blues Neil Young’s way. I liked everything on here, but I’m not sure its impact is something that can be digested in a day’s listening. It seemed critics were like that when it came out in 1972. It’s one of those albums that grows on you with further listening. I listened to it twice, with the lyrics the first time. I must say, it didn’t blow me away. On many of the albums on the 1,001 list, it’s hard to appreciate things that were new in the 1970s when you’ve heard everything since then. I will say, Neil Young has been a blind spot in my music listening life, and I’m looking forward to more albums. Maybe one day, I’ll just start them and listen to them in chronological order. Until then, I think the significance of some of these albums I’m missing.

Super excited to see that I got this album yesterday. I had so much fun with the Elle Fitzgerald album, I couldn’t wait to listen to this….but I had to wait because football and sports betting took precedence. So after I lost all my money, I popped on Lady Day to help ease my wallet. Well, I was surprised to hear that Billie Holiday didn’t sound like a carbon copy of Ella Fitzgerald. Holiday has a very unique singing voice, at least on this album. She kind of reminded me of a female Louie Armtstong. She has a bit of a frog in her throat. It’s not bad, but it takes some time to get used to, I must admit. After consulting Wikipedia, at this point in her career, her voice had changed due to years of alcohol and drug abuse, and she didn’t quite have her upper register, at least according to critics. However, her voice still has this quality to it that can’t be explained. It’s like hearing Johnny Cash on those American Recordings albums he did in his last few years of life. The music is beautiful with a full orchestra backing Holiday. It’s so good. Nothing like an orchestra to bring out a female singer’s voice. The songs are these sweet, and sometimes mournful, jazz and pop songs. While her voice might not sound the same as it did 10-15 years earlier, it still works. I found myself falling more and more in love with Holiday as I listened to this album. I’m going to go back to hear what she sounded like in her early career. Holiday would be dead inside a year after recording these songs due to years of alcohol and drug abuse. It’s a shame that so many talented artists who make millions happy with their art are also some of the most tortured souls.

Prince was a musical genius, and he was one of the kings of music in the 80s, where he did some of his best work. 1999 was his big breakthrough and it's easy to see why. The first three songs are 1999, Little Red Corvette and Delirious. Those three are easily in my top 10 Prince songs, if not top five. 1999 was also an influential album as it brought the Minneapolis sound to the masses. The sound that mixed dance, electronic music, funk and R&B. I love Prince, but one of my main issues with a lot of his music is that a lot of it doesn’t age well. For instance, when you hear a Prince song, you know what decade it's from. A lot of his songs have weird synths or that lame kind of bass pop or primitive electric drum sound that gives the decade away. You won’t hear too many Prince songs in which you can legit say, “I have no idea what decade that song was made in.” It’s not necessarily Prince’s fault. He had a style, hell, he invented a style. It just so happens the Minneapolis style didn’t age well after about 1995. However, I was surprised to find several songs from 1999 that did sound like they could have been made in any decade. The song Free is a beautiful song that isn’t as buried in the Minneapolis sound as to sound dated. I have no idea why it wasn’t one of the five singles off the album because it’s a very beautiful song. It later became a beloved album track. 1The music on 1999 was so undeniable that MTV started playing Prince’s music videos and MTV wasn’t exactly black-artist friendly at the time. It took artists like Prince and Michael Jackson to help MTV realize their music wasn’t just for black folks, it was for everybody. I’m listening to D.M.S.R. right now, and it’s just a straight-up brick of funk. I’m going to stop writing now and finish this song. Listen to 1999, it’ll give you a good dose of nostalgia and introduce you to some great songs you haven’t heard before.

This album was nothing I expected it to be. I had heard of Tim Buckley, but mainly because of his son, Jeff Buckley. I thought Tim Buckley was a singer/songwriter, and he is, but he evolved from the hippie folk scene to a more avant-garde sound, then to a funk sound before passing away at 28 from a drug overdose. It doesn’t seem like Tim Buckley had enough of a career to land an album on the 1,001 list. Greetings From L.A. was probably his biggest-selling album, but it points out in the Wikipedia article, “Like most of his other albums, Greetings from L.A. did not sell well.” Greetings is a kind of a funk album, kind of a rock album, it’s just kind of weird. I can’t tell if it’s supposed to be a parody album or if Tim Buckley is on the level. As a praody album, it's not bad, but as a legit, 'No, this is the album,' it seems a bit self-indulgent to me. I’m just not sure if I’m supposed to take it seriously. Move With Me is the lead song about a man trying to get a married woman to have an affair with him. Actually, most of the songs are about a man trying to have sex with a woman. Wikipedia did refer to this point of Tim Buckley’s career as the “sex funk” period. The problem with the “sex funk” albums was that the lyrics were a little too out there for pop radio, and what few fans Tim Buckley had made as a folk artist were not into sex funk. But he did gain a cult following, probably swingers and folks from nudist colonies, and those who love visiting nude beaches. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just not a big enough fan base to get you to sell out Madison Square Garden. I still don’t know what to do about this album. Tim Bucklety seems like he might be an a-hole, as he left Jeff Buckley and his mother about six months after Jeff was born and died before any relationship could have been worked out. Jeff Buckley went on to only outlive his father by two years before drowning in the Mississippi River in a weird swimming mishap of some sort. You can live a nice, long life without ever hearing Tim Buckley’s Greetings From L.A. But, if you're into sex funk or are a little sex funk curious, then feel free to indulge.

Bonnie Raitt was huge in the '90s, and I didn’t pay much attention. However, you couldn’t get away from her, as I seem to remember hearing a couple of songs off of this huge album, Nick of Time, including the title track and Thing Called Love. Ordinarily, I’d be programmed to hate this with a passion. It’s essentially everything I dislike. It’s tepid Eric Claptonish pop blues music from the '90s. But, despite my efforts to hate, I couldn’t help but love most of the album. There are cringe parts located in it, the funky bass popping that you hear in ’80s music is in a few songs. One song, Have a Heart, sounds like it could be in any number of 80s romantic comedies, perhaps Weekend at Bernie’s. Holy crapballs! I just googled it, and it was in a little-seen Bob Hoskins and Denzel Washington movie called Heart Conditions from 1990. Heart Conditions also stars CT from Magnum P.I. and Willona from Good Times. Damn, that sounds like a good movie. According to IMDB, “a racist cop receives a heart transplant from a black lawyer he hates, who returns as a ghost to ask the cop to help take down the men who murdered him.” Now that is pure '90s gold. A buddy cop movie with a black ghost and a white racist cop. How was that not a hit? I’m digressing horribly. The more I listen to this album, the more I really love it. Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe I’m just a fool for the blues, I don’t know why, but there’s enough good stuff to outweigh the cheese. At one point, I was listening to the album while I was working and the song Nobody’s Girl got me. Like I thought I was going to start squirting tears right there in front of the Mac-Mini. Maybe it’s because I know Raitt’s backstory, she was dropped from her label and left for dead so she turned to drugs and booze and food and kind of gave up. She then straightens up and explodes. It’s a feel-good story and this album seems very personal. I may look like a serial killer, but I’m a big softie at heart and Ms. Raitt got me. At the end of the day, I even grew to enjoy Have a Heart. I can see why Nick of Time is in the 1,001 albums to hear list because it’s an album that makes you feel something and you don’t get that from today’s music much.

I’ll admit, when I saw the name Abdullah Ibrahim and the title Water From an Ancient Well, I thought, what is this going to be? I was totally going in blind on this one. Turns out it's jazz, like the jazz you can listen to, not the John Coltrane type jazz where everyone is playing totally different rhythms and keys and time signatures. This style of jazz reminded me of A Charlie Brown Christmas and the Vince Guaraldi trio. There isn’t much information out there about this album, Ibrahim is a South African pianist and composer who is also known as Dollar Brand. Now that’s cool. I’m not really a jazz guy, I just know what I like. I’m not sure I’m smart enough to know what I’m supposed to get out of this album. This kind of jazz isn’t very complicated, so it’s very enjoyable and easy to digest. The album came out in 1986 and a lot of the songs sound like they could be in ‘80s rom-coms at the time. The bass sound really lodges you right in the ‘80s. The songs are very good. I listened to the album three times already and it gets better every time I hear it. Am I grateful to have heard this album before I die? Kinda? I’m probably not going to put it in my regular rotation, but for jazz lovers who may have missed this album, I think you’ll enjoy it.

Oh, baby. I’m sure I’m not the only one who was caught up in the Jagged Little Pill hysteria that began after You Oughtta Know came blasting out of the radio in 1995. Yes, 1995. That’s 30 years ago, people. Ugh. Anyway, I bought this CD and listened to it over and over. I guess I was a teenage girl at heart, but I did really dig this album. I haven’t listened to it in about 29 years, but God knows we all heard enough of it when it was out. I think that’s why I was dreading this listen. I got so burned out on it that I turned from a fan into a hater back in the day. So, as I began my first listen, I got the nostalgia feels that come with being old and remembering when this album was huge and I was young and had all the chicks. Well, some of that sentence is true. Then I heard the first occurrence of Alanis’s, um, quirky, vocal styling. The yips and, the quirks and all the other weird affectations that I assume were real. Were they? But after you get to the hits, I kind of forgot about them and just enjoyed the trip back to 1995. By the time I got to the song Forgiven, I stopped working to listen to it. Forgiven is a great song. Not that the others aren’t, but I’ve heard them 1,000 times. Dang, this is a pretty good rock album. Then you find out that Flea and Dave Navarro played on You Oughtta Know and that’s like pure 1995 Chili Peppers. That can't be bad, right? No, One Hot Minute fans out there? It's very underrated. I may be swept up again in Alanis fever, but I think this is an album that deserves to be on the 1,001 list. Not only was it a phenomenon and helped boost the short-lived Litlith Fair phase, but it’s a damn good rock album on its own. It’s full of quasi-hard rock with pop sensibilities that really worked in the 90’s. If you’ve never heard this album, you should listen to it before you’re dead.

I’ll be honest, I had a busy weekend and I’m tired and sweaty. So, my head wasn’t really into listening to a “British acid jazz trio” as Red Snapper were described in their Wikipedia entry. Their album Our Aim Is To Satisfy is supposedly their best album and I couldn’t be happier for them. It’s not for me. It’s just kind of the same beat over and over with some tiny variation and someone singing a hook over and over, with a little rapping sprinkled throughout the album. The first time I listen to any of the 1,001 albums I am assigned, I listen while working. Saturday, I listened while reading. After the first song, not once did I stop and just listen or think, “Man, that was a great song.” Maybe it was the headspace I was in, or more likely, this type of music ain’t my bag, baby. And that’s alright. Rather than get angry and write how this music shouldn’t exist or call anyone who likes this album idiots, I’ll just not listen to it again and go on with my life. If you’re a fan of acid jazz, you probably already know about this album, but if not, you might want to check it out. Man, I’m tired.

I was never a huge fan of the Sex Pistols growing up. I didn’t like Johnny Rotten's voice, or whatever you call it. I was more into actual singing, plus I’d been conditioned to believe they weren’t very good because they really didn’t know how to play their instruments. I was just a poor, square nerd. But then I got into listening to Steve Jones’s radio show, Jonesy’s Jukebox, and he won me over, so I gave them another try. Turns out I love the Sex Pistols. The Pistols actually could play their instruments, a little bit, at least enough to crank out some tasty riffs. Johnny Rotten, while he couldn’t, or wouldn’t sing, could write lyrics that horrified you, but also made you think…If you could get past the initial shock and all the curse words. Each time I listen to Never Mind the Bollocks, I find a new favorite song. Perhaps my favorite song is Submission. The band’s manager had a shop called SEX that sold fetish items. He asked Rotten to write a song about S&M. At this point, Rotten had grown to dislike the manager and instead of writing a song about sexual submission, he wrote a song about a sub mission. As in, “I'm on a submarine mission for you, baby.” The groove, the riff and the inanity of Rotten singing about being on a submarine mission for a girl’s love is incredible. While the Pistols didn't start punk, they helped amplify it. I’d recommend this album to those who love rock and roll, whatever the genre. But be ready to clutch those pearls if you have delicate sensibilities. Even today, the lyrics paint a very crude, but descriptive picture.

I’m not really a fan of R.E.M. I’ve never owned any of their albums, back when you had to buy music albums. I kind of miss those days in a weird, masochistic way. Anyway, I never bought their stuff, but you really couldn’t get away from R.E.M.. They seemed to be on MTV every hour, back when MTV played music. So when I got their album Green for today, I thought, I’m sure to have heard some songs off this album. I did. I distinctly remember hearing Orange Crush, Stand and Pop Song 89. And I remember liking all those songs. Turns out, maybe I am an R.E.M. fan and didn't know it. The more I got into the album, the more it just kind of sounded like the Beatles filtered through Georgia. R.E.M. can write pop songs. Not sure they really wanted to do that, at least starting out, but they figured out how to write happy pop songs with some not so happy lyrics. You know, the whole spoonful of sugar gag. What’s funny about Green is that this is the experimental album for R.E.M. It was their sixth album and they had a style by that point. Michael Stipe told the band to stop writing R.E. M. songs, and when they did that, you get Green. Now, I’m well aware the album was probably a shock for the hardcore fans at the time, no hardcore group of fans ever wants “their” band to change or grow and evolve. But this album broke R.E.M. open to the mainstream. The next stop was the biggest band in the world for a period of time. I really like this album, being a country boy from the home of Bill Monroe, I love the mandolin that was sprinkled about, but all in all, the group knows how to write a song. And more importantly, they know how to write a song to make you feel something. If you’ve never gotten into R.E.M. you should check this album out. There are some really great tunes on this album.

This is my third Neil Young album during this 1,001 thing I’m doing. Tonight’s the Night was recorded after Danny Whitten, a member of Young's backing band Crazy Horse, overdosed and died. Then, Bruce Berry, a roadie for Young and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, also died of a heroin overdose. The deaths gutted Young and the rest of Crazy Horse. This album was Young, the remaining two members of Crazy Horse and Nils Lofgren, of E Street Band fame, gathering up in a studio, smoking weed and drinking tequila all day, only to begin recording around midnight when they’re all tuned up and high AF. And the album sounds like it. It’s sloppy, Young’s voice is struggling, and it sounds like most of the songs were done in one take. With all that being said, I love this album. I realize it may mostly be the backstory. Before reading about the recording of this album, I thought it sounded like a mess. It legit sounds like a bunch of dudes got high and drunk and decided to record some songs. But when you find out they’re all essentially gutted by the deaths of their friends and this album is an expression of their grief, it turns the album into a masterpiece. This album is the third in Young’s Ditch Trilogy. It’s called the Ditch Trilogy, as Young has become so famous and recognized, he decided to stop making music that had made him famous. He started experimenting more and wanted to create anything except what it was that made him popular. He was “driving his career into the ditch.” Much like Dylan going electric and not wanting to write just protest songs. On the Beach was one of the Ditch Trilogy albums, which I listened to about a week or two ago. It didn’t blow me away, but Tonight’s the Night got me. The songs are dark and filled with grief. They’re also about drugs; in fact, one song, Tired Eyes, is about a drug deal gone wrong in which Young’s friend had to kill a couple of guys. Another song, Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown, is a live song sang by Whitten while Young and Crazy Horse were on tour. And yes, the song is about drugs. Young wasn’t trying to write any hits with this album; he wanted to capture a moment and he succeeded. Tonight’s the Night is like a wake. But knowing that turns it from a sloppy-sounding average rock album into something almost sacred. There are a lot of darkness and grief on the album, but there are beautiful moments too. Lookout Joe is one of my new favorite songs and Lofgren plays one of the most amazing solos I’ve ever heard on the song Speakin’ Out. New Mama is more like CSN&Y, with an acoustic guitar, piano and great harmonies. I don’t know if I’m slowly becoming a Neil Young guy, but after listening to Tonight’s the Night about seven times since yesterday, I’m definitely a Tonight’s the Night fan.

This album takes me back. I didn’t own it when it came out in 1983, but Cyndi Lauper was everywhere, or at least in most of the places I was as a 9-year-old kid. She was on the radio, she was on TV with her music videos, hell, she was on my wrestling show. Her song Girls Just Want to Have Fun was not just a hit song, but probably the song of the year and maybe the next couple of years. In addition, the album had three other top five singles. Although back then it seemed there were a lot of albums with a bunch of huge singles on them. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but it seems like music was bigger back then. The artists were bigger and they were more mysterious. I guess the internet has fragmented music so much that there isn’t an artist who captures the attention of the whole world. But I digress, which is what I do best. This was Lauper’s first solo album, as she had an album with a band called Blue Angel that went nowhere. After regrouping, she put out this synth-pop, new wave classic. This is an album of its time, but there are really good pop songs on here. I know in 1983, I hadn’t fully become a heavy metal snob, and I had no money to buy albums, so I lived on the radio. I remember loving Cyndi Lauper, she seemed fun and crazy. She was also sneaky and subversive as she snuck the song She Bop past most people. I know, as a kid, when it came to She Bop, I just thought Cyndi loved dancing. I said earlier, this album was of the time, and it was, but maybe I’m looking at it from the perspective of living through that time. As I try to listen without old ears, I think a lot of these songs could be hits today. In fact, we could use more songs like these out there in the ether. Maybe it would calm some of these insanos down a little if we all bopped more and fought less. If you’re my age, which is old enough to remember when Cyndi Lauper was all over the radio, or are a young whippersnapper, I think you’ll enjoy a nice trip back to 1983 with She’s So Unusual.

I got into rap around the 7th grade when I discovered Run DMC’s Raising Hell. It was the Walk This Way video. It made me a fan of both Run DMC and Aerosmith and rap music. I’d not heard of Afrika Bambaataa at the time, and not sure I’d ever heard any of his music until yesterday. That is, none of his music performed by Afrika Bambaataa, I had heard Rage Against the Machine perform his song Renegades of Funk, which is badass. I turned on Afrika Bambaataa and while it did bring back memories of that time discovering rap music, it didin’t do much else. Plus, I learned about some troubling issues with Bambaataa and it made me want to enjoy it even less. I instead wanted to listen to 2 Live Crew and early NWA with Arabian Prince on their first album. While they have their own controversies, it's what I grew up with. I’d imagine any young person listening to hip hop today wouldn’t even give Afrika Bambaataa or any rap from the mid-80s a second listen. Even to my old ears, it sounds kind of lame. Is this an album you need to hear before you die? If you’re a hip hop or rap historian, yes; otherwise, I’d just as soon have been issued 2 Live Crew’s Move Somethin’ or N.W.A. and the Posse’s album.

I remember when Beck appeared out of nowhere with the song Loser, a song he will be known for his whole life and beyond. I wasn’t too impressed and never really got into him. It seems I might have made a mistake. I thought Beck was just samples, bad white boy rap, and goofy nonsensical lyrics, then he gets his heart broken, and he makes a brilliant album about heartbreak and loss, which is not nonsense. In fact, it's brilliant. Beck’s Sea Change can be described with two words: beautifully dark. This isn’t a feel-good album, but the music, combined with the dark lyrics, gives the whole album this melancholy feeling of loss, disappointment, and grief. Beck broke up with his special lady friend and decided to just write actual songs with very personal lyrics. Then he had his dad, who composes music for movies, add string arrangements to the album. The strings put this album over the top. I read on Wikipedia that this album was a huge critical success when it came out, and it won Rolling Stone’s album of the year for 2002. I rarely agree with RS on its top albums, but in this case, I feel like they nailed it. In fact, Sea Change might have been a top 3 album of that decade. I can’t stress to you enough how good this album is. It made me feel like I was driving around Los Angeles aimlessly, trying to solve a problem, before ending up in the desert alone on the open road. Sometimes albums will put a specific location or setting in my head. Sea Change is one of those albums. I’m not sure if Beck’s other albums are this good, but Sea Change has made me want to explore more from an artist I had written off years ago.

Um…..Uh……I guess I don’t get it. I’ve heard about Guided By Voices forever, but I never knew anything about them. I was kind of hoping they were a punk band, and I guess some might say they are. Alien Lanes is the group’s 8th album and it has 28 songs with some lasting just 19 seconds. In fact, the album has several songs under a minute. Are they songs at that point? Maybe they’re jingles? Music critics love this band, which generally means I’m not smart enough or I’m not pretentious enough to get it. Or maybe I’m not afraid to admit I don’t like it? The songs seem like they turned on the the recording equipment and decided to make up a song on the spot. I guess I can see the appeal to some. I thought of Weezer, the Who, the Eagles of Death Metal’s first album when I listened to GBV. However, I will also listen to those bands in the future. GBV is what some refer to a lo-fi, indie music. They are praised for their songwriting and their lyrics, but I don’t get it. They actually have what sounds like a dude snoring throughout one song. The song is called Ex-Supermodel. Check it out and tell me a dude isn’t snoring. Hey, I get it, I wanted to snore through most of this album. It’s not all bad; there are several good jingles on the album. If GBV worked on them longer than 2 minutes, they might make actual good songs. I don't hate this album, because I’m old. I've never liked this kind of music. Maybe I’m the pretentious one. I recommend not listening to this unless you like pretentious indie rock or you want to hear how snoring can be a musical instrument.

I never heard of the Soft Boys. I have heard of the Viagra Boys, but they’re a more modern band. Anyway, Underwater Moonlight is the Soft Boys' second album, and it was released in 1980. I’m not sure what happened, but it wasn’t really noticed by anyone, it seems. According to the Wikipedia entry, the United Kingdom was in the midst of a printer’s strike, so none of the rock magazines or newspapers were being printed, and there were no reviews of the album, I guess. Their I found that hilarious for some reason. In 1980, if music critics weren’t able to get there views on new albums out to the masses. How else are you going to build word of mouth back then? I remember reading Rolling Stone, Circus, Hit Parader and RIP magazine to find out which hairband I should invest my time in next. Back to the Soft Boys’ Underwater Moonlight, the album fits in perfectly with the whole new wave type rock that became uber-popular in the early to mid-’80s. The Wikipedia entry keeps referring to the album being psychedelic, and there is a bit of that in it, but it mostly sounds like good ‘80s rock to me. Even though the Soft Boys had bad luck with the printers' strike in 1980, they did go on to influence several bands of some renown, like R.E.M. and the Replacements. You can definitely hear the Soft Boys' influence in those bands. Other bands influenced by the Soft Boys were the Stone Roses and the Pixies. As I’m a child of the ‘80’s I very much enjoyed this album. It’s just weird and different enough to keep you wondering what’s coming next, but it still has good songwriting and musicality to keep you from spinning out into no man’s land like our friends Guided By Voices. I think these guys would have been pretty big if they had come along in 1982, rather than 1980. They were too early for what they were doing. Sometimes it’s like that. If you’re too early, no one but hardcores know you and you’re the grandfathers. If you’re too late, you’re just cashing in, the posers. But, if you weasel you’re way into a group of three or four like-minded bands, you become royalty, the kings. Unfortunately for the Soft Boys, they're the grandfathers.

Amy Winehouse was a very talented singer and it’s a shame she couldn’t keep her demons at bay. I loved the Back To Black album, but I’d never heard her album Frank. Apparently, it was the one that broke her or at least got the right people to hear her. However, Frank gets on my nerves so badly. I can only really listen to it when I’m doing something else. Again, it’s just me, but I hate the whole turning one-syllable words into 20, or changing the pronunciations of words, like curb to c-ur-ay-o-ur-ubay. No, it’s curb. Her scatting and be-bopping are nails on a chalkboard to me. Maybe if I hadn’t heard so many less talented singers who copied her style, it wouldn’t bother me as much. Frank’s music also sounds more like a hip-hop album than a nice classic jazz album. Again, it’s just my personal taste. But Back To Black just sounds so much cleaner and classier. And it led to my discovery of the great Mark Ronson. If you like Amy Winehouse and you’ve never heard Frank, I think it probably is a must-hear for fans. The whole album isn’t full of the stuff that drives me crazy. There are great songs on here, like F Me Pumps, I Hear Love Is Blind, and There Is No Greater Love, but they are mostly the songs that sound like classic jazz standards. If you’re like me and little stupid things irritate you, then you might want to tread lightly.

Elvis Costello was before my time of listening to music, for the most part. Plus, he was kind of all over the place musically. Was he punk? Was he new wave? Was he rockabilly? Was he just old-time rock ‘n’ roll? He was kind of everything. On his debut album, My Aim Is True, his backup band was a country-rock band named Clover. The bad news for Clover is that they appeared in London during the punk movement, so they looked like everything punk was against over there, hippies. But they could play some rock ‘n’ roll. I think Elvis Costello’s aim wasn’t to be punk or hip or anything, I think he just wanted to play the kind of music he grew up on, which was 50’s rock’n’ roll. In 1977, you had disco, big arena rock bands and the youngsters just wanted simple rock ‘n’ roll, hence punk. Unlike most punk bands, Costello could write great songs with catchy lyrics, and with the Clovers, they could play the songs well. I had quite a few of the songs stick in my head and bubble up throughout the day. You could see Costello was going to be someone pretty important because he had what some people like to call “it.” A song called Mystery Dance is on the album, and its just a minute and a half long, but it’s got more packed into it than anything on the Guided By Voices album that still haunts me. I’m excited to check out more Costello as the 1,001 list continues. My favorite songs on the album are Mystery Dance, Welcome To the Working Week, Sneaky Feelings, Less Than Zero, and probably the best song is Watching the Detectives. It’s mostly a reggae song, and I dislike reggae, so you know it must be good. But truly, all the tracks are good, as it's just good old rock ‘n’ roll with catchy hooks and great lyrics. This album was a real treat after GBV and Frank.

Man, I really dug this album. This album is composed of what some people might call “baby-making music.” On this album, Bobby Womack is telling you about how the love of a good woman is everything in a man’s life and how the love of a bad woman is still pretty damn good in a man’s life, but at some point, you’ve got to get the hell out. The Poet came out in 1981. Baby-making music, or good old-fashioned R&B, was not popular. We were in the dying days of disco and R&B was more dance music. Not that you can’t dance to Bobby Womack music, because Stand Up had me taking a break to boogie at my desk. The Poet is full of that classic music where Bobby is almost talking straight to the listener, imparting his worldly advice. Like Bobby had been at the top, he’d had the money, the fame, the women, but what he really wanted was that foxy soulmate that would keep layin’ her love on him. Besides being full of great R&B, some of the songs veer off course a bit. Just My Imagination isn’t the Just My Imagination you’ve heard from the Temptations or the Rolling Stones. This is a song written by Womack using the same title, but there is a steel guitar used throughout that makes the song sound like a country song. It’s weird, but it’s a good song. It’s almost a haunting song. Then you get to a song called Stand Up that is pure disco goodness. Stand up, ‘cause you can’t sit down. And you can’t. This song could be a hit today. It’s pure boogie fuel. I’ll admit, I’ve had a few dogs this past week in the 1,001 list and I’m not sure if I love this album because it’s broken me out of a rough patch or if it’s really a must hear album. I’m going to say it’s a little of both. The Poet is a great example of the dying days of classic R&B music that was used for dancing or for fu….um, loving. Do yourself a favor, when you’re looking to make things hot for your special friend or you just want to boogie, throw on The Poet and let Bobby talk you into something fun.

I had never heard of the band Shack. I had no idea what I was in for, but I was pleasantly surprised. Shack could be described as Britpop. In fact, Shack is a Liverpool band formed by two brothers Mick and John Head and ended up getting signed to Noel Gallagher’s label. So, it doesn't get more Britpop than that. Before becoming a part of Gallagher’s label, the band released three albums and Fable was their third release. The band had actually broken up before their second album came out. They thought a fire had destroyed the master tapes and then Mick Head got hooked on heroin and the band broke up. Someone then tracked down a DAT with the album was recovered. Their second album was released and the band reformed to record H.M.S. Fable. Didn't the whole thing seem doomed from the start? So H.M.S. Fable comes out and makes a bit of a splash in England making the top 25 albums chart, getting good reviews and inevitably making the 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It sounds exactly what you’d think it sounds like when you find out it’s Britpop, which isn't a bad thing. I think the album is good, I just don't have the affinity in my heart for Britpop. The song Pull Together would be a huge hit today, I think. The song Captain’s Table is like an old-time sea shanty about the singer’s time aboard the H.M.S. Fable. There isn’t a bad song on the whole album. I think the album a grower and when I’m getting a new album to listen to each day, I don’t have much time to give an album a dozen listens. If I were making a list of albums you need to hear before you die, I’m not sure this would make the cut. I think it’s a shame the band had so much bad luck in its time together. They eventually released one more album, then the drummer died and they broke up. If you’re a fan of Oasis and Blur, and you’ve never heard of Shack, this is going to really be satisfying.

I remember when this album came out. I was in 6th grade, I think and Fight For Your Right was everywhere. I guess by that point I’d heard some rap, but this was kind of heavy metal mixed with rap? It was just weird, but loud and catchy. Plus, it was white dudes doing rap? White dudes that used to be a hardcore punk band? Though I didn’t find that out until much later, probably when I heard Gratitude. “These guys play instruments?” Today, Licensed To Ill sounds very basic, at least for how far hip-hop has come/ Though, I kind of think hip-hop has actually regressed today to a simpler style than even used on Licensed To Ill. But I digress. License To Ill now sounds like what it was supposed to be, as I'm older and hopefully smarter. It's a parody, an over the top rap album by morons. Unfortunately, as with most satire or parody, a lot of the Beastie Boys’ fans didn’t realize it. They were creating an army of frat boy losers who took them seriously. Don’t forget, people, as a rule, are dumb. Again, I digress. As a 12-year-old kid hearing this, I didin’t know if I liked it or not. It was music kind of. It was other people’s music kind of thrown together over a beat, with, at that time, pretty middling rapping. It wasn’t until the Beastie Boys broke away from Def-Jam, the label that paid them, and toned down the frat boy mentality, that they became some of the best MCs in rap. However, this is a very fun record. These songs will make you smile, like Girls, No Sleep Til Brooklyn and Brass Monkey. Just great party music. I didn’t even realize it until I was sitting at work with a smile on my face and I was chair dancing at my desk. Plus the groove for Paul Revere goes hard. As for this being a must hear album before you die? I’d say it is. It was the biggest thing in music the year it came out. I mean, they toured with Madonna on her Virgin Tour. Though that little partnership ended as you would expect. You also get to hear early Rick Rubin production. Rubin, of course, would go on to produce at least one of your favorite albums. My favorite Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ album is Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik, which was Rubin. If you’re a youngster who has never experienced the Beastie Boys, I know this album will sound crude to your ears, but after listening to this last night, it spurred me on to listen to their follow-up, Paul’s Boutique, which is probably my favorite Beastie record. The further you go down their discography, you notice how they matured and grew from frat boys to wise old dudes that still knew how to make goofy, yet well-crafted bars, as the kids say.

It always seemed weird to me that Neil Young would join Crosby, Stills and Nash after they already had a brilliant debut album and were one of the biggest groups at the time. Also, it kind of seemed like three of the four in the group wanted to be solo artists anyway. Young went on to become the biggest individual star of the group. But when the Lord blesses you with a win on a three-leg parlay, you don’t question why you deserve it. This album has songs that I imagine would be among that generation’s all-time bangers. You’ve got Carry On, Teach Your Children, Woodstock and Our House. You have heard all those songs. You might not know it was CSN&Y, but they’re recognizable. And another song, Almost Cut My Hair, gets played a bit on classic rock stations. It's my theme song right now as I've not had my haircut in maybe a year? It's unruly. All four played an integral part in the band and all wrote songs for the album and all got a chance to sing lead on a song. Stills is very underrated as a guitar hero. He plays incredible leads and solos throughout this album and Young… Well, when it comes to guitar, Neil’s gonna Neil. But, Young’s guitar polaying has one thing going for it that’s lacking in a lot guitarists, a signature sound. You know a Neil Young solo when you hear it. However, the voices, or the blending of their voices, is what brings everyone to the party. They sing like angels, and lyrically, the songs hit all the right spots. New love, lost love, sad love and letting your freak flag fly. There was a time in my youth when I would have thought this music was lame and anyone who listened to it was just an old square. I still have a regretful flashback about the time I told a dude who was kind enough to drive me and my idiot friends to see ZZ Top that CSN&Y sucked as he was playing it on his tape deck. What a little a-hole I was. Now, I’m the old square who loves this album. So, you should listen to this album before you go to bed tonight, much less before you die.

Now we’re getting somewhere. Sepultura is a heavy metal band from Brazil who were formed in 1984, right in my wheelhouse. Except I never really listened to them. When they became huge, I was still a high schooler who had to pay around $20 for a CD. By that time, I was already getting a new CD just about every week, so I had to be really sure about what I was buying. Although there were some mysteries bought along the way, you know, those CDs you bought just because the cover looked cool. But I digress. Sepultura means grave in Portuguese, so that should tell you where the band is coming from. They have very dark and political lyrics, kind of like Slayer or Megadeth. Their music is a bit more like Slayer, very fast, heavy, full of blast beats. Singer/guitarist Max Cavalera had a singing delivery very reminiscent of Tom Araya of Slayer. But Sepultura also has a bit of a groove like Pantera. So, that sounds great, doesn’t it? And they are. But back in the day, I still had issues with the screaming vocal delivery. I never got into Slayer because of Araya’s vocals….and the whole Satanic thing freaked me out too. After seeing their set at Louder Than Life in Louisville, I wish I had gotten into Slayer. Great Odin's raven! I listened to Arise yesterday while watching the NFL RedZone and it was a delight. This album is chock full of riffs and pretty poignant lyrics that could have been written today. I’m sorry I didn’t get into them when I was in high school. I mean, they would have really scared the adults in my life. Which is kind of what a young teenage punk wants, right? Sepultura's sixth album was called Roots, with a song called Roots Bloody Roots, which I really love. I remember sitting in the parking lot of Bob’s IGA one afternoon with Roots Bloody Roots cranked, windows down, and people giving me the stink eye. Good times. Arise was the first album the band had money to record, so they were able to experiment a bit more and take their time with the recording. Arise and the next two albums would cement Sepultura as one of the biggest metal bands in the world. There have been member changes and things every band goes through over the years, but a version of Sepultura is still out there crushing skulls today. If you’re a fan of heavy metal, extreme metal, or just Slayer, you will no doubt enjoy Speultura’s Arise.

Typically, double albums are a type of ego-driven project by an artist or band that believes their fans want more from them with every new album. What those artists don’t realize is that you always want to leave your fans wanting more. You don’t want to give them reasons to dislike those extra songs on the album or to feel like the double album is more for the band than the fans. There might be one case where a double album might have been better than two separate albums, and that’s with Metallica’s Load and Reload, but I digress. Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a perfect double album. Every song is a banger. The album flows with a loose concept of nostalgia for the past, and every few songs, you get a new musical style, it seems. Plus, the album is loaded with singles that you've already heard, you just didn't know it. Elton John is a musical genius, and his writing partner Bernie Taupin may be one of the world’s best poets/lyricists. Put them together and you have some of the greatest songs ever created. Just on this album alone, you have Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting, Bennie & The Jets, Candle In the Wind, and the title track, which I think is vastly underrated. Plus, the album kicks off with one of the hardest rocking songs John ever released, Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. Incredible stuff that I hadn’t heard until my brother told me, “You’ve got to hear this.” It was embarrassing that I didn't know it before Dustin showed me. I don’t have to tell you how good this album is, it’s got accolades out the ying yang, but I can tell you it’s one of the most beautiful and brilliant rock/pop records ever made. You’ll feel good listening to it, and you’ll find yourself singing some of the songs when you aren’t listening to it. I mean, Roy Rogers is such a great song and you’ll only hear it when you listen to the album. Before bed or while you’re winding down for bed, put this on and drift off to dreams of Captain Fantastic and the Brwon Dirt Cowboy.

U2 were just becoming U2 when I was a kid. By 1987, when Joshua Tree came out, I had discovered Van Halen, ZZ Top, just good old classic rock, so I didn’t have time for new rock like U2. I need songs with riffs and guitar wankery. But I remember all the hoopla about Joshua Tree. It was all over mainstream magazines and radio. Still, it didn’t appeal to me at that time. Just young and dumb and full of.....beans. Then I stole my older brother’s cassette tape of U2’s Achtung Baby in 1991 and I finally got it. I figured out that U2 was a great rock band and the best rock band in the world for a long time. It was the songs, the lyrics, the guitar sounds from the Edge, the way Bono belted out his lyrics, the rhythm section made up of the other dudes…..I know them, just let me Google a recipe first…Yeah! Larry Mullin Jr. and Adam Clayton. Those guys are good, too. I’m joking, but that is a tight rhythm section, and it allowed the Edge to experiment with his guitar. The first four songs on Joshua Tree are reason enough to think Joshua Tree is one of the greatest albums ever put out. It starts with Where the Streets Have No Name, then I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, then With or Without You and then Bullet the Blue Sky. What?!? The most amazing thing about Joshua Tree was that, around this time, rock was still in its new wave/post punk time period. What was selling records was keyboards and synths, and beats. U2 wanted to put out a rock album, and they succeeded in recording music that can’t be easily placed in the 80’s. It’s evergreen rock. Which is hard to create as everyone wants to follow the trends or maybe edge closer to what's popular to sell records. This was the album that made U2 stadium rockers, and it’s easy to hear why. All the songs probably sound amazing in a huge stadium setting, as most are stadium anthems. There’s a reason why U2 was known for a long while as the world’s best rock ‘n’ roll band, it’s because they were. Plus, the opening couple of minutes of Where the Streets Have No Name give me that feeling. You know, that feeling that overwhelms you and you think, "Holy crap, am I getting ready to cry?" It's impactful music, which is a blessing because most music is cotton candy, here for a short time and then forgotten about. I’m sure this won’t be the only U2 album on the 1,001 list, but if they’re half as good as Joshua Tree, I’m in for a real treat

Oh man, I’m an Ice-T fan from way back! I have kind of been lying to you all, saying I was a metalhead in my younger years and that any other music was lame to me. Well….There was the gangster rap phase from my middle school years into high school years. It's weird to say, but I was introduced to NWA and 2 Live Crew through church. Told you it was weird. It wasn’t in church, but on a trip with our church youth group. Several of us were in the car of a high schooler who had their license and NWA and 2 Live Crew blasting. Above everything, we thought it was funny. We’d never heard these kinds of words said in music. Most of us had only ever heard Run DMC. We didn't even realize we were listening to two genres of rap, NWA being gangsta rap and with 2 Live Crew that Miami bass sound. I must have bought Ice T’s album called Power by that time, and I remember loving it. Ice T’s voice sounded cool. Even back then, for me, if the “vocals” sounded cool, I was in. None of us country white boys understood what the rappers were talking about. Didn’t have any clue that some, or all, of the stuff they were talking about was real. It was almost like they were war reporters in Vietnam or the Iragi’s skirmishes. After just listening to the Beastie Boys’ License To Ill a few days ago, O.G. is leaps and bounds above it when it comes to rapping and the music. Plus, where the Beastie Boys were just making up stories, Ice-T is rapping about his life in gangs, his influences, people he knows, censorship, how being a famous rapper aint' all it's cracked up to be. The rapping is tight, the lyrics are compelling and the beats for the time are killer. The album is basically Ice T’s bonafides as being the first gangster rapper and if he isn’t, he’s at least the first one to make it big. As a special treat, he even includes a song from his metal band Body Count on this album. Body Count rocks hard. I remember buying their debut album with the Cop Killer song on it that caused all the controversy. Body Count is pretty underrated as a metal band and they still put music out. If you’re a rap fan and have never heard Ice-T and think he’s just an actor, you need to hear this album. It brings back memories of a simpler time, really. Ice-T really does prove he's the Original Gangster with this record.

I kind of don’t know what to do with this album. I really dig it, but is it important? Astrud Gilberto's becoming famous is an amazing story. She went with her musician father to the U.S. to act as his interpreter because he only spoke Portuguese. He’d been invited to record an album. At one point, they wanted English lyrics sung on a song called The Girl From Ipanema and boom, Astrud became a global superstar. You may think you’ve never heard the song, but you’ve heard the song. Anyway, she went on to record several albums, of which Beach Samba was one. The album came out in 1967 and really didn’t make a splash. In fact, one review said it was one of Gilberto’s “less impressive albums.” So, here we are, listening to this album in 2025, and truth be told, I love samba and bossa nova music. It’s the groove. I listened to Henry Mancini’s Mr. Lucky Goes Latin for months on repeat. It’s just good stuff. So, as I listen to Astrud, I think I’ve taught myself to chair samba, but I’m not sure I’d say you have to hear this album before you die. Now, Mr. Lucky Goes Latin? Yes, listen to it. Especially if you’re a fan of The Big Lebowski or a certain Seinfeld episode featuring the bro or the manssiere as some may call it. There is a song called, You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice, on Beach Samaba that Astrud sings with a little girl, which is just about the cutest thing you’ll ever hear. The rest of the songs are good. So if you like The Girl From Ipanema, you’ll love Beach Samba. Also, if you’re looking to switch up your makeout music, except for the duet with the little girl, the rest of the music is prime Latin baby-making music.

Much like a lot of the entries on the 1,001 albums to hear before you die, I was late getting into Rush. There was a time when Geddy Lee’s voice irritated me so much, I couldn’t enjoy the music. I guess after some loud concerts and several decades of listening to headphones/earbuds, my hearing eroded enough that I learned to appreciate Lee’s voice. Beyond the uniquely high voice, there wasn’t anything not to like about Rush. Great songs, weird lyrics, Alex Lifeson’s guitar work was impeccable and drummer Neil Peart was a god among men. Hell, old Neil even wrote the bulk, if not all, of the lyrics to Rush songs when he joined the band. By the time Moving Pictures came around Rush was at the height of their powers. I’m not sure they were exactly radio superstars, but they sure as heck fire became radio superstars with the rise of classic rock stations. I’d swear I’d heard 5-6 of the songs on Moving Pictures on the radio. I know Tom Sawyer and Limelight were classic rock royalty, but Red Barchetta and the Camera’s Eye both sounded so familiar. What’s funny is, Vital Signs was released as a single, but I have no memory of hearing it on the radio. I have a hard time listing my favorite song from the album because it's full of my favorite all-time Rush songs. Tom Sawyer and Limelight get all the pub, but I love Red Bachetta as an album track. It’s about a future where cars are illegal, but the singer has an uncle who keeps a red barchetta at a farm in the country and the singer goes out there sometimes just to drive and feel the wind in his hair. I mean, it's a great story, and a story quickly becoming reality, it seems. Limelight is about Peart’s trying to adjust from going to a “nobody” to being a “somebody.” While Tom Sawyer just makes me think of “The Modern Day Warrior” Kerry Von Erich. The album has an 80’s feel to it. Rush subtly introduces synths to their music without you even really noticing. They were great at changing their sound from album to album just enough that you wouldn’t really notice for like three albums. If you’re a rock fan and have never heard Rush, this album is a great start. If you’re not a rock fan but want to see why Rush fans are insane, this album is a great start. It’s arguably a perfect album with no filler. As for hearing it before you die, you should listen to it before I finish typing this.

Another band I have never heard or heard of, I believe, one song did kind of sound familiar. The Fall is like new-wave/post-punk but in the 90s. It’s almost like everyone moved on to grunge, but these guys liked ’80s rock. Musically, they are pretty good. They have the same kind of guitars as U2 circa the Joshua Tree. There’s just one problem: they’ve got a lead singer singing a different song over the top of the music. This could be another case where i’m a square who can’t pick up on the cool, but lead singer, Mark E. Smith, is barely singing and a lot of times he’s making noises. It’s very weird and quite frustrating at first. But then as you keep listening, the music is good good, you kind of get used to the sounds that are supposed to be lyrics. One of the reviews referred to The Fall’s music as unmarketable and I agree. The lead singer, Smith, was the founding member, so he wasn’t going to fire himself. So, the band was kind of stuck making music that only people doing the 1,001 Albums challenge would even hear. Some of the albums on the 1,001 list have me wondering if the author is kind of playing pranks on the readers every so often. The Fall’s The Infotainment Scan is not dog crap, but it’s not good either. I will say, the song Paranoia Man in Cheap Sh*t Room is pretty good. It’s the one I thought I’d heard before, but I have no idea where. Certainly, it wasn’t on the radio back then, maybe it was on 120 Minutes on MTV, but I rarely watched that. I was, of course, a Headbanger’s Ball guy.

For someone who prides himself on listening to a bunch of different artists and kinds of music, I feel like I start everyone of these out with, I never really go into so and so until later. So, I never got into Bowie until the last 20 years or so. I always kind of thought he was weird and I just didn’t get it. Then I listened to Ziggy Stardust and it hit me, Bowie is a genius. Then I listened to Hunky Dory and I was like Bowie is a genius. Then I heard Life on Mars? and I just wanted to cry it was so good. I still get that way everytime I hear it. I keptlistening to Bowie and even his most experiemtnal stuff was so interesting. Bowie is a genius and while Ziggy Stardust might not be his greatest album, though it’s in the running, it’s arguably his most recognized character. Is it character? Or just his most recognizable version of Bowie? That’s what made Bowie a genius. He had a sound, a Bowieness throughout his career, but almost every album sounded different thant the last. And instead of his fans calling him a sellout or saying he should just stick with this kind of music or that kind of music, they just took whatever Bowie offered up. Zigg Stardust is kind of a concept album or rock opera, though it didn’t start that way. It’s about a messiah who comes to earth to save the world only to get so caught up in fame and fortune he alienates his fans and his band before dying on stage. Truthfully, I never paid much attention to the “story” because the songs were so good. Bowie was Ziggy, of course, and The Spiders from Mars were made up of Trevor Bolder on bass, Mick Woodmansey on drums, and one of Bowie’s longtime collaborators Mick Ronson on guitar. Ronson is one of my favorite guitar players. His guitar work on the album is so good. It’s not guitar wankery, all the licks he provides go to help the song. It’s a shame we lost him to cancer before he could truly become one of the most legendary guitarists ever, even though, in my eyes he did. I’m not good at whatever this is that I’ve been doing now for 88 albums. I can only tell you this album is definitely a must hear as there is no song that’s not great. I feel this could be released today and be a hit, especially Starman, Moonage Daydream and Ziggy Stardust, songs I’m quite positive you’ve heard somewhere before. I loved taking this trip down memory lane. If you do nothing after reading this, just remember Mick Ronson is a great guitarist and search his stuff out.

Okay, so I’d heard of Jurassic 5 and thought they were hip-hop and I was right. I didn’t think I knew any of their music until I got to the song What’s Golden. And I guess for a summer or a year, that song was everywhere and it’s a banging track. Jurassic 5 are labeled as an alternative hip-hop group, whatever that means. I guess it means they aren’t rapping about killing people and smacking hos. Jurassic 5 is more old school and fun. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have political songs or songs about society. And like most songs from the past, because people are idiots, the problems they were writing about are still happening today. These dudes come out of L.A., the birthplace of gangsta rap, but they went another way. And there isn’t anything wrong with gangsta rap, at one time it was most of what I listened to, but you get tired of some things after a while. Jurassic 5 uses samples combined with live instruments for their music and the songs have a great flow. They reminded me of later Beastie Boys work. Their voices are perfect for rap. They kind of reminded me of Arabian Prince’s voice, at least one of them. Arabian Prince wasn't a great rapper and he didn’t become a star, but he had a voice that couldn’t be confused with anyone else. He was on the N.W.A. and the Posse album. I actually really dug this album. I found myself bobbing my head and chair dancing. During a later listen, when reading the lyrics, I could tell these guys were craftsmen. The rhymes and words fit together perfectly, no hitches, nothing out of sorts, very unique. Plus, the album has some cool guest spots from Big Daddy Kane, Kool Keith and Nelly Furtado. Where is Nelly Furtado these days? Is she married? Would she like to be married? Anyway, if you’re a fan of hip-hop and haven’t heard Jurassic 5, this is probably the best example of their style. Is this an album to hear before you die? Probably not, but I sure dug the hell out it and I know hip-hop fans will enjoy it more than me.

Exile in Guyville was a bit of a phenomenon back in 1993. I remember all the buzz and seeing all the reviews, and it making the best of lists that year. I never listened to it, one because I broke my leg that summer, so I wasn’t out and about that much, and also because you paid for music back then. I only had so much disposable income for music, so Liz Phair, while buzzy and intriguing, didn’t qualify for purchase to me. I’d always heard the Exile in Guyville was kind of her answer to the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St., which is, arguably, the Stones’ best album. I’m more partial to Sticky Fingers, but Exile on Main St. is incredible. Turns out, it wasn’t a song-by-song reply, but Phair did want the songs to kind of mimic the pacing of Exile on Main St. Exile in Guyville is a double album, and for a debut, that’s ballsy, but Phair was ballsy. She was recording music in her bedroom, making her own cassette mix tapes and handing them out around Chicago. Then, a miracle happens, she gets signed to Matador Records. The music is very indie rock, almost what you’d think of as indie rock. Very raw, not overly produced. The songs really shine, though. Phair doesn’t have a great voice, but she sounds authentic, which really makes you feel the emotion in the songs. There were moments when I was listening to this album and I thought, "This could have been a Stones’ song." The album is about a young woman making her way through her 20’s in 1990’s Chicago. Which I wouldn’t have been able to understand as an 18-year-old kid with a broken leg. Now, as a 50-something old man, I still barely understand, but Phair conveys the joy, the sadness, the heartbreak so well, you get what she went through in that time. I think this is an important album maybe more for women to listen to, but I really enjoyed it. There are some great songs on here, though, as with most double albums, you wonder if it couldn’t have been a little better with a few songs cut. Whether it’s a must-listen before you die, I’m not sure, but if you grew up when it exploded on the scene like I did, check it out. I'm glad I did. I see what the hub-bub was about.

When I saw my next album was from Crowded House, I immediately thought, "Well, here come the synths and drum machines." Only, that’s not what came. What came instead was a really good pop album that wasn’t meant to be a Crowded House album. In fact, even during the heart of the 80s, Crowded House wasn’t a synth-heavy new wave band, I just painted with a broad stroke. During a break from Crowded House, Neil Finn, the band leader, began writing songs with his brother Tim Finn. The songs were to be used for an album from the Finn Brothers.However, when Crowded House got together to write a new album, their record label didn’t like what they came up with. Neil asked Tim if Crowded House could use the Finn Brothers’ songs. Tim said yes, but only if he joined the band. Or, something like that, it seems memories are a bit fuzzy on how Tim got in the band. It seems reasonable to want to be a part of a touring act that was pretty big at the time. So, Crowded House used the Finn Brothers’ songs and made a good album, which most of the world loved, but not so much the U.S. The album came out in 1991, and the U.S. was into hair metal and rap, and this album is neither of these genres. Also, Wood Face is not a very appealing title. Woodface isn’t an '80s-sounding album. It could've been put out today and be a great album. The songs are just good pop songs with hooks that will have you singing along. But the best thing about the songs is the harmonies of the Finn brothers. If you squint your ears really hard, you almost hear Lennon and McCartney on a few of the songs. The album went to #1 in Australia, #2 in New Zealand, #6 in the United Kingdom, but it only went to #82 in the U.S. It was a top 20 album in most other European countries. But, as we all know, you can’t be huge if you aren’t huge in the U.S. So Crowded House continued on as a huge band in Europe, but they were looked at as a one-hit wonder in the U.S. Wood Face is a fine album and has some great songs, but it didn’t blow me away. I doubt I’ll be listening to it again. But, if you like good, solid pop music with real instruments, this is an album you’ll dig.

Ugh. All I’ve ever heard is effusive praise for the band Wilco and the album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and at least through the first 3 songs of the album, I wondered if I was taking crazy pills. I have never been more disappointed in an album on the 1,001 list thus far. I was excited about hearing this album because of all the accolades and praise it's gotten since it came out. Then I finally hear it, and it was just a lot of noise and a depressed dude throwing his lamentations out into the ether. Am I just not getting it? By track 4, War on War, it at least sounded kind of like what I know a song might sound like, but it had a machine making weird noises throughout, so it kind of was a good song mixed with nails on a chalkboard. I’m legit shook. What have people been talking about all these years? I thought Wilco was kind of a country/rock indie band. They sound more like a Japanese noise rock band to me. Track 5 is Jesus Etc. and it sounds great. What happened in the first 4 songs? Just start the album here and let’s have a good time. Oh, I see it’s being described as art rock in Wikipedia, which means people who think they’re smart will talk about how much they like the album while regular lunkheads like me will be like, “No, it’s crap.” Why am I so angry? It’s almost funny how angry I am at this moment. I can see now why their record label at the time didn’t want to release the album. But, Wilco bought back the album and changed labels, put it out, and the album, according to wikipedia, “is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of the 2000s and of all time.” As we go further into the album, it sounds less like a group of children trying to learn music on the fly and instead, there are actual songs here. I think if they’d spread out the experimental crap throughout the album, it might have been better. You know the old adage, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down? This was like a spoonful of crap will make the medicine taste like crap. The rest of the album was alright, if not depressing. However, the first four songs really infuriated me. I attempted to listen to the album again last night, but football was on and even a crappy, and I mean crappy, NFL game was still better than this album. If this is your favorite album, don’t pay any attention to what I’ve said, because maybe I’m an idiot. I can see why it’s on the 1,001 albums to hear before you die list, just to find out what all the praise and love for this album was all about. If you find out, let me know.

I was around when the Strokes were the big new band on the scene, the band that was changing rock. I was more of a Kings of Leon fan, due to them being Southern mostly, but they certainly put out great music. I always looked at the Strokes as a band of pretty, rich boys that wouldn’t last the test of time. That kind of came to fruition, in a way. While the Kings of Leon were producing steady content, the Strokes had hiatuses and side projects. The KOL had rehab stints that curtailed their output as well. In other words, in 2001, I wasn’t impressed with the Strokes, though this was still the time when you had to invest in your music by buying CDs. I was already buying KOL CDs, so the Strokes lost out. I was also annoyed by the lead singer, Julian Casablancas, always having an effect on his voice. Like he was singing through a Hardee’s drive-thru microphone. It just irked me. But, surprisingly, it never once bothered me today. Now, having listened to Is This It? in 2025, I loved it. It’s good jangly rock that’s fun to listen to or even dance to. As I listened to songs like Last Nite, I realized that this was essentially an updated version of rock, the likes of what Tom Petty was making in the early 80’s. It’s not hair metal with guitar wankery, it’s just solid riffs with cool hooks to get you singing along. What else could you ask for? The album also changed music at the time, once Is This It? came out, probably before it came out, you had all these Strokes clones popping up, especially out of the New York scene. It was kind of another scene like 70s New York with punk and new wave. In fact, there’s a great oral history about this 2000's scene and the music called Meet Me In the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman. It’s a great companion piece with Please Kill Me: An Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil, focusing on the punk and new wave movement in New York in the 70's. Again, I digress. After listening to Is This It? a few times, I’ll admit, I missed the boat and should have been on this band at the time. Luckily, I have the 1,001 albums list to correct my ways. Though after slogging through Wilco, I wonder if I’d have liked anything put in my earholes? Check out Is This It? It’s just cool rock that makes for a good time. The music is good and the lyrics are kind of a time capsule of what was going on in that music scene at the time. So, you can kind of relive it without all the sex and drugs.

I recently read the book called Please Kill Me, which was an oral history of the punk and new wave scene in America and London in the 1970s. While I read it, I listened to the music from that time period, so I’ve heard this album several times. Am I the only one who does that? Listen to music when you read? I swear it helped me study back in college. Though I had a psychology teacher who was blown away that I was able to do so. I really enjoy reading books about music, either a single band or certain period of time, that way I can listen to the music of the band or time period. I read the exhaustive Bill Monroe biography by Tom Ewing, and by the end, I could tell you the name of a Bill Monroe song within the first few seconds of hearing it, but I am digressing way too much. Television is a hard band to nail down. They’re punk, new wave, art rock, but mostly they’re just really fun and interesting. They are great musicians who make the hard sound simple. I loved this album so much, I put it on my 1,001 albums playlist to revisit later and saved several songs to a playlist. And I’m not a big singles guy. I like albums, I’m old. Friction, Marquee Moon, Elevation and Prove It were highlights for me on this album, but there are no bad songs. Plus, I think the songs hold up well today. This album gave birth to the Strokes and Kings of Leon and that whole movement that came out of New York in the 2000s. And I think if it had come out in the 200s it would have been a crusher. IYou can also hear Talking Heads-like music on here, which would be reasonable since they were both active at the same time. Also, oddly, the song Elevation, at least in the beginning, sounds very familiar to Pink Floyd’s Pigs (Three Different Ones), like almost the exact tune. The reason it’s odd is that the albums came out within one month of each other. So, it's not likely either heard the others' music before releasing their albums. Digression.... I highly recommend this album, especially if you’re a fan of the Strokes or the Talking Heads. It’s just good new waveish rock that inspired bands in its day and even into today.

The Kinks - Something Else by the Kinks I love the Kinks. It’s a shame they didn’t make it big. They had the chops. They’re songs are unique with smart and often funny lyrics. They didn’t mind poking fun at themselves as well as everyone else. The Kinks recorded Something Else after Face to Face, which I also listened to as part of the 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Face to Face began the Kinks' change from the more straight ahead rock blues type of music that was popular at the time, to a more baroque pop and music hall inspired music, at least that’s what Wikipedia told me. To me, the Kinks moved away from the You Really Got Me kind of songs to a more Beatles-esque, more interesting and experimental type of rock music at the time. The Kinks still rocked, to be sure, and they still wanted to be really gotten, but they wanted to tell you more about themselves before they got got. Or something like that. Something Else had two hits, one was Waterloo Sunset and the other was actually supposed to be a solo single from Dave Davies, lead guitarist and sometimes lead vocalist of the band. It was called Death of a Clown and was released as a single under Dave Davies' name, but later it came out on Something Else by the Kinks. Something Else didn’t make a huge splash when it came out because the two singles had been out for months before the album was released. It’s weird because the '50s and '60s were more about selling singles, which in turn would sell the albums. That’s why you’d sometimes get an album with three really great songs and a bunch of filler. With no more singles to push the album, it kind of died on the vine. Also, the Kinks were banned from the U.S. for any number of reasons, so they couldn’t tour the U.S. to help record sales. However, Something Else has, in hindsight, been looked at as one of the Kinks' best albums. I really dug this album. It’s a perfect companion piece for Face to Face. The songs sound so different from other stuff from this time period and the lyrics are at times both beautiful and hilarious. I think you should look up the lyrics for both Face to Face and Something Else by the Kinks and carve out some time to enjoy a nice evening of great music. I really love that I’m able to dig into these Kinks albums and I hope they keep coming.

Now we’re getting into an album I know about, though, by the time I began listening to it, it wasn’t a six-track, 40-minute album. I was listening to the four-hour extended version. For my money, The Who Live at Leeds is the best live rock album ever. I know some might want to say KISS Alive is the best, and it’s good, but it’s been known for quite a while that KISS went in and did a lot of touchups, if not re-recorded whole songs. I’m not complaining, because it’s a killer album. But Live at Leeds is at the height of the Who’s power, right before they get into the Who’s Next era. They're so ferocious on this album, they sound like a punk band. The Who had just released Tommy, which I expect will be on the 1,001 list, and were touring in support of the album. They were looking for a way to follow up Tommy and thought a live record might be the thing. They made some recordings during the Tommy tour, but didn’t really like how they’d turned out. So two shows were booked, one at the University of Leeds and the other at Hull, specifically to record for a double live album, including a live version of Tommy. The show at Hull issues recording John Entwistle's bass. Pete Townsend, guitarist and leader of the band, also decided not to go with a double album. So, the Leeds show would have to do. And it did well. Of the six songs on the album, three were covers and three were songs written by the Who. The three covers are so good, they might as well be songs by the Who at this point. Young Man Blues, Summertime Blues and Shakin’ All Over are the covers and the Who rip through them like they want to destroy their instruments. The Who originals were Substitute, My Generation and Magic Bus. I’ll admit, none of these are my favorite songs by the Who, but these live versions just explode into your earholes. My Generation is also a medley containing snippets from Tommy. I watched a documentary on Keith Moon and how he was the most unorthodox drummer ever in rock music and at one point, someone said of the Who, it was like all four members were playing lead on the songs. Each one of them was doing their own thing during their songs, but it all seemed to come together beautifully or explosively. Live at Leeds helps you hear that, especially with John Entwistle on bass. His playing is just amazing. Now, this was first released as a six song album, but as we move forward through time, reissues pop up with more songs and more songs until we finally get the Live at Leeds extended version. The extended version contained all the songs at the Leeds show and the Hull show. To correct the bad recording of Entwistle's bass at the Hull show, engineers used the bass from the Leeds shows to replace what was needed. I could write about this album for another hour, but I’d just be regurgitating what you’d find on Wikipedia if I haven’t already done that. All I can say is the Who are on my Mt. Rushmore of rock bands and I love this album so much, in all of its iterations. The original album is a tight 40 minutes of incredible songs, but the four-hour version is just as amazing. You must hear this before you die.

Sly and the Family Stone is another band I felt I missed out on. One reason was that they were at their height before I was born, but it was only a few years ago that I listened to some of their music. I’m not sure I listened to There’s a Riot Goin’ On, but this is an album that most people think invented funk and it only took heroin, cocaine and PCP to create it. And it sounds like it. Sly Stone was way into drugs at this point in the band’s career. It’s believed he was using drugs because the fame kind of freaked him out a bit and what was going on socially at the time was causing him anxiety. He made great, happy, pop music, but some of his Black Panther Party friends thought he should be recording more music to help the cause of Black America at the close of the 60s. There’s a Riot Goin' On was much darker with serious lyrics than previous albums. Was Sly Stone kind of bending to being more social or was it just the drugs? I think the funk created by heroin as it was lower and slower than past albums. Sly Stone, by this time, 1970, had built himself a home studio in his house and he enjoyed heroin so much, he put a bed in the studio and recorded his vocals lying in bed. Incredible. It fills you with wonder at the creative genius he was, but also fills you with sadness at how much of a grip drugs had on this man. Sly Stone played most of the instruments on the album as well. Members of the Family Stone were used more for overdubs. Sly Stone also called in hired guns to help record the album, including Billy Preston, Ike Turner and Bobby Womack. So, there was a lot of chaos going on, and I don’t mean C.H.A.O.S., but that was going on too. Anyway, you can tell by the first song you're in for a doozy as it’s called Luv & Haight, which I assume is meant as Haight-Ashbury, the area that birthed the countrculture in the 60s in San Francisco. Though, at this time, that spirit was dead or dying. Here is the chorus for Luv & Haight: Feel so good inside myself, don't want to move, Feel so good inside myself, don't need to move. There are other lyrics on the album about drugs and more songs about social issues, making this album the band’s most political. The title track, There’s a Riot Goin’ On is just four seconds of silence. In explaining the song, Sly Stone said, “I felt there should be no riots.” Byond all the drugs and social issues, the album produced a number 1 single, Familiy Affair, of which only one member of the Family Stone was included in the recording. The album was also the number one album in the country when it came out. The album also used some early drum machines, which later inspired hip-hop. George Clinton said this album is what inspired him to create Parliament and Funkadelic. The album also pushed jazz artists like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock to move toward a jazz-funk sound. Like James Brown, some of the songs are more like chants than lyrics, but the music is so good. It may take you a listen or two to really see how amazing this album is. It wasn’t as widely praised when it was released. I'm sure the change in style threw people for a loop, but over time, it’s gotten its due. I’m glad it was on the 1,001 list so I could discover the music and the story behind the album.

I took a few days off from the 1,001 list for what I thought was going to be a fun weekend in South Carolina. That did not happen and this weekend was a perfect storm of suck. So, I don’t know what else to do, but distract myself by writing about the Fly or Die album by N.E.R.D. You know N.E.R.D., right? It’s Pharrell Williams’s attempt at being a rock star, even though he technically was one, I guess. The group was also known as the Neptunes when producing hip-hop. N.E.R.D. is composed of Pharrell and his producing partner Chad Hugo. Fly or Die is their second album and for this album, the dudes decided to learn how to play the instruments needed to make the album rather than hire a band like they did for their first album. I respect that. I didn’t put too much faith in this album being good. I figured it would be a lot of crappy rap rock that was a thing in the early 2000s. This album came out in 2004. The first few songs were kind of generic, I guess. It sounded like what a band that just realized they like rock music would sound like if they started a band and had just learned to play their instruments. The music sounded great production-wise, but the songs weren’t blowing me away. However, as I continued listening, I kind of got into the songs. This isn’t just the same old rap rock. Pharell is a really good rock singer and his voice meshes well with a rock groove. Plus, I heard some Led Zeppelin and the Beatles in there. Some of these songs are pretty interesting. The group also used their connections to bring in some special guests like Questlove and Lenny Kravitz to pitch in on some of the songs. I know some people don’t like Lenny, but I’m a fan from way back, Are You Gonna Go My Way is my jam. Also, did you notice right away that Are You Gonna Go My Way seemed to be written from the perspective of Jesus Christ? I thought that as soon as I heard it. Just looked it up and it’s true. But I digress. Some of the songs are big, over-the-top, kind of theatrical productions, but I’m a fan of musicals, so it works for me. I got Big Elf vibes from the songs Thrasher and Maybe. If you don’t know Big Elf, find them now and listen to Cheat the Gallows or Into the Maelstrom. Both are great, fun albums. While the songs on Fly or Die mostly sound good, a lot of the lyrics aren’t written from the perspective of Christ but from the perspective of a teenager. Which seems weird because Pharrell and Hugo were both around 30 when they wrote this album. Nevertheless, Fly or Die wasn’t an album I thought, “Thank God I got to hear this!” It was more, oh, that was a bit unexpected. If you like Pharell’s music, but want to hear it more with a rock groove behind him, then you’ll probably dig this.

I’ve got COVID for the second time since it was invented by whichever conspiracy theory you believe. It’s not been too bad, more annoying than anything, but the last couple of nights it’s messed with my sleep. So, I’m tired and listening to rap from 1989 isn’t something that I’m excited to do, but I did, as I was assigned the Jungle Brothers album, Done By the Force of Nature. I’m not sure if I heard of the Junble Brothers or not. I vaguely remember the name, but at this time in my life, I was into 2 Live Crew and N.W.A. The Jungle Brothers are less outrageously violent or into sex, so it didn’t interest me as a teenager in 1989. I will say, the beats, grooves, and samples used on the album harken back to the early days of New York hip-hop, so it was definitely a nostalgic trip into time. The rapping was more fun and less serious, though there were some serious societal themes discussed, but mostly, as Rolling Stone described the album, the Jungle Brothers have a more “positive, spiritual vibe.” The problem with a lot of the hip-hop albums from this time is that by this point in hisotry, we’ve heard it all. Now, is this better than 99% of the stuff put out today? Yes. You can understand the lyrics, and the beats are easy to dance to. For hip-hop scholars and histroains, this is a must listen. For those of you looking for some new party jams, you could do a lot worse than this album. But, as for it being a must listen, you need not add it to your bucket list. I’m going to go take a nap.

I’d heard of Bell and Sebastian before, but I’m not sure if I’d ever listened to any songs from the band. They’re described as indie pop and they do have a very poppy sound. One of the first things I noticed was that there are points in the opening track, The Stars of Track and Field, which reminded me of Brown-Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. So, if you enjoy that song, then I think you’d like Belle and Sebastian. If You’re Feeling Sinister, which is a great album title, was the second album from the band. It seems as soon as it was released, it was heralded as one of the best albums of the year and decade. It came out in 1996, so at this time, I was still deep into metal and the grunge movement. This wouldn’t have even gotten on my radar. Plus, we were still buying music back then. I mean, please, buying music? How old-fashioned. Listening to it now, I’m quite blown away at how great this album is. It reminds me of The Kinks circa Face to Face or Something Else. The band employs a wide variety of musical instruments and the songs are very well-crafted. As you go through the album, suddenly a saxophone pops up and you notice that it’s the first time you’ve heard a sax, but it’s not out of place. It works. The lyrics are really beautiful and are almost always telling a story. It reminds me of Simon and Garfunkel that way. The whole album sounds like it was influenced by the 60s folk music revival, but the songs are poppier. While the lyrics can be very gloomy, the music is so beautiful that it puts a smile on your face. Plus, I'm gloomy right now. If You’re Feeling Sinister is an album that, if you didn’t know it came out in 1996, you’d be hard pressed to nail its release date down. I can see how it went on to inspire the indie pop music movement in the 2000s. Belle and Sebastian found their people, and those people went on to make their own version of this music. I don’t know if it’s because I’m in a down mood, but I really, really dug this album. I’m glad I heard before I moved on outta here. I think you’ll dig it too.

I remember The Prodigy blowing up in the 90s with Firestarter, Breathe, and the funny, but controversial, Smack My B**ch Up. As singles on MTV, I could enjoy their music about once every couple of days. After listening to The Prodigy’s Music For A Jilted Generation, I’ve discovered it’s not my generation. The Prodigy described their music as electronic punk and I think that’s an apt description. This album didn’t have the songs I remember from MTV, but it was an important album at the time in the United Kingdom and for rave music. Around this time in the 90s, the U.K. passed a law called The Criminal Justice Act, which was supposed to help stop all the illegal, unlicensed raves tin that country. The Prodigy had been looked at as being a part of that scene. Music For a Jilted Generation was written as a response to the new law, which can clearly be heard in the song, Their Law, as the refrain “F**k ‘em and their law” can be heard throughout. I like that, but later The Prodigy kind of backed away from their rabblerousing ways, saying the album wasn’t meant to be a political statement. That's not punk rock. So, what about the music? You know me, I love a good song you can dance to. These songs sound more like what you’d listen to if you were on methamphetamines. Most of the music just made me anxious and feel jumpy. I’m just not a rave guy, I guess. There were four singles released off the album, and I recognized one of them called, One Love. I’m sure I heard a couple of the others, but I wasn’t a raver in those days, so they could have slipped past me. If you like The Prodigy’s other stuff or you’re a raver from way back, I’m sure this album is an all-timer for you. As for me, I could have made it two lifetimes without hearing this frenetic, jumble of beats and weird sounds.

Now this is an album you must hear before you die. An album that produced six singles and sold around 18 million albums. It was the soundtrack for that period in time. You couldn’t go anywhere and not hear an Oasis song on the radio, on MTV, in a store, or in a passing vehicle. You couldn’t go anywhere and not hear how much it seemed the Gallagher brothers, Liam, the lead singer, and Noel, the guitarist/songwriter, hated each other. I’m not sure what the deal was with the Gallagher brothers. Was Liam a little upset that he was essentially regurgitating his brother's words, and he was just looked at as a typical a-hole lead singer? Was Noel upset that his brother, as the frontman, was getting all the attention? All the magazine covers? Did Noel's writing and singing Don’t Look Back in Anger push Liam to the breaking point? Make Liam feel like maybe he wasn’t as important to the band anymore? Were they both just drunk idiots? Whatever the case, their feuding produced great music. It happens like that sometimes. I remember reading that early on in the Who Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend were fighting all the time. Their band was like Oasis, Daltrey the face and voice of the Who, and Townsend the songwriter supplying Daltrey with what to say. Daltrey said he had to realize he was Pete’s voice, and he had to stop fighting Pete and just be the musical instrument for Townsend to put his lyrics out to the masses. Or something like that. I guess maybe Liam never could do that. Or who cares? (What’s the Story) Morning Glory is a beautiful album, and I could gush about how it truly brings that moment in time flooding back to my memory. The carefree days as a teeneager with no worries or cares who just gets to hang out, do nothing, and listen to music all day. I didn’t buy this CD when it came out. Hell, you could hear most of it on the radio. I was still a metalhead, but you couldn’t escape this album. As I got older and music got….um, free-er, I played one of the Guitar Hero/Rock Band games, and one of the songs on it was Don’t Look Back in Anger and I was blown away. I truly think it’s one of the best songs from the '90s, maybe of all time. It just really hits me everytime I hear it. Plus, Noel’s singing and guitar work are incredible. I’ve written a bunch of nothing, so I’ll end with this. If you want to hear what the world was listening to in late 1995 through 1996, it’s this album. It’s brilliant and though some may think it’s over-rated, when a song or album has been woven into your memories as a certain period of time, it’s a classic. (What’s the Story)Morning Glory certainly does that for me.

This one was new to me. I’d never heard of Bebel Gilberto or the album Tanto Tempo, but it is fun to say 'tanto tempo,' 'tanto tempo.' Anyway, for some reason, I was excited about venturing into this album completely blind….or would that be deaf? I’ve never heard it before, so I guess I’m heading into this album deaf. Anyway, it’s a bossa nova album, and I’ve discovered, I really enjoy bossa nova. It just kind of hypnotizes you. Plus, you add a sexy female voice, and it’s straight-up baby-making music. The album was produced by a Serbian named Suba, who died during a fire at the studio. He was rescuing the just-recorded Tanto Tempo album from the fire and died of smoke inhalation. That’s wild. It made me wonder, is there an album you’d be willing to die for to save? Like if Back In Black by AC/DC was in a fire and you could save it, but you would likely die trying, would you do it? For Back In Black? I’d probably do it. AC/DC made so little great music after that, that’s it’s their high mark with Brian Johnson….but I digress. Anyway, Tanto Tempo is pretty dang good. The vocals are in English sometimes and, I assume, Portuguese other times. As I’m just an idiot, I don’t know how to break down the intricacies of the samba or bossa nova music, but I can tell you, I really dug this album. Near the end of the album, there are two songs, one titled Lonely and the other titled Bananeira, and they sound like they could be in a 1970s movie about a sexy jewel thief being pursued by a private investigator with a shady past. It’s just brilliant stuff. With all that being said, did I need to hear this album? Need is a strong word. I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed it. If you like to samba and listen to bossa nova, then you’ll probably dig this too.

I thought I’d heard of this band. I thought it was a punk band. I kind of still think it's a punk band, but I’m confused. This is an album where I can easily dismiss it as trash and turn it off, or I can become obsessed with it and call it genius. Suicide is composed of vocalist Alan Vega and instrumentalist Martin Rev. Exactly what instruments Rev plays is not easily decipherable. However, these guys showed that you don’t need two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, and a vocalist to form a band. Suicide paved the way for the White Stripes, the Black Keys, and the Kills, all two-man, or woman bands. The band formed in the 1970s and put out their self-titled album in 1977. The United Kingdom loved it, of course, and the USA hated it. The UK was always into cool music, ahead of its time. And Suicide were definitely ahead of their time. The album is just 32 minutes long and is made up of just beats and a kind of grinding keyborad or synth. I can see why the USA didn’t get it because I don’t get it, but I realize there’s something there. Like much of punk music at the time, the band was kind of just trying to play the rock and roll they grew up on, which was the Big Bopper, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and the early days of rock and roll. Vega even seems to be emulating Gene Vincent, of Be-Bop-A-Lula fame, on vocals.. The songs all have a similar vibe, except for Frankie Teardrop, which is about a poor factory worker who loses his job and decides to kill his family and himself. The song then follows Frankie into hell. It’s a really kind of terrifying song. Supposedly, Rev made up the lyrics on the spot after he was read a story from the newspaper about a real-life murder-suicide. The 1970s were dark, my friends, but I love them. I think that era produced some of the best art ever, especially when it comes to music and movies. I can see where Suicide would go on to inspire other, more successful bands, but they are an acquired taste. I’m glad I got to experience this album, but it won’t be going into my regular rotation. But check out the song Frankie Teardrop, it’s unlike any song you’ve ever heard.

’ve heard of Leonard Cohen my whole life, but it seems like he’s been old my whole life. As a kid, you don’t want to listen to old people's music, even though classic rock is nothing but old people's music. I’m sure I’ve heard Cohen songs because they’re a got to for movies and tv shows. But I’ve never sat down and listened to a full album. Songs of Leonard Cohen is a full album, his first album, and it's kind of what I expected, but better. It really reminded me of Simon & Garfunkel and the folk movement of the 60's, the spare instrumentation and the song lyrics being more poetry than song lyrics. Each song tells a story, with some easier to decipher than others. For instance, The Stranger Song is about a time he met two women on the street who needed a place to stay and invited them to his aprtment/room. Sounds like a Penthouse letter, doesn’t it? While the two women slept in his bed, he sat and wrote The Stranger Song. It was finished by the time they woke up. Besides the incredible poetry in his songs, a lot of the music is acoustic guitars in a folk style of the 60s. In fact, Cohen actually wanted the instrumentation to be even more sparse, but the producer used strings and drums on several tracks. Cohen was furious when he heard drums. He wanted no drums used on this album, but I think it all works. If there weren’t other sounds to break up the acoustic guitars, I think the songs would get monotonous. I think this is an album you need to hear before you die. If you’re in the right mood, I can see this being your favorite new album. In fact, this is Fall music to me. It sounds like something you’d put on with a hot toddy and a roaring fire and watch the leaves or snow fall. If you’ve never heard Cohen before, this is a great place to start.

I was a huge Red Hot Chili Peppers fan, going back to the Mother’s Milk album. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is one of my all-time favorite albums. I listened to it so much I can barely stand it now. I just got burned out. Which may explain why, when Californication came out, I wasn’t really into the Peps anymore. One reason I may have fallen out of love with them is that their guitarist, John Frusciante, left the band after fame started messing with his head. The group added Dave Navarro, of Jane’s Addiction, to the band and recorded One Hot Minute. At the time, One Hot Minute was panned by critics, and even I didn’t like it upon first listen. Navarro brought more of a metal edge to the Peps, which I should have liked, but the funk was pushed to the back burner. But, after re-listening to One Hot Minute, I can see now it’s a really good album; it’s just different. So, after a scary battle with heroin addiction, Frusciante rejoined the Peps for Californication. But I didn’t rejoin the band. I was an idiot. As I sat at my desk yesterday, I was blown away at how great, yes, great, this album was. It made me realize that all the members are talented, but Frusicante is the special sauce because his guitar and backing vocals shine throughout the album. Plus, this album wasn’t just nonsense and funk….Well, with Anthony Kiedis as a lyricist, you’ll always get nonsense, but the album has more Under the Bridge than Sir Psycho Sexy. Of course, the genius, Rick Rubin, produced the album, who also produced Blood Sugar Sex Magik. It was like the band was, legit, back together again. The album has 15 songs and is almost an hour long, but as it finished, I was a little disappointed there wasn’t more. Frusciante’s guitar playing in places melts your face and reminds me of Jimi Hendrix. Kiedis does an admirable job sounding a lot like Glenn Danzig on several songs and the rhythm section of Flea and Chad Smith may be the best in rock. I’m adding this album to my regular rotation, and it’s made me want to go back and listen to BSSM and One Hot Minute again. I’m not sure I’m back in love with the Peps as they stand today, but I definitely love the late 90s/early 2000s version. As I finish this, I’m listening to the song Porcelain, and it’s so beautiful and heartbreaking. Kiedis wrote it about a young mother he met at an AA meeting. She was living at a YWCA with her baby and struggling badly with drug addiction. Just an incredible song. Maybe I should give Keidis a little more credit with his lyrics.

I remember hearing The Message either on the radio or TV, I think. This would have been in 1982, and I would have been around 8 years old. I feel like I’ve known the lyrics, “Don’t push me ‘cause I’m close to the edge. I’m tryin’ not to lose my head" since birth. When I saw my next album was The Message, I was interested in seeing what the other songs sounded like. I was very surprised, or maybe shocked is the word. The song The Message is one of the first rap songs that wasn’t just about bragging. It was about how hard it was in the streets for young black men. It was a social message you could dance to. It’s definitely the father of gangsta rap. But The Message was track seven on an eight song album. Track one was She’s Fresh which starts out with a horn section leading into a dance song with no rapping. What? It sounds like a reject from the Commodores album that had Brickhouse on it. It’s not bad, but it definitely isn’t The Message. Hmmmm. Track two is a song called It’s Nasty which is the music from Mariah Carey’s Fantasy, but they’re rapping about how they’re freaks and you better lock up your daughters and wives. Okay, now we’re back on track. You have to grade these early '80s rap songs on a curve because we’ve heard so much since then, but it’s a solid track. Nothing great, but if you needed a dance track, it would work in a pinch. Now, track three is a song called Scorpio and it’s a banger. This was one of the best early electro tracks. It gives off Rock It vibes from Herbie Hancock. It’s a very cool track and I imagine it really blew some folks away in 1982. The album goes on to devolve into mediocre singing and clunky rapping. There’s a tribute song to Stevie Wonder called Dreamin' that is so cringe, you have to hear it to believe. The singing is not good and the lyrics sound like they were written by a middle schooler who had a month to come up with a song, but waited until the night before to start working on it. Whoa Stevie, that's why (that's why) when we dream of you (dreamin') We believe anything that you see Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's why (that's why) it's because of you (of you) We would like your dreams (our dreams) turn to reality (reality) Later in the song, someone asks Grandmaster Flash if he thinks they’ll ever meet Stevie. I can picture Flash patting the little guy on the head and saying, Maybe one day, sport. Maybe one day. So once you get through the junk, you get to The Message and it just kills all the other tracks. You can feel the grittiness and realness in the lyrics. The other songs seemed try-hard from a group of kids who were trying their best to make music that was popular 10-15 years before 1982. What I think happened is, the group released The Message as a single, it blew up, and they needed an album. So, they cobbled together seven other songs and put out a rushed album just to get some product out in the stores. You might think I’m going to tell you to skip the album titled The Message and just listen to the song titled The Message, but no. The album is so crazy and weird and not good. I think you need to hear it. I may even go back and listen it it from time to time when I need a good laugh. Oh! I almost forgot! They have a Jesus song on the album called You Are. It's so weird to have a song about loving Jesus after a song called It's Nasty which brags about how freaky they are in bed. It's like they asked all their friends from different genres to submit a bad song to put on the album. I guess they thought a rising tide floats all boats. I'm beginning to really turn around on this album as I listen to it again. Forget everything I said before this and listen to The Message, the album, by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

Holy moly! This was Janelle Monae’s debut album. Wow! I would have sworn this was her third album, maybe. Dang, she came out on fire. The ArchAndroid album is a concept album and part of Monae’s homage to the movie Metropolis. It’s just full of pop, hip-hop, rock, funk, jazz, and just about anything else you want. It’s a hugely ambitious album and Monae pulls it off. I remember hearing about this album when it came out in 2010, so I checked it out and was blown away then. When I think about Monae, the word Prince comes to mind, as in, I think she has the same genius that Prince had. Monae said her influences for the album were movie soundtracks, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder and Outkast. I can also hear The Beatles in here, too. You can plainly hear each one of those influences sprinkled throughout the album. In addition, the song Locked Inside sounded to me like it could have been influenced by Super Mario Bros. and the Outrun video games. Beyond her music, her lyrics are incredible as well. On this album she’s telling a larger story with the songs and lyrics. The story is about an android sent back in time to free people from a secret society that suppresses freedom and love. Beyond the different genres of music and brilliant lyrics, the album offers, you can dance to it. Tightrope is a song that certainly doesn’t suppress your freedom to dance in your chair at your desk. It’s a banger, as the kids say. I’d hate to say this was Monae’s best album so far in her career. She’s had some really great music; Dirty Computer was incredible. But The ArchAndroid is the album in which it all came together for Monae. I’d call it a classic, and I think you should hear it before you die. And I bet you listen to it more than once after you do hear it.

I mean, do I really need to say anything about Thriller? Is it a little uncomfortable to listen to songs like Human Nature and P.Y.T.? Yes. Is The Girl Is Mine still a horrible duet with Paul McCartney? Yes. Did Sir Paul get the best duet between them on his album in Say, Say, Say? Yes. Is it the greatest set of songs ever recorded in the history of the world? Yes. Except for The Girl Is Mine, of course, but just one song out of nine being a crapper was amazing for 1983 and would be a miracle for today. I was eight when Thriller came out. I had no MTV, but you could catch videos on Friday Night Videos or on the odd TV show. So I’m not sure how I found out about Thriller. It must have been the radio. Whereever I found out about Thriller, it was the first real album I got. Unless you county The Chipmunks as a real album. I imagine mom bought it for me and my brother. I listened to that album until the needle wore through it. Our older brother Jeff made fun of us for listening to Thriller as he had graduated into hard rock being as he was in high school. I later snuck onto his room and listened to Cheap Trick’s Dream Police, which led me into the ways of hard rock and metal. But I still love Thriller. Anyway, Thriller was everywhere. Beat It was a phenomenon. When it started to get old, Billie Jean came out, then Thriller and on and on. Seven singles were released from this album and the record company didn’t even want to put out Thriller as a single because they looked at it as a novelty song. The musicianship is top notch as all the great session guys were called in to contribute. Several of those session guys went on to form ToTo an underrated band in the Yacht Rock genre, which I’m sure they’d all hate. There isn't much to say about this album, except for it's a must hear and I can’t imagine anyone not finding at least one song, if not a half dozen, that you have to add to your playlist. For us old heads, listening to this brings back a ton of great memories of just being a kid with no responsibilities except for listening to Thriller that day. Good times.

Nope. I can’t do it. It was all I could do to finish one listen. I have no idea why this album is on the list. They’re known for their “sloppy” and “laid back” sound, which is why it sounds like they aren’t really taking the music seriously. If they don't care so much about their own music, why should I? The actual music is alright, I guess. It’s that kind of Sublime-type music, neo-hippie music that was popular for a couple of years in the 1990s. But G. Love, the vocalist, is one of the more annoying “singers” I’ve ever heard. I’m not sure he doesn’t have a speech impediment, which is why I won’t go all in on his terribleness. It could be I just don’t get it, but seeing as how we haven’t heard of old G. Love in the last 30 years, I’m probably closer to how everyone feels about this album. I can only assume the author of 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a relative of G. Love or was really into this band as an impressionable teenager. They stink, like bad. Stink, stank, stunk. Don’t listen to this album, not even as a joke or to make fun of it.

I’d heard the name Cowboy Junkies forever, but never once listened to any of their music. I just assumed they were some alternative rock or punk band. I was close. The Cowboy Junkies are an alternative country band. They’re the kind of band that’s too country for country radio, but they’re also too country for rock radio. The Tinrity Session was the second album from the group and it was recorded in the Holy Church of the Trinity in Toronto. The album is made up of cover songs and originals. There are several songs on the album you’ve heard, but probably not by the Cowboy Junkies. I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, Sweet Jane, Walkin’ After Midnight, and Working On A Building are a few of the covers. The band’s most well-known song is the cover of Sweet Jane, a Velvet Underground song. The Cowboy Junkies could have also been named the Timmins Family Band because most of the musicians on The Trinity Session were Timmins. In fact, to get permission to record in the still active church, the group said they were a Chrisitan group called the Timmins Family Singers and they were recording a Christmas album. So, they didn't really lie to church officials. The album is really good, but it’s how they recorded it that fascinates me. The band recorded the album using one stereo mic straight to tape, with the band circled around the mic. The band began the sessions by recording the simplest songs with the fewest instruments first, then moved on to songs with the more complicated arrangements later. Lead singer Margo Timmins’ vocals were recorded through a PA system the group found at the church. According to the album sleeve, the album was not mixed, overdubbed, or edited in any way. The bulk of the album was recorded in one day in the church, with one last song, Mining For Gold, sung by Margo Timmins a capella, was recorded a few days later. That’s badass. The album came out in 1988, and I'm sure it couldn't find a home on the radio or MTV. But good music always finds a way. I remember hearing about the Cowboy Junkies most of my life. Margo Timmins' voice is the highlight of the album. You can’t help but focus on it and feel her every emotion. The musicianship is well done, but the arrangements are fairly sparse, which is not a bad thing. I think those who are alt-country fans or someone who loves country music would enjoy this album. For those who don’t care for what’s considered country music today, they would find this album quite refreshing. As for an album you have to hear before you die? I’ll say yes. This was essentially recorded in one day on one mic in a historic church in Toronto. You can really picture the band huddled around the mic playing these beautiful songs.

Another band I’ve heard of my whole life, it seems, but have only heard a couple of songs. For a long time, I got the Smiths and the Cure confused. I thought both were just the same kind of goth rock, and I still think that’s true, but I know which witch is which. Anyway, the Smiths popped up in my wheelhouse of radio rock and pop, the 1980s. However, I don’t think they were as big in the U.S. as they were in Europe. Even though the Smiths sounded like all the bands on the radio at the time, I don’t remember hearing their songs. At least not like say, Duran Duran, a band I still love. Meat Is Murder is the second album from the Smiths and the one that kind of broke them. It’s full of what the critics would call indie rock for that time or post-punk. Guitarist Johnny Marr wrote all the music, and this cat named Morrissey wrote all the lyrics, and by all accounts was quite a bit of an a-hole. Though if you were a fan of the Smiths, he was your kind of a-hole. The Smiths' music was a melancholy type of pop/rock. Morrissey’s lyrics were dark, but you could sing along. There are songs about love, death, how hard it is to be a teenager, and how meat is murder. Yes, Morrissey was a vegetarian, and he wanted to convert everyone to his side. He kind of makes a compelling argument on the song Meat Is Murder. I found it very hard to listen to, but I still had chili for lunch. When the album came out, some critics loved it and some hated it, which I think is a good thing. If you can’t get universal praise, but you can get people to just feel anything, it was an achievement. They released just one single from this album called, That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore, which got to 49 on the UK singles chart, but didn’t chart in the U.S. I really liked this album, but I am a product of the 1980s and new wave/post-punk. I think they would have fit in perfectly on U.S. radio, but they just never broke here. Maybe it was Morrissey’s attitude, maybe they just got lost in the shuffle, maybe they didn't release enough singles, who knows? Whatever the case, the Smiths went on to become a huge cult favorite that ended up going mainstream over a period of time. I think this is an album you need to hear just to see what we in the States missed out on with the Smiths. Though if you were a goth back then, you already knew how good they were and are pissed metalheads like me are now fans. I get it, I do, but the heart wants what the heart wants, brother.

I didn’t mess with the Arcade Fire when they came on the scene. I was just trying to get myself extricated from the nu metal scene, so Arcade Fire to me were part of the new folk rock revival that was lame. Turns out I was lame because I’ve heard two Arcade Fire albums now and loved both. I listened to Arcade Fire's second album, Neon Bible, and for a second album, it’s huge. Usually, you think of a sophomore slump when it comes to music or even sports, but Arcade Fire went into the studio with a plan and the plan was bigger and more. The album was recorded in a renovated church, while their first album was recorded in an attic, essentially. The album was written by the Arcade Fire leader, Win Butler. Butler was born in the U.S., but had moved to and lived in Canada for a long period. After touring the U.S. in support of their debut album, Butler wrote Neon Bible as a kind of outsider’s view of what was going on in America at the time, which seemed to be a lot of fake religious people and scammers. As I listened to the album, it seemed the songs just kind of got bigger and bigger as it went on. More instruments were added, and the songwriting was more bombastic. At the end of the album, I felt a little blown away, shellshocked. Like that was a lot from an indie band from Canada, but even by the time Neon Bible came out, I feel like Arcade Fire had wrested that era’s crown away from Mumford & Sons, who were also huge then. Reviews for the album were mostly glowing, though some felt the production was a little overblown, and I get that. This is a big album. Win Butler was swinging for the fences. I feel like he hit a home run. I listened to the album that came after this called The Suburbs, and I don’t feel like I had the same kind of reaction for it as I did to Neon Bible. I remember liking The Suburbs, but this album is more over the top, more Bruce Springsteen/Jim Steinman-like. If you aren’t familiar with Arcade Fire, I’d recommend starting with this album, at least of the two that I’ve heard. I assume their debut album, Funeral, will be on this list as well, but Neon Bible has everything you want in a rock album. It’s got the bombastic pompaucity and the nice introspective moments too. The musicality is off the charts as in one song you’ll get a horn section, in another a hurdy gurdy and another a symphony. I think I’m officially an Arcade Fire fan now.

Never heard any music from this guy, yes, it seems it's a guy who wrote, produced and played most of the instruments on The Hour of the Bewilderbeast, his debut album. It’s pretty amazing. It’s kind of really over-the-top indie rock. I think it would be more at home in the 70s, as it has a mix of folk and rock and a bit of Kinks-like pop. The album won the Mercury Prize in 2000, which is the best album prize in the United Kingdom. It’s perfect Fall weather listening. It’s not the happiest music, but it won’t have you drowning in your tears. And you know me, I like instrumentation, and this album has orchestras, different kinds of keys and percussion. It’s just a well-constructed album of poppy indie rock. It reminded me of some of the songs on Sufjan Stevens' Illinois album that I loved earlier this year. Why am I not over the moon about The Hour of the Bewilderbeast? I don’t know. It could be I’m just not feeling it. Lately I’ve found myself listening more to podcasts than music. The whole reason I started this journey was to listen to more music, especially stuff I’ve never experienced before. I love music, so it’s a mystery even to me why I don’t listen to more of it. But I digress. This album was released to critical acclaim, and there weren’t really any knocks against it. I vaguely remember hearing something about it, but in 2000, I was too busy stealing….I mean, downloading music legally, to mess with it. I don’t know that Badly Drawn Boy will make my usual playlist, but I’m glad to have experienced one man’s outpouring of emotion and creativity.

Man, I’ve been thinking about pausing whatever this is that I'm doing with listening to the 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. I’m finding it hard to keep up with the pace of a new album every day and listening to it at least once or twice a day. The holiday season is coming up, so there’s a little more added to everyone’s plates, and truthfully, I just wasn’t hearing anything that really inspired me to continue. I’ve listened to a lot of good stuff, but I’ve not heard something that blew me away or really intrigued me lately. Then came Goldfrapp’s Felt Mountain. Goldfrapp is an electronic music duo, except they do things in a way that doesn’t seem electronic. Their debut album, Felt Mountain, sounds weird. It’s inspired by cabaret, pop, folk, and electronic music. It also sounds like it could have been made in the 1960s. I’d describe this album's music as cinematic. I can see how these songs could have been written for a movie. I’m not sure if you have a certain sound in your head for what a James Bond movie theme song sounds like, but I do, and this album is it. The lyrics are at times nonsensical, and at times, the singer, Allison Goldfrapp, has a digital effect on her voice that creates an unsettling wail or distortion that is just creepy. There’s something about a female singer’s vocals over the top of a mamba beat or a bed of strings. Sexy AF. You know me, I’m the same old g, and I dislike most electronic music, but Goldfrapp makes the bleeps and bloops work in between the actual music. I’m listening to the album again as I write this, and I can barely write because I just want to listen. I’m listening to the song Pilots, which has a nice orchestra playing with a shot of horns during the chorus, and then at points in the song, Allison Goldfrapp’s voice is encased in an electronic effect to produce an operatic type wail which sounds so beautiful and sad at the same time. Yes, speaking of sad, this album isn’t a shiny, happy album. It’s full of melancholia. You don’t feel fired up or ready to take on the day after hearing it. It’s, if not, a sad album, it’s definitely a chill album. I can’t write anymore about this album other than to say, I really wish you’d check it out. In a sea of mediocrity, this album set me right again and buoyed my spirit of adventure in listening to 1,001 albums.

I’m not sure I’d heard the name Nina Simone until she passed away in 2003. Then I realized why she was almost a holy figure in the black community not just because of her music, but her civil rights activism. Simone really jumped into singing songs of protest and civil rights once she left her American record label and was signed by Phillips Records, a Dutch company. I can imagine her American record label in the late 50s and early 60’s did not want many songs like Four Women to be released on their label. Four Women tells the story of four black women, with each representing a stereotype of black women in America. It’s a powerful song, though it was banned on several radio stations, with some thinking the song was racist. Wild Is the Wind is a compilation album of songs leftover from Simone’s recording sessions for Phillips Records in 1965 and 1966. It wasn’t a huge, best-selling album at the time. It’s one of those albums that needs time to breathe. However, in recent times, Pitchfork rated it the fifth best album of the 1960s and Paste declared it the eighth best album ever. The album isn’t just civil rights, it’s also full of jazzy, bluesy love songs and songs of heartbreak. Much of the music is piano driven, as Simone herself was a great pianist. Some songs sound like it’s just her and her piano, like on Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair, while on other songs, just a couple of instruments can sound like an orchestra. I wasn't a huge fan of Simone’s voice in the past, but I really dug it on here. She can sing, she’s talented, but you can feel the emotion in her voice. It makes much of the album feel sad and full of passion. It really changed my thinking on her voice. Wild Is the Wind is one of my favorite songs on the album. I recently listened to David Bowie’s cover version of the song, and it’s brilliant too, but Simone’s classical piano work really shines on this track. I was excited about listening to this album when it popped up, and I wasn’t disappointed. I think it’s great, and I hope there are more of Simone’s albums on the 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, because I’m here for it.

I had no idea who Mike Ladd was and was unaware of the music he was creating. Turns out he’s a rapper. A French rapper at that. I’m not the biggest hip-hop fan, even for “real” music, it’s never really been about the lyrics for me. I’m more about the music or the groove, or the riff. So, hip-hop is pretty low on my list of music to listen to for pleasure. As I was preparing my dishes for the church Thanksgiving potluck, I listened to the album. I got a sense of it. Did I finish it? One might say, no. I might say I was really busy this weekend, so give me a break. However, what I did hear of the album was fine. It wasn’t something that blew me away. The opening track 5000 Miles West of the Future has a killer groove. EL-P, of Run the Jewels, pops up on track 5, Bladerunners. I do love me some Run The Jewels. I’m sure a hip-hop head could find much more to like. So, if you're into hip-hop, this album will definitely mean more to you. If you’re not a hip-hop fan, you can live your life never hearing this album and be just fine.

The Germs are important. They only released one album, but they would inspire a thousand bands, including Nirvana and Foo Fighters, mainly because Germs’ guitarist Pat Smear played in both. However, many consider this album to be the first hardcore punk album recorded. This album was also produced by Joan Jett because the band were fans of The Runaways. The band was featured in the incredible documentary by Penelope Spheeris, The Decline of Western Civilization. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. Also, The Decline of Western Civilization Part 2: The Metal Years is amazing too. The history is huge with this album, and I appreciate it. But I just didn’t connect to the music. There were certain songs I really dug, but after eating Thanksgiving potluck, I fell asleep about six songs in. I’m listening to it now, by the way, there are 16 songs on the album, but most are barely two minutes long. I’ve now listened to the whole album and not much has changed. I can appreciate how people could have been inspired to create music after hearing this and how ahead of its time it was. However, it’s just not for me. I grew up in the 70’s and mostly listening to pop radio for the first 9-10 years of life, so I like melody and hooks. While I think it is important for history’s sake, it won’t be going in my permanent playlist.

Now we’re getting to some hip-hop I’m into. I remember when this came out, it was a sensation. I bought it and listened to it about 1,000 times. Once I got it out of my system, I stopped listening, and Outkast split up, even though everyone in their camp was making it seem like it was business as usual at the time. But you could tell just by listening to the double album, things were probably over with Big Boi and Andre 3000, at least as the duo, Outkast. The album was broken up into two albums, one was essentially Big Boi’s full of great hip-hop that made you dance with fun raps. The second half was essentially Andre 3000’s album, which was full of great hip-hop that made you dance and great raps….but also it had great pop music and a jazzy version of My Favorite Things, and a duet with Kelis about Dracula getting married….What? This wasn’t just an album; it was an experience, and I agree it should be something everyone should hear before they die. Even today, this is better and forward-thinking hip-hop than 95% of the dreck that comes out. Both guys were testing the limits of their creativity, maybe Andre 3000 more than Big Boi, but that doesn’t mean Big Boi wasn’t a genius at what he was doing. My only nitpick is that at over two hours, some songs could have been trimmed, which would have only made this a more incredible album. But, maybe we need a few of those lesser songs to bring us back down after hearing bangers like GhettoMusick, The Way You Move, Hey Ya and Prototype. I’m not sure there has ever been a better produced hip-hop album. The music and beats are lush and at times disorienting, but in a good way. Andre 3000 spends quite a bit of his part of the album singing, and he is pretty good. The worst thing about this album is that it’s essentially the last Outkast album. So, for me, while I love revisiting this album, it just makes me think about what could have been. If you haven’t listened to this album, it’s a must.

When I saw this pop up as my album for the day, I just groaned. Not because I hate the album, no, it’s the opposite. I love this album, but I do kind of hate it. Let me explain. I had tried to get into Metallica around the And Justice For All album, but I didn’t like James Hetfield’s singing voice, or more correctly, yelling voice. But I joined the Columbia House CD Club, remember those? You sign up and get like 12 CDs for a penny and then you never buy anything again, or rahter, you never send them money for any CD they send you thereafter. They eventually get tired of coming after you and besides, I was like 14 or 15. Anyway, I happened to get a remastered version of Kill ‘Em All, Metallica's debut album, and I loved it. I then got all the Metallica albums leading up to the Black Album. When the Black Album came out, I drove to Owensboro to WaxWorks and bought it. I think I put it in my CD player and it only left it to go into another CD player. I legit listened to it for forever. It got to the point where it was too much and I had to stop. Then every time I heard a song off the album, I’d cringe, especially Enter Sandman, which is one of the greatest rock songs ever written. I'd just gone too far, got burnt out. Listening to it now, it doesn’t fill me with the same excitement or even nostalgia, but the songs are undeniable, except for The Unforgiven. I never could get into that song. I have no idea why. It’s not because it’s essentially a ballad, because I love Nothing Else Matters and that is a ballad. However, after The Unforgiven, you get Wherever I May Roam, a heavy road anthem. I wanted to talk about people who think Metallica got soft with the Black Album. I don’t think they got soft. I think they got heavier. Many of the songs on the Black Album are almost sludge or doom metal. Slow-moving, heavy arse songs that groove. I mean, were people complaining about And Justice For All being a prog album? It most certainly was. You can’t listen to the title track and not tell me that isn’t a song Dream Theater would love to play. Anyway, the Black Album is great. It may be the best heavy rock record ever made. It definitely had the effect Metallica wanted, it pushed their music out not just to the metalheads but to everyone, for better or for worse. If you haven’t listened to this album, you should. If you hate, or think you hate, heavy rock and metal, this album will open your eyes. Now, my personal favorites on this album that I still love and will listen to? Sad But True, one of the heaviest songs ever; Through the Never, just relentless; The Struggle Within, one of the few songs that could have been on And Justice For All or Master of Puppets. But the whole album is great and if you haven’t heard, you should immediately.

First, the Black Album and now Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet. It’s almost the two extremes of hard rock in that era, and I was way into both albums. Slippery When Wet, I had on cassette because CDs weren’t the big thing yet. Plus, they were super expensive. Slippery When Wet was about 3 years before I began to transition over to CDs, but I digress. Bon Jovi became a huge monster at this time because of this album, and it was only their second album. They would go on to become even bigger. I'm listening to this album for the first time in probably 35 years, and I can hear why I was way into it back in middle school. And, as a 51-year-old man, I can look back at my 12-year-old self and say, “What an idiot," well, kind of. Slippery When Wet came out in 1986, and the first single was You Give Love a Bad Name. It was undeniable, and I bought the album almost immediately. Then you discover what may be the best song on the album Wanted Dead or Alive, though Let It Rock is a banger too. As a kid, I’m sure I thought the whole album was great. It was filled with lyrics of rocking and sex, and the hooks were big and the guitars loud. I'm quite certain I thought I was listening to the heaviest of metal at the time. However, as the listens continued, even as a kid, I knew the keyboards and keyboardist David Bryan were goofy as hell. That may be what stopped me from buying the follow-up album, New Jersey. The four singles from this album are easily the best songs on the album: You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin’ on a Prayer, Wanted Dead or Alive and Never Say Goodbye. A few of the songs are just bland filler tracks like Social Disease and Without Love. Songs like those you’d hear on every new hair metal band that popped up two to three years later. However, the album has a second tier of songs that I believe are could have been as good as the singles. Songs like Raise Your Hands, I’d Die For You, and Wild In the Streets. Raise Your Hands is a particularly great jam, though, again, Bryan’s keyboards turn a great rocker into just an okay rocker. I could have sworn that was a single, but Wikipedia would never steer me wrong. So, if you haven’t heard Slippery When Wet, and you want to try to get a feel for what it was like back in 1986 when this juggernaut really exploded on the scene, then Slippery When Wet is your time machine. Honestly, I’m surprised I enjoyed re-listening to it as much as I did, to be honest. Maybe I wasn't an idiot back then after all.

I have to admit that I should have paused this for the holiday weekend, and I might do so after this because I wasn’t into listening to Devendra Banhart while cooking for Thanksgiving. In fact, his music kind of creeped me out a bit. Banhart plays a kind of psychedelic folk music that is basically him playing guitar and singing. Add in that he looks like, or at least at the time of this album, Charles Manson and I was just not into this. I remember when Banhart came on the scene back in the 2000s and he was the new hot, weird, indie darling. I wasn’t into him then, and I’m not into him now. Full disclosure, I didn’t listen to the whole album. That has rarely happened so far on my journey through the 1,001 Albums. This will be short and sweet because I’ve got to bake the dressing and other fixings for second Thanksgiving today. Devendre Banhart is for folk music and Manson lovers, but otherwise, it’s great for Halloween. As for me, I’m out.

I think I’d seen the album cover to In the Court of the Crimson King before I even knew the band King Crimson. The cover is a kind of cartoon face of a man frightened to death or in agony or going crazy. Some may feel that way after listening to King Crimson’s debut album, but for progressive rock fans, it may be their number one album. In the Court of the Crimson King is looked at by many as the first prog album and it certainly sounds like it. I’m no historian, so I can’t tell you if it’s the first, but I do know prog when I hear it. Earlier, I said prog rock, King Crimson isn’t so much rock as they are psychedelic and jazzy with dashes of Jimi Hendrix sprinkled over the top. The opening song, 21st Century Schizoid Man is so big and over the top, you’d think the band was a metal band. While the song features a saxophone, it’s very heavy. The riff is undeniable. I know I heard the main riff before I knew who King Crimson was. In the Court of the Crimson King is a concept album of what, I don’t know. I’m going to get maybe two listens before moving on, so Google it. The album went on to inspire plenty of bands searching for who they were, meaning it spawned a bunch of crappy prog rock bands, but there were plenty of great bands inspired as well. Now, as I said, King Crimson is not metal, though they have metal-like tendencies. They are more jazzy, which I have a love-hate relationship with. I love jazz that doesn’t get too nutty. Meaning, I like jazz when all the instruments are not each playing different songs. King Crimson doesn’t get that nutty, but it does seem at times they all just decided to jam to the point of going off the rails before bringing it back. Overall, the album is fine. I understand it has to be on the list just for the historicalness of it and how it spawned a new genre of rock. As John Cunningham of WhatCulture said about the band, "they threw the bluesy sound of rock at the time out the window. In its place, the group displayed a psychedelic hybrid style composed of acid rock, jazz and classical overtones." So, not a straight-up rock band, but they rock. As with most prog bands and albums, I can appreciate King Crimson, but I don’t think I’ll ever have this in my regualr rotation.

There’s about 2 inches or so of snow on the ground, and I love snow, well, at least until I get tired of it. But living in Kentucky my whole life, I rarely get a chance to get tired of snow because there usually ain’t none! So, I’m a bit more chipper today, plus I just canceled a doctor’s appointment and there’s nothing better to boost your mood than canceling an appointment. And today’s album is the Faces’ A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse. Hot damn! I love the Faces and I think if lead singer Rod Stewart hadn’t gone off to be a solo artist, and they were able to not drink themselves to death, they’d have been just like the Rolling Stones today. Hell, Faces guitarist Ronnie Wood is a Rolling Stone today. The Faces formed after the lead singer of the Small Faces, Steve Marriott, left to form the underrated band Humble Pie. In steps Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood of the Jeff Beck Group and the Faces were born. Damn, those first two albums by the Jeff Beck Group with Stewart on vocals and Wood on bass are just gems. But I digress. Anyway, the Faces recorded a couple of albums that didn’t really do much, but then came A Nod Is As Good As A Wink and things blew up. It helped that by this time, Stewart was making a name for himself as a solo artist, which brought fans of his to the group. As an aside, I think Stewart may be the greatest rock ‘n’ roll singer ever. His voice is great on the rockers and great on the sad songs. He’s even good on disco songs and ’80s synth rock songs. Again, I digress. This album contains one of my all-time favorite rock songs, Stay With Me. The guitar riff mixed with Stewart’s snarling vocals just create a badass mood. It’s not very PC, but who cares, it’s rock ‘n’ roll. Beyond the rockers, the Faces’ bassist Ronnie Lane also shines as a vocalist on three songs he wrote, including a song called Debris which is about Lane’s relationship with his father as a child. Perhaps the best thing about the album is that it clocks in around 35 minutes. It gets in and gets out and leaves you wanting more. The first two Faces albums were thought to be a bit bloated, so for this one, they trimmed the fat. My favorite tracks on this album are, obviously, Stay With Me, Ms. Judy’s Farm, Debris, and That’s All You Need. But there are no bad songs on the album. A Wink Is As Good As A Nod is a straight-up 70s blues rock banger, and I’d put it up against any Rolling Stones album that isn’t Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St., but that’s pretty good. So, if you’ve never heard of the Faces, you’re welcome and Merry Christmas.

’ve run into a stretch of albums I’ve heard before, wth Cream’s Disraeli Gears being one. I went through a bit of an Eric Clapton phase back in the day, and if you have one of those phases, you have to also have a Cream phase. I love the Cream, and I think this might be their best record. This album was the album in which they kind of stopped playing the straight blues and moved into more of the psychedelic rock, though with blueslike tendencies. Also, this album features singing from both Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce and even one song from the wildman Ginger Baker. Baker is arguably a top three rock drummer of all time and quite possibly the most insane rock drummer to have ever lived. I’ve espoused my theory that while Clapton might have been God during this period, once he became a solo artist, he became a mere mortal. I’m not a solo artist Clapton fan. I think most of his output was just mediocre pop crap, but his playing on Disraeli Gears and with the Cream is excellent. The prime example of Clapton being God is Sunshine of Your Love. I mean, come on, the first heavy metal song, right? That riff is undeniable. And also an example of the band stretching its wings into the psychedelic genre. One of my favorite Cream songs is Tales of Brave Ulysses. Another psychedelic slab of goodness. If it were over six minutes long rather than under three, it might be looked upon as progressive rock. The lyrics certainly paint that picture. At heart, I’m a blues man. That’s where all rock and roll originated, well, the blues and country music. Outside Woman Blues certainly fulfills my need for a shot of the blues. Clapton’s guitar stabs in between the verses are exactly what you knew you needed without knowing you needed it. Clapton chose Outside Woman Blues to record so the song’s original writer, Blind Joe Reynolds, could collect the royalties. If true, that’s some good karma for Calpton, who seems to have needed all he could get. I really do dislike him. I realized I haven’t mentioned the greatness that is Strange Brew, another bluesy, psychedelic classic. The song also features Clapton on vocals rather than Bruce, who, up until Disraeli Gears, sang most of the songs. The song just has a groove you can’t deny. So, if you’ve never heard of the Cream, this album is their top lick, in my opinion. Though there really isn’t a bad Cream album, just a matter of taste. This is one album I agree you have to hear before you die, just to hear what Clapton sounded like when he was still good.

This is the second Tim Buckley album that’s been on this list, and I can only imagine the author of 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a Tim Buckley superfan because I just don’t get it. And it’s quite possible I’m not smart enough to see the appeal, or it may be an acquired taste that you just can’t acquire in a few listenings. To me, this album was boring. though I did like the vibraphone which kind of linked all the songs together. But, mostly the songs are slow and more sad sad than happy sad. Buckley’s voice can also become annoying after a while. It seems many people couldn’t understand how he never made it big, but I think it's easy to see. Buckley really couldn’t figure out a lane. He started out as a folk singer, then he dabbled in jazz and experimental music, then he moved on to what is termed as his “sex funk” period, of which Greetings from L.A. is a part. Greetings is also on the 1,001 list and is another Buckely album that I just didn’t find that likeable. Though I did like Greetings more than this album. It’s quite clear I’m not a Tim Buckley fan, maybe I’ll be more of a fan of his son, Jeff Buckley, as I’m sure he’ll be included on the 1,001 list. How could he not be? The author must be a family member. So, if you like jazzy, experimental music by a guy who seems to not know where he wants to land, then you might like this. As for me, I will continue to not get what the deal is with Tim Buckley.

More jazzy bossa nova sounds that always seem to scratch me where I itch. I felt like I’d heard of the names Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd, but I’m old and can’t keep up with what I do know or just think I know. But at least I’m smart enough to admit it. The reason I mention Charlie Byrd is that the tracks on this album were arranged by him after he was introduced to bossa nova in 1961. Stan Getz is the man soloist on the album on the saxophone. Many of you may not know it, but I used to play the sax, though badly, but I could play it. I needed sheet music, I was not a good improviser whatsoever. Perhaps that’s why I dropped the sax and never looked back in 1990-something, but I digress. Turns out Byrd is quite the guitarist and he and Getz make a great team. The music that comes flowing from them just puts you at ease. And being it’s the holiday season, it also feels a bit Christmas-y, especially if you're a fan of the Charlie Brown Christmas special with its incredible jazz soundtrack from the Vince Guaraldi Trio. I’m not an expert in jazz or bossa nova, so I can’t tell you technically why Jazz Samba is great, but I’ve listened to it three times now, and I didn’t make it through Tim Buckley’s Happy Sad once fully. The samba grooves just chill you out, and they are just cool. Plus, there’s no sexier instrument than the sax and guitar. I’m quite certain several babies were made with this jewel on the turntable. If you’re looking for something different to listen to, something that you’ve not really delved into, then this is a good album to explore. I know I get bored with stuff I listen to constantly, and I need to stretch my wings. Whether this is an album you must hear before you die, I don’t really think so, but I was sure glad I got to hear these two gentlemen ply their trade for one album.

Man, I love Public Enemy. They’re old school enough to provide those childhood nostalgia feels, but they were ahead of their time in delivering social commentary that wasn’t just, My name is Chuck D and I’m here to say. At the same time, they weren’t just about rapping about society’s ills, they also provided satire and cool music that you could groove to. Plus, Flavor Flav is that spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down. This was PE’s third album, coming after the album that introduced me to them, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. That was a great album and it put PE on the map. Fear of a Black Planet only increased their footstep, providing MTV with several videos, including the hilarious 911 Is a Joke, in which Flavor Flav takes lead vocals. Fear of a Black Planet is looked upon as one of the most important hip-hop albums of all time with respect to introducing political subject matter as a topic to rap about over great beats. I know it introduced this rural, country boy to social ills going on in America. It’s hard to get your arms around a problem if you have no personal stake or know someone who has gone through it. PE helped me, if nothing else, to begin to look into and educate myself on such things I had no reference for. The old, walking a mile in someone else's shoes deal. I just wonder if there is even a current hip-hop collective or artist that is carrying the torch for PE, though they just put out a new album. I saw them perform live on a talk show, and they still have the fire, or at least Chuck D does. Flav, I think, may be fully invested in the parody now. Every generation needs a “dangerous” group making music. I say “dangerous” with quotation marks many times when a group is labeled “dangerous,” it’s just because old people don’t understand. Looking back over some of the “dangerous” acts parents thought would corrupt their little children, Elvis Presley, Ozzy Osborne, Alice Cooper. I mean, we do tend to get worked up about nonsense when there are much, much bigger fish to fry, don’t we? If you’ve never been introduced to PE, this is a great album to start with, though It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back is my personal favorite. Beyond just being great, smart music, it’s important music. There isn’t so much of that around these days, it seems. This is a definite must-hear before you die.

Ah, my old friend, electronic music. I have a love/hate relationship with electronic music. Some I really, really love, but most of it just bores me or irritates me. Orbital are, or is it is, more on the boring, annoying side. I tried to listen to it, I did….Well, not really. I did listen to it once, and I realized pretty quick a second listen wasn’t going to push me more to their side of thinking, but here I am writing this while bleeps and blorks are ringing in my ears with a tinny-sounding fake drum. What is interesting about this album is that Orbital released it right at the start of the Criminal Justice Act, launched by the United Kingdom to crack down on illegal raves. While Snivilisation isn’t a direct response to the act, like the Prodigy’s Music for the Jilted Generation seemed to be, Orbital did release a track called Are We Here? (Criminal Justice Bill) which consists of four minutes of silence. To me, that sounds like heaven after listening to Snivilisation. Maybe I’m being a little harsh. The title, Snivilisation, is badass, and standing up against the man is cool. These days, it seems like too many people want to cozy up to the man. But I digress. Most of the songs sound like the theme songs for TV shows in the 2000s. They are just kind of there. It may be an important album for Electronic music, but it isn’t to me.

I’ll admit I groaned when I saw this was my album for the day. And I wanted to hate it, so I went in with a bias and hate in my heart, but JT, or more likely Timbaland and the Neptunes, won me over in the end. I wasn’t a boyband fan, as maybe you might have guessed. It was my most loathed music, besides nu metal, once I realized nu metal was cringe. So when Timberlake went solo, I celebrated, not because I had faith in him, but because it meant whichever boy band he was in was over. MTV was still a thing back then, so I saw the videos from this album, like the one in which he put Britney on blast for being a cheater. I didn’t really think that was fair, but whatever. When I saw that Timbaland was his producing partner, I thought, “He might be on to something.” Timbaland is brilliant and beyond producing fat beats, as the kids say, I love his voice. It was so different from other rappers at the time. When Timbaland pops up in the mix, it gives me a boost of nostalgia, and at 51, sometimes nostalgia is all you got. I’m bopping along, coming out of my hate for JT, grooving at the desk, then he starts talking sexy. I’m back to hating. I hate talking during songs. I think it started with Bret Michaels, then Shania Twain. I hate it. I also hate it when an artist uses their name as part of an album title. It seems a little much, but that’s just me. Later on, JT and Tim get me back grooving and then I think the song Nothin’ Else sounds a bit like Reach Out I’ll Be There. Then I start hearing The Hustle in another song. Did JT and his producers take well-known songs and interpolate them into new songs? I hate the word interpolate. It basically means you took a good song and just re-recorded it with minor changes, and you now sound like a genius, rather than a thief. Yeah, I’m talking to you, Kid Rock. All Summer Long is trash, but Werewolves of London and Sweet Home Alabama are really great songs. I digress. As I finish up the album, I can say that I enjoyed it more than I expected I would, but I’m a sucker for a good pop song, of which there are many on this album. Other than it being JT’s debut album, I’m not sure it’s anything groundbreaking. I’d say, maybe you should listen to it before you die, but many of you probably already have, as this was a monster in 2002-2004.

I went in totally blind on this one, folks. I’d heard the name, but had no idea what era we were in or what genre. Turns out this album came out in 1993 and was the second album by Girls Against Boys. Wikipedia refers to GAB as post-hardcore, but I'm not sure I understand what that is. I guess there’s punk, then hardcore music, then after hardcore? GAB was formed in Washington, D.C., which I believe is a hub of the hardcore/punk scene, with Minor Threat as the big dog. An early version of GAB featured a member of the band Fugazi, which is also a post-hardcore band. I don’t know, let’s get into what I heard. I liked the album alright, but I’m not sure what there is about it that makes it special. Maybe I’m missing that gene. I was never into hardcore or punk until my later years, and there’s still a lot more I dislike than like. GAB sounds like a '90s band that would get played on MTV’s 120 Minutes, if it got on MTV at all. I'd call the music more hard rock with a 90s grunge sheen. Many of the songs are just noise, but that isn’t altogether unpleasant. It’s heavy, but not like metal. The vocals on most songs have an effect of some sort on them, which is pretty cool. I’m not sure the vocalist is trying to be Pavarotti anyway. The songs are just scummy, simple songs with loud guitars. I’ve probably heard a dozen albums like Venus Luxore in my time. In the short time I spent with this album, I couldn’t figure out what made this must hear before you die. It didn’t light a fire in me or anything. But, as we all know, art is subjective. This may be your favorite album, and you’ve never heard it. If you’re a fan of post-hardcore or just a scuzzy '90s rock sound, I think you’ll probably dig this more than I did.

Mariah Carey is a very talented singer and a Hall of Famer. I’m just not into her. I get annoyed with the runs and showiness. There are plenty of good songs on this album. I would have never listened to the five songs I listened to if not for the 1,001 Albums list, but I quickly became disinterested and quit. It’s just not for me, dawg. On to the next.

Now we’re getting somewhere. I’ve obviously heard Sgt. Pepper’s many times, but I wouldn’t say this is an album I’ve heard more the 8-10 times. As I sit at my desk listening to at least the first several songs, it hit me, these songs don’t represent rock ‘n’ roll or psychedelic songs. They come across as songs that have been around since the beginning of time, that parents pass on to their child generation after generation. Timeless is an appropriate word, but also, they are harmless songs that can teach you something about how you might want to live your life. Like all the songs you sang with your parents as a very little child. Mary Had a Little Lamb is trash compared to Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds. I’d much rather hear Getting Better than Ba, Ba, Black Sheep. And these Beatles songs sound like those types of songs. Am I the only one that the Beatles, or at least Sgt. Pepper’s, hits this way? It’s like these songs have permeated the fabric of our lives. We know these songs without knowing them. I love the Rolling Stones, they’re probably my all-time favorite band, but the Beatles are on another level. Oh, wow, I just realized She’s Leaving Home is on this album. You might not know this song as well as the hits, but for my money, it’s a top 5 Beatles song. It captures the feelings of both a teenage girl and her parents. The girl longs to leave home and live on her own, but is still a little scared to be on her own. Her parents are angry at her for leaving after all they’ve done for her and they also fear what will happen to her. This one gets me, like get the Kleenexes. As for one critique, I hate the sitar, or at least how everyone picked up the sitar after the Beatles introduced it to rock ‘n’ roll. Now, when the Beatles use it, it’s not so annoying, but these other bands who started messing with it aren’t the Beatles. With that said, Within In Without You is brilliant. And, if the whole album isn’t brilliant enough, it ends with the masterpiece, A Day in the Life. I can’t imagine what people thought when they first heard that song. It’s still a goose bump inducer today. Not only is this an album you must hear before you die, all the Beatles' albums are must hear before you die. But start from the beginning and go to the end if you have never done so. You can really hear how these guys grew as songwriters, musicians, and human beings.

Justin Timberlake ain’t got nothing on George Michael. Holy cow, what a great album this is! I saw this, and I thought, I don’t know if I’m going to dig it, then I found out that 7 of the 10 songs were singles, and of course, I love this album. the This is my wheelhouse of my pop music years growing up. This album came out in 1987, which meant I was 13. I knew George Michael as the guy from WHAM!. How did I know that? I had WHAM!’s breakthrough album Make It Big on cassette when i was 10. It’s funny tho, I didn’t buy this album, his solo debut, on cassette. But I loved almost all the songs that were released as singles. I may have been slipping into my metal til I die phase in which I was too cool for pop music. Faith, his biggest worldwide hit from this album, was not only a banger, but the video was great too. George Michael was trying to change his image a bit and converted from the nice, good-looking, boyband guy to the leather jacket wearing, guitar-strumming dude, ladykiller, dude in a biker gang. Um, it might not have fully worked, but I’d say most know Michael from his solo success rather than his time with WHAM!. Hell, he had 10 number one songs, sold millions upon millions of albums, and kind of catapulted himself to legend status by the end of his life. While I didn’t buy this album when it came out, I sure as heck fire bought a cassette single of I Want Your Sex. Even as a 9-year-old, I knew this song was baby-making music and was not something to play in front of adults. Even the title of the song at the time seemed very risque for 1987. Besides the whole tabooness of it, the groove is undeniable. This is electronic/synth music at its best. It’s and 80s song that doesn’t sound like the 80s. Michael definitely found a way to make his sound undefinable by era. Now, the other songs, listening to them again for the first time in decades, I wonder how he got away with the lyrics. Father Figure? Check out those lyrics. One More Try? Check out those lyrics. I Want Your Sex? I don’t really remember any outrage or protest with the lyrical content. I do remember quite a bit of controversy over Prince’s lyrics, Ozzy Osborne’s lyrics, even Frank Zappa’s lyrics from an album that had no lyrics. It must be because all the songs are just one banger after another. While I wouldn’t have thought this was an album you needed to hear before you die, I was way off. This is a very underrated album, at least it was by me. Do yourself a favor, when you need to get your groove on, fire this record up, it’s just what you didn’t know you needed.

I’ve got to admit, I had no idea who the Youngbloods were when I saw they were today’s album. Turns out nobody does except for one song, Get Together, a Chet Powers song they covered in 1967. You know, the whole, “Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now.” Though it wasn’t a big chart-topping hit, I feel like it was on the radio or in movies all the time. Today, the song would be more like, “Come on people now, judge your brother, just be a-holes, and try to hate each other right now.” Or something like that. While I enjoyed this album, I can’t really understand why the third album of the Youngbloods is something you must hear before you die. Even when it came out in 1969, critics weren’t over the moon about it. In fact, some thought the Youngbloods' music wasn’t as good on that album as a key member of the band left the group before its recording. The songs are interesting, I guess. They are kind of a mix between pop and rock from the era. However, there are several types of genres the Youngbloods move through throughout the album. I’m struggling to really find anything to really crow about. It’s a nice album, but one I don’t think I’d ever listen to again. I’m not a huge 60s era folk/hippie music guy. The Summer of Love didn’t mean anything to me music-wise unless it was Jimi Hendrix, maybe the Doors. For those who love the Grateful Dead, the Guess Who, the kind of music played during those Scooby Doo, Where Are You cartoons from the '60s, I think you’d dig this the most. Otherwise, except for a few instances of great musicianship, I felt bored during this album.

Finally, we get an album that belongs on the list of albums you must hear before you die. Rust In Peace may be the album I’ve listened to the most in my life. It was, with Extreme’s Pronografitti, one of the first two CDs I ever purchased. And because CDs cost around $20 back then, for a 16-year-old Lee, I listened to those two CDs until just thinking about them gave me what the kids call, the “ick.” I burned myself out so bad, it was years before I could listen to Rust In Peace from beginning to end. Rust In Peace was the fourth studio album by Megadeth, and for me, it was a major step up from their previous album, So Far, So Good, So What? Those first three Megadeth albums, while great, were lacking a bit on the production side, or at least that’s what I thought when I was a kid. I later realized that those albums were likely a bit under-produced to give them a more punk sound. At that time, thrash metal was looked at a bit like it was technical punk. It was loud, fast, and gnarly, but most of the musicians loved metal as much as punk. So, thrash was what came out when they played what they were hearing in their heads. The production value on Rust In Peace was a bit slicker, but the music didn’t lose the pure ferocity that Megadeth songs had. The giant chip on the shoulder of founder/lead singer/lead guitariest/songrwriter Dave Mustaine ensured Megadeth would produce incredible face-melting music until he felt he had at least risen to the glory his former band, Metallica, had. Rust In Peace, for my money, put Megadeth on par with Metallica and their next album, Countdown to Extinction, was every bit as good and heavy as Metallica’s Black Album. When I first heard Holy Wars/…The Punishment Due I’d never really heard anything like it. It was just pure aggression. I wasn’t really fully immersed in thrash metal at that time, but Metallica was my sherpa leading me through the valley of thrash with their earlier albums. I had heard Megadeth songs, like Peace Sells and Wake Up Dead, but their music was a little more grimy, dark and sarcastic. And it sounded like it was produced in the bowels of a steel factory. Megadeth songs always have great lyrics, be they political, religious, or about conspiracy theories. Hangar 18 is about UFOs and aliens. Plus, it just plain rips. Beyond Holy Wars/…The Punishment Due, Hangar 18 is the most known of the songs on the album, and it’s about the Troubles in Ireland. I think Rust In Peace is in the top 5, maybe top 3, thrash albums of all time. Megadeth is part of the Big 4 in thrash metal, with Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. I’d vote for Megadeth as number 2 on the list. If you haven’t heard Rust In Peace, it’s an album you must hear before you die. If you’re not a heavy metal fan, go in with an open mind. Listen without judgment and just bask in the riffs and the solos. It’s like jazz, man. But, if it’s a bit too much for you, Countdown to Extinction is a little more toned down, but still a very metal album. It’s Megadeth’s Black Album and probably a good gateway to enjoying more of their catalog.

I’d heard of Fishbone before, but I’m not sure I ever listened to any of their music. Their music is hard to describe. The group started out as a ska and funk band, but by their second album, Truth and Soul, they added more metal to their sound, and their lyrics touched on more social issues than their first album. After their first album, it seems guitarist Kendall Jones thought maybe the band was a bit too “cartoonish” and needed to write more socially conscious issues. Fishbone is a band consisting of black men. Meanwhile, Jones was getting into metal and started giving some of their songs a hard metal edge. For the most part, this album is really good. I was a bit surprised. I’m not the biggest ska lover, but the mixing of genres really does keep you on your toes. Fishbone employs a horn section, which I’m in favor of always. The horn blasts really punch up the ska vibe for me. One of the problems with this album and I think it was mentioned when the album came out, is there are almost too many genres of music on the album. It feels almost like a compilation album. There’s no real flow as you go from a slow reggae groove to hard charging metal groove. For instance, Bonin’ In the Boneyard sounds like a Prince song. While Slwo Movin' Bus has a country groove to it, or at least what a ska metal band thinks of as a country groove. It reminds me of the Vandals' Urban Struggle. With the variety of sounds, I think the album needs a good dozen listens before things start to flow well. Lyrically, the band has their “cartoon” time, but they also have thoughtful lyrics about the things going on in the world in 1988. Yes, 1988. It doesn’t sound like 1988, which is good. It definitely has that '90s hard rock production. I can tell you I already added this album to my playlist of the 1,001 Albums I’ve listened to and liked, or at least wanted to hear more of. I think if you’re a fan of late '80s to early '90s hard rock and hair metal, you’ll probably enjoy this album. One of the highlights for me is the song One Day. It has an incredible guitar solo that is as good as anything that came out of the hair metal years. Plus, the song has a Korn sound to me. It’s weird. This is another album I'm not sure is an all-timer and needs to be heard, but I’m glad it was on the list because I doubt I would have ever heard it. And if anything I’ve written in this dreck tickles your fancy, you might like it too.

Ugh. Today’s going to be a short one because this album was a double album and right at two hours long. I made it through about five songs before I was just annoyed. I don’t need to be annoyed at Christmas time. I already feel like Charlie Brown up in this piece without some sort of electronic snare beaten into my brainpan. However, I did discover one thing about myself during this listening: I hate drum and bass music. Or, I may just loathe breakbeats. It took me a while to like them in metal, well, except for the most extreme cases. If you like drum and bass or electronic music and have never heard this album, according to Wikipedia, it’s like the gold standard. As for me and my house, we are not supporting this kind of trash.

Truthfully, I’m not sure I’ve ever sat and listened to Imagine all the way through from beginning to end. There’s something about Lennon’s music that makes me sad. I was just six years old when he died, and I was quite sure I didn’t know who he was or even who the Beatles were. But maybe subconsciously, I kind of took on the feeling of that era. I’m not sure. As a digression, these days we have a conspiracy for everything, but I’ve never really heard anyone espouse a theory on Lennon’s assassination. It’s like, of all the assassinations, in this case, we’re sure it’s just one wacko who thought he was Holden Caufield. It’s well known that the FBI was keeping tabs on Lennon and was looking for ways to deport him, but no conspiracy theory? I mean, people are so nutty today that they can come up with “proof” that a shadow government run by the lizard people killed their dog and staged it to look like an accident. But, again, I digress. Imagine is a great album, but, as with most solo Beatles’ albums, it has its hits and misses… well, except All Things Must Pass. That’s a brilliant album and, for my money, the best solo output by any of the former Beatles for just pure quality. But I digress again. I'm listening to Jealous Guy right now, and I really love this song. He’s like, “Yeah, I flew off the handle and probably shouldn’t have called you a psycho hosebeast, but, baby, remember? I’m just a jealous guy.” I wonder, when we later get to the brutal How Do You Sleep, if maybe Lennon was a bit jealous of McCartney? He rips Paul to shreds in that song. It’s really another level to what Paul did when he took some veiled shots at Lennon in his song, Too Many People. Could Lennon have been feeling the pressure of having to be the voice, or leader, of a generation fighting for world peace, while all Paul had to do was write silly little love songs and be happy? Maybe Lennon secretly wished he could just write silly love songs and not be the face of a revolution? When Bob Dylan went electric, he just wanted to play rock and roll, not fight the man his whole career. Imagine sounds weird, but in a good way. Like the slide guitar played by Harrison on I Don’t Want To Be a Soldier Mama sounds like he played it in the loo while the rest of the band was in the studio. Quirky things like that make it seem like there’s an audio surprise around every corner on this album. Meanwhile, lyrically, I think this album speaks as much to today as it did to the '70s. Gimme Some Truth could be released today by someone like Jack White, and it would sound as new as it did in 1971. I'm sick and tired of hearing things From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocrites All I want is the truth Just gimme some truth I've had enough of reading things By neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians All I want is the truth Just gimme some truth See? After listening to Imagine a couple times in the last day, I agree it’s an important album for more than just the music. It was created by a genius and half of the songwriting team that essentially created modern rock and roll. of It has songs that still speak to us today, though it’s sad we haven’t seemed to make much headway from this album’s debut over 50 years ago. For a music geek, the production tickles your earholes constantly. Easily deserves to be on the 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, so get busy listening.

The Byrds really went through some changes to end up as a country band in 1968. And, for my money, as country as any “real” country band going at the time. I’ve heard of this album all my life, but never really listened to it. In fact, when you mention the Byrds to me, I think of a folk group, which they were in 1964, or as a psychedelic rock, which they were in 1966. It really sounds like The Byrds didn’t really know who they were, and in a way, they didn’t. They just wanted to play everything all at once, which never works, except that for the Buyrds, it all worked. As a folk group, they had hits with Turn, Turn, Turn, and Mr. Tambourine Man. As a psychedelic rock band, they had a hit with Eight Miles High. And then they went country. Except they really weren’t going country at all, the plan was to record an album with songs showing the complete history of American pop music, from jazz, blues, country and everything. However, a fellow named Gram Parsons joined the band, changed the theme of the album to all country, helped write and record the album, and then quit the band to hang out with Mick and Keith and ended up living in Keith's house. It’s a long story, and you can look it up on Wikipedia, but Sweetheart of the Radio is a great country album and went on to inspire what would be known today as country rock. While the album got pretty good reviews, it kind of threw people. This was already a very successful rock band going in a completely new direction, which cost them a lot of their rock and pop fans. Like many great or groundbreaking albums, the album only became more successful and recognized as a masterpiece as time passed. The album starts out with a song I’ve heard many times, but didn’t realize was the Byrds, a song called You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere, which meant nothing to me until I heard the opening chords and the chorus: ​​Ooh-wee, ride me high Tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come Oh-ho, are we gonna fly Down in the easy chair? This was the first single and probably the most well-known song off the album. The second single was I Am a Pilgrim, which you may have heard because it’s an old hymn. Musically, the album feels like a group of dudes sitting on the porch just playing, but the album is filled with some of the best country session players at the time, many with connections to bluegrass, which, being a Kentuckian, endears me more to the album. The music is tight without sounding like it. I think if this album were put out today, the Byrds would get the same result, no country radio play. They’d have to put an electronic drum in a song or rap a few lines….But, as usual, I’m an old man and yelling at clouds. This album is both important and great, which I haven’t been able to say for most of these albums on the 1,001 list. Be sure to look this album up, I think, especially if you’re a fan of country music from back in the day, you’ll receive a blessing to wash these Yankee carpetbaggers of today out of your ears.

It’s amazing to have been around for the creation of rap/hip-hop. Listening to Run-DMC’s debut album when it came out in 1984 must have blown people's minds….and made a lot of people angry. Hip-hop still tends to make people angry even today. Run-DMC was in the orbit of one Rick Rubin, who was both a hip-hop fan and a heavy metal fan. I’m convinced his pairing of rock guitar with rap made it more accessible to the white audience. It’s hard to hate on a rocking guitar riff. Rock Box is the big one off this album. The guitar playing on it was nice and heavy for the time and became the first rap video played on MTV, which is amazing. MTV wouldn’t even play Michael Jackson without a little blackmail thrown in. Then Michael Jackson, along with Madonna, made MTV. It certainly wasn't Mick Jagger and David Bowie. I digress. The first single off the album was It’s Like That. I’m quite certain I must have heard that at the time because it feels like I’ve always known it. Maybe I saw it on MTV as a kid. It got to number 15 on the Hot R&B chart. Yes, listening to the album now, it sounds quite corny. It sounds like what most black folks probably believe white folks sound like whn rapping. It doesn’t quite hold up to the advancements made in hip-hop, though I’d argue hip-hop has regressed to mumbling and ambient beats. But I’d wager that if you put these tunes on at a party, people would dance and cheer. This album is included on the 1,001 list almost specifically because of its historical significance. This album birthed hip-hop. Yes, the rhymes and beats are simple, for the most part, but at the time, no one outside of people in clubs and at block parties in New York City had ever heard rap before. I first discovered Run-DMC on MTV with the amazing Walk This Way with Aerosmith. It blew my mind. I was in middle school, and I ended up buying Run-DMC cassettes to give as gifts to a few friends. I did the same when I first heard Guns ‘N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction. Run-DMC were so good and so new, I wanted the credit for spreading it through Ohio County Middle School. In the end, this is an essential album to hear, though you must get into the right mindset. This was most of America’s introduction to rap and hip-hop; in fact, specifically, Rock Box was white America’s introduction to rap and hip-hop. This album belongs in the Smithsonian to be preserved for the rest of time. Now, will I be listening to it again? Probably not, I’ve got enough to last me for another 40 years.

I’d heard the name Ladysmith Black Mambazo, but I couldn’t remember where or why I knew I recognized the name. Then my good, reliable friend, the internet, told me they were a South African male choir who sang on the Graceland album by Paul Simon. Talk about an album you need to hear before you die. Well, I think Shaka Zulu is another album to hear before you die. As soon as the first note hit, I knew I was going to like this album. It’s hard to explain, but this album gives you a bit of understanding of how most American music came from the music of Africans who were brought to this country as slaves. It’s very spiritual, it just has a feeling about it. You can see where gospel music came from and the blues, jazz, even rock and roll. The album is purely a capella, no instruments that I can hear, which for me is hard to do. I’m not a big a cappella fan, but this album is a joy to listen to. To me, most a cappella sounds bland, but this has soul and is like no a cappella I’ve heard before. Wikipedia said that this was probably the group’s most commercially accessible record, though the songs were just re-recorded versions of their older “hits.” It also helps that this album came out after Graceland, in which the group made themselves known to a world of new fans. The album was produced by Paul Simon, explaining the more commercially accessible sound. Usually, I do some work at my desk as I listen to these albums for the first time. With Shaka Zulu, many times I stopped just to sit and listen. It seemed every few minutes I heard something that caught my fancy. Things like tongue clicking, a nice bass sound, and an interesting melody. Just an amazing album. Now, all that being said, will I be listening to this non-stop for the rest of time? Probably not. Though it is a good album to sit with and relax. I think this is an album worth hearing before you die because I’d wager you haven't heard much music more interesting than Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

owned this cassette when I was 12 years old. I had just gotten into music and was buying my own music. I went through all the stages as a young music fan. First, I just listened indiscriminately to whatever was on the radio. I still have no idea how I was introduced to music because, as far as I know, my mother hated any kind of music that wasn’t classical. But I clearly remember hearing pop music and country music growing up, either in the car or in the house. The second stage was to call and harass the local radio station to play John Anderson’s Swingin’ and Shelly West’s Jose Cuervo or whatever song I was nuts about. I also remember calling to request Shelly’s brother-in-law, David Frizzell, and his song, I’m Gonna Hire a Wino. The third stage was recording songs off the radio onto blank cassette tapes and listening to them until you wore them out. The fourth stage was buying your own music on cassette. I bought So by Peter Gabriel because of Sledgehammer. Not only because it’s a great song, but because the music video was the greatest thing I’d ever seen in my life at that time. There was animation, clay, stop-motion, just all kinds of craziness. I thought all his songs must be this great and I bought the album or got it for Christmas, I can’t remember. Well, as a 12-year-old, I wasn’t ready for Peter Gabriel, as, even though So was his most commercial recording ever, he was a serious musician, and I would later find out, a weirdo. The album started off with Red Rain, which, of course, is about pollution. I didn’t pick up on that then, even though I remember in first grade, teachers were talking about the environment. They’d tell you to turn off the lights when no one was in the room and not run the water while you brush your teeth, not because it helps the environment, but because it saves you money. Digression coming, I think where the environmentalists really screwed up with “going green” was that they needed to couch it in saving money. No one cares about the health of the environment, we’re all a bunch of selfish idiots, but if I can save $5 a month on my electric and water bills by shutting off the lights and water when not in use, I’m not even going to brush my teeth anymore and I'll just sit in the dark. But, I digress. As I listen to So as an adult, I’m really into it. Sledgehammer is still great and then I hear Don’t Give Up, which I vaguely remember as a kid. It’s got everyone’s favorite 80s singer at the moment, Kate Bush, singing on it as well. Such a great song. It’s a song that can get you choked up, but also make you fighting mad. It’s also got a gospel music flow in the middle. Brilliant. Big Time was another single in the Sledgehammer vein, but not quite as good. It’s a banger and will get you groovin.’ The last single is probably Gabriel’s most well-known song ever, In Your Eyes, and I have no memory of it from my childhood. But now, everyone knows it. The other songs are great, but whoever picked the singles picked the right ones. They are the highlight of the album. I’m not sure Gabriel ever made another commercial album and went back to just being a weird, experimental Shock the Monkey type rocker. In my opinion, you should listen to the album because it’s peak Gabriel and has at least three songs I think should be in everyone’s playlist, Sledgehammer, Don’t Give Up, and In Your Eyes.

I never got into Queen Latifah, though, listening to her debut album, All Hail the Queen, she’s definitely as good as any other rapper from that time. She’s a master at her craft, and she was a trailblazer for women in rap. She was the first huge female rap star. In 1989, when this album debuted, I was more into the extremely raunchy or gangsta rap. The Queen never really made it into my playlist back then. My playlist included 2 Live Crew, N.W.A., Ice T, and Too $hort. Like most rap albums, there were about a dozen producers, but while Queen held down the rapping, the producers made some pretty good beats and grooves for her. That’s one thing that kind of took me out of rap at the time, I was never really a lyric guy, unless they were funny, I was more a riff or melody guy. This album does have some sweet grooves, like her first single Wrath of My Madness and The Pros. This won’t be an album that makes it into my regular playlist, but I understand why it's on the 1,001 List of Albums. It’s the first real breakthrough for women in rap. You should hear it at least once, if for nothing else than to say you heard it. Otherwise, if you’re a fan of old school late 80s and early 90s rap, it’s a solid entry.

It’s not too often I get an album on this list that blows me away and makes me regret not being in on the hype when it first came out. I knew who the Flaming Lips were, they were a seemingly chaotic, psychedelic indie rock band from Oklahoma, the big indie band that people loved. I remember the hype when Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots came out. But I was a metalhead and I “hated” indie rock. Plus, 2002 seemed like a year you still had to buy music, and I just couldn’t take the word of a music critic and spend money on a weird-sounding album. Right? Also, I probably wouldn’t have been ready for Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots is an electronic album with acoustic guitars and hip-hop beats, telling the story of Yoshimi battling pink robots. This album is amazing. The songs are incredible, the sounds are incredible, so I’m all the way in on this album. The album is filled with melancholy songs about love and other earthly emotions, but then you have Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part 2, which sounds like a battle against robots, but in a funky way. There is some debate about whether the album is a concept album, but that’s immaterial to the ears. The music, songs like Do You Realize, kind of reminds me of the Gorillaz, a melding of hip-hop, electronic, and singer-songwriter music. By the by, I also love the Gorillaz. Every album they put out is one you can listen to for months without any burnout. Speaking of Do You Realize?, In 2009, it was named the state song of Oklahoma. Who knew Oklahoma could be progressive in anything? However, as soon as the GOP got in charge, they removed the designation. The state song is now, Oklahoma!. Still has an exclamation point, but obviously much lamer. Truth be told, I like Oklahoma! too. The album broke the Flaming Lips into the mainstream, except they weren’t a mainstream band. Kind of like how the Butthole Surfers became a mainstream band with their song Pepper, but the Butthole Surfers were barely an underground band. But, of course, the Flaming Lips returned to their indie king status and did other weird/cool things, like recording a studio version of Dark Side of the Moon with Henry Rollins and Peaches. I think everyone can find something to like about this album. I recommend giving it a try sometime. It just sounds very different from what we’re hearing today, which is kind of sad.

I’ve never heard this album. This was right around the time I kind of aged out of hip-hop. However, you couldn’t escape the singles of the album, especially In Da Club. That was a monster, and it was quite good. I think several factors made 50 Cent one of the new kings of hip-hop. One was that he had the backing of Dr. Dre and Eminem. That’s almost a golden ticket to wealth and fame, but there have been some misses from those two. Also, 50 Cent had a very unique voice and delivery. He was a mumbler, maybe that’s why most rappers today seem to be speaking an alien language. But one of the biggest factors in making him a superstar, he had a good story. Shot nine times and survived? Had to leave town for fear of being hit again? Brilliant PR, except I guess it wasn’t? But it sure was made known to everyone. Plus, as we now know, he is great at doing business, or at least his agents or mangers are. As for the album, meh. I just can’t get excited about hip-hop these days. Maybe it's because you hear it during SportsCenter highlights, in every commercial, it's just everywhere and nowhere at once. Hip-hop is Muzak now. There’s no danger or intrigue. It’s just a bunch of anomalous beats to hear when finding out how many home runs Shohei Otani hit. I gave this a listen, but beyond the singles, it all sounds bland to me. At least with Run DMC a few days back, it brought nostalgia. I think much like rock, hip-hop is dead, as in, there are no exciting, dangerous artists out there anymore. It’s just a bunch of guys trying to get rich and are figuratively dying trying. If you’re a hip-hop fan, I’m probably lame, but I think you can live a very happy life without hearing this whole album. Maybe just check out the singles, In Da Club, Many Men, and P.I.M.P.

As a dumb kid, I used to think Steely Dan was lame and just music for old people. Then, as I became an old person, I realized Steely Dan is for old people because most young people can’t appreciate just how good Steely Dan is. Take Aja, for instance, it was the sixth album for Steely Dan, and while you have a certain Steely Dannishness running through all the albums, the group, or more specifically, the duo kept experimenting, using different session musicians for each album. Steely Dan just liked pushing the boundaries and creating music they wanted to hear. Steely Dan was essentially Walter Becker and Donald Fagen and whatever session musicians they decided to hire for an album or a tour. On Aja, the Dan wrote longer songs with more complicated arrangements, while also writing two hit songs you still hear on the radio today in Peg and Deacon Blues. You’re also likely to hear Josie and Black Cow off this album as well. Beyond just fabulous musicianship, Steely Dan has a wry sense of humor when it comes to lyrics. For instance, Deacon Blues is about a loser who thought that the losers of the world should have a name like Alabama is called the Crimson Tide. "They’ve got a name for the winners in the world, I want a name when I lose. They call Alabama, the Crimson Tide, call me Deacon Blues." Brilliant. The Steely Dan style can be described these days as Yacht Rock, which gets a bad name with people thinking it's cheesy or campy music made to be made fun of. However, there is nothing cheesy or campy about Steely Dan. They are true musicians who make very technical, but accessible music to just chill out to, party to, make babies to, whatever you mood you're in, Steely Dan can heighten it. I can’t recommend this album enough, along with most of Steely Dan’s catalog. Listen to this immediately, if not sooner.

Finally, I get a Bad Brains album. I’ve heard the name Bad Brains for a while, since the hair metal days at least. I’ve never listened to them, or at least nothing more than hearing a song or two. At the time I checked them out, I was way into hair metal and Bad Brains was known more as a punk band. In fact, some call them the pioneers of hardcore punk. I didn’t understand punk during the ages of 13-18. I was into Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Yngwie Malmsteen. You know, the holy trinity of guitar wankery. So if there weren't blazing solos, I didn't want to hear it. Though now I see what an idiot I was. Bad Brains, according to my friend Wikipedia, formed as a jazz fusion band. That kind of makes sense. Jazz can be chaotic and Bad Brains and their fans could be chaotic at times. In 1986, the band released I Against I, their third studio album, which was just everything. Metal, punk, reggae, funk, soul, whatever you wanted, you got on I Against I. I think it’s just weird enough to work. I Against I appears to be the band’s most influential album, if not its best. The album would go on to inspire bands from Sublime to Sepultura to Rage Against the Machine to Jeff Buckley and others. The album offered a different kind of sound at the time to those who weren’t into the whole hair metal scene. The album sounds like it was produced by the people who brought us Megadeth’s Peace Sells, But Who’s Buying and So Far, So Good, So What. As a Megadeth fan, I love both those albums. The guitar work is great with some very chunky riffs and great solos that would fit nicely into the hair metal scene. The vocalist H.R., is a great singer for this style of band. He sings, he raps, and he kind of uses an English voice like Donovan provides in Alice Cooper’s Billion Dollar Babies. There are times you can hear a bit of Glenn Danzig in his voice. He’s really refreshing and weird. This album is definitely going into my regular rotation. I love the sound and the spirit of the album. I think this would be a good one for fans of metal and hard rock to listen to. But I do think if you go in with an open mind, you’ll find a lot to like about I Against I.

I vaguely remember hearing about the band Mercury Rev, but I had no idea I was about to hear something I’ve rarely, if ever, heard. Deserter’s Songs is like a movie soundtrack for a movie that hasn’t been written or filmed. Cinematic isn’t even a big enough word to describe what I’m hearing with this album. that The funny thing about this album is the band was kind of down to just two people, Jonathan Donahue and Sean “Grasshopper” Mackowiak, and none of their previous albums made a dent in any pop or sales charts. Drug problems, poor sales, debt, and battles with the record label led to the band splintering. Donahue went into a depression, and Grasshopper kind of retired to a monastery. Essentially, the band was over. But Donahue missed his friend Grasshopper and decided to write music that they wanted to play, rather than trying to find music the label thought would sell. He moved to where Grasshopper lived to write and record with him. Donahue said recording a new album was less about sales or making money, and was more about reconnecting with his friend. During the recording, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson of the Band, who lived in the area as well, joined the recording sessions for Deserter’s Songs. So there’s a little bit of the Band’s essence sprinkled on the album. But the songs, my God, the songs. It’s hard to explain them because I really haven’t heard anything like it. It’s more of a vibe than anything. The songs feel happy, but they’re laced with an underlying sadness, at least the first five are. They mastered the album on 35 mm magnetic film, and they think that’s where the "weird" sound quality comes from. The theme of the album is “walking away,” according to Donahue. Now, this was supposed to be their last album, but a funny thing happened...the album caught fire in Europe. It helped that the Chemical Brothers, who had collaborated with Donahue for a project before he reconnected with Grasshopper, kept telling the world how good the album was. Mercury Rev has released six more albums, with their last being in 2024. Deserter’s Songs changed the band’s life, and rather than it being the end of their journey, it turns out it was just the beginning. I’ve done like 150 of these albums, and I rarely get one I haven’t heard that just really reaches in and grabs me by the guts, but Deserter’s Songs did. The song Tonite It Shows, Endlessly and Opus 40 are my favorites, but there isn't a bad song on the album. Check this album out, especially if you like film music. I think you’ll really love the vibe and sound of it.

Ugh. I dislike Christina Aguilera. It’s the runs, you know, the need to show off your range by turning a one syllable word into 27. We know you can sing, you don’t have to work so hard to convince the convinced. It’s annoying. I can appreciate that she can sing. When she came out with Britney Spears, Britney had the whole jailbait thing working for her, but Christina was actually talented. Then, because talent wasn’t enough, she turned into XTina to try to take some of Britney’s elderly pervs. But it just seemed desperate and beneath someone with real talent, in my opinion. I do see this album has the usual dozen people credited with writing each song. I still don’t know how that works. Did one of them come up with one note that brought the song together and now he gets a writing credit? I guess it’s still going on today. I remember the days when one or two dude wrote the songs. I’m old and digressing. I love how there's one song about taking it back to basics while using samples, record scratches, drum loops and rapping. Is Back to Basics, like 1989 for Christina? She’s singing about singers from the 40s and 50s, and the song is just computers bleeping and blorping. It irks me. I can tell I ain’t finishing this album. Ah, the single, Ain’t No Other Man. I actually kind of like this song. But I’d be fine if I’d never heard it again in my life. We’re about halfway through the album and I’ve had to turn the volume down several times. She’s a screamer, my friends. We know you’ve got power, but can you not be on full blast at all times, Christina? Good Lord. Christina is now talking in her song. I hate the talking in songs, Bret Michaels, Shania Twain, I'm looking at you two. It sounds so dumb. Unless you’re rapping, otherwise, sing! Why does it seem like I’m so angry? I’m not, just annoyed. This is fun. I want to hear the Mark Ronson song. If anyone can make me like Christina, it’s Ronson. I’ve been a Ronson fan since back in the day, you know, 2003. Oooh, I didn’t think much of the first Ronson cut on the album, but Without You is….kind of….good. It’s also the song with the least amount of songwriters, which is still four, but could fewer cooks lead to a better meal? That’s weird, isn’t it? That’s sarcasm right there. She’s still doing her bs runs, but the music is really great. Ooooh, she sounds great. Why wasn’t this a single? Then we go back to trash with Still Dirty. I love how all these pop singers need to express how dirty they are in a song or two every album. They’re about as dirty as a bar of soap. Carrie Underwood isn’t bashing an ex's car with a baseball bat, XTina isn’t competing in some weird underground sex fight league. She still doesn’t have that nasty in here because it was never in there. She’s your genie in a bottle, not your bad girl on a chopper. And she’s back to yelling at me. Okay, I made it through the whole album….as far as you know. It’s not for me, dawg. I like pop music, but I never fell under Christina’s spell….I was close when she was putting out videos of her in the underground sexfighting matches, but thankfully, my ears kept working. If you’re a fan, you obviously think I’m an idiot, and I am. At the end of the day, I don’t think this is an album of any importance, at least not to me.

I’m not sure who the female singer is who made it popular to change the sounds of words when they’re singing, but I need to get in a time machine, go back, find them as a child, and smother them. Ugh. But just to show I’m all about equality, whatever rapper made mumbling popular in hip-hop, once I’ve smothered the singer, I’m doing the same to him. And now, that brings me to SZA’s Ctrl. She doesn’t seem to be much on spelling, which may explain her weird word pronunciation. Now, you might think I hated this album, but I actually can appreciate it. It at least sounds different, like someone was trying to innovate rather than just follow the same old pattern most record companies want. Are there still record companies? Are there still records? I’ve heard of SZA before, but I assumed I wouldn’t want to hear her stuff because, well, I’m old. But I actually quite liked Ctrl. It’s as close to an old-fashioned soul album as we can get these days, probably. There are no real bangers, as most of the songs are about love, or maybe more like lust. If she indeed wrote the lyrics, she really gets quite vulnerable. However, this album is one of those where the songwriting credit goes to like 8 people persong, so maybe she just gets handed the lyrics and sings when it’s time to sing. As I said, I’m an old school guy, and I have no delicate sensibilities, but I miss the old days when you couldn’t say the dirty words you meant. I Can’t Get No Satisfaction wouldn’t hit the same if it were I Can’t Get No P….you know? The song Doves in the Wind is about the importance of P. But the word is said so often, it’s like it's beating you over the head with P. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to giggle like a schoolgirl or clutch my pearls, but what I ended up doing was rolling my eyes. Sometimes, just because you have the freedom to say the words that shock doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better. It's just hacky and lowest common denominator, in my opinion. Drew Barrymore, track 4, not the daytime TV host, sounds like it could be a country song, or at least what passes for country today. Worse, becomes wirf in this song. Did Adele do all this changing of word sounds? I know Duffy did for sure. So, as I was listening to SZA and working, I really didn’t pay much attention, except for them saying P about 256 times in the Doves In the Wind. Then The Weekend came on, not the singer, track 6, the first certified banger on the album. Okay, Prom is pretty great, too. Of course, The Weekend has songwriting credits from Timbaland and Justin Timberlake. And when I mean it’s a banger, it’s a slow funk groove that would normally be described as baby-making music. As Ron Burgundy might say, Unnngghhh. Aqualung. The song is about how SZA is involved with a man who has three chicks, and she’s on the weekend shift. This guy must be an idiot; this will blow up in his face so bad he’s liable to get set on fire. Then, as the album goes on, I started to really get into it. Even the weird changing of the sounds of words couldn’t pull me out of the groove. By the end of the album, I felt it was much better than yesterday’s Christina Aguilera album, because I believed everything SZA told me. Ctrl is not an album I’m going to listen to over and over, but I’m glad I dipped my toe in to see what she was all about. Is it an all-timer? I think it’s too early to say that. Come back to me in 50 years, in which case I’ll be dead, so it won’t matter anyway.

Tom Petty was one of those singers who wasn’t a great technical singer, but his voice was distinct, it had personality and 60% of the time, that beats great every time. This album didn’t really take off in the U.S. when it came out. As usual, the United Kingdom was way ahead of us when it came to musical taste, and disco was still crushing in America. However, America caught up and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers later became a more accessible punk rock for mainstream America. You can tell this is Petty’s first album because a lot of the songs are simple and about rocking. The songs are short and sweet, just get in, rock their faces off, and get out. The opening song, Rockin’ Around (With You) gives me a Beatles vibe, like early Beatles. It seems like a throwaway song, but it gives you a perfect example of what to expect, a solid rock record with good harmonies and great choruses. Then, when Breakdown comes on, you think, this isn’t the Beatles. Breakdown is more Tom Petty’s version of the Eagles. The chorus with the backing vocals gives you chills. It was the first single off this album. Hometown Blues isn’t exactly a memorable track, but it does have Donald “Duck” Dunn playing the bass on it. Duck was the bass player for the famous Stax Records in-house band, Booker T & the MG’s. I can imagine the Heartbreakers thought they were playing with royalty that day. The Wild One, Forever sounds like Petty’s first shot at trying to right a Bruce Springsteen or a Jim Steinman song. Follow me as I digress. Have you noticed that a lot of early Springsteen songs are similar to Jim Steinman songs? Steinman wrote the music for most, if not all, the Meatloaf albums. Listen to Bat Out of Hell and then Born To Run and tell me it doesn’t have a similar vibe? a By the time we get to track 6, Strangered in the Night (great title), we get to our first and, probably, only song that featured a murderer on the track, as Jim Gordon is playing the drums. Gordon was great drummer who did a lot of session work. He also happened to play drums in a little band called Derek & the Dominoes. Perhaps he’s more famous for murdering his mother by stabbing her to death with a butcher knife. Apparently, the voices in his head told him to do it. He was diagnosed as schizophrenic, but California sentenced him to life in prison anyway. Just a sad situation all the way around. Back to the rocking, as Track 7, Fooled Again (I Don’t Like It) gives me an AC/DC vibe, at least the riffs do. It sounds mean and evil. Ooooh, I really like this song. It’s an album cut that I think could have been a classic rock hit. It’s just different from most of the songs on here. It’s less, let’s rock, and more, I’m going to kill you. Mystery Man, track 8, kind of sounds like a nice 80s country song. Which is odd because this album came out in 1976. Makes me think of the Bellamy Brothers mixed with Van Morrison. It’s a cool little song. Luna, track 9, has a Fleetwood Mac feel. It’s funny, a lot of these songs sound like they could have been done by other bands, but they are truly Tom Petty songs. This is a slinky song, until we get to the jingle bells, which seem… odd. Whoa, this song really took off in a weird direction for a second. The album finishes with one of my all-time favorite Petty songs, American Girl. This song was a homerun and the highest charting song for Petty in America off the album, hitting number 9 on the Hot 100 chart. It was a big hit, probably because as Americans, we love us some us. This song is so fun to sing along to and is so peppy, while the lyrics are more melancholy. That guitar solo at the end has to be one of the most memorable in rock. As I move through the album, I can see why it wasn’t a juggernaut, the singles, Breakdown and American Girl, are undeniable, but most of the songs, while not filler, just aren’t up to the kind of songwriter Petty would become in later albums. Petty was one of those songwriters who never ran out of hits. Even at his death, he was still putting out great music. I think, while he’s plenty rated, 100 years from now, we'll look upon him as one of our great songwriters with the likes of Dylan, Lennon and McCartney and Jon Bon Jovi. If you’ve never heard this album, it is for sure a must list

I don’t need to listen to this album. This album has been sutured into my DNA since about 1990. I remember the first time I got …And Justice. It was through the Columbia House CD club. Remember? You pick out 15 CDs for a penny, and then you only have to buy 5 more at the regular club prices. And to help you out, they’d send you a new CD every month to listen to and decide if you like it. If you don’t, just send it back. Hmmmmm, to a teenager, this sounds too good to be true,e and, of course, it was, but they eventually stop trying to collect their money....I've heard. Anyway, I received …And Justice as one of the albums they sent monthly. I had heard of Metallica, but I wasn’t into thrash or speed metal at the time. To me, ZZ Top was heavy metal. I cracked the CD open and put it in and….ugh. This singer isn’t singing, he’s yelling. This is really fast music, but then it isn’t. Why don’t they pick a lane? Eventually, after not being impressed, I actually fell asleep and slept through about ⅔ of the album. I woke up and thought, I won’t need to listen to that again. And I sold it to someone at school. A little later, after Metallica had blown up because of …And Justice. I received Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All remaster from Columbia House. I thought they weren’t fooling me again, but I’ll give it a listen. I loved it. It blew me away, and it was faster and even more yellier. I couldn’t believe it. What changed? So, I bought a new copy of …And Justice For All and listened to it around 250 times. No joke, it’s easily one of the albums I’ve listened to most in my life. I love the progginess of it, the apocalyptic message (it especially rings true today), and James Hetfield is still yelling, but I get it. He can’t sing, so what’s he supposed to do? It got to the point where I knew where all the time and tempo changes were coming without counting beats, I could recite the guitar solos better than I could the lyrics. This might be my all-time favorite album. And, it’s not even really metal so much as it’s prog rock. Listen to …And Justice For All with all the riffs and time changes and tell me that isn’t prog rock. Now, for the elephant in the room, the Metallica boys made this album while they were still grieving the loss of their bass player, Cliff Burton. He was the genius of the group, but don’t tell Lars Ulrich that. Anyway, they hired Jason Newsted as Cliff’s replacement, then tortured him for not being Cliff. If that wasn’t bad enough, they mixed his bass to sound like the guitar riffs, and there is essentially no bass on ...And Justice. And you know what? I don’t care! I love crunchy guitars, so give me more. Also, I love the way Lars’s drums sound on this album. Their next album, the Black Album, would be the one to send them into mainstream superstardom, but for me, this is their best album. I can’t believe there isn’t anyone under the age of 25 who hasn't heard at least the song One from this album. Quickly, before all the things Papa Hetfield sings about on the album, listen to it immediately and change your DNA.

’ve never really listened to Björk. I know nothing about her except that she’s Icelandic, or Nordic, or something like that. She also appears to be one of those you call true artists. You know, artists that are really weird and they create art you just don’t really understand, but critics and “smart” people do, and they love her. So, I was a little excited to get a Björk album to listen to it just to see what the fuss was about. I’m two tracks in, and I don’t see it. I mean, I see how she might be looked upon as a true artist, but her singing is quite weird, even annoying at times. The music is spare, electronic, and at some points it sounds like she might have hired a foley artist to play on the album. On track 2, it sounded like a dude was just in the background dropping some chopsticks into a barrel, while another “plays” a skipping record. Track 3, It's Not Up To You, kind of sounds like a song that could be heard on college radio around 2:36 a.m. on a Sunday morning. There are some instruments on the track, and it’s quite cinematic. However, it has a constant drip-dropping that sounds like what you might think an android's leaky kitchen sink faucet might sound like. Otherwise, best song on the album. Oh, and a choir, now that's beautiful. Track 4, Undo, has a bell from your car that dings when you don’t have your seat belt buckled as one of the main "instruments." God bless people who can create music like this, and more importantly, God bless people who can stand it. I know I sound like a hater, but as I get older and society gets dumber, I find that art is more and more important in our lives. If for nothing else than the help ease the tension and stress. The choir is back and is again very beautiful. I think I might be softening on Björk. I’m not starting to get it, but I’m at least falling for it. From Wikipedia, “Björk composed arrangements with thin-sounding instruments, including the harp, the celesta, clavichord, strings, and custom music boxes. Assisted by Matmos, Björk created ‘microbeats’ from various commonplace sounds, such as that of shuffling cards and ice being cracked.” Yes! I was picking up what she was laying down. Foley artists are creating music out of shuffling cards, that kind of crap. Well, maybe not foley artists, but apparently, Björk and others were recording ordinary sounds, like walking in the snow, to make beats. I’m not crazy, it’s just Björk. You know the old saying, there's such a thin line between clever and stupid. She’s beaten me down. I loved Frosti, an instrumental, leading into Aurora. Beautiful singing, both by Björk and the choir. I’m pretty sure I hear the shuffling cards as part of the musical accompaniment. Great song. Track 8, An Echo A Stain is weird, almost foreboding. It also sounds like they used a mechanical hoot owl in the creation of this song. It’s creeping me out. Even the harp is giving me the pee shivers. I’m getting out of here. As I finish up the album, I can appreciate what Björk was trying to accomplish. I get it. Sometimes I get tired of the same old same old, and I search out a band called Melt Banana to feel something new and different. It seems like Björk got tired of what she was doing and wanted to try something new and original. Even though I may never listen to this album again, I’m glad I listened to it at least once. I could see this growing on me the more times I listened to it. I’d recommend checking it out if you want to hear something original or you’re just bored of what you're ingesting now.

was shocked to see an album by Dexys Midnight Runners on the 1,001 Must Listen list. I was even more shocked to find it wasn't the album with their massive hit, Come On Eileen. Huh?!? Seems the band went through some changes in between their second album, which included Come On Eileen, and the third album, Don’t Stand Me Down. They went from a 10-piece band with fiddles, hurdy gurdys, and mandolins, down to a four-piece band. In addition, band leader Kevin Rowland, also the lead singer, wanted to experiment more musically. Which means the third album isn’t a carbon copy of Come On Eileen. Which, coming off a surprise hit like Eileen, was certainly not a good plan for continued success. The production for the third album was costly, as well, while their second album cost nothing to make. Already behind the eight ball on this one. When Don’t Stand Down came out it flopped badly. The band didn’t think the record company gave them any support. I’m sure the record company also thought, there’s no Come On Eileen on this album. Where’s Eileen?!? But as happens occasionally, over time, the album has garnered a cult following, and several critics declared it as a masterpiece. Not me, though. The album is fine, but it’s nothing that grabs me and makes me want to listen to it again. I do take issue with there being no Come On Eileen on the album. The chords used in most songs, if that’s even the right term, are all reminiscent of the chords in Eileen. So, in a way, the spirit of Eileen is woven all through the album. Except in Track 4, One of These Things. Track 4 is essentially Warren Zevon’s Werewolves of London, which is weird. And you might think I’m exaggerating, but Rowland straight up admitted they stole the piano riff from Werewolves and gave Zevon a co-writing credit. That’s just weird, right? I guess it’s nothing hip-hop hasn’t done its whole life. Track 4 is the most memorable song on the album to me, and it’s only because it sounds like Werewolves of London. The other tracks are good, but overall, it's just another 80s rock album. The lone single released from the album was This Is What She’s Like and it starts out with a conversation between two dudes. At least it’s not in the song. You know I hate talking in songs, looking at you, Shania, and Bret Michaels. It takes 2 minutes for the song to actually kick in, and it’s just okay. I’m lukewarm on this album. I wished I either loved or hated it, but I get no feelings from it. So, don’t listen to it or do, I don’t think it will affect you either way.

Ah, the Mars Volta. They’re insane, but I love this band. I will admit, I haven’t listened to them in a while. I burn hot with the Mars Volta and then I have to put them down for a while. The Mars Volta are essentially two constant band members, founders Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala. Rodríguez-López is a guitarist and producer, and according to Wikipedia, he provides the direction for the band. Whereas Bixler-Zavala is the singer and writes the lyrics. The lyrics….hmmm…To me, they’re nonsensical. I’m sure they mean something to Bixler-Zavala, but to me, they're really just words put together to make sounds. I guess you’d call the Mars Volta, and for the record, it may just be Mars Volta with no the, anyway, they’re progressive rock. But, they’re more than that. They’re punk, they’re metal, they’re jazz, they’re noise rock, they’re just unlike anything you’ve heard. And to be fair, some of you, perhaps all of you, might hate what you hear. As for me, I think they’re geniuses, and I can find something in every song that sends shivers up and down my spine. Each song on the album is like a journey, and unlike some bands, you’re just not sure where the music is going to take you. Track 3, Roulette Dares, is brilliant. It mixes soft and hard in a way that when the soft parts come in, your heartbeat decelerates and when the hard rock comes in, it accelerates the heart. It's like your getting a high-intensity workout through your earholes. I’ll admit Bixler-Zavala’s singing can be an acquired taste. When I first heard Geddy Lee, I hated his voice, but as I aged, I learned to love it. Bixler-Zavala may have an even higher range than Geddy. Track 5, Drunkship of Lanterns, has bongos playing a nice uptempo Latin beat, and Bixler-Zavala sings about whatever, then we get to the middle sectio,n which is pure Steve Vai type guitar wankery. The guitar sounds like its backwards, but it isn’t backwards. Then later it all breaks down and sounds like you’ve been jettisoned to space to float around before Rodriguea-Lopez lays some heavy Santanta-like riffs on you. Damn, I love this song. The song ends in what sounds like you're listening to a rave with your ear up to the door, and the music is being made by dinosaurs. It’s weird. And that’s just one track! Oh, did I mention Rick Rubin produced the album? Oh, did I also mention that the band’s bassist left before the recording of the album, and Flea, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, played bass on the album? Does anyof that interest you? I’m getting more fired up as this thing album goes on. I’ve missed this album. It's not bringing back memories of where I was or what I was doing when I first heard this album, but those emotions I felt are flooding back. Track 6, Eriatarka, while it starts softly, it rises into a fast punk chorus, if any of these songs actually have choruses. I can’t write as I listen. I don’t want to try to form thoughts. Just. Want. To. Listen. Track 7, Cicatriz Esp, is Pink Floydian, like Echoes from the album Meddle. The song is great, starts out banging, then around the 4 minute mark, everything slows down and gets softer, and it again feels like you/re just floating in space….for five minutes, literally, the song is over 12 minutes long. Then the solo starts and goes on, and on, and on. Maybe my favorite track on the album. Just prog rock brilliance. This album is a masterpiece as far as I’m concerned. I love it, and God bless the 1,001 Must Listen list for shaking me from my long slumber on this album and this band. I think if you’re a prog rock fan, you’ll love this album. Even if you aren’t and don’t even know what prog rock is, give this album a listen. It might open your eyes to something you never knew was out there.

Buffalo Springfield was comprised of three dudes and Neil Young and Stephen Stills. It sounds harsh, but that’s what Buffalo Springfield will be known as. Buffalo Springfield Again is the second album from the group. To be honest, I really wasn’t sure if I’d know any songs off this album. Then Mr. Soul, track 1, fires up, and yeah, I’ve heard at least one. Oh, fancy that, it turns out the band was dysfunctional as hell, and each member produced their own material by themselves. Why would Stills think inviting Young to join Crosby, Stills, and Nash would be a good idea? It seems they already had some bubbling issues that only bubbled up more during the CSNY years. Seems Young even quit Buffalo Springfield several times during the recording of BS Again. I’m becoming a fan of Neil Young, but it seems like he doesn’t want to be a rock star. He reminds me of Kurt Cobain, in which you want your music to be heard and enjoyed by people, but fame and money really mess with your head. But I digress, as usual. Out of the dysfunction, Buffalo Springfield produced a hell of an album full of great 60s rock and some Byrds-like country jams. The first track Mr.Soul is some hard-charging rock written by Young. As Young would do, at least early in his career, he writes about being famous and wonders how long will it last and blah, blah, blah. It lasted forever, Neil. Even when you tried to kill your career. Great song tho. Track 2, A Child’s Claim To Fame, is straight-up Byrds-like country rock. The song was written and sung by one of the other guys in BS, Richie Furay. Cool song with some nice picking, I assume by Stills. Track 3, Everydays, says it was recorded live and it’s a Stills’ song. It’s a little more jazzy than the other songs. I think it’s the piano that leans it that direction. There is a fuzzy 60’s guitar in the song, but it’s a sound that over time has become synonymous with the guitar sound of the 60s and it irritates me. But it’s a good song otherwise. Track 4 is Expecting To Fly and it’s a Young composition, and I love it. It sounds like it could be released today. Very mellow with swells of strings and still a touch of 60s fuzz guitar. Young’s singing isn’t so nasally, which threw me off a bit. Great song. Oh, and it was a single off the album, along with Bluebird, Mr. Soul, and Rock & Roll Woman. Track 5 Bluebird, as I mentioned, was a single off the album, but it reminds me of a Guess Who song. It’s a Stills song and that means great guitar work, both acoustic and electric. Also, the singing is great as he sings harmony with Furay. Furay is probably more than just an other guy. After BS imploded, he went on the form the country leaning rock band Poco. Other than Stills and Young, Furay wrote three songs on the album and sang on five, either solo or with Stills or Young. One of the other other guys was Dewey Martin, he sang Good Time Boy. The other other other guy, Bruce Palmer, played bass. He also had deportation problems, which hurt his ability to make it to recording sessions for the album. Anyway, Bluebird was fantastic. Track 7, Sad Memory, is about a sad memory. It’s your bog-standard sad song about a love that’s lost. It’s Furay on vocals with an acoustic guitar, and I’m pretty sure a steel guitar deep in the mix. Just a lovely little sad song. Track 8 is Martin’s turn on vocals with Good Time Boy. This song seems out of place on this album. It’s got horns and sounds like it could be a throwaway Motown song. Martin’s vocals sound like he could have sung for The Guess Who. I hate the Guess Who, by the way. There’s a lot of Sock it to me nows, and lay it on me nows in this song. It’s fine, but it’s very derivative of the time. Rock & Roll Woman was a single and its track 9. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard it. It’s more like the rest of the songs on the album. It’s written and sung by Stills. Great vocals, big organ, and great guitar work by Stills again, I assume. Okay, Track 10 is Broken Arrow, another Young track with him on vocals and him struggling with fame. Supposedly, this was written after he freaked out and left the band, one of the several times he did so. He came back and contributed this song. Broken Arrow is weird, but Young is a weird guy. It kind of stops and starts, and then other songs pop up like Take Me Out to the Ballgame, then we're back into the proper song. It befuddled me upon first listen. Lots of piano in the song, and it’s not necessarily a rock song. Again, I think this is another song that could be released today. Not sure it would be a hit, but it has a timeless quality. The chorus is beautiful. It ends with a beating heart, as Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon begins. Buffalo Springfield Again is a fun album, not sure I'll listen to it again. I may add a few songs to a playlist, though. It just seems like this was the placeholder until CSNY and Young's solo career could blossom and produce the legendary rock songs. If you're a fan of CSNY, Young, or the whole 60s vibe, you'll dig this the most.

Bruce Springsteen was at the height of his powers in 1981. He just put out two incredible, all-time great albums, Born To Run and The River. However, after selling a ton of records and becoming rich and famous, like all true artists, he kind of felt lost or, maybe, guilty. He wanted to be an artist, not a rock and roll star. The problem is, when you’re good, you’re good, and the people will find you. So, Bruce retired to his ranch in New Jersey and began writing songs that would become the album Nebraska, with a few winding up on Born in the USA. Bruce sat down with his guitar, his harmonica, and a four-track recorder, which allowed him to record vocals, guitar, harmonica, and one more track. He began to write and record the demos for Nebraska. There was the title track, Nebraska, inspired by the Terrence Malick movie Badlands. It’s a beautiful-looking movie about a murderous couple just out killing for fun. It’s based on a true story, of course. The song is incredible and a good introduction to the darkness on the album. Track two is Atlantic City, which is about a dude who needs to provide for his family, so he has to go to work for the mob in Atlantic City. Later, there are songs about Bruce’s father and his unresolved issues with his father. I’m not a folk guy. I love guitars, I love the E Street Band, but this album is a masterpiece. Though, thinking more about it, this isn't exactly a folk album. I think it's too pessimistic to be what feels like folk to me. I'd still call this a rock album. I’m also not a lyrics guy most of the time, I’m a riff guy, but Bruce can write poetry and this album is full of it. Bruce brought his demos in for the E Street Band to work up and by the time they got the songs recorded, they just didn’t work. Finally, Bruce was convinced to just release his demos as the album. It’s so dumb to even suggest. What’s the show about? It’s about nothing. Nothing? There has to be something. No, nothing, Jerry. That’s the show. I think you have something there. Anyway, Bruce was on board and somehow they got the record company on board. I’m quite sure there’s no way a record company today, if there still are record companies today, would ever let Sabrina Carpenter or whoever is popular now, release an album made up of demos they recorded in their bedroom with bleak lyrics and just a harmonica and an acoustic guitar. But the record company agreed that Nebraska was art and people needed to hear it. Even though everyone was on board, they pretty much thought this album would not sell. Coming off Born To Run and The River, you put out an acoustic album next? Once word gets out, the casual fans will just wait for the next album, if they ever buy another Springsteen album. But, wouldn’t you know it? The album got great reviews and sold over 1 million units in the U.S. I know I’ve not really talked much about the actual songs like I have in the last few of these I’ve done, and the songs are brilliant, but I find the whole story behind the album fascinating. The songs are all stories, really. A song about a guy who loses his job and murders a motel clerk out of frustration, a song about a cop wrestling with letting a family member skate by after a crime, or to arrest him, another about a car thief becoming more and more paranoid as he’s driving a stolen car down the highway, all the songs are great. I used to think Springsteen was for old people. I just didn’t get him. Then I really listened to Born To Run for real, and I got it. The light bulb turned on. But Nebraska is different. It’s not the big band and the fun times. It’s dark and spare. It’s not an album you put on at parties, but it’s one I think you must hear before you die.

I never really got into Missy Elliot for some reason. Looking back now though, I loved every single she put out and I’m a huge fan of Timbaland as a producer and a rapper. So, when Under Construction came up as my album, I had no idea where this was in her catalog. Missy Elliot seemed to come out of nowhere. She was dressed in a blown-up trash bag, and Timbaland was giving her the best beats in hip-hop. Under Construction was her fourth album in 5 years. That seems like a lot, especially for someone who seemed to be as hot as she was with hit after hit. It’s not surprising to see that she put out another album in 2003 and one in 2005, and that was it for her. Why is it that when hip-hoppers become huge and make millions upon millions of dollars, they tend to retire or at least semi-retire? Is it because it’s hard to write about the streets when you’re living in penthouses and driving Bentleys? I know plenty of rock bands who don’t make it out of their superstar stage because money, fame, and hangers on changes you. It has to. Only the strongest survive superstardom, the Stones, Metallica, and U2. It’s hard to transition from an angry young person to a fat, rich, and happy person. Now, Missy Elliot never came off as angry, and most of her songs to me sounded kind of like nonsense. It’s easy to keep nonsense alive forever, look at Weird Al. Under Construction sounds great. There are great beats, and Elliot has always been a great rapper. She has a very unique voice. Work It, the first single, is a monster. It’s one of those songs that will be played 100 years from now. The next single was Gossip Folks, which is about all the intrigue and rumors that swirled around Elliot for some reason. Was she gay? Was she straight? Why do we care? She was a heavyset woman who then lost a bunch of weight, so there was gossip about that. Ludacris is on this song and really takes it to another level. Ludacris is another hip-hopper I just never got into, but every song of his is a banger. He also got huge, then quit rapping. Gossip Folks also recognized the passing of Elliot’s friends, Aaliyah, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, and Jam Master Jay. All died within a 15 month perieod of time, Aaliyah and Lopes both in plane crashes. Weird. If that happened today, I’m sure 90% of the population would believe the government was involved. The third single was Back in the Day featuring Jay Z. Funnily enough, it wasn’t a huge hit. The song was about the good old days of hip-hop, and like The Day the Music Died the lyrics refereced a ton of old school rappers. Missy shows off her singing skills in this one. Jay-Z, another who got huge, then quit rapping. The rest of the album is good, but I’m not a hip-hop connoisseur, so I can’t speak to this album being any better than another hip-hop album. I’ll just say, beyond the singles, none of the songs made me stop and just listen. So, is it a must-listen? For me, no, but those who love hip-hop or are getting into hip-hop from the past, this is a good one to check out.

Never heard of The Crusaders. Wikipedia says they are jazz fusion. Hmmmm, that could be good, but it can also be incredibly horrible. First track is the title track, Street Life. Let’s see how this goes. I love that organ….wait a minute…..where has this group been my whole life?!?! Oh, hot damn, a solo for the keys and it’s FIRE! This song makes me want to move to Detroit and become a pimp. And now a sax solo? This may be the greatest 11-minute song ever. I’m sitting at my desk working, thinking about El Blizzardo Diablo heading our way, but this music is so good, I’m getting excited to be covered in a foot of snow. To be snowed in with The Crusaders in my buds, pumping out the jams? I’ve never been more excited to be smothered. 20 years ago, I’d have called this trash and old people’s music. Now it’s just glorious. Ah, the one true advantage of getting old…You’re not such a dumbass. So, I’m pretty much all the way through the album now, first listen. It’s a winner. I wish I still had either of my podcasts going because my podcast partners and I would be storyboarding a great 70s cop movie on the next episode. I would describe the music as jazz fusion, but 30 years ago, I’d probably call it easy listening. Because it is so easy to listen to and to groove to. It’s mostly instrumental except for the incredible title track and track 2, My Lady. Usually, I’m not a big instrumental album guy. I like hearing a voice as another instrument in the mix, but these guys have so many great musicians, it’s not really needed. The album is very short, like 39 minutes and it left me wanting more. In fact, after I finished the first listen, I started it over. It’s straight baby-making music. If everyone started listening to this a couple of times a day, the birth rate would jump 20%. Now, this album is incredible, and I love it. But, is it a must hear? I’m torn. , My heart says everyone should hear this because maybe you’ve never heard this kind of music done right, and you don’t know what you're missing. On the other hand, I can see how someone might think it’s good, but nothing special. Truthfully, I’m kind of torn between both sides myself. I love it, but at the same time, to me, it's not groundbreaking, it just scratched me where I itched today. All I can say is I will return for future listens, which hasn’t happened much with albums on this list. But if you do like this album after my recommendation, name your next child after me.

I had no idea who Suede were. By looking at their album cover, I thought they might be an R&B band from the late 70s that made an album or two. I was way off. Suede is an alt-rock, maybe more Brit rock, band from England, and this album is from 1993, their debut, actually. Not sure how I didn’t know of this band, other than at that time I was really only listening to classic rock and metal at that time. I really dig this album. They play solid rock and roll, and you’d be surprised at how hard that seems to be, especially these days. Rock is dead, my friends. Though some may say music is dead…at least music by actual humans who write and play instruments. I digress. F’n A right, this band can play. Moving, track 4, is a great rock song with a rousing guitar solo. Track 5, Pantomime Horse, is just heavy and, wow. I was not expecting to be blown away today. Why isn't this band huge? Sleeping Pills, track 7, is a big Radiohead-esque arena ballad, and it could have been a big single for the band. I guess the record company didn’t think so. It’s got a big chorus that people could sing along to. The last minute rises up on guitar swells before dropping back down to earth for a landing. Love, love, love this song. Maybe Suede was looked at as a Radiohead clone and that killed any big steam they had behind them. Though Radiohead would go on to do tons of experimentation, I think Suede was probably just a rock band through and through. Now, it must be pointed out that the album sold a ton in the United Kingdom and as far as Wikipedia knows, the band is still together and recording music. So, I’m the idiot thinking that because I’d never heard of them that means they weren’t successful. They were, and are to this day, and there are a ton of bands I have heard of who have been out to pasture for decades. Track 9 is Metal Mickey and I loved it from the first few bars. Very bluesy, very reminiscent to me of an underrated band called Junkyard, though the chorus is more Beatles-like. Hell, this song made it to number 7 on the Billboard modern rock chart in 1993. Maybe I was just out of the modern rock scene completely. I’m grateful to have been given this album today because I loved it. The album got generally good reviews with some comparing the band to The Smiths, which I can see. The band sounds like a 90s band, but that doesn’t mean it's bad. I think this is a must listen, if for no other reason than it’s a great rock record. I’m going to check out more of their catalog. If you like Radiohead circa Pablo Honey or The Smiths, I think you’d definitely dig this album. Is it a must-hear? I’m not sure about that, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and will add it to my newly found file.

I mean, what is there to say? Hot Take Alert! I think Off the Wall may be better than Thriller. Well, at least as good as. There is only one kind of not great song on Off The Wall, and, of course, Thriller has the incredibly putrid, The Girl Is Mine, which not only ruins Michael Jackson’s legacy, but also Paul McCartney’s. The album kicks off with a jam, as Don’t Stop Until You Get Enough is just pure happiness to me. It also makes me think of my favorite TV show of all-time, Seinfeld, as they used this song for a compilation section on the clip show before the not great season finale. This was the first single off the album, followed by four more. It's just pure bliss. Rock With You was the second song on the album and the second single. Another masterpiece. Quincy Jones was a genius producer. It helps that he has someone of Michael Jackson’s talent to produce, but Jones made sure to use on the best of the best session musicians to play on Jackson’s album. The strings are amazing. I can clearly remember hearing this song on the radio or in the local Ben Franklin store in Hartford, Ky. It's burned into my 5-year-old brain. Workin’ Day and Night, track 3, may be the best song Michael Jackson has ever done. I’m sitting here at my desk, and it’s hard to work because I’m chair dancing and stomping the floor so hard I’m afraid my leg’s going to go through it. The horns in this jam are on another level. How wasn’t it one of the five singles off this album? I have no idea. As I mentioned earlier, the only real clunker on this album for me is Girlfriend, which was written by Paul McCartney. It’s not a bad song, really, but compared to the rest of the album, it just seems like a silly little love song….See what I did there? The best Michael Jackson-Paul McCartney song is, of course, Say Say Say. Girlfriend is too reminiscent of The Girl Is Mine on Thriller. The doggone girl is mine? Doggone is so cringe. She’s Out of My Life is a great song that sounds like a song for that time. In the 70s, there were a lot of sensitive ballads that just worked. Usually, I’m not a ballad man, but the 70s had a great run. I just mentioned the other night, I thought Alone Again Naturally was one of the best songs ever. I also think She’s Out of My Life should have been the last song on the album. It’s a great way to close this masterpiece out. Though who am I to argue with Burn This Disco Out? Off the Wall reminds me of Thriller, the song. It’s got some weirdness about it with the howling and jungle sounds leading into a groove that will have you boogieing down at your desk. Rod Temperton wrote this song, Rock With You and Thriller. And wouldn’t you know, old white dude. But, he's an old white dude who could pump out the jams. Burn This Disco Out is the closer, a great song, just not sure it should have closed the album. If this is disco music, then call me Disco Stu. Hell, Temperton wrote this one too. He’s the Sixth Man of the Year of Off the Wall for sure. If you hadn’t already figured it out, I think this is a must-hear album. I probably listen to it a few times a year. It’s an all-timer. If you haven’t heard this album and you can separate the art from the artist, then this one is almost can’t miss.

I don’t really like Beck. He came along when I was a little angry at pop music. I was into hair metal, and while I did like the grunge movement, even though the term grunge paints with broad strokes, I wasn’t too into the alt scene that mixed hip-hop, sampling, folk, and rock. It just made me cringe. Beck was at the forefront of that scene, so I never messed with him. Since I’ve been doing the 1,001 Albums list, I listened to Beck’s Sea Change and loved it. Thought it was one of the best pieces of music I’ve ever heard. But it wasn’t like his early stuff. Like Odelay, Beck’s fifth album. Fifth! I was certain this was his album with Loser, but no, that was Mellow Gold, of course. I remember all the singles off this album, and God help me, I dig some of them. I may hate the player, but you give me a good funky bass groove, and it's hard for me to hate the game. Or a good fuzzy guitar riff will melt me. Devil’s Haircut, track 1, and the second single, just makes me think of the 60s music I dislike. I also hate Beck’s nonsense lyrics. What the F is a devil’s haircut, and what's the big deal that’s in his mind? Again, I’m not the biggest lyrics guy, I love KISS for God’s sake, but Beck always seemed a bit….try too hard. Like I’ll make up some nonsense, and the kids’ll love it. Bah! 60s-like The first single was Where It’s At, track 8, and I can’t deny the keys get me on this one. The lyrics again are nonsense, but the groove and the instruments are fire. It reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite, which I love. The New Polliction starts out annoying me with bleeps and bloops, but then kicks into another 60s like groove. I think this may be the best vocals that Beck lays down on the album. But like on all his songs at this time, he sounds like he couldn’t care less about singing or cut all his vocals after taking expired quaaludes from 1977. It’s so lazy, and that should be punk rock, but it’s just lame. Damn, there were five singles off this album? Sissyneck was a single, and it’s just not for me. Jack-Ass is the last single,e and I can tell where Julian Casablancas, lead singer of the Strokes, got his vocal style from, as Beck lazily sings about who the F even knows. Lord Only Knows sounds like a fuzzy Kinks song, and Beck sings just like Ray Davies. So it’s alright, but I’d rather just hear the Kinks. Ugh. Writing this is making me angry. I’ve got 4-5 inches of snow on the ground, and it's like 8 degrees outside right now in Kentucky. I’ve got no time for this torture. To read that many thought this was the best album of the 90s reinforces my thoughts that when it comes to music, the 90s sucked. I’ll not be adding this to my rotation. Beck has always bothered me, and except for Sea Change and perhaps albums after that, he’ll continue to bother me.

Holy crapballs. It’s the big one. I love Led Zeppelin. And I love Physical Graffiti. It and Houses of the Holy occupy my top two favorite Led Zep albums. They switch periodically. Sometimes I think Physical Graffiti is a little bloated, but then I listen to it again, and I think, what song do you leave off? It’s got bangers on it. It starts out with two great rockers, Custard Pie and The Rover. One about…..pie and the other about how the world would be a better place if we could just join hands and love each other….and share pie. Reading on Wikipedia, where we all get our information, and we deserve what comes of that, I see the band only released one single from the album, Trampled Under Foot. That seems odd, though by this point Led Zep were probably the biggest band in the world and didn’t need to release singles to sell albums or concert tickets. In later years, rock radio would play Kashmir, the huge, 8 and a half minute masterpiece that probably single-handedly started the punk movement. In My Time of Dying is a great old blues tune by Blind Willie Johnson about a man on his deathbed asking Jesus to take him home so he can die easy on his deathbed. Robert Plant sings this like he’s literally on his deathbed. You can hear the longing to be saved in his voice. And then the song ends with a dying cough, or something. The album proves an incredible showcase to John Bonham’s drumming, but then again, every member gets their chance to shine with 15 songs. But Bonham really does great work. I love the way his drums sound. Drums don’t sound like that today. The album is great and a masterpiece, and easily one of the best 1,001 albums ever created. This came out as a double album, as several songs were over 6-8 minutes long. In 1975, that meant the album came out as LPs, or records, meaning there were two sides to each, and four sides overall. Not only that, but seven of the songs were essentially outtakes from past records. Bron-Yr-Aur was recorded during the Led Zep III sessions. Down by the Seaside, Night Flight, and Boogie With Stu were recorded during the Led Zep IV sessions. The Rover, Houses of the Holy, and Black Country Woman were recorded for Houses of the Holy. Can you imagine Led Zep IV with Down By the Seaside and Night Flight on there? I think my favorite side is side three because perhaps my favorite song on the album is 10 Years Gone. Years ago, I was listening to this as I was tending to matters of the heart. In other words, I was sad and the song felt sad and made me feel better. So if not Side three, then maybe Side two? Houses of the Holy, Trampled Under Foot, and Kashmir? It’s hard to figure out. Anyway, listen to this album if you haven’t already about 1,000 times. It’s the last really great album by Led Zep. The next two had some good stuff, but from start to finish, this was the last masterpiece. No more needs to be said other than hear this before you die!

Uh-oh. The Specials, huh? I have heard of this band, and I think they’re a ska band…..Yep, they are. This might be a tricky one. Ska is a reggae-like music that annoys me most of the time. The most famous “ska” band that you’ve heard of is No Doubt, though I’d imagine most true ska fans would think No Doubt is not ska. Lots of trumpets, saxophones, and reggae licks from guitars. Ska is short for skank, which is the signature off-tempo beat played on the guitar or piano. For some reason, the United Kingdom really got into reggae and ska back in the late 60s and 70s. It’s kind of weird. I guess they were starved for music other than the crap they played on pop radio in the 1960s. The Specials were a UK ska band, and this album is seen as the height of the ska movement in London. A lot of punk bands were into ska and reggae. Elvis Costello produced this album, which seems weird to me. It seems the UK wasn’t a fun place for young people in the 1970s. I guess we had our own problems, so we didn’t spend too much time learning about the rest of the world in school. Hmmm, while I’m not ready to say this album is a must-hear, I must admit, as I’m arriving at track 5, I’m finding I’m relaxing a bit more and getting into the groove. Basically, because all the songs essentially have the same groove. Maybe it’s the cold, although it's 26 degrees, so compared to -2 last night, we’re having a heatwave here in Kentucky. In track 10, Blank Expression, we get the steel drums coming in, unless it’s just a dude playing a steel drum barrel. I just never got into this kind of music. It all sounds similar to me, which sounds dumb. I realize how all music in one genre sounds alike; otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to pigeonhole that music into that certain genre. The organs also sound like the band should be singing songs about baseball or some other sport, very ballpark organ-y sounding. In track 9, Stupid Marriage, the organ gets a solo, and I literally thought it was going to play Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Amazing. Ugh. Too Much Too Young is six minutes of the same verses over and over. It should’ve been 2 minutes. Listen, I’m never listening to this again. This album proved I still am not a big fan of ska or reggae. I can tolerate it in short bursts, though. Is this an all-timer that needs to be heard before you skank off this mortal coil? Not really. I think its inclusion is more for historical means than being a great album. But it's worth exploring if you know nothing about the genre. This might be something you've been looking for your whole life.

Talk Talk is an English band that gained fame during the early years of MTV, when only British acts were really making promo videos for their music. Talk Talk was kind of like all those new wave synth bands that came out at that time. Like most of the new wave acts, they were different from what was really popular at that time in the U.S. My brother and I have always thought that the United Kingdom was always ahead of the U.S. when it came to music and even good taste in music. But, no matter how popular you might have been in the U.K., to really make it big, you had to break the U.S. While Talk Talk did achieve some success in the U.S., they really were big in the U.K. and Europe. Like a lot of the new wave bands at the time, Talk Talk got tired of cranking out the synth hits and wanted to expand on their sound or do something totally different. With their third album, The Colour of Spring, the band leaned more into jazz and art pop, at least that’s what our friends at Wikipedia call it. The words art pop make me want to vomit, but no matter, The Colour of Spring was less synths and more real instruments, and to me, that’s always going to be better. The album became a big seller in Europe, and the critics loved it, but in the U.S., if you make any drastic changes, the American audience will drop you like a sack of dirt to move on to whatever sounds like you used to sound. So, The Colour of Spring didn't really make a dent in the U.S. As for the album, it’s good. I can’t say much else, really. It’s something I could see listening to again, but it’s unlikely. I think they did a good job of writing new wave/synth songs that sound new wave, but with real instruments. I assume the singles were the songs more like their catalog from the first two albums. They released four singles from the album, with three being in the U.S. I don’t really have much here. If you’re a fan of 80’s new wave, I think you’d enjoy this. I’m not exactly sure why this is an album to hear before you die. Sorry for a boring review. I'd almost rather I hated it so I could spit some bile out here, but it's just a solid rock album. Listen to it if you want to sit in whatever you're feeling at the time because it won’t really take you anywhere else.

have limited experience with Ms. Polly Jean Harvey. It seems the creator of the 1,001 album list loves her, as this is my second album of hers from the list. The first was Stories by the City, which I enjoyed, giving it 3 out of 5 stars. It had a 90s alt rock sound to it, which I have, over time, learned to appreciate more and more. Though it's easier to appreciate 25 years later, because the wheat has been separated from the chaff at this point. So, I dive into Let England Shake, of which I love the title, thinking this is going to be a guitar-heavy rock album. I couldn’t be more wrong, and Harvey spoke about how she wanted to do something different from what she had been. She succeeded. Now, sometimes different means bad, at least at first. Everybody is afraid of change, but change is necessary to move forward and grow. If there is no change, you just wither and die. Don’t get me wrong, this is a rock album, but it’s just a bit less guitar-driven. However, track 3, The Glorious Land, has a driving guitar propelling the song though, it’s a bit of a rarity. The album was written over two and a half years and recorded in a church in around five weeks. I’ve always loved it when musical acts recorded albums in a church. I feel it gives the album a bit of a divine touch. Track 4, The Words That Maketh Murder, is a great song featuring a saxophone. The song is about the war in Afghanistan, among other wars, which Harvey used as inspiration for several songs on the album. Rolling Stone called it, “a pretty peepy song about murder.” And it is. It was a single off the album. Track 6, On Battleship Hills, might be my favorite track on the album. It has an old schoolness about it, like songs about good sir knights who saved the maiden and defeated the Mongol horde, type old school. The subject of the song is a battle from World War I that was horribly mismanaged, wasting many lives. I’m starting to gain an appreciation for PJ Harvey. There’s no doubt she’s talented, but maybe it’s the cold or the snow, but I’m just not feeling this album. However, it could be a grower, as the more I listen to it, the more I like it. I may have set myself up for failure as I imagined this would be an alt rocker facejam, but instead it's just a solid rock album touching on some big ideas. However, as I write this, track 9, Bitter Branches, is rocking hard right now. In the end, I’ll add Let England Shake to my albums from the 1,001 must hear list folder for music I want to hear more of, but it’s not an automatic must hear for me.

love David Bowie. But, I didn't always get him, and I still don't from time to time, but that's what made him a genius. He seemed to be ahead of all of us. Someone brought up a good point, since Bowie has died, which he did in 2016, the world has kind of gone to pot, as the old folks say. Now, I'm not saying Bowie was an alien who was either sent here or chose to live amongst us and try to keep humanity from killing itself, but I'm not sure you could prove otherwise at this point. The Next Day was kind of a sneaky album for Bowie. Bowie hadn't recorded anything in 10 years, and then,on March 8, 2013, this album popped up. I won't keep you in suspense, it's brilliant. I’ve always believed that once you get fat and happy in rock and roll, you lose that fire in your belly. It’s been replaced by booze and caviar. Bowie, while he may have had some missteps here and there, always came back with a new angle. He was always able to tap into another persona to continue making songs the rest of us could understand and relate to, or at least vibe with. Listening to track 2, Dirty Boys, I love it that Bowie always finds a way to slip a saxophone into at least one song on every album. And with The Next Day, several songs. He could play the sax, which I always loved. I used to play the sax, but in band, not in a band. I’m a nerd, Bowie is a god. Damn, track 4, Love Is Lost is a jam. It’s amazing that out of all the rock legends from the 60s, Bowie was still making important music up until the day he died. I mean, I mean, the Rolling Stones haven’t made anything important in decades. I think Bowie, because he was an alien, was able to tap into what the world needed to hearat the time. My God, track 5, Where Are We Know? is such a brilliant song. Very simple, but it can carve a hidey hole right into your heart. It’s supposed to be a look back at his Berlin period and how things are very different now. It also seems to be asking where does he go from here? This song was released out of nowhere with the album as the first single after 10 years of inactivity. So, it seems Bowie may be wondering if he still had it in him, so to speak. He did. A very melancholy, but great song. I feel like this is going to be me writing about how I love all the songs on this album, but so far, I’m at track 7, If You Can See Me, and I love every f’n track. I guess when this came out, I had it in my head old rockers produce junk, but I should have known Bowie wouldn’t put out anything he wasn’t proud of. Now, I’m sad he died so soon at 69. I would have loved to have heard what an 80-year-old Bowie could have come up with. Just imagine. I’m going to stop writing and just listen to the next seven songs. Wow, I’d Rather Be High is a 60’s jam that sounds more current than most songs on the radio today. Boss of Me sounds like a song that could have been on the Queens of the Stone Age’s Rated R album. Again, the sax plays a huge part in the sound. Damn, as unimpressed as I have been lately with some of these albums, The Next Day has buoyed my sails a bit, as I thoroughly enjoyed it. I should have known that all I needed was a little Bowie to buoy. This is a must-hear album, if not for you just to hear how a 66-year-old genius can still make important rock music after he’s rich and famous. This is a great album, listen to it.

Never heard of these guys, but they’re fun and very fuzzy. Just straight-ahead rock and roll with a detour here and there. They're out of Cardiff, Wales. Track 1, God! Show Me Magic has a driving Christine Sizteen/Go With the Flow type piano in the mix with the fuzzy guitars. Track 2, Fuzzy Birds, has horns and a flute solo. What is this band? Track 3, Frisbee, has a 90’s alt-rock sound to it. Maybe like the Breeders? I really like this album. It’s fun and probably dumb. Track 5, really hits the psychedelic sound. Very fuzzy guitars and I feel like I’m on drugs while listening to it. This album came out in 1996, so I guess it’s no surprise it sounds like it was made in the 90s. It’s taking me right back there. Track 6, Gathering Moss, just isn’t doing it for me. Not sure what the problem is, but I just couldn’t get into. It was the first slower, more ballad-like, song on the album. Track 7, If You Don’t Want Me To Destroy You, is also a slower jam. However, I am digging it. Oooh, there are some strings in this song. Very 90s, melancholy song. It’s a quieter song despite the title. Weird, it did the old school fade out, but you can plainly hear them end the song before the fade out completes. NEver rellay heard that before. Track 8, Bad Behaviour, and we’re rocking again. This one reminds me of a Cheap Trick jam. Interesting sound for the guitar solo and now there’s a theremin. During the guitar solo, the guitar sound was like a theremin. That’s weird, but I liked it, though as a whole, I hate theremins. They aren’t instruments, they’re just noise makers. Only a select few can make them tolerable. In this song, it wasn’t so bad. Track 9, Mario Man, starts out with some amazing keyboard sounds. Probably, my favorite keyboard sounds in music. Now, the rest of the song comes in around the keys and it’s not great. I’d rather just stay low and slow with the keys throughout the song. Nevermind, the guitar solo is fire. Lots of interesting and fun sounds on this album. Track 10, Hangin’ with Howard Marks, sounds like pure 90s alt-rock. I can see this being a big hit on MTV back in the day. It's got good chunky guitars and great backing vocals. It was not a single, but I think it should have been. Track 11, Long Gone, is another ballad-like song, but it’s not hitting. Though I do love the vocal harmonies throughout the song. Super Furry Animals remind of a mix of Queens of the Stone Age, the Flaming Lips, and Big Elf. Our friends at Wikipedia describe the band as “an inconsistent mix of psychedelic music and glam rock." Nailed it. I’d say it leans heavier into glam rock, though. It seems they made a much bigger impression in the United Kingdom than over here. They're released 9 albums, with the last being in 2009. They're still knocking about apparently and after taking some time off, they're set to tour this year. Several rock mags in the UK thought this album was one of the greatest albums of all time. That’s high praise…..but seems a bit prisoner of the moment. Rod Stanley wrote in the book, 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, that this album blended "sixties pop, punk rock, and psychedelia, with an underlying Nineties dance sensibility.” I can concur. It sounds like 70s pop glam with a 90s sheen. However, I wouldn’t call it one of the best albums ever created. It’s fun, but it’s not a hear before you die album.

Ugh. Not sure about this. I’ve heard songs from Frampton Comes Alive, but never sat down and actually listened to it. It’s purely out of spite. My brother loves this album. He seemingly listened to it for years, once a day. He just couldn’t get enough and would not shut up about it. So, as a good older brother, I took every chance to tell him it sucked and was trash. I know, it’s dumb, and petty, and wrong. But I wanted to be the one discovering new stuff for him to listen to. I think it started a war where every recommendation we made, the other said it sucked, but secretly listened to it. I came around on Pink Floyd and Springsteen. I know, I was an idiot. And he came around on a few bands I recommended. Peter Frampton just never really did it for me. I respect his guitar skills, but he kind of seemed one-hit-wonder-y with this album, and he didn’t rock hard enough for me. So, I’ll be listening to the album with unbiased ears and an open heart. Right off the bat, Something’s Happening....as in, that’s the first song, and I’m digging it. It reminds me of a KISS song, a band my brother and I both love. He was the bigger fan, but even I couldn’t resist Ace Frehley. All I Want (Is To Be By Your Side) is a delightful little pop love song. The squeals in the audience as Frampton sings tells me how popular he was at this time. He was teeny-bopper popular. Which probably explains why he isn't as popular today. It seems most teen heartthrobs don't keep their young fans over the long run. I believe it's probably because those young fans grow up and find real-life boys to fall in love with. Baby I Love Your Way is a song I just hate. I can't explain it. It's not a bad song, but it just sounds lame to me. Most of Frampton’s songs sound kind of lame to me. They’re good songs, at least good enough, but they don’t really have much bite, and this dude played with Humble Pie. Humble Pie had bite, had grit, but maybe it wasn’t from Frampton’s playing, but Steve Marriott’s singing. Meaning, I wish I’d been assigned a Humble Pie album. Track 8, I Wanna Go to the Sun, is a great tune. Frampton really comes alive on this one….get it? His solo is blistering on this song. Maybe I’m a bit too harsh on the guy. Maybe I’m placing my disdain for Eric Clapton on him a bit. Clapton is another guy who was great in bands, but as a solo artist, he’s just a pop singer. He went from being a guitar god to just a run-of-the-mill pop star. Track 9, Penny For Your Thoughts, shows off Frampton's dexterity by him picking a simple, but not so simple, acoustic ditty. This was followed by, probably, the heaviest song on the album, (I’ll Give You) Money. Great riff, but still a good pop song. This is my favorite song on the album. Great heavy riff, just straight ahead rock. Frampton covers the Rolling Stones’ Jumpin’ Jack Flash in a most Frampton way by taking all the bite out of the song. He slows it down and adds some wankery into the structure of the song. It’s not good. The only thing it’s got going for it is that it’s a song by the Stones. I will admit, I do enjoy the song Do You Feel Like We Do, not for the talkbox guitar wankery, but the lyrics are great. And the riff and the flow of the song are solid. Plus, it's in one of my all-time favorite movies, Dazed and Confused. As I finish this album, I will say I enjoyed a good bit of it. I still don’t know exactly what caused the hysteria around Frampton in the 1970s, as this album sold millions and millions of copies around the world. By the time I was in grade school, his popularity had waned quite a bit. Would I call this a must-hear album? Maybe for the historical record, but unlike my brother, I’ll probably not listen to this again, much less over and over for months.

I’ve not listened to much real jazz. I’ve listened to jazz that makes sense, not the kind of jazz where it seems most of the people in the band are playing different songs than the rest of the band is, or are all soloing at the same time, you know, what some might call noise. I’m not sure Miles Davis is like that, or at least like that all the time, because he’s a household name. Dudes who play racket or make noise aren't usually household names. So, here we go. Okay, I see the album is essentially two songs. The first track is Shhh/Peaceful, and the second track is In a Silent Way/It’s About That Time. The album is around 38 minutes long. I listen to prog rock and stoner rock with 19 and 20 minute songs, so that’s no big deal. I’m out of my element here. It’s not just noise, though Miles Davis does get up on some notes that I’m sure would make a dog howl, but it's just a solid groove with the bass and drums holding it down. An organ and other keys are sprinkling around in the background while Davis blasts his horn. Now the guitar has made an appearance, and this guy is soloing his arse off without breaking a sweat. So far, Shhh/Peaceful just sounds like controlled chaos. The song is far from being peaceful to me. It kind of fills me with anxiety. , However, it transitions into Silent Way/It’s About That Time, it’s very calm and I feel like I’m outside in the nightime laying in the grass, looking up at the stars. Very peaceful and calm. Those keys are very relaxing. Love that sound. Here comes Davis and his trumpet. Now it feels like it’s kicked into It’s About That Time as the tempo has picked up and Davis is stabbing my ears with his trumpet. This is getting into a nice little groove. I’m doing a little chair dancing, the first time with this album. We’ve come back to lying in the grass watching the stars again. The keys are making a little twinkling sounds. Davis’s trumpet is kind of adding an ominous feel to the otherwise relaxing vibe. And that’s it. Truthfully, jazz confuses me. After the Davis album finished, YouTube Music started playing a song called Le Lis by Billy Cobbham and I swear it was better than anything I heard on the Davis album. Turns out Cobbham is a jazz drummer, so maybe that’s where I am with jazz. I need a hot drummer. On the Davis album, the drummer was just a solid back beat time keeper. I feel like an idiot saying I didn’t enjoy arguably the greatest jazz musician ever, but I really didn’t. After checking with Wikipedia, turns out this album is Davis kind of moving away from his usual style and going in more of a jazz fusion direction. I swear, YouTube Music keeps playing better stuff than Davis’s music. Now, a song called Half-Forgotten Daydreams is playing by John Cameron and it’s great. After more Wikipedia studying, it seems even critics were split when this album came out. Davis went electric on this album, it seems, and purists, much like when Bob Dylan went electric, didn’t like it. Critic Phil Freeman said of the album, “It didn't swing, the solos weren't even a little bit heroic, and it had electric guitars... But though In a Silent Way wasn't exactly jazz, it certainly wasn't rock.” That sums it up for me. There was no swing. It was like one tempo, with each instrument taking a turn to play a solo, that really didn’t blow me away. Tho I did like the guitars in Shhh/Peaceful. I’m interested in hearing more from Davis, but as I’ve found in the past, his stuff doesn’t do much for me.

Talk about baby makin’ music, Let’s Get It On is the ultimate in baby makin’ music. Marvin Gaye came up in Motown essentially singy poppy, mainstream love songs. At a certain point, Gaye told Berry Gordy, the owner and leader of Motown, that he wanted to do his own thing, make sexy songs, make songs with important social commentary. Gordy basically was like Michael Jordan in the 90s; Republicans buy sneakers too. Gordy didn’t want to take a chance on alienating a large part of Gaye’s audience, meaning, the white part. Finally, Gaye won out, and we got albums like Let’s Get It On and What’s Goin’ On. This album also marks Gaye’s first toe into the funk pool. Track one is the title track, and it’s undeniable. I can’t fathom how many children were conceived while this song was playing. It’s got a groove the fellows can appreciate and lyrics that women can appreciate. Track two, Please Don’t Stay (Once You Go Away), is a funk jam. It’s got everything you need, and I don’t know that I don’t like it more than Let’s Get It On. I’d like to learn to play the bongos. Or I guess I could just get some and play them. I’m not sure the bongos are the hardest instrument to learn. In fact, it’s not even an instrument. It’s percussion. All I need is rhythm, really. The bongos are low-key the sexiest element of most love jams. Track 3, If I Should Die Tonight, finds Marvin telling his woman that if he died tonight, he’d die happy because he met her. That’s smooth. Great strings are used in this song. Very good. Was not a single, seems weird. Track four seems to be a Let’s Get It On reprise, huh? It’s called Keep Gettin It On…Huh? I guess they needed another song to fill time, and they figured, why not bring it back one more again? This one seems a little more like for the world to get it on, like make love not war. Even the good Lord seems to be behind the message as Marvin sings at one point, “Oh, Jesus is trying to get the people to come on (ooh) To get it on Yes, lord, oh, get it on (get it on, got to get it on).” There you have it. The power of Christ compels you to get it on. Track five, Come Get To This, brings a sax along for the ride with more bongos. However, there's something in the music mix that sounds like someone banging one of those Native American drums you buy for kids with the rubber drum head. It doesn’t sound like a real drum. It’s pitched a little higher. It’s really out of place and taking me out of the song. Otherwise, it’s good. Again, Marvin needs this girl’s love. Marvin might need to think about getting some therapy. His world seems to revolve around one thing. Track 6, Distant Lover, catches me right off the jump. Great background vocals, old school Motown groove that’s funked up. Marvin is so smooth. He has a powerful voice, but he can also be very quiet and controlled. Now this song also has a mystery sound in the mix that I can’t figure out, but it sounds excellent. It’s kind of like a video game sound. It must be a keyboard sound. Very weird. It seems the song has been built around this sound. Great song though. The backing vocals are incredible. Here comes a trumpet solo. Damn, this song rules. Yep, just as I thought. It was the last single released from the album. The strings are now coming in. Wow! This is my favorite song on the album and maybe my favorite Marvin Gaye song. He is just belting it in the end. Incroyable, as the French say. Track 7 begins with a woman in full flagrante as she’s arrived, so to speak. Oh, I see why, the song is called You Sure Love To Ball. I mean, Marvin loved the ladies, or at least wanted us all to think so. This song is great too. Strings are stringing, sax is saxing, Marvin is balling….Oh snap! Is that a baritone sax?!? Heck yeah! For those of a younger generation, to ball means to….well, you know. This is literally baby-making music. Great song. I’m sure there was no way in hell this could have been played on the radio in 1973. Oh, double snap! It was the third single on the album!!!! How did this get played on the radio? It’s explicitly about sex, and a woman has the big O to start off the song. Amazing! Second best song on the album for me. The last song, Just To Keep You Satisfied, is a soulful ballad with Marvin doing his best to tell his ex how much he loved her in bed, but outside the bedroom, she was a nightmare. I think this song was autobiographical because he had some fidelity issues when he was married. I think Marvin was a very complicated man, like most people are. He wasn’t as bad as the worst things he did, and wasn’t as good as the best thing he did. It’s just a shame he died as he did. Sometimes that’s more remembered than how great an artist he was, which is a shame. I digress, weird. Anyway, I loved this album and I’m more a Stax man than Motown. I do think it’s an album you should hear before you die and preferably before you have kids, because this album can only help conception. I'd imagine this is aural viagra, so you could use it after you had kids as well.

I don’t even need to listen to this album, but I will. Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon might very well be one of my desert island albums. You know, if I were marooned on a desert island and could take five albums with me, what would they be? Dark Side very likely would be one. I love this album so much. It took me a while to get into the Floyd. My younger brother was an early adopter when he went to college. Weird thing is, neither of us smokes weed. At least that's the common stereotype people think of when they think of Pink Floyd listeners. My brother kept talking about how great they were, I thought Pink Floyd was old people music and turns out, I’m an idiot. Pink Floyd, for a stretch af about five albums, were the best band in the world. Dark Side is a concept album of sorts, dealing with the band’s lifestyle and its hardships. It also deals with the departure of one of the founders of the band and early creative source, Syd Barrett. Barrett, at some point, possibly after a large number of acid trips, began having mental health struggles, and the band knew they couldn’t move forward with him as their leader, so he was out of the band. It sounds cold, and truthfully, it probably was, but that's what had to happen. Because Dark Side is a concept album, once I start it, I have to finish it. To me, it’s all one song, as one song leads perfectly into the next. To listen to a single song and not hear the next song feels wrong. Track three, Time, is my favorite song on the album. I love the sound of the guitars on the whole album, but on Time they are extra incredible. Plus, the lyrics, at least for an idiot like me, are pretty profound. I’ve often thought time is a human construct. Time can speed up and slow down in certain situations. When you’re young or bored or distinerested, time seemingly slows down, but when you’re old or locked in on something or having fun, time seems to fly. I think time isn’t just seconds, to minutes, to hours. Time is magic, it’s cosmic. “And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.” That lyric hits you hard no matter how old you are, but especially when you’re not a kid anymore and, “And you run, and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking Racing around to come up behind you again The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.” Track five, Money, is the song everyone has heard from this album. They may not know it’s Pink Floyd, but they’ve heard it on the radio, if radio still exists. It was the first single off the album. Money has more great-sounding guitars, and they even sneak a sax solo in the middle of the song. It’s got time signature changes, and the lyrics are about the power of money and how it affects society. The lyrics of Money sound like they could’ve been written today, though it seems today, most billionaires are into much darker extremes than buying football teams. The second single off the album was Us and Them. It seems everyone loves this song, but it’s my least liked song on the album. Yes, I know it has a sax solo, but I don’t know. Money is so good that I think any song that followed it would be a bit of a letdown. Maybe it's the slowness. This song feels like you're running in molasses. "And who knows which is which?" Did you ever cue up Dark Side and The Wizard of Oz? I did. In fact, I think my group of friends and I did it a couple of times. Not a weed smoker in the bunch. Yes, there were lots of times the music matched the movie or vice versa. When "who knows which is which" plays, in the movie, the Wicked Witch shows up and to face Glenda the Good Witch and Dorothy. There was some freaky stuff, but I’d say you could cue up any album to any movie and get quite a few freaky coincidences. Track 8, Brain Damage, is about mental illness and Barrett. “There’s someone in my head, but it’s not me” is a chilling lyric. The song has a beautiful choir singing in the background, but the music is very carnival-like. It has an edge to it, but sounds very sweet. The closing track, Eclipse comes in with amazing organs. Richard Wright was an unsung hero of the band. The choir is singing along with Roger Waters, and according to him, he's singing about “all the good things life can offer are there for us to grasp, but that the influence of some dark force in our natures prevents us from seizing them.” We need to make sure all that we say and all that we do stays in the sun and doesn’t end up on the dark side of the moon. Listen to this album, if you haven’t, and listen to it again if you have. It’s a definite must-hear top album of all time.

I had no idea what I was in for with this album. I’d never heard of the group, person, whatever, in my life. I figured it was going to be electronic music, but I wasn’t sure. Turns out I was right, and turns out Darkdancer is a really good album. Y'all know me, I’m still the same OG, but I been low-key about how I love dance music. However, the 1,001 must hear list has been giving me trash when it comes to electronic music. However, Darkdancer by Les Rythmes Digitales, while not a great album, is full of cool stuff that will get you shaking your tail at your desk when working. The album came out in 1999, which you can tell almost immediately. Not necessarily that it came out in 1999, but it sounds like the 90s. The album, according to our friends at Wikipedia, is looked at as launching the electropop dance music of the 2000s. God bless, LRD for that. I might not have had Daft Punk in my life otherwise. I’m not someone who can speak intelligently on electronic or dance music. I just know what sounds good when it hits my ear. As soon as I heard the first bleep, bloop, I knew this was more my speed. It’s still got its annoying parts, but compared to New Forms by Roni Size, LRD are the Beatles. The big problem with albums that are looked upon as the starts of a big music movement, if you’re hearing them years after the big movement, those albums don’t sound as good as the best albums of that genre. As I said, I can’t give a long dissertation on the subtleties of electronic music, so to me, LRD sounds just as good today as it did when they first came out. I’m sure connoisseurs could see how things progressed since 1999. Track 10, Jacques You’re Body Makes Me Sweat is a banger, as the kids say. As with a lot of dance songs in the 2000s, and perhaps still today, the DJ builds the song piece by piece until about a dozen tracks are playing one sound or rhythm. This track is the same, but it’s got a great groove. Most of the tracks have no vocals except for a sample played over and over and over again, which can get annoying if the music isn’t especially good. Most of the music is good enough to keep you locked in rather than spinning out. However, I find that the songs with singers are better. Though I imagine every human singer, by the time it goes through recording and ends up on the album, has passed through any number of computer programs to remove the humanity, and in the end, it is just another computer sound. I would recommend this to people who love dance music and have never heard this album. If this were the first of its kind, you can really hear how it inspired 100s, if not 1,000s of DJs. If you like Daft Punk, you’ll dig this. Now, is it a must-hear album? Hmmmmmm, for historical context, probably, but otherwise, I’d put any Daft Punk album over this.

You can really tell how James Brown inspired Funkadelic, though, James Brown essentially created funk and inspired all funk bands that followed. The Godfather of Soul was the actual daddy of funk. Then George Clinton was the cool stepdad who came in a raised funk after James Brown went out for cigarettes. Actually, Funkadelic sounds more like Sly and the Family Stone than James Brown, though both groups started out around the same time, and Funkadelic was more rock and roll than soul or R&B. Way more rock and roll. Funkadelic seems to be like a lot of early 80s heavy metal bands. Those early heavy metal bands sang a lot of songs about rocking or how rock and roll was going to save us all. There are about a dozen bands that were out there preaching the gospel of rock. Funkadelic were the evangelists of funk, and they want to baptize you in weed and fat bass riffs. Track 1, One Nation Under A Groove, is funky and very Sly and the Family Stoneish. It's one of their most well-known songs. It has more funk than rock, but the rest of the album makes up for that. It's good stuff, but I was blown away as the album went on. Track 2, Groovallegiance, really shows off the rock chops of the band, and there is a smoky guitar solo in there that Jimi Hendrix couldn't have played as well. Track 3, Who Says a Funk Band Can’t Play Rock, lets you know, they’re a funk band first and a rock band 1A. That main riff is funky, but heavy at the same time. Mike Hampton and Gary Snider are f’n shredders. The guitar solos in this song are INCREDIBLE. I’m blown away. The solos in this song are as good as any that came out in 1978. Blown away, I tell ya, bloooooooooowwwwwn. Track 4, Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad, is just a mess. George Clinton is reciting a pledge, and it's being repeated by the rest of Funkadelic as another person is singing the song. It’s all mixed together to the point where you really can’t make out what either is saying. Worst song by far on the album. The guitars, again, are really good, but the vocals are a mess. Hell, it’s 11 minutes long. I was just going to skip it, but I have 6 more minutes, hopefully it gets better. It didn’t. That song ruins most of the goodwill the first 3 songs built up. Track 5, Into You, is already good. Track 4 is confusing. It really took me out of the album. Track 6, Cholly (Funk Get Ready To Roll), is certainly funky. It’s also the last song on the actual album. I guess Track 4 was one they had to put on to fill out the album? I’m still bumfuzzled about Track 4. The band also released an EP as a companion piece to the album. Not sure if it’s part of the main album really. But, as I’m listening on YouTube, it goes right into the first track on the EP, a live version of Maggot Brain, from Funkadelic’s album of the same name. It’s so good and one of their most well-known songs. I know I keep saying it, but the guitar playing in this band is phenomenal. You don’t really think amazing guitar work with funk bands. You generally think of bass and drums. Track 2 on the EP, Lunchmeataphobia (Think, It Ain't Illegal Yet!), is a nice heavy rock song with a side of funk. Nonsense lyrics, but I’m here for the groove anyway. The final track on the EP is an instrumental version of One Nation Under A Groove. It’s about three minutes shorter, though. The guitar playing on this album is really good, but I think you know that by now. This is a great album. I really liked it, though track 4 kept me from loving it. I just didn’t get it. I don’t get a lot of songs, but if they’re pleasant to listen to, I’m in. Funkadelic, I think, could have been a huge touring rock band today, maybe. I don’t think the 1970s were ready for them. The casual white rock fan probably had no idea who they were. Plus, they were very weird. Very weird. But I love weird, and I love rock and this album provides both. Is it a must-hear before you die? I think so. I think if you were to hear it, you’d be just as blown away as I was and just as confused about track 4 as I was. I’m hoping more Funkadelic is on the list.

I’ve heard of Brian Eno, as he was in the band Roxy Music. Their song Love Is a Drug is one of my favorite songs ever. Beyond that, I also knew he had a solo career and was a producer of some renown, working with David Bowie, the Talking Heads, and Devo, just to name a few. I also knew that he wasn’t your run-of-the-mill rock and roller, so I was expecting something different, if not weird. What I did get was an album full of brilliant songs of synth and odd sounds. Track 1, Sky Saw, comes out with a nice groove between the bass and drums & there's a weird sound kind of playing the melody. It's weird in a good way, as it's pleasing to my ears. By the way, weird just keeps coming out of my mouth throughout this review. After about 2 minutes, we get some lyrics, but they don't really matter. It's the groove. I'd read most of the songs have no lyrics, which can be bad sometimes, but this first song is a jam. This album is said to be the beginning of Eno's ambient period, and essentially it created the ambient music genre. His first albums were more rock, it seems. I knew Eno liked technology when it came to making music. There are lots of weird sounds throughout this album. By the way, I looked it up and ambient music is defined as, "a style of gentle, largely electronic instrumental music with no persistent beat, used to create or enhance a mood or atmosphere." That about sums it up, but gentle doesn't always mean soft and pleasant. Track 3, St. Elmo's Fire, sounds like it could be released today by Arcade Fire or some other pretentious indie band. It's a good song. It's poppy but has enough strangeness to make it seem off. I can't tell if the guitar has an effect on it or if it's backwards. It sounds great, whatever the case. I really like this song. There are lyrics as well, but the singing is just alright for me, dawg. Track 4, In Dark Trees, sounds like the theme song for a creepy X-Files-type show. I can see a car driving at night through the woods and passing all these crazy looking characters, and as it pulls into the drive of an old haunted house, it says, Produced by Eric Kripke. No lyrics, but it doesn't need them. Loved it. Track 5, The Big Ship, is also a TV theme song, though I can't see the opening title credits to it as clearly as In Dark Trees. These songs are wild. Eno played every instrument on this song. Our good friends at Wikipedia said Eno had Robert Fripp, of King Crimson, Phil Collins, of Genesis, and John Cale, of the Velvet Underground, among others, playing on the album. That's a pretty electric group. Track 6, The Big Ship, gives me vibes of the Beatles and the Beach Boys. Another good pop song, but again, just off-kilter enough to be considered art rock. There are sounds on this album I’ve never heard before. Eno seemingly played with every piece of technology he could get his hands on. If it made weird sounds, it made the album. Tracks 7 and 8, "Another Green World" and "Sombre Reptiles," are short instrumentals in which Eno just shows off. The guitars are distorted in a way that you almost can’t tell if they’re guitars. Track 10, Golden Hours, again gives me a hint of the Beach Boys. Eno must be a big Brian Wilson fan, though what music producer at that time wouldn't be? The Beatles and Brian Wilson are responsible for expanding the sound of rock and roll and showing others that it could be more than what Elvis or Chuck Berry was doing. Though both of those dudes made great music. Track 11, Becalmed, is just that, calm. I'm really starting to love be this album. I think I'd be even more in love with it if I'd heard it 50 years ago when it came out. There are sounds on here I know I've heard, but I imagine hearing this in 1975. Ambient music is the correct call for this album. It provides you with a vibe or a mood. It gets my synapses firing. One critic described songs on this album as "like painting done in sound that actually resemble their titles." That sums it up perfectly. Track 13, Everything Merges with the Night, is a beautiful song and includes lyrics. Eno isn't the best singer, but it works. The synth really drives this song. Lovely. I loved this album. Maybe I was just in the right headspace, I don't know. I'm not a huge synth guy, but Eno uses them to create an atmosphere of strangeness and wonder. If this is the start of the ambient rock/pop movement, then I think you must listen to this album. I can see how some might think it's boring. It is slow, and there are only 5 songs with lyrics, but this album really got under my skin, in the best way possible. Definitely adding it to my playlist to listen to again. I look forward to more Eno or Roxy Music in the future.

Now we’re getting somewhere. Mott the Hoople is some good old-fashioned English glam rock. Mott never got huge in America, and they almost broke up before they got huge in the United Kingdom. It seems they were about to pack it in when one of their biggest fans encouraged them to continue and even gave them a song to record that became their biggest hit. The song was called All the Young Dudes, which was written by their fan, David Bowie. The classic lineup of Mott the Hoople was made up of Ian Hunter, lead vocalist and songwriter, Mick Ralphs, guitarist, Verden Allen, keyboardist, Pete Overend Watts, bassist, and Dale “Buffin” Griffin on drums. Allen would leave the group before this album and Ralphs ended up playing all the keyboard parts. The group made one more album before breaking up. This album is one of their best, if not the best. Hunter would go on to have a rather successful solo career, and Ralphs would go on to form a little band called Bad Company that ended up being bigger than Mott the Hoople in the long run. Though Mott would develop a huge cult following and personally, I dig Mott more than Bad Company. Mott was their sixth album, and it’s great. It made it to number 7 on the British charts and produced one single that got almost as popular as All the Young Dudes called All the Way to Memphis. Track 1 is All the Way from Memphis and it’s your basic glam rock track, sticking close enough to 50s rock and roll, but updated for the 70s. Hunter is not the best singer. His voice is almost talky. But it works for the song he writes, and he can write some bangers. I really got into his solo stuff a few years ago as he released a couple of new studio albums in 2023 and 2024 and toured. Track 2, Whizz Kid, starts with a great guitar riff by Ralphs, very KISS-like. Then the song is joined by a piano, and as we get to the chorus, it opens up into some arena rock. Mott the Hoople were over the top, in the best way. The songs were simple, but they felt huge. Hunter took what Bowie gave them in All the Young Dudes and wrote a lot of songs in that style. You can see this in Track 3, Hymn for the Dudes, Hunter gives a sermon to all the glam rock fans,especially Mott fans. Basically saying Mott is touring and rock stardom is hard sometimes, but the group is always there for the fans, the dudes. At least that’s how I took it. Track 4, Honaloochie Boogie, was the second single from the album after All the Way from Memphis. It’s the perfect nonsense glam song of the time. Very T.Rex type lyrics. Hunter just wants to boogie. The song is more a piano driven rocker, but still in the big arena rock sound that Mott perfected. Track 5, Violence, takes a stab at writing about the frustrated youth in England during this time. The punk movement also sprang up in the United Kingdom around this period. Several of the songs are about the travails of being in a rock and roll band and how it can take a toll. Though I’m quite sure most of us would like to see that for ourselves. Track 7, The Ballad of Mott the Hoople, lays it all out for the listener. “Rock and roll is a loser’s game.” I’m certain it is for those who never got a taste of the fame and fortune Mott got in the mid to late 70s, but I would imagine the opposite end of the spectrum can also be true. Track 8, I’m a Cadillac/El Camino Dolo Roso, is written and sang by Ralphs. It’s very different from the rest of the songs on the album. Less glam and more straight-ahead rock and roll, though it doesn’t really give an indication of what was coming with Bad Company, other than it being your bog standard 70s rock and roll. Ralphs's voice isn’t great, but it doesn’t have to be in rock and roll. I really like this song. I’s one that reminds me of another band, and I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe Fleetwood Mac? There’s just a hint. El Camino Dolo Roso is a calmer rock song, and it points toward what would be coming with Bad Company. El Camino gives me desert vibes. This song is totally different from anything on the album. Ralphs would leave Mott after this album and form Bad Company with singer Paul Rodgers. That's a brief overview of Mott. I loved it, but I've been a Mott the Hoople fan for years. Is it a must-listen? If you've never heard the band before and you like Bowie or T. Rex, I think it is. I think anyone can be behind fun glam rock. But if T.Rex of early glam Bowie doesn't tickle your fancy, you can probably skip this. I'm going to add it to my rotation, though.

I’ve heard of Todd Rundgren my whole life. I remember reading about him in rock magazines growing up, more so as a producer. It seems he was huge in the 70s, quit making music, and became a producer of some renown. It’s weird how someone can be one of the biggest acts in the world for like 5-7 years, then disappea,r and no one can say they’ve ever heard a song by them 20 years later. This is a double album, by the way. I doubt I’m going to track by track this sucker, though I may for songs that especially hit the earholes. Track 1, I Saw the Light, I have heard before, but I swear I thought it was a Carole King song. Apparently, Rundgren has a very high-pitched voice and sounds very similar to Carole King. At least in several song on this album. This sounds like perfect 1970s AM Gold-type yacht rock. Track 2, It’s Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference, has a similar vibe to track 1, but is more mellow. It’s good stuff. It puts me right back in the 70s, at least what flashes I can capture in my mind’s eye from a decade I was only alive in for six years. The production is very smooth. Rundgren knew how to craft a song. Track 3, Wolfman Jack, another very Carole Kingish song. The song is about the famous pirate radio DJ Wolfman Jack. No one under the age of 50 knows who I’m talking about. This is a very 50s pop song, almost Motown-like. It’s good. No bad songs yet. Track 6, Sweeter Memories, is the first slow ballad, and it’s a great song. It’s got some great guitar work, and a bed of organs is holding it up. Still could be a Carole King song, but this would not be how she’d arrange it. By the way, I found out later that Carole King’s first album came out a mere months before Rundgren’s, so it wasn’t like he was copying her. He did like her music, but hated that he was kind of written off by some as just being the male Carole King. Later in the album, he would put that comparison to rest. Okay, now Todd’s ego is taking over as track 7 is called Intro and it’s Rundgren explaining that he’s created a game called “Sounds of the Studio.” So, Rundgren shows different ways a producer can screw up an album and asks the listener to find different examples of those screwups in their favorite albums. I assume he’s trying to tell us that his album is produced perfectly and will not have any of those screwups. Brilliant, Todd. You showed us. Track 8, Breathless, is an instrumental. It’s kind of in the same style as the rest of the album, though it’s more synth-driven. This album came out in 1972, I’d think many bands or artists weren’t that into synths, beyond Kraftwork and Pete Townsend, but I could be wrong. It’s alright. At the time, it might have been a wonder, but it’s nothing incredible. I would later read Rundgren was a bit of an inventor, of sounds and equipment. He was an early adopter of the synths. Track 9, Saving Grace, begins with some kind of demon yelling at you. It really caught me off guard. Then, Saving Grace is another Carole King-ish song. Again, none of these songs are bad. In fact, they sound amazing. They just don’t make me jump out of my chair to dance or to just bask in the originality. Something is missing for me. I would later decide I was just in a bit of a sour mood, because I listened again and loved these songs. Track 13, I Went to the Mirror, started out with just a piano, but weird sounds kept popping up throughout until it ended in a pretty cool little blues rock jam with some great soloing on the guitar. Good Lord, I’m just at track 14, Black Maria, though it sounds like he’s pronouncing it Mariah. I’ve got 11 more to go. Ugh. But, wait a minute….this song is a jam. It’s about a devil woman who destroyed Todd’s heart, it seems. Good stuff. It’s definitely a more rock sound. It gives me Bridge of Sighs by Robin Trower vibes. Well, well, Rundgren is playing all the instruments on this track. It may be my favorite on the album so far. I later read that the album is broken up into four distinct sides. The first side is ear-catching melodies, side 2 is the more thoughtful side, side 3 is heavier songs and side 4 is a pop operetta. Track 15, One More Day (No Word), is giving me country vibes, at least during the chorus. No idea why, as I’ve never heard a country song use a clavinet. Though it has a definite southwestern feel to the groove. Interesting song. Maybe the second of the double album is where Rundgren really starts experimenting. Ooh, Track 16, Couldn’t I Just Tell You, is very cool, very Cheap Trick-like. I love Cheap Trick, just good old-fashioned pop rock. Great rock singing, with good backing vocals and a nice melody. I know I was talking about how this album wasn’t anything special and I was just not into it, but…….This song, on second, third, fourth, and fifth listening, gets better every time. This song should have been a huge hit. I think it could be if it were released today. Track 17, Torch Song, is a slow piano ballad, but I love it. It’s the notes. It reminds me of a Who song, which is the reason I love it. It’s just a great sad song. Now we have some slide guitar string bending, what is this?!? Track 18, Little Red Lights, is great. It sounds like KISS. This song is nasty. It’s another that has the same feel as Bridge of Sighs. Great guitar work. Again, it’s Rundgren playing all the instruments. Now, I’m to side 4 and Track 20, Dust in the Wind, is a beautiful song. Love, love, love it. Dammit, Rundgren has got me to love this album. This song gives me Aerosmith's You See Me Crying vibes. Also, Rundgren has a band backing him on these songs, including Rick Derringer on guitar. Vicki Robinson, of Turn the Beat Around fame, is singing backing vocals. Track 21 is called Piss Aaron, this ought to be interesting. It was more country-sounding than One More Day. It’s just alright. Track 22 is Hello, It’s Me which is arguably Rundgren’s biggest song. I’ve heard it before, and if you’ve heard it and like it, then you’ll love this album. The song is great and well-crafted. It sounds like the 1970s. Track 23, Some Folks Is Even Whiter Than Me, is a really fun, Rolling Stones=type jam with a Booby Keys-like sax solo in the middle. It really gives me Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’ vibes. Love it. Track 24, You Left Me Sore, is your standard 1970s piano pop song along the lines of Welcome Back. One more track to go. Track 25 is called Slut. You’d think it’d be a grimy hard rock song. It’s a very old school rock song with great rock sax. Yes, I said sax. It's a very good example of blues rock. “S-L-U-T, She may be a slut, but she looks good to me.” It was a different time. Perhaps the oddest part of the song is that Edward James Olmos is singing backing vocals on it. I made it. I know I complained a lot in the beginning, but in the end, I came to love this album. There are some great songs on here. Rundgren played all the instruments on all the songs except those on side 4. He was just a novice drummer and bass player, and when he was laying down the drum tracks, he said if he screwed something up, it was easier to write the song around his screwup than go back and re-record it. What?!? Who does that?!? Turns out a genius does. I know I complained in the beginning, but as the album continued, and then I read Wikipedia, the lore really brought me around. This is one of the best albums ever, and it invented the pop rock sound that Cheap Trick and others went out to perfect. This album is a must-listen as it has something for everybody. Could it have been a little shorter? Sure, but the sheer inventiveness of the album and recording make it worth being a double album.

h-oh. This “band” plays electronic music. I’ve had a very love/hate, more hate/hate with electronic music on the 1,001 Albums list. This album came out in 1998, and I’d never heard of them. I’m already unimpressed at Track 2, An Eagle In Your Mind. It’s just a lot of scratches and some distant bass drones with someone seemingly scatting in the background. Not off to a great start. Maybe I’ll just re-listen to Todd Rundgren's Something/Anything? again. Okay, after five minutes, we have something resembling music coming in for the last minute of track 2. Ugh. This is going to be a long listen. Track 3, The Color of Fire, as far as I could tell, wasn’t even a song. It was very quiet, and in around a minute and a half, it went completely quiet. Then, what sounded like something that would be played on PBS over David Attenborough describing a sea sponge, played. I’d chalk this listening experience up to being old, but I would have hated this junk as a kid. Track 4, Telephasic Workshop, is just the same rhythm and sample repeated infinitely. I don’t get electronic music without a groove. This is what Devo tried to be, robotic music. Daft Punk were literally robots, and they made great Robot Rock. Just noise with no groove or rhythm made by robots for robots. Track 6, Sixtyten, is just more of the same. I think I already know how this is going to go. They aren’t going to turn into Daft Punk at any point. God bless these two dudes if they could make a living from this music. I just wish I were smart enough, or dumb enough, to have done something like this or have become a YouTube creator. It’s funny. It seems these “songs” don’t have enough music to last the whole track, so they end with about a minute to go, and then something that sounds more like a song begins playing for about 30 seconds. It’s like they only have the aptitude to write 30-second songs, so to make up for it, they craft 3-minute sounds to introduce the song. Brilliant.....I'm being very sarcastic with the brilliant. Track 7, Turquoise Hexagon Sun, sounds like a song, the first on the album. If it had some female vocals over the top, I think you could legitimately call it a song. It took them six tries, but it seems maybe they’re catching on. However, constant chatter from a party is bleeding over into the track. I know it’s on purpose, but it just points out that this music is meant to be background music at a party and should not be turned up enough for people to actually hear it. This music should not interrupt much more interesting conversations about the weather or sports. Track 8, Kaini Industries, sounded interesting for about 45 seconds of its run time. Why are the more interesting pieces of music just seconds long? How is this thing over an hour long? Each song is like 3 minutes…Oh, there are 18 songs. This shouldn’t be counted as a double album, as it doesn’t have enough material for an EP. Wait…What’s this? Track 10, Roygbiv, is actually…..Yes, I think it’s an actual song. Is that a piano? Finally, a decent song. I like this. It’s not much of a song, but it’s song-like. Track 11, Rue the Whirl, sounds like it’s trying to be a song, but it seems stuck in first gear. I can’t take 6 minutes of this. I’ve figured it out. These beats would be much better if the Wu-Tang Clan were rapping over them. This track especially sounds like something the RZA would have crafted in the lab. Though the RZA is a much better songcrafter. After about 4 and a half minutes of the same thing over and over again, they turn the sound into a song for the last minute. I just don’t understand what these dudes are trying to do. Track 12, Aquarius, is a nice little groove. Finally, a groove. Too little, too late for me. I’ve already checked out. Track 13, Olson, has been the first track to make me feel anything. And just like that, the song’s over, the feeling has gone. Track 14, Pete Stands Alone, has some sort of velcro patch ripping over and over. It’s not good. This song makes me feel something too, rage. I think I’m done. I don’t understand how someone can listen to this and find it enjoyable. It’s the equivalent of sitting in a white room under fluorescent lights for 8 hours. That’s the feeling I get. This is not a must-hear. In fact, I wish I hadn’t heard it. Listen to your favorite record instead.

I’ve heard the name Kraftwerk for decades. I’m not sure I’ve ever listened to their music. I know they are German and they’re the fathers of electronic music, which scares me. After just listening to the Boards of Canada, electronic music isn’t high on my list of enjoyment right now, but these guys are supposed to be good, I think. Hmm, five tracks, 42 minutes long, and the first track is Autobahn and is 22 minutes long. Ooooh, it starts out with some robot repeating Autobahn about five times. This song is already better than anything on the last album I listened to, mainly because it actually sounds like a song. I will say, it’s hilarious to hear these Germans chant the lyrics with a heavy German accent. The music has synths in it, but I can also hear what sounds like guitars and a flute. They may also be synths, I don’t know. I feel like I’ve heard this song before. It’s essentially an instrumental except for what sounds like 4 Germans chanting, “The fun, fun, fun, of the Autobahn.” Then later, they chant something in German. There isn’t much to the song, but it gives me the nostalgic feels of the 80’s. This album came out in 1974, which seems crazy, but it took the ad geeks at least a decade to start using music like this in commercials or TV shows. I enjoyed track 1. It was worlds better than the Boards of Canada. However, I think time will suck some of the amazement or wonder out of my listening to this album because I’m so far removed from its release. Electronic bands today are making better music than could be made in 1974 with that technology. Track 2 is Kometenmelodie 1, and I already dig it. It sounds very foreboding. This song kind of reminds me of what Eddie Van Halen was trying to do with synths on the Fair Warning album, which came out in 1981. Track 3 is, of course, Kometenmelodie 2. This song has more of a beat to it. It’s more of a dance track than the first one. It reminds me of a David Bowie song, but I can’t put my brain on the title. This song has more of an old-school 50s rock and roll swing to it, if electronic music can indeed swing. Yes! I got it! This song reminds me of Modern Love by Bowie. It has the same feel, though it sounds like it is the elevator music version of Modern Love. Track 4, Mitternacht, sounds like it might be played in a haunted funeral home, at least the first 30 seconds do. Mitternacht means midnight in German. Yes, this is a spooky song. Hmmm, this song has a lot of what sounds like electronic drops of water leaking from the basement pipe of a killer’s lair. It was an atmosphere, but not much of a song. I can see it being used in a Halloween movie. Final track, Morgenspaziergang, and it sounds like ASMR. It’s like more electronic drops of water falling into a digital puddle. There’s some flute playing, giving it a very Asian feel to the song. And just like that, it’s over. For today’s standards, there’s nothing ground-breaking here. This was Kraftwerk’s fourth album, and they did in fact add a guitarist who could also play the flute, as well as a percussionist. According to our good friends at Wikipedia, this album completed a shift from their earlier experimental krautrock to a more electronic pop, which was more synth and drum-based. It was alright for me. It’s not something I’m adding to my rotation. I can see how they could have influenced all of electronic music, but I’m a rocker at heart. If you want to hear where electronic music came from, then check this out, otherwise, you can skip it.

I’ve never listened to much Joni Mitchell. I wasn’t a huge fan of her voice, at least from the few songs I heard snippets of. Plus, I was a rocker, and she seemed folky, singer/songwrit-y. Track 1, Court and Spark, the title track, is beautiful. I love it. It’s got piano as the main instrument, but it has acoustic guitar and steel guitar accenting the song. Her voice is incredible. Could I have been wrong all these years? I’m quite sure of it now. Maybe I only heard her when she was olde,r and her voice changed? Whatever the case, I wanted more. Track 2, Help Me, is very 70s AM Gold. I’m not sure I’ve heard any of these songs. Oh, sounds like maybe a tenor sax is back there sneaking in some notes. Wow, the song really opens up into a pop jam. Just a pretty little pop song. Track 3, Free Man in Paris, is another jam. Mitchell’s vocal styling is so different. It’s like she has so much to say, she’s trying to cram it all in there. It works, which is amazing. And there’s still time for the music to shine. Track 4, The Same Situation, is so great. Each of the songs has a similar vibe, but each has a new instrument pop up in the arrangement, or at least a new sound. This song is more piano, but there are some organ sounds in the background. Just a beautiful song. Track 5, Car on a Hill, has more sax in it, which equals jamtastic. There’s music that just puts you at ease, and so far, every song on this album does that. The backing vocals/choir on this album are what set it off. Plus, some electric guitar chords give it a heaviness. This song gives me a Steely Dan vibe. Mitchell is almost a rapper with how fast she spits her vocals. Track 6, Down To You, is mostly Mitchell’s vocals and a piano, but near the end, you get more choir singing, and a beautiful symphony comes in to buttress the piano. I said, buttress. Just another beautiful song. I’m really loving this album. Oooh, a crescendo near the end. There’s a melancholy feel to this song. Is that a French horn? This sounds like a movie soundtrack now. It’s the longest song on the album and may be the best song. Track 9 is called Raised on Robbery and it’s a jam. Damn, it’s like a Rolling Stones' song with Bobby Keys on the sax. Just a solid rock jam. I want to say that Neil Young and his band, for the Tonight’s the Night album sessions, played this with Mitchell. It was good, but I think Mitchell’s version here is fire. Robbie Robertson plays the guitar on it and just blazes. Great rock song. Track 10, Trouble Child, is a light pop song, but there are parts that give a kind of grimy feel to it. It has a very jazzy trumpet in it, too. Really different song for this album. It just has a different groove altogether. Noir, that’s what the song feels like. It could have been in a film noir set in the 1930’s, but the movie was made in the 1950s. Trouble Child just flows right into the last track, Twisted, and this song sounds much more like a jazz song. Mitchell sings it in a more old school way. It doesn’t even sound like her. The trumpet in the song gives it its soul. This song has a swing out the arse. Our good friends at Wikipedia tell us this was Mitchell’s most successful album, as it sold well and was received well by critics. Mitchell added more elements of jazz into her music for this album, which you can plainly hear. The album still has her folky singer/songwriter style, but it swings a little more. She hired the best session artists to play the music, including the aforementioned Robertson, with David Crosby and Graham Nash singing backing vocals on Free Man in Paris, another single. You can easily hear it's them. If I’m not mistaken, I think she dated, or whatever you did in the 60s, both of them for a time, one right after the other. Ahhh, the summer of love. This album is great, and I think it needs to be heard. It will introduce you to Mitchell’s work and maybe convert haters as it did me. I’ve already listened to it several times since I was assigned it yesterday.

I’d heard of Sparks only within the last 5 years or so. They seemed weird, so I was interested. Today’s mainstream music has no weirdos anymore and therefore has nothing to offer me. Sparks are hard to explain. They're new wave, but rock, they can sound like Queen, but also like carnival music. They are a band that needs to be heard. Plus, they’re hilarious, which can be figured out by reading the title of their album, Kimono My House. If you don’t get the joke, maybe you shouldn't try this one out. The band is made up of two brothers, Ron and Russell Mael. One, Russell, a dashing leadsinger/frontman in the same vein as Robin Zander from Cheap Trick. A true rock and roll frontman. While his brother Ron…..He’s hard to explain. Ron wears glasses, has a Charlie Chaplin mustache, slick-backed hair, and glowers from behind the keyboards. He almost acts as if he's surprised there is a concert going on around him. He just constantly looks around like a serial killer for his next victim. Weird, but brilliant. Their music is so good and is hard to pin down to any genre or decade, really. It sounds like something Foxy Shazam might put out today. This album was the brothers' first stab at writing a more pop album. I mean, they succeeded, but it’s a weird pop album. Track 1, "This Town Isn’t Big Enough For the Both of Us," is incredible and maybe their most well-known song. It gives me Queen vibes and is a real rocker. Track 2, Amateur Hour, is about sex and puberty. It’s hilarious. Until you actually have sex and become good at it, it’s Amateur Hour. For guys, “Amateur hour goes on and on When you turn pro, you know She'll let you know.” That’s hilarious. I assume the reason this isn’t a huge classic band is that they were too weird in the end to crossover. Devo did, they’re weird. Not that Sparks didn’t have a great career. They're having a big revival these days. They’re so original to not be huge that it seems a bit of a disappointment, maybe not for them. Track 4, Here In Heavan, starts out on fire. It paints a very boring picture of what heaven is like. People are sleeping all day, talking about how they died, and wondering if their loved ones remember them. Just very heady lyrics. Track 5, Thank God It’s Not Christmas, seems to be about a guy who loves doing the same old things everyday, going the same places, seeing the same people, just being on the go all the time. Then Christmas comes, and he’s stuck at home with his loved ones, how boring. Though maybe it’s what he actually loves the most. Very clever song. The songwriting on this album is incredible. I am already in love. Great guitar playing in this song. Most of the songs are piano-driven, which makes sense as Ron Mael is a keyboard player and songwriter. This band is fun and great at writing fun pop songs. They remind me of a more piano-based pop music version of Cheap Trick. Cheap Trick’s songs are great musically, but their lyrics are filled with sarcasm and some pretty shocking stuff if you look into them. It’s amazing they were able to get away with some of the stuff they wrote about. Though most of those tracks were album tracks. I’m digressing again. Listen to this album immediately. Each song is a banger, and even though it’s not your usual pop album from 1974, it’s still a very good time. I’m adding it to my regular rotation and look forward to hearing more Sparks either from the 1,001 Albums list or just on my own time.

Oh no, we’ve had such a good run and now they give me a reggae album. Ugh. I’m not a fan of reggae. I just never could get into it. It all kind of sounded the same to me. I know that makes me sound like a boomer. Are the kids still using that term? I’m not a boomer. I was 16 years old, and I disliked reggae. It just doesn’t speak to me. Now, it could be because I don’t partake in the pot. Are the kids still using that term? But I thought Pink Floyd would be the same, andI love them with none of the pot. Finley Quaye is a Scottish dude, Maverick a Strike was his first album. It kind of exploded in the United Kingdom, selling over 600,000 units. Not sure he made a dent in the U.S., but he put out several other albums. Now, our good friends at Wikipedia told me Quaye’s music was reggae, as I get into track 2, It’s Great When We’re Together, it doesn’t sound so reggae like. Maybe the bass line, which a funky reggae bass line is pretty fire. Are the kids still saying that term? Anyway, our good friends at Wikipedia could be wrong. Track 3, Sunday Shining, is not a reggae song. It has reggae leanings, as Quaye is singing in a reggae style with a Jamaican accent. Which is a bit weird as he’s Scottish, but what do I care? Sunday Shining has a great horn section and a nice little riff on guitar, and it’s just a rather fine pop song. So far, I think I’d classify this album as a soulful pop album. Quaye isn’t a great singer. He kind of talk sings, again, with a Jamaican accent. It’s fine. In fact, I think it adds a cool touch to the music. You don’t really expect to hear his voice with such smooth pop soul. Oh, here comes the rapping. I guess it could be that he is Jamaican but came to Scotland as a kid. He has a Scottish accent when talking, I checked. But what do I care? Even though I keep bringing it up. Track 6, The Way of the Explosive, has a great funky bassline. This song sounds more reggae than the last 3 or 4. Now, the way Quaye seems to just be stream of consciousness, this does sound like a real reggae song. Now the funky bass line is just annoying, as there has been no change in the music since the beginning. I’m 8 songs in, and I’m not sure why this album was selected for the list. It’s fine, I guess, but I imagine there are many better examples of reggae or whatever this music is to represent. I’m not offended by the music, but it’s just not making me lose my mind like Todd Rundgren, Joni Mitchell, and Sparks did this week. In the end, this is just not an album I’ll ever listen to again. It didn’t have a spark for me. Though I can see how a ton of people probably love this album. For someone who likes easy listening pop music with a hint of Jamaica, this might be one you’ll love. I need something to make me feel anything, love or hate. This album just left me feeling meh. Are the kids still using that term?

I have a strange relationship with the Doors. Most of their songs I love, like track 1 on Morrison Hotel, it's Roadhouse Blues. I love that song. It’s got everything you need: a great bluesy groove, great guitar picking by Robby Krieger, great piano by Ray Manzarek, solid drumming by John Densmore, and a thumping bass line by non-Doors member Lonnie Mack. But the thing that turns it from just your run-of-the-mill blues rock song is Jim Morrison. “I woke up this morning, and I got myself a beer!” I don’t even really drink, and that makes me want to wake up and start drinking. Morrison is an insane person who I’m not sure was as brilliant as most people thought. I think drugs and booze brought his inhibitions down, which led to several viral moments that made the band huge. Unfortunately,y those same addictions killed him and the Doors. But he was a legend. Track 2, Waiting for the Sun, is so good. I never listened to much of the Doors' catalog beyond the greatest hits. Waiting for the Sun has these futuristic keyboard sounds that make this song sound like it was way ahead of its time. Which is rare for the Doors, as I've always believed they were a band that sounded just like the era they were making music in. Krieger was such an underrated guitarist. I wish I had gone to see the Doors with Ian Astbury of the Cult fronting them. That had to have been as close to seeing Morrison as you could. Track 3 is another rocker, You Make Me Real. It seems the Doors wanted to get back to their blues rock style with this album after experimenting with strings and horns on their previous album. Though Touch Me is one of my favorite songs by the Doors. It captures the essence of the 1960s without sounding like most music from the 60s. Track 4 is Peace Frog, and it’s a skittering jam. Apparently, its lyrics come from one of Morrison’s poems about abortion. Well, that’s just ducky. Again, I never believed Morrison to be a poetic shaman. He just had charisma out of the yinyang. Still a great song. Track 5, Blue Sunday, is usually played in tandem with Peace Frog, kind of like Led Zeppelin’s Heartbreaker and Livin’ Lovin’ Maid (She’s Just a Woman). This is a nice, slow, psychedelic love song. Just a couple of minutes long, but it gets the job done. Track 6, Ship of Fools, was about all the crazy stuff going on in the 1960’s, people walking on the moon, smog is choking people out, etc. Then here comes LSD and marijuana to help escape all the craziness. Morrison is a good lyricist, but I think some god him up a bit much. At the end, I think he was becoming more of a crazy drunk than a poet. Track 8, The Spy, is just another example of the psychedelic blues rock the Doors are known for. There’s something about the Doors’ songs that is different from any other band from that era. I generally tend to dislike the psychedelic rock from that era, at least the derivative, jumping on the bandwagon kind. The Doors never sounded derivative, though their sound is no doubt of the 1960s. Most of their songs could never be mistaken for any decade beyond the early 1970s. Maybe because they are just universally looked upon as one of the best rock bands of that generation, even though they sound dated, they still sound fresh and original. Track 9, Queen of the Highway, is a jam. Krieger and Manzarek are really showing their stuff. Love this song. There were only two singles released from this album,Roadhouse Blues and You Make Me Real. I think Queen of the Highway could have made some headway as a single. But I’m betting the Doors didn’t really care about singles and were big enough that they didn’t need them. They had Morrison ready to take Mr. Mojo out of his pants every once in a while on stage….or not, as the band and others have said. Track 10, Indian Summer, is a slow, quiet song, along the lines of This Is the End, at least the beginning of This Is the End. It seems to be a love song with only a few lyrics sung over and over. It’s a pretty little song and really caught my ear. Not sure that I’d heard it before. It’s a little too minimal to have been a single, but it’s nice. Track 11, Maggie McGill, is a lowdown, blues jam with a killer old school blues riff. Morrison sounds licentious. “Miss Maggie M'Gill, she lived on a hill Her daddy got drunk and left her no will So she went down, down to Tangie town People down there really like to get it on” That’s nice right there. Again, Kreiger’s guitar work is phenomenal. I might like this better than Roadhouse Blues. “​​Illegitimate son of a rock and roll star Illegitimate son of a rock and roll star Mom met dad in the back of a rock and roll car, yeah Well, I'm an old blues man And I think that you understand I've been singing the blues ever since the world began, yeah” God bless Jim Morrison and the Doors. The world just wouldn’t have been the same without them, would it? This album is a certifiable must listen before you’ve shuffled on out of this plane of existence. Great band, important band, great album, maybe not as important, but fun to listen to.

’m not sure I need to say much about this album. This is one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s got everything you need, including three of the greatest songs ever recorded in Baba O’Riiley, Behind Blue Eyes, and Won’t Get Fooled Again. The rest of the album could have all been singles as well, I feel. Bargain, for one, is an incredible rock song. Listen to this album and focus on John Entwistle’s bass as you listen. Then listen again and focus on Keith Moon’s drums as you listen. You’ve heard Pete Townsend’s guitar and piano work. Roger Daltry is a golden god and has one of the greatest rock and roll voices ever. Entwistle also dabbles in the French Horn. What made the Who special is that every band member is the lead instrument. Moon plays whatever the hell he wants to, and Entwistle as well. You become so used to the chaos that it sounds normal. When Moon died and the Who decided to record another album and tour, Townsend said they had to bring on more than one musician to make up for his loss. The same thing happened after Entwistle passed. The Who now tour with a huge collection of musicians, when all they needed in 1971 was the four of them. The songs on this album were supposed to be the next big rock opera Townsend wanted to write after Tommy. The project was named Lifehouse, and it was so complex that, in the end, it was cancelled. Townsend and the band had been recording songs for the project and decided to mine it of the best songs and release it as Who’s Next, their fifth album. You can tell there is a narrative running throughout the album, but it’s like you haven’t been given all of the story to see the full picture. It doesn’t matter because the songs are so good, you can use them to make up your own story. Who’s Next to me is almost a choose-your-own-adventure. What happened in between Bargain and Love Ain’t for Keeping? What do you think happened? There you go. This album has everything on it, rock, country, ballads, love songs, songs about the state of our world today, in fact. “Meet the new boss Same as the old boss.” It really does feel like that to me. All of us little scrubs are fighting over how our billionaires care about us more than yours, and he’s going to save us. Meanwhile, the billionaires are all off on private islands hanging out with each other and doing who knows what. “There's nothing in the street Looks any different to me And the slogans are effaced, by-the-bye And the parting on the left Is now parting on the right And the beards have all grown longer overnight." So, Pete Townsend felt the same back in 1970, as this earth keeps on turning and we keep on making the same dumb mistakes over and over again. Well, I know one mistake you can correct right now, if you've never heard this album. I do know music and rock and roll, and Who’s Next is a masterpiece, and I think everyone should hear it, now, like today.

I have a weird relationship with 1960s music, especially psychedelic rock. I love the Doors and other bands from that period, but some of the bands really drive me up the wall. The 60s psychedelic rock bands had a sound, and I don’t like it for the most part. It automatically time stamps it for me. When I saw my next album was Country Joe and the Fish, I was worried it would be the same old derivative sound of the 60s, you know, like a knockoff Doors or Steppenwolf. Man, I hate Born To Be Wild. Track 1 is Flying High, and its the typical drug song trying to masquerade as a song about Country Joe going to the airport. The stereotypical 60s guitar is soloing the whole time throughout. It has the stale, irritating 60s sound. This could be a long 44 minutes. Track 2, Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine, is worse. It has that annoying 60s organ sound blaring throughout the song, along with the 60s soloing guitar. The lyrics, I’m sure, are about drugs or trupping or something, but I feel like to really get the gist of the song, you need to be of that time. It’s like certain customs or acts in the Bible that were really important at that time, but because they happened over 2,000 years ago, we don’t have the cultural knowledge of that day to understand them. Not that Country Joe & the Fish’s album is the Bible, I just think certain things that would stick out to a young person in the 60s don’t mean much to me in 2026. So far, it seems like Country Joe was fixated on drugs and death. Maybe the drugs caused him to be fixated on death. Track 3, Death Sound, makes it pretty obvious. “I feel the black nails a-poundin' now, yes, into the coffin of our love. hear the black nails a-poundin' now, yes, into the coffin of our love. well, like a black shrouded hunter now, don't you know that i have killed a snow-white dove, oh, i've killed a dove!” So, maybe it’s the death of his and his old lady’s relationship. Perhaps it was all the drugs they took? Track 5, Section 43, is seven minutes long and has the annoying psychedelic organ, but I kind of dig it. It has some harmonica thrown in. Maybe I’m coming around a bit on Country Joe. Okay, now they’re trying to get me to hate this song, but only for a second, as some cool Napoleon Dynamite organs come in and really take the song to another level. I want to hate it, but I’m maybe a prog guy at heart. I like epic, 10-minute, or in this case, seven-minute jams. Track 6 is Super Bird, and it’s about President Lyndon Baines Johnson. I don’t think Country Joe likes him that much. Man, remember the days when nobody trusted a politician or a rich dude? I think people were smarter back in those days. They could see a shyster and a grifter coming a mile away. Maybe the internet not being a thing helped keep their BS detector calibrated. But, I digress. Track 9, Bass Strings, has the pure Napoleon Dynamite organ playing. It’s a slow jam, and except for it making me think about Napoleon Dynamite, I don’t mind it. “Hey partner, won't you pass that reefer round, My world is spinnin', yeah, just got to slow it down. Oh, yes, you know I've sure got to slow it down. Get so high this time that you know I'll never come down, I'll never come down.” The lyrics are rather cryptic. I’m not sure we’ll ever know what this song was about. But seriously, the band was afraid to put this song out on the album, as at the time, marijuana was super illegal, and they were afraid they'd be arrested for just singing about how they smoke the pot. Thankfully, we've all realized there are certainly many more dangerous things than marijuana and have legalized it all over the world....What? That's not the case? Oh, but we let the big pharmaceutical companies ruin our country with highly, super addictive opioids without questioning them? Just because they lied and said they weren't addictive? Hmmm, oh yeah, politicians and rich guys don't get much kickback from weed dealers. But, again, I digress. Track 10 has a great title, The Masked Maurader, and it's full of Nap Dynamite organ. Crazy organ aside, I kind of dug that song. There was a breakdown in the middle that slowed things down, and Country Joe added some La La Las. It reminded me of the 60s music I really enjoy. That music that still has more of a 50s pop shine with some 60s rock mixed in. The last track, Grace, is another drug-fueled love song. And it's about Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, Starship, or whatever they call themselves now. Seems that Country Joe was fixated on three things, drugs, women, and death. I imagine you can be obsessed with two out of three and live a pretty good life, but all three will kill you before you’re 50. Holy Lord! Country Joe is still alive at 84 years old! He must have quit drugs and death to live this long. This album is what it is, a time capsule of the mid-60s. It’s got everything you need if you’re a fan of psychedelic rock. And I’m not not a fan of psychedelic rock, but I need grooves and riffs and less stereotypical 60s organ sounds. For someone who has never really expericencd psychedelic rock or fans of the genre, this will be a must listen. For me, it was not my favorite, though as I sit here writing, I’m really starting to dig the last track, Grace. Oh, and then it ended. I know I compalined about Country Joe sounding like the sterotypical 60s psychedlic rock band, but he and his band were one of the first of those bands to gain popularity. They were one of the fathers of that sound. So I can't be too hard on them. Now, YouTube Music has randomly played Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. It, too, came out in 1967. It has what I would call a very 60s sound, but the Beatles were doing things like this before it became a trend. I generally give them a pass. Plus, I love LSD….I mean, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

I’ve made it clear how I feel about reggae. It’s not my cup of tea. But Bob Marley is the reggae guy, so I’m expecting this to be more than the most white-boy reggae or hip-hop reggae. Track 1, Lively Up Yourself, is a banger. I can’t believe it. It’s funky, it has great organs, a nice guitar accenting the groove here and there, and Marley has an unmistakable voice. His charisma just shines through the earbuds. Oh snap! Horns? This song is a banger, as the kids say. If they’re still saying that. Even the chanted vocals don’t perturb me. Is this what good reggae is supposed to be? Whoa, No Woman No Cry sounds like Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton. At least it does to me. Did Clapton steal this, maybe switch a few things around? You all know I dislike Clapton. I think he’s overrated, at least his solo stuff. Wow, I can’t get Wonderful Tonight out of my head. It’s wild. Maybe I’m crazy. I dig this song though. Marley isn’t a bad singer. You can really hear how he influenced rap and hip-hop. Track 3, Them Belly Full (But We Hungry) is a phrase I’ve heard in a Rage Against the Machine song. Damn, the lyrics of this song are powerful and sound like they could have been written today. Them belly full, but we hungry A hungry mob is a angry mob A rain a-fall, but the dirt it tough A pot a-cook, but the food no 'nough Cost of livin' get so high Rich and poor, they start to cry Now the weak must get strong They say, "Oh, what a tribulation!" Again, it just shows how things have been kind of the same since the beginning of time. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. I’m really starting to love Bob Marley. I’m kind of angry that all this other “reggae” turned me off of the master. Marley Track 4, Rebel Music, is more great music with a message. The guitar work is great, and there is a funky clavinet holding it down. I don’t know what was going on in Jamaca at the time, but it sounds like MArley was bringing a lot of eyes to the issues. When you start getting assassination attempts, you know you must be doing something right. Track 6 is the title track, Natty Dread. The song is about being true to one’s culture and not changing just because the ones in power require it be changed. Marley celebrates being a Rastafarian and invites all of Jamaica to join him. These songs are powerful. I assume they meant much more at the time and on that island. The more Marley got bigger and bigger, I’d imagine, the more pressure the powers that be felt. Track 7, Bend Down Low, is a jam now. The Wailers could swing. The music is tight, but played with a loose feel. I wonder if it was recorded with the whole band playing in the studio at one time. I bet these guys were insane live. Great song to just groove to. Track 8, Talkin’ Blues, has the first real kind of stereotypical reggae style, at least as I would call it. Sharp little chops by the saxes, the reggae drum sound, though no steel drums. The guitar is kind of doing its own thing. The guitarist, Al Anderson, has been spot on with everything he’s done on this album. I’m really digging this album. Track nine, Revolution, has a very Stax Records sound to the open, then the reggae beat kicks in. Maybe it’s my dislike of authority or “the Man,” but I’m really digging the vibe of this record. It’s full of frustration, anger, and revolution, but at the same time, it’s got a peaceful vibe underneath it all. The bass is the key to reggae for me. That groove can make anything at least tolerable. Marley is calling for a complete change in the system as politicians are too corruptible to reform or bring things back in balance. The song asks listeners to stand against injustice. I think everyone can get behind that. Some can as long as it pays well. The last track is Am-A-Do, and I’m glad this is the last song. The last few songs for me were starting to sound the same. I came down off my reggae high about track 9. I loved the lyrics, but the sound reminded me of what I disliked about reggae. And with that, it’s over. This album is the best reggae album I’ve ever heard, but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a whole album before. This will go on my playlist. I really dug most of the album. I'd say it's a must-listen. Marley is this almost mythical figure. He created a movement and is looked at as the standard-bearer of the genre. I think any fathers or godfathers of a music genre should be heard. If you're like me and hate reggae, I think this one is a good one to hear. I’m glad I heard it and look forward to future listenings of reggae. I’m not so close-minded as to think I can’t be turned around on any subject.

I’ve heard the name Fela Kuti for a long time, but not sure I’ve ever heard a song from him. I do know he's African and a horn player, but beyond that, nothing. I've listened to some African psychedelic rock and roll and some funk, and it was incredible. So hopefully, this album will be a good time. Track 1, Zombie, just comes right out of the gate with horns, horns, horns. Kuit was one of the creators of what is called Afrobeat, which takes West African music and meshes it with funk and jazz. And Kuti does it well. Zombie is a funky, upbeat jam. It’s not giving me zombie vibes at all, unless we’re talking about the ones from 28 Days Later. Oh! Here are some lyrics. “Go and kill! (Joro, jaro, joro) Go and die! (Joro, jaro, joro) Go and quench! (Joro, jaro, joro) Put am for reverse! (Joro, jaro, joro)” The lyrics talk about how zombies don’t do anything unless they're commanded. They don’t think unless you tell them to think. Kuit was a political activist and was an outspoken critic of Nigeria’s ruling military force. He was hardcore as the government tried to kill him, and did kill his mother. He was also put in jail for a time. What a badass. Zombie is a powerful song. You put a political message to a groove, and you can win over a ton of people. Look at the 1960s, Rage Against the Machine, Springsteen, how much great music has risen out of protest? Thankfully, we’ve still got some people who aren’t afraid to speak on injustice in the world. Zombie was 12 minutes of a funky wildfire. Track 2, Mr. Follow Follow, is more of the same. Great funky horns and a groove with powerful lyrics. It’s about people blindly obeying authority figures or societal trends without question or thinking about what they’re really doing. Hmmmm, sounds like most of history, or at the very least today. TikTok? Social media? Influencers? People just blindly follow these idiots. Kuti says blind obedience leads to the people just accepting the way things are rather than actually doing something about it. Damn, I need to get Bob Marley and Kuti together…Oh, they’re both dead? And have been for like 30-40 years? Nevermind. I assume Kuti has been sampled heavily in hip-hop. His music is ripe for theft. Oh snap! Track 3, Observation Is No Crime, is so damn funky. It’s got me storyboarding another grimy, 70s cop movie in my head. Every one of these songs starts out with like five minutes of music to just put you solidly in the groove. This has been such an easy listen this morning. I can hear a lot of reggae in this music. But, there should be African grooves and beats in both this music, which is actually from Africa, and reggae, which was brought from Africa with the slave trade. I don’t think people really realize how much popular music has a solid base in music from Africa. There would be no blues, no jazz, no rock and roll without African music. Hell, I’d even go so far as to say that without African music, there might not be any bluegrass music, which to a native Kentukian like myself, is our heritage…well, that any bourbon and college basketball. Kentuckian Bluegrass would just be old-time country music without the blues, which Arnold Shultz, a black bluesman, introduced to Bill Monroe when Bill was just a youngster. Track 4, Mistake, is the last track on the album and the longest track on the album. It’s also live from the Berlin Jazz Festival. Like the other three songs on this short, but very enjoyable album, it begins with about five minutes of straight horns. While I dug the song, by the end, I felt it was dragging just a bit. They could’ve shaved about three or four minutes off, and it would have still been great, even more so, I think. And just like that, it’s over. What an enjoyable album. This was one of the easiest albums I’ve listened to in a while. I found myself just listening and working without thinking about writing any observations down. I also loved the message of Kuti’s songs. Again, I’ve always been someone who bristles at authority, whether right or wrong. I’m not a militant or a get out in the street type, but I always try to be smart about what the "man" tells me to do or how to think. This is a must-listen for me. I highly recommend it. It’s definitely going in my rotation. I loved Bob Marley’s Natty Dread, but I believe I liked Zombie more. Do with that what thou wilt.

’ve heard of the Cocteau Twins before. I knew they were an 80s band, but I also thought they were one of those new wave bands that had a solo hit that made it big in the U.S., then went on to become huge in Europe, never to be heard from again over here. Turns out I was off. They are an 80s band, but I’m not sure they ever had a big hit over here, and I’m not sure they were strictly new wave. My good friend Wikipedia tells me that the Cocteau Twins were kind of pioneers of the dream pop or ambient pop sound. Wikipedia has them in the dream pop, ethereal wave, gothic rock, and post-punk genres. But, I’d say, for this album, they were much more dream pop than post-punk. What’s dream pop? Good question. Dream pop is alt-rock/psychedelic pop music that puts more emphasis on the atmosphere or vibe as much as a pop melody. It’s like you're listening to pop music in a dream. At least that’s how I understand it. The album sounds like the 80s, so it wasn’t much different than what you’d hear on the radio in the late 80’s. Heaven or Las Vegas came out in 1990, when the pop music scene was changing, as hair metal soon began getting a ton of radio play on pop music, at least in my neck of the woods. Not that the Cocteau Twins were a radio staple. Track one, Cherry Coloured Funk, sounds like what I would think dream pop sounds like. It’s a vibe. The singer Elizabeth Fraser has a beautiful voice. They tell me she’s a tenor, whatever that means. But she can sing whatever she is. The song reminds me of Best Coast’s California Nights, which I was obsessed with one summer. Track 2, Pitch the Baby, has a more contemporary sound. Again, this song reminds me of another song released in this decade. It’s amazing how the production sticks this album square in the 80s, but the first two tracks sound like they could have been released today, at least with some tinkering with the production. Wikipedia tells me that sometimes Fraser sings unintelligible lyrics. She said it was due to “laziness or bad diction,” but whatever the reason, it adds to the song. Gives it some mystery. Check out Van Halen’s Everybody Wants Some for some great unintelligible lyrics. Track 3, Cherry Coloured Funk, is the first really poppy, happy song. By the by, other famous singers who are tenors are Adele, Wynonna Judd, Cher, Annie Lennox, Lady GaGa, and Sade. In this song, Fraser sounds like Jenny Lewis to me. Which is nice because I love Jenny Lewis. Though Lewis is not a tenor, according to the internet. Track 4, Fifty-Fifty Clown, is back deep in the dream. I love this song. Robin Guthrie, the band’s co-founder, guitarist, and husband of Fraser, starts each recording session by programming the drums for a song, then he and bassist Simon Raymonde begin writing the music. Both Guthrie and Raymonde were flying high on the snow at the time, if you catch my snow drift. Fraser gets the complete song, then adds her lyrics. It’s kind of like the way Tool records, as the band puts the music together, then hands it off to Maynard James Keenan to write lyrics and then record vocals. Track 5, Heaven or Las Vegas, follows suit, with more dreamy 80’s pop. It was written on Wikipedia that the song titles don’t really mean anything. However, the songs were written about birth and death and darker themes as two band members were about to become parents, which was the birth aspect, but two members were cokeheads, which was the death aspect. Track 6, I Wear Your Ring, is one of my favorite tracks on the album. The music reminds me of Peter Gabriel's music from his So album. Fraser's vocals are layered on top of each other. Just a beautiful track. The more I hear of this album, the more I dig it. It’s just got great sounds. In fact, Guthrie and Raymonde played around in the studio, kind of inventing new sounds for the album. Other dream pop acts are Mazzy Star, My Bloody Valentine, Beach House, Bat for Lashes, a lot of bands I’ve heard of, but never listened to. Well, except Mazzy Star. Though they only had the one hit, Fade Into You, but it was a monster. Fade Into You isn’t the best example of what the Cocteau Twins sound like, but both are going for the same thing. I really liked this album. It made me excited to check out more dream pop bands. I’d imagine an album by My Bloody Valentine will be on the list because I’ve heard of them for years and years. If you like any of the examples I’ve given throughout whatever this is I’ve written, then I think you’ll dig this album. It’s going into my rotation of new finds from the 1,001 album list. As for must-listen? If for no other reason than to expand your palette, I’d say it won’t hurt to check it out.

Ugh. You know when one of my pieces of whatever this is I’m doing starts with “Ugh,” I’m not fired up about listening to this music. War isn’t my favorite band. In fact, they’re way down the list. I liked Low Rider about the first 1,200 times I heard it, but it makes me cringe now. Same thing with Spill the Bottle and Why Can’t We Be Friends. The good news is that it seems Eric Burdon of the Animals is not with them on this album. I like the essence of Eric Burdon, but I don’t think much of him as a singer. Welp, let’s do this. Track 1 is The Cisco Kid, and it’s funky. Ooooh-wee. Just a slow funky jam. It was the highest charting single for War off this album as it peaked at number 2 in 1973. The lyrics were inspired by the old TV Western, The Cisco Kid. me Track 2, Where Was You At, is another funky jam. It really reminds of Sly & the Family Stone. War combined a lot of genres into becoming kind of their own genre. They had funk, soul, R&B, Latin beats, jazz, blues, and African beats. They were a melting pot of some of the best music at the time. These first two songs were too short. Now, Track 3, City, Country, City, is over 13 minutes long, and it starts out with a gospel-like organ and flamenco guitar. Whoa, now here’s a harmonica. This sounds like a Hoyt Axton or Tom T. Hall groove. It’s country, but still pop. Now we’re getting funkier. The song has now added a sax solo, and it just gets better. When the sax comes in, the song turns into the outro jam from the Rolling Stones’ Can’t You Hear Me Knockin.’ I love it. I imagine they recorded this all in the same room with the full band. You can hear people kind of yelling, “Yeah!” and “Whoo!” What a jam. Wow, after an extended percussion and organ jam, the song has now slipped into a bluesy Pink Floydian type slow jam closer. That was a great song. Side two begins with track 4, Four-Cornered Room, and it picks up on where City, Country, City left off with a slow blues creep. The group comes in with some spooky type Ooooooooh, Whoooooo, Oooooooo, OoooWhoooos. This is badass. This song is very psychedelic. It’s foreboding. You’re waiting for something bad to happen. The group vocals give me a bit of the Blind Boys of Alabama vibe. Track 5 is The World Is a Ghetto and we’re already getting funky. Very soulful sax solo in the middle of this song. Again, very slow-moving. If these songs were kicked up to double time, the album would be about 20 minutes long. I read that one of the top music critics at the time didn’t like the album as much as he thought he would because all the songs were slow. He labeled it “blackstrap-rock,” after blackstrap molasses, I assume. I love the slowness. I’m a huge doom and stoner metal fan, and a lot of those songs are just slow-moving bulldozers of riffs. While War is far from doom metal, on this album, the band moves slow and funky. If this album were a woman, it’d be THICC. Last track, Beetles In the Bog, it was the B-side for The Cisco Kid. It’s one of the shorter songs on the album at 4 minutes. It reminds me of Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk. The horns kind of sound very similar, and the groove is spot on. Tusk came out in 1979. According to Wikipedia, this album was number one on the Billboard album charts and was Billboard’s Album of the Year, as it was the best-selling album in 1973. That’s amazing. I’ve not heard any songs off this album until today, or never heard anyone speak about this album. Which is dumb, because this album totally changes my view on War. This album was great. Much like a lot of pop music, only the least of a group’s singles become the big hit everyone knows, hence Low Rider being War's most well-known song. Though it's not the worst song ever, by any means. I’m adding this album to my new finds rotation. I don’t know how must-listen the album is, but if anything I wrote in here tickles your gizzard, then you should check this out. Plus, they have deluxe editions of the album out with more music from the recording sessions.

I’ve heard of the Pogues, and I know one song for sure, I think. It’s that Christmas song, though I forget its name. It’s okay, but it didn’t make me go and search even more of their catalog. Our good friends at Wikipedia say the Pogues are a Celtic folk-punk band. Okay, that makes sense, somehow. Track one is the title track, and it’s what I expect songs of the sea from the late 1800s to early 1900s would sound like. Lead singer Shane MacGowan, whose name I’ve heard or read about for years, is not much of a singer, but with punk, all you really need to do is be able to get your point across. Track 2, Turkish Song of the Damned, has a very Middle Eastern groove for the verses, then the chorus comes in with the music that used to be in Old Spice commercials. I can’t say it’s not unpleasant. It makes me feel like I need to be out on a lobster boat in Maine, fishing in the Atlantic. Well, except for when they take me to Turkey with the verse. I really dig this song. Not what I was expecting. Oh wow, Track 4 is Fairy Tale of New York, the one song I know I’ve heard from this band. I don’t really want to listen to this song as it’s not Christmas, and I generally have a strict no Christmas music before Black Friday policy, but I guess I can let it slide this one time. Now that I really look at the lyrics, it seems to be about the love of two horrible people who seem to hate each other and/or blame each other for killing their hopes and dreams. Merry Christmas!!!! Track 5, Metropolis, is an instrumental. I won’t say that all the music on this album sounds the same, but when you hear the Pogues, you know what you’re getting. If you’ve ever danced a jig in your life, it would be to a Pogues song. But then, they totally go away from what you expect and throw in a horn section playing music Jim Carrey would dance to with Cameron Diaz. Track 6, Thousands Are Sailing, might be my favorite song so far. I can’t explain it. The Pogues give you this sea shanty type music for about 2 minutes, then they slip in something so different it makes you stop and listen closer. These guys could write songs. I can see why they had a devoted cult following. If you’re into these guys, I assume you were in all the way. The more I listen to this music, the more I can see where America’s old-time country music and bluegrass music came from. There are banjos, fiddles, guitars, that’s a bluegrass band right there. The only real difference is the addition of horns. Though the Pogues stick mostly to a truer kind of Irish folk sound. Bluegrass is a faster, more uptempo version of traditional Irish folk music. Track 8, Fiesta, has more of a Latin flavor to it. It sounds like a song that would be played in a Mexican cantina on a Saturday night in Jaurez. Well, except for MacGowan’s raspy singing. Very nice. This band doesma really good job at blending other types of music with their Irish folk sound. And for those who love lyrics and stories with their songs, then you’ll dig the Pogues the most. All these old traditional songs were essentially stories. A lot of them tell stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. Track 9 is a medley of traditional Irish songs, and it’s just great. You can’t really tell which songs are just traditional Irish folk songs and what the Pogues write and arrange themselves. They really are masters at their craft. While I am enjoying this album, as we reach track 14, it’s becoming the same thing over and over to me. I know that sounds narrow-minded and like I’m an old man, but it’s how I feel. Track 15, Worms, is a very creepy 1 minute song. It sounds like the grim reaper hisself is singing it, it does. And just like that, after 15 songs, we're done. There’s also an extended edition if you want to check that out. I decided 15 songs were enough for me today. I enjoyed this album, up to a point. It wasn’t exactly like I thought it would be. There were some surprises early on, but by the end, it all kind of blended in together. I can appreciate what the Pogues were trying to do, and I hope more bands are inspired by them because we need all kinds of different music in the world. If I ever go on a cruise or a deep-sea fishing trip, I might put this on, but I’m deathly afraid of water, and the sea, my friends, is full of water. If you’re a folk fan or a bluegrass fan, you might want to check this out, but you can go right on living without having heard it.

I know John Cale is the guitarist for the Velvet Underground, a band I just never got, but other than that, I’m going in blind on this one. I know he would later go on to produce a ton of albums. He produced albums for The Stooges, Patty Smith, Nico and Siouxsie and the Banshees, to name a few. Track 1, Child’s Christmas in Wales, doesn’t sound Christmas-y at all. But it sounds really good. Not what I was expecting at all. Reminds me of George Harrison’s solo stuff. I really dig this song, but I’m not sure if it’s because I really like it or that it doesn’t sound like the Velvet Underground. Hmmm, turns out Cale is Welsh. I thought he was just a New York City punk. He had Lowell George and Richie Hayward of the band Little Feat play guitar and drums on the album. I know Little Feat and the songs I’ve heard I liked, but I never did a deep dive. Though I’m quite certain one or two of their albums are in the 1,001 Album list. The bass player was a session guy who played on the Jackson 5’s I Want You Back and ABC. So, this album has great musicians, so it ought to be good. Track 3 is The Endless Plane of Fortune, and it sounds like a lost Pink Floyd song to me. The track includes a big booming orchestra. I love it. It makes the song sound much bigger than it is. I have no idea what the lyrics are about, and Cale isn’t a great singer, but this song is so beautiful. My favorite song thus far on the album. Track 4 is Andalucia, and it’s another rather quiet song. I’m surprised, as Cale was someone who was kind of looked at as one of the fathers of punk, or at least avant-garde rock music. Most of these songs are just beautiful little pop songs. Also, it just hit me, these songs sound evergreen. Andalucia could be released today, and it wouldn’t sound out of place. Can John Cale be a timeless genius? Near the end of the song, you get these subtle elements of country music as a steel guitar can be heard. Track 5, MacBeth, is a rocker. The first rocker on the album. This song sounds like it was released in 1973, which it was. Just the production style sounds a bit dated. Still a great song. With Lowell on slide guitar, the song has a bit of a southern feel, though Cale’s vocals are decidedly not Southern sounding. A short, but rocking little joint. Track 6, the title track, sounds big right off the bat with an orchestra with a tuba? Trombones? French horn? I love this song. It has a very Beatles feel to it. It makes me feel happy. The music is so uplifting. Now, a lovely little breakdown where you really hear the French horns, I think they’re French horns. Then back into the main riff, though I’m not sure there’s a guitar in the song. It kind of reminds me of Our House by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, at least the main melody. Great song. Track 7, Graham Greene, is a song that sounds like it would be on a Paul McCartney solo album. Cale had to have been a huge Beatles fan. Track 9, Antarctica Starts Here, does sound like it could be a song from the Velvet Underground, but one that I could like. It starts slow, then builds into a fuller arrangement of instruments. The vocals are almost whispered by Cale. This sounds like a song you’d sing while at sea. And just like that, it’s over, at least the original nine-track, 31-minute album. There are, of course, a couple of remastered versions with more songs, but the songs are more demos. After consulting with my good friend, Wikipedia, I found that this was one of the few “straight” albums Cale has made, as he usually is very experimental and avant-garde when it comes to music. The album is called Paris 1919 due to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, which set the terms at the end of WWI. The lyrics explore early 20th-century European culture and history. The orchestra used on the album was the UCLA Symphony Orchestra. Wikipedia says the album takes its influences from Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, the Bee Gees, and Procol Harum. I guess I can see that. Anyone under the age of 50 probably doesn’t even realize the Bee Gees had hits before Stayin’ Alive. Upon further listening, I can hear the Brian Wilson influence. I really enjoyed this album. It totally changed my view on what I thought of when I heard the name John Cale. I’m not sure I’d call this album a masterpiece, but it’s one I would recommend music fans listen to. The songs are so beautiful, and there isn’t a dud on the whole album. The songs are also short, so even if you’re like me, who can get bored sometimes with overlong songs, Cale doesn’t give you time. He’s in, and he’s out. I’m definitely putting this in my rotation of new finds from the list.

Never heard of these guys, but I see they are an electronic music group, so I don’t have high hopes. The album came out in 1991. Track 1, Justified and Ancient, is just an intro track for the album, leading into Track 2, What Time Is Love. Hmmm, is this C + C Music Factory? It’s got a good groove, and that old school 1990s rapping that’s still a bit stuck in the 80’s. Wait a minute….There’s now a woman saying she wants to see me sweat. What? Did these guys rip off C + C Music Factory? It seems both songs came out around the same time, but it sounds like whoever put their song out first, the other said, let’s make an almost exact copy of that song. It’s so weird. Track 3, Make It Rain, is more of the same. I’m sure at the time, this stuff blew people’s minds, but today, not so much. But, it’s better than a lot of electronic music I’ve heard from the 1,001 Albums list. Track 4, 3 AM Eternal, reminds me, at least the chorus, of the Scissor Sisters’ Filthy Gorgeous, though I’m quite sure nothing by the KLF will be nearly as good as anything created by the Scissor Sisters. , This song is just a song. The rapping sounds like the C + C Music Factory guy. If I hadn’t felt compelled to write that note about the Scissor Sisters, I wouldn’t have even written anything about this song. Track 5 is Church of the KLF and it’s a softer jam thus far. It’s nice. I think this is my favorite song on the album. It’s not quite so frantic, and the singing is a bit better. But it sounds like 1991. It’s not great. This is the kind of music you’d hear in an action movie from the 1990s that takes place in Europe, starring Jean Claude Van Damme. At some point, Van Damme’s character follows a super-hot female spy into an underground rave. He and the audience aren’t sure they can trust the woman yet, but she and Van Damme tangle a bit in the men’s restroom before Van Damme gets the upper hand, and she tells him who she is. Then cut to his hotel room with them smoking cigarettes, post coitus, discussing the Eurotrash Big Bad and how to defeat him. Track 7, Build a Fire, starts off like a Pink Floyd song, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, I think. Now a dude with a thick Scottish accent is talking, yes, talking. This song has some country music guitar in it. Now, back to the Van Damme movie, the super-hot spy is singing Build a Fire. Maybe this is the song that plays when she and Van Damme are in bed making sweet love. Track 8 is The White Room, and sadly, it sounds nothing like Cream’s White Room. I’m not really enjoying this album, but I think if this were 1991 and I was hearing it when it was fresh, I’d probably….nah, who am I kidding? I would’ve hated this. It’s just not my kind of electronic music. Track nine, No More Tears, caught my ear for some reason. Though listening now, I’m not sure why. There are some nice Latin-flavored horns. But then it devolves into a guy singing nonsense. There are some ska elements in this song. Which is not my favorite music genre, but it does have a gorn section most times. Track 10 is Justified and Ancient, wait…that was track one. I guess track one was an introduction, and now we get to hear the whole trashy thing. The lyrics, along with the singing style, sound like this is a children’s song. “They're justified and they're ancient And they like to roam the land They're justified and they're ancient I hope you understand They're justified and they're ancient And they drive an ice cream van They're justified and they're ancient With still no master plan.” And there are some bells that sound like an ice cream van playing. This song is weird, but not great. As you can clearly see, I loved this album…..NOT! I was not in the mood for this, I guess. Especially after a great John Cale album that I loved. I have a high bar for electronic music, meaning, it’s got to make me want to dance. This didn’t make me want to dance. No idea why critics at the time loved this album. I just don’t get it, but if you like C + C Music Factory, you’ll dig this, otherwise, stay far away.

Hot damn! I loves me some Public Enemy! I had this on cassette and burned it up. Going back to 1988 with this one, and after the little hype track, the album opens with Bring the Noise. A straight-up jam. Fun fact for those who didn't know, the thrash metal band Anthrax covered this song with Public Enemy and released it as a single. The video was on MTV seemingly 24 hours a day. Too black, too strong. Too black, too strong. As much as I disliked The KLF yesterday, today is the complete opposite, as I’m filled with a nostalgic joy as Chuck D is spitting fire. Yo, Chuck, they chillin’ and we dealin.' Track 3 is Don’t Believe the Hype and man, this album had some hits. They probably weren’t Billboard Hot 100 hits, but I remember hearing all the singles as a kid. This was a big single. I realize there were some controversies with Public Enemy, but who knows how serious they were or if it was just fear that caused these controversies to bubble up. As we’ve seen over the years, the establishment gets very afraid of entertainment people and music groups who come to some sort of power. Plus, we didn't have the internet to help debunk conspiracies, or as we see today, to not debunk conspiracies and believe them as gospel as long as the conspiracies support "your side." But I digress... As Chuck D says, don’t believe the hype. I think that’s pretty smart to remember in all cases. Track 4 is Flavor Flav’s turn to shine with Cold Lampin’ with Flavor. I realize Flavor Flav is a bit of a clown, but Chuck D is so serious, the two of them together really work. I always wondered if Chuck D got a little fed up with the clownishness of Flav or if he liked it. You know, some groups have the moron in the group who does ridiculous stuff, but the group loves him so much that they overlook the nonsense. The one thing I really respect about Public Enemy that I don’t get from some of these electronic groups, they can be serious as a heart attack and touch on very important social issues, but the beats still make you want to dance. It’s like, you wrap anything in a pretty package, and people are going to accept it a little better. Though, maybe not in PE's case in 1988. Track 5 is Terminator X To the Edge of Panic and it's just a showcase for Public Enemy’s DJ, Terminator X. In the day, every rap album had at least one song that showed off the skills of the group's DJ. I guess all the music is made on computers these days, so there’s no need for DJs to scratch records and all that comes with being a DJ. This song is great. It also gives Chuck D a break from being so serious. I love this album. Track 7 is Louder Than a Bomb, and it’s about how the FBI and other government agencies are keeping an eye on Chuck D. I think these days, we can see how his paranoia likely isn’t just hyperbole. Plenty of stuff has come out about the FBI keeping files on John Lennon and other socially conscious entertainers. Oh, Track 8, Caught, Can I Get a Witness, is about sampling and how rap steals beats for their songs. I don’t remember this song as much as others. Maybe at that age, I just didn’t understand. I know I wasn’t as informed on the old R&B, soul, and funk songs most beats were taken from. Heck, I hadn’t even heard Aerosmith’s Walk This Way before their collab with Run DMC. I thought both groups wrote that song together. “Caught, now in court 'cause I stole a beat This is a sampling sport But I'm giving it a new name What you hear is mine P.E. You know the time And later, “I found this mineral that I call a beat I paid zero I packed my load 'cause it's better than gold People don't ask the price, but it's sold They say that I sample, but they should Sample this, my bit bull We ain't goin' for this They say that I stole this Can I get a witness?” I like how Chuck D compares sampling to him mining for beats and finding "minerals" he turns into gold. Brilliant. This was a time before sampling really got hit hard by the music business. One of my favorite albums is Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys, and I think it’s all samples. You can’t really do that today, well, I guess you could, but all the publishing would go to other people. Track 10 is She Watches Channel Zero, and it’s about a woman watching nothing but soap operas and living in an imaginary world. This is a brilliant song that can be updated today about social media. People follow and see how these “influencers” live and think that’s something to aspire to, when in reality, it’s all fake. This song was ahead of its time. It’s also got a great guitar riff throughout. I can’t place it, though. Track 11 is Night of the Living Baseheads and is about crack and how it was destroying the black community. It’s a powerful song and had a powerful video. Track 12, Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, is the most gangsta rap-like of PE on this album. Chuck D is a prisoner on death row who is planning and executing a jailbreak. Chuck D, for as much as he is a social poet, is a great storyteller. He’s still just as great today, almost 40 years later. The fire still burns inside him. Track 14 is Rebel Without a Pause and I listened to this just last night, before knowing this was my album for today, which is weird. It’s a perfect example of PE, Chuck D spitting the rhymes about how radio and record stores are afraid of Public Enemy and Flavor Flav hyping him up. It’s like Chuck D is already angry, and Flavor Flav keeps firing him up. I love this song. Track 13, Prophets of Rage, just a badass title and I’m sure you can guess what it’s about. You’d think you’d get tired of PE after 13 songs, but I’m still just grooving along. I like angry music, always have. The song title is also the name of the supergroup made up of Chuck D, B-Real of Cypress Hill, and Tim Commerford, Brad Wilk and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine. The last track, Party for Your Right to Fight, is, of course, a play on the Beastie Boys hit Fight for Your Right to Party. It’s funny how the Beastie Boys started out as a frat rap parody group, but no one really understood that they were being satirical. They later became important social rappers themselves, if not in lyrics, then in actions. This is a great album and helped a young, dumb, country boy like me learn about other cultures, social issues, and how other people experienced life. It helps you realize that everybody doesn't have the same experiences or help you did through life. This album truly is one you need to hear before you die, and maybe it's just the nostalgia talking, but I think it still holds up today.

I’m not sure I’ve heard any songs from the first Paul McCartney solo album. I didn’t get into much of the Beatles’ solo material. I just assumed that whatever they did on their own could never equal what they did as a group. For the most part, I think that’s true, though I really loved George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. I still think it’s the best album of all the members’ solo work that I've heard. McCartney recorded this album in secrecy, it seems. He then decided to release it before the group released Let It Be. John Lennon had essentially quit the Beatles, though without the world knowing, and McCartney was depressed, probably angry, and decided to put this album out. He recorded a lot of it at his home on a four-track. When the press release came out about McCartney’s solo album, that was the official end of the Beatles, and he got the blame for a while. Somehow, the blame ended up on Yoko Ono’s head, but I’m not sure why. Well, probably because she was a female foreigner. I guess Lennon couldn’t think for himself? Anyway, I think now history shows that the band members were unhappy at the time it all ended. I think there was quite a bit of burnout and ego involved. Most probably wanted to see what it was like as a solo act. Anyway, McCartney came out and did not set the world on fire. It had none of the bells and whistles the last few Beatles albums had. In fact, it just sounded like McCartney recorded it all by himself in his home on a four-track, which is what he did. Track one is The Lovely Linda, and it’s around a minute long. It sounds like the beginning of a song, or more like the end of a song, with no beginning or middle. Track 2 is That Would Be Something and I think I’ve heard this. It’s funny to hear just a guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. No sweeping orchestral pieces or weird, backward-sounding guitars. Just a simple song. Again, this song sounds like McCartney had an idea for a song, but didn’t really flesh it all out. It’s almost a sketch or demo of something he’d take to the band to build on. It gives me a southern rock vibe. Track 3, Valentine Day, is a bit dirtier and grimier than what we’ve heard so far. It’s also just an instrumental. Very cool song, though, again, it sounds like McCartney had a good idea for a song, but never finished it. This album is weird. Track 4, Every Night, is the first “real” song on the album. It’s got lyrics, a bit more musicianship, with guitars. McCartney was the king of silly little love songs, wasn’t he? Track 5 is Hot as Sun/Glasses, and it starts off with a bit of a Southwestern flair. Seems to be an instrumental for the most part. Another song that sounds like it was just a piece of a song. And Glasses appears to be another piece of a song added on. It actually sounds like the end of another song just stitched to the end of an incomplete song. This album is very weird. It has 13 songs and is just 34 minutes long. I can see why critics didn’t think much of this when it came out. Track 6 is Junk, and I think that would kind of describe this album so far, well, maybe not that harshly, but it seems, compared to the output of the Beatles, this would be junk. However, the song Junk is really good. The best on the album, maybe. It at least feels sketched out a bit more than the rest, though it’s under two minutes. Maybe McCartney was going for the whole “leave then wanting more” deal. Track 7 is Man We Was Lonely and its the first time I think I’m hearing Linda McCartney singing background vocals. But this song feels like one of the actual songs he had fully written. It’s almost 3 minutes long. Track 8, Oo You, is a nice bluesy song about a woman. That riff is the truth. I could see a stoner metal band taking this and doing good things with it. McCartney is singing it like Howlin’ Wolf. This is my favorite song on the album. I can also hear the Queens of the Stone Age in this song. And just like that, it’s over. Track 9 is Momma Miss America, and I don’t care for the drum sound. It's another instrumental. I don’t understand why McCartney wanted this out as his first solo album. Maybe to be the first member to get solo work out? Maybe he wanted to release something so unlike the Beatles to truly break away from his past? Again, about halfway through the song, it’s like he stops and starts a whole new song. Track 10 is Teddy Boy, and this sounds like a Beatles song. McCartney has doubled his vocals, and the bass line sounds like a Beatles bass line. The lyrics tell a story with, I’m sure, more meaning than is on the surface. Track 11 is another song with junk in the title, as it's named Singalong Junk. I do love the quietness to it. I hear maybe the first notes from a symphony, though I guess it could be a synthesizer. Just a very pretty little song. Sounds like a sad song, or at least that’s what I’m feeling. Oh snap! Track 12 is Maybe I’m Aamzed. I’ve definitely heard that. What a diamond in a bucket of coal. This song is a Beatles-sounding song. I bet when the others heard this, they thought, “Why didn’t he pull this out for us?” Nah, they all probably thought they could write a better song. This song was fully fleshed out, and you can hear the emotion in McCartney’s voice when he sings it. This song may be the only reason to include this album in the 1,001 Albums list. The last song is called Kreen-Akore, and I don’t know why. Right now, the lyrics appear to be McCartney making monkey sounds. This seems to be a showcase for McCartney’s drum skills, as it sounds like the song is a drum solo. Nope, here are some Ahhhs and more instruments coming in. On an album full of confusing songs, this may have been the most confusing. I’m not a McCartney hater, but this album made it seem as if he had never gotten with the Beatles, we would have never heard his name. YouTube Music randomly plays George Harrison’s What Is Life after the McCartney album is over, and that song is better than 12 of the 13 songs on this album. Maybe I’m Amazed is a great song, an all-timer, but the album leaves me scratching my head. It seems that when it came out, critics were underwhelmed and complained about the songs seeming unfinished. I hate to align with critics, but I concur. This is an album you can skip, but listen to Maybe I’m Amazed and put it in your rotation.

I’m not expecting anything going into this. I’ve heard of Dizzee Rascal, and I know he’s a rapper. This is his debut album, and the genre is grime, which is rap over electronic dance music that originated in the United Kingdom. Dizzee Rascal is kind of the first of the grime rappers to really break out. This album was huge in the UK and was named the best album of 2003 in the UK and Ireland. Not sure I’ll go track by track as I have lately. I will say, so far, the electronic dance music isn’t bad, but we’ve come almost 15 years since the KLF. Dizzee isn’t a bad rapper, but his English accent and English slang can be tricky. Track 3, I Luv U, was the first single off the album. Dizzee produced this single at the age of 16. It was a top 30 hit in the UK and probably his most popular song. I’m not really getting into this so much. I guess I’m just set in my ways. I gave up on hip-hop many years ago. The music is a lot of computer noises that isn’t altogether bad, but it’s a lot of pounding in the old earholes. This album makes me think of the movie Attack the Block. It’s set in the UK, in the projects, as aliens invade and the tenants of the project have to fight them off. It’s such a fun, exciting movie with a lot of heart. I’d probably recommend watching that more than listening to this, but I’m just four songs in, maybe this will get better. Track 6, Fix Up, Look Sharp, starts off with the drum beat from John Cougar Mellencamp’s Jack and Diane. No, I’m wrong, it samples the beat and vocals from a Bill Squier song called, The Big Beat. I recognized Squier’s voice, but not sure I’ve ever heard the song. Fix Up, Look Sharp was released as a single and got to 17 on the UK charts. This song is very old school. I love it, but it may be because of nostalgia. So far, this album is just there for me. Nothing that makes me stand up and take notice…well, except for this song. Track 10 is Jus’ A Rascal, and it’s an old school rap song about who Dizzee Rascal is. You know, how all the rappers had a song boasting about how they’re the coolest, baddest dude on the block. That was a fun song. The first song since Fix Up, Look Sharp that made me stop and take notice. And, no surprise, it was a single off the album. So far, the singles have been the best songs on the album. Whoever picked them to be the singles did a great job. I’m sure hip-hop fans love this album, and I’d recommend it to hip-hop fans. Dizzee Rascal can rap, and the beats are worlds better than what was being produced ten years before. However, this album just wasn’t for me. I think it has historical qualifications, and that plays a part in it being a must-listen. But, I think most could skip it and not be lesser for it. Though if you’re a hip-hop fan, I’d highly recommend it.

I’ve heard of the Violent Femmes for years, though I didn’t know their debut came out in 1983. I think they’re folk? Maybe folk rock? Track one is Blister in the Sun, and it's probably the one Violent Femmes song everyone has heard, though they didn’t know it’s the Violent Femmes. I feel like I heard it a lot in the late 80s or early 90s. Maybe the Kids in the Hall used it? It sounds like a Kids in the Hall song. It’s a fun little song, but in a one-hit-wonder way. Our good friends at Wikipedia tell me the Violent Femmes are a folk punk band. I love that term. Folk and punk don’t seem to fit together. Blister in the Sun was a single off the album and is likely the best song on the album. Track 2 is Kiss Off. That's a punk song title. The band is playing punk rock, but on acoustic instruments. It’s wild. I’ve heard some bands that were labeled punk rock, but they didn’t sound like this. Oh, snap, I think the singer of the song is offing himself with pills. It’s the big Kiss Off. Track 3 is Please Don’t Go and it’s not the old blues song, Baby Please Don’t Go or the KC & the Sunshine Band's Please Don't Go. Both of those are better songs. I swear, these guys sound like the house band for Kids in the Hall. I miss that show. It was so weird and kooky, and for me, it rivaled Saturday Night Live. This song is pretty good. I like the harmonies on the chorus. Still all acoustic. Track 4 is called Add It Up and the lead singer sounds very whiny. It’s not like he hasn’t been in earlier songs, but now he’s begging for just one kiss, then just one F, and you know what F he’s wanting. The song isn’t bad, but he just sounds lame. It sounds like he’s writing about the angst a teenage boy feels when he can’t get no satisfaction. I’m sure it resonates more with a younger fellow. Track 5 is Confessions and I’m really starting to get annoyed with the vocalist. Each song seems to have been written by a horny 16-year-old boy, and it’s a lot of complaining. Again, I left teenage angst behind years ago. Track 6, Prove My Love, is a pretty good song. I like the groove it’s got. The bass player is the hero in this song. It seems the Violent Femmes are still together. I wonder if the singer sounds as whiny or if his voice has matured over the years. Track 8, To the Kill, is just a mess. There are points in the song where it sounds like I played the bass or guitar. And I can’t play. It’s just a bunch of random off-key notes. Maybe it’s jazz punk? I’m not sure why this is a must-listen album yet. Turns out, most of the songs sound like they were written by an angst-driven teenager is because they were. Lead singer, guitarist, and band songwriter, Gordon Gano wrote all the songs when he was 18. That explains all the teenage frustration and anger. Track 9 is Gone Daddy Gone and I immediately recognize the music. It’s got a xylophone playing, which you'd think would be bad, but it's not. Willie Dixon, the legendary bluesman and songwriter, gets a credit on the song as they took lyrics from his song, I Just Want To Make Love To You. This certainly is a most upbeat song. Gnarls Barkley covered it, and I’m sure that’s why I recognized it. I love Gnarls Barkley way more than the Violent Femmes. And we're finished. This wasn’t a slog, really, because most of the songs were short, but I just wasn’t into this. I think I’m so far past my teenage years that I don’t connect with all the whining. I will say Blister in the Sun and Gone Daddy Gone were pretty good. But you don’t have to hear this to keep living.

I’m excited about this one. I love me some Curtis Mayfield, and in looking at the song titles, I don’t really see any I recognize. Probably because I’ve only really listened to one Mayfield album in my life, and that's Super Fly, which was the soundtrack to the movie. Super Fly is a better album than the movie, but the movie is pretty badass. My favorite Blaxploitation movie is either Black Caesar or Hell Up in Harlem, which is the sequel to Black Caesar. Fred Williamson stars in both. James Brown did the soundtrack for Black Caesar, was supposed to do it for HUIH, but the movie studio rejected Brown’s music to go with Motown and Edwin Starr. Brown would later release what he had planned for the HUIH soundtrack as his album called The Big Payback. Which I’m certain is better than what Edwin Starr did on HUIH. But I’d have to listen. DIGRESSION! One other interesting digression: the cover of the album is based on a photograph titled "At the Time of the Louisville Flood." The photo shows a sign that says, World’s Highest Standard of Living and under it, There’s No Way Like the American Way. Under the sign is a line of people waiting for Red Cross relief during the 1937 Black Flood, in which 70% of Louisville, Kentucky, was underwater. Track 1 is Billy Jack, and this album is already the best thing I’ve heard in years. Just super funky to start. I love Mayfield's voice. One of the greatest falsetto’s in music. Oh, Lord, here are the horns. This song is so good. “Ah, can't be no fun, can't be no fun To be shot, shot with a handgun Body sprawled out, you without a doubt Running people out, there on the floor Ah-ah, bad bloody mess Shot all up in his chest, shot in the chest One-sided duel, gun and a fool What a way to go” Beyond being a musical genius, Mayfield was a poet of the streets. Such a great story and such a great jam. This is going to be one of those albums I don’t want to write about. I want to sit and bask in the funk. Track 2 is When Seasons Change and it’s a slow jam with that great Mayfield falsetto. Beyond having a great singing voice, Mayfield can play the guitar as well. Lots of nice guitar add-ins as the song goes on. And there’s the horns. The song is about how the world is cold and times are hard, but you have to look inside to find the strength to go on. “Praying to Jesus – make me a little stronger So I might live the life – a little bit longer So many changes – going in and out of my life How can anyone survive When everybody's been made a sacrifice." Great song, depressing, but great. Track 3 sounds a little more upbeat. It’s called So in Love. It was a single off the album, and I think I have heard it. Man, they have a nice church organ added into the mix in this song. It sounds so good. This music makes me happy, if you can’t tell. Track 4 goes to church, as it’s called Jesus. Mayfield treats this song less as a funk jam and more like a hymnal. You can feel his sincerity as he sings “Maybe the words I say is just another way to pray I don't know Don't think that I'm any saint 'cause I can't do nothin' for you I only asked of you just as I got to do myself Look into your inner self, only you know how to be free If you wanna grin, let it smile Feel a little happy, go on and dance a while Can nobody play down God's lovin' child 'Cause when the spirit hits you you got to move” Great, almost reverent guitar solo in the heart of this hymn. Mayfield was big on inner strength, and many find that strength with the help of Jesus. He’s not a saint he says, and we know, but he’s not pretending to be. Track 5 is Blue Monday People, and it’s amazing how many songs from 50 years ago can still resonate today. We’ve only got each other as a people. When we fight amongst ourselves, those with all the wealth only get wealthier. “Depression ain't just Quite what you promised Won't you mister be honest Acting like a child Sometimes we get wild Right when the loving is strong We don't want to get along Don't have to listen to me One day you may see We Blue Monday people” Just a powerful song. Again, this song isn't as funky as the other songs on this album. It's treated as a slow jam. Mayfield wants to make sure his message is heard. Track 6 is Hard Times and I know I’ve heard this. It was the B-side of the other single from the album, Love To the People. It feels like it was written today. Mayfield may have been a prophet, or more like we haven’t learned anything over the last 50 years. “Cold, cold eyes on me they stare People all around me and they're all in fear They don't seem to want me but they won't admit Thinkin' black on black Strange creature out here havin' fits From my body house, I'm afraid to come outside Although I'm filled with love I'm afraid they'll hurt my pride So I play the part I feel they want of me And I'll pull the shades so I won't see them seein' me” This song is so good. The whole album is great. Track 7, the last song, is called Love To the People, and it was the second single off the album. This song is probably the most uplifting song on the album. Mayfield is asking the world to come together and love each other. Brotherly love will thaw the coldness of what seems like an uncaring world. Wikipedia acts like this album is nothing special. There isn’t much information on it. I think it’s a great album of its time, with things to teach us still today. Curtis Mayfield was brilliant, and it’s just a shame his career was cut short in a way. After being paralyzed in an accident, he still made music, but couldn’t play guitar. But what we got from him is some of the best music ever recorded. Listen to this album, if for nothing else, than to just bliss out on the funk.

I know the name 10cc and like the few songs I’ve heard, so I’m excited about some rock music today. Track 1 is The Wall Street Shuffle and was released as the second single off the album in 1974. Wow, very poppy, but in a Super Tramp kind of way. Not your ordinary pop song. It’s got a bluesy rock sound, then it goes into almost a bouncy carnival-like music. The song appears to be about how to become rich on Wall Street, but the downside is that you may lose everything and end up homeless. Musically, I loved it. Track 2 is The Worst Band in the World which was the first single off the album. Very slow rocker, about how they are a crappy band. The song is very satirical. In parts, they’re singing about being the worst band, then about how they are the darlings of rock ‘n’roll and have never even met their roadies. It’s almost like a band’s journey from the very beginning through superstardom. Very short song, doesn’t sound like a single to me, but I liked it. The band uses everything a pop band would use, including keyboards. This is 1974, so synthesizers are just starting to become this new instrument in rock music. Track 3 is called Hotel and this sounds like Queen. It’s very weird, but great. It’s got a sound like it was written in the tropics. The song is about buying a hotel and a yacht for an island and living in a hut. Then later, they are captured by a tribe and eaten? I’m not sure if they’re eaten, but they’re at least threatened. Very cool song. Track 4 is Old Wild Men, and it sounds like it’s about rock ‘n’ roll bands who become old and play their guitars “on dead strings and old drums,” just playing to pass the time. It’s sad to me. It reminds me of how some of my favorite bands are now old and are dead or not able to create great music like they did in their prime. The song is very soft and slow. Almost a prayer for the old rockers. Track 5, Clockwork Creep, is a song about a bomb on a plane sung from the perspective of the bomb. It’s just weird, but ingenious. "Hang on one sec I'm a clockwork wreck And though my fuse is burning slow Must keep my date to detonate Goodbye, ta ta, and cheerio” No idea how they came up with this. Again, another very Queen-like song. Track 6 is Silly Love which was the last single off the album. It reminds me of a Sparks song, but it’s got some guitar bite to it. Very aggressive main riff. “Hey toots, you put the life into living You brought a sigh into sight Ah hon, you make my legs turn to water You bring the stars out at night But they ain't half so bright As your eyes” The song is about silly love songs and their tropes. It’s a satirical take on love songs that use the same lyrics and cliches. It’s pushing writers to make up their own phrases and rhymes. I really am loving this album. It’s great musically, but the lyrics are so funny and satirical. It reminds me of Sparks completely, with a dash of Queen. Track 7 is Somewhere in Hollywood, and it’s almost a love song about classic Hollywood. It reminds me a bit of the Kinks’ Celluloid Heroes. It’s a very melancholy song. This song appears to be one of the only songs taken very seriously and played straight. Lots of great steel guitar work in it. Track 8 is entitled Baron Samedi, and it seems to be about a voodoo spirit or doctor who can do miraculous things. The song uses African and Latin beats. 10cc are great musicians and songwriters. I can’t see why they weren't much bigger than they got. It’s because they were weird and not your average pop band. For instance, Track 9 is The Sacro-iliac, and it’s making fun of 1950s songs that invented dances, like the twist and the jerk. The dance in this song is done by just sitting down and staying still. Just fun stuff. I heard a bit of Queens of the Stone Age in this song. I wonder if Josh Homme is a 10cc fan? The last track, Oh Effendi, has almost a country feel. The song is about smuggling guns and how much fun it is. The song is very poppy and upbeat. “You're gonna cut out my liver If I don't deliver Things are getting out of hand I'm going to ride off into the sunset and Make a deal with the promised land.” I think I got more than I bargained for with this album. Beyond just being a great-sounding album with outstanding musicianship, the lyrics are hilarious on most of the songs. Again, they make such good music and write such good songs, I can’t see why they weren’t huge. Though you don’t hear many hits written about gun smuggling or how stupid most love songs are. After consulting with our good friends at Wikipedia, I found out that during the writing and recording of this album, the band used every different combination of its members to write the songs. They felt it opened up their creativity. The album wasn’t huge, but most critics believe this was 10cc’s best work. : Apparently, while they recorded their album at night in the studio, Paul McCartney was producing an album for his brother during the day. 10cc claimed McCartney’s influence can be heard on the album, and they used his personal drum set on the album. If I’m not going to say this album is a must-listen, but I really enjoyed it and will add it to my album rotation. if you like the band Sparks or Queen, I think you’ll love 10cc.

I listened to this album a few times a couple of years ago as I read the book, Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain. Smith plays a huge part in that scene in New York City in the 1970s. Either as a muse, a fan, or an artist. For some crazy reason, I always disliked Patti Smith. I think I saw her perform once in her later years, and it just didn’t appeal to me. I think I did like Horses when I listened to it a couple of years back, but truthfully, I don’t remember. I like to listen to music when I read or study. I know, it’s weird. It blew my psychology professor’s mind when I told him. So, when I read Please Kill Me, or other books on a specific music genre or act, I listen to that music to kind of put me in that scene, so to speak. So, in addition to listening to Horses several times, I listened to everybody from that scene. Track 1 is Gloria: In Excelsis Deo, and I’m sure most of you have heard this somewhere. It’s kind of the song Smith is known for, well, that and Because the Night. It’s a part cover song of the Van Morrison written song performed by him and the band Them. The first part is all Smith, and the G-L-O-R-I–A is Morrison’s. It’s a great song. I never appreciated it until reading Please Kill Me. It’s like a controlled explosion or a slow-motion explosion. It builds and builds before exploding into G-L-O-R-I–A. “Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine.” Just a powerful lyric. She’s basically saying she owns her body and her soul and isn’t subject to what men think women should be. Track 2 is Redondo Beach, and it’s a bouncy little reggae song. The song is about a young girl killing herself by drowning after breaking up with her boyfriend. It’s a sad song, but has beautiful lyrics. You can see the movie play out in your head from Smith’s lyrics. She’s a poet. Track 3 is Birdland, and it’s a nine-minute improvised story/poem about a little boy who thinks his father is flying a UFO or something. Not my favorite track on the album. As I’ve said before, I’m much more of a riff or groove-oriented music listener. Lyrics are almost always last for me in enjoyment. This song is mostly lyrics, though there are some very cool, weird sounds being made on guitars in the middle section. I think it’s supposed to be the UFO. The producer of the album was John Cale of the Velvet Underground, which is why you have weird guitar sounds all over the album, I’d say. I just listened to Cale’s Paris 1919 and loved it, but it was said to be his most commercially sounding album. Cale was a big shaper of the music coming out of New York City in the 1970s. He was an elder to most of the young bands and artists. Track 4 is called Free Money, and it's a song about dreaming of becoming rich by winning the lottery, but never buying a ticket. The song was written to kind of show the almost desperation of some of the artists in that era, hoping to rise out of their poverty by hitting the lottery and becoming a famous rock star or artist. More importantly, the free money will supposedly put an end to all their troubles. Another powerful song. Track 5 is Kimberly, and it’s the first of what I would call an upbeat rock song. The lyrics are probably not upbeat, but musically, the song sounds like rock music from that era. It has a solid bass line, and an organ kind of holds everything together. There’s also some great rhythm guitar work throughout it. The song was dedicated to Smith’s younger sister, Kimberly. Track 6, Break It Up, comes in like a Queen song. How unexpected, but it sounds great. The guitar has that Brian May sound that only Queen possessed. It’s kind of a We Are the Champions for punks. Hmmm, the song appears to be about the spiritual liberation and resurrection of Jim Morrison, according to whatever AI Google uses. That’s weird. But it’s a banger of a song. Track 9 is a three-part punk opus called Land: Horses/Land of a Thousand Dances/La Mer(de). It’s very similar to Gloria as Smith just, seemingly, stream of consciousness, tells the story of Johnny and some horses and mixing in Land of a Thousand Dances. You know, the song the WWF wrestlers sang back in the 80s. I’m sure it’s pure poetic bliss. The song isn’t bad, but not my favorite on the album. It’s a little too artsy for me, dawg. Track 10 is Elegie, and it’s a song about rock legends who died young, especially Jimi Hendrix. It’s piano, bass, and guitar. It’s really a great song. Like many of her songs, Smith talks more than sings. It’s under three minutes long, but maybe the best song on the album. In the end, I do like this album, and I can appreciate how fresh and new it must have sounded in the disco era. The album was widely hailed by critics at the time. However, like most older albums that were the lead in the start of a new movement, it doesn’t pack the same punch it did in 1975. However, I think it’s good enough to be a must-listen, especially for poetry lovers. The album is almost a poetry reading with music under the poems.

I thought I’d heard of this band, and maybe I had, but I thought it was the Teenage Dirtbag band. I found out later that Teenage Dirtbag was performed by the band Wheatus, whom I’m not sure I’d ever heard of. It turns out the Teenage Fanclub is a Scottish alt-rock band that is pure 90s alt-rock. If someone asked me to give them the best example of alt-rock or even just rock in the 90s, I would put this album on. While the band had no huge hits off this album, the three singles they released received a ton of airplay in 1991-1992. Beyond that, the critics loved TF’s music, and this album made several all-time greatest albums lists, including the 1,001 Albums You Must Listen To Before You Die. I sat down and began listening to track one, The Concept, which was probably their biggest song at the time, and it's pure 90s alt-rock. It’s really good, even though I was still holding on by my fingernails to hair metal and metal during this time. I never watched 120 Minutes with Matt Pinfield because alt-rock was for nerds. I found out in my later years that I’m a nerd, and I was missing out on some of what is now my favorite music. The album is full of short instrumental tracks like track 2, Satan, that are kind of palate cleansers, I guess. Or they were songs they liked but couldn’t really fill out enough. Track 3, December, was where I began to form a picture of what was going on at this time. During the 1990’s, alt-rock bands and their fans had fallen in love with a band called Big Star. Big Star was a Memphis band active from 1971 to 1975. The group didn’t have a long career, but, in the years after the band broke up, their music gained a cult following and pretty much influenced 90s rock. Big Star could be described as power pop. It’s like rock songs that have a pop sheen to them and would sound just as good on pop radio as they would on rock radio. For me, Cheap Trick is a great powerpop band. Cheap Trick can rock with the best of them, but they make music that can play on pop radio. Well, not today, today now bands with real instruments can play on pop radio. Beyond the rock music, there are great vocal harmonies and guitar hooks that get stuck in your head. Teenage Fanclub sounds like they worshipped at the altar of Big Star. In fact, I’ve dabbled a little in Big Star because I remember the band getting shout-out after shout-out in the 90s. I listened to their three albums and thought they were good, but I think I wasn’t open-minded enough to fully appreciate them. I imagine all three of their albums will be on this list as they are all in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time. Now, I know I’ve spent most of this writing about Big Star, and the album is by Teenage Fanclub. I did this to say, this album is really good. But I’m torn, as I’m not sure I like this album because I really like it, or because it's nostalgia of a time in my life where I was having the most fun just being a knucklehead, or because I recognized Big Star as their biggest influence and am just being an ego-driven music nerd. Whatever the case, I think this is a fun album, and beyond the alt-rock of it, there are a lot of great fuzzy guitars throughout with some cool solos. I’m not sure it’s as must-listen today as it was back then, but if you’re a Big Star fan or a huge fan of 90s alt-rock, I think this should definitely be on your radar.

I don’t have to listen to this album if I don’t want to because I’ve heard it about 100 times. But I will listen because it’s been a while. ZZ Top is a band I fell in love with during the Eliminator album, when Legs and Sharp Dressed Man became huge and blew them up into crossover pop stars. Little did I know that was the downside of their career musically, though they had a couple of good albums after Eliminator, such as Recycler, which comes to mind. When I first heard ZZ Top, I thought it was heavy metal. They were compared to what was on the radio at the time, which was new wave and pure pop music. So, they were different and played guitars. As I went back into their catalog, I soon realized that their best stuff was in the 1970s, even going back to their first album. Tres Hombres may be the heaviest album they made. It’s full of heavy blues riffs and blistering solos, but singer/guitarist/mastermind Billy F. Gibbons kept it all steeped in the blues. Tracks one and two of the album are always played back to back on the radio, at least as far as I’ve ever heard. Waitin’ for the Bus has a monster riff, and Dusty Hill’s bass line is so thick it makes the song a monster. Frank Beard’s drumming is always solid. The first solo is a harmonica solo, which I imagine is Gibbons, and then his guitar comes in, and it’s pure fire. It’s definitely in my top 10 songs by ZZ Top. Then track 2 is Jesus Just Left Chicago and it’s strictly a blues song. If I didn't know better, I'd have guessed this was an old blues song that ZZ Top had covered, but Gibbons had the idea for it when he was a teenager. This song is as close to a real deal 1930’s blues tune as you can get. The only probably with this song is that the fade out comes as Gibbons is strangling his guitar into submission and misses what I’m sure was a 3-4 minute jam. It must also be pointed out that Gibbons is a brilliant singer. Now, I’m not saying he could sing opera and hit all these high notes, but he can sound like a different singer on every song if he wanted to. His voice is so distinct that it’s easy to pick out or not, depending on what he’s trying to accomplish. Hill adds another wrinkle with his backing vocals and his turns at singing lead. But, I’m not a big fan of Hill’s voice. Viva Las Vegas is one of my least liked ZZ Top songs, and Pearl Necklace, while I love the concept, makes me cringe at Hill’s vocals. Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers, track 3, is a perfect use of Hill’s vocals as he and Gibbons trade lead vocals back and forth. Another heavy riffed beast. This just makes me think of them in a biker bar in Texas with the chicken wire fence around the stage to stop the beer bottles from blasting them as the drunk and rowdy crowd fires them at the band like alcohol loaded scud missiles. Master of Sparks is a nice change of pace, it’s still heavy, but it’s not quite as bluesy as the first part of the album. The lyrics tell a great story about a drag race that ends in a fireball. Apparently, the song was inspired by a true story of Gibbons and a buddy creating a steel roll cage for a car and crashing in it. This must be Cleetus McFarland’s favorite song. Hot, Blue and Righteous is as close to a ballad as the boys in ZZ Top can get. To me, the song seems to be about a guy calling upon the Lord for guidance, and an angel came down to help him. It’s quite beautiful. It’s less bluesy than some on the track, but the whole album is rooted in the blues in some way or another. Just a great come down after Master of Sparks. Move Me On Down The Line isn’t all that special. It may be my least favorite on the album, but it’s a good song. It’s about a dude who hears a train wh istle or sees an 18-wheeler, and he gets the itch to just take off to nowhere, just move on down the line. Hill provides some great backing vocals on this song. Precious and Grace is another heavy song. I love this song. It’s about being a dumb kid going out and raising hell in his small town. It’s based on Gibbons own childhood and his friends. “So if you're out rollin' late some night, yeah, and you need that supernatural delight, I'm talkin' to you, brother, I know somebody's, they's just out of sight. Get with Precious and Grace, they gonna treat you right.” I like that line, if “you need that supernatural delight,” or that feeling you get when you’re pushing the limit or dancing with death. Great song. Now, we get to the song that may be their’ biggest, La Grange. I’m not sure how many who love it know it’s about a whorehouse called the Chicken Ranch in La Grange, Texas. Brilliant. “And I hear it's tight most ev'ry night, but now I might be mistaken. hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm.“ Most people associate this riff with ZZ Top, but it’s a common blues riff that can be heard in a ton of old blues songs. It’s kind of like the Bo Diddley beat, which can be heard in a lot of Buddy Holly’s songs, as well as most other blues rock bands. It's another song where you wish they’d just let the song go instead of fading out because Gibbons is still soloing hard as the song fades. I loved this song for years, but I’ve heard it so many times, it’s just meh now. Which sucks. Sheik is a great little, almost novelty song. It sounds nothing like anything else on the record. The lyrics seem to be nonsense, though Gibbons does sing about having “some coke” and sitting in the shade. It’s just a weird song you’ll get once in a while on a ZZ Top album. But most of the time, those songs are some of the best on the album just because it’s so different. Have You Heard? Is a straight-up gospel song. “Have you heard about heaven?” But it’s a gospel song with amazing slide guitar solos. I love this song. A lot of blues songs from the early 1900s were praise songs or gospel songs. Blind Lemon Johnson wrote a ton of great blues gospel songs that were covered by a ton of white rockers. Though Have You Heard? was written by Gibbons, I imagine it was inspired by those old bluesy gospel songs. Just like that, the album is over. Top to bottom, I think it’s the best ZZ Top album. Though I might say different if I were to listen to Tejas or Rio Grande Mud. I recommend listening to this album and probably the first seven ZZ Top albums. Great album and an all-time band that should be heard before you die.

Iggy Pop has had some sort of charmed life. He grew up in Detroit and seemingly bumbled his way into becoming a rock legend. That’s not to say he didn’t have talent, he did, and more importantly, he had charisma. In rock and roll, a lot of times, all you need is charisma. It’s Iggy’s charisma and insanity that got David Bowie, one of the hottest acts at the time, and all-time legend, to take notice. Bowie and Iggy were both in the throes of drug addiction when Bowie suggested they leave Los Angeles and go to Europe. They ended up in Germany, and Bowie wanted to help Iggy record his first solo record. So, Bowie, with some help here and there, wrote the music for The Idiot. Iggy, of course, supplied the lyrics, with him writing most of them in the studio while listening to the music Bowie composed. And now we have The Idiot as a record of this dynamic duo. Track 1 is Sister Midnight, and it’s plain to hear Iggy isn’t making proto-punk, garage rock this go round. The music is a bit funky, a bit electronic, with someone calling the album “a cross between James Brown and Kraftwerk.” I’ve always loved Iggy’s voice, it’s so distinct with that low roar. Bowie plays a lot of instruments on the album and wrote most of the songs on guitar and keyboards. While the album isn't garage rock, like the Stooges, there’s plenty of guitars in this song. Such a great song. It was the first single off the album, with China Girl being the second. Yes, Bowie recorded China Girl himself for his Let’s Dance album. Track 2, Nightclubbing, has what sounds like Bowie singing vocals, but it’s, in fact, Iggy. Wow. It really fooled me at first. More great guitar on this song. It seems that quite a bit of the music from the demos was used on the final takes. Drummer Michel Santangeli played drums for what he thought were the demos and was let go after the second day. He figured he didn’t get the job, but later heard his used drumming on the finished album. Track 3, Funtime, sounds like a song The Stooges might have played together. It’s very loud and mixes rock guitar well with electronic sounds. I’m really digging this album. Track 4 is called Baby and I can hear why Josh Homme, of the Queens of the Stone Age, calls Iggy an influence. Such a weird song for the year 1977. That’s something that should be said about this album so far. The music on it sounds timeless. It sounds like music that came after the 80s and new wave. It sounds way ahead of Bowie’s Let’s Dance. This song is so cool. That’s all that can be said. Track 5 is China Girl, and it’s totally different than Bowie’s version. Bowie’s version is so burned into my brain, with Stevie Ray Vaughan playing lead on the song, but I dig this one too. Bowie plays sax on this version. I’ve always loved Bowie’s sax playing. Iggy sounds just as high as Bowie does while singing. I like this song, but Bowie’s is still my favorite. As I mentioned earlier, this was the second and last single from this album, though Bowie’s version was the bigger hit of the two. Track 6 is called Dum Dum Boys and it's basically a song about the Stooges. Bowie played all the guitar parts on the song, but got a bit self-conscious and hired someone to re-record them. It’s a shame, I’d like to hear what Bowie’s playing sounded like. The song is very slow and heavy. Kind of like a Stooges song with actual musicians. Not saying the Stooges weren’t great, they were, they just weren’t ever going to be session artists. Such a cool, chill song. Track 7 is Tiny Girls and it opens with Bowie’s saxophone. It’s a slow, almost old-fashioned, ballad. The song is about a dude wanting to find a “tiny girl” who doesn’t play games, is naive, and has no emotional baggage. He later finds out that even the “tiny girls” have their own flaws. It seems Iggy was going through some stuff during this time. Not my favorite song on the album, but it’s short and not very sweet, at least to tiny girls. Track 8 is Mass Production, and it sounds like it should be played in a sci-fi movie. According to whatever AI Google uses, the song is comparing relationships and human existence to disposable products on an assembly line. Pretty bleak, but both Iggy and Bowie had just recently gotten off the horse, as they say. I assume their nerves were frayed and synapses were firing on all cylinders. A lot of people see this as a precursor to the industrial music that became popular for a time in the 90s. The music is so interesting and not what you expect, so I do like it. This album was fun. I love Iggy Pop, and truthfully, I love his solo stuff more than his work with the Stooges, though they do rock. I think this was a brilliant debut album and critics enjoyed it too when it came out in 1977. Though I imagine quite a few critics were caught off guard, as the music on The Idiot is the opposite of the Stooges. Sometimes, I think when an artist totally reinvents themselves, it takes people years to catch up. This album is a must-hear, and I’m adding it to my playlist to enjoy again. It’s been a great start to the week with ZZ Top yesterday and Iggy and Bowie today. The 1,001 list got two right so far this week.

Pavement is a band I felt like I’ve heard of forever. I even know Steve Malkmus is the band’s leader/singer/songwriter/guitatist. They are like the gods of indie rock. But, I don’t think I've ever heard an album by them, so I'm kind of excited to see what the fuss is about. I later discovered I was confusing Pavement with the Replacements, but I got most of what I thought I knew right. sloppily Okay, track one is Summer Babe (Winter Version), and I think I’ve heard the opening of the song. I like the sound of the guitars, but like a lot of indie music in the 90s, it sounds like the singer is bored and would rather be doing anything than recording a song. But that was the style. Track 2 is Trigger Cut/Wounded Kite at :17, and I see a pattern forming. The band is playing sloppy, which is a style, and the guitars are either out of tune or they’re playing them as though they were out of tune. By the sound of the music, I’m assuming the lyrics are supposed to be poetry? I’m not sure. There’s a reason this band didn’t become huge, but kept a passionate cult following. Track 3 is No Life Singed Her and it’s a little punkier with more screaming vocals. I like this song. It sounds like a Soundgarden song, though not as fat and heavy. And, of course, the song I really dig is just two minutes long. That’s always the way, isn’t it? Track 4 is In the Mouth a Desert and I really dig this song. It’s still sloppy, but it’s a bit more polished. You can hear the vocals clearly. The guitars are still loud, but more behind the vocals instead of even with them. It’s got a good melody. Track 5 is Conduit for Sale! And it opens with Malkmus yelling, “I’m trying!” over and over again, but it sounds like the band is not. The guitars are out of tune, and the sloppiness is in full effect. But then it pulls together near the middle. I think this album is one you need to spend some time with and listen to four or five times to truly see the genius. Though some will wonder why they would put themselves through so much torutre to only maybe end up liking an album. That’s the breaks. Track 6, Zurich is Stained, is out of tune again. But it’s a pretty good song. I mean, if Iggy Pop's The Idiot sounds evergreen, this album sounds like 1992. This is as 1990s as Prince is the 1980s. Track 7 is our first instrumental, well, there’s some nonsense yelling, but for the most part it's instrumental. It’s called Chelsy’s Little Wrists. It wasn’t bad. I’d say it's definitely better than most of the tracks so far. I think I’m going to stop track by tracking until I hit a song that makes me stop and take notice. Track 9, Here, is a bit of a ballad. It’s a little softer. The singer seems to be trying, at least as much as he is able. It’s a nice little song. Okay, I finished the album, and I thought it did get better on the back half, or I just got nostalgic for 1990s indie rock. However, I don’t think I’m going to try to listen to this four to five times to see if I can be fully won over. However, if you like 90s indie rock and have never heard of Pavement, then you should listen to this album. And others may like it too, but for me it was too sloppy, too out of tune, and kind of too loud. It pains me to say that, but I’m old now, so it may be part of becoming a fogey.

Absolutely no idea what I’m getting into with this album. I’ve never heard of the group, so I’m guessing it’s electronic from the United Kingdom. The title, Second Toughest in the Infants sounds like an infant named the record. I don’t get a good feeling about this, but I’m diving in. By the by, it turns out the album was named by a preschooler. Track 1, and I can already hear the stupid electronic drums beating out a rhythm only a computer would love. Ugh. The song is called Juanita:Kitless:To Dream of Love. Oh, now a robot is singing. I don’t understand how electronic music with no groove ever became popular. I will admit, as the song plays on for what seems like an eternity, I find myself moving my leg up and down like I’m waiting for test results. It could be that energy shot I took 15 minutes ago, but it's probably the music. Not sure that’s what Underworld was trying to accomplish with their life’s work, but it does make for decent background music while you work. Damn, track 1 is 16 minutes long. The whole album is over an hour long. I knew I had too good a start to the week with Iggy Pop and ZZ Top to keep that streak going. Hmmm, Pop Top. Track 2 is Banstyle/Sappys Curry, and it literally sounds like music you’d hear in the background of a late-night TV ad hawking some Ron Popeil gadget. This music is made for TV show montages and background music. Track 2 is also around 15 minutes long, and midway through the song, it sounds like something that would be played in the movie version of Miami Vice. Maybe Crockett and Tubbs are sneaking up on the Cuban drug dealers in the shipyard as Crockett’s main squeeze is being held hostage. But otherwise, this song has been background music. Track 3 is Confusion the Waitress and to be honest, I didn’t even notice it was a new track until about 4 minutes into the song. Not a good sign. This is just chill music that kind of hypnotizes you. It’s actually making me sleepy. Track 4 is Rowla, and it’s waking me back up. It’s actually starting to annoy me. The bass is pumping constantly. It’s the stereotypical bass pumping that you do when you make fun of dance clubs. This album came out in 1996, maybe they were the kings of boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom. This song sounds like what would be playing in a Mission: Impossible movie as Tom Cruise chases the bad guy across the rooftops of Prague. They parkour and make these long-distance jumps until they finally reach one that's a bit longer than the others. The bad guy tries to make it, falls short, and splats on the ground. Cruise yells out a loud, but short, “NO!” before returning to his team to report the bad guy’s demise, before they got the crucial information from him. Track 5, Pearl’s Girl, sounds very similar to track 4. Though this is more drum and bass, I think. I’m slowly becoming an expert. This annoying bit of trash is slowly winning me over. It’s noise, but in a good way. And now there are vocals, or at least a dude yelling loudly. Track 6 is called, Air Towel, and after a cup of coffee, I’m really starting to bop that leg up and down. Again, I think it may be the caffeine more than the enjoyment of this music. In fact, I’m more tolerating the music than enjoying it at this point. The Tony Kornheiser Show is calling to me more and more. Track 7, Blueski, sounds like it has….guitars? It must be a sample. Back in the day, I loved a band called Tesla. Tesla was a band out of time, as in, they became popular during the hair metal era, but they weren’t really hair metal. They did write some great ballads, but for the most part, they wore no makeup or frilly blouses. They were jeans and a t-shirt and rock and roll, with a twin-guitar attack brought to you by Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch. The reason I bring Tesla up is that in the liner notes of their albums, they would always put “No machines!” in there. So, what does that mean? I thought it meant they weren’t using synths or keyboards like some of these other bands were starting to use. I say all that to say this, with Underworld, I think they would have put “All machines!” in their liner notes. That’s a long way around to get here…I don’t think that’s a real guitar being played on Blueski. Track 8 is called Stagger and I LOVE this song. Holy crapballs! Why didn’t they do this the whole album? It is still all machines, but the singing has passion, and the song makes me feel a certain way that doesn’t involve me writing a movie scene. This song is like a real song. I think that’s why I like it. And I’m sure it’s not the greatest song ever written, but Underworld put me through so much robot rock that when they actually deliver a real song, it’s great. This album isn’t for me. I’m sure all the ravers have this on their Mount Rushmore, but if you aren’t into dance music or electronic music, this album won’t bring you over to the dark side. But if you like that sort of thing and you haven't heard this album, you should check it out.

Thank the good Lord above we’re back to great music on today’s journey through the 1,001 albums you must hear before you die. How do I know? Well, it’s because I’ve listened to Queen’s Sheer Heart Attack several times and a lot of the songs about 1,001 times. Queen is an all-timer, and I don’t think they really got their due until the last 20 years or so. They had songs for everybody, and they were weird, which I love. At the same time, you don’t see many weird bands become as huge as Queen did. Big Elf is a brilliant band, but they were so weird that they broke up after two albums. If you like huge, bombastic carnival music mixed with prog rock, check out Big Elf. I digress. Let’s get into the Heart Attack. Track 1 is Brighton Rock, and it certainly rocks. It wasn’t a single from the album, but I feel like I've known it my whole life. There were just two singles from this album, even though at least five songs are well known by all Queen fans. Speaking of carnival music, Brighton Rock starts out with carnival music before becoming almost speed metal. No one’s guitar sounds like Brian May. I’m surprised someone hasn’t tried to copy it. The chorus is so good, it gives me chills. Queen and Van Halen, for my money, have the best harmonies and backing vocals of all time. Hearing Queen all sing together gives me joy. The middle section of the song breaks down into an amazing guitar solo by Brian May. It reminds me of Led Zep’s Heartbreaker. Then the rest of the band comes back in with another blazing solo from May. Incredible way to kick off the album. Track 2 is Killer Queen and I can’t explain it. It's rock and roll, it’s Mozart, it’s indescribable. This was a single off the album and it should have been. It’s very bouncy and poppy, but it has an edge to it through its vocals and May’s guitar. The backing vocals from drummer Roger Taylor blend perfectly with Freddie Mercury’s. It’s like Michael Anthony of Van Halen blending with David Lee Roth for those huge VH choruses. Killer Queen is three minutes of perfection. Speaking of Taylor, he wrote and sang track 3, Tenement Funster. It sounds like the title of a T. Rex song. Bassist Roger Deacon plays the acoustic guitar on the song, but May is there with another killer solo. Such a great, underrated gem. All the band members were at the top of their game on this album. Then TF slips right into Flick of the Wrist with Mercury back on vocals. Holy crap! I forgot about this jam. Incredible vocal harmonies. It’s that classic Queen sound. The song has a Middle Eastern feel to it. It seems Flick of the Wrist was issued as a double single with Killer Queen, but I have no memory of hearing this on the radio. OR hearing them played back to back like ZZ Top's Waitin' for the Bus and Jesus Just Left Chicago. Now Flick of the Wrist slips seamless ly into track 4, Lily of the Valley, and it’s Mercury and a piano with the band providing backing vocals. Here comes May with a guitar blast, but then quickly back to the softer piano and Mercury singing. Beautiful, but short song. Track 5, Now I’m Here, should be a sports anthem or at least used for a montage of a team’s season, from training camp to the Super Bowl. May has a great riff for this song. It’s amazing how these songs don’t sound old. The production is great, and Queen’s music was so different from everyone else’s in the 1970s that it sounded futuristic, even when it wasn’t. As the song fades out we get the band singing, “Go, go, go little Queenie,” a nod to Chuck Berry. Track 7, In the Lap of the Gods, is just a…I don’t know. It’s not rock and roll really, Mercury’s voice has an effect on it, making it sound a bit warped. This is the type of stuff I mentioned before. It’s weird, but because it’s Queen, they can make it work. Just amazing. Not my favorite song off the album, but it’s so intriguing that I can’t help but like it. It has backing vocals that sound like a woman singing, but it’s Taylor with that amazing high falsetto of his. All the members of Queen were destined to be major contributors to rock and roll. Now we’re getting somewhere, track 8 is Stone Cold Crazy, which is early speed metal, as far as I'm concerned. Metallica has covered this song for its Garage Days albums. Just 2 minutes of speed. Even the vocals are speedy. Queen could have been an incredible metal band if that was their bag. Track 9, Dear Friends, is a beautiful, almost lullaby. It’s just Mercury and the boys singing with a piano. At one minute long, when it’s finished, you just want more. Beautiful little lullaby. Track 10 is Misfire and for this album, it kind of sounds like it. It’s not like anything else on here. It’s a bit peppier, and May’s guitars are bright and pushed over to the right. For some reason, it doesn’t appeal to me that much, but it’s less than two minutes long, so it doesn’t wear out its welcome. Stormtroopers Track 11, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, and things are kind of going bonkers at the end. This song is kind of a ragtime song. It reminds me of Van Halen’s Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now). There’s a banjo and maybe a ukulele playing? Wow, just a weird song to be stuck on this album. It’s not bad, it was just unexpected. That’s hilarious. Track 12 is She Makes Me (Stormtroopers in Stilettos), and it’s a slow jam with the whole band singing the vocals in parts. This song really sounds like it could have been a Beatles song. The song was written by May and is about loving a controlling, manipulative woman, though the dude can’t escape her. He loves the power she has over him. It’s so slow and laid back for such powerful lyrics. The final track is In the Lap of the Gods…Revisited. Mercury is now singing in his regular voice. I enjoy this more than the first Lap of the Gods. May’s guitar is very bombastic and powerful. This song is a show closer for sure, as the band ends it with a chant over and over. I can see and hear in my mind’s eye a stadium full of people chanting along. It hit me just now, this sounds like a Pink Floyd song. Like something off of The Wall. band Great album and full of surprises, even though I've heard it a few times. If you are just a casual fan of Queen, listen to this album. It gives you a perfect snapshot of what this abnd is. They aren’t just a rock band, they aren’t just a pop band, they are a band that mixes genres so well that they are their own thing. I think this is a must-hear album, and you should hear it this weekend.

No idea about Neu! I’d never heard of them and was quite frightened they would be electronic music. In a way, they were. Neu! is a German band with two main members and they are classified as Krautrock. Krautrock is an experimental kind of rock music that came out of Germany in the late 60s and early 70s. It was rock and roll, mixed with avant-garde and psychedelic music. The bands also used a lot of synthesizers and electronic music makers, which were pretty ahead of their time. It inspired many punk, new wave, ambient music, and more of those weird and/or fringe kinds of rock bands. Neu! 75, yes, came out in 1975, and it was the band’s third studio album. The band mainly consisted of Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger. By this time, each had their own idea of what they wanted the new album to sound like, so in the end, Rother wrote the songs for side one of the album and Dinger wrote the songs for side two of the album. Rother’s side one was recorded by just him and Dinger as a duo, while Dinger's side was him and two other dudes. Both sides used keyboards and weird electronic effects. Side one, Rother’s side, begins with ISI, and it’s what you might expect for Krautrock, as it’s all keyboards with Dinger on the drums. I don’t mind this song at all. It reminds me of some of the instrumental, keyboard-loaded songs that came out in the 80s, like the theme from Miami Vice and Axel F. It’s also got a bit of Chariots of Fire to it. Most of the songs on side one sound as though they could be the theme songs for a drama on network TV in the 80s. This could have been St. Elsewhere’s theme. Track 2 is Seeland, and it’s a bit more subdued. In fact, it’s barely got a pulse as it moves forward. Again, the song is all keyboards and Dinger on the drums. It’s not a bad song, it’s just not that exciting. Actually, the more I listen, there might be bass and guitar in this, but it could all be synths. It’s a song to relax to, but not my favorite on the album. It ends with the sound of rain. This was like ASMR before there was ASMR. Track 3 is Leb’ Wohl, and it opens with waves crashing on the beach. One thing about Neu!, they can really set a scene in your mind’s eye. Though again, this is a very subdued song. I can imagine this being used to put people to sleep. Oh, we have our first vocals of the album, though I wouldn’t call this singing so much as speaking. It was said that Rother was leaning more into ambient music, which is basically music that sets a mood and stays in it forever. He accomplished what he wanted if that was the case. Rother’s side wasn’t bad, but it didn’t really give me a lot to love either. Now, side 2 is Dinger’s side, and it starts out with a song called Hero which is a rocker. Johnny Rotten and David Bowie both said they were influenced by this song. Especially Bowie, who had his own song about Heroes. Dinger is playing guitars and singing on his side with two drummers backing him up. But there are keyboards throughout his side as well. Hero, track 4, could have easily been a new wave or post-punk song in the 80s. This was ahead of its time. Dinger isn’t a great singer, but you can see how punk bands could have been inspired by his vocal style. The guitar is just banging out one note essentially. I think I’ve heard this song before, but I’m not sure. I do, however, love it. It’s just seven minutes of fast rock and yelling. It definitely gets your blood pumping. Track 5 is E-Musik, which also sounds like the harbinger of new wave to come. While the song is more of a straight-ahead rock song, it has a bit of ambience to it as Dinger and the boys just pound out the same beat over and over. Dinger does a pretty good job of noodling over the top of the rhythm on guitar. It’s not a bad song, but I like a little more variety or some surprises in my songs, especially if they are 10 minutes long. Though around the seven-minute mark, there's a one-minute break of just wind blowing. Like rattle your windows wind. Then the music comes back in, but it’s slower with some weird growling effects. The song ends with backward music playing, I think it's the main riff of the song. That one was weird. The last track is called After Eight and is a punk rock/new wave song. The guitar pounds out a Ramones-like riff with Dinger yelling the lyrics, before singing the chorus, at least what I think is the chorus, in a low register voice. It reminds me of a New York Dolls song, actually. I actually really like this, though I’m not sure if it’s because I really like it or because it’s one of the two really rocking songs on this album. No matter, it’s great. At the end of it all, I’m not sure if I would consider this a must-listen. As somewhat of an amateur music historian, I’m glad I heard it. I can see how this particular album inspired bands to do their own thing and make music they wanted to hear. But, as an album to sit around and listen to? Maybe if I were taking a nap, side one would be great for that. I wonder if other Neu! albums will be on the list? I’m kind of interested to see how this album measures up to the rest of their catalog. If you like weird, or ambient music, or new wave and punk, you might want to check this out. Otherwise, you can skip it. But check out the song Hero and After Eight. For me, those were the best songs on the album.

Count Basie, when I hear that name, I know what to expect, but I’m not sure I could have told you what instrument he played or anything else about him. I figured we’re talking jazz here, but not the weird, avant-garde jazz, but the jazz that makes you want to jump up and boogie your arse off. Plus, when I think of Count Basie, I figure he died in like 1950. Nope, the dude made it to 1984. What must he have thought about music at that time? By the by, Basie was a piano player, organist, band leader, and composer. He led the Count Basie Orchestra for around 50 years. This album was recorded in 1957 and released in 1958, and was called the last great record by Count Basie. That’s probably why it’s included in the 1,001 Albums list. The same year this album came out was the year of the first Grammy Awards. This album won Best Jazz Performance by a Group and Best Performance by a Dance Band. Here we go. Just hearing the opening of track one, The Kid from Red Bank, I might not do a track-by-track of these 11 songs. In fact, this might be one of my shortest pieces because I want to sit and enjoy this. This first track is piano-heavy with blasting horns. I’m all the way in already. I feel like I’ve heard this before. Maybe in a movie or on a Tom and Jerry cartoon. You know the one, where Tom and Jerry are living over a jazz club or something. Remember when all those Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry cartoons had incredible music? I remember some of the music more than the cartoons these days. Track 2 is Duet, and it’s got a funky bass line holding it down. It's another in a long line of great tracks. As I move through the music on this album, I notice that every song seems to have a different instrument or two that get their time to shine. It really catches your ear as in one song there’s a great sax solo, then in the next it’s the bass that really attracts the attention, then Basie’s piano will be the star in another song. It’s like Basie wanted to give everyone in the band a time to shine. It’s rather grey and cold here in Kentucky as I write this, but listening to the Atomic Mr. Basie, it gets you fired up. Loving this. There hasn’t been one song on here that I have thought, “Ugh, that’s a clunker.” Most of the songs are uptempo bangers, with the last track, Lil’ Darlin’, being a nice, slower tempo, get close with your sweetie on the dance floor type song. As a fan of classic movies, songs like these really take my mind back to the time when this was popular music. Lil’ Darlin; is such a beautiful song to close this album of absolutely burn your face of jazz. a I have said before I’m no jazz expert. I’d like to become even more familiar with the genre, but I know what I like. Count Baise’s got what I like. Is it must-listen? I think so. Especially if you’ve never dipped that toe into the waters of jazz before. This is a great album to start with. It just makes you feel good. It’s definitely going into my playlist of great finds from the 1,001 Albums list.

I know I’ve heard of Everything But The Girl, I think they’re indie rock, probably. I see they’re a duo. I’m going in with an open mind, but still a bit tentative. Our good friends at Wikipedia list their genre as sophisti-pop. That’s great. Track 1 is I Don’t Want To Talk About It and it’s a cover song because I know I’ve heard it before, just not this version. I think I’ve heard the Rod Stewart version because if anyone knows anything about me, they know I love Rod. Anyway, this song is just an acoustic guitar with a bit of a country flair and some strings. It’s quite beautiful. The band is made up of Tracey Thorn, the lead vocalist, and Ben Watt, who plays the guitar, backing vocals, and occasionally lead vocals. Both are composers and songwriters. Though they didn’t write this song because Danny Whitten did. However, it’s still a very beautiful way to open this 12-track, 45-minute album. So far, I’m down. Track 2 is Love Is Here Where I Live and I now get the term sophisti-pop. This is very adult-oriented pop music. Not pornographic, but this isn’t made for teens and college-age kids, at least I wouldn’t think so. This is for a Sade crowd. The album came out in 1988, and it has a bit of that 80s sound with it. This song has some soul, and beyond the great guitar playing, the piano really holds everything together. The bass playing is also making with the sexy on this track. Thorn can sing. Wow, I really like this song. This and I Don’t Want To Talk About It were two of the four singles off this album. Though it seems none of the singles really made a dent in the U.S. charts. I Don’t Want To Talk About It was a minor hit in the United Kingdom. Track 3 is These Early Days and it was the first single off the album. It’s more up-tempo and more 80s-sounding. I’ve got to say, this and track 1 really give me a late 80s/90s country music vibe. I think it’s Thorn's voice and the duo’s harmonies. They’re kind of southern tinged. I like this song too. I’m shocked. Track 4 is I Always Was Your Girl and it’s super-80s sounding. It was also the second single off the album. We’re back to a bit of a slower tempo. The music is very subdued. It’s like it’s holding back. Reminds me of someone approaching a wild animal very slowly, not wanting to scare it. I’m weird. Here comes a sax solo? An alto sax at that! The song closes with a sax solo. The younger Lee would have hated this, at least outwardly. I wouldn’t have been confident enough to say I liked this, mostly because I was unsophisticated. Huh? See what I did there? Track 5 is Oxford Street, and it’s about the teenage years of Thorn. It’s a very melancholy song as she had good times, but realizes those times are gone, and the future is never quite what we thought it would be. Beautiful song, very keyboard-heavy, 80s sound. Track 6 is The Night I Heard Caruso Sing and it's the first song with Watt on lead vocals. He has a Morrissey-sounding voice. Just him and a piano. Another melancholy song about how much evil and wrong there is in the world, and how you need to cherish your loved ones and hold on to them. OR maybe not. These popsters are deep. Track 6 is Goodbye Sunday and it reminds me of The Girl Is Mine by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney, at least the music does. I hate that song, but Goodbye Sunday is really good, very yacht rock sounding. Why wasn’t this band bigger? Was everybody embarrassed to admit they liked them? Track 8 is Shadow on a Harvest Moon and we have our first appearance of a trumpet. This song,again, is a slower tempo and reminds me of late 80s/90s country music. I wonder if Watt was a fan of country guitar picking. He’s a great player. I’m not sure if all the songs are sad, but they sound like it. I guess I’m in the mood for some melancholia in my life. Track 9 is Blue Moon Rose, and I finally figured out who Thorn sounds like, it's Crystal Gayle. Maybe that’s why I’m getting a country feel from the music. Another great song with the piano really keeping you hooked in. This one is more up-tempo. I don’t think I’ve heard a clunker on this album yet. Track 10 is Tears All Over Town, and I feel like i’ve heard this song before. Though it's not a single. Maybe this is the song that sounds the most 80s of all the songs on the album. Because it does. Good song, but this has been the first song that sounds derivative of the whole scene back then. Track 11 is Lonsome For a Place I Know and it has a nice warm organ playing throughout. It also has the stereotypical Take My Breath Away 80s bass in it. Normally, I hate that bass sound, but the rest of the song is so good, I’ll give it a pass. Damn, track 12 is called Apron Strings, and it’s a song about wanting a child, but maybe not being able to have one. Or maybe it’s about wanting a child with an ex who has moved on with someone else and now has a child. It may be the saddest song on the whole album. But it’s so good. I was blown away by this album, or maybe I’m blown away by how much I loved this album. It’s weird, though. There’s nothing especially ground-breaking or historic about this album. It’s just an 80s pop record with a ton of sad songs. Maybe it’s because it deals with more sophisticated issues. See? Sophisti-pop. Whatever the case, I love this album, and if you’re a fan of pop music or 80s music, I think you’d like it too. The big question is, is it a must-listen album? As much as I loved it, I can see people thinking I’m crazy and I’ve overhyped it. I just may be in a mood for sad, more adult-themed music. Oh no, am I maturing?!? Let’s hope not.

Uh-oh. I’ve heard maybe two Tracy Chapman songs in my life. One I dug and one I didn’t. I wasn’t really a fan of her voice, but I wasn’t enthused about Everything But the Girl, and now I’m president of the Ohio County Chapter of their fan club. , Track 1 is Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution, which was the second single off the album. So far we’re off to a bad start. This song has that Hootie & the Blowfish type of soft rock sound that was huge in the 90s. Plus, I got sucked into the blow of the Fish and listened to their first album so much that I ended up hating it. This song has the organ playing softly in the background with the acoustic guitars. Talking about a revolution goes down easier when it sounds like Rage Against the Machine to me. But, otherwise, it’s a fairly standard 90s pop song. Track 2 is the big one, Fast Car. The song was a worldwide hit, but never reached #1 in the U.S., which seems unbelievable, as the song was everywhere in 1988. It got to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. I never really cared for the song. Let’s see if time can heal my ears. Again, it has that 90s Hootie production and sound. The tune also sounds like another popular song from the 90s, but for the life of me, I can’t place it. I thought it was She Talks To Angels by the Black Crowes, but it’s not. I can see why it had a comeback as a country song in the last year because it sounds like a country song. Though today it might be too country for country radio as it doesn’t have any club beats, rapping, or talk about drinking, screwing, and driving big trucks. Have I ever talked about how much I hate today’s country music? I know, I’m old. Track 3 is Across the Lines, and this one has a more R.E.M. feel to it, as I think there’s a mandolin added into the mix. Oooh, the bass in this sounds really good. I might like this one. Wow, this song is very powerful. It’s about segregation during Chapman’s childhood and the riots that broke out across the country during the 60s, and all the way up until today. I liked this song. Track 4 is Behind the Wall, and it’s barely two minutes long. Another powerful song about domestic abuse and how the children are witnesses to the fighting, if not part of it themselves. When the police arrive, if they even show up, they can’t do anything about domestic abuse, at least in Chapman's childhood. The song is just Chpaman singing with no music. Just a great, real, and raw song. Wow. Track 5 is called "Baby Can I Hold You," and it’s about being in a relationship with someone who finds it hard to open up and say they’re sorry, or "I love you." It’s a sad song as Chapman explains they can show their love through their actions if they can’t say the words. I’m getting past the music and more into the lyrics. As I’ve said before, I’m a groove or riff guy, so lyrics are always secondary to me. With folk, though, it’s almost all about the lyrics and message of the song. Chapman is very good at putting her emotions into words. Baby Can I Hold You was the third single from the album, and, for my money, it was the best of the three. Track 6 is Mountains O’ Things and I love this song. The music has a bit of an island beat. It sounds different from the other songs. The song appears to be about someone who dreams of being rich, but the wealth has to come to them rather than them working for it. Dreams are just dreams until you put some sweat equity into them. The song is satirical and great. It just shows that a song written 40 years ago can still shine a light on today’s society. Track 7 is She’s Got Her Ticket and it still has a bit of an island beat, but Chapman, who also plays all guitars on the album, is really showing her chops on the electric guitar. This sounds like it could have been one of those later bad Eric Clapton pop songs that became huge for some crazy reason. Which is a shot at Clapton and not Chapman. Track 8 is called "Why?" and it’s a song asking why there are bad things in the world, like violence, hunger, and greed. “Love is hate, War is peace, No is yes, We’re all free." "But somebody's gonna have to answer The time is coming soon When the blind remove their blinders And the speechless speak the truth.” It’s a good song, though it seems there have been thousands of songs written in the same vein. It’s nothing new to talk about the injustice in the world and how those perpetrators of the injustice will get theirs in the end, yet many don’t, at least in this life. This album is starting to bum me out. Well, that was depressing. The songs were either about her love life being crappy or the world going to hell in a handbasket. What’s more depressing is that the social things she sang about on this album haven’t gotten much better since 1988. It’s so dumb that as humans we’ve been evolving for over 2,000 years, yet when it comes to our fellow man, we’re still just monkeys ready to bash our neighbors with a stick to steal their bananas. I can see the historicness of this album putting it on the 1,001 Albums list, but I’d put it at slot number 1,001 for its bleakness. It’s funny, because once the album was finished, YouTube Music just randomly started playing Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight, a song about revenge, or about watching a man drown to death, as some would have you believe. It’s more uplifting than most of what was on this album. If you like folk rock and music about fighting the power or societal issues, then this album is for you. Otherwise, protect your mental health and listen to some AC/DC.

I’ve heard of Stereolab, I think. I believe they are an indie rock band from the 90s? Maybe started in the late 80s? I need a little rock and roll to fire me up going into today’s NCAA tournament because I got up too early. Uh-oh….Lots of keyboards and weird sounds start track 1, Metronomic Underground. My good buddy Wikipedia tells me they’re French, ugh, and avant-garde. Oh, Lord. This was a single off the album, too. This is their fourth album, so maybe this is either the experimental stage or the “Let’s see if we can write a commercial record” stage. I will say, the song is nonsense, but it’s got a groove. I’m slowly buying in. The song is very repetitive, but, again, it has a groove. I didn’t mind it, but there has to be more than this, or we’re in trouble. Track 2, Cybel’s Reverie, is a nice little pop song. It’s got strings in it that sound like they’re sampled, but there is probably just an effect used on it. Otherwise is a nice little indie pop song. Oh, here’s the breakdown with some organs and strings making things sound a bit ominous, though still poppy. This is a really nice song. I can see why it was the first of the two singles off the album. It has a bit of that freewheeling French pop sound to it from the 60s. Track 3 is another French 60s sounding pop song called Percolator and I love this song. Again, it sounds like this would be in a movie from the French New Wave in the 60s. But still a very fun pop song. The lyrics are sung in French, but that doesn’t bother me. It goes well with what the music is putting out there. I’m adding this to my single songs playlist. This song sounds to me like what the Doors would sound like if they weren’t a rock band, but were French and wanted to write pop songs. Track 5 is a really funky song called Spark Plug. It has funky guitar riffs with a great bass line under it. It’s a really fun song. After consulting my friend Wiki, it seems Steroelab used looped sounds to compose songs, which was different from their previous albums. So this was an experimental album. Track 7, The Noise of Carpet is the first true rock song on the album thus far. The lead singer, a woman, is singing in English, and the guitars sound like real guitars, nice and crunchy. I really like this song. It’s a bit refreshing after the old 60s Euro pop that led up to it. However, the song still has a pop sheen. The vocals are very poppy, as well. Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop/ Track 8, Tomorrow Is Already Here, starts out with a guitar riff and then an organ. This sounds almost bluesy. Unfortunately, the song doesn’t expand much past the opening riff and beats. It’s a slower song, and it sounds like the whole band is singing vocals. Now here comes a xylophone? This certainly brightens the song a bit, but not enough for me. Track 9, Emperor Tomato Ketchup, sounds like the song the Blue Brothers band would play over and over while Jake and Elwood Blues were being introduced, or maybe James Brown. It’s the same upbeat riff over and over. You keep waiting for it to go somewhere, and it doesn’t. There are a bunch of sounds flying around in the background, but it’s not registering. Finally, the vocals come in, in French, but the music stays the same. Very basic, uninteresting song for me. Track 10, Monstre Sacre, is a very interesting song. It’s very simple, but the chord changes add intrigue to it. It sounds like a song that could be in a movie as our hero is close to figuring out all the clues, and it is playing over a certain scene in his, or her, or their mind. The strings add a bit of creepiness to the song. I really enjoyed it. Track 11, Motoroller Scalatron, is a nice little pop song with sounds buzzing around it throughout. It’s nothing incredible, it has guitar, organ, drums, bass, and these random noises. All the songs have kind of the same elements to them. Track 12 is Slow Fast Hazel, and it’s really nice. It starts slow with beautiful strings and then builds up into this very dreamy guitar solo accented by an organ. Stereolab can do 60s pop very well. If it weren’t so easy to hear the loops or sounds, you might not know this was an album from 1996. Speaking of 1996, the album finished at #67 on the US Billboard sales chart. That’s pretty good, I’d think. Especially since it seems the singles didn’t chart at all here. They must have done something right, as I know I’ve heard about them for years and years. The album started off a little shaky, but once I kind of got the idea of what they were trying to do, I ended up enjoying it for the most part. Is this going in my rotation any time soon? No. I think one and done is it for now. If you like a bit of electronic sounds mixed with your pop music, or you like 60s European pop music, then I think you’d enjoy this. It’s old school done in a new style.

I don’t remember the first time I heard Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut, but I know I was blown away. The opening track, Black Sabbath, is one of the most ominous songs ever recorded. Lead singer Ozzy Osborne sounds like he truly is horrified as the figure in black stands before him. Especially during the “Please, God help me” ad-libs he wails before the band goes into the thunderous main riff of the song. Apparently, the lyrics were written after bassist Geezer Butler woke up and saw a figure in black at the foot of his bed. I remember as a kid being afraid of Ozzy’s music and Black Sabbath because they were devil-worshippers. But if you listen to a lot of Sabbath’s lyrics, they are trying to warn you about the devil. It’s like Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue said about their song Shout At The Devil, “We’re telling people to shout at the devil, not shout with the devil.” Black Sabbath, the song, may be the best opening track of an album ever. Track 2 is The Wizard and it’s a weird, but incredible song. Ozzy breaks out the harmonica for this song. The harmonica, what? Yeah, back in the 60’s and early 70s, harmonicas were a big instrument. Bob Dylan, Neil Young, blues bands, they all used the harmonica. Black Sabbath didn’t know any different. And truly, the harmionca adds this kind of edginess to the song. When thinking of Black Sabbath, you’re not necessarily expecting it. Apparently, the song was inspired by Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings books and was also a metaphor for their drug dealer. Great song. Track 3 is Wasp/Behind The Wall of Sleep/Bassically/N.I. B., at least on the North American version of the album. Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep starts out very jazzy. Black Sabbath must have been jazz lovers because drummer Bill Ward and bassist Butler are one of the best rhythm sections, and they really swing. When you listen to this album one time, focus on the drums and bass. Behind the Wall of Sleep has a super heavy riff and Ozzy’s vocals sound incredible, but the piece of the resistance is N.I.B., which starts with an iconic bass solo from Butler before guitarist Tony Iommi hits the world with one of the most well-known riffs in metal. Oh yeah! Then the lyrics sneak up on you as Ozzy is singing about loving the person he’s singing to and how he can help them. Then it turns out Ozzy is singing from the point of view of the devil. Now, I can see how that would scare people. It scared me when I was a kid and had no maturity or ability to read between the lines, so to speak. The song isn’t trying to bring kids to the devil, it’s warning them about the devil. But forget that crap, Wicked World is next and its riff is FAT. Wicked World, track 4, isn’t as well-known as the rest of the songs, but it’s a groove, man. And the lyrics? Whoa. “The world today is such a wicked place Fighting going on between the human race People go to work just to earn their bread While people just across the sea are counting their dead. A politician's job, they say is very high For he has to choose who's gotta go and die They can put a man on the Moon quite easy While people here on Earth are dying of old diseases.” It’s amazing how a song written over 50 years ago can still apply today. It’s mind-blowing and sad, as we as a society are still stuck in the same old rut. We need a new Black Sabbath to come around and, if not save us, then give us a good soundtrack as we circle the drain. The last song on the North American release is A Bit of Finger/Sleeping Village/Warning. Warning isn’t about the devil or the impending doom brought upon us by our politicians and billionaires, but it’s simply about a woman. A devil woman! Well, not really, but Ozzy knows he should stay away from her. The band is at its top lick on this song as they jam and enter a flow state of riffasticness. Plus, in the middle, you get a guitar solo from Iommi that can’t be anything but divine. This album is a classic, and it’s where real heavy metal started. Led Zeppelin was heavy for their day, but Sabbath are the fathers of heavy metal. If you’ve wondered or were curious about metal, listen to this as your gateway album. If you don’t like Sabbath, metal might not be for you. This is a must-listen album for historic purposes and for good, clean fun purposes.

I’ve known ABBA, it seems, my whole life. I remember hearing their songs on the radio as a kid. And I’m talking about a young kid. They broke up, as couples, before this album, and this was their last album before reuniting and releasing a new album a few years ago. ABBA was made up of two couples, Agnetha and Bjorn, and Benny and Frida. Going into this album, both had split up and divorced, so the vibe of this album was a bit different. ABBA was usually upbeat, effervescent pop music that made you happy and, at times, was goofy. The music was written and produced by Benny and Bjorn, but the girls were what got most of the attention. Agnetha was a beautiful blonde, and Frida was a beautiful redhead, and they both sang like angels. That’s not to say the guys didn’t sing well either. In fact, when they all came together in harmony, you could understand why they were so huge. So, they come into The Visitors sessions to record, and the music is still incredible, moving into a synth-pop direction. The vocals are incredible, but the lyrics are more personal and a little bit darker than on other albums. Which was to be expected as the couples had just split. The recording process was also hindered because this album was among the first to be recorded completely digitally and one of the earliest to be released on CD. So, the producers and engineers had to learn the new technology as they went, which wasn’t easy. Track 1 is The Visitors and it’s got a creepy feel. The lyrics make it seem as though the singer is about to have her home invaded by strangers? The government? Aliens? It’s quite vague on who the visitors are, but the music is very foreboding leading up to the chorus, and then it turns into an ABBA song, just pure pop bliss. I love this song. By this point, ABBA knows how to craft a hit. I think all Swedes do, really. The Visitors was released as the last single on the album. It charted, but not very high. I think by 1982, when it came out as a single, radio had moved away from disco, even though I wouldn’t say ABBA were disco. But, radio was becoming more rock and new-wave at this point. I think ABBA were a victim of circumstances. Track 2, Head Over Heels, was the third single off the album, and has a more classical bent. It’s more ABBA from days of old. The song is about a woman who is always on the go, and her partner is lagging behind, exhausted. Such a good song. The song wasn’t released as a single in the U.S., but was in Europe, charting in the top 10 in many countries. Track 3 is "When All Is Said and Done," and it sounds like it’s about two people who realize they’ve come to the end of their relationship, but instead of breaking up badly, they celebrate what they had together and move on with their lives. Like all the songs on this album, it’s a pop bomb going off in your ears, but the lyrics aren’t the happiest. Track 4, The Soldiers, is about how leaders and politicians write their own narrative about war or conflict, but it’s the actual soldiers on the ground who really know what war is about. It’s pretty powerful. Not your usual ABBA subject. This song sounds incredible, but it’s not a pop bomb like the previous one. Speaking of not being a pop bomb, track 6 is One of Us, the first single off the album. This song is a ballad about a couple who broke up, with one having moved on with their life, while the other can’t let go and wishes they’d never broken up. You can clearly hear how the band members’ breakups influenced this album. Great song, but not the happiest you’ll hear off the album. Like the other singles, it didn’t really make a big dent on the U.S. charts. Now, Track 7 is called, Two for the Price of One, and features the lead vocals of Bjorn. The rest of the songs are sung either by Agnetha or Frida. This song reminds me of Jim Stafford’s My Friend Bill with a dahs of the Pina Colada Song by Rupert Holmes. Bjorn sings about looking through the personal ads for a "date" and finds an ad for “two girls for the price of one.” Each verse builds upon the last until we get to the twist ending. It’s a cute little novelty song. Track 13 is called "Under Attack," and it closes the album with a feel-good-sounding song musically, with dark lyrics about a stalker. It’s so strange because you want to bop along to the song, but the lyrics are “Under attack, I'm taking cover He's on my track, my chasing lover Thinking nothing's gonna stop him now Should I want to, I'm not sure I would know how.” That’s crazy. But it’s so good to not to bop. The album has 13 tracks and is right around an hour long. It feels like they knew they were going to be putting the album out on CD, they had more space to fill. I think they could have trimmed the fat and released a tight 10-track album and not really lost anything. But that’s not to say this album wasn’t great. I loved this album, mostly because it wasn’t what I was expecting. The album featured darker vibes with an even more synth-pop musical bed from a band that usually made upbeat pop songs. Is it a must-listen? Maybe for those ABBA fans who never heard this album, yes. It really is a beautiful-sounding album. For pop fans it should be heard. However, you’ll be fine if it's not at the top of your list.

I remember as a kid reading all the rock magazines, and inevitably, an article would bring up Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell. I had no idea who or what Meatloaf was, but by the time I got it on cassette from Columbia House, I soon realized I’m not sure I’d ever really know who Meatloaf was. He was rock, he was pop, he was a Broadway musical, he was metal, he was incredible. As I got older and discovered the joys of Bruce Springsteen, I realized there were some similarities between Meatloaf's music and the Boss’s music. In fact, and I was just told this by my good friend Wikipedia, there had been people who claimed Bat Out of Hell was just a rip-off of Springsteen’s Born To Run. I’ll admit, after hearing Born To Run, I, too, thought it reminded me of Bat Out of Hell. Meatloaf apparently hated the comparisons, and I can understand why. No one wants to be compared to someone else, much less to a rock icon. But, I put Bat Out of Hell on equal footing as Born To Run. Both are in my top albums list. Track one is the title track, Bat Out of Hell and it’s a masterpiece. The music is so good, so heavy, so well composed. And Meatloaf is a great singer, but he’s an even better belter. He just belts it out there. Though he can get quiet if he needs to. This was the third single of five released from the album. It hit number 23 on the Billboard Hot Rock chart. God, I love this song. It tells a tragic story of a motorcycle dude who promises to come back to his lover before dying in a wreck. His heart then flies out of his chest, still beating, mind you, and then flies away like a bat. Out. Of hell. Every time I hear it, I get chills. After getting to the age when you like to research what you’re listening to, you find out that someone named Jim Steinman wrote all the music. Then you realize, he’s a genius. Then you see that Todd Rundgren produced the album. Then you realize, he’s a genius. It’s no wonder this album sold 14 million albums in the U.S. alone. It must be pointed out that, beyond the music and Meatloaf's singing, the lyrics of these songs are perfect. You get a story with each song, and sometimes it's a funny story, and sometimes it's sad, but each story is worth finding the lyrics and following along. And, I'm not a big lyric guy. Track 2 is You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Nights) and, supposedly, Meatloaf asked Steinman to write a song that wasn’t 15 or 20 minutes long, a pop song. And this was what Steinman came up with. This was the first single off the album. It’s not the best song on the album, but it’s very good. The song reached the 30s and 40s on the U.S. charts. It’s got a very 50s girl group sound to it, like The Leader of the Pack. Great song, but there are better songs on here. Track 3 is Heaven Can Wait, and it’s another ballad with a very Springsteen-sounding piano and strings. It’s a really beautiful song. Meatloaf really sings so softly on this song, and it goes so well with the music. I don’t think I’ve ever really listened to it close enough to hear just how amazing it is. It’s a very melancholy song, and I almost want to cry. I have no idea why. Is anyone else becoming soft as they age? Track 4 is All Revved Up with Nowhere To Go and it was a single in the United Kingdom. This song has the Springsteen sax with the Springsteen piano. Such a good song. It sounds like it could have been an outtake of Born To Run. This song is also more of an old-school '50s-sounding rock track. I imagine both Steinman and Springsteen listened to the same music growing up, and it really shaped their outlook. In addition to Meatloaf, Steinman also wrote music for Bonnie Tyler, who is criminally underrated. It’s probably why I love Tyler so much. I always looked at her as the female version of Rod Stewart, and I don’t have to tell you how much I love Rod. Track 5 is a great ballad and hilarious. It’s Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad. It’s almost a reverse Baby, It’s Cold Outside, as Meatloaf doesn’t want to go out in the cold and wants to stay in and make sweet, sweet love with his chick. But his chick wants him to say he loves her, and Meatloaf, well, Meatloaf ain't the loving kind. He says, I want you, I need you, but there ain’t no way I'm ever gonna love you, but, hey, two out of three ain’t bad. Brilliant. Then we find out that a girl he was in love with said those words to him and broke his heart, which led him to harden his heart to love. I really love this album. Track 6 is the big one, Paradise By the Dashboard Lights. I mean, do I even have to talk about this song? It’s THE Meatloaf song and one of the greatest songs ever written. It’s about two teenagers trying to hook up, but the girl won’t go past third base unless Meatloaf says he loves her. The way they incorporated a knockoff Phil Rizzuto to make their make-out session sound like a baseball game is one of the greatest things in musical history. This song makes the album a must-listen on its own. The last song is For Crying Out Loud. It’s another quiet piano ballad with Meatloaf using his softness to really bring you down after the bombastic Paradise. Remember that? How bands used to agonize over the order of the songs on an album? Now, you don’t even think about really releasing the album at all, you just put out singles. I’m still an album guy and always will be, I guess. When For Crying Out Loud gets going, it really picks up, still just the piano and Meatloaf, but it builds perfectly. Just a beautiful love song. This album is perfect. There aren’t many in this world. Every song is good, and there are at least four brilliant songs on the album. This is a must-listen album if there ever was. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, it’ll fire you up. It’s just incredible. Listen to it as soon as you can, and if you’ve heard it before, but not in a while, listen to it, then listen to Springsteen’s Born To Run and really give yourself a treat.

Oh wow, Track 1, Comme Si, has a very 80’s pop sound to it. It actually starts out very similar to Michael Jackson's Don't Stop Til You Get Enough. It just hit me this morning. I’ve heard music by Christine and the Queens before, but I couldn’t remember if it was pop or maybe glam rock. But this is pure 1985, but with better production. A lot of the 80s music to me didn’t sound as full as music does today. It’s almost like the bass was turned down, or everything was turned down. I don’t necessarily want the loudness turned up, but I need a fuller sound. Track 2, Girlfriend, is a banger. It’s 80s sounding, full of synth and computer drums, or whatever you’d call them. It does have a Nile Rodgers-type guitar coming in and out. Such a good groove. This song was the first single off the album. I do feel like I’ve heard this before. Track 3 is The walker and it’s giving me The Weekend vibes. Not the weekend, but The Weekend. How is Christine and the Queens not huge? This is better than anything on the radio now. At least I think so. I don’t listen to the radio and haven’t for like the last 25 years. This album came out in 2018, but I don't remember a big summer song from Chris, though I may have just missed it. Track 4 is Doesn’t Matter and it just keeps the pop coming. I was worried I might get bored as the album goes on, but each song introduces more than just a blazing pop song. There’s always a groove I wasn’t expecting. This song has some sort of robot playing a digital car horn or something. Just so good. Track 6, Goya Soda, just hits you in the face with the fat keyboard sound that takes me back to age 10. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m truly loving this music or if it’s all nostalgia. It really is taking me back to the 80’s synth pop that dominated the radio. A sound I didn’t even really love, but it was on, and whatever is on will shape your little 10-year-old brain. This song has a good groove, and Christine has a great voice. Track 7, Damn (what must a woman do), is, as the kids say, FIRE! It has a weird herky jerky groove, and the vocals are layered so well. This album is a jam. I’m finding myself listening and grooving more than wanting to write. That’s a good thing. I think the last half of the album may be better than the first. There are some fun noises and sounds throughout the whole album. I was not expecting to really love this album. I didn’t think I’d hate it, but it really got me fired up. After consulting with my good friend, Wkipedia, I find that according to Chris, the influences for this album was Cameo, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Michael Jackson’s Dangerous, and Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope. I think Chris did a great job of taking those influences and producing music that sounds new and fresh. I think this might be a must-listen album, especially for those who loved 80’s pop music. I can’t wait to hear this again. In fact, the version of the album I’m listening to also has the songs in French, as Chris is French. I’m going to listen to it too. Au revoir!

I’ve heard Mudhoney's debut “album” before, as I read a book called Everybody Loves Our Town, which was an oral history of the grunge scene in Seattle. I hate the term grunge. Nirvana wasn’t the same band as Pearl Jam, which wasn't the same band as Alice In Chains, which wasn’t the same band as Soundgarden, which wasn’t the same band as Mudhoney. But I already digress. Mudhoney formed out of the band Green River, whose split also formed Mother Love Bone. Mother Love Bone later became Pearl Jam after MLB's lead singer, Andrew Wood, died of an overdose. MLB would have been legendary had Wood survived. They were a cross between the Seattle sound and glam. Such a fun band. Much like the boys in MLB took on the form of Wood, when those guys became Pearl Jam, they took on the form of Eddie Vedder. Check out Mother Love Bone’s Apple. It’s a great album. Digression.... Anyhoo, Mudhoney’s debut EP was released in 1988 and later re-released in 1990 as the original EP with several other singles the band recorded The album went from six songs to 12 songs in 1990. That’s the album I decided to listen to, as the super-deluxe is 32 tracks, about half of them live. Track 1 is Touch Me I’m Sick which was a stand alone single that was not on the original EP. Mudhoney was the Seattle band that sounded more similar to Nirvana than the others. Very punk rock, fast and loud music. While Kurt Cobain’s love of the Beatles shone through in the songs of Nirvana. Mudhoney were basically the Stooges. Just big, loud guitars and singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm just screaming the vocals. Lots of feedback and fuzz, hence the album title. Track 2, Sweet Young Thing Ain’t Sweet No More, is the Stooges with a slide guitar. I really dig this. You talk about no frills rock and roll compared to the bloated hair metal scene at the time. I used to be angry at grunge and alt rock for destroying my beautiful hair metal scene, but over time, I realized, hair metal destroyed hair metal…Or rather, the record companies did. Instead of finding good bands, they signed any band that looked or sounded like Poison, which ended up eating the scene alive. And besides, I'm not an androgynous-looking, pretty boy glam guy/ I'm a dirty, ugly grunge guy. It was music for me, I later learned. Track 3 is Twenty-Four and this could be a Nirvana song. I’m surprised people didn’t latch on to Mudhoney as a substitute for Nirvana, but it seems people kind of turned on them. Guitarist Steve Turner thought people were angry that Mudhoney was still around after Cobain died. Which is weird. This is such an old-school punk album. Track 4 is called Need, and it’s more of the same except Arm is singing a bit more than screaming, and the band is providing some nice backing vocals for him. This album just rocks. Track 6 is called Mudride, and the guitars are extra fuzzy for this one. The tempo is also slowed way down compared to the previous songs. I love the groove of this song. Again, it sounds like a Stooges song. Track 8 is If I Think and it shows a bit more songwriting ability by the band, as it’s more than just a punk song. For Mudhoney, it’s almost a ballad. But it still rocks. This album is just in your face rock and roll. Track 9 is In ‘n’ Out of Grace and it’s my favorite song on the album. It’s got a great groove to it, and in the middle, there’s a breakdown that's just drum and bass playing their tails off. The guitars are screaming too. Just a great song that’ll get you fired up. at I bet this was insane to see live. It kind of reminds me of Queen’s Brighton Rock as times. It’s not as polished, but the tune is hidden there underneath all that fuzz. , Track 11 is called Hate the Police and it sounds like a Hole song. Let’s just say it has a message and it’s not favorable to the police. I’m not in favor of painting with such broad strokes, but there are always bad apples in the bunch. You just hope those bad apples aren’t out there taking lives. That song was unexpected, but the passion shone through. Track 12 is called You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face), and something tells me I should maybe pay more attention to the lyrics, as I might be missing a deeper meaning in some of these songs. Not sure what he wants outta his face, but whatever it is, that person has got it. Mudhoney and Nirvana formed around the same time and shared the same musical sensibilities, though Cobain was a huge Beatles fan, which made Nirvana’s music more palatable to the squares. Mudhoney has the same anger and frustration in their music. You can clearly hear that in Arm’s voice. I imagine Mudhoney was trying to be the next Stooges, and maybe they accomplished that because those who know, well, they know. I won’t say I loved this album as 14 songs of fire and flame can wear on you, but I do think it’s perfect for fans of Seattle music in the late 80s and early 90s. If you aren’t really a grunge or punk fan, you can probably skip this album. But I recommend checking out the Stooges, and if you like them, then give this a listen.

No idea what I’m getting into here, as I’ve never heard of this band or the album. My friend Wikipedia tells me they’re noise rock, which can be cool or horrible. I do love noise rock bands Boris and Melt Banana. I saw Melt Banana live, opening for Tool, years ago. It’s an acquired taste. There are 10 tracks on the album, and it’s 41 minutes long. I love mystery albums that are short. Track 1 is called Hello Morning and it’s morning, and I just woke up, so hopefully this starts off my day right. Holy moly! It started out kind of fine with what sounded like the band warming up, and then it got frantic. That’s the best way to describe it. Oh, I just noticed that Hello Morning was just 56 seconds of what sounded like the band kind of warming up. Track 2 is Assassin, and IT’S frantic. I hear lyrics, but there’s an effect on the vocals, and it’s buried in the mix quite a bit. It’s got a hard-driving beat pushed by the bass and drums. It’s not bad once you get used to it. But it is very repetitive. Oooh, we have a rhythm change near the end. I’m starting to dig this song now. Track 3 is Dracula Mountain, and I love that title. Okay, I see a pattern forming. The music is very bass-driven, whether by a bass guitar or a keyboard. The drums sound very free-form to me. Just all over the place with splashy cymbals. There are lyrics, but the same vocal effect is used, and they are low in the mix. I’m assuming the lyrics aren’t that important, otherwise we would hear them. They’ve broken the song down a bit with a nice groove in the middle. Oh, is this a guitar solo? It is, with the guitar now doubled. This is cool. Track 4 is 2 Towers, and it starts like the band is kind of tuning up, then a guitar solo right off the bat? It’s pretty good. No groove at all in these first opening seconds. It goes into a nice groove now. It sounds dirty and mean. I love this. It’s just a relentless riff over and over that sounds, at times, like it’s all going to fall apart. I think I hear vocals there, buried deep in the music. Re-lent-less. Damn, it’s getting faster at the end. How? Easily my favorite track on the album thus far. Track 5 is On Fire. I hope it’s a cover of Van Halen’s song of the same title. That would rule. It’s clearly not. There are some vocals, not sure if they are words though. This song is a bit more song-like, at least for a noise rock band. Track 6 is Crown of Storms, and it starts out with a guitar solo of sorts. Sounds very 80s hair metal, but I’m sure that won’t last. Oooh, a heavy beat comes in under the guitar as it keeps wanking. I love this song. Again, there are lyrics, but good luck deciphering them. Wow, this kind of sounds like a real song. The groove reminds me of a CKY song. I really dug this song. Track 7 is Longstockings, and it seems like the longer this album goes, the more the songs sound like songs. They’re still wild and weird, but there’s a basic structure there. This may be the most song-like track on the album. You can even almost understand the lyrics. Oh, it totally devolves in the end into noise. Cool song. Track 8 is the title track, Wonderful Rainbow. The song starts off very low and slow. I’m convinced the guitarist is a fan of Eddie Van Halen. Oh, that’s it. I kept waiting for something to explode, and when it did, it was the next track. Track 9 is 30,000 Monkies, and it’s noisy to start out. It actually begins to sound like a bunch of English cop car sirens, but it’s done with guitars. Speaking of guitars, the guitar playing on this album is great. The guitarist is playing his butt off right now as the drums begin to rise up in the mix. Now the song is devolving back into noise at the end. Track 10 is Duel in the Deep, and it’s over six minutes long. It starts like how Gene Simmons begins his bass solo at a KISS show, just bass strikes here and there. Here come the drums, they seem to alway be coming, though they aren’t as loud as you would expect them to be. Now this was what I expected the whole album to sound like. This is just noise. It’s also the hardest song for me to really get into. After consulting with my good buddy, Wikipedia, it seems Lighting Bolt is comprised of two band members, Brian Chippendale on drums and vocals, and Brian Gibson on bass guitar. No wonder it’s so heavy, the guitar is all bass? Even the EVH licks? That’s wild. I actually enjoyed this album, though I like weird and different music. I can definitely see how people would think this album is junk, but I thought there were some nice grooves buried amongst the noise. Wikipedia says this album is considered to be the band's most accessible album. I can see that, but I wonder what the rest of their catalog sounds like. I’d love for everyone to listen to it, just to see what people thought, but unless you’re an adventurous sort, you probably won’t dig it. Is it a must-listen album? In my eyes, no, but it sure is fun.

I had a complicated relationship with Bruce Springsteen. Born In the USA is the album that essentially introduced me to Springsteen, as it came out when I was 10 years old. I liked Born In the USA and tolerated Dancing In the Dark, but I loved Glory Days. However, as I grew up into a dumb punk, I decided Springsteen was old people music, like Steely Dan, and I decided it sucked. Come around to my late 20s, maybe early 30s, and I realize I’m an idiot and Springsteen is a genius, and I love him, at least the early years up to Born In the USA. Steely Dan is also genius. I still haven’t really listened to the album all the way through, but maybe one time. The albums before Born To Run are all brilliant. So, I’ll be listening to this album for the first time since becoming a huge Springsteen fan, though I see they released seven singles off of the 12-track album, and I know each of them from the radio. Track 1 is Born In the USA, and I was like Ronald Reagan’s people back in the day, except I was 10 and they were grown-ups, and I thought this was a patriotic song. Turns out it's about a man who served his country in Vietnam and came back home to nothing. It seems to me that Born in the USA’s message is that the USA may be a great country, but not for all of us. Some people just can't seem to reach out and grasp the American Dream, or are held back. As for the music, that synthesizer is really screaming. This album is probably the most accessible and mainstream of Springateen’s catalog. It's a pop record and not a rock record, really. Or at least that's what my good friend Wikipedia told me. Track 2 is Cover Me and I love this song. It's a little less synthy. The guitar stings give me a B.B. King vibe. Great guitar solo in the middle of the song. Bruce is asking for a lover to protect him from what's going on in the world. If he had his druthers, he'd just stay in the house with his woman and the whole world could go to hell. I think we've all felt like that sometimes. This is a rock song. Track 3 is Darlington County, and I'm not sure I recognize it right off. It does have the same vibe as Glory Days. Now this is an E Street Band track. This could easily have been on any of the previous albums. I love Little Steven Van Zandt’s backing vocals. He and Keith Richards are the greatest backing vocalists alive. Hell yeah, a sax solo from Clarence Clemons. You can tell they're having a great time recording this song. It doesn't even feel like the previous songs. My favorite on the album thus far. Track 4 is Working on the Highway, and it's another less poppy track. It seems most of the songs without a pop sheen weren't singles, only Glory Days. This song sounds like a Buddy Holly song, a pure 50s rocker about a guy working for the State highway department and dreaming of more. Well, that something more turned out to be an underage girl, and now the guy is working on the highway in a prison camp. There's a little humor to it, at least there would have been in 1984. Track 5 is Downbound Train and it starts off just sounding sad. It's about a man who loses his job and his woman and now he's lost. The guy can't seem to move forward. It's a sad song. The band uses a synthesizer on the song, but it adds to the feel in my opinion. Track 6 is I'm on Fire and I've always hated this song. No idea why. It just didn't appeal to me as a kid. There's not much there there. There's a synth, acoustic guitar, percussion, and Bruce singing. I can appreciate it more now, but it's still not my least liked song on the album. Track 7 is No Surrender and it opens like an Elvis song. I have no memory of hearing this before. It's just a good rock song about two dudes who quit school to make it as a rock and roll band or bust. It’s another American Dream that even when it comes true it doesn't quite work out as you think. It's been said that Springsteen didn't really like the level of fame this album pushed him to, but he couldn't stop it if he wanted to at that point. Track 8 is Bobby Jean. It sounds like an old school E Street song, but you can hear those synths sneaking around in the back. It's very tinny to my ears. This song is really sad. It's about losing touch with a real close friend. The friend is gone now and you had no chance to say goodbye or know it was the last time you'd see them. The song doesn't make it sound like his friend died, but you can't really tell if it's a boy or a girl he's singing about, either. Clemons has an amazing sax solo at the end. I was kind of blah at the beginning, but by the end, it really moved me. Track 9 is I'm Going Down. I've heard this song behind. Not my favorite. Let's see if anything changes. I gotta tell you, I like it better than I remember. Again, Clemons's sax solo adds to it. I'm shocked as to how much I read about this album being more pop. A lot of the songs on this album are probably more accessible than Springsteen's usual work, especially the album before this one, which was Nebraska, but they still sound like the E Street Band. Track 10 is Glory Days. I love this song. It's a sad one, too, but the music is so fun it always makes me happy. The lyrics are about people who fall back on talking about their glory days because they’re sad about how their lives turned out. OR at least that's the way I take it. Nostalgia is fun, but not when you're a full-time resident. Track 11 is Dancing in the Dark, and all I can think about is Bruce and Courtney Cox dancing like nerds on stage. Super pop, super synthy, but it sticks in your head. The song is about a dude who is bored and hates his life. A few critics believed Springsteen was talking about his creative process at the time, maybe it had gotten to boring or predictable. Maybe he was stuck and needed to find a new way. Maybe this led to a more pop sound for him. Track 12 is My Hometown and it's about a lot of hometowns moving through the 60s into the 80s. Especially the end of the industrial age in many hometowns, where everyone could find a job at the plant. Another song about how the American Dream that was born in the 50s has changed or been warped over the decades. It's another sad song, though this one has the sad music to go with it. I'll admit, I really changed my mind on this album. I never sat down and listened to and read the lyrics. I still wouldn't put it above Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, or The River, but I do think it was his and the E Street Band’s last great album. I also think it's a must listen. Springsteen captured a moment in time with this album. I felt it as a 10-year-old, but I couldn't articulate it the way he did.

Tapestry by Carole King is a must-listen album for a ton of reasons. One, she's one of the greatest singer/songwriters ever, male or female. This album stayed in the charts for over 300 weeks. Several artists also had hits with the songs from this album, even while the album was still on the charts. She also inspired a ton of female singer/songwriters, including the current biggie, Tay Tay. I have listened to this album several times, and I could go track by track, or I can just tell you this is one of the greatest albums ever created. It'll make you happy, it'll make you cry, it'll make you think, and it'll make you glad you live in a world where art like this exists. If you’ve ever taken my dumb advice on listening to any of the previous 220 albums I've written about, then immediately listen to this album, as I think it will make an impact in your life, or at least make today a little bit better.

Dear God, no. I never expected this album to be on here. Maybe a later one. Maybe the one with Toxic on it. Now Toxic is a jam. I can’t stand her voice, I can’t stand how they sexualized this 16 year-old girl to sell records and I think we can all agree the whole Britney Spears experiment has ended up very sad. I tried to listen to this album all weekend and I just can’t. I’m not sure why it would be on the 1,001 Must Listen Albums, because I think you’ll be just fine. This era in pop music was bad with Britney and her clones, boy bands and their many clones. The songs were catchy, but they were empty calories. If you want to listen to this album, go for it, as for me, I lived through it and I have no desire to relive it. Ugh, I’ve actually put it on as I write this and it just makes me cringe. The music is bad, just a bunch of computers trying to mimic instruments. Skip this and relisten to Carole King’s Tapestry.

My Bloody Valentine is a band I’ve heard of forever, and I'm actually glad I get a chance to listen to them. MBV is an Irish rock band that's cast in the shoegaze genre. It’s a genre I’ve heard about for years, but not sure I’ve ever dipped my toe in it. From our good friend, Wikipedia, shoegaze is an indie/alt rock genre “characterized by ethereal soundscapes, obscured vocals, and extensive use of guitar effects and distortion.” Got it…I think. It may be one of those, I’ll know it when I hear it type genres. MBV is also called noise pop, dream pop, and experimental rock. This was MBV’s debut album. And it seems to not be on YouTube Music. That’s weird. But I found it on YouTube. Track 1 is Soft As Snow (But Warm Inside)....um, gross? This is weird. It’s like the singer is singing a different song than the music is playing, if you could call it music. I can’t get into this. They make it hard to stick with a groove. If this is a preview of what the rest of the album is like, then I made a good decision on never listening to shoegaze. Track 2 is Lose My Breath. This song is weird. You can hear a song underneath all the noise and out of tuneness. Is it a great song under there? I don’t know. It’s covered by a tarp of nonsense. It’s almost like the band was kind of afraid to play things straight, so just in case they were bad songwriters, they made sure to make their songs sound weird or bad before someone could say they were bad. It’s like the band was saying, “Yeah, we know it’s bad. That’s what we wanted." Track 3 is more of the same with Cupid Come. This again sounds like it could have been a song, but they decided to put in an out-of-tune guitar or something to make the song just this side of unlistenable. I can see why I was never an alt-rock kid growing up and I only liked meat and potatoes rock for the most part. My palette broadened as I aged, but I probably would have fought someone if they tried to make me listen to this as a kid. Track 4 is You’re Still In a Dream, and what’s this? No way. It can’t be….it sounds like a real song. It’s a nice uptempo garage rock song. It sounds like everything’s in tune. I wish the whole album had been like this. And this song isn’t anything special, but they’ve softened me up with garbage, so this song sounds like Stairway to Heaven. I would have thought this would have been a single, but it wasn’t. Only one single was released from this album. Not shocking. I wonder if the single is good? Track 5 is No More Sorry and it sounds like it may be an instrumental? It’s very big and orchestral. I don’t get this. Again, not a great song, there’s a bit of out of tuneness somewhere, but I don’t hate it immediately. You’re going to be amazed, but I can hear some Beatles influence in this song. The song has just a tiny bit of A Day in the Life in it. The most chaotic part of A Day in the Life, of course. Track 6 is All I Need and I hear the Beach Boys in this song. Now, the Beach Boys influence is buried beneath what sounds like a construction crew tearing down a building, but it’s there. I’m slowly starting to kind of get what the band is doing. I don’t understand it, but I get it. I still think it may be mostly self-sabotage, but there might be something there, there. This song is just a lot of distortion, feedback, and echo. It’s not good, actually. Forget what I said earlier. Track 7 is Feed Me with Your Kiss and this was the lone single off the album. Oooh, yeah, this is the stuff I’ve been waiting for. Very heavy alt-rock that sounds very similar to what many would call a song. The vocals are so low in the mix that it’s almost like they’re just another instrument. This could probably be a nice single for an up-and-coming rock band to cover. This, of course, made no dent on the charts, and I’m sure that’s not what they were looking for. This is also supposedly goth rock? Ish? Probably the best song on the album. It gives off hard MTV's 120 Minutes vibes. Track 8 is Sueisfine. This is another nice little song. For MBV anyway. I don’t get this band. So far, 2/3 of the album has some decent songs, but the others are almost unlistenable for one reason or another. It could be that I’m an old square who can’t get with the times, but this was 1988. That was my time. Track 9 is Several Girls Galore and this song is interesting. It has an interesting slide guitar doing interesting slides. This is the best song on the album. It’s weird, but good weird, listenable weird. Wow, that was a good song. Track 10 is You Never Should and I’m starting to wonder why the songs on the second half of the album sound much better than the first 4 songs on the album. This is a nice alt-rock jam. This should have been a single. You put it with a good video ad, I bet MBV would’ve had a hit. Maybe MBV were one of those bands that didn’t want a hit or to be famous…which I never understood. You make art for people to enjoy, and why wouldn’t you want as many people to enjoy your art as they could? But today, I can see a band not wanting more people to hear their music. We live in a world of idiots who seem so unhappy with their lives that they love listening to or watching art they hate just so they can be a-holes and tell those people they hate them. I feel sad for the artists and the people who feel so bad about their lives that the only pleasure they get is trying to tear someone else down. Sometimes I loathe the internet. It’s sad, but I digress. Track 11 is Nothing Much To Lose and it’s another pretty good song. It sounds like any other alt-rock song from the 90s. Were MBV too early for this fad? Maybe they kind of were the originators, but only their clones hit it big? This song reminds me of Smashing Pumpkins, though I haven’t really heard a lot of their stuff. Really good song. I’m coming around on these mopes. Track 12 and the final track is I can See It. This is not as good as the last few songs, but it’s listenable. I’m so confused. At first I thought maybe there were two different songwriters, but Kevin Shields wrote all the music, sang lead vocals, and played guitar. And, what’s this? Shields is said to have invented the “glide guitar” technique. Huh? Okay, so when Shields plays the guitar, his hand is on the tremolo, or whammy, bar and as he strums, he pushes the bar in causing the notes to go out of tune, but lets the bar out finishing with the notes in tune. Supposedly, Shields believes the brain is kind of a step behind, and as long as the note finishes in tune, the brain won’t necessarily think the note is out of tune. Maybe in the beginning, it sounded out of tune because it was, but as the album went on and Shields’s technique continued, maybe subconsciously I realized what was happening, and the songs stopped sounding way out of tune? Maybe? I don’t know. It’s an interesting idea. I may go back and listen to those first songs again and see if they are still as bad as I first thought. As a whole, this album actually wasn’t that bad. Will I listen to it ever again? Probably not. Do I recommend you listen to it before you die? No. In fact, listening to this album before you die may take a few days off your life span. If you like alt-rock or experimental rock, then this is an album for you and the de facto originator of the shoegaze genre. In the end, I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it, but it definitely got better as it went on. And Several Girls Galore was a very interesting song and may be a great example of Shields’s glide guitar technique. (I went back and listened to the first two songs again, and on second listen, they don’t sound as bad as the first time around. I think I was so put off to begin with that it took me 4 or 5 songs to get my bearings. Still wouldn’t recommend this to anybody, but at least I can see it’s not just noisy garbage.)

As much as I’m not a rap guy, I did like some back in the day. Jay-Z was one of the MCs I messed with, but not enough to have listened to this album. I also don’t really know how to review hip-hop and rap because most of the music is either bad or just takes from songs that are already great and turns them into something lesser most of the time. I don't even know if it's hip-hop or rap, or if both are interchangeable. Like Diddy using Led Zeppelin's Kashmir for his BIG tribute or dumbarse Kid Rock using Sweet Home Alabama and Werewolves of London for his pandering trashy All Summer Long. Oh, a ton of people liked that jam? It’s no wonder, people loved the songs the first time they heard them. Kid Rock only damaged the songs. He didn’t enhance them. But, I digress. I do appreciate hip-hop producers who steal from grooves that aren’t super well-known. These producers then lead me to the original source, which is almost always the best version of the song. What I’m saying is, don’t expect much out of me on this one. I’m going to listen to it, but as I’ve pointed out several times, I’m a groove guy, not a lyrics guy, and hip-hop, besides maybe folk music, is the art form where the lyrics matter the most. Track 2, The Takeover, samples the Doors’s Five To One, which is weird, but they make it work. I always wondered how Jay-Z got away with calling himself J-Hova, as in Jehovah. Not that I care all that much, but these days everyone is offended by the least little thing. Jay-Z calling himself God has seemed to pass with little to no outcry. Perhaps it's hard to argue he isn’t? I wonder if he had just started calling himself that today, if it would pass. This song is very repetitive. , Speaking of J-Hova, track 3 is Izzo (H.O.V.A.) and this one I’ve heard. Huge hit in 2001. In fact, it was the first single off the album. Fo shizzle, my nizzle. Hip-hop came up with so many ways for white suburban kids to say the n-word. This was a hit just about everywhere. It can’t be denied, this is a great pop song. Track 4 is Girls, Girls, Girls, and it seems it’s about Jay-Z’s many conquests in the bedroom. This was the second single off the album and was a pretty big hit. I have no memory of it. Wait a minute, I just heard a line from the song that shook my brainpan loose, and I do remember hearing this jam a few times in 2001. I don’t really dig it all that much. I kept thinking I’d rather hear the song that the sampled string music comes from. It’s a good thing Jay-Z decided to go into the rap game because his singing stinks. Oh, track 5 is called Jigga the N****, and it was a single. I don’t remember this one at all. It wasn’t as big a hit as the first two singles, but it did hit the Hot 100. The groove sounds like Timbaland would have been the producer, but I don’t see his name. Timbaland is a musical genius, though his almost immediate surrender to AI was disappointing. This song is fine, I guess. I have a feeling the greatness of most hip-hop will be lost on me. Oh, another song that gets the white suburban teens excited to sing along in their cars with the windows rolled up tight. Track 6 is U Don’t Know and it reminds me of the time when hip-hop producers began using sped-up singing samples in songs. These guys must have been huge fans of Alvin & the Chipmunks because this dumb trend still goes on today. I think maybe Kanye West, or Ye, or Ye Fuhrer, started this trend. I’m not sure he shouldn’t be ostracized more for introducing this Alvin & the Chipmunks trend in hip-hop. Track 7 is Hola’ Hovito, and I love this jam. It’s got a great groove. I’m not sure if it’s a sample or not. Damn, this may be original music on the album. WHAT?!?! It’s a Timbaland-produced track. Of course it is. Why wouldn’t the best-sounding song be a Timbaland joint? Why was this not a single? It’s better than the other singles, except maybe Izzo, which is a good song. Track 8 is Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love), and it’s great. Not because of Jay-Z, but the song they sample is one of my favorite songs ever. Drop everything and find Bobby Blue Bland’s Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City. It makes anything Jay-Z created sound like it was made by a hobo. This time, not only did they sample a complete song, but they sampled the title by just rearranging the words. I’m starting to get angry as Jay-Z has Kid Rocked himself by taking a GREAT song and making it a decent hip-hop song. Track 10 is called Song Cry and it was the last single off the album. I have no memory of this song. It stinks. It’s Jay-Z’s Heaven, or Home Sweet Home, or whatever other popular ballad by a hair metal band from the late 80s you love. I guess he screwed over his main b****, and feels bad (But not about referring to her as his b****), but because he’s a sociopath, he can’t cry, so he has to make the song cry. Huh? As I suspected, it wasn’t a monster hit for Jay-Z, but it was nominated for a Grammy for Best Male Rap Performance. Ugh, as if we didn’t know the Grammys were old and out of touch already. Track 11, All I Need, has to be one of the worst Jay-Z songs ever. It’s mostly percussion with Alvin or at least a lady chipmunk singing the hook from a sampled song. Ugh. Maybe the Blueprint should have been just 10 tracks and not 13 and two bonus tracks. Track 12 is Renegade and it features Eminem. Eminem would have had nuclear heat at this time. I bet they weren’t even in the studio at the same time for this song. That’s one thing about hip-hop, you can have the producer make the song by himself in his bedroom, the rapper can do his verse is his bedroom closet and no one has to ever see anyone else involved with the track. Now that’s music making at its finest! Track 13 is Blueprint (Momma Loves Me), and it’s a slow jam where Jay-Z kind of lays out his origin story, his blueprint, so to speak. Most of the music sounds original, though there appears to be a sample from an Al Green song. Reverend Al, good gravy, I love that man. This song is a nice way to close out the album, except there are two hidden tracks. I bet they aren’t as good as this closing track. Ugh, we’re bringing back Girls, Girls, Girls with Jay-Z’s horrible singing for the last hidden track. It should have stayed hidden forever. More chipmunk singing. I can’t get over the fact that that was like a huge thing in hip-hop that multiple producers used. It’s just annoying. So, this album was fine. It may be the greatest hip-hop album ever, though I think Outkast might have something to say about that. If you’re a hip-hop fan, this is for you, but if you’re a big hip-hop fan, I assume you’ve heard this about a dozen times. It’s not a must-listen for me, but I will put Hola’ Hova on a playlist. That was easily the best song on the album for me, with Izzo being the next. Otherwise, it was just alright for me, dawg.

Yes! Finally, some good Christian rock music. Alice Cooper was a band that later became a man. In 1973, when this album came out, Alice Cooper was still a band, though lead singer Vincent Furnier played the character Alice Cooper. There came a time when Vince forgot where he began, and Alice ended, and he had to spend some quality time in a sanitarium. But I digress. When the band finally split up in 1974, Furnier then became the solo act, Alice Cooper, for always and forever more….Well, at least until the band reunited in 2025 to release a new album. Alice is a different kind of cat. Loved horror movies, loved booze, was and had always been a Christian. In fact, his father was an evangelist. Now, that’s not to say Alice didn’t stray or backslide, he did, but in the end, he redeemed himself. During Billion Dollar Babies, Alice appeared to be in full backslide, but he was cranking out great music. Track 1 is Hello Hooray and it's the only cover song on the album. Cooper, the singer, was a fan of old school Hollywood and vaudeville. This song was meant to be a cabaret opening to the show that is Billion Dollar Babies. It's a good opener, but better and weirder songs are to follow. Alice’s voice sounds great on this track. Track 2 is called Raped and Freezin,’ the first of a few songs on the album that would cause PR problems today, but didn't really in 1973. Or maybe they did, we just didn’t have a way to know what everybody thought about every little thing at all times of the day. I miss those days when I didn’t know what other people thought. It was a simpler time, and people were less mean. The song is funny, though dark, as it’s about a man escaping a female predator who picked him up while hitchhiking. He ends up running naked through the desert. Cooper’s lyrics are incredible. One of the few times I actually pay full attention to lyrics. He took inspiration from Chuck Berry, another great lyricist. It’s a fun rock song that tells a funny, though dark, story. Track 3 is Elected, and it's exactly what you think it's about. Alice Cooper is running for president. Hell, at this point, he’d be a step up from most of the candidates we have to choose from. “We’re all gonna rock to the rules I make. I've never lied to you, I've always been cool.” A horn section comes in near the middle of the song. Again, it's a big, fun, bombastic rock song. “Everybody has problems! And personally, I don't care.” At least he's honest. That’s the thing about Alice Cooper, the music isn’t heavy metal. The music is bombastic glam rock. The lyrics are usually dark and twisted. For example…. Track 4 is the title track, Billion Dollar Babies and we’ve got our first really creepy song on the album. It's a satirical song about the super wealthy and celebrities and their overindulgence. Perfect for today, actually. Donavan, the British Bob Dylan, provides vocals for the song, dueting with Alice in a way that'll make your skin crawl. “If I'm too rough tell me. I'm so scared your little head will come off in my hands.” It gives me the piss shivers. It seems as if Cooper was a prophet warning us about the super-rich and all their horrifying predilections. However, the song rocks. It's heavy & has an amazing groove. It also has two great guitar solos. I love this song. Track 5 is Unfinished Sweet, and it’s about Cooper going to the dentist. Yep, the dentist decides he has to remove Cooper’s gums and puts him to sleep, which plunges Cooper into a nightmare involving secret spies and paranoia. “Candy everywhere, got chocolate in my hair, Aching to get me. Sticky-sweet suckers in the Halloween air, Aching to get me. Saint Vitus dance on my molars tonight, Aching to get me.” The line “sticky, sweet suckers in the Halloween air” is such a great line. The song has a breakdown in the middle that brings you into Cooper’s head as the dentist works on his mouth. It’s quite intense. Track 6 is No More Mr. Nice Guy and I’m betting this or School’s Out is the one Alice Cooper song you’ve heard. In fact, I’ve heard No More Mr. Nice Guy so much, I can’t listen to it anymore. I’m burned out. It’s a great song with hilarious lyrics. It's about how Alice was a nice guy, but because of his music and appearance, people thought he was a menace. And, to be fair, he was at this time, but only to himself for the most part. Cooper talks about going to church and having the preacher punch him in the mouth. Cooper is a lyrical genius. Track 7 is Generation Landslide, and it’s an interesting song that reaches into our own time. The song is about the younger generation being wild and reckless while their parents are powerless to rein them in. The song actually goes after both the old and the young. Young people in the 1970s were not at all like their parents, who grew up in the 1950s. The American Dream became something different for the children of the greatest generation. The song has a great guitar solo to close. Track 8 is Sick Things and is another creepy song in which Cooper sings about his fans, the sick things. Cooper feeds on the adoration of his fans. “I love you, things I see as much as you love me You things are heavenly When you come worship me You things are chilled with fright For I am out tonight You fill me with delight You wet my appetite.” Just a big rock song with what sounds like French horns blaring in the background. I love the song’s vibe. Track 9 is Mary Ann, and it's a short little ditty with a bit of a twist at the end. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be a lead-in to the final track or exactly what is going on. It’s just Cooper and a piano. Track 10 is I Love the Dead and it’s what you think it’s about. Cooper loved singing about things that make people uncomfortable, though with tongue firmly in cheek. It kind of reminds me of a Bad Company song with the way it opens. It’s one of those soft, loud, soft, loud type of songs, with strings and horns, but make no mistake, this is a rock song. Cooper sings in the persona of a Snidley Whiplash-type character who twirls his mustache as he sings about “loving” the dead. “I love the dead before they're cold They're bluing flesh for me to hold Cadaver eyes upon me see nothing I love the dead before they rise No farewells, no goodbyes I never knew your rotting face While friends and lovers mourn your silly grave I have other uses for you, darling.” I have to imagine this ruffled some feathers back in the day, but you don’t really hear about things like that as you do now. This is just a great fun song about necrophilia, and only Alice Cooper could pull it off. Billion Dollar Babies is looked at by many as Alice Cooper's best album, not counting his solo material, and I’d be hard-pressed to disagree. I love each song, with Billion Dollar Babies being an all-timer, especially for Halloween. This is a glam rock masterpiece, and I really do think it’s an album everyone should listen to at least once.

I’ve heard this album a few times as I listened to it while reading a book about music in the late 60s. It’s a great album. I don’t need to tell you that. Or maybe I do. Simon & Garfunkel were a great team, but like most teams, they ended up kind of hating each other over time. Paul Simon essentially wrote all the songs, but Art Garfunkel had that voice. A legit voice of an angel. And there’s no better example of Art’s voice than on track 1, the title track, Bridge Over Troubled Water. It’s one of those songs that’s so beautiful it makes you want to cry, or at least it does that to me. The music is beautiful, but the lyrics are just amazing. They sum up what you want to hear from your friend and what you want to say to them, if we weren’t macho guys who only talked sports, that is. Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of the greatest songs ever written, and most of the cover versions are amazing as well. Check out Elvis Presley’s version. It’s chill-inducing. I feel like my heart is going to burst out of my chest. Simon & Garfunkel are, for the most part, folk singers, but that doesn’t mean they are soft. They make their songs sound bigger than you can imagine, but their songs can also be as soft as a whisper. As a duo, I’m not sure there were any better in the time they were together. The two released four singles off the album, with the second being the title track, and the third was track 3, Cecilia. It’s a very percussion-based folk song with handclapping and a bass drum, or a tom, beating throughout. Just a beautiful rocking song, though it isn’t electrified. It kind of gives me tropical island feels, the music anyway. I can vaguely remember hearing it on the radio as a kid. Track 4 is Keep the Customer Satisfied and it’s got a great brass section playing to go along with the acoustic guitars. It’s a fun little song about being hassled by fans or the man or somebody. At one point, a deputy sheriff tells the singer to get out of town because he’s in big trouble. Not sure if the singer is an outlaw or if it’s Simon coming home after a big tour. Oooh, big organ coming in after the first verse. Fun song. Track 5 is So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright and it’s a lovely little song. Has a wonderful flute solo in the middle. The song is a tribute, of course, to the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. That flute sings the 60s to me. Not in a bad way, but in a nice, childhood memory kind of way, and I wasn’t even around in the 1960s. Track 6 is The Boxer and it’s a song you’ve likely heard, but had no idea it was Simon & Garfunkel. Once you hear the lie, lie, lies in the middle, you’ll recognize it. The song is about a young man struggling through life in New York City. The song has this bass harmonica being played, and it sounds so strange, but it fits the song and the era perfectly. I know I’ve heard the instrument before, I think in the Apple Dumpling Gang movie or the Dukes of Hazzard, maybe. Great song and closes with a tuba blast sounding like a ship coming into the harbor. Track 7 is Baby Driver and it’s a Beach Boys-type rock song. It has great harmonies, and it’s just good old-fashioned rock and roll. The song makes you happy. Track 8 is The Only Living Boy in New York and it was written by Simon while Garfunkel was filming a movie in Mexico. The Aaaaaahhhhs make the song. According to Simon, the Aaaaahhhs were made up of about 12 to 15 voices. Then we have a church organ near the end. For what I assume was a frustrating time for Simon, waiting on Garfunkel to finish his movie, the song is so pretty. Isolation never sounded so good. Track 9 is Why Don’t You Write Me, and it has a reggae vibe to it. Their harmonies sound very Beach Boys-like, and then a baritone sax has a great solo at the end. This song sounds like Garfunkel was stuck waiting to finish his movie and was wondering why Simon hadn’t checked in on him, you know, dropped a line. Now there’s a dobro? What a fascinating song. Track 10 is a live cover of the Everly Brothers’ Bye Bye Love. Maybe I just don’t see or hear it enough, but the Everly Brothers seem to be vastly underrated in how they played a huge role in creating rock and roll. They influenced everyone in those early days, all the way up to, and including, the Beatles. The crowd went wild during that song, which is nice. Track 11 is Song for the Asking, and it closes this must-listen album. The song is looked at as both Simon and Garfunkel trying to make amends and hoping to make music together in the future. The duo would split up after this album was released, and over the years rarely spoke to each other. Simon went on to become a huge star, writing hit after hit, and Garfunkel tried acting and putting out his own music, but he wasn’t a songwriter like Simon. Sadly, these two incredibly talented people couldn’t figure out how to compromise and make things work. But it happens. They did work together and reunite a few times, but that's it. This album is one of the greatest albums ever, and I’d recommend everyone check it out. I think it may open up many people’s ears as it comes to folk music.

I know I’ve heard the name, but I’m not sure who Ms. Dynamite is. Our friend Wikipedia says she is a British singer and rapper. I might have known that at one time. This album came out in 2002 and won the Mercury Prize, which is given to the best album in the United Kingdom and Ireland. That’s about all our buddy Wikipedia has. So, I’m going in blind with not much to go on. She is English, so that’s interesting. Track 1 is Natural High (Interlude). Ah, yes, the interlude on rap albums. Not exactly sure how or why this trend started, but I guess most rappers think of themselves as comedians as well? At most, interludes on hip-hop and rap albums are meant to be funny. , Miss D has a bit of a Jamaican accent, I hear. Which makes sense as her father was Jamaican. She seems to be anti-drug, which is commendable. Track 2 is Dy-Na-Mi-Tee and the music is very laid back. I’m sure it’s sampled. Oh, snap! I’ve heard this song. This was the second single off the album. She’s kind of rapping, but it also sounds like she’s singing. It’s nothing new or innovative, but it sn’t straight rapping. Good track. It has a sample of Jimmy “JJ” Walker yelling “Dynomite!” in the middle of the song. You whippersnappers can Google that. Not sure the song was released here as a single, but it was a top 40 hit throughout Europe. How do I know this? Track 3 is Anyway You Want and it features Keon Bryce, who I believe is a singer. So far, this album is pretty good. Less rap, more singing. I feel like I’ve heard this song too. It wasn’t a single though. Maybe I listened to this album when it came out in 2002. Track 4 is Put Him Out and it was the third single off the album. I’m really enjoying this album, but it’s not necessarily anything mind-blowing. Oddly, it seems like after one more full-length album and a mixtape in 20025 and 2006 respectively, Miss Dynamite essentially stopped making music. Or she at least stopped releasing it. As I continued to listen to the album, I could hear a bit of an Eminem influence in certain songs. Not necessarily his rapping style, but kind of the playful music that appears in some of his songs. Early on in his career, a lot of his songs sounded playful and fun. Track 6, It Takes More, sounds like it could have been an Eminem track. It was also a single. I’m down to track 10, Seed Will Grow, featuring Kymani Marley, and these middle songs all have a Dr. Dre vibe to them. I pointed out that track 6 sounds like an Eminem track, well, Dr. Dre produced most of his tracks that sounded like that. So maybe they don't sound like Eminem tracks so much as they sound like Dr. Dre tracks. It seems the album was produced by some Swiss guys known as Bloodshy & Avant. Those dudes have a resume featuring a ton of the most popular pop divas over the last 20 years. That may explain why the music sounds pretty good. This album is a pretty good pop album. This album ended up being a fun listen, though I’m not hearing anything groundbreaking. I’d like to know the reasoning for each album's addition to the 1,001 Albums list, but it’s hard to track down a current, affordable copy of the book. Some albums are easy to see why they’d be included, while others, like this album from Miss Dynamite, it isn’t exactly clear why this is a must-listen. For lovers of hip-hop, pop, and Eminem, I think you’d really enjoy this album. It’s about three to four songs too long, but every album these days is like that, it seems. I’m sure a real hip-hop fan will dig this album, as for me, it’s cool, but I doubt I’ll ever hear it again.

R.E.M. is an interesting group. They were college rock, or alt-rock, or whatever genre they were back in the day. They weren’t metal, so I wasn’t buying a lot of R.E.M. albums as a kid. However, I noticed that just about all of their singles were great. I’m not sure I ever listened to this album before, but I think I have gone back and listened to a few of their albums in the last 20 years or so. I do see this album has Man on the Moon, a great song, and Everybody Hurts, which is a good song, but not a favorite of mine. I’m excited to jump into this. I thought this album might have been at the end of their career as a band, but it seems it was just the middle. The album was released in 1992, my senior year in high school. Wow, my calendar is way off in my brain. This was their 8th album, and they were starting to climb toward their peak. Track 1 is Drive and it was the first single off the album. I vaguely remember it. The song was a hit on the alt-rock chart and a top 30 Billboard Hot 100 song. Wow! John Paul Jones, you know, the bassist for a little-known band called Led Zeppelin, was the orchestral arranger on this song and all the songs with an orchestra. The song really gets huge-sounding when the strings come in. The song is about kids taking charge of their lives, as in you don’t just have to do what you’re told to do your whole life. Very beautiful song with some loud moments. Track 2 is Try Not To Breathe and it sounds like an R.E.M. song. Singer Michael Stipe has a very distinctive voice. You always know it's him singing. I feel like his voice was one of the voices of the 1990s. And while they weren’t a punk band, they were still sticking it to the man. Just with mandolins and acoustic guitars. This is a really great song. I feel like I’ve heard it, but it may be because it’s an R.E.M. song and it has that feel. Track 3 is The Sidwinder Sleeps Tonight and it was the third single from the album, but I’m not sure I remember it. It’s a bit more rock-sounding than the previous two songs. It has a beautiful organ playing in the background, and there are some actual electric guitars in this one. The chorus sounds a bit familiar. It wasn’t a big hit in the U.S., it seems. Apparently, this song has one of the most misheard lyrics, according to a survey in the United Kingdom. It’s a good song, I can see why it was a single. Track 4 is the song most people know from this album, besides maybe Man on the Moon, and it’s Everybody Hurts. I remember seeing this video on MTV every half an hour. This was the fourth single of the album. Man, for an alt band, they sure did release a ton of singles. Though this was the alt-rock era, I guess. It’s amazing how I thought this had to be a huge number one song, but it actually didn’t perform as well on the charts as I assumed. It was a top 20 song, but never got to the top 10. It’s a great song, if a little depressing. It’s kind of giving me the same vibes Bowie’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide does. The part where Bowie begins screaming, “You’re not alone!” Everybody Hurts also kind of builds to the Hold on part like, Bowie’s song did. I wonder if Bowie provided any inspiration? JPJ again arranged the strings on this song. JPJ is so underrated out of all the Led Zep guys. He’s the glue guy of that outfit. Track 6 is Sweetness Follows and for some reason, it gives me a bit of a nautical vibe. Like I’m sailing in the open seas while this is playing. Amazing cello being played on this one. It’s essentially the main instrument. I love this song. I almost missed the organ playing in the background. Now we have a guitar solo? An electric one at that? It’s not a face melter, but it works well with the song. It’s almost just all feedback and distortion. I wouldn’t have thought twice about releasing this as a single, but it’s not a pop song. Track 7 is called Monty Got a Raw Deal, and it sounds like an old English traditional song with a mandolin or an acoustic guitar. I can’t be sure at first. It’s neither, turns out it’s a bouzouki, which looks like a long-necked lute. So, it’s kind of a combo guitar/mandolin? Why was I so afraid of R.E.M. back in my teenage years? This is another great song. I probably couldn’t appreciate it at that age. Track 8 is Ignoreland and it’s a rock song. It’s got electric guitars and a harmonica. But it also has a cello present. It’s amazing R.E.M. became so big. They played by their own rules and made music that shouldn’t have really been popular, just by the instruments they played. But their songwriting was so good, they couldn’t be denied. This song is in what was referred to as “Neil Young’s tuning.” Cinnamon Girl was given as an example of that tuning. One critic described Ignoreland as hair-metalish. Not sure I’d go so far, but it definitely does rock. Track 10 is Man on the Moon and I love this song. Besides just being a good song, it’s about Andy Kaufman. I almost said comedian Andy Kaufman, but he didn’t like that title as he wasn’t a joke teller per se, he was an agitator. This was a top 5 song for R.E.M. It’s a beautiful tribute to a very complicated man. Plus, Classy Freddie Blassie gets a namecheck. This song has an almost old school, desert, country sound to it. Great track and probably my favorite on the album. Track 11 is called Nightswimming, and it was the fifth official single, though not in the U.S. It has a very Here Comes the Sun riff in there. It’s just a piano and strings with Stipe singing. It’s supposedly based on either a wacky security guard or skinny dipping in pools after the clubs closed in Athens, Georgia. Oh, an oboe just made its first appearance on the album. This song gives me Carole King vibes. Just a beautiful, somewhat sad, song. Track 12 is Find the River and it’s the last single from the album, though it seems again, it was only released in the U.K. No drums, just acoustic guitars, piano, and harmonica for the most part. R.E.M. uses simple instruments, yet makes their songs sound so big. It’s genius. What a great album. I can see why this would be on the 1,001 albums list. There isn’t a bad song on here, and all the songs sound like they could be singles. I’d highly recommend everyone to spend some time with this album. I think it will brighten your day.

I thought this was my second album from the list by The Cure, but I must have been mistaking The Cure for The Smiths or The xx. I know who The Cure are, I know they are a rock band, or maybe more specifically, a goth-rock band or post-punk. I’ve not listened to much of their music. Growing up in the rural south, I’d imagine there weren’t many of my peers listening to The Cure. Though I can only speak for myself and my friends. I do remember some goths from my time in high school, so I guess there maybe there were a few Cure fans then. I’m ready to dive in. This is the second album by the group and the first one co-produced by frontman Robert Smith. Track 1 is A Reflection, and the music already sounds spooky and foreboding. Okay. That was an instrumental, and it sounded like what music would be playing as Bruce Lee snuck around the compound in the movie Enter the Dragon. Just very spooky and atmospheric. Weird, but not altogether unpleasant. Maybe Track 2 will have a bit more. Track 2 is Play for Today, and this sounds like post-punk in the early '80s. I really like this song. It has a very 80s production, but it doesn’t sound dated. Robert Smith’s vocals go well with the music. Just a pretty straight forward song. Nothing outstanding. I know the lyrics of The Cure carry some weight. I may go back and listen again, paying more attention to the lyrics. Track 3 is Secrets, and the vocals are so buried in the music it’s like the band really does want to keep them secret. The music sounds fine. Again, it’s 80s post punk. I’ve yet to really gather why The Cure developed such a huge, loyal cult following. Track 4 is In Your House and it starts off a little different from the other songs. I like this groove they’ve got going. Supposedly, the song is about being trapped or isolated in a bad relationship, “I drown at night in your house.” I love the sound of the guitars on this album. I'm beginning to come under the spell of the band. Track 5 is called Three and it again starts out with someone speaking, but his voice is so quiet, you can’t really make out what he’s saying. The Cure is trying to keep a lot of secrets on this album. The music, again, sounds ominous, but it’s great. It builds a mood. However, there’s this constant chatter underneath the music that you can’t make out, but you know it’s there. I'm really loving the music on this album, but it's like you need a magnifying glass for your ears to hear vocals on about half the songs. That might work with lonely teenage goths, but it just pisses me off. Track 7 is called A Forest and it was the only single released from the album. Holy crapballs, I love this song already. It sounds so good, music-wise. Plus, we can actually hear the vocals on this one. I can see why this band has such a huge following. Besides making great music, it’s one of those bands that if you know, you know. But even if you really don’t know, and you just think you know, that’s enough to be put under The Cure’s spell. Some critics said this song is the best representation of their gothic rock phase. Like most of the other songs, it sounds like it’s from the 80s, but if you told me it was released in 2024, I’d believe you. The Cure feels, or sounds, timeless to me. Track 8 is called M, and it sounds a bit different from the other songs thus far. The guitars are a bit more jangly. The song was written for Smith’s girlfriend, now wife, Mary. Hmmm, bet you didn’t expect that, did you? Yep, even Robert Smith writes songs to get girls. Anyway, it’s a good song. It probably means a lot to Mary more than me, but I don't think it quite matches up to the music we’ve already heard. Track 9 is At Night and it’s got some fuzz in the guitar. It seems Smith loves writing about isolation. I can see how young folks deeply connect to these lyrics. All young folks at one time or another feel lost, lonely, and isolated. Like they’re freaks going through something no one has ever gone through before. It’s a part of growing up. So, when you hear a song that touches on what you’re going through, that band or singer becomes your ride or die. Smith seemed to really know how to write about what young folks go through. Probably because he was young at the time, or just past being young. It seems he was right around 19-20 years old when writing and recording these songs. The song, after starting out really well, falls off at the end. Still a cool song, but not as fuzzy and garage-rocky as I was hoping for. Track 10 is the title track, Seventeen Seconds. We’ve got those jangly guitars at the beginning. This song kind of hits me with a bit of Pink Floyd influence. This song sounds like it’s about suicide. The Cure got accused of being responsible for kids' depression and suicide. Smith pointed out that the songs were written to help the band with the same depressive thoughts and desires. Just a powerful song. Not my favorite on the album, though. Well, that was quick. The album was just 35 minutes, which is perfect for an album about death, isolation, loneliness, and everything else depressing. However, it sounded great. I get how The Cure became a huge band. I’d also recommend this album as a must-listen. It’s a great starting point for goth rock. Who knows, this might have been the music you have been looking for your whole life.

This album is right in my wheelhouse. I was there for her rise into superstardom, at least solo superstardom. I just assumed she was always a superstar, but after she got away from Ike Turner, the poster boy for abusive husbands, her solo career went nowhere. But fate wanted Tina Turner to win, and along comes this rocketship called Private Dancer. Private Dancer came out in 1984. I was 10 years old that year, so I wasn’t fully into my metal years. I was still a dumb kid who listened to pop radio, or more likely country radio, at that time. However, you couldn’t escape Tina Turner and the singles off this album. I’m just hoping that hearing all those songs over and over in my formative years doesn’t squelch my enjoyment of listening to them today. Let’s see. Track 1 is I Might Have Been Queen and it sounds like the 80s, but it’s funky. It kind of sounds like the Eurythmics music. I like it. Very 1980s inspirational music playing in the chorus. Not a bad way to open the album. Track 2 is What’s Love Got To Do With It, a song I feel like I’ve heard 100,000 times. This was the first U.S. single issued from the album. There were seven singles in all released from the album, though three were just released in the United Kingdom and one was released in all of Europe. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t eventually end up on U.S. radio or MTV. This song is a good song, very reggae-sounding. It has the same 80s sound that track 1 did. I've heard it so much that it is what it is by this point. Track 3 is Show Some Respect and it sounds a little more like her stuff with Ike Turner. However, the music is being played with 80s instruments, so you have the weird synth sounds and electronic drums. The guitar does sound nice and mean, assuming it too isn’t a synth. I’m disgusted with myself as I feel like I’m getting into this song the longer it plays. I have no idea why. It’s a good song, I guess. Kids today want to talk about rizz? Tina Turner had rizz. She has so much, she’s making me like this song. Track 4 is I Can’t Stand the Rain and yes, it’s the song from the Missy Elliot song, though not this particular version. The song was originally recorded by Ann Peebles in 1973. I guess Tina’s producers thought they needed to update a song with all of the goofy electric instruments they had in the studio. Again, if it wasn’t Tina Turner, I’d quit listening to this song and possibly this album. It’s a shame Tina Turner couldn’t sell records without resorting to the current sound on the radio in 1984. Track 5 is Better Be Good To Me. It was the fourth single off the album. It was a top 5 song in the U.S. It starts out with machines making the sound of machines. I assume this song is about Ike? Maybe not, it wasn’t written by Tina. I’m not sure Tina was a songwriter. She has no writing credits on the album. Again, Tina’s charisma, down to her adlibs, really elevates the music on this album and especially this song. Track 6 is Let’s Stay Together and I’m sure you’ve heard this song, and if you haven’t, stop reading and go find Al Green’s version. You’ll thank me. Why anyone would want to remake a classic, perfect song is beyond me. But maybe Tina and her producers found a new angle. Ugh. They essentially turned it into elevator music. I hate this so much. Tina sounds fine, but the music has taken what was soulful out of the song and replaced it with what I assume satan uses to torture souls in hell. It’s so bland and just gross. I’m skipping ahead. Track 7 is 1984, and I must admit, I just want to quit listening to this album. 1984 was written by David Bowie, who loved Tina snf helped her in her solo endeavors. This song sounds like the time period, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Tina is singing the hell out of this song. Damn, I really like this song. I think they could’ve released it as a single. It sounded more like a rock song, and Tina sang it that way. May be the best song on the album. But it was a Bowie song, so, of course, it would be great. Track 8 is Steel Claw, and it has a bit of a rock sound. It gives me Jim Steinman vibes, you know, the songwriter for Meatloaf. This sounds like that 1980s Bryan Adams, Loverboy type hard rock. I think this could have been a rock hit if released as a single. Just when I was ready to trash this album, I got back-to-back, really interesting songs. Track 9 is Private Dancer, and it’s seven minutes long. I assume the one I heard all those years ago was a radio edit. This song doesn’t start so in your face with the 80s production. It’s very tasteful with a beautiful piano as the lead instrument. This song, while it sounds like the 80s, mutes the overblown production and it's quite a good song. Fun fact: Mark Knopfler, of Dire Straits, wrote the song, and guitar god Jeff Beck played the guitar solo in the song. Is your mind blown? Mine was. Damn, that was a great solo by Beck. This song is probably the best on the album, though I loved 1984 and Steel Claw a lot. It’s just a solid song with no frills. If you’re an 80s music fan, you’ll probably dig this album, but…wait a minute. I’m listening to the 30th anniversary edition, and Tina recorded a cover of The Beatles’ Help. This is a great cover version. It’s slowed down and sung more as an R&B jam. It’s a sad song now, rather than an upbeat, fun pop song. Just a gospel piano and some bad-sounding drums with a choir helping Tina with the vocals. This album is so weird. Now here comes the sitcom theme song music saxophone to play a solo. This song is going off the rails now. Don’t listen to this album, it’s not worth the three, maybe four decent songs. I assume this is on the list because of her commendable escape from Ike Turner and her career resurrection. I love Tina Turner, but this album can kick rocks.

Oh boy. This is an album I could write about without listening to because I’ve already heard it about 10,000 times. I bought this album on cassette as a sophomore in high school, I believe. I bought it solely off the single, Hard To Handle. That song was a jam, but I later found out that the album was full of great songs. The Black Crowes, to give you an idea of their vibe, were like the U.S. version of Oasis, except where Oasis copied the Beatles, the Black Crowes copied the Rolling Stones, at least the Stones circa 1968-1978. The album opens with Twice As Hard, the third single off the album. By the time this came out as a single, you knew what you were going to get with the Black Crowes. Great bluesy guitars, including an amazing slide guitar, and the bluesy voice of singer Chris Robinson. I think Chris Robinson has one of the best voices in rock and roll. You can hear his influences in his vocal stylings, but he has a voice all his own. His brother, Rich Robinson, hence the Oasis comparison, is the perfect complement to his voice. He’s a great blues-rock player. He and his brother wrote all the songs, except for the cover songs. The cover songs were both Otis Redding songs. If you’re going to cover someone, you might as well cover the best. Track 2 is Jealous Again, and the way the guitars play off each other perfectly makes this song. This was the first single off the album, and if you liked this, you were going to fall in love with the Black Crowes. They were simple without being boring. This song has a great blues piano playing throughout that accents the guitars so well. There’s a great little breakdown in the middle where it’s just the brothers performing, Rich’s guitar and Chris’s vocals. One of my favorite songs off the album. Hell, I like all the songs on this album. Track 3 is called Sister Luck and it sounds like it could have been an unreleased track from Sticky Fingers. The first real slow song on the album, but that’s okay because the Black Crowes can do soulful, sad songs too. The song also has dueling organ and piano throughout the song. The organ provides more of a vibe, while the piano gets to solo a bit at the end. Just the kind of song that warms you up. One of those sad songs that actually makes you feel good. Track 4 is Could I’ve Been So Blind and it has that same bluesy, Stones feel to it. During the verses, there’s almost a punk sound to the song. The guitars are chunky and uptempo as Robinson sings about being a liar and cheater to his girl. Track 5 is Seeing Things and it was the fifth single off the album. I love this song. It’s very slow and sad. It’s a sad song that makes you sad when you listen to it. The organ playing in this song provides most of the sadness, though Rich’s guitar work is fantastic. Chris Robinson sings the song like he’s making up the lyrics on the spot and just singing from the heart. Just a powerful R&B song. The chorus also has a choir backing up Chris Robinson, and it puts the song over the top. Brilliant. Track 6 is Hard To Handle and I’d say this was the song that really blew them up. It’s an Otis Redding cover, and the video was fun, showing them on tour and just dancing with folks out in the street. This song is one of my favorite songs, period, not just on the album. The guitar solos are sharp, Chris Robinson’s vocals are incredible, and it’s just a fun party song. It really gets you fired up. Track 7 is Thick ‘N’ Thin and it’s another uptempo, almost punk at times, rocker. The song talks about the rock star lifestyle of that period of time. There’s a nice breakdown in the middle, bringing things down only to bring them back up to blast off to the end. Great rock song. Track 8 is She Talks To Angels and it’s a beautiful song about a girl Chris Robinson knew who was into heroin. The song features Rich Robinson on acoustic guitar with a mournful organ really holding everything together. It’s a sad song, and in the right mood, I can see this turning people into a blubbering heap. Though not me, of course. This song was made for Chris Robinson’s voice. The soulfulness, the scratchiness, it’s perfect. This was also a single, by the way. It was number one on a couple of Billboard rock charts and got to 30 on the Hot 100 chart. Track 9 is Struttin’ Blues, and it never quite hit for me like the other songs on the album. Maybe it’s because She Talks To Angels is so powerful that anything following it would not hit quite as hard. The song is really good, but I think the previous song kind of takes all your emotional energy, and it’s hard to get back to rocking so quickly. By the end, it brings you back into rock mode, and it finishes with a blistering solo by Rich Robinson. Last track is Stare It Cold and it’s another great Stones’ imitation. I keep mentioning the Stones when it comes to the Black Crowes. I’m quite certain that when they first came around, they also garnered comparisons to Aerosmith, though early, bluesy Aerosmith. Not the pop balladeers they eventually became. This album is just straight fire, as the kids say. I love it, and have always loved it. I also love their second, third, and fourth albums. I think the Black Crowes are criminally underrated when it comes to the biggest bands of the 1990s. Of course, the brothers hating each other for several decades didn’t help their legacy, but they’re back and hopefully ready to start fresh. This album is a must-listen, and if you’ve never heard it, I envy you because you’ll get that feeling the rest of us got when we first heard it.

The debut solo album by the self-titled father of rock and roll, though almost everyone else calls him the Architect of Rock and Roll. I love Little Richard. His story is fascinating and at times heartbreaking. It seems he could never truly be who he really was, except when he was on stage. We start off the album with his best-known song, Tutti-Frutti. Rock and roll was so fun and dangerous back then, and Tutti Frutti is one of those first songs that I can see causing problems. Little Richard had so much charisma. I can understand how people first heard this and lost their minds, both kids and adults. This song started a bunch of the kind of weird copycat rock music tropes early on, like a nonsense title or a nonsense chant of sorts, like “A-wop-bop-a-loo-mop-a-lop-bam-boom!” In early rock music, it wasn’t the guitar that was the main instrument, but a piano or a saxophone. Early rock records all seemed to have a sax solo. The songs, though the lyrics all sounded like nonsense, were all about sex. In fact, Tutti Frutti was originally, “Tutti Frutti, good booty If it don't fit, don't force it You can grease it, make it easy” I miss the days when writers had to be careful or sneaky about how they wrote about sex. These days, you just come right out and sing openly about it. There’s no subtlety. I can’t imagine that many white folks knew what Tutti Frutti was about or had been about when they heard it. Though I’d say most white adults still didn’t like it. It’d be quite a while before Little Richard would get his due for his part in creating rock and roll. Anyway, I digress. Tutti Frutti is a great song. It’s almost wholesome now and always gets you fired up. One of the problems I face while listening to older rock and roll albums like this is that I’ve heard so much over my lifetime. When I listen to a song like Track 2, True Fine Mama, I find my ears kind of glazing over. It sounds like every 50s rock song that wasn’t huge like Tutti Frutti. Once Little Richard and those early pioneers invented the blueprint, every hack who knew how to carry a tune or play the piano had his own copycat song hitting the record stores. Now, most of those people were just that, hacks, and they, over time, fell by the wayside, while Little Richard continued to make good music. Here, Little Richard has 12 songs, with four songs I’m sure I’ve heard and are looked at as classics. The rest? Filler? I think of music at that time as a singles-based business in which acts released singles and then recorded an album to just sell those same hit singles again. They just sold them in a different package with a lot of filler to surround the hits. Some of those songs weren't just filler in the end, but they were probably looked at it that way at the time of recording. OR, they were just throwing things against the wall to see what would stick and maybe become a surprise hit. The term album track, a song that wasn’t released as a single, but became a well know radio classic, didn’t really become a thing until the 1970s, I assume. In the early days of rock and roll, or even just pop music, if it wasn’t on the radio, did anyone even really pay attention to the song? I know I bought albums as a kid and spent my time fast-forwarding or skipping ahead to the singles I bought the album for, rather than “wasting” my time listening to the songs that weren’t good enough to make the radio. Track 3 is I Can’t Believe You Want to Leave and it sounds like Blueberry Hill. During the verses, it sounds exactly like it, and I bet there are 10,000 songs or more that used Fats Domino’s blueprint to fill out their albums. I’ll also admit, old 50s rock and roll that sounds like this kind of bums me out for some reason. The good news about these so-called blueprint songs is that they rarely last over two minutes. Track 4 is Ready Teddy and it’s basically Tutti Frutti with new lyrics, but I actually like it better than Tutti Frutti. Little Richard has this way of sounding like a freight train careening off the rails, but he always stays on track somehow. He’s controlled chaos. This song is great. His singing is more like screaming in parts, and it’s perfect. I’m ready, Teddy, to rock and roll. Track 5 is Baby and it’s more of a straight blues song with a rock and roll sheen. Piano and sax driven with Little Richard screaming. He just sounds like what the spirit of rock and roll is. He’s beautiful, but dangerous. He projects he's a Godly man, but there’s a heathen inside. Track 6 is Sippin’ and Slidin’ (Peepin’ and a Hidin’), and I wondered if I’d heard this before. I don’t think I have, but it sounds like it would be on this album. I will admit, the more I hear of the “filler” songs, the more I like them. Just because they are essentially filler songs doesn’t mean they can’t be any good. This song had an especially great sax solo. But you’ve heard this song 1,000 times. Track 7 is Long Tall Sally (Thing), and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the song listed like that. Thing? What’s that about? This song is a song covered by the Kinks and the Beatles, who both released versions of it. The song was also a staple for bands to cover live in concert for decades. The story is that a girl brought the song to a disc jockey to give to Little Richard. The girl thought that if Little Richard recorded her song, the publishing money would help her pay for an operation for her Aunt Mary. After working on the song for a little while, Little Richard recorded it. Track 10 is Rip It Up, and it’s another song I know I’ve heard before, and is looked at as a classic. This song actually has Little Richard singing softly in spots, but he’s screaming later on. You can really see how he influenced the singing style of Paul McCartney. Again, this song was covered by all kinds of people. It seems that Little Richard was the creator of rock and roll, and like most of the black music creators, it wasn’t until a white man covered the song that it was able to really crossover into the mainstream. There are all kinds of ways to look at that, both good and bad, but I think it's always a good thing to give credit where credit is due, and with no Little Richard, I’m not sure where rock and roll, if it even existed, would be today. The last song on the album, track 12, is She’s Got It, and truthfully, it sounds like most of the songs on the album. I think in those days, songwriters just cranked out songs like an assembly line, waiting to see which ones would hit. I know that at Motown, a song might get passed around by two or three groups before it finally became a hit. Is this a must-listen? If for no other reason than if you don't know Little Richard, you should do yourself a favor and check this album out. It's great fun, and you get to hear a true pioneer at work.

’ve been into the Gorillaz since they began, though I’ll admit that I don’t listen to them much. They’re one of those bands that when a new album comes out, I’ll listen to it for about a month or so, but after that, I may never listen to it again. It’s like I forget how much I enjoy their music. Then I’ll hear it again randomly and think, “Why am I not listening to more of this? This is great.” I have several bands like this, bands that might be my favorite bands ever, but I never listen to. Anyway, Gorillaz is a concept band, and when they debuted, I thought we were heading toward a bunch of bands like this. Gorillaz are essentially a virtual band born out of Blur’s Damon Albarn's and comic artist Jamie Hewlett's minds. Later, Albarn brought in Dan “The Automator” Nakamura to help write the music and add another musician to , Gorillaz is made up of 2-D on vocals, Murdoc on bass, Noodle on guitar and other instruments and Russell on drums. Outside of Albarn, the group collaborated with other artists to make a hybrid of hip-hop, rock, and electronic music. It’s alt-rock, I guess. Gorillaz debuted in 2001 and was nothing like Albarn’s previous music from Blur. You still heard his voice, but the music was more hip-hop or trip-hop, as some might call it. At the time of Gorillaz's debut, I was sensing a dearth of solid rock and roll as all rock bands were trying to sound like the next White Stripes or the next Godsmack, so I was looking for music that sounded different or weird. I then heard the first single off the album, Clint Eastwood, and I thought, “What’s this here?” There was a familiarity to the song, probably the very loose interpretation of the whistled line from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. But it also sounded so weird. Albarn sang the hook, and that hook sank in deep. Such a great song. Del the Funky Homosapien rapped the verses. Plus, the video was amazing. The song works better with the video. This would be one of the first bands, if not the first, whose music was created with the video in mind. At this time, MTV was just starting to slip away and become Ridiculousness TV. So you could still see music videos, and a cartoon band kind of relies on the visual medium to get its message across. I bought the album after I heard Clint Eastwood, and to be honest, I kind of expected all the songs to be Clint Eastwood. I should have known better. The album starts out with Re-Hash, which is closer to a song you might hear from Blur. It’s got hip-hop elements, but an acoustic guitar lays the main riff. Miho Hatori also sings on the song. Track 2 is 5/4 and it's even more like a rock song. It’s got a great riff propelling it forward, with Albarn’s vocals again singing. I love this song. It’s got electronic music as the bed, but it’s a rock song. do Track 3 is Tomorrow Comes Today and it was the fourth single off the album. This song has a meoldica on it, as does many Gorillaz songs. It’s almost a signature instrument for the group, though it’s used sparingly. Albarn plays it. I’ll admit, I have no memory of the video for this song, but after viewing it, it’s not as good as most of their videos. It’s a very chill song with messages about paranoia and how you can be trapped by fame. Fortunately, I’m not in that trap. Track 4, New Genius (Brother), is a slow blues jam of all things. Albarn sings the verses in this high falsetto. The song samples a Bo Diddley song called Hit Or Miss. It’s very different from everything so far on the album, but it isn’t. It fits, as it’s a very chill song. The song warns about trusting strangers. Track 8, Sound Check (Gravity) is what I’d call trip-hop. It’s an “instrumental,” I guess you’d call it. Albarn does sing a hook of sorts. Otherwise, it’s all samples and beats with a cello that really makes things sound ominous. Track 9, Double Bass, is also an instrumental. It has even fewer vocals than New Geniius. It sounds like what I imagine a hipster robot would create in his virtual dorm room at college. Albarn was really smart in the singles they chose, as those songs were clearly the best songs on the album, or at least the most accessible. The third single off the album, Rock the House, and it's almost part 2 of Clint Eastwood as Del the Funky Homosapien is back rapping, and even the music video seems to pick up after the Eastwood video. I never dove (or is it dived?) into the Gorillaz to see if there are other videos for non-singles or a whole other video world beyond what I’ve seen on MTV or YouTube. That might be an interesting deep dive. Track 11 is 19-2000, and I immediately recognize the song. It seems the song is also known as Get the Cool Shoeshine. It is a nice, poppy, happy song. It is definitely an outlier when it comes to the mood of this album. Albarn is singing on the song, but he has help from Hatori and Tina Weymouth on the Get the Cool Shoeshine part. It’s a really fun song. As I finish up the album, I realize this just didn’t hit me the way I thought it would, or had when I heard it in 2001. I’m beginning to wonder if this was the album I was thinking about. Age tends to erase the chalkboard of your mind. I think maybe it was Demon Days that I'm remembering. I can’t keep the albums straight, of which there are nine. Albums two and three are my favorites. I recommend listening to this album, or at least Clint Eastwood and 19-2000. I’d rather you listen to Demon Days or Plastic Beach and circle back to their debut. While this album is a worthwhile listen, Gorillaz get much better from here.

This is a big one. I entered my Metallica fandom through the Columbia House record and tape club. Or in my case, I think it might have been the CD club. I assume the statute of limitations has all expired by this point. I got Metallica’s …And Justice for All, and I wasn’t ready for it. It came as one of the new albums that the club would send you. You only had to buy like three albums to complete your membership, but they didn’t inform me that each album would cost around $1,200. So, up theirs. I never paid for one of the albums they sent me, and after not paying for any albums they sent, funnily enough, they quit sending me albums. I got And Justice and listened to it. I fell asleep after about three songs. Plus, I hated James Hetfield’s voice. I hadn’t learned to appreciate the finer points of growling or yelling lyrics. I still haven’t when it comes to most modern metal or hardcore bands. I ended up selling And Justice to a friend, and I was never going to get into Metallica. Then, during another foray into The Club a little while later, I was sent Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All Remastered. I thought, “Oh boy, not another Metallica album.” This one was a CD. I listened to it, Hetfield was still yelling, but then I heard their cover of Diamond Head’s Am I Evil, which starts with a blistering solo from lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and then chunky riffs from both Hammett and Hetfield, and a new Metallica fan was born. After Kill 'Em All, I then started buying all the Metallica albums up to that point. Master of Puppets could have very well been the next album I bought, I really can't remember. I just know I loved it. Track one is Battery, and the band tries to batter your ears with LOUD, pulsating, speedy riffs, and it’s incredible. I’d never heard an album sound as this album did. Though I would listen to Ride the Lightning after hearing this album, and the production was pretty much the same. Listening to this song makes me want to pound my desk as hard as I can with my fists. I’d thought maybe this song was about domestic abuse and how a father batters a family, and then the son grows up to carry on that “tradition” and batters his family. “Pounding out aggression, turns into obsession. Cannot kill the family, battery is found in me.” Or it could be about war, which was a theme Hetfield loved to write about. Track 2 is Master of Puppets, and it’s probably their masterpiece, if not for Enter Sandman, maybe. The song is about drugs and how addiction is your master. I can imagine Hetfield, this big, tough guy, hating himself for being a poet. For being vulnerable enough to put his feelings out to the masses in song. Maybe that’s what led to all the booze? Anyway, there’s not one person alive who doesn’t know Master of Puppets. You may not know it’s by Metallica, but you’ve heard it. My favorite line? “Chop your breakfast on a mirror.” Brilliant. While this song is heavy and scary, the middle section has such a brilliant, slow, beautiful section. I wonder if that’s when the puppet gets his fix, and the world is gone and he’s in his comfortable cocoon. Believe me, I’ve not really given much thought to Metallica songs, lyrically. I come for the chunky guitars and aggression. But I imagine there’s a method to their madness in these long, almost operatic, pieces of music. When you hear a song 12,439 times, you pick up on the lyrics, though. Track 3 is The Thing That Should Not Be, and it’s HEAVY. This song is about a familiar subject to the Metallica boys, or at least Hetfield, H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu. Ordinarily, this would be my favorite song on the album as I love the huge, slow riffage of doom metal, but there’s something about the song that always kept me at arm’s length. Maybe I have a fear of Cthulhu from childhood? But I can’t deny it’s a badass song and probably the heaviest on the album. Track 4 is Welcome Home (Sanitarium) and it’s maybe the actual scariest song on the album. It’s also based on the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which is set in an insane asylum. The lyrics are angry and sad at the same time. A man frustrated with his lot in life until he figures, why not just give in to the voices? “Fear of living on Natives getting restless now Mutiny in the air Got some death to do Mirror stares back hard Kill, it's such a friendly word Seems the only way For reaching out again.” After around four minutes of a slower, almost more menacing song, the intensity and the heaviness ramp up. Great song, and it’s no wonder it’s a live show highlight. Track 5 is Disposable Heroes, and it’s about war and the ease with which old men in power treat the young as disposable plastic toy soldiers to wage their wars. “Soldier boy, made of clay Now an empty shell Twenty one, only son But he served us well Bred to kill, not to care Do just as we say Finished here, greetings death He's yours to take away.” Songs like these always seem to bubble up into importance about every 15 to 20 years, it seems. The music is incredible, the lyrics powerful. This album is full of the best of Metallica, or at least of this iteration of Metallica, as the tour for this album will cost the band, arguably, their most important member, bassist, Cliff Burton. Track 6 is Leper Messiah and it’s about a subject that resonates deep within me, using God and Jesus as a grift. It makes my skin crawl to see these charlatans on TV or now, online, preach their gospel, and naive, easily manipulated people find themselves fleeced or influenced by these frauds. I feel like these days, we can also label politicians as leper messiahs. I don’t want my Jesus mixed up with money or politics. “Send me money, send me green, heaven you will meet Make a contribution, and you'll get a better seat Bow to Leper Messiah.” Track 7 is Orion, and it’s an instrumental essentially to highlight Burton’s bass playing. I always looked at Burton kind of as the older brother of the rest of the Metallica guys. He was a little older, maybe a little more well-read, a little more worldly. He was, of course, killed in the bus accident in Europe, but one wonders what would have become of Metallica had he been there to temper Hetfield and Lars Ulrich’s ideas for the band, and where the band would go in the future. I’ve heard people say Burton would have never wanted them to go the route of the Black Album, but who knows. Bands have to grow and mature, or they’ll stagnate. Look at AC/DC. They’re one of my all-time favorite bands, but after For Those About To Rock, they haven't made an album with more than one or two tracks worth listening to. Except Razor’s Edge, of course. Their music essentially all sounds the same. IT's not horrible, for the most part, it's just derivative of their peak. Orion is a beautiful song, and it makes me sad that Burton wasn’t able to share the joy and pain of being the biggest band in the world with his mates. Though who knows if in that timeline they would have become as huge as they did. Orion does a good job of bringing us down for track 10, Damage Inc. I love this song so much. The beginning sounds weird and backwards, but it also has the same vibe as Orion. Then it’s full on fire in the face. The song is about pure aggression and non-stop violence. Not a them you want your fans to take up as their charge, but for a stadium full of people getting out their aggression in life? It’s perfect. I love the whispered “Damage Incorporated" chorus. This song, like the opener Battery, is just fast fast fast. Even the half-time part in the middle of the song is faster than most doubletime parts in other rock songs. Hammett’s solo shines in this song, but it shines throughout the album. I hadn't mentioned anything about Ulrich's drumming. It's fine. I think Ulrich sometimes gets a bad rap for his drumming. On the albums, it's mostly good, or what's needed. Live, however, Ulrich can struggle and relies on his main licks most of the time. But he is the best drummer for Metallica. With no Ulrich, you have no Metallica. So I'll take mediocre drums for a full Metallica legacy. As you can probably guess, I love this album. It’s not my favorite Metallica album, that’s And Justice, yes, I ended up coming around on it after later listens. Master of Puppets is probably my second favorite, depending on the day. This is a must-listen album. Even if you don’t like aggressive thrash metal, it’s worth delving into one time if, for nothing else than to broaden your horizons. Who knows? You may find your new favorite band, like I did all those years ago.

Oh boy. I remember when Arrested Development came onto the scene in 1992. Gangsta rap was on top of the world in hip-hop, and I guess some record executive thought a rap collective like AD would be good counter-programming, as the group was more alternative rap that focused on social issues and subjects that were important to black communities. In fact, one reviewer referred to them as “anti-gangsta rap.” At the time, I’m not sure that it helped or hindered the group. The album’s title refers to the amount of time it took to record the album and get it ready for release. I can tell you that at the time, I was a senior in high school and heading into the home stretch of my high school career. By this point, I was way into Metallica, the last days of hair metal, and slowly getting into the new alternative rock scene that was "grunge." Though I blamed "grunge" for cutting the hair of hair metal. I was also into gangsta rap as it felt new and dangerous. And for some country boys in rural Kentucky, it was our only glimpse into the inner city. It was also funny at times and just wild to hear all the f'n and jeff'n in the lyrics. The first song I heard from AD was Tennessee, which was the first single off the album. I hated it. Not sure I ever listened to it all the way through one time. It was boring. Let’s see if 35 years have changed things. Arrested Development is made up of Todd Thomas, aka Speech, and Timothy Barnwell, aka Headliner. Speech is a rapper, and Headliner is a “turntablist.” I could have sworn there were like three or four others in the group, but it seems it’s mainly Speech and Headliner. Track 1 is Man’s Final Frontier, and it’s the stereotypical opening to a debut album by a hip-hop group. You aren’t prepared for what you are about to hear. It’s the greatest thing ever in the history of the universe. Stuff like that. Then the song transfers over to the usual late 80s hip-hop music built off of samples. At this point in time, it’s a bit dated. We never thought it would happen. The greatest rap group in the world has arrived.... and will soon depart. Track 2 is Mama’s Always on Stage and it is a bit bluesy with record scratching. The song has a good message. It’s about how the community should rally around the single mothers who decided to have their baby, rather than terminate it. The community should help raise the child and use their collective wisdom to nurture and protect both the mother and the child. Not a bad song, an even better idea. Track 3 is People Everyday and this song sounds like 1990s hip-hop. The music is based on the Sly and the Family Stone song Everyday People. I liked this song alright. You can easily understand the rapping, which I miss in today’s mumbling, BS they call hip-hop. The song is about violence in the inner city and respect and how silly things lead to shootings. Just like the movie Friday. That’s all I could think about was the Craig and Deebo altercation. Not sure if this song tempered tempers, but I think in today’s climate, this kind of stuff isn’t just in the black communities. I think these days people of all colors and creeds are a little meaner, but they’re not tougher. I liked the song alright, I’m just pleased to be able to understand the lyrics. Track 4 is Blues Happy, and Speech introduces all the members of the band, of which I thought there were only two. Oh, this is a 30-second interstitial. Track 5 is Mr. Wendal, and it sounds familiar. It was the third single off the album. It uses another sample from Sly and the Family Stone, this time from the song Sing a Simple Song. Mr. Wendal is about a homeless man whom most people don’t treat with humanity or dignity, just because he’s down on his luck. Again, I like this song, but is it because I like Sly and the Family Stone? That’s the thing with hip-hop that uses samples. You use a great song and people are more likely to connect their nostalgic feelings to that song and like your song. But it’s cheating. I'm looking at you Rob Ritchie. Track 6 is Children Play With Earth and there’s a woman yelling at me about how our kids are spending too much time playing Nintendo and not enough time digging in the dirt. I agree. I think we as human beings have lost our connection to nature, and it’s really messed with the collective unconscious. Maybe I’m wrong, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I find myself agreeing with most of the sentiments of the songs on this album, but the music is kind of boring. As songs, they’re mid, as ideas, they’re interesting, if not a little old-fashioned at this point. Who among us doesn’t think video games or phones are a scourge to children? Or thinks we should stop thinking murder first when there are disagreements? I think that’s pretty universal. Track 7 is Raining Revolution and it’s another okay song. I think the music is more for the people of that time. Maybe AD was way ahead of their time. There are some critics who looked at AD as the originators of Southern rap. At this time, we had the rap wars of New York versus Los Angeles, East Coast versus West Coast. I was always certain the beef was like pro wrestling and 2-Pac and Biggie were on the phone every night trying to figure out new angles to make people buy into the ruse. Unfortunately, they worked themselves into a shoot, literally, as someone decided there needed to be a death to really cement the idea that there was a feud. Again, why couldn’t you just punch someone in the mouth instead of shooting them dead? I digress. This album is rather boring. Track 8 is Fishin’ 4 Religion and it’s about how hopes and prayers sometimes aren’t enough. Speech believes just praying for a change won’t do anything if you don’t practice an active faith and go out into the world and be the change you want to see. Put feet on those prayers as my Pappaw would say. The song’s message is great, but the music is blah. I’m skipping right to the big single off the album, Tennessee. I remember hearing this song on MTV 24/7. Apparently, Speech lost his grandma and brother in a quick succession, and this song is him praying for strength from God to handle the pain and sorrow. Again, love the sentiment, but I loathe the song. I don’t know if I’m just off today, but I didn’t enjoy this album. It’s just boring. For people who love hip-hop with more of a social bent, you might love this. The music is wildly outdated at this point and is caught between the 80s and what was to come from Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Not a must-listen for me, but if you like hip-hop and have never heard of AD, check it out.

I love Madonna. I can remember sitting in my grandparents' house watching the 1984 MTV Movie Awards on one of the three channels they had back then. You know the show I'm talking about. The one in which Madonna performed Like a Virgin in her lace lingerie, rolling around on the stage. Whoa boy! I’m not sure how that memory is burned into my mind…I mean, I know why, but my grandparents didn’t have cable, and this was way before DirecTV. I assume CBS or another channel aired an edited version of it. I digress. I always loved Madonna. She had hits, nice, big, spectacular hits. And even though I was a metalhead and probably never bought a Madonna album, I loved the singles. Then, as we both got older, I kind of aged out of Madonna right around the time Ray of Light came out. Beyond the title track, I’m not sure I really know any songs off this album. And because this album is one of the many times Madonna reinvented herself, I’m excited to hear what she sounds like reinvented with electronic music of the 21st century. Track 1 is Drowned World/Substitute for Love, and I already love the mysteriousness of it. There she is. Madonna has an unmistakable voice. She isn’t the best singer in the world. She has no Mariah Carey range, but she only got stronger as a singer as she moved on through her career. What she lacks in technicality, she more than makes up for with emotion and character in her voice. The song is quite sad. She’s basically going over the list of things she’s traded for love, either from a partner, or a child, or God, maybe all three. At the end of the song, she finds the love she’d been substituting for and decides to accept that love over all the other things. This was the third single off the album. Track 2 is Swim, and I love the music. The music isn’t there to be the focus. It’s just giving Madonna a chance to shine. In fact, the music is actually kind of sparse. There isn’t a lot going on. This album so far sounds like one you’d put on after a long day to just relax and chill to. Track 3 is the title track, Ray of Light and it was the second single. It’s very bright and energetic. It’s the total opposite of the first two tracks. This is a dance track. I can imagine DJs did 1,000 remixes of this song back in the day. The album was released in 1998. I could have sworn it was in the early to mid-2000s. It sounds like the early 2000s. This song makes me think of summer. Track 4 is Candy Perfume Girl and it sounds like a Beck song. This album is kind of all over the place, but it’s all connected in a way, so it’s not jarring. Most of the songs are credited to Madonna and producer William Orbit, but there are certain songs with another name or two credited. That may explain the different vibing songs. This song gets kind of heavy at the end. I feel like I’d hear this on an episode of Veronica Mars. Track 6 is Nothing Really Matters and I’m quite sure this isn’t a cover of the Metallica song of the same name. This is a pure old-school dance song. It was also the sixth and last single issued from the album. This song is the first song that sounds dated. I’m not sure that’s the word I’m looking for, but the beat and groove are more rooted in early 90s dance music and less in the 2000s. It may be that this album was one of the albums that pushed dance music forward in production, at least in the mainstream. Many critics believe this is peak Madonna, her magnum opus. The music is brilliant, and her lyrics are really good. They sound more personal than I'm used to hearing from her. This album was recorded after the birth of her first child, and I’m sure motherhood changed her in ways she may have never anticipated. I must say, I really am enjoying this album. I was a Madonna fan, but just a casual fan at best. I can see what all the hype was about. It’s great pop and dance music. Her voice is so strong on these songs. Track 9 is Frozen, and it too was a single. I love the start of this song with the strings swelling up as what sounds like an acoustic guitar plucking. I remember this song. It’s a beauty. This is less a dance song than a love song, or lack of love song, as Madonna’s lover has a frozen heart. If Madonna can’t melt your heart, you’ve obviously got a frozen brain as well. Of course, she could be a devil-woman, but I’d be willing to take that chance. Track 9 is The Power of Good-Bye and it’s also a single. These songs have all been homeruns when it comes to the music. It’s all electronic and robots, but when done right, it can be very satisfying. I’m not sure if this is the best Madonna album out there, but it sure sounds like it. I believe this is a must-listen album. It’s brilliant. I should have been listening to this 30 years ago. If you’re a fan of dance music or electronic music, this is an album for you.

Ugh. As much as I loathed Britney Spears’ Baby, One More Time, I feel like this one is going to be a short review. I never really liked any of these little pop teens that showed up in the late 90s/early 2000s, the Chrstinas, the Britneys, the Jessica Simpsons, the Mandy Moores. But what I really disliked was the underage teen boppers going from bubblegum pop to sex maniac when they hit 18 or 19. Christina was a genie in a bottle, and then for the next album, she was a what I can only surmise is a sex fighter. The video for her first single off Stripped was Dirrty, and it made it seem like she was in some sort of underground sex fighting ring. I guess she didn’t want to be seen as a little girl anymore. Which is fine, but 0 to XTina is an extreme overcorrect. Though I put the blame more squarely on the adults in the room, because she was essentially still just a kid. I also never cared much for her voice. I know it’s technically brilliant, like on Mariah levels, but she has a bad case of the runs in most of her songs. She can take a two-syllable word and make it a 10-syllable word, which is fine, but not every word in the song needs all that flair. Track 2 is Can’t Hold Us Down, which was a single off the album featuring Lil’ Kim. It sounds just like all the songs featuring rappers and singers from those days. I wonder if Kim and Christina were ever in the room at the same time? Track 3 is Walk Away and it features her growly, bluesy singing. She inspired a ton of less talented women to become pop stars. Good Lord, this album is one hour and 17 minutes long. The production is fine. The music sounds good. She starts track 4, Fighter, with her talking, and I hate talking in songs. Bret Michaels and Shania Twain are the top two offenders. Another thing that turned me off of Aguillera was that I don’t buy that she’s some chick from the streets who had to make her living through sex fighting. It’s the same reason I could never buy Carrie Underwood as the scorned girlfriend who would take a baseball bat to her cheating lover’s car or burn his house down. I watched Carrie Underwood on American Idol. She’s about as violent as Paula Abdul was coherent. Sorry, I’m not this guy. If you like Christina Aguilera, God bless you, but this just isn’t for me. Though I may go back and revisit the Dirrty video. You know, for old time’s sake. Nope, I tried to, but as soon as the video starts and we’re supposed to believe Aguillera is riding a dirt bike through the crowd with her little X underwear on, I become physically ill.

Have you ever gotten into a band, like in the middle of their run, like right after their huge album that made them superstars? And you listened to their next album over and over and over again, but then never really listened to another album by that band? U2 is that band for me. , U2 released the Joshua Tree and by the end of that, they were the biggest rock band in the world. I never listened to that album, though I had, of course, heard all the singles on the radio. Their next studio album was Achtung Baby. My older brother had a ton of cassettes, and Achtung Baby was one of those cassettes. I have no idea why, but I “borrowed” it and listened to it all spring of my senior year in high school. Then, when I finished listening to it, I never listened to another full album by U2 again. That seems weird to me, looking back now. Though I guess in those days, I was getting more into CDs, there was no Spotify, so you had to plunk down $20 or so to buy a CD, and unless it was an album with glowing reviews, or one of my favorite acts, I just didn’t buy it. However, sometimes I’d buy a CD if the album cover looked cool or the band had a cool name. I remember Stomp Box being a band I took a chance on, but it did not pay off. Though they toured around this area in Nashville and Bowling Green quite often. I digress. Track 1 is Zoo Station. Ah, yes, this was the Zoo tour or something like that. If U2 were the biggest band in the world at the time, this album and tour made them the biggest band in the universe. It was huge. It seems this album might have been the time U2 wanted to experiment a bit more than just drums, guitar, bass, and vocals. There is an effect on Bono’s voice, and the music is a bit electric. This song isn’t much and actually a bad start for the album, I think. Track 2 is Even Better Than The Real Thing, and I love this song. It was the fourth single off the album, and I remember it being everywhere for months. It charted in the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. The song is even more prescient today than it was in 1992. Everyone is seeking these short-term dopamine hits and not searching for true love, true connection, the real thing. There isn’t anything wrong with instant gratification, but don’t make it your factory setting. Great song, and the Edge’s classic guitar sound propels this song. Track 3 is One, and this was the monster hit off the album. Such a great song, sung with passion. The song is about relationships, but not necessarily between lovers. Bono wrote it during a time the band had issues that threatened to tear them apart. The song also reflected the reunification of Germany during that time. I think this song, if it were to come out today, would reflect the division that’s going on in our country and world right now. Whatever you want the song to be about, it’s a beautiful song and just written and played perfectly. Track 4 is Until The End of The World, and it opens with a killer bass line from Adam Clayton, followed by the signature tone of the Edge. The Edge, while he isn’t a flashy guitar player like Steve Vai, he's a great mood setter. Whereas a lot of guitar players in the late 80s used the adage that more is better, the Edge does more by playing less. His style is all tone and feel, though he does have a great guitar solo in this song. Maybe I was wrong about the Edge. He sure is showing off at the end of this song. Oh, wow. I thought I’d check out the lyrics, and as I read them, I noticed they were sung from the perspective of Judas Iscariot. “I took the money I spiked your drink... I kissed your lips and broke your heart.” U2, or at least Bono, isn’t shy about his Christian beliefs, and he’s a brilliant writer. Just listening along, you might never realize the subject of the song. It’s a great song, whether you know the subject or not, though. Track 5 is Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses and it was the last single off the album, though I’m not sure I remember this song. The chorus hits, and I remember this song now. It seems no one in the band liked this song. There were even a couple of producers who thought the song wasn’t quite finished before it was recorded and released. I wouldn’t say it's a bad song. It’s a big, arena rock song about breaking up. , which The band released a different version of the song called Temple Bar Remix on the 30th anniversary edition of Achtung Baby that they liked better than the original. Temple Bar Remix is less arena rock and more acoustic guitar and piano. However, both sound very similar. Track 6 is called So Cruel and it's another breakup song, though this one has a more new wave feel. It’s synths, electric drums, and a piano. Very sparse arrangement. Here comes The Edge. The build in this song is slow and quiet, but it’s so good. Track 7 is The Fly, and it was the first single and introduction to the new album, as it was released about a month before the album came out. Right away, the song sounds different from most U2 songs. Very funky, rock riff to start, and then Bono, as The Fly, begins almost rapping his lyrics. This is almost industrial rock. Apparently, U2 wanted to inject a little sex and moral ambiguity into their music, hence, The Fly. Life is messy, we all sin and make mistakes, sometimes big ones. But there is also a danger to pursuing perfection and fame. Bono describes The Fly as a phone call from Hell by someone who loves being there and is telling the other person on the end of the phone that more will join him, even those who portray themselves as perfect. Track 7 is Mysterious Ways and that opening riff is one of the best in rock history, in my opinion. I love this song. I can remember listening to this over and over. The song is about embracing love and the mysterious ways of a woman. I love the percussion in this song. This was the second single from the album, and it was as big as One was. That funky breakdown leading into the last minute of the song is brilliant. This song makes me feel happy. Track 12 is Love Is Blindness and it’s amazing. Just a slow-burning song about a failing relationship. It’s bleaker than most of the songs on here, but the Edge’s guitar work really shines. I was convinced this was a must-listen album in 1992. I assume this won’t be the last U2 album on the list. I reviewed Joshua Tree earlier in this journey, and I think I like it a bit better. But Achtung Baby is the album that really made me a fan. I think it’s a great album, and you should listen to Joshua Tree and then this back-to-back. You can hear what U2 was and what they would go on to become in a matter of three to four years.

I can tell you as a kid, I wasn’t into K.D. Lang. In fact, I’m not even sure what kind of music she makes. Is it country? Is it adult contempo? I’m not sure, but in 1992, when this album came out, I was not into her at all. This was my hair metal/Metallica years. With that being said, I’m really curious to hear what she sounds like. I have only a vague memory of Constant Craving in the back of my head, which is on this album. Track 1 is Save Me and it's giving me a Hawaiian vibe. It’s the steel guitar. Our good pal, Wikipedia, said Lang was hugely influenced by singer/actor Marlene Dietrich at the time of recording this album. Oh wow, Lang can sing. I guess I knew that, but this song is very good. Save Me Save me from you But pave me A way to you That explains the song right there, I think. One of those I’m drowning in love and need to be saved, but at the same time, I’d rather drown and see if it’s heaven. I really liked that song. Fun fact, Madeline Kahn in Blazing Saddles was spoofing Dietrich, and the song she sang in the movie, I’m Tired, was a spoof of Dietrich’s Falling in Love Again. At least I think it’s Falling In Love Again. Dietrich was a hell of a dame. Hawaiian Track 2 is The Mind of Love which was the third single off the album. This song sounds very much like a song from the 70s from a singer/songwriter type. But not a folk artist, a pop artist like Carole King. This song doesn’t sound Hawaiin. It has a great string section, and to me, it adds the 70s pop vibe to it. I know it’s weird, and maybe it’s not, but this sounds like a Queens of the Stone Age song to me. There’s something about it. It’s the same chords or maybe the same singing style as Josh Homme. Another great song. Track 3 is Miss Chatelaine, and it was the second single off the album. Again, strings or violins are playing, notice I didn’t say fiddles. I kind of thought K.D. Lang was a country artist, and maybe she was on her first album, as this was her second album. She uses a lot of the instruments you’d have heard in country music in 1992, but she is more of a classical artist? I mean, that in the sense that Laufey, who you need to get into, isn’t a pop artist in the traditional sense. When I think of Lafey and K.D. Lang I think of Cole Porter or the Great American Songbook. I wouldn’t be surprised to see either performing at a black-tie event with dancing. I’m not sure what I’m talking about, but K.D. Lang, if she truly was inspired by Dietrich in the recording of this album, she is reaching back into the 1930s with some of these songs. Track 4 is Wash Me Clean and it’s beautiful. The most pronounced instrument is an acoustic guitar that is kind of played over a bed of ethereal instruments that blend so well together, you aren’t sure what they are. I hear a steel guitar, a chorus of voices, maybe some synths, or a set of strings. I hate to keep pounding it, but no one outside of Laufey makes music like this today.... though I wouldn’t know, I guess. I just watched Laufey’s performance at Coachella Sunday night, hence my effusive love. Track 5 is So It Shall Be and it’s a bigger sound, but all the songs have the same instruments, really. The arrangements are so good, you don’t notice. I really like this album. I was not prepared for this. Track 6 is Still Thrives This Love and it’s another great song. I hear a clarinet in this one, and I’m not sure I’ve clocked one in earlier songs. Lang’s voice is so good. I have no idea what she’s doing these days, but I think, if she wanted, she could do what Rod Stewart has done recently and tour the Great American Songbook. I bet that would be a great show. Track 7 is Season of Hollow Soul, and I feel like I’ve heard this song before. Not sure where, it wasn’t a single. I must also point out that, besides being a great singer, Lang wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the album, and both musically and lyrically, they are incredible. Her lyrics are like poetry. And I know all lyrics are essentially poetry, but there's a huge difference between the poetry of K.D. Lang and the poetry of Buck Cherry. We now move on to the last song, it’s Constant Craving, which was the big single off the album. It also inspired the Rolling Stones’ song, Anybody Seen My Baby. In fact, the Stones' gave both her and her producer Ben Mink writing credits for their song. whether To me, this feels like the most country song on the album. While at the same time, the musical breakdown in the middle makes me think of R.E.M. Lang sings beautifully as always. The song sounds like it’s a constant craving for sex or love, but some believe it’s deeper than that. That it’s a constant craving in a spiritual sense, whether it be from God or the “universe.” The need for reason in an ever-changing world. I was blown away by this album. Truthfully, I dreaded having to listen to it when I got it. I wasn’t sure what I was getting, but it’s a brilliant album. I recommend checking it out. Maybe the next time you want to relax, maybe get yourself three fingers of some good Kentucky bourbon and ease back in your favorite chair, pop your earbuds in, and check out Ingenue.

Whoa boy. The MC5 are more than a band, they were revolutionaries, they were originators, they were dangerous, they were outrageous, and they were idiots. They were everything and nothing all at once, it seemed. They got caught up in the wild and violent politics at the time, going on in both Detroit and the nation. I can’t even write about who the MC5 were because it would be too long, and I’m not sure anyone really knows what's fact and what’s lore anymore. Let’s just say the MC5 were either ignorant kids who jumped on the leftist political bandwagon in the late 1960s for drugs and chicks, or they were important political leaders at the timeat the time who inspired punk and rock and roll for future generations. Read Detroit 67: The Year That Changed Soul by Stuart Cosgrove. This book takes you month by month through an incredibly turbulent time in Detroit and it features the MC5 and their manager in a big way. Now, let’s get to the music. It’s time to kick out the jams, mothershucker! This album was recorded live and is a pretty cool way to debut onto the scene. Track 1 is Rambling Rose, and it’s good old-fashioned rock and roll. It’s raw and just bursting at the seams. You can tell the band is fired up because it sounds like the song is rolling out in double time. The MC5 were like a lot of rock bands in that era that grew up on 50s rock and roll and started a band to play that kind of music. Fortunately for us, their attempts at 50s rock and roll came out faster, heavier, and, in a lot of cases, more drug-fueled. This song was frenetic. Great opener. Track 2 is the big one, Kick Out the Jams. This is likely the only song you’ve heard by the MC5. I love this explosive musical grenade. Again, just fast and raw. “I know how you want it, child Hot, quick, and tight The girls can't stand it When you're doin' it right Let me up on the stand And let me kick out the jam Yes, kick out the jams I have to kick 'em out.” The lyrics could have been written in five minutes, but they are the truth and tell you exactly why the MC5 are there. Which is weird when you think of how they got swept up in the politics of the day. This is just good time rock and roll. Track 3 is Come Together and it ain’t your grandad’s Come Together of the Beatles. This song sounds like a punk version of the Who’s I Can See for Miles. Like most songs at the time, the lyrics sound like they could be about dancing, but looking closer, and they might be referring to dancing, but it’s the no pants dance. Just unbridled libido coming out of the amps. I can see how hearing this kind of music in the late 60s could blow people’s minds or scare the older folks. This isn’t flower power and songs about peace and love. Track 4 is Rocket Reducer No. 62, and the title apparently refers to some kind of chemical the band would sniff to get high. It would kind of give them the same effects as sniffing glue. That’s wild. Doesn't sound like a productive way to increase gray matter, but who am I to judge? “After some good tokes and a six pack We can sock 'em out for you till you're flat on your back You know I got to keep it up 'cause I'm a natural man I'm a born hell raiser, and I don't give a damn.” This album made it to number 30 on the Billboard Album Chart, but I wonder if it was more for their supposed politics or the music. Their music doesn’t really speak to their politics, unless getting high and chasing chicks is a political platform. And if it were, I’d imagine you could re-enfranchise a lot of the disenfranchised. The song ends with a big, bombastic guitar solo and just chaos. I loved this song. This album is fun as hell. Track 5 is Borderline, and it’s the first song to sound vaguely like a 1960s rock song. The vocals are sung in the style of Cream’s Jack Bruce. The music isn't so much like Cream, it’s sloppy jalopy. This seems to be a love song. It’s not a bad song, but the MC5 are much better at chasing girls than trying to keep them after they catch them. Track 6 is Motor City Is Burning and it starts out with this stage rap, “Brothers and sisters, I wanna tell you something I hear a lot of talk by a lot of honkeys, shit that love money Tell me they're high society But I'll let you know something If you ask me, this is the high society! This is the high society!” Now I’m expecting this song to be like a nuclear bomb going off. Imagine my surprise when it sounds like an old John Lee Hooker song. Turns out it may have been. At least John Lee claims he wrote it. It’s credited to a DJ named Al Smith. This is the first overtly political song the group has sung, and the lyrics would have caused some uptight adults a lot of angst at the time. “My home town burning down to the ground A-worser than Vietnam, let me tell you how it started here It started on 12th and Clairmount that morning It made the, the beat cops all jump and shout I said, it started on 12th and Clairmount that morning It made the, the pigs in the street a-freak out The fire wagons kept comin', baby A-but the Black Panther snipers wouldn't let them put it out, wouldn't let them put it out, wouldn't let them put it out, ow” Pigs, Black Panthers, those words right there are enough to get the MC5 on an FBI watchlist, which they already were by this point. The band manager was one of the biggest rabble-rousers of the time. The guitar solos in this song are so good. Whether the MC5 were political radicals or not, they played the music like they were. That was a great song. Track 7 is I Want You Right Now and it starts off with a slow and dirty Wild Thing-type riff. I love this groove. This ain’t no love song. The guitars sound like elephants roaring. I’m not sure the 1960s were ready for this type of heavy rock. I can see Rage Against the Machine taking some cues from the MC5, both musically and politically. Though I’m quite certain RATM all believe in what they’re saying. Track 8 is called Starship and it’s about a starship taking the band into space? Huh? That’s weird. The song was apparently inspired by Sun Ra and his cosmic jazz philosophy. Sun Ra was a jazz artist, among other things. Now this is the type of music I’d expect to hear in the 1960s. free-form It’s very psychedelic and has a breakdown in the middle, which kind of feels like they had a breakdown. I assume it’s them hurtling through space or something. I’ll admit, I don’t quite get this free-form, jazz exploration. I can’t imagine what this was like live in front of a crowd full of teens on drugs. They must have been freaking out. The album finished with a bit of a fizzle, but the rest of it was really good. If you’re a rock and roll fan and haven’t heard this album, I think you’ll dig it. Also, if you want to know more about the band, and the whole insanity that was Detroit in 1967, then read the book, Detroit 1967: The Year That Changed Soul by Stuart Cosgrove. You can listen to this album as you read. It's all at once a fascinating, infuriating, and heartbreaking story.

Okay, this will make my second Funkadelic album I’ve listened to from the 1,001 must-listen list. The first was the band’s debut, Funkadelic. I liked it alright, but didn’t love it. Hopefully, Maggot Brain, the group’s third album, will be even better. I already know the title song is one of their biggest songs, though I don’t know if it’s a hit, per se. The album was recorded in 1970 and 1971, in Detroit, right after all the riots and crazyness of late 60’s. This was the last album from the original Funkadelic lineup, as three members left the band after the album was recorded. George Clinton is still at the helm, the leader of the band. According to our good friends at Wikipedia, the album hit the top 20 on Billboard’s R&B chart and Maggot Brain, while not a single, is the best known song off the album. Probably because it’s a 10 minute improvised guitar solo by guitarist Eddie Hazel. I'm pretty sure I’ve listened to this album one time in my life, and heard a live version of Maggot Brain as an extra on the reissue of Funkadelic’s debut album. So, let’s go. Track 1 is Maggot Brain, okay, rip the band-aid off right away. I’m just four minutes in and this is an amazing build. Hazel is an incredible guitarist. He plays with a lot of feel and passion. There are certain guitarists for whom it seems like the guitar is an extra limb. Hazel feels like one of those guitarists. Supposedly, Clinton was under the influence of LSD during the recording of thise song and told Hazel to play as if he were just told his mother had died. That’s heavy stuff. Supposedly, other band members and instruments are playing on the track, but Clinton turned them down in the mix, allowing Hazel’s guitar to be the main focus. I know when you hear a 10-minute-long guitar solo, you kind of roll your eyes, but by the end of it, I wanted another five minutes. Just a song you can feel down into your soul. Track 2 is Can You Get To That and it was the second single off the album. I have heard this song before. I clearly remember the low bass voice in the chorus. This definitely reminds me of a Sly & the Family Stone song. It’s sung by the whole group as well as Isaac Hayes female backing group, Hot Buttered Soul. The song is fun, but coming after Maggot Brain, I think it was a bit doomed. Nothing could match its epicness Track 3 is Hit It and Quit It and it starts out funky as hell. Clinton seems to have perfectly taken Sly Stone and James Brown, added LSD, and created a combo rock and funk band. This song has a funky riff that pulls you into the pocket and holds you down. Now we get a nice organ solo. Uh-oh! I just heard it, more cowbell. And now Hazel comes in to end the track with a blazing solo. This song rules. Track 4 is You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks and it starts out like Hit It and Quit It, funky. The bass line is really grooving. Besides being funky, the song has a message. “Ha, but if in our fears, we don't learn to trust each other And if in our tears, we don't learn to share with your brother You know that hate is gonna keep on multiplying And you know that man is gonna keep right on dying.” The song asks the folks to stop fighting each other and come together to combat the injustice and hate in the world. It’s a nice message, but it's rang out for decades and it’ll continue to ring out for decades, sadly. Track 5 is Super Stupid, and this is amazing. This song is a bit more hard-rocking, almost punk funk. I really love the guitar sound in this song. Hazel is a vastly underrated rock guitarist. This album has been really good so far. The main riff of SuperStupid wouldn’t be out of place in an Aerosmith song, like 70’s Aerosmith, not the ballad machine they became in the 90s. That song was just fire in your face. Hazel is still rocking out during the fade. Track 6 is Back In Our Minds and I can tell this one is going to be weird. The song features what sounds like a triangle with a whammy bar. It's another we need to come together to take on the man type song. “We don't fight no more We done closed that door This time for sure We can't stand no more Fussin' and a-cussin' each other When we're supposed to be brothers Livin' in this world we all live in” Oooh, we have some horns chiming in at the end and a nice gospel piano. Not my favorite song on the album, but not too bad. Track 7 and the final track is Wars of Armageddon. This song is all about the drums. Tiki Fulwood is putting on a clinic. Even when Hazel comes in with another hot solo, you can’t help but focus on the drums. The song is almost 10 minutes long, but the drums keep you locked in as Clinton keeps throwing these psychedelic sounds and voices at you. I’m reading that this song was looked at as a freak-out. Holy crapballs….is that farting I hear? I’m seeing where some reveiwers look at this album as dark and sonically reflecting one of the country’s lowest moments in its history. There is darkness, but there’s a lot of humor and fun as well. Though at the end of Wars of Armageddon, we all blow up in nuclear war. But, at the end of the song, there remains a heartbeat of funk in the universe to carry on forever. So there’s that. I must admit, I didn’t love the album. Maybe because over 50 years is separating it from today. Maybe I just don’t get Clinton and what he was trying to accomplish during the recording. Maybe I’m too uptight as someone in the 60s might say. But, I do believe this album is important, if for nothing else than to show the world that Black folks can rock, man. I think a lot of people just think funk when they think of Funkadfelic, but they’re a rock band as much as they are a funk band. For sure, check out the song Maggot Brain, it’s brilliant. The album is just 38 minutes long, so while I didn't love it, it's a fun time. Broaden your mind without the LSD and just listen to Funkadelic.

No idea at all about this album. I assume Latin music, which can be good. It was recorded in 1978, and the 70s were a great decade, maybe the best, for music and art in general. But Ruebn Blades? I thought he was an actor. Let’s get to it. Oh, and siembra means sow, as in to plant, not a female pig. Track 1 is Plastico and holy cow. Is it disco? It’s funky, with horns and some background singers singing, Ooooooh, Ooooooh. Now it’s getting into those Latin beats. Oh, man, those horns are scratching me right where I itch. The singer is singing in Spanish, but that’s of no matter. I bet this was hot in the discotheques back in 1978 and 1979. Our good friends at Wikipedia put this solidly in the salsa genre. I need me a fiery mama cita to dance with right now. Do you remember that driving arcade game called Outrun? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Colon and Blades wrote the music for it. Though I’m sure Colon and Blades songs are about 50 times better than Outrun’s music composer. Track 2 is Buscando Guyaba, and thank the good Lord above, it’s more of the same. This is more of a piano-based song, though there are horns. This song puts me in a Latin club in Cuba, rather than driving a sports car along the beach. Latin Wikipedia tells me this is the best-selling salsa music album of all-time. I’ll buy that. It’s such fun music. The complete opposite of Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain. Not saying it didn’t have songs that I liked, but it was a darker album both musically and thematically. This makes me think of Latin clubs from the 1950s. Just noticed the cowbell going hard in the background. Or, I guess it could be a wood block. Track 3 is Pedro Navaja, and this starts out with sirens ringing out. I wonder if Pedro is an outlaw. The song has started out slower than the last, with just vocals and percussion. About a minute in, we get that great Latin piano, followed by the horns. It’s like you know what you're going to get with every song, but each song is different. Okay, apparently navaja is a folding knife in Spanish, and the song is essentially a salsa version of Mack the Knife, a song written in 1928 that has been recorded about a million times throughout music history. Mack the Knife is based on a medieval murder ballad, so I guess Pedro is an outlaw. Ohh, near the end, they throw in a line from America from West Side Story. Great set of La la la la las at the end. I have confirmed the Ruben Blades singing is also the actor. What a talented dude. Track 4 is Maria Lionza, and it starts out ominously. Piano bangs and chanting, but then the horns come in, and it's like a song of praise, almost. Maria Lionza is a goddess in the Venezuelan religion that blends African and Catholic religions. In mythology, Maria rides a giant tapir. Look up tapir if you don’t know what one is. It’s like the offspring of a pig and an anteater. This song really reminds me of Steely Dan. Which is a good thing, by the way. Such a good album. This would be one to put on after a hard day, just to chill out. It gives off great summer vibes. Track 5 is Ojos, which in Spanish means bears. Nope, that's wrong. Osos are bears, Ojos are eyes. Duolingo for the win! Oro is gold. I’m not sure what I’m going to be able to add to this review, as I’m not an expert in salsa. I just know what sounds good to my ears, and this album sounds great to my ears. I can understand why it sold a ton of records. This album sold over 500,000 units in Venezuela alone. Everything about the album is perfect. This song will have people singing background vocals, and you don’t need to know Spanish. Just keep repeating Ojos! And you’ll be perfecto. Track 6 is Dime, and it’s not the coin. Dime in Spanish is Tell me. I assume Ruben is trying to get a hot mama to tell him something. Another banger. I hate writing because it makes my brain focus on something besides the music. Track 7 is Siembra, which was the first single off the album, followed by Pedro Nvaja and Plastico. I like this opening. It gives me a gritty cop movie vibe, then it gets peppier, but it still has an air of mystery. The song is apparently calling for Latin Americans to essentially sow the ways and culture of their ancestors into their children and their communities. If a history dies, it’s gone forever. This was almost a perfect album. It’s musically good, it makes you want to dance, it has great horns, and the production sounds fantastic. Plus, it’s around 42 minutes long. As I said, it’s almost perfect. The music tends to kind of all blend together after a certain point, though I’m sure that future listenings would help with that. I can’t argue it’s not the greatest salsa album ever made, and I think that alone makes it a must-listen album. If you like dancing, you should immediately turn it on, but I still think 99.9% of the population will dig it too.

Ah, the Beastie Boys. I remember when they crawled out of the gutter and onto my radio with Fight For Your Right in 1986-1987. That song was huge, and they became huge. What many didn’t know, including one 13-year-old kid in Kentucky, was that the Beastie Boys were essentially a satirical group making fun of the frat boy idiots they were portraying. Once the group kind of found out people weren’t laughing at them, but with them, they toned down their obnoxious, sexist, offensive ways. By the time the Beastie Boys needed to record their follow-up album to the hugely popular and million-selling Licensed To Ill, they wanted to make a more serious album with better beats and more mature lyrical content. They weren’t happy being the frat brothers' favorite rappers, though, Licensed To Ill still garnered respect in the hip-hop community at the time. The Beasties’ split with Rick Rubin and went with the Dust Brothers as producers and created one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever. Arguably, my favorite hip-hop album as I’ve heard it 100 times. Though I’ll admit, I didn’t get into this album until way after it came out. As a commercial product, Paul’s Boutique was a failure, but in the hip-hop community, it’s legendary. Chuck D, of Public Enemy, was quoted as saying that a dirty secret in the black hip-hop community was that Paul’s Boutique had the best beats. Track 1 is essentially an interstitial, lead-in; it’s nothing really. Track 2 is Shake Your Rump, and already you can tell the beats are 1,000 times better than Licensed to Ill. Also, this album uses maybe the most samples of any album to build beats. While the Boys sound the same, the lyrics are less about college life and more mature, if a song about shaking your butt is mature. Plus, unlike a lot of songs on Licensed To Ill, you can dance to this jam. Great way to open the album. Track 3 is Johnny Ryall, and again, the samples used to create the music are perfect. At the time this record came out, what the Dust Brothers were doing with sampling took it to a whole new level. In hip-hop around that time, DJs would take maybe a record or two to build a music bed to rap over, but the Dust Brothers would use a dozen samples to create the music for the Beastie Boys. While this was more sophisticated and a new way to make music, once it caught on, that’s when the artists and music companies decided it needed some money for all these samples. Track 4 is Egg Man and it’s just a fun song. “The egg, a symbol of life I go inside your house and bust out your wife I pulled out the jammy, he thought it was a joke The trigger, I pulled - his face, the yolk Reached in his pocket, took all his cash Left my man standing with the egg mustache Suckers, they come a dime a dozen "When I say dozen, you know what I'm talkin' about, boy" The main groove of the song is Curtis Mayfield’s bassline from Superfly, amongst about 10 other songs, including a sample from the theme from Jaws and Psycho. Track 5 is High Plains Drifter, maybe my favorite on the album, and the main groove of it is a sample from the Eagles Those Shoes. The song centers on an outlaw on the run from the law. It seems to be set in the present day, but it has a lot of references to the Old West. This song really features the incredible interplay between the three Beasties. They had a style all their own. As hip-hop grew and entered the 2000s, I can see how younger hip-hop fans thought their rhyming was simple compared to what Jay-Z or Eminem was doing, but it was still complicated and fun. Track 6 is The Sounds of Science, and it is full of Beatles samples, including Back in the U.S.S.R., Sgt. Peppers’ Lonely Club Hearts Band, When I’m 64 and the End. There’s no way a producer would think of using a Beatles song in hip-hop these days. It really was the Old West in hip-hop back then. Track 8 is Hey Ladies, which was the first of two singles off the album and likely the only song you have maybe heard from this album. This album uses samples the right way. They aren’t always the groove from the most well-known songs, they’re bits and pieces from songs that aren’t on the tip of your ear. So, in turn, when the beats are used to make a song, it sounds like they were made for the Beasties' song. Did I explain that right? For example, Hey Ladies is built off about 20 samples, it seems, but I can’t really place any of them, or the pieces sampled aren’t the hook of the sampled song. So, the music for Hey Ladies seems like it’s just the music for Hey Ladies. This song rules. Track 10 is Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, and it's essentially the Beastie Boys gangsta rap song. “I'm rolling down the hill, snowballing, getting bigger An explosion in the chamber, the hammer from the trigger I seen him get stabbed, I watched the blood spill out He had more cuts than my man Chuck Chillout 24 is my age, and 22 is my gauge I'm writing rhymes on a page, I'm going off in a rage Because I'm out on a mission, a stolen car mission Had a small problem with the transmission.” This song is heavy, like rock and roll heavy. The music is based in part on Mountain’s Mississippi Queen. There is also a chime in there from Pink Floyd’s Time. I can’t imagine anyone in Pink Floyd would like to know that some of their music is in a rap song. , Then there’s a bass solo in the middle, which is likely one of the Beastie Boys playing. Before becoming rappers, the Beastie Boys were a punk band. In later albums they would play a few songs of original music performed by the group, like Sabotage and Gratitude. Gratitude is a banger. Track 11, Car Thief, is another funky, but rock-sounding song. I don’t really remember this song as much as others, but it's really good. I love it. The samples are woven together so well. Again, there’s a fuzzy bass solo popping up now and again. Good jam. Track 13 is Shadrach, and it was the second and last single from the album. It seems once Capitol Records saw they didn’t have Licensed To Ill Part 2, they kind of gave up on the album. Just another example of how business people don’t know art. If it doesn’t make money, it’s obviously not worth focusing on. Paul’s Boutique would later become one of the greatest hip-hop records ever. But the album didn’t sell well either, so it also proved that a lot of Beastie Boys fans might have been just dumb frat boys. And most frat boys don’t know anything about art. I digress. This song is just fun. Perhaps my favorite sample on the whole album is one from Black Oak Arkansas’ Hot and Nasty. Now that’s a song that will curl your hair. “I once was lost, but now I'm found The music washes over, and you're one with the sound Well, who shall inherit the earth? The meek shall And yo, I think I'm starting to peak now, Al And the man upstairs, well, I hope that he cares If I had a penny for my thoughts, I'd be a millionaire We're just three MCs, and we're on the go Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego” Holy crap! I was just told by my good friends at Wikipedia that most of these songs were recorded in a dude’s living room. I can’t say anything more about this album other than listen to it. Even non-hip-hop fans will enjoy this, I believe. I wasn’t really into hip-hop when I first listened to Paul’s Boutique, but I loved it. I still wasn’t a huge hip-hop fan after that, but I was excited to get a new Beastie Boys album every chance I had. This is for sure a must-listen album, not just because it’s got great songs, but it also inspired a lot of what hip-hop became musically.

The name sounds familiar. I thought they were a new wave band from the 1980s. I’m sure I’ve heard a song or two from them. But we’ll dive in, and everything will be revealed. Track 1 is Wordy Rappinghood, and it sounds like the beginning of " Electric Avenue. Then a woman comes in and raps? I guess it’s rapping for 1981. This is weird. The rapping isn’t much worse than Debbie Harry’s rapping in Rapture, I guess. It’s got a nice groove, a little reggae to it. Holy moly! This was the first single off the album. It was top 10 in the UK and made it to number one on the U.S. Billboard Disco chart, but I wouldn’t necessarily call this disco. It’s got great percussion in it. It grows on you the longer you listen. Though at around six and a half minutes, it is a bit long. Track 2 is Genius of Love and it was the second single off the album. It made it to number 31 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and hit the top of the Billboard dance charts. Oh wow! This song is basically the hook for Mariah Carey’s Fantasy. It’s also been used in any number of hip-hop songs. It's immediately recognizable. I remember this song on the radio as a kid. I guess Fantasy became bigger than Genius of Love, and people don’t really know Tom Tom Club’s song. Maybe the group is a dance band and not new wave. Could my friends at Wikipedia have lied to me? Does the internet lie? It’d be a first. I can tell this may be more of a dance record than a new wave record because so far, the songs are way longer than they need to be. Each is around six minutes long, but they got their message out in three and a half minutes. However, back in the day, you tacked on three more minutes of music to allow the disco freaks to keep dancing in the clubs. Track 3 is Tom Tom Theme, and I’ve always loved it when a band has a theme song. Even KISS had Love Theme From KISS. It’s essentially garbage, but it still counts as a them song. This song is around a minute and a half and is nothing much. Track 4 is L’Elephant, and it’s a jaunty little tune. Still dance worthy, but sliding more into new wave. This is a fun song. The lyrics are in French, it appears, or sounds. But they’re sung in a kind of group chorus of women. Throughout the song, when there’s no singing, someone with an electric guitar is making these strange elephant noises. I really like this song for some reason. I think I’m finally getting a grasp on who Tom Tom Club is. Just an interesting little jam. seems Again, about one minute too long. Track 5 is As Above, So Below, and it starts out with a lot of percussion and a solid bass line. Another five and a half minute song, but they’re building it. Some keyboard plinking comes in here and there. The same chorus of girls is chanting something. Oooh, the women are now singing, and it sounds like the vocals for the Age of Aquarius song by the 5th Dimension. Not exactly like it, but it reminds me of that vocal style, and the music is similar, at least the chords Again, this song, while it has a groove, sounds more new wave to me than dance music. I wonder if there were different songwriters in the band? There are, kind of, but for the most part, the whole band essentially wrote the album. I love the synths in this song. They make some interesting sounds. This may be my favorite song on the album thus far. And, so far, I’ve liked what I’m hearing. I’m noticing now that the album has 12 tracks and is just over an hour long. However, the last three songs are just remixes of songs on the album. I may skip those depending on how this album finishes up. Track 6 is Lorelei and has the chorus of women back, but there is another woman singing lead. This song, again, is more new wave for me. It’s got a great groove, and the bass player is holding things together. The song has a feel of mystery or darkness to it, which sounds cool. I can see how this album would have gotten people moving back in the day. Damn, I’m really starting to love this song. There’s nothing really amazing or special going on. It’s just that everything is so well arranged, and there are a lot of little sounds that blend together so well. This is a song I could listen to for seven minutes. Track 7 is On, On, On, On, and it was the third single off the album. Wikipedia has no information on how well the song did on the charts, which is weird. It’s crazy, the further you go on this album, the more it changes from dance music to new wave. This sounds kind of like a Cars song musically, which I dig. The vocals sound more like Devo if they were fronted by a woman. This is a song that I can easily see why it was a single. It has an upbeat, positive sound. Again, I can’t explain it, but you can feel it. It seems to be a rallying cry for the youth or something. I really haven’t been paying attention to the lyrics at all. Track 8 is Booming and Zooming, and you couldn’t convince me this wasn’t written today. It’s weird though. Holy crap, they used the word defenestration in the lyrics. The vocals seem to be a man on a CB or air traffic controller trying to get a young troublemaker to settle down or land a plane or something. Again, it’s weird. According to Google, the song is “quirky, mostly spoken-word track featuring a dialogue between an F-104 Starfighter pilot and ground control.” That’s exactly what it is. I wouldn’t put this on a playlist to listen to over and over, but it’s great. “I’m preparing to defenestrate.” My new favorite track on the album. Track 9 is Under the Boardwalk, yes, that Under the Boardwalk. It’s a cover song. Why, of all songs, did they cover this? I hate this song anyway, but at least they’re trying to make it weird. It appears this was released as a single in the U.K., and it made it to number 21. In parts, it has an island groove, then near the end, it has almost a country feel. But it’s still a song I dislike. This may be my favorite cover version of it, though. Wait a minute…..I think they put some sounds in there alluding to what a young couple might be doing under the boardwalk. Not sure we needed that, but we all knew what this song was about. Another six-minute song that would have been fine at around three minutes. It is getting funkier at the end, though. This album was nothing like I expected. I was thinking Thompson Twins' Don’t You Forget About Me style jams, and instead I got dance music. But good dance music made by people, not computers. As for this being a must-listen? I don’t think so, really. Did I like it? Yes, I really liked it. But I probably won’t ever listen to it again. If this piqued your curiosity and you like weird music, then check this out. Otherwise, I think you'll be just fine sticking to the Thompson Twins.

I love Cheap Trick. They’re one of those bands that rock hard, but write really good pop songs. They’re kind of like KISS with the songwriting of the Beatles. Now, I’m not saying Chep Trick were the Beatles, but they were…kind of. I saw one reviewer say Cheap Trick was the inspiration for any future bands who tried to play a Beatles-like melody with power chords. The band, and this album in particular, would go on to influence the Foo Fighters, Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, The Raconteurs, and others. I discovered Cheap Trick after my older brother moved from his mom’s to his dad’s house for his senior year in high school. His dad’s house also happened to be my house, and I was a rambunctious 8, 9, 10-year-old boy around that time. He might’ve said I was a pain in the arse. He was a senior in high school, and had a cool rock album collection, and one of those was Cheap Trick’s Dream Police. I loved that song so much and still do. Any taste in good rock and roll, I probably owe to my older brother. But, like most older brothers, he didn’t want anybody in his room or touching his stuff. So, I had to listen to his music on the sly. As I grew up, I moved further away from Cheap Trick and more toward other bands, but I kept hearing how great At Budokan was. Most live albums stink, either because they don’t sound that great or because they don’t sound so live. KISS’s live classic Alive! was later found to have been heavily touched up in the studio rather than their actual live performance. At Budokan hasn’t been accused of being heavily touched up, but it was later found out that the show on the album was in Osaka, not in Tokyo at Budokan. By the time I got to the age I wanted to check out At Budokan, I was already planted staunchly in the live albums suck field. I listened to At Budokan a couple of times, but delved more into Cheap Trick’s studio recordings. It’s going to be fun to listen with less prejudiced ears to this album, an album that a lot of people still consider one of the best live albums ever. Track 1 is Hello There, and it’s one of the best songs ever to kick off a concert. “Hello there ladies and gentlemen Hello there ladies and gents Are you ready to rock” Pretty easy to understand, huh? Cheap Trick just decided to write a song to open every one of their shows. It’s simple and to the point, and also a rocker. Easy to sing along to, like a pop song, but nice crunchy riffs, like a rock song. The crowd of what sounds like 10,000 teenage girls is squealing nonstop. Cheap Trick became huge in Japan before they really broke big in the U.S. It was said to be like Beatlemania in Japan when Cheap Trick came over. At Budokan wasn’t really going to be released in the U.S., as the At Budokan was a series for Sony Records in Japan. But there were so many imports sold overseas from Japan to the U.S., that Columbia Records decided to just release the album in the States. Much like KISS after their live album came out, Cheap Trick exploded and became a big act in their home country. , Track 2 is Come On, Come On, and it’s just a great, happy-sounding song. Cheap Trick’s singer and rhythm guitarist Robin Zander is one of the best rock singers ever. The amazing thing is he still sounds great and he’s 73 years old. Track 3 is Lookout and it’s another good rock song. The lyrics to me almost sound like the boy is stalking the girl in this song. I wouldn’t put it past Rick Neilson to write a song like this. Lead guitarist Nielsen is the main songwriter for the band, and pretty much the only songwriter for the band. Though bassist Tom Peterson is credited with co-writing a few songs with Nielson. Neilson is a weirdo. Which is cool. A lot of Cheap Trick songs have a comedic bent, but some are full of dark humor. I must mention their drummer, Bun E. Carlos. He’s so good and very unassuming. He looks like a put-upon accountant in his white button-up shirt and tie. Usually, you see him with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth. Carlos puts on a clinic on this album. He has plenty of solos and great fills, but he also shines just in keeping time. Track 4 is Big Eyes, a big Cheap Trick favorite. Nielsen gets to play big crunchy riffs and solos in this song. The song is about a guy falling for a woman with her “big eyes,” but he knows she’s no good for him. Yet, those “big eyes” keep him falling for them and keep him calling for her. Track 5 is Need Your Love and it’s a bit slower, but the guitars are almost Black Sabbath-like. Zander sings so softly and sweetly as he sings about how a girl broke his heart, made him fall apart, but he still needs her love. Oooh, the riffs during the verses are evil. They have a great breakdown in the middle where Nielsen obliterates his guitar. It’s almost a T.Rex groove. Track 6 is a cover song of Fats Domino called Ain’t That a Shame. It was the second single released from the album. It’s just classic rock and roll. Supposedly, this was Domino’s favorite version of the song’s many covers. Domino gave the band the gold record he received for the song. The song features Carlos’s incredible drum playing and does what a cover song should. The band made the song their own. You know it’s a cover, but they changed it just enough that it sounds like a Cheap Trick song. Track 7 is the big hit off the album, I Want You To Want Me. The song was originally released on the band’s second album, In Color, but it was missing something. It was a good song, but it wasn’t a hit song. The At Budokan version is almost a totally different song in that it feels electric. Maybe it’s as simple as it’s more rocking than the album version. The band also sped up the tempo, and that may be the main factor. I remember hearing this song on the radio as a kid and immediately loving it. The chorus is easy, and the verses are kind of hard to understand unless you have the lyrics. Just like a great rock song, in my opinion. The song was number 1 in Japan and top 10 in the U.S. It broke the band in the U.S., and Cheap Trick went on to greater fame in their home country. Track 8 was from their new album at that time, Heaven Tonight, and the song is called Surrender. This is another big song for the band as it’s been used in movies and ads. The song describes how the baby boomer generation was interacting with their Greatest Generation parents in the 1970s. The mother warns her son about messing around with girls because he might get a disease that makes his, you know, fall off. Then one night, the son finds his parents making out on the couch and listening to his KISS records. It’s a really fun song with another great chorus to sing. Track 9 is Goodnight, and since we opened the show with a song called Hello There, the band was smart enough to know they needed a show-closing song, and that’s how we got Goodnight. “Good night now ladies and gentlemen Good night now ladies and gents That's the end of the show, now it's time to go” However, that’s not the end of the show as Cheap Trick return for an encore and play Clocks Strikes Ten. The song is a good old-fashioned rock and roll song with a riff that sounds like the chimes of Big Ben. The song is about letting loose and partying on a Saturday night. The clock strikes 10, 2 and 4. “Clock stikes four I want some more Everybody’s layin’ on the floor Not goin’ home gonna stay out late Gotta hear that rockin’ music it feels allright” It’s a great way to end a historic record. This live show was recorded on their tour after their third album, In Color, or right as their fourth album, Heaven Tonight, debuted. It really does sound live. It doesn’t sound like it was recorded in the studio, and live crowd noises were added later. This is a fun album, and I highly recommend it to everyone. I don’t think you’ll dislike it. Is it a must-listen? I think so, if for no other reason than I want to create more Cheap Trick fans.

I have a few bands that I’d put on my personal Mount Rushmore of the greatest bands of all time. Now, this is my Mount Rushmore, not THE Mount Rushmore, meaning nostalgia plays a huge part in the construction. One of those bands would have to be KISS. Today’s album is Destroyer by KISS, and it’s an album I am very familiar with. It’s looked at by some as the greatest KISS album they ever recorded. I imagine most hardcore KISS fans might disagree with that. I would, I’d say Love Gun is my personal favorite. But I digress. Looking at this album's tracks right now, I am kind of “meh” on six of the tracks. As a kid, I’d essentially skip these songs. However, I do think that of the classic lineup, this is probably their most accessible, or pop-sounding, of all the KISS records. At least without being too pop like Unmasked. Track 1 is Detroit Rock City, and while I’m not a huge fan of the album as a whole, this is a top 10, if not top 5, all-time KISS song. It’s got great riffs and tells a tragic story. Drinking and driving isn’t cool, people. The song opens with the sound of a rock star getting into his car. He’s drunk. As he’s getting into his car, there is a prophetic news report talking about a rock star who was killed in a car crash. This is a great live song, but I miss the little details you get on the album. That riff kicks in, and it’s party time. Everyone is hitting at their top lick. Peter Criss is keeping a tight groove, and Gene Simmons is showing off his prowess on the bass. And lead guitarist Ace Frehley (I love you, Ace!) is just rocking out. I love this song so much that it alone almost makes up for the other lamer songs on the album. “12 o'clock, I gotta, gotta rock There's a truck ahead, lights starin' at my eyes Oh, my God, no time to turn I got to laugh, I know I'm gonna die Why?” Just one of the best-written KISS songs ever. Track 2 is King of the Night Time World, and I never really got into this song. I have no idea why. I have heard it enough that I could hum it or sing it with no lyrics, but something is missing for me. “I’m the king of the night time world And you're my headlight queen.” I just don’t get it, I guess. Ace is playing great as always. The song is barely three minutes long. It isn’t horrible, but it never connected with me. Track 3 is God of Thunder, and it’s another song that didn’t connect with me. Now, live in concert, it’s a highlight of every show. Simmons spits blood and turns into the real God of Thunder. In person, this is one of my favorite songs. It could be as simple as for a young country boy raised up in the church, this song always felt evil to me. There’s talk of gods, demons, robbing someone of their virgin soul. In the 80s, that was enough to get some “weird” boys locked up for satanic murders that never occurred. Plus, as my brother pointed out, when they play this live, the tempo is sped up. On the album, it's played really slowly. There is also what sounds like little kids yelling throughout the song, which always creeped me out. Holy crap. I think this might be the first time I’ve listened to this song with earbuds, and I’m hearing either a piano or some sort of chimes playing in the background on the last verse. Whoa. That was unexpected. According to our good friends, Wikipedia, it seems producer Bob Exrin played keyboards and sound effects on this song. I don’t think I ever heard the keyboards until just now. Ezrin was a genius. Not only did he produce this album, but he also produced a ton of great, all-time albums, from KISS and Alice Cooper up to the Deftones and Thirty Seconds To Mars. Track 4 is Great Expectations, another song that just didn’t connect with me. It’s more of a ballad, I'd say? I don’t know how to explain it. It sounds like it could have been a Meatloaf or a Moot the Hoople song. But the lyrics are about a girl in the crowd watching Simmons play bass and her wanting him to play her like a bass, essentially. It’s dumb, really. I think maybe that’s why it never connected. “You watch me singing this song You see what my mouth can do And you wish you were the one I was doing it to And you watch me playin' guitar And you feel what my fingers can do And you wish you were the one I was doing it to Well, listen You've got great expectations You've got great expectations” It’s lyrics like those that make it hard to be a KISS fan sometimes. KISS was about as subtle as a sledgehammer lyrically, but they had Ace (I love you, Ace!) to bail them out quite a bit. The song has an orchestra, piano, and a choir singing. It's a little classier than the usual KISS song. I will say, this song has to be heard to be believed. Even as a kid, I thought it was dumb. Maybe it was supposed to be a joke, and I took it seriously. The problem is that Simon had written so many bad or lame lyrics that these lyrics were in keeping with his more serious stuff. He was the God of Thunder, you know. Track 5 is Flaming Youth, another song that I just didn’t connect with. It isn’t a KISS song, really. It’s also sung from the point of view of a high school kid. It’s hard to be a 30-year-old man singing about high school stuff. Alice Cooper can barely get away with it. This was the second single off the album. The song is very anthemic about the youth using their energy and rebelliousness to set the world on fire. Kids are our future! And look what those teenagers in 1976 have done for our future, which is today. Um, uh, yeah....Moving on… Track 6 is Sweet Pain and to be honest, I have no memory of this song. It starts out as lame, as the last two songs. It’s another with Simmons on lead vocals, meaning he more than likely wrote the lyrics. Maybe one reason I didn’t like it as a kid was that I had no comprehension of S & M, as this is the song’s subject. “My leathers fit tight around me My whip is always beside me You want the same thing every day I'll teach you love a different way You'll learn to love me and my sweet pain” I don’t exactly see Simmons being someone who is into this stuff either. It’s not good, and it seems like Simmons may be trying to use this song to recruit a different kind of groupie. Track 7 is Shout It Out Loud and thank the good Lord above, we have a great song. This song is uptempo and has a good message, everybody’s got to rock and roll. This was the first single off the album, and it charted at 31 on the Billboard 100. It also became a live show feature for the rest of KISS’s touring career. The song is also just under three minutes, which is perfect for a concert opener. This is one of the songs that saves this album. Track 8 is Beth, and this is probably one of the most controversial KISS songs ever. It’s just drummer Peter Criss singing with a piano and orchestra. It’s a pure pop ballad that I’m not sure everyone in the band wanted to record or play live every night, but it became their biggest hit. The song hit number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is about a rocker having to play with the band rather than be home with his woman, making sweet, sweet love down by the fire. The song is undeniable. It’s beautiful, and Criss’s voice was perfect for it. I can imagine how people were blown away when this came out and found out it was KISS. Track 9 is Do You Love Me, another song that I really don’t connect with, but I do like it, kind of. It’s just a fun, throwaway kind of pop-rock song. I think what really kills the song is the rather basic lyrics. “You really like my limousine You like the way the wheels roll You like my seven inch leather heels And goin' to all of the shows, but Do you love me, do you love me really love me” “You like the way the wheels roll?” Is he talking to a toddler? Ugh. KISS was never a band that wrote great lyrics, though Ace has some all-time riffs (I love you, Ace!), as does Paul Stanley. They were a band that had a great look, an incredible live show, and they were good enough at writing and playing music. Obviously, they did something right. They just print money. Track 10 is Rock ‘N’ Roll Party and I have no memory of this song. Apparently, it’s a hidden track on the vinyl release after Do You Love Me and it’s just kind of an amalgamation of the songs on the album in a live performance or something. It doesn’t count as a song. And that’s Destroyer. It’s amazing how there are some terrible songs on this album, but based on the strength of like three or four songs, this album is looked at as a classic. non-KISS I can see how a casual fan or a non KISS fan can maybe see this album as their best, but it isn’t. Again, I would argue Love Gun is their best album. My brother Dustin may argue that Rock and Roll Over is their best album. Oooh, yeah, Rock and Roll Over has Mr. Speed on it, and I think that’s a criminally underrated song with one of the best riffs Stanley ever came up with. This album is fine if you want to dip your toe into the fire. But, Rock and Roll Over and Love Gun are KISS at their peak. Their first three albums are also great, but the production is horrible and killed the vibe. Is Destroyer a must-listen album? For me, no, but if you’re a casual KISS fan or non-fan, you can definitely start here. But, don’t end here, as they were really good before and after this album.

I’m not sure I ever got Devo. They didn’t really sound like punk rock, at least the songs I heard, like Whip It, didn’t. I know the name is short for Devolution, as in humans are devolving rather than evolving? That case can probably be made for sure now. Or, maybe it’s a double meaning and they devolved what music had become by that point in time. In 1978, we had disco, and these big, bombastic rock bands and slickly produced pop music all warring against each other for the listener’s ear. This was their debut album, again, released in 1978, and Brian Eno produced it. And someone by the name of David Bowie also helped with the album, it's been said. At the time, I was four years old, and Brian Eno’s name wouldn’t have meant anything to me. Now, I realize he must have been the perfect man for the job. Though, according to our good friends Wikipedia, Eno and the band clashed. I think Eno wanted to get really crazy, and the band was like, no, we know what we're doing here. As per usual, the Brits got what Devo was up to, as this album went to number 12 on their charts/ It only got up to number 81 on the U.S. charts. The U.S. usually makes things cool or invents the next fad or scene, but we always seem to lag behind the Brits in musical taste. Though we usually catch on, and when we do, that's when a band blows up. The band is made up of two sets of brothers, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh and Bob and Gerald Casale. Then there’s the drummer, Allen Myers. I wonder how many ties he had to break between the brothers? Mark and Gerald seemed to be the two brothers who were the main songwriters, but everybody except Myers had at least one songwriting credit on the album. Okay, enough stalling. Track 1 is Uncontrollable Urge and I’ve heard this track. It’s the Ridiculousness theme song. Now this does sound like a punk song. Mark M. is singing, and he’s not singing so much as yelling in a robotic voice of some sort. I can see how people disillusioned by the music scene at that time would gravitate to this weird band. This song is good. Great way to kick off the album and give people a taste of what’s to come. Wait? Is that alarm on the song or from my computer? It’s weird. Just an alarm sound out of nowhere. Track 2 is (I Can’t Get) No Satisfaction, and this was written by Mick Jagger and Keef Richards. Yes, it’s that song. Devo certainly makes the song their own. Very tight and staccato notes. It’s essentially the exact opposite of the Rolling Stones’ version. While there’s a loose swing to the Stones' version, Devo’s has tightened all the screws and decided to make this song almost clinical. It’s so weird. I never would have thought to do it this way. As much as I want to hate it. I like it. I always say that when a band covers a song, especially a monster song like this, they need to make it their own without losing its identity. Playing it straight like a karaoke band is too little, but turning it into something unrecognizable is too far. Devo did it just right. Track 3 is Praying Hands, and the first song I’m not sure I’ve heard. Oooh. This song has a bit of a groove. The riff is sweet. Then, of course, it blasts off to space with weird synths. It’s almost a reggae groove, but again, tightened up. It seems the song is targeting televangelists at the time, and how some people believed these charlatans. As the song goes on, it more and more resembles a real song. That sounds so weird to say. Maybe I had Devo wrong all this time. This might be my favorite on the album so far. Track 4 is Space Junk. Devo is like music with all the fun and spontaneity taken out of it. There are no drum fills, no guitar solos, just straight playing. Which sounds very different. The song’s about space junk falling from the sky and killing a woman. Devo were very topical, it seems. Though everything they wrote seemed to reflect the feeling at the time. Again, I was just 4, but that time had a feel. The 80s felt different than the 90s, the 90s felt different than the 2000s, but since around 2005, maybe 2010, it feels like we’re stuck. Or maybe I’m the one who’s stuck. Hmmmm, best to not focus on that too long. Track 5 is Mongoloid. Is that word still usable today? This song starts out with a killer bass line, and then it builds into a great guitar riff with swirling synths. This song sounds great. The song is about a mentally handicapped person fitting in better with society than most people. It was a different time. Not that it was a better time, of course. Beyond the title, the song is really good. I can see how the Cars were inspired by DEVO. Track 6 is Jocko Homo. The song lays out how human society is devolving. “They tell us that we lost our tails Evolving up from little snails I say it's all just wind in sails Are we not men? We are Devo Are we not men? D-E-V-O We're pinheads now, we are not whole We're pinheads all, Jocko Homo” It seems Jocko Homo means monkey man. The song is really good. I guess I’ve matured enough to get their satire and the way they are deconstructing rock music. Track 7 is Too Much Paranoias and it’s weirder than most songs on here. There’s a breakdown in the song that is odd? The main riff is quite good. The song is about our fast-food society and how it causes paranoia. It’s weird. Track 8 is Gut Feeling/(Slap Your Mammy), and it starts out like a regular song, which, for Devo, is weird. Very punk rock vibe, like Bad Religion. This is just a lovely change from the previous songs. There’s a piano in the mix, which I’m not sure I’ve heard before in this album. It’s got kind of a modern take on old 50’s rock and roll. Gut Feeling is about a person discovering their partner is “rotten to the core.” It’s a toxic relationship. The song devolves into noise rock, before a fast punk riff starts, and the chorus repeats over and over. "Slap your mammy down Slap your pappy down again" Some interpret the song (Slap Your Mammy) as a satire on masturbation. I’m not smart enough to get there. But I think this is a really good song, both are, actually. Track 9 is Come Back Jones and it starts out with a lot of drums. The song has a great riff, and the bass is really holding things together. This is a parody of all those 50s rock songs in which someone dies, like Leader of the Pack. “With eyes full of teardrops Jonee jumped in his Datsun Drove out on the expressway Went head-on into a semi His guitar is all that's left now He made her cry And she calls his name Jonee, you're to blame Come back Jonee” It’s actually pretty funny and cool. Track 10 is Sloppy (I Saw MY Baby Gettin’). The song is about a dude’s girlfriend spending all her money on a car, and then it breaks down. From there it devolves into sexual innuendo? Or something. The song is weird. Track 11 is Shrivel Up, and I just realized Whip It isn’t even on this album. What? Shrivel Up begins with what sounds like an out-of-tune guitar. What’s really odd about this song is that Mark Mothersbaugh seems to be singing in a real voice, rather than his Devo voice. The song appears to be about people moving to the suburbs and shriveling up. Devo may be too smart for me. Okay, did I enjoy this album? Kind of. There are some fun songs on here, and I can see how Devo influenced the new wave and art rock of the future. But they aren’t a band to throw on at a party, at least not for a whole album. If you’ve never heard Devo or heard of Devo, I think you should check this album out, if for no other reason than to expand your musical knowledge and palate. I’m not sure I’ll ever listen to this album again, but I’m glad I did at least once.

First off, I have never heard of this band or album. It came out in 1984, so I believe I’ll take a stab at the band being new wave? By that point, new wave and post-punk had taken over, especially on MTV. I’ll also guess they’re English. Track 1 is A Walk Across Rooftops and it builds slowly up to a fat bass groove with plucking orchestral strings and a snare hit. The production puts it in the 80s for sure. According to our good friends at Wikipedia, The Blue Nile are known as sophisti-pop, ambient, synth-pop and blue-eyed soul. I’m not sure they can be all those, but we’ll see. The song is a love song, but sonically hasn’t gone much past how the song opened. The singer is good. He sings with passion. The band is Scottish, rather than English. A piano has now joined the song. And a trumpet solo of sorts to close the song. It has a harp or chimes or something playing in the background that gives it this dream-like quality. Not blown away by this first track, but it gives me an idea of what to expect. Chill vibes, love songs, and no rock. Track 2 is Tinseltown In the Rain. Oooh, this song starts out a bit peppier with a nice groove. You’ve got another bass groove, electric piano, the whole drum set, and some Nile Rodgers-like guitars. I’m not sold on the lead singer, Paul Buchanon, but he’s giving it his all. I hear the synth now. The band uses synths to essentially create an atmosphere, so you don’t really pay attention to them. This was the second single released from the album. It seems it never charted in the U.S. and barely did so in the U.K. According to my good friend, Wikipedia, this is Blue Nile’s debut album. And the reason the songs are so sparse is that Buchannon wasn’t a great guitarist. So, to hide your deficiencies, you play up your strengths, which were synths and the ability to create a mood. And the bass playing of Robert Bell, the only other member of the band as The Blue Nile are a duo. By the time they got around to recording the album, they added drummer PJ Moore. I like this song. Track 3 is From Rags To Riches. Again, very sparse beginning. Synths and someone whacking a hollow log in the background. There are synths in this song that sound like the synth riff from The Who’s Baba O’Riley. No matter what I think of the album, it’s barely 37 minutes long. The good old 80s, where songs were barely over three minutes and albums were almost always around 40 minutes long. This song is boring to me. Maybe it’s the caffeine I’ve ingested. I want to chair dance or at least shake my knee 100 miles a second. This album seems to be more for winding down after a long day, maybe for taking a nap. It’s not appreciably bad, it’s just not….Oooh, I like this breakdown at the end. The song is six minutes long, but this band is experiential, so I don’t fault them too much. When the singer dips out, and you’re just left with all the synths and bass, it’s a pretty good song. From a review in Sounds magazine when the album came out, “The Blue Nile's stunning debut album seduces the emotions as well as the senses, and instead of fighting its effect, the sensible thing to do is relax and enjoy it ... There's a mesmeric quality in this music that makes you want to savour every track with the respectful appreciation of a connoisseur.” I’ll agree with most of that. Stunning? I’m not sure. I’m beginning to think this is an album you need to hear a few times before truly understanding what it’s trying to be. Though I do catch glimpses. Track 4 is Stay, which was the first single off the album. I like this song from the start. It has a good, catchy chorus. It’s the first true pop song on the album. I can find no info on how it charted or if it did, or Wikipedia has no info. I will say the chorus does sound familiar. It does have a nice, simple guitar solo in it. It fits the song perfectly. Not all solos need to be high wankery like Steve Vai. I’m adding this song to my singles playlist. It also has a timelessness to the production. It doesn’t give 80s vibes off of it. Track 5 is Easter Parade. The song starts out with both a piano and an electric piano with soft vocals. I like it. The singer reminds me of someone, but I can’t pull it out of my brainpan. He doesn’t sing with a deep Scottish brogue, but you can hear his accent subtly in there. Okay, here’s another one going on my singles playlist. I don’t know if it took me four songs to get into it, but I love this song. Still basically just piano and vocals. Synths kind of wash up every now and then, but for the most part just a beautiful, soft song. Buchanan described the song as a “Sunday song.” It has a quitness and almost sacredness to it. It’s a waking up on Sunday morning and just sitting and finding peace in the hustle and bustle. Loved it. Track 6 is Heatwave, and I’m expecting this to be a bit more uptempo. Nope. I’m not sure what’s playing the melody in this song. I assume synths, but they sound like wind chimes. Now we have a piano and a guitar joining the music during the chorus. Back to the wind chimes. I don’t much care for this song already. The last track is Automobile Noise and again, this song seems to be about living in the city. After listening to every song and doing some research, it seems the whole album is about living in the city, both the highs and the lows. The song is a lot of beating and banging, or synths programmed to make it sound like beating and banging. It sounds more like construction noise than automobile noise. After thinking I was getting into the album, it closes with two songs I dislike. This album is one of those albums on the list that I have no idea why. I’m not saying the album stunk, in fact, I quite liked it, at least the first six songs. As I said earlier, this may be one of those albums you need to hear a few times before it sticks with you. Though I’m doubting I ever listen to this again. If you like chill, ambient, synth pop, this is probably for you. Otherwise, you can listen to Cheap Trick At Budokan again.

The Rolling Stones are easily in my top 5 favorite bands of all time, maybe even in my top 3. And because they have such a history, it’s hard to just write about Let It Bleed. This is the last album on which founding member Brian Jones played, and he only played congas and the autoharp. It’s the first album on which new lead guitarist Mick Taylor plays on a Stones album. For my money, Taylor is the best lead guitarist the band has had, and I love Ronnie Wood. Everybody knows I love Woodie. This is the second album in which the Stones morphed into what they would become for most of the rest of their career, a blues-based rock band. The band had been dabbling in psychedelic pop for a couple of albums, probably spurred on by competition with the Beatles' psychedelic experimentation. However, the Beatles did it better, and the Stones weren’t the Beatles. So, Let It Bleed, along with the previous album Beggar’s Banquet, would begin a stretch of the band going back to their roots, blues and rock and roll. With Let It Bleed, the Stones would also add elements of gospel music and country music to their blues. Of the nine songs on Let It Bleed, six were either singles or album tracks played on classic rock radio or were live staples. If you want to stop here, just know I think this is a must-listen album and you should immediately listen to it around five times in a row. Track 1 is Gimme Shelter. Holy Lord, this song is great. I didn’t really like it as a kid. I think because it’s a dark, serious song about war and crime and how it’s all just a “shot away” from being on top of you. The Vietnam War was one of the inspirations for the song. The thing that makes this song a masterpiece and not just great is the backing vocals of Merry Clayton. She sings her arse off on this song. There’s a point where she’s singing so hard, and with such passion, her voice cracks. It sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it. Unfortunately for Clayton, she was pregnant at the time of recording this song and suffered a miscarriage the next day. That casts a dark cloud over an already dark song. Keith Richards played all guitars on this track, and they sound amazing. For all the jokes Richards receives, the man’s a genius and plays the guitar like it’s a piece of him. Track 2 is Love In Vain and it’s a cover of a Robert Johnson song. You know, Johnson is the blues player who went down to the crossroads and sold his soul to the devil for fame and fortune. The Stones play this song as more of a country blues song, rather than straight blues. Richards plays a slide guitar that pushes this song over the top. Oooh, I forgot there’s a mandolin solo by Ry Cooder on this song. This song really isn’t too far removed from Bluegrass. Track 3 is Country Honk, and it’s basically a more country, acoustic version of Honky Tonk Women. This is the only song on the album where there isn’t an electric guitar played. The song is all acoustic guitars and a fiddle. This album is such a departure from what many people think of the Stones if they only know the hits. The Stones could do anything, including writing good country songs, though I’m talking good country songs from the 50s and earlier. Track 4 is Live With Me, and this is the first real rock song on the album. Mick Jagger is singing with a snarl on his face. Along with Country Honk, this is one of the two songs Taylor played on for this album. Oh snap! Bobby Keys is on the sax and burning up a solo. To me, there is no better rock and roll saxophonist than Keys. He lived hard and played hard. Also playing on this song are Nicky Hopkins and Leon Russell, both on piano. Just a very good, underplayed song. Track 5 is the title track, Let It Bleed. Jagger is singing with some sort of Southern affectation to his voice. The song is about being able to rely on someone through any ups or downs in life. There’s unconditional love and support. You can even bleed on me, and I’ll be there for you. Ian Stewart is playing the piano on this song, and it's the MVP. The playing isn’t too flashy, but it stands out and keeps things moving right along. Richards plays all the guitars on this song: acoustic, electric, and slide. His slide guitar work is underrated, at least by me. There is a problematic lyric near the end. I wonder if it's censored when played on the radio? You can search for yourself. Track 6 is Midnight Rambler and I hated the live version of this song off one of their greatest hits type albums I bought. I thought it was too long. However, the studio version is a bit better. The song is based on the Boston Strangler. Richards has referred to this song as a “blues opera.” “I'm a-talkin' 'bout the midnight rambler Everybody got to go Well I'm a-talkin' 'bout the midnight gambler The one you never seen before I'm sighin' down the wind so sadly A-listen and you'll hear me moan Well I'm a talkin' 'bout the midnight gambler And everybody got to go” Jagger plays the hell out of a harmonica on this song. Also, Jones plays the congas on this song. The song kind of speeds up, only to slow way down to a quiet blues stomp. Then it slowly speeds up and gets back into the original groove. It’s still my least favorite song on the album, but I enjoy it more now than as a kid. Track 7 is You Got the Silver and it's written and sung by Richards. One of the few songs on which Richards sings lead vocals. He doesn’t have a good voice, but it's a distinct one. Jagger also doesn’t have a great technical voice, but you know it when you hear it. Supposedly, the song was written about his then-girlfriend, and future ex-wife, Anita Pallenberg. It seems she was the muse for quite a few Stones songs. I love this song, not only because it’s Keef singing, but for a true man’s man, it’s nice to see his vulnerable side and hear him open up. “You got my heart, you got my soul You got the silver, you got the gold You got the diamonds from the mine Well, that's all right, it'll buy some time.” Track 8 is Monkey Man, and it’s one of my favorite Stones songs. It opens with a piano, vibraphone, and guitar. It sounds like it’s a James Bond song. It’s so mysterious and beautiful. Then Richards comes in with a great guitar riff, and we’re off to the races. The vibraphone is played by bassist Bill Wyman, and it adds a certain something to the song. I had no idea it was even being played until I spoke to my good friend Wikipedia. The song is satirical and plays up on the band’s reputation of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. The song also hits back at some of these rumors. “I'm a fleabit peanut monkey And all my friends are junkies That's not really true.” All his friends are junkies? Not true. Though Richards was, if not very close to being, a heroin junkie. Jagger is just looking for a monkey woman to share his life with in the end. Love, love, love this song. Track 9 is a song you’ve probably heard somewhere, and it’s You Can’t Always Get What You Want. It’s a beautiful song featuring a choir and a French horn played by Al Kooper. The song also has a very gospel music-like piano pounding in your right ear, also played by Kooper. There is at least one music critic who believes this song was the Stones' answer to the Beatles’ Hey Jude. This song is definitely an outlier on an album full of blues, country, and rock. It's a beautiful way to end the album. This album is an all-timer and a must-listen. There are songs on here in my personal list of favorite songs. Again, if you’ve never heard this album, familiarize yourself now, then listen to Beggars Banquet, then Sticky Fingers, then Exile on Main St. I know all of those albums will be on the 1,001 must-listen list. At least they would be in mine.

I feel like I’ve heard the name Jimmy Smith, but I know a Jim Smith in town, so I bet it’s not him. Turns out Jimmy Smith is a jazz legend who essentially introduced the Hammond B-3 organ to jazz. According to our good friends at Wikipedia, Smith, with the B3 Hammond, created a link between jazz and 1960s soul music. You can plainly hear that connection in Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs. If you like that sound, you’re going to love Jimmy Smith. Smith recorded Back at the Chicken Shack in 1960, and it was released in 1963, which seems weird, but what do I know about jazz records? That’s right, nothing. Which is why I find it kind of a struggle writing about a jazz record. Oh, Wiki told me Smith recorded two sessions in 1960, one was the Midnight Special album, released in 1960, and this album, released in 1963. The album starts out at track 1 with Back at the Chicken Shack and it’s just Jimmy on organ, Stanley Turrentine on sax, Kenny Burrell on guitar, and Donald Bailey on drums. If you’re asking where the bass is, Smith plays it with foot pedals on the organ. There are no vocals on any of the tracks, and each guy kind of gets his shot to shine in each song. It’s the kind of jazz I can mess with, so to speak. It’s not every instrument playing a different song or weird time signatures at the same time. It’s a straight-up midtempo, 4/4 composition. Simple, but easy to digest and appreciate. You can hear the musicians kind of yelp or scream when one has a good solo or note. This song gives you a good idea of what you’re getting on this album. Track 2 is When I Grow Too Old To Dream and it’s one of those recognizable jazz grooves. The drummer is just tap-tap-tapping the cymbals as the organ plays nice and low in the background while the sax takes the lead. I can see why people fall in love with jazz. It’s hard not to like it, at least when it’s as accessible as this is. You can just sit there and enjoy the groove or daydream or whatever you do when you get lost in a song. On the original release, there were just four songs and a run time of 37:50 minutes. They sure knew how to do it back then. As a young idiot, I used to think it was great to get a CD with over an hour of music on it. And it was great when all the songs were good. Once hour-long CDs became common, a lot of bands had to write filler tracks to make it seem like you were getting bang for your buck. It's like Norm MacDonald said about news. There really isn't enough news for half an hour, much less 24 hours. Which is kind of how we've ended up as we have, but I digress. In 1987, this album was reissued with a fifth song, On the Sunny Side of the Street, a cover song. Which reminds me, When I’m Too Old To Dream is also a cover song. Track 3 is Minor Chant, and it’s a bit more uptempo than the previous two songs. This song starts as the last did, with the sax in the lead. That makes sense as Turrentine wrote this song. He was nicknamed Mr. T. Smith’s organ is just woven into each song. You even forget it’s there sometimes because it’s always there. In this one, as Mr. T plays, it kind of bubbles in the background. Did I just hear Mr. T throw in a melody from the Undertaker’s theme? About halfway through the song, Smith begins bringing the organ to the front. These songs are great party songs, I bet. You just put them on in the background and mingle and eat finger foods. Of course, I’m thinking of a party thrown by writers on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in the 1960s. Track 4 is Messy Bessie, and again, Mr. T gets his shine in the beginning. I guess in jazz, though, everyone gets their chance to show off. I kind of feel like I’ve heard this song. The Hammond B-3 organ was used in jazz and blues before Smith, but it was Smith’s improvisation and mastery of the instrument that solidified it as more than just a background sound in jazz and the blues. And thank God. Can you imagine all those songs where the Hammond B-3 organ plays a major part or has an incredible solo? Maybe you can’t because you don’t know exactly what a Hammond B-3 sounds like, but if you did, you would….Or something like that. Oh yeah, Burrell is lighting that guitar on fire. I assume it’s a Gibson Les Paul, but I have no idea. That seems like a jazzy guitar. I’m having a good time, so I’ll also listen to track 5, On the Sunny Side of the Street. This is the 2007 remastered version. Again, starting with Mr. T. I swear I’ve heard this song before. I probably have, it’s been covered a ton of times, and it’s been on quite a few TV shows and movies. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a jazz guy, and I don’t have a vocabulary to speak on it like I could Bullet Boys’ Smooth Up In You. However, I know what my ears like, and this was a great-sounding album. Is it a must-listen? If you’ve never really heard jazz or you want to hear what a Hammond B-3 organ sounds like, then yes, I think you should at least give it a try. I’m not sure it’s an all-time great, but it was definitely a nice, chill listen.

Finally, some Nick Drake. I’ve heard this name for years, and I’m not sure I’ve ever heard any of his music. I always get him confused with Nick Cave, whose music I have heard and like, at least what I’ve heard. It seems Drake is an English singer/songwriter. This was his second studio album and his last album to feature backing musicians. His last album was just him and his guitar, it appears. Bryter Layter came out in 1971. Drake would be dead from an overdose in November 1974. He was just 26, just missing out on the tragic 27 Club by around six months. Bryter Layter has 10 songs and runs 39 minutes. Again, I don’t have to tell you. They knew what they were doing back then. Actually, it seems back then it would have been better to release these longer albums, as people had nothing to do but sit and enjoy music. These days, attention spans are short. There is so much out there to rot your brain. Though I guess these days people aren’t listening to albums at all, well, except me. The youngers are listening to just singles or music in 15-second TikTok bursts. No wonder music is so cheap these days. There is little value put on it. DIGRESSION! Track 1 is Introduction. Just beautifully played acoustic guitar and a string orchestra. It already makes me swell up a bit, as in, this album may make me cry from just the beautiful sounds on it. Just a sweet little song. Track 2 is Hazey Jane II, which is weird. Where’s Hazy Jane I? Oh, it’s kind of country pop. It sounds like a Byrds or Flying Burrito Brothers song. It has a great horn section. Drake's singing style reminds me of Joni Mitchell. He sings fast on this song. The horns remind me a bit of the horns in Touch Me by the Doors. Dammit, there’s a better example, but I can’t grasp it with my mind’s paws. The song appears to be saying if you feel overwhelmed by the world or whatever makes you anxious, step back and focus on family or bettering yourself. The song is a nice little pop song, which I’m reading, is kind of a departure for Drake. There’s a nice little country-sounding guitar solo. I really liked that song. Track 3 is At the Chime of a City Clock. This song already sounds a bit darker. It’s got a bit of a blues feel to it. I like Drake’s voice. Oooh, strings just came in at the chorus. Very nice. And now there’s an alto sax playing during the verses. Ray Warleigh is playing the hell out of that sax. The song appears to be about being lonely in a city, but don’t just isolate yourself, go out and meet people. The song sounds sad, but the chorus is upbeat. Track 4 is One of These Things First, and it begins with a piano riff that reminds me of Billy Joel’s Piano Man, while the acoustic guitar riff and the bass together also remind me of Led Zeppelin’s That’s the Way. Both great songs, so we’re off to a good start. It seems the song is about Drake’s potential to have been anything other than what he turned out to be. The song can be seen as darker than maybe it was supposed to be when you realize Drake was dead in about three years, with so much potential wasted. It’s funny how death, or maybe it’s more like tragic death, can affect how you listen to music. Just a sad, beautiful song. Track 5 is Hazey Jane I. So that’s where she is. It has a nice string arrangement in the song. Makes it sound much bigger than just Drake’s voice, an acoustic guitar and bass. There is some percussion at times, as well, but bongos or congas, maybe a timpani. Jane seems to be a lost soul of sorts, and Drake wants her to find her way, whether it be with him or not. Whatever she does, she needs to do it for herself, not anyone else. Even if it is in her hazey way. But what do I know? The song is beautiful. So far, all the songs are beautiful. I wonder why he decided to forgo other musicians on his last album? Of course, I’m sure he wasn’t thinking it would be his last album. I wonder if, in the end, he said all he needed to say? Not saying that’s why he died, but any one of us can go at any time. Have we done or said all we needed to say? Track 6 is Bryter Layter. The song appears to be an instrumental. It’s weird. It has a more upbeat, positive sound than most of the songs on here. It has an orchestra with strings and a flute as the lead instrument. I assume it’s Drake playing the acoustic guitar. He is pretty good at playing guitar. Track 7 is Fly. This is another sad song, as the subject has made a mistake and needs a second chance. Whatever the subject of this song did, it has changed the relationship with someone he loves. It also seems like the subject of the song has personal limitations that keep him from straightening up to fly right. Again, you can’t help but think about Drake’s death and if he died with relationships that needed to be mended. Things that could have been said to someone you love won't always be able to be said tomorrow. Track 8 is Poor Boy, and it starts with some great guitar plucking and a piano. The song has more of a samba beat to it. This song is so beautiful. There is what sounds like a trio of women singing backing vocals. And now here comes that alto sax. This song has a gospel tinge to it. This is my favorite song on the album so far. It’s a bit more upbeat, though it isn’t actually a happy song. The lyrics are about self-pity and loneliness. The song is six minutes long, and it gives plenty of time for the sax and the piano to shine. It seems Drake’s mom was also a singer and recorded a song called Poor Mom about the struggles of being a mother. Some believe this is Drake’s answer to his mom’s song, where he talks about the existential struggles of being alive in an uncaring world. Track 9 is Northern Sky, and I think this is actually a happy love song. No, it can’t be. “I never felt magic crazy as this I never saw moons, knew the meaning of the sea I never held emotion in the palm of my hand Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree But now you're here Brighten my northern sky” The song has a piano moving the song along and an organ filling out the background. I also hear chimes of some sort. They really add to the song. They’re different. I really like this song. Track 10 is Sunday, and it’s an instrumental. A flute is essentially the lead instrument. But there’s a string orchestra with an acoustic guitar. Those who know better than I say this song is kind of presenting a moment of warmth and peace. It doesn’t have a melancholic feel to it. It does seem more hopeful than most songs on the album. And with that, it’s over. I must say, there’s something about this album. I listened to several songs twice during my first run through. I’m not sure if it’s the death of Drake playing upon my emotions or if it’s just a really good album. I tend to think it’s actually a really good album. It’s for sure a beautiful album. Had this been just him singing with an acoustic guitar? I’m not sure I’d have liked it as much. I consulted with my friends at Wikipedia, and it turns out the musicians playing on the album were John Cale of The Velvet Underground, musicians from the folk group Fairport Convention, and several musicians who played with the Beach Boys. Drake, allegedly, wanted the instrumentals to bring the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds to mind. Lofty goals there. A review from Melody Maker magazine said this, “This is a difficult album to come to any firm conclusion on", and said that the reaction depended on the listener's mood and that "the 10 tracks are all very similar – quiet, gentle and relaxing." I concur. Is it a must-listen? I won’t go that far, but I think it’s worth a shot. I don’t hear stuff like this today. Maybe I’m just not looking for it, but I think music like this is more filling than what Sabrina Carpenter can offer. But I may be wrong on that. I gave up on hating singers or bands because they don’t sing the music I liked a long time ago. If you’re looking for beautiful music to kind of feel sad with, this will hook you up.

I used to be one of those morons who thought the Beatles' early work was just goofy pop stuff they put out just to sell records and satisfy the record label. Then the band broke out on their own and recorded what they wanted to, beginning with Rubber Soul. As I said, I was an idiot. Those first five albums were pure, perfect pop, but they weren’t just cotton candy and bubblegum. Now, we get to Rubber Soul, where the Beatles are coming into their own and realizing there’s more to creating music than a good hook and some oh-ahs, and they start experimenting. The Beatles turned into a band more excited about what they could create in a studio than playing live. A lot of the songs they would start writing and recording after the first five albums, they’d have a hard time playing live. Hell, they probably had a hard time even recording the songs in the studio. Rubber Soul would be the first album in which all the songs were written by the band. There were no cover songs. Track 1 is maybe the best song on the album, but, of course, it’s not, Drive My Car. You listen to the lyrics, and it sounds like they could have been written today about our world of social media influencers. “Asked a girl what she wanted to be She said, "Baby, can't you see? I wanna be famous, a star of the screen But you can do something in between” "Baby, you can drive my car Yes, I'm gonna be a star Baby, you can drive my car And maybe I'll love you." Basically, the girl is telling the dude, "You’re nice and all, maybe you can be my chauffeur, amongst other things, when I’m a star." Later in the song, she tells the guy she has no car for him to drive, but at least she’s got a chauffeur, and that’s a start. If that wasn’t a twist enough, it turns out, in blues terms, "Drive My Car" would have meant something totally different, which is what John Lennon ad Paul McCartney were going for when they wrote the song. Great song, great lyrics, suggestive undertones, more cowbell and the “Beep-beep, beep-beep, yeahs” are genius. Track 2 is Norwegian Wood, and this song is about Lennon having an affair with a woman who treated him unkindly, so he burned down her apartment. Yep, the first track is about sex, and this one is about arson. George Harrison brings in the sitar to play on this song, which is otherwise acoustic guitars and a small amount of percussion. It’s arranged like an old English folk song. At two minutes long, it gets in and gets out and leaves you wanting more. Track 3 is You Won’t See Me and I love this song. The song talks about a McCartney relationship where he felt ignored and frustrated, knowing it was about to end. Just a cool little pop song that makes me feel kind of sad. The Beatles' songs have a way of making me feel sad. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because their music is upbeat, but their lyrics sometimes are sad or dark. Maybe it’s because you hear these songs and you kind of think maybe music peaked when they were putting out music? We’re all just chasing what the Beatles achieved 60 years ago. And that’s sad. The Rolling Stones make songs that you know other bands could create in the future. The Beatles did so much and invented so much that is now just taken for granted. I think I may have written about this before, but the Beatles’ songs are almost like children’s songs that have been passed down through generations. You know, songs like London Bridge Is Falling Down or Ring Around the Rosie. It felt like those songs had been here on earth since time began. The Beatles kind of feel that way, too. Maybe it’s just me. Anyway, You Won’t See Me is a nice-sounding pop song about a relationship going bad. Track 4 is Nowhere Man and this is a sad song, that sounds sad. Supposedly, Lennon wrote it about his inability to write a song at the height of Beatlemania. He was John Lennon, bigger than Jesus, yet he couldn’t write one song in that time period he allotted himself. The song is sung in three-part harmony by Lennon, McCartney, and George Harrison. This band, man, they had it all. Three of the greatest songwriters who ever lived, one of the greatest guitar players who ever lived, one of the greatest drummers who ever lived, three great singers, and it just makes me wonder. How did these guys all end up together? Why do the Beatless seem to get me thinking like I’ve just smoked pot? And I’ve never even smoked pot. How can you not believe there is a God? Nowhere Man isn’t one of my favorite songs, personally, but it can’t be denied. Track 5 is Think for Yourself and it’s the first song I don’t feel like everyone would know if they heard it. McCartney has his fuzzy bass in this song, and for me, it’s the secret sauce. Lots of great harmonies with this one, too. Apparently, this song was inspired by Bob Dylan. It was around this time that the Beatles and Dylan crossed paths and, of course, they were huge admirers of each other. I think Dylan kind of taught the lads how to broaden their horizons, so to speak, and sing about more than just falling in and out of love. Track 6 is not familiar to my ears, just hearing it. The song is The Word, and The Word is good. It’s also one of the first psychedelic songs by the Beatles. It definitely sounds lof the time. Especially, as the word is love. Not the best track on the album, but Rubber Soul was the time for the Beatles to really stretch themselves and see what they could achieve by writing in a new way. In a lesser band’s hands, this would have been a throwaway song, but the Beatles make it a catchy little pop song. Yes! There’s a part in The Word that reminded me of a newer song, and it just hit me. There’s a bridge or something in The Word that sounds like Wet Leg’s Wet Dreams. I’ve been wracking my brain this whole time, and I finally got it. By the by, if you’ve never listened to Wet Leg, do so now. They are a cheeky little band from the Isle of Wight who write perfect pop songs. The latest album, Moisturizer, is brilliant. Track 7 is Michelle, and Tony Kornheiser hates this song. He thinks it’s easily the worst song ever written and recorded by the Beatles. I think he thinks it’s a little too simple. It doesn’t fit that well on an album full of experimentation. I think it’s a nice little pop song. Is it my favorite on the album? No, but it’s not terrible. Track 8 is What Goes On and it’s the obligatory Ringo Starr country song. Ringo really was into country. In fact, his first solo album after the Beatles broke up, I think it was his first, was a country album made with some of Nashville’s best session players at the time. It’s not a great album, but there are a couple of good songs on there. This song is alright. Aren’t most of Ringo’s songs just alright? The song was written by Lennon and inspired by Buddy Holly. Starr, besides singing the song, contributed lyrics and got a songwriting credit. Track 9 is Girl, and I love this song. Lennon wrote the song about an unattainable girl. He said he later found the Girl in Yoko Ono. And, for the record, I think the Yoko hate has gone too far. Just about everyone in the Beatles at the time was frustrated and wasn’t exactly heartbroken when the band broke up. In fact, McCartney fired the first shot, as he was the first to quit the band. So, Yoko being the agent of destruction is just an untruth and misogynistic in my eyes. Anyway, this song sounds beautiful. I love the chorus and the harmonies. It has the sound of a song you’d hear in a cabaret in France in the 1940s. The hissing sound of Lennon taking in a breath before singing, you know what that's supposed to be. The Beatles were such bad boys, no? The middle of the song with McCartmney and Harrison singing tit-tit-tit, was inspired by the Beach Boys. Also, they thought it was funny they were getting a naughty word by the censors. You know it was one of the seven words you couldn't say on TV at the time, right? The guitar solo is brilliant. It’s off kilter. Track 10 is I’m Looking Through You and I love the song, except for the requisite 1960s organ playing during the little freakout after the verse. The song again is written by McCartney as one of his relationships is dying. In fact, it was the same dying relationship as You Won't See Me. Hmmm, You Won't See Me, and I'm Looking Through You. Got to love the Beatles. McCartney thought his girlfriend was becoming emotionally distant and wasn’t really present in the relationship. Sad song, but great song. Track 11 is In My Life and I already feel like I’m welling up a little. This is a beautiful song about life and the people you meet, love, and lose. Lennon wrote the song and believed it was his first true major piece of art. I think he had other brilliant songs, but this is truly a work of art. In one verse, he talks about all the things he experienced and the people he knew, and how even though everything might not have worked out, he loved them all. The second verse he talks about how even though he loves all those people and things in his past, none of them compare to the person he’s singing the song to. The song is both about remembering the past and looking toward the future. Just lovely. Harrison’s guitar playing, as on the whole record, is just incredible to hear. Track 12 is Wait and I don’t have any memory of this song just by seeing the title. Oh, yeah, this song rules. It’s a really good rock song during the verses and pops out during the chorus. The song is what someone in Wikipedia termed a “coming home” song by the Beatles. I guess you have to write what you know. Track 13 is If I Needed Someone and it has a 1960s feel to it. It’s another one that people probably don’t readily recall. The singing harmonies are brilliant. Does any band sound so good singing together as the Beatles? Probably not, maybe the Bee Gees” Maybe Crosby, Stills and Nash? Low key, Van Halen has some of the brightest, poppiest vocal harmonies in rock and roll. If Rubber Soul hadn’t had 14 songs with eight all-time classics, this would have been a song more recognized in their catalog. Track 14 and the last song, Run for Your Life. This song is dark. “You better run for your life if you can, little girl Hide your head in the sand, little girl Catch you with another man That's the end, little girl I'd rather see you dead, little girl Than to be with another man You better keep your head, little girl Or you won't know where I am” The song was inspired by an Elvis Presley song called, Baby Let’s Play House. One of the lyrics in Presley’s song was “I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man,” and that’s the lyric Lennon used to write the song. The song, of course, is about jealousy, but it’s overtly misogynistic, which didn’t really fit the Beatles' style. Back then, being so close to the old-time blues songs, it might not have seemed so out of place. Today, it seems harsh and cruel. The group was kind of formed by old country and blues records from the U.S. when they were kids, and there were plenty of murder ballads written back then. I think the song was meant more as an homage to those songs, rather than Lennon actually dreaming about killing his lover. That’s it. That’s Rubber Soul. It’s packed with all-timers and a few also-rans that for other bands would be all-timers. Is this album a must-listen? Of course. I think all the Beatles' studio albums are a must-listen. In fact, I think you need to listen to them in order of release to truly gauge the way they changed over time and also changed music, both pop and rock and roll. I love this album, and I can’t see why you wouldn’t as well.

Another Joni Mitchell album makes the list. I already listened to her Court and Spark album, and seeing as I gave it five stars, I obviously loved it. Court and Spark was released in January 1974, and The Hissing of Summer Lawns was released in November 1975. Almost two years in between albums. Will there be a change? I’m not sure. It seems Mitchell wrote all the songs, though a couple had co-writers. Let’s just jump in, shall we? Track 1 is In France They Kiss on Main Street and it was the lone single off the album, though I’m not sure Mitchell was much of a singles act. Oooh, this is nice. It’s kind of Yacht Rock-ish. Oh yeah, Skunk Baxter is playing lead guitar on this song. James Taylor is singing background vocals. Baxter’s leads make this song sound musically like a Steely Dan song. Why was I ever afraid of Joni Mitchell? I think I heard her sing in the 1990s, and she was doing something weird at that time. It frightened me. This, though, this stuff is magic. Oh, David Crosby and Graham Nash are also singing background vocals. That song was fire! Track 2 is The Jungle Line, and it’s much different. The percussion is giving off jungle vibes, but it sounds like synths are playing the melody. It’s very mysterious. It sounds like an 8-bit video game. Wow! Apparently, this song is the first commercially released song officially credited with containing a sample. It’s a looping of drums from a song by the Drummers of Burundi. I was not expecting that. She not only used a sample in the song, but she also preceded the use of world music in her music before it became popular with Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel about 10 years later. The song is ahead of its time, but it’s too weird to really get into for me. Its groove gives me a Queens of the Stone Age vibe. Oh Lord. Check out this quote from Mitchell about the song. “I thought I was black for about three years. I felt like there was a black poet trapped inside me, and that song was about Harlem.” That’s brilliant. She went on to say people just thought the song was weird. It is. Track 3 is Edith and the Kingpin, and it sounds more like track 1. This song is about a gangster’s new girl coming to town. For Daredevil fans, and even for me, when I think Kingpin, I think the Marvel Comics Kingpin. But the word was just kind of generic until the character was created. Larry Carlton, who also logged some time with Steely Dan, is on lead guitar. This song is really good. It’s not like Track 1, Baxter’s guitar playing really elevated that song, but I love this song. Mitchell sounds beautiful. Track 4 is Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow and apparently, Mitchell sang the lyrics in a stream of consciousness style. The song is about a woman standing up to male dominance. This is a more chill song with acoustic guitars and some bongos. Very folky, especially the stream of consciousness lyrics. I know I made fun of Mitchell earlier, and she’s a bit weird, but most genius artists are a bit mad. She’s not afraid to take chances, that’s for sure. That’s admirable. The music gives me Crosby, Stills, and Nash vibes. It’s folk, but it has a groove. I really dig it. Track 5 is Shades of Scarlett Conquering and this song is based on Scarlett O’Hara from Gone With the Wind, or something like that. It starts with a piano and a vibraphone, I believe. It’s another mellow song, but not folk. This is more Yacht Rock. It gives me less Steely Dan and more Seals and Crofts. The musicians on this album are incredible. It’s hard not to have great songs when you have some of the best and most well-known jazz and rock session artists playing. Mitchell’s voice is so good on this song. Track 6 is The Hissing of Summer Lawns. I wonder what the hissing is? Mowers? Sprinklers? The song appears to be about a woman who is less a wife and more of a stock in her rich husband’s portfolio. Oooh, it starts a bit grimy for Yacht Rock. You can tell something’s up. The electric piano is really laying it down. It’s one of my favorite sounds in music. It really gets you in the mood for some messiness. Oh snap! We’ve got horns! This is easily my favorite song on this album. As usual, Michell shines on the track as well. I used to think she was overrated because I was an idiot. Now I think she’s underrated, as a singer, a songwriter, anything, really. Track 7 is The Boho Dance, and it's about people who believe that artists who become commercially successful have sold out their artistic integrity. All artists want to be able to live on their art. They also want the most people to hear or see their art. Why make it if not to share it and make a living? I wonder if we lost some artists who were gone too soon due to fans' assertions that they sold out? That pressure can mess with your head. Track 8 is Harry’s House/Centerpiece, and it’s more of the same. Just great music and Mitchell’s beautiful voice. I love that horns haven’t really been on this album until the last few songs. It really keeps the music fresh. The song is about a failing marriage and a traveling businessman dealing with the loneliness of the road. I wonder if Mitchell wasn’t feeling the same. A touring musician’s life has to be rough. I mean, we’d all trade our jobs for that life, but you see the road littered with the bodies of broken and battered music “superstars.” In the middle of Harry’s House, the song shifts into the jazz standard, Centerpiece, and it sounds incredible. Mitchell’s voice completely changes for this part of the song. She sounds totally different. Holy smokes, that piano solo is insane. I’ve got this turned up way too loud, but I can’t bring myself to lower the volume. Maybe I am a jazz guy after all. The song switches back to Harry’s House for about a minute before fading out. Great tune or tunes, I guess I should say. Track 9 is Sweet Bird and this appears to be the type of song I thought Mitchell always sang, a folk song. There’s an acoustic guitar and what I think is a steel guitar, but it’s most likely a slide guitar, as there is no steel guitar listed on Wikipedia, and they know all. In the middle of the song, a piano joins in, and the time signature does something weird and totally throws me off. The only percussion seems to be a guitar pick striking muted strings. At least that’s what it sounds like. This isn’t my favorite song on the album, but it’s not bad. She sounds incredible. Track 10 is Shadows and Light it’s just Mitchell singing with overdubs of her voice as backing vocals. The only instrument is, according to Wikipedia, an ARP machine. From Google, “These iconic machines are known for their distinctive, often ‘spacey’ analog sounds and were used by artists like Herbie Hancock, Kraftwerk, and to create the voice of R2-D2.” Yes, it definitely sounds spacey for sure. This song is weird. I mean, weirder than The Jungle Line. It reminds me of the keyboard solo that opens Bon Jovi’s Let It Rock from the Slippery When Wet album. It’s not bad, but it feels weird. Mitchell’s singing in this song reminds me of the sirens singing on O Brother Where Art Thou. The scene where Pete got loved up and turned into a horny toad. Well, that was a great album. It was both fun and weird, and I discovered it was the album she recorded after Court and Spark. I loved that album, and it was more jazzy and experimental than her previous albums, according to Wikipedia. I’ll be interested to listen to her folk albums that made her name. When the album came out, it wasn’t received well. I wonder if it was because critics were used to and loved Mitchell’s folk music and weren’t ready for her to experiment. One critic said the music wasn’t good, and the lyrics were the best thing about the album. That guy is an idiot. I loved the music on this album, and the lyrics are great, but Mitchell is a poet, of course, the lyrics were great. As time has gone on, more critics have come around to how great the album is, and apparently, Prince loved it. I loved this album too. I think it’s a great album, I’ll give it five stars, and I recommend you listen to it, especially if you like Yacht Rock or you don’t know Mitchell beyond her folk music style.

This will be light work today, as I’ve heard this album and most of the songs about 100 times. I love the Cars. I will give my older brother, Jeff, credit for introducing me and my younger brother, Dustin, to the band. Dustin, much like with KISS, was way in on the Cars before I was, but I got there. I'd put them solidly in my top 20 favorite bands of all time. In fact, I think the Cars are one of the greatest American rock bands ever. They were, for me, one of THE rock bands of the 1980s. They were able to combine pop rock, new wave, and electronic music better than any other band. Plus, they were weird without being a turn-off. They also had two lead vocalists, so it’s almost like they were two bands in one. This is their debut album, and it's packed with songs you've heard on the radio for decades. Track 1 is Good Times Roll and I remember as a kid listening to this song for the first time and being very confused. For a song about the good times rolling, lead singer Ric Ocasek, guitarist and lead vocals, sounded like he was about to go to sleep. Plus, the music is more of a slow rock jam than a party anthem. That was your introduction to what the Cars were. They weren’t anything you were expecting. The song was Ocasek’s sarcastic response to all the rock and roll party songs. You know, the sex, drugs, and rock and roll. The song was the third single from the album. The song rocks, but the synths set it apart. There are all these synth sounds interweaving with the heavier-sounding guitars. The song was like nothing you had heard on the radio at the time. Plus, Ocasek’s lyrics are downright confusing most of the time. “Let the stories be told Let them say what they want Let the photos be old Let them show what they want Let them leave you up in the air Let them brush your rock and roll hair Let the good times roll” Let them brush your rock and roll hair? What? Brilliant song and a great way to introduce the band to the listener. Track 2 is My Best Friend’s Girl and Benjamin Orr, the bassist and other lead singer of the band, takes over on vocals. Orr couldn’t have a more different voice than Ocasek. Where Ocasek is more the odd-sounding, sarcastic singer, Orr is closer to what a rock and roll singer might sound like. Though he, too, has his quirks. He has a weird affectation on his voice, whether conscious or unconscious, I don’t know. The song is about Orr’s best friend’s girlfriend, who used to be his girlfriend. Orr paints a pretty good picture of the girl, and she sounds like the perfect woman. Again, there are some odd lyrics to the song. “You've got your nuclear boots And your drip-dry glove Ooh, when you bite your lip It's some reaction to love When she's dancing 'neath the starry sky Ooh, I'll make you flip (Here she comes again) When she's dancing 'neath the starry sky (Here she comes again) I kinda like the way, I like the way she dips.” What are nuclear boots and drip-dry gloves? Who cares? The song is so fun, and unlike Good Times Roll, it has a nice retro rock and roll chug chug chug guitar sound to it. Just a fun song that is easy to sing along to. That’s one thing about the Cars. They were going to give you easy hooks to sing along to. Track 3 is Just What I Needed, and it kind of sounds like My Best Friend’s Girl's fraternal twin. The songs definitely have their similarities. However, because both are just fun rock songs, you don't even mind. Orr is back on vocals, the song has some fun, odd lyrics, and when we get to the chorus, the guitars get loud, and there’s a synth line that just hits you so good. This is one of my favorite songs by the Cars. “It doesn’t matter where you’ve been as long as it was deep, yeah.” Orr would pass away way too soon, effectively ending the Cars in 2000. He was only 53. Fun fact: Roy Thomas Baker produced this album. Baker in his time also produced albums by the Rolling Stones, The Who, Nazareth, Santana, T. Rex, and perhaps his most well-known productions were with Queen. I’m talking all the good Queen albums. Track 4 is I’m In Touch With Your World and it’s truly weird. It always reminded me of a Devo song. It’s very regimented, I think that's the word I'm looking for. I’m not sure how to explain it. Ocasek is back on vocals, and he wrote the song. One critic called the song psychedelic. I’m not sure that would have ever come to my mind, but I can see it. It’s psychedelic in a sci-fi way. Greg Hawkes, the keyboardist for the band, said he loved playing this song live due to all the little electronic sounds in the song. Not my favorite song on the album, but not bad by any means. Track 5 is Don’t Cha Stop and it’s another fun new wave jam. The song was a B-side, but radio stations flipped it and began playing it. The song eventually reached 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It’s got a great solo by Eliot Easton. Easton is the lead guitarist for the band and is really underrated. He doesn’t get a chance to throw out many flashy solos, but he works his arse off on this tune. Just a great, poppy rock jam. Track 6 is You’re All I’ve Got Tonight and much like the rest, I feel like everybody’s heard all these songs. The band only released three singles off the album, but all these songs were on classic radio, and probably still are. You may be a Cars fan and didn’t even know it. You may have heard these songs playing in the background for years, but you never stopped to see who performed them. The song is about Ocasek’s need for some loving, some companionship, and he’s not picky about who it’s with. “I don't care if you hurt me some more I don't care if you even the score You can knock me, and I don't care And you can mock me, and I don't care And you can rock me just about anywhere It's alright 'Cause you're all I've got tonight You're all I've got tonight.” Again, Easton shines in this song. It’s like the first three or four songs were a little light on the guitar, and the last two have been all guitar. This song is a great new wave song, but with more guitar. Track 7 is Bye Bye Love, and Orr’s back on the vocals. I must mention, Orr isn’t just a pretty face with a good rock voice. The man plays a solid bass, which you can hear shine on this song. I love this song as it rocks, but has a softer bridge leading into a cool chorus you can sing along with. I also haven’t praised drummer David Robinson. I mean, he was one of the greatest basketball players in college and the NBA, the Admiral….wait, wrong David Robinson. Robinson is one of those drummers who doesn’t really stick out. Not because he’s not good, but he does his job right. It’s got to be pretty easy on the nerves knowing you never have to worry about the drummer. Just ask Motley Crue. Great song and one of the best on the album. It should have been a single. Track 8 is the song that most men my age remember as being attached to one of the formative moments in their young lives, Moving In Stereo. Yes, this is the song that’s playing in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High as Phoebe Cates comes up out of the water and unveils one of the greatest sights known to pubescent dudes. Beyond forever being etched in my brain’s core, the song is really good. It’s a little slower and heavier than most on the album. Orr again is on vocals, and the group is super tight. They have some sort of effect on Robinson’s drum kit. There’s a lot of moving sounds from side to side, moving in stereo, so to speak. I’ve got to believe the song is best heard with earbuds or headphones. Again, nonsense lyrics. “Life's the same, I'm moving in stereo Life's the same except for my shoes Life's the same, you're shakin' like tremolo Life's the same, it's all inside you.” What’s that? Who cares? The song is hypnotic, and it’s in my top 5 favorite Cars songs. Track 9 and the final cut, is All Mixed Up, and I must point out I just noticed Moving In Stereo fades into the beginning of this song. It’s like they were meant to be played back to back. That’s odd. All Mixed Up was released as the B-side to Good Times Roll, but radio stations apparently began playing Moving In Stereo and All Mixed Up back to back, according to Wikipedia. The song has a bit of an R.E.M. feel to it during a breakdown section. I think I also hear what sounds like maybe French horns, but I assume that’s a synth. Hawkes moves from keyboards to sax to play out the song. It’s a great solo, too. That’s it, nine songs and 35 minutes of perfection on their debut album. I, for sure, recommend listening to this album before you die, and think it’s easily one of the best 1,001 albums ever released. It offers you the best of the 70s and 80s in rock music. The Cars would later go on to make even more great music and become huge MTV video stars. Their videos were as strange as their lyrics most times. This was an easy and fun one to hear.

Another easy one, as I lived through the rise of Prince and the huge explosion that was Purple Rain. This was the sixth and arguably the best album of Prince’s career. According to Wikipedia, on this album, the music was denser and more layered. And though this was more pop-oriented than his other albums, there were flashes of where Prince would go in the future. And after listening to it again with fresh ears, there was a lot of cool experimentation going on, though dated it may sound. The album was controversial, but Prince was controversial. Hell, he had a song called Contrversy. The album sold over 25 million copies, had five hit singles, won Grammys, was added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, among other accolades. I must admit, I’m not sure I have listened to the whole album from front to back. Looking at the track list, there are several songs that I can’t recall right off. I’m amazed that there are only nine tracks on the original album. Praise be. Track 1 is Let’s Go Crazy, one of my favorite Prince songs, and it’s one of those songs that gives you a peek at just how great he was on the guitar. His performance on the song While My Guitar Gently Weeps at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame really blew the lid off how great he was on guitar, but on Purple Rain, I had no idea. This was the second single off the album, and it went to number one on the Billboard charts. It has that iconic intro with the keyboards and Prince welcoming the listener to the album and telling them to have faith and stay strong when the devil tries to get you down. It's like he's opening the first night of revival. It’s funny, many of Prince’s songs are about sex, but he was a spiritual man. He sang about sex, but how do we know it wasn’t monogamous sex? He also sang about God and faith. I think his faith really did interfere with his music sometimes. It’s hard to be a huge rock star and stay a faithful Christian, I’m sure. But none of us is perfect. This guitar solo at the end is just… heavenly. What a way to open an album. There aren’t many better opening songs. Track 2 is called Take Me With U and I have no memory of it. It starts out very percussive, then settles into a nice Prince-like melody. Wikipedia told me this is the first Prince album not all written and recorded by himself. As in, he played all the instruments, for the most part, on the previous albums. This was more of a Prince and the Revolution album. This song is a duet with Apollonia. Remember Apollonia? Prince tried his hardest to make her a star. She either didn’t have or maybe subconsciously didn’t want it. Supposedly, the duet was supposed to be with Vanity. Remember Vanity? Seems like it was the same deal with her as Apollonia. This song is okay, Apollonia is fine, but you can see how it’s not on the same level as the hits. It was the B-side of Let’s Go Crazy. Track 3 is The Beautiful Ones, another track I don’t remember. This song, however, has something. It sounds like Prince, with the electric drums and the synths. If there’s one knock against Prince, it’s that a lot of his songs sound like the decade they were recorded in. Most of the songs on this album scream the 1980s. It makes me wonder if I still love these songs because they’re great or if it’s all nostalgia? This was a nice slow jam about Prince trying to woo a girl. I keep forgetting this album was actually a soundtrack for the Purple Rain movie. I never watched that movie. I just figured it was garbage. I wonder if it's a hoot now? Track 4 is Computer Blue, which has writing credits for John L. Nelson, Wendy & Lisa, and the illustrious Dr. Fink. Wendy & Lisa were Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman. Coleman played keyboards and piano in the Revolution, and Melvoin played guitar. Dr. Fink also played keyboards in the Revolution, and John L. Nelson’s stage name was Prince Rogers, and he was Prince’s dad. The song has that familiar Prince groove. This is more of a dance track. Oooh, there's a really nice guitar riff that appears about midway through the song. Apparently, the song was around 14 minutes long, but edited down to fit on the album. The middle section of the song morphs into a song Prince’s dad wrote called Father’s Song. This was a fun song. I loved it. Track 5 is Darling Nikki and this song caused some controversy. I think it was the verse about where Prince met Nikki and what she was doing at the time. Of course, Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center thought music with dirty words was going to corrupt and bring down the morals of our children. It would be incredible if that were our only problem back then. Much like today, politicians have all of us idiots focused on problems that don't even affect us day to day, yet gas prices, grocery prices, blowing trillions on foreign wars.... I digress. We should have banned politicians. I love that the PMRC thought putting a sticker on an album saying it contained filthy language would stop people from buying those albums. As a kid, I actively hunted for those albums with stickers. That’s the stuff they don’t want you to hear, so it must be good. Again, I digress. The music and the way Prince sings give off a nursery rhyme vibe. It’s weird. It’s sung kind of innocently, yet the lyrics are overly sexual. I guess Tipper had never heard such dirty words before. My favorite part of the iciocy that was the PMRC is they wanted to ban Frank Zappa's song, My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama, for offensive lyrics. The song is an instrumental, there are no lyrics. Hmmmm, kind of sounds like maybe the PMRC members didn't really even listen to what was deemed offensive. Like maybe it was just another thing to keep people distracted from, I don't know, Iran-Contra? This song is weird, and it's one of the Prince songs that doesn’t sound so dated. It’s very synth-heavy, and the guitar has an effect on it that makes it even sound like it’s a synth. The song is raw. It sounds like they were all in the studio together and just cranked the song out. Love the production. There’s also a hidden, backward message at the end. I wonder if Tipper heard it? It says, “Hello, how are you? I'm fine, 'cause I know that the Lord is coming soon Coming, coming soon.” That Prince is a slippery one. Just when you think he’s going to hell, he takes you to heaven. Track 6 is When Doves Cry and I remember hearing this for the first time and thinking, " What in the holy crapballs is this?” I love the opening line, “Dig, if you will, a picture.” I dig. Now this is a song that sounds like the 80s to me. I think it’s the percussion. Those old 80s electronic drums didn’t age well. It may be that it was all over the radio at the time, too. This was the first single off the album and became Prince’s first number-one single on Billboard. The music video had Prince taking a bath or something like that. Of course, the video caused controversy. I wish I could have shown those who were offended by the video videos to come in the late 80s and 90s. I’m looking at you Cherry Pie and Here I Go Again, just to name a few. I always thought the video was just goofy. I think it was the adults who were more corrupted by it than any teenager or child. Great song, though not my favorite on the album. Track 7 is I Would Die 4 U and was the fourth single off the album. I dig this song, and I don’t know why. It’s for sure a dance song, but it’s also pop. I think it also holds up over the long run. I won’t say I can’t guess what decade it was recorded in, but it doesn’t scream 80s to me. Apparently, radio DJs would often play I Would Die 4 U and follow it with Track 8, Baby, I’m a Star. I never knew that. The song is a nice pop song, leading us into the close of the album. Oooh, it does kind of flow right into Baby, I’m a Star. Track 8 is, in fact, Baby I’m a Star, and I’m not sure I’ve heard this. It isn’t anything really special, but again, it doesn’t sound dated. Prince is singing his arse off on this song. Apparently, it was a live staple, and he performed it during his Super Bowl Halftime performance. I missed it because I was watching an alternate halftime performance by Johnny Paycheck, Vern Gosdin, and Oliver North. Just a solid Prince song. Track 9 is Purple Rain, the reason we’re all here all these years later. I love this song. It was the third single from the album and reached number 2 before stalling out. It got back up to number 4 after Prince died. The song is almost a slow blues jam. It definitely has a sad feel to it, and even more so after Prince’s death. Now that I get back into the groove,the song is more like a slow gospel music jam at the end of the church service. Prince just slays the guitar on this track. I’m not even sure it registered to me that it was Prince playing the guitar. I just kind of looked at him as a singer. But I was 10, an idiot. Beautiful song and in my top five favorite Prince jams. I love how Prince decides to end the song in a Beatles-esque way. Another fun fact I didn’t know is that the last three songs of the album were recorded live in concert and added to the album with a few overdubs and edits. You can hear the crowd at the end of Purple Rain, but that part usually isn’t played on the radio. These songs almost feel like the soundtrack to my 10th and 11th years on the planet. Even though some of the songs on the album didn’t measure up, there are so many all-time classics that it doesn't matter. Most songs are going to be inferior to Let’s Go Crazy, When Doves Cry, I Would Die 4 U, and Purple Rain. Listen to this album. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s an all-timer.

Frank Zappa is a name I feel like I’ve heard since birth. He’s supposedly a genius, but I haven’t really delved into his music. I think I’ve been afraid to. I’m afraid that if I listen to his music, I’ll hate it and therefore not be cool. I don’t know why I feel that way. I’ve got nothing to lose, really. I’ve never been cool. Zappa was part of a band called The Mothers of Invention. Apparently, the band was formed before he joined, but they asked him to join after their guitarist left. He apparently said I’ll play with you but we have to record only my music. Another band member left, but the rest were okay with it, and then the Mothers were off. We’re Only In It for the Money is the band’s third album, and it’s a concept album, as their first two were. IF you can't tell by the very Sgt. Pepper's album cover, Zappa is a cheeky fellow who writes very satirical lyrics. Let’s dive in and see if everyone’s been right all of these years, and I’m not cool. Oh, I just saw the album has 19 tracks, but it is only 39 minutes long. That could be good news. Plus, after listening, I can say the album came out in 1968 and was very reflective of that time, though a lot of the lyrics still have meaning today. Right off the bat, there are a lot of skits or interstitials in between the songs. I have no idea what they are about for the most part. Most seem to threaten Zappa's life. Track 3 is Concentration Moon, and it's an interesting song as it both satirizes the hippies, or the left, and targets the authority or the right-wingers. Hippies go to San Francisco to jump on a bandwagon of love & cops beat up or kill the hippies for essentially being hippies. It seems like Zappa believes most hippies weren’t sincere in their beliefs, but he also believes that hippies shouldn’t be hassled by the government just because they aren’t living as the squares would have them live. Track 4 is Mom and Dad, and the lyrics are very interesting. It's about “plastic” parents not loving their kids. That era’s parents weren't the lovey-dovey type, I’m betting. A lot of the men probably saw a ton of horrifying things during WWII, and in that era, I'm sure the only way they thought to deal with it was to drink, which Zappa points out in the song. Track 6 is Bow Tie Daddy, and I like this song. It's almost a jingle. How this album got to number 30 on the Billboard albums chart, I just don't know. The music on this album sounds weird. And for some reason, Zappa's voice is pitched higher in a lot of songs. This seems less rock and roll and more jazzy Weird Al, though the songs aren't parodies of other songs. I think this may be one of the few albums where I enjoy the lyrics more than the music. Or maybe an album where I understand the lyrics better than I do the music. Track 10 is Flower Punk, and this actually is a parody song of Jimi Hendrix's Hey Joe, except the line " Hey Joe" is "Hey Punk." Again, Zappa's voice is pitch-shifted, and he sounds just a notch or two below what the Chipmunks sound like. I don't get it. For a second, the song devolves into a Wild Thing parody. I don't think it's a shot at Hendrix or anything. I think it's just an homage. Track 15 is Lonely Little Girl, and it’s about how kids in the 60s grew up lonely because parents didn’t know what their kids were going through. Parents raised in the 40s and 50s had no frame of reference as to what was affecting their children in the 60s. There was a radical difference between 1948 and 1968. I wonder if Zappa would look back in time and have some sympathy for those same parents 20 years after this album was made? At the end of the day, most were doing the best they could with what they had. Track 16 is Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance and it's an interesting song. It's about how in the future, every evil will be accepted, and there will be no shame for anything you do. Everything will be good and allowed. It's like Zappa was speaking about today, or at least a very near future. It seems we live in a time where no one has any shame. If someone is wrong, they don't apologize. They just double down on being wrong. Projecting strength makes things right! No, it makes you look like an idiot. I think once we get to the age where all these TikTok “stars” and “influencers” are raising kids, then it truly will be a free-for-all. Zappa was about 80 years too early. Ugh, this album depressed me. Plus, I just couldn’t get into the music. I have no idea how this became popular. It’s not my bag, baby. I definitely think the lyrics are great and almost prescient. They still speak to a lot of things going on today. It seems society may be just as lost today as it was in 1968. Though back then, there at least seemed to be a real reason for the trouble. Today, it's just billionaires keeping us idiots fighting, so they just get richer and richer. There are some days when nuclear annihilation doesn't seem like such a bad end, huh? But I digress. One thing I do know is that I’m not cool because I don’t get Frank Zappa, and I don’t recommend this album. Well, I recommend the lyrical content, but as a listening experience, it’s not fun.

I’ll go ahead and admit this, but I’m not a huge fan of Janis Joplin. In fact, I don’t like her voice at all. It always just sounded like a banshee wailing to me. It never hit my ear as a pleasant sound, and I was never able to grow into it. Maybe things have changed, as today’s album is Big Brother & The Holding Company’s Cheap Thrills. For those who didn’t know, Janis Joplin sang for this band before breaking out on her own as a solo artist. The band formed in 1965, with Joplin joining them in 1968. This would be the group’s second album, produced in the studio, though made to sound like a live album. Only one song on the album was actually recorded live, and it was Ball and Chain. The band released just one single from the album, and it was Piece of My Heart. The song only got to number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it became synonymous with Joplin, though it was Big Brother & Holding Company that recorded it. Track 1 is Combination of the Two, written by guitarist Same Andrew. The song starts out all San Francisco psychedelic rock with screaming guitars. Wow, it really does sound live. Okay, I guess Andrew sings as well because he’s on lead vocals with this song. He sounds just like most dudes back then. Joplin shows up in the backing vocals and a few screams here and there. The song is less psychedelic rock now and more Stax soul. Oh snap, here’s the big guitar solo. That’s pretty good. It’s nice and fuzzy. I’m a softie for a fuzzy. This was just a nice-sounding soul-fried rock song. Track 2 is I Need a Man to Love and I’m sure Janis will be singing this one. This was written by Jopling and Andrew. The song starts out with a really great psychedelic guitar solo. The song sounds like a blues tune with fuzzy guitars. It reminded me off the bat of Crosby, Nash, Stills and Young’s I Almost Cut My Hair or Steppenwolf’s The Pusher. Both great songs. It’s our first introduction to Janis on lead, and she’s singing in the raspy, bluesy tone of hers. She’s very good about going from soft singing to screaming. As I said, I don’t really like her voice, but no one has sung like her ever. I admire the raw, almost ready to blow a vocal chord at any point in her voice. That said, the song is a good groove. I even hear a bit of how David Lee Roth sang on their album Women and Children First, especially on the song Fools. Track 3 is Summertime, and I hope it’s not the song I think it is. Ugh, it is. “Summertime, and the livin' is easy Fish are jumpin', and the cotton is high Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good lookin' So hush, little baby, don't you cry” That Summertime. I loathe that song. I hate that song and Fever the most. It’s just the go-to song for women to show they’re sultry or something. I don’t get the appeal of the song at all. Now, you mix a song I hate with a vocalist I’m not into, and maybe we’ll get something great. Andrew’s guitar work is great. Janis’s singing is still horrible. She’s trying to sing it sultry, but it’s coming out like a screech owl, so it’s at least different. I’m beginning to think the real star of this group is Andrew. He’s really blowing it out on the guitar. I may hate the song, but this is probably my favorite version. I assume Andrew also arranged it. In fact, his playing is making Janis sound less screechy. Uh-oh, I already said Summertime is one of my most hated songs, here comes track 4, Piece of My Heart. I may need to reshuffle my list. I don’t guess I hate this song so much as I’ve heard it enough. I could go the rest of my life and never hear this song again and call it a good life. This time I’m going to listen more to Andrew’s guitar and less to her voice. Ooh, I’m learning that when Joplin left Big Brother, she took Andrew with her to form her solo backing band. Smart move. Andrew is a very underrated guitar player. I guess I’ve never really heard his playing because as soon as I hear Joplin’s voice, I’d either change stations or turn it off. I just don’t get her appeal. There are plenty of better screamers out there than Joplin. It must be the tragic death. Track 5 is Turtle Blues, which was the B-side for Piece of My Heart. Joplin is the sole writer of this song. It’s just an old-fashioned blues song. I actually dig this as Joplin is staying under control. John Simon, the album’s producer, is playing piano on this song, and he’s really standing out. The song sounds like it was recorded in a small club, as you can hear conversations quietly going on in the background. I do love the concept of a live album that’s not live. Track 6 is Oh, Sweet Mary and it seems to be a band-written track. Andrew sings the lead vocal on the track, but the whole band sings the chorus. This song is very different from the other tracks on the album. It’s less psychedelic blues rock and more like an electric folk song. It reminds me of an old traditional English tune. Peter Albin is playing lead guitar on this song and is really killing it. Albin usually plays bass for the band, but on this song, Andrew is playing bass. Joplin is wailing like a banshee in the back. The song isn’t bad, but it sounds like it was leftover from a previous album or the last one in on a rushed writing session for one more song. It just doesn’t fit what the band seemed to be doing up until this point. Track 7 is Ball and Chain, and apparently, this one was indeed recorded live. Oh wow! It starts with an explosion of psychedelic guitar by Andrew. It’s filled with feedback and fuzz. It’s an old blues song written by Big Mama Thornton. Janis isn’t screaming. She’s as quiet as a mouse, and I think she sounds better like this. You don’t want to hear Joplin screaming all the time. You need those quiet moments to make the loud moments count. Joplin’s screeches lose their impact if it’s all you hear. Now we’re getting into the Joplin sounds I just don’t like, screechy, loud, noisy. Then later on, they bring things down, and she’s singing very softly, and it sounds so much better. In future releases of the album, they would add four more songs, but I’ve had enough. It seems I’ve always been right. Janis Joplin just doesn’t do a lot for me. Again, it’s probably more because I’m not cool. But I think a lot of people are enamored with her death and how others seemed to have built her up into this goddess of rock. I just don’t see it. I am saddened that she couldn’t pull herself out of her troubles before her life ended. I can’t recommend this album to anyone as my ears are still ringing. But, if you want to follow the cool kids, have at it.

It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a hip-hop album, and I’ve never listened to the Roots before. I’ve probably heard some of their songs, but I haven’t sat down and actually made a point to listen to them. I have heard them play on The Tonight Show a bunch back in the day. I know they’re from Philadelphia, Questlove is the drummer, and Black Thought, or Tariq Trotter, is the main rapper and lyricist. But otherwise, I’m going in blind, and I never really know how to rate or review hip-hop other than if it sounds good. And, as I’m used to these albums lasting just over half an hour, I’m sure this one will last like an hour and a half. Ugh. There are 16 tracks, and it’s over an hour long. This one may not be track-by-track. Track 1 is, of course, a skit or interstitial. I wonder who started this and why? Was it because there wasn't enough material, so they had to pad the album with hacky comedy? Anyway. Track 2 is Rock You and the beat automatically reminds me of the Wu-Tang Clan. I have no doubt the music will sound good, and Tariq will rap great. I like the Roots. They are at least musicians and not just loops and samples. This was their fifth album, and it came out in 2002 in time for Thanksgiving. I was not into rap at that time, at least any rap that wasn’t on MTV. I don’t think the Roots were ever really an MTV act. I remember a ton of Diddy, if I can still make reference to him. I’ll say, I never really trusted the guy. He always seemed to be a manipulator to me. He was the business guy, then he’s rapping? Now he’s acting? It just seemed like he used others to get himself over. Of course, now, I think we know that for sure, amongst other things. Digression in 3…2…1…I wonder what the producer of Get Him To The Greek feels like these days? I mean, that movie starred Diddy, Russell Brand, and Jonah Hill. Hill is another that just seems to be fake. I don’t think it’s because he's necessarily a bad guy. I think he’s one of those people who has never really been comfortable in his own skin. He seems to be searching for a persona. Plus, of the three Greek stars, he’s the least likely to end up in jail, at least at this point. By the way, I loved Get Him to the Greek. I thought it was brilliant and was the best use of Brand’s nonsense there ever was. But now, a dark cloud rests over it. Digression over. Track 3 is a punk track called !!!!!!. Unfortunately, it’s only 25 seconds long. It’s really good. Track 4 is Sacrifice featuring Nelly Furtado. Nelly Furtado? I thought she’d disappeared. Oh, of course, in 2002, Furtado was at her height. Who knew we wouldn’t really hear from her again, like, ever? This song isn’t so bad. Nothing special. This song is equivalent to the metal band needing a slow song for the chicks in the late 1980s. Track 5 is Rolling with Heat featuring Talib Kweli. I’ve heard the name Talib Kweli for years, but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard or seen him. This song is really good. It’s one of those hip-hop songs that has a weird sound throughout that you don’t really know what it is. Is that an oboe? Is it a bassoon? I had this way too loud, but it’s a banger, as the kids say in the streets. Track 7 is Thought @ Work, and it sounds like an old school 80s hip-hop song that was built with samples. That’s the beauty of the Roots, they can build songs out of samples, but when it comes to playing live, the band is good enough to recreate the music, and it probably sounds better live. While I’d say this album is most definitely a hip-hop album, there were critics at the time who classified the album as a neo-soul album. I get that. It’s got an Erykah Badu and D’Angelo vibe. Questlove played a part in the movement as well. Track 8 is The Seed (2.0) featuring Cody Chestnutt, and I know I’ve heard that guitar riff somewhere before. I guess it was this song, but I just don’t remember. Damn you, old brain! Whatever the case, the song is really good. It’s a mix of hip-hop and rock and roll. Some compared the music on this album to Prince, but to me, Prince sounds like the 80s. This song sounds timeless. I definitely remember these lyrics because they are badarse. “If Mary dropped my baby girl tonight I would name her Rock'N'Roll” I guess this is the song, and I just never knew it. Track 9 is Break You Off with Musiq, another name I’ve seen before, but not sure I’ve ever heard. This definitely sounds like a slow jam to try to woo a girl. I hate it already. But I’m sure it drives the ladies wild. Moving on. Track 10 is Water, and it’s 10 minutes long. That seems excessive. The song appears to end around four minutes in. The song wasn’t bad, but meh. I don’t know if I’m hearing a babbling brook or a bong being hit. Okay, I see Questlove is a fan of Frank Zappa. This music makes me think I’m still listening to the Mothers of Invention. Moving on. Track 11 is Quills, and it features Tracey Moore, whoever that is. Is Snoop Dogg the biggest success story to go on from being a nobody featuring to a superstar in a matter of, seemingly, months? This song is fine. Track 12 is Pussy Galore, and I’d expect wordplay like this on most hip-hop albums. The song seems to be about how everybody is motivated by the vagina and other superficial types of things like money and fame. It’s a cool-sounding song. I’m ready for this ride to be over, though. That's what she said? Did I do that right? Tracks 13 and 14 are a couple of hip-hop ballads that don’t appeal to me. Track 15 is Rhymes and Ammo, and the song opens sounding like the beginning of Primal Scream’s Jailbird Pie. That’s a great song. Rhymes and Ammo is alright. I must say, I’m just not a hip-hop guy. It just doesn’t do it for me. I need something more. If I were more of a lyric guy, then I’m sure I would feel differently. I do think rap and hip-hop fans should listen to the album. It probably is an all-timer. It’s just not for me.

Boom, boom, boom, boom. John Lee Hooker was one of the last great bluesmen to walk the earth. I think maybe only Buddy Guy is left who has that connection to the old-time bluesmen from the south. Even though Hooker was more known for living in Detroit. This album was released in 1989, and Hooker was 77. He would go on to live another 12 years. As was the case around this time, the old legends were releasing albums with help from the youngsters of the day. You know, youngsters like Bonnie Raitt, Robot Cray, and Canned Heat, to name a few. Younger by about 15 years. Hooker, like a lot of poor southern folks, both black and white, moved to Detroit to work in the steel mills and auto industry. Hooker was working as a janitor in a steel mill when his recording career began, and he ended up being one of the greatest bluesmen to ever live. I’ve heard a ton of Hooker songs, but I’ve not heard any from this album. It’s got 10 tracks and runs 41 minutes. I like it. Let’s get into it. Track 1 is The Healer featuring Carlos Santana and the Santana band. The song starts out with some cool, dark-sounding guitar doodlings, but then it falls quickly into a Santana-type beat with a flute and some bongos. I think I’d rather hear the blues. Carlos Santana is now doing his thing, playing his usual style of guitar. I must say, I got an ass full of Santana when he did those albums with different singers. They were all over the radio and MTV. I got burned out. Oooh, Hooker comes in, starts singing, and it totally changes the vibe. Wow, this music sounds great with Hooker’s voice. He’s singing the blues, but the music isn’t really sad. I mean, it makes you think of lying on a beach in the tropics, drinking a mai-tai with a tiny umbrella in it. The song is as bluesy as it can be on a tropical beach getaway with your soul mate. Track 2 is I’m in the Mood with Raitt. I recently listened to Raitt’s Nick of Time and loved it. Though she’s about as bluesy as Eric Clapton was in 1989. Actually, she might have been bluesier. The song starts out with what I assume is Hooker playing guitar. Riatt is playing her slide guitar, which she does very well. This is a slowed-down blues stomp. It has that familiar groove, but Riatt’s slide guitar makes it unique. Riatt is singing on this track with Hooker. Thinking back, I’m not sure Hooker was playing guitar on track 1. He might have been. Damn, Riatt played a great solo with the slide. “I’m in the mood for love. Have mercy on me, on me, on me.” Track 3 is Baby Lee with Robert Cray, and this kind of reminds me of a Stevie Ray Vaughn type song. The groove is another familiar blues groove, this one more of a dancing tune, though it seems a bit slower than normal. When I say a familiar blues groove, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, considering Hooker is a legend and one of those guys who could reach back into the 1800s. He was born to a sharecropper, Baptist minister father in the early 1910s in the South. He was literally born in the home of the Delta Blues. So, if Hooker wants to play familiar blues grooves, by God, he can because he might have been around for their creation. But, I digress. I never really got into Cray. He seemed a bit boring to me, though I know he can play the guitar and is a blues legend himself. Cray plays a simple, but brilliant solo on this song. Just perfect. I’m really starting to get into this album. It could be the Monster Energy, though. Track 4 is Cuttin’ Out with Canned Heat. Who knew Canned Heat was still around in 1989? The band’s two founders, including the frontman, Bob Hite, died before 1981. Okay, we have our first harmonica so far on this album. Again, the main groove is one you’ve heard before, but mixed with Hooker’s voice and singing style, it’s a banger. It just makes you want to jump up and boogie. In my mind’s eye, I’m picturing a packed juke joint in the 1940s with sweat dripping from every pore. Great harmonica solo in the middle, and the lead guitarist is just cutting up the background. I assume it’s a Canned Heat guy, though I think Hooker is also playing on this song, just not the lead. I’m not sure Hooker was exactly a lead guitarist, so to speak. I think most bluesmen in those days just played guitar because they needed something to accompany them, and it was a hell of a lot easier to pack around an acoustic guitar than a piano. Track 5 is Think Twice Before You Go with Los Lobos. This ought to be good. Yes, we have our first accordion on the album. That’s the only thing adding a Latin flair to the otherwise straight blues song. It has the same groove as Hooker’s classic Boom Boom. Los Lobos is really keeping things tight. Hooker sounds really good on this track. He seems fired up. The guitar solos are fire on this track. I think this is my favorite song thus far. Track 6 is Sally Mae with George Thorogood. Throgood has always said Hooker was one of, if not the biggest, influences for him. I’ve always loved Thorogood. He’s like AC/DC, you always know what you’re going to get, just balls-to-the-wall blues rock. I also think he’s a very underrated guitarist. Though much like AC/DC, once you get past his prime, it's hit or miss on new material. Now this is, again, a familiar blues groove, but it’s the first time on the album. It’s a perfect one for Thorogood. It reminds me of the beginning rap for One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer. I love that song. I know it’s long, but Thorogood strangles his guitar into submission on that cut. Hooker is singing, and he sounds like he’s got more bass than usual in his voice. Thorogood is, like Raitt, playing a slide guitar, but he’s playing it in his style. I think Hooker is playing guitar as well. I’d imagine Thorogood would’ve killed his firstborn to trade solos with Hooker. This is a foot-stomper. Damn, it’s over. Just over three minutes long? I could have listened to that for another 10 minutes. Track 7 is That’s All Right with Charles Musselwhite, who I’m shocked to find out is white. Hmmm, he’s a harmonica player and band leader. My good friend Wikipedia says he helped revive the blues in Chicago in the 60s. Hooker is playing guitar on this song, and it's a slow burner with Musselwhite blowing on the blues harp. Again, it’s a recognizable blues groove. Hooker’s singing is so strong and clear on this track. Musselwhite is playing his arse off. Track 8 is Rockin’ Chair and I assume this is just Hooker and his guitar. This is the uncut, raw blues. You can hear Hooker tapping his foot as they record him. As I said, Hooker isn’t a guitar hero, but he plays with passion and soul. His singing is the same way, but he also has an unmistakable voice. Track 9 is My Dream and it’s Hooker and his guitar, with bass and drums. The first thing that hits you is his voice. He’s singing, well, he’s singing. It’s beautiful. It’s not the confident bluesman that's singing on most of the songs on this album. It’s a vulnerable man missing his woman singing. The solo too is perfect in its simplicity. This is my favorite song on the album for sure. I think this could have been a hit. Just a lovely little love song. Track 10 is No Substitute and this is another one that sounds like it’s just Hooker and his guitar singing about love. I think it’s him in a room, and he’s just playing. He started the track out by saying, I assume, to the producer, “We gonna try this one, okay?” Again, you can hear him tapping his foot. And out of the blue, almost shockingly so, it ends. What great way to close a fine album of blues. Hooker won his only Grammy with In the Mood for Best Traditional Blues Performance. The album peaked at number 62 on the Billboard chart, which was the highest of any of his records. The album did so well, it brought him the recognition he deserved, and the royalty checks allowed him to live the last 12 years of his life in comfort. Have I heard better blues albums? Probably. But I think this is as close as you can get to being in the same room with a legend among men in the blues world. I really liked this album, and I’d recommend you listen to it.

No idea what I’m getting into with the Adverts today. I assume they’re from the United Kingdom because they’re called the Adverts. That’s how Brits refer to ads, I believe. Because they are THE Adverts, I assume they’re a band, and I was going to guess they were an 80s band, probably new wave, but I see the album came out in 1978. Still might be new wave, but maybe they’re more punk. We shall see. The original album had 11 songs and was 31 minutes long. Looks like Wikipedia has them as a punk band, meaning it could be fun or it could be crap. No matter, it’ll be quick. The album I found is, of course, some super duper ultimate expanded edition with 25 songs that’s over an hour long. I will be listening to the original songs that were released. Ultimate editions are for ultimate fans. I don’t even know these guys. Track 1 is One Chord Wonders, and that’s what most punk bands were thought of when the scene popped up in the mid to late 70s. This certainly sounds like a punk/new wave song. I like it. It’s not as sloppy as the Sex Pistols, but a little more raw than the Clash. The singer, T.V. Smith, is singing and not just shouting. He definitely sounds like the time. There are some good sing-along opportunities with this song. It’s a solid opening that hopefully is previewing good rock ahead. Track 2 is Bored Teenagers, which I assume is partly responsible for the punk movement. Oooh, the tempo has picked up a bit. The guitars are a bit jangly on this one. Again, it’s got a good sing-along chorus. That blast beat type snare is just driving the song. Oh, a quieter, slowed-down middle section. That was unexpected. I think if I’d had access to punk at age four or five, I might have been into it. My mom, who doesn’t seem to like any music outside of classical or gospel, seemingly only played pop radio when I was a kid. Any time spent with dad seemed to be country radio. I gravitated to Waylon, Willie, and Hank Jr. quickly. Though the Oak Ridge Boys and Alabama were also big. Track 3 is New Church, and it’s more of the same. A solid, uptempo tune with lots of jangling punk riffs. This song, rhythmically, seems a bit more squirelly, but that’s not a bad thing. Track 4 is On the Roof and it starts at a slower, almost sludgy tempo before ramping up to their usual speed for the chorus. It then slows back down again for the second verse. I really like this song. This album hasn’t been bad, it’s just not blowing me away thus far. But this song is really good. The truth is, this album sounds like something that could have been recorded at the turn of the century. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever used that term to refer to the 2000s. The songs on this album sound like they could’ve been written by the Strokes. Track 5 is Newboys and it’s more of the same. This song has a bit more guitar wizardry, if you’d call it that. There’s a riff in the background that you might easily miss, but once you catch it, you can’t wait to hear it again. I’m seeing now that all the songs were written by T.V. Smith. That’s interesting. I guess he is the mastermind. Track 6 is Bombsite Boy, and it starts off with the bass playing one note over and over, then as it builds, the guitars are squealing, before it bursts into the main song. I like this song. It’s got some layers. That was a great song. Oh, this album was recorded in Abbey Road Studios. That seems odd to me for some reason. The Beatles were many things, but punk? Well, maybe Helter Skelter. That was maybe the weirdest song the Beatles ever recorded. And the Beatles had some weird songs. Track 7 is No Time to be 21 and it’s a banger. It’s got a really sleazy rock and roll vibe to it. Kind of a punk Rolling Stones. This was a single off the album, and it got to 34 on the U.K. Singles Chart. The album reached 38 on the U.K. Albums Chart. The bass on this song is so good, and the guitar solo sounds like it was inspired by Ace Frehley. This one is going into my singles playlist. Just a great song and my favorite on the album. Track 8 is Safety in Numbers and it’s another really good song. It seems the songs get more interesting as the album goes on, or maybe that’s the Monster Energy I had. Again, the bass is really shining on this track. I know it seems like this album isn’t blowing me away, but it’s really good. I don’t know how it didn’t get bigger than it is. It seems it was critically acclaimed, but not enough regular folks got their ears on it. I’ve heard some bad punk bands and albums over my journey through this list, and this album is as good as the best ones I’ve heard. Track 9 is Drowning Men, and this one, like No Time to be 21, has a more old-school rock and roll sound. Like the Stones on speed, or KISS on meth. The guitar work is also really good. The riffs are fantastic. Wow! There is a breakdown in the middle of the song that’s really good. It lasts only about 20 to 30 seconds, but it makes me want to hear it again later in the song. And there it is. Track 10 is Drowning Men, and it has a bit of that 60’s Who-style rock rhythm. It’s not really heavy, but it’s hard. The chorus is awesome. “We’re the drowning men. We’re the drowning men.” It gives me chills. It’s kind of sang/yelled with a voice in a lower register underneath the louder yell. Great song. Track 11 is On Wheels and it starts with a foreboding bass line, then some heavy guitars. Yeah, this song has a mean groove. “What's left in the wheelchair? Who bothers what's in there? Who worries what life's like on wheels?” It’s a dark song, but good. I don’t know what the lyrics are about, but it makes me think it’s about heroin use. I really can’t find anything about it, but there are lyrics about him being a grade A scorer and sailing on the Lucky Dragon. Just seems like a dude who is resigned to the fact he’s end is near and it won’t be pretty. Track 12 is Great British Mistake and it sounds like it could be an Arctic Monkeys song. This song seems to be about how people are into blaming and banning things, rather than dealing with people who are actually causing problems. You know, books, music, social media....Well, social media is terrible, but it's bad for adults more so than kids, I'm starting to think. Great song with a good message. We live in a world where it’s certainly easier to blame problems on things that don’t really affect our lives, rather than look at ourselves or the people actually causing the problems. I digress. I really ended up liking this album. For punk fans and old-school rock fans, I think you’ll dig it too. As for being a must-listen, I don’t think it’s that high yet, but it’s a good time.

I love old country music, back when it seemed like actual country music and not hip-hop or dance music like today. I was really into Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., and to a certain extent, Johnny Cash. Cash, though, seemed to be an older generation, but by the end of his life, he was kind of the David Bowie of country music. He somehow was able to make it through all the decades by changing his style, or if not changing his style, at least updating it. Even at the very end of his life, he was still garnering love and support for his American recordings with producer guru Rick Rubin. In fact, I’d imagine more people under the age of 30 probably know Johnny Cash more for his rendition of Nine Inch Nails’ Hurt than Ring of Fire or Folsom Prison Blues. I never got into the American recordings because I just wasn’t interested in watching Johnny Cash like that, you know? He seemed old and frail, and it was like watching your childhood die before your eyes. I wasn’t ready to face that, seemingly. I wanted to keep the Johnny Cash form 1965, and before, in my mind, I guess. Truthfully, I also got a bit weirded out seeing a frail Cash singing and recording. It made me wonder if maybe his people pushed him to record songs right up until the end, rather than allowing a legend to live out his days as he wanted to. I assume it wasn’t like that because I never heard even a whisper about it. Today, I’m going to dive into at least volume IV of his American recordings. This was the 67th and last album released by Cash, and it came out in late November 2002. It was the fourth volume of his American recordings, and many believe it to be the finest work of his later years. This album has quite a few “celebrity” guests on it, including Nick Cave, Don Henley, Fiona Apple, John Frusciante, and others. The original album is 15 tracks and around 51 minutes long. I’m sure we’ll get a super deluxe edition at some point with songs recorded from the grave. Track 1 is The Man Comes Around and it starts out with Cash reading from Revelation. The song is an acoustic guitar playing a very Johnny Cash-type rhythm with Cash sort of singing/talking. Cash’s vocal style was about half singing/talking. When we get to the chorus, Cash does some singing. For a song about the man coming around, it’s a pretty peppy-sounding song, but very good. Track 2 is the big song off the album, Hurt. Trent Reznor, who wrote the song, said he was flattered they chose Hurt as a song for the album, but was worried how it might come out. After he heard the final version, he said the song was Cash’s now. This song is one of the saddest songs ever written. It’s about pain, regret, addiction, and death, including the singer’s. The video makes the song even sadder. It’s an all-timer. Track 3 is Give My Love to Rose and Cash won a Grammy for this song. Unlike most of the songs on the album, this was written by Cash and had already been recorded by him in 1960. It’s a true Cash song as it has his signature musical rhythm, and it’s quite macabre as the singer listens to a dying man’s last words. Of course, the man had just gotten out of prison and was going to see his wife and son. It’s a beautiful song. So far, this album is worth the hype. Track 4 is Bridge Over Troubled Water with Fiona Apple. I can’t imagine this improves upon the Simon and Garfunkel original, as that’s truly an all-time great song. But I’m interested in hearing the interplay between Cash and Apple’s voices. Cash sings the first couple of verses, and Apple comes in softly at the end of the first verse. Oooh, I got chills hearing them sing the chorus together. I don’t know if it’s just that the song is so beautiful just on its own, or that I’m really getting into this, but I’m feeling that swell that usually comes on before I start tearing up. I love this arrangement. Great song and probably the best cover version I've heard...well, besides the Sweeney Sisters version on SNL. Track 5 is I Hung My Head and it’s a sad song about an accidental killing that leads to the hanging of a regretful man. It’s Cash, a guitar, a piano, and maybe some strings, but it could be a keyboard. It’s a beautifully written song lyrically. It feels like Cash is speeding through it, but you get so tied up in the story that you hang on his every word. Oh, Sting wrote this song. The Policeman, not the wrestler. Track 6 is First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, which is a beautiful love song and performed at its best by Roberta Flack, who won a Grammy for her performance. It’s so soft and slow with a couple of acoustic guitars and, later, a beautiful organ creeping in. I’m actually shocked at how great Cash sounds. I half expected his voice to sound as frail and old as it did on Hurt, but I think he was doing that on purpose to fit the song. He sounds very strong on this song. I think I had heard that there were times Cash was so weak they had to sometimes go line by line with some of the songs to record them. This song was beautiful. My favorite on the album thus far. Track 7 is Personal Jesus originally by Depeche Mode. I love this song. Rubin has arranged the music like a little rock song in a juke joint. The piano is taking the lead…Holy crap! Billy Preston is playing the piano on this song. No wonder it sounds so great. There are also a couple of acoustic guitars, with one being a slide guitar, it seems. This song rocks. In addition to John Frusciante from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mike Campbell from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and Randy Scruggs also played guitar on the album. Marly Stuart, too, played acoustic guitar on this album. Those are some fine pickers. As an aside, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives have put out some of the best music of his career and of the last 20 years or so. It's music that takes you back, but sounds fresh and new. Track 8 is In My Life. I assume Rubin picked these songs for this album, and he certainly wasn’t afraid to pick all-time greats. Cash so far is knocking everything out of the park. Just an acoustic guitar, piano, and Cash’s voice. Each song is so sparse, but so beautiful. This was a great rendition. Track 9 is Sam Hall, written by Tex Ritter, and this is one of those songs Cash sings with some bite, but also a twinkle in his eye, especially when he yells out, “Damn your eyes!” It’s a fun song, which is needed on an album full of sad and slower songs. It’s a great song to allow the listener to take a breath. Track 10 is Danny Boy and it’s the Danny Boy you all know. They have a pipe organ to accompany Cash on this song. This is the first song in which Cash’s voice doesn’t quite seem up to the challenge. Though he does have his moments. Not my favorite on the album. Track 11 is Deperado, and yes, it’s that Deserado. In fact, Don Henley plays drums and keyboards and sings on the track. After listening to the song, I just didn’t think it was as good as what’s been on here so far. It was just okay. Track 12 is I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, the legendary Hank Williams song. I assume Cash will be back to form for this song. Oh, and Nick Cave is on this track with Cash. Hmmm, Cave is putting a bit of a Southern affectation on his voice. I don’t much care for that. He’s Australian. If he were Irish or Scottish, I might let it pass because I think a Southern accent isn’t that far off from an Irish or Scottish accent. Much of Appalachia was settled by the Scots-Irish. The song was fine, but it didn’t stir anything inside me. Track 13 is Tear-Stained Letter and we’re back. It’s a more upbeat-sounding song, and Cash is really singing well. It’s no wonder, it’s a Cash original. He originally recorded it in 1972. Again, Preston is playing the piano on this song, and his playing really levels up the song. Now they let him get a solo in, perfect. Great song. Track 14 is Streets of Laredo, which doesn’t have a writer attached as it's one of those songs passed down and changed through generations. The song is reminiscent of Give My Love To Rose as the singer comes across a dying cowboy and listens to his final words. “Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin, Get six pretty maidens to bear up my pall. Put bunches of roses all over my coffin, Roses to deaden the clods as they fall." Wow, what great lyrics. The song isn’t very special musically, but the lyrics tell a beautiful story. Track 15 is We’ll Meet Again and the Whole Cash Gang is on this track. I’m not sure what that means, right away. Ahhh, yes, I’ve heard this song. I think I’ve heard David Lee Roth sing this, maybe? “We'll meet again Don't know where, don't know when But I know we'll meet again some sunny day" I love this song. It’s very old-timey and has a clarinet playing. It does remind me of the Van Halen song “Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now). I know some Van Halen purists dislike that hokey DLR nonsense, but I love it. This song was a great way to end a record and to end an incredible life. , I stand corrected, this album was really great and I should have gotten into it back in the day. I think any country music fan, especially Johnny Cash fans, should hear this album. Younger country music fans should listen to this and just more Johnny Cash altogether. I’m sure there are better albums from him in his prime, but you can’t go wrong beginning at the end with this one.

Oh, this is funny. I complained about how I had had an assful of Santana while hearing the band play with John Lee Hooker, and now the universe has blessed me with, arguably, the band’s greatest album, Abraxas. It’s fine. I do like Santana and can listen to this album again. It’s really good. But, I feel it won’t be as pleasurable, seeing as I haven’t listened to it since we got Santana overload in the early 2000s. First, Santana is the band, not just the guitar player. Carlos Santana is the motor that drives Santana, but without the band, he’s just one man. This is the band’s second album and includes Greg Rolie on keyboards. For the third album, a guitarist named Neil Schon would join Santana in 1971 as a 17-year-old kid. He and Rolie would later leave the band and form their own band named Journey. You might have heard of them. Abraxas came out in late 1970, so Schon would have likely toured the album with the band, leading into Santana III, on which Schon actually played. Abraxas became Santana’s first #1 album on the Billboard charts. It sold over 5,000,000 units worldwide. There are nine tracks, with two songs you probably know well, but never knew were Santana. The album clocks in at 31 minutes long. Beautiful. Track 1 is Singing Winds, Crying Beasts, and this is one you likely don’t know, as I can’t recall it by reading the song title. The song starts with some rather ominous piano playing, wind, and chimes. We could be up on a mountain ledge searching for Mount Doom for all I know. Here comes the familiar Santana guitar sound. Now we get the Latin groove, with bass and bongos. I love Santana’s percussion. I also love that electric piano sound. Santana can build a great song. I just noticed that we have a gong going full on, no stop in the background. The song just keeps building. It’s fixing to run out of time to get there at this rate, as we have like 45 seconds before track 2 kicks in. Hmmm, it just built and built and then faded away. Interesting. It didn't even really provide a lead-in to track 2. That was weird. And Track 2 is Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen, and you know this song, at least Black Magic Woman. Well, you know Gypsy Queen, too. It's a song added on to the end of BMW. It was the first single off the album, and I believe it has been played on the radio ever since. Even with all my Santana fatigue, Black Magic Woman is insanely good. You’ve got cowbell, bongos, that bass, all the instruments add up to Latin funk. Rolie is singing lead, and he’s got a great voice. It isn’t Steve Perry great, but good enough for Santana. Then the song immediately moves into the sped-up groove of Gypsy Woman and Carlos Santana gets to show off a bit. Even his little weird sounds are burned into my brain. Great power chords to end the song. It’s an all-time classic rock song, a Latin song, a dance song. It’s got it all. Track 3 is Oye Como Va, and you know this one as well. It was the second single off the album. It, too, has been played on the radio since it debuted. Whenever I hear it now, I can’t help but think of The Big Lebowski. As an aside, if you have never seen The Big Lebowski, stop being a dumdum. Watch it immediately. If it tickles your funnybone on the first watch, periodically watch it over the years. You’ll find new things every time you watch. It’s amazing how Santana got a song with Spanish lyrics over in America in the 1970s. The song isn’t a shredder for Carlos. It’s just got a great groove that can be used for parties, barbecues, and other nocturnal activities. It’s one of those songs you play on a hot summer night to increase the heat. Track 4 is Incident at Neshabur, and it sounds like a jazz song from the opening. The piano is really leading it, before it changes into heavy rock riffing. Then back in a Latin jazz song. Oooh, I like this. Another summer track, though you want to listen to this on a bright, sunny day with the windows down, preferably driving alongside the beach on the Pacific Coast Highway. No beach? Drive around a lake a few times. I guess I’ve always really paid attention to Carlos’s guitar, so I missed how important the bottom end is to these songs. David Brown is the bass player, and he’s really solid. Jose Areas is also an incredible percussionist. Not a drummer, he plays everything else. The drums are manned by Michael Shrieve. Santana truly was a melting pot of a band with dudes from every background and ethnicity, it seems. It’s probably why the music struck a chord with people. It has several different flavors of influences and playing styles. Carlos is the master chef, but uses his ingredients to create a beautiful, spicy dish. Track 5 is Se a Cabo, and it, of course, starts out with a killer bass line, and Carlos comes in with the riffage. Just a grooving song. Besides maybe track 1, this album is a party, hangout album. This song is purely made for Carlos to burn down the house, riff-wise and solo-wise. Though, as always, everybody gets a chance to shine. Track 6 is Mother’s Daughter and the longer I listen to this album, the more I think, maybe this wasn’t the Santana album I listened to the most. I think it might have been Santana III. Anyway, this album is great, if for nothing else than the cowbell usage. I must mention that the songs are split evenly between instrumental tracks and tracks with vocals. However, some of the songs with vocals are more group chants. This song has Rolie on vocals. He sounds like the typical rock group singer for this time period. He sings fine and has a nice rasp to his voice. Track 7 is Samba Pa Ti, and it's the first slow song. This would be the ballad if anyone were singing. Instead, it’s Carlos playing in place of singing. Later in the song, another guitar and an organ harmonize with the lead guitar. It’s a really cool song. After all that wind and fire, to slow it down really changes the mood, in a good way. The title translates into Samba For You, which doesn’t give us much to go on, really. It may be to one of Carlos’s many lovers. Or his coke dealer. Anyway, it’s a really nice change of pace, and Carlos’s playing is excellent, without getting over the top. This was the last single off the album and probably the weakest of the four singles. Track 8 is Hope You’re Feeling Better and it’s got a great wah effect on the guitar. Very Jimi Hendrix-like groove with Rolie back on the vocals. This is a rock song right here. It also has a bit of ZZ Top in there with the fills Carlos is putting between the vocals. This was the third single released on the album. Not sure why it hasn’t cracked classic rock radio because it’s a banger. Wow! For as much as Carlos held back on Samba Pa Ti, he’s unleashing his firepower on this song. That main riff is really good. Santana is finishing the album strong with one more track to go. Track 9 is El Nicoya, and it’s just a minute and a half of the band chanting in Spanish and, I assume, Areas playing the crap out of the bongos. That song sounded like the record company said the album was too short and needed to be at least half an hour long. So, the band sat down and just jammed and took a minute and a half out of the jam and said, “There.” Very disappointing way to end an otherwise brilliant album. Okay, as much as I complain about having heard enough of Santana, I loved this album. I also think it’s a must listen. You don’t have too many bands like this that have broken through to the mainstream. Plus, I’d like to get more people away from the 2000s era Santana and more into what was the pure Santana. So, when you’re sitting out by the pool or throwing a party or even just sitting on the porch drinking beer, put on Abraxas and you’ll immediately find yourself leveling up your shindig.

Okay, we have another live album on the list, and it’s another live album that some believe is the greatest live album ever recorded. It's Thin Lizzy’s Live and Dangerous. I’m sure you know at least one Thin Lizzy song, and it’s probably The Boys Are Back In Town. I kind of hate that song. I’ve just heard it too much. Radio really knows how to drive songs into the ground. Live and Dangerous came out in 1978, and the songs were taken from a few shows over a year’s time. It’s a double album, as well. Some say the album is 75% live, and others say the album is 75% studio overdubs. Guitarist Scott Gorham said the album showed the best of Thin Lizzy before the “bad drugs” began to destroy the band. Bandleader, bassist, and singer Phil Lynott would be dead about eight years later, primarily due to bad drugs and alcohol. The band, it seemed, was always going through changes, mainly with the guitarists. For this album, it was Lynott on bass and vocals and drummer Brian Downey, both of them there from the beginning. The guitarists were Gorham and Brian Robertson. Legendary guitarist Gary Moore was also one of the revolving guitarists in and out of the band a few times, though not on this record. I would probably call myself just a casual fan of Thin Lizzy. I never cared much for Lynott’s vocals, really. Though I do have my favorite songs, like Jailbreak and Bad Reputation. The album has 17 songs, and it runs just over one hour and 15 minutes. Let’s get it on. Track 1 is one of my favorites from the band, Jailbreak. Thin Lizzy was one of the bands that inspired other bands to use a twin guitar attack. The guitarists would often play solos together, harmonizing with each other. This sure sounds live to me. At the end of the song, the band brings the sound down a bit to allow the crowd to get into the show a little more by clapping. Great way to open the show. Track 2 is Emerald and Lynott starts the song out with a bad joke. The band is an Irish band, and Lynott asks if there are any ladies there with a little Irish in them. Of course, you can see where the joke is going. In 1978, that might have been high comedy. Now, it’s a pervy dad joke. I’m not sure I’ve heard Emerald, but it has a nice riff. It’s like a traditional Irish tune, but with beefy, feedbacked guitars. Cool. Yes, there’s the twin guitar attack as both guitarists are harmonizing with each other while playing the same melody. Now the solos come at you fast and furious. I think Thin Lizzy may be one of those bands like KISS. They sound fine on record, if not a little disappointing, but live, they’re beasts. Gorham and Robertson are still soloing. This song is great for guitar fans. Track 3 is Southbound, and it has a brighter, poppier sound. It also begins with the two guitars harmonizing on the lead melody. This is a driving song. Speaking of harmonies, the band is doing a good job harmonizing on the chorus. This song is laidback and fun. I feel like a lot of Thin Lizzy songs were like that. They had songs that could rip your face off, but also had fine rock songs that didn’t need face-melting solos. Track 4 is Rosalie/Cowgirl’s Song, and Rosalie was written by Bob Seger, which I didn't know. It does have that Seger uptempo rock groove. As for Cowgirl’s Song, one of Thin Lizzy's biggest songs is Cowboy Song. I wonder if Cowgirl’s Song came out of that popularity? Women can do things these days. Speaking of KISS, Rosalie has a KISS groove in there. The guitars sound incredible. I’m really digging this song. I actually started clapping at my desk. It may be the Monster Energy. Ohhh, here comes the familiar strains of Cowboy Song, but it must be Cowgirl’s Song. Okay, it seems they are just riffing Rosalie over Cowboy Song. And then it’s over. Great song. Track 5 is Dancing in the Moonlight, which I thought was a totally different song. Lynott's vocal style is so different. I think that may be what threw me off about Thin Lizzy. The vocals just aren’t arranged like normal classic rock standards. He’s singing in a conversational style. Oooh, there’s a saxophone playing on this song. This song sounds like Lynott’s try at righting a Van Morrison song. John Earle is playing the sax. Now we get a super clean, fun guitar solo. Thin Lizzy always had incredible guitar players, even though they went through them quickly. And near the song, it’s both guitars and the sax harmonizing on the melody. Wow. That’s awesome. Track 6 is Massacre, and I would have sworn this was an Iron Maiden song. This song is just running and running. I think I can definitely say this is the best stuff I’ve ever heard from Thin Lizzy. Not just the song, which is incredible, but they really shone live. This song is so heavy, yet there is also a guitar line that is like a light shining to show the way to the end of the song. This is my favorite song on the album now. Track 7 is Still In Love with You, and it’s a slowed-down love song. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a ballad. It’s very bluesy, at least to start. I’m digging this. It’s allowing Lynott to actually sing. The guitars really make this song work. All in all, a nice change of pace for the album. Track 8 is Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed, and that’s a weird song title. Oh, yeah, this is funky. The lyrics aren’t doing much for me, or the singing, but the guitars and Lynott’s bass playing are really tight. Track 9 is Cowboy Song and it’s one of the band’s most loved songs. I’ve only heard it a few times. It has a melody that sounds similar to The Boys Are Back in Town, which kind of irks me. But, live, the guitars seem a bit heavier. It’s not turning me, but I do love the sound of the verses on guitar. We get to the middle of the song, and the two guitars really start singing, both together in harmony and separate in solos. Then, the last note of Cowboy Song, also happens to be the first note of The Boys Are Back in Town, which is track 10. The song is already pretty peppy on record, but I think the band speeds it up a bit more here. Those guitar harmonies are speeding by. I have to admit, this is a great song, and it’s a fun party song, but I’ve heard it so much. It’s one of those songs that everybody likes, and I tend to hate those songs. I guess it’s the contrarian in me. Track 11 is Don’t Believe a Word and I’m not sure I’ve heard this song. It’s pretty heavy for a love song. Damn, the first guitar solo just melted my cerebral cortex. That was straight fire. This song and Massacre are going into my singles playlist. Track 12 is Warrior, and it comes out firing with the twin guitar attack doubling each other. I like Lynott’s vocals on this song. It’s such a badass tune. Lynott’s voice sounds like Jimi Hendrix on this song. I later searched for a live performance of this song on YouTube, and Lynott said the song had been written for Hendrix. So, I guess he was trying to mimic Hendrix’s voice a bit. “I am the warrior I serve the death machine Losers or conquerors All flash past on my silver screen Death is no easy answer For those who wish to know Ask those who have been before you What fate the future holds It ain't pretty.” That’s badass. I know I say this for about every song, but the guitar solos are so good. I’m adding this song to my singles list. It’s so heavy and mean. Track 13 is Are You Ready and it immediately goes 0 to 100 mph in a flash. It’s got a great riff. Beyond it being a barnburner for the guitars, the song isn’t really that special. Lynott said it was a new song, which usually means it's bathroom and concession time during a concert. Track 14 is Suicide, or today it would be called Unaliving. The song is about suicide. I should say, the song is about a murder that the police label a suicide. That’s the plot of about 2,436 TV shows and movies. The song is a solid rock song, but the guitar solos are incredible, as usual. Gorham and Robertson just trade off. I assume it’s because their hands get too hot shredding, so the other has to take over. Track 15 is Sha-La-La and I hate the title, at least before hearing the song. The title may stink, but the riffs are stupendous. The riff reminds me of the riff from the Osmonds’ song called Crazy Horse. After reading the lyrics, this is quite the filthy song. It’s no Buckcherry, but without using curse words, it’s very suggestive. “Black magic woman, you've got a hold Come on, sugar, I'll lose control I want your body, not your soul Come on, baby, take my jelly roll.” That’s not very subtle at all. Though again, Buckcherry is about as subtle as a sledgehammer to your face. I’m not for censorship, but being unable to say certain words can actually make things more fun. It causes you to make up new words or sayings to point toward the word you can’t or shouldn’t say. I digress. Beyond the great guitars and licentious lyrics, drummer Downey gets himself some time for a drum solo. He played his arse off. Track 16 is Baby Drives Me Crazy and it starts with a sing-along with the crowd. This is an old-fashioned blues song with harmonica and all. Of course, most old-fashioned blues songs don’t have two guitars chuggin' along. Though it does give both guitarists a chance to shred, and shred they do. Speaking of a harmonica, Huey Lewis is playing it. Yes, that Huey Lewis. At that time, it seems he was known as Bluesy Huey Lewis. Great song with cool crowd interaction. Track 17, and the final track, is "The Rocker". I’m kind of sad the album is over, though I’m sure there’s some sort of giant deluxe album with 74 songs on it. The riff sounds like something Motorhead would play, though maybe at a faster pace. It definitely reminds me of a Fastway song, and Fastway was formed by former Motorhead guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke. Again, it has to be said, the guitar solos on this song are magnifique. It’s a great song to end the album and send the people home happy. Okay, I won’t say that I’m now a Thin Lizzy fan, but I definitely am a Live and Dangerous fan. It’s one of the best live albums I’ve heard. I got caught up in it a few times and was clapping along and playing air guitar. I also used the bathroom during the new song. If you’ve never heard Thin Lizzy or if you’ve only heard Thin Lizzy from studio albums, listen to this. It’ll turn you around. I wonder if this will give me a new appreciation for the recorded songs? If it’s not must-listen, I’d at least highly recommend it. It’s heavy enough for metalheads, but not so shreddy that rock fans can’t also groove to it.