Was familiar with the singles of this album but had never listened all the way through (was more of a Pyromania kid). Actually, was more than familiar with the singles - they were omnipresent in 1987. At 8 years old I had a fake guitar (couple of pieces of wood nailed together) with which I mimed 'Love Bites' over and over- weird song choice, but it was on a mixtape I think either me or someone else dubbed from the radio. 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' of course was the biggest hit and a legit crazy good song, even if it, at times, sounds like Mother Goose gone insane. The production is the thing here, though. Mutt Lange (husband of Shania Twain, and call me crazy but there are several tracks on this album that could be Shania songs) produced the hell out of this. It's borderline avant-garde at points, somehow sounding still futuristic despite its dated qualities. The album starts with one of the more mediocre songs on the album, 'Women', followed by 'Rocket' which struck me as willfully obtuse. Finally, 'Animal' begins a string of undeniable bangers and the album really takes off. Couple of filler songs late in the tracklist and it should have ended at 'Hysteria'. Sonically, it's not too much to call this a masterpiece but the album as a whole doesn't quite live up to the talent behind the boards.
This was probably the first 'electronic' album I ever purchased. The imagery from the 'Firestarter' video was bizarre and menacing in a way that I hadn't seen before. I think they were probably one of the first, if not the first, electronic artist to really style themselves like a rock band, which was honestly the necessary ingredient for a suburban 18 year old like me to buy in, not to mention the MTV marketing machine, etc.
Overall the album holds up, if in a background music sort of way. The beats are fun and it's not too dense. The impact of this album is about a specific moment in time and it never really transcends that. But fun to listen to for nostalgic purposes. And the album cover is fucking great.
Beautiful, aching, simple arrangements on this sad, indie version of Captain and Tennille. Possibly the best late night album of the 2000's. Excellent production by Jamie xx, who adds emphasis to the emotion in all the right ways while remaining pulled back and never overwhelming the fierce intimacy of the singers.
Always been a Blur guy when it comes to Britpop, so I bought into Gorillaz right away. This is probably their least adventurous album but it still jams. The album largely feels like Albarn is trying to find his footing in this guise, sometimes falling back on guitar-y stuff and only selectively using guest stars, which become a huge feature of Gorillaz in future records.
Very excited for this one. I am familiar with Kraftwerk, of course, but have never done a deep dive. It's easy to hear how Kraftwerk basically invented one of the most important building blocks for bands in the 80's and beyond. The textures, tones and rhythms are undeniable and hypnotic. The songwriting is obviously not paramount here (even if there's a certain charm to the stilted 'robot in love' vocals on the poppier songs), and though perhaps I would enjoy this album more were it to be augmented by additional, more organic or varied, instrumentation, I respect the laser focus of this obviously trailblazing work.
Favorite song: the extended outro of 'Neon Lights'
One of the all time greats. Perhaps not my favorite Joni album but certainly the core text. Lots of memories of specific people, times and places associated with this for me. Required listening for anyone in their 20’s, it speaks to passion, longing and regret better than anything else, and lowers your blood pressure while doing so. On this listen, was struck by Joni’s unique combination of lyricism and melody- the tunes never leave your head, but if you try to sing it yourself you end up with endless 6-car-pileups on the freeway. Several songs on this would be the greatest, most moving song anyone else ever wrote. Also worth noting that my vinyl copy of this album is one of the best sounding records I own, much, much better than how it sounds on streaming. One quibble- the final track on the album has never really done it for me. I recognize the need for a chaser after ‘case of you’ but i have never been able to fully digest ‘the last time i saw Richard’.
Vocal group goes psychedelic! I actually love when established groups try to shoehorn their way into trends, if only because it’s interesting to hear how they fall short. In the case of this record, ‘Cloud Nine’ and the epic ‘Runaway Child, Running Wild’ seem to be the ‘psychedelic’ entries, and both are not that fun to me (or particularly psychedelic, for that matter). Someone wailing ‘I want my mama’ during ‘Runaway Child…’ definitely made my family’s ears perk up, but not in a good way. As the album progresses, the songs become more standard Temptations fare, and is better for it, but this group in general never quite resonated with me, despite my deep love of Motown.
Favorite song: "I Need Your Lovin'"
I appreciate punk and its place in history, but with hardcore, unless I heard it when I was, say, 13, the genre is hard for me to get into. Can’t say I’ll be spinning this one again anytime soon but the Wikipedia page for the Germs and Darby Crash is pretty entertaining. Favorite detail: Belinda Carlisle was their drummer but never played with them because of “an extended bout of mononucleosis.”
There’s everything to like about this very fun, funny and beautifully uncomplicated album. The definition of ‘crowd-pleasing’. Bonus: this album provided the perfect party music for my 3 year old to celebrate her birthday with this weekend.
Favorite song: ‘(I’ll be glad when you’re dead) you rascal you’
