1001 Albums Summary

do it again - is that a theremin? synth? in the 70s? - cool soundscape - theme of being in a vicious cycle dirty work - the theremin/synth continues - continues the theme of continuing to do something even though it hurts and you should probably stop - being in love with someone who does not love you back - i like this one kings - i can really hear the bass in this one - critiques the idea of remembering a person who has done bad deeds as good after their life has ended ("and though we sung his fame / we all went hungry just the same") - changing a terrible leader for another midnite cruiser - nice chords and bass sound. - past glory and current loser. - this is gonna sound crazy but follows the medieval topic of ubi sunt. ("where is your bounty of fortune and fame? i am another gentleman loser") only a fool would say that - nice bass. really liking the sound on this album - the complete loss of hope and that anyone who has it is a fool or a grifter - i like this one reelin' in the years - i think i've heard this one before - nice guitar and bass - a relationship where they both hated each other but still stayed together. fire in the hole - nice piano - the moment of realisation that everything is shit, actually ("fire in the hole / and nothing left to burn") but there's nothing that can be done ("i'd love to run out now / there's nowhere left to turn") - emotional turning point of the album? brooklyn (owes the charmer under me) - i like the sound - apparently about their downstairs neighbour that felt the world owed him something - checks out with the general theme about frustration change of the guard - again, i like the bass - the REAL turning point of the album. hope is back. turn that heartbeat over again - even though the last track was hopeful, the closing track is back to continue the vicious cycle - talks about drug addiction ("i'll keep my promise when you turn that heartbeat over again") - the vocals pan from side to side in an interesting way - the crystal/bell sounds from the first song are back

She's So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper's 1983 debut album, is a great debut album. It cleverly presents Lauper's sound and references with several covers she has made her own, like Prince's When You Were Mine and Jules Shear's All Through The Night. It also conveys her as a young independent cool woman, with hits like Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, She Bop, Yeah Yeah, Money Changes Everything; while also showing a more sentimental side of hers with her self-penned ballad Time After Time. She's So Unusual checks all the boxes a good debut record should check, and it gave Cyndi Lauper plenty of directions to explore in the next one.

A wonderfully dark synth album about our human impulses.