Release Date: 1981
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes
Wait, are they "The Go Go's" or just "Go Go's?" That could effect my review...Impressions: In the early '80s, I recall a general attitude toward the Go Go's of "aw, an all-female band, that's cute." Stupid stereotypes. Even though they were on I.R.S. Records, I never really listened to this album, outside of the hits. Let's put this on…"Our Lips Are Sealed" is still a winner, with the sunny harmonies and hooks … Continue Reading ››
Release Date: 1978
Previously Owned: Yes (on vinyl)
First Time Listen: No
So many joints have been rolled on this cover...Impressions: Van Halen doesn't exactly fit into my musical wheelhouse, but I secretly find them pretty awesome from time to time. Don't tell anyone. Let's put on their debut record here… Opens with the thump thump thump of Michael Anthony's Jack Daniels bass guitar and kicks into gear with the spare, somewhat menacing yet fun-loving "Runnin' With The Devil." Their pattened brand of metal-flavored pop/rock (or is it pop/rock-flavored metal?) … Continue Reading ››
"I didn't marry I man. I married a mule," Kathleen Brennan, Tom Waits' wifeImpressions: Tom Waits is a good candidate as any to be immune from the dreaded late-career album doldrums. He always seemed like a old guy on the inside with his whiskey and cigarette rasp, beatnik/bluesy subject matter and general craggy demeanor, so naturally it would follow that could age nicely into his persona. He never really went away, but Mule Variations at the time was well regarded as a "comeback." … Continue Reading ››
8 bit U2Impressions: I come into this entry as a old fan of U2 from way back. This was the first U2 album I purchased in the eighties. It was on a cassette that, politely, was recorded with the entire album on each side, so you wouldn't have to flip the cassette halfway through. At the time, that impressed me for some reason, along with the moody, earnest post-punk songs within. Let's see how this record does today… "I Will Follow" is a still a … Continue Reading ››
Release Date: 1973
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes
Impressions: I know the song. You know the song. But, still, let's play the whole album…I'm pretty sure we are all in agreement that the song "Band On The Run" is a goddamn nutballs masterpiece? Right? It's three different epic songs perfectly arranged into a breezy five-minute mini-suite about a band. A band on the run.
SOMEONE STOP THAT BAND!
Outside of that, I got no idea what most of the other songs are about, but at this point … Continue Reading ››
Release Date: 1994
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: No
This album is best heard in Cinemascope.Impressions:Dummy is of those albums that somehow made a stir with both DJ electronic music types and regular civilians when it first came out twenty years ago(!) Not an easy trick to pull off. Let's put it on and see what all the fuss was about… Opens in typically spooky fashion with "Mysterions." Everything is there from the drop: Geoff Barrow's muted, tasteful hip-hop beats, Adrian Utley's retro spy guitar, Beth Gibbon's ethereal torch crooning, all served with a … Continue Reading ››
Buddy Holly & The Crickets, The “Chirping” Crickets
Release Date: 1957
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes
Looking sharp, Crickets.Impressions: Early nerd rock and roll. Let's do this… This album blasts to life with "Oh Boy!" and then the rumbling, much covered "Not Fade Away." Holly, who was 21 when he recorded this, has a real nervous energetic delivery that gives the songs a little edge. Love the choppy percussion of "Not Fade Away." Their mix of R&B, rockabllly and country is so natural and set the stage for, well, everybody. Songs like "That'll Be The Day" and … Continue Reading ››
Release Date: 1990
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes
Groups of Girls singing songs. What did you expect?Impressions: This somewhat difficult-to-find collection of the best tunes of'60s girl groups finishes off a run of three similar collections in a row on this list. Let's put it on… The familar motorcycle themed "Leader of The Pack" by the Shangri-Las starts off with cooing voices, screeching tires, revving motorcycle … Continue Reading ››
The Ronettes, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica
Release Date: 1964
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes
Sorry, no Betty...Impressions: This album comes in a middle of a pocket of three '60s girl-group entries on this list. A coincidence? Or just some weird thematic grouping by the editors? Who knows? Let's put it on… Immediately recognizable Phil Spector "Wall of Sound" production style, in "Walking In The Rain" which won a Grammy for Best Sound Effects for it's rainstorm noises. Some of these songs suffer a little in comparison to … Continue Reading ››
Another anthology… sighRelease Date: 2001
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes
Impressions: A sprawling 2-disc anthology of the, well, supreme Motown group that has at least three different versions that were released. Let's dive in!… The earliest songs are mostly new to me and range from novelty tunes about a man who only eats "Buttered Popcorn" to weird moody organ/flute driven doo-wop of "I Want A Guy." The singing is already top-shelf from the get go and the dreamy Latin-accented, Smokey Robinson production "Your Heart Belongs To Me" shows everything all coming together … Continue Reading ››
A guy tries to listen to every album on the Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums of all time list, and some other stuff
