Blurs Blursteen and The Blur Street BandImpressions: Another late-career effort by Bruce. This one came out as a direct response to 9/11. I guess someone had to address the subject, so why not the Boss, right? Let's put it on… "Lonesome Day" offers up solid, if standard meat-and-potatoes rock with affecting but vague references to 9/11. The production by Brendan O'Brien is a little better than most late-career AOR offerings, although he likes to toss in little weird noises and … Continue Reading ››
This must be his flag design.Impressions: I'm not a well-informed on country music. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs in the '70s, so country music was at the time the butt of many easy jokes (think of the "Bob's Country Bunker" scene in The Blues Brothers.) It also didn't help that most of my early exposure to country was from cheeseball TV variety shows like The Mandrell Sisters or Hee Haw and that lots of today's country is completely awful. Despite all … Continue Reading ››
First Time Listen: Yes, but I don't really remember too much.
Again, the record company puts the pretty ones on the cover, but neglects the, uh, talented ones...Impressions: Okay. I've already tried to articulate my weird indifference for the hard rock/power pop of Cheap Trick, but maybe a live album of theirs will change things up. Let's fire this one up!... Energy is great from the beginning. "Hello There" is a classic intro, … Continue Reading ››
Previously Owned: No
Nice of them to include a pillow with the album in case it's a snooze.
First Time Listen: Yes
Impressions: Peter Wolf,former J. Geils Band front man ("Angel Is A Centerfold,") and WXRT favorite, has never won me over as a fan. Like John Prine, Warren Zevon, and Boz Scaggs for me, He falls into that regular guy rock/blues singer-songwriter category of interchangable white dudes that get mashed up together in my head. Completely unfair of … Continue Reading ››
Rare photo of the Police not punching each otherImpressions: The first concert I ever saw (not counting The Four Freshman in a shopping mall) was Amnesty International's Conspiracy Of Hope in 1986. It was one of the last shows The Police played before they broke up (for the first time) and I thought they were amazing. That made me a fairly decent Police fan for the rest of my life, even if they would do something stupid in the future … Continue Reading ››
Impressions: I'm not sure why they cluster similar albums together on this list. I just reviewed Eno's Here Comes The Warm Jets at #432. Perhaps spreading these albums further apart for variety sake would have been considerate towards idiots like myself who are listening to the entire list in order, I'm just saying. Let's fire this one up… Seems even more experimental than … Continue Reading ››
Impressions: Fairly popular band with the kids of now. Let's hit play… Trust-fund angle to the packaging, music, lyrics…even album titles like "Oxford Comma" and "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa." They describe their mix of sounds as "Upper West Side Soweto." "Mansard Roof" starts off with a galloping beat and some tremelo guitars. At least, singer Ezra Koenig is trying to question his privilege with a chorus of "Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?" He's got a very … Continue Reading ››
PJ Harvey, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
Release Date: 2000
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes
Stories from the PJ, Stories from the HarveyImpressions: I completely missed out on one Polly Jean Harvey, for whatever reason, in the '90s. Maybe I was too busy listening to Korn, or Staind, or Puddle of Mudd or something. Well, that's not true, but let's hear what she's got… Leads off with an Y2K, alt-y guitar rock opener "Big Exit" with a suitably huge … Continue Reading ››
Here Come The Glam Album CoverImpressions: I mostly know Brian Eno: Top-Notch Producer who brought out great work with Talking Heads, U2 and his stint with Roxy Music. And Brian Eno: Ambient Music Pioneer. But I dont know much about Brian Eno: Solo Rock Star. Let's put this on… Catchy, rocking guitar on "Needles In The Camel's Eye" almost sounds like Boat or Pavement. In the running for strangest name of … Continue Reading ››
Impressions: Heard good things about this one, lots of people consider it the best post-Beatles solo album any of them ever made. Let's put it on: Beautiful hazy opener, with George's (first names only, please) wonderful guitar lines weaving their magic. "Oh My Lord" is fantastic, builds so beautifully. Nice strings, great lead guitar, heavenly chanting... a very pleasing listen. There's something gentle about George's approach that's very appealing without being mushy. He never … 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
