RS #413: Minutemen, Double Nickels On The Dime

#413

Minutemen, Double Nickels On The Dime

Release Date: 1984 Previously Owned: Yes First Time Listen: No
Minutemen, Double Nickels On The Dime
Love how all these subtle things came together on this cover. Mike Watt's look on his face in the rear view mirror. The speedometer reading 55 mph. The San Pedro sign in the background.
Impressions: Mea culpa: I really dig these dudes. So, I'll try not to slobber too much in this review. Simply put, there's never been anyone quite like them, outside of maybe, maybe, Wire (coming up at #412!) Let's get this started, since this … Continue Reading ››

RS #414: The Go Go’s, Beauty and the Beat

#414

The Go Go's, Beauty and the Beat

Release Date: 1981 Previously Owned: No First Time Listen: Yes
The Go Go's, Beauty and The Beat
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 ››

RS #415: Van Halen, Van Halen

#415

Van Halen, Van Halen

Release Date: 1978 Previously Owned: Yes (on vinyl) First Time Listen: No
Van Halen, Van Halen
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 ››

RS #416: Tom Waits, Mule Variations

#416

Tom Waits, Mule Variations

Release Date: 1999 Previously Owned: Yes
"I didn't marry I man. I married a mule," Kathleen Brennan, Tom Waits' wife
Impressions: 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 ››

RS #417: U2, Boy

#417

U2, Boy

Release Date: 1980 Previously Owned: Yes
U2, Boy
8 bit U2
Impressions: 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 ››

RS #418: Wings, Band On The Run

#418

Wings, Band On The Run

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.
Wings, 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 ››

RS #419: Portishead, Dummy

#419

Portishead,  Dummy

Release Date: 1994 Previously Owned: No First Time Listen: No
Portishead, Dummy
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 ››