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 ››
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 ››
Beck was ahead of the curve on Google glass by a decade.
#436
Beck, Sea Change
Release Date: 2002
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes
Impressions: Real strange that I don't have this album since I like Beck in general. Sometimes the holes in my collection are inexplicable. Well, let's put it on…There's an acoustic guitar opener, so it's that version of Beck and not the sample-heavy, hiphop collage artist guy. Slightly trippy, but more direct and personal (for him, at least) in addressing his recent divorce than his random, non-sequitur lyrics of the past. Also, songs … Continue Reading ››
Release Date: 1983
Previously Owned: Yes (on tape, CD, vinyl)
I guess "Synchronicity" involves all three band members wanting to punch each other out equally.Impressions: Synchronicity is one of the first truly great albums I got my hands on as a youth. After floundering around with Huey Lewis and the News, the "Arthur" Soundtrack and Hooked on Classics, a friend of mine gave me a tape of this album (along with Michael Jackson's Thriller on the B Side) and I wore it out. I even started fast forwarding through Thriller, … Continue Reading ››
Release Date: 1978
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes
This album is no day at the beach, that's for sure.Impressions: As mentioned earlier, I'm pretty smitten with Big Star's catchy, influental '70s guitar pop. But, I've never touched their third (and last) "experimental" album that barely got released. Seems weird to review these in reverse order, but here we go….Oh man, from the first few notes on "Kizza Me" this album makes me anxious. With Chris Bell long gone, this is Alex … Continue Reading ››
This seems like the ne plus ultra of '70s soft-rock album covers.
#450
Jackson Browne, For Everyman
Release Date: 1974
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes
Impressions: Oh, here we go... Jackson Browne: another regular-guy '70s singer/songwriter that seems to over-populate this list. Luckily, his distinct hair insures I don't get him mixed up with some of the other sensitive performer types.Browne always seemed a little wan to me, but let's put the album on and give it a shot... I didn't know he co-wrote "Take It Easy" with Glenn Frey. Strange that he opened with … Continue Reading ››
Release Date: 2006
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: No
Impressions: Oh, Winehouse. Your tragic, tabloid-ready life story could overshadow your music. That would be a shame, I mean, on top of you already dying. Years of drug abuse, bulemia, personal drama and old-fashioned alcoholism led to you to drinking yourself to death in 2010. So sad, but life must go on and so must this review..."Rehab" is the big hit from the album and, it's kind of hard to … Continue Reading ››
I'm not sure I "Loved It To Death," but I did enjoy this one.
#454
Alice Cooper, Love It To Death
Release Date: 1971
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes
Impressions: I only know of Mr. Cooper through his second career as a reliable guest-star "freak" on TV and his love of golf. Musically, I know very little. Let's put this on... Well, off to a great start with the rocking "Caught In A Dream." Cooper's brand of greasy glam rock seems a bit different than the heavy metal crowd that Cooper gets … Continue Reading ››
How will Los Lobos survive? With a combination of endlessly touring and recording great songs, that's how.
#455
Los Lobos, How Will The Wolf Survive?
Release Date: 1981
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Weirdly, Yes
Impressions: Unbelievable. I love these guys. I think they are one of the most-criminally underrated bands in rock and roll history. Completely stylistically diverse, both experimental and crowd-pleasing, with tons of chops and heart. They hold on to their Chicano roots but allow for anything else to enter the mix. Possibly one of the top 5 American bands of … Continue Reading ››
It doesn't photograph well, but, man, is that a cool idea for packaging or what? METAL. BOX.
#461
P.I.L., Metal Box
Release Date: 1979
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes
Impressions: As a budding young graphic designer/music fan, I loved the branding of Public Image Limited. The logo, the generic "Album" conceit and even the name all seemed to be vaguely underground, but not obviously punk with stereotypical ransom lettering (like the Sex Pistols.) A nice bonus was that I even enjoyed their music. P.I.L. was still aggressive but more textured than the straight-forward assault … 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
