People who love Bruce, love this album. I am not one of those people. I think this is mainly due to the fact that I was born in 1985, I dunno. I kinda feel the same way about U2, for whatever reason. In pure Bruce fashion, all the tracks on the album are long and winding stories, probably the best known one is Rosalita, which by the way is my favorite. According to RS, this album is where Bruce honed his voice and writing style, so I suppose these are good examples of his style.
If you like The Boss, then you'll love this album. But chances are if you love him, you already have this album. Ugh, i just re-read that first paragraph and it looks like a Chuck Klosterman starting paragraph, so I'll just stop now while I'm ahead. Night!
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Album: The Wild, the Innocent and E Street Shuffle Artist: Bruce Springsteen Year: 1973 My Favorite Song: Rosalita Next Up: Notorious
Well, in all honesty I really wanted to write this on a Saturday night, but oh well Tuesday will do. This album was really fun. Not a whole ton of substance behind it, and it was a compilation, so obviously I don't think it should be on this list (This album won the grammy for album of the year, ahhh to live in the 70s). Anyway, listening to the soundtrack got me thinking about all these "greatest" lists. Well actually listening to the album and having a long drawn out argument with Adam over the state of music today. So, i decided i should make a list of my own. I'm actually more intrigued about looking over music from the past decade than I'm interested in proving him wrong. But, whatever the motive, expect that from me in the next few days.
I should explain why I haven't written in a month. A few reasons actually, and the first one is something I talked about in an earlier post. I listen to podcasts now when I run. I used to listen to music, but the problem is that music is not distracting enough for me. It's too easy to notice the end of a track, and well I need all the help I can get excercising without stopping. So, because of that, I don't have the daily time to listen to albums that I had before. Which brings me to my second reason, I want to devote an appropriate amount of time to think about each album. I'd rather not just bang through these, which I'm prone to do on occasion.
So this blog of mine has come to a crossroads. Do I want to update and give up on doing an album with each post, or take the time to really dissect albums? For now I think I'm going to try and do both, that's why they makes this posts with labels on them, right? Anway, it's now 4AM, and my disc of One Tree Hill is finished. Go winter break!
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Album: Saturday Night Fever Artist: Various, but mostly the Bee Gees Year: 1977 My Favorite Song: Night on Disco Mountain Next Up: The Boss
THE Recording to begin hard rock. Listen to it. please. Listen to it and think about how great Osborne was, before this genereation turned him into a punchline.
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Album: Paranoid Artist: Black Sabbath Year: 1971 My Favorite Song: War Pigs Next Up: The Fever
Ok, that's out of the way. It's an amazing way to get to know Mr. Williams. And it shows a side of him that I bet you didn't know existed. In college, my friend Matt had a Hank Williams tape. Yes, that's right I said tape. Well, it was an old car, and he didn't have a cd hook up yet. And yes, this were the days before Walgreens sold fm transmitters for $20. Anyways, i rode back home with him once and listened to this tape. When we started our trip, he was raving about this tape, i couldn't believe we were gonna spend the whole trip with this "country" singer. But by the end I had grown a new respect for the man. So that's how I think you'll feel about this recording. That's how I think you'll feel about it. The man had a dark side too, I liked Move It On Over
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Album: 40 Greatest Hits Artist: Hank Williams Year: 1978 My Favorite Song: Move It On Over Next Up: Black Sabbath
Glad that The Talking Heads came before them. The Talking Heads were the evolution three years later of what Television introduced in 1977. Well, television and the rest of the NYC punk movement, which was of course the outreach of the English punk movement. Not sure what I mean by that, I'm not really saying that their music wasn't validated, or that they didn't mean what they were saying. But, what were they saying? The British movement rose out of the complete and utter poverty that the peasant were living in. Were the New York punks just angry because they were young? And again, not there's anything wrong with that. not that they didn't feel the full passion they were singing and playing, but will it last the test of time? Interesting thoughts, right? Well, to me they are. It brings about that great question, is music more meaningful if you know the background behind it? I would say...maybe. You could argue it either way. Since music, like most art, is meant to play upon the emotions an individual feels, it doesn't really matter why the artist created it.
I guess it shows what kind of person I am. I want to get the interpretation right, whatever that means. I want to know what the artist intended for it, and maybe it makes me respect their work just a little bit more than artists who just don't give a damn. hmmmm, and that just brings me back to punk again. Man, I don't sound like the 16 year old who listened to nothing buy Fat WreckChords through junior year...
Oh hey, take a listen to this record, let me know how you feel about the angst...
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Album: Marquee Moon Artist: Television Year: 1977 My Favorite Song: Friction Next Up: Hank Williams, oh boy
I should explain. Usually, when I write these it's only about 2 or 3 at a time, because that's the only free moment I have. Or I should say, a free moment that isn't taken up thinking about other stupid things. Anyways, these are different, because I listened to these last five albums all on the same weekend trip. It was the trip I took with my high school kids, to Indy. I'll admit, I didn't have the usual opportunity that I do to immerse myself in an album, but at the same time, it was a different experience. I wasn't thinking about other things during the album. It was just me and the road, and in this case the Mamas and the Papas.
A great album, including two of the best songs the Mamas and Papas ever recorded and my second favorite song by this group. A unique sound, especially since they were one of the first band I had ever heard that had more than just a two part harmony. Most people my age only know California Dreamin' from mash-ups, or at least that's all I remember hearing it in college. Though I suppose you could say that about all the music I enjoy.
Beyond that harmonies, the song that I like most on this album is Spanish Harlem. I know it's a cover, and usually covers don't sit well with me, but what can I say? I heard the cover first, and fell in love with it. Also, one of the first times that I had heard a vibraphone in a recording. In middle school, I never had heard the vibes solo in a recording. The sound is unlike any other I had ever encountered. A pure sound, like a chime, but with an enticing quality.
Most definitely listen to the album, but at the very least check out the recording.
Oh what the hell, here it is
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Album: If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears Artist: The Mamas and the Papas Year: 1966 My Favorite Song: Spanish Harlem Next Up: Television
A "new wave masterpiece" as dubbed by RS. Pretty sure I agree with them, it's a really fun album. Where each song flows into the next perfectly. Of course culminated with the fantastic Once In a Lifetime. For all the praise that David Byrne gets as this genius lyricist, I didn't realize the wonderful music behind it, I recommend you take a listen to this one. (compared to all the other ones I didn't recommend, right? I should really put a scale to this...)
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Album: Remain in Light Artist: The Talking Heads Year: 1980 My Favorite Song: Once in a Lifetime Next Up: The Mamas and the Papas
