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Bad Company, Billy Joel, Bobbie Gentry, Brce Dessner, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Discogs, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Gene Simmons, Grease, Haydn, Heart, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, James McAlister, James Taylor, Jerry Goldsmith, KISS, Led Zeppelin, Lesley Gore, Mary Martin, Men at Work, Michael McDonald, Music, Nico Muhly, Oliver!, Pointer Sisters, Queen, Readers Digest, Rod Stewart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Romeo and Juliet, Sufjan Stevens, Terri Gibbs, The BCPF, The Sound of Music, The Temptations, Underdog Records
Salutations™!!
The BCPF’s and my journey to Underdog Records yesterday was a successful and fruitful one. We got some good stuff and since you’re reading, let’s just jump to it, eh?
©Casablanca Records/Universal Music Group
- Kiss, Gene Simmons – Gene Simmons (my absolute favorite of the solo albums; I have Peter and Paul on back order – new)
- Sufjan Stevens • Nico Muhly • Bryce Dessner • James McAlister – Planetarium (new)
- Various – Grease
- Queen – The Game
- Jerry Goldsmith – Patton (Original Motion Picture Score)
- Men At Work – Two Hearts
- Michael McDonald – If That’s What It Takes
- Elton John – Ice On Fire
- Fleetwood Mac – Bare Trees
- Diana Ross And The Supremes & The Temptations – Diana Ross & The Supremes Join The Temptations
- Terri Gibbs – Somebody’s Knockin’
- Bobbie Gentry – Ode To Billie Joe
- André Previn, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra* – Joseph Haydn – Symphony No 94/104
- Pointer Sisters – Break Out
- James Taylor – Dad Loves His Work
- Led Zeppelin – The Soundtrack From The Film The Song Remains The Same
- Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti (I don’t know how good either of the Zep albums will sound, there are some pretty rough spots on each of them, they were in the $1 bin)
- Heart – Dreamboat Annie
- Bad Company – Bad Co
- Nino Rota – Romeo & Juliet
- Leland Hayward, Richard Halliday, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein 2nd* Present Mary Martin – The Sound Of Music (Original Broadway Cast)
- Rod Stewart – A Night On The Town
- Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – The Beat Of The Brass
- Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – What Now My Love
- Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – Sounds Like… (all three Alpert albums were given to me by my pal, Clay Howard)
- Lesley Gore – The Golden Hits Of Lesley Gore (Ma Mère had this when I was younger)
- Billy Joel – Piano Man
- Lionel Bart – Oliver!
- Readers Digest Association – Popular Music We All Love (9) Record Box Set 33 LP Readers Digest RCA (9 LP box set)
- Various – Hits From The Shows – The Greatest Music From Broadway (10 LP box set)
We listened to several of them yesterday and excluding the Gene Simmons album – because it’s Gene Simmons – and the Queen album, I was really, really impressed and happy with the Michael McDonald album. Great musicianship and production. But, Underdog was jumping yesterday and we had fun. If you’re into vinyl and haven’t been to Underdog Records, then shame on you. “I don’t have a turntable,” you say? Well, Underdog has you covered. They have turntables, receivers, and speakers for sale. Pick one and find a whole new joy in music. And, if you’re not using Discogs to curate your LP collection, then you’re also missing out. If (goodness forbid) something happens, you need to know what you had to turn in to insurance and to recollect if you are so inclined.
Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Happy listening!
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“I keep forgettin’ we’re not in love anymore. I keep forgettin’ things will never be the same again. I keep forgettin’ how you made that so clear. I keep forgettin’.” – “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” (McDonald, Sanford, Leiber, Stoller)
smeared all over this gem. Keyboardist Rod Argent and bassist Chris White wrote all the tunes of this album, telling great stories. This album is well written and the sonic quality of it seems to be way ahead of its time. It sounds like it could have been written about 5 to 10 years later. All the musicians on the album are beyond competent and are masterful of their instruments. Usually, I’d pick out a few songs and say those are better than others or this one I didn’t like. I’m certainly not going to do that here. The entire album from front to back is great. I am going to pull one out and discuss that, though. One of my favorite tunes of the ’60s, the entire decade, is “Time of the Season.” I have always wanted to cover that in a band and I never turn it when it comes on. I have to look at this album as a complete, singular unit but that song stands out as a fantastic peak of the mountain. I don’t know why I thought one of the CSN boys was in this band. They weren’t and that’s okay. I still love the album. I want to find it on vinyl. I DUG this album. Great start of the segment.
midway point. Overall? Dug – it’s Sly and the Family Stone. A bit of kinship I have with this album is it was released on my first birthday. So I’m exactly one year older than it is.
Paradise” and “Radio, Radio.” Absolutely, I DUG it!
initial reaction of “blah blah blah blah” I actually enjoyed the album. I’d listen again, but when I can pick and choose what to listen to. Dug.
well-planned nonsense). Three staples of Sirius XM’s First Wave channel, “Hanging on the Telephone,” “One Way or Another,” which starts this album out right, and “Heart of Glass,” all three are the flour while the rest of the album is the egg in the cake; the rest holds it together. It truly is in your face. You can look away but you can’t escape. “Picture This” is probably some of the best capturing of a live feel in the studio I’ve heard since the 76-77 era of KISS, while “Fade Away and Radiate” has that Blondie reggae beat but a sultry and seductive backbone. “Pretty Baby” reminds me of the Shangri-Las or something like that. It hearkens back to the 50s rock and roll pop girl groups. I know that was the point and I’m quite okay with it. I hear some Cheap Trick (or just similarities therein) in the music of “I Know But I Don’t Know.” The dissonant chord changes are what do it for me, I think. I’m ashamed to say that I really don’t know much about Blondie other than the hits on this album, “Rapture” and “Call Me.” This is a reminder of how sucky I can be at knowing my classic bands. Pity, Scorp, pity. I think “Heart of Glass” is a good indication as to where the band would be going in the following few years. It sounds more futuristic than the rest of the album and, to me, was more than just a representation of the disco stuff that was still lingering and hanging on at the time; it was advanced in structure and sound. I really like that song. I really like this album! Dug!
spend money on it as it’s not my thing, really. BUT, I got it and put it on my iPod and listened to it whilst driving around in Nigel (my Kia Soul) and I have to say, this is some really good stuff. Well, let’s not go crazy, whether or not it’s “good” is subjective but I really like it. I’ve enjoyed listening to it. As always, I could certainly do without all the “n” word strewn about the album, but what can you do? I’d actually consider this a Snoop Dogg album over a Dre album. He’s highlighted throughout and his work is the best on the record. There’s a lot of shots at Eazy-E, who owned Ruthless Redords and Ice Cube, both former N.W.A. members. Dre and gang also take shots at Tim Dog and Luther Campbell (Luke of 2 Live Crew). They’re not at all apologetic about it, either. They don’t hold back. It was a pleasure to listen to. “F*** with Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin’),” “Let Me Ride,” “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang,” “A N***a Witta Gun” and “Deeez Nuuuts” are my favorites on here. I almost wish I’d have bought the vinyl version, now. I’m still happy with it. Dug!!
alternative rock would have sounded like in my head. I know it’s a travesty and all that but I knew nothing of The Replacements, other than the song “Alex Chilton,” prior to this complete countdown. I don’t know how I didn’t. Well, that’s not true. This was released before I moved to WSNC and we didn’t have access to this where I was from. “Dose of Thunder” sounds like something Cult would have done. I like that. “Hold my Life,” “I’ll Buy” are both solid songs. The first one that really made me go, that’s cool is “Waitress in the Sky.” Next is “Swinging Party” and I REALLY like that one. At the time it was rough and dirty, I’m sure. But, I think it fits perfectly snug in the annuls of the early alternative (or First Wave) motif. It’s rebellious but not totally defiant; accessible. There’s not a single song on this album that I’d skip over. I may not think them my favorite tunes, but they’re certainly a great listen. One of my faves in the last bit. And closing out on “Here Comes a Regular?” I nearly wept. Priceless. DUG!
I’m done with it and don’t care if I ever listen to it again, other than a handful of tunes. Dug-ish.
loved Ozzy’s rendition of that and “Children of the Grave” on the Tribute album. I never got Pantera’s cover of “Planet Caravan” but I think this version sits easy as a mood shift from the heaviness. It’s very Doors-like to me with some Allman Brothers thrown in. Great vocal effect on that, too. I listened to this one through headphones and love the panning on “Iron Man.” Really, does a song get much heavier than this? This is the heavy that Death and Speed Metal bands wish they could get. A menacing riff to go with a menacing figure in the lyrics. What I get out of the lyrics are: he goes to the future and sees destruction. He tries to get back to warn everyone in his own time that this is going to happen. In the magnetic field that enabled his time travel, he’s turned into a bit metal dude and he can’t talk. We know in this society, anything the masses don’t understand, they shun. He gets mad and destroys those who mock him. So, I guess he created the destruction he saw the vision of? Do I hear a talkbox mixed with the wah pedal in “Electric Funeral.” I’d love to ask Ed B. here in WSNC what Geezer Butler is playing to make the bass sound so boxy. Is it the Rickenbacker 4001? I generally don’t like that kind of bass sound but this is actually perfect for what they’re doing. The album closes with “Fairies Wear Boots” and as it goes quiet afterwards, you kind of feel like something’s over. A feeling of finality. That’s sad, but good that you can feel that way about an album, right? I certainly dug it. It’s a great album.
album. It was the height of their popularity and mystique. This album, though, is truly what broke them into the spotlight, entirely on the coattails of “Rock and Roll All Nite” my second least favorite KISS song of all time (“Boomrerang” wins the honor of #1). And, I believe, completely, in my heart that all live albums that followed this is are judged on the comparison to this album. KISS, as a live show in general, is the standard by which live shows have shaped over the years. When the Vagabond Saints Society did Alive & Alive II back-to-back in November, I loved watching everyone’s interpretations of these tunes. If I was picking a favorite KISS tune of all time, it’s on here: “Black Diamond.” Although, I’m a huge a fan of everything on this album except “RNRAN.” Heavens Sake, the band that I am still “technically” in although we’ve not been in a band situation in about ten years, performed “Got to Choose,” live, almost more than any other KISS song. It was the first one we ever played together, all the way through. “C’mon and Love Me” and “Cold Gin” were others we did often. The HS song, “Cannibal” was basically written as an homage to “Watchin’ You.” So, by luck of the Doug Davis draw, when it came time to assign me songs for the VSS show, I drew “Got to Choose,” “Watchin’ You” (I asked for that one and “God of Thunder” from Alive II) and “Cold Gin.” I got to sing with Clay Howard on “Let Me Go Rock and Roll” to close out the night. Thanks, Clay. So, to sum this arse KISSing session up, this is definitely important in the KISS Kanon, but if you really want an experience in KISS, ask me and we’ll get you stuff you need (some of this will definitely be on there). Dug by default.
Punk wasn’t about how good you could play and how much sugar you can pour into the lyrics. It was about being raw and emotional and standing out of the norm and flipping the bird to the “establishment.” All the things that I hate about it is what makes it so important and good (at least to those who like it). This came out in 1980, mere months after Ian Curtis decided he just couldn’t deal with the struggles of depression, which is always sad. I believe he definitely had some inspiration from Jim Morrison, what with the spoken lead vocals that are at times shouting and chanting and with the equally disturbing ignorance of tonality; that’s all here. But, again, it works for this. Musically, I think the album is pretty tight and I love some synth-driven music. My question, really, would be this: if Curtis hadn’t killed himself, would this album have mattered as much? I’m not being insensitive. I just think media, especially Rolling Stone (whose list this is) tend to latch on to the unfortunate circumstance and create mountains from proverbial molehills out of tragedy. Probably New Order wouldn’t have happened (it was created from the living members of Joy Division), sure, but would the rest of the world have cared so much if there wasn’t tragedy involved? The album didn’t chart. Their only true hit was “Love Will Tear Us Apart” which was released as a single after the album and isn’t even on the album. A lot of that era’s groups did that. I thought the idea of the single was to drive album sales? Apparently, not to many of the post-punk artists. Nevertheless, whether it would have done so well without his death, the fact is, he did die and it did drive the popularity of this album. Which, in the whole, if you’re into that kind of thing, it’s a great album. Truth is, I never cared about New Order either. The acts from that era/genre that I can halfway take in limited doses? Siouxsie and the Banshees, Devo and Talking Heads. This album, whilst I certainly see the importance, won’t ever get another listen from me (at least not on purpose). Meh.
man-rock here. The Pretenders’ debut album, it’s sharp and to the throat. These riffs are gritty and attitudinal. And, the fact that Chrissie Hynde has a potty mouth that would rival any Tarantino character, just adds to the overall yumminess of this album. “Space Invader” has a dirty, nasty bass groove (Pete Farndon rocks) and I like that, a lot. The clandestine feel of a song titled “Private Life” isn’t lost on me. It’s mysterious; it’s subtly powerful; it’s perfect. I’d say the only nick I’d give would be “Lovers of Today.” It seemed, at least to me, like it was forced and not what I’m used to from Chrissie and I just don’t like it. Even though “Mystery Achievement” wasn’t released as a single I know I’ve heard it a great number of times because of SiriusXM’s First Wave Channel. I think it would have been a better single than the Kinks’ song “Stop Your Sobbing” (their first single) or “Kid” (their second). Just my opinion. Overall, it was a great album and has many high spots and very few less-than-high. I would recommend this album, for sure. Dug!
and rap communities got so big they became completely irrelevant (at least to me), overly saturated and stereotypical. To me, the era from the mid-80s until the mid-90s are the best for hip hop. This was just vocals, heavy hip hop bass and drums with some samples and pads laid in for texture. Some references to Bell Biv Devoe and New Edition, I like that. But, in the end it became background music. Not that I was ignoring it or it wasn’t worth listening to, just that it became settled; as in it settled in and really didn’t take me anywhere. Or, it took me somewhere at the beginning but then dropped me off on the side of the road. But, hey, at least it wasn’t Quicksilver Messenger Service, right? Dug, sort of.
many of the albums on this list are debuts. It’s like they come out firing and sometimes their subsequent albums fall slightly shy of the same greatness. I’m not saying that’s all the time but it happens. I hear some hints of Siouxsie and the Banshees as well. This band is all about some amalgamation of styles and there’s truly nothing wrong with that. However, the downside is that once I picked up on some of the influences, I spent more time trying to compare than I did listening to their merits. Don’t get caught in that trap, Dear Reader, just listen and enjoy. Because, whilst I did get in the rut of comparison, I thought the music was entertaining, as a whole. One funny thing is on the song “Wake Up” there are xylophones and one of the bars is the exact same tone and timbre of the Facebook Messenger alert tone. So, every time that played I kept looking to see who messaged me. I’m going back to an old adage that I (created?) have used this entire countdown from around 450 on: I think it’s a decent album but top five hundred of all time? That’s stretching it. I don’t see where it’s influential, groundbreaking or revolutionary. But, I can see that its enjoyable. I dug it, regardless of what half of this synopsis may indicate.
