Pink Floyd - Animals
To heck with Dark Side! Probably the best use of guitar to come out of 1977 (we're not counting all this punk output), this was the breakthrough album for Roger Water's beliefs of the darkness of the world. Taking the ideas of Animal Farm and expanding of them, Waters guides us through the several layers of human society, blasting the greedy pigs that rule, lamenting the mislead dogs, and supporting the lower-class, exploited sheep. A true treat showing the band's triumphs in a year where other prog/art-rocks band were fading away.
Select cuts:
Dogs Part 1; Part 2 Pigs (Three Different Ones) Part 1; Part 2 Sheep Part 1; Part 2
And...
Dire Straits - Dire Straits
It amazes me how young these guys were, while they were recording this. They sound like natural club players, performing to the joy of some late-night London tripping crowd. The Knopfler brothers and their supporting crews send you places through the dark, misty London night, with echoing guitar & well thought-out lyrics. A tough gem to crack that doesn't sound like anything else coming out of 1978, and it doesn't sound dated either!
Select cuts:
Down To The Waterline Water Of Love Six Blade Knife And, of course: Sultans Of Swing