List 34

[Elvish]

Voting was close on the last list, and an album got extra points because the artist was interviewed by staff in the fast several weeks. So be sure and renominate those albums, folks

Edited February 27, 2007 by Guest
unstick

[Jenny]

Here's another one from me!

Songs About Jane - Maroon 5

Track listing:

"Harder to Breathe" (Jesse Carmichael, Adam Levine) – 2:55

"This Love" (Carmichael, Levine) – 3:28

"Shiver" (Carmichael, Levine) – 3:01

"She Will Be Loved" (Levine, J. Valentine) – 4:19

"Tangled" (Levine) – 3:20

"The Sun" (Levine) – 4:13

"Must Get Out" (Carmichael, Levine) – 4:01

"Sunday Morning" (Carmichael, Levine) – 4:08

"Secret" (Carmichael, Levine) – 4:57

"Through With You" (Carmichael, Levine) – 3:03

"Not Coming Home" (Carmichael, Ryan Dusick, Levine) – 4:23

"Sweetest Goodbye" (Levine) – 4:30

Besides the big hits from the album "Harder To Breathe", "This Love" and "She Will Be Loved", I like "Shiver" and "Not Coming Home".

[katie_sane]

A re-nomination from me:

#1 RECORD

BIG STAR

The problem with coming in late on an artwork lauded as "influential" is that you've probably encountered the work it influenced first, so its truly innovative qualities are lost. Thus, if you are hearing Big Star's debut album for the first time decades after its release (as, inevitably, most people must), you may be reminded of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers or R.E.M., who came after — that is, if you don't think of the Byrds and the Beatles, circa 1965. Since then, dozens of bands have rediscovered those pleasures. But in a way, that's an advantage because, whatever freshness is lost across the years, Big Star's craft is only confirmed. These are sturdy songs, feelingly performed, and once you get beyond the style to the content, you'll still be impressed.

allmusic guide

'#1 Record' was released in 1972, the debut album of Big Star, the 'quintessential American power pop band'. When the album was released, it failed to make an impression. The album was a commercial flop and the band, after making a few more failed albums, disbanded in 1975.

Sounding like the kind of power pop that Badfinger and The Raspberries produced, Big Star draw on pop music traditions such as The Beatles, Todd Rundgren, The Zombies and Free to create truly joyful noise - jangly guitars, sweet harmonies and thoughtful lyrics, all performed with feeling and a sense of true belief.

Music from '#1 Record' has featured prominently in the hit television series, That 70's Show. The theme song, 'In The Street' features in its original incarnation on this album as it did in the first series of the show. The song was later covered by Cheap Trick (renamed as 'That 70's Song', they added the 'we're all alright' line as a tribute to their own song, 'Surrender'). Numerous other songs by Big Star have also been used in the series.

Track Listing:

1. Feel

2. The Ballad Of El Goodo

3. In The Street

4. Thirteen

5. Don't Lie To Me

6. The India Song

7. When My Baby's Right Beside Me

8. My Life Is Right

9. Give Me Another Chance

10. Try Again

11. Watch The Sunrise

12. ST100/6

Big Star is: Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Jody Stephens, Andy Hummel.

[daslied]

[Elvish]

Yes, awesome selections ladies. Keep 'em coming!

(Where's yours, das? )

[daslied]

Oh. I was gonna nominate the Big Star album, but Katie stole my review word for word. Imagine that...

[Elvish]

[katie_sane]

[edna]

How many albums can we nominate? I already did twice, I wonder if I can nominate a third one...

[Elvish]

You haven't nominated one on this list yet...and we don't really have a limit anyway. For a while we tried not to select stuff from the same people all the time, but it's really not possible when the same people are participating

Anyway, please: nominate away

[edna]

Thank you, Elvy

[Elvish]

My pleasure, as always, sweetie

[edna]

Air Cut

by Curved Air - 1973

Not the best of their albums for the critics or fans, nor the one that sold the most -anyways, they never sold that much- but a very good record anyways with a lot of beautiful songs. This was the fourth record for a prog-rock British band formed in 1970, whose members - related to other British bands such as Police, Roxy Music, Jethro Tull or Caravan- constantly changed and where Sonja Kristina, the singer, seemed to be the only Curved Air regular.

Line-up:

Mike Wedgewood - Bass

Greg Kirby - Guitar

Sonja Kristina - lead vocal

Jim Russell - Drums

Eddie Jobson -violin and synthesizer.

Songs:

1- The Purple Speed Queen

2 Elfin Boy

3 Metamorphosis

4 World Wedgwood

5 Armin Wedgwood

6 U.H.F.

7 Two-Three-Two

8 Easy

[edna]

Come Upstairs

by Carly Simon 1980

In her tenth album, released in 1980, Carly Simon turned to power-pop again after a jazzy period, though there are still many songs that are hard to put a label on. Some very beautiful tunes and only one hit, "Jesse".

Songs

1- Come Upstairs

2 Stardust

3 Them

4 Jesse

5 James

6 In Pain

7 Three of Us in the Dark

8 Take Me as I Am (Or Let Me Go)

9 Dessert

All the songs were written by Carly Simon and her producer, Mike Mainieri (except for "In Pain": Simon/Mainieri/Grolnick; "Take me as I am": Simon/Mainieri/McGinnis)

The musicians in the studio were the same that recorded Paul Simon´s "Still crazy after all these years".

[Tenacious_Peaches]

review from allmusic

As anyone who witnessed their legendary shorts on HBO will attest, Tenacious D is indeed the greatest band on earth. Bad D is still better than the Beatles and good D is transcendent. Even so, Tenacious D's debut album will likely kick fans on their asses because the D is no longer just about JB and KG. They're even ready to be more than a power trio — they're ready to be backed by a full band, complete with Dave Grohl on drums and the Dust Brothers behind the boards. After years of hearing them as an acoustic heavy metal duo, that's a real shock, but they've also overhauled their repertoire, reworking and retitling several songs and leaving many tunes behind. Most regrettably, there is no "History of Tenacious D," even if it is quoted in the liner notes, but there's also no "Rocketsauce," no "Kyle Took a Bullet for Me," no "Sasquatch," no "Cosmic Shame," no "Special Things," and no "Jesus Ranch." "You Broke the Rules" becomes "Karate," "Song of Exultant Joy" is "Kyle Quit the Band," "Sex Supreme" becomes "Double Team," "The Best Song in the World" becomes "Tribute," lacking many of the "Stairway to Heaven" allusions in this version, and so on and so forth (elements of their opening theme are incorporated into "Kielbasa," thankfully). Furthermore, the dynamic has shifted drastically because the group no longer sounds like maniacal misfits who've conquered the worlds in their own minds playing to an audience who just hasn't caught up yet. Here, they sound like victors who've had their delusions of grandeur come real (which is true when you think about it — those shorts might not have done much on HBO, but videotapes passed through a lot of hands on the underground video railroad). This is a bigger change than you might think, and while the acoustic D sounds better, weirder, and purer, this still is a hell of a record, particularly because it rocks so damn hard. The worst thing about it are the sketches, which may be funny, but not nearly as funny as the plots that tied the shows together (nothing as funny as asides from the show, like "circle church," either) or the live routines; they tend to distract from the music. And the music is indeed what matters, since no matter how silly and gleefully profane this can be, Tenacious D rules because the music is terrific. The tunes have hooks, Kage and Jables harmonize well, and the cheerfully demented worldview is intoxicating, since their self-belief and self-referential world is delightfully absurd and warm (think about it — the sex songs may be vulgar and may be about their prowess, but their prowess is about making those backstage Betties feel good). Sure, some listeners may chuckle because this all comes from two large, cute, 30-something slackers, but they're missing the inspirado behind this record — Tenacious D certainly know they're funny, but that doesn't erase the fact that they rock so hard. They came to kick your ass and rock your socks off, and that is a very special thing.

1. Kielbasa

2. One Note Song

3. Tribute

4. Wonderboy

5. Hard F***ing

6. F*** Her Gently

7. Explosivo

8. Dio

9. Inward Singing

10. Kyle Quit The Band

11. The Road

12. C**k Pushups

13. Lee

14. Friendship Test

15. Friendship

16. Karate Schnitzel

17. Karate

18. Rock Your Socks

19. Drive-Thru

20. Double Team

21. City Hall

This is a spectacular album from start to finish. I can't pick my favorites, but here are a few highlights:

Tribute - This song is an epic journey in which two simple, portly men take on Satan and win. It is a triumph of goofy over evil. Satan tells the duo they can keep their souls if they play him the greatest song ever. Although they never come right out and say it, they slay Satan with a rocking version of "Stairway to Heaven". The song "Tribute" is simply that...a tribute to the greatest song in the world. In one 4 minute song, you've got humor, you've got hard rocking, you've got drama, and you've got the triumph of the ages. What more can you people expect out of a song?

Wonderboy - Another otherworldly journey for our two heroes, aka Wonderboy and Young Nastyman. Their powers are discussed (such as the power to kill a yak from 200 yards away and levitation, holmes) and they eventually team up to become the D.

Dio - only the D can treat a subject such as the decline of Ronnie James Dio's backsliding career with reverence while pleading with him to stop singing. They want him to pass his torch onto the D. "Your sauce will mix with ours,

and we'll make a good goulash, baby."

Kyle Quit the Band - a testament to the sacred bond between Jack and Kyle. They had a falling out, but of course they get back together. "Couldn't split up Kato and Nash. That's true. Couldn't split up Tango and Cash. That's also true."

Rock Your Socks Off - Okay, I said I didn't have a favorite song, but this is way up there on my list. It starts out with the ultimate lyric..."It doesn't matter if it is good, it only matters if it rocks." The song then goes into a classical guitar solo by Kyle, followed by a spoken word monologue by Jack about how to become a bona fide rock god.

[Levis]

Eyes Open - Snow Patrol

I love this album. I can't think of a single song on it that I'd consider skipping. They're all fantastic.

Snow Patrol are frequently compared to Coldplay in the press, which seems strange as they write far better songs and do not appear to be quite so self-hating, nor as rich. Their delightfully dour little pop songs do touch on the melancholic side of things, but the lyrics are wonderfully slice-of-life descriptions. Singer/lyricist Gary Lightbody gives a shout-out to Sufjan Stevens when on the punchy "Open Your Eyes" [ I think they refer to 'Hands Open' ] he sings, "The anger swells in my guts." Perhaps a better comparison would be American indie-rock act Sebadoh? Regardless, this band continues to surprise. If you went to see this mixed Scottish/Irish group on tour after hearing their wistful, breakout third album Final Straw, you might have been a bit confused by the rock juggernaut confronting you. Eyes Open is their most straightforwardly rock record yet, and thanks in large part to producer Garret Lee, it's their best. If there was ever perfect music to get lost to while driving around confused about a relationship, this is it. --Mike McGonigal

Definitely very easy to get lost in.

[Elvish]

Whoa - great day for nominations, y'all

[Jenny]

I just got Eyes Open, but haven't had a chance to listen to it yet...now I'm really eager! This is going to be one tough list to vote on (at least for me)

[MindCrime]

Ghost in the Machine - The Police (1981)

"Spirits in the Material World" – 2:59

"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" – 4:22

"Invisible Sun" – 3:44

"Hungry for You (J'aurais Toujours Faim de Toi)" – 2:53

"Demolition Man" – 5:57

"Too Much Information" – 3:43

"Rehumanize Yourself" (Stewart Copeland, Sting) – 3:10

"One World (Not Three)" – 4:47

"Ωmegaman" (Andy Summers) – 2:48 ("Omegaman" on some editions)

"Secret Journey"– 3:34

"Darkness" (Copeland) – 3:14

Ghost in the Machine is the fourth album by The Police, released in 1981 (see 1981 in music). Much of the material in this album was inspired by Arthur Koestler's The Ghost in the Machine, which also donated the title. The cover art for Ghost in the Machine features an LED graphic that depicts the heads of the three band members each with a distinctive hair style (from left to right, Andy Summers, Sting with spiky hair, and Stewart Copeland with a fringe); the band was unable to decide on a photograph to use for the cover.

The album was the first Police record to feature heavy use of keyboards and saxophones. "Spirits in the Material World" used a synthesizer to mask the song's reggae influence, and the middle twenty minutes of the record ("Hungry for You" through "One World") has a great deal of saxophone harmonies. Interestingly enough, the opening to "Secret Journey" is a guitar layered with effects pedals. As Andy Summers recollects:

“ I have to say I was getting disappointed with the musical direction around the time of Ghost in the Machine. With the horns and synth coming in, the fantastic raw-trio feel—all the really creative and dynamic stuff—was being lost. We were ending up backing a singer doing his pop songs." â€

The LP opens with "Spirits in the Material World", a dark pop song with keyboards dubbed over Summers' original guitar line. Following that is "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic", which features piano and a strong Caribbean vibe. "Invisible Sun" refers to The Troubles in Northern Ireland (an ArmaLite is the British Army's version of what is designated the M16 rifle in the United States Army). "Hungry For You (J'Aurais Toujours Faim de Toi)" is sung mostly in French. "Demolition Man", one of the band's longest songs, almost six minutes in length, features a strong bass line and saxophone, and was written by Sting while staying at Peter O'Toole's Irish mansion. Grace Jones and Sting have both recorded solo versions of the song.

"Too Much Information", "Rehumanize Yourself", and "One World (Not Three)" all concern various political themes. The final three songs return to the darker sound which opens the album: "Ωmegaman" features lyrics dealing with personal pressure, "Secret Journey" is a moody song about inner strength and enlightenment, and "Darkness", the album's Stewart Copeland-penned closer, is a ballad about the pressures of being a rock star.

"Invisible Sun", released as a single before the album, was a large success in the UK, making it to #2 even though the video was banned by the BBC for including footage referring to the conflict in Northern Ireland. Later, "Every Little Thing She Does" made it to #3 in the U.S. and #1 in Britain, and "Spirits in the Material World" made it to the U.S. Top 20.

Arthur Koestler's reaction to the album is said to have been muted. He knew little about the burgeoning New Wave scene, and said in an interview with the Paris Review (compiled later on in Writers At Work vol. Seven):

“ Look at this. Did you ever see a magazine called the New Musical Express? It turns out there is a pop group called The Police - I don't know why they are called that, presumably to distinguish them from the punks - and they've made an album of my essay The Ghost in the Machine. I didn't know anything about it until my clipping agency sent me a review of the record. â€

In his younger days, Sting was an avid reader of Koestler. Another of The Police's albums Synchronicity was also inspired by Koestler's The Roots of Coincidence, which mentions Carl Jung's theory of synchronicity.

The logo for Police Sunglasses (as well as some police departments) uses the same font for the word "Police" as featured on the album's cover.

In 2000 Q magazine placed Ghost in the Machine at number 76 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 2003, the album was ranked number 322 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. - WIKIPEDIA

[edna]

Transformer

Lou Reed

Recorded in August 1972 and released three months later, produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, it´s Lou Reed´s second solo album and I love every song. "Andy´s Chest" and "Satellite of Love" were songs for Velvet Underground but they never recorded them; "Walk on the wild side" is a classic by now. "New York Conversation" or "Perfect Day" are beautiful simple songs...

"Transformer" is considered as a glam-rock album. I think it´s just a great album.

Songs:

1. "Vicious"

2. "Andy's Chest"

3. "Perfect Day"

4. "Hangin' 'Round" –

5. "Walk on the Wild Side"

6. "Make Up"

7. "Satellite of Love"

8. "Wagon Wheel"

9. "New York Telephone Conversation"

10. "I'm So Free"

11. "Goodnight Ladies"

All songs written by Lou Reed.

Line-up:

Lou Reed: guitar, keyboards, vocals

David Bowie: backing vocals

Herbie Flowers:bass, tuba

Mick Ronson: guitar, piano, recorder, backing vocals

John Halzey: drums

Ronnie Ross: baritone saxophone

Klaus Voormann:bass

[Farin]

Dookie ~ Green Day

Track listing

All tracks by Billie Joe Armstrong (lyrics) and Green Day (music), except where noted.

1. "Burnout" - 2:08

2. "Having A Blast" - 2:45

3. "Chump" - 2:54

4. "Longview" - 3:59

5. "Welcome to Paradise" - 3:45

* A re-recording of the song that originally appeared on 1992's Kerplunk!

6. "Pulling Teeth" - 2:31

7. "Basket Case" - 3:01

8. "She" - 2:14

9. "Sassafras Roots" - 2:38

10. "When I Come Around" - 2:58

11. "Coming Clean" - 1:35

12. "Emenius Sleepus" (Mike Dirnt/Green Day) - 1:44

13. "In The End" - 1:46

14. "F.O.D." - 5:47

* Contains the hidden track "All By Myself" (Tré Cool)

On their first couple records, they showed promise, but with Dookie, they delivered a record that found Billie Joe Armstrong bursting into full flower as a songwriter, spitting out melodic ravers that could have comfortable sat alongside Singles Going Steady, but infused with an ironic self-loathing popularized by Nirvana, whose clean sound on Nevermind is also emulated here. Where Nirvana had weight, Green Day are deliberately adolescent here, treating nearly everything as joke and having as much fun as snotty punkers should. They demonstrate a bit of depth with "When I Come Around," but that just varies the pace slightly, since the key to this is their flippant, infectious attitude -- something they maintain throughout the record,

making Dookie a stellar piece of modern punk that many tried to emulate but nobody bettered.

Edited February 13, 2007 by Guest
added some links

[_Laurie_]

I'd buy it just for the cover!....Cool Album!

[edna]

"These Foolish Things"

Bryan Ferry

October 1973

His first solo album, made of covers. He was still a member of Roxy Music.

1- A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall(Bob Dylan)

2- River of Salt (Ketty Lester)

3- Don't Ever Change (The Crickets)

4- Piece of My Heart (Erma Franklin)

5- Baby I Don't Care" (Elvis Presley)

6- It's My Party" (Lesley Gore)

7- Don't Worry Baby" (The Beach Boys)

8- Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones)

9- The Track of My Tears (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles)

10- You Won't See Me (The Beatles)

11- I Love How You Love Me (Paris Sisters)

12- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever (Four Tops)

13- These Foolish Things (Dorothy Dickson)

Part of the musicians are Bryan Ferry (vocals, piano); John Porter (guitar, bass); Phil Manzanera (guitar) ; Eddie Jobson (violin, keyboards, synthesizer).

Review from allmusic.com:

Much like his contemporary David Bowie, Ferry consolidated his glam-era success with a covers album, his first full solo effort even while Roxy Music was still going full steam. Whereas Bowie on Pin-Ups focused on British beat and psych treasures, Ferry for the most part looked to America, touching on everything from Motown to the early jazz standard that gave the collection its name. Just about everyone in Roxy Music at the time helped out on the album — notable exceptions being Andy Mackay and Brian Eno. The outrageous take on Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," with Ferry vamping over brassy female vocals, sets the tone for things from the start. All this said, many of the covers aim for an elegant late-night feeling not far off from the well-sculpted Ferry persona of the '80s and beyond, though perhaps a touch less bloodless and moody in comparison. In terms of sheer selection alone, meanwhile, Ferry's taste is downright impeccable. There's Leiber & Stoller via Elvis' "Baby I Don't Care," Lesley Gore's "It's My Party" (with narrative gender unchanged!), Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' "The Tracks of My Tears," and more, all treated with affection without undue reverence, a great combination. Ferry's U.K. background isn't entirely ignored, though, thanks to two of the album's best efforts — the Beatles' "You Won't See Me" and the Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil." Throughout Ferry's instantly recognizable croon carries everything to a tee, and the overall mood is playful and celebratory. Wrapping up with a grand take on "These Foolish Things" itself, this album is one of the best of its kind by any artist.

[phil]

Feets Don't Fail Me Now - Little Feat (1974).

This is a smoking hot Boogie album by Lowell George and the boys. You can almost feel the Southern heat. Great guitars and vocals.

Track Listing

Song Title

1. Rock And Roll Doctor

2. Oh Atlanta

3. Skin It Back

4. Down The Road

5. Spanish Moon

6. Feets Don't Fail Me Now

7. Fan, The

8. Cold Cold Cold / Tripe Face Boogie

Edited February 15, 2007 by Guest

[Shawna]

Little Feat