OK, so I took a coupla days off -- you're gonna havta sue me. Actually, I needed the break. There's still more big stuff coming B4 the end of the month, Best & Worst Of The Year Awards, etc. Meanwhile, here's the music that got me thru the week at work....
Bangles -- Dover Beach, Let it Go, September Gurls, Angels Don't Fall in Love, Following, Not Like You, Manic Monday, In a Different Light, Walk Like an Egyptian, Return Post, Hero Takes a Fall, Going Down to Liverpool, Be With You.
Go-Go's -- You Thought, I'm the Only One.
Badfinger -- In the Meantime/Some Other Time, No Matter What, Baby Blue, Rock of All Ages.
Spinners -- I'll Be Around, I'm Coming Home.
Pam Tillis -- Homeward Looking Angel.
Darlene Love -- Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).
Beatles -- Ticket to Ride, Help!, Eight Days a Week.
Fleetwood Mac -- World Turning, Everywhere, Say You Will, Peacekeeper, Murrow Turning Over in His Grave.
INXS -- Disappear, Mystify, This Time, Don't Change, The Gift.
Rush -- Time Stand Still, Force Ten.
Guess Who -- No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature, Rain Dance, Star Baby, Dancin' Fool.
BONUS TRACKS:
Fleetwood Mac -- Warm Ways.
Beatles -- Two of Us.
Andy Williams -- The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
NOTES: Still think the Bangles' DIFFERENT LIGHT is 1 of the great pop albums of all time, with only a coupla weak trax, + the great group-composed "Let it Go" & bassist Michael Steele's haunting "Following." & "Manic Monday"'s never worn-out 4 me, not with those great vocal harmonies on the choruses.... 1 of R Regulars recognized the girls from the dreamy "Dover Beach" & that's always good -- he said he always hadda crush on Susanna Hoffs....
Am likewise a big fan of the Go-Go's TALK SHOW, another classic pop album. I just wanna know why "Capture the Light" & "Forget That Day" Rn't on their GREATEST.... However, "You Thought" is Almost Heavy Metal, & "I'm the Only One" sounds better on CD than ever....
Badfinger's always a rouser, & it's intresting looking back how many of their songs revolve around $$$ -- "Rock of All Ages," a classic no-frills rocker, is a real good Xample. So is "In the Meantime," tho it's WAY more elaborate....
Big Mac's SAY YOU WILL album still mostly sounds pretty good 4 a bunch of past-it old geezers, & "Murrow Turning Over in His Grave" is GREAT noise.
Ditto INXS's "The Gift." & "Disappear" seems a good theme song 4 what we'd like 2 have happen 2 some other events that occurred nationwide over this past week....
"Rain Dance" is still hypnotic, "Dancin' Fool" didn't seem as good as I remembered -- & why isn't "Road Food" on the Guess Who's GREATEST HITS?
On the Bonus Tracks from the radio -- "Warm Ways" was a pleasant suprise, don't know how I missed it on the FLEETWOOD MAC album....
Been wanting 2 say something 4 awhile about a syndicated radio show called SOUND OPINIONS, co-hosted by rock critic Jim DeRogatis. Been looking 4 a replacement 4 LITTLE STEVEN'S UNDERGROUND GARAGE 4 months now -- on their good days, SOUND OPINIONS might B it, tho they didn't like Mumford & Sons' newest & wanted 2 melt-down Neil Young's latest awhile back....
On Sun nite, SOUND OPINIONS played an hour's worth of forgotten Soul/R&B Christmas songs -- nothing earthshaking, but some nice rare stuff I hadn't heard before, like Marvin Gaye's "Purple Snowflakes" & James Brown's "Santa Claus, Go to the Ghetto."
Around here, SOUND OPINIONS is carried by the University of Washington's FM station, KUOW, on Sun nites around 8pm, preceded by another promising show 4 new-music-fans, AMERICAN ROOTS -- which is where I heard the Beatles' "Two of Us," as the show's closer. They've also played stuff like Johnny Cash's "Get Rhythm" & the Beach Boys' "Trombone Dixie" B4, so as a source 4 mostly-unheard stuff they're Not Bad. Would still like 2 get Little Steven back, tho....
...& speaking of early-'60s whitebread, "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is still a hoot -- straight out of a kinder, gentler early '60s when people were still filled with Christmas cheer & still said Hello to each other on the street ... without Xpecting 2 B hit-up 4 spare change.... The song would fit right in2 an episode of MAD MEN....
More soon....
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4 comments:
Poor Badfinger. They are doomed by both the Beatles comparison - a rock group influenced by the Fab 4, who knew? - and by their own tragic ending. I am happy to have finally located both halves of that legendary Big Star/Badfinger double bill from 73 or 74 in lovely Boston.
I'm going to track down that Bangles album. I believe you.
Good 2 hear from you, Lex. Bangles' DIFFERENT LIGHT & Go-Go's TALK SHOW are likely my fave pop albums of the last 30 years -- road-tested over sevral long journeys around the West. Neither R perfect, but both R very solid -- good, upbeat, energetic stuff.
TAD, how would you rate Tears for Fears, Songs From the Big Chair and Level 42's World Machine albums as far as pop albums go?
Plex -- I think SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR is pretty freakin' great, tho I think it fades a bit at the very end. Have to admit I've never heard Level 42, only know them by reputation....
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