And I totally agree with your Paul McCartney assessment. It's like my favorite Beatle is Paul, yet my favorite solo albums are John Lennon's... doesn't make a lot of sense either. It's almost like maybe Paul had bad ADHD or something and John challenged/grounded him, or like maybe secretly John was a better songwriter and Paul was just a better singer (I assume that the leads Paul was singing was also what he wrote, but maybe I'm wrong). Anyway, my 70s new list has John Lennon twice in top 10 and Paul totally didn't even make my top 20... which I was mad about hehe. Being a bassist has nothing to do with that :wink:
I favor Lennon in both respects, but I think the big thing is that Paul has maybe as good a sense of melody as anyone, but he's not as creative or as interesting a lyricist. Both those aspects show through on his solo albums. He's unable or unwilling to take the same creative risks as Lennon, and his tunes often fall into a realm of cutesy or saccharine. But the melody is almost always there to at least result in a few really impeccable tunes.
Mecca...this may be the best description of McCartney as a solo artist as I have ever heard. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
And I totally agree with your Paul McCartney assessment. It's like my favorite Beatle is Paul, yet my favorite solo albums are John Lennon's... doesn't make a lot of sense either. It's almost like maybe Paul had bad ADHD or something and John challenged/grounded him, or like maybe secretly John was a better songwriter and Paul was just a better singer (I assume that the leads Paul was singing was also what he wrote, but maybe I'm wrong). Anyway, my 70s new list has John Lennon twice in top 10 and Paul totally didn't even make my top 20... which I was mad about hehe. Being a bassist has nothing to do with that :wink:
I favor Lennon in both respects, but I think the big thing is that Paul has maybe as good a sense of melody as anyone, but he's not as creative or as interesting a lyricist. Both those aspects show through on his solo albums. He's unable or unwilling to take the same creative risks as Lennon, and his tunes often fall into a realm of cutesy or saccharine. But the melody is almost always there to at least result in a few really impeccable tunes.
Mecca...this may be the best description of McCartney as a solo artist as I have ever heard.
I agree, very well put Mecca.
Although from the spectrum of amazing works from Paul ranging from I Saw Her Standing There to Helter Skelter to being responsible for the medley at the end of Abbey Road (so I'm told), I really respected him a bit more... but then there's his Granny music, right... hehe. I just thought he was more "talented" (whatever that means) than John and John actually wasn't the musician, but the poet/true artist...
I think we're all forgetting about the relatively un-catchy outright weirdness all over McCartney II, and that one time him tried to make an ambient techno album
THE TREWS
DEN OF THIEVES
2005-EPIC
Produced By JACK DOUGLAS
1. Fire Up Ahead
2. Makin' Sunshine
3. Cry
4. Sweetness
5. I Can't Say
6. So She's Leaving
7. Yearning
8. The Pearl (More Than Everything)
9. Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me
10. Ana & Mia
11. Naked
12. Montebello Park
13. Got Myself To Blame
14. The Traveling Kind
15. Ishmael & Maggie
Saw these guys from Nova Scotia a few years back at The Troubador opening for Rose Hill Drive, who they completely blew off the stage. The Trews helped renew what was then a flagging interest in newer rock music. Den Of Thieves is their second album. These guys are a real rock & roll band. Singer Colin MacDonald is a monster vocalist, and his brother John-Angus plays great lead guitar (the band also includes their cousin, Sean Dalton, on drums). The opener, "Fire Up Ahead", is a fiery rocker, and although there are a few lesser songs, there's enough with "So She's Leaving", "Yearning", and "Ishmael & Maggie" to keep things better than afloat. "The Pearl" ends in an absolute rock frenzy.
But the centerpiece here is "Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me". "Her lies, they won me over quick/She ruled my mind, my heart, my dick/I took the line, the hook, the bait/And now I'm sick from what I ate". Great harmonies, great guitar, great lyrics, it's funky, and it's a cowbell song...what more could you ask for?
Found this in a dollar bin. Might be the best deal you'll have all year if you can get it. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
CURVE
DOPPELGANGER
1992-ANXIOUS
Produced By CURVE & FLOOD
1. Already Yours
2. Horror Head
3. Wish You Dead
4. Doppelganger
5. Lillies Dying
6. Ice That Melts The Tips
7. Split Into Fractions
8. Think & Act
9. Fait Accompli
10. Sandpit
11. Clipped
Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia were introduced by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics. They formed Curve in 1990, and released their first album, Doppelganger, in 1992. This could be best described as heavy shoegaze rock that you can dance to...if that makes any sense. Lots of guitars, including future Echobelly member Debbie Smith, and lots of noise. The saving grace is Halliday's vocals, which offset the dark heaviness of the music enough to make it listenable. It's interesting, and was pretty big in the UK in '92. Not bad, but probably not going to make many "Best Of" lists.
Curve continued until 2005. They released 4 more albums before calling it a day, but never exceeded Doppelganger. A somewhat forgotten, average band. This is their best work, if you want it. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
THE POLICE
EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE: THE CLASSICS
1995-A&M
Various Producers
1. Roxanne
2. Can't Stand Losing You
3. Message In A Bottle
4. Walking On The Moon
5. Don't Stand So Close To Me
6. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
7. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
8. Invisible Sun
9. Spirits In The Material World
10. Every Breath You Take
11. King Of Pain
12. Wrapped Around Your Finger
13. Don't Stand So Close To Me '86
14. Message In A Bottle (New Classic Rock Mix)
Originally released in 1986 as The Singles, this was reissued in 1995 as The Classics with some changes. "So Lonely" was omitted, and the original version of "Don't Stand So Close To Me" was added, although the horrible 1986 version was also tacked on at the end, as was a completely pointless remix of "Message In A Bottle", which sounds exactly the same as the original. This version is the 2003 release, which is in surround sound, and has a rare alternate version of "De Do Do Do", which again sounds the same as the original. It's a predictable best of, with all the hits a casual fan would want. It's a decent overview of their singles. There are songs that should be here and are not ("Synchronicity" - both songs- , "So Lonely").
If you're a fan, you should get the original albums instead. If not, this is really nothing more than a starting point for someone not familiar with their work. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
BAD COMPANY
1974-SWAN SONG
Produced By BAD COMPANY
1. Can't Get Enough
2. Rock Steady
3. Ready For Love
4. Don't Let Me Down
5. Bad Company
6. The Way I Choose
7. Movin' On
8. Seagull
Bad Company was formed as a supergroup with members from Free, Mott The Hoople and King Crimson. Their debut album was released on Swan Song (Led Zeppelin's label...they shared they same manager), and was a huge hit. The album features 5 songs that are still in heavy classic rock rotation, including "Ready For Love", which guitarist Mick Ralphs had previously recorded with Mott The Hoople. These five songs are all excellent, and contain what became the Bad Company trademark: the best power chords in rock. Of the other songs, "The Way I Choose" is a snooze, "Seagull" is more of the same, and "Don't Let Me Down" sounds quite a bit like the song with the same name from The Beatles. It's a classic rock classic, though not perfect.
Bad Company never matched their debut, although they did come close over the years. They went through a few singers over the years, but original vocalist Paul Rodgers is back, and three of the original four members continue to tour, although there hasn't been a new album since 1996. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
THE KINKS
LOLA VERSUS POWERMAN AND THE MONEYGOROUND PT 1
1970-REPRISE
Produced By RAY DAVIES
1. The Contenders
2. Strangers
3. Denmark Street
4. Get Back In Line
5. Lola
6. Top Of The Pops
7. The Moneygoround
8. This Time Tomorrow
9. A Long Way From Home
10. Rats
11. Apeman
12. Powerman
13. Got To Be Free
The Kinks eighth album was something of a comeback. The album soared and put the band back on the charts and in the middle of the public eye, thanks mainly to the hit "Lola", one of their best songs. The rest of the album, once viewed as a masterpiece, is mostly a long protest about the evils of the music industry. There are some great tracks..."Lola", "Apeman", and "Powerman": but a lot of the rest sounds tired and hasn't aged well at all. Still a good listen, it's not nearly as good as we once thought it was.
The Kinks did fairly well through the 70's, sputtered through the 80's, and became irrelevant in the 90's before breaking up in 1996 amid tensions between Ray and Dave Davies that had been boiling for years. And that made the fighting between the Gallagher brothers of Oasis seem tame. Lola is still worth having, but there are better Kinks albums to have. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
The Kinks did fairly well through the 70's, sputtered through the 80's, and became irrelevant in the 90's before breaking up in 1996 amid tensions between Ray and Dave Davies that had been boiling for years. And that made the fighting between the Gallagher brothers of Oasis seem tame. Lola is still worth having, but there are better Kinks albums to have.
Indeed the 1980's live album One for the Road was an absolute highlight but also announced their descent into oblivion: but what they have offered us in the 60's and the 70's was the absolute top.
BONNIE RAITT
NICK OF TIME
1989-CAPITOL
Produced By DON WAS
1. Nick Of Time
2. Thing Called Love
3. Love Letter
4. Cry On My Shoulder
5. Real Man
6. Nobody's Girl
7. Have A Heart
8. Too Soon To Tell
9. I Will Not Be Denied
10. I Ain't Gonna Let You Break My Heart Again
11. The Road's My Middle Name
Bonnie Raitt's tenth album was not her big breakthrough...she'd been making very good music since her debut album in 1971. She just hadn't had that smash hit she got in "Thing Called Love". Raitt, a veteran of many years on the road and in the studio, does what she almost always does...makes a very likeable record with lots of cool, bluesy songs. "Love Letter", "Have A Heart", and the others are what Raitt fans have always expected and gotten from her. This one just happened to make her a star. Her first top 20 album made the redhead of blues rock popular...but the album is just another impressive notch in her career.
Raitt continues to tour and is very active politically, playing rallies for the Democratic party. Even with the success of Nick Of Time and her induction into the R&R Hall Of Fame, she's still an underrated force in rock. Her latest album, her 17th, is Dig In Deep, released in 2016. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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