EAGLES
ON THE BORDER
1974-ASYLUM
Produced By BILL SZYMCZYK
1. Already Gone
2. You Never Cry Like A Lover
3. Midnight Flyer
4. My Man
5. On The Border
6. James Dean
7. Ol' 55
8. Is It True?
9. Good Day In Hell
10. The Best Of My Love
Two albums away from Hotel California, the Eagles released their most underrated and underappreciated album, On The Border. For their third album, the band wanted to move into a more rock sound, and they got it here. "Already Gone" is a great song, "The Best Of My Love" was a huge hit, but the songs in between speak volumes about what this band could really do. "Midnight Flyer" soars and shows that rockers really can pull off a bluegrass tune: "You Never Cry Like A Lover" is gorgeous, and the title track is easily the most overlooked song of their career...it's simply great. "Ol' 55" is a fine Tom Waits cover, and "My Man" is Bernie Leadon's tribute to Gram Parsons. On The Border is easily the very best of the pre-Hotel California albums. Criminally ignored.
During the recording, the band discovered Don Felder, who was brought in to play on a couple of songs and became a permanent member. Buy this, play the title track and "Midnight Flyer" loud, and see what you've been missing.
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WHITE LION
BIG GAME
1989-ATLANTIC
Produced By MICHAEL WAGENER
1. Goin' Home Tonight
2. Dirty Woman
3. Little Fighter
4. Broken Home
5. Baby Be Mine
6. Livin' On The Edge
7. Let's Get Crazy
8. Don't Say It's Over
9. If My Mind Is Evil
10. Radar Love
11. Cry For Freedom
There's not much worse than an 80's metal band that sounds like your sister could kick their asses. That's White Lion. Coming off of their successful album Pride, Big Game, their third album, crashed like a total dud. Notable only for their destruction of the Golden Earring classic Radar Love, this is flat, wimpy stuff. Mike Tramp sounds more whiny than...well, more whiny than anyone. The album went predictably nowhere, and after one more effort, the band went on hiatus for 8 years. They should have stayed gone.
The only redeemable part of White Lion was that Vito Bratta was a pretty good guitarist. Other than that, forgotten is where they should stay.
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LOU REED
NEW YORK
1989-SIRE
Produced By LOU REED & FRED MAHER
1. Romeo Had Juliette
2. Halloween Parade
3. Dirty Blvd.
4. Endless Cycle
5. There Is No Time
6. The Last Great American Whale
7. Beginning Of A Great Adventure
8. Busload Of Faith
9. Sick Of You
10. Hold On
11. Good Evening Mr. Waldheim
12. Xmas In February
13. Strawman
14. Dime Store Mystery
Lou Reed was due for a great album in 1989, and he delivered with his 16th solo effort, New York. His next two records were minimalistic and depressing writings about death, but here, Reed is all about his home city. And he rocks like he hadn't in years. The big highlight is "Dirty Blvd.", recorded with Dion DiMucci, but everything else is great as well. Reed touches on everyone from Rudy Giuliani to Mike Tyson to Bernard Goetz. The album is smart, fun, and heavy. You'll love it.
Reed asks in the liner notes that you listen to the album in open sitting as if it were a book or a movie. His anger is palpable, and highly entertaining. One of Reed's best.
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U2
THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE
1984-ISLAND
Produced By BRIAN ENO & DANIEL LANOIS
1. A Sort Of Homecoming
2. Pride
3. Wire
4. The Unforgettable Fire
5. Promenade
6. 4th Of July
7. Bad
8. Indian Summer Sky
9. Elvis Presley And America
10. MLK
For their 4th album, U2 wanted a different sound...and they got it. Fearing that they were going to become just another arena rock band, they employed Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois to bring them a more ambient sound, and it paid off. The beginning of their serious period, and the beginning of Bono's obsession with America, the album boasts a couple of classics..."Pride" and "Bad". The album paved the way for The Joshua Tree, and the huge success that followed. This is not their finest overall album, but it's very good, and it's the dawning of the golden age of U2.
The 25th anniversary version includes a bonus disc that's longer than the album itself, and a DVD with 6 live tracks and a video for "Pride". It was released in 2009.
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DAN BAIRD
LOVE SONGS FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED
1992-DEF AMERICAN
Produced By BRENDAN O'BRIEN
1. The One I Am
2. Julie + Lucky
3. I Love You Period
4. Look At What You Started
5. Seriously Gone
6. Pick Up The Knife
7. Knocked Up
8. Baby Talk
9. Lost Highway
10. Dixie Beauxderaunt
Former Georgia Satellites lead singer and guy who shows up on a lot of albums as a guitarist Dan Baird has also carved out a nice solo career. This was his debut, made popular by the surprise single "I Love You Period". The album is full of great, fun surprises. "Julie + Lucky" is about two desperados hiding out in Colorados eating Skippy & Wonder bread. On "Knocked Up", she gets knocked up, he got locked up, and I guess you'd say that they both got screwed. It's a fine Southern rock album, despite a few weaker tracks. Well done.
Baird also is in the band Homemade Sin, which includes three members of the Georgia Satellites.
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STYX
GREATEST HITS
1995-A&M
Produced By DENNIS DEYOUNG & STYX
1. Lady '95
2. The Best Of Times
3. Lorelei
4. Too Much Time On My Hands
5. Babe
6. Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
7. Show Me The Way
8. Renegade
9. Come Sail Away
10. Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
11. The Grand Illusion
12. Crystal Ball
13. Suite Madame Blue
14. Miss America
15. Mr. Roboto
16. Don't Let It End
I have a theory about Styx. If you don't listen to them for about 6 months, then put this album on and play it loud, you will say to yourself, "My God! This stuff is great! Why don't I ever listen to it?". Then, play it the next day. Your reaction will be, "Oh yeah...THAT'S why". Styx was hugely popular despite many annoying qualities...Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, over the top cioncepts, and of course, "Mr. Roboto". But the truth is, if you have this album, you don't need any other from the Styx catalog. Some of their stuff sounds terrific...once in a while. "Fooling Yourself", "Come Sail Away", "Crystal Ball", and their best song ever, James Young's "Miss America", are great songs, while the power ballads (and there are many) can either put you in a laughing mood or put you to sleep. And then there's "Mr. Roboto". Is it really one of the worst songs ever...or does it suck so bad because it's so damn catchy?
"Lady '95" is a remake because their original label wouldn't allow its use for this album. This is good to have, but don't listen too often. And don't listen two days in a row.
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For me the signature song of Styx is Sing for the Day which doesn't even appear on this album: that's why I prefer 'Come Sail Away: the Styx Anthology': but I do agree between the few good tracks there's a lot of filler on both compilations.
OZZY OSBOURNE
TRIBUTE
1987-EPIC
Produced By MAX NORMAN
1. I Don't Know
2. Crazy Train
3. Believer
4. Mr. Crowley
5. Flying High Again
6. Revelation (Mother Earth)
7. Steal Away (The Night)
8. Suicide Solution (With Guitar Solo)
9. Iron Man
10. Children Of The Grave
11. Paranoid
12. Goodbye To Romance
13. No Bone Movies
14. Dee (Randy Rhoads Studio Outtakes)
Ozzy has made some pretty spotty albums since launching his solo career. But this live album is the best you'll find of the Ozzman without Sabbath. Released as a tribute to his late guitarist Randy Rhoads, the song selection is better, the playing better, and most importanly, you can feel that Ozzy is really into what he's doing...obviously he and Rhoads played off of each other really well. There are Sabbath tunes as well as solo work, and it sounds more inspired than anything he's done solo before...or since. A great live set, and a touching tribute.
The album was recorded in 1980 and 1981, and was supposed to have been Ozzy's next album before Rhoads died. It was recorded at various shows, mostly in Cleveland.
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I had some cousins who liked Styx. I find them unbearable in the same sorts of ways that REO Speedwagon, J. Geils, and Journey can be, and as irritating as some Jefferson Starship, Foreigner, and Toto can be.
Having said all that, the ONLY song of theirs that I can take is Mr Roboto. It's so far beyond horrible that it's sublime. Even so, I can only listen to it every six years (what is this "six months" idea you have?--good lord!).
I had some cousins who liked Styx. I find them unbearable in the same sorts of ways that REO Speedwagon, J. Geils, and Journey can be, and as irritating as some Jefferson Starship, Foreigner, and Toto can be.
Having said all that, the ONLY song of theirs that I can take is Mr Roboto. It's so far beyond horrible that it's sublime. Even so, I can only listen to it every six years (what is this "six months" idea you have?--good lord!).
Wait is it Styx that's unbearable, or your cousins? 😁
6 months...6 years...tomato...I get it, either way!
EDIE BRICKELL & NEW BOHEMIANS
GHOST OF A DOG
1990-GEFFEN
Produced By TONY BERG
1. Mama Help Me
2. Black & Blue
3. Carmelito
4. He Said
5. Times Like This
6. 10,000 Angels
7. Ghost Of A Dog
8. Strings Of Love
9. Woyaho
10. Oak Cliff Bra
11. Stwisted
12. This Eye
13. Forgiven
14. Me By The Sea
Following the success of their debut album Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars and the goofy hit "What I Am", their second album was highly anticipated. Ghost Of A Dog was good, but took the band off of the map. Without a hit, the band fell back into obscurity and broke up in 1991. Not that this is all bad..."Mama Help Me" rocks, "Carmelito" sounds great, and strange acoustic songs about a squirrel almost getting hit by a car and Edie's bra are kinda cool. Some of it sounds muddy, and it lacks the hooks of the debut effort. Still, you could do a lot worse than this, but it isn't very memorable...even the better moments. Overall, a disappointing second effort from a band that once had a lot of promise.
Edie Brickell went on to marry Paul Simon and release a handfull of solo albums. She now works with Steve Martin. New Bohemians got back together eventually and released their third album in 2006.
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