THE CALL
THE BEST OF THE CALL
1997-WARNER BROS
Produced By DAN RUSSELL
1. Let The Day Begin
2. Everywhere I Go
3. I Still Believe
4. I Don't Wanna
5. Memory
6. What's Happened To You
7. You Were There
8. Become America
9. To Feel This Way
10. Us
11. All You Hold On To
12. We Know Too Much
13. The Walls Came Down
14. Uncovered
The Call, one of the many forgotten bands from the 80's, were not the norm. Owing more to 70's punk than either New Wave or the metal flavor of the decade, The Call were led by Michael Been, a limited singer with more than enough passion to make up for his shortcomings. The band could rock, and put out a good bunch of excellent singles. "Let The Day Begin", "Everywhere I Go", and "The Walls Came Down" kept the band on the radio. The respect they got from the music industry was huge...guest musicians include Garth Hudson, Peter Gabriel, Bono, and Bruce Cockburn. There are lots of really good songs here, and The Call is a band that deserves to be revisited.
The band broke up in 1990. A better compilation exists...1991's The Walls Came Down: The Best Of The Mercury Years. But this is still worth having.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
ZZ TOP
RIO GRANDE MUD
1972-WARNER BROS
Produced By BILL HAM
1. Francine
2. Just Got Paid
3. Mushmouth Shoutin'
4. Ko Ko Blue
5. Chevrolet
6. Apologies To Pearly
7. Bar-B-Q
8. Sure Got Cold After The Rain Fell
9. Whiskey 'N Mama
10. Down Brownie
ZZ Top's 2nd album starts great..."Francine" sounds like a long lost CCR track, and "Just Got Paid" is the best song from their very early period. After that, the album fades into the ordinary. There's nothing bad here (with the exception of the unfortunately titled track "Down Brownie"), but there's also nothing that will stick in your head. The album is a step forward from their debut, and shows glimpses of what was to come. ZZ Top was on their way...they just weren't quite there yet.
This is still a pretty good record, and a must if you're a fan. Good old Texas boogie.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
LUTHER WRIGHT & THE WRONGS
REBUILD THE WALL
2001-VIRGIN
Produced By THE WRONGS & GRANT ETHIER
1. In The Flesh?
2. The Thin Ice
3. Another Brick In The Wall Part 1
4. The Happiest Days Of Our Lives
5. Another Brick In The Wall Part 2
6. Mother
7. Goodbye Blue Sky
8. Empty Spaces
9. Young Lust
10. One Of My Turns
11. Don't Leave Me Now
12. Another Brick In The Wall Part 3
13. Goodbye Cruel World
14. Hey You
15. Is There Anybody Out There?
16. Nobody Home
17. Vera
18. Bring The Boys Back Home
19. Comfortably Numb
20. The Show Must Go On
21. In The Flesh
22. Run Like Hell
23. Waiting For The Worms
24. Stop
25. The Trial
26. Outside The Wall
The track list above is not an error. Luther Wright & The Wrongs are an alt-country band who had the sheer determination to take on Pink Floyd's The Wall...track by track, as bluegrass as they could get. And it's amazing how well it works. This is an album that needed some life breathed into it, and a sense of humor injected, and that's exactly what The Wrongs do. Even the small bits between songs are covered..although with more farm sounds and a few sublte changes..."If you don't eat your chicken, you can't have any meat! How can you have any meat if you don't eat your chicken?". This is one of those albums you'll want to play to amaze your friends. And they will be amazed.
The better tracks are "Mother", "Bring The Boys Back Home", and of course the more familiar tracks..."Comfortably Numb", "Hey You", "Another Brick In The Wall"...nicely done. Kudos to Luther Wright & The Wiongs! It's not perfect...but then, in all fairness, neither is The Wall.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
AL GREEN
GREATEST HITS VOL. 1
1975-MOTOWN
Produced By WILLIE MITCHELL & AL GREEN
1. Tired Of Being Alone
2. Call Me (Come Back Home)
3. I'm Still In Love With You
4. Here I Am (Come And Take Me)
5. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
6. Let's Stay Together
7. I Can't Get Next To You
8. You Ought To Be With Me
9. Look What You Done For Me
10. Let's Get Married
Al Green is one of the greatest...maybe the greatest...R&B singers who ever lived. This hits collection, despite an altered cover and a complete lack of liner notes, is one of the best collections you'll ever get your hands on. Every track is simply excellent. Green rolls out hit after hit, one great performance after another. And every song is instantly recognizable, music that truly stands the test of time. Most are originals, but even the Bee Gees cover "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" is owned by Green. A superb collection.
Green later moved to gospel music, but his legacy lives on with these songs. A legend, a true star. It doesn't get better than Al Green in the early 70's. A must for any fan of soul.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
TELEVISION
MARQUEE MOON
1977-ELEKTRA
Produced By ANDY JOHNS & TOM VERLAINE
1. See No Evil
2. Venus
3. Friction
4. Marquee Moon
5. Elevation
6. Guiding Light
7. Prove It
8. Torn Curtain
Television wasn't around for long, but in 5 years and two albums, they made a hell of a mark. Marquee Moon, their first album, is a stunning masterpiece. Kinda punk, with Allman Brothers like guitar harmonies and amazing song structures, Marquee Moon remains one of the most important rock albums of all time. The title track is worth the cost alone, but "See No Evil" and "Torn Curtain" aren't far behind. This is an amazing record that still sounds fresh and new today. One that you must have.
Television was torn apart by egos and personality issues (Richard Lloyd once said that they knew they were in trouble when they were naming the band and someone shouted out Television...he could see the realization in Tom Verlaine's face when he caught the fact that his initials were TV). But for 2 albums, they were one of the best bands on the planet. Marquee Moon is the proof.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
CYNDI LAUPER
HAT FULL OF STARS
1993-EPIC
Produced By CYNDI LAUPER & JUNIOR VASQUEZ
1. That's What I Think
2. Product Of Misery
3. Who Let In The Rain
4. Lies
5. Broken Glass
6. Sally's Pigeons
7. Feels Like Christmas
8. Dear John
9. Like I Used To
10. Someone Like Me
11. A Part Hate
12. Hat Full Of Stars
After her career faded in the 80's amidst visions of her homeless weird girl persona, her fascination with pro wrestling, and some really questionable choices, Cyndi Lauper re-emerged in 1993 and made this surprisingly mature and very good album. It says something when the queen of multi colors does a record featuring only black & white photography. The songs are very solid. "Lies" is about child abuse, "Broken Glass" domestic violence, "Sally's Pigeons" covers abortion, and "A Part Hate" is about racial differences. The first two songs should have been hits...and would have been the stuff of a great comeback story had they gotten the attention they deserved. They're two of her best songs ever. This is a surprisingly good effort, and not at all what you might expect from her.
Lauper hasn't touched this line of songs since, which is too bad. It's good to be able to take her seriously, without the multi layered persona of her 80's heyday.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
VAN HALEN
1984
1983-WARNER BROTHERS
Produced By TED TEMPLEMAN
1. 1984
2. Jump
3. Panama
4. Top Jimmy
5. Drop Dead Legs
6. Hot For Teacher
7. I'll Wait
8. Girl Gone Bad
9. House Of Pain
1984 was Van Halen's 6th album, their commercial peak, and the swan song of their original lineup. At a time when keyboards were not cool in hard rock, Eddie Van Halen introduced them with a vengeance and surprisingly good results. With 5 hits and a couple of top MTV videos, Van Halen became one of the networks top bands. "Jump", "Panama", and especially "Hot For Teacher" put the band on top, and they're excellent, while "I'll Wait" was as good as anything the band ever recorded. This is a band that at the time was preparing to take over the world. It's a fine record and one of the three best by the band.
Future success was hampered by the unfortunate personality and departure of singer David Lee Roth...but more importantly, when Roth left, he took long time producer Ted Templeman with him. Van Halen went on without both, but they never got back to where they were with 1984. Too bad. Had they built on this album instead of watching Roth self destruct in the smell of "Just A Gigolo", who knows where they could have ended up?
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
BUNNY WAILER
BLACKHEART MAN
1976-ISLAND
Produced By BUNNY WAILER
1. Blackheart Man
2. Fighting Against Convictions
3. The Oppressed Song
4. Fig Tree
5. Dream Land
6. Rasta Man
7. Reincarnated Souls
8. Armagideon (Armagedon)
9. Bide Up
10. This Train
Bunny Wailer grew up in the same house as Bob Marley, and was an original member of The Wailers. Blackheart Man is his first solo album, and it's a gem. As good as reggae can get, Wailer utilized his connections well. Marley, Peter Tosh, Robbie Shakespeare, and many other of the leading lights of reggae lend a hand, and the results are superb. Every song is stunning, beautiful, and memorable. Wailer, a percussionist and vocalist, proves he can write with the best of them, and shows that his vocals were grossly underused in The Wailers. This is a classic reggae album, and if you're a fan of the genre, you should definitely seek this out.
Wailer went on toi win 3 Grammys in his career. He now lives on a farm in Jamaica, and is one of only two surviving members of The Wailers.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
NANCI GRIFFITH
ONE FAIR SUMMER EVENING
1988-MCA
Produced By NANCI GRIFFITH & TONY BROWN
1. Once In A Very Blue Moon
2. Looking For The Time (Workin' Girl)
3. Deadwood, South Dakota
4. More Than A Whisper
5. I Would Bring You Ireland
6. Roseville Fair
7. Workin' In Corners
8. Trouble In The Fields
9. The Wing And The Wheel
10. From, A Distance
11. Love At The Five And Dime
12. Spin On A Red Brick Floor
Nanci Griffith has an honest and free spirited quality that makes it impossible to not like her. More country than rock, but on the mellow side and not too far onto the country side, Griffith lives in a folksy, pleasant, but not annoying place musically. And she's great to listen to. One Fair Summer Evening is an acoustic album recorded live at the Anderson Fair Retail Restaurant, a place where she paid a lot of her musical dues. And it's great. Some of her best songs are here..."Looking For The Time", "Love At The Five And Dime"...all of them great. Even her version of the Julie Gold song "From A Distance" gets its best ever treatment. This is an artist that many don't know but should. You will not be disappointed.
Griffith has recorded several great albums, most notably Last Of The True Believers. Definitely worth checking out.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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