VAN HALEN
1978-WARNER BROS
Produced By TED TEMPLEMAN
1. Runnin' With The Devil
2. Eruption
3. You Really Got Me
4. Ain't Talkin' Bout Love
5. I'm The One
6. Jamie's Cryin'
7. Atomic Punk
8. Feel Your Love Tonight
9. Little Dreamer
10. Ice Cream Man
11. On Fire
Ah...Van Halen. The original. The one that spawned "Eruption", which gave birth to an entire generation of annoying guitar wankers. Our introduction to David Lee Roth, maybe the single most annoying rock star of all time. The beginning of hair metal. The beginning of the end of rock as we knew it. Oh, how much I would love to eternally hate this album...
Can't do it. No matter how hard I try. Van Halen is also the home to some really great songs. Up and down the track list, it's all good, and it's perfect if "Eruption" works for you. They cover The Kinks. "Jamie's Cryin'", "Atomic Punk", "Runnin' With The Devil", all on one record. I can't hate this, as much as I'd like to. It's too good. And despite Roth's ear piercing yelps, I really do enjoy it. A lot. Dammit.
Why would you want to hate them 🤣
The guitar sound is great, the songs are great and the voice of David Lee Roth fits the music. It's only after the first two albums that you can start to hate them 😉
And they can't help it they spawned a lot of bad hairmetal followers.
TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS
ANTHOLOGY
1989-RHINO
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. Hanky Panky
2. Say I Am (What I Am)
3. It's Only Love
4. I Think We're Alone Now
5. (Baby Baby) I Can't Take It No More
6. Mirage
7. I Like The Way
8. Run, Run, Baby, Run
9. Gettin' Together
10. Real Girl
11. Love's Closin' In On Me
12. Out Of The Blue
13. Get Out Now
14. (I'm) Taken
15. One Two Three And I Fell
16. Mony Mony
17. Somebody Cares
18. Do Something To Me
19. Crimson And Clover
20. Sugar On Sunday
21. Crystal Blue Persuasion
22. Sweet Cherry Wine
23. Loved One
24. Ball Of Fire
25. She
26. Gotta Get Back To You
27. Draggin' The Line
Thank God for Rhino Records. Tommy James has one of the best success stories in rock & roll. He was still in high school when he and his band, The Shondells, recorded "Hanky Panky" in 1963. It was a regional hit in the midwest, and the band got some shows out of it, but nothing big. Three years later, James got a call from a DJ who told him that the song was #1 in Pittsburgh. The Shondells were long gone, so James went to PA and put together a new band...and soon the song was a worldwide #1 hit. He went on to have a great 6 year run of hit singles and great songs.
And James was one groovy guy. Between 1966 and 1971, he rolled out classics like "I Think We're Alone Now", "Crimson And Clover", "Crystal Blue Persuasion", and many more. This Rhino collection has all of his great hits plus some cool secondary tracks. And a couple of duds...and it's really long at 27 tracks...but this is all the Tommy James you will ever need. And, face it...you DO need some Tommy James in your life!
A great anthology that I haven't listened to in, like, ten years. "Mirage" is on my Best Of All Time list. Looking at the rest of the song titles and can still hear the chorus in my head.
"Crystal Blue Persuasion, mmmhmmm, it's a new vibration. Crystal Blue Persuasion, crystal (bom bom dididididit) blue persuasion..."
"Making a living the old hard way, taking and giving it day by day, digging the snow and the rain and the bright sunshine..... Dragging the line! (dragging the line)."
"Running just as fast as we can, holding on to one another's hand, trying to get away into the night, and then you put your arms around me and we tumble to the ground and then you say, 'I think we're alone now. There doesn't seem to be anyone around....'"
"Just a mirage, that's all you are to me (that's alllll) Just a mirage, something that I only see."
VAN HALEN
1978-WARNER BROS
Produced By TED TEMPLEMAN
1. Runnin' With The Devil
2. Eruption
3. You Really Got Me
4. Ain't Talkin' Bout Love
5. I'm The One
6. Jamie's Cryin'
7. Atomic Punk
8. Feel Your Love Tonight
9. Little Dreamer
10. Ice Cream Man
11. On Fire
Ah...Van Halen. The original. The one that spawned "Eruption", which gave birth to an entire generation of annoying guitar wankers. Our introduction to David Lee Roth, maybe the single most annoying rock star of all time. The beginning of hair metal. The beginning of the end of rock as we knew it. Oh, how much I would love to eternally hate this album...
Can't do it. No matter how hard I try. Van Halen is also the home to some really great songs. Up and down the track list, it's all good, and it's perfect if "Eruption" works for you. They cover The Kinks. "Jamie's Cryin'", "Atomic Punk", "Runnin' With The Devil", all on one record. I can't hate this, as much as I'd like to. It's too good. And despite Roth's ear piercing yelps, I really do enjoy it. A lot. Dammit.
Why would you want to hate them 🤣
The guitar sound is great, the songs are great and the voice of David Lee Roth fits the music. It's only after the first two albums that you can start to hate them 😉
And they can't help it they spawned a lot of bad hairmetal followers.
What r u talking about? Fair Warning and Women & Children First kick serious ass and may even be their two best. Diver Down was definitely them slacking and riding on their rep, but then they came back with super ambitious and plenty awesome 1984 which was really, really awesome hair metal at its finest. Jump is probably its weakest track.
After that... Well, they're pretty hard not to hate. lol
WORLD PARTY
GOODBYE JUMBO
1990-CHRYSALIS
Produced By KARL WALLINGER
1. Is It Too Late
2. Way Down Now
3. When The Rainbow Comes
4. Put The Message In The Box
5. Ain't Gonna Come Till I'm Ready
6. And I Fell Back Alone
7. Take It Up
8. God On My Side
9. Show Me To The Top
10. Love Street
11. Sweet Soul Dream
12. Thank You World
Karl Wallinger was once a member of The Waterboys...given the scope of his musical involvement on his solo albums (he plays almost everything), it's no wonder he didn't last long with that group. World Party (the name of a Waterboys song after he left) is a catchy project, even if it's not the most memorable. And you won't do much better with them than Goodbye Jumbo.
This album contains some of Wallinger's best songs, including "Way Down Now", "Sweet Soul Dream", and the really excellent "Ain't Gonna Come Till I'm Ready". The big track here is "Put The Message In The Box", an almost perfect pop tune. But there are a few clunkers as well...faux funk and too slow ballads. But if you can get past that, the good stuff here is really good.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
GRATEFUL DEAD
TWO FROM THE VAULT
1992-RHINO
Produced By DEAN HEALY
1. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
2. Dark Star
3. Saint Stephen
4. The Eleven
5. Death Don't Have No Mercy
6. That's It For The Other One
7. New Potato Caboose
8. Turn On Your Lovelight
9. (Walk Me Out In The) Morning Dew
Two From The Vault is a live show recorded at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in 1968. And for the time, it's a really great recording. The Dead are completely on their game, and doing what they do best...playing live. This may seem like a redundant album given all of the bootlegs and fan tapings that exist of this band, but the quality of this recording and how long ago it was makes it well worth having.
And they do stretch it out here. Of the nine tracks, six are well over ten minutes long. The band jams it out, and it soungs great. This really is one of the better live albums you'll find by The Dead, the type of album you can't go wrong with.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
RICHMOND FONTAINE
THE FITZGERALD
2005-EL CORTEZ
Produced By JD FOSTER
1. The Warehouse Life
2. Welhorn Yards
3. Black Road
4. Incident At Conklin Creek
5. Disappeared
6. Casino Lights
7. Exit 1948
8. Laramie, Wyoming
9. The Janitor
10. Don't Look And It Won't Hurt
11. Making It Back
This is an alt-country band from Portland that's been around since 1994. The Fitzgerald is a very highly regarded album filled with detailed stories and a very desert like atmosphere. Unfortunately, they missed the whole rock part of alt country...this album moves like mollasses. Only slower. The only track that even gets it up enough to include a kind of a power chord is "Black Road", and even that can put you to sleep before it's over.
Now, if shoegazing alt country is your thing, then The Fitzgerald is for you. Imagine Conway Twitty in all black with eyeliner telling sad stories about places like Reno or Laramie, and you've got what I guess is actually goth country. Don't get me wrong...this is still very good stuff, but if you're wanting to rock...or dance...or stay awake, this is probably not the record for you.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB
SAN FRANCISCO
1994-REPRISE
Produced By JOE CHICCARELLI & AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB
1. Fearless
2. It's Your Birthday
3. Can You Help Me?
4. Love Doesn't Belong
5. Wish The World Away
6. How Many Six Packs Does It Take To Screw In A Light
7. Cape Canaveral
8. Hello Amsterdam
9. The Revolving Door
10. In The Shadow Of The Valley
11. What Holds The World Together
12. I Broke My Promise
13. The Thorn In My Side Is Gone
14. I'll Be Gone
15. Fearless (Reprise)
16. California Dreamin'
American Music Club was once the darling of indie music...they were fresh, intelligent, and they sounded great. By the time of San Francisco, they had already released a truly great album in Everclear, and were still virtually unknown, Plus, leader Mark Eitzel was itching to get out. So, San Francisco became their swan song.
And what an album they made! It's got a lot of slow, dark music on it, but it's pretty damn excellent. It does pick up for some great rocking tunes ("Hello Amsterdam", "Wish The World Away"), and some cool song titles, and adds a nifty cover of "California Dreamin'", a song that pretty well sums up the band's career. If Everclear was a lost gem, San Francisco is equally as much so, and deserves to be heard. Eitzel went on to an equally obscure solo career, and multi instrumentalist Bruce Kaphan played all the nifty steel guitar parts on The Black Crowes' Amorica.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
Two From The Vault is a live show recorded at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in 1968. And for the time, it's a really great recording. The Dead are completely on their game, and doing what they do best...playing live. This may seem like a redundant album given all of the bootlegs and fan tapings that exist of this band, but the quality of this recording and how long ago it was makes it well worth having.
And they do stretch it out here. Of the nine tracks, six are well over ten minutes long. The band jams it out, and it soungs great. This really is one of the better live albums you'll find by The Dead, the type of album you can't go wrong with.
Completely agree. this is one of my favorite road trip albums.
THE DOORS
STRANGE DAYS
1967-ELEKTRA
Produced By PAUL A ROTHCHILD
1. Strange Days
2. You're Lost Little Girl
3. Love Me Two Times
4. Unhappy Girl
5. Horse Lattitudes
6. Moonlight Drive
7. People Are Strange
8. My Eyes Have Seen You
9. I Can't See Your Face In My Mind
10. When The Music's Over
Following up the success of their debut album was no easy task for The Doors, and the results were pretty mixed. Strange Days is like a lot of second albums: it sounds forced, clumsy, and ultimately weaker than its predecessor. Not to say that this is a bad album: it's not. But the weak points are much more prominent here. "Unhappy Girl", the tame "You're Lost Little Girl", and the downright weird and horrible "Horse Lattitudes".
What saves the album are the two very strong tracks, "Love Me Two Times" and the epic "When The Music's Over", which may be the best 11 minutes of the band's entire career. Strange Days is not bad, but there was better music to come. Worth having for that final track alone.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
JOHNNY CASH
THE COMPLETE SUN MASTERS
2008-CHARLY
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
Wow. This box set is exactly what it says it is...it's absolutely everything that Johnny Cash recorded for Sun Records between 1955 and 1958. 3 discs and a whopping 100 tracks even, this is the absolutely definitive document of the early career of one of rock and country's greatest. There are alternate versions, including versions of songs without the criminally sappy overdubs that were popular at the time. Demos, undubbed, dubbed, it's all here. Not to mention that the liner notes are impeccable, and the pictures alone are worth having. Lots of old album covers and early promo shots.
Just as good is the look that Charly Records takes at the period. They are openly critical of Sun's use of overdubs on Cash's material, and even make mention of just how plagiarized his breakthrough, "Folsom Prison Blues", really was. This is one of the best put together box sets you'll ever find...a true gem loaded with nothing but great material.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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