FOSTER THE PEOPLE
TORCHES
2011-STARTIME/COLUMBIA
Produced By PAUL EPWORTH, GREG KURSTIN, RICH COSTEY, TONY HOFFER & MARK FOSTER
1. Helena Beat
2. Pumped Up Kicks
3. Call It What You Want
4. Don’t Stop (Color On The Walls)
5. Waste
6. I Would Do Anything For You
7. Houdini
8. Life On The Nickel
9. Miss You
10. Warrant
An internet success story. Mark Foster was working as a jingle writer and barely keeping his head above water as a musician in Los Angeles when his song “Pumped Up Kicks” went viral on the internet in 2010. Foster The People was already together, but the strength of the songs internet presence got them a record deal with Startime International. With “Pumped Up Kicks” as the centerpiece, the three piece band released their debut album Torches in 2011. Not surprisingly, the song was a huge hit, and Foster The People were shot into the stratosphere as one of the biggest bands of the new decade. They were nominated for several awards, including two Grammys, and won the Billboard Music Award for top rock song of 2011. The album is a mix of rock and dance music, with a very positive vibe while carrying a modern sound. The album will likely always be remembered for “Pumped Up Kicks”, but there was, of course, much more to it than that.
Torches was successful in more ways than just “Pumped Up Kicks”. The album houses four other hit singles: “Helena Beat”, “Call It What You Want”, “Don’t Stop (Color On The Walls)” and “Houdini” were all hits of varying degrees, and showcase the band as having abilities beyond just what you hear on the album’s biggest song. Granted, there’s nothing really deep or intellectual about Torches: it’s a dance pop album, but it’s also an interesting one. It has its share of filler, and if this type of music isn’t for you, you’ll likely be turned off by it before you get to track three. But what Torches is is a fun album with plenty of hooks and a steady beat, and it fits nicely alongside modern acts like Phoenix and MGMT. Torches is not perfect, but modern dance music could be in much less capable hands than this. Foster The People has since released two more albums.
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LED ZEPPELIN
HOUSES OF THE HOLY
1973-ATLANTIC
Produced By JIMMY PAGE
1. The Song Remains The Same
2. The Rain Song
3. Over The Hills And Far Away
4. The Crunge
5. Dancing Days
6. D’yer Mak’er
7. No Quarter
8. The Ocean
Following up the fourth Led Zeppelin album was no easy task, given that it contained Black Dog, Rock & Roll, and Stairway To Heaven. What can you possibly do for an encore? Led Zeppelin’s encore was Houses Of The Holy, an album that somehow showed even more growth and a willingness to try new things, a big thing considering the formula for success that they had already found. The result is another great album, nearly perfect and an all time classic. The album is the first by Zeppelin to contain all original songs, and it shows a change in the recording process in which there is more layering, particularly of Jimmy Page’s guitar. There is territory previously uncharted by the band in the direction of reggae (“D’yer Mak’er”), increased use of keyboards (“No Quarter”) and funk (“The Crunge”). The album cover created a myth: for years, people believed that the child pictured on the front was Robert Plant’s son Karac, who would die 4 years later. The photo actually features a young brother and sister who did frequent modeling shots in England. When the cover was shot, Karac was only a year old.
The best tracks on Houses Of The Holy rank with Zeppelin’s best work. The power of Page’s guitar riffs is still very much in full effect on tracks like “Over The Hills And Far Away”, “The Ocean”, and “Dancing Days”. Plant is in fine voice, and John Paul Jones is not only steady on bass, but he also adds new dimensions for the band with keyboards and mellotron. The album has long been debated as possibly the best by Zeppelin. However, two tracks have to be considered as slight weaknesses. “D’yer Mak’er” (pronounced Jamaica) was the hit, but it’s also not up to par with the rest of the songs here. And “The Crunge” is clunky and awkward sounding, showing that one thing the band was not good at was funk. But overall, Houses Of The Holy is a necessary part of the Led Zeppelin discography. It’s highs are too great to ignore, and it bridges the gap between the fourth album and Physical Graffiti very nicely. Almost perfect.
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FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
I can actually take a pass on Dancing Days as well, making the middle of the album an easy three song skip. But the before and after are stellar. Over the Hills, and The Ocean are both top 10 zep tunes for me.
I can actually take a pass on Dancing Days as well, making the middle of the album an easy three song skip. But the before and after are stellar. Over the Hills, and The Ocean are both top 10 zep tunes for me.
I do like the riff on "Dancing Days"...but I hear you. It does get a little iffy for about 3 tracks. The good stuff is great, though, for sure. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
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GENESIS
THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY
1974-CHARISMA/ATCO
Produced By JOHN BURNS & GENESIS
1. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
2. Fly On A Windshield
3. Broadway Melody Of 1974
4. Cuckoo Cocoon
5. In The Cage
6. The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging
7. Back In NYC
8. Hairless Heart
9. Counting Out Time
10. Carpet Crawlers
11. The Chamber Of 32 Doors
1. Lilywhite Lilith
2. The Waiting Room
3. Anyway
4. Here Comes The Supernatural Anaesthetist
5. The Lamia
6. Silent Sorrow In Empty Boats
7. The Colony Of Slippermen
8. Ravine
9. The Light Dies Down On Broadway
10. Riding The Scree
11. In The Rapids
12. It
Before Genesis was a three piece pop machine led by drummer Phil Collins, they were one of the leading lights in early 70’s progressive rock. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway is their sixth album, and it’s the last Genesis album to feature Peter Gabriel on vocals. It’s a sprawling, hour and a half double concept album that tells the story of a Puerto Rican in New York City named Rael who is trying to rescue his brother John from a strange underground world. It was the writing of the album that caused the majority of the issues that led to Gabriel’s departure from the band. By the time the album was finished, he had already decided to leave, but he stayed on through the tour supporting the album before he left. The resulting tension adds a lot to the feel of the album, and makes it the major turning point in the bands career. It’s also the high point for the progressive phase of the bands career, even though many of the songs come in at under three minutes in length.
The album seems overly long in places, but the overall sound is effective and interesting enough to carry the listener’s interest throughout. The most accessible track is the first, and it’s been a staple of album radio for nearly forty years. The rest of the album serves more as a single piece rather than a collection of songs, bound together by the storyline. The lows of the album, marked by obscure sounding passages are offset by the albums highs, which at times are soaring and a lot of fun. Gabriel may have been the star, but it’s the musicianship of Steve Hackett, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Collins that really carries The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, and the fact that they were able to carry on after his departure without missing a beat speaks volumes. These guys were musically exceptional together. Not to take away from what Gabriel brought to Genesis, but on this album in particular they show what this incarnation was really capable of. Forty years later, this remains a stellar musical performance, flaws and all. Gabriel went on to a successful solo career, and the rest of Genesis carried on for many years of success.
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FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
Despite being long winded, The Lamb remains my favorite Genesis album. For some reason, all that extra length makes sense to me.
I get that. If something works really well for you, then the longer the better! I dig this album, too. It's entertaining, and it's fascinating. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
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THE DOORS
L.A. WOMAN
1971-ELEKTRA
Produced By THE DOORS & BRUCE BOTNIK
1. The Changeling
2. Love Her Madly
3. Been Down So Long
4. Cars Hiss By My Window
5. L.A. Woman
6. L’America
7. Hyacinth House
8. Crawling King Snake
9. The Wasp (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)
10. Riders On The Storm
Due mainly to the inability of Jim Morrison to function onstage, The Doors were in some trouble as 1970 turned into 1971. In December 1970, at a show in New Orleans, Morrison’s behavior was so strange that the rest of the band decided that they would retire from live performances. They also had a falling out with longtime producer Paul A Rothschild over the songs that would make up L.A. Woman. Despite these issues, the band went to the studio and was able to put down their sixth album in the space of about a month. The result was a natural progression from their previous album, Morrison Hotel, and was a move more towards the blues than the band had ever been. Except for a few overdubs, the album was recorded live in the studio, which gives it a raw and more bluesy feel. For the album, the band brought in a rhythm guitarist (Marc Benno) and Elvis Presley’s bass player, Jerry Scheff. Morrison’s voice, weakened by excessive alcohol and drug use, fits the style of the album perfectly. It sounded like the band was on track.
The best known songs are the title track (“Mr. Mojo Rising”) and the spooky “Riders On The Storm”, both over seven minutes long. Maybe the best track is the powerful “Been Down So Long”, as close to blues perfection as they ever got, with Morrison opening with a gleeful snarl: “Well I’ve been down so God damned long”. A few inconsistencies (like the out of place hit “Love Her Madly”) keep this from being a masterpiece, but it’s still a solid end to Morrison’s career and what should have been the end of The Doors, who unfortunately made two more albums without Morrison before calling it quits. When the album was done, and with no tour to go out on, Morrison retired to Paris where he died three months after L.A. Woman was released. As a result, this album is a bit more beloved than it should be, but it’s still a very strong effort.
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COL. BRUCE HAMPTON & THE AQUARIUM RESCUE UNIT
1992-CAPRICORN
Produced By JOHNNY SANDLIN
1. Introduction
2. Fixin’ To Die
3. Yield Not To Temptation
4. Working On A Building
5. Time Is Free
6. Basically Frightened
7. Compared To What
8. Time Flack
9. Davy Crockett
10. A Walk With Peltor
11. Jazz Bank
12. Quinius Thoth
13. Planet Earth
The number one way to tell if it’s a jam band? Their debut album is a live album. This short lived group from Atlanta may have been the most musically proficient of them all. Col. Bruce Hampton was already a legend in the South, the ultimate cult musician, and maybe the most musically rounded person in the history of rock. He had fronted the Hampton Grease Band which released one stunning album in 1971 (it is said to be the second worst selling album in the history of Columbia Records), then played with a number of bands that were highly regarded but virtually unknown outside of Georgia like New Ice Age and The Late Bronze Age. The Aquarium Rescue Unit came together in the clubs of Atlanta in the early 90’s, which is where this live debut album was recorded. Hampton, who somehow brings all of his musical loves to the table (rock, jazz, R&B, country, psychedelic, swing, soul, bluegrass, and more)has been compared favorably to Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. He has influenced countless jazz bands, who doubtlessly all wish they had the chops of the Aquarium Rescue Unit.
Technically, the album is a jarring blur of exceptional musicianship. And the live setting shows how strong and energetic this band could be. It may also leave the listener quite puzzled, and will hardly appeal to a mass audience (jazz fusion has always been the music of musicians only, and there’s plenty of that here). What keeps the album above water is the sheer energy of the performance. The band performs at a gleeful lightning pace, moving from style to style with an almost graceful passion. If you’re a fan of the jam band, then this is an important album for you…this is where the Grateful Dead left off and everything else was incorporated. Unknown but important music. In true jam band fashion, the only other album by this band, 1993’s Mirror’s Of Embarrassment, was much weaker without the live setting. (The band reunited briefly in the 2000’s: we saw them open for Marc Ford at a club in Denver. Stunning musicians.) Hampton passed away in 2017.
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BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS
EXODUS
1977-ISLAND
Produced By BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS
1. Natural Mystic
2. So Much Things To Say
3. Guiltiness
4. The Heathen
5. Exodus
6. Jamming
7. Waiting In Vain
8. Turn Your Lights Down Low
9. Three Little Birds
10. One Love/People Get Ready
In the great recorded legacy of Bob Marley, Exodus is considered to be his most successful album. And it’s true that there are more hits from Exodus than from any other Marley album. But even though Exodus was recorded in the midst of the greatest political upheaval in Jamaica during Marley’s life, and even though it was made in the aftermath of an assassination attempt on Marley himself, the album marks a change for the mellower. On the plus side, the melodies are much more memorable. And frat boy stoner friendly. The music is immediate and beautiful, with a smoother groove and actually more guitar than his previous eight albums had contained. Unfortunately, and this is not a major minus, Marley sounds more content with the state of his world, and with the state of his music. Thus, despite the turmoil going on around him, Marley sounds strangely at peace.
The high points of Exodus are many. And mostly obvious. “Jammin’”, “Waiting In Vain”, and “One Love” suggest more of a chill atmosphere than Marley had ever planted before. While the second side houses the more popular tracks, it’s the first side that makes Exodus an almost perfect album. The first five tracks are as strong as anything Marley ever did before or after, and shows that The Wailers could really play beyond what was expected of reggae artists. The title track, the centerpiece of the album, is a high that has to be heard. As a whole, Exodus is rightfully in its place as a Marley classic. And while it lacks the immediacy of his earlier work, it also shows a growing maturity that tends to be forgotten when looking at his career. He was truly the man when it came to Jamaican music,as far as its reach into America. He still is. Exodus is a major part of that, to be sure
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