Album I already own:
Red City Radio
I suppose this is the worst of their 3 albums but still a very good and the CD I own is a compilation of the first and this one. In comparison to #1 which is very much based on harmonies (with also Chris Bell who left the band after the first album) , this one is much more guitar driven. But the great songs are still there with Daisy Glaze, September Gurls and the short but effective I'm In Love With a Girl as standouts. This album increases from the 9th to the 8th place in my 1974 year chart.
Album on my wishlist:
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Not Fragile by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
I only know that classic classic radio hit You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet and I suppose like many people not the rest of their discography which seems to fairly large but only seems to have one important album: this one with also their hit included. I have to admit this is fairly run-off-the-mill seventies hard rock and the voice of Randy Bachman doesn't really sound good on many of the tracks but the album has some fine songs and guitar solos with You Ain't.., the title track and Roll On Down The Highway as the best, so earns the 20th rank in my 1974 year chart.
So the Big Star album is definitely the better of the two.
That BTO album is a classic. It had a second, albeit lesser hit in Roll On Down the Highway which is much heavier and much preferred by me largely because of the different vocalist. The title cut is also a winner, along with the instrumental jam, Free Wheelin'. Good stuff there.
My 2 choices for 1981 are from two bands fronted by a strong woman:
An album I already own:
Juju by Siouxsie And The Banshees
Again a real classic. Spellbound and Arabian Knights are the highlights here but there are many others of which I increased my scores. You can call this punk, post punk or goth but to me the sound of this band is completely original and the songwriting is excellent. And then I haven't even mentioned the magnificent singing of Siouxsie. This album (re-)enters my overall one album per artist top 100 chart at rank 66 and jumps two places to the first place on my year chart.
An album on my wishlist:
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Pretenders II by Pretenders
Of course I know many of the tracks on this album but hadn't listened to it completely yet. But what an album it is. Their first is slightly better and many people complain it's just a copy of their first but it's still very good on its own terms with Day After Day as the highlight closely followed by Message of Love and many others. Chrissie Hynde is in top form here both on the rockers as on the slower songs (I Go To Sleep). It earns the 14th rank on my top chart of 1981.
I'm really enjoying this way of listening to old and new albums with from time to time a certain theme (now Al Stewart albums if one has been released in a certain year) and have already some ideas for next rounds: guilty pleasures, Belgian albums, hard rock/metal albums, and of course again focus on certain bands/artists.
Tips are welcome for extending my wishlist (now grown to 1012 albums) and of course also your reactions to my ramblings.
Green On Red by Green On Red
I own this album as a companion CD with that other GOR album Gas Food Lodging. There are many country influences but with a very psychedelic twist and amongst the highlights are Death And Angels and Black Night. Btw when I hear Appartment 6 I think I know where From A Motel 6 by Yo La Tengo comes from. By listening to this album again its ranking improved from 11 to 7 on my 1982 year chart.
An album on my wishlist:
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The Envoy by Warren Zevon
One of my favorite singer songwriters and I already knew most of the tracks of this album. Nearly all tracks are great (except for Jesus Mentioned) and this is one of the best (and underrated) examples where he displays his gift for wry social commentary with however a very sensitive side to it. This album enters my 1982 year chart at number 26.
Porcupine by Echo & The Bunnymen
Ian McCullogh has a big ego and thinks he has the band in the world. He's only partly right, it's only one of the greatest bands but it's a great band nevertheless and this one of the best of their albums with songs like The Cutter and The Back Of Love. After this listening session this album has jumped over Ocean Rain but maybe I should reconsider that one again before giving my final judgement. On my 1983 year list, Porcupine has moved up one rank to nr 3.
An album on my wishlist:
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This Is London by The Times
An album I had never heard of before but was recommended to me by I don't know any more who. +the former member of TV Personalities is in it. There's a lot of resemblances to The Jam and the Kinks and listening to this album was pleasant enough but however there was something missing, I think good and original songs. So I won't include this one in my year chart of 1983.
Let It Be by The Replacements
A very raw and unpolished album by this band led by Paul Westerberg. In the past this album was always a bit behind other ones like Tim and Please To Meet Me in my opinion because of that rawness. But after listening to it again it is a good album and its 1984 rank has increased from 20 to 18.
From my wishlist:
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Mirror Moves by The Psychedelic Furs
I very much like this band although their music can sound a bit samey but if you take them in small doses they are really good especially also because this album contains some of their best songs like Heaven. I know this will sound as a blasphemy to Many people but I ranked it a bit higher than Let It Be: at rank 13 of 1984.
Fables Of The Reconstruction by R.E.M.
My favorite album of R.E.M. and one of my favorite albums ever. I have a list of about a 1000 favorite songs which give a score of 95 or 100. There's not many albums which contain 3 tracks with a score of 100 and this is one of them: Maps And Legends, Driver 8 and Can't Get There From Here, three gems of harmonic bliss and songwriting. This albums is the second album of the year (Flip Your Wig is even higher) and also appears on my overall one album per artist top chart at rank 24.
An album on my wishlist:
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Mars Needs Guitars! by Hoodoo Gurus
A good fun Australian power pop album. There's a bit of resemblence to that other Ozzie band Midnight Oil which is much better on the songwriting front in my opinion but this one does the trick as well. It enters my year chart of the 1985 at no 9.
Before I discuss the 1986 albums there's just one thing I forgot in 1984. To listen to the Al Stewart album he released that year:
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Russians & Americans by Al Stewart
Another fine and now very political contemporary (at that time) album of Al Stewart mainly exemplified by the title track which is also the best of the album. Overall very good and moves to the 15th place in my 1984 chart.
And then the two album I chose for 1986:
An album I own:
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Green by Green
One of my favorite albums (White Soul) is of this band nobody knows but should know. This is their first album and still a bit trial and error. Overall OK songs but none that stand out: the album remains at 11th rank of 1986.
An album on my wishlist:
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Big World by Joe Jackson
I only found this album on Youtube and it's again a good one from this very talented singer. The best song for me is Forty Years closely followed by Home Town. A few misses but overall a good album that arrives at the 26th rank of the year 1986.
My 2 choices for 1987 are two albums from the Kiwi's:
An album I own:
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Juvenilia by The Verlaines
Normally I don't include compilations in my year charts but this is a compilation of early singles so ok for inclusion for me. I must admit this is the only album of this band I own and know of them and I read everywhere that they got better on later albums so there's definitely some of their albums on my wishlist for later. But already this album which is still fairly unpolished is very promising: I like this type of jangle pop/rock very much and two of the tracks on this album got my attention more than the other tracks: Crisis After Crisis and CD Jimmy Jazz and Me. This album rises to the 17th rank on my 1987 year chart
An album on my wishlist:
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Brave Words by The Chills
I know and like Submarine Bells already for a long time and also Kaleidoscope World is very good but this is their first full album. Overall I liked although there were no real highlights like on other albums. Nevertheless a new 21st rank on my year chart so a little bit behind the Verlaines.
Everybody's Got To by Ed Kuepper
I'm a fan of the Saints, The Aints and also of his solo career and this one of his best solo records. It's a bit more rockier than his other albums but the sons are excellent: the 14th rank on my 1988's year chart.
An album on my wishlist:
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Last Days Of The Century by Al Stewart
After a hiatus of 4 years, Al Stewart this album and its a bummer. The instrumentation really sounds like muzak and the music is also not really refreshing and new so this is a no no. I read that some of his following albums are better: I 'm curious.
March by Michael Penn
A very underrated album on BEA. This is a singer songwriter's gem with wonderful tracks like No Myth and Bedlam Boys. Rises from the 13th to the 10th rank on my BEA year rank.
1 album on my wishlist:
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The Ocean Blue by The Ocean Blue
I first wanted to toss this one aside because of a bit too poppy but in the end the songwriting on this album is not bad. Not a great record but a good one and lands on the 30th rank of the year.
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