EMINEM
THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP
2001-AFTERMATH
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. Public service Announcement 2000
2. Kill You
3. Stan (w/Dido)
4. Paul (Skit)
5. Who Knew
6. Steve Berman
7. The Way I Am
8. The Real Slim Shady
9. Remember Me?
10. I’m Back
11. Marshall Mathers
12. Ken Kaniff (Skit)
13. Drug Ballad
14. Amityville
15. B**** Please
16. Kim
17. Under The Influence
18. Criminal
I picked this up years ago as part of my ongoing quest to try and understand and appreciate hip hop. The first half of this album completely got me…floored by the quality and entertainment value of the lyrics, the energy, and the honesty. The backing tracks are better played than I would have expected, and Eminem makes it all work. “Kill You”, “Stan”, “Who Knew”, “The Way I Am”…all superbly written, and “The Real Slim Shady” maybe the catchiest hip hop song of all time.
And then, there’s the second half. Eminem’s lyrics degenerate quickly into simply trying to shock his listeners: depictions of murder, lots of really dark and disturbing lyrics, subject matter not suitable for anyone, really. Nowhere near as catchy, nowhere near as much fun as the first half. Which is a shame, because this album was well on its way to being really exceptional. Instead, listen to the first half, skip the second, and understand that underneath all of the shock tactics and 8th grade humor, this guy has a real talent when he puts his mind to it. Maybe it's just me not getting it...but I'm working on it.
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GOMEZ
HOW WE OPERATE
2006-ATO
Produced By GOMEZ & GIL NORTON
1. Notice
2. See The World
3. How We Operate
4. Hamoa Beach
5. Girlshapedlovedrug
6. Chasing Ghosts With Alcohol
7. Tear Your Love Apart
8. Charley Patton Songs
9. Woman! Man!
10. All Too Much
11. Cry On Demand
12. Don’t Make Me Laugh
The 5th album from Gomez should have made them huge in America…but it didn’t happen. Loaded with great songs and great sounds, How We Operate is stacked with should have been hits. In particular, “Girlshapedlovedrug”, “See The World”, “Woman! Man!”…all excellent. And The title track is as solid as anything the band has ever done.
Despite the successful use of tracks on TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and House, the album never caught on here, although it is the band’s most successful album in the US. This is one you should definitely check out…Gomez is a very underappreciated band in the states, and deserves a bigger audience. And How We Operate is simply a great album.
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VARIOUS ARTISTS
MONSTER BALLADS: PLATINUM EDITION
2005- RAZOR & TIE
Produced By MICHAEL ANDERSON
1. Heaven (Warrant)
2. I Remember You (Skid Row)
3. When The Children Cry (White Lion)
4. Headed For A Heartbreak (Winger)
5. High Enough (Damn Yankees)
6. Love Of A Lifetime (Firehouse)
7. To Be With You (Mr. Big)
8. Don’t Close Your Eyes (Kix)
9. When I See You Smile (Bad English)
10. Carrie (Europe)
11. Fly High Michelle (Enuff Z’Nuff)
12. Love Is On The Way (Saigon Kick)
13. The Flame (Cheap Trick)
14. House Of Pain (Faster Pussycat)
15. Miles Away (Winger)
16. If You Needed Somebody (Bad Company)
1. Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Poison)
2. Don’t Know What You’ve Got (Till It’s Gone) (Cinderella)
3. Fly To The Angels (Slaughter)
4. Silent Lucidity (Queensryche)
5. Love Song (Tesla)
6. Is This Love? (Whitesnake)
7. Forever (Kiss)
8. I’ll Never Let you Go (Steelheart)
9. Only Time Will Tell (Nelson)
10. Wind Of Change (The Scorpions)
11. The Angel Song (Great White)
12. I’ll See You In My Dreams (Giant)
13. More Than Words (Extreme)
14. When I’m With You (Sheriff)
15. The Ballad Of Jayne (L.A. Guns)
16. Honestly (Stryper)
Ah, the power ballad. In which 80’s glam metal bands fake sincerity by playing a slow song in order to be played on the radio…and to get the girls who inexplicably dug guys with perms, Aqua Net, Day-Glo spandex, more makeup than they wore themselves, and underwear outside of the clothes even more. Most of the heavy hitters are here…Great White, Warrant, Winger, Skid Row, Poison. This two disc set contains enough crappy 80’s pop to induce cavities for the whole family. Haven’t suffered through “More Than Words” in the last 20 years? It’s here. Can’t get Rock Of Love reruns and crave “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn”? That’s here too.
There are a few tracks that are interesting only because they are, like the bands that made them, completely forgotten. Anyone remember Firehouse? Mr. Big? Saigon Kick? Giant? Or Steelheart? These long forgotten dinosaurs are here as well, giving this collection its one point of interest. If you must have 80’s power ballads, this is for you. Otherwise, steer clear. Way clear.
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JEFF TWEEDY
CHELSEA WALLS
2002-RYKODISC
Produced By ALEX STEYERMARK
1. Opening Titles
2. Red Elevator
3. Promising (Wilco)
4. Frank’s Dream
5. When The Roses Bloom Again (Billy Bragg & Wilco)
6. Jealous Guy (Jimmy Scott)
7. The Wallman
8. The Lonely 1 (Robert Sean Leonard & Steve Zahn)
9. Hello, Are You There?
10. Softly And Tenderly Jesus Is Calling (Robert Sean Leonard)
11. Finale
12. End Credits
Chelsea Walls is the soundtrack album to the bomb of the film with the same name. The film was the directorial debut of Ethan Hawke, and is about 5 different artists living at the famous Chelsea Hotel. The soundtrack is mostly about being a mess. The main player is Tweedy, and his inexperience at scoring films shows up loud and clear. “Opening Titles” is mostly the worst of Wilco: noise. And the solo Tweedy tracks don’t get much better…until “End Credits”, and instrumental acoustic number that sounds like what you were probably waiting for the entire movie. If you sat through it.
The better parts of the album are the contributions from others. Wilco contributes “Promising”, and “When The Roses Bloom Again” is a gem from the Mermaid Avenue sessions. And a really nice surprise is two tracks from actor Robert Sean Leonard (he played Dr. Wilson on House), who proves to be a pretty good guitarist. But, there is also the painfully strange version of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” by Jimmy Scott. Simply does not work. In all, Chelsea Walls is a film and a soundtrack that can be skipped.
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BRIAN ENO
BEFORE AND AFTER SCIENCE
1977-POLYDOR
Produced By BRIAN ENO & RHETT DAVIES
1. No One Receiving
2. Backwater
3. Kurt’s Rejoinder
4. Energy Fools The Magician
5. King’s Lead Hat
6. Here He Comes
7. Julie With…
8. By This River
9. Through Hollow Lands
10. Spider And I
As weird and experimental as the music of former Roxy Music keyboardist Brian Eno can be, Before And After Science is a surprisingly pop-friendly album. His vocals are surprisingly good (a lot like David Byrne), and his use of guest musicians is nice as well, with members from Genesis, Roxy Music, Fairport Convention, Free and King Crimson on board. The album took two years to record, and was done while Eno was recording other more ambient albums.
The great thing about this album is that it sounds more like a 2012 recording than 1977. For a 35 year old record to sound completely modern is quite an achievement, which Eno pulls off nicely. This is maybe his best album, and by far his best collection of non-ambient songs.
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DIZZY GILLESPIE
GROOVIN’ HIGH
1992- SAVOY JAZZ
NO PRODUCTION CREDIT
1. Blue ‘N’ Boogie
2. Groovin’ High
3. Dizzy Atmosphere
4. All The Things You Are
5. Salt Peanuts
6. Hot House
7. Oop Bop Sh’ Bam
8. That’s Earl Brother
9. Our Delight
10. One Bass Hit Part 2
11. Things To Come
12. Ray’s Idea
13. Emanon
Groovin’ High looks like it’s really old. And the music itself is…all of it recorded between 1945 and 1947. Featuring some of the greats of jazz of the time (including Charlie Parker), this 1992 compilation consists of a mix of material recorded by Gillespie with both small combos and big bands. The music itself is pristine: Gillespie is an often forgotten master of the genre. The songs are short and direct, so you don’t get lost in the mix, and the playing is light and a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, this does not represent anywhere near all of the great material Gillespie recorded during this time: there could be a lot more than just 36 minutes. And the liner notes are old and redundant. Savoy did a good job of making this appear as if it were from the 40’s, but because it’s more modern than that, it would be better with more information…and more music. Still, what is here is beautiful.
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THE SMITHEREENS
11
1989-CAPITOL
Produced By ED STASIUM
1. A Girl Like You
2. Blues Before And After
3. Blue Period
4. Baby Be Good
5. Room Without A View
6. Yesterday Girl
7. Cut Flowers
8. William Wilson
9. Maria Elena
10. Kiss Your Tears Away
The Smithereens came together in 1980, and stayed together with only one lineup change until the recent passing of frontman Pat DiNizio. 11, their 5th album, was named for and the cover inspired by a poster for the original Ocean’s 11 film. The album contains the hit “A Girl Like You”, as well as strong tracks like “Blues Before And After”, “William Wilson”, and “Baby Be Good”. Also, “Blue Period” is a duet featuring lead singer DiNizo and Belinda Carlisle.
11 marked a return for the band, who had slumped a little with their previous album Green Thoughts. While lacking the edge of the more successful Especially For You (“Blood And Roses”, “Behind The Wall Of Sleep”), this album is very tuneful and more mature sounding. It’s not perfect, but it is always a good listen.
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THE RADIATORS
TOTAL EVAPORATION
1991-EPIC
Produced By JIM DICKINSON
1. Soul Deep
2. Let The Red Wine Flow
3. Total Evaporation
4. A Grain Of Salt
5. Molasses
6. Solid Ground
7. Never Let Your Fire Go Out
8. Everything Gets In The Way
9. You Can’t Take It With You
10. Good As Gone
11. Party ‘Till The Money Runs Out
12. Honey From The Bee
13. I Want To Go Where The Green Arrow Goes
The Radiators may be the greatest unknown band you’ve never heard. Formed in New Orleans in 1978, they played with the same lineup until they called it quits in 2011. The band had a list of more than 300 original songs, and they were always a big draw in their home town…in other words, a great party band. They released 13 albums during their career. Total Evaporation is their fourth record, and the last for Epic Records. Produced by the legendary Jim Dickinson, this album is a great showcase for what The Radiators were all about.
The band uses horns and keyboards to their advantage, but the best thing is that the songs are excellent. While nothing stands out as a radio ready hit, every song will turn your head and make you ask: “Who is that band?”. The title track is a slow burning guitar jam, while “Soul Deep”, “Everything Gets In The Way”, and “Never Let Your Fire Go Out” are great party tracks. The Radiators deserve a better legacy outside of New Orleans, and Total Evaporation show why: this was a great band.
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PAVEMENT
SLANTED AND ENCHANTED
1992-MATADOR
Produced By PAVEMENT
1. Summer Babe (Winter Version)
2. Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17
3. No Life Singed Her
4. In The Mouth Of A Desert
5. Conduit For Sale!
6. Zurich Is Stained
7. Chelsey’s Little Wrists
8. Loretta’s Scars
9. Here
10. Two States
11. Perfume-V
12. Fame Throwa
13. Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era
14. Our Singer
The early 90’s will be forever remembered for Nevermind, Ten, and the death of hair metal: but don’t forget about Slanted And Enchanted. Pavement came from nowhere in 1992 with what could be one of the ten best albums of the decade. It’s all jangly, weird, unfocused, and the actual defitinion of indie. It’s heavy and hilarious, with great songs and an energy that rivaled even Nirvana. Every track on this album was something new, and Pavement became the new Velvet Underground: not many bought their music, but most of those who did ended up in a band somewhere.
Pavement kept It going, too. They ended up being one of the most consistently good bands of the 90’s before calling it a day in 1999. Slanted And Enchanted is still their crowning achievement: indie before indie became a corporate word. Creative in the best sense. A true genius of a band. It’s a shame that this album has only sold about 200,000 copies: it’s a truly great one.
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