From its chrome dome cover down through a production job as dry as a sun baked skeleton, Judas Priest’s “Stained Class” is a tight-fisted onslaught of gleaming metal riffs overlaid with Rob Halford’s villainous vocals and earsplitting screams. With the buzzsaw guitars of “Tipton and Downing” sending blue sparks of electricity through the rallying cry “Exciter,” other-worldly attackers of “Invader,” and burnt human cinders littering “Stained Class,” the album is both a frowning indictment and energizing call to rock without reservation. The band’s Spooky Tooth cover, “Better by You, Better Than Me” is an instantly infectious groover, while on the other end of the spectrum lies morbid suicide solution, “Beyond the Realms of Death.” Another bulletproof set from the masters in their prime. Fall to your knees and repent if you please! –Ben
Rock
Roxy Music “Flesh + Blood” (1980)
“Flesh & Blood” found Roxy Music at the height of their transition from the very eclectic and experimental style of their initial first and extraordinary album in 1972 through 1975’s “Siren”. Following the much underappreciated “Manifesto”, and culminating with “Avalon” in 1982. Ferry and Co. continued to expand on their own brand of ‘post modern’ and progressive sound, that would eventually become one of the biggest influence along with Bowie on a slew of the New Wave bands to come. Bryan Ferry’s lounge lizard incarnation seemed to have come to full fruition on “Flesh & Blood”. I think all the songs on here are exceptional, including the covers “In the Midnight Hour” and “Eight Miles High”. I especially like “Flesh and Blood”, “Rain Rain Rain”, “My Only Love”, the Ferry/Manzanera penned “No Strange Delight” and “Running Wild”. The absence of the great Paul Thompson was made up by some great session drummers, like Allan Schwartzberg, Andy Newmark, and Simon Phillips. In my humble opinion, Roxy Music never made a bad record! —Carlos
Scorpions “Lonesome Crow” (1972)
Fans of the MTV Scorpions from the 80’s are in for a shock; Lonesome Crow has no pop hooks, no rocking us like a hurricane, and no cheesy love ballads. The lyrics and melodies are Avant Garde and the instruments are mostly in odd time. Generic hair metal fans of the “Love At First Sting” era will have their heads explode.
The album is a mix of psychedelic sounds, fusion, free-form jazz progressive rock and Krautrock influences. Also the bass playing is almost at Jaco Pastorius-like levels, melodically running up and down the jazz minor scales and popping out hundreds of incredible bass fills. “In Search of the Peace of Mind” has these beautiful haunting acoustic guitars in it that I’ve never heard anywhere else. Or how about those haunting wind sounds in “Leave Me”, where Meine cries out “Womaaaaaan…leave my mind!” Also this is the only record where Mikey is a full time band member and he is already a God, having hundreds of solos spread all over this album. Rudolf is more of less in the background with little Michael stealing the show with his jazz/proto metal solos. The title track is a 13 minute headphone trip, sounding like a soundtrack to a underground art film. Lonesome Crow is a musical masterpiece! —Ultra Magnus
Elton John “Blue Moves” (1976)
Blue Moves broke Elton John’s seven consecutive #1 album streak. This has wrongfully earned it a bad reputation. It didn’t help that it was instantly dismissed by the critics and that this in turn drove many of Elton John’s loyal fan away. In fact, it is a step up from it’s predecessor Rock of the Westies and a worthy continuation of what was up until this point his nearly flawless music output. Comparisons between this and Elton’s other, more famous, double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road are likely to be what plagued its public reception, as they were inevitable. Whereas Yellow Brick Road was glamorous and flashy, Blue Moves is intentionally bloated, huge, and vast. Everything is blown out of proportion on this album and its obvious Elton meant it as a big step forward. It’s inherent ambition may have led to its bad reception, but in retrospect it is a fine album, in its own right and compared to its predecessors.
The title Blue Moves suggests a somber and withdrawn album, and this is true to some degree; the album’s hit “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” is solemn and depressing (if not beautiful) and the openers, “Your Starter For” and “Tonight” are dark orchestral pieces. Together, they act as this album’s version of “Funeral For a Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding”; “Your Starter For…” and the first half of “Tonight” are instrumental, much as “Funeral For a Friend”, but where that song was progressive rock, these are orchestral- not to mention gorgeous. They sound like the soundtrack to the saddest movie ever made. Then comes the vocals on “Tonight” and the song shifts gears slightly, sounding more poignant and fragile; though just as dark and moody. “Funeral For a Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding” may have been a more instantly-winning and exciting opener for Yellow Brick Road, these two songs stir more emotion, even if they don’t grab the listener at first. Continuing the dark trend of the album is the next track, “One Horse Town”, which has helps swing the the album in more of a rock direction. The guitar work is amazing and when coupled with the rich dark atmosphere the orchestra adds, it’s an incredible song. Next is a more lighthearted and traditional ballad; “Chameleon”, which is another lost treasure. Next is “Boogie Pilgrim”, which adds a good funk element to the equation, and the folky masterpiece “Cage the Songbird”. The next two tracks, “Crazy Water” and “Shoulder Holster” favorably recall the funk/rock atmosphere of Rock of the Westies. Then we come to the hit “Sorry”, followed by the odd instrumental “Out of the Blue”. The album continues to hit frequent highs from here, such as the gospel flavored “Where’s the Shoorah”, “If There’s a God in Heaven”, “Idol”, and “Someone’s Final Song”.Then come the final two tracks on the album: “Theme from a Non-Existant TV series”, which is yet another instrumental and by far the least impressive (it has an odd river dance feel to it) and “Bit Your Lip (Get Up and Dance)”, which is mind-numbingly repetitive, way too long and just plain irritating. Though the closing songs end the album on anything but a high note, Blue Moves is an underrated album. It takes some time to grow, but once it does, it ranks among his other great ’70s albums. —Tommy
The Beach Boys “Smiley Smile” (1967)
While countless hours of music geek drooling have been spent over the unreleased Smile album, this rushed it’s place release is nevertheless an unusual and highly original set of seemingly half finished pieces, balanced by the inclusion of pop symphony “Good Vibrations” and the multi-phonic wall of vocals on “Heroes and Villains,” two completely out of place, massive sounding singles. Elsewhere, the rest of the 28-minute Smiley Smile is drastically contrasted by underproduced entries such as the child like “Vegetables,” hushed tones of “Wind Chimes” and “Wonderful,” and doo-wop ballad “With Me Tonight,” tracks that feature simple instrumentation and often exhibit segmented, cut and paste style arrangements. Add in the ultra dry recording of the vocals that make the songs sound even more like demos, and it’s easy to see why the general public didn’t get Smiley Smile upon it’s release.
While it’s still a little underwhelming in light of Wilson’s completion of Smile, there’s a homespun, slightly psychedelic charm here that deserves more appreciation. —Ben
Black Sabbath “Mob Rules” (1981)
Replacing a lead singer is the kiss of death in Metal. As the new singer, you must be comfortable with the knowledge that no matter how hard you wail, how tight your pants are, how BAD-ASS you are, you will never be as good as the first guy. This was the harsh reality Ronnie James Dio stepped into when he joined Black Sabbath upon Ozzy Osbourne’s departure. Even though the band had been running on fumes for some time at the point Dio came on, Ozzy was still an iconic frontman, and the pressure of replacing him might have gotten to a lesser deity. Ronnie may have been a small guy, but he had the swagger and persistence of the Devil himself, and wasted no time proving it on “Heaven and Hell,” which was the band’s best-selling record in years, and it’s even-better follow-up, “Mob Rules”.
Dio changed the dynamic of the band completely, with a style as far removed from Ozzy’s as can be. His vocals were soaring and melodic – a far cry from the Oz-man’s base mono-syllabic chanting. “Mob Rules” also featured another significant line-up change, as it was the first without drummer Bill Ward, who had issues with Dio. I’m as big a Bill fan as they come, but listening to this record, it’s Vinny Appice who inarguably helps elevate things to the next level. Bill Ward’s primitive swing was one of the trademarks of the Sabbath sound, and his successor is wise enough not to toy with this foundation. Appice has the edge though when it comes to pure chops; he’s just got more tools in his box than Ward, and the added technical prowess opens up new dark corridors for the band. You get the feeling that Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler had been waiting to flex like this for awhile, and the inventiveness of the riffs and arrangements on this record reflect the re-newed hunger of a band reborn, while laying the groundwork for the more technical, anthemic groups that would come to epitomize Metal in the ’80’s and beyond. —Jon Treneff
Thunderclap Newman “Hollywood Dream” (1969)
A delightful album with a unique sound, a handful of all-time great songs, several more good ones, and a few filler-ish but quite listenable tunes. Pete Townshend was at the top of his game when he assembled this project, and it has elements of that transcendental, mid-fi “Who Came First” sound.
“Something In The Air” is rightly recognized as one of the classic singles of its era, but there are a couple that are even better: “Open The Door Homer” has a similarly great, wondrous vibe and is one of the best Dylan covers ever, and “Hollywood Dream” is one of the best three-minute pop-rock instrumentals. —iso4yl
Wings “Wildlife” (1971)
I really don’t get why people talk so much smack about this album. Sure, it lacks the punch and quality of Ram, but it sounds like a band’s first album. In that respect, a seasoned professional like Paul McCartney really succeeds. Wings’ Wild Life is intimate, unpolished, and maybe even a little crude.
On “Mumbo,” Paul manages to put together a throat-shredding yet lyric-less piece which is shocking (I can’t imagine what his fans must have thought upon hearing this for the first time back in 1971!) yet rather interesting. The over 6 1/2-minute “Wild Life” is a song that Paul wrote after (as the lyrics clearly describe) walking through an African park and seeing a sign which read, “Remember: the animals have the right of way.” I find it to be an incredible piece of music. Paul screams his lungs out, “WILD LIFE,” as the band harmonizes beautifully, “whatever happened to?”–a nice clash of sound. The lyrical and instrumental buildup on this song is amazing. On “Some People Never Know,” a sweet love song and another long one, Paul & Linda do a near-duet. The result is actually very nice. Linda handles most of the lead vocals on “I Am Your Singer” competently. A lot of people made fun of her vocal capabilities, but no one ever seemed to realize that her voice matched Paul’s perfectly…despite the fact that he obviously overshadowed her skill-wise. The piano-based “Dear Friend” has the eeriest sound of any record Paul has ever made. Desolate & beautiful. —TMOFP
R.E.M. “Murmur” (1983)
Prior to listening to Murmur and the rest of the R.E.M.’s 80’s discography I was only familiar with the band for their radio hits that would start appearing on Document and carry them through a wave of commercial success through the 90’s. I had no idea how much I would enjoy the straightforward, melodic, jangle pop of their formative days. I never had the highest opinion of Jangle Pop either but after spending the last few months with Murmur, I apparently was listening to the wrong bands. The combination of each band member’s unique talents makes Murmur one of the finest alternative rock albums of all time and an essential for the genre.
“Radio Free Europe” is a phenomenal opening track and is indicative of the general sound of the band’s first five albums. Buck’s free flowing guitar playing, Stipe’s unique, mumbled vocal delivery, Mill’s backing vocals and thumping bass line, and last but not least Bill Berry’s propulsive drumming technique. Every track here is packed with energy, even the slower “Talk about the Passion” and “Perfect Circle”. The uptempo tracks are controlled chaos and sound like the band is racing to finish the song whilst putting as much content into their efforts as possible. Lots of bands can attempt this style but few can do it with the organization and simplicity of Murmur. —Dan
Love “Four Sail” (1969)
When people talk about Arthur Lee and Love, it’s generally not Four Sail they’re talking about. A pity – because this album is just as crucial as the first three “classic-lineup” records – albeit for slightly different reasons. Some would argue that Love lost much of the magic that initially drew listeners in after the career-defining Forever Changes – that Lee had nothing left to say and nowhere to go. An understandable stance, in light of his already significant achievements, but simply not true.
Four Sail features a completely re-tooled lineup – with a more muscular power trio augmenting Lee’s still ornate songwriting sensibilities. While the new band works squarely in the zone of the changing times (post-Hendrix acid-blues virtuosity), there are more than enough of Lee’s trademark flamenco guitar lines and intuitive songwriting twists and turns to mark this as something that could only be a Love album. Frankly, it’s exciting to hear his singular instincts applied to a new model, and to their credit, the band run with it, sounding vital and electric, re-animating some of the scrappy garage-band energy that made “Seven And Seven Is” so invigorating. Incredibly, Lee’s fragile humanism still manages to cut through the din, scaling new emotional heights in songs like “Robert Montgomery” and “Always See Your Face.” One of the things that set Love apart, and that remains undissipated here, was Lee’s fearlessness in laying his heart and soul out for the crushing, conveying the joy and terror of the human experience in ways that few dared, or would have had the eloquence to articulate. Things would go downhill pretty quickly for Lee after this, but Four Sail remains the defiant last stand of a formidable creative mind, still capable of flipping the script and brokering triumph out of dissolution. —Jon Treneff
Vanilla Fudge “Renaissance” (1968)
Renaissance has a dense, intense sound that permeates every track. It is an emotional whirlpool – the introspection of “Thoughts”, the triumph of “Thats What Makes A Man”, the bliss of “Paradise”, the desperation of “The Sky Cried When I Was A Boy”, to the utter horror of “The Spell That Comes After”. Played a high volume, the overwhelming climax on “The Spell That Comes After” will plaster you to the back wall whilst the poem in the middle of “Season of the Witch” will make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. The album has a consistency of style throughout from the opening crash to the spooky whistled signature of “the beat goes on” at the end, always intense and often at the point of mental and physical breakdown. Blistering guitar drenched in Hammond organ pumped through a wall of Leslie speakers backed by one of the best rhythm sections ever, not to mention Mark Stein’s powerful emotional vocal.
No other record sounds like this record, it is truely unique. —Tony
Bob Welch “French Kiss” (1977)
Following a brief affair with heavy rock on the pair of Paris releases, Bob Welch puckers up and lands a solo soft rock triumph on French Kiss. While some of that guitar crunch remains, it and Welch’s trademark baked goods vocals are wrapped in silky disco strings and dance floor beats throughout the mesmerizingFrench Kiss. The LP finds Welch as a post-hippie playboy on the prowl through irrepressible entries like the alluring “Ebony Eyes,” “Hot Love, Cold World,” and the Fleetwood/McVie/Buckingham assisted infatuation of “Easy to Fall” and “Sentimental Lady,” originally cut for the Mac’s Bare Trees. Elsewhere the disco-rockin’ “Carolene,” funky “Outskirts,” vintage Welch space-drifter “Danchiva” and sunny Claifornia dreamin’ duo of “Lose my Heart” and “Lose Your Heart” only serve to solidify the album’s appeal – rare is the seventies softie that never dips in quality, all while delivering the lounge lizard magic in such spot-on fashion as on French Kiss. —Ben
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