#593 George Michael - Faith

In June 1987 George Michael released the song "I Want Your Sex" and turn the music world on it's head. Parents were outraged by the song and called for it's ban, radio stations would only play it after a certain time at night. Of course, for a teenager, that kind of controversy made me want to hear the song more. The song on it's own is a great song but the album "Faith" is amazing. It is a great 80's Pop/Funk/R&B album. Lots of different elements and even when it slows down for a couple love songs you don't lose interest. Great album from start to finish!




The Album spawned 7 hit singles:

"I want Your Sex"

"Faith"

"Hard Day"

"Father Figure"

"One More Try"

"Monkey"

"Kissing a Fool"

Tomorrow's Album #390 The Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Music From the Penguin Cafe

#796 Leftfield - Leftism

I think I have established my feelings on electronica music from previous albums that I have listened to. This album pretty much re-enforces my view on the genre. It is fun to listen to but becomes repetitive after a few songs. The saving grace for this album was that there is singing on many of the songs, which helps to make the album more interesting and easier to listen to than song after song of electronic music.







"Open Up"

 Tomorrow's Album #George Michael - Faith

#1011 Christina Aguilera - Back to Basics

Christina Aguilera has an amazing voice. Probably the best of the 90's pop singers that became famous. Her range is amazing. Even though it really isn't my style of music I still enjoyed the album and thought it was really good. It was very unique in the way that she took the sounds and style of music from the 20's - 40's and incorporated it into current pop music hits.








"Ain't No Other Man"

"Candyman"

 Tomorrow's Album #796 Leftfield - Leftism

#1049 White Denim - d

White Denim is a band out of Austin Texas, that got their start playing a yearly music festival in Austin called South by South-west (SXSW). Every year the festival goes for 10 days and features film and music. The Music portion lasts for 7 of the 10 days and over 2000 bands play at various locations through-out the city. One day I would like to attend the festival, especially since Blue October, also from the Austin area, often perform.

As for this band and the album I thought it was pretty good. The band seems to be more of the Southern rock style, incorporating some great instrumentation.



"Drug"

Tomorrow's Album #1011 Christina Aguilera - Back to Basics

#994 The Beta Band - Heroes to Zeros

The Beta Band are a "Folktronic" band from Scotland. There was a couple of good songs on the album, which ended up being their last. Despite their success and growing popularity they were only able to keep it together for 3 albums.










"Lion Thief"

Tomorrow's Album #1049 White Denim - d

#979 Cee-Lo Green - Cee-Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine

For a rap album it was alright, but only because it had a lot of R&B elements and wasn't a straight up rap album.

CeeLo is a great example of a person who was able to market themselves and diversify into a lot of different areas of the entertainment industry. After he hit success with the song "Crazy" with Gnarls Barkley, he landed a job on the voice, recorded more music and other acting jobs.






Tomorrow's Album #994 The Beta Band - Heroes to Zeros

#522 Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II

So apparently Meat Puppets are a Country-Punk band. Which, I know this will surprise everyone, is two genres that do not go together, and for me is just only slightly better than maybe Country-rap. Boy I hope that doesn't actually exist.









"Lake of Fire" - best song on the album. I was surprised to find out that it is a Meat Puppets song, since I have heard Nirvana perform it before and assumed it was theirs.

 Tomorrow's Album #979 Cee-Lo Green - Cee-Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine

#520 Hanoi Rocks - Back to the Mystery City

An 80's glam rock hair band from Finland, what could be better? Well in the case of Hanoi Rocks, pretty much anything. I like a lot of 80's hair bands; Whitesnake, Poison, Ratt, Motley Crue, Guns N Roses, Skid Row and others but these guys are just terrible. I'm pretty sure it was a joke that they included the album on the list of 1001.








"Malibu Beach Nightmare"

Tomorrow's Album #522 Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II

#551 Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms

This album was huge when it came out in '85. It sold almost 20 million albums and spawned 4 huge hit singles. Overall it was a really good 80's rock album. What is always surprising to me is when bands achieve this kind of  success, things often fall apart for them. In the case of Dire Straits, it would be 6 years before they recorded another album, and even though it sold almost 15 million copies, it would end up being the bands last.







"So Far Away"

"Money For Nothing"

"Brothers in Arms"

"Walk of Life"

Tomorrow's Album #529 Hanoi Rocks - Back to the Mystery City

#1028 Portishead - Third

I remember listening to Portishead's Dummy album years ago when I first started this blog. I had never heard the band before then and I was blown away by the album, it ended up in music library and I have listened to it many time since.

This album comes 11 years after they released Dummy, and is now been out for 10 years. The band is obviously not worried about releasing large quantities of music. It is all about the quality and it shows on this album.

The style is very different than Dummy, much more mellow, and when I listened to it I got the impression that the band took the 11 years making sure each song is perfect. The songs are full of little subtleties, the lyrics are engaging and vocals still have a very ethereal quality that just pulls you in. It is definitely an album that you have to actively listen to, and it is so worth it. This album will be joining Dummy in my music library for sure!

"Machine Gun"

"Plastic"

Tomorrow's Album #551 Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms

#1046 The Black Keys - Brothers

This is a really good album by a great band. Their music is really stripped down rock, with just two members playing guitar and drums. A style The White Stripes made popular about 4 years earlier. The music is very upbeat, catchy basic rock. A pleasure to listen to from start to finish.









"Tighten Up"

"Sinister Kid"

Tomorrow's Album #1028 Portishead - Third

#777 Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

The band only ever had marginal success with one song, that happens to be on this album. Overall the album was pretty good but nothing amazing, I have heard better alt-rock bands for sure.











"Cut Your Hair"

Tomorrow's Album #1046 The Black Keys - Brothers

#603 REM - Document

A long time ago, when I was a kid, 7-11 had a promotion when you bought a Slurpee. At the time Slurpees came in a paper cup, and underneath the cup, you removed a cardboard holder, and there was a collectible shiny plastic disc with a band on it. I remember trying to collect them all, and one of the bands was R.E.M.  

At the time I had no idea who R.E.M were but would eventually come to love their music. The album that introduced me to the band was Green, with their huge hits Stand and Orange Crush. I never did go back and listen to any of their older albums, including this one. Document is a pretty good album, and a great example of R.E.M.

"It's The End of The World (As We Know It)"

"The One I Love"

Tomorrow's Album #777 Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

New Music: Barenaked Ladies - Fake Nudes & Morrissey - Low in High School

I have liked the Barenaked Ladies for a long time now. I don't think that the band is as good as it once was, or since fellow lead singer Steven Page left the band a number of years ago. This album starts out pretty strong. The first 5 songs, minus "Invisible Fences", are really good. The rest of the album is just average. The big problem that I have with it is since Steven Page left the band, more and more songs on each album are being written and sung by Kevin Hearn or Jim Creeggan. On this album there are 7 of the 14 songs by them and they just aren't very good. The lyrics are not as good as what Ed Robertson writes and they just can't sing very well. In my opinion the band just needs to have Ed write and sing the songs.


"Canada Dry" - love the Canada references

"Bringing it Home"

"Lookin' Up"

A couple months ago I listened to my first full Morrissey album, and I really liked it. I then started to listening to his other albums and to some Smith's albums. I kind of feel like his music is an acquired taste and today's new album is more of the same. I really like it but the songs are a little bit odd and I'm not sure what the subject matter in a few of them, but oh well they are still good. Anyone who hasn't listened to him before I say give this album a shot, and then go back and listen to his older stuff, it's quite good.





"My Love, I'd Do Anything For You"

"Spent the Day in Bed"

"I Wish You Lonely"

#1037 The XX - XX

A couple months ago I found a band on Apple Music called Oh Wonder. I gave their album a listen and really liked the first couple songs. It was pretty up beat and catchy. The singing was different than conventional however. The band consists of a male and a female singer and instead of singing different parts of the song or one of them backing up the other they both sing the entire song, at the same time. At first it was interesting way of constructing a song but after a few songs it got kind of annoying. Now I'm not sure which band, Oh Wonder or The XX formed first but The XX follows the same song style, and once again the first couple songs were really pretty good, but then I just got tired of it.


"VCR" - This is one of the songs where they sing different parts of the song

 Tomorrow's Album #603 REM - Document

#523 Minor Threat - Out of Step

So this was a pretty good punk album. Once again the songs are short and sweet. The band only lasted 3 years and they only released one full album but one of their songs, "Straight Edge" started the Straight Edge Movement. Essentially the movement encourages people that follow it to avoid using anything that might "mess up" your body. So people that follow the movement avoid alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Many will also avoid caffeine, prescription drugs and many are vegan.






"It Follows"

Tomorrow's Album #1037 The XX - XX

#677 Pixies - Bossanova

I've like the Pixies since I first heard the song "Wave of Mutilation" in the movie Pump Up The Volume. It is just such a great song, and it really motivated me to check out more of their music. Now I won't say that I love their albums but it is good enough have in my music library. The thing that I like most about the band is that their music is very unique. It is like a combination of surfer and punk music with great lyrics.







"Velouria"

"Is She Weird"

Tomorrow's Album #523 Minor Threat - Out of Step

#366 Billy Joel - The Stranger

Billy Joel is one of the most accomplished artists in the music business, ever. He has had 33 Top 40 hits, been nominate for 23 Grammy awards and won 6 times. He is the 6th best selling artist of all time and the 3rd best selling solo artist of all time selling more than 150 million albums during his career.

This album was Joel's 5th album released,  and it reached #2 in the US. It also was the start of 8 straight albums in the top 10 in the US, including 4 #1 albums. This guys knows how to write great songs and he is one heck of a piano player. Never having listened to the album I was surprised at how good it was and that 5 of the 8 songs were hits that I had heard previously. Really worth the listen.

"Moving Out"

"Just the Way You Are"

"Only the Good Die Young"

"She's Always A Women"

Tomorrow's Album #677 Pixies - Bossanova

#667 Digital Underground - Sex Packets

Although Rap/Hip-Hop is not even close to the top of my favorite music genres, some of it I can tolerate. This is one of those albums I can tolerate. I have heard the album in the past and like a couple of the songs, three to be exact. The reason that I like the album and could listen to it all the way through, is because it is what I would call "mellow" rap. It is just kind of fun, nothing vulgar or offensive. It sounds like the artists are just enjoying making the album. It was easy listening instead of being an assault like most rap albums.





"Doowutchyalike"

Tomorrow's Album #366 Billy Joel - The Stranger

#411 Muddy Waters - Hard Again

Muddy Waters, the name of a blues guitar player, not the name of the band, like I had originally thought, made some pretty good blues. I really like the album. It is filled with some great blues and Rock and Roll crossover.










"Mannish Boy"

Tomorrow's Album #667 Digital Underground - Sex Packets

#1016 The Killers - Sam's Town

You may have noticed that this is album #1016. How can that be when it is the 1001 Albums to Hear Before You Die? Well I decided when I restarted the blog that I was going to include all of the albums that have been added to later versions of the book. That brings the current total to 1066 albums as of the 2016 version of the book.

I am torn on The Killers. For the most part I think that they are a great band. I have and listen to all their albums. In fact, one of their songs "Read My Mind", from this album, is one of my all time favorite songs. My issue with the band is that, in my opinion, none of their albums are amazing from start to finish. They all have 3 or 4 really, really good songs, then a couple good songs and the rest are meh. I want them to release an album that I love each and every song. Their new album, recently released, is more of the same. There are 4 songs that I think are just great, a couple that are pretty good, and the rest I can live with out, and for the most part I think this is the reason why eventually we are going to see a complete and total shift from selling of albums to streaming of albums on services like Apple Music and others. For $10 I can buy the new Killers album and really like 4 or 5 songs, or I can pay $10 a month to Apple and listen to any album that I want old or new.

"Read My Mind"

From their new album Wonderful Wonderful:

"The Man"

"Run for Cover"

Tomorrow's Album #411 Muddy Waters - Hard Again

#476 The Undertones - Hypnotised

The Undertones are a punk/new wave band from Dublin Ireland, with lead singer Feargal Sharkey, who's name sounds very familiar but I can't think of the reason why. Overall the album was about what I expected from a punk band. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't amazing either.









"Hypnotised"

Tomorrow's Album #1016 The Killers - Sam's Town

#386 Suicide - Suicide

So I was surprised by this album. First off with a band name of Suicide I was totally expecting a super hard-core thrash metal band, not a 70's experimental electronic band. Secondly, after reading about the band they are listed by many, very famous musicians, as a major influence. Finally the album was really weird. The music is pretty much just a synthesizer, and the songs are all very similar. Lyrically I got the impression that they pretty much were just making them up on the spot. It was all very odd.

Really cool album cover though.



"Frankie Teardrop"

Tomorrow's Album #476 The Undertones - Hypnotised

#30 Jimmy Smith - Back at the Chicken Shack

Ugh. Another instrumental album with long songs that all sound pretty much the same.












"Minor Chant"

Tomorrow  Album #386 Suicide - Suicide

#683 The Cure - Disintegration

Well this is it. The Third and final Cure album on the list for me to listen to, so be prepared it's going to be a long post.


I love The Cure. They are my all time favorite band. I don't listen to them all the time so I forget they are my favorite band until I hear them again. They are the first band that really introduced me to deep, thought provoking music. I started listening to them when they released their album "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me" which is full of many such songs. Songs like "Just Like Heaven" "Catch" and "Why Can't I Be You?", and while The Cure can also make catchy, silly pop songs, their true brilliance is in their dark, brooding, emotional songs. 

Released in 1989 Disintegration is, in my mind, their best, most perfect album. It is so well crafted. Every detail of each song is so well thought out. Every note, every word layered to create levels that draw you in. Recorded in 1988 with Robert Smith facing his 30th birthday the songs explore his feelings about his life leading up to that point and moving forward. 

Track Listing 

Plainsong: 

"I think it's dark and it looks like it's rain, you said
And the wind is blowing like it's the end of the world, you said

And it's so cold, it's like the cold if you were deadAnd you smiled for a second

I think I'm old and I'm feeling pain, you saidAnd it's all running out like it's the end of the world, you said

And it's so cold, it's like the cold if you were deadAnd you smiled for a second

Sometimes you make me feelLike I'm living at the edge of the worldLike I'm living at the edge of the worldIt's just the way I smile, you said"


It's almost 2-1/2 minutes into the first song before Robert Smith even sings a word. Plainsong is a back and forth between and man and woman. I imagine that they are talking about the break down in their relationship. The dark, the rain, the wind and the feeling like it's the end of the world, their relationship is over.

Pictures of You:

"If only I'd thought of the right words 
I could have held on to your heart If only I'd thought of the right wordsI wouldn't be breaking apart All my pictures of you"

The Relationship is over. All he is left with is pictures and memories of the past. Regret. If only he could have done things different...

Closedown:

"I'm running out of time 
I'm out of step and closing down 
And never sleep for wanting hours 
The empty hours of greed 
And uselessly always the need to feel again 
The real belief of something more than mockery 
If only I could fill my heart with love"

Turning 30. Getting old is a bitch

Lovesong:

"Whenever I'm alone with youYou make me feel like I am home againWhenever I'm alone with youYou make me feel like I am whole again

Whenever I'm alone with youYou make me feel like I am young againWhenever I'm alone with youYou make me feel like I am fun again"

Written for his wife as a wedding present, the title says it all.

Last Dance:

"But Christmas falls late now, flatter and colder 
And never as bright as when we used to fall 
And even if we drink I don't think we would kiss 
In the way that we did when the woman was only a girl"

A relationship from the past when they were just kids, renewed now that they are older. But the infatuation is gone, the feelings have changed. 

Lullaby:

"Quietly he laughs and shaking his head
Creeps closer nowCloser to the foot of the bedAnd softer than shadow and quicker than fliesHis arms are all around me and his tongue in my eyesBe still be calm be quiet now my precious boyDon't struggle like that or I will only love you moreFor it's much too late to get away or turn on the lightThe Spiderman is having you for dinner tonight"

Unfortunately for Robert, as a child he had an uncle that would whisper terrifying bedtime stories in his ear, usually revolving around a character simply named the "Spiderman". I absolutely love this song. Even though the music is a little up beat and cheerful the imagery is terrifying. Throw in an amazing video and you might not sleep for days. 

Fascination Street:

"Oh it's opening time

Down on Fascination Street

So let's cut the conversation

And get out for a bit

Because I feel it all fading and paling

And I'm begging

To drag you down with me

To kick the last nail in"

Written about a band adventure on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, THIS IS my favorite Cure Song. Released as the first single to the album, I had not heard as perfect a song as this before. Another long musical intro completely hooks you and transports you into his world. 

Prayers for Rain:

"You shatter me your grip on me a hold on me 
So dull it kills 
You stifle me Infectious sense of Hopelessness and prayers for rain 
I suffocate I breathe in dirt 
And nowhere shines but desolate 
And drab the hours all spent on killing time 
Again all waiting for the rain "

This song is about a person in a relationship that is so constricting, so ruining, so hopeless that all that they can do is pray for rain, hope for some relief.

The Same Deep Water As You:

"Can't you see I try
Swimming the same deep water as you is hard"

How can I ever live up to your expectations?

Disintegration:

"So it's all come back round to breaking apart again
Breaking apart like I'm made up of glass again
Making it up behind my back again
Holding my breath for the fear of sleep again
Holding it up behind my head again
Cut in deep to the heart of the bone again
Round and round and round and it's coming apart again
Over and over and over"

I imagine this song is about Robert's drug use and his attempts to put is aside, but it keeps coming back to him and it's tearing him apart, causing him to disintegrate.

Homesick:

"Hey hey, just one more and I'll walk away"

When Robert considered writing another album following the success of Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me he didn't know if he had it in him. He didn't know if the band would or could go on. I'm so glad that they did.

Untitled:

"Hopelessly drift in the eyes of the ghost again
Down on my knees and my hands in the air again
Pushing my face in the memory of you again
But I never know if it's real
Never know how I wanted to feel

Never quite said what I wanted to say to you
Never quite managed the words to explain to you
Never quite knew how to make them believable
And now the time has gone
Another time undone

Never quite said what I wanted to say to you
Never quite managed the words to explain to you
Never quite knew how to make them believable
And now the time has gone
Another time undone

Hopelessly fighting the devil futility
Feeling the monster climb deeper inside of me
Feeling him gnawing my heart away hungrily
I'll never lose this pain
Never dream of you again"

I've read that Robert felt that song was so sad that he couldn't possibly give it a name. What better way to end the album.

I have had the honour of seeing The Cure twice in concert. I started listening to them in 1987 and I took me 20 years to see them for the first time and another 10 years for the second. Will I ever see them again? I have no idea, but I sincerely hope so. 

Tomorrow's Album #30 Jimmy Smith - Back at the Chicken Shack

#47 The Beatles - Hard Day's Night

With each Beatles album, this is the third, I like their music more than I did the album before. This album was still very simple lyrically and musically, but I am beginning to think that that is the bands charm. Simplistic, catchy pop songs that you can tap your feet and sing along to. Good Stuff.









"A Hard Day's Night"

Tomorrow's Album #683 The Cure - Disintegration

#698 My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

I remember listening to a My Bloody Valentine album a few weeks ago and being introduced to the genre of "shoegazing". It is so frustrating to listen to. You can hear that someone is singing but the vocals are so muted and obscured that you have to strain to try and hear them and it is near impossible to make out the lyrics. It truly makes you feel like you are going deaf, and it doesn't help to crank the stereo volume either cause then the music is that much louder and the vocals are still muted. To top it all off a lot of the music sounds like it is warped or out of tune.




'When You Sleep" - perfect example of how it sounds warped

Tomorrow's Album #47 The Beatles - Hard Day's Night

#805 The Verve - A Northern Soul

I have listened to some boring albums so far. They have been boring for two reasons. 1. they were instrumental albums and the songs sounded very similar and 2. it was an album of very long songs what seemed to go on and on without end. This album was a "traditional" album in the sense that the songs were average song length and consisted of music, verse and chorus, but it was so boring. I just was not feeling anything for any of the songs, just blah.




"A Northern Soul"

Tomorrow's Album #698 My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

#496 ABC - Lexicon of Love

ABC is one of those quirky 80's bands that aren't super awesome but are just really fun to listen to. I have listened to their hits many many times but never any of their complete albums. Overall the album's best songs are the two radio singles "Poison Arrow" and "Look of Love".  The other songs are decent 80's pop.








"Look of Love"

"Poison Arrow"

Tomorrow's Album #805 The Verve - A Northern Soul

#563 The Smiths - Meat is Murder

A few weeks ago I reviewed my first Morrisey album, and it was really good. Well this is the first Smiths album to come up, the band that Morrisey was the lead singer of. This also was really good. Very similar sound all around, and well worth a listen, although I think the style might take some getting use to as it is definitely not mainstream.






"How Soon is Now?"

Tomorrow's Album #496 ABC - Lexicon of Love

#732 Auteurs - New Wave

I think this is the first album that I really have nothing that I can say about it. I couldn't find anything interesting about the band or the members of the band to mention and the album was just average.










"Show Girl"

Tomorrow's Album #563 The Smiths - Meat is Murder