Pretenders: Extended Play (1981)

 

Sorry for the truly terrible photo. Did I mention that I love this band?

Pretenders: Pretenders II (1981)

No one had to convince me to buy the second Pretenders LP. This is a great record, and only a little less great than the first. These two first records are incredible. 

Pretenders: Pretenders (1979)

We was a duet duet duet duet do it on the pavement
Oh maybe maybe I'm gonna have a baby
We was a duet oh we do it all night

- Precious, The Pretenders

The Pretenders are a pop/punk band crossed with new wave, with an infusion of -- dare I say it? -- the erotic. Perhaps that is my adolescent brain speaking here, but every time I heard Chrissie Hynde sing "But not me baby I'm too precious I had to fuck off," it really did something for me. And then there's this:

"I was a good time, yeah, I got pretty good
At changing tires upstairs bro
I shot my mouth off and you showed me what that hole was for" (Tattooed Love Boy)

If you don't know what "changing tires" means, just remember that tires are made of rubber. That might seem tame by today's standards, but back in '80, this was powerful stuff. I think I sprinted to the record store to pick up this record. This album also has two huge hits: Stop Your Sobbing (written by Ray Davies) and Brass in Pocket.

The debut record is a new wave, pop, punkish masterpiece, and definitely one of my favourite records of all time. I do like what Allmusic said about this record:

"It's a deep, rewarding record, whose primary virtue is its sheer energy. Pretenders moves faster and harder than most rock records, delivering an endless series of melodies, hooks, and infectious rhythms in its 12 songs. Few albums, let alone debuts, are ever this astonishingly addictive." [source]

And so began my adolescent crush of Chrissie Hynde, which persisted along side of my crushes on Joan Jett and Pat Benatar.

Elvis Presley: Love Letters from Elvis (1971)

Love Letters is the man's 14th record. From Wikipedia: "The album was critically panned upon release, and failed to crack the top 20 of the Billboard album charts but did reach No, 12 on the US Top Country Albums chart and No. 7 on the UK best-selling albums chart."

Evidently, the tracks were leftovers from a previous recording session. I am not even sure if I have ever listened to this. 

Elvis Presley: On Stage (1970)

I have an original Canadian pressing from 1970. From Wikipedia:

It was recorded between February 17 and 19, 1970 and August 22 and 25, 1969 at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. The album reached number 13 on both the Billboard 200 and country music charts. It was certified Gold on February 23, 1971, and Platinum on July 15, 1999, by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Country music charts! What? And, also: "Unlike the previous release, however, this album focused on songs that were not, at the time, associated with Elvis."

I m not sure that I have ever listened to this record. I am not even sure where I got it. How is this country music? 

Elvis Presley: Elvis' Gold Records, Vol. 2 (50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong) (1959)

Although originally released in 1959, I have a copy from 1978 that is still in shrink wrap. It's in excellent condition. I am not a huge Presley fan. My brother was a fan, though (but really only once Elvis died), and so we had lots of Elvis records, but then he gave them away or lost them or they were stolen. Who can say? Obviously, this record is a compilation.

About that title, Wikipedia says:

There has long been some confusion over the actual title of this album. The title is shown on the original record's labels as "Elvis' Gold Records, Vol. 2," with a comma and an abbreviation of "Volume", but on the jacket, it appears as "Elvis' Gold Records – Volume 2". The phrase "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong" does not appear on the labels on any of the original records, and it is the title of the records on the labels—not the jacket—that is usually given preference when conflicting titles appear on albums. Therefore, the phrase was not part of the original title of the album. Beginning no later than 1962, RCA Victor added "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong" to the labels of a few mono records and to the then newly released "electronically reprocessed stereo" records. The boasting on the label appears nearly exclusive to records manufactured at RCA Victor's Hollywood pressing plant; copies pressed at the other plants tended to use the proper title only. The '50,000,000' phrase remained there for several years, but by 1968, it was removed from the new orange RCA labels and was not found on any record labels for years afterward, but then it was added (again), this time to the compact disc releases of this album, where it has remained

There is not much else to say, really. 

Preoccupations: Preoccupations (2016)

The woke brigade got this band. Ultimately I think it's better that they opted to change the name of the band from Viet Cong to Preoccupations. But, shouldn't the market dictate things like this? I mean, if the name is so offensive, won't people stop supporting them? Well maybe not. From Wikipedia:

The band frequently faced controversy over their original name, involving accusations of both racism and cultural appropriation because of the name's association with the original Vietnamese Viet Cong. In March 2015, the band was set to perform at Oberlin College, but the show was cancelled due to their "offensive name".

In September 2015, the band announced that they were going to change their name, posting to their Facebook page, "We are a band who wants to make music and play our music for our fans. We are not here to cause pain or remind people of atrocities of the past". On March 29, 2016, the Canadian music magazine Exclaim! reported that the band were still booking shows under the name Viet Cong, and began running a real-time "Days since Viet Cong promised to change their name" counter on the magazine's website.

On April 21, 2016, Flegel announced in a Pitchfork interview that the band would henceforth be performing and recording under the name "Preoccupations". Their second studio album, Preoccupations, was released as a self-titled album under the name Preoccupations on September 16, 2016.

I have some sympathy because I am sure they would have lost some momentum with the name change, but maybe they also gained some fans who knew nothing about them previous to the kerfuffle? My copy is the limited edition pressing on clear vinyl that was packaged with a bonus 7' single. 

Prefab Sprout: If You Don't Love Me (1992)

It's really difficult to listen to this from start to finish, because it has 5 versions of the same tune:

If You Don't Love Me (Extended Mix)

If You Don't Love Me (Deep Field Mix)

If You Don't Love Me (Stateside Swamp Mix)

If You Don't Love Me (Dubbish Mix)

If You Don't Love Me (7" Mix)

It's too much, though it's a fine song.

Prefab Sprout: From Langley Park To Memphis (1988)

 

My kids love two of the tracks on this LP. Amazing! They usually hate my music. This is the third record from the band. They release five singles from this record! Were they trying for a Born in the USA? 

Prefab Sprout: Appetite (1985)

There are three tracks to found on this UK pressing: Appetite, Heaven Can Wait (Instrumental Version Of When The Angels), and Oh, The Swiss! Cool.

Prefab Sprout: Johnny Johnny (1985)

On the LP Two Wheels Good, this track is known as Goodbye Lucile #1. On the 12" single, the track is renamed Johnny Johnny (Full Version). It's bizarre, but I guess it makes sense. After all, the name Lucille is not mentioned anywhere in the song, while Johnny is named maybe 40 times. The other three tracks were new and unreleased. They are Wigs, The Guests Who Stayed Forever, and Old Spoonface is Back.

Prefab Sprout: Two Wheels Good (1985)

Sometimes, Discogs has good information. For example, I never knew, until I looked up this record on Discogs (when I added my collection to Discogs some years ago) why this record was entitled Steve McQueen all over Europe as well as in New Zealand, Israel, Japan, and Australia. In North America, we got the title Two Wheels Good. Discogs has an answer:

The album "Steve McQueen" was released in North America as "Two Wheels Good" due to a legal conflict with the estate of American actor Steve McQueen.

And, from Wikipedia:

The album cover references Steve McQueen's lifelong passion for Triumph motorcycles and the 1963 film The Great Escape, starring McQueen and featuring prominent motorcycle chase scenes (with stunts performed by himself on a Triumph motorcycle). [source]

There you go.

I hated the song When Love Breaks Down the first few times I heard it, and for years after. But one day I heard it, and thought, hey this is pretty good. It turns out that the album is simply beautiful. I suppose I should have liked it more initially, because it was produced by Thomas Dolby.

Prefab Sprout: When Love Breaks Down (1984)

As I said, I hated this song when I first heard it. It took some years (decades?) for me to come to terms with it. Now, I quite like it. There are four other tracks on this UK pressing, making this more of an EP than a 12" single. The other tracks are: The Yearning Loins, Diana, Donna Summer, and Cruel.

Prefab Sprout: Swoon (1984)

Although the band had released some singles prior to Swoon, this was the first LP from the band. About the band's name, Wikipedia states this:

Several inaccurate stories have circulated about the origins of the band's unusual name. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, the band's name was a mondegreen from the song "Jackson" ("We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout"), misheard by frontman Paddy McAloon. McAloon has maintained that the name was entirely made-up, stating in a 1984 interview; "I was asked about the name so many times I used to invent stories about it. The truth of the matter is that I made it up. Around that time all the groups were supposed to mean something ... and when you are 13 you think it's profound, that there must be some secrecy. I liked the idea and so thought of two odd words, put them together and have kept it, basically because it reminds me of how I used to look at things". [source]

I read that the Monkees were once referred to as the Prefab Four, but I guess that this is unrelated. This is a good yet mellow record, although I did not appreciate this band when I first heard them. 

The Power Station: 33⅓ (1985)

From Discogs:

The Power Station was formed in 1984 and consisted of Andy Taylor and John Taylor of Duran Duran with Tony Thompson of Chic and singer Robert Palmer. When Robert Palmer quit the group in mid-1985, Michael Des Barres was recruited as the lead singer. The band folded in late 1985 as the members turned to other projects. The band reunited in 1995 with its original members. The group worked together on writing and arranging a new album, however, personal issues forced bassist John Taylor to withdraw from the project and leave the band before any recording took place. Producer Bernard Edwards (Chic bassist) stepped in to become the Power Station's bassist and new fourth member, playing all bass parts on the album "Living in Fear" (1996). Bernard Edwards died of pneumonia in April, 1996 and the group disbanded permanently in 1997.

This is a pretty good record. I'm too tired to say anything else. 

Portishead: Third (2008)

I was once near Portishead. We were in Bristol, and I recall seeing a directional sign pointing to Portishead, but I can't remember if we went near the place. In any case, I saw the sign and exclaimed something like "Hey! Portishead!" This is a cool record. 

Some people have reported a lot of issues with the vinyl version like pops and kicks and warping. My copy is quite good and this is doubly impressive, since I paid $9.99 for my copy. 

Iggy Pop: Blah-Blah-Blah (1986)

Of course, when you have Bowie on your side, good things might happen. This was a huge record for Pop, and I think his most successful. 

The collection included a cover of Johnny O'Keefe's "Wild One" (here titled "Real Wild Child (Wild One)" and three original songs co-written with ex-Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. The remaining tracks were co-written by Bowie, who also produced the album with David Richards but, unlike his previous work with Pop, The Idiot and Lust for Life (both 1977), did not play any instruments. Bowie biographer David Buckley has reported that Pop "virtually disowned" the record, calling it "a Bowie album in all but name". It has never been specified what tracks on the album, if any, originated during the sessions of Bowie's 1984 album Tonight (that album's co-producer, Hugh Padgham, has recalled that Bowie and Pop collaborated on some songs that Bowie ultimately rejected for inclusion on Tonight). [source]

The Teenage Head cover version of Wild One is much much better, IMHO. 

Iggy Pop: Party (1981)

I agree with this:

Party has been poorly received by critics.

Charlotte Robinson of PopMatters called it "a bizarre train wreck of an album". Mark Deming of AllMusic wrote "Part of Iggy Pop's unique sort of integrity is that the man doesn't seem to know how to sell out, even when he tries, and Party, one of the strangest albums of his career, is living proof." [source]

Yeah, it's sad. Just check out this video.

Somewhat bizarrely, my copy is from Germany, even though it was pressed in Canada and the USA. I paid under $3. Even that may have been too much. 

The Police: Synchronicity (1982)

To me, this record is slightly better than the previous one. The songs really connected with me, both lyrically and musically. There are so many great tracks, like Wrapped Around Your Finger, King of Pain, the title tracks. I was never enraptured by Every Breath You Take, though I recognize that it is good. I don't think that the police were ever as popular as they were with this record. Biggest band in the world? Maybe. 

I should have mentioned this with the last record: "The album's title was inspired by Arthur Koestler's The Roots of Coincidence. Frontman Sting was an avid reader of Koestler, and also titled the Police's prior album Ghost in the Machine after one of his works." [source]

I think I have read every book by Koestler along with some biographies. I have an entire shelf of books by Koestler. I will argue that the Roots of Coincidence is dire, but the rest are great, especially Darkness at Noon. 

The Police: Ghost in the Machine (1981)

This sums it up:

Ghost in the Machine was the first Police album to feature heavy use of keyboards and horns. All three members played synths to varying extents: Sting used an Oberheim OB-Xa (although he can also be seen with the Prophet-10 and Minimoog in photos from Andy Summers’ I’ll Be Watching You book) while Summers used a Prophet-5 to blend with the high guitar melody on "Spirits In The Material World"and Copeland played a Roland RS-505 Paraphonic synth on songs like "Darkness" and "Rehumanize Yourself". Besides keyboards, the following twenty minutes of the record—"Hungry for You (J'aurais toujours faim de toi)" through "One World (Not Three)"—include many saxophone harmonies, while the opening to "Secret Journey" showcases the Roland GR-300 Guitar Synthesizer. [source]

So, in general there is some change -- or progression -- in sound. The first track I heard from this LP was Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, and I did not love it but it has grown on me. It was overplayed to be sure. This record as a classic. Side one alone is another masterclass.