Sad Songs (Say So Much) is a terrible song. It's so bad that Elton offered it to Sasson for a stupid advertising campaign. Enough said. There is nothing remarkable about this record, except how bad it is. I have no idea how it came to be in my possession. And that reminds me that I was once given copies of Reg Strikes Back and Sleeping with the Past. I never played them, and they sat in a crate until I decided to unload them, a while back. I should do the same with this one. If you think my opinion of later Elton is harsh, just do this test. Listen to his greatest hits releases, volumes one through three, and then objectively decide which is the lesser record. If you do not agree that it is the third collection, we cannot be friends.
OK, I suppose Sad Songs (Say So Much) is probably an OK pop song, and it's certainly much better than Who Wears these Shoes? All in all, though, it's difficult to believe that Bernie Taupin rote most of the lyrics.
The only redeeming thing about this record is Empty Garden, a wonderful and heart-wrenching tribute to John Lennon. I would call this one of Elton's greatest songs.
What happened here
As the New York sunset disappeared
I found an empty garden among the flagstones there
Who lived here
He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
And now it all looks strange
It's funny how one insect can damage so much grain
And what's it for
This little empty garden by the brownstone door
And in the cracks along the sidewalk nothing grows no more
Who lived here
He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
And we are so amazed we're crippled and we're dazed
A gardener like that one no one can replace
And I've been knocking but no one answers
And I've been knocking most all the day
Oh and I've been calling oh hey hey Johnny
Can't you come out to play
And through their tears
Some say he farmed his best in younger years
But he'd have said that roots grow stronger if only he could hear
Who lived there
He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
Now we pray for rain, and with every drop that falls
We hear, we hear your name
Johnny can't you come out to play in your empty garden
The 1980's were unkind to many former stars, and Elton was no exception. I'll add this record to the long list of things I should part with. I have no idea where I got it. On the other hand, I'll have to give it props for the track Elton's Song, for its frank look at gay love when such topics were deemed to be controversial. As Wikipedia notes, "The theme of gay love caused a controversy, inspiring such tabloid headlines as "Elton's gay video shocker". [source] It looks like we have learned nothing in the intervening years
1979 was a fantastic year for music, but it was a terrible year for Elton John. The demise of a formerly-interesting signer continued with this train wreck of a record. He covered Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode with disastrous results. Let's just say that disco and Elton should never have met. I know, some people like this. My brother probably does, but that would be a troubling endorsement. This LP should go into the purge pile.
A Single Man is the first Elton John record that did not feature the lyrics of Bernie Taupin. For me, there isn't much to like here, and I wonder why I hold onto it. I don't begrudge any artists forging new territory, and I think that the move to more accessible areas is his decision, but the results didn't work too well for me.
Again, I have to mention that this was a gift, of a sort. My dad brought home a big box of records one day, and he let me choose whatever I wanted, but the pickings were slim. This is the only record I still have from the ones I had chosen. Out the door went records from the likes of the Rossington Collins Band and even Rick James.
The second Elton John collection of Elton John hits is probably the second Elton John record I ever owned, though I had heard lots of his music from the other records many times over the years. This is a bizarre record because it includes some tracks that probably should have been on the first greatest hits record. There are also some questionable choices. A few different versions of this release were made, but I have the original Canadian pressing with the lyric booklet.
This record contains Elton's cover of The Who's Pinball Wizard, a song that I was sure Elton wrote, until I learned otherwise. I will also admit that I thought Elton had written Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. These were the days of innocent youth, and I only had a basic knowledge of the Beatles, being far too young to really know too much about them. The Beatles had ceased to be a band long before I had any interest in music.
I really wished that the record had excluded Don't Go Breaking My Heart because I detest that song. As previously mentioned, I am not a big fan of Island Girl. I suppose I should confess that I bought 7" singles of both songs, way back when. Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word is yet another track that leaves me cold. One other borderline song appears here, and that tune is Philadelphia Freedom. That's a miss for me, but I don't hate it. It had been released as a single, and was first collected here, though later bastardized CD copies of Captain Fantastic add it as a bonus track. I have no idea why, apart from the fact that they are from the same year.
I would have to call this record the end of the line for Elton John. Allmusic concurs: "The immense creativity that had spurred Elton John to realize no less than 11 studio albums in under seven years was beginning to show signs of inevitable fatigue" [source] This is not to say that Blue Moves is a terrible record. I would say that time has been kind to it, and I certainly would not dismiss it. The record is mellower than its predecessor, for the most part. There are some good moments. In the end, though, it has to be said that nothing Elton released subsequently matched anything to this point.
I particularly like this review excerpt from Wikipedia:
A contemporary review for Rolling Stone
said the album "contains nowhere near enough good songs to justify the
extended length" and that the interludes and instrumentals were done "to
the exclusion of sense."[source]
That made me laugh.
If there is one track that most people know, it's likely Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, a track I don't really like. Tonight, and a few others, are OK
Here and There is a live record that contains excerpts from two concerts. Side A features five tracks entitled Live In London At The Royal Festival Hall. Side B contains four tracks under the heading Live In New York At Madison Square Garden. I suppose the London show was Here and the NYC show was There, but who can know for sure?
On this record, you will find an array material dating back to Empty Sky. It's a representative collection and it's not bad, expect for the decision to include Crocodile Rock.
Much later, a greatly expanded CD was released. Evidently, this record was released as part of a contractual obligation to his record company. I have the US pressing.
Wikipedia claims that the title of this record is a play on the phrase "West of the Rockies." OK, whatever.
There are three Elton John songs that I hate (not including the never-ending stream of later stupid stuff). These three tunes are: Crocodile Rock, Don't Go Breaking My Heart, and Island Girl, the latter of which appears on this record. Island Girl just leaves me cold. Wikipedia claims that Elton preferred a different single - Dan Dare (Pilot of the Future) - as the first single. As much as I dislike Island Girl, his record company was right on this one.
On the other hand, there is the weirdly engaging Grow Some Funk Of Your Own, a song I never truly understood, but found to be particularly entertaining. There is also the truly odd I Feel Like A Bullet (In The Gun Of Robert Ford). That track has nothing to do with Rob Ford, Toronto's former -- and now deceased -- crack-mayor. It's hard to believe that only four months separated this release from Captain Fantastic, but Elton, back in the day, had no shortage of material. The problem with this record, for me, is that the classic Elton John band had disbanded. Two members, Dee Murray and the late Nigel Olsson, left. Even with the inclusion of Island Girl, this record is not bad, I think.
I've always been amazed at how certain pieces of music or records can bring back vivid, sometimes even poignant, memories from the distant past. This record, especially, Someone Saved My Life Tonight, is one of records. (On some days, I might argue that Someone Saved My Life Tonight is Elton's finest composition, even though there are some other songs I like better). I feel nostalgia when I hear it. I feel a sense of lost time when I hear it. I feel a sadness that I can never experience those evenings where we were so wrapped up in music, we thought of little else. These were the days when we hung out in my friend's living room, while our parents smoked and/or drank, and played cards in the next room. We played record after record until my parents decided that it was time to go home or until I fell asleep on the couch or the floor.
A few years ago, a friend of mine asked me when was the last time I listened to an album. And, he meant active listening, like we used to do. Sure, we have busy lives now. We have kids that take up our time and we have Netflix. There is cooking and cleaning and all of the other obligations of parenthood and adulthood, but there is also a feeling that we are a step removed from the act of really listening to music.
So, he meant, why do we no longer listen to music? This means giving all of your attention to the music and the record cover, to the images, the lyric sheet (if there was one). It meant absorbing the music. The record cover was a huge part of the experience and this record's jacket was one that I couldn't stop looking at. To me, listening to a cassette recording a friend's record was nowhere near the same experience and it was often disappointing. Something was missing. The music needed the record cover. CD cases and tiny booklets have never had the same impact. And now we have disembodied MP3 files, which are like orphans in a digital world.
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is not the best Elton John record, but the memories are so strong that I give it a special place. When I hear the opening piano riff from Someone Saved My Life Tonight, I feel almost like I am back in that dark living room, listening to Elton on terrible speakers in one of those stereo cabinets and hoping that the card game could keep going in the next room, so we could get to side two. Of course, I didn't really know what the song was about, but that didn't really matter.
Sadly, this may be the last really good Elton John record, though there are some highlights on later records.
"My friends out there rolling round the basement floor"
Elton John's Greatest Hits (later known colloquially as Greatest Hits Volume I) is the first Elton John record I ever owned, and one of the first dozen or so records in my collection. It collects some of his biggest hits to 1974, and leaves out, of course, the better tracks. Alas, that is generally the case with so-called greatest hits collections. What about Tiny Dancer, Madman Across the Water, and Levon, for starters?
The record contains:
Your Song
Daniel
Honky Cat
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
Rocket Man
Candle in the Wind
Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me
Border Song
Crocodile Rock
I have a vivid memory of buying this record in a K-Mart or a Zellers or some equally dismal store. It was during an excursion to a larger urban centre with my mother. She liked to shop in these anaemic department stores, and I recall that we would often get lunch in the store cafe, which usually meant a hot beef sandwich or a hamburger with fries. I think I enjoyed the food, but it was probably not so good.
Despite missing some more interesting tracks, this LP provides a good overview of Elton to this point in time. I played this record a while back and there is not a single pop or click on it. Sadly, it has my name written on the jacket in pen. Thank you, Photoshop.
I wonder if I could get away with dressing like Elton did on the jacket of this LP.
Caribou opens with one of Elton John's best rockers, The Bitch is Back. I seem to recall that the word bitch caused issues with radio, and some cowardly stations did not play the song. The other big hit from this record was Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me. It took only nine days to record this record. That seems amazing to me.
I feel that this is somewhat of a lesser effort than some of his earlier and more artistic material. On the other hand, it's odd to consider that the record that was released after this (well, really two records after, since the first greatest hits package came next) was Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, one of my favourite Elton records, so who knows what was going on?
Still, I would count this as a good Elton John record. Somewhat curiously, Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me appears on Elton John's Greatest Hits (1974), while The Bitch is Back appears on Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume II (1975). I have no idea why that happened.
There are times when I wish I was famous, just so I could wear whatever the hell I wanted to.
Come on, Jamaica
In Jamaica all day
Dancing with your darling
Do Jamaica jerk-off that way
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was Elton's second release from 1973, and it's a double record! The man had a lot to say. I didn't own this record in 1973 (I didn't own any records in 1973). I got it much later as a gift. Sometimes, parents can be slow to catch up. By the time my dad gave me this for my birthday, I had moved on to other bands and singers. But, I will give him credit for choosing music. That is always appreciated.
I probably like the record more now than I did when it was given to me. It has some Elton John staples, like Bennie and the Jets, Candle in the Wind, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, etc. If I were forced to choose my favourite Elton John song, it would either be Levon or the opening two pieces of this LP, which really should be treated as one track. Funeral For A Friend, which moves seamlessly into Love Lies Bleeding, is fabulous. As much as I like that song, there is something distressing about the crowd in the live clip below.
My dad found certain titles to be funny. He couldn't quite believe that there is really a song called Social Disease or Jamaica Jerk-Off or Dirty Little Girl. He must have wondered what the youth of the day were listening to.
I don't think I would be wrong if I said that this LP is one oh his most popular. As music fans everywhere know, popular never equals best, though I think this ranks among his better records.
It seems that Elton was working at a frantic pace, sometimes releasing two records per year (in 1971, he released three, if you count the soundtrack). Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player contains more huge hits: Daniel and Crocodile Rock. I will say this now just to get it out of the way. I hate Crocodile Rock with all of my heart. In fact, I find it difficult to listen to that song.
And, now that I have written that down, the song has flooded into my brain and it will be a struggle to expunge it. Daniel is a fine song, which brings back tons of memories.
The album is not bad, though one gets the feeling that Elton is moving more firmly into commercial territory, something that is born out by record that follows.
Elton became a hit maker with this record, scoring big hits with Honky Cat and Rocket Man, both of which still have life today. For me, the best track is Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters. In fact, if I was forced to create a top ten list of best Elton songs, that track would easily make it. This might be mainstream pop, but it's not bad for what it is. I have a nearly mint Canadian Uni pressing, which is saying something, because that fold-over flap is generally damaged.
Perhaps one of the reasons I like this record is that it features Elton's great road band: Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray, and the new guy, Davey Johnstone.
"The performances on this album were recorded during a live radio concert, broadcast in New York by WABC-FM on November 17th, 1970. The broadcast originated at A&R Recording Studios, New York. The Tapes were mixed at Trident Studios, London."
This live record, 11-17-70, was released in March 1971. Finally, Allmusic gets one review perfect:
"The great thing about this early live record is its obscurity -- not just that this isn't one of his better-known records, but that the set list is a fanboy's dream, heavy on album tracks, covers, and the kinds of song that make Elton John's early work so individual. It's not just that there are no hits here, but it's that these [...] songs emphasize the spare, hard-rocking bluesy singer/songwriter that may not have written his own words, but always sang them with conviction and melodies that made them seem like his own. This may be a minor effort in his catalog, but that's part of its pleasure -- it's certainly a record from the time before Elton the superstar, as he tears through Tumbleweed Connection tracks prior to the record's release, does a phenomenal reworking of "Honky Tonk Women," hauls out B-sides like "Bad Side of the Moon," and gives a fierce, infectious performance. It's not essential for anyone but obsessives, but if you want any indication of what Elton sounded like prior to his big break, this is an excellent, even intoxicating, summary." [source]
I can't say it better than that. If you want to hear live Elton near his peak, this would be the record to get, and you should be able to find a vinyl copy for a few dollars.. Again, I have a Canadian pressing on the Uni label.
Here's an interesting piece of trivia from Wikipedia:
"According to longtime NYC radio personality Dave Herman (who can be heard at the beginning and end of the album), Elton John cut his hand at some point during the performance, and by the end of the show, the piano keys were covered with blood."
Jesus freaks out in the street
Handing tickets out for God
Turning back she just laughs
The boulevard is not that bad
In 1971, Elton released the Friends soundtrack, 17-11-70 (a live record), and Madman Across the Water. In the early 70s, it looked as if no one could stop the Elton/Bernie juggernaut.
I have to ask, who knows who the madman across the water was? Some speculate it was Richard Nixon. If the song were written in the early 2000s, I'd suggest that it was George Bush. If it were written today, it would have to be Donald Trump, the racist, sexist, conceited, idiotic, psychopathic loser. For us Canadians, Trump is the Madman South of the Border. How did we ever allow this moron to get his hands on the nuclear football?
Madman Across the Water is one of Elton's best records and it contains one of my favourite Elton John songs, Levon, though I admit that I have no idea what the song means. The record also contains the now-overplayed Tiny Dancer (thanks, Almost Famous) and the epic title track. Other people claim Razor Face to be the best track, but I cannot agree with that.
I am lucky enough to have the Uni pressing, which sounds amazing, despite a little too much surface noise from the previous owner who had no idea that one should clean records.
I can't tell you how many people I have run into that think the title of this record is Tumbleweed Collection rather than Tumbleweed Connection.
The third Elton John record is a bluesy countryish affair that commences with the really great Ballad of a Well-Know Gun. Other great tracks are Country Comfort, Son of Your Father, and Where to Now St. Peter? For me, though, the triumph on this record is Burn Down the Mission, for which we have a good live version with Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson, who were part of the classic Elton John Band.
This was the second record Elton released in 1970. Elton was on a mission early on in his career.
It's strange when an artist releases a self-titled record that is not a debut. This has happened many times, and in this case, I think it's why many people believe this to have been the first Elton John record. It's really his second, but it was released in North America five years before his debut, Empty Sky. On the other hand, Elton's real name is Reginald Kenneth Dwight, not Elton Hercules John, so maybe it's not a strange thing to do. Imagine adopting Hercules as a middle name? I might have to do that.
This record is far better than Empty Sky. It contains a few classic tunes that most people will recognize, most notably Your Song and Border Song. Other classic tracks are Take Me to the Pilot, Bad Side of the Moon, and Sixty Years On. The record has good arrangements -- including some orchestral arrangements -- and a good sound, especially if you have the Uni pressing, like I do. In general, this record is far better than his debut.
I suppose everyone already knows that Elton worked with Bernie Taupin, a poet who provided lyrics. This record remains as one of Elton's better records, in my humble opinion.
Listening to certain records brings back vivid memories of being a kid, and this record is one that brings back tons of memories. Music was always a big part of my life, and I remember hanging out with friends and listening to record after record of whatever we could get our hands on. Sometimes, this meant questionable music drawn from our parents' collections (such as Barry Manilow, Jim Croce, The Carpenters, and John Denver - I know, I have offended some people here), or records from older brothers and sisters (like KISS, Simon and Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Alice Cooper, among many others). At other times, it meant we shared from our own collections. I remember listening to lots of new music that way, from Graham Parker to Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello in later years. In high school and university, the musical choices were a bit more avante garde.
I will defend my appreciation of early Elton John by referencing
(indirectly) my age and noting the nostalgia I have when hearing some of his earlier tunes today. His first five albums (plus a couple of others) are
really fine, and I think that they have stood the test of time, for the
most part. Later, he became almost a parody of himself, especially when
he toured with Billy Joel. There is really nothing in the 80s from Elton that lived up to his early output. Oh, and I know that I have made fun of his music here before.
The first 45 RPM 7" singles I ever bought were by Elton John and some of my first LPs were Elton John records. I still remember buying some 45s at a strange shop on the main street of my hometown. In this store -- the name of which has long ago escaped me -- you could buy costume jewellery, paper products, snacks, toys, and near the checkout, there were 45 RPM records hanging on pegs on the wall. When I was very little, I remember seeing a copy of a Who record, and all I could think was that they had stolen part of their name from The Guess Who. I guess CanCon was in full force even back then.
Empty Sky, the first Elton John record, is uneven but I think we can see where he was going. Overall, I would say that the record is underrated, probably because there were no major hits. The album starts out strongly with Empty Sky, the title track. It's a good Elton rocker. Other strong tracks are Western Ford Gateway, Sails, and Skyline Pigeon, a live version of which can be heard on Here and There, the live album from 1976.
This record was released in 1969, but the North American release didn't happen until 1975, by which time, Elton was a star. Those pressings in Canada and the USA all included a different cover, for some bizarre reason. I have a US pressing from 1975.
I wouldn't put this in my top five favourite Elton records, but it has a certain je ne sais quoi, and it's good to throw it on the platter from time to time. I have no Elton John recordings on CD, suggesting that I really left him behind, but once I set up my turntable, his music is something that I wanted to listen to on vinyl.
Single LP versions also came out in '85 in some markets, but I gather that's it's difficult to find them. The first record covers the period between 1973 and 1980, while the second LP takes it up until 1985. There are several versions of this LP with various changes to the track listing. I have the Canadian pressing, which contains:
A1 Piano Man
A2 Say Goodbye To Hollywood
A3 New York State Of Mind
A4 The Stranger
A5 Just The Way You Are
B1 Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
B2 Only The Good Die Young
B3 She's Always A Woman
B4 My Life
B5 Big Shot
B6 Honesty
C1 You May Be Right
C2 It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
C3 Pressure
C4 Allentown
C5 Goodnight Saigon
D1 Tell Her About It
D2 Uptown Girl
D3 The Longest Time
D4 You're Only Human (Second Wind)
D5 The Night Is Still Young
This record was a gift. Honestly, I haven't listened to it in years and years and years, not since 1985, I'm guessing. According to Allmusic, refers to this record as "an innocent delight that unwittingly closes Joel's classic period." Well, so much for the classic period, I guess. The statement seems a bit harsh to me, but I guess it's true. After all, I do not think I have ever heard any later Joel songs. That may sound impossible to you, but I can't think of any that I know. Oh, wait, I guess there's We Didn't Start the Fire. But, that's probably it.
I recall that a guy who lived in my residence picked up a copy of this record. It seemed strange to me, because he had otherwise generally good taste in music. He would often turn up the stereo as he played this record with not a hint of irony anywhere.
I know a guy who has stated emphatically that his favourite album of all time is Billy Joel's An Innocent Man. I know it sounds wrong or like it's a joke, but the man is serious and very earnest. It's one of the most astonishing things I have ever heard. Bizarrely, he likes some music which I quite like. I've never been able to understand this, but I suspect he heard this record at a certain time and you just never know.
In any case, the good news is that the only song I detest (as opposed to dislike) is Uptown Girl. The remaining tracks I dislike, some more intensely than others. Maybe I just don't like doo-wop and Joel's take on soul music.
Let's get one thing out of the way immediately. The Nylon Curtain's jacket design is awful. I hate it. That's the best they could do? Maybe I am missing the point.
Allentown is a really good song that discusses a very real issue. I give that song a thumbs up. Laura sounds like Joel is channeling the Beatles, but with swearing. I'm not sure what's going on in Pressure. It seems to presage Van Halen's Jump, in the employment of primitive synthesizers. I don't think anyone could possibly have any issues with Goodnight Saigon. She's Right on Time is boring. A Room of Our Own is a tune that makes me think that Joel wished he was born 10 years earlier. Surprises holds no surprises. Scandinavian Skies is Beatles plus heroin. Where's the Orchestra?, again, is reminiscent of the Beatles.
The jacket on my copy has been damaged by water. It's sort of appropriate: I think the previous owner wept rivers of disappointment while listening to this record for the first time.
Despite being released after Glass Houses, which was Joel's seventh record, this live LP includes only tunes from his first four records (Cold Spring Harbor, Piano Man, Streetlife Serenade, and Turnstiles). The only tune anyone probably knows from his first four albums is Piano Man, and that song does not appear on this record. I guess he was trying to fluff his early catalogue.
I flinch every time I hear him sing "I seen the lights go out on Broadway." That is a grammatical construction common in my home town and region, and, to my ears, it grates like fingernails on a blackboard. I just cannot stand it. My sister, for one, always says "I seen..." My dad always said things like "I done steaks on the BBQ last night." Oh, man. The weirdest thing is that I am certain most people know that it is incorrect, but they do it anyway, much like those who drop the 'g' in walkin', talkin', eatin'. That also makes me cringe, as does the use of anyways, rather than anyway.
Having said that, the first tune, Miami 2017 (hey, we are in 2017 right now), is not a bad song. New York has not been destroyed, but you never know what might happen under a Trump administration. I feel that this record is probably a great one for those who were serious fans of the first four records. Others might not enjoy it so much. I find it to be a bit weak and too much of the same, but I am not really a Joel fan.
In 1980, I had a friend with somewhat dubious taste in music. Apart from the Grease soundtrack, Glass Houses was a seminal record for him. My sister even bought a copy of this record. I was momentarily pleased with It's Still Rock an Roll to Me and You May be Right. They seemed like genuine pop efforts, but tracks like Don't Ask Me Why (and some others) argued against that conclusion. This album is still pop to me.
I sometimes think of Billy Joel as being as similarly un-hip as Phil Collins, and yet they somehow managed to have successful careers, with the former even marrying a supermodel. It's amazing what fame can do.
I can't recall how this item ended up in my
collection but I am sure that it, and all other Joel recordings, were
lawn sale pickups or given to me free.
The cover image on 52nd Street sends mixed messages. I think the first time I saw it, I thought, this can't be a rock record. What kind of rock star plays a trumpet? I say this as someone who made a fairly serious mistake in my youth: I chose the trombone in music class, and later dearly wished that I had chosen the more compact trumpet, or perhaps the clarinet. Try taking the trombone home on the school bus and you will see what I mean.
And then, there's the denim with suit jacket combination that is undermined by the inclusion of a tie. But there are white sneakers, which I admit were cool in 1978. He's also holding his horn on the back cover and the inner sleeve. Maybe this horny posturing was and attempt to distance himself from the Piano Man?
I don't really mind My Life and Big Shot. I dislike Honesty. IMHO, the songs are strong pop tunes with a flash of jazz. It's not essential listening by any means.
B-1 is for the good girls
It's Only the Good Die Young
- Certain Songs, The Hold Steady
Let's clutch and kiss and sing and shake tonight let's try to levitate
You Catholic girls start much too late
- Both Crosses, The Hold Steady
If you had to evacuate the planet and there was only room to take one Billy Joel record on your trip to Alpha Centauri, The Stranger is the one to take along on the journey. Wikipedia tells me that Rolling Stone ranked this record at number 70 in its list of top 500 albums of all time. I could easily name 200 or 300 hundred better records, but I think the ranking speaks to my argument that this is indeed his best record.
This album reminds me of my sister. I remember sitting in her room in her bean bag chair, listening to her records. Sometime she was there; sometimes, she was out on-the-town. She is four years older, so her musical choices weren't always mine. I never liked her Cleo Lane records but I loved Some Girls from the Rolling Stones, and her Led Zeppelin records. I was nonplussed by Jean Luc Ponty, couldn't care less about ABBA, but this record found a partially sympathetic ear. It's another record that is mostly about nostalgia.
This record was produced by Phil Ramone (no, he wasn't the eighth Ramone).
I quite enjoy a few tracks on this LP, like Movin' Out (Anthony's Song), The Stranger, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant, and Only the Good Die Young, for example. I would pick the title track as the best song on the LP and I would also nominate Just The Way You Are as the worst. I'm also not a fan of She's Always a Woman.
"And the Meat Loaf to the Billy Joel.
Certain songs, they get so scratched into our souls"
- Certain Songs, The Hold Steady
I'm not really a Billy Joel fan, but if Chuck Klosterman can admit to being a fan, I guess I can justify having some Billy Joel records in my collection. I have a copy of this record because I paid $1 for it. Sometimes, the price of a record will persuade me to buy a record I normally would not consider owning. In this case, the record is practically mint, and still in shrink wrap.
I don't think that there is a person alive in the western world who has never heard the track Piano Man. It's just one of those songs that really grabbed the attention of people seemingly everywhere. What I didn't know, until very recently, was that this track was a fictionalized account of Joel's experiences working as a lounge singer. I think that gives the tune a little more gravitas, but I am still not convinced that this is a great work of art. It's simply familiar.
Another track that people might know is The Ballad of Billy the Kid, which sounds like a weak Elton John impersonation. Die-hard fans will love this LP while more casual fans will pay some attention to certain songs.
This is the kind of record you would break out at a dinner party of middle aged parents keen to memorialize their youth. I imagine this would be followed by Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and Elton John's Greatest Hits (Volume 1). It might be a great soundtrack to a middle-age dinner party.
This is good, but I sense a little slip in quality. The Beach Boys cover is interesting, but the two really good songs are the title track and Black Leather, though I'm not sure about the attempted rap.
This record was perhaps underrated or underappreciated at the time, with some good reason, given some of the filler tracks, but I simply cannot dislike a Joan Jett record. The most notable track on this record is probably I Hate Myself For Loving You.
This is Joan's third record. I have to say I loved the that the album jacket a bit too much. She looks fierce and very sexy. And then there's that song, The French Song, in which she sings about a threesome.
Don't you be nervous baby
I didn't come to bring you down
This is so natural baby
Just let my love turn you around
This twisted love affair
Could really take us somewhere
J'aime faire I'amour sur tout a trois
J'aime faire I'amour sur tout a trois
Don't you feel guilty baby
I won't take long to understand
Don't waste time arguing
We'll make the most with what's at hand
I have to laugh out loud
When you say three's a crowd
I know what I am, I am what I am
I know what I am
I know what I am, I am what I am
I know what I am, I know what I am, I am what I am
I know what I am, I am what I am
Don't think that I'm uncouth, I only speak the truth
J'aime faire I'amour sur tout a trois
J'aime faire I'amour sur tout a trois
I remember my cousin telling me, oh so long ago, that he hated female singers. He felt that singing should be entirely in the domain of men. Not too long after that conversation, something happened. Let's call that something puberty. Suddenly, he was totally enamoured with the likes of Girlschool and Lee Aaron. I was there long before him, having secret crushes on Pat Benatar and Joan Jett. He caught up quickly, even though he is a year older than me.
I think that most people assume that the title track, I Love Rock 'N Roll, was written by Jett. Alas, she did not write it. It's originally a tune by The Arrows, but I think Jett does an admirable version. It's too bad more people aren't familiar with the original. By the way, Cyndi Lauper did not write Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. In fact, I don't think Lauper wrote a single song on her debut record.
The only problem I have with this record is that some versions contain Little Drummer Boy, that little turd of a song. You now how I feel about Xmas music. Besides hating insipid music (which includes most Christmas music), Little Drummer Boy simply destroys the record. Imagine an adolescent boy listening to Joan in his room, having all sorts of sexual fantasies. Just when he is imagining picking up Joan and throwing her on the bed, this buzz-kill song comes on. It ruins the mood; it ruins the record. The record ends in a confusing mess, especially if you are listening outside the Christmas season.
The video for the titular track is interesting because it includes a segue from Bad Reputation.
Sure, I had a crush on Joan Jett. What adolescent boy at the time didn't? There was something super sexy and appealing about her guitar-playing, bad-ass, and rock and roll attitude. Oh, and leather. In Bad Reputation, she sings:
I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
You're living in the past it's a new generation
A girl can do what she wants to do and that's
What I'm gonna do
An' I don't give a damn ' bout my bad reputation
It should have been an anthem for all women everywhere. It was also the theme to Freaks and Geeks, a show that was cancelled too soon, though I have only seen it on Netflix, well after the fact.
This record was originally released in 1980 with the title Joan Jett. A year later, it was released under the title Bad Reputation. By the way, there is nothing uncensored about the video below. I think that's a ploy to gain clicks.
My copy is a Canadian pressing from 1983. It has a bunch of tracks you may or may not know, depending on your interest or devotion to the band. I was never a big fan, and I am sure I paid nothing for this LP.
I've always viewed the flute as a feminine instrument, despite its obvious phallic proportions. I suppose I really view it as an instrument preferred by women, judging by my old music classes in junior high and high school. Men shied away from that instrument, and I thought that was a wise decision at the time. Apart from Ian Anderson, the only other flutists (or flautists) I can think of are Peter Gabriel, Mel Collins, and Florian Schneider. There must be more.
I'd say that this record has a fairly good minimalist cover design.
You know you are in prog rock territory when one of the pieces (subdivided into smaller movements) is nearly 17 minutes long, and takes up most of one side of the LP. I have the original Canadian pressing.
Though originally released in 1969, I have a Canadian gatefold repressing from 1982. There are some good moments of this record, though the blues influences seem to have been dampened somewhat. I probably haven't listened to this record since the mid-80s.
The Jet Black Berries are probably an 80s band that few people have ever heard of. I guess they are no longer just an 80s band, because a new album (on CD only) came out in 2010. I have never heard the CD. I can't believe that 2010 was seven years ago already. Why is time moving so fast?
On Discogs, the band is referred to as punk, new wave, rock and roll, goth rock, and country rock. That's a lot to live up to.
The US pressing of Sundown on Venus came in three versions: cassette, LP, and LP with a bonus single-side mini album. I have the latter. It was also released on vinyl in Greece and the Netherlands.
A discogs user (bubbleman) left a very interesting comment about the band:
An absolute underrated forgotten neglected classic by this totally
unique sounding band far from the restrictions of any genre. Seriously,
this makes my all time top ten. Do yourself a favour and get it. You'll
probably find it real cheap on Ebay or in the bargain bin of your
favourite Festival Rock record store. These guys were probably the
inventors and the sole Kings of Death Goth Country Punk adding a large
helping of Spaghetti Western aesthetics to the stew. An absolutely
fantastic brilliant vocalist, well crafted lyrics avoiding the usual
cheesiness of Horror Punk or Psychobilly thus implying a well-read and
intelligent author of the afore-mentioned lyrics and a great organ and
an overall excellent band create an uneasy air of impending doom and a
certain healthy degree of nihilism and misanthropy. Some real bad karma
here and some classic feel good music for creeps. And like with
everything truly great a lot more SHOW than TELL. Alright, some of it is
probably a little cheesy by today's standards, but it's really really
good cheesy and 1000 roads probably really all do lead to Shadowdrive. [source]
I did not buy this when it came out, but I did see it in a sale bin, for an excellent price not so long ago, but I have only listened to it once. I am forced to reserve judgement. I am fan, so I am likely to say that its good.
It's truly awesome when one of your favourite bands cover a tune from another favourite and they don't screw it up. It sounds like the Jesus and Mary Chain.
I have a German pressing of this 12" single for Blues from a Gun, which originally appeared on Automatic. This 12" contains the aforementioned track, plus three b-sides: Shimmer, Penetration, and Subway.
Some of the tracks on Automatic are fantastic. Blues from a Gun and Head On are stellar. In fact, I would rank those tunes as being among the best from the band. The Pixies even covered Head On. However, some of the tracks just don't do it for me. This is a mixed bag. They seemed to have abandoned the post-punk landscape for something they hoped would have been more commercial. It didn't really work, and it's the first time I was disappointed with the band.
This 12" US Maxi Single contains the 7" mix and extended mix of Sidewalking, plus live versions of Taste of Cindy and April Skies. I think that all of the JMC LPs have been re-pressed, but I am not sure that these more ephemeral releases will ever see the light of day again.
This collection was recently re-released as a limited edition double LP, I think on some sort of coloured vinyl. I have an original US pressing, though it has been defaced with that horrible gold promo stamp. Such is life. This LP contains singles, b-sides, and rare tracks. The record even spawned the single, Sidewalking. There's also a good Beach Boys cover on this LP. I would award this LP, like the previous two, five out of five stars.
This is the original UK pressing of the 12" single for Happy When It Rains. It contains the long version of the title track, plus Everything's Alright When You're Down, Happy Place, and F.Hole.
Hand in hand in a violent life
Making love on the edge of a knife
And the world comes tumbling down
Darklands is no Psychocandy redux. That's OK, since this is a very enjoyable record. I don't think that the band ever reclaimed the glory of the first LP, but there is nothing wrong with this record. I think the Allmusic review is spot on, so you can go and read it on your own time. There is just something about the sound of this band that is truly wonderful, to my ears at least.
Sometimes you hear a record and it stops you dead in your tracks. Psychocandy, for me, is one of those records. I went on a mission to find out who this band was. Shazam would have been very handy.
This record started a musical revolution, of sorts, leading to the shoegaze movement. I've heard this record described as part Beach Boys, part Velvet Underground. That's probably a good description
It's hard to choose the best Scottish band, but I would choose The Jesus and Mary Chain. (Another band on my short list would be Simple Minds).
Original pressings of this LP demand a moderate investment. I have seen copies priced at $40 quite frequently. I have an original Canadian pressing from 1985. Later CD releases included Some Candy Talking, which was originally only released on an EP.
The sound might not seem to interesting now, but this was groundbreaking back in the olden days.
Those originally released in 1967, I have a Canadian "Best Buy" repress from 1980. I'd venture to say that everyone knows at least two tracks from this LP: Somebody to Love and White Rabbit, the latter of which is a truly fantastic tune. This record clocked in at #50 of Rolling Stone's50 Essential Albums of 1967.
The band's name might suggest that it is a weak jazz band or a failed jazz band. Alas, it is not. Instead, the band is a UK indie pop band from Oxford. Allmusic describes the band this way: "Formed in the early 80s as a vehicle for the idiosyncratic, melodic talents of UK songwriter Pat Fish." [source]
From Wikipedia:
Their oeuvre is blackly humorous with such topics as Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49, an unrequited crush on Shirley MacLaine, and an ode to SF writer Harlan Ellison. The song "Sister Death" is not about the comic book character, but was inspired by the last words of Saint Francis of Assisi, "Welcome, Sister Death". [source]
I really don't know very much about this band, beyond this record and I cannot remember where I got it.
