322. Pretzel Logic

Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
1974

Tracks
1. Rikki Don't Lose That Number
2. Night By Night
3. Any Major Dude Will Tell You
4. Barrytown 
5. East St Louis Toodle Oo
6. Parker's Band
7. Thru With Buzz 
8. Pretzel Logic
9. With A Gun 
10. Charlie Freak
11. Monkey In Your Soul

Happy Easter, everyone!

I am sitting here with an indecent amount of chocolate and a great novel, listening to Steely Dan.  What a great day.

After a string of albums that no casual listener has probably ever heard, we get Pretzel Logic, which is actually pretty well known.  This album certainly deserves to be better known than some of the not so impressive albums we have been subjected to lately.

One of the great things about Steely Dan is their ability to blend musical genres.  While the songs are short and sweet like pop tracks, the actual melodies are quite jazzy and bluesy.  The catchiest song on this album is by far "Barrytown" but really, any of the songs are addictive, especially after a couple listens.

As far as songwriting goes, we get some interesting lyrics, particularly with "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" which is a great song about unrequited love.  A good album that should be added to any collection.

RATING: 5/5

321. No Other

No Other
Gene Clark
1974

Tracks
1. Life's Greatest Fool
2. Silver Raven
3. No Other
4. Strength Of Strings
5. From A Silver Phial
6. Some Misunderstanding
7. True One, The
8. Lady Of The North

This album was a major flop upon release both critically and commercially.  It is also considered to have been one of the largest wastes of money in the music industry of all time.  Wow, that is quite the resume.  Needless to say, I was nervous about this one.

At first I was scared that this is one of those albums that elitists put on the list to prove that they are misunderstood by the mainstream.  However, this album actually wasn't half bad.  In fact, it was pretty inoffensive and standard; I was surprised at how much it had flopped.  It is weird that pretty normal music will do so poorly but space sound effects will fare so well.

However, this album wasn't good enough to be considered an underrated masterpiece.  Really, its obscurity is no great loss to our society but it was still a pleasant way to spend an hour.

RATING: 3/5

320. The Grand Tour

The Grand Tour
George Jones
1974

Tracks
1. Grand Tour
2. Darlin'
3. Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)
4. She'll Love the One She's With
5. Once You've Had the Best
6. Weatherman
7. Borrowed Angel
8. She Told Me So
9. Mary Don't Go 'Round
10. Who Will I Be Loving Now
11. Our Private Life

This album should be titled "Every Country Music Album Ever".  Not the most creative title, I will admit, but it is an accurate one.  Jones sounds almost exactly like Conway Twitty (in fact, Twitty did several covers of Jones' songs).

This album is full of rather depressing ballads which talk about his failed marriage.  In fact, the only slightly cheery song is about how tabloids ruin stars' lives.  I suppose this could be a satisfying album if you were going through a painful divorce.  Still, honky tonk takes its toll; I had to stop and take breaks throughout the album.

Not my cup of tea.  Supposed to be filled with great songs about heartbreak but no particular lyric stuck with me.

RATING: 1/5

319. On the Beach

On the Beach
Neil Young
1974

Tracks
1. Walk On
2. See The Sky About To Rain 
3. Revolution Blues 
4. For The Turnstiles 
5. Vampire Blues 
6. On The Beach
7. Motion Pictures 
8. Ambulance Blues

As soon as "Walk On" began to play, I knew I was in for a treat and that I was going to love this album.  Neil Young keeps coming up on this list but instead of getting sick of him, he just keeps growing on me.  Now, this album isn't all cupcakes and smiles; as you can see, there are a lot of blues in this album, some even concerning Charles Manson.

It is hard for me to list a favorite track for this album.  "For the Turnstiles" is sad and uses strings that sound almost lazy, but in a good way.  "Walk On" is really catchy.  "Vampire Blues" (sadly is not about him:

The song is actually about oil barges and, of course, because it is Neil Young, it is political and liberal.  However, most of the songs are about his disappointment in fellow hippies, which is a very interesting and different perspective to take in an album.  Definitely one of my favorite Neil Young albums.

RATING: 5/5

Full album available here:

318. Sheet Music

Sheet Music
10cc
1974

Tracks
1. Wall Street Shuffle
2. Worst Band In The World
3. Hotel
4. Old Wild Men
5. Clockwork Creep
6. Silly Love
7. Somewhere In Hollywood
8. Baron Samedi
9. Sacroiliac
10. Oh Effendi

So I am back from a bit of a hiatus.  I have been way more interested in watching movies lately than listening to albums.  I guess I was craving a bit more escapism than these albums were willing to give me.  But now I am back and I forge ahead with this unknown little gem.

I, for one, had never heard of 10cc.  Apparently, a lot of their songs appear in car commercials.  The Book also says that this band has written the most ironic songs of all time.  This made me a little wary, since I figured that ironic meant hugely pretentious.  However, I was very pleasantly surprised.

This album is catchy and smart, especially in songs like "Worst Band in the World." It seems to use every instrument under the sun, but blended very well.  Definitely one to check out.

RATING: 4/5