1999
Prince
1982
Tracks
1. 1999
2. Little Red Corvette
3. Delirious
4. Let's Pretend We're Married
5. DMSR
6. Automatic
7. Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)
8. Free
9. Lady Cab Driver
10. All The Critics Love You In New York
11. International Lover
I have never been the biggest Prince fan, which I am sure would result in a public flogging in many circles. I really hadn't been exposed to his stuff, so this is my first foray into the Princeverse. It was interesting...
I was actually enjoying it quite a bit until "Lady Cab Driver." It sounded vaguely rape-y, what with the sound effects that I can only imagine were added to please the male listener. I ended up googling the song and apparently a lot of people have reached the same conclusion. So...um. That was weird, I guess.
Other than that, though, I genuinely enjoyed it. I do think the album peaked a little early in its runtime, but only means that it went from great to pretty good. RIP Prince.
RATING: 3/5
The Lexicon of Love
ABC
1982
Tracks
1. Show Me
2. Poison Arrow
3. Many Happy Returns
4. Tears Are Not Enough
5. Valentine's Day
6. Look of Love (Part One)
7. Date Stamp
8. All Of My Heart
9. 4 Ever 2 Gether
10. The Look of Love (Part Four)
We have finally reached 1982, which means, like it or not, synthpop is now a major part of our lives. I don't particularly mind it. It isn't quite as tacky as disco but it is just as fun. And speaking of embracing the cheese, how about that album cover?
Martin Fry spends the album lamenting his lack of success in romantic relationships. While this is a somewhat tired theme in the musical world, I was pleased by the vocals and production, particularly during "The Look of Love."
There is no denying the corn factor of this album, but hey, 1982 is the year of Porky's and ET. So it could be worse.
RATING: 3/5
The Visitors
ABBA
1981
Tracks
1. Visitors
2. Head Over Heels
3. When All Is Said And Done
4. Soldiers
5. I Let The Music Speak
6. One Of Us
7. Two For The Price Of One
8. Slipping Through My Fingers
9. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
ABBA is so horribly overexposed that I can't tell if my dislike of them is warranted or simply a result of fatigue. The Listmakers must be huge ABBAs fans, as I haven't been able to escape them in my movie blog either. I half expect the 1001 book list to squeeze them in somehow. Thankfully, I hadn't heard a lot of the songs in this album so I was able to extract some novelty from this experience.
So far it hasn't seemed like any eighties band is intent on wowing us with their vocal talents. I miss hearing truly unique voices, like Nico or Joan Baez. The vocals on this whetted my appetite for the exceptional a little bit, but for the most part, there wasn't anything particular memorable about this album.
Hey, it could be worse. There are albums on this List that have made me want to abandon this project in its entirety. This was kind of forgettable, but not unpleasant.
RATING: 3/5
Moving Pictures
Rush
1981
Tracks
1. Tom Sawyer
2. Red Barchetta
3. YYZ
4. Limelight
5. Camera Eye
6. Witch Hunt
7. Vital Signs
Many moons ago I reviewed 2112, the first Rush album on the List. Thank goodness I have written records of my reactions to these albums, or I would never be able to remember anything. Happily, I was able to do a quick search and see that I labelled 2112 as unbearably pretentious. Yes, I am aware I use that word too much.
Anyway, I was expecting another excruciating cacophony of keyboard sound effects. However, this was actually a vast improvement. This is the last Rush album on the List, so I am not sure if this is just a fluke or if they actually deflated their heads and continued producing quality music.
Not particularly awe-inspiring but still, a decent album.
RATING: 4/5
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club
1981
Tracks
1. Wordy Rappinghood
2. Genius of Love
3. Tom Tom Theme
4. L'elephant
5. As Above So Below
6. Lorelei
7. On On On On
8. Booming and Zooming
I apologize for my long delay in posting. I have had so many writing assignments lately that I am feeling a tad burned out. Still, I am excited to reach the 500 milestone, so, like an unfaithful Irish Catholic husband, I will always return, no matter how long I have been gone.
I made the rather horrifying mistake of listening to the CD version, rather than the original release. This meant that I listened to "Lorelei" for approximately eleven minutes. Needless to say, it was pretty grueling but luckily I escaped with only minor brain damage.
Anyway, if I base my opinion off the original release, sans remixes, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. I wouldn't have recognized the name "Tom Tom Club" but a lot of the songs did sound quite familiar, which speaks to its influence as an album. Worth giving a try.
RATING: 3/5
