524. Hearts and Bones

Hearts and Bones
Paul Simon
1983

Tracks
1. Allergies 
2. Hearts and Bones 
3. When Numbers Get Serious 
4. Think Too Much 
5. Song About the Moon 
6. Think Too Much 
7. Train in the Distance 
8. Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War
9. Cars Are Cars
10. Late Great Johnny Ace

What a mixed bag this was.  On the one hand, you have some decent songs like "Allergies" and "Hearts and Bones." And then you have songs like "Cars Are Cars" that make me doubt whether Simon should have dropped his other half.  Apparently, Garfunkel worked of the songs with Simon. My guess is he heard the Car song and decided to distance himself from the project.

It's a strange choice for the List, as I think this album is considered the lowest point of Simon's career.  I am convinced that the Listmakers periodically like to torture us with bad music so their other picks seem better.  That would explain so much.

RATING: 3/5

523. She's So Unusual

She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
1983

Tracks
1. Money Changes Everything
2. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
3. When You Were Mine
4. Time After Time
5. She Bop
6. All Through The Night
7. Witness
8. I'll Kiss You
9. He's So Unusual
10. Yeah Yeah

And now, for something completely different.  An album that people have actually heard of.

So most of the songs were familiar to the point of tired, but I didn't mind.  Anytime I hear "Time After Time" I think of Romy and Michele and what could be wrong with that?  It was interesting to hear this album; we tend to think of female pop as being defined by Madonna, but Lauper nails it before anyone else.  I probably could have done without "He's So Unusual" though.  That was just weird.

A great album that really holds up and I always appreciate female inclusion on the List.

RATING: 4/5