495. The Visitors

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

494. Moving Pictures

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

493. Tom Tom Club

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

492. The Poet

The Poet
Bobby Womack
1981

Tracks
1. So Many Sides Of You
2. Lay Your Lovin' On Me
3. Secrets
4. Just My Imagination
5. Stand Up
6. Games
7. If You Think You're Lonely Now
8. Where Do We Go From Here

I had big plans to get a lot done this weekend, but through a series of unavoidable circumstances, I was unable to do anything but watch Real Housewives of New York.  Now I am slightly panicked, but hey, panic is the mother of invention.

Anyway, let's quickly recap this album so I can get some other shit done and maybe prevent myself from having a meltdown (though I am not making any promises).  This album feels a bit dated.  In fact, if I wasn't blindly following the List like a robot and just stumbled upon Bobby Womack in my day to day life, I never would have guessed that this was from 1981.  Still, it made for a fun throwback and I quite enjoyed listening to his voice.  
If I based my ratings on originality, I would have to be rather harsh about this one.  Fortunately, I base my ratings on sheer enjoyability. 

RATING: 3/5

491. Mask

Mask
Bauhaus
1981

Tracks
1. Hair Of The Dog
2. Passions Of Lovers
3. Of Lilies And Remains
4. Hollow Hills
5. Dancin'
6. Kick In The Eye
7. Muscle In Plastic
8. In Fear Of Fear
9. Man With The X Ray Eyes
10. Mask

I should have known things were too normal around here to last.  I don't necessarily like to spurn the unusual (just look at the men I've dated) but I found this to be incredibly grating.  Small disclaimer: I may have stayed out a little too late and drank a little too much last night so my perception of what might be headache inducing is a bit skewed.

I was surprised by my negative reaction to this, as I have liked gothic rock in the past.  I suppose this was too experimental for my taste.  It stopped resembling music and started to seem like glorified sound effects.  Oh well, we have had good albums lately; there was bound to be a bump in the road.

Next up: Bobby Womack!

RATING: 2/5

490. Fire of Love

Fire of Love
The Gun Club
1981

Tracks
1. Sex Beat
2. Preaching the Blues
3. Promise Me
4. She's Like Heroin to Me
5. For the Love of Ivy
6. Fire Spirit 
7. Ghost on the Highway 
8. Jack on Fire 
9. Black Train 
10. Cool Drink of Water Blues 
11. Goodbye Johnny

It has been a stressful week.  Let's just say that the Douchebag of the Week award is anyone's game at the moment (and I thought Trump would have that thing locked down).  As everyone knows, the perfect solution to a long week is listening to a song called "Sex Beat."

So this album is pretty strange, as I don't think I have ever heard of the "punk blues" genre before.  The sheer novelty of the album kept me interested for its duration.  Still, would it hold up after repeated listenings?  I'm not sure.  None of the songs were particularly memorable.  

Overall, it's a creative twist on a somewhat tired genre.  Will we ever reach the 500 milestone?

RATING: 4/5

489. Dare!

Dare!
The Human League
1981

Tracks
1. Things That Dreams Are Made Of
2. Open Your Heart
3. Sound Of The Crowd
4. Darkness
5. Do Or Die 
6. Get Carter
7. I Am The Law
8. Seconds
9. Love Action (I Believe In Love)
10. Don't You Want Me

Hello everyone!  I just got back from a beach vacation!  I am not even going to apologize for my absence.  I think I have reached the point where my apologizes don't mean anything anymore.  I have officially taken on the role of the douchebag boyfriend.  Oh well, let's talk about Dare!

Everybody on Earth knows the song "Don't You Want Me."  That is a damn good song; it is catchy as hell and even carries a message of female empowerment (oh Human League, you do know the way to my heart).  I was worried the rest of the album would just be generic 80s pop music, but I was pleasantly surprised (I particularly enjoyed "I Am The Law").

It was nice to get a break from some of the more serious music and listen to some quintessential 80s tunes.  Recommended.

RATING: 5/5

488. Talk, Talk, Talk

Talk, Talk, Talk
Psychedelic Furs
1981

Tracks
1. Dumb Waiters
2. Pretty In Pink
3. I Wanna Sleep With You
4. No Tears
5. Mr. Jones
6. Into You Like A Train
7. It Goes On
8. So Run Down
9. All Of This And Nothing
10. She Is Mine

I hang my head in shame for not keeping my promise of daily posts.  I just moved so I have been pretty busy.  But I guess it is a poor workman who blames his tools.  Or in this case a poor blogger who blames her heavy picture frames that she isn't tall enough to hang up herself.

The quickest way to my heart is through my love of movies and cheese, so, in my opinion, no song tops "Pretty in Pink."  I found the rest of the songs entertaining too, although the the song "I Wanna Sleep With You" seems like the anthem of douchey single men everywhere.  

Anyway, I am quite excited for the next album, so I will try to get back on here asap.

RATING: 3/5

487. Wild Gift

Wild Gift
X
1981

Tracks
1. Once Over Twice 
2. We're Desperate 
3. Adult Books 
4. Universal Corner 
5. I'm Coming Over 
6. It's Who You Know 
7. In This House That I Call Home 
8. Some Other Time 
9. White Girl 
10. Beyond And Back 
11. Back 2 The Base 
12. When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch
13. Year 1

I waited quite a long time in between listening to this album and sitting down to write the review.  To tell you the truth, all of these punk albums are sort of blending together anyway. I would have never guessed that this would be the most represented genre on the List.

To be fair,  I guess this isn't pure punk.  It seems a lot more light hearted than the usual punk album and at times seemed more similar to a B-52 album than a Sex Pistols one.  This made for pretty fun listening, although I can't honestly say that anything in particular stuck out to me.

So a short review for a somewhat forgettable album.  But I promise tomorrow I will Talk, Talk, Talk (I apologize for the pun; I am quite tired).

RATING: 3/5

486. Damaged

Damaged
Black Flag
1981

Tracks
1. Rise Above 
2. Spray Paint 
3. Six Pack 
4. What I See 
5. TV Party 
6. Thirsty And Miserable 
7. Police Story 
8. Gimme Gimme Gimme 
9. Depression 
10. Room 13 
11. Damaged II 
12. No Moe 
13. Padded Cell 
14. Life Of Pain 
15. Damaged I

Once again, we get another punk album after I thought the genre was good and dead.  I should know by now that it will be endlessly resurrected, probably by some ritual involving the knife used to kill Nancy Spungen and urine filled balloons.  Anyway, this was same old, same old as far as I could tell.

The blandest topics available to punk musicians are explored here: misery, angst, beer, etc.   I've stopped reading every entry in the Book, but I am really curious to see what about this album convinced the Listmakers to include it.

Sorry for the short review, but really, I think we have covered the punk genre pretty well by now.  It's a genre that lends itself to mediocrity, so only one in one hundred punk albums are worth listening to anyway.

RATING: 2/5

485. My Life in The Bush of Ghosts

My Life in The Bush of Ghosts
Brian Eno and David Byrne
1981

Tracks
1. America Is Waiting 
2. Mea Culpa 
3. Regiment 
4. Help Me Somebody 
5. Jezebel Spirit 
6. Very Very Hungry 
7. Moonlight In Glory 
8. Carrier 
9. Secret Life 
10. Come With Us 
11. Mountain Of Needles 

I have been accused of using the word pretentious in a lazy manner, but really, is there any other word for this?  I mean, the title alone elicited a groan and an eye roll for me.  I am going to really screw up my neck one of these days.  In any case, through the haze of self indulgence and pretension, I managed to catch glimpses of some talent, but ultimately it wasn't worth it.

It is hard for me to discern one track from another, but parts of the album actually did resemble my definition of music.  Well, I suppose if that is the nicest thing I can think of to say, the album wasn't that good, was it?  Still, I am sure it will lauded as a masterpiece by people who enjoy Eno's unique...um, sound effects.

Anyway, this genre is definitely not for me, and I look forward to at least having lyrics in the next album.

RATING: 2/5

484. Architecture and Morality

Architecture and Morality

OMD

1981

Tracks

1. New Stone Age 
2. She's Leaving 
3. Souvenir 
4. Sealand 
5. Joan Of Arc 
6. Joan Of Arc (Maid Of Orleans) 
7. Architecture And Morality 
8. Georgia 
9. Beginning And The End

Well I suppose the synth pop movement is in full swing.  It's certainly not the most alarming genre we have dealt with here, although I don't know if listening to synth pop everyday will do wonders for my mood.  Still, for the time being I am enjoying the trend.

Some of these songs were quite fun, others seemed like poor imitations of Brian Eno's most pretentious works.  I think it would have been a fine album if OMD had taken themselves a little less seriously, as there was obviously a lot of talent behind this.  Still, I guess if an album is titled "Architecture and Morality," it can't be expected to be free of ostentation.

Speaking of Eno, he is coming up again tomorrow, so hold onto your butts.

RATING: 3/5

483. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Soft Cell
1981

Tracks
1. Frustration 
2. Tainted Love
3. Seedy Films 
4. Youth 
5. Sex Dwarf 
6. Entertain Me 
7. Chips on My Shoulder 
8. Bedsitter 
9. Secret Life 
10. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

Happy belated Independence Day!  I celebrated by eating way too much candy and popcorn at the movies.  My sister and I went to see The Shallows.  It was just as mediocre as I imagined it would be, but it was better alternative than listening to loud explosions in the sweltering heat.  In any case, I am doubling up on albums today, as I missed yesterday's post.

Well, that certainly wasn't what I expected (how often do I say that?  I should just stop making music related predictions).  I thoroughly enjoyed this, proving once again that you shouldn't judge an album by its slightly intimidating title.  I even listened to all the bonus tracks, and was particularly pleased that the band did a cover of "Where Did Our Love Go." I haven't been too impressed with the vocals lately, but I found Marc Almond's voice to be oddly soothing.  Anyone who writes a song like "Sex Dwarf" probably doesn't want to be referred to as "soothing," but I can't help it.

Anyway, definitely worth listening to.  At the very least, check out "Tainted Love."

RATING: 4/5

482. No Sleep 'til Hammersmith

No Sleep 'til Hammersmith
Motorhead
1981

Tracks
1. Ace Of Spades
2. Stay Clean
3. Metropolis
4. Hammer
5. Iron Horse
6. No Class
7. Overkill
8. We Are The Road Crew
9. Capricorn
10. Bomber
11. Motorhead

I decided to write about this one bright and early, so I wouldn't end up forgetting.  Nothing like some heavy metal on a Sunday morning.  I felt as though I had heard this album before, but I have now come to the conclusion that if you have heard one Motorhead song you have heard them all.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as they is obviously a lot of talent behind the instruments.  Still, it does get a tad repetitive at times.  I have probably said this roughly one hundred times before, but I am not a fan of live albums.  I really don't want to capture the energy of the crowd.  I want to get away from the energy of the crowd, that's why I am listening to music at home.  I especially want to get away from heavy metal fans.  I have a feeling we wouldn't have a lot in common (for example, I had to turn off The Birds last night because I got too scared).

In any case, I am not particularly fond of this genre, but if I had to choose a favorite heavy metal band, this would probably be it.

RATING: 3/5

481. Beauty and the Beat

Beauty and the Beat
The Go-Gos
1981

Tracks
1. Our Lips Are Sealed 
2. How Much More 
3. Tonight 
4. Lust To Love 
5. This Town 
6. We Got The Beat 
7. Fading Fast 
8. Automatic 
9. You Can't Walk In Your Sleep 
10. Skidmarks On My Heart
11. Can't Stop The World

I have made a fantastic start on my "listen to an album a day" resolution by skipping the past four days.  I just had a hard time bringing myself to listen to an album titled "Beauty and the Beat" especially when I knew that it contained the song "We Got The Beat" (is it playing it your head now?  I apologize).  But I must soldier on, and this actually wasn't quite as cringeworthy as the title suggests.

So yes, some of the songs have been overplayed, most notably "We Got The Beat" (sorry again).  I am not sure it would have annoyed me so much if I hadn't hurt it roughly a hundred times before.  But I shouldn't fault the band for their own popularity.  Some of the other tracks were actually quite good, and had an edge that I didn't expect.  I also appreciated hearing a female group, as most of this List is a total sausage fest.

The next album on the List thankfully isn't a pun, so I will probably get back here tomorrow.

RATING: 3/5

480. Penthouse and Pavement

Penthouse and Pavement
Heaven 17
1981

Tracks
1. We Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thing 
2. Penthouse And Pavement 
3. Play To Win 
4. Soul Warfare 
5. Geisha Boys And Temple Girls 
6. Let's All Make A Bomb 
7. Height Of The Fighting 
8. Song With No Name 
9. We're Going To Live For A Very Long Time

I have officially finished the 1001 movie list.  I think my rapid pace threw a lot of people off, but hey, that's what happens when you are recovering from my surgery.  At least, in my world.  Anyway, while I am still going to be updating my film blog with entries from other editions, my main focus will now be my music blog.  I am hoping to start updating this blog daily.  I am almost at the halfway mark, after all (I am becoming a milestone junkie).

I cringed when this album first started.  It was loud, in your face, and very jarring.  That might be appealing to some people, but to an old geezer like me, is rather off-putting.  However, I warmed up to this considerably.  I was even singing along to "We're Going To Live For A Very Long Time" (it's not hard to learn the words to that one).  I am not saying it was incredible.  In fact, it's probably one of those albums that is only on the List because of its influence and not its timelessness.  Still, I have certainly endured worst from this List.

Anyway, hopefully my declaration above will keep me coming back daily, for fear of public humiliation from going back on my word.  Come to think of it, though, public humiliation has never stopped me before...

RATING: 3/5

479. Juju

Juju
Siouxsie and the Banshees
1981

Tracks
1. Spellbound
2. Into The Light
3. Arabian Knights
4. Halloween
5. Monitor
6. Night Shift
7. Sin In My Heart
8. Head Cut
9. Voodoo Dolly

It was many moons ago that I reviewed Scream, which was Siouxsie and the Banshees' first album on The List.  By "many moons ago" I mean February, but hey, it is hard enough trying to remember albums from the week before, let alone from several months earlier.  I revisited the archives and saw that I had given it a 3 star rating.  I might have been too harsh, because this was some of the best music I have heard in awhile.

This is still dark, but it almost feels like the band isn't taking itself as seriously as anymore.  I know those two statements seem antithetical, but what I mean is they seem more interested in making enjoyable music (that still has a distinct element of gloom) than in creating experimental sounds.

Okay, I may not making a lot of sense as I am seriously burned out from writing my movie blog (hoping to finish that 1001 project tomorrow).  A definite thumbs up, which I desperately needed after Kollaps.

RATING: 4/5

478. Kollaps

Kollaps
Einsturzende Neubauten
1981

Tracks
1. Tanz Debil
2. Steh auf Berlin
3. Negativ Nein
4. U-Haft Muza
5. Draussen Ist Feindlich
6. Hören Mit Schmerzen
7. Jet 'M
8. Kollaps
9. Sehnsucht
10. Vorm Krieg
11. Hirnsäge
12. Abstieg and Zerfall
13. Helga

Well, that was...well that just wasn't music, was it?  Music has notes.  This was noise and sound effects.  I am sure everyone has a slightly different definition of what constitutes music, but you have to draw the line somewhere.  Some of these "songs" sounded like the "musicians" were simply banging pots and pans together (did that sentence have enough sarcastic air quotes?).  And we all eat it up, naturally.

Anyway, I am not trying to make you feel bad if you enjoy this.  I just can't fathom why you would or how any of these sounds could be remotely pleasing to the ear.  Maybe that's the point.  Maybe the anger behind this album shouldn't be dressed up in pretty rhymes and melodies.  Maybe of the point of any music is to communicate an emotion and should feel raw.  

All right, I gave it a shot.  I still think that creating something like this is easy.  Creating something beautiful on the other hand...that's the tricky part.

RATING: 1/5

In case you guys haven't noticed I hate industrial music.