353. Boston

Boston
Boston
1976

Tracks
1. More Than A Feeling
2. Peace Of Mind
3. Foreplay (Long Time)
4. Rock 'n' Roll Band
5. Smokin'
6. Hitch A Ride
7. Something About You
8. Let Me Take You Home Tonight

I immediately fell in love with this album as soon as the music started.  I went right to Google to find more music like this and discovered that this album is either considered a guilty pleasure or complete crap.  Why does this always happen?  So I guess if you want to be a sophisticated music fan, say you like the opposite of whatever love.  But if you want to actually have some fun, stick with mine shitty tastes!

Apparently, "More Than A Feeling" is the major hit off this album and is even on Guitar Hero.  I actually thought that every song was just as catchy as that one.  Granted, I didn't pay too much attention to the lyrics but the music is so fun that it doesn't really matter.

Sorry for the short review but I have to write a speech and am entering meltdown territory.  So a great album, like Queen without the pretentiousness.

RATING: 5/5

More Than A Feeling:

352. Hejira

Hejira
Joni Mitchell
1976

Tracks
1. Coyote
2. Amelia
3. Furry Sings The Blues
4. Strange Boy
5. Hejira
6. Song For Sharon
7. Black Crow
8. Blue Motel Room
9. Refuge Of The Roads

I am a huge fan of Joni Mitchell and was quite excited to listen to this album, which is comprised completely of songs I had never heard of.  But Joni, Joni, Joni...this was not as good as it could have been.

I read some comments that people had posted on YouTube under these songs.  One person said that every line of "Song For Sharon" explored the journey of being a woman.  Hmmmm...I don't know about that.  I am a woman and I have never played bingo in Staten Island.  I suppose I could relate to her complaining about the pressure of having children but other than that the lyrics were a miss for me.

Joni's writing style always seemed like more of a train of thought that actual lyrics.  While this is frequently charming, I felt like she missed her mark this time around.  The songs also seemed to all have identical melodies (although I thoroughly enjoyed "Blue Motel Room") and I felt myself wanting her to take more risks.

Of course, it is Joni so the singing is beautiful and it is easy to listen to.  Still, she has set the bar high before and I was disappointed.

RATING: 3/5

"Blue Motel Room":

351. Station to Station

Station to Station
David Bowie
1976

Tracks
1. Station To Station 
2. Golden Years 
3. Word On A Wing 
4. TVC 15 
5. Stay 
6. Wild Is The Wind

Apparently, David Bowie could not remember making this album after it was done since he was so high on cocaine.  He would have to be a musical genius to pull off a masterpiece in that state.  Unfortunately, I don't feel that way about old Bowie.

I am not saying this album is bad, but it is certainly not as good as what you would expect from such a legend.  Lyrically, the album has its high points.  For example:

Wonder who wonder who
wonder when
Have you sought fortune evasive and shy?
Drink to the men who protect you and I
Drink drink drain your glass
raise your glass high

However, instrumentally there is nothing very original here and no song stuck in my head for long.  Wikipedia lists the album as soulful but to me, it almost sounded mechanical.

Sorry for the rather sucky review but I have a ton of work to do before my Golden Globes party tonight (aka being in my pajamas on the couch with tons of sweets).

RATING: 2/5

350. The Modern Lovers

The Modern Lovers
The Modern Lovers
1976

Tracks
1. Roadrunner
2. Astral Plane
3. Old World
4. Pablo Picasso
5. I'm Straight
6. Dignified and Old
7. She Cracked
8. Hospital
9. Someone I Care About
10. Girl Friend
11. Modern World
12. Government Center

Happy New Year everyone!  This year's goal is to get to 500 by the end of the year.  We will see how we do.  In the meantime, happy 350th!  I get extremely excited about minor milestones, don't mind me.

This is a strange album, in that it sounds like something that could either have come out in 1966 or, excluding a few of the tracks, 2005.  Actually, this album was created in 1973 but wasn't released until 1976.  On a side note, the trick to be a good writer is to include as many dates as you can into a couple sentence to confuse everyone.

Here a sample stanza from the song Pablo Picasso:

Well some people try to pick up girls

And get called assholes

This never happened to Pablo Picasso

He could walk down your street

And girls could not resist his stare and

So Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole

Um, what?  Is this a common belief that no one thought Picasso was an asshole?  I highly doubt it since most artists are.  It is just so completely random that it baffles me.  And have you ever seen Picasso?  I am pretty sure women could resist him.

All right, so maybe I don't really get the lyrics.  It was still a fun album, with catchy songs.  The lead singer reminded me of Roger Daltry. So another discovery from The List that I never would have heard of otherwise.

RATING: 4/5

Available on YouTube:

349. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
1976

Tracks
1. Rockin' Around With You
2. Breakdown 
3. Hometown Blues
4. The Wild One 
5. Forever 
6. Anything That's Rock 'N' Roll 
7. Strangered In The Night 
8. Fooled Again (I Don't Like It) 
9. Mystery Man 
10. Luna
11. American Girl

I listened to the song "American Girl" a lot when I was younger.  Then I saw the movie Silence of The Lambs and came to the conclusion that if I ever heard that song again, I would be murdered shortly afterward.  If you don't believe me see for yourself:

This is just like when Stanley Kubrick ruined "Singin' In The Rain" for me.

Anyway, Tom Petty introduces us to 1976 with a well known album that apparently is classified as heartland rock, which means rock and roll that is aiming at a blue collar audience and trying to convey a message.  See, you learn things from reading my blog.

Petty was good at coming up with catchy songs, but his voice became a little grating after awhile, particularly in "Fooled Again" when the singing transitioned into screaming.  He also doesn't seem to be very photogenic, although I guess I can't blame the album for that. In fact, his photo on the album looks like my middle school photos.  I think we had the same haircut.

Anyway, it was a fun album and it was refreshing to get something that wasn't so pretentious.

RATING: 4/5

348. There's No Place Like America Today

There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
1975

Tracks
1. Billy Jack
2. When Seasons Change
3. So In Love
4. Jesus
5. Blue Monday People
6. Hard Times
7. Love To The People

Continuing with the funk trend we have had lately, here we have a Curtis Mayfield album.  For those of you that don't know who Curtis is, he did the Superfly soundtrack.  Anyone remember that movie?  Or are we all just trying to forget that genre in general?  I would be fine with either answer.

Funk isn't my favorite genre to begin with, but there was something about Mayfield's album that I just didn't like.  I felt like he was trying to be Marvin Gaye but falling seriously short, both lyrically and musically.

I am probably being too harsh with Curtis Mayfield but I think I am getting sick of the never ending funk especially when there seems to be no variation.

RATING: 2/5

347. That's The Way Of The World

That's The Way of The World
Earth, Wind, and Fire
1975

Tracks
1. Shining Star
2. That's The Way Of The World
3. Happy Feelin'
4. All About Love
5. Yearnin' Learnin'
6. Reasons
7. Africano
8. See The Light

I really hoped to do a bunch of albums during the holidays but I had so much work to do that it just did not happen.  Also, I was around my family a lot and I didn't want to subject them to potentially terrible music (it really is a dice roll every time I try a new one).  Oh well. We will try again with the Christmas holidays.

I had heard of this band before but couldn't tell you anything about it except maybe "didn't they mention it in the movie Hitch?".  However, I did recognize a few of the songs (I think everyone has heard "Shining Star") and was really pleased with the ones I didn't know.

This is simply a fun funk album, which I can see dancing to (or flailing around to in my case).  Of course, there is not much lyrical depth but I wasn't really looking for any.  We get some great saxophone solos, as well.

So it gets kind of old fast but it was still a fun pick.

RATING: 3/5

You, my reader, are a shining star!  Ugh, don't hate me too much for that one: