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

522. Back to Mystery City

Back to Mystery City
Hanoi Rocks
1983

Tracks
1. Strange Boys Play Weird Openings
2. Mental Beat
3. Until I Get You
4. Lick Summer Lover
5. Ice Cream Summer
6. Malibu Beach Nightmare
7. Tooting Bec Wreck
8. Sailing Down The Years
9. Beating Gets Faster
10. Back To Mystery City

As usual, I will begin my post by apologizing for the gaps in posting.  I have had some medical problems lately that have been weighing on my mind and unfortunately, Hanoi Rocks isn't the distraction I've needed.

I didn't know glam punk even existed.  Isn't the point of punk to be coarse and gritty? I always thought the lack of polish was the appeal.  Consequently, I thought this album fell flat.  Of course, my bar is pretty low after doing this blog for five years (sorry List) so it wasn't entirely unpleasant.  Still, I don't think this was worth listening to.

Up next: Cyndi Lauper.  A woman!  Quite unusual in these parts.

RATING: 3/5

521. Walk Across the Rooftops

Walk Across the Rooftops
The Blue Nile
1983

Tracks
1. Walk Across The Rooftops 
2. Tinseltown In The Rain 
3. From Rags To Riches 
4. Stay 
5. Easter Parade 
6. Heatwave 
7. Automobile Noise

I haven't given out a five star rating in a long time.  In fact, I think the last one went to the Jam in 1980 for Sound Affects. Wow, that actually bums me out.  Maybe I need to be less stingy.

In any case, this was brilliant.  The songs were hauntingly beautiful; without invoking Nico level sadness, they made me feel, man.  I guess the best way I can describe it is peaceful.  It wasn't unbearably morose or relentlessly cheerful and in that way, it felt..whole.

Anyway, here's hoping more five star albums are on the horizon.  Did I really not give Elvis Costello five stars??  I have problems.

RATING: 5/5

520. Swordfishtrombones

Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits
1983

Tracks
1. Underground 
2. Shore Leave 
3. Dave The Butcher 
4. Johnsburg, Illinois 
5. 16 Shells From A 30.6 
6. Town With No Cheer 
7. In The Neighbourhood 
8. Just Another Sucker On The Vine 
9. Frank's Wild Years 
10. Swordfishtrombone 
11. Down, Down, Down 
12. Soldier's Things 
13. Gin Soaked Boy 
14. Trouble Braids 
15. Rainbirds

Well that was a lot odder than I expected.  Many moons ago I reviewed Heart Attack and Vine and, understandably, fell in love with it.  By 1983, Waits had left Asylum for Island Records; perhaps the new label allowed him to do whatever he wanted for the first time.  This album is a lot more experimental than his previous work; I almost didn't recognize him.

I can't say I was 100% behind all of his creative decisions.  I wish he had stuck to more conventional instruments (even Waits can't make bagpipes work).  However, I did like how eclectic this album was, while still remaining strangely coherent.

RATING: 3/5

519. Soul Mining

Soul Mining
The The
1983

Tracks
1. I've Been Waiting for Tomorrow (All My Life)
2. This is the Day
3. The Sinking Feeling
4. Uncertain Smile
5. The Twilight Hour
6. Soul Mining
7. Giant
8. Perfect

Once again, I was greatly confused by which version to listen to, as this album has approximately a thousand rereleases (or you know...five).  I ended up choosing US 1983 version, which is fortunate, as "Perfect" was easily the best song on this album (and wasn't included in the UK release).

This album is somewhat dated, although in the best way possible.  I feel like it really captures the British spirit at the time (this is just a conjecture though; I wasn't there).  Overall, a great album and I hope The The is featured more on this List.  Sorry for making fun of your name earlier.
  
RATING: 4/5

518. Murmur

Murmur
R.E.M.
1983

Tracks
1. Radio Free Europe
2. Pilgrimage
3. Laughing 
4. Talk About the Passion
5. Moral Kiosk 
6. Perfect Circle
7. Catapult
8. Sitting Still 
9. 9-9 
10. Shaking Through 
11. We Walk 
12. West of the Fields

This is another album that's quality is slightly diluted over time; I am sure this would have sounded quite original at the time.  As is, the experience is rather generic now, although "Radio Free Europe" still stands out as a great song.

Of course, I am pretty sure the songwriters admitted that "Radio Free Europe," at least, was mostly babbling and wasn't intended to make any sense at all.  I tend to prize lyrical quality above all else, but I guess when you have a good enough beat it doesn't matter (I Am The Walrus, anyone?).

Next up: The The.  I am already wowed by this band's creativity.

RATING: 3/5