More Specials
Specials
1980
Tracks
1. Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)
2. Man At C & A
3. Hey Little Rich Girl
4. Do Nothing
5. Pearl's Cafe
6. Sock It To 'Em JB
7. Stereotype/Stereotypes Pt 2
8. Holiday Fortnight
9. I Can't Stand It
10. International Jet Set
11. Enjoy Yourself (Reprise)
475! That's kind of a milestone right? You know you are making significant progress on a project when you start celebrating odd numbers. Anyway, we are continuing our streak of decent (but not outstanding albums) with More Specials.
Lyrically, this album wasn't as impressive as their debut. I suppose I should applause them for "pushing boundaries" (i.e. naming random James Bond movies and playing sounds of a plane crash) but really, I was hoping they would be a tad more conventional in their style. I think they are talented enough musicians that they don't necessarily need gimmicky songs to flesh out their album. To that end, I enjoyed the songs "Hey Little Rich Girl" and "I Can't Stand It."
Hoping for something brilliant to come along but I guess I should be thankful for the general lack of suckiness lately.
RATING: 4/5
Kilimanjaro
The Teardrop Explodes
1980
Tracks
1. Ha Ha I'm Drowning
2. Sleeping Gas
3. Treason
4. Second Head
5. Poppies In The Field
6. Went Crazy
7. Brave Boys Keep Their Promises
8. Bouncing Babies
9. Books
10. The Thief Of Baghdad
11. When I Dream
I had never heard of the Teardrop Explodes before today. It's not entirely shocking, as I don't believe they are truly musical geniuses or anything. Still, it was enjoyable album and after all the shit this List has put me through, decent is good enough.
Lyrically, this album is quite impressive. I was blown away by how sweet the songs were; just a quite glance at the track listing made me think this was going to be intense. However, it was surprisingly tender. It actually had me searching to see how good-looking the members of this band were and if any of them are still single. It's a negative to both those questions if anyone is interested.
Anyway, definitely an improvement from yesterday and worth checking out.
RATING: 4/5
Signing Off
UB40
1980
Tracks
1. Tyler
2. King
3. Twelve Bar
4. Burden Of Shame
5. Adella
6. I Think It's Going To Rain Again
7. 25%
8. Food For Thought
9. Little By Little
10. Signing Off
11. Madame Medusa
12. Strange Fruit
13. Reefer Madness
I am not sure there is anyone who actually likes reggae and if there is I am not sure I want to meet them. I suppose this inclusion on the List has some merit, as the album probably has some notable influence. Still, doesn't mean that I have to enjoy it.
I even felt a little creepy listening to this one, as though it was something that a sleazy guy would put on in hopes of tempting a woman to have sex with him. I had it on in the background while I wrote, and it wasn't quite as grating as I expected it to be. I guess that's a positive although if the nicest thing I can say about an album is that it wasn't quite as obnoxious as I imagined, it's not that great of music.
So a rather steep dip in quality from Tom Waits the other day. Hopefully, The Teardrop Explodes has more to offer.
RATING: 2/5
Heartattack and Vine
Tom Waits
1980
Tracks
1. Heartattack And Vine
2. In Shades
3. Saving All My Love For You
4. Downtown
5. Jersey Girl
6. 'Til The Money Runs Out
7. On The Nickel
8. Mr. Siegal
9. Ruby's Arms
Wow has it really been nearly a month since I posted? I apologize. My 1001 movie blog is nearly finished and I have been spending most of my free writing time working on that. That should be done within a few weeks or so. Afterward, I will still contribute to my film blog but the album project will become my favorite child. Until that day, let's sneak in some Tom Waits whenever we can.
I'm not sure I understood love at all before I listened to "Saving All My Love for You." Maybe I will have figured it out by the next Tom Waits album. I adore his voice; he would make every song sound powerful even if the lyrics were nonsensical. Thankfully, the lyrics are brilliant here. "Ruby's Arms" almost brought me to tears.
So a perfect album and warm welcome back after a nearly month long break.
RATING: 4/5
Sound Affects
The Jam
1980
Tracks
1. Pretty Green
2. Monday
3. But I'm Different Now
4. Set The House Ablaze
5. Start
6. That's Entertainment
7. Dreamtime
8. Man in the Corner Shop
9. Music for the Last Couple
10. Boy About Town
11. Scrape Away
This album felt like a throwback and I loved every minute of it. Uh oh. I am lamenting that music isn't as good as it was "back in the old days." I'm apparently one of those people now.
It is hard not to like this album, as it is catchy as hell. "That's Entertainment" is probably the best known track from this album and rightfully so, as it is by far the highlight of the album. That's not to say the other tracks are bad, but none stand out so clearly. "Monday" also impressed me lyrically and it was actually quite sweet. I'm glad we are done with punk and I can start referring to things as sweet again.
So an easy five stars and hopefully an indication of Brit pop to come.
RATING: 5/5
Hypnotised
The Undertones
1980
Tracks
1. More Songs About Chocolate And Girls
2. There Goes Norman
3. Hypnotised
4. See That Girl
5. Whizz Kids
6. Under The Boardwalk
7. Way Girls Talk
8. Hard Luck
9. My Perfect Cousin
10. Boys Will Be Boys
11. Tearproof
12. Wednesday Week
13. Nine Times Out Of Ten
14. Girls That Don't Talk
15. What's With Terry
I'm really loving the Undertones and I hope this isn't the last we see of them. Once again, we get an album with great hooks, great melodies, and great cover art. Well, the first two things were true at least.
Yeah, so I loved this album. Maybe this isn't the deepest, most progressive album on the list but it is still a lot of fun. Lyrically, it is not overly impressive. I am not even sure what half of the songs mean, but I don't get the feeling anything was going over my head (although I am so short I probably wouldn't even notice). I know I usually say I need intelligent lyrics to enjoy an album, but I still ended up liking this. All of the albums have been rather dark lately; it was fun to cut loose.
Next up: The Jam!
RATING: 4/5
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
1980
Tracks
1. Prowler
2. Sanctuary
3. Remember Tomorrow
4. Running Free
5. Phantom Of The Opera
6. Transylvania
7. Strange World
8. Charlotte The Harlot
9. Iron Maiden
I was convinced that Iron Maiden and Iron Butterfly were the same band, which is probably a musical sin that some believe should be punishable by death. I found that I much prefer Iron Maiden on all counts, except maybe when it comes to cover art.
I have always thought that heavy metal was fun, but didn't come with much substance. I am pleased to report that a more thoughtful heavy metal does, in fact, exist. "Remember Tomorrow" was particularly poetic. Of course, the machoism returned with songs like "Iron Maiden" but I did enjoy the brief respites from the testosterone outpourings.
Far more melodic than I would believed from seeing the cover art. Tomorrow: more Undertones!
RATING: 4/5
