334. Burning Spear

Burning Spear
Marcus Garvey
1975

Tracks
1. Marcus Garvey
2. Slavery Days
3. Invasion
4. Live Good
5. Give Me
6. Old Marcus Garvey
7. Tradition
8. Jordan River
9. Red Gold And Green
10. Resting Place

Well, that wasn't very impressive.  Don't get me wrong, it was a decent reggae album.  But after listening to Bob Marley, this kind of feels like a poor imitation.  Even his name sounds like a rip off of Marvin Gaye.  I was distinctly reminded of the band The Monkees that just were never quite as good as the Beatles.

Of course, I am not that much of reggae fan so delving deeper into the genre isn't really my idea of a good time.  Still, it wasn't all bad.  The lyrics of "Slavery Days" are deeply moving while "Old Marcus Garvey" had a nice melody.  Still, lyric wise and talent wise, Garvey is no Marley.  It is probably a bit unfair to compare him to the best, but it was hard not to when the style was so similar.

Overall, it didn't blow me away but it wasn't a complete waste of time.

RATING: 2/5

333. Young Americans

Young Americans
David Bowie
1975

Tracks
1. Young Americans 
2. Win 
3. Fascination 
4. Right
5. Somebody Up There Likes Me 
6. Across The Universe 
7. Can You Hear Me 
8. Fame

If I hadn't known that this was a David Bowie album when I put it on, I might never had guessed it.  The androgynous glam god that I have gotten used to is completely absent in this album.  Instead, we get a very real performance that completely caught me off guard.

I knew I was going to like this album as soon as I saw the cover.  Glam is fun, but just having David Bowie looking into the camera instead of being in some ridiculous outfit was refreshing and I knew I was going to get something honest and real.

Still, once I listened to the lyrics I wasn't completely blown away.  "Fame" was a good track but no other song particularly stuck out for me.  I admire him for attempting soul music but that is all it really was for me: an attempt.  Nothing really spoke to me and none of the songs really stuck.

I might give this one another go in awhile but for now, I think it wasn't half bad but still disappointing.

RATING: 3/5

333!  One third of the way there!

332. Toys in the Attic

Toys in the Attic
Aerosmith
1975

Tracks
1. Toys In The Attic
2. Uncle Salty
3. Adam's Apple
4. Walk This Way
5. Big Ten Inch Record
6. Sweet Emotion
7. No More
8. Round And Round
9. You See Me Crying

I have been trouble getting to this blog; the time I am not working I have been dedicating to movies.  Sorry, album blog; you will never be my favorite child.  However, I was excited to get back to this project today; this was my very first Aerosmith album.

So we went from Keith Jarrett, who played beautiful piano sets, to this album and they could not be more different.  I am not saying one is better than the other, but one of the lyrics in this album is "suck on my ten inch".  So we have got a couple different approaches to music.

"Sweet Emotion" was a beautiful song, however, and "No More" is extremely catchy.  I am not looking down on this album: I actually think it was a lot of fun.  I think Aerosmith falls under the "guilty pleasure" column for a lot of people and after listening to this album, I am adding it to mine.

RATING: 5/5

331. The Koln Concert

The Koln Concert
1975
Keith Jarret

Tracks

1. Part I 
2. Part IIa 
3. Part IIb 
4. Part Iic

Between recovering from clavicle surgery and returning to work, I haven't had a lot of time to work on the album list.  However, I streamed this record a couple of days ago and I couldn't ask for a better welcome back album.  I have officially found a jazz album that I enjoy and one that I will insist on playing at my next dinner party (you know, if I am ever invited to a dinner party or, an even more laughable idea, if I have one).

Jarret plays the piano like no one I ever heard before.  It is not slow and sad or upbeat and quick.  It hovers somewhere in the middle, so instead of having an emotional reaction, I had more of a thoughtful one.  I am probably not doing a good job of explaining this, but this album made me feel mellow and pensive.  These are particular welcome feelings after brooding and not feeling good for two weeks after my surgery.

I would definitely recommend this album for anyone who thinks jazz is strictly for stuffy intellectuals (ahem..me).  I assure you: it is highly accessible and incredibly beautiful.

RATING: 5/5

330. Physical Graffiti

Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
1975

Tracks
1. Custard Pie
2. The Rover
3. In My Time Of Dying
4. Houses Of The Holy 
5. Trampled Underfoot 
6. Kashmir
7. In The Light
8. Bron-Yr-Aur 
9. Down By The Seaside
10. Ten Years Gone
11. Night Flight
12. Wanton Song
13. Boogie With Stu
14. Black Country Woman
15. Sick Again 

I am currently lying in bed and recovering from collarbone surgery.  Although it is quite painful, it will give me a chance to listen to some more albums and watch great movies.  So let's get cracking!

By now I am quite familiar with Led Zeppelin, having listening to at least five of their albums.  While I always enjoy the ride, Led has never made it on to my iPod, nor has there been a single song that has ever really jumped out at me.  This album was no exception.

My biggest complaint with this album was the sheer length of it.  Throughout the album, I felt like they were just trying to kill some time by adding in filler tracks.

It seems like I am bashing the album.  I really did like it; the songs were catchy and well done.  Still, no song stood out for me and the whole album was just way too long.  Possibly I am being hard on the album because I am cranky and in pain.  But it's my blog so I can do what I want.

RATING: 4/5

329. Neu! '75

Neu! '75
Neu
1975

Tracks
1. Isi
2. See Land
3. Leb' Wohl
4. Hero
5. E-Musik
6. After Eight

I am currently trying to write a short story.  I sat down to write today and I thought "maybe some great music will get the juices flowing."  Flash forward forty five minutes and I still haven't written a word.  However, the music was okay so I suppose this hasn't been a complete loss.

If I had stopped listening to the album halfway through, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.  The first half of the album had some great beats.  However, then we move into the second half, which not only has horrible vocals but just plain bad songs.  It sounded like they were half heartedly trying to create an album of soothing sounds to play when people are trying to meditate.

However, I hesitate to give this album a low rating because the first twenty minutes were fantastic, with "Isi" standing out.  Unfortunately, Neu just couldn't keep it up.  Oh well, maybe I will try to be inspired to write by a movie now.

RATING: 3/5

328. Go Girl Crazy!

Go Girl Crazy!
The Dictators
1975

Tracks
1. Next Big Thing 
2. I Got You Babe 
3. Back to Africa 
4. Master Race Rock 
5. Teengenerate
6. California Sun 
7. Two Tub Man 
8. Weekend 
9. (I Live for) Cars and Girls

I came to the sad realization awhile ago that sooner or later, I am going to have to face punk music.  Today, that distant dread became a reality.  And while the worst is yet to come, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with this album.

All right, so the band is made up entirely by douches.  I mean, the main singer's nickname is "Handsome Dick". And the album cover is..well…

While I am not that fond of Handsome Dick's voice (which seems to alternate between singing and talking), some of the songs were actually really catchy.  "Teengenerate" had a great instrumental beginning and everybody has heard "I Got You Babe."

I was expecting to be hit with both racism and sexism.  "Back to Africa" I imagined would make me cringe.  However, pretty much all they say is that they want to go to Africa, so it actually wasn't too bad.  As far as sexism goes, the songs are all pretty much about drinking and girls.  My, how man has evolved.

So I survived my first punk album (although I guess The New York Dolls could have been considered punk).  Not a bad album, though not especially intelligent (i.e. "what I want to do , I do/Who I want to screw, I screw").

RATING: 3/5