336. Pieces of the Sky

Pieces of the Sky
Emmylou Harris
1975

Tracks
1. Bluebird Wine 
2. Too Far Gone 
3. If I Could Only Win Your Love
4. Boulder To Birmingham 
5. Before Believing
6. Bottle Let Me Down 
7. Sleepless Nights 
8. Coat Of Many Colors 
9. For No One 
10. Queen Of The Silver Dollar

Well I am sick with some cold that seems designed to make me as unattractive as possible (we are talking Gollum voice and runny and raw nose).  Subsequently, I missed a fun family dinner and spent my Saturday night listening to this album and I have to say, there are worse ways to spend your time.

I loved Emmylou's voice; it was very unique and interesting.  My main problem with this album is the backing vocals, which seemed to be mostly comprised of men.  I would have preferred to just hear her voice; the backing vocals seemed to transform the ballads into songs that almost sounded like hymns.

I was pleased to see that the album contained a few love songs, my favorite being "Too Far Gone".  It was kind of refreshing to get such personal songs; I am used to songs about how much society sucks: we are in the seventies after all.

This is not necessarily my genre of choice but it was a good album that I would definitely recommend.

RATING: 4/5

Too Far Gone:

335. Born to Run

Born to Run
Bruce Springsteen
1975

Tracks
1. Thunder Road
2. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
3. Night
4. Backstreets
5. Born to Run
6. She's the One
7. Meeting Across the River
8. Jungleland

It seems like it has become somewhat of a tradition to start each post on this blog by apologizing for not updating more.  I have been trying a lot of new things lately (including skydiving and shooting guns) and I am afraid my album blog is paying the price for my new carpe diem lifestyle.

I learned two things today about Bruce Springsteen.  One, he is super attractive.  I had only ever seen pictures of him in his sixties.  I mean, look at this guy:

Ahem.  Anyway, I also learned that I love his music (although as I understand it, it got progressively worse so this may be a one time thing).

"She's The One" was by far my favorite song and one that will definitely make it to my iPod playlist.  Springsteen writes catchy songs but unlike bands like say, Aerosmith, his lyrics actually have some depth.

Lyrics today seem to either be about partying or how annoying it is to have paparazzi in your life.  Now, I am not saying I don't enjoy those songs, but Springsteen truly had a talent and it was a pleasure listening to him.

RATING: 5/5

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