377. The Clash

The Clash
The Clash
1977

Tracks
1. Janie Jones 
2. Remote Control
3. I'm So Bored With The USA 
4. White Riot
5. Hate And War
6. What's My Name 
7. Deny 
8. London's Burning 
9. Career Opportunities 
10. Cheat 
11. Protex Blue 
12. Police And Thieves 
13. 48 Hours
14. Garage Land

I expected a lot of these songs to sound familiar, since The Clash is such a well known band.  However, I only recognized "White Riot".  It was an exciting moment, since for the first time I could actually understand what they said: white riot!  I wanna riot.  White riot! Something...something...you get the point.

I have really been enjoying our punk kick lately.  It is always fun to have punk music blaring while you do manual labor (which for me means taking out the trash).  Still, this album was a bit more special to me than the usual punk music.  Maybe it is because this album actually thoughtful content and was more than just catchy screaming.  I would recommend listening to "Police and Thieves" if you want to listen to a song with meaning.  Definitely worth its place on The List.

RATING: 4/5

376. Rattus Norvegicus

Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
1977

Tracks
1. Sometimes
2. Goodbye Toulouse 
3. London Lady 
4. Princess Of The Streets 
5. Hangin' Around
6. Peaches 
7. Get A Grip (On Yourself) 
8. Ugly 
9. Down In The Sewer

The first line of this album is "someday I am going to smack your face" and actually succeeded in making me do one of those overdone sitcom surprised faces.  The album only got better from there which leads me to believe that this is one of the most underrated bands of all time.

Pre album blog Amanda believed that punk bands were just a bunch of screaming idiots with make up (now I know that those are actually just middle school girls).  However, this album was pretty brilliant.  "Peaches" was one of the catchiest songs I have heard in awhile.  I mean, how can you not like a song that has the lyrics "I can think of a lot worse places to be, like down in the streets, or down in a sewer, or even on the end of a skewer"? Actually, don't answer that.  That sounds pretty easy to hate.

Overall, one of the best punk albums I have ever heard and it definitely deserves its place on The List.

RATING: 4/5

375. Hard Again

Hard Again
Muddy Waters
1977

Tracks
1. Mannish Boy 
2. Bus Driver 
3. I Want to Be Loved 
4. Jealous Hearted Man 
5. I Can't Be Satisfied 
6. Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock & Roll 
7. Deep Down in Florida 
8. Crosseyed Cat 
9. Little Girl

Once again, we come across the original cliche.  All right, maybe I don't have the musical history knowledge to make this claim, but this album is a pretty early example of the whole "nah nah nah nah nah" craze.  Is it not clear what I am talking about?  How about an example from television:

That's the best example I could find since I don't want to torture anyone with a Full House reference.  Haven't we suffered enough on this blog (see BeeGees and bongo bands)?

The problem with revisiting early music is that by the time you listen to it, you have heard it done so many times that it can just be extremely dull to sit through.  However, I was pleasantly surprised with this album.  It wasn't particularly exciting, but it was pure gritty blues and a fun listen.

RATING: 4/5

374. Heavy Weather

Heavy Weather
Weather Report
1977

Tracks
1. Birdland
2. Remark You Made
3. Teen Town
4. Harlequin
5. Rumba Mama
6. Palladium
7. Juggler
8. Havona

Getting back here to write has not exactly been easy and when you have an album like this, it makes everything harder.  This is a jazz fusion album.  Should we all just puke now or wait until I am done with the review?

I expected a bit of a pretentious mess when I first played this album.  At least that would have been halfway interesting.  This was just an incredibly dull that would have had me pushing on the door open button in the elevator, if I was listening to the song in its presumably natural habitat.

Just plain boring and I have no idea why this would be in The Book.  Thankfully, I can bash it quite hard, since no one has heard of it.  Hear that Weather Report?  You are completely alone....too much?

RATING: 1/5

373. Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue
Electric Blue Orchestra
1977

Tracks
1. Turn To Stone
2. It's Over
3. Sweet Talkin' Woman
4. Across The Border
5. Night In The City
6. Starlight
7. Jungle
8. Believe Me Now
9. Steppin' Out
10. Standin' In The Rain (Concerto For A Rainy Day)
11. Big Wheels
12. Summer And Lightning
13. Mr. Blue Sky
14. Sweet Is The Night
15. Whale
16. Birmingham Blues 
17. Wild West Hero

This post probably came from out of the blue, since I haven't written in awhile.  I would promise to not make awful puns anymore, but unfortunately, it happens often and when you least expect it.  Stay alert and travel in pairs, people.

When I hear the word "orchestra" I think of symphonies and old men glaring at me because I clapped before the set was over (which is just wishful thinking to the point of idiocy).  However, to my great relief, it was pretty much a typical progressive rock album.  Actually, some of the tracks didn't even sound that progressive; they felt like they could be unpopular Beach Boys songs.

The whole thing was rather unremarkable.  And what is with the cover art?  With art like that, there should have been some cheesy space sound effects. I mean, I would have complained about that too but at least there wouldn't be consistency issues.

Easily skippable.  I promise I will try to write more than once in a blue moon.  That was the last one, I swear.

RATING: 3/5

372. Exodus

Exodus
Bob Marley and the Wailers
1977

Tracks
1. Natural Mystic 
2. So Much Things To Say
3. Guiltiness 
4. Heathen 
5. Exodus 
6. Jammin' 
7. Waiting In Vain 
8. Turn Your Lights Down Low 
9. Three Little Birds 
10. One Love/People Get Ready

I am devoting this entire day to my blogs, since I have been far behind on all of them.  This project usually ends up being the neglected middle child in my blog family since it has the least amount of readers, but this time I am writing this review before I work on my movie blog.  The scrap of attention that I am throwing it will ensure years of therapy as it tries to work out if I may have loved it after all.

Most of these songs are recognizable, particularly "Three Little Birds".  The most beautiful song on this album was by far "One Love/People Get Ready".  I was really blown away by the vocals, which is something I really don't expect with a Marley album.

This is such an improvement from previous Marley albums and I am trying to figure out why.  The political messages are still there, but I felt like they flowed a lot better with the melodies.  It really felt like art; not propaganda.

An absolutely beautiful, must-hear album.

RATING: 4/5

One Love/People Get Ready:

371. The Stranger

The Stranger
Billy Joel
1977

Tracks
1. Moving Out
2. Just The Way You Are
3. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
4. Vienna
5. Stranger
6. Only The Good Die Young
7. She's Always A Woman
8. Get It Right The First Time
9. Everybody Has A Dream

I expected to absolutely love this album because who doesn't love Billy Joel?  I dare anyone to hear "Only the Good Die Young" on the radio and not sing along.  It will like the Ice Bucket challenge but more interesting to watch.  However, with the exception of "Moving Out", I got a pretty sexist vibe from this album without the benefit of any good beats.

Younger people will probably immediately think of Bruno Mars when they hear the song title "Just the Way You Are".  For the unaware, Mars' song describes how beautiful his girlfriend is, even though she doesn't always think so.  Joel's song, though, has a slightly less touching vibe.  Here are some of the lyrics:

I don't want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are.

Is he calling her stupid?  Or I am being sensitive?  Will his next song be about how women are really sensitive?  He is still doing music, right?

"Only the Good Die Young" is such a fun song that it makes up for the rest of the album being blah.  Almost.

RATING: 3/5