My Aim Is True
Elvis Costello
1977
Tracks
1. Welcome to the Working Week
2. Miracle Man
3. No Dancing
4. Blame It on Cain
5. Alison
6. Sneaky Feelings
7. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
8. Less Than Zero
9. Mystery Dance
10. Pay It Back
11. I'm Not Angry
12. Waiting for the End of the World
If this is what punk is, I have been seriously misguided before. This was one of the best albums I have ever listened to. This is embarrassing, but at one point I had to just get up and dance. I stopped rather quickly. For one thing, I am a terrible dancer. For another, it felt like I was trying to prove to myself that I was a free spirit. The point is, every album on the List should make me embarrass myself like that.
I had only ever heard "The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes" before. This is a great track, but I actually have completely fallen in love with the ballad "Alison." Of course, there are some political messages for even the most pretentious music lover.
One of the best albums out there and worthy of repeated listens.
RATING: 5/5
Bat Out Of Hell
Meatloaf
1977
Tracks
1. Bat Out Of Hell
2. You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth
3. Heaven Can Wait
4. All Revved Up With No Place To Go
5. Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad
6. Paradise By The Dashboard Light
7. For Crying Out Loud
I certainly wouldn't have recognized this album for the joke that it is if I hadn't been following The List chronologically. "You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth" really does sound like one of the pretentious prog rock songs that we have forced to listen to. Luckily, once you realize it is a joke, it is actually pretty funny. It is a joke, right?
I had only heard "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" before. It's a damn good song, although watching Meat Loaf perform it was kind of disturbing. Who gave Peter Pettigrew a microphone?
So novelty albums usually make me cringe, but this was actually a fun break from the hard core "masterpieces."
RATING: 4/5
Marquee Moon
Television
1977
Tracks
1. See No Evil
2. Venus
3. Friction
4. Marquee Moon
5. Elevation
6. Guiding Light
7. Prove It
8. Torn Curtain
This seems to be one of those albums that very few people have heard of. If you have heard of it, you are a music aficionado and you probably praise it like it is the last voicemail a deceased loved one left you. As for me, it didn't leave much of an impression, proving once again that I am more out of place here than a sober person at Woodstock. I wanted to cover my ignorance here first so the insults in the comments section could branch out a bit. I try to be considerate of my readers.
I was surprised to see that this was considered punk. It certainly didn't sound as intense as I am used to in that genre. I did enjoy this, but can we stop with the ten minute songs? Let's wrap it up here fellas. I appreciate stamina as much as the next woman, but this is verging on ridiculous.
So another album that I feel rather stupid for not enjoying very much. But take heart, fellow List followers. An Elvis Costello album is coming up.
RATING: 4/5
Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
1977
Tracks
1. Moribund The Burgermeister
2. Solsbury Hill
3. Modern Love
4. Excuse Me
5. Humdrum
6. Slowburn
7. Waiting For The Big One
8. Down At The Dolce Vita
9. Here Comes The Flood
My only experience with Peter Gabriel before this was the slightly cliched song "In Your Eyes." I guess after that I was expecting extreme mushiness with this album. Instead, I only got mild mushiness with a hint of every genre ever.
This album was completely all over the place. I had to look up what genre this even falls under. "Art rock," which is apparently a thing. Is that the most obnoxious sounding genre title or what? Get over yourself. I am not sure who that is addressed to but someone needs to get over themselves.
Anyway, "Excuse Me" was a damn good song. "Moribund The Burgermeister" was a little too progressive for me, but hey, I am trying.
RATING: 3/5
The Idiot
Iggy Pop
1977
Tracks
1. Sister Midnight
2. Nightclubbing
3. Fun Time
4. Baby
5. China Girl
6. Dum Dum Boys
7. Tiny Girls
8. Mass Production
After the horror that was the last album, I think I would consider an album made up solely of commercial jingles a masterpiece. To my desperate mind, this album was quite good. Maybe I will revisit it later and be horrified.
This album was produced by David Bowie. Although there are no more Bowie albums on the List, he continues watch over us like a slightly punkish god.
I don't know if the title of the album is a nod to Dostoyevsky or not, although that would make the album seem a lot more pretentious than it is. It was actually really catchy, "Sister Midnight" in particular. A welcome reprieve.
RATING: 3/5
Suicide
Suicide
1977
Tracks
1. Ghost Rider
2. Rocket USA
3. Cheree
4. Johnny
5. Girl
6. Frankie Teardrop
7. Che
Ah, Suicide. Aptly named, since anyone who listens to this album probably thought fondly of their own mortality about half way through "Frankie Teardrop". I can't be the first one to make that joke. Actually, come to think of it, maybe I am, since everyone seems to adore this album. Which is absurd. Sometimes I feel like I am being pranked with this List.
It is basically screaming. Well, that's not completely true. Sometimes there are sex sounds set to music. But "Frankie Teardrop"? That's just screaming.
It seems like this is what the inside of an extremely troubled teenage boy's head would sound like. Perhaps this is for them. Still, I can't see anyone getting enjoyment out of hearing this.
Remember when we were listening to the Beatles and Joni Mitchell? I can't either.
RATING: 1/5
Pacific Ocean Blue
Dennis Wilson
1977
Tracks
1. River Song
2. What's Wrong
3. Moonshine
4. Friday Night
5. Dreamer
6. Thoughts of You
7. Time
8. You and I
9. Pacific Ocean Blues
10. Farewell My Friend
11. Rainbows
12. End of the Show
I didn't exactly want to fall in love with this album, since Wilson was a Masonite (before it was cool!). Certainly my sister hated it when I played it while she cooked and I wrote. If she couldn't handle this, though, I don't know how she would survive the Butthole Surfers. Faint heart never completed fair list.
We all know Dennis Wilson as the drummer for the Beach Boys. This kind of sounded like a Beach Boys album, without the relentless optimism. And honestly, I haven't exactly been in the cheerful mood lately, so this sat well with me.
I wasn't blown away by the lyrical composition of the album and I certainly wouldn't call it a masterpiece. Still, it was...pleasant and perhaps worth a listen.
RATING: 4/5
