This was originally meant to resemble a diary, but that turned out to be impractical. I work in health care which got, well, pretty busy. So everything below - and indeed the entire alphabet I eventually covered - must be lumped into the mid-April, early May time period
In other words, the abyss, or so we thought. Ah, the good old days when we were all in it together. But even that would fall apart.
Peter Gabriel 3:
Pretty (melo)dramatic and not always on point. But I admire the grating, uncompromised sound, and the musicianship is awesome. Plus, the great songs ("Biko", "Games Without Frontiers") put it across.
A-
Gang of Four:
Entertainment!
The formula is for the lead singer to spout Marxist philosophy while the drums and bass crank out a frantic (if not always speedy) beat and a car crash guitar. It works amazingly well. Who knew an almost complete lack of melody could sound so powerful?
A-
Solid Gold
I didn't care for this at first. But once Entertainment! blew me away, this one started to gel for me. A little less frantic, more dirge-like. With cleaner production this time, the band sounds better than ever.
A-
Marvin Gaye: Midnight Love
This one's a bit outside of my range. Music for making out. Who needs to set that level of expectation? But Marvin sings great and the band gets the job done.
B+
Genesis (with Peter Gabriel):
Live
Very impressive for music I don’t love. It was all too much – even at $1.69 – when I first got it. But it’s a lot of sound from just 4 guys. Very strange, so it’s hard to call pretentious.
B+
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway:
Not terrible, but not great, either. A lot of work, actually. For the listener, that is. But it's the last one with Peter Gabriel.
B
Genesis (without Peter Gabriel):
ABACAB:
Almost tolerable. But poor Phil Collins will be remembered more for that voice – which gives me the 80s shudders – than his great drumming, which friend and drummer Andy greatly admires.
B-
Invisible Touch:
A 1980s overdose. I'll admit my tolerance is low. I can say with certainty that I need never hear these songs again.
C+
Lowell George: Thanks I'll Eat it Here
By this time, Little Feat had stopped making great music, and it would have been nice to think it was because Lowell was letting everyone else contribute more. One could then assume his solo album would be better than, say, Time Loves a Hero. But so what? This is certainly a pleasant record, but as many have pointed out anyone could have made it.
B
Grateful Dead: Bear's Choice
Humble yet excellent. Pigpen excels throughout, and the band excels on the louder ones.
A-
Greatest Rap Hits, Vol 2:
Honestly, we were such idiots to dismiss this music at the time. There is nothing wrong and a lot right with this very fun record. You could play it at an all-white (the people, I mean) wedding and no one would notice.
B+
Al Green:
Greatest Hits: As a rock n roller I complained at the time that everything sounded the same by this guy. Since then I heard the Ramones, so that's another rule out the window.
A-
The Belle Album:
Al is no longer trying to get inside your mind. Soon he'll be trying to get into your soul. But for the moment this mellow and lovely record is the best of both.
A-
Arlo Guthrie: Outlasting the Blues:
Decent in the moral sense, very pretty but a bit thin.
B+
Jimi Hendrix:
Axis Bold as Love
Pretty calm compared to Are You Experienced? which still strikes me as one of the true revolutionary records of all time. So this could seem like a letdown. It was really more of a change of pace. Not a bad cut on it.
A-
Electric Lady Land:
Ambitious. It’s got lots of flow and spacey parts, and floats by effortlessly. Not brilliant exactly, but very cool. I've simply GOT to get this on CD.
A-
Buddy Holly: A Rock and Roll Collection: This is the only one of his I have. I don’t play it often because if you’re doing something else you’re gonna get distracted. It’s also very very sad, as I cannot separate the music from the fate of the performer. Yet, like the Everly Brothers record it just floats by without missing a beat. But I like the Beatles more.
A-
Hot Tuna:
The Second One
Loud, and aside from Papa John’s violin, pretty unnecessary. (And yet seeing them play electric was one of the better concerts I’ve been to... Hmm.) But I can do without this one.
B
Double Dose:
I need this one even less, except for side one. Not bad - (pristine actually) but who cares?
B-
Human Switchboard: Who's Landing in My Hangar?
I'd assumed the slightly amateurish vocals and musicianship would cause this to not age well. Not true. And I love the title joke.
A-
Husker Du: Candy Apple Grey
Given how much I hate the 80s you'd think I'd love these guys, who were the quintessential post-punk underground band. But the pristine sound of their major-label debut reveals the awkwardness of the drumming, which makes the whole enterprise a bit shakey, except for the quieter ones, which are quite good. It was my first HD album and a big disappointment. I'd have to wait until I got New Day Rising to really hear them.
B+
What no I? None that I cared to listen to at the time. We were really in the ditch at this point, so I needed to get as far away as possible, and was getting very picky.
And it's only now that I notice the number of dead haunting this post:
Marvin Gaye
Lowell George
Pigpen
Andy Gill
Jimi Hendrix
Papa John Creach:
Grant Hart
Buddy Holly
Perhaps it's to be expected. After all, this music is pretty old.
I'd have to ask my Actuary (and Fellow!) Brother Pat if this is unusually high. Did I miss anyone? Probably.
We tend to undercount the dead.
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