People keep suggesting covers they love. In honor of them here are some more covers music fans should know about.

Manfred Mann’s Earth Band found great success covering Bruce Springsteen songs most famously and successfully with their #1 smash (U.S. & Canada) and AOR radio staple “Blinded by the Light”. Which has arguably the most misheard lyric in history. You know what it is.1 Two other Springsteen songs were memorably covered by MMEB: “For You” (also covered by the Greg Kihn Band and The Format) and “Spirit in the Night.” Another interesting version of “Spirit” is by Ava Cherry who was part of David Bowie’s circle.2

Manfred Mann’s first band, named after him as Manfred Mann, reached #1 in the U.S., Australia, Sweden, and U.K. (#4 in Canada) in 1964 with a cover of The Exciters’ “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”. A song covered by scores of artists and always reminds me of this:

Manfred Mann scored another #1 hit in the U.K. with “Mighty Quinn”, a song Bob Dylan wrote and first recorded as “Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)” in 1967. However, Dylan didn’t release the song until 1970 after some bootlegged versions made the rounds. Lots of other artists covered this song including The Grateful Dead, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Hollies, Kris Kristofferson, The Charlie Daniels Band, Julie London, Ramsey Lewis, and many, many others. There’s an amazing gospel version on the album Dylan’s Gospel, which is worth your time.

Another version of “The Mighty Quinn” features Mickey Dolenz(!), John 5, Billly Sheehan & Greg Bissonette and appears on Harder & Heavier - ‘60s British Invasion Goes Metal. Speaking of metal covers, my good friend reminded me of some excellent cover songs by the metal band Great White. And that got me thinking about some more of the covers put out over the years by metal bands. But I think I’ll save that for another time…

Listening to Mickey Dolenz got me thinking about The Monkees, an underrated band, and some of the great songs in their catalogue that have been covered by others. Let’s start with “I’m a Believer.” Neil Diamond wrote this song and gave it to The Monkees to record in 1966. Why did he give to them? Because, as Diamond said, “I had to pay the rent, and the Monkees were selling records, and I wasn’t being paid for my records!” Smart move for Neil as “I’m a Believer” became the biggest-selling single of 1967 going platinum within two days of its release.3 He didn’t amass a net worth north of $300 million by being a dum dum. Diamond included it on his 1967 album Just For You. I tend to think that the original version of a song is the one first released. So, for me The Monkees’ is the original, but the original songwriter can’t cover his own song, right? So I’ll consider all subsequent versions as covers and both these two as originals.

The Four Tops included “I’m a Believer” on their 1967 album Reach Out, which also included another Monkees song, “Last Train to Clarksville.” Smashmouth contributed a memorable version of “I’m a Believer” to the soundtrack for Shrek in 2001. Barbara Mandrell put a country spin on it in 1985. Italian singer Caterina Casselli did a version in Italian, “Sono bugiardo”, on her 1967 album Diamoci del tu which also appeared on the soundtrack or the 2021 Ridley Scott film House of Gucci.

Other versions of “Last Train to Clarksville” include Jerry Reed, a jazz instrumental by George Benson, and a thrash interpretation by Ludachrist.

The song “Mary, Mary” is an interesting switch on the dynamic of “I’m a Believer”. Written by Monkee Mike Nessmith but originally recorded by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band in 1966. The Monkees released it a year later. My favorite version is Run-DMC’s on their 1988 record Tougher than Leather.

Other cover songs suggested by readers in the comments section:
“Scarborough Fair” by Queensrÿche (Simon & Garfunkel)
“The Sound of Silence” by Heir Apparent (Simon & Garfunkel)
“I’m Eighteen” by Hurricane (Alice Cooper). Also covered by Anthrax, Creed, and Big Country among others.
“Du Hast” by Motionless In White (Rammstein)
“Stone Cold Crazy” by Metallica (Queen) Some observers consider this the original thrash song.4
“Eleanor Rigby” by Realm (Beatles)
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” by Toots & The Maytals (John Denver) I also like the versions by Lana Del Ray and Olivia Newton-John. There are tons of excellent interpretations by country artists, in particular the one by Rhonda Vincent, Dolly Parton & Cody Johnson.
“Ain’t No Sunshine” by Al Jarreau (Bill Withers)
“Personal Jesus” by Johnny Cash (Depeche Mode) Marilyn Manson has a memorable version.
“Jumping Jack Flash” by Aretha Franklin (Rolling Stones)
“Can’t Get Used To Losing You” (Andy Williams) and “Tears Of A Clown” (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles) by The English Beat
“Love Hurts” by Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris (The Everly Brothers) Other notable covers of this song courtesy of Nazareth and Roy Orbison.
“The Way We Were” by Gladys Knight & The Pips (Barbara Streisand)
"I Can't Make You Love Me" by Dave Thomas Junior (Bonnie Raitt)
“Light My Fire” by Jose Feliciano (The Doors)
“Dirty Laundry” by Lisa Marie Presley5 (Don Henley)
“Mad World” by Adam Lambert (Tears for Fears)
“Wichita Lineman” by R.E.M. (Glen Campbell)
“Feelin’ Alright” by Joe Cocker (Traffic)
“Matchbox” by The Beatles (Carl Perkins)
“Kansas City” by The Beatles (Little Willie Littlefield) Great versions by Little Richard and James Brown too!

One last one I want to mention (for now?): “Creep” by Kelly Clarkson (Radiohead). I love Kelly Clarkson. I’d pay to listen to her sing the phone book.

There you have it. Lots more great cover songs. I hope you enjoy these as much as some of the other readers and I do.

Got any more suggestions? Don’t be shy!

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I’ve added these songs to the Prime Playlist if you want to explore.

My quick article about cover songs generated a little bit of conversation, which I hoped it would. I want to expand on that piece with some more songs based on some feedback from some of those folks along with some tunes I forgot.1

My old friend from high school days Laura suggested Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers version of The Beatles’ “I Need You” (written by George Harrison).

A beautiful tribute to the too-often underappreciated George Harrison.

Another high school friend offered Shinedown’s cover of the Lynard Skynyrd classic “Simple Man” (written by Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington). They do a fine job with this beloved ballad.

My friend and former co-worker from college days Scott advocates for the Fine Young Cannibals’ version of “Suspicious Minds” by Mark James. I included the famous Elvis version but had forgotten this one, a really fun rendition.

Since publishing my original list, I’ve remembered some songs I neglected to list there. People used to say I have a mind like a steel trap. Well, I guess it’s a bit rusty these days.

I’ve always loved the energy and harder edge Billy Idol and Steve Stevens brought to the Tommy James and the Shondells2 big hit “Mony Mony” (#1 in the U.K., #3 in the U.S.). Idol’s version went to #1 and became massively popular in college dorms and dance clubs with the crowd chanting a vulgar refrain in between the stanzas. Good times.

While I originally included Van Halen’s cover of “You’re No Good”, I really should have mentioned their versions of John Brim’s “Ice Cream Man”, The Kinks’ “Where Have All the Good Times Gone” and “You Really Got Me”, “Dancing in the Street” by Martha and the Vandellas (also covered by The Mamas & The Papas and David Bowie & Mick Jagger), and Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman”. I love all those interpretations!

Speaking of Van Halen… because I listed Big Brother & The Holding Company’s version of Erma Franklin’s “Piece of My Heart”, I prolly shoulda mentioned Sammy Hagar’s version on his Standing Hampton album, one of my favorite albums. Which is actually the first time I heard “Piece of My Heart” and loved it because it is a great song.

I love it when an artist covers a song and makes it sound like they wrote it without losing the original flavor while creating a version their fans receive as very satisfying. Iron Maiden offers a prime example with their version of Jethro Tull’s “Cross-Eyed Mary”. You won’t find a flute, an organ, or a mellotron in this version, but if you know the original, Maiden’s treatment will be recognizable. I wonder how many younger Maiden fans mistook this as an original when it was released on the B-side of “The Trooper”?

Songwriter and Tull vocalist Ian Anderson was asked if he was familiar with this version. “Yes – I know this as an example of ‘covers’ of some Tull songs over the years by other artists. A spirited rendition by a young Bruce (Dickinson, Maiden’s singer) testing out his vocal range in a key not really suited to him!”3

Aerosmith has done loads of covers over the years and I’m a bit embarrassed I forgot them because they are some of my favorite songs in their repertoire. “Train Kept a Rollin’” (originally recorded by Johnny Burnette and His Rock and Roll Trio), “Big Ten Inch Record” (Bull Moose Jackson), “Come Together” (The Beatles), Remember (Walking in the Sand) (The Shangri-Las but also covered by The Go-Gos and Jeff Beck).

I’ll take a moment to discuss another Aerosmith cover, one of the most-covered songs in rock: “Helter Skelter”. The Beatles were trying to make something really loud and really dirty. Lots of people consider it foundational to the development of Heavy Metal. It’s a remarkable piece of music as evidenced by how many later artists covered it including Aerosmith, Mötley Crüe, U2, Siouxie and the Banshees, Oasis, and many others.

But I’ve always had a complicated relationship with the song. That’s because the first time I ever heard it was for a commercial promoting the TV movie Helter Skelter, which first aired on CBS in April of 1976.

I was just about to turn ten-years-old and there was no chance my parents were going to let me watch a movie about the Manson cult killings. I was vaguely aware of the name Charles Manson, that name was everywhere back then, but I didn’t really understand the nature of the crimes. A couple of years later was when I first saw the tv promo. If memory serves, it aired on an independent station. I was pretty shaken up by this ad. I was still in grade school, and I had begun hearing about rock music and devil worshipers. The Satanic Panic of the 80s had yet to begin, but there were seeds of it being planted by some religious nuts and the images in that promo frightened my little soul. Here it is:

All this produced a strong association in me between the song and Manson and his followers. Even as I began maturing and understanding that rock music wasn’t inherently evil or scary, I still had bad feelings bubbling up whenever I heard the song. No matter the version. One of my favorite albums from that period is Shout at the Devil by Mötley Crüe which contains their cover version. I didn’t love it at the time because of my unease with the song generally. I even felt a little uneasy when I sat in a theater with friends watching U2’s Rattle and Hum: The Movie when they came to that part of the show. But then Bono declared, “Charles Manson stole this song from the Beatles. We’re stealin’ it back.” Hearing this defiance to the evil of Manson really moved me and I felt the unease about the song start to drain away. But I still think of Manson every time I hear the song, which sucks. But thanks to Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr I can push that monster out of my thoughts pretty quickly. It’s an electric performance that has stayed with me for almost 40 years.4

Another song I can’t believe I left off my first list is “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” by Nirvana. They were covering the legendary Lead Belly. But he didn’t write the song. According to trusty Wikipedia, this song is a traditional folk song originating from two other songs whose authorship is unknown. But it seems they came out of Southern Appalachia in the 1870s. Regardless, Nirvana were turned on to it by Lead Belly and their version is amazing. I was blown away by it when I watched them finish up their legendary Unplugged concert broadcast on MTV in December of 1993. Kurt Cobain’s performance was haunting and emotional. Less than four months later he was gone.

One last humbling omission is “American Woman” by Lenny Kravitz, a rollicking, funky, and sexy enhancement of The Guess Who’s fantastic original.

Finally, I want to highlight my fellow Substacker Garry Drake who authors the terrific music newsletter Breaking Ranks. He does a great job writing about some of the greatest albums in the popular music canon. I highly recommend you check him out: Breaking Ranks. Garry offered this comment about covers:

Linda Ronstadt is always amazing. Two of my favourite covers are her version of “Dark End of the Street” and The Flying Burrito Brothers version - listening back to back it’s almost two different songs. Same with “All Along the Watchtower” - Dylan’s version then Jimi’s.

I agree with Garry! One of the beautiful things about great songs is hearing great artists offering different interpretations. I have to admit that I didn’t remember this song, so I looked into it. I’m glad Garry turned highlighted it and got me remember it. As I listened to some of the many cover versions it occurred to me that I must have heard this song before as it’s featured in the movie The Commitments. And it turns out to be an incredible ballad written by Chips Moman and Dan Penn. Originally recorded by James Carr who scored a top 10 R&B hit with this somewhat unnerving and melancholy tale of infidelity.

The writer David Freeland calls “The Dark End of the Street” a masterpiece and a “remarkable synthesis of imagery and emotion.” Freeland explains how Moman and Penn built a “feeling of anxiety and danger” and how the accompanying sound of the music matches this and how it finally pivots into something less dangerous moving into the light of day. Freeland also relays a quote from Penn that he and Moman were “ always wanting to come up with the best cheatin’ song ever.”5 I think they produced a gem. Do you think this is the best cheatin’ song ever or do you have a better one? Let me know.

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I’ve always thought one mark of a great song, is its ability to transcend genre. “The Dark End of the Street” has been covered many, many times by a diverse collection of artists ranging from Carr’s original Soul version to Reggae to Country to Rock to Pop. I enjoyed all of them I sampled today and I think you might too. I think my favorite is by Porter Waggoner and Dolly Parton. And I very much like Ken Boothe’s reggae spin on this classic. So, here’s a playlist of different interpretations of this amazing song:

1

I’ve added all these songs to the Spotify and Prime playlists for those readers interested.

Most observers consider Megadeth one of the founders of thrash metal (along with the other Big Four: Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer). Thrash emerged in the mid-1980s as a reaction to commercially popular hard rock characterized as hair metal or pop metal (most quintessentially personified by Poison and Bon Jovi). Many fans of hard rock and metal considered the hair bands as sell outs or inauthentic posers. Most of these bands were singing about partying and getting girls. This music didn’t speak to this subset of fans or talk about subjects they deemed important. These fans were looking for something else, something pure. Music that had something substantial to say and untainted by the corporate suits.

Then along came the Big Four. In order of their debut albums: Metallica (Kill ‘Em All, July 1983), Slayer (Show No Mercy, December 1983), Anthrax (Fistful of Metal, January 1984), and Megadeth (Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!, June 1985). Disenchanted metal fans finally had what they were looking for. A harder music forged from a combination of British heavy metal, punk, and progressive rock. It was extremely fast-tempo, aggressive, and loud but with technically dazzling guitar work and the lyrics spoke about more serious subjects like politics, social commentary, rebellion (not simply the kind of rebellion personified by drinking and chasing women), and personal struggles. It resonated with fans who felt alienated from mainstream culture.

Dave Mustaine founded Megadeth after the other members of Metallica kicked him out for his alcoholism and volatile temper. Mustaine is distinguished as the only person to have been an original member of two of the Big Four thrash bands.

Mustaine can’t really sing, at least not like someone we may more traditionally recognize as a vocalist. But I rather like his singing. He understands his limitations and stays within them. There may have never been a better match of a vocalist to a band as Mustaine. The raw snarl of his voice very much fits the tone of the often angry, sarcastic, and thought-provoking lyrics. Maybe my favorite aspect of his singing is the articulation. His annunciation is often clearer than most of his contemporaries, which is one reason I found Megadeth more approachable than I found bands like Slayer and Anthrax. You can clearly hear each word, which many singers in the rock and metal world seem to think is optional, which is annoying. He accomplishes this without sacrificing credibility demonstrating that striving for commercial appeal does not automatically mean losing authenticity.

The track “Peace Sells” is amazing and iconic, especially the bass line. MTV used it as part of the music bumper for MTV News for a long time.

I hadn’t listened to this record in ages. I was worried it might not hold up. But it does. It sounds just as good now as 1986. My rating:1

Billboard called Peace Sells… “host to an array of impressive tracks” from one of “speed metal’s premier cult bands.”2

While asserting of Megadeth, “there are few bands more essential to the heavy metal world,” Kerrang! wrote, “Peace Sells… But Who's Buying? saw the true emergence of Megadeth’s always-distinctive sound.”3

AllMusic’s 4.5-star review calls the album, “Arguably Megadeth's strongest effort and a classic of early thrash,” and, “Vital, necessary thrash.”4

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In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Joel McIver wrote:

Although Megadeth’s fourth album, 1990’s Rust in Peace, was more dazzling in its arrangements and smoother in its production, its Peace Sells… that made the band into a true force to be reckoned with. Play this and hear Mustaine at his gleefully devilish peak.5

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

Prime Playlist:

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #76 6
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: Platinum | November 11, 1992 7

Released on September 25, 1986. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Stuck With You” by Huey Lewis and the News8
• Number one album: Top Gun Soundtrack9
• Number one movie: Top Gun by Tony Scott10
• Most watched TV programs: The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Murder, She Wrote, 60 Minutes, Cheers, Dallas, Dynasty, The Golden Girls, Miami Vice, Who’s the Boss?11
• NYT bestseller, fiction: It by Stephen King12
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Fatherhood by Bill Cosby13

Some other albums released that week

• Blind Before I Stop by Meat Loaf
• Constrictor by Alice Cooper
• Talking with the Taxman About Poetry by Billy Bragg
• Third Stage by Boston
• Dancing Undercover by Ratt14

Sport

• Sep 22 LA Dodger Fernando Valenzuela is the first Mexican pitcher to win 20 games.
• Sep 25 Houston Astro Mike Scott no-hits the SF Giants, 2-0.
• Sep 28 A record 23,000 runners start in a marathon in Mexico City.15

Notable Births

• Sep 21 Blake Mills, American songwriter, session and touring guitarist, producer (Fiona Apple, John Legend), and solo artist, born in Santa Monica, California.
• Sep 21 Faris Badwan, English vocalist (The Rotters; The Horrors; Cat’s Eye), born in Bexley, Kent, England.
• Sep 21 Lindsey Stirling, American pop-classical violinist, songwriter, and dancer (”Crystalize”, “Shatter Me”), born in Santa Ana, California.16

Historical Events

• 16 Sep 1986 Kinross Gold Mine disaster in South Africa: A catastrophic fire erupted at the Kinross Gold Mine in Mpumalanga, South Africa, resulting in the deaths of 177 miners and injuring 235 others. The disaster was triggered by a welding accident that ignited an acetylene cylinder, leading to a blaze that spread rapidly through the mine. The fire ignited polyurethane foam lining the tunnel walls and plastic wire coverings, releasing toxic fumes that suffocated the miners. This incident remains one of the deadliest mining disasters in South African history.
• 19 Sep 1986 U.S. government announces expanded access to AZT for AIDS patients: AZT, an experimental anti-AIDS drug, would be made available to thousands of patients nationwide. Initial tests indicated that AZT could prolong the survival of some AIDS patients, leading to its wider distribution. Dr. Robert E. Windom, Assistant Secretary of Health, emphasized that while AZT showed promise, it was not a cure for AIDS.
• 22 Sep 1986 Stockholm Disarmament Accord signed by 35 nations: The Conference on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures and Disarmament in Europe (CDE) adopted the Stockholm Document, an accord aimed at reducing the risk of war in Europe. The agreement required NATO and Warsaw Pact member nations to notify each other of major military activities, enhancing transparency and trust between the blocs.17

Notable Deaths

• Sep 27 Cliff Burton, American rock bassist (Metallica), dies in bus crash at 24.18

After a recent discussion with a friend about cover songs, I thought I’d throw together a quick little project. Here are some notable cover songs that I like a lot. This is by no means meant to be definitive in any way and is presented in no particular order.

If there is a cover song you love that I haven’t listed, please list it in the comments!

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Gladys Knight & The Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (Cissy Houston)

Laura Branigan, “Gloria” (Umberto Tozzi)

The Chicks, “Landslide’ (Fleetwood Mac)

Smashing Pumpkins, “Landslide” (Fleetwood Mac)

Stevie Wonder, “We Can Work It Out” (The Beatles)

Van Halen, “You’re No Good” (Dee Dee Warwick)

Disturbed, “The Sound of Silence” (Simon & Garfunkel)

Led Zeppelin, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” (Joan Baez)

Linda Ronstadt, “You’re No Good” (Dee Dee Warwick)

Elvis Presley, “Hound Dog” (Big Mama Thornton)

Stevie Ray Vaughan, “Superstition” (Stevie Wonder)

Kim Carnes, “Bette Davis Eyes” (Jackie DeShannon)

Luther Vandross, “Superstar” (Delaney and Bonnie)

Devo, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (The Rolling Stones)

Soft Cell, “Tainted Love” (Gloria Jones)

Marilyn Manson, “Tainted Love” (Gloria Jones)

Jimi Hendrix, “All Along the Watchtower” (Bob Dylan)

Joe Cocker, “With A Little Help From My Friends” (The Beatles)

Run-DMC, “Walk This Way” (Aerosmith)

Al Green, “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?” (The Bee Gees)

Elvis Presley, “Suspicious Minds” (Mark James)

Whitney Houston, “I Will Always Love You” (Dolly Parton)

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” (The Arrows)

Whitney Houston, “Greatest Love of All” (George Benson)

Sam Cooke, “Unchained Melody” (Todd Duncan)

Johnny Cash, “Rusty Cage” (Soundgarden)

Thin Lizzy, Whiskey In The Jar (The Dubliners)

Metallica (The Dubliners)

Etta James, “At Last” (John Payne and Lynn Bari later by Lynn Bari and Ray Eberle) *

Aretha Franklin, “Respect” (Otis Redding)

Johnny Cash, “Hurt” (Nine Inch Nails)

Sinéad O’Connor, “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Prince)

Chris Cornell, “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Prince)

Edwin Starr, “War” (The Temptations)

Donna Summer, “MacArthur Park” (Richard Harris)

The Temptations, “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” (The Undisputed Truth)

Patsy Cline, “Walkin’ After Midnight” (Lynn Howard and The Accents) *

Judas Priest, “Diamonds and Rust” (Joan Baez)

The Black Crowes: “Hard to Handle” (Otis Redding)

The Righteous Brothers, “Unchained Melody” (Todd Duncan) *

Elvis Presley, “Unchained Melody” (Todd Duncan)

Sam Cooke, “Unchained Melody” (Todd Duncan)

Earth, Wind & Fire, “Got to Get You into My Life” (The Beatles)

Fats Domino, “Blueberry Hill” (Sammy Kaye) *

The Pointer Sisters, “Fire” (Robert Gordon)

Natalie Imbruglia, “Torn” (Lis Sørensen) *

Quiet Riot, “Cum On Feel the Noize” (Slade)

Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Higher Ground” (Stevie Wonder)

Lauryn Hill, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” (Frankie Valli)

Big Brother & The Holding Company, “Piece of My Heart” (Erma Franklin)

Ray Charles, “Georgia on My Mind” (Hoagy Carmichael)

Naked Eyes, “Always Something There to Remind Me” (Sandie Shaw)

Guns N’ Roses, “Live and Let Die” (Paul McCartney & Wings)

The Beatles, “Twist and Shout” (The Top Notes)

Guns N’ Roses, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (Bob Dylan)

Ike & Tina Turner, “Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

A playlist if you want to enjoy (*some songs unavailable for streaming, You Tube links included)

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Technically, this album is titled Peter Gabriel. Mr. Gabriel titled all his first four albums Peter Gabriel, which I find annoying. So, I’m calling his third solo album Peter Gabriel 3: Melt, which is what both Spotify and Amazon Music call it. What do y’all think?

Nevertheless, it’s a fantastic record. Although I didn’t care for the opening track Intruder. The rest of the songs are all very good to excellent to all-timers. Gabriel let loose his inner political animal with songs like the anti-war “Games Without Frontiers” (featuring Kate Bush on backing vocals!) and the anti-apartheid epic “Biko”. The latter included a sampling of South African chants1 heralding Gabriel’s heavy interest in world beats that he later brought to fuller form.

I remember hearing “Games Without Frontiers” quite a bit at the time and I rather liked it, but at 14 I didn’t pick up on the anti-war of it.

But “Biko” I did not know about until a video with Gabriel performing it live was released to promote the 1987 film Cry Freedom. It was all over MTV and MTV was constantly on the television if the house I shared with eight other guys at the time. Being a 21-year-old college student during the height of the divestiture movement, the song hit me pretty hard. It still carries a powerful reminder of the damage evil can do in this world and how good and courageous people like Steve Biko can overcome it.

Another song I like a lot is “I Don’t Remember”, mostly for David Gregory’s sharp guitar work. The chunky guitars, courtesy of Paul Weller, on “And Through the Wire” also appeal to my sensibilities as a music fan.

Atlantic executives actually dropped Gabriel after failing to persuade him to make some of the songs sound more like the Doobie Brothers. Listen, I love the Doobie Brothers. But this flabbergasting aspect showcases that many record executives know fuck-all about music as art, which is a different animal than music as a commercial commodity. You can’t shoehorn an artist into another style that is almost nothing like his own simply for commercial reasons. Doesn’t work. Mercury Records took over the distribution of the album and sold 250,000 copies making the record Gabriel’s first big solo success, proving his brand of artistry could make money in the U.S.2

My rating:3

Dave Marsh compares the album to “the best film noirs” and mystery/thriller/espionage authors Graham Greene, Raymond Chandler and Eric Ambler in his 4-star review for Rolling Stone. Even though he often uses unconventional instruments, “the music is built on a sound that helps make rock & roll an ally of the type of social clampdown Gabriel is singing about.” Marsh concludes:

Despite its occasional lapses. Peter Gabriel is a tremendous record. At the very least, Gabriel has discarded the florid hedging that’s dominated his work since Genesis. He’s not backing off from anything now, including his excesses. He flinches, it’s true, but he never yields. For once, you get an idea of where the artist stands and what he’s afraid of. In such songs as “Intruder” and “Games without Frontiers,” in which the booming, almost disco-style bass drum slows to an ebbing pulse while the guitars and synthesizers jangle like wracked nerves and the vocals crackle with detached doom, Gabriel’s music resembles his cover portrait: features in disintegration, slowly melting away, all distinctions disappearing and not a damn thing anyone can do about it. Peter Gabriel has seen a hellish future, and there’s no exit.4

Cashbox called the album “an artistic tour de force” concluding “the austere, haunting work is highlighted by “Games Without Frontiers” and “Biko” and represents a quantum leap for rock music as an art form. A classic.”5

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In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Louise Sugrue wrote:

With the psychedelic musings of Genesis and self-conscious eccentricity of albums I and II behind him, the 29-year-old prog rocker emerges as an avant-garde solo artist, in the mold of Bowie and Eno.

Gabriel finally felt free to play with his perennial enthusiasms - world music and technology, notably the Fairlight CMI and drumming machine.

Consistently edgy and impassioned, Melt is a perfectly produced collage of warped sonic landscapes, befitting Bagriel’s sparse, insular lyrics of alienation, paranoia, and identity.6

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

Prime Playlist:

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #22 7
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Games Without Frontiers” #48 8
• RIAA certification: n/a

Released on May 30, 1980. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Call Me” by Blondie9
• Number one album: Against the Wind by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band10
• Number one movie: The Empire Strikes Back by Irvin Kirshner11
• Most watched TV programs: 60 Minutes, Three’s Company, That’s Incredible, Alice, M*A*S*H12
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum13
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Thy Neighbor’s Wife by Gay Talese14

Some other albums released that month

• McCartney II by Paul McCartney
• Freedom of Choice by Devo
• Unmasked by Kiss
• Diana by Diana Ross
• Bad Reputation by Joan Jett
• Music Man by Waylon Jennings

Sport

• May 28 24th European Cup: Nottingham Forest beats Hamburg 1-0 at Madrid.
• May 29 Larry Bird beats out Magic Johnson for NBA Rookie of the Year.
• May 30 Minnesota Twins outfielder Ken Landreaux ends his hitting streak after 31 games.15

Notable Births

• May 28 Mark Feehily, Irish pop singer (Westlife - “Flying Without Wings”), born in Sligo, Ireland.
• May 31 Andy Hurley, American drummer (Fall Out Boy - “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race”), born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
• Jun 2 Fabrizio Moretti, Brazilian-born rock drummer (The Strokes), born in Rio de Janeiro.16

Historical Events

• 22 May 1980: Pac-Man, the iconic arcade game developed by Namco, was first released in Japan. The game was created by Toru Iwatani and aimed to appeal to a broader audience by featuring a non-violent, maze-chase theme. It quickly became a cultural phenomenon, leading to its international release in October 1980.
• 24 May 1980:The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Iran violated international law by holding U.S. embassy personnel hostage. The court ordered Iran to release the hostages and restore the embassy premises to the United States. Despite the ruling, Iran did not comply, and the hostages were not released until January 20, 1981.
• 29 May 1980: On May 29, 1980, civil rights leader Vernon Jordan was shot in the back with a high-powered rifle outside a hotel in Fort Wayne, Indiana, after addressing an Urban League gathering. He underwent multiple surgeries and a lengthy recovery. Joseph Paul Franklin, an avowed white supremacist, was later indicted for the shooting but was acquitted in Jordan’s case. Franklin admitted to the shooting years later and was executed in 2013 for another slaying in Missouri.17

Notable Deaths

• May 18 Ian Curtis, English rock singer-songwriter (Joy Division - “Love Will Tear Us Apart”). commits suicide at 23
• May 30 Carl Radle, American bass guitarist (Derek and the Dominoes), dies of a kidney infection at 37.
• Jun 4 Charles Miller, American rock-funk flutist, saxophonist, and singer (War - “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”; “Low Rider”), stabbed to death during a mugging in Los Angeles at 41.18

Tori Amos writes deeply personal and emotive lyrics with which lots of people identify. I’m not one of those people so I’ve never closely embraced her music. But I do admire her artistry very much. That delicate soprano voice moves any listener, loyal fan or otherwise. And perhaps never more so than on this debut album.

Not only a singer-songwriter, but Amos’ work on piano is also outstanding. I like that she isn’t showing off her skills in a way that distracts the listener from the point of the songs. She doesn’t feel the need to prove her greatness as a player. She’s confident you’ll hear that and this allows her to use the piano to compliment her voice and reinforce each emotional beat.

The (Bösendorfer Model 190) piano’s rich and resonant tones are evident in tracks like “Crucify” and “Silent All These Years,” where its nuanced sound complements her emotionally charged lyrics and intricate piano arrangements.1

Amos offers a pounding piano to help express her anger on “Precious Things” and then offers a more delicate playing on the ballad “Winter” helping the listener understand the melancholy and yearning.

One of the more impressive aspects of this record is how mature it is for a rookie LP. Amos was ending her twenties when this album was released and she had been a professional musician for more than a decade, so calling her a rookie may be a stretch, but the self-assurance she exhibits eludes plenty of more seasoned singers.

Each track describes various levels of pain, some minor, some not so. Amos sings about heartbreak, love, self-doubt, and trauma among other parts of the human condition.

As part of Spin’s 35th anniversary in 2020, they named the most influential artists of the previous 35 years placing Amos at #18.

With her breakthrough albums Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink, the singer-songwriter earned cult status for her whimsical overshares and fantastical storytelling.2

Amos has influenced lots of other performers including:

• Alanis Morissette: "When I first heard Tori Amos's Little Earthquakes,' it just blew me away." “Her music turned my life upside down…and she taught me another way to sing.”
• Brad Walsh sees his music linked to Amos, among others.
• Leighton Meister cites Amos as one of her favorites growing up.
• Jack Colwell wrote about his love of Amos and her music.
• Justin Timberlake told Amos Little Earthquakes changed his life.
• Jewell cited Amos as an influence.
• Taylor Swift has covered Amos in live performances.

For my money, Little Earthquakes is one of the most remarkable debut albums of all time. It remains remarkable well into the 21st Century. Although I could not find and listing of the best debut albums that mention this gem. Seems weird, right?

My rating:3

Leave a comment

In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Christoph Lindemann wrote:

From the disturbing lines in “Crucify” about “looking for a savior beneath these dirty sheets” to the phallic mushrooms on the back of the sleeve, Little Earthquakes was one of the most challenging records ever to reach a mainstream audience.4

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

Prime Playlist:

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #54 5
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Silent All These Years”, #65 6
• RIAA certification: 2x Platinum | March 31, 1999 7

Released on January 6, 1992 (U.K.). Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Black or White” by Michael Jackson8
• Number one album: Dangerous by Michael Jackson9
• Number one movie: Hook by Steven Spielberg10
• Most watched TV programs: Cheers, 60 Minutes, Murphy Brown, Designing Women, A Different World11
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley12
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: ME: Stories of My Life, by Katharine Hepburn13

Sport

• Jan 4 12-year-old Chinese diver Fu Mingxia wins 10m platform gold medal at World Swimming Championships in Perth, Australia; youngest world champion in the history of any aquatic event.
• Jan 5 Kevin Bradshaw of US Intl scores NCAA Div 1 record 72 pts.
• Jan 8 Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins and Rod Carew are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame14

Notable Births

• Jan 2 Ben Hardy, English actor (X-Men: Apocalypse; Bohemian Rhapsody), born in Bournemouth, England.
• Jan 7 (Michaela) “Mj” Rodriguez, American actress and singer, born in Newark, New Jersey.
• Jan 8 Asuka Hinoi, Japanese singer (“Wanna Be Your Girlfriend”) and actress (The Sacrifice Dilemma), born in Osaka, Japan.15

Historical Events

• 03 Jan 1991 Israel reopens consulate in Moscow after 23-year hiatus: Israel reopened its consulate in Moscow, marking a significant step in restoring diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union after a 23-year break. The reopening was celebrated by Soviet Jews and diplomats, reflecting improved bilateral ties.
• 05 Jan 1991 US Embassy evacuation in Mogadishu: the United States initiated Operation Eastern Exit to evacuate its embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia, due to escalating violence during the Somali Civil War. Two U.S. naval helicopters transported 61 American and foreign nationals from the embassy compound to naval ships offshore. The operation continued until January 11, successfully evacuating 281 diplomats and civilians from 30 countries.
• 07 Jan 1991 Baker-Aziz Diplomatic Meeting on Kuwait: U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz held a six-hour meeting in Geneva to discuss Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. Despite extensive discussions, no significant progress was made, with Iraq maintaining its refusal to withdraw from Kuwait, leading to increased tensions in the Gulf region.16

Notable Deaths

• Jan 3 Luke Appling, American Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop, (7 x MLB All Star; AL batting champion 1936, 43; Chicago White Sox), dies of abdominal aortic aneurysm at 83.
• Jan 4 Leo Wright, American jazz saxophone and flute player (Dizzy Gillespie; “Greensleeves”; “I Left My Heart In San Francisco”), dies of a heart attack at 57.
• Jan 4 Richard Maibaum, American screenwriter (Goldfinger), dies at 81.17

What a voice! Smooth and rich, flowing like a honey river and as soothing as your favorite down comforter. Anita Baker is one of my favorite singers and I think underappreciated by the wider music audience. Maybe that’s because she doesn’t engage in the really showy stuff like some of her contemporaries. For my money, though, Anita Baker’s voice stands up with just about any other singer.

The first time I heard of the Toledo-born, Detroit-raised singer was in college when a friend of mine asked if I’d heard of Baker. She played Rapture for me, and I was hooked within the first few lyrics of the lead song “Sweet Love.”

Baker’s debut album Rapture is an exemplary slice of mid-80s quiet storm R&B. Sophisticated, elegant, classy are just some of the words describing how this album makes the listener feel.

Baker displays her excellent songwriting talent as she asserts her agency and standing with the song “Been So Long”

I won't be neglected
I won't be denied
The pleasure of your kisses
The pleasure of your smile
I think you take for granted
I'll always be here
Just because I love you
It doesn't mean I won't disappear

We just had the 40th anniversary of Rapture. Typing that is kind of like a splash of cold water to the face. Forty years!!!???!!! That seems unbelievable. To me it seems like just a couple of years ago when the album came out. The memories of my time in college and all those beautiful and dear friends. Baker’s masterpiece takes me back there immediately.

One of the things that stands out about Rapture and Baker’s voice particularly is the air of mystery to it. She doesn’t sound quite like any other singer and that allows a listener to think about the music without the problem of having to divorce it from someone else in order to enjoy it on one’s own terms.

Her voice is lower than many female singers, but not so low to make it off-putting or strange. It’s unique, mature, and assured. This is a grown woman singing songs for adults. The tone is warm and rich lending more emotional heft to each lyric. Her voice gently saunters up to you and invites you to give yourself over so it can wrap you in a cozy, soft aural embrace. Relax and enjoy the experience.

The album title is an apt descriptor of the material as a whole. As you listen you can imagine being carried away by the emotion and passion. These are love songs to be shared with someone special, preferably in a place away from the commotion of the real world. Has any album ever been clearer about its intent than the first lines of “Sweet Love”?

With all my heart I love you, baby
Stay with me and you will see
My arms will hold you, baby
Never leave, 'cause I believe

Any time I return to Anita Baker, especially Rapture, I’m comforted by it. My soul feels lifted up and warmed by this collection of superb songs.

My rating:1

Rapture rated NME’s #2 album of the year in 1986.2

A highly favorable review appeared in Pitchfork in 2021:

Rapture as an R&B album doesn’t feel like an argument for nostalgia or authenticity as much as it does for continuity. It is not necessarily trying to emulate old soul music, even though it is certainly music with an old soul. Instead, styles from the past—soul music’s bottled feeling, funk’s unhurried step, disco and post-disco’s lush grooves, gospel’s power, jazz’s curiosity—are brought into the present and combined in such a way that one’s sense of time outside of the songs ceases to matter, creating a dream space where all of these displaced musical forms can blossom simultaneously and entangle with each other. Rapture is l3ike a home Baker built, a hearth, a warm safe place where both the mystery of love and the history of Black music can be both explored and preserved.4

Writing for the BBC in 2010, Daryl Easlea placed Rapture in lofty territory:

Rapture was much-loved when it was released and made Baker the doyen of sophisticated soul. It united highbrow (Rolling Stone and even leftfield UK magazine The Wire loved it) and the popular. It chimed especially with the American public, resting high in the albums chart; and the US industry, winning two Grammys…Had it been recorded in the 60s, it would be as revered as Aretha Franklin’s Muscle Shoals recordings or Dusty in Memphis.5

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In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Daryl Easlea wrote:

Utilizing an incredible array of session talent, Rapture is a highly produced diva album that still stands up perfectly. Produced mainly be Michael J. Powell, who crafted a selection of covers and originals that sited Baker’s sensual alto, the album was a compromise. Baker wanted it to be jazz out and out; Powell wanted smooth-grooving R&B. It was this give and take that truly sparked the beauty within. To dismiss this as smooth radio fodder would be to ignore the glorious spikiness in Baker’s phrasing.6

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

Prime Playlist:

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: # 11 7
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Sweet Love”, #8; “Caught Up in the Rapture”, #37; “No One in the World”, #44; “Same Ole Love (365 Days A Year)”, #44 8
• RIAA certification: 5x Platinum | January 11, 1994 9

Released on March 20, 1986. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Sara” by Starship10
• Number one album: Whitney Houston by Whitney Houston11
• Number one movie: Gung Ho by Ron Howard12
• Most watched TV programs: The Cosby Show (NBC), Family Ties (NBC), Cheers (NBC), Golden Girls (NBC), Who’s the Boss? (ABC), Dynasty (ABC), 60 Minutes (CBS), Growing Pains (ABC), If Tomorrow Comes, Sunday (CBS)13
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum14
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Bus 9 to Paradise by Leo Buscaglia15

Sport

• Mar 22 HBO launches boxing’s heavyweight-title-unification-tournament.
• Mar 22 Jamaican boxer Trevor Berbick upsets Pinklon Thomas by unanimous decision in Las Vegas to win WBC heavyweight title.
• Mar 25 Canadian Kurt Browning becomes the first figure skater to land a quadruple jump.16

Notable Births

• Mar 18 Li Lykke [Zachrisson], Swedish pop-electronic singer-songwriter (“I Follow Rivers”), born in Ystad, Sweden
• Mar 20 Dean Geyer, South African-Australian singer-songwriter (Australian Idol), and actor (Neighbours; Glee), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
• Mar 20 Ruby Rose, Australian model, actor (Orange is the New Black) recording artist, and gender activist, born in Melbourne, Australia.https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/date/1986/march

Historical Events

• 19 Mar 1986 Vega 1 spacecraft encounters Halley’s Comet: On March 19, 1986, the Soviet spacecraft Vega 1 made a close encounter with Halley’s Comet, providing valuable data and images of the comet’s nucleus and atmosphere. This mission was part of a dual spacecraft effort, with Vega 2 also launched to study the comet shortly after. The data collected significantly advanced our understanding of comets and their composition.
• 20 Mar 1986 New York City passes landmark LGBTQ rights legislation: The New York City Council passed the Gay Rights Bill, prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing, employment, and public accommodations. The bill, which had been debated for 15 years, passed with a 21-14 vote. Mayor Edward Koch supported the legislation, emphasizing its role in protecting civil rights. The bill imposed fines up to $500 and up to one year in jail for violations.
• 21 Mar 1986 Debi Thomas becomes first African-American to win World Figure Skating Championship in Geneva, Switzerland. This achievement followed her earlier victory at the U.S. National Championships in February 1986, where she became the first African-American to win a non-novice title. Thomas’s groundbreaking performances in 1986 earned her the ABC’s Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year award.17

Notable Deaths

• Mar 18 Bernard Malamud, American novelist (The Fixer, The Natural, Pulitzer 1967), dies at 71.
• Mar 22 Charles Starrett, American actor (The Mask of Fu Manchu, Bonanza Town), dies at 82.
• Mar 24 Sarah Cunningham, American actress (Trapper John, M.D. - “Nurse Andrews”), dies of a heart attack while attending the Oscar ceremony at 67.18

The Soft Boys were an English outfit. They formed in Cambridge in 1976 disbanding in 1981 after a short run of psychedelic music and retro folk-rock, just a year before the release of Underwater Moonlight, their second and final album. The Soft Boys’ short run belied the lengthy list of artists they roused and inspired influencing the development of jangle pop, indie rock, and neo-psychedelia during the 1980s and beyond.1

Having never heard of The Soft Boys the first thing to catch my interest is this album title. It’s evocative and mysterious with a cover shot that teases there might be something different, possibly weird, and interesting within. The first chord of the first track, “I Wanna Destroy You” immediately called to mind “Pretty in Pink” by the Psychedelic Furs, which was released a year later. I wonder if the Furs were listening to this album. Not that the lyrical content matches. The Soft Boys appear to be warning about nefarious forces pushing Europe toward fascism and the necessity of quashing it quickly.

I feel it coming on again
Just like it did before
They feed your pride with boredom
And they lead you on to war

I hear a lot in this record that must have influenced later artists. “The Queen of Eyes” could be mistaken as an Oasis song. It’s an economical, hook-driven little masterpiece of pop. R.E.M. and The Replacements cited the band as prime influences.2

I also have to note the sharp, sometimes jarring licks by guitarist Kimberly Rew who would go on to greater notice by joining Katrina and the Waves following the Soft Boys’ demise.

This album is not in my typical wheelhouse, but I liked it a lot. My rating:3

I imagine some readers in the U.K. might have some familiarity with the Soft Boys. What do you remember about them?

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A review in Pitchfork called the album, “the darkest, heaviest light pop album anyone's ever made” while running “through tracks like ‘I Wanna Destroy You’ at breakneck pace, all the while dishing up Byrdsy harmonies and jangling guitars.”4

Stephen Thomas Erlewine pointed out in his review for AllMusic:

Although the neo-psychedelic flourishes are fascinating, the key to record’s success is how each song is constructed around rock-solid hooks and melodies that instantly work their way into the subconscious. In fact, that’s the most notable thing about Underwater Moonlight -- it updates jangling, melodic guitar pop for the post-punk world, which made it a touchstone for much of the underground pop of the mid-’80s, particularly R.E.M.5

In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Rob Morton wrote:

Formed in Cambridge in 1976, The Soft Boys fused pop hooks with British folk rock and snotty punk aggression. Lead singer Robyn Hitchcock, guitarist Kimberly Rew, drummer Morris Windsor, and bassist Matthew Seligman never quite fitted in with the music trends of the time, but time has a funny way of catching up when the music is this good.6

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

Prime Playlist:

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: n/a
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: n/a

Released on June 1980. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Funkytown” by Lipps Inc.7
• Number one album: Glass Houses by Billy Joel8
• Number one movie: The Empire Strikes Back by George Lucas9
• Most watched TV programs: 60 Minutes, Three’s Company, That’s Incredible, Alice, M*A*S*H, Dallas, Flow, The Jeffersons, Dukes of Hazard, One Day at a Time, Archie Bunker’s Place, Eight is Enough, Taxi10
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum11
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Thy Neighbor’s Wife by Gay Talese12

Sport

• Jun 7 112th Belmont Stakes: Eddie Maple aboard Temperence Hill wins in 2:29.8.
• Jun 7 French Open Women’s Tennis: Chris Evert retains title; beats Virginia Ruzici of Romania 6-0, 6-3 for her 10th Grand Slam singles crown.
• Jun 8 French Open Men’s Tennis: Björn Borg of Sweden wins 3rd straight French title; beats American Vitas Gerulaitis 6-4, 6-1, 6-2.13

Notable Births

• Jun 2 Fabrizio Moretti, Brazilian-born rock drummer (The Strokes), born in Rio de Janeiro.
• Jun 2 Irish Grinstead, American R&B singer (702 - “Where My Girls At?”), born in Houston, Texas (d. 2023).
• Jun 17 Venus Williams, American tennis star considered one of the all-time greats of women’s tennis, born in Lynwood, California.14

Historical Events

• 09 Jun 1980 Soyuz T-2 mission returns to Earth after successful docking with Salyut 6: On June 9, 1980, the Soviet Soyuz T-2 spacecraft, carrying cosmonauts Yury Malyshev and Vladimir Aksyonov, safely landed in Kazakhstan after a four-day mission. The crew had docked with the Salyut 6 space station on June 6, 1980, conducting scientific experiments and performing a visual inspection of the station before returning to Earth.
• 13 Jun 1980 UN Security Council adopts Resolution 473 calling for release of Nelson Mandela: On June 13, 1980, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 473, condemning South Africa’s repression and calling for the release of all political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela.
• 16 Jun 1980 Diamond v. Chakrabarty: Supreme Court allows patenting of genetically modified organisms: On June 16, 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Diamond v. Chakrabarty that a genetically engineered bacterium capable of breaking down crude oil is patentable under 35 U.S.C. § 101. This landmark decision established that living, human-made microorganisms qualify as ‘manufactures’ or ‘compositions of matter,’ thereby opening the door for patenting genetically modified organisms and significantly impacting the biotechnology industry.15

Notable Deaths

• Jun 4 Charles Miller, American rock-funk flutist, saxophonist, and singer (War - “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”; “Low Rider”), stabbed to death during a mugging in Los Angeles at 41.
• Jun 7 Henry Miller, American writer (Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn), dies of circulatory complications at 88.
• Jun 18 André Leducq, French cyclist (Tour de France 1930, 32; Olympic gold road race 1924), dies at 76.16

Having never heard of Penguin Cafe Orchestra I didn’t know what to expect. Although I was very much looking forward to this listening experience because my mom collected penguin figurines.

Brian Eno was the executive producer for Music From the Penguin Cafe a mostly instrumental work. Eno’s involvement makes sense given the eclectic nature of his accomplished career.

Penguin Cafe Orchestra was a group of talented musicians outside the world of pop or rock. Most of them were classically trained musicians. They employ several instruments not usually heard on recordings of popular music like cuatro, spinet, and sheng. Simon Jeffes and company put them to great affect making quite enjoyable combinations leaving us with an album to enjoy that offers plenty of whimsy and playfulness but also with more seriousness or even darkness. “Zopf: In a Sydney Motel” mentions double suicide. Taken literally that’s pretty dark. But this could just be an extreme way of expressing a breakup. Songs with an open interpretation are always interesting.

I particularly enjoyed the opening track "Penguin Cafe Single" and "Giles Farnaby's Dream". Great energy on both with an almost jaunty mood on the latter.

I’ve played this several times and I find subtle differences with each listen that deepened my appreciation. I don’t know if I’ll return to this record very often, but I suspect I’ll spin it again one day.

My rating:1

Writing for AllMusic Dave Connelly identified two distinct aspects to the album.

As a result, Music From the Penguin Cafe tugs from two very different directions: the avant-garde and the innocent. Listeners are trained to save room for the sweet stuff at the end; by placing it at the beginning, most listeners won’t have the appetite for the heavy courses that follow. Mind you, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra are no laughing matter, but heavy artists abound, and musicians with a sense of humor about their art are cherished oddities.2

A review appearing in Sputnik Music concludes:

If nothing else Music From the Penguin Cafe will entertain you. The unique mix of string and rock instruments creates a soft and elegant sound rather then a boisterous and loud feel. While the music is truly something different it does have its flaws. You may find yourself dozing off a bit at times, I find myself napping routinely when the string instruments dominate the sound. Aside from this the album shines and is something I'd recommend to anyone who wants some nice, calm folk influenced chamber-pop.3

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In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Tim Sheridan wrote:

With its surreal cover art and unconventional spin on hallowed musical conventions, Music From The Penguin Cafe stands as one of the truly unique works of 1970s pop music.4

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

Prime Playlist:

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: n/a
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: n/a

Released on January 1, 1976. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Saturday Night” by Bay City Rollers5
• Number one album: Chicago IX: Chicago’s Greatest Hits by Chicago6
• Number one movie: Dog Day Afternoon by Sidney Lumet7
• Most watched TV programs: All in the Family, Laverne & Shirley, Rich Man, Poor Man, Maude, The Bionic Woman, Phyllis, Sanford and Son, The Six Million Dollar Man, Rhoda, Happy Days8
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Curtain by Agatha Christie9
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Bring on the Empty Horses by David Niven10

11

Sport

• Jan 1 62nd Rose Bowl: #11 UCLA beats #1 Ohio State, 23-10.
• Jan 3 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley beats Renata Tomanova of Czechoslovakia 6-2, 6-2 for her 3rd straight home singles title.
• Jan 4 Australian Open Men's Tennis: In an all-Australian final Mark Edmondson upsets John Newcombe 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-1 for his first and only Grand Slam title.12

Notable Births

• Jan 2 Mahée Paiement, Canadian film and television actress (Les Boys, Caméra café), born in Saint-Eustache, Quebec.
• Jan 2 Paz Vega, Spanish director and actress (Sex and Lucía, Spanglish), born in Seville, Spain.
• Jan 5 Matt Wachter, American bassist (30 Seconds to Mars, 2001-07 - “A Beautiful Lie”; Angels & Airwaves. 2007-19), born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.13

Historical Events

• 01 Jan 1976 Middle East Airlines Flight 438 bombing incident: On January 1, 1976, Middle East Airlines Flight 438 was bombed, resulting in the tragic loss of lives. The incident highlighted the ongoing tensions and conflicts in the region during that period.
• 02 Jan 1976 Devastating North Sea Gale of 1976: The North Sea Gale of 1976 struck on January 2, causing severe weather conditions and significant damage across the region. The storm resulted in loss of life and extensive property damage, affecting many coastal areas.
• 03 Jan 1976 US nuclear test at Nevada Test Site: On January 3, 1976, the United States conducted a nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site. This test was part of a series of underground nuclear tests aimed at assessing the effectiveness of nuclear weapons. The test was conducted under the auspices of the Department of Energy.14

Notable Deaths

• Jan 5 Georges Migot, French composer, and poet (Les Agrestide; L’Arche), dies at 84.
• Jan 5 Mal Evans, British Beatles roadie and personal assistant, dies in a confrontation with police at his Los Angeles home at 40.
• Jan 8 Zhou Enlai(1898-1976), Premier of the People’s Republic of China, dies of bladder cancer at 77.
• Jan 12 Agatha Christie, English crime writer (Murder on the Orient Express, Mousetrap), dies at 8515

Experimental rock has never been my thing, but for most of Tago Mago, by German band Can, I enjoyed the product of this mad scientist laboratory. Going in I was expecting a lot of incongruous noise that would be a chore to just get through. But the first three four tracks proved quite enjoyable and didn’t sound particularly experimental to me. Maybe for 1971 it was experimental, but these tunes sounded almost like mainstream classic rock to my ear.

And then the really experimental portion of the record kicked in. And I liked that part a lot too. I was a little surprised by that but glad I got to hear such interesting music. One of the more delightful aspects for me was that from time to time all of a sudden, a sleek guitar solo pops up by guitarist Michael Karol.

At times I’m reminded of bands like Grateful Dead and Steely Dan. Even Frank Zappa, although I find this more accessible than Zappa’s experimental stuff, for the most part.

Tago Mago proved to be highly influential for many artists including David Bowie, Julian Cope, Primal Scream, the Flaming Lips many electronic artists, avant gardists, and John Lydon who said, “Tago Mago is a stunning album. In particular “Halleluhwah”, which lasts an entire side.”1

My rating:2

Douglas Wolk for Pitchfork called the album “a colossus, the product of a band that was thinking huge, pushing itself to its limits, and devoted to breaking open its own understanding of what rock music could be.”3

Classic Rock Magazine asserted, “It was an album that realigned rock, commencing countdown for 21st-century music. Like music beamed down to Earth from some deeply peculiar planet, Can’s masterpiece remains deliciously alien but never less than utterly hypnotic.”4

Ned Raggett gave a 5-star review for AllMusic naming Tago Mago one of the greatest albums ever:

With the band in full artistic flower and Damo Suzuki’s sometimes moody, sometimes frenetic speak/sing/shrieking in full effect, Can released not merely one of the best Krautrock albums of all time, but one of the best albums ever, period. Tago Mago is that rarity of the early ‘70s, a double album without a wasted note, ranging from sweetly gentle float to full-on monster grooves. 5

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In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Chris Shade wrote:

Alongside groups such as Kraftwerk and Faust, Can’s fusion of Stockhausen’s early electronic experiments and The Velvet Underground’s art rock proved German rock bands were starting to find their own identity without resorting to a pastiche of American or British acts. Even after 30 years Tago Mago sounds refreshingly contemporary and gloriously extreme.6

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

Prime Playlist:

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: n/a
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: n/a

Released in August of 1971. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” by Bee Gees7
• Number one album: Tapestry by Carole King8
• Number one movie: Willard by Daniel Mann9
• Most watched TV programs: All in the Family, The Flip Wilson Show, Marcus Welby, MD, Gunsmoke, ABC Movie of the Week, Sanford and Son, Mannix, Here’s Lucy, Funny Face, Adam 1210
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty11
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown12

13

Sport

• Aug 1 Richard Petty wins the Dixie 500 in Atlanta, Georgia, to become the first NASCAR driver to win $1 million in career earnings.
• Aug 9 Satchel Paige is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Aug 10 Sixteen baseball researchers form the Society for American Baseball Research.14

Notable Births

• Aug 13 Vernell Brown Jr., American jazz and R&B pianist, composer, arranger (Kenny Garrett Quintet), born in Las Angeles, California.
• Aug 18 Aphex Twin {Richard D. James], Welsh experimental and electronic musician and composer, born in Limerick, Ireland.
• Aug 26 Thalía, Mexican actress and singer known as the “Queen of Latin Pop”, born in Mexico City.15

Historical Events

• 04 Aug 1971 Apollo 15 lunar satellite deployment: On August 4, 1971, Apollo 15 successfully deployed a lunar satellite as part of its mission objectives. This marked a significant advancement in lunar exploration and scientific research, contributing valuable data about the Moon’s surface.
• 07 Aug 1971 Apollo 15 Mission Return: The Apollo 15 mission, the fourth crewed mission to land on the Moon, concluded on August 7, 1971, with the safe return of astronauts David Scott, James Irwin, and Alfred Worden to Earth.
• 08 Aug 1971 British soldier killed by IRA in Belfast: On August 8, 1971, British soldier Malcolm Hatton, aged 21, was killed in an IRA sniper attack while on foot patrol in Brompton Park, Ardoyne, Belfast.16

Notable Deaths

• Aug 1 John McDermott, American golfer (US Open, 1911-12), dies of heart failure at 79.
• Aug 13 King Curtis [Ousley], American Grammy Award-winning R&B, rock, jazz, and session saxophonist bandleader (”Memphis Soul Stew”; Aretha Franklin; John Lennon), murdered during an argument with a vagrant outside of his NYC home at 37.
• Aug 13 W. O. Bentley (1888-1971) English engineer and motoring pioneer who founded Bentley Motors Limited, dies at 82.17

The third album from Texas blues rockers ZZ Top gained the band their first major commercial success. The first of their albums to crack the top 100 of the Billboard album chart as well as the top then also produced the band’s first signature single, “La Grange”. Several tracks became AOR staples.

The boogie blues influence is obvious. ZZ Top combine their interpretation of the great American music genre with a Texas sensibility of rock and roll which is informed by Mexican-American culture. Hence the incorporation of Spanish words like Tres Hombres. But Billy Gibbons named other influences like The Animals, the Rolling Stones, The Beatles (like virtually every musician who was a kid in the ‘60s), The Who, The Kinks, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck.1 Lots of English rockers who were major fans of American Blues.

We hear the signature ZZ Top sound, that unmistakable and unique fuzzy and fat guitar tone Billy Gibbons developed. Speaking of Gibbons, his solos are not all that flashy, but they are purposeful. He keeps them within the framework of the song without making them separate from the song. He’s one of the underappreciated guitarists out there.

Dusty Hill’s bass and Frank Beard’s drumming serve as the steady backbone of the sound. Again, nothing flashy. But spectacular all the same. Listen to how tight they are and how they set the mood and the pace. Gibbons’ fuzzy guitar may be the signature feature, but Hill’s bass grooves and Beard’s propulsive drums prove essential to the ZZ Top sound.

ZZ Top has influenced and informed loads of artists who followed. Pantera bassist Rex Brown cites ZZ Top as one of the major influences on his band (along with Van Halen). Brown says of his fellow Texans, “There’s nothing like Tres Hombres and there never will be.”2 Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys is a devotee of ZZ Top.3 Jack White and Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme both admit to being enthusiasts.4

Lots of artists have covered ZZ Top. Notable covers of songs off Tres Hombres include Phish doing “Jesus Just Left Chicago”, “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” by Motörhead, and “La Grange” (Live at the Tokyo Forum) by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and John Petrucci.

The story of a Texas brothel told in the lyrics of “La Grange” combined with the wonderful guitar work makes this as close to a perfect song as you can get. Rolling Stone ranked it #74 on its list of 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time stating the song, “has become a standard for guitarists to show off their chops.”5 Q Magazine put it at #92 on its list of greatest guitar tracks.6

I have to point out that the riff of “La Grange” was almost surely taken from John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillen”. In fact, a lawsuit claimed just that. That suit was ultimately dismissed as the judge ruled the song was in the public domain. However, in response to the outcome, Congress later changed copyright law to protect creators for a longer period of time.7

Tres Hombres is an excellent introduction to the rawer, gritter version of the band that may be lost on listeners only familiar with their later work like Eliminator. A true masterpiece and essential for anyone who wants to understand ZZ Top. My rating:8

Uncle Duke of Mad Music Radio advises:

For listeners, it remains a masterclass in how to make music that's both deeply rooted and utterly timeless. Whether you're hearing it for the first time or the hundredth, "Tres Hombres" continues to deliver the goods with the same dusty, sweaty intensity that made it special in the first place.9

Andy Beta wrote a glowing review of Tres Hombres for Pitchfork including these insights:

Tres Hombres is a top sirloin steak of an album, lean yet beefy, not a trace of gristle to be had on 10 songs that clock in just over 33 minutes. It twines together both the Texas blues and its hard-rocking British variant, with Gibbons taking cues from the likes of Lightnin’ Hopkins and Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green. But it also stakes out its own ground. The record struck a nerve with metalheads and punks, prog-rockers and hipsters. In its songs, tales of highway succubuses and Greyhounds abound, the supernatural mingling with the folksy, Jesus with good ol’ boy ghosts.

The end result changed the ZZ Top’s fortunes forever, even if the initial critical response was muted. NME found the songs “virtually indistinguishable, the lyrics unmemorable.” Rolling Stone said they were “only one of several competent Southern rocking bands.” Tres Hombres nevertheless went Top 10, hung out on the charts for 81 weeks, and gave them their first gold record, even though the album’s lone single, “La Grange,” broke down just outside the Top 40. ZZ Top would forever sound like a Texas roadhouse blues band, even as they now filled stadiums.10

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In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, David Nichols wrote:

What is indisputable is that their Texas roots were absolutely inseparable from their down ‘n’ dirty sound.

Tres Hombres is a showcase of everything that is magnificent about the group - and the inclusion of the huge hit “La Grange” is only part of that story.11

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

Prime Playlist:

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #8 12
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: “La Grange”, #41 13
• RIAA certification: Gold | May 23, 1974 14

Released on July 26, 1973. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” by Jim Croce15
• Number one album: Living in the Material World by George Harrison16
• Number one movie: Live and Let Die by Guy Hamilton17
• Most watched TV programs: All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Hawaii Five-O, Maude, Bridget Loves Bernie, NBC Sunday Mystery Movie, Marcus Welby, MD, Ironside, Gunsmoke, Wonderful World of Disney, Mary Tyler Moore, The Flip Wilson Show, Adam 12, Cannon18
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut19
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution by Dr. Robert Atkins20

21

Sport

• Jul 21 Braves Hank Aaron hits Philadelphia Phillies Ken Brett’s fastball for his 700th HR, in Atlanta.
• Jul 22 60th Tour de France won by Luis Ocana of Spain.
• Jul 22 US Open Women’s Golf, CC of Rochester: Susie Maxwell Berning wins by 5 from Gloria Ehret & Shelley Hamlin for her third national title.22

Notable Births

• Jul 22 Rufus Wainwright, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, born in Rhinebeck, New York.
• Jul 25 Dani Filth [Daniel Davey], British lyricist, and heavy metal singer (Cradle of Filth), born in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England.
• Jul 27 Abe Cunningham, American musician (Deftones), born in Long Beach, Californi23

Historical Events

• 23 Jul 1973 Nixon refuses to release Watergate tapes: On July 23, 1973, President Richard Nixon refused to hand over his secret audio recordings to the Senate Watergate Committee and Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, citing executive privilege. This refusal initiated a legal battle that culminated in the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling one year later that Nixon must hand over the tapes.
• 25 Jul 1973 Skylab 3 mission launch: The Skylab 3 mission was launched on July 25, 1973, carrying a crew of three astronauts to the United States’ first space station, Skylab. The mission focused on scientific experiments and observations of the Earth and the Sun.
• 28 Jul 1973 Summer Jam at Watkins Glen Rock Festival: The Summer Jam at Watkins Glen was a major rock festival held on July 28, 1973, in Watkins Glen, New York. It featured performances by The Band, The Allman Brothers Band, and Grateful Dead, attracting over 600,000 attendees, making it one of the largest concerts in history.24

Notable Deaths

• Jul 20 Bruce Lee, Hong Kong-American martial artist and actor (Enter the Dragon), dies of a cerebral edema at 32.
• Jul 23 Eddie Rickenbacker, American aviator “Ace of Aces” (WWI), dies at 82.
• Jul 28 Mary Ellen Chase, American educator and author (Windswept, 1959 Sarah Hale Award), dies at 86.25

9

Mad Music Musings

ZZ Top's Tres Hombres: The Texas Trio's Breakthrough Masterpiece

When ZZ Top released their third studio album "Tres Hombres" on July 26, 1973, they could hardly have imagined they were creating what would become their most essential and enduring work. Featured this week on the Friday Long Play on the Mad Music Asylum, this album represents a perfect snapshot of when raw Texas blues met rock and roll swagger, creatin…

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a year ago · 8 likes · Uncle Duke

This debut album from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was not much of a hit in America upon release. Only one single, “Breakdown” hit the Top 40. The band found more success in Europe initially. This album went Top 20 in Britain and sold well in France and Germany.1

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers eventually earned Gold certification. But that wasn’t until more than eleven years after its premier. Petty & Company eventually found big success after this gem.

Looking at the cover, Petty wears a black leather jacket with a confident, punk-esque expression. But his smirk isn’t threatening. He’s projecting an I-don’t-give-a-shit aura, yet with a humorous manner. He’s letting us in on the joke. He’s looking tough, but he’s deeper than that.

The cover belies the character of the album. Petty reveals himself as a songwriter who cares deeply about life and regular people’s struggles. I had never listened to this record, so other than the two well-known tracks this was fresh ground for me. The opening track “Rockin’ Around (With You)” surprised me with some mild punk sound to it. Nothing dangerous, just a hint. There also seems to be a smattering of new wave elements. This is interesting to me because I’ve always considered Tom Petty to be fairly straightforward rock and roll. Maybe these flourishes of punk and new wave help explain why the band was initially more popular in Europe than the US. Petty said about this album, “There’s an eccentricity to the first album. It doesn’t sound like anything else from the time.”2

“Breakdown” has become part of the rock and roll canon. It gives a sleazy bar vibe without being off-putting. A breakup song to which anyone can relate who has gone through a slow disintegration of a relationship.

The masterpiece of the album is “American Girl.” A character study that was an early display of why Tom Petty ranks with any Pantheon-level of American songwriter. The promise of the American dream and the crushing disappointment for one who fails to achieve their idea of it.

The rest of the album’s tracks are plainspoken, sincere, forthright songs of people trying to make the best of life, love found and lost, the young rebelling and living free, and racial tension. There’s even a spooky-sounding ode to the moon; sporting a whisper of prog-rock the protagonist pleads for “Luna come to me tonight / I am a prisoner”. Is he pining for love or maybe this tune is about a werewolf??? Petty packed a lot into thirty-and-a-half minutes of exquisite rock.

A wonderful album that must be on any list of remarkable debut albums. My rating:3

Steve Kendall writing for Pitchfork in 2017 proclaims the greatness of “American Girl”:

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers also contains what by now has to be on a very short list of the most perfect rock songs ever written. The musical equivalent of a starter’s pistol or a struck match, “American Girl” is, somewhat counterintuitively, the album’s final track; had it been the opener, it might not even have mattered what came after. From that clarion opening chord and snare crack to the jittery guitar solo outro and all beats in between, the song is a master class in economy and a snapshot of a newish band that’s found its footing.4

Blender in its 4-star rating characterized the album as, “A debut so ornery and rooted in ’60s pop it was lumped in with new wave—damn odd for a band that had opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Petty proved his love of the past by singing a goofy rockabilly line like “I dig rocking around with you” with real sincerity.”5

Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic wrote that the songs “are infused with spirit and an appealing surface.” He rated the album at 4.5 stars.

At the time Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' debut was released in 1976, they were fresh enough to almost be considered punk. They weren't as reckless or visionary as the Ramones, but they shared a similar love for pure '60s rock and, for the Heartbreakers, that meant embracing the Byrds as much as the Stones. And that's pretty much what this album is -- tuneful jangle balanced by a tough garage swagger.6

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In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Micheal Heatley wrote:

Prophets without honor in their own country for a long while, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers went Top 20 in Britain and sold well in Germany and France before the group’s native United States took any notice. Taking equally from The Byrds and Dylan, the band added a new-wave energy to songs that (with two exceptions) were written in an afternoon and recorded the same evening. “It was very fresh and really exciting, so I wanted the material to be fresh too,” Petty recalled.

Heatley, Michael, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fifth printing, ed. by Robert Dimmery p. 355.

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

Spotify Playlist:

Prime Playlist:

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #55 7
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Breakdown”, #408
• RIAA certification: Gold | January 25, 1988 9

Released on November 9, 1976. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Rock‘n Me” by Steve Miller Band10
• Number one album: Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder11
• Number one movie: Marathon Man by John Schlesinger12
• Most watched TV programs: Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, M*A*S*H, Charlie’s Angels, The Six Million Dollar Man, ABC Sunday Night Movie, One Day at a Time, Three’s Company, The Bionic Woman13
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie14
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Passages by Gail Sheehy15

16

Dizzee Rascal (Dylan Mills) has had only modest commercial success in the US. Combined with hip hop not being in my wheelhouse and I’d never heard of him before this project. From what I can tell he is a uniquely British artist and this album is uniquely London and specifically East London telling “the story of what it was to be young, Black and British in East London in the early 2000s”.1 I was in London for a couple of days in 1985 and only saw tourist areas. This makes it difficult for me to fully appreciate and understand where this album comes from.

At the same time, I’m always interested in cultures with which I have no real-life interaction. Dizzee offers lots of exposure and insight to what for me is an alien culture. Dizzee’s blistering talent elevates this album above stock hip hop to something special. His flow is enthusiastic, limber, and powerful. The energetic beats engage the listener without overwhelming the lyrics.

Dizzee won the Mercury Prize in 2003 on the back of this debut album.2 An even more remarkable achievement considering he was just eighteen when the album was released.

Boy in da Corner still sounds fresh today. My rating:

In a glowing review in Pitchfork Scott Plagenhoef makes the case that “On his debut album, Boy in Da Corner, 18 year-old Dizzee Rascal instantly stakes a claim that East London is hip-hop's next great international outpost.” And “to wunderkind Rascal, the accelerated disintegration of his immediate world pains him-- absolutely wounds him-- and it's the Tupac-esque mix of brio and vulnerability, along with his dexterous cadence and gutter beats, that separates his rhymes from the typical money/cash/hoes triptych.3

Rolling Stone’s 5-star review concluded:

Just as N.W.A once captured the realities of the hood, Dizzee evokes twenty-first-century street life -- the real, the virtual and the violent. If you want to hear where hip-hop is at, step up and be the 9 millionth satisfied Eminem customer. But if you want a vision of the future of hip-hop and techno, get this record.4

NME proclaimed “Boy In The Corner is one of the most assured debut albums of the last five years.5

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Boy in da Corner is not included in my edition of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

Prime Playlist:

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

Share

Subscribe now

For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: n/a
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: n/a

Released on July 21, 2003. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z6
• Number one album: Chapter II by Ashanti7
• Number one movie: Bad Boys II by Michael Bay8
• Most watched TV programs: CSI, Friends, Joe Millionaire, ER, American Idol9
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown10
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton11

Some other albums released that week

• Evolver by 311
• It's All in Your Head by Eve 6
• Moodring by Mya
• Mud on the Tires by Brad Paisley
• Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard
• Special One by Cheap Trick
• Speed Graphic by Ben Folds
• Strays by Jane's Addiction
• Three Days Grace by Three Days Grace
• Tribe by Queensrÿche12

Sport

• Jul 20 British Open Men's Golf, Royal St George's GC: American Ben Curtis becomes first debut winner since Tom Watson in 1975; in his first major appearance at #396 in world rankings beats runners-up Thomas Bjørn and Vijay Singh by 1 stroke.
• Jul 27 90th Tour de France: no winner (Lance Armstrong disqualified).13

Notable Births

• Jul 1 Storm Reid, American actress (A Wrinkle in Time, Euphoria), born in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Jul 1 Tate McRae, Canadian singer-songwriter and dancer ("You Broke Me First", "Greedy"), born in Calgary, Alberta.
• Jul 13 Wyatt Oleff, American actor (It), born in Chicago, Illinois14

Historical Events

• 19 Jul 2003 World Health Organization Declares Global AIDS Pandemic: On July 19, 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared AIDS a global pandemic, highlighting the severe worldwide health crisis caused by HIV/AIDS. This declaration underscored the urgent need for international cooperation, research, and support for affected populations.
• 20 Jul 2003 BBC Reveals Source of Iraq Dossier Controversy: Richard Sambrook, Director of BBC News, disclosed that Dr. David Kelly was the source behind allegations that Downing Street had 'sexed up' the September Dossier, a controversial document related to Iraq's alleged weapons capabilities.
• 22 Jul 2003 Death of Saddam Hussein's Sons in US Military Operation: Uday and Qusay Hussein, sons of Saddam Hussein, were killed by the U.S. military in a targeted operation in Iraq, following a tip from an informant. The operation was conducted by the 101st Airborne Division and Special Forces, who attacked a compound and eliminated key figures of the former Iraqi regime.15

Notable Deaths

• Jul 4 Barry White, American singer ("Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe"; "You're The First, The Last, My Everything"), dies at 58.
• Jul 25 Erik Brann [Braunn], American violin prodigy and rock guitarist (Iron Butterfly - "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"), dies of congenital heart disease at 52.
• Jul 25 John Schlesinger, English stage and Academy Award-winning film director (Midnight Cowboy; Darling), dies at 77.16

An album like Scott 2 is an example of why I started this project. Learning about music history and experiencing great albums is what it’s all about. Scott Walker is completely new to me. I was entirely unfamiliar with him. I suppose that’s not surprising given that this American-born singer found little commercial success in the USA before producing several UK top 10 albums with his original group The Walker Brothers followed by another string of hit records as a soloist. Sometimes those wily Brits are on to something!

This baroque pop offering kicks off with the galloping and sprawling anthem Jackie, written by the influential Belgian singer/actor/songwriter Jacques Brel1 with frequent collaborator French pianist and composer Gérard Jouannest. The original Belgian lyrics were translated into English by Mort Shuman, who was also responsible for the hit musical Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.2

I interpret the song as a man fantasizing about what he’d want to do and the kind of man he might be if he could have things the way he wants if he were able to indulge some of his basest desires. Even if “for just one little hour.” Some of what he wants is, well, let’s just say problematic.

And if I joined the social whirl
Became procurer of young girls
Then I would have my own bordello

But we have to remember that it’s just a fantasy and he knows this is not possible. Ultimately, I think the lyrics express confusion between the world the writer wants and the world as it actually is. If the things he fantasizes about come to pass, then the world would make more sense to him.

Then I would know where I was going
And then I would become all knowing

Regardless of how one interprets the lyrics, it sounds great and Walker’s expressive baritone lends a poignant longing to it all and working with the soaring orchestration and copious string arrangements serves to give us a rollicking good tune.

Another standout for me is “Black Sheep Boy”, a cover version of the 1967 Tim Hardin song. Some speculate this was written by Hardin about his drug use. Maybe. But I read it as someone pleading with their family for acceptance and love. Either way, Walker gives an emotional performance that isn’t maudlin or overly sentimental. It’s heartfelt and beautiful.

Incidentally, many other artists have covered “Black Sheep Boy” include Don McLean, Vince Guaraldi, Joel Grey, Bobby Darin.

“Plastic Palace People” was penned by Walker himself. It’s my favorite of his originals on this album. I think it reflects something of how the younger generation coming up in the 1960s felt about the world their parents had made for them. A general idea that they were being lied to by the establishment to keep everyone in line. This song is an imaginative call to nonconformity.

It’s a shame Scott Walker didn’t achieve success in America like he did in the UK. Scott 2 spent several weeks in the UK Top Ten. I really like this album. My rating:3

A review by Syd Falbo appearing in rocksalted.com maintained Scott 2 is direct and straightforward while “coming up a bit short on depth at times.” But also “commendable.” Falbo calls Walker’s rendition of “Black Sheep Boy” “grandiose” and “a triumph.”4

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In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Will Fulford-Jones wrote:

Scott 2 was Walker’s most commercially successful solo album, but also the point at which he started to lose his public. Following the more cohesive but less consistent Scott 3 came Scott 4, a dense collection of self-penned material. It failed to chart, leading Walker into a creative decline not fully broken until 1995’s overwhelming Tilt.5

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: Did not chart in the U.S., but it hit the top of the U.K. charts.6
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: n/a

Released on April 5, 1968. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding7
• Number one album: Blooming Hits by Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra8
• Number one movie: The Graduate by Mike Nichols9
• Most watched TV programs: The Andy Griffith Show, The Lucy Show, Gomer Pyle USMC, Gunsmoke, Family Affair10
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Airport by Arthur Hailey11
• Publisher’s Weekly bestseller, non-fiction: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book by the BH&G Editors12

Some other albums released that month

• Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel
• The Legend of Bonnie & Clyde by Merle Haggard
• Odessey and Oracle by The Zombies
• The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees by The Monkees
• The Temptations Wish It Would Rain by The Temptations
• Linda Ronstadt, Stone Poneys and Friends, Vol. III by Stone Poneys
• Dance to the Music by Sly & the Family Stone
• Children of the Future by Steve Miller Band
• Just Because I’m a Woman by Dolly Parton
• Randy Newman by Randy Newman
• I Got the Feelin’ by James Brown
• Journey to the Center of the Mind by Amboy Dukes
• The Twain Shall Meet by Eric Burdon & The Animals13

Sport

• Apr 8 Major League Baseball decides to postpone Opening Day because of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
• Apr 9 Minnesota’s Wayne Connelly is 1st to score on a Stanley Cup penalty shot.
• Apr 14 32nd US Masters Tournament: Bob Goalby shoots a final round 66 (-6) to win his only major title, 1 stroke ahead of Roberto De Vicenzo who has his card famously marked incorrectly.14

Notable Births

• Apr 3 Sebastian Bach [Bierk], Canadian heavy metal singer (Skid Row - “I Remember You”; “Psycho Love”), born in Freeport, Bahamas.
• Apr 5 Paula Cole, American pop singer (”I Don’t Want To Wait”), born in Rockport, Massachussetts.
• Apr 8 Patricia Arquette (57 years old) Oscar-winning American actress (Boyhood, True Romance, Severance), born in New York City.

Historical Events

• 04 Apr 1968 Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. His death sparked national outrage and mourning, leading to significant civil rights activism and changes in legislation.
• 05 Apr 1968 Robert F. Kennedy's Cleveland City Club Speech: On April 5, 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy delivered a speech titled "On the Mindless Menace of Violence" to the Cleveland City Club, addressing the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the ensuing violence in American cities.
• 07 Apr 1968 National Day of Mourning for Martin Luther King Jr.: Following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared April 7 as a national day of mourning. This day was marked by memorial services and reflections on King's contributions to civil rights.

Notable Deaths

• Apr 5 Lois Andrews [Lorraine Gourley], American actress (Dixie Dugan; Meet Me After the Show; The Desert Hawk), dies of lung cancer at 44
• Apr 6 Robert “Bobby” Hutton, American Black Panther leader and treasurer, shot to death by Oakland police, after surrendering, at 17.
• Apr 7 Jim Clark (1936-1968) Scottish auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1965, World F1 Champion 1963, 65; 25 x F1 GP wins), dies in race accident at Hockenheim, Germany at 32.15

This is the debut album of the The Mamas & the Papas heralding their ascent as one of the major musical leaders of the 1960s counterculture movement. Lyrically there is a through line about individuality and nonconformity. Musically, it’s very much about the harmonies.

I didn’t grow up with the band, but everybody in my age group knew about “California Dreamin” which had become pretty much a pop standard by the time I became a serious music listener. This is the first time I’ve listened to this album as a whole piece, and I rather liked it a lot. None of the songs seem like filler and they all have a place, even the many covers.

One of the non-singles that stands out for me is “The ‘In’ Crowd.” It contains some very dated jargon and slang like “in crowd” and “square”. But even so, I think using that language was very intentional, and I suspect this is the reason the group chose the track, written by legendary Motown arranger Gene Page, for this album. I hear this song as an ironic condemnation of the idea of popularity and chasing it. An attitude that is kind of a counterculture pillar. At the same time, there is a line in there that would not be too far out of place in some of contemporary hip-hop’s braggadocio: “Other guys imitate us, but the original is still the greatest” Readers may remember that Dobie Gray had his breakthrough top 20 hit1 with “The ‘In’ Crowd” and the great Ramsey Lewis’s instrumental version lead off his grammy-winning album of the same name.2

All in all, a great album choice for listeners who want to explore the 60s counterculture via music.

My rating:3

Record Mirror gave a 4-star review in its contemporaneous review calling it “a very sweet album” and a “good listen” with clever harmonising, ballad and beat, but never raucus.”4

Record Collector gave a 4-star review in 2011 posits that with “the enticing intricacy of The Mamas & The Papas’ singular sound – all glorious harmonies and uplifting arrangements – the four-piece put their stamp on everything, re-inventing the originals by inverting the mood.”5

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In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, John Tobler wrote:

Alongside the big hits were tracks that reflected the quest for personal freedom which characterized the times…

Tobler, John, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fifth printing, ed. by Robert Dimmery p. 90.

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

Prime Playlist:

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #1 6
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Monday, Monday”, #1 (three weeks); “California Dreamin’”, #4 7
• RIAA certification: Platinum | February 7, 2020 8

Released on February 28, 1966. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “These Boots are Made for Walking” by Nancy Sinatra9
• Number one album: Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass10
• Number one movie: Thunderball by Terence Young11
• Most watched TV programs: Gomer Pyle USMC, The Lucy Show, The Red Skelton Show, Batman (Thursday), The Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched12
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Source by James Mitchener13
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote14

Some other albums released that month

• Roll Out the Red Carpet by Buck Owens
• I Hear a Symphony by The Supremes
• Ascension by John Coltrane
• Boom by The Sonics
• Crying Time by Ray Charles
• Doctor Zhivago by Maurice Jarre
• The Sammy Davis Jr. Show by Sammy Davis Jr.
• Somewhere There’s a Someone by Dean Martin
• Take a Ride by Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels15

Sport

• Feb 14 Wilt Chamberlain breaks NBA career scoring record at 20,884 points.
• Feb 27 8th Daytona 500: Polesitter Richard Petty comes from 2 laps down to win the event after 198 laps were completed because of rain.
• Feb 27 Ice Dance Championship at Davos won by Diane Towler and Bernard Ford of great Britain and Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Davos won by Peggy Fleming of US.16

Notable Births

• Feb 20 Cindy Crawford, American runway and magazine supermodel (Vogue, Versace, Valentino), born in DeKalb, Illinois.
• Feb 22 Rachel Dratch, American comedienne and actress (Saturday Night Live, Wine Country), born in Lexington, Massachusetts.
• Feb 22 Suave [Waymond Anderso], American R&B singer (covered The Temptations’ “My Girl”), born in Los Angeles, California.17

Historical Events

• 17 Feb 1966 Aeroflot Flight 65 crash in the Black Sea: Aeroflot Flight 65, a Soviet passenger aircraft, crashed into the Black Sea on February 17, 1966, resulting in the loss of all 117 people on board. The crash was attributed to poor weather conditions and pilot error. This incident remains one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Soviet history.
• 21 Feb 1966 France Withdraws from NATO's Integrated Military Command: On February 21, 1966, French President Charles de Gaulle announced that France would withdraw from NATO's integrated military command. This decision was part of a broader move to assert France's independence in defense matters and to reduce American influence over its military operations.
• 23 Feb 1966 Ba'ath Party intra-party military coup in Syria: On February 23, 1966, Major General Salah Jadid led a coup d'état in Syria, overthrowing President Amin al-Hafiz and Prime Minister Salah al-Din al-Bitar. The coup resulted in the establishment of a neo-Ba'athist government under Jadid's leadership, marking a significant shift in Syria's political landscape.18

Notable Deaths

• Feb 18 Grigori Grigoyevich Nelyubov, Russian cosmonaut, dies at 31.
• Feb 18 Robert Rossen, American screenwriter, producer, and film director (All the King’s Men, The Hustler), dies at 57.
• Feb 20 Chester Nimitz, American admiral who commanded the US Pacific fleet in World War II, dies at 80.19

Previous to the release of From Elvis in Memphis in 1968, the last time Elvis Presley had a top 5 hit was in 1965 (“Crying in the Chapel”). For most of the 60s, at the direction of his manager Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis was making lightweight movies and singing songs for their soundtrack albums. An enterprise that made loads of money. True, just a year earlier Presley did release his well-received gospel album How Great Thou Art, which went gold very quickly and eventually sold enough to be certified 3x Platinum. But that album was more of a passion project for Elvis than an attempt at commercial conquest.

It’s also true that the TV special '68 Comeback Special' that aired on NBC on December 3, 1968, after Presley’s seven-year-absence from live performances marked Elvis’ return to being a serious live performer. The only place fans could see Elvis during this period was in movie theaters starring in those mediocre movies. The presentation was lauded by critics and would end up being NBC’s most-watched program of the season (42 percent of the American audience watched). It was also a big hit in the United Kingdom.1 Many had come to the belief that Presley was no longer relevant in the age of the Beatles, Beach Boys, Dylan, and all the other top artists of the late 60s. This comeback special reminded everyone how great Elvis was and could be as a singer. The background on the special is very interesting, and I recommend you read it.

An interesting piece of trivia: the great Darlene Love was one of the backup singers for this show.

As a reminder about the greatness of Elvis, take a look at this powerful song with which he closed the special. It’s a great piece written by Walter Earl Brown. While Presley did not write the lyrics, he gave Brown his thoughts and philosophy about what was happening in that troubled time according to the special’s director Steve Binder.

This is the backdrop going into the recording of From Elvis in Memphis. An album that reiterated Presley’s bona fides as a genuine recording superstar. The lead single off From Elvis in Memphis, “In the Ghetto”, shot to number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Elvis had regained his popular commercial magic touch. This effort proved to be a glorious album, probably my favorite from The King.

Little-known-at-the-time Mac Davis penned “In the Ghetto.” He wanted to describe the hopeless cycle that was life in poverty. Elvis wasn’t so sure the song was right for him until producer Chips Moman wondered if he should give the song to another artist. Elvis was having none of that. While he was not much for social commentary in his music, he had just seen, along with everyone else, JFK, RFK, Malcolm X, and MLK assassinated. These killings affected Elvis profoundly.

Given the societal upheavals of the 1960s, my guess is Elvis wanted to say something about the injustices he saw like most other artists of the time. But I suspect he was concerned with angering or alienating his fans, many of whom were in the more establishment wing of the country rather than the countercultural crowd, if he got too political. In that context “In the Ghetto” was probably the perfect choice for him. It said something profound but not in an in-your-face style (as much as some would contend an in-your-face style was necessary given the dire straits facing the country at the time). Elvis could send a message without directly making his loyal fans feel threatened or guilty.2

“Suspicious Minds” may be the most famous track from this album. It was Presley’s 18th and final #1 hit. I love it. It’s dramatic and bombastic while Elvis gives one of the best vocal performances of his career. Music critic Jim Hutchison contends, “it is hard to imagine a more fitting final chart-topper for the King.”3

As a measure of the influence of “Suspicious Minds” look to the varied artists who have covered it including Dwight Yoakam, Thelma Houston, Fine Young Cannibals, Phish, The Flaming Lips, the Defects, Martina McBride, Dee Dee Warwick, Waylon Jennings & Jessi Colter, Morgan Wade, Maria Conchita Alonso, Clay Aiken, and many others.4

Besides the two most well-known tracks, “Suspicious Minds” and “In the Ghetto”, a standout for me is “Long Black Limousine” by songwriters Vern Stovall and Bobby George. The lyrics offer heartbreaking imagery of losing a loved one. Someone struck down before living a full life but keeping their promise, made before leaving to make it big, to return home in a fancy car. This is the kind of stout, emotional evocation so many country songs impart upon the listener. Elvis’ smooth and spiritual vocal performance gives the punch even deeper effect. Many artists have covered this song, some before Elvis.5 But Elvis was probably the first to do a soul-influenced version which gives a different and truly lovely interpretation.

Altogether, this strong collection showed that a middle-aged Elvis Presley still had what it takes to make great music. For me, these songs are more enjoyable than his early hits.

My rating:6

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In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Garth Cartwright wrote:

An America unhinged by war and assassinations wanted Elvis back as its rock icon: the Memphis sessions established his relevance again.7

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #13 8
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: “In the Ghetto”, #3; “Clean Up Your Own Back Yard”, #35; “Suspicious Minds”, #1 (not on original album release); “Don’t Cry Daddy/Rubberneckin’, #6 9
• RIAA certification: Gold | January 28, 1970 10

Released on June 2, 1969. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Get Back” by The Beatles11
• Number one album: Hair, The Original Cast Recording 12
• Number one movie: Winning by James Goldstone13
• Most watched TV programs: Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, Gunsmoke, Bonanza14
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth15
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Jennie16

Some other albums released that month

• At San Quentin by Johnny Cash
• Empty Sky by Elton John
• Suitable for Framing by Three Dog Night
• More by Pink Floyd
• Brave New World by Steve Miller Band
• Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart
• 3614 Jackson Highway by Cher
• Aoxomoxoa by Grateful Dead
• First Take by Roberta Flack
• Love Man by Otis Redding
• Pretties for You by Alice Cooper
• Always, Always by Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
• Beck-Ola by The Jeff Beck Group
• Deep Purple by Deep Purple
• Here We Are Again by Country Joe and the Fish
• Concerto in B. Goode by Chuck Berry17

Sport

• Jun 6 Joe Namath resigns from NFL after Pete Rozelle, football commissioner, said he must sell his stake in a bar.
• Jun 7 101st Belmont Stakes: Braulio Baeza aboard Arts & Letters wins in 2:28.8.
• Jun 7 French Open Women's Tennis: Margaret Court beats Ann Haydon-Jones of England 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 for her 3rd French singles title.
• Jun 8 French Open Men's Tennis: Rod Laver wins second leg of his 2nd Grand Slam; beats fellow Australian Ken Rosewall 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
• Jun 8 MLB legend Mickey Mantle gives his farewell retirement speech during "Mickey Mantle Day" at Yankee Stadium as 60,096 fans see #7 retired.18

Notable Births

• Jun 3 Hiroyuki Takami, Japanese pop musician (Access), born in Saitama, Japan.
• Jun 5 Brian McKnight, American R&B singer-songwriter and musician (”Love Is”; “Back at One”), born in Buffalo, New York.
• Jun 6 Douglas Lee Mitchell, American heavy metal artist (Southgang), born in Miles, Michigan.19

Historical Events

• 01 Jun 1969 French Presidential Election First Round: On June 1, 1969, France held the first round of its presidential election following President Charles de Gaulle's resignation. Georges Pompidou, representing the Union of Democrats for the Republic (UDR), secured 43.9% of the vote, while Alain Poher of the Democratic Centre (CD) received 23.4%. The high voter turnout of approximately 78% reflected the nation's engagement in this pivotal political event.
• 05 Jun 1969 Dutch Antilles government resigns amid unrest: On June 5, 1969, following the 1969 Curaçao uprising, Prime Minister Ciro Kroon of the Netherlands Antilles resigned. The uprising, which began on May 30, 1969, was sparked by labor disputes and led to widespread riots and demands for the government's resignation. Kroon's resignation marked a significant political shift in the region.
• 11 Jun 1969 Death of influential labor leader John L. Lewis: John L. Lewis, a prominent American labor leader and president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1920 to 1960, passed away on June 11, 1969, in Alexandria, Virginia.20

Notable Deaths

• Jun 1 Ivar Ballangrud, Norwegian speed skater (Olympic gold 5,000m 1928; 500m, 5,000m 10,000m 1936), dies at 65.
• Jun 1 Stan Brenders, Belgian jazz pianist and bandleader, dies at 65.
• Jun 2 Leo Gorcey, American stage and screen comic actor, and malapropist (The Dead End Kids; The East Side Boys; The Bowery Boys), dies of liver failure at 51, and malpropist.21

Not being a fan of Blur but liking what I heard on their self-titled record and enjoying the intriguing cover art, I was hoping for another rollicking ride on the Britpop express from this British quartet. It wasn’t as rollicking as I’d liked. Plenty of flaws on this quasi-concept album about life in London. But an interesting ride, nonetheless.

Don’t get me wrong, Modern Life is Rubbish is a fine album. I just didn’t like it nearly as well as I liked Blur. The album contains plenty of engaging songs like “Advert”, “Colin Zeal”, “Blue Jeans”, “Turn It Up”. But the back half has too many misses for me. Especially the album-closer “Resigned.” I think we’d have a better experience of the record ended with “Turn It Up.”

I think so much of this album is connected to and about life in early 90s Britain that it is difficult for me to fully appreciate all of that having no real experience or knowledge of it. My guess is this album is much better remembered across the pond precisely because of that.

My rating:1

I took a look at their later release Blur, which, if interested, can be found here:

NME gave a positive review in 1993 stating:

But no matter, this time they're mostly great and (gulp) all part of a thinly-veiled concept album! For 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' (the tail end of Side Two aside) is a London odyssey crammed full of strange commuters, peeping Thomases and lost dreams; of opening the windows and breathing in petrol. And you can put those idiot Suede comparisons away now. Blur have re-invented themselves in the image of their youth, sullen and suburban; as ghosts from a time when you could still be beaten up before assembly for wearing the wrong badge. It's the Village Green Preservation Society come home to find a car park in its place.2

The Chicago Tribune also recommended the album at the time of release:

Blur’s 1991 debut, “Leisure,” was intermittently pleasurable, if highly derivative, heavily reliant on the then-ubiquitous groovy dance beat popularized by Manchester bands like Happy Mondays. Nothing on it prepares the listener for the adventurousness of “Modern Life is Rubbish,” a swirling, intoxicating song cycle that enriches superior popcraft with wiggy studio experiments. Tunes like “Colin Zeal” (“Looks at his watch, he’s on time again/He’s pleased with himself, so pleased with himself”) are reminiscent of Ray Davies in his late-’60s social critic’s role, a la “David Watts.” Blur underscores its evocative songwriting with sonic playfulness that incorporates everything from cellos to typewriter bells-and a long line of British eccentrics, from Syd Barrett to Julian Cope, welcome its newest member.3

Julian Marszalek penned a retrospective look at Modern Life is Rubbish in 2025 for Louder asserting the album “is the product of educated and perceptive artists.” Marszalek points out the spirit of prog rock on the album comparing it favorably to artists such as Syd Barrett, Kevin Ayres, and Peter Hammill.

Okay, it’s not all-out prog – but the band’s second record contains the spirit of the genre, with its English eccentricities, non-linear approach to playing and rule-breaking flair.4

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In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Jake Kennedy wrote:

Could this really be the band who, just two years earlier, had been so closely identified with the much-maligned “baggy” scene? Blur’s “new” image (seen on the back cover) was that of wayward mods. Further proof of their magpie cultural tendencies - and downright pop genius - was yet to come.5

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: n/a
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: n/a

Released on May 19, 1993. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “That’s the Way Love Goes” by Janet Jackson6
• Number one album: The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album by Whitney Houston7
• Number one movie: Dave by Ivan Reitman 8
• Most watched TV programs: 60 Minutes, Roseanne, Home Improvement, Murphy Brown, Murder, She Wrote, Coach, Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Movie, Cheers, Full House9
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Bridges of Madison Country by Robert James Waller10
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Este11

Some other albums released that month

• Republic by New Order
• Down with the King by Run–D.M.C.
• Rid of Me by PJ Harvey
• Symphony or Damn by Terence Trent D’Arby
• Tell Me Why by Wynonna Judd
• Whatever by Aimee Mann
• Janet by Janet Jackson
• Organix by The Roots
• Unplugged...and Seated by Rod Stewart
• Me Amarás by Ricky Martin
• Sound of White Noise by Anthrax12

Sport

• May 8 Lennox Lewis beats Tony Tucker in 12 for heavyweight boxing title.
• May 15 118th Preakness: Mike Smith aboard Prairie Bayou wins in 1:56.
• May 22 Riddick Bowe TKOs Jesse Ferguson in 2 for heavyweight boxing title.13

Notable Births

• May 13 Morgan Wallen, American country music singer-songwriter (”Whiskey Glasses”; “Wasted On You”; “Last Night”), born in Sneedville, Tennessee.
• May 14 Miranda Cosgrove, American actress (iCarly; Despicable Me) and singer (”Kissin U”), born in Los Angeles, California.
• May 16 Johannes Thingnes Bø, Norwegian biathlete (5 x Olympic gold 2018, 22; 12 x World C’ship gold), born in Stryn, Norway.14

Historical Events

• 11 May 1993 Maastricht Treaty establishes European Union: The Maastricht Treaty was signed on November 7, 1991, and came into effect on November 1, 1993, establishing the European Union. It marked a significant step in European integration, creating a single currency and a common foreign and security policy. The treaty laid the groundwork for the modern EU structure.
• 12 May 1993 Tragic school shooting of Kayla Rolland: On May 12, 1993, a tragic school shooting occurred in Michigan, resulting in the death of six-year-old Kayla Rolland. This incident shocked the community and was one of the early instances of school shootings in the United States.
• 20 May 1993 Intel Pentium processor launched: Intel introduced the Pentium microprocessor, marking a significant advancement in computing technology with its superscalar architecture, enabling higher performance and multitasking capabilities.15

Notable Deaths

• May 14 William Randolph Hearst, Jr., American newspaper magnate (Hearst Newspapers) and 1955 Pulitzer Prize winner, dies at 85.
• May 16 Marv Johnson, American R&B pianist, songwriter, and singer (“You Got What It Takes”; “(You’ve Got To) Move Two Mountains”), influential in the development of the Motown style of music, primarily for the song “Come to Me,” which was the first record issued by Tamla Records, the precursor to the famous label, dies of a stroke at 54.
• May 21 John Frost, English soldier who led the defence of Arnhem Bridge during Operation Market Garden, dies at 80.16

The energy and aggression of this album is undeniable. If one is in the proper mood, the lone album ever produced by the legendary punk pioneers The Sex Pistols will scratch a certain itch.

The first mentions I heard of the Sex Pistols wasn’t listening to their music. I was in grade school and there were news reports about how dangerous these punks and their fans were, how they were wreaking havoc in London, and how the music had little redeeming value. Parents were wary of them and some kind of freaked out. Word of their controversial antics in Britain had made it to the USA before anybody heard their album making the band even more taboo in the States. At least in my little Midwest corner of the country. I have to admit that pictures of them and their fans were scary to me. A few years after the release of Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols I began listening to bands like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and AC/DC. Suddenly the punk scene didn’t seem so scary to me.

When I was 19, my brother and I were in London in March of 1986. We were having lunch by a table of young people next to us who had the safety pins in their cheeks and spiky hair, some died green, some purple, etc. We got to talking with them and it turns out they were regular people just like us and we had a pleasant and interesting conversation. How about that? Whoulda thunk if you talk to people, they aren’t so bad?

I think the first time I heard any of the Sex Pistols’ music was Megadeth’s cover of “Anarchy in the UK” in about 1988. I loved that version, so I sought out the original. None of my friends had any Sex Pistols records and my search for used copies in the very limited number of shops to which I had access proved fruitless.

When I finally started making decent money, I started building out my music collection and along the way I picked up a CD of Never Mind the Bollocks… and I liked it. This was more than 25 years after its release, so much of the original impetus societally had passed. As a consequence, I found it difficult to appreciate the album. But as I’ve done more reading over the years and come to better understand how things were in England in the 70s, the anger, resentment, and rage expressed throughout the album about the system that failed the working class, and younger generation in particular, in so many ways makes a lot more sense.

While listening today I picked up, in between the snarling, little snippets of the lovely voice Johnny Rotten would later display with great success under his real name John Lydon singing for his band Public Image Ltd. If you care to read what I wrote about that band…

I never could get much into punk, maybe because it came and went so quickly before I was becoming a real music fan. But so much of the music I came to love has some roots in punk. I don’t think the Sex Pistols will ever be in my regular rotation, but this is an important contribution to the development of hard rock and all the forms of heavy metal. For that I’m grateful for the Sex Pistols.

My rating:1

Ian Fortnam writing for Louder about the 40th-anniversary edition asserted, “not only the best punk album ever made, but it’s also one of the most powerful, enduringly influential and complete recorded statements crafted in any genre.”2

The BBC banned the song “God Save The Queen” from its airwaves in 1977.3 While I don’t condone government censorship, I can understand why the song offended so many British subjects. It’s pretty rough on the Queen. Readers can make up their own minds if the Pistols had it right. Thirty years later, the BBC website published a review of the album by Chris Jones who concluded, “Along with Nirvana’s masterpiece, Nevermind, thirty years later, Never Mind The Bollocks stands as one of the great ranting tracts against middle class mediocrity. Every child should have a copy.”4

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In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Ali MacQueen wrote:

Few moments from popular music can ever match Rotten’s guttural cry of “no future for you.” Years of misery for the nation’s youth were encapsulated right there and then.5

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

Prime Playlist:

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

Share

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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #106 6
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: Platinum | March 26, 1992 7

Released on October 28, 1977. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone8
• Number one album: Rumours by Fleetwood Mac9
• Number one movie: Looking for Mr. Goodbar by Richard Brooks10
• Most watched TV programs: Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, Three’s Company, Charlie’s Angels, All in the Family11
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien12
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriot13

Some other albums released that month

• Born Late by Shaun Cassidy
• Midnight Wind by The Charlie Daniels Band
• Point of Know Return by Kansas
• Alive II by Kiss
• Ha!-Ha!-Ha! by Ultravox
• “Heroes” by David Bowie
• Waitin’ for the Night by The Runaways
• Goin’ Places by The Jacksons
• Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf
• Once Upon a Time by Donna Summer
• News of the World by Queen
• Out of the Blue by Electric Light Orchestra
• Commodores Live! by Commodores
• Send It by Ashford & Simpson
• Here You Come Again by Dolly Parton
• Levon Helm & the RCO All-Stars by Levon Helm
• Moonflower by Santana
• Musical Chairs by Sammy Hagar
• Show Some Emotion by Joan Armatrading
• True to Life by Ray Charles14

Sport

• Oct 18 Yankees beat Dodgers 8-4 for their 21st World Championship and their first in 15 years.
• Oct 23 Despite not driving in season ending Japanese Grand Prix, Austrian Niki Lauda wins his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 17 points from Jody Scheckter of South Africa.
• Oct 23 New York City Marathon: defending champion Bill Rodgers wins in 2:11:38; Miki Gorman retains women's title in 2:43:10.15

Notable Births

• Oct 19 Jason Reitman, Canadian filmmaker (Juno; Up In The Air), born in Montreal, Quebec.
• Oct 21 Matthew Ramsey, American country music songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist (Old Dominion -”Break Up With Him”; “Snapback”), born in Buchanan, Virginia.
• Oct 26 Jon Heder, American actor (Napoleon Dynamite), born in Fort Collins, Colorado.16

Historical Events

• 25 Oct 1977 Space Shuttle Enterprise test flight: On October 25, 1977, NASA conducted the first test flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise, a prototype for the Space Shuttle program. This flight was a significant milestone in the development of reusable spacecraft, paving the way for future missions.
• 26 Oct 1977 Last Natural Case of Smallpox Discovered: On October 26, 1977, Ali Maow Maalin, a hospital cook in Merca, Somalia, was diagnosed with the last known case of naturally occurring smallpox. His case marked the end of the disease's natural transmission, leading to its global eradication.
• 30 Oct 1977 Pan Am 747SP sets world record for fastest global circumnavigation: On October 30, 1977, Pan Am's Boeing 747SP, 'Clipper New Horizons,' completed a polar circumnavigation in 54 hours, 7 minutes, and 12 seconds, setting a world speed record. The flight, celebrating Pan Am's 50th anniversary, began and ended in San Francisco, with stops in London, Cape Town, and Auckland, flying over both the North and South Poles.17

Notable Deaths

• Oct 27 (Anton) “Tony” Hulman Jr., American businessman and motorsport entrepreneur (owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 1945-77), dies of heart failure at 76.
• Oct 27 James M. Cain, American writer (Postman Always Rings Twice), dies at 85.
• Oct 27 Peg Leg Sam [Arthur Jackson], American country blues harmonica player, singer and comedian, dies at 65.18

Released the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector was under a cloud as the nation mourned. Spector pulled the album from stores immediately out of respect.1 That was a damn shame because the unadulterated joy permeating throughout this record was sorely needed. And The fact that 40 years later Spector murdered Lana Clarkson made me less receptive to listening to this record. I ultimately decided to put aside my feelings of animosity for him because the artists who performed on this album were not part of Spector’s heinous act.

And what a collection of superstar performances! From the likes of the Crystals, the Ronettes, Darlene Love, and Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans. My family didn’t listen to any of these songs during the holidays. We sure missed out! At Christmas each year our family stereo filled the house with carols, hymns and songs as we trimmed the tree and played Hearts and board games like Monopoly and Clue. My parents grew up with crooners like Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett and others and that’s who we listened to in my house growing up in the 70s & 80s. There was also Burl Ives, Dean Martin, and Peggy Lee. This album ain’t that.

My favorite tracks are “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by the Ronettes and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by matchless Darlene Love. Her vocal on this track is perfect. The power of her performance and the emotion behind it makes this my favorite of all the so-called rock ‘n’ roll Christmas Songs. Cher, before she was famous, provided backing vocals on this track. The song gained immense popularity with its inclusion in the holiday classic movie Home Alone and Love’s annual performance of it on the David Letterman show for over twenty years straight.2 I for one always tuned in for that performance each year.

She continues the tradition with her powerhouse performance on The Tonight Show. When you watch this, keep in mind the woman is 84.

I’m a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas music and for me the tradition of my parents’ preferred Christmas soundtrack is mine too. But this album has proven to be a wonderful addition to the holiday musical milieu. All the Christmas records by popular artists since are chasing this collection and mostly falling short. I’d call it a perfect Christmas album if it did not include Spector’s cringy and truly awful spoken word rambling over and instrumental “Silent Night.”

My rating:

AllMusic’s review says, “A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector” stands as inarguably the greatest Christmas record of all time” and succeeds “on every level” in Spector’s belief he could produce a record for the holidays that “would capture not only the essence of the Christmas spirit, but also be a pop masterpiece that would stand against any work these artists had already done.”3

The Record Mirror had a contemporary review giving the album five stars advising readers that its “sounds are just right for the beat fans of today.”4

Another retrospective review contends:

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my readers! Thank you for being here!

Leave a comment

In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, John Tobler wrote:

For many, this album, which has been reissued several times on other labels, remains the greatest seasonal collection ever.6

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

Prime Playlist:

If you’re new here, welcome! Please consider subscribing and sharing with friends.

Share

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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #7 (Jan 6, 2024) 7
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: n/a

Released on November 22, 1963. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Deep Purple” by Nino Tempo & April Stevens8
• Number one album: In the Wind by Peter, Paul & Mary9
• Number one movie: Cleopatra by Joseph L. Mankiewicz10
• Most watched TV programs: The Beverly Hillbillies, Bonanza, Dick Van Dyke11
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Group by Mary McCarthy12
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: J.F.K.": The Man and the Myth by Victor Lasky13

Some other albums released that month

• The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey by The Miracles

• Fun in Acapulco by Elvis Presley

• Romantically by Johnny Mathis

• With the Beatles by The Beatles

• The Christmas Spirit by Johnny Cash

• Golden Folk Hits by Bobby Darin

• Joan Baez in Concert, Part 2 by Joan Baez

• Lesley Gore Sings Songs of Mixed-Up Hearts by Lesley Gore

• The Story of Christmas by Tennessee Ernie Ford

• Mutiny Up My Sleeve by Max Webster14

Sport

• Nov 10 Detroit right wing Gordie Howe surpasses Maurice Richard as leading NHL all-time goal scorer with 545th career goal in a 3-0 Red Wings victory over Montreal Canadiens in Detroit.
• Nov 26 29th Heisman Trophy Award: Roger Staubach, Navy (QB).
• Nov 30 CFL Grey Cup, Empire Stadium, Vancouver: Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeat BC Lions, 21-10; features controversial sequence involving American players Angelo Mosca and Willie Fleming.15

Notable Births

• Nov 20 Ming-Na Wen, Macau-born actress (Mulan, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D), born in Coloane Island, Macau.
• Nov 25 Holly Cole, Canadian jazz singer (“Temptation"), born in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
• Nov 28 Armando Iannucci, Scottish comedian, writer and television producer (Veep, The Thick of It), born in Glasgow, Scotland.

Historical Events

• 22 Nov Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot while traveling in an open-top convertible through Dallas, Texas, in a shocking and tragic event that profoundly impacted American history. The assassination occurred during a presidential motorcade, marking a pivotal moment of national trauma and political transformation.
• 23 Nov Lyndon B. Johnson Becomes President: Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States aboard Air Force One, following the tragic assassination of President John F. Kennedy. This historic moment marked a sudden and somber transition of presidential power during a deeply traumatic period in American history.
• 24 Nov Lee Harvey Oswald Killed by Jack Ruby on Live Television: On November 24, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy, was shot and killed by Jack Ruby in the basement of Dallas Police Department headquarters. The shocking moment was captured live on national television, and photographer Robert H. Jackson captured the iconic image that would win the 1964 Pulitzer Prize in Photography.16

Notable Deaths

• Nov 22 Aldous Huxley(1894-1963), English author (Brave New World), dies at 69.
• Nov 22 C. S. Lewis(1898-1963), British author (The Chronicles of Narnia), dies of renal failure at 64.
• Nov 22 J. D. Tippit, American police officer, murdered by Lee Harvey Oswald at 39, shortly after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.17

Public Enemy suddenly burst onto the scene out of Los Angeles in 1988 like a tsunami of rage and anger with their album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. They were raw and confrontational. They had a strong political point of view, and they demanded you heard it.

They were pioneers of the revolutionary rap sound. Songs from Nation, like “Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos” and “Rebel Without A Pause” are prototype tracks for the conscious movement in Hip Hop.1

There had been other Hip Hop stars before them who had been political like Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Kurtis Blow and Boogie Down Productions. In contrast, artists like Run-DMC and LL Cool J touched on politics more subtly and were more accessible to a wider audience, i.e. white fans. The artists and acts who sold a lot of records up to this point were not particularly controversial. PE showed Hip Hop could be challenging and super controversial and still cross over and gain platinum status.

Public Enemy went against the grain challenging listeners to confront their conceptions of what life was like for Black people in America in the 1980s. Take it or leave it, but they were not going to sugar coat their lived experiences. They no longer accepted the status quo. PE scared a lot of people who either were clueless about what was happening in Black communities or did not want to know.

I can’t say I was ever a fan of Public Enemy, but I always respected what they were doing. I remember thinking how fresh this album sounded at the time and I thought Chuck D’s rapping was incredible. And I enjoyed Flavor Flav’s flow as well as the comedic elements he injected. I loved “Don’t Believe the Hype” right from the start.

Almost 40 years after this album’s release, the melding of rap/hip-hop and metal seems natural. But in 1988, this wasn’t a thing. These types of music were diametrically opposed including culturally. Most people in the eighties couldn’t imagine hip-hop and metal would ever have anything in common.

Previous to It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Run-DMC had used rock riffs, maybe most famously on “Rock Box” in 1984. And they had collaborated with Aerosmith on a massive hit “Walk This Way” a couple of years later. Afrika Bambaataa and John Lydon made a record called “World Destruction” in 1984 that is considered the first rapcore or rap rock song and is considered highly influential even though it sold poorly upon its release.2

The Beastie Boys stole3 used samples from rock, including Led Zeppelin, on their debut License to Ill in 1986. PE sampled a Slayer on “She Watch Channel Zero?!” on today’s album.

In 1991, the year Rage Against the Machine formed, Public Enemy teamed up with Anthrax on a new version of “Bring the Noise”. That video and tour helped bring hip-hop to metal and rock fans opening up a new fan base for Public Enemy and a new commercial base for hip-hop in general. This collaboration opened the door for a band like Rage to break through for commercial success with their debut album. I’d argue that Public Enemy was instrumental in the development of the sound taken on by later rap metal bands who found so much success in the late 90s and 2000s and beyond.

While not a go-to album for me, Nation is full of amazing songs with elite rapping and sampling. It would be hard to overstate the influence of this record.

My rating:4

Leave a comment

In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Bruno MacDonald wrote:

Nation defies summary. In the words or the quote - originally a reference to boxer and “original gangsta” Jack Johnson - that opens “Bring The Noise,” its “to black, too strong.” Its sound and fury signify so much - but you can dance to it too.5

Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed

Cheers!

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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #42 6
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: Platinum | August 22, 1989 7

Released on June 28, 1988. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Together Forever” by Rick Astley8
• Number one album: Faith by George Michael9
• Number one movie: Who Framed Roger Rabbit by Robert Zemeckis10
• Most watched TV programs: The Cosby Show, A Different World, Cheers, Golden Girls, Growing Pains, Who’s the Boss, Night Court, 60 Minutes, Murder, She Wrote, The Wonder Years11
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Zoya by Danielle Steele12
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: A Brief History of Time by Stephen W. Hawking13

Some other albums released that month

• Heavy Nova by Robert Palmer
• 20 Years of Jethro Tull by Jethro Tull
• Eternal Nightmare by Vio-lence
• Outside the Gate by Killing Joke
• Riders Radio Theater by Riders in the Sky
• In God We Trust by Stryper
• Lead Me On by Amy Grant
• Dimension Hatröss by Voivod14

Sport

• Jun 25 UEFA European Championship Final, Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany: Ruud Gullet & Marco van Basten score as the Netherlands beats Soviet Union, 2-0.
• Jun 27 Mike Tyson KOs Michael Spinks in 91 seconds, in Atlantic City.
• Jun 30 Chicago agrees to build a new stadium so White Sox won’t move to Florida.15

Notable Births

• Jun 16 Leeland Dayton Mooring, American contemporary Christian music and rock singer-songwriter (Leeland), born in Baytown, Texas.
• Jun 23 Chet Faker [Nicholas Murphy], Australian singer-songwriter. (“Talk Is Cheap”, “The Trouble With Us”), born in Melbourne, Australia.
• Jun 25 Therese Johaug, Norwegian cross-country skier (Olympic gold 4 x 5k relay 2010, 10k, 15k, 30k 2022; 14 x World C’ship gold), born in Os, Røros, Norway.16

Historical Events

• 19 Jun 1988 Political shift in Haiti: On June 19, 1988, Haiti experienced a significant political shift as the government faced increasing opposition and unrest. This period marked a turning point in Haitian politics, leading to further instability and eventual changes in leadership. The political climate was characterized by protests and demands for democratic reforms.
• 20 Jun 1988 Supreme Court rules against club discrimination: On June 20, 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a landmark decision that private clubs could not discriminate based on race. This ruling was a significant step towards civil rights and equality, reinforcing the legal framework against discriminatory practices in private organizations.
• 23 Jun 1988 NASA Scientist Warns Senate About Global Warming: In 1988, Dr. James Hansen, a NASA scientist, testified before the U.S. Senate, warning about the dangers of global warming and advocating for action to address climate change. His testimony was a pivotal moment in raising public and governmental awareness about environmental issues.17

Notable Deaths

• Jun 21 Bobby Dodd, US football coach (Georgia Tech), dies at 79.
• Jun 22 Burrill Phillips, American classical composer (Play Ball; Perspectives in a Labyrinth), pianist, and educator, dies after a heart attack at 80.
• Jun 22 Dennis Day [Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty], Irish-American tenor (“Danny Boy”), radio and television comic actor (Jack Benny Program; A Day in the Life of Dennis Day), dies of ALS at 72.18