Sometimes it takes ages for quality artists to get the recognition they deserved, other times deserved fame never comes. This blog sings the praises of unsung and yet-to-be-sung music, movies, books, and more.

Monday, March 4, 2013

15 Albums I Love From Start to Finish


1. The Clash - "London Calling" - This snapshot of 1979 London blends West Indian sounds with retro rock & roll to unspool a wealth of human stories using an amazing variety of styles. Mick Jones wrote many of these songs while renting a room from his grandmother. Perhaps that's why this classic feels like a first album--when a band bleeds its autobiography--rather than a third offing. Worth the price of admission simply for the lyrics to "The Card Cheat". Song: "Rudie Can't Fail"

2. The Four Tops & The Temptations - "T'N'T" - Is Motown the pinnacle of American music? Maybe. Even though this is a compilation rather than a true album, I've always thought of the Temps and the Tops as the milk and cookies of pop's golden era--two perfect treats that are even better together. Song: "Can't Help Myself"


3. Less Than Jake - "Borders and Boundaries" - Gainesville, Florida's hometown heroes are one of the few bands in my favorite genre: skacore. Lightning fast guitars accompanied by sax and horns pulse with the vivid lyrics geared toward anyone who ever dreamed of leaving behind a small town and/or a minimum wage job. And who doesn't fall into at least one of those categories at some point in life? Songs: "Gainesville Rock City" & "Look What Happened"


4. Social Distortion - "Sex, Love, & Rock 'n' Roll" - Most people would have chosen one of rockabilly poet Mike Ness' earlier albums but I love the soaring hope that shines through on his anthemic redemption song. Ness' gravel over velvet voice paints banged up billboards of California life more evocative of Bakersfield or Barstow than his native Orange County ("I can still hear the mission bell and the train rolling through your town"). Song: "Highway 101"


5. Killswitch Engage - "The End of Heartache" - Watching Robert Goulet sing 'without feeling' prompted Elvis to shoot his TV. He wouldn't have done that if he'd been watching lead singer Howard Jones of KSE. Jones' rich booming baritone enrobes the listener and infuses every word with such depth that poets laureate should be lining up to book him for readings. Sadly, Jones is no longer with the band and the days of seeing him trade wisecracks with guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz on stage are over. Song: "The Rose of Sharon"


6. Brooks and Dunn - "Steers and Stripes" - Dunn's passionate voice weaves tales of longing and love which are juxtaposed against Kix Brooks' wry humorous especially jaunts like "Deny, Deny, Deny" ("That wasn't me at a quarter to three in our backyard..."). Song: "Every River"


7. The Alarm - "Change" - I've always thought of The Alarm as U2's Welsh cousins because they weren't merely contemporaries playing a similar style of music but because they also wrote lyrics about the nation's history, their faith in God, and the struggles of modern times heralded by Mike Peters' unique and robust voice. Unfortunately, they were never a big hit stateside and this album makes that all the more difficult to believe. Song: "No Frontiers"


8. U2 - "The Joshua Tree" - A tour of America from an outsider's POV, the band wrote this highly-diverse and evocative album after U2's first expansive tour of the States. With so many should-be hits, I'm sure Island records had difficulty choosing singles. Song: "Exit"


9. Millencolin - "Home From Home" - Great guitars and lyrics ranging from lighthearted love songs to houseplants and motorcycles (yes, you read that right) sit alongside heartfelt ones. "Happiness for Dog" about lead singer Nikola Sarcevic's beloved brother who was mentally disabled is heartbreaking but hopeful. Song: "The Mayfly"


10. The B-52's - "Cosmic Thing" - Dance THIS mess around! From the opening jangles of the dance-frenzy "Cosmic Thing" to the rolling final credits feel of "Follow Your Bliss," this album is a montage that boasts more textures and colors than the flamboyant band's wardrobe. Song: "Topaz"
 
11. Riverboat Gamblers - "Underneath the Owl" - Garage rock never sounded so good. My iPod is probably sick of me playing this album. If this had been released during The Strokes' heyday in the early 2000s, everyone would be singing the road-trip anthem "Victory Lap" ("We spent half the night at Flying J"). Songs: "A Choppy Yet Sincere Apology" & "Victory Lap"

12. New Radicals - "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" - A one-hit wonder for 'You Get What You Give', this album boasts snarky and well-crafted lyrics as well as a huge variety of sounds and textures. The New Radicals were the brainchild of hit song-crafter Gregg Alexander wrote "The Game of Love" which won a Grammy for Santana. Song: "Crying Like a Church on Monday"


13. Rancid - "...And Out Comes the Wolves" - Chuck Berry guitars with street punk life-worn lyrics about the struggles of life, love, and making the rent in the seedier side of the Bay Area. Although it's probably my favorite album, I usually skip the first track and start with the buzzed bus ride of "Roots Radical." Song: "Olympia, WA"


14. Crowded House - "Crowded House" - New Zealand's second most famous export after kiwifruit saw a few Top 40 singles in 'Something So Strong' and 'Don't Dream It's Over' but the whole album is timeless. Neil Finn's first post-Split Enz work was something of The Beatles meets CSNY. Song: "Something So Strong"


15. Big Pig - "Bonk" - What does a band with three drummers fronted by an Aussie version of Shirley Bassey sound like? Australia's Big Pig never had any real US airplay despite seeing their songs "Hungry Town" and "Breakaway" featured on the soundtracks of the movies "Young Einstein" and "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." Song: "Breakaway"

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