*** Post-1979 Album Draft - Commentary Thread ***

[Lucky]

Sorry guys. You gotta do whatever it takes. For me right now, that means 10 hours a day, seven days a week in a cubicle. A thousand miles from home. By the time I finally get home, it is all I can do to eat and find the bed.

But, while I'm at it..."Yellow Moon" is a masterful effort by some of the NOLA's finest players at their peak. It is, however, an album I had to play many times before I realized its true brilliance. And it works in different contexts...a serious listen, background music, party music...it has many facets (despite the disrespect it has been shown). But as much as anything, I picked it so some of you might put down your hipster angst records long enough to listen to some real music.

And Bonnie Raitt...singer, songwriter, outstanding slide player..."Nick of Time" was her comeback album. It only won three Grammys (including Album of the Year). And I know we don't care about RS rankings here, but this one was ranked 229 out of 500. Like "Yellow Moon", this is grownup music. Thing Called Love was popular and fun, but nowhere near the best of the bunch.

She has done so much for the environment, political causes, and the plight of the old bluesmen of the country...not to mention making the RS Top 100 as guitarist and singer. There was another album that would have been as good to pick, but I thought this one might put a little R&B into the conversation.

And hey...if I may brag...my son (16) just got back his ACT results. He scored a 35, which will take a little pressure off us in a couple of years.

[johnnya24]

And hey...if I may brag...my son (16) just got back his ACT results. He scored a 35, which will take a little pressure off us in a couple of years.

I've no idea what that means, but it sounds like great news, so congrats.

Buy him The Pixies discography as a present?

[swampdragon]

And hey...if I may brag...my son (16) just got back his ACT results. He scored a 35, which will take a little pressure off us in a couple of years.

brag away - and chat with me on facebook. I have a daughter who is a sophomore in an excellent college and a son who is a senior (and I work in a high school)

35 is damn impressive

and try this - more than once - don't dismiss it the first time through - and Bonnie Raitt's music is beautiful

[Lucky]

I've no idea what that means, but it sounds like great news, so congrats.

Buy him The Pixies discography as a present?

\

Over here, the ACT is basically a college placement test, covering Science, Reading, Math and English. There are a total of 185 or so questions. It appears that Robert missed four of them. He had two 36s, a 35 and a 34, for a composite of 35. According to Wiki, his percentile would be 99.7%. So far, he has resisted my suggestion to take it a second time.

[DMT]

Congrats to Robert, that should get him in to some great schools with large financial aid assistance.

[Stephen]

I totally spaced out and didn't PM you. Sorry about that man.

[johnnya24]

I've been trying to find an article I read a while back on Pitchfork's review of The Flaming Lips' Zaireeka which they awarded 0/10, and 2 years later they awarded The Soft Bulletin 10/10 and made it Album of the Year. Can't find it, but it was really funny.

The Flaming Lips are one of those bands I'm constantly revisiting, and getting more into every passing time. Right now it's just the perceived classic records, but I'll eventually binge it. Same with Wilco and a bunch of other bands. I find when you miss a band while they were in their moment, it's not always so easy to "get it" immediately.

[johnnya24]

It took a long time for the 80's to arrive ... I'm too sober to enjoy this right now ... but here we go
EDIT: now FYC ... waiting for ages for 1, and 2 come along at once

Really liked FYC when I was a kid. In the UK Fine Young Cannibals were everywhere for several years. Seemingly every pop compilation that was released had an FYC song on it, and they always used FYC on the promos. You couldn't escape She Drives Me Crazy and Good Thing. I've no idea why they just disappeared. It's not like there weren't plenty of successful pop acts in the 90's. It wasn't all grunge, doom, indie and guitars. Similar pop oriented bands like The Lighthouse Family and The Corrs became really popular in the 90's.

[Mithrandir]

It took a long time for the 80's to arrive ... I'm too sober to enjoy this right now ... but here we go
EDIT: now FYC ... waiting for ages for 1, and 2 come along at once

Really liked FYC when I was a kid. In the UK Fine Young Cannibals were everywhere for several years. Seemingly every pop compilation that was released had an FYC song on it, and they always used FYC on the promos. You couldn't escape She Drives Me Crazy and Good Thing. I've no idea why they just disappeared. It's not like there weren't plenty of successful pop acts in the 90's. It wasn't all grunge, doom, indie and guitars. Similar pop oriented bands like The Lighthouse Family and The Corrs became really popular in the 90's.

Love the Corrs..

[Mithrandir]

FYI Johnny...Both Flip Your Wig and Tim are from 1985

[johnnya24]

Love the Corrs..

Weird moment. I was listening to "Do You Realize??" by The Flaming Lips. At the same time I was googling images of Andrea Corr, because ... well ... it's Andrea Corr, right? Then I saw some before and after (surgery) pictures of her face as this line plays:

"Do you realize that you have the most beautiful face ... do you realize?"

I guess she didn't realize.

[Erik]

Roky Erickson -- I know who he is, but I know nothing about his music (or that of the 13th Floor Elevators)

1999 -- Its singles were almost as pervasive as Purple Rain. Good party music.

SLAYER -- Speed metal/Thrash metal/Hardcore Punk is all kind of a blur to me. But my most ardent metalhead friends totally revere Reign in Blood.

Hysteria -- I really hate the production on this album. I also don't think the songs are as good as their previous efforts.

Speaking in Tongues -- A more easygoing groove than what they did on Remain in Light and Fear of Music, but "This Must Be the Place" is a contender for their best song. Their last record before they became boring.

Wilburys -- When Full Moon Fever was picked, I realized that it should have been on my list but wasn't, and then I realized that this should also be on my list but wasn't. But it was snapped up before I even got a chance to put it on there. Everyone's talents are used so well, which is really rare for a "supergroup" album.

Sandinista -- Aside from the few songs that are obvious horseshit, it's amazing how well this album has endured, given how bad some of the reviews were when it came out. It sounds like something from 2001 or even 2011 rather than 1981. I took "Magificent Seven" in the soul/funk/R&B draft.

Faith -- It was everywhere in the late '80s and I couldn't stand it then. "Father Figure" and "One More Try" have endured; "I Want Your Sex" is laughable.

TIM -- The Replacements never did much for me. Part of it is, as I said before, that by the time I was seeking out "alternative music," there was so much current stuff to explore, the 'Mats were no more, and I had little time to revisit '80s "alternative." Westerbrook is a fine songwriter but I don't find their music very interesting.

Fatboy Slim -- I know nothing beyond "Praise You."

The Neville Brothers -- I agree with what Lucky said.

Pyromania -- I LOVED this in middle school -- it was one of the first cassettes (!) I owned. Unlike with Hysteria, the hooks and guitars are not overwhelmed by the production, so it's held up pretty well.

Kick -- As with Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me and two albums by REM that haven't been taken yet, this was EVERYWHERE in my late 80s suburban high school. I like the title track and "Devil Inside" but got tired of the rest pretty quickly. I prefer their earlier stuff.

Nick of Time --Pleasant but not the kind of thing I delve into very much.

Fables of the Reconstruction -- "Can't Get There from Here" is one of my favorite REM songs. The rest of it is a bit hard to figure.

Flip Your Wig -- One of Husker's best. "Games" is amazing, "Makes No Sense at All" is still fun after all these years, and "Divide and Conquer" still brings the fury.

de la Soul -- One of the most fun and adventurous rap albums ever made. Believe it or not, I have seen them live twice: Once when they came to my college in 1991, and once at a free show with the Flaming Lips and Bob Mould (!) in 2006.

Propaganda -- The first artist and album picked that I have never heard of in the slightest. Congrats?

Old '97s -- I know who they are but I don't know if I've heard anything by them.

Jar of Flies -- Not my favorite AIC, I like them dark and drug-addled. "I Stay Away" is fantastic, though.

Bad -- I was burned out on MJ by the time this came out. "Man in the Mirror" and "The Way You Make Me Feel" are the gems here.

The Dead Kennedys -- I like the idea of The Dead Kennedys more than their actual music. Does that make sense?

ABC -- That's the look, that's the look, the look of an album that was taken too early. (It's nice enough early '80s pop, I guess.)

FYC -- I don't really know much beyond "Good Thing" (which is awesome) and "She Drives Me Crazy" (which is ruined by a drum machine). Why was their lifespan so short? Roland Gift returned to acting and, from everything I've read about the history of the English Beat, David Steele is a mercurial prick.

Judgement Night -- I listened to this once when it came out (a friend had it) and didn't know what to make of it. What I do remember was a hell of a lot better than Limp Bizkit, though.

[ManCalledFoot]

"Lexicon Of Love" was on my list too, Swampy. I'm still amazed how much good new wave is out there.

One thing I notice in these drafts, I'm way more keyboard oriented than you guitar purists. I always have the proggy-synth stuff to myself.

[Pogues]

Judgement Night was the reason I was panicking when early talk was not to include soundtracks.

[Pogues]

I freakin' LOVED Judgment Night when it first came out.

I had trouble believing it would be on anyone's radar, but you were one of a few that I thought that maybe...just maybe...you'd snag it. It does seem to be something that you would like.