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

[Erik]

I believe all that we have left are 25th rounders from ElD, Fresno Bob and Johnny, and Lucky's last two picks whenever he gets to them.

[Erik]

So am I up now?

Yes indeed.

Plenty of "wussy Britpop" still available.

[Controller Jacobs]

One "New Wave" album that I had queued for a long time was Missing Persons - Spring Session M.

There's other new wave acts I like more (especially Psychedelic Furs), but Missing Persons had the decency to put three hits on one album - Words, Walking in LA and Destination Unknown.

[Controller Jacobs]

Wow, I assumed Thriller was a first-rounder, never bothered to check it. Thriller, Billie Jean, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', Beat It are all iconic

[ManCalledFoot]

I'm glad to see Thriller go. It would have somehow tainted the draft if it didn't.

I'm surprised to see Cyndi Lauper's 'She's So Unusual' get shut out, that had at least 6 hits on it, including a couple of bona fide classics. Not that I would have picked it.

Sade's "Diamond Life' got snubbed too. That was a huge one, and on my list.

[revo]

Some I had on my list but passed for various reasons:

The Who - Face Dances or It's Hard
The Kinks - Give the People What They Want
The Hardline According to Terrence Trent D'Arby
The Cars - Candy-O
Journey - Escape
J. Geils Band - Freeze Frame
John Lennon - Double Fantasy (which I knew would draw Foot's ire)
Howard Jones - Dream Into Action

[Controller Jacobs]

I also had a Kinks album (State of Confusion), but it didn't pass the "listen to the whole album" test.

Same thing with Double Fantasy. Amazing singles from Lennon. The Yoko hate can feel overdone, if you haven't tried to listen all the way through this in a long time. Letting her do anything on an album is an Andy Kaufman-level cruel joke.

[DMT]

I also had a Kinks album (State of Confusion), but it didn't pass the "listen to the whole album" test.

Same thing with Double Fantasy. Amazing singles from Lennon. The Yoko hate can feel overdone, if you haven't tried to listen all the way through this in a long time. Letting he do anything on an album is an Andy Kaufman-level cruel joke.

Agree on both points.

[swampdragon]

I'm glad to see Thriller go. It would have somehow tainted the draft if it didn't.

I'm surprised to see Cyndi Lauper's 'She's So Unusual' get shut out, that had at least 6 hits on it, including a couple of bona fide classics. Not that I would have picked it.

Sade's "Diamond Life' got snubbed too. That was a huge one, and on my list.

agreed - SADE was the first CD I ever bought - before that vinyl or cassettes

[senorsheep]

Other options that popped into my head at various points:

Definitely Maybe, The Masterplan - Oasis
Nowhere - Ride
Adore, Pisces Iscariot - Smashing Pumpkins
Mystery Road, Fly Me Courageous, Wrapped in Sky - Drivin N Cryin
Fisherman's Blues, This Is The Sea - The Waterboys
Robbie Robertson - Robbie Robertson
Living With The Law - Chris Whitley
Still Got The Blues - Gary Moore
Twin Peaks soundtrack - Angelo Badalamenti
Bellybutton - Jellyfish
New Miserable Experience - The Gin Blossoms
Hard Promises - Tom Petty
Duke - Genesis
Music From The Unrealized Film Script, Dusk At Cubist Castle - The Olivia Tremor Control
Ling - Seed

I could easily add twenty (or forty) more to this list if I went home and scanned my music collection.

[Fresno Bob]

I'm glad to see Thriller go. It would have somehow tainted the draft if it didn't.

I'm surprised to see Cyndi Lauper's 'She's So Unusual' get shut out, that had at least 6 hits on it, including a couple of bona fide classics. Not that I would have picked it.

Sade's "Diamond Life' got snubbed too. That was a huge one, and on my list.

My last pick was between Seal's 2nd album and Diamond Life

[Erik]

The Who - Face Dances or It's Hard
The Kinks - Give the People What They Want
The Hardline According to Terrence Trent D'Arby
The Cars - Candy-O
Journey - Escape
J. Geils Band - Freeze Frame
John Lennon - Double Fantasy (which I knew would draw Foot's ire)
Howard Jones - Dream Into Action

Face Dances came out in 1979. It's Hard, aside from the incredible "Eminence Front," is not very good; easily the worst Who album.

I enjoy the late '70s/early '80s Kinks but the best album from that period was Low Budget, which missed the draft period by one year.

I had Freeze Frame on vinyl. To a 10-year-old boy, "Piss on the Wall" is the best song ever.

What the hell happened to Terence Trent D'Arby? He was massively hyped (as an artistic force, not just a commercial one), had a few hits, and then nothing.

The Cars' first album is a masterpiece -- but too early for this draft. The other ones to me seem like pale imitations of it.

[swampdragon]

White City - Pete Townsend
is like the Robbie Robertson album
some great stuff but not quite a full album

Absolute Torch and Twang - KD Lang - was on my list too
Susan Tedeschi - Just wont burn

The Cars are thought of as an 80s band but the two good albums are from the 70s

[Erik]

Other options that popped into my head at various points:

Definitely Maybe, The Masterplan - Oasis
Nowhere - Ride
Adore, Pisces Iscariot - Smashing Pumpkins
Mystery Road, Fly Me Courageous, Wrapped in Sky - Drivin N Cryin
Fisherman's Blues, This Is The Sea - The Waterboys
Robbie Robertson - Robbie Robertson
Living With The Law - Chris Whitley
Still Got The Blues - Gary Moore
Twin Peaks soundtrack - Angelo Badalamenti
Bellybutton - Jellyfish
New Miserable Experience - The Gin Blossoms
Hard Promises - Tom Petty
Duke - Genesis
Music From The Unrealized Film Script, Dusk At Cubist Castle - The Olivia Tremor Control
Ling - Seed

I could easily add twenty (or forty) more to this list if I went home and scanned my music collection.

I was really into Robertson's first two albums; I think Storyville is slightly better than the first one. I didn't have them on my list because I haven't been drawn to them in forever.

Adore seemed real weird compared to the Pumpkins' previous output. It's probably something I should revisit but haven't because of the Corgan Douchebag factor. Pisces is a nice listen but it's a collection of B-sides and such.

The first side of Duke is outstanding; the second side is weighed down by some sappy ballads. I like Abacab better but the inclusion of the dreadful "Whodunnit?" was a deal-breaker for inclusion on my list.

Hard Promises is one of many Petty albums where the singles tower over most of the rest of the material.

I can't stand the fucking Gin Blossoms.

[senorsheep]

Pavement is probably the band I was most surprised got skunked. Well, kind of surprised - I seem to remember they are not a favorite in these parts. I realize they suffer from Indie Sacred Cow Backlash Syndrome, but they were a pretty influential band back in the day, and have several worthy albums to choose from.