A Lifetime-Plus of Music

     Another dynamic debut from the early ‘80s today, we have “Beauty and the Beat” by The Go-Go’s.  Rated as the #400 selection on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, this record is mainly about the two massive hit singles it produced.  The rest of the record is pleasant but not terribly memorable, but those two hits are timeless.  Led by singer Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin, who played guitar and added a lot of vocals, this all-female act garnered a lot of well-deserved respect and appreciation for their catalog of work.

     The record opens with “Our Lips Are Sealed”.  This song has such an infectious appeal, it is almost impossible not to love it.  Aside from nice harmonies, I have always loved the middle bridge when Jane Wieldin’s angelic voice sings in solo.  This is truly one of the very best pop hits of any era, most certainly so for the 1980s.  Most of the rest of the album, aside from the other big hit I will discuss below, is simple and non-distinct, with my 3^rd favorite track probably being “Can’t Stop The World”.

     The other major success was “We Got The Beat”.  Aside from being more of a rocker and an equally great song, most movie fans from this era will instantly recognize this as the opening track of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, when all of the gang is doing their thing at the Ridgemont Mall.  Mike Damone, Brad and Stacy Hamilton, Mark Ratner, Linda Barrett, and of course, the one and only Jeff Spicoli playing video games shirtless in the arcade.  It is probably not great that we all aspired to be Spicoli, even if we grew up in rural Colorado, where the surfing wasn’t great, but that movie and this era of music and life remain a major component in the life we all lived as we were preparing for our own high school experience.

     After several latest efforts from the vintage bands of the ‘60s and ‘70s, today we have our first new entrant of 1981, the band Duran Duran and their self-titled debut album.  Not unlike U2, their music would advance with maturity and experience, but this first effort was a big success, starting primarily in the UK.  My first impression of Duran Duran was that they were a pretty boy band with instruments, but it doesn’t take long to realize that yes, they are a handsome bunch, but these guys could really play.  John Taylor, who may have been the best looking one of the bunch, was and is a phenomenal bass player.  He founded the band with keyboardist Nick Rhodes, and they eventually added Roger Taylor on drums, Andy Taylor on guitar (three Taylors, none of whom are related), and of course, Simon Le Bon on lead vocals.

     Duran Duran was one of the primary beneficiaries of the exploding phenomenon of music videos, and the first song on the album, “Girls on Film” is a memorable one.  “Planet Earth” is a perfect ‘80s tune, rich on keyboards, another great early track from the band.  The other major hit from this record is “Is There Something I Should Know”, a more guitar-centric tune but one that is famously associated with Simon and his charismatic presence in front of the band.  They even push the boundaries of a prog rock sound, or at least a more exotic sound, with “Tel Aviv”, an interesting sidestep from the rest of the album.  None of the other songs on this album really stand out to me, even after a few listens, but as I mentioned, with Duran Duran, the best is yet to come, and this act was definitely one of the leaders of a new wave of music that was taking hold around the world.

     “Riff” – a short repeated phrase in popular music and jazz, typically used as an introduction or refrain in a song.  That is the literal definition of a riff, and while there are countless guitar players who make their living with mean riffs, in my opinion, in the world of rock music, two guitarists stand above the rest with their portfolio of riffs.  The first is Jimmy Page, the other master is Edward Van Halen.  After an inconsistent last release, in my opinion, “Fair Warning” is possibly Eddie’s greatest collection of riffs on a single album.  It is debatable whether this record has quite the caliber of songs as their first album, but Eddie is absolutely filthy from beginning to end on this record, and it is such a treat to listen to, preferably very loudly.  Surprisingly, this is the lowest seller of their six albums with David Lee Roth, but for my money, this is as good as it gets.

     From the first notes of “Mean Street”, Eddie is just on fire.  You begin to hear some of the limitations in range from David Lee Roth, but what he lacks in pure vocal quality, he makes up for it with pure attitude.  Brimming with debauchery, the rest of side one, while possibly a secret to casual fans, contains three more dominant EVH performances on “Dirty Movies”, “Sinner’s Swing”, and “Hear About it Later”.

     As good as side one is, side two has you searching to see if that volume knob can go from 10 to 11.  The opening track, “Unchained”, may be Eddie’s best riff ever, and if you have ever seen this track performed live, it is this incredible act at their very best.  Occasionally when someone tries to tell me they think Van Halen was better with Sammy Hagar, I will redirect them to this track as “Exhibit A”.

     “Push Comes to Shove” is a strong interlude before we hit the next classic from this album, “So This Is Love?”  Michael Anthony drops an aggressive, fast-paced bass line, and complimented by Alex Van Halen on drums, they set the foundation for Eddie and Dave to do what they do best.  The album ends with “Sunday Afternoon in the Park”, which is a bit of a foreshadow for what is coming down the road with “1984”, and “One Foot Out the Door”.

     It is clear from this writeup that I am a big Van Halen fan, but I will take this time to give some love to the biggest Van Halen fan we know, our good buddy Shane.  Bish, Squishy, Joey Capri… this guy loves Van Halen like nobody else I know.  As we all took our turns as DJ, he always got Van Halen in the mix, and even in later years, I knew him to be searching the dark depths of Napster for bootleg live performances of the band.  Van Halen was always about having a good time and enjoying every night, and so was Squishy.  Miss you and love you buddy… “This is home, this is Mean Street…”

     We have seen bands shut down after losing a key member, and we have seen them carry on, to mixed results.  To the unfamiliar listener, I’m sure many people would look at the Who and ask, “how much of a difference can a drummer make, as long as the singer and lead songwriter are still with the group?”  While that may be true for many acts, the loss of Keith Moon is painfully apparent on today’s album, “Face Dances”.  Combine that with Peter Townshend still being deeply mired in his struggles with alcoholism, you have a very tepid and mostly uninteresting album.  Many of these songs sound like they might be a better fit as Townshend solo material, as they don’t really sync up with Roger Daltrey’s power rock star voice.

     There are three songs that stand out, two of which were the featured tracks on the album.  The record opens with “You Better You Bet”.  A softer single, that has the lyrics and style of a Townshend track, it lacks all the rough edges of the power-chord Who legacy.  It is an appealing melody and an entertaining story, so that helps to raise it a notch above the rest on this album.  My favorite track on this record by far is “Another Tricky Day”.  It is the only Townshend track on the album that seems worthy of being included in his better work.  This song grabs you quickly, and there is some really nice harmonizing from Pete and Roger.  It is also the one track where Kenney Jones, who had the impossible task of trying to replace Keith Moon, fills in admirably.  Kenney Jones, who once placed in the Faces with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, is a very solid and steady drummer, not unlike Charlie Watts from the Rolling Stones.  Unfortunately, the Who was built on the frenetic and uncontrollable bursts of Keith Moon, and this is extremely tame by comparison, even on the best track on the album.

     Probably the most interesting song on the album is the autobiographical track “The Quiet One”, written and sung by bassist John Entwistle, reflecting to the stereotypical reputation many bassists like himself has as the quiet and reserved member of the group.  The song really rocks and has one of my favorite lyrics, “I’m not quiet, everyone else is too loud”.  Well said, John.  The only thing that really holds this song back is the fact that John sings it, and there is a reason why Roger and Pete do most of the singing in this band.

     The rest of the album has gimmicky songs like “Cache Cache” and “Did You Steal My Money” that are just annoying, and most of the others are just bland and dull.  I respect and appreciate the band for moving on and trying to carry on the legacy of the group, but this first attempt is not a great one.

     Moving into 1981, we see an interesting mix of older bands delivering new material as they try to stay relevant with changing tastes, and you also see many new entrants as the evolving sound of the 1980s begins to surface.  The first few selections are in the first category, and we start with Canadian progressive rock band Rush, with their most successful album, “Moving Pictures”.  This widely embraced album is rated #379 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

     Rush has an interesting dynamic, as they don’t seem to be terribly popular with many female pop and rock music fans.  I know one in particular who will be rolling her eyes as she reads this (sorry Christie), but this album really is a great record, at least on side one.  This release is somewhat the tale of two sides.  Side one is four songs I have listened to or heard hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of times.  Side two unfortunately aligns more closely with the stereotype of overtly intellectual progressive sci-fi rock that lacks the edge, hooks, and appeal of side one.  So… I can hear the argument on side two, but I’m not buying it for the first half.

     The record bursts open with their iconic classic, “Tom Sawyer”.  Like “Back in Black” from AC/DC, this is a timeless hit that for me, just never gets old.  The power, intensity, and synchronized performance of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart stands out, and it is a Hall-of-Fame air-drum masterpiece, on par with “Baba O’Riley”, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” or “Rock and Roll”.  As you see on several other tracks, the tightness of this trio is pretty near the best you will find in rock music, and while I’m not always quite sure where Neil Peart is going with his sci-fi lyrics, this song is Rush at their very best.

     Next comes “Red Barchetta”, another forward-looking song about cars, it is definitely not a Beach Boys ode to old-school American cars.  The unusual subject aside, it has a great chord structure and has some of Geddy’s best vocals.  Then comes “YYZ”, another air-guitar and air-drum classic that is fully instrumental and again features the precise timing of this three-piece band.  Side one ends with “Limelight”, a lament to the ups and downs of living in the public eye.  This is easily the 2^nd most popular song on the album.  For me, it doesn’t rock quite as hard as the first three and has been my least preferred of side one, but it is still a really good song that is as close to Rush will ever come to a Top 40-sounding tune.

     Side two, as noted earlier, is a mystery to me for a reason.  I rarely, if ever, listened to it when I owned this album, and listening to it again, I did not find it any more inspiring.  Three tracks in total, none of which makes me want to listen to it again; it just goes too far down the path of wandering prog rock with no real hook.  The second song, “Witch Hunt”, sounds as if they have channeled their inner Pink Floyd, but that isn’t enough to turn this around.  I will say this about all of the songs on this album, Geddy Lee is much more effective in seamlessly inserting keyboards and synthesizers into the sound without compromising the power of the track.  As such, the result is more integrated, and comes off as less dated than some of the other albums we have recently discussed.

“A modern day warrior, Mean, mean stride, Today’s Tom Sawyer, Mean, mean pride…”

     A bit of an interesting time capsule today, as 1980 winds down, the #1 selling album of 1981, “Hi Infidelity” by REO Speedwagon was released.  If you weren’t around at the time, it may be hard to appreciate what a massive success this record was, emerging from a pack of AOR pop-rock acts like Foreigner & Journey that were so prevalent during the time.  With singer Kevin Cronin’s seemingly sensitive lyrical touch, blended with a mildly harder-edge guitar-rock sound from Gary Richrath and company, the hit singles from this album were everywhere, bridging the gap between Top 40 pop and rock and roll.

     At the time, the record was never a huge favorite of mine, as I was trending a bit more rock and roll, but I do remember borrowing it from my friend John as I did appreciate the pop appeal of hits like “Don’t Let Him Go”, “Keep On Loving You”, and of course, “Take It on the Run”.  Those songs are still timeless and long-term staples of that era today, even when the band emerges in strange places like a fictional performance on the Netflix show “Ozark”.  The rest of the album is hit or miss.  Some of the songs like “In Your Letter”, “Tough Guys”, “Shakin’ It Loose” and even “Someone Tonight”, sung by bassist Bruce Hall, are easy and a bit infectious.  Others, like “Follow My Heart” and “I Wish You Were There”, are as bland as this overall genre was at its worst.

     Somehow, I always thought that another massive hit, “Time for Me to Fly” was on this album as well, but apparently it was on their previous release, “You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can’t Tuna Fish”.  Ohh, Kevin…  And as seeing as this will likely be my only entry on REO Speedwagon, I have to finish with my favorite REO memory, featuring another classic from that album.  The year was roughly 1988, and it was one of those infamous “days after” in college, when my friend Mike and I were struggling for recovery and coherence.  As was the tradition, we made it somewhere for a recovery breakfast, and we were returning home in lovely Greeley, CO.  Mike was driving his blue sedan, aptly named “Bill The Car”.  We pulled up to a stop sign with minimal to no traffic, and the inspiring first chords of “Roll With the Changes” came on the radio.  Overtaken by emotion, energy and possibly last night’s beverage ensemble, I leapt out from my passenger seat, jumped to the hood of “Bill The Car”, and serenaded Mike and the rest of the 2200 block of 9^th Avenue with a chorus or two as we sat parked at the stop sign.  Sometimes, you just have to give in to your inner Kevin Cronin.  Rock on Mike, and rock on Kevin, may Bill The Car Rest In Power (RIP).

     Back around 1980, the two things that really mattered to me in life were sports and music.  On December 8^th of that year, I never could have predicted how those worlds would intersect.  Back then, our television choices were still very limited to the three major networks and one or two public broadcast stations.  One of my weekly highlights was watching Monday Night Football.  While watching the end of a relatively insignificant game between the Dolphins and the Patriots, Howard Cosell stunned us all with the jarring news that John Lennon had been shot and killed outside of his apartment in New York City.  As one who had followed and appreciated the Beatles for many years, even at that early age, it was really tough to process.  Comparing only with the unexpected death of Elvis three years before, I vividly recall the rush of radio and television stations around the world to honor John for his music and his influence on the world dialogue of peace and love.  John Lennon, like all of us, was a very imperfect person who had a lot of difficult moments throughout his life.  Way beyond the selfish loss all of us as music fans experienced, one of the most notable tragic elements of this story was that through many years of relative isolation and relationship difficulties, John was happier than he had been in a long time in his life and marriage with Yoko Ono, and he had even recently reconciled a bitter personal dispute with Paul McCartney.  Upon hearing “Coming Up” from “McCartney II”, John was inspired to return to the studio after a five-year hiatus, and the collective product of this work was the album “Double Fantasy”.

     Until I listened to this album, I didn’t fully appreciate that it was truly a 50/50 split of songs written and performed by John, and the other half written and sung by Yoko.  I will focus on the John Lennon content primarily on this album, as it is the stronger musical contribution.  That said, the Yoko Ono songs on this album, particularly “Beautiful Boys” and “Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him”, are not terrible, and are fair efforts, much better than her maligned reputation as a singer.  And just to briefly address one other sad footnote in their relationship that has hopefully been mostly dismissed with time, Yoko Ono was in no way responsible for the breakup of the Beatles.  By the end of the 1960s, they were headed in that direction no matter who else was in the equation.  Paul McCartney’s controlling ways in the studio, George Harrison’s complete saturation with his second-tier status in the band and this treatment, and John Lennon’s unchallenged independence all took the Beatles to a place where they could not continue as a single unit.

     “Double Fantasy” was released just weeks before John Lennon was killed.  The initial reaction was lukewarm, but for perhaps the wrong reasons, it surged in success as a tribute following his death.  To me, it really is a beautiful and memorable collection of songs from an artist who had been effectively retired for years, focusing on raising his son Sean.  I think some Lennon diehards dismiss it for lacking some of the edge of his early solo efforts, but for me that is exactly what I love about it.  In my head and heart, John and Paul always made each other’s music better, and even if only imagined, I hear the melodic and sentimental influences of Paul McCartney all over this record.  From the early rockabilly roots that fuel “(Just Like) Starting Over”, to the lush melodies and sincere affection on “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”, “Watching The Wheels” and my absolute favorite, “Woman”, I hear a very talented artist who sounds truly full of happiness, perhaps for the first time in his life.  I had not heard his personal love letter before, “Dear Yoko”, but it is another song I truly enjoy, inspiring happiness and sadness as I think of the senseless ending of his life, just as the pieces were all finally coming together.

     The impact on my life from John Lennon is huge, and I will always appreciate what he gave us, and miss what else could have been.  I am very grateful that we have this last effort, and that it is something as positive and impactful as it is to me. 

     An important debut for me today, the first album from Ireland’s legendary band U2.  Ultimately, I was very excited to embrace U2 as an up-and-coming act that was on the ascent of their career, versus most of the acts I was listening to at this time that were at their peak in the 1960s and 1970s.  This album, “Boy”,  which was recorded when they were approximately 19 years old, didn’t immediately capture my attention.  It took until their third album until I joined the U2 train, but looking back at it then and now, there is a lot to appreciate from their first release.  Modern day music fans will often accuse U2, particularly lead vocalist Bono, of being overly theatrical, overly produced, overly political, but all of that has grown from these raw roots, and if you want to hear U2 and their most intense early days, any of the first three albums will show many a side of the band they probably haven’t seen or heard before.

     The album opens with the breakthrough song of their early era, “I Will Follow”.  Like many U2 songs, they make a complete song out of one simple chord sequence, but embedded in that simplicity was a raw energy and clear talent that shined through, even at this early age.  For me, a lot of the first album was good, not great, but it did foreshadow of better and stronger songs to come.  I love the slower and driving “An Cat Dubh”, and “Out of Control” is one of the best up-tempo songs on the album.  Songs like “Twilight” and “Stories for Boys” also stand out to me, and I really like the way the songs blend into each other on the first side.  The complexity of this production and arrangement belies their youth and inexperience.

     Without question, my favorite song on this album, as well as one of their best songs from their entire catalog, is “The Electric Co.”.  The combined performance of all four band members is impressive.  The last 45 seconds, where guitarist The Edge takes complete control, is a rhythm and chord explosion reminiscent of Peter Townshend at his best.  Bass player Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. are also at their best on this song.  The sound is electric, new and unique, and along with “11 O’Clock Tick Tock”, which was released at the same time as a single but not included on the album, this is some of the best new music of the early ‘80s. 

     There will be a LOT more on this list from this band, but you have to start somewhere, and “Boy” was an impressive debut for this young and ambitious band.

     Today’s album is a good one, but for me, this record, and in particular, two songs on it, represent friendship to me.  Music has always been of the two main interests that bonded with me with my friends, with the other being our shared love of all things in sports.  When I hear either the second or third song on the third album from Dire Straits, “Making Movies”, I’m immediately reconnected with two of my oldest and best friends.  The album itself is seven great songs, and beyond the two noted below, I particularly love “Tunnel of Love (Intro: The Carousel Waltz)”, “Expresso Love”, and “Les Boys”.

     I’ve known Jim since 7^th grade, and Mike for even longer, and throughout junior high, high school, college, and beyond, we have always been there for each other.  I remember I was undecided on where to go to college, but once I knew these two were headed to Northern Colorado, I took a tour of the campus with both of them and I was sold, mainly because I knew we would have a blast.  We lived together, attended dozens of concerts together, spent countless long nights listening to hours of music, and laughed and cried together through some of the craziest and seemingly unreal years of our lives.  Even after we “grew up” and assumed the burdens of responsibility, we always found our way back to each other.  I can’t think of how many times Mike and I would surprise Jim downtown, and the laughter picked right back up as if we had been together every day for 30 years.

     The second song on the album is “Romeo and Juliet”.  Always a favorite of ours, Mike moved it into the permanent archive when he latched on to a cover version by The Killers.  One of the things I love most about Mike is his devoted passion for his favorite songs.  I know him well enough to know many of his all-time hits, and this one is definitely on his list.  I will never not think of him instantly when I hear this song, no matter which version comes on.

     Immediately following is “Skateaway”.  Even in our earliest days of friendship, Jim was always taking the conversation to new and undiscovered music, and his affection for this album (cassette tape to be precise), especially this song, is the kind of memory that never disappears.  I remember many nights staying over at his house and listening to all kinds of music down in his room, and I know this one was a regular in the rotation.

     Among the many things I love about this friendship is how the roles have somewhat reversed over time.  In many occasions, it is traditional Mike who is putting new and unheard music in my ear, and more often than not, it is sentimental Jim who helps me to look back on many of the best memories that might have slipped a bit too far into the recesses of my aging mind.  New music or old, new experiences or old memories, I’m so grateful to have had these two beautiful people by my side the last 40+ years, and I can’t wait for what comes next.

     One of the mega-stars of the 1970s kept his momentum rolling into the 1980s with his double-album release, “The River”.  I have said before that I am not a die-hard Bruce Springsteen fan by a long-shot, but I have enjoyed listening to his succession of albums as intended, and would rate this as my overall favorite so far.  In general, it feels happier and lighter, with a broader deployment of the E Street band.  It also contains what is, by far, my favorite Bruce song ever, so that is also a bonus.

     I could probably make an argument you could take the 8-10 best songs off of this album and make one really great single album, but it always annoyed me when people said that about double-albums I loved, so I will celebrate and enjoy all of it.  The record opens with “The Ties That Bind”, and like many of the songs on this record, it is upbeat and probably a great live track.  Clarence Clemons is a strong presence on “Sherry Darling”, another of my favorites.

     My favorite Bruce song of all time?  By a mile, it is “Hungry Heart”.  I think part of it is that it doesn’t sound like depressed Bruce, this is happy Bruce.  I will say I have always been a little disturbed by the opening line, “Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack… I went out for a ride and I never went back,” as that doesn’t sound like a good parenting move.  Aside from that, I love the message of this song with regards to chasing your happiness, and the melody on this song is fantastic.  I love the organ and piano, and the upbeat key change into the last verse.  See Bruce, life can be fun too?!?!

     There are several other songs on this album I really do like a lot.  “Crush on You”, “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)”, “I Wanna Marry You” (this one may get me in trouble…), and even the title track, even though it is a more traditional Bruce ballad.  Honestly, in 20 songs, I don’t think there is a single song on here I don’t like, this is just an enjoyable listen and as I think this through, it is definitely my favorite of his albums, even if it isn’t as highly acclaimed as some of his other releases.

“Everybody needs a place to rest, everybody wants to have a home”

“Don’t make no difference what nobody says, Ain’t nobody like to be alone”

“Everybody’s got a hungry heart…”