A Lifetime-Plus of Music

     Anytime an artist or band explodes on the scene with an amazing debut, the obvious question is can they back it up with a second release?  Occasionally they are good enough to hit another home run, sometimes it is a complete flop, and they are never to be heard from again, and of course there is lots of middle ground as well.  With “Van Halen II”, I think the answer is closer to smash than trash, although I do rate it a notch or two below their first album.

     With the talent of Eddie Van Halen, it would have been almost impossible to go wrong, but even someone as magical as Eddie couldn’t do it alone.  He needed David Lee Roth just as much as Diamond Dave needed Eddie.  Left with out Roth, Eddie would have likely gone full-on guitar scientist, creating a lot of interesting music that may have been lost on the larger general public.  David Lee Roth, who on his own would have wound up as the cheesy lounge singer he eventually devolved into, was able to bring the pop, the dance, the fun, and the alpha-male charisma to the band.  Whether through well-chosen and brilliantly performed cover songs that they mastered as a SoCal party band, or “the party is on”  original hits like “Dance the Night Away” or “Beautiful Girls”, the band had the bravado and the talent to back it all up.

     The album opens with the cover of “You’re No Good”, originally written by Clint Ballard Jr. and made most famous previously by Linda Ronstadt.  It isn’t my all-time favorite cover by the band, but it certainly sets the tone that Van Halen is here, once again, to take over the stage and blow away any potential competition.  “Dance the Night Away” IS an all-time favorite of mine, and very representative of the best Roth and the band could bring together between them.  Another amazing Eddie riff fuels “Somebody Get Me a Doctor”, even if the overall track doesn’t quite flow as some of their best hits from the first album.  “Bottom’s Up” is somewhat in the same category, but the mixture of another filthy riff and another presentation of ad-hoc doo-wop from the band takes it up a notch.  The last song on side one, “Outta Love Again”, and the first song on side two, “Light Up the Sky”, are probably two of the best examples of inconsistency.   They aren’t flat-out annoying like “Atomic Punk” or “On Fire”, but they don’t have nearly as much of a hook as other songs on either of the first two albums.  Granted, it is still entertaining with Eddie and Alex Van Halen absolutely blasting through each song, but to me they are not quite as good as the rest of the album.

     “Spanish Fly” is more Eddie magic, as he is now essentially giving us an acoustic follow-up to “Eruption” from the first album.  A cool subtle touch is hearing Eddie (I assume) taking a deep breath as he wrapped up the performance.

     The last three songs really close the album out on a high note.  “D.O.A.”, short for dead or alive, is a knockout combination of macho Dave and Eddie’s ruthless guitar, with some great backing vocals from Michael Anthony and Eddie.  “Women in Love” is a softer track that plays into their well-earned reputation as lady-killers on the rock scene, and of course, that theme is exponentially advanced on the last track, “Beautiful Girls”.  Musically it is more perfect party rock, and of course it is vintage Diamond Dave being the life and center of every celebration.  It is songs like this and “Dance the Night Away” that elevated them to a unique place where the guys could rock and the girls could dance and swoon.

     At this stage in the game, Van Halen had pretty much taken a leadership role in the world of guitar-centric rock and roll.  Led Zeppelin and The Who had hit the wall, the Stones were in transition and coming closer to the end of their long run, and in my opinion, the only band that came close to being able to match the quality, popularity, energy, showmanship and delivery of Van Halen at this point was AC/DC, and they had more than their share of issues to deal with, particularly in 1979.  These first two albums from Van Halen were both game-changers, and in many ways set the stage for an entire next wave of hard rock and guitar-centric pop and glam metal that would take off in the 1980s.

     Another landmark album in the “punk rock” movement, we have “London Calling” from The Clash.  This double-album release is highly regarded by most, as it is rated as the #16 album on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.  It also rates as the #4 punk rock album of all time by loudersound.com. 

     I will take minor issue with both of these ratings in my assessment here.  To start with, in my view, it is a good but not great record.  I will explain more on that as I go through the list of songs.  As for punk rock, as much as The Clash originated from punk rock roots and Joe Strummer certainly captures the attitude with his vocals, most of this album is frankly much more refined and musically diverse than what I would associate with punk rock.  The caliber of instrumental performance is really high, and the diversity of songwriting style and delivery transcends the boundaries of punk rock, at least in my book.

     Let’s talk a little more about where I struggle at times with The Clash.  It all boils down to the vocals of Joe Strummer.  His range is extremely limited, and he frankly sounds like he has a really bad cold most of the time.  Like I noted above, a lot of his delivery centers around attitude, but ultimately, if I’m going to listen to an album, much less a double album, I would like to be able to say I enjoy the vocals, and I can’t say that about that a lot of this album. It definitely works on some of the songs that I will highlight below, but I also find it confining and a bit redundant on some of the less impactful tunes.

     That criticism aside, it is not comprehensive, and there are songs on this record I really like.  I think I have been conditioned to embrace the title track as one of the signature sounds of the genre and era, particularly as it foot-stomps the UK origins of much of this sound.  “Jimmy Jazz” is a creative tune, complete with horns!  “Clampdown” is a really strong rocker, and we then go into a good run with the funky “The Guns of Brixton”, pub-anthem “Wrong ‘Em Boyo”, and the refined pop-rock song “Death or Glory”, which has an outstanding chord structure.

    The album ends with what I consider to be their best and not surprisingly, most well-known song outside their core audience, “Train in Vain “(Stand by Me)”.  It is a truly beautiful song that celebrates the very best Joe Strummer has to give us, and I’m glad they stretched themselves to give us this timeless hit.  Overall, a lot to like on this album, even if it isn’t quite the standard-bearer for me that it is for many others.

     I’m probably overlooking someone right now, but in my mind, the two rock acts most directly associated with the state of Florida are Jacksonville’s Lynyrd Skynyrd and Gainesville’s Tom Petty.  Today brings us “Damn the Torpedoes”, the third album from Petty and his band the Heartbreakers, which proved to be his breakout success.  The album is rated #231 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

     My appreciation for Petty and his music has definitely grown over time.  Early in his career, I couldn’t get past the Dylan soundalike voice, but I was just wrong, and am happy to admit it.  As with several other artists, I wish I had seen Petty and the Heartbreakers when I had the chance… another artist gone too soon.

     The hard-rocking and familiar “Refugee” opens the record with a blast, and the next two pop songs, “Here Comes My Girl” and “Even the Losers” just build on the first track for a triple-header of really good Petty songs to start this album.  They can’t all be big hits, but I really like the next song, “Shadow Of A Doubt (A Complex Kid)”, and “Century City” had to be a great song to see live.

     Another legendary Petty song, with its iconic piano and organ opening, “Don’t Do Me Like That” kicks off side two.  It isn’t hard to see why this album did so well and lifted Petty to superstar status.  “You Tell Me” keeps the good groove going.  “What Are You Doin’ In My Life?” is not my favorite song on this album, it is just a little too much Petty sneer for me on the chorus, but the record ends on a really high note with the sweeter sounds of “Louisiana Rain”, a really nicely written song.

     He spent most of his professional life in southern California, but I appreciate the Florida roots of Tom Petty.  I wish he was still here to come back and grace us with his music like he should be, but life doesn’t always work out that way.

     Another dominant band of the 1970s reached the end of the line in 1979, with their last studio release, “The Long Run”.  By this point, Randy Meisner followed Bernie Leadon out the door, and the lineup for this album included Timothy B. Schmit in his place, along with Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Don Felder and Joe Walsh.  This album doesn’t seem to garner much respect critically, but of all of the Eagles albums, this one is one of my preferred collections.

     The title track, a very recognizable and easy-to-like song with Henley on lead vocals starts things off.  We have the super-slow and soft ballad “I Can’t Tell You Why”, with Schmit and his high-range voice on vocals next.  I have never loved this song, even though it was fairly successful as a single.

     The next song is the Joe Walsh-led classic “In the City”, which was originally recorded as a solo song for the landmark late-1970s film “The Warriors”.  I’m not sure which I love more, the movie or the song, but both are huge favorites for me and this is definitely my #1 favorite Eagles song out of them all.

     The rest of side one is rather uneventful, but side two opens with “Heartache Tonight”, another of the many up-tempo Glenn Frey songs that tend to find their way to the top of each album’s best.  I also like “Those Shoes” featuring Henley with some great guitar work from Don Felder.  “Teenage Jail” is weird and interesting, it sounds like the Eagles trying to be Black Sabbath.  Let’s leave that to the experts, please.

     Another simple-but-good Henley track “The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks” comes next, and the end of the Eagles era winds down with the aptly named “The Sad Café”.  Six albums in total, with dozens of successful hits, the band created a foundation of songs that serves them to this day as they continue to recycle the lineup and the setlist for top-dollar ticket prices.  Like I said earlier in this blog, the Eagles are one of those acts that jointly appeals to most men and women, and thus, they are the perfect “middle-aged date night” couples rock act.  That cynicism aside, between Henley and Frey and their respective peers across the six albums, they were outstanding songwriters and performers and their excellence in this area served them well as they graduated into successful solo careers in the 1980s and beyond.

     As I alluded to with the Who’s release of “Who Are You”, Led Zeppelin also over-corrected a bit with the infusion of keyboards, trying to evolve their sound as the music world was changing around them.  Part of it was the desire to be different, and part of it was borne out of necessity as the creative forces of Led Zeppelin were effectively reduced to the unusual pairing of Robert Plant and John Paul Jones.  Group leader and guitarist Jimmy Page was mired in the depths of a suffocating heroin habit, and drummer John Bonham, while he was still playing with his consistent greatness, was also wrestling with a variety of substance abuse issues.  The band gathered in Sweden to record “In Through the Out Door”, which would ultimately prove to be their last studio release prior to the death of Bonham and the tragic end of the band.

     Led Zeppelin was reeling from one dark moment after another in the late 1970s.  Starting with a terrifying auto accident for Plant and his wife in 1975, the band had to end their tour early in 1977 when Plant’s son died from a sudden viral infection.  This coincided with Bonham and manager Peter Grant getting arrested for brutally beating a road crew member (not one of theirs) at a show in Oakland, and as noted, both Page and Bonham were struggling mightily with substance issues.

     For the first time, Jones took the lead with most of the songwriting and production, assisted by Plant.  The result was another inconsistent album, like “Presence”, which both have their high moments, but more than their share of mediocrity as well.  I read in one review a line that says it all for this album.  As talented as John Paul Jones is and was as a musician, the band was not better served with him playing “in front of” Jimmy Page.

     The album starts with what could have been a titanic song instead of just a good one, “In The Evening”.  It has a great riff and structure, but Plant’s vocals aren’t great, and are buried way too far in the mix.  Technically Jimmy Page was still listed as the producer, and if so, this was not his best work.  The second song, “South Bound Suarez”, is a throw away attempt at country ragtime on the piano.  Again, the vocals are not great, and neither is the guitar work around the piano lead.

     Even in their weakest moments, the band was so talented they could still deliver greatness.  “Fool In The Rain” is one of their best songs ever, and absolutely one of Plant’s most inventive lyrics.  The comical turn of a guy who thinks his girlfriend has dumped him until he realizes he is waiting for her in the wrong place, the music on this song is phenomenal, led by John Bonham and his amazing version of Bernie Purdie’s shuffle.  Plant’s voice is much smoother and stronger here, and Jimmy Page rises up to deliver the best solo on the album, low on the fretboard with amazing tone.  Jones leads the way with an infectious melody and an array of piano, keyboards, samba and whistles.  It is just an outstanding song, their last really great recording.

     Side one ends with the absurd track “Hot Dog”, which is a country mock-song that most Zeppelin fans detest.  I actually love it, and two other people in my life love this song as well.  My friend John from high school and college loved it dearly and we would listen to it endlessly, and even more so, it is possibly my Mom’s favorite song ever from all of the music from my era that she would embrace.

     Side two starts with “Carouselambra”.  I’m not sure what to make of this over-produced, poorly mixed, too-long, heavy-synthesizer track.  It is as if they wanted to try and sound different and put the weight on Jones’ shoulders to carry the day.  The drumming and instrumental performances aren’t awful, but the net sum of the parts just devolves into one of the true low points for the mighty Zeppelin.

     They bounce back on the last two tracks.  The first is “All My Love”, the song Robert Plant wrote for his young son Karac, who he tragically lost in 1977.  Co-written with Jones, it is the only Led Zeppelin song authored by the band that Jimmy Page did not get a songwriting credit on, and it is one of the most popular songs from the album.   Again, heavy on the keyboards, but Bonham is once again amazing, helping to elevate the song above the Foreigner/Journey soundalike Page was afraid the song represented.  I love this song and what it represents, even if it truly is evidence of a band divided.

     The final song of the Led Zeppelin catalog is “I’m Gonna Crawl”, the third and final part of their blues trilogy that started with “Since I’ve Been Loving You” and continued with “Tea for One”.  Like the rest of this album, this song is fronted by keyboards, with the guitar coming in for support, but it is a gorgeous track and a sad, emotionally impactful and fitting end to the phenomenal run for this one-of-a-kind band.

     Like Keith Moon, John Bonham would succumb the next year to alcohol, in this case, he just drank way too much and choked on his own vomit.  Such a sad and pointless end to both of their lives, like so many others, and thus ended the run for the greatest rock band of their era.  I can’t overstate the amount of influence this band has had on my life, and I will always be grateful for the collective contributions of Led Zeppelin, through good times and bad times.

“We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend, and the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were.”  – Led Zeppelin Statement, 12/4/1980.

     The ‘80s are right around the corner, and perhaps the biggest and most successful performer of that decade gave notice of his arrival as a solo smash superstar with the release of “Off The Wall”.  His first major release as an adult singer, free from the confines of the Jackson 5, this was also the first album of his remarkable run with producer Quincy Jones.  A mix of self-authored tracks along with contributions from legends like Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney, many people, including my son, rate this as his best album of all time.  I’m not quite on board with that, but it is a good one, and it is rated #36 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

     The record opens with one of two legendary tracks on this album, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”.  As much as I do appreciate Michael Jackson and his talent as a performer, one of my personal pet peeves is that on many of his songs, this one included, they tend to run a little long and wear me down with the extended outro.  This is a great three-minute song that lasts six minutes, and by that three-minute mark, I’m pretty sure I’ve “got enough”.

     Next comes “Rock With You”, the other iconic track on this record.  Music videos were beginning to emerge more and more, and who can forget this classic performance of Michael that looks like it was shot in somebody’s basement with a couple of light machines borrowed from the local disco?  Musically it’s a smooth and vintage Michael Jackson performance, before the crushing force of celebrity isolation took its toll on him.

     Side one ends with two more easy to jam disco tracks, “Workin’ Day and Night” and “Get on the Floor”, and side two opens with the third, the title track.  Next comes a classically cheesy love song “Girlfriend”, which not surprisingly, is Paul McCartney’s contribution to the album. 

     “She’s Out of My Life”, another of the top 10 singles from this album, is a slow heartbreak ballad that doesn’t jump out until you hit the two-minute mark.  If you have ever seen Eddie Murphy’s classic stand-up routine “Delirious”, you will instantly recognize the bridge of this song where Eddie becomes Michael, breaking down in tears while asking Tito for a tissue and insisting that Jermaine should stop teasing.  If you know, you know…

     “I Can’t Help It” has a slightly funkier tone, so again, not surprising this is the Stevie Wonder offering.  A very cool and smooth chorus, definitely one of my favorites on this record.  The last two songs are pretty standard Michael, with “Burn This Disco Out” leaving one last imprint on the disco era from the “King of Pop”.

     Plenty more to come from Michael in the 1980s, and we will look further at some of the odd and dark events that accompanied that time.  However, in 1979, Michael was just a new and liberated adult solo superstar, finding his place on the top of the charts and definitely still on the ascent.

     Today we have the next release from AC/DC, in what would prove to be their last album with singer Bon Scott, who sadly died from alcohol overdose just a few months after the release of “Highway to Hell”.  I believe my friend Jim used to make the case that this was AC/DC’s best album.  I’m not quite sure I’m ready to make that leap, but I do think it is their best overall record in the Bon Scott era, and it contains one of my absolute all-time favorite AC/DC songs (no, not the title track).

     However, starting with that infamous riff and title track, it certainly is a brand-defining song from the band.  Most of their music has always centered around an excess in lifestyle with a hint of darkness, and this song is certainly no exception.  Meant more figuratively than literally, it was certainly misinterpreted by many, particularly with Scott’s unfortunate demise.  No matter how many times I have heard this song, which is certainly in the thousands, I still reach for the volume, and I don’t personally feel I’m headed for an eternity of damnation.  I just like good rock and roll music.

     The AC/DC formula is almost painfully simple.  Opening riff from Angus and/or Malcolm Young, verse one, chorus one, verse two, chorus two, Angus guitar solo, chorus three, chorus four, outro and/or explosive last chord.  On rare occasion they do mix it up a bit, and sometimes with great results, but this formula has served them as successfully as any band ever.  The one reason I would shy away from rating this as their best album is the majority of the songs are slightly bland, and not as exciting to me.  Don’t get me wrong, I could listen to Angus and Malcom play all night, even with these songs, and be very happy, but many of them I wouldn’t go out of my way to play on repeat.  One interesting observation on this set of songs, other than the fact they are all dripping with double-entendre, or maybe just… entendre.  On the song “Beating Around the Bush”, the riff is pretty much a carbon copy of the song “Oh Well” by Fleetwood Mac.

     Let’s talk more about some of the standout tracks on the record.   “Walk All Over You” is a great riff and a step outside the norm.  One of my favorite songs, along with a great solo, is “Shot Down in Flames”, and another really good one, fully adorned with the AC/DC horror show, is “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)”.  And speaking of horror shows, let’s turn our attention to my favorite song on the album and perhaps in their catalog, “Night Prowler”, a lovely ode to a nocturnal serial killer.  Is it a bit macabre and gruesome?  Of course, but we are close to Halloween.  Somewhat similar to “Ride On”, it has a very bluesy feel.  Phil Rudd’s drumming is fantastic, Bon Scott’s chilling story-telling fits the mood perfectly, and the building terror and groove of this song is just so good.  Even as a relatively familiar AC/DC fan you may not know this song, but be sure to get it on to your Halloween playlist ASAP.

     Bon Scott was notably older than the Young brothers, but his confidence and prowess got him into the band.  His tawdry and bold style fit the band and their sound well, and his untimely passing left a major hole in the band, just as they were hitting their stride and finding worldwide success.  Only time would tell if they could overcome this loss.

“No stop signs, speed limit, nobody’s gonna slow me down.  Like a wheel, gonna spin it, Nobody’s gonna mess me around.  Hey Satan… Payin’ my dues, Playin’ in a rockin’ band… Hey mama, look at me… I’m on my way to the promised land…”

     Back into the world of punk rock today, and unlike most of the acts I have recently covered here, I had never heard of Stiff Little Fingers before.  They come from Belfast in Northern Ireland, and bring an even more aggressive vocal tone than anything I have heard so far as punk rock continues to move forward.  This album, “Inflammable Material”, which was their debut album, is rated as the 6^th greatest punk rock album on loudersound.com.

    From a vocal perspective, and from pretty much any other angle, this is definitely punk rock, but underneath it all, it is just aggressive and fast-paced rock and roll with a more caustic vocal front.  I had to smile just a bit when I heard the opening chords of the first song, “Suspect Device”, which opens with the same basic chords as “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin.  That coincidence aside, this is a pretty fun album to listen to, and there are several songs I prefer above the rest.  “Barbed Wire Love” is a great track, and I also love “Johnny Was”, which has a long, extended instrumental intro.  “Breakout” is sort of like “Blitzkrieg Bop” if Joey Ramone had a really bad sore throat.  “Law and Order” opens with similar chords to “Desire” by U2.  Any way you slice it, good chords make good songs.

     Like I have noted before, there are certain fundamental limitations and boundaries with most of these early punk rock acts, but the music is fast, powerful, authentic and a needed shot in the arm for a rock and roll genre that was showing its age.  Somehow, all these years later, singer Jake Burns and the latest version of the band continues to rock on in 2021.

     We end 1978 with the #1 selling album of 1979, the next release from Billy Joel, “52^nd Street”.  Like his other albums, this record continues his love affair with New York City.  Like “The Stranger”, this is Billy Joel at what I consider to be his peak, and is another fantastic album.  I also recall this record as a part of my Mom’s late-era record collection.

    Side one opens with three massive hits for Joel.  The first, “Big Shot”, is a raucous look back at a friend whose life has gotten a bit excessive in every way.  Next comes his painfully accurate ballad “Honesty”, which is somewhat of a pragmatic sequel to “She’s Always a Woman”.  Next we have another TV theme song, where a cover version of “My Life” was used as the intro for “Bosom Buddies”, the world’s introduction to Tom Hanks.  All three of these first tracks are guaranteed placement on any Billy Joel Greatest Hits playlist.

     Next comes “Zanzibar”, which evolves into a very unexpected jazz blend, featuring Freddie Hubbard on trumpet.  Side two isn’t quite as hit-laden, but all of it is good Billy Joel.  Each of the five songs are different in style and sound, and I would say my favorite of all of them is the last track, which is also the title track.  I also really liked “Rosalinda’s Eyes” and “Until the Night”, which builds into a really nice chorus.  Overall, this is definitely tied with “The Stranger” as my personal favorite, and the trilogy of his best albums comes shortly after.

     There are some guitarists you can almost instantly recognize when you hear their sound.  Eddie Van Halen immediately comes to mind, and I would probably  say the same for Jimi Hendrix, The Edge from U2, and perhaps even put Jimmy Page and Keith Richards to that list.  That being said, none of them, even Eddie, are as consistently and immediately as recognizable as Mark Knopfler, the guitarist and vocalist and founding force of the band Dire Straits.  There is something remarkably pure, crisp, and pristine about the sound of his playing.  I have always envisioned that his sound is enabled by not only his incredibly precise and pure touch, but the lightest and softest strings possible.  One of my former coworkers, Mark, stands out to me as one of several people in my past who are uniquely devoted to Knopfler and his music.  I find Dire Straits fans to be quiet, thoughtful, insightful and highly intelligent in their musical consideration, which fits well with the sophistication of this sound.

     Like Van Halen and The Cars, “Dire Straits” is the third significant self-titled album released in 1978.  I remember purchasing it about a decade later, but had forgotten how beautiful and soothing this entire record sounds.  It opens with the emerging sounds of “Down to the Waterline”, and honestly, each of the eight songs that follow are so pleasant and enjoyable to listen to, especially in a quiet moment.  I will end my assessment with the trademark song from this debut momentarily, and even though I love the entire record, I’m particularly partial to side two.  “In the Gallery” has a beautifully played subtle funk to it, and the song that follows, “Wild West End”, is my second-favorite song on the album.  The chord sequence and melody of this song is just so beautiful, I could listen to it every single night as the sun goes down.  Knopfler’s speak-sing vocal style is unusual but works so well, especially on this love-from-afar song.  The album closes with “Lions”, which is the perfect book-end to the opening track.  I just don’t know how you can listen to this album, especially side two, and not be immediately hooked.

     Of course, the signature song of this record is the first song on side two, “Sultans of Swing”.  From a musical perspective, the guitar playing on this song just blows me away, particularly the note-for-note perfection of the solos near the end.  Lyrically, most people recognize this as the ode to London that it really is.  However, for me, I have always associated it with New Orleans.  If you listen to the story, it connects me to the Dixieland jazz players at Preservation Hall in the French Quarter.  After my parents moved there, my Dad would take me there to see and hear his favorite music.  I always loved this connection, as he and I did not always connect on music the same way I did with most others.  However, in Preservation Hall, he was just another music lover like me, and this song transports me to a misty, dark night, “Coming in out of the rain to hear the jazz pour down”.  I love this song, I love this album, and most of all, I love you Dad.  Thanks for showing me that side of you all those years ago.