tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66855184881927031212024-02-08T11:05:43.037-08:00Jerk Music CriticThe intelligence of Robert Christgau and the good taste of Lester Bangs.ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comBlogger246125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-69776340509567454922023-01-28T18:55:00.002-08:002023-01-28T18:55:47.446-08:00Zapp & Roger, All the Greatest HitsMmm, no: don't call it a compilation because it's not. Instead, Warner, wisely realizing the weakness of the source material (with the exception of Zapp II, here represented by just two tracks, "Dance Floor" and "Doo Wa Ditty"), grabbed some of Roger Troutman's solo work as wood filler to shore it up — no coincidence he was billed as producer. That's fine so far as it goes (especially "I ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-55656912993165973972023-01-28T18:24:00.003-08:002023-01-28T18:24:58.216-08:00Warren Zevon, Sentimental HygieneTo the extent this was his (first) comeback album the title doesn't really square. Thanks to his raging alcohol and drug abuse pretty much no one was sentimental over his work by then, not even fans who wanted a second Excitable Boy, and this album sure isn't that. The vague attempts at singles are especially weak, notably (despite Flea) the who-can-dance-to-this dance track "Leave My Monkey ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-8642492626889681162022-09-18T14:25:00.009-07:002022-09-18T22:35:45.583-07:00Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex PistolsOn the eve of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral it seems like the right time to do Britain's one hit punk wonder, and, well, 45 years later it's still a pretty good album. No matter Malcolm McLaren's manufactured pretentions at the time you can never tell how much they're kidding ("we mean it, man!"), and whether it's playful, puerile or parody the grinning verve never quits, so if its sole enduring ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-30029562431031598162022-09-18T14:24:00.002-07:002022-09-18T21:43:25.073-07:00Cat Stevens, IzitsoCat Stevens becoming Yusuf Islam wasn't the most surprising thing he did in 1977, surprisingly, when he whipped out the synthesizers for what's my favourite album of his because it's so odd and yet sounds so good. Heck, you have actual proto-trip on a Cat album ("Was Dog a Doughnut?") back when people thought that was just something Peter Sellers did before he fell over. The best part of the ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-58773654171528394812022-09-18T14:24:00.001-07:002022-09-18T14:24:29.548-07:00DJ Khaled, God DidCan you really call this gospel rap when the man at the helm's a devout Muslim? Well, why not? And he makes good use of his vocal talent squad: having Kanye sing the Lord's praises in "Use This Gospel" might not have been all that inventive given his recent output, but having Eminem rapping over it certainly was. Some of the, uh, "secular" tracks work fairly well too, especially the R&ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-2103036300222077542022-06-12T18:02:00.000-07:002022-06-12T18:02:25.470-07:00Alice Cooper '80, Flush The FashionI suppose a new wave take on Alice Cooper wasn't the worst idea in the world — but then maybe it was since it wasn't ever repeated, even though producer Roy Thomas Baker basically used the same template for the Cars. To balance out the sudden shift in style and his soporific snarl on the back cover neither Baker nor Cooper stray far from his usual topics (drugs and social contempt) nor his ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-34105790044440122592022-06-12T18:01:00.004-07:002022-06-12T18:11:41.659-07:00Art of Noise, Below the WasteFrom the inexplicable gatefold doubling as a speaker advertisement to the bizarre tracklist, this album just confuses me at every turn. AoN could be weird, and could be good at being weird, as long as they gave the long ones a beat and cut the rest when they'd overstayed their welcome. This explains the shorter tracks on Who's Afraid, for example, because they're only just enough to be ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-45457688957516226192022-06-12T17:59:00.002-07:002022-06-12T17:59:55.494-07:00Tower of Power, East Bay GreaseOut of print for many years, Tower of Power's début finally got a reissue on Rhino. And it's certainly an unusual gem: six long-form tracks, a different vocalist (Rufus Miller on most, his only recorded appearance), and some very high quality funk riffs with superb brass leads. For all those reasons I think I love every single one of the tracks ... about halfway, that is, because by then ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-15847369894434761542022-05-29T13:14:00.003-07:002022-05-29T17:10:19.698-07:00They Might Be Giants, BOOKThe TMBG formula still holds in 2021 — an inexplicable cover, an opaque title — but for a late-career record it's a relief this one's not purely by the numbers. Reflective of quarantine sensibilities the tracks are longer and (at least for this band) more meditative, especially my favourite track "I Can't Remember the Dream," the backwards echo of "I Broke My Own Rule" and the ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-46917844544892169362022-05-29T13:13:00.000-07:002022-05-29T13:13:31.947-07:00Portugal. The Man, WoodstockWhat happened to this band? How much did they get to sell out? In the Mountain in the Cloud was a singular vision, a couple solid singles, more sophisticated than the other hipster pop around that time, but it went to hell in Evil Friends (literally?) and this one isn't any better. The major problem is the revolving door of producers, yielding a kitchen junk drawer of tracks cynically intended toClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-44625721276679280642022-05-29T13:10:00.000-07:002022-05-29T13:10:56.671-07:00Led Zeppelin, Houses of the HolyAlthough Edwin Meese would probably arrest you for the cover (it's a wonder the RUC didn't at the time), for my questionably informed money this is some of the band's best work. The range is more sophisticated and the production is better, and instead of just blues and rock there's ballads ("The Rain Song" — take that, George Harrison), wacky riffing ("The Crunge"), and even reggae ("D'yer ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-84892934391325210652022-05-15T20:53:00.001-07:002022-05-15T20:53:27.568-07:00Sister Sledge, We Are FamilyAs disco landmarks go, of course "He's The Greatest Dancer" and "We Are Family" (even at 8 minutes plus!) stand the test of time, as much because of Kathy Sledge's earnest vocals as Bernie Edwards and Nile Rodgers' carefully controlled production which prevents them from spiraling into self-parody. But at the same time the other semi-dance tracks like "Lost In Music" and "Easier To Love" seem ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-13639759126011436662022-05-15T20:52:00.002-07:002022-05-17T11:44:48.252-07:00The Who, Face DancesKenney Jones never deserved half the crap he got. Unlike Keith Moon, he could hold a beat and his liquor, and he was already on the band's recorded output anyway from the refits of Tommy and Quadrophenia to no one's complaint. The problem was really Pete Townshend, who reserved most of his best output for his contemporaneous Empty Glass — but yet this album still manages to pull it off ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-44764146372289371492022-05-15T20:51:00.004-07:002022-05-15T20:51:46.570-07:00Eric Johnson, Ah Via MusicomA slight effort from a man whose skill should imply a better result. When he rocks he really does: not just "Cliffs of Dover," an incomparable virtuoso artifact worth all the airplay it's ever got, but also its junior reprise "Righteous" (apropos) and the undulating sparkle of "Trademark." Unfortunately the slower instrumentals have a little trouble taking off ("East Wes"), "Steve's Boogie" is ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-7303239610156818032022-05-01T17:20:00.000-07:002022-05-01T17:20:20.440-07:00Pylon, ChompHypnotic, at times baffling and never like anything you've heard before or since, the most accessible release from the elder statespersonpeople of the turn of the Reagan era Athens-alt scene (to be sure a coarsely relative statement). The formula doesn't stray a great deal from Gyrate; Vanessa Briscoe's murky, murmury vocals still diffuse more fog than they dispel, with sharp edges and shrieks ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-14901459075310220722022-05-01T17:19:00.004-07:002022-09-18T17:09:07.210-07:00The Clash, London CallingIt's noteworthy to observe that for however many music acts don't know what they want to be at the beginning, a few of the greats do a style sprawl right in the middle. Yes, London Calling has all the punk attitude you expect from their third album, but also spreads on a healthy helping of soul, jazz, rockabilly and even a touch of ska and reggae (no doubt Guy Stevens' towering influence), and toClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-54280870388482992932022-05-01T17:16:00.001-07:002022-06-12T18:39:53.871-07:00The Yes AlbumThe band was in the weeds by this point, in real danger of getting dropped by Atlantic, and they needed a win. This wasn't really it but slightly more often than not it gets close. Typical of their later output their longform pieces are the best ones, even if the lyrical concepts are clumsy; anti-war "Yours Is No Disgrace" is incredibly poignant and supple, some of their best work ever, along ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-42615455339996177792022-04-10T20:02:00.008-07:002022-09-18T14:36:58.153-07:00The Brothers Johnson Greatest HitsAn enthusiastic if uneven collection, the chief issue is it's too all over the place. "Free and Single" and (to its great shame) "Stomp!" are fun but excessive with the disco and stingy with the funk, while their new wave 80s output is even less credible; "Funk It" doesn't rise above all the me-too style clones around that time and slow jam "Tokyo" gets aimless, which goes for most of the slower ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-60096274133836158702022-04-10T20:02:00.007-07:002022-04-10T20:04:57.263-07:00Lou Reed, Metal Machine MusicFour equally divided amorphous portions of noise and feedback that are so interchangeable the extra quad mix channels were allegedly the same tape tracked in reverse. In this sense the locked groove of the original LP seems perfectly logical. What's really crazy is the damn thing is perversely listenable, at least at low volume in the background where it becomes part of the ambience. I don't knowClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-41491943053286434962022-04-10T20:02:00.005-07:002022-04-10T20:03:37.845-07:00Radiohead, A Moon Shaped PoolThere is profound beauty in this album and profound sadness, affected by their woes in the studio (including the ill-fated title track for Spectre, which the studio rejected but appears on the deluxe edition) and the end of Thom Yorke's marriage, yielding almost 52 minutes of swirling fog and ambience. Lyrics wash over you, beat changes add occasional colour, but the resignation and moroseness ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-61565499810694643652022-03-27T14:21:00.003-07:002022-03-27T18:09:24.725-07:00Crowded House, IntriguerWhat impresses me most about this album is how, like a boat deftly piloted between hostile cliffs and crags, it brings you some dramatic scenery without smashing on the rocks. There's enough alternative edge without veering into grunge ("Inside Out"), enough texture without getting caught up in snobbery ("Saturday Sun") or moroseness ("Archer's Arrows," "Either Side of the World"), and sunny ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-15996545572417327922022-03-27T14:20:00.000-07:002022-03-27T14:20:53.833-07:00Joy Division, CloserSomewhat more of the same, and even against the throes of Ian Curtis' suicide I'm sorry to say I really expected more than that. The dirges and muddy vocals which seemed so original and organic on Unknown Pleasures come across as almost cynically deliberate the second time around — as an example, lead-off "Atrocity Exhibition" still oozes the same claustrophobic feel but the poppish "ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-41120227059355517752022-03-27T14:18:00.005-07:002022-03-30T23:12:32.258-07:00Pink Floyd, The WallThe decline of the classic lineup started here, along with Roger Waters' terminal ego-driven navel-gazing. It's very difficult to gin up much sympathy for a self-absorbed rocker's unilaterally imposed barrier between him and the world, even if his daddy did die in the war, but minus the wacko fascist flourish the album asks you to treat it as an unalloyed tragedy and it just isn't. Plus, a few ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-90199237671227664032022-03-13T14:34:00.008-07:002022-03-13T14:38:59.491-07:00Yellow Magic Orchestra, BGMThose guys from Tokyo are at it again. With a frankly fraudulent title and a more idiosyncratic style (even, incredibly, a fashion of rap), BGM rewards the active listener despite its name with unusual textures and harmonies and early use of the famous TR-808. There's not much sampling here, either, which may have been due to the limits of the technology but also gives it a stronger musical ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685518488192703121.post-64685773621213646722022-03-13T14:34:00.007-07:002022-03-13T14:38:38.397-07:00Curtis Mayfield, Super FlyOh, for the era when soundtracks were albums, and vice versa. Mayfield is much more direct in his anti-drug message than the movie's ambiguous flirtations with it, and the lyrics consequently come off too obvious ("Pusherman," "Freddie's Dead"), but the two instrumentals are rich without relying on unseen cues, especially the incredible "Think"'s soulful groove and reedy melody. The other slower ClassicHasClasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17331846076856918359noreply@blogger.com