Red Mosquito

John Fogerty - Centerfield

1985 was a rough year for the old guard. This bit of a run’s been challenging, and John Fogerty is not exactly the remedy here. He does seem to recapture some of that CCR magic on the album opening Old Man Down the Road and Mr. Greed has a nice heaviness to it, but beyond that, this is somewhere between mediocre reprisals of CCR ideas (sometimes with horns!), and goofy asides like Centerfield and My Toot Toot. I swear I’ll like music again someday.

The Essential Track: Old Man Down the Road

Up Next: John Cougar Mellencamp - Scarecrow

liebzz wrote:

John Fogerty - Centerfield

1985 was a rough year for the old guard. This bit of a run’s been challenging, and John Fogerty is not exactly the remedy here. He does seem to recapture some of that CCR magic on the album opening Old Man Down the Road and Mr. Greed has a nice heaviness to it, but beyond that, this is somewhere between mediocre reprisals of CCR ideas (sometimes with horns!), and goofy asides like Centerfield and My Toot Toot. I swear I’ll like music again someday.

The Essential Track: Old Man Down the Road

Up Next: John Cougar Mellencamp - Scarecrow

You’ll like it with your next selection.

John Cougar Mellencamp - Scarecrow

Is there a more heartland rock song than Small Town? It’s a song that makes any Springsteen celebration of the Everyman seem less quaint than you’d might have thought before. Really that, and Jack & Diane are the pure definition of the sub-subgenre. That said, I did really enjoy a good bulk of this one. Rain On the Scarecrow is quite good, The Face of the Nation and Justice and Independence ‘85 also quite good heartland rock with a more social message, and R.O.C.K. In the U.S.A. is just the sort of feel good retro anthem that burned up the radio. Dude has a formula that he’s got down - hard to really argue with it.

The Essential Track: Small Town

Up Next: The Highwaymen - Highwayman

Rain on the Scarecrow is the best Mellencamp tune.

ROCK is also up there

wease wrote:Rain on the Scarecrow is the best Mellencamp tune.

ROCK is also up there

Yeah, but he might have set a world record for repeating the name of the song per second with Small Town. Imagine taking a shot every time he sang “Small Town”

liebzz wrote:

wease wrote:Rain on the Scarecrow is the best Mellencamp tune.

ROCK is also up there

Yeah, but he might have set a world record for repeating the name of the song per second with Small Town. Imagine taking a shot every time he sang “Small Town”

Party All The Time by Eddie Murphy holds that title.

I’m kinda over Small Town. Probably as much as being tired of hearing it as actually being from a small town and wanting out.

The Highwaymen - Highwayman

There are supergroups, and then there are supergroups. Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and co., bringing a number of originals and covers, and this is one of the better ones this side of the Traveling Wilburys (a couple years from this moment). Here, their version of Big River, and Against the Wind are both great, while Jim I Wore a Tie Today, Desperatos Waiting for a Train, and Deportee are also all great. Twentieth Centur Is Almost Over is ultimately my favorite despite it also being a cover. These guys really fit together quite well.

The Essential Track: The twentieth Century is Almost Over

Up Next: Peter Gabriel - Birdy (score)

Peter Gabriel - Music From the Film Birdy

This is basically a score of the film, or at least seems so as it is pretty much all instrumental soundscapes, not unlike some of the ambient albums covered here, though there are some climactic passes here, particularly on Birdy’s Flight and The Heat. I am not as sure I would consider this fully essential, though even out of whatever comfort zone you might accuse Peter Gabriel of having (he seems to always find new nooks to explore in his sound). Don’t get me wrong, it’s a quality album of sonic textures and ideas, though perhaps the least likely of his albums I would revisit.

The Essential Track: The Heat

Up Next: Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms

Admittedly, my expectations for this album were way overinflated. I have thoroughly enjoyed every Dire Straits album to this point, and this is no exception, but with the promise of an album that is among the albums that dominated the 80s, I was surprised by what’s here, which is a touch below at least Making Movies and Love Over Gold. Even though I indeed expected more, there’s a wild mix of ideas here that mostly work. The opening trio of songs all hits sets some tone that gets abandoned soon after. You can’t listen to 80s music without missing So Far Away, Money for Nothing, and Walk of Life. Ride Across the River and Brothers in Arms could have nearly made a Pink Floyd album nearly, with guitar lines that recall David Gilmour in all the right ways (the songs don’t quite meet Pink Floyd’s but they are pretty good). This Man’s Too Strong is also an excellent highlight here, on an album I think of more fondly now that it’s in the rear view than in its midst, as if understanding the whole gave me a greater appreciation. It may have been some of the really curious accent choices here.

The Essential Track: Money For Nothing

Up Next: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Southern Accents

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Southern Accents

This sixth Tom Petty album is the most expansive and adventurous album from him thus far, though it still doesn’t make it to the top of the list. This is not because the more is more approach didn’t work for him, it’s just that the albums that precede this one are that great. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a single bad song on this. All of it is very good - from the psych pop of Don’t Come Around Here No More, the anthemic Rebels, the big band retro pop of Make It Better, the spitfire It Ain’t Nothing To Me, the bluesy Spike, and the two excellent ballads in Southern Accents and The Best of Everything. This would probably be most bands’ best album.

The Essential Track: Rebels

Up Next: R.E.M. - Fables of the Reconstruction

liebzz wrote:

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms

Admittedly, my expectations for this album were way overinflated. I have thoroughly enjoyed every Dire Straits album to this point, and this is no exception, but with the promise of an album that is among the albums that dominated the 80s, I was surprised by what’s here, which is a touch below at least Making Movies and Love Over Gold. Even though I indeed expected more, there’s a wild mix of ideas here that mostly work. The opening trio of songs all hits sets some tone that gets abandoned soon after. You can’t listen to 80s music without missing So Far Away, Money for Nothing, and Walk of Life. Ride Across the River and Brothers in Arms could have nearly made a Pink Floyd album nearly, with guitar lines that recall David Gilmour in all the right ways (the songs don’t quite meet Pink Floyd’s but they are pretty good). This Man’s Too Strong is also an excellent highlight here, on an album I think of more fondly now that it’s in the rear view than in its midst, as if understanding the whole gave me a greater appreciation. It may have been some of the really curious accent choices here.

The Essential Track: Money For Nothing

Up Next: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Southern Accents

This is probably my dad’s pinnacle of music production. It’s his gold standard.

The intro into the iconic riff at the start of Money For Nothing is about as good as it gets, so I can see the argument from at least there.

R.E.M. - Fables of the Reconstruction

On their third album, R.E.M. seemed to be going through a sort of growth from their original sound without leaving what they had already done behind. Jangly rock with a bit more perhaps. While I would probably take Murmur and Reckoning over this one, this shift is the foundation of what they’d sound more like moving forward. And like half this album are R.E.M. early classics - Feeling Gravity’s Pull, Driver 8, Life and How to Live It, and Can’t Get There From Here are all well worn in my head. Green Grow the Rushes, Old Man Kensey, Auctioneer, and Good Advices I also got well into here. It’s still a great album.

The Essential Track: Driver 8 (I just love this song)

Up Next: Talking Heads - Little Creatures

Talking Heads - Little Creatures

Given all their classic albums before this, perhaps this one is a bit overshadowed in reputation. Perhaps I was really expecting “this is the one with And She Was.” I wasn’t fully convinced otherwise in the first half of this album, but it really opens up and gets so good in the second half. Stay Up Late, Television Man, and the exceptional and eccentric closer here, Road to Nowhere are so good. Granted, the first half is not bad, but this really jumps out at you in those final three. It’s a toss up for me between Road to Nowhere and And She Was. Whichever I type in next is pure instinct - equally great tracks for me.

The Essential Track: Road to Nowhere

Up Next: The Cult - Love

liebzz wrote:

Talking Heads - Little Creatures

Given all their classic albums before this, perhaps this one is a bit overshadowed in reputation. Perhaps I was really expecting “this is the one with And She Was.” I wasn’t fully convinced otherwise in the first half of this album, but it really opens up and gets so good in the second half. Stay Up Late, Television Man, and the exceptional and eccentric closer here, Road to Nowhere are so good. Granted, the first half is not bad, but this really jumps out at you in those final three. It’s a toss up for me between Road to Nowhere and And She Was. Whichever I type in next is pure instinct - equally great tracks for me.

The Essential Track: Road to Nowhere

Up Next: The Cult - Love

liebzz wrote:

Talking Heads - Little Creatures

Given all their classic albums before this, perhaps this one is a bit overshadowed in reputation. Perhaps I was really expecting “this is the one with And She Was.” I wasn’t fully convinced otherwise in the first half of this album, but it really opens up and gets so good in the second half. Stay Up Late, Television Man, and the exceptional and eccentric closer here, Road to Nowhere are so good. Granted, the first half is not bad, but this really jumps out at you in those final three. It’s a toss up for me between Road to Nowhere and And She Was. Whichever I type in next is pure instinct - equally great tracks for me.

The Essential Track: Road to Nowhere

Up Next: The Cult - Love

I had this and "Stop Making Sense" back-to-back on a C90 cassette back in the day. I had a mate who would play this side, rewind it, play it again. Repeat. I used to get so pissed at him - "Dude - Play 'Stop making Sense' just once!" but no. Good album, no doubt, but my mate kinda killed it for me. Fuck you, Ducker.

Stop Making Sense is the stronger of the two I think, but I had the same in 1994 with one side of the tape being Ten and the other Vs., except I just kept flipping the tape rather than rewinding. Sadly, for years I didn’t listen to the full Release because it cut off like 2.5 minutes in. Vs. was perfect length because it wasn’t even 15 second between the end of Indifference until the tape flipped for the Master/Slave intro.

The Cult - Love

So, in all transparency, I am not sure I fully ever comprehended the fact that The Cure and The Cult were different bands. They kind of have similar names, similar sounds, enigmatic frontmen…they for some reason just melded together in my mind to be one band. Of course, this doesn’t too much sound like the Cure, but a post-punk band surprisingly featuring a wailing guitar that in many ways provides a sort of preview of what would be termed “alternative rock” in a few years. I actually listened to this album twice straight through to make sure it was real. That is to say this album is pretty spectacular. Every song is pretty great, and I only really knew She Sells Sanftuary before this. Rain, Nirvana, Love, Phoenix, and Hollow Man were my favorites two listens in, but this one’s a keeper for sure. Nice surprise as they are indeed different bands.

The Essential Track: Phoenix

Up Next: The Power Station

liebzz wrote:

The Cult - Love

I only recently discovered this album, It sounds great, I enjoy the songs, the mix, the reverb etc

Phoenix sounds a lot like holy roller from mlb
Also anything I’ve tried to listen to from this band after this album is awful ?

coptheriotact wrote:

liebzz wrote:

The Cult - Love

I only recently discovered this album, It sounds great, I enjoy the songs, the mix, the reverb etc

Phoenix sounds a lot like holy roller from mlb
Also anything I’ve tried to listen to from this band after this album is awful ?

Since I didn’t fully realize this was a separate band from the Cure until yesterday, I would have no info on that, but definitely possible.