On to the good stuff.
The B-52’s – The B-52’s
This is the first album from the group. It was released in 1979. This is a great album in my opinion but it was also the beginning of the new wave genre and is a little bit abstract for some. The first single from this album was Rock Lobster. It is one of the most well known songs from the group. The first song from the album was the second single released. That single is called Planet Clare. The song has a cool retro sound with futuristic lyrics. This is my favorite song from the album because of that spy/sci-fi sound. The Third single from this album is called Dance This Mess Around. It is a slower start of to the song but progressively picks up in speed. The album as a whole is great. I was lucky enough to find a copy of this album in great condition for a good price at one of my favorite used record shops. When I found out that this was the album that has Rock Lobster on it I had to have it. After I had a chance to listen to it I fell in love with it. The album has a great 40s/50s beach party or sci-fi sound. I think that I like it so much because of the Man or Astro-man? (MOAM) music that I love so much. This album and most of the stuff that MOAM has put out are very similar. It takes me back to a place that I would imagine my mother would have been in her hey day. I many be a little bit off and it should be my grandmother but still I think that you get my meaning. I would have imagined a time after WWII when movies were delving into the unknown. The ideas of outer space and the bazaar things that could have happened hear on earth with new ideas in science. There is also the unknown world of spies and all the cool things that they were able to do with miniaturization, records and weapons. The ideas from those golden years are fascinating to me but they are also not really things that I want to spend money on myself. It is just the mystery behind them that has a slight pull for me.
Filter - Short Bus
This is the first album from Filter. It was released in 1995. There were two singles released off this album. The first is Hey Man, Nice Shot. It was thought to be about the suicide of Curt Cobain. It was found, later, that it was actually about a public suicide that took place on January 22, 1987. This was the Pennsylvania state treasurer R. Budd Dwyer. This song was also used in the soundtrack for the movie Tails From The Crypt: Demon Nite. The song was released on the radio a few months before the album was released. I saw the movie in the theater with my girlfriend, later to be my x-wife. We both loved the movie. I liked to song so much that I had to have more from the group. The second single from the album was Dose. I don’t recall hearing the song on the radio or seeing a video for the song on MTV. I guess that I am not surprised since it is a slower track with nowhere near the same pop appeal as the first single. I waited the few agonizing months to get the album. It was one of the first albums that bought that had a slip case over the CD. I thought this was a unique idea but it certainly made it hard to get the CD out of the case because the outer slip case was very tight. I had started getting into Nine Inch Nails (NIN) a year or two previous to this album. When I got this album I found out that the lead singer was a part of NIN. He was the guitarist that was used during the touring of Pretty Hate Machine. He was also used for the videos from Broken. He left during the recording of the NIN album The Downward Spiral to form this band with friend Brian Liesegang. The album has the sound of NIN but on more of a lighter side. Later albums become even lighter in sound than this first album.
Stone Temple Pilots – Core
This is the first album from the group. It was released in 1992. The band went with the name Stone Temple Pilots because they liked the logo for the oil company STP. The album released four singles. The first single was Sex Type Thing. The song is an anti-rape statement. It is about a girl that he was dating that was gang raped by a group of football players after a party. The next single was Plush. This is one of their biggest hit singles to date. The lead singer has given two different definitions of what the song could be about. One, they could be about a metaphor for a failed relationship. Two, It could be about a story that he read about a girl that was found dead in an area around San Diego CA. Plush is the song that got me into the group. There is something special about this song. I remember driving around the city with a group of friends. It was that period of time in a teenagers life when the only way to get away from the house was to go out driving with friends; no destination, just to be away from family. The third single from this album was Wicked Garden. This song was not officially released as a single but was released as a promo single. The lead singer, Scott Weiland, stated that "'Wicked Garden' is a song about people allowing all their innocence and purity to be lost from their lives." This song could easily be misunderstood as a sexual reference of losing ones virginity. The last single released from this album was the song Creep. This is a sad song and a slow song. This was quite a popular song and out of the ordinary for most groups. It worked at the time for STP. I had always been a slightly depressed kid as far back as middle school (late 80s), This was the type of song that would bring me down farther than I wanted to be. It was hard not to listen to the song though because it was so good. If you are a rock fan but have not heard this album you should. Once you do you may want to buy it because it is that good.
The Black Keys – The Big Come Up
This is the first album from The Black Keys. It was released in 2002. The name of the band comes from a schizophrenic friend of theirs; he would leave strange messages for the two of them but would refer to their fathers as “the black keys” The album was recorded in the drummers’ basement. There were two singles released from the album. They were both covers of other artists’ songs. The first was Leavin’ Truck. It was originally recorded by Sleepy John Estes. The Black Keys version has heavy distortion on the guitar but with smooth blues playing. The next single was She Said, She Said originally from The Beatles. This song originally caught my ear because it was so catchy. I later realized that it was from The Beatles. As with everything, it seems, from The Black Keys, the guitar is heavily distorted. It is for sure an interesting take on the song. It is probably one of the better covers of the song that I have heard. There is just something about the heavy distortion in a guitar that I like. I am sure that I have said this in the past but it reminds me of the feel of AC current going through your body. That even pulse of feeling with out the pain that comes with actual AC current going through the body. It is a lovely album that I think everyone should hear. I don’t think that everyone should buy this unless you are into it of course. I am not a fan of the blues so much but I do like this album a lot. I did only buy this one on CD though.
Talking Heads – 77
This is the first album from The Talking Heads. It was released in 1977 (go figure right). The only single from the album was Psycho Killer. I loved this song. I couldn’t tell you when I first heard it since it was released in 77. It was in the top one hundred singles so I would assume that I would have heard it on the radio at some point after it was released (I was alive then). For me, it took some getting use to David Byrne’s vocal style. He has a smooth sounding voice but his style seems to be kind of herky jerky to me. Over the years it has gotten easier but It was only a few years ago that I actually got most of the albums from the band. It is still hard for me to listen to at times but the music that they have created is just brilliant. I can’t say that everyone should run out and get this album but I do think that everyone should run out and down load Psycho Killer for sure. This song will knock your socks off for sure. Even if you have never herd of this band (if you haven’t you have been living under something hard and dark) you should buy it sight unseen. The song is really that good.
That is all I have for now...
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