"Stardust" by Willie Nelson (1978)

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Filed Between: Ricky Nelson and New Edition

My Favorite Tracks:
At this point, pretty much every song on this LP has been covered numerous times.  That being said, Willie's renditions of these particular songs are my favorites of anybody's:

• Georgia on My Mind (Okay, this one's actually a tie with Ray Charles)
• All of Me (This is the version I hear whenever anybody else's version is playing)
• Don't Get around Much Anymore (This one song seemed to influence Willie's career for decades to come; don't believe me, go check out "Milk Cow Blues")

My Overall Rating of the Tracks Separately:
REQUIRED LISTENING (4/4).  Seriously, if you haven't heard every song on this record, you owe it to yourself to check them out.

I have mentioned before that Willie Nelson is the country music equivalent of The Beatles.  Today's entry bares that out again.  Like The Beatles, Nelson never seemed content to retread the same ground.  And, like The Beatles, he was in a rather unique position to basically try anything he wanted.

Turns out, he decided he wanted to try standards.  Nowadays, this is a common thing.  Rod Stewart has revitalized his career for the umpteenth tim by doing so; country megastars like George Strait and Garth Brooks seemed contractually obligated to record one every now and then.  But in 1978, this was a radical and risky idea.

And not just in the world of country.  Aside from Ray Charles and torch singers, names like Hoagy Carmichael had been irrelevant to the landscape of popular music for almost fifty years.  Standards were left to the jazz guys.  Country, rock and even R&B had instead latched onto and canonized the bluesmen from that era; Robert Johnson was king of the twenties in 1978.

But then Willie Nelson brought standards back in a big way, and the effect was immediate.  Turns out, people wanted to hear these kinds of songs, especially when they were interepreted by one of the best translators out there.  Much like "Red Headed Stranger," "Stardust" shouldn't have worked - a country superstar going quiet and jazzy on tunes that were big with the flapper generation.  But that's why he's Willie Nelson.

Each time you hear that masterfully understated delivery, you can't help but think that this is the perfect song for Willie Nelson and, of course he HAD to pick it.  That happens over and over again on "Stardust."

Even if (for some strange reason) you don't like the songs on "Stardust," you should appreciate it for it's innovation because the odds are very strong that there's something out there you do like that might not have existed if it hadn't been for this record.  (By the way, I say the same thing to people about The Beatles all the time.)

So, is it an album?  Yes.  I think a fair argument could even be made that this is actually a theme album - it's very single-minded in the best possible way.

Up next, we stay in jazzland with "Dregs of the Earth" by Dixie Dregs.

"Flame Thrower" by Wildfire (1977)

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[To the tune of My Old Kentucky Home]

"Oh let the sun shine bright on my happy summer home."

Filed Between: The Who and Hank Williams

Key Tracks:

Umm...

Obvious Filler & Swings-and-Misses:

Umm...

My Overall Rating of the Tracks Separately:

Don't bother.  Seriously, don't bother.

Today's word is: chicanery.

When you have a band called Wildfire with an LP called "Flame Thrower," and a woman on the cover dressed in aluminum foil and wielding a fiery caulking gun, there are certain expectations.  Granted, those expectations are very low, but they are also kinda specific.

"Flame Thrower" delivers exquisitely on those expectations for exactly a song and a half.  The first six minutes sound just like I had hoped they would - a wonderfully terrible epic fail; it's a cheap, swap meet knockoff of Kiss, sort of.  The lead track blends cheesy seventies guitar, disco strings (synthesized, of course) and a bassline that can only be described as "jug band."

But then it gets weird.

Wildfire slips a gear and lurches mid-song from a hard rock band to an even more terrible version of Supertramp.  And that's where it seems like they're most content; it also seems to define their "sound." (I use that term very loosely.)  Until...

They start doing beach songs.  Not good beach songs like The Beach Boys or Dick Dale.  Oh no, it's really bad beach songs like you would hear in a drive-in B-movie beach flick that didn't even have Frankie Avalon.  So, it becomes clear that Wildfire was just born in the wrong era.  Until...

They start sounding conspicuously like T-Rex.  To be fair, this is when they sound the least like an absolute train wreck and are almost listenable.  Until...

They get to the sitar-driven, soft-rock, folkie love song.  And that was all on side one!!!  This is the point where I just gave up and did laundry while the B-side played.

So, is it an album?  No.  Observe as I go all seventh grade on this one.  "Flame Thrower?"  It's more like "Lame Thrower."  Zing!

Up next, further proof that Willie Nelson is the greatest visionary country music have ever known as we listen to one of his biggest gambles (and biggest payoffs) - "Stardust."

"Burnin' Sky" by Bad Company (1977)

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Key Tracks:
Burnin' Sky was the only single and it's very clear why.

Obvious Filler & Swings-and-Misses:
Too many to count, but we'll cover a few of them as we go along.

My Overall Rating of the Tracks Separately:
Don't bother.  Seriously, don't bother.

"Burnin' Sky" is exactly what running out of steam and ideas sounds like.  It seems to get everything wrong that it possibly can - dull music, tepid lyrics, and half-hearted and half-witted sonic experimenation gone awry.  Even the crappy cover art is about as unispired as you can get; I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but Paul Rodgers is wearing a karate top with blue jeans.  Yessir he is.

I honestly think the musicians forgot they were there and just sloppily jammed around.  Then Paul Rodgers said to himself, "hey that sounds kinda like [insert classic rock radio staple here], I think I'll sing it in that style."  That's a shame, because Rodgers has a cannon of a voice, but he squanders it here by poorly aping other singular vocalists of the period.  And the truth is, there is only one Robert Plant (Everything I Need).  There is also only one Steven Tyler (Heartbeat).  Oh yeah, and there's also only one Paul McCartney (Man Needs Woman).

But I have overlooked the worst track on the LP.  Morning Sun sounds Creed spliced in with that cheesy "world music" you hear on the Weather Channel.  Yessir it does.

And just as a closing note, the random outtake of The Happy Wanderer doesn't help anything at all.  Nosir it does not.

So, is it an album?  No.  This is an example of clearly throwing an LP together to support a single.

Up next, we something called "Flame Thrower" by somebody called Wildfire.  I got no clue 'bout this one, but the cover art looks like the poster for a seventies sci-fi sexploitation flick.

"Pelican West" by Haircut One Hundred (1982)

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"Let's go to Norway, live in rain and snow and get totally depressed about nothing at all."
Key Tracks:
Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) and Baked Bean

Obvious Filler & Swings-and-Misses:Marine Boy strays too far into seventies soft rock and there are just too many competing ideas.

My Overall Rating of the Tracks Separately:Recommended Listening (3/4 stars)

I had never heard anything by Haircut One Hundred before last night.  It turned out to be a really fun surprise.

"Pelican West" does exactly what you want good new wave music to do: it borrows heavily from fringier genres and repackages them into a pop-friendly sound with lots of melody.  And this LP is squarely in that zone.

Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) clearly influenced Duran Duran.  In fact, if I had heard this on the radio, I would have thought it was one of their songs.  And Milk Film would have fit in just fine on "Murmur."

But then you also get those other genre elements.  If you like eighties sax (and who doesn't?  Oh yeah, ME whenever it involves George Thorogood...) then this is the record for you.  There are also some great funk tinges.  And sometimes it's more than a tinge.  Calling Captain Autumn is a pretty good Ohio Players impression.

So, is it an album?  Yes.  It's tight and it's driven.

Up next, we delve back into bombastic classic rock with "Burnin' Sky" by Bad Company.

"The Early Beatles" by The Beatles (1965)

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Filed between: The Beach Boys and (ugh) The Bells

Obtained via: CHICKEN COOP!!!

Reporter: "How did you find America?"
John: "Turned left at Greenland."-- from the film "A Hard Day's Night"

Key Tracks:
Love Me Do, Twist and Shout, Anna (Go to Him), Please Please Me, P.S. I Love You, Baby It's You, Do You Want to Know a Secret

My Overall Rating of the tracks separately:
HIGHLY Recommended (3.5/4 stars)

There are literally hundreds of conversations to be had regarding the group that I will staunchly defend as the most influential entitiy in the history of popular music.  But with this LP and this blog, one in particular seems glaringly appropriate.

Let's call it zeitgeist.

I didn't grow up in the sixties; I grew up in the CD age.  For me, the entire Beatles' catalogue (almost, I did grow up pre-"Anthology") was neatly sorted and available on a set of fourteen or so discs which I happily collected and enjoyed.  I was content knowing that all I really didn't have access to was a set of white vinyl discs and cover art with meat and baby dolls that apparently outraged lots of people.

But then I got into vinyl.  Any recordphile can tell you two things: (1) originals (and even reprints) of anything Beatles on vinyl gets costly real quick and (2) there are waaaaay more Beatles' LPs out there than you would have ever guessed.  "The Early Beatles" is a great case in point.  It is one of the most unadulterated bait-and-switches I have ever seen.  It's basically a reissue of their previous LP "Please Please Me" in a different order and with fewer songs.  By the way, one of the songs NOT present on "The Early Beatles" is I Saw Her Standing There.  Why?!

And yet, "The Early Beatles" charted higher and sold more copies than many of the LPs I have reviewed previously.  Again I ask, why?!  The answer is simple - zeitgeist.  This came in out in 1965 when Beatlemania was at its apex.  My guess is that kids were in the store and saw an unfamiliar Beatles' cover and just snatched it up.  And man, were there a lot to keep up with.  Half of my Beatles' records are compilations that don't exist in CD format and that I had never heard of until I stumbled across them.

That's what began putting it into perspective for me.  Even with all the crazy stuff they do nowadays with reissues and special editions and iTunes exclusive tracks and whatnot, it doesn't come close to The Beatles' merchandise available in 1965.  It's still hard for me to wrap my head around it all.  But then, I just go listen to that bitchin' harmonica on Love Me Do and remember that there are more important things to consider - things that make me smile really wide.

So is it an album?  That doesn't seem like a fair question, seeing as how I broke the rules when I played this one, so I'm not going to count it.

Up next, "Pelican West" by Haircut One Hundred.

"Baby I'm-A Want You" by Bread (1972)

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"Here I am on my hands and knees, struggling in my dungarees."

Filed between: Boston and Shirley Brown

Key Tracks:
Everything I Own and Diary (with each owing a heavy debt to the nostalgia filter)

Obvious Filler & Swings-and-Misses:
There are several to choose from, but I think the worst two have to be This Isn't What the Governmeant (get it?) and the (hopefully) parodic vocal stylings of I Don't Love You

My Overall Rating of the Tracks Separately:
Average (2/4 stars)

I was really curious to see how I would rate this entry.  I really liked Bread when I was in middle school, but I have drifted away from this type of music over the years.  It threw me for an immediate curveball when the first sound after the needle dropped was a distorted guitar churning out power chords.  Mother Freedom isn't a great song, but hey, at least it's an effort.

And that seemed to be the trend for pretty much all of "Baby I'm-A Want You."  Bread's take on trying to write Beatles' songs is a fair aim, they just don't have a lot in the way of creativity.  So, the result is a decent endeavor but ultimately forgettable for the most part.

Except, of course, for that wonky nostalgia filter.  "Hokey" doesn't begin to describe songs like Diary where the narrator thinks the girl he loves wants to marry him, but then in a turn of dramatic irony finds out that she was actually writing about some other dude.  And so, our intrepid narrator happily wishes her well.  Like I said...  But none of that matters.  What matters is that this song seemed like some deep shit to an eleven year old.  "The Best of Bread" was one of the first CDs our family got, and I used to spend hours listening to it and America's "History" in our living room and just soaking it all in.

So, is it an album?  No.  The nostalgia filter only goes so far.

Up next, something that completely breaks the ground rules I established for this project; it's pre-1965 AND it's a complilation.  But I don't care, I'm spinning it anyway.  It's "The Early Beatles."  The Beatles!!!

"Mistaken Identity" by Kim Carnes (1981)

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Fun Fact: I hate it when the LP title is strangely prophetic...

Filed Between: The Byrds and The Cars

"You got no fashion, but you sure got style."

Key Tracks:
Bette Davis Eyes - I remember when that song came out, I had no idea who Bette Davis was, but I knew someday I wanted to find a woman with Bette Davis eyes and a Kim Carnes voice.  Still Hold On furthers this lust.

Obvious Filler & Swings-and-Misses:
There are several, but the worst offender has to be Draw of the Cards.  It shoots for new wave (for unapparent reason), but it sounds like some middle age dude's  attempt to make a song like "that stuff all the weird kids are listening to."  It is uninspired, undeveloped and uninformed.  But what do I know, it was also the follow-up single to Bette Davis Eyes.

My Overall Rating of the Tracks Separately:
Average (2/4 stars)

Let's be honest,  EVERYBODY bought "Mistaken Identity" solely because of Bette Davis Eyes, and whole lot of people bought it.  But when you listen to it thirty years removed, you notice that while the synths are cheesy and the melody is forgetable, that smoky, husky voice and the strange way it modulates establish something very special.

Unfortunately, most of the other songs on the LP are confused and reductive.  "Mistaken Identy" smacks of missed opportunities, over and over again.

I place the blame on producer Val Garay.  Without a dedicated songwriter, he should have spent more time culling songs that better suited Carnes' quirky, sultry voice.  Still Hold On seems to be the only track that absolutely captures her full potential. 

Furthermore, the normal expectation of a single producer (excepting George Martin) is a more cohesive sound.  Instead, "Mistaken Identity" is all over the place.

And just as a footnote, synthesizers and mandolins don't mix.

But what do I know?  "Mistaken Identity" and Garay got nominated for an "album of the year" Grammy.  Stupid Grammys.  But that's a whole other blog somewhere down the road...

So, is it an album?  No.  No it is not, despite what The Grammys may lead you to believe.

Up next, we continue circling in the fifth ring of hell that is soft rock with "Baby I'm-a Want You" by Bread.

"Stay Awhile" by The Bells (1971)

Fun Fact: This wins my vote for the worst album cover yet on Revisiting Vinyl
Fun Fact 2: It also got released so much it had two different titles (or maybe it was changed out of shame...)

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"Into my room he creeps without making a sound."
That stalkery lyric is from a tender love song.  No, really, it is.

Filed between: The Beatles and Pat Benetar (Come on, one number either way!)

My Overall Rating of the Tracks Separately:
Don't bother.  Seriously, don't bother.

Key Tracks:
I didn't like any of the songs on "Stay Awhile" by The Bells, so I'm linking to a really good song by Archie Bell & The Drells instead.

When the zeitgeist of a certain musical genre gets in full swing, bands come out of the woodwork.  They're either people who want to do what everybody else is doing or people who were already doing it, just not particularly well.  I don't know which kind The Bells were when poppy folk rock hit, but then, it doesn't really matter.

Truth is, they don't do poppy folk rock very well.  Harsher truth is, they sound a lot like The Carpenters, only more anorexic.

However, the B-side of "Stay Awhile" is all covers and The Bells excel at covers of songs like Proud Mary and Maxwell's Silver Hammer.  By the way, those hyperlinks are  to the originals because what The Bells excel at is making really great songs wonder what happened to their testicles.  Seriously, this version of Proud Mary sounds like a Will Ferrell / Ana Gasteyer skit on SNL.  Maxwell's Silver Hammer just sounds like twee crap sung by drunk muppets.

The Bells do make me feel an emotion I never thought possible - sympathy for Jose Feliciano.  Seriously, it's one thing to massacre your own malformed children, but what Jose Feliciano and Rain ever do to you?!

I was almost through this turd and had chalked it up to an innocent waste of time, but then the last track played and my jaw hit the floor.  Not only do The Bells cover Cliff Richard's Sing a Song of Freedom, they feel the need to add their own incredibly racist verse.  How racist can The Carpenters-lite get, you ask?  Well, it starts with the line "Hey there, Mister Black Man," and I'm not comfortable writing any more of it.  Holy Shit.

So, is it an album?  No.  Sadly, it looks like this may be the closest I get to a Beatles review in this blog.  Curse you, random number generator!!!

Double curse you random number generator!!!  Up next, we get to hear a really good song.  Too bad it's on an lame LP, not a 45.  The song is Bette Davis Eyes; the record is "Mistaken Identity" by Kim Carnes.

"Madman across the Water" by Elton John (1971)

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"The words she knows, the tune she hums."

Key Tracks: Tiny Dancer, Levon and Indian Sunset are all well worth rehearing (or checking out for the first time)

My Overall Rating of the Tracks Separately:
Recommended Listening (3/4 stars)

In my opinion, "Almost Famous" ties for the best movie ever about the undying love some of us have for music.  (The other is "High Fidelity.")  My favorite scene in "Almost Famous" hinges on the lead track to "Madman across the Water."  You can CLICK HERE to view it.  If you're not a clicker, I'll break it down for you.  A group of people who just went through an incredibly stressful and devisive series of events reconnect through the song Tiny Dancer.  It is brillant and kicks you square in the chest and pretty much sums up the entire move in under two and a half minutes.  It speaks to the way way that music cuts across every presumption and prejudice we may have and unites us as human beings.  Yeah, I'm going there.  I know it sounds immensely hammy, but I deeply believe this to be a rare (if not the only) absolute truth.

If that's too heady for you, CLICK HERE to see a hilarious scene from the sitcom "Friends" involving a misinterpretation of Tiny Dancer's lyrics.

Like Paul McCartney, Elton John is an expert at discorvering universal melodies - those tunes that you can't help but latch on to and hum along with the first time you hear them.  That is powerful mojo.  To produce something that is instantly hooky and alluring should be the goal of all pop art.  To do it repeatedly seems to consistently take an Englishman with a piano.

But also like Paul McCartney, Elton John finds these hooks by being immensely prolific.  "Madman across the Water" came out during the E.J. onslaught of 1970-1974 that usually saw at least two new LPs each year.  I will say that "Madman" lands on the high end of that spectrum.  It's much more cohesive and self-aware than some of Elton's other output during the time.  (CLICK HERE to see my review of "Don't Shoot Me, I'm only the Piano Player.")

So, is it an album?  Yes.  On "Madman across the Water," Bernie Taupin seems to be fixated with painting complicated pictures, and his acumen for characterization has never been sharper.  And both the lyricist and the scorer are particularly vulnerable this time around, which makes for a much heavier trip.

Up next, "Stay Awhile" by The Bells.