THIS PAST WEEK:
We were Byrned on Monday, rebuilt some universes on Tuesday, were gobsmacked with gumballs on Wednesday, ranked our villains on Thursday, debated presidential merits on Friday, and went retro on Saturday.
There were a lot of topics covered, so if you missed any of the conversation take a look back at the posts this week!
COMING SOON:
Monday: Looking back at reprint madness!
Tuesday: Looking forward as you Follow The Leader!
Wednesday: On a quest for a good cartoon!
Thursday: It is a prime time for Prime Time at TV Guided!
Friday: We have a couple of questions for you!
Saturday: We share what we think about the ink. Inkers not tracers at Panel Discussion!
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Today we recommend some of our favorite albums that you may want to check out:
Difford & Tilbrook, the songwriters from Squeeze had a self-titled album during a break from the group in 1984. It had some good tracks like "Hope Fell Down" and "Picking Up the Pieces." If you like Squeeze then you will like this outing. And if you have a chance to see the band live - do it. Lots of fun. This album 3.25 Bronze Medallions. Squeeze in general 4.5 Bronze Medallions. Live in concert 4 Bronze Medallions.
It has been a long time since I listened to it, but recently pulled out Robbie Robertson, the Band member's eponymous album from 1987. With track like "American Roulette" and "Somewhere Down the Crazy River" anchoring it, it is a memorable album. And with musicians like Tony Levin, Garth Hudson, Peter Gabriel, U2, Terry Bozzio, Rick Danko and Ivan Neville all contributing - it really hits great levels. 4.5 Bronze Medallions.
I think Mary's Danish hit their peak with 1991's Circa. The L.A. band with swirling guitar and bass, pounding drums, horns, and Gretchen Seager and Julie Ritter harmonizing on complex songs like "Yellow Creep Around," "Louisiana," "Tracy in the Bathroom Killing Thrills" and "Venus Loves Leonard" drive home the era. The defunct band had a great concert presence and it is a shame the record company deals ended their existence. 4 Bronze Medallions.
And if you like jazz... it may not be the best album of all time but I like Ellis Marsalis and Wynton Marsalis' mid-90s album Joe Cool's Blues. The Marsalis team tackles Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts' classics like "Linus & Lucy," "Peppermint Patty," and "Little Birdie" along with some originals. 3.5 Bronze Medallions.
Redartz: Well, lately I've been on a Steely Dan kick, particularly "Aja" and "Royal Scam". Walter Becker and Donald Fagan offer some truly fine rock/jazz on these two. I'd call them the Dan's "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver". That title cut on "Aja" will just carry you away. 4 Bronze Medallions each.
Also have been playing Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" at work. Apparently I'm stuck on the 70's this month. A great recording ; familiar to most as the theme from "The Exorcist". But the whole album side containing that theme is a suite. And sweet it is, too. 4.5 Bronze Medallions.
Cheers all!
6 comments:
You guys both get bronze medallions from me for some of your music picks today, by which I mean Steely Dan and especially Robbie Robertson. It's so nice to see someone else who appreciates the guy's solo work, Martinex. His eponymous first solo album has always been a favorite of mine, and I also really love, and highly recommend giving a listen to, his two albums from the 1990s, Music For the Native Americans and Contact From the Underworld of Redboy. His second album, Storyville, is also pretty good, now that I think of it...
I'm trying to figure out how I never heard of Robbie Robertson and had to google. Charlie was overseas in Germany at the time (Year 3 of 4) and listening to pop and folk hits by Rick Astley, Pet Shop Boys, Toto Catugno, Rita Mitsouko... The big pond made a big difference on what was heard on the radio... B.t.w I still think you two (and Groove Agent!) must be wealthy millionaires to have this much time to put together an awesome blog like this every day! Hats off to you guys!
As long as I am walking down Nostalgia Avenue, may I add other super Euro groups with monster hits that I don't know if y'all heard in the USA like: Baltimora's "Tarzan Boy" from Italy, Modern Talking's "Cheri, Cheri Lady" from Germany, or Milli Vanilli "Girl You Know It's True" from Germany. Now and then I hear snipets of their big hits in commercials, pop song dubs, etc. But curious if they made an impact here? (I guess I could google and see but where's the fun in that???) Cheers!
I had the Robbie Robertson album when it was released. I was a huge Daniel Lanois fan. He was a producer of choice back then with U2 and the Neville Brothers, and I really liked his atmospheric production on Robertson's material. Robertson took his sweet time after The Band, ummm, disbanded, and it was well worth the wait. If you ever get a chance to check out Daniel Lanois' gorgeous album Acadie, released about the same time, I highly recommend it.
I discovered Steely Dan around their Aja period. There's a lot of great songs on that album and it led me to go back and check out the rest of their catalog, and eventually venture into jazz territory.
Charlie Horse 47, I can't say I recognize the groups or music you mention - other than Milli Vanilli who were a bit infamous here for their lip syncing that I think ended their career. I couldn't even tell you a single song they "sang."
Graham - regarding Robbie Robertson after The Last Waltz and before his solo career, he spent a lot of time working with Martin Scorsese on the music for his films. He still does. From Raging Bull until now Robertson has had some hand in the score and soundtracks. I still think "The Weight" is his best writing work.
Graham- you picked a good time to discover Steely Dan. "Aja" was an incredible lp, with some of the group's most intricate tune craft. The Dan served as my intro to Jazz, as with you...
Charlie Horse 47- "Tarzan Boy"; great song. Haven't heard it in ages. Another to add to the ITunes list...
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