rock

A collection of 74 posts

rock

266. COME DANCING WITH THE KINKS: THE BEST OF 1977-1986 by The Kinks

I've made it a rule not to cover compilations, best of's, greatest hits, etc. as I'd rather introduce you to records released as discrete snapshots of a band or musician at a particular point in time. However, I'm making an exception to

rock

252. BRAVE AND CRAZY by Melissa Etheridge

I recently listened to a podcast interview with Melissa Etheridge and was reminded how much I used to listen to her first two records in college, especially Brave and Crazy, her second album, released in 1989. Having the perfect combination of rootsy, American(a) rock and ballads, to say that

rock

241. RECKLESS by Bryan Adams

It's hard to believe that this landmark record by Canadian rocker Bryan Adams was released way back in 1984. Every time I hear 'Heaven' I get brought back to junior high and think about that crush I wanted to slow dance with ('Heaven' actually

rock

236. SPORTS by Huey Lewis and the News

This 1983 record reached second in sales at the end of 1984, only beat out by Michael Jackson's Thriller. So that should give you an idea of just how big this album was, spawning hit single after hit single. In fact that was Huey Lewis's plan

rock

227. DON'T SAY NO by Billy Squier

Rocker Billy Squier had the good fortune of releasing his 2nd record in 1981, a few months prior to MTV debuting on the airwaves. His radio-friendly, guitar-oriented tracks along with accompanying videos getting heavy airplay on MTV turned out to be a combination made in heaven. This album generated no

rock

220. BOSTON (self-titled)

The best fade-in of the classic rock era? That's kind of what I think of the opening track from Boston's 1976 debut. If you're familiar with this song the second you hear the subdued guitar picking sliding in from your car radio's

rock

203. QUADROPHENIA by The Who

I promised back in issue 175 that I would cover my favorite album by The Who, so here it is - Quadrophenia. The Who, previously discussed here, is my most beloved band. Unfortunately, I started following them right after they played in Houston, Texas on their 1982 tour. So, I

indie

188. VERSIONS OF MODERN PERFORMANCE by Horsegirl

This trio from Chicago recently released this 2022 indie rock record. A fuzzy mix of gentle vocals and distortion-filled guitar sounds actually makes for a pleasing listen. It's a breath of fresh air in these sometimes overproduced days. Give 'Dirtbag Transformation (Still Dirty),' 'Billy'

rock

185. DOUBLE FANTASY by John Lennon & Yoko Ono

Sometimes it's funny the way life works - or, in this case, death. This 1980 album, recorded with his wife and after a 5 year break from music to focus on raising his son Sean, was generally panned by critics. However, Lennon was shot and killed about 3

indie

178. HEADFUL OF SUGAR by Sunflower Bean

This 2022 record is the third in six years by New York indie rock band Sunflower Bean (previously covered here [https://www.auditorymusings.net/twentytwo-in-blue-by-sunflower-bean/]). As mentioned in that post, I'm a big fan of singer/bassist Julia Cumming's voice as evidenced by my picks down

rock

176. THE DOORS (self-titled)

Think what you will about the late Jim Morrison and his "shaman-ship," he had a powerful, commanding voice and a knack for poetry, though pretty esoteric at times. This debut record was released in 1967 and was unique in the way keyboards provided many of the bass lines,

punk

175. AMERICAN IDIOT by Green Day

This 2004 "punk rock opera" reminds me a lot of The Who's Quadrophenia (my favorite Who album, to be covered at a later date). Themes of adolescent disillusionment abound, tied closely with the cultural and political events of the time. Those of you old enough to

rock

170. LONG AFTER DARK by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

I've been meaning to write about this 1982 record for awhile. I feel it's pretty underrated in Petty's catalog and deserves a mention here. What motivated me to finally get to it was watching the documentary Somewhere You Feel Free:  The Making of Wildflowers

folk

169. LED ZEPPELIN III by Led Zeppelin

I've been listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin lately and so thought I'd discuss this 1970 record as it doesn't seem to get as much love as I, II or IV. It was a bit of a departure from the hard rock/heavy

rock

162. EXTERNAL COMBUSTION by Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs

What continues to amaze me about Mike Campbell's non-Heartbreaker output (his debut with The Dirty Knobs previously covered here [https://www.auditorymusings.net/wreckless-abandon-by-the-dirty-knobs/]) is his voice - I can't help but feel like he's channeling Tom Petty with every song he sings. Either

indie

161. FLOWER OF DEVOTION by Dehd

This 2020 record by Chicago-based trio Dehd was met with critical acclaim, most notably by the notoriously grumpy online publication, Pitchfork, calling it some of the best new music of that year. Mixing elements of surf rock (and all that entails in terms of distinctive guitar playing), shoegaze and straight

garage rock

158. RUBBER FACTORY by The Black Keys

This 2004 record, the third for Ohio's garage-rock-blues outfit The Black Keys, seems to crystallize what they had been working towards on their debut and sophomore efforts. And, in this case, the third time's definitely a charm. The entire album is recorded by two guys in

britpop

147. THE MASTERPLAN by Oasis

When one thinks of the Manchester-bred Britpop band Oasis, images of the constantly squabbling brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher or images of those first two classic record sleeves usually come to mind. However, many casual listeners of the band may not realize that this 1998 record, a collection of B-sides,

alternative

146. BLUNDERBUSS by Jack White

With the recent news that upholsterer extraordinaire [https://jackwhiteartanddesign.com/work/furniture-and-upholstery/third-man-upholstery-shop/] Jack White plans on releasing two solo records in 2022, I thought I’d take this opportunity to revisit his debut from 2012. This genre-bending record is alternative to its core, though it’s layered with folk,

alternative

145. NOTHING’S SHOCKING by Jane’s Addiction

Landing at the time of hair metal, this 1988 record came out of left field and announced that Jane’s Addiction was not going to follow, but lead. And lead they did - with lead singer Perry Farrell’s wailing vocals and guitar prodigy Dave Navarro’s distortion heavy sound,

rock

143. ABBEY ROAD by The Beatles

With The Beatles’ “Let It Be” record currently getting a lot of attention, I would instead like to focus on what is arguably a much better album (perhaps their best?), 1969’s “Abbey Road.” Though “Abbey Road” was their penultimate release, the “Let It Be” sessions were actually recorded before

rock

141. LAST OF THE INDEPENDENTS by The Pretenders

When I discussed The Pretenders’ latest album here [https://auditorymusings.ghost.io/hate-for-sale-by-the-pretenders/], I mentioned how the record I’m discussing today, 1994’s The Last of the Independents, had been my prior favorite of theirs. So I thought now would be as good as a time as any to

alternative

139. DEAD MAN’S POP by The Replacements

This gets a bit complicated so bear with me. This 2019 box set includes a fully remixed version of the band’s 1989 record, “Don’t Tell A Soul” which, in this set, is referred to as “Don’t Tell A Soul Redux.” So, the record I’m really covering

rock

138. LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM (self-titled)

(Former) Fleetwood Mac frontman (that still just doesn’t sound right) Lindsey Buckingham has a just released 2021 record out which, interestingly enough, is self-titled (not typically the norm for one’s seventh solo album). Perhaps it’s his way of embracing the new found independence forced upon him. That

rock

134. SAY YOU WILL by Fleetwood Mac

When thinking about a Fleetwood Mac record, this 2003 release doesn’t necessarily come to mind. But, it’s got some gems in there worth checking out. This was the album they put out after Christine McVie left the band (though she does play on a few songs). So, principal