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Classic Album Discussion Thread: The Kinks-Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Pt. 1 (1 Viewer)

Michael Jackson- Off the Wall (1979) 

Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough

Rock With You

Workin’ Day and Night

Get On the Floor

Off the Wall

Girlfriend

She’s Out of My Life

I Can’t Help It

It’s the Falling in Love

Burn This Disco Out

A disco and pop masterpiece, produced by the legendary Quincy Jones. Some critics and fans actually prefer this album to Thriller, and even though that’s a minority opinion there’s no denying this is a really great record. Funky as hell, with some of his best ballads as well. 

 
Michael Jackson- Off the Wall (1979) 

Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough

Rock With You

Workin’ Day and Night

Get On the Floor

Off the Wall

Girlfriend

She’s Out of My Life

I Can’t Help It

It’s the Falling in Love

Burn This Disco Out

A disco and pop masterpiece, produced by the legendary Quincy Jones. Some critics and fans actually prefer this album to Thriller, and even though that’s a minority opinion there’s no denying this is a really great record. Funky as hell, with some of his best ballads as well. 
I love it but it will always remind me of weddings. So many songs there that are wedding dance floor regulars. 

 
Rock With You and espectially Don't Stop Till You Get Enough. Around here those things got played at every wedding I can remember growing up. 
Oh yeah. I was just kidding around, not questioning. I could just picture busting that out as your wedding song. 

Off The Wall was a DJ album for sure. Every kid I knew on turntables had it. No surprise about what you said.  

 
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Michael Jackson- Off the Wall (1979) 

Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough

Rock With You

Workin’ Day and Night

Get On the Floor

Off the Wall

Girlfriend

She’s Out of My Life

I Can’t Help It

It’s the Falling in Love

Burn This Disco Out

A disco and pop masterpiece, produced by the legendary Quincy Jones. Some critics and fans actually prefer this album to Thriller, and even though that’s a minority opinion there’s no denying this is a really great record. Funky as hell, with some of his best ballads as well. 
I was 11 when this album came out and I remember it because one of my sisters was in college at the time and I remember when she would study or read, she would be playing it on her stereo and I would hear it all the time.  I remember thinking "wait, this is that kid from the Jackson 5ive cartoon show right?" :)   I'm one of those people that think this is a better album than Thriller by the way.

 
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I was 11 when this album came out and I remember it because one of my sisters was in college at the time and I remember when she would study or read, she would be playing it on her stereo and I would hear it all the time.  I remember thinking "wait, this is that kid from the Jackson 5ive cartoon show right?" :)
That cartoon show was awesome. One of my favorites growing up. 

 
This record dropped just as I was entering my senior year of High School and it was omnipresent. As I was leaving High School that spring, it was sill being played everywhere. A year after I graduated, same thing. Should've seen the next one coming, man.

I think it's top-to-bottom a little better than Thriller, depending on how you feel about "She's Out Of My Life". The first three songs and the title track are stone dance floor classics to this day.

No one wrote rhythm the way Jackson did. He was completely unique.

I waffle on "Rock With You" (overplayed as it is, but still fantastic) & "Workin' Day And Night" as my faves.

 
I've actually never gotten around to listening to this whole album. I need to change that. I only know the first two songs (although I might know others if I heard them). 

 
Talking Heads- 77

Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town

New Feelings 

Tentative Decisions

Happy Day

Who Is It? 

No Compassion

The Book I Read

Don’t Worry About The Government

First Week/Last Week...Carefree

Psycho Killer

Pulled Up 

This is one of the most astonishing debut albums of all time. Talking Heads ermerged from the New York CBGBs scene sounding like nobody else there, or anywhere else.  The songs here are oddly melodic with a hint of reggae as Byrne sings of dark things. The key to the band, other than David Byrne’s unique vocalizing, is the strong rhythm section led by Tina Weymouth on bass. 

 
Odd choice, considering their next three albums are more highly regarded, plus we have the iconic live album following the fifth album, but here we are. 

 
Odd choice, considering their next three albums are more highly regarded, plus we have the iconic live album following the fifth album, but here we are. 
There are not 3 albums by this band more highly regarded than their debut album. At most there are two, and I will cover them on Wednesday and Friday. 

 
Talking Heads- Fear of Music (1979) 

I Zimbra 

Mind

Paper

Cities

Life During Wartime

Memories Can’t Wait

Air

Heaven

Animals 

Electric Guitar

Drugs

Dance music with incredibly dark lyrics. Almost a progenitor of the later goth movement, and certainly influenced by the Velvet Underground. Brian Eno produced albums probably deserve their own category. 

 
This is such a great album - it was such a different sound for the time.  An older girlfriend got this album for me.  She was 26, had a steady job and her own apartment - and seemed so grown up.  I was 21 and still in school.  She taught me a lot about sex - it was really the first time that it wasn't rushed.  I would spend weekends there and occasional weekday nights and just listen to albums, she didn't even have a tv.  

She dumped after six months or so because I still wanted to go out with my buds and was too immature.  Both correct.  

 
Fear of Music is fantastic. There are times where I think it is as good or better than Remain in Light, usually regarded as their best.  Whether it is or not matters not; it is a fantastic record either way! 

 
Even though I like the Talking Heads quite a bit, I thought it was odd to give them their own week, and given how little activity this thread is getting so far with their featured albums, seems like a miscue.  

 
Even though I like the Talking Heads quite a bit, I thought it was odd to give them their own week, and given how little activity this thread is getting so far with their featured albums, seems like a miscue.  
I'm sure this thread has had more than one miscue, and there will no doubt be more. Oh well.

I selected Talking Heads for a week because I noticed that they had at least 3 (possibly 4) albums that are on several "greatest lists". I like them too.

 
I'm sure this thread has had more than one miscue, and there will no doubt be more. Oh well.

I selected Talking Heads for a week because I noticed that they had at least 3 (possibly 4) albums that are on several "greatest lists". I like them too.
I would imagine that Talking Heads are, for a lot of people, still a band for which that they know the hits, but never dug into the albums. That was me for the longest time, probably until about 10-12 years ago.  I did find most of their albums to be rather spotty, but Fear of Music and Remain in Light are both just tremendous from start to finish. 

 
I really like a number of their songs, but as Ghost Rider says, I find all their albums spotty for my taste, even their best ones.

 
Talking Heads- Remain In Light (1980)

Born Under Punches (the Heat Goes On)

Crosseyed and Painless

The Great Curve

Once In a Lifetime

Houses In Motion

Seen and Not Seen

Listening Wind

The Overload

We close Talking Heads Week with an album that is widely regarded by rock critics as one of the greatest of all time. Once again Brian Eno is the master planner as the band indulges in a host of musicalthemes, from punk to African, and yet end up with a sound that is entirely and uniquely their own. 

 
I was waiting to see if Buildings & Food was gonna be one of the Timschothree before making my Heads post. The other three are better - MSAB&F has all the creepy & little of the freshness of '77 - but the New Wave began for me when i heard the first strains of Take Me to the River.

As i've already recounted here before, i moved out west to join a commune in the fall of '77 & the goodbye party from my media friends was built around a Ramones/Heads concert - two bands i'd never heard til the concert. I bought albums of each to bring west (i got a feeling it was the first time albums from either had ever crossed the Mississippi) only to find out my commune only had electric power in one building. We'd have regular parties @ the main house (why snort off one hippiegirl's ### when you could do eleven?!) and i brought '77 to one and we ended up doing a dance called the Psycho Chicken (buk buk buk bawwk, bukbuk bukbuk bawwk bawwk) to it.

When i moved from the mts down to Albq (there was no work in either radio or psych hosps in Santa Fe) a year later, it was a cultural vacuum. Eagles, country or Norteno. When The Police/XTC came to UNM that year, i had to get a girl from the commune to come down to go with cuz no Burquer girls would go see that "weirdo crap" (only 35 people showed up to the show). And then the most beautiful thing happened. Late one night, working graveyard at a detox center, me & two nurses had the radio on and begins this booming, funky bass line, leading into Mr. Creepy singing a song that was weirdly familiar to me. It wasn't until the chorus (".....Take me...") that i got that it was a classic soul tune he was revolutionizing right in front of me. My chin dropped far enough to kick me in the nuts. I looked at the girls, thought that the black nurse might be offended at this early bit of cultural appropriation, but we were all "WHAT the hell was that?!" blown away. A delicious moment. We waited an hour and called in a request for it to confirm what we heard. Yup. Rock didn't have to be rock, soul didn't have to be soul, punk didn't have to be punk, they could all be fused together. Hmmm. Doesn't seem like much now, but it was immense then.

 
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These are all good albums, I've always liked this band. I'm partial to Speaking In Tongues, I think it's their most listenable album from start to finish (though I'd be fine with never hearing Burning Down The House again). Crosseyed And Painless and Once In A Lifetime are my favorite Heads tracks, so Remain In The Light is a great way to close this week out.

 
Journey- Infinity (1978)

Lights

Feeling That Way

Anytime

La Do Da

Patiently

Wheel In The Sky

Somethin’ To Hide

Winds of March

Can Do

Opened the Door

In 1978 Neil Schon’s Journey, formerly a jazz rock band in the style of Steely Dan with some fine musicians, particularly Schon on lead guitar and and Greg Rolle on keyboards, decided to change direction towards more mainstream rock and hired a new lead singer, Steve Perry. The result was this breakthrough album, their best. 

Perry is one of rock music’s greatest vocalists, with incredible range on a par with Freddie Mercury and few others. The first song on the record, “Lights”, immediately displays his talents and became a classic rock standard. “Wheel In the Sky” is arguably their best ever rock song- like their contemporary rival Styx, Journey got a little mushy towards the end of their run. 

 
I think Infinity is an uneven album, although "Feeling That Way/Anytime" is a standout. Love Rolie's vocals on the former and typical great guitar work by Schon.

 
I think Infinity is an uneven album, although "Feeling That Way/Anytime" is a standout. Love Rolie's vocals on the former and typical great guitar work by Schon.
I've always considered "Feeling That Way/Anytime" one song even though they are companion songs. It has always been my favorite tune(s) by Journey. 

 
Journey is a little soft compared to much of the music that I listen but it has always been a favorite.  Rolie's vocals in the earlier stuff added a interesting dimension that I miss from the later work.  But, I could listen to Schon play guitar all day.  Schon is probably the reason that I have always been a fan. 

 
Journey could have been really good if they never added Perry and stayed prog imo. I actually played the first record (Astronauts on cover) twice last night along with Meddle.  I absolutely HATE everything that Perry did.  They made some coin, so I can't fault them for that.  Love that Rolie guys voice myself.

 
There isn't a single Journey album I like from start to finish, but they have a dozen or so songs I like a lot, some of which are on this record. 

 
Journey- Infinity (1978)

Lights

Feeling That Way

Anytime

La Do Da

Patiently

Wheel In The Sky

Somethin’ To Hide

Winds of March

Can Do

Opened the Door

In 1978 Neil Schon’s Journey, formerly a jazz rock band in the style of Steely Dan with some fine musicians, particularly Schon on lead guitar and and Greg Rolle on keyboards, decided to change direction towards more mainstream rock and hired a new lead singer, Steve Perry. The result was this breakthrough album, their best. 

Perry is one of rock music’s greatest vocalists, with incredible range on a par with Freddie Mercury and few others. The first song on the record, “Lights”, immediately displays his talents and became a classic rock standard. “Wheel In the Sky” is arguably their best ever rock song- like their contemporary rival Styx, Journey got a little mushy towards the end of their run. 
My favorite anecdote about Infinity is that Steve Perry was actually the band's 2nd choice. They had originally hired a singer named Robert Fleischman and they toured with him throughout 1977 while they wrote the Infinity album. But there was friction with Fleischman's "rock star" personality, as well as friction between Journey's manager (Herbie Herbert) and Fleischman's manager. And then one day Herbert happened to hear Steve Perry's demo tape. And he knew instinctively that Perry would be a better fit. But he couldn't just fire Fleischman in the middle of the tour, right? So he secretly hired Perry to be a roadie for the band! Then one day while Fleischman was backstage in his dressing room, Herbert had Perry sit in with the rest of the band during a soundcheck. And by the time Fleischman came out of his dressing room, the band had decided to go with Perry.

Anyway, here is a peek at what Infinity might have sounded like if Fleischman had stayed in the band:

Let Me Stay (original version of "Feelin' That Way") 
Anytime
For You 
Wheel In The Sky 
Winds Of March
Diva 
Just Her Way
Got To Find Her

 
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My favorite anecdote about Infinity is that Steve Perry was actually the band's 2nd choice. They had originally hired a singer named Robert Fleischman and they toured with him throughout 1977 while they wrote the Infinity album. But there was friction with Fleischman's "rock star" personality, as well as friction between Journey's manager (Herbie Herbert) and Fleischman's manager. And then one day Herbert happened to hear Steve Perry's demo tape. And he knew instinctively that Perry would be a better fit. But he couldn't just fire Fleischman in the middle of the tour, right? So he secretly hired Perry to be a roadie for the band! Then one day while Fleischman was backstage in his dressing room, Herbert had Perry sit in with the rest of the band during a soundcheck. And by the time Fleischman came out of his dressing room, the band had decided to go with Perry.

Anyway, here is a peek at what Infinity might have sounded like if Fleischman had stayed in the band:

Let Me Stay (original version of "Feelin' That Way") 
Anytime
For You 
Wheel In The Sky 
Winds Of March
Diva 
Just Her Way
Got To Find Her
They made a great decision going with Perry.

 
Fleetwood Mac (1975)

Monday Morning

Warm Ways 

Blue Letter

Rhiannon

Over My Head 

Crystal 

Say You Love Me

Landslide

World Turning

Sugar Daddy

I’m So Afraid

In which three of our greatest rock songwriters all come into their own. Lindsay Buckingham offers “Monday Morning” and co-wrote  “World Turning” with Christine McVie, who also contributed gems such as “Over My Head”, “Warm Ways”, “Sugar Daddy” and most of all, “Say You Love Me”, arguably the best soft rock song of the mid 70s. 

But the real star of the album is Stevie Nicks. “Rhiannon” is her best ever rock song and “Landslide” is her best ever ballad; both are all time classics that will still be played 100 years from now. 

 

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