Friday, July 17, 2020

The 1980 Listening Post - Iron City Houserockers - Have a Good Time but...Get Out Alive

Iron City Houserockers - Have a Good Time but...Get Out Alive


#245
June 6 1980 LISTENING POST DISCOVERY
Iron City Houserockers
Have a Good Time but…Get Out Alive
Genre: Child of the Boss
4.25 out of 5





Highlights:
Don’t Let Them Push You Around
Pumping Iron
Angela
We’re Not Dead Yet
Junior’s Bar




This is the kind of record that makes me say “Fuck John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band”. 
Cafferty aped Bruce’s sound, watered it down and made a fortune as Eddie and the Cruisers. But, Joe Grushecky is the real deal. A real child of that barroom New Jersey sound. Even though he’s from Pittsbugh. 
He’ so much the deal that 15 years later Bruce would produce his seventh solo album American Babylon.
I’ve never heard of the guy but this album kicks. 
It makes me want to know more about Grushecky. 21 albums since 1979. If Springsteen had opening bands, Joe would and should have absolutely been one of those. In fact, I prefer this album to any entire Southside Johnny joint. And then I learn that he and Bruce teamed up in 2017 for an Anti-Trump protest song. “That’s What Makes Us Great” almost gets there. It’s pretty scathing. I wish more people had heard it. Maybe I would have learned about Joe Grushecky before today. 
“We’re Not Dead Yet” just landed on my Best Of Playlist. It’s “Roulette” years before Bruce got pen to paper. 



The 1980 Listening Post - New England - Explorer Suite

New England - Explorer Suite


#244
by Aaron Conte
New England 
Explorer Suite 
Genre: Power pop rock metal 
Allen’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Aaron’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5 


Aaron’s Highlights:
Honey Money
Conversation

A distinct whiff of Air Supply, Supertramp, Redd Kross, and Motley Crue. Jaunty rollicking melodies straining through Peavy amps and some seriously tight high male vocals with vibrato naturally. Not King Diamond soprano, but it's what you think it is. These guys had a hit in the late seventies and were managed by Bill Aucoin of KISS fame. This is their second record and it sounds like it was recorded in Motley Crue's filthy carpeted basement. Keep the volume low when you first put it on because someone forgot to raise the bass in the mix. It's a tire screech on eleven, and it takes a while to adjust to it because the whole album sounds this way. These guys can write a catchy melody for sure and they also employ one of my favorite things ever which is the descending finger barre power chord. Lots of double tracking and over dubbing here (for the audiophiles out there). Super compressed drums and the oddest choice of keyboard sounds which is where the Motley Crue/Supertramp comparison comes from. Otherwise it's very middle of the road vanilla music played by "rock musicians", and I use that term lovingly with a wink wink. You can imagine Johnny with his hair all sprayed up, stage clothes on, smelling like Safeguard, coming down for dinner with his parents in suburban Massachusetts. Dad won't look up from his pot roast, sister is suppressing laughter and mom is worried she'll find some homo mags under his bed when she goes in to secretly smoke out the attic window. But Jimmy's not gay! No mom and dad, he's a rock musician. Very quiet and withdrawn. A master of his instrument, and figuring out how to break his band. (hint: stop singing in that fake English accent!) You can tell these guys meant it, and if I haven't said it yet, they really were a good band, meaning they play well, and I guess now is when you see through my review. Nothing to see here folks, park's closed. They probably never had a chance because management was known for flash and gimmicks, the industry was becoming a different beast, and they really just wanted to be good, but they had Survivor, Queensryche and Loverboy on their tail, plus AC/DC had just released Back in Black so no, this record never had a chance. 

TRACK BY TRACK 

"Honey Money" - still confused why this isn't "Money Honey" seeing as how its a song about reasoning why the guy can't get the girl. Driving chorus which is played with a different dynamic than the verses. Very good idea because otherwise this would be a throw away for a lead off track. 

"Livin' in the Eighties" - almost sounds like a demo version of the song that would appear on the "real" record, except this is the real record and I guess they were in a hurry? Carousel organ mixed with a primitive drum/guitar riff. A close approximation of Motley Crue's "Looks That Kill" played by Clarabell (that was a clown in the 50's for all the young people reading this.) I really wanted this to be better but then suddenly there's a bridge that satisfies and makes everything alright. Somehow by the end of the song it works considering the album is titled "Explorer Suite”. 

"Conversation" - suddenly it's a different band now. Air Supply after having a stiff drink. Really needs to be heard to be believed. 

"It's Never Too Late" - Can Casio organs be metal? Yes they can in New England. Pre-Bon Jovi but within the Redd Kross age....I think this where Jeff and Steve McDonald (RK) got the idea that their band could play power pop instead of punk rock. 

"Explorer Suite" - synthesizers ala ELP and choral arrangements. Long Island's The Lemon Twigs surely know this album, and they make way better versions of it these days. Look them up. This band is now called "Long Island". They are no longer "New England". Billy Joel called; he wants his ideas back. 

"Seal It With A Kiss" - bad idea. An adrenaline drum beat that reminds me of the days when I played drums in bands, and the songwriter would come to practice with an idea that wasn't the most inspired so in an effort to keep things moving I would have to supply him with this "boom bat boom boom bat" stupid beat. Skip this one. It even ends terribly, so maybe let it play through just to hear the train wreck. 

"Hey You're On the Run" - sure are. Let's get this session overwith boys. As a wise man once told me, "just getting in the studio is worth .5." so I added .5 to my score for this album. 

"No Place To Go" - ok ok not bad, it's just that I had a problem when musical theater began imitating rock and roll. "Hair", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Godspell", I hated it all, so when a rock band, albeit a pop rock metal band, pulls something like this out and I smell the greasepaint, I have to shrug it off. Power ballad I think the business calls it. 

"Searchin'" - very Boston. Just listen to Boston. They're from New England too. 

"Hope" - well I had a feeling they would do this; Renasainse Faire lute style guitar with giant drum rolls, Saga synths. Well done guys. Those lessons really paid off. Pass. 
 
"You'll Be Born Again" - unless you're Stryper, and wear it on your sleeve, it's wrong to do this to your audience. I'm sorry readers but rock and roll is at it's best when it's taking life for granted, running roughshod over warnings and rules, really scaring you or challenging a pervading opinion of goodness. When a band uses the phrase "born again", it's time to run far far away in the opposite direction unless that's what you're looking for in your rock and roll. Maybe this is what Johnny had to do to quell his parents misgivings about him being a rock musician. Probably taking some good old Massachusetts Irish Catholic religion a step too far into Christianity is what helped grandma cash out her pension to keep the band alive. I'm not really a jerk I just have to call it like I see it, and at times my resting review face is a bit bitchy. It's 1:30pm on a Sunday in May of 2020. Time for a drink. 


The 1980 Listening Post - Accept - I'm a Rebel

Accept - I'm a Rebel


#243
June 2 1980
Accept 
I’m a Rebel
Genre: Glam vs. Metal
1.5 out of 5




Accept is a weird band. 
They start out terribly and get marginally better until they blow the doors off in 1986 and then revert back to their aggressive mediocrity.
We are in 1980 so they haven’t figured it out yet. 
I heard a glam rock aesthetic at war with a desire to be a lurchingly metal experience but unable or unwilling to shed one in favor of the other. 
Also, the mix is terrible. At times all I can hear are the vocals and the lead guitar which comes across as hollow.


The 1980 Listening Post - Toyah - The Blue Meaning

Toyah - The Blue Meaning


#242
June 6 1980
Toyah
The Blue Meaning
Genre: Kate Bush if much much weirder
4 out of 5


Highlights:
Leya
She




A second Toyah album in one year and boy is it something to behold. It’s confident and weird and determined and I have no idea what any of the songs are about but, to steal from my favorite book of the era, listening to this is like like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.
I would probably soak that in a towel first, however.
All the aggressive weirdness sort of runs out of steam by Side Two, though, and it feels like it would have been better as an EP. But then I would have never heard it. 


 

The 1980 Listening Post - Steve Hackett - Defector

Steve Hackett - Defector


#241
by Tom Mott
June 15 1980
Steve Hackett
Defector
Genre: Planetarium Music 
Allen’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Tom’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Highlights: 
Waiting for the song 
Hercules Unchained. Because that title! 

Hercules Unchained RATING: 2.5 This isn't Yes. More like Probably Not. 
1. THE STEPPES: Lo, a flautist! Then BOOM big drums and some bombastic synthy-guitar stuff. And now oh for fuck's sake he's quoting Ravel's Bolero. Oh yes he did. 
2. TIME TO GET OUT. Not bad. Sounds like a Yes deep cut, with vocals reminiscent of Jon Anderson. 
3. SLOGANS. More bombast. Some really fast Eddy Van Halen-ish tapping maybe or just Main Street Electrical Parade on meth. Drugs were involved. Completely sexless. 
4. LEAVING. Forgot I was listening. 
5. TWO VAMPS AS GUESTS. Forgot I was listening. 
6. JACUZZI. A bubbly frolic. Truth in advertising. 
7. HAMMER IN SAND. Now that the jacuzzi's warm, let's put on some George Winston. 
8. THE TOAST. Yes Lite 
9. THE SHOW. Slap bass. Atmospheric stuff like Alan Parsons. 
10. SENTIMENTAL INSTITUTION. A 1930s novelty. Near miss. 
11. HERCULES UNCHAINED. What an ending! This sounds totally different than the rest of the album. Like a different band! Churning bass and a sludgy guitar stew. Somewhere between Jethro Tull and Killing Joke. I like it!

The 1980 Listening Post - Cold Chisel - East

Cold Chisel - East


June 2 1980
Cold Chisel
East
Genre: Rock
4.25 out of 5



Highlights:
Standing on the Outside
Choirgirl
Tomorrow




One of the best experiences of this project are the Discoveries. Sometimes it’s just an album, other times it’s an entire band and their catalog. 
Cold Chisel falls into the latter category. But that’s a recent thing because I missed their 70s records and only heard them when this project hit the mid-80s (which came before the early 80s cuz, of course). Twentieth Century was a masterwork collection of unheard rock tracks and front man Jimmy Barnes’ solo follow up was nearly as good. 
Turns out, that’s no fluke. In fact, I bet had they traveled stateside more, they might have broken on American AOR radio. These tracks are solid. Don Walker can write, man. But, so can the rest of the band. Ian Moss’s “Never Before” and Phil Small’s “My Baby” are neat little ditties and Jimmy himself adds to the fun with the roots rocking “Rising Sun” and rambunctious “My Turn to Cry”. Even the drummer, Steve Prestwich gets a chance with “Best Kept Lies”.
No wonder these guys were big down under. 

The 1980 Listening Post - Alvin Lee Band - Free Fall

Alvin Lee Band - Free Fall


#239
June 1 1980
Alvin Lee Band
Free Fall
Genre: Dull, often southern, rock
2.5 out of 5



Highlights:
Stealin’


I got nothing. 
This is a boring collection of boring songs. 
It’s an uninspired set of boogie rock that is neither bad nor good. Once again, “songs” exist to serve as delivery systems for guitar playing. 
Like I said, I got nothing. 


The 1980 Listening Post - Robert Gordon - Bad Boy

Robert Gordon - Bad Boy

#238
by Lori Alley
June 15 1980
Robert Gordon
Bad Boy
Genre: Rockabilly 
Allen’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Lori’s Rating 2 out of 5


Lori’s Highlights:
The Worrying Kind 
Sweet Love on My Mind

Digression #1 - My mother claims she was the Jitterbug champion of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1950...something. So we grew up dancing to music like this in our living room. It's fun! This album is a characterization of all of those sweaty sideburns/saddle shoes/standup bass /hep cats/smokes rolled up in your tshirt/sock hops at the Grange. Robert Gordon is the Don Ho of Rockabilly, really this is all about his voice. Because he CAN sing this way, actually he SHOULD. He truly DOES have dulcet tones, and sounds like Elvis. But despite that his delivery seems phoned in, and actually is sometimes pitchy and off key. That's why I only gave this a 2.0 (I started at 3.5 but the more I listened to this the lower the score went down, especially on the "slow dances."). Gordon used to be in a punk band called the Tuff Darts, which had some acclaim because of their sense of humor, and probably their timing in the development of the whole thing. But they were punk in the same way Culture Club was "new wave." Anyway, some of the songs like "Torture" and "Nervous, " and "Born To Lose" well, don't throw me a softball like that, I don't even need to bother weaving those titles into my opinion. Truly terrible. 

 Digression #2 - I got married in Las Vegas in 1997 at The Little Chapel of the Flowers and on one of the days leading up to the wedding a bunch of us went to the Barbary Coast downtown (prob no longer there) to drink the margaritas out of the freezie machines and watch karaoke. There were at least four "Elvises" performing (one of them there with his mother apparently) and they were all vying for the stage. The problem is, they were all REALLY good. Which tempered our hilarity and taught us a lesson, goddammit. Elvises are not to be ridiculed! Even if their mother DID drive them to the bar! (Also, don't eat at The Stinking Rose the night before the ceremony. Everyone will smell like garlic and it will piss off your husband, then you'll leave him 5 years later). This is all to say, if you're sort of famous because you sound like Elvis, you better make it good, because he's a hard act to follow. Anyway, the only thing surprisingly NOT on this album is that old chestnut "There Ain't No Cure for the Summertime Blues." But that's okay because I can imagine him singing it anyway. Just listen to the first song, and you'll get the picture without the rest of the suffering. 

The 1980 Listening Post - Elton Motello - Pop Art

Elton Motello - Pop Art


#237
June 2 1980
Elton Motello
Pop Art
Genre: New Wave
3 out of 5

Highlights:
Night Sister
Falling Like a Domino


Requisite 80s cover: A misguided reworking of The Who’s “Can’t Explain”.

For me the definitive “New Wave” record isn’t Devo’s “Whip It” or The Buggles “Video Killed the Radio Star” or M’s “Pop Music” or any of the myriad entrees into the minimalist movement with sharp edges, miles of space between instruments and nerdy vocals. It’s Plastic Bertrand’s “Ca Plane Pour Moi”. Its infectious and weird and inexplicable, partially because it’s in another language and yet came to define a very American sound. 
I’ve never heard of Elton Motello. Considering there’s another musician who renamed himself “Elton” one might think that would cut through. Sadly, it did not. Not for me anyway.
But this entire record is a disciple of Bertand’s sound. It is an advance siren of sounds to come but are really still a few years off from exploding. 
The reason it didn’t land in the pantheon of great New Wave classics? 
It’s not that great. And the songs are uninteresting. Other than that, it’s great!
;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYg61jLej-M&list=PLlvn8uktX5Lt5M3txCGQCDRaoVGo2Y_Wl

The 1980 Listening Post - Pere Ubu - The Art of Walking

Pere Ubu - The Art of Walking


#236
June 1 1980
Pere Ubu
The Art of Walking
Genre: You really gotta be in the mood…
1.5 out of 5




I’m sitting in my garage.
I’ve set up a table as a desk against the wall.
The door is up, it’s a beautiful day out.
I just wiped my car down, which is weird cuz I don’t drive it. 
People walk by, some in masks, some without…that’s mostly kids, though.
I just got done with Klaatu (which is a terrible album to wash a car to cuz you gotta keep making notes as to how awful some of it is) and then here come Pere Ubu.
This album is the Residents album Frank Zappa forgot to make so he handed it off to Captain Beefheart who just gave up and did something else. Like the laundry. 
The 80s gave us some great experimentation that built and also tore down the work that was being done in the 70s. 
This is not that. 
It’s actually sort of horrible. 

The 1980 Listening Post - Tangering Dream - Tangram

Tangerine Dream - Tangram


#235
Reviewed by George Chastain Jr. 
May 1980 
Tangerine Dream 
Tangram 
Genre: Hey, let’s put some electronic keyboard sounds together with no rhyme or reason and call it music. 
Allen’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5 
George’s Rating: 2 out of 5 
George’s Highlights: Set 1 was more interesting and musical than Set 2 By George Chastain Jr. 

First, when I saw that there were only two songs (let’s call them pieces) to the entire Tangram album, I went “Uh oh. This can’t be good.” The two pieces are called Tangram (Set 1) and Tangram (Set 2). Neither piece has vocals, and both are purely electronic, driven by what I can only assume are multiple keyboard players. I went into this assuming I was going to hate it. I was, however, pleasantly surprised. The first time I listened to Tangram, I played the album as background music as I worked on my novel. I thought the music would be distracting, but it wasn’t. In fact, during parts of Set 1, I would find myself accidently engaged in the music. Of course, a cynic might say that over the course of 19 minutes and 52 seconds, you would hope that you would be engaged at some stage or another. Each set consists of several sequences within the set. Sequences ranged from chirpy xylophone sounds to moody organs to synthesized guitars and bass to “Flashdance” keyboards to keboard percussions to….well, you get the picture. As I said, as background music, it was fine. At points, it reminded me of the whale music you might put on a white noise maker when trying to go to sleep at night. Since the music did not turn me off like I imagined, I listened to it again. This time I focused on the music. Set 1 is miles better than Set 2. There are very few sequences in Set 1 that were incoherent or a turn-off. Set 2 had too many off-putting sequences, especially those that tried to use captured sound. Set 1 appeared to at least attempt to make music that people might want to hear. Set 2 is more self-indulgent and felt like Tangerine Dream was trying to show me how cool they were. However, by this time, the album had my attention. I started to think of the individual sequences as independent songs. When I thought of the Sets in this way, I convinced myself that Set 1 constituted something like 7 good songs and maybe 3 bad ones. Not too shabby, right? However, this thinking was fleeting as I realized, “No, this is supposed to be thought of as one piece!” There it was. I finally came across what was bothering me with this whole album. Yes, the Sets weren’t entirely unpleasant, but as a song, as a single piece of recorded music, the Sets failed. Why you may ask? Because there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to the individual sequences within the Sets. There is no story the music seems to be telling. The sequences are seemingly put together with no flow or connection. Set 2 is especially egregious with its obvious attempts to jump up and down and shout, “Hey, how cool am I for using this cool new music technology and found sounds!” I actually began to wonder if they could repeat Tangram Set 1 or Tangram Set 2 if they were asked to record it a second time. I have a feeling it would be different, but I am a cynic. I knocked it down a point because there were no vocals which might seem unfair since much of classical music has no vocals, and I would certainly never downgrade Beethoven for not having vocals in his 5th Symphony, but if you are going to go all electronica with no words, you better inspire. In sum, this is how I feel about Tangram. If I was at a dinner party and someone put it on as background music, it wouldn’t bother me, but I do not think I would ever play it again on my own. If I needed background music or study music, I would play classical musical or Enya maybe. If I were trying to go to sleep, I’d play actual whale and ocean sounds. On a side note, before I listened to the album the third time, I did some reading on Tangerine Dream. Interesting band(?). They had a long run and were very popular in Germany apparently. I read they provided music for several movie soundtracks. On two of those movies, Sorcerer and Near Dark, I remember the soundtracks clearly and, yes, I see the Tangerine connection. When watching both those movies, I have always thought the music in them was quite effective. When I found Tangerine Dream provided the music, I slapped my head and went “of course.” The music in the movies help tell the story. It’s a shame they struggle to do the same independent of film. https://open.spotify.com/album/6aHeeKVHp0mIPrhKPAbnyf?si=MV3urVLtQIeWG-ABOCOOUQ

The 1980 Listening Post - Klaatu - Endangered Species

Klaatu - Endangered Species

#234
June 1980
Klaatu
Endangered Species
Genre: Disappointing rock
2.25 out of 5


Highlights:
All Good Things


Now we get to a band that, for me, is a big disappointment. First off, they are Canadian. Which means, as we all have come to know (or if you read ahead) as an exporter of music with some special sauce that seems to elevate even the most mundane to higher echelon with sheen or substance or something else. 
Secondly, their name is the first word spoken by Gort the Robot in The Day the Earth Stood Still. And that has me yearning for New Wave-iness but instead what we get is second rate Beach Boys/Beatles tunes (which, let’s be honest, means Badfinger) and has me yearning for all those other bands. 

The 1980 Listening Post - Crack the Sky - Poptown

Crack the Sky - Poptown


#234
1980 Housekeeping
Crack the Sky
Poptown
Genre: Rock
2.25 out of 5


Lowlight:
White Music


It’s always strange to me when I learn of a band that, not only have I never heard before, I’ve never heard OF before and yet they have released FIFTEEN records in the US and and AND!!! the most recent was just 8 years ago in 2012.
Who are these guys?
I’d do the research but I don’t love the album all that much. 
Are they a blues New Wave band? Are they a New Wave prog band? Are they a little of each? Are they The Cars if Robert Palmer was their band leader and the lead singer loved Roger Daltrey too much? 
Are they trying to be weird (“Living with the Lights On”’s rampant space keyboards just don’t fit, man)?
And now there are horns. 
Ok, they are just so damned annoyingly weird that I had to read up and learn that Rolling Stone listed their 1975 record as the “debut of the year”. Wow. And, in 2015, that record was listed as the 47th best prog rock record of all time. 
But this isn’t a prog rock record. In that context it sounds like a band trying to be relevant to a changing sound. And not really able to hang on to the road it’s trying to travel. Or, in the case of “White Music”, like they are taking their cues from the worst impulses of The Tubes. Or, “All American Boy”, which makes me long for mid-70s Sparks. 
It’s an album like this that makes me truly no longer wonder why I’ve never heard of Crack the Sky. 

The 1980 Listening Post - Teenage Head - Frantic City

Teenage Head - Frantic City


#231
By Rob Slater
Teenage Head 
Frantic City. 
Genre: Brian Setzer gets punked before he starts. 
Allen’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Rob's Rating: (First time through 3) [Second 3.5] Kind of inclined to give it 4 out of 5. 

Rob’s Highlights: 
Infected 
Take It
Let's Shake

Fun, rockabilly, only sorta punk, a several playlist worthy songs. Great if you need to get energized, the first side is great, second side is okay. 1. "Wild One" - Requisite eighties cover. Probably unnecessary, but fun. 2. "Somethin' on My Mind" is a nice mellow 50s dish almost like an Elvis song, complete with a sax, but the lyrics are pretty wicked. 3. "Total Love" Getting a little more back to upbeat and an original. Great harmonies and country twang guitars. 4. "Let's Shake" was their biggest hit off this record. It's great rockabilly. 5. "Infected" First actual punk song. “Where do I go to get infected?” More 'great' lyrics. 6. "Those Things You Do" – Like Total Love 7. "Somethin' Else" - Requisite eighties cover #2. Cochran did it better. Still fun, but... 8. "Take It” This one grew on me. 9. "Brand New Cadillac" - Requisite eighties cover #3. Check out the history of this song. Vince Taylor wrote it, covered by The Clash, Mott the Hoople, Van Morrison. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_New_Cadillac 10. "Disgusteen" And it is disgustin'! Very punk. The last two went down hill for me. But I would listen to the first 8 regularly.

The 1980 Listening Post - Any Trouble - Where Are All the Nice Girls

Any Trouble - Where Are All the Nice Girls


1980 Housekeeping LISTENING POST DISCOVERY
Any Trouble
Where Are All the Nice Girls
Genre: Power Pop
4.25 out of 5


Highlights:
Yesterday’s Love
Foolish Pride
No Idea
Turning Up the Heat
The Hurt


Requisite 80s Cover: Springsteen’s “Growin’ Up”. Rev it up like it’s a Buddy Holly track and really add nothing more to it. But it does prove who Clive Gregson derives inspiration from. Bowie’s version is better.

The best song on this album is the opener. But the trouble is that this project is dedicated to hearing the records as they were first put out into the world. And that opener, “Yesterday’s Love” isn’t on the original release but it is a spectacular non-Costello Costello-esque song. 
Neither is what would be the side two opener, “No Idea”. Which is another really strong song and I’m left wondering why they weren’t both on the original pressing. 

If what your heart wants is a collection of heartache songs ala Joe Jackson or Rockpile, or even Springsteen (Lookin’ at you, “Foolish Pride” & “Girls Are Always Right") yep, this’ll get you there. 

Any Trouble proves that 1980 is to Power Pop as 1987 was to Hair Metal. Only thing is, Power Pop requires more than power chords. Nothing against power chords but, these bands are fucking tight. Another Stiff Records success!

https://open.spotify.com/album/2CV9DCyTjAZ1Ouj9ry4E0z?si=nUJdsKodQeuI_9zdy239eQ

The 1980 Listening Post -Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush - What's Next




#230
1980 Housekeeping
Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush
What’s Next
Genre: Amped Up Stadium Blues Rawkkk
2.5 out of 5




Requisite 80s Cover: 
“Rock Me Baby” (the definitive version being B.B. King’s) Marino’s is an excuse for him to noodle. Skip it. 
The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues”. It’s like Frank, whose sensibilities never left the 60s, was determined to find the most famous blues riff of that era to apply his blues breaking style to. He just proves that Jim Morrisson was a sex symbol for good reason. Stick to the original.
Bo Diddley’s “Mona”. 


I’ve never heard of Frank Marino. But I’m betting that a huge number of guitar teachers in the 80s had. Yeah, he’s one of those guys. Practitioners of the blues rock noodle. As the lead vocals fight for dominance with the lead guitar, both of which are Frank, it’s obvious that no one could reign him in. But, then again, with this kind of rock bravado, why would you want to? Marino has a terrible voice and really should have found someone to do that for him because his guitar work is explosively Hendrixian. It’s neat that someone is keeping that flame alive a decade later. But, man is this album boring. 

https://open.spotify.com/album/0KyF5qBEM1LR6Mc0GCP9CQ?si=rtVYgcpBR-mpWVSflxNDrQ

The 1980 Listening Post - Joan Armatrading - Me Myself I

Joan Armatrading - Me Myself I


#228
Reviewed by George Chastain Jr. 
May 1980 
 Joan Armatrading 
Me Myself I 
 Genre: Anything you can do, I can do better 
 Allen’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5 
George’s Rating: 4.25 out of 5 

George’s Highlights: 
Me Myself I 
Ma Me O Beach 
Friends 
Simon 
I Need You 
 By George Chastain Jr. 
My fourth album to review, and the fourth artist that I was unfamiliar with. However, this album is exactly why I joined the Listening Post – to be introduced to good music I had never heard before. I loved this album, so much so that I pulled it into my Spotify playlists. First, Joan Armatrading’s vocals are superb. Her voice is pure, clear, and melodic. Her range is large with equal control over low notes as well as high. The songs are varied in style, mood, instrumental focus, and vocal complexity. Each song took the album in a different direction. I was constantly surprised. Even the album’s failures had rewarding elements. The songs were vocal centric, and while the musical instruments used in each song might have changed, the reliance on the vocals remained the same. The music was always in service to the voice. If I had to lodge a complaint, I would say that Joan never let loose with her voice. It feels like she could really turn it up a notch vocally. She never does a full-on diva or push herself, and it feels like she is more than capable of doing so. It is for this reason only that this album is not a “5”. Had she let loose, I would have probably died and gone to heaven. Overall, the album feels like a perfect 70’s to 80’s transition album. It covers a lot of musical territory and sounds, but the one constant is the solid vocals of Joan Armatrading. I have not done this with a review yet, but I decided this review required a song by song critique. Me Myself I The vocals are strong and powerful. The message unique. It felt like a slow-tempo rock song with early 80’s guitars. The song is my wife’s anthem. I love the lines: I want to have a boyfriend
And a girl for laughs But only on Saturdays
Six days to be alone It's not that I love myself
I just don't want company
Except me myself I Ma Me O Beach Another fun, upbeat song. Has a country feel to it which I could easily imagine hearing at some honky-tonk bar. It’s easy to listen to this song and imagine Ma Me O Beach. Friends Now Joan switches to a more serious mood. Her voice is never better than in this song. More of Jazz feel with strong classical jazz guitar sounds. The lament in her voice is palpable. Who was it
Who came for me when I was
Stranded in the bad man's land
Who was it
Who put up bail for me when I was
So desperate to get out
Who believed with me
That I was not guilty
Who gave me beer when I was thirsty
And who gave me twenty-five dollars to hold Is It Tomorrow Yet? This tune reverts back to the early 80’s pop rhythms and guitars of Me Myself I. It reminded of some Talking Heads tunes. There’s nothing in the lyrics here that are potentially gripping or soul shattering, but the desire for Joan to see her “baby” and wanting to know if it is tomorrow yet comes across well. Her vocals on this song are her best as she travels up and down the scales. Turn out the Light A love ballad, slow and caressing. Joan travels in the low range for long periods of time in this song, and she does it well. First time we here an electric guitar which weeps during the instrumental, a poor man’s Pink Floyd riff, but serviceable. There are moments in this song where I think she’s going to totally let loose and go Janis Joplin, but she never goes there. Unfortunately. When You Kisses Me This song moves the album into the funk realm. Nice funkadelic base. The chorus is less funky. For me, this song is one of the weaker tunes on the album. All the Way from America I did not think Joan’s vocals were very strong on this song and sounded strained in some parts. The weakest song on the album. Had some violins which was new. Was a cross between folk and John Denver. Feeling in my Heart (For You) Now let’s move to Reggae shall we. Her vocals are clear and beautiful. Lyrics aren’t much, and the song is rather uninspired. This song ends the run of weaker, more mediocre tunes that started with When You Kisses Me. Simon Transitioning from a Reggae sound to a Ska beat. I really enjoy the story of this song. It is the most lyrically clever and, dare I say it, cool. The saxophone is new and fun. Gave her practical things
Like diamonds for her neck And Simon won't be feeling friendly
He'll be lying too close to the floor P.S. After I did my review, I went and did some research on Joan Armatrading and this album. Clarence Clemons was on the sax. I Need You What do you say we change it up again? Powerful violins and strings. Sad and melancholy. Joan’s voice is full of emotion. A ballad – pure and simple. There is something about the length of the song that is just perfect. It feels like it ends to soon, leaves you wanting for more, but that feeling of incompleteness is perfect for the song. https://open.spotify.com/album/0bbqWBKFr1kdqxjoAAIBcR?si=5WY53EkGQIqX3EXCaBM3EA&fbclid=IwAR1OcjSv3Z4LVt4-qn1IxmbDkTBJrL8ZlNKI1F8p4KlE1GSsmI02crJniUA

The 1980 Listening Post - Lemon Kittens - We Buy a Hammer for Daddy

Lemon Kittens - We Buy a Hammer for Daddy


#229
1980 Housekeeping
Lemon Kittens
We Buy a Hammer for Daddy
Genre: Dieter from Saturday Night Live only not funny.
0.25 out of 5



Okay, not just Dieter but Dieter if you mix in beat poetry and random sounds. 
Just because I spent 41 minutes with this doesn’t mean Imma spend more than 5 minutes on reviewing this pretentious  crap. 
The label’s “mission” was to "to release LPs of very progressive/experimental music that do not fit into the neatly labelled boxes of record company A&R men.”
Success!
More annoying than The Legendary Pink Dots. Not as interesting as Deep Freeze Mice.
The best thing about this record was watching the clock tick down to the end. 



The 1980 Listening Post - Le Roux - Up

Le Roux - Up


#227
1980 Housekeeping
Le Roux
Up
Genre: Somebody’s Rock Heroes
3.25 out of 5


Highlights:
It Could Be the Fever


In the 1983 reviews we came upon a band called Louisiana Leroux and there was so little known about them at the time. But, thanks to the research team here at The Listening Post their 1980 record has been unearthed. 
If this band lived in Brooklyn and released this album in 2015 they would be hailed as ironic/unironic purveyors of a hair metal revival. 
Sadly, they are not from Hipsterville and this is a serious entry to the Triumph/UFO style of played out rock that will only just keep pouring out Toto-esque spinners well into the decade. 
Thing is, Le Roux gets it right (but not the first time. See what I did there? No? That’s cuz you didn’t listen to the whole thing). The other thing is that it’s really uninteresting and at times duller than the strings on my guitar which hadn’t been changed in 16 years. (I changed them. Bar Chords are no longer an issue.)


The 1980 Listening Post - Graham Parker and the Rumor - The Up Escalator

Graham Parker and the Rumor - The Up Escalator


#225
Reviewed by George Chastain Jr. 
May 23, 1980 
 Graham Parker and the Rumor 
The Up Escalator 
Genre: I can be Costello, too 
Allen’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5 
George’s Rating: 3 out of 5 


 Allen’s Highlights: 
No Holding Back
The Beating of Another Heart
Endless Night
Maneuvers

George’s Highlights: 
 No Holding Back 
Stupefaction 
Maneuvers 
Jolie Jolie 

 By George Chastain Jr. 

I hope it’s not just me, but I swear Graham Parker sounds just like Elvis Costello. I’m not sure if it’s the strong vocal similarity or not, but The Up Escalator feels like it could be an Elvis Costello album. I’m not sure which came first – the chicken or Elvis Costello – but Graham Parker, while close, is just not Elvis Costello. Now, that’s not to say I did not like the album. I did. In fact, it’s the first album I’ve been assigned that I can say that about, but simply put, I would not have it on a rotating play list on Spotify. I really like the piano on many of the songs, especially on No Holding Back. Graham Parker is not a great singer which is very apparent on The Beating of Another Heart, but I can’t sing any better, so he gets a pass, and the vocal comparison to Costello does not hurt him here. Speaking of the comparison, and this is one area which, in my books, makes him inferior to Costello, is that Parker’s vocals lack character and personality. While the two sound alike, there is something about the vocal personality or character of Costello’s voice that makes him superior. There are the occasional lyrics that reach out and grab you. No Holding Back is a fun, catchy ditty with great backing piano. Probably my favorite tune on the album. Devil’s Sidewalk has the lines “No-one's got names, under the flames. Everyone screams, hope it's a dream.” Ouch! Stupefaction is the one song I heard before listening to this album. Holds up. Maneuvers has a great tempo, guitar and piano. “My whole life is one more move too late.” I know what he means. I found myself walking around the house singing “Jolie Jolie”, so I think that says something about that song. Couple of provocative lines in that song, “I don't use teardrops as a weapon by choice. They just a fall out of my eyes.” and “The women so hungry that they eat their own kids.” Nice, very nice. However, the music is not particularly inspirational or inspired. If I had to place them, I would say Graham Parker and the Rumor is the college band who got a gig at a local bar which you and your friends frequented, especially when someone just turned 21. Fun and serviceable as you slam down another Jägermeister. https://open.spotify.com/album/0zou3RTyA8ARDPVAYB0eEp?si=TjxuAsO7SuCQFuQzP-lR1Q&fbclid=IwAR2f67kXeiqC4iS-9mn90LaAet72w0NQL5aRZE2gGZFlhfPex8Xxt6_1gvQ

The 1980 Listening Post - T-Bone Burnett - Truth Decay

T-Bone Burnett - Truth Decay


#226
T-Bone Burnett
Truth Decay
Genre: Elegantly competent Rock and Roll
2.75 out of 5



Highlights:
Boomerang


I wanted to add Quicksand to the highlights but…man does it go on and on and on….and that’s what I find about a lot of Burnett’s stuff. It’s all really competent and well performed and yet…there’s little to hang on to. He isn’t trying to be a voice for anyone ala John Mellencamp. He isn’t tryna seduce his audience like Bryan Adams. He’s more like in the Roy Orbison mold. There’s nothing sexy about Roy. But he’s great at what he did. So is T-Bone. But he’s better at frothier people. The intangibles that make a rock star aren’t there. And well played, finely crafted, rock songs aren’t gonna do it. 
The album seems interminable. It borders on Country and, had Burnett not been such a big influence of music going forward, I think a case could be made for exclusion. 




YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUpA98v1fo8&list=PLlvn8uktX5LusgzqrqUgFbR5MnF1qrnWl

The 1980 Listening Post - Pyscotic Pineapple - Where's the Party

Pyscotic Pineapple - Where's the Party


#224
1980 Housekeeping LISTENING POST DISCOVERY
Psycotic Pineapple
Where’s the Party?
Genre: Psycho Garage Pop
4.25 out of 5


Highlights:
Hang On For Your Life
The Devil Has Work for Idle Hands
The Saw
She’s Boss



Alex Carlin is the force behind this, apparently. It’s rare that a band sounds EXACTLY like their name. This is sweet but tart psycho-music. The kind that The Cramps could never make. Carlin was a part time player in The Rubinoos. But I’ve never heard of him. However, that means nothing since I only listened to their early stuff and then again when a friend of mine joined their band for a short time in 2010. I see that Tommy from that band co-wrote a bunch of these tracks. In many ways better than his primary band’s stuff. 
Some of this is just effing crazy. “The Saw” is terrifying and “Headcheese” is nauseatingly funny. (I can’t highlight it, but I do adore it)
This album is a blast. It has no place in the world and that makes it even more delightful. 


The 1980 Listening Post - Billy Squier - The Tale of the Tape

Billy Squier - The Tale of the Tape


#222
by Rob Slater
Billy Squier
The Tale of the Tape 
Genre – Hard Pop
Allen’s Rating: 4 out of 5
Rob’s Rating: 3.75 (4) out of 5  

Highlights: 
 The Big Beat 
 Calley Oh   

 Great debut and you can hear where “Don't Say Know” came from. Wondering if I should listen to Piper, the band he was in before this. Two albums. When my review is written, I'll need to see if Allen's already done it. “The Big Beat” – It's “The Stroke” in a first draft form. And it's good. Not sure why it didn't do better. Nice guitar stuff as well. And he's got the Rawk voice. Turns out that big beat in the song has been sampled more than 300 times. “Calley Oh" – Classic girls name in a song. Noticing how nicely clean everything is in terms of hearing every instrument. Nice harmonies. "Rich Kid" – Okay, this track is a little bit off in terms of the sound, but the bones are amazing. And the guitar is great. It's just an okay song. "Like I'm Lovin' You" – The walk down before the key change oh, man is amazing. This guy has got it all. I think I may nominate Billy squier for the most underrated artists of the 80s despite the hits. "Who Knows What a Love Can Do" – This song just made my day. I am energized. I may not be the right person to review this album; I freaking love Billy Squier. [Break to fix the dryer vent. Assuming I would have to get up at this point and turn the record over!] "You Should Be High Love" – Here's the hit. And guess who he co-wrote it with? Desmond Child. Originally gave the album a 4, but listened to it again, and it's got a bit of filler. I would put half these songs on a playlist. It's good. Some nice keyboards, but not overdone, probably because he's such a guitar guy! “Backup” band included: Ernest "Boom" Carter, Bruce Kulick, David Sancious. Reasons why keyboards, drums and guitar are all good! Not that the other players are slouches, just haven't heard of them.


The 1980 Listening Post - John Hiatt - Two Bit Monster

John Hiatt - Two Bit Monster


#223
1980 Housekeeping
John Hiatt
Two Bit Monster
Genre: Is that Morton Downey Jr. on the cover??
3.5 out of 5


Highlights:
Pink Bedroom

Requisite 80s cover: A lackluster and plodding “I Spy (for the F.B.I.)”. It feels like it should have been recorded by Huey Lewis and the News and they would have made it more dopey fun. 


Seriously. Who stole who’s look? Even the dangling cigarette. And the scornful accusing gaze. 
And yet, inside, the songs are…well, ugly Elvis Costello. Not ugly as in the way he looks, cuz, let’s face it, Elvis was no looker, but the songs. Hiatt is playing in the ever increasingly popular Costello sandbox but his songs are just not…fun. “Pink Bedroom” should be and in Elvis’ hands it would be. It’s still a good song. As is “Good Girl, Bad World”, I just wish it was Graham Parker instead of Hiatt. Hiatt sounds more like Martin Briley. But Briley makes up for his terrible voice with clever songs like “Salt in My Tears”. 
“Face the Nation” had the chance to be great, referencing “60 Minutes” and “Time” and “Newsweek” but, leaving out Meet the Press and any other news magazine show just suggests that he wrote it while watching CBS and there were a couple magazines lying around. Lazy!

Still, Hiatt’s collection isn’t terrible. It’s just nothing that would make me rush out to buy his next one. Or the previous one.