The Quarrymen - The Dawn of Modern Rock (CD)
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime (1988, CD)
Ramones - Too Tough to Die (1984, LP)
Ray Manzarek - Carmina Burana (1983, cassette)
Ray Stevens - Greatest Hits (1987, CD)
Reagan Youth - Youth Anthems for the New Order (1984, EP)
REO Speedwagon
- Hi Infidelity (1980, CD)
- Wheels Are Turnin' (1984, CD)
- The Hits (1988, CD)
The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me (1987, CD)
I didn't buy that first CD because I'm a huge Beatles fan and must have every semi-musical peep they ever uttered. I bought it because I was interested in it more from the perspective of musical history. It was recorded (very primitively) in April 1960 when the group consisted of John, Paul, George and Stu Sutcliffe. The recording quality of this CD could be described as a bad bootleg. I could recommend it for either the reason I gave, or for someone who wants to hear very, very early Beatles. I would not recommend it for enjoyable listening.
I was vaguely familiar with Operation: Mindcrime when it was a new release, but I didn't buy it until just last year when I saw a remastered version show up at yourmusic.com and decided I really should have it in my collection. As I write this, I am only just now listening to it in it's entirety for the first time. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would put the music itself at a 10, and the concept behind it at about a 25. It isn't just an album, it's a thought weapon.
Too Tough to Die is my only Ramones album. I would probably have bought more if my own musical pursuits hadn't been leading me way from the punk genre at the time. I would still like to get one or two good compilations from them.
And yes, I also like the goofy songs of Ray Stevens. However, my favorite song of his is not one of the humorous novelty numbers, but his version of the old jazz standard "Misty." When I was a kid, I thought this was actually his song and didn't know anything about it being a jazz standard. Every time I hear a version of it on KRTU, I still go back to trying to sing Stevens' version.
My first copy of Hi Infidelity was a cassette which I wore out. However, it was actually purchased by my sister and I liberated it after she tired of it. This is another of my favorite road albums. Wheels was originally purchased on LP and was one of the first CDs I bought when I got my first CD player. The Hits is a good compilation that includes just about all of their big radio hits. I think I have a couple of their old albums on LP also (purchased used), which I haven't ripped yet.
I bought the Replacements CD after reading about them in Musician magazine. They were a punk(ish) group who went more mainstream as time went by. This is one of their later albums. They released two more after this before breaking up, and both charted higher than this one. It's the only one of theirs I have. The lead singer, Paul Westerberg, is still active as a solo artist and in fact self-released four albums in 2008.
Album count: 435.
Yep, Mindcrime is awesome. Some of those songs stand all right by themselves, but overall I think the album is just better-heard in its entirety. "Spreading the Disease" is my personal favorite.
ReplyDeleteAnd how do you like this? "Empire," the title cut from the album after OM, came on the satellite radio as I was typing this. I really liked that album as well. I don't think I'd say Empire fully measured up to Mindcrime, though; it was just good in different ways.