For The Record

Well, my Tender Lumplings, we meet again here in the murky backwaters of cyberspace, my little corner of the web that houses all my blackest dreams and most dangerous ideas.  I have brought you to this vile place to have a little talk.  We shall speak of the past and the present and all the possible futures.  We will speak of dreams and nightmares and visions seen during the waking brightness of daylight.  Landscapes and vistas never before witnessed by human eyes and the depth of the oceans will be ours for exploring.  And all the stars of the sky will be scrutinized by our all-seeing imaginations.  

So now I would like to begin a new series of posts which contain completely fictional content.  It may be stories, parables, satire or surrealism.  It could be rhymes & reasons, poems, prayers and promises.  Science Fiction, Fantasy, or historical romance, but I doubt that last one will appear often.  I may even take the real world and twist it to my own evil devices.  That really sounds like fun.  

But fear not my Dearies, I have not abandoned my usual rants and observations.  These new posts will be scattered among the regular lunatical ravings you have come to know and tolerate.  To help you distinguish the new stuff from the regular, all the new fictional posts will have the same title: A Dark And Stormy Night, and then some sort of subtitle fitting that particular post.  Expect the first entry soon.  You have been warned.  

Now on to current business.  

When you are really into music and you read about music, they always talk about "important" albums.  Those records that have become famous for being innovative, revolutionary, cutting edge or otherwise groundbreaking.  It may be the songs are a mirror of the times or the production is like nothing heard before.  And when they talk about these albums the same ones are mentioned over and over.  The Beatles Sgt. Peppers, The Beach Boys Pet Sounds, Bitches Brew by Miles Davis are always on the list.  Others include:  What's Going On by Marvin Gaye; Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and whatever record it was when Bob Dylan went electric.  Now, for the most part I agree with all these and most of the others they talk about ( I admit I never saw the appeal of Pet Sounds,  it may be a marvel of studio production but at the end of the day it is still just surfer songs). 

I thought I might take a moment and walk you through what I feel are the top five most important albums in regards to the shaping of my musical tastes and influences.  I doubt any of these will make the official lists of "important" albums but they are great recordings and mean a lot to me.  So here they are in no real order. 

The Police - Ghost in the Machine

The Police were my favorite band and all because of the songs on this album.  Sting's songwriting and voice hook you from the start.  Andy Summers and Stuart Copeland are at their best. WHAT I LEARNED:  The record taught me that a three minute pop song can be art.  I learned here that a drummer doesn't just keep a beat.  I have loved complex and "busy" drumming ever since.

E.L.O. - A New World Record

The first time I heard the song "Living Thing" I admit it scared the shit out of me.  This album came out in 1976, I was 7 and probably not their target demographic.  But I was hooked.  WHAT I LEARNED:  Vocal harmony.  Pure and simple.  Jeff Lynne uses richly harmonies lead and backing vocals like other artist use paints.  

Peter Gabriel - SO

My first Peter Gabriel album.  I bought it because "Sledgehammer" was such a catchy hit.  But then I put the tape (yeah, I know) in and "Red Rain" played.  I was mesmerized.  I knew then that Gabriel is a genius, which he proved even further with his next records US and UP.  WHAT I LEARNED:  The rhythms were so foreign and layered so deep.  The songs were so beautiful and powerful at the same time.  

Oingo Boingo - Deadman's Party

I was watching this movie called Weird Science and really loved the theme song.  The credits said it was by a band with one of the dumbest names I had ever heard.  I bought the album and found what I had been looking for musically my whole life.  To this day they are my favorite band and Danny Elfman is a God.  WHAT I LEARNED:  Basically, musically, anything goes.  Here were catchy, poppy, even danceable songs with lyrics about death.  And a horn section that just cuts through the mix and floors you.  And again with those crazy complex rhythms.  

The Grapes of Wrath - Treehouse 

It's hard to pinpoint what is so great about this record because there is so much that is perfect about it.  It is just beautiful.  The songs here seem to float in space above regular songs.  They are light and airy but still bursting with emotion and power.  WHAT I LEARNED:  I know, because of this album, what a really finely crafted song is.  The music is not over done and the lyrics express the emotion of the song with out being overly metaphoric or simplistic.  It is simply perfection, as are all the Grapes albums.  

Others to check out:

The Fixx - Phantoms

Killing Joke - Night Time

Spock's Beard -V

Yes - Drama

Tonic - Lemon Parade

Toad The Wet Sprocket - Pale

Eric Johnson - Ah Via Musicom

Dada - Puzzle

Talking Heads Naked

I could go on and on but I won't.  If you can, check out some of this stuff.  If you can't find some of it just let me know and I will smuggle you the essentials.  Until next time my Tender Lumplings….