March 2012
12 posts
Mississippi John Hurt - Today! (1966)
Mississippi John Hurt
“Today!”
Released: 1966
Genre: Blues
Score: 10 Mississippi’s
“America, meet your kindly black grandfather”
One thing you should know about Mississippi John Hurt, he is lazy. From 1929 through 1963 he did not release any new material, reveling in the excess lifestyle that being a rock star can provide. Trashed hotel rooms, fast women,...
Billy Joel - The Stranger (1977)
Billy Joel
“The Stranger”
Released: 1977
Genre: Pop/Rock
Score: Like a bad Elton John record.
“It’s a sexual revolution.”
Screw “doin’ the twist” or “the Hustle”, Billy Joel wanted to go beyond the instructional dance song and introduce the first instructional self gratification song in musical history. After a protracted tug of...
4 tags
Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
Diet Radiohead Lite
“A Rush of Blood to the Head”
Genre: Vagina Rock
Released: 2002
Score: The opposite of good.
“If only it were an aneurysm.”
Upon hearing Parachute’s initial offering “Yellow” we knew we had a monster on our hands. The docile and insipid tones of Coldplay was to be something that was going to be around for a long, excruciating...
8 tags
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats (1969)
Frank Zappa
“Hot Rats”
Genre: Jazz/Rock
Released: 1969
Score: He considered a movie for the ears, so yes it is a score.
“An example of an album made in 1969”
After breaking up his band the Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa would go into the studio in August of ‘69 and emerge a month later with Hot Rats in the can. An intriguing menagerie of Jazz, Blues, Rock...
7 tags
Al Green - Explores Your Mind (1974)
Dr. Al Green
“Explores Your Mind”
Genre: R&B
Released: 1974
Score: He’s Al Green, he did, and often.
“Don’t let the smile fool you, he doesn’t like what he sees.”
The catalyst for thousands of babies being conceived since his career started, Al Green’s eighth effort is when he successfully fused his love of soul music with neurology....
6 tags
The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies (1971)
The Kinks
“Muswell Hillbilles”
Genre: Rock
Released: 1971
Score: 50 stars
“We’re not referencing Lord of the Rings, Everyone’s going to hate this.”
The band that is often remembered for doing the right thing at the wrong time is at it again on 1971’s Muswell Hillbillies. Nuclear warfare, diet fads, mental fragility, and the preposterousness of...
11 tags
Mr. Mister - Welcome to the Real World (1985)
Mr. Mister
“Welcome to the Real World”
Genre:Pop Crap
Released: 1985
Score: Album of the Decade
“The softer-rocking Toto”
America’s leading scientists had been working on a solution to Sting and “The Police” for years. Our first attempt, “Project Bryan Adams” was an unmitigated disaster and was quickly pawned off to Canada, where he...
9 tags
Skip Spence - Oar (1969)
Alexander “Skip” Spence
“Oar”
Genre: Folk/Rock
Released: 1969
Score: It’s Good.
“You wanna get nuts? Lets get nuts!”
A member of Quiksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and co-founder of Moby Grape, Skip Spence’s fingerprints are all over the psychedelic sound of 1960’s San Francisco. Strangely, while most of these bands remain...
7 tags
Little Feat - Little Feat (1971)
Little Feat
“Little Feat”
Genre: Rock
Released: 1971
Bristol Stool Chart - Type 3 (Like a sausage but with cracks on the surface)
“Rex Ryan’s favorite band.”
This band might have gotten extremely lame in subsequent releases but this opening effort is a fantastic debut in the genre of Rock Americana. Touching on rock, blues, jazz and a certain Je ne sais quoi...
9 tags
Woody Guthrie - Dust Bowl Ballads (1940)
Woody Guthrie
“Dust Bowl Ballads”
Genre: Folk
Released: 1940
Score: 5-4 F/OT
“Just found out how much money Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan would make.”
Dust is annoying. A lot of dust is apparently really annoying. Woody Guthrie had the time back in 1940 to go into a studio and whine about it a lil’ bit. Thanks to fantastic ditties like: Talking Dust Bowl...
7 tags
Manassas - Manassas (1972)
Stephen Stills’ Manassas
Manassas
Genre: Rock
Released: 1972
Quarterback Rating: 99.2 out of 158.3
“The guy on the far left died in the opening 15 minutes.”
After missing out on being a part of the Monkees, who’d go on to shape the music, fashion and culture of the 60’s and beyond, Stephen Stills was at a crossroads in his career. His first two bands came and...
8 tags
Wilson Pickett - Hey Jude (1969)
Wilson Pickett
“Hey Jude”
Genre: R&B
Released: 1969
Score: B+ out of 100
“Supremely Confident no one has written Hey Jude yet.”
The stage was set. The lyrics? Stirring. The time? Perfect. This was the belief of the “Wicked One” Wilson Picket in 1969. The album along with the title track were to be his magnum opus to bestow upon the world. There was...
