I can check off another one from Rolling Stone's top 500 albums of all time, as this one fell at #279. They made it to #18 on the Billboard chart, and the first three songs were all singles that made it to the top 50 of the charts. Not bad at all for a self-titled DEBUT album. Yup, first time out of the gate. Not bad at all.
Let's do this thing - the track-by-track:
"Good Times Roll" kicks us off, appropriately. It's already evident to me that I have probably heard a lot of this before, but never knew the artist in particular. This is already making for an exciting album. This first number has a very steady beat, not being too overwhelming for an opening track. There is some kind of quality here that makes me feel like we're in for something special throughout the album. Let the good times roll!
"My Best Friend's Girl." Oh, ouch, that's got to burn. It's a catchy little song, but I'm not entirely into it. It's a boy's song for sure, haha. There's something interesting about these vocals though. It's almost not singing in a way, but sort of Jagger-ish choking? God I hope that makes sense.
Oh. Hell. Yeah. This one's a classic. "Just What I Needed" is the third track, kind of buried, but obvious when it appears. It's just a great song. It's kind of a love song without being sappy; the lyrics are honest but still fun. And musically, there's just wonderful things going on in the background and especially between verses. This is just wonderful. Here's the video - lacking a little energy, but enjoyable nonetheless:
"Don't Cha Stop" isn't helping to bring me back in yet. Still in that video game realm I guess. I like the vocals on this though - it's certainly a fun song to get up and moving for.
"You're All I've Got Tonight" comes up next. This one wasn't a charting single, but as a B-side, it got, and still does get apparently, a lot of radio play. It's a pretty simple song actually, but does the trick. That guitar in the break is awesome though. I spent a lot of time during this number trying to envision this in 1978, the year it was released, and that helped a lot.
The next song is "Bye Bye Love." I feel like I'm falling more and more down the hippie-disco rabbit hole. And Bowie seems to be creeping in somehow. Bah, wait, the next song started...
"Moving In Stereo" is most definitely like the musical equivalent of being caught inside a data stream (just... give me that one, okay?). I would like this more as an instrumental track, I think. Although, the lyrics don't really harm it at all. They almost come across as a part of what would be a totally instrumental version. Yay for using the voice as an instrument as well!
"All Mixed Up" plays us out in a mellower tone. It's gentler without loosing the mood they've created throughout the rest of the album. Overall, I think it's a nice finisher.
Stuff I Wouldn't Mind Hearing Again:
- "Good Times Roll" - Spotify, YouTube
- "Just What I Needed" - Spotify, YouTube
- "You're All I've Got Tonight" - Spotify, YouTube
- "Moving In Stereo" - Spotify, YouTube
Look, 70's music just isn't something that strikes a chord with everyone in the world. A few songs here and there, yes, but it's just impossible to completely give in to something like this in a regular setting. Another place, another time, we'll see.
Thoughts anyone?